Open mike 18/10/2012

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, October 18th, 2012 - 106 comments
Categories: open mike - Tags:

Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose.

The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to Policy in the banner).

Step right up to the mike…

106 comments on “Open mike 18/10/2012 ”

  • Comments are now closed

    • Dr Terry 1.1
      18 October 2012 at 10:20 am

      AWW. Sure, Bennett has to go, BUT WHEN? In 20 years time? No National Minister “goes” whatever the circumstance!

  2. Logie97 2
    18 October 2012 at 7:52 am

    Barriers to learning.

    The problem is still there people but what a brilliant bit of diversion by the government.

    Campbell Live highlights that there is a “hunger” problem in schools.
    Government response, after much public pressure, make an announcement that
    they will provide funding for lower decile schools to provide food…

    Yeah, well guess what? The emphasis is on “will” and unsurprisingly not
    “now”. So the issue gets removed from the headlines but is still as real today
    as it was yesterday. Probably tired, hungry, listless children in classrooms.

    • Dr Terry 2.1
      18 October 2012 at 10:22 am

      Logie – Of course it is as real today as yesterday. Again, we must ask “when?” – 20 or more years time (with luck)?

  3. muzza 3
    18 October 2012 at 8:03 am

    Agenda 21 in NZ

    Where does the formation of MoBIE fit into this ….

    [lprent: Link fixed.. ]

  4. tc 4
    18 October 2012 at 8:22 am

    OZ broadcaster Channel 9 now 100% owned by US hedge funds being mainly Oaktree Capital and Apollo Global Management.

    Watch that space now uncle sam interests owns them and Rupert’s reasserted himself in his newpaper empire in OZ.

  5. muzza 5
    18 October 2012 at 9:01 am

    Bars’ use of ID scanners raises concern

    Bar patrons are being scanned and photographed as managers seek to keep out the rabble and take note of the regulars.

    A new technology that scans and records photo IDs – as well as taking additional photos of revellers – is being trialled throughout the lower North Island.

    There are three ID scanning machines in the country, with two in Auckland and the third being moved around from Wellington to Hawke’s Bay.

    Any just who will listen to this, concern!

    The expansion continues, and the environments will continue to contract, as they digital grid envelops all aspects of life!

    • karol 5.1
      18 October 2012 at 9:11 am

      Thanks for this, muzza.  More worrying extensions of the surveillance society.  Surveillance precedes, and enables, control, regulation and/or manipulation of reality.

      • muzza 5.1.1
        18 October 2012 at 9:28 am

        Hi Karol, yes its all being played out right in front of our faces…

        This link from yesterday .

        http://www.stuff.co.nz/motoring/7811216/Subaru-adds-EyeSight-for-safer-driving

        Awesome!

        • karol 5.1.1.1
          18 October 2012 at 9:34 am

          Ha!.. But machines are always fallible – one step away from a “toaster”?!

          • muzza 5.1.1.1.1
            18 October 2012 at 9:51 am

            Songdo in South Korea leading charge to become city of the future

            Notice how the city is “not considered” part of Korea, which is an important aspect of removing sovereignty, or divorcing people from the concept of it.

            Cities are already home to half of the world’s 7billion population and that figure will rise to 70 per cent by 2050, according to the United Nations.

            Every inch of the city has been wired up by Cisco with fibre optic broadband keeping people connected and sending a constant data stream to computer processors that keep Songdo operating.

            TelePresence screens are being installed in all homes, offices, hospitals and shopping centres so people can make video calls whenever they want.

            In addition, sensors embedded in streets and buildings monitor everything from temperature to road conditions to help the city run efficiently and react to problems at lightning speed. For example, street lights can be switched off in deserted streets to save energy or brightened in busy ones

            See my post on agenda 21 higher up – The UN is driving the globalist agenda, and part of that is forcing people into the cities…

            The technology and legislative roadmaps, ensure that the figures quoted by the UN are +/- achieveable, because they’re in control, even now!

          • David H 5.1.1.1.2
            18 October 2012 at 1:30 pm

            And do you trust your Computer more than your Toaster?

            Why?

            Because it does not matter whether you paid 50g or 50c for it. When the circuit goes pop all you got left is E waste.

  6. Rogue Trooper 6
    18 October 2012 at 9:04 am

    Wondering Aloud http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0W7rgo3IDI
    Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude (well, maybe a little cheeky). it is not self seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs (that’s a challenge 🙂 ) .Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

    (Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy. For anyone who speaks in tongues does not speak to men but to God. Indeed!, no one understands him; he utters mysteries with his spirit. But everyone who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort.)

    Now we see but a poor reflection, as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face.

    So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind. (wonder what the moon is getting round to) 🙂

    -Homiletics 101; The Living Word

    anyway,

    Te Whare tapa Wha; Struggle without End
    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10841293

    Back Down on The Farm
    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=10841238

    ” standing on shakey ground…”
    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/christchurch-earthquake/news/article.cfm?c_id=1502981&objectid=10840853

    According to one of Rachels’ topical interviewees, Synthetic and Legal Pharmaceuticals are
    “the Drug problem of the 21st Century” (ya don’t say! pass me another couple of aspire in)

    What’s The Matter Here?
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m39DWVFK-Bw

    Read: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7rikO0nsHA
    (There was only a brief Summer of The Golden Weather; much time spent In our fathers / mothers den)

    Great Art goes missing-Rothko

    To when they allow the Philosopher Kings

    -the madman crying in the wilderness
    (Franken Steinway my Dear, I don’t give damn)

    😉

  7. prism 7
    18 October 2012 at 9:15 am

    Sanitarium is using our Court system to fight its corporate interests but doesn’t contribute tax to NZ to fund this. Sanitarium has a waiver on tax because it is a church-charity-owned business. And the business is hand-to-mouth because they are selling food, not because they are a charity that funds itself from cake stalls, op shops, and grants from community trusts.

    They spend the tax they would otherwise pay to government and the country, on their own chosen interests. But not even necessarily in NZ. And they are a major player in the food market. Another way for NZ government to be fleeced by big business.

    Christopher Adams at NZ Business Herald had a good piece in June 2012 on this. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10816412

    Sanitarium – the maker of Kiwi staples Weet-Bix and Skippy Cornflakes – has evolved into a giant of the local food manufacturing sector over the last century.
    The Royal Oak-based firm says its share of the New Zealand cereal market sits at about 35 per cent, while Kellogg’s, its nearest rival, holds roughly 23 per cent….

    Wholly owned by the Seventh-day Adventist Church, Sanitarium’s arms on both sides of the Tasman are exempt from paying company tax on their earnings because their profits help fund the church’s charitable and religious activities.
    But that tax break doesn’t mean all of the income generated by the church’s local businesses is required to stay in this country.
    Following enquiries by the Business Herald, the church confirmed that its New Zealand-based companies have invested roughly $13 million into three ventures in the United States since 2007.

    Other – on their profit and accounts http://www.avalonsguide.com/anab/2012/09/sanitarium-by-the-numbers/
    What Sanitarium say about themselves:
    http://www.sanitarium.co.nz/about-us/our-promise/sanitarium-charitable-purposes

    • Rogue Trooper 7.1
      18 October 2012 at 9:26 am

      Kiwi kids, are Weet-Bix kids ( Daniel can probably eat a whole box)

    • Ed 7.2
      18 October 2012 at 9:35 am

      My understanding is that commercial operations such as Sanitarium are now subject to New Zealand Income tax. Presumably an effect of the removal of limits on charitable donations now enables such businesses to make sufficient donations to a registered charity so as to make no taxable profits, but they will be subject to GST and rates for example. I am not a tax expert though..

      • prism 7.2.1
        18 October 2012 at 9:54 am

        Ed 7.2
        The public, the consumers, pay the GST. Rates cover the use of property for offices, manufacturing or warehousing and are a local council matter, don’t know how they act to charities that are major income earning businesses. I think schools pay rates, there was consternation about being charged individual pan tax for instance, because of the number of toilets required to service all the children. So not too many exemptions.

        • millsy 7.2.1.1
          18 October 2012 at 10:37 am

          As far as I know, schools dont pay rates, but they do pay council water charge, like the proposed pan tax.

  8. Rogue Trooper 8
    18 October 2012 at 9:50 am

    Ad vertisement:
    Life without industry is guilt, and industry without art is brutality.
    (approximations at irony, sarcasm, ironic sarcasm, do not convey precisely)

    ya’ can’t please all the people all the time, but ya sure can please some of the people some of the time
    (and some children in the play ground just choose not to play with you)

    🙂 🙂 🙂

  9. Jackal 9
    18 October 2012 at 10:31 am

    Time for a maximum wage

    Clearly a maximum wage has many benefits for the government and New Zealand in general…

    • prism 9.1
      18 October 2012 at 11:16 am

      Good Jackal – A good look at the possibilities. And the interesting parrying that comes up against any ‘new’ idea in NZ accompanied by some fudged ‘facts’. As far as decision making goes we in this country are about as clear thinking as witch hunters blaming cow deaths on the nearest hapless outlier.

