Open mike 16/04/2015

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, April 16th, 2015 - 104 comments
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104 comments on “Open mike 16/04/2015 ”

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  1. Paul 1
    16 April 2015 at 6:37 am

    Milk prices in continuous decline.
    Auckland house prices out of control.

    And a government unwilling do anything about these crises.
    Hope some of those million people who voted for this bunch of clowns realise the error of their ways.

  2. logie97 2
    16 April 2015 at 6:41 am

    John Key, “Unprincipled? Moi? Pfffft.”
    Well, Armstrong appears to think so John Boy. Odd thing is that has taken Armstrong so long to realise what many of us have noticed for years.

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11433314
    “PM’s defence of Bridges devalues principles”

    • les 2.1
      16 April 2015 at 8:02 am

      Armstrong is more even-handed these days…no hope for Roughan though.

    • Sabine 2.2
      16 April 2015 at 8:04 am

      all of this blather for that

      “Bridges could do himself and National a power of good, however, by coming clean and apologising. It would end this unseemly episode and make it harder for Labour to exploit when Parliament resumes”

      to make it harder for Labour to exploit!!! Dear Mr. Armstrong, if the National Party played by the rules Labour would find nothing to exploit.

      just another pinhead.

  3. Sanctuary 3
    16 April 2015 at 7:30 am

    Andrew Geddis gives David Farrar quite the spank on Pundit, the sarcasm is worth several weeks of frantic lobbying from the anorexic penguin for a funding cut to Otago university.

    http://www.pundit.co.nz/content/three-signs-that-national-knows-simon-bridges-did-wrong

  4. Paul 4
    16 April 2015 at 7:49 am

    Kim Hill.
    What a breath of fresh air listening to her intellect.

    • te reo putake 4.1
      16 April 2015 at 7:52 am

      Or Mary, as Nick Smith likes to call her. Muppet.

    • ScottGN 4.2
      16 April 2015 at 7:58 am

      And how! Though I can’t help but wonder if she was asked to fill in for Ferguson (rather than one of the usual fillers) because the ratings are sliding?

      • Lanthanide 4.2.1
        16 April 2015 at 11:13 am

        I’ve been wondering why Ferguson is suddenly off the air. Hadn’t heard any announcement. I did catch Kim Hill doing the voice-over for the ad for Morning Report for this week, yesterday, which seemed a bit of an odd choice. Almost like this is going to be for more than just this week; surprised that Guyon didn’t do it.

        But if the ratings are sliding, putting Kim Hill on temporarily is not really the fix – putting her on permanently is.

        • tracey 4.2.1.1
          16 April 2015 at 11:50 am

          annual leave?

          • Lanthanide 4.2.1.1.1
            16 April 2015 at 11:57 am

            Certainly possible. But it’s a bit unusual that Kim Hill has taken over, as they usually have other people available to fill in.

            The last time Kim was on, was when Geoff Robinson took 1 month leave. They had 2 weeks of Kim Hill (and made a small issue about it being her return to the programme after 15+ years or something) and 2 weeks of someone else – can’t recall who.

            To put Kim Hill on now instead of one of the other regular fillers-in, with no particular acknowledgement, seems a little fishy. Remember Kim Hill does have a Saturday morning show that must take at least a few days to prepare for.

            • tracey 4.2.1.1.1.1
              16 April 2015 at 12:04 pm

              Not like you to delve into conspiracy theories

              • Colonial Rawshark …
                16 April 2015 at 12:30 pm

                Learn to follow your nose, not ignore it.

              • Colonial Rawshark …
                16 April 2015 at 12:30 pm

                Learn to follow your nose, not ignore it.

              • Lanthanide …
                16 April 2015 at 1:21 pm

                Where am I theorising any particular course of action has been, or will be, taken?

                All I’ve done is simply state that it’s a bit odd the way she’s been put on, pointing to the only other exceptional case where Kim Hill was on MR and contrasting what is happening now with what happened then.

                Edit: veuto has just given the likely reason for Ferguson’s absence, which is what my post at 4.2.1 was trying to elicit, to see if anyone else knew.

        • veutoviper 4.2.1.2
          16 April 2015 at 12:14 pm

          I recall hearing on RNZ National a week or so ago that Susie Ferguson was going to Gallipoli to report from there.

