It's not really the dogs that are the problem it's their dimwitted owners. I live on an estuary and get sick of owners letting their dogs chase wading birds who are minding their own business and having lunch. I stay sometimes at Piha where I watch entitled owners walk past the signs that say no dogs because of nesting penguins – belonging, I presume to the 'my dog wouldn't' brigade. I also have issues with being sniffed at in the street while the owner tries to reassure me that it won't bite. That's not the point – I don't want to be sniffed either!
I remember a few years ago some snot got most upset as I did not want his slobbering dog rubbing its filthy face up against my clothing I didn't want to go home smelling of this dog. something a lot of dog owners don't get.
Yeah, dogs are for people searching for a subservient pet to control, those who don't have the personality to deal with living with an independent apex predator.
Y'know, I actually eat very little meat. Maybe 150g a week, on average. As much as anything else, because I really can’t be arsed learning about how to ensure I get enough of all the nutrients needs from a vegetarian diet, and even if I did get the knowledge, I wouldn’t be arsed following it when just a small amount of meat easily provides those nutrients that are hard to get from a vegetarian diet.
But somehow, sanctimonious twattery against meat-eating always gives me an irresistable urge to go snarf down a big chunk of gruesomely murdered and hacked up dead animal.
BTW, there are lots of good arguments for reducing meat consumption, or at least biasing the mix away from beef and lamb towards chicken and pork. But the colon cancer thing is really one of the feeblest of the many arguments against eating meat.
I don't eat a lot of red meat now, but I enjoy a good steak about once every two weeks. Eating more chicken, fish and pork these days. But certainly do not want to give it up.
then there are the idiots who preen that (middle-class boast) that they 'only eat organic' chickens/whatever..
they seem deluded to such a degree that they think they are the 'good guys'..and that the exploiters who peddle these organic animals are somehow green/good guys…
..which is bullshit in both cases..
as just one example…what do they think happens to all the male chicks on 'organic'farms..?
..like on the blatantly cruel chicken farms..these cute little chicks are fed(still alive) into the macerator..
this grinds them up…as I said..while they are still alive..
use that nugget of knowledge to wash down your next mouthful of chicken flesh..eh..?
On that note, I've just been inspired to head into town to find some kind of bogan joint to chow down a month's worth of my normal consumption in one sitting.
I'll very likely regret it later tonight and tomorrow morning, but I'll blame that on you, too.
Having read through everything that followed from my Churchillian quote I'm not sure I should have offered it.
That is particularly the case since I have just finished dinner where I had an truly excellent fillet steak. Cooked about halfway between saignant and bleu. Quite wonderful. It absolutely melted in the mouth.
Sorry Phillip, but that is not something I am willing to give up.
You obviously were not brought up on a farm before Hydatdids was erradicated. I still feel uneasy with dogs near me. I have had to give up on cats because I live in an area of ecological importance. I am hoping for a big rabbit for Xmas !
Will the new Minister of Transport pull some reins around Waka Kotahi NZTA?
I am hearing multiple signature projects that I won't list here are billions over budget with many pushed out a decade due to redesign and others with governance changes. This is on top of the billion-plus blowout we've already seen this week.
This is the agency now in charge of changing the largest proportion of our CO2 emissions.
Chair Brian Roche is far more powerful than the Minister of Transport.
Bomber Bradbury has made some interesting predictions for 2021.
He predicts significant social unrest, a crime wave, a dangerous expansion of the meth trade and unemployment, poverty, homelessness and inequality to rise.
Our extreme centrist neoliberal government does not have the tools to fix the issues.
Only a people’s republic of Aotearoa will be able to implement the necessary economic, social and ecological revolution to prepare us for the tsunami of challenges climate change will present us.
Idiot Savant, the author of the No Right Turn, is an excellent and succinct commentator who does not subscribe to the failed liberal ideology.
In a recent blog, he pointed out the world can see through our bullshit about climate change. He records that …..
”Over the weekend, countries which are serious about climate change got together virtually at the international Climate Ambition Summit 2020. But New Zealand pointedly was not invited:”
The Green Party leaders should not have signed up to this government.
According to that story our emissions have increased. Is it because we have had a solid population increase for the transport increase ? or something else?
… He has been eight years upon a project for extracting sunbeams out of cucumbers, which were to be put in phials hermetically sealed, and let out to warm the air in raw inclement summers. He told me, he did not doubt, that, in eight years more, he should be able to supply the governor's gardens with sunshine, at a reasonable rate …
(Swift 1726. Gulliver's Travels)
IMO bottled sunshine isn't the only thing these projects have in common …
Meanwhile, the Iter fusion reactor in France is currently 70% constructed and is expected to achieve first plasma in 2025. This is will be a fully-working demonstration fusion reactor, providing 500 megawatts of fusion power – enough, if converted to electricity, to power a city the size of Liverpool.
The main hurdle will be the interface between the new fusion reactor and existing power plant. Sadly, there is no such thing as a USB port for power plants …the time and cost of having to build an entirely new power plant is significant. The comparatively small size of the Step reactor is also advantageous.
The promise of "the Sun in a bottle" has meant incalculable time, energy and resources invested this vision of a clean, never-ending fuel source.It could have been argued in the 1930s that fusion was folly. But now, we could genuinely have fusion within a few decades’ time.
Still a boondoggle that has consumed a huge amount of research funding over several decades (and looks like it will continue to do so). That funding, IMO, would have (and would be) better spent elsewhere.
As a child and teenager, I lived within walking distance of two such homes.
One was the Owairaka Boys Home in Mt Albert where the "bad boys" lived which has been cited as one of those where serious abuse was occurring. The other in Allendale Rd, Mt Albert where the "bad girls" were housed. The house itself was up a long driveway and couldn't be seen from the road. We were told to cross the road when walking past this address yet in all those years I never saw a single girl coming in or out of them.
They were not bad kids of course, they were abused kids.
As a young person I remember sensing something was wrong about both of them but it is only now the truth is coming out.
Okay this data farm would take only 8% of the Manapouri power in the long term for only 25 permanent jobs. But do we want more data farms ? and do we want to sell more power cheaply to them? Or should we sell power at a much higher rate because these places thrive on cheap power. The rest of the story is pretty much overblown PR to disguise the lack of long term country benefits.
So what would be the best over all economic use for New Zealand for the power the smelter no longer uses? Would it be best to give all NZ households a basic dob of cheap / nearly free power (charge higher usages!) to improve the well being of low income households in particular? It would be the same as a modest benefit increase? Or do we look for manufacturing we could do here that provides good jobs and needs reasonable power prices? Some how I think all this decision making should not be left in the hands of the directors of a power company given the input of the taxpayer in the original build.
Laugh all you like but the most enviromently sensible thing to do with the spare Manapouri power ( the current smelter doesn't use all of it ) is to build another aluminium smelter and retire one elsewhere in the world that is powered by electricity produced from coal.
We have enough wind farm consents approved and ready to go to meet all of our needs for the foreseeable future, including EV transport. Storage is where we are short at the moment.
