Open mike 18/10/2014

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, October 18th, 2014 - 117 comments
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117 comments on “Open mike 18/10/2014 ”

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  1. b waghorn 1
    18 October 2014 at 7:37 am

    Te uruwera national park was recently returned to tuhoe (rightly so) but there was no plan around hunting permits , all existing ones have been cancelled and no new ones are to be issued till at least next year. Surely the government and tuhoe should of sorted this out as its just opened the door for the angry small minds .

    • wekarawshark 1.1
      18 October 2014 at 1:47 pm

      I’d want to know why first.

      • b waghorn 1.1.1
        18 October 2014 at 2:44 pm

        So do I . I had hoped someone here might have some insight? My cynical side thinks it’s another way for government to cut costs. My main worry is race relations , there were assurances made around access . I’m not tuhoe but love the uruwera and there’s plenty like me.

        • wekarawshark 1.1.1.1
          18 October 2014 at 5:10 pm

          Access remains.

          The Te Urewera Act requires hunters to obtain a permit to carry a rifle or take pigdogs into Te Urewera. New rifle and pigdog permits are being designed that reflects the new Te Urewera and the principles of the new Act, the safety of the hunter, visitors and the environment. At this time it is not known when that process will be completed. When done the new permit will be located on this website (except for pigdog permits, which must be obtained in person) and can be accessed from any computer. Permits previously issued by DOC are no longer valid. Fishing licences will continue to be provided by Fish and Game.

          Access into Te Urewera will continue to be freely available.

          http://www.ngaituhoe.iwi.nz/te-urewera

          The board’s chair, Tamati Kruger, said all current permits are on hold and no new ones will be approved while it considers changes to how permission is given.

          Mr Kruger said the review is about improving health and safety issues and making it a more efficient system and more equal for everyone.

          This would also benefit the environment and biodiversity of Te Urewera, he said. The new process would include more protections, such as using information from microchips in pets to track lost hunting dogs.

          Minister of Maori Development, Waiariki MP Te Ururoa Flavell, said Tuhoe has not stopped hunters accessing Te Urewera indefinitely.

          He said they are making sure there is strong protection for the forest and getting a better idea of how they it is used.

          Mr Flavell said Tuhoe is still ensuring there is some recreational access to their rohe by letting walkers in while the permits are reviewed.

          The board aims to complete the review by the end of this year.

          http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/te-manu-korihi/256812/te-urewera-hunting-permits-review

          Seems reasonable to me.

          I suggest avoiding news outlets like this unless you want to study inflammatory media racism,

          http://www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/news/10604832/Tuhoe-banishes-hunters-in-Urewera

          • b waghorn 1.1.1.1.1
            18 October 2014 at 5:19 pm

            Cheers . that stuff article is doing the rounds on face book that’s were I saw some of the hate first ask questions later crowd.

    • finbar 1.2
      18 October 2014 at 9:44 pm

      No.It belongs to them now their IWI.Soon they are going to be left alone to take care of themselves as a governing body within N.Z.thats what our governing corporation has told them,you can have your treaty settllements and look after yourselves within time of our rule.Like the state of the art they have built as their learning centre,truely amazing in its designe and beauty,Maori young architect his design.Charged going onto their land,heh! we are a island within a island,and our attonomy like yours, charges for entering our state.

  2. The Lone Haranguer 2
    18 October 2014 at 8:26 am

    Seattle Socialist Party Wants $20 Per Hour Min. Wage But Offers $13

    Yep, that is correct. The Seattle socialist party wants a $20 per hour minimum wage but is only willing to spend $13 per hour for a website manager.

    The irony in this is way thick.

    Here is the link to the story. http://dailycaller.com/2014/10/17/se…bsite-manager/

    Just a gentle reminder for those promoting a higher minimum wage – make sure you are at or above it for your lower paid workers – its called having integrity

    • Draco T Bastard 2.1
      18 October 2014 at 11:33 am

      I was going to fix your link – until I realised that the site isn’t much better than WhaleOil in that it seems to be a RWNJ attack site that has lots of near naked women and guns on it.

      That said, I do agree that an organisation calling for a higher minimum wage should pay that wage.

    • finbar 2.2
      18 October 2014 at 10:06 pm

      Loner,they sound like Socialist/capitalists,sound old school Russian,communists.Why would you anyway riddicule them,are you new age or just self ignorant about socialism.

  3. The Lone Haranguer 3
    18 October 2014 at 8:31 am

    And related to that, Im trying to figure how to get all my staff up to the living wage. Given the industry Im in, we cant increase prices (we are price takers) and its not easy to increase yield (physical constraints).

    But we are working on it.

    Is there a website that breaks down the living wage by region? I would expect that the housing component in Gisborne or Masterton would be significantly less than say Hamilton or Christchurch.

    Thanks

    • wekarawshark 3.1
      18 October 2014 at 9:22 am

      what’s a price taker?

      • b waghorn 3.1.1
        18 October 2014 at 9:52 am

        Farmers and growers tend to be price takers the easy money is for the middle men

      • Draco T Bastard 3.1.2
        18 October 2014 at 11:37 am

        A price taker, in economic terms, is a business that must accept the market price as they have no ability to change it. In theory this should apply to all businesses but in reality some businesses get to set the price.

    • karol 3.2
      18 October 2014 at 9:49 am

      So basically you’re business is not profitable enough to pay fair wages?

      • wekarawshark 3.2.1
        18 October 2014 at 10:51 am

        I don’t think it’s a simple as that karol. If they’re talking about something like growing veges then the market is rigged and requires structural change well beyond the individual business. Generalisation, as many businesses can increase wages and give better contracts but are advised not to via the business model they use.

      • The Lone Haranguer 3.2.2
        18 October 2014 at 4:29 pm

        Our business has a bunch of fixed costs over which we have limited control. Our income is a mix of yield and price.

        Where the price is set by others, (Government in our case) to increase income we need to increase yield. But that is limited by various factors including land availability and the contracts that we actually have.

        Not every business is a licence to print money, but in my case,I enjoy what I do and feel that I am making a difference in the lives of a bunch of people.

        So yes Karol, as the business owner, my income is considerably lower than my staff.

        I guess you could call it a dumb business, but if I gave up, then it is likely that nobody would take it on and my 20 staff might not have jobs. They are awesome people and I wouldnt like that to happen to them.

        • karol 3.2.2.1
          18 October 2014 at 4:44 pm

          TLH, if your business makes a positive contribution to society, then surely the answer is for government to provide the context for such businesses to survive and be able to pay a living wage?

          The “free market” ethos means that some businesses that damage society can make a fortune (property investors??!) while those that make a more positive contribution overall, can struggle.

      • The Lone Haranguer 3.2.3
        18 October 2014 at 4:31 pm

        Karol, do you know if there is info available to show the living wage by area in the country?

        • karol 3.2.3.1
          18 October 2014 at 4:45 pm

          No.

        • greywarshark 3.2.3.2
          18 October 2014 at 4:53 pm

          Hi The Lone Harang 4.31
          I believe that the living wage has been averaged out working from stats from all areas. There would be a model of what the average costs of a household would be and itemised.

          The rental part of a person’s low-medium wage used to be 25% for state houses then when it was noticed to be reaching 50% it was considered excessive, and now I think that a rough guide is 1/3 of the weekly wage.
          NZ stats should have some models of costs I would think.

    • finbar 3.3
      18 October 2014 at 10:17 pm

      Living wage is not broken down by districtits minimum,what is, the cost of your wage spent to live in a home 70%.All exploitive outside state tenancy is your rent,as most minimum workers are slaved to pay,outside State tenancy

  4. dv 4
    18 October 2014 at 8:54 am

    ‘Middlemore Hospital is “totally ready” for an Ebola outbreak, Health Minister Jonathan Coleman said yesterday after visiting the hospital’s new infectious diseases biocontainment unit.

    Thank god for that

    BUT

    ‘The Ebola unit had two rooms, able to host a maximum of four people

    ‘OH as long as the outbreak was only 4 people!!! (And in Auckland)

    BUT

    ‘Dr McBride said, but added it would not be ideal to be stretched to full capacity.

    So may be 1-2 people!!!

    • wekarawshark 4.1
      18 October 2014 at 9:34 am

      Here’s the article, which is actually pretty good at explaining things.

      http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11344409

      Middlemore is geared up to handle someone arriving in NZ with Ebola, so that they can prevent an epidemic. That article isn’t about preparations for dealing with an epidemic once it’s started (the govt isn’t going to want to talk about that because it will involve things like invoking laws that restrict freedom of movement and congregation and air travel).