          I am thoroughly enjoying Kim’s return, with the standard of interviewing having gone up massively this week. Follow-up questions are based on what is actually said by the person being interviewed, rather than appearing to be read from a predetermined list of questions; fewer interruptions; and longer more indepth interviews vs the usual rushed, time limited interviews which really annoy me.

          They have made no mention of how long Kim will be on this time, whereas last time she subbed when Robinson took a month’s leave, RNZ kept saying that she was only on for two weeks, with Susie Ferguson (I think) doing the other two weeks.

          I also have the impression this time that Kim is almost playing first fiddle, with Espiner playing second fiddle. Strange.

          I would love to see Kim back on Morning Report permanently, but doubt that she would want the early starts permanently with her other interests.

          She would be great on Checkpoint, though IMO.

          I intend emailing RNZ in the next day or so, putting all of the above to them.

          • Paul 4.2.1.2.1
            16 April 2015 at 1:15 pm

            If you do, please can you post a copy of the actual letter here?
            Many others may want to send a similar message!

            • veutoviper 4.2.1.2.1.1
              17 April 2015 at 4:32 pm

              Will do, Paul. May have to wait until Sun or Mon. Again impressed this morning; and Kim certainly seemed to be the lead, with Espiner in second place.

          • Lanthanide 4.2.1.2.2
            16 April 2015 at 1:21 pm

            Ah, that explains it, thanks.

    • Brigid 4.3
      16 April 2015 at 8:20 am

      Indeed!! She’s just such a gem
      But Nick Smith is just such a liar. ‘The Melbourne housing market is in just as bad a state as Aucklands’ he says. An outrageous lie that is.

      • Skinny 4.3.1
        16 April 2015 at 9:00 am

        The Nat’s will be spewing the reality show Our First Home exposed the truth about Aucklands over heated property market. It got worst when the deputy reserve bank chap comes out swinging the next day mooting its time for the Government to introduce a capital gain tax.

        Ouch!

  5. Gosman 5
    16 April 2015 at 9:04 am

    It looks like the election of a hard left leaning government in Greece is making things worse and it is getting very close to the point where it will default and then be forced from the Eurozone.

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/economics/11537495/Black-hole-in-Greek-finances-grows-as-Athens-is-pushed-to-the-brink-of-euro-exit.html

    • Paul 5.1
      16 April 2015 at 9:08 am

      Well the Torygraph is a reliable unbiased source isn’t it?

    • tracey 5.2
      16 April 2015 at 9:23 am

      It may default and declare a kind of Country Bankruptcy. That’s how it is done in a capitalist system isn’t it? Borrow, try to make it work, live large in the meantime and if worse comes to worse fold up the company, fuck the creditors and reinvent. Mark Bryers is a pin up boy for this, but on a smaller scale of course.

      • vto 5.2.1
        16 April 2015 at 9:37 am

        ha ha, yep, black hole being balanced in the usual yin and yang fashion by the white infinite money-printing machine elsewhere. black hole vs white infinity.

        The fallacies and myths of the financial system are on full display in Greece that is for sure. It is just not as people like gosman, who are completely lost in the system, see it.

      • Draco T Bastard 5.2.2
        16 April 2015 at 11:09 am

        The Tories don’t like admitting that countries can default and that they should when they can’t repay the loans.

        Of course, countries shouldn’t be taking out loans at all, ever but the Tories hate that truth even more.

        And the Tories hate those realities because they view government as a perfectly safe place to get money for nothing.

      • Jeeves 5.2.3
        17 April 2015 at 3:48 pm

        Excellent plan- time tested- never fails.
        Ask any rich person.

        • Tracey 5.2.3.1
          19 April 2015 at 9:59 am

          like the financial advisor suggesting students do it to free themselves from debt? or the companies that liquidate to avoid legal liability?

    • Skinny 5.3
      16 April 2015 at 9:26 am

      A smart move to force the Germans to cough up for World War 2 days. Hope they include interest on top 🙂

      • tracey 5.3.1
        16 April 2015 at 9:43 am

        Haven’t they already paid for that? Did we get Reparations from UK for slaughtering our men in WWI… Passchendaele, Somme, Gallipoli etc… oops I mean the germans and Turks.

