Bugger! I didn't realise it was pay walled. I had a logon at work so was able to read it. You need to watch the video to get the full effect….he's very aggressive.
Never understood whats going on with this politically. I thoroughly disagree with prescriptive sentencing legislation like 3 strikes or even anti-smacking, but on the other hand what kind of judge hands out home detention for assault on a child.
I guess a judge who has heard all the evidence and had reports on the offender- that sort of judge. It does raise the question of "Who shall judge the judges?"
I had a coffee with a former police prosecutor this morning and raised the issue of monitoring judge's perfomance. He said there were procedures involving reports and correspondence between police and the chief district court judge who has that supervision role. He agreed with me about the judge being in possession of the facts and therefore being in the best place to act fairly. We also agreed that our judiciary is free of political influence with its separation of powers, and that NZ has a very high rating for lack of corruption internationally.
We also agreed that the trust of the people has to be maintained in our social systems, which have been under great pressure with covid, mandates and things like three waters highighting issue s of trust.
He was charged with wilful damage and pleaded guilty, AFAIK. Was he charged with anything else?
Judges don’t make up the charges, for obvious reasons.
I don’t have access to the linked article (f-ing pay-wall) but it looks like some folks are going off on a half-arsed tangent because they don’t have a clue either what they’re talking about.
And it's this half-arsed, half baked 'reckon' found on social media that is doing damage to our social cohesion that is based on trust, solid information and reasoning.
Agreed! The hurdle to attack the judiciary used to be high and society used to place a lot of trust and respect in it. Many now seem to be all too happy to wag the finger at judges knowing diddly-squat about the facts.
Good question? Let me think on it. Although I will start by saying I agree generally with what you have written:
''We also agreed that our judiciary is free of political influence with its separation of powers, and that NZ has a very high rating for lack of corruption internationally.''
I'm well known on this blog for having major issues with Maoridom. I think as time has gone on white guilt over past wrongs to Maori and Maori activism behind the scenes has lead to rationality flying out the window. It seems to me it's a given that anything involving Maori is subject to circumspect oversight by government organisations and MSM. This allows a culture of exceptions for Maori that can supersede the laws of our land or accepted conventions when Maori consider their culture is at risk. In the case above regarding the judges, the fact Pakeha people where bringing up a Maori child was one factor for what was called a'' breach of judicial independence”
Another example that may be worth considering. Willy Jackson is now the Minister Of Broadcasting. But I haven't heard the media ask if he has relinquished all connections with Maori media or other interests that may be in conflict with his new portfolio. If he was a National Party member the media would be all over him like a rash.
I'm well known on this blog for having major issues with Maoridom.
I would suggest you reconsider. It is not Maoridom you should have issue with. Every culture has both it's strengths and weaknesses – and it has been long been my contention here that the polyglot cultures that make up our society would serve us all well if we opened our eyes to our diverse strengths and helped each walk away from their failings.
In my experience there is a great deal non-Maori NZ can and should learn from those aspects of the Maori world that evolved here before us, that observed and absorbed much knowledge of landscape, wildlife and our raw inner spiritual nature – unencumbered by the intense materialism of modernity.
While this world view challenges us – it is not confronting. Most mature people can respect and connect with it to the degree that makes sense for them. It is a process we can welcome.
What you are reacting against something altogether distinct. It is a radical political movement that is appropriating this deep culture for another purpose.
When Labour lose the election next year, Robert, it's obvious you will have no idea why. But I'm sure some great /sarc will be had for all to enjoy on this blog. Read the article first. Notice all the ''no comments?” I bet when the case is not before the court there will still be ''no comment.''
''The Guidelines for Judicial Conduct 2019 state that judicial independence is a “cornerstone of our system of government in a democratic society and a safeguard of the freedom and rights of the citizen under the rule of law”.
The independence of the judiciary from the legislative and executive arms of government is “fundamental to the constitutional balance under the Constitution Act 1986 as well as to the principle of legality which underlies it and the rights and freedoms organised by the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990.”
Judge Callinicos :
''If there are concerns about such conduct, then there is an appropriate avenue for how they be addressed. Intruding into the part-heard live case is not one of them,”
Now let's hive off ( no pun intended). You wrote:
''These must remain unchanged, unchallenged, undisputed, yes?Most especially, by Maori.''
See, Robert, tochallenge something, you first have to know what you are challenging. The example I'm about to give is still quite common in Maoridom. Not that you would have a clue because you are ignorant of such things.
This is from Willie Jackson’s former wife Moana Maniapoto:
Quote:
''Back then, Willie had a short attention span. No idea about the Treaty either. I tried to break it down for him once, as we drove from Rotorua to Auckland.
“Repeat back to me what I just said.” He’d give me a blank look, shrug, then laugh. Hopeless.''
How is it even possible that Efeso Collins backed by the Labour Party is only equal to three centre right mayoral candidates?
That means that if only one of those centre right candidates drops out and their support redistributes to the other two, Efeso's campaign gets in trouble fast.
Tempting as it is to complain that Collins' campaign is run by a set of young policy wonks with no money and no fucking attack genes between them, the more basic problem is that Leo Molloy is making the running in the mainstream media and already got many key billboards up.
Good point, Ad. I thought this race may get interesting. But as Mikey said this morning, whoever wins will only have the support of a very low percentage of Aucklanders who bothered to vote.
All I can say Sacha is: if the few voters who crawl out of bed to vote can't see past the smoke and mirrors and bullshit, then they will get what they deserve. Not that the rest of Auckland gives a stuff…unless something goes wrong of course.
So was it that Poto Williams wasn't doing a good job or was it orchestrated public clamour that led to the reshuffle? Thought you had been around long enough to know how political attacks work.
Please excuse my sarcasm. I frame things in the way most on this blog perceive it. If Mikey is involved it must be a slug feast. But it wasn't. Seemed like a reasonable interview to me.
Any comments about the points raised? No, thought not.
I don't know why, I just argue my point. Rarely do I start the nasty stuff. Blog trolls do that. Of course I have to answer them, hence I rack up some miles. But you already know that. Talking of loquacious…I enjoy some of the debates that go on and on and on. It's very interesting, sometimes I could add something to them, but I don't because it's all commentary and conjecture to me. I like to get straight to the core of an issue and suggest ideas and a different perspective preferably based on real life experiences…and talkback radio.
Is it appropriate for an executive of a large corporate (bank) to get down and dirty in expressing his political views? Twice now I have seen snippets from a former prime minister on primetime news bulletins on Covid issues. Perhaps it would be more appropriate for him to comment on and justify the huge excessive profits and dividends the bank he assists in running and the affects on the economy.
