“Damn right I’m annoyed, Sid. I had Mossack Fonseca do a little, heh, you know, shell company creation a year ago, and I’m pissed it may come to light.”
“Oh ho, that’s not good. You’ve been parking money off shore, hey? Well, so have we all. Thank God, I didn’t use those Mossack Fonseca chaps.”
“And you know what else is beginning to piss me off, Sid? All these bloody plebs taking the moral high ground! I’ve worked hard for my money . . .”
“Oh, come on Harry, that’s a bit rich. You inherited your wad from your father.”
“But I’ve tripled the fortune he left me. And there’s nothing illegal about not wanting to pay more tax than you have too. Yet all the lower class scum, and by that I mean those lefties in government too, are now baying for our blood.”
“I wouldn’t be too concerned, Harry, old fellow. We’ve got the right man, all bought and well paid for, in the top job. He’ll see that nothing will come of it all. A storm in a teacup.”
“You really think so?”
“Yes, I do. Have a little faith, old chap. Our man’s a past master of deception and deceit. It’s in his DNA. You’ll see, it’ll all blow over.”
“Well, I must say, it’s reassuring chatting to you Sid. But, shit, I must run. The road past my country house will be beginning to clog up. Bloody government, not putting enough money into infrastructure! . . . You really think there’s nothing to worry about?”
But [Helen Clark] goes into the race with some unique weapons in her formidable arsenal – among them the New Zealand media.
For nine years as prime minister, Clark fronted up to journalists almost daily and was tested and grilled and challenged on every issue you could imagine throwing at her.
…She daily had to deal with questions out of left field and right field. Some that went to to the heart of her character. Some that were deeply personal. And others that tested the limits of her ability to get up to speed on an issue in a ridiculously short amount of time.
As former foreign ministers or similar, none of Clark’s rivals for the UN job are quite as accustomed to the heat of public scrutiny.
I guess they’re being so mean to the current PM by not providing him with similar training.
Our current pm needs no media training as there are no more tough journalists employed in the NZ msm …..or is it that there are no msm journalists who are willing or who are given the opportunity to be tough on him?
To be fair – this pm really does stand up well to ‘public scrutiny’….. by talk show hosts, commercial radio, magazines – and his friends on FB and WO
That the NZ msm don’t challenge or probe deeply into the frequent memory lapses, vagueness on policy, and false framing should be surprising, but then again….
Quote “It’s expensive to be poor—in ways that are often quantitatively invisible. Research on the psychology of poverty suggests that not having enough money changes the way people think about time. It’s hard to prepare for the next decade when you’re worried about making it to next Monday. The tens of millions of Americans without bank accounts can spend as much as 10 percent of their income on pawn shops, check cashing services, and payday loans that charge punishing fees.
So, if a single mother gets a job (or a government benefit) and a bank account that rescues her from the psychological crush of poverty, how much is that new income worth? More than the number printed on the check. Its total value might include (a) the fact that she might be able to save some of that money and build a little wealth; and (b) the fact that she’ll never have to visit another usurious payday lender in her life.”
I also saw a Natgeo doco recently called Rebel Pope and that talks about how the Pope was known to be quite a conservative guy. But when a right wing group took power in Argentina in the 70s and two of his slum priest friends were kidnapped, it changed him. There seems to be a strong political thread runnng through his life story.
In which I take issue with the suggestion by (my otherwise favourite kiwi journalist) Gordon Campbell that “what sustains the political rhetoric on benefit fraud is the hostility that exists between the working poor and those on benefits”
I briefly explore the New Zealand Election Study data on attitudes towards beneficiaries over the last 20 years, in order to rebut Campbell’s rather sweeping assertion.
Bernard Hickey good in the Herald today on how rocketing Auckland house prices suit the current government. He concludes:
“To avoid the cost from entrenching a generation in housing poverty for decades, the Government would have few problems justifying spending a few billion now on the housing and infrastructure needed to turn that around.”
Which is basically Labour/Green policy from memory.
Interesting how the US Democrats seek to protect US citizens from their own actions:
The Obama administration is opposing the bill, saying it would make foreign nations retaliate by passing similar legislation and target American citizens and corporations in their national courts. Secretary of State John Kerry told a Senate panel in February that the bill, in its current form, would “expose the United States of America to lawsuits and take away our sovereign immunity and create a terrible precedent.”
It seems that it’s all right for the US to hold them responsible for their actions but not all right for other nations to hold the US accountable for their actions.
LATE EDIT:
It seems that it’s all right for the US to hold other nations responsible for their actions but not all right for other nations to hold the US accountable for their actions.
It’s a good question as to how much a nation’s sovereignty can excuse the nation from accountability for its citizens’ criminal acts overseas. More interestingly, how should one nation be held accountable for its citizens’ criminal acts against another.
If the US passes this domestic legislation, the most tangible method of enforcement would be for them to seize foreign assets in the US or to mete out ‘justice’ when the ‘accountable’ nation’s citizens visitied, were domiciled or doing business with the US. Just another recipe for building international dischord and hatreds.
IMO international law and international institutions are the best course of redress, but then the US struggles with any authority that’s greater than theirs. And where they grudgingly sign up to international conventions they twist their interpretation, e.g. Guantanamo ‘PoWs’, or simply don’t ratify them, e.g. the International Criminal Court
It’s a good question as to how much a nation’s sovereignty can excuse the nation from accountability for its citizens’ criminal acts overseas.
It seems that the US has already set that bar:
Ironically, sovereign immunity didn’t stop a US judge from last month ordering Iran to pay $10.5 billion in damages to families of the 9/11 victims. The ruling was passed because Iran didn’t defend itself against the allegations. These put the blame on Iran over its links with the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, which, plaintiffs argued, aided Al-Qaeda. The argument is based on the same congressional report, which also said no link between the hijackers and Iran had been found.
So, a US judge found Iran guilty despite the US findings that Iran had nothing to do with the 9/11 attacks.
In this episode of the Keiser Report, Max and Stacy discuss disintermediation of the meatspace, onshore services by offshore property sites such as Uber and AirBnB, and what the inevitable collapse in tax revenue will mean for the onshore citizen.
They also discuss Goldman Sachs’ alleged $5-billion fine for mortgage securities fraud actually only being half that thanks to the systemic corruption of our so-called justice system.
In the second half, Max and Stacy interview Steve Topple about what two weeks of #PanamaPapers leaks have told us about the systemic nature of corruption.
Interesting opinion piece by HDPA in the Herald today. Sounds like all is not well in the Labour caucus. McCarten on borrowed time also – all before the latest drop in the polls. Unity is being tested for sure.
