I see that TricKey is off to China. As they are having a crackdown on ‘Shonky’ dealings maybe the letting off of Collins will be seen as a sign of weakness. Also TricKey overseas I wonder if he has that itchy feeling between his shoulder blades. As thats when the Nats roll their leader.
…the letting off of Collins will be seen as a sign of weakness.
You will be interested to know David H that Mike Williams made precisely that point on the RNZ political spot this morning. What’s more, Matthew Hooton seemed to agree with him. (Other way round this time)
Here’s some remarkably good news…….Liverpool 3, Man United 0.
Liverpool captain, Gerrard, scored two penalties. Now, if that doesn’t put a smile on a few faces, here, then I’m buggered if I know what will. Let’s all rejoice. The good have vanquished the bad.
After rampant Trade Unionism of 70’s 80’s is good to see scousers with something to smile about. Once the bitter employment battles ended it was so sad to see a once vibrant city decline to crime and welfare. After the Union leaders and politicians bailed there was no hope of employment with entrepreneurs ignoring politicians pleas to come back with free factory rents and other sweeteners Lessons have not been learnt as Detroit follows same path to destruction. But it was good to see Socialist Liverpool thrash the bankers of Manchester.
Lily livered scousers is not what you should call your comrades. Scouse militants provided the muscle, the backbone and the go forward for Labour movement in UK. Ever heard of flying pickets (mostly liverpudlians)
Once it became obvious that no worker driven Marxicst state was to be set up in Anglophilia there was little left for the hardliners, but for a good football club. The cost of a failed attempt at Marxism can be measured in the gloom and despondancy of this once great city.
Quick question about the site: Last week, instead of loading the front page, I get a blank page with the words “Hello World” in the top left. Yes, it’s IE, but I can’t change it because I don’t control the IT. Thoughts?
The site got overwhelmed and fell over. Your browser cached the fall over (gotta fix that damnit). Press shift+F5 (or shift + click refresh) on the front page to clear the cache and reload should fix it.
No problems. It is always a useful thing to recall, especially when the graphics fail to load on a site correctly and get cached on the browser for the next few days as “broken”.
I fixed the fallover (I hope) this weekend with a much more aggressive policy against bots. If anything reads 10 page inside a minute then they get locked out of the site for 2 hours unless they are google, feedburner, a couple of other known search engines, and National Library (if they give me server IPs). If they get caught too often then I add them to denial in the firewall. We were getting quite aggressive bots hitting us at about 0730. I permanently killed 24 this morning.
The “hello world” was the placeholder at the root of the apache directory system. It was put in to make sure that there was something there when the system got bootstrapped. I’m still surprised that that the server crash fell back to there. It implies that the virtual host system that thestandard is in had failed completely.
But because it had no caching set up, the browser put whatever it felt like on the page.
Not that anyone should be surprised. The US refused to accept the Palestinian election when they elected Hamas as well and all the Western nations meekly accepted the ruling of Big Brother.
Listening to Radio New Zealand this morning, I certainly enjoyed the extensive coverage on the tens of thousands of our Australian neighbors and allies who took to the streets in protest at the recent steps taken by their Government. Over thirty thousand in Melbourne alone. It was wonderful to hear the RNZ team give such clear and accura……oh hang on, that was my fantasy land busting through.
all we did hear about, at length, were some folk up north who did something America does not like
The Collins saga led me to want to learn a little more about Oravida and Deyi (‘Stone’) Shi, close personal friend of Collins and her family.
A google search on Deyi Shi came up with some interesting links Shi (now a NZ citizen) and his family have been in NZ for 12 years have significant holdings in various companies, and purchased the Hotchins mansion in Auckland for $39M.
And this January 2014 Herald article reveals that the rates being paid on Mansion were still at 2011 levels when the property was valued at much less than its purchase price with strong criticism of this from Cameron Brewer.
In some of the many media articles on the Collins saga, there has been oblique mention of the Crafer farms, and much more mention of donations to the National Party. This blog by Frank Macskasy details the various timelines and players in the Crafer farms purchase saga, including Oravida and Deyi Shi.
More on the Crafer farm and contributions to the National Party from the Herald in Dec 2011 – “Chinese money flows to Nats”
And here is Farrar trying to play down these connections and donations in response to the Dec 2011 Herald article.
This article in particular gives a possible insight into the dilemma facing Key last week – and his anger at Collins’ actions bringing the whole Oravida connections into the limelight. Walking on eggshells springs to mind!
NOTE: as an aside, Oravida’s interests in hidden kauri and Comvita are also not insignificant as these two articles indicate
from the Agri article – “The Cabinet manual, a guide for ministerial behaviour, says no minister should endorse any product in any media. It warns ministers when accepting invitations to tell the organisation it may not use photos taken of the minister at the event or to publicise the event.”
pub·lic·i·ty (pŭ-blĭs′ĭ-tē)
n.
1.
a. Information that concerns a person, group, event, or product and that is disseminated through various media to attract public notice.
b. Public interest, notice, or notoriety achieved by the spreading of such information.
c. The act, process, or occupation of disseminating information to gain public interest.
2. The condition of being public.
Thanks for your detective work on this Veutoviper (and to Frank MacSkasy). I see this as an article in it’s own right.
It’s interesting how the media do report questionable dealings the PM and his Ministers have with business, but the stories really never go that far. They kind of fizzle out in a cloud of Crosby Textor dust.
If these connections were as meticulously picked apart and shouted about as any Oppositions party’s MP’s slightest transgressions tend to be, we would have a voting population sitting up and paying attention.
There is a lot more there too, Rosie. I intended only doing a quick search, but two hours later … and I had only touched the tip of the iceberg. Hoping to spend some more time tonight, but more mundate things need to be done – washing, cleaning parrot cages, bathing one of my two dog etc!
But the more digging, the more Key is deep in there too.
I agree that Maori should have first rights to hidden kauri – and I was appalled at what I read re this when googling Deyi Shi and I want to find some time to research this more at a later date.
But the tangled web between this gentleman and the National Party, not just Collins AND Key, is fascinating – and of concern. IMO it is so tangled that it is no wonder that Key was angry with Collins – but at the same time, could not (and probably cannot) afford to step her down as a Minister. Too many skeletons in the cupboard – and Collins is not someone I would like to cross. A woman scorned etc etc (allowed to say that, as I am female!)
Maori should getting hot about this theft of their Taonga….a covenant should be placed on this precious Swamp Kauri like the covenant on Ngai Tahu’s taonga Pounamu , greenstone.
where is the Maori Party on this?…dont laugh….they are in with bed Judith Collins and NACT….ok where is Hone Harawira?…where are the Northland Tribes?….where is our Shane Stallion Jones?
SO, the Official Cash Rate set to be raised another 2% by the Reserve Bank Governor in the next 18 months in the face of a measly amount of inflation in the economy, 1.6%, most of which is caused by house price over-inflation in the cities of Auckland and Christchurch,
Who wins and who loses???,
The winners, got a spare million bucks or two loitering in a banks term deposits, you win, kaching chalk up an extra 20 bucks a year per hundred thousand you have in a term deposit,
The Banksters, the only logical conclusion that can be drawn from the Reserve Bank Governors move against high inflation that does not exist would be to ask the question(s), has he got a few million tucked away in bank term deposits???, or, has the bloke entered into a ‘side-contract’ with the trading banks???,
The trading Banks and their profits and shareholders will be the real winners from the announced intentions to raise the OCR, full stop, that’s it as far as winners go,
The losers??? all of us including the Government accounts which with the current tax settings and debt loadings MUST have a rate of GDP growth of 3–5% to (a) achieve a sustainable balancing of the books,and (b), must have an ongoing GDP growth of 3–5% so as to enable a sustainable paying down of the 80 billion dollars of gross Government debt befor the next in the ongoing series of crisis in Capitalism becomes apparent,
Given the Reserve Bank Governors proposed actions i can only conclude that such monetary reactionism is an attempt to deliberately sabotage the NZ economy in favor of profiting the trading banks and the call should go out to have the position of Governor terminated with a committee of non-bank aligned economists put in His place to decide future OCR rates based upon an all of economy view…
and it won’t halt the escalating house prices in Auckland and CHCH, will it?
Bad, how do you reckon we can find out if Brownlee is renting out 3 of his 4 properties in Ilan and Fendalton? I really want to know if he is, what is the rent today compared to january 2010?
Definitely not, the upwardly mobile middle class will simply do their sums and stay put in what they have now further crimping supply,
The vast numbers,especially in the Auckland market, who have dual citizenship and access to funds from economies with a lesser trading bank interest rate will of course carry on the current game of monopoly with a lesser supply of housing to indulge in will push up prices none-the-less,
As far as Brownlee goes i could suggest a couple of things, but, won’t, as such things i could suggest could be seen as an invasion of His personal life…
I would be more concerned about this timezone it could be the collapse of the Greens party vote later this year. Mojo & Roche future as politicians look uncertain and probably a couple of others? They better hope Dot Com doesn’t start up the Internet Party or they will get relegated behind NZF.
I don’t think that the Greens vote will collapse just because you wish it. Plenty of people in Labour think the Greens are pretty close to their absolute maximum potential vote now, but from what I can see that is based mostly on wishful thinking, not solid reasoning.
Well, CV, you must have missed my comments on the matter! To repeat, The Greens have maxed out because of their branding. Their marketing around their name and campaigning on important but low voting priority issues means that low teens is the best they can achieve.
Not that they seem unhappy with that podium position anyway. A solid third place is not to be sneezed at in MMP environment, particularly with a tight election coming. And they remain the best performing Green party in the world.
Maxed out Te Reo, lolz the last election result says that the Green Party are anything but maxed out, should the growth of the last election cycle continue in the upcoming one then i will be happy to see the Green Party nudging 15% of the vote…
So here is Bad12 living in la la land not seeing the latest halfwitted moves by the Greens as anything to worry about and it’s onwards and upwards to 15%. You think Labour is going to sit idle and allow the Greens to walz away with another 4-5% of our vote. No it won’t happen and we want what we lost back. So the Greens have tanked and will be rolled back some.
My view of you Skinny from what you have so far contributed today would be that you are a ‘wing-nut’ engaged in a rather stupid masquerade,
Stupid because that appears to be the level of intellect you have brought to today’s debate,
Like your stupidity below concerning the Hamilton electorates you do not seem to have a grasp on the realities of MMP politics preferring instead to use insult as the currency of debate in place of constructive thought,
As has already been pointed out to you, ”your vote” in respect of the Labour Party consists of what your Parties policy accrue to you on the day, voting day that is, and i would suggest that as David Cunliffe has little options available to Him in the way of policy options except the same old thing with a slightly different spin the ”truly red”,(snigger),Labour Party is pretty much a Fizzer…
Settle down 12 a ‘wingnut’ I in the Labour party to keep them Left. I walked when Goff took the helm, I attended one Green meeting which was disappointing to say the least. Sitting in a circle on floor was a bloody joke, no real struture compared to a Labour ex’s meeting, which had a proper struture in place. I get on very well with many of the Green MP’s and rank and file. Ok the spray about ‘our vote’ was a tad rough, however I am simply saying don’t get distracted with silly stuff like the God Botherer Colin Craig. Btw I have a nice number to crack National in the house which the Greens get first crack at ‘ahead of the other opposition party’s. Why because it’s a nice go forward for our coalition partner!
What makes you so sure i am unsettled Skinny, every thing you have so far sprayed my way smacks of ‘wing-nut’ masquerading in a little pantomime,
Admittedly a different twist to the usual, ”i voted Labour but never again” rubbish we usually get to read here,(i notice tho you have just used the same in a ”i went to a green party meeting once and they were all sitting round on the floor”),
You might think you are clever but i seriously doubt you have any Labour Party credentials at all,(i will happily be proven incorrect),
As far as having something to knock National with which you are going to gift to the Green Party, just more bullshit…
Cut it out I posted a video on here a month back, a protest I organised and was interview on TV3 as the spokesperson. I did invite the Greens but they were a no show, however one of my Green mates is an orginiser who intended coming but was told not to attend as it’s was a unionised site and he had to tow the line, admittedly it was short notice and not much of a green presence up here. Move on mate we are in it together to remove the Neo-Liberals.
Now that Skinny is frigging hilarious, ”remove the Neo-liberals” as if the Labour Party isn’t chock full of them,
The ‘pimping’ of neo-liberalism will continue unabated under Labour just as the condition was imported and legislated for by that very Party,
The ultimate in neo-liberal policy is to be found in the Labour policy to build 30,000 homes as a reward to the children of the middle class who’s parents having been well rewarded by such neo-liberal economics helped create the current cluster fuck of house price over-inflation putting home ownership out of thee reach of their children,
The next step into ugly neo-liberalism will be the raising of the age of entitlement for superannuation by this oh so red Labour Party, with the support of the National Party as no-one else will support such a ludicrous policy which attacks those in the bottom 30% of the economy while giving every favor to those who earn the most thus having the greater ability to save,
”Remove the neo-liberals” that is funny Skinny, your supporting a party that wants another spin of the neo-liberal wheel…
” the last election result says that the Green Party are anything but maxed out”
The RM poll just before the 2011 election had the Greens on 14.5%. The actual result was 3.5% less at 11%. Current RM polling? 10.5%. I hope they improve their vote this time round, but they aren’t getting 15% this election because they are not geared to that kind of result. Low teens is actually an amazing result for the kind of party that the Greens promote themselves as in an MMP environment, particularly as they are list only.
Actually the Green are their own worst enemy, the last thing I would have predicted in election year is their own self harm. It was Labour I was concerned about with their unruly caucus. The last thing I expected was the Greens losing the plot, but then when you think about it they have a nickname which pops up readily when they do jackarse stuff. Umm like Norman & Craig, & Molly Hughes & Jones. Very disappointing, now it’s tainted/soured peoples minds.
No offense Tracey but I could not get why Norman carried on a silly tit for tat scrap with Craig. It detracted from the solar panel policy, and then reacting the way they did to Shane ‘one man band’ Jones was another wimpy thing to do. Hughes grates a lot of people that may otherwise vote the Greens. I am telling you Greens you will get thumped if you don’t stick to the ‘smart sensible Greens’ image.
Yawn your comments are ‘funny’ in the un-amusing sense Skinny, the Green vote only just started to ‘mine’ the young born to rule National/Green vote in 2011,
If the trend continues and the contest is tight i could easily see the Green Party Vote being wrested from National electorates toppling the Tories,
There is a willingness out there among the young in those National held electorates to vote split, its more pronounced in the larger cities at the moment, should such a trend tho continue into the provincial cities National are in for a shock…
And I can see the Greens standing candidates in West Auckland and West Hamilton to name 2 that will cost Labour the electorate seat, instead of list only. Sound about right?
Problem with you lot Bad12 is you probably back Norman by donating to his defamation case defense. Stupid crap like this is a distraction. Time and energy wasting exercise where Craig loses but shows the Green up along the way. Stick to your core values of sensible smart Green platform. Or the right just trot out the loony, left extremist tag. Make your mind up what’s it to be?
Yawn, electorate seats, which century did you just spring from Skinny, electorate seats are pretty much meaningless in the enviroment of MMP,
If Labour want to represent people in either of those seats there is nothing on the planet stopping them from opening electorate offices and assigning a List MP to do the work,
Your argument is facile, a bit like me moaning that Labour will contest the Waiariki electorate seat when this will likely hand the seat to Te Ururoa Flavell,
The problem with making assumptions Skinny is they end up being as flaccid as the other part of your comment is facile, i havn’t donated to any legal fund up to this point in time,(unless the name of that account Lprent give me was a cunning hint),
Your also wrong with the further assumption surrounding this, picked upon by Mr money-bags is likely to see support for Russell Norman rise among the young and it will only be Wing-nuts and You,(are the two mutually exclusive), that strut about going tutt tutt,
The ‘right’ have been trotting out the ‘loony’ slur for years right back to the Values party days, and my mind is made up which basically says that i should either laugh at or spit upon anything you would suggest in the way of advice to the Green Party…
Turn the page tomorrow is another day brother, my apologises 🙂 I don’t want the Phil Ure treatment from you day in day out lol. My original post was having a crack at Hooton, over spining NZF will roll with National, which included the nutty Green party slur also, I didn’t reply to his question as I choose to ignore it as he knew it was an attack about his general stifling spin.