      • Pasupial 5.3.2
        16 April 2015 at 10:05 am

        I’ve been following this story for the last while, and Greece certainly does have a case – though the amount claimed varies depending upon the context:

        Athens hit back at Berlin’s description of its demand for a staggering €278.7bn (£202bn) in compensation as “stupid”…

        “The response may have been ‘this is foolish, you have plucked this number out of the blue’ but for me it was also very positive,” Costas Isychos, the deputy defence minister, told the Guardian. “There was an admission that despite disagreeing with the figure a debt is owed, and that is very good.”…

        the figure could in fact be much bigger when interest payments were also taken into account…

        Greek officials had 400,000 pages of records obtained from the US national archives chronicling atrocities committed by the Third Reich.

        Crimes ranged from reprisal executions to the pillaging of the country’s cultural heritage and an interest-free forced loan, officially estimated by the general accountancy office at €10.3bn, which was extracted from the Bank of Greece to fund Hitler’s Africa campaign. The Greek defence ministry is in the process of translating the data and digitalising microfilms.

        “The occupation forces were extremely methodical in their reports to superiors, listing massacres and the shooting of victims, including women and children, the destruction of homes, you name it,” he said. “Greece, for example, was the biggest exporter to Nazi Germany of precious metals such as chrome. Some 279,000 tonnes were exported but never paid for.”

        Soon, experts would also be scouring historical archives obtained from Russia, he said. “I formally requested the archives two weeks ago when I visited Moscow and was told that they do indeed have them,” he said of records that ended up in the possession of Russian and American forces at the end of the war.

        http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/apr/08/greece-germany-war-reparations-demands

        And speaking of Russia:

        Russia’s lower house of parliament is setting up a working group to calculate how much money to demand from Germany for World War II reparations…

        Degtyaryov, a member of the nationalist LDPR party, believes that Germany should pay 3 or 4 trillion euros to Russia for the “destruction and atrocities” that Germany committed during World War II, the newspaper reported.

        “Germany paid compensation for 6 million victims of the Holocaust, but has ignored the 27 million Soviet people who were killed [during World War II], 16 million of whom were civilians,” Degtyaryov was cited as saying.

        http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/russian-lawmakers-want-germany-to-pay-reparations-for-world-war-ii/515373.html

  6. Pasupial 6
    16 April 2015 at 9:28 am

    I certainly won’t be volunteering to assist the privitised meals on wheels program, once I have the free time again (if that ever happens). Seems I’m not the only one:

    a volunteer driver resigned over the plan to truck meals on wheels from Auckland.

    Age Concern executive officer Susan Davidson said ”a couple of handfuls” of other volunteers had voiced concerns about the Compass Group outsourcing proposal. Some were unhappy with the idea of volunteering to deliver meals for the multinational food giant…

    Ms Davidson said she contacted the board last week with concerns the proposal could make it more difficult to attract volunteers.

    She also wanted to know from the board whether volunteers would be required to perform extra tasks with a different meal provider.

    ”We know that volunteers are always time poor, and we are very concerned that the meals on wheels service doesn’t become burdensome.”

    Some looked less favourably on spending their time volunteering for a profit-making entity, she said.

    http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/339236/volunteer-quits-over-food-plan

    From this earlier article it seems likely that Compass’s business model involves externalising any problems regarding food-handling/ safety onto volunteers:

    Grey Power Otago president Jo Millar said the board should have been more open from the start about the ”ridiculous” idea.

    ”What facilities are there going to be if they can’t truck this food down south in the mid-winter?… Meals would be heated before delivery, but Mrs Millar said many older people ate in the evening. Heating meals twice was potentially ”extremely unsafe”…

    ”Compass Group intends to work closely with volunteer organisations in Dunedin and Invercargill who deliver meals, to improve the information available and communication to recipients on safely handling their meals when they are received,” chief operating officer Julian Baldey said.

    http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/336234/frozen-meals-south-slammed

    • tracey 6.1
      16 April 2015 at 10:00 am

      Best thing volunteers can do is vote with their feet. Give their time to a different organisation until this bizarre situation is altered.

      Compass Group is going to lecture the volunteers on how to properly do what some have been doing for years? Volunteers should start send invoices for their time.

      • weka 6.1.1
        16 April 2015 at 10:10 am

        “Best thing volunteers can do is vote with their feet.”

        Except that will leave people without meals. Would be good to see some of the families getting involved.

        “Volunteers should start send invoices for their time.”

        This is a very good point. If this is about business model ideology, how come they’re not paying for deliver?