HDPA making stuff up? Surely not. Parker has a far sharper financial mind than Robertson, and IMO should hold the finance role. Was speaking with Parker at the airport a year or so ago, and he certanly knew his facts and figures,and was also interested in engaging in a convo. By all accounts Robertson has a slack work ethic and is shallow in all things finance.
We take note of the psychopaths on the top of the pile on the right-wing – we don’t try tell the RWNJs who should actually be there. The RWNJs do try to tell the Left who should be at the top though and they do it all the bloody time.
They seem absolutely terrified of having actual left-wingers representing the Left and always suggest those who are right-wing.
Most of the reason for that is that the MPs on the right are so dire that it is a pointless exercise to make any recommendations as to which MP should hold each position.
Rather than protesting etc, we are keen to raise public awareness through the plight of the patients, and fundraise for their Sativex initially, stay tunes, We should have a news piece on Newshub tonight…
Where do you draw the line between ‘privacy’ and ‘transparency’?
What rights to ‘privacy’ do those in public office have – particularly at the highest levels – compared to the rights of the public to ‘transparency’ in order to help prevent the potential abuse of public office for private gain?
Compare the instrusive surveillance and attacks on ordinary citizens’ supposedly lawful rights to privacy – with the, in my view, lack of transparency
and accountability for those at the highest levels of public office?
Our New Zealand MPs don’t even have an enforceable ‘Code of Conduct’ while they make the laws for everybody else.
How are ‘the highest ethical standards’ to which NZ Cabinet Ministers are supposed to be held accountable by the PRIME Minister – thus defined?
What happens if the NZ PRIME Minister doesn’t act in accordance with ‘the highest ethical standards’?
Governments mis-using health stats with an incompetent Minister touting them when a simple check with his own Ministry would have shown they were in error. and not to use them in that way.
“Maxwell put the cost of these admissions at $31m in 2005, up from $19m the year before, based on a whopping 58,000 hospital bed nights on average.
Tony Ryall, Health Minister at the time, suspected the cost to the health system would be “significantly higher … when you consider its contribution to accidents and family breakdown”.
vs
It included an email from Simon Ross, the Ministry of Health’s manager of analysis and reporting, who had met with police NDIB members to discuss Dawson’s concerns about their use of health data.
Ross had urged caution in using the ICD-10 data and said the NDIB should focus only on cases where a drug-related diagnosis was the primary reason for a hospital admission.
“Presentation of numbers of primary and secondary diagnoses in the same graph are problematic because they imply to the reader that these have the same significance. Since this is demonstrably not true … this practice should be avoided,” he wrote.
Ross said the cost estimates for the cannabis-related hospital admissions were also incorrect as they were based on the “secondary” diagnosis. The estimated yearly cost of $25m to $30m was incorrect, he wrote: $2.5m was “much more realistic”.
Eighty years on porkers justify their existence by telling porkies.
//
The media began propagating stories about Mexicans and their mysterious drug, marijuana. The first national law criminalizing marijuana, the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937, passed thanks to a strong push from Harry Anslinger, head of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, who referred to marijuana as “the most violence-causing drug in the history of mankind.”
It’s almost as if Governments are on the payroll.
//
In 1972, a British scientist sounded the alarm that sugar – and not fat – was the greatest danger to our health. But his findings were ridiculed and his reputation ruined. How did the world’s top nutrition scientists get it so wrong for so long?
[…]
We tend to think of heretics as contrarians, individuals with a compulsion to flout conventional wisdom. But sometimes a heretic is simply a mainstream thinker who stays facing the same way while everyone around him turns 180 degrees. When, in 1957, John Yudkin first floated his hypothesis that sugar was a hazard to public health, it was taken seriously, as was its proponent. By the time Yudkin retired, 14 years later, both theory and author had been marginalised and derided. Only now is Yudkin’s work being returned, posthumously, to the scientific mainstream.
Seems a bit of focus on McCarten this week. HDPAs piece in the media (in the other post) and 3 part story of all his tax “issues” from a few years ago on whale. (Which are interesting reading).
Esp given littles comments about tax lately which points to someone in the media asking him about linking his position to the behaviour of his chief of staff.
One of the problems caused by young girls is that they tend to create nasty rumours, and spread spite to cause loss of confidence and create harm. James is one of those little girls so perhaps if we wait long enough she will grow up. James lassie. Malice will destroy you.
Dunedin is about to receive its first intake of refugees, which is kind of a big deal here.
The ODT dispatched a reporter/videographer to the refugee centre in Mangere ahead of their move South, and the resulting coverage (over two weekends) has been touching, real, and positive.
The feature yesterday included an interview with a Dunedin-raised teacher who works at the centre, and a video featuring children talking about perceptions of their new home. http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/379915/teachers-find-building-trust-biggest-issue
Ianmac – [edited out by self moderation] – I havnt started any rumours.
Its a fact that HDPA did some writing on McCarten, and Whale also has done 3 post on him in the last week.
I then made an observation of what I think this is going to point to – ie somebody asking Little about it.
I can only go on what I have read – and if McCarten did indeed pay his staffs PAYE for other uses – then it is a bad look (and illegal) – and given all the talk of tax by little – it stands to reason that whale (and prob others) are giving he media all the information to ask the questions on a plate.
You can choose to insult, and call names – as opposed to discussing – or you can try to ignore everything that dosnt fit with your views of the world and continue to be oblivious.
According to information released by the Ministry of Social Development under the Official Information Act, the numbers of times police have been notified of security incidents at the Ministry’s sites has multiplied by a factor of almost 12 in five years.
MSD employees who are found to have breached aspects of the UDoHR should face prosecution whether or not they were simply following National Party orders, although that might be a mitigating factor.
All history demonstrates that only way to compel the National Party to behave ethically is by the full force of the law.
Important and scary report on TVNZ’s Q and A this morning about our aquifers.
It features the CDHB’s Alistair Humphrey, a medical officer of health who gets flak for doing his job.
He’s been warning about this for quite some time now:
The only way the National Party can be forced to stop killing children is by holding them personally responsible for these and other human rights violations.
Although some aquifers are already contaminated, they say the worst is yet to hit because pollutants like nitrate, can take decades to get down to the drinking supply.
Canterbury University’s Dr Jenny Webster-Brown says nitrate will loom large in New Zealand’s future, but it’s already a public health concern.
“I think we’re definitely going to see things get worse before they get better.”
Pregnant women and mums with young babies on private bores around Ashburton are advised to use bottled water as high nitrate levels can block oxygen in babies and cause the potentially fatal blue baby syndome.