I had a brief look at the that . As far as I can see most of the remaining smelters are in Canada powered by hydro or China. There may be a strategic issue there if too much of the refining is done in China – but I don't see them closing smelters.I'm assuming future mining will use solar on the spot to stop the shipping costs.
So enviroment apart what is the best economic use for the power in NZ?
I think solar might be a bit of a problem as smelting must be a continuous process and with solar and indeed wind overnight and non-wind times would require enormous storage capacity.
There are efforts underway to make smelting more flexible and adaptable to variable electricity supply. Energia Potior (a spinoff from Auckland University) is just one:
Currently the energy input of a smelter cannot be varied by much more than plus or minus 5%, meaning a smelter essentially operates at full capacity 24/7, 365 days a year, for its entire lifespan.
…
EnPot gives smelter operators the ability to turn energy consumption up or down by as much as 30%* to take advantage of off-peak power prices, as well as accommodating the intermittency associated with renewable power supply. It also means production can be better matched to supply and demand.
A solar plant that is likely to significantly supply a smelter may be better suited as a concentrating solar thermal plant, rather than photovoltaic. Concentrating solar thermal plants can easily have their storage sized to give continuous overnight operation, and can also be easily adapted to gas emergency backup to keep things ticking along if really needed.
Having more datacenters here in NZ and bringing more of this tech to NZ in general is a good thing.
I remember the hell that broke out here when Fibre was announced and rolled out around the country. Fast forward to now, and I think it was one of the best decisions National ever made. I recall at the time a whole bunch of people here compared it to 'just being able to download faster'. Well, covid proved that shit wrong.
Another foot note, Hyper Fibre is going in to my place tomorrow. NZ needs to focus more on tech.
We have a growing gaming industry here now with growth predictions of 1BN of revenue by 2025. It's all exports.
It's not tech as such. Just a big warehouse of computers operated from overseas. My beef about the fibre broadband is that payment by the taxpayer doesn't seem to mean ownership. But that's the Nats. Business socialism
I would like to see acknowledgement for the damage and harm done to children, information disclosed to complainants, categorisation headings used under the Crimes Act 1961 of offending against every child sexually abused in state care or out of state care and the years of the offending since 1940.
I am appalled at how files have been treated by the government. In 1986 I tried to get a file of a rape trial and the lawyer told me the file was dumped in a warehouse in boxes and gave a date of a hearing. I did get confirmation from the police in 1990 that there was a trial but the police file had been destroyed. I intend to follow this up. If it is the case the present and past government, MSD and police need to clean this up.
And Ryman healthcare want to hang on to the $14.2mill of subsidies received because
Ryman Healthcare, the country’s largest retirement village operator, paid $44m in first-half dividends to its shareholders after taking $14.2m in wage subsidies. It has not paid it back.
Ryman justified the payments by saying it had spent three times the subsidy amount on PPE gear and other procedures such as additional cleaning and extra staff to protect residents and staff.
Well those reasons above where not the basis on which claims could be made – they were to protect staff wages if they could not work. I'd expect them to be getting a very stiff letter demanding repayment ASAP.
That just about cleans out the NZX top 50. There is another retirement company still to go I think. But – do they have to be humiliated one by one in the media before they think of paying it back. – some moral compass. Even ones that are well within the claim boundary Z say and Auckland Int airport – could look at repaying at some future date when they have recovered a bit more and not rule it out entirely.
That now just leaves all the listed companies outside the NZX top 50 plus overseas and other privately held organisations. It would be good if the super fund and ACC and other government investment pools holding shares made it clear that as shareholders they expect ethical action and repayment.
And the IRD needs to publish the whole list because they made it clear from the beginning that they would. Not just give it to the media.
Taxpayers funds and I bet they’d get at least some people exposed for having claimed without employees being onpaid.
Chris Trotter wrote an excellent article a month or so ago describing the Professional Managerial Class. Political careerists ( who make up the majority of parliament) should be added to his list of abetters of neoliberalism.
“ The PMC is distinguished by the role it plays in mediating Capitalism’s relationship with its most injured victims. Without the PMC army of lawyers, probation officers, social workers, health professionals, teachers, journalists and “communications specialists” to extinguish the fires ignited constantly by economic exploitation and social exclusion, the whole of capitalist society would soon be engulfed in flames. .”
does anyone else remember grant robertson assuring us we were near the head of the queue for a vaccine..?
No, don't remember that – can you remember roughly when Robertson gave that assurance, or what the occasion/medium was? Could it have been a different government minister?
Have you got a link Phillip? Did a Google search and couldn't find any evidence of "grant robertson assuring us we were near the head of the queue for a vaccine".
Or maybe you could point me in the right direction? Bit of a vaccine mystery
Ginny Andersen: How will domestic capability and manufacturing contribute to New Zealand accessing a vaccine?
Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS: New Zealand’s science and vaccine manufacturing sectors have an incredibly important role to play in ensuring New Zealanders get early access to a vaccine. Locally, the Vaccine Alliance Aotearoa New Zealand will receive $10 million to lead COVID-19 vaccine research through a vaccine development and evaluation platform. This will see the brightest minds from the Malaghan Institute of Medical Research, the University of Otago, and Victoria University of Wellington work together to support global efforts to develop vaccines that are safe and fit for purpose. BioCell will receive $3 million to upgrade its existing facilities so it’s in a position to scale up and support local and global vaccine manufacturing. Depending on the chosen vaccine, this could see up to 100 million vaccines manufactured annually right here in New Zealand—an important contribution to the global effort. New Zealand is well placed through the efforts of our researchers and Medsafe to leverage our expertise and to ensure that everybody can access a safe and effective vaccine as soon as possible.
Ginny Andersen: How will New Zealand’s relative success in dealing with the coronavirus mean we are at the back of the queue for the vaccine?
Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS: No. Our relative success to date in keeping COVID-19 contained in New Zealand does not count against us when we aim to secure a vaccine to keep our population protected from COVID-19. Our vaccine strategy has been developed with this in mind, and this latest boost in funding is key to being part of and contributing to global efforts. This is a novel approach to securing vaccine access, but new and innovative approaches are required to ensure that New Zealand does not get left behind. We know that vaccine nationalism is the inhibitor to progress in our search for a vaccine, so our multilateral approaches with leading international organisations and in partnership with our Australian neighbours mean we are well placed to secure supply as one become available. https://www.parliament.nz/en/pb/hansard-debates/rhr/combined/HansD_20200901_20200901
Of course, you’re not making up shit and nobody was implying such thing. However, people’s memories are notoriously unreliable. In addition, many things are open to interpretation. Sometimes, people accidentally leave out important context, which can have a dramatic and profound impact on meaning and purpose. For these reasons, mainly, it is common courtesy and thus generally a good idea to include links, especially when specifically asked.
The last time you provided a link was 14 October, last year (!) as far as I can tell, i.e. 442 comments ago. Surely, by now you have mastered your new phone to enrich your comments with links.
I’m going to have to up the stringency index and raise you to the Alert Level 2. I’m afraid your assurances and strong languages are no substitute for actual links, but I’m sure you will understand – Incognito]
does anyone else remember grant robertson assuring us we were near the head of the queue for a vaccine..?