Calls to mind his lack of nous when he was interviewed by Paul Henry about "having a real kiwi as our next Governor General" by just smiling. (Hon Anand Satyanand – born and raised in Auckland was GG at the time)
Sorry lprent, commenting from a different computer, and couldn't access/see my reply (to Blade @3) after editing. Had to re-enter my name and got that wrong as well!
You’re welcome. There are other interpretations of the Treaty but these don’t suit the (dominant) partisan narratives. For someone with no prior knowledge, and thus much less bias/prejudice, it is not too hard to level them and compare them on their relative merits of persuasion and reasoning. Salmond has been at it for years and I’d say it is a lifetime project of hers, professionally as well as personally, because she’d make no real distinction between the two, I’d imagine.
Nothing new there about 'race'. Anthropology and Sociology 101 from the 90s. What i take out from that article is that lawyers are intellectually lazy.
'Race' is not and has never been a Maori concept. From the very early days some Pakeha men chose to live with Maori as Maori. They were welcome for the technology they could share. These men were called Pakeha Maori by Maori. They took Maori wives and their children were know as Maori. Pakeha called these children half-caste.
Maori is a collection of related ethnic groups not a 'race'. Individual Maori do not have any more rights than any other New Zealander, but each Iwi as a collective has specific rights as guaranteed by their agreement with the Crown.
In terms of unteaching 'race', it seems to me the first step would be to change the name of the Race Relations Conciliator. It is not rational to try and tell people that 'race' does not exist while at the same time saying we need to manage relations between 'races'.
They sure seem happy to invoke it when it suits them though. But yes – I agree pre-European Maori would have had no use for the concept given their radical geographic isolation.
Maori is a collection of related ethnic groups not a 'race'. Individual Maori do not have any more rights than any other New Zealander, but each Iwi as a collective has specific rights as guaranteed by their agreement with the Crown.
An interesting para. That seems to me to be the reasonable approach – recognising that it was not Maori as a race, culture or even a people at the time of the ToW – but a fractious, polyglot collection of migrant groups who shared a Pacific heritage and not much else.
And in 1840 the iwi had just come off the back of 40 years of internal genocide that saw them kill off almost 40% of their own population. This was not a united society, culture or people in any sense. It was a dozen or so large family groups who all distrusted and hated each other. Their surviving leaders were concerned more than anything else to bring the mayhem to an end and to protect what resources remained to them. To that end the offer of citizenship in the empire of the global superpower of the era – and the legal protections it promised – was the deal of the century.
Erasing the Musket Wars from our history is no accident – it obscures the real motives and intentions around what happened at Waitangi. It makes as much sense as for example explaining why the UN was formed – while pretending WW2 had not just happened.
And in this light – it can be argued that by becoming citizens of the British Empire they gave away any claim to be indigenous at the same time.
The musket wars have not been erased from history. Every Treaty education thing i have ever encountered, and there has been quite a few, has outlined the musket wars and the unifying aspect of the Treaty. Perhaps if you did a Treaty education course you could stop talking such twaddle.
Why then would the several deeply respected kaumatua who explained all this to me be talking 'twaddle'?
I spent a significant fraction of the 80's re-engaging with my paternal Maori heritage. And in that period had the privilege to get to know some remarkable elders – in the true globally understood sense of that word.
I have never written to those experiences for a couple of reasons, one is that the whole story is not mine to tell; it involves lots of other people. Secondly events happened that I cannot properly do justice to with my own words. And finally this is a political forum – not a spiritual one.
But suffice to say that sometime during that period as that authentic generation of Maori, whose roots were firmly located in their local landscapes and peoples, passed on – I then watched as their heritage was appropriated by a new class of university educated radicals whose goal was no longer healing and unity – but power and vengeance.
You make a claim that the musket wars have been erased from history and then start talking about personal discussions with kaumatua from the 80s. I'm going to leave it here as i have no interest in your bad faith discussions. You can have the last word if you want.
Every Treaty education thing i have ever encountered, and there has been quite a few, has outlined the musket wars and the unifying aspect of the Treaty.
But when I outline exactly the same you call it 'twaddle'?
Contradictory much?
Nonetheless I would argue that the significance and historic context of the Musket Wars does get downplayed in the public domain. While the Land Wars later in the century – with a far lower death toll – are constantly played as the colonial crime of the century. It is not hard to detect a selective version of history being played here, and the political agenda it serves.
And in 1840 the iwi had just come off the back of 40 years of internal genocide that saw them kill off almost 40% of their own population
Now do Europe's half-millenia long orgy of bloodshed. From the Italian wars, the French wars of religion, the Thirty Years War ( the population in some areas of Germany declined by between 30% and 66%), The Napoleonic Wars (the population of France declined by an estimated 10%), various French/Anglo/Spanish/Prussian/Russian tiffs, assorted uprisings and revolutions and the conquest of Algeria through to the mechanised killing of the 20th C.
Yup. No-one is standing on any moral high ground here, and nor was I claiming any. Hell I even made explicit reference to WW2.
But the point to be made is that these catastrophes have a chastening effect – and in their immediate aftermath there is often a period when we are open reform and progress. As there will be when this war in Europe finally concludes.
In particular there is a moment when we clearly and bitterly understand that disunity and confrontation – which are the cause of all the grief you list – can only be countered by unity, consensus and justice. And we turn out minds to doing better if only for a while.
I don’t think that many TS readers have done Anthropology and Sociology 101 in the 90s
The term/concept “race” is often a divisionary tool.
What i take out from that article is that lawyers are intellectually lazy.
Lawyers are being tasked, or think they are, to codify the Treaty into Law to have (the) force of law. However, the Treaty was never intended to become Law as such. The problem is that once in motion it cannot be walked back by lawyers even if they wanted to.
That's not how some Maori see it. They don't ever want a republic in New Zealand. Many Maori do if you believe some polls. I can hazard a guess which group may have the university education.
By making Adrian Rurawhe Speaker. He will go list only next year. Leaving a clearish run for Debbie Ngarewa-Packer to win the Māori electorate. Strengthens Te Pati Māori in the House, providing Labour another coalition partner.
Thanks, Stephen D. Certainly arguable so long as Te Pati Māori is seen as a credible and useful coalition partner who are surley more credible than NZF, Labour’s last coalition partner.
Meanwhile, the West is taking a punt on lumbering itself with tens if not hundreds of thousands more early onset dementia patients.