Environment Canerbury test results show nitrate hotspots around Canterbury is growing.
The destruction caused by intense farming is becoming acute. About time we did something about that. The farmers promised that they would and they’ve failed to act and so we must.
The only possibility is a massive curtailment of farming and a regulated move to fully organic farming.
The Government change the rules.
The Government has a “personal choice” policy and fear the label Nanny State whether it is sugar, or clean water, or tax exposure, or a living wage. So no law change to act on the above, but OK to make employment less employee friendly.
Anyone else notice the sports broadcasters’ struggling / angst over the pronunciation of the visiting super rugby team from Argentina. (Jaguares). Those same voices have no problem with local names – Wongaray, Towrongah, Wycatoh. Trips off the tongue fluently.
Barrie Saunders writes – Dear Paul As the new Minister of Media and Communications, you will be inundated with heaps of free advice and special pleading, all in the national interest of course. For what it’s worth here is my assessment: Traditional broadcasting free to air content through ...
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 arguments for such a bold reform. ...
Peter Dunne writes – The great nineteenth British Prime Minister, William Gladstone, once observed that “the first essential for a Prime Minister is to be a good butcher.” When a later British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, sacked a third of his Cabinet in July 1962, in what became ...
Ele Ludemann writes – New Zealanders had the OECD’s second highest tax increase last year: New Zealanders faced the second-biggest tax raises in the developed world last year, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) says. The intergovernmental agency said the average change in personal income tax ...
We all know something’s not right with our elections. The spread of misinformation, people being targeted with soundbites and emotional triggers that ignore the facts, even the truth, and influence their votes.The use of technology to produce deep fakes. How can you tell if something is real or not? Can ...
This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Simon Clark. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). This year you will be lied to! Simon Clark helps prebunk some misleading statements you'll hear about climate. The video includes ...
It is all very well cutting the backrooms of public agencies but it may compromise the frontlines. One of the frustrations of the Productivity Commission’s 2017 review of universities is that while it observed that their non-academic staff were increasing faster than their academic staff, it did not bother to ...
Buzz from the Beehive Two speeches delivered by Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters at Anzac Day ceremonies in Turkey are the only new posts on the government’s official website since the PM announced his Cabinet shake-up. In one of the speeches, Peters stated the obvious: we live in a troubled ...
1. Which of these would you not expect to read in The Waikato Invader?a. Luxon is here to do business, don’t you worry about thatb. Mr KPI expects results, and you better believe itc. This decisive man of action is getting me all hot and excitedd. Melissa Lee is how ...
…it has a restricted jurisdiction which must not be abused: it is not an inquisitionNOTE – this article was published before the High Court ruled that Karen Chhour does not have to appear before the Waitangi Tribunal Gary Judd writes – The High Court ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – One of reasons Oranga Tamariki exists is to prevent child neglect. But could the organisation itself be guilty of the same?Oranga Tamariki’s statistics show a decrease in the number and age of children in care. “There are less children ...
David Farrar writes: Graeme Edgeler wrote in 2017: In the first five years after three strikes came into effect 5248 offenders received a ‘first strike’ (that is, a “stage-1 conviction” under the three strikes sentencing regime), and 68 offenders received a ‘second strike’. In the five years prior to ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in politics. That’s refreshing and will be extremely ...
TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the two days to 6:06am on Thursday, April 25:Politics: PM Christopher Luxon has set up a dual standard for ministerial competence by demoting two National Cabinet ministers while leaving also-struggling ...
Hi,Today I mainly want to share some of your thoughts about the recent piece I wrote about success and failure, and the forces that seemingly guide our lives. But first, a quick bit of housekeeping: I am doing a Webworm popup in Los Angeles on Saturday May 11 at 2pm. ...
It is hard to see what Melissa Lee might have done to “save” the media. National went into the election with no public media policy and appears not to have developed one subsequently. Lee claimed that she had prepared a policy paper before the election but it had been decided ...
Open access notablesIce acceleration and rotation in the Greenland Ice Sheet interior in recent decades, Løkkegaard et al., Communications Earth & Environment:In the past two decades, mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet has accelerated, partly due to the speedup of glaciers. However, uncertainty in speed derived from satellite products ...
Buzz from the Beehive A statement from Children’s Minister Karen Chhour – yet to be posted on the Government’s official website – arrived in Point of Order’s email in-tray last night. It welcomes the High Court ruling on whether the Waitangi Tribunal can demand she appear before it. It does ...
Mr Bombastic:Ironically, the media the academic experts wanted is, in many ways, the media they got. In place of the tyrannical editors of yesteryear, advancing without fear or favour the interests of the ruling class; the New Zealand news media of today boasts a troop of enlightened journalists dedicated to ...
It's hard times try to make a livingYou wake up every morning in the unforgivingOut there somewhere in the cityThere's people living lives without mercy or pityI feel good, yeah I'm feeling fineI feel better then I have for the longest timeI think these pills have been good for meI ...
In 1974, the US Supreme Court issued its decision in United States v. Nixon, finding that the President was not a King, but was subject to the law and was required to turn over the evidence of his wrongdoing to the courts. It was a landmark decision for the rule ...
Every day now just seems to bring in more fresh meat for the grinder.In their relentlessly ideological drive to cut back on the “excessive bloat” (as they see it) of the previous Labour-led government, on the mountains of evidence accumulated in such a short period of time do not ...
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Buzz from the Beehive Melissa Lee – as may be discerned from the screenshot above – has not been demoted for doing something seriously wrong as Minister of ...
Morning in London Mother hugs beloved daughter outside the converted shoe factory in which she is living.Afternoon in London Travelling writer takes himself and his wrist down to A&E, just to be sure. Read more ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – The recent announcement of the University Advisory Group, chaired by Sir Peter Gluckman, makes very clear where the Government’s focus and priorities lie. The remit of the Advisory Group is that Group members will consider challenges and opportunities for improvement in the university sector including: ...
Eric Crampton writes – The Reserve Bank of New Zealand desperately wants to find reasons to have workstreams in climate change. It makes little sense. They’ve run another stress test on the banks looking to see if they could find a prudential regulation case. They couldn’t. They ...
Rob MacCullough writes – Pundits from the left and the right are arguing that National’s Fast Track Bill that is designed to speed up infrastructure decisions could end up becoming mired in a cesspool of corruption. Political commentator ...
Looking at the headlines this morning it’s hard to feel anything other than pessimistic about the future of humanity.Note that I’m not speaking about the future of mankind, but the survival of our humanity. The values that we believe in seem to be ebbing away, by the day.Perhaps every generation ...
