Open mike 19/01/2023
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6:00 am, January 19th, 2023 - 59 comments
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- Dance Magic
Well, I've been there, sitting in that same chairWhispering that same prayer half a million timesIt's a lie, though buried in disciplesOne page of the Bible isn't worth a lifeThere's nothing wrong with youIt's true, it's trueThere's something wrong with the villageWith the villageSomething wrong with the villageSongwriters: Andrew Jackson ...9 hours ago - Government Forces Universities to Enforce “Free Speech” While Limiting Universities̵...
ACT would like to dictate what universities can and can’t say. We knew it was coming. It was outlined in the coalition agreement and has become part of Seymour’s strategy of “emphasising public funding” to prevent people from opposing him and his views—something he also uses to try and de-platform ...9 hours ago - Fact brief – Are we heading into an ‘ice age’?
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park from the Gigafact team in collaboration with members from our team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Are we heading ...21 hours ago - As Our Power Lessens: Published
So the Solstice has arrived – Summer in this part of the world, Winter for the Northern Hemisphere. And with it, the publication my new Norse dark-fantasy piece, As Our Power Lessens at Eternal Haunted Summer: https://eternalhauntedsummer.com/issues/winter-solstice-2024/as-our-power-lessens/ As previously noted, this one is very ‘wyrd’, and Northern Theory of Courage. ...1 day ago - By Any Other Name.
The Natural Choice: As a starter for ten percent of the Party Vote, “saving the planet” is a very respectable objective. Young voters, in particular, raised on the dire (if unheeded) warnings of climate scientists, and the irrefutable evidence of devastating weather events linked to global warming, vote Green. After ...1 day ago - Bernard’s last Saturday Soliloquy for 2024
The Government cancelled 60% of Kāinga Ora’s new builds next year, even though the land for them was already bought, the consents were consented and there are builders unemployed all over the place. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMōrena. Long stories short, the six things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political ...1 day ago - Bernard’s Picks ‘n’ Mixes for Saturday, December 21
Photo by CHUTTERSNAP on UnsplashEvery morning I get up at 3am to go around the traps of news sites in Aotearoa and globally. I pick out the top ones from my point of view and have been putting them into my Dawn Chorus email, which goes out with a podcast. ...2 days ago - 2024 OIA stats
Over on Kikorangi Newsroom's Marc Daalder has published his annual OIA stats. So I thought I'd do mine: 82 OIA requests sent in 2024 7 posts based on those requests 20 average working days to receive a response Ministry of Justice was my most-requested entity, ...2 days ago - Climate Change: A perverse incentive
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The NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi have submitted against the controversial Treaty Principles Bill, slamming the Bill as a breach of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and an attack on tino rangatiratanga and the collective rights of Tangata Whenua. “This Bill seeks to legislate for Te Tiriti o Waitangi principles that are ...2 days ago
- ZB’s Power Couple
I don't knowHow to say what's got to be saidI don't know if it's black or whiteThere's others see it redI don't get the answers rightI'll leave that to youIs this love out of fashionOr is it the time of yearAre these words distraction?To the words you want to hearSongwriters: ...2 days ago - Austerity thumps GDP most since 1991
Our economy has experienced its worst recession since 1991. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMōrena. Long stories short, the six things that matter in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Friday, December 20 in The Kākā’s Dawn Chorus podcast above and the daily Pick ‘n’ Mix below ...2 days ago
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The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts & talking about the year’s news with: on climate. Her book of the year was Tim Winton’s cli-fi novel Juice and she also mentioned Mike Joy’s memoir The Fight for Fresh Water. ...3 days ago
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The Government can head off to the holidays, entitled to assure itself that it has done more or less what it said it would do. The campaign last year promised to “get New Zealand back on track.” When you look at the basic promises—to trim back Government expenditure, toughen up ...3 days ago - Skeptical Science New Research for Week #51 2024
Open access notables An intensification of surface Earth’s energy imbalance since the late 20th century, Li et al., Communications Earth & Environment: Tracking the energy balance of the Earth system is a key method for studying the contribution of human activities to climate change. However, accurately estimating the surface energy balance ...3 days ago
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- Cheeseburgers and Stunt Monkeys
One last thing before I quitI never wanted any moreThan I could fit into my headI still remember every single word you saidAnd all the shit that somehow came along with itStill, there's one thing that comforts meSince I was always caged and now I'm freeSongwriters: David Grohl / Georg ...3 days ago - MSD rejecting 220 pleas for food grants each day
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- The Wing Parties’ Economic Policies.
