If a political party is unregistered, and passes the threshold at the election, can it get list candidates into parliament as a result? Probably not!
More than $255,000 in donations have been made to a political party that never registered, a loophole in electoral laws that a political expert says is “unprecedented”.
The New Zealand Public Party has come under fire by former members and staffers who allege up to $100,000 in koha collected at events, and kept in a tin under leader Billy Te Kahika’s bed, is unaccounted for.
Complaints were laid to the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) and the Electoral Commission about missing donations, however no investigations are resulting from the complaints. The Electoral Commission said because NZPP never registered as a party it has no obligation to report donations.
They deserve an award for value-added entertainment though. The Nat/Lab underwhelming strategy is clearly designed to turn voters off. NZF is clearly trying to scare voters off. Greens seem unsure which voters to piss off.
Of the peripherals, Vernon Tava has been a no-show, the Opportunists flicker on/off dimly, and the Neocons are off the wall. Only the nutters seem right on – fervently demonstrating god's will to the apathetic. Oh, but we can celebrate the Maori Party for advocating we ditch the dumb old colonial name and become Aotearoa! 👍
From the list of Koha in your first link, that is great that people from all over the country have given donations rounded to the nearest hundred dollars, or probably purely in hundred dollar bills. Restores ones faith in humanity, that the public won't encumber a political movement with superfluous accounting… The wonderful Billy TK.
If a political party is unregistered, and passes the threshold at the election, can it get list candidates into parliament as a result? Probably not!
Electoral Commission's Guide to Party Registration (link) says unregistered parties can only stand electorate candidates. Party vote is only for registered parties.
Thanks Alice, thought so. I guess it means the decision of JLR to stop contesting Botany is due to him presuming his party registration can get him in even though his partner's party must win a seat to get in. If the combo reaches 5% I mean. If the unlikely happens, could become a legal fight (all the way to the Supreme Court)…
Except that seems to contradict what you wrote in 2.2, so I was thinking he's somehow relying on how the combined party will work. Then again maybe neither leader actually thought it thro. Probably won't matter but nutters abound so if they vote we may get an interesting situation. A lawyer-fest.
In 2.2 I was thinking of NZPP standing under its own name.
NZPP is a component party of Advance NZ (link), so it might be okay if everything is done through the combined entity. (Or might be one for the lawyers.)
Oh yeah. I see there are four component parties listed. Went to the Advance website & the link there to Billy's party. Interesting bio:
I approached the UN in 2016 to help fund a NZ based indigenous economic and cultural festival to help end indigenous poverty. We didn’t receive funding because we did not want to become members of the UN as an NGO to receive it. But since I have taken on fronting this amazing movement I have been painted as:
A UN secret agent working as controlled opposition.
A secret Chinese Communist Party agent trying to sell Maori land and that I am committing treason.
I am a Freemason and Freemasonry supporter, despite lecturing against Freemasons.
I am an Abortion Industry executive – despite being against it.
I work for the Maori King and I am forming a global reserve bank with him – reason or how unspecified.
I am a racial separatist despite preaching the opposite that we are all one family.
And that I am a conspiracy theorist about the UN & Communism in New Zealand – despite providing factual evidence proving this and asking that people apply critical thinking.
It's tough at the top. Not enough to surf the wave of any hot conspiracy theory, you get competing theorists demonising you – bit like sharks in the water around the surfer…
maybe the existential question should be, is a unregistered cult with a leader who keeps the $$$$$ under his bed a political party? but, I agree, they do add colour, conspiracy nutters are fun to play with , gentley leading-pushing them further up their own orifice with each wild theory.(mine, not theirs)
“”The political, economic and environmental trends we’ve slavishly followed for decades have been exposed as not only redundant but actually dangerous. Maybe we should adopt not just a language but a way of thinking that’s indigenous to this country. Let’s start a conversation about what Tino Rangatiratanga might mean now instead of patronising attempts to use Māori language to continue denying it.””
All this co-opting of Māori language and culture by the state is little more than cynical marketing and doesn’t address more pressing and structural issues that Māori, and the country at large, actually face.
The state isn't co-opting Māori culture. If they were, things might actually be better.
A large part of the problem is that we've seemingly decided to remain a multi-cultural society rather than coming together as a single society that has aspects (preferably the best aspects while throwing out the worst) of multiple cultures.
Its this determination to remain separate within our country that really pisses me off. We'd all be better off if we decided to have a single culture informed from all the cultures that have come here.
Let’s start a conversation about what Tino Rangatiratanga might mean now instead of patronising attempts to use Māori language to continue denying it.
I agree that we do need to have such a conversation but the result of that conversation should be that we, as a nation, are one people with one culture. What's really up for discussion is the nature of that culture and if its still dividing us or brining us together.
Predetermining the outcome of a conversation makes the conversation pointless.
But also, we are a multicultural society. Arguing we should be "one culture" is either suggesting a sort of cultural homgeneity that the zealandia jerks seem to be after, or it's a meaningless proposition that our single culture is multicultural.
But what is the problem with talking about what Tino Rangatiratanga might mean? There are several examples around the world of different cultures working together within one nation, but with diverse governance and service systems. Canada comes to mind, but there are others.
Identity politics makes people feel better about themselves at the expense of productive discourse. A person’s lived experience should never be invalidated. But no identity makes the beliefs that someone derives from their lived experience automatically more correct.
My bold.
The problem with a multi-cultural society is that it will always be tearing itself apart as it puts people, who should be friendly neighbours, against each other.
But what is the problem with talking about what Tino Rangatiratanga might mean?
Who's?
As I said, identity politics tears a society apart.
There are several examples around the world of different cultures working together within one nation, but with diverse governance and service systems.
Not really.
In all countries there's one set of rules at the top that lower bodies (states/cities) have to conform to even if they do make local laws which means that there's an over-riding culture.
Pretending that culture is determined by sitting down and discussing it, rather than a conglomerate of individuals and lived experience, is bullshit. So that discussion is lala-land for a start.
Secondly, "identity politics" is a phrase used by fuckwits to disparage the concept of treating individuals with respect even if they are different. Lived experience being ""automatically more correct" than what? And why is "correct" being used to score points in that essay? The problem wasn't the author's "identity politics", the problem was the author trying to score points against their parents rather than actually discuss the matter.
But that article shares what I believe to be your basic miscomprehension: diversity in culture doesn't need to lead to conflict. The conflict occurs when one culture tries to dominate the other. Discarding "aspects" of any culture, even if rationally determined by committee, will piss people off. Look at the claims of "social engineering" over smacking and lightbulbs.
We can minimise that conflict by recognising the cultures within our society. Canada really is an interesting example with its approach to First Nations, French, and British heritage and culture. Not perfect by any means, but definitely something to look at.
Trying to mash us all into a homogeneous culture and say we are "one culture" is a fast way to start exploitation, dominance, and war. We've done that before.
edit: and laws and jurisdiction really is something you should read up on in Canada. Not that laws are culture, anyway.
Pretending that culture is determined by sitting down and discussing it, rather than a conglomerate of individuals and lived experience, is bullshit.
Culture is set by the rules of a society be they written or unwritten. Discussing what Tino Rangatiratanga might mean is discussing what rules we want to keep and what rules to toss aside.
Its what we call government.
Secondly, "identity politics" is a phrase used by fuckwits to disparage the concept of treating individuals with respect even if they are different.
No, it really isn't. In fact, I first heard the concept of identity politics from those most in favour of it.
But that article shares what I believe to be your basic miscomprehension: diversity in culture doesn't need to lead to conflict.