Swabbing mixed breed baby chicks to test for avian influenzaUh oh. Bird flu – often deadly to humans – is not only being transmitted from infected birds to dairy cows, but is now travelling between dairy cows. As of last Friday, Bloomberg News reports, there were 32 American dairy herds ...
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 ...
What is it with the mining industry? Its not enough for them to pillage the earth - they apparently can't even be bothered getting resource consent to do so: The proponent behind a major mine near the Clutha River had already been undertaking activity in the area without a ...
Photo # 1 I am a huge fan of Singapore’s approach to housing, as described here two years ago by copying and pasting from The ConversationWhat Singapore has that Australia does not is a public housing developer, the Housing Development Board, which puts new dwellings on public and reclaimed land, ...
Buzz from the Beehive Reactions to news of the government’s readiness to make urgent changes to “the resource management system” through a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) suggest a balanced approach is being taken. The Taxpayers’ Union says the proposed changes don’t go far enough. Greenpeace says ...
I’m starting to wonder if Anna Burns-Francis might be the best political interviewer we’ve got. That might sound unlikely to you, it came as a bit of a surprise to me.Jack Tame can be excellent, but has some pretty average days. I like Rebecca Wright on Newshub, she asks good ...
Chris Trotter writes – Willie Jackson is said to be planning a “media summit” to discuss “the state of the media and how to protect Fourth Estate Journalism”. Not only does the Editor of The Daily Blog, Martyn Bradbury, think this is a good idea, but he has also ...
Graeme Edgeler writes – This morning [April 21], the Wellington High Court is hearing a judicial review brought by Hon. Karen Chhour, the Minister for Children, against a decision of the Waitangi Tribunal. This is unusual, judicial reviews are much more likely to brought against ministers, rather than ...
Both of Parliament’s watchdogs have now ripped into the Government’s Fast-track Approvals Bill. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s political economy and beyond on the morning of Tuesday, April 23 are:The Lead: The Auditor General,John Ryan, has joined the ...
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The infrastructure industry yesterday issued a “hurry up” message to the Government, telling it to get cracking on developing a pipeline of infrastructure projects.The hiatus around the change of Government has seen some major projects cancelled and others delayed, and there is uncertainty about what will happen with the new ...
Hi,Over the weekend I revisited a podcast I really adore, Dead Eyes. It’s about a guy who got fired from Band of Brothers over two decades ago because Tom Hanks said he had “dead eyes”.If you don’t recall — 2001’s Band of Brothers was part of the emerging trend of ...
Buzz from the Beehive The 180 or so recipients of letters from the Government telling them how to submit infrastructure projects for “fast track” consideration includes some whose project applications previously have been rejected by the courts. News media were quick to feature these in their reports after RMA Reform Minister Chris ...
It would not be a desirable way to start your holiday by breaking your back, your head, or your wrist, but on our first hour in Singapore I gave it a try.We were chatting, last week, before we started a meeting of Hazel’s Enviro Trust, about the things that can ...
Calling all journalists, academics, planners, lawyers, political activists, environmentalists, and other members of the public who believe that the relationships between vested interests and politicians need to be scrutinised. We need to work together to make sure that the new Fast-Track Approvals Bill – currently being pushed through by the ...
Feel worried. Shane Jones and a couple of his Cabinet colleagues are about to be granted the power to override any and all objections to projects like dams, mines, roads etc even if: said projects will harm biodiversity, increase global warming and cause other environmental harms, and even if ...
Bryce Edwards writes- The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. ...
Michael Bassett writes – If you think there is a move afoot by the radical Maori fringe of New Zealand society to create a parallel system of government to the one that we elect at our triennial elections, you aren’t wrong. Over the last few days we have ...
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In our Weekly Roundup last week we covered news from Auckland Transport that the WX1 Western Express is going to get an upgrade next year with double decker electric buses. As part of the announcement, AT also said “Since we introduced the WX1 Western Express last November we have seen ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 29 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Stats NZ releases its statutory report on Census 2023 tomorrow.Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivers a pre-Budget speech at ...
A listing of 29 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 14, 2024 thru Sat, April 20, 2024. Story of the week Our story of the week hinges on these words from the abstract of a fresh academic ...
The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. The Government says this will ...
This is a column to say thank you. So many of have been in touch since Mum died to say so many kind and thoughtful things. You’re wonderful, all of you. You’ve asked how we’re doing, how Dad’s doing. A little more realisation each day, of the irretrievable finality of ...
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Car registration is a mandatory process that all vehicle owners must complete annually. This process involves registering your car with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and paying an associated fee. The registration process ensures that your vehicle is properly licensed and insured, and helps law enforcement and other authorities ...
Zoom is a video conferencing service that allows you to share your screen, webcam, and audio with other participants. In addition to sharing your own audio, you can also share the audio from your computer with other participants. This can be useful for playing music, sharing presentations with audio, or ...
Building your own computer can be a rewarding and cost-effective way to get a high-performance machine tailored to your specific needs. However, it also requires careful planning and execution, and one of the most important factors to consider is the time it will take. The exact time it takes to ...
Sleep mode is a power-saving state that allows your computer to quickly resume operation without having to boot up from scratch. This can be useful if you need to step away from your computer for a short period of time but don’t want to shut it down completely. There are ...
Introduction Computer-Assisted Translation (CAT) has revolutionized the field of translation by harnessing the power of technology to assist human translators in their work. This innovative approach combines specialized software with human expertise to improve the efficiency, accuracy, and consistency of translations. In this comprehensive article, we will delve into the ...
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. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
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 ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards, Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)New Zealand Government’s Fast Track legislation. 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 ...
Tara Ward talks to presenter Naomi Toilalo about the new TV show that turns food waste into a three course feast. Naomi Toilalo is standing in the warehouse at Good Neighbour Tauranga, helping unpack the two-and-a-half tonnes of rejected food that will arrive at the community support hub that day. ...
Scout is our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Scout’s human, Avril, for her support. Dog name: Scout (named after the little girl in To Kill a Mockingbird – she inherited the independent spirit ...
Megan Alatini takes us through her life in TV, including ‘terrible’ daytime TV, the class of Carol Hirschfeld and her most embarrassing TrueBliss moment. When she responded to a vague newspaper ad asking “do you have what it takes to be a popstar?” 25 years ago, Megan Alatini never guessed ...
A new exhibition in Wellington showcases the faces behind your local goods and services. Back in 1977, when I was a fine arts student at the University of Canterbury, I took a series of photographs of Christchurch shopkeepers. The photos were for a calendar – a project for my end ...
