Cryptocurrencies are the future of money – and the United Kingdom government’s actions of late prove that very fact, according to the CEO of one of the world’s largest independent financial advisory firms.
deVere Group’s chief executive Nigel Green notes that Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is doing its best to reap taxes from cryptocurrencies, which proves that those currencies are far more valuable than first thought.
HMRC is asking cryptocurrency exchanges to reveal customers’ names and transactions so that it can recover unpaid taxes.
As the world watches what is happening in the United Kingdom, there’s no reason why other governments couldn’t try a similar tactic.
Can one of our esteemed experienced and trustworthy commenters/readers give us the lowdown and summary of whether this is good for us in NZ and the world?
Can't see anything at first glance on RadioNZ but did catch this which gives a certain amount of schadenfreude?
Cryptocurrency? Is it good for NZ? Kim Dotcom thinks so – and he knows how to make money.
New Zealand is not prepared for the impending economic disaster. Borrowing money and cutting costs won’t do it this time. New Zealand leadership lacks vision and foresight to take advantage of a global financial crisis. Be a safe haven for crypto and you may weather the storm.
Earlier to the above tweet, Trump tweeted the following:
The United States is now, by far, the Biggest, Strongest and Most Powerful Economy in the World, it is not even close! As others falter, we will only get stronger. Consumers are in the best shape ever, plenty of cash. Business Optimism is at an All Time High!
8:26 AM – 15 Aug 2019
KDC's response?
Your mass tweeting about a strong economy won’t change the reality of US markets crashing. The FED printed $7 trillion and gave interest free loans to US banks to pump the stock market. It’s fake growth. A fake economy. It’s going to crash because it’s fake. Good luck in #2020.
Jeremy Corbyn urges opposition leaders and Tory rebels to help oust PM.
Labour leader claims Johnson has no mandate for no-deal Brexit and calls for caretaker government.
“Jeremy Corbyn has called on rebel Tories and opposition leaders to stop a no-deal Brexit by ousting Boris Johnson as prime minister and allowing Labour to form a caretaker government until a general election.
The Labour leader proposed that he should lead a temporary administration on a “strictly time-limited” basis with the aim of calling a general election.
His letter threw down the gauntlet to the Lib Dems, the SNP, Plaid Cymru, the Greens and rebel Tories, at a time when MPs opposed to no deal have been discussing a “national unity government” led by a centrist figure.
Corbyn’s proposal makes it clear that the Labour frontbench consider he is the only politician who could lead a caretaker government, rather than a backbench candidate such as Tory veteran Ken Clarke or Labour’s Yvette Cooper.”
Wow Jeremy is coming out of his shell, or like a conger eel charging out of the reef. Very wise of him to act while there still is a reef in good old UK home of democracy, or is it? Can't remember, I think something happened a long time ago that was supposed to be good.
Thanks for that Wairua – we will all be watching this with great interest. We need to keep our eye on Trump and what is going on behind the scenery there – it all seems so theatrical don't you think? Hong Kong protesters pushing the envelope – does China have a mail system to receive it? Likely to have only one result – who is orchestrating this – the young people with no understanding of history, or some entity that is manipulating those young people?
Anything good happening in the UK is a bonus. Meanwhile what is going on in the other BRIC countries apart from China? (Brazil, Russia, India).
Again Guardian reporting as news complete fantasy without correcting the politicians claims.
Its no different from say Daily Mail in its hyper partisan coverage of British politics. Its one thing to to have opinion or editorial taking a position.
The reaction to this offer from Corbyn of the Yellow Tories (AKA the Liberal Democrats), the "centrist" PLP MPs who group around Tom Watson and the various self-serving careerist Blairite turkeys still hanging around as independents and whatever the hell the TIGgers call themselves now has exposed Remain as now completely captured by neoliberal authoritarian technocrats and Israel's stooges – a motley crew of chancers and grifters that has the nerve to present itself as "sensible people and centrists".
If Corbyn has done one thing with this it has been to expose the Lib-dems as an austerity enabling, Tory supporting lying leopard that has not changed it's spots. As i have said all along, the Oxbridge educated liberal urban elite who are the key enablers (and winners from) of neoliberalism would rather have Brexit – and austerity and betray the working class – than Corbyn.
Corbyn hasn't a hope of stopping Brexit with this proposal – I doubt he ever expected to be able to – but Jo Sinson walked right into the trap and therefore he just destroyed the Liberal Democrats as a the standard bearers of remain.
The logic of FPP elections means that Corbyn and his allies must have calculated that with the Brexit party splitting the Tory vote and the Liberal Democrats completely discredited, enough Labour voters will return to Labour to allow them to coming sailing up the middle for a Corbynista landslide at any Brexit election…
Ooer Sanctuary that is an excoriating analysis. I don't know what to hope for after reading that. The maze is impenetrable to this rat. My birth father, who ended up a pilot of a Lancaster bomber in WW2 that went down in flames, ended up not thinking very highly of the Brits after he had spent a year or so there. I think he was a fairly good judge of things from what I have heard of him, and the few aerograms I was given.
It is disappointing to think that they have screwed themselves down so strongly, and have lost the screwdriver. It was interesting to view the doco 'Meeting Gorbachev' in the NZIFF and see him speaking wonderingly of Margaret Thatcher's undiminished surety that nuclear arms were a Good Thing ensuring peace. Exactly the opposite of his beliefs that he was carrying from one leader to another in an effort to contain and reduce the tides of unhelpful responses rife in that time of uncertainty and anxiety.
Perhaps the Brits still feel the ghost of the God-like empah oblivion, thinking that saying something firmly and strongly makes it true and real and right. That is how Trump behaves though. Is there something in the waters; we are feeling it in our waters for sure?
This is good imo. It enhances all parties mana and specifically the land protector mana, reduces tension, creates space for solutions and really puts all parties in a good light. Nice one.
All the police cars and Fletcher Building contractor vehicles have left the front line at Ihumātao, leaving fewer than 10 officers.
A new organ involved in the sensation of pain has been discovered by scientists, raising hopes that it could lead to the development of new painkilling drugs.
Researchers say they have discovered that the special cells that surround the pain-sensing nerve cells that extend into the outer layer of skin appear to be involved in sensing pain – a discovery that points to a new organ behind the feeling of “ouch!”.
hmm interesting
The team’s biggest finding was that these Schwann cells can sense pain.
nice
The discovery was made using optogenetics, which involved the researchers genetically modifying mice so Schwann cells in the skin of their feet produced a protein that could absorb light.
ooookay – some other reactions being pinged
When light was shone on these cells, the mice lifted their feet. They also showed behaviour including licking, shaking and guarding of their paws – signs that stimulating these Schwann cells caused pain.
As the pulses of light increased in duration, the number of nearby nerve cells firing increased, supporting the idea that these Schwann cells send a signal to the brain through the nerve cells.
feeling a bit sick now
Prof Peter McNaughton, an expert in sensory systems from King’s College London, said the study was interesting and radical. “If borne out by subsequent studies, this paper will be a paradigm shift showing that pain-sensitive nerve cell terminals are not in fact always directly driven by a painful stimulus but instead can be driven by associated [Schwann] cells,” he said.
just mice who cares>will help people with pain>we use mice for a reason cos they feel it>I kill mice>I don't torture mice>bloody humans>bloody mice>bloody pain>…
It is wonderful to find how far scientists will go when they believe they have something that will be good for humans and actually try it on themselves. It isn't always animals used to do the testing. And sometimes their short and unknowing lives are pivotal to being able to find an answer to something very big and hard to learn about if used on humans. We do hurt each other too, so we don't just pick on animals.
