Yes, I’ve often posted that one,… it was that interview that told me all I needed to know about Bridges character and confirmed the gut feeling I got that he was , – if he became leader, – only going to be an interim one. You just cannot have such a belligerent , dogmatic and obnoxious person like that as the nations leader. There was none of the wit of Rob Muldoon , or his confidence , … just repetitive phrases, interjections, shooting the messenger instead of answering the questions , ( sure Muldoon did that to Tom Scott and others )…
I’ve always suspected Bridges was just a placeholder for the Nats,… but I never dreamt it would turn out this way. But just one word of caution : the Nats are up to something, and when Bridges goes,… be prepared for whoever follows or the one after that.
The stench of a dead eyed globalist like John Key is on the way for sure. One who will carry on the National party baton of selling this country out to foreigners with diplomacy and aplomb should they regain power.
The Nats must be kept out of power at all costs. They are cancer for this country.
Still someone has to lead. Paula. Sorry, it all looks like a very badly adaptation of game of thrones without the interest bits, murders, naked people, etc, etc.
All donations lead back to people who have significant property interests, have dinner with MP’s and then donate large amounts that are illegally hidden in smaller donations and also same donor on the Auckland City delegation to China.
“On the Companies Office Zhang is listed as a director of HLG Holding, Trans Tasman International, Chao Shan Trustee, Chao Hui Holding and KCC Construction, which says it specialises in residential construction in Auckland region.
In 2017 Zhang was part of an Auckland Council business delegation to Guangzhou.”
I think we can be assured that corruption and secret donations, is alive and well in NZ and being fostered by our government ministers and councils.
ON that note, there are daily pleas from various groups for various schemes to provide more profits for construction interests in Auckland funded by the government with taxes, (today Salvation Army for example thinking the taxpayer should build more houses for people to buy on salaries between social housing and Kiwibuild (who does that help, construction interests!)
At no time have I ever seen anyone in the media or all these groups with ideas which all seem to be around more construction paid for by the government or ratepayers, rather than better planning or allocation of housing.
They never suggest the cheapest and most obvious way, aka it goes to the most needy and most valuable to the country (aka the people who live here and do essential work) and that the government needs to limit demand because at present everybody in the world can buy our new houses, farms, land and commercial assets and investors from OZ and Singapore have access to the above and the existing houses too.
In addition, anyone with permanent residency which is easily bought within 2 years and a fake job and degree, can buy existing residential property and there is an insatiable demand for ‘gold brick’ assets especially from countries like China, that are unable to buy land in their own countries because it is all government owned plus it is a cash economy with high levels of bribes needed to get anything done so there is plenty of cash knocking around, and not many ways to spend it.
As seen by the UK, any build or sell to buy, needs to rely on a static or decreasing population to work. At present in NZ we have the opposite and that is exactly what happened in the UK… so now they are up shit creek without a paddle trying to pay for all the social and affordable housing and land they now need because they got 5 x more migrants than they expected when some of the Eastern European countries joined the EU, and they now needed those houses that they sold for a song, not that long ago.
It also created a situation where sell to buy, drove up council rents because social housing went from being cash positive for the country to being negative and they then of course needed to put the rents up… plus the rise of intermediaries on six figure salaries instead of a few council workers on average salaries, doing a piss poor and life threatening job of managing the assets… aka Grenfell.
A fun view from the Civilian: “We’re talking about roughly two years of operations being carried out in the space of an hour,” said one confidant. “These things were supposed to be methodically planted, carefully weaved into the fabric of caucus’ consciousness, little bits leaked here and there. But this morning was a disaster. He just went and read every last bit of it out to the media. There hasn’t even been time to plant evidence for some of this stuff.”
“This isn’t the first time that one of Collins’ host bodies has gone rogue – early prototypes of the programme, Aaron Gilmore and Todd Barclay, also backfired in public – but neither of those incidents were anywhere near as destructive as this one is proving to be, and it may be just the beginning.” http://www.thecivilian.co.nz/judith-collins-loses-all-control-of-host-body/
And on the most issue facing us, Rachel Stewart nails it.
“Rachel Stewart: Climate – Don’t say I didn’t warn you
If you’re familiar with my writing, you’ll know I’ve been doomin’ and gloomin’ it for eight years now. I’m nothing if not consistent when it comes to the state of the planet.
The latest IPCC report on the climate crisis just means that the scientists have decided to act more like me. In other words, they know the depth of the problem but have finally chosen to not sugar-coat the truth. Where we (may) differ is in the “hope” department.
The report says there’s a small window of time to alter our trajectory. Which is, of course, a last-ditch attempt to get politicians and the public to start acting like it’s World War III. Because that’s what it would take to turn this overloaded, burning, sinking mess of a global ship around.”
The most important article you’ll read today.
Read the whole thing here.
This is worth a thread in its own right.
Every day.
I rate Rachel Stewart too and after reading this was thinking much the same as I cycled to work today Ed. Politics is just a diversion from the biggest issue facing us. I can’t find the reference again but I saw a reference to a writer recently (but haven’t been able to find again) who says that basically the human brain is just not capable of dealing with the enormity of the crisis facing us. So we just go into denial and continue to live as if it isn’t happening.
From Stuff: ” More than $31 million has been donated to registered political parties in the past six years, most of that to National. Smaller parties like the Greens publicly disclose who provided most of their funding, but the big parties are secretive. 83 per cent ($8.7m over six years) of the money donated to National is from anonymous donors, and 80 per cent ($2.8m) of that donated to Labour.”
“Labour is revealed to have collected tens of thousands of dollars in anonymous donations through art auctions. The party declared the money to the Electoral Commission in the names of painters like Karl Maughan and Stanley Palmer, even though the artists never saw the money and had no idea they were being named as donors. The worst offender is NZ First: Most years, it allows every single one of its donors to remain secret.”
“RULES OF DONATION:
The secretary of each registered political party must file an annual return of party donations and loans with the Electoral Commission by 30 April of the following year for donations and loans received in the last 12 months.
Party donations and contributions to donations of more than $15,000 (including GST) are required to be declared in the party’s annual return of donations. A series of donations, or contributions of more than $1,500 to donations, made by one person that adds up to more than $15,000 must also be declared.
About time that political donations are outlawed and each party just gets a set amount to spend. It’s tiring to have to wade through the spin, most of it inaccurate from the political parties.
We need to get the rot out of our political system before we turn into USA and you have to be a billionaire or owned by big business to become president and mount a campaign and by that time many people have stopped or been stopped from voting.
Since having fairness seems like a radical solution, then at the very least all political donations are publicly available and there is a limit on the amount donated aka not more than $100,000 and no donations from overseas interests.
Scary stuff, should be a police investigation on that practice too.
“Labour is revealed to have collected tens of thousands of dollars in anonymous donations through art auctions. The party declared the money to the Electoral Commission in the names of painters like Karl Maughan and Stanley Palmer, even though the artists never saw the money and had no idea they were being named as donors. The worst offender is NZ First: Most years, it allows every single one of its donors to remain secret.”
Honours seem to get handed out if you ran shonkys fav restaurant so why not for cash because as they say cash is king. They just have to say why…services to dodgy development maybe.
Services to Wellington being the only city in the world to remove sustainable public transport since the Paris climate accord was signed in 2015.
Sevices to the shortsighted and incompetent leadership of Wellington’s Regional Council, which scrapped the trolley bus network in November without a clear plan to replace them with an equivalent or better carbon-free bus fleet.
Services to GWRC who has imposed on Wellingtonians a fleet of predominantly diesel buses for the next 10-12 years: the length of the contracts the GWRC has signed with Tranzit and NZ Bus.
Services to nitrous oxide emissions have increased in Wellington since trolley buses were decommissioned in November
Lacky Country considers moving embassy to Jerusalem. — News
In Canberra last week I met some Australian members of parliament. It gave me hope, because until I heard them speak I had always thought that Israel’s right wing politicians were the worst. —-(LAUGHTER)— I’ve never heard any Israeli politician speak about the Palestinian people the way that those Australian politicians did. But they are Australia’s problem, not mine. (LAUGHTER) I spoke with the Australian foreign minister; she talked and she was very nice but we could not agree on anything.”(LAUGHTER)
I don’t get the attraction of Bennett either, but maybe they think she appeals most to voters??? I have my reservations especially since they had to remove her from her West Auckland seat and create a new one specially for her, after she cratered her voters and only just scrapped in!