Apologies Phillip – by asking for evidence of your recollection I wasn’t implying that you had a tendency to "fucken just make shit up". My reply to your question about what others remembered was in good faith – I didn't remember Robertson giving that assurance, and couldn’t find the evidence.
Obviously best for all concerned if I just accept your and Adrian's memories as evidence – no doubt you would be similarly unquestioning.
Who knows, maybe tomorrow I'll have a clear memory of Robertson giving that assurance too – stranger things have happened
Robertson said something along the lines of spending $37million? got us in the queue for a number of vaccines when they became available.
Another thing that pisses me off is the number of numb nuts who espouse that we should relax all covid rules now when it was always stated by the Government that the lockdowns were to secure the hospital and medical resources until it was safe and a vaccine was freely available. Which by the way is still a long way off.;
I agree. The number of new daily cases is still on the rise. And thought I've said this often – now is the most likely time for a random human to catch covid-19.
I've only said it often because the number of new cases keeps going up.
Documents released by Treasury on Friday show that it is forecasting that the Ministry of Health will need $2.8 million in next year’s Budget for what it calls a “National Immunisation Solution”.
It is then forecasting that spending to double to $5.6 million in the 2022 Budget for 2022/23 and is forecasting the same amount of spending again in the 2023/24 year.
The projections would seem to suggest that funding has been set aside for six months of the 2021/22 year and then from July 2022 to ramp up to a full vaccination programme.
A spokesperson for Finance Minister Grant Robertson told POLITIK last night that if a vaccine were to be available earlier, then funding would be available.
Remember this? Point about questioning motives is apposite, don't you think?
Posted September 13 NZ Businesses Will Not Thrive Until COVID Elimination Policy Ends
A Vaccine Fix Is a Fantasy…
Because the truth is, NZ is now using dynamite to blow up the ship in order to kill a flea that’s really only an ant. We’re going to sink if we don’t stop. NZ’s current refusal to change course with updated information doesn’t make sense. No wonder people are starting to question both narratives and motives.
Watched the Trevor Mallard interview with the Select Committee. His version seemed reasonable and no matter how the Nats picked at him, he seemed confident. As for Bishop trying to be clever, he really is a self-serving prick. No substance to his questions and imagine him being highly ranked in his cabinet!!!
was he questioned about how dodgy it seems that after doing what he did..he got his deputy to change the law..to exempt him from any financial penalties..
and these penalties to be shouldered by the taxpayers..?
…was he questioned about how dodgy it seems that after doing what he did..he got his deputy to change the law..to exempt him from any financial penalties.
Except that he didn't which you would know if you had listened to the select committee.
The point you seem to be making is that Mallard gave Tolley instructions to make that decision in a certain way.
Whereas what seems to have happened is that he avoided an obvious conflict of interest by delegating a decision that directly affected him to the deputy speaker.
I must have been watching a different interview then. I don't think Mallard sounded very confident or convincing at all. It sounds likely this is going to cost the tax payer a lot more than $333k.
"he interpreted misconduct as rape which it did not amount to rape"
A real claytons apology if ever I heard one, He basically still claims the mans actions as miss-conduct even when Parliamentary services found no evidence to support the accusations.
Ah well it's okay since he plays for the Red team, I can only imagine the outrage here if he was on the Blue team.
this is going to cost the tax payer a lot more than $333k.
The accused has a seperate case against the Parl Services but that is about the way they suspended him. Nothing to do with Mallard at all.
When Mallard made his fateful remarks he was going on the just released Review of the unsafe Parl Environment. That was what he commented on and didn't know anything about the particular accused. At that time.
Knew he was wrong within 24 hours and makes no effort to retract – an effective Bishop skewering of the Mallard sausage before going on the babrie.
Now every National MP asked by the Speaker of the House to withdraw and apologise in the next three years can say – may I have 24 hours to think about that?
It's mighty impressive to see Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison complain about China banning the importation of their coal. Morrison has led a government that has repeatedly scorned attempts to mitigate climate change and in particular supporting a massive new coal mine in Queensland, and killing off any carbon trading effort,
Morrison is right to ask "Which one of Australia's sovereign national interests .. the government should have traded away" to appease China.
a list showcasing 15 of New Zealand’s top trade partners, countries that imported the most shipments by dollar value from New Zealand during 2019. Also shown is each trade partner’s percentage of total New Zealand exports.
China: US$11 billion (28.8% of New Zealand’s total exports)
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Dell laptops are renowned for their reliability, performance, and versatility. Whether you’re a student, a professional, or just someone who needs a reliable computing device, a Dell laptop can meet your needs. However, if you’re new to Dell laptops, you may be wondering how to get started. In this comprehensive ...
Two-thirds of the country think that “New Zealand’s economy is rigged to advantage the rich and powerful”. They also believe that “New Zealand needs a strong leader to take the country back from the rich and powerful”. These are just two of a handful of stunning new survey results released ...
In today’s digital world, screenshots have become an indispensable tool for communication and documentation. Whether you need to capture an important email, preserve a website page, or share an error message, screenshots allow you to quickly and easily preserve digital information. If you’re an Asus laptop user, there are several ...
A factory reset restores your Gateway laptop to its original factory settings, erasing all data, apps, and personalizations. This can be necessary to resolve software issues, remove viruses, or prepare your laptop for sale or transfer. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to factory reset your Gateway laptop: Method 1: ...
“You talking about me?”The neoliberal denigration of the past was nowhere more unrelenting than in its depiction of the public service. The Post Office and the Railways were held up as being both irremediably inefficient and scandalously over-manned. Playwright Roger Hall’s “Glide Time” caricatures were presented as accurate depictions of ...
Roger Partridge writes – When the Coalition Government took office last October, it inherited a country on a precipice. With persistent inflation, decades of insipid productivity growth and crises in healthcare, education, housing and law and order, it is no exaggeration to suggest New Zealand’s first-world status was ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – In 2022, the Curriculum Centre at the Ministry of Education employed 308 staff, according to an Official Information Request. Earlier this week it was announced 202 of those staff were being cut. When you look up “The New Zealand Curriculum” on the Ministry of ...
Chris Bishop’s bill has stirred up a hornets nest of opposition. Photo: Lynn Grieveson for The KākāTL;DR: The six things that stood out to me in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate from the last day included:A crescendo of opposition to the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill is ...
Monday left me brokenTuesday, I was through with hopingWednesday, my empty arms were openThursday, waiting for love, waiting for loveThe end of another week that left many of us asking WTF? What on earth has NZ gotten itself into and how on earth could people have voluntarily signed up for ...
Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.State of humanity, 20242024, it feels, keeps presenting us with ever more challenges, ever more dismay.Do you give up yet? It seems to ask.No? How about this? Or this?How about this?Full story Share ...
Determining the hardest sport in the world is a subjective matter, as the difficulty level can vary depending on individual abilities, physical attributes, and experience. However, based on various factors including physical demands, technical skills, mental fortitude, and overall accomplishment, here is an exploration of some of the most challenging ...