      McFlock believes that if we get to the point of a potential epidemic that the MoH will be ready to tell everyone what to do (re quarantine, hygiene etc). I reckon it’s better to learn now. In the same way that we think about how to survive after a civil emergenc (water, shelter, dealing with waste), how would we manage in our homes and communities?

      • McFlock 4.1.2
        18 October 2014 at 5:08 pm

        Was watching a BBC interview a day or two back regarding the US cases, where the interviewer pointed out that post-911 hospitals were mandated for regular training against infectious diseases (for fear of an AQ “12 monkeys” style terrorist attack). So why did Dallas healthcare workers use imperfect protocols?

        The response was that so long without an actual threat possibly led to the skillsets perishing.

        So yeah, acting too early might be better than acting too late, but it might also be worse than acting at the right time.

        • wekarawshark 4.1.2.1
          18 October 2014 at 9:00 pm

          Looked more like racism to me.

          Besides, you’re still not getting it. Your point is valid about skillsets perishing, but it’s a non-sequitur to what I am commenting on.

        • Ergo Robertina 4.1.2.2
          19 October 2014 at 12:47 pm

          The WHO’s inadequate response to the Ebola outbreak shows public health authorities do get it wrong, in this case quite spectacularly.
          The leaked internal WHO paper spells it out:

          “Nearly everyone involved in the outbreak response failed to see some fairly plain writing on the wall.”
          http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2014/10/who-faulted-ebola-response-failures-20141017225940408644.html

          • McFlock 4.1.2.2.1
            19 October 2014 at 1:54 pm

            which still doesn’t explain why a continental US hospital had a couple of cases in HCW when they knew exactly what they were dealing with and had apparently been regularly trained in the procedures to deal with it.

            • Ergo Robertina 4.1.2.2.1.1
              19 October 2014 at 2:25 pm

              Outcomes in general would improve if public health authorities were less secretive and autocratic, and more transparent.

              • McFlock …
                19 October 2014 at 6:19 pm

                They’re not “secretive”, in NZ anyway. “Autocratic” is a culture they’re trying to move away from. And pretty much everything is online and subject to the OIA.

                But the fact is that for some things, access to wikipedia is not of equivalent value to a minimum of a decade’s worth of specialist training.

                • Ergo Robertina …
                  19 October 2014 at 6:48 pm

                  It’s easy to withhold stuff under the OIA by asserting the right to ‘free and frank’ discussion between officials. But I don’t wish to get bogged down in the well known vagaries of the OIA.
                  Your last point shows the fundamental flaw in your thinking: that experts are experts and should be left to get on with it, and maybe we plebs can ask some questions later.
                  The problem is public health people aren’t just applying the expertise of years of specialist training; corporate agendas, political whim, professional jealousy, and organisational paranoia skew action and influence outcomes.
                  No-one is trying to remove their power, just make them more accountable in real time, rather than only after the fact.

                  You acknowledge the autocratic culture; I think it’s that public health people are trained to see the population as their patient, and thus tend to a more jaundiced and haughty view than clinicians who encounter their practice on a case by case basis, which develops a sense of humour and sense of proportion.

                  • McFlock …
                    19 October 2014 at 8:06 pm

                    The problem is public health people aren’t just applying the expertise of years of specialist training; corporate agendas, political whim, professional jealousy, and organisational paranoia skew action and influence outcomes.

                    And the problem with your perspective is that all but the most outrageous examples of expert incompetence/misconduct due to those factors would be indistinguishable from competent expert action, from the perspective of the general public. In the same way that pilots and engineers make similarly indistinguishable judgement calls.

                    Real-time accountability by popular acclaim is fanciful for most endeavours, bloody dangerous for some.

                    • Ergo Robertina …
                      19 October 2014 at 8:33 pm

                      Public health actions are not analogous to those of a pilot or engineer because they are often politically charged, and intellectually contestable.
                      The main issue is disclosure of the advice/lobbying that informs decisions.
                      You claimed NZ public health officials are ‘trying to’ move away from this autocratic culture.
                      What evidence is there for this?

                    • McFlock …
                      19 October 2014 at 8:51 pm

                      The decision to overfly the Crimean war zone was intellectually contestable. And politically charged.

                      The main issue is disclosure of the advice/lobbying that informs decisions.

                      Really?
                      I would have thought that the main issue was whether the decisions saved lives.

                      You claimed NZ public health officials are ‘trying to’ move away from this autocratic culture.
                      What evidence is there for this?

                      Try calling them.

                    • Ergo Robertina …
                      19 October 2014 at 9:42 pm

                      ‘Try calling them.’

                      I didn’t make the claim. State evidence please for your claim that:
                      “Autocratic” is a culture they’re trying to move away from.

                      Perhaps specific instances in which there has been genuine consultation, or prompter/proactive release of information?

                      ‘Really?
                      I would have thought that the main issue was whether the decisions saved lives.’

                      In context, I used the term ‘main issue’ because you claimed ordinary people could not distinguish between competent and incompetent action. If the pressures in play are disclosed it is possible to assess the competence of action and response, and judge the veracity and motivation of public statements.

                      ‘The decision to overfly the Crimean war zone was intellectually contestable. And politically charged.’

                      Yes, in that case, but public health decisions are inherently political and intellectually contestable while the decisions of pilots and engineers are not in the normal course of events.

                    • McFlock …
                      19 October 2014 at 10:15 pm

                      I didn’t make the claim. State evidence please for your claim that:
                      “Autocratic” is a culture they’re trying to move away from.

                      Perhaps specific instances in which there has been genuine consultation, or prompter/proactive release of information?

                      Well, personally I’m finding the use of google on the MoH website much more effective than for previous pandemics of the week. Goodness knows what I’d discover if I bothered calling the officials named in those web pages.

                      If the pressures in play are disclosed it is possible to assess the competence of action and response, and judge the veracity and motivation of public statements.

                      No it is not, because any apparent “pressures in play” might not be pressures at all, or might merely be applying “pressure” in the direction that saves lives because the best option is also the one that makes them the most money.

                      Assuming, of course, that those pressures actually exist in the first place.

                      public health decisions are inherently political and intellectually contestable while the decisions of pilots and engineers are not in the normal course of events.

                      Really?
                      What about if a pilot flies through turbulence rather than around it? A clear judgement call, which might have important repercussions if something goes wrong, or merely career repercussions if the airline judges that the chosen route was a waste of fuel.
                      Not to mention the CTV building collapse. That building worked fine in the normal course of events, and to this day that I don’t thoroughly understand what the precise problem was. I sure wouldn’t have recognised it if I’d insisted construction stopped so I could have a sticky beak at everything. And if I’d insisted that everything be over-engineered to my personal satisfaction, build cost would have made the project fail, and the bloody thing still might have collapsed.

                    • Ergo Robertina …
                      19 October 2014 at 10:57 pm

                      In the case of the CTV building, a bright amateur observer might well have noted certain things were awry around design process and the credentials of some of those involved.
                      I should clarify that while the work of pilots and engineers is essentially apolitical – as I see it anyway – they operate within parameters set by the political process, for instance, building standards.

                    • McFlock …
                      19 October 2014 at 11:21 pm

                      In the case of the CTV building, a bright amateur observer might well have noted certain things were awry around design process and the credentials of some of those involved.

                      Possibly.
                      Or maybe having that level of second-guessing by “bright” and “not so bright” and “bloody stupid” amateurs on every decent-sized construction project would lead to more problems and delays than it’s worth, needlessy impune competent engineers, and still result in catastrophic failures.

  5. chris73 5
    18 October 2014 at 9:26 am

    Can I post yet?

    [lprent: 22nd. Patience…]

  6. phillip ure 6
    18 October 2014 at 9:36 am

    “..Paul Krugman Reveals How Conservative Economists Are Like Superstitious Medieval Crusaders..

    ..The market is treated like a God –

    – whose will only they can divine..”

    (cont..)

    http://www.alternet.org/economy/paul-krugman-reveals-how-conservative-economists-are-superstitious-medieval-crusaders

      • phillip ure 6.1.1
        18 October 2014 at 10:29 am

        not quite as black and white as jmg claims..

        ..(he seems to feel we are locked in some kind of stasis from which there is no escape..and totally discounts technological etc. advances..

        ..currently being worked on..and to come..to clean up our act..

        ..and i agree things are grim..and getting grimmer..but all is not lost..)

        ..and i give krugman credit for being almost a lone voice against the current paradigm..for a very long time..

        ..and feel there many more targets worthy of jmgs’ scorn..than krugman..

        ..who at least seems to walking roughly in the right direction..