Another warm body to throw under the bus once she’s outlived her usefulness I suspect. It’s the National way. Everyone’s best mates until you have to push them into oncoming traffic to save your own skin. Have to say… this is a train-wreck of epic proportions for National, and I almost feel bad for them.
That’s what it is, alright. First we gotta see this evidence he’s taking to the cops. Essential to have back-up copies securely hidden! Also, if he’s smart, get a copy to a transcriber, and get that conversation converted into a written record, and get it out into the public domain pronto!
If he does this, and the record proves he’s telling the truth, he goes into the by-election from a position of optimal strength. Bridges will have caucus turning against him as soon as they read the transcript, so the next Nat leader will be looking askance at the selection of contenders trying to beat a guy who looks increasingly a winner.
A hypothetical scenario at present. All hinges on the mental illness. Is the evidence real or a delusion? Can JLR transform himself into a successful politician despite that vulnerability? Mentally-ill folk are supposed to be part of our community nowadays. Many oscillate between illness and health. They have civil rights. Can’t discriminate against them on the basis of their mental health. Can’t claim they are unfit for parliament!
I never envisaged that the Brighter Future promised by John Key’s National party would be lit by the pyres of their politicians’ futures and the burning behind the scenes of dodgy money, evidence and tapes!
Surely it was obvious the Natz were on the payroll for big business interests from the outset, and the 0% tax havens, free gifting, investigation from the EU for money laundering policy here, Panama papers and other helps were put through to hide the pathways of the cash.
Excellent interview with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez about the green new deal, the future of the Justice Democrats, and her plans for her time in Congress. One of the ideas she proposes is that the US government provide jobs as part of the Green New Deal at US$15 an hour as an alternative to working for corporates at $7.50 and to help raise wages across the board. She also argues that the progressive democrats are making huge strides:
Zhang has been dragged into the disclosure process of donations to a political party.
Where does his privacy on this matter lie?
Does Zhang need to cooperate with any police investigation?
Were I Zhang, I would be left feeling being embarrassed by the National party. I applaud Zang’s wife for confirming that Bridges had a meal with the Zhangs.
Bridges can chose to keep digging as long as he wants to and evade the truth or give an honest account of whether or not a check for 100k or separate checks adding to 100k was written to the National party.
How often can a separate donor write a check under $15,000 so the donor does not need to be identified?
It is about the delivery of the check.
I can just see Bridges using the history of what occurred between Bank’s and his accountant, Peter’s and Glenn’s electoral donations and the history of audio taping Ambrose and Key and Barclay and the electorate worker.
The words knowingly, the party manager, being a party to the conversation, the audio is missing, no police charges ….
How the Bridges audio and discussion of a donation check is going to conclude will probably be career ending/ damaging for all those who were involved.
Were I Bridges, Zhang is who I would be careful of. Zang has the power over Bridges career as leader.
Zhang also popped up on the Auckland council envoy…
No doubt a few cheques and deals…
Auckland council has also have sold off $400 million of assets last year, would be good to see what assets they were and whose names were involved in the purchases or beneficiaries of those sales…
Auckland Council – some financial information that tells a lot…
“The number earning more than $200,000 is up by one to 195 across all council organisations.
A record $1.8 billion of capital expenditure had been partly funded from asset sales of $400m, $250m in additional borrowing, and the rest from council revenue.”
The council previously announced an $83m rise in the provision it’s making for building weathertightness claims, now at $320m.”
I think we are beyond that in most cases to ‘respectable’ sounding companies.. there were some pearlers in the Panama papers such as ..
“Hinojosa Cantu, who had built his fortune from billions of dollars in government contracts, was under investigation for influence-peddling. In Mexico they called him the Duke of Privilege.
On February 3, 2015 Mexico’s president, Enrique Peña Nieto, had called an inquiry after media revelations that Hinojosa Cantu built a US$7 million home for Nieto’s wife, and sold another house to the Finance Minister, Luis Videgaray Caso, just before they won government in 2012.
By March last year Hinojosa Cantu had begun restructuring his finances. The key would be New Zealand.
KEN WHITNEY’S LETTER
Hinojosa Cantu wasn’t the only Mossack Fonseca client heading for Auckland.
The ICIJ on Monday will release the names and shareholders of 240,000 corporate entities (and their shareholders) administered by Mossack Fonseca in more than 20 low-tax jurisdictions around the world.
The data includes 368 shareholders with New Zealand addresses, but 189 of the shareholders are trusts and another 12 companies have bearer shares, which will prove hard to track.”
For those who have been following my take on the Wentworth mud race (The by-election).
This article from news.com, short’ve sums up the last 24hrs for ScoMo and the Liberal Party atm as they will in truly in the shit house. Internal polling has them trailing the independent Phelps and thence SocMo wanting to move the Embassy and wanting to review the Iran Nuclear deal. These two decisions have been shamed by an number people since yesterday’s release in Wentworth alongside the Lib candidate who is Jewish and Jewish vote in the Wentworth electorate makes up 12-13% of the vote.
Wentworth electorate is one of Australia’s most diverse electorates, big the end of town and the all way down to Redfern with its housing commission tower blocks, to Kings Cross/ Oxford st to middle class hipsters and what’s left of the work class suburbs.
Yes the Nauru refugees issue, appears to be an attempt at vote buying aim at the middle class hipsters and the Liberal voter with a consensus for the Wentworth races. Inwhich ScoMo has managed to make himself look like Barry McKenzie , Sir Les Patterson and a member of the crack suicide squad for the People’s Front of Judaea as a he has piss off awful of people or left them very confused at what has just happened.
The Nauru refugees going NZ is almost dead cert and the only sticking point is that he is demanding that these refugees would bared from Australia via NZ, but how SocMo is he going to enforce that?
The laugh of the day (well according to my mate a Leb Christian) goes to the Jewish community of the Wentworth electorate. As straw poll was taken by the highly acclaimed Oz paper asking a number of Jewish voters about moving the Australian Embassy in Israel? All of them reply, “yes moving the Embassy and reviewing the Iran Nuclear deal would be nice, but there are more important things to worry about here in Australia than what’s happening in Israel atm.” As my mate said to me this morning over a cuppa “ Trust a Jew to worry about his or her’s hip pocket here in Oz than what’s happening back in back in Israel and I don’t know what worse a tight ass Jew or a teetotaling Scottish Methodist or Scottish Presbyterian”? Well ourfamily did alright out of old Uncle Jock as we got an awful lot of free tickets to games and events to Lancaster Park in CHCH.
So it appears his day of offering to solve the a number of issues yesterday to the the voters of Wentworth has fallen on deaf ears. So the Libs are in panic mode as we use say at work when of our Ground Defence Officers goes into a panic “ah the bog rat is ass shitting again” and SocMo is like a fat kid who has miss out on the lollie scramble as the fastest kid got there first.
Well I’ve got a cracker of story tomorrow on the Wentworth Mud race, as this mud race has well in truely got very dirty and ugly. From I’ve heard so far awful a lot off people are piss and this could very back fire on the Lib’s big time.
I’ve been trying to follow today’s events in NZ and I’m well in truly lost for words.
Knowing a few coasters, I doubt they would even vote for a Chinese or Indian candidate let alone one from the “No Mates Party” and the last time it went blue in the 90’s they got some old wind bag who was about as useless as a Airforce Elephant Tracker chasing a defaulter in the snow while doing the dance of the flaming asshole at the same time.
Anyway I better hit the frog and toad as it going be another big day politics either side of the ditch tomorrow
demanding that these refugees would bared from Australia via NZ, but how SocMo is he going to enforce that?
Quite easily; every kiwi that enters Australia has an SCV444 (Special Category Visa) automatically created as you pass through Immigration. Just because you don’t see it, doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen:
Must be Jacinda’s ” kindness” to oil day again… from Greenpeace
“We’ve just learned, the Government has granted Austrian oil giant OMV a two year extension on their permit to search and drill for oil in the Great South Basin, just off Dunedin. That’s despite issuing a ban on new oil and gas exploration permits in April.
This is a massive backtrack. The Government is breathing new life into this permit, and the extra two years could be the difference between finding and drilling for new oil and gas reserves, or not.
It’s madness to be allowing an extension on this permit to look for more oil and gas reserves – right when the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has released a new report that shows in no uncertain terms we’ve got a decade to save the world from climate catastrophe.
In fact the science is clearer than ever. If we want to keep climate change to below 1.5C, then the majority of fossil fuel reserves cannot be touched.