The allure of sport transcends age, culture, and geographical boundaries. It captivates hearts, ignites passions, and provides unparalleled entertainment. Behind the spectacle, however, lies a fascinating world of financial investment and expenditure. Among the vast array of competitive pursuits, one question looms large: which sport carries the hefty title of ...
Introduction Pickleball, a rapidly growing paddle sport, has captured the hearts and imaginations of millions around the world. Its blend of tennis, badminton, and table tennis elements has made it a favorite among players of all ages and skill levels. As the sport’s popularity continues to surge, the question on ...
Abstract: Soccer, the global phenomenon captivating millions worldwide, has a rich history that spans centuries. Its origins trace back to ancient civilizations, but the modern version we know and love emerged through a complex interplay of cultural influences and innovations. This article delves into the fascinating journey of soccer’s evolution, ...
Tinting car windows offers numerous benefits, including enhanced privacy, reduced glare, UV protection, and a more stylish look for your vehicle. However, the cost of window tinting can vary significantly depending on several factors. This article provides a comprehensive guide to help you understand how much you can expect to ...
The pungent smell of gasoline in your car can be an alarming and potentially dangerous problem. Not only is the odor unpleasant, but it can also indicate a serious issue with your vehicle’s fuel system. In this article, we will explore the various reasons why your car may smell like ...
Tree sap can be a sticky, unsightly mess on your car’s exterior. It can be difficult to remove, but with the right techniques and products, you can restore your car to its former glory. Understanding Tree Sap Tree sap is a thick, viscous liquid produced by trees to seal wounds ...
The amount of paint needed to paint a car depends on a number of factors, including the size of the car, the number of coats you plan to apply, and the type of paint you are using. In general, you will need between 1 and 2 gallons of paint for ...
Jump-starting a car is a common task that can be performed even in adverse weather conditions like rain. However, safety precautions and proper techniques are crucial to avoid potential hazards. This comprehensive guide will provide detailed instructions on how to safely jump a car in the rain, ensuring both your ...
Graham Adams writes about the $55m media fund — When Patrick Gower was asked by Mike Hosking last week what he would say to the many Newstalk ZB callers who allege the Labour government bribed media with $55 million of taxpayers’ money via the Public Interest Journalism Fund — and ...
Note: this blog post has been put together over the course of the week I followed the happenings at the conference virtually. Should recordings of the Great Debates and possibly Union Symposia mentioned below, be released sometime after the conference ends, I'll include links to the ones I participated in. ...
The following was my submission made on the “Fast Track Approvals Bill”. This potential law will give three Ministers unchecked powers, un-paralled since the days of Robert Muldoon’s “Think Big” projects.The submission is written a bit tongue-in-cheek. But it’s irreverent because the FTAB is in itself not worthy of respect. ...
One Could Reduce Child Poverty At No Fiscal CostFollowing the Richardson/Shipley 1990 ‘redesign of the welfare state’ – which eliminated the universal Family Benefit and doubled the rate of child poverty – various income supplements for families have been added, the best known being ‘Working for Families’, introduced in 2005. ...
Buzz from the Beehive A few days ago, Point of Order suggested the media must be musing “on why Melissa is mute”. Our article reported that people working in the beleaguered media industry have cause to yearn for a minister as busy as Melissa Lee’s ministerial colleagues and we drew ...
1. What was The Curse of Jim Bolger?a. Winston Peters b. Soon after shaking his hand, world leaders would mysteriously lose office or shuffle off this mortal coilc. Could never shake off the Mother of All Budgetsd. Dandruff2. True or false? The Chairman of a Kiwi export business has asked the ...
Jack Vowles writes – New Zealand is said to be suffering from ‘serious populist discontent’. An IPSOS MORI survey has reported that we have an increasing preference for strong leaders, think that the economy is rigged toward the rich and powerful, and political elites are ignoring ‘hard-working people’. ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
The Government’s newly announced review of methane emissions reduction targets hints at its desire to delay Aotearoa New Zealand’s urgent transition to a climate safe future, the Green Party said. ...
The Government must commit to the Maitai School building project for students with high and complex needs, to ensure disabled students from the top of the South Island have somewhere to learn. ...
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey and his Government colleagues have made a meal of their mental health commitments, showing how flimsy their efforts to champion the issue truly are, says Labour Mental Health spokesperson Ingrid Leary. ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector. "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today paid tribute to Singapore’s outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Meeting in Singapore today immediately before Prime Minister Lee announced he was stepping down, Prime Minister Luxon warmly acknowledged his counterpart’s almost twenty years as leader, and the enduring legacy he has left for Singapore and South East ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. While in Singapore as part of his visit to South East Asia this week, Prime Minister Luxon also met with Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and will meet with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon ...
By Miriam Zarriga in Port Moresby Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has arrived at Kokoda Station, Northern province, at the start of his state visit to Papua New Guinea. Both Albanese and Prime Minister James Marape will meet with the locals and the Northern Provincial government before they begin their ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Chris Wallace, Professor, School of Politics Economics & Society, Faculty of Business Government & Law, University of Canberra Shutterstock An important principle was invoked by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese last week in defence of the government’s Future Made in Australia industry ...
By Patrick Decloitre, RNZ Pacific correspondent French Pacific desk Security forces reinforcements were sent from France ahead of two rival marches in the capital Nouméa today, at the same time and only two streets away one from the other. One march, called by Union Calédonienne party (a component of the ...
A poll last August found that just 16% of New Zealanders oppose bringing back the ‘Three Strikes’ law. The nationwide poll of 1,000 New Zealanders was commissioned by Family First NZ and carried out by Curia Market Research. ...
The solo show from Ana Scotney is both sprawling and intimate, and a must-see, writes Mad Chapman. In the opening moments of Scattergun: After the Death of Rūaumoko, writer and performer Ana Scotney lays out the groundwork, literally. Silently moving around the square stage, Scotney is not so much dancing ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Burridge, Professor of Linguistics, Monash University Who makes the words? Why are trees called trees and why are shoes called shoes and who makes the names? – Elliot, age 5, Eltham, Victoria Good question Elliot! Let’s start with ...
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 at amRawpixel.com/Shutterstock Roles of health professionals are still unfortunately often stuck in the past. That is, before the ...
COMMENTARY:By Malcolm Evans Last week’s leaked New York Times staff directive, as to what words can and cannot be used to describe the carnage Israel is raining on Palestinians, is proof positive, since those reports are published verbatim here in New Zealand, that our understanding of the conflict is ...
In the case of New Zealand, the results confirm that there is no popular support for the vicious austerity program being imposed by the National Party-led government, which is backed in all fundamental respects by the opposition Labour Party. ...
The ‘Vampire’ singer has never visited our part of the world, but that might all be about to change. We assess the evidence.Olivia Rodrigo’s Guts World Tour is pulling in massive crowds as it whips around the US and Europe, even helping to catapult regular supporting act Chappell Roan ...