Edit:
This is a comment from Wild Katipo from Fertile Land is Priceless:
WILD KATIPO 7.2.2.1.1
15 August 2019 at 12:04 pm
And large helpings of steamed vegetables for all those attending free of charge. What does a few bottles of Olive oil and peanut butter cost ,- all cooked on a few barbeque’s?
Think of it… the sharing of gardening ideas, in a festival atmosphere,.. where all generations can participate…from the things one can do with herbs to vegetable recipes to tree planting and ecology… the list is endless.
Bands could play ! Lolly scrambles for the kids ! Select wine tasting !
It would be a smash hit !
And it has sparked me to think this:
That's what we should have at booth sites on election days eh? Not offer to pay people for voting which as many commenters on RadioNZ pointed out wouldn't promote thought and real interest in civics and policies.
But making interest in being part of the support group for community politics into something to enjoy. Going to vote and be welcomed by buskers throughout the last voting day, ie Saturday, kids from schools who learn the arts showing their activities, singing songs, playing ukes, elders with demonstrations of activities – tai chi, akido, etc. A sausage sizzle, people making pikelets, showing how to make fresh fruit drinks with gadgets, etc. Businesses showing up with useful services and The community showing how it wants to include everyone to participate, join the real party, The Garden Party (being a joke name for people who get together to show their love of NZ)! That is a pretty attractive idea don't you think?
You wouldn't be able to keep people away from the voting booth. And I suggest that there should be a group of teenagers chosen from various schools to be monitors, keeping a clear space around the door, and watching that everything went smoothly, ensuring a good future for them from guarding the means of their citizen power. It is time to revitalise our concern for NZ and the young and to adopt new approaches to our rather weary and worn democratic system.
Thinking further, it could be such a great day that people would forget to vote or forget what its actual purpose was. So at the entry gates people would be channelled into the voting booth BEFORE they could take part in the fun that had been organised for VOTING. Some people think that the country is run by fairies and goblins and people living in The Cloud, and forget that it is just us getting together and being committed to a common object. Taking everything for granted has been a fault that has developed.
There could be a fun scarf that is knitted to wrap around the voting booth, everyone invited to put a stitch – as an example of what we have in our democracy, a dropped stitch here and there and some imperfections would only underscore the example of our reality, not perfect but something we can see and participate in and repair if need be. And at the end it can be measured, announced in the media along with reports about highlights of the day, and given to a group that knits blankets for those who need them.
And then the counting, the booths finished, the apparent direction of the voting, the comments about the candidates, the general discussion about the country's state, will all be of more interest and better understood than ever before. People will want to wait up for the results, it will be like the New Year's celebrations.
In Australia election advertising is legal on election day and legal in the grounds of polling locations up to a no-fly-zone border a few metres from the buildings. Getting from the street to the polling booth often means running a gauntlet of party volunteers in colourful t-shirts handing out pamphlets.
Now this sounds awful but I think it actually does something positive for the Australian voting experience. The voting booth locations are always active places with helpful people who have an obligation to be friendly – no party wants to see their volunteers in their shirts on the news because they were abusing people.
Many of the Australian polling-booth sites I've visited on election day have resembled greywarshark's description – sausage sizzles ("#democracysausage") and other food, kids playing games, music playing.
New German study. Scientists find microplastics in Arctic snow, suggesting significant air pollution even in remote locations New German study. Scientists find microplastics in Arctic snow, suggesting significant air pollution even in remote locations
CEAC calls for action for rail – Tyre dust found here in new study. – we note trains don't use tyres. – only trucks do. – stop trucks – use rail.
QUOTE; “They are usually formed by the breakdown of larger pieces of plastic – for example, from shopping bags to the wear and tear on tires. Microplastics might contain varnish, rubber, or chemicals used in synthetic fabrics and cause significant air pollution.
"It seems easy, doesn’t it? The first of these options involves business as usual. It means that the company remains at the mercy of gyrating energy prices and of low-cost producers flooding the market with cheap steel. The second of the options would allow British Steel to be more forward-looking when there is pressure on the steel industry to do its bit in the fight against climate change.
In all the circumstances, the decision might look like a no-brainer. After all, the government is committed to a long-term industrial strategy and, by 2050, a zero-carbon economy. Yet it is gearing up to make Oyak the preferred bidder.
That decision, of course, has nothing whatsoever to do with the fact that the Liberty House plan involves 400 more job losses than the Oyak proposal, that Scunthorpe is a marginal with a Labour majority of less than 3,500 and that ministers are preparing for a snap general election within the next few months. Perish the thought."
Governments have committed since Kyoto to reduce NETT emissions, NZ does this ,when its gross emissions are rising, by buying carbon credits off others. The taxpayer pays something like $1 bill per year to do so, some industries that dont get the taxpayer to pick up their rising emissions maybe pay another $250 mill ?
Places like Ukraine which 'de industrialised/de populated' have made a lot of money being a sink for others.
Agree with you sadly Dukeofurl, they buy phoney carbon credits too from saby countries like ukraine.and follish they are.
This begun with John key though but you would think that labour would not do this now but my suspicion is that you are right they probaby are still buying them today from Ukraine now.
There was no suggestion of otherwise….the point of the post (which appears to have been overlooked) is that even with the legislation (the UK has had it longer than anyone else) the logical decisions will be overridden for political expediency…NZ will be no different
I have been interested for a while in Graeme Hart's packaging arm and finding out some more about what he does, and thinks about what is happening in this field. He is supposed to be an astute businessman and I would think would be moving out of some areas. His wealth is calculated at $10 billion IIRC.
It is interesting when searching on google to find there is so little about him. And fascinating to find that there was a journalist Graeme Hart, now deceased, who wrote about him in The Listener in 2010. This is a good article and rare I imagine. There is this about packaging:
If market rumours are correct, Rank Group is seeking to acquire US packaging company Pactiv Corporation in a bid to challenge Tetra Laval's food-packaging dominance. Among Tetra Laval's varied operations, the Tetra Pak business is the world leader in liquid food-processing and packaging.
What is not in doubt is that Hart is laying the groundwork for something big after shelling out US$2.7 billion for aluminium producer Alcoa's packaging and consumer group in 2008. He spun off parts of the business – mostly aluminium foil and plastic closures – restructured it with plant shutdowns and hefty job losses, and renamed it Reynolds Packaging Group. It is now the flagship for Rank's varied and far-flung packaging interests.
From late 2009 Hart started bundling the packaging groups Rank already owned into the Reynolds stable: Swiss drinks carton manufacturer SIB and Indianapolis-based plastic bottle cap manufacturer Closure Systems International. Courtesy of US$1.75 million of debt Hart is raising on Reynolds Group Holdings, he hopes to add further Rank assets to the mix: Memphis-based drinks packager Evergreen Packaging and even the Whakatane Paper Mill (the latter is part of Rank-controlled Carter Holt Harvey).
The end-game in this has to be a food-packaging group capable of challenging Tetra Pak. Hart wouldn't be interested if the challenge were anything less. That he can even consider this when the global economy is still weak is testimony to more than blatant deal-making. It is about Hart himself – a rare breed of New Zealander who has made it in business overseas and survived as a member of New Zealand's oft-maligned and oft-troubled nouveau riche.
