Some big issues are going to be thrashed out at the Green Party conference.
Should MPs have the right to dissent from the party line without being thrown out of parliament?
Should Party caucus’s have the right to over rule the membership?
The battle lines are being drawn between those who want to give power to the executives to ignore their membership, and give power to the executives to expel dissenting MPs. And between those who want to protect the right of the membership and parliamentary dissenters to be heard.
Free speech is a topical hot potato out in society, but also inside parliament, and also, inside the Green Party.
Yesterday Pete George related a quote from Nandor Tanczos;
Pete George1
18 August 2018 at 7:03 am
“Freedom of expression is often one of the first victims of a successful socialist revolution”.
Like PG I think it is noteworthy that Tanczos has made this comment in the current political environment. It has not come out of a vacuum.
Tanczos comment was made against a background of debate inside the Green Party, over caucus over ruling the membership.
And especially as the Green Party’s caucus’s decision to back the NZ First’s Waka Jumping Bill, which is also an infringement of free speech in parliament, because it gives party executives the right to over rule MPs right to free speech under threat of expulsion from parliament.
Most Green Party members, (And apparently, at least three leading Green Party ex-MPs), believe that these two things, are an attack on parliamentary and party democracy.
And they are right.
But I would go further than this, and argue that both these two things put together actually spell the end of the Green Party, at least as far as being a parliamentary force, by limiting the Green Party’s ability to lobby and influence other MPs to support the issues that they hold dear.
(Principally the protection of the biosphere from the multiple assaults from the corporate polluters, whose well funded lobbyists have the ear of the bigger parties.)
I don’t think it goes too far, to say that these two changes will see the Green Party caucus captured by the bigger parties. And the end of any minority dissenting political voice in parliament.
I would go even further to suggest that these two changes will accelerate the traditional process of smaller parties becoming shaded out and marginalised by the bigger more conservative parties in parliament. A process which eventually leads to voter collapse for the smaller party.
Waka Jumping: Former MPs hope Greens conference will make party pull support
HENRY COOKE – @stuff.co.nz, August 18, 2018
They should stop debating this meaningless process crap and start really celebrating their significant successes within this government. Shaw did a useful job of it yesterday. Shaw and Sage have been the people delivering actual policy results. The Greens will do better than 5% if they do a better job of showing how effective they are.
For once I agree with you Ad about the “meaningless crap” Waka bill. Yes “technically” it might curb individual rights but when looked at the practical reality, without the Waka jumping bill it was used in more destructive ways to reduce democracy and bribe or manipulate the electoral process and balance of power. We have plenty of examples!
Hopefully the significant successes are still to come, but the Greens are in government which should be celebrated and hopefully they and Labour and NZ First can work together to make a much greater positive environmental impact as well as start reversing the effects of devastating Natz social and environmental policy over the past decade.
Hi Ad,
I know for a fact that some New Zealand First MPs are drawn to some Green Party positions on the environment. And at least a couple have some quite progressive views, especially around climate change.
The Waka Jumping Bill clearly targets the Greens. The Waka Jumping Bill will act to curb any influence the Greens may have on other MPs in parliament, who may harbour some sympathy for their views. Under threat of dismissal by their executives, no NZ First or Labour MP will want to take up a position that supports a Green position against their Party’s position.
“The Greens will do better than 5% if they do a better job of showing how effective they are.”
Ad
But even you Ad, must realise that the Green Party’s ability to be effective in swaying parliament from a minority position will be harmed by the Waka Jumping Bill.
Any MPs from any of the other parties who might be convinced of supporting a Green Party bill, on any issue that their executive disagrees with, can now be disciplined or threatened by that executive if they don’t fall into line.
And as history has proved, a minor Party that cannot get any wins on the board will be seen as ineffective and a wasted vote even by their own supporters.
If this bill is used to its full extent against the Green Party by the other governing parties, I can see the Green’s effectiveness in influencing parliament being severely curtailed.
If, as you maintain Ad, the Green Party’s electoral success is going to be measured by how “effective they are” then by this measure their vote must go down, not up.
Under threat of dismissal by their executives, no NZ First or Labour MP will want to take up a position that supports a Green position against their Party’s position.
They’re actually there to support their party’s position – not their position.
But even you Ad, must realise that the Green Party’s ability to be effective in swaying parliament from a minority position will be harmed by the Waka Jumping Bill.
No it won’t.
Any MPs from any of the other parties who might be convinced of supporting a Green Party bill, on any issue that their executive disagrees with, can now be disciplined or threatened by that executive if they don’t fall into line.
Wrong.
The support will happen in the background. The Green Executive is supporting the Waka Jumping bill because they’ve got wins elsewhere from NZ1st.
And as history has proved, a minor Party that cannot get any wins on the board will be seen as ineffective and a wasted vote even by their own supporters.
The Green Party is getting ‘wins’ all over the freaking show and they’re not being quiet about it so why do you think that they’re not getting anywhere? Too busy consulting with your navel?
If this bill is used to its full extent against the Green Party by the other governing parties
I’m pretty sure that that can’t happen.
If, as you maintain Ad, the Green Party’s electoral success is going to be measured by how “effective they are” then by this measure their vote must go down, not up.
Which is you talking out your arse.
The Greens have got wins from this. Wins that they wouldn’t have got if they’d not supported it through.
And remember, the majority of people support this legislation and so the Greens are more likely to get even more support from the populace because their support of it.
In relation to that, how would it apply to the Green party with 2 co-leaders?
Say a situation arose whereby both co-leaders wern’t happy with each other and sought a 2/3 caucus majority to expel each other from Parliament – what then?
This law makes the taking of political vengeance out of the voters hands and places it in the hands of any errant dictator who holds the leadership of a party.
It really is the ‘World according to Winston’ and it is sad that the long principled Green party is aiding and abetting this legislative paranoia.
From now on, if you aspire to be an MP, you must do so under the duress that you are accountable to voters once every three years but beholden to your party leader every day of every year.
I would argue that even list MPs have been put in their positions by a democratic process, and should only be removed by a democratic process, and not by fiat from the executive.
That the democratic process that list MPs are chosen on, is an internal party one, makes it no less a democratic process.
And that in fact they do have a mandate that they represent through that process.
A list MP, (even just by the very nature of their method of selection), who may be more in-touch with the feelings of the grass roots party membership. When it comes to a difference, or dispute between Party and caucus, might feel moved to defy the executive and stand with the membership. In that situation, for this to be grounds for the executive to dismiss that MP from parliament would clearly be undemocratic.
If the executive or caucus really do have an issue with a list MP then they should only be allowed to put it back to the membership for a decision on whether or not that MP be sacked from parliament.
whatever you think of the waka jumping bill, Shaw and co are in the business of government, while Jeanette Fitzsimons and Sue Bradford are in the business of giving virtuoso performances as to why they were not.
You are right . Big but . Imagine if labour and nzf were only one seat ahead of nact. How easy would it be for the nats to destabilise and even pull down the gov . The same goes for a rogue list mp(I’m not forgetting the greens this is just a scenario)
For the good of mmp waka jumping or dismissed list mps must leave parliament if they quit or are fired from their party .
“Imagine if labour and nzf were only one seat ahead of nact. How easy would it be for the nats to destabilise and even pull down the gov .”
bwaghorn
Hi Waghorn.
Jeanette Fitzsimmons argues against your premise, because she feels that the Labour and New Zealand MPs would back away from this bill, and wouldn’t take the risk of crashing the government. And that if the Green Party Caucus refused to be intimidated by NZ First and Labour, and instead mustered the courage to call their bluff, they would not take the risk of crashing the government by pushing this bill through against Green Party opposition.
“The opposition to the party hopping bill now is because it’s wrong. It’s because it denies MPs basic freedom of speech, freedom of association, freedom of thought – it’s contrary to the bill of rights and to our policy.”
Fitzsimons doesn’t believe the Government would fall apart if the Greens pulled their support for the bill.
“I simply don’t buy the line that Jacinda [Ardern] and [Winston] Peters would say ‘oh we don’t want to be Government any more so let’s let it all collapse because we didn’t get this bill through.’ I mean really?”
But it’s not just about crashing the gummint is it? NZF have supported a lot of environmental stuff that they can’t be happy with and there will be more. A dysfunctional government would be just as disastrous.
You don’t think there will be any more environmental policy this term? How will the Greens supporting this bill mean they won’t achieve anything more? You make no sense.
Makes perfect sense.
The Waka Jumping Bill makes no sense except as a means to keep the Greens in line.
Being the smallest partner in a three Party coalition, the Green Party can only get policy through with the support of other progressive or sympathetic MPs outside of their party.
Well that ain’t gonna happen now that their executives can threaten to chuck them out, if they dare depart from the party line to support a Green Party policy, either in Committee, or on the Floor of the House.
Meaning of course, that for the most part no Green Party policy will ever see the light of day.
And the Greens will disappear into irrelevancy, becoming little more than a dead end appendix attached to the side of the mainstream legislative digestive system. Maybe getting a little inflamed now and then, resulting in a little bit of heartburn. But on the whole manageable, and longer term on the waiting list for an appointment to be prepped to be completely excised, come 2020.
Yes that’s right, because there is this large group of National MPs who are rearing to cross the floor at any opportunity they can to support Green policy.
Meanwhile, a good relationship between coalition partners allows for each coalition agreement to be met.
Jeanette Fitzsimmons argues against your premise, because she feels that the Labour and New Zealand MPs would back away from this bill, and wouldn’t take the risk of crashing the government. And that if the Green Party Caucus refused to be intimidated by NZ First and Labour, and instead mustered the courage to call their bluff, they would not take the risk of crashing the government by pushing this bill through against Green Party opposition.
That is not a valid position.
This isn’t the Greens giving in and getting nothing for it. They’ve got wins elsewhere for their support. NZ1st get this win, Greens get a win elsewhere and we end up with a functioning government rather than one that can’t do anything.
First they stated they inadvertently accepted it in their agreement with Labour. So I don’t see NZF unnecessarily giving anything up.
Then they stated their hands were tied as they were bound by their agreement. Which turned out to be a lie. Now you are claiming they said they secured wins, which seems to me to be another lie.
The Chairman, who pretends to support The Greens and wish them well, repeats his claim that “The Greens lied”, over and over.
He
is
not
a
supporter
of
The Greens.
Calls something a “reported fact”. Links to an opinion piece.
Does the coalition agreement explicitly state they have to vote for it? No.
Does “good faith” imply that if the other party in an agreement wants a particular thing very strongly, and you only oppose it moderately, that in “good faith” you might concede that point to preserve the relationship? In some circumstances, it can.
I was referring to the fact within – i.e. the advice given to the Greens from the Cabinet Office.
Which states good faith is a political statement around how the Greens endeavour to work with the Government. It commits them to work through areas of concern in good faith, but does not bind them to support everything set out in the Labour/New Zealand First coalition agreement.
Therefore, when the Greens told us they were bound by the agreement, they lied.
And while cheerleaders like Robert are happy to accept them lying, a number of us aren’t.
Not collapse the government. That’s right. Greens have signed an agreement that says negioate in good faith. Refusing to negotiate is the exact opposite of good faith.
The reality is the signed agreement is there. Sure life wout continue but just one NZF mp jumps the Waka and greens would never be in government again. Do they really want to start the first year in a government showing exactly why they were locked out during the 2000s.