  10. millsy 10
    18 October 2012 at 10:36 am

    Darien Fenton’s bill to protect library services didn’t make it into the house last night, even though it was supposed to. Disappointing, as I think that this is an issue that needs to be brought out of the shadows.

    Fat German computer nerds, sky-high dollars, youth rates and bennie bashing are more sexier topics than a valuble community resource falling victim to local authority cost cutting.

    Labour and the Greens would have defintely voted for it, and there was a good chance NZ First and the Maori Party would have voted for it, and who knows, Peter Dunne might have backed it as well. I think ACT and National would have voted against, on the grounds of not wanting to interfere with the activites of local bodies, even though there is a bill pending to limit spending by councils.

    Oh well, next week I guess.

  11. vto 11
    18 October 2012 at 10:45 am

    Fuck all this, I’m off.

    Into the wilds – yahoo! Diving into genuineness, reality, clear and unambiguous honesty, credibility, a place of no lies or deception, rorts or other dastardly deeds. A place where lies and deception get turned on their head pretty much instantly with uncomfortable and situation-changing consequences.

    Imagine if the real world was like that…

    • prism 11.1
      18 October 2012 at 10:53 am

      vto
      Don’t know about credibility at all times in the wilds. Kathryn Ryan did an extremely good and probing interview on the quality of outdoor leaders and their capabilities as used by schools particularly. The picture seemed to be that there was a fuzzy area about who was suitably trained and experienced and what controls on ratios of children, of mixed experience and strength, to leaders. Very interesting and troubling. Lies and deception could be how bereaved parents might see the situation.

      • vto 11.1.1
        18 October 2012 at 10:59 am

        Oh yes, you’re right about that. I was referring to the credibility and honesty of the actual environment, not the people who enter it. Trying to put one over nature will lead to nothing but consequences ……

  12. prism 12
    18 October 2012 at 10:47 am

    The Alex business cartoon is usually very good.
    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/alex/
    Also they invite emails with ideas for the cartoon and we could supply some wry comments I think – if it mirrored the way that Jokey Hen’s mind works.

    • Jim Nald 13.1
      18 October 2012 at 11:45 am

      Like!

    • Red Rosa 13.2
      18 October 2012 at 1:55 pm

      Good one! And see

      http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/education/7833277/Pay-system-leaves-teacher-with-just-4

      Talk about a series of fiascos this month…and still 2 weeks to go!

      • David H 13.2.1
        18 October 2012 at 4:08 pm

        And a why can’t a teacher sue Novopay for damages, loss of sleep (stress) etc etc Bills not paid. Because in this day and age of electronic credit checks, they don’t say why the payment was late, just that it was late, or not paid for X weeks. And tough shit on those who are affected.

    • Jackal 13.3
      18 October 2012 at 2:16 pm

      Good article there Dave. I think the right-wing are doing their best to say inequality isn’t increasing more than blaming the public though. That’s what all the median wages are increasing malarky is about.

      • Dave Kennedy (bsprout) 13.3.1
        18 October 2012 at 2:28 pm

        You’re probably right Jackal, in actual fact they will say anything to make sure that the finger isn’t pointed at them. In education they love raw data and quantitative research because they can create a narrative around the data to suit themselves. They hate qualitative research because it generally contains rational explanations and evidence for why their policies are wrong.

        • BLiP 13.3.1.1
          18 October 2012 at 4:41 pm

          .

          Yep, all true. There is ample raw data which confirms the Right’s “market power” belief system is fundamentally flawed yet, as you say, it can be framed by a duplicitous narrative which the largely apathetic public and indolent MSM swallow. Its incredibly frustrating because it is the battle for public opinion which is the primary arena if there is to be peaceful political change.

          The TLS has an interesting piece about how to get the message across:

          Your public, though well intentioned, is ignorant and more than a little obtuse, inclined to think of the lives of the poor (especially, perhaps, the distant or foreign poor) as not equally real. How do you write, if you want to inform their perceptions and inspire useful choices? . . . C. Daniel Batson’s magisterial work on empathy and altruism shows that a particularized narrative of suffering has unique power to produce motives for constructive action.

          I think this sort of approach worked well with the watersiders in their (on-going) struggle for equitable treatment from POAL. The raw data was abundantly clear that the union and its members were being systematically shafted but it seemed (to me, anyway) that a modicom of public support was generated by the personal stories of the workers being subject to the pernicious machinations of the Right.

          Telling first-hand and undeniable stories of brave people suffering at the hands of National Ltd™ policies might well be a way forward when it comes to exposing the brutal reality imposed on society’s weakest by John Key and his band of privateers. Thing is, finding those brave people because they will have to expose themselves to an already uncaring public scrutiny and the pradations of the likes of Slater et al.

          • Dave Kennedy (bsprout) 13.3.1.1.1
            18 October 2012 at 6:02 pm

            I quite agree, Blip. The CTU/Maritime Union deliberately used human stories to meet the employers attempt to paint the workers as a union rabble, they were essentially fathers and family men being treated appallingly. It was very successful.

            This Government does the same thing themselves, they will cite one or two dodgy teachers to justify a review of the Teachers Council and describe one or two beneficiaries to justify cutting benefits or services. I think Campbell Live is providing a useful service with his visual depiction of school lunches and his stories of suffering in Christchurch. We need print journalists to use more of this approach.

            I agree with your concerns about people being prepared to stand up and be counted for this sort of thing because they will need to be well vetted and supported just incase National uses the Paula Bennett strategy to shut them up. I can see this next election becoming a very dirty one indeed.

  14. deuto 14
    18 October 2012 at 12:02 pm

    Being Thursday, John Key -now Dunnokeyo – will not be in the House for Question Time. but the questions are not letting up.

    Charles Chauvel is taking another approach in asking Finlayson who the other two Ministers were at the meeting with Key

    4.CHARLES CHAUVEL to the Attorney-General: Who, other than himself and the Prime Minister, was present at the discussion on the Government Communications Security Bureau’s unlawful surveillance of Mr Dotcom?

    A couple of questions are to the PM – wonder who the lucky Minister will be who will have to answer on his behalf?

    6.Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS to the Prime Minister: Does he think it is important that his Ministers, including himself, come to the House prepared to give honest answers?
    9.Dr DAVID CLARK to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by his comment that Government computer systems “can’t actually support radical changes from Government”?

    And another hilarious/frustrating session with Parata having to answer questions 1, 11 and 12. Parata’s performance yesterday was unbelievable.

    1.Hon NANAIA MAHUTA to the Minister of Education: Is it still her strategy in education to “focus on teaching and learning quality” and “transparent accountabilities”?
    11.CHRIS HIPKINS to the Minister of Education: How long will boards of trustees of the schools she proposes to close or merge in Christchurch have to consult with their local communities before they are required to provide feedback to her ahead of a final decision?
    12.CATHERINE DELAHUNTY to the Minister of Education: Does she stand by her statement to schools, about their obligation under the Official Information Act 1982, that, “New Zealand is an open and transparent democracy. They [schools] are required to release this information. You are public entities.”?

    • Treetop 14.1
      18 October 2012 at 12:53 pm

      Why are questions not being asked to Tolley?

      Police told the GCSB on 16 February 2012 at a debrief that the spying may have been illegal.

      Are the Police not answerable to Tolley?

  15. ianmac 15
    18 October 2012 at 12:32 pm

    Yes and Q 6 from Winston implies fireworks. Risky but it has passed through the checking stage this morning. Must watch.
    Wonder if the Minister of Education will be too busy to attend Q Time today? Duck!

    • freedom 15.1
      18 October 2012 at 1:03 pm

      Q6 should have said ‘-prepared to deliver factually correct answers ? ‘
      the ‘honest’ leaves far too much wriggle room based on the individual’s perception of what constitutes honesty, and who trusts the Nats’ interpretation of anything?

    • David H 15.2
      18 October 2012 at 1:38 pm

      Yep the second tier of bullshit artist will be out on display today.

      It’s bad enough that the politicians are only expected to do 3 days a week for 3 weeks and have a what? a month off, it’s just bull shit that Key is too fucking LAZY to attend question time for the 3 days a week that it’s on. Will someone pleasae tell this useless lazy prick that it’s customary to attend parliament if for nothing else but to face your detractors. Shows how Chicken shit Key really is..

    • deuto 15.3
      18 October 2012 at 1:57 pm

      Agreed Ianmac. Today’s questions were not put up on the Parliament website until about 30 -45 minutes later than usual, so possibly there has been something going on behind the scenes (my conspiracy theory for the day, lol).

      • ianmac 15.3.1
        18 October 2012 at 2:10 pm

        That is a big surprise. The Minister of Education is absent. Never mind Ex Minister Tolley is there to help.

        • deuto 15.3.1.1
          18 October 2012 at 2:16 pm

          Surprise, surprise after Parata’s unbelievable performance yesterday. I note that the Associate Minister of Education is in the House – Banks.

