The media needs to take a hard look at themselves. Cut and pasting the press releases of unaccountable, dark funded lobby astroturf groups is disgraceful.
Don't platform these people (Auckland Ratepayers Alliance, Groundswell, Taxpayers Union) until they are open and accountable about who funds them. And if you continue to do this in spite of them not disclosing that information then you are also part of the problem.
It is a reflection of the decline of our parliaments, that MPs are no longer designing their own policies. They are in effect, like the idiot panels that front TV news, dysfunctional distractors with little or no relevance.
The rise of externally designed policies is visible across the spectrum, and it is pernicious. This is where shit policies like gender activism, gun nut-jobbery, and tax wacko stuff is coming from. What then is the role of MPs? And, since they are incapable of thinking for themselves, what right do they have to sit in parliament?
The fact that Groundswell only appears to exist as a commercial entity and not as a charity or incorporated society means that, unless they decide to release their returns, finding out who's funding them is pretty much impossible.
At the same time, the lack of transparency sort of goes against their claim to be a "grassroots volunteer-driven advocacy group" and not just a money-making exercise. Given that they ask for donations and try to sell merch, it's not hard to imagine that someone is making some decent money off of all this.
If you can stomach it, I would also recommend going through the comments of their social media posts. Along with general confusion over the lack of information about Thursday's protest, there also seems to be increasing frustration about the leadership's desire to stay halfway respectable.
Given that the organisation seems to be pretty decentralised however, I imagine there'll be quite a few who don't stick to the approved messages and start spouting some crazy bullshit about vaccines or whatever. If you can catalogue that and make a big deal of it, I imagine that would force the organisers to further alienate their more unhinged supporters.
Essentially, the message would be that the Groundswell leadership is scamming their supporters while preventing them from talking about whatever fringe issue actually motivates them to show up on Thursday.
When bank economists and paid for lobbyists for the bosses talk about the need to control "core inflation" as code for holding down wage growth, remember it is all pure, unadulterated class self-interest. Rather than listening to our anaemic, feeble media spouting the talking points of the neoliberal consensus I strongly recommend a read of the latest IMF World Economic Outlook.
The short version: true spirals of sustained wage and price increases are VERY rare.
It is interesting though how the low wages will 'stop' inflation, but not low rents, low energy costs and low food costs. And that is he crux of the matter. You can not earn enough ever to meet out of controll spiraling living costs and production costs.
Eventually like in the Weimar Republic one will bring a wheelbarrow full of useless notes for a loaf of bread.
"Thus any system which removes the ability to name and recognise the female sex as a class is seen to serve the interest of patriarchal capitalism. If male and female cease to be labels that recognise a material reality, but instead identity markers that can be adopted by either sex, it becomes impossible for women to organise or be recognised as a sex class. This is what gender identity results in – a system of idealist individual liberalism, where material reality is subordinate to an individual’s claim of identity."
males who will self id as women in order to get jobs if these jobs are for 'minorities including women'.
women who will be injured – badly injured even – by men who self id and play sports in womens teams.
Leave the construct of 'class' or 'category' aside, the only place women can be in a place without be-penised people is now very much the kitchen at home.
When i was a teenager one of my friends was a turkish girl called Hasina. I only ever sat in the kitchen or in the garden with the women, the living room was the place for the bepenised people, women only entered that space when no other males other then the ones of the family were in that space or when they were called to serve tea.
When this self id / genderquatsch is over women in the western world will actually be back in 1595 and we shall re-debate if we are actually humans and thus have a right to human rights and self fulfilment on the base of these rights.
have you heard of feminism? What do you think that is if it isn't women organising around being women?
Why do you think that women used to be denied the vote? How do you think that changed? What do the people, who were referred to as women, that were denied the vote and then granted it, have in common?
Is not defence of woman as a sex, by adopting a class identity, just going to cause division?
Do you object to any people organising around a collective then? Māori? Working class people?
What do you mean by class exactly? Are you using the term to mean socioeconomic? If you are, that would make more sense of your comments. The point isn't that women have a shared socioeconomic class (they don't).
Organising to achieve a group objective is not a synonym for having a common class identity.
I agree. Disabled people can organise collectively but aren't in this sense a class.
Also the clips from the Daily wire posted last week, out an Hospital in Nashville for their post of a Paedeatrician talking about how lucrative "top" and "botton" surgeries are, in part because they require a lot of follow up. far more lucrative than hormonal interventions.
Through the centuries since some chaps translated the Word they thought the god they'd made in their own image had mysteriously said, and bequeathed unto us what later chaps referred to as The Old Testament, we have been labelled in the 'Christian' world view as virgin, martyr, mystic, witch, or all four at once depending on how stroppy or shrill some choose to think we are.
Virginia Woolf put it best in A Room of One's Own:
Women have served all these centuries as looking glasses possessing the magic and delicious power of reflecting the figure of man at twice its natural size.
"Oh for fuck sacks it's not fucking capitalism, it's a group of mentally/hormonally abnormal men with identity problems causing this,"
While you are not off the mark, I don't think that answer provides the full picture in terms of HOW legislative change and institutional capture has occurred so swiftly.
We don't have many products left for 'growth' potential. Mining the human body for body parts, body modification, reproduction and its feeding ability and the providing of sex services is the last product. The rest we have already fucked over to the point of no return.
We are the product. Men – at least the poor sobs that still identify as male – too, and sooner rather then later will they understand that.
Religion, Patriarchy, Capitalism, Paternalism, it is all the same, The oppression by people in power and their enablers – who present the few but who ruin the lives of the many, women, children, and in the end men. Our new oppressors? The kind people of pray to the god of Gender Ideology and lucrative body modification and the selling of body parts and life human beings.
I would have thought reproduction rates have been much higher historically and prostitution has not been called one of the oldest "professions" for nothing.
The major growth area is in DNA genetic medicine to improve health outcomes and provide fertility assistance to women who delay childbirth.
nah, the major growth area is in creating a class of birthing bodies that will provide life human beings on order – genetically altered or not – to same 'sex' couples who are 'infertile' due to their lifestyle choices, afterall they could be same gender orientated with a partner who has the needed functions, next to the sterile and castrated caste of post op trans and 'puperty blocked' transpeople who can no longer reproduce, the class of single rich parents who would like to have a child, the class of opposite sex orientated that can't be bothered doing the job of child birth.
If you want to force the people who are born with the ability to gestate and birth life human beings you remove their ability to work other then either sex work, domestic support animal (aka owned property of a 'husband/wife :)", or birther.
Remove access to birthing controls such as the pill, IUD etc and chances are that they will either birth every time they get inseminated either by a semensquirter or artificially or they miscarry.
A good 'birther' such as Ma Duggar for example can provide you with 19 live human beings over her fertile years. See Quiverfull for more information on how to keep the breeder breeding.
At a few thousand dollar for the birthing agency per tick you are suddenly talking big money. And your investment is cheap, like a puppy breeder you just have to keep these sentient incubators alive.
No it's left wing people that cause this shit, I bet any country with out a strong left leaning sector of its society would just just slap these confused males down.
I think you are confusing left with liberal. Plenty of left wing people and analysis that is critical of gender identity ideology.
In the UK, where the major battle is being fought, the Tories were going to pass self-ID legislation, which would remove major power from women, but it was women that stood up and fought against it (and have won thus far on that particular legislation). Liz Truss was pro-gender ideology, although she seems to be shifting her position as she realises that in the UK this is a political nightmare.
But the point remains, the quote is saying that the ideology serves the patriarchal system. This matters because liberals like to think they're being progressive on gender but they're being regressive.
I'll also point out that the problem isn't males confused about their sex, it's the ideology that is pushing legislative and policy changes and the huge amount of power accruing behind that. Big pharma aren't left wing, nor the tech giants.
how to use class as a word when not applying either party belonging or gender ideology.
Class:
1. : a group sharing the same economic or social status : "the working class"
i.e woman worker vs male worker
2. : social rank especially : high social rank the classes as opposed to the masses
i.e. female as opposed to male
3. : a data type in object-oriented programming that consists of a group of objects (see OBJECT entry 1 sense 6a) with the same properties and behaviors and that can be arranged in a hierarchy with other such data types
i.e female cancers vs male cancers
all based on the differences between the humans beings that are of material reality rather then socially constructed stereotypes that anyone irrespective of their biological sex can live.
But then i hear there are people that don't know what a male or a female is unless they inspects the genitals of the people they meet or unless they are provided a daily update on pronouns, and then they would not be able to differentiate between biological genitials and surgically crafted ones. These might be the people who have never in their life seen, met or spoken to a 'woman' and thus can't define them, class them and provide appropriate language so that this class of people can refer to themselves without upsetting males who are not and will not ever be part of that class of people.
Unmentionable ones is a good term for that class of people would you not agree?
A left wing analysis is that there are three classes – socioeconomic, race/ethnicity, and biological sex – that capitalism exploits to further the aims of capitalism. Women are impacted in some very specific ways because of their biological sex.
maybe you could explain what you think because I can't make sense of your comments. Are you saying that you don't believe there is a such a things a sex class?
Are you now arguing that being a female/women is not a biological sex category?
Class analysis related to capitalism is in the economic sphere. When it extends beyond that it reaches into the realm of colonialism/imperialism/patriarchy.
Women are only specifically included by biological sex in the HRA.
They may also be categorised by marital status, race, age and political creed, but none is specifically related to being female. And not one of those is a class. In fact no economic class is mentioned.
Civil rights, rights to private property ownership and employment/labour rights are covered otherwise.
So, little summary of what I said at the beginning of the panel on Female Class Politics which we gave at FiLiA. Structural oppression is a class based relation between a dominant class and a subjugated class through which the dominant class extracts labour, or access to bodies, or both, from the subjugated class. That is, structural oppression is a class based relation of material extraction, through which the dominant class profits from the oppression of the subjugated class.
…
There are three main axes of structural oppression – socio-economic class, sex and race. One of the things that it most notable about wokeist bullshit is the way they spend most of their time focussed on alleged oppression which are not in fact oppressions, and the fact that they have pretty much fuck all to say about extractive class based relations, especially with respect to socio-economic class, and of course sex, which they point blank deny is an axis of material extraction.
Denying recognition to axes of material class based extraction while making a big song and dance about non class based discrimination, is a really great cover for large exploitative institutions that want to carry on extracting, while covering themselves in symbols of justice that have no impact on their bottom line.
Philosopher and feminist Jane Clare Jones, quoted in this post,
mate, you’re the only one confusing them. I’ve made it very clear there are three classes: sex, race, socioeconomic. You appear to be insisting that economic class is the only class, but you haven’t presented any argument for why you think that is so.
You really don't like the idea that women look at each other, recognize each other as the same, with the same issues, due to the same reasons, and thus start organizing as a class of people for people such as themselves.
that is exactly what you do when you want to speak of one group of people and you want to make sure that other people understand whom you are talking about.
and we know full well what makes one male and what makes one not male.
And the fact that people are telling woman what women are or are not is simply pointing out the old adage of men being what they are or want to be vs men telling women what they can or can not be.
No just different examples of classes of people defined by their characteristics. I.e. black women and white women. Two different sets or classes of ethnicity. Both are part of the class 'adult human female'. Then they may be African and German. New classes, this time defined by nationality. One may be lutheran the other may be catholic. New classes, this time defined by creed. So here we have the class of human being that these two women belong too – adult human female. Then all the other classes that further defines who these two particular women are. The first class is rooted in biology and nature, i.e. material reality, and the rest of classes that categorize these adult human females are the social constructs of ethnicity, nationality and religion.