This we know to be true, and yet OMV – one of the 100 companies who have caused 70% of global emissions since the eighties – continue undeterred by the millions of lives, precious ecosystems and communities they put at risk.
After the IPCC call to action – that we need unparalleled courage, ambition and resolve to turn this tide – why would anyone grant an oil company more time to pillage the Earth?
Let Megan Woods know that you do not support this decision. That instead of extending oil permits, the government should be investing in the clean energies of the future.”
The government and councils should be encouraging people with solar and other kinds of alternative power instead of backing big business and doing the opposite. It’s criminal the way big business and government lackeys are trying to rout people and keep them off alternative power because they must know with climate change they must change and the sooner they do so, the better for everybody, change is inevitable. Sadly the dinosaurs are just going to keep price gouging their profits until the lights go out and the new green transport can’t be charged, and take everyone else with them.
“inappropriate behaviour that is unacceptable from a married Member of Parliament.” – I’m sorry what?
By Martyn Bradbury / October 17, 2018 / 3 Comments
TDB recommends Voyager – Unlimited internet @home as fast as you can get
If National are going to stand by that new ethical line in the sand, then should we start applying it to other National Party MPs?
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Jami-Lee Ross accused of inappropriate behaviour for a married MP: Paula Bennett
National Party deputy leader Paula Bennett says the issues raised with Jami-Lee Ross had nothing to do with harassment, but were about inappropriate behaviour from Ross as a “married Member of Parliament”.
“Inappropriate behaviour that is unacceptable from a married Member of Parliament.” – I’m sorry what?
Is that the game we are playing now?
Does National REALLY want to go down that path?
REALLY?
R-E-A-L-L-Y?
This is becoming so nasty and bitter. The National Party are the Marriage Police now?
If National are going to stand by that new ethical line in the sand, then should we start applying it to other National Party MPs?
Paula Bennett’s interview on Breakfast this morning was a train wreck.
We’ve seen Paula use personal information to damage enemies in the past when she published personal details of beneficiaries who complained about her. This is getting to a level where people are going to be seriously damaged from this.
Who does this all benefit ultimately? Why Judith Collins of course, who is watching her puppets dance and the implosion of chaos play out.
If Simon Bridges has to stand down due to the audio evidence Jami-Lee Ross has, the Party will turn in desperation to Judith.
And then we will have real cause to be frightened.
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Published: 46 mins ago on October 17, 2018
By: Martyn Bradbury
Last Modified: October 17, 2018 @ 12:30 pm
Filed Under: Deconstructing Headlines, Martyn Bradbury, Most Recent Blogs
Tagged With: New Zealand Politics
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Dr Liz Gordon – Ructions in the national caucus
Jacinda Arderns “Captain Call” on banning oil and gas exploration was always going to be a disaster…
“The country has just seven years’ firm supply, and production is forecast to start falling away from 2021, according to Patrick Teagle, a New Zealand-based executive for Austrian oil and gas company OMV. Teagle was talking to Parliament’s environment select committee.”
“The clash of viewpoints among the 12 submitters was stark. Government MPs didn’t appreciate being told the ban would increase emissions rather than reduce them, that the ban had already halted some investment, and that reduced domestic gas supplies would increase electricity costs for all consumers and sacrifice opportunities to reduce coal use and replace higher-emitting imports – like fertiliser – with lower-emission local production.”
“New Zealand Shipping Federation executive director Annabel Young silenced the committee with a detailed explanation of the challenge ship owners will face if they can’t access locally-made methanol – made from gas – to meet new international fuel pollution standards.”
If it’s so important to the country why are they giving the rights away to foreign companies? One of the companies that is named in one of the 100 companies producing 70% of the world’s emissions.
30 years ago they should have invested in green tech for shipping. Now they are better to get off their arses and find green solutions than pay lobbyists to keep the ‘peak’ oil debacle going until they have nothing.
But after tobacco who actually believes big business anymore?
They are as reliable as the unitary plan producing all those affordable houses…
Or John Key’s resignation if there is mass surveillance.
Essentially all the ‘experts’ are a paid for viewpoint that is hardly reliable and that approach has wasted 30 years of climate change over the question of its it real or not with plenty of paid for climate change deniers helping screw over the planet.
For those interesting in the Wentworth mud race, here is today’s updates. But the since “No Mates Party” has now turn themselves into the crack suicide squad of People’s Front of Judaea or was that the People’s Liberation Front of Judaea anyway who bloody cares, as is probably more interesting than the Wentworth mud race.
Kia ora The Am Show I waited a hour before I turned the TV on I new it will be all about the circus national party one point I want to make is who trained these lads shonky and bill I have not had one drink of alcohol what a line .They started dredging up mud at the start of the expense leak of bridges .
I think responsible drinking is a good topic I was thinking the drink driving ads could be about the bad effects of drinking alcohol that would be 2 issues that the youth learn about we should have advertising all around the place about the Ills of alcohol.
jerry no thanks a bully we know who was responceable for the little girl comments he’s A chauvinistic person we seen how he stuffed up the Earth quake insurance claims in Christchurch . Ka kite ano P.S I did not wake up yesterday
To the Human Caused Climate Change Deniers how can you keep a straight neck and face when denying HCCC in the process denying your OUR Decedents a healthy future .
All for the love of power and money we have the Technology to mitigate climate change
We just need all voters to think about there Decedents future and vote these idiots out .
I see one bull——story about beer/ hops production being affected by climate change who give a —– if beer goes up in price at the minute we don’t need beer to survive like we did when water was polluted back 200 years ago .
We do need clean air and climate conditions that do not fluctuate wildly from extreme droughts to extremely cold conditions floods hurricanes earthquakes tsunami to survive .
IF WE ALL WORK TOGETHER WE CAN LEAVE A BETTER EARTH FOR ALL.
I say solar installed on building is one of the best ways to mitigate HCCC no need to build huge inefficient transmission lines that lose % 8 to % 15 of power or to take land from people or the wild life the cost of transmission will be billions of wasted money.
Subsides for poor solar installation and pay % 95 of the power unit price for net metering I.E when one has a grid tied solar system during the day the power company give you credit for your excess power and at nite you buy it back paying % 100 % 5 should be enough for eclectic company’s to provide there services .
The drawback is big company’s lose control of your hip pocket and they don’t like that they will chuck out all sorts of lies to say that huge solar farms are the best to keep control of the consumer and there hip pocket like the lies about HCCC that are being fabricated at the minute. Ka kite ano link is below.
We have had this in all professions men stealing Wahine work treating them like play toys .
There are many storys about this behavior and some men still try and discredit the metoo movement they don’t have the noodles to self examine then selves and how men have behaved for years . I say we need to treat everyone equally links below ka kite ano
This is why Eco Maori says that Aotearoa /New Zealand is a World leader and changes are coming that will be good for all half scientists /researchers awards have been given to Wahine / Ladies Kia kaha ka kite ano link below.
Kia ora Tekaea Yes I agree with we need more transparency on political donations.
Kingi Tawhiao showing his old maori art and artifacts is cool we need more of our great maori artifacts on show to build the children knowledge on maori and there wairua .
Smoke free for the East Coast /Gisborne will be a cool goal what about Pee free.
Tongans are real patriots of there League team Ka pai
Ka kite ano
Kia ora Newshub Thats a tragedy the dock staff dying in that helicopter crash condolences to there whano . I give a person a bit of leeway but its not looking good for Ross Now that looks like the Botany seat is up for grabs.
Is Maureen Pugh a Dairy farmer .
Justen Trudea is a good left leader I have researched the facts on what happens to A society when it legalizes personal use of weed and its mostly positive for all .
All trump talks about is money money money. ?????.
Malissa its cool the happy Royal couple in Australia are showing support for our environment.
It would be hard for people to look after there disabled children I say they should be payed the same as a private person caring for there disabled offspring .
Yes there are reason other than money that people come to Aotearoa life style we are more equal than some countrys .
Big Bird is retiring one of the most famous bird in the world ka pai
Ka kite ano P.S I won’t say it lol
Kia ora The Crowd Goes Wild James & Mulls Ana Eco makes a point not to back sports teams out right one can see the problem’s the ASB tennis is having now.
I seen a story about Kurtley Beale calling for Australian aboriginal designed jersey it mite be old but Kia kaha
Yes Wahine Sports is going strong in Aotearoa and around the Papatuanuku ka pai.
I am a loyal person some people are not to Eco maori not The Crowd Goes Wild people are cool tho.