Testing of drinking water in rural Canterbury over the weekend by Greenpeace revealed that several public town supplies were reaching levels of nitrate above 5 mg/L - the threshold which a growing body of scientific evidence has linked to increased ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rohan Fisher, Information Technology for Development Researcher, Charles Darwin University It may come as a surprise to hear 2023 was Australia’s biggest bushfire season in more than a decade. Fires burned across an area eight times as big as the 2019–20 Black ...
Responding to the Government’s announcement of changes to resource management laws, Taxpayers’ Union Executive Director, Jordan Williams, said: “These changes are a step in the right direction in terms of removing ideological and unworkable ...
More than two years after the Human Rights Council called for the establishment of a national human rights commission, such a body has yet to be formed. ...
Comment:An emergency management system with wide variations in performance, significant capability gaps, funding shortfalls and above all a setup that is not meeting the needs of New Zealanders at times of crisis. The Government’s inquiry into the response to Cyclone Gabrielle and other severe weather events in the North ...
Welcome to the whirring wonders of one brain trying to align its actions with its beliefs within a system it thinks is evil. My brain has been spiralling in a woke conundrum ever since I found out a bookshop I’ve never been to was shutting down. Good Books, a bookshop ...
We repeat our call for criminal justice policy to be based on evidence, something the three strikes regime neglects to recognise – with no evidence that it either reduces crime or assists with rehabilitation. ...
By Koroi Hawkins, RNZ Pacific editor in Honiara With only four more seats in the 50-member Parliament yet to be officially declared, there is no outright winner in the Solomon Islands elections. As of Monday, the two largest blocs in the winner’s circle, independents and the incumbent Prime Minister Manasseh ...
Two/fiftyseven is a multi-purpose space hidden in the heart of Wellington that is paving a way for sustainable building and responsible landlording in Aotearoa and beyond.By 2060 the world is predicted to double its entire building stock, which equates to building an entire New York City every 34 days, ...
Popstars wasn’t just a reality television revolution, it was also a huge moment for Y2K fashion.It’s 25 years since girl group TrueBliss was formed on New Zealand national television, breaking new ground for both the reality television industry and the shiny clothing industry. With the first episode on NZ ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christopher Pepping, Associate Professor in Clinical Psychology, Griffith University Marvin / Shutterstock Are all single people insecure? When we think about people who have been single for a long time, we may assume it’s because single people have insecurities that make ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By William Geary, Lecturer in Quantitative Ecology & Biodiversity Conservation, The University of Melbourne Trismegist san, Shutterstock Landscapes that have escaped fire for decades or centuries tend to harbour vital structures for wildlife, such as tree hollows and large logs. But these ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rebecca Gladstone-Gallagher, Lecturer in Marine Science, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Shutterstock/S Curtis Why are we crossing ecological boundaries that affect Earth’s fundamental life-supporting capacity? Is it because we don’t have enough information about how ecosystems respond to change? Or ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Matthew Crocker, PhD Student in Economics, Deakin University Here’s something for the board of the Reserve Bank of Australia to ponder as it meets next month to set interest rates. It has pushed up rates on 13 occasions since it began its ...
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a charity director outlines how she’s saving for retirement and buying secondhand. Want to be part of The Cost of Being? Fill out the questionnaire here.Gender: Female Age: 45 Ethnicity: Pākehā Role: Charity director, mum of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sophie Yates, Research Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Many Australians with disability feel on the edge of a precipice right now. Recommendations from the disability royal commission and the NDIS review were released late last year. Now a ...
It’s been called a failed experiment and a judicial straightjacket but the government says the revised three strikes law will be a more workable regime, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. Three ...
New Zealand’s Palestinian community and Palestinian Youth Aotearoa are voicing alarm and disappointment with the lack of factual rigour present during the Israeli Ambassador’s appearance as a guest on TVNZ’s Q+A With Jack Tame Sunday (21/04). ...
Both ACT leader David Seymour, who played a key role in drawing up the assisted dying law, and hospice leaders say it's time the legislation was changed. ...
Public submissions on proposed gang control laws are being heard today. Rising gang membership has been cited as rationale for a crackdown – but what do we actually know about how many people belong to gangs in New Zealand?What’s all this then?A rise in the number of gang ...
Climate activists are setting their sights on an unpopular target, and hoping to bring lots of the public with them. It’s hard to miss the Majestic Princess: the enormous cruise ship, docked at Auckland’s Prince’s Wharf, looms over the nearby buildings. The ship, which can fit nearly 6,000 people, ...
Opinion: We’ve kicked the tyres on the perception NZ’s economy is in a parlous state compared to Australia. We take a quick tour of relative trends in GDP, housing markets, labour markets, trade, the fiscal situation, and the outlooks for inflation and interest rates. We find the cyclical positions of ...
Opinion: Making sure developers, local and central government, and landowners are all on the same page makes sense The post A new kind of city deal appeared first on Newsroom. ...
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The following korero between Ngāhuia te Awekōtuku, author of the newly published memoir Hine Toa, one of the year’s most important books, and Dale Husband from e-tangata, was first published in October. It traverses her involvement with the activist group Ngā Tamatoa at Auckland University in the early 1970s, her ...
In the 16 years since it was bought by the government for $690 million, KiwiRail has had several overhauls and turnaround plans worth billions of dollars. Its ambitions as a successful, profitable operator of tourism, freight and ferries have often been derailed by disasters from earthquakes to cyclones, mine explosions ...
Black Ferns trailblazer Kendra Cocksedge was on the verge of tears when her young protégé, Hannah King, unassumingly broke the news. Three-time Rugby World Cup winner Cocksedge and Lincoln agriculture student King meet every few weeks over a hot chocolate, in an enduring mentorship that’s spanned years. “Before we even ...
By Russell Palmer, RNZ News digital political journalist New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Winston Peters is putting off recognition of Palestine as a state, despite opposition Labour’s formal request that he make the move. Peters said diplomatic recognition of Palestine was a matter of “when not if”, but doing so now ...
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I know that some people live without dogs in their lives..
but I find it hard to figure out why..?
why would you do that..?
I know! I've got 8 of the buggers .
yr giving me dog-envy here…I only have two..
with five having been my dog-peak in the past..
Birds
?
It's not really the dogs that are the problem it's their dimwitted owners. I live on an estuary and get sick of owners letting their dogs chase wading birds who are minding their own business and having lunch. I stay sometimes at Piha where I watch entitled owners walk past the signs that say no dogs because of nesting penguins – belonging, I presume to the 'my dog wouldn't' brigade. I also have issues with being sniffed at in the street while the owner tries to reassure me that it won't bite. That's not the point – I don't want to be sniffed either!
well..I get yr point..
but as it turns out mine 'wouldn't'..
they are both re-homed ex pig-hunting dogs ..
and pig hunting dogs are trained to hunt wild pigs..
..and to be nice to/studiously ignore all other living creatures…
and so…unlike cats…they don't prey on native birds..
Don't do cats either because – birds
Nice one JanM Agree 200%, especially the,
" I don't want to be sniffed either!" bit.
