Wealth without work
Pleasure without conscience
Science without humanity
Knowledge without character
Politics without principle
Commerce without morality
Worship without sacrifice.
― Mahatma Gandhi
Not sure if it’s a blessing or a curse that I will be at work through the leadership announcement.
Conserving my energies for the next phase of media diversions, distortions and anti-left attacks.
We all want to help one another; human beings are like that. We want to live by each other’s happiness, not by each other’s misery. We don’t want to hate and despise one another. In this world there’s room for everyone and the good earth is rich and can provide for everyone.
The way of life can be free and beautiful.
But we have lost the way.
Greed has poisoned men’s souls, has barricaded the world with hate, has goose-stepped us into misery and bloodshed. We have developed speed but we have shut ourselves in. Machinery that gives abundance has left us in want. Our knowledge has made us cynical, our cleverness hard and unkind. We think too much and feel too little. More than machinery, we need humanity. More than cleverness, we need kindness and gentleness. Without these qualities, life will be violent and all will be lost…
A belly-laugh-out-loud -’Secret Diary of Grant Robertson’. Makes me wonder it Steve Braunias is a commenter or a lurker round these parts….
Wee teaser:
WEDNESDAY
O Thorndon! O political beltway of Wellington. How I’ve missed it! It’s so good to be back with people you can trust. Who needs humanity when you have caucus?
We sat around and analysed latest polling. There was good news and bad news.
The bad news was that 79 per cent of New Zealanders thought I was inexperienced, shifty, kind of creepy, a bit of a toerag, and probably a really sore loser.
The good news was that caucus couldn’t care less what 79 per cent of New Zealanders think about anything.
THURSDAY
We revised earlier estimates and concluded that caucus couldn’t care less what 100 per cent of New Zealanders think about anything
edit – moved this to open mike when it suddenly appeared
It seems to me that Farrar participating in the axe the copper tax campaign is a clear sign that the English/Key faction is targeting pro-Collins minister Amy Adams. Between this and Key letting her bury herself over the RMA changes things don’t look good for Adams.
The rumblings are that the factional war in National stepping up a notch. Presumably as a result of Key’s polling slipping and the threat of a resurgent Labour party. I predict we’ll see Judith Collins increase her PR work but also hit a few carefully planted landmines over the next twelve months.
Strange also that in the past the Labour Party was lambasted for allowing the unions to ‘control’ it.
No-one in the MSM see’s a problem with the National Party being controlled by some very rich business men. These people will be paying very close attention to John Key at the present time, when they can sense some strange stirrings in the political atmosphere which may not bode too well for them.
Good to see the ABC group have migrated to National Party “Anyone but Collins”
It seems to me that Farrar participating in the axe the copper tax campaign is a clear sign that the English/Key faction is targeting pro-Collins minister Amy Adams. Between this and Key letting her bury herself over the RMA changes things don’t look good for Adams.
Yup its as if labour dont have a telecoms spokesperson.
They should be dicatating the narrative on UFB as joyce has stitched up the taxpayer to line chorus pockets just like the old days. Chorus need to be brought in line and what happened to the $300m gifted for rural broadband ?
A court indictment by the Turkish prosecutors into the alleged use of chemical weapons by the Syrian rebels has once again highlighted fears this week that sarin toxic gas was used by the opposition and not the Assad government.
The prosecutor in the Turkish city of Adana has issued a 132-page indictment, alleging that six men of the al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front and Ahrar ash-Sham tried to seek out chemicals with the intent to produce the nerve agent, sarin gas, a number of Turkish publications reported.
From today’s Herald online, Bernard Hickey gives some details about the love affair the middle class in Auckland have with the 2nd and 3rd property as a rental investment,
Berrnard points out that while prices are going up for the actual houses rents overall seem to have dropped 1%, if that fall continues i would suggest that in Auckland such investment in rental investments has reached a point where the ‘rental market’ has reached saturation point,
The competition between 1st home buyers and rental investors continues at pace,
”The surge of former owner-occupied houses becoming rentals was most evident in Mt Eden,(up 19%), Mt Wellington,(up24%), and Remuera, (up 10%)”, unquote: Bernard Hickey,
What’s next, my pick is interest rates go up, rents start to ratchet up and those who are over-leveraged will be forced to sell the rental or lose their shirts…
On Radionz now – for all people interested in international aid suggestions that might apply to NZ and within NZ to give a way forward, in these difficult times, through community strength.
10:06 Ideas International Aid – What works and what doesn’t?
Duncan Green, the author of From Poverty to Power, speaks to Chris Laidlaw about his belief that active citizenship is the key to reversing the world’s growing inequalities; UnionAID’s Helen Wilson describes a project in Tamil Nadu, India that has seen some of the poorest of the poor setting up worker cooperatives; and Professor Stephen Howes, a former World Bank economist, reflects on what works and what doesn’t when it comes to international aid.
Produced by Jeremy Rose.
Also check out Polifact.com.au I think this may have something to offer we nz citizens.
MediaWatch this morning had a segment about the company Politifact, who do fact-checking on US political statements (particularly around elections), and how they branched out into the recent Australian election.
The guy was saying that he’d have no problem covering the NZ election next year, if they can partner with someone or be funded by someone wanting to pay the bills.
The idea of a Maori Upper House will never fly but perhaps the current system of separate Maori seats doesn’t offer true bicultural commitment. How about if Maori voters weren’t offered an either or situation with their electoral roll but instead given both. The Maori seats stay, the separate electoral roll remains, but Maori voters also get to remain on the General roll and vote a second time!
Lose the Jelly. Toughen up, stand firm on good present policy and don’t bring up such ideas that would arouse the ire of large numbers of NZ because it goes against a well understood principle of equal representation.
People of integrity want fairness for all ensuring that Maori are up there, but not in a way that specially favours their vote over everybody else. People who want Maori to receive the favourable consideration denied for so long want extra care put into organising reparation and ownership and a voice in government, a more bi-cultural approach.
Maori have options for voting already that give them rights to opt for either the Maori or General Roll, plus 4 guaranteed places for Maori in government, (and I believe this should always remain and perhaps go to 6) which is a base and further Maori MPs are likely to be in parliament if pakeha and Maori on the General Roll elect them.
We also should see a set minimum representation in local government. But not playing around with the voting system to give each Maori two votes. It would be unwise to tinker with the balanced system we have based on one vote per person. There are some situations where some get two votes in local body elections I think, but this is based on where property owners having a say where they are ratepayers, and would apply to Maori as well.
This would be fraud, and you know it! One person, one vote.
I think NZ should move beyond the self pity stage and enter the grown up scene. To ask for “special” treatment” belittles the ability and skills of Maoris to be forever reliant on some hand me downs to get a piece of the action. Its debilitating and humiliating.
FW
It’s not wrong to ensure that Maori have clear availability and options to use their well- demonstrated ability and skills. It isn’t debilitating and humiliating to ensure that. Sometimes the heavier side on the balance of justice has to take off a weight and put it on the lighter side to even or slightly advantage the previously lighter side.
Moira Coatsworth has just sent Labour members a final email. Excerpt:
With a highly winnable but tough general election only 14 months or less away, it is critical now that we are united going forward and have a relentless focus on the campaign to win a Labour victory for our country. As you reflect on the result this afternoon I ask you to follow our three candidates’ inspiring lead and focus on two imperatives – unity and a Labour victory next year.
I think that will depend on the Labour caucus Moira.
If, after the votes have been counted and the final figures published, we find that the caucus has yet again thrown s–t in the face of the majority of the membership and affiliates, then I think your chances of unity will be short-lived.
If, however the caucus accept that party unity comes first after-all (and not themselves) then there is a chance. A win in 2014 will surely follow. So, lets see if the Labour caucus is up for it.
Each sector will have it’s final figures published.That is, the percentage figure for each of the sectors for each candidate. Example: what percentage of the 40% caucus contribution voted for each of the candidates. It will be easy enough to work out the actual numbers.
