ed:..(heh..!..)..i have commented before how rawdon christie is such a ‘ron burgandy’..who has regular ‘ron burgandy’ moments/episodes..
..and he kicked off this morning with an early one..
..an ‘angry-ron’..
..where he stared down the lens and fulminated about those terrible people who go to the city mission xmas dinner and who..in rawdon-rons’ eyes..don’t deserve to be there..
They’re New Zealand’s fighting elite but when they go into action it’s with gear they’ve got themselves on-line because the Defence Force will not provide or doesn’t do so in time.
News photos of Special Air Service (SAS) soldiers in action over the streets of Afghanistan’s capital Kabul hid the fact that the lanyards stopping them from falling out of helicopters were paid for by the men themselves; online for $100 each.
Soldiers discovered there were not enough of charging handles – crucial to firing their weapons – so they paid $70 apiece to get their own.
I took it upon myself to buy some more,’’ the soldier said, saying he didn’t want to have to stop fighting to clear his eyes.
“The enemy don’t wait and I enjoy my eyesight.’’ He spent US$15000 (NZ$18,000) online to buy his own gear, including body armour, helicopter lanyards and safety boots. Other soldiers did the same.
it reminds me of the phrase about schools having enough money and the armed forces have to have a cake stall to buy guns.
only problem is while the soldiers dont have enough money now, neither, still, do the schools
Sorry my late reply as I’ve been a little bit busy with work and silly season drinks etc.
Old Phil needs too clam down a bit and be careful on what he say’s when opens his mouth as it may come back and bite him in his ass.
All Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen all over the world buy their own or swap gear because their Governments/ Bean counters and the Joe public want to do defence on the cheap. I can tell you from own time in Military the cheapest bidder (90% of the time) isn’t always the best option and as a result I’ve had to buy my own gear, in some cases make our gear such as Gun mounts etc., or using private funds (Social Club funds) or private donors to kit out our wagons when I was serving in the NZDF. (Royal New Zealand Armoured Corps 1993-1998). This was one of many reasons why I left NZ in 1998.
I now served in a foreign defence force and guess what I’ve had to go out buy my own gear here as well. In the last 15 years I’ve spent about 10K on kit from boots, webbing/ belt kits, packs and gas cookers etc. But it’s not as bad as our Kiwi cousins where they are still getting cheap and nasty kit from boots to some of the bigger gear like the OPV’s (which are 100ton over weight) and the RNZAF are still flying around in 50 year aircraft aka C-130 all because the Pollies and the NZ public want to do Defence cheap.
One last thing I’ve seen a report that NZDF are facing $22 Billion Capital Equipment Shortfall over the next 15- 20 years. Some of this Equipment shortfall could’ve sorted out back in the mid 90’s and all the way through to the last Labour Government. If the Equipment was replaced when it was meant to have happened the Capital Equipment Shortfall would be well under $10 Billion.
Have a Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year to everyone here at the Standard apart for those Tories as you lot are one of the reasons I NZ as well.
Sometimes Treasury actually get things right. It’s usually when they come up with a position contrary to that of National and Act. Amazing that eh? 😈
This is an interesting article about economists. It would seem to suggest that the policies followed by National and Act are contrary to what economists actually say and are actually a misunderstanding of economics. Not sure how much I agree with it as I’ve met too many economists who slavishly support NACTs policies.
“Mr English said that there was still a lot of work to do to make the forecasts a reality and the Government was this year still borrowing a net $78 million every week.
In dollar terms, net debt would peak at $64.5 billion in 2015-16.”
Xox
Seems Len Brown can ‘court’ as many as he likes. There is no accountability /authority to bring him into line, other than himself and the public at the next election! Sounds like a corrupt dictatorship is running our largest, out of Control city. This is not going to end well for NZ. This is a very serious mistake. Has Rodney Hyde moved the Gold yet?
If an investor pays up to 25% for a movie production, one would expect the investor would want around 25% of the revenue/profit the movie makes in sales, like cinema tickets, video disks, merchandise etc.
So is the NZ government an investor or are they simply paying for Cameron’s farm or Jackson’s next private plane without expecting a considerable, measurable return on their investment?
phillip u
Business doesn’t believe in its own bullshit, or rather that of the theorists it employs whose ideas it deigns to notice, and the idea they don’t believe in is that real businesses don’t have subsidies.
It’s only silly little NZ leaders and pollies who actually listen and act on those fanciful economic theories, or have followed them in the past. Now we are confronted with business as it is operated or as it might be called Realbuzinezz.
And we are paying out some good 5% seed money and withholding our 15% Gst tax to get some good business. It’s a compromise we are willing to make. So let all you purists out there who would rather starve to death than put out a begging bowl find your own way to salvation.
Well yes that’s a point phillip u – we should be getting some return. I know – form a private public partnership with the film company and have a minority shareholding but get some of the returns. Brilliant.
I am so good. Me for Finance Minister. Probably couldn’t do much worse. Except I don’t know how to run a country that is borrowing money all the time and yet says that’s the right way and Labour are a bunch of dreebs. (I warn you that’s going to be my favourite word next year. I understand geeks has gone mainstream and I want a word that pings with condescension.)
cos Mr key would rather gamble on the intanglibl return of “tourism” than actually have some more certainty from having a piece of the film… anyway Warner Bros would have laughed and told him to PO. if he had asked. They are trying to save money not give away profit.
Xox
Seems Len Brown can ‘court’ as many as he likes. There is no accountability /authority to bring him into line, other than himself and the public at the next election! Sounds like a corrupt dictatorship is running our largest, out of Control city. This is not going to end well for NZ. This is a very serious mistake. Has Rodney Hyde moved to the Gold Coast yet?
I guess it’s the perpetual problem though. The line between allowing an elected government to run the country and allowing people an opportunity to strongly object to something. I believe parties ought to declare their interest in coalitions with other parties prior to an election. Voters have the right to know with whom their vote will be bedded. It would certainly strengthen the “we have a mandate” idea.
As I have stated many times if people who didn’t want assets sold voted for National then we got what they deserved. There was NO doubt in my mind that if National were able to they would form a government with anyone who would let them sell assets. For that reason I agree the time to object was in 2008 and 2011.
I am not a fan of binding CIR’s because of the s59a CIR which was so full of deceptions and misleading information. People rely so heavily on those who get printed int he media or who can get postal pamphlets printed to get their information from and so much of it was misleading. Unless and until we have honesty out of the mouths of the politicians and lobbysist and the media who delve before printing press releases, CIR’s are up for hijack.
You really think people are that thick, don’t you.
So thick that we should leave important decisions, about all our lives, to 20 or so politicians. Politicians FFS. Politicians that should have their sponsors names on their shirts.
And. Just because, you, or I, individually objected to the results of one referendum, does not invalidate the concept of democracy.
The changes to the bill, which resulted from the concerns many expressed in the lead up to the referendum, improved it greatly. Sent the politicians back to the drawing board.
Why have voting at all. We could just leave everything up to our “wise” choke, politicians.
A very media coup of the duly elected Mayor of Auckland. Brown wasn’t going to lose,
so the right made a decision, a choice, between weakening him before the election or
after. Weakening him before would have be the ethical choice and made a stronger
Auckland, and so little power, but weakening him afterwards, led by media, clearly
undermines the will of Auckland. Councilers want seats at the independant Mayor
table! Something they would never had gotten either way, returned or not, had
Brown’s transgressions been brought out before his re-election. And guess what, the
right made such a strong Mayor! designed the system that way! And backed Banks, who
they should have dropped for his failure and not forced him on ACT. But hey, like
voters didn’t know Banks was extreme right, maybe the right would not have so much
trouble had Key pushed moderate right candidates rather than extreme ACT child
passport grave robbers, and what helicopter its no cabbage boat, or perk buster
busted. With company like this no wonder Key’s teflon has gone missing.
Bennett gazumped. CC finds candidate, so political alike as Bennett, but half the
size, to run in North Harbor, insuring National voters a clear choice of one.
Bennett will get listed into pariament, and North Habor will vote in the religious
party into power. North Harbor next Epson! Well unless voters get fedup being pushed
to the right, leaky moldy right wingers. Its possible to be played, sure, but will
some moderate National voters vomit less voting Labour in the seat, instead of
extreme right Nat/CC. If you vote Bennett, why wouldn’t you vote CC instead and get
Key over the line possibly, but of course that’s if you wanted to vote CC and be
played by CC. Its not about serving the voters, its about power plays to get the
rightwing cabal over the line. Desperate
Note: They are happy to throw progressives a few bones in the form of laws which don’t really cost anything. or seriously change things.
Changing the law doesn’t cost. Increasing parental education and support, does!
The sneaky cutting of funds to child mental health services, for just one example, is very obvious to us.
Watch them ignore it, if we had a referendum on changing the underlying causes of child poverty in NZ. Something which, will, like stopping asset sales, cost NACT’s sponsors money.
There was an hilarious letter in the letters column just below the editorial in the Dom/Post today.
The heading above the letter was “Helen Clark would’ve heeded the result”.
After a general whinge against John Key, saying he would plough on with asset sales, that he was telling New Zealanders their opinions don’t count, etc, etc, etc he then drifted of into a patch of inspired lunacy.
He said “By contrast, it’s my feeling that the way former prime minister Helen Clark, for example, might have handled a result that she was personally opposed to would have been to have the decency to say: “It’s not the result I personally believe is best for New Zealand, but we’re a democracy, and I respect the will pf the people. Asset sales will stop for now, but we welcome further discussion on this topic”. That’s the kind of leader I want”.
Is there anyone out there in the Blogosphere who also resides in the letter writer’s strange fantasy world where Parliament must have 99 MPs and the “anti-smacking” bill was repealed?
Not sure she would have plowed through with the same “Damn the torpedos!” attitude and two fingered salute to the NZ electorate the way Key has.
With any policy that was controversial or of national importance, she worked with the opposition to reach a consensus. Examples being the Free Trade agreement with China, and the Crimes (Substituted Section 59) Amendment Act 2007.
Also, I dont think Cullen would have let her enagage in such financial idiocy in the first place, so the question is moot.
It is strange though, every step along the way Key has said they would only sell if they got a good price. And it has been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt by the opposition, treasury, as well as independant economists that from a financial point of view, the sales will leave the government books in a worse position, and lead to higher power rises, which have knock on effects for businesses with increasing overhead, as well as more strain on the health system as more people struggle to heat their homes in the winter.
It is also very clear that the cabinet are very aware of the damage to the government books, wider economy and society.
Another thing that has not been mentioned very often is the huge missed opportunity for New Zealand small businesses.
Stock markets over the past few years have been running hot, primarily with printed money looking for actual businesses and assets to invest in.
It’s has been the perfect time for startups that have found their market, and have a good business model to float for capital and expand.
If you are a New Zealand company that was looking at an IPO; the government just ate your lunch.
And not just a bite, they ate the fucking lot.
Not sure why they framed it as “Govt blows $5b on KiwiSaver in five years”.
That money is a down-payment on peoples retirement, and in the mean time is invested. Be nice if there was a requirement for all Kiwisaver funds to be reinvested in the New Zealand economy. In any case, it’s has not been wasted.
It’s not as if they actually got a few billion dollars in a big pile and just torched it, they way they have with the sale of New Zealands public utilities.
Perhaps we should describe the KiwiSaver scheme in something along these lines.
“KiwiSaver is a means of returning to the taxpayer some of the excessive tax levies that have been imposed on them. It is a means of allowing the normal citizen a means of choose where their retirement savings should be invested rather than having it done by an overarching state bureaucracy”.
There that would get all the National voters in favour of it and all the Labour supporters demanding that it be abolished.
The problem of forcing all the funds to be invested solely in New Zealand is that you can’t get the spread of investments that reduce risk. It is something that the Greens in particular don’t understand. They wanted to print money to restock the earthquake repair reserves and then to invest that money in New Zealand.
Similarly the Labour party seem to want to start an insurance company that will operate only in New Zealand
The problem of forcing all the funds to be invested solely in New Zealand is that you can’t get the spread of investments that reduce risk
I would agree with you if it gets invested in the same industry within New Zealand, or if the entire New Zealand economy gets wiped off the face of the earth – Which is much more likely under a National Government (or the 4th Labour Govt – wankers).
With regard to the redistribution of tax, I imagine the rump of the National Party would be opposed to it on ideological grounds. Mind you, my dad likes Kiwisaver – and he worships the ground Roger Douglas walks on – his reasoning is that there are so many stupid people out there, that if the Govt didn’t do something to ensure they helped themselves he’s have to pay to support the lazy bludgers in the end anyway.
I think the Labour Partys Insurance thing is a good idea, but its hardly an amazing, “wow”, kinda policy.
Introduce into the market a company that is required to re-insure to appropriate levels and doesn’t make excessive profits to keep the rest of the buggers from taking the piss. And any profits stay in NZ Same principle as KiwiBank
It’s not rocket surgery.
The Greens paper detailing QE through earthquake bonds, was actually a well thought out idea, for that particular place and time.
It would have reduced borrowing, kicked inflation up a couple of points when it had completely flatlined due to zero demand, stabilised the exchange rate, resulted in a much better balance of payments, and saved some, if not a significant number of the 40,000 manufacturing jobs that went to the wall over that 12 month period.
The “sky is falling” reaction to Dr Normans paper was quite bizaare as it was obvious that most people didnt read it, and really didn’t understand the principles behind it.
It would have been nice if there had been at least a rational, reality based conversation about it.
Instead, we borrowed a shitload of money that someone else printed.
We got higher government debt, inflation (and demand) remained flatlined, manufacturers and exporters (along with 10’s of thousands of jobs) went to the wall, and our balance of payments got worse.
Result! Good work Mr English.
If you want examples of utter fiscal incompetence, you need look no further than the current government.
Hmm. I won’t get into a catfight with you over which party is the worst economic manager. Let’s just agree to disagree.
The description of KiwiSaver I offered was just a lighthearted attempt to describe it in such a way that both sides of politics might reflexively take the opposite line to their normal one.
If you are going to set up an insurance company that only operates in New Zealand you would have to reinsure almost all the house and contents cover overseas. Surely that would be accomplished most easily by having the insurance offered by multinationals that are inherently globally spread. Why bring in a middleman? As for a KiwiAssure being somehow “better” and “fairer” etc than an overseas version? Well you are aware that KiwiBank are under the gun for the unfair fees they have been accused of charging, aren’t you?
As far as the Earthquake fund goes. It is a long time since I looked at it but if my memory serves me they wanted to invest the fund in New Zealand. That is absolutely insane. If you ever needed the money, after another earthquake in Wellington say, it would be exactly the time that you didn’t have the werewithal to sell assets and use the funds to pay out on the earthquake damage. A good chunk of the assets would have been destroyed and would need replacing themselves. If you think you can simply print money and invest it overseas than you have a great deal more faith in the cupidity of International bankers than I do. I may have forgotten the details of Norman’s proposal of course but I do remember thinking that what he was suggesting would only lead to inflation. That may have been what he wanted of course. It gives you a good opportunity to claim that people have made (fake) capital gains and to tax the hell out of them.
it’s ok, English is setting himself for a lolly scramble in election year with veiled comments about tax cuts… and no mention of the 65b government debt despite this from English
“Now it’s time to pay down debt and get our books in order.” English 2013
“Questions for oral answer
Content provider
House of Representatives
Information
Date:
2 July 2013
Metadata
Related documents
Parliamentary Debates (Hansard) for Tuesday, 2 July 2013
6. State-owned Assets, Sales—Purpose and Use of Proceeds
[Sitting date: 02 July 2013. Volume:691;Page:11416. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]
6. Hon DAVID PARKER (Labour) to the Minister of Finance: Are the proceeds from selling power companies and other assets being used to pay down debt, to build schools and hospitals, to fund irrigation projects, to rebuild Christchurch, or to fund Auckland transport projects?
Hon BILL ENGLISH (Minister of Finance) : The Government has been clear that the proceeds of the share offer programme will be used to buy a variety of new public assets and will help the Government avoid having to borrow to procure those assets. The Future Investment Fund was outlined in Budget 2012 and further details were provided in Budget 2013. The purpose of that fund is to ensure complete transparency about the spending of the proceeds from asset sales. The Budget confirmed another $1.5 billion of these proceeds will be invested in schools, Christchurch hospitals, KiwiRail, and irrigation projects. However, the share offer proceeds are only a proportion of the Government’s overall new capital spending.
Hon David Parker : Does he agree with John Key that asset sales are necessary to “avoid a credit downgrade”, or does he agree with Tony Ryall that asset sales are necessary to pay down debt, or does he agree with another John Key that asset sales would be used to build new schools and hospitals, or does he agree with Nathan Guy that money would be used to subsidise irrigation on multimillion-dollar farms, or does he agree with Gerry Brownlee that asset sales money be used to rebuild Christchurch, or does he agree with yet another John Key that asset sales will fund the Auckland rail link?
Hon BILL ENGLISH : Yes.
Hon David Parker : How much funding has already been allocated for spending from asset sales via the Future Investment Fund, and how much has actually been raised for the Future Investment Fund from asset sales to date?
Hon BILL ENGLISH : The details of that are set out in the Budget, but, as the member will be aware, the Government’s programme hopes to realise between $5 billion and $7 billion, which is, actually, quite a lot of money. I would have to say that that $5 billion to $7 billion is much more useful as cash than it is as 49 percent shares in electricity companies owned by the Government.
Hon David Parker : I seek leave to table documents showing that $1.7 billion has so far been raised—
Mr SPEAKER : What is the source of the document?
Hon David Parker : There is a combination of documents: the National Party manifesto and Treasury documents.
Mr SPEAKER : No, both are freely available to members if they so want it. Has the member got a supplementary question?
Hon David Parker : Yes. Why does he continue to claim asset sales will reduce debt when Treasury—his own department—states that from 2017 the Crown is worse off to the tune of $50 million a year, growing to $100 million a year worse off because of asset sales thereafter?
Hon BILL ENGLISH : We do not claim it will reduce debt. What we have said it will mean is that the Crown does not have to go and borrow the money from overseas bankers. We have never understood why Labour and the Greens would rather borrow money from offshore bankers than get the money from New Zealanders who want to invest in a large New Zealand company.
Hon David Parker : Has he been advised that in January 2011 John Key said the Government needed to sell power companies and other State assets to avoid a credit downgrade; if so, is he aware that 8 months later New Zealand was downgraded by both Standard and Poor’s and Fitch Ratings?
Hon BILL ENGLISH : Yes, I am aware of those things. I am also aware that the sale of the assets means that 49 percent of the ownership has gone largely to New Zealanders but also to some offshore investors. In return for that, they have put cash in the Government’s bank account. I know it is profoundly irritating to the Labour Party, but we are able to use that cash to buy new public assets. The public is starting to understand that Labour’s arguments against the asset sales were poorly conceived and wrong.”
I recall when cullen did this in 2008 it was “lolly scramble”
” English told reporters at the Treasury lockup today that tax cuts were “unlikely” next year, although the $1b of ACC cuts in the pipeline are a proxy for that.
But they surely cannot be ruled out longer term, though he is not about to get ahead of himself, or blow a powerful political weapon for the next campaign by signalling them this early.
Next year, though, a contingent promise of tax cuts – at the least a move on the thresholds to counter the “fiscal creep” that pushes taxpayers into higher tax brackets – must at least be an option on these numbers.” English 2013
“National Party Finance spokesman Bill English says if Michael Cullen is not planning an election year spend-a-thon, why did Helen Clark say ‘it has taken a while to build up the kitty for a substantial tax package’?
He is responding to a speech today in which the Finance Minister referred to Labour’s laughable claim that it is maintaining a ‘tight fiscal stance’ and the statement that there will be no ‘lolly scramble’ in election year.
“Dr Cullen has presided over the biggest spending Government in New Zealand history. Labour’s spending has consistently outstripped economic growth, productivity growth has slumped, and Kiwis have been leaving for Australia in droves.
“It has taken Dr Cullen eight years to start thinking about refunding some of the money he has taken from hard-working Kiwis through over-taxation.Â
“In the last Budget he signed off on some $4 billion in total of over-spending, even though he warned his colleagues that not sticking to their limit would keep interest rates higher for longer.
“Kiwi households are paying for Labour’s last lolly scramble, with interest rates which are among the highest in the developed world, coupled with rates that put us in the top half of the OECD for being overtaxed.”
The ANZ makes it clear in its latest Market Focus newsletter that ‘the biggest losers in an inflationary environment are middle to low income households’.” English 2007
Hone was very good on Morning Report this morning, a stark contrast to Key’s whining.
Key really doesn’t get the Mandela/anti-Apartheid thing. Not only does he take a delegation of largely pro-tour representatives (Sharples, late in the day, claiming he was there to represent the protesters, though nobody can remember him protesting) to SA but he then slags off Hone Harawira, who everyone accepts did lead protests, for attending several memorial services and Mandela shrines/museums, in a trip undertaken for the express purpose of representing the protesters.
I’ve never thought Key was much of a politician, or much of a charmer for that matter, but he is really digging himself into a hole here.
Key really doesn’t get the Mandela/anti-Apartheid thing.
That’s because he likely has given the issue literally, no moral thought. Not the issue of the South Africa trip; the issue of apartheid and the oppression of the majority by a small minority. It’s what he does every day, for goodness sakes.
“I’ve never thought Key was much of a politician, or much of a charmer for that matter, but he is really digging himself into a hole here.”
Actually if you looked at the comments on stuff when it was first announced that Hone was going to go, there was a huge anti-Hone backlash.
If those people are representative of middle NZ, then Key slamming Hone, for absolutely anything Hone does except turn water into wine, is a vote-winner for him.
@ Lanthanide(8.2), VTO(8.2.1) and Naturesong(8.2.1.2)
Oh that sounds like it might be horribly accurate what you both say 🙁
…perhaps I might exchange ‘political institutions’ for ‘political spin’ or ‘dogwhistles’ and I think this following quote of Rousseau sums up my views on the attitudes of the group of NZers you speak of.
“All ran headlong to their chains, in hopes of securing their liberty; for they had just wit enough to perceive the advantages of political institutions, without experience enough to enable them to foresee the dangers.”
Its truly deeply saddening if what you say is correct.