Go on Skinny, the Phill Ure ‘treatment’ was entirely of a beneficial nature, finally i have an admission from Phill that ”yes He is a poly-addict”, in terms of benefits to the addict the admission is halfway to being free,
i am sure tho by your attitude expressed today toward the Green Party that we are set to have much more fun discussing this attitude and the remarks it causes you to put forward…
Skinny
I see your point Most of it. So don’t get dissed by bad12 getting tired. The only person around here that can do that and get away with being bored is Ennui.
Getting distracted from the path wastes a lot of time.
We have got to practise political orienteering this year.
Follow the map, keep a sharp look out, keep up the speed, and touch all the bases. No time for yawning.
Just regular knackered naps and back to it.
Thanks Greywarbler for your words of wisdom 🙂 I admit perhaps bit of a line cross, more out of frustration the green supporters here haven’t engaged in debate about Norman getting distracted and then the hypocritical stance by Hughes. The silence was deafening.
As things get worse the capitalists will increasingly promote the Greens and their green capitalist ideas to save their system in pretty much the same way they did with Labour and Keynesiam economics in the 1930s.
Short term this is good news for the greens electorally but for the rest of us it is another diversion from the need for some real transformational politics.
The capitalist ruling class are aided by brainwashing the worker drones through rampant consumerism. Modern society has become very self centered, the me, myself and I syndrome. It’s the pits that a mere capital gains tax policy is seen by many Kiwi’s as radical, too many comfortable babyboomers are tied up in property. I guess to be fair L/G/NZF want to limit foreign speculation.
Perhaps a website setup to crunch some policies to bring real transformational change like you suggest Lefty.
Just listened to RNZ political show, Hooton spoils the show with total fabricated nonsense. This morning it was about Winston Peters. Typical lunatic carry on with overly headstrong opinions. What a vast difference between RadioLive’s Sunday morning show hosted by Wallace Chapman and the diatribe being feed on Nat radio’s show, thanks to Hooton.
Get rid of him he stifles open debate and spins too much baloney to be taken seriously.
That is not what Mike said. He said Winston did know about it but that the money went from Glenn to the lawyer and not to NZ First, so, in Mike’s opinion, Winston was telling the strict truth when he held up the sign saying “NO” in answer to questions did Owen Glenn donate to NZ First.
Matt your trying to limit Peters-NZF vote by repeating he will run with Key-National. This won’t happen. NZF stands to gather more votes going with a L/G’s setup.
Of course it is nonsense, Weka. And votes in 2017 probably aren’t that important to him, because he will be 72 by then and probably won’t seek a further term.
Not a particularly bright bird is the Weka, on par with a Molly Hawk I’d say.
Winston has written off Key-National because he wants to buy our assets back. That is telepathic speak “trust me I won’t go with Key.”
Anyway the old fox won’t be standing in Whangarei, I will ensure his sister gets the nod for Labour, that’s telepathic speak of my own. You self-centered teachers can relax up here.
But how do you know he wants to buy back the shares in the power companies? (BTW, does that include Contact Energy?) He said he was against asset sales in the mid 1990s and then, lo and behold, read page 8 of his 1998 Budget speech: http://www.treasury.govt.nz/budget/1998/pdfs/speech-fsr98.pdf
Similarly, he campaigned for major change to the Reserve Bank Act in the 1990s, and then, as Treasurer, made only token changes to it and re-appointed Don Brash as governor.
So you can choose to believe the words he says but I think his record suggests that is a mistake.
He won’t buy a single share back, you’ll here nothing more of it once Labour/NZF and the bit players (chickens over humans party) get in power.
Hooton ya mate McCarten was slow pushing the buy back line as was the Greens, Peters trumped them, Shifty DC would have been better spouting that one at his economic speech on Friday.
The performance of Government-owned businesses has a significant effect on the economic performance of New Zealand.
As we said last year, whilst the Coalition Agreement identifies the strategic assets that the Crown will continue to own, the Government has agreed to consider the Crown’s ownership interest in non-strategic assets on a case-by-case basis.
Key issues will be the risks to the taxpayer in continued ownership and whether changed ownership will provide customers with access to better products and services at lower costs.
The reality is that the Government faces major capital requirements in health and education. Its priorities for investing whatever scarce capital it has are schools and hospitals.
Where non-strategic assets are concerned, New Zealanders must make a choice. Are we to build and maintain schools and hospitals to world class standards? Or do we use that money to service interest on unpaid debt and financing developments for which we do not have the funds?
We have low-returning funds locked up in businesses like airports and coal mines which demand future investment from the taxpayer that would be better spent on schools and hospitals.
Accordingly, we are negotiating with other local government shareholders to divest the Crown’s ownership interest in Auckland International Airport, by way of a public float.
Our first priority will be to ensure that all New Zealanders who want to buy shares will have the first opportunity to do so.
Again, this Government is committed to investing new capital in our schools and in our hospitals.
The Government has also started the process of divesting its coal mining SOE, Solid Energy.
On the one hand, 1998 was a long time ago. On the other hand, where is the evidence that what Peters says now means anything?
That was his excuse – he figured he needed to get out of coalition to have a chance of getting back into parliament in 1999. But prior to his grandstanding over Wellington Airport, he had happily sold shares in Auckland Airport and had led the process, as Treasurer, to sell the shares in Wellington Airport.
Winston may have opposed the sale of the airport but it certainly didn’t lead to the fall of the Shipley Government, or prevent the airport being sold. After all Winston threw a tantrum and took about half of his party out of the Government and went into opposition in 1998. The remainder of Winnies party remained in the Government, and the Government sold its 66% share in the airport.
The Government then remained in power until the election late in 1999.
That election caused the Shipley fall but it was about 18 months after Winnie threw his toys out of the cot.
Telepathy, that’s just what the left needs to win the election. Nevertheless, most NZers aren’t telepathic so my comment stands. No-one knows what Peters will do so saying that he stands to garner more votes by going with Labour is still a non-sense until Peters declares before the election who he will go with. I suspect much confusion amongst NZF voters this year, just like in other elections.
After the dirty campaign National ran against Winston which saw NZF ousted out of Parliament do you honestly think Winston’s sole motivating factor is to exact revenge. Adding to that his 2ic Tracy Martin is closer to the Greens in her thinking and wouldn’t have a bar of National. NZF will gain most from the demise of the Maori Party and disillusioned National voters.
What’s that about teachers Skinny. You are getting enigmatic. Is Peters’ sister a teacher? And is calling them self-centred being ironic or just plain mean?
He hated Bolger too (and vice versa). Both tried to compare the other to Hitler over the years! So, as I said on RNZ, Peters calling Key a liar etc means nothing.
@ Skinny….yes he was telling fibs about NZF and Winnie all over the place ….I am not sure why ….because i think that Wiinnie is intent on going with Labour and getting Minister of Foreign Affairs…actually maybe this is the reason why he is telling so many lies …he is certainly a one man band ANTI- WINNIE PR machine…Hoots Possum is going spin crazy
eg of one such fib….Hooton said Winnie could have formed a coalition with Helen Clark and Jim Anderton to give the first Labour Govt with Clark as Prime Minister but didnt and chose instead to go with National….As Winnie has pointed out on many occasions it was an impossibility for him to form a coalition with Clark and Anderton because Anderton was not playing and was unwilling to have a coalition with Labour.!…Labour simply did not have the numbers to form a government in coalition with Winston’s NZF
….as it turned out the coalition Winnie did go into…. (the only coalition alternative to form a government was with National) …he ended up pulling down because of more proposed asset sales
You are saying he didn’t hold two months of coalition negotiations with Labour? Strange if such a deal were impossible. I have been remained close to politics since 1996, but have never heard this theory before.
He campaigned in ’96 that he could bring down Bolger. Then negotiated for 2 months with Clark and would have gone her had she given him Finance. She was his first choice.
History would now tell a different story if she had given him what Bolger ultimatley did..
…well check out that documentary…did Jim Anderton pull out of negotiations early or late?….did he stand on NOT forming a coalition with Labour…i cant remember….Helen Clark would know
Anderton was never in the negotiations. He was pledged to support a Labour-led govt. There were two negotiations – Peters with National, and Peters with Labour. Not a single person around parliament or the media at the time would agree with this idea that Peters had no choice (except, retrospectively, perhaps Peters – taking your word for that).
Nah, Chooky has established that there were some factors involved that made it less of a sure thing that everyone had expected at the time. Chooky never said there were no coalition talks.
It suits the interests that you work for for people to not know the factors that might have lead Peters to choose the way he did. It is better that we, however, know – so that we can make informed choices.
It wasn’t great that Peters made the choice that he did, however he is leader of a centrist party and it was perhaps naïve (helped by the lack of real political analysis in the media) to assume that NZ First would go with Labour.
It suits National just fine to have people like you spinning their line – but centrist voters might just decide that it is worth voting for NZ First because even if he chooses National over Labour he will either tone down the ultraism and incompetency of the Nats OR break up the agreement early if he doesn’t manage this. Either way this is preferable to having another 3 long years of this bunch of buffoons. It all depends what the polls are showing closer to the time – which is, after all, what Peters appears to be saying over and over again…..
“It was in the Helen Clark documentary….spelt out very clearly!”
I don’t think that doco said what you think it does. But even if it did, it is a single source that no-one else seems to find that credible. Further, after that election Peters held NZ to ransom, and undermined much trust in the new MMP system. His behaviour was anti-democratic and appalling. I can understand why some people want him in parliament, but it is beyond me why anyone still trusts him on what he says.
@ weka …check out the doco again if you can be bothered( i cant)…it was pretty clear to me that he had no option but to go with National because Jim Anderton wanted his pound of flesh against Rogernomics and the Labour Party and was not going to help them into govt via a coalition
….however by going into coalition with National Peters not only pulled that National govt down on the issue of asset sales and has created NACT enemies ever after eg Hooton….but he almost killed his own party support outright…i think he learnt from this ( i was one of many of his voters who was dismayed and felt betrayed at the time)
….as far as I am concerned what matters is NOW!
…there is no point in alienating Winston and NZF when…. 1.) he worked well with Clark second time around …was a brilliant Minister of Foreign Affairs 2.) kept the Labour Govt in … 3.) Cunliffe is willing to work with him and the Greens… 4.) the Labour Left coalition will probably need him to become the next Govt
Sniff the wind ……why is Matthew Hooton ( MSe…master spinner extraordinaire ) trying to alienate everybody from Peters and at the same time doing a u-turn and saying Peters will form a coalition with National? Answer: he knows National will not be able to form a govt without Peters
This theory of yours is absolute nonsense. To believe it, you have to believe that there was a chance of a National/Alliance government. There wasn’t, on either side. Clark knew she could take Anderton’s votes for granted. And there were two months of negotiations, with Peters talking to both sides. His decision was a total secret until the moment he announced it. Labour staffers burst into tears (Helen Clark has already been on the cover of the NZ edition of TIME mag as prime minister elect). National staffers couldn’t believe their luck (I was in Goa at the time and got excited faxes from friends working in the Beehive). The idea Peters had no choice but to support National is fanciful. He could have chosen Clark — and most people thought he would. I don’t know what nonsense he has spouted to his supporters since about having no choice, but of course he did.
Well, for years I thought that, but then if you factor in Anderton’s vibe I actually think it quite believable – his alternatives consisted of:
A) going with national, getting some concessions to tout (gold card and doctors visits for kids) for as long as possible;
B) supporting neither/abstaining so there was a minority national govt (same as A without the concessions) or even a rerun of the election because nobody can form a govt without him and he votes against everyone;
C) go with labour and hope Anderton swallows his pride, in which case anderton gets all the concessions and credit, or forces a rerun after winnie’s delayed for two weeks trying to get the numbers.
And after watching what Anderton did to the Alliance in 2005?2002? there’s every possibility he would have burned the house down around him even then.
I still don’t go with A, but I’m not quite so outraged about it.
edit: although maybe I’m mellowing in me old age 🙂
Yes, it is certainly plausible that Clark had less to offer Peters, due to requiring the support of Alliance too.
It is plausible that the Nats appeared more stable due to the dynamic between Clark and Anderton
It is certainly proven that it was very bad for NZ First’s reputation that Peters choose National over Labour after leading the public to believe that a vote for them was a vote against the government.
Here is hoping that not only Peter’s has learned from the experience – that Labour also have learned about the value of how they relate with potential coalition partners – in a manner that allows all to see the government under such a team would be stable…
Your response to Chooky’s comment is an indictment on the quality of political analysis on this country and the circles you hang out in, Mr Hooton, rather than any reflection on the content of Chooky’s comment.
Further, it appeared to me that Winston was calling all the main players in National incompetent buffoons in the debate on TricKey-the-PM’s statement
As I said, New Zealand’s external balance sheet is in an awful state. The dollar is going up, and over the past 5 years National has failed totally to diversify our economic base. We are now even more vulnerable to what is known as a black swan, or an unforeseen event or shock. That is where we sit today, and wise people have said it…[interruption]…. We have an economy based on, or characterised by, one dominant export product, which is milk powder; one dominant export company, which is Fonterra; one dominant export market, which is China; and one dominant import, which is people—immigration. That is not a plan that a party calling itself National, which would evince putting its people first, should ever be proud of. – Winston Peters
Whilst Mr Peters is notoriously hard to predict – it is extremely hard to imagine that he would like to end his political career by working with that pack of buffoons – which I guess is why he is fairly much calling for the lot of them to be sacked – (found in the above-linked speech) – Key especially. It would seem that his political preference is National but not with the current state of incompetency of this current bunch of incompetents government.
“Your response to Chooky’s comment is an indictment on the quality of political analysis on this country and the circles you hang out in, Mr Hooton, rather than any reflection on the content of Chooky’s comment.”
Do you have any evidence that Chooky is right? I’ve not seen any.
I have certainly heard the theory that Chooky relayed – unlike Hooton despite his mixing with the media and in political circles – this is the point I was making.
I have no evidence for the particular point Chooky raises – that is not to say it has no foundation – considering the lack of political information and analysis available in this country – particularly at the time that this occurred – that is hardly surprising really is it? I don’t think it should be dismissed merely because Mr Hooton ‘hasn’t heard of it’. I have certainly heard that Clark and Anderton were not getting along very well at the time, yet do not have time today for trawling for evidence (may do so later though).
I went back to search for info and so far I have come up with no articles that go into the details of either what was being offered in the coalition talks or the relationship between Clark and Anderton.
Most articles I’ve come across take about one paragraph to mention National offered more than Labour – but include no details on what Labour were offering.
Perhaps I am just having bad luck with my searches tonight – or perhaps the information is just not out there…unsure which.
What’s more, those regulations were often put in place by governments responding to the democratic demands of their citizens. Trade agreements’ new boosters euphemistically claim that they are simply after regulatory harmonization, a clean-sounding phrase that implies an innocent plan to promote efficiency. One could, of course, get regulatory harmonization by strengthening regulations to the highest standards everywhere. But when corporations call for harmonization, what they really mean is a race to the bottom.
When agreements like the TPP govern international trade — when every country has agreed to similarly minimal regulations — multinational corporations can return to the practices that were common before the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts became law (in 1970 and 1972, respectively) and before the latest financial crisis hit. Corporations everywhere may well agree that getting rid of regulations would be good for corporate profits. Trade negotiators might be persuaded that these trade agreements would be good for trade and corporate profits. But there would be some big losers — namely, the rest of us.
Tracey. There is no need to conduct a “lawyer fuelled hunt for loopholes” when the corporate lawyers are there in the negotiating room helping to insert the loopholes.
There’s more rotten stench of corruption coming from this National Government, Amy Adams is to personally profit from the irrigation scheme, after Environment Canterbury was conveniently sacked undemocratically to prioritise farmers’ interests at the expense of the environment.
Pity the majority of public couldn’t detect corruption if it punched them in the nose. Can’t see past Key’s fake smile.
I have now had a quick read of the Public Address link and will read it properly after the menagerie and I have been fed.