Mediocrity Watch: DAVID FARRAR Mediawatch, Radio New Zealand National, Sunday 15 September 2013
Media whores and self-publicists Gareth and Jo Morgan have foolishly gotten themselves into a spot of bother. They have been sponsored by the North Korean government to go to North Korea and have a look at a few Potemkin villages. Predictably, they have made asses of themselves by raving about how wonderful it all was. On Mediawatch this morning, both Morgans were Holmesian in their effusiveness…
GARETH MORGAN: Their clothes are unbelievable! We were the scwuffiest people in North Kowea without a doubt!
JO MORGAN: There could be problems in the country that we didn’t see, but what we did see was fantastic!
How contemptible are people who get paid by brutal regimes to tour around with blinkers on and then speak and write positively of those regimes? Undoubtedly they deserve condemnation for their naïveté and their willful blindness. They deserve rigorous criticism.
Not all critics, however, are credible. Unfortunately, the producers at Mediawatch went to a notorious apologist for one rogue regime and let him cut loose on the hapless Morgans for their support of another rogue regime. The Morgans deserve to be admonished, but not by this bloke.
I flicked Chris Laidlaw a quick email to express my, and no doubt many others’, consternation. Keep listening, fellas, and you might hear an on-air slapdown of one of the nastiest hypocrites in the country…
Dear Chris,
While Kim-boosters Gareth and Jo Morgan might well be the modern equivalent of Stalin-bosters Sidney and Beatrice Webb, it was astonishing to hear Mediawatch give the right-wing blogger David Farrar a platform to attack them. Apparently Farrar objects to them being sponsored by the North Korean regime, claiming that this destroyed any credibility they might have had.
In late 2009, David Farrar accepted the sponsorship of another rogue, pariah regime—Israel—and came back to New Zealand full of praise for a regime which has violated more international resolutions than any other. Farrar chose to stay away from the devastated Gaza strip, which had only months earlier been attacked, including with phosphorous munitions, by Israel in what Israeli spokesmen boasted was “twenty-two days of madness”. He did, however, walk around occupied East Jerusalem and afterwards noted, with resolute Webbian blindness, that “things were generally very relaxed in this area”.
For Farrar to criticise the Morgans for acting towards North Korea in exactly the same way as he did towards another pariah regime, is an example of gall and chutzpah on the grand scale. Disappointingly, the Mediawatch interviewer failed to challenge Farrar’s hypocrisy.
Keenly onto it again I see Morrissey ! Appreciated. Don’t blame poor Farrar too much though. Any problems he didn’t see are surely down to those truly ghastly Gazan youths throwing stones.
JO MORGAN: There could be problems in the country that we didn’t see, but what we did see was fantastic!
Problems? Like a regime that routinely executes enemies of the state including their leader’s ex ‘girlfriend’? Those ‘problems’? So no one lynched anyone in front of you, Jo? How lovely.
“The Government has stopped a review of New Zealand’s controversial terrorism laws, a move being greeted with suspicion by critics.”
“Green party co-leader Russel Norman said the move raises suspicions that the Government is unwilling to risk further public scrutiny of the state’s search and surveillance powers, at a time when it is already under fire over the GCSB Amendment Bill.”
On something else entirely different, from somebody who hasn’t a clue how to go about it. Any chance of a nice green/purple theme with camillias on Thursday the 19th on here? It’s 120 years after all.
I must make some noises at work too – I’ll try to wear the appropriate colours.
Be nice if we could get other media and social media to recognise it too.
Might be a way to get more people interested in turning out to vote next time.
Read up Te Ara. Apparently a quarter of the adult women in new zealand signed the petition.. found some of mine on there. and they were from every two bit place in the country too.
The mic picture was swapped for some evil looking teeth on Friday the 13th…a white camellia would look great for the 19th, a very significant Women’s Suffrage Aniversary
In my experience, busting into the wrong house and searching it is reasonably common. Of course, it doesn’t happen in Parnell and the people it does happen to are often easily intimidated into silence.
Yeah it was a pretty slow sunday. I had to double the size of the database to handle the load..
I might have to head off for a beer. Looks like the results were what I was expecting except Grant didn’t do as well as I expected in caucus. Looks like a pile of votes headed to Jones.
i am doing a head scratch all round about support for Shane Jones, i don’t see any point in saying exactly how i feel about all the ‘smoko room Bro’ stuff except to say i cannot believe that some people bought into what is obviously so false,
Lolz i can only say there must be some very ‘strange’ people in the Labour Caucus, enjoy your beer, i indulged far too heavily in the stuff earlier in this life so i will turn the roast over and have another coffee…
..yeah..i wd really like to hear the justifications for pissing their votes up against the wall done by those who voted for the w.t.f!-candidate…
..they either seriously think jones was up to it..was really ‘the man’ he pretends to be..’the man’ for this particular moment in time/nz/the labour party..
..(in which case they need to be hauled off for some serious diagnoses..)
..or they were just playing games..’wanking’ as it were…
..treating their ballot-papers/vote like the dog-eared ‘penthouse’-skinmags (seemingly) favoured by who they voted for..
..in which case the please explain? might be harder for them..
.than being hauled off..accused of dementia..
..(and..sigh..!..’having indulged far too heavily’ in my earlier life in my favourite..the ‘speedball’..(heroin/cocaine mixed..)..
..i flipped the vegan-burgers…and sparked up a celebratory-joint..
Did anyone see John Key in his new role last night? He was the third commentator for the All Blacks – Springbok Test on SkyTV. Slumped next to Richie McCaw and the lead broadcaster he appeared somewhat portly and poorly, had bad posture and kept self-consciously adjusting his jacket and tie to try and cover his tummy up, which seemed to want to be part of the action too the way it kept sneaking a peek. His comments were bland and uninspiring and said with a casualness which kind of indicated he was making it up as he went.
All in all a brilliant performance completely in keeping with his NZ presence elsewhere. It is absolutely the next job he should apply for.
I ran across a recent essay from The Brothers Krynn, which attempts to map common horror monsters onto the Seven Deadly Sins: https://canadianculturecorner.substack.com/p/horror-monsters-and-vice My interest, however, is not in the meat of the piece, but rather the opening paragraph: It is an interesting fact that in recent decades, Vampires have ...
Buzz from the Beehive Transport Minister Simeon Brown dutifully issued advice to all road users to keep safe on our roads during the Easter weekend. He encouraged them to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. ...
Oliver Hartwich writes – New Zealanders recently learned about a new feature film. It will be about former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern – and taxpayers will subsidise it to the tune of NZ$800,000. Ardern had nothing personally to do with either the film or the subsidy. But her government’s ...
TL;DR: Here’s the top six news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above that was recorded yesterday afternoon above between and The Kākā’s climate correspondent : An independent review panel into the emergency response to Cyclone Gabrielle in Hawkes Bayconcluded “that ...
There are now only a few days left to give feedback on the Draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) on Land Transport 2024-34 (see our earlier post this week on GPS submission guides). As we’ve reported, the GPS is a disaster for Local Government, so we were particularly interested to hear ...
Willis has pledged to go ahead with the debt-funded tax cuts, despite growing opposition from her own supporters worried about appearing fiscally irresponsible. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for ...
Open access notables A survey of interventions to actively conserve the frozen North, van Wijngaarden et al., Climatic Change:The frozen elements of the high North are thawing as the region warms much faster than the global mean. The dangers of sea level rise due to melting glacier ice, increased ...
Bryce Edwards writes – New Zealand’s biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure. The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On ...
In 2015, then-Prime Minister John Key announced plans for a huge ocean sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands, banning fishing and mining from 15% of Aotearoa's EEZ. It was bold, it was ambitious, and it suggested that National might actually care about the environment. Except they fucked it up: Key failed ...
1. Who has just been given the accolade New Zealander of the Year?a. The Kokakob. The Cook Strait Ferryc. Fair God. Dr Jim Salinger 2. Which of these is an affront to decent society?a. Dame Edna Everageb. Mrs Doubtfire c. Dr. Frank-N-Furterd. Brian 3. Who is Penny Simmonds?a. The aspiring actress in Big ...