And men are still not part of that first class – adult human female, but they may share ethnicity, religion or nationality or job descriptions, or belong to the house owning class or the homeless class.
BBC at it again…in this BBC article on the Venezuelan migration problem, the economic fall out as a direct result of US imposed sanctions ( a benign term for a weapon of war) is not mentioned or referenced once as a cause for the population flight…the way MSM is circling the wagons in ever tighter postures in it's defense of the Capitalist status quo is quite alarming….there is misinformation on the net alright, the most damaging of it to Left Progressive politics, stems directly from once trusted left leaning news sources…so make sure you have your bullshit detectors on high alert when reading anything from BBC, The Guardian, Washington Post, NYT…or listening to RNZ
"The sanctions reduced the public’s caloric intake, increased disease and mortality (for both adults and infants), and displaced millions of Venezuelans who fled the country as a result of the worsening economic depression and hyperinflation. They exacerbated Venezuela’s economic crisis and made it nearly impossible to stabilize the economy, contributing further to excess deaths. All of these impacts disproportionately harmed the poorest and most vulnerable Venezuelans."
A documentary filmmaker was arrested at a Just Stop Oil protest in Shoreditch on Saturday, 14 October.
Footage shows Rich Felgate being arrested on Great Eastern Street as activists sat in the road in a protest to demand the government “halts all new oil and gas licenses and consents.”
Mr Felgate had filmed group members throwing soup onto Vincent Van Gogh’s Sunflowers painting on Friday.
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: “A man was arrested on 15 October on suspicion of criminal damage outside New Scotland the previous day. The man was released without further action later that day.”
There will never be an 'acceptable' form of protest against the status quo, there are always reasons 'respectable society' can use to denigrate or demean the actions of activists.
Maybe they should apply to be bus drivers in the meantime until we in the future will get a government for whom public service is not just a vote getter every other year but something to commit to and invest in.
Wellington is cutting down on its bus services as they don't have enough drivers.
Hear, hear Sabine. Yes rather than activities that serve no purpose (likely lead to higher emissions by blocking roads) and generally get up peoples noses creating potential for a back lash, go out and be part of the solution. Drive a bus. Maybe they need to attract drivers, by advertising it as Green occupation helping safe the plannet.
Actually being a bus driver was something to aspire too in my childhood, even though in Germany at the time it was male dominated. But it was a job with good pay, decent benefits and essentially future proof.
I can see the slogan already: Choose a Green Job, Be a bus driver in your community!!
The Greens are trying to do such a thing, a petition from 2021:
“Public transport is an essential service, and it makes sense for it to be publicly owned,” says Green Party spokesperson for Transport Hon Julie Anne Genter.
“Good public transport is crucial for reducing climate pollution, connecting our communities and making our cities more liveable.
“But there are legislative barriers in the way of public ownership of our public transport, which means councils must contract out to private companies that prioritise profit over all else. We’ve already seen the fallout from private, overseas ownership of the Wellington bus network by Australian private equity firm Next Capital – with many cancelled services.
“Drivers have been fighting for better work and pay conditions for far too long, and this dispute stems from our public transport being run in a for-profit model.
“We support the bus drivers in their pursuit for better work and pay conditions, and this should be the norm. The needs of our community – for reliable bus services and fair pay for our drivers – should come before the profits of private equity firms.”
Then the Greens should encourage these young people to apply for these jobs, help them create a union and raise a stink.
But maybe absail down a tunnel or glue yourself to a raod while Joe and Jane 6 pack try to get to work will also do the trick to promote public transport. One pissed of commuter at a time.
You’ll be able to work any 5 out of 7 days on a variety of shifts (this includes weekends, early and late shifts and broken/split shifts). Your roster is provided 3-6 weeks in advance.
Yes, and that current payrate is what the bus drivers and the Tramways Union were able to get through their strike action last year; this was the pay rate prior to the industrial action, and the offer made by NZ Bus / Next Capital:
The base pay rate would rise from the current base rate of $19.29 an hour plus allowances to $22.10 an hour, or $24 for drivers with more than six months’ service, according to the documents.
This is what private ownership of public services gets us, poor delivery, poor employment conditions, increasing user charges and any profits are pocketed.
so that is 1112 NZD per week before tax, plus 3% min Kiwi saver contribution, plus sick pay, plus holiday pay.
5 days a week is a standard week, many people work Sats and Sund, unless one is an office drone.
oh look they provide these things
Training:
Receive fully paid training + we'll pay for your Class 2 licence!
Obtain your Class 2 Full licence in our in-house training school.
Support to obtain your Passenger Endorsement.
We'll teach you how to drive a bus, show you the bus routes and all other bus operator procedures- you'll be an expert driver in no time!
There's plenty of perks working for NZ Bus- including discounted health insurance, free flu shots, access to an employee assistance programme, fully provided uniform, and more! We've got great facilities to enjoy during your breaks- we've got pool tables, computers with internet access & plenty of tea and coffee!
Please note that due to training investment, a bonded employment period will apply.
This is actually not a bad job. But then, maybe any work where some actually have to show up is a badly paid exploitation job.
WE just want passenger trains and public transport, what we don't want is to do these jobs.
now the problem with say 800 NZD per week not being enough to pay rent, bills and food is an issue of not regulating the rental market, the food market, and the energy market. But surely someday we shall have a government that will do such things. Surely, any day now. ideally one that has a full majority so they could push through that progressive legislation without then need to compromise. Any day now. right?
https://www.immigration.govt.nz/opsmanual/#72993.htm – Appendices at the end, and the list of occupations as exceptions is Appendix 7. Train driver and tour guide are on that list, but bus driver isn't, so the current SMC pathway requires 1.5 x median wage (which as the minister notes in his letter, has not been subject to recent adjustments for work visas – for SMC, it was last set at $27.00/hr).
Bus drivers getting AEWVs will have to be paid median wage for immigration which is currently $27.76/hr but going up to $29.66/hr in February, but won't have a pathway to residence at that pay rate unless they are added to the Green List.
NZBus in Auckland regularly puts buses out on the road with malfunctioning or non functioning air conditioning. They were doing it before Covid and they are still doing it. It is unsafe and uncomfortable enough for the passengers, but must be much worse for the drivers. Auckland Transport refuses to answer the simple question as to whether this is permitted in the contract they have with NZBus.
One of the many reasons why AT deserves everything Wayne Brown hands out to them.
“This will no doubt also be condemned across traditional and social media”….yep, that is for sure..MSM including pretty much all traditional ‘Left’ leaning media have proved themselves to be nothing more than ultra-aggressive guard dogs of the Capitalist status quo…the planet and the people who want to defend the planet will find no serious allies there…
…and don’t be fooled by the occasional inclusion on those platforms of serious Climate Activists at the present moment. …when and if there is ever a real ground swell to make the type of deep rooted social and infrastructural changes needed to deal with Climate Change, you can be absolutely sure that the undermining of that project will come from The Guardian, BBC, Washington Post etc as much as from Right wing media.
Inflation print just released.Come in at 7.2,mostly driven by non tradeable inflation such as council rents and housing costs,utilities etc.
Non tradeable inflation is the highest since the series began,and starting to reflect fiscal policies,with services funding to the non productive sector,
With a .75 rise in the OCR baked in by markets,and looking at 5.25 ocr next year,the borrowing costs are now becoming a large burden,with Fiscal stimulus fueling inflation not growth.
the plant is still on track to be producing saleable plasterboard in May 2023 and be fully commissioned by September 2023.
There is still some risk around those dates – risk mitigation poses a daily challenge for our engineering team and equipment manufacturers – but at the moment we’re still tracking to start commissioning the first plasterboard late March, early April, with the first of the saleable board (10mm GIB® Standard and 13mm GIB® Standard) coming off the production line in May. It will take another good eight weeks from there to get all the other products, such as our GIB Braceline® and GIB Fyreline®, fully commissioned, BRANZ appraised and off the production line.
the NZ$ depreciated in the last 12 months (19.5%) significantly due to the balance of trade problems,and high current account deficit.
There has been little if any fiscal spending to ensure enhanced productivity,to remove cost out of the economy.
Labours policies are essentially inverse to the Truss catastrophe,with large spending on the non productive sector,mostly by way of wages and not efficiency.With a construction industry over extended you do not keep fiscally stimulating by borrowed money,in an overheated economy,with high debt.
The return of tourism and student inflows will help the accounts.
Any solution that blocks fair pay and industry awards suppress wages and raise unemployment will just increase inequality.
1. the current building of a new gib board plant is a supply solution (it not being in time is a market failure).
2. diesel cost increases is a global matter.
3. a housing shortage is not solved without supply, and nor is it solved by raising demand for housing via high levels of immigration. Preventing landlords from exploiting a market shortage via a rent freeze is prudent.
4. our public debt is not high compared to other OECD nations and nor is the proportion of government spending to GDP.
Care to identify the "fiscal" spending that removes cost from the economy?
Tourism is arbitrary as kiwis also travel overseas spending local savings. Students also remove accommodation opportunities.
Resource consents are around 5% of the project cost,delays adding to holding costs of which gib is a small part.The biggest problem is an overextended construction sector,which is now performing less efficient due to overpricing (highest costs in the OECD),
The housing shortage has been forced by large scale immigration and changes to the rental inventory due to government policy, meaning investors have moved to the short end of the market (airbnb etc) large scale demolition of housing stock to provide more expensive infill housing etc.
Our public debt measured by our ability to pay is very high with the highest current account deficit in the g10 currency countries,high interest rates,Robertsons gamble on changing the measurement for government debt,did not influence the markets (read lenders) and was based on revaluations of property stock (which are moving south faster then the expected tenure of a labour list MP)
Globally most currencies have depreciated against the us$ (not as much as NZ) which has also depreciated against most other currencies ,where the aus has depreciated by 15% and has lower interest rates.
We are now exposed to worse interest rates then the UK with the NZ margin .50 points across rates.
So Jacinda Ardern, via Chris Hipkins have rescued Creative NZ by providing funding for the Shakespeares schools festival via education.
This article written before the bail out is excellent in its criticism of Creative NZ and its call for an enquiry that goes deeper than the Shakespeare issue.
The CEO of CNZ earns over three hundred thousand a year. And 28 of the 85 staff earn over $100,00. They took the advice of someone on the cancellation of the Shakespeare festival…………..So, why do such highly paid bureacratics need to take advice on who they fund? Surely that is what they exist to do. Why did Creative NZ listen to such dumb and embarrasing advice? (Shakespeare ..the canon of imperialism. Um England was not an imperial nation when Shakespeare was writing). And the advice also said Shakespeare didn't fit with the decolonisation of NZ. Who the f..k said the public service are to de colonise NZ and what does that even mean? (Colonisation was also not around in Shakespeares time, so the advice is not only bloody ignorant, its frankly embarrasing).
If over paid bureacrats have to rely on advice to make funding decisions and take utterly ridiculous advice, that is politically based, not arts based, then yes at the very least Creative NZ needs to be reviewed. And there needs to be a review into what is happening in our public service, that it is thought that their role is to "de colonise" NZ.