Yes it does. Treating people differently because they're black/white/gay/straight inevitably leads to conflict as people will have the belief that they're being short-changed.
Discarding "aspects" of any culture, even if rationally determined by committee, will piss people off. Look at the claims of "social engineering" over smacking and lightbulbs.
Yes, governance does get that sort of response because they are engaging in social engineering. They're, quite literally, setting the rules that will determine the culture of a society. So you can probably understand why National were upset as the 5th Labour government tried to stop the ongoing excessive and uneconomical use of power and abuse of children.
We can minimise that conflict by recognising the cultures within our society
No, that will maximise the conflict.
Trying to mash us all into a homogeneous culture and say we are "one culture" is a fast way to start exploitation, dominance, and war.
Nope.
When two culture meet the cross-pollinate and create a new culture. What multi-culturalism does is to try and keep all the cultures as they were at some idealistic point in time and thus trying to prevent the changes that need to happen as a new culture emerges.
Well, I disagree with pretty much every point and characterisation and conflation you have made there.
But society won't fall apart if we don't hash out exactly which bits we should keep or discard.
So, a bit like calling a person by their chosen pronoun, I will leave it alone and merely wish you a good night. The Cultural Appropriations Committee can pick it up in the morning.
" Its this determination to remain separate within our country that really pisses me off. We'd all be better off if we decided to have a single culture informed from all the cultures that have come here."
Then, one day a man named Sylvester McMonkey McBean came. Everyone from every persuasion that nature and nuture created sat down at a meeting with that "fix it up chappie" as mediator.
The agenda was to decide , " what parts of which cultures we keep (and) which get tossed aside."
The goal of the task was to make, "onesetofrulesatthetop that lower bodies (states/cities) have to conform to even if they do make local laws which means that there's an over-riding culture."
A problem to ameliorate was that people in those lower bodies with their own unique identities were , according to some, problematic because they were through their identity, different from the ideal.
The problem was then reconfigured, not as 'the problem being the problem' but but dammit…those different people were the problem.
A little background to the current problem. In the 1830s, the British government decided it was time to curb the lawlessness of the land and officially make it a colony.
Sylvester McMonkey McBean the first, arrived on NZ shores and using an ever changing formula for the process, the natives were pushed through the suppresion machine to meld together for all to be one people. The melting pot machine had three main phases to pass through, Christianise against savage practices and beliefs, Colonise using one set of rules and expected behaviour because they are superior, then finally, Capitalise on the assets pilfered through that glorious new identity.
Over 180 years when some saw the cracks appear and the have nots started to uprise, it was easy to fix.. . add new rules again ( and imprison the rule breakers.)
The process is much like the original evolution of rules where the then recent, superior immigrants created more rules in the colonists' Native Land Court to affect cancelling the collective identity found in collective ownership of the commons and onto removing singular identity ( and assets) from being connected to the land.
The rationale purported for this more recent proposal here, of transformation to one culture, is that,
" Treating people differently because they're black/white/gay/straight inevitably leads to conflict as people will have the belief that they're being short-changed."
Once more in history, a policy sell of a One Nation melting pot that inflicted inequality, is now postured again as the cure to quell civil unrest.
Underlying this is the posed certainity that individual identity is destructive to society.
" We can minimise that conflict by recognising the cultures within our society," says one O' the flock with an idea.
A direct, " No, that will maximise the conflict."
Instead we need to cross-pollinate.
" When two culture meet the cross-pollinate and create a new culture. What multi-culturalism does is to try and keep all the cultures as they were at some idealistic point in time and thus trying to prevent the changes that need to happen as a new culture emerges."
Furthermore, after overlooking mass misery created through exploiting an earlier 'set of rules' in order to have a state run 'one-culture' , the whole of the Treaty is dumped. Its whole context, the history, its purpose and intent is now diminished through hand picking a two word convenient phrase to suit. The selection of just those two words "tino rangitira" and putting a spin on it is the "co-opting" of the convenient parts to impose a western world view. Applied then to the appropriation is a self-interpretation to shape the future in order to uphold an argument that a nation's people will coexist peacefully if multi-culturalism is cancelled out.
"Culture is set by the rules of a society be they written or unwritten. Discussing what Tino Rangatiratanga might mean is discussing what rules we want to keep and what rules to tossaside."
Which group has the right and should be the ones to interpret tikanga might be the first question, before all the lab rats are subjected to hegemony ?
A person's identity is the totality of all dimensions that make up 'self' . All the aspects that come into play that make each person's unique identity would need to be deconstructed and then it's just too bad, some need to be thrown out as they are not good.
Ancestory and family, parenting, gender, social practices, rites of passage, genetics, personality, peace or trauma, environment of events and resources in one's upbringing, belief systems, political leanings, cognitive abilities, looks, skin colour.. the perfect One identity will be created by the fix it up chappie.
This crazy cycle of rule changing would continue until everyone couldn't tell who was originally which type of Sneetch, we all at which point are the same, a pure-e.
To be pragmatic though, because 5 million can't fit in the meeting room, we would need to whittle down proportionately the attendees to a house of representatives. To show further fairness, the meeting would start with a co-opted practice of a prayer and then would precede by following co-opted archaic "Robert's Rules" for speaking.
Hopefully, none at the Make One Nation meeting has the rotten core of capitalism in their hearts.
The predominant majority of representatives would then decide the alogorithms for McBean's machine. A halt to any new immigrants would have to follow as they may taint the ideal identity or be too expensive to machinize into pure-e.
But for $10 more each says Mr. McBean, I can add dermabrasion in as an extra star to whitewash all. Then McBean will pack his bags up and leave loaded with cash.
The enlightenment to follow, what fun! There'd be no more diversity as there be no more " north and south going Zax ". For that matter, there'd be no more "green pants with nobody inside them" either, to invent our fears around.
Can you smell the vanilla coming off those algorithm decisions ?
Fees Free was expensive, but restoring the postgraduate student allowance was not. If you can't fulfil postgrad allowances in the 2017-2020 term, at the very least make sure you fulfil it in 2020-2023 ("better late than never").
As it is, this smacks of 1980s-1990s Bait and Switch. Hipkins can stay on at Health, but he's godawful at Education. Give the job to someone who doesn't betray students.
I think Hipkins is far too busy with both Health and Education. I agree and think he should stay as health minster (he's a lot better than David Clark, although Clark set the bar very low). Jacinda seems a bit reluctant to trust some of the other ministers and IMO has overloaded both Hipkins and Megan Woods.
It was a Labour flagship policy in their election campaign in 2017 and NZF and the Greens pledged support. I don’t know about NZF being the convenient handbrake but the Green Party is in full support.
They never even tried to implement it and using Covid as an excuse is an insult to our trust. It shows the short-term thinking and focus on ‘shovel-ready’ stuff suits Labour as much as National.
Gives the greens a couple of percent via their leftish platform rather than strict environmentalism.
Labour can afford to throw its main ally a bone, and they can do it without knobbling an electorate candidate. Teamwork. They'd probably govern alone if the Greens didn't get in this time, but Labour know they're better off having the Greens.
Besides the overstatement by comparing a widened schedule in a pandaemic with Lockwood Smith's outright lie, if my suspicion that this was an intentional tactic is correct (that Labour are easing off on education with the benefit to the Greens being at least a partial consideration in favour of that move), then that is literally the goal: spend some of their political capital by alienating some supporters in the group most likely to lean Green rather than NZ1/nat.
Piss of pensioners, they go NZ1. Piss of students, they go Green.
From tackling pollution to protecting coral reefs, the international community did not fully achieve any of the 20 Aichi biodiversity targets agreed in Japan in 2010 to slow the loss of the natural world. It is the second consecutive decade that governments have failed to meet targets.