        • marty mars 6.1.1.1
          18 October 2014 at 11:02 am

          I disagree phil – technological advances are up there with aliens coming to fix things imo – the collapse of civilisations follow a pattern and we are in it. The messy slide gives us many chances to adjust, to take stock, to sort our shit out – we can do that and that is where hope lives – believing in the white knight to fix everything is just another version of head in the sand – a way to change nothing in our lives, blame the ‘others’ for causing the problems, and live without thinking of the future we leave for our descendants.

  7. phillip ure 7
    18 October 2014 at 9:43 am

    lisa own is asking mccully all the questions he should be asked..

    ..on the nation..

    ..he is squirming like a rat in a trap..

    ..and has no answers to too many of owens’ questions..

    ..(it’s a must-watch..really..)

    one of owens’ questions was pointing out that in the last month saudi arabia have beheaded eight people..

    ..for such ‘crimes’ as sorcery..and adultery…

    ..and they have been invited to join this coalition against isis..

    ..how fucked up is that..?

    ..this is the timbre of our allies..in this religious/sectarian-battle..

    ..that john key is so eagerly signing us up for..

    • Paul 7.1
      18 October 2014 at 11:33 am

      Lisa Owen better not get too good at her job.
      They’ll replace her with someone like Paul Henry if she’s not careful.
      Questioning the establishment.
      That won’t do.

    • Lindsey 7.2
      18 October 2014 at 11:56 am

      Yes, the Saudis have beheaded almost 60 people this year – for crimes such as apostasy, adultery and sorcery.
      Just as civilised as ISIS.

  8. wekarawshark 8
    18 October 2014 at 10:03 am

    Resistance is strong in Ferguson. Day 70 of civil disobedience.

    Two open letters from protestors and allies,

    “We are not concerned if this disrupts normalcy.
    We will disrupt life until we can live”

    https://www.scribd.com/doc/243363734/An-American-Horror-Story-Open-Letter-from-Ferguson-Protestors-and-Allies-10-17-14

  9. karol 9
    18 October 2014 at 10:33 am

    Oh. Interesting. Penny Hulse has not ruled out running for Mayor of Auckland. Is this an NZ herald beat-up? Or is Hulse really likely to consider running for mayor in the future?

    Bernard Orsman wrote in today’s article:

    Auckland mayor Len Brown has returned from a month-long overseas holiday to a budget revolt by local boards and his deputy Penny Hulse not discounting a bid for the mayoral chains.

    Last night, Mrs Hulse said she was asked three or four times a day if she wanted to be mayor and indicated she would make a decision next year.

    “Would I have a crack at the top job? I wouldn’t discount it but there is an awful amount of water to flow under the bridge and a hell of a lot of time before the next election,” she told the Weekend Herald.

    Mrs Hulse said she was loyal to the mayor and would never stand against him.

    “The last thing he needs is a deputy mayor quietly kneecapping him in the background. That is not something I would do,” Mrs Hulse said.

  10. Bill 10
    18 October 2014 at 10:33 am

    ‘Fair Go’ was an insipid consumer affairs programme that did some nice things for people without taking a serious go at any root cause of injustice. Hardly the kind of catch phrase a political party might want to adopt then. Or is it just me who experiences shivers of disgust and loathing every time a prospective Labour leader throws the ‘fair go’ meme into an interview?

    • The Al1en 10.1
      18 October 2014 at 10:39 am

      If fair go, in a political sense, means equal opportunity on a level playing field for all, then no shiver of disgust here, more a tfft, about time.

      • Bill 10.1.1
        18 October 2014 at 10:50 am

        Yeah, I know what it’s meant to mean in a political sense, but what else people associate the phrase with is important because other associations can, depending on the strength of them, either bolster the message or distract/detract from it.

        And given that the TV programme was a bit of an institution in NZ…

        But if people don’t get a vague sense of some bespectacled guy and a couple of side kicks not a million miles removed from the cardboard cutout two-some who do the fucked up pharmaceutical infomercials, then hey.

        • The Al1en 10.1.1.1
          18 October 2014 at 10:54 am

          “but what else people associate the phrase with is important because other associations can, depending on the strength of them, either bolster the message or distract/detract from it.”

          Well you know what I think of it, for others, I’m sure it means no such thing, more like freebies to the poor and positive discrimination and such rot.
          Even though labour leadership contenders may speak with forked tongues, I doubt they mean that, though who really knows?

    • karol 10.2
      18 October 2014 at 10:46 am

      The widely resonating term “fair go” predated that TV programme. The TV show co-opted it for a narrowed purpose.

      But I think it still has a wider resonance in the Kiwi (and Australian) lingo. Aussies also talk a lot about a “fair go” as being a basic Aussie value.

      • Bill 10.2.1
        18 October 2014 at 10:52 am

        I know. But what pre-dates whatever is irrelevant when it comes to the associations people may have…it’s all about clear and effective messaging. And that requires a blank slate or a background that highlights or bolsters the basic message.

        • karol 10.2.1.1
          18 October 2014 at 10:55 am

          I think more people associate the term as a broader Kiwi value than with the TV programme.

        • wekarawshark 10.2.1.2
          18 October 2014 at 11:03 am

          Most NZers would have positive associations with Fair Go, esp older ones*. Fits with the whole kiwi battler thing, and the triumph of the little guy over the evil giant.

          *I haven’t watched it in years, but for a few generations it was an institution.

    • Murray Rawshark 10.3
      19 October 2014 at 1:27 am

      I associate the term with neoliberal politicians sticking the knife further into the dispossessed as they roll out a new policy with weasel words. They use it to refer back to an almost mythical past, one that they destroyed.

  11. greywarshark 11
    18 October 2014 at 10:52 am

    For those interested in our radionz and public broadcasting and the eternal criticism of any thorough critique as being left leaning here is a piece from Karl du Fresne from last year. Do you agree with his assertions – which I think are generalising and overblown.
    Once was Tim?
    http://www.stuff.co.nz/nelson-mail/opinion/columnists/karl-du-fresne/8479793/RNZ-needs-to-right-its-lean-to-Left

    Public broadcasting organisations, by their very nature, tend to be Left-leaning.
    Australia’s ABC is perpetually under fire for partisan reporting and the prevalence of Left-wing views in current affairs programmes; Britain’s illustrious BBC only slightly less so.

    It’s not hard to understand how this comes about. Journalists distrustful of capitalism naturally gravitate toward state-owned media organisations, seeing them as untainted by the profit motive.
    This becomes self-perpetuating, since the more Left-leaning an organisation becomes, the more it attracts other people of the same persuasion….

    Kim Hill is the worst offender. This is a problem for whoever runs RNZ, because she’s also its biggest name. Chris Laidlaw lists to the Left too, as does Jeremy Rose, a journalist who frequently crops up on Laidlaw’s Sunday morning show.
    Rose appears to be on a lifelong mission to convince people that there are humane alternatives to nasty, heartless capitalism. He’s perfectly entitled to believe that, of course, but he has no right to co-opt the resources of RNZ to pursue his fixation. It’s an abuse of power to use a taxpayer-funded medium to promote pet ideological causes….

    An editor-in-chief who was doing his job properly would crack down on such abuses, for two reasons. The first and most important is that they breach RNZ’s duty to the public to present information fairly and impartially. The second, more pragmatic, reason is that the Left-wing bias apparent in some of RNZ’s programmes is hardly likely to endear the organisation to the politicians who control its fate. In saying this, I’m not suggesting for a moment that RNZ should become a tame government puppet. That would be far worse than the status quo.
    But we all have an interest in Radio New Zealand surviving, and a genuinely independent, non-partisan RNZ will be in a far stronger position to defend itself than one that consistently leaves itself exposed to allegations of bias.

    He doesn’t want RNZ to become a tame government puppet.
    He defines criticism of the status quo of capitalism as bad.
    He demeans Kim Hill, who he accepts as the most popular interviewer, but she is bad because he doesn’t like her.
    He doesn’t like robins because they wet their nests. (Picky unbalanced book customer in Monty Python sketch.)

    • wekarawshark 11.1
      18 October 2014 at 11:09 am

      He doesn’t really give any examples either. The closest he gets if the Ryan interview of Chester Burrows on welfar. The only way I would know what he means is to go and listen to it. If he wants to make his case, he needs to explain.

      • greywarshark 11.1.1
        18 October 2014 at 11:32 am

        wekarawshark 10.1
        He doesn’t need to explain anything. The people who are like him understand exactly what he means, and the ones who don’t, don’t matter as they are obviously skewed to the left, off balance, and about to fall over!

        Musing – I’ve just seen many appropriate and linked words from welfar: – well far, war, law, far, raw, are, few, well fare, farewell. Who’d a’ thought so much life activity could be found inside six little letters.