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This morning I awoke to the lovely news that we are firmly back on track, that is if the scale was reversed.NZ ranks low in global economic comparisonsNew Zealand's economy has been ranked 33rd out of 37 in an international comparison of which have done best in 2024.Economies were ranked ...3 days ago - Book Review: How Big Things Get Done
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Some years ago, I found myself pondering the power of literature to endure. Or at least the power of some of it to endure, while the rest vanishes in mere decades: https://phuulishfellow.wordpress.com/2019/08/07/look-on-my-works-ye-mighty-and-despair-the-literary-future/. I have similarly had fun with the subject in some of my short stories, such as Another Alexandria ...5 days ago - Corrections is torturing prisoners again
In 1998, in the wake of the Paremoremo Prison riot, the Department of Corrections established the "Behaviour Management Regime". Prisoners were locked in their cells for 22 or 23 hours a day, with no fresh air, no exercise, no social contact, no entertainment, and in some cases no clothes and ...5 days ago
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New data released by the Treasury shows that the economic policies of this Government have made things worse in the year since they took office, said NZCTU Economist Craig Renney. “Our fiscal indicators are all heading in the wrong direction – with higher levels of debt, a higher deficit, and ...5 days ago
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At the 2023 election, National basically ran on a platform of being better economic managers. So how'd that turn out for us? In just one year, they've fucked us for two full political terms: The government's books are set to remain deeply in the red for the near term ...5 days ago
- Shameless, clueless
AUSTERITYText within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedMy spreadsheet insists This pain leads straight to glory (File not found) Read more ...5 days ago - Minimum wage ‘increase’ is an effective cut
The NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi are saying that the Government should do the right thing and deliver minimum wage increases that don’t see workers fall further behind, in response to today’s announcement that the minimum wage will only be increased by 1.5%, well short of forecast inflation. “With inflation forecast ...5 days ago
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Oh, I weptFor daysFilled my eyesWith silly tearsOh, yeaBut I don'tCare no moreI don't care ifMy eyes get soreSongwriters: Paul Rodgers / Paul Kossoff. Read more ...5 days ago - How much should you worry about a collapse of the Atlantic conveyor belt?
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Bob Henson In this aerial view, fingers of meltwater flow from the melting Isunnguata Sermia glacier descending from the Greenland Ice Sheet on July 11, 2024, near Kangerlussuaq, Greenland. According to the Programme for Monitoring of the Greenland Ice Sheet (PROMICE), the ...5 days ago
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In August, I wrote an article about David Seymour1 with a video of his testimony, to warn that there were grave dangers to his Ministry of Regulation:David Seymour's Ministry of Slush Hides Far Greater RisksWhy Seymour's exorbitant waste of taxpayers' money could be the least of concernThe money for Seymour ...5 days ago - When austerity worsens public debt & cuts GDP
Willis is expected to have to reveal the bitter fiscal fruits of her austerity strategy in the HYEFU later today. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/TheKakaMōrena. Long stories short, the six things that matter in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Tuesday, December 17 in The Kākā’s Dawn Chorus podcast ...5 days ago
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And if there is a GodI know he likes to rockHe likes his loud guitarsHis spiders from MarsAnd if there is a GodI know he's watching meHe likes what he seesBut there's trouble on the breezeSongwriter: William Patrick Corgan Read more ...6 days ago - A Lipstick Government
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Iain Rennie, CNZMSecretary and Chief Executive to the TreasuryDear Secretary, Undue restrictions on restricted briefings This week, the Treasury barred representatives from four organisations, including the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions Te Kauae Kaimahi, from attending the restricted briefing for the Half-Year Economic and Fiscal Update. We had been ...6 days ago
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- Thank You
Hi all,I'm pretty overwhelmed by all your messages and emails today; thank you so very much.As much as my newsletter this morning was about money, and we all need to earn money, it was mostly about world domination if I'm honest. 😉I really hate what’s happening to our country, and ...7 days ago - 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #50
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I started writing this morning about Hobson’s Pledge, examining the claims they and their supporters make, basically ripping into them. But I kept getting notifications coming through, and not good ones.Each time I looked up, there was another un-subscription message, and I felt a bit sicker at the thought of ...1 week ago - Nothing here but the shadows
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Hi,“What I love about New Zealanders is that sometimes you use these expressions that as Americans we have no idea what those things mean!"I am watching a 30-something year old American ramble on about how different New Zealanders are to Americans. It’s his podcast, and this man is doing a ...1 week ago - Chris Penk’s Hate Parade
What Chris Penk has granted holocaust-denier and equal-opportunity-bigot Candace Owens is not “freedom of speech”. It’s not even really freedom of movement, though that technically is the right she has been granted. What he has given her is permission to perform. Freedom of SpeechIn New Zealand, the right to freedom ...1 week ago - Tell me a story