This business about whether a politican lied or not. If a politician said they never lied then you would know that was a lie. Making a big deal about one changing their mind or finding that it wasn’t politic to continue is not a big problem unless someone deeply supercilious, great word, decides it is and makes a ‘federal case’ out of it.
Most Green Party members, (And apparently, at least three leading Green Party ex-MPs), believe that these two things, are an attack on parliamentary and party democracy.
That’s because they don’t understand the real problem – parliamentary politics doesn’t actually work the way that they believe it works.
The Green Party MPs are now in a position where they’re having to make decisions faster than consultation with the party members allows. They’re also going to have to make compromises and deals that don’t fully uphold the agreed position of the party. Especially when what consultation does happen brings about a stalemate which is what happened in this case (Which actually means that the original position is not as hard and fast as some in the party believed).
Yes, I’m aware that the Green Party makes decisions by consensus but what percentage of members were actually part of that consensus?
The Waka Jumping Bill should go through because some 80% of the population support it. A majority of National’s members support it as well but National leaders and MPs are fully against it and so the party will vote against it in block including the ones who are for it. And they won’t have this public hoohaa going on.
Party politics requires a party MP to tow the party line which will be against what some in the party want including some of those MPs.
This is why I think we need Participatory Democracy. Where the will of the majority rules and not the clique in parliament. Parliament would still be there but they’d be there to enact what the majority decide and not what they personally think.
“The battle lines are being drawn between those who want to give power to the executives to ignore their membership, and give power to the executives to expel dissenting MPs. And between those who want to protect the right of the membership and parliamentary dissenters to be heard”
Yet, party co-leaders Shaw and Davidson said they were simply reviewing all of the party’s “documents”.
Going off that comment re Shaw and Davidson, it seems the so-called leader of the left faction (Davidson) is also aligning against the membership on this one.
Makes one wonder what else is it the caucus wants to do that they know the wider membership won’t like?
I’m not as familiar with the waka-jumping bill as I should be, and I’m wary of it when in view of the pedigree of some who oppose it, but I would point out that when NZ first MPs left their party under the Shipley ministry, and when Alamein Kopu left the Alliance party, the result was precisely this propping up of the larger parties that you fear the waka-jumping legislation will foster.
Alcohol is a significant carcinogen.
Stop drinking.
“The biggies are really smoking and alcohol. Both tobacco smoke and alcoholic beverages are classified by the IARC as Group 1A: that’s “carcinogenic to humans”. In other words, there’s no doubt about it. Other things in this category include arsenic, asbestos and plutonium.
We have a big blind spot about alcohol; we know how bad it is for us, but we don’t want to hear it or do anything about it. Nevertheless, alcohol is linked with at least seven cancers, and the level of drinking that increases our cancer risk is lower than we’d probably like to hear. The less we drink, really, the better. ”
Professor Doug Selman is an expert on the matter.
He has been Director of the National Addiction Centre, Christchurch School of Medicine & Health Sciences since its inception in 1996 and Professor within the University of Otago since 2006.
He says the following.
“Alcohol is a cause of cancers of the mouth, throat, oesophagus, liver, large bowel and breast, and quite possibly the pancreas, prostate and melanoma as well, although the evidence for these others is not as strong at this point. These were the conclusions of a large international meta-analysis, involving 572 separate studies, published in the British Journal of Cancer.
The really important point that Connor makes is that many of the cases of these alcohol-related cancers occur in moderate drinkers, ie they are not confined to people with severe alcoholism.”
With the rate of price increases on cigarettes over the last decade, I’d argue that tax increases are more effective in bringing overall rates of use down.
“You [could] probably double the tax, in the case of tobacco what we’ve done… is push the taxed component up to more than half of the total retail price, well it would be sensible to do the same with alcohol,” he said.
I’d group alcohol, cannabis, and tobacco under one regime and tax the bejeesus out of them at a common rate, and have a common age of consent to buy and to use at 21.
21: your birthday to get truly wasted at.
That would be more useful than different labels that no-one gives a damn about.
More evidence.
The New Zealand Medical Association.
“Despite its normalisation in society, alcohol is not an ordinary commodity. It is a toxin, an intoxicant and an addictive psychotropic drug. As such, its sale and supply is subject to regulation in virtually every country. The current regulatory environment for the sale and supply of alcohol in New Zealand is not doing enough to protect New Zealanders from alcohol-related harms.”
‘New Zealand: Where alcohol is normalised – and that means more drinking.
Boozing has become normalised in New Zealand, and that means it’s likely we’ll drink more – and at higher risk levels, new research says.
One of the study’s authors, Massey University’s Docter Taisia Huckle, said: “What does normalisation look like? It looks like New Zealand.
“We have a situation where alcohol is completely normalised in society, through advertising, marketing and availability, alcohol is reasonably priced.”
School children could walk past three liquor outlets on the way to school or see advertising on social media, she said.
‘The Ministry of Health estimates that over 780,000 adults are hazardous drinkers. Statistics NZ figures show the drinking habits for more than a third of people aged 18-24 could be potentially hazardous – regularly consuming six more drinks in a single session.
Dr Jackson warns there’s been an increase in hazardous drinking every year since 2011, and says it’s increased by more than 50 percent among those aged 45 to 64 years.
As well as this, hazardous drinking in the 66-74-year age group more than doubled from 2011/12 to 2015/16.
“Our older drinkers are some of the heaviest drinkers in the world,” she says.
This drinking has a chilling effect our health system. During the 2016-2017 financial year, 4070 people were hospitalised due to their alcohol consumption.’
So why do so many New Zealanders still drink?
They are brainwashed.
‘Despite multiple reports over many years of the damage that alcohol is inflicting on individuals and communities, including the critical issue of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder risk, little real action is occurring, according to the authors.
“It is as if the New Zealand population has been brainwashed and in the grips of a mass social delusion – viewing alcohol as a harmless recreational product which enhances quality of life, and thinking if you are not regularly consuming the tonic you are clearly not part of the cool and successful social mainstream, and possibly a rather ‘iffy’ member of society.”
I am nursing a hangover this morning from a very long and civilised four course lunch with friends in Titirangi yesterday that did the whole shooting match – beer & cocktails, aperitifs, champagne, various bottles of wine with different courses, dessert wine, brandy, and then (quelle horreur!) more liquor & furtively smoked tobacco based products on the porch. The whole affair took us five hours before the taxis came and carried off the guests in a number of greater or lesser state of hors de combat.
It was a splendid day.
🙂
Yes, it will eventually kill us but then again, ultimately so does the calendar.
Well done.
It’s great to push the boat out from time to time.
I was more referring to quiet drink with a colleague after work.
I get kiwi can have a major issue with alcohol abuse.
I was responding to the notion that there is no upside to consuming alcohol based on my experiences.
I am reluctant to confess that I have become smitten with home brewing cider.
The latest being a wonderful hopped chilli cider.
All the hectoring in the world about cancer and other non-immediate consequences aren’t going to overcome the fact that consuming alcohol gives rise to pleasurable experiences.
But the one observation that prompted me to stop the alcohol except for occasional social functions is that I sleep much much better if I haven’t had a drink. I doubt I’m unique in that respect.
For once I agree with you. We did full 3 course dinner at home in celebration of several things. A hangover today and the chance of cancer in the future was well worth it.
Better to enjoy this life than try and spend every minute worrying.
Doug sellman is the worst kind of academic. Becoming an expert for the sole purpose of banging on about something that the majority of people enjoy and use responsibly and trying to demonise normal behaviour.
‘Alcohol harm more than triple the cost of all Treaty claims so far – economist.
Optimistic numbers show that more than half of the alcohol drunk in New Zealand is harmful – costing each New Zealander $1635 a year.
That cost – which annually dwarfs money paid out for Treaty of Waitangi settlements – didn’t even factor in “intergenerational harm”, which would push the number higher still, Berl principal economist Ganesh Nana said.
Nana presented his figures to a Te Papa conference on who should pay for the harm of alcohol.
That harm in New Zealand was $7.8 billion annually compared to $2.2b spent on Treaty of Waitangi settlements since the 1990s, he said.
He found alcohol-related harm cost every New Zealander $1635 each per year.
“Lost production of labour is costing us $3.3b a year, health costs combined with road crashes $860 million and alcohol-fuelled crime $1.1b a year.”
When you like to gamble it serves to know the risks. Out of interest, do you have an idea, approximate is fine, what the lifetime risks are for developing and dying from cancer? You may not like the answer …
“Yes, it will eventually kill us but then again, ultimately so does the calendar.”
I guess herion users could say the same thing. And people who surf the roofs of trains or play Russian Roulette. Thrills n spills!
I have a friend who was huffing and puffing in the gym one day and he asked his personal trainer if any of it would extend his life beyond a fairly inflexible pre-determined genetic end point. His personal trainer said yes, it would would – up to ten years if he tried hard. But the trouble is, it is all at the wrong end.
None of us are here for more than a blink in the eye of eternity. The world is a great place and the delights of Dionysus are part of it, enjoy it while you can because in the worlds of J M Keynes, in the long run we are all dead.
Sanctuary, yes, on a personal level, but as Ed points out, it’s bigger than that: the issue of young mothers drinking alcohol then producing babies suffering from fatal alcohol syndrome must give you pause to think that as a social trend, burgeoning alcohol consumption could do with some focus from us all; yes?
“…he issue of young mothers drinking alcohol then producing babies suffering from fatal alcohol syndrome must give you pause to think that as a social trend, burgeoning alcohol consumption could do with some focus from us all; yes? …”
No, not really. Alcohol abuse is endemic to all societies.
We all know how to deal with this issue. Ban supermarket sales, bring in minimum pricing, restrict the number of off-licence outlets and control their opening hours – say, close them all between 9pm and 12am and all day Sunday. Until then, nothing much will change, and until a politician proposes such measures I have given up worrying about it.
We don’t have that mythical drinking culture they chattering classes strive for. And anyway as i said, it is just a myth. Those southern Europeans the travelling middle class so admire get as pissed as any German or Anglo-Saxon. Who hasn’t been woken up by a braying donkey under a blazing sun in an Olive grove, suffering a blinding hangover, after to much beer, Ouzo and Retsina with the locals in a lovely Cretan taverna?* They were drinking too, you know.
We just mistake their lack of violence when plonked for moderation.
Personally, i would like to see more research on why we are so violent when drunk.
*OK, so that might have just been me. I was young, give me a break.
It’s worrying how much in denial people are.
We have a crisis folks.
Pretending we don’t doesn’t make it go away.
How many more deaths?
How many more babies with foetal alcohol syndrome?
How many more suicides?
How many more rapes?
How much more domestic violence?
How many more car crashes?
How many more hospitalisations?
Are you saying that we have august personages in Titirangi blogging here? I don’t understand your brief reference. Is it in-language between yourself and another elite who are slumming here?
“Conservatively, it’s thought 600 children are born in New Zealand every year with some form of brain damage caused by their mother drinking alcohol, often before they even knew they were pregnant. But many experts think the real number.”
Actually, I linked anyone interested to a variety of experts in the field on a serious issue facing this country.
Thanks for your entirely negative put down response.
This is Open Mike.
Ed. That makes sobering reading and while it could be argued you over did the messaging, your research shows how serious the issue is for New Zealanders and individuals who drink alcohol, even at moderate levels. I found this passage especially chilling:
“Dr Jackson warns there’s been an increase in hazardous drinking every year since 2011, and says it’s increased by more than 50 percent among those aged 45 to 64 years.
