From the article “The overwhelming feeling at the meeting was that we had been screwed over by a corporation that didn’t care about our children….”
That’s how national ran education so is anyone surprised this behaviour exists in the sector. Felt like how some describe Akl grammar these days to me also.
Living in a zone and forking out the cash doesn’t mean youre getting value…..it never did, wake up people.
Awesome to hear Trump blame the Democrats for forcing the separation of children at Mexican border when it’s not law and he controls all parts of government.
…evil against children may not be okay, but abusing Democrats works…
This isn’t a byproduct. Child separation as punishment, on display, was always a feature not a bug.
Sanctions on his business interests, his real estate, his children, his enablers. Interpol arrest warrants for the lot of them. Bullets wouldn’t be an ideal solution but I could live with it.
I don’t care if they get burned. I want them to swallow shit and piss for the rest of their lifes, and that includes ANY cheerleaders that could not wait for that orange piece of shit to get voted in in order to bring ‘change’. And i include all and any of the resident cheerleaders especially CV. Shit and piss no matter what you eat, not matter how much and how often you brush your teeth, cut your tongue and it will still be shit and piss.
I am fully out of snark.
I would also like to remind people of Theresienstadt, who was inspected by the international Red Cross with much fanfare to find ‘nothing untowards’.
Fuck goodwin, and fuck his cheerleaders, enablers and third party voters. Fuck em.
You want to know why not voting for these people is so important, that the lesser evil is sometimes the better choice, The lesser evil, while not being the Unicorn the left seems to need in order to get ‘engaged and inspired and lovely dovey’ does not remove the progress made, progress for women, children, and all others that are not white, male, heterosexual and their assorted arsekissers and bootlickers.
honestly if people are’nt put off after everyday Gosman, Wayne, and other assorted bullshitters come here and infect every thread with their offerings, they surely will not be offended by me wishing Trump supporters to taste shit and piss every time they swallow.
But then, who knows there are a lot of things right wingers have no issue with it, child abuse – be it by witholding funds from the mother as Winz drones under Anne Tolley and Paula Bennett have done,, – or by republicans in the US seems to not give them a hard time. Cause ….reasons.
James, you are trolling; taking “offensive” words and repeating them ad nauseum, being a smart-arse, adding nothing to the discussion. Leave out the “butter wouldn’t melt in mouth” crap; you’re trying to disrupt, put a spanner in the works, take the “high” ground; but your no more than a troll, stirring muck for your own perverse pleasure. Others here suggest that you “grow up”, b*gger off”, get a life and I’m sympathetic to their calls. James, you are boring us to death, we don’t trust what you say, we don’t enjoy your contributions, we don’t respect your point of view. What more can I say? The quality of your comments, dull and pointless in months gone by, has deteriorated into foul-mouthed sniping; have you no personal pride, no standards of behaviour? Puckish Rogue, for all his faults, is rarely offensive: you James, are unfailingly offensive. Grow. Up.
And enjoy the experience 🙂
Yep the trump is going to pay a heavy price for this with a bit of luck but probably not
“US President Donald Trump has attacked the German government’s approach to immigration, as he comes under pressure over his own crackdown on migrants.”
What a scum trump is and many other governments are not too far behind including our one. Separating children from their parents – colonisation 101 – they’ve been doing it, like forever!
At no extra cost you get the hypocrisy of quoting the bible as a defense by the white house just to rub some salt in.
This is a deliberate and provocative action with wonderful examples of humanity like Jeff Sessions supporting it.
Parents are being told their kids are being taken away for a bath…..it’s dickensian shit.
Colbert was scathing about this practice in an opening monologue last week. Notice it’s the comedians actually standing up against this whereas the msm……mmmm.
Since we’re all about the Godwins today I’ll admit to wondering how long it would be before Trump announced his final solution to the problem of the Mexican untermenschen.
The first use of concentration camps was the in the US in 1830’s, the Brits used them during the Boer War. Both countries, like their eugenics programs, preceded/inspired the Nazis use of them.
If these people are to be believed, and I have no personal expertise in the topic. they go back to the Assyrians. although the actual name only came into use about at the end of the nineteenth century.
“The idea of forced resettlement is nothing new; it was first recorded as being used by the ancient Assyrians, and was sporadically used throughout history, by such groups as the Ottomans and Russians. The term “concentration camp” was first coined by the Spanish in the late 19th century, when the Spanish army in Cuba rounded up civilians in these camps to fight guerrilla armies in the area. Shortly after this, the US used concentration camps in the Philippines.”
I do believe even in NZ parents are separated from their children if they are incarcerated. So lets all calm down people. Obama did it too and nary a cry. Hypocrisy much!
The trouble with your reasoning is that first it starts with the false premiss that these people entering the US from Mexico are doing something illegal. They are not. Seeking asylum is not an illegal activity.Trump has made it “illegal” contrary to the declaration of Human Rights and is blaming it on the Democrats. But in placing blame upon them he is telling lies.
This is not true. There is no law that requires immigrant families to be separated. The decision to charge everyone crossing the border with illegal entry — and the decision to charge asylum seekers in criminal court rather than waiting to see if they qualify for asylum — are both decisions the Trump administration has made.
The extreme Right Wing media is already starting the narrative that the kids are “Crisis Actors” coached by people paid by the Democrats.
The same exact words they have also used to try and discredit the survivors of school shootings pushing for tougher gun laws.
Trump’s attorney general Jeff Sessions in his speech defending the policy of separating the children from their families used the very same bible verse that was popular among slave owners in the southern US States to support their right to own slaves.
Meanwhile, Trump himself has apparently been breaking US law every day by ripping up memos, screwing them up and tossing them in the bin after he has finished reading them. A whole team of document specialists is now having to retrieve them from the bins and reconstruct them so that they can be preserved and archived as required by US law.
I couldn’t read past the first few comments. These creatures (I was going to call them animals but that’s a gross insult to animals) are craven lunatics.
Trump continues to show the worst side of humanity.
He and Session’s should be taken to the Hague for trial.
This is the old dead cat tactic every time prosecutors get closer to bringing him and his cronies to trial for treason the more outrageous his distractions,!
‘The National Party has expressed shock after the government ditched two of its key police policies – and it is calling for them to be reinstated.
The then National government last year announced an aim of attending 98 percent of burglaries in 48 hours. It also set a target of having 95 percent of the population living within 25 kilometres of an all-hours police station.’
These seem to be the kind of policies that everyone would agree are good ideas and much needed so since Labours ditching them what are they replacing them with?
Having been witness to a few burglaries of the Dairy located next to me, that National Policy was nothing more then a policy.
So yeah, its a nothing burger to can a policy that was not worth the toilet paper National wrote it on.
Judith Collins probably wiped her backside with that policy to parfume it a bit. .
National, cutting police numbers to bare bones in order to ‘achieve a surplus’.
National, hard against crime in name only.
National, its not crime if it helps me.
PR your faux outrage with a gutted police force how were National ever going to meet that ridiculous target.
Low taxes means cheap nasty govt services.
But the uber wealthy like yourself can afford 24 hr private security on top of police priority.
“But the uber wealthy like yourself can afford 24 hr private security on top of police priority.”
Not even close to being uber wealthy 🙂 (depending on your definition of course) unless in comparison to the entire world but if you do that then most of us would probably be considered the 1%
PR you fell into my trap of exposing your crap.
You are for lower taxes then you provide security for your house self and family.
Yet the coalition is putting more cops on the beat yet you complain about an unachievable goal which if it were to be achieved other areas of policing would suffer.
This 98%within 48 hrs was a PR spin BS damage control for a party that pretends to be tough on crime.
“You are for lower taxes then you provide security for your house self and family.”
– Not sure what you mean, can you reword it please
“Yet the coalition is putting more cops on the beat yet you complain about an unachievable goal which if it were to be achieved other areas of policing would suffer.”
– I think more cops on the beat is a good as does Labour considering how many of the cops were budgeted under National but what “achievable goal” am I complaining about
“This 98%within 48 hrs was a PR spin BS damage control for a party that pretends to be tough on crime.”
– So why wouldn’t the COL carry through with it, its a vote and it’d shut National up pretty quickly
Thats funny, whenever the impossibility of the COL managing to get anywhere close to planting a billion trees or building a 100 000 houses is mentioned I get told at least they tried
So I guess at least National which is more than what the COL is doing
However this is a chance for the COL to steal a march on National, take on the policies for themselves, implement them properly and then National will find it a lot harder to criticise
“”The new Government’s come in, and perhaps the expectations that we’ve given them are too high.”
Yep – Labour made promises to their union backers – and now cannot follow thru – Instead they give Winny a billion dollars to holiday around the pacific.
“I wonder if Shane Jones personal slush fund could have been better utilised”.