I note that there is speculation as to why Collins went to China in October 2013 (not mentioned is the fact that she also went back to China again less than a month later in Nov 2013).
Yesterday I posted a number of comments with links about both these trips. The first trip (when Collins had the dinner, lunch and cup of tea with milk with Oravida friends etc) was to attend and speak at a (Chinese govt? sponsored) conference on corruption (!). Information re this trip and conference are in this one of my comments yesterday (witha link to her speech in the second).
I have never commented at Public Address and don’t really want to. But if anyone here wants to share any of the information about Collins’ trips on their post, feel free to use the information and links in my earlier comments.
United States “not meddling” in Ukraine, and Bush “exported democracy”;
Welcome to the wit and wisdom of Jim Mora The Panel, Radio NZ National, Monday 17 March 2014
Jim Mora, Mark Inglis, Ellen Read
If one were to embark on the unedifying task of compiling a list of the most dismal cretins in this country, one would have to include at least some of the following names: John “Barney” Barnett, Karl “Doolally” Du Fresne, Garth “Gaga” George, Rodney “The Perk-taker” Hide, Christine (Spankin’) Rankin, Jamie (“Lock Up His Daughters”) Whyte, and the hysterically funny but dim Jordan Williams. Disturbingly, all of that grim list, except for the two ACT MPs (the Perk-taker and “Lock Up His Sisters”), consists of regular guests on Radio NZ’s dire chat-lite show The Panel. Whenever they have had the chance to run their mouths unchecked for a few minutes, these people have been so extreme, and sometimes even so deranged, in their comments that one is tempted to invoke the immortal words used to describe Marinetti about a century ago: “He is not just a cretin; he is a phosphorescent cretin.”
Up until recently, I have tended to give the host of this unfortunate program the benefit of the doubt. Could Jim Mora in all fairness be blamed for the calibre of his guests? Surely the one to blame was his producer, I would rationalize. Even when a particularly brutal guest, Dr Michael Bassett, frothed and snarled and called Nicky Hager a holocaust-denier live on air a few years ago, and Mora said nothing, not even a murmur of demurral or reproach, I thought that maybe he had said nothing because he was simply flabbergasted by Bassett’s boundless viciousness and dishonesty. Even when he laughed along with the likes of Chis “Haw Haw” Trotter as they mocked the suffering of political prisoners and fugitives of state vengeance, I believed that he was simply laughing along as a dutiful mein host. Basically, I thought, in spite of mounting evidence to the contrary, Jim’s an intelligent and thoughtful guy who does his best to run an entertaining show; sure, he’s a little glib, a little lazy—he never seems to read anything other than the New York Times and he quotes such moral imbeciles as David Brooks as if they are serious commentators—but basically, he knows what’s what.
Today, however, Jim Mora’s performance was so bizarrely substandard that the old nagging doubts have risen to the surface yet again….
To discuss the situation in Crimea, Waikato University professor Al Gillespie was brought on to the program. But instead of listening to Prof. Gillespie, who actually knows something about the topic, Jim Mora decided to air a few of his own thoughts. The first one would be hilarious if you didn’t consider that Mora was not trying to be funny….
JIM MORA: Well if we look at the role of the United States—one couldn’t exactly call it meddling….
Shortly after the nonsense continued….
JIM MORA: Ahhhh, the Guardian, which is not exactly a right wing rag….
The absurdity reached its nadir with this piece of black comedy, rendered even blacker by Ellen Read’s attempt to respond with something intelligent….
JIM MORA: George Bush was very big on exporting democracy wasn’t he.
ELLEN READ:[with utmost gravitas] Not so easy.
Professor Gillespie did actually manage to say a few things, but Mora’s harebrained comments went unchecked. Here they are again, in all their phosphorescent glory:
(1) the United States is not meddling in the Ukraine;
(2) the Grauniad is a trustworthy and fair newspaper;
(3) George W. Bush was exporting democracy.
“I swear that if I had not heard him utter those statements, I would never have believed this program could sink so low.”
Except, Moz didn’t hear him utter those statements, as Mora didn’t say any of these things. No3 is as close to accuracy as Moz gets, but even then he misunderstands what Mora has said (listen again Moz, Mora’s mildly taking the piss out of Bush, not endorsing him).
Another witless contribution from our friend McFlock, I see. At least felix and Te Reo have the ability to mount some sort of a case to back up their arguments.
morrissey, your translation merely demonstrates that once again the actual words that were used fail to bear any similarity to the message you decided to receive.
Un crétin phosphorescent a écrit: “morrissey, your translation merely demonstrates that once again the actual words that were used fail to bear any similarity to the message you decided to receive.”
The quotes were indeed accurate. Certainly Mr Mora was a little more roundabout and mealy-mouthed than he appears in the extract provided; however, what Mr Breen posted up is what Mr Mora said, viz., “one couldn’t exactly call it meddling.”
I note that the usual tiresome triumvirate is shouting loudly again.
Moz’s first “quote”, taken in context, says more or less the exact opposite of what was actually said.
Felix, I appreciate that Mora was actually trying to say something reasonable and balanced. Of course, that was completely undermined by the fact that he said of the United States’ meddling in Ukrainian politics: “one couldn’t exactly call it meddling”.
That was about as sensible as discussing the O.J. Simpson case and saying “one couldn’t exactly call it a double knife-killing.” Or about as sensible as claiming the racist vitriol of the ACT maniacs who railed against iwi representation on Auckland Community Boards was “not exactly rancorous”. Mora made THAT claim this afternoon.
Mora’s mealy-mouthed attitude, in combination with his glib and facile tongue, overshadowed, indeed destroyed, any of the thoughtful contributions he had to make.
I was right and you know it. You are just banking on the fact that most people won’t click on the link to that tedious discussion. If they do, it’s quite clear which of us is lying.
What about the west did though? You wouldn’t go so far as to call it “meddling” but the west went in, in terms of visiting those camps, encouraging the protesters, talking about sovereignty, but all the while there was a democratically elected leader in power…
Interviewee:
That’s correct, Yanukovych was democratically elected and these were judged in 2010 to be fair and free. However he did flee the country and parliament now is overwhelmingly saying he is not the leader, so there is a little bit of truth in both sides on that aspect
Mora:
But don’t we have a situation where the west is in fact cheering the ousting – or did – cheer the ousting of a democratically elected leader, while Russia was expressing concern about it?
Interviewee:
That’s fair comment. The west certainly want the Ukraine to lean more toward the west rather as opposed to the east.
etc.
So there you have it. Jim Mora questioning the role of the west in stirring up dissent against a democratically elected leader. The opposite of what your out-of-context quote implied he had done.
MORA: You wouldn’t go so far as to call it “meddling” but the west went in…
As your transcript proves, Mora said exactly what Mr Breen said he did. Mr Breen has already acknowledged that Jim Mora was trying, somewhat diffidently, to raise the almost forbidden question of U.S. hypocrisy. Unfortunately, his timidity led to him immediately undermining his own words with that mealy-mouthed blather.
He said it, as you confirm. But you’re still kvetching.
Morrissey, you saddo, Mora did not say the United States, which is what you claimed in the initial comment. It’s arrogant that you now (disingenuously) acknowledge your error by referring to ‘the west’ while still claiming that’s what you originally said. You claimed Mora said the United States. He didn’t. Originally, you were mistaken. Now you are just lying.
You still owe Mora and the readers an apology for the original mistakes, which include hilariously confusing the Guardian with another newspaper altogether.
ps, regarding the Independent, if you’d been more on to it, you could have mounted a good argument around the ownership of that newspaper by a Russian oligarch, and what that might mean for its coverage of the Crimea. But, nooooo, you’re just not up to the task.
There is very little difference between the Indescribablyboring and the Grauniad. They both parrot pretty much the same government talking points as the New York Times, the Washington Post and the Chicago Tribune . You would realize that if you actually read not only those propaganda rags, but a little of the wealth of informed critiques of them by scholars who know what they are talking about, as opposed to the hapless chaps who pass for commentators on National Radio. We recommend you look at some of the work done by Ed Herman and Noam Chomsky, for a start.
And of course “the West” is not a code word for the United States. Of course not.
Similarly, “the Eastern bloc” of a generation or so ago was not a code word for the Soviet Union. Of course not.
No doubt Mr Breen is penning a suitably abject apology to that outstanding journalist Jim Mora at this very moment. Of course he is.
The difference between the two papers is that they are different newspapers. The USA is not the west, unless you are suggesting that your alternative personality ‘Mr Breen’ writes in tongues.
To summarise your errors, you claim the following was said by Mora:
(1) the United States is not meddling in the Ukraine;
(2) the Grauniad is a trustworthy and fair newspaper;
(3) George W. Bush was exporting democracy.
(1) not said by Mora, made up by moz
(2) not said by Mora, made up by Moz
(3) sorta said by Mora, but not as a statement of fact. Misinterpreted by Moz.
1.) “The difference between the two papers is that they are different newspapers.”
Similarly, the BBC, CNN and Fox News are different broadcasters, but their adherence to official government spin is impressively uniform.
2.) “The USA is not the west, unless you are suggesting that your alternative personality ‘Mr Breen’ writes in tongues.”
Of course “the West” is not an absurd fiction for “the United States.” Of course Britain pursues a robustly independent foreign policy. Of course New Zealand’s government is fearlessly independent, just like it was in the 1980s.
Meh, keep it up Mozz. I had the misfortune of catching that interview (and much of the panel) while ironing my shirts, and your round up was several times more amusing than the usual triumvirate’s dissection. Tall poppies and all that jazz.
There was a time when academia was society’s refuge for the eccentric, brilliant, and impractical. No longer. It is now the domain of professional self-marketers. As a result, in one of the most bizarre fits of social self-destructiveness in history, we seem to have decided we have no place for our eccentric, brilliant, and impractical citizens. Most languish in their mothers’ basements, at best making the occasional, acute intervention on the Internet.
If all this is true in the social sciences, where research is still carried out with minimal overhead largely by individuals, one can imagine how much worse it is for astrophysicists. And, indeed, one astrophysicist, Jonathan Katz, has recently warned students pondering a career in the sciences. Even if you do emerge from the usual decade-long period languishing as someone else’s flunky, he says, you can expect your best ideas to be stymied at every point:
You will spend your time writing proposals rather than doing research. Worse, because your proposals are judged by your competitors, you cannot follow your curiosity, but must spend your effort and talents on anticipating and deflecting criticism rather than on solving the important scientific problems. . . . It is proverbial that original ideas are the kiss of death for a proposal, because they have not yet been proved to work.
So much for corporatism making things more efficient.
Another muddy splash on Abbott’s suit. Strangely he and the Tasmanian leader are shoulder to shoulder pushing for something like 74000 hectares of heritage forest to be removed from its status.
This is so it can be milled. But the interesting thing in an ironic way, is that it is absolutely unprofitable. The state subsidises it all the way. The more that gets milled the more the taxpayers pay out. But they seem to be set on a lockjawed gritty fight – Greens two legs, political pigs four, and the biggest number is the right one.
I’m a lumberjack and I’m okay hey! See you tube for Monty Python. Got to larf or you’d bawl.
The people are confused – a poll taken thought that logging supplied 20% of employment when in fact it is 1%. It might be more if Only looking at employment for males (mostly) but still the state does better from leaving the trees where they are and getting returns from tourism which I think were 16 times higher. Curiouser and curiouser. Madder and madder. And Australians will be put in the stocks and pelted with rocks by Abbott before they can vote him out. And they will deserve it for voting him in.
Dr Neville Bennett economic historian – with NBR. Talking about the effects of the GFC arising around the world huring the developing economies – talking to Bryan Crump on Radionz.
Referred to Malaysia controls on capital flow. It sounds as if that is what we need to stop the high dollar and the volatility. We will have to grit our teeth and pay more for imported stuff. That will be our willing contribution to our country instead of selling off everything so we can get plastic toys at Christmas, and lots of mass produced clothes.
‘The most affluent family in Britain, headed by Major General Gerald Grosvenor, owns 77 hectares (190 acres) of prime real estate in Belgravia, London, and has been a beneficiary of the foreign money flooding in to the capital’s soaring property market in recent years. Oxfam said Grosvenor and his family had more wealth (£7.9bn) than the poorest 10% of the UK population (£7.8bn).
Oxfam’s director of campaigns and policy, Ben Phillips, said: “Britain is becoming a deeply divided nation, with a wealthy elite who are seeing their incomes spiral up, while millions of families are struggling to make ends meet.
“It’s deeply worrying that these extreme levels of wealth inequality exist in Britain today, where just a handful of people have more money than millions struggling to survive on the breadline.”
Keeping the pressure on against the corrupt corporate control of the Auckland region ……………
Seen this?
Granny scares Mayor out of chair!
I was there today, outside the Northcote Public Library, together with Dick Cuthbert from the LEN BROWN STAND DOWN Coalition – holding a Tui Bill Board banner which said “Mayor Len Brown says people have “moved on” – YEAH RIGHT”
A couple of thoughts sparked by, but only tenuously related to, the reaction to Shane Jones:
[For me the jury is still out on SJ. Some of his comments make good common sense, but I’m not clear yet on whether he is a man of substance or “just a naughty boy”.]
My first thought was about where leaders tend to come from relative to their party membership. I think they naturally tend to come from a more authoritarian place, but do they also tend to come from a more right position also? Shipley, English, Brash, Key, Goff, all more right/authoritarian I suspect. Shearer more right; Clark certainly more authoritarian.
Thinking about my own preferences for leadership, and coming from the libertarian left, I realised that I tend to be less comfortable with leaders who do or might sit to the libertarian left of me, and I seem to have a preference for centrists, and I wonder if this might be something of a general truth?
Subsequent to some of this thinking, I took a look at the pre-populated charts on the ‘political compass’ website (google it if you’re not familiar with it) and found that they suggest that:
a) Most democratically elected governments around the world are on the authoritarian right of the spectrum.
b) NZ Labour is listed just right of centre and neutral on the authoritarian/libertarian axis – much more similar to Germany’s SPD and France’s PS, than it is to the ALP (the latter having moved steadily right/authoritarian over the last 7 years).
c) Labour party leaders Ed Milleband and Julia Gillard are/were significantly more authoritarian right than the NZLP.
d) in 2008 NZFirst was listed as a little further left and more authoritarian than Labour.
Which I think adds something to the mix of thoughts.
Yesterday I received come lovely feedback following my Star Wars themed newsletter. A few people mentioned they’d enjoyed reading the personal part at the beginning.I often begin newsletters with some memories, or general thoughts, before commencing the main topic. This hopefully sets the mood and provides some context in which ...
April 30 was going to be the day we’d be calling Mum from London to wish her a happy birthday. Then it became the day we would be going to St. Paul's at Evensong to remember her. The aim of the cathedral builders was to find a way to make their ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – Can’t remember the last book by a Kiwi author you read? Think the NZ government should spend less on the arts in favor of helping the homeless? If so, as far as Newsroom is concerned, you probably deserve to be called a cultural ignoramus ...
Eric Crampton writes – Grudges are bad. Better to move on. But it can be fun to keep a couple of really trivial ones, so you’re not tempted to have other ones. For example, because of the rootkit fiasco of 2005, no Sony products in our household. ...
A new report warns an estimated third of the adult population have unmet need for health care.Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāHere’s the six key things I learned about Aotaroa’s political economy this week around housing, climate and poverty:Politics - Three opinion polls confirmed support for PM Christopher Luxon ...
Today is May the fourth. Which was just a regular day when my mother took me to see the newly released Star Wars at the Odeon in Rotorua. The queue was right around the corner. Some years later this day became known as Star Wars Day, the date being a ...
Buzz from the Beehive Much more media attention is being paid to something Winston Peters said about former Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr than to a speech he delivered to the New Zealand China Council. One word is missing from the speech: AUKUS. But AUKUS loomed large in his considerations ...
Is the economy in another long stagnation? If so, why?This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be ...
The annual list of who's been bribing our politicians is out, and journalists will no doubt be poring over it to find the juiciest and dirtiest bribes. The government's fast-track invite list is likely to be a particular focus, and we already know of one company on the list which ...