As well as this, hazardous drinking in the 66-74-year age group more than doubled from 2011/12 to 2015/16.
“Our older drinkers are some of the heaviest drinkers in the world,” she says.
This drinking has a chilling effect our health system. During the 2016-2017 financial year, 4070 people were hospitalised due to their alcohol consumption.’”
It is Open Mike and while you’ll always attract criticism, often fair, for overdoing your delivery, not “snapping” back would help the medicine go down 🙂
If only it were sobering literally as well as metaphorically.
Government ( left and right ) in the pockets of massive multinational liquor corporations and their lobbyists have their ears.
Robert G
As lefties I would expect support for the fair treatment of our citizens including good education on limiting drinking and help to give up when pregnant.
Also willingness to limit drug availability, and the end of treating alcohol especially wine as a sophisticated person’s tipple and therefore not to be belittled. Try having a glass of water first in pubs would be a good way of protecting your organs from being pickled too strongly as a first step!
Which would help mitigate climate change more – stopping a diet based around flesh and blood eating and the massive resources needed to generate that sweeping sausage or prohibiting alcohol?
Hey Ed, this is a reply to your comment above in regards to lobbying.
Now I am right with you.
The alcohol industry is one of the barriers to changing legislation around marijuana reform.
Supermarkets too, seem to have the grog all tied up.
Lobbying could be more acceptable if it was transparent and had limits around it.
Don’t panic, go organic!
Eat organic meat, and know that the animal was part of a farm organism, which uses animal manure to enrich compost for sustainable cropping.
Maybe not a climate denier, but certainly someone who puts their own selfish desires above the needs of others and the planet.
So, in other words, a neoliberal capitalist.
don’t forget the alcohol drinker – hard to tell if the demon drink took him or the excessive flesh consumption. But one thing we do know is that evil has a name now…
I think both marty. Flesh and blood eating gives protein and alcohol gives a more toxic, carbohydrate that ruins the brain and creates deficiencies in reliability in the addicted one’s working and family life.
Someone was pointing out how we have lost control of our wine industry largely to foreigners. NZs grow on contract mostly is the word. Also it uses a lot of water like dairying. And relies on elevated incomes at the upper end. Let them make homebrew when the market falls and we will grow oats on the land left vacant. This grain is a major valued one after wheat and as I understand it has lots of good things in it.
Good for my breakfast, and doesn’t lead to a red-veined nose like the big drinkers I have observed.
Actually, all indicators seem to show that New Zealanders are drinking less, not more. Off all the pubs that were open back in 1998, I would wager that only half to two thirds are still open today.
New research, which was presented at the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s annual conference, has found that moderate drinking is linked to a longer life. Drinking about two glasses of wine or beer a day was linked to an 18% drop in a person’s risk of early death—an even stronger effect than the life-preserving practice of exercise, according to the researchers.
The bottom line
There’s still a lot scientists don’t know about drinking, but the research clearly suggest that moderation is key. While it’s smart to cut back if your drinking veers into bingeing territory, there’s likely no reason to stop drinking if you do so in small amounts — just as you probably shouldn’t feel compelled to start sipping if you don’t already.
I think I’ll stick with the age old Everything in moderation including moderation.
DTB
I think that research about moderate alcohol being good for you stands up to todays scrutiny in current studies.
Drinking every day is bad for you. It is better to have a day off after two days on or something like that. And then only have one glass. It is the sort of perfection that it would be hard to achieve.
…And it’s sadly not surprising that nearly all of the claims to freedom of expression in this country have been made in defence of racist denigration and slurs. Whether it’s a city councillor suggesting that Captain Cook should have killed more Māori in 1769, or another old white man concluding that Māori are an inferior race, their purported freedom of speech has besmirched a grand ideal with sordid small-mindedness.
…Most pleasingly, perhaps, the protesters seemed to realise that the much touted “right to offend” that is regarded as part of free speech, is often just a mask which obscures a desire to hurt and damage the most vulnerable in society. It’s the kind of spoken violence which can lead to fascism posing as freedom.
…And, as history shows, those who constructed colonisation on racist distinctions between inferior Indigenous Peoples and superior Europeans did not necessarily “hate” the people they wished to dispossess. They had simply learned that the “other” was less worthy and needed to be colonised.
The so-called humanitarian colonisers who came here in the 19th century did not necessarily “hate” Māori. Indeed, they sometimes professed to love us and simply wanted to dispossess us in a sensitive and caring way. But they “knew” we were inferior and would say so with a good faith intent.
They therefore felt free to malign us because it seemed the natural way of things in which they were entitled to rule the “lesser breeds” with a violent benevolence. Their free speech was the speech of a deceitful and illogically racist power more than an irrational hatred, and today’s racists are no different in that they seek to maintain that power at all costs.
Some may even claim to respect and want “what is best” for us, but they attack our values, our language, and even our rights because they still see them as less worthy and a threat to the privilege which colonisation has given them. Their freedom depends on limiting ours to the terms and conditions which they determine, as it always has in the whole cruel history of colonisation.
…In this country, there has long been a tradition of speaking which may be seen as a particular Māori way of exercising free speech within the rules and kawa of the marae. Thus, in every iwi and hapū the physical space of the marae has two separate but intimately connected parts — the marae ātea where the rituals and speeches of welcome generally occur under the mantle of Tūmatauenga, the atua of war, and the whare tīpuna or meeting house which is the domain of Rongo, the atua of peace.
Is that a conspiracy theory from the Maori left? That the white Europeans colonised lands because the natives where less worthy? I thought the imperialism was for resources, so they could fight-off the other Kings, Kaisers and Tsar. If it wasn’t the English, it would have been the French. And any French colony I ever saw, had dogs shitting where they shouldn’t. Pardon, but many of us Maori can still recognise a glass half full 😉
English could quickly see the Maori where equals, too strong to push around, so they did a Treaty, then slowly marginalised the natives with law, banking and all that til capitalism had full control. Ok, maybe the English where more skilled at industrial governance and finance. But the Maori are stronger on mana and all that.
There are lots of threads to the weave. Each valid because of the specific perspective and also as a whole, combined narrative.
Personally I don’t think the English were benevolent to Māori – they still stole the land and resources and tried to annihilate Te Ao Māori albiet with silk gloves on rather than their usual rusty blade.
Marty! I don’t understand your comment but would like to: which bit is bullshit? I don’t want to have given the wrong impression so would appreciate the chance to clarify.
If you are killed in 1942 by a Nazi or non Nazi German do you think you care about their naziness?
The English were NEVER the best of the bunch – their trail of misery spans the globe and adversly affected many differnt indigenous peoples. We rate the english and conform history showing how nice they were because of historic clingons.
And yes we are here and we are what we are. We are the waka and the waka is us,
Thanks, Marty. I share your view of “The English” and their/our rapacious ways/history, however…I still wonder who you would nominate to have replaced them as the incoming culture, given that there was bound to be one; the French? Portuguese? Russians? Chinese? Who, I wonder, would you welcome in place of the English?
The complication for me, is … blood. If we are to regard our genetic material as tapu, what do we say about our English toto? Can we dismiss it as not us, indulge in some selective self-hatred, or what?
Thanks, Marty. I’m sorry, I can’t follow this discussion; must be too distracted by the beautiful sunny day we are enjoying here me aku mokopuna e takaro ana around my legs and the temptation to plant out the 100 red currants I lifted yesterday from my cuttings bed…in any case, kia pai to ra e hoa.
Robert I wonder sometimes about how it would have been if French had got here and showed real, lasting interest. They still interfere from Paris in Tahitian politics but have they been worse than other countries in their style? The Portugese left Timor L’Este in a bit of a mess. Russians and China have tried to change their own political systems and lines of power, with great upheavals in the main country spreading out to their adherents.
The start of NZ was not to be a place to banish Brit criminals like Australia which seems to have left a calculating materialistic culture there. So the zeitgeist was slightly different here at the start, but Maori still had to struggle against free market business approaches, a set of legal attacks on their land owning rights, disease, rigid class systems, and an attempt to obliterate their language and culture. But the Treaty prevented a wholesale bulldozer approach by colonists. Whether the other colonising countries used this legal, or similar agreement I don’t know.
There is no easy answer – live in perfect peace and that means to be vulnerable to determined adventurers. How people are trying to find a place that they can hold as their own and not be denied a place or job in it by the whims of others who seek to possess whatever they want and dispossess those who have it.
This morning on Radionz Mediawatch there was an item on some bent pseudo-history fantasy that had been made in NZ with a mix of useful dips into the useful bits of science, mixed with supposition and factoids from informed people who can not be named because they would be chastised for leaking by their peers or families. Mediawatch got it taken down from TV on Demand – I think in their Documentary and Factual section! https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/mediawatch/audio/2018658273/seven-foot-tall-pre-maori-disappear-from-tvnz
I don’t think there’s any conspiracy theory involved in what marty is saying.
Colonisers have always found ways of morally validating their actions – they have to, otherwise the contradiction between their ethical frameworks and what they actually do, becomes too great.
There are a number of justifications – all related: christianising heathens, Darwinian inevitably of more advanced populations displacing less advanced, and cultural superiority. Technology differences are often the vector for such misconceptions – if one culture has sailing ships, astronomical instruments, steam engines, 400 years of printed books including Shakespeare and the King James bible and the other doesn’t – it is likely to mistakenly consider itself superior and do bad things.
Don Brash is the contemporary exemplar of this strand in NZ racism – the deep conviction that the Maori view of the world is pretty worthless and not worth considering
At the time of writing this, there are 11 comments in Open Mike, six by Ed and all on alcohol consumption in NZ – a subject of some concern obviously. However, my half asleep observation is that Ed supports his six comments with seven links – all to NZ mainstream media sources namely Stuff, the Herald, Scoop, and Newshub all being media that Ed continually criticises and urges us to ignore. Ummm. …
This was intended to be in the 2 thread but sorry, I am on IPad and don’t know how to move it there.
The link is to scientific experts.
Selman, Huckle, Bullen, Connor…..
I could link, using the msm, the arguments made for a pro alcohol shill, such as Leggatt.
Sorry to inconvenience you by introducing this important topic for discussion.
Debating the benefits of a plant based diet and discussing the alcoholic state of New Zealand.
These appear to be off limits subjects for some here.
This is Open Mike.
Ed does not urge people to ignore those media. What he does do is urge people to read and view them skeptically. Otherwise we end up repeating, even endorsing, fantasies and black propaganda such as “Putin put Trump into the White House”, “Criticizing Israeli crimes = antisemitism”, “Nicky Hager stole those emails”, and “New Zealand’s troops in Afghanistan are helping to keep the peace.”
THE CHIMERA OF BRITISH ANTI-SEMITISM, AND
HOW NOT TO FIGHT IT IF IT WERE REAL
by Norman G. Finkelstein, Aug. 17, 2018
The current hysteria engulfing the British Labour Party resolves itself into a pair of interrelated, if discrete, premises: Anti-Semitism in British society at large and the Labour Party in particular have reached crisis proportions. If neither of these premises can be sustained, then the hysteria is a fabrication. In fact, no evidence has been adduced to substantiate either of them; on the contrary, all the evidence points in the opposite direction. The rational conclusion is that the brouhaha is a calculated hoax—dare it be said, plot?—to oust Jeremy Corbyn and the principled leftist politics he represents from British public life.