Tell me you are kidding? You are far to smart to have to ask that question aren’t you?
A better question would be
“I wonder if Shane Jones personal slush fund could have been utilised in a worse manner”
It actually is much harder to answer. You have to think quite hard before you can come up with enough ways to completely waste a billion dollars a year that are worse than Shane’s load of rubbish.
You wrote, “Yep – Labour made promises to their union backers – and now cannot follow thru – Instead they give Winny a billion dollars to holiday around the pacific.”
Now let’s see how ‘worthless’ that is.
Firstly, it’s a political statement and could be attacked as such. References to the deputy prime minister as “Winny” and secondly the slur that a billion dollars budgeted for Pacific (note spelling with capital) foreign aid is being used as “holiday money” by Winston Peters show that your statement which I have quoted is a very political and partisan one.
Secondly, you said that Labour made promises to their union backers. What evidence have you to show that in the first place that actually happened (what promises, made when and to whom)? That is also a very political statement as it implies quid quo pro deals, and lack of governmental honesty and freedom of action.
Thirdly, you link a budgeted item of expenditure in foreign aid to non-fulfilment of alleged promises to union backers, as if it were a either/or arrangement. Your purpose there was I believe to slur Labour and Winston Peters both, as well as the unions.
ianmac says yours was a worthless statement. I would agree.
Feeling hurt by being told to “dry up”? Not the worst injunction you could have received to stop inflicting such arrant nonsense upon the Standard’s readers.
You’re right. I didn’t comment. I failed to see it. Bad form.
But, saying they do it too is not a secure argument.
And accusing me of failure to do something, is also not an argument to counter my critique of your lack of argument.
I also have a policy that I choose to respond to those I choose. I do not respond to everything or everyone with whom I disagree or agree. That way is futility.
Thanks Mc 1. James is really just playing silly beggars. I think that he only intent to draw as many responses as he can regardless of any fact or valid opinion. For me why bother to respond to him/her?
James your right of right.
Why don’t you set up your own right wing Web site.
Instead of all the right wing cuckoos trying to take over this site with your stubborn unyielding Dogma!
DHBs says no more money would be put on the table for nurses.
Peters points to the Government’s Budget Responsibility Rules.
Interestingly, when it comes to the Budget Responsibility Rules and expenditure, Labour thought they had the balance about right.
However, it looks as if members of the Public Services Association (PSA), Inland Revenue (IRD) and the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment (Mbie) along with teachers and nurses disagree.
It seems the realisation of Labour’s campaign rhetoric is starting to sink in.
I don’t think people were expecting Labour to put everything right overnight, but clearly they were expecting more than what’s currently on offer. Thus, it’s going to be interesting to see how this all plays out.
On a side note, National aren’t offering anything better, which will help Labour stand their ground as they know voters will have nowhere else to turn.
The problem is the nurses and doctors want to capture the health service for their own benefit and resent and oppose being managed. People argue they should be “paid what they are worth” without considering that the real skill lies in managing them. They are quite manipulative too, with their carefully cultivated image as selfless souls working long hours in a vocation to ease the suffering of the ill and disabled. It needs strong and pervasive management to cut through this cant and keep these pious do-gooders acting in the public interest. More powerful and well resourced management is what is required here !
As Cindy said nz just has to come round to her way of thinking or labour has failed and they will be a one term government Looking odds on bet this will be the case
“cock sucker” – an indication of some level of misogyny if uttered by a heterosexual male, or just another of those “go to” put downs that people just kinda thoughtlessly let trip off their tongue (eg – motherfucker etc)?
“cunt” – hmm. Good cunt or bad cunt? Cunt of the desirable variety or something else entirely?
Apparently all cultures use references to genitalia as put downs. Sometimes it gets a bit amusing/enlightening. So for example, the “go to” put down for a man in some African culture (I forget which one but it featured in some Stephen Fry programme about language) is to suggest that the man is hung like a donkey. 🙂
I thought “cock sucker” was more a homophobic put down rather than a misogynistic one. I guess on some level it could be both, but it was certainly to imply that a man was gay when i used to use it in my homophobic youth.
James, i have been quite open and honest about my feelings about the current lot of National Party members and their enablers.
You can use what ever word for me or anyone else for that matter that you see befitting. I still think that ugly – the insides you know the soul heart and mind – fits Judith Collins, and vile – as in her every action and word – fits Paula Bennett.
I stand by that.
As for chubby – i fit that description. Even tho, when much younger i was called a board with warts :).
A trout? cooked with lemon butter? blue – cooked in whitewine, or rather with almond butter? Ha, so hard to decide. But then I like meat :), and its not good friday. so what ever suits you.
Cock sucker? I have sucked my fair share of cocks, and can’t really see the insult in it, i might add that the sucked cocks did not complain, so again, where is the insult?
the thing is James, as a women of a certain age, a women who grew up poor, was assaulted at home by her stepfather, who lived as a transient teenager on the street as that was safer than living at home, i have been called my fair share of things in my life.
Heck, one lady in NZ even commented how ‘lady like’ i looked when i wore a nice dress and heels to an official dinner.
So no i don’t care. Judith Collins, Paula Bennett, Nick Smith, Simon Bridges, Bill English, John Key, Brownlee, and the other assorted clowns are vile and very very ugly, unlikable, and should be unelectable. And unless you can show me where one of these people have done something to better the life of someone else – they clearly don’t give a shit about this country other then it benefitting them – i might change my mind.
please show one example of the National Party giving a ‘hand up’ to any person in NZ that is not called Bill English, Paula Bennet, Oravida Collins, Nick Smith, Brownlee, Amy Adams, John ‘State House’ Key and any other of the National Party buffoons.
And no ‘zip it sweety’ ain’t gonna cut it.
And while you are at it, could you explain to me why National never got rid of that ‘socialism on steroids’ called working for families?
Is it because silly Farmer blokes with signs calling J. Adern a ‘pretty communist’ need it to feed their 8 children that they have despite obviously not making enough money to afford these 8 kids. Or is having children one can not afford only a crime against humanity when non white Farmer blokes and their wifes do eeet?
Right Alan, this whole “hand up” thing should be pretty easy for you to explain and please include examples from the previous government where it was put into practice, funded properly, and has the ongoing funding/support for long term beneficial impact.
Or was that a random RWKJ bs throw away line which, has no real substance or reasoning behind it.
Whilst you might be OK being called those names (and for whatever reason you are OK with it) – others might not be.
There will be plenty of women out there who get very upset being called chubby, or blokes who dont like being called cock suckers.
Cunt is not a nice name – you might be ok being called one – but others are not. Would you be happy with other people calling your family members that?
Perhaps we can start using the term for Jacinda – after all if you are OK for it to be used about Key – why not allow people call Jacinda that if they so feel like it?
In recent weeks your comments have contained more instances of these ‘offensive’ words than any other single poster.
A prediction: James will continue to incorporate these words into his comments at every opportunity – he believes it’s a strong ‘argument’, and his ‘duty’ to criticise offensive words and comments on this site. I guess that will keep him busy, which seems important to him.
“James does that “thing” where he repeats words he claims to be offended by. It’s a method favoured by 8-year olds generally, those who get some sort of buzz from using “bad words” under the guise of someone else having said them.”
again, i agree with you. We can call Jacinda or other women that, and i guess more then one National Party member, enabler and sponsor has called her that word the night National lost the Election.
John Key however will never be a cunt, he will always just be a selfish hair pulling young girl tormenting limp prick.. I am all for equality of the sexes. There.
Don’t go down that road, your false idea of a do good liberal with ‘political correctness’ is lost on me.
I don’t care about your feefee’s no more then you care about feeling sleeping in cars and raising their children in vans. I don’t care about Paula Bennetts feelings, if she is sad being called a vile human being, she can try to be a better one. Same for Judith Collins, she could try justice for all instead of just for those that give her money. Mr. Bridges could try to get bridges build instead of squandering time and money of others. Nick Smith could just go and retire. Brownlee can also retire, and the National Party could just find a soul, a heart, some guts and maybe be electable without friends. Not holding my breath tho.
But your whinging about how you hurt because the National Party is called on their bullshit, the national party member being called out for the callouls soulless ghouls they are? Nah, not buying it.
Mind you could try harder. I am having fun here.
But remember, there is not one word you can call me – a women, or a poor person, or a homeless person, or an abused person, that i have not heard, and that the National Party and its enablers and sponsors have not uttered themselves in order to score some cheap points with those that are suffering from white economic anxiety and who would like to go back to the 1850’s when people knew their place.
it’s gonna be fun when the multimillion hovels on the coast line of akl, wlgtn, etc etc will not be insurable.