The Economist predicts a giant Reynolds would give Hart the critical mass to change the nature of the food-packaging industry.
In a filing to the US Securities and Exchange Commission, Reynolds reported US$5 million ($7.3m) loss in 2018, against a US$439 million profit in the previous year.
Hey, just as a matter of interest, sometime in the recent past, was Eco Maori advised/encouraged to post his contributions on the Open Mike of yesterday or the day before? Or is he really just two short puffs on the end of a spliff – somehow I don’t believe that
Yesterday's Open Mike is today's Fish and Chip rapper of course – but really no worse than those than come in here with the intention to divert, or even those running an official ideological agenda (going forward).
No biggie – just curious from someone anxious for some learnings
From memory, Eco Maori was asked not to post at the start of everyday, when he was asking for financial contributions. That was a long time ago now. He then chose to post on old Open Mikes.
I believe Eco Maori should be invited back to the current Open Mike. I find most of his contributions quite interesting. Obviously what I think isn't important and it's not my decision to make.
Ditto @ Fireblade re last paragraph. I hadn't realised he'd been asking for financial contributions. Just curious. (Maybe it'll eventually kill this kat)
Eco Maori interests and I notice the style of writing changes, and I have a feeling that more than one person pens the comments, or that he sometimes plays with a stream of Maori consciousness approach where he talks a lot about sandflys who are out to get him (cops and bailiffs?).
But even if his pieces go to yesterday's OM we are still allowed to read them! When his name occurs in the Comments listings, just follow them up and see what pearls he is throwing down. He supports Maori musicians so we can keep up with the young creatives.
I think he might be writing for another readership actually, some of the ones who follow the blog and don't write in
I also actually quite enjoy some of Eco's comments, but they did become a problem for the reasons discussed above.
As far as I am aware, the fact that they appear in Open Mike's of a day or two old rather than on the day they are actually submitted has nothing to do with Eco's choice – but rather what I call "lprent's Magical Time Machine"! lprent waves his wand and just by magic Eco's comments disappear and reappear on older Open Mike posts.
I take it you have not noticed that lprent has been updating his Time Machine and has it doing other such tricks with other commenters' posts from time to time over the last month or so? LOLOL
Seriously though I find the current solution completely practical and presumably acceptable to Eco, otherwise he would stop posting at all. It allows Eco’s comments to still appear but without the disruption to other comments/posts etc. I and others have replied to Eco’s posts from time to time but I don’t recall any of us having responses to our replies …
In fact there are a lot more posts that I would love to see being treated in a similar manner!
Yep Mr/Mrs/Ms Veut. I did notice Lprent's wizardry. A true gem when it comes to eloquent and expedient solutions.
I imagine it all happened when I was away being mischievous and on a venture to find my inner peace – even though I did comment from time to time from the other side. Which reminds me, I'd also noticed Mr Ure is back on his magic scooter, and one or two others that seem to be commenting from their new-found set of mystical realities.
Unfortunately, it seems no amount of time warp travel affects the likes of a Mapp.
Another mod used my OpenMike shunt to shift some off-topic junk out of a post. It shunted up to the top of an OpenMike from a later date – because it was earlier. That was because the OM shunt sends it to the current OM.
I just changed the dates so that it no-longer looked like it was the eco post.
Portsmouth Sinfonia pay the Danube Waltz (or murder it if you wish). Tis is how our democracy is going at the moment. If you want it to be better than the PS sound, then keep working at it. The PS is people who have not had much time learning their instruments though they are good at their own specialty. They need time to learn and at present are giving it a 'good go', I just love it though can't bear to listen too often. The Lord loves a tryer. So help us please oh Lord.
I first heard them playing the William Tell overture … I laughed so hard I cried. I think it is a requirement that you have never played whatever instrument you are playing before but that you give it your best shot. They have a sprinkling of people who can play to help the overall music along.
Glad you like it Pingau. I think that the full requirement is that they are musicians but have never played the instrument du jour before. Some of them have a very short practice! And the working guideline is that you all start together and finish together. In between it gets individual.
It has always tickled me especially the Albert Hall Hallelujah where there were a basic group of singers and musicians and then another hundred or so turned up to be in the shindig. It's very enjoyable and for some it is no more discordant than jazz can be.
It is more fun than when you are an earnest music student and get to perform at the end of year show and tell, and forget your piece but stumble through, and are outclassed by a six year old who plays Fur Elise like a professional! Happened to one of my children. He still plays though – he's got true grit.
You've hit on something real there – the commodification of recorded music tends to obscure the fun of producing it, of personally improving, and of being part of a creative community.
Both Karaoke and the punk movement were directed at returning music to small groups and communities, and both enjoyed considerable success. Great link btw.
That sounds bloody familiar @Grey – I've been racking my brain. Finally it came to me. It's the theme song to a few government departments/munstries – especially that one you hear when you enter the old Defence Headquarters in Ballance St. You get the best Theatre Mode there too on an expensive curved screen
The State Services Commish was so taken by it that he's instructed it to be used at Justice, and I understand Kelvin Davis is asking the Commish whether or not it might be appropriate at Pleece National HQ.
MSD is so progressive they're considering some sort of 'mashup' using it, but it'll have to go to Cabinet for a final decision
Greta Thunberg is an inspiring soul and hope for our future lies in her spiritual beliefs that you can’t ‘short change’ “mother nature” and get away with it.
I believe she will be a world leader one day, as she shows truth to power.
"On deeper reflection, what does it even mean to stage a rebellion against extinction? Rebellions usually involve a group of people rising up to protest or overthrow another group that wields unjust or illegitimate power over them. How can you ‘rebel’ against extinction? It is not as if you can choose to disobey the laws of nature."
What twaddle. There are various attempts out there to discredit the Extinction Rebellion movement, coz vested interests.
it's equally a rebellion against people like that dude who think the market will prevail and present us with some tech to sequester carbon (he waves his hand in the air vaguely because it's a fairy tale).
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.“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
“It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet – is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
Bob Edlin writes – And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ HeraldThomas CoughlanSimeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
TL;DR:Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it: We want our country to be a ...
The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading → ...
Ele Ludemann writes – The government is omitting general Treaty references from 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 public service on Treaty ...
What was that judge thinking?Peter Williams writes – That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read:Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop:Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
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:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
Buzz from the BeehiveThe text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary. It can be quickly analysed ...
For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
Questions need to be asked on both sides of the worldPeter Williams writes – The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read:Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop:The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
TL;DR:Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
Bob Edlin writes – The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
Every year, in the Budget, Parliament forks out money to government agencies to do certain things. And every year, as part of the annual review cycle, those agencies are meant to report on whether they have done the things Parliament gave them that money for. Agencies which consistently fail to ...
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. ...
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 ...
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. ...
The New Zealand public voted for a change in direction at the 2023 general election and that is exactly what this coalition government has been delivering in its first 100 days. There was an immediate focus on the economy, easing the cost of living, cracking down on law and order ...
The Government has left the health system as an afterthought, announcing half-baked targets at the last minute of their 100-day plan, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
Kiwis are still waiting for their promised cost of living support after 100 days of a National Government that is taking us backwards, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The National Government has spent its first 100 days stopping, cutting and reversing. They have scrapped stuff for stuff for the sake of it, without putting up any solutions of their own – and it’s hardworking New Zealanders who will pay for it. ...