New Zealand’s biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure.The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On the face of it, the court found ...
Buzz from the Beehive Waves of rain are set to lash much of the North Island during Easter Weekend as a low-pressure system forms east of New Zealand, according to a weather forecast published in the past day or so. Niwa was warning of a “moisture-laden” long weekend, with rain expected ...
Look around us…Nicola Willis’ promises of balancing the books, of cutting spending without reducing services, and of delivering game changing tax cuts are disappearing before her eyes.Everyday we see stories of violent crime ending in horrific injuries, or worse. The cost of living worsens, whereas the PM claimed renters would ...
TL;DR: My top six news of note on the morning of Thursday, March 28 include:The Government will have to borrow between $10 billion to $15 billion more than previously expected in order to make up for a slowing economy and to pay for $14.9 billion of tax cuts, according to ...
This story by Naveena Sadasivam and Kate Yoder was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. The long-awaited jobs board for the American Climate Corps, promised early in the Biden administration, will open next month, according to details shared exclusively ...
Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don’t think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of ...
Treasury’s first report on the economy since the change of government presents a damning indictment of Labour’s economic management. The problem for National is that it is so damning that logically, coupled with a rapidly slowing economy, Finance Minister Nicola Willis should respond to it by postponing or even cancelling ...
Budget tensions are becoming evident within the Coalition Government. Winston Peters made numerous political points in his speech to the NZF annual conference. But the attack on his own government’s fiscal policies raised issues of substance. ‘Today in the Sunday Star Times, journalist and former advisor to the Labour ...
Buzz from the Beehive The media – sure enough – have been binging on Finance Minister Nicola Willis’ release of the Budget Policy Statement and a statement headed Government announces Budget priorities This assures us – or rather, this parrots the Luxon team mantra – that the Budget “will deliver ...
The Ides of March brought me COVID followed by a bereavement. No wonder they tell you to be careful of them.I’m home now and have resumed the interrupted recuperation. Very much looking forward to getting back to regular things. Meanwhile, some thoughts…OneThis new Prime Minister guy just keeps getting more dire. ...
News that the Chinese ATP 40 cyber-hacking unit penetrated parliamentary internet networks in 2021 has renewed concerns about the PRC’s malign intentions in Aotearoa. But is the hack that significant given the length of time that has passed since its … Continue reading → ...
When Parliament passed the Intelligence and security Act in 2017, they assured us all that it was full of safeguards. Any intrusive surveillance of New Zealanders would be subject to a "triple lock", requiring the approval of the Minister and (supposedly independent) Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants, as well as post-facto ...
Eric Crampton writes – Richard Harman’s Politik newsletter provides a bit of the context that ought to have been showing up in other media reports on potential reductions in public service staffing. Media has been reporting on staffing cuts on the order of about 7%. Is that ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – It’s becoming increasingly apparent that many perceive free speech to have become the preserve of the politically right wing, the religiously conservative, the libertarian fringe, the anti-trans, the anti-Māori and…. well, just fill in with whatever groups or individuals you don’t like and don’t ...
Don Brash writes – As everybody who is not blind and deaf is aware, there is a huge political preoccupation with climate change at the moment, a widespread (though by no means unanimous) belief that global temperatures are rising mainly as a result of the greenhouse gases created ...
TL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy on Wednesday, March 27 include:Chris Bishop laid out his vision for filling Aotearoa-NZ’s $100 billion infrastructure deficit in a speech yesterday, emphasising user pays and private funding, but failed to say how to achieve bipartisanship on population, public borrowing and ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Former Finance Minister Grant Robertson and former Prime Minister Chris Hipkins have been conveying how unhappy they are with the tax system. Last week in his valedictory speech, Robertson called for the introduction of a wealth or capital gains tax. And this week Hipkins ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Buzz from the Beehive China has loomed large in Beehive considerations over the past 24 hours, largely because of that country’s mischief-making in the cyber espionage department. Two media statements emerged on that subject hard on the heels of the PM baulking at questions put to him on RNZ’s Morning ...
Chris Trotter writes – WHY IS THE NATIONAL PARTY doing so much for landlords, property developers, trucking, and construction companies, and so little for everybody who isn’t already pretty well-off? It’s as if protecting landlords’ investments and building apartments and roads now constitute the whole of National’s ...
Bryce Edwards writes – When she was campaigning to be Minister of Finance last year, Nicola Willis pledged that she would resign from the job if she failed to deliver tax cuts in her first Budget. Now, it’s that pledge, along with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s ...
Robert MacCulloch writes – The Reserve Bank has doubled staff numbers in five years to 510, with personnel costs rising to $80 million in 2023 from $32 million in 2018 – up by a whopping 150%. I guess when you print $50 billion and flood markets with liquidity, ...
The furore. In case you didn’t notice there was a controversy in the weekend involving dolphins in a little town off the South Island. Don’t panic, they haven’t declared independence and resumed whaling, this was simply a sailing event.The problem began when racing was cancelled on the opening day of ...
For 20 years or more, the case for a meaningful capital tax gains has been mulled over and analysed to death, including by the tax working group chaired by Sir Michael Cullen. More than once, the International Monetary Fund has said a CGT would be a good idea for New ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: The Public Health Communications Centre (PHCC) call for urgent preventive action and a risk assessment survey of long covid in this briefing noteLocal scoop: NZ road deaths surpass OECD rates, so why is the govt reversing safety plans? ...
This story was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. This story is part of a collaboration with Grist and WABE to demystify the Georgia Public Service Commission, the small but powerful state-elected board that makes critical decisions about everything from raising ...
This is a guest post from Robert McLachlan Global warming is accelerating; 2023 was off the charts. We need to stop burning fossil fuels. In New Zealand, transport accounts for half of all fossil fuels burnt. In the Emissions Reduction Plan, transport emissions fall 41% by 2035. As the ...
Labour productivity has been receding rapidly over the past two years, reversing a post-lockdown rise. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy as at 6:26am on Tuesday, March 26 include:Workers have been treading water in output per hour worked for 12 years, ...
TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 2 include:Today, Parliament resumes sitting at 2pm for the second week of a two-week session. Officials for SIS and GCSB report their annual reviews in public to the Intelligence and Security Select Committee from 5.10pm.Tomorrow, ...
Faced with a barrage of criticism over the promised tax cuts from usually supportive commentators, Finance Minister Nicola Willis yesterday reaffirmed her intention to include them in this year’s Budget. The Government is up against it over the cuts just about every way it turns. Commentators like Fran O’Sullivan, Matthew ...
Here’s my pick of today’s substack posts as of 6:26pm on Monday, March 25: writes via his substack that Market-rate housing will make your city cheaper writes via his substack about the problems talking to double-cab ute (truck) drivers about their vehicles. today about moments of radicalisation in ...
Buzz from the Beehive Just before Christmas, Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivered something that was pitched as a mini-budget and brayed about the decisive action being taken to repair the Government books and support income tax relief in Budget 2024. In a statement headed Fiscal repair job underway. she introduced ...
My sister Belinda asked Dad yesterday what one word would describe Mum best. He said: vivacious.If you only knew her from the photos on the slideshow we've made for today,you might wonder about that, because the camera tended to lie with Mum.If ever she saw a camera pointed at her, she ...
There are two major public consultations closing in the next week, Auckland Council’s Long Term Plan (LTP), and the draft Government Policy Statement on Land Transport (GPS). Closing dates and times: LTP closes Thursday 28 February, at 11.59pm – a minute to midnight! GPS closes Tuesday 2 April, at 12pm noon – note that’s ...
From Kiwiblog’s David Farrar – Bryce Wilkinson writes: Senior Fellow Bryce Wilkinson’s analysis reveals that since March 2009, New Zealand has spent $158 billion more overseas than it has earned, but its NIIP has only fallen by $32 billion.Statistics New Zealand shows that receipts from overseas reinsurers have ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition? Brian Easton writes – The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could ...