I see our most famous choreographer Star is shining brightly she cool
Ka kite ano
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TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking about the Royal Commission Inquiry into Abuse in Carereport released this week, and with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on a UN push to not recognise carbon offset markets and ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 26, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Transport: Simeon Brown announced$802.9 million in funding for 18 new trains on the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines, which ...
The northern expressway extension from Warkworth to Whangarei is likely to require radical changes to legislation if it is going to be built within the foreseeable future. The Government’s powers to purchase land, the planning process and current restrictions on road tolling are all going to need to be changed ...
Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedFirst they came for the doctors But I was confused by the numbers and costs So I didn't speak up Then they came for our police and nurses And I didn't think we could afford those costs anyway So I ...
Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on UnsplashWe’re back again after our mid-winter break. We’re still with the ‘new’ day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when we have our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream ...
Notes: This is a free article. Abuse in Care themes are mentioned. Video is at the bottom.BackgroundYesterday’s report into Abuse in Care revealed that at least 1 in 3 of all who went through state and faith based care were abused - often horrifically. At least, because not all survivors ...
Luxon speaks in Parliament yesterday about the Abuse in Care report. Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:PM Christopher Luxon said yesterday in tabling the Abuse in Carereport in Parliament he wanted to ‘do the ...
About a decade ago I worked with a bloke called Steve. He was the grizzled veteran coder, a few years older than me, who knew where the bodies were buried - code wise. Despite his best efforts to be approachable and friendly he could be kind of gruff, through to ...
Some of the recent announcements from the government have reminded us of posts we’ve written in the past. Here’s one from early 2020. There were plenty of reactions to the government’s infrastructure announcement a few weeks ago which saw them fund a bunch of big roading projects. One of ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Thursday, July 25 are:News: Why Electric Kiwi is closing to new customers - and why it matters RNZ’s Susan EdmundsScoop: Government drops ...
Hi,I felt a small wet tongue snaking through one of the holes in my Crocs. It explored my big toe, darting down one side, then the other. “He’s looking for some toe cheese,” said the woman next to me, words that still haunt me to this day.Growing up in New ...
Yesterday I happily quoted the Prime Minister without fact-checking him and sure enough, it turns out his numbers were all to hell. It’s not four kg of Royal Commission report, it’s fourteen.My friend and one-time colleague-in-comms Hazel Phillips gently alerted me to my error almost as soon as I’d hit ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Thursday, July 25, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day were:The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquirypublished its final report yesterday.PM Christopher Luxon and The Minister responsible for ...
The Official Information Act has always been a battle between requesters seeking information, and governments seeking to control it. Information is power, so Ministers and government agencies want to manage what is released and when, for their own convenience, and legality and democracy be damned. Their most recent tactic for ...
TL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:Transport and Energy Minister Simeon Brown is accelerating plans to spend at least $10 billion through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to extend State Highway One as a four-lane ‘Expressway’ from Warkworth to Whangarei ...
I live my life (woo-ooh-ooh)With no control in my destinyYea-yeah, yea-yeah (woo-ooh-ooh)I can bleed when I want to bleedSo come on, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)You can bleed when you want to bleedYea-yeah, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)Everybody bleed when they want to bleedCome on and bleedGovernments face tough challenges. Selling unpopular decisions to ...
Please note:To skip directly to the- parliamentary footage in the video, scroll to 1:21 To skip to audio please click on the headphone iconon the left hand side of the screenThis video / audio section is under development. ...
Given the crackdown on wasteful government spending, it behooves me to point to a high profile example of spending by the Luxon government that looks like a big, fat waste of time and money. I’m talking about the deployment of NZDF personnel to support the US-led coalition in the Red ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:40 am on Wednesday, July 24 are:Deep Dive: Chipping away at the housing crisis, including my comments RNZ/Newsroom’s The DetailNews: Government softens on asset sales, ...
As I reported about the city centre, Auckland’s rail network is also going through a difficult and disruptive period which is rapidly approaching a culmination, this will result in a significant upgrade to the whole network. Hallelujah. Also like the city centre this is an upgrade predicated on the City ...
Today, a 4 kilogram report will be delivered to Parliament. We know this is what the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care weighs, because our Prime Minister told us so.Some reporter had blindsided him by asking a question about something done by ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Wednesday, July 24, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Beehive:Transport Minister Simeon Brownannounced plans to use PPPs to fund, build and run a four-lane expressway between Auckland ...
NewstalkZB host Mike Hosking, who can usually be relied on to give Prime Minister Christopher Luxon an easy run, did not do so yesterday when he interviewed him about the HealthNZ deficit. Luxon is trying to use a deficit reported last year by HealthNZ as yet another example of the ...
Back in January a StatsNZ employee gave a speech at Rātana on behalf of tangata whenua in which he insulted and criticised the government. The speech clearly violated the principle of a neutral public service, and StatsNZ started an investigation. Part of that was getting an external consultant to examine ...
Renting for life: Shared ownership initiatives are unlikely to slow the slide in home ownership by much. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:A Deloittereport for Westpac has projected Aotearoa’s home-ownership rate will ...
You're broken down and tiredOf living life on a merry go roundAnd you can't find the fighterBut I see it in you so we gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsWe gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsAnd I'll rise upI'll rise like the dayI'll rise upI'll rise unafraidI'll rise upAnd I'll ...
There’s been a change in Myers Park. Down the steps from St. Kevin’s Arcade, past the grassy slopes, the children’s playground, the benches and that goat statue, there has been a transformation. The underpass for Mayoral Drive has gone from a barren, grey, concrete tunnel, to a place that thrums ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global society may have finally slammed on the brakes for climate-warming pollution released by human fossil fuel combustion. According to the Carbon Monitor Project, the total global climate pollution released between February and May 2024 declined slightly from the amount released during the same ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Tuesday, July 23 are:Deep Dive: Penlink: where tolling rhetoric meets reality BusinessDesk-$$$’sOliver LewisScoop:Te Pūkenga plans for regional polytechs leak out ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announcedthe Board of Te Whatu Ora-Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
A homeless person’s camp beside a blocked-off slipped damage walkway in Freeman’s Bay: we are chasing our tail on our worsening and inter-related housing, poverty and climate crises. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Orderimage, ...
Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
Waiting In The Wings:For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSAannounced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
Te Rangi e tu nei (The sky above us) Te Papa e takoto nei (The land beneath us) Tatou katoa te hunga ora (To us all the living) Tena koutou katoa (Greetings) ...
A late change to charter school legislation will cheat educators out of fair pay and negotiating power proving charter schools are just a vehicle to make profit out of our education system. ...
In 2004 te iwi Māori rallied against the Crown’s attempt to confiscate our coastlines and moana with the Foreshore and Seabed Act. This led to the largest hīkoi of a generation and the birth of Te Pāti Māori. 20 years later, history is repeating itself. Today the government has announced ...
It has been five and a half years since the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care was established to investigate the abuse of children, young people, and vulnerable adults within state and faith-based institutions. Yesterday, the final report - Whanaketia through pain and trauma, from darkness to light ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to take action off the back of the International Court of Justice ruling on Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine. ...
On Friday the International Court of Justice reaffirmed what Palestinian’s have been telling us for decades: that the occupation and colonisation of Palestinian lands by Israel is illegal and must end immediately. They also called for reparations for Palestinian’s who have lived under Israeli occupation since it began in 1967. ...
Labour calls on the Government to act after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian Territories is illegal. ...
The 53.7 percent rise in benefit sanctions over the last year is more proof of this Government’s disdain for our communities most in need of support. ...
Aotearoa could be a country where every child grows up feeling safe, loved and with a sense of belonging in their whānau and community. But for some of our children, this is far from reality. Instead, they are trapped in a maze of intergenerational harm that they can’t escape on ...
Te Pāti Māori are calling for David Seymour to resign as Associate Health Minister in response to his call for Pharmac to ignore the Treaty of Waitangi. “This announcement is just another example of the government’s anti-Tiriti, anti-Māori agenda.” Said Co-leader and spokesperson for health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. “Seymour thinks it ...
The soaring price of renting is driving the rise of inflation in this country - with latest figures from Stats NZ showing rents are up 4.8 per cent on average while annual inflation is at 3.3 per cent. ...
National’s Emissions Reduction Plan will take New Zealand further from the economy we need to ensure the next generation has a stable climate and secure livelihoods. ...
Following consultation with named parties and thorough consideration of privacy interests, the Green Party is in a position to release the Executive Summary of the final report from the independent investigation into Darleen Tana. ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon should be asking serious questions of his Minister for Resources Shane Jones now it’s been revealed he misled the public about a dinner with mining companies that he didn’t declare and said wasn’t pre-arranged. ...