But even if the allegations were true, the solution would still not be to curb freedom of thought in the Labour Party. At its worthiest, the Left-Liberal tradition has attached a unique, primordial value to Truth; but Truth cannot be attained if dissentients, however obnoxious, are silenced. Given the fraught history of anti-Semitism, on the one hand, and its crude manipulation by Jewish elites, on the other, an objective, dispassionate assessment could appear beyond reach. Still, it must be attempted. The prospect of a historic victory for the Left might otherwise be sabotaged as, thus far, Corbyn’s supporters, whether it be from fear, calculation, or political correctness, dare not speak the name of the evil that is afoot.
The degree of anti-Semitism infecting British society has been the subject of numerous polls over a sustained period of time. These surveys have uniformly, consistently, and unambiguously concluded that anti-Semitism (1) has long been a marginal phenomenon in British society, infecting under 10 percent of the population, (2) is far less salient than hostility to other British minorities, and (3) is less pronounced in the UK than almost anywhere else in Europe. One might suppose that settled matters. But in 2017 the British Institute for Jewish Policy Research (JPR) published a study that purportedly refined conventional wisdom by measuring the “elasticity” of anti-Semitism: that is, not just the percentage of confirmed anti-Semites, but also the prevalence of stereotypes that stigmatize Jews.[1] It found that, whereas a mere 2-5 percent of the British population can be reckoned anti-Semites, fully 30 percent harbor at least one anti-Semitic stereotype.
Before parsing the study’s data, a couple of truisms warrant recalling. First, a generalization is something that is held to be generally true; it evidently allows for exceptions. ….
Gambling, alcohol, tobacco . sugar, shit food all high profit , lots of money for the corrupt that run the place.
I heard Kim Hill interview a guy on depression yesterday and he made a lot of sense but then he mentioned possible link between mental ill health and processed food and I thought , well that’s the last we’ll hear of you .
I also see that anti psychotics use is on the rise sounds like a win win for to high profit industries.
What nonsense. Firstly the antipsychotics in question that are prescribed in this setting olanazpine, quetiapine and risperidone sell all of 280k, 290k and 113k per annum all via generic pharmaceutical companies so hardly very profitable, secondly to suggest that processed foods are involved in the mix of antipsychotic Rxing is frankly bullshit.
Do you think it all getting too weird and wonderful McFlock! Nobody can afford to do anything without thinking about it these days.
https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/insight/audio/2018658561/insight-foetal-alcohol-damaging-baby-brains
Women drinking before and all during their pregnancies have to have someone look after their maimed babies with foetal alcohol syndrome and who require huge amounts of patience, sometimes they will almost destroy a house in one of their rampages, and to move beyond this can be helped but cannot cope with anything but certainty and regular timetables.
So recreational sex for them? Only if they have a hysterectomy or a long-term contraceptive implanted. The world is at a dangerous point climatically and in numbers and government has sold itself to the money grubbers. We can;t afford to be casual all the time and not try to help ourselves. The world is having disasters, wars, refugees, huge suffering and we cry when we have pin pricks of controls imposed.
I’m not saying women should drink all through pregnancy, no. But a teetotal, vegan, celibate society sounds bloody awful, to me at least. Tobacco-free is irritating enough.
Mcflock
I am beginning to question the importance of being so controlled as at present when not strictly necessary. Do you feel we are living in a ‘should’ society of semi-puritans? It is like the doctor that wants to stop the 80 year old from drinking whiskey – it’s bad for you. Reply, what the hell – what have I got to lose is appropriate I think.
Song from long time ago – Enjoy yourself it’s later than you think, Enjoy yourself while youre still in the pink.
Not only does she twist the truth she amps the conspiracy angle.
is there any gallery journalist who unabashed acts so consistently as a national party ‘operative’.
Not a squeak about why the big jump overall in nationals expenses in the last 3 months. or even if personal use of Crown limos should be curtailed and it only be for parliamentary business ( which wouldnt have excluded Bridges regional tour) . of course a follow up question could have been have you used a limo for a private night out ?
As a quiz fan, I have just heard about Brit Eggheads this has been going for decades.
On youtube – great fun. Minimum of fancy stuff – well staged.
I have thought of a different line to those concentrating on running in marathons (or acquiring lots of dosh and baubles) till it fills their whole lives and thoughts. What about –
‘Be in the human race, where clever people work out to help themselves along with each other and our home – the planet, to reach the finishing line and outwit the machines through exploiting their weak points, not trying to outrun them (because we never can).’
She’s one switched on lady. The best thing to do in labor is to keep active, keep moving, which makes baby come quicker. The worst thing to do is sit around, making labor longer.
Thinking of Julie-Anne today. All the best beautiful lady 🙂
Yes Greens looking to the future and will no doubt ensure that women in far suth can have a birthing unit with reach of a fairly short drive through bad weather conditions, and so no closing of birthing units.
All the best to Julie Anne G and baby and partner too!!
I’d like to see mandatory community service for every executive in charge of a company that has a worker death on their watch . Money is not enough.
Then if management are found to be responsible by ignoring safety then they serve time in prison as well as fair compensation to the families, and thus sending a message to the executives in charge of corporations that one death is too many deaths.
Also with construction. If the building falls aka CTV style, then whoever was in charge of the companies at the time of building have to do community service no matter what and then other charges just come on top.
Also like to see an automatic payment to the family of the dead worker of $50k straight away to help them, without any litigation having to have to take place, and years going by and any compensation eaten up by lawyers anyway. Then other cost on top.
Thanks Ed (13) … Whittall is a totally unscrupulous man, no compassion or decency whatsoever!
From one of “guilt free” Whittall’s statements …
** My coping mechanism has always been to talk to my family. I have never sought professional psychological assistance, but I have sought the assistance of my family and I have a wonderful wife.”**
How fortunate for him, when so many who lost loved ones through the Pike River tragedy, don’t have the benefit of having the opportunity to communicate with their spouses or sons at their time of need. They still lay buried in the mine!
Come to think of it now with the benefit of hindsight, looking back at Pike River spokesman Whittall’s comments to media at the time of the mine explosion, they came across as rehearsed, false and totally without empathy or compassion towards the grieving families! In other words, what he said was absolute BS! Betrayal of the bereaved at the highest level!
Hey Whittall can observe and truthfully tell about it! It is human nature to bklame someone. And fair enough, if they are found responsible for a bad outcome because of negligence or of not caring about the reasonable safety conditions expected in modern mines.
On Friday a friend of mine was feeling guilty because she wasn’t contactable for a few hours when someone close to her had a bereavement.
She knew that it was just one of those things – she’s almost always contactable, shit just happened at the worst time. But she felt guilty because she wasn’t there to support her friend.
It’s human nature to feel guilt for things you didn’t do – to go over whether there’s anything you could have done. And, speaking from experience, that stays with you.
I just hope that his claims of being “guilt free” are denial and part of a slow healing process, not a reflection on his character. 29 people he was responsible for died. That should effect any normal human permanently, even if whatever happened wasn’t directly his fault. Not permanently crippling, but to not feel any guilt at all sounds callous.
Elizabeth Warren has a big idea that challenges how the Democratic Party thinks about solving the problem of inequality.
Instead of advocating for expensive new social programs like free college or health care, she’s introducing a bill Wednesday, the Accountable Capitalism Act, that would redistribute trillions of dollars from rich executives and shareholders to the middle class — without costing a dime.
Warren’s plan starts from the premise that corporations that claim the legal rights of personhood should be legally required to accept the moral obligations of personhood.
I am sure they will go down a treat in the land of the free. I would say it is about as viable as Warren passing a DNA test for her Cherokee blood line If she wants other forms of ownership than capital go start a workers cooperative or other form of enterprise. The whole idea of capitalism is for capital to be attracted to the best opprtunity not simply reinvest for reinvestment sake in a firm, hence shareholders reinvest elsewhere If firm does not have viable internal investment options, thus allowing the most efficient use of capital Similarly capitalism forces the firm and it manager to perform or see a falling share price and threat of take over Putting artificial constraints on this as warren proposed would simply weaken US firms competitiveness to that of crony capitalism countries
Gosh bewildered. I get that feeling when I read your comments. This is a left leaning blog and you seem more right. Left in latin I think is sinister and I feel that is how you view us. Am I wrong?
A Gisborne District councillor says she’s disappointed by an apology she received about racially inappropriate comments she says were made at an official meeting.
Meredith Akuhata-Brown said she was at a council meeting when she heard two of her colleagues joking that not enough Māori had been killed during early encounters with James Cook.
At first, Ms Akuhata-Brown said she could not quite believe what she had heard.
“Stunned silence to be honest. I had just dealt with some other issues and had been away overseas talking about tolerance etcetera, so I was quite shocked,” she said.
“I guess now, when I look back, I wish I had’ve said something, but I was just shocked.”
Here is a interesting read in the fires in Sweden and California and how some of the main firefighters are saying is the cause of CC which is now causing them to rethink on how to fight fires IRT CC. Old Mr Dump is blaming the environmental policies of the California State Government, but the firies are saying this is about CC not the States environmental policies.
But I will say this if people are going to live in the bush you must have a bush fire emergency plan weather you intend to go or stay and fight and once you are committed to your COA then stick to your plan and don’t leave it to the last minute if you change your mind as it will be to late.
Good morning The AM Show well te sandflys are still giving me Mana.
Yes Duncan I seen these moves all the time shillary tryed it to and TVNZ 1 deserves what they get new management needed there I say. Ana to kai.
Good game this weekend Mark looks like you need to play a couple with yours and Mulls game on the Crowd goes Wild Ka kite ano shillary try a few moves against ECO MAORI failed
Many thanks to the NRL for have a indigenous League competition this is the new way winning of Papatuanukue to celebrate te tangata whenua ECO MAORI Says all country’s should celebrate there tangata whenua we look at te Mokopunas future and Papatuanukue future differently we are more environmently conscious back to the League Ka pai Australia League Ka kite ano link below
This is why I Back Elon Mus because you have this person and his administration and the Go/Pro Oil Party who don’t give a—–about the Mokopunas or Papatuanukue future they are just on a Huge power grab link is Below.
This is the reality of the people who trump have in his defence team and administration and he wonders why most people are flipping him the Bird link below Ka kite ano.
Here we go the state suppression machine at work behind closed doors
Why have the statetues of Egypt had all there nose cut off because they are African nose the Powers that be do want to admit that It was Africas who founded one of the first great civilisation of Papatuanukue.
I also don’t agree that tangata whenua arrived in Atoearoa 800 years ago this is a direct oppression of Maori cant have these savages know that they were sailing around Papatuanukue thousands of years before the elete class was still hugging the coast line. They say we wiped out the giant Mour in a hundred years year right it would have taken 200 years at least. I Believe in some of the story’s. To not believe some of the evidence is to have total trust that man is not decfull and we can see that a few will do what ever it takes to keep power. So the probability of Atoearoa history beening suppred is 100% from ECO MAORI views and the reality of how some people have to be woken up to these facts link below Ka kite ano
There you go A small community has the saloution to our problems of waste They have been working on it for 18 years they are the biggest employer of the community Ka kite ano link below
Mana wahine here’s a lady who is not afraid to speak out about the bad parts to there culture the men can do what they want and the ladies are treated as property ka pai
Ka kite ano link below
Good evening Newshub that’s awesome Mp pay freeze Ka pai
Looks like our Australian cousin don’t want to drop there Paris climate changes commitment’s Ka pai Australian voter’s think about your mokopunas future’s
Yes we have to look after OUR elderly some people treat them like a commodity they deserve to be treated with respect .