“Brain fog” has emerged as one of the most debilitating symptoms of long COVID, affecting thousands of people globally, impeding their ability to work and function in daily life.
The findings of their study, published this week in Nature Communications, suggest there may be distinct parallels between the effects of COVID-19 on the brain and the early stages of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
[…]
“What we saw is that they formed very similar amyloid clumps, which are basically just ordered assemblies of protein that are stuck together and considered ‘molecular hallmarks’ of the early stages of neurodegenerative disease,” he said.
“To cut a long story short, these amyloid plaques are very toxic to the brain cells and we hypothesise that aggregates of SARS-CoV-2 proteins may trigger neurological symptoms in COVID-19 that many of us call brain fog.”
China is about control, and the fact that it has the shittiest vaccine in the world apparently. I saw a blog which I can’t remember the name of a few weeks ago done by a youngish SouthAfrican who divides his time between SA, the States and China and in relation to the latest massacre in the US he said that while the Chinese do not have mass shootings they do have mass stabbings and a lot of them, in fact he had been a witness to more than one. Life in China is very stressful for a lot of people and help is not really that available if physical or mental health is compromised. He showed a quick video of how the police manage such things and it involved a long pole with a half round attachment on the end which can be used to trap an offender on the ground or up against a wall. Probably not as effective against an assault rifle.
His point was that there is a lot more civil disturbance and dissatisfaction in China than we are made aware of. Hence the need for control, but one day that build up of pressure will bite the political elite on the arse. Not before time either.
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Today in our National-led authoritarian nightmare: Shane Jones thinks Ministers should be above the law: New Zealand First MP Shane Jones is accusing the Waitangi Tribunal of over-stepping its mandate by subpoenaing a minister for its urgent hearing on the Oranga Tamariki claim. The tribunal is looking into the ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. ...
Citizen Science writes – Last week saw two significant developments in the debate over the treatment of trans-identifying children and young people – the release in Britain of the final report of Dr Hilary Cass’s review into gender healthcare, and here in New Zealand, the news that the ...
One night while sleeping in my bed I had a beautiful dreamThat all the people of the world got together on the same wavelengthAnd began helping one anotherNow in this dream, universal love was the theme of the dayPeace and understanding and it happened this wayAfter such an eventful day ...
This is a guest post by Oscar Simms who is a housing activist, volunteer for the Coalition for More Homes, and was the Labour Party candidate for Auckland Central at the last election. ...
Turning what Labour called the “holiday highway” into a four-lane expressway from Auckland to Whangarei could bring at least an economic benefit of nearly two billion a year for Northland each year. And it could help bring an end to poverty in one of New Zealand’s most deprived regions. The ...
Tonight’s six-stack includes: launching his substack with a bunch of his previous documentaries, including this 1992 interview with Dame Whina Cooper. and here crew give climate activists plenty to do, including this call to submit against the Fast Track Approvals bill. writes brilliantly here on his substack ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
You're in the mall when you hear it: some kind of popping sound in the distance, kids with fireworks, maybe. But then a moment of eerie stillness is followed by more of the fireworks sound and there’s also screaming and shrieking and now here come people running for their lives.Does ...
Karl du Fresne writes – There’s a crisis in the news media and the media are blaming it on everyone except themselves. Culpability is being deflected elsewhere – mainly to the hapless Minister of Communications, Melissa Lee, and the big social media platforms that are accused of hoovering ...
I don’t normally send out two newsletters in a day but I figured I’d say something about… the news. If two newsletters is a bit much then maybe just skip one, I don’t want to overload people. Alternatively if you’d be interested in sometimes receiving multiple, smaller updates from me, ...
Buzz from the Beehive David Seymour and Winston Peters today signalled that at least two ministers of the Crown might be in Wellington today. Seymour (as Associate Minister of Education) announced the removal of more red tape, this time to make it easier for new early learning services to be ...
Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. Our political system is suffering from the ...
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. ...
Māori are yet to see anything from this Government except cuts, reversals and taking our people backwards, Māori Development spokesperson Willie Jackson said. ...
The Coalition Government’s refusal to commit to ongoing funding for social housing is seeing the sector pull back on developments and families watch their dreams of securing a home fade away, says Labour Housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty. ...
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 ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has made further appointments to the Board of Antarctica New Zealand as part of a continued effort to ensure the Scott Base Redevelopment project is delivered in a cost-effective and efficient manner. The Minister has appointed Neville Harris as a new member of the Board. Mr ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis will travel to the United States on Tuesday to attend a meeting of the Five Finance Ministers group, with counterparts from Australia, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. “I am looking forward to meeting with our Five Finance partners on how we can work ...
The coalition Government has today announced purrfect and pawsitive changes to the Residential Tenancies Act to give tenants with pets greater choice when looking for a rental property, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Pets are important members of many Kiwi families. It’s estimated that around 64 per cent of New ...
State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the Government has also asked NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) to consider and provide advice on a Long Tunnel option, Transport Minister Simeon Brown ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters have condemned Iran’s shocking and illegal strikes against Israel. “These attacks are a major challenge to peace and stability in a region already under enormous pressure," Mr Luxon says. "We are deeply concerned that miscalculation on any side could ...
Hundreds of people in little over a week have turned out in Northland to hear Regional Development Minister Shane Jones speak about plans for boosting the regional economy through infrastructure. About 200 people from the infrastructure and associated sectors attended an event headlined by Mr Jones in Whangarei today. Last ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has today thanked outgoing Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora Chair Dame Karen Poutasi for her service on the Board. “Dame Karen tendered her resignation as Chair and as a member of the Board today,” says Dr Reti. “I have asked her to ...
The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has signalled their proposed delivery approach for the Government’s 15 Roads of National Significance (RoNS), with the release of the State Highway Investment Proposal (SHIP) today, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Boosting economic growth and productivity is a key part of the Government’s plan to ...
New Zealand is renewing its connections with a world facing urgent challenges by pursuing an active, energetic foreign policy, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “Our country faces the most unstable global environment in decades,” Mr Peters says at the conclusion of two weeks of engagements in Egypt, Europe and the United States. “We cannot afford to sit back in splendid ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced the Australian Governor-General, His Excellency General The Honourable David Hurley and his wife Her Excellency Mrs Linda Hurley, will make a State visit to New Zealand from Tuesday 16 April to Thursday 18 April. The visit reciprocates the State visit of former Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced that Medsafe has approved 11 cold and flu medicines containing pseudoephedrine. Pharmaceutical suppliers have indicated they may be able to supply the first products in June. “This is much earlier than the original expectation of medicines being available by 2025. The Government recognised ...