Mainstreamers will be reassured by this. Doing something different would be terribly traumatic. You can see why they switched to Coro instead.
Those dumb ignorant Russians are in denial over novichok
They've done no decontamination of the Tomsk airport, which has been in full operational mode throughout.The aeroplane carrying Navalny, and in which he was induced to vomit has not been destroyed, fellow passengers have been questioned but not tested for novichok, neither have the crew.
There's a disgraceful photo of Navalny being put in the ambulance on the way to the Omsk hospital
What were they thinking!! No hazmat gear on , no precautions apart from the usual hospital gowns and masks
They'll be dying like flies over there you mark my words, Navalny and his colleagues will be trumpeting it from the rooftops
But I have to say, the Germans have done it on the cheap too. No tracheotomy for Navalny, unlike both the Skripals, and the Navalny dose was meant to be harder
No quarantining for Navalny
Navalny had his wife and family close the whole time, poor old Skripal was denied the visitation of friends or family
And we know he had friends in Salisbury, his old MI6 handler Pablo Miller lived in the same town and they had monthly lunches
The Skripals had to be expensively quarantined and safe housed and given new identities and shipped off to NZ.Or so an anonymous UK intelligence source told the Sunday Times of Britain , and they would surely not lie?
Navalny has just appeared on his instagram page looking very chipper indeed and stating that as soon as he gets out of hospital he's back to Russia .Goodness!
I must commend the German doctors, he's looking the very picture of rude health and well on the way to recovery
4weeks for Yulia and a couple of months for Sergei .Sergei's so burnt by the whole thing he's unable to contact his mother who he used to ring every week
Shame on you Brit doctors!
And you Russians , when will you learn to treat dissidents the good old democratic Western way ?
'End torture and medical neglect of Julian Assange"
Or they feel like the message is adequately sent either way – live or die, no matter, just make sure there's a lot of publicised suffering and expense and a teeny-tiny fig-leaf of plausible deniability to provoke ever more argument.
Nordstream 2 home and hosed and all of Europe plugged in,then finish off Navalny and all those pesky commies who do so much better in the polls than Navalny
Methinks those bungling bastards are resting on the laurels of puppetising Trump and inducing him to demand the end of Nordstream 2….well before the Navalny fiasco
Francesca You need to put sarc at the bottom of the comments that you write in a cynical/satirical way. We don't know what is going on and when you appear to know and state something it is taken as supposedly believable or completely dismissed depending on the bent of the reader.
It's way harder to almost kill someone , then allow them to return to full health ,than to kill them outright
You've got to get the measurements just right, enough surplus to spread all over Salisbury for instance and cause the maximum fuss and diplomatic downsides, but not quite enough to kill.
And it takes a lot of skill in the case of Navalny for instance to only contaminate the target and none of his colleaugues(who are just as noisome as Navalny)
You're driving in a war-torn land. You turn a corner and see a roadblock several hundred metres away. Your windscreen shatters and a bullet goes through the drivers' headrest not an inch away from you.
"Well gosh," thinks one person. "The shot can't have come from the roadblock, because at that range to miss me by inches is an amazing piece of marksmanship. Because the shot didn't come from there, it's safe for me to keep going in that direction. If they had wanted to kill me, with marksmanship like that I'd be dead already."
"Well gosh" thinks another person. "I guess they don't want me approaching, and aren't too bothered about whether I live or die so long as nobody approaches them. I think I will go back the way I came."
It's an abhorrent practice but the West has been doing the same sort of thing for decades. They also targeted innocent citizens of allied countries. Take the CIA for example. They were running almost rampant in Australia and NZ during the 60s, 70s and 80s. Many of their targets were aware of what was going on but they couldn't say anything because few people would have believed them.
Labour Party supporters and activists were particularly vulnerable and anyone who dared to have any contact – for whatever reason – with Russian nationals. My father was one of them. He couldn't harm a fly but that didn't stop them.
It's an abhorrent practice but the West has been doing the same sort of thing for decades.
As abhorrent as it is its also necessary because if we didn't do it we wouldn't be able to act to defend ourselves.
It's when such information is used for an attack that it breaches ethics and, by the way the Chinese labelled some people, it was obviously being used as an attack vector. That's what politically vulnerable means.
This is an interesting essay on how collusion between the authoritarian neoliberal left and "woke capitalism" has displaced actual activism for social change with "public castigation, social media mobbing or termination of employment".
TVNZ realised the public mood shifting around the Trump-esque lies Hosking engages in every day of the week and sacked him. It's a much bigger ask but it'd be progress if Newstalk ZB followed suit.
Although Hosking was found to be in breach of the Radio Code of Broadcasting Practice, the BSA did not make an order, instead saying its decision “was sufficient to censure the broadcaster and to provide guidance to broadcasters generally”.
No, really, it isn't.
The whole point of having codes is that there are consequences to breaching them especially after they’ve done it several times.
Never used the smoking stuff, but the value of the basic plants gives me a high. Perhaps we can get out of the conservative-blinkers into something with good prospects, slap taxes on second homes and above, and direct investment away from selling our basic needs to the wealthy and impoverishing the rest of us.
Has anyone thought that it follows the pattern of the Irish Famine – they had crops of corn I think but that had been contracted for delivery outside Ireland, I think to the British Army. Business before people, who would have been cited as a 'restraint to trade' if they had successfully blocked the export. And trade and profit are sacred matters to money-makers; people are expendable but suffer without homes and food.
"On a Single Day" by Christy Moore on exports from Cork in September 1847. Meanwhile up the road in Skibbereen lie thousands buried in mass graves. Business before people……..
They say that society is between 3 and 9 meals from anarchy, but it would depend on a number of other factors as well. Just the same, it seems to be a good rule of thumb as opposed to a rule of law.
For an individual, it may vary say for example, the point where a vegan or vegetarian would stop using a draft horse for agricultural purpose or for riding to and from the village on and slaughter it so as to cut it in to delicious bite size chunks for consumption.
I guess New Zealand has one thing going for it. That even if the economy were to go into free fall and we run out of backers and run out of those who would trade with us relative to what we have left to offer, which is kai, man!
Of course, unless or until someone with a large army decided that our fodder was going to be acquired by them, by hook or by crook.
We also have heaps of concepts and creative alternative lifestyle thoughts. Sure, we can’t eat these, but Hell, they must be worth something during a serious crisis.
Tourism accommodation, hospitality, and events/attractions are dependent for the foreseeable future on the smaller domestic market tourism.
We therefore need to urgently expand existing food crops and develop new crops which bring capital investment into the regions- and thus jobs- to help replace the loss of international revenues and jobs.
Non sequitur. Just because the tourism sector is collapsing doesn't mean that we need more farms.
There is substantial interest from investors to add the capital required into the industry to achieve rapid growth and scale for export marketing.
Agricultural export is a bad move as the excessive farming we already have has proved to our detriment.
We now need the entrepreneurial vision and determination, backed by our national economic agencies as well as investment funders
We do need the entrepreneurial vision and determination but we don't need the bludging investors who are no more than a blight upon our society.
Prior to this law change Hemp was a staple industrial crop in the USA and Europe because the motive power for sailing ships was hemp fibre for rigging, ropes and canvas sails.
By the time that the War on Drugs made hemp illegal it was no longer a staple for motive power. Sailing ships were long gone to the Age of Steam and diesel was on the up and up. Really, if it had still been vital there would have been no way to make it illegal.
If government wishes to support the rapid growth of revenue and regional jobs from Hemp, then the next Prime Minister needs to cut through the red tape and finesse the Hemp amendment regulations.
