Open mike 15/09/2010
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6:00 am, September 15th, 2010 - 25 comments
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Ka nui te mihi kia koutou. Ka mihi ki te mana whenua ko Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei. Kia ora and good morning everyone. Thank you Fran and Simon for inviting me here today, and importantly your leadership of this forum over several years now. I want to acknowledge David Gehrenbeck, Deputy ...3 days ago
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One of the ten young men selected to participate in the Military-Style Academy Pilot has allegedly reoffended. Children’s Minister Karen Chhour is disappointed but says it would be naïve to think that none of these young men would reoffend. “I’m saddened that this young person has not taken this opportunity ...4 days ago
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- Improving the lives of young New Zealanders
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Tēnā koutou katoa – it is a pleasure to be here today. I would like to begin by acknowledging the important leadership role you all play in ensuring a quality health system New Zealanders can trust. There is enormous clinical expertise in this room covering a wide range of disciplines. ...5 days ago
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Tēnā koutou katoa. Mr President, Excellencies, Delegates. New Zealand, and all nations represented here today, are already dealing with the impacts of climate change. Our households, businesses, and economies are bearing the costs of its effects. The choices we make now will shape the severity of these impacts for generations ...5 days ago
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- New Zealand supporting loss and damage fund
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced New Zealand will contribute NZ$10 million to the new Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage while at the annual United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan. “New Zealand is joining the global effort to address the significant challenge of responding to ...5 days ago
- Gang crackdown begins at stroke of midnight
The free ride for gangs is over when the clock strikes midnight tonight, with tough new laws officially coming into effect, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith and Police Minister Mark Mitchell say. “Gang patches will no longer be able to be worn in public. To earn the right to wear a ...5 days ago
- LGFA increases borrowing capacity to support high growth councils
The Government is welcoming the decision by the Local Government Funding Agency to increase access to financing tools for fast growing councils to support greater investment in critical infrastructure, Local Government Minister Simeon Brown says.“Communities across the country are facing an infrastructure deficit and significant population growth is projected in ...5 days ago
- Temporary Traffic Management costs revealed
The Government has revealed that over the past three years, the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) has spent an eyewatering $786 million of taxpayers’ money on road cones and temporary traffic management (TTM), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“When I became Minister, I was surprised to learn that that NZTA did ...5 days ago
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Legislation that will double the financial jurisdiction of the Disputes Tribunal from $30,000 to $60,000 has passed first reading in Parliament today, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith. “We need to improve court timeliness and access to justice so that Kiwis and get on with their lives. Court delays affect everyone, the ...6 days ago
- Protecting New Zealand from foreign interference
Legislation that will specifically criminalise foreign interference and strengthen espionage offences has passed first reading in Parliament today, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “It is normal and appropriate for states to interact and work to influence one another. This encourages cooperation and can have mutually beneficial outcomes. “However, the reality ...6 days ago
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Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed news that the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) Board has approved funding towards pre-implementation and early works on the State Highway 1 (SH1) Belfast to Pegasus Motorway and Woodend Bypass Road of National Significance (RoNS). “Reaching this significant milestone is a reflection of our Government’s ...6 days ago
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Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says findings from the annual Health Survey highlight the need to continue driving better health outcomes for New Zealanders. The New Zealand Health Survey is an annual snapshot of key metrics measured from July 2023 – July 2024. Findings released this morning include: In 2023/24, ...6 days ago
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A renewed effort to get people to quit smoking will build on what has worked to date and target the groups who most need support, Associate Health Minister Casey Costello said today. “The latest New Zealand Health Survey results show the daily smoking rate at 6.9 per cent and we ...6 days ago
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Regulation Minister David Seymour has today announced the next steps in the Government’s plan improve the quality of regulation by opening consultation on a proposed Regulatory Standards Bill. “New Zealand's low wages can be blamed on low productivity, and low productivity can be blamed on poor regulation,” says Mr Seymour. ...6 days ago
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Minister for Regulation David Seymour has today announced that the Ministry for Regulation’s Red Tape Tipline is now live. “We want to hear about your red tape horror stories. From today, New Zealanders will have a say on how they are regulated through an online portal,” says Mr Seymour. The ...6 days ago
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The Minister for Youth Matt Doocey has today announced the eleventh Youth Parliament will be taking place in 2025. “Youth Parliament offers a unique youth development opportunity to young people from across New Zealand to experience the political process and learn about how government works,” says Mr Doocey. “The two-day ...7 days ago
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After nearly a year in Government, Kiwis have seen significant change across law and order with promising early results shown across some Police statistics, says Police Minister Mark Mitchell. “In August 2023, I told New Zealanders that if they had not started to see a change in public safety within ...7 days ago
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With the launch of Fraud Awareness Week, the Government is committing to new coordination efforts across industry and government to combat online scams, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Online financial scams are a growing problem for New Zealand. New data released today shows that Kiwis lost nearly ...1 week ago
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At the outset, expectations were low – but even with considerable headwinds, progress was made. The petroleum-laden dust has settled on this year’s United Nations climate summit, Cop29, held over the past fortnight in Baku, Azerbaijan. Climate scientists, leaders, lobbyists and delegates are heading for home. The meeting achieved ...32 minutes ago - Principals’ anger over cutbacks to ‘jolly good’ school lunch scheme
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Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp');Got a good quiz question? Send Newsroom your questions.The post Newsroom daily quiz, Monday 25 November appeared first on Newsroom. ...6 hours ago
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The server will be getting hardware changes this evening starting at 10pm NZDT.