New Zealand and the United States have recommitted to their strategic partnership in Washington DC today, pledging to work ever more closely together in support of shared values and interests, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The strategic environment that New Zealand and the United States face is considerably more ...
April 11, 2024 Joint Declaration by United States Secretary of State the Honorable Antony J. Blinken and New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs the Right Honourable Winston Peters We met today in Washington, D.C. to recommit to the historic partnership between our two countries and the principles that underpin it—rule ...
The Fast-track Bill, if passed, would allow three Ministers, unchallenged and unchecked, to approve the immediate extraction and exhaustion of one-off resources. ...
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 iamharin/Shutterstock For many people, the term “bulk billed” refers to a GP visit they don’t have to pay ...
Emmas Hislop, Sidnam and Wehipeihana discuss what’s in a name. Emma Sidnam: Hello Emmas! Thank you so much for agreeing to do this with me. My first question for you is related to what’s been on my mind for a while. It’s very important. You see we’ve recently had some ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Sievers, Research Fellow, Global Wetlands Project, Australia Rivers Institute, Griffith University Chris Brown Humans love the coast. But we love it to death, so much so we’ve destroyed valuable coastal habitat – in the case of some types of habitat, ...
Josh Thomson on the 80s milk ad jingle he can’t stop singing, the beauty of The Simpsons, why Jersey Shore is as good as Shakespeare and more. For someone who spends a lot of time on our screens, popping up in everything from 7 Days to Taskmaster, Educators to Good ...
In apparent defiance of the Biden administration, the Netanyahu government has now initiated missile strikes against Iran. Last Saturday night (Sunday morning in New Zealand) Iran launched more than 300 drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles against Israeli military targets. With the assistance of US, UK and possibly French forces, ...
Māori representation brings a perspective that encompasses not only the interests of Māori communities but also a broader, holistic approach to environmental stewardship and community well-being, principles deeply embedded in Te Ao Māori (the Māori ...
This week in Auckland, a group of young people took over the microphone at a ministerial press conference, to explain why they oppose the Fast-Track Approvals Bill. One young woman said, ‘We’re here because we love Aotearoa New Zealand. We want to raise our children in an environment that’s thriving, ...
The summer was wonderful. Evie was wonderful, too; finally a teenager, finally worthy of long, hot days. She shaved her legs for the first time and bought cut-off shorts from the op-shop that made them look long. She got a Warehouse singlet so tight on her new shape that her ...
When Thomas James was on his solo camp as part of Outward Bound, the keen outdoorsman didn’t find it too challenging, as others often do. In what might just be the perfect illustration of his character, he saw it as a great opportunity to solve a few problems. “I thought, ...
From the unstable and drippy to the hi-tech and pretty, here’s our ranking of all the tunnels you can drive through in this country. The first tunnel seems to have been built in 2200BC in Babylonia, kicking off a global phenomenon for digging holes in order to get places more ...
Lucinda Bennett on the art of being greedy but resourceful. This is an excerpt from our weekly food newsletter, The Boil Up. When I picture the market, it is always this time of year. Crisp air, dripping nose, counting coins with cold fingers. Sunlight pale, filtered through specks of dew still ...
Zoë Colling’s favourite piece in the ‘That’s So Last Century’ collection is a lubrication chart for a sewing machine from the ’60s. It’s about the size of a postcard, and carefully maintained. “I like it that this piece of ephemera highlights that manual and technical side of the skill involved ...
Kia Ora Gaza A passionate haka reverberated through Auckland International Airport as a medical team of three New Zealand doctors received an emotional farewell from a big crowd of supporters before flying to Turkey to join the international Freedom Flotilla to Gaza. The doctors, who left Auckland yesterday, hope to ...
With submissions closing today, Macassey-Pickard says groups around the country have been supporting a huge range of people to make their submissions. ...
Our response to the new legislation is informed by targeted conversations with practitioners working in the system and through an implementation lens. ...
The new ‘Fast-track Approvals Bill’ would give just three Ministers the power to approve or deny development projects. They would avoid the usual checks and balances that are in place to protect rivers, land, the ocean, and communities. ...
COMMENTARY:By Eugene Doyle Helen Clark, how I miss you. The former New Zealand Prime Minister — the safest pair of hands this country has had in living memory — gave a masterclass on the importance of maintaining an independent foreign policy when she spoke at an AUKUS symposium held ...
The government's released the list of organisations provided with information on how to apply - just hours before public submissions on the bill close. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Milton Speer, Visiting Fellow, School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, University of Technology Sydney Before climate change really got going, eastern Australia’s flash floods tended to concentrate on our coastal regions, east of the Great Dividing Range. But that’s changing. Now ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elizabeth Finkel, Vice-Chancellor’s Fellow, La Trobe University Sia Duff / South Australian Museum In February, the South Australian Museum “re-imagined” itself. In the face of rising costs and inadequate government funds, CEO David Gaimster, who took the reins last June, declared ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alan Pearce, Professor, School of Allied Heath, Human Services & Sport, La Trobe University, La Trobe University This week, Collingwood AFL player Nathan Murphy announced his retirement, brought on by his concussion history and ongoing issues. The 24-year-old’s seemingly sudden retirement, ...
The Mental Health Foundation provides support and resources for those facing the loss of their job, so it’s wrong in the very week the Government adds another 1000 jobs to its tally of cuts, that this is happening. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexander Howard, Senior Lecturer, Discipline of English and Writing, University of Sydney Daniel Boud/Sydney Theatre Company Decay, terror, revulsion. These are three of the central themes of Thomas Bernhard’s rarely performed play The President. The Austrian is one of the greatest ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ye In (Jane) Hwang, Postdoctoral Research Associate at School of Population Health, UNSW Sydney Shutterstock You’d be hard pressed to find any aspect of daily life that doesn’t require some form of digital literacy. We need only to look back ten ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says threats by ministers Shane Jones and David Seymour to reform or close down the Waitangi Tribunal were “ill-considered”, as legal experts say the ministers may have breached Cabinet Manual conventions. “I think those comments are ill-considered and we expect all ministers to actually exercise good ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rob Newton, Professor of Exercise Medicine, Edith Cowan University Pexels/RDNE stock project You’re not in your 20s or 30s anymore and you know regular health checks are important. So you go to your GP. During the appointment they measure your waist. ...