I remember a few years ago some snot got most upset as I did not want his slobbering dog rubbing its filthy face up against my clothing I didn't want to go home smelling of this dog. something a lot of dog owners don't get.
Dogs. Husbands. Whatever. Give me a cat any day.
Agree
Yeah, dogs are for people searching for a subservient pet to control, those who don't have the personality to deal with living with an independent apex predator.
when did you meet my ex..?
Patience of a saint awards ceremony
that'd be that time I got my award..
Sure, you seem like a believable sort of guy lol
I think Winston Churchill had it right.
He said "I am fond of pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals".
He might, of course, have been thinking of the people he met in the House of Commons. There aren't many cats or dogs there.
pigs are awesome…
so so clever..
… so so tasty… mmmmm, bacon …
so so original…
It is indeed, with bacon being one of the oldest cuts of meat, dating back to around 1500bc.
You should look at how pigs are farmed nowadays.
Your pleasure = their pain.
…. mmmmm, shoulder roast …
https://www.gourmettraveller.com.au/recipes/recipe-collections/roast-pork-recipes-17931
mmm..!..bowel cancer…
but idiots won't be told..
will they..
Y'know, I actually eat very little meat. Maybe 150g a week, on average. As much as anything else, because I really can’t be arsed learning about how to ensure I get enough of all the nutrients needs from a vegetarian diet, and even if I did get the knowledge, I wouldn’t be arsed following it when just a small amount of meat easily provides those nutrients that are hard to get from a vegetarian diet.
But somehow, sanctimonious twattery against meat-eating always gives me an irresistable urge to go snarf down a big chunk of gruesomely murdered and hacked up dead animal.
BTW, there are lots of good arguments for reducing meat consumption, or at least biasing the mix away from beef and lamb towards chicken and pork. But the colon cancer thing is really one of the feeblest of the many arguments against eating meat.
fact..nz has very high consumption of animal flesh..
nz has very high rates of bowel cancer…
you join the dots..eh..?
like I said: 'idiots can't be told'..
I don't eat a lot of red meat now, but I enjoy a good steak about once every two weeks. Eating more chicken, fish and pork these days. But certainly do not want to give it up.
they don't fucken care about that..
they can't claim to not know..
so they just don't care..
their cannablistic addiction to eating flesh over-rules that..
then there are the idiots who preen that (middle-class boast) that they 'only eat organic' chickens/whatever..
they seem deluded to such a degree that they think they are the 'good guys'..and that the exploiters who peddle these organic animals are somehow green/good guys…
..which is bullshit in both cases..
as just one example…what do they think happens to all the male chicks on 'organic'farms..?
..like on the blatantly cruel chicken farms..these cute little chicks are fed(still alive) into the macerator..
this grinds them up…as I said..while they are still alive..
use that nugget of knowledge to wash down your next mouthful of chicken flesh..eh..?
organic..or not..
and think about what is done in your name..
the unholy trinity ..
cruelty..cancer…and fucking the planet…
just to eat flesh…
what a deal..!
On that note, I've just been inspired to head into town to find some kind of bogan joint to chow down a month's worth of my normal consumption in one sitting.
I'll very likely regret it later tonight and tomorrow morning, but I'll blame that on you, too.
Having read through everything that followed from my Churchillian quote I'm not sure I should have offered it.
That is particularly the case since I have just finished dinner where I had an truly excellent fillet steak. Cooked about halfway between saignant and bleu. Quite wonderful. It absolutely melted in the mouth.
Sorry Phillip, but that is not something I am willing to give up.
addictions are like that..
I used to feel the same way about heroin and cocaine mixed together in a syringe..
..addictions are like that..
The Silence of the Lambs.
That's a bit hard Rosie, dogs are not that bad.
Mmmm. Maybe not. But husbands?
You obviously were not brought up on a farm before Hydatdids was erradicated. I still feel uneasy with dogs near me. I have had to give up on cats because I live in an area of ecological importance. I am hoping for a big rabbit for Xmas !
I am hoping for a big rabbit for Xmas !
Yum! Might I suggest…http://allrecipes.com.au/recipes/tag-1232/rabbit.aspx
Little ones taste sweeter but much less meat than a biggie.
https://www.motherearthnews.com/real-food/rabbit-sausage-recipe-zmaz78mjzgoe
https://www.yummly.com/recipes/rabbit-sausage
Amazing that ~2/3rds of NZ households manage ‘sans dog’ – some will have cats!
Used to care for a 'pet', but it was a bit of a luxury. https://www.petplan.co.nz/
Will the new Minister of Transport pull some reins around Waka Kotahi NZTA?
I am hearing multiple signature projects that I won't list here are billions over budget with many pushed out a decade due to redesign and others with governance changes. This is on top of the billion-plus blowout we've already seen this week.
This is the agency now in charge of changing the largest proportion of our CO2 emissions.
Chair Brian Roche is far more powerful than the Minister of Transport.
Bomber Bradbury has made some interesting predictions for 2021.
He predicts significant social unrest, a crime wave, a dangerous expansion of the meth trade and unemployment, poverty, homelessness and inequality to rise.
Our extreme centrist neoliberal government does not have the tools to fix the issues.
Only a people’s republic of Aotearoa will be able to implement the necessary economic, social and ecological revolution to prepare us for the tsunami of challenges climate change will present us.
https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2020/12/16/2021-the-year-sht-hits-the-fan-predictions/
I agree with your last paragraph..
neoliberal governments are too in thrall to vested interests..to be up for the job..
('exempting agriculture' being a recent potent example of that thrall/vested interests neoliberal paradigm..)
..and we are fishing out the oceans..and the current reformist activity is to try to let those ocean predators allow us to film them doing this..
how seriously fucked up/impotent is that..?
b.t.w….fish have central nervous systems remarkably similar to ours..
so..if you can imagine the hook thru the cheek/in the stomach…then the hauling in../then the drowning in air..
..you kinda get the idea/picture..
Much kinder to use a priest
Idiot Savant, the author of the No Right Turn, is an excellent and succinct commentator who does not subscribe to the failed liberal ideology.
In a recent blog, he pointed out the world can see through our bullshit about climate change. He records that …..
”Over the weekend, countries which are serious about climate change got together virtually at the international Climate Ambition Summit 2020. But New Zealand pointedly was not invited:”
The Green Party leaders should not have signed up to this government.
http://norightturn.blogspot.com/2020/12/climate-change-calling-us-on-our.html
Truth?
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2020/12/jacinda-ardern-hits-back-at-speculation-over-new-zealand-s-absence-from-climate-action-summit.html
According to that story our emissions have increased. Is it because we have had a solid population increase for the transport increase ? or something else?
Signed up? This is a Labour government, not a Labour led government. The Greens are irrelevant and this government can do what it wants.
Which means more of the neo lib bloody same.
I don’t think you understand the Green Party and NZ politics. Why don’t you read The Standard for a while before you start commenting here?
France and the UK getting serious about fusion …
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20201214-the-uks-quest-for-affordable-fusion-by-2040
Geez, we have had fusion for ever!!
Its called the sun.