Dear Nicola Willis,Right now you’ve probably got lots of competing demands coming at you. Ministers who’ve inherited quite a mess, or so you’ve told us, looking for money in the budget to improve things. I imagine that’s why they came to parliament - to make things better.You’ll have to make ...
The Local Government, Transport and Auckland Minister hasthreatened councils with intervention if they don’t merge water assets to take them off balance sheet, just as the now-repealed Three Waters plan directed. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things of note this morning for Monday, March 25 include:Simeon ...
A listing of 36 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 17, 2024 thru Sat, March 23, 2024. Story of the week Thanks to John Mason having the stamina to sit down to watch "Climate - the Movie" ...
This morning the Q&A programme had Simeon Brown on to talk about National’s replacement for Three Waters. In case anyone’s forgotten the three are - drinking water, waste water, and sewerage. It’s quite important not to get them mixed up. In much the same way that you wouldn’t want to ...
Today’s newsletter comes with a mini-podcast conversation between me and my buddy Liv Tennet, talking about her time as a child actor in Lord of the Rings. It’s a conversation with a lot of giggles as she talks about falling off a horse, and becoming a meme. Read ...
The Desmog Climate Disinformation Database documents, "individuals and organisations that have helped to delay and distract the public and our elected leaders from taking needed action to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and fight global warming." It's a who's who of the organised climate change denial movement, in other words. In ...
Bob Edlin writes – A High Court judge has decided miscreants who have mana – or who claim to have mana – should be treated differently from miscreants who have none. It’s a ruling that suggests indigenous law-breakers have a better chance of securing a discharge without conviction ...
Welcome to the first, and possibly last, edition of Brickbats, Bouquets and Bull’s Wool. In which I’ll take a look at the events of the last week or so, and rate them.In such ratings the numbers usually have more to do with the opinions of the reviewer, than the actual ...
Roger Partridge writes – My earlier column this month, New Zealand’s highest court could be facing a turning point, prompted a flood of feedback from business readers and lawyers alike. A common query was what Parliament can do to restrain an overreaching judiciary. This week I discuss two steps Parliament ...
TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.16pm on Friday, March 22: writes about New Zealand's Building Boom—And What the World Must Learn From It over at his substack. challenges the Auckland Council’s use of a 3.8 degrees of warming forecast to oppose a wave-park and data centre project ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition?The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could deliver her promised income tax cuts. Appointed minister, she ...
Buzz from the Beehive Ministers of the Crown have drawn attention to one sector of the science sector which is unlikely to be subjected to heavy spending cuts, a state-funded broadcaster which is doing nicely, thank you, and a sporting event that had $5.4 million from the public purse puffed ...
Abbott’s Freestyle Libre sensors allow continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). The sensor is applied to the back of the patient’s arm, with a thin filament under the skin measuring glucose levels constantly. But it costs around $100 per sensor and must be replaced once every 14 days. Photo by BSIP/Universal Images ...
The Inspector General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) recently released a report in which he exposes the existence of a foreign intelligence partner-controlled technological “capability” inside the headquarters of the GCSB, NZ’s 5 Eyes-affiliated signals intelligence collection and analysis agency. … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – Nearly three decades after the introduction of MMP and multiparty governments there should be a greater level of understanding about their finer points than often appears to be the case. The reaction to the despicable outburst from the Deputy Prime Minister at the weekend highlights ...
The sweet kisses from fruit of summerHave slowly been turning dullerYou say, "those times"And "remember the daysWhen we went outside and there still was the shade?"Taking no reason into play…Autumn. Clear, blue days shortening to longer nights, growing colder. Aotearoa.That’s us. The temperature dropping, the looming car crash - so ...
Bryce Edwards writes – “It is often said that behind every great man is a great woman”. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their “Ladies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxon”. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April ...
David Farrar writes – The Electoral Commission has published the expense returns for political parties for the 2023 election. I’ve put them in a table with how many votes a party got so we can see the spend per vote. National only spent $3.34 for every vote they got, almost ...
Winston Peters’ headline-making actions over the past week may have been a show of political power intended to strengthen his hand in Budget negotiations. It was no accident that his State of the Nation speech was as it was. He made it as New Zealand First Leader, not as Deputy ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:Former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson bowed out of politics this week, giving a series of exit ...
Graham Adams writes — If you love the law or sausages, as the saying goes, best not to look too closely at how they are made. And after watching the orgy of self-pity when Newshub’s closure was announced on February 28, television journalism should definitely be added to the list of those ...
Venerable New Zealand political commentator, Chris Trotter (https://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/), is a sad creature these days. Once one of the most reliable Leftist writers out there – Economic Left at that – Trotter seems to have absorbed the worldview of Auckland culture-war obsessives. It is not for me to categorise what he ...
The Coalition Government’s plan to ‘get Auckland moving’ is a cuts cover-up that will ultimately cost Aucklanders more to move around the city, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Slashing the Ministry of Pacific Peoples by 40% will have a devastating impact on pacific communities and further highlights how little this government cares about anything other than cutting taxes for the wealthiest few. ...
Labour has proposed an urgent inquiry to investigate the ever-increasing profits of supermarkets, aiming to lower costs for shoppers and food producers alike, says Labour Spokesperson for Commerce and Consumer Affairs Arena Williams and Primary Production Spokesperson Cushla Tangaere-Manuel. ...
With 14% of jobs on the line at the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, the responsible Minister Melissa Lee is failing to stand up for the very communities she’s meant to be representing. ...
COURT OF APPEAL: TRIFECTA OF VICTORY FOR NZ FIRST, TRIFECTA OF FAILURE FOR OPPONENTS For the third time since April 2020, New Zealand First has defeated the Serious Fraud Office and all those complicit in a malicious attack against a political party going about its lawful business in a lawful ...
The Green Party stands with people who live in public housing, people in dire housing need, experts and advocates in demanding better than the Government’s archaic approach to housing those who need our support the most. ...
New Zealand has recently lost the hosting rights of some major international sporting events including the America’s Cup, the Rugby Championship, Netball World Cup, and the Wellington Sevens. We are now at a huge risk of losing SailGP as well. And it won’t stop there. The recent issues with SailGP ...
A Member’s Bill drawn this week would modernise insurance law and make things fairer and more transparent for consumers, Christchurch Central MP Duncan Webb said. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues has confirmed she was aware of funding issues in mid-December and did nothing to stop it. On 14 March, she signed off on changes that were announced and implemented on 18 March without any consultation with disability communities. ...
Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter says her members' bill is an opportunity for the coalition government to plug the gap in electric vehicle incentives. ...
The National Government continues to talk about irresponsible tax cuts that will only drive up inflation, despite the country entering a technical recession. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues must act urgently to reinstate flexibility around the funding for disability support and apologise to disabled carers. ...
This story has been initiated by a leftie shill reporter who proactively sought to call a member of a former band, which disbanded twelve years ago, give their biased appraisal of what was said in my speech, and concocted a ham-fisted attempt at a story that does nothing but show ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Many in the mainstream media have taken what was said in New Zealand First’s State of the Nation Speech in Palmerston North on Sunday and deliberately, deceitfully, and ignorantly misrepresented what I said and why I said it. The headlines and commentary on the news stated that I compared ‘co-governance ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
Good afternoon. Thank you for, in your very busy lives, turning up to this meeting today. On October 14th last year New Zealanders overwhelmingly voted for change. That is exactly what this new government is bringing. New Zealand First campaigned to ‘take back our country’ and stop the disastrous economic ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April. “It was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates. Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend. “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” Mr Peters says. Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. “Road safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track. “Dam safety regulations ...
The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the government’s finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Government’s Budget objectives. “The coalition Government intends ...
The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says. “The Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says. “These changes are long overdue – the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009. ...
The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Education’s School Property Function. The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There is a clear need ...
State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Today I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” Minister Responsible for ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. “We’re sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union. “I am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says. “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “Comprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. “I would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
Good morning, it’s great to be here. First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning. I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
Before moving onto the substance of today’s address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and I’m sorry I can’t be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the Whangārei site where the facility will be constructed. “Northland has faced a number ...