          • freedom 15.3.1.1.1
            18 October 2012 at 2:49 pm

            and Charles Chauvell throws a sloppy pitch and watches helpless as Finlayson whacks it soaring away into the bleechers

            How can the Opposition Parties allow this bungling of questions during this crucial juncture in New Zealand’s decline? Where was the precision, the detail? The most basic necessity of the current function of the Opposition Parties should be nothing but extracting clear facts from the Government and instead many are appearing complicit in the misdirection and obfuscation.

            These games are getting tiresome and NZ Parliament is not a batting cage in which to hone the swing.

            SINGLE PART QUESTIONS GET ANSWERS

            perhaps next week will be better
            I am off to the Hawkes Bay for a long weekend of playing with nephews,
            at least they ask decent questions

            • freedom 15.3.1.1.1.1
              18 October 2012 at 3:09 pm

              p.s.
              Why was the Associate Minister of Education not answering the questions put to the Minsiter of Education?

            • prism 15.3.1.1.1.2
              18 October 2012 at 4:26 pm

              freedom 15.3 et al

              SINGLE PART QUESTIONS GET ANSWERS

              That is a really good point for Labour and anyone to remember. If a questioner has a particular point, keep honed to that point. If you give the respondent a chance to go off on some fuzzy side issue, or even the hint of some emotional, or current folk issue, then chances are you won’t get into territory that needs toe to toe discussion.

              Same with blogs or writing to the newspapers. Give people a chance and they will wander off on some hobby-horse. An example, bad, is the referendum on crime that is so well-known. A two part question and an unclear answer that politicians chose to follow with more punitive punishment all round. Costly and ineffective.

              (I have been looking up the Christie Marceau tragedy – better, thoughtful policies for young men in difficulties, would likely have prevented this guy going off his head. Someone must have noticed his weird thinking and behaviour.)

            • Rogue Trooper 15.3.1.1.1.3
              18 October 2012 at 5:53 pm

              St Matthew’s bearing own cross

    • blue leopard 15.4
      18 October 2012 at 5:39 pm

      Winston Peters is expressing sufficient levels of anger and disgust to reflect accurately the way I am feeling about the disgusting level of non-answers this Government has been deeming fit to supply the house (and thus all of us).

      I’m unclear how parliament can function effectively without some level of adherence to answers with a fair level of honesty or integrity. This is simply a farce and has been going on last term as well as this term.

      My view is that Winston Peters has lifted the quality and strength of opposition immensely by his return and I am grateful to those people who voted for him to be quite frank.

      I acknowledge that the level of opposition is improving from other parties however, I would like to see a whole lot more indignation/anger over the joke of the way DunnoKeyO ltd are treating the affairs of the State.

      If this were persevered in I am confident that our sleepy MSM would eventually catch on, they appear to have to be spoon-fed a critical approach and now that they have checked out it is left up to sites such as The Standard and our opposition politicians to do that.

  16. prism 16
    18 October 2012 at 12:59 pm

    Crafar farms have passed into Chinese ownership with Landcorp Farming Ltd taking the position of sharemilker to the business. They are going to export to China. It would be expected that this would be high quality milk product. I was thinking of how to do more than slap a NZ label on it and hope for the best as far as keeping our milk standards up – from all NZ exporters.

    How would an appellation system go? A tightly run system like the French and other European wine areas adopt? To be included in this a farm would have to do everything right about quality and have high standards as far as pollution and actual enhancing the environment not just repairing it. We don’t want Chinese or others quick to take advantage, selling any more product that is tainted and bringing down what standards and customer loyalty we have established.

    A help would be if photogenic PM Jokey Hen didn’t provide a photographic endorsement for foreign dairy business. Other Prime Ministers have talents like singing etc. He should concentrate on connecting his image where it can do him and us some good.

    • freedom 16.1
      18 October 2012 at 1:08 pm

      “He should concentrate on connecting his image where it can do him and us some good.”

      The International Depature Gates might be a good start

    • weka 16.2
      18 October 2012 at 6:10 pm

      “and have high standards as far as pollution and actual enhancing the environment not just repairing it.”
       
      Industrial dairy farming is inherently polluting and damaging to the land, and inherently unsustainable. Even more so when the product is exported. We are literally pulling the fertility out of the land and selling it overseas. We cannot replace that fertility in the timeframes we are talking about. There is no way to farm sustainably under those conditions, because of the net loss of nutrients as well as the destruction of soil and soil biota from industrial farming practices.

      • Colonial Viper 16.2.1
        18 October 2012 at 6:26 pm

        there are many ways to commercially dairy farm, and it’s not really whether a dairy farm is “industrial” or “corporate” which is the issue, it’s how intensive the land is farmed.

        Running out of phosphate and diesel is going to put a dampener on all of this anyhows.

        • weka 16.2.1.1
          18 October 2012 at 10:09 pm

          The industrial model IS intensive. That’s the whole point – it’s why they clear paddocks of any trees, use artificial fertiliser, pack as many stock units in as possible, allow whatever runoff they can get away with, and steal water from aquifers. It’s all about stock units and profit margins.
           
          I do know some organic dairy farmers who are doing really good things, far far better than conventional industrial dairying, but they’re not really sustainable either. And if they’re exporting their milk/fertility, it’s definitely not sustainable.

  17. starlight 17
    18 October 2012 at 1:06 pm

    The ANZ bank job survey out today, says that job ads fell back almost 3% in september,
    pointing to unemployment rising to 7%.
    The survey also said there was a 5.9% fall in newspaper job ads in the month of september,
    internet job ads dropped 2.4% in september.
    A 7% unemployment rate is expected in 6 months.

  18. freedom 18
    18 October 2012 at 1:25 pm

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10841205

    TPP is a negotiation, an attempt in a structured process to find scope for consensus where none appears to exist. It’s not for nothing trade negotiations are called the art of the possible.

    That’s also why this process needs to take place behind closed doors, at least until consensus is forged.

    This is not the same as secrecy – it’s no secret TPP talks are taking place in Auckland in December. At that time any public stakeholders who register their interest will be able to meet with negotiators as they have done in every other negotiating round.

    Those on all sides of the TPP debate will do so and they should, to ensure negotiators are aware of their concerns. New Zealand negotiators are extremely open to this and meet regularly with those for and against TPP.

    translation? : Trust us, fear not, It’s all ok! No need to look back there, there is no curtain, that is simply a light diffusing tool that happens to be made of fabric and has multi-positional capabilities.

    • muzza 18.1
      18 October 2012 at 1:33 pm

      Jacobi used the word conspiracy in the the title, so the automatic position MUST be that there is something(s) to be hidden…

      Stephen Jacobi is executive director of the NZ US Council and the NZ International Business Forum – Makes him a neutral then doen’t it!

    • Draco T Bastard 18.2
      18 October 2012 at 3:44 pm

      At that time any public stakeholders who register their interest will be able to meet with negotiators as they have done in every other negotiating round.

      The implication of that sentence is that the public aren’t stakeholders in their own governance.

      • muzza 18.2.1
        18 October 2012 at 4:48 pm

        Yes I read that, and as I did so, I just shook my head at the implication!

        For-gone-con-clu-sion

  19. Penny Bright 19
    18 October 2012 at 2:01 pm

    CAMERON BREWER CLAIMS JOHN BANKS HAS BEEN GREAT FOR AUCKLAND!

    (You have GOT to be joking ? )

    http://cameronbrewer.co.nz/2012/10/john-banks-has-been-great-for-auckland/

    Birds of a feather flock together?

    NOT a good look Cameron Brewer- defending the indefensible ‘dodgy’ John Banks?

    http://www.dodgyjohnhasgone.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/JOHN-BANKS-RAT-WITH-GOLD-TOOTH-MORPH-BANNER-ONLY-23-September-2012.jpg

    http://www.dodgyjohnhasgone.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/HOWCOME.jpg

    Penny Bright

    ‘Anti-corruption campaigner’

  20. Rogue Trooper 20
    18 October 2012 at 2:46 pm

    Dearest Ad / Uturn, Viper et al; 🙂
    The Spirit moves among us, of that I am certain. Only yesterday I learned of the relationship between the parish and the Orthodox Greeks here. Then, this morning, another timely and topical homily delivered by a Theologian who made me feel very at home and directed over a cup of tea 😉 (man! now I am gonna have to go back to school, at least Otago can come to us, just continue being a rogue in the interim). Amongst other topics, we covered Heidegger’s ” Instrumental, Inter-personal and Revelational” (off the top of my head, William Tell) and now this
    Propaganda http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propaganda:_The_Formation_of_Men%27s_Attitudes
    and this
    Jack http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellul,_Jacques

    and the Industrial Workers of the World (and a whole lotta lovin people who suggest you are not alone) Wow! Thanks very much!