Toomaj and his resistance to tyranny through his songs have become an icon for the youth of Iran, so his sentence has hit the nation hard. Toomaj Salehi is not the first artist to pay the price for standing with the people. ...
My cousin Dylan and I spotted these big eels under the bridge that summer. We watched them lounging under the dark weed, facing into the flow of water, their mouths frozen open. Dylan and I couldn’t stop thinking about those eels. The night we went down to the creek, we ...
Newsroom, home of satire. My long-running weekly satirical series The Secret Diary has moved to Newsroom and will appear every Saturday, with Victor Billot’s wildly popular satirical Odes continuing to appear every Sunday. Diaries, Odes – while serious political columnists toil at meaningful opinions and stroke their chins to an ...
Tara Ward unravels the many nuanced layers of a cartoon about talking dogs.This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. It’s not often an episode of a children’s cartoon has adults sobbing into their sleeves, but that’s exactly what happened this week when ...
Working as a doctor in developing countries to help communities achieve better health outcomes is nothing short of a life goal for Jessica Tater. The University of Otago medical student has her sights firmly set on joining the international humanitarian organisation Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) when she qualifies ...
There’s an island in the far reaches of Auckland’s territory, sitting off the tip of the Coromandel Peninsula, 30 minutes by air from the city or four hours on the slow boat. Aotea Great Barrier is off-grid, it has a population of fewer than a thousand people … and most ...
Asia Pacific Report An Australian author and advocate, Jim Aubrey, today led a national symbolic one minute’s silence to mark the “blood debt” owed to Papuan allies during the Second World War indigenous resistance against the invading Japanese forces. “A promise to most people is a promise,” Aubrey said in ...
Asia Pacific Report The Freedom Flotilla is ready to sail to Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. All the required paperwork has been submitted to the port authority, and the cargo has been loaded and prepared for the humanitarian trip to the besieged enclave. However, organisers received word of an “administrative ...
Pacific Media Watch Palestine solidarity protesters today demonstrated at the Auckland headquarters of Television New Zealand, accusing the country’s major TV network of broadcasting “propaganda” backing Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. About 50 protesters targeted the main entrance to the TVNZ building near Sky Tower and also picketed a side ...
Opinion by Lynley Hood. Forty years on from my 1985 Fulbright Grant, my disquiet over the war in Gaza evoked some troubling questions. The answer to my first question – What is the primary purpose of the Fulbright Programme? – was on the Fulbright NZ website. It says: US Senator, ...
The ministers responsible for green-lighting major projects need to be open about potential conflicts of interest, says Transparency International. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Powell, Professor, Family and Sexual Violence, RMIT University It has been a particularly distressing start to the year. There is little that can ease the current grief of individuals, families and communities who have needlessly lost a loved one to men’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Lichen, the first described example of symbiosis.AdeJ Artventure/Shutterstock Once known only to those studying biology, the word symbiosis is now widely used. Symbiosis is the intimate ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kim Hemsley, Head, Childhood Dementia Research Group, Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University Olena Ivanova/Shutterstock “Childhood” and “dementia” are two words we wish we didn’t have to use together. But sadly, around 1,400 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Whiteford, Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University The government’s Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee has just published its second report. It was set up by Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth in 2022 to provide: ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne The Queensland state election will be held in October. A YouGov poll for The Courier Mail, conducted April 9–17 from a sample ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Naeni, PhD candidate at Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University There’s been much talk in recent months about what a possible second Donald Trump presidency in the United States could mean for Europe, Russia’s war in Ukraine, the ...
A brief round-up of submissions on the controversial proposed law. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week, submissions on the controversial Fast-track Approvals Bill closed just hours after the government released a list of stakeholder organisations who were sent letters advising how they could ...
A poem from Robin Peace’s new collection Detritus of Empire: feather / grass / rock. Cereal giving I see a woman’s hands, see her curious hands break a stalk as she walks through the tall prairie, the savannah, the steppe, wherever it was. See her idly bite the grass that ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)A handsomely produced (debossed cover, lovely ...
The Commissioner's decision validates the longstanding efforts of the local community and ensures that Awataha Marae will be managed to serve the needs of the local community, particularly for hosting tangihanga. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tristan Salles, Associate professor, University of Sydney Examples of Australian landscapes.Unsplash Seventy thousand years ago, the sea level was much lower than today. Australia, along with New Guinea and Tasmania, formed a connected landmass known as Sahul. Around this time – ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Felicity Castagna, Lecturer, Creative Writing, Western Sydney University Day Day Market, ParramattaPhoto: Garry Trinh I live on the edge of Parramatta, Australia’s fastest-growing city, on the kind of old-fashioned suburban street that has 1950s fibros constructed in the post-war housing boom, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Ryan, Teaching Fellow in Economics, University of Waikato GettyImagesfatido/Getty Images There is an ongoing global debate over whether the high inflation seen in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic can be lowered without a recession. New Zealand is not ...
The ‘Wicked Game’ heartthrob is in his late 60s now. That didn’t stop him putting on a lively, goofy and very sparkly show. Apart from ‘Wicked Game’, which graces a sultry playlist of mine simply called 💋, my last sustained Chris Isaak listening session took place when I was about ...
Analysis - Two ministers were stripped of portfolios in a warning to Cabinet, drama broke out at the Waitangi Tribunal, and the gang patch ban bill ran into opposition. ...
Tara Ward makes an impassioned plea for some vital pop culture merch. In April 1999, I became obsessed with a new reality television show called Popstars. Every Tuesday night, five strangers transformed into music royalty before my very eyes as Joe, Keri, Carly, Erika and Megan were chosen to form ...
PNG Post-Courier In the early hours of ANZAC Day, aerial photographs captured an impressive gathering of Australians and Papua New Guineans at Isurava in the Northern (Oro) Province. The solemn dawn service yesterday was held at a site steeped in history, where some of the fiercest battles of World War ...
The PSA is shocked that Oranga Tamariki has used the cost cutting drive to downgrade its commitment to Te Ao Māori and remove many specialist Māori roles. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Kemish, Adjunct Professor, School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry, The University of Queensland There can be no more powerful symbol of the relationship between Australia and Papua New Guinea than the prime ministers of these neighbouring countries walking together on the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sharon Robinson, Distinguished Professor and Deputy Director of ARC Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future (SAEF), University of Wollongong, University of Wollongong Andrew Netherwood Over the last 25 years, the ozone hole which forming over Antarctica each spring has started to shrink. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Viktoria Kahui, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Economics, University of Otago Getty Images/Amy Toensing Biodiversity is declining at rates unprecedented in human history. This suggests the ways we currently use to manage our natural environment are failing. One emerging concept focuses on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy Colin Bednall, Associate Professor in Management, Swinburne University of Technology marvent/Shutterstock Finding the best person to fill a position can be tough, from drafting a job ad to producing a shortlist of top interview candidates. Employers typically consider information from ...