New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata Māori 20 years ago, says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisation’s 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
COMMENTARY:By Ronny Kareni Since the atrocious footage of the suffering of an indigenous Papuan man reverberates in the heart of Puncak by the brute force of Indonesia’s army in early February, shocking tactics deployed by those in power to silence critics has been unfolding. Nowhere is this more evident ...
Analysis - Nicola Willis is holding firm on tax cuts despite the economic outlook being worse than forecast and critics urging her to wait, writes Peter Wilson for The Week In Politics. ...
Opposition MPs and unions are criticising a proposal by New Zealand’s Ministry of Pacific Peoples to cut staff by 40 percent. The country’s largest trade union — The Public Service Association — says the ministry has informed staff that it is looking to shed 63 of 156 positions. Opposition MPs ...
A poem by Poetry Aotearoa Yearbook 2024 featured poet Carin Smeaton. Daughtr of the 90s when she gets promoted to usherette a baby blu eel carries her all the way up to mothership she’s hovering high she lets the underaged in to see keanu reeves she lets the only lonely ...
Analysis by Keith Rankin. Keith Rankin, trained as an economic historian, is a retired lecturer in Economics and Statistics. He lives in Auckland, New Zealand. My earlier article – Can ‘Good’ be the Greater Evil? – looked at the issue of how wars should end, and how Good versus Evil ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 AMMA by Saraid de Silva (Moa Press, $38)A stunning debut novel reviewed by Brannavan ...
From Steve Martin to Ricky Stanicky, a pick’n’mix of things worth watching and listening to this long weekend. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. If you’re at a loss for something to occupy yourself with this Easter, don’t panic: The Spinoff’s got ...
Jesus had dinner with his 12 disciples right before he died. Noted historian Madeleine Chapman finds out who really deserved to be there.First published in 2018 but let’s be honest, the subject is timeless. As you sit on your couch this Easter Sunday, eating a chocolate egg you know ...
The newly-promoted Northern League club is on a mission to return to the National League for the first time in two decades. Plenty about domestic football in New Zealand has changed in that time – but the sense that this amateur competition is not an entirely level playing field remains. ...
Comment: Every year on February 2, a dozen men in tuxedos and top hats approach the burrow of a groundhog in Gobbler’s Knob, Pennsylvania and entice the beaver-like rodent to emerge and predict the weather. If the groundhog, named Punxsutawney Phil, sees its own shadow when it is summoned, legend ...
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Auckland Council has put a deadline on new weather-impacted property owners applying for categorisation as government funding looks set to run out. Councillors have voted to support a deadline of September 30 for property owners who haven’t accessed support to come forward and engage with the council’s recovery office. It ...
NONFICTION 1 BBQ Economics by Liam Dann (Penguin Random House, $40) “It’s official,” wrote Dann nine days ago in the Herald, where he works as business editor at large, “we’re in recession.” Yeah, great. He delivered the bad stats: “GDP fell 0.1 percent in the December 2023 quarter, compared with ...
By Anneke Smith, RNZ News political reporter A petition urging the New Zealand government to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people has been tabled in the House. More than 200 people gathered on Parliament’s forecourt today and they were met by MPs from Labour, the Greens and Te ...
Pacific Media Watch The Paris-based global media freedom watchdog RSF (Reporters Without Borders) has appealed for information about the “disappearance” of Palestinian journalist Bayan Abusultan. She was reportedly last seen on March 19 among people “sequestered” in this week’s raid and siege of Al Shifa hospital by Israeli troops in ...
EDITORIAL:The Jakarta Post It happens again and again; indigenous Papuans fall victim to Indonesian soldiers. This time, we have photographic evidence for the brutality, with videos on social media showing a Papuan man being tortured by a group of plainclothes men alleged to be the Indonesian Military (TNI) members. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robyn J. Whitaker, Director of the Wesley Centre for Theology, Ethics, and Public Policy & Associate Professor, New Testament, Pilgrim Theological College, University of Divinity A strange and eclectic range of activities takes place across these few weeks of the year. Some ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University It’s Easter weekend, which means many of us will be kicking back with the greatest hits on repeat. But whether you’re a boomer, or an ‘80s or ’90s kid, you might be ...
RNZ Pacific Fiji’s Acting Public Prosecutor has filed an appeal against the sentences of former prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama and suspended police chief Sitiveni Qiliho in their corruption case. Bainimarama was granted an absolute discharge for attempting to pervert the course of justice while Qiliho received a conditional discharge with ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Arosha Weerakoon, Senior Lecturer and General Dentist, School of Dentistry, The University of Queensland Casezy idea/Shutterstock How does toothpaste work? What did people use before toothpaste was invented? – Amelia, age 7, Meanjin (Brisbane) Thanks for your ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brett Hallam, Associate professor, UNSW Sydney IM Imagery/Shutterstock Solar SunShot is well named. The Australian government announced today it would plough A$1 billion into bringing back solar manufacturing to Australia, boosting energy security, swapping coal and gas jobs for those ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Dix, Research Fellow in Nutrition & Dietetics, The University of Queensland Easter is the time for chocolate. The shops are full of fantastically packaged and shiny chocolates in all shapes and sizes, making trips to the supermarket with children more challenging ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Felton, Adjunct Senior Researcher, University of South Australia Even in a stubborn cost-of-living crisis, it seems there’s one luxury most Australians won’t sacrifice – their daily cup of coffee. Coffee sales have largely remained stable, even as financial pressures have ...
Mining company Trans-Tasman Resources has unexpectedly withdrawn its application for a consent to suck the valuable metals vanadium and titanium from the Taranaki seafloor, as it apparently wagers on the Government’s new fast-track process. It had spent two-and-a-half days putting its case to the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision-making committee, at ...
Contrary to the Associate Minister of Education’s claims, analysis of Healthy School Lunches Programme - Ka Ora, Ka Ako assessments has revealed it provides excellent value for the taxpayer dollar, as a groundswell of public opposition to Government ...
Greenpeace says wannabe Taranaki seabed miner Trans-Tasman Resources is likely banking on Christopher Luxon’s fast-track process to side-step proper scrutiny of its Taranaki seabed mining proposal by bailing out of the Environmental Protection Agency hearing ...
Kiwis Against Seabed mining today slammed Australian owned would-be seabed miner Trans Tasman Resources (TTR) for abandoning its application to the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) to mine the seabed of the South Taranaki Bight. The company ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katie Attwell, Associate Professor, School of Social Sciences, The University of Western Australia Ground Picture/Shutterstock Months after COVID vaccines were introduced in 2021, governments and private organisations mandated them for various groups. Health and aged care workers were among the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Dzurak, Scientia Professor Andrew Dzurak, CEO and Founder of Diraq, UNSW Sydney Diraq For decades, the pursuit of quantum computing has struggled with the need for extremely low temperatures, mere fractions of a degree above absolute zero (0 Kelvin or ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne A national Essential poll, conducted March 20–24 from a sample of 1,150, gave the Coalition a 50–44 lead including undecided, a reversal ...
The Taxpayers’ Union has today made a formal request under the Regulations of the People’s Republic of China on Open Government Information () for information held about how New Zealand Members of Parliament are spending taxpayer ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert Nelson, Honorary Principal Fellow, The University of Melbourne A Byzantine depiction of the Eucharist in Saint Sophia Cathedral, Kyiv.Jacek555/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA A nasty quarrel arose in the 11th century over what kind of bread should be used in holy ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Patrick Hesp, Professor, Flinders University Patrick Hesp In some parts of Australia, coastal dunes are retreating from the ocean at an alarming rate, as waves carve up the beach and wind blows the sand inland. But coastal communities are largely ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Luke Heemsbergen, Senior Lecturer, Digital, Political, Media, Deakin University With an impressive 60% of the US smartphone market, Apple is undeniably big, but not a clear monopoly. Yet, years of innovation by Apple have effectively given the company its own exclusive ...