There doesn't, however, seem to be any significant belief that Shakespeare shouldn't be studied in Ireland, because of past imperialism/colonization/invasion (whatever you want to call it)
The Irish academic Edel Semple runs the blog Shakespeare in Ireland. She says British people are often surprised at how popular he is with the Irish.
"I can understand people supposing that with independence in the 1920s there might have been a feeling he was too British. But there's no evidence for that happening. He seems always to have had a cultural free pass.
It seems as though the Irish, at least, can separate great works of literature from the cultural environment which produced them. Something for Creative NZ to aspire to.
In the same vein there is a cheap Irish joke in The Comedy of Errors, where a servant named Dromio tells his master about a kitchen wench who is so fat that "she is spherical, like a globe", and that he "could find out countries in her". He finds Spain in her hot breath, Scotland in the barren palm of her hand, and England in the chalky cliffs of her forehead.
When Antipholus asks, “In what part of her body stands Ireland?” Dromio replies, “in her buttocks: I found it out by the bogs.” This Irish slur still gets a big laugh – and, unlike the other ethnic jokes, it is rarely cut in production.
Counting up the Irish
Shakespeare mentions “Ireland” 31 times in his works, or 32 if we include a slip of the pen to which I will return shortly. The adjective “Irish” is spoken 10 times, and the word “Irishman” appears twice.
What I find especially striking about these allusions to the “Irish” or “Irishman” is how concentrated they all are within a very narrow band of time, one that stretched from about 1596 to 1599.
Shakespeare reflected the bigotry of his times- his anti-Jewish stance, his view of the Scots, Irish, Welsh. Remember his was a time when people were martyred, wars were fought for religion, empire, resources- as usual.
Have we changed? How much? Look at the bigotry about today. Still there. Better? I hope so.
Belladonna at 8.1.1 makes a very good final point. We do have to consider the 'tempora", the "mores" of the culture whence art came.
Just as we will be judged in the future for our cultural beliefs from transubstantiation to transgenderism.
At the end of Trotter's article. he speaks of the essential humanity of Shakespeare's work which transcended time, place, country, even the imaginary and the fey.
From Greece, Italy, England, Scotland, France. from ancient times to the near present, from Fools to the foolish, from kings to paupers, across men and women and the fairy realm, from songs and poems to bawdy humour, Shakespeare's celebration and exposing of human greatness and weakness was sublime.
My daughter won a Sheila Winn trip to England which she did not take up. She is still involved in drama thirty years later, now as a director.
Her father played the Fool, Touchstone, singing his song "There was a Lover and his Lass" as a gospel-belter blues and delivered such lines of wisdom as this,"The more pity that fools may not speak wisely what wise men do foolishly."
Shakespeare was updated in Sheila Winn. My daughter won her prize playing Lady MacBeth who had a female husband, and her friend won best supporting actor as King Duncan, without saying a word.
Sheila Winn pushed boundaries, inspired careers, entertained and taught us all, as only the best art can.
Shakespeare gave us beautiful language, sayings, drama, humour, wisdom and sometimes a view of the world where the Fools were wise and the rest unaware of their shortcomings.
Shakespeare could well have said, had he spoken Māori, "Mā te wahine, mā te whenua, ka ngaro te tangata."
Many Public Good funders use this system of independent peer review to review grant funding applications in contestable funding rounds just as Creative NZ, which uses two assessors to review each application. I have never heard of a CEO of a funding agency being directly involved in the funding decisions of specific funding committees in their agency other than possibly signing off on them, which is or should be a mere formality.
Here’s a very good article on [the lack of] arts funding in NZ that also offers you some insights into the funding process:
What do you mean Incognito "but of course you missed it". I probably did miss it. So what, there's a lot I miss on the Standard.
ARe the two assessors part of the 85 public servants employed at Creative NZ? If not who appointed the assessors? They are ideologically compromised and made a ignorant decision which has lead to a public outcry about both the decison and also the rationsale for the decision (de colonizing, imperialism). The CEO may sign off the decision (or not) but overall he is responsible. He has made our country look like a laughing stock has lead to the PM intervening to ensure Shakespeare continues. Ardern's intervention show what an absolutely stupid mistake these people have made.
ARe the two assessors part of the 85 public servants employed at Creative NZ?
Nope, what do you think the italicised (twice) “external peer assessors” mean?
If not who appointed the assessors?
You seem to think that Creative NZ employed them as assessors. Often peer reviewers don’t receive anything. If they do need to attend meetings in person they’ll get travel costs reimbursed.
The CEO may sign off the decision (or not) but overall he is responsible. He has made our country look like a laughing stock has lead to the PM intervening to ensure Shakespeare continues.
Wow! You’ve lost the plot there big time and now it is the CEO who is to blame. The reasons you make these outlandish claims are that you think he earns too much and you’re scapegoating. Shakespeare was never discontinued! Get a grip!
Ardern's intervention show what an absolutely stupid mistake these people have made.
Nope, it doesn’t show that at all. It shows that Ardern disagreed with the decision by Creative NZ and was desperate enough to score some brownie points [no pun] with the public. Ardern is, of course, Associate Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage and arts funding is piss poor in NZ.
Looks like the PM— who was a S-in-S participant herself has leaned on Chippie. As for Creative NZ= FFS Wellington Woke elite intellectuals totally out of sync,,, I saw some of the current crop of Maori stars on TV and film take their first steps on stage… you guessed it= S in S. No colonial oppression, just joy in giving something a go.
Happy Xmas–War (on COVID) is Over–Govt. waves the biggest white flag!
…just as another variant appears. Now there may be anti virals available, if you can actually see a doctor to get them, but some have health problems or social issues that make them more vulnerable.
Has Jacinda been spanked by the bankers and middle class focus groups again? It is such a shame after 2020’s amazing “public health before private profit” Jacinda.
Sometimes Governments obtain special powers and never get around to revoking them, or remove some of citizens rights and don’t return them promptly, or ever. So in that respect the Labour Caucus has done well with these changes. But in terms of public health it sucks.
Hamilton West MP Gaurav Sharma, who was removed from Labour's caucus in August for breaching confidentiality and losing his colleagues' trust, has resigned.
He says he has been informed the Labour Party and the prime minister plan to use the waka-jumping legislation to remove him from Parliament six months before the next election, and decided to resign as an MP to ensure a by-election.
I think a snap election is Labour best chance at a third term. The polling trend is clear, the left are losing support and it is frankly not going to improve.
Go to the electorate now, whilst you are still a chance.
Imho, an obviously better option for NZ Labour is to make good use of their absolute parliamentary majority (unprecedented in the MMP era) for another year, which is a long time in politics if the fortunes of those financial wizards, the tax-cutting Tories are anything to go by.
Hamilton West is pure bellwether, and goes according to the country. It went National four times 2008-2017 because National won the nationwide vote four times in a row.
SUBSCRIBER: A Groundswell NZ co-founder says the group has accepted Voices for Freedom’s support at this week’s planned protest, as long as the message remains clear.
Willis has pledged to go ahead with the debt-funded tax cuts, despite growing opposition from her own supporters worried about appearing fiscally irresponsible. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for ...
Open access notables A survey of interventions to actively conserve the frozen North, van Wijngaarden et al., Climatic Change:The frozen elements of the high North are thawing as the region warms much faster than the global mean. The dangers of sea level rise due to melting glacier ice, increased ...
Bryce Edwards writes – New Zealand’s biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure. The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On ...
In 2015, then-Prime Minister John Key announced plans for a huge ocean sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands, banning fishing and mining from 15% of Aotearoa's EEZ. It was bold, it was ambitious, and it suggested that National might actually care about the environment. Except they fucked it up: Key failed ...
1. Who has just been given the accolade New Zealander of the Year?a. The Kokakob. The Cook Strait Ferryc. Fair God. Dr Jim Salinger 2. Which of these is an affront to decent society?a. Dame Edna Everageb. Mrs Doubtfire c. Dr. Frank-N-Furterd. Brian 3. Who is Penny Simmonds?a. The aspiring actress in Big ...
New Zealand’s biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure.The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On the face of it, the court found ...
Buzz from the Beehive Waves of rain are set to lash much of the North Island during Easter Weekend as a low-pressure system forms east of New Zealand, according to a weather forecast published in the past day or so. Niwa was warning of a “moisture-laden” long weekend, with rain expected ...
Look around us…Nicola Willis’ promises of balancing the books, of cutting spending without reducing services, and of delivering game changing tax cuts are disappearing before her eyes.Everyday we see stories of violent crime ending in horrific injuries, or worse. The cost of living worsens, whereas the PM claimed renters would ...
TL;DR: My top six news of note on the morning of Thursday, March 28 include:The Government will have to borrow between $10 billion to $15 billion more than previously expected in order to make up for a slowing economy and to pay for $14.9 billion of tax cuts, according to ...
This story by Naveena Sadasivam and Kate Yoder was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. The long-awaited jobs board for the American Climate Corps, promised early in the Biden administration, will open next month, according to details shared exclusively ...
Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don’t think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of ...
Treasury’s first report on the economy since the change of government presents a damning indictment of Labour’s economic management. The problem for National is that it is so damning that logically, coupled with a rapidly slowing economy, Finance Minister Nicola Willis should respond to it by postponing or even cancelling ...
Budget tensions are becoming evident within the Coalition Government. Winston Peters made numerous political points in his speech to the NZF annual conference. But the attack on his own government’s fiscal policies raised issues of substance. ‘Today in the Sunday Star Times, journalist and former advisor to the Labour ...
Buzz from the Beehive The media – sure enough – have been binging on Finance Minister Nicola Willis’ release of the Budget Policy Statement and a statement headed Government announces Budget priorities This assures us – or rather, this parrots the Luxon team mantra – that the Budget “will deliver ...
The Ides of March brought me COVID followed by a bereavement. No wonder they tell you to be careful of them.I’m home now and have resumed the interrupted recuperation. Very much looking forward to getting back to regular things. Meanwhile, some thoughts…OneThis new Prime Minister guy just keeps getting more dire. ...
News that the Chinese ATP 40 cyber-hacking unit penetrated parliamentary internet networks in 2021 has renewed concerns about the PRC’s malign intentions in Aotearoa. But is the hack that significant given the length of time that has passed since its … Continue reading → ...
When Parliament passed the Intelligence and security Act in 2017, they assured us all that it was full of safeguards. Any intrusive surveillance of New Zealanders would be subject to a "triple lock", requiring the approval of the Minister and (supposedly independent) Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants, as well as post-facto ...
Eric Crampton writes – Richard Harman’s Politik newsletter provides a bit of the context that ought to have been showing up in other media reports on potential reductions in public service staffing. Media has been reporting on staffing cuts on the order of about 7%. Is that ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – It’s becoming increasingly apparent that many perceive free speech to have become the preserve of the politically right wing, the religiously conservative, the libertarian fringe, the anti-trans, the anti-Māori and…. well, just fill in with whatever groups or individuals you don’t like and don’t ...
Don Brash writes – As everybody who is not blind and deaf is aware, there is a huge political preoccupation with climate change at the moment, a widespread (though by no means unanimous) belief that global temperatures are rising mainly as a result of the greenhouse gases created ...
TL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy on Wednesday, March 27 include:Chris Bishop laid out his vision for filling Aotearoa-NZ’s $100 billion infrastructure deficit in a speech yesterday, emphasising user pays and private funding, but failed to say how to achieve bipartisanship on population, public borrowing and ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Former Finance Minister Grant Robertson and former Prime Minister Chris Hipkins have been conveying how unhappy they are with the tax system. Last week in his valedictory speech, Robertson called for the introduction of a wealth or capital gains tax. And this week Hipkins ...