Wondering where to host your next BYO? Whether its a small gathering or a massive party, we’ve got some recommendations. I was first introduced to the concept of BYOs at Dunedin’s India Gardens, a legendary but sadly defunct establishment, which purveyed enormous quantities of mango chicken to Aotearoa’s drunkest future ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julien Cooper, Honorary Lecturer, Department of History and Archaeology, Macquarie University Julien Cooper The hyper-arid desert of Eastern Sudan, the Atbai Desert, seems like an unlikely place to find evidence of ancient cattle herders. But in this dry environment, my new ...
The sector says it’s hopeful her replacement Paul Goldsmith will be able to throw it a lifeline, after six months with a minister deemed missing in action, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign ...
The government can't just rely on axing public sector jobs and has to do more to cut spending, says the chief economist at a free market think tank. ...
Rock The Vote NZ, known for its advocacy for minor party unity and its role within the Freedoms NZ Coalition during the 2023 General Election, celebrates this merger as a strategic enhancement of its operational strength and outreach. ...
Nearly everyone has experienced the frustration of something you use breaking and being difficult or expensive to fix. Proposed legislation could change that. It’s been raining on and off all Sunday afternoon but people are lining up outside a building in a corner of Gribblehirst Park in Sandringham, Auckland. In ...
What does a forever relationship look like when you don’t believe in marriage? And how do you celebrate it? This essay is part of our Sunday Essay series, made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.I’m going to do it, right now. I’m going to say ...
It’s not that long ago Eliza McCartney was seriously wondering if the Paris Olympics would be her pole vaulting swansong. After years of being hounded by injury after injury, the Rio Olympics bronze medallist was still confident she would compete at her second Olympics in Paris in July, unless something ...
FICTION 1 Take Two by Danielle Hawkins (Allen & Unwin, $36.99) There’s commercial fiction, like this book, and then there’s quality fiction, quality writers, quality literature; the forthcoming Auckland Writers Festival is full of quality, and ReadingRoom has two tickets to give away to the following events: Paul Lynch (Dublin ...
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You can’t have missed the Gallipoli story as the movies, documentaries, essays and books capture what it was like for New Zealand troops in their eight-month campaign on the Peninsula. But this Anzac Day the Auckland War Memorial Museum has published a book that sheds light on a little-known aspect of the ...
The Prime Minister has committed to resuming direct flights to Thailand. But it’s not a promise he will be able to deliver on anytime soon. The post Prime Minister jumps the gun in Thailand appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra In the free-for-all between the Australian government and Big Tech boss Elon Musk this week, the government had to be on a winner. Most people would have little sympathy with Musk’s vociferous opposition to ...
Asia Pacific Report Chief Mandla Mandela, a member of the National Assembly of South Africa and Nelson Mandela’s grandson, has joined the Freedom Flotilla in istanbul as the ships prepare to sail for Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. Mandela is also the ambassador for the Global Campaign to Return to ...
Pacific Media Watch Journalists who report on environmental issues are encountering growing difficulties in many parts of the world, reports Reporters Without Borders. According to the tally kept by RSF, 200 journalists have been subjected to threats and physical violence, including murder, in the past 10 years because they were ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards, Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in ...
Gentle satire for a Sunday morning:
“Harry, old fellow, you look a little annoyed.”
“Damn right I’m annoyed, Sid. I had Mossack Fonseca do a little, heh, you know, shell company creation a year ago, and I’m pissed it may come to light.”
“Oh ho, that’s not good. You’ve been parking money off shore, hey? Well, so have we all. Thank God, I didn’t use those Mossack Fonseca chaps.”
“And you know what else is beginning to piss me off, Sid? All these bloody plebs taking the moral high ground! I’ve worked hard for my money . . .”
“Oh, come on Harry, that’s a bit rich. You inherited your wad from your father.”
“But I’ve tripled the fortune he left me. And there’s nothing illegal about not wanting to pay more tax than you have too. Yet all the lower class scum, and by that I mean those lefties in government too, are now baying for our blood.”
“I wouldn’t be too concerned, Harry, old fellow. We’ve got the right man, all bought and well paid for, in the top job. He’ll see that nothing will come of it all. A storm in a teacup.”
“You really think so?”
“Yes, I do. Have a little faith, old chap. Our man’s a past master of deception and deceit. It’s in his DNA. You’ll see, it’ll all blow over.”
“Well, I must say, it’s reassuring chatting to you Sid. But, shit, I must run. The road past my country house will be beginning to clog up. Bloody government, not putting enough money into infrastructure! . . . You really think there’s nothing to worry about?”
+1
Media deserve a gold medal for preparing Helen Clark for her interview.
I guess they’re being so mean to the current PM by not providing him with similar training.
Our current pm needs no media training as there are no more tough journalists employed in the NZ msm …..or is it that there are no msm journalists who are willing or who are given the opportunity to be tough on him?
To be fair – this pm really does stand up well to ‘public scrutiny’….. by talk show hosts, commercial radio, magazines – and his friends on FB and WO
That the NZ msm don’t challenge or probe deeply into the frequent memory lapses, vagueness on policy, and false framing should be surprising, but then again….
Even the BBC’s ‘Hard’ Talk interview was in Brian Edwards’ words pretty soft on Key. However, the comments on Brian’s post ….. well they’re definitely worth rereading:
http://brianedwardsmedia.co.nz/2011/05/john-key-on-hardtalk/
That’ s a huge relief. No chance of FJK aspiring to that position now.
Quote “It’s expensive to be poor—in ways that are often quantitatively invisible. Research on the psychology of poverty suggests that not having enough money changes the way people think about time. It’s hard to prepare for the next decade when you’re worried about making it to next Monday. The tens of millions of Americans without bank accounts can spend as much as 10 percent of their income on pawn shops, check cashing services, and payday loans that charge punishing fees.
So, if a single mother gets a job (or a government benefit) and a bank account that rescues her from the psychological crush of poverty, how much is that new income worth? More than the number printed on the check. Its total value might include (a) the fact that she might be able to save some of that money and build a little wealth; and (b) the fact that she’ll never have to visit another usurious payday lender in her life.”
http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/04/total-inequality/476238/
An interesting look at Pope Francis and the work by the church to address poverty.
http://www.latimes.com/world/la-fg-argentina-slum-priests-20130806-dto-htmlstory.html
I also saw a Natgeo doco recently called Rebel Pope and that talks about how the Pope was known to be quite a conservative guy. But when a right wing group took power in Argentina in the 70s and two of his slum priest friends were kidnapped, it changed him. There seems to be a strong political thread runnng through his life story.