        • tracey 6.1.1.1
          16 April 2015 at 11:02 am

          Sometimes you have to inflict a short term pain to achieve a greater goal. How long do you think this Compass crowd will leave food undelivered if volunteers “strike”?

        • Draco T Bastard 6.1.1.2
          16 April 2015 at 11:16 am

          This is a very good point. If this is about business model ideology, how come they’re not paying for deliver?

          Because then they wouldn’t make as much profit for the bludgers shareholders.

        • Murray Rawshark 6.1.1.3
          16 April 2015 at 2:28 pm

          The volunteers have not signed a commercial contract to ensure delivery of the meals. Compass Group has. Therefore it is the responsibility of Compass Group to deliver the meals. They would be advised in advance and have enough time to do something other than give their CEO a raise and donate to NAct.

          • weka 6.1.1.3.1
            16 April 2015 at 3:00 pm

            If so that would be awesome. Are you sure the Compass’s contract includes delivery though? or just provision of meals?

            • Murray Rawshark 6.1.1.3.1.1
              16 April 2015 at 3:17 pm

              The hospital lawyers and their executives should lose their jobs if all Compass has to do is drop the food at a depot in Dunedin. Bugger it, they should lose their jobs anyway for this outsourcing rubbish. Compass has a shiny website, but the contract is obviously not on it.

              http://compass-group.co.nz/our-brands/medirest/

    • Chooky 6.2
      16 April 2015 at 10:02 am

      ‘meals on wheels’ has been a godsend to many elderly and disabled!….seems crazy to mess with something which has enabled many frail people to stay in their own homes

      • marty mars 6.2.1
        16 April 2015 at 10:50 am

        + 1 yes mum used meals on wheels and although she struggled with the meals sometimes, the service is needed and necessary – kia kaha to everyone who volunteers.

        • Chooky 6.2.1.1
          16 April 2015 at 2:14 pm

          +100..I know someone well into her nineties who has them and she lives in her own home by herself …and my Mum in her eighties has just started getting them …and they are delicious and nutritional….i am very impressed with this service as it is!

    • RedBaronCV 6.3
      16 April 2015 at 10:21 pm

      Compass Group intends to work closely with volunteer organisations in Dunedin and Invercargill

      but do they ask themselves whether the volunteer organisations want to work closely with Compass. Tosser he’s just me me me. Why should people do his work for free so his profit is larger?

      • Chooky 6.3.1
        16 April 2015 at 10:46 pm

        agreed!…volunteer work is done for love and care of fellow human beings ( something John Key’s Nact govt and friends do not understand)

        ….in a way it is an obscenity this outfit Compass is taking over for profit

        ….i expect the standards and the whole ‘meals on wheels’ service will decline, if not crash

        ….the sooner this govt is out the better

  7. Clemgeopin 7
    16 April 2015 at 9:33 am

    New York Times article : Trans-Pacific Partnership

    “Even if current negotiations over the trade agreement end with no deal, the draft chapter will still remain classified for four years as national security information. The initial version of an agreement projected by the government to affect millions of Americans will remain a secret until long after meaningful public debate is possible.

    National security secrecy may be appropriate to protect us from our enemies; it should not be used to protect our politicians from us.

    And the secrecy of trade negotiations does not just hide information from the public. It creates a funnel where powerful interests congregate, absent the checks, balances and necessary hurdles of the democratic process.

    Free-trade agreements are not just about imports, tariffs or overseas jobs. Agreements bring complex national regulatory systems together, such as intellectual property law, with implications for free speech, privacy and public health.

    Secrecy has real costs. Because the negotiating process combines a general shield from the public with privileged access for industry advisers, the substance of American free trade agreements does not represent truly national interests. It represents the interests of those members of industry who sit on the office’s Industry Trade Advisory Committees, which have regular access to negotiating information.”

    Read more here:

    http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/04/14/opinion/dont-keep-trade-talks-secret.html?_r=1

    • tracey 7.1
      16 April 2015 at 10:01 am

      Thanks for the link. And all this BS about needing to keep it confidential cos of preserving bargaining positions when they are all spying on each other and data trawling, meaning everyone knows EXACTLY where others bottom lines are.

    • Draco T Bastard 7.2
      16 April 2015 at 11:22 am

      And the point that no one seems to be addressing is that we don’t need free-trade agreements anyway. We just need to state the conditions that we would be willing to trade under and make it up to the other countries if they then choose to meet those conditions or not. This could bring about a race to the top rather than the race to the bottom that the present FTAs are producing.