In the weeks after the October 7 Hamas attacks on Southern Israel I wrote about the possible 2nd, 3rd and even 4th order effects of the conflict. These included new fronts being opened in the West Bank (with Hamas), Golan … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – It is one of the oldest truisms that there is never a good time for MPs to get a pay rise. This week’s announcement of pay raises of around 2.8% backdated to last October could hardly have come at a worse time, with the ...
David Farrar writes – Newshub reports: Newshub can reveal a fresh allegation of intimidation against Green MP Julie-Anne Genter. Genter is subject to a disciplinary process for aggressively waving a book in the face of National Minister Matt Doocey in the House – but it’s not the first time ...
The Treasury has published a paper today on the global productivity slowdown and how it is playing out in New Zealand: The productivity slowdown: implications for the Treasury’s forecasts and projections. The Treasury Paper examines recent trends in productivity and the potential drivers of the slowdown. Productivity for the whole economy ...
Winston Peters’ comments about former Australian foreign minister look set to be an ongoing headache for both him and Luxon. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for subscribers features co-hosts and , along with regular guests on Gaza and ...
These puppet strings don't pull themselvesYou're thinking thoughts from someone elseHow much time do you think you have?Are you prepared for what comes next?The debating chamber can be a trying place for an opposition MP. What with the person in charge, the speaker, typically being an MP from the governing ...
The land around Lyme Regis, where Meryl Streep once stood, in a hood, on the Cobb, is falling into the sea.MerylThe land around Lyme Regis, around the Cobb that made it rich, has always been falling slowly but surely into the sea. Read more ...
Buzz from the Beehive Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters was bound to win headlines when he set out his thinking about AUKUS in his speech to the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. The headlines became bigger when – during an interview on RNZ’s Morning Report today – he criticised ...
The Post reports on how the government is refusing to release its advice on its corrupt Muldoonist fast-track law, instead using the "soon to be publicly available" refusal ground to hide it until after select committee submissions on the bill have closed. Fast-track Minister Chris Bishop's excuse? “It's not ...
As pressure on it grows, the livestock industry’s approach to the transition to Net Zero is increasingly being compared to that of fossil fuel interests. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / Getty ImagesTL;DR: Here’s the top five news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above ...
The New Zealand Herald reports – Stats NZ has offered a voluntary redundancy scheme to all of its workers as a way to give staff some control over their “future” amidst widespread job losses in the public sector. In an update to staff this morning, seen by the Herald, Statistics New Zealand ...
On Werewolf/Scoop, I usually do two long form political columns a week. From now on, there will be an extra column each week about music and movies. But first, some late-breaking political events:The rise in unemployment numbers for the March quarter was bigger than expected – and especially sharp ...
David Farrar writes – The Herald reports: TVNZ says it is dealing with about 50 formal complaints over its coverage of the latest 1News-Verian political poll, with some viewers – as well as the Prime Minister and a former senior Labour MP – critical of the tone of the 6pm report. ...
Muriel Newman writes – When Meridian Energy was seeking resource consents for a West Coast hydro dam proposal in 2010, local Maori “strenuously” objected, claiming their mana was inextricably linked to ‘their’ river and could be damaged. After receiving a financial payment from the company, however, the Ngai Tahu ...
Alwyn Poole writes – “An SEP,’ he said, ‘is something that we can’t see, or don’t see, or our brain doesn’t let us see, because we think that it’s somebody else’s problem. That’s what SEP means. Somebody Else’s Problem. The brain just edits it out, it’s like a ...
Our trust in our political institutions is fast eroding, according to a Maxim Institute discussion paper, Shaky Foundations: Why our democracy needs trust. The paper – released today – raises concerns about declining trust in New Zealand’s political institutions and democratic processes, and the role that the overuse of Parliamentary urgency ...
This article was prepared for publication yesterday. More ministerial announcements have been posted on the government’s official website since it was written. We will report on these later today …. Buzz from the BeehiveThere we were, thinking the environment is in trouble, when along came Jones. Shane Jones. ...
New Zealand now has the fourth most depressed construction sector in the world behind China, Qatar and Hong Kong. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 8:46am on Thursday, May 2:The Lead: ...
Hi,I am just going to state something very obvious: American police are fucking crazy.That was a photo gracing the New York Times this morning, showing New York City police “entering Columbia University last night after receiving a request from the school.”Apparently in America, protesting the deaths of tens of thousands ...
Winston Peters’ much anticipated foreign policy speech last night was a work of two halves. Much of it was a standard “boilerplate” Foreign Ministry overview of the state of the world. There was some hardening up of rhetoric with talk of “benign” becoming “malign” and old truths giving way to ...
Graham Adams assesses the fallout of the Cass Review — The press release last Thursday from the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls didn’t make the mainstream news in New Zealand but it really should have. The startling title of Reem Alsalem’s statement — “Implementation of ‘Cass ...
This open-for-business, under-new-management cliché-pockmarked government of Christopher Luxon is not the thing of beauty he imagines it to be. It is not the powerful expression of the will of the people that he asserts it to be. It is not a soaring eagle, it is a malodorous vulture. This newest poll should make ...
The latest labour market statistics, showing a rise in unemployment. There are now 134,000 unemployed - 14,000 more than when the National government took office. Which is I guess what happens when the Reserve Bank causes a recession in an effort to Keep Wages Low. The previous government saw a ...
Three opinion polls have been released in the last two days, all showing that the new government is failing to hold their popular support. The usual honeymoon experienced during the first year of a first term government is entirely absent. The political mood is still gloomy and discontented, mainly due ...
National's Finance Minister once met a poor person.A scornful interview with National's finance guru who knows next to nothing about economics or people.There might have been something a bit familiar if that was the headline I’d gone with today. It would of course have been in tribute to the article ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – Throughout the pandemic, the new Vice-Chancellor-of-Otago-University-on-$629,000 per annum-Can-you-believe-it-and-Former-Finance-Minister Grant Robertson repeated the mantra over and over that he saved “lives and livelihoods”.As we update how this claim is faring over the course of time, the facts are increasingly speaking differently. NZ ...
Chris Trotter writes – IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in acknowledgement of electoral victory: “We’ll govern for all New Zealanders.” On the face of it, the pledge is a strange one. Why would any political leader govern in ways that advantaged the huge ...
Bryce Edwards writes – The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill ...
TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 10:06am on Wednesday, May 1:The Lead: Business confidence fell across the board in April, falling in some areas to levels last seen during the lockdowns because of a collapse in ...
Over the past 36 hours, Christopher Luxon has been dong his best to portray the centre-right’s plummeting poll numbers as a mark of virtue. Allegedly, the negative verdicts are the result of hard economic times, and of a government bravely set out on a perilous rescue mission from which not ...
Auckland Transport have started rolling out new HOP card readers around the network and over the next three months, all of them on buses, at train stations and ferry wharves will be replaced. The change itself is not that remarkable, with the new readers looking similar to what is already ...
Completed reads for April: The Difference Engine, by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling Carnival of Saints, by George Herman The Snow Spider, by Jenny Nimmo Emlyn’s Moon, by Jenny Nimmo The Chestnut Soldier, by Jenny Nimmo Death Comes As the End, by Agatha Christie Lord of the Flies, by ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Have a story to share about St Paul’s, but today just picturesPopular novels written at this desk by a young man who managed to bootstrap himself out of father’s imprisonment and his own young life in a workhouse Read more ...
The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill English, Simon Bridges, Steven Joyce, Roger Sowry, ...
Newsroom has a story today about National's (fortunately failed) effort to disestablish the newly-created Inspector-General of Defence. The creation of this agency was the key recommendation of the Inquiry into Operation Burnham, and a vital means of restoring credibility and social licence to an agency which had been caught lying ...
Holding On To The Present:The moment a political movement arises that attacks the whole idea of social progress, and announces its intention to wind back the hands of History’s clock, then democracy, along with its unwritten rules, is in mortal danger.IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in ...
Stuck In The Middle With You:As Christopher Luxon feels the hot breath of Act’s and NZ First’s extremists on the back of his neck and, as he reckons with the damage their policies are already inflicting upon a country he’s described as “fragile”, is there not some merit in reaching out ...
The unpopular coalition government is currently rushing to repeal section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act. The clause is Oranga Tamariki's Treaty clause, and was inserted after its systematic stealing of Māori children became a public scandal and resulted in physical resistance to further abductions. The clause created clear obligations ...
Buzz from the Beehive The government’s official website – which Point of Order monitors daily – not for the first time has nothing much to say today about political happenings that are grabbing media headlines. It makes no mention of the latest 1News-Verian poll, for example. This shows National down ...
It Takes A Train To Cry:Surely, there is nothing lonelier in all this world than the long wail of a distant steam locomotive on a cold Winter’s night.AS A CHILD, I would lie awake in my grandfather’s house and listen to the traffic. The big wooden house was only a ...
Packing A Punch: The election of the present government, including in its ranks politicians dedicated to reasserting the rights of the legislature in shaping and determining the future of Māori and Pakeha in New Zealand, should have alerted the judiciary – including its anomalous appendage, the Waitangi Tribunal – that its ...
Dead Woman Walking: New Zealand’s media industry had been moving steadily towards disaster for all the years Melissa Lee had been National’s media and communications policy spokesperson, and yet, when the crisis finally broke, on her watch, she had nothing intelligent to offer. Christopher Luxon is a patient man - but he’s not ...
Chris Trotter writes – New Zealand politics is remarkably easy-going: dangerously so, one might even say. With the notable exception of John Key’s flat ruling-out of the NZ First Party in 2008, all parties capable of clearing MMP’s five-percent threshold, or winning one or more electorate seats, tend ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is ...
Luxon will no doubt put a brave face on it, but there is no escaping the pressure this latest poll will put on him and the government. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political ...
This is a re-post from The Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler In the wake of any unusual weather event, someone inevitably asks, “Did climate change cause this?” In the most literal sense, that answer is almost always no. Climate change is never the sole cause of hurricanes, heat waves, droughts, or ...
Something odd happened yesterday, and I’d love to know if there’s more to it. If there was something which preempted what happened, or if it was simply a throwaway line in response to a journalist.Yesterday David Seymour was asked at a press conference what the process would be if the ...
Hi,From time to time, I want to bring Webworm into the real world. We did it last year with the Jurassic Park event in New Zealand — which was a lot of fun!And so on Saturday May 11th, in Los Angeles, I am hosting a lil’ Webworm pop-up! I’ve been ...
Education Minister Erica Standford yesterday unveiled a fundamental reform of the way our school pupils are taught. She would not exactly say so, but she is all but dismantling the so-called “inquiry” “feel good” method of teaching, which has ruled in our classrooms since a major review of the New ...
Exactly where are we seriously going with this government and its policies? That is, apart from following what may as well be a Truss-Lite approach on the purported economic “plan“, and Victorian-era regression when it comes to social policy.Oh it’ll work this time of course, we’re basically assured, “the ...
Hey Uncle Dave, When the Poms joined the EEC, I wasn't one of those defeatists who said, Well, that’s it for the dairy job. And I was right, eh? The Chinese can’t get enough of our milk powder and eventually, the Poms came to their senses and backed up the ute ...
Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is higher than for any other mayor ...
Buzz from the Beehive Pharmac has been given a financial transfusion and a new chair to oversee its spending in the pharmaceutical business. Associate Health Minister David Seymour described the funding for Pharmac as “its largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff”. ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its ...
TL;DR: Here’s my top 10 ‘pick ‘n’ mix of links to news, analysis and opinion articles as of 10:10am on Monday, April 29:Scoop: The children's ward at Rotorua Hospital will be missing a third of its beds as winter hits because Te Whatu Ora halted an upgrade partway through to ...
span class=”dropcap”>As hideous as David Seymour can be, it is worth keeping in mind occasionally that there are even worse political figures (and regimes) out there. Iran for instance, is about to execute the country’s leading hip hop musician Toomaj Salehi, for writing and performing raps that “corrupt” the nation’s ...
Yesterday marked 10 years since the first electric train carried passengers in Auckland so it’s a good time to look back at it and the impact it has had. A brief history The first proposals for rail electrification in Auckland came in the 1920’s alongside the plans for earlier ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
The Government has delivered on its election promise to provide a financially sustainable model for Auckland under its Local Water Done Well plan. The plan, which has been unanimously endorsed by Auckland Council’s Governing Body, will see Aucklanders avoid the previously projected 25.8 per cent water rates increases while retaining ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters discussed the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and enhanced cooperation in the Pacific with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during her first official visit to New Zealand today. "New Zealand and Germany enjoy shared interests and values, including the rule of law, democracy, respect for the international system ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop today released his decision on four recommendations referred to him by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, opening the door to housing growth in the area. The Council’s Plan Change 92 allows more homes to be built in existing and new ...
Thank you, John McKinnon and the New Zealand China Council for the invitation to speak to you today. Thank you too, all members of the China Council. Your effort has played an essential role in helping to build, shape, and grow a balanced and resilient relationship between our two ...
The Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...
The coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says. “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...
Structured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...
The rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...
The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure. The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
The Government and Rotorua Lakes Council are committed to working closely together to end the use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua. Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) Tama Potaka says the Government remains committed to ending the long-term use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua by the ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. “I’m putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...
The new NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) App is a secure ‘one stop shop’ to provide the services drivers need, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Digitising Government Minister Judith Collins say. “The NZTA App will enable an easier way for Kiwis to pay for Vehicle Registration and Road User Charges (RUC). ...
Whānau with tamariki growing up in emergency housing motels will be prioritised for social housing starting this week, says Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka. “Giving these whānau a better opportunity to build healthy stable lives for themselves and future generations is an essential part of the Government’s goal of reducing ...
Racing Minister Winston Peters has paid tribute to an icon of the industry with the recent passing of Dave O’Sullivan (OBE). “Our sympathies are with the O’Sullivan family with the sad news of Dave O’Sullivan’s recent passing,” Mr Peters says. “His contribution to racing, initially as a jockey and then ...
Assalaamu alaikum, greetings to you all. Eid Mubarak, everyone! I want to extend my warmest wishes to you and everyone celebrating this joyous occasion. It is a pleasure to be here. I have enjoyed Eid celebrations at Parliament before, but this is my first time joining you as the Minister ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced Pharmac’s largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff. “Access to medicines is a crucial part of many Kiwis’ lives. We’ve committed to a budget allocation of $1.774 billion over four years so Kiwis are ...
Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
The Government Communications Security Bureau denies hosting a foreign spying capability flagged by the watchdog, differentiating it from the system recently criticised. ...
RNZ News A group of academic staff at New Zealand’s largest university have expressed concern at the administration’s move to block a protest encampment that was planned to take place on campus calling for support for the rights of Palestinians. This week, the University of Auckland warned that while it ...
Genterwocky After a hard days marching, Sir Doocey calls in at the Village Tavern For a pint of ale and a pork pie. The grim villagers stare at him. “Do not be travelling on the forest road,” warns a crusty old beak. “And why is that, antique peasant?” Grins Sir ...
Political conferences after a party returns to power are usually a chance for some healthy, even unhealthy backslapping. Yet National Party president Sylvia Wood’s address to its mainland representatives on Saturday hardly contained the unalloyed delight that one might have expected following National’s escape from the wilderness of opposition. Yes, ...
Comment: Almost half the world is voting in national elections this year and artificial intelligence is the elephant in the room. There are genuine fears AI-generated or AI-edited deepfakes will potentially manipulate election outcomes not just in the US and UK, but critically in countries such as India. For that ...
Ahead of the reality franchise’s return to New Zealand, allow us to introduce the eight brides and grooms. Chuck on a veil and tie back your man bun, because it’s time to say “I do” to a new season of Married at First Sight NZ. The reality TV “social experiment” ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Norton, Professor in the Practice of Higher Education Policy, Australian National University Every year on June 1, student debt in Australia is indexed to inflation. In 2023, high inflation pushed the indexation rate to 7.1%, the highest since 1990. This ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Changes in the May 14 budget will cut the student debt of more than three million people, wiping more than $3 billion from what people owe. The government will cap the HELP indexation rate ...