There you go Mike this intense Papatuanuku weather is all part of Te human caused Global Warming some idiots are still denying these fact’s that we are seeing in reality .
That’s one reason why Eco Maori love’s Aotearoa no snakes not many animals that can cause harm besides human’s that is.
Ka kite ano P.S still trying to sort out our moko health issuse
The Crowd Goes Wild Jame’s and Mull”s It was a good game of Rugby this weekend .
Good run down on the League game .
That was a huge crash at te car racing I missed what comp it is lol Drifting looked good run by Mad Mike did you say
Ka kite ano
I ran across a recent essay from The Brothers Krynn, which attempts to map common horror monsters onto the Seven Deadly Sins: https://canadianculturecorner.substack.com/p/horror-monsters-and-vice My interest, however, is not in the meat of the piece, but rather the opening paragraph: It is an interesting fact that in recent decades, Vampires have ...
Buzz from the Beehive Transport Minister Simeon Brown dutifully issued advice to all road users to keep safe on our roads during the Easter weekend. He encouraged them to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. ...
Oliver Hartwich writes – New Zealanders recently learned about a new feature film. It will be about former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern – and taxpayers will subsidise it to the tune of NZ$800,000. Ardern had nothing personally to do with either the film or the subsidy. But her government’s ...
TL;DR: Here’s the top six news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above that was recorded yesterday afternoon above between and The Kākā’s climate correspondent : An independent review panel into the emergency response to Cyclone Gabrielle in Hawkes Bayconcluded “that ...
There are now only a few days left to give feedback on the Draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) on Land Transport 2024-34 (see our earlier post this week on GPS submission guides). As we’ve reported, the GPS is a disaster for Local Government, so we were particularly interested to hear ...
Willis has pledged to go ahead with the debt-funded tax cuts, despite growing opposition from her own supporters worried about appearing fiscally irresponsible. 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 ...
Open access notables A survey of interventions to actively conserve the frozen North, van Wijngaarden et al., Climatic Change:The frozen elements of the high North are thawing as the region warms much faster than the global mean. The dangers of sea level rise due to melting glacier ice, increased ...
Bryce Edwards writes – New Zealand’s biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure. The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On ...
In 2015, then-Prime Minister John Key announced plans for a huge ocean sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands, banning fishing and mining from 15% of Aotearoa's EEZ. It was bold, it was ambitious, and it suggested that National might actually care about the environment. Except they fucked it up: Key failed ...
1. Who has just been given the accolade New Zealander of the Year?a. The Kokakob. The Cook Strait Ferryc. Fair God. Dr Jim Salinger 2. Which of these is an affront to decent society?a. Dame Edna Everageb. Mrs Doubtfire c. Dr. Frank-N-Furterd. Brian 3. Who is Penny Simmonds?a. The aspiring actress in Big ...
New Zealand’s biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure.The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On the face of it, the court found ...
Buzz from the Beehive Waves of rain are set to lash much of the North Island during Easter Weekend as a low-pressure system forms east of New Zealand, according to a weather forecast published in the past day or so. Niwa was warning of a “moisture-laden” long weekend, with rain expected ...
Look around us…Nicola Willis’ promises of balancing the books, of cutting spending without reducing services, and of delivering game changing tax cuts are disappearing before her eyes.Everyday we see stories of violent crime ending in horrific injuries, or worse. The cost of living worsens, whereas the PM claimed renters would ...
TL;DR: My top six news of note on the morning of Thursday, March 28 include:The Government will have to borrow between $10 billion to $15 billion more than previously expected in order to make up for a slowing economy and to pay for $14.9 billion of tax cuts, according to ...
This story by Naveena Sadasivam and Kate Yoder was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. The long-awaited jobs board for the American Climate Corps, promised early in the Biden administration, will open next month, according to details shared exclusively ...
Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don’t think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of ...
Treasury’s first report on the economy since the change of government presents a damning indictment of Labour’s economic management. The problem for National is that it is so damning that logically, coupled with a rapidly slowing economy, Finance Minister Nicola Willis should respond to it by postponing or even cancelling ...
Budget tensions are becoming evident within the Coalition Government. Winston Peters made numerous political points in his speech to the NZF annual conference. But the attack on his own government’s fiscal policies raised issues of substance. ‘Today in the Sunday Star Times, journalist and former advisor to the Labour ...
Buzz from the Beehive The media – sure enough – have been binging on Finance Minister Nicola Willis’ release of the Budget Policy Statement and a statement headed Government announces Budget priorities This assures us – or rather, this parrots the Luxon team mantra – that the Budget “will deliver ...
The Ides of March brought me COVID followed by a bereavement. No wonder they tell you to be careful of them.I’m home now and have resumed the interrupted recuperation. Very much looking forward to getting back to regular things. Meanwhile, some thoughts…OneThis new Prime Minister guy just keeps getting more dire. ...
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 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 ...
COMMENTARY:By Ronny Kareni Since the atrocious footage of the suffering of an indigenous Papuan man reverberates in the heart of Puncak by the brute force of Indonesia’s army in early February, shocking tactics deployed by those in power to silence critics has been unfolding. Nowhere is this more evident ...
Analysis - Nicola Willis is holding firm on tax cuts despite the economic outlook being worse than forecast and critics urging her to wait, writes Peter Wilson for The Week In Politics. ...
Opposition MPs and unions are criticising a proposal by New Zealand’s Ministry of Pacific Peoples to cut staff by 40 percent. The country’s largest trade union — The Public Service Association — says the ministry has informed staff that it is looking to shed 63 of 156 positions. Opposition MPs ...
A poem by Poetry Aotearoa Yearbook 2024 featured poet Carin Smeaton. Daughtr of the 90s when she gets promoted to usherette a baby blu eel carries her all the way up to mothership she’s hovering high she lets the underaged in to see keanu reeves she lets the only lonely ...
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. ...
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 ...
NONFICTION 1 BBQ Economics by Liam Dann (Penguin Random House, $40) “It’s official,” wrote Dann nine days ago in the Herald, where he works as business editor at large, “we’re in recession.” Yeah, great. He delivered the bad stats: “GDP fell 0.1 percent in the December 2023 quarter, compared with ...
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 ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[quiz],DIV[quiz],A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions. The post Newsroom daily quiz, Friday 29 March appeared first on Newsroom. ...
By Anneke Smith, RNZ News political reporter A petition urging the New Zealand government to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people has been tabled in the House. More than 200 people gathered on Parliament’s forecourt today and they were met by MPs from Labour, the Greens and Te ...
Pacific Media Watch The Paris-based global media freedom watchdog RSF (Reporters Without Borders) has appealed for information about the “disappearance” of Palestinian journalist Bayan Abusultan. She was reportedly last seen on March 19 among people “sequestered” in this week’s raid and siege of Al Shifa hospital by Israeli troops in ...
EDITORIAL:The Jakarta Post It happens again and again; indigenous Papuans fall victim to Indonesian soldiers. This time, we have photographic evidence for the brutality, with videos on social media showing a Papuan man being tortured by a group of plainclothes men alleged to be the Indonesian Military (TNI) members. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robyn J. Whitaker, Director of the Wesley Centre for Theology, Ethics, and Public Policy & Associate Professor, New Testament, Pilgrim Theological College, University of Divinity A strange and eclectic range of activities takes place across these few weeks of the year. Some ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University It’s Easter weekend, which means many of us will be kicking back with the greatest hits on repeat. But whether you’re a boomer, or an ‘80s or ’90s kid, you might be ...
RNZ Pacific Fiji’s Acting Public Prosecutor has filed an appeal against the sentences of former prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama and suspended police chief Sitiveni Qiliho in their corruption case. Bainimarama was granted an absolute discharge for attempting to pervert the course of justice while Qiliho received a conditional discharge with ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Arosha Weerakoon, Senior Lecturer and General Dentist, School of Dentistry, The University of Queensland Casezy idea/Shutterstock How does toothpaste work? What did people use before toothpaste was invented? – Amelia, age 7, Meanjin (Brisbane) Thanks for your ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brett Hallam, Associate professor, UNSW Sydney IM Imagery/Shutterstock Solar SunShot is well named. The Australian government announced today it would plough A$1 billion into bringing back solar manufacturing to Australia, boosting energy security, swapping coal and gas jobs for those ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Dix, Research Fellow in Nutrition & Dietetics, The University of Queensland Easter is the time for chocolate. The shops are full of fantastically packaged and shiny chocolates in all shapes and sizes, making trips to the supermarket with children more challenging ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Felton, Adjunct Senior Researcher, University of South Australia Even in a stubborn cost-of-living crisis, it seems there’s one luxury most Australians won’t sacrifice – their daily cup of coffee. Coffee sales have largely remained stable, even as financial pressures have ...
Mining company Trans-Tasman Resources has unexpectedly withdrawn its application for a consent to suck the valuable metals vanadium and titanium from the Taranaki seafloor, as it apparently wagers on the Government’s new fast-track process. It had spent two-and-a-half days putting its case to the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision-making committee, at ...
Contrary to the Associate Minister of Education’s claims, analysis of Healthy School Lunches Programme - Ka Ora, Ka Ako assessments has revealed it provides excellent value for the taxpayer dollar, as a groundswell of public opposition to Government ...
Greenpeace says wannabe Taranaki seabed miner Trans-Tasman Resources is likely banking on Christopher Luxon’s fast-track process to side-step proper scrutiny of its Taranaki seabed mining proposal by bailing out of the Environmental Protection Agency hearing ...
Kiwis Against Seabed mining today slammed Australian owned would-be seabed miner Trans Tasman Resources (TTR) for abandoning its application to the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) to mine the seabed of the South Taranaki Bight. The company ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katie Attwell, Associate Professor, School of Social Sciences, The University of Western Australia Ground Picture/Shutterstock Months after COVID vaccines were introduced in 2021, governments and private organisations mandated them for various groups. Health and aged care workers were among the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Dzurak, Scientia Professor Andrew Dzurak, CEO and Founder of Diraq, UNSW Sydney Diraq For decades, the pursuit of quantum computing has struggled with the need for extremely low temperatures, mere fractions of a degree above absolute zero (0 Kelvin or ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne A national Essential poll, conducted March 20–24 from a sample of 1,150, gave the Coalition a 50–44 lead including undecided, a reversal ...
The Taxpayers’ Union has today made a formal request under the Regulations of the People’s Republic of China on Open Government Information () for information held about how New Zealand Members of Parliament are spending taxpayer ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert Nelson, Honorary Principal Fellow, The University of Melbourne A Byzantine depiction of the Eucharist in Saint Sophia Cathedral, Kyiv.Jacek555/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA A nasty quarrel arose in the 11th century over what kind of bread should be used in holy ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Patrick Hesp, Professor, Flinders University Patrick Hesp In some parts of Australia, coastal dunes are retreating from the ocean at an alarming rate, as waves carve up the beach and wind blows the sand inland. But coastal communities are largely ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Luke Heemsbergen, Senior Lecturer, Digital, Political, Media, Deakin University With an impressive 60% of the US smartphone market, Apple is undeniably big, but not a clear monopoly. Yet, years of innovation by Apple have effectively given the company its own exclusive ...