They've been serious about fusion power since the 1950s, still haven't got sustained fusion. Always been 10 to 20 years away.
(https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20201214-the-uks-quest-for-affordable-fusion-by-2040)
(Swift 1726. Gulliver's Travels)
IMO bottled sunshine isn't the only thing these projects have in common …
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20201214-the-uks-quest-for-affordable-fusion-by-2040
Put the quote in context.
Still a boondoggle that has consumed a huge amount of research funding over several decades (and looks like it will continue to do so). That funding, IMO, would have (and would be) better spent elsewhere.
For mine, it's the more options we have the better.
This story is becoming more harrowing by the day:
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/432925/250-000-estimated-to-have-been-abused-in-state-and-faith-based-care
As a child and teenager, I lived within walking distance of two such homes.
One was the Owairaka Boys Home in Mt Albert where the "bad boys" lived which has been cited as one of those where serious abuse was occurring. The other in Allendale Rd, Mt Albert where the "bad girls" were housed. The house itself was up a long driveway and couldn't be seen from the road. We were told to cross the road when walking past this address yet in all those years I never saw a single girl coming in or out of them.
They were not bad kids of course, they were abused kids.
As a young person I remember sensing something was wrong about both of them but it is only now the truth is coming out.
Okay this data farm would take only 8% of the Manapouri power in the long term for only 25 permanent jobs. But do we want more data farms ? and do we want to sell more power cheaply to them? Or should we sell power at a much higher rate because these places thrive on cheap power. The rest of the story is pretty much overblown PR to disguise the lack of long term country benefits.
So what would be the best over all economic use for New Zealand for the power the smelter no longer uses? Would it be best to give all NZ households a basic dob of cheap / nearly free power (charge higher usages!) to improve the well being of low income households in particular? It would be the same as a modest benefit increase? Or do we look for manufacturing we could do here that provides good jobs and needs reasonable power prices? Some how I think all this decision making should not be left in the hands of the directors of a power company given the input of the taxpayer in the original build.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/123714254/up-to-1200-workers-would-be-needed-to-build-south-island-data-centre
Laugh all you like but the most enviromently sensible thing to do with the spare Manapouri power ( the current smelter doesn't use all of it ) is to build another aluminium smelter and retire one elsewhere in the world that is powered by electricity produced from coal.
We have enough wind farm consents approved and ready to go to meet all of our needs for the foreseeable future, including EV transport. Storage is where we are short at the moment.
I had a brief look at the that . As far as I can see most of the remaining smelters are in Canada powered by hydro or China. There may be a strategic issue there if too much of the refining is done in China – but I don't see them closing smelters.I'm assuming future mining will use solar on the spot to stop the shipping costs.
So enviroment apart what is the best economic use for the power in NZ?
I think solar might be a bit of a problem as smelting must be a continuous process and with solar and indeed wind overnight and non-wind times would require enormous storage capacity.
There are efforts underway to make smelting more flexible and adaptable to variable electricity supply. Energia Potior (a spinoff from Auckland University) is just one:
A solar plant that is likely to significantly supply a smelter may be better suited as a concentrating solar thermal plant, rather than photovoltaic. Concentrating solar thermal plants can easily have their storage sized to give continuous overnight operation, and can also be easily adapted to gas emergency backup to keep things ticking along if really needed.
Got to store those cat photos somewhere
Luv It!
data farms? lol, never heard that before.
Having more datacenters here in NZ and bringing more of this tech to NZ in general is a good thing.
I remember the hell that broke out here when Fibre was announced and rolled out around the country. Fast forward to now, and I think it was one of the best decisions National ever made. I recall at the time a whole bunch of people here compared it to 'just being able to download faster'. Well, covid proved that shit wrong.
Another foot note, Hyper Fibre is going in to my place tomorrow. NZ needs to focus more on tech.
We have a growing gaming industry here now with growth predictions of 1BN of revenue by 2025. It's all exports.
It's not tech as such. Just a big warehouse of computers operated from overseas. My beef about the fibre broadband is that payment by the taxpayer doesn't seem to mean ownership. But that's the Nats. Business socialism
I would like to see acknowledgement for the damage and harm done to children, information disclosed to complainants, categorisation headings used under the Crimes Act 1961 of offending against every child sexually abused in state care or out of state care and the years of the offending since 1940.
I am appalled at how files have been treated by the government. In 1986 I tried to get a file of a rape trial and the lawyer told me the file was dumped in a warehouse in boxes and gave a date of a hearing. I did get confirmation from the police in 1990 that there was a trial but the police file had been destroyed. I intend to follow this up. If it is the case the present and past government, MSD and police need to clean this up.
And Ryman healthcare want to hang on to the $14.2mill of subsidies received because
Ryman Healthcare, the country’s largest retirement village operator, paid $44m in first-half dividends to its shareholders after taking $14.2m in wage subsidies. It has not paid it back.
Ryman justified the payments by saying it had spent three times the subsidy amount on PPE gear and other procedures such as additional cleaning and extra staff to protect residents and staff.
Well those reasons above where not the basis on which claims could be made – they were to protect staff wages if they could not work. I'd expect them to be getting a very stiff letter demanding repayment ASAP.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/123721687/retirement-village-operator-summerset-to-repay-86m-covid19-wage-subsidy
rnz news reporting that ryman is also paying back..
who else is on that list of the undeserving..?
Ryman had no other option but to repay it after Summerset came out of the blocks first and said they'd repay it.
I think that a citizen based campaign to publicise who these companies are..will be effective..
(social media..phone calls..picket line..)
..and for many who took it..the economic upturn must mean they are doing fine ..
so…pay it back..!
And publicly admitted they hadn't used the correct criteria? Some lawyer must have given a few words of advice.
That just about cleans out the NZX top 50. There is another retirement company still to go I think. But – do they have to be humiliated one by one in the media before they think of paying it back. – some moral compass. Even ones that are well within the claim boundary Z say and Auckland Int airport – could look at repaying at some future date when they have recovered a bit more and not rule it out entirely.
That now just leaves all the listed companies outside the NZX top 50 plus overseas and other privately held organisations. It would be good if the super fund and ACC and other government investment pools holding shares made it clear that as shareholders they expect ethical action and repayment.
And the IRD needs to publish the whole list because they made it clear from the beginning that they would. Not just give it to the media.
Taxpayers funds and I bet they’d get at least some people exposed for having claimed without employees being onpaid.
Our Child Poverty statistics are appalling.
Bryan Bruce has written an open letter to the Prime Minister.
“According to the 2018 census there are an estimated 4,833 children living in dwellings with no amenities.
Think – that’s the equivalent of the total number of pupils of at least 5 New Zealand High Schools who live in dwellings that have zero….
Cooking facilities
Tap water that is safe to drink
Kitchen sink
Refrigerator
Electricity supply
Refrigerator
Bath or shower
Toilet
Tell me again how addessing Child Poverty in our country is a priority.”
https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2020/12/16/guest-blog-bryan-bruce-dear-prime-minister/
Chris Trotter wrote an excellent article a month or so ago describing the Professional Managerial Class. Political careerists ( who make up the majority of parliament) should be added to his list of abetters of neoliberalism.