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 ...
Buzz from the Beehive China has loomed large in Beehive considerations over the past 24 hours, largely because of that country’s mischief-making in the cyber espionage department. Two media statements emerged on that subject hard on the heels of the PM baulking at questions put to him on RNZ’s Morning ...
Chris Trotter writes – WHY IS THE NATIONAL PARTY doing so much for landlords, property developers, trucking, and construction companies, and so little for everybody who isn’t already pretty well-off? It’s as if protecting landlords’ investments and building apartments and roads now constitute the whole of National’s ...
Bryce Edwards writes – When she was campaigning to be Minister of Finance last year, Nicola Willis pledged that she would resign from the job if she failed to deliver tax cuts in her first Budget. Now, it’s that pledge, along with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s ...
Robert MacCulloch writes – The Reserve Bank has doubled staff numbers in five years to 510, with personnel costs rising to $80 million in 2023 from $32 million in 2018 – up by a whopping 150%. I guess when you print $50 billion and flood markets with liquidity, ...
The furore. In case you didn’t notice there was a controversy in the weekend involving dolphins in a little town off the South Island. Don’t panic, they haven’t declared independence and resumed whaling, this was simply a sailing event.The problem began when racing was cancelled on the opening day of ...
For 20 years or more, the case for a meaningful capital tax gains has been mulled over and analysed to death, including by the tax working group chaired by Sir Michael Cullen. More than once, the International Monetary Fund has said a CGT would be a good idea for New ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: The Public Health Communications Centre (PHCC) call for urgent preventive action and a risk assessment survey of long covid in this briefing noteLocal scoop: NZ road deaths surpass OECD rates, so why is the govt reversing safety plans? ...
This story was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. This story is part of a collaboration with Grist and WABE to demystify the Georgia Public Service Commission, the small but powerful state-elected board that makes critical decisions about everything from raising ...
This is a guest post from Robert McLachlan Global warming is accelerating; 2023 was off the charts. We need to stop burning fossil fuels. In New Zealand, transport accounts for half of all fossil fuels burnt. In the Emissions Reduction Plan, transport emissions fall 41% by 2035. As the ...
Labour productivity has been receding rapidly over the past two years, reversing a post-lockdown rise. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy as at 6:26am on Tuesday, March 26 include:Workers have been treading water in output per hour worked for 12 years, ...
TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 2 include:Today, Parliament resumes sitting at 2pm for the second week of a two-week session. Officials for SIS and GCSB report their annual reviews in public to the Intelligence and Security Select Committee from 5.10pm.Tomorrow, ...
Faced with a barrage of criticism over the promised tax cuts from usually supportive commentators, Finance Minister Nicola Willis yesterday reaffirmed her intention to include them in this year’s Budget. The Government is up against it over the cuts just about every way it turns. Commentators like Fran O’Sullivan, Matthew ...
Here’s my pick of today’s substack posts as of 6:26pm on Monday, March 25: writes via his substack that Market-rate housing will make your city cheaper writes via his substack about the problems talking to double-cab ute (truck) drivers about their vehicles. today about moments of radicalisation in ...
Buzz from the Beehive Just before Christmas, Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivered something that was pitched as a mini-budget and brayed about the decisive action being taken to repair the Government books and support income tax relief in Budget 2024. In a statement headed Fiscal repair job underway. she introduced ...
My sister Belinda asked Dad yesterday what one word would describe Mum best. He said: vivacious.If you only knew her from the photos on the slideshow we've made for today,you might wonder about that, because the camera tended to lie with Mum.If ever she saw a camera pointed at her, she ...
There are two major public consultations closing in the next week, Auckland Council’s Long Term Plan (LTP), and the draft Government Policy Statement on Land Transport (GPS). Closing dates and times: LTP closes Thursday 28 February, at 11.59pm – a minute to midnight! GPS closes Tuesday 2 April, at 12pm noon – note that’s ...
From Kiwiblog’s David Farrar – Bryce Wilkinson writes: Senior Fellow Bryce Wilkinson’s analysis reveals that since March 2009, New Zealand has spent $158 billion more overseas than it has earned, but its NIIP has only fallen by $32 billion.Statistics New Zealand shows that receipts from overseas reinsurers have ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition? Brian Easton writes – The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could ...
Dear Nicola Willis,Right now you’ve probably got lots of competing demands coming at you. Ministers who’ve inherited quite a mess, or so you’ve told us, looking for money in the budget to improve things. I imagine that’s why they came to parliament - to make things better.You’ll have to make ...
The Local Government, Transport and Auckland Minister hasthreatened councils with intervention if they don’t merge water assets to take them off balance sheet, just as the now-repealed Three Waters plan directed. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things of note this morning for Monday, March 25 include:Simeon ...
A listing of 36 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 17, 2024 thru Sat, March 23, 2024. Story of the week Thanks to John Mason having the stamina to sit down to watch "Climate - the Movie" ...
This morning the Q&A programme had Simeon Brown on to talk about National’s replacement for Three Waters. In case anyone’s forgotten the three are - drinking water, waste water, and sewerage. It’s quite important not to get them mixed up. In much the same way that you wouldn’t want to ...
Today’s newsletter comes with a mini-podcast conversation between me and my buddy Liv Tennet, talking about her time as a child actor in Lord of the Rings. It’s a conversation with a lot of giggles as she talks about falling off a horse, and becoming a meme. Read ...
The Desmog Climate Disinformation Database documents, "individuals and organisations that have helped to delay and distract the public and our elected leaders from taking needed action to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and fight global warming." It's a who's who of the organised climate change denial movement, in other words. In ...
Bob Edlin writes – A High Court judge has decided miscreants who have mana – or who claim to have mana – should be treated differently from miscreants who have none. It’s a ruling that suggests indigenous law-breakers have a better chance of securing a discharge without conviction ...
Welcome to the first, and possibly last, edition of Brickbats, Bouquets and Bull’s Wool. In which I’ll take a look at the events of the last week or so, and rate them.In such ratings the numbers usually have more to do with the opinions of the reviewer, than the actual ...
Roger Partridge writes – My earlier column this month, New Zealand’s highest court could be facing a turning point, prompted a flood of feedback from business readers and lawyers alike. A common query was what Parliament can do to restrain an overreaching judiciary. This week I discuss two steps Parliament ...
TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.16pm on Friday, March 22: writes about New Zealand's Building Boom—And What the World Must Learn From It over at his substack. challenges the Auckland Council’s use of a 3.8 degrees of warming forecast to oppose a wave-park and data centre project ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition?The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could deliver her promised income tax cuts. Appointed minister, she ...
Buzz from the Beehive Ministers of the Crown have drawn attention to one sector of the science sector which is unlikely to be subjected to heavy spending cuts, a state-funded broadcaster which is doing nicely, thank you, and a sporting event that had $5.4 million from the public purse puffed ...
Abbott’s Freestyle Libre sensors allow continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). The sensor is applied to the back of the patient’s arm, with a thin filament under the skin measuring glucose levels constantly. But it costs around $100 per sensor and must be replaced once every 14 days. Photo by BSIP/Universal Images ...
The Inspector General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) recently released a report in which he exposes the existence of a foreign intelligence partner-controlled technological “capability” inside the headquarters of the GCSB, NZ’s 5 Eyes-affiliated signals intelligence collection and analysis agency. … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – Nearly three decades after the introduction of MMP and multiparty governments there should be a greater level of understanding about their finer points than often appears to be the case. The reaction to the despicable outburst from the Deputy Prime Minister at the weekend highlights ...
The sweet kisses from fruit of summerHave slowly been turning dullerYou say, "those times"And "remember the daysWhen we went outside and there still was the shade?"Taking no reason into play…Autumn. Clear, blue days shortening to longer nights, growing colder. Aotearoa.That’s us. The temperature dropping, the looming car crash - so ...
Bryce Edwards writes – “It is often said that behind every great man is a great woman”. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their “Ladies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxon”. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April ...
David Farrar writes – The Electoral Commission has published the expense returns for political parties for the 2023 election. I’ve put them in a table with how many votes a party got so we can see the spend per vote. National only spent $3.34 for every vote they got, almost ...
Winston Peters’ headline-making actions over the past week may have been a show of political power intended to strengthen his hand in Budget negotiations. It was no accident that his State of the Nation speech was as it was. He made it as New Zealand First Leader, not as Deputy ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:Former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson bowed out of politics this week, giving a series of exit ...
Graham Adams writes — If you love the law or sausages, as the saying goes, best not to look too closely at how they are made. And after watching the orgy of self-pity when Newshub’s closure was announced on February 28, television journalism should definitely be added to the list of those ...
Venerable New Zealand political commentator, Chris Trotter (https://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/), is a sad creature these days. Once one of the most reliable Leftist writers out there – Economic Left at that – Trotter seems to have absorbed the worldview of Auckland culture-war obsessives. It is not for me to categorise what he ...
The cruelty of short-term memory loss is that each time you ask where she is, you get the fresh shock and grief of the news. That was Dad's day yesterday.Comfortingly, it seems to be less so today. Last night he looked crumpled, today he seems more settled. There's a card ...
Photo by Alvan Nee on UnsplashIt’s that new day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when and I co-host our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm. Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news ...
Buzz from the Beehive One minister is talking tough while a colleague – whose ministry had acted tough and drawn a barrage of flak – has shown an official softening. Some ministers are doing what Labour was good at, which is distributing public funds to causes regarded as worthy or ...
A ballot for 4 Member's Bills was held today, and the following bills were drawn: Insurance Contracts Bill (Duncan Webb) Income Tax (Clean Transport FBT Exclusion) Amendment Bill (Julie Anne Genter) Crimes (Increased Penalties for Slavery Offences) Amendment Bill (Greg Fleming) Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) ...
One of the strongest narratives about "our" spy agencies is that they are basically institutional traitors, working for foreign powers (or just themselves), without any control or oversight by the elected government. And today, we have yet another report from the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security which explicitly confirms this. ...
The Coalition Government’s plan to ‘get Auckland moving’ is a cuts cover-up that will ultimately cost Aucklanders more to move around the city, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Slashing the Ministry of Pacific Peoples by 40% will have a devastating impact on pacific communities and further highlights how little this government cares about anything other than cutting taxes for the wealthiest few. ...
Labour has proposed an urgent inquiry to investigate the ever-increasing profits of supermarkets, aiming to lower costs for shoppers and food producers alike, says Labour Spokesperson for Commerce and Consumer Affairs Arena Williams and Primary Production Spokesperson Cushla Tangaere-Manuel. ...
With 14% of jobs on the line at the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, the responsible Minister Melissa Lee is failing to stand up for the very communities she’s meant to be representing. ...
COURT OF APPEAL: TRIFECTA OF VICTORY FOR NZ FIRST, TRIFECTA OF FAILURE FOR OPPONENTS For the third time since April 2020, New Zealand First has defeated the Serious Fraud Office and all those complicit in a malicious attack against a political party going about its lawful business in a lawful ...
The Green Party stands with people who live in public housing, people in dire housing need, experts and advocates in demanding better than the Government’s archaic approach to housing those who need our support the most. ...