Whether you’re facing layoffs or are just an emotional junior staffer, it’s always a good idea to scout out a good crying place before you need it. It’s an incredibly hard time for Wellington. Across the city, thousands of public servants are hearing tough news about redundancies and layoffs. Government ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Miller-Jones, Professor, Curtin University Nuclear explosions on a neutron star feed its jets. Danielle Futselaar and Nathalie Degenaar, Anton Pannekoek Institute, University of Amsterdam, CC BY-SA How fast can a neutron star drive powerful jets into space? The answer, it ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Daryl Adair, Associate Professor of Sport Management, University of Technology Sydney Earlier this week, independent MP Andrew Wilkie accused the AFL of conducting “off the books” illicit drug testing to identify players using substances of abuse, then inappropriately withdrawing them from matches ...
The Government’s announcement that it will scrap plans for a vast marine sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands is ‘shameful’ and will make it impossible for Aotearoa New Zealand to meet its international commitments, says the World Wide Fund for Nature ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Quiggin, Professor, School of Economics, The University of Queensland Shutterstock The federal government has bowed to pressure from the car industry, announcing it will relax proposed emissions rules for utes and vans and delay enforcement of the new standards ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Suzanne Rutland, Professor Emerita, University of Sydney In his latest book, Jewish Life in Medieval Spain, Jonathan Ray focuses on the tumult of the 14th century in Spain – a time of the plague, civil strife and war between the two largest ...
While creating a slate of world-class shows, Whakaata Māori also developed a generation of world-class creatives. Television is an odd word. It mixes the Ancient Greek and Latin languages, and its most literal meaning is “far-off sight”. In the contemporary and living language of te reo Māori, “whakaata” as a ...
Yesterday the UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Israel’s war on Gaza. This significant step and the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza prompted an urgent debate in the New Zealand Parliament. Leader ...
The Government’s decision to reduce access to continuous glucose monitors (CGM) not only threatens the lives of children with type 1 diabetes and increases the potential for ‘Dead in Bed’ syndrome, but also threatens the health of their parents an ...
Apples are available year-round, but the wide variety on offer involves intensive scientific research – and large-scale commercialisation. What’s beautiful, red, sweet and crunchy? Tony Martin’s favourite kind of apple: Sassy. The CEO of apple and pear breeding organisation Prevar, Martin’s fondness for Sassy represents professional success as well as ...
Family violence specialist service Shine is calling on employers to stop asking for proof of domestic violence in order for employees to access domestic violence leave. The call comes five years after the introduction of the Domestic Violence ...
The Deputy Chairperson of the Finance and Expenditure Committee is calling for public submissions on the Budget Policy Statement 2024. The Budget Policy Statement 2024 (BPS) sets out the Government's priorities for the 2024 Budget. It explains the approach ...
Brutal government spending cuts that will see the size of the Ministry for Pacific Peoples slashed by 40% will hit Pasifika communities hard, the PSA says. The Ministry has told staff that it is seeking voluntary redundancies, and to redeploy and reassign ...
I live with five people I mostly love, but our different ideas about generosity are starting to really irk me.Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nzDear Hera,This is a bit of a random one but here goes. I’m 22 and work an OK job (OK meaning I get paid ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Maria Nicholas, Senior Lecturer in Language and Literacy Education, Deakin University Earlier this month, the New South Wales government announced it would roll out programs for gifted students in every public school in the state. This comes amid concerns gifted school ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christopher Rudge, Law lecturer, University of Sydney Massachusetts General Hospital In a world first, we heard last week that US surgeons had transplanted a kidney from a gene-edited pig into a living human. News reports said the procedure was a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Tombs, Howard Paterson Chair of Theology and Public Issues, University of Otago The 5th-century Maskell panel showing Jesus in a loincloth.British Museum, CC BY-NC-SA When Jesus is shown on the cross, he is almost always depicted wearing a loincloth around ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University Shutterstock When you think about a red object, you might picture a red carpet, or the massive ruby in the Queen’s crown. Indeed, Western monarchies and marketing from brands such ...
COMMENTARY:Jewish Voice for Peace The UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza on Monday — and for the first time since the beginning of the Israeli military’s genocide of Palestinians, the United States abstained rather than vetoing it. Security Council resolutions are legally binding, ...
Asia Pacific Report A New Zealand investigative journalist and author says the US spy system hosted by the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) appears to be a controversial intelligence system used in global capture-kill operations. Writing a commentary for RNZ News today, Nicky Hager, author of Secret Power, a 1996 ...
While Nicola Willis wouldn’t give any details on its size, she said a package of tax cuts is definitely still coming in this year’s budget, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is welcoming the investigation into the Department of Internal Affairs after it was revealed that the Department’s Chief Executive personally reached out to expedite a DJs passport application. Taxpayers’ Union Campaigns ...
Finance minister Nicola Willis delivers her first budget statement, and unwittingly helps Joel MacManus save his relationship. Nicola Willis strode into the Beehive Theatrette. Around me, on the green foldout seats, were the country’s top business and political journalists. They were all here to see her announce the Budget Policy ...
Twenty years ago today, Māori Television launched after much controversy. Jamie Tahana looks back on its survival and impact across two decades. Chad Chambers stepped onto the stage, the brim of his cap casting a shadow across his face. His smile beamed as bright as his white freezing works gumboots, ...
The unidentified foreign intelligence operation discussed in a scathing report by New Zealand’s Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) last week appears to be a controversial United States intelligence system. The IGIS report said the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) decision to host a foreign system from 2012-2020 was “improper” ...
Some big issues are going to be thrashed out at the Green Party conference.
Should MPs have the right to dissent from the party line without being thrown out of parliament?
Should Party caucus’s have the right to over rule the membership?
The battle lines are being drawn between those who want to give power to the executives to ignore their membership, and give power to the executives to expel dissenting MPs. And between those who want to protect the right of the membership and parliamentary dissenters to be heard.
Free speech is a topical hot potato out in society, but also inside parliament, and also, inside the Green Party.
Yesterday Pete George related a quote from Nandor Tanczos;
Like PG I think it is noteworthy that Tanczos has made this comment in the current political environment. It has not come out of a vacuum.
Tanczos comment was made against a background of debate inside the Green Party, over caucus over ruling the membership.
And especially as the Green Party’s caucus’s decision to back the NZ First’s Waka Jumping Bill, which is also an infringement of free speech in parliament, because it gives party executives the right to over rule MPs right to free speech under threat of expulsion from parliament.
Most Green Party members, (And apparently, at least three leading Green Party ex-MPs), believe that these two things, are an attack on parliamentary and party democracy.
And they are right.
But I would go further than this, and argue that both these two things put together actually spell the end of the Green Party, at least as far as being a parliamentary force, by limiting the Green Party’s ability to lobby and influence other MPs to support the issues that they hold dear.
(Principally the protection of the biosphere from the multiple assaults from the corporate polluters, whose well funded lobbyists have the ear of the bigger parties.)
I don’t think it goes too far, to say that these two changes will see the Green Party caucus captured by the bigger parties. And the end of any minority dissenting political voice in parliament.
I would go even further to suggest that these two changes will accelerate the traditional process of smaller parties becoming shaded out and marginalised by the bigger more conservative parties in parliament. A process which eventually leads to voter collapse for the smaller party.
Waka Jumping: Former MPs hope Greens conference will make party pull support
HENRY COOKE – @stuff.co.nz, August 18, 2018
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/106380985/waka-jumping-former-mps-hopes-greens-conference-will-make-party-pull-support
They should stop debating this meaningless process crap and start really celebrating their significant successes within this government. Shaw did a useful job of it yesterday. Shaw and Sage have been the people delivering actual policy results. The Greens will do better than 5% if they do a better job of showing how effective they are.
For once I agree with you Ad about the “meaningless crap” Waka bill. Yes “technically” it might curb individual rights but when looked at the practical reality, without the Waka jumping bill it was used in more destructive ways to reduce democracy and bribe or manipulate the electoral process and balance of power. We have plenty of examples!
Hopefully the significant successes are still to come, but the Greens are in government which should be celebrated and hopefully they and Labour and NZ First can work together to make a much greater positive environmental impact as well as start reversing the effects of devastating Natz social and environmental policy over the past decade.
Hi Ad,
I know for a fact that some New Zealand First MPs are drawn to some Green Party positions on the environment. And at least a couple have some quite progressive views, especially around climate change.
The Waka Jumping Bill clearly targets the Greens. The Waka Jumping Bill will act to curb any influence the Greens may have on other MPs in parliament, who may harbour some sympathy for their views. Under threat of dismissal by their executives, no NZ First or Labour MP will want to take up a position that supports a Green position against their Party’s position.
But even you Ad, must realise that the Green Party’s ability to be effective in swaying parliament from a minority position will be harmed by the Waka Jumping Bill.
Any MPs from any of the other parties who might be convinced of supporting a Green Party bill, on any issue that their executive disagrees with, can now be disciplined or threatened by that executive if they don’t fall into line.
And as history has proved, a minor Party that cannot get any wins on the board will be seen as ineffective and a wasted vote even by their own supporters.
If this bill is used to its full extent against the Green Party by the other governing parties, I can see the Green’s effectiveness in influencing parliament being severely curtailed.
If, as you maintain Ad, the Green Party’s electoral success is going to be measured by how “effective they are” then by this measure their vote must go down, not up.
NZF and Labour are the only parties with major defections. Not Greens.
Labour went through 6 years debating member V MP “rights” and it was electoral disaster. Learn our lessons.
If all they are going to do is debate process, they will be equated as disunited. Exactly as Hooten predicted last week.
They’re actually there to support their party’s position – not their position.
No it won’t.
Wrong.
The support will happen in the background. The Green Executive is supporting the Waka Jumping bill because they’ve got wins elsewhere from NZ1st.
The Green Party is getting ‘wins’ all over the freaking show and they’re not being quiet about it so why do you think that they’re not getting anywhere? Too busy consulting with your navel?
I’m pretty sure that that can’t happen.
Which is you talking out your arse.
The Greens have got wins from this. Wins that they wouldn’t have got if they’d not supported it through.
And remember, the majority of people support this legislation and so the Greens are more likely to get even more support from the populace because their support of it.
In relation to that, how would it apply to the Green party with 2 co-leaders?
Say a situation arose whereby both co-leaders wern’t happy with each other and sought a 2/3 caucus majority to expel each other from Parliament – what then?
This law makes the taking of political vengeance out of the voters hands and places it in the hands of any errant dictator who holds the leadership of a party.
It really is the ‘World according to Winston’ and it is sad that the long principled Green party is aiding and abetting this legislative paranoia.
From now on, if you aspire to be an MP, you must do so under the duress that you are accountable to voters once every three years but beholden to your party leader every day of every year.
Its government but it ain’t democracy.
/agreed
Agreed
List mps have to get the arse from parliament if they leave the party
Electorate mps get to stay .
It us that simple .
Hi Waghorn,
I would argue that even list MPs have been put in their positions by a democratic process, and should only be removed by a democratic process, and not by fiat from the executive.
That the democratic process that list MPs are chosen on, is an internal party one, makes it no less a democratic process.
And that in fact they do have a mandate that they represent through that process.
A list MP, (even just by the very nature of their method of selection), who may be more in-touch with the feelings of the grass roots party membership. When it comes to a difference, or dispute between Party and caucus, might feel moved to defy the executive and stand with the membership. In that situation, for this to be grounds for the executive to dismiss that MP from parliament would clearly be undemocratic.