A ‘Jolly’, so says Slippery the Prime Minister of Mana Party leader Hone Harawira’s trip to the funeral of Nelson Mandela,
Whining that Harawira wasn’t part of the ‘official party’ and therefor should not have gone to the funeral in South Africa would seem on the surface to be from the PM a simple attempt at diversion, the diversion from what can only be described as an atrocious display from Slippery the PM and the British Prime Minister David Cameron as they were photographed at the ‘official service’ for Mandela laughing uproariously,
No matter what any of us think of Nelson Mandela, He is respected the world over as one of the ‘great’ Statesmen of our age and for the Prime Minister of New Zealand to be publicly seen to be making ‘light’ of the official funeral service for leaders from across the whole world, giving the gravity of the service the air of a mere scherzando, a joke, shows our Prime Minister as unfit to hold this office,
Far from being asked to explain His actions during the approved trip by the House Speaker, Harawira should be applauded for attending services including a private ceremony at the Mandela House, the Speaker should be writing to Slippery the PM asking why He felt the need to breach the Parliamentary Convention that Members do not comment on other Members absence from the Parliament as this is a Privelege reserved entirely to the House Speaker,
What tho is exercising Slippery’s sphincter this early on in the week after the Parliament has risen for the year, did the ‘spin-meisters’ on the ninth floor give Him the message that every time He attacks the Green Party, far from the desired effect, they go up in the polls,
Or did the latest round of National Party internal polling give the PM’s arse muscle cause to tighten in such a painful manner that His vocal chords began a litany in the language of the ‘Clown’ as they exposed for the PM ‘the elephant in the room’ in the form of Mana having enough support to bring into the next Parliament the form of John Minto on the Party List…
Not nearly enough to get him there though Phil.
Mana got 24,168 votes in the end. To get Minto into Parliament, assuming that all the other parties got the same number of votes as they did at the election, Mana would have had to have got 45,810 votes. They only got about half the number they needed.
It’s possible although the polls don’t seem to point that way. Three seats needs about 2.3% of the vote and I haven’t seen any polls giving Mana a figure that high.
If Labour run Kelvin Davis against Hone though it might all be moot as Hone might be beaten.
@alwyn..also the media ignored harawira last time..
..that wont happen next time..
..plus the poverty-fighting policies etc of mana (and the do-something-about-it!-imperatives are much more urgent than they were last time..
..plus the disintergration of the maori party is almost complete..
..and again..this was not the case last time around..
..so mana doubling their vote (at the very least)..
..and thus getting minto in as an mp..
..is eminently do-able..
..and as an aside.. personally..i reckon one of the few good things to come from the death of nelson mandela..
..has been what i see as the seachange in attitude of many mainstream nz’ers/media towards minto and the other demonstrators against apartheid..
..what has been bought sharply into their focus..is how they..(not the muldoons/bolgers/mckinnons/keys)..were on the right side of history..and on the right side of right/wrong..
..and how in the grand new zealand scheme of things..
..for their moral courage/convictions..
..minto et.al are their generations’ heroes..warriors even..
..they were all standing on the right side of history..
..and on the right side of that right/wrong divide..
The media in New Zealand defaults toward advertising, and if giving the National Party a bit of a stir every now and again sells a few papers, they are happy to do so. It also allows them to say “look, we’re unbiased – see, we really took it to John Key on that social issue”.
I had expected the honeymoon to end when John Key had jack booted thugs charge into the herald offices at the last election.
But for the editors, and owners of New Zealands mainstream media organisations Upton Sinclair comes to mind
It is impossible to get a man to understand something if his livelihood depends on him not understanding
And for the rump of the National Party, Carl Sagan
“You can’t convince a believer of anything; for their belief is not based on evidence, it’s based on a deep seated need to believe”
Speaking of Minto and Mandela, here’s a (typically) excellent audio comment by Wayne Brittenden (Nat Rad, Sunday Morning, 15 Dec 2013 11:36am) on Obama living up to his own soaring rhetoric at Mandela’s funeral.
This is an excerpt form 1:24 – 3:19: “Obama also spoke of the great inspiration of Mandela, the importance of inclusion, generosity and truth, the power of action and of taking risks. The (US) President has the perfect opportunity for promoting those values by taking a tough stand against another State practising a form of Apartheid – an ally, Israel. Even South Africa’s Apartheid never built a Wall – twice the height of the Berlin one, complete with sniper-posts and checkpoints limiting free Palestinian movement and economic development. There are even buses and roads that are segregated. The World rose up against the injustices in South Africa – it has yet to do the same against the long-standing injustices in Gaza and on the West Bank.
Exactly 13 years ago, Nelson Mandela attended the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian people and called for their self-determination and statehood. He said that his own people’s freedom was incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians…….The truth is Israeli-style Apartheid wouldn’t be possible without the immense political and economic backing of the US. What better way then for Obama to honour the memory of the man he so deeply admired than by slashing the 3 Billion dollars that the US gives Israel each year in military aid, along with the caterpillars that demolish houses, water supplies and Olive Orchards.”
Wayne Brittenden
gets my vote for taking over from Chris Laidlaw.
A little bit on him from Paper Plus he has written a book on NZ Theatre)
Biography
Wayne Brittenden is a New Zealand journalist who has worked overseas for most of his career. A former National Radio correspondent in Tokyo, he later worked for the BBC and now works as an independent documentary maker, based in London. He has done extensive research in New Zealand for this book.
Cheers, greywarbler. I’ve sat the Political Compass test myself (Left and Liberal, as it turns out). But I had no idea Wayne Brittenden was behind it !
On the SA Apartheid / Israeli Apartheid comparisons, I’d say that, if anything, Brittenden doesn’t quite go far enough. For a start, the most important point about the so-called ‘Separation Wall’ is surely that Israel has built it DEEP inside Palestinian territory, to act as a defacto future border – completely and utterly in contravention of International Law.
And, it’s a little to mild to say “There are even buses and roads that are segregated.” Israel has constructed a whole series of Jewish Settler-only Highways throughout the Palestinian West Bank (as part of its ethnic-cleansing and land-appropriation goals). So, it’s systematic segregation throughout the Occupied Territories on land, water resources, building and so on.
But, it’s the ethnic cleansing itself that bears a striking resemblance to the latter stages of SA Apartheid – the same attempt to force the occupied/oppressed population into small Bantustan-style enclaves, thus enforcing dispossession.
Well, you know, greywarbler, the Zionism on which Israel was established derives from precisely the same deeply reactionary, anti-Enlightenment ideological mix that so inspired the Nazis. Namely, German Imperialism and East-Central European Romantic Nationalism. ‘Blut und Bone’.
Zionism’s always been, first and foremost, about ethnically-cleansing the Palestinians in order to carve-out an overwhelmingly Jewish (they’d prefer ENTIRELY Jewish) ‘Greater Israel’. Much like the Nazis wanted an entirely German, ethnically-cleansed, Eastern Europe (and Ukraine, Belorussia and Baltic States).
And, of course, the Israeli Right were openly fascist during the first half of 20C. (Jabotinsky’s Revisionist movement – which included future Israeli PMs Shamir and Begin). Not that I’m suggesting the Israeli Labour Party is much better. The differences across the mainstream Israeli political spectrum are far more marginal (particularly with respect to aims and strategies in the Occupied Territories) than a lot of people in the West would like to think.
Bad mistake for Labour Party people here to assume its entirely the fault of Lukid and its allies (although, pleasingly, very few do these days). In fact, in some ways, the Israeli Lab Party’s been worse. Throughout the so-called ‘Peace-Process’ of the 1990s, for instance, both Labour and Lukid governments alike massively expanded their illegal network of Jewish Settler-only Highways throughout the West Bank. And the supposedly “dovish” Labour Party under first Rabin and then Peres, have an even worse record than Lukid in that regard.
Swordfish. No, I’m something of a Tom Waits fan and I’ve always particularly liked his 1983 stand-out album ‘Swordfishtrombones’. But, I’m also a bit of a lazy bugger, at least to the extent that, after writing “swordfish”, I just couldn’t be arsed typing out the rest of the name. Sad but true.
But, yeah, I do have a vague idea that the swordfish was a British Naval aircraft during WW2.
Also known as the stringbag because it was a biplane. Top speed was something like 90mph. But it did some very nasty damage to the Italian fleet at ? Taranto.
I can’t for the life of me figure out why Key has launched this broadside at Harawira. Probably it boils down to nothing more than his ego is bruised by being laughed about as the ‘unidentified guest’ at Cameron’s side and he wants to create a bit of a diversion. Such are the weighty issues of moment on Planet Key.
“Far from being asked to explain His actions during the approved trip by the House Speaker, Harawira should be applauded for attending services including a private ceremony at the Mandela House, the Speaker should be writing to Slippery the PM asking why He felt the need to breach the Parliamentary Convention that Members do not comment on other Members absence from the Parliament as this is a Privelege reserved entirely to the House Speaker”………….
Indeed Harawira should be applauded. He did the right thing and in the right spirit. Key knows nothing of mana and nothing of the heart and just saw a cheap opportunity to be divisive and wanky.
Key has shot to buffoon level 10 for his tacky comments.
Perhaps you could ask the same question of Winston Peters and some of the Labour MPs. They quite happily pont out in Question time that Key is never there on a Thursday. No Prime Minister, or Leader of the Opposition does attend on Thursday of course, at least in the last 20 years, but it doesn’t stop the Opposition rabbiting on of course.
alwyn, the assertion you make here has all the appearnce of an out-right LIE, Slippery the Prime Minister is also well known for this type of conversation,
I’ll track down the reference after you do the following.
Provide us with the proof that John Key has pointed out that a member of the opposition was absent from the house.
I don’t feel like bothering to justify my comments to someone who makes unsubstantiated statements of his/her own.
As quoted in the article, Key says the same in the accompanying video:
Prime Minister John Key has slammed Mana Party leader Hone Harawira for his taxpayer-funded trip to Nelson Mandela’s funeral, saying Harawira has “barely turned up” to Parliament this year.
I watch Question time quite a lot. I’ve never heard opposition MPs comment about Key’s absence from the House on Thursdays.
You will note that the statement made by Rosie. It said that “the speaker should be writing to the PM asking why he felt the need to breach the Parliamentary convention etc, etc”. The Parliamentary convention she is referring to one of the Rules of the House and relates to what a member can say in the chamber. It has nothing whatsoever to do with what any member says outside the house. If the Rules of the House applied to everything a member said in all circumstances we wouldn’t have any of them left.
So no, your quotation doesn’t answer what I am asking for.
Actually Winston’s complaint, as I remember it, was when he complained about the Government transferring a question to another Minister so that John Key could avoid being in Parliament that day.
I am not sure whether I should feel sorry for you or congratulate you on your bravery for wathching Question time. I generally read it through but I don’t think I could take watching it.
In terms of being in the House on Thursday, no PM or Leader of the Opposition is ever there. John Key isn’t and Helen Clark wasn’t. Neither were the various Leaders of the Opposition on both sides.
In terms of being in the House on Thursday, no PM or Leader of the Opposition is ever there. John Key isn’t and Helen Clark wasn’t. Neither were the various Leaders of the Opposition on both sides.
FFS, we all know that, and it has nothing to do with the issue.
Winnie’s complaint sounds like ones he would make about Key deliberately dodging answering questions in the House. Key does that one slippery way or another. It’s not the same as being critical of someone not being in the House.
LOL. The statement was made by bad12. I was quoting him. Theres two parts to that statement. One is about applauding Hone for being in S.A, the second about Shoneky inappropriately raising Hone’s absence in parliament (in a mocking way – those 4 words are mine)
My main response was around Hone doing the right thing. I had a swipe at Key, as an aside.
My comment is a mere agreement with bad12 who went to the bother to thoughtfully reflect on shonkey’s lack of parliamentary protocol and general desperation which manifests in his petty outbursts.
Something in the polling has scared John Key . The prospect of Mana MP’s and Labour party vote in all the Maori seats? This feels a lot like the attacks on Winston Peters before the 2008 election. Trying to tie Hone up in a negative fight and maybe even cost him large lawyer’s fees.
So congrats Hone, Nact see you as a real threat.
The ‘unidentified guest’ at the Mandela memorial service used the term ‘jollies’ in referring to Speaker approved pilgrimage of Hone Harawira MP. The latter represented the spirit of anti-apartheid New Zealanders in places of spiritual significance while the former took his pro-racist ex MP/PM stooges to the forum of the grand-standers to joke with his mate Dave. Once again, John Key has resorted to Textor Crosby type smear lines when he has been upstaged by a person who often demonstrates the sort of statesmanship that the petulant Prime Minister is never likely to attain.
Please Fair Observer do stand for the mayoralty of wherever you are or even as councillor.
NZ needs exemplary people like you counting the cents, and checking on the cleanliness of toilets, and phoning all the homes of fellow dignitaries to see if they are home and tucked up in bed (with their own spouses) by 10 pm. We need people who have high moral energy to get a good night’s sleep ready to attend to the duties of their office and who keep their orifices clean as well.
You are wasted as someone just sitting sniping at the miscreants. There’s a saying that if you want a job done properly, do it yourself – it’s just so right. Creeping corruption must be dealt with and you’re the person to do it.
Would prefer Penny Hulse. Her attempts to work on affordable housing and her voting record against SkyCity would give her my vote. Have my fingers crossed that Len will stand down next election and she will step up to the plate.
I will be watching to see how Hulse performs at the Thursday public meeting. The problem is that she also needs to draw in campaign funds & the usual way to do that is to suck up appeal to some of those who lean more to “neoliberalism”.
Hulse always comes across well (as caring for the less well off, etc) in interviews/panel discussions.
‘Open Letter’ from Auckland Mayoral candidate Penny Bright to Deputy Mayor Penny Hulse:
“Are you a genuine community advocate or corporate /property developer MOUTH PIECE?”
Dear Deputy Mayor Penny Hulse,
In the 2010 Auckland Council election, you stood as an ‘Independent’, and quoted the following glowing endorsement from Sir Ron Carter, about your ‘commitment and ability to look after business interests’ :
I think the endorsement of my campaign for Auckland Council by Sir Ron Carter speaks volumes about my commitment and ability to look after business interests. Ron says “Our city needs Councillors who will apply their knowledge and experience for the good of all. A great Council team will be built from those who respect and commit to each other. Penny’s wisdom and consensus style will help create a Council for all Aucklanders. We need her on our Council.”
Who is Sir Ron Carter:
In 2010 – Sir Ron Carter was the Chair of the Committee for Auckland:
Session 1, July 20th – Why? – What’s the case for creating a super city? Why do we need to change regional governance structures to do so?
Panelists:
Peter Salmon, Chairman of the Royal Commission on Auckland Governance,
Bob Harvey, Waitakere City Mayor, and
Sir Ron Carter, Committee for Auckland Chairman.
_____________________________________________________________________
In 2013 we will be an influential voice for all of Auckland, creating cross-sectoral solutions to the city’s issues andfocusing on a future beyond the electoral cycle helping New Zealand’s only world-ranked city to achieve its potential for the region and the country.
The Committee for Auckland (CFA) has played a prominent role in galvanising positive change for our city. Our members are all specialists in the city’s issues and fervent advocates for its success. Having contributed significantly to the new shape of Auckland as one city, 2013 is the platform for a re-focused Committee to drive the agenda for Auckland as a world leading destination as well as the welcoming gateway to New Zealand.”
“Membership to the Committee for Auckland is by invitation. Members meet quarterly and are invited to be involved in those aspects of the work programme that interest them.
Members are Chairs of Boards, Directors and Chief Executives
Corporate Membership annual fee $10,000. ……”
The current list of members of the Committee for Auckland:
(It is interesting to note how members of this VERY powerful private lobby group are intertwined with Auckland Council and Auckland Council ‘Council Controlled Organisations’ (CCOs).
For starters…………….
Doug McKay Chief Executive Officer Auckland Council
Brett O’Riley Chief Executive Officer ATEED
Robert Domm Chief Executive Officer Regional Facilities Auckland
Mark Ford Chief Executive Officer Watercare
John Dalzell Chief Executive Officer Waterfront Auckland
Also, how the Committee for Auckland includes key members of the NZ Property Council and property developers, such as…………)
Connal Townsend National Director Property Council of NZ
Penny has strong links with her community and cares passionately about the Auckland region.
Her community involvement includes Patron of Waitakere Special Olympics, Community Waitakere Charitable Trust, Henderson Riding for the Disabled, The Trust Waitakere Brass Band, Northern Football Association, Trustee of Swanson Railway Station Trust, Waitakere Anti Violence Essential Services and former Director of EECA Board.
Penny’s special areas of interest are Climate Change, Sustainable City Development, Environmental Advocacy, Community Development and Youth. …………”
However, the reality, in my considered opinion, is that you cannot work simultaneously both for the community (the ‘99%’ ), and corporations/property developers (the ‘1%’).
It is my intention as a 2013 Auckland Mayoral candidate to continue to ‘blow the whistle’, against the the ‘corrupt corporate coup’ which set up the Auckland ‘Supercity’, and those who are serving the interests of the ‘1%’.
In my considered opinion, Auckland Council Deputy Mayor Penny Hulse, you are NOT a genuine community advocate – you are in fact, a corporate /property developer MOUTH PIECE, working for the ‘1%’.
No disrespect – but I shall ‘call it as I see it’.
(I don’t expect you to like it).
Hulse was deputy mayor for Waitakere City and worked well within that structure. The problem is as much the way the amalgamated Auckland Council has been set up. It/’s impossible for anybody to become mayor without some support in the business community, corporations etc. It may not be my ideal. But as far as I can see, Hulse is about the best potential candidate that I am aware of at the moment. She would be better than Brown.
I have not seen any evidence of corruption by Hulse. She does have a fairly consultative consensus building style.
if it’s a choice between the likes of Brewer or Hulse. I’ll take Hulse.
Good on you for taking a strong stand against corruption and the rule of the elites. But meanwhile, many people in Auckland are struggling to survive. Hulse does have a heart.
Well can the ratepayers ask if they are footing the $10,000 annual membership per corporation joining the Committe for Auckland? I’ll bet they are and it’l be used for stuff they I don’t agree with I bet.
Actually that committee for Auckland, while it includes a lot of corporates, also includes Unis, The City Mission, The Salvation Army and others.
Yes the membership fee seems pretty high. What do they do with it? Ah, they have projects.
Like matching skills of migrants and others to employers. Why the focus first on migrants?
But I would need to see evidence of how they go about doign things before I can make a decision.
And, ultimately, it seems to me the problems with Auckland Council re far wider than any one individual. The problem is the CCOs, which have too much power and are unaccountable.; and with the relative lack of power for the elected representatives.
Thanks Karol. I’m always a bit suspicious about what happens to this sort of funding – out of the public eye as it is.
And before they can bring in guest workers why do these companies not have to prove they or their industry has a well established training facilty plus paid internships for younger people/students and a pathways in programme for older people in need of a career change before they can plead skills shortages and bring in people from overseas.
The vast majority of councillors, however, decided to censure the mayor at Thursday’s council meeting, discuss Mr Brown meeting some costs for a $100,000-plus review into his behaviour and clip the wings of the mayoral office.
Good on the councillors for taking a stand. They are trying to take a small step to make Hide’s anit-democratic monstrosity into something a little more democratic.
The whole Auckland Council infrastructure needs to be reviewed and restructured – with more real say for councillors and local boards. These are the people who are meant to represent their local communities. We don’t need a presidential style mayor. Nor do we need the undemocratic CCOs with their overpaid chief execs.
The real corruption was done in 2010, by Hide and Key’s mob. imagine what dodgy John Banks would have done if elected mayor? Major pay-back to Dotcom, Sky City etc?
“National has a big asset sale problem” Peter Dunne does too, in his electorate. The fabulous chart in yesterdays article shows a 49.1% turnout with a 64.6% NO vote for the electorate. Will that make Dunney boy squirm?
So this interesting result doesn’t go unnoticed, we at People’s Power Ohariu have been busy with our placard making. Every time something awkward comes up for Dunne (GCSB vote, Sky City vote, meridian sale failure etc) we turn that into a message on one of our “Hey Peter!” themed placards that we put in place in a few of the neighbourhoods in the electorate.
Currently on display is
“Hey Peter! Ohariu 65% NO. Sold out by 1 vote: Yours!”
It is a minor revelation of the year that asset sales were/are not supported by a lot of tory voters. This was well known anecdotally but there is now more solid information following the referendum.
They have already selected their candidate BG. I can’t remember where I read it so can’t link it. I read it about two weeks ago. They are standing a guy who I think stood for Rimutaka last time. His background is in Civil Defense.
Disappointing. I thought Greens and Labour may have come to an agreement. In the meantime I’ve written to the NZLP via their website and asked when they will announce their candidate. Am really keen to know who it is.
Cyclists don’t have disk breaks, they don’t have mirrors, road works means they can’t hear you. Worse! Cyclists need to turn right, cyclists are human, they make mistakes, but like cars, who you give way to because of the cost of a dent, you still need to give way to because you would give way to bad car drivers. So imagine my shock to have a motorcyclist shout something out, could not make out what, possible somehow I infringed on his line. Is breaking for a cyclist is so bad? In a suburb back street where you should be slowing down anyway, cyclists aren’t cars but that still doesn’t mean you get to ride or drive up to them close, because bicycles are also something else, they are unstable, with unstable humans on them, unprotected by a high powered engine and working power brakes. Geez, already.
Some SFO successes in NZ but the main focus of Government is using vast resources on catching the Benefit Fraudsters. 10 Benefit marshals for every SFO marshal sent to catch million dollar fraud.
There is to be a protest calling on Len Brown to resign tomorrow – Wednesday – outside the Town Hall at 12 noon and for councillors to unite and move a motion of no confidence in the mayor. Anyone wanting to support the calling for Brown’s resignation will be welcome. Several of the councillors have been asked to address the gathering.
Certainly not karol. I have no affiliation to any political party, I am an Auckland ratepayer who has had enough of the dishonourable attitudes and deeds shown to hold office in Auckland. It should not be a divisive right vs left issue. unity and honour should be the ambition of our council.
Thanks, TRP. Figures. My experience of people who label themselves as (neutral) “ratepayers”, seem to think property owners (especially the more wealthy ones) have a privileged status in local democracy. They don’t usually speak for the less well off in Auckland, nor for us renters (who pay rates indirectly through rent).
Unite left and right? Yeah, right. T’is WO & Quax who have been trying to usurp democracy and pressure Brown to resign by fair means or foul.
I’ll wait to see what the majority of councillors have to say at the Auckland meeting on Thursday.
Someone who can proudly wear the title of ‘Honourable’. Anyone who can represent Auckland and, as I noted above, has the ambition to unite. The majority of Aucklanders couldn’t give a care if the new mayor was left right or centre, as long as they really did have a passion about Auckland and our future together.
Your memory is good. But you didn’t mention that it was under protest, and that I would never vote for him again. But hey, don’t let the truth get in the way of how you want things spun, and before you go off half cocked again, the comment I made was that he would not get my vote for mayor, and yes I would happily vote for a left leaning mayor if I believed she or he would be honourable and capable of leading this city.
It was instigated by the Labour MP for Tooting, Sadiq Khan who believes Housing, housing, housing is the priority for London.
The report notes the difference between calling developments affordable housing, and the actuality of it being affordable. Brings to mind the trumpeting of Isaac Davidson for Nick Smith and the “success” of the newly released tranche of SHA’s.
I know nothing about Rob other than what is in the (very good) press release, but his credentials look very positive.