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The Shock Doctrine
Emergency legislation rushed through Parliament has given the Government extraordinary powers.
Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee confirmed that included exempting the seven-person Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Commission from scrutiny under the Official Information Act. It also exempts commissioners from any liability.
The commission will play a critical role in deciding how resources should be prioritised and funding allocated.
The Government initially drafted much of the legislation on the last Government’s emergency pandemic legislation, which was drawn up in the wake of the bird flu scare.
Labour has said it is confident that there are sufficient checks and balances in place.
The Greens have raised concerns.
More here: http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/4129102/Rebuilding-boosted-by-extra-powers
They may have raised concerns but they still voted for it.
Earthquake strengthening….having seen Christchurch last week I wandered around Wellington yesterday looking at what might move and who might be underneath. A future projection for Wellington is not pretty, nor would it be for most cities in NZ. The key issue in my mind was not the buildings but the safety of the people aka you and me.
I noted this made the front page of Saturdays Dom, and two things emerged :
* the Wellington CC has not been particularly vigilant in policing earthquake strengthening, having given what appears to be excessive lattitude and time to the owners of the most at risk buildings.
* the owners have sat through a building boom, taken the rentals and capital gains and failed to comply.
The undercurrent emerging is that the landlords now cant get finance and after taking the cash in good years want the ratepayers to fund the improvements. Given that the Prendergast council is a “developer” friendly I fully expect the council to use ratepayers funds for private gain and safety compliances. I suspect another example of the citizen being rorted by the landlords is about to emerge.
But thank god the taxpayer paid for the Beehive to be mounted on huge rubber grommets so our best and brightest won’t get their brains shook during a Wellington event.
So yesterday National announced that they will be voting against a bill which would see factory farming phased out within 5 years.
There was a press conference where it was announced that the Maori Party, United Future, the Labour Party and the Green Party will be voting for the Animal Welfare (Treatment of animals) Amendment Bill. SAFE, the RNZSPCA, WSPA and the founder of Freedom Farms all turned up to talk about how important this bill is. However, the minister for Agriculture announced later that National won’t be supporting it because “it would mean challenges for New Zealand farmers.”
I can understand why the bunch of gits in National would vote against it, because it’s bad for the piggery and factory farming friends. However, why are none of the left wing blogs talking about this?
They should be allowed to get away with it!
Here’s the link to one of the only articles on this,
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/4128132/Bid-to-free-chickens-and-pigs-from-cages-slammed
[Eddie: We have jobs and lives and stuff and can’t cover everything. Feel free to send in a guest post.]
Phil Twyford has written about it on Red Alert.
I made the offer to write a post on it a month ago and no one got back to me.
Will do,
ALSO
big demonstration happening at parliament Wednesday 22nd of September, 12pm
MPs will be invited to try out a sow crate which will be brought to parliament.
there’s a button called ‘contribute post’ on the front page
http://www.countercurrents.org/freakout140910.htm
Hi Great animation illustrating that Climate Change must be addressed,or else! This actually is the most overarching problem all humanity faces.