A new poem by Evangeline Riddiford Graham. Mitochondrial Problem I. It was long drive to Kansas for the man and his dog but you have to understand he said She doesn’t fly. Which calls to mind not carsick shitting barking or whining but a dog who chooses not to as ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)Hot off the press, this debut ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laura Wajnryb McDonald, PhD candidate in Criminology, University of Sydney Less than 24 hours after Ashlee Good was murdered in Bondi Junction, her family released a statement requesting the media take down photographs they had reproduced of Ashlee and her family without ...
Chief executive Shaun Robinson said it has not had any government funding cut, but government-funded contracts have not kept pace with rising costs. ...
The Ministry of Health has delayed the release of its evidence brief on the safety, reversibility and mental health and wellbeing outcomes for puberty blockers. While we wait, Julia de Bres speaks to those with firsthand experience. Best practice gender-affirming healthcare is based on trans people’s self-determination and agency. The ...
Barcelona’s city streets have gone from traffic-clogged to pedestrian-friendly. How? Superblocks. Ellen Rykers explains. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week I read a great interview with renowned urbanist Janette Sadik-Khan by The Spinoff’s Wellington editor Joel MacManus: “You can reimagine streets, ...
Student groups ‘Climate Action VUW’, Schools Strike 4 Climate and VUWSA will be on the street in Wellington today, the last day for submissions on the Fast-track Approvals Bill, with a message that the fight against the Government’s ‘War on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sofia Ammassari, Research Fellow, Griffith University Since 2014, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity has grown exponentially – and so has the formidable organisational machine of his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). These two factors will be key to delivering the BJP a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brendon Hyndman, Associate Professor of Education (Adjunct) & Senior Manager (BCE), Charles Sturt University During COVID almost all Australian students and their families experienced online learning. But while schools have long since gone back to in-person teaching, online learning has not gone ...
Yes, they’re better for the environment. No, that’s not a good enough reason for me to use them. Once every 26 days or so, my period arrives, and if struck by an act of God, I am caught red-crotched without products. How, after 17 years of this, do I still ...
“It will cause significant harm to our environment and communities. It is completely at odds with New Zealanders’ relationship with nature and our need for a low-carbon, sustainable economic future." ...
The Chair of the National Maori Authority, Matthew Tukaki, has warned a Parliamentary Select Committee that fast-tracking legislation is a perilous practice that undermines the core tenets of democracy, transparency, and accountability. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Tenbensel, Associate Professor, Health Policy, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Getty Images Since coming into power, the coalition government has adopted a simple but shrewd see-how-fast-we-can-move political strategy. However, in the health sector this need for speed entails ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Hronis, Clinical Psychologist, University of Technology Sydney Darya Sannikova/Pexels Whether you’re watching TV, attending a footy game, or eating a meal at your local pub, gambling is hard to escape. Although the rise of gambling is not unique to Australia, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Wong, Forrest Fellow, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia Have you ever wondered if there are more insects out at night than during the day? We set out to answer this question by combing through the scientific ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Carol T Kulik, Research Professor, University of South Australia IR Stone/Shutterstock In Australia, it’s not the done thing to know – let alone ask – what our colleagues are paid. Yet, it’s easy to see how pay transparency can make pay ...
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) is sounding a warning to migrants, that running foul of the law may see them leaving the country prematurely. ...
The government’s plan to get 50,000 people off jobseeker support by 2030 has had a rocky start, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. Beneficiary numbers are up – and so are ...
Raglan Roast is a staple of Wellington coffee culture. But with five branches across the capital, which one is the best? I am a die-hard Raglan Roast fan. It’s consistently the most affordable cafe in Wellington, and one of the only places you can get a coffee after 3pm. So, ...
Residents of University of Auckland halls are being urged to withhold their accommodation fees from May 1, in a bid to force the university to take student concerns over rent hikes seriously.The University of Auckland is facing a strike from students over the cost of on-campus accommodation. The Students ...
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Opinion: With maths understanding at 42 percent for Year 8 students, there’s no doubt something has to be done. But how? The post Financial literacy should be on all of us appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Hineaupounamu ‘Missy’ Nuku has been scaling mountains in Canada for her college basketball team, the Lakeland Rustlers. Alberta is currently home for the 20-year-old point guard, who is in her first year of a scholarship at Lakeland College, where she is studying for a business degree. She has certainly made ...
New Zealand and the Philippines have signed a new maritime security agreement and stated their concerns over activity in the South China Sea, as Chinese vessels continue to flout international law. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Philippines President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos committed to signing a Mutual Logistics Supporting Arrangement by ...
The thousands of government “back-office” job cuts are causing widespread pain in the capital city. In today’s episode of The Detail, we speak to three journalists and a think tank researcher, looking at the larger picture around the cuts and what effect it will have on Wellington, a city that’s ...
Opinion: The famed American architect and urban designer Daniel Burnham once said, “Make no little plans. They have no magic to stir men’s blood!” Burnham wouldn’t have been referring to the transport plans in Aotearoa New Zealand over the past five years; projects so big they hadn’t the credibility to ...
These judge's need to get tougher. What a pathetic punishment. That wont stop him doing the same again.
Nui Kereopa appears for sentence after violent road rage attack on Rotorua's Fenton St – NZ Herald
Pay walled.
Bugger! I didn't realise it was pay walled. I had a logon at work so was able to read it. You need to watch the video to get the full effect….he's very aggressive.
Never understood whats going on with this politically. I thoroughly disagree with prescriptive sentencing legislation like 3 strikes or even anti-smacking, but on the other hand what kind of judge hands out home detention for assault on a child.
I guess a judge who has heard all the evidence and had reports on the offender- that sort of judge. It does raise the question of "Who shall judge the judges?"
Plausible explanation. Implies a very poor standard of NZ court reporting which frequently miss-represents the narrative of the case.
I had a coffee with a former police prosecutor this morning and raised the issue of monitoring judge's perfomance. He said there were procedures involving reports and correspondence between police and the chief district court judge who has that supervision role. He agreed with me about the judge being in possession of the facts and therefore being in the best place to act fairly. We also agreed that our judiciary is free of political influence with its separation of powers, and that NZ has a very high rating for lack of corruption internationally.
We also agreed that the trust of the people has to be maintained in our social systems, which have been under great pressure with covid, mandates and things like three waters highighting issue s of trust.
He was charged with wilful damage and pleaded guilty, AFAIK. Was he charged with anything else?
Judges don’t make up the charges, for obvious reasons.
I don’t have access to the linked article (f-ing pay-wall) but it looks like some folks are going off on a half-arsed tangent because they don’t have a clue either what they’re talking about.