Rob McCann is a communications and marketing expert, and has been the White Ribbon Campaign Manager since 2009. He was a press secretary to Ruth Dyson in the last Labour Government and more recently headed the drive to collect signatures for the Asset sales referendum in the Otaki electorate. Educated at Otago University with a Law and Drama degree, he is a keen debater and was a former president of the Otago University debating society.
Mr McCann is also the chair of the Paraparaumu Branch of the Labour Party, chaired the Region Three Labour Party Conference, and sits on the Labour Rural & Regional Sector Council.
Otaki had the highest turnout in the referendum at 54% with Nos at 66.7% so an excellent result.
I also like the quotes attributed to Rob in the press statement on the Otaki result – clear and to the point.
I am currently looking at moving from Wellington (Rongotai electorate) to the Kapiti coast and this could be another incentive to do so.
Farrar has a post up at KB (my first visit for months earlier today – then had a shower) on Deborah’s selection and posters there seem to think that there have been other LP selections in the last few days (eg Tauranga) , but I cannot find any announcements on Scoop or the LP website.
A comment on the KB post says
“To add to Deborah Russell and Rachel Jones, Clare Curren tweeted yesterday that Liz Craig (Clutha Southland) and Glenda Alexander (Waitaki) have also been selected for Labour.
It would seem that the manban is already well into top gear.”
As you can imagine the thread there deteriorates into manban and slating Deborah etc – despite Farrar having praised Deborah in his post.
I don’t know the others but I do know Liz Craig. She is highly intelligent and dedicated and would be great in Parliament, hopefully through the list. I hope not to sound too defensive but the day we win Clutha Southland …
I strongly suspect that Farrar’s problem is that he has been personally manbanned from the social lives of any women who get within a kilometre of him. If the “manban” can get rid of Goff, Mallard, Jones, and Parker, I’m all for it. I’d willingly accept 100% women in parliament. I doubt if much of any substance would change, except that under a leftish government, the police might move a bit quicker on roastbuster type rubbish.
I think you’ll find Farrar has very recently met the person he considers his life-partner and soul-mate. I am, of course, referring to senior Labour MP, Trevor Mallard. Suspect we’ll hear the pitter-patter of tiny feet in 9 months time (and I’m not only talking about Farrar’s).
I think it was the business part of the news after noon. There was something about derivatives and hedge funds and why they are needed.
And it occurred to me what a good way these financial instruments, or Instruments of Torture, are for making a great income by the few. First you create an unstable financial sea, and then you sell lifeboats that people have to carry with them to ensure they negotiate it. Or you might say the financiers set up a sea of uncertainty and then sell little hedge coracles that enable businesses to float and and guide themselves with a little dessertspoon of an oar. Fucking nuts really. When you think of trying to manage our livings personally and for countries, in this way..
Or you might say that the financiers set up a virtual world like Chriss? in The Truman Show. Truman thought he was in Real Life but in actual fact it was a stage set and he was being manipulated and surveilled for the benefit of everyone else who was in the know who found him irresistible and watching him compulsive viewing. He didn’t suffer from TB consumption, it was TV consumption. In real life, out here today, those watching are really the top 10% or so who are in the know to some extent. The rest of us are watching each other, but imagining we personally are part of the 10%.
Metaphor, allegory, the spectacle of Total Recall or futuristic thing where someone had to save their life by running away watched by TV cameras and home audiences. Isn’t that another view of us. What about working out better systems and super-imposing them on the poorer systems now working? Wait a minute that’s how elections and governments and government service departments making policy are supposed to be working. Okay you monkeys, let’s see you dance for your taxes, while we play the barrel organ.
Never heard of Rob McCann and he maybe a creditable candidate but these two statements from his press release sum up the Labour party selection processes that is not engaging with voters.
He was a press secretary to Ruth Dyson in the last Labour Government
currently looking at moving from Wellington (Rongotai electorate) to the Kapiti coast
He’s another journalist/press secretary who worked in parliament for the Labour party and is moving from his Wellington base ……
Watching, Rob is a top bloke. He organised the the first of the LP leadership meetings in Otaki, got an amazing turnout on the day and did a great job setting the scene for the rest of that campaign by marshalling the throng of media that turned up. He is well respected in the party generally and in the central region particularly. If he can get rid of the odious berk (Guy Smiley? Something like that) currently pretending to represent the interests of the Horowhenua then all power to him.
Ps Where did you get the quote about moving from Rongotai from? It’s not in the press release and it’s not actually the case, as he lives on the Kapiti coast.
And Watching needs to read more carefully. I, moi, am thinking of moving to Kapiti – not Rob – as per the last sentence of my original comment at 18 above.
LOL. Watching jumped too fast. (And the press release states that Rob lives in Kapiti with his partner and two children!)
Yeah, I by no means disagree with the broad thrust of your argument, here, Watching. In general, we could probably do without more Parliamentary Staffers as Candidates. But, you wrongly suggest McCann is: “currently looking at moving from Wellington (Rongotai electorate) to the Kapiti coast. In fact, that was veutoviper’s assertion about his/her own plans. McCann lives in the Otaki seat (Otaihanga) and is chair of the Paraparaumu Branch.
Thanks for clarifying the Rongotai thing, swordfish, I hadn’t seen Veuto’s comment.
To be equally clear, Rob is not a Parliamentary staffer. He worked for Ruth Dyson over 5 years ago and is currently campaign manager for the White Ribbon anti-violence group.
The 2012 half year update only managed to maintain that the Government was on track to reach its surplus target because of an 11th hour announcement of petrol tax increases.
This year’s release came with no surprises, although the decision not to reform that way ACC charges are made on vehicle licences, as proposed by the Crown entity was crucial to maintaining the forecast.
Today English maintained that it expected to cut ACC levies by $1b in 2015-16.
It came out in the media a few weeks ago and then Collins made some rather baffling statements about why the government wasn’t going to do it, including the ridiculous statement that if ACC is going to offer subsidies to some car owners it therefore logically follows that they must be increasing costs on others.
Treasury announced that the partial ale of assets will see the Government forgo $327 million in dividends, thanks to the reduced sale price, bad timing, etc.
John Key, master trader – right. How to lose money and control of your country in one easy lesson.
They say a fool and his money are easily parted – New Zealand must be a nation of fools.
While the author of this opinion piece is on the money, the direction is lost and all at sea at the last sentence and falls into stereotyping and men-bashing, or bloke-bashing… “Painful as it might be, we’re going to have to give the concept of the Kiwi Bloke a right old do-over.”
Stop implying all men are rapists ffs. Bloody generalisations, derogatory implications, it just goes on and on and on. Take the fight to the rapists and leave the non-rapists out of it. Sick of it. Saps the cred. Does the fight no good.
It doesn’t imply that at all, vto. Or can you show me where it does? it’s about rape culture. And I would think, going by the author’s name (Daniel Copeland), it’s written by a man. Some extracts that show it’s about how rape culture contributes to a climate where some men rape (actually, the article states, “where “some people commit rape”). Copeland begins with a story about a bus of guys returning from a rugby match:
Then they got up to the verses that were pretty graphic about what they would do to ‘all the ladies’.
At that point the other man who wasn’t singing rang the bell and got off in disgust. I would have followed him if I hadn’t still had to get across town.
To anyone who doubts the existence of rape culture in New Zealand, what else would you call that?
Why do some people commit rape? Because they feel they’re entitled to use others’ bodies for sexual gratification, without the other person’s consent. It couldn’t be clearer than that rugby song: to those men, at least while they were singing it, women were merely objects to be used.
For some of them, hopefully, most of them, it would have been just a joke. But statistically that number of men must have included at least one or two who really did treat women as objects to be used, and to them the song would have meant: this is normal, this is just being a guy, what I do is what all men do. That’s rape culture.
nope. Your inference has nothing to do with the bit you quoted (or indeed anything in the article).
The bit where Copeland says that “For some of them, hopefully, most of them, it would have been just a joke” clearly states that not all men, even in bloke-culture, are rapists. Indeed, in any particular sample, most of them might not be rapists.
But the problem, the bit that “needs a do-over”, is that for the one or two rapists who statistically were probably in that group (i.e., just to spell it out for you, if the group only contains one or two rapists, then all the others in the group are not rapists, so your “Stop implying all men are rapists ffs” has nothing to do with what he actually wrote, and has more to do with what inferences you are prone to leap to), the group’s behaviour gave them acceptance and social reassurance.
That’s not calling all men rapists. That’s a man pointing out that some bits of blokish culture encourage rapists.
I see donkey going on about Hone Harawira going off to South Africa. What parvenu ringins like key dont realise is that members of parliament are elected to represent the electorate and not just turn up every day in Wellington to get their hands stamped.
(1)A person’s office as member of a local authority is vacated if the person, while holding office as a member of the local authority,—
(a)ceases to be an elector or becomes disqualified for registration as an elector under the Electoral Act 1993; or
(b)is convicted of an offence punishable by a term of imprisonment of 2 years or more.
(2)If subclause (1)(b) applies,—
(a)the disqualification does not take effect—
(i)until the expiration of the time for appealing against the conviction or decision; or
(ii)if there is an appeal against the conviction or decision, until the appeal is determined; and
(b)the person is deemed to have been granted leave of absence until the expiration of that time, and is not capable of acting as a member during that time.
(3)A person may not do an act as a member while disqualified under subclause (1) or while on leave of absence under subclause (2).
_____________________________________________________________________________
(1) Every official is liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 7 years who, whether within New Zealand or elsewhere, corruptly accepts or obtains, or agrees or offers to accept or attempts to obtain, any bribe for himself or any other person in respect of any act done or omitted, or to be done or omitted, by him in his official capacity.
(2) Every one is liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 7 years who corruptly gives or offers or agrees to give any bribe to any person with intent to influence any official in respect of any act or omission by him in his official capacity.
99 Interpretation
In this Part, unless the context otherwise requires,—
bribe means any money, valuable consideration, office, or employment, or any benefit, whether direct or indirect
official means any person in the service of Her Majesty in right of New Zealand (whether that service is honorary or not, and whether it is within or outside New Zealand), or any member or employee of any local authority or public body, or any person employed in the education service within the meaning of the State Sector Act 1988.
_______________________________________________________________
“AECOM New Zealand managing director Dean Kimpton said the company provided a range of services to the council, including a number of on-going commissions to the IES department.”
___________________________________________________________________________
After a comprehensive search, Auckland Council has appointed Dean Kimpton as its chief operating officer. Chief Executive Doug McKay says Dean is a passionate Aucklander who is excited to be playing a role in shaping the future of Auckland.
“Dean joins us from AECOM NZ where he was Managing Director.
“AECOM is a global leader in all aspects of infrastructure planning, design and delivery.
“Dean has a breadth of experience at the senior executive and governance levels, as well as in the regulatory and infrastructure business of council and its customers and suppliers.
___________________________________________________________________
160-14-093-PS SIMUL8 RAIL OPERATIONAL MODELLING SERVICES PS AECOM NEW ZEALAND LIMITED $88,000.00 Direct Appointment 10 September 2013
314-14-128-PS PS PORTAGE RD CYCLE WAY – LAND USE CONSENT APPLICATION PS AECOM NEW ZEALAND LIMITED $72,050.00 Direct Appointment 10 September 2013
________________________________________________________________
I am beginning to suspect that all enforcement branches of our state apparatus owe their first loyalties to Washington. While NAct seem to be entirely happy with this, and in fact it aligns police, customs, spooks, air force, etc with the prumstah, what is more worrying to me is that more than a few in Labour seem to accept it. Of course, it is just a deepening of the giving of our economic sovereignty to Wall St and the City by the first ACT government. We need to take control of our country and fight for a true internationalism rather than the internationalism of our business classes, which is the internationalism of a subservient colony.
Greg Davis should be sacked. If he wants to work for the seppos, let him go to Hawaii with Key and they can both ask for jobs there.
Possibly the most repellent Panel pre-show ever.
Radio NZ National, Monday 16 December 2013
Jim Mora, Linda Clark, Jane Clifton
Each week there seems to be at least one edition of this program that is so bad, so depraved, so determinedly ignorant, so vacuous and so vicious that you swear the nadir has been reached. And then along comes a horror show like this one….
JIM MORA: I think Linda Clark is with us right now. I can hear her! Linda are you there? LINDA CLARK:[perkily] Yes I’m here! My God, here I am, chattering away! Hellooooooooooo! MORA: Hello! LINDA CLARK: How ARE you? Merry Christmas! MORA: Thank you! She’s talking to you too, Noelle! NOELLE McCARTHY: Thank you. MORA: It’s Noelle McCarthy with what the WOOOOOORLD’s talking about! ….[suddenly grave]…. And not a nice topic to start the round-up today. Roger Waters the lead singer from Pink Floyd is stirring up a controversy. NOELLE McCARTHY: Yeeee-e-e-e-es. He’s been doing this for a whiii-i-i-i-i-ile now. He has compared the state of Israel to Nazi Germany. MORA:[concerned tone] Mmmmm. NOELLE McCARTHY: But he’s provoked a vigorous response. This is not new for him of course. In one of his concerts last year he had a giant PIG-shaped balloon with a Star of David on it. He says there were a whole lot of political symbols on it, and that he did not single out the Jews—- MORA:[grave tone to indicate moral seriousness] Hmmmm….. NOELLE McCARTHY: Now at least one U.S. rabbi has come out and answered him in print. MORA:[with utmost gravitas] He’s not the first rabbi to speak out about this, is he? NOELLE McCARTHY: The Jewish Chronicle and the Simon Wiesenthal Centre have been keeping a watching brief on him, but he doesn’t seem to be tempering his message however. MORA:[grimly] No he hasn’t. NOELLE McCARTHY:[grave tone] There’s more about this on our Twitface pages. MORA: Twitface—that’s our shorthand for Twitter and Facebook, by the way! LINDA CLARK: Ha ha ha ha! I just love that! NOELLE McCARTHY: Ha ha ha ha ha! We’ve broken the fourth wall! MORA: Ha ha ha ha ha! Okay, anything else? NOELLE McCARTHY: Yes, a study shows that girls’ schools are places which enforce conformity more than other schools! MORA: Oh really? They enforce conformity? NOELLE McCARTHY: Yes, there is a lot of pressure on you to be a more “girly” kind of girl! LINDA CLARK: Hmmmmm…. NOELLE McCARTHY: Shall I talk about Kanye? MORA:[sarcastically] Yeah, let’s talk about Kanye! Please! NOELLE McCARTHY: He says rapping is as fraught as fighting the Taliban or serving as a police officer! MORA: Ah, ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! LINDA CLARK: Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! NOELLE McCARTHY: He says that when the Taliban start shooting, the soldiers should just stand up and start rapping! MORA: Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! LINDA CLARK: Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Yes, THAT is going to work! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! MORA: Jo McCarroll, the editor of Gardening magazine has just texted, saying she thought Kanye was talking about Christmas wrapping! NOELLE McCARTHY: Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! MORA: Very good, Jo! Noelle McCarthy, thank you very much!
Incredibly, the show got even more puerile after the 4 o’clock news. But more on that in Part Two.….
“Finance Minister Bill English said the Government didn’t regard estimates of foregone profits as reliable given the risk profile of businesses like those in the asset sales progamme.
He said the Government was happy to have reduced its exposure to risky commercial assets like the companies in the asset sales programme.”
What an amazing thing to say prior to the Genesis sale, so potential purchasers of Genesis will read this and think what???This is a fucken useless government and the amazing thing is that approx. 46% of voters still support these incompetent fools.
“He said the Government was happy to have reduced its exposure to risky commercial assets like the companies in the asset sales programme.”
The risk profile of critical national infrastructure and public utilities?
I used to laugh at America when they first elected(ish) Bush Jnr (well, until the whole Iraq thing) because he’s a complete moron.
I used to say to myself, we’d never do that. We’re smarter in New Zealand.
God, I’m so embarrassed.
Thankfully, Australia stepped up to the challenge and this year knocked us off the “stupidest electorate on the planet” spot that we’ve held since January 20, 2009.
You could never accuse the maori party of being the tail wagging the dog.
” New Zealand is unlikely to introduce plain packaging on cigarettes before trade challenges to Australian legislation are settled, Prime Minister John Key says.
Associate Health Minister Tariana Turia said today that the Smoke-free Environments (Tobacco Products and Packaging) Amendment Bill had been lodged with the Clerk of the House.
The legislation was expected to have its first reading in the House early next year before being sent to a parliamentary select committee
Key said that while the legislation would be introduced next year, it would almost certainly not be passed until the outcome of the challenge to Australia was known.
“It will almost certainly be introduced, have its first reading, then go off to the select committee,” he said.
“But it’s very, very unlikely it will be passed. In fact, in my view it shouldn’t be passed until we’ve actually had a ruling out of Australia.
“We think it’s prudent to wait till we see a ruling out of Australia. If there’s a successful legal challenge out of Australia, that would guide us how legislation might be drafted in New Zealand.
“So we’re not going to rush that through, but also equally it’s the type of topic that’s worthy of a significant public debate and we can do that through the select committee process.”
LOL. I really doubt it. 7 sharp got a slap on the wrist for something mostly coming from someone else on the show. Mau would have made her decision a while ago. There are plenty of good reasons for her to leave….. the show’s a dud.
Yeah, with him on TV1 and that other goofy clown TV3 are putting on nightline, the right will need to be careful. All that recycling and their munters might vote Green by accident.
The headline says ‘Further 350,000 votes included in asset sales referendum’
That caught my eye – a further 350,000? That’s a lot of last minute votes…
The article says “A further 350,000 votes cast in the Citizen’s Initiated Referendum on asset sales have been included in the official count released this afternoon…”
But wait: “The extra votes take the turnout to 1,367,340.” Huh?
Then: “Of the additional votes counted, 24,866 were against the asset sales while 10,035 were in favour.”
Hmmm…seems like they mean 35,000 then. Or nearly 35,000, since that only adds up to 34,901.
But wait there’s more:
“The result went strongly against the Government, but the relatively low turnout is seen as indicating the public largely doesn’t feel strongly about the issue or saw little point in opposing a programme that is now largely complete, other than the sale of Genesis Energy earmarked for the first half of next year.”
Can’t resist a wee bit of editorialising in what should be a straight news report now can we?
My wife and I have had dogs for the whole of our 52 years of married life – and that has meant sharing our lives with our little furry friends. Because we usually spend a good part of our evenings watching television, it also means that our dogs have learned ...
. . Former Police, Corrections, and Justice Minister in the previous John Key government, Judith Collins, has been ridiculed on social media after posting a comment on Twitter that was patently untrue; . Wrong!! National did not remove Prisoners’ ability to vote. Parliament voted through a Private Member’s Bill ...
Speaker Trevor Mallard was left to look after Jones, while his usual caretaker, Winston Peters, underwent surgery. A truly adorable scene from Parliament yesterday has gone viral, after Speaker Trevor Mallard cradled an extremely drunk Shane Jones in his arms while the House was in session. Loud “awwww”s could be ...
Western media have defended their decision not to cover the fires so as not to give them any oxygen. Social media outrage continues to grow around the sentiment that mainstream western media is devoting too little coverage to an ongoing series of fires in the Amazon rainforest, and in doing ...
A Long Time Ago, In A Parallel Universe Far, Far Away: The political journalist scratched his head in confusion. Only then did he notice the name of the building: ‘The Jacinda Ardern Presidential Library and Public Resource Centre’. Making his way inside to the information desk, he asked the librarian ...
Too Much Of Nothing: In many respects it is the power of a free press to keep history’s images vivid and clear that renders it so important to the life of our democracy. It was the Czech writer, Milan Kundera, who said it best: “The struggle of man against power ...
Spark is bracing for a customer backlash as rugby fans all across the country struggle to get a picture on their wireless router. With the Rugby World Cup fast approaching, an elderly Taranaki couple are furious after being told that they still won’t be able to watch the tournament, even ...
Several explosions have been reported across Auckland, as well-meaning environmentalists have already begun purchasing too much petrol Starting from next week, customers will no longer need a car to purchase petrol directly from the pump, a development that two major fuel providers are billing as an opportunity to help fight ...
A new study claims to find that a mother’s exposure to fluoridated water during pregnancy may decrease the IQ of male children – but is it correct? (Photo: Getty Images) Anti-fluoride campaigners are promoting ...
Yesterday the Greater Wellington Regional Council unanimously declared a climate emergency. They've also set themselves a goal of being carbon neutral by 2030, though this only applies to their direct emissions. Still, its a good step, and as usual it invites the question: where is Parliament? When are we going ...
That's the only way to describe the government's plans for a Parliamentary Budget Office to allow opposition parties to get an independent costing of their policies. When the idea was first floated back in 2016 as an office within Treasury, I thought that wasn't independent enough and argued that it ...
Today is a Member's day, and after the third reading of Hamish Walker's KiwiSaver (Oranga Tamariki Guardians) Amendment Bill, Parliament will be continuing the committee stage of David Seymour's End of Life Choice Bill. The bigots have put up another pile of amendments in an effort to delay or wreck ...
Television advertising has a huge impact on our lives. Even if we don’t recognise that, we know it has to be true, since otherwise why would advertisers spend so much on it? Its significance, however, is greater than simply the influence it has on what we purchase and consume. It ...
by Jan Rivers More than 30 years ago a Commission of Inquiry was held in New Zealand to investigate, amongst other things, whether women with cervical cancer were aware that they had been part of a research project and whether they were properly informed of the treatment options ...
Everyone Wants To Be Fuhrer: When fascist groups are discussed, the image conjured-up in the minds of most New Zealanders is one of pathetic misfits. This negative impression is reinforced by the latter’s idiotic embrace of the swastika. Even in the second decade of the twenty-first century, the baleful legacy ...
by Philip Ferguson This weekend just past marks the 50th anniversary of Woodstock, the most famous of the great 1960s music festivals. It was held over the weekend (Friday-Monday) of August 15-18, 1969. Woodstock was a highpoint of the US ‘counter-culture’, and also the beginning of its end. When exploring the ...
It looks like the government has won over the public on its vehicle feebate scheme:A feebate scheme that would transfer hundreds of millions of dollars from buyers of higher-emission cars into the pockets of people buying EVs and other more fuel-efficient vehicles has been winning favour with submitters, the Government ...
When people suggest lowering the voting age, others argue that the young are too uneducated or silly to exercise the duties of citizenship. Australian John Quiggin has just blown that argument out of the water:Looking at the array of ignorant and vindictive old men attacking Greta Thunberg and other young ...
In the previous two posts, I laid out the context and set the theoretical framework to answer a question: whether indigenous economies should take the LEAP. This final part outlines ways to conceive of practicing mana motuhake within the existing legal system by carving out special jurisdictions that enable Indigenous ...
Fully Informed? Labour’s 2017 promises raised expectations that were little short of revolutionary. Unfortunately, they were never adequately shaken through the fiscal sieve. The hard economic work was not done – and it shows. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s critics have long complained that her grasp of the way the New ...
You cannot expect to pound communities into the ground day after day, year after year, decade after decade and just expect them to take it lying down. There’s a point at which the place will explode. And we’re faced with some very big ructions on both sides of the Atlantic ...