In which I take issue with the suggestion by (my otherwise favourite kiwi journalist) Gordon Campbell that “what sustains the political rhetoric on benefit fraud is the hostility that exists between the working poor and those on benefits”
See comments section … http://gordoncampbell.scoop.co.nz/2016/04/15/gordon-campbell-on-political-rhetoric-and-the-dark-triad/
I briefly explore the New Zealand Election Study data on attitudes towards beneficiaries over the last 20 years, in order to rebut Campbell’s rather sweeping assertion.
Is it fair to describe the four BIG accountancy firms – ‘the pin striped mafia’?
Seen this?
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/emb-0000-big-four-audit-firms…
‘Big Four’ audit firms never examined over illegal tax plans
Exclusive: Regulators fail to act as they are dominated by the companies they are supposed to police, say critics
_______________________
Penny Bright
2016 Auckland Mayoral candidate.
Bernard Hickey good in the Herald today on how rocketing Auckland house prices suit the current government. He concludes:
“To avoid the cost from entrenching a generation in housing poverty for decades, the Government would have few problems justifying spending a few billion now on the housing and infrastructure needed to turn that around.”
Which is basically Labour/Green policy from memory.
You can read it all here:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11623826
‘Saudi Arabia wants US to kill 9/11 bill, threatens to dump US assets worth $750 bn – report’
https://www.rt.com/usa/339832-saudi-arabia-bill-terrorism/
Interesting how the US Democrats seek to protect US citizens from their own actions:
It seems that it’s all right for the US to hold them responsible for their actions but not all right for other nations to hold the US accountable for their actions.
LATE EDIT:
It seems that it’s all right for the US to hold other nations responsible for their actions but not all right for other nations to hold the US accountable for their actions.
It’s a good question as to how much a nation’s sovereignty can excuse the nation from accountability for its citizens’ criminal acts overseas. More interestingly, how should one nation be held accountable for its citizens’ criminal acts against another.
If the US passes this domestic legislation, the most tangible method of enforcement would be for them to seize foreign assets in the US or to mete out ‘justice’ when the ‘accountable’ nation’s citizens visitied, were domiciled or doing business with the US. Just another recipe for building international dischord and hatreds.
IMO international law and international institutions are the best course of redress, but then the US struggles with any authority that’s greater than theirs. And where they grudgingly sign up to international conventions they twist their interpretation, e.g. Guantanamo ‘PoWs’, or simply don’t ratify them, e.g. the International Criminal Court
It seems that the US has already set that bar:
So, a US judge found Iran guilty despite the US findings that Iran had nothing to do with the 9/11 attacks.
Keiser Report
https://www.rt.com/shows/keiser-report/339799-episode-max-keiser-902/
In this episode of the Keiser Report, Max and Stacy discuss disintermediation of the meatspace, onshore services by offshore property sites such as Uber and AirBnB, and what the inevitable collapse in tax revenue will mean for the onshore citizen.
They also discuss Goldman Sachs’ alleged $5-billion fine for mortgage securities fraud actually only being half that thanks to the systemic corruption of our so-called justice system.
In the second half, Max and Stacy interview Steve Topple about what two weeks of #PanamaPapers leaks have told us about the systemic nature of corruption.
Interesting opinion piece by HDPA in the Herald today. Sounds like all is not well in the Labour caucus. McCarten on borrowed time also – all before the latest drop in the polls. Unity is being tested for sure.
Thanks for the concern, I am sure HDPA has her finger on the pulse, pfft.
Talk of giving Grant Robertson the chop is very interesting, she wouldn’t just make that sort of stuff up
Robertson must be still playing his own game in the background and Little’s had enough.
HDPA making stuff up? Surely not. Parker has a far sharper financial mind than Robertson, and IMO should hold the finance role. Was speaking with Parker at the airport a year or so ago, and he certanly knew his facts and figures,and was also interested in engaging in a convo. By all accounts Robertson has a slack work ethic and is shallow in all things finance.
She’s almost as dishonest as you BM, which takes some beating!
Isn’t it amazing just how concerned the RWNJs are about who the Left has as representatives?
Because the LWNJs are in no way concerned as to who sits on the other side.
We take note of the psychopaths on the top of the pile on the right-wing – we don’t try tell the RWNJs who should actually be there. The RWNJs do try to tell the Left who should be at the top though and they do it all the bloody time.
They seem absolutely terrified of having actual left-wingers representing the Left and always suggest those who are right-wing.
Most of the reason for that is that the MPs on the right are so dire that it is a pointless exercise to make any recommendations as to which MP should hold each position.
Please to announce the formation of a charity committed to Medical Cannabis.
http://mcawarenessnz.org/2016/04/15/medical-cannabis-awareness-new-zealand-launch-press-release/
Rather than protesting etc, we are keen to raise public awareness through the plight of the patients, and fundraise for their Sativex initially, stay tunes, We should have a news piece on Newshub tonight…
Bullying in schools in the news again as bullies have to pay big money for their bullying.
“A former Southland principal has won another victory over the school commissioner who unjustifiably sacked her…”
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11624020
http://www.resilience.org/stories/2005-04-01/why-our-food-so-dependent-oil
…and things haven’t improved in the 10 years since this article
Lol Veronica Crone, what a lightweight.
Too kind. Watching The Nation yesterday I thought Victoria Crone, what an idiot.
Ha, my mistake, Victoria. When asked anything on The Nation she was ‘What we need to do is start a conversation about it.’
Serious question.
Where do you draw the line between ‘privacy’ and ‘transparency’?
What rights to ‘privacy’ do those in public office have – particularly at the highest levels – compared to the rights of the public to ‘transparency’ in order to help prevent the potential abuse of public office for private gain?
Compare the instrusive surveillance and attacks on ordinary citizens’ supposedly lawful rights to privacy – with the, in my view, lack of transparency
and accountability for those at the highest levels of public office?
Our New Zealand MPs don’t even have an enforceable ‘Code of Conduct’ while they make the laws for everybody else.
How are ‘the highest ethical standards’ to which NZ Cabinet Ministers are supposed to be held accountable by the PRIME Minister – thus defined?
What happens if the NZ PRIME Minister doesn’t act in accordance with ‘the highest ethical standards’?