  8. tracey 8
    16 April 2015 at 9:47 am

    From Bill Rosenberg at CTU

    ““On one measure, the average hourly wage (including overtime), the wage gap was between 5% and 10% during the 1990s, rose to 21% in 2005, then fell to 10% in 2008. By the end of 2010 it was back to 21% and that is where it still was at the end of 2014.
    That doesn’t take into account “benefits” in addition to wages such as the 9.5% contribution that Australian employers are required to make to their employees’ superannuation. On a measure including that, the pattern is similar to the average hourly wage but the gap is much bigger. It rose more or less steadily through the 1990s to a 45% peak in 2005. It fell to 34% in the year ending March 2009 and then began to rise again. By the year to March 2014 the gap was 42%.” ”

    http://union.org.nz/economicbulletin166

    full report here
    http://union.org.nz/sites/union.org.nz/files/CTU-Monthly-Economic-Bulletin-166-March-2015-2.pdf

    Seems odd, aye, when you consider how marvellous Key and English say our economy is compared to Oz, that it’s not reflected in some wages?

  10. weka 10
    16 April 2015 at 10:03 am

    Internation news gathering site on Universal Basic Income

    UBIEurope

    Unconditional Basic Income (UBI) is an amount of money, paid on a regular basis to each individual unconditionally and universally, high enough to ensure a material existence and participation in society. UBI is a step towards an emancipatory welfare system.

    http://paper.basicincome-europe.org/

    Love the term ’emancipatory welfare’.

  11. infused 11
    16 April 2015 at 10:12 am

    Waiting for Stephs post on Paul Henry.

    • Paul 12.1
      16 April 2015 at 10:27 am

      He called her Mary twice.
      Suggests she rattled him.
      Good.
      Nice to see these arrogant ministers actually asked some hard questions for a change.

    • vto 12.2
      16 April 2015 at 10:34 am

      That is what a good interview is.

      More please.

      • Scintilla 12.2.1
        16 April 2015 at 1:09 pm

        Kim wasn’t going to let him get away with not answering the question of what the govt was going to do about the “demand side”. Smith tries to blame it on the ‘good news’ that people aren’t abandoning ship for Aussie now (like this hasn’t been inflating for a long time). I think the penny has dropped – difficult for it to drop any harder when the RB says something has to be done to avoid whatever the fashionable euphemism is for “disaster”.

        Andrew Little is trying to stare the gnats down and make them be the ones to have to make that unpopular (with their constituents) decision to apply a CGT and stricter LTV ratios for multiple property investors. Good work.

        • hoom 12.2.1.1
          16 April 2015 at 1:30 pm

          She didn’t make any particular reference to the other forms of demand though.
          Like overseas investors, multi-house owners etc.

          Nor alternatives on supply end like Govt building houses & selling them at low cost.

          Also: is Kim only temping for Mary or is this a permanent change due to the flagging listnership?

          • Scintilla 12.2.1.1.1
            16 April 2015 at 3:19 pm

            Kim was asking the questions, not answering – that was Nick Smith’s duty as Minister for Housing. He did not want to address any solutions to the demand side, he fobbed that off onto English as Finance Minister. Smith did not see why as Minister of Housing, he should address what the Reserve Bank had to say about doing something like a CGT and LTV ratios to rein in the Auckland housing market. As if it was nothing to do with him. Really??

            They built vast numbers of new houses in Ireland and Spain to feed the market just before it all went tits up too.

      • Paul 12.2.2
        16 April 2015 at 1:19 pm

        It’s called journalism.
        In threat of extinction in John Key’s New Zealand.

    • Chooky 12.3
      16 April 2015 at 2:24 pm

      it is great to have Kim Hill back on Morning Report!

    • Hateatea 12.4
      16 April 2015 at 4:46 pm

      I didn’t think that Dr Smith could be worse at Housing than he was at ACC but he is. How could he be so unprepared that he got the hosts name wrong, not once but twice!

      Lovely to hear real interviewing of politicians by a person who can think on their feet and keep to the topic not be diverted by the spin.