That’s when the gnashing the teeth and the pulling of the hair begins, and maybe some will even realise just how stupid they have been.
i mean i spend that much money on couple of arborists to give my fruit trees a trim. But at least these trees bring forth kai, and much of it. Much better investment. House ….worth nothing, fruit trees? Priceless.
Imagine what that is going to do to rents let alone peoples ability to own a home.
And add to that Wellington Regional Council has proposed a 6.7 per cent average rates increase across the region coupled with Wellington City Council’s 3.9 percent rates increase.
People will be wanting and will require far larger pay increases now.
i guess that the houses that become uninsurable due to flooding etc etc will become slums of last resort and the rich will still have enough money to buy what ever property there is to buy. As for rents going up, they don’t need a reason to increase rents. They can buy law raise rent every 6 month willy nilly.
Going off the rate of that increase, far more will find they can’t afford to insure their home. As many more will find they can’t afford to buy one due to the increasing related costs of owning one.
And as landlord costs are continually increasing higher than the rate of inflation, it’s no wonder landlords are forced to increase rents.
The landlord has probably already worked quite hard to get themselves into a situation to afford investment property – is that a crime to you Sabine?
Do you have a problem with people working hard, being smart and having a few assets to show for it?
Sounds like it
Most people buy an investment property by borrowing against the capital gains from their home. That’s not work. There are plenty of people working bloody hard who can’t even pay the rent. There is huge generation inequality here as older people who already own squeeze young people out of the market. Are you OK with people making money from OTHER peoples hard work?
Boo hoo, virtually everyone I know who has accumulated a bit of wealth has worked bloody hard and often taken business risks, take your concerns to councils and get more land freed up for development, that is where the problem lies.
But, if the Landlord finds him overextended as due to rising cost he can not maintain his various mansions, then commercial interest would behoove it that he starts selling properties to better his income streem.
I think they call it “Free Market’ in National Party parlance.
Also, it helps to think first before buying properties in so called Million Dollar Suburbs if these are located in a flood plain, earth quake prone zone, or near a beach that might rise several meters of the next few decades.
Just because someone made an investment does not mean that person is entitled to income from it. If he/she is lucky the investment pays off, if not, Bugger.
repeat after me, Free Market. Free Market. Free Market. 🙂
There are the immediate impacts on things such as rents and property values etc but my thoughts were more towards the systemic….the implications of a failed property insurance industry could potentially collapse the current economic paradigm…..some may welcome that, then again what fills the void may be worse.
I don’t think we have yet to play a requiem for the insurance company.
There are already a great number of people that don’t have insurance on their houses, their cars, or their persons, simply because they don’t have the money. They have enough to serve the mortgage and pay either electricity or food. Never mind the roof that needs fixing.
The ones that can offset Insurance costs as an expense against income – which it would be in the Rentiers scenario will load the cost over to the tenant. IF the tenant can’t afford it, that tenant will move, another one will move in, rinse repeat until the kingdom comes.
The houses that will be uninsurable, will become slums, slowly but surely. Still bringing income, but at literally no cost, and no government – regardless of their stripes and dots – will do anything as at that stage housing will have become so rare that any dog kennel will do.
The favelas of South Americas, or the slums of Asia, will come to NZ at some stage. And the likes of our current National Party enablers will have no issue with it, they will yell, Free Market provides, Free Market provides.
We know high levels of private debt can cause financial crises. The Bank of England identified “the high level of UK household indebtedness” as one of the “most significant near-term domestic risks to financial stability”.
Taylor and Schularick, who examined 14 advanced economies over 140 years, show that
“the best pre-crisis indicator is a rapid build up of private debt.”
And the former chairman of the UK’s Financial Services Authority, Adair Turner, has argued that:
“The financial crisis of 2007/08 occurred because we failed to constrain the private financial system’s creation of private credit and money”.
So, right now, one of the biggest risks to our economy is being used as the primary solution.
This ‘hair of the dog’ strategy shows how unsound the foundations of our economy are. It exposes why the banking system doesn’t work for the people, and that the Bank of England’s monetary policy toolbox urgently needs updating.
With Donald Trump cruelly separating babies from their mothers, as wealthy people do, our Trolls will be delighted and distracted.
They will be petting and patting Donald all over his incredible body and purple heart. Melania will get roughed up of course. She is just a waste to be shat upon by the Evil trolls.
Think of the rewards that Gosman and James will get ! Evil is so rewarding. As all trolls know.
Good morning The AM Show how would trump like it if those Mokopunas were his own Mokopunas this action of taking mokos from there parents and lock them in cages creates a whole lot of trauma they will all resent USA its unhumane don’t blame the demarcats Don its the changes to your laws you made that have cause this what’s that the rest of the World has to live up to the standards you set but the USA can do what it wants.If your wrong just get over it and change your law/attitude.
The changes made by Labour to the NZ House ownership laws is what a responsible government does you make plans for a law and when you see those changes need to be refine that’s the wise why to handle that situation not like national who would deny there was a problem and ram the law through parliament and hide the problems it creates.
ECO MAORI Says yes to all the council having a fuel tax carbon tax you want to know why because national have denied human caused global warming for 9 years and this lack of leadership /blocking on climate change has left all the councils with a lot of catching up to mitigate climate change problems we face now. Yes I know its going to be hard on the common person but with some senseable thinking I’m sure we will survive the fuel taxs better that trying to survive a Papatuanukue with a extremely bad environment. Ka kite ano P.S the sandflys did not like my words over the last few days days they provided a swam of a escort on my way back to Auckland
The AM Show ECO MAORI Says we need to integrate OUR elderly in our society may be some sort of employment with the main goal of getting the elderly out of their houses once and a while I Back Mark Sainsbury move to get people to know that our valuerable elderly are being taken advantage of Ka pai e hoa some people just can’t help themselves and just pray on the elderly wallets idiots
Kai pai Paddy Grower the story on the government using the private investigation company to spy on innocent Kiwis Ka kite ano
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News that the Chinese ATP 40 cyber-hacking unit penetrated parliamentary internet networks in 2021 has renewed concerns about the PRC’s malign intentions in Aotearoa. But is the hack that significant given the length of time that has passed since its … Continue reading → ...
When Parliament passed the Intelligence and security Act in 2017, they assured us all that it was full of safeguards. Any intrusive surveillance of New Zealanders would be subject to a "triple lock", requiring the approval of the Minister and (supposedly independent) Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants, as well as post-facto ...
Eric Crampton writes – Richard Harman’s Politik newsletter provides a bit of the context that ought to have been showing up in other media reports on potential reductions in public service staffing. Media has been reporting on staffing cuts on the order of about 7%. Is that ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – It’s becoming increasingly apparent that many perceive free speech to have become the preserve of the politically right wing, the religiously conservative, the libertarian fringe, the anti-trans, the anti-Māori and…. well, just fill in with whatever groups or individuals you don’t like and don’t ...
Don Brash writes – As everybody who is not blind and deaf is aware, there is a huge political preoccupation with climate change at the moment, a widespread (though by no means unanimous) belief that global temperatures are rising mainly as a result of the greenhouse gases created ...
TL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy on Wednesday, March 27 include:Chris Bishop laid out his vision for filling Aotearoa-NZ’s $100 billion infrastructure deficit in a speech yesterday, emphasising user pays and private funding, but failed to say how to achieve bipartisanship on population, public borrowing and ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Former Finance Minister Grant Robertson and former Prime Minister Chris Hipkins have been conveying how unhappy they are with the tax system. Last week in his valedictory speech, Robertson called for the introduction of a wealth or capital gains tax. And this week Hipkins ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Buzz from the Beehive China has loomed large in Beehive considerations over the past 24 hours, largely because of that country’s mischief-making in the cyber espionage department. Two media statements emerged on that subject hard on the heels of the PM baulking at questions put to him on RNZ’s Morning ...
Chris Trotter writes – WHY IS THE NATIONAL PARTY doing so much for landlords, property developers, trucking, and construction companies, and so little for everybody who isn’t already pretty well-off? It’s as if protecting landlords’ investments and building apartments and roads now constitute the whole of National’s ...
Bryce Edwards writes – When she was campaigning to be Minister of Finance last year, Nicola Willis pledged that she would resign from the job if she failed to deliver tax cuts in her first Budget. Now, it’s that pledge, along with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s ...
Robert MacCulloch writes – The Reserve Bank has doubled staff numbers in five years to 510, with personnel costs rising to $80 million in 2023 from $32 million in 2018 – up by a whopping 150%. I guess when you print $50 billion and flood markets with liquidity, ...
The furore. In case you didn’t notice there was a controversy in the weekend involving dolphins in a little town off the South Island. Don’t panic, they haven’t declared independence and resumed whaling, this was simply a sailing event.The problem began when racing was cancelled on the opening day of ...
