ANZ in the news again. This time it looks like they failed to report suspicious behavior to the US authorities Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN).
Despite being US based FinCEN basically have global reach. Looks bad for ANZ.. not sure if that’s constitutes criminal action but from what I’ve read it’s possible.
“Suspicious activity reports” or SARs are required by the US from all banks regardless of location in the world. That’s why it has become difficult for US citizens to open foreign bank accounts – crazy compliance requirements
New Zealand is not rich, and that’s making the new Government constrained from the large spending that’s needed to go into areas like housing, health, the environment etc.
But there are many 'cheap ' legislative changes they could undertake to fix certain things, and possibly save or gain money at the same time.
i.e…. regarding our prohibition Cannabis laws, and the cult logic that flows from them, ,,,, 1Kg of Cannabis creates $47,000 of costs / harms in NZ
Personally I believe the numbers are hogwash …For instance in the Netherlands where
Given there are around 600 coffee shop establishments in the country, this means that an average turnover per shop should be between 1.4 and 2 million euros.
It seems 1 KG of cannabis is worth about 10,000 Euros direct revenue into their economy … calculated at 10 euros per gram.
Colorado also gains from its recent Cannabis regulations …
Researchers at Colorado State University – Pueblo’s Institute of Cannabis Research set out to answer that question when they studied the economic benefit of marijuana to Pueblo County, Colorado. The researchers found that the marijuana industry provides a net positive economic benefit to the county, reports the Denver Post.
How is the same Kilo of Cannabis benefiting the Netherlands and Colorado … yet apparently costing NZ tens of thousands in negative costs.
The only difference is Bad Law we can ill afford …
So the orange anusmouth wants to take the humanitarian aid money intended for Honduras and Guatemala and divert it to funding regime change in Venezuela. Meanwhile, desperate people fleeing the crises in Honduras and Guatemala are jumping out of the frying pan into the fire of gratuitously malicious mistreatment at the border. Anyone else see any connection? Or wanna take a guess at the likely result of regime change fuckery in Venezuela?
There's mixed messages from Democrats on how to respond to the crisis in Venezuela because it's a complex, nuanced situation. While there's little argument that Maduro is a nasty sack'o'shit, and if there's a significant home-grown movement of Venezuelans wanting to rid themselves of Maduro, then they are deserving of moral support at a minimum. But going in and stirring up trouble to try to create pretext for imposing regime change from the outside, as Bolton and Pompeo apparently want to do, is simply unacceptable, and there's very few Democrats in favour of that.
There's also significant local political implications particularly in states such as Florida. Actively trying to foment regime change in Venezuela is quite popular among some communities such as Cuban-Americans. That realpolitik tends to blunt any potential messaging critical of Bolton and Pompeo's fuckery.
While there's little argument that Maduro is a nasty sack'o'shit
???? Oh yes, that's what the Trump regime says, and it's what the Trump regime's parrots in the media say, so that's what you say, of course.
… and if there's a significant home-grown movement of Venezuelans wanting to rid themselves of Maduro
Key words: "if", "significant" and "home-grown". None of them actually applies to the situation.
as Bolton and Pompeo apparently want to do
Ha! He said "apparently."
trying to foment regime change in Venezuela is quite popular among some communities such as Cuban-Americans
Corrected for truthfulness, that reads "…. trying to foment regime change in Venezuela is quite popular among reactionary, right wing Cuban-Americans…"
There's mixed messages from Democrats on how to respond to the crisis in Venezuela
Bullshit ….. the only ones to speak out strongly against things like Eliot Abrahms ,,, or the sanctions / siege….. are the ones being dumped on by Trump … and yourself in regards to Tulsi Gabbard.
Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, Amy Klobuchar, Kirsten Gillibrand, Richard Durbin, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and PBS commentators are among the leading liberal internationalist choristers chanting their support for Trump’s right to impose regime change on another people’s country.
Zayas wrote a U.N. report on Venezuela in late 2018 that was scathing in its assessment of U.S. policy toward Venezuela under both Obama and Trump.
Abundant natural resources,a temperate climate and more than enough to provide every NZ'er with a home to raise a family,adequate healthy food and all the basic needs of people.
The shackles of Friedman economics and pursuit of the delusional ,materialism of the 'American Dream' have lead to the shallow,unreal reality of today.
Is that the same Friedman who was one of the early advocates for a UBI? If so perhaps you could explain why you don't seem to approve of him given that he was an advocate of actually providing the basic needs of everyone.
Friedman was a supporter of the smashing of Chile's democracy in 1973. That's just one compelling reason to despise him. Another is his inability to cogently defend his outrageous positions….
Friedman worked with the U.S.-backed dictator to dismantle democracy in Chile. Because he himself never physically killed a teacher or student or nun or poet does not mean he was not involved in the bloodletting. Pinochet never personally dispatched a prisoner either. Nor did Kissinger.
Under Yeltsin, Russia’s economy collapsed some 60%, the male life expectancy plummeted from 68 years to 56, millions were reduced to living on subsistence farming for the first time since Stalin as wages went unpaid for years at a time. Russia was on its way to going extinct—but about 3-5% of the population (plus or minus 3%) was making out like bandits. Probably because they actually were bandits.
Milton fails because there is no ' level playing field ' …… ' The market decides' is the sort of crap that gave NZ Pike River …… which Alwyn tried to pin on Andrew Little.
Showing up Alwyn for having no concern for the truth …. or safety of any future mine workers.
He'd rather lie for political gain … repeatedly and on just about everything.
Roger Douglas gave the NZ economy its first dose of Miltons snake oil …. leading to the 1988 sharemarket crash … and the lost decade in the 1990's where our economy languished ….. as ruth richardson, jenny shiply and national doubled down.
The seeds to our housing crisis were planted then ….money spent on welfare to landlords via the 'Accommodation Allowance',… instead of state house building.
Student debt was introduced….
And did I say our economy hit the skids ,,,, Australia was the saving grace in stopping our unemployment rate going through the roof …. kiwi workers moved there.
Milton and trickle down were a fraud …. He grew oligarchs and inequality.
" he was an advocate of actually providing the basic needs of everyone." really? the the same people who promote the ideology of modern wage slavery ie. free market laissez-faire economics are interested in your well being, or anyone's well being,I don’t think so.
The only interest in humans those rodents have is in their ability to either produce or consume market driven goods…why you would trust people with that ideology to provide anything of intrinsic value to the human project in a positive or long term way is beyond me.
Unending growth and short term gain for the wealthy is Friedman's ideology, nothing more…now debunked too I might add.
he was an advocate of actually providing the basic needs of everyone.
Arse. Friedman's negative tax wasn't a way to supplement income, it was a way to eliminate social spending by the state and replace it with private charity.
You haven't the faintest idea what you are talking about. The only bit that is accurate is the comment that he (sometimes) called it a negative tax. The money was to be supplied, without strings, by the Government. There was no mention at all that is should be provided by private charity.
In a housing market where few new houses are being built, I don't see how more small investors returning to the market is a good thing for anybody other than small investors. The signal no capital gains tax sends to the market is that property investors are to be encouraged because they are good for the economy. But as far as I can see, property investors simply soak up a lot of the available housing stock so it is not available for first home buyers. I don't see what added value they add to the economy.
We need property investors because our government can't afford to provide a rental home for everyone that needs or wants one.
Our govenment has been trying to meet the housing needs of our most needy for only a few generations. Other nations have been at it for centuries.
The government and local council ownership of homes in Sweden are at such a level that stock levels extend beyond housing the most needy and extends into teachers, office admin, bus driving folk etc.
Good things happen when numbers get to that level. In NZ, the NZ housing stock is a huge expense. People speak of the dividend Housing NZ returns to our govt, bulldust, before we even get to the ledger, when considering the lost opportunity with the billions tied up it's an immense money-pit.
When the govt is the dominant rental property owner, they set the 'Market Rent' levels, not by making rent level laws, by proxy, the market follows the dominant player. When salespeople and drivers rather than just beneficiaries are in the rentals we all own, they are in a position to pay rent at levels that could push Housing NZ close to being a profitable business.
All sorts of benefits filter down. In Sweden, people in govt owned houses aren't judged unfavourably, it's so common amongst people of all walks of life it's not really a thing.
I feel there is a point of critical mass with govt owned housing, in nations that have been at it a lot longer than us the benefits are plain to see. We're some way off owning enough houses to 'Own the market' but I feel we should be on that road. In the meantime we need small time investors and their type have the reins.
When Jacinda holds the majority of rental properties and sets the tone, the marketplace might stop pissing around with our homes like our lives are a game of Monopoly. That's what happened in Sweden, I met a few wealthy people, none of them owned rental houses.
“A teen was reduced to tears after her speech about a friend’s suicide during a Youth Parliament debate was interrupted by senior National MP Anne Tolley.”
Note – this is an edited version from one I put up earlier but deleted after getting the video to work.
Hi Cinny, I saw the little bit of that article much earlier this morning that I could read, but the video was not available so I was left wondering what had happened.
Having now watched the video, I am actually of two minds in this particular situation.
I was involved in helping with a couple of Youth Parliaments some years ago and instances such as that where young rep MPs are pulled up for reading speeches, cautioned that they are running out of time etc are quite usual. The purpose of the Youth Parliaments are to give young people an experience of what it is like to be a MP and how Parliament operates etc –warts and all.
Firstly, I never liked Tolley as a Minister etc in the last government, and agree that she did show a nasty side at times. On the other hand, as a regular watcher of Parliament (hard to break old work habits/requirements!) for the most part, I am actually quite impressed with her as a Deputy Speaker of the House.