100 days of National taking NZ backwardsThe National Government has spent its first 100 days stopping, cutting and reversing. They have scrapped stuff for stuff for the sake of it, without putting up any solutions of their own – and it’s hardworking New Zealanders who will pay for it. ...
The Government must commit to funding free and healthy school lunches, as thousands of people sign the petition to keep them, education spokesperson Jan Tinetti says. ...
If the Government was serious about moving families into public housing, they would build more houses so there is actually somewhere for people to go. ...
The free and healthy school lunches programme feeds our kids, helps them to learn, and saves families money – but it is at risk under this Government, education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
The Government’s proposed changes to Firearms Prohibition Orders (FPO) add almost nothing new and are merely an attempt to distract from its plans to loosen gun laws, police spokesperson Ginny Andersen and justice spokesperson Dr Duncan Webb said. ...
The great Victorian era English politician Lord Macauley stood in the British House of Parliament and said, "The gallery in which the reporters sit has become a fourth estate of the realm".He understood and outlined even way back then, the significant role and influence media have in a democracy. ...
The government’s attack on Māori health this week is committing tangata-whenua to a premature death, says Te Pāti Māori. “The government have begun their onslaught on Māori health with the abolishment of the Māori Health Authority and smokefree laws in the same day” said health spokesperson and co-leader, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. ...
"The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April. ...
Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand. Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships. “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland Acknowledgements and opening Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says. “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024 Acknowledgements and opening Morena, Nga Mihi Nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country. “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week. “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee. “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today. “The Amendment Paper represents ...
Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level. “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024. “Lower fruit and vege ...
Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all. Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all. Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction. Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness. It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
Former Transport Minister and CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber Hon Simon Bridges has been appointed as the new Board Chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for a three-year term, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced today. “Simon brings extensive experience and knowledge in transport policy and governance to the role. He will ...
Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology. It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says he is looking forward to the day when three key water projects in Northland are up and running, unlocking the full potential of land in the region. Mr Jones attended a community event at the site of the Otawere reservoir near Kerikeri on Friday. ...
Associate Finance Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government has agreed to restore deductibility for mortgage interest on residential investment properties. “Help is on the way for landlords and renters alike. The Government’s restoration of interest deductibility will ease pressure on rents and simplify the tax code,” says ...
Sport and Recreation Minister Chris Bishop will travel to Switzerland today to attend an Executive Committee meeting and Symposium of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Mr Bishop will then travel on to London where he will attend a series of meetings in his capacity as Infrastructure Minister. “New Zealanders believe ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Deborah Lupton, SHARP Professor, Vitalities Lab, Centre for Social Research in Health and Social Policy Centre, and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society, UNSW Sydney kitzcorner/Shutterstock The assertion from Queensland’s chief health officer John Gerrard that ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Shutterstock Why are musicians so keen to get played on the radio? It can’t be because of the money. In Australia they are paid at rates so low they ...
"Farmers make a point not to tell our urban cousins how to live, yet Chlöe from central Auckland is hell-bent on having her say about farmers," says ACT Rural Communities spokesman Mark Cameron. “On her first day in the House as Green ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards – Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Curran, Associate Professor of Ecology, Lincoln University, New Zealand Getty Images/Gerald Corsi In the latest move to reform environmental laws in New Zealand, the coalition government has introduced a bill to fast-track consenting processes for projects deemed to ...
Uber has argued it does not have as much control over drivers as the unions suggest, and wants a judgment ruling that drivers are employees and not contractors set aside and sent back to the Employment Court. The 2022 ruling followed a three-week hearing in which four drivers sought to ...
What can and can’t be purchased by disabled people or their carers has been slashed in an effort by the Ministry of Disabled People Whaikaha to save money. The purchasing guidelines, a set of rules that sets out what can be purchased using the various streams of Government disability funding, ...
The Treasury has published today a new Analytical Note by Tod Wright and Hien Nguyen, Fiscal incidence in New Zealand: The effects of taxes and benefits on household incomes in tax year 2018/19 . Analyses of the distributional impact of taxation and government ...
The Treasury has published today a new Analytical Note by Cory Davis, Boston Hart and Benjamin Stubbing, Household cost-of-living impacts from the Emissions Trading Scheme and using transfers to mitigate regressive outcomes . This Analytical Note ...
A coalition of public transport and climate organisations, united as ‘Transport for All’, is actively opposing the government’s transport proposals. The draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) includes plans for higher fares for public transport, ...
Greater Wellington is inviting feedback on proposed changes to its Revenue and Financing Policy. The Revenue and Financing Policy covers the Council’s various sources of funding, and how the cost of services is shared across the region. This includes ...
Labour has conceded it could have done more to deal with disruptive state housing tenants while in government but says the current coalition is going too far. ...
The band has asked their record label to issue a cease and desist to stop the NZ First leader using their 1997 hit to support his ‘misguided political views’. “I get knocked down, but I get up again,” blared through the speakers on Sunday as Winston Peters took the stage ...
By Lydia Lewis, RNZ Pacific journalist Food rationing is underway in remote areas in Papua New Guinea’s Highlands following torrential rain and flash flooding. More than 20 people have been reported dead in Chimbu Province. In nearby Enga Province, the centre of last month’s massacre, a 15-year-old boy has been ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Hughes, Lecturer, Research School of Management, Australian National University After months of debate and intrigue, the AFL’s 19th and newest team, the Tasmania Devils, finally launched its jumper, logo and colours in Devonport this week. The Devils will wear green, ...
Brannavan Gnanalingam reviews the debut novel by Saraid de Silva.One of the most baffling things for children who move to a new country is what their parents’ (or grandparents’) lives were like prior to moving – for kids in particular, they’re too busy trying to fit in in their ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Gaunson, Associate Professor in Cinema Studies, RMIT University Narelle Portanier/Binge “If you don’t know who your mob are, you don’t know who you are,” Detective Andrea “Andie” Whitford (played by Leah Purcell) is told early into the new crime ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elise Klein, Associate professor, Australian National University It’s commonly accepted that women do the vast majority of caregiving in Australian society. But less appreciated is that Indigenous women do larger amounts of unpaid care than any other group. Working with the Aboriginal ...
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 Joe Biden and Donald Trump have both secured their parties’ nominations for the November 5 United States general election by winning a ...
Comment: There has been a striking contrast in trans-Tasman interest about Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi’s visit to New Zealand and Australia. While the Australian press has been full of articles about the visit – including his curious decision to meet with former prime minister and China booster Paul Keating ...
After years of pressuring banks and other institutions to stop investing in fossil fuels, climate campaigners are making some progress. So how does divestment work?For years, climate activists have been pushing banks and other big institutions to divest from fossil fuels. New research from climate advocacy group 350 Aotearoa ...
For Boba, Ethan and Ashley, K-pop is a place to belong, a way to express themselves, and a bridge to connect with others. The three young Polynesians are part of a K-pop fan community in Tāmaki Makaurau. It’s one of many that have sprung up worldwide as K-pop has gone ...
For Boba, Ethan and Ashley, K-pop is a place to belong, a way to express themselves, and a bridge to connect with others. This one-off documentary presents three intimate portraits of young Polynesians who are pulled into a Korean cultural phenomenon. K-POLYS is directed by Litia Tuiburelevu, Produced by Hex ...
There’s ample evidence demonstrating free school lunch programmes provide wide benefits across schools, households and communities according to public health researchers. ACT Minister David Seymour wants to reduce the spending on Aotearoa New Zealand’s ...
