Open mike 18/03/2016
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6:00 am, March 18th, 2016 - 144 comments
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- COVID-19: Rent increase freeze and more protection for tenantsImmediate freeze on rent increases Tenancies will not be terminated during the lock-down period, unless the parties agree, or in limited circumstances Tenants who had previously given notice can stay in their if they need to stay in the tenancy during the lock-down period Tenants will still be able to ...4 days ago
- Working together to protect businesses and workersAs New Zealand unites to lock-down in the fight against COVID-19, the Finance Minister is urging all businesses and workers to stay connected over the next four weeks. “We understand the extreme pressure many businesses are under right now. I know most business owners think of their workers as family ...4 days ago
- State of National Emergency declared to fight COVID-19A State of National Emergency has been declared across the country as the Government pulls out all the stops to curtail the spread of COVID-19. “Today we put in place our country’s second ever State of National Emergency as we fight a global pandemic, save New Zealanders’ lives and prevent ...4 days ago
- Prime Minister’s statement on State of National Emergency and Epidemic NoticeMr Speaker I wish to make a Ministerial Statement under Standing Order 347 in relation to the recent declaration of a State of National Emergency. Having considered the advice of the Director Civil Defence Emergency Management, the Minister of Civil Defence declared a State of National Emergency for the whole of ...4 days ago
- Deadline for domestic travel extendedPeople needing to travel on domestic flights, trains and Cook Strait ferries to get home before the country moves into level 4 lock-down tomorrow night will be able to continue using the passenger services until midnight on Friday, Transport Minister Phil Twyford said today. Domestic passenger services, particularly ferries, have ...5 days ago
- Mortgage holiday and business finance support schemes to cushion COVID impactsThe Government, retail banks and the Reserve Bank are today announcing a major financial support package for home owners and businesses affected by the economic impacts of COVID-19. The package will include a six month principal and interest payment holiday for mortgage holders and SME customers whose incomes have been ...5 days ago
- Government working to keep air freight movingMinister of Transport Phil Twyford has today announced details of the Government’s support package to keep key air freight moving and ensure New Zealanders retain access to essential goods during the four-week level 4 lockdown. “The Government is working with airlines and air freight operators to ensure New Zealand’s key ...5 days ago
- New Zealand moves to COVID-19 Alert Level 3, then Level 4 in 48 hoursNew Zealand moved up to COVID-19 Alert Level 3 – Restrict New Zealand to move up to COVID-19 Alert Level 4 – Eliminate, in 48 hours Two-staged approach to give people and businesses time to prepare Level 3, from tomorrow Non-essential businesses must close All events and gatherings must be ...6 days ago
- Prime Minister: COVID-19 Alert Level increasedGood afternoon The Cabinet met this morning to discuss our next actions in the fight against COVID-19. Like the rest of the world, we are facing the potential for devastating impacts from this virus. But, through decisive action, and through working together, do we have a small window to get ...6 days ago
- Govt takes significant economic decisions as NZ readies for Alert Level 4 in COVID-19 fightThe Government is announcing significant further support for the economy, workers and businesses as the country unites to prepare for Alert Level 4 in the fight against COVID-19. Cabinet today agreed to remove the cap on the Government’s wage subsidy scheme, which will inject a further $4 billion into the ...6 days ago
- Govt backs RBNZ move to support economy with lower interest ratesThe Government is backing the Reserve Bank’s latest action to support the economy by reducing longer-term interest rates, meaning lower costs for businesses and mortgage holders, and a lower currency to help our exporters. The Minister of Finance has signed a memorandum of understanding and a letter of indemnity with ...6 days ago
- Government statement on commercial cooperation during COVID-19The Government has asked the Commerce Commission to take account of the exceptional circumstances created by COVID-19 when monitoring business behaviour in coming weeks. “The purpose of my request to the Commerce Commission is to make sure businesses can work together in ways that will allow them to provide ...1 week ago
- New Zealand temporarily closes diplomatic posts in Barbados and Myanmar due to COVID-19The New Zealand Government has temporarily closed its High Commission in Bridgetown, Barbados and its Embassy in Yangon, Myanmar due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “Due to the increasing scarcity of air links in and out of Bridgetown and Yangon, and the pressure COVID-19 is placing ...1 week ago
- Supporting Māori communities and businesses throughAssociate Health and Whānau Ora Minister Peeni Henare has today announced the Government’s plan to support Māori communities and businesses in the face of COVID-19. “Our Government’s $12.1 billion economic package will help many Māori whānau, workers and businesses, whether it’s through wage subsidies, income support and worker redeployment, or ...1 week ago
- Guidelines for hospitality establishments releasedThe Government and the hospitality industry have worked together to produce guidelines to assist with managing and reducing transmission of COVID-19, Health Minister David Clark announced today. The guidelines developed between the Government, Hospitality New Zealand and SkyCity Entertainment Group, set out how the new restrictions on physical distancing and ...1 week ago
- Nation steps up to COVID-19 Alert Level 2Four stage Alert System for COVID-19 announced New Zealand moved up to COVID-19 Alert Level 2 – Reduce Contact New Zealanders over 70 and those with certain medical conditions told to stay at home as much as they can to reduce risk of contact with the virus Workplaces to implement ...1 week ago
- PM Address – Covid-19 UpdateKia ora koutou katoa I’m speaking directly to all New Zealanders today to give you as much certainty and clarity as we can as we fight Covid-19. Over the past few weeks, the world has changed. And it has changed very quickly. In February it would have seemed unimaginable to ...1 week ago
- NZ and Singapore commit to keeping supply and trade links open, including on essential goods and med...New Zealand and Singapore have jointly committed to keep supply chains open and to remove any existing trade restrictive measures on essential goods, especially medical supplies, in the face of the Covid-19 crisis. Trade and Export Growth Minister David Parker welcomed the commitment. “This is an important collective response, and ...1 week ago
- Joint Ministerial Statement by Singapore and New Zealand -Covid-19 situationJOINT MINISTERIAL STATEMENT BY SINGAPORE AND NEW ZEALAND AFFIRMING COMMITMENT TO ENSURING SUPPLY CHAIN CONNECTIVITY AMIDST THE COVID-19 SITUATION The COVID-19 pandemic is a serious global crisis. As part of our collective response to combat COVID-19, Singapore and New Zealand are committed to maintaining open and connected supply chains. We ...1 week ago
- Transit between Australia and New ZealandTravel restrictions, closing our border to almost all travelers came into force from 23:59 on Thursday 19 March 2020 (NZDT). All airlines were informed of these restrictions before they came into force. Immigration Minister Iain Lees-Galloway says “The transit of passengers between Australia and New Zealand has been agreed upon and ...1 week ago
- $100 million to redeploy workersThe Government has allocated $100 million to help redeploy workers affected by the economic impact of COVID-19, with the hard-hit region of Gisborne-Tairāwhiti to be the first helped, Economic Development Minister Phil Twyford, Forestry and Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones and Employment Minister Willie Jackson announced today. Phil Twyford ...1 week ago