    The Book of Ammon appears worth reading.
    (I have always been meaning to read Barth on Romans)

    There aint half been some clever ( wise) bastards; Another cornerstone for the AC (all sharing the plough)

    Now, to all the atheists, if you let it happen, you will be amazed by the phenomenology of The Spirit; It just keeps on giving, Day after day after day.

    -John (chips and fishes for lunch) Wow!

    Rock On! 🙂

    (oops, there is some un-referenced Ruskin behind me)

  21. Penny Bright 21
    18 October 2012 at 2:50 pm

    Why ‘ONE LAW FOR ALL’ has not been applied to John Banks and Don Brash………

    yep – smells like a corrupt form of political protection to me – in my considered opinion.

    The Report of the Commerce Select Committee and new evidence provided by the Finance Markets Authority and the Serious Fraud Office .

    http://www.dodgyjohnhasgone.com/corruption/commerce-select-committee-report-on-banks/

    What do others think?

    (After actually READING the information provided? 🙂

    Kind regards,

    Penny Bright

    ‘Anti-corruption campaigner’

  22. Dv 22
    18 October 2012 at 3:07 pm

    Penny I agree with you.
    It seems rather Odd that Banks and Brash sign a prospectus in which dodgy figures are used that Hullich got prosecuted for.

    The other bit about this saga is Hullich toted his Kiwisaver round south auckland an Porirua in the malls (and door to door?).

  23. felix 23
    18 October 2012 at 3:11 pm

    So apparently Tariana was on radio live yesterday, and apparently she said that the actions of the govt (of which she is a part) regarding the water rights issue constitute “confiscation” of water rights from maori.

    Apparently it was pointed out to her that this is exactly what she left the Labour govt over, and was asked if she would be walking from the govt, and if not, why that threshold for her support no longer applied.

    And apparently she said she intended to remain supporting National until such time as “my people” tell her to go.

    I can only assume that the “my people” she refers to are John Key and Bill English.

  24. Rogue Trooper 24
    18 October 2012 at 3:40 pm

    Distortion
    https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/932_458407134198570_661795578_n.jpg

    ( I have heard ” the city is the supreme work of man” distorted by an architect referring to the Shard Tower of Babel )

  25. Logie97 25
    18 October 2012 at 4:32 pm

    Shock, horror, Stuff headline

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/americas/7833748/Zumba-teaching-prostitute-shakes-up-town

    Which New Zealand personalities are going to be caught up in this one? But then when you get to the third paragraph you discover that it isn’t good ol’ Nuzilnd – phew just another tacky story from that land that Key loves and admires.

    Says a lot about the editors of our MSM though.

    • muzza 25.1
      18 October 2012 at 4:56 pm

      The MSMs job is to deflect and dumb down to the point where people are no longer able to understand, let alone comprehend what is happening around, and to them. They are enveloped in a bubble of utter irrelevance, to the point where their instincts are dead, we see that the masses are most of the way to that stage of devolution.

      Anyone who has even a modacum of understanding/awareness, is already, and will increasingly be seen even more so, as “a freak”!

      The world is being twisted inside out, and for those who can see it happening, its hard to watch to be fair!

  26. Morrissey 26
    18 October 2012 at 4:57 pm

    Why is STEPHEN FRANKS being interviewed about a knife-killing?
    The Panel, National Radio, Thursday 18 October 2012
    Jim Mora, Andrew Clay, Rosemary McLeod

    First topic for the day: the killing of Christie Marceau by Akshay Chand. Who better to discuss this than a couple of lightweight Panelists and someone from the pro-knife-killing Sensible Sentencing Trust?…

    JIM MORA: We’re going to talk to Wellington lawyer Stephen Franks about this “Not Guilty by reason of insanity” verdict.

    ANDREW CLAY: [blithely] I’m a liberal left kind of guy but on this issue, I’m happy to say I’m quite right wing!

    ROSEMARY McLEOD: [gravely] I’m surprised that you are having someone on who is an expert on the law rather than on human relations.

    STEPHEN FRANKS: [disgustingly] REDACTED FOR REASONS OF MORALITY AND TASTE.

    Franks is such a repellent character that we are unable to physically transcribe his garbage. However, it is noteworthy that Franks, who, remember, is a shameless supporter of this kind of crime, used the word “wickedness” four times, including once in the phrase “mad wickedness”. He also mocked the “pious wishes” of what he called “liberals”. This prompted another McLeod outburst….

    ROSEMARY McLEOD: [gravely]It’s these counsellors I am concerned about. Who exactly are these counsellors? Curious middle class women who enjoy interfering in other people’s lives.

    ANDREW CLAY: A hur hur hur hur!

    ROSEMARY McLEOD: Sniff. I find it all quite odd, really.

    Appalled, I dashed off the following e-mail to Jim Mora….

    Dear Jim,

    Stephen Franks works for the Sensible Sentencing Trust, and is a close colleague of Garth McVicar. After the 2008 knife-killing of a boy in Manurewa, both Franks and McVicar, speaking as official representatives of the SST, expressed vehement support not for the victim, but for his killer. For weeks and months after the killing, they spoke out in support of the killer, and compounded this by pouring abuse and scorn on the memory of the dead boy and his grieving mother.

    Could you explain to your listeners why you chose to interview Stephen Franks, of all people, about a knife murder?

    Yours sincerely,

    Morrissey Breen
    Northcote Point

    • Paul 26.1
      18 October 2012 at 7:34 pm

      Well noted Morrissey.
      A question for RNZ.
      Why do you use so many ex- ACT MPs as representative of NZ opinion when they have have less than 1% of the vote? Jim Moira in particular asks the right wing of Natioanl + ACT a lot onto his ‘panel’.

      • Rogue Trooper 26.1.1
        18 October 2012 at 9:03 pm

        deaf to RNZ for years

      • BLiP 26.1.2
        18 October 2012 at 9:18 pm

        .

        Its not Jim’s fault. He’s just the “talent” – the “Ted Knight” of “Afternoons”.

        The weakness lies in the RNZ management system whereby idiots are employed to soothe funder concerns. This results in “shows” being filled-up with people who promote themselves and, thus, save staff having to do any work or otherwise think about who might be suitable and/or interesting. The problem is compounded by the Wellington social-circuit where “media darlings” are courted by apparently sincere people who can “help” with “access” to “opinion leaders”.

        Its a shame, really. What’s missing from the public dialouge is that bitter truth derived from cynicism that used to exist in the media. Now its all about “networking”.

        • Paul 26.1.2.1
          18 October 2012 at 9:27 pm

          Really interesting Blip – especially the points about the RNZ management system and the Wellington social circuit.
          Can I ask you, if you were the boss of RNZ for a week, which more varied opinions would you invite to challenge funder concerns?
          Was Malcolom Bradbury removed from the Panel for these reasons?

          • BLiP 26.1.2.1.1
            18 October 2012 at 10:39 pm

            .

            Can I ask you, if you were the boss of RNZ for a week, which more varied opinions would you invite to challenge funder concerns?

            If I were The Boss of RNZ for a week I wouldn’t worry about the details. First off, I would double the advertising rates for all the commercial channels and leave them intact. On the free-to-air channels I would devolve the network down to local channels, no more than, say, 10,000 listeners and involve community activists wishing to address that audience – plus play excellent music and re-run The Goon Show.

            So far as the spread-sheet is concerned, I would sack anyone earning more than $100,000 and direct that savings into the provision of a more effective community and national news service.

            But … yeah, the funder. I guess there has to be a slant towards patriotism and heritage and an abiding respect for parliament and the courts, our kaumatua and our children. There’s a need to “stay positive” and bouyant but also speak truth.

            (Also, while The Boss, I would get my expense card out and thrash it every night of the week shouting the staff free drinks/meals/art/training and taxis home. When the media come to ask me about it I’ll say: “yeah, so what?”)

        • Rogue Trooper 26.1.2.2
          18 October 2012 at 9:43 pm

          Love the Ted Knight characterisation

          -Lou (Ed)

  27. ianmac 27
    18 October 2012 at 5:05 pm

    Franks is predictable and so is McLeod. Weird and dangerous is one and the other sounds like my 90 year old Grandmother.

    • Morrissey 27.1
      18 October 2012 at 5:15 pm

      The real problem is why Radio New Zealand still interviews Franks and McVicar.

      Is your grandmother as complacent and smarmy as Rosemary McLeod, Ian? I’m sure you’re being hard on her.

      • ianmac 27.1.1
        18 October 2012 at 6:36 pm

        My Grandma was pretty self reliant and sensible. But like Rosemary, she had great difficulty understanding modern stuff like TV or jet travel or modern dress. But she was very tolerant in a trembling manner where Rosemary condemns as she confirms her ignorance and bigotry.
        So score Nana @ 90+years 8/10. Rosemary sounds like 90+years 1/10.

  28. Morrissey 28
    18 October 2012 at 5:22 pm

    HUMANITARIAN GOVERNMENT NEWS

    Israel forced to release study on Gaza blockade
    17 October 2012

    An Israeli court has forced the release of government research detailing the number of calories Palestinians in Gaza need to consume to avoid malnutrition.