All those tears on your cheeksJust like deja vu flow nowWhen grandmother speaksSo tell me a story (I'll tell you a story)Spell it out, I can't hear (What do you want to hear?)Why you wear black in the morning?Why there's smoke in the air? Songwriter: Greg Johnson.Mōrena all ☀️Something a ...1 week ago - As Our Power Lessens: Accepted
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National has only been in power for a year, but everywhere you look, its choices are taking New Zealand a long way backwards. In no particular order, here are the National Government's Top 50 Greatest Misses of its first year in power. ...2 days ago - Release: Minister’s plan for tertiary sector a backwards step
Returning to the model that was failing for most polytechnics and Institutes of Technology is not the answer. ...2 days ago
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It’s been revealed that National has cancelled 60 percent of its housing projects planned before mid-2025 amidst housing woes. ...2 days ago
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The Government is quietly undertaking consultation on the dangerous Regulatory Standards Bill over the Christmas period to avoid too much attention. ...2 days ago
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Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is running away from problems of his own creation, with his decision not to go to Waitangi. ...3 days ago
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The Government’s planned changes to the freedom of speech obligations of universities is little more than a front for stoking the political fires of disinformation and fear, placing teachers and students in the crosshairs. ...3 days ago - Release: Nicola Willis spirals country deeper into recession
The economy shrank 1% this quarter and New Zealand has tumbled into the depths of a recession of Nicola Willis’ making. ...3 days ago
- Release: Hikes for company directors but not ordinary Kiwis
Working people are going backwards while company directors are being given huge pay hikes. ...4 days ago
- ECE no place to cut corners
The Ministry of Regulation’s report into Early Childhood Education (ECE) in Aotearoa raises serious concerns about the possibility of lowering qualification requirements, undermining quality and risking worse outcomes for tamariki, whānau, and kaiako. ...4 days ago
- Release: Strengthening Justice Services for New Zealanders
A Bill to modernise the role of Justices of the Peace (JP), ensuring they remain active in their communities and connected with other JPs, has been put into the ballot. ...4 days ago
- Release: Labour will continue fight against destructive projects
Labour will continue to fight unsustainable and destructive projects that are able to leap-frog environment protection under National’s Fast-track Approvals Bill. ...5 days ago
- Green Government will revoke dodgy fast-track projects
The Green Party has warned that a Green Government will revoke the consents of companies who override environmental protections as part of Fast-Track legislation being passed today. ...5 days ago
- Government for the wealthy keeps pushing austerity
The Green Party says the Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update shows how the Government is failing to address the massive social and infrastructure deficits our country faces. ...5 days ago
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The Government’s latest move to reduce the earnings of migrant workers will not only hurt migrants but it will drive down the wages of Kiwi workers. ...5 days ago
- Release: Nightmare before Christmas for Nicola Willis
With more debt and a larger deficit, Nicola Willis’ reputation is in tatters after her failure to return the Government’s books to surplus. ...5 days ago
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Te Pāti Māori has this morning issued a stern warning to Fast-Track applicants with interests in mining, pledging to hold them accountable through retrospective liability and to immediately revoke Fast-Track consents under a future Te Pāti Māori government. This warning comes ahead of today’s third reading of the Fast-Track Approvals ...5 days ago
- Release: Govt cuts wages for lowest paid NZers… again
For the second year running, the government has effectively cut wages for the lowest paid workers in New Zealand. ...5 days ago
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The Government’s announcement today of a 1.5 per cent increase to minimum wage is another blow for workers, with inflation projected to exceed the increase, meaning it’s a real terms pay reduction for many. ...5 days ago
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All the Government has achieved from its announcement today is to continue to push responsibility back on councils for its own lack of action to help bring down skyrocketing rates. ...5 days ago
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The Government has used its final post-Cabinet press conference of the year to punch down on local government without offering any credible solutions to the issues our councils are facing. ...6 days ago
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The Government has failed to keep its promise to ‘super charge’ the EV network, delivering just 292 chargers - less than half of the 670 chargers needed to meet its target. ...6 days ago
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The Green Party is calling for the Government to stop subsidising the largest user of the country’s gas supplies, Methanex, following a report highlighting the multi-national’s disproportionate influence on energy prices in Aotearoa. ...6 days ago
- Govt child poverty targets allow for increase in poverty
The Green Party is appalled with the Government’s new child poverty targets that are based on a new ‘persistent poverty’ measure that could be met even with an increase in child poverty. ...1 week ago
- Release: Four weeks annual leave under threat
The Government’s attack on workers continues with news it is scrapping work on the Holidays Act. ...1 week ago