- More support for wood processingThe Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) is ramping up support for Tairāwhiti’s wood processing sector to bolster the region’s economy at a time of heightened uncertainty, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones announced today. Following earlier announcements today of a regional support package for Tairāwhiti, Minister Jones has also announced a ...1 week ago
- Govt steps in to protect Air New ZealandThe Coalition Government has stepped in to protect Air New Zealand with a significant financial deal that protects essential routes and allows the company to keep operating. The Government and Air New Zealand have agreed a debt funding agreement through commercial 24-month loan facilities of up to $900 million*. The ...1 week ago
- Stronger border measures to protect NZers from COVID-19The Government has taken further measures to protect New Zealanders from the COVID-19 virus, effectively stopping all people from boarding a plane to New Zealand from 11:59pm today, except for returning New Zealanders, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced today. New Zealanders’ partners, legal guardians or any dependent children travelling with ...1 week ago
- Action on indoor gatherings and events to protect public healthThe Government has reinforced its commitment to protecting the health of New Zealanders from COVID-19 through the cancellation of indoor events with more than 100 people. “Protecting the health of New Zealanders is our number one priority, and that means we need to reduce the risks associated with large gatherings,” ...1 week ago
- New Zealanders advised not to travel overseasThe New Zealand Government is advising New Zealanders not to travel overseas due to COVID-19, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “We are raising our travel advice to the highest level: do not travel,” Mr Peters said. “This is the first time the New Zealand Government has advised New Zealanders ...1 week ago
- Govt announces aviation relief packageTransport Minister Phil Twyford today outlined the first tranche of the $600 million aviation sector relief package announced earlier this week as part of the Government’s $12.1 billion COVID-19 economic response. The initial part of the aviation package aims to secure the operators of New Zealand’s aviation security system, and ...1 week ago
- Government says Australia’s coronavirus curve may be flattening
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The federal government says there are signs the coronavirus curve may be flattening in Australia. Scott Morrison told a Sunday news conference the rate of increase in cases had fallen to about 13-15% a day ...2 hours ago - Broadband and data usage surges as New Zealanders reach out
Whether to connect with friends and colleagues, catch up on news, or stave off the boredom with bingeable TV, we’ve all been on our devices a lot more than normal.Vodafone has released a summary of its traffic stats for the past six days, which compares phone calls, broadband, and mobile ...3 hours ago - Rushed Vaping Bill During Covid-19, Grossly Unfair
New Zealand vaping representatives have joined forces to condemn the Government continuing with its plan to rush legislation through Parliament to regulate vaping despite the Covid-19 lockdown. The Vaping Trade Association of New Zealand (VTANZ), ...3 hours ago - Locked down and locked out in Australia
Celebrated Kiwi author and expat Ian Brodie adds his voice to pleas for the Australian government to relax welfare rules and help more than half a million vulnerable New Zealanders, writes Jill Herron. Brothers in arms, we are not. That’s the call from award-winning Kiwi author, photographer and film tourism ...4 hours ago - Review: Netflix’s addictive Tiger King will leave you feeling grubby for watchingThe new true crime documentary sensation shares many of the flaws of its own subject, writes Sam Brooks.Joe Exotic, the man at the centre of Netflix’s new documentary series Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness, is a star. There’s an unnerving charisma that burns through the tattooed eyeliner, the sickly ...4 hours ago
- NZ lockdown – Day 4: First death in New Zealand from coronavirusBy RNZ News New Zealand’s Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern have confirmed the country’s first death from the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic. Dr Bloomfield said New Zealand had its first death today, after a woman who was initially diagnosed with influenza died. The woman ...4 hours ago
- Covid-19 in NZ – Sunday’s numbers charted
How is Covid-19 spreading within the country? Newsroom is collating information as it's available to paint a picture of what's happening. There were 63 new cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand, down from the previous day's 83 new cases. Details of how many tests have been completed are now being released ...5 hours ago - PNG’s Health Minister Jelta Wong ‘sidelines’ Kramer in virus briefingsPapua New Guinea will have only one press release in the afternoons at 4:00pm daily to give updates on the Covid–19 in the country in a reshuffle of information briefings. Health Minister Jelta Wong announced this when visited the office of the PNG Nurses Association accompanied by his department’s ...5 hours ago
- First Covid-19 death in New Zealand
New Zealand has had its first death linked to Covid-19. The patient, a woman in her 70s on the West Coast, was admitted to hospital with what was thought to be influenza complicated by underlying health conditions. She was later diagnosed with Covid-19. The woman's family has asked for privacy ...6 hours ago - President Lú-Olo declares Timor-Leste state of emergency over coronavirusPacific Media Watch The President of Timor-Leste, Francisco Guterres Lú-Olo, has declared a state of emergency to enable the government to address the global Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic. The state of emergency started last night at midnight and it will run until the night of April 26. Timor-Leste’s National Parliament ...6 hours ago
- Cut Traffic Speeds To Reduce Pressure On Hospitals, Say Cycling AdvocatesIt’s time to lower traffic speeds to reduce crashes and free up hospital beds, say cycling advocates. "This will reduce harm and ease the burden on our health workers and emergency services," says Patrick Morgan from Cycling Action Network. ...7 hours ago
- Pacific coronavirus: French Polynesia Covid-19 tally rises to 34By RNZ Pacific The number of people testing positive for Covid-19 in French Polynesia has risen by four to 34. The update from the government said the hospitalisation rate is unchanged with one person in care. Last night a curfew was declared for the first time, forcing residents across ...7 hours ago
- Ohura Medieval Market Day, and the fight to keep a small town standingIt’s a town where people often feel the rest of the country has given up on them, in the middle of a region where every place feels isolated. So how did Ohura become an unlikely centre of Medieval Combat sports in New Zealand? Alex Braae spent three days there finding ...8 hours ago
- Coronavirus – analysing the data makes you think we could do with more of it
If you want to understand some of the thinking behind the policy response to the spread of coronavirus, you might want to read the paper from the Imperial College COVID-19 Response Team, which is credited with accelerating the introduction of the current lockdown measures in the UK. The paper builds ...8 hours ago - The Pink Jumpsuit: An essay about the bubbles we live in‘It seems like someone else’s dream of my past.’ For Emma Neale, the painting ‘Wanderlust’ by Dunedin artist Sharon Singer stirs memories of her childhood, and new understandings of guilt and forgiveness.There were gifts from my father when he came home from overseas trips. Love offerings; a bit like those ...9 hours ago
- Māori Party delay launch to fight Covid-19
The Māori Party is delaying the launch of its new-look party to fight Covid-19 in Māori communities. ...9 hours ago - Resuscitating a virus-ravaged economy – the answer lies in the soil and the exports it generates