Back in May, Destiny Church leaders Brian and Hannah Tamaki launched another political party. Despite consisting entirely of followers of their religion, they grandly called it "Coalition New Zealand", in a vain effort to suggest it was something broader. But when they applied for registration, submitters opposed the name, as ...
The following article is excerpted and translated from two articles in recent issues of Lutte de Classe (Class Struggle), the magazine of Lutte Ouvrière (Workers Struggle), the revolutionary workers group active in France. We don’t necessarily agree with everything in it – for instance, the 1956-62 war for independence involved rather more revolutionary forces than ...
The Pacific is on the front line of climate change, and if we don't cut emissions quickly, some countries are literally going to be underwater. Because of this, small Pacific states had tried to use this week's Pacific Islands Forum meeting to get Pacific countries to agree to ending coal ...
To Limit Another's Rights Is To Limit One's Own: Is it too much to expect senior members of our Government to be capable of explaining that we protect the rights of human-beings precisely because not even the most depraved act can cancel-out the fact that its perpetrator is also a ...
Going Down? Once truth and propaganda become fused in the minds of one’s followers, debate and discussion become redundant. If one’s opponents are all outrageous liars, then engaging with them in any way is pointless. Rather than waste its time, a political party should, instead, target all its messages at ...
This section builds on Part 1 of this series to provide a theoretical basis for the final instalment (part 3 – to come). Self-determination: law or resurgence — or both? International law promotes the principal of equal treatment and self-determination, which includes peoples’ rights to freely pursue their social, cultural and ...
Everyone was outraged yesterday to learn that the Christchurch shooting accused had been able to send mail from prison to his Nazi fans, apparently pushing more hate. "How could this possibly happen", people asked. Simple: because New Zealand is a civilised country, and so we let prisoners send and receive ...
If we are to avoid dangerous anthropogenic climate change, we need to rapidly decarbonise our transport fleet. The good news: its starting to happen:The number of electric vehicles on New Zealand's roads have nearly tripled in the past two years. There are currently 15,453 registered electric vehicles (EVs), up ...
We need to fundamentally reframe our systems settings to address the drivers causing and underpinning inequality; structural change in systems especially financial. The Equality Network Hui was held in Wellington on 27 June 2019. The hui covered important topics such as child poverty; a living wage; taxation; public health; mental ...
The views-per-page for some of my recent postings:Depressing, isn't it? Provide thoughtful and wise commentary on the mainstream of British politics and no-one notices. Make a passing reference to Tommy DICKHEAD Robinson in a thread title and you get hundreds of views. Write something about anti-Semitism and you get another ...
The government has announced plans to move the Treaty of Waitangi and other taonga to a new site. Great news! So where are they going? Right next to the old one:The new plan will see a new 22,000-square-metre archive built on the former site of Defence House - the former ...
Back in June, StatsNZ went public about a project to track population data on an hourly level by using people's cellphones. It wasn't as bad as it initially looked - they were receiving no individual data, only counts by suburb - but there was still a huge consent problem, so ...
Most economists agree that a currently slowing economy could do with some stimulus – and they would also agree that there is no shortage of infrastructure projects which could be brought to productive fruition with help from that stimulus. In view of the current practice of sub-contracting economic policy decisions ...
I did an interview on the TVNZ Breakfast Show about the situation in Hong Kong. I tried to frame the issue as a collective action problem between two sides with very different end games. The video is here. Because of time constraints we could not discuss the fact that the ...
Image Credit: Wild Rose College A new study reporting the ranges of values for kidney and liver parameters in a healthy population is being actively misrepresented by anti-fluoride campaigners. The Fluoride Action Network’s (FAN) latest ...
Image Credit: Wild Rose College A new study reporting the ranges of values for kidney and liver parameters in a healthy population is being actively misrepresented by anti-fluoride campaigners. The Fluoride Action Network’s (FAN) latest ...
AN OPEN LETTER FOR SIGN ON BY ORGANISATIONS AND MOVEMENTS ACROSS THE WORLD, ALLIED IN THE FIGHT AGAINST INEQUALITY. This letter was released at the UN Political Forum on 9 July, where the Sustainable Development Goal on inequality was reviewed. The purpose of the letter is to call out the ...
We asked a young gay science student and critic of trans ideology and the trans activists’ assault on women’s and gay rights to outline his views on Redline. Thanks to him for his article. by Cian Ó Catháin Gender identity ideology (Gender ID) is ripping through western society at full ...
The Environment Committee is currently hearing submissions on the Zero Carbon Bill, and Stuff is reporting on the submissions. Today, they're covering yesterday they heard from "NZ" Steel:NZ Steel has told MPs it may be forced to close with the loss of thousands of jobs if changes aren't made to ...
Students are striking against climate change on September 27. And this time, they're asking everyone to join them:Students are taking to the streets, beaches and parks on 27 September, and we're inviting everyone to join us. That's right, this is an intergenerational issue, and you're all invited to put pressure ...
Peter McKenzie has a piece on Newsroom this morning about how local body politics is awash with property developer cash. 70% of all the donations in the 2016 Wellington mayoral election came from property developers. And its pretty obvious what they want in exchange:That’s particularly important in local government, according ...
Source: Unknown, twitter user Recently, I wrote a (relatively) short paper titled as above, to explore what self-determination could like in a practical sense. Maybe I’m a bit of an international trade truther or something, but I absolutely believe trade is at the heart of achieving peace and self-determination. Since ...
In the 1960s, after I had graduated with a first-class Oxford postgraduate law degree, I joined the British Foreign Office as the top entrant of my year. There, I worked for a couple of years on European affairs and was eventually posted to the Embassy in Brussels. After this exposure ...
Alone, Alone. All, All Alone: Will it be a good or a bad thing, when humanity’s bright blue spacecraft is stricken by the civilisation-destroying problem of Climate Change, that no Huston Control will be standing-by to rescue the crew?“WE HAVE A PROBLEM, HUSTON.” These were the words used by the ...
I heard a 45 minute interview with Monica Lewinsky talking to TED’s Chris Anderson on BBC Radio 4 over the weekend, and have listened to it another two times out walking. I recommend it. Highly. Man, I am so impressed with how this woman has integrated her life experiences and ...
Jonathan Haidt and Greg Lukianoff, The Coddling of the American Mind: how good intentions and bad ideas are setting up a generation for failure, London, Penguin, 2019, 352pp; reviewed by Gearóid Ó Loingsigh Jonathan Haidt and Greg Lukianoff’s book The Coddling of the American Mind is a timely book, whose ...
When the Justice Committee reported back on the Administration of Justice (Reform of Contempt of Court) Bill, free speech advocates breathed a sigh of relief. As originally introduced, the Bill reitered the ancient offence of "scandalising the court" - basicly, a special sedition law protecting judges from criticism. The select ...
Eighteen months ago, the government promised to strengthen the Bill of Rights Act, by explicitly affirming the power of the courts to issue declarations of inconsistency and requiring Parliament to formally respond to them. Since then - crickets. Which raises the obvious question: are they actually going to do this, ...
Back in March, the Ministry of Justice conducted a public consultation exercise on whether to hold a review of the Official Information Act. 285 people submitted on it. Now, Stuff has trawled through those submissions, and the case for reform is strong:The Justice Ministry asked Kiwis what they thought was ...
National's prisoner voting ban has gone down as one of the worst laws in New Zealand history. Passed after a farcical debate (including this farcial speech from ACT MP Hilary Calvert), it has subsequently been found to be inconsistent with the Bill of Rights Act by the High Court, Court ...
Divided Loyalties: Can the Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, be relied upon? That’s what the boys and girls at Foggy Bottom and the Pentagon needed to be reassured about. Because, from the perspective of Washington, it’s looking more and more like Jacinda Ardern and her Labour Party comrades are getting ready ...
This handy Queer Theory Glossary is from thetranswidow.com In case you’ve had trouble keeping up with the spate of new queer theory terms, here’s a handy glossary for your reference. Queer – A straight person with an interesting haircut. Non-binary/genderqueer – A chubby young female, typically 16-28, who has ...
by Daphna Whitmore US social psychologist and author Jonathan Haidt spoke on 1 August in Auckland to a crowd of around one thousand people. He is best known for his bookThe Coddling of the American Mind which examines the new climate of trigger warnings and acute sensitivity of Gen Z. ...
What an extraordinarily depressing experience it is to be compelled to watch, at 12,000 miles distance, the contortions and machinations of the British political class as they set about their determined attempt to overturn the decision taken by the British people that they wish to leave the European Union. The ...
The winter grazing issue is becoming a highly sensitised one that I hope will not become so politicised that it delays solutions and results in the suicides of some very stressed farmers.Winter grazing has hit the headlines after a determined campaign, including the release of a video of some very ...
by Don Franks Way back when British guitar virtuoso Joe Brown was a beginning session guy he got to back a visiting American artist. Young Joe was an able technician but had yet to learn some points of professionalism. Part way through “Five foot high and rising” Joe tired of ...
Since scientists started studying climate change, they have warned that it will reduce food production. And now, its happening:The climate crisis is damaging the ability of the land to sustain humanity, with cascading risks becoming increasingly severe as global temperatures rise, according to a landmark UN report compiled by some ...
The Abortion Legislation Bill just passed its first reading, 94-23. Its a far bigger margin than I expected, even allowing for the Winston factor, and it reflects the overwhelming support there is in this country for reform. but that support isn't a new thing - it has existed for literally ...
The Justice Committee has called for submissions on the Referendums Framework Bill. The Bill does what it says on the label - establishes a framework for referenda. Things you may want to address in your submission: Whether the bill should apply only at the 2020 election, or whether it should ...
The Thompson and Clark / MBIE spying scandal continues to result in fallout, this time in the form of a report on the implementation of MBIE's "Operation Exploration", its internal operation to enforce the infamous Anadarko Amendment which criminalised protests against the oil industry. MBIE's enforcement operation was tainted by ...
So, Winston Peters is defending his last-minute demand for a referendum on abortion by claiming he was "blindsided" by the bill. Really? The bill is a government bill. It has been working through the cabinet approval process since December last year. As part of that process, NZ First was consulted, ...
Opportunities to dodge tax are shrinking with the completion of a new tax agreement with Switzerland, Revenue Minister Stuart Nash announced today. Mr Nash and the Swiss Ambassador David Vogelsanger have today signed documents to update the double tax agreement (DTA). The previous DTA was signed in 1980. “Double tax ...
West Papua solidarity activists met yesterday and resolved to call on the Prime Minister to step up to help resolve the escalating crisis in West Papua. ...
Landmark Report Released into Maori Aging and Disabilities “Manaaki Pakeke” – New Zealand Maori Council calls for a policy shift and greater focus The New Zealand Maori Council has released a comprehensive policy statement challenging the ...
MANATŪ TAONGA MINISTRY FOR CULTURE AND HERITAGE MEDIA RELEASE 25 August 2019 Privacy breach identified with the Tuia 250 Voyage Trainee website Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage is investigating a serious digital privacy breach involving ...
‘Original Sin’ of Land Confiscation at Ihumātao is a wrong that can be put right by Government says Justice & Peace Commission of Catholic Diocese of Auckland ...
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told a press conference on August 19 that her government is likely to impose new restrictions on prisoners’ rights to send letters. She said the law could be changed in “weeks.” ...
Heart-warming images of House Speaker Trevor Mallard cradling a baby in Parliament have been welcomed around New Zealand, but the Public Service Association warns most families can only dream of such support in the workplace. ...
Applying New Zealand’s international human rights commitments, particularly those in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, can help in resolving the situation at Ihumātao, Chief Human Rights Commissioner Paul Hunt says. ...
Climate campaigners impersonating bank staff have taken to the streets this week to expose ANZ Bank’s sponsorship of the fossil fuel industry. In the series of satirical actions in Wellington, Dunedin, and Auckland, the ‘bank staff’ promoted ...
Auckland Action Against Poverty joins the Children’s Commissioner , The Green Party , The New Zealand Drugs Foundation , Child Poverty Action Group and other organisations in the calls for an immediate end to the drug testing benefit sanctions. ...
Negotiations between Port Otago workers represented by the Rail and Maritime Transport Union (RMTU) and the Maritime Union of New Zealand (MUNZ) and management failed today and the unions have issued notice of an overtime ban from Saturday 7th September. ...
Queenstown Lakes District Council’s comments that it has applied for a consent to pollute waterways to avoid 'prosecutions by the Otago Regional Council' are unacceptable,’ Fish & Game New Zealand Chief Executive Martin Taylor says. ...
On March 15, the real world impact of online hate became abundantly, horrifically clear. As a shooter opened fire at two Christchurch mosques, the online image board 8chan anticipated, celebrated and amplified his killing spree. ...
Friday, 23 August: Government delegates from around the world, including New Zealand, are meeting in New York for the third of four meetings at the United Nations to agree a Global Oceans Treaty that could help to protect 30% of our oceans by 2030. Greenpeace ...
The excuses about a reportedly unwanted $57,000 payrise for Dunedin City Council CEO Sue Bidrose are laughable, says the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union. ...
The Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance has launched the “Ratepayer Protection Pledge” committing to no more than 2% annual rate hikes over the next Council term, and has written to all Mayoral and Council candidates asking them to sign. The pledge will ...
This Saturday, Pakuranga Hunt Day at the Ellerslie Racecourse will see anti-horse racing protesters demonstrating at the corner of Ascot Avenue and Greenlane East. ...
Mayoral candidate John Tamihere will meet with Pacific Island leaders and community elders today at Puhunui Reserve in South Auckland to commit to a Pasefika Cultural Centre. ...
Cruel and invalid Forced Swim Tests carried out at Victoria University of Wellington, will be exposed at the University Open Day today, so prospective students can be warned about the flawed and unethical research being conducted at the institute. ...
The organiser of the annual YWCA Equal Pay Awards has expressed her disappointment with the latest Gender Pay Gap figure for New Zealand workers. The figure rose slightly from 9.2% in 2018 to 9.3% for the quarter ended 30 June 2019. ...
The Council of Licenced Firearm Owners (COLFO) is urging firearms owners to pass on information to the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Attack on Christchurch Mosques now that the period for submissions has been extended to 27 September. ...
An application was filed in the Employment Relations Authority in Wellington today, seeking an injunction to prevent the Board of the New Zealand Nurses Organisation from removing the President from office. ...
The Government’s commitment to support literacy and numeracy training in the workplace is a strong signal from Government on recognising the importance of upskilling, reskilling and increasing productivity alongside their commitment to address the challenges ...
“The infrastructure sector sees a major role for the New Zealand Infrastructure Commission/Te Waihanga in lifting the nation’s sagging infrastructure performance,” says Paul Blair, incoming CEO of Infrastructure NZ. ...
The AA is calling on the Government to bring forward critical highway projects while time is spent properly developing the plans for a rapid transit system in Auckland. ...
Between 2015/16 and 2017/18, DHBs spent $280 million treating patients due to adverse drug reactions, reveals the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union in its latest briefing paper on health productivity . ...
The Pay Equity Coalition Auckland (PECA) is pleased the gender pay gap has decreased slightly. Statistics released today show the gap is now 11.9%, nearly 2 percent less than last year. ...
The Council of Licenced Firearm Owners (COLFO) is urging firearms owners to make sure they pass on any information they have to the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Attack on Christchurch Mosques before submissions close tomorrow (Friday). ...
The big electricity companies consider solar energy “disruptive” and want pricing to suppress it. In contrast, advocates of local energy say that solar, energy efficiency, and other local energy solutions are the cheapest ways to reduce carbon emissions. ...
The Earthquake Commission and Shine Lawyers are delighted to announce that EQC has reached an agreement with the Gibling family, agreeing to cover the cost of repairs of remaining earthquake damage on their property. ...
Four months into the inquiry, the Royal Commission is gathering significant information and continues to receive valuable submissions from the public, from current and former State servants, experts and community groups. ...
While Fish & Game New Zealand is pleased to see Federated Farmers Environment Spokesperson Chris Allen say that 'we all want good, fresh water', he conveniently overlooks some key facts. ...
What: Wellington demo “Save the Amazon Forest/Salve a Amazônia!” When: Friday, 6 September 2019 from 12:30-13:30 Where: Embassy of Brazil in Wellingtona ...
Rt Hon Trevor Mallard, Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives, welcomes the visit of His Excellency Eduardo Ferro Rodrigues, President of the Assembly of the Republic of Portugal. ...
A cross political Mental Health and Addictions Wellbeing group will be launched on Wednesday 28 August hosted by Sir John Kirwan and Moe Milne (ONZM) who have both been at the forefront of our country’s often difficult conversations about mental ...
Confirmation that the government will be progressing an independent Parliamentary Budget Office is great news for democracy and transparency, Federated Farmers says. ...
At first glance, Simon Bridges’ strident opposition to the government’s proposal to establish an independent office to cost political parties’ election spending plans looks childish and petty. ...
Euthanasia-Free NZ is appalled that Parliament spent so little time debating Part 2 of the End of Life Choice Bill and voted to leave it full of holes. ...
Jordan Williams, a spokesman for the Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance and its nationwide sister group the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union is slamming Auckland Mayor Phil Goff for his comments today that John Tamihere would need the Government’s support to ...
A ‘one size fits all’, inflexible and punitive regulatory regime for water quality just gets backs - and costs - up and most importantly will not work, Federated Farmers says. ...
Mediation yesterday between secondary principals and the government has resulted in a deal that the principals' negotiating team is recommending to its members. ...
Clubs New Zealand welcomes the decision of Justice Minister Andrew Little to put forward a bill amending the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act to allow all licensed premises to remain open for Rugby World Cup matches. ...
The Australia and New Zealand Ministerial Forum on Food Regulation has ordered a review looking at labelling of added sugars in food and drinks. An option under investigation is ‘a pictorial approach applied to sugary beverages / sugar-sweetened beverages’ ...
Labour market data released by Statistics New Zealand today indicates that a gender pay gap persists in New Zealand, despite improvement in some areas. ...
In the midst of the 6th Great Extinction Event the coalition, STOP Trashing Our Planet is urging voters to take full responsibility for the legacy we are leaving our children. ...
ANALYSIS:By David Robie Indonesia’s harsh policies towards West Papua ought to be scrapped. Whatever happened to the brief window of enlightenment ushered in by President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo in 2015 with promises of a more “open door” policy towards foreign journalists and human rights groups? They were supposed ...
The House - The grammar of being an MP is harder than you might think. MPs in Parliament choose their words with care, and it just got more complicated. ...
As a format it predates almost all reality TV, and that’s precisely why it works in 2019, writes Duncan Greive.There’s something deeply comforting about watching Celebrity Treasure Island. It is a very pure form of escapism, largely because it explicitly recalls a world without the internet, and before everything started ...
Residents in Los Angeles and Orange County warned to check for symptoms after an infected NZ teen visited theme parks including Disneyland and Universal Studios earlier this month.Californian health authorities have issued warnings to residents and visitors after a New Zealand teenager was found to have spent five days in ...
When you crave fresh, bright flavours but summer veges seem far away, throw together this simple salad.Growing up we often ate this salad, or one very similar to it. My mum is a fantastic cook and this dish is one she still makes to this day – though I must ...
Analysis of New Zealand media headlines reveals a lot of people slamming a lot of other people.Slamming is at epidemic levels in New Zealand news. Drawn from just the last month, we present a selection of slamming.On July 27A union boss slammed David ClarkOn July 29Police slammed a dangerous photographerOn ...
Vana Manasiadis wrote a collection of poetry in the wake of her mother’s death. In this essay, ahead of her appearance at the Going West festival, she argues that as a nation Aotearoa needs to learn to make space for mourning. When Mum died in Athens, I cried loudly and publicly ...
The giant hand that captivated, delighted and disgusted the nation is now settling into its new Wellington home. For City Gallery Wellington’s blog, Spinoff arts editor Megan Dunn talked to Ronnie van Hout, the man who made Quasi.“Quasi is in the wrong place,” wrote art critic Warren Feeney in 2016, ...
At school camp, the children are banned from having phones, laptops, lollies, chocolate, money, cotton clothing or independent thoughts. They, are, however, allowed home baking – but it’s gotta be hearty. How hearty are you? We are packing for a school camp. If you’re thinking that the middle of winter is ...
Phil Goff’s rival has already pledged an 0800-Jacinda homeless hotline and an 18-lane harbour bridge. What’s next? The two most important people in the 2019 campaign for the Auckland mayoralty faced each other down on Wednesday night across the desk in the NZME debate: Bernard Orsman and Simon Wilson. Correction: it ...
Split Level View Finder: Theo Schoon and New Zealand Art is the exhibition that sparked a protest over issues of cultural appropriation and institutional representation. Theo Schoon is a divisive historical figure. But is his art any good? Martin Patrick reviews.British novelist L.P. Hartley once wrote that “the past is ...
Ahead of debuting her solo show at New Zealand Fashion Week, Korean-NZ couture designer Cecilia Kang talks about growing up ‘feminine’, being influenced by the LGBTQ+ community, and why an ‘administrative error’ at Fashion Week left her so shaken up. ‘I like something big,” says Cecilia Kang, gesturing to the giant ...
The Labour Party is distancing itself from one of its members who is strongly pro-Beijing and has caused controversy in the Chinese community by standing for local office in Auckland. ...
Faced with staff shortages, equipment failures, cancer risks, and a jump in critical calls that can leave them traumatised, some firefighters are wondering if it’s time to hang up the hose. Gareth Shute reports on the dissatisfaction inside Fire and Emergency New Zealand.The state of our nation’s fire service is ...
“She comes over. You’re my mother, she says. Yes, I say. I don’t know you, she says”: a mother and child seaside story by Wellington author Jan Pryor. Photo by Peter Black. ...
On Monday the government announced its new five-year strategy to reduce the Māori prison population. Emilie Rākete looks at another ‘kaupapa Māori’ prison initiative that degrades prisoners and asks if Corrections are capable of seeing it through.On August 19th, the Department of Corrections announced Hōkai Rangi, its new strategy intended ...
By Michael Andrew The Indonesian media is contributing to resentment and racism toward Papuans, according to a human rights researcher and former journalist. Andreas Harsono of Human Rights Watch Jakarta told Pacific Media Watch many Indonesian journalists either view Papuans as enemy “separatists” or deviants and their reporting tends to convey these ...
Analysis - The prime minister puts a stake in the ground over petrol prices, National balks at having its election promises costed and the government puts millions into helping the homeless. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Danilo Ignacio de Urzedo, PhD candidate, University of Sydney Record fires are raging in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest, with more than 2,500 fires currently burning. They are collectively emitting huge amounts of carbon, with smoke plumes visible thousands of kilometres away. Fires in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sean Docking, Post-doctoral researcher, La Trobe University Basketball fans around the world were recently sickened by the footage of NBA star Kevin Durant’s Achilles tendon rupturing during a game. But while many think it’s only elite athletes who suffer from Achilles tendon ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bruce Mountain, Director, Victoria Energy Policy Centre, Victoria University The possibility of blackouts affecting half of Victoria has attracted plenty of attention to a document once read only by industry insiders and policy wonks: the Electricity Statement of Opportunities. The Statement, updated ...