No, that is most definitely what the government should not be doing as it removes the necessary pricing to ensure that its actually a viable industry. Better regulations, certainly, but not the removal of regulations.
Instead of allowing the major construction companies to find the cheapest ways of using its post-Covid-19 investments (with substantial imports), the NZ Government could mandate the use of low or positive environmental impact materials such as hemp.
While I agree this is actually more about ensuring that there's local demand to support the burgeoning industry. In other words, he's asking for government guaranteed profits.
Surely all that is required for the burgeoning Hemp industry to guarantee profits is for us to all go back to hemp roped sailing ships? No more fuel oil either!
National health, an oxymoron. Did people hear the extravagant promises made under the National banner this morning. This from the party that is always promising to cut taxes. They know that their moron followers think that money grows on trees which are eternally fruitful. They know how to use it for their own purposes, but not how to put it back into the economy like fertiliser, to have a modern, thriving, busy and healthy country.
There is talk about 'navigators' and apparently they have picked that up from the UK. That is where the services have been run down, tightened so a patient can't have enough time with their GP to discuss more than one of their health problems! The country where they lied to the people about the money that would be released for their health system by going for Brexit and the main proponents of that have been in close contact with Big Pharma in the USA! And where they are really good at handling Covid-19 in a timely fashion and developing systems that limit its spread – not!
This from Dr Reti – 'He says the primary care navigators have been trialled in the United Kingdom with positive outcomes. They would offer counselling, help unlock government agencies, follow up appointments and referrals and do home visits.'
These under their Surgery heading:
Faster elective surgeries, with funding and surgery for patients within four months
DHBs will outsource elective surgeries they are unable to complete themselves within that timeframe – to other DHBs or private providers at no extra cost
Targets – that can't be met, leading to question of capability and a loss of respect for our public services, with more surgery done by private providers while the public hospitals get further squeezed and finally cannot find staff willing to work in them because of their under-funding impoverished state.
So go private, that will be the answer. Sneer at public, they are just so inefficient, mistakes and faults to heap on them.
The National Party is disgraceful – they can't lie straight in bed even. Their comment on Pharmac – they will keep it as it is excellent (for our ears) and for Big Pharmas ears – we will have more medicines available.
"National believes the Pharmac model is the best way to ensure New Zealanders are accessing much-needed medication."
"Year on year this will be more funding for Pharmac than at any time in the past decade, and New Zealanders will have better access to more medicines.
I read with interest the media reports ; (Stuff and NZ Herald) and also posts herein; (Anne and Draco Te Bastard) regarding the People's republic of China and reports of a database kept on New Zealanders.
Is this not terrible?
Who might have guessed they could have gone THAT far. Max and his baseball aspirations, Winnie and his daughter. Oh My Goodness.
Yep. The PRC are pretty resourceful from what is gleaned by such disclosures.
Bad, China. How could you?
And must I say in support of New Zealand what an entirely non-intrusive, blessed, clean, open, non-corrupted, non-corruptible, humble nation we as a sovereign state along with our fellow residents are, and how few (if any) would ever be likely not go to such lengths.
We pride ourselves and self promote on how we give everybody a Fair Go. And this must surely extend to the collection, analyses and dissemination of information on other people.
Surely as good folk, we wouldn't dear go anywhere near intruding or fishing just to get an upper hand on anybody else in relation to business, finances, politics, nor in relation to assessing competitors, nor even simply because we do not like someone or some group for any particular reason whether or not we get rewarded for doing so.
Surely we would rarely even engage in the wide or small scale collection of public domain material (court records for example), nor business and personal data on each other just to find out more about other Kiwis.
We leave it up to govern-mental for most of this, do we not?
Why? Because, again, it's simply not a Fair Go, and besides, there hefty penalties for unauthorized access to any closed material.
However, the reason we do not intrude in such a way as good Kiwis is not out of fear in relation to such legislation, it is because we care for each other so deeply and we like to think of ourselves as both ambassadors and teachers (even preachers) to the world, from our Aotearoa land of plenty that so many call "Godzone".
Isn't there some law we could invent or manufacture to stop others looking at us this way.
Darn camera clickers and busy bodies they must appear to be, all on their own.
Unlike New Zealanders with all of our values and good conduct, and where butter would not melt in our mouths in relation to intrusion for profit, out of curiosity or to collect brownie points.
But most Kiwis I've come across are curious folk when it comes to looking over the back fence, and then pointing the finger when others appear to be inquisitive or nosy.
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Negative yesterday, negative today. Negative all year, according to one departing reader telling me I’ve grown strident and predictable. Fair enough. If it’s any help, every time I go to write about a certain topic that begins with C and ends with arrrrs, I do brace myself and ask: Again? Are ...
Bryce Edwards writes – 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 show a minimal amount of flux in public support ...
Inspirational: The Family of Man is a glorious hymn to human equality, but, more than that, it is a clarion call to human freedom. Because equality, unleavened by liberty, is a broken piano, an unstrung harp; upon which the songs of fraternity will never be played.“Somebody must have been telling lies about ...
Tax Lawyer Barbara Edmonds vs Emperor Justinian I- Nolo Contendere: False historical explanations of pivotal events are very far from being inconsequential.WHEN BARBARA EDMONDS made reference to the Roman Empire, my ears pricked up. It is, lamentably, very rare to hear a politician admit to any kind of familiarity ...
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 show a minimal amount of flux in public support for the various parties in ...
Buzz from the Beehive Housing Minister Chris Bishop delivered news – packed with the ingredients to enflame political passions – worthy of supplanting Winston Peters in headline writers’ priorities. He popped up at the post-Cabinet press conference to promise a crackdown on unruly and antisocial state housing tenants. His ...
Ele Ludemann writes – The Reserve Bank is advertising for a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion advisor. The Bank has one mandate – to keep inflation between one and three percent. It has failed in that and is only slowly getting inflation back down to the upper limit. Will it ...
Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency Waka KotahiThe fact that a ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Gavin Jacobson talks to Thomas Piketty 10 years on from Capital in the 21st CenturyThe SalvoLocal scoop: Green MP’s business being investigated over migrant exploitation claims StuffSteve KilgallonLocal deep-dive: The commercial contractors making money from School ...
It’s a home - but Kāinga Ora tenants accused of “abusing the privilege” may lose it. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Government announced a crackdown on Kāinga Ora tenants who were unruly and/or behind on their rent, with Housing Minister Chris Bishop saying a place in a state ...
This is a guest post by Connor Sharp of Surface Light Rail Light rail in Auckland: A way forward sooner than you think With the coup de grâce of Auckland Light Rail (ALR) earlier this year, and the shift of the government’s priorities to roads, roads, and more roads, it ...
Note: As a paid-up Webworm member, I’ve recorded this Webworm as a mini-podcast for you as well. Some of you said you liked this option - so I aim to provide it when I get a chance to record! Read more ...
TL;DR: In my ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Monday, March 18:IKEA is accused of planting big forests in New Zealand to green-wash; REDD-MonitorA City for People takes a well-deserved victory lap over Wellington’s pro-YIMBY District Plan votes; A City for PeopleSteven Anastasiou takes a close look at the sticky ...
Buzz from the Beehive Here’s hoping for a lively post-cabinet press conference when the PM and – perhaps – some of his ministers tell us what was discussed at their meeting today. Until then, Point of Order has precious little Beehive news to report after its latest monitoring of the ...