    The study was commissioned after Israel tightened its blockade of the territory after Hamas came to power in June 2007.

    The UN said if the research reflected a policy intended to cap food imports, it went against humanitarian principles.

    If you have the stomach for it, you can read more here….

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-19975211

  29. Georgecom 29
    18 October 2012 at 5:46 pm

    Has there been a previous NZ government which has had such a gaff prone, disaster prone, crisis prone year in power that this John Key Government has?

    Every month it seems to lurch from gaff, to crisis, to disaster.

    Keys lack of leadership and ‘relaxation’ is now costing him dearly.

    The ‘higher standards’ have gone out the door and he is now twisting and turning like mad to try and avoid gaff after crisis.

    What more can eventuate in the next 2 1/2 months to dent public support for Key and his Govt?

    Still enough time in the year for another gaff or crisis yet.

    • ianmac 29.1
      18 October 2012 at 6:41 pm

      Am looking forward to Key’s explanation over the 18y vote. He will blame the Whip or whoever cast his proxy (maybe the Whip didn’t quite know what Key’s position was given his ambivalence?), or maybe it is David Shearer’s fault. or the Speaker or ummm TV3 asked him the wrong question.

      • Logie97 29.1.1
        18 October 2012 at 7:05 pm

        His explanation beggars belief.
        Tonight, his media interviews show him saying, “I should have been more specific, I actually should have added after I said 20, ‘that was offlicence sales’.”
        Unfortunately the interviewers did not take him to task.

        In yesterday’s Beehive precincts interview he was very specific.
        He said, ” I voted for a split vote 18 and 20, but that one was defeated, and I then voted for 20.” Key lied there and then. An absolute liar on this one and he needs to be pulled on it. The voting record shows it.

        Tonight his explanation at no time mentions that he voted 18 when the split vote (which he tries to use as the excuse) failed.

        Now just perhaps NZ will take a closer look at his other occasions of being economical with the truth.

        Trust him … sure can???

      • ScottGN 29.1.2
        18 October 2012 at 7:40 pm

        He seems to have decided to apologize on this ‘brain fade’ and try and move on – probably the best (and only) thing to do. What was interesting was that both networks had different stories tonight which cast him in a poor light. He ain’t having much fun anymore.

        • Logie97 29.1.2.1
          18 October 2012 at 9:08 pm

          Except that he has admitted to only partial error. He has not accepted that his response yesterday was clear and precise. He has never admitted to voting for keeping it at 18 though that is what he clearly voted for. (Clear case of wanting to sound as though he voted according to his adoring people’s wishes in latest poll – but he didn’t).

          This is 10 year old playground stuff. Think you are getting caught out and go into denial… teachers will tell you they witness it every day.

    • Draco T Bastard 29.2
      18 October 2012 at 6:46 pm

      The ‘higher standards’ have gone out the door…

      No, they were just another lie. The character of the National Party is psychopathic and so they could not be anything else.

  30. Morrissey 30
    18 October 2012 at 5:54 pm

    The ‘higher standards’ have gone out the door…

    What?!!??!?!?? When were higher standards ever IN the door with this embarrassingly inept and ideologically extremist regime?

  31. joe90 31
    18 October 2012 at 6:52 pm

    George McGovern, former Senator, presidential nominee and opponent of the Vietnam war is on his way out.

    http://news.yahoo.com/ex-senator-presidential-nominee-mcgovern-no-longer-responsive-191525402.html

    Every Senator in this chamber is partly responsible for sending 50,000 young Americans to an early grave. This chamber reeks of blood. Every Senator here is partly responsible for that human wreckage at Walter Reed and Bethesda Naval and all across our land—young men without legs, or arms, or genitals, or faces or hopes. There are not very many of these blasted and broken boys who think this war is a glorious adventure. Do not talk to them about bugging out, or national honor or courage. It does not take any courage at all for a congressman, or a senator, or a president to wrap himself in the flag and say we are staying in Vietnam, because it is not our blood that is being shed. But we are responsible for those young men and their lives and their hopes. And if we do not end this damnable war those young men will some day curse us for our pitiful willingness to let the Executive carry the burden that the Constitution places on us

  32. Dv 32
    18 October 2012 at 8:42 pm

    From parliament today
    Hon Nanaia Mahuta: What criteria will be used to determine the funding and staffing level provisions for charter schools?

    Hon ANNE TOLLEY: Each school’s contract will differ according to the needs of the sponsor,

    My bold.

    I thought schools were for the NEEDS of the pupils not the ‘sponsors’

  33. lprent 33
    18 October 2012 at 8:46 pm

    Time to do a Pete George. Put a “more in sorrow than anger” ‘rant’ hidden where few people ever see it.

    I guess Cameron Slater saw my addition to this post where I pointed out the obvious…

    His response to criticism about his techniques – well that is as puerile as it is possible to get. I guess he doesn’t handle criticism well..

    He left a trackback, so I guess he wanted me to see it.

    But of course I don’t “hate” the wee man. So he can be rest assured on that as he does his usual pass through here looking for stories to put up. BTW: his posts never seem to get any significant numbers of comments – why is that?.

    I just think he is an extreme example of having an oversized ego and very few (if any) observable talents. Certainly logical thinking isn’t one of them. His political abilities seem to mostly consist of blustering on others hitting them with that bloated ego. In short – a political dickhead.

    • PlanetOrphan 33.1
      18 October 2012 at 9:00 pm

      That maggot sure can pack bigotry into a sentence can’t he M8.
      (heh … He almost replied to this one…. save me LP!)
      (*he-is-not-that-good*,*he-is-not-that-good*,*he-is-not-that-good*,*he-is-not-that-good*,….) 😀 @ u CS M8!

  34. starlight 34
    18 October 2012 at 9:02 pm

    The headline on tvnz says that ‘Key in the dark over superanuation review’
    A minister in key’s cabinet seems to be questioning key’s stance on national
    superanuation and now one of key’s ministers wants the issue formally looked
    at by retirement commissioner Diana Crossan.
    Craig Foss gave the go ahead for Diana Crossan to look at the issue.
    Key was on one news and looked suprised when asked about the issue.

    • ianmac 34.1
      18 October 2012 at 11:23 pm

      Yes. Saw that on the late news. Craig Foss authorised the review which includes the age of entitlement which Key flatly opposes. So The Prime Minister is out of step with Minister Foss.

      Plus the 18 year old vote. There can be no doubt as the absent Minister signs a piece of paper to authorise his proxy vote.

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • The worth of it all
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.State of humanity, 20242024, it feels, keeps presenting us with ever more challenges, ever more dismay.Do you give up yet? It seems to ask.No? How about this? Or this?How about this?Full story Share ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 hours ago

  • What is the Hardest Sport in the World?
    Determining the hardest sport in the world is a subjective matter, as the difficulty level can vary depending on individual abilities, physical attributes, and experience. However, based on various factors including physical demands, technical skills, mental fortitude, and overall accomplishment, here is an exploration of some of the most challenging ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    5 hours ago

  • What is the Most Expensive Sport?
    The allure of sport transcends age, culture, and geographical boundaries. It captivates hearts, ignites passions, and provides unparalleled entertainment. Behind the spectacle, however, lies a fascinating world of financial investment and expenditure. Among the vast array of competitive pursuits, one question looms large: which sport carries the hefty title of ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    5 hours ago

  • Pickleball On the Cusp of Olympic Glory
    Introduction Pickleball, a rapidly growing paddle sport, has captured the hearts and imaginations of millions around the world. Its blend of tennis, badminton, and table tennis elements has made it a favorite among players of all ages and skill levels. As the sport’s popularity continues to surge, the question on ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    5 hours ago

  • The Origin and Evolution of Soccer Unveiling the Genius Behind the World’s Most Popular Sport
    Abstract: Soccer, the global phenomenon captivating millions worldwide, has a rich history that spans centuries. Its origins trace back to ancient civilizations, but the modern version we know and love emerged through a complex interplay of cultural influences and innovations. This article delves into the fascinating journey of soccer’s evolution, ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    5 hours ago

  • How Much to Tint Car Windows A Comprehensive Guide
    Tinting car windows offers numerous benefits, including enhanced privacy, reduced glare, UV protection, and a more stylish look for your vehicle. However, the cost of window tinting can vary significantly depending on several factors. This article provides a comprehensive guide to help you understand how much you can expect to ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    5 hours ago

  • Why Does My Car Smell Like Gas? A Comprehensive Guide to Diagnosing and Fixing the Issue
    The pungent smell of gasoline in your car can be an alarming and potentially dangerous problem. Not only is the odor unpleasant, but it can also indicate a serious issue with your vehicle’s fuel system. In this article, we will explore the various reasons why your car may smell like ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    5 hours ago