And it's this half-arsed, half baked 'reckon' found on social media that is doing damage to our social cohesion that is based on trust, solid information and reasoning.
There is a report in the Herald confirming the charges were for wilful damage.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/caught-on-camera-driver-pleads-guilty-to-violent-road-rage-incident-on-rotoruas-fenton-st/
Agreed! The hurdle to attack the judiciary used to be high and society used to place a lot of trust and respect in it. Many now seem to be all too happy to wag the finger at judges knowing diddly-squat about the facts.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/300383667/judge-in-oranga-tamariki-case-rebukes-senior-judges-over-intervention
I was told by a court employee that judges attend cultural diversity courses.
I have no proof of that, but this link below MAY point in that direction
https://www.lawsociety.org.nz/news/lawtalk/lawtalk-issue-939/cald-parties-before-the-employment-relations-authority/
This ruling doesn't surprise me.
Thanks, Blade. Do you have an opinion on any of this?
Good question? Let me think on it. Although I will start by saying I agree generally with what you have written:
''We also agreed that our judiciary is free of political influence with its separation of powers, and that NZ has a very high rating for lack of corruption internationally.''
I'm well known on this blog for having major issues with Maoridom. I think as time has gone on white guilt over past wrongs to Maori and Maori activism behind the scenes has lead to rationality flying out the window. It seems to me it's a given that anything involving Maori is subject to circumspect oversight by government organisations and MSM. This allows a culture of exceptions for Maori that can supersede the laws of our land or accepted conventions when Maori consider their culture is at risk. In the case above regarding the judges, the fact Pakeha people where bringing up a Maori child was one factor for what was called a'' breach of judicial independence”
Another example that may be worth considering. Willy Jackson is now the Minister Of Broadcasting. But I haven't heard the media ask if he has relinquished all connections with Maori media or other interests that may be in conflict with his new portfolio. If he was a National Party member the media would be all over him like a rash.
I'm well known on this blog for having major issues with Maoridom.
I would suggest you reconsider. It is not Maoridom you should have issue with. Every culture has both it's strengths and weaknesses – and it has been long been my contention here that the polyglot cultures that make up our society would serve us all well if we opened our eyes to our diverse strengths and helped each walk away from their failings.
In my experience there is a great deal non-Maori NZ can and should learn from those aspects of the Maori world that evolved here before us, that observed and absorbed much knowledge of landscape, wildlife and our raw inner spiritual nature – unencumbered by the intense materialism of modernity.
While this world view challenges us – it is not confronting. Most mature people can respect and connect with it to the degree that makes sense for them. It is a process we can welcome.
What you are reacting against something altogether distinct. It is a radical political movement that is appropriating this deep culture for another purpose.
"the laws of our land or accepted conventions"
These must remain unchanged, unchallenged, undisputed, yes?
Most especially, by Maori.
Even though their history and culture springs from different "laws of the land or accepted conventions".
There must be no challenge! We will not bend!
Are you with me, Brothers!
/sarc
When Labour lose the election next year, Robert, it's obvious you will have no idea why. But I'm sure some great /sarc will be had for all to enjoy on this blog. Read the article first. Notice all the ''no comments?” I bet when the case is not before the court there will still be ''no comment.''
''The Guidelines for Judicial Conduct 2019 state that judicial independence is a “cornerstone of our system of government in a democratic society and a safeguard of the freedom and rights of the citizen under the rule of law”.
The independence of the judiciary from the legislative and executive arms of government is “fundamental to the constitutional balance under the Constitution Act 1986 as well as to the principle of legality which underlies it and the rights and freedoms organised by the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990.”
Judge Callinicos :
''If there are concerns about such conduct, then there is an appropriate avenue for how they be addressed. Intruding into the part-heard live case is not one of them,”
Now let's hive off ( no pun intended). You wrote:
''These must remain unchanged, unchallenged, undisputed, yes?Most especially, by Maori.''
See, Robert, to challenge something, you first have to know what you are challenging. The example I'm about to give is still quite common in Maoridom. Not that you would have a clue because you are ignorant of such things.
This is from Willie Jackson’s former wife Moana Maniapoto:
Quote:
''Back then, Willie had a short attention span. No idea about the Treaty either. I tried to break it down for him once, as we drove from Rotorua to Auckland.
“Repeat back to me what I just said.” He’d give me a blank look, shrug, then laugh. Hopeless.''
https://e-tangata.co.nz/comment-and-analysis/moana-maniapoto-the-willie-jackson-i-know/
How is it even possible that Efeso Collins backed by the Labour Party is only equal to three centre right mayoral candidates?
That means that if only one of those centre right candidates drops out and their support redistributes to the other two, Efeso's campaign gets in trouble fast.
Tempting as it is to complain that Collins' campaign is run by a set of young policy wonks with no money and no fucking attack genes between them, the more basic problem is that Leo Molloy is making the running in the mainstream media and already got many key billboards up.
Hey Efeso, wake the hell up.
Imagine if two of the right candidates had dropped out!
Molloy has a great fundraising team and seasoned campaign players.
He will pull away from the other centre-right ones pretty soon.
Good point, Ad. I thought this race may get interesting. But as Mikey said this morning, whoever wins will only have the support of a very low percentage of Aucklanders who bothered to vote.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/auckland-mayoral-poll-nothing-separating-four-candidates-on-the-left-and-right/3V4JJQPFNOFLOIPDI3KUDZHFN4/
Important to note where the poll and its PR comes from though..
https://twitter.com/SachaDylan/status/1537541795797532672
All I can say Sacha is: if the few voters who crawl out of bed to vote can't see past the smoke and mirrors and bullshit, then they will get what they deserve. Not that the rest of Auckland gives a stuff…unless something goes wrong of course.
We will all get what they deserve, unfortunately.
Ad, there are these things called links, to the article you are reading/listening to. Please use them.
If anybody believes in the accuracy of a Curia/Taxpayers Union poll, I have a harbour bridge to sell them.
Only a month a go people here were saying all the polls are wrong, Labour's great, Poto Williams is doing a fine job, no need to change anything.
Nec minnit, major shakeup.
Our PM can read better than the blind-left.
So was it that Poto Williams wasn't doing a good job or was it orchestrated public clamour that led to the reshuffle? Thought you had been around long enough to know how political attacks work.
The view of the Prime Minister is that she had "lost the narrative".
Poto Williams was doing a shit job so she was fired.
I've been around long enough to know when the Prime Minister's judgement is superior to those of her erstwhile supporters.
So which ever candidate takes the Mayoral position – three quarters of the voters do not support them?