David Farrar writes – We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how labour went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promiseThe result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
I’m a bit worried that I’ve started a previous newsletter with the words “just when you think they couldn’t get any worse…” Seems lately that I could begin pretty much every issue with that opening. Such is the nature of our coalition government that they seem to be outdoing each ...
Geoffrey Miller writes – Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. ...
Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
“I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
.“$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, ...
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 ...
Chumbawamba have reportedly issued the deputy PM a cease-and-desist notice after he used their song 'Tubthumping' before his state of the nation speech. ...
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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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 ...
Auckland Council is opposing a fast-track development backed by Sir John Kirwan and Spark NZ, because it doesn’t meet stringent new climate adaptation requirements The post Surf-data centre faces new 3.8C climate warming rules appeared first on Newsroom. ...
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 ...
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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 ...
The letters, which were published last week, were addressed to Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) Chairperson Megawati Sukarnoputri, National Democrat Party (NasDem) Chairperson Surya Paloh, National Awakening Party (PKB) Chairperson Muhaimin Iskandar, Justice and Prosperity Party (PKS) President Ahmad Syaikhu and United Development Party (PPP) Chairperson Muhammad Mardiono. In ...
Evicting more people from state housing is ignorant to the consequences of poverty, the Greens say, but the Housing Minister says it's a privilege that can be taken away if abused. ...
Evicting more people from state housing is ignorant to the consequences of poverty, the Greens say, but the Housing Minister says it's a privilege that can be taken away if abused. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emerald L King, Lecturer in Humanities, University of Tasmania IMDB Between Netflix’s 2023 live-action version of One Piece, and its latest take on Avatar: The Last Airbender, fans are once again asking: why are live-action anime adaptations so tricky to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emerald L King, Lecturer in Humanities, University of Tasmania IMDB Between Netflix’s 2023 live-action version of One Piece, and its latest take on Avatar: The Last Airbender, fans are once again asking: why are live-action anime adaptations so tricky to ...
The government says it still intends to deliver tax cuts by July, but will not lock them in until they have got them past their coalition partners. ...
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 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dr Rachael Potter, Research Associate and Lecturer in Work and Organisational Psychology, University of South Australia Ground Picture/Shutterstock Pregnant women and workers with children are often unfairly treated by their bosses and colleagues, despite laws to protect against workplace discrimination ...
Reacting to Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s refusal to rule out introducing new taxes at the budget, Taxpayers’ Union Campaigns Manager, Connor Molloy, said: “Today’s refusal to rule out new taxes suggests the Government is nothing more ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Duckett, Honorary Enterprise Professor, School of Population and Global Health, and Department of General Practice and Primary Care, The University of Melbourne Aila Images/Shutterstock Aged-care workers will receive a significant pay increase after the Fair Work Commission ruled they ...
A job for Billy TK.
Excellent scheme. The punishment fitting the crime – not in a nutshell but an oblong space.l
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWKrAQAhu-k
If a political party is unregistered, and passes the threshold at the election, can it get list candidates into parliament as a result? Probably not!
They deserve an award for value-added entertainment though. The Nat/Lab underwhelming strategy is clearly designed to turn voters off. NZF is clearly trying to scare voters off. Greens seem unsure which voters to piss off.
Of the peripherals, Vernon Tava has been a no-show, the Opportunists flicker on/off dimly, and the Neocons are off the wall. Only the nutters seem right on – fervently demonstrating god's will to the apathetic. Oh, but we can celebrate the Maori Party for advocating we ditch the dumb old colonial name and become Aotearoa! 👍
From the list of Koha in your first link, that is great that people from all over the country have given donations rounded to the nearest hundred dollars, or probably purely in hundred dollar bills. Restores ones faith in humanity, that the public won't encumber a political movement with superfluous accounting… The wonderful Billy TK.
Electoral Commission's Guide to Party Registration (link) says unregistered parties can only stand electorate candidates. Party vote is only for registered parties.
Thanks Alice, thought so. I guess it means the decision of JLR to stop contesting Botany is due to him presuming his party registration can get him in even though his partner's party must win a seat to get in. If the combo reaches 5% I mean. If the unlikely happens, could become a legal fight (all the way to the Supreme Court)…
Maybe stand electorate candidates under JLR's Advance NZ banner as that is a registered party.
Except that seems to contradict what you wrote in 2.2, so I was thinking he's somehow relying on how the combined party will work. Then again maybe neither leader actually thought it thro. Probably won't matter but nutters abound so if they vote we may get an interesting situation. A lawyer-fest.
In 2.2 I was thinking of NZPP standing under its own name.
NZPP is a component party of Advance NZ (link), so it might be okay if everything is done through the combined entity. (Or might be one for the lawyers.)
Oh yeah. I see there are four component parties listed. Went to the Advance website & the link there to Billy's party. Interesting bio:
It's tough at the top. Not enough to surf the wave of any hot conspiracy theory, you get competing theorists demonising you – bit like sharks in the water around the surfer…
maybe the existential question should be, is a unregistered cult with a leader who keeps the $$$$$ under his bed a political party? but, I agree, they do add colour, conspiracy nutters are fun to play with , gentley leading-pushing them further up their own orifice with each wild theory.(mine, not theirs)
https://a.msn.com/r/2/BB194lJm?m=en-nz&ocid=News
“”The political, economic and environmental trends we’ve slavishly followed for decades have been exposed as not only redundant but actually dangerous. Maybe we should adopt not just a language but a way of thinking that’s indigenous to this country. Let’s start a conversation about what Tino Rangatiratanga might mean now instead of patronising attempts to use Māori language to continue denying it.””
The state isn't co-opting Māori culture. If they were, things might actually be better.
A large part of the problem is that we've seemingly decided to remain a multi-cultural society rather than coming together as a single society that has aspects (preferably the best aspects while throwing out the worst) of multiple cultures.
Its this determination to remain separate within our country that really pisses me off. We'd all be better off if we decided to have a single culture informed from all the cultures that have come here.
Well, that wasn't the deal made in 1840.
So we're left with a salad, not a puree. I prefer salads, anyway.
I was responding to this:
I agree that we do need to have such a conversation but the result of that conversation should be that we, as a nation, are one people with one culture. What's really up for discussion is the nature of that culture and if its still dividing us or brining us together.
Predetermining the outcome of a conversation makes the conversation pointless.
But also, we are a multicultural society. Arguing we should be "one culture" is either suggesting a sort of cultural homgeneity that the zealandia jerks seem to be after, or it's a meaningless proposition that our single culture is multicultural.
But what is the problem with talking about what Tino Rangatiratanga might mean? There are several examples around the world of different cultures working together within one nation, but with diverse governance and service systems. Canada comes to mind, but there are others.
No it doesn't as it would be about how we went about it, what parts of which cultures we keep which get tossed aside.
Not really unless you want to proclaim identity politics as valid:
My bold.
The problem with a multi-cultural society is that it will always be tearing itself apart as it puts people, who should be friendly neighbours, against each other.
Who's?
As I said, identity politics tears a society apart.
Not really.
In all countries there's one set of rules at the top that lower bodies (states/cities) have to conform to even if they do make local laws which means that there's an over-riding culture.
A couple of points there.
Pretending that culture is determined by sitting down and discussing it, rather than a conglomerate of individuals and lived experience, is bullshit. So that discussion is lala-land for a start.
Secondly, "identity politics" is a phrase used by fuckwits to disparage the concept of treating individuals with respect even if they are different. Lived experience being ""automatically more correct" than what? And why is "correct" being used to score points in that essay? The problem wasn't the author's "identity politics", the problem was the author trying to score points against their parents rather than actually discuss the matter.