New Zealand has recently lost the hosting rights of some major international sporting events including the America’s Cup, the Rugby Championship, Netball World Cup, and the Wellington Sevens. We are now at a huge risk of losing SailGP as well. And it won’t stop there. The recent issues with SailGP ...
A Member’s Bill drawn this week would modernise insurance law and make things fairer and more transparent for consumers, Christchurch Central MP Duncan Webb said. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues has confirmed she was aware of funding issues in mid-December and did nothing to stop it. On 14 March, she signed off on changes that were announced and implemented on 18 March without any consultation with disability communities. ...
Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter says her members' bill is an opportunity for the coalition government to plug the gap in electric vehicle incentives. ...
The National Government continues to talk about irresponsible tax cuts that will only drive up inflation, despite the country entering a technical recession. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues must act urgently to reinstate flexibility around the funding for disability support and apologise to disabled carers. ...
This story has been initiated by a leftie shill reporter who proactively sought to call a member of a former band, which disbanded twelve years ago, give their biased appraisal of what was said in my speech, and concocted a ham-fisted attempt at a story that does nothing but show ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Many in the mainstream media have taken what was said in New Zealand First’s State of the Nation Speech in Palmerston North on Sunday and deliberately, deceitfully, and ignorantly misrepresented what I said and why I said it. The headlines and commentary on the news stated that I compared ‘co-governance ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
Good afternoon. Thank you for, in your very busy lives, turning up to this meeting today. On October 14th last year New Zealanders overwhelmingly voted for change. That is exactly what this new government is bringing. New Zealand First campaigned to ‘take back our country’ and stop the disastrous economic ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April. “It was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates. Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend. “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” Mr Peters says. Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. “Road safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track. “Dam safety regulations ...
The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the government’s finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Government’s Budget objectives. “The coalition Government intends ...
The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says. “The Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says. “These changes are long overdue – the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009. ...
The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Education’s School Property Function. The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There is a clear need ...
State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Today I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” Minister Responsible for ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. “We’re sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union. “I am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says. “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “Comprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. “I would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
Good morning, it’s great to be here. First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning. I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
Before moving onto the substance of today’s address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and I’m sorry I can’t be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the Whangārei site where the facility will be constructed. “Northland has faced a number ...
New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata Māori 20 years ago, says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisation’s 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
Jesus had dinner with his 12 disciples right before he died. Noted historian Madeleine Chapman finds out who really deserved to be there.First published in 2018 but let’s be honest, the subject is timeless. As you sit on your couch this Easter Sunday, eating a chocolate egg you know ...
The newly-promoted Northern League club is on a mission to return to the National League for the first time in two decades. Plenty about domestic football in New Zealand has changed in that time – but the sense that this amateur competition is not an entirely level playing field remains. ...
Comment: Every year on February 2, a dozen men in tuxedos and top hats approach the burrow of a groundhog in Gobbler’s Knob, Pennsylvania and entice the beaver-like rodent to emerge and predict the weather. If the groundhog, named Punxsutawney Phil, sees its own shadow when it is summoned, legend ...
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Auckland Council has put a deadline on new weather-impacted property owners applying for categorisation as government funding looks set to run out. Councillors have voted to support a deadline of September 30 for property owners who haven’t accessed support to come forward and engage with the council’s recovery office. It ...
NONFICTION 1 BBQ Economics by Liam Dann (Penguin Random House, $40) “It’s official,” wrote Dann nine days ago in the Herald, where he works as business editor at large, “we’re in recession.” Yeah, great. He delivered the bad stats: “GDP fell 0.1 percent in the December 2023 quarter, compared with ...
By Anneke Smith, RNZ News political reporter A petition urging the New Zealand government to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people has been tabled in the House. More than 200 people gathered on Parliament’s forecourt today and they were met by MPs from Labour, the Greens and Te ...
Pacific Media Watch The Paris-based global media freedom watchdog RSF (Reporters Without Borders) has appealed for information about the “disappearance” of Palestinian journalist Bayan Abusultan. She was reportedly last seen on March 19 among people “sequestered” in this week’s raid and siege of Al Shifa hospital by Israeli troops in ...
EDITORIAL:The Jakarta Post It happens again and again; indigenous Papuans fall victim to Indonesian soldiers. This time, we have photographic evidence for the brutality, with videos on social media showing a Papuan man being tortured by a group of plainclothes men alleged to be the Indonesian Military (TNI) members. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robyn J. Whitaker, Director of the Wesley Centre for Theology, Ethics, and Public Policy & Associate Professor, New Testament, Pilgrim Theological College, University of Divinity A strange and eclectic range of activities takes place across these few weeks of the year. Some ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University It’s Easter weekend, which means many of us will be kicking back with the greatest hits on repeat. But whether you’re a boomer, or an ‘80s or ’90s kid, you might be ...
RNZ Pacific Fiji’s Acting Public Prosecutor has filed an appeal against the sentences of former prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama and suspended police chief Sitiveni Qiliho in their corruption case. Bainimarama was granted an absolute discharge for attempting to pervert the course of justice while Qiliho received a conditional discharge with ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Arosha Weerakoon, Senior Lecturer and General Dentist, School of Dentistry, The University of Queensland Casezy idea/Shutterstock How does toothpaste work? What did people use before toothpaste was invented? – Amelia, age 7, Meanjin (Brisbane) Thanks for your ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brett Hallam, Associate professor, UNSW Sydney IM Imagery/Shutterstock Solar SunShot is well named. The Australian government announced today it would plough A$1 billion into bringing back solar manufacturing to Australia, boosting energy security, swapping coal and gas jobs for those ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Dix, Research Fellow in Nutrition & Dietetics, The University of Queensland Easter is the time for chocolate. The shops are full of fantastically packaged and shiny chocolates in all shapes and sizes, making trips to the supermarket with children more challenging ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Felton, Adjunct Senior Researcher, University of South Australia Even in a stubborn cost-of-living crisis, it seems there’s one luxury most Australians won’t sacrifice – their daily cup of coffee. Coffee sales have largely remained stable, even as financial pressures have ...
Mining company Trans-Tasman Resources has unexpectedly withdrawn its application for a consent to suck the valuable metals vanadium and titanium from the Taranaki seafloor, as it apparently wagers on the Government’s new fast-track process. It had spent two-and-a-half days putting its case to the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision-making committee, at ...
Contrary to the Associate Minister of Education’s claims, analysis of Healthy School Lunches Programme - Ka Ora, Ka Ako assessments has revealed it provides excellent value for the taxpayer dollar, as a groundswell of public opposition to Government ...
Greenpeace says wannabe Taranaki seabed miner Trans-Tasman Resources is likely banking on Christopher Luxon’s fast-track process to side-step proper scrutiny of its Taranaki seabed mining proposal by bailing out of the Environmental Protection Agency hearing ...
Kiwis Against Seabed mining today slammed Australian owned would-be seabed miner Trans Tasman Resources (TTR) for abandoning its application to the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) to mine the seabed of the South Taranaki Bight. The company ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katie Attwell, Associate Professor, School of Social Sciences, The University of Western Australia Ground Picture/Shutterstock Months after COVID vaccines were introduced in 2021, governments and private organisations mandated them for various groups. Health and aged care workers were among the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Dzurak, Scientia Professor Andrew Dzurak, CEO and Founder of Diraq, UNSW Sydney Diraq For decades, the pursuit of quantum computing has struggled with the need for extremely low temperatures, mere fractions of a degree above absolute zero (0 Kelvin or ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne A national Essential poll, conducted March 20–24 from a sample of 1,150, gave the Coalition a 50–44 lead including undecided, a reversal ...
The Taxpayers’ Union has today made a formal request under the Regulations of the People’s Republic of China on Open Government Information () for information held about how New Zealand Members of Parliament are spending taxpayer ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert Nelson, Honorary Principal Fellow, The University of Melbourne A Byzantine depiction of the Eucharist in Saint Sophia Cathedral, Kyiv.Jacek555/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA A nasty quarrel arose in the 11th century over what kind of bread should be used in holy ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Patrick Hesp, Professor, Flinders University Patrick Hesp In some parts of Australia, coastal dunes are retreating from the ocean at an alarming rate, as waves carve up the beach and wind blows the sand inland. But coastal communities are largely ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Luke Heemsbergen, Senior Lecturer, Digital, Political, Media, Deakin University With an impressive 60% of the US smartphone market, Apple is undeniably big, but not a clear monopoly. Yet, years of innovation by Apple have effectively given the company its own exclusive ...
Whether you’re facing layoffs or are just an emotional junior staffer, it’s always a good idea to scout out a good crying place before you need it. It’s an incredibly hard time for Wellington. Across the city, thousands of public servants are hearing tough news about redundancies and layoffs. Government ...
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Daryl Adair, Associate Professor of Sport Management, University of Technology Sydney Earlier this week, independent MP Andrew Wilkie accused the AFL of conducting “off the books” illicit drug testing to identify players using substances of abuse, then inappropriately withdrawing them from matches ...
The Government’s announcement that it will scrap plans for a vast marine sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands is ‘shameful’ and will make it impossible for Aotearoa New Zealand to meet its international commitments, says the World Wide Fund for Nature ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Quiggin, Professor, School of Economics, The University of Queensland Shutterstock The federal government has bowed to pressure from the car industry, announcing it will relax proposed emissions rules for utes and vans and delay enforcement of the new standards ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Suzanne Rutland, Professor Emerita, University of Sydney In his latest book, Jewish Life in Medieval Spain, Jonathan Ray focuses on the tumult of the 14th century in Spain – a time of the plague, civil strife and war between the two largest ...
While creating a slate of world-class shows, Whakaata Māori also developed a generation of world-class creatives. Television is an odd word. It mixes the Ancient Greek and Latin languages, and its most literal meaning is “far-off sight”. In the contemporary and living language of te reo Māori, “whakaata” as a ...
Yesterday the UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Israel’s war on Gaza. This significant step and the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza prompted an urgent debate in the New Zealand Parliament. Leader ...
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The Deputy Chairperson of the Finance and Expenditure Committee is calling for public submissions on the Budget Policy Statement 2024. The Budget Policy Statement 2024 (BPS) sets out the Government's priorities for the 2024 Budget. It explains the approach ...
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I live with five people I mostly love, but our different ideas about generosity are starting to really irk me.Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nzDear Hera,This is a bit of a random one but here goes. I’m 22 and work an OK job (OK meaning I get paid ...
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I'm starting to wonder if this government could catch a break.
The media needs to take a hard look at themselves. Cut and pasting the press releases of unaccountable, dark funded lobby astroturf groups is disgraceful.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9x5jL5jnVFI
Don't platform these people (Auckland Ratepayers Alliance, Groundswell, Taxpayers Union) until they are open and accountable about who funds them. And if you continue to do this in spite of them not disclosing that information then you are also part of the problem.
It is a reflection of the decline of our parliaments, that MPs are no longer designing their own policies. They are in effect, like the idiot panels that front TV news, dysfunctional distractors with little or no relevance.