Asia Pacific Report The prosecutor’s office at the International Criminal Court (ICC) has appealed for an end to what it calls intimidation of its staff, saying such threats could constitute an offence against the “administration of justice” by the world’s permanent war crimes court. The Hague-based office of ICC Prosecutor ...
By Patrick Decloitre, RNZ Pacific correspondent French Pacific desk A women’s union in New Caledonia has staged a sit-in protest this week to support senior Kanak indigenous journalist Thérèse Waia, who works for public broadcaster Nouvelle-Calédonie la Première, after a smear attack by critics. The peaceful demonstration was held on ...
New Zealand Food Safety is monitoring overseas recalls of Indian packaged spice products manufactured by MDH and Everest due to concerns over a cancer-causing pesticide. ...
By Stephen Wright and Stefan Armbruster of BenarNews Fiji’s ranking in a global press freedom index has jumped into the top tier of countries with free or mostly free media after its government last year repealed a draconian law that threatened journalists with prison for doing their jobs. Fiji’s improvement ...
We might be in Invercargill but all anyone can talk about is Gore. Specifically, Salford Street. That’s where three-year-old Lachlan Jones lived, south of the centre of town, between the A&P Showgrounds and the Mataura River. Roughly 1.2 km away from the single level home he lived in with his ...
MONDAY I lined up the latest round of civil servants from city hall against the wall, and signalled for the firing squad to drop their rifles. I stepped up onto a wooden crate to look at the office workers in the eye. But that didn’t feel right, so I found ...
Keen hiker and second-year MSc student Liam Hewson wears two hats when he’s in the great outdoors. “The scientist in me appreciates nature and goes, ‘Oh, there’s that thing and there’s another thing,’ but then the tramper and the outdoorsy person in me thinks, ‘Cool bush.’” Born and bred in ...
After a long and illustrious career as a goal kicker, Dan Carter’s favourite way to unwind is… kicking goals. Why can’t he get enough of it? And what it’s like to watch him do it for an hour straight? A semicircle of people wielding cameras and phones has formed in ...
Dame Susan Devoy takes us through her life in television, including late night ER debriefs, her proudest CTI moment and the show she watches in secret. Quite aside from her four world champion squash titles, Dame Susan Devoy will likely go down in history as one of the best Celebrity ...
Hera Lindsay Bird reveals the best places in Ōtepoti to score more for your apocalypse-prep book hoard.Sometimes I get the feeling I’ve been killed in a car crash, and this second half of my life is just the brain unspooling itself, like one of those episodes of a hospital ...
ThreeNow’s new murder mystery series takes us on a dark, damp journey into the Australian wilderness.This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. High Country is ThreeNow’s new Australian eight-part crime drama, set in a remote part of the Victorian highlands. It tells ...
Introducing a new way to read The Spinoff every weekend. After nearly 10 years of being an online magazine, we’re finally embracing the weekend liftout. Despite our best efforts to convince you otherwise, writers and editors at The Spinoff don’t work weekend. It is through the sheer power of technology ...
Tip one: let yourself be nurtured by this big old man. Tip two: don’t ask him to adopt you. So, you’ve arrived at your first session with a new therapist. He tells you to make yourself comfortable and you opt for the tweed armchair, hoping it makes you look like ...
I didn’t know books could open you back up; that there were books that stayed with you, where reading was like a chemical event. I knew nothing.The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.Not too long ago, I was listening to the American ...
Former Olympic swimmer James Magnussen has already started training for the Enhanced games, though says he won’t start taking performance enhancing substances until about nine months out from the competition. The Australian world champion was the first athlete to be announced by Enhanced, but he says the organisation has had ...
Everyone thinks he’s dead. Every day they expect his body to be washed up along the coast. Most likely up Karitane way, the way the tide’s running. But nobody’ll be too surprised if his body’s never found. Even in death he wouldn’t have wished for such attention. He would have ...
Council members voted 21 to 4 in favour of Ahluwalia returning to the Laucala campus following a much-awaited meeting in Vanuatu this week. It comes as USP and its two unions — the Association of the University of the South Pacific Staff (AUSPS) and the Administration and Support Staff Union ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nicola Henry, Professor & Australian Research Council Future Fellow, Social and Global Studies Centre, RMIT University Shutterstock Following an emergency meeting of the National Cabinet this week, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced a raft of measures to tackle the problem ...
Analysis - A poll showing the opposition is more popular than the government raises questions, politicians go through their 'trial by pay rise' and a Green MP loses her cool in the debating chamber. ...
The entire stretch of Tokomaru Bay on the East Coast will be subject to a joint customary marine title for two hapū, and extending up to four miles out to sea. A High Court judge has found the two groups, who during the case settled a dispute over boundaries for ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Hall, Lecturer, Media & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University A longstanding feud between TikTok and Universal Music Group seems to have finally reached an end, with both parties signing a deal that will see Universal-backed music returned to the social media ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Siobhan O’Dean, Postdoctoral Research Associate, The Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use, University of Sydney After several highly publicised alleged murders of women in Australia, the Albanese government this week pledged more than A$925 million over five years ...
Political parties have now fully disclosed the donations they received last year - with National getting more than double the cash of any other party. ...
A Pacific regionalism expert has called out New Zealand's Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters for withholding information from the public on AUKUS military pact. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard de Grijs, Professor of Astrophysics, Macquarie University Bruno Scramgnon/Pexels All systems are “go” for tonight’s launch of China’s next step in a carefully planned lunar exploration program. Placed on top of a powerful Long March 5 rocket, the Chang’e 6 ...
National returned a massive donation the day after a Newsroom story linked the donors to a property being investigated for operating unlawfully as a migrant workers’ hostel. The party’s 2023 donation filings, released on Friday, show it returned a $200,000 donation from Buen Holdings on August 23. That was the ...
Pacific Media Watch New Zealand has slumped to an unprecedented 19th place in the annual Reporters Without Borders World Press Freedom Index survey released today on World Press Freedom Day — May 3. This was a drop of six places from 13th last year when it slipped out of its ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joshua Black, Political Historian and Administrator Officer, Australian Historical Association, Australian National University Australia has had its fair share of public record-keeping controversies in recent years. Some have been mere farce, as in the case of two formerly government-owned filing cabinets (containing ...
Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL), a United Nations-affiliated organization dedicated to fostering peace through civilian-led initiatives, has issued a statement in response to the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran. ...
A poem by Tessa Keenan, from AUP New Poets 10. Mātou These days we are a photograph; one of a farm strewn with cows that used to be bright harakeke or swamp. The kids point at it and say the sun sits behind a smudge (left by someone at Christmas); ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan (Faber & Faber, $25)The masterful Irish writer ...
Marriage and civil union statistics record the number of marriages and civil unions registered in New Zealand each year, and divorce statistics record the number of divorces granted in New Zealand each year. Key facts Marriages and civil unions In ...
Marriage and civil union statistics record the number of marriages and civil unions registered in New Zealand each year, and divorce statistics record the number of divorces granted in New Zealand each year. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lennon Y.C. Chang, Associate Professor of Cyber Risk and Policy, Deakin University Taiwan stands out as a beacon of democracy, innovation and resilience in an increasingly autocratic region. But this is under growing threat. In recent years, China has used a variety ...
In this excerpt from her new memoir, Dame Susan Devoy remembers her turn as star contestant on the 2022 season of Celebrity Treasure Island. The most anxious time of every day was pre-elimination, when you knew this could be your final day on the show. I felt such contradictory emotions, ...
A week that began in triumph ended in an all-too-familiar disaster for the Green Party. Duncan Greive asks if there’s something in the mission that breaks its best and brightest. A long, strange week for the Green party began with a fantastic poll result. On one level this is hardly ...
By Lydia Lewis, RNZ Pacific journalist Vanuatu’s former prime minister and opposition MP Ishmael Kalsakau has stepped down — just two days after he confirmed he was the rightful opposition leader. Kalsakau, MP for Port Vila, confirmed to ABC’s Pacific Beat, and the Vanuatu Daily Post on Thursday that he ...
What’s to blame for the coalition’s choppy start? Six months in, and the mojo meter is in the doldrums. A new poll would put National out of power and sees its leader, Chris Luxon, sliding in popularity. How much is it about policy, how much coalition management and a perception ...
The striking report goes far beyond the proposed repeal of the Oranga Tamariki Act’s Treaty of Waitangi provision, and its impact should be felt far beyond the unique circumstances of the claim it addresses. Earlier this week, the Waitangi Tribunal released an interim report on the government’s proposed repeal of ...
The world has been experiencing a productivity slowdown, from which New Zealand has not been exempt. COVID-19 temporarily boosted labour productivity, but more recently, productivity has retreated. The overall trend since 2007 has been one of slow productivity ...
What’s more wasteful than spending $315k on syrup and machine maintenance? Trying to drum up a controversy about it.Cast your mind back to the pre-pandemic idylls of 2019. A “rat” was a disgusting rodent and not a self-administered plague test; the sixth Labour government was in power; and the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Fitz-Gibbon, Professor of Social Sciences, Faculty of Arts, Monash University, Monash University Ken stocker/Shutterstock In the wake of numerous killings of women allegedly by men’s violence in 2024, thousands of Australians have joined rallies across the country to demand action ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Henry Cutler, Professor and Director, Macquarie University Centre for the Health Economy, Macquarie University Oleg Ivanov IL/Shutterstock Waiting times for public hospital elective surgery have been in the news ahead of this year’s federal budget. That’s the type of non-emergency surgery ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Konstantine Panegyres, McKenzie Postdoctoral Fellow, Historical and Philosophical Studies, The University of Melbourne Amna Artist/Shutterstock One of the earliest descriptions of someone with cancer comes from the fourth century BC. Satyrus, tyrant of the city of Heracleia on the Black Sea, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Rose, Professor of Sustainable Future Transport, University of Sydney LanaElcova/Shutterstock Electric vehicles are often seen as the panacea to cutting emissions – and air pollution – from transport. Is this view correct? Yes – but only once uptake accelerates. Despite the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Giselle Natassia Woodley, Researcher and Phd Candidate, Edith Cowan University There is widespread agreement Australia needs to do better when it comes to gender-based violence. Anger and frustration at the numbers of women being killed saw national rallies over the weekend and ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Graham, Lecturer in Economics, University of Sydney Mark and Anna Photography/Shutterstock As home ownership moves further out of reach for many Australians, “rentvesting” is being touted as a lifesaver. Rentvesting is the practice of renting one property to live ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sukhmani Khorana, Associate Professor, Faculty of Arts, Design and Architecture, UNSW Sydney Netflix The new season of Heartbreak High is garnering mixed reviews. Critics are writing about the racy story lines, comparing it to other coming-of-age series about teenage relationships and ...
Bob Carr intends to launch legal action against Winston Peters and Julie Anne Genter is facing a second allegation of bullying. Both sucked the air out of an announcement on education, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in ...
summary of the interview of john key on tvone breakfast:
interviewer:..”..you had me at hello..”
For the next four weeks, like all good little sycophants, they will be falling over themselves to get the Royal Interview spots.
I see that TricKey is off to China. As they are having a crackdown on ‘Shonky’ dealings maybe the letting off of Collins will be seen as a sign of weakness. Also TricKey overseas I wonder if he has that itchy feeling between his shoulder blades. As thats when the Nats roll their leader.
Dear John
Stop off in Hawaii
Don’t come back to NZ
Love and Kisses Judith. PM Collins
HAHAHA
You will be interested to know David H that Mike Williams made precisely that point on the RNZ political spot this morning. What’s more, Matthew Hooton seemed to agree with him. (Other way round this time)
Its not the first time Key’s be caught sucking his thumb, drolling over the dummy.
Here’s some remarkably good news…….Liverpool 3, Man United 0.
Liverpool captain, Gerrard, scored two penalties. Now, if that doesn’t put a smile on a few faces, here, then I’m buggered if I know what will. Let’s all rejoice. The good have vanquished the bad.
After rampant Trade Unionism of 70’s 80’s is good to see scousers with something to smile about. Once the bitter employment battles ended it was so sad to see a once vibrant city decline to crime and welfare. After the Union leaders and politicians bailed there was no hope of employment with entrepreneurs ignoring politicians pleas to come back with free factory rents and other sweeteners Lessons have not been learnt as Detroit follows same path to destruction. But it was good to see Socialist Liverpool thrash the bankers of Manchester.
+1
“But it was good to see Socialist Liverpool thrash the bankers of Manchester.”
What’s the average wage across those two soccer teams ?
To alay your lies
Allyson.
Ferguson is one of the few top celebrities to come out and support the labour Party.
Unlike the lilly Livered scouses.
Lily livered scousers is not what you should call your comrades. Scouse militants provided the muscle, the backbone and the go forward for Labour movement in UK. Ever heard of flying pickets (mostly liverpudlians)
Once it became obvious that no worker driven Marxicst state was to be set up in Anglophilia there was little left for the hardliners, but for a good football club. The cost of a failed attempt at Marxism can be measured in the gloom and despondancy of this once great city.
Not on mine. United fan for 40 years. Had enough good times to last some down years… not sure how many I can take tho.
Quick question about the site: Last week, instead of loading the front page, I get a blank page with the words “Hello World” in the top left. Yes, it’s IE, but I can’t change it because I don’t control the IT. Thoughts?
The site got overwhelmed and fell over. Your browser cached the fall over (gotta fix that damnit). Press shift+F5 (or shift + click refresh) on the front page to clear the cache and reload should fix it.
Thanks. Really should have thought of that.
No problems. It is always a useful thing to recall, especially when the graphics fail to load on a site correctly and get cached on the browser for the next few days as “broken”.
I fixed the fallover (I hope) this weekend with a much more aggressive policy against bots. If anything reads 10 page inside a minute then they get locked out of the site for 2 hours unless they are google, feedburner, a couple of other known search engines, and National Library (if they give me server IPs). If they get caught too often then I add them to denial in the firewall. We were getting quite aggressive bots hitting us at about 0730. I permanently killed 24 this morning.
The “hello world” was the placeholder at the root of the apache directory system. It was put in to make sure that there was something there when the system got bootstrapped. I’m still surprised that that the server crash fell back to there. It implies that the virtual host system that thestandard is in had failed completely.
But because it had no caching set up, the browser put whatever it felt like on the page.
Venice Votes For Independence, UN Says It’s Illegal! Neh, of course not but then Venice isn’t sitting on a ton of oil!
Not that anyone should be surprised. The US refused to accept the Palestinian election when they elected Hamas as well and all the Western nations meekly accepted the ruling of Big Brother.
Listening to Radio New Zealand this morning, I certainly enjoyed the extensive coverage on the tens of thousands of our Australian neighbors and allies who took to the streets in protest at the recent steps taken by their Government. Over thirty thousand in Melbourne alone. It was wonderful to hear the RNZ team give such clear and accura……oh hang on, that was my fantasy land busting through.
all we did hear about, at length, were some folk up north who did something America does not like
The Collins saga led me to want to learn a little more about Oravida and Deyi (‘Stone’) Shi, close personal friend of Collins and her family.
A google search on Deyi Shi came up with some interesting links Shi (now a NZ citizen) and his family have been in NZ for 12 years have significant holdings in various companies, and purchased the Hotchins mansion in Auckland for $39M.
This Herald article provides more information.
And this January 2014 Herald article reveals that the rates being paid on Mansion were still at 2011 levels when the property was valued at much less than its purchase price with strong criticism of this from Cameron Brewer.
In some of the many media articles on the Collins saga, there has been oblique mention of the Crafer farms, and much more mention of donations to the National Party. This blog by Frank Macskasy details the various timelines and players in the Crafer farms purchase saga, including Oravida and Deyi Shi.
More on the Crafer farm and contributions to the National Party from the Herald in Dec 2011 – “Chinese money flows to Nats”
And here is Farrar trying to play down these connections and donations in response to the Dec 2011 Herald article.
The google search also threw up this very, very interesting article 11 months ago on the NZX Agri website entitled “Milk runner tangles PM in product endorsement”
This article in particular gives a possible insight into the dilemma facing Key last week – and his anger at Collins’ actions bringing the whole Oravida connections into the limelight. Walking on eggshells springs to mind!