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New independent analysis has revealed that the Government’s Emissions Reduction Plan (ERP) will reduce emissions by a measly 1 per cent by 2030, failing to set us up for the future and meeting upcoming targets. ...1 week ago
- Greens stand in solidarity with Whakaata Māori on sad day
The loss of 27 kaimahi at Whakaata Māori and the end of its daily news bulletin is a sad day for Māori media and another step backwards for Te Tiriti o Waitangi justice. ...1 week ago
- Sanctions regime to create more hardship for families
Yesterday the Government passed cruel legislation through first reading to establish a new beneficiary sanction regime that will ultimately mean more households cannot afford the basic essentials. ...1 week ago
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Today's passing of the Government's Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill–which allows landlords to end tenancies with no reason–ignores the voice of the people and leaves renters in limbo ahead of the festive season. ...1 week ago
- Release: National Party urged to support modern slavery legislation
Labour is urging the Prime Minister to walk the talk and support legislation combating modern slavery. ...1 week ago
- Release: Labour has lost confidence in the Speaker
The Speaker of the New Zealand Parliament made an unprecedented decision on the government amendment to the Fast Track Approvals Bill last night. ...1 week ago
- One year on, still no progress on new ferries
Today’s announcement from the Government on its plan for new ferries throws more uncertainty on the future of the country’s rail network. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Nicola Willis’ smaller ferries will cost more
After wasting a year, Nicola Willis has delivered a worse deal for the Cook Strait ferries that will end up being more expensive and take longer to arrive. ...2 weeks ago
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Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick has today launched a Member’s Bill to sanction Israel for its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, as the All Out For Gaza rally reaches Parliament. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Labour fully supports greyhound racing ban
The Government has done the right thing in moving to ban greyhound racing. ...2 weeks ago
- Greyhound racing industry ban marks new era for animal welfare
After years of advocacy, the Green Party is very happy to hear the Government has listened to our collective voices and announced the closure of the greyhound racing industry, by 1 August 2026. ...2 weeks ago
- Rangatahi voices must be centred in Government’s Relationship and Sexuality Education refresh
In response to a new report from ERO, the Government has acknowledged the urgent need for consistency across the curriculum for Relationship and Sexuality Education (RSE) in schools. ...2 weeks ago
- Govt introduces archaic anti-worker legislation
The Green Party is appalled at the Government introducing legislation that will make it easier to penalise workers fighting for better pay and conditions. ...2 weeks ago
- Winston Peters – Kinleith Mill Speech
Thank you for the invitation to speak with you tonight on behalf of the political party I belong to - which is New Zealand First. As we have heard before this evening the Kinleith Mill is proposing to reduce operations by focusing on pulp and discontinuing “lossmaking paper production”. They say that they are currently consulting on the plan to permanently shut ...2 weeks ago - Swarbrick calls on Auckland Mayor to end delay of revival of St James Theatre
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- He Ara Anamata: Greens launch Emissions Reduction Plan
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- Internationally-trained doctors jump at chance to boost health workforce
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Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has appointed Sarah Ottrey to the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC). “At my first APEC Summit in Lima, I experienced firsthand the role that ABAC plays in guaranteeing political leaders hear the voice of business,” Mr Luxon says. “New Zealand’s ABAC representatives are very well respected and ...2 days ago
- New intelligence oversight appointments
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- New housing developments able to progress more quickly
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- Actions to speed up air travel delivering results
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- Ending contracted emergency housing in Rotorua
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- Vocational education and training decisions support return to regions
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- Reducing the environmental impact of synthetic refrigerants
The Government is taking action to better manage synthetic refrigerants and reduce emissions caused by greenhouse gases found in heating and cooling products, Environment Minister Penny Simmonds says. “Regulations will be drafted to support a product stewardship scheme for synthetic refrigerants, Ms. Simmonds says. “Synthetic refrigerants are found in a ...2 days ago
- Ngāruawāhia section of Waikato Expressway back to 4 lanes for Christmas
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- Appointments to the ENZ board
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- Government to celebrate Waitangi Day around NZ
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- More gangs added to Gangs Act list
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- Strengthening Free Speech in Universities
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- Minister reopens Mangamuka Gorge
State Highway 1 through the Mangamuka Gorge has officially reopened today, providing a critical link for Northlanders and offering much-needed relief ahead of the busy summer period, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“The Mangamuka Gorge is a vital route for Northland, carrying around 1,300 vehicles per day and connecting the Far ...3 days ago