For 20 years or more, the case for a meaningful capital tax gains has been mulled over and analysed to death, including by the tax working group chaired by Sir Michael Cullen. More than once, the International Monetary Fund has said a CGT would be a good idea for New ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: The Public Health Communications Centre (PHCC) call for urgent preventive action and a risk assessment survey of long covid in this briefing noteLocal scoop: NZ road deaths surpass OECD rates, so why is the govt reversing safety plans? ...
This story was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. This story is part of a collaboration with Grist and WABE to demystify the Georgia Public Service Commission, the small but powerful state-elected board that makes critical decisions about everything from raising ...
This is a guest post from Robert McLachlan Global warming is accelerating; 2023 was off the charts. We need to stop burning fossil fuels. In New Zealand, transport accounts for half of all fossil fuels burnt. In the Emissions Reduction Plan, transport emissions fall 41% by 2035. As the ...
Labour productivity has been receding rapidly over the past two years, reversing a post-lockdown rise. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy as at 6:26am on Tuesday, March 26 include:Workers have been treading water in output per hour worked for 12 years, ...
TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 2 include:Today, Parliament resumes sitting at 2pm for the second week of a two-week session. Officials for SIS and GCSB report their annual reviews in public to the Intelligence and Security Select Committee from 5.10pm.Tomorrow, ...
Faced with a barrage of criticism over the promised tax cuts from usually supportive commentators, Finance Minister Nicola Willis yesterday reaffirmed her intention to include them in this year’s Budget. The Government is up against it over the cuts just about every way it turns. Commentators like Fran O’Sullivan, Matthew ...
Here’s my pick of today’s substack posts as of 6:26pm on Monday, March 25: writes via his substack that Market-rate housing will make your city cheaper writes via his substack about the problems talking to double-cab ute (truck) drivers about their vehicles. today about moments of radicalisation in ...
Buzz from the Beehive Just before Christmas, Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivered something that was pitched as a mini-budget and brayed about the decisive action being taken to repair the Government books and support income tax relief in Budget 2024. In a statement headed Fiscal repair job underway. she introduced ...
My sister Belinda asked Dad yesterday what one word would describe Mum best. He said: vivacious.If you only knew her from the photos on the slideshow we've made for today,you might wonder about that, because the camera tended to lie with Mum.If ever she saw a camera pointed at her, she ...
There are two major public consultations closing in the next week, Auckland Council’s Long Term Plan (LTP), and the draft Government Policy Statement on Land Transport (GPS). Closing dates and times: LTP closes Thursday 28 February, at 11.59pm – a minute to midnight! GPS closes Tuesday 2 April, at 12pm noon – note that’s ...
From Kiwiblog’s David Farrar – Bryce Wilkinson writes: Senior Fellow Bryce Wilkinson’s analysis reveals that since March 2009, New Zealand has spent $158 billion more overseas than it has earned, but its NIIP has only fallen by $32 billion.Statistics New Zealand shows that receipts from overseas reinsurers have ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition? Brian Easton writes – The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could ...
Dear Nicola Willis,Right now you’ve probably got lots of competing demands coming at you. Ministers who’ve inherited quite a mess, or so you’ve told us, looking for money in the budget to improve things. I imagine that’s why they came to parliament - to make things better.You’ll have to make ...
The Local Government, Transport and Auckland Minister hasthreatened councils with intervention if they don’t merge water assets to take them off balance sheet, just as the now-repealed Three Waters plan directed. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things of note this morning for Monday, March 25 include:Simeon ...
A listing of 36 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 17, 2024 thru Sat, March 23, 2024. Story of the week Thanks to John Mason having the stamina to sit down to watch "Climate - the Movie" ...
This morning the Q&A programme had Simeon Brown on to talk about National’s replacement for Three Waters. In case anyone’s forgotten the three are - drinking water, waste water, and sewerage. It’s quite important not to get them mixed up. In much the same way that you wouldn’t want to ...
Today’s newsletter comes with a mini-podcast conversation between me and my buddy Liv Tennet, talking about her time as a child actor in Lord of the Rings. It’s a conversation with a lot of giggles as she talks about falling off a horse, and becoming a meme. Read ...
The Desmog Climate Disinformation Database documents, "individuals and organisations that have helped to delay and distract the public and our elected leaders from taking needed action to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and fight global warming." It's a who's who of the organised climate change denial movement, in other words. In ...
Bob Edlin writes – A High Court judge has decided miscreants who have mana – or who claim to have mana – should be treated differently from miscreants who have none. It’s a ruling that suggests indigenous law-breakers have a better chance of securing a discharge without conviction ...
Welcome to the first, and possibly last, edition of Brickbats, Bouquets and Bull’s Wool. In which I’ll take a look at the events of the last week or so, and rate them.In such ratings the numbers usually have more to do with the opinions of the reviewer, than the actual ...
Roger Partridge writes – My earlier column this month, New Zealand’s highest court could be facing a turning point, prompted a flood of feedback from business readers and lawyers alike. A common query was what Parliament can do to restrain an overreaching judiciary. This week I discuss two steps Parliament ...
TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.16pm on Friday, March 22: writes about New Zealand's Building Boom—And What the World Must Learn From It over at his substack. challenges the Auckland Council’s use of a 3.8 degrees of warming forecast to oppose a wave-park and data centre project ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition?The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could deliver her promised income tax cuts. Appointed minister, she ...
Buzz from the Beehive Ministers of the Crown have drawn attention to one sector of the science sector which is unlikely to be subjected to heavy spending cuts, a state-funded broadcaster which is doing nicely, thank you, and a sporting event that had $5.4 million from the public purse puffed ...
Abbott’s Freestyle Libre sensors allow continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). The sensor is applied to the back of the patient’s arm, with a thin filament under the skin measuring glucose levels constantly. But it costs around $100 per sensor and must be replaced once every 14 days. Photo by BSIP/Universal Images ...
The Inspector General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) recently released a report in which he exposes the existence of a foreign intelligence partner-controlled technological “capability” inside the headquarters of the GCSB, NZ’s 5 Eyes-affiliated signals intelligence collection and analysis agency. … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – Nearly three decades after the introduction of MMP and multiparty governments there should be a greater level of understanding about their finer points than often appears to be the case. The reaction to the despicable outburst from the Deputy Prime Minister at the weekend highlights ...
The sweet kisses from fruit of summerHave slowly been turning dullerYou say, "those times"And "remember the daysWhen we went outside and there still was the shade?"Taking no reason into play…Autumn. Clear, blue days shortening to longer nights, growing colder. Aotearoa.That’s us. The temperature dropping, the looming car crash - so ...
Bryce Edwards writes – “It is often said that behind every great man is a great woman”. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their “Ladies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxon”. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April ...
David Farrar writes – The Electoral Commission has published the expense returns for political parties for the 2023 election. I’ve put them in a table with how many votes a party got so we can see the spend per vote. National only spent $3.34 for every vote they got, almost ...
Winston Peters’ headline-making actions over the past week may have been a show of political power intended to strengthen his hand in Budget negotiations. It was no accident that his State of the Nation speech was as it was. He made it as New Zealand First Leader, not as Deputy ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:Former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson bowed out of politics this week, giving a series of exit ...
Graham Adams writes — If you love the law or sausages, as the saying goes, best not to look too closely at how they are made. And after watching the orgy of self-pity when Newshub’s closure was announced on February 28, television journalism should definitely be added to the list of those ...
Venerable New Zealand political commentator, Chris Trotter (https://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/), is a sad creature these days. Once one of the most reliable Leftist writers out there – Economic Left at that – Trotter seems to have absorbed the worldview of Auckland culture-war obsessives. It is not for me to categorise what he ...
The cruelty of short-term memory loss is that each time you ask where she is, you get the fresh shock and grief of the news. That was Dad's day yesterday.Comfortingly, it seems to be less so today. Last night he looked crumpled, today he seems more settled. There's a card ...
Photo by Alvan Nee on UnsplashIt’s that new day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when and I co-host our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm. Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news ...
Buzz from the Beehive One minister is talking tough while a colleague – whose ministry had acted tough and drawn a barrage of flak – has shown an official softening. Some ministers are doing what Labour was good at, which is distributing public funds to causes regarded as worthy or ...
The Coalition Government’s plan to ‘get Auckland moving’ is a cuts cover-up that will ultimately cost Aucklanders more to move around the city, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Slashing the Ministry of Pacific Peoples by 40% will have a devastating impact on pacific communities and further highlights how little this government cares about anything other than cutting taxes for the wealthiest few. ...
Labour has proposed an urgent inquiry to investigate the ever-increasing profits of supermarkets, aiming to lower costs for shoppers and food producers alike, says Labour Spokesperson for Commerce and Consumer Affairs Arena Williams and Primary Production Spokesperson Cushla Tangaere-Manuel. ...