“ The PMC is distinguished by the role it plays in mediating Capitalism’s relationship with its most injured victims. Without the PMC army of lawyers, probation officers, social workers, health professionals, teachers, journalists and “communications specialists” to extinguish the fires ignited constantly by economic exploitation and social exclusion, the whole of capitalist society would soon be engulfed in flames. .”
does anyone else remember grant robertson assuring us we were near the head of the queue for a vaccine..?
I wonder how all that's going..
There is an upside to be getting it later.
And we are not the most at risk so I'd rather some in the USA/India/Brazil got it before me.
No, don't remember that – can you remember roughly when Robertson gave that assurance, or what the occasion/medium was? Could it have been a different government minister?
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/coronavirus/123501010/covid19-kiwis-will-have-to-wait-even-once-vaccine-is-approved-overseas
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/ministers-still-unsure-overseas-tourists-let-into-nz-countries-begin-covid-vaccine-roll
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/covid-19/nz-gets-in-line-for-covid-19-vaccine
it was robertson…back when the first talk about vaccines was happening..
and responding to the usual cries of ‘what about us?’..
and multi-media…and repeated/more than once…
Have you got a link Phillip? Did a Google search and couldn't find any evidence of "grant robertson assuring us we were near the head of the queue for a vaccine".
Or maybe you could point me in the right direction? Bit of a vaccine mystery
see what Adrian said below..
and just quietly..
I write under my own name..
..and I don’t fucken just make shit up ..
..take that as a given..
[Hi Phil,
Of course, you’re not making up shit and nobody was implying such thing. However, people’s memories are notoriously unreliable. In addition, many things are open to interpretation. Sometimes, people accidentally leave out important context, which can have a dramatic and profound impact on meaning and purpose. For these reasons, mainly, it is common courtesy and thus generally a good idea to include links, especially when specifically asked.
The last time you provided a link was 14 October, last year (!) as far as I can tell, i.e. 442 comments ago. Surely, by now you have mastered your new phone to enrich your comments with links.
Last time I moderated you (https://thestandard.org.nz/national-announces-terms-of-reference-for-its-election-campaign-review/#comment-1767959) it was also for not providing a link when specifically asked.
I’m going to have to up the stringency index and raise you to the Alert Level 2. I’m afraid your assurances and strong languages are no substitute for actual links, but I’m sure you will understand – Incognito]
Apologies Phillip – by asking for evidence of your recollection I wasn’t implying that you had a tendency to "fucken just make shit up". My reply to your question about what others remembered was in good faith – I didn't remember Robertson giving that assurance, and couldn’t find the evidence.
Obviously best for all concerned if I just accept your and Adrian's memories as evidence – no doubt you would be similarly unquestioning.
Who knows, maybe tomorrow I'll have a clear memory of Robertson giving that assurance too – stranger things have happened
See my Moderation note @ 6:35 PM.
Why should NZ be at the head of the queue given we no longer have community spread or people dying/disabled from covid?
Robertson said something along the lines of spending $37million? got us in the queue for a number of vaccines when they became available.
Another thing that pisses me off is the number of numb nuts who espouse that we should relax all covid rules now when it was always stated by the Government that the lockdowns were to secure the hospital and medical resources until it was safe and a vaccine was freely available. Which by the way is still a long way off.;
I agree. The number of new daily cases is still on the rise. And thought I've said this often – now is the most likely time for a random human to catch covid-19.
I've only said it often because the number of new cases keeps going up.
Remember this? Point about questioning motives is apposite, don't you think?
Forced labour supplying China's cotton
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/extra/nz0g306v8c/china-tainted-cotton
Watched the Trevor Mallard interview with the Select Committee. His version seemed reasonable and no matter how the Nats picked at him, he seemed confident. As for Bishop trying to be clever, he really is a self-serving prick. No substance to his questions and imagine him being highly ranked in his cabinet!!!
was he questioned about how dodgy it seems that after doing what he did..he got his deputy to change the law..to exempt him from any financial penalties..
and these penalties to be shouldered by the taxpayers..?
was he asked about that..?
Except that he didn't which you would know if you had listened to the select committee.
just for the record anne..
how was that timeline/those circumstances explained..?
Pay attention, it was Tolley who changed the law as the Speaker was not covered by the system like all other MPs.
yes…that is the point I am making…
The point you seem to be making is that Mallard gave Tolley instructions to make that decision in a certain way.
Whereas what seems to have happened is that he avoided an obvious conflict of interest by delegating a decision that directly affected him to the deputy speaker.
I must have been watching a different interview then. I don't think Mallard sounded very confident or convincing at all. It sounds likely this is going to cost the tax payer a lot more than $333k.
Agree, it may get worse considering he said that
"he interpreted misconduct as rape which it did not amount to rape"
A real claytons apology if ever I heard one, He basically still claims the mans actions as miss-conduct even when Parliamentary services found no evidence to support the accusations.
Ah well it's okay since he plays for the Red team, I can only imagine the outrage here if he was on the Blue team.
The accused has a seperate case against the Parl Services but that is about the way they suspended him. Nothing to do with Mallard at all.
When Mallard made his fateful remarks he was going on the just released Review of the unsafe Parl Environment. That was what he commented on and didn't know anything about the particular accused. At that time.
Knew he was wrong within 24 hours and makes no effort to retract – an effective Bishop skewering of the Mallard sausage before going on the babrie.
Now every National MP asked by the Speaker of the House to withdraw and apologise in the next three years can say – may I have 24 hours to think about that?
It's mighty impressive to see Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison complain about China banning the importation of their coal. Morrison has led a government that has repeatedly scorned attempts to mitigate climate change and in particular supporting a massive new coal mine in Queensland, and killing off any carbon trading effort,
Morrison is right to ask "Which one of Australia's sovereign national interests .. the government should have traded away" to appease China.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/dec/15/scott-morrison-lashes-china-over-reported-ban-on-australian-coal-imports
Xi sure knows how to hit Australia where it hurts.
I suspect that their next target will be iron ore.
The best we can do right now is make small supportive noises.
Which side are we making small supportive noises to??
Both. Minister Mahuta is proposing to step in and be a peace-broker between Australia and China.
Rock and a hard place?
a list showcasing 15 of New Zealand’s top trade partners, countries that imported the most shipments by dollar value from New Zealand during 2019. Also shown is each trade partner’s percentage of total New Zealand exports.
http://www.worldstopexports.com/new-zealands-top-trade-partners/
The APEC conference will be hosted by Ardern and Mahuta next year.
While it will be virtual, it is still a big an opportunity we could get to enable China and Australia to talk properly.
They'll keep importing iron ore. And they'll tell Biden reducing the importation of coal is part of their GW mitigation effort.
Climate change , poverty and neo liberal fix it solutions to the housing crisis and other serious problems will not work.
If Adern and the rest of the cabinet had a conscience or a thread of decency they would resign.
But they won't of course as part of the privileged class with the super and other perks they are insulated from the extreme causes of deprivation.