Each Councillor has the same vote as the Mayor. The overall lean of the governing body is more important than its figurehead.
(G)ough! (G)ough!
Yet the wrong Mayor can bring a whole Council – not to mention the complete city – in to ridicule.
Ridicule is minor compared with what the wrong PM can wreak.
Are we now recognising just how far down the rabbit hole poor ole NZ has gone?
Not NZ – just many of the right wing. Including groundswell. Way down that rabbit hole.
Mikey v Robbo.
Some points:
1- Mikey predicts a possible double dip recession.
2- Robbo says, predictions, predictions.
3- $45million on consultants for light rail.
4- $337,000 to cut a ribbon to open Transmission Gully.
https://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/on-air/mike-hosking-breakfast/audio/grant-robertson-finance-minister-says-gdp-drop-is-a-sign-of-a-difficult-2022/
Let us know who wins and moves onto the final!
Please excuse my sarcasm. I frame things in the way most on this blog perceive it. If Mikey is involved it must be a slug feast. But it wasn't. Seemed like a reasonable interview to me.
Any comments about the points raised? No, thought not.
Oh sorry, they looked like facts to me not recons. In that case,
1&2 probably things they would say. 3&4 your probably miss-representing what was purchased for effect.
Points aren't facts. Deflect, deflect.
Real Madrid won the European Cup Final over Liverpool for 2022 by a margin of 1 point to 0 – Fact.
This was mostly due to their superior deflection – Opinion.
Though having done the research (e.g read the original headline) I can confirm that you have miss-represented in your point 3 – Fact.
Blade: you say, "I frame things in the way most on this blog perceive it."
I think you might be overdoing something there. Presumption, for a start.
I also think some on this site see you as a loquacious troll, and think it better not to feed you.
(But occasionally limits are surpassed..)
I don't know why, I just argue my point. Rarely do I start the nasty stuff. Blog trolls do that. Of course I have to answer them, hence I rack up some miles. But you already know that. Talking of loquacious…I enjoy some of the debates that go on and on and on. It's very interesting, sometimes I could add something to them, but I don't because it's all commentary and conjecture to me. I like to get straight to the core of an issue and suggest ideas and a different perspective preferably based on real life experiences…and talkback radio.
"Mikey is involved, it must be a slug"
Judicious editing reveals so much 🙂
Is it appropriate for an executive of a large corporate (bank) to get down and dirty in expressing his political views? Twice now I have seen snippets from a former prime minister on primetime news bulletins on Covid issues. Perhaps it would be more appropriate for him to comment on and justify the huge excessive profits and dividends the bank he assists in running and the affects on the economy.
Calls to mind his lack of nous when he was interviewed by Paul Henry about "having a real kiwi as our next Governor General" by just smiling. (Hon Anand Satyanand – born and raised in Auckland was GG at the time)
So Mikey's an economist now?
Did you know economists have predicted nine out of the last five recessions?
Do try to use the Reply function. I think that this relates to comment 3.
Sorry lprent, commenting from a different computer, and couldn't access/see my reply (to Blade @3) after editing. Had to re-enter my name and got that wrong as well!
Mikey and Robbo's points exactly…and it's a worry. Adrian Orr and the RB are having some shockers. Maybe we need Brash back?
Brash?
He's gone.
He walked the plank.
Then sank.
Maybe Jacinda is cannier than most give her credit for.
https://www.1news.co.nz/2022/06/15/race-for-maori-electorate-seats-could-be-in-for-shakeup/
It will be interesting to see how far The Maori Party can go before other groups decide they need race based representation too.
Other groups with a treaty relationship?
Doesn't everyone have a treaty relationship?
Yes. That relationship is binary; between Maori and non-Maori.
It's special and specific.
Not homogenous.
Nope, that’s just one but domineering interpretation, but there are others that challenge that binary dualism, notably Anne Salmond, e.g. https://www.newsroom.co.nz/ideasroom/anne-salmond-time-to-unteach-race.
An excellent link. I'm going to have to read that one a couple of times to get the full import of it.
You’re welcome. There are other interpretations of the Treaty but these don’t suit the (dominant) partisan narratives. For someone with no prior knowledge, and thus much less bias/prejudice, it is not too hard to level them and compare them on their relative merits of persuasion and reasoning. Salmond has been at it for years and I’d say it is a lifetime project of hers, professionally as well as personally, because she’d make no real distinction between the two, I’d imagine.
Nothing new there about 'race'. Anthropology and Sociology 101 from the 90s. What i take out from that article is that lawyers are intellectually lazy.
'Race' is not and has never been a Maori concept. From the very early days some Pakeha men chose to live with Maori as Maori. They were welcome for the technology they could share. These men were called Pakeha Maori by Maori. They took Maori wives and their children were know as Maori. Pakeha called these children half-caste.
Maori is a collection of related ethnic groups not a 'race'. Individual Maori do not have any more rights than any other New Zealander, but each Iwi as a collective has specific rights as guaranteed by their agreement with the Crown.
In terms of unteaching 'race', it seems to me the first step would be to change the name of the Race Relations Conciliator. It is not rational to try and tell people that 'race' does not exist while at the same time saying we need to manage relations between 'races'.
'Race' is not and has never been a Maori concept.
They sure seem happy to invoke it when it suits them though. But yes – I agree pre-European Maori would have had no use for the concept given their radical geographic isolation.
Maori is a collection of related ethnic groups not a 'race'. Individual Maori do not have any more rights than any other New Zealander, but each Iwi as a collective has specific rights as guaranteed by their agreement with the Crown.
An interesting para. That seems to me to be the reasonable approach – recognising that it was not Maori as a race, culture or even a people at the time of the ToW – but a fractious, polyglot collection of migrant groups who shared a Pacific heritage and not much else.
And in 1840 the iwi had just come off the back of 40 years of internal genocide that saw them kill off almost 40% of their own population. This was not a united society, culture or people in any sense. It was a dozen or so large family groups who all distrusted and hated each other. Their surviving leaders were concerned more than anything else to bring the mayhem to an end and to protect what resources remained to them. To that end the offer of citizenship in the empire of the global superpower of the era – and the legal protections it promised – was the deal of the century.
Erasing the Musket Wars from our history is no accident – it obscures the real motives and intentions around what happened at Waitangi. It makes as much sense as for example explaining why the UN was formed – while pretending WW2 had not just happened.
And in this light – it can be argued that by becoming citizens of the British Empire they gave away any claim to be indigenous at the same time.