George Clooney sold his tequila company for a billion dollars – but is the stuff any good? The Spinoff finds out. Imagine being so stupidly sexy you sneeze and sell a billion-dollar booze company. That’s what George Clooney did last year, flicking off the tequila business he started accidentally with an ...
The departure of "two Pākehā men" from the government's justice reform group will not hurt the quality of its final report, another member of the team says. ...
Combatting internet-related harm is being stymied by inter-industry disagreement and a lack of information about the extent and nature of the problem, a new report says. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Harcourt, J.W. Nevile Fellow in Economics and host of The Airport Economist, UNSW Amid the tributes to former deputy prime minister Tim Fischer and the stories of his authenticity, courage and quirky interests – like trains and military history – what ...
Current leader of the National Party, Simon Bridges.Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards – Is Simon Bridges really trying to channel Donald Trump? Or is he taking his cue from Scott Morrison? Or is he looking to emulate Boris Johnson? Whatever the inspiration, there’s been a clear change in the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra [embedded content]Michelle Grattan talks about the sad news of the passing of former Deputy Prime Minister Tim Fischer with University of Canberra Vice-Chancellor Professor Deep Saini. They also discuss Scott Morrison’s recent announcement about joining ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gabriel Crowley, Adjunct Principal Research Fellow, James Cook University In February, about 600,000 cattle were killed by catastrophic flooding across north Queensland’s Carpentaria Gulf plains. The flood waters rose suddenly, forming a wall of water up to 70km wide. Record depths were ...
Simon Day dined alone at Monique Fiso’s Wellington restaurant Hiakai, and discovered it was the perfect way to appreciate the meaning of this special food. “Would you like a few more minutes with your phone?” the waitress at Hiakai asked sympathetically as I mashed a final goodbye text to my wife ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Willamson, Adjunct Senior Research Fellow, Monash University Australia’s gender pay gap is diminishing, says a new report, but some contributors to it seem harder to overcome than others. For me, the finding hit close to home. The report, by KPMG for ...
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 Te Tiriti o Waitangi: The Treaty of Waitangi by Toby Morris with Ross Calman, Mark Derby, and ...
Honey producer Comvita has confirmed a full year net loss of $27.7m with China market access restrictions and tougher regulations locally affecting the company's sales. ...
James Elliott realises John Tamihere's uncosted bridge proposal wasn't actually a metaphor, but a fine example of 'folks is mighty generous with money what they ain’t got'. ...
A new poem by Oamaru-born poet Nick Ascroft.SupermanHalfway up the ascent zigzagging from Royal Terrace to upper Stuart Street carrying four too-heavy grocery bags I begin to understand that I will not make it. My huffing personage – from the fingers, white with the strain, to a face the colour of rhubarb – will ooze into the pavement and roll slowly ...
The Real Pod assembles to dissect the week in reality television and real life, with special thanks to Nando’s.Sound the alarm, because it’s time for another absolute chaos pod. We’re talking haunted dolls in Waipu, we’re talking giant hands taking over Wellington, we’re talking soft serve cones dipped in powdered Milo. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tony Press, Adjunct Professor, Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania This week, the ABC revealed that the Australian Defence Force wants to roll out military technology in Antarctica. The article raises the issue of what is, or is not, ...
New Zealand teacher aides say their pay reflects an outdated idea of what they do. Elizabeth McLeod hears from four TAs, and one parent, about the classroom realities they face every dayCleaning up poo, defusing violent situations, copping physical and verbal abuse: these are the realities of a teacher aide’s ...
The lanky sidekick from Jono and Ben journeys around New Zealand trying to solve small town problems. Does he succeed?Guy Williams, hardly a shy, retiring type, has been screaming out for his own vehicle for years. A loud, lanky, fearless comic, he’s spent nearly a decade in MediaWorks purgatory, sat ...
Ballot Box.Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards – The nature of New Zealand general election campaigns could be significantly changed with the proposed establishment of an “umpire” to adjudicate over political party manifesto policies. A suggestion has been put forward by the Government for the establishment of a parliamentary watchdog ...
Editor’s Note: Here below is a list of the main issues currently under discussion in New Zealand and links to media coverage.New Zealand Parliament Buildings, Wellington, New Zealand.Today’s content by Dr Bryce Edwards.Ihumātao Delphine Herbert and Dan Satherley (Newshub): Tainui to buy Ihumātao land – sources Danielle ...
Open mike 17/12/2013 
My wife and I have had dogs for the whole of our 52 years of married life – and that has meant sharing our lives with our little furry friends. Because we usually spend a good part of our evenings watching television, it also means that our dogs have learned ...16 hours ago
. . Former Police, Corrections, and Justice Minister in the previous John Key government, Judith Collins, has been ridiculed on social media after posting a comment on Twitter that was patently untrue; . Wrong!! National did not remove Prisoners’ ability to vote. Parliament voted through a Private Member’s Bill ...2 days ago
Speaker Trevor Mallard was left to look after Jones, while his usual caretaker, Winston Peters, underwent surgery. A truly adorable scene from Parliament yesterday has gone viral, after Speaker Trevor Mallard cradled an extremely drunk Shane Jones in his arms while the House was in session. Loud “awwww”s could be ...2 days ago
Western media have defended their decision not to cover the fires so as not to give them any oxygen. Social media outrage continues to grow around the sentiment that mainstream western media is devoting too little coverage to an ongoing series of fires in the Amazon rainforest, and in doing ...2 days ago
A Long Time Ago, In A Parallel Universe Far, Far Away: The political journalist scratched his head in confusion. Only then did he notice the name of the building: ‘The Jacinda Ardern Presidential Library and Public Resource Centre’. Making his way inside to the information desk, he asked the librarian ...3 days ago
3 days ago
Nothing from me tody - I'm off to Christchurch to pretend to be other people for a weekend. Normal bloggage should resume on Tuesday. ...3 days ago
Spark is bracing for a customer backlash as rugby fans all across the country struggle to get a picture on their wireless router. With the Rugby World Cup fast approaching, an elderly Taranaki couple are furious after being told that they still won’t be able to watch the tournament, even ...3 days ago
Several explosions have been reported across Auckland, as well-meaning environmentalists have already begun purchasing too much petrol Starting from next week, customers will no longer need a car to purchase petrol directly from the pump, a development that two major fuel providers are billing as an opportunity to help fight ...3 days ago
A new study claims to find that a mother’s exposure to fluoridated water during pregnancy may decrease the IQ of male children – but is it correct? (Photo: Getty Images) Anti-fluoride campaigners are promoting ... 3 days ago
by Jan Rivers More than 30 years ago a Commission of Inquiry was held in New Zealand to investigate, amongst other things, whether women with cervical cancer were aware that they had been part of a research project and whether they were properly informed of the treatment options ...5 days ago
Everyone Wants To Be Fuhrer: When fascist groups are discussed, the image conjured-up in the minds of most New Zealanders is one of pathetic misfits. This negative impression is reinforced by the latter’s idiotic embrace of the swastika. Even in the second decade of the twenty-first century, the baleful legacy ...6 days ago
In the previous two posts, I laid out the context and set the theoretical framework to answer a question: whether indigenous economies should take the LEAP. This final part outlines ways to conceive of practicing mana motuhake within the existing legal system by carving out special jurisdictions that enable Indigenous ...1 week ago
Fully Informed? Labour’s 2017 promises raised expectations that were little short of revolutionary. Unfortunately, they were never adequately shaken through the fiscal sieve. The hard economic work was not done – and it shows. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s critics have long complained that her grasp of the way the New ...1 week ago
You cannot expect to pound communities into the ground day after day, year after year, decade after decade and just expect them to take it lying down. There’s a point at which the place will explode. And we’re faced with some very big ructions on both sides of the Atlantic ...1 week ago
1 week ago
Going Down? Once truth and propaganda become fused in the minds of one’s followers, debate and discussion become redundant. If one’s opponents are all outrageous liars, then engaging with them in any way is pointless. Rather than waste its time, a political party should, instead, target all its messages at ...1 week ago
We need to fundamentally reframe our systems settings to address the drivers causing and underpinning inequality; structural change in systems especially financial. The Equality Network Hui was held in Wellington on 27 June 2019. The hui covered important topics such as child poverty; a living wage; taxation; public health; mental ...2 weeks ago
The views-per-page for some of my recent postings:Depressing, isn't it? Provide thoughtful and wise commentary on the mainstream of British politics and no-one notices. Make a passing reference to Tommy DICKHEAD Robinson in a thread title and you get hundreds of views. Write something about anti-Semitism and you get another ...2 weeks ago
The government has announced plans to move the Treaty of Waitangi and other taonga to a new site. Great news! So where are they going? Right next to the old one:The new plan will see a new 22,000-square-metre archive built on the former site of Defence House - the former ...2 weeks ago
Back in June, StatsNZ went public about a project to track population data on an hourly level by using people's cellphones. It wasn't as bad as it initially looked - they were receiving no individual data, only counts by suburb - but there was still a huge consent problem, so ...2 weeks ago
I did an interview on the TVNZ Breakfast Show about the situation in Hong Kong. I tried to frame the issue as a collective action problem between two sides with very different end games. The video is here. Because of time constraints we could not discuss the fact that the ...2 weeks ago
Image Credit: Wild Rose College A new study reporting the ranges of values for kidney and liver parameters in a healthy population is being actively misrepresented by anti-fluoride campaigners. The Fluoride Action Network’s (FAN) latest ... 2 weeks ago
Alone, Alone. All, All Alone: Will it be a good or a bad thing, when humanity’s bright blue spacecraft is stricken by the civilisation-destroying problem of Climate Change, that no Huston Control will be standing-by to rescue the crew?“WE HAVE A PROBLEM, HUSTON.” These were the words used by the ...2 weeks ago
Divided Loyalties: Can the Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, be relied upon? That’s what the boys and girls at Foggy Bottom and the Pentagon needed to be reassured about. Because, from the perspective of Washington, it’s looking more and more like Jacinda Ardern and her Labour Party comrades are getting ready ...2 weeks ago
This handy Queer Theory Glossary is from thetranswidow.com In case you’ve had trouble keeping up with the spate of new queer theory terms, here’s a handy glossary for your reference. Queer – A straight person with an interesting haircut. Non-binary/genderqueer – A chubby young female, typically 16-28, who has ...2 weeks ago
The winter grazing issue is becoming a highly sensitised one that I hope will not become so politicised that it delays solutions and results in the suicides of some very stressed farmers.Winter grazing has hit the headlines after a determined campaign, including the release of a video of some very ...2 weeks ago
Opportunities to dodge tax are shrinking with the completion of a new tax agreement with Switzerland, Revenue Minister Stuart Nash announced today. Mr Nash and the Swiss Ambassador David Vogelsanger have today signed documents to update the double tax agreement (DTA). The previous DTA was signed in 1980. “Double tax ...2 weeks ago
West Papua solidarity activists met yesterday and resolved to call on the Prime Minister to step up to help resolve the escalating crisis in West Papua. ...10 hours ago
ANALYSIS: By David Robie Indonesia’s harsh policies towards West Papua ought to be scrapped. Whatever happened to the brief window of enlightenment ushered in by President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo in 2015 with promises of a more “open door” policy towards foreign journalists and human rights groups? They were supposed ...8 hours ago
The House - The grammar of being an MP is harder than you might think. MPs in Parliament choose their words with care, and it just got more complicated. ...9 hours ago
As a format it predates almost all reality TV, and that’s precisely why it works in 2019, writes Duncan Greive.There’s something deeply comforting about watching Celebrity Treasure Island. It is a very pure form of escapism, largely because it explicitly recalls a world without the internet, and before everything started ...11 hours ago
Residents in Los Angeles and Orange County warned to check for symptoms after an infected NZ teen visited theme parks including Disneyland and Universal Studios earlier this month.Californian health authorities have issued warnings to residents and visitors after a New Zealand teenager was found to have spent five days in ...14 hours ago
When you crave fresh, bright flavours but summer veges seem far away, throw together this simple salad.Growing up we often ate this salad, or one very similar to it. My mum is a fantastic cook and this dish is one she still makes to this day – though I must ...16 hours ago
Vana Manasiadis wrote a collection of poetry in the wake of her mother’s death. In this essay, ahead of her appearance at the Going West festival, she argues that as a nation Aotearoa needs to learn to make space for mourning. When Mum died in Athens, I cried loudly and publicly ...18 hours ago
The giant hand that captivated, delighted and disgusted the nation is now settling into its new Wellington home. For City Gallery Wellington’s blog, Spinoff arts editor Megan Dunn talked to Ronnie van Hout, the man who made Quasi.“Quasi is in the wrong place,” wrote art critic Warren Feeney in 2016, ...1 day ago
At school camp, the children are banned from having phones, laptops, lollies, chocolate, money, cotton clothing or independent thoughts. They, are, however, allowed home baking – but it’s gotta be hearty. How hearty are you? We are packing for a school camp. If you’re thinking that the middle of winter is ...2 days ago
Phil Goff’s rival has already pledged an 0800-Jacinda homeless hotline and an 18-lane harbour bridge. What’s next? The two most important people in the 2019 campaign for the Auckland mayoralty faced each other down on Wednesday night across the desk in the NZME debate: Bernard Orsman and Simon Wilson. Correction: it ...2 days ago
Split Level View Finder: Theo Schoon and New Zealand Art is the exhibition that sparked a protest over issues of cultural appropriation and institutional representation. Theo Schoon is a divisive historical figure. But is his art any good? Martin Patrick reviews.British novelist L.P. Hartley once wrote that “the past is ...2 days ago
Ahead of debuting her solo show at New Zealand Fashion Week, Korean-NZ couture designer Cecilia Kang talks about growing up ‘feminine’, being influenced by the LGBTQ+ community, and why an ‘administrative error’ at Fashion Week left her so shaken up. ‘I like something big,” says Cecilia Kang, gesturing to the giant ...2 days ago
The Labour Party is distancing itself from one of its members who is strongly pro-Beijing and has caused controversy in the Chinese community by standing for local office in Auckland. ...2 days ago
Faced with staff shortages, equipment failures, cancer risks, and a jump in critical calls that can leave them traumatised, some firefighters are wondering if it’s time to hang up the hose. Gareth Shute reports on the dissatisfaction inside Fire and Emergency New Zealand.The state of our nation’s fire service is ...2 days ago
“She comes over. You’re my mother, she says. Yes, I say. I don’t know you, she says”: a mother and child seaside story by Wellington author Jan Pryor. Photo by Peter Black. ...2 days ago
On Monday the government announced its new five-year strategy to reduce the Māori prison population. Emilie Rākete looks at another ‘kaupapa Māori’ prison initiative that degrades prisoners and asks if Corrections are capable of seeing it through.On August 19th, the Department of Corrections announced Hōkai Rangi, its new strategy intended ...2 days ago
By Michael Andrew The Indonesian media is contributing to resentment and racism toward Papuans, according to a human rights researcher and former journalist. Andreas Harsono of Human Rights Watch Jakarta told Pacific Media Watch many Indonesian journalists either view Papuans as enemy “separatists” or deviants and their reporting tends to convey these ...2 days ago
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Danilo Ignacio de Urzedo, PhD candidate, University of Sydney Record fires are raging in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest, with more than 2,500 fires currently burning. They are collectively emitting huge amounts of carbon, with smoke plumes visible thousands of kilometres away. Fires in ...2 days ago
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sean Docking, Post-doctoral researcher, La Trobe University Basketball fans around the world were recently sickened by the footage of NBA star Kevin Durant’s Achilles tendon rupturing during a game. But while many think it’s only elite athletes who suffer from Achilles tendon ...2 days ago
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bruce Mountain, Director, Victoria Energy Policy Centre, Victoria University The possibility of blackouts affecting half of Victoria has attracted plenty of attention to a document once read only by industry insiders and policy wonks: the Electricity Statement of Opportunities. The Statement, updated ...2 days ago
Internet freedom advocates have slammed the Government for proposing censorship of online gambling sites. ...2 days ago
George Clooney sold his tequila company for a billion dollars – but is the stuff any good? The Spinoff finds out. Imagine being so stupidly sexy you sneeze and sell a billion-dollar booze company. That’s what George Clooney did last year, flicking off the tequila business he started accidentally with an ...2 days ago
As Indonesia cracks down on protests in the disputed West Papua territory, the Government has declined to condemn the violence. ...2 days ago
Combatting internet-related harm is being stymied by inter-industry disagreement and a lack of information about the extent and nature of the problem, a new report says. ...2 days ago
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Harcourt, J.W. Nevile Fellow in Economics and host of The Airport Economist, UNSW Amid the tributes to former deputy prime minister Tim Fischer and the stories of his authenticity, courage and quirky interests – like trains and military history – what ...2 days ago
2 days ago
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gabriel Crowley, Adjunct Principal Research Fellow, James Cook University In February, about 600,000 cattle were killed by catastrophic flooding across north Queensland’s Carpentaria Gulf plains. The flood waters rose suddenly, forming a wall of water up to 70km wide. Record depths were ...2 days ago
Simon Day dined alone at Monique Fiso’s Wellington restaurant Hiakai, and discovered it was the perfect way to appreciate the meaning of this special food. “Would you like a few more minutes with your phone?” the waitress at Hiakai asked sympathetically as I mashed a final goodbye text to my wife ...2 days ago
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Willamson, Adjunct Senior Research Fellow, Monash University Australia’s gender pay gap is diminishing, says a new report, but some contributors to it seem harder to overcome than others. For me, the finding hit close to home. The report, by KPMG for ...2 days ago
Honey producer Comvita has confirmed a full year net loss of $27.7m with China market access restrictions and tougher regulations locally affecting the company's sales. ...3 days ago
James Elliott realises John Tamihere's uncosted bridge proposal wasn't actually a metaphor, but a fine example of 'folks is mighty generous with money what they ain’t got'. ...3 days ago
Fees for company directors are not keeping pace with their rising workload, according to a new survey. ...3 days ago
New Zealand teacher aides say their pay reflects an outdated idea of what they do. Elizabeth McLeod hears from four TAs, and one parent, about the classroom realities they face every dayCleaning up poo, defusing violent situations, copping physical and verbal abuse: these are the realities of a teacher aide’s ...3 days ago
The Warehouse Group has upgraded its full year profit expectations again. ...3 days ago
New Zealand-owned Kiwibank says it is winning more customers, demonstrated by a strong increase in deposits and lending. ...3 days ago
‘rawdon-ron’ strikes again..!
http://whoar.co.nz/2013/ed-heh-rawdon-ron-burgandy-christie-has-his-first-ron-burgandy-moment-of-the-day/
ed:..(heh..!..)..i have commented before how rawdon christie is such a ‘ron burgandy’..who has regular ‘ron burgandy’ moments/episodes..
..and he kicked off this morning with an early one..
..an ‘angry-ron’..
..where he stared down the lens and fulminated about those terrible people who go to the city mission xmas dinner and who..in rawdon-rons’ eyes..don’t deserve to be there..
..because they aren’t poor enough..
(cont..)
phillip ure..
From the world of bizarre
SAS soldier buy their own gear!!!!
ttp://www.stuff.co.nz/national/9524403/Soldiers-fend-for-themselves
They’re New Zealand’s fighting elite but when they go into action it’s with gear they’ve got themselves on-line because the Defence Force will not provide or doesn’t do so in time.
News photos of Special Air Service (SAS) soldiers in action over the streets of Afghanistan’s capital Kabul hid the fact that the lanyards stopping them from falling out of helicopters were paid for by the men themselves; online for $100 each.
Soldiers discovered there were not enough of charging handles – crucial to firing their weapons – so they paid $70 apiece to get their own.
I took it upon myself to buy some more,’’ the soldier said, saying he didn’t want to have to stop fighting to clear his eyes.
“The enemy don’t wait and I enjoy my eyesight.’’ He spent US$15000 (NZ$18,000) online to buy his own gear, including body armour, helicopter lanyards and safety boots. Other soldiers did the same.
Completely disgraceful……
it reminds me of the phrase about schools having enough money and the armed forces have to have a cake stall to buy guns.
only problem is while the soldiers dont have enough money now, neither, still, do the schools
Thanks dv for putting that up. A WTF moment.
Sorry my late reply as I’ve been a little bit busy with work and silly season drinks etc.
Old Phil needs too clam down a bit and be careful on what he say’s when opens his mouth as it may come back and bite him in his ass.
All Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen all over the world buy their own or swap gear because their Governments/ Bean counters and the Joe public want to do defence on the cheap. I can tell you from own time in Military the cheapest bidder (90% of the time) isn’t always the best option and as a result I’ve had to buy my own gear, in some cases make our gear such as Gun mounts etc., or using private funds (Social Club funds) or private donors to kit out our wagons when I was serving in the NZDF. (Royal New Zealand Armoured Corps 1993-1998). This was one of many reasons why I left NZ in 1998.
I now served in a foreign defence force and guess what I’ve had to go out buy my own gear here as well. In the last 15 years I’ve spent about 10K on kit from boots, webbing/ belt kits, packs and gas cookers etc. But it’s not as bad as our Kiwi cousins where they are still getting cheap and nasty kit from boots to some of the bigger gear like the OPV’s (which are 100ton over weight) and the RNZAF are still flying around in 50 year aircraft aka C-130 all because the Pollies and the NZ public want to do Defence cheap.
One last thing I’ve seen a report that NZDF are facing $22 Billion Capital Equipment Shortfall over the next 15- 20 years. Some of this Equipment shortfall could’ve sorted out back in the mid 90’s and all the way through to the last Labour Government. If the Equipment was replaced when it was meant to have happened the Capital Equipment Shortfall would be well under $10 Billion.
Have a Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year to everyone here at the Standard apart for those Tories as you lot are one of the reasons I NZ as well.
The Treasury says the Avatar deal is a turKey:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/9524275/Critical-eye-on-Avatar-deal
Crony capitalism at its worst. I guess that in an election year it looks sexier to subsidise Hollywood than the Independent Fisheries.
Or Treasury get it wrong…again
Well it would hardly be the 11th time would it?
or the government got it wrong again
and yet Bill English is championing its (treasury) forecasts this very day.
Sometimes Treasury actually get things right. It’s usually when they come up with a position contrary to that of National and Act. Amazing that eh? 😈
This is an interesting article about economists. It would seem to suggest that the policies followed by National and Act are contrary to what economists actually say and are actually a misunderstanding of economics. Not sure how much I agree with it as I’ve met too many economists who slavishly support NACTs policies.
“Mr English said that there was still a lot of work to do to make the forecasts a reality and the Government was this year still borrowing a net $78 million every week.
In dollar terms, net debt would peak at $64.5 billion in 2015-16.”