In this particular situation I think Anne Tolley could have perhaps handled her interruption of Lily Dorrance’s speech a little better than she did considering the sensitive nature of Lily’s speech. On the other hand, Tolley was also bound to fulfill her role as Speaker to the Youth Parliament in the same way as she must do so as a Speaker in the 'normal' Parliament, in accord with all applicable rules, procedures, etc. I note that she also referred to things that had gone on previously in the Youth Parliament sittings that seemed to have provided context to her interruption on this occasion. Unfortunately we are not privy to what those earlier instances involved.
I have had a quick check of the Parliament site and note that some parts of the proceedings of this year's Youth Parliament (two days – Tuesday and Wednesday this week) were broadcast live on the usual Parliamentary TV channels, but unfortunately these broadcast sessions are not available On Demand on/through the Parliament website. So that does not help seeing what actually happened in the earlier sessions/speeches that Tolley referred to.
For anyone interested, here are links to the sections on the Parliamentary website re the 2019 Youth Parliament:
I note from the “Bio” page the young woman concerned, Lily Dorrance, is from Christchurch. Each young person attending the Youth Parliament is sponsored by and represents a sitting MP – in Lily's case, that was The Rt Hon David Carter (Nat).
I have also now looked at the link in the second link above to the Youth Parliament Media pages, but nothing there about this incident – but some other interesting stuff. Will keep my eyes out for any more information re this situation and report back if I find out more.
[Cinny, despite this ‘incident’, the Youth Parliaments are really great and the young people who attended these in the past have reported that they really enjoyed them and the experience has spurred quite a few to move down this road in their studies and later lives. You really should think about these for your girls if they are interested in politics etc. ;Happy to get further info for you but also lots of stuff there on the second link to give you and the girls a feel for what happens etc.]
Here's some background from the start of the General Debate. She's a bully who can't pronounce people's names and changes the rules when and if she feels like it.
Thanks so much, maui. I wondered whether all the Youth Parliament televised sessions were up on You Tube – and it seems they are. I don't have time right now to watch them in detail but will do so over the weekend.
Have now watched quite a bit of the one above and considered that Tolley laid out the rules in a fairly even manner at the very 'get go' and so far, yes there has been some querying etc her ruling that speeches are not just to be read from notes.
Actually, the whole intention of these debates is that it is a learning opportunity where these young people get real experience of how Parliament works – including being pulled up for not sticking to the rules, then debating the rules, disagreeing with one another etc. It is not intended as a soft fluffy ride – and they are well aware of that before they apply to be part of a Youth Parliament.
IMO having worked in this area, what Tolley achieved in those first few minutes is in fact exactly the above. Yes, she stirred the pot and got things moving, people disagreeing with her and one another, and debating what the rules are, whether they are acceptable or not, and what the rules are that they (the House) wished to work to.
Sorry – IMO that is not bullying That is 'Mission achieved'.
She made up a new rule that none of the students were aware of. There seemed to be an expectation that they could read from notes, otherwise all of them would have started off trying their best not to.
Pretty harsh thing to do to students who are at Parliament for the first time doing public speaking. Doing a speech is nerve wracking enough.. having a powerful person silence you and embarass you infront of your peers is definitely something else.
Cinny I agree that we see MPs reading aloud from their notes in the House often, and that the different Speakers (Mallard, Tolley, Potp Williams and Adrian Rauhine) have different tolerance levels in that regard – much like different moderators here.
One of the points I was trying to make earlier (badly) was that the amount of experience that the Youth Parliaments try to provide in an action-packed two days leads to it being a pressure cooker of 'tastes' rather than indepth experiences. In my experience, anyway, the emphasis in all the preliminary info etc about becoming a youth MP and during the two days is that it is not a platform to push issues but rather a chance to get a taste of how Parliament operates and why etc. That is in no way to criticise Lily for raising a very important issue – youth suicide -as the subject of her speech; but IMO Tolley was seeing things from that perspective and was pushing Lily to express her own views on what should be done in the short time she had left rather than continuing to describe the situation re youth suicide in NZ. As I said, I think Tolley could probably have handled the situation better.
I note that the Herald has now put up an amended non-payrolled version of their original article which provides more information about the Youth Parliament and includes comments/apologies from Tolley – plus an amended heading.
Oops, realised too late that I had misspelled two names – should be Poto Williams and Adrian Rurawhe. I am actually wondering whether someone else will replace Poto now that she is bcoming a Minister. I have a lot of respect for both her and Adrian as Assistant Speakers.
Correa reponds to CNN's false allegations about Assange's "control centre"
"What CNN and other media are saying is rubbish, but we're used to it. They are prepping for the show. The reason is, when they extradite Assange to the US and sentence him to life, they want the honest backing of the public. They are setting the stage.
Correa compared CNN's assertions about Assange to its claims about "weapons of mass destruction" in the lead up to the Iraq war in 2003 — media manipulation which was used to make Americans "applaud a war,” he said.
Now, to "justify the assassination of Assange or to extradite him" they are constructing a new narrative about a fake "command center" for election meddling, he said."
Typically, whenever the new information contradicts the mainstream narrative, the MSM declines to report, thus contributing to a biased , incomplete coverage .
One thing the United States most certainly is not is a democracy. A democracy requires an informed electorate, and the United States most certainly does not have an informed electorate. The American media, indeed, the entirety of the Western print and TV media, functions as a Propaganda Ministry for Washington and the ruling oligarchies. The explanations are controlled to serve the agendas of the ruling elites. The persecution and torture of Julian Assange proves conclusively that the First Amendment is a dead-letter Amendment.
Without an honest Fourth Estate it is impossible to prevent a democracy from becoming a tyranny. In America tyranny is far advanced. Suppose that Americans somehow became aware of the truth about Julian Assange’s total innocence that has been disclosed by Nils Melzer, UN Special Rapporteur on Torture. What could they do about it short of violent revolution and complete elimination of the ruling elites?
Speaking of RT and the often stated claims that it is a Russian controlled media, it seems that that is not so much.
The following is an interview and transcript by journalist Ivan Golunov who spoke to RT about his arrest on false drug charges, alleged mistreatment in custody, huge public support that he didn’t expect, and plans for the future now that he is a minor celebrity in Russia.
The BBC is not just state-sponsored, it's a mouthpiece for the state. It was effectively brought to heel after Blair and Alastair Campbell went to war on it following the David Kelly revelations in 2004.
With the arrival of the Coalition Government there has been an explosion of thought and some valuable activity, particularly in looking towards the Future of New Zealand.
But at the Risk of being a Pain in the Butt – I wish to draw attention to the massive crisis in Housing. The whole Nation has let Poverty of Population waddle around in disgrace.
We must Immediatlely stop all Immigration
We must build 3 bedroom qualityApartments / Houses (that do not leak or fall apart or drop off from great heights)
We must Stop all other constructions until Housing is built.
The Apartments / Houses should be sold for $300 thousand Dollars to persons earning less than $50,000. Should be sold at $90, 000 for persons earning at $70, 000 Indicative only.
Rentals should be reduced to max of $170 per week. I
mmediately -Indicative.
The Houses may never be sold To the Free Market! Only to the Government of the Day.
"We must Stop all other constructions until Housing is built.".
I'm not sure that this would really be a good idea. Are we not to be allowed any new schools or classrooms as Chippie Hipkins announced recently?
And are you going to scrap the rebuild of the Dunedin Hospital that was announced by the National Government back prior to the last election and that the current lot seemed to be willing to carry out?
Is "Dr" Clark going to renege on this and go along with your proposal instead?
I suppose you can demand the provision of lots of conference centres if you are so much in favour of them. God knows what you would want them for but you are allowed to call for them if you must.
Personally I can't see why we should need any more but the idiot Labour Mayor in Wellington seem to be, like you, a fan. What is that makes you lot so keen to have them?
You will note that I didn't want to see useful things scrapped for a single minded push for standard sized houses. Do you really not favour schools and hospitals?
"The estimated costs of SkyCity's controversial international conference centre in Auckland have blown out by up to $128 million, with uncertainty as to who will pick up the tab.
The casino company lodged a resource consent application with the Auckland Council today, which covers the centre as well as a separate five-star 300-room hotel and pedestrian laneway.
However, design improvements and sensitive treatment of historic buildings have blown the cost estimates for the project out to a range of $470-$530m.
SkyCity is only contractually obligated to cover $402m, after agreeing to a deal with the Government allowing it to extend its casino licence to 2048, and add 230 poker machines and 40 gaming tables.
Chief executive Nigel Morrison said the company would "work constructively" with the Crown to identify options to address the funding of the extra costs.
SkyCity's shares dropped 2.8 per cent on the news to close at 3.83."
I notice that you second link was early in 2015. What ever happened in the end. Clearly the then Government weren't going to be as stupid as the current lot and cough up the money. Did they hold to that?
There was much hoopla and some political concessions made at the time – maybe the government aimed to make political capital out of it. ‘Bum deal’? Scam? A bit of both? Maybe one day the taxpayers will get the full story.
Don't know the real extent of public or private costs, although some major private companies got burned, going forward. There was a remarkable derth of good news stories about the project in 2016/17 – funny that.
"In 2015, Skycity announced Fletcher Construction would be building the new international convention centre in Auckland. Nobody then suspected it would lead to over $400m of losses to Fletcher Building."