The rise of externally designed policies is visible across the spectrum, and it is pernicious. This is where shit policies like gender activism, gun nut-jobbery, and tax wacko stuff is coming from. What then is the role of MPs? And, since they are incapable of thinking for themselves, what right do they have to sit in parliament?
thinking I'll do a post on the problems with Groundswell for Thurs. Have you got anything useful to read about the funding issue?
didn't know about the connections with the Taxpayer's Onion
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groundswell_NZ#Links_to_the_NZ_Taxpayers'_Union
The fact that Groundswell only appears to exist as a commercial entity and not as a charity or incorporated society means that, unless they decide to release their returns, finding out who's funding them is pretty much impossible.
https://app.companiesoffice.govt.nz/companies/app/ui/pages/companies/8256357/detail
At the same time, the lack of transparency sort of goes against their claim to be a "grassroots volunteer-driven advocacy group" and not just a money-making exercise. Given that they ask for donations and try to sell merch, it's not hard to imagine that someone is making some decent money off of all this.
If you can stomach it, I would also recommend going through the comments of their social media posts. Along with general confusion over the lack of information about Thursday's protest, there also seems to be increasing frustration about the leadership's desire to stay halfway respectable.
Given that the organisation seems to be pretty decentralised however, I imagine there'll be quite a few who don't stick to the approved messages and start spouting some crazy bullshit about vaccines or whatever. If you can catalogue that and make a big deal of it, I imagine that would force the organisers to further alienate their more unhinged supporters.
Essentially, the message would be that the Groundswell leadership is scamming their supporters while preventing them from talking about whatever fringe issue actually motivates them to show up on Thursday.
thanks, that's very helpful.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centre_for_Policy_Studies
When bank economists and paid for lobbyists for the bosses talk about the need to control "core inflation" as code for holding down wage growth, remember it is all pure, unadulterated class self-interest. Rather than listening to our anaemic, feeble media spouting the talking points of the neoliberal consensus I strongly recommend a read of the latest IMF World Economic Outlook.
The short version: true spirals of sustained wage and price increases are VERY rare.
It is interesting though how the low wages will 'stop' inflation, but not low rents, low energy costs and low food costs. And that is he crux of the matter. You can not earn enough ever to meet out of controll spiraling living costs and production costs.
Eventually like in the Weimar Republic one will bring a wheelbarrow full of useless notes for a loaf of bread.
The most useful thing I have read so far today.
https://voidifremoved.substack.com/p/identitarianism-is-not-left
"Thus any system which removes the ability to name and recognise the female sex as a class is seen to serve the interest of patriarchal capitalism. If male and female cease to be labels that recognise a material reality, but instead identity markers that can be adopted by either sex, it becomes impossible for women to organise or be recognised as a sex class. This is what gender identity results in – a system of idealist individual liberalism, where material reality is subordinate to an individual’s claim of identity."
that quote is spot on.
Exhibit A: the number of liberal men who think they get to tell women what feminism is.
Exhibit B: women being kicked out of women's groups for wanting female only spaces.
Exhibit C: lesbians being told that they cannot formally meet without male bodied people present.
Exhibit D: males who self ID as women taking women's places in political parties.
All of those impact on women's ability to organise as a class.
males who will self id as women in order to get jobs if these jobs are for 'minorities including women'.
women who will be injured – badly injured even – by men who self id and play sports in womens teams.
Leave the construct of 'class' or 'category' aside, the only place women can be in a place without be-penised people is now very much the kitchen at home.
When i was a teenager one of my friends was a turkish girl called Hasina. I only ever sat in the kitchen or in the garden with the women, the living room was the place for the bepenised people, women only entered that space when no other males other then the ones of the family were in that space or when they were called to serve tea.
When this self id / genderquatsch is over women in the western world will actually be back in 1595 and we shall re-debate if we are actually humans and thus have a right to human rights and self fulfilment on the base of these rights.
What is a women? Any man who says so.
Since when have women ever organised as a class? Is not defence of woman as a sex, by adopting a class identity, just going to cause division?
have you heard of feminism? What do you think that is if it isn't women organising around being women?
Why do you think that women used to be denied the vote? How do you think that changed? What do the people, who were referred to as women, that were denied the vote and then granted it, have in common?
Do you object to any people organising around a collective then? Māori? Working class people?
Are you now arguing that being a female/women is not a biological sex category?
Organising to achieve a group objective is not a synonym for having a common class identity.
Put it this way, Sylvia P (socialist) and Christabel P Tory candidate) were part of the same group of suffragettes.
No, I'm saying that biological sex is a class.
What do you mean by class exactly? Are you using the term to mean socioeconomic? If you are, that would make more sense of your comments. The point isn't that women have a shared socioeconomic class (they don't).
I agree. Disabled people can organise collectively but aren't in this sense a class.
That is a brilliant quote Visub.
Sums it up really well
Oh for fuck sacks it's not fucking capitalism, it's a group of mentally/hormonally abnormal men with identity problems causing this,
Capitalism is a tool used by society it's not a living being.
Bwagon, you also make an excellent point.
Also the clips from the Daily wire posted last week, out an Hospital in Nashville for their post of a Paedeatrician talking about how lucrative "top" and "botton" surgeries are, in part because they require a lot of follow up. far more lucrative than hormonal interventions.
https://twitter.com/glosswitch/status/1582053077364117505
Through the centuries since some chaps translated the Word they thought the god they'd made in their own image had mysteriously said, and bequeathed unto us what later chaps referred to as The Old Testament, we have been labelled in the 'Christian' world view as virgin, martyr, mystic, witch, or all four at once depending on how stroppy or shrill some choose to think we are.
Virginia Woolf put it best in A Room of One's Own:
Women have served all these centuries as looking glasses possessing the magic and delicious power of reflecting the figure of man at twice its natural size.
"Oh for fuck sacks it's not fucking capitalism, it's a group of mentally/hormonally abnormal men with identity problems causing this,"
While you are not off the mark, I don't think that answer provides the full picture in terms of HOW legislative change and institutional capture has occurred so swiftly.
There's quite a lot on strategy here:
The document that reveals the remarkable tactics of trans lobbyists – James Kirkup, The Spectator 2019
And Jennifer Bilek's research on the funding apparatus:
The Billionaire Family Pushing Synthetic Sex Identities (SSI)
read it again,
It's saying that it serves the form of capitalism that controls women. Which it does.
We don't have many products left for 'growth' potential. Mining the human body for body parts, body modification, reproduction and its feeding ability and the providing of sex services is the last product. The rest we have already fucked over to the point of no return.
We are the product. Men – at least the poor sobs that still identify as male – too, and sooner rather then later will they understand that.
Religion, Patriarchy, Capitalism, Paternalism, it is all the same, The oppression by people in power and their enablers – who present the few but who ruin the lives of the many, women, children, and in the end men. Our new oppressors? The kind people of pray to the god of Gender Ideology and lucrative body modification and the selling of body parts and life human beings.
I would have thought reproduction rates have been much higher historically and prostitution has not been called one of the oldest "professions" for nothing.
The major growth area is in DNA genetic medicine to improve health outcomes and provide fertility assistance to women who delay childbirth.
nah, the major growth area is in creating a class of birthing bodies that will provide life human beings on order – genetically altered or not – to same 'sex' couples who are 'infertile' due to their lifestyle choices, afterall they could be same gender orientated with a partner who has the needed functions, next to the sterile and castrated caste of post op trans and 'puperty blocked' transpeople who can no longer reproduce, the class of single rich parents who would like to have a child, the class of opposite sex orientated that can't be bothered doing the job of child birth.
If you want to force the people who are born with the ability to gestate and birth life human beings you remove their ability to work other then either sex work, domestic support animal (aka owned property of a 'husband/wife :)", or birther.
Remove access to birthing controls such as the pill, IUD etc and chances are that they will either birth every time they get inseminated either by a semensquirter or artificially or they miscarry.
A good 'birther' such as Ma Duggar for example can provide you with 19 live human beings over her fertile years. See Quiverfull for more information on how to keep the breeder breeding.
At a few thousand dollar for the birthing agency per tick you are suddenly talking big money. And your investment is cheap, like a puppy breeder you just have to keep these sentient incubators alive.
No it's left wing people that cause this shit, I bet any country with out a strong left leaning sector of its society would just just slap these confused males down.
I think you are confusing left with liberal. Plenty of left wing people and analysis that is critical of gender identity ideology.
In the UK, where the major battle is being fought, the Tories were going to pass self-ID legislation, which would remove major power from women, but it was women that stood up and fought against it (and have won thus far on that particular legislation). Liz Truss was pro-gender ideology, although she seems to be shifting her position as she realises that in the UK this is a political nightmare.
But the point remains, the quote is saying that the ideology serves the patriarchal system. This matters because liberals like to think they're being progressive on gender but they're being regressive.
I'll also point out that the problem isn't males confused about their sex, it's the ideology that is pushing legislative and policy changes and the huge amount of power accruing behind that. Big pharma aren't left wing, nor the tech giants.
Thanks for taking the time to clarify,
I'll think on it
Calling the female sex a class to make it part of some left wing cause vs capitalism is nonsense.
how to use class as a word when not applying either party belonging or gender ideology.
Class:
1. : a group sharing the same economic or social status : "the working class"
i.e woman worker vs male worker
2. : social rank especially : high social rank the classes as opposed to the masses
i.e. female as opposed to male
3. : a data type in object-oriented programming that consists of a group of objects (see OBJECT entry 1 sense 6a) with the same properties and behaviors and that can be arranged in a hierarchy with other such data types
i.e female cancers vs male cancers
all based on the differences between the humans beings that are of material reality rather then socially constructed stereotypes that anyone irrespective of their biological sex can live.
But then i hear there are people that don't know what a male or a female is unless they inspects the genitals of the people they meet or unless they are provided a daily update on pronouns, and then they would not be able to differentiate between biological genitials and surgically crafted ones. These might be the people who have never in their life seen, met or spoken to a 'woman' and thus can't define them, class them and provide appropriate language so that this class of people can refer to themselves without upsetting males who are not and will not ever be part of that class of people.
Unmentionable ones is a good term for that class of people would you not agree?
Dividing class groups, into male and female, does not make them male and female class groups.
A left wing analysis is that there are three classes – socioeconomic, race/ethnicity, and biological sex – that capitalism exploits to further the aims of capitalism. Women are impacted in some very specific ways because of their biological sex.
maybe you could explain what you think because I can't make sense of your comments. Are you saying that you don't believe there is a such a things a sex class?
Are you now arguing that being a female/women is not a biological sex category?
Class analysis related to capitalism is in the economic sphere. When it extends beyond that it reaches into the realm of colonialism/imperialism/patriarchy.
"Are you now arguing that being a female/women is not a biological sex category?"
Hold onto your hat, SPC – because apparently this will come as a surprise:
Women are part of (adult) a biological sex category AND
a class for political analysis AND
representative of a protected characteristic in Human Rights Act (1993).
Many other aspects affect women/females as a distinct class.
Why are you so resistant to the use of the word "class" to describe this group?
Women are only specifically included by biological sex in the HRA.
They may also be categorised by marital status, race, age and political creed, but none is specifically related to being female. And not one of those is a class. In fact no economic class is mentioned.
Civil rights, rights to private property ownership and employment/labour rights are covered otherwise.
we're not talking economic class.
Philosopher and feminist Jane Clare Jones, quoted in this post,
.https://thestandard.org.nz/class-oppression-and-discrimination/
Jane Clare Jones did not confuse sex and race with class – she referred to the three as separate.
mate, you’re the only one confusing them. I’ve made it very clear there are three classes: sex, race, socioeconomic. You appear to be insisting that economic class is the only class, but you haven’t presented any argument for why you think that is so.
You really don't like the idea that women look at each other, recognize each other as the same, with the same issues, due to the same reasons, and thus start organizing as a class of people for people such as themselves.