With 14% of jobs on the line at the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, the responsible Minister Melissa Lee is failing to stand up for the very communities she’s meant to be representing. ...
COURT OF APPEAL: TRIFECTA OF VICTORY FOR NZ FIRST, TRIFECTA OF FAILURE FOR OPPONENTS For the third time since April 2020, New Zealand First has defeated the Serious Fraud Office and all those complicit in a malicious attack against a political party going about its lawful business in a lawful ...
The Green Party stands with people who live in public housing, people in dire housing need, experts and advocates in demanding better than the Government’s archaic approach to housing those who need our support the most. ...
New Zealand has recently lost the hosting rights of some major international sporting events including the America’s Cup, the Rugby Championship, Netball World Cup, and the Wellington Sevens. We are now at a huge risk of losing SailGP as well. And it won’t stop there. The recent issues with SailGP ...
A Member’s Bill drawn this week would modernise insurance law and make things fairer and more transparent for consumers, Christchurch Central MP Duncan Webb said. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues has confirmed she was aware of funding issues in mid-December and did nothing to stop it. On 14 March, she signed off on changes that were announced and implemented on 18 March without any consultation with disability communities. ...
Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter says her members' bill is an opportunity for the coalition government to plug the gap in electric vehicle incentives. ...
The National Government continues to talk about irresponsible tax cuts that will only drive up inflation, despite the country entering a technical recession. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues must act urgently to reinstate flexibility around the funding for disability support and apologise to disabled carers. ...
This story has been initiated by a leftie shill reporter who proactively sought to call a member of a former band, which disbanded twelve years ago, give their biased appraisal of what was said in my speech, and concocted a ham-fisted attempt at a story that does nothing but show ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Many in the mainstream media have taken what was said in New Zealand First’s State of the Nation Speech in Palmerston North on Sunday and deliberately, deceitfully, and ignorantly misrepresented what I said and why I said it. The headlines and commentary on the news stated that I compared ‘co-governance ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
Good afternoon. Thank you for, in your very busy lives, turning up to this meeting today. On October 14th last year New Zealanders overwhelmingly voted for change. That is exactly what this new government is bringing. New Zealand First campaigned to ‘take back our country’ and stop the disastrous economic ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April. “It was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates. Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend. “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” Mr Peters says. Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. “Road safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track. “Dam safety regulations ...
The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the government’s finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Government’s Budget objectives. “The coalition Government intends ...
The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says. “The Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says. “These changes are long overdue – the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009. ...
The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Education’s School Property Function. The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There is a clear need ...
State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Today I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” Minister Responsible for ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. “We’re sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union. “I am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says. “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “Comprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. “I would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
Good morning, it’s great to be here. First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning. I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
Before moving onto the substance of today’s address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and I’m sorry I can’t be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the Whangārei site where the facility will be constructed. “Northland has faced a number ...
New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata Māori 20 years ago, says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisation’s 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
Analysis by Keith Rankin. Keith Rankin, trained as an economic historian, is a retired lecturer in Economics and Statistics. He lives in Auckland, New Zealand. My earlier article – Can ‘Good’ be the Greater Evil? – looked at the issue of how wars should end, and how Good versus Evil ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 AMMA by Saraid de Silva (Moa Press, $38)A stunning debut novel reviewed by Brannavan ...
From Steve Martin to Ricky Stanicky, a pick’n’mix of things worth watching and listening to this long weekend. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. If you’re at a loss for something to occupy yourself with this Easter, don’t panic: The Spinoff’s got ...
Jesus had dinner with his 12 disciples right before he died. Noted historian Madeleine Chapman finds out who really deserved to be there.First published in 2018 but let’s be honest, the subject is timeless. As you sit on your couch this Easter Sunday, eating a chocolate egg you know ...
The newly-promoted Northern League club is on a mission to return to the National League for the first time in two decades. Plenty about domestic football in New Zealand has changed in that time – but the sense that this amateur competition is not an entirely level playing field remains. ...
Comment: Every year on February 2, a dozen men in tuxedos and top hats approach the burrow of a groundhog in Gobbler’s Knob, Pennsylvania and entice the beaver-like rodent to emerge and predict the weather. If the groundhog, named Punxsutawney Phil, sees its own shadow when it is summoned, legend ...
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Auckland Council has put a deadline on new weather-impacted property owners applying for categorisation as government funding looks set to run out. Councillors have voted to support a deadline of September 30 for property owners who haven’t accessed support to come forward and engage with the council’s recovery office. It ...
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Delicious irony as rich parents butt heads against a corporate wall.
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/2018/06/17/123505/when-corporate-culture-clashes-with-education
Who’d have thought it, they don’t give a toss.
From the article “The overwhelming feeling at the meeting was that we had been screwed over by a corporation that didn’t care about our children….”
That’s how national ran education so is anyone surprised this behaviour exists in the sector. Felt like how some describe Akl grammar these days to me also.
Living in a zone and forking out the cash doesn’t mean youre getting value…..it never did, wake up people.
We would have seen more of this had charter schools taken root.
Trickle-down erodes the middle class. Who to eat next?
I’m sure they were responsible and bought posh school closure insurance.
Hector Espiner back to his usual badgering bullying tone. Doesn’t seem to be working though.
Wasn’t it Soozy’s turn today? Winnie wasn’t too impressed.
Awesome to hear Trump blame the Democrats for forcing the separation of children at Mexican border when it’s not law and he controls all parts of government.
Worth a read..
Sanctions on his business interests, his real estate, his children, his enablers. Interpol arrest warrants for the lot of them. Bullets wouldn’t be an ideal solution but I could live with it.
he advertised it.
He was very vocal about what he was going to do , and he is doing it.
Those of us that warned the cheerleaders of the future to come were poopoo’ed.
I hope that his cheerleaders will suffer a life time of swallowing saliva that tastes like shit.
There are already plenty of Senators and Congress reps and Fox News commentators saying cages for children aren’t that bad, or aren’t really cages.
Every time a film clip is sneaked out of the Detention Centres from here on in, they are going to get burnt hard.
I don’t care if they get burned. I want them to swallow shit and piss for the rest of their lifes, and that includes ANY cheerleaders that could not wait for that orange piece of shit to get voted in in order to bring ‘change’. And i include all and any of the resident cheerleaders especially CV. Shit and piss no matter what you eat, not matter how much and how often you brush your teeth, cut your tongue and it will still be shit and piss.
I am fully out of snark.
I would also like to remind people of Theresienstadt, who was inspected by the international Red Cross with much fanfare to find ‘nothing untowards’.
Fuck goodwin, and fuck his cheerleaders, enablers and third party voters. Fuck em.
You want to know why not voting for these people is so important, that the lesser evil is sometimes the better choice, The lesser evil, while not being the Unicorn the left seems to need in order to get ‘engaged and inspired and lovely dovey’ does not remove the progress made, progress for women, children, and all others that are not white, male, heterosexual and their assorted arsekissers and bootlickers.
cunts last night and now shit, piss and fuck.
Weka, Weka?
oh dear, you are upset?
Sad!
no, not at all, but it probably puts a few people off reading and commenting, which after all is the point of a blog
honestly if people are’nt put off after everyday Gosman, Wayne, and other assorted bullshitters come here and infect every thread with their offerings, they surely will not be offended by me wishing Trump supporters to taste shit and piss every time they swallow.
But then, who knows there are a lot of things right wingers have no issue with it, child abuse – be it by witholding funds from the mother as Winz drones under Anne Tolley and Paula Bennett have done,, – or by republicans in the US seems to not give them a hard time. Cause ….reasons.
Weka never pulled me up for swearing. I’ve never used that “c” word though.
Count the number of times James used those words…
(like a pig in muck).
Context Robert, context.
I say it’s bad. You seem happy accepting it.
James, you are trolling; taking “offensive” words and repeating them ad nauseum, being a smart-arse, adding nothing to the discussion. Leave out the “butter wouldn’t melt in mouth” crap; you’re trying to disrupt, put a spanner in the works, take the “high” ground; but your no more than a troll, stirring muck for your own perverse pleasure. Others here suggest that you “grow up”, b*gger off”, get a life and I’m sympathetic to their calls. James, you are boring us to death, we don’t trust what you say, we don’t enjoy your contributions, we don’t respect your point of view. What more can I say? The quality of your comments, dull and pointless in months gone by, has deteriorated into foul-mouthed sniping; have you no personal pride, no standards of behaviour? Puckish Rogue, for all his faults, is rarely offensive: you James, are unfailingly offensive. Grow. Up.
And enjoy the experience 🙂
Yep the trump is going to pay a heavy price for this with a bit of luck but probably not
“US President Donald Trump has attacked the German government’s approach to immigration, as he comes under pressure over his own crackdown on migrants.”