        • greywarshark 11.1.1.1
          18 October 2014 at 12:28 pm

          wekarawshark
          By the way did you think more on my idea about strolling players going from town to town acting out and educating on the climate change and economic likely outcomes and how to be ready and prepare for them. After this last election, it seems to me that something like this will have to be done. We have a slight majority of voters who are able to utilise this simple majority system we have for political power to avoid necessary actions. And we have a decayed left Party with a small, blurred vision, so have to start build one again, now Labour has been gamed by the opposition, to add to the Greens so that there is a recognisable body that people wanting merit, equity and worth (mew!) can support.

          (And no-one should talk confidently and acceptingly about binding referendums – it would just be replacing politicians making unresearched and unanalysed knee-jerk policy with the same from the public. I only see them being useful in forcing politicians to look at, and hold public select committee meetings on important matters, with a view to introducing a Bill if most agree, and it doesn’t turn the clock back to anti-social or unhealthy behaviours for citizens.)

          • wekarawshark 11.1.1.1.1
            18 October 2014 at 9:10 pm

            I’ve been overwhelmed in the past week (stuff in RL), so am pretty much in comment and run mode. But I still have your comment from the other day bookmarked to come back to 🙂 Would rather wait until I can give it some stressless attention.

      • greywarshark 11.1.2
        18 October 2014 at 1:23 pm

        For those who want some light relief I am putting a link to the best one of the bookshop sketch. I thought it was Monty Python but my preference is for this one with Marty Feldman and I think John Cleese but not sure about that.
        http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPouuA0KMO4

    • karol 11.2
      18 October 2014 at 11:16 am

      du fresne seems to have a very skewed view of what counts as “left” – Ryan? ie, anyone who doesn’t support capitalism shouldn’t get a place on RNZ?

      And he ignores the whole of Morning Report, The Panel, Checkpoint, etc.

      The BBC is pretty supportive of the UK status quo – eg is often criticised for its very partisan antagonism towards Palestine, while being more pro Israel.

    • phillip ure 11.3
      18 October 2014 at 11:16 am

      he’s a rightwing fruitcake..

      ..why are you even reading/linking to him..?

      ..let alone considering the merits of what passes for ideas in his world..

    • Paul 11.4
      18 October 2014 at 11:38 am

      Karl du Fresne would think Margaret Thatcher had left wing tendencies.

    • Once Was Tim 11.5
      19 October 2014 at 3:43 pm

      I meant to reply yesterday @ grey.
      The comments that went with that article pretty much say it all. I’m not sure how he draws the conclusion that since journalists who find problems with capitalist imperatives find state-owned braodcasting their natural venue, and because they do and ‘naturally gravitate’ it becomes self-perpetuating. Perhaps they not ‘naturally journalists’. (There’s no reason why State-owned broadcasting can’t accommodate a range of views across political, social and cultural spectrum-as indeed it should. It’s a question of balance and if Karl du Fresne was actually a journalist he’d be prepared to challenge status quo whatever its colour – but as we know – he doesn’t)
      I distrust people like du Fresne because they use a language which fits their framing: “State-owned”, rather than “Public Service”. (But then that’s been the neo-liberal agenda by those who claim left or right credentials – and its one that attempts to denigrate the idea of ‘the State’ – which in democracies is meant to be representative of the public that empowers it.
      When it comes down to it, du Fresne shows himself incapable of understanding what constitutes a public (yes …. collective) good because he comes from the (politically collective) view that its all about money – naturally right wing I’d have thought, and because governments (the state) don’t generate money.

      I see PSB as a public good – in just the same way public education and public health is, and its probably just as important in that its supposed to be the voice of the public and the modern day public sphere. Perhaps I wouldn’t feel so strongly about it had the corporatists and monopolisers not taken over but diverse representation has to prevail.
      duFresne would probably be more comfortable in another era – when a variety of capitalists ran media, the Church ran education systems and you took your chances with health.

      Incidentally – I’ve heard his arguments exercised (almost word for word) by various media studies folk in academia (not that they agreed or otherwise). I suspect if I delved into it, a du Fresne essay might be marked down for plagiarism or poor referencing but he sure as hell hasn’t convinced me that PSB is inherently ‘left wing’. I wonder where he’d put people like Niall Ferguson (or various other overseas people that have benefited from a PSB income) on the political spectrum.
      And here in NZ ….
      Guyon Espiner, Jim Mora, Susie Ferguson, Kathryn Ryan, (the 5 day a week, 12 hour a day-ers) ….. left wingers? Not a left winger’s asshole amongst them!

  12. greywarshark 12
    18 October 2014 at 11:20 am

    @ phillip ure
    Just a serendipity meeting. But I think it is important to imbibe a bit of the poison regularly so as to not be knocked out when you come across it all unknowing-like and taste its virulence and cunning corrosiveness. Good adjectives eh. Nice bitta descriptive writing there.

  13. Morrissey 13
    18 October 2014 at 11:37 am

    The tragic decline of Mai Chen
    The Nation, TV3, Saturday 18 October 2014

    You’ve probably seen the heart-wrenching, horrifying scenes of Western captives being paraded in front of the camera by ISIS terrorists, before having their heads chopped off. And you are probably aware, despite the fact that the news media rarely acknowledge this embarrassing fact, that the maniacs who are doing this are the same people who have been running a bloody insurrection against the Syrian government for the last three and a half years. The United States and Great Britain have supported these murderers, militarily, financially, rhetorically and diplomatically. American and British support for the Syrian “opposition” continued even after one of them was filmed cutting the heart out of a slain Syrian soldier and biting into it….
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEQFmZrQAx8

    The head-chopping and heart-eating loons enjoyed the support of “the West” because they were unleashing their insanity against an official enemy, the state of Syria. They enjoyed the support not only of the United States and British governments, but also of such esteemed journals as the Daily Mail and Daily Express. But then they went and made a fatal, foolish mistake: they started chopping off the heads of the good guys—Americans and Englishmen.

    That’s unforgiveable. In fact, it’s such an affront to delicate Western sensibilities that a Nobel Peace Prize-winner (Pres. Hopey-Changey) has been moved to organize a massive Coalition of the Caring, consisting of himself, his gravel-voiced, deeply troubled-looking Secretary of State, a dozen or so Sunni Arab dictators, that moral nonpareil David “Snooty” Cameron and a couple of desperate-to-please underlings in Canada and Australia. Over the last month or so the Coalition of the Caring has dropped quite a few bombs in the deserts, some of them managing to hit their former protégés in ISIS.

    In the last week alone, Saudi Arabia has cut the heads off EIGHT people, guilty of the heinous crimes of “sorcery” and adultery. Oddly, the Coalition of the Caring hasn’t said a word about the moral need to bomb Saudi Arabia.

    On TV3’s The Nation this morning, Lisa Owen asked New Zealand’s robotic Foreign Minister Murray McCully why the Coalition of the Caring wasn’t focusing any criticism, let alone dropping bombs, on Saudi Arabia. McCully simply blustered, and refused to answer. When Lisa Owen pressed him on the matter, he showed signs of irritation, and continued to stonewall.

    Next, she interviewed former Australian prime minister Julia Gillard, who demonstrated, perhaps unwittingly, just what a nasty hypocrite she is. She expressed unqualified support for Tony Abbott’s decision to join the campaign against ISIS; her only justification for this was that “we have all been shocked” by the images of “what has been happening there.” Of course, we have all been shocked by the images of what Israel did to the captive enclave of Gaza two months ago, but neither Abbott nor Gillard called for the bombing of Haifa or Tel Aviv or West Jerusalem, all of which are notorious for harbouring thousands of brutal ideologues and war criminals. Lisa Owen then asked Gillard if, during her time in power, Australia ever engaged in spying on its allies, such as New Zealand. Gillard smiled and said she was never going to divulge such sensitive information. Almost in the next breath, Gillard had the gall to express concern at “the lack of transparency” about China’s military strength in the Asia-Pacific region.

    After that, there was a boring discussion about the New Zealand flag, between Ian Taylor and a bloke from the RSA. After looking at a selection of different designs for a possible new flag, the RSA man was unimpressed: “It’s not going to feed the poor, it’s not going to make our army more fearsome,” he intoned.

    He wants our army to be “fearsome”? Is this fearsome enough for him?….
    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10587924

    The last part of the show consisted of a panel (Jon Stephenson, Mai Chen and Trish Sherson) discussing the week in politics. This was quite interesting. Jon Stephenson, as always, was excellent. He was scathing of John Key’s fear-mongering about a “terror threat” facing New Zealand. Trish Sherson is a PR consultant, and talks like one. But she was considered and thoughtful in comparison to Mai Chen, who was the one who sounded like a PR consultant. Chen is apparently highly impressed by New Zealand’s election to the Security Council. “It’s a strategic MASTERSTROKE,” she burbled. “We are RELEVANT now!”