Westpac is forecasting 200,000 jobs will be lost in NZ as a result of the response to the coronavirus pandemic. Chief economist Dominick Stephens estimates economic activity during the four week lock-down would decline by a third, despite the government and the Reserve Bank having “done a lot to calm ...10 hours ago - Renée, the Lockdown Letters #3: Help yourself to my rhubarbIn our new series The Lockdown Letters, some of New Zealand’s best writers tell us what they’ve been up to in the days of Covid-19 alert level four. Today, Ōtaki author Renée.I have a wild tomato flopping all over the path down the back of the veg garden. I picked a ...11 hours ago
- Covid-19 live updates, March 29For all The Spinoff’s latest coverage of Covid-19 see here. Read Siouxsie Wiles’s work here. New Zealand is currently in alert level four. The country is shut down, apart from essential services. For updated official government advice, see here. The Spinoff’s coverage of the Covid-19 outbreak is funded by The Spinoff Members. To support this ...12 hours ago
- Covid-19 scams: Here’s what you need to look out forOnline criminals have been making the most of Covid-19 by preying on people’s fear and doubt. Here are some of the calling cards of these con artists.With most New Zealanders tucked up at home, digital devices are proving to be critical tools for staying connected with each other, making good ...12 hours ago
- A visit to the supermarket
Author and illustrator Sarah Laing draws a rite of passage in The Lockdown. Reprinted with the permission of the author from Let Me Be Frank, Sarah Laing's blog devoted to "Reading. Writing. Parenting. Angsting." Let Me Be Frank is also the ...13 hours ago - Life on paws: How to deal with your pets during lockdownAs New Zealand adjusts to a month of lockdown, many pet owners have questions about their furry friends. Alex Casey had a chat with the SPCA – here’s what she learned. AC: My cat had a disgusting abscess on his tail and now has to get his stitches out. ...13 hours ago
- No shops, no launches – but the NZ book scene is finding new ways to reach people under lockdownBooks editor Catherine Woulfe takes an energising walk around the lockdown block of New Zealand books. When the bubbles settled over us they settled over the books too. Libraries were the first to shut down, then the physical bookstores and finally, the hammer blow: online sales and indeed any notion of ...14 hours ago
- Fiji: A paradise under pandemic rules
Convincing its citizens to take lockdown seriously will be a major challenge for Fiji’s government, writes Mandy De Vries. My husband, Howie, and I are lucky enough to live on the beautiful Coral Coast in Fiji. We started a tourism operation here two years ago which was, until recently, booming. ...14 hours ago - We’re better placed now than GFC or 1987
New Zealand’s businesses and government are far better prepared for the rapidly escalating global health and economic crisis than they were for the Global Financial Crisis in 2008-09 or the stock market crash in 1987, says Rob Campbell, one of the country’s most experienced corporate leaders. “Executive teams and boards ...14 hours ago - Gavin Ellis: Time for adversity journalism
Journalism commentator and former editor Gavin Ellis says media organisations play a vital role in keeping the community informed and, if possible, safe. They also have a crucial part to play in the maintenance of public order and morale, just as they did in the 1940s. With the country in ...14 hours ago - We’ve been forgotten: midwife
The country has millions of protective gowns, gloves and eyewear – midwives ask: Where are they? David Williams reports Two days into a national lockdown some midwives didn’t have any protective equipment, adding to concerns about safeguards for frontline health workers. On Friday, announcements were made by the Health Ministry ...14 hours ago - What lockdown could do for your business idea
Covid-19 lockdown provides valuable time for planning a new business, as Dr Mary-Ellen Gordon explains You have a great idea for a business. You’ve been working to get it up and going. Then, just as you were starting to gain traction, the entire country and much of the rest of ...14 hours ago - Covid-19: A catch-22 for our most vulnerable
Low-income workers whose jobs have disappeared thanks to Covid-19 will increasingly need to access benefit income. When this happens, however, they lose a tax credit for their children. As a direct result of the Covid-19 crisis, the Government has improved its rescue policies for business. We now need to see urgent ...14 hours ago - First boredom, then fearThe strange energy of preparing for level four is over, now the dystopian reality has kicked in. Danyl Mclauchlan writes an essay about home life during a ‘cosy catastrophe’.We start by setting up our home workspaces, covering the kitchen table with such a thick mass of black cables and USB ...15 hours ago
- All Australians will be able to access telehealth under new $1.1 billion coronavirus programSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Scott Morrison will unvieil on Sunday a $1.1 billion set of measures to make Medicare telehealth services generally available during the coronavirus pandemic and to support mental health, domestic violence and community services. The “Medicare ...19 hours ago
- Covid-19 in NZ – Saturday’s numbers charted
How is Covid-19 spreading within the country? Newsroom is collating information as it's available to paint a picture of what's happening. There were 83 new cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand, down from the previous day's 85 new cases. Details of how many tests have been completed are now bing released ...22 hours ago - NZ lockdown – Day 3: PM Ardern chats with followers on FacebookBy RNZ News New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern spoke to her followers on Facebook today from her office in Premier House. Her chat lasted about 15 minutes and garnered more than 310,000 views. She discussed wage subsidies for full-time and part-time workers, personal protection equipment (PPE) supplies for ...23 hours ago
- Effective coronavirus messages and fake news: Can we do better?COMMENTARY: By Bob Howarth (self-isolating in Australia after his latest trip to Timor-Leste) After days of web surfing for Covid-19 coronavirus news around the Asia-Pacific, two areas that appear to need improving in some countries are official communication and fact checking. So here’s my two cents, rupiah, kina or ...1 day ago
- The best binges on NEON for these extraordinary timesWhether it’s a robot uprising, a woman catfishing into the publishing world or a bunch of lovestruck islanders, NEON has you covered. Here’s what we’re bingeing on NEON for the foreseeable future.WestworldJust in time for lockdown, there’s a buzz-worthy show with endless discussion points coming out on a weekly basis. ...1 day ago
- Covid-19: Who really needs to be wearing protective gear?There’s been a lot of talk about PPE of late – do we have enough, is it getting to the right people, and who exactly are the right people, anyway? Here’s the latest official advice.The Ministry of Health has now circulated updated advice on the appropriate use of PPE (personal ...1 day ago
- The face of the Covid-19 response: Who is Ashley Bloomfield?A month ago, not many had heard of Ashley Bloomfield. But as the Covid-19 response has ramped up, the director-general of health has become a calm, reassuring presence in a time of uncertainty and fear. Rachel Thomas profiles him, in a piece first published on RNZ.Today, Saturday, director-general of health ...1 day ago
- To fish or not to fish – that is the question
Jim Kayes tests the waters of social media to see how people are coping with being told to avoid their favourite pastime. “There is something ridiculously exhilarating about catching a fish. The thrill might have faded for the salty angler, but for this rookie, the novice still snagging fish hooks ...1 day ago - New PPE plan leaves community care workers without masks
The Government yesterday reassured us there are plenty of masks for front line staff dealing with the public. Yet it seems home care workers, who provide up-close personal care for tens of thousands of people every day, won’t be given them. Yesterday two documents hit my inbox. One was a ...1 day ago - Don’t fret, folks – Hone’s sweet with the mayor so long as he sets up checkpoints and doesn’...