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-44524873
What a scum trump is and many other governments are not too far behind including our one. Separating children from their parents – colonisation 101 – they’ve been doing it, like forever!
At no extra cost you get the hypocrisy of quoting the bible as a defense by the white house just to rub some salt in.
This is a deliberate and provocative action with wonderful examples of humanity like Jeff Sessions supporting it.
Parents are being told their kids are being taken away for a bath…..it’s dickensian shit.
Colbert was scathing about this practice in an opening monologue last week. Notice it’s the comedians actually standing up against this whereas the msm……mmmm.
Isn’t that what they were told about the showers at Auschwitz ?
Fair game now to call Trump et al Nazis
Since we’re all about the Godwins today I’ll admit to wondering how long it would be before Trump announced his final solution to the problem of the Mexican untermenschen.
Any mention of Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin (pick your favourite) in reference to Trump is now fair game.
How can the Brits justify inviting him to visit Britain next month now?
And Prince Harry tells his Dad-in-law to “give Trump a chance”. What a chump!
Didn’t the Brits invent the concentration camp?
No.
The first use of concentration camps was the in the US in 1830’s, the Brits used them during the Boer War. Both countries, like their eugenics programs, preceded/inspired the Nazis use of them.
I used to think that too, until someone pointed out that the Brits were copying ACW prison camps.
Yes, interesting. And in turn inspired by the US ‘reservations’ for the region’s original inhabitants https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concentration_camp
If these people are to be believed, and I have no personal expertise in the topic. they go back to the Assyrians. although the actual name only came into use about at the end of the nineteenth century.
“The idea of forced resettlement is nothing new; it was first recorded as being used by the ancient Assyrians, and was sporadically used throughout history, by such groups as the Ottomans and Russians. The term “concentration camp” was first coined by the Spanish in the late 19th century, when the Spanish army in Cuba rounded up civilians in these camps to fight guerrilla armies in the area. Shortly after this, the US used concentration camps in the Philippines.”
https://www.quora.com/Is-it-true-that-the-first-concentration-camps-were-a-British-invention-during-the-Boer-War
Who would have thought it?
Anne, According to a journalist/magazine?
Released just now by BBC world:
https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-us-canada-44503978/the-sound-of-migrant-children-separated-from-parents
I hope this turn of events marks the beginning of the end of the road for Trump and his evil team of despots and religious nuts.
I never thought the day would come when I would support the “lock em up and throw away the key” brigade but in this instance… bring it on!
I do believe even in NZ parents are separated from their children if they are incarcerated. So lets all calm down people. Obama did it too and nary a cry. Hypocrisy much!
Obama did it too and nary a cry.
citation needed.
Obama did it too and nary a cry.
Liar!
The trouble with your reasoning is that first it starts with the false premiss that these people entering the US from Mexico are doing something illegal. They are not. Seeking asylum is not an illegal activity.Trump has made it “illegal” contrary to the declaration of Human Rights and is blaming it on the Democrats. But in placing blame upon them he is telling lies.
https://www.vox.com/2018/6/11/17443198/children-immigrant-families-separated-parents
Whilst some unaccompanied teenagers were place in immigration detention whilst their cases were sorted out during the Obama administration there were no instances of young children being separated from their parents.
The extreme Right Wing media is already starting the narrative that the kids are “Crisis Actors” coached by people paid by the Democrats.
The same exact words they have also used to try and discredit the survivors of school shootings pushing for tougher gun laws.
Trump’s attorney general Jeff Sessions in his speech defending the policy of separating the children from their families used the very same bible verse that was popular among slave owners in the southern US States to support their right to own slaves.
Meanwhile, Trump himself has apparently been breaking US law every day by ripping up memos, screwing them up and tossing them in the bin after he has finished reading them. A whole team of document specialists is now having to retrieve them from the bins and reconstruct them so that they can be preserved and archived as required by US law.
What percentage of ‘mainstream news and events’ is completely scripted, would be impossible to estimate, or to comprehend…
Theatre and scripting runs long, wide and deep…
Giving of emotional energy, is what the the script writers require…
It gets worse. This is the kind of mentality afoot. If you think it’s bad, just try reading the comments at the end of the article. Makes kiwiblog’s poo-flinging monkeys look like sages:
https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-06-17/democrat-admits-child-migrant-crisis-was-kept-very-quiet-under-obama
I couldn’t read past the first few comments. These creatures (I was going to call them animals but that’s a gross insult to animals) are craven lunatics.
The full video of the separated children. I didn’t last till the end. Too distressing.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/jun/18/us-border-families-separated-audio-recording
Will re-link at Daily Review. Must be seen by everybody.
True NZJester – full on sickos that crew.
Trump continues to show the worst side of humanity.
He and Session’s should be taken to the Hague for trial.
This is the old dead cat tactic every time prosecutors get closer to bringing him and his cronies to trial for treason the more outrageous his distractions,!
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/359841/national-party-shock-at-government-scrapping-police-policies
‘The National Party has expressed shock after the government ditched two of its key police policies – and it is calling for them to be reinstated.
The then National government last year announced an aim of attending 98 percent of burglaries in 48 hours. It also set a target of having 95 percent of the population living within 25 kilometres of an all-hours police station.’
These seem to be the kind of policies that everyone would agree are good ideas and much needed so since Labours ditching them what are they replacing them with?
Having been witness to a few burglaries of the Dairy located next to me, that National Policy was nothing more then a policy.
So yeah, its a nothing burger to can a policy that was not worth the toilet paper National wrote it on.
Judith Collins probably wiped her backside with that policy to parfume it a bit. .
National, cutting police numbers to bare bones in order to ‘achieve a surplus’.
National, hard against crime in name only.
National, its not crime if it helps me.
Are you feeling ok Sabine, your replies today seem a bit different than usual
Your concern is noted PR.
and my comment regarding the Naitonal Party and Judith Collins is standard.
National Party still full of useless fucks, and Judith Collins is still full of shit and unlikable and undetectable.
I hope i have restored you faith in me.
Thats good to hear, we have different political beliefs but it doesn’t mean we can’t have concern for each other
Caring conservatism PR?
Like the P tests that unhomed people and the health and safety bullshit used as a smokescreen for the culprits at Pike River.
Take it somewhere else – the decks are awash with Gosman vomit already.
Obviously PR you are just another Auckland wanker.
50 kms between 24 hour manned police staions FFS.
Oh, I see thats only NORTH of the Bombay Hills.
PR your faux outrage with a gutted police force how were National ever going to meet that ridiculous target.
Low taxes means cheap nasty govt services.
But the uber wealthy like yourself can afford 24 hr private security on top of police priority.
“But the uber wealthy like yourself can afford 24 hr private security on top of police priority.”
Not even close to being uber wealthy 🙂 (depending on your definition of course) unless in comparison to the entire world but if you do that then most of us would probably be considered the 1%
PR you fell into my trap of exposing your crap.
You are for lower taxes then you provide security for your house self and family.
Yet the coalition is putting more cops on the beat yet you complain about an unachievable goal which if it were to be achieved other areas of policing would suffer.
This 98%within 48 hrs was a PR spin BS damage control for a party that pretends to be tough on crime.
“PR you fell into my trap of exposing your crap.”
– A trap so cunning only you can see it
“You are for lower taxes then you provide security for your house self and family.”
– Not sure what you mean, can you reword it please
“Yet the coalition is putting more cops on the beat yet you complain about an unachievable goal which if it were to be achieved other areas of policing would suffer.”
– I think more cops on the beat is a good as does Labour considering how many of the cops were budgeted under National but what “achievable goal” am I complaining about
“This 98%within 48 hrs was a PR spin BS damage control for a party that pretends to be tough on crime.”
– So why wouldn’t the COL carry through with it, its a vote and it’d shut National up pretty quickly
How did they get on with achieving those goals puckers?
Thats funny, whenever the impossibility of the COL managing to get anywhere close to planting a billion trees or building a 100 000 houses is mentioned I get told at least they tried
So I guess at least National which is more than what the COL is doing
However this is a chance for the COL to steal a march on National, take on the policies for themselves, implement them properly and then National will find it a lot harder to criticise
So you reckon they tried then do you puckers?
I reckon its not a left v right issue to the voters
“”The new Government’s come in, and perhaps the expectations that we’ve given them are too high.”
Yep – Labour made promises to their union backers – and now cannot follow thru – Instead they give Winny a billion dollars to holiday around the pacific.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2018/06/we-can-t-put-everything-alright-overnight-winston-peters-on-nurses-pay.html
“We’ve still got to keep a surplus for a rainy day down the stream, which is almost inevitable – especially if this Government goes on for two terms.”
I don’t think he meant to put it quite that way or is he saying this government is going to make a major blunder?