Whether you’re facing layoffs or are just an emotional junior staffer, it’s always a good idea to scout out a good crying place before you need it. It’s an incredibly hard time for Wellington. Across the city, thousands of public servants are hearing tough news about redundancies and layoffs. Government ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Miller-Jones, Professor, Curtin University Nuclear explosions on a neutron star feed its jets. Danielle Futselaar and Nathalie Degenaar, Anton Pannekoek Institute, University of Amsterdam, CC BY-SA How fast can a neutron star drive powerful jets into space? The answer, it ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Daryl Adair, Associate Professor of Sport Management, University of Technology Sydney Earlier this week, independent MP Andrew Wilkie accused the AFL of conducting “off the books” illicit drug testing to identify players using substances of abuse, then inappropriately withdrawing them from matches ...
The Government’s announcement that it will scrap plans for a vast marine sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands is ‘shameful’ and will make it impossible for Aotearoa New Zealand to meet its international commitments, says the World Wide Fund for Nature ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Quiggin, Professor, School of Economics, The University of Queensland Shutterstock The federal government has bowed to pressure from the car industry, announcing it will relax proposed emissions rules for utes and vans and delay enforcement of the new standards ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Suzanne Rutland, Professor Emerita, University of Sydney In his latest book, Jewish Life in Medieval Spain, Jonathan Ray focuses on the tumult of the 14th century in Spain – a time of the plague, civil strife and war between the two largest ...
While creating a slate of world-class shows, Whakaata Māori also developed a generation of world-class creatives. Television is an odd word. It mixes the Ancient Greek and Latin languages, and its most literal meaning is “far-off sight”. In the contemporary and living language of te reo Māori, “whakaata” as a ...
Yesterday the UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Israel’s war on Gaza. This significant step and the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza prompted an urgent debate in the New Zealand Parliament. Leader ...
The Government’s decision to reduce access to continuous glucose monitors (CGM) not only threatens the lives of children with type 1 diabetes and increases the potential for ‘Dead in Bed’ syndrome, but also threatens the health of their parents an ...
Apples are available year-round, but the wide variety on offer involves intensive scientific research – and large-scale commercialisation. What’s beautiful, red, sweet and crunchy? Tony Martin’s favourite kind of apple: Sassy. The CEO of apple and pear breeding organisation Prevar, Martin’s fondness for Sassy represents professional success as well as ...
Family violence specialist service Shine is calling on employers to stop asking for proof of domestic violence in order for employees to access domestic violence leave. The call comes five years after the introduction of the Domestic Violence ...
The Deputy Chairperson of the Finance and Expenditure Committee is calling for public submissions on the Budget Policy Statement 2024. The Budget Policy Statement 2024 (BPS) sets out the Government's priorities for the 2024 Budget. It explains the approach ...
Brutal government spending cuts that will see the size of the Ministry for Pacific Peoples slashed by 40% will hit Pasifika communities hard, the PSA says. The Ministry has told staff that it is seeking voluntary redundancies, and to redeploy and reassign ...
I live with five people I mostly love, but our different ideas about generosity are starting to really irk me.Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nzDear Hera,This is a bit of a random one but here goes. I’m 22 and work an OK job (OK meaning I get paid ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Maria Nicholas, Senior Lecturer in Language and Literacy Education, Deakin University Earlier this month, the New South Wales government announced it would roll out programs for gifted students in every public school in the state. This comes amid concerns gifted school ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christopher Rudge, Law lecturer, University of Sydney Massachusetts General Hospital In a world first, we heard last week that US surgeons had transplanted a kidney from a gene-edited pig into a living human. News reports said the procedure was a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Tombs, Howard Paterson Chair of Theology and Public Issues, University of Otago The 5th-century Maskell panel showing Jesus in a loincloth.British Museum, CC BY-NC-SA When Jesus is shown on the cross, he is almost always depicted wearing a loincloth around ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University Shutterstock When you think about a red object, you might picture a red carpet, or the massive ruby in the Queen’s crown. Indeed, Western monarchies and marketing from brands such ...
COMMENTARY:Jewish Voice for Peace The UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza on Monday — and for the first time since the beginning of the Israeli military’s genocide of Palestinians, the United States abstained rather than vetoing it. Security Council resolutions are legally binding, ...
Asia Pacific Report A New Zealand investigative journalist and author says the US spy system hosted by the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) appears to be a controversial intelligence system used in global capture-kill operations. Writing a commentary for RNZ News today, Nicky Hager, author of Secret Power, a 1996 ...
While Nicola Willis wouldn’t give any details on its size, she said a package of tax cuts is definitely still coming in this year’s budget, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is welcoming the investigation into the Department of Internal Affairs after it was revealed that the Department’s Chief Executive personally reached out to expedite a DJs passport application. Taxpayers’ Union Campaigns ...
Finance minister Nicola Willis delivers her first budget statement, and unwittingly helps Joel MacManus save his relationship. Nicola Willis strode into the Beehive Theatrette. Around me, on the green foldout seats, were the country’s top business and political journalists. They were all here to see her announce the Budget Policy ...
Twenty years ago today, Māori Television launched after much controversy. Jamie Tahana looks back on its survival and impact across two decades. Chad Chambers stepped onto the stage, the brim of his cap casting a shadow across his face. His smile beamed as bright as his white freezing works gumboots, ...
Tauranga, Rotorua, Wellsford, Onehunga, Westhaven marina – Gavin Strawhan walks the meanish streets of New Zealand in his entertaining debut novel The Call, almost sure to roar into the number 1 position on the Nielsen bestseller chart, its front cover bearing a rave from somebody: “A really good and genuinely ...
On a Thursday in February, at Wellington’s Conservation House, the Conservation Authority, a statutory body advising the eponymous department and minister, Tama Potaka, opened its 195th meeting. Under consideration that afternoon was an agenda item written by Tim Bamford, chief advisor in the Department of Conservation’s biodiversity, heritage and visitors ...
Dear Lorde,
Please Deliver Us
From Political Folly.
Amen.
Amen.
― Mahatma Gandhi
Not sure if it’s a blessing or a curse that I will be at work through the leadership announcement.
Conserving my energies for the next phase of media diversions, distortions and anti-left attacks.
-Charlie Chaplin, The Great Dictator
Amen to that …
19:11. A man’s wisdom gives him patience; it is to his benefit to overlook an offence.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/blogs/opinion/9161763/The-secret-diary-of-Grant-Robertson
A belly-laugh-out-loud -’Secret Diary of Grant Robertson’. Makes me wonder it Steve Braunias is a commenter or a lurker round these parts….
Wee teaser:
edit – moved this to open mike when it suddenly appeared
Clearly Steve Braunias is homophobic!
God Braunias is good. This one was very funny, then quite sobering.
It seems to me that Farrar participating in the axe the copper tax campaign is a clear sign that the English/Key faction is targeting pro-Collins minister Amy Adams. Between this and Key letting her bury herself over the RMA changes things don’t look good for Adams.
The rumblings are that the factional war in National stepping up a notch. Presumably as a result of Key’s polling slipping and the threat of a resurgent Labour party. I predict we’ll see Judith Collins increase her PR work but also hit a few carefully planted landmines over the next twelve months.
Interesting how the Nats out-source their factional struggles and in-fighting.
Strange that the right does it in clear sight, without comment, yet it is the left that is repeatedly accused of it.
(As if we could be so organised).
Strange also that in the past the Labour Party was lambasted for allowing the unions to ‘control’ it.
No-one in the MSM see’s a problem with the National Party being controlled by some very rich business men. These people will be paying very close attention to John Key at the present time, when they can sense some strange stirrings in the political atmosphere which may not bode too well for them.
Adams is a shocker!
Good to see the ABC group have migrated to National Party “Anyone but Collins”
Adams has never been put under real pressure as minister. Good opportunity for a newly focused labour party.
Yup its as if labour dont have a telecoms spokesperson.
They should be dicatating the narrative on UFB as joyce has stitched up the taxpayer to line chorus pockets just like the old days. Chorus need to be brought in line and what happened to the $300m gifted for rural broadband ?