    It’s a pity to see Mai Chen behave like this. She used to be a bright and well spoken contributor to discussions. What’s happened to her? I can see three reasons for this: 1.) She has appeared too often on Jim Mora’s light chat show on National Radio; 2.) She’s been too close to the mealy-mouthed “Sir” Geoffrey Palmer for too long; and 3.) She’s got her eye on a political career, and therefore honest, forthright commentary must now be dispensed with.

    • Paul 13.1
      18 October 2014 at 11:40 am

      Christopher Hitchens turned from a socialist critique of the West into a defender of the neocon invasion of Iraq.
      Mai Chen follows in his not so august footsteps.

      • phillip ure 13.1.1
        18 October 2014 at 11:51 am

        even worse..!

        ..aside from getting far too over-excited about this u.n.-bullshit..

        ..she actually said:..’at the end of the day’…

        ..whoar..!..

        ..what price education..?

      • Morrissey 13.1.2
        18 October 2014 at 7:12 pm

        As disappointed as I was with Mai Chen’s performance this morning, she would have to sink to an almost unthinkable level of depravity before I would compare her to Christopher Hitchens. That fellow was a supremely gifted writer, who ended up being regarded by most people as a courtier, a crawler and a callous, unapologetic liar. In his risible final book, he spends several pages enviously detailing how wonderfully urbane his friend Martin Amis was in the company of the young women at a Manhattan brothel they were visiting. He also indulges in a ridiculous attack on Noam Chomsky, and calls the democratically elected Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez a “dictator”.

        George Galloway, who memorably humiliated him in 2005 in New York City, was dead right when he said that Hitchens had transformed himself from a butterfly into a slug.

  14. swordfish 14
    18 October 2014 at 11:46 am

    Just set out the Epsom / Ohariu Split Vote (2014 compared to 2011)
    Here… http://sub-z-p.blogspot.co.nz/
    Read it and weep.

    Despite one or two pleasing signs, overall Labour and Green voters appear to be regressing when it comes to strategic voting.

    Epsom
    Positive = Less Labour voters cast their Candidate-Vote for the ACT candidate compared to 2011 (down 2 points)

    Negative = Unfortunately, at the same time, a lower proportion of Labour voters cast their Candidate-Vote for Goldsmith (down 4 points). Meanwhile, the Greens also swung away from strategically voting Goldsmith (down a woeful 10 points) and towards their own Green candidate Genter instead (up 12).

    Ohariu
    Positive = Both Green and Labour Party-Voters were less likely to Candidate-Vote Dunne this time (down 6 points and 4 points respectively) and they were both more likely to vote for Labour’s Andersen than Chauvel in 2011 (up 4 points in both cases)

    Negative = Green and Labour voters were also – rather pointlessly – more likely to vote for the Green candidate as well (up 2 points among Labour voters and up 4 points among Green voters).

    Still, you’ve gotta laugh, don’t ya guv.

  15. joe90 15
    18 October 2014 at 11:53 am

    WTF is wrong with these people.

    In the recording, made during a fringe meeting at the Conservative conference two weeks ago, the peer said that some disabled people could be paid £2 an hour, rather than the full rate of £6.50, if they wanted to work.

    Responding to a question from a councillor, he said: “You make a really good point about the disabled. Now I had not thought through, and we have not got a system for, you know, kind of going below the minimum wage.”

    Lord Freud added: “There is a small… there is a group, and I know exactly who you mean, where actually as you say they’re not worth the full wage, and actually I’m going to go and think about that particular issue, whether there is something we can do nationally, and without distorting the whole thing, which actually if someone wants to work for £2 an hour, and it’s working can we actually…”

    http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/lord-freud-tory-welfare-minister-accused-of-claiming-disabled-people-are-not-worth-the-minimum-wage-9796062.html

    Oh, that’s right, they’re sociopaths.

    http://i100.independent.co.uk/article/why-lord-freud-was-an-accident-waiting-to-happen–l1tmM-q48e

  16. greywarshark 16
    18 October 2014 at 12:39 pm

    Nicky Hager’s fund now at $53,000. There are 5 anonymous donors with anonymous amounts. I can’t see why the amount shouldn’t be declared. It makes me uneasy. that they are not genuine donations, just timewasters. Some have left their name in and the amount out which I understand. Some $100 ones have come through recently. Those noughts sure add up when they line up behind a larger number.

    • wekarawshark 16.1
      18 October 2014 at 1:41 pm

      When I donated, I left my name out and the amount donated. That’s because I’d never used that system before and I wasn’t sure what was being displayed or recorded. Nothing sinister, just default precautionary principle.

  17. greywarshark 17
    18 October 2014 at 12:49 pm

    How to make it harder to get even basic semi-skilled jobs that are already in short supply. Advertisement on line seen while browsing:

    Labourers Needed Now!
    Coverstaff
    You will also need to be able to pass a pre-employment drug screen and have a solid work history. Want some variety in your work?…

    Perhaps for labourers variety would be if they were ambi-dextrous, so could approach the job from either left or the right side?

    • wekarawshark 17.1
      18 October 2014 at 1:43 pm

      which is the harder bit? Solid work history? Drug test?

      • Draco T Bastard 17.1.1
        18 October 2014 at 5:05 pm

        These days – a solid work history as they can’t afford the drugs due to not having any work.

        • TheContrarian 17.1.1.1
          18 October 2014 at 5:55 pm

          You’d be surprised at how many people can afford drugs yet don’t have any work. If people want drugs, they’ll always find a way.

  18. bearded rawshark 18
    18 October 2014 at 3:19 pm

    I love the Standard, the whole lot, from the brilliant discussion of policy to the endless tittle-tattle and bitching.

    BUT I do think the endless comments in Open Mike get in the way of policy discussions when all mixed up.

    Could I suggest we have 2 new categories each day splitting Open Mike into Open Mike General and Open Mike Policy Discussion?

    Or some other solution? This is bearing in mind that policy did not seem to come across to the public in the last election.

    Just an idea, others may have better ideas that achieve the same end.

    • karol 18.1
      18 October 2014 at 4:01 pm

      Policies get discussed when they are rolled out, and when they get some major scrutiny.

      There were policies rolled out before the elections that got discussed. But since then, it’s mainly the Nats’ rushed policies in the last few weeks, which do get separate posts: state housing, etc.

      I don’t think many people will be into keeping on discussing the same policies endlessly, unless some major new issue is raised about them.

    • greywarshark 18.2
      18 October 2014 at 5:22 pm

      Bearded Rawshark 18
      That would be a good idea if it was feasible without costing anything! Some OM are weightier than others. And the thing about OM is that everything is wiped after a certain time so good stuff would need to be transferred to an appropriate post if one comes up. It would be easier to see what things should stay on record and retrievable.

  20. The Al1en 20
    18 October 2014 at 5:20 pm

    That’s a phallicy 🙂

  21. amirite rawshark 21
    18 October 2014 at 6:59 pm

    Bolivia has reduced poverty and inequality more than any country in the Western Hemisphere over the last ten years by lifting the minimum wage, lifting tax on oil companies, lowering retirement age to 60, doubling spending on education and healthcare and managed to turn deficit into a world’s largest surplus.

    http://www.cepr.net/index.php/blogs/the-americas-blog/bolivias-economy-under-evo-in-10-graphs

    • Clemgeopin 21.1
      18 October 2014 at 7:22 pm

      Those are stunning statistics. All the Labour leadership contenders should study these graphs and see how they can improve NZ and get rid of the 80 billion dollars or so of debt accumulated by Key and English in just six years!

  22. Morrissey 22
    18 October 2014 at 7:00 pm

    Don’t trust journalists, doctors, nurses and ambulance drivers:
    They failed to see that the destruction of Gaza was imaginary

    Who would have known? Those dastardly Palestinians have been staging these so-called massacres of themselves. Just like the moon landing, and the 9/11 attacks, Hollywood—or in this case, its evil cousin Pallywood—has been taking us for a ride. More top-notch journalism from Cameron “Blubberguts” Slater…

    http://www.whaleoil.co.nz/2014/10/anatomy-hamas-pallywood-production/

  23. Fred 23
    18 October 2014 at 7:44 pm

    We still need to push for full investigation into all the matters raised in the book Dirty Politics, by an independent Royal Commission.

    please sign and forward etc.

    http://www.actionstation.org.nz/openletter2

  24. finbar 24
    18 October 2014 at 10:38 pm

    Not going to happen Fred.John told the polic after winning this election,sit on him,get into his house,get that Hager..