NOTE: as an aside, Oravida’s interests in hidden kauri and Comvita are also not insignificant as these two articles indicate
Kauri
Comvita
I hear that many former and current Nat mps are riding various milk floats…
from the Agri article – “The Cabinet manual, a guide for ministerial behaviour, says no minister should endorse any product in any media. It warns ministers when accepting invitations to tell the organisation it may not use photos taken of the minister at the event or to publicise the event.”
On the Oravida News and Events page I see Grosser, I see Key, I see Collins.
pub·lic·i·ty (pŭ-blĭs′ĭ-tē)
n.
1.
a. Information that concerns a person, group, event, or product and that is disseminated through various media to attract public notice.
b. Public interest, notice, or notoriety achieved by the spreading of such information.
c. The act, process, or occupation of disseminating information to gain public interest.
2. The condition of being public.
Verb 1. publicise – call attention to publicise –
Thanks for this. Interesting piece about Key and the golf etc
Whoah! Super dodgy!
Thanks for your detective work on this Veutoviper (and to Frank MacSkasy). I see this as an article in it’s own right.
It’s interesting how the media do report questionable dealings the PM and his Ministers have with business, but the stories really never go that far. They kind of fizzle out in a cloud of Crosby Textor dust.
If these connections were as meticulously picked apart and shouted about as any Oppositions party’s MP’s slightest transgressions tend to be, we would have a voting population sitting up and paying attention.
There is a lot more there too, Rosie. I intended only doing a quick search, but two hours later … and I had only touched the tip of the iceberg. Hoping to spend some more time tonight, but more mundate things need to be done – washing, cleaning parrot cages, bathing one of my two dog etc!
But the more digging, the more Key is deep in there too.
Which is why he didnt sack collins? Cos she would take him with her? Explains why slater has got twitchy typing fingers
“Which is why he didnt sack Collins?” That is my take. See my comment at 8.2.
Must have a quick look at WO …. yuck.
No dont. I was Just stirring about his twitchy fingers cos I dont go to his and judith and johns site.
NATO And New Zealand Sign New Partnership Accord And John Key Is Delirious with That
@ veutoviper…i think the Greens would have something to say on Collins partner’s links and the kauri trade issue…it is known
imo the Maori should have first rights to this taonga treasure for their traditional carving and art
…it would be pathetic if the Chinese exported it back to us as faux art
….the New Zealand Maori are being sold short and sold out by NACT imo
Maori Kauri carving and art..”The Kauri tree, named ‘Ancient Watcher’ or ‘Guardian’ by the Maori”.
http://tribestrongman.com/
https://www.google.co.nz/search?q=Maori+kauri+carving&biw=1402&bih=747&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=BRomU_7VNI3jlAX8zYGgBw&ved=0CCcQsAQ
I agree that Maori should have first rights to hidden kauri – and I was appalled at what I read re this when googling Deyi Shi and I want to find some time to research this more at a later date.
But the tangled web between this gentleman and the National Party, not just Collins AND Key, is fascinating – and of concern. IMO it is so tangled that it is no wonder that Key was angry with Collins – but at the same time, could not (and probably cannot) afford to step her down as a Minister. Too many skeletons in the cupboard – and Collins is not someone I would like to cross. A woman scorned etc etc (allowed to say that, as I am female!)
Maori should getting hot about this theft of their Taonga….a covenant should be placed on this precious Swamp Kauri like the covenant on Ngai Tahu’s taonga Pounamu , greenstone.
where is the Maori Party on this?…dont laugh….they are in with bed Judith Collins and NACT….ok where is Hone Harawira?…where are the Northland Tribes?….where is our Shane Stallion Jones?
Cool article over at stuff about the use of Hempcrete for building home sin NZ.
Great to see NZ finally catching up. Of course Fletchers and Carters wont have had any part in trying to prevent its growth (pun intended) in NZ.
Here is their NZ site
Hemp Technologies
http://www.hemptechnologies.co.nz/styled/
“Construction costs may be reduced by:
Shallower foundations
Lower transport costs of materials to site
Lower finish costs
Discounted Insurance costs
Reduced mechanical (HVAC) requirements"
Here’s a link tot heir brief hempguide in pdf
http://hemp-technologies.com/resources/Hemp-Building/New-Zealand/NZhemp98.pdf
SO, the Official Cash Rate set to be raised another 2% by the Reserve Bank Governor in the next 18 months in the face of a measly amount of inflation in the economy, 1.6%, most of which is caused by house price over-inflation in the cities of Auckland and Christchurch,
Who wins and who loses???,
The winners, got a spare million bucks or two loitering in a banks term deposits, you win, kaching chalk up an extra 20 bucks a year per hundred thousand you have in a term deposit,
The Banksters, the only logical conclusion that can be drawn from the Reserve Bank Governors move against high inflation that does not exist would be to ask the question(s), has he got a few million tucked away in bank term deposits???, or, has the bloke entered into a ‘side-contract’ with the trading banks???,
The trading Banks and their profits and shareholders will be the real winners from the announced intentions to raise the OCR, full stop, that’s it as far as winners go,
The losers??? all of us including the Government accounts which with the current tax settings and debt loadings MUST have a rate of GDP growth of 3–5% to (a) achieve a sustainable balancing of the books,and (b), must have an ongoing GDP growth of 3–5% so as to enable a sustainable paying down of the 80 billion dollars of gross Government debt befor the next in the ongoing series of crisis in Capitalism becomes apparent,
Given the Reserve Bank Governors proposed actions i can only conclude that such monetary reactionism is an attempt to deliberately sabotage the NZ economy in favor of profiting the trading banks and the call should go out to have the position of Governor terminated with a committee of non-bank aligned economists put in His place to decide future OCR rates based upon an all of economy view…
and it won’t halt the escalating house prices in Auckland and CHCH, will it?
Bad, how do you reckon we can find out if Brownlee is renting out 3 of his 4 properties in Ilan and Fendalton? I really want to know if he is, what is the rent today compared to january 2010?
Definitely not, the upwardly mobile middle class will simply do their sums and stay put in what they have now further crimping supply,
The vast numbers,especially in the Auckland market, who have dual citizenship and access to funds from economies with a lesser trading bank interest rate will of course carry on the current game of monopoly with a lesser supply of housing to indulge in will push up prices none-the-less,
As far as Brownlee goes i could suggest a couple of things, but, won’t, as such things i could suggest could be seen as an invasion of His personal life…
Dave Armstrong is very good here.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/comment/columnists/dave-armstrong/9834189/Hard-selling-deal-making-National-s-mode-of-business
One for the Greens, about the collapse of civilisation:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=11220886
same story with some additional details
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/earth-insight/2014/mar/14/nasa-civilisation-irreversible-collapse-study-scientists
I would be more concerned about this timezone it could be the collapse of the Greens party vote later this year. Mojo & Roche future as politicians look uncertain and probably a couple of others? They better hope Dot Com doesn’t start up the Internet Party or they will get relegated behind NZF.
I don’t think that the Greens vote will collapse just because you wish it. Plenty of people in Labour think the Greens are pretty close to their absolute maximum potential vote now, but from what I can see that is based mostly on wishful thinking, not solid reasoning.
I agree, but Skinny I’m curious why a NASA study on our impending future would collapse the Green vote. I would have thought the opposite.
Well, CV, you must have missed my comments on the matter! To repeat, The Greens have maxed out because of their branding. Their marketing around their name and campaigning on important but low voting priority issues means that low teens is the best they can achieve.
Not that they seem unhappy with that podium position anyway. A solid third place is not to be sneezed at in MMP environment, particularly with a tight election coming. And they remain the best performing Green party in the world.
Maxed out Te Reo, lolz the last election result says that the Green Party are anything but maxed out, should the growth of the last election cycle continue in the upcoming one then i will be happy to see the Green Party nudging 15% of the vote…
So here is Bad12 living in la la land not seeing the latest halfwitted moves by the Greens as anything to worry about and it’s onwards and upwards to 15%. You think Labour is going to sit idle and allow the Greens to walz away with another 4-5% of our vote. No it won’t happen and we want what we lost back. So the Greens have tanked and will be rolled back some.
It’s not your vote, Skinny. That sort of arrogant thinking once belonged with the Tories, and is one reason why Labour’s share has been shrinking.
“we want what we lost back” – earn it dimmy
My view of you Skinny from what you have so far contributed today would be that you are a ‘wing-nut’ engaged in a rather stupid masquerade,
Stupid because that appears to be the level of intellect you have brought to today’s debate,
Like your stupidity below concerning the Hamilton electorates you do not seem to have a grasp on the realities of MMP politics preferring instead to use insult as the currency of debate in place of constructive thought,
As has already been pointed out to you, ”your vote” in respect of the Labour Party consists of what your Parties policy accrue to you on the day, voting day that is, and i would suggest that as David Cunliffe has little options available to Him in the way of policy options except the same old thing with a slightly different spin the ”truly red”,(snigger),Labour Party is pretty much a Fizzer…
Settle down 12 a ‘wingnut’ I in the Labour party to keep them Left. I walked when Goff took the helm, I attended one Green meeting which was disappointing to say the least. Sitting in a circle on floor was a bloody joke, no real struture compared to a Labour ex’s meeting, which had a proper struture in place. I get on very well with many of the Green MP’s and rank and file. Ok the spray about ‘our vote’ was a tad rough, however I am simply saying don’t get distracted with silly stuff like the God Botherer Colin Craig. Btw I have a nice number to crack National in the house which the Greens get first crack at ‘ahead of the other opposition party’s. Why because it’s a nice go forward for our coalition partner!
What makes you so sure i am unsettled Skinny, every thing you have so far sprayed my way smacks of ‘wing-nut’ masquerading in a little pantomime,
Admittedly a different twist to the usual, ”i voted Labour but never again” rubbish we usually get to read here,(i notice tho you have just used the same in a ”i went to a green party meeting once and they were all sitting round on the floor”),
You might think you are clever but i seriously doubt you have any Labour Party credentials at all,(i will happily be proven incorrect),
As far as having something to knock National with which you are going to gift to the Green Party, just more bullshit…
Cut it out I posted a video on here a month back, a protest I organised and was interview on TV3 as the spokesperson. I did invite the Greens but they were a no show, however one of my Green mates is an orginiser who intended coming but was told not to attend as it’s was a unionised site and he had to tow the line, admittedly it was short notice and not much of a green presence up here. Move on mate we are in it together to remove the Neo-Liberals.
Now that Skinny is frigging hilarious, ”remove the Neo-liberals” as if the Labour Party isn’t chock full of them,
The ‘pimping’ of neo-liberalism will continue unabated under Labour just as the condition was imported and legislated for by that very Party,
The ultimate in neo-liberal policy is to be found in the Labour policy to build 30,000 homes as a reward to the children of the middle class who’s parents having been well rewarded by such neo-liberal economics helped create the current cluster fuck of house price over-inflation putting home ownership out of thee reach of their children,
The next step into ugly neo-liberalism will be the raising of the age of entitlement for superannuation by this oh so red Labour Party, with the support of the National Party as no-one else will support such a ludicrous policy which attacks those in the bottom 30% of the economy while giving every favor to those who earn the most thus having the greater ability to save,
”Remove the neo-liberals” that is funny Skinny, your supporting a party that wants another spin of the neo-liberal wheel…
” the last election result says that the Green Party are anything but maxed out”
The RM poll just before the 2011 election had the Greens on 14.5%. The actual result was 3.5% less at 11%. Current RM polling? 10.5%. I hope they improve their vote this time round, but they aren’t getting 15% this election because they are not geared to that kind of result. Low teens is actually an amazing result for the kind of party that the Greens promote themselves as in an MMP environment, particularly as they are list only.
Actually the Green are their own worst enemy, the last thing I would have predicted in election year is their own self harm. It was Labour I was concerned about with their unruly caucus. The last thing I expected was the Greens losing the plot, but then when you think about it they have a nickname which pops up readily when they do jackarse stuff. Umm like Norman & Craig, & Molly Hughes & Jones. Very disappointing, now it’s tainted/soured peoples minds.
What are you on about?
No offense Tracey but I could not get why Norman carried on a silly tit for tat scrap with Craig. It detracted from the solar panel policy, and then reacting the way they did to Shane ‘one man band’ Jones was another wimpy thing to do. Hughes grates a lot of people that may otherwise vote the Greens. I am telling you Greens you will get thumped if you don’t stick to the ‘smart sensible Greens’ image.
Yawn your comments are ‘funny’ in the un-amusing sense Skinny, the Green vote only just started to ‘mine’ the young born to rule National/Green vote in 2011,
If the trend continues and the contest is tight i could easily see the Green Party Vote being wrested from National electorates toppling the Tories,
There is a willingness out there among the young in those National held electorates to vote split, its more pronounced in the larger cities at the moment, should such a trend tho continue into the provincial cities National are in for a shock…
And I can see the Greens standing candidates in West Auckland and West Hamilton to name 2 that will cost Labour the electorate seat, instead of list only. Sound about right?
Problem with you lot Bad12 is you probably back Norman by donating to his defamation case defense. Stupid crap like this is a distraction. Time and energy wasting exercise where Craig loses but shows the Green up along the way. Stick to your core values of sensible smart Green platform. Or the right just trot out the loony, left extremist tag. Make your mind up what’s it to be?
Yawn, electorate seats, which century did you just spring from Skinny, electorate seats are pretty much meaningless in the enviroment of MMP,
If Labour want to represent people in either of those seats there is nothing on the planet stopping them from opening electorate offices and assigning a List MP to do the work,
Your argument is facile, a bit like me moaning that Labour will contest the Waiariki electorate seat when this will likely hand the seat to Te Ururoa Flavell,
The problem with making assumptions Skinny is they end up being as flaccid as the other part of your comment is facile, i havn’t donated to any legal fund up to this point in time,(unless the name of that account Lprent give me was a cunning hint),
Your also wrong with the further assumption surrounding this, picked upon by Mr money-bags is likely to see support for Russell Norman rise among the young and it will only be Wing-nuts and You,(are the two mutually exclusive), that strut about going tutt tutt,
The ‘right’ have been trotting out the ‘loony’ slur for years right back to the Values party days, and my mind is made up which basically says that i should either laugh at or spit upon anything you would suggest in the way of advice to the Green Party…
Turn the page tomorrow is another day brother, my apologises 🙂 I don’t want the Phil Ure treatment from you day in day out lol. My original post was having a crack at Hooton, over spining NZF will roll with National, which included the nutty Green party slur also, I didn’t reply to his question as I choose to ignore it as he knew it was an attack about his general stifling spin.
Go on Skinny, the Phill Ure ‘treatment’ was entirely of a beneficial nature, finally i have an admission from Phill that ”yes He is a poly-addict”, in terms of benefits to the addict the admission is halfway to being free,
i am sure tho by your attitude expressed today toward the Green Party that we are set to have much more fun discussing this attitude and the remarks it causes you to put forward…
Skinny
I see your point Most of it. So don’t get dissed by bad12 getting tired. The only person around here that can do that and get away with being bored is Ennui.
Getting distracted from the path wastes a lot of time.
We have got to practise political orienteering this year.
Follow the map, keep a sharp look out, keep up the speed, and touch all the bases. No time for yawning.
Just regular knackered naps and back to it.
Thanks Greywarbler for your words of wisdom 🙂 I admit perhaps bit of a line cross, more out of frustration the green supporters here haven’t engaged in debate about Norman getting distracted and then the hypocritical stance by Hughes. The silence was deafening.
There there little warbly, still sting a bit does it….
As things get worse the capitalists will increasingly promote the Greens and their green capitalist ideas to save their system in pretty much the same way they did with Labour and Keynesiam economics in the 1930s.
Short term this is good news for the greens electorally but for the rest of us it is another diversion from the need for some real transformational politics.
The capitalist ruling class are aided by brainwashing the worker drones through rampant consumerism. Modern society has become very self centered, the me, myself and I syndrome. It’s the pits that a mere capital gains tax policy is seen by many Kiwi’s as radical, too many comfortable babyboomers are tied up in property. I guess to be fair L/G/NZF want to limit foreign speculation.
Perhaps a website setup to crunch some policies to bring real transformational change like you suggest Lefty.