By Wata Shaw in Suva Fiji is facing an exodus of Fijians as many are leaving for overseas seeking employment and education and others are migrating, says Opposition MP Viliame Naupoto. Speaking in Parliament, he said: “His Excellency’s speech (Ratu Wiliame Katonivere) comes after a little over one year of ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is welcoming comments from Christopher Luxon this morning recommitting to ‘no new taxes’ as part of Budget 2024. “Mr Luxon’s refusal at the Post-Cabinet press conference yesterday to repeat the ‘no new taxes’ promise ...
SAFE is urgently calling on the Environment Committee to reject the Government’s Fast-Track Approvals Bill, and is urging New Zealanders to rally behind the call. The proposed Bill, currently under consideration with the Environment select committee, ...
Teammates who spend all their time picking fights with spectators are only helpful for the other team, writes Madeleine Chapman. Anyone who has ever played a team sport competitively, particularly as a child and particularly, for some reason, basketball, will know that there’s a lot of politics involved. While there ...
The long-running Wellington music festival is too focused on the Jim Beam-ness and not enough on the Homegrown-ness.There is something about Homegrown that’s difficult to place. A barely perceptible-ness. Like feeling a ghost is watching you from the corner of the room but when you look, there’s nothing there. ...
The latest Ipsos New Zealand Issues Monitor reveals that fewer New Zealanders believe crime / law and order is one of the top issues facing our country. In 2018, Ipsos New Zealand started tracking the key issues facing New Zealand. In this wave ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Griffiths, Deputy Program Director, Budgets and Government, Grattan Institute Australia’s political donations rules are woefully inadequate, but donations reform is finally on the agenda. The federal government has signalled its interest in reform and will soon begin briefing MPs on its ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Patrick Taylor, Chief Environmental Scientist, EPA Victoria; Honorary Professor, School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University Naiyana Somchitkaeo/Shutterstock A recent study published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine has linked microplastics with risk to human health. The study ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Albert Van Dijk, Professor, Water and Landscape Dynamics, Fenner School of Environment & Society, Australian National University Global climate records were shattered in 2023, from air and sea temperatures to sea-level rise and sea-ice extent. Scores of countries recorded their hottest year ...
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a teacher explains why he and his partner are in frugal mode – and how they’re making it work. Gender: Male Age: 35Ethnicity: Pākehā Role: I am an intermediate school teacher and my partner is ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Bendall, Senior Lecturer, Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences, Australian Catholic University Binge Mary & George, the new British television drama series, depicts the real-life story of Mary Villiers and her son George, and their social climbing at the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jason Nassios, Associate Professor, Centre of Policy Studies, Victoria University This article is part of The Conversation’s series examining the housing crisis. Read the other articles in the series here. Australian state and federal governments spend money in many ways to ...
The finance minister is denying that there’s a $5.6b shortfall in paying for the government’s campaign promises, including tax cuts. At his post-cabinet press conference yesterday, the PM refused to rule out new taxes to pay for the cuts, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s ...
Kāinga Ora tenants abused by their neighbours are doubting the government's crackdown on disruptive tenants will make a difference on their behaviour. ...
Kāinga Ora is New Zealand’s biggest residential landlord, housing more than 180,000 vulnerable people in more than 67,000 properties. Yesterday the government announced a crackdown on its tenants who fall behind on rent. One longtime Kāinga Ora tenant shares her experience.For 18 years I lived in a 1960s standalone ...
Why does this myth persist, and what’s the real reason our skin is suffering?It’s one of the biggest international grievances New Zealanders hold, up there with the sinking of the Rainbow Warrior and 1981’s underarm incident. We’re quick to tell international travellers that the world’s pollution led to the ...
Bob’s relationship with certain members of Lincoln’s academic staff continued to deteriorate in the 1990s. Others supported him publicly, though articles such as Roland Clark’s 1993 piece in Growing Today cannot have pleased the university management. Clark wrote that Bob was selling onions from the Biological Husbandry Unit to a ...
SailGP’s races feature in-your-face action, with agile, hydro-foiling catamarans tacking and jibing for the title over several days. However, public comments ahead of the global series’ return to New Zealand have left this past year’s controversy in the shadows, as a key appointment attracts criticism from dolphin advocates. A year ...
Opinion: We are fast approaching a fundamental change in prisons. As the number of people on custodial remand looks set to overtake the number of sentenced prisoners, the main function of prisons in New Zealand may become incarcerating un-sentenced people who may not be guilty of offending. We have already ...
A huge seven months lies in store for the White Ferns, beginning this week with the visit of England and culminating with the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh in September and October. Starting on Tuesday in Dunedin, the world ranked No. 2 visitors will play five T20s and three ODIs, ...
Opinion: In a move that has shocked road safety advocates across the country, the new Minister of Transport, Simeon Brown, is poised to abandon the previous government’s speed limit reduction policy, particularly around schools. Even more alarmingly, he wants school speed limits to be variable rather than full-time, arguing ...
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When the Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act was introduced in 2009 it was firmly targeted at gangs and drugs. The legislation means police no longer need a conviction to seize assets that criminals can’t prove were paid for legitimately, as long as their alleged offences are punishable by more than a ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[quiz],DIV[quiz],A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions. The post Newsroom daily quiz, Tuesday 19 March appeared first on Newsroom. ...
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Kiingi Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII has hosted members of the Green Party Caucus at Tuurangawaewae Marae in Ngaaruawahia. The audience follows the King’s Hui-aa-Motu on 20 January, where more than 10,000 people gathered to discuss national ...
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Whoa. Missed this news
NZ allows payments of salaries in crypto
https://www.ft.com/content/54dd4854-bd06-11e9-b350-db00d509634e
Where is everyone? Checked in before I go out for the day and nobody else has posted 🙁
I hate being the first in the world in the experiment of a new product – will kill or cure!
New Zealand just became the first country to legalize salary payments in cryptocurrencies (BTC) https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/new-zealand-legalizes-cryptocurrency-salaries-including-bitcoin-2019-8-1028442320
https://qz.com/1687151/new-zealands-tax-authority-approves-crypto-wages-and-salaries/ New Zealand gives a vote of confidence in bitcoin, while the US remains wary
https://bizedge.co.nz/story/opinion-uk-tax-agency-proves-crypto-is-the-future-of-money
Cryptocurrencies are the future of money – and the United Kingdom government’s actions of late prove that very fact, according to the CEO of one of the world’s largest independent financial advisory firms.
deVere Group’s chief executive Nigel Green notes that Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is doing its best to reap taxes from cryptocurrencies, which proves that those currencies are far more valuable than first thought.
HMRC is asking cryptocurrency exchanges to reveal customers’ names and transactions so that it can recover unpaid taxes.
As the world watches what is happening in the United Kingdom, there’s no reason why other governments couldn’t try a similar tactic.
Can one of our esteemed experienced and trustworthy commenters/readers give us the lowdown and summary of whether this is good for us in NZ and the world?
Can't see anything at first glance on RadioNZ but did catch this which gives a certain amount of schadenfreude?
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/business/396555/mainzeal-chairman-richard-yan-faces-bankruptcy-over-failure-to-pay-18m-damages
Who’s next??
Cryptocurrency? Is it good for NZ? Kim Dotcom thinks so – and he knows how to make money.
https://twitter.com/KimDotcom/status/1161959503698415618
Earlier to the above tweet, Trump tweeted the following:
KDC's response?