I wonder if Shane Jones personal slush fund could have been better utilised
You 2 created your own blog yet so you can chat amongst yourselves ?
What a bloody good idea.
What – and miss your insightful analysis and political arguments?
Oh – Im sorry – Babies !!!! happier now.
“I wonder if Shane Jones personal slush fund could have been better utilised”.
Tell me you are kidding? You are far to smart to have to ask that question aren’t you?
A better question would be
“I wonder if Shane Jones personal slush fund could have been utilised in a worse manner”
It actually is much harder to answer. You have to think quite hard before you can come up with enough ways to completely waste a billion dollars a year that are worse than Shane’s load of rubbish.
Labour can only blame themselves for over promising when they knew they wouldn’t be able to deliver
Mind you after 18 years of stable government it’ll be interesting to see how this all plays out
Oh dry up James. Worthless!
Ahh – being rude to the poster – the last defence of someone who know that the comment is right and has nothing reasonable to answer with.
You know Im right.
James, in defence of my fellow ‘mac’.
You wrote, “Yep – Labour made promises to their union backers – and now cannot follow thru – Instead they give Winny a billion dollars to holiday around the pacific.”
Now let’s see how ‘worthless’ that is.
Firstly, it’s a political statement and could be attacked as such. References to the deputy prime minister as “Winny” and secondly the slur that a billion dollars budgeted for Pacific (note spelling with capital) foreign aid is being used as “holiday money” by Winston Peters show that your statement which I have quoted is a very political and partisan one.
Secondly, you said that Labour made promises to their union backers. What evidence have you to show that in the first place that actually happened (what promises, made when and to whom)? That is also a very political statement as it implies quid quo pro deals, and lack of governmental honesty and freedom of action.
Thirdly, you link a budgeted item of expenditure in foreign aid to non-fulfilment of alleged promises to union backers, as if it were a either/or arrangement. Your purpose there was I believe to slur Labour and Winston Peters both, as well as the unions.
ianmac says yours was a worthless statement. I would agree.
Feeling hurt by being told to “dry up”? Not the worst injunction you could have received to stop inflicting such arrant nonsense upon the Standard’s readers.
You show your bias with commenting on ” References to the deputy prime minister as “Winny”
Yet fail to see you commenting on National members being called everything right up to “cunt” – see last nights post.
i did not see that comment, but for once i agree with you.
Cunts are beautiful warm things, nurturing, loving, welcoming (well most of the times). The National Party and its supporters are non of this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLiGA_wrNp0&ab_channel=dojacatVEVO
You’re right. I didn’t comment. I failed to see it. Bad form.
But, saying they do it too is not a secure argument.
And accusing me of failure to do something, is also not an argument to counter my critique of your lack of argument.
I also have a policy that I choose to respond to those I choose. I do not respond to everything or everyone with whom I disagree or agree. That way is futility.
You’re lucky. 🙂
Thanks Mc 1. James is really just playing silly beggars. I think that he only intent to draw as many responses as he can regardless of any fact or valid opinion. For me why bother to respond to him/her?
You’re both right and wrong James – so far right Genghis Khan would be ashamed of you, and consistently in error about everything except barbecue.
James your right of right.
Why don’t you set up your own right wing Web site.
Instead of all the right wing cuckoos trying to take over this site with your stubborn unyielding Dogma!
DHBs says no more money would be put on the table for nurses.
Peters points to the Government’s Budget Responsibility Rules.
Interestingly, when it comes to the Budget Responsibility Rules and expenditure, Labour thought they had the balance about right.
However, it looks as if members of the Public Services Association (PSA), Inland Revenue (IRD) and the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment (Mbie) along with teachers and nurses disagree.
It seems the realisation of Labour’s campaign rhetoric is starting to sink in.
I don’t think people were expecting Labour to put everything right overnight, but clearly they were expecting more than what’s currently on offer. Thus, it’s going to be interesting to see how this all plays out.
On a side note, National aren’t offering anything better, which will help Labour stand their ground as they know voters will have nowhere else to turn.
The problem is the nurses and doctors want to capture the health service for their own benefit and resent and oppose being managed. People argue they should be “paid what they are worth” without considering that the real skill lies in managing them. They are quite manipulative too, with their carefully cultivated image as selfless souls working long hours in a vocation to ease the suffering of the ill and disabled. It needs strong and pervasive management to cut through this cant and keep these pious do-gooders acting in the public interest. More powerful and well resourced management is what is required here !
As Cindy said nz just has to come round to her way of thinking or labour has failed and they will be a one term government Looking odds on bet this will be the case
lol, our resident rightwingers really have an issue today with rudeness.
OHMYGOSH, someone please pass the smelling salts for the dears. Someone must loosen their ties, lest they faint. Poor things.
Sabine –
Are you OK with women being called “chubby” or “trout”
Or being called a “cock sucker” should someone disagree with you.
Perhaps you dont like a minister – do you think its OK to call them a cunt?
Perhaps you should have an issue with it as well.
After all the behaviour you tolerate is the behaviour you endorse.
“cock sucker” – an indication of some level of misogyny if uttered by a heterosexual male, or just another of those “go to” put downs that people just kinda thoughtlessly let trip off their tongue (eg – motherfucker etc)?
“cunt” – hmm. Good cunt or bad cunt? Cunt of the desirable variety or something else entirely?
Apparently all cultures use references to genitalia as put downs. Sometimes it gets a bit amusing/enlightening. So for example, the “go to” put down for a man in some African culture (I forget which one but it featured in some Stephen Fry programme about language) is to suggest that the man is hung like a donkey. 🙂
I thought “cock sucker” was more a homophobic put down rather than a misogynistic one. I guess on some level it could be both, but it was certainly to imply that a man was gay when i used to use it in my homophobic youth.
James, i have been quite open and honest about my feelings about the current lot of National Party members and their enablers.
You can use what ever word for me or anyone else for that matter that you see befitting. I still think that ugly – the insides you know the soul heart and mind – fits Judith Collins, and vile – as in her every action and word – fits Paula Bennett.
I stand by that.
As for chubby – i fit that description. Even tho, when much younger i was called a board with warts :).
A trout? cooked with lemon butter? blue – cooked in whitewine, or rather with almond butter? Ha, so hard to decide. But then I like meat :), and its not good friday. so what ever suits you.
Cock sucker? I have sucked my fair share of cocks, and can’t really see the insult in it, i might add that the sucked cocks did not complain, so again, where is the insult?
the thing is James, as a women of a certain age, a women who grew up poor, was assaulted at home by her stepfather, who lived as a transient teenager on the street as that was safer than living at home, i have been called my fair share of things in my life.
Heck, one lady in NZ even commented how ‘lady like’ i looked when i wore a nice dress and heels to an official dinner.
So no i don’t care. Judith Collins, Paula Bennett, Nick Smith, Simon Bridges, Bill English, John Key, Brownlee, and the other assorted clowns are vile and very very ugly, unlikable, and should be unelectable. And unless you can show me where one of these people have done something to better the life of someone else – they clearly don’t give a shit about this country other then it benefitting them – i might change my mind.
I hope that clears it up for you dear.
Ouch! James: you’ve just been masticated (not a rude word, fyi).
They do give a shit about helping the country Sabine, just not in the way you think is best, hand up versus hand out etc.
Don’t you mean “push down”?
please show one example of the National Party giving a ‘hand up’ to any person in NZ that is not called Bill English, Paula Bennet, Oravida Collins, Nick Smith, Brownlee, Amy Adams, John ‘State House’ Key and any other of the National Party buffoons.
And no ‘zip it sweety’ ain’t gonna cut it.
And while you are at it, could you explain to me why National never got rid of that ‘socialism on steroids’ called working for families?
Is it because silly Farmer blokes with signs calling J. Adern a ‘pretty communist’ need it to feed their 8 children that they have despite obviously not making enough money to afford these 8 kids. Or is having children one can not afford only a crime against humanity when non white Farmer blokes and their wifes do eeet?
Alan, James! Challenging someone who has plainly stated they’re “fully out of snark” seems … foolhardy; are you both soft in the head?
Right Alan, this whole “hand up” thing should be pretty easy for you to explain and please include examples from the previous government where it was put into practice, funded properly, and has the ongoing funding/support for long term beneficial impact.
Or was that a random RWKJ bs throw away line which, has no real substance or reasoning behind it.
Whilst you might be OK being called those names (and for whatever reason you are OK with it) – others might not be.
There will be plenty of women out there who get very upset being called chubby, or blokes who dont like being called cock suckers.
Cunt is not a nice name – you might be ok being called one – but others are not. Would you be happy with other people calling your family members that?
Perhaps we can start using the term for Jacinda – after all if you are OK for it to be used about Key – why not allow people call Jacinda that if they so feel like it?