Heh. Reading all your comments as at 9:03am. Love ya all!
Oh, and love to all this afternoon ….. well, erm, aah, except if …. (!!!)
🙂
http://wikispooks.com/wiki/Document:Mind_Control_and_the_US_Government#That.27s_Entrainment
Came across this summary recently, nicely consolidated.
Enjoy!
“Special” US media:
http://i.imgur.com/MRX3wJ9.jpg
Hard to know which is kept more ignorant, America, or NZ!
Makes no difference, both are losing a battle, many have no idea they’re in!
http://rt.com/news/turkey-syria-chemical-weapons-850/
A court indictment by the Turkish prosecutors into the alleged use of chemical weapons by the Syrian rebels has once again highlighted fears this week that sarin toxic gas was used by the opposition and not the Assad government.
The prosecutor in the Turkish city of Adana has issued a 132-page indictment, alleging that six men of the al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front and Ahrar ash-Sham tried to seek out chemicals with the intent to produce the nerve agent, sarin gas, a number of Turkish publications reported.
From today’s Herald online, Bernard Hickey gives some details about the love affair the middle class in Auckland have with the 2nd and 3rd property as a rental investment,
Berrnard points out that while prices are going up for the actual houses rents overall seem to have dropped 1%, if that fall continues i would suggest that in Auckland such investment in rental investments has reached a point where the ‘rental market’ has reached saturation point,
The competition between 1st home buyers and rental investors continues at pace,
”The surge of former owner-occupied houses becoming rentals was most evident in Mt Eden,(up 19%), Mt Wellington,(up24%), and Remuera, (up 10%)”, unquote: Bernard Hickey,
What’s next, my pick is interest rates go up, rents start to ratchet up and those who are over-leveraged will be forced to sell the rental or lose their shirts…
so..’l’-day is here…
..the what’s best for nz/labour party has me wanting cunnliffe..
..the green/mana part of me wants robertson..(‘cos of the resultant flow of labour-voters to both parties..)
..and when indulging in a touch of magic-realism..it’s jones..
..’cos then the river of votes heading green/mana-way..
.. becomes a torrent….(mmm!!!..’torrent..!’..)
..phillip ure..
vocabulary knows no bounds; have Chambers, blood-red.
btw..those americas’ cup commentators are the statler and waldorf of commentating..eh..?
..inarticulate grunts/cliches bellowed/harrumphed from the balcony..
..with statler (the 70’s hairy-lip one..) notably trailing in the wake of all those he interacts with..
..and how about that $35 million up on one pontoon..?
..and just about to go into the drink..?
..whoar..!
..eh..?
phillip ure..
This is a day of days.
Are any of the numbers going to be released? I think the caucus ones won’t be, but what the membership ones?
or, The End of Days 😎
On Radionz now – for all people interested in international aid suggestions that might apply to NZ and within NZ to give a way forward, in these difficult times, through community strength.
10:06 Ideas International Aid – What works and what doesn’t?
Duncan Green, the author of From Poverty to Power, speaks to Chris Laidlaw about his belief that active citizenship is the key to reversing the world’s growing inequalities; UnionAID’s Helen Wilson describes a project in Tamil Nadu, India that has seen some of the poorest of the poor setting up worker cooperatives; and Professor Stephen Howes, a former World Bank economist, reflects on what works and what doesn’t when it comes to international aid.
Produced by Jeremy Rose.
Also check out Polifact.com.au I think this may have something to offer we nz citizens.
MediaWatch this morning had a segment about the company Politifact, who do fact-checking on US political statements (particularly around elections), and how they branched out into the recent Australian election.
The guy was saying that he’d have no problem covering the NZ election next year, if they can partner with someone or be funded by someone wanting to pay the bills.
Not up on the web yet, but here’s the index, so it should be up later today: http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/mediawatch
Thanks for putting that right Lanthanide
What are the odds that there will be a major contentious announcement from National today just at the time that Labour announces a new leader?
The idea of a Maori Upper House will never fly but perhaps the current system of separate Maori seats doesn’t offer true bicultural commitment. How about if Maori voters weren’t offered an either or situation with their electoral roll but instead given both. The Maori seats stay, the separate electoral roll remains, but Maori voters also get to remain on the General roll and vote a second time!
Why?
You’re thinking in the wrong direction jellytussle
And that’s democratic how?
Lose the Jelly. Toughen up, stand firm on good present policy and don’t bring up such ideas that would arouse the ire of large numbers of NZ because it goes against a well understood principle of equal representation.
People of integrity want fairness for all ensuring that Maori are up there, but not in a way that specially favours their vote over everybody else. People who want Maori to receive the favourable consideration denied for so long want extra care put into organising reparation and ownership and a voice in government, a more bi-cultural approach.
Maori have options for voting already that give them rights to opt for either the Maori or General Roll, plus 4 guaranteed places for Maori in government, (and I believe this should always remain and perhaps go to 6) which is a base and further Maori MPs are likely to be in parliament if pakeha and Maori on the General Roll elect them.
We also should see a set minimum representation in local government. But not playing around with the voting system to give each Maori two votes. It would be unwise to tinker with the balanced system we have based on one vote per person. There are some situations where some get two votes in local body elections I think, but this is based on where property owners having a say where they are ratepayers, and would apply to Maori as well.
This would be fraud, and you know it! One person, one vote.
I think NZ should move beyond the self pity stage and enter the grown up scene. To ask for “special” treatment” belittles the ability and skills of Maoris to be forever reliant on some hand me downs to get a piece of the action. Its debilitating and humiliating.
FW
It’s not wrong to ensure that Maori have clear availability and options to use their well- demonstrated ability and skills. It isn’t debilitating and humiliating to ensure that. Sometimes the heavier side on the balance of justice has to take off a weight and put it on the lighter side to even or slightly advantage the previously lighter side.
Moira Coatsworth has just sent Labour members a final email. Excerpt:
I think that will depend on the Labour caucus Moira.
If, after the votes have been counted and the final figures published, we find that the caucus has yet again thrown s–t in the face of the majority of the membership and affiliates, then I think your chances of unity will be short-lived.
If, however the caucus accept that party unity comes first after-all (and not themselves) then there is a chance. A win in 2014 will surely follow. So, lets see if the Labour caucus is up for it.
Just saying it like it is.
I thought the caucus vote numbers weren’t going to be made public.
Each sector will have it’s final figures published.That is, the percentage figure for each of the sectors for each candidate. Example: what percentage of the 40% caucus contribution voted for each of the candidates. It will be easy enough to work out the actual numbers.
At least that’s how I understand it will work.
All sections the vote %ages are to be made public I’ve been told.
Better than letting the media make it up.
It is a measure of a person, their manner in defeat. This will define many.
Mediocrity Watch: DAVID FARRAR
Mediawatch, Radio New Zealand National, Sunday 15 September 2013
Media whores and self-publicists Gareth and Jo Morgan have foolishly gotten themselves into a spot of bother. They have been sponsored by the North Korean government to go to North Korea and have a look at a few Potemkin villages. Predictably, they have made asses of themselves by raving about how wonderful it all was. On Mediawatch this morning, both Morgans were Holmesian in their effusiveness…
GARETH MORGAN: Their clothes are unbelievable! We were the scwuffiest people in North Kowea without a doubt!
JO MORGAN: There could be problems in the country that we didn’t see, but what we did see was fantastic!
How contemptible are people who get paid by brutal regimes to tour around with blinkers on and then speak and write positively of those regimes? Undoubtedly they deserve condemnation for their naïveté and their willful blindness. They deserve rigorous criticism.
Not all critics, however, are credible. Unfortunately, the producers at Mediawatch went to a notorious apologist for one rogue regime and let him cut loose on the hapless Morgans for their support of another rogue regime. The Morgans deserve to be admonished, but not by this bloke.