- Funding confirmed for second Ashburton Bridge
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- Inspector-General of Defence appointed
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- Fire and Emergency New Zealand final levy rates confirmed
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- More AML relief on the way for Kiwi businesses
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- Government seeks partnerships to plant trees on Crown-owned-land
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- Wide ranging legislation to make justice system more efficient
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- Diverse skills in community trust appointments
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- Torture redress for survivors of the Lake Alice Unit
The Government has confirmed how it will provide redress to survivors who were tortured at the Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital Child and Adolescent Unit (the Lake Alice Unit). “The Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care found that many of the 362 children who went through the Lake Alice Unit between 1972 and ...4 days ago
- A busy year in the House
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- Consultation opens on working with engineered stone
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- Greater reporting on Treaty settlement commitments
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- New appointments to the Charities Registration Board
Mr Roger Holmes Miller and Ms Tarita Hutchinson have been appointed to the Charities Registration Board, Community and Voluntary Sector Minister Louise Upston says. “I would like to welcome the new members joining the Charities Registration Board. “The appointment of Ms Hutchinson and Mr Miller will strengthen the Board’s capacity ...4 days ago
- Building consent processing times improve
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- Faster access to support through Innovation Fund
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- New Zealand to assist Vanuatu on earthquake response
New Zealand is providing Vanuatu assistance following yesterday's devastating earthquake, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. "Vanuatu is a member of our Pacific family and we are supporting it in this time of acute need," Mr Peters says. "Our thoughts are with the people of Vanuatu, and we will be ...4 days ago
- Government takes steps to reduce card fees for Kiwis
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- Review recommends ECE regulation shakeup
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- Offshore Renewable Energy Bill passes first reading
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- Local Government (Water Services) Bill passes first reading
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- Gene Technology Bill passes first reading
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I don't know how many people listen to RNZ these days, but their first report on Morning Report today on the National and Labour retreats in Napier was an astonishingly bad piece of lazy "journalism" that sort of sums up why I switch the radio off these days.
The narrative of modern political reporting is appallingly lazy, dumb and cynical.
First up we were told what to think ("What has Napier done to deserve these horrible people?") then it was couched as a horse race ("everything to play for") followed by a lazy fact ("Napier is a traditional Labour seat" Except for the six years it was a National seat… much better would have been HISTORICALLY Labour, but hardly a traditional seat these days) followed by some more horse race bullshit and then I had to switch off, but I assume the polls got a look in as well.
This is the quality of what passes for journalism on the publically funded news station these days.
If you want an example of something intelligent, watch this. A balm for the brain.
Rnz paid the price for being decent once key was elected in 08, griffin gets dropped in and the slide commences.
It's not so much lazy journalism I'd say filtered/targeted depicts it better which requires focus to ensure the spins as intended.
Another killer blow to three waters! Or not.
Also recently a TV news item (can't find the link sorry) about the 84 boil water notices in New Zealand, some going back as long as 20 odd years.
I like him too, he’s a prime example of an intelligent commentator who has a diverse range of opinions, that often runs counter to the conventional wisdom .You will not agree with everything he has to say., but neither should you
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-11246381/PETER-HITCHENS-questions-wisdom-stoking-Ukraine-conflict-despite-threat-nuclear-armageddon.html
He’s also got conservative views on the family etc that I don’t 100% agree with , but he argues intelligently and rationally and is a pleasure to listen to.
I like to be challenged in that way
A most succinct appraisal of politics….
"It would be unfair to entirely blame the Labour Party for this situation. Global capitalism has had a similar effect on politics everywhere. Anyone who steps out of line is quickly subject to market discipline, which is the real locus of power in modern politics – not a bunch of MPs yapping and smirking at each other in Question Time."
A relatively long read that personifies the short (almost everything is) history of the left in NZ ….sadly there appears no happy ending.
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/when-the-left-were-actually-left
One does have to be a little bit careful about Ms Locke's research. In one of her previous books she named 2 people who worked for one of the SUP "front" organisations associated with the TUC in Auckland as being members of that Party. Neither were. One is now deceased, and the other is still a member of the N Z Labour Party as they were at the time. These "facts" are still repeated in other publications – being quoted or received from her book.