Please don't feign dumb ignorance, alwyn. Gabby was obviously making a witty allusion to John Key's dodgy deal with Sky City to provide Auckland with a 'marvellous' (?) Conference Centre. You remember? About the time when he was refusing to admit that there was any kind of housing crisis?
You really must be joking. You are also showing signs of a failing memory of course. The thing at Sky City wasn't built by the taxpayer, was it?
It was built by Sky City themselves, or at least it was going to be. I don't live in Auckland or waste my time at Casinos so I really have no idea what happened to it. I am only too well aware of out idiot Labour Mayor in Wellington wanting to waste the ratepayer's money on building something like it here.
What I am very well aware of is that this current pack of fools, known as the CoL, have poured a fortune into a miserable few houses and then haven't even been able to sell many of them. I think it is total madness for the State to run a subsidy scheme for unsuccessful developers which is what KiwiBuild has turned out to be. What do you think the final cost of the farce is going to be? How many hundreds of millions of dollars has already been wasted and what will the final bill turn out to be?
You still fail to explain your selective memory about the previous Govt's strange priorities.
I disagree with you about the holy, sacred 'taxpayer' not being penalised by the Sky City Convention Centre deal.
Sky City got the right to increase the number of their gaming machines. (Are you going to pretend that there was no commercial gain? More importantly, no social cost in a low-wage country where so many of the poor are conned into seeing lotto and Casinos as a source of hope?)
I suspect that in the long term we will all be paying the social costs of that foul deal. Taxpayer or not.
Your criticism of Wellington's mayor because you personally do not want that casino is another feint, avoiding the valid point that Gabby raised: the Key Govt's obsession with the great value of Conference Centres.
Tokeroa, how do you propose we get the workers to build these houses?
Also, Tokeroa, You obviously haven't been to hospital lately. If you had you would notice that the health sector labour force is totally reliant on immigrants to operate it. Realise Tokeroa, that without immigration our health system would be in near collapse.
Also know this Tokeroa the massive state house building programme launched by the first Labour Government Minister of Housing, John A. Lee relied massively on immigrant labour. (Admittedly mostly from what we called at that time the 'Home Country')
Had a call from Curia last night ( for the first time). One little curiosity I thought – was asked to rank a group of politicians from 1 ( terrible ) -5 ( fantastic ). The group was Jacinda, James Shaw, Winston Peters, Simon Bridges and……Paula Bennett. I get the first four, but Bennett ? Any thoughts on what this could mean?
Shaw is going to get a turn as Prime Minister perhaps?
Given his disastrous performance in Statistics, his only real portfolio, he would be about as bad as the incumbent, wouldn't he?
Actually looking at the names, and the rating system to be used, I see why you have named them in that order. The first name would get a rating of 1. The second name gets a rating of 2 and so on. All is clear.
Pick out the top five and let them all have a go. National pollies don't take their job seriously even when they are the government and now is the perfect time for pilot apprentices to show their Gnashers.
Just in case anyone was wondering, "go back to where you came from" is explicitly cited by the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission as an example of illegal discrimination.
Thankyou for drawing attention to your your stupid liitle nothings. You seem to have been caught up in a nasty little house in which hatred of the poor is the only thing that spoouts out of your twisted mind and Arse. You low achiever.
No rule, just consider what makes for good healthy debate. The more a comment or commenter detracts from that, the more likely it will attract the attention of moderators.
If it was can I suggest you look at the little "Reply" below comments? And that you use it? And, if you are really trying to get my attention that you both spell my name correctly and that you try and say something intelligible rather than just abuse me.
If you weren't referring to me please ignore this remark of mine. I will, in the meantime, simply ignore the meaningless dribble you are coming out with.
Boot camps have been running for 26 years! They are a good thing even if people don't go far after them, provided of course that they never degenerate into bullying and sexual foreplay and after, and treating people detrimentally – no old fashioned sarn't major like in the films with vituperation etc – You lazy worms etc., and there should be some mind work, just not keeping tidy clean, regular hours etc.
Some of the people are going into the Defence Force. What about other people going into the Community Work Force, and having decent work jobs that the young ones give a go, for a few weeks, and then decide if they could take on that job for a stint of six months on minimum wage for a few months, and then living wage. What an incentive!
What a lot of work there is waiting to do in NZ. They could after six months be helped into real apprenticeships. But no Cave Creek projects, only doing what is appropriate for young unskilled people.
Those who did not want to commit to a six months in the first job offered, could be part of a local group who worked every week part-time, doing a variety of jobs, and then could nominate what they would like to study at for six months, with some outcome, certification etc. they would have to show for their work. Then they would be found a job, or place where they could use that expertise and interest.
We have enough human drones in NZ whose brains are under loose control. They can extend their reach for misbehaviour and worse with drones. Spy ware on a large scale is what they are – and also unpleasantly clogging up the air as badly as the cyclists, mobile carts and others clog up the footpaths. Our footpaths, the air, we always took for granted having a good clear purpose – best to be aware of the invasive things in our lives and try to control them from the start. Limit drones now to certain proved users!
It's always the cover up which gets you. After lying by omission and using the a bit of family limo use as a decoy, John Key has failed in throwing investors and the media off the scent of his ANZ's corruption.
Remember the money the Hiscos saved from the undervaluation of this house went straight into John Key's pocket not six months later…
Sitting in Charles de Gaulle airport overhearing 2 couples discussing Brexit it and Trump! English couple bemoaning the probability of Boris as pm, comparing him with Trump.
Never felt more proud to have Jacinta as leader. She may not appeal to the redneck tunnel visioned Nat voters, and even to me the coalition government is not radical enough – but, hell, light years better than has and UK.
I assume you know that a 'd' is merely a softened, vocalised 't'. In Olde English, the word 'Hundred' ended with a t, not a d. But you would still have understood it.
Don't want to answer the point made, so dodge it with a pedantic diversion.
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Seymour describes sushi as too woke for school meals. There are no fish sushi meals recommended by the School Lunches programme. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / Getty ImagesTL;DR: The Government will swap out hot meals for packaged sandwiches to save $107 million on school lunches for poor kids. MSD has pulled ...
I don't mind stealin' bread from the mouths of decadenceBut I can't feed on the powerless when my cup's already overfilled, yeahBut it's on the table, the fire's cookin'And they're farmin' babies, while slaves are workin'The blood is on the table and the mouths are chokin'But I'm goin' hungry, yeahSome ...
The Ardern Government’s chickens came home to roost yesterday with the news that the country is short of natural gas. In 2018, Labour banned offshore petroleum exploration, and industry executives say that the attendant loss of confidence by the industry impacted overall investment in onshore gas fields. Energy Resources Minister ...
Hi,If you’ve been digging through the newly launched Webworm store (orders are being dispatched worldwide as I type!) you’ll have noticed the best model we had was Calvin.This is Calvin.Calvin.Calvin is 7, and is the son of my producer over on Flightless Bird, Rob — aka “Wobby Wob”. Rob also ...
This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Adam Levy. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). Climate change is everywhere. And when something's everywhere it can feel like it's nowhere. So how do we get our heads ...
Its a law like gravity: whenever a right-wing government is elected, they start attacking democracy. And now, after talking to their Republican and Tory and Fidesz chums at the International Democracy Union forum in Wellington, National is doing it here, announcing plans to remove election-day enrolment. Or, to put it ...
Yesterday Winston Peters focussed his attention on the important matter at hand. Tweeting. Like the former, and quite possibly next, orange POTUS, from whom he takes much of his political strategy, Winston is an avid X’er.His message didn’t resemble an historic address this time. In fact it was more reminiscent ...
Buzz from the Beehive A significant decline in natural gas production has given Resources Minister Shane Jones an opportunity to reiterate his enthusiasm for the mining and burning of coal. For good measure, he has praised an announcement from Genesis Energy that it will resume importing coal. He and Energy ...
“Follow the money” is the classic directive to journalists trying to understand where power and influence lie in society. In terms of uncovering who influences various New Zealand political parties and governments, it therefore pays to look at who is funding them. The political parties are legally obliged to make ...
Rob MacCullough writes – Here is my subjective ranking on a “most-left” to “most-right” scale of most of our major NZ Universities, with some anecdotal (and at times amusing) evidence to back up the claim.Extreme Left Auckland University of TechnologyEvidenceThe ...
Eric Crampton writes – I hadn’t thought about this one until a helpful email showed up in my inbox.It’s pretty obvious that income tax thresholds should automatically index with inflation – whether to anchor the thresholds in percentiles of the income distribution, or to anchor against a real ...
Jacqui Van Der Kaay writes – Parliament’s speaker had no option but to refer Green MP Julie Anne Genter to the Privileges Committee for her behaviour in the House last Wednesday evening. The incident, in which she crossed the floor to wave a book and yell at National ...
Gary Judd writes – The Dean of the law school at the Auckland University of Technology is someone called Khylee Quince. I have been sent her social media posting in which she has, over the LawNews headline “Senior King’s Counsel files complaint about compulsory tikanga Maori studies for ...
Cleo Paskal writes – WASHINGTON, D.C.: ‘Many of us have received phone calls from [the opposing camp] telling them if they join the camp they will be given projects for their wards and $300,000 [around US$35,000] each’, says former Malaita Premier Daniel Suidani. The elections in Solomon Islands aren’t ...
With hindsight, it was inevitable that (a) Hamas would agree to the ceasefire deal brokered by Egypt and Qatar and that ( b) Israel would then immediately launch attacks on Rafah, regardless. We might have hoped the concessions made by Hamas would cause Israel to desist from slaughtering thousands more ...