    Got to love all them,that say.Hager,just another tosser upstart,what does he know about our way of life and what we have acheived.Plenty realy,see how your mind set has turned on Hager,see how your usury and its profits exploitation have turned on Hager,see how your totalitarian beleif ignores.Off course you do.Yes we do,look how they voted,they voted for us,we won,the best you could do,was put up a poor reflection of what we are,your Labour parlimantarians.

  25. Cookie Minister 25
    18 October 2014 at 10:50 pm

    https://firstlook.org/theintercept/2014/10/16/nicky-hager-raid/

    NEW ZEALAND COPS RAIDED HOME OF REPORTER WORKING ON SNOWDEN DOCUMENTS

    Agents from New Zealand’s national police force ransacked the home of a prominent independent journalist earlier this month who was collaborating with ……………………

    But in seizing all the paper files and electronic devices in Hager’s home, the authorities may have also taken source material concerning other unrelated stories that Hager was pursuing. Recognizing the severity of the threat posed to press freedoms from this raid, the Freedom of the Press Foundation today announced a global campaign to raise funds for Hager’s legal defense.

    “This was an unusually heavy action for New Zealand police to take against someone in the media,” Hager told The Intercept. “Occasionally police use a warrant to go after a particular piece of evidence held by a media person or organization. But hours of sifting through someone’s files and seizing piles of their materials does not normally occur. It has a strong smell of politics about it.”

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    Completed reads for September: The Lost Continent, by C.J. Cutcliffe Hyne Flatland, by Edwin Abbott All Quiet on the Western Front, by Erich Maria Remarque The Country of the Blind, by H.G. Wells The Day of the Triffids, by John Wyndham A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    3 days ago

  • Losing The Left.
    Descending Into The Dark: The ideological cadres currently controlling both Labour and the Greens are forcing “justice”, “participation” and “democracy” to make way for what is “appropriate” and “responsible”. But, where does that leave the people who, for most of their adult lives, have voted for left-wing parties, precisely to ...
    Bowalley Road
    3 days ago

  • The New “Emperor’s New Clothes”.
    “‘BUT HE HASN’T GOT ANYTHING ON,’ a little boy said ….. ‘But he hasn’t got anything on!’ the whole town cried out at last.”On this optimistic note, Hans Christian Andersen brings his cautionary tale of “The Emperor’s New Clothes” to an end.Andersen’s children’s story was written nearly two centuries ago, ...
    Bowalley Road
    3 days ago

  • BRYCE EDWARDS: The vested interests shaping National Party policies
      Bryce Edwards writes – As the National Party gets closer to government, lobbyists and business interests will be lining up for influence and to get policies adopted. It’s therefore in the public interest to have much more scrutiny and transparency about potential conflicts of interests that ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • LINDSAY MITCHELL: A conundrum for those pushing racist dogma
    Lindsay Mitchell writes – The heavily promoted narrative, which has ramped up over the last six years, is that Maori somehow have special vulnerabilities which arise from outside forces they cannot control; that contemporary society fails to meet their needs. They are not receptive to messages and ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • CHRIS TROTTER:  The greater of two evils
    Not Labour: If you’re out to punish the government you once loved, then the last thing you need is to be shown evidence that the opposition parties are much, much worse.   Chris Trotter writes – THE GREATEST VIRTUE of being the Opposition is not being the Government. Only very ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • The Hoon around the week to Sept 30
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:Labour presented a climate manifesto that aimed to claim the high ground on climate action vs National, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • Litanies, articles of faith, and being a beneficiary
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past two weeks.Friday 29Play it, ElvisElection Hell special!! This week’s quiz is a bumper edition featuring a few of the more popular questions from last weekend’s show, as well as a few we didn’t ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • Litanies, articles of faith, and being a beneficiary
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past two weeks.Friday 29Play it, ElvisElection Hell special!! This week’s quiz is a bumper edition featuring a few of the more popular questions from last weekend’s show, as well as a few we didn’t ...
    More than a fieldingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • The ‘Recession’ Has Been Called Off, But Some Households Are Still Struggling
    While the economy is not doing too badly in output terms, external circumstances are not favourable, and there is probably a sizeable group of households struggling because of rising interest rates.Last week’s announcement of a 0.9 percent increase in volume GDP for the June quarter had the commentariat backing down ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago

  • Climate Change: The wrong direction
    This week the International Energy Association released its Net Zero Roadmap, intended to guide us towards a liveable climate. The report demanded huge increases in renewable generation, no new gas or oil, and massive cuts to methane emissions. It was positive about our current path, but recommended that countries with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago

  • “Racism” becomes a buzz word on the campaign trail – but our media watchdogs stay muzzled when...
    Buzz from the Beehive  Oh, dear.  We have nothing to report from the Beehive. At least, we have nothing to report from the government’s official website. But the drones have not gone silent.  They are out on the election campaign trail, busy buzzing about this and that in the hope ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago

  • Play it, Elvis
    Election Hell special!! This week’s quiz is a bumper edition featuring a few of the more popular questions from last weekend’s show, as well as a few we didn’t have time for. You’re welcome, etc. Let us press on, etc. 1.  What did Christopher Luxon use to his advantage in ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • Pure class warfare
    National unveiled its fiscal policy today, announcing all the usual things which business cares about and I don't. But it did finally tell us how National plans to pay for its handouts to landlords: by effectively cutting benefits: The biggest saving announced on Friday was $2b cut from the ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago

  • Ask Me Anything about the week to Sept 29
    Photo by Anna Ogiienko on UnsplashIt’s that time of the week for an ‘Ask Me Anything’ session for paying subscribers about the week that was for an hour, including:duelling fiscal plans from National and Labour;Labour cutting cycling spending while accusing National of being weak on climate;Research showing the need for ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • Weekly Roundup 29-September-2023
    Welcome to Friday and the last one for September. This week in Greater Auckland On Monday, Matt highlighted at the latest with the City Rail Link. On Tuesday, Matt covered the interesting items from Auckland Transport’s latest board meeting agendas. On Thursday, a guest post from Darren Davis ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    5 days ago

  • Protest at Parliament: The Reunion.
    Brian’s god spoke to him. He, for of course the Lord in Tamaki’s mind was a male god, with a mighty rod, and probably some black leathers. He, told Brian - “you must put a stop to all this love, hope, and kindness”. And it did please the Brian.He said ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago

  • Labour cuts $50m from cycleway spending
    Labour is cutting spending on cycling infrastructure while still trying to claim the higher ground on climate. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Labour Government released a climate manifesto this week to try to claim the high ground against National, despite having ignored the Climate Commission’s advice to toughen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago

  • The Greater Of Two Evils.
    Not Labour: If you’re out to punish the government you once loved, then the last thing you need is to be shown evidence that the opposition parties are much, much worse.THE GREATEST VIRTUE of being the Opposition is not being the Government. Only very rarely is an opposition party elected ...
    Bowalley Road
    5 days ago

  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #39 2023
    Open access notables "Net zero is only a distraction— we just have to end fossil fuel emissions." The latter is true but the former isn't, or  not in the real world as it's likely to be in the immediate future. And "just" just doesn't enter into it; we don't have ...
    Skeptical Science
    5 days ago

  • Chris Trotter: Losing the Left
    IN THE CURRENT MIX of electoral alternatives, there is no longer a credible left-wing party. Not when “a credible left-wing party” is defined as: a class-oriented, mass-based, democratically-structured political organisation; dedicated to promoting ideas sharply critical of laissez-faire capitalism; and committed to advancing democratic, egalitarian and emancipatory ideals across the ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    5 days ago

  • Road rage at Kia Kaha Primary School
    It is not the school holidays yet at Kia Kaha Primary School!It can be any time when you are telling a story.Telling stories about things that happened in the past is how we learn from our mistakes.If we want to.Anyway, it is not the school holidays yet at Kia Kaha ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago

  • Road rage at Kia Kaha Primary School
    It is not the school holidays yet at Kia Kaha Primary School!It can be any time when you are telling a story.Telling stories about things that happened in the past is how we learn from our mistakes.If we want to.Anyway, it is not the school holidays yet at Kia Kaha ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago

  • Road rage at Kia Kaha Primary School
    It is not the school holidays yet at Kia Kaha Primary School!It can be any time when you are telling a story.Telling stories about things that happened in the past is how we learn from our mistakes.If we want to.Anyway, it is not the school holidays yet at Kia Kaha ...
    More than a fieldingBy David Slack
    5 days ago