But that article shares what I believe to be your basic miscomprehension: diversity in culture doesn't need to lead to conflict. The conflict occurs when one culture tries to dominate the other. Discarding "aspects" of any culture, even if rationally determined by committee, will piss people off. Look at the claims of "social engineering" over smacking and lightbulbs.
We can minimise that conflict by recognising the cultures within our society. Canada really is an interesting example with its approach to First Nations, French, and British heritage and culture. Not perfect by any means, but definitely something to look at.
Trying to mash us all into a homogeneous culture and say we are "one culture" is a fast way to start exploitation, dominance, and war. We've done that before.
edit: and laws and jurisdiction really is something you should read up on in Canada. Not that laws are culture, anyway.
Culture is set by the rules of a society be they written or unwritten. Discussing what Tino Rangatiratanga might mean is discussing what rules we want to keep and what rules to toss aside.
Its what we call government.
No, it really isn't. In fact, I first heard the concept of identity politics from those most in favour of it.
Yes it does. Treating people differently because they're black/white/gay/straight inevitably leads to conflict as people will have the belief that they're being short-changed.
Yes, governance does get that sort of response because they are engaging in social engineering. They're, quite literally, setting the rules that will determine the culture of a society. So you can probably understand why National were upset as the 5th Labour government tried to stop the ongoing excessive and uneconomical use of power and abuse of children.
No, that will maximise the conflict.
Nope.
When two culture meet the cross-pollinate and create a new culture. What multi-culturalism does is to try and keep all the cultures as they were at some idealistic point in time and thus trying to prevent the changes that need to happen as a new culture emerges.
Well, I disagree with pretty much every point and characterisation and conflation you have made there.
But society won't fall apart if we don't hash out exactly which bits we should keep or discard.
So, a bit like calling a person by their chosen pronoun, I will leave it alone and merely wish you a good night. The Cultural Appropriations Committee can pick it up in the morning.
" Its this determination to remain separate within our country that really pisses me off. We'd all be better off if we decided to have a single culture informed from all the cultures that have come here."
Then, one day a man named Sylvester McMonkey McBean came. Everyone from every persuasion that nature and nuture created sat down at a meeting with that "fix it up chappie" as mediator.
The agenda was to decide , " what parts of which cultures we keep (and) which get tossed aside."
The goal of the task was to make, "one set of rules at the top that lower bodies (states/cities) have to conform to even if they do make local laws which means that there's an over-riding culture."
A problem to ameliorate was that people in those lower bodies with their own unique identities were , according to some, problematic because they were through their identity, different from the ideal.
The problem was then reconfigured, not as 'the problem being the problem' but but dammit…those different people were the problem.
A little background to the current problem. In the 1830s, the British government decided it was time to curb the lawlessness of the land and officially make it a colony.
Sylvester McMonkey McBean the first, arrived on NZ shores and using an ever changing formula for the process, the natives were pushed through the suppresion machine to meld together for all to be one people. The melting pot machine had three main phases to pass through, Christianise against savage practices and beliefs, Colonise using one set of rules and expected behaviour because they are superior, then finally, Capitalise on the assets pilfered through that glorious new identity.
Over 180 years when some saw the cracks appear and the have nots started to uprise, it was easy to fix.. . add new rules again ( and imprison the rule breakers.)
The process is much like the original evolution of rules where the then recent, superior immigrants created more rules in the colonists' Native Land Court to affect cancelling the collective identity found in collective ownership of the commons and onto removing singular identity ( and assets) from being connected to the land.
The rationale purported for this more recent proposal here, of transformation to one culture, is that,
" Treating people differently because they're black/white/gay/straight inevitably leads to conflict as people will have the belief that they're being short-changed."
Once more in history, a policy sell of a One Nation melting pot that inflicted inequality, is now postured again as the cure to quell civil unrest.
Underlying this is the posed certainity that individual identity is destructive to society.
" We can minimise that conflict by recognising the cultures within our society," says one O' the flock with an idea.
A direct, " No, that will maximise the conflict."
Instead we need to cross-pollinate.
" When two culture meet the cross-pollinate and create a new culture. What multi-culturalism does is to try and keep all the cultures as they were at some idealistic point in time and thus trying to prevent the changes that need to happen as a new culture emerges."
Furthermore, after overlooking mass misery created through exploiting an earlier 'set of rules' in order to have a state run 'one-culture' , the whole of the Treaty is dumped. Its whole context, the history, its purpose and intent is now diminished through hand picking a two word convenient phrase to suit. The selection of just those two words "tino rangitira" and putting a spin on it is the "co-opting" of the convenient parts to impose a western world view. Applied then to the appropriation is a self-interpretation to shape the future in order to uphold an argument that a nation's people will coexist peacefully if multi-culturalism is cancelled out.
"Culture is set by the rules of a society be they written or unwritten. Discussing what Tino Rangatiratanga might mean is discussing what rules we want to keep and what rules to toss aside."
Which group has the right and should be the ones to interpret tikanga might be the first question, before all the lab rats are subjected to hegemony ?
A person's identity is the totality of all dimensions that make up 'self' . All the aspects that come into play that make each person's unique identity would need to be deconstructed and then it's just too bad, some need to be thrown out as they are not good.
Ancestory and family, parenting, gender, social practices, rites of passage, genetics, personality, peace or trauma, environment of events and resources in one's upbringing, belief systems, political leanings, cognitive abilities, looks, skin colour.. the perfect One identity will be created by the fix it up chappie.
This crazy cycle of rule changing would continue until everyone couldn't tell who was originally which type of Sneetch, we all at which point are the same, a pure-e.
To be pragmatic though, because 5 million can't fit in the meeting room, we would need to whittle down proportionately the attendees to a house of representatives. To show further fairness, the meeting would start with a co-opted practice of a prayer and then would precede by following co-opted archaic "Robert's Rules" for speaking.
Hopefully, none at the Make One Nation meeting has the rotten core of capitalism in their hearts.
The predominant majority of representatives would then decide the alogorithms for McBean's machine. A halt to any new immigrants would have to follow as they may taint the ideal identity or be too expensive to machinize into pure-e.
But for $10 more each says Mr. McBean, I can add dermabrasion in as an extra star to whitewash all. Then McBean will pack his bags up and leave loaded with cash.
The enlightenment to follow, what fun! There'd be no more diversity as there be no more " north and south going Zax ". For that matter, there'd be no more "green pants with nobody inside them" either, to invent our fears around.
Can you smell the vanilla coming off those algorithm decisions ?
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/education/300107808/university-students-may-reconsider-futures-after-labour-party-breaks-promise-of-additional-feesfree-years
Fees Free was expensive, but restoring the postgraduate student allowance was not. If you can't fulfil postgrad allowances in the 2017-2020 term, at the very least make sure you fulfil it in 2020-2023 ("better late than never").
As it is, this smacks of 1980s-1990s Bait and Switch. Hipkins can stay on at Health, but he's godawful at Education. Give the job to someone who doesn't betray students.
I think Hipkins is far too busy with both Health and Education. I agree and think he should stay as health minster (he's a lot better than David Clark, although Clark set the bar very low). Jacinda seems a bit reluctant to trust some of the other ministers and IMO has overloaded both Hipkins and Megan Woods.
It was a Labour flagship policy in their election campaign in 2017 and NZF and the Greens pledged support. I don’t know about NZF being the convenient handbrake but the Green Party is in full support.
https://www.greens.org.nz/tertiary_education_policy
They never even tried to implement it and using Covid as an excuse is an insult to our trust. It shows the short-term thinking and focus on ‘shovel-ready’ stuff suits Labour as much as National.
So students should party vote Green then incog. This is a significant own goal by Labour.