      I am a HUGE Kim Hill fan and wish she could do more of this. Maybe she needs to be cloned 😉

  13. saveNZ 13
    16 April 2015 at 10:24 am

    +++STOP PRESS+++

    Granddaddy Herald actually ran a story with a commentator from Environmental Defense Agency. It didn’t even appear censored. Since most of my comments never make it through moderation of Granddaddy here is my comment…

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11433214

    If we want to preserve clean green environmental NZ the public has to fight for it and for protection for the environment under the RMA. They also need to work together at a local level and with local and central government help to preserve it.

    The RMA should be strengthened not weakened, it is already so weak as practically powerless mostly due to having council’s resource consent officers as the first line of defence.

    Look at ports of Auckland. The council is doing nothing effective and allowing them to legally to steal the publicly owned harbour and zero public input and environmental effects are needed to do it.

    Yesterday Campbell Live ran a story about NZ water being bottled and exported to China while a local farmer’s crops died due to drought.

    This country has gone mad! Nothing makes any sense anymore!

    We have lost our identity as a country in this soup of neoliberalism and corporate welfare and quest with zero questions asked trade agreements that are depriving decent Kiwis of a future.

    Someone needs to read parliament a bedtime story, of the golden goose.

    NZ environment is being destroyed. Soon no more golden eggs left in the fire sale.

    God knows what will happen with TPPA. Now is the time to lobby.

    http://www.itsourfuture.org.nz

  14. Bearded Git 14
    16 April 2015 at 11:54 am

    I’m sure someone else has probably posted this anti-Hosking rant but here it is:

    http://gregorycoopersblog.blogspot.co.nz/2015/04/a-rant-about-mike-hosking.html?m=1

  15. Draco T Bastard 15
    16 April 2015 at 12:02 pm

    ust when hope and courage are called for, Labour promises bean-counting

    Labour has allowed the Conservatives to frame its politics. Frames are the mental structures through which we perceive the world. The dominant Tory frame, constructed and polished across seven years by its skilled cabinet makers, is that the all-important issue is the deficit. The financial crisis, it claims, was caused not by the banks but by irresponsible government spending, for which the only cure is austerity.

    Labour has pretty much done the same thing here. It’s why they keep on about the 9 successive surpluses.

    Sure, we need to be aware of government spending but the government doesn’t really need to run a surplus – especially if they’re the sole creator of NZ$.

    • Draco T Bastard 16.1
      16 April 2015 at 2:37 pm

      And that proves, beyond doubt, that the reason why we have poverty is because a few people have far too much income.

      The one thing we cannot afford is the rich.

      • hoom 16.1.1
        16 April 2015 at 2:52 pm

        Indeed.

        Its particularly interesting in that it confirms something I’ve suspected for a long time: Those big pay increases top management constantly give themselves if spread among lower paid staff can make significant difference to the lower salaries.

        There is one thing I’m a bit sus about which is why he was on 1mil+ to start with.
        It could be he just one day suddenly truly realised he had a ridiculous salary vs his staff & decided to do something about it.

        But there could be some dodgy tax rort type reason for it too.

  17. Clemgeopin 17
    16 April 2015 at 1:45 pm

    Johh Key has said he admired Robert Muldoon a lot.

    One can discern Key’s attitude to news, press, current affairs and investigative journalism, if you see what Muldoon’s attitude to those were.

    Watch the excellent part 4 of the link below to make the connection:

    http://www.nzonscreen.com/title/50-years-of-new-zealand-television-episode-one-2010#

  18. Clemgeopin 18
    16 April 2015 at 2:51 pm

    John Key has just asked this question:

    “Key: Would people watch publicly funded broadcast TV?”

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/tv-radio/67802231/key-would-people-watch-publicly-funded-broadcast-tv

    My response is this:

    ‘Yes, Prime Minister, there is a need for publicly funded news, current affairs and investigative journalism in order to inform the public and to hold the government to account. Look at the UK and US where there are 24 hour government funded news/current affairs channels. It is not good enough in a democracy to simply provide dumb down channels/programmes only for entertainment or for the lowest common demographics, based on maximum advertising revenue. It is astonishing that as a Prime Minister he would even ask such dumb questions. He needs to get some enlightenment and values into his thinking.”

  19. Draco T Bastard 19
    16 April 2015 at 3:10 pm

    1st Color Image of Pluto

    NASA’s New Horizons mission to Pluto has returned its first color image of the dwarf planet and its largest moon, Charon.

    The new photo, taken on April 9 from a distance of about 71 million miles (115 million kilometers), is already revealing insights about Pluto and Charon, as well as suggestions of the science to come when New Horizons flies by the Pluto system on July 14, NASA officials said.