If the executive or caucus really do have an issue with a list MP then they should only be allowed to put it back to the membership for a decision on whether or not that MP be sacked from parliament.
whatever you think of the waka jumping bill, Shaw and co are in the business of government, while Jeanette Fitzsimons and Sue Bradford are in the business of giving virtuoso performances as to why they were not.
“Shaw and co are in the business of government…”
Largely due the earlier party building groundwork laid by people like Fitzsimons and Bradford.
And if Shaw and co want to stay in the business of government, they must remember they have to keep the wider party on board.
You are right . Big but . Imagine if labour and nzf were only one seat ahead of nact. How easy would it be for the nats to destabilise and even pull down the gov . The same goes for a rogue list mp(I’m not forgetting the greens this is just a scenario)
For the good of mmp waka jumping or dismissed list mps must leave parliament if they quit or are fired from their party .
Hi Waghorn.
Jeanette Fitzsimmons argues against your premise, because she feels that the Labour and New Zealand MPs would back away from this bill, and wouldn’t take the risk of crashing the government. And that if the Green Party Caucus refused to be intimidated by NZ First and Labour, and instead mustered the courage to call their bluff, they would not take the risk of crashing the government by pushing this bill through against Green Party opposition.
But it’s not just about crashing the gummint is it? NZF have supported a lot of environmental stuff that they can’t be happy with and there will be more. A dysfunctional government would be just as disastrous.
And none more “unhappy”, than climate change denier and fossil fuel fan boy, Shane Jones.
But, I think Solkta that you are wrong, “there will be more”. This bill will help ensure there isn’t.
Which will bring a smile back to Shane’s face.
You don’t think there will be any more environmental policy this term? How will the Greens supporting this bill mean they won’t achieve anything more? You make no sense.
Makes perfect sense.
The Waka Jumping Bill makes no sense except as a means to keep the Greens in line.
Being the smallest partner in a three Party coalition, the Green Party can only get policy through with the support of other progressive or sympathetic MPs outside of their party.
Well that ain’t gonna happen now that their executives can threaten to chuck them out, if they dare depart from the party line to support a Green Party policy, either in Committee, or on the Floor of the House.
Meaning of course, that for the most part no Green Party policy will ever see the light of day.
And the Greens will disappear into irrelevancy, becoming little more than a dead end appendix attached to the side of the mainstream legislative digestive system. Maybe getting a little inflamed now and then, resulting in a little bit of heartburn. But on the whole manageable, and longer term on the waiting list for an appointment to be prepped to be completely excised, come 2020.
Yes that’s right, because there is this large group of National MPs who are rearing to cross the floor at any opportunity they can to support Green policy.
Meanwhile, a good relationship between coalition partners allows for each coalition agreement to be met.
My guess is that Jeanette Fitzsimons will be copying the Shane Jones look today.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/103068858/photo-says-it-all-how-shane-jones-reacted-to-governments-oil-news
That is not a valid position.
This isn’t the Greens giving in and getting nothing for it. They’ve got wins elsewhere for their support. NZ1st get this win, Greens get a win elsewhere and we end up with a functioning government rather than one that can’t do anything.
“This isn’t the Greens giving in and getting nothing for it. They’ve got wins elsewhere for their support.”
Can you show me where the Greens have stated that?
And if that is the case, why did they lie and say their hands were tied?
Internal emails.
They didn’t lie.
First they stated they inadvertently accepted it in their agreement with Labour. So I don’t see NZF unnecessarily giving anything up.
Then they stated their hands were tied as they were bound by their agreement. Which turned out to be a lie. Now you are claiming they said they secured wins, which seems to me to be another lie.
The Chairman, who pretends to support The Greens and wish them well, repeats his claim that “The Greens lied”, over and over.
He
is
not
a
supporter
of
The Greens.
It’s not just my claim Robert, it’s a reported fact.
https://pro.newsroom.co.nz/articles/3760-bryce-edwards-the-process-of-the-waka-jumping-bill-shows-why-we-shouldn-t-trust-politicians
Calls something a “reported fact”. Links to an opinion piece.
Does the coalition agreement explicitly state they have to vote for it? No.
Does “good faith” imply that if the other party in an agreement wants a particular thing very strongly, and you only oppose it moderately, that in “good faith” you might concede that point to preserve the relationship? In some circumstances, it can.
I was referring to the fact within – i.e. the advice given to the Greens from the Cabinet Office.
Which states good faith is a political statement around how the Greens endeavour to work with the Government. It commits them to work through areas of concern in good faith, but does not bind them to support everything set out in the Labour/New Zealand First coalition agreement.
Therefore, when the Greens told us they were bound by the agreement, they lied.
And while cheerleaders like Robert are happy to accept them lying, a number of us aren’t.
Not collapse the government. That’s right. Greens have signed an agreement that says negioate in good faith. Refusing to negotiate is the exact opposite of good faith.
The reality is the signed agreement is there. Sure life wout continue but just one NZF mp jumps the Waka and greens would never be in government again. Do they really want to start the first year in a government showing exactly why they were locked out during the 2000s.
This business about whether a politican lied or not. If a politician said they never lied then you would know that was a lie. Making a big deal about one changing their mind or finding that it wasn’t politic to continue is not a big problem unless someone deeply supercilious, great word, decides it is and makes a ‘federal case’ out of it.
The Greens lied to their supporters to help them sallow what many deemed to be a dead rat.
And the consequence of that is they have now hurt their credibility.
Moreover, they’ve been caught out lying, yet there has been no public apology, which further damages their character, values, thus brand.
That’s because they don’t understand the real problem – parliamentary politics doesn’t actually work the way that they believe it works.
The Green Party MPs are now in a position where they’re having to make decisions faster than consultation with the party members allows. They’re also going to have to make compromises and deals that don’t fully uphold the agreed position of the party. Especially when what consultation does happen brings about a stalemate which is what happened in this case (Which actually means that the original position is not as hard and fast as some in the party believed).
Yes, I’m aware that the Green Party makes decisions by consensus but what percentage of members were actually part of that consensus?
The Waka Jumping Bill should go through because some 80% of the population support it. A majority of National’s members support it as well but National leaders and MPs are fully against it and so the party will vote against it in block including the ones who are for it. And they won’t have this public hoohaa going on.
Party politics requires a party MP to tow the party line which will be against what some in the party want including some of those MPs.
This is why I think we need Participatory Democracy. Where the will of the majority rules and not the clique in parliament. Parliament would still be there but they’d be there to enact what the majority decide and not what they personally think.
I don’t think PG rates as an authority on socialist revolutions of any kind – fascist ones being more his métier.
“The battle lines are being drawn between those who want to give power to the executives to ignore their membership, and give power to the executives to expel dissenting MPs. And between those who want to protect the right of the membership and parliamentary dissenters to be heard”
Yet, party co-leaders Shaw and Davidson said they were simply reviewing all of the party’s “documents”.
Going off that comment re Shaw and Davidson, it seems the so-called leader of the left faction (Davidson) is also aligning against the membership on this one.
Makes one wonder what else is it the caucus wants to do that they know the wider membership won’t like?
Unlike Labour, National and NZF, the Greens do not need a Waka jumping bill, because we can simply remove MP’s by vote/consensus, if we wish.
Democracy.
What’s your take on Shaw and Davidson reviewing all of the party’s “documents” and Fitzsimmons concern?
I don’t think it’s going to help reunite the party.
I don’t think listening to concern trolls is going to help in any way.
I’m not as familiar with the waka-jumping bill as I should be, and I’m wary of it when in view of the pedigree of some who oppose it, but I would point out that when NZ first MPs left their party under the Shipley ministry, and when Alamein Kopu left the Alliance party, the result was precisely this propping up of the larger parties that you fear the waka-jumping legislation will foster.
Alcohol is a significant carcinogen.
Stop drinking.
“The biggies are really smoking and alcohol. Both tobacco smoke and alcoholic beverages are classified by the IARC as Group 1A: that’s “carcinogenic to humans”. In other words, there’s no doubt about it. Other things in this category include arsenic, asbestos and plutonium.
We have a big blind spot about alcohol; we know how bad it is for us, but we don’t want to hear it or do anything about it. Nevertheless, alcohol is linked with at least seven cancers, and the level of drinking that increases our cancer risk is lower than we’d probably like to hear. The less we drink, really, the better. ”
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=12107518
Stop drinking.
Professor Doug Selman is an expert on the matter.
He has been Director of the National Addiction Centre, Christchurch School of Medicine & Health Sciences since its inception in 1996 and Professor within the University of Otago since 2006.
He says the following.
“Alcohol is a cause of cancers of the mouth, throat, oesophagus, liver, large bowel and breast, and quite possibly the pancreas, prostate and melanoma as well, although the evidence for these others is not as strong at this point. These were the conclusions of a large international meta-analysis, involving 572 separate studies, published in the British Journal of Cancer.
The really important point that Connor makes is that many of the cases of these alcohol-related cancers occur in moderate drinkers, ie they are not confined to people with severe alcoholism.”
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/83179106/Doug-Sellman-An-irresponsible-alcohol-industry-is-doing-its-best-to-confuse
With the rate of price increases on cigarettes over the last decade, I’d argue that tax increases are more effective in bringing overall rates of use down.
https://www.smokefree.org.nz/smoking-its-effects/facts-figures
For cigarettes, a decade ago 16% of 15-17 year olds smoked, now it’s 4%.
Also the social assistance through spatial regulation and quit programmes is really strong.
I’d be very keen to hear from people who’ve modelled the effect of tax increases on alcohol consumption.
Dr John Marsden agrees with you.
“You [could] probably double the tax, in the case of tobacco what we’ve done… is push the taxed component up to more than half of the total retail price, well it would be sensible to do the same with alcohol,” he said.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2018/08/new-zealand-needs-to-double-tax-on-alcohol-economist.html
I think we need to tackle product labelling, advertising and availability as well.
http://www.lawcom.govt.nz/sites/default/files/projectAvailableFormats/NZLC%20R114.pdf
I’d group alcohol, cannabis, and tobacco under one regime and tax the bejeesus out of them at a common rate, and have a common age of consent to buy and to use at 21.
21: your birthday to get truly wasted at.
That would be more useful than different labels that no-one gives a damn about.
Good points made.
More evidence.
The New Zealand Medical Association.
“Despite its normalisation in society, alcohol is not an ordinary commodity. It is a toxin, an intoxicant and an addictive psychotropic drug. As such, its sale and supply is subject to regulation in virtually every country. The current regulatory environment for the sale and supply of alcohol in New Zealand is not doing enough to protect New Zealanders from alcohol-related harms.”
‘New Zealand: Where alcohol is normalised – and that means more drinking.
Boozing has become normalised in New Zealand, and that means it’s likely we’ll drink more – and at higher risk levels, new research says.
One of the study’s authors, Massey University’s Docter Taisia Huckle, said: “What does normalisation look like? It looks like New Zealand.
“We have a situation where alcohol is completely normalised in society, through advertising, marketing and availability, alcohol is reasonably priced.”
School children could walk past three liquor outlets on the way to school or see advertising on social media, she said.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/104684246/new-zealand-where-alcohol-is-normalised–and-that-means-more-drinking
The facts stand out.
‘The Ministry of Health estimates that over 780,000 adults are hazardous drinkers. Statistics NZ figures show the drinking habits for more than a third of people aged 18-24 could be potentially hazardous – regularly consuming six more drinks in a single session.