EDIT – RNZ’s latest on cryptocurrenncy seems to be this from yesterday
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/businessnews/audio/2018708837/ird-s-crypto-tax-move-won-t-make-it-legit-currency-expert
The fact that there is an option other than to go down with the US printing press is huge.
US debt is currently 22.5 Trillion, but this doesn’t include the missing trillions
https://home.solari.com/the-missing-money-19-trillion-in-undocumentable-adjustments-and-counting-with-dr-mark-skidmore/
…or the unfunded liabilities with social security etc
Plus some disconnecting from the banking system might be necessary from time to time. Check out this call for a run on HK banks (holy sh*t!)
https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-08-15/hong-kong-activist-leader-calls-run-bank
Jeremy Corbyn urges opposition leaders and Tory rebels to help oust PM.
Labour leader claims Johnson has no mandate for no-deal Brexit and calls for caretaker government.
“Jeremy Corbyn has called on rebel Tories and opposition leaders to stop a no-deal Brexit by ousting Boris Johnson as prime minister and allowing Labour to form a caretaker government until a general election.
The Labour leader proposed that he should lead a temporary administration on a “strictly time-limited” basis with the aim of calling a general election.
His letter threw down the gauntlet to the Lib Dems, the SNP, Plaid Cymru, the Greens and rebel Tories, at a time when MPs opposed to no deal have been discussing a “national unity government” led by a centrist figure.
Corbyn’s proposal makes it clear that the Labour frontbench consider he is the only politician who could lead a caretaker government, rather than a backbench candidate such as Tory veteran Ken Clarke or Labour’s Yvette Cooper.”
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/aug/14/jeremy-corbyn-urges-opposition-leaders-and-tory-rebels-to-help-oust-pm
Wow Jeremy is coming out of his shell, or like a conger eel charging out of the reef. Very wise of him to act while there still is a reef in good old UK home of democracy, or is it? Can't remember, I think something happened a long time ago that was supposed to be good.
Thanks for that Wairua – we will all be watching this with great interest. We need to keep our eye on Trump and what is going on behind the scenery there – it all seems so theatrical don't you think? Hong Kong protesters pushing the envelope – does China have a mail system to receive it? Likely to have only one result – who is orchestrating this – the young people with no understanding of history, or some entity that is manipulating those young people?
Anything good happening in the UK is a bonus. Meanwhile what is going on in the other BRIC countries apart from China? (Brazil, Russia, India).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BRIC
Caretaker government ?
Doesnt happen under UK conventions.
Again Guardian reporting as news complete fantasy without correcting the politicians claims.
Its no different from say Daily Mail in its hyper partisan coverage of British politics. Its one thing to to have opinion or editorial taking a position.
The reaction to this offer from Corbyn of the Yellow Tories (AKA the Liberal Democrats), the "centrist" PLP MPs who group around Tom Watson and the various self-serving careerist Blairite turkeys still hanging around as independents and whatever the hell the TIGgers call themselves now has exposed Remain as now completely captured by neoliberal authoritarian technocrats and Israel's stooges – a motley crew of chancers and grifters that has the nerve to present itself as "sensible people and centrists".
If Corbyn has done one thing with this it has been to expose the Lib-dems as an austerity enabling, Tory supporting lying leopard that has not changed it's spots. As i have said all along, the Oxbridge educated liberal urban elite who are the key enablers (and winners from) of neoliberalism would rather have Brexit – and austerity and betray the working class – than Corbyn.
Corbyn hasn't a hope of stopping Brexit with this proposal – I doubt he ever expected to be able to – but Jo Sinson walked right into the trap and therefore he just destroyed the Liberal Democrats as a the standard bearers of remain.
The logic of FPP elections means that Corbyn and his allies must have calculated that with the Brexit party splitting the Tory vote and the Liberal Democrats completely discredited, enough Labour voters will return to Labour to allow them to coming sailing up the middle for a Corbynista landslide at any Brexit election…
Ooer Sanctuary that is an excoriating analysis. I don't know what to hope for after reading that. The maze is impenetrable to this rat. My birth father, who ended up a pilot of a Lancaster bomber in WW2 that went down in flames, ended up not thinking very highly of the Brits after he had spent a year or so there. I think he was a fairly good judge of things from what I have heard of him, and the few aerograms I was given.
It is disappointing to think that they have screwed themselves down so strongly, and have lost the screwdriver. It was interesting to view the doco 'Meeting Gorbachev' in the NZIFF and see him speaking wonderingly of Margaret Thatcher's undiminished surety that nuclear arms were a Good Thing ensuring peace. Exactly the opposite of his beliefs that he was carrying from one leader to another in an effort to contain and reduce the tides of unhelpful responses rife in that time of uncertainty and anxiety.
Perhaps the Brits still feel the ghost of the God-like empah oblivion, thinking that saying something firmly and strongly makes it true and real and right. That is how Trump behaves though. Is there something in the waters; we are feeling it in our waters for sure?
excellent commentary/analysis..
This is good imo. It enhances all parties mana and specifically the land protector mana, reduces tension, creates space for solutions and really puts all parties in a good light. Nice one.
life.
cool article
hmm interesting
nice
ooookay – some other reactions being pinged
feeling a bit sick now
yep
just mice who cares>will help people with pain>we use mice for a reason cos they feel it>I kill mice>I don't torture mice>bloody humans>bloody mice>bloody pain>…
life…
It's one of the things I loathe about reading medical research. So much unnecessary suffering.
It is wonderful to find how far scientists will go when they believe they have something that will be good for humans and actually try it on themselves. It isn't always animals used to do the testing. And sometimes their short and unknowing lives are pivotal to being able to find an answer to something very big and hard to learn about if used on humans. We do hurt each other too, so we don't just pick on animals.
Edit:
This is a comment from Wild Katipo from Fertile Land is Priceless:
WILD KATIPO 7.2.2.1.1
15 August 2019 at 12:04 pm
And large helpings of steamed vegetables for all those attending free of charge. What does a few bottles of Olive oil and peanut butter cost ,- all cooked on a few barbeque’s?
Think of it… the sharing of gardening ideas, in a festival atmosphere,.. where all generations can participate…from the things one can do with herbs to vegetable recipes to tree planting and ecology… the list is endless.
Bands could play ! Lolly scrambles for the kids ! Select wine tasting !
It would be a smash hit !
And it has sparked me to think this:
That's what we should have at booth sites on election days eh? Not offer to pay people for voting which as many commenters on RadioNZ pointed out wouldn't promote thought and real interest in civics and policies.
But making interest in being part of the support group for community politics into something to enjoy. Going to vote and be welcomed by buskers throughout the last voting day, ie Saturday, kids from schools who learn the arts showing their activities, singing songs, playing ukes, elders with demonstrations of activities – tai chi, akido, etc. A sausage sizzle, people making pikelets, showing how to make fresh fruit drinks with gadgets, etc. Businesses showing up with useful services and The community showing how it wants to include everyone to participate, join the real party, The Garden Party (being a joke name for people who get together to show their love of NZ)! That is a pretty attractive idea don't you think?
You wouldn't be able to keep people away from the voting booth. And I suggest that there should be a group of teenagers chosen from various schools to be monitors, keeping a clear space around the door, and watching that everything went smoothly, ensuring a good future for them from guarding the means of their citizen power. It is time to revitalise our concern for NZ and the young and to adopt new approaches to our rather weary and worn democratic system.