Placards and mourners outside the Kilbirnie Mosque following the Christchurch terror attack: MSD has terminated the Kaiwhakaoranga service, which has been used by 415 families since the attacks. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: The Government’s pledge to only cut ‘back office’ staff rather than ‘frontline’ services is on increasingly shaky ground, with ...
There’s been a few smaller public transport announcements over the last week or so that I thought I’d cover in a single post. Fareshare I’ve long called for Auckland Transport to offer a way to enable employer-subsidised public transport options. The need for this took on even more importance ...
Parliament’s speaker had no option but to refer Green MP Julie Anne Genter to the Privileges Committee for her behaviour in the House last Wednesday evening. The incident, in which she crossed the floor to wave a book and yell at National Minister Matt Doocey, reflects poorly on Genter and ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Who likes being sneered at? Nobody. Worse yet, when the sneerer has their facts all wrong, and might well be an idiot.The sneer in question is The adults are in charge now, and it is a sneer offered in retort to criticism of this new Government, no matter how well ...
When in government, Labour pushed to extend the Parliamentary term to four years, to reduce accountability and our ability to vote out a bad government. And now, they're trying to do it through the member's ballot, with a Four-Year Parliamentary Term Legislation Bill. The bill at least requires a referendum ...
A ballot for a single Member's Bill was held today, and the following bill was drawn: Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill (Hūhana Lyndon) The bill would prevent the government from stealing Māori land in breach of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. It ...
Simeon Brown, alongside Wayne Brown, is favouring a political figleaf now in exchange for loading up tens of millions in extra interest costs on Auckland ratepayers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Ratings agency Standard & Poor’s is pushing back hard at suggestions from Local Government Minister Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown ...
Buzz from the Beehive One headline-grabber from the Beehive yesterday was the OECD’s advice that the government must bring the Budget deficit under control or face higher interest rates. Another was the announcement of a $1.9 billion “investment” in Corrections over the next four years. In the best interests of ...
Chris Trotter writes – Had Zheng He’s fleet sailed east, not west, in the early Fifteenth Century, how different our world would be. There is little reason to suppose that the sea-going junks of the Ming Dynasty, among the largest and most sophisticated sailing vessels ever constructed, would have failed ...
David Farrar writes – Two articles give a useful contrast in balance. Both seek to be neutral explainer articles. This one in the Herald on Social Investment covers the pros and cons nicely. It links to critical pieces and talks about aspects that failed and aspects that are more ...
The tikanga regulations will compel law students to be taught that a system which does not conform with the rule of law is nevertheless law which should be observed and applied…Gary Judd KC writes – I have made a complaint to Parliament’s Regulation ...
The future of Te Huia, the train between Hamilton and Auckland, has been getting a lot of attention recently as current funding for it is only in place till the end of June. The government initially agreed to a five year trial, through to April 2026, but that was subject ...
TL;DR: Hamas has just agreed to Israel’s ceasefire plan. Nelson hospital’s rebuild has been cut back to save money. The OECD suggests New Zealand break up network monopolies, including in electricity. PM Christopher Luxon’s news conference on a prison expansion announcement last night was his messiest yet.Here’s my top six ...
A homicide in Ponsonby, a manhunt with a killer on the run. The nation’s leader stands before a press conference reassuring a frightened nation that he’ll sort it out, he’ll keep them safe, he’ll build some new prison spaces.Sorry what? There’s a scary dude on the run with a gun ...
Hi,I know it’s been awhile since there’s been any Webworm merch — and today that all changes!Over the last four months, I’ve been working with New Zealand artist Jess Johnson to create a series of t-shirts, caps and stickers that are infused with Webworm DNA — and as of right ...
The OECD’s chief economist yesterday laid it on the line for the new Government: bring the deficit under control or face higher Reserve Bank interest rates for longer. And to bring the deficit under control, she meant not borrowing for tax cuts. But there was more. Without policy changes—introducing a ...
After a hiatus of over four months Selwyn Manning and I finally got it together to re-start the “A View from Afar” podcast series. We shall see how we go but aim to do 2 episodes per month if possible. … Continue reading → ...
In 2008, the UK Parliament passed the Climate Change Act 2008. The law established a system of targets, budgets, and plans, with inbuilt accountability mechanisms; the aim was to break the cycle of empty promises and replace it with actual progress towards emissions reduction. The law was passed with near-universal ...
Buzz from the Beehive Local Water Done Well – let’s be blunt – is a silly name, but the first big initiative to put it into practice has gone done well. This success is reflected in the headline on an RNZ report:District mayors welcome Auckland’s new water deal with ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate ConnectionsA farmworker cleans the solar panels of a solar water pump in the village of Jagadhri, Haryana Country, India. (Photo credit: Prashanth Vishwanathan/ IWMI) Decisions made in India over the next few years will play a key role in global ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – The Children’s Minister, Karen Chhour, intends to repeal Section 7AA from the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989 because it creates conflict between claimed Crown Treaty obligations and the child’s best interests. In her words, “Oranga Tamariki’s governing principles and its act should be colour ...
Geoffrey Miller writes – The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. ...
Brian Easton writes – This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be (I will report on them ...
TL;DR:Winston Peters is reported to have won a budget increase for MFAT. David Seymour wanted his Ministry of Regulation to be three times bigger than the Productivity Commission. Simeon Brown is appointing a Crown Monitor to Watercare to protect the Claytons Crown Guarantee he had to give ratings agencies ...
The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. Carr had made highly ...
I could be a florist'Round the corner from Rye LaneI'll be giving daisies to craziesBut, baby, I'll wrap you up real safe Oh, I can give you flowers At the end of every dayFor the center of your table, a rainbowIn case you have people 'round to stay Depending on ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to May 12 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Finance Minister Nicola Willis will give a pre-budget speech on Thursday.Parliament sits from Question Time at 2pm on ...
The price of the foreign affairs “reset” is now becoming apparent, with Defence set to get a funding boost in the Budget. Finance Minister Nicola Willis has confirmed that it will be one of the few votes, apart from Health and Education and possibly Police, which will get an increase ...
A listing of 26 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 28, 2024 thru Sat, May 4, 2024. Story of the week "It’s straight out of Big Tobacco’s playbook. In fact, research by John Cook and his colleagues ...
Yesterday I received come lovely feedback following my Star Wars themed newsletter. A few people mentioned they’d enjoyed reading the personal part at the beginning.I often begin newsletters with some memories, or general thoughts, before commencing the main topic. This hopefully sets the mood and provides some context in which ...
April 30 was going to be the day we’d be calling Mum from London to wish her a happy birthday. Then it became the day we would be going to St. Paul's at Evensong to remember her. The aim of the cathedral builders was to find a way to make their ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – Can’t remember the last book by a Kiwi author you read? Think the NZ government should spend less on the arts in favor of helping the homeless? If so, as far as Newsroom is concerned, you probably deserve to be called a cultural ignoramus ...
Eric Crampton writes – Grudges are bad. Better to move on. But it can be fun to keep a couple of really trivial ones, so you’re not tempted to have other ones. For example, because of the rootkit fiasco of 2005, no Sony products in our household. ...
A new report warns an estimated third of the adult population have unmet need for health care.Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāHere’s the six key things I learned about Aotaroa’s political economy this week around housing, climate and poverty:Politics - Three opinion polls confirmed support for PM Christopher Luxon ...
Today is May the fourth. Which was just a regular day when my mother took me to see the newly released Star Wars at the Odeon in Rotorua. The queue was right around the corner. Some years later this day became known as Star Wars Day, the date being a ...
Buzz from the Beehive Much more media attention is being paid to something Winston Peters said about former Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr than to a speech he delivered to the New Zealand China Council. One word is missing from the speech: AUKUS. But AUKUS loomed large in his considerations ...
Is the economy in another long stagnation? If so, why?This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be ...
The annual list of who's been bribing our politicians is out, and journalists will no doubt be poring over it to find the juiciest and dirtiest bribes. The government's fast-track invite list is likely to be a particular focus, and we already know of one company on the list which ...
In the weeks after the October 7 Hamas attacks on Southern Israel I wrote about the possible 2nd, 3rd and even 4th order effects of the conflict. These included new fronts being opened in the West Bank (with Hamas), Golan … Continue reading → ...
The Green Party is welcoming Climate Change Minister Simon Watts’ continuation of Hon. James Shaw’s cross-party work on climate adaptation, now in the form of a Finance and Expenditure Committee Inquiry. ...
The National Government plans to cut 390 jobs at ACC, including roles in the areas of prevention of sexual violence, road safety and workplace safety. ...
The Government has been caught in opposition to evidence once again as it looks to usher in tried, tested and failed work seminar obligations for job-seeking beneficiaries. ...
The Green Party is welcoming the announcement by the Minister Responsible for RMA Reform Chris Bishop to approve most of the Wellington City Council’s District Plan recommendations. ...
David Seymour has failed to get the sweeping cuts he wanted to the free and healthy school lunch programme, Labour education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
Hon Willie Jackson has been invited by the Oxford Union to debate the motion “This House Believes British Museums are not Very British’ on May 23rd. ...
Green Party MP Hūhana Lyndon says her Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill is an opportunity to right some past wrongs around the alienation of Māori land. ...
A senior, highly respected King’s Counsel with decades of experience in our law courts, Gary Judd KC, has filed a complaint about compulsory tikanga Māori studies for law students - highlighting the utter depths of absurdity this woke cultural madness has taken our society. The tikanga regulations will compel law ...