The Green Party Policies have a lot to offer to young people.
They have a lot to offer most people and not just the young.
I agree, but we were referring to students, who are mostly (!) young, and the number of younger voters is relatively low. That was the context.
Gives the greens a couple of percent via their leftish platform rather than strict environmentalism.
Labour can afford to throw its main ally a bone, and they can do it without knobbling an electorate candidate. Teamwork. They'd probably govern alone if the Greens didn't get in this time, but Labour know they're better off having the Greens.
Labour can boost the Greens without getting a generation of students to view Labour as liars.
Honestly, there is a reason it took so long to put the demons of Phil Goff and Lockwood Smith back in the bottle.
Besides the overstatement by comparing a widened schedule in a pandaemic with Lockwood Smith's outright lie, if my suspicion that this was an intentional tactic is correct (that Labour are easing off on education with the benefit to the Greens being at least a partial consideration in favour of that move), then that is literally the goal: spend some of their political capital by alienating some supporters in the group most likely to lean Green rather than NZ1/nat.
Piss of pensioners, they go NZ1. Piss of students, they go Green.
Left/right collusion at the top level of politics remains effective in preventing progress by defending business as usual: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/sep/15/every-global-target-to-stem-destruction-of-nature-by-2020-missed-un-report-aoe
Mainstreamers will be reassured by this. Doing something different would be terribly traumatic. You can see why they switched to Coro instead.
Those dumb ignorant Russians are in denial over novichok
They've done no decontamination of the Tomsk airport, which has been in full operational mode throughout.The aeroplane carrying Navalny, and in which he was induced to vomit has not been destroyed, fellow passengers have been questioned but not tested for novichok, neither have the crew.
There's a disgraceful photo of Navalny being put in the ambulance on the way to the Omsk hospital
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/21/world/europe/russia-navalny-poison-hospital.html
What were they thinking!! No hazmat gear on , no precautions apart from the usual hospital gowns and masks
They'll be dying like flies over there you mark my words, Navalny and his colleagues will be trumpeting it from the rooftops
But I have to say, the Germans have done it on the cheap too. No tracheotomy for Navalny, unlike both the Skripals, and the Navalny dose was meant to be harder
No quarantining for Navalny
Navalny had his wife and family close the whole time, poor old Skripal was denied the visitation of friends or family
And we know he had friends in Salisbury, his old MI6 handler Pablo Miller lived in the same town and they had monthly lunches
The Skripals had to be expensively quarantined and safe housed and given new identities and shipped off to NZ.Or so an anonymous UK intelligence source told the Sunday Times of Britain , and they would surely not lie?
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12342962
Navalny has just appeared on his instagram page looking very chipper indeed and stating that as soon as he gets out of hospital he's back to Russia .Goodness!
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/sep/15/alexei-navalny-poisoned-russian-opposition-leader-photo-hospital
I must commend the German doctors, he's looking the very picture of rude health and well on the way to recovery
4weeks for Yulia and a couple of months for Sergei .Sergei's so burnt by the whole thing he's unable to contact his mother who he used to ring every week
Shame on you Brit doctors!
And you Russians , when will you learn to treat dissidents the good old democratic Western way ?
'End torture and medical neglect of Julian Assange"
You're so backward with this novichok that continues not to kill the target
How hard is a heart attack or car accident?
Da, comrade.
It's almost like the Russian State Security services are very good at killing people any more.
Or they feel like the message is adequately sent either way – live or die, no matter, just make sure there's a lot of publicised suffering and expense and a teeny-tiny fig-leaf of plausible deniability to provoke ever more argument.
And at the same time bungle the use of a poison guaranteed to cause maximum embarrassment to their boss.
Sighs … hard to find competent assassins these days.
Poots doesn't show the slightest sign of embarrassment. Quite the opposite from all appearances.
I know , and to get the timing so badly wrong!
Nordstream 2 home and hosed and all of Europe plugged in,then finish off Navalny and all those pesky commies who do so much better in the polls than Navalny
Methinks those bungling bastards are resting on the laurels of puppetising Trump and inducing him to demand the end of Nordstream 2….well before the Navalny fiasco
https://www.rferl.org/a/pompeo-u-s-will-do-everything-to-stop-nord-stream-2/30757543.html
Trump is such a Putin puppet hes also withdrawn the US from the INF arms control treaty
https://www.armscontrol.org/act/2019-09/news/us-completes-inf-treaty-withdrawal
And the Open Skies treaty
Puppet Trump has given lethal weaponry to Ukraine , when even Obama stopped short
Francesca You need to put sarc at the bottom of the comments that you write in a cynical/satirical way. We don't know what is going on and when you appear to know and state something it is taken as supposedly believable or completely dismissed depending on the bent of the reader.
Sorry grey
The daniki were burning and I forgot to put the sarc tag in
Actually Red , it shows they're even more skilful
It's way harder to almost kill someone , then allow them to return to full health ,than to kill them outright
You've got to get the measurements just right, enough surplus to spread all over Salisbury for instance and cause the maximum fuss and diplomatic downsides, but not quite enough to kill.
And it takes a lot of skill in the case of Navalny for instance to only contaminate the target and none of his colleaugues(who are just as noisome as Navalny)
Thank you Francesca for unpicking the remarkable inconsistencies in these cases.
Scenario:
You're driving in a war-torn land. You turn a corner and see a roadblock several hundred metres away. Your windscreen shatters and a bullet goes through the drivers' headrest not an inch away from you.
"Well gosh," thinks one person. "The shot can't have come from the roadblock, because at that range to miss me by inches is an amazing piece of marksmanship. Because the shot didn't come from there, it's safe for me to keep going in that direction. If they had wanted to kill me, with marksmanship like that I'd be dead already."
"Well gosh" thinks another person. "I guess they don't want me approaching, and aren't too bothered about whether I live or die so long as nobody approaches them. I think I will go back the way I came."
Some people just don't get the message.
Navalny certainly didnt, he's raring to get back to Russia
He got the message. He's brave, not stupid.
Might've got into the habit of using contractors like the Night Wolves.
While on the subject of international affairs…
I'm no defender of the Chinese government but talk about the pots calling the kettle black:
https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/122773268/new-zealand-politicians-diplomats-judges-and-fraudsters-found-on-massive-chinese-intelligence-database
It's an abhorrent practice but the West has been doing the same sort of thing for decades. They also targeted innocent citizens of allied countries. Take the CIA for example. They were running almost rampant in Australia and NZ during the 60s, 70s and 80s. Many of their targets were aware of what was going on but they couldn't say anything because few people would have believed them.
Labour Party supporters and activists were particularly vulnerable and anyone who dared to have any contact – for whatever reason – with Russian nationals. My father was one of them. He couldn't harm a fly but that didn't stop them.
Sympathy for you and your father Anne
Tough times
He's been gone many years francesca but the last years of his life were destroyed and I will never forgive the bastards who were responsible.
As abhorrent as it is its also necessary because if we didn't do it we wouldn't be able to act to defend ourselves.
It's when such information is used for an attack that it breaches ethics and, by the way the Chinese labelled some people, it was obviously being used as an attack vector. That's what politically vulnerable means.
Precisely what I mean by abhorrent practice. Its what happened to my father.
This is an interesting essay on how collusion between the authoritarian neoliberal left and "woke capitalism" has displaced actual activism for social change with "public castigation, social media mobbing or termination of employment".
https://savageminds.substack.com/p/whats-driving-authoritarianism-today
TVNZ realised the public mood shifting around the Trump-esque lies Hosking engages in every day of the week and sacked him. It's a much bigger ask but it'd be progress if Newstalk ZB followed suit.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/tv-radio/300108163/mike-hoskings-comments-about-italys-coronavirus-deaths-misleading-bsa
No, really, it isn't.