  • How to Remove Tree Sap from Car A Comprehensive Guide
    Tree sap can be a sticky, unsightly mess on your car’s exterior. It can be difficult to remove, but with the right techniques and products, you can restore your car to its former glory. Understanding Tree Sap Tree sap is a thick, viscous liquid produced by trees to seal wounds ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    5 hours ago

  • How Much Paint Do You Need to Paint a Car?
    The amount of paint needed to paint a car depends on a number of factors, including the size of the car, the number of coats you plan to apply, and the type of paint you are using. In general, you will need between 1 and 2 gallons of paint for ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    5 hours ago

  • Can You Jump a Car in the Rain? Safety Precautions and Essential Steps
    Jump-starting a car is a common task that can be performed even in adverse weather conditions like rain. However, safety precautions and proper techniques are crucial to avoid potential hazards. This comprehensive guide will provide detailed instructions on how to safely jump a car in the rain, ensuring both your ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    5 hours ago

  • Can taxpayers be confident PIJF cash was spent wisely?
    Graham Adams writes about the $55m media fund — When Patrick Gower was asked by Mike Hosking last week what he would say to the many Newstalk ZB callers who allege the Labour government bribed media with $55 million of taxpayers’ money via the Public Interest Journalism Fund — and ...
    Point of OrderBy gadams1000
    12 hours ago

  • EGU2024 – An intense week of joining sessions virtually
    Note: this blog post has been put together over the course of the week I followed the happenings at the conference virtually. Should recordings of the Great Debates and possibly Union Symposia mentioned below, be released sometime after the conference ends, I'll include links to the ones I participated in. ...
    Skeptical Science
    13 hours ago

  • Submission on “Fast Track Approvals Bill”
    The following was my submission made on the “Fast Track Approvals Bill”. This potential law will give three Ministers unchecked powers, un-paralled since the days of Robert Muldoon’s “Think Big” projects.The submission is written a bit tongue-in-cheek. But it’s irreverent because the FTAB is in itself not worthy of respect. ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    14 hours ago

  • The Case for a Universal Family Benefit
    One Could Reduce Child Poverty At No Fiscal CostFollowing the Richardson/Shipley 1990 ‘redesign of the welfare state’ – which eliminated the universal Family Benefit and doubled the rate of child poverty – various income supplements for families have been added, the best known being ‘Working for Families’, introduced in 2005. ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    16 hours ago

  • A who’s who of New Zealand’s dodgiest companies
    Submissions on National's corrupt Muldoonist fast-track law are due today (have you submitted?), and just hours before they close, Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop has been forced to release the list of companies he invited to apply. I've spent the last hour going through it in an epic thread of bleats, ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    17 hours ago

  • On Lee’s watch, Economic Development seems to be stuck on scoring points from promoting sporting e...
    Buzz from the Beehive A few days ago, Point of Order suggested the media must be musing “on why Melissa is mute”. Our article reported that people working in the beleaguered media industry have cause to yearn for a minister as busy as Melissa Lee’s ministerial colleagues and we drew ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    18 hours ago

  • New Zealand has never been closed for business
    1. What was The Curse of Jim Bolger?a. Winston Peters b. Soon after shaking his hand, world leaders would mysteriously lose office or shuffle off this mortal coilc. Could never shake off the Mother of All Budgetsd. Dandruff2. True or false? The Chairman of a Kiwi export business has asked the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    19 hours ago

  • Stop the panic – we’ve been here before
    Jack Vowles writes – New Zealand is said to be suffering from ‘serious populist discontent’. An IPSOS MORI survey has reported that we have an increasing preference for strong leaders, think that the economy is rigged toward the rich and powerful, and political elites are ignoring ‘hard-working people’.  ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    22 hours ago

  • Melissa Lee and the media: ending the quest
    Chris Trotter writes –  MELISSA LEE should be deprived of her ministerial warrant. Her handling – or non-handling – of the crisis engulfing the New Zealand news media has been woeful. The fate of New Zealand’s two linear television networks, a question which the Minister of Broadcasting, Communications ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    23 hours ago

  • The Hoon around the week to April 19
    TL;DR: The podcast above features co-hosts and , along with regular guests Robert Patman on Gaza and AUKUS II, and on climate change.The six things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    23 hours ago

  • The ‘Humpty Dumpty’ end result of dismantling our environmental protections
    Policymakers rarely wish to make plain or visible their desire to dismantle environmental policy, least of all to the young. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s the top five news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above between Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    24 hours ago

  • Nicola's Salad Days.
    I like to keep an eye on what’s happening in places like the UK, the US, and over the ditch with our good mates the Aussies. Let’s call them AUKUS, for want of a better collective term. More on that in a bit.It used to be, not long ago, that ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago

  • Study sees climate change baking in 19% lower global income by 2050
    TL;DR: The global economy will be one fifth smaller than it would have otherwise been in 2050 as a result of climate damage, according to a new study by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) and published in the journal Nature. (See more detail and analysis below, and ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago

  • Weekly Roundup 19-April-2024
    It’s Friday again. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week on Greater Auckland On Tuesday Matt covered at the government looking into a long tunnel for Wellington. On Wednesday we ran a post from Oscar Simms on some lessons from Texas. AT’s ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    1 day ago

  • Jack Vowles: Stop the panic – we’ve been here before
    New Zealand is said to be suffering from ‘serious populist discontent’. An IPSOS MORI survey has reported that we have an increasing preference for strong leaders, think that the economy is rigged toward the rich and powerful, and political elites are ignoring ‘hard-working people’.  The data is from February this ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    1 day ago

  • Clearing up confusion (or trying to)
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters is understood to be planning a major speech within the next fortnight to clear up the confusion over whether or not New Zealand might join the AUKUS submarine project. So far, there have been conflicting signals from the Government. RNZ reported the Prime Minister yesterday in ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 day ago

  • How to Retrieve Deleted Call Log iPhone Without Computer
    How to Retrieve Deleted Call Log on iPhone Without a Computer: A Step–by–Step Guide Losing your iPhone call history can be frustrating, especially when you need to find a specific number or recall an important conversation. But before you panic, know that there are ways to retrieve deleted call logs on your iPhone, even without a computer. This guide will explore various methods, ranging from simple checks to utilizing iCloud backups and third–party applications. So, let‘s dive in and recover those lost calls! 1. Check Recently Deleted Folder: Apple understands that accidental deletions happen. That‘s why they introduced the “Recently Deleted“ folder for various apps, including the Phone app. This folder acts as a safety net, storing deleted call logs for up to 30 days before permanently erasing them. Here‘s how to check it: Open the Phone app on your iPhone. Tap on the “Recents“ tab at the bottom. Scroll to the top and tap on “Edit“. Select “Show Recently Deleted“. Browse the list to find the call logs you want to recover. Tap on the desired call log and choose “Recover“ to restore it to your call history. 2. Restore from iCloud Backup: If you regularly back up your iPhone to iCloud, you might be able to retrieve your deleted call log from a previous backup. However, keep in mind that this process will restore your entire phone to the state it was in at the time of the backup, potentially erasing any data added since then. Here‘s how to restore from an iCloud backup: Go to Settings > General > Reset. Choose “Erase All Content and Settings“. Follow the on–screen instructions. Your iPhone will restart and show the initial setup screen. Choose “Restore from iCloud Backup“ during the setup process. Select the relevant backup that contains your deleted call log. Wait for the restoration process to complete. 3. Explore Third–Party Apps (with Caution): ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    1 day ago

  • How to Factory Reset iPhone without Computer: A Comprehensive Guide to Restoring your Device
    Life throws curveballs, and sometimes, those curveballs necessitate wiping your iPhone clean and starting anew. Whether you’re facing persistent software glitches, preparing to sell your device, or simply wanting a fresh start, knowing how to factory reset iPhone without a computer is a valuable skill. While using a computer with ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    2 days ago

  • How to Call Someone on a Computer: A Guide to Voice and Video Communication in the Digital Age
    Gone are the days when communication was limited to landline phones and physical proximity. Today, computers have become powerful tools for connecting with people across the globe through voice and video calls. But with a plethora of applications and methods available, how to call someone on a computer might seem ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    2 days ago

  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #16 2024
    Open access notables Glacial isostatic adjustment reduces past and future Arctic subsea permafrost, Creel et al., Nature Communications: Sea-level rise submerges terrestrial permafrost in the Arctic, turning it into subsea permafrost. Subsea permafrost underlies ~ 1.8 million km2 of Arctic continental shelf, with thicknesses in places exceeding 700 m. Sea-level variations over glacial-interglacial cycles control ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago

  • Where on a Computer is the Operating System Generally Stored? Delving into the Digital Home of your ...
    The operating system (OS) is the heart and soul of a computer, orchestrating every action and interaction between hardware and software. But have you ever wondered where on a computer is the operating system generally stored? The answer lies in the intricate dance between hardware and software components, particularly within ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    2 days ago