Xox
Seems Len Brown can ‘court’ as many as he likes. There is no accountability /authority to bring him into line, other than himself and the public at the next election! Sounds like a corrupt dictatorship is running our largest, out of Control city. This is not going to end well for NZ. This is a very serious mistake. Has Rodney Hyde moved the Gold yet?
If an investor pays up to 25% for a movie production, one would expect the investor would want around 25% of the revenue/profit the movie makes in sales, like cinema tickets, video disks, merchandise etc.
So is the NZ government an investor or are they simply paying for Cameron’s farm or Jackson’s next private plane without expecting a considerable, measurable return on their investment?
@ satty…
..the latter..
phillip ure..
phillip u
Business doesn’t believe in its own bullshit, or rather that of the theorists it employs whose ideas it deigns to notice, and the idea they don’t believe in is that real businesses don’t have subsidies.
It’s only silly little NZ leaders and pollies who actually listen and act on those fanciful economic theories, or have followed them in the past. Now we are confronted with business as it is operated or as it might be called Realbuzinezz.
And we are paying out some good 5% seed money and withholding our 15% Gst tax to get some good business. It’s a compromise we are willing to make. So let all you purists out there who would rather starve to death than put out a begging bowl find your own way to salvation.
@ greywarbler:..i think the point being made/question being asked by satty ..(which i was responding to..)
..is if we are doling out these squillions to squillionaire movie-makers..
..why aren’t we doing deals where that money is an investment..?..where the govt gets a return on that investment..if the film is a success..
..a question which in the case of avatar..is academic..
..i don’t think anyone would argue against the benefits of the movies being made here..
..it is the execution/direction that is being questioned..
..that just hand over fist spilling of squillions…
..with no return on that money..
..as satty asked..yes..it is pure cream/profit for them..
..to be trousered/to pay for new moats..
..and the like..
..it could all be done so much better..for nz..
..phillip ure..
Well yes that’s a point phillip u – we should be getting some return. I know – form a private public partnership with the film company and have a minority shareholding but get some of the returns. Brilliant.
I am so good. Me for Finance Minister. Probably couldn’t do much worse. Except I don’t know how to run a country that is borrowing money all the time and yet says that’s the right way and Labour are a bunch of dreebs. (I warn you that’s going to be my favourite word next year. I understand geeks has gone mainstream and I want a word that pings with condescension.)
cos Mr key would rather gamble on the intanglibl return of “tourism” than actually have some more certainty from having a piece of the film… anyway Warner Bros would have laughed and told him to PO. if he had asked. They are trying to save money not give away profit.
Xox
Seems Len Brown can ‘court’ as many as he likes. There is no accountability /authority to bring him into line, other than himself and the public at the next election! Sounds like a corrupt dictatorship is running our largest, out of Control city. This is not going to end well for NZ. This is a very serious mistake. Has Rodney Hyde moved to the Gold Coast yet?
hides’/the rights’ masterplan was that banks would have all of this unassailable-power..
..that was a close-one..
..phillip ure..
http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/comment/editorials/9523771/Editorial-Referendums-a-waste-of-money
– A well written piece that gets to the nub of the issue
editorials – anonymous wastes of time
unless it suits you.
I guess it’s the perpetual problem though. The line between allowing an elected government to run the country and allowing people an opportunity to strongly object to something. I believe parties ought to declare their interest in coalitions with other parties prior to an election. Voters have the right to know with whom their vote will be bedded. It would certainly strengthen the “we have a mandate” idea.
As I have stated many times if people who didn’t want assets sold voted for National then we got what they deserved. There was NO doubt in my mind that if National were able to they would form a government with anyone who would let them sell assets. For that reason I agree the time to object was in 2008 and 2011.
I am not a fan of binding CIR’s because of the s59a CIR which was so full of deceptions and misleading information. People rely so heavily on those who get printed int he media or who can get postal pamphlets printed to get their information from and so much of it was misleading. Unless and until we have honesty out of the mouths of the politicians and lobbysist and the media who delve before printing press releases, CIR’s are up for hijack.
Politicians are up for hijack. Fixed it for you!
You really think people are that thick, don’t you.
So thick that we should leave important decisions, about all our lives, to 20 or so politicians. Politicians FFS. Politicians that should have their sponsors names on their shirts.
And. Just because, you, or I, individually objected to the results of one referendum, does not invalidate the concept of democracy.
The changes to the bill, which resulted from the concerns many expressed in the lead up to the referendum, improved it greatly. Sent the politicians back to the drawing board.
Why have voting at all. We could just leave everything up to our “wise” choke, politicians.
Worse.
A very media coup of the duly elected Mayor of Auckland. Brown wasn’t going to lose,
so the right made a decision, a choice, between weakening him before the election or
after. Weakening him before would have be the ethical choice and made a stronger
Auckland, and so little power, but weakening him afterwards, led by media, clearly
undermines the will of Auckland. Councilers want seats at the independant Mayor
table! Something they would never had gotten either way, returned or not, had
Brown’s transgressions been brought out before his re-election. And guess what, the
right made such a strong Mayor! designed the system that way! And backed Banks, who
they should have dropped for his failure and not forced him on ACT. But hey, like
voters didn’t know Banks was extreme right, maybe the right would not have so much
trouble had Key pushed moderate right candidates rather than extreme ACT child
passport grave robbers, and what helicopter its no cabbage boat, or perk buster
busted. With company like this no wonder Key’s teflon has gone missing.
Bennett gazumped. CC finds candidate, so political alike as Bennett, but half the
size, to run in North Harbor, insuring National voters a clear choice of one.
Bennett will get listed into pariament, and North Habor will vote in the religious
party into power. North Harbor next Epson! Well unless voters get fedup being pushed
to the right, leaky moldy right wingers. Its possible to be played, sure, but will
some moderate National voters vomit less voting Labour in the seat, instead of
extreme right Nat/CC. If you vote Bennett, why wouldn’t you vote CC instead and get
Key over the line possibly, but of course that’s if you wanted to vote CC and be
played by CC. Its not about serving the voters, its about power plays to get the
rightwing cabal over the line. Desperate
“CC finds candidate, so political alike as Bennett, but half the size …”
Are we really reduced to making snide references to Paula Bennett’s weight?
Note: They are happy to throw progressives a few bones in the form of laws which don’t really cost anything. or seriously change things.
Changing the law doesn’t cost. Increasing parental education and support, does!
The sneaky cutting of funds to child mental health services, for just one example, is very obvious to us.
Watch them ignore it, if we had a referendum on changing the underlying causes of child poverty in NZ. Something which, will, like stopping asset sales, cost NACT’s sponsors money.
There was an hilarious letter in the letters column just below the editorial in the Dom/Post today.
The heading above the letter was “Helen Clark would’ve heeded the result”.
After a general whinge against John Key, saying he would plough on with asset sales, that he was telling New Zealanders their opinions don’t count, etc, etc, etc he then drifted of into a patch of inspired lunacy.
He said “By contrast, it’s my feeling that the way former prime minister Helen Clark, for example, might have handled a result that she was personally opposed to would have been to have the decency to say: “It’s not the result I personally believe is best for New Zealand, but we’re a democracy, and I respect the will pf the people. Asset sales will stop for now, but we welcome further discussion on this topic”. That’s the kind of leader I want”.
Is there anyone out there in the Blogosphere who also resides in the letter writer’s strange fantasy world where Parliament must have 99 MPs and the “anti-smacking” bill was repealed?
Not sure she would have plowed through with the same “Damn the torpedos!” attitude and two fingered salute to the NZ electorate the way Key has.
With any policy that was controversial or of national importance, she worked with the opposition to reach a consensus. Examples being the Free Trade agreement with China, and the Crimes (Substituted Section 59) Amendment Act 2007.
Also, I dont think Cullen would have let her enagage in such financial idiocy in the first place, so the question is moot.
It is strange though, every step along the way Key has said they would only sell if they got a good price. And it has been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt by the opposition, treasury, as well as independant economists that from a financial point of view, the sales will leave the government books in a worse position, and lead to higher power rises, which have knock on effects for businesses with increasing overhead, as well as more strain on the health system as more people struggle to heat their homes in the winter.
It is also very clear that the cabinet are very aware of the damage to the government books, wider economy and society.
Another thing that has not been mentioned very often is the huge missed opportunity for New Zealand small businesses.
Stock markets over the past few years have been running hot, primarily with printed money looking for actual businesses and assets to invest in.
It’s has been the perfect time for startups that have found their market, and have a good business model to float for capital and expand.
If you are a New Zealand company that was looking at an IPO; the government just ate your lunch.
And not just a bite, they ate the fucking lot.
KiwiSaver Costs, ‘cheap as chips’?
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11173368
or another political hot-dog…
Not sure why they framed it as “Govt blows $5b on KiwiSaver in five years”.
That money is a down-payment on peoples retirement, and in the mean time is invested. Be nice if there was a requirement for all Kiwisaver funds to be reinvested in the New Zealand economy. In any case, it’s has not been wasted.
It’s not as if they actually got a few billion dollars in a big pile and just torched it, they way they have with the sale of New Zealands public utilities.
Perhaps we should describe the KiwiSaver scheme in something along these lines.
“KiwiSaver is a means of returning to the taxpayer some of the excessive tax levies that have been imposed on them. It is a means of allowing the normal citizen a means of choose where their retirement savings should be invested rather than having it done by an overarching state bureaucracy”.
There that would get all the National voters in favour of it and all the Labour supporters demanding that it be abolished.
The problem of forcing all the funds to be invested solely in New Zealand is that you can’t get the spread of investments that reduce risk. It is something that the Greens in particular don’t understand. They wanted to print money to restock the earthquake repair reserves and then to invest that money in New Zealand.
Similarly the Labour party seem to want to start an insurance company that will operate only in New Zealand
I would agree with you if it gets invested in the same industry within New Zealand, or if the entire New Zealand economy gets wiped off the face of the earth – Which is much more likely under a National Government (or the 4th Labour Govt – wankers).
With regard to the redistribution of tax, I imagine the rump of the National Party would be opposed to it on ideological grounds. Mind you, my dad likes Kiwisaver – and he worships the ground Roger Douglas walks on – his reasoning is that there are so many stupid people out there, that if the Govt didn’t do something to ensure they helped themselves he’s have to pay to support the lazy bludgers in the end anyway.
I think the Labour Partys Insurance thing is a good idea, but its hardly an amazing, “wow”, kinda policy.
Introduce into the market a company that is required to re-insure to appropriate levels and doesn’t make excessive profits to keep the rest of the buggers from taking the piss. And any profits stay in NZ Same principle as KiwiBank
It’s not rocket surgery.
The Greens paper detailing QE through earthquake bonds, was actually a well thought out idea, for that particular place and time.
It would have reduced borrowing, kicked inflation up a couple of points when it had completely flatlined due to zero demand, stabilised the exchange rate, resulted in a much better balance of payments, and saved some, if not a significant number of the 40,000 manufacturing jobs that went to the wall over that 12 month period.
The “sky is falling” reaction to Dr Normans paper was quite bizaare as it was obvious that most people didnt read it, and really didn’t understand the principles behind it.
It would have been nice if there had been at least a rational, reality based conversation about it.
Instead, we borrowed a shitload of money that someone else printed.
We got higher government debt, inflation (and demand) remained flatlined, manufacturers and exporters (along with 10’s of thousands of jobs) went to the wall, and our balance of payments got worse.
Result! Good work Mr English.
If you want examples of utter fiscal incompetence, you need look no further than the current government.
Hmm. I won’t get into a catfight with you over which party is the worst economic manager. Let’s just agree to disagree.
The description of KiwiSaver I offered was just a lighthearted attempt to describe it in such a way that both sides of politics might reflexively take the opposite line to their normal one.
If you are going to set up an insurance company that only operates in New Zealand you would have to reinsure almost all the house and contents cover overseas. Surely that would be accomplished most easily by having the insurance offered by multinationals that are inherently globally spread. Why bring in a middleman? As for a KiwiAssure being somehow “better” and “fairer” etc than an overseas version? Well you are aware that KiwiBank are under the gun for the unfair fees they have been accused of charging, aren’t you?
As far as the Earthquake fund goes. It is a long time since I looked at it but if my memory serves me they wanted to invest the fund in New Zealand. That is absolutely insane. If you ever needed the money, after another earthquake in Wellington say, it would be exactly the time that you didn’t have the werewithal to sell assets and use the funds to pay out on the earthquake damage. A good chunk of the assets would have been destroyed and would need replacing themselves. If you think you can simply print money and invest it overseas than you have a great deal more faith in the cupidity of International bankers than I do. I may have forgotten the details of Norman’s proposal of course but I do remember thinking that what he was suggesting would only lead to inflation. That may have been what he wanted of course. It gives you a good opportunity to claim that people have made (fake) capital gains and to tax the hell out of them.
it’s ok, English is setting himself for a lolly scramble in election year with veiled comments about tax cuts… and no mention of the 65b government debt despite this from English
“Now it’s time to pay down debt and get our books in order.” English 2013
“Questions for oral answer
Content provider
House of Representatives
Information
Date:
2 July 2013
Metadata
Related documents
Parliamentary Debates (Hansard) for Tuesday, 2 July 2013
6. State-owned Assets, Sales—Purpose and Use of Proceeds
[Sitting date: 02 July 2013. Volume:691;Page:11416. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]
6. Hon DAVID PARKER (Labour) to the Minister of Finance: Are the proceeds from selling power companies and other assets being used to pay down debt, to build schools and hospitals, to fund irrigation projects, to rebuild Christchurch, or to fund Auckland transport projects?
Hon BILL ENGLISH (Minister of Finance) : The Government has been clear that the proceeds of the share offer programme will be used to buy a variety of new public assets and will help the Government avoid having to borrow to procure those assets. The Future Investment Fund was outlined in Budget 2012 and further details were provided in Budget 2013. The purpose of that fund is to ensure complete transparency about the spending of the proceeds from asset sales. The Budget confirmed another $1.5 billion of these proceeds will be invested in schools, Christchurch hospitals, KiwiRail, and irrigation projects. However, the share offer proceeds are only a proportion of the Government’s overall new capital spending.
Hon David Parker : Does he agree with John Key that asset sales are necessary to “avoid a credit downgrade”, or does he agree with Tony Ryall that asset sales are necessary to pay down debt, or does he agree with another John Key that asset sales would be used to build new schools and hospitals, or does he agree with Nathan Guy that money would be used to subsidise irrigation on multimillion-dollar farms, or does he agree with Gerry Brownlee that asset sales money be used to rebuild Christchurch, or does he agree with yet another John Key that asset sales will fund the Auckland rail link?
Hon BILL ENGLISH : Yes.
Hon David Parker : How much funding has already been allocated for spending from asset sales via the Future Investment Fund, and how much has actually been raised for the Future Investment Fund from asset sales to date?
Hon BILL ENGLISH : The details of that are set out in the Budget, but, as the member will be aware, the Government’s programme hopes to realise between $5 billion and $7 billion, which is, actually, quite a lot of money. I would have to say that that $5 billion to $7 billion is much more useful as cash than it is as 49 percent shares in electricity companies owned by the Government.
Hon David Parker : I seek leave to table documents showing that $1.7 billion has so far been raised—
Mr SPEAKER : What is the source of the document?
Hon David Parker : There is a combination of documents: the National Party manifesto and Treasury documents.
Mr SPEAKER : No, both are freely available to members if they so want it. Has the member got a supplementary question?
Hon David Parker : Yes. Why does he continue to claim asset sales will reduce debt when Treasury—his own department—states that from 2017 the Crown is worse off to the tune of $50 million a year, growing to $100 million a year worse off because of asset sales thereafter?
Hon BILL ENGLISH : We do not claim it will reduce debt. What we have said it will mean is that the Crown does not have to go and borrow the money from overseas bankers. We have never understood why Labour and the Greens would rather borrow money from offshore bankers than get the money from New Zealanders who want to invest in a large New Zealand company.
Hon David Parker : Has he been advised that in January 2011 John Key said the Government needed to sell power companies and other State assets to avoid a credit downgrade; if so, is he aware that 8 months later New Zealand was downgraded by both Standard and Poor’s and Fitch Ratings?
Hon BILL ENGLISH : Yes, I am aware of those things. I am also aware that the sale of the assets means that 49 percent of the ownership has gone largely to New Zealanders but also to some offshore investors. In return for that, they have put cash in the Government’s bank account. I know it is profoundly irritating to the Labour Party, but we are able to use that cash to buy new public assets. The public is starting to understand that Labour’s arguments against the asset sales were poorly conceived and wrong.”
I recall when cullen did this in 2008 it was “lolly scramble”
” English told reporters at the Treasury lockup today that tax cuts were “unlikely” next year, although the $1b of ACC cuts in the pipeline are a proxy for that.
But they surely cannot be ruled out longer term, though he is not about to get ahead of himself, or blow a powerful political weapon for the next campaign by signalling them this early.
Next year, though, a contingent promise of tax cuts – at the least a move on the thresholds to counter the “fiscal creep” that pushes taxpayers into higher tax brackets – must at least be an option on these numbers.” English 2013
“National Party Finance spokesman Bill English says if Michael Cullen is not planning an election year spend-a-thon, why did Helen Clark say ‘it has taken a while to build up the kitty for a substantial tax package’?
He is responding to a speech today in which the Finance Minister referred to Labour’s laughable claim that it is maintaining a ‘tight fiscal stance’ and the statement that there will be no ‘lolly scramble’ in election year.
“Dr Cullen has presided over the biggest spending Government in New Zealand history. Labour’s spending has consistently outstripped economic growth, productivity growth has slumped, and Kiwis have been leaving for Australia in droves.
“It has taken Dr Cullen eight years to start thinking about refunding some of the money he has taken from hard-working Kiwis through over-taxation.Â
“In the last Budget he signed off on some $4 billion in total of over-spending, even though he warned his colleagues that not sticking to their limit would keep interest rates higher for longer.
“Kiwi households are paying for Labour’s last lolly scramble, with interest rates which are among the highest in the developed world, coupled with rates that put us in the top half of the OECD for being overtaxed.”
The ANZ makes it clear in its latest Market Focus newsletter that ‘the biggest losers in an inflationary environment are middle to low income households’.” English 2007
Hone was very good on Morning Report this morning, a stark contrast to Key’s whining.
Key really doesn’t get the Mandela/anti-Apartheid thing. Not only does he take a delegation of largely pro-tour representatives (Sharples, late in the day, claiming he was there to represent the protesters, though nobody can remember him protesting) to SA but he then slags off Hone Harawira, who everyone accepts did lead protests, for attending several memorial services and Mandela shrines/museums, in a trip undertaken for the express purpose of representing the protesters.
I’ve never thought Key was much of a politician, or much of a charmer for that matter, but he is really digging himself into a hole here.
That’s because he likely has given the issue literally, no moral thought. Not the issue of the South Africa trip; the issue of apartheid and the oppression of the majority by a small minority. It’s what he does every day, for goodness sakes.
CV +1
“I’ve never thought Key was much of a politician, or much of a charmer for that matter, but he is really digging himself into a hole here.”
Actually if you looked at the comments on stuff when it was first announced that Hone was going to go, there was a huge anti-Hone backlash.
If those people are representative of middle NZ, then Key slamming Hone, for absolutely anything Hone does except turn water into wine, is a vote-winner for him.
You’re onto it there Lanthanide.
Key is simply doing a Brash and tapping into the swathe of kiwis who will support anything to put Maori “in their place”.
Key is an outright racist for this.
edit: actually, not quite onto it lanth. your assumption that this reflects “middle” is out there
I don’t assume it. I said “if those…”
Having grown up in middle class pakeha Auckland, it’s representative of a lot more than I think most people realise.
And that’s not even considering the uneducated rednecks.
@ Lanthanide(8.2), VTO(8.2.1) and Naturesong(8.2.1.2)
Oh that sounds like it might be horribly accurate what you both say 🙁
…perhaps I might exchange ‘political institutions’ for ‘political spin’ or ‘dogwhistles’ and I think this following quote of Rousseau sums up my views on the attitudes of the group of NZers you speak of.
Its truly deeply saddening if what you say is correct.
🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁
A ‘Jolly’, so says Slippery the Prime Minister of Mana Party leader Hone Harawira’s trip to the funeral of Nelson Mandela,
Whining that Harawira wasn’t part of the ‘official party’ and therefor should not have gone to the funeral in South Africa would seem on the surface to be from the PM a simple attempt at diversion, the diversion from what can only be described as an atrocious display from Slippery the PM and the British Prime Minister David Cameron as they were photographed at the ‘official service’ for Mandela laughing uproariously,
No matter what any of us think of Nelson Mandela, He is respected the world over as one of the ‘great’ Statesmen of our age and for the Prime Minister of New Zealand to be publicly seen to be making ‘light’ of the official funeral service for leaders from across the whole world, giving the gravity of the service the air of a mere scherzando, a joke, shows our Prime Minister as unfit to hold this office,
Far from being asked to explain His actions during the approved trip by the House Speaker, Harawira should be applauded for attending services including a private ceremony at the Mandela House, the Speaker should be writing to Slippery the PM asking why He felt the need to breach the Parliamentary Convention that Members do not comment on other Members absence from the Parliament as this is a Privelege reserved entirely to the House Speaker,
What tho is exercising Slippery’s sphincter this early on in the week after the Parliament has risen for the year, did the ‘spin-meisters’ on the ninth floor give Him the message that every time He attacks the Green Party, far from the desired effect, they go up in the polls,
Or did the latest round of National Party internal polling give the PM’s arse muscle cause to tighten in such a painful manner that His vocal chords began a litany in the language of the ‘Clown’ as they exposed for the PM ‘the elephant in the room’ in the form of Mana having enough support to bring into the next Parliament the form of John Minto on the Party List…
i think a lot of people would like to see john minto in parliament..
..y’see..he has this record of being on the right side of history..eh..?
..phillip ure..
Not nearly enough to get him there though Phil.
Mana got 24,168 votes in the end. To get Minto into Parliament, assuming that all the other parties got the same number of votes as they did at the election, Mana would have had to have got 45,810 votes. They only got about half the number they needed.
But they have a much better shot at it in the upcoming election. Remember 2011 was the first election Mana had contested.
It’s possible although the polls don’t seem to point that way. Three seats needs about 2.3% of the vote and I haven’t seen any polls giving Mana a figure that high.
If Labour run Kelvin Davis against Hone though it might all be moot as Hone might be beaten.
@alwyn..also the media ignored harawira last time..
..that wont happen next time..
..plus the poverty-fighting policies etc of mana (and the do-something-about-it!-imperatives are much more urgent than they were last time..
..plus the disintergration of the maori party is almost complete..
..and again..this was not the case last time around..
..so mana doubling their vote (at the very least)..
..and thus getting minto in as an mp..
..is eminently do-able..
..and as an aside.. personally..i reckon one of the few good things to come from the death of nelson mandela..
..has been what i see as the seachange in attitude of many mainstream nz’ers/media towards minto and the other demonstrators against apartheid..