  20. The Pink Postman 20
    16 April 2015 at 3:25 pm

    Good bye to Dorthy Jellicic who died Tueday . A great worker for the underprinviledged she will be missed by all who knew her,
    I am just glad that my wife and I had dinner a couple of months ago with Dorothy and husband Paul it was a last farewell for us.
    Dorothy was a dedicated democratic Socialist and her death is lose to the who;le Labour movement . Good Bye Dorothy it was a pleasure to have had you as a friend .

  22. marty mars 22
    16 April 2015 at 4:29 pm

    what can we do about a person like this

    A hunter from the US who has killed dozens of wild animals has been sent death wishes by furious social media users after a picture showing her lying down next to a dead giraffe was circulated.

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=11433332

    disgusting human

  23. Clemgeopin 23
    16 April 2015 at 5:05 pm

    See what a nitwit Nick Smith is! And he is the ‘Minister’ for housing! He has no clue, or pretends not to have any clue, on what REALLY needs to be done to solve the massive housing problem, especially in Auckland! The incompetent talking head is a fool and needs the sack.

    Go to these two links to see what I mean:

    [1] The talking head at a public meeting:

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/home-property/67799605/what-auckland-properties-can-you-buy-for-550000

    [2] With Kim Hill this morning on RNZ:

    http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/20174921/building-and-housing-minister-on-reserve-bank's-housing-warning

  24. joe90 24
    16 April 2015 at 5:17 pm

    Urban safaris.

    Robert C. Bates—a 73-year-old reserve deputy who allegedly got the job thanks to his financial contributions—was ultimately charged with manslaughter for mistakenly shooting Eric Harris. But according to the Tulsa World, authorities first tried—apparently in vain—to cover up his lack of training.

    http://gawker.com/tulsa-authorities-reportedly-falsified-reserve-deputys-1698133492?

  25. lprent 25
    16 April 2015 at 10:14 pm

    Ok, I have just modified the method for setting the comment details to client side rather than server side.

    This should fix the problem with the occasional cached pages showing up in other peoples browsers.

    Haven’t checked on Internet Explorer 🙂

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    Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue.  We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
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    17 hours ago
  • AG reminds institutions of legal obligations

    Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
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    20 hours ago
  • More young people learning about digital safety

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views.  “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
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  • Speech to the Conference for General Practice 2024

    Tēnā tātou katoa,  Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
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  • Employers and payroll providers ready for tax changes

    New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts.  “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
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  • Experimental vineyard futureproofs wine industry

    An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
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  • Funding confirmed for regions affected by North Island Weather Events

    The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
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  • Indonesian Foreign Minister to visit

    Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced.   “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
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  • Strengthening partnership with Ngāti Maniapoto

    He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
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    2 days ago
  • Transport Minister thanks outgoing CAA Chair

    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
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  • Test for Customary Marine Title being restored

    The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says.  “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
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  • Opposition united in bad faith over ECE sector review

    Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet.  “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
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    After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks.  “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
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  • Government upgrading Lower North Island commuter rail

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  • Government moves to ensure flood protection for Wairoa

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  • PM speech to Parliament – Royal Commission of Inquiry’s Report into Abuse in Care

    Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care.  At the heart of this report are the ...
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    For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...
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  • ‘Open banking’ and ‘open electricity’ on the way

    New legislation paves the way for greater competition in sectors such as banking and electricity, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Competitive markets boost productivity, create employment opportunities and lift living standards. To support competition, we need good quality regulation but, unfortunately, a recent OECD report ranked New ...
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  • Charity lotteries to be permitted to operate online

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says lotteries for charitable purposes, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, and local hospices, will soon be allowed to operate online permanently. “Under current laws, these fundraising lotteries are only allowed to operate online until October 2024, after which ...
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  • Accelerating Northland Expressway

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    4 days ago
  • Sir Don to travel to Viet Nam as special envoy

    Sir Don McKinnon will travel to Viet Nam this week as a Special Envoy of the Government, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced.    “It is important that the Government give due recognition to the significant contributions that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made to New Zealand-Viet Nam relations,” Mr ...
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    4 days ago
  • Grant Illingworth KC appointed as transitional Commissioner to Royal Commission