Oh boy.
There are two distinct definitions of the word class.
Confusing one, which refers to the categorisation of difference with the other, socio and economic class, with the other is poor use of language.
PS the effort to impugn those who do not agree with you, speaks to breeding/class/identity politics at its lower level.
"category" is probably a less confusing term than "class" which has several meanings — in left wing discourse it usually refers to socioeconomic class
actually yes it does.
that is the point of having classes of people.
like white and black people
like tall and short people
like fat and skinny people
like educated and not educated people
like rich and poor people
like homeowning people and homeless people
that is exactly what you do when you want to speak of one group of people and you want to make sure that other people understand whom you are talking about.
and we know full well what makes one male and what makes one not male.
And the fact that people are telling woman what women are or are not is simply pointing out the old adage of men being what they are or want to be vs men telling women what they can or can not be.
Conflation of distinctive category with class.
No just different examples of classes of people defined by their characteristics. I.e. black women and white women. Two different sets or classes of ethnicity. Both are part of the class 'adult human female'. Then they may be African and German. New classes, this time defined by nationality. One may be lutheran the other may be catholic. New classes, this time defined by creed. So here we have the class of human being that these two women belong too – adult human female. Then all the other classes that further defines who these two particular women are. The first class is rooted in biology and nature, i.e. material reality, and the rest of classes that categorize these adult human females are the social constructs of ethnicity, nationality and religion.
And men are still not part of that first class – adult human female, but they may share ethnicity, religion or nationality or job descriptions, or belong to the house owning class or the homeless class.
But you do you.
MSM Propaganda Alert!!!
BBC at it again…in this BBC article on the Venezuelan migration problem, the economic fall out as a direct result of US imposed sanctions ( a benign term for a weapon of war) is not mentioned or referenced once as a cause for the population flight…the way MSM is circling the wagons in ever tighter postures in it's defense of the Capitalist status quo is quite alarming….there is misinformation on the net alright, the most damaging of it to Left Progressive politics, stems directly from once trusted left leaning news sources…so make sure you have your bullshit detectors on high alert when reading anything from BBC, The Guardian, Washington Post, NYT…or listening to RNZ
Economic Sanctions as Collective Punishment: The Case of Venezuela
"The sanctions reduced the public’s caloric intake, increased disease and mortality (for both adults and infants), and displaced millions of Venezuelans who fled the country as a result of the worsening economic depression and hyperinflation. They exacerbated Venezuela’s economic crisis and made it nearly impossible to stabilize the economy, contributing further to excess deaths. All of these impacts disproportionately harmed the poorest and most vulnerable Venezuelans."
UK Police intimidating climate activists:
https://www.independent.co.uk/tv/news/shoreditch-just-stop-oil-arrest-b2204120.html
There will never be an 'acceptable' form of protest against the status quo, there are always reasons 'respectable society' can use to denigrate or demean the actions of activists.
On Earth Day earlier this year, Wynn Phillips followed a buddhist protest tradition and the story was largely buried. Climate scientists around the world are engaging in activism, and today activists have unfurled a banner over Mt Vic tunnel:
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/476866/wellington-s-mount-victoria-tunnel-closed-as-climate-activist-group-lowers-banner-over-road
This will no doubt also be condemned across traditional and social media.
For those who are aghast at soup being thrown at a glass-covered painting, saying "leave art out of it, why don't they protest something relevant…"
Well here it is. And as predicted, people are still aghast. Maybe they should just protest out fot he way, where no one can hear?
Maybe they should apply to be bus drivers in the meantime until we in the future will get a government for whom public service is not just a vote getter every other year but something to commit to and invest in.
Wellington is cutting down on its bus services as they don't have enough drivers.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/476617/driver-shortages-put-breaks-on-nearly-70-wellington-bus-services
Hear, hear Sabine. Yes rather than activities that serve no purpose (likely lead to higher emissions by blocking roads) and generally get up peoples noses creating potential for a back lash, go out and be part of the solution. Drive a bus. Maybe they need to attract drivers, by advertising it as Green occupation helping safe the plannet.
Actually being a bus driver was something to aspire too in my childhood, even though in Germany at the time it was male dominated. But it was a job with good pay, decent benefits and essentially future proof.
I can see the slogan already: Choose a Green Job, Be a bus driver in your community!!
The Greens are trying to do such a thing, a petition from 2021:
https://www.greens.org.nz/petition_for_publicly_owned_public_transport
Then the Greens should encourage these young people to apply for these jobs, help them create a union and raise a stink.
But maybe absail down a tunnel or glue yourself to a raod while Joe and Jane 6 pack try to get to work will also do the trick to promote public transport. One pissed of commuter at a time.
There is a current endeavour to create an industry award that takes bus drivers into the category that makes them eligible for skilled worker migrant.
That's currently $40.50/hr = $84,240 p.a. Hopefully that would attract people into the industry as a reasonable living.
Meanwhile, here’s a current NZ Bus driver advert:
https://careers.nzbus.co.nz/jobdetails?ajid=vay18
Thanks, arkie.
That puts the focus clearly on why there is a recruitment and retention problem.
Yes, and that current payrate is what the bus drivers and the Tramways Union were able to get through their strike action last year; this was the pay rate prior to the industrial action, and the offer made by NZ Bus / Next Capital:
https://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/wellington/125150453/wellington-bus-drivers-offered-as-much-as-10000-each-to-accept-weakened-collective-agreement
This is what private ownership of public services gets us, poor delivery, poor employment conditions, increasing user charges and any profits are pocketed.
so that is 1112 NZD per week before tax, plus 3% min Kiwi saver contribution, plus sick pay, plus holiday pay.
5 days a week is a standard week, many people work Sats and Sund, unless one is an office drone.
oh look they provide these things
This is actually not a bad job. But then, maybe any work where some actually have to show up is a badly paid exploitation job.
WE just want passenger trains and public transport, what we don't want is to do these jobs.
now the problem with say 800 NZD per week not being enough to pay rent, bills and food is an issue of not regulating the rental market, the food market, and the energy market. But surely someday we shall have a government that will do such things. Surely, any day now. ideally one that has a full majority so they could push through that progressive legislation without then need to compromise. Any day now. right?
Accredited Employer Work Visa.
https://www.gw.govt.nz/assets/Documents/2022/09/Minister-of-Transport-re-MPOL-718-Daran-Ponter.pdf
https://www.immigration.govt.nz/opsmanual/#72993.htm – Appendices at the end, and the list of occupations as exceptions is Appendix 7. Train driver and tour guide are on that list, but bus driver isn't, so the current SMC pathway requires 1.5 x median wage (which as the minister notes in his letter, has not been subject to recent adjustments for work visas – for SMC, it was last set at $27.00/hr).
Bus drivers getting AEWVs will have to be paid median wage for immigration which is currently $27.76/hr but going up to $29.66/hr in February, but won't have a pathway to residence at that pay rate unless they are added to the Green List.
The Australian private equity company that owns Wellington buses locked their drivers out because that were demanding improved pay and conditions.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/wellington/125175905/nz-bus-owner-wont-rule-out-another-lockout-if-drivers-reject-pay-offer
NZBus in Auckland regularly puts buses out on the road with malfunctioning or non functioning air conditioning. They were doing it before Covid and they are still doing it. It is unsafe and uncomfortable enough for the passengers, but must be much worse for the drivers. Auckland Transport refuses to answer the simple question as to whether this is permitted in the contract they have with NZBus.
One of the many reasons why AT deserves everything Wayne Brown hands out to them.
PS I certainly did not vote for him!
“This will no doubt also be condemned across traditional and social media”….yep, that is for sure..MSM including pretty much all traditional ‘Left’ leaning media have proved themselves to be nothing more than ultra-aggressive guard dogs of the Capitalist status quo…the planet and the people who want to defend the planet will find no serious allies there…
…and don’t be fooled by the occasional inclusion on those platforms of serious Climate Activists at the present moment. …when and if there is ever a real ground swell to make the type of deep rooted social and infrastructural changes needed to deal with Climate Change, you can be absolutely sure that the undermining of that project will come from The Guardian, BBC, Washington Post etc as much as from Right wing media.
Inflation print just released.Come in at 7.2,mostly driven by non tradeable inflation such as council rents and housing costs,utilities etc.
Non tradeable inflation is the highest since the series began,and starting to reflect fiscal policies,with services funding to the non productive sector,
https://www.stats.govt.nz/news/annual-inflation-at-7-2-percent/
With a .75 rise in the OCR baked in by markets,and looking at 5.25 ocr next year,the borrowing costs are now becoming a large burden,with Fiscal stimulus fueling inflation not growth.
Building costs (gib board ?)
https://www.gib.co.nz/gib-news/new-tauranga-facility/new-tauriko-facility-building-for-a-generation-of-change/
diesel
A substitute for gas in power generation and also used for heating homes in Europe – will rise further with the northern winter
rents
surely a freeze asap ….
the NZ$ depreciated in the last 12 months (19.5%) significantly due to the balance of trade problems,and high current account deficit.
There has been little if any fiscal spending to ensure enhanced productivity,to remove cost out of the economy.
Labours policies are essentially inverse to the Truss catastrophe,with large spending on the non productive sector,mostly by way of wages and not efficiency.With a construction industry over extended you do not keep fiscally stimulating by borrowed money,in an overheated economy,with high debt.
The return of tourism and student inflows will help the accounts.
Any solution that blocks fair pay and industry awards suppress wages and raise unemployment will just increase inequality.
1. the current building of a new gib board plant is a supply solution (it not being in time is a market failure).
2. diesel cost increases is a global matter.
3. a housing shortage is not solved without supply, and nor is it solved by raising demand for housing via high levels of immigration. Preventing landlords from exploiting a market shortage via a rent freeze is prudent.
4. our public debt is not high compared to other OECD nations and nor is the proportion of government spending to GDP.
Care to identify the "fiscal" spending that removes cost from the economy?
Tourism is arbitrary as kiwis also travel overseas spending local savings. Students also remove accommodation opportunities.
Resource consents are around 5% of the project cost,delays adding to holding costs of which gib is a small part.The biggest problem is an overextended construction sector,which is now performing less efficient due to overpricing (highest costs in the OECD),
The housing shortage has been forced by large scale immigration and changes to the rental inventory due to government policy, meaning investors have moved to the short end of the market (airbnb etc) large scale demolition of housing stock to provide more expensive infill housing etc.
Our public debt measured by our ability to pay is very high with the highest current account deficit in the g10 currency countries,high interest rates,Robertsons gamble on changing the measurement for government debt,did not influence the markets (read lenders) and was based on revaluations of property stock (which are moving south faster then the expected tenure of a labour list MP)
How much of the drop in NZ$ is caused by the US$ increasing due to their interest rates increasing to bring inflation under control?
Globally most currencies have depreciated against the us$ (not as much as NZ) which has also depreciated against most other currencies ,where the aus has depreciated by 15% and has lower interest rates.
We are now exposed to worse interest rates then the UK with the NZ margin .50 points across rates.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZr1OM767Go
Had to laugh Liz Truss's approval rating is now _ 61% !!
https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL2209/S00051/time-for-a-public-inquiry-into-cnz.htm
So Jacinda Ardern, via Chris Hipkins have rescued Creative NZ by providing funding for the Shakespeares schools festival via education.
This article written before the bail out is excellent in its criticism of Creative NZ and its call for an enquiry that goes deeper than the Shakespeare issue.