Is he going to sack himself?
Penny Bright
2016 Auckland Mayoral candidate.
Serious question.
How ethical is not paying your way? For example, using Council services, but letting others pay for it?
No surprises here:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/78486729/how-an-unemployed-westie-discredited-a-key-police-report-on-cannabis
Governments mis-using health stats with an incompetent Minister touting them when a simple check with his own Ministry would have shown they were in error. and not to use them in that way.
“Maxwell put the cost of these admissions at $31m in 2005, up from $19m the year before, based on a whopping 58,000 hospital bed nights on average.
Tony Ryall, Health Minister at the time, suspected the cost to the health system would be “significantly higher … when you consider its contribution to accidents and family breakdown”.
vs
It included an email from Simon Ross, the Ministry of Health’s manager of analysis and reporting, who had met with police NDIB members to discuss Dawson’s concerns about their use of health data.
Ross had urged caution in using the ICD-10 data and said the NDIB should focus only on cases where a drug-related diagnosis was the primary reason for a hospital admission.
“Presentation of numbers of primary and secondary diagnoses in the same graph are problematic because they imply to the reader that these have the same significance. Since this is demonstrably not true … this practice should be avoided,” he wrote.
Ross said the cost estimates for the cannabis-related hospital admissions were also incorrect as they were based on the “secondary” diagnosis. The estimated yearly cost of $25m to $30m was incorrect, he wrote: $2.5m was “much more realistic”.
Eighty years on porkers justify their existence by telling porkies.
//
The media began propagating stories about Mexicans and their mysterious drug, marijuana. The first national law criminalizing marijuana, the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937, passed thanks to a strong push from Harry Anslinger, head of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, who referred to marijuana as “the most violence-causing drug in the history of mankind.”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/the-influence/the-real-reason-heroin-cocaine-drugs-illegal_b_9659888.html
It seems the police deliberately misrepresented hospital statistics to make cannabis harm look more serious to incite public concern prior to them undertaking the Switched On Gardener raids. The NDIB chief has not tendered his resignation, so we can assume he has no integrity whatsoever.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/78486729/how-an-unemployed-westie-discredited-a-key-police-report-on-cannabis
It’s almost as if Governments are on the payroll.
//
In 1972, a British scientist sounded the alarm that sugar – and not fat – was the greatest danger to our health. But his findings were ridiculed and his reputation ruined. How did the world’s top nutrition scientists get it so wrong for so long?
[…]
We tend to think of heretics as contrarians, individuals with a compulsion to flout conventional wisdom. But sometimes a heretic is simply a mainstream thinker who stays facing the same way while everyone around him turns 180 degrees. When, in 1957, John Yudkin first floated his hypothesis that sugar was a hazard to public health, it was taken seriously, as was its proponent. By the time Yudkin retired, 14 years later, both theory and author had been marginalised and derided. Only now is Yudkin’s work being returned, posthumously, to the scientific mainstream.
http://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/apr/07/the-sugar-conspiracy-robert-lustig-john-yudkin
Seems a bit of focus on McCarten this week. HDPAs piece in the media (in the other post) and 3 part story of all his tax “issues” from a few years ago on whale. (Which are interesting reading).
Esp given littles comments about tax lately which points to someone in the media asking him about linking his position to the behaviour of his chief of staff.
Could be an interesting week.
Its like there’s some kind of conspiracy…Ede back on the payroll is he?
One of the problems caused by young girls is that they tend to create nasty rumours, and spread spite to cause loss of confidence and create harm. James is one of those little girls so perhaps if we wait long enough she will grow up. James lassie. Malice will destroy you.
Dunedin is about to receive its first intake of refugees, which is kind of a big deal here.
The ODT dispatched a reporter/videographer to the refugee centre in Mangere ahead of their move South, and the resulting coverage (over two weekends) has been touching, real, and positive.
The feature yesterday included an interview with a Dunedin-raised teacher who works at the centre, and a video featuring children talking about perceptions of their new home.
http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/379915/teachers-find-building-trust-biggest-issue
Ianmac – [edited out by self moderation] – I havnt started any rumours.
Its a fact that HDPA did some writing on McCarten, and Whale also has done 3 post on him in the last week.
I then made an observation of what I think this is going to point to – ie somebody asking Little about it.
I can only go on what I have read – and if McCarten did indeed pay his staffs PAYE for other uses – then it is a bad look (and illegal) – and given all the talk of tax by little – it stands to reason that whale (and prob others) are giving he media all the information to ask the questions on a plate.
You can choose to insult, and call names – as opposed to discussing – or you can try to ignore everything that dosnt fit with your views of the world and continue to be oblivious.
Cameron “I tell lies” Slater is your source. Why are you cuddling up to trash?
Are the alarm bells going off yet.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/78924680/beneficiaries-banned-from-dole-officers-as-msd-security-bill-passes-20m
MSD employees who are found to have breached aspects of the UDoHR should face prosecution whether or not they were simply following National Party orders, although that might be a mitigating factor.
All history demonstrates that only way to compel the National Party to behave ethically is by the full force of the law.
Are you related to Stuart Munro?
What kind of creature bore you? Was it some kind of bat?
http://tvnz.co.nz/q-and-a-news/state-our-drinking-water-video-6458435
Important and scary report on TVNZ’s Q and A this morning about our aquifers.
It features the CDHB’s Alistair Humphrey, a medical officer of health who gets flak for doing his job.
He’s been warning about this for quite some time now:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/canterbury/9309568/Water-nitrate-a-risk-to-infant-health
The only way the National Party can be forced to stop killing children is by holding them personally responsible for these and other human rights violations.
+1
Jail the fucken lot of them.
Scientists warn NZ aquifers are being poisoned by farming
The destruction caused by intense farming is becoming acute. About time we did something about that. The farmers promised that they would and they’ve failed to act and so we must.
The only possibility is a massive curtailment of farming and a regulated move to fully organic farming.
The Government change the rules.
The Government has a “personal choice” policy and fear the label Nanny State whether it is sugar, or clean water, or tax exposure, or a living wage. So no law change to act on the above, but OK to make employment less employee friendly.
Anyone else notice the sports broadcasters’ struggling / angst over the pronunciation of the visiting super rugby team from Argentina. (Jaguares). Those same voices have no problem with local names – Wongaray, Towrongah, Wycatoh. Trips off the tongue fluently.
I love Bill Nye, classic clip.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXqozz54-iU
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/apr/15/sarah-palin-bill-nye-climate-change-hustle-film
Sarah Palin no less!….good grief, it gets more bizarre by the day.