The Government needs to be clear with the people of the Nelson Marlborough region about the changes it is considering for the Nelson Hospital rebuild, Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said. ...
Ministers must front up about which projects it will push through under its Fast Track Approvals legislation, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced the upcoming Budget will include new funding of $571 million for Defence Force pay and projects. “Our servicemen and women do New Zealand proud throughout the world and this funding will help ensure we retain their services and expertise as we navigate an increasingly ...
New Zealand’s ability to cope with climate change will be strengthened as part of the Government’s focus to build resilience as we rebuild the economy, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “An enduring and long-term approach is needed to provide New Zealanders and the economy with certainty as the climate ...
Jobseeker beneficiaries who have work obligations must now meet with MSD within two weeks of their benefit starting to determine their next step towards finding a job, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “A key part of the coalition Government’s plan to have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker ...
A new standalone Social Investment Agency will power-up the social investment approach, driving positive change for our most vulnerable New Zealanders, Social Investment Minister Nicola Willis says. “Despite the Government currently investing more than $70 billion every year into social services, we are not seeing the outcomes we want for ...
Check against delivery Good morning. It is a pleasure to be with you to outline the Coalition Government’s approach to our first Budget. Thank you Mark Skelly, President of the Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce, together with your Board and team, for hosting me. I’d like to acknowledge His Worship ...
Your Excellency Ambassador Meredith, Members of the Diplomatic Corps and Ambassadors from European Union Member States, Ministerial colleagues, Members of Parliament, and other distinguished guests, Thank you everyone for joining us. Ladies and gentlemen - In diplomacy, we often speak of ‘close’ and ‘long-standing’ relations. ...
The Therapeutic Products Act (TPA) will be repealed this year so that a better regime can be put in place to provide New Zealanders safe and timely access to medicines, medical devices and health products, Associate Health Minister Casey Costello announced today. “The medicines and products we are talking about ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop, today released his decision on twenty recommendations referred to him by the Wellington City Council relating to its Intensification Planning Instrument, after the Council rejected those recommendations of the Independent Hearings Panel and made alternative recommendations. “Wellington notified its District Plan on ...
Rape Awareness Week (6-10 May) is an important opportunity to acknowledge the continued effort required by government and communities to ensure that all New Zealanders can live free from violence, say Ministers Karen Chhour and Louise Upston. “With 1 in 3 women and 1 in 8 men experiencing sexual violence ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government will be delivering a more efficient Healthy School Lunches Programme, saving taxpayers approximately $107 million a year compared to how Labour funded it, by embracing innovation and commercial expertise. “We are delivering on our commitment to treat taxpayers’ money ...
New research on the impacts of extreme weather on coastal marine habitats in Tairāwhiti and Hawke’s Bay will help fishery managers plan for and respond to any future events, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. A report released today on research by Niwa on behalf of Fisheries New Zealand ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters will lead a broad political delegation on a five-stop Pacific tour next week to strengthen New Zealand’s engagement with the region. The delegation will visit Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and Tuvalu. “New Zealand has deep and ...
There has been a material decline in gas production according to figures released today by the Gas Industry Co. Figures released by the Gas Industry Company show that there was a 12.5 per cent reduction in gas production during 2023, and a 27.8 per cent reduction in gas production in the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins tonight announced the recipients of the Minister of Defence Awards of Excellence for Industry, saying they all contribute to New Zealanders’ security and wellbeing. “Congratulations to this year’s recipients, whose innovative products and services play a critical role in the delivery of New Zealand’s defence capabilities, ...
Welcome to you all - it is a pleasure to be here this evening.I would like to start by thanking Greg Lowe, Chair of the New Zealand Defence Industry Advisory Council, for co-hosting this reception with me. This evening is about recognising businesses from across New Zealand and overseas who in ...
It is a pleasure to be speaking to you as the Minister for Digitising Government. I would like to thank Akolade for the invitation to address this Summit, and to acknowledge the great effort you are making to grow New Zealand’s digital future. Today, we stand at the cusp of ...
New Zealand is urging both Israel and Hamas to agree to an immediate ceasefire to avoid the further humanitarian catastrophe that military action in Rafah would unleash, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The immense suffering in Gaza cannot be allowed to worsen further. Both sides have a responsibility to ...
A new online data dashboard released today as part of the Government’s school attendance action plan makes more timely daily attendance data available to the public and parents, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. The interactive dashboard will be updated once a week to show a national average of how ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced Rosemary Banks will be New Zealand’s next Ambassador to the United States of America. “Our relationship with the United States is crucial for New Zealand in strategic, security and economic terms,” Mr Peters says. “New Zealand and the United States have a ...
The Government is considering creating a new tier of minerals permitting that will make it easier for hobby miners to prospect for gold. “New Zealand was built on gold, it’s in our DNA. Our gold deposits, particularly in regions such as Otago and the West Coast have always attracted fortune-hunters. ...
Minister for Trade Todd McClay today announced that New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will commence negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA). Minister McClay met with his counterpart UAE Trade Minister Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi in Dubai, where they announced the launch of negotiations on a ...
New Zealand Sign Language Week is an excellent opportunity for all Kiwis to give the language a go, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. This week (May 6 to 12) is New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) Week. The theme is “an Aotearoa where anyone can sign anywhere” and aims to ...
Six tertiary students have been selected to work on NASA projects in the US through a New Zealand Space Scholarship, Space Minister Judith Collins announced today. “This is a fantastic opportunity for these talented students. They will undertake internships at NASA’s Ames Research Center or its Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), where ...
New Zealanders will be safer because of a $1.9 billion investment in more frontline Corrections officers, more support for offenders to turn away from crime, and more prison capacity, Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell says. “Our Government said we would crack down on crime. We promised to restore law and order, ...
The OECD’s latest report on New Zealand reinforces the importance of bringing Government spending under control, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The OECD conducts country surveys every two years to review its members’ economic policies. The 2024 New Zealand survey was presented in Wellington today by OECD Chief Economist Clare Lombardelli. ...
The Government has delivered on its election promise to provide a financially sustainable model for Auckland under its Local Water Done Well plan. The plan, which has been unanimously endorsed by Auckland Council’s Governing Body, will see Aucklanders avoid the previously projected 25.8 per cent water rates increases while retaining ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters discussed the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and enhanced cooperation in the Pacific with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during her first official visit to New Zealand today. "New Zealand and Germany enjoy shared interests and values, including the rule of law, democracy, respect for the international system ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop today released his decision on four recommendations referred to him by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, opening the door to housing growth in the area. The Council’s Plan Change 92 allows more homes to be built in existing and new ...
Thank you, John McKinnon and the New Zealand China Council for the invitation to speak to you today. Thank you too, all members of the China Council. Your effort has played an essential role in helping to build, shape, and grow a balanced and resilient relationship between our two ...
The Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...
The coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says. “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...
Structured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...
The rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...
The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
BusinessNZ is congratulating the Minister of Climate Change for his work in achieving cross-party consensus for a way forward on climate adaptation. ...
Recent research reveals the repeal of smokefree measures is not only bad for our health, but also the economy. The Government has repealed various smokefree measures to ensure it keeps collecting $1.2 billion a year in tobacco taxes, in order to pay for tax cuts already being delivered to ...
The club’s surprisingly good season is built on the desire to prove a random A-League YouTuber wrong… and a few other factors.“There’s no way that Wellington Phoenix play finals this year. I can’t see it happening at all.” Those are the words of Lachlan Raeside, an Australian football content ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By César Albarrán-Torres, Senior Lecturer, Department of Media and Communication, Swinburne University of Technology Apple TV+ As one of billions of bilingual individuals in the world, it disappoints me when a film or TV show with characters of a non-English-speaking background is ...
The under-utilised course is a waste of space, and with a little political will, it could be turned into something better. For the duration of her stay in Wellington, my long-suffering cousin listened to me rant about golf courses. They’re bad for the environment: water intensive and pesticide heavy. They ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Leah Ruppanner, Professor of Sociology and Founding Director of The Future of Work Lab, Podcast at MissPerceived, The University of Melbourne Shutterstock A recent report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows US fertility rates dropped 2% in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amy Corderoy, Medical doctor and PhD candidate studying involuntary psychiatric treatment, School of Psychiatry, UNSW Sydney shop_py/Shutterstock Picture two people, both suffering from a serious mental illness requiring hospital admission. One was born in Australia, the other in Asia. Hopefully, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Treby, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, RMIT University P.j.Hickox, Shutterstock Peatlands store more carbon per square metre than any other ecosystem on Earth. These waterlogged, mossy bogs beat even dense rainforests for their ability to act as carbon reservoirs. Under the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Goss, Adjunct Associate Professor, Health Research Institute, University of Canberra Government spending on health has been growing so rapidly that a decade ago the then health minister Peter Dutton called it “unmanageable” and “unsustainable”. Health spending grew in real terms by ...
New Zealand's largest electricity distributor is warning the country to hurry up with controls around charging electric vehicles or face unnecessary bills running into the billions. ...
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ANZ in the news again. This time it looks like they failed to report suspicious behavior to the US authorities Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN).