Hobson’s Choice spokesman Don Brash (a former leader of the National and ACT Parties) is not alone in challenging the justification for tribes claiming to have closed roads to protect their people against Covid. Deputy Prime Minister and New Zealand First leader Winston Peters – his remarks apparently ignored by ...1 day ago - Manaaki Key For Getting Though COVID-19Preliminary results from a survey investigating how well-equipped Māori whānau in the South Island are to stay at home for extended periods show that the majority are prepared to manage their short-term needs, but have increasing anxiety about ...1 day ago
- Parliamentary Monitoring And Reporting Is Critical In Dealing With COVID-19 Responses"The risk of fraud and corruption is compounded during crises like the COVID-19 pandemic. When quick decisions are necessary to move vast amounts of resources, bribery, fraud and corruption abound," says Suzanne Snively, Chair of Transparency International ...1 day ago
- Pacific coronavirus: Guam still region’s hot spot with 51 plus casesBy RNZ Pacific Guam remains the Pacific pandemic hot spot with the number of Covid-19 coronavirus cases climbing above 50. On Friday six people tested positive for the coronavirus, bringing the total to 51. Thirteen of the cases are currently in hospital. READ MORE: Al Jazeera live updates – ...1 day ago
- Outrage after Indonesian politicians get priority testing for Covid-19By Mong Palatino Many Indonesian internet users have expressed anger over the decision of the House of Representatives (DPR) to test its 575 members for Covid-19. Indonesia has a population of more than 260 million. As of today, the country has 913 Covid-19 positive cases with 87 deaths. But ...1 day ago
- Latest numbers: 83 new cases, two in ICU
New Zealand has 78 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 and five probable cases, the Government has announced today, taking the total to 451. Civil Defence Emergency Management director Sarah Stuart-Black said 12 people are in hospital and two are in intensive care, including one on a ventilator. Twelve are in ...1 day ago - Covid-19: Total tops 450New Zealand has 78 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 and five probable cases, the Government has announced today, taking the total to 451. Civil Defence Emergency Management director Sarah Stuart-Black said 12 people are in hospital and two are in intensive care, including one on a ventilator. Twelve are in ...1 day ago
- ‘We’re ready,’ says NCD chief Parkop with Port Moresby locked downBy Michelle Steven in Port MoresbyPacific New Guinea’s National Capital City Covid-19 Task Force team is preparing ahead should there be a possible coronavirus case during the 14-day lockdown. NCD Governor Powes Parkop told a media conference that the capital city would be in total lockdown with no public ...1 day ago
- Automatic 3-month Visa Extension Granted For Every MigrantLeading immigration lawyer Aaron Martin assesses the impact of the announcement of the epidemic notice for migrants. Immigration New Zealand announced that the government epidemic management notice relating to immigration matters comes into effect on 2 ...1 day ago
- Magazines and community papers aren’t an essential service, leaving some small towns and elderly w...Just a tiny handful of print publications will continue through the lockdown, with only daily newspapers specifically identified as being able to continue. Duncan Greive spoke to publishers of magazines and community newspapers about the impact on them and their communities.Publishers of magazines and community newspapers are reeling, after a ...1 day ago
- Government rules magazines and community newspapers aren’t an essential serviceJust a tiny handful of print publications will continue through the lockdown, with only daily newspapers specifically identified as being able to continue. Duncan Greive spoke to publishers of magazines and community newspapers about the impact on them and their communities.Publishers of magazines and community newspapers are reeling, after a ...1 day ago
- Coronavirus: Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says no change in Australia’s stance to New Zealand...Jacinda Ardern has pleaded with the Australian Prime Minister to make an exception to the rule that bars many of the 650,000 New Zealanders there from receiving a benefit. ...1 day ago
- Morgan Godfery, The Lockdown Letters #2: I’m never sleepingIn our new series The Lockdown Letters, some of New Zealand’s best writers tell us what they’ve been up to in the days of Covid-19 alert level four. Today, political commentator and essayist Morgan Godfery.I’M TWEETING AT 2AM.The responsible part of my brain is sending sleep signals. Inconvenient yawns. The ...1 day ago
- A review of Attraction, the road trip novel we need right nowTake a vicarious roadie via Attraction, the novel by Ruby Porter that was longlisted for the country’s biggest fiction prize. Released last year, it’s now a slightly eerie snapshot of Aotearoa as we were. Attraction is a New Zealand road trip novel with a heavy dose of postcolonial guilt. Whitewashing, cultural ...1 day ago
- Iwi do their thing: helping those in need
Iwi everywhere put support plans into action, focusing on their kaumātua, writes Kayne Ngātokowhā Peters. Iwi are ramping up support services to assist their people in need following the closure of Ministry of Social Development offices and the move to online and phone assistance from Work and Income. Central North Island ...1 day ago - Remembering RumblemaniaIt’s been 10 years since the release of Dane Rumble’s solo album The Experiment. Josie Adams looks back on why New Zealand fell so hard and fast.At The Experiment’s launch, a decade ago yesterday, Dane Rumble had only one wish: “I just want to write the best album that I ...2 days ago
- Short story: Party Games, by Emma Neale
"She blindfolded each of the children with a scarf, saying, ‘There’s going to be a surprise!'": a horror story set at a children's birthday party, by Dunedin writer Emma Neale. As soon as the last child arrived at Bevan’s ninth birthday party, the bashing began. Allan walloped Bevan with a ...2 days ago - What happens when breakfast radio enters the lockdown era?As New Zealand adjusts to our new normal, one thing from the old world remains – commercial breakfast radio. We tuned into the first morning of lockdown on the airwaves. In a time when the world seems completely upside-down, you can thankfully still count on commercial breakfast radio to be there ...2 days ago
- Pure As: Jane Watson
Dynamic Silver Ferns defender Jane Watson shares her heartrending and brave story in the final episode of the Pure As documentary series. The fading scar just below Jane Watson's left shoulder is the only clue to her until-now untold story, of the challenges that have tormented the netball world champion. The dynamic, tenacious ...2 days ago - Take it from these ocean safety experts: don’t head out to the water this weekendBy now, everybody should know about staying in their bubble and leaving the house only for essential services and exercise, provided social distancing rules are followed. Does this mean people can still take the boat out, or go surfing? “Staying at home will save lives,” said Jacinda Ardern in a question ...2 days ago
- Covid-19 live updates, March 28: Boris Johnson has the virus; One in 10 NZers plan to flout lockdownFor all The Spinoff’s latest coverage of Covid-19 see here. Read Siouxsie Wiles’s work here.New Zealand is currently in alert level four. The country is shut down, apart from essential services. For updated official government advice, see here.The Spinoff’s coverage of the Covid-19 outbreak is funded by The Spinoff Members. To support this work, join The ...2 days ago
- Survival of the fittest and other cruel logic
Donald Trump and Boris Johnson's response to coronavirus has revealed some disturbing attitudes towards segments of the population As New Zealand enters a period of indeterminate lockdown in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, we (and I mean us as a global population) have learned a lot about the importance of ...2 days ago - How are we feeling about Covid-19? The first opinion poll since NZ locked downAs New Zealand entered national lockdown, The Spinoff commissioned social media polling company Stickybeak to measure the mood of the nation. Stickybeak co-founder David Brain reveals what the poll results show.As soon as the PM made her Monday afternoon announcement that the country was going to alert level three and ...2 days ago
- Hotel quarantine for returning Aussies and “hibernation” assistance for businessesSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra All Australians arriving from overseas will be quarantined in hotels or other facilities under strict supervision for a fortnight, under the latest crackdown in the battle against the coronavirus. Announcing the measure after Friday’s meeting ...2 days ago
- NZ lockdown – day 2: More cases, demand for protective clothingBy RNZ News As the number of Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic cases in New Zealand increases, daily demand for protective clothing for medical workers has come under pressure. On the second day of the country’s lockdown, the number of New Zealand’s Covid-19 cases has jumped by 85, with a man ...2 days ago
- How Covid-19 has shocked the global economy
Kiwibank Chief Economist Jarrod Kerr and Bernard Hickey 'Zoom' out to talk about the once-in-a-lifetime shock to the global economy this week and what it means for businesses and investors. Just as many other businesses are adjusting to the lockdown, so too are Kiwibank and Newsroom. Chief ...2 days ago - Tracking your location and targeted texts: how sharing your data could help in New Zealand’s level...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jon MacKay, Lecturer, Business Analytics, University of Auckland New Zealand and much of the world is now under an unprecedented lockdown. Public health experts say this is the best way to suppress the spread of the virus. But how long will such ...2 days ago
- What is orthohantavirus? The virus many are Googling (but you really don’t need to worry about)Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Allen Cheng, Professor in Infectious Diseases Epidemiology, Monash University According to Google Trends, the top globally trending topic this week is “orthohantavirus”, as spurious sites claim it’s the next pandemic on the horizon. Take it from me: it’s not. This baseless claim ...2 days ago
- Photo essay: Life under lockdown
As soon as the Prime Minister announced that the country had moved to a Level Three alert and would then move to a full Level Four lockdown, the only thing on most people's minds in downtown Wellington was how to prepare for living and working from home for at least ...2 days ago - Covid-19: Business leaders step up
Two Cents' Worth hosts Bernard Hickey, Nikki Mandow and Gyles Beckford reflect on the most turbulent week in New Zealand’s economic history. They look at two new tools for business and online working advice that were built over a weekend to help deal with the Covid-19 crisis. They also talk ...2 days ago - MyGov’s ill-timed meltdown could have been avoided with ‘elastic computing’Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Erica Mealy, Lecturer in Computer Science, University of the Sunshine Coast These past few weeks have shown the brittleness of Australia’s online systems. It’s not surprising the federal government’s traditionally slow-moving IT systems are buckling under the pressure. On Sunday, the federal ...2 days ago
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What ever happened to the Ingham Twins ?