Te Pāti Māori have submitted to the Justice Select Committee against the Sentencing (Reinstating Three Strikes) Amendment Bill. The bill will further entrench racism in our justice system and fails to focus on rehabilitation. “Reinstating Three Strikes will empower a systematically racist system and exacerbate the overrepresentation of Māori in ...
The Transport and Infrastructure Committee is set to make a determination on the Residential Tenancies Amendment (RTA) Bill in the coming weeks. “This legislation will give landlords the power to kick our whānau out onto the street for no reason” said Housing spokesperson, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “Their solution to the housing ...
“National’s campaign was about tackling crime and the best they can do is a two-year long Ministerial Advisory Group,” Labour justice spokesperson Duncan Webb said. ...
“There are more examples of charter schools failing their students than there are success stories. The coalition Government is driving to dismantle our public school system and instead promote a privatised, competitive structure that puts profits before kids,” Jan Tinetti said. ...
“This government is choosing to deliberately mislead and withhold information, keeping our people in the dark about this government’s agenda and the future of our mokopuna,” said co-leader and spokesperson for Health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. The call comes after the demand from the Chief Ombudsman that Associate Minister of Health, Casey ...
“Today’s climate announcement by Simon Watts makes clear the National Government is simply paying lip service to meeting its climate change targets,” Megan Woods said. ...
National is choosing to make life harder for workers by taking away the rights our communities have fought hard for. Here's how they’re taking workers backwards. ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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. ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
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 ...
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 ...
The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...
With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...
Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says a bill that has passed its first reading will improve parental leave settings and give non-biological parents more flexibility as primary carer for their child. The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No3), passed its first reading this morning. “It includes a change ...
Two Bills designed to improve regulation and make it easier to do business have passed their first reading in Parliament, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. The Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Bill and Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill make key changes to legislation administered by the Ministry ...
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 ...
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 ...
The Coalition Government is accelerating work on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of its Roads of National Significance programme, with an accelerated delivery model to deliver this project faster and more efficiently, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “For too long, the lack of resilient transport connections ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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. ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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. ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
Last summer when Matairangi burned, Ginny and Tom stood at the window of their lounge, watching kākā shoot skyward from the burning trees. From the distance, they looked to Ginny like pages torn from books and thrown into a bonfire. It was Tom, voice tight, who told her it was ...
Opinion: The Canadian short story writer Alice Munro – winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2013 – died in May at the age of 92. Her work was about “the damage people inflict on one another in the name of love”, Deborah Treisman wrote in the New Yorker. ...
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It seems a fitting day to remind ourselves of this debacle of an interview.
The fact of the matter is…….
Yes, I’ve often posted that one,… it was that interview that told me all I needed to know about Bridges character and confirmed the gut feeling I got that he was , – if he became leader, – only going to be an interim one. You just cannot have such a belligerent , dogmatic and obnoxious person like that as the nations leader. There was none of the wit of Rob Muldoon , or his confidence , … just repetitive phrases, interjections, shooting the messenger instead of answering the questions , ( sure Muldoon did that to Tom Scott and others )…
I’ve always suspected Bridges was just a placeholder for the Nats,… but I never dreamt it would turn out this way. But just one word of caution : the Nats are up to something, and when Bridges goes,… be prepared for whoever follows or the one after that.
The stench of a dead eyed globalist like John Key is on the way for sure. One who will carry on the National party baton of selling this country out to foreigners with diplomacy and aplomb should they regain power.
The Nats must be kept out of power at all costs. They are cancer for this country.
The story of course is fundamentally about how Chinese money has captured the Auckland sector of the National Party.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12143264
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/107875950/chinese-businessman-embroiled-in-corruption-allegations-had-simon-bridges-over-for-dinner-wife-says
Bomber nails it .
“National looks less like a political party and more like a front for Chinese business interests”
https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2018/10/16/national-looks-less-like-a-political-party-and-more-like-a-front-for-chinese-business-interests/
Still someone has to lead. Paula. Sorry, it all looks like a very badly adaptation of game of thrones without the interest bits, murders, naked people, etc, etc.
Well, at least there’s a dragon or two 😉
Good links Ed.
All donations lead back to people who have significant property interests, have dinner with MP’s and then donate large amounts that are illegally hidden in smaller donations and also same donor on the Auckland City delegation to China.
“On the Companies Office Zhang is listed as a director of HLG Holding, Trans Tasman International, Chao Shan Trustee, Chao Hui Holding and KCC Construction, which says it specialises in residential construction in Auckland region.
In 2017 Zhang was part of an Auckland Council business delegation to Guangzhou.”
I think we can be assured that corruption and secret donations, is alive and well in NZ and being fostered by our government ministers and councils.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/107875950/chinese-businessman-embroiled-in-corruption-allegations-had-simon-bridges-over-for-dinner-wife-says
ON that note, there are daily pleas from various groups for various schemes to provide more profits for construction interests in Auckland funded by the government with taxes, (today Salvation Army for example thinking the taxpayer should build more houses for people to buy on salaries between social housing and Kiwibuild (who does that help, construction interests!)
At no time have I ever seen anyone in the media or all these groups with ideas which all seem to be around more construction paid for by the government or ratepayers, rather than better planning or allocation of housing.
They never suggest the cheapest and most obvious way, aka it goes to the most needy and most valuable to the country (aka the people who live here and do essential work) and that the government needs to limit demand because at present everybody in the world can buy our new houses, farms, land and commercial assets and investors from OZ and Singapore have access to the above and the existing houses too.
In addition, anyone with permanent residency which is easily bought within 2 years and a fake job and degree, can buy existing residential property and there is an insatiable demand for ‘gold brick’ assets especially from countries like China, that are unable to buy land in their own countries because it is all government owned plus it is a cash economy with high levels of bribes needed to get anything done so there is plenty of cash knocking around, and not many ways to spend it.
As seen by the UK, any build or sell to buy, needs to rely on a static or decreasing population to work. At present in NZ we have the opposite and that is exactly what happened in the UK… so now they are up shit creek without a paddle trying to pay for all the social and affordable housing and land they now need because they got 5 x more migrants than they expected when some of the Eastern European countries joined the EU, and they now needed those houses that they sold for a song, not that long ago.
It also created a situation where sell to buy, drove up council rents because social housing went from being cash positive for the country to being negative and they then of course needed to put the rents up… plus the rise of intermediaries on six figure salaries instead of a few council workers on average salaries, doing a piss poor and life threatening job of managing the assets… aka Grenfell.
Trans Tasman International …..interesting….The sea bed prospectors….
The same company that Jenny Shipley was director for, a few years back?
A fun view from the Civilian: “We’re talking about roughly two years of operations being carried out in the space of an hour,” said one confidant. “These things were supposed to be methodically planted, carefully weaved into the fabric of caucus’ consciousness, little bits leaked here and there. But this morning was a disaster. He just went and read every last bit of it out to the media. There hasn’t even been time to plant evidence for some of this stuff.”
“This isn’t the first time that one of Collins’ host bodies has gone rogue – early prototypes of the programme, Aaron Gilmore and Todd Barclay, also backfired in public – but neither of those incidents were anywhere near as destructive as this one is proving to be, and it may be just the beginning.” http://www.thecivilian.co.nz/judith-collins-loses-all-control-of-host-body/
An equally light hearted view from David Slack. In his usual inimitable style he says it in a simple and humorous nutshell as you might expect.
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/368810/ross-offers-another-moment-of-truth
And on the most issue facing us, Rachel Stewart nails it.
“Rachel Stewart: Climate – Don’t say I didn’t warn you
If you’re familiar with my writing, you’ll know I’ve been doomin’ and gloomin’ it for eight years now. I’m nothing if not consistent when it comes to the state of the planet.
The latest IPCC report on the climate crisis just means that the scientists have decided to act more like me. In other words, they know the depth of the problem but have finally chosen to not sugar-coat the truth. Where we (may) differ is in the “hope” department.
The report says there’s a small window of time to alter our trajectory. Which is, of course, a last-ditch attempt to get politicians and the public to start acting like it’s World War III. Because that’s what it would take to turn this overloaded, burning, sinking mess of a global ship around.”
The most important article you’ll read today.
Read the whole thing here.
This is worth a thread in its own right.
Every day.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12143210
Rachel has consistently warned us. A very thoughtful eloquent journalist.