..what has been bought sharply into their focus..is how they..(not the muldoons/bolgers/mckinnons/keys)..were on the right side of history..and on the right side of right/wrong..
..and how in the grand new zealand scheme of things..
..for their moral courage/convictions..
..minto et.al are their generations’ heroes..warriors even..
..they were all standing on the right side of history..
..and on the right side of that right/wrong divide..
..phillip ure..
Not sure about the sea change.
The media in New Zealand defaults toward advertising, and if giving the National Party a bit of a stir every now and again sells a few papers, they are happy to do so. It also allows them to say “look, we’re unbiased – see, we really took it to John Key on that social issue”.
I had expected the honeymoon to end when John Key had jack booted thugs charge into the herald offices at the last election.
But for the editors, and owners of New Zealands mainstream media organisations Upton Sinclair comes to mind
And for the rump of the National Party, Carl Sagan
Speaking of Minto and Mandela, here’s a (typically) excellent audio comment by Wayne Brittenden (Nat Rad, Sunday Morning, 15 Dec 2013 11:36am) on Obama living up to his own soaring rhetoric at Mandela’s funeral.
Here: http://www.radionz.co.nz/audio/player/2579951
This is an excerpt form 1:24 – 3:19: “Obama also spoke of the great inspiration of Mandela, the importance of inclusion, generosity and truth, the power of action and of taking risks. The (US) President has the perfect opportunity for promoting those values by taking a tough stand against another State practising a form of Apartheid – an ally, Israel. Even South Africa’s Apartheid never built a Wall – twice the height of the Berlin one, complete with sniper-posts and checkpoints limiting free Palestinian movement and economic development. There are even buses and roads that are segregated. The World rose up against the injustices in South Africa – it has yet to do the same against the long-standing injustices in Gaza and on the West Bank.
Exactly 13 years ago, Nelson Mandela attended the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian people and called for their self-determination and statehood. He said that his own people’s freedom was incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians…….The truth is Israeli-style Apartheid wouldn’t be possible without the immense political and economic backing of the US. What better way then for Obama to honour the memory of the man he so deeply admired than by slashing the 3 Billion dollars that the US gives Israel each year in military aid, along with the caterpillars that demolish houses, water supplies and Olive Orchards.”
Wayne Brittenden
gets my vote for taking over from Chris Laidlaw.
A little bit on him from Paper Plus he has written a book on NZ Theatre)
Biography
Wayne Brittenden is a New Zealand journalist who has worked overseas for most of his career. A former National Radio correspondent in Tokyo, he later worked for the BBC and now works as an independent documentary maker, based in London. He has done extensive research in New Zealand for this book.
Then there is something interesting about him near the end of page on Wikipedia about Political Compass.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_compass
Cheers, greywarbler. I’ve sat the Political Compass test myself (Left and Liberal, as it turns out). But I had no idea Wayne Brittenden was behind it !
On the SA Apartheid / Israeli Apartheid comparisons, I’d say that, if anything, Brittenden doesn’t quite go far enough. For a start, the most important point about the so-called ‘Separation Wall’ is surely that Israel has built it DEEP inside Palestinian territory, to act as a defacto future border – completely and utterly in contravention of International Law.
And, it’s a little to mild to say “There are even buses and roads that are segregated.” Israel has constructed a whole series of Jewish Settler-only Highways throughout the Palestinian West Bank (as part of its ethnic-cleansing and land-appropriation goals). So, it’s systematic segregation throughout the Occupied Territories on land, water resources, building and so on.
But, it’s the ethnic cleansing itself that bears a striking resemblance to the latter stages of SA Apartheid – the same attempt to force the occupied/oppressed population into small Bantustan-style enclaves, thus enforcing dispossession.
Israel sounds Fascist. Would you define it as being in that part of the political scene?
And idle curiosity. Is Swordfish chosen because of thinking about an old type of plane? I saw a mention of one in a photo history of WW2.
Well, you know, greywarbler, the Zionism on which Israel was established derives from precisely the same deeply reactionary, anti-Enlightenment ideological mix that so inspired the Nazis. Namely, German Imperialism and East-Central European Romantic Nationalism. ‘Blut und Bone’.
Zionism’s always been, first and foremost, about ethnically-cleansing the Palestinians in order to carve-out an overwhelmingly Jewish (they’d prefer ENTIRELY Jewish) ‘Greater Israel’. Much like the Nazis wanted an entirely German, ethnically-cleansed, Eastern Europe (and Ukraine, Belorussia and Baltic States).
And, of course, the Israeli Right were openly fascist during the first half of 20C. (Jabotinsky’s Revisionist movement – which included future Israeli PMs Shamir and Begin). Not that I’m suggesting the Israeli Labour Party is much better. The differences across the mainstream Israeli political spectrum are far more marginal (particularly with respect to aims and strategies in the Occupied Territories) than a lot of people in the West would like to think.
Bad mistake for Labour Party people here to assume its entirely the fault of Lukid and its allies (although, pleasingly, very few do these days). In fact, in some ways, the Israeli Lab Party’s been worse. Throughout the so-called ‘Peace-Process’ of the 1990s, for instance, both Labour and Lukid governments alike massively expanded their illegal network of Jewish Settler-only Highways throughout the West Bank. And the supposedly “dovish” Labour Party under first Rabin and then Peres, have an even worse record than Lukid in that regard.
Swordfish. No, I’m something of a Tom Waits fan and I’ve always particularly liked his 1983 stand-out album ‘Swordfishtrombones’. But, I’m also a bit of a lazy bugger, at least to the extent that, after writing “swordfish”, I just couldn’t be arsed typing out the rest of the name. Sad but true.
But, yeah, I do have a vague idea that the swordfish was a British Naval aircraft during WW2.
Also known as the stringbag because it was a biplane. Top speed was something like 90mph. But it did some very nasty damage to the Italian fleet at ? Taranto.
So I heard, with a good headwind, Italian battleships could outrun them. Played a major role in disabling the Bismarck.
Good album too.
I can’t for the life of me figure out why Key has launched this broadside at Harawira. Probably it boils down to nothing more than his ego is bruised by being laughed about as the ‘unidentified guest’ at Cameron’s side and he wants to create a bit of a diversion. Such are the weighty issues of moment on Planet Key.
See my reply at 8.2: /open-mike-17122013/#comment-746327
because he suspects swing voters are anti-Maori?
and yet not one word against Mr Bank’s behaviour.
Didn’t even read the Banks report!!!
“Far from being asked to explain His actions during the approved trip by the House Speaker, Harawira should be applauded for attending services including a private ceremony at the Mandela House, the Speaker should be writing to Slippery the PM asking why He felt the need to breach the Parliamentary Convention that Members do not comment on other Members absence from the Parliament as this is a Privelege reserved entirely to the House Speaker”………….
Indeed Harawira should be applauded. He did the right thing and in the right spirit. Key knows nothing of mana and nothing of the heart and just saw a cheap opportunity to be divisive and wanky.
Key has shot to buffoon level 10 for his tacky comments.
Perhaps you could ask the same question of Winston Peters and some of the Labour MPs. They quite happily pont out in Question time that Key is never there on a Thursday. No Prime Minister, or Leader of the Opposition does attend on Thursday of course, at least in the last 20 years, but it doesn’t stop the Opposition rabbiting on of course.
alwyn, the assertion you make here has all the appearnce of an out-right LIE, Slippery the Prime Minister is also well known for this type of conversation,
Provide us the proof of the assertion you make…
I’ll track down the reference after you do the following.
Provide us with the proof that John Key has pointed out that a member of the opposition was absent from the house.
I don’t feel like bothering to justify my comments to someone who makes unsubstantiated statements of his/her own.
Bullshit. You’re making the claim. Back it up.
Yesterday, as reported on Stuff.
As quoted in the article, Key says the same in the accompanying video:
I watch Question time quite a lot. I’ve never heard opposition MPs comment about Key’s absence from the House on Thursdays.
I’ve seen non-Mp commenters here comment on it.
Maybe they have, maybe they haven’t.
I don;t really give a shit.
Key brought this up. It’s a fight he wanted to start for some reason.
Go read kiwiblog comments on it and you’ll see why.
Flat out racist dog whistle. “The lazy Maori, who does he think he is? How dare he be right”
You will note that the statement made by Rosie. It said that “the speaker should be writing to the PM asking why he felt the need to breach the Parliamentary convention etc, etc”. The Parliamentary convention she is referring to one of the Rules of the House and relates to what a member can say in the chamber. It has nothing whatsoever to do with what any member says outside the house. If the Rules of the House applied to everything a member said in all circumstances we wouldn’t have any of them left.
So no, your quotation doesn’t answer what I am asking for.
Actually Winston’s complaint, as I remember it, was when he complained about the Government transferring a question to another Minister so that John Key could avoid being in Parliament that day.
I am not sure whether I should feel sorry for you or congratulate you on your bravery for wathching Question time. I generally read it through but I don’t think I could take watching it.
In terms of being in the House on Thursday, no PM or Leader of the Opposition is ever there. John Key isn’t and Helen Clark wasn’t. Neither were the various Leaders of the Opposition on both sides.
If you read QT as thouroughly as you read this thread then it’s little wonder you have no idea who is saying what in the house.
In terms of being in the House on Thursday, no PM or Leader of the Opposition is ever there. John Key isn’t and Helen Clark wasn’t. Neither were the various Leaders of the Opposition on both sides.
FFS, we all know that, and it has nothing to do with the issue.
Winnie’s complaint sounds like ones he would make about Key deliberately dodging answering questions in the House. Key does that one slippery way or another. It’s not the same as being critical of someone not being in the House.
LOL. The statement was made by bad12. I was quoting him. Theres two parts to that statement. One is about applauding Hone for being in S.A, the second about Shoneky inappropriately raising Hone’s absence in parliament (in a mocking way – those 4 words are mine)
My main response was around Hone doing the right thing. I had a swipe at Key, as an aside.
My comment is a mere agreement with bad12 who went to the bother to thoughtfully reflect on shonkey’s lack of parliamentary protocol and general desperation which manifests in his petty outbursts.
+1 Rosie (9.4)
+100 …Good on Harawira for going to South Africa as NZ’s real representative !
( Harawira puts John Key to shame ….and Key’s false wannabe pretenders hangers on…NZ’s shame! contingent )
….and GO GREENS for also showing up Key and his moribund NACT Party…and getting under Key’s skin ….
Something in the polling has scared John Key . The prospect of Mana MP’s and Labour party vote in all the Maori seats? This feels a lot like the attacks on Winston Peters before the 2008 election. Trying to tie Hone up in a negative fight and maybe even cost him large lawyer’s fees.
So congrats Hone, Nact see you as a real threat.
The ‘unidentified guest’ at the Mandela memorial service used the term ‘jollies’ in referring to Speaker approved pilgrimage of Hone Harawira MP. The latter represented the spirit of anti-apartheid New Zealanders in places of spiritual significance while the former took his pro-racist ex MP/PM stooges to the forum of the grand-standers to joke with his mate Dave. Once again, John Key has resorted to Textor Crosby type smear lines when he has been upstaged by a person who often demonstrates the sort of statesmanship that the petulant Prime Minister is never likely to attain.
[deleted]
[lprent: Already banned. Another IP for autospam. ]
[deleted]
[lprent: Already banned. Another IP for autospam. ]
Please Fair Observer do stand for the mayoralty of wherever you are or even as councillor.
NZ needs exemplary people like you counting the cents, and checking on the cleanliness of toilets, and phoning all the homes of fellow dignitaries to see if they are home and tucked up in bed (with their own spouses) by 10 pm. We need people who have high moral energy to get a good night’s sleep ready to attend to the duties of their office and who keep their orifices clean as well.
You are wasted as someone just sitting sniping at the miscreants. There’s a saying that if you want a job done properly, do it yourself – it’s just so right. Creeping corruption must be dealt with and you’re the person to do it.
And yet he will win the next mayoral election. And the one after that and the one after that …
Would you be pleased with such an outcome? Why?
Would prefer Penny Hulse. Her attempts to work on affordable housing and her voting record against SkyCity would give her my vote. Have my fingers crossed that Len will stand down next election and she will step up to the plate.
I will be watching to see how Hulse performs at the Thursday public meeting. The problem is that she also needs to draw in campaign funds & the usual way to do that is to
suck upappeal to some of those who lean more to “neoliberalism”.Hulse always comes across well (as caring for the less well off, etc) in interviews/panel discussions.
She also gets actual work done.
And seems to take the job of representing her constituents seriously.
Perhaps you missed this Karol?
24 June 2013
‘Open Letter’ from Auckland Mayoral candidate Penny Bright to Deputy Mayor Penny Hulse:
“Are you a genuine community advocate or corporate /property developer MOUTH PIECE?”
Dear Deputy Mayor Penny Hulse,
In the 2010 Auckland Council election, you stood as an ‘Independent’, and quoted the following glowing endorsement from Sir Ron Carter, about your ‘commitment and ability to look after business interests’ :
http://www.elections2010.co.nz/2010/candidates/penny-hulse
Commercial Activities
I think the endorsement of my campaign for Auckland Council by Sir Ron Carter speaks volumes about my commitment and ability to look after business interests. Ron says “Our city needs Councillors who will apply their knowledge and experience for the good of all. A great Council team will be built from those who respect and commit to each other. Penny’s wisdom and consensus style will help create a Council for all Aucklanders. We need her on our Council.”
Who is Sir Ron Carter:
In 2010 – Sir Ron Carter was the Chair of the Committee for Auckland:
http://www.unitec.ac.nz/news-events/ftf/unitec-forum-for-the-future-2010.cfm
Session 1, July 20th – Why? – What’s the case for creating a super city? Why do we need to change regional governance structures to do so?
Panelists:
Peter Salmon, Chairman of the Royal Commission on Auckland Governance,
Bob Harvey, Waitakere City Mayor, and
Sir Ron Carter, Committee for Auckland Chairman.
_____________________________________________________________________
Who are the Committee for Auckland:
http://www.committeeforauckland.co.nz/
“Our vision: Auckland as a global city.
In 2013 we will be an influential voice for all of Auckland, creating cross-sectoral solutions to the city’s issues andfocusing on a future beyond the electoral cycle helping New Zealand’s only world-ranked city to achieve its potential for the region and the country.
The Committee for Auckland (CFA) has played a prominent role in galvanising positive change for our city. Our members are all specialists in the city’s issues and fervent advocates for its success. Having contributed significantly to the new shape of Auckland as one city, 2013 is the platform for a re-focused Committee to drive the agenda for Auckland as a world leading destination as well as the welcoming gateway to New Zealand.”
Membership of the Committee for Auckland:
http://www.committeeforauckland.co.nz/membership
“Membership to the Committee for Auckland is by invitation. Members meet quarterly and are invited to be involved in those aspects of the work programme that interest them.
Members are Chairs of Boards, Directors and Chief Executives
Corporate Membership annual fee $10,000. ……”
The current list of members of the Committee for Auckland:
http://www.committeeforauckland.co.nz/membership/member-organisations
(It is interesting to note how members of this VERY powerful private lobby group are intertwined with Auckland Council and Auckland Council ‘Council Controlled Organisations’ (CCOs).
For starters…………….
Doug McKay Chief Executive Officer Auckland Council
Brett O’Riley Chief Executive Officer ATEED
Robert Domm Chief Executive Officer Regional Facilities Auckland
Mark Ford Chief Executive Officer Watercare
John Dalzell Chief Executive Officer Waterfront Auckland
Also, how the Committee for Auckland includes key members of the NZ Property Council and property developers, such as…………)
Connal Townsend National Director Property Council of NZ
Evan Davies Chief Executive Officer Todd Property Ltd
____________________________________________________________________
On the face of it, Deputy Mayor Penny Hulse, your range of ‘community credentials’ appears impressive:
http://thedailyblog.co.nz/about-us/about-penny-hulse/
About Penny Hulse
Penny has strong links with her community and cares passionately about the Auckland region.
Her community involvement includes Patron of Waitakere Special Olympics, Community Waitakere Charitable Trust, Henderson Riding for the Disabled, The Trust Waitakere Brass Band, Northern Football Association, Trustee of Swanson Railway Station Trust, Waitakere Anti Violence Essential Services and former Director of EECA Board.
Penny’s special areas of interest are Climate Change, Sustainable City Development, Environmental Advocacy, Community Development and Youth. …………”
________________________________________________________
However, the reality, in my considered opinion, is that you cannot work simultaneously both for the community (the ‘99%’ ), and corporations/property developers (the ‘1%’).
It is my intention as a 2013 Auckland Mayoral candidate to continue to ‘blow the whistle’, against the the ‘corrupt corporate coup’ which set up the Auckland ‘Supercity’, and those who are serving the interests of the ‘1%’.
In my considered opinion, Auckland Council Deputy Mayor Penny Hulse, you are NOT a genuine community advocate – you are in fact, a corporate /property developer MOUTH PIECE, working for the ‘1%’.
No disrespect – but I shall ‘call it as I see it’.
(I don’t expect you to like it).
So be it.
Yours sincerely
Penny Bright
‘Anti-corruption / anti-privatisation’ campaigner
2013 Auckland Mayoral candidate
(For more evidence linking the Committee for Auckland with Auckland Council :
http://www.occupyaucklandvsaucklandcouncilappeal.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/OCCUPY-AUCKLAND-APPEAL-APPLICATION-BY-APPELLANT-BRIGHT-TO-ADDUCE-NEW-EVIDENCE-pdf.pdf
Yes, Penny. I’ve seen that before.
I disagree.
Hulse was deputy mayor for Waitakere City and worked well within that structure. The problem is as much the way the amalgamated Auckland Council has been set up. It/’s impossible for anybody to become mayor without some support in the business community, corporations etc. It may not be my ideal. But as far as I can see, Hulse is about the best potential candidate that I am aware of at the moment. She would be better than Brown.
I have not seen any evidence of corruption by Hulse. She does have a fairly consultative consensus building style.
if it’s a choice between the likes of Brewer or Hulse. I’ll take Hulse.
Good on you for taking a strong stand against corruption and the rule of the elites. But meanwhile, many people in Auckland are struggling to survive. Hulse does have a heart.
Well can the ratepayers ask if they are footing the $10,000 annual membership per corporation joining the Committe for Auckland? I’ll bet they are and it’l be used for stuff they I don’t agree with I bet.
Actually that committee for Auckland, while it includes a lot of corporates, also includes Unis, The City Mission, The Salvation Army and others.
Yes the membership fee seems pretty high. What do they do with it? Ah, they have projects.
Like matching skills of migrants and others to employers. Why the focus first on migrants?
But I would need to see evidence of how they go about doign things before I can make a decision.
And, ultimately, it seems to me the problems with Auckland Council re far wider than any one individual. The problem is the CCOs, which have too much power and are unaccountable.; and with the relative lack of power for the elected representatives.
That’s what needs to be the focus.
Thanks Karol. I’m always a bit suspicious about what happens to this sort of funding – out of the public eye as it is.
And before they can bring in guest workers why do these companies not have to prove they or their industry has a well established training facilty plus paid internships for younger people/students and a pathways in programme for older people in need of a career change before they can plead skills shortages and bring in people from overseas.
[deleted]
[lprent: Already banned. Another IP for autospam. ]
Yep. Brown will continue to win every mayoral election he stands in. Call it the Clinton factor, if you like, but the right have no answer for him.
Good on the councillors for taking a stand. They are trying to take a small step to make Hide’s anit-democratic monstrosity into something a little more democratic.
The whole Auckland Council infrastructure needs to be reviewed and restructured – with more real say for councillors and local boards. These are the people who are meant to represent their local communities. We don’t need a presidential style mayor. Nor do we need the undemocratic CCOs with their overpaid chief execs.
The real corruption was done in 2010, by Hide and Key’s mob. imagine what dodgy John Banks would have done if elected mayor? Major pay-back to Dotcom, Sky City etc?
“National has a big asset sale problem” Peter Dunne does too, in his electorate. The fabulous chart in yesterdays article shows a 49.1% turnout with a 64.6% NO vote for the electorate. Will that make Dunney boy squirm?
So this interesting result doesn’t go unnoticed, we at People’s Power Ohariu have been busy with our placard making. Every time something awkward comes up for Dunne (GCSB vote, Sky City vote, meridian sale failure etc) we turn that into a message on one of our “Hey Peter!” themed placards that we put in place in a few of the neighbourhoods in the electorate.
Currently on display is
“Hey Peter! Ohariu 65% NO. Sold out by 1 vote: Yours!”
Our signs look like this
http://wellington.scoop.co.nz/?p=61648
The next one, all ready to go is “Hey Peter! Family Man? Voting No on Feed the Kids?”
Keep up the good pressure
Well done Rosie and People’s Power Ohariu!
It is a minor revelation of the year that asset sales were/are not supported by a lot of tory voters. This was well known anecdotally but there is now more solid information following the referendum.
Now you need to get the Greens to agree not to stand against Dunne. Urgent this.
They have already selected their candidate BG. I can’t remember where I read it so can’t link it. I read it about two weeks ago. They are standing a guy who I think stood for Rimutaka last time. His background is in Civil Defense.
Disappointing. I thought Greens and Labour may have come to an agreement. In the meantime I’ve written to the NZLP via their website and asked when they will announce their candidate. Am really keen to know who it is.
Cyclists don’t have disk breaks, they don’t have mirrors, road works means they can’t hear you. Worse! Cyclists need to turn right, cyclists are human, they make mistakes, but like cars, who you give way to because of the cost of a dent, you still need to give way to because you would give way to bad car drivers. So imagine my shock to have a motorcyclist shout something out, could not make out what, possible somehow I infringed on his line. Is breaking for a cyclist is so bad? In a suburb back street where you should be slowing down anyway, cyclists aren’t cars but that still doesn’t mean you get to ride or drive up to them close, because bicycles are also something else, they are unstable, with unstable humans on them, unprotected by a high powered engine and working power brakes. Geez, already.
Sounds like we’ve got a Bike culture to fight and overcome.
Seems that the UK SFO is also having problems doing their job?
https://theconversation.com/hamstrung-sfo-not-capable-of-holding-bankers-to-account-21545
Penny Bright
Some SFO successes in NZ but the main focus of Government is using vast resources on catching the Benefit Fraudsters. 10 Benefit marshals for every SFO marshal sent to catch million dollar fraud.
How Wall Street Crooks Get Out of Jail Free
Not just NZ/UK SFO but the US equivalent as well.
But then it could just be a lot of cases of affluenza
There is to be a protest calling on Len Brown to resign tomorrow – Wednesday – outside the Town Hall at 12 noon and for councillors to unite and move a motion of no confidence in the mayor. Anyone wanting to support the calling for Brown’s resignation will be welcome. Several of the councillors have been asked to address the gathering.
As far as I know, the only councillor calling for Brown to resign is Dick Quax. Are you his PR person?