One must also recall the frequently bitter rivalry between the SUP and the Workers' Communist League (dubbed the "Weasels") and the Socialist Action League (the "Trots"). That rivalry dates back to student activist days in the 1970's between the more CPNZ orientated groups and the SAL.
I was very proud to have been one of the just under 200 people who voted for Bill Andersen in the 1978 General Election. I found myself in the Tamaki Electorate at the time and joined what was probably half of Kupe St in voting for Bill and not for Muldoon.
Chris being brave promoting Judith, or is the talent so thin?
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2023/01/national-caucus-reshuffle-barbara-kuriger-falls-judith-collins-rockets-back-up-list.html
”Collins, who was the unsuccessful National leader at the last election, is now ranked at number 10 and has been given the new portfolios of Foreign Direct Investment and Digitising Government on top of Land Information and Science, Innovation and Technology. She was previously ranked 17th.”
No doubt the new ministry of Foreign Direct Investment will be as chilling as it sounds. A whole floor of public servants dedicated to selling off what remains of the silver.
And in Pythonesque news, Barbara Kuriger, who abused her position to pressure authorities to drop an investigation into her son and husband for abusing animals has been given…Conservation.
Luxon is tone deaf, but muddle NZ lap it up because house prices.
She knows where all the skeletons are so best keep her elevated and busy or risk dissent and mischief especially with her connections to the oily one.
Old saying – keep your friends close, but your enemies closer!
Charming.
Taliban foreign minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, has told the Russian special envoy to Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, that the group was listening to Moscow on forming an “inclusive government” and “human rights issues.”
https://kabulnow.com/2023/01/taliban-we-are-listening-to-our-russian-friends-on-human-rights-issues/
Is that the same Judith Collins now the opposition Science spokeser that in 2020 reportedly stated that the Covid 19 virus was nothing to worry about as there had obviously been 18 before it. Nothing like putting the best intellects on to this sciencey thingo.
Where and when did she say that?
You can surely produce a link for the story.
My feeling is that it was another intellectual heavy-weight and all-round nice person. A former leader within the Nats, Michelle Boag. From memory she uttered that brain fart on RNZ's Panel.
Be careful what you ask for, here is a link for some reading. (It covers the 18 other Covids too.) As a reminder as to what an unsavoury character she has been.
https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/08-01-2021/the-insider-three-decades-of-amazing-michelle-boag-headlines-2
Oops, Barfly beat me to it.
You are mixing up your National Party lunatics Michelle Boag
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/michelle-boag-yes-that-really-happened/FCH2V4F6RWUWQAVVDOINLFBJ6E/
The Nats promoting Collins and Muller is like a dog returning to its own vomit.
Well, dogs do return to whatever they heaved up as a survival strategy so yeah, Collins and Muller as yesterday's upchuck.
That is Luxon’s "Talented Team" Muttonbird. Never mind "Bottom Feeders."… What about "Bottom of the Barrel?"
Judith will do the praying.
Todd Muller will do the worrying,
Yip the right live to frame leftwing politicians as career budgets but here we have 2 has been that can't find anything better to do, .
And all it took was a year of unrelenting barbarism and brutality. But spin away, tankies.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-01-17/kissinger-reverses-sheds-resistance-to-ukraine-joining-nato
https://archive.li/q2yuT
Jacinda is standing down.
Despite my political differences with her, I wish her well. Politics is a tough game, and I can’t blame her for wanting a life.
The PM is resigning from her job on Feb 7 and is not standing for MP at the 2023 election.
Basically saying she intended to but has not re-charged well enough during her break to return to the job.
An election on October 14.
Someone could have said make me acting PM to March and come back then … (GR is not seeking the leadership).
Does this mean that the Caucus, the Party members and the Unions will all get to vote in a drawn out campaign like the one that made Andrew Little the leader or have they switched back to having the Caucus alone elect the leader?
Can anyone who is involved in the Labour Party explain what the current rules are?
If caucus agrees they decide, if not it goes to party membership.
Goneburger. hahahahahahahaha
My comment from the 13th of December
Will Ardern make it to the next election?
Given the ways the polls it is likely that Labour will be the the opposition.
The PM will win the seat of Mt Albert but be in opposition.
Interesting times ahead for Labour. I must stock up on pop corn.
From the OMG files…
Apparently George Santos, liar, fraudster, fantasist, and avowed homophobe and transphobe, was a drag Queen in Brazil.