In recent weeks your comments have contained more instances of these ‘offensive’ words than any other single poster.
A prediction: James will continue to incorporate these words into his comments at every opportunity – he believes it’s a strong ‘argument’, and his ‘duty’ to criticise offensive words and comments on this site. I guess that will keep him busy, which seems important to him.
again, i agree with you. We can call Jacinda or other women that, and i guess more then one National Party member, enabler and sponsor has called her that word the night National lost the Election.
John Key however will never be a cunt, he will always just be a selfish hair pulling young girl tormenting limp prick.. I am all for equality of the sexes. There.
Don’t go down that road, your false idea of a do good liberal with ‘political correctness’ is lost on me.
I don’t care about your feefee’s no more then you care about feeling sleeping in cars and raising their children in vans. I don’t care about Paula Bennetts feelings, if she is sad being called a vile human being, she can try to be a better one. Same for Judith Collins, she could try justice for all instead of just for those that give her money. Mr. Bridges could try to get bridges build instead of squandering time and money of others. Nick Smith could just go and retire. Brownlee can also retire, and the National Party could just find a soul, a heart, some guts and maybe be electable without friends. Not holding my breath tho.
But your whinging about how you hurt because the National Party is called on their bullshit, the national party member being called out for the callouls soulless ghouls they are? Nah, not buying it.
Mind you could try harder. I am having fun here.
But remember, there is not one word you can call me – a women, or a poor person, or a homeless person, or an abused person, that i have not heard, and that the National Party and its enablers and sponsors have not uttered themselves in order to score some cheap points with those that are suffering from white economic anxiety and who would like to go back to the 1850’s when people knew their place.
“John Key however will never be a cunt, he will always just be a selfish hair pulling young girl tormenting limp prick.. ”
James ???: crikey!!
And the worst of all those epithets for Sir John Key is ‘hair-pulling’.
Because it was a repeated, bullying, power-strutting action from a man to whom empathy and propriety are foreign concepts.
What future property insurance?
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/359931/wellington-woman-shocked-at-300-percent-insurance-hike
i guess next will be people living near the cost and flood plains.
I can see certain areas of akl become ‘uninsurable’ not because the people don’t want to pay for it, but essentially are priced out of it.
and as the pool decreases the less and less viable the model becomes.
yep.
it’s gonna be fun when the multimillion hovels on the coast line of akl, wlgtn, etc etc will not be insurable.
That’s when the gnashing the teeth and the pulling of the hair begins, and maybe some will even realise just how stupid they have been.
i mean i spend that much money on couple of arborists to give my fruit trees a trim. But at least these trees bring forth kai, and much of it. Much better investment. House ….worth nothing, fruit trees? Priceless.
Imagine what that is going to do to rents let alone peoples ability to own a home.
And add to that Wellington Regional Council has proposed a 6.7 per cent average rates increase across the region coupled with Wellington City Council’s 3.9 percent rates increase.
People will be wanting and will require far larger pay increases now.
i guess that the houses that become uninsurable due to flooding etc etc will become slums of last resort and the rich will still have enough money to buy what ever property there is to buy. As for rents going up, they don’t need a reason to increase rents. They can buy law raise rent every 6 month willy nilly.
Going off the rate of that increase, far more will find they can’t afford to insure their home. As many more will find they can’t afford to buy one due to the increasing related costs of owning one.
And as landlord costs are continually increasing higher than the rate of inflation, it’s no wonder landlords are forced to increase rents.
yes, pity the poor landlord, who has to increase prices to continue making a profit on his houses that are owned by the bank.
pity pity pity
not.
Pity has nothing to do with it. Merely stating a fact. And the realisation of that.
the poor landlord can sell any and all houses other then the one he lives in and try work for a living.
Problem solved.
The landlord has probably already worked quite hard to get themselves into a situation to afford investment property – is that a crime to you Sabine?
Do you have a problem with people working hard, being smart and having a few assets to show for it?
Sounds like it
Most people buy an investment property by borrowing against the capital gains from their home. That’s not work. There are plenty of people working bloody hard who can’t even pay the rent. There is huge generation inequality here as older people who already own squeeze young people out of the market. Are you OK with people making money from OTHER peoples hard work?
Boo hoo, virtually everyone I know who has accumulated a bit of wealth has worked bloody hard and often taken business risks, take your concerns to councils and get more land freed up for development, that is where the problem lies.
So they worked hard, so fucking what. Lots of people work hard..
Nope it is not Alan.
But, if the Landlord finds him overextended as due to rising cost he can not maintain his various mansions, then commercial interest would behoove it that he starts selling properties to better his income streem.
I think they call it “Free Market’ in National Party parlance.
Also, it helps to think first before buying properties in so called Million Dollar Suburbs if these are located in a flood plain, earth quake prone zone, or near a beach that might rise several meters of the next few decades.
Just because someone made an investment does not mean that person is entitled to income from it. If he/she is lucky the investment pays off, if not, Bugger.
repeat after me, Free Market. Free Market. Free Market. 🙂
yes agree with all of that, what is your point?
There are the immediate impacts on things such as rents and property values etc but my thoughts were more towards the systemic….the implications of a failed property insurance industry could potentially collapse the current economic paradigm…..some may welcome that, then again what fills the void may be worse.
I don’t think we have yet to play a requiem for the insurance company.
There are already a great number of people that don’t have insurance on their houses, their cars, or their persons, simply because they don’t have the money. They have enough to serve the mortgage and pay either electricity or food. Never mind the roof that needs fixing.
The ones that can offset Insurance costs as an expense against income – which it would be in the Rentiers scenario will load the cost over to the tenant. IF the tenant can’t afford it, that tenant will move, another one will move in, rinse repeat until the kingdom comes.
The houses that will be uninsurable, will become slums, slowly but surely. Still bringing income, but at literally no cost, and no government – regardless of their stripes and dots – will do anything as at that stage housing will have become so rare that any dog kennel will do.
The favelas of South Americas, or the slums of Asia, will come to NZ at some stage. And the likes of our current National Party enablers will have no issue with it, they will yell, Free Market provides, Free Market provides.
Bank of England is alarmed about the increase of personal debt
So, how is NZ’s private debt bubble going?
70K in the hole on education. Wide skill set for a brave new world. Who’s hiring?
What a relief !
With Donald Trump cruelly separating babies from their mothers, as wealthy people do, our Trolls will be delighted and distracted.
They will be petting and patting Donald all over his incredible body and purple heart. Melania will get roughed up of course. She is just a waste to be shat upon by the Evil trolls.
Think of the rewards that Gosman and James will get ! Evil is so rewarding. As all trolls know.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/359959/inquiry-into-spying-claims-extended-to-all-govt-agencies
Thompson & Clarke SSC investigation expands.
Today, Mr Hughes announced that the inquiry would now cover all government agencies.
He said he was concerned about what has surfaced in the inquiry to date and new information now available about other agencies.
The fresh material came to light in official information requests to the Ministry of Primary Industries and the Security Intelligence Service
Good ,another example of the rot that set in under national.
I wonder if Slater or his mates involved as he was in the ‘security industry’ before blogging and would know of lot of the principals
Good morning The AM Show how would trump like it if those Mokopunas were his own Mokopunas this action of taking mokos from there parents and lock them in cages creates a whole lot of trauma they will all resent USA its unhumane don’t blame the demarcats Don its the changes to your laws you made that have cause this what’s that the rest of the World has to live up to the standards you set but the USA can do what it wants.If your wrong just get over it and change your law/attitude.
The changes made by Labour to the NZ House ownership laws is what a responsible government does you make plans for a law and when you see those changes need to be refine that’s the wise why to handle that situation not like national who would deny there was a problem and ram the law through parliament and hide the problems it creates.
ECO MAORI Says yes to all the council having a fuel tax carbon tax you want to know why because national have denied human caused global warming for 9 years and this lack of leadership /blocking on climate change has left all the councils with a lot of catching up to mitigate climate change problems we face now. Yes I know its going to be hard on the common person but with some senseable thinking I’m sure we will survive the fuel taxs better that trying to survive a Papatuanukue with a extremely bad environment. Ka kite ano P.S the sandflys did not like my words over the last few days days they provided a swam of a escort on my way back to Auckland
The AM Show ECO MAORI Says we need to integrate OUR elderly in our society may be some sort of employment with the main goal of getting the elderly out of their houses once and a while I Back Mark Sainsbury move to get people to know that our valuerable elderly are being taken advantage of Ka pai e hoa some people just can’t help themselves and just pray on the elderly wallets idiots
Kai pai Paddy Grower the story on the government using the private investigation company to spy on innocent Kiwis Ka kite ano
This link is to trump
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=12073187
Here some music to
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6ad4MH7fMLs Ana to kai Ka kite ano