  • Hipkins fires up in leaders’ debate, but has the curtain already fallen on the Labour-led coalitio...
    Labour’s  Chris Hipkins came out firing, in the  leaders’ debate  on Newshub’s evening programme, and most of  the pundits  rated  him the winner against National’s  Christopher Luxon. But will this make any difference when New  Zealanders  start casting their ballots? The problem  for  Hipkins is  that  voters are  all too ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    5 days ago

  • Govt is energising housing projects with solar power – and fuelling the public’s concept of a di...
    Buzz from the Beehive  Not long after Point of Order published data which show the substantial number of New Zealanders (77%) who believe NZ is becoming more divided, government ministers were braying about a programme which distributes some money to “the public” and some to “Maori”. The ministers were dishing ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago

  • MIKE GRIMSHAW: Election 2023 – a totemic & charisma failure?
    The D&W analysis Michael Grimshaw writes –  Given the apathy, disengagement, disillusionment, and all-round ennui of this year’s general election, it was considered time to bring in those noted political operatives and spin doctors D&W, the long-established consultancy firm run by Emile Durkheim and Max Weber. Known for ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • FROM BFD: Will Winston be the spectre we think?
    Kissy kissy. Cartoon credit BoomSlang. The BFD. JC writes-  Allow me to preface this contribution with the following statement: If I were asked to express a preference between a National/ACT coalition or a National/ACT/NZF coalition then it would be the former. This week Luxon declared his position, ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • California’s climate disclosure bill could have a huge impact across the U.S.
    This re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Andy Furillo was originally published by Capital & Main and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. The California Legislature took a step last week that has the potential to accelerate the fight against climate ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago

  • Untangling South East Queensland’s Public Transport
    This is a cross post Adventures in Transitland by Darren Davis. I recently visited Brisbane and South East Queensland and came away both impressed while also pondering some key changes to make public transport even better in the region. Here goes with my take on things. A bit of ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    6 days ago

  • Try A Little Kindness.
    My daughter arrived home from the supermarket yesterday and she seemed a bit worried about something. It turned out she wanted to know if someone could get her bank number from a receipt.We wound the story back.She was in the store and there was a man there who was distressed, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago

  • What makes NZFirst tick
    New Zealand’s longest-running political roadshow rolled into Opotiki yesterday, with New Zealand First leader Winston Peters knowing another poll last night showed he would make it back to Parliament and National would need him and his party if they wanted to form a government. The Newshub Reid Research poll ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    6 days ago

  • September AMA
    Hi,As September draws to a close — I feel it’s probably time to do an Ask Me Anything. You know how it goes: If you have any burning questions, fire away in the comments and I will do my best to answer. You might have questions about Webworm, or podcast ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago

  • Bludgers lying in the scratcher making fools of us all
    The mediocrity who stands to be a Prime Minister has a litany.He uses it a bit like a Koru Lounge card. He will brandish it to say: these people are eligible. And more than that, too: These people are deserving. They have earned this policy.They have a right to this policy. What ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago

  • More “partnerships” (by the look of it) and redress of over $30 million in Treaty settlement wit...
    Buzz from the Beehive Point of Order has waited until now – 3.45pm – for today’s officially posted government announcements.  There have been none. The only addition to the news on the Beehive’s website was posted later yesterday, after we had published our September 26 Buzz report. It came from ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • ALEX HOLLAND: Labour’s spending
    Alex Holland writes –  In 2017 when Labour came to power, crown spending was $76 billion per year. Now in 2023 it is $139 billion per year, which equates to a $63 billion annual increase (over $1 billion extra spend every week!) In 2017, New Zealand’s government debt ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • If not now, then when?
    Labour released its fiscal plan today, promising the same old, same old: "responsibility", balanced books, and of course no new taxes: "Labour will maintain income tax settings to provide consistency and certainty in these volatile times. Now is not the time for additional taxes or to promise billions of ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago

  • THE FACTS:  77% of Kiwis believe NZ is becoming more divided
    The Facts has posted –        KEY INSIGHTSOf New Zealander’s polled: Social unity/division 77%believe NZ is becoming more divided (42% ‘much more’ + 35% ‘a little more’) 3%believe NZ is becoming less divided (1% ‘much less’ + 2% ‘a little less’) ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on the cynical brutality of the centre-right’s welfare policies
    The centre-right’s enthusiasm for forcing people off the benefit and into paid work is matched only by the enthusiasm (shared by Treasury and the Reserve Bank) for throwing people out of paid work to curb inflation, and achieve the optimal balance of workers to job seekers deemed to be desirable ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    6 days ago

  • Wednesday’s Chorus: Arthur Grimes on why building many, many more social houses is so critical
    New research shows that tenants in social housing - such as these Wellington apartments - are just as happy as home owners and much happier than private tenants. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The election campaign took an ugly turn yesterday, and in completely the wrong direction. All three ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    7 days ago

  • Bennie Bashing.
    If there’s one thing the mob loves more than keeping Māori in their place, more than getting tough on the gangs, maybe even more than tax cuts. It’s a good old round of beneficiary bashing.Are those meanies in the ACT party stealing your votes because they think David Seymour is ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    7 days ago

  • The kindest cuts
    Labour kicks off the fiscal credibility battle today with the release of its fiscal plan. National is expected to follow, possibly as soon as Thursday, with its own plan, which may (or may not) address the large hole that the problems with its foreign buyers’ ban might open up. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    7 days ago

  • Green right turn in Britain? Well, a start
    While it may be unlikely to register in New Zealand’s general election, Britain’s PM Rishi Sunak has done something which might just be important in the long run. He’s announced a far-reaching change in his Conservative government’s approach to environmental, and particularly net zero, policy. The starting point – ...
    Point of OrderBy xtrdnry
    7 days ago

  • At a glance – How do human CO2 emissions compare to natural CO2 emissions?
    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
    1 week ago

  • How could this happen?
    Canada is in uproar after the exposure that its parliament on September 22 provided a standing ovation to a Nazi veteran who had been invited into the chamber to participate in the parliamentary welcome to Ukrainian President Zelensky. Yaroslav Hunka, 98, a Ukrainian man who volunteered for service in ...
    Open ParachuteBy Ken
    1 week ago

  • Always Be Campaigning
    The big screen is a great place to lay out the ways of the salesman. He comes ready-made for Panto, ripe for lampooning.This is not to disparage that life. I have known many good people of that kind. But there is a type, brazen as all get out. The camera ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago

  • Youth justice programme expands to break cycle of offending
    The successful ‘Circuit Breaker’ fast track programme designed to stop repeat youth offending was launched in two new locations today by Children’s Minister Kelvin Davis. The programme, first piloted in West and South Auckland in December last year, is aimed at children aged 10-13 who commit serious offending or continue ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    10 hours ago

  • Major milestone with 20,000 employers using Apprenticeship Boost
    The Government’s Apprenticeship Boost initiative has now supported 20,000 employers to help keep on and train up apprentices, Minister for Social Development and Employment Carmel Sepuloni announced in Christchurch today. Almost 62,000 apprentices have been supported to start and keep training for a trade since the initiative was introduced in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    11 hours ago

  • Government supporting wood processing jobs and more diverse industry
    The Government is supporting non-pine tree sawmilling and backing further job creation in sawmills in Rotorua and Whangarei, Forestry Minister Peeni Henare said.   “The Forestry and Wood Processing Industry Transformation Plan identified the need to add more diversity to our productions forests, wood products and markets,” Peeni Henare said. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    13 hours ago

  • Government backing Canterbury’s future in aerospace industry
    The Government is helping Canterbury’s aerospace industry take off with further infrastructure support for the Tāwhaki Aerospace Centre at Kaitorete, Infrastructure Minister Dr Megan Woods has announced. “Today I can confirm we will provide a $5.4 million grant to the Tāwhaki Joint Venture to fund a sealed runway and hangar ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    13 hours ago

  • Updated forestry regulations increase council controls and require large slash removal
    Local councils will have more power to decide where new commercial forests – including carbon forests – are located, to reduce impacts on communities and the environment, Environment Minister David Parker said today. “New national standards give councils greater control over commercial forestry, including clear rules on harvesting practices and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    14 hours ago