I rate Rachel Stewart too and after reading this was thinking much the same as I cycled to work today Ed. Politics is just a diversion from the biggest issue facing us. I can’t find the reference again but I saw a reference to a writer recently (but haven’t been able to find again) who says that basically the human brain is just not capable of dealing with the enormity of the crisis facing us. So we just go into denial and continue to live as if it isn’t happening.
From Stuff: ” More than $31 million has been donated to registered political parties in the past six years, most of that to National. Smaller parties like the Greens publicly disclose who provided most of their funding, but the big parties are secretive. 83 per cent ($8.7m over six years) of the money donated to National is from anonymous donors, and 80 per cent ($2.8m) of that donated to Labour.”
“Labour is revealed to have collected tens of thousands of dollars in anonymous donations through art auctions. The party declared the money to the Electoral Commission in the names of painters like Karl Maughan and Stanley Palmer, even though the artists never saw the money and had no idea they were being named as donors. The worst offender is NZ First: Most years, it allows every single one of its donors to remain secret.”
“RULES OF DONATION:
The secretary of each registered political party must file an annual return of party donations and loans with the Electoral Commission by 30 April of the following year for donations and loans received in the last 12 months.
Party donations and contributions to donations of more than $15,000 (including GST) are required to be declared in the party’s annual return of donations. A series of donations, or contributions of more than $1,500 to donations, made by one person that adds up to more than $15,000 must also be declared.
Where donations exceed $30,000, or all the donations received from the same donor in the preceding 12 months is more than $30k, a return must be filed with the Electoral Commission within 10 working days of receipt.” https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/107885929/inside-the-secretive-world-of-political-donations
Lol
Far out
I don’t actually see why any donations to parties should be allowed to be anonymous.
It isn’t like donating to a charity and now in the days of computers, it is hardly a major administration problem keeping that much data.
About time that political donations are outlawed and each party just gets a set amount to spend. It’s tiring to have to wade through the spin, most of it inaccurate from the political parties.
We need to get the rot out of our political system before we turn into USA and you have to be a billionaire or owned by big business to become president and mount a campaign and by that time many people have stopped or been stopped from voting.
Since having fairness seems like a radical solution, then at the very least all political donations are publicly available and there is a limit on the amount donated aka not more than $100,000 and no donations from overseas interests.
Scary stuff, should be a police investigation on that practice too.
“Labour is revealed to have collected tens of thousands of dollars in anonymous donations through art auctions. The party declared the money to the Electoral Commission in the names of painters like Karl Maughan and Stanley Palmer, even though the artists never saw the money and had no idea they were being named as donors. The worst offender is NZ First: Most years, it allows every single one of its donors to remain secret.”
Honours for Cash?
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12143435
Bringing up how many donors to National and Labour who get honours would be a long list.
Honours seem to get handed out if you ran shonkys fav restaurant so why not for cash because as they say cash is king. They just have to say why…services to dodgy development maybe.
Services to leaky building and bad or non existent earthquake repairs…
Services to domestic hardware labelled as commercially acceptable for office/hotel etc perhaps…….hearing that practice is alive and kicking in Akl.
Services to Wellington being the only city in the world to remove sustainable public transport since the Paris climate accord was signed in 2015.
Sevices to the shortsighted and incompetent leadership of Wellington’s Regional Council, which scrapped the trolley bus network in November without a clear plan to replace them with an equivalent or better carbon-free bus fleet.
Services to GWRC who has imposed on Wellingtonians a fleet of predominantly diesel buses for the next 10-12 years: the length of the contracts the GWRC has signed with Tranzit and NZ Bus.
Services to nitrous oxide emissions have increased in Wellington since trolley buses were decommissioned in November
http://wellington.scoop.co.nz/?p=113048
And above all else, for services to SELF.
Yep – everything for sale. Honours list? I don’t think so.
Dishonourable list, sad you can buy anything these days…
Lacky Country considers moving embassy to Jerusalem. — News
Paula Bennett is now taking her turn to commit ritual seppuku on Natrad…
Did she just concede that Bridges has spoken to her about the donation from Zhang?
…Then retreated faster than the Italian army.
It’s hard to figure out what the National Party sees in Bennett?
I don’t get the attraction of Bennett either, but maybe they think she appeals most to voters??? I have my reservations especially since they had to remove her from her West Auckland seat and create a new one specially for her, after she cratered her voters and only just scrapped in!
Another warm body to throw under the bus once she’s outlived her usefulness I suspect. It’s the National way. Everyone’s best mates until you have to push them into oncoming traffic to save your own skin. Have to say… this is a train-wreck of epic proportions for National, and I almost feel bad for them.
Almost.
Two alpha males, egos, entitlement, power & control, broken promises, money, aggression & destruction.
It’s the same shit every day …
Let’s not do this! Any longer.
That’s what it is, alright. First we gotta see this evidence he’s taking to the cops. Essential to have back-up copies securely hidden! Also, if he’s smart, get a copy to a transcriber, and get that conversation converted into a written record, and get it out into the public domain pronto!
If he does this, and the record proves he’s telling the truth, he goes into the by-election from a position of optimal strength. Bridges will have caucus turning against him as soon as they read the transcript, so the next Nat leader will be looking askance at the selection of contenders trying to beat a guy who looks increasingly a winner.
A hypothetical scenario at present. All hinges on the mental illness. Is the evidence real or a delusion? Can JLR transform himself into a successful politician despite that vulnerability? Mentally-ill folk are supposed to be part of our community nowadays. Many oscillate between illness and health. They have civil rights. Can’t discriminate against them on the basis of their mental health. Can’t claim they are unfit for parliament!
Simon is distinctly beta. Like the Dipton Dipper, he’ll never have swooning audiences.
I never envisaged that the Brighter Future promised by John Key’s National party would be lit by the pyres of their politicians’ futures and the burning behind the scenes of dodgy money, evidence and tapes!
Surely it was obvious the Natz were on the payroll for big business interests from the outset, and the 0% tax havens, free gifting, investigation from the EU for money laundering policy here, Panama papers and other helps were put through to hide the pathways of the cash.
Excellent interview with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez about the green new deal, the future of the Justice Democrats, and her plans for her time in Congress. One of the ideas she proposes is that the US government provide jobs as part of the Green New Deal at US$15 an hour as an alternative to working for corporates at $7.50 and to help raise wages across the board. She also argues that the progressive democrats are making huge strides:
Zhang has been dragged into the disclosure process of donations to a political party.
Where does his privacy on this matter lie?
Does Zhang need to cooperate with any police investigation?
Were I Zhang, I would be left feeling being embarrassed by the National party. I applaud Zang’s wife for confirming that Bridges had a meal with the Zhangs.
Bridges can chose to keep digging as long as he wants to and evade the truth or give an honest account of whether or not a check for 100k or separate checks adding to 100k was written to the National party.
How often can a separate donor write a check under $15,000 so the donor does not need to be identified?
It is about the delivery of the check.
I can just see Bridges using the history of what occurred between Bank’s and his accountant, Peter’s and Glenn’s electoral donations and the history of audio taping Ambrose and Key and Barclay and the electorate worker.
The words knowingly, the party manager, being a party to the conversation, the audio is missing, no police charges ….
How the Bridges audio and discussion of a donation check is going to conclude will probably be career ending/ damaging for all those who were involved.
Were I Bridges, Zhang is who I would be careful of. Zang has the power over Bridges career as leader.
“Were I Bridges, Zhang is who I would be careful of. Zang has the power over Bridges career as leader.”
Bridges’ career is over.
Unless, of course, he is still of some use to his paymasters.
Then he’ll be revived and reincarnated.
Repurposed.
Isn’t this how it works?
Gotta love politics.
A death by a thousand cuts, or I could say a death by a, one hundred thousand dollar check.
Zhang is the star witness.
Zhang also popped up on the Auckland council envoy…
No doubt a few cheques and deals…
Auckland council has also have sold off $400 million of assets last year, would be good to see what assets they were and whose names were involved in the purchases or beneficiaries of those sales…
Auckland Council – some financial information that tells a lot…
“The number earning more than $200,000 is up by one to 195 across all council organisations.
A record $1.8 billion of capital expenditure had been partly funded from asset sales of $400m, $250m in additional borrowing, and the rest from council revenue.”
The council previously announced an $83m rise in the provision it’s making for building weathertightness claims, now at $320m.”
https://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/107443915/Auckland-Council-shrinks-wage-bill-again-but-number-of-staff-on-100k-rising
Wonder if any of those Assets were sold to people with Asian sounding names ?