You couldn't make up shit as good as this about the wackos who inhabit the US Republican party.
https://twitter.com/MarisaKabas/status/1615858614022938626?cxt=HHwWhIC9gaW21-wsAAAA
What is odd about that?
Wellington had a rather famous Drag Queen who did pretty well in the Mayoral election in 1977. She finished fourth on election day, which is where Labour candidate Paul Eagle was when the polls closed last year.
She had a wonderful campaign slogan. It wasn't something boring and forgettable like "Lets keep moving". Carmen's was "Get in behind Carmen for Mayor"
I think we might be much better off if we had more Drag Queens in politics.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/69481625/carmens-scandalous-run-for-wellington-mayor—150-years-of-news
Carmen was a trans identified person – not a "Drag Queen". She had what they euphemistically call "top surgery" but still had male genitalia. She lived full time as a woman.
I'll take your word for it, although she was pretty routinely referred to by the term.
For example "An iconic drag queen from New Zealand, Carmen Rupe was well known for many things."
https://www.makingqueerhistory.com/articles/2019/10/20/carmen-rupe#:~:text=An%20iconic%20drag%20queen%20from,life%20was%20a%20full%20one.
I am so sad Jacinda has decided to leave.
Totally understandable though.
Do look at this as a liberation for her.
The very real risk of physical harm posed by the right of politics made the job a virtual prison for her and her family.
" We need to do politics better than this."
You mean like how you treated Chris Trotter late last year Greg ?
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
please don't get personal. If you have a specific argument to make about how we do politics you need to a) make an argument, and b) quote and link to the things you are referring to. But you still cannot harass TS authors here, so choose your framing and words carefully.
Certainly Weka I was just pointing out the hypocrisy of one of your TS writers.
[lprent: Leading with an opinion is fine. But doing so with neither an argument nor a link nor even an explanation on what in the hell you’re talking about is not. Especially since you assertion appears to have nothing to do with the content of the post.
Especially when you’re personally attacking one of my authors with a unsubstantiated smear in a post that has nothing to do with it. Continuing to do it after being requested to desist by a mod is worse.
Do anything like this piss-poor behaviour again and I’ll ban you until November or permanently.
If you want to comment here, then you need to act less like a lazy fuckwit troll with a grudge and more like someone who can think and can argue with some description or evidence about what you’re talking about and why.
Otherwise go back to TDB comments or Slaters site where making up stories up is encouraged. ]
Anyone going through your comments would note how many times you have brought up the issue.
Hypocrisy would be posting here after what you say about the site over on TDB.
no you weren't, you were making an unsubstantiated accusations and I'm telling you to stop.
See my mod note.
Of Joy?
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
[banned until 1 month after Ardern’s resignation date ie 7/3/24. You trolled once too often, after multiple warnings and we’re having a clear out for election year. We don’t need dickheads here flaming people. – weka]
GFY
mod note.
Comment was shifted from here https://thestandard.org.nz/jacinda-ardern-has-announced-she-is-standing-down-as-pm/#comment-1930896
POS can’t pronounce her name, but he has opinions about her policies….WTF they are.
https://twitter.com/Acyn/status/1615881866371899392
https://www.betootaadvocate.com/entertainment/millennials-quit-workforce-in-record-numbers-after-being-forced-to-return-to-office-full-time/
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
Did the moderator look at the photo or read the link?
Looked at the title and photo, observed to myself that Jacinda spent much of the lock-down time in Parliament and was doing a lot of her work remotely prior to the lock downs when pregnant or with a young child.
It occurred to me that the comment was just a joke.
I also noted that the article was in entertainment which didn’t even interest me in the est-while topic. I read business and economics articles about the the struggle employers have justifying their office lease costs.
You hadn't provided any of your own opinion. Nor had you provided a reason for putting it up that related to the post. I didn't read the link because you hadn't provided me with any reason to do so.
This site is is for robust debate. That means that you as a commenter are expected to put skin into the debate and actually argue you opinion. Your comment didn't explain what your opinion was, nor why the link should be clicked into, nor why it was relevant to the post. In short, it didn't the site standard.
So I concluded that you must have mistaken this site for being twitter and generously moved the comment to our twit area.
BTW: Personally, I work from home, and have established a personal policy that a bikeable distance is the longest that I’m willing to tolerate as a commute. Since there is no bike path to Auckland’s north shore that isn’t less than 20km it means remote, central, south, or west fro 7km max.