Thinking further, it could be such a great day that people would forget to vote or forget what its actual purpose was. So at the entry gates people would be channelled into the voting booth BEFORE they could take part in the fun that had been organised for VOTING. Some people think that the country is run by fairies and goblins and people living in The Cloud, and forget that it is just us getting together and being committed to a common object. Taking everything for granted has been a fault that has developed.
There could be a fun scarf that is knitted to wrap around the voting booth, everyone invited to put a stitch – as an example of what we have in our democracy, a dropped stitch here and there and some imperfections would only underscore the example of our reality, not perfect but something we can see and participate in and repair if need be. And at the end it can be measured, announced in the media along with reports about highlights of the day, and given to a group that knits blankets for those who need them.
And then the counting, the booths finished, the apparent direction of the voting, the comments about the candidates, the general discussion about the country's state, will all be of more interest and better understood than ever before. People will want to wait up for the results, it will be like the New Year's celebrations.
In Australia election advertising is legal on election day and legal in the grounds of polling locations up to a no-fly-zone border a few metres from the buildings. Getting from the street to the polling booth often means running a gauntlet of party volunteers in colourful t-shirts handing out pamphlets.
Now this sounds awful but I think it actually does something positive for the Australian voting experience. The voting booth locations are always active places with helpful people who have an obligation to be friendly – no party wants to see their volunteers in their shirts on the news because they were abusing people.
Many of the Australian polling-booth sites I've visited on election day have resembled greywarshark's description – sausage sizzles ("#democracysausage") and other food, kids playing games, music playing.
testing to see if the old smilies still work
😎
😈
🙄
😮
New German study. Scientists find microplastics in Arctic snow, suggesting significant air pollution even in remote locations New German study. Scientists find microplastics in Arctic snow, suggesting significant air pollution even in remote locations
CEAC calls for action for rail – Tyre dust found here in new study. – we note trains don't use tyres. – only trucks do. – stop trucks – use rail.
QUOTE; “They are usually formed by the breakdown of larger pieces of plastic – for example, from shopping bags to the wear and tear on tires. Microplastics might contain varnish, rubber, or chemicals used in synthetic fabrics and cause significant air pollution.
Published on : 10:28 PST, Aug 14, 2019
“Plastic pollution is a problem of growing environmental concern, and annual waste production is projected to rise to 3.4 billion metric tons (MT) in the next 30 years.” https://meaww.com/scientists-discover-plastic-waste-arctic-snow-air-pollution-remote-locations-study
"It seems easy, doesn’t it? The first of these options involves business as usual. It means that the company remains at the mercy of gyrating energy prices and of low-cost producers flooding the market with cheap steel. The second of the options would allow British Steel to be more forward-looking when there is pressure on the steel industry to do its bit in the fight against climate change.
In all the circumstances, the decision might look like a no-brainer. After all, the government is committed to a long-term industrial strategy and, by 2050, a zero-carbon economy. Yet it is gearing up to make Oyak the preferred bidder.
That decision, of course, has nothing whatsoever to do with the fact that the Liberty House plan involves 400 more job losses than the Oyak proposal, that Scunthorpe is a marginal with a Labour majority of less than 3,500 and that ministers are preparing for a snap general election within the next few months. Perish the thought."
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/aug/15/spend-spend-spend-spirit-of-viv-nicholson-lives-on-britain-brexit
Zero NETT carbon.
Governments have committed since Kyoto to reduce NETT emissions, NZ does this ,when its gross emissions are rising, by buying carbon credits off others. The taxpayer pays something like $1 bill per year to do so, some industries that dont get the taxpayer to pick up their rising emissions maybe pay another $250 mill ?
Places like Ukraine which 'de industrialised/de populated' have made a lot of money being a sink for others.
Zero carbon doesnt mean no carbon , far from it.
Agree with you sadly Dukeofurl, they buy phoney carbon credits too from saby countries like ukraine.and follish they are.
This begun with John key though but you would think that labour would not do this now but my suspicion is that you are right they probaby are still buying them today from Ukraine now.
There was no suggestion of otherwise….the point of the post (which appears to have been overlooked) is that even with the legislation (the UK has had it longer than anyone else) the logical decisions will be overridden for political expediency…NZ will be no different
I have been interested for a while in Graeme Hart's packaging arm and finding out some more about what he does, and thinks about what is happening in this field. He is supposed to be an astute businessman and I would think would be moving out of some areas. His wealth is calculated at $10 billion IIRC.
It is interesting when searching on google to find there is so little about him. And fascinating to find that there was a journalist Graeme Hart, now deceased, who wrote about him in The Listener in 2010. This is a good article and rare I imagine. There is this about packaging:
If market rumours are correct, Rank Group is seeking to acquire US packaging company Pactiv Corporation in a bid to challenge Tetra Laval's food-packaging dominance. Among Tetra Laval's varied operations, the Tetra Pak business is the world leader in liquid food-processing and packaging.
What is not in doubt is that Hart is laying the groundwork for something big after shelling out US$2.7 billion for aluminium producer Alcoa's packaging and consumer group in 2008. He spun off parts of the business – mostly aluminium foil and plastic closures – restructured it with plant shutdowns and hefty job losses, and renamed it Reynolds Packaging Group. It is now the flagship for Rank's varied and far-flung packaging interests.
From late 2009 Hart started bundling the packaging groups Rank already owned into the Reynolds stable: Swiss drinks carton manufacturer SIB and Indianapolis-based plastic bottle cap manufacturer Closure Systems International. Courtesy of US$1.75 million of debt Hart is raising on Reynolds Group Holdings, he hopes to add further Rank assets to the mix: Memphis-based drinks packager Evergreen Packaging and even the Whakatane Paper Mill (the latter is part of Rank-controlled Carter Holt Harvey).
The end-game in this has to be a food-packaging group capable of challenging Tetra Pak. Hart wouldn't be interested if the challenge were anything less. That he can even consider this when the global economy is still weak is testimony to more than blatant deal-making. It is about Hart himself – a rare breed of New Zealander who has made it in business overseas and survived as a member of New Zealand's oft-maligned and oft-troubled nouveau riche.
The Economist predicts a giant Reynolds would give Hart the critical mass to change the nature of the food-packaging industry.
It is hard being in business!
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12204563
https://www.noted.co.nz/archive/archive-listener-nz-2010/lord-of-the-deals
Graeme Hart’s Reynolds Group reports US$5 million loss
Reynolds Group, the global packaging giant owned by New Zealand’s richest person, Graeme Hart, went into the red last year, because of a greater level of impaired assets and higher raw material costs.
In a filing to the US Securities and Exchange Commission, Reynolds reported US$5 million ($7.3m) loss in 2018, against a US$439 million profit in the previous year.
Some old info – last at 2016
https://www.interest.co.nz/category/tag/rank-group
I was wrong in the above about journalist name which should have been Graeme Hunt writing about Graeme Hart.
An impressive young woman.
(and she has the right flinging their own poo, too)
https://twitter.com/BBCWorld/status/1161275395431370752
https://www.bbc.com/news/av/science-environment-49331885/greta-thunberg-s-zero-carbon-journey-i-might-feel-a-bit-seasick
https://twitter.com/GretaThunberg
Worrying about machines taking over – sometime in the next century, decade, year, now …..
https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2019/08/15/the-wellington-orac-dangers-of-replacing-bureaucrat-bigotry-with-ai-bigotry-police-wanting-facial-recognition-cctv-empire/
Martin Bradbury's take on it.