I think we are beyond that in most cases to ‘respectable’ sounding companies.. there were some pearlers in the Panama papers such as ..
“Hinojosa Cantu, who had built his fortune from billions of dollars in government contracts, was under investigation for influence-peddling. In Mexico they called him the Duke of Privilege.
On February 3, 2015 Mexico’s president, Enrique Peña Nieto, had called an inquiry after media revelations that Hinojosa Cantu built a US$7 million home for Nieto’s wife, and sold another house to the Finance Minister, Luis Videgaray Caso, just before they won government in 2012.
By March last year Hinojosa Cantu had begun restructuring his finances. The key would be New Zealand.
KEN WHITNEY’S LETTER
Hinojosa Cantu wasn’t the only Mossack Fonseca client heading for Auckland.
The ICIJ on Monday will release the names and shareholders of 240,000 corporate entities (and their shareholders) administered by Mossack Fonseca in more than 20 low-tax jurisdictions around the world.
The data includes 368 shareholders with New Zealand addresses, but 189 of the shareholders are trusts and another 12 companies have bearer shares, which will prove hard to track.”
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/79714914/the-panama-papers-new-zealand-link-revealed
Wow, the Nats in complete meltdown. It could never of happened to a nicer bunch of chinless wonders.
For those who have been following my take on the Wentworth mud race (The by-election).
This article from news.com, short’ve sums up the last 24hrs for ScoMo and the Liberal Party atm as they will in truly in the shit house. Internal polling has them trailing the independent Phelps and thence SocMo wanting to move the Embassy and wanting to review the Iran Nuclear deal. These two decisions have been shamed by an number people since yesterday’s release in Wentworth alongside the Lib candidate who is Jewish and Jewish vote in the Wentworth electorate makes up 12-13% of the vote.
https://www.news.com.au/national/politics/shock-internal-polling-shows-government-losing-wentworth-byelection/news-story/a76bb601b42a8f1b358809ff8c189ffc
Wentworth electorate is one of Australia’s most diverse electorates, big the end of town and the all way down to Redfern with its housing commission tower blocks, to Kings Cross/ Oxford st to middle class hipsters and what’s left of the work class suburbs.
And what had brought about Scott Morrison saying he is considering allowing asylum seekers and refugees detained on Nauru into New Zealand.!
https://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/368802/australia-pm-said-to-be-considering-nz-s-nauru-resettlement-offer
Couldn’t find anything on the ABC …. whats happening over the ditch?
Yes the Nauru refugees issue, appears to be an attempt at vote buying aim at the middle class hipsters and the Liberal voter with a consensus for the Wentworth races. Inwhich ScoMo has managed to make himself look like Barry McKenzie , Sir Les Patterson and a member of the crack suicide squad for the People’s Front of Judaea as a he has piss off awful of people or left them very confused at what has just happened.
The Nauru refugees going NZ is almost dead cert and the only sticking point is that he is demanding that these refugees would bared from Australia via NZ, but how SocMo is he going to enforce that?
The laugh of the day (well according to my mate a Leb Christian) goes to the Jewish community of the Wentworth electorate. As straw poll was taken by the highly acclaimed Oz paper asking a number of Jewish voters about moving the Australian Embassy in Israel? All of them reply, “yes moving the Embassy and reviewing the Iran Nuclear deal would be nice, but there are more important things to worry about here in Australia than what’s happening in Israel atm.” As my mate said to me this morning over a cuppa “ Trust a Jew to worry about his or her’s hip pocket here in Oz than what’s happening back in back in Israel and I don’t know what worse a tight ass Jew or a teetotaling Scottish Methodist or Scottish Presbyterian”? Well ourfamily did alright out of old Uncle Jock as we got an awful lot of free tickets to games and events to Lancaster Park in CHCH.
So it appears his day of offering to solve the a number of issues yesterday to the the voters of Wentworth has fallen on deaf ears. So the Libs are in panic mode as we use say at work when of our Ground Defence Officers goes into a panic “ah the bog rat is ass shitting again” and SocMo is like a fat kid who has miss out on the lollie scramble as the fastest kid got there first.
Thanks ExKiwiForces!
Given the R.F.U! happening here! Difficult keeping up, (let alone across the ditch!)
I put up a comment earlier on DR tonight here about what ScoMo’s has purported to have said …. i.e. Narau, and REf’s Transferring to NZ?/Vote Buying!
But Any! other politics/issues here is GB for a while! At least until this current SF is over… Don’t hold yer breath…….
Well I’ve got a cracker of story tomorrow on the Wentworth Mud race, as this mud race has well in truely got very dirty and ugly. From I’ve heard so far awful a lot off people are piss and this could very back fire on the Lib’s big time.
I’ve been trying to follow today’s events in NZ and I’m well in truly lost for words.
Be good to hear it e hou!
Wish I could elaborate more here, or at least put you onto some good subjective media….. Shit happening way too! quick ….
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12143913
Wash my mouth out quick with Carbol! quoting Granny!
This may be more balanced? …
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/368883/troubled-national-leader-facing-big-questions
and/or view RNZ dot whatever…. ( range of opinions there et al)
Shit happening way out of ordinary for anyone! Nat party GB!
Gotta get some SE for TMs shenanigans!
Knowing a few coasters, I doubt they would even vote for a Chinese or Indian candidate let alone one from the “No Mates Party” and the last time it went blue in the 90’s they got some old wind bag who was about as useless as a Airforce Elephant Tracker chasing a defaulter in the snow while doing the dance of the flaming asshole at the same time.
Anyway I better hit the frog and toad as it going be another big day politics either side of the ditch tomorrow
demanding that these refugees would bared from Australia via NZ, but how SocMo is he going to enforce that?
Quite easily; every kiwi that enters Australia has an SCV444 (Special Category Visa) automatically created as you pass through Immigration. Just because you don’t see it, doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen:
https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/trav/visa-1/444-
All the govt has to do is put these people on an exclusion list and they don’t get a visa. Simple and quite legal.
Winston to stand in the Pakuranga By-Election ?
Wonder if National Party grandees are having a quiet word with their contacts in the senior ranks of the Police today?
Good day to bury bad news…
Must be Jacinda’s ” kindness” to oil day again… from Greenpeace
“We’ve just learned, the Government has granted Austrian oil giant OMV a two year extension on their permit to search and drill for oil in the Great South Basin, just off Dunedin. That’s despite issuing a ban on new oil and gas exploration permits in April.
This is a massive backtrack. The Government is breathing new life into this permit, and the extra two years could be the difference between finding and drilling for new oil and gas reserves, or not.
It’s madness to be allowing an extension on this permit to look for more oil and gas reserves – right when the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has released a new report that shows in no uncertain terms we’ve got a decade to save the world from climate catastrophe.
In fact the science is clearer than ever. If we want to keep climate change to below 1.5C, then the majority of fossil fuel reserves cannot be touched.
This we know to be true, and yet OMV – one of the 100 companies who have caused 70% of global emissions since the eighties – continue undeterred by the millions of lives, precious ecosystems and communities they put at risk.
After the IPCC call to action – that we need unparalleled courage, ambition and resolve to turn this tide – why would anyone grant an oil company more time to pillage the Earth?
Let Megan Woods know that you do not support this decision. That instead of extending oil permits, the government should be investing in the clean energies of the future.”
(not quite, what I think people interpreted from Jacinda claiming that climate change was our generations Nuclear free moment…)
A glimpse of the future in electricity pricing When only some FF generation is off line…
https://www.electricityinfo.co.nz/
spot prices up by a factor of 8.
When the costs flow onto consumers,there will be a summer of discontent.
The government and councils should be encouraging people with solar and other kinds of alternative power instead of backing big business and doing the opposite. It’s criminal the way big business and government lackeys are trying to rout people and keep them off alternative power because they must know with climate change they must change and the sooner they do so, the better for everybody, change is inevitable. Sadly the dinosaurs are just going to keep price gouging their profits until the lights go out and the new green transport can’t be charged, and take everyone else with them.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/opinion/102708888/way-to-be-cleared-for-big-electricity-players-to-prey-on-lowincome-households
It starts,a tripling of a power bill.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/107899242/power-retailer-flick-electric-face-fallout-from-spot-price-surge.
Also not what people were expecting with the Greens in government.
“inappropriate behaviour that is unacceptable from a married Member of Parliament.” – I’m sorry what?