The CEO of CNZ earns over three hundred thousand a year. And 28 of the 85 staff earn over $100,00. They took the advice of someone on the cancellation of the Shakespeare festival…………..So, why do such highly paid bureacratics need to take advice on who they fund? Surely that is what they exist to do. Why did Creative NZ listen to such dumb and embarrasing advice? (Shakespeare ..the canon of imperialism. Um England was not an imperial nation when Shakespeare was writing). And the advice also said Shakespeare didn't fit with the decolonisation of NZ. Who the f..k said the public service are to de colonise NZ and what does that even mean? (Colonisation was also not around in Shakespeares time, so the advice is not only bloody ignorant, its frankly embarrasing).
If over paid bureacrats have to rely on advice to make funding decisions and take utterly ridiculous advice, that is politically based, not arts based, then yes at the very least Creative NZ needs to be reviewed. And there needs to be a review into what is happening in our public service, that it is thought that their role is to "de colonise" NZ.
Anker, briefly. You are correct about a foolish decision by Creative NZ.
However, regarding " Um England was not an imperial nation when Shakespeare was writing)."
You're not Irish, are you? As my dear old irish nun once told me, “Mac1, there are some things we do not joke abour!”
700 years of colonisation did include the Elizabethan and early Stuart era when Shakespeare wrote his magnificent plays and poems.
https://www.historyofengland.net/british-empire/ireland-the-first-colony
https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/ireland-has-yet-to-come-to-terms-with-its-imperial-past-1.4444146
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Ireland_(1536–1691)
All three sources confirm the imperial England that you want to deny.
There doesn't, however, seem to be any significant belief that Shakespeare shouldn't be studied in Ireland, because of past imperialism/colonization/invasion (whatever you want to call it)
https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-49031179
It seems as though the Irish, at least, can separate great works of literature from the cultural environment which produced them. Something for Creative NZ to aspire to.
Wonder what the Bard might make of it.
Much Ado about Nothing? Tempest in a teacup?
https://www.opensourceshakespeare.org/views/plays/plays.php
He did his bit fueling anti-Irish bigotry, too.
.
In the same vein there is a cheap Irish joke in The Comedy of Errors, where a servant named Dromio tells his master about a kitchen wench who is so fat that "she is spherical, like a globe", and that he "could find out countries in her". He finds Spain in her hot breath, Scotland in the barren palm of her hand, and England in the chalky cliffs of her forehead.
When Antipholus asks, “In what part of her body stands Ireland?” Dromio replies, “in her buttocks: I found it out by the bogs.” This Irish slur still gets a big laugh – and, unlike the other ethnic jokes, it is rarely cut in production.
Counting up the Irish
Shakespeare mentions “Ireland” 31 times in his works, or 32 if we include a slip of the pen to which I will return shortly. The adjective “Irish” is spoken 10 times, and the word “Irishman” appears twice.
What I find especially striking about these allusions to the “Irish” or “Irishman” is how concentrated they all are within a very narrow band of time, one that stretched from about 1596 to 1599.
https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/stage/what-ish-my-nation-shakespeare-s-irish-connections-1.2619173
Shakespeare reflected the bigotry of his times- his anti-Jewish stance, his view of the Scots, Irish, Welsh. Remember his was a time when people were martyred, wars were fought for religion, empire, resources- as usual.
Have we changed? How much? Look at the bigotry about today. Still there. Better? I hope so.
Belladonna at 8.1.1 makes a very good final point. We do have to consider the 'tempora", the "mores" of the culture whence art came.
Just as we will be judged in the future for our cultural beliefs from transubstantiation to transgenderism.
Fair call Mac1. I misquoted Chris Trotter in his excellent article in which he said, England had no empire in Shakespeares time.
Happy to stand corrected.
https://www.interest.co.nz/public-policy/118041/only-excluding-cultural-achievements-past-arts-council-suggests-can-any
At the end of Trotter's article. he speaks of the essential humanity of Shakespeare's work which transcended time, place, country, even the imaginary and the fey.
From Greece, Italy, England, Scotland, France. from ancient times to the near present, from Fools to the foolish, from kings to paupers, across men and women and the fairy realm, from songs and poems to bawdy humour, Shakespeare's celebration and exposing of human greatness and weakness was sublime.
My daughter won a Sheila Winn trip to England which she did not take up. She is still involved in drama thirty years later, now as a director.
Her father played the Fool, Touchstone, singing his song "There was a Lover and his Lass" as a gospel-belter blues and delivered such lines of wisdom as this,"The more pity that fools may not speak wisely what wise men do foolishly."
Shakespeare was updated in Sheila Winn. My daughter won her prize playing Lady MacBeth who had a female husband, and her friend won best supporting actor as King Duncan, without saying a word.
Sheila Winn pushed boundaries, inspired careers, entertained and taught us all, as only the best art can.
Shakespeare gave us beautiful language, sayings, drama, humour, wisdom and sometimes a view of the world where the Fools were wise and the rest unaware of their shortcomings.
Shakespeare could well have said, had he spoken Māori, "Mā te wahine, mā te whenua, ka ngaro te tangata."
Kia ora mai tatou.
Wonderful to hear all that Mac 1.
That however is something that Ireland needs to sort with England. White people oppressing white people.
I doubt that whomever decided that Shakespeare needed to be 'decolonised' had Ireland in mind when they thought about 'decolonising'.
I posted this only 3 days ago, but of course you missed it:
https://creativenz.govt.nz/Funds-and-opportunities/Find-opportunities/Arts-Grants#how-applications-are-assessed
Many Public Good funders use this system of independent peer review to review grant funding applications in contestable funding rounds just as Creative NZ, which uses two assessors to review each application. I have never heard of a CEO of a funding agency being directly involved in the funding decisions of specific funding committees in their agency other than possibly signing off on them, which is or should be a mere formality.
Here’s a very good article on [the lack of] arts funding in NZ that also offers you some insights into the funding process:
https://www.stuff.co.nz/opinion/130193686/the-fuss-over-shakespeare-is-a-distraction-from-the-real-scandal-of-arts-funding
What do you mean Incognito "but of course you missed it". I probably did miss it. So what, there's a lot I miss on the Standard.
ARe the two assessors part of the 85 public servants employed at Creative NZ? If not who appointed the assessors? They are ideologically compromised and made a ignorant decision which has lead to a public outcry about both the decison and also the rationsale for the decision (de colonizing, imperialism). The CEO may sign off the decision (or not) but overall he is responsible. He has made our country look like a laughing stock has lead to the PM intervening to ensure Shakespeare continues. Ardern's intervention show what an absolutely stupid mistake these people have made.
You replied to my comment the first time: https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-15-10-2022/#comment-1915874
Nope, what do you think the italicised (twice) “external peer assessors” mean?
You seem to think that Creative NZ employed them as assessors. Often peer reviewers don’t receive anything. If they do need to attend meetings in person they’ll get travel costs reimbursed.
Wow! You’ve lost the plot there big time and now it is the CEO who is to blame. The reasons you make these outlandish claims are that you think he earns too much and you’re scapegoating. Shakespeare was never discontinued! Get a grip!
Nope, it doesn’t show that at all. It shows that Ardern disagreed with the decision by Creative NZ and was desperate enough to score some brownie points [no pun] with the public. Ardern is, of course, Associate Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage and arts funding is piss poor in NZ.
Looks like the PM— who was a S-in-S participant herself has leaned on Chippie. As for Creative NZ= FFS Wellington Woke elite intellectuals totally out of sync,,, I saw some of the current crop of Maori stars on TV and film take their first steps on stage… you guessed it= S in S. No colonial oppression, just joy in giving something a go.
Happy Xmas–War (on COVID) is Over–Govt. waves the biggest white flag!
…just as another variant appears. Now there may be anti virals available, if you can actually see a doctor to get them, but some have health problems or social issues that make them more vulnerable.
Has Jacinda been spanked by the bankers and middle class focus groups again? It is such a shame after 2020’s amazing “public health before private profit” Jacinda.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/130205819/government-scraps-covid-powers-for-vaccine-mandates-gathering-limits-and-lockdowns?fbclid=IwAR3MOMc0NpTpx4vI9wSPxMcHsgNN_8PfmV5_6dip-4dexvNeg-z69H7EzSI
Sometimes Governments obtain special powers and never get around to revoking them, or remove some of citizens rights and don’t return them promptly, or ever. So in that respect the Labour Caucus has done well with these changes. But in terms of public health it sucks.
There must be an election coming!
With a majority in Parliament the Covid legislation can be put back in place – under urgency – when the 'powers' are wanted again.
ALL is smoke and mirrors ……
There must be an election coming!
Sooner than you think … in Hamilton West. Labours to lose.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/476899/gaurav-sharma-resigns-as-an-mp-months-after-expulsion-from-labour
Nah, Sharmas to lose, not Labour's. It was held by National for 4 election cycles prior to Sharma so hardly considered a Labour seat.
"…"Sharma said he intended to launch a "new centrist party" alongside the by-election, with a focus on "outcomes and action rather than on ideologies"…."
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!
The most pathetic thing is this guy actually seems to believe the bullshittery he constantly spouts.
He's now likely the only way Labour can get back into Hamilton: split vote.
Ye gods the guy is as daft as a brush.
However I'm pleased he is staying in politics.
I sure as shit wouldn't want him to be my GP or any body else's for that matter
Yeah, but let's look at the turnout. There will be a message in that, or not, for Labour?
https://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/news/politics/former-labour-party-mp-gaurav-sharma-quits-parliament/
In fact, Jacinda, let's have an early election. More than a few people would be in favour of that. Save some money.
I think a snap election is Labour best chance at a third term. The polling trend is clear, the left are losing support and it is frankly not going to improve.
Go to the electorate now, whilst you are still a chance.
Wishful thinking – recall how the last NZ snap election worked out.
Imho, an obviously better option for NZ Labour is to make good use of their absolute parliamentary majority (unprecedented in the MMP era) for another year, which is a long time in politics if the fortunes of those financial wizards, the tax-cutting Tories are anything to go by.
Only if it's wildly different.
A new centrist party might be amusing, given that this one is unlikely to take much of a chunk out of Labour as it goes, the way Dunne & UF did.
Personally I'd be surprised if meaningful conclusions will come of it – though Sharma scraping in on National voter support is an outside possibility.
Hamilton West is pure bellwether, and goes according to the country. It went National four times 2008-2017 because National won the nationwide vote four times in a row.
Change parties?
Finally we get the SharmaSharmaSharmaDrama Sharma Chameleon.
He comes and goes, he comes and goes.
Groundswell and Voices For Freedom
Up in a tree
Otago Daily Times
·
SUBSCRIBER: A Groundswell NZ co-founder says the group has accepted Voices for Freedom’s support at this week’s planned protest, as long as the message remains clear.
Farmers rights and Medical rights movements in NZ. All is not well.
The message needs to remain clear at what stage? Has somebody finally figured out what the message was from February yet?
If I recall correctly it was Trevor Mallard must allow actual children to use his personal playground on parliament grounds.
I like the Herald's use of 'allegedly' and 'claimed' in its article about Sharma.
I remember well a mate finding out he'd been duped by someone, confronting them and saying very vehemently. "You lying little shit!"
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/former-labour-party-mp-gaurav-sharma-quits-parliament/M3FG6HNQPPYJYUTO4DDHVHV4UE/