Despite being US based FinCEN basically have global reach. Looks bad for ANZ.. not sure if that’s constitutes criminal action but from what I’ve read it’s possible.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/114321074/300m-share-scam-saw-money-stashed-in-cook-islands-bank-account
“Suspicious activity reports” or SARs are required by the US from all banks regardless of location in the world. That’s why it has become difficult for US citizens to open foreign bank accounts – crazy compliance requirements
The banks ,notably the ANZ do not accept the RB directive re capital requirements.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12250454
Cook Islands ?? Nothing to do with NZ according to the Nacts
http://www.stuff.co.nz/good-reads/8515361/Money-trail-leads-home-to-New-Zealand
ANZ , BNZ (winebox) and other 'respectable' banks, are the funnel into these places …. they help stash hot loot.
Creatively
Informative article.
First the Winebox,then the Panama papers ,now this…nothing changes much.
Not surprised to see blogger 'Cactus Kate' get a mention!
'behind every big fortune ..lies a big crime'.
Oh the irony,for Mr Transparent Chairman of ANZ…
If they have nothing to hide, presumably they have nothing to worry about."''
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/money/114330734/simplicity-could-launch-legal-action-over-anz-mansion-valuation-secrecy
The Cost of Bad Laws
New Zealand is not rich, and that’s making the new Government constrained from the large spending that’s needed to go into areas like housing, health, the environment etc.
But there are many 'cheap ' legislative changes they could undertake to fix certain things, and possibly save or gain money at the same time.
i.e…. regarding our prohibition Cannabis laws, and the cult logic that flows from them, ,,,, 1Kg of Cannabis creates $47,000 of costs / harms in NZ
Big flaky numbers I’ve quoted from the budget justifying (for drug squads / customs ) nz drug harm index ,,, page 38 https://www.health.govt.nz/system/files/documents/publications/nz-drug-harm-index-2016-2nd-ed-jul16.pdf
Personally I believe the numbers are hogwash …For instance in the Netherlands where
It seems 1 KG of cannabis is worth about 10,000 Euros direct revenue into their economy … calculated at 10 euros per gram.
https://www.clear-uk.org/the-economic-benefits-of-the-dutch-coffee-shops/
Colorado also gains from its recent Cannabis regulations …
How is the same Kilo of Cannabis benefiting the Netherlands and Colorado … yet apparently costing NZ tens of thousands in negative costs.
The only difference is Bad Law we can ill afford …
https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2018/05/the-netherlands-is-richer-than-thought-thanks-to-the-marijuana-industry/
So the orange anusmouth wants to take the humanitarian aid money intended for Honduras and Guatemala and divert it to funding regime change in Venezuela. Meanwhile, desperate people fleeing the crises in Honduras and Guatemala are jumping out of the frying pan into the fire of gratuitously malicious mistreatment at the border. Anyone else see any connection? Or wanna take a guess at the likely result of regime change fuckery in Venezuela?
https://thinkprogress.org/regime-overthrow-venezuela-trump-diverted-humanitarian-aid-b6cc01a43fd5/
So the Dems are largely united with tRump.
With some notable … and targeted exceptions ….
targeted by you too Andre … TG ?
There's mixed messages from Democrats on how to respond to the crisis in Venezuela because it's a complex, nuanced situation. While there's little argument that Maduro is a nasty sack'o'shit, and if there's a significant home-grown movement of Venezuelans wanting to rid themselves of Maduro, then they are deserving of moral support at a minimum. But going in and stirring up trouble to try to create pretext for imposing regime change from the outside, as Bolton and Pompeo apparently want to do, is simply unacceptable, and there's very few Democrats in favour of that.
There's also significant local political implications particularly in states such as Florida. Actively trying to foment regime change in Venezuela is quite popular among some communities such as Cuban-Americans. That realpolitik tends to blunt any potential messaging critical of Bolton and Pompeo's fuckery.
While there's little argument that Maduro is a nasty sack'o'shit
???? Oh yes, that's what the Trump regime says, and it's what the Trump regime's parrots in the media say, so that's what you say, of course.
… and if there's a significant home-grown movement of Venezuelans wanting to rid themselves of Maduro
Key words: "if", "significant" and "home-grown". None of them actually applies to the situation.
as Bolton and Pompeo apparently want to do
Ha! He said "apparently."
trying to foment regime change in Venezuela is quite popular among some communities such as Cuban-Americans
Corrected for truthfulness, that reads "…. trying to foment regime change in Venezuela is quite popular among reactionary, right wing Cuban-Americans…"
Bullshit ….. the only ones to speak out strongly against things like Eliot Abrahms ,,, or the sanctions / siege….. are the ones being dumped on by Trump … and yourself in regards to Tulsi Gabbard.
https://www.thenation.com/article/venezuela-democrats-trump-sanctions/
And which party thought " the price was worth it " …. when western siege / sanctions killed half a million Iraq children.
Face it …. both the democrats and repugs are exceptional … when it comes to war and killing.
Finally Which party turned on Martin Luther King …. in the year or two before he was murdered.
I think NZ is rich.
Abundant natural resources,a temperate climate and more than enough to provide every NZ'er with a home to raise a family,adequate healthy food and all the basic needs of people.
The shackles of Friedman economics and pursuit of the delusional ,materialism of the 'American Dream' have lead to the shallow,unreal reality of today.
Is that the same Friedman who was one of the early advocates for a UBI? If so perhaps you could explain why you don't seem to approve of him given that he was an advocate of actually providing the basic needs of everyone.
Friedman was a supporter of the smashing of Chile's democracy in 1973. That's just one compelling reason to despise him. Another is his inability to cogently defend his outrageous positions….
I must confess, having watched this clip, that I think Milton Friedman was a great deal clearer than the person with that amazing head of hair.
You seem to be ascribing views, and actions regarding Chile, to Milton that he didn't appear to hold.
Friedman worked with the U.S.-backed dictator to dismantle democracy in Chile. Because he himself never physically killed a teacher or student or nun or poet does not mean he was not involved in the bloodletting. Pinochet never personally dispatched a prisoner either. Nor did Kissinger.
Milton Friedman …. Shock Doctrine
His medicine was on show under boris yelstin
Milton fails because there is no ' level playing field ' …… ' The market decides' is the sort of crap that gave NZ Pike River …… which Alwyn tried to pin on Andrew Little.
Showing up Alwyn for having no concern for the truth …. or safety of any future mine workers.
He'd rather lie for political gain … repeatedly and on just about everything.
Roger Douglas gave the NZ economy its first dose of Miltons snake oil …. leading to the 1988 sharemarket crash … and the lost decade in the 1990's where our economy languished ….. as ruth richardson, jenny shiply and national doubled down.
The seeds to our housing crisis were planted then ….money spent on welfare to landlords via the 'Accommodation Allowance',… instead of state house building.
Student debt was introduced….
And did I say our economy hit the skids ,,,, Australia was the saving grace in stopping our unemployment rate going through the roof …. kiwi workers moved there.
Milton and trickle down were a fraud …. He grew oligarchs and inequality.
Russia 39 mins
This has some funny moments…
Let's Ridicule Thomas Friedman With Matt Taibbi..
Is that how you interpret 'trickle down theory'?
Chicago style economics embraced the doctrine of privatisation and austerity when crisis situations developed domestically and internationally.
The mess you see today is a direct result of this flawed ideology.
Their handiwork in US interventions is appalling.
" he was an advocate of actually providing the basic needs of everyone." really? the the same people who promote the ideology of modern wage slavery ie. free market laissez-faire economics are interested in your well being, or anyone's well being,I don’t think so.
The only interest in humans those rodents have is in their ability to either produce or consume market driven goods…why you would trust people with that ideology to provide anything of intrinsic value to the human project in a positive or long term way is beyond me.
Unending growth and short term gain for the wealthy is Friedman's ideology, nothing more…now debunked too I might add.
Rubbish. Why don't you simply look up what he really did say on the subject?
Arse. Friedman's negative tax wasn't a way to supplement income, it was a way to eliminate social spending by the state and replace it with private charity.
You haven't the faintest idea what you are talking about. The only bit that is accurate is the comment that he (sometimes) called it a negative tax. The money was to be supplied, without strings, by the Government. There was no mention at all that is should be provided by private charity.
In a housing market where few new houses are being built, I don't see how more small investors returning to the market is a good thing for anybody other than small investors. The signal no capital gains tax sends to the market is that property investors are to be encouraged because they are good for the economy. But as far as I can see, property investors simply soak up a lot of the available housing stock so it is not available for first home buyers. I don't see what added value they add to the economy.
https://www.qv.co.nz/property-insights-blog/smaller-investors-appear-more-confident-after-capital-gains-tax-scrapping/457
We need property investors because our government can't afford to provide a rental home for everyone that needs or wants one.
Our govenment has been trying to meet the housing needs of our most needy for only a few generations. Other nations have been at it for centuries.
The government and local council ownership of homes in Sweden are at such a level that stock levels extend beyond housing the most needy and extends into teachers, office admin, bus driving folk etc.
Good things happen when numbers get to that level. In NZ, the NZ housing stock is a huge expense. People speak of the dividend Housing NZ returns to our govt, bulldust, before we even get to the ledger, when considering the lost opportunity with the billions tied up it's an immense money-pit.
When the govt is the dominant rental property owner, they set the 'Market Rent' levels, not by making rent level laws, by proxy, the market follows the dominant player. When salespeople and drivers rather than just beneficiaries are in the rentals we all own, they are in a position to pay rent at levels that could push Housing NZ close to being a profitable business.
All sorts of benefits filter down. In Sweden, people in govt owned houses aren't judged unfavourably, it's so common amongst people of all walks of life it's not really a thing.
I feel there is a point of critical mass with govt owned housing, in nations that have been at it a lot longer than us the benefits are plain to see. We're some way off owning enough houses to 'Own the market' but I feel we should be on that road. In the meantime we need small time investors and their type have the reins.