I flicked Chris Laidlaw a quick email to express my, and no doubt many others’, consternation. Keep listening, fellas, and you might hear an on-air slapdown of one of the nastiest hypocrites in the country…
Dear Chris,
While Kim-boosters Gareth and Jo Morgan might well be the modern equivalent of Stalin-bosters Sidney and Beatrice Webb, it was astonishing to hear Mediawatch give the right-wing blogger David Farrar a platform to attack them. Apparently Farrar objects to them being sponsored by the North Korean regime, claiming that this destroyed any credibility they might have had.
In late 2009, David Farrar accepted the sponsorship of another rogue, pariah regime—Israel—and came back to New Zealand full of praise for a regime which has violated more international resolutions than any other. Farrar chose to stay away from the devastated Gaza strip, which had only months earlier been attacked, including with phosphorous munitions, by Israel in what Israeli spokesmen boasted was “twenty-two days of madness”. He did, however, walk around occupied East Jerusalem and afterwards noted, with resolute Webbian blindness, that “things were generally very relaxed in this area”.
For Farrar to criticise the Morgans for acting towards North Korea in exactly the same way as he did towards another pariah regime, is an example of gall and chutzpah on the grand scale. Disappointingly, the Mediawatch interviewer failed to challenge Farrar’s hypocrisy.
Yours sincerely,
Morrissey Breen
Northcote Point
http://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2009/11/jerusalem.html
Keenly onto it again I see Morrissey ! Appreciated. Don’t blame poor Farrar too much though. Any problems he didn’t see are surely down to those truly ghastly Gazan youths throwing stones.
Wtf?
JO MORGAN: There could be problems in the country that we didn’t see, but what we did see was fantastic!
Problems? Like a regime that routinely executes enemies of the state including their leader’s ex ‘girlfriend’? Those ‘problems’? So no one lynched anyone in front of you, Jo? How lovely.
These media whores need to crash and burn.
Good article
“The Government has stopped a review of New Zealand’s controversial terrorism laws, a move being greeted with suspicion by critics.”
“Green party co-leader Russel Norman said the move raises suspicions that the Government is unwilling to risk further public scrutiny of the state’s search and surveillance powers, at a time when it is already under fire over the GCSB Amendment Bill.”
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/9166763/Review-of-terror-laws-stopped
Yes Russel I think you are correct.
On something else entirely different, from somebody who hasn’t a clue how to go about it. Any chance of a nice green/purple theme with camillias on Thursday the 19th on here? It’s 120 years after all.
Excellent idea. And it would look a lot prettier than ‘The Teeth!’ 🙂
I must make some noises at work too – I’ll try to wear the appropriate colours.
Be nice if we could get other media and social media to recognise it too.
Might be a way to get more people interested in turning out to vote next time.
Read up Te Ara. Apparently a quarter of the adult women in new zealand signed the petition.. found some of mine on there. and they were from every two bit place in the country too.
What was the significance of the teeth?
Not suffragette day?
The mic picture was swapped for some evil looking teeth on Friday the 13th…a white camellia would look great for the 19th, a very significant Women’s Suffrage Aniversary
You bet. I’ve seen those teeth on someone somewhere I’m sure……..that’s it, Potty Gower.
Found a couple of my great grandma’s
Can someone with the info post links to live streaming and such like please?
No digital tv at home but keen to watch anything live online.
I believe TV3 will be live streaming. While I’m unable to find a link to the actual page, their website is http://www.3news.co.nz
Honest mistake or not, had the family been at home this would be a story about assault, threatening behaviour, traumatised kids – or worse.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/9166834/Cops-raid-wrong-house-in-GPS-goof
In my experience, busting into the wrong house and searching it is reasonably common. Of course, it doesn’t happen in Parnell and the people it does happen to are often easily intimidated into silence.
Here’s why unemployment is never going to significantly drop again:
http://www.technologyreview.com/featuredstory/515926/how-technology-is-destroying-jobs/
I’m sure there’s many a robber baron who would like to reintroduce delightful Victorian innovations like sweatshops and serfdom
@ ‘sweatshops’ and ‘serfdom’..
..don’t we already have both..?
..fast-food/supermarket/w.h.y.. slave-wagers..?
..farm workers on single-figure dollar hourly-rates..(after ‘seasonal-adjustment’ by the pricks robbing them blind..?..)
..we already have our ‘robber-barons’..
..and they all donate heavily to key/the national party..
..the national party..the enemy of the people..
..phillip ure..
Removed from Dann’s twit feed, but my reply still shows on mine.
What a nasty irrelevance this woman Kirsten McKenzie is.
https://twitter.com/Al1enOrg
Boosted the database which was being a bottleneck. For some reason there appears to be quite a lot of excitement.
Can’t see why myself it being a slow Sunday and all, had to go through Google to reach the pages which usually works when all else fails…
Yeah it was a pretty slow sunday. I had to double the size of the database to handle the load..
I might have to head off for a beer. Looks like the results were what I was expecting except Grant didn’t do as well as I expected in caucus. Looks like a pile of votes headed to Jones.
i am doing a head scratch all round about support for Shane Jones, i don’t see any point in saying exactly how i feel about all the ‘smoko room Bro’ stuff except to say i cannot believe that some people bought into what is obviously so false,
Lolz i can only say there must be some very ‘strange’ people in the Labour Caucus, enjoy your beer, i indulged far too heavily in the stuff earlier in this life so i will turn the roast over and have another coffee…
@ bad..
..yeah..i wd really like to hear the justifications for pissing their votes up against the wall done by those who voted for the w.t.f!-candidate…
..they either seriously think jones was up to it..was really ‘the man’ he pretends to be..’the man’ for this particular moment in time/nz/the labour party..
..(in which case they need to be hauled off for some serious diagnoses..)
..or they were just playing games..’wanking’ as it were…
..treating their ballot-papers/vote like the dog-eared ‘penthouse’-skinmags (seemingly) favoured by who they voted for..
..in which case the please explain? might be harder for them..
.than being hauled off..accused of dementia..
..(and..sigh..!..’having indulged far too heavily’ in my earlier life in my favourite..the ‘speedball’..(heroin/cocaine mixed..)..
..i flipped the vegan-burgers…and sparked up a celebratory-joint..
..it’s a good day…
..phillip ure..
Did anyone see John Key in his new role last night? He was the third commentator for the All Blacks – Springbok Test on SkyTV. Slumped next to Richie McCaw and the lead broadcaster he appeared somewhat portly and poorly, had bad posture and kept self-consciously adjusting his jacket and tie to try and cover his tummy up, which seemed to want to be part of the action too the way it kept sneaking a peek. His comments were bland and uninspiring and said with a casualness which kind of indicated he was making it up as he went.
All in all a brilliant performance completely in keeping with his NZ presence elsewhere. It is absolutely the next job he should apply for.
sunday on tvnz just did a most-excellent piece of current affairs television..
..a piece exposing the follies/insanities of our world-beating rates of imprisonment..
..(if we dropped that rate by just 25% we would still be just at the prison-rate of britain..
..whoar..!..haven’t the garth mcvicars’..(and that act mp..?..what was his name again..?..)..
..haven’t they been so successful with their hysterical hang-’em-high! exhortations..?
..and didn’t they plug so successfully into the nastier/punitive aspects of our national psyche..eh..?
..and this is what this piece of current affairs/essential-journalism does..
..it hangs the barking-madness of mc vicar out to dry/for all to see..
..you get to laugh out loud..as mcvicar lies in the face of global crime-dropping stats..
..and then gets all over-excited about the possible use of chaingangs here…
..(seriously..he isn’t so much ‘barking’..as howling at the moon..)
..and when shown footage of swedish prisons..where prisoners are treated with respect/educated..
..and they have crime rates the same as us..and an inprisonment rate of one third of ours here in nz..
..his disgust is shivering/palpable..
..and could we start a facebook campaign or something..?
..to get kim workman again made the head of our prison services..?
..going on the evidence here..
..(oh..!..as a final fiscal-footnote..
..this madmen-encouraged campaign of crime/punitive-hysteria costs us $1.2 billion per year..
..that figure again..?
..$1.2 billion..
..eh..?
..phillip ure..