Just listened to RNZ political show, Hooton spoils the show with total fabricated nonsense. This morning it was about Winston Peters. Typical lunatic carry on with overly headstrong opinions. What a vast difference between RadioLive’s Sunday morning show hosted by Wallace Chapman and the diatribe being feed on Nat radio’s show, thanks to Hooton.
Get rid of him he stifles open debate and spins too much baloney to be taken seriously.
What’s the fabricated nonsense bit?
Perhaps the fabricated nonsense maybe about the donation Winston didnt know about.
Mike Williams , last week revealed he was the intermediary to getting the donation which was paid to a lawyers account without Winstons knowlege
That is not what Mike said. He said Winston did know about it but that the money went from Glenn to the lawyer and not to NZ First, so, in Mike’s opinion, Winston was telling the strict truth when he held up the sign saying “NO” in answer to questions did Owen Glenn donate to NZ First.
So which of these two statements is true:
Glenn did not donate to NZ First.
I will not raise GST after the election.
One statement gets hammered, the other is so what. Are not both bending the truth.
Matt your trying to limit Peters-NZF vote by repeating he will run with Key-National. This won’t happen. NZF stands to gather more votes going with a L/G’s setup.
“NZF stands to gather more votes going with a L/G’s setup”
Sorry, but unless Peters says before the election who he will go into govt with, that sentence is a nonsense.
Of course it is nonsense, Weka. And votes in 2017 probably aren’t that important to him, because he will be 72 by then and probably won’t seek a further term.
I suspect that’s wishful thinking on your part 😛
perhaps
Not a particularly bright bird is the Weka, on par with a Molly Hawk I’d say.
Winston has written off Key-National because he wants to buy our assets back. That is telepathic speak “trust me I won’t go with Key.”
Anyway the old fox won’t be standing in Whangarei, I will ensure his sister gets the nod for Labour, that’s telepathic speak of my own. You self-centered teachers can relax up here.
But how do you know he wants to buy back the shares in the power companies? (BTW, does that include Contact Energy?) He said he was against asset sales in the mid 1990s and then, lo and behold, read page 8 of his 1998 Budget speech: http://www.treasury.govt.nz/budget/1998/pdfs/speech-fsr98.pdf
Similarly, he campaigned for major change to the Reserve Bank Act in the 1990s, and then, as Treasurer, made only token changes to it and re-appointed Don Brash as governor.
So you can choose to believe the words he says but I think his record suggests that is a mistake.
He won’t buy a single share back, you’ll here nothing more of it once Labour/NZF and the bit players (chickens over humans party) get in power.
Hooton ya mate McCarten was slow pushing the buy back line as was the Greens, Peters trumped them, Shifty DC would have been better spouting that one at his economic speech on Friday.
Mr key is becoming quite similar…
Didn’t Winston refuse to allow the sale of Wellington Airport? You know an Asset Sale. Didn’t that cause the Shipley fall?
From Hooton’s Treasury link above –
On the one hand, 1998 was a long time ago. On the other hand, where is the evidence that what Peters says now means anything?
That was his excuse – he figured he needed to get out of coalition to have a chance of getting back into parliament in 1999. But prior to his grandstanding over Wellington Airport, he had happily sold shares in Auckland Airport and had led the process, as Treasurer, to sell the shares in Wellington Airport.
Winston may have opposed the sale of the airport but it certainly didn’t lead to the fall of the Shipley Government, or prevent the airport being sold. After all Winston threw a tantrum and took about half of his party out of the Government and went into opposition in 1998. The remainder of Winnies party remained in the Government, and the Government sold its 66% share in the airport.
The Government then remained in power until the election late in 1999.
That election caused the Shipley fall but it was about 18 months after Winnie threw his toys out of the cot.
Telepathy, that’s just what the left needs to win the election. Nevertheless, most NZers aren’t telepathic so my comment stands. No-one knows what Peters will do so saying that he stands to garner more votes by going with Labour is still a non-sense until Peters declares before the election who he will go with. I suspect much confusion amongst NZF voters this year, just like in other elections.
Heh – I reckon a few here think they’re telepathic already, assigning the most devious motives to the every nuanced arse-scratch an MP makes 🙂
After the dirty campaign National ran against Winston which saw NZF ousted out of Parliament do you honestly think Winston’s sole motivating factor is to exact revenge. Adding to that his 2ic Tracy Martin is closer to the Greens in her thinking and wouldn’t have a bar of National. NZF will gain most from the demise of the Maori Party and disillusioned National voters.
I am comfy righting a NZF/NACT setup out.
What’s that about teachers Skinny. You are getting enigmatic. Is Peters’ sister a teacher? And is calling them self-centred being ironic or just plain mean?
I wonder when anyone will call on dunne to declare who he will go with.
It is my opinion he would, based on previous behaviour and current polls, as discussed here: http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/what-would-winston-want
Your opinion seems to be otherwise.
But where is the “fabricated nonsense” bit?
But Winnie hates Shonkey….build that into the calculation Mr. Hooton
He hated Bolger too (and vice versa). Both tried to compare the other to Hitler over the years! So, as I said on RNZ, Peters calling Key a liar etc means nothing.
Except it takes one to know one.
You might very well say that, but RNZ rules prevented me from saying so!
Lol
Nice comeback
More amusement provided by Hoots affecting to be shocked, shocked that anyone would suggest that he’s not the very paragon of honesty.
Do you not want to guess in case skinny is thinking of different fabricated nonsense to you?
@ Skinny….yes he was telling fibs about NZF and Winnie all over the place ….I am not sure why ….because i think that Wiinnie is intent on going with Labour and getting Minister of Foreign Affairs…actually maybe this is the reason why he is telling so many lies …he is certainly a one man band ANTI- WINNIE PR machine…Hoots Possum is going spin crazy
eg of one such fib….Hooton said Winnie could have formed a coalition with Helen Clark and Jim Anderton to give the first Labour Govt with Clark as Prime Minister but didnt and chose instead to go with National….As Winnie has pointed out on many occasions it was an impossibility for him to form a coalition with Clark and Anderton because Anderton was not playing and was unwilling to have a coalition with Labour.!…Labour simply did not have the numbers to form a government in coalition with Winston’s NZF
….as it turned out the coalition Winnie did go into…. (the only coalition alternative to form a government was with National) …he ended up pulling down because of more proposed asset sales
You are saying he didn’t hold two months of coalition negotiations with Labour? Strange if such a deal were impossible. I have been remained close to politics since 1996, but have never heard this theory before.
It was in the Helen Clark documentary….spelt out very clearly!
…I guess he doesnt feel obliged to put you right…because some of your spinning backfires to his advantage
Why do you think it was impossible Chooky.
He campaigned in ’96 that he could bring down Bolger. Then negotiated for 2 months with Clark and would have gone her had she given him Finance. She was his first choice.
History would now tell a different story if she had given him what Bolger ultimatley did..
…well check out that documentary…did Jim Anderton pull out of negotiations early or late?….did he stand on NOT forming a coalition with Labour…i cant remember….Helen Clark would know
Anderton was never in the negotiations. He was pledged to support a Labour-led govt. There were two negotiations – Peters with National, and Peters with Labour. Not a single person around parliament or the media at the time would agree with this idea that Peters had no choice (except, retrospectively, perhaps Peters – taking your word for that).
Nah, Chooky has established that there were some factors involved that made it less of a sure thing that everyone had expected at the time. Chooky never said there were no coalition talks.
It suits the interests that you work for for people to not know the factors that might have lead Peters to choose the way he did. It is better that we, however, know – so that we can make informed choices.
It wasn’t great that Peters made the choice that he did, however he is leader of a centrist party and it was perhaps naïve (helped by the lack of real political analysis in the media) to assume that NZ First would go with Labour.
It suits National just fine to have people like you spinning their line – but centrist voters might just decide that it is worth voting for NZ First because even if he chooses National over Labour he will either tone down the ultraism and incompetency of the Nats OR break up the agreement early if he doesn’t manage this. Either way this is preferable to having another 3 long years of this bunch of buffoons. It all depends what the polls are showing closer to the time – which is, after all, what Peters appears to be saying over and over again…..
“It was in the Helen Clark documentary….spelt out very clearly!”
I don’t think that doco said what you think it does. But even if it did, it is a single source that no-one else seems to find that credible. Further, after that election Peters held NZ to ransom, and undermined much trust in the new MMP system. His behaviour was anti-democratic and appalling. I can understand why some people want him in parliament, but it is beyond me why anyone still trusts him on what he says.
@ weka …check out the doco again if you can be bothered( i cant)…it was pretty clear to me that he had no option but to go with National because Jim Anderton wanted his pound of flesh against Rogernomics and the Labour Party and was not going to help them into govt via a coalition
….however by going into coalition with National Peters not only pulled that National govt down on the issue of asset sales and has created NACT enemies ever after eg Hooton….but he almost killed his own party support outright…i think he learnt from this ( i was one of many of his voters who was dismayed and felt betrayed at the time)
….as far as I am concerned what matters is NOW!
…there is no point in alienating Winston and NZF when…. 1.) he worked well with Clark second time around …was a brilliant Minister of Foreign Affairs 2.) kept the Labour Govt in … 3.) Cunliffe is willing to work with him and the Greens… 4.) the Labour Left coalition will probably need him to become the next Govt
Sniff the wind ……why is Matthew Hooton ( MSe…master spinner extraordinaire ) trying to alienate everybody from Peters and at the same time doing a u-turn and saying Peters will form a coalition with National? Answer: he knows National will not be able to form a govt without Peters
(…that is my read of it anyway)
This theory of yours is absolute nonsense. To believe it, you have to believe that there was a chance of a National/Alliance government. There wasn’t, on either side. Clark knew she could take Anderton’s votes for granted. And there were two months of negotiations, with Peters talking to both sides. His decision was a total secret until the moment he announced it. Labour staffers burst into tears (Helen Clark has already been on the cover of the NZ edition of TIME mag as prime minister elect). National staffers couldn’t believe their luck (I was in Goa at the time and got excited faxes from friends working in the Beehive). The idea Peters had no choice but to support National is fanciful. He could have chosen Clark — and most people thought he would. I don’t know what nonsense he has spouted to his supporters since about having no choice, but of course he did.
lol…well he certainly shouldn’t have gone with National…it just about killed him and his party completely
He has learned that lesson!
Well, for years I thought that, but then if you factor in Anderton’s vibe I actually think it quite believable – his alternatives consisted of:
A) going with national, getting some concessions to tout (gold card and doctors visits for kids) for as long as possible;
B) supporting neither/abstaining so there was a minority national govt (same as A without the concessions) or even a rerun of the election because nobody can form a govt without him and he votes against everyone;
C) go with labour and hope Anderton swallows his pride, in which case anderton gets all the concessions and credit, or forces a rerun after winnie’s delayed for two weeks trying to get the numbers.
And after watching what Anderton did to the Alliance in 2005?2002? there’s every possibility he would have burned the house down around him even then.
I still don’t go with A, but I’m not quite so outraged about it.
edit: although maybe I’m mellowing in me old age 🙂
sounds interesting and plausible…from what i can remember…but mainly the gobsmacking outrage at his going with National
…he wont do it again
Yes, it is certainly plausible that Clark had less to offer Peters, due to requiring the support of Alliance too.
It is plausible that the Nats appeared more stable due to the dynamic between Clark and Anderton
It is certainly proven that it was very bad for NZ First’s reputation that Peters choose National over Labour after leading the public to believe that a vote for them was a vote against the government.
Here is hoping that not only Peter’s has learned from the experience – that Labour also have learned about the value of how they relate with potential coalition partners – in a manner that allows all to see the government under such a team would be stable…
Here’s also hoping that Shane Jones stops destruct-testing that last paragraph 🙂
lol….We can only hope…
@ M.Hooton 13.2.1
Your response to Chooky’s comment is an indictment on the quality of political analysis on this country and the circles you hang out in, Mr Hooton, rather than any reflection on the content of Chooky’s comment.
Further, it appeared to me that Winston was calling all the main players in National incompetent buffoons in the debate on TricKey-the-PM’s statement
link: http://www.parliament.nz/en-nz/pb/debates/debates/speeches/50HansS_20140128_00000321/peters-winston-debate-on-prime-minister%E2%80%99s-statement
Whilst Mr Peters is notoriously hard to predict – it is extremely hard to imagine that he would like to end his political career by working with that pack of buffoons – which I guess is why he is fairly much calling for the lot of them to be sacked – (found in the above-linked speech) – Key especially. It would seem that his political preference is National but not with the current state of incompetency of this current bunch of incompetents government.
You got it blue Cat nice work!
Cheers Skinny 🙂
“Your response to Chooky’s comment is an indictment on the quality of political analysis on this country and the circles you hang out in, Mr Hooton, rather than any reflection on the content of Chooky’s comment.”
Do you have any evidence that Chooky is right? I’ve not seen any.
I have certainly heard the theory that Chooky relayed – unlike Hooton despite his mixing with the media and in political circles – this is the point I was making.
I have no evidence for the particular point Chooky raises – that is not to say it has no foundation – considering the lack of political information and analysis available in this country – particularly at the time that this occurred – that is hardly surprising really is it? I don’t think it should be dismissed merely because Mr Hooton ‘hasn’t heard of it’. I have certainly heard that Clark and Anderton were not getting along very well at the time, yet do not have time today for trawling for evidence (may do so later though).
I went back to search for info and so far I have come up with no articles that go into the details of either what was being offered in the coalition talks or the relationship between Clark and Anderton.
Most articles I’ve come across take about one paragraph to mention National offered more than Labour – but include no details on what Labour were offering.
Perhaps I am just having bad luck with my searches tonight – or perhaps the information is just not out there…unsure which.
Peters is not only a brilliant speech maker …but he is a master poker player
…i may be horribly wrong …but I cant see him going with National
Shame there’s no such place as Hell.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/mar/16/pastor-gay-hating-church-close-death-fred-phelps
On the Wrong Side of Globalization
Dont forget the lawyer fuelled hunt for loopholes.
Tracey. There is no need to conduct a “lawyer fuelled hunt for loopholes” when the corporate lawyers are there in the negotiating room helping to insert the loopholes.
There’s more rotten stench of corruption coming from this National Government, Amy Adams is to personally profit from the irrigation scheme, after Environment Canterbury was conveniently sacked undemocratically to prioritise farmers’ interests at the expense of the environment.
Pity the majority of public couldn’t detect corruption if it punched them in the nose. Can’t see past Key’s fake smile.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/opinion/9834430/Adams-well-linked-to-land-of-milk-and-money
Good article, raises excellent points.
Yep Amrite. See the correlation below at 17.
+100 ….good article….smells
Further to Veuto “The Collins saga led me to want to learn a little more about Oravida and Deyi (‘Stone’) Shi, close personal friend of Collins and her family.”
Public Address has a very very interesting collation of the significant National MPs connection to Oravido and to Amy Adams and the Canterbury water travesty.
Russel Brown writes on the Adams family connection/background to water from 2013:
http://rebuildingchristchurch.wordpress.com/2014/03/12/special-investigation-adams-family-values/
And today in Public Address:
http://publicaddress.net/hardnews/things-worth-knowing/
I reckon this could damage further the credibility of this Government. 2+2=4
Thanks for that, ianmac. Will check it out later.
I have now had a quick read of the Public Address link and will read it properly after the menagerie and I have been fed.
I note that there is speculation as to why Collins went to China in October 2013 (not mentioned is the fact that she also went back to China again less than a month later in Nov 2013).
Yesterday I posted a number of comments with links about both these trips. The first trip (when Collins had the dinner, lunch and cup of tea with milk with Oravida friends etc) was to attend and speak at a (Chinese govt? sponsored) conference on corruption (!). Information re this trip and conference are in this one of my comments yesterday (witha link to her speech in the second).
http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-16032014/#comment-786594
http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-16032014/#comment-786780
Re the second trip, this was to attend and debate at an APEC Women’s Leadership Forum. Details and links in this comment yesterday
http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-16032014/#comment-786784
And another comment I made the day before is also related, but more to provide a link to an enlightening TVNZ video on the Oravida – National Party connections.
http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-15032014/#comment-786207
I have never commented at Public Address and don’t really want to. But if anyone here wants to share any of the information about Collins’ trips on their post, feel free to use the information and links in my earlier comments.