When Jacinda holds the majority of rental properties and sets the tone, the marketplace might stop pissing around with our homes like our lives are a game of Monopoly. That's what happened in Sweden, I met a few wealthy people, none of them owned rental houses.
anne tolley is nasty piece of work.
“A teen was reduced to tears after her speech about a friend’s suicide during a Youth Parliament debate was interrupted by senior National MP Anne Tolley.”
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12250413
Let's see the trolls defend that!
An 11 year old girl committed suicide at my kids school a few months back, bloody sad.
She's an extremely nasty piece of work.
https://morrisseybreen.blogspot.com/2019/03/ann-tolleys-vicious-ramblings-about.html
Note – this is an edited version from one I put up earlier but deleted after getting the video to work.
Hi Cinny, I saw the little bit of that article much earlier this morning that I could read, but the video was not available so I was left wondering what had happened.
Having now watched the video, I am actually of two minds in this particular situation.
I was involved in helping with a couple of Youth Parliaments some years ago and instances such as that where young rep MPs are pulled up for reading speeches, cautioned that they are running out of time etc are quite usual. The purpose of the Youth Parliaments are to give young people an experience of what it is like to be a MP and how Parliament operates etc –warts and all.
Firstly, I never liked Tolley as a Minister etc in the last government, and agree that she did show a nasty side at times. On the other hand, as a regular watcher of Parliament (hard to break old work habits/requirements!) for the most part, I am actually quite impressed with her as a Deputy Speaker of the House.
In this particular situation I think Anne Tolley could have perhaps handled her interruption of Lily Dorrance’s speech a little better than she did considering the sensitive nature of Lily’s speech. On the other hand, Tolley was also bound to fulfill her role as Speaker to the Youth Parliament in the same way as she must do so as a Speaker in the 'normal' Parliament, in accord with all applicable rules, procedures, etc. I note that she also referred to things that had gone on previously in the Youth Parliament sittings that seemed to have provided context to her interruption on this occasion. Unfortunately we are not privy to what those earlier instances involved.
I have had a quick check of the Parliament site and note that some parts of the proceedings of this year's Youth Parliament (two days – Tuesday and Wednesday this week) were broadcast live on the usual Parliamentary TV channels, but unfortunately these broadcast sessions are not available On Demand on/through the Parliament website. So that does not help seeing what actually happened in the earlier sessions/speeches that Tolley referred to.
For anyone interested, here are links to the sections on the Parliamentary website re the 2019 Youth Parliament:
Programme PDF (LB = live broadcast sessions)
https://www.parliament.nz/media/5837/youth-parliament-2019-programme-for-website.pdf
Parliament website main page with further links to detailed information
https://www.parliament.nz/en/get-involved/youth-parliament/
I note from the “Bio” page the young woman concerned, Lily Dorrance, is from Christchurch. Each young person attending the Youth Parliament is sponsored by and represents a sitting MP – in Lily's case, that was The Rt Hon David Carter (Nat).
I have also now looked at the link in the second link above to the Youth Parliament Media pages, but nothing there about this incident – but some other interesting stuff. Will keep my eyes out for any more information re this situation and report back if I find out more.
[Cinny, despite this ‘incident’, the Youth Parliaments are really great and the young people who attended these in the past have reported that they really enjoyed them and the experience has spurred quite a few to move down this road in their studies and later lives. You really should think about these for your girls if they are interested in politics etc. ;Happy to get further info for you but also lots of stuff there on the second link to give you and the girls a feel for what happens etc.]
Here's some background from the start of the General Debate. She's a bully who can't pronounce people's names and changes the rules when and if she feels like it.
Thanks so much, maui. I wondered whether all the Youth Parliament televised sessions were up on You Tube – and it seems they are. I don't have time right now to watch them in detail but will do so over the weekend.
Have now watched quite a bit of the one above and considered that Tolley laid out the rules in a fairly even manner at the very 'get go' and so far, yes there has been some querying etc her ruling that speeches are not just to be read from notes.
Actually, the whole intention of these debates is that it is a learning opportunity where these young people get real experience of how Parliament works – including being pulled up for not sticking to the rules, then debating the rules, disagreeing with one another etc. It is not intended as a soft fluffy ride – and they are well aware of that before they apply to be part of a Youth Parliament.
IMO having worked in this area, what Tolley achieved in those first few minutes is in fact exactly the above. Yes, she stirred the pot and got things moving, people disagreeing with her and one another, and debating what the rules are, whether they are acceptable or not, and what the rules are that they (the House) wished to work to.
Sorry – IMO that is not bullying That is 'Mission achieved'.
She made up a new rule that none of the students were aware of. There seemed to be an expectation that they could read from notes, otherwise all of them would have started off trying their best not to.
Pretty harsh thing to do to students who are at Parliament for the first time doing public speaking. Doing a speech is nerve wracking enough.. having a powerful person silence you and embarass you infront of your peers is definitely something else.
Thanks for the links VV, much appreciated. I guess my issue is that we see MP's reading aloud from their notes in the house often.
And great advice re my girls and youth parliament, that's well worth looking into
Cinny I agree that we see MPs reading aloud from their notes in the House often, and that the different Speakers (Mallard, Tolley, Potp Williams and Adrian Rauhine) have different tolerance levels in that regard – much like different moderators here.
One of the points I was trying to make earlier (badly) was that the amount of experience that the Youth Parliaments try to provide in an action-packed two days leads to it being a pressure cooker of 'tastes' rather than indepth experiences. In my experience, anyway, the emphasis in all the preliminary info etc about becoming a youth MP and during the two days is that it is not a platform to push issues but rather a chance to get a taste of how Parliament operates and why etc. That is in no way to criticise Lily for raising a very important issue – youth suicide -as the subject of her speech; but IMO Tolley was seeing things from that perspective and was pushing Lily to express her own views on what should be done in the short time she had left rather than continuing to describe the situation re youth suicide in NZ. As I said, I think Tolley could probably have handled the situation better.
I note that the Herald has now put up an amended non-payrolled version of their original article which provides more information about the Youth Parliament and includes comments/apologies from Tolley – plus an amended heading.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12250519
I also note that mickysavage has also now put up a post, but not sure whether he has read the discussion here …
Oops, realised too late that I had misspelled two names – should be Poto Williams and Adrian Rurawhe. I am actually wondering whether someone else will replace Poto now that she is bcoming a Minister. I have a lot of respect for both her and Adrian as Assistant Speakers.
Yes, Ruth Dyson.
I think it proves National party people have no soul and aren't fit to be parents.
What did she say? Assuming the hibbledibble bothered giving details.
Correa reponds to CNN's false allegations about Assange's "control centre"
Correa compared CNN's assertions about Assange to its claims about "weapons of mass destruction" in the lead up to the Iraq war in 2003 — media manipulation which was used to make Americans "applaud a war,” he said.
Now, to "justify the assassination of Assange or to extradite him" they are constructing a new narrative about a fake "command center" for election meddling, he said."
Typically, whenever the new information contradicts the mainstream narrative, the MSM declines to report, thus contributing to a biased , incomplete coverage .
RT guys, but straight from the horse's mouth
https://www.rt.com/news/464409-correa-cnn-assange-embassy/
One thing the United States most certainly is not is a democracy. A democracy requires an informed electorate, and the United States most certainly does not have an informed electorate. The American media, indeed, the entirety of the Western print and TV media, functions as a Propaganda Ministry for Washington and the ruling oligarchies. The explanations are controlled to serve the agendas of the ruling elites. The persecution and torture of Julian Assange proves conclusively that the First Amendment is a dead-letter Amendment.
https://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2019/07/01/the-torture-of-julian-assange/
Without an honest Fourth Estate it is impossible to prevent a democracy from becoming a tyranny. In America tyranny is far advanced. Suppose that Americans somehow became aware of the truth about Julian Assange’s total innocence that has been disclosed by Nils Melzer, UN Special Rapporteur on Torture. What could they do about it short of violent revolution and complete elimination of the ruling elites?
CNN interviewed Julian Assange—several times!
Speaking of RT and the often stated claims that it is a Russian controlled media, it seems that that is not so much.
The following is an interview and transcript by journalist Ivan Golunov who spoke to RT about his arrest on false drug charges, alleged mistreatment in custody, huge public support that he didn’t expect, and plans for the future now that he is a minor celebrity in Russia.
https://www.rt.com/russia/462048-golunov-full-interview-transcript/
BBC of course, is state sponsored
CNN/Fox and other US networks are state apararti…Federal agencies and employees are part of the organisations…
Finger pointing at RT for example, is the purest hypocrisy.
The BBC is not just state-sponsored, it's a mouthpiece for the state. It was effectively brought to heel after Blair and Alastair Campbell went to war on it following the David Kelly revelations in 2004.
The Weasel goes Pop
With the arrival of the Coalition Government there has been an explosion of thought and some valuable activity, particularly in looking towards the Future of New Zealand.
But at the Risk of being a Pain in the Butt – I wish to draw attention to the massive crisis in Housing. The whole Nation has let Poverty of Population waddle around in disgrace.
We must Immediatlely stop all Immigration
We must build 3 bedroom qualityApartments / Houses (that do not leak or fall apart or drop off from great heights)
We must Stop all other constructions until Housing is built.
The Apartments / Houses should be sold for $300 thousand Dollars to persons earning less than $50,000. Should be sold at $90, 000 for persons earning at $70, 000 Indicative only.