[lprent:if you want to ask a question, the provide some context of its relevance to the post. Moved to OpenMike as being apparently off topic. ]
They started up a successful business so good on them:
http://www.inghams.co.nz/enterprisesnz/sitedocument.aspx?docID=699
poultry huh….im surprised…would have thought tourism or shipping would have been more their line.
They’re just full of surprises
their website is broken
That was most precocious of them wasn’t it?
The business was started in 1918, which was about 60 years before they were born.
How did they do it?
Somehow I think this is rather more their style.
http://www.propertytalk.com/forum/showthread.php?428-Bad-tenant-warnings
It doesn’t matter what kiwi Muslim women do.
If they want to go and marrie a jihadist from ISIS fine.
According to the left Isis ain’t so bad. It’s those fuckin Jews, their the real problem.
[lprent: your personal bigotry isn’t the subject of the post. Moved to OpenMike. ]
Dale – you need to get your brother Chip to check out what you have written before you send it in.
Israel helped to fund, arm and start up Hamas.
Santa clause is true
Has Lynn had a personality transplant or someone’s hijacked his account? (joke! I’m sure he’s just busy).
Very busy. Customer demo tomorrow (apparently Easter Friday is not a holiday in Italy) and it has been interesting getting the site set up for it in our first week.
Acceptance is in about 2 more weeks and runs for two weeks. But if it goes well then our clients may allow me home early.
Doing my part to build an export economy outside of the extraction industry sector of farming, forestry, and mining. Helps with employing people at higher wages.
“clients may allow me home early”
Is that what the parole board class as time off for good behaviour?
How ironic of a Tory voter to utter this dribble…
@ Dale.
No, it’s the Zionists people have issues with.
But then, I doubt you even know the difference.
Firstly, they were living in Oz, radicalized in Oz.
Second, running around pulling ones hair out due to the latest atrocity is what Isis wants.
Take that idoit in norway, murders the kids of people like those he now wants to persuade, like they want anything to do with someone potentially scoping their kids.
Fact is fascism is all about drongos fear, people who have no ability to think for themselves about how listening solely to their own cowardice may just be an error of judgement.
Take Germany, Merkal has provided Germany a means to remove the stain, fill up Germany with a religious minority, and the stupid people vote for far right parties, like they need to be victims either way, be proud of their fears, stamp it on themselves as a strength, when we all know its just cowardice.
Conservatoive dont do change this is why progressives win, the universe hates stagnation, God must loathes politucal conservatives to have set them up so.
Their, there, they’re, learn to use the correct one please and marry not marrie. Please sort it out. It is one thing to come across as a bigot without coming across as stupid as well.
Top multinationals pay almost no tax in New Zealand
No wonder they support our neo-liberal government so much.
If they paid their taxes, I wonder what we could afford…………………….
‘If they paid their taxes,we could afford life-saving melanoma drugs.
We could afford better buildings for schools which have been waiting years to have damp and crappy classrooms replaced.
We could afford all the hip replacements, knee replacements, ear operations and a gazillion other medical procedures people need that they can’t get.
We could afford to fund the kind of science and research that we desperately need to be doing if we’re ever going to lift our economy to where it could be.
We could afford to properly fund social service agencies doing incredibly important work in our communities all over the country every single day. ‘
(Nigel Latta’s recent Facebook post adapted on the Flag adapted)
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11607279
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11607336
http://insights.nzherald.co.nz/article/nz-multinational-tax-gap
Maybe it is time not only to abandon tax on income, and to place the tax on wealth (capital), maybe it is also time to tax revenue instead of profit, when revenue passes certain measures ……..
imagine then Vodafone with its $740,000,000 annual revenue but negligible ‘profit’ for tax purposes, will pay its share and stop being a bludger
It is time to change the tax system so that the bludgers* actually start paying tax.
*Bludgers: The rich, shareholders, corporations
And if transnational companies and wealthy individuals choose to withdraw from the societal contract by not paying their due, we should not regard them as decent parts of society.
And be upfront about that.
So when companies like Vodafone and people like Bill Gates make a bit fuss about their charity, we should tell them to pay their taxes instead and call them out as bludgers.
Wonder if the taxpayers ‘union’ aka Farrar, Williams and the dp crew will call out these bludgers?
Tax lobbyists help businesses reap windfalls
https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/politics/2013/03/16/corporations-record-huge-returns-from-tax-lobbying-gridlock-congress-stalls-reform/omgZvDPa37DNlSqi0G95YK/story.html
The Effects of Corporate Lobbying, Pt. 2
http://www.wolf-pac.com/effects_of_corporate_lobbying_on_society
They are still not happy, have to steal more and pay less by using trade deals…
http://www.globaljustice.org.uk/sites/default/files/files/resources/taxes-on-trial-how-trade-deals-threaten-tax-justice-global-justice-now.pdf
+1,000
Bludger is one who lives on a big dole or sickness benefit using taxpayers money, so “they” say.
“They” say however that big corporations are in NZ to invest in our growth and enhance our economy. So just because they pay less than1% in tax doesn’t make big companies like Apple bludgers. Does it???
Key says we need them so must be true. Right?
Good cartoon in the Herald re taxes avoidance.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11607419
It is not as simple as saying company Y sells product X in country Z for a profit therefore the profit should be taxed in country Z.
For instance when Fonterra sells milk powder to importers in China, where is the profit made; in NZ or China? So far as Fonterra is concerned I would say that is a NZ sale and the profit should be taxed here.
Having said that I would say a large percentage of the profits from Apple phones sold in New Zealand is actually made in New Zealand and should be taxed here. The phones will be bought into New Zealand at a CIF price. There will be profits made at the wholesale level and the retail level. And IRD needs to be rigorous in ensuring the CIF price is not artificially inflated.
You don’t pay tax on revenue, dumb fuck. You pay it on profit, which is appropriate because that’s what you earn.