Certainly not karol. I have no affiliation to any political party, I am an Auckland ratepayer who has had enough of the dishonourable attitudes and deeds shown to hold office in Auckland. It should not be a divisive right vs left issue. unity and honour should be the ambition of our council.
“Ratepayer”, huh? Defining yourself thus is also telling.
Euan is a WO regular who once suggested scab workers at the Ports of Auckland should get commendations from the council. Just another frothing flea.
Thanks, TRP. Figures. My experience of people who label themselves as (neutral) “ratepayers”, seem to think property owners (especially the more wealthy ones) have a privileged status in local democracy. They don’t usually speak for the less well off in Auckland, nor for us renters (who pay rates indirectly through rent).
Unite left and right? Yeah, right. T’is WO & Quax who have been trying to usurp democracy and pressure Brown to resign by fair means or foul.
I’ll wait to see what the majority of councillors have to say at the Auckland meeting on Thursday.
“It should not be a divisive right vs left issue”
So if Brown resigns, who becomes mayor?
Someone who can proudly wear the title of ‘Honourable’. Anyone who can represent Auckland and, as I noted above, has the ambition to unite. The majority of Aucklanders couldn’t give a care if the new mayor was left right or centre, as long as they really did have a passion about Auckland and our future together.
Banks>? for instance……………………..
He would not get my support!
Yet you voted for him. Funny old world, eh?
Your memory is good. But you didn’t mention that it was under protest, and that I would never vote for him again. But hey, don’t let the truth get in the way of how you want things spun, and before you go off half cocked again, the comment I made was that he would not get my vote for mayor, and yes I would happily vote for a left leaning mayor if I believed she or he would be honourable and capable of leading this city.
how stupid do you have to be to vote for someone “under protest”?
Really, really stupid. And deluded.
Haha.
Voted for Banks under protest.
Aww. Bless.
So cute. Like a little lost puppy 😛
The Fabian Society in London has released a report on the problems facing London.. A few similarities to those facing us here at home.
It was instigated by the Labour MP for Tooting, Sadiq Khan who believes Housing, housing, housing is the priority for London.
The report notes the difference between calling developments affordable housing, and the actuality of it being affordable. Brings to mind the trumpeting of Isaac Davidson for Nick Smith and the “success” of the newly released tranche of SHA’s.
Another Labour Party selection has just been announced.
Rob McCann selected as Otaki Candidate
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1312/S00237/rob-mccann-selected-as-otaki-candidate.htm
I know nothing about Rob other than what is in the (very good) press release, but his credentials look very positive.
Rob McCann is a communications and marketing expert, and has been the White Ribbon Campaign Manager since 2009. He was a press secretary to Ruth Dyson in the last Labour Government and more recently headed the drive to collect signatures for the Asset sales referendum in the Otaki electorate. Educated at Otago University with a Law and Drama degree, he is a keen debater and was a former president of the Otago University debating society.
Mr McCann is also the chair of the Paraparaumu Branch of the Labour Party, chaired the Region Three Labour Party Conference, and sits on the Labour Rural & Regional Sector Council.
Otaki had the highest turnout in the referendum at 54% with Nos at 66.7% so an excellent result.
I also like the quotes attributed to Rob in the press statement on the Otaki result – clear and to the point.
I am currently looking at moving from Wellington (Rongotai electorate) to the Kapiti coast and this could be another incentive to do so.
Wasn’t there another Labour candidate announced yesterday?
There have been several announced over the last few days. I thought there were some comments on TS yesterday but cannot find them (cursory look only).
Here is the first on Sunday – Dr Deborah Russell for Rangitikei.
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1312/S00220/labour-completes-first-formal-selection-for-2014-election.htm
Farrar has a post up at KB (my first visit for months earlier today – then had a shower) on Deborah’s selection and posters there seem to think that there have been other LP selections in the last few days (eg Tauranga) , but I cannot find any announcements on Scoop or the LP website.
A comment on the KB post says
“To add to Deborah Russell and Rachel Jones, Clare Curren tweeted yesterday that Liz Craig (Clutha Southland) and Glenda Alexander (Waitaki) have also been selected for Labour.
It would seem that the manban is already well into top gear.”
As you can imagine the thread there deteriorates into manban and slating Deborah etc – despite Farrar having praised Deborah in his post.
Thanks. I can only find those two candidates as well.
It is a shame these are not winnable seats …
I don’t know the others but I do know Liz Craig. She is highly intelligent and dedicated and would be great in Parliament, hopefully through the list. I hope not to sound too defensive but the day we win Clutha Southland …
Remember that Waitaki, albeit with different boundaries, was held by David Parker for one term.
Have National chosen a real farmer this time or a pretend one like English he career bureaucrat?
I strongly suspect that Farrar’s problem is that he has been personally manbanned from the social lives of any women who get within a kilometre of him. If the “manban” can get rid of Goff, Mallard, Jones, and Parker, I’m all for it. I’d willingly accept 100% women in parliament. I doubt if much of any substance would change, except that under a leftish government, the police might move a bit quicker on roastbuster type rubbish.
now, now, I’m sure there’s someone for everyone…
I think you’ll find Farrar has very recently met the person he considers his life-partner and soul-mate. I am, of course, referring to senior Labour MP, Trevor Mallard. Suspect we’ll hear the pitter-patter of tiny feet in 9 months time (and I’m not only talking about Farrar’s).
I think it was the business part of the news after noon. There was something about derivatives and hedge funds and why they are needed.
And it occurred to me what a good way these financial instruments, or Instruments of Torture, are for making a great income by the few. First you create an unstable financial sea, and then you sell lifeboats that people have to carry with them to ensure they negotiate it. Or you might say the financiers set up a sea of uncertainty and then sell little hedge coracles that enable businesses to float and and guide themselves with a little dessertspoon of an oar. Fucking nuts really. When you think of trying to manage our livings personally and for countries, in this way..
Or you might say that the financiers set up a virtual world like Chriss? in The Truman Show. Truman thought he was in Real Life but in actual fact it was a stage set and he was being manipulated and surveilled for the benefit of everyone else who was in the know who found him irresistible and watching him compulsive viewing. He didn’t suffer from TB consumption, it was TV consumption. In real life, out here today, those watching are really the top 10% or so who are in the know to some extent. The rest of us are watching each other, but imagining we personally are part of the 10%.
Metaphor, allegory, the spectacle of Total Recall or futuristic thing where someone had to save their life by running away watched by TV cameras and home audiences. Isn’t that another view of us. What about working out better systems and super-imposing them on the poorer systems now working? Wait a minute that’s how elections and governments and government service departments making policy are supposed to be working. Okay you monkeys, let’s see you dance for your taxes, while we play the barrel organ.
Never heard of Rob McCann and he maybe a creditable candidate but these two statements from his press release sum up the Labour party selection processes that is not engaging with voters.
He’s another journalist/press secretary who worked in parliament for the Labour party and is moving from his Wellington base ……
…. ffs another one
Watching, Rob is a top bloke. He organised the the first of the LP leadership meetings in Otaki, got an amazing turnout on the day and did a great job setting the scene for the rest of that campaign by marshalling the throng of media that turned up. He is well respected in the party generally and in the central region particularly. If he can get rid of the odious berk (Guy Smiley? Something like that) currently pretending to represent the interests of the Horowhenua then all power to him.
Ps Where did you get the quote about moving from Rongotai from? It’s not in the press release and it’s not actually the case, as he lives on the Kapiti coast.
Thanks for that TRP.
And Watching needs to read more carefully. I, moi, am thinking of moving to Kapiti – not Rob – as per the last sentence of my original comment at 18 above.
LOL. Watching jumped too fast. (And the press release states that Rob lives in Kapiti with his partner and two children!)
Yeah, I by no means disagree with the broad thrust of your argument, here, Watching. In general, we could probably do without more Parliamentary Staffers as Candidates. But, you wrongly suggest McCann is: “currently looking at moving from Wellington (Rongotai electorate) to the Kapiti coast. In fact, that was veutoviper’s assertion about his/her own plans. McCann lives in the Otaki seat (Otaihanga) and is chair of the Paraparaumu Branch.
Thanks for clarifying the Rongotai thing, swordfish, I hadn’t seen Veuto’s comment.
To be equally clear, Rob is not a Parliamentary staffer. He worked for Ruth Dyson over 5 years ago and is currently campaign manager for the White Ribbon anti-violence group.
So right at the bottom of this article about how National is going to get a $75m surplus, there’s an explanation for the u-turn on reducing ACC levies on cars: http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/9526871/Govt-upbeat-but-surplus-on-knife-edge
It came out in the media a few weeks ago and then Collins made some rather baffling statements about why the government wasn’t going to do it, including the ridiculous statement that if ACC is going to offer subsidies to some car owners it therefore logically follows that they must be increasing costs on others.
no mention of the 50b debt?
The Continuing Saga of the Chorus Ransom
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11173870
Customs : Integrated Targeting Operations Centre Tongue the FBI
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11173895
Treasury announced that the partial ale of assets will see the Government forgo $327 million in dividends, thanks to the reduced sale price, bad timing, etc.
John Key, master trader – right. How to lose money and control of your country in one easy lesson.
They say a fool and his money are easily parted – New Zealand must be a nation of fools.
Pale ale, dooh!
While the author of this opinion piece is on the money, the direction is lost and all at sea at the last sentence and falls into stereotyping and men-bashing, or bloke-bashing… “Painful as it might be, we’re going to have to give the concept of the Kiwi Bloke a right old do-over.”
Stop implying all men are rapists ffs. Bloody generalisations, derogatory implications, it just goes on and on and on. Take the fight to the rapists and leave the non-rapists out of it. Sick of it. Saps the cred. Does the fight no good.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff-nation/assignments/rape-in-nz-join-the-debate/9523204/Rape-in-NZ-Kiwi-bloke-needs-a-do-over
It doesn’t imply that at all, vto. Or can you show me where it does? it’s about rape culture. And I would think, going by the author’s name (Daniel Copeland), it’s written by a man. Some extracts that show it’s about how rape culture contributes to a climate where some men rape (actually, the article states, “where “some people commit rape”). Copeland begins with a story about a bus of guys returning from a rugby match:
Absolutely Karol, the sentence I quoted implies exactly that. That is why I quoted it and highlighted it.
nope. Your inference has nothing to do with the bit you quoted (or indeed anything in the article).
The bit where Copeland says that “For some of them, hopefully, most of them, it would have been just a joke” clearly states that not all men, even in bloke-culture, are rapists. Indeed, in any particular sample, most of them might not be rapists.
But the problem, the bit that “needs a do-over”, is that for the one or two rapists who statistically were probably in that group (i.e., just to spell it out for you, if the group only contains one or two rapists, then all the others in the group are not rapists, so your “Stop implying all men are rapists ffs” has nothing to do with what he actually wrote, and has more to do with what inferences you are prone to leap to), the group’s behaviour gave them acceptance and social reassurance.
That’s not calling all men rapists. That’s a man pointing out that some bits of blokish culture encourage rapists.
To many things are considered just a ‘joke’ or just for ‘fun’ when they are not. Rape is not fun or a joke. It is a serious violation of human rights.
It’s like you and I read a different article. Was yours in french?
I see donkey going on about Hone Harawira going off to South Africa. What parvenu ringins like key dont realise is that members of parliament are elected to represent the electorate and not just turn up every day in Wellington to get their hands stamped.
No I don’t think he gets that he probably assumes all parliamentarians are ‘bought’ in to represent the elites
FYI – this is the LAW that applies to Local Government elected representatives:
http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2002/0084/latest/DLM175643.html
Vacation of office by members
1Disqualification of members
(1)A person’s office as member of a local authority is vacated if the person, while holding office as a member of the local authority,—
(a)ceases to be an elector or becomes disqualified for registration as an elector under the Electoral Act 1993; or
(b)is convicted of an offence punishable by a term of imprisonment of 2 years or more.
(2)If subclause (1)(b) applies,—
(a)the disqualification does not take effect—
(i)until the expiration of the time for appealing against the conviction or decision; or
(ii)if there is an appeal against the conviction or decision, until the appeal is determined; and
(b)the person is deemed to have been granted leave of absence until the expiration of that time, and is not capable of acting as a member during that time.
(3)A person may not do an act as a member while disqualified under subclause (1) or while on leave of absence under subclause (2).
_____________________________________________________________________________
http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1961/0043/latest/DLM328753.html
105 Corruption and bribery of official
(1) Every official is liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 7 years who, whether within New Zealand or elsewhere, corruptly accepts or obtains, or agrees or offers to accept or attempts to obtain, any bribe for himself or any other person in respect of any act done or omitted, or to be done or omitted, by him in his official capacity.
(2) Every one is liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 7 years who corruptly gives or offers or agrees to give any bribe to any person with intent to influence any official in respect of any act or omission by him in his official capacity.
http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1961/0043/latest/DLM328730.html
99 Interpretation
In this Part, unless the context otherwise requires,—
bribe means any money, valuable consideration, office, or employment, or any benefit, whether direct or indirect
official means any person in the service of Her Majesty in right of New Zealand (whether that service is honorary or not, and whether it is within or outside New Zealand), or any member or employee of any local authority or public body, or any person employed in the education service within the meaning of the State Sector Act 1988.
_______________________________________________________________
Penny Bright
(Complaint to SFO available here: http://www.pennybright4mayor.org.nz )
Auckland ‘Supercity’ for the 1%?
Whose interests are being served?
Follow the money …..?
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10833136
City acts on contractors’ complaint
By Bernard Orsman
5:30 AM Tuesday Sep 11, 2012
“AECOM New Zealand managing director Dean Kimpton said the company provided a range of services to the council, including a number of on-going commissions to the IES department.”
___________________________________________________________________________
http://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/EN/newseventsculture/OurAuckland/mediareleases/Pages/newchiefoperatingofficerappointed.aspx
New chief operating officer appointed
21/06/2013
After a comprehensive search, Auckland Council has appointed Dean Kimpton as its chief operating officer. Chief Executive Doug McKay says Dean is a passionate Aucklander who is excited to be playing a role in shaping the future of Auckland.
“Dean joins us from AECOM NZ where he was Managing Director.
“AECOM is a global leader in all aspects of infrastructure planning, design and delivery.
“Dean has a breadth of experience at the senior executive and governance levels, as well as in the regulatory and infrastructure business of council and its customers and suppliers.
___________________________________________________________________
http://www.aucklandtransport.govt.nz/about-us/ProcurementAndSuppliers/Awarded-Contracts/Documents/AwardedContracts.pdf
160-14-093-PS SIMUL8 RAIL OPERATIONAL MODELLING SERVICES PS AECOM NEW ZEALAND LIMITED $88,000.00 Direct Appointment 10 September 2013
314-14-128-PS PS PORTAGE RD CYCLE WAY – LAND USE CONSENT APPLICATION PS AECOM NEW ZEALAND LIMITED $72,050.00 Direct Appointment 10 September 2013
________________________________________________________________
Penny Bright
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11173895
Ruh Roh Customs.
‘Brownie points’ from the FBI for feeding them tidbits about Dotcom? And no one wants to comment? Seems legit.
I am beginning to suspect that all enforcement branches of our state apparatus owe their first loyalties to Washington. While NAct seem to be entirely happy with this, and in fact it aligns police, customs, spooks, air force, etc with the prumstah, what is more worrying to me is that more than a few in Labour seem to accept it. Of course, it is just a deepening of the giving of our economic sovereignty to Wall St and the City by the first ACT government. We need to take control of our country and fight for a true internationalism rather than the internationalism of our business classes, which is the internationalism of a subservient colony.
Greg Davis should be sacked. If he wants to work for the seppos, let him go to Hawaii with Key and they can both ask for jobs there.
Possibly the most repellent Panel pre-show ever.
Radio NZ National, Monday 16 December 2013
Jim Mora, Linda Clark, Jane Clifton
Each week there seems to be at least one edition of this program that is so bad, so depraved, so determinedly ignorant, so vacuous and so vicious that you swear the nadir has been reached. And then along comes a horror show like this one….
JIM MORA: I think Linda Clark is with us right now. I can hear her! Linda are you there?
LINDA CLARK: [perkily] Yes I’m here! My God, here I am, chattering away! Hellooooooooooo!
MORA: Hello!
LINDA CLARK: How ARE you? Merry Christmas!
MORA: Thank you! She’s talking to you too, Noelle!
NOELLE McCARTHY: Thank you.
MORA: It’s Noelle McCarthy with what the WOOOOOORLD’s talking about! ….[suddenly grave]…. And not a nice topic to start the round-up today. Roger Waters the lead singer from Pink Floyd is stirring up a controversy.
NOELLE McCARTHY: Yeeee-e-e-e-es. He’s been doing this for a whiii-i-i-i-i-ile now. He has compared the state of Israel to Nazi Germany.
MORA: [concerned tone] Mmmmm.
NOELLE McCARTHY: But he’s provoked a vigorous response. This is not new for him of course. In one of his concerts last year he had a giant PIG-shaped balloon with a Star of David on it. He says there were a whole lot of political symbols on it, and that he did not single out the Jews—-
MORA: [grave tone to indicate moral seriousness] Hmmmm…..
NOELLE McCARTHY: Now at least one U.S. rabbi has come out and answered him in print.
MORA: [with utmost gravitas] He’s not the first rabbi to speak out about this, is he?
NOELLE McCARTHY: The Jewish Chronicle and the Simon Wiesenthal Centre have been keeping a watching brief on him, but he doesn’t seem to be tempering his message however.
MORA: [grimly] No he hasn’t.
NOELLE McCARTHY: [grave tone] There’s more about this on our Twitface pages.
MORA: Twitface—that’s our shorthand for Twitter and Facebook, by the way!
LINDA CLARK: Ha ha ha ha! I just love that!
NOELLE McCARTHY: Ha ha ha ha ha! We’ve broken the fourth wall!
MORA: Ha ha ha ha ha! Okay, anything else?
NOELLE McCARTHY: Yes, a study shows that girls’ schools are places which enforce conformity more than other schools!
MORA: Oh really? They enforce conformity?
NOELLE McCARTHY: Yes, there is a lot of pressure on you to be a more “girly” kind of girl!
LINDA CLARK: Hmmmmm….
NOELLE McCARTHY: Shall I talk about Kanye?
MORA: [sarcastically] Yeah, let’s talk about Kanye! Please!
NOELLE McCARTHY: He says rapping is as fraught as fighting the Taliban or serving as a police officer!
MORA: Ah, ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!
LINDA CLARK: Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!
NOELLE McCARTHY: He says that when the Taliban start shooting, the soldiers should just stand up and start rapping!
MORA: Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!
LINDA CLARK: Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Yes, THAT is going to work! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!
MORA: Jo McCarroll, the editor of Gardening magazine has just texted, saying she thought Kanye was talking about Christmas wrapping!
NOELLE McCARTHY: Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!
MORA: Very good, Jo! Noelle McCarthy, thank you very much!
Incredibly, the show got even more puerile after the 4 o’clock news. But more on that in Part Two.….
Morrissey: see my comments here (Open Mike) between 9.1.2 and 9.2
Thanks, swordfish. I read them, and I was very impressed by them.
A ‘Real’ Rabbi ; God save us from the inane.
Did Bill English really say this prior to the sale of Genisis…as if the asset sales haven’t already been a flop…
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11173948
“Finance Minister Bill English said the Government didn’t regard estimates of foregone profits as reliable given the risk profile of businesses like those in the asset sales progamme.
He said the Government was happy to have reduced its exposure to risky commercial assets like the companies in the asset sales programme.”
What an amazing thing to say prior to the Genesis sale, so potential purchasers of Genesis will read this and think what???This is a fucken useless government and the amazing thing is that approx. 46% of voters still support these incompetent fools.
Yes he did, but he won’t remember if you ask him today
“He said the Government was happy to have reduced its exposure to risky commercial assets like the companies in the asset sales programme.”
The risk profile of critical national infrastructure and public utilities?
I used to laugh at America when they first elected(ish) Bush Jnr (well, until the whole Iraq thing) because he’s a complete moron.
I used to say to myself, we’d never do that. We’re smarter in New Zealand.
God, I’m so embarrassed.
Thankfully, Australia stepped up to the challenge and this year knocked us off the “stupidest electorate on the planet” spot that we’ve held since January 20, 2009.
electricity companies are notoriously risky, we are well rid of them. We are better off spending money to entice tourists to NZ who watch movies.
Except that there was no risk in owning power generators because it’s something everyone needs.
some DP ; open the channels through those membranes.
You could never accuse the maori party of being the tail wagging the dog.
” New Zealand is unlikely to introduce plain packaging on cigarettes before trade challenges to Australian legislation are settled, Prime Minister John Key says.
Associate Health Minister Tariana Turia said today that the Smoke-free Environments (Tobacco Products and Packaging) Amendment Bill had been lodged with the Clerk of the House.
The legislation was expected to have its first reading in the House early next year before being sent to a parliamentary select committee
Key said that while the legislation would be introduced next year, it would almost certainly not be passed until the outcome of the challenge to Australia was known.
“It will almost certainly be introduced, have its first reading, then go off to the select committee,” he said.
“But it’s very, very unlikely it will be passed. In fact, in my view it shouldn’t be passed until we’ve actually had a ruling out of Australia.
“We think it’s prudent to wait till we see a ruling out of Australia. If there’s a successful legal challenge out of Australia, that would guide us how legislation might be drafted in New Zealand.
“So we’re not going to rush that through, but also equally it’s the type of topic that’s worthy of a significant public debate and we can do that through the select committee process.”
Colin Craig seems to have had victory.
Clearly he’s not so silly after all , 7 Sharp has a vacancy, coincidence ?? I doubt it.
LOL. I really doubt it. 7 sharp got a slap on the wrist for something mostly coming from someone else on the show. Mau would have made her decision a while ago. There are plenty of good reasons for her to leave….. the show’s a dud.
Won’t be a dud when Hoskings arrives.
Yeah, with him on TV1 and that other goofy clown TV3 are putting on nightline, the right will need to be careful. All that recycling and their munters might vote Green by accident.
All we need is Paul Henry with Mike Hosking, now that would be a show!
Fun with the MSM:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11174017
The headline says ‘Further 350,000 votes included in asset sales referendum’
That caught my eye – a further 350,000? That’s a lot of last minute votes…
The article says “A further 350,000 votes cast in the Citizen’s Initiated Referendum on asset sales have been included in the official count released this afternoon…”
But wait: “The extra votes take the turnout to 1,367,340.” Huh?
Then: “Of the additional votes counted, 24,866 were against the asset sales while 10,035 were in favour.”
Hmmm…seems like they mean 35,000 then. Or nearly 35,000, since that only adds up to 34,901.
But wait there’s more:
“The result went strongly against the Government, but the relatively low turnout is seen as indicating the public largely doesn’t feel strongly about the issue or saw little point in opposing a programme that is now largely complete, other than the sale of Genesis Energy earmarked for the first half of next year.”
Can’t resist a wee bit of editorialising in what should be a straight news report now can we?
Sigh.
Colon craig has proven he’s bigger idiot