The musket wars have not been erased from history. Every Treaty education thing i have ever encountered, and there has been quite a few, has outlined the musket wars and the unifying aspect of the Treaty. Perhaps if you did a Treaty education course you could stop talking such twaddle.
Why then would the several deeply respected kaumatua who explained all this to me be talking 'twaddle'?
I spent a significant fraction of the 80's re-engaging with my paternal Maori heritage. And in that period had the privilege to get to know some remarkable elders – in the true globally understood sense of that word.
I have never written to those experiences for a couple of reasons, one is that the whole story is not mine to tell; it involves lots of other people. Secondly events happened that I cannot properly do justice to with my own words. And finally this is a political forum – not a spiritual one.
But suffice to say that sometime during that period as that authentic generation of Maori, whose roots were firmly located in their local landscapes and peoples, passed on – I then watched as their heritage was appropriated by a new class of university educated radicals whose goal was no longer healing and unity – but power and vengeance.
So maybe it is all twaddle to you.
You make a claim that the musket wars have been erased from history and then start talking about personal discussions with kaumatua from the 80s. I'm going to leave it here as i have no interest in your bad faith discussions. You can have the last word if you want.
Every Treaty education thing i have ever encountered, and there has been quite a few, has outlined the musket wars and the unifying aspect of the Treaty.
But when I outline exactly the same you call it 'twaddle'?
Contradictory much?
Nonetheless I would argue that the significance and historic context of the Musket Wars does get downplayed in the public domain. While the Land Wars later in the century – with a far lower death toll – are constantly played as the colonial crime of the century. It is not hard to detect a selective version of history being played here, and the political agenda it serves.
Now do Europe's half-millenia long orgy of bloodshed. From the Italian wars, the French wars of religion, the Thirty Years War ( the population in some areas of Germany declined by between 30% and 66%), The Napoleonic Wars (the population of France declined by an estimated 10%), various French/Anglo/Spanish/Prussian/Russian tiffs, assorted uprisings and revolutions and the conquest of Algeria through to the mechanised killing of the 20th C.
Fuck, Eastern Europe's still at it.
Yup. No-one is standing on any moral high ground here, and nor was I claiming any. Hell I even made explicit reference to WW2.
But the point to be made is that these catastrophes have a chastening effect – and in their immediate aftermath there is often a period when we are open reform and progress. As there will be when this war in Europe finally concludes.
In particular there is a moment when we clearly and bitterly understand that disunity and confrontation – which are the cause of all the grief you list – can only be countered by unity, consensus and justice. And we turn out minds to doing better if only for a while.
I don’t think that many TS readers have done Anthropology and Sociology 101 in the 90s
The term/concept “race” is often a divisionary tool.
Lawyers are being tasked, or think they are, to codify the Treaty into Law to have (the) force of law. However, the Treaty was never intended to become Law as such. The problem is that once in motion it cannot be walked back by lawyers even if they wanted to.
That's not how some Maori see it. They don't ever want a republic in New Zealand. Many Maori do if you believe some polls. I can hazard a guess which group may have the university education.
http://www.republic.org.nz/treaty
Maori are indigenous they got here first and like other indigenous peoples have rights recognised by UN and endorsed by NZ under the Key government.
Care to spell out what that means in practice?
they did not get here first
Yup, it was Neil Armstrong who set foot here first.
Us Neanderthals pre-date the fucking lot of you
But you forgot to plant a flag.
Given that the PM is not mentioned in the article at all, you might have to be a bit more forthcoming about how her canniness is being shown here?
By making Adrian Rurawhe Speaker. He will go list only next year. Leaving a clearish run for Debbie Ngarewa-Packer to win the Māori electorate. Strengthens Te Pati Māori in the House, providing Labour another coalition partner.
Thanks, Stephen D. Certainly arguable so long as Te Pati Māori is seen as a credible and useful coalition partner who are surley more credible than NZF, Labour’s last coalition partner.
That sort of decision is more likely to involve the party's president and strategists.
Not a dumb move that.
China taking the long view?
https://twitter.com/StephTaitWrites/status/1537541275271852032
Meanwhile, the West is taking a punt on lumbering itself with tens if not hundreds of thousands more early onset dementia patients.
“Brain fog” has emerged as one of the most debilitating symptoms of long COVID, affecting thousands of people globally, impeding their ability to work and function in daily life.
Now, a group of Australian scientists believe they are closer to unlocking the mystery behind the lingering neurological condition, which can trigger memory loss, confusion, dizziness and headaches, and leave people grasping to recall everyday words.
The findings of their study, published this week in Nature Communications, suggest there may be distinct parallels between the effects of COVID-19 on the brain and the early stages of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
[…]
“What we saw is that they formed very similar amyloid clumps, which are basically just ordered assemblies of protein that are stuck together and considered ‘molecular hallmarks’ of the early stages of neurodegenerative disease,” he said.
“To cut a long story short, these amyloid plaques are very toxic to the brain cells and we hypothesise that aggregates of SARS-CoV-2 proteins may trigger neurological symptoms in COVID-19 that many of us call brain fog.”
https://www.smh.com.au/national/australian-researchers-find-parallels-between-alzheimer-s-and-long-covid-brain-fog-20220614-p5atnp.html
China is about control, and the fact that it has the shittiest vaccine in the world apparently. I saw a blog which I can’t remember the name of a few weeks ago done by a youngish SouthAfrican who divides his time between SA, the States and China and in relation to the latest massacre in the US he said that while the Chinese do not have mass shootings they do have mass stabbings and a lot of them, in fact he had been a witness to more than one. Life in China is very stressful for a lot of people and help is not really that available if physical or mental health is compromised. He showed a quick video of how the police manage such things and it involved a long pole with a half round attachment on the end which can be used to trap an offender on the ground or up against a wall. Probably not as effective against an assault rifle.
His point was that there is a lot more civil disturbance and dissatisfaction in China than we are made aware of. Hence the need for control, but one day that build up of pressure will bite the political elite on the arse. Not before time either.
Never was much of a fan of VP Mike Pence but the latest Hearing from the Select Committee investigating the 6th Jan attack on the Capitol showed that he not only refused to bend to the corrupt and illegal wishes of a demented Trump and a wild mob that would have killed him had they been able to find him, but carried out his duty and preserved the US from a tyrant, and the democratic process of a republic. If you haven't watched the live showing of the 3 day of the Hearing it is well worth taking the time – 3 hours.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HD3wpyVmciE
Thanks Macro. My evening viewing sorted. 🙂
I was reading a summary of events earlier today and noted that Mike Pence showed principle and courage and should be given full credit for doing so.