  • How Many Watts Does a Laptop Use? Understanding Power Consumption and Efficiency
    Laptops have become essential tools for work, entertainment, and communication, offering portability and functionality. However, with rising energy costs and growing environmental concerns, understanding a laptop’s power consumption is more important than ever. So, how many watts does a laptop use? The answer, unfortunately, isn’t straightforward. It depends on several ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    2 days ago

  • How to Screen Record on a Dell Laptop A Guide to Capturing Your Screen with Ease
    Screen recording has become an essential tool for various purposes, such as creating tutorials, capturing gameplay footage, recording online meetings, or sharing information with others. Fortunately, Dell laptops offer several built-in and external options for screen recording, catering to different needs and preferences. This guide will explore various methods on ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    2 days ago

  • How Much Does it Cost to Fix a Laptop Screen? Navigating Repair Options and Costs
    A cracked or damaged laptop screen can be a frustrating experience, impacting productivity and enjoyment. Fortunately, laptop screen repair is a common service offered by various repair shops and technicians. However, the cost of fixing a laptop screen can vary significantly depending on several factors. This article delves into the ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    2 days ago

  • How Long Do Gaming Laptops Last? Demystifying Lifespan and Maximizing Longevity
    Gaming laptops represent a significant investment for passionate gamers, offering portability and powerful performance for immersive gaming experiences. However, a common concern among potential buyers is their lifespan. Unlike desktop PCs, which allow for easier component upgrades, gaming laptops have inherent limitations due to their compact and integrated design. This ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    2 days ago

  • Climate Change: Turning the tide
    The annual inventory report of New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions has been released, showing that gross emissions have dropped for the third year in a row, to 78.4 million tons: All-told gross emissions have decreased by over 6 million tons since the Zero Carbon Act was passed in 2019. ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago

  • How to Unlock Your Computer A Comprehensive Guide to Regaining Access
    Experiencing a locked computer can be frustrating, especially when you need access to your files and applications urgently. The methods to unlock your computer will vary depending on the specific situation and the type of lock you encounter. This guide will explore various scenarios and provide step-by-step instructions on how ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    2 days ago

  • Faxing from Your Computer A Modern Guide to Sending Documents Digitally
    While the world has largely transitioned to digital communication, faxing still holds relevance in certain industries and situations. Fortunately, gone are the days of bulky fax machines and dedicated phone lines. Today, you can easily send and receive faxes directly from your computer, offering a convenient and efficient way to ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    2 days ago

  • Protecting Your Home Computer A Guide to Cyber Awareness
    In our increasingly digital world, home computers have become essential tools for work, communication, entertainment, and more. However, this increased reliance on technology also exposes us to various cyber threats. Understanding these threats and taking proactive steps to protect your home computer is crucial for safeguarding your personal information, finances, ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    2 days ago

  • Server-Based Computing Powering the Modern Digital Landscape
    In the ever-evolving world of technology, server-based computing has emerged as a cornerstone of modern digital infrastructure. This article delves into the concept of server-based computing, exploring its various forms, benefits, challenges, and its impact on the way we work and interact with technology. Understanding Server-Based Computing: At its core, ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    2 days ago

  • Vroom vroom go the big red trucks
    The absolute brass neck of this guy.We want more medical doctors, not more spin doctors, Luxon was saying a couple of weeks ago, and now we’re told the guy has seven salaried adults on TikTok duty. Sorry, doing social media. The absolute brass neck of it. The irony that the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago

  • Jones finds $410,000 to help the government muscle in on a spat project
    Buzz from the Beehive Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones relishes spatting and eagerly takes issue with environmentalists who criticise his enthusiasm for resource development. He relishes helping the fishing industry too. And so today, while the media are making much of the latest culling in the public service to ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago

  • Again, hate crimes are not necessarily terrorism.
    Having written, taught and worked for the US government on issues involving unconventional warfare and terrorism for 30-odd years, two things irritate me the most when the subject is discussed in public. The first is the Johnny-come-lately academics-turned-media commentators who … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    2 days ago

  • Despair – construction consenting edition
    Eric Crampton writes – Kainga Ora is the government’s house building agency. It’s been building a lot of social housing. Kainga Ora has its own (but independent) consenting authority, Consentium. It’s a neat idea. Rather than have to deal with building consents across each different territorial authority, Kainga Ora ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Coalition promises – will the Govt keep the commitment to keep Kiwis equal before the law?
    Muriel Newman writes – The Coalition Government says it is moving with speed to deliver campaign promises and reverse the damage done by Labour. One of their key commitments is to “defend the principle that New Zealanders are equal before the law.” To achieve this, they have pledged they “will not advance ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • An impermanent public service is a guarantee of very little else but failure
    Chris Trotter writes –  The absence of anything resembling a fightback from the public servants currently losing their jobs is interesting. State-sector workers’ collective fatalism in the face of Coalition cutbacks indicates a surprisingly broad acceptance of impermanence in the workplace. Fifty years ago, lay-offs in the thousands ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • What happens after the war – Mariupol
    Mariupol, on the Azov Sea coast, was one of the first cities to suffer almost complete destruction after the start of the Ukraine War started in late February 2022. We remember the scenes of absolute destruction of the houses and city structures. The deaths of innocent civilians – many of ...
    Open ParachuteBy Ken
    2 days ago

  • Babies and benefits – no good news
    Lindsay Mitchell writes – Ten years ago, I wrote the following in a Listener column: Every year around one in five new-born babies will be reliant on their caregivers benefit by Christmas. This pattern has persisted from at least 1993. For Maori the number jumps to over one in three.  ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Should the RBNZ be looking through climate inflation?
    Climate change is expected to generate more and more extreme events, delivering a sort of structural shock to inflation that central banks will have to react to as if they were short-term cyclical issues. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Bernard's pick 'n' mix of the news links
    The top six news links I’ve seen elsewhere in the last 24 hours, as of 9:16 am on Thursday, April 18 are:Housing: Tauranga residents living in boats, vans RNZ Checkpoint Louise TernouthHousing: Waikato councillor says wastewater plant issues could hold up Sleepyhead building a massive company town Waikato Times Stephen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on the public sector carnage, and misogyny as terrorism
    It’s a simple deal. We pay taxes in order to finance the social services we want and need. The carnage now occurring across the public sector though, is breaking that contract. Over 3,000 jobs have been lost so far. Many are in crucial areas like Education where the impact of ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    2 days ago

  • Meeting the Master Baiters
    Hi,A friend had their 40th over the weekend and decided to theme it after Curb Your Enthusiasm fashion icon Susie Greene. Captured in my tiny kitchen before I left the house, I ending up evoking a mix of old lesbian and Hillary Clinton — both unintentional.Me vs Hillary ClintonIf you’re ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago

  • How extreme was the Earth's temperature in 2023
    This is a re-post from Andrew Dessler at the Climate Brink blog In 2023, the Earth reached temperature levels unprecedented in modern times. Given that, it’s reasonable to ask: What’s going on? There’s been lots of discussions by scientists about whether this is just the normal progression of global warming or if something ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago

  • Backbone, revisited
    The schools are on holiday and the sun is shining in the seaside village and all day long I have been seeing bunches of bikes; Mums, Dads, teens and toddlers chattering, laughing, happy, having a bloody great time together. Cheers, AT, for the bits of lane you’ve added lately around the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago

  • Ministers are not above the law
    Today in our National-led authoritarian nightmare: Shane Jones thinks Ministers should be above the law: New Zealand First MP Shane Jones is accusing the Waitangi Tribunal of over-stepping its mandate by subpoenaing a minister for its urgent hearing on the Oranga Tamariki claim. The tribunal is looking into the ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago

  • What’s the outfit you can hear going down the gurgler? Probably it’s David Parker’s Oceans Sec...
    Buzz from the Beehive Point  of Order first heard of the Oceans Secretariat in June 2021, when David Parker (remember him?) announced a multi-agency approach to protecting New Zealand’s marine ecosystems and fisheries. Parker (holding the Environment, and Oceans and Fisheries portfolios) broke the news at the annual Forest & ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago

  • Will politicians let democracy die in the darkness?
    Bryce Edwards writes  – Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Matt Doocey doubles down on trans “healthcare”
    Citizen Science writes –  Last week saw two significant developments in the debate over the treatment of trans-identifying children and young people – the release in Britain of the final report of Dr Hilary Cass’s review into gender healthcare, and here in New Zealand, the news that the ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • A TikTok Prime Minister.
    One night while sleeping in my bed I had a beautiful dreamThat all the people of the world got together on the same wavelengthAnd began helping one anotherNow in this dream, universal love was the theme of the dayPeace and understanding and it happened this wayAfter such an eventful day ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • Texas Lessons
    This is a guest post by Oscar Simms who is a housing activist, volunteer for the Coalition for More Homes, and was the Labour Party candidate for Auckland Central at the last election. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    3 days ago