Why don’t you actually read the post before you start mouthing off. I explicitly used the word “profit” in my post. Given I used to teach tax law, the relevant concepts are not entirely unknown to me.
Not talking to you, darling. I was addressing this:
Imagine then Vodafone with its $740,000,000 annual revenue but negligible ‘profit’ for tax purposes, will pay its share and stop being a bludger
Can vto sign up for you class?
wassa problem ??
I think Gormless is making the point that even with $740M in sales per year Vodafone is too inefficient to make any real profit.
Seems like they should hand over their market share to someone who can make a serious profit and who can pay serious tax.
Aren’t you someone who wants the power companies in New Zealand to reduce their prices and to become, basically, non-profit organisations?
Wayne, a question for you as one who taught tax law, and also considering your former occupation. In your opinion what can/should be done about the tax evasion of $7.4 billion that is currently the case. Thanks.
http://www.victoria.ac.nz/research/expertise/business-commerce/fraud-sentencing
Why shouldn’t you pay tax on revenue? Not doing so encourages all sorts of tax avoidance behaviours that do not benefit society at all.
You shouldn’t pay tax on revenue because it would be extremely unfair and not relevant in any way to how much you earn.
But all my PAYE is taxed.
It’s an interesting question on a friday afternoon – why do companies pay only on what they haven’t pissed away, but individuals pay on revenue?
All of your income is taxed at source, by your employer deducting the tax portion from your income. You claim allowable deductions in your income tax return.
Exactly
Yeah I know how income tax works.
But in the list of permissable deductables I can claim on, getting pissed isn’t on the list. But a company can have expenses like team building, entertainng clients, open bars at marketing or recruiting events, and so on.
So why isn’t gross revenue taxed at 1% or so, and then the companies claim back for deductable expenses?
In the case of companies with no local manufacturing base competing with companies that do have one, they are not of equal benefit to NZ – some proportion of their revenue should be taxed. License to operate – and the obvious tool to control socipathic outfits like the Aussie banks and media.
I don’t teach economics or accounting, however, it’s fairly obvious to me why paying tax on revenue would be problematic to say the least.
I think it’s obvious to everyone except Stuart Munro.
Things that are obvious to RWNJs are routinely questioned here.
Megacorporations like Samsung or Huawei are in principle capable of monopolising entire market sectors in NZ – if they do, they should pay something for market access.
I wonder how much GST Vodafone pays on that $740M in sales…
Once again, you pay GST on the difference between your input tax and your output tax. Sales are only half the picture.
so fuck all, then.
paying tax on revenue would become like a fixed overhead, a bit like employment costs and very much like input costs…
if you aint comfortable your revenue is going to exceed your employment and input costs then you don’t make the sale
if you aint comfortable your revenue is going to exceed your employment and input and revenue tax costs then you don’t make the sale
as McFlock says the same above with Paye.
it is absolutely no different. Becomes another cost
Completely different. If you are in a low margin business with high overheads, you will pay more tax than someone who is creaming it on low turnover.
It’s a really stupid idea. Which is why no-one at all is suggesting we adopt it.
Not quite. Business to business the change is the same, so no impact. The high margin businesses and low margin businesses do not compete e.g. jewellers don’t compete with supermarkets.
It needs some thinking….
It becomes an overhead to be factored in….
simple. prices and the like adjust around it so those low margin businesses still make a margin – this is how investment flows don’t you know. In a free market and all that. It does. level playing field.
Stupid idea. No one except you wants it. Because it’s both stupid and unfair.
For a man who supposedly runs a company which turns over 100 million a year, I find your ideas regarding tax surprising.
You’d be happy paying 30 million a year in tax?
Neither of you are thinking, or answering the technical points….
I agree multi nationals should pay a larger share.
Having said that, $490 million is only around 1% of the current tax take.
The analysis of financial information of more than 100 multinational corporations and their New Zealand subsidiaries showed that, had the New Zealand branches of these 20 firms reported profits at the same healthy rate as their parents, their combined income tax bill would have been nearly $490 million.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11607336
MSD, Roche, Pfizer, Novartis, all live off the tax payers teat but refuse to give anything back to the country in taxes.
Maybe Andrew Little should mention something about that to them next time they meet for dinner.
Have you considered standing as an independent in Dunedin South? You might do surprisingly well
A bit cruel for this time of the morning, PR!
Well think of it like this, it’d liven up Dunedin South no end and it’d be interesting getting reports from someone on the election trail
@Puckish
Are you trying to get rid of Clare?
But she is such an extremely hard working highly respected MP.
Isn’t she ???
CV and Clare Curran in a debate would almost be worth driving down to Dunedin for 🙂
You are such a trouble maker
I’m actually serious, run as an independent and you’d get a decent amount of media coverage
I reckon we could fill a bus for that one.
Candidates get limitations as authors. And MPs only get guest posts.
It is one of the things that we have pretty strong rules about.
Fair enough
So, if CV pre-loads all his articles for timed releases prior to becoming a candidate, then they show up during potential candidate timeframes, is that ok? 😀
Seriously, CV vs Curran would be an awesome spectacle…
I agree and it’d even bring the left and right together…so c’mon CV give the people what they want!
There could even be a tour of Emersons brewery, its a no-brainer CV announce your candidacy!
Guess…
+ 100%
my endorsement 100% was for Paul’s info at 3
So what did Labour do about the same multinationals. I do share your sentiment they should be made to pay up somehow. Its a world wide problem and some international progress is being made.
There’s a potential for a new building disaster of the leaky buildings syndrome magnitude – ‘One of the country’s biggest steel manufacturers has been selling critical earthquake-reinforcing mesh wrongly certified as having been tested by a top laboratory.
In fact, all the strength testing of the mesh has been done in-house by Steel & Tube itself.’
This is only a part of the wider problem of a lack of mandatory independent testing regime in the building industry. It always comes down to money.
Interesting that this has been widely reported on Radio New Zealand, other media are not too interested to push the matter any further.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/299235/steel-mesh-tests-can't-be-trusted-lab
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/299144/questions-over-quake-mesh-certification
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/299186/legal-action-looms-over-steel-mesh-testing
The other media is owned by large corporates.
They are told to write stories about an English racing driver’s holiday in New Zealand and to promote reality TV shows.
Yep, surprisingly when corporates are told profit is the most important thing, and there are few criminal consequences when they get it wrong, they pay peanuts to staff and we have a government that believes in zero regulation or self certifying, problems start to creep in.
Not so long ago Firth found it’s concrete was not compliant. It was a computer glitch.
The amount of costs and risks from having these sorts of problems are huge and long term.
Then theres dodgy labelling as we had a site that required all the steel sent again.
Initial steel sent could be bent by hand and steelntubes response was to blame some poor sod in the yard for mislabelling it……yeah right
‘This footage lays bare the facade of “consultation” by this government in its TPPA “roadshow”. You can see that under the chairmanship of bully Sean Plunket no protest, let alone real questioning is allowed.
This is what it was always going to be – a total sham’
Robert Westenra
http://robinwestenra.blogspot.co.nz/2016/03/government-conultation-on-tppa.html?m=1
Think it would be good to have a post on the ‘consultation’ process for the TPP.
My, this government is so anti-democratic.
But then, it’s no wonder., given its support for those bludging multinationals.
Poor things. Not paying taxes is not enough.
Now they want to write our laws.