Rentals should be reduced to max of $170 per week. I
mmediately -Indicative.
The Houses may never be sold To the Free Market! Only to the Government of the Day.
"We must Stop all other constructions until Housing is built.".
I'm not sure that this would really be a good idea. Are we not to be allowed any new schools or classrooms as Chippie Hipkins announced recently?
And are you going to scrap the rebuild of the Dunedin Hospital that was announced by the National Government back prior to the last election and that the current lot seemed to be willing to carry out?
Is "Dr" Clark going to renege on this and go along with your proposal instead?
Not to mention international conference centres wally. They should always get priority.
I suppose you can demand the provision of lots of conference centres if you are so much in favour of them. God knows what you would want them for but you are allowed to call for them if you must.
Personally I can't see why we should need any more but the idiot Labour Mayor in Wellington seem to be, like you, a fan. What is that makes you lot so keen to have them?
You will note that I didn't want to see useful things scrapped for a single minded push for standard sized houses. Do you really not favour schools and hospitals?
Agreed. The planet can do without the carbon footprint associated with holding large international conferences in NZ – hold 'em online.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/266186/back-to-the-drawing-board
I notice that you second link was early in 2015. What ever happened in the end. Clearly the then Government weren't going to be as stupid as the current lot and cough up the money. Did they hold to that?
There was much hoopla and some political concessions made at the time – maybe the government aimed to make political capital out of it. ‘Bum deal’? Scam? A bit of both? Maybe one day the taxpayers will get the full story.
Don't know the real extent of public or private costs, although some major private companies got burned, going forward. There was a remarkable derth of good news stories about the project in 2016/17 – funny that.
A case of 'Big Smoke' and mirrors? Better that than 'all up in smoke'.
"SkyCity to remove aluminium cladding from International Convention Centre"
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/110551367/sky-city-expects-395-million-from-fletchers-in-compensation-for-building-delays
Please don't feign dumb ignorance, alwyn. Gabby was obviously making a witty allusion to John Key's dodgy deal with Sky City to provide Auckland with a 'marvellous' (?) Conference Centre. You remember? About the time when he was refusing to admit that there was any kind of housing crisis?
Is your memory truly as selective as you pretend?
Gabby? Witty??
You really must be joking. You are also showing signs of a failing memory of course. The thing at Sky City wasn't built by the taxpayer, was it?
It was built by Sky City themselves, or at least it was going to be. I don't live in Auckland or waste my time at Casinos so I really have no idea what happened to it. I am only too well aware of out idiot Labour Mayor in Wellington wanting to waste the ratepayer's money on building something like it here.
What I am very well aware of is that this current pack of fools, known as the CoL, have poured a fortune into a miserable few houses and then haven't even been able to sell many of them. I think it is total madness for the State to run a subsidy scheme for unsuccessful developers which is what KiwiBuild has turned out to be. What do you think the final cost of the farce is going to be? How many hundreds of millions of dollars has already been wasted and what will the final bill turn out to be?
You still fail to explain your selective memory about the previous Govt's strange priorities.
I disagree with you about the holy, sacred 'taxpayer' not being penalised by the Sky City Convention Centre deal.
Sky City got the right to increase the number of their gaming machines. (Are you going to pretend that there was no commercial gain? More importantly, no social cost in a low-wage country where so many of the poor are conned into seeing lotto and Casinos as a source of hope?)
I suspect that in the long term we will all be paying the social costs of that foul deal. Taxpayer or not.
Your criticism of Wellington's mayor because you personally do not want that casino is another feint, avoiding the valid point that Gabby raised: the Key Govt's obsession with the great value of Conference Centres.
How to go all Trumpian on it, Eh Tokeroa?
Tokeroa, how do you propose we get the workers to build these houses?
Also, Tokeroa, You obviously haven't been to hospital lately. If you had you would notice that the health sector labour force is totally reliant on immigrants to operate it. Realise Tokeroa, that without immigration our health system would be in near collapse.
Also know this Tokeroa the massive state house building programme launched by the first Labour Government Minister of Housing, John A. Lee relied massively on immigrant labour. (Admittedly mostly from what we called at that time the 'Home Country')
Had a call from Curia last night ( for the first time). One little curiosity I thought – was asked to rank a group of politicians from 1 ( terrible ) -5 ( fantastic ). The group was Jacinda, James Shaw, Winston Peters, Simon Bridges and……Paula Bennett. I get the first four, but Bennett ? Any thoughts on what this could mean?
Shaw is going to get a turn as Prime Minister perhaps?
Given his disastrous performance in Statistics, his only real portfolio, he would be about as bad as the incumbent, wouldn't he?
Actually looking at the names, and the rating system to be used, I see why you have named them in that order. The first name would get a rating of 1. The second name gets a rating of 2 and so on. All is clear.
Why would Pullya get a 5 wally? Finger discount?
Shows how scared the gnats are. They are panicking now poor headless crooks lol
Nat party checking out swapping leaders?
Pick out the top five and let them all have a go. National pollies don't take their job seriously even when they are the government and now is the perfect time for pilot apprentices to show their Gnashers.
Ah, maybe a breakaway party? Though that seems less likely to be led by Bennett than others in their current caucus..
Just in case anyone was wondering, "go back to where you came from" is explicitly cited by the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission as an example of illegal discrimination.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/federal-law-go-back-came-from-discrimination_n_5d2e815de4b085eda5a390cc
And since supercallousfragileracistsexistnaziPOTUS thinks it's a political win for him, expect a lot more of it.
https://edition.cnn.com/2019/07/17/politics/trump-squad-political-strategy/index.html
"Lock her up" just doesn't do it for the deplorables anymore. Now it's "send her back".
https://edition.cnn.com/2019/07/17/politics/donald-trump-race-america-democrats/index.html
Dear Mrs Alwind
Thankyou for drawing attention to your your stupid liitle nothings. You seem to have been caught up in a nasty little house in which hatred of the poor is the only thing that spoouts out of your twisted mind and Arse. You low achiever.
Creep back into Your House of Hatred now !
[Please tone it down a little – Incognito]
See my Moderation note @ 11:59 AM.
I will tone it down a bit as you request.
Is there a Rule which insists that serious topics get treated with real respect – sans abuse – san bias- and sans stupidity.
I appreciate your work and monitoring. Incognito !
Thank you.
No rule, just consider what makes for good healthy debate. The more a comment or commenter detracts from that, the more likely it will attract the attention of moderators.
Was this meant to have been addressed to me?
If it was can I suggest you look at the little "Reply" below comments? And that you use it? And, if you are really trying to get my attention that you both spell my name correctly and that you try and say something intelligible rather than just abuse me.
If you weren't referring to me please ignore this remark of mine. I will, in the meantime, simply ignore the meaningless dribble you are coming out with.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/394649/limited-service-volunteer-programme-boot-camps-for-the-unemployed-set-to-double-in-size
Boot camps have been running for 26 years! They are a good thing even if people don't go far after them, provided of course that they never degenerate into bullying and sexual foreplay and after, and treating people detrimentally – no old fashioned sarn't major like in the films with vituperation etc – You lazy worms etc., and there should be some mind work, just not keeping tidy clean, regular hours etc.
Some of the people are going into the Defence Force. What about other people going into the Community Work Force, and having decent work jobs that the young ones give a go, for a few weeks, and then decide if they could take on that job for a stint of six months on minimum wage for a few months, and then living wage. What an incentive!
What a lot of work there is waiting to do in NZ. They could after six months be helped into real apprenticeships. But no Cave Creek projects, only doing what is appropriate for young unskilled people.
Those who did not want to commit to a six months in the first job offered, could be part of a local group who worked every week part-time, doing a variety of jobs, and then could nominate what they would like to study at for six months, with some outcome, certification etc. they would have to show for their work. Then they would be found a job, or place where they could use that expertise and interest.
Powerful guns bought back – drones only sold under permit?
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/394564/government-looks-at-powers-to-seize-illegally-operated-drones
We have enough human drones in NZ whose brains are under loose control. They can extend their reach for misbehaviour and worse with drones. Spy ware on a large scale is what they are – and also unpleasantly clogging up the air as badly as the cyclists, mobile carts and others clog up the footpaths. Our footpaths, the air, we always took for granted having a good clear purpose – best to be aware of the invasive things in our lives and try to control them from the start. Limit drones now to certain proved users!
It's always the cover up which gets you. After lying by omission and using the a bit of family limo use as a decoy, John Key has failed in throwing investors and the media off the scent of his ANZ's corruption.
Remember the money the Hiscos saved from the undervaluation of this house went straight into John Key's pocket not six months later…
http://i.stuff.co.nz/business/money/114330734/simplicity-could-launch-legal-action-over-anz-mansion-valuation-secrecy
Sitting in Charles de Gaulle airport overhearing 2 couples discussing Brexit it and Trump! English couple bemoaning the probability of Boris as pm, comparing him with Trump.
Never felt more proud to have Jacinta as leader. She may not appeal to the redneck tunnel visioned Nat voters, and even to me the coalition government is not radical enough – but, hell, light years better than has and UK.
Who is "Jacinta"? I've never heard of her.
Another obvious, insincere feint.
I assume you know that a 'd' is merely a softened, vocalised 't'. In Olde English, the word 'Hundred' ended with a t, not a d. But you would still have understood it.
Don't want to answer the point made, so dodge it with a pedantic diversion.
Philosophy or Science Fiction the path forward. Let us forget about stone age Neolithic cannibal culture for a while.