The whole point of having codes is that there are consequences to breaching them especially after they’ve done it several times.
Given the context in these covid times this 'code' requires an overhaul if mr journalism suffers no consequences.
Some interesting stuff about hemp if you missed it on Monday.
https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO2009/S00197/hemp-just-needs-the-nod-a-2bn-transition-for-nzs-economy.htm
Never used the smoking stuff, but the value of the basic plants gives me a high. Perhaps we can get out of the conservative-blinkers into something with good prospects, slap taxes on second homes and above, and direct investment away from selling our basic needs to the wealthy and impoverishing the rest of us.
Has anyone thought that it follows the pattern of the Irish Famine – they had crops of corn I think but that had been contracted for delivery outside Ireland, I think to the British Army. Business before people, who would have been cited as a 'restraint to trade' if they had successfully blocked the export. And trade and profit are sacred matters to money-makers; people are expendable but suffer without homes and food.
"On a Single Day" by Christy Moore on exports from Cork in September 1847. Meanwhile up the road in Skibbereen lie thousands buried in mass graves. Business before people……..
Here's a link to Christy Moore.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKH1vbl1b1g
They say that society is between 3 and 9 meals from anarchy, but it would depend on a number of other factors as well. Just the same, it seems to be a good rule of thumb as opposed to a rule of law.
For an individual, it may vary say for example, the point where a vegan or vegetarian would stop using a draft horse for agricultural purpose or for riding to and from the village on and slaughter it so as to cut it in to delicious bite size chunks for consumption.
I guess New Zealand has one thing going for it. That even if the economy were to go into free fall and we run out of backers and run out of those who would trade with us relative to what we have left to offer, which is kai, man!
Of course, unless or until someone with a large army decided that our fodder was going to be acquired by them, by hook or by crook.
We also have heaps of concepts and creative alternative lifestyle thoughts. Sure, we can’t eat these, but Hell, they must be worth something during a serious crisis.
Quoting article:
Non sequitur. Just because the tourism sector is collapsing doesn't mean that we need more farms.
Agricultural export is a bad move as the excessive farming we already have has proved to our detriment.
We do need the entrepreneurial vision and determination but we don't need the bludging investors who are no more than a blight upon our society.
By the time that the War on Drugs made hemp illegal it was no longer a staple for motive power. Sailing ships were long gone to the Age of Steam and diesel was on the up and up. Really, if it had still been vital there would have been no way to make it illegal.
Of course, there was still no way ethical way to make hemp illegal and so some industrialists got together and made it so anyway. They just wanted to get rid of the competition.
No, that is most definitely what the government should not be doing as it removes the necessary pricing to ensure that its actually a viable industry. Better regulations, certainly, but not the removal of regulations.
While I agree this is actually more about ensuring that there's local demand to support the burgeoning industry. In other words, he's asking for government guaranteed profits.
Surely all that is required for the burgeoning Hemp industry to guarantee profits is for us to all go back to hemp roped sailing ships? No more fuel oil either!
Hemp jeans would be a good start – very long life fabric.
edit
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/426163/national-health-policy-promises-800m-in-new-funding-over-four-years-targeting-pharmac-and-cancer
National health, an oxymoron. Did people hear the extravagant promises made under the National banner this morning. This from the party that is always promising to cut taxes. They know that their moron followers think that money grows on trees which are eternally fruitful. They know how to use it for their own purposes, but not how to put it back into the economy like fertiliser, to have a modern, thriving, busy and healthy country.
There is talk about 'navigators' and apparently they have picked that up from the UK. That is where the services have been run down, tightened so a patient can't have enough time with their GP to discuss more than one of their health problems! The country where they lied to the people about the money that would be released for their health system by going for Brexit and the main proponents of that have been in close contact with Big Pharma in the USA! And where they are really good at handling Covid-19 in a timely fashion and developing systems that limit its spread – not!
This from Dr Reti – 'He says the primary care navigators have been trialled in the United Kingdom with positive outcomes. They would offer counselling, help unlock government agencies, follow up appointments and referrals and do home visits.'
These under their Surgery heading:
Targets – that can't be met, leading to question of capability and a loss of respect for our public services, with more surgery done by private providers while the public hospitals get further squeezed and finally cannot find staff willing to work in them because of their under-funding impoverished state.
So go private, that will be the answer. Sneer at public, they are just so inefficient, mistakes and faults to heap on them.
The National Party is disgraceful – they can't lie straight in bed even. Their comment on Pharmac – they will keep it as it is excellent (for our ears) and for Big Pharmas ears – we will have more medicines available.
"National believes the Pharmac model is the best way to ensure New Zealanders are accessing much-needed medication."
"Year on year this will be more funding for Pharmac than at any time in the past decade, and New Zealanders will have better access to more medicines.
https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2020/09/your-man-in-the-public-gallery-the-assange-hearing-day-6/
Craig Murray's excellent report on the goings on at the Old Bailey.
He's also written of the subsequent days 7, 8, and 9
I read with interest the media reports ; (Stuff and NZ Herald) and also posts herein; (Anne and Draco Te Bastard) regarding the People's republic of China and reports of a database kept on New Zealanders.
Is this not terrible?
Who might have guessed they could have gone THAT far. Max and his baseball aspirations, Winnie and his daughter. Oh My Goodness.
Yep. The PRC are pretty resourceful from what is gleaned by such disclosures.
Bad, China. How could you?
And must I say in support of New Zealand what an entirely non-intrusive, blessed, clean, open, non-corrupted, non-corruptible, humble nation we as a sovereign state along with our fellow residents are, and how few (if any) would ever be likely not go to such lengths.
We pride ourselves and self promote on how we give everybody a Fair Go. And this must surely extend to the collection, analyses and dissemination of information on other people.
Surely as good folk, we wouldn't dear go anywhere near intruding or fishing just to get an upper hand on anybody else in relation to business, finances, politics, nor in relation to assessing competitors, nor even simply because we do not like someone or some group for any particular reason whether or not we get rewarded for doing so.
Surely we would rarely even engage in the wide or small scale collection of public domain material (court records for example), nor business and personal data on each other just to find out more about other Kiwis.
We leave it up to govern-mental for most of this, do we not?
Why? Because, again, it's simply not a Fair Go, and besides, there hefty penalties for unauthorized access to any closed material.
However, the reason we do not intrude in such a way as good Kiwis is not out of fear in relation to such legislation, it is because we care for each other so deeply and we like to think of ourselves as both ambassadors and teachers (even preachers) to the world, from our Aotearoa land of plenty that so many call "Godzone".
Isn't there some law we could invent or manufacture to stop others looking at us this way.
Darn camera clickers and busy bodies they must appear to be, all on their own.
Unlike New Zealanders with all of our values and good conduct, and where butter would not melt in our mouths in relation to intrusion for profit, out of curiosity or to collect brownie points.
I'm now thinking about drones. It seems that nothing must happen to stop things happening until they do happen and then that is so unexpected.
Amen, I think
But what if they do, then when will we do, or will we do?
I'm thinking satellites in orbit.
I assume you are being sarcastic karol121. I certainly hope so. NZ is not squeaky clean. Never has been and never will be.
But no, I don't think our establishment would ever stoop to the levels some other countries are prepared to go – and that includes China.
Yes indeed. It was a little tongue in cheeky.
But most Kiwis I've come across are curious folk when it comes to looking over the back fence, and then pointing the finger when others appear to be inquisitive or nosy.
No offence intended