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says newly appointed Commissioner, Grant Illingworth KC, will help deliver the report for the first phase of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons, due on 28 November 2024.  “I am pleased to announce that Mr Illingworth will commence his appointment as ...
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    4 days ago
  • NZ to advance relationships with ASEAN partners

    Foreign Minister Winston Peters travels to Laos this week to participate in a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-led Ministerial meetings in Vientiane.    “ASEAN plays an important role in supporting a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Mr Peters says.   “This will be our third visit to ...
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    4 days ago
  • Backing mental health services on the West Coast

    Construction of a new mental health facility at Te Nikau Grey Hospital in Greymouth is today one step closer, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “This $27 million facility shows this Government is delivering on its promise to boost mental health care and improve front line services,” Mr Doocey says. ...
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    4 days ago
  • NZ support for sustainable Pacific fisheries

    New Zealand is committing nearly $50 million to a package supporting sustainable Pacific fisheries development over the next four years, Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This support consisting of a range of initiatives demonstrates New Zealand’s commitment to assisting our Pacific partners ...
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    4 days ago
  • Students’ needs at centre of new charter school adjustments

    Associate Education Minister David Seymour says proposed changes to the Education and Training Amendment Bill will ensure charter schools have more flexibility to negotiate employment agreements and are equipped with the right teaching resources. “Cabinet has agreed to progress an amendment which means unions will not be able to initiate ...
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    4 days ago
  • Commissioner replaces Health NZ Board

    In response to serious concerns around oversight, overspend and a significant deterioration in financial outlook, the Board of Health New Zealand will be replaced with a Commissioner, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti announced today.  “The previous government’s botched health reforms have created significant financial challenges at Health NZ that, without ...
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    5 days ago
  • Minister to speak at Australian Space Forum

    Minister for Space and Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins will travel to Adelaide tomorrow for space and science engagements, including speaking at the Australian Space Forum.  While there she will also have meetings and visits with a focus on space, biotechnology and innovation.  “New Zealand has a thriving space ...
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    5 days ago
  • Climate Change Minister to attend climate action meeting in China

    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will travel to China on Saturday to attend the Ministerial on Climate Action meeting held in Wuhan.  “Attending the Ministerial on Climate Action is an opportunity to advocate for New Zealand climate priorities and engage with our key partners on climate action,” Mr Watts says. ...
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    5 days ago
  • Oceans and Fisheries Minister to Solomons

    Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is travelling to the Solomon Islands tomorrow for meetings with his counterparts from around the Pacific supporting collective management of the region’s fisheries. The 23rd Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Committee and the 5th Regional Fisheries Ministers’ Meeting in Honiara from 23 to 26 July ...
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    7 days ago
  • Government launches Military Style Academy Pilot

    The Government today launched the Military Style Academy Pilot at Te Au rere a te Tonga Youth Justice residence in Palmerston North, an important part of the Government’s plan to crackdown on youth crime and getting youth offenders back on track, Minister for Children, Karen Chhour said today. “On the ...
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    7 days ago
  • Nine priority bridge replacements to get underway

    The Government has welcomed news the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has begun work to replace nine priority bridges across the country to ensure our state highway network remains resilient, reliable, and efficient for road users, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“Increasing productivity and economic growth is a key priority for the ...
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    1 week ago
  • Update on global IT outage

    Acting Prime Minister David Seymour has been in contact throughout the evening with senior officials who have coordinated a whole of government response to the global IT outage and can provide an update. The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet has designated the National Emergency Management Agency as the ...
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  • New Zealand, Japan renew Pacific partnership

    New Zealand and Japan will continue to step up their shared engagement with the Pacific, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.    “New Zealand and Japan have a strong, shared interest in a free, open and stable Pacific Islands region,” Mr Peters says.    “We are pleased to be finding more ways ...
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    1 week ago
  • New infrastructure energises BOP forestry towns

    New developments in the heart of North Island forestry country will reinvigorate their communities and boost economic development, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones visited Kaingaroa and Kawerau in Bay of Plenty today to open a landmark community centre in the former and a new connecting road in ...
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  • 'Pacific Futures'

    President Adeang, fellow Ministers, honourable Diet Member Horii, Ambassadors, distinguished guests.    Minasama, konnichiwa, and good afternoon, everyone.    Distinguished guests, it’s a pleasure to be here with you today to talk about New Zealand’s foreign policy reset, the reasons for it, the values that underpin it, and how it ...
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    1 week ago

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