+100 ianmac…this NACT MP corrupt goings on is the real cruncher!
(…Peters and what he did and did not do is a red herring…and Hooton is playing it for all he is worth….we have to keep our eyes on the ball here)
So what’s the “really nasty nickname” that Collins is called by others in the National Party?
(according to Mike Williams, NineToNoon this morning)
“Heartless”?
Lol, only joking, that’s a virtue in their eyes…
“sensitive wee sausage?”
I don’t think that would qualify as being too nasty for Mike to repeat on the radio…
United States “not meddling” in Ukraine, and Bush “exported democracy”;
Welcome to the wit and wisdom of Jim Mora
The Panel, Radio NZ National, Monday 17 March 2014
Jim Mora, Mark Inglis, Ellen Read
If one were to embark on the unedifying task of compiling a list of the most dismal cretins in this country, one would have to include at least some of the following names: John “Barney” Barnett, Karl “Doolally” Du Fresne, Garth “Gaga” George, Rodney “The Perk-taker” Hide, Christine (Spankin’) Rankin, Jamie (“Lock Up His Daughters”) Whyte, and the hysterically funny but dim Jordan Williams. Disturbingly, all of that grim list, except for the two ACT MPs (the Perk-taker and “Lock Up His Sisters”), consists of regular guests on Radio NZ’s dire chat-lite show The Panel. Whenever they have had the chance to run their mouths unchecked for a few minutes, these people have been so extreme, and sometimes even so deranged, in their comments that one is tempted to invoke the immortal words used to describe Marinetti about a century ago: “He is not just a cretin; he is a phosphorescent cretin.”
Up until recently, I have tended to give the host of this unfortunate program the benefit of the doubt. Could Jim Mora in all fairness be blamed for the calibre of his guests? Surely the one to blame was his producer, I would rationalize. Even when a particularly brutal guest, Dr Michael Bassett, frothed and snarled and called Nicky Hager a holocaust-denier live on air a few years ago, and Mora said nothing, not even a murmur of demurral or reproach, I thought that maybe he had said nothing because he was simply flabbergasted by Bassett’s boundless viciousness and dishonesty. Even when he laughed along with the likes of Chis “Haw Haw” Trotter as they mocked the suffering of political prisoners and fugitives of state vengeance, I believed that he was simply laughing along as a dutiful mein host. Basically, I thought, in spite of mounting evidence to the contrary, Jim’s an intelligent and thoughtful guy who does his best to run an entertaining show; sure, he’s a little glib, a little lazy—he never seems to read anything other than the New York Times and he quotes such moral imbeciles as David Brooks as if they are serious commentators—but basically, he knows what’s what.
Today, however, Jim Mora’s performance was so bizarrely substandard that the old nagging doubts have risen to the surface yet again….
To discuss the situation in Crimea, Waikato University professor Al Gillespie was brought on to the program. But instead of listening to Prof. Gillespie, who actually knows something about the topic, Jim Mora decided to air a few of his own thoughts. The first one would be hilarious if you didn’t consider that Mora was not trying to be funny….
JIM MORA: Well if we look at the role of the United States—one couldn’t exactly call it meddling….
Shortly after the nonsense continued….
JIM MORA: Ahhhh, the Guardian, which is not exactly a right wing rag….
The absurdity reached its nadir with this piece of black comedy, rendered even blacker by Ellen Read’s attempt to respond with something intelligent….
JIM MORA: George Bush was very big on exporting democracy wasn’t he.
ELLEN READ: [with utmost gravitas] Not so easy.
Professor Gillespie did actually manage to say a few things, but Mora’s harebrained comments went unchecked. Here they are again, in all their phosphorescent glory:
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
(1) the United States is not meddling in the Ukraine;
(2) the Grauniad is a trustworthy and fair newspaper;
(3) George W. Bush was exporting democracy.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
I swear that if I had not heard him utter those statements, I would never have believed this program could sink so low.
I gave up years ago.. Your fortitude does you credit. But why it continues is beyond understanding – I guess it fills in time 🙁
“I swear that if I had not heard him utter those statements, I would never have believed this program could sink so low.”
Except, Moz didn’t hear him utter those statements, as Mora didn’t say any of these things. No3 is as close to accuracy as Moz gets, but even then he misunderstands what Mora has said (listen again Moz, Mora’s mildly taking the piss out of Bush, not endorsing him).
It’s actually a very good interview and worth a listen (starts about ten minutes in): http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/afternoons/audio/2589258/the-panel-with-ellen-reid-and-mark-inglis-part-2
Good lord.
Moz’s first “quote”, taken in context, says more or less the exact opposite of what was actually said.
Muziness as usual I suppose.
I’m shocked, shocked I tells ya
Another witless contribution from our friend McFlock, I see. At least felix and Te Reo have the ability to mount some sort of a case to back up their arguments.
McFlock on the other hand…..
Nothing. Nada. Zilch. Jack. Zippo.
I can’t be bothered writing another transcript that your delusions will soon scab over into an amazing victory for yourself.
You’re a fucking nutbar.
“You’re a fucking nutbar.”
TRANSLATION: I got nuthin’.
morrissey, your translation merely demonstrates that once again the actual words that were used fail to bear any similarity to the message you decided to receive.
Un crétin phosphorescent a écrit: “morrissey, your translation merely demonstrates that once again the actual words that were used fail to bear any similarity to the message you decided to receive.”
Un conseil amical, mon ami….
http://cdn.memegenerator.net/instances/250×250/43820342.jpg
Je ne suis pas votre ami, mec
The quotes were indeed accurate. Certainly Mr Mora was a little more roundabout and mealy-mouthed than he appears in the extract provided; however, what Mr Breen posted up is what Mr Mora said, viz., “one couldn’t exactly call it meddling.”
I note that the usual tiresome triumvirate is shouting loudly again.
Fuck off Morrissey.
Moz’s first “quote”, taken in context, says more or less the exact opposite of what was actually said.
Felix, I appreciate that Mora was actually trying to say something reasonable and balanced. Of course, that was completely undermined by the fact that he said of the United States’ meddling in Ukrainian politics: “one couldn’t exactly call it meddling”.
That was about as sensible as discussing the O.J. Simpson case and saying “one couldn’t exactly call it a double knife-killing.” Or about as sensible as claiming the racist vitriol of the ACT maniacs who railed against iwi representation on Auckland Community Boards was “not exactly rancorous”. Mora made THAT claim this afternoon.
Mora’s mealy-mouthed attitude, in combination with his glib and facile tongue, overshadowed, indeed destroyed, any of the thoughtful contributions he had to make.
Nope, he said exactly the opposite of what you imply he said. Do you want to quote the full sentence or shall I?
I was right and you know it. You are just banking on the fact that most people won’t click on the link to that tedious discussion. If they do, it’s quite clear which of us is lying.
I guess that’s me then. Ok.
Mora:
Interviewee:
Mora:
Interviewee:
etc.
So there you have it. Jim Mora questioning the role of the west in stirring up dissent against a democratically elected leader. The opposite of what your out-of-context quote implied he had done.
MORA: You wouldn’t go so far as to call it “meddling” but the west went in…
As your transcript proves, Mora said exactly what Mr Breen said he did. Mr Breen has already acknowledged that Jim Mora was trying, somewhat diffidently, to raise the almost forbidden question of U.S. hypocrisy. Unfortunately, his timidity led to him immediately undermining his own words with that mealy-mouthed blather.
He said it, as you confirm. But you’re still kvetching.
Foolishly.
Game, set and match to Mr Breen.
Morrissey, you saddo, Mora did not say the United States, which is what you claimed in the initial comment. It’s arrogant that you now (disingenuously) acknowledge your error by referring to ‘the west’ while still claiming that’s what you originally said. You claimed Mora said the United States. He didn’t. Originally, you were mistaken. Now you are just lying.
You still owe Mora and the readers an apology for the original mistakes, which include hilariously confusing the Guardian with another newspaper altogether.
ps, regarding the Independent, if you’d been more on to it, you could have mounted a good argument around the ownership of that newspaper by a Russian oligarch, and what that might mean for its coverage of the Crimea. But, nooooo, you’re just not up to the task.
There is very little difference between the Indescribablyboring and the Grauniad. They both parrot pretty much the same government talking points as the New York Times, the Washington Post and the Chicago Tribune . You would realize that if you actually read not only those propaganda rags, but a little of the wealth of informed critiques of them by scholars who know what they are talking about, as opposed to the hapless chaps who pass for commentators on National Radio. We recommend you look at some of the work done by Ed Herman and Noam Chomsky, for a start.
And of course “the West” is not a code word for the United States. Of course not.
Similarly, “the Eastern bloc” of a generation or so ago was not a code word for the Soviet Union. Of course not.
No doubt Mr Breen is penning a suitably abject apology to that outstanding journalist Jim Mora at this very moment. Of course he is.
The difference between the two papers is that they are different newspapers. The USA is not the west, unless you are suggesting that your alternative personality ‘Mr Breen’ writes in tongues.
To summarise your errors, you claim the following was said by Mora:
(1) the United States is not meddling in the Ukraine;
(2) the Grauniad is a trustworthy and fair newspaper;
(3) George W. Bush was exporting democracy.
(1) not said by Mora, made up by moz
(2) not said by Mora, made up by Moz
(3) sorta said by Mora, but not as a statement of fact. Misinterpreted by Moz.
3 strikes, no hits. Next batter to the plate …
1.) “The difference between the two papers is that they are different newspapers.”
Similarly, the BBC, CNN and Fox News are different broadcasters, but their adherence to official government spin is impressively uniform.
2.) “The USA is not the west, unless you are suggesting that your alternative personality ‘Mr Breen’ writes in tongues.”
Of course “the West” is not an absurd fiction for “the United States.” Of course Britain pursues a robustly independent foreign policy. Of course New Zealand’s government is fearlessly independent, just like it was in the 1980s.
Of course.
A simple apology would suffice, Moz, but keep on wanking if that suits your purposes.
I don’t know why Messrs Morrissey and Longhair bother trying to educate the philistines.
Fuck off Morrissey.
Meh, keep it up Mozz. I had the misfortune of catching that interview (and much of the panel) while ironing my shirts, and your round up was several times more amusing than the usual triumvirate’s dissection. Tall poppies and all that jazz.
It’s nice that you don’t care if people just make up any old horseshit about other people and post it all over this site as if it were true.
As an aside, this one time at band camp I caught Morrissey fucking a chicken and he said “Well so what? I fuck chickens daily. Who doesn’t?”
Not roasted ones though Morrissey. And not at the dinner table.
“As an aside, this one time at band camp I caught Morrissey fucking a chicken and he said…”
Things have come to a pretty pass when this is posted up as some kind of an argument.
Would I be the only person on this forum to feel a profound sense of despair when reading such substandard stuff?
You don’t see Morrissey denying it though, do you?
“You don’t see Morrissey denying it though, do you?”
A very good point, sir, maugre the allegation being a fowl one.
Touché.
What’s your problem with what I posted, Moz? You’re the one who did it and said it, I’m simply reporting it with 100% accuracy.
God defend New Zealand.
Has shifty key resigned yet?
you mean slater hasnt mentioned the nickname during his anti collins tirades in the name of outting corruption in the halls of power?
Weirdly not!
I don’t understand it as he is really, really into offensive nasty nicknames. He even publishes list of them. He must know, surely.
Come on, National trools. You can’t all be Cameron Slater.
Spill the beans.
Of Flying Cars and the Declining Rate of Profit
So much for corporatism making things more efficient.
Another muddy splash on Abbott’s suit. Strangely he and the Tasmanian leader are shoulder to shoulder pushing for something like 74000 hectares of heritage forest to be removed from its status.
This is so it can be milled. But the interesting thing in an ironic way, is that it is absolutely unprofitable. The state subsidises it all the way. The more that gets milled the more the taxpayers pay out. But they seem to be set on a lockjawed gritty fight – Greens two legs, political pigs four, and the biggest number is the right one.
I’m a lumberjack and I’m okay hey! See you tube for Monty Python. Got to larf or you’d bawl.
The people are confused – a poll taken thought that logging supplied 20% of employment when in fact it is 1%. It might be more if Only looking at employment for males (mostly) but still the state does better from leaving the trees where they are and getting returns from tourism which I think were 16 times higher. Curiouser and curiouser. Madder and madder. And Australians will be put in the stocks and pelted with rocks by Abbott before they can vote him out. And they will deserve it for voting him in.
http://www.economist.com/blogs/banyan/2014/03/tasmanias-forest-wars
Tasmania’s forest wars: Barking up the wrong tree
Labor, Greens attack Tony Abbott for saying nation’s forests too .
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/labor-greens-attack-tony-abbott-for-saying-nations-forests-too-locked-up/story-fn59niix-1226845685829
More on google with key words – abbott and Tasmania leader heritage park cut timber felling
.
Dr Neville Bennett economic historian – with NBR. Talking about the effects of the GFC arising around the world huring the developing economies – talking to Bryan Crump on Radionz.
Referred to Malaysia controls on capital flow. It sounds as if that is what we need to stop the high dollar and the volatility. We will have to grit our teeth and pay more for imported stuff. That will be our willing contribution to our country instead of selling off everything so we can get plastic toys at Christmas, and lots of mass produced clothes.
New Oxfam report reveals Britain’s five richest families have more wealth than bottom 20% of the population. They must have worked very hard.
‘The most affluent family in Britain, headed by Major General Gerald Grosvenor, owns 77 hectares (190 acres) of prime real estate in Belgravia, London, and has been a beneficiary of the foreign money flooding in to the capital’s soaring property market in recent years. Oxfam said Grosvenor and his family had more wealth (£7.9bn) than the poorest 10% of the UK population (£7.8bn).
Oxfam’s director of campaigns and policy, Ben Phillips, said: “Britain is becoming a deeply divided nation, with a wealthy elite who are seeing their incomes spiral up, while millions of families are struggling to make ends meet.
“It’s deeply worrying that these extreme levels of wealth inequality exist in Britain today, where just a handful of people have more money than millions struggling to survive on the breadline.”
UBI.
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/magazine/march_april_may_2014/features/free_money_for_everyone049287.php?page=all
Keeping the pressure on against the corrupt corporate control of the Auckland region ……………
Seen this?
Granny scares Mayor out of chair!
I was there today, outside the Northcote Public Library, together with Dick Cuthbert from the LEN BROWN STAND DOWN Coalition – holding a Tui Bill Board banner which said “Mayor Len Brown says people have “moved on” – YEAH RIGHT”
Penny Bright
Forget it Penny its Chinatown
A couple of thoughts sparked by, but only tenuously related to, the reaction to Shane Jones:
[For me the jury is still out on SJ. Some of his comments make good common sense, but I’m not clear yet on whether he is a man of substance or “just a naughty boy”.]
My first thought was about where leaders tend to come from relative to their party membership. I think they naturally tend to come from a more authoritarian place, but do they also tend to come from a more right position also? Shipley, English, Brash, Key, Goff, all more right/authoritarian I suspect. Shearer more right; Clark certainly more authoritarian.
Thinking about my own preferences for leadership, and coming from the libertarian left, I realised that I tend to be less comfortable with leaders who do or might sit to the libertarian left of me, and I seem to have a preference for centrists, and I wonder if this might be something of a general truth?
Subsequent to some of this thinking, I took a look at the pre-populated charts on the ‘political compass’ website (google it if you’re not familiar with it) and found that they suggest that:
a) Most democratically elected governments around the world are on the authoritarian right of the spectrum.
b) NZ Labour is listed just right of centre and neutral on the authoritarian/libertarian axis – much more similar to Germany’s SPD and France’s PS, than it is to the ALP (the latter having moved steadily right/authoritarian over the last 7 years).
c) Labour party leaders Ed Milleband and Julia Gillard are/were significantly more authoritarian right than the NZLP.
d) in 2008 NZFirst was listed as a little further left and more authoritarian than Labour.
Which I think adds something to the mix of thoughts.