And Key is their hitman.
+1 More like a joke show – yet another way to waste taxpayers money.
Sign something and then pretend to consult later to a selected audience.
The British are also cursed with a government that puts the greed of tax dodging rich parasites and corporations above the basic needs of its people.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/budget-2016-one-simple-chart-that-shows-who-benefits-most-and-who-loses-out-a6936876.html
I loved the comment bigger the polls. Our internal ones are telling the true story.
So every independ poll (another one out shortly) have been showing labour stuck in the high 20’s or low 30s for ever – but they are all bullshit.
But labours which they keep secret (for obvious reasons) we have to believe are totally different and are showing labour doing way better. ? And that’s the truth brother, you better believe it.
Typical labour. Ignore every other comment that you don’t agree with and listen to the one guy who happens to agree with you and cite him everywhere as the only credible source.
Anyway Didn’t labours internal pollsters the other day say something about how low labour were polling ?
When little talks of strong arming banks. Forcing them to link to ocr and show other signs of, well, madness he’s not gaining normal voters. He is heading further to the left and lessening his base.
It’s funny to watch and I honestly think some of you are delusional.
[lprent: moved to OpenMike as being off topic. And I forgot to note it earlier… ]
Thanks, James. The ‘bugger the polls’ comment was about National’s position, not Labour’s. I’m comfortable with Labour at 30+, as long as the Greens and NZ First make up the difference. That’s how MMP works. The ‘independent’ polls are very rarely correct, as comparing their results with actual election day voting shows. The Nats know they are barely on, or dropping below, the point at which they can form a Government. Because their support partners contribute very little in practical terms (3-5% and 4-5 MP’s) National require mid to high forties. The flag debacle has eroded that support, which is why we saw Key covering himself in the current flag at the golf the other day.
Do you reckon Key will flip-flop on the flag soon? Saying, just tricking no I really love our flag!
I note that Key’s latest twitter images show him without the alternative flag lapel pin. Game over?
Next week he will be in Paul Henry’s NZ flag suit.
He’s wearing it at the event in Kaiapoi but not the one in Rangiora, which would have both been on the same day.
Unclear why he’s not wearing it, but I’d put it down to ‘coincidence’ at this point rather than a deliberate move on his part.
What I reckon he’ll do is say something like:
“We put the idea out there and NZ has spoken which shows just how strong democracy is in NZ so we’ll listen to the public and shelve the idea”
and it’ll be spun in a way to show how National (and John Key) listens to the people of NZ and the people of NZ will feel chuffed that the government do actually listen
National will be under the pump for a little but then someone from Labour will say something stupid and it’ll all be forgotten about
I wouldn’t be surprised if it was from Andrew Little going on about Asians again or something…but then Trevor Mallards been a bit quiet lately
I think Trevor’s wife has got him well under control.
If he does, or says, something totally stupid she gets the chance to rake him over the coals with a very large audience seeing it.
Certainly seems to have quietened him down.
Don’t you mean the MSM will say Labour said something stupid to distract from the constant stream of lies and burying bad news from the Natz.
Potato potata
As the lyrics of “let’s call the whole thing off put it”
“You like potato and I like potahto
You like tomato and I like tomahto
Potato, potahto, Tomato, tomahto.
Let’s call the whole thing off”
+1
In other words he’d lie again because if democracy was so strong in this country we wouldn’t have signed up for the TPPA, sold our assets or gone into war with the US.
I agree with most but I think its a mistake for the left (or right for that matter) to count Winston as part of the voting block
also while looking just at the straight numbers means that’s polls aren’t accurate what you will find (in NZ anyway) is the gap between parties is generally spot on
Its why John Key personally thanked David Farrar on election night
John Key thanked Farrar first on Election night because his constant secret polling paid for by the National Party, is used to guide Key in which are hot issues and which are not. Nothing to do with integrity of course.
And nothing to do with the TV or Morgan Polls.
Try reading Farrars poll of polls its interesting reading
i honestly think you need coffee.
it’s too early for all that ranting and raving.
James, for one so opinionated and dismissive, I would have thought your spelling, punctuation and sentence construction could do with some self-analysis. Could be that what you had to say would be more credible then.
Every one hates a corrector and the self appointed grammar police Reality, did you not learn that at school, reeks of intellectual snobbery, deal with issue not that you one a spelling bee in 1986
Won a spelling bee, not one. Bazinga
😀
So, you’ll be publishing National’s internal polls shortly I take it? I’m sure that Lprent would love to put them up on here if you need a hand with that.
Here you go
http://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2016/03/public_polls_february_2016.html
That says public polls, not National’s internal polls. You know, the ones that we never see.
I hope the court makes the cops pay for Hager’s travel and accommodation expenses, just to rub salt in the wound.
Fingers crossed for massive and punitive damages.
@OAB +1
“Fingers crossed for massive and punitive damages”.
Courts in New Zealand never pay out punitive damages, or even what the real costs are, do they?
If they did I imagine that John Banks would be collecting millions?
”Courts in New Zealand never pay out punitive damages, or even what the real costs are, do they?”
Yes they do. Banks was awarded costs of 66,200 dollars just ten days ago.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11602110
costs are not punitive damages….and total (true) costs are not usually able to be claimed or awarded.
‘New Zealand case law on exemplary damages is otherwise derived from English law but is less restrictive regarding the circumstances in which an award may be made. Although less restrictive in approach than English law and practice, awards of exemplary damages are relatively small and New Zealand courts have shown a determination to keep them modest. The highest amount of exemplary damages awarded by a New Zealand court is NZ$85,000, although settlements for higher sums have occurred.”
http://www.wilsonharle.com/new-zealand-legal-environment/
You did see this sentence, quoting Banks, in that Herald story.
“He said it was not enough to cover all his legal costs”
Why isnt Merkel asking questions about the the root causes of the Middle East and North Africa /Libya destabilisation and the refugee crisis? …Who is culpable?…Is it too embarrassing?
Sure what a nice German for being so open to the huge influx of refugees ( poor Greece and other small countries though)…but really Germany and Europe must get to grips as to the root causes for this desperate human tragedy of people being ripped up from their homelands…otherwise they are in cahoots with USA and friends
https://www.rt.com/shows/crosstalk/335479-obama-doctrine-uk-destiny/
“In this edition of the program we discuss whether there is such a thing as the Obama Doctrine – if there is, is this a good thing? And again Syria, the word ‘partition’ won’t go away.
Also, is Russia REALLY trying to topple Angela Merkel and determine the UK’s destiny? And finally, why we are watching the South China Sea.
CrossTalking with Mark Sleboda, Dmitry Babich, and Rory Suchet.”
The anti-immigration Alternatives for Germany party won a lot of votes in the weekend, campaigning against Merkel’s open door policy.
Nationalism, economic concern and anti-immigrant sentiment in Germany is on the rise.
Not a good thing when this happens in Germany.
the same thing is happening in the US under Trump.
is it a good thing there?
Well, I suppose the US did prove it’s genocidal credentials with the Native Americans.
as has China with the Tibetans
The point I am making is not anti immigration or anti refugee as such , rather it is :
Uprooting peoples from their native lands due to devasting their country with war… or drugs…. or crime…or economic sanctions bullying …or interfering in their political process and installing tyrants
….the resultant refugees fleeing that country should be treated with compassion
…however this does not address the causes of the refugee problem in the first place
…what should be addressed is which nations are causing the mayhem and refugee crisis in the first place
…these nations need to be called to account !!!!!