Thanks for all your good deeds you have blessed Aotearoa with Jacinda nuf. said
Ka kite Ano
The contenders
GR to be acting PM, if Ardern is late back from her break, and after Feb 7 if the matter is not decided by then.
David Parker to manage the process (precedent as temporary leader during a previous contest and he is AG). He had earlier withdrawn from a contest to support Shearer.
1. Andrew Little who moved aside to make way for Ardern and it still there. For better and or worse is better known now than then.
2. Megan Wood, minister of a lot of stuff and occasional stand up partner of the PM
3. boy faced common stand up partner of the PM and minister of a lot of stuff and ready to go from shorts to trousers (but who wanted to wait till autumn).
4. Michael Wood, the new boy wonder
https://natlib.govt.nz/records/23016878?search%5Bi%5D%5Bcentury%5D=1900&search%5Bi%5D%5Bcreator%5D=Listener+%28Periodical%29&search%5Bil%5D%5Byear%5D=1986&search%5Bpath%5D=photos
5. Nanaia Mahuta, because the National adverts would take us all back to 1975 when we were young.
Wild cards the PM enables via a by election
6. The new MP for Mount Albert, Helen Clark (someone they would want less than No 5).
7. The new MP for Mount Albert, Phil Goff (who offers his UK gig to Winston Peters).
8. The new MP for Mount Albert David Shearer.
9. The new MP for Mount Albert David Cunliffe.
10 Labour forms a coalition with Greens, if they make Chloe Swarbrick leader.
I'd like to see that old analysis of neolibs, careerists, leftists.
10 has the same energy as JA coming to power during the 2017 election.
11 Kiri Allan
https://thumbs.gfycat.com/BlackDimAtlanticblackgoby-max-1mb.gif
The most bold of the options. More a chance later in the year … if they lose (or 2026 if they lose again).
They chose Palmer for the 1990 “poisoned chalice” holder role (by then Anderton had walked), Moore lost in 1993 (the Alliance votes cost him victory), and Clark in 1996 was blocked by Peters campaigning for the opposition and keeping National in power.
A sad decade/bookend on the hopes of the 1984 election.
would prefer not to have flashing gifs embedded, thanks. (converted it to a link).
"5. Nanaia Mahuta, because the National adverts would take us all back to 1975 when we were young."
That… is comedy gold.
I'm actually a Mt Albert NZLP member. I don't think any of your prospective candidates are willing or likely to pass my perusal.
But it is going to be interesting to see who stands for the position in Mt Albert. They're kind of demanding about the quality of their candidates.
BTW: I'd hardly call Micheal Woods 'new'. I ran across him at a Wellington Labour conference or congress – pretty sure that was in the late 90s. He was very active (and competent) in Mt Roskill electorate back in the Clark government days when I was still active.
I'm not sure who I'd vote for if it goes to members – but he would be up in the top few.
It's just a roll call to identify the joke in David Parker saying he would support GR for the job this time round.
The PM is delaying her resignation to prevent the need for a by election.
And yeah its Megan Woods with seniority over Michael Wood.
Little and Woods in the Palmer mode, Hipkins in the Moore role and Wood and Allan in the future category.
So citizen Thiel was boosting bitcoin while he was dumping it.
/
Founders Fund, the venture capital firm co-founded by billionaire Peter Thiel, closed almost all of its eight-year bet on cryptocurrencies shortly before the market began to crash last year, generating about $1.8bn in returns.
The San Francisco-based fund made its first investment in bitcoin in early 2014 and went on to invest large sums in crypto. About two-thirds of its overall investment was used to buy bitcoin, said people close to the fund.
Founders Fund sold out of the vast majority of its entire cryptocurrency portfolio by the end of March 2022 — before the digital assets market became swept up in a crisis in May last year, said one of the people close to the fund.
The fund currently has no significant exposure to cryptocurrencies, the people said. The winding-down of its crypto bet has not previously been reported. Founders Fund declined to comment.
[…]
In April 2022, about the same time that Founders Fund sold out of most of its cryptocurrency holdings, Thiel said he was optimistic about the future of bitcoin. He told a cryptocurrency conference in Miami that “we’re at the end of the fiat money regime” and suggested its price — which was then trading at about $44,000 — could increase by a factor of 100.
https://www.ft.com/content/0a1d5597-7145-4035-987b-ff033bba3d75
Well that wiped Mr Luxon's reshuffle off the front page with gusto
And probably consigned their election planning to the bin as well.
Planning Graeme??? They have a simple plan. No to everything. It's a shambles. NZ is wrecked.
Saves having to detail and anything complicated.