  • New Zealand resumes peacekeeping force leadership
    New Zealand will again contribute to the leadership of the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) in the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt, with a senior New Zealand Defence Force officer returning as Interim Force Commander. Defence Minister Andrew Little and Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta have announced the deployment of New Zealand ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • New national direction provides clarity for development and the environment
    The Government has taken an important step in implementing the new resource management system, by issuing a draft National Planning Framework (NPF) document under the new legislation, Environment Minister David Parker said today. “The NPF consolidates existing national direction, bringing together around 20 existing instruments including policy statements, standards, and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Government shows further commitment to pay equity for healthcare workers
    The Government welcomes the proposed pay equity settlement that will see significant pay increases for around 18,000 Te Whatu Ora Allied, Scientific, and Technical employees, if accepted said Health Minister Ayesha Verrall. The proposal reached between Te Whatu Ora, the New Zealand Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • 100 new public EV chargers to be added to national network
    The public EV charging network has received a significant boost with government co-funding announced today for over 100 EV chargers – with over 200 charging ports altogether – across New Zealand, and many planned to be up and running on key holiday routes by Christmas this year. Minister of Energy ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Safeguarding Tuvalu language and identity
    Tuvalu is in the spotlight this week as communities across New Zealand celebrate Vaiaso o te Gagana Tuvalu – Tuvalu Language Week. “The Government has a proven record of supporting Pacific communities and ensuring more of our languages are spoken, heard and celebrated,” Pacific Peoples Minister Barbara Edmonds said. “Many ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • New community-level energy projects to support more than 800 Māori households
    Seven more innovative community-scale energy projects will receive government funding through the Māori and Public Housing Renewable Energy Fund to bring more affordable, locally generated clean energy to more than 800 Māori households, Energy and Resources Minister Dr Megan Woods says. “We’ve already funded 42 small-scale clean energy projects that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Huge boost to Te Tai Tokerau flood resilience
    The Government has approved new funding that will boost resilience and greatly reduce the risk of major flood damage across Te Tai Tokerau. Significant weather events this year caused severe flooding and damage across the region. The $8.9m will be used to provide some of the smaller communities and maraes ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Napier’s largest public housing development comes with solar
    The largest public housing development in Napier for many years has been recently completed and has the added benefit of innovative solar technology, thanks to Government programmes, says Housing Minister Dr Megan Woods. The 24 warm, dry homes are in Seddon Crescent, Marewa and Megan Woods says the whanau living ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Te Whānau a Apanui and the Crown initial Deed of Settlement I Kua waitohua e Te Whānau a Apanui me...
    Māori: Kua waitohua e Te Whānau a Apanui me te Karauna te Whakaaetanga Whakataunga Kua waitohua e Te Whānau a Apanui me te Karauna i tētahi Whakaaetanga Whakataunga hei whakamihi i ō rātou tāhuhu kerēme Tiriti o Waitangi. E tekau mā rua ngā hapū o roto mai o Te Whānau ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Plan for 3,000 more public homes by 2025 – regions set to benefit
    Regions around the country will get significant boosts of public housing in the next two years, as outlined in the latest public housing plan update, released by the Housing Minister, Dr Megan Woods. “We’re delivering the most public homes each year since the Nash government of the 1950s with one ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Immigration settings updates
    Judicial warrant process for out-of-hours compliance visits 2023/24 Recognised Seasonal Employer cap increased by 500 Additional roles for Construction and Infrastructure Sector Agreement More roles added to Green List Three-month extension for onshore Recovery Visa holders The Government has confirmed a number of updates to immigration settings as part of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Poroporoaki: Tā Patrick (Patu) Wahanga Hohepa
    Tangi ngunguru ana ngā tai ki te wahapū o Hokianga Whakapau Karakia. Tārehu ana ngā pae maunga ki Te Puna o te Ao Marama. Korihi tangi ana ngā manu, kua hinga he kauri nui ki te Wao Nui o Tāne. He Toa. He Pou. He Ahorangi. E papaki tū ana ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Renewable energy fund to support community resilience
    40 solar energy systems on community buildings in regions affected by Cyclone Gabrielle and other severe weather events Virtual capability-building hub to support community organisations get projects off the ground Boost for community-level renewable energy projects across the country At least 40 community buildings used to support the emergency response ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • COVID-19 funding returned to Government
    The lifting of COVID-19 isolation and mask mandates in August has resulted in a return of almost $50m in savings and recovered contingencies, Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall announced today. Following the revocation of mandates and isolation, specialised COVID-19 telehealth and alternative isolation accommodation are among the operational elements ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Appointment of District Court Judge
    Susie Houghton of Auckland has been appointed as a new District Court Judge, to serve on the Family Court, Attorney-General David Parker said today.  Judge Houghton has acted as a lawyer for child for more than 20 years. She has acted on matters relating to the Hague Convention, an international ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Government invests further in Central Hawke’s Bay resilience
    The Government has today confirmed $2.5 million to fund a replace and upgrade a stopbank to protect the Waipawa Drinking Water Treatment Plant. “As a result of Cyclone Gabrielle, the original stopbank protecting the Waipawa Drinking Water Treatment Plant was destroyed. The plant was operational within 6 weeks of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Govt boost for Hawke’s Bay cyclone waste clean-up
    Another $2.1 million to boost capacity to deal with waste left in Cyclone Gabrielle’s wake. Funds for Hastings District Council, Phoenix Contracting and Hog Fuel NZ to increase local waste-processing infrastructure. The Government is beefing up Hawke’s Bay’s Cyclone Gabrielle clean-up capacity with more support dealing with the massive amount ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Taupō Supercars revs up with Government support
    The future of Supercars events in New Zealand has been secured with new Government support. The Government is getting engines started through the Major Events Fund, a special fund to support high profile events in New Zealand that provide long-term economic, social and cultural benefits. “The Repco Supercars Championship is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • There is no recession in NZ, economy grows nearly 1 percent in June quarter
    The economy has turned a corner with confirmation today New Zealand never was in recession and stronger than expected growth in the June quarter, Finance Minister Grant Robertson said. “The New Zealand economy is doing better than expected,” Grant Robertson said. “It’s continuing to grow, with the latest figures showing ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Highest legal protection for New Zealand’s largest freshwater springs
    The Government has accepted the Environment Court’s recommendation to give special legal protection to New Zealand’s largest freshwater springs, Te Waikoropupū Springs (also known as Pupū Springs), Environment Minister David Parker announced today.   “Te Waikoropupū Springs, near Takaka in Golden Bay, have the second clearest water in New Zealand after ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • More support for victims of migrant exploitation
    Temporary package of funding for accommodation and essential living support for victims of migrant exploitation Exploited migrant workers able to apply for a further Migrant Exploitation Protection Visa (MEPV), giving people more time to find a job Free job search assistance to get people back into work Use of 90-day ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Strong export boost as NZ economy turns corner
    An export boost is supporting New Zealand’s economy to grow, adding to signs that the economy has turned a corner and is on a stronger footing as we rebuild from Cyclone Gabrielle and lock in the benefits of multiple new trade deals, Finance Minister Grant Robertson says. “The economy is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Funding approved for flood resilience work in Te Karaka
    The Government has approved $15 million to raise about 200 homes at risk of future flooding. More than half of this is expected to be spent in the Tairāwhiti settlement of Te Karaka, lifting about 100 homes there. “Te Karaka was badly hit during Cyclone Gabrielle when the Waipāoa River ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Further business support for cyclone-affected regions
    The Government is helping businesses recover from Cyclone Gabrielle and attract more people back into their regions. “Cyclone Gabrielle has caused considerable damage across North Island regions with impacts continuing to be felt by businesses and communities,” Economic Development Minister Barbara Edmonds said. “Building on our earlier business support, this ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • New maintenance facility at Burnham Military Camp underway
    Defence Minister Andrew Little has turned the first sod to start construction of a new Maintenance Support Facility (MSF) at Burnham Military Camp today. “This new state-of-art facility replaces Second World War-era buildings and will enable our Defence Force to better maintain and repair equipment,” Andrew Little said. “This Government ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Foreign Minister to attend United Nations General Assembly
    Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta will represent New Zealand at the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York this week, before visiting Washington DC for further Pacific focussed meetings. Nanaia Mahuta will be in New York from Wednesday 20 September, and will participate in UNGA leaders ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Midwives’ pay equity offer reached
    Around 1,700 Te Whatu Ora employed midwives and maternity care assistants will soon vote on a proposed pay equity settlement agreed by Te Whatu Ora, the Midwifery Employee Representation and Advisory Service (MERAS) and New Zealand Nurses Association (NZNO), Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall announced today. “Addressing historical pay ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 weeks ago

  • New Zealand provides support to Morocco
    Aotearoa New Zealand will provide humanitarian support to those affected by last week’s earthquake in Morocco, Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta announced today. “We are making a contribution of $1 million to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to help meet humanitarian needs,” Nanaia Mahuta said. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 weeks ago

  • Government invests in West Coast’s roading resilience
    The Government is investing over $22 million across 18 projects to improve the resilience of roads in the West Coast that have been affected by recent extreme weather, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins confirmed today.  A dedicated Transport Resilience Fund has been established for early preventative works to protect the state ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 weeks ago

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