….and who benefits from a refugee crisis?
…corporations?
…nations needing refugees as cheap labour?…
…corporations who want to destroy the sovereignty and democracy of nations?….for their own profit?
….countries /corporations that want to take over countries for their land or assets?
…questions need to be asked not only as to which nations have caused the refugee crisis in the first place but also which countries are benefiting from the desperate migrant and refugee crisis
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dan-kovalik/clinton-emails-on-libya-e_b_9054182.html
http://www.foreignpolicyjournal.com/2016/01/06/new-hillary-emails-reveal-true-motive-for-libya-intervention/
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/03/world/middleeast/syria-civil-war-israel-golan-heights.html?_r=0
http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/refugees-are-an-opportunity-for-the-german-economy-a-1050102.html
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-1127-ramakrishnan-net-outflow-20151127-story.html
https://www.vice.com/en_uk/read/the-iraqi-war-wasnt-waged-for-oil-greg-palast
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2004/jul/28/iraq.usa
The flag. Just a thought.
Mr English’s latest guess is $2.7 million to change flags, logos and lapels throughout New Zealand..I suspect that’s a misunderestimation- (apologies to George W)
A vote for the existing flag may at least save this much which then could be used for something useful. Small change I know but…maybe a hip replacement or two.
Labour better hope they’re wrong:
http://nzier.org.nz/publication/stronger-growth-but-weaker-inflation-outlook-consensus-forecasts-march-2016
That’ll be the day – with Bill finally admitting to real wage shrinkage this morning on National radio the facade of National economic competence is collapsing like the dairy industry they put all their effort into.
It would take real growth, not technical growth to redeem the do-nothing party’s economic reputation – and Bill hasn’t got a ghost of a clue how to produce that.
Kasich may be all that stands between Gaffney and a pogrom.
Nate Silver Verified account
@NateSilver538
Fairly strong possibility that Trump won’t get to 1237 delegates on his own but would with Kasich’s delegates. Come to your own conclusions.
http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2016-03-17/cruz-assembles-an-unlikely-team-of-foreign-policy-rivals
World Happiness Report 2016 out.
NZ 8th.
Interesting new figures on inequality of happiness.
Some people here out of touch much?
http://worldhappiness.report/
Its probably a Tory funded tool of Cameron Slater 🙂
How about referencing the NZ bit?
* Billions of human beings abused
* Extinction rates greatest recorded history
* Planet earth being tansformed into a hell hole
Anyone happy about that is missing the point
Flogging a bullshit survey like a trophy, asinine
This has the wingnuts twittering.
NOAA Verified account
@NOAA
JUST IN: February 2016 warmest on record for the globe per @NOAANCEIclimate http://1.usa.gov/1SPVZLh #StateOfClimate
Steve Goddard @SteveSGoddard 9h9 hours ago Boulder, CO
Looks like @NOAA @NOAANCEIclimate forgot to mention that most of their data is fake
🙄
You could fly these people round the Earth, and up into space – and they would still say the Earth was flat!
It’s scary when you pull your head out of the sand – you have to confront reality.
No wonder they are determined to vote in Trump – at least he is one of them.
How warm was your city last year?Graph for Auckland which was 0.9 degrees C warmer than normal.
Nicky Hager gets his computers back at long last
So now we know:
Andrea Vance is part of the Dirty Political machine!
Read this load of trashy misrepresentation. Boy oh boy, the RWNJs – including those in the media – are getting shit scared aren’t they. I see this as nothing more than a diversionary attack on Andrew Little because John Key is in strife.
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/andrew-little-doesnt-have-chops-xenophobia-politics
Tried to add the following excerpt but the edit function playing up again.
Now that’s not what I read. What he did say – and I paraphrase – is that he thought it was likely some of these positions could be filled by NZ citizens and they should be given priority ahead of those being brought in from overseas.
This is the same journalist who lead Peter Dunne up the garden path in an attempt to gain access to confidential information. Dunne was a fool to fall for it but it shows how unprincipled she can be.
I agree with you Anne – The Vance story almost reads like a Clare Trevett story and includes a so-called “insider” from the Labour caucus – this is scare tactics to unsettle Labour supporters. We’ll just have to keep vigilant and keep correcting the media as they continue to do this ……. it will get tedious.
Sure it is, its dirty politics…or its because over the past week hes said things that Winston Peters, the Greens and National all disagree with
Maybe Andrew Little isn’t the leader you on the left were hoping for
I should hope he’d disagree with National – they’re the worst government NZ has ever had – irredeemably corrupt, fiscally incompetent and morally repugnant without exception.
When, on the same subject, you get Winston, the Greens and National telling you you’re wrong then theres a very good chance you’re wrong
That would be true for any set containing the Greens.
I don’t agree with some of what Vance is saying, esp the characterisation stuff (and talking about the precariat in an article about an ex union leader comes across as patronising), but there is nothing there to suggest she is working with National on this.
Yeah I think she is in Dirty Politics but shes on her side and no ones elses so pretty much like every other politician and journalist
You obviously have no idea what dirty politics is. It’s not simply saying mean things about people.
Well I’d suggest that Andrea Vances previous dealins with Peter Dunne and what she got up to at The News Of The World tells me that she probably is donkey deep in Dirty Politics and is loving it
weka @ 17.3
Media journos like Andrea Vance don’t have to work directly with National. They know instinctively what is expected of them. Indeed it is more effective if they keep their distance because they can then plead plausible deniability. Yesterday we saw the same game in operation when Little was interviewed on ZB Radio by Mike Hosking. Little acquitted himself well, but after he was gone Hosking turned on him with an unwarranted negative attack.
Note: this tactic is only used when the target (Little in this case) is no longer present. Many of us predicted this kind of thing would occur as Little and Labour started to make inroads on the political scene.
and yet the very same journalists were swarming all over Cameron Slater, if they know whats expected of them wouldn’t they have not gone after Slater?
I listened to that interview, Little came across back peddling big time. Hosking let him explain himself (back peddling) then summarised it up pretty well after. Also adding in Little’s “strong arming the banks” it was a few days I am sure Little will want to forget. Of course its not what you want to hear…but if you think Little and Labour are making inroads then that’s all good.
With a name like Chuck you gotta be a right wing nut job. 🙂
Didn’t summarise it up pretty well to his face though? Cowardly little shit.
People need to read that article, it exposes exactly what they want labour supporters to do:
drop immigration, back off the banks, and question Little’s Leadership qualities instead of their journalistic integrity.
Little could do with a bit of media grooming, but also he needs to show strength, don’t allow the media to force him to back down or apologize, he needs to hold the media to account.
She uses a lot of half truths, if you can spot the half that is the truth, you can see the lie they want you to swallow.
Dressing up an attack propaganda piece as constructive criticism, I think she outsmarted herself, she does indeed point out a few flaws that need addressing.
Mainly how to deal with biased media 🙂
Got it in one Grim. Best comment I’ve seen on the subject. I’ve been on about some media training for the past 6 mths but, as yet, there has been no detectable improvement . First and foremost Little needs to project his voice better. Half of what he say gets lost in the ether which makes it easy for his journo detractors to paint him in a negative light and misconstrue his utterances. We have seen a lot of examples of it including from Andrea Vance today.