Hey, just as a matter of interest, sometime in the recent past, was Eco Maori advised/encouraged to post his contributions on the Open Mike of yesterday or the day before? Or is he really just two short puffs on the end of a spliff – somehow I don’t believe that
Yesterday's Open Mike is today's Fish and Chip rapper of course – but really no worse than those than come in here with the intention to divert, or even those running an official ideological agenda (going forward).
No biggie – just curious from someone anxious for some learnings
From memory, Eco Maori was asked not to post at the start of everyday, when he was asking for financial contributions. That was a long time ago now. He then chose to post on old Open Mikes.
I believe Eco Maori should be invited back to the current Open Mike. I find most of his contributions quite interesting. Obviously what I think isn't important and it's not my decision to make.
Ditto @ Fireblade re last paragraph. I hadn't realised he'd been asking for financial contributions. Just curious. (Maybe it'll eventually kill this kat)
Eco Maori interests and I notice the style of writing changes, and I have a feeling that more than one person pens the comments, or that he sometimes plays with a stream of Maori consciousness approach where he talks a lot about sandflys who are out to get him (cops and bailiffs?).
But even if his pieces go to yesterday's OM we are still allowed to read them! When his name occurs in the Comments listings, just follow them up and see what pearls he is throwing down. He supports Maori musicians so we can keep up with the young creatives.
I think he might be writing for another readership actually, some of the ones who follow the blog and don't write in
I also actually quite enjoy some of Eco's comments, but they did become a problem for the reasons discussed above.
As far as I am aware, the fact that they appear in Open Mike's of a day or two old rather than on the day they are actually submitted has nothing to do with Eco's choice – but rather what I call "lprent's Magical Time Machine"! lprent waves his wand and just by magic Eco's comments disappear and reappear on older Open Mike posts.
I take it you have not noticed that lprent has been updating his Time Machine and has it doing other such tricks with other commenters' posts from time to time over the last month or so? LOLOL
Seriously though I find the current solution completely practical and presumably acceptable to Eco, otherwise he would stop posting at all. It allows Eco’s comments to still appear but without the disruption to other comments/posts etc. I and others have replied to Eco’s posts from time to time but I don’t recall any of us having responses to our replies …
In fact there are a lot more posts that I would love to see being treated in a similar manner!
Yep Mr/Mrs/Ms Veut. I did notice Lprent's wizardry. A true gem when it comes to eloquent and expedient solutions.
I imagine it all happened when I was away being mischievous and on a venture to find my inner peace – even though I did comment from time to time from the other side. Which reminds me, I'd also noticed Mr Ure is back on his magic scooter, and one or two others that seem to be commenting from their new-found set of mystical realities.
Unfortunately, it seems no amount of time warp travel affects the likes of a Mapp.
All part of life's rich tapestry though eh?
QFT
Oh, so clever.
So which definition of QFT are you intending, Incognito? There are several.
I only know one that fits here: Quoted For Truth.
The other one I know (of) doesn’t make any sense here 😉
Please enlighten me/us.
Another mod used my OpenMike shunt to shift some off-topic junk out of a post. It shunted up to the top of an OpenMike from a later date – because it was earlier. That was because the OM shunt sends it to the current OM.
I just changed the dates so that it no-longer looked like it was the eco post.
Portsmouth Sinfonia pay the Danube Waltz (or murder it if you wish). Tis is how our democracy is going at the moment. If you want it to be better than the PS sound, then keep working at it. The PS is people who have not had much time learning their instruments though they are good at their own specialty. They need time to learn and at present are giving it a 'good go', I just love it though can't bear to listen too often. The Lord loves a tryer. So help us please oh Lord.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmqBzFcHQis
You will like them at the Albert Hall having a go at the Hallelujah Chorus! What a doughty bunch. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkPGByh_F50
The main thing is to keep going and not start laughing.
Another version entirely. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRhjWdr-LAA
I first heard them playing the William Tell overture … I laughed so hard I cried. I think it is a requirement that you have never played whatever instrument you are playing before but that you give it your best shot. They have a sprinkling of people who can play to help the overall music along.
Thanks for that Gray!
Glad you like it Pingau. I think that the full requirement is that they are musicians but have never played the instrument du jour before. Some of them have a very short practice! And the working guideline is that you all start together and finish together. In between it gets individual.
It has always tickled me especially the Albert Hall Hallelujah where there were a basic group of singers and musicians and then another hundred or so turned up to be in the shindig. It's very enjoyable and for some it is no more discordant than jazz can be.
It is more fun than when you are an earnest music student and get to perform at the end of year show and tell, and forget your piece but stumble through, and are outclassed by a six year old who plays Fur Elise like a professional! Happened to one of my children. He still plays though – he's got true grit.
Is that second one (Hallelujah) the theme son to Brexit?
Son of Brexit – sounds like a satire coming up!
You've hit on something real there – the commodification of recorded music tends to obscure the fun of producing it, of personally improving, and of being part of a creative community.
Both Karaoke and the punk movement were directed at returning music to small groups and communities, and both enjoyed considerable success. Great link btw.
That sounds bloody familiar @Grey – I've been racking my brain. Finally it came to me. It's the theme song to a few government departments/munstries – especially that one you hear when you enter the old Defence Headquarters in Ballance St. You get the best Theatre Mode there too on an expensive curved screen
The State Services Commish was so taken by it that he's instructed it to be used at Justice, and I understand Kelvin Davis is asking the Commish whether or not it might be appropriate at Pleece National HQ.
MSD is so progressive they're considering some sort of 'mashup' using it, but it'll have to go to Cabinet for a final decision
You'll get brain fever OwT – better cool down before summer comes.
More examples of a media out of wack long video 20 min
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyKHBPvlCFw&ab_channel=TheGrayzone
So her 0 – 3% in the candidacy race is down to media smears and nothing to do with her being generally unappealing to the polled democrat voters?
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/latest_polls/
And again another "woosh" moment from the al1en.
—– way to miss the point.
Hardly a "woosh", more a stabbity stab stab right to the heart of your minnows logic.
Greta Thunberg is an inspiring soul and hope for our future lies in her spiritual beliefs that you can’t ‘short change’ “mother nature” and get away with it.
I believe she will be a world leader one day, as she shows truth to power.
"I believe she will be a world leader one day"
That's today, btw.
Robert: lol, yes – if she isn't one right now, what would being a world leader involve?
Weird hair
Flying to a world conference on climate change?
Trees don't grow on money
Poor folks traverse the "transatlantic" by economy class – the sponsored "chosen" have choices
https://timhayward.wordpress.com/2019/04/29/trees-dont-grow-on-money-or-why-you-dont-get-to-rebel-against-extinction/
Greta is a cog in her Paternal machine.
From your linked article:
"On deeper reflection, what does it even mean to stage a rebellion against extinction? Rebellions usually involve a group of people rising up to protest or overthrow another group that wields unjust or illegitimate power over them. How can you ‘rebel’ against extinction? It is not as if you can choose to disobey the laws of nature."
What twaddle. There are various attempts out there to discredit the Extinction Rebellion movement, coz vested interests.
Twaddle what a splendid word for a putdown – and can be extended – Go waddle your twaddle. Very dismissive. I will save that one.
it's equally a rebellion against people like that dude who think the market will prevail and present us with some tech to sequester carbon (he waves his hand in the air vaguely because it's a fairy tale).