  • Bernard's pick 'n' mix of the news links at 6:06 am
    The top six news links I’ve seen elsewhere in the last 24 hours as of 6:06 am on Wednesday, April 17 are:Must read: Secrecy shrouds which projects might be fast-tracked RNZ Farah HancockScoop: Revealed: Luxon has seven staffers working on social media content - partly paid for by taxpayer Newshub ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Fighting poverty on the holiday highway
    Turning what Labour called the “holiday highway” into a four-lane expressway from Auckland to Whangarei could bring at least an economic benefit of nearly two billion a year for Northland each year. And it could help bring an end to poverty in one of New Zealand’s most deprived regions. The ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago

  • Bernard's six-stack of substacks at 6:26 pm
    Tonight’s six-stack includes: launching his substack with a bunch of his previous documentaries, including this 1992 interview with Dame Whina Cooper. and here crew give climate activists plenty to do, including this call to submit against the Fast Track Approvals bill. writes brilliantly here on his substack ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • At a glance – Is the science settled?
    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 ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago

  • Apposite Quotations.
    How Long Is Long Enough? Gaza under Israeli bombardment, July 2014. This posting is exclusive to Bowalley Road. ...
    Bowalley Road
    4 days ago

  • What’s a life worth now?
    You're in the mall when you hear it: some kind of popping sound in the distance, kids with fireworks, maybe. But then a moment of eerie stillness is followed by more of the fireworks sound and there’s also screaming and shrieking and now here come people running for their lives.Does ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • Howling at the Moon
    Karl du Fresne writes –  There’s a crisis in the news media and the media are blaming it on everyone except themselves. Culpability is being deflected elsewhere – mainly to the hapless Minister of Communications, Melissa Lee, and the big social media platforms that are accused of hoovering ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Newshub is Dead.
    I don’t normally send out two newsletters in a day but I figured I’d say something about… the news. If two newsletters is a bit much then maybe just skip one, I don’t want to overload people. Alternatively if you’d be interested in sometimes receiving multiple, smaller updates from me, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • Seymour is chuffed about cutting early-learning red tape – but we hear, too, that Jones has loose...
    Buzz from the Beehive David Seymour and Winston Peters today signalled that at least two ministers of the Crown might be in Wellington today. Seymour (as Associate Minister of Education) announced the removal of more red tape, this time to make it easier for new early learning services to be ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: Will politicians let democracy die in the darkness?
    Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. Our political system is suffering from the ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago

  • Was Hawkesby entirely wrong?
    David Farrar  writes –  The Broadcasting Standards Authority ruled: Comments by radio host Kate Hawkesby suggesting Māori and Pacific patients were being prioritised for surgery due to their ethnicity were misleading and discriminatory, the Broadcasting Standards Authority has found. It is a fact such patients are prioritised. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • PRC shadow looms as the Solomons head for election
    PRC and its proxies in Solomons have been preparing for these elections for a long time. A lot of money, effort and intelligence have gone into ensuring an outcome that won’t compromise Beijing’s plans. Cleo Paskall writes – On April 17th the Solomon Islands, a country of ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Climate Change: Criminal ecocide
    We are in the middle of a climate crisis. Last year was (again) the hottest year on record. NOAA has just announced another global coral bleaching event. Floods are threatening UK food security. So naturally, Shane Jones wants to make it easier to mine coal: Resources Minister Shane Jones ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago

  • Is saving one minute of a politician's time worth nearly $1 billion?
    Is speeding up the trip to and from Wellington airport by 12 minutes worth spending up more than $10 billion? Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me in the last day to 8:26 am today are:The Lead: Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • Long Tunnel or Long Con?
    Yesterday it was revealed that Transport Minister had asked Waka Kotahi to look at the options for a long tunnel through Wellington. State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    4 days ago

  • PM’s South East Asia mission does the business
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 hour ago

  • $41m to support clean energy in South East Asia
    New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    18 hours ago

  • Minister releases Fast-track stakeholder list
    The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago

  • Judicial appointments announced
    Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago

  • Education Minister heads to major teaching summit in Singapore
    Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa.  The summit is co-hosted ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago

  • Value of stopbank project proven during cyclone
    A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago

  • Anzac commemorations, Türkiye relationship focus of visit
    Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul.    “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    22 hours ago

  • Minister to Europe for OECD meeting, Anzac Day
    Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Comprehensive Partnership the goal for NZ and the Philippines
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr.  The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Government commits $20m to Westport flood protection
    The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Taupō takes pole position
    The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Cost of living support for low-income homeowners
    Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners.  “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Government backing mussel spat project
    The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Government focused on getting people into work
    Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Clean energy key driver to reducing emissions
    The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Earthquake-prone buildings review brought forward
    The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Thailand and NZ to agree to Strategic Partnership
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Government consults on extending coastal permits for ports
    RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Inflation coming down, but more work to do
    Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • School attendance restored as a priority in health advice
    Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Unnecessary bureaucracy cut in oceans sector
    Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Patterson promoting NZ’s wool sector at International Congress
    Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector.    "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Removing red tape to help early learners thrive
    The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • RMA changes to cut coal mining consent red tape
    Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • McClay reaffirms strong NZ-China trade relationship
    Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Prime Minister Luxon acknowledges legacy of Singapore Prime Minister Lee
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today paid tribute to Singapore’s outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.   Meeting in Singapore today immediately before Prime Minister Lee announced he was stepping down, Prime Minister Luxon warmly acknowledged his counterpart’s almost twenty years as leader, and the enduring legacy he has left for Singapore and South East ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • PMs Luxon and Lee deepen Singapore-NZ ties
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. While in Singapore as part of his visit to South East Asia this week, Prime Minister Luxon also met with Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and will meet with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.  During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Antarctica New Zealand Board appointments
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has made further appointments to the Board of Antarctica New Zealand as part of a continued effort to ensure the Scott Base Redevelopment project is delivered in a cost-effective and efficient manner.  The Minister has appointed Neville Harris as a new member of the Board. Mr ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Finance Minister travels to Washington DC
    Finance Minister Nicola Willis will travel to the United States on Tuesday to attend a meeting of the Five Finance Ministers group, with counterparts from Australia, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.  “I am looking forward to meeting with our Five Finance partners on how we can work ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Pet bonds a win/win for renters and landlords
    The coalition Government has today announced purrfect and pawsitive changes to the Residential Tenancies Act to give tenants with pets greater choice when looking for a rental property, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Pets are important members of many Kiwi families. It’s estimated that around 64 per cent of New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Long Tunnel for SH1 Wellington being considered
    State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the Government has also asked NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) to consider and provide advice on a Long Tunnel option, Transport Minister Simeon Brown ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • New Zealand condemns Iranian strikes
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters have condemned Iran’s shocking and illegal strikes against Israel.    “These attacks are a major challenge to peace and stability in a region already under enormous pressure," Mr Luxon says.    "We are deeply concerned that miscalculation on any side could ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Huge interest in Government’s infrastructure plans
    Hundreds of people in little over a week have turned out in Northland to hear Regional Development Minister Shane Jones speak about plans for boosting the regional economy through infrastructure. About 200 people from the infrastructure and associated sectors attended an event headlined by Mr Jones in Whangarei today. Last ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Health Minister thanks outgoing Health New Zealand Chair
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has today thanked outgoing Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora Chair Dame Karen Poutasi for her service on the Board.   “Dame Karen tendered her resignation as Chair and as a member of the Board today,” says Dr Reti.  “I have asked her to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Roads of National Significance planning underway
    The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has signalled their proposed delivery approach for the Government’s 15 Roads of National Significance (RoNS), with the release of the State Highway Investment Proposal (SHIP) today, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.  “Boosting economic growth and productivity is a key part of the Government’s plan to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Navigating an unstable global environment
    New Zealand is renewing its connections with a world facing urgent challenges by pursuing an active, energetic foreign policy, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.   “Our country faces the most unstable global environment in decades,” Mr Peters says at the conclusion of two weeks of engagements in Egypt, Europe and the United States.    “We cannot afford to sit back in splendid ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • NZ welcomes Australian Governor-General
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced the Australian Governor-General, His Excellency General The Honourable David Hurley and his wife Her Excellency Mrs Linda Hurley, will make a State visit to New Zealand from Tuesday 16 April to Thursday 18 April. The visit reciprocates the State visit of former Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Pseudoephedrine back on shelves for Winter
    Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced that Medsafe has approved 11 cold and flu medicines containing pseudoephedrine. Pharmaceutical suppliers have indicated they may be able to supply the first products in June. “This is much earlier than the original expectation of medicines being available by 2025. The Government recognised ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • NZ and the US: an ever closer partnership
    New Zealand and the United States have recommitted to their strategic partnership in Washington DC today, pledging to work ever more closely together in support of shared values and interests, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.    “The strategic environment that New Zealand and the United States face is considerably more ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Joint US and NZ declaration
    April 11, 2024 Joint Declaration by United States Secretary of State the Honorable Antony J. Blinken and New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs the Right Honourable Winston Peters We met today in Washington, D.C. to recommit to the historic partnership between our two countries and the principles that underpin it—rule ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2024-04-19T21:57:22+00:00