By Martyn Bradbury / October 17, 2018 / 3 Comments
TDB recommends Voyager – Unlimited internet @home as fast as you can get
If National are going to stand by that new ethical line in the sand, then should we start applying it to other National Party MPs?
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Jami-Lee Ross accused of inappropriate behaviour for a married MP: Paula Bennett
National Party deputy leader Paula Bennett says the issues raised with Jami-Lee Ross had nothing to do with harassment, but were about inappropriate behaviour from Ross as a “married Member of Parliament”.
“Inappropriate behaviour that is unacceptable from a married Member of Parliament.” – I’m sorry what?
Is that the game we are playing now?
Does National REALLY want to go down that path?
REALLY?
R-E-A-L-L-Y?
This is becoming so nasty and bitter. The National Party are the Marriage Police now?
If National are going to stand by that new ethical line in the sand, then should we start applying it to other National Party MPs?
Paula Bennett’s interview on Breakfast this morning was a train wreck.
We’ve seen Paula use personal information to damage enemies in the past when she published personal details of beneficiaries who complained about her. This is getting to a level where people are going to be seriously damaged from this.
Who does this all benefit ultimately? Why Judith Collins of course, who is watching her puppets dance and the implosion of chaos play out.
If Simon Bridges has to stand down due to the audio evidence Jami-Lee Ross has, the Party will turn in desperation to Judith.
And then we will have real cause to be frightened.
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Published: 46 mins ago on October 17, 2018
By: Martyn Bradbury
Last Modified: October 17, 2018 @ 12:30 pm
Filed Under: Deconstructing Headlines, Martyn Bradbury, Most Recent Blogs
Tagged With: New Zealand Politics
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Dr Liz Gordon – Ructions in the national caucus
Still don’t see what Labour haven’t move to have all heat treated foods labelled as such. So their base isnt scammed by retailers.
Jacinda Arderns “Captain Call” on banning oil and gas exploration was always going to be a disaster…
“The country has just seven years’ firm supply, and production is forecast to start falling away from 2021, according to Patrick Teagle, a New Zealand-based executive for Austrian oil and gas company OMV. Teagle was talking to Parliament’s environment select committee.”
“The clash of viewpoints among the 12 submitters was stark. Government MPs didn’t appreciate being told the ban would increase emissions rather than reduce them, that the ban had already halted some investment, and that reduced domestic gas supplies would increase electricity costs for all consumers and sacrifice opportunities to reduce coal use and replace higher-emitting imports – like fertiliser – with lower-emission local production.”
“New Zealand Shipping Federation executive director Annabel Young silenced the committee with a detailed explanation of the challenge ship owners will face if they can’t access locally-made methanol – made from gas – to meet new international fuel pollution standards.”
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12143888
If it’s so important to the country why are they giving the rights away to foreign companies? One of the companies that is named in one of the 100 companies producing 70% of the world’s emissions.
30 years ago they should have invested in green tech for shipping. Now they are better to get off their arses and find green solutions than pay lobbyists to keep the ‘peak’ oil debacle going until they have nothing.
But after tobacco who actually believes big business anymore?
They are as reliable as the unitary plan producing all those affordable houses…
Or John Key’s resignation if there is mass surveillance.
Essentially all the ‘experts’ are a paid for viewpoint that is hardly reliable and that approach has wasted 30 years of climate change over the question of its it real or not with plenty of paid for climate change deniers helping screw over the planet.
For those interesting in the Wentworth mud race, here is today’s updates. But the since “No Mates Party” has now turn themselves into the crack suicide squad of People’s Front of Judaea or was that the People’s Liberation Front of Judaea anyway who bloody cares, as is probably more interesting than the Wentworth mud race.
https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-17-10-2018/#comment-1537138
https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-17-10-2018/#comment-1537555
Kia ora The Am Show I waited a hour before I turned the TV on I new it will be all about the circus national party one point I want to make is who trained these lads shonky and bill I have not had one drink of alcohol what a line .They started dredging up mud at the start of the expense leak of bridges .
I think responsible drinking is a good topic I was thinking the drink driving ads could be about the bad effects of drinking alcohol that would be 2 issues that the youth learn about we should have advertising all around the place about the Ills of alcohol.
jerry no thanks a bully we know who was responceable for the little girl comments he’s A chauvinistic person we seen how he stuffed up the Earth quake insurance claims in Christchurch . Ka kite ano P.S I did not wake up yesterday
To the Human Caused Climate Change Deniers how can you keep a straight neck and face when denying HCCC in the process denying your OUR Decedents a healthy future .
All for the love of power and money we have the Technology to mitigate climate change
We just need all voters to think about there Decedents future and vote these idiots out .
I see one bull——story about beer/ hops production being affected by climate change who give a —– if beer goes up in price at the minute we don’t need beer to survive like we did when water was polluted back 200 years ago .
We do need clean air and climate conditions that do not fluctuate wildly from extreme droughts to extremely cold conditions floods hurricanes earthquakes tsunami to survive .
IF WE ALL WORK TOGETHER WE CAN LEAVE A BETTER EARTH FOR ALL.
I say solar installed on building is one of the best ways to mitigate HCCC no need to build huge inefficient transmission lines that lose % 8 to % 15 of power or to take land from people or the wild life the cost of transmission will be billions of wasted money.
Subsides for poor solar installation and pay % 95 of the power unit price for net metering I.E when one has a grid tied solar system during the day the power company give you credit for your excess power and at nite you buy it back paying % 100 % 5 should be enough for eclectic company’s to provide there services .
The drawback is big company’s lose control of your hip pocket and they don’t like that they will chuck out all sorts of lies to say that huge solar farms are the best to keep control of the consumer and there hip pocket like the lies about HCCC that are being fabricated at the minute. Ka kite ano link is below.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/oct/05/why-the-next-four-months-are-crucial-for-future-of-planet-climate-change P.S just the savings in lost power transmission would be more than enough to pay for poor peoples solar systems
A link for my post above.ka kite ano
We can learn a lot off Papatuanuku and her creatures it pays to work with her Its not rocket science Ka kite ano link below.
https://www.bbc.com/ideas/videos/five-things-ants-can-teach-us-about-management/p06p040r
We have had this in all professions men stealing Wahine work treating them like play toys .
There are many storys about this behavior and some men still try and discredit the metoo movement they don’t have the noodles to self examine then selves and how men have behaved for years . I say we need to treat everyone equally links below ka kite ano
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2018/oct/16/the-scandal-of-architecture-invisible-women-denise-scott-brown
https://edition.cnn.com/2018/10/17/asia/mj-akbar-resignation-metoo-india-intl/index.html
This is why Eco Maori says that Aotearoa /New Zealand is a World leader and changes are coming that will be good for all half scientists /researchers awards have been given to Wahine / Ladies Kia kaha ka kite ano link below.
https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ourchangingworld/audio/2018667058/nz-s-top-researchers-honoured
Kia ora Tekaea Yes I agree with we need more transparency on political donations.
Kingi Tawhiao showing his old maori art and artifacts is cool we need more of our great maori artifacts on show to build the children knowledge on maori and there wairua .
Smoke free for the East Coast /Gisborne will be a cool goal what about Pee free.
Tongans are real patriots of there League team Ka pai
Ka kite ano
Kia ora Newshub Thats a tragedy the dock staff dying in that helicopter crash condolences to there whano . I give a person a bit of leeway but its not looking good for Ross Now that looks like the Botany seat is up for grabs.
Is Maureen Pugh a Dairy farmer .
Justen Trudea is a good left leader I have researched the facts on what happens to A society when it legalizes personal use of weed and its mostly positive for all .
All trump talks about is money money money. ?????.
Malissa its cool the happy Royal couple in Australia are showing support for our environment.
It would be hard for people to look after there disabled children I say they should be payed the same as a private person caring for there disabled offspring .
Yes there are reason other than money that people come to Aotearoa life style we are more equal than some countrys .
Big Bird is retiring one of the most famous bird in the world ka pai
Ka kite ano P.S I won’t say it lol
Kia ora The Crowd Goes Wild James & Mulls Ana Eco makes a point not to back sports teams out right one can see the problem’s the ASB tennis is having now.
I seen a story about Kurtley Beale calling for Australian aboriginal designed jersey it mite be old but Kia kaha
Yes Wahine Sports is going strong in Aotearoa and around the Papatuanuku ka pai.
I am a loyal person some people are not to Eco maori not The Crowd Goes Wild people are cool tho.
I see our most famous choreographer Star is shining brightly she cool
Ka kite ano