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news/local/news/general/warming-arctic-pushes-wildlife-to-the-edge/1940663.aspx
Further evidence of Climate Change distressing animal populations in the Arctic. An illustration of how we will lose a lot of the beauty and diversity of life,and have already done so, because of our fossil fuel binge growth culture which basically boils down to: I’m all right, I am not the keeper of brother Earth!(re. St Francis of Avila who talked of brother Sun and sister Moon!) Meaning? We’re a totally materialist species we have lost our connectedness to the Earth.We just don’t care! Planet Earth is the ultimate community.
Strike Two for Garrett?
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/4130949/MP-faces-new-allegations
‘Basher’ could be out for the count.
yesterday’s “news” that Garrett was convictedd of asssault and fined $10 for being king-hit from behind by a psychiatrist was non-news and at best a dodgy media beat-up by a creep of a journalist. Not so much “Strike One” as “Foul Ball”
This is different – for a start it was premeditated (whether a student prank or not)
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10673605
Strike One for Garrett.
Where did you get “student prank” from?
Oh that’s right, just made it up. If not, please show.
@Felix: Where did you get “student prank” from? Oh that’s right, just made it up. If not, please show.
Mea culpa. David Garrett did not enroll at the University of Canterbury until 1986 – two years after this episode which occurred in 1984.
So it was a pre-student prank (and one which did not stop him from being admitted to the bar.)
Incidentally this whole subject is subject to a $750 fine plus court costs – Garrett was not convicted and was granted permanent name suppression.
No, we only have Garrett’s say-so that it was any kind of prank, and do you know how much stock I put in the word of a person who steals a dead baby’s identity? Not much.
What we know for certain is that the act he committed (as an adult) is a crime. Whether he was convicted or not is immaterial with regard to his character, his suitability as a parliamentarian, and how he will quite rightly be viewed by ordinary kiwis.
He has admitted to committing the act itself, a disgraceful, callous, and profoundly dishonest act.
How was he supposed to know before the article came out in the herald ?
Prescient hallucination as part of antidepressant withdrawal perhaps ?
Oh dear, Garrett. Oh dear, ACT. Oh dear, SST.
http://tvnz.co.nz//national-news/garrett-evades-question-over-fake-identity-3779759/video?vid=3779829
Oh dear.
edit: oops sorry VoR, didn’t see that.
Mark Ames writes about the Cordoba project, renamed Park51, and things are getting weirder and weirder.
Untangling the Bizarre CIA Links to the Ground Zero Mosque.
So far, the debate over the proposed Islamic center near Ground Zero has unfolded along predictable lines, with the man at the center of the project, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, drawing attacks from the right painting him as a terrorist sympathizer with ties to Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood.
But meanwhile, links between the group behind the controversial mosque, the CIA and U.S. military establishment have gone unacknowledged.
Hi there
Can someone please clarify something for me?
If there is a by-election in a labour held seat (mana for instance) and say, by some miracle, National were to win it, would they then go to 59 seats in parliament? with another list MP coming in? or do they stay at 58 seats and labour gets another list mp in?
On the slim chance that you are not taking the piss RC, the Elections NZ site says the following:
“A by-election has all the same features as a general election with a few exceptions. The differences are that it is an election for just one electorate, only registered electors of that electorate can vote, and there is no party vote.
A by-election result can change the proportionality of Parliament that was determined at the preceding general election (for example, if a by-election is won by a candidate representing a different party from that of the member who vacated his or her seat).”
Cheers Tiger Mountain
Def not taking the piss. genuine question. Thanks. i will check the site.
MSM selling Obama under threat, already!
Funny, the US just got rid of the Republicians after 8 years of extremely bad
government.
But to hear the MSM Republicians will take back Congress after just two years
of Democrats.
I’m sorry but I thought there was growing poverty, unemployment, and the
Republicians creds on the economy was exposed as lies, frauds, and fast-loose.
Would Key been PM had NZF got .5% more of the vote when they were told Garrett had fraudulently been in the possession of a false passport for 21 years! Garrett would stilll had it if Police had not come calling,
after Israeli spys were found with false NZ passports!
ACT got less votes than NZF, yet ACT got list seats and NZF got none.
That without the Maori party Key was a minority government relying on Garrett!
Did Key know? Will the right use this instance of list MP against MMP? Did Hide
plan to expose Garrett to undermine MMP? First past the post lobby, first undermine the
current system – hardly positive politics.
And how the hell did Garrett get name suppression!