Dr Jackson warns there’s been an increase in hazardous drinking every year since 2011, and says it’s increased by more than 50 percent among those aged 45 to 64 years.
As well as this, hazardous drinking in the 66-74-year age group more than doubled from 2011/12 to 2015/16.
“Our older drinkers are some of the heaviest drinkers in the world,” she says.
This drinking has a chilling effect our health system. During the 2016-2017 financial year, 4070 people were hospitalised due to their alcohol consumption.’
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2018/06/new-zealand-reaches-crisis-point-with-drinking.html
So why do so many New Zealanders still drink?
They are brainwashed.
‘Despite multiple reports over many years of the damage that alcohol is inflicting on individuals and communities, including the critical issue of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder risk, little real action is occurring, according to the authors.
“It is as if the New Zealand population has been brainwashed and in the grips of a mass social delusion – viewing alcohol as a harmless recreational product which enhances quality of life, and thinking if you are not regularly consuming the tonic you are clearly not part of the cool and successful social mainstream, and possibly a rather ‘iffy’ member of society.”
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE1807/S00122/time-for-government-action-on-reducing-alcohol-related-harm.htm
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/105735528/calls-for-bold-government-action-as-study-reveals-drinking-habits-of-pregnant-kiwi-women
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/105735528/calls-for-bold-government-action-as-study-reveals-drinking-habits-of-pregnant-kiwi-women
“Why do so many New Zealanders still drink?”
One of the reasons is it is social lubricant.
What health benefits are there from several belly laughs?
I am nursing a hangover this morning from a very long and civilised four course lunch with friends in Titirangi yesterday that did the whole shooting match – beer & cocktails, aperitifs, champagne, various bottles of wine with different courses, dessert wine, brandy, and then (quelle horreur!) more liquor & furtively smoked tobacco based products on the porch. The whole affair took us five hours before the taxis came and carried off the guests in a number of greater or lesser state of hors de combat.
It was a splendid day.
🙂
Yes, it will eventually kill us but then again, ultimately so does the calendar.
I am glad you had a nice day.
However, there are known externalities to alcohol consumption.
We cannot just dismiss them.
http://www.ahw.org.nz/Portals/5/Resources/pdf/Violence_F_Sheet.pdf
Well done.
It’s great to push the boat out from time to time.
I was more referring to quiet drink with a colleague after work.
I get kiwi can have a major issue with alcohol abuse.
I was responding to the notion that there is no upside to consuming alcohol based on my experiences.
I am reluctant to confess that I have become smitten with home brewing cider.
The latest being a wonderful hopped chilli cider.
I had to give up home brewing on account of the impact my fine stouts were having on my liver and waistline.
Now I have bees as a hobby, they obligingly make lots of honey for me, which makes for excellent Xmas presents.
I have not troubled to record the opinion of the bees on this matter.
To sanctuary above, when you say bees, I think mead…
All the hectoring in the world about cancer and other non-immediate consequences aren’t going to overcome the fact that consuming alcohol gives rise to pleasurable experiences.
But the one observation that prompted me to stop the alcohol except for occasional social functions is that I sleep much much better if I haven’t had a drink. I doubt I’m unique in that respect.
For once I agree with you. We did full 3 course dinner at home in celebration of several things. A hangover today and the chance of cancer in the future was well worth it.
Better to enjoy this life than try and spend every minute worrying.
Doug sellman is the worst kind of academic. Becoming an expert for the sole purpose of banging on about something that the majority of people enjoy and use responsibly and trying to demonise normal behaviour.
Does an economist persuade you then?
‘Alcohol harm more than triple the cost of all Treaty claims so far – economist.
Optimistic numbers show that more than half of the alcohol drunk in New Zealand is harmful – costing each New Zealander $1635 a year.
That cost – which annually dwarfs money paid out for Treaty of Waitangi settlements – didn’t even factor in “intergenerational harm”, which would push the number higher still, Berl principal economist Ganesh Nana said.
Nana presented his figures to a Te Papa conference on who should pay for the harm of alcohol.
That harm in New Zealand was $7.8 billion annually compared to $2.2b spent on Treaty of Waitangi settlements since the 1990s, he said.
He found alcohol-related harm cost every New Zealander $1635 each per year.
“Lost production of labour is costing us $3.3b a year, health costs combined with road crashes $860 million and alcohol-fuelled crime $1.1b a year.”
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/106343048/alcohol-harm-more-than-triple-the-cost-of-all-treaty-claims-so-far–economist
Optimistic numbers show that more than half of the alcohol drunk in New Zealand is harmful
I’m sure a good Merlot is not in that half.
Yes we celebrated Simon’s 17th birthday, the one teacher to 30,000 kid idea, and the fact the party hasn’t completely imploded last night too.
When you like to gamble it serves to know the risks. Out of interest, do you have an idea, approximate is fine, what the lifetime risks are for developing and dying from cancer? You may not like the answer …
“Yes, it will eventually kill us but then again, ultimately so does the calendar.”
I guess herion users could say the same thing. And people who surf the roofs of trains or play Russian Roulette. Thrills n spills!
I have a friend who was huffing and puffing in the gym one day and he asked his personal trainer if any of it would extend his life beyond a fairly inflexible pre-determined genetic end point. His personal trainer said yes, it would would – up to ten years if he tried hard. But the trouble is, it is all at the wrong end.
None of us are here for more than a blink in the eye of eternity. The world is a great place and the delights of Dionysus are part of it, enjoy it while you can because in the worlds of J M Keynes, in the long run we are all dead.
Sanctuary, yes, on a personal level, but as Ed points out, it’s bigger than that: the issue of young mothers drinking alcohol then producing babies suffering from fatal alcohol syndrome must give you pause to think that as a social trend, burgeoning alcohol consumption could do with some focus from us all; yes?
“…he issue of young mothers drinking alcohol then producing babies suffering from fatal alcohol syndrome must give you pause to think that as a social trend, burgeoning alcohol consumption could do with some focus from us all; yes? …”
No, not really. Alcohol abuse is endemic to all societies.
We all know how to deal with this issue. Ban supermarket sales, bring in minimum pricing, restrict the number of off-licence outlets and control their opening hours – say, close them all between 9pm and 12am and all day Sunday. Until then, nothing much will change, and until a politician proposes such measures I have given up worrying about it.
We don’t have that mythical drinking culture they chattering classes strive for. And anyway as i said, it is just a myth. Those southern Europeans the travelling middle class so admire get as pissed as any German or Anglo-Saxon. Who hasn’t been woken up by a braying donkey under a blazing sun in an Olive grove, suffering a blinding hangover, after to much beer, Ouzo and Retsina with the locals in a lovely Cretan taverna?* They were drinking too, you know.
We just mistake their lack of violence when plonked for moderation.
Personally, i would like to see more research on why we are so violent when drunk.
*OK, so that might have just been me. I was young, give me a break.
A member of the Titirangi elite.
It’s worrying how much in denial people are.
We have a crisis folks.
Pretending we don’t doesn’t make it go away.
How many more deaths?
How many more babies with foetal alcohol syndrome?
How many more suicides?
How many more rapes?
How much more domestic violence?
How many more car crashes?
How many more hospitalisations?
Before the complacency ends.
Something tells me the bourgeoisie will not listen and continue to sup.
There’s quite a few of us here.
We’re like the leftie X-Files.
Are you saying that we have august personages in Titirangi blogging here? I don’t understand your brief reference. Is it in-language between yourself and another elite who are slumming here?
More belly laughs….
“Conservatively, it’s thought 600 children are born in New Zealand every year with some form of brain damage caused by their mother drinking alcohol, often before they even knew they were pregnant. But many experts think the real number.”
https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/insight/audio/2018658561/insight-foetal-alcohol-damaging-baby-brains
Oh wow. You found a new hobby-horse, rode it to death, and started flogging the corpse. All in one sub-thread.
Actually, I linked anyone interested to a variety of experts in the field on a serious issue facing this country.
Thanks for your entirely negative put down response.
This is Open Mike.
Ed. That makes sobering reading and while it could be argued you over did the messaging, your research shows how serious the issue is for New Zealanders and individuals who drink alcohol, even at moderate levels. I found this passage especially chilling:
“Dr Jackson warns there’s been an increase in hazardous drinking every year since 2011, and says it’s increased by more than 50 percent among those aged 45 to 64 years.
As well as this, hazardous drinking in the 66-74-year age group more than doubled from 2011/12 to 2015/16.
“Our older drinkers are some of the heaviest drinkers in the world,” she says.
This drinking has a chilling effect our health system. During the 2016-2017 financial year, 4070 people were hospitalised due to their alcohol consumption.’”
It is Open Mike and while you’ll always attract criticism, often fair, for overdoing your delivery, not “snapping” back would help the medicine go down 🙂
If only it were sobering literally as well as metaphorically.
Government ( left and right ) in the pockets of massive multinational liquor corporations and their lobbyists have their ears.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/7994823/Liquor-lobbyists-press-Collins
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/103655890/the-national-party-was-donated-three-times-more-money-than-labour-last-year–but-labour-won
Robert G
As lefties I would expect support for the fair treatment of our citizens including good education on limiting drinking and help to give up when pregnant.
Also willingness to limit drug availability, and the end of treating alcohol especially wine as a sophisticated person’s tipple and therefore not to be belittled. Try having a glass of water first in pubs would be a good way of protecting your organs from being pickled too strongly as a first step!
I guess popping a disco biscuit is also out of the quetsion?
or sniffing the Peruvian marching powder?
You found a new hobby-horse, rode it to death, and started flogging the corpse.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vY3wmWT-sb8
What about climate change and veganism?
Which would help mitigate climate change more – stopping a diet based around flesh and blood eating and the massive resources needed to generate that sweeping sausage or prohibiting alcohol?
Of course climate change is the number one issue.
Most other things fade into insignificance by comparison.
Stopping eating meat is probably the biggest thing you can do as an individual to mitigate climate change.
Hey Ed, this is a reply to your comment above in regards to lobbying.
Now I am right with you.
The alcohol industry is one of the barriers to changing legislation around marijuana reform.
Supermarkets too, seem to have the grog all tied up.
Lobbying could be more acceptable if it was transparent and had limits around it.
Nick Leggatt.
Paid to pimp for the booze barons.
How does he sleep at night?
On a metaphoric pillow stuffed with cash.
Don’t panic, go organic!
Eat organic meat, and know that the animal was part of a farm organism, which uses animal manure to enrich compost for sustainable cropping.
And what percentage of New Zealand’s farming is produced in that way?
The vast majority looks like this.
https://vimeo.com/ondemand/dominionfilm
Ed
I quite like a good red with my filet stake. And I aren’t about to give it up in order to save the world.
That comment says a lot.
Yes a harmer of sentient beings and a climate denier all rolled into one.
Maybe not a climate denier, but certainly someone who puts their own selfish desires above the needs of others and the planet.
So, in other words, a neoliberal capitalist.
don’t forget the alcohol drinker – hard to tell if the demon drink took him or the excessive flesh consumption. But one thing we do know is that evil has a name now…
I think both marty. Flesh and blood eating gives protein and alcohol gives a more toxic, carbohydrate that ruins the brain and creates deficiencies in reliability in the addicted one’s working and family life.
Someone was pointing out how we have lost control of our wine industry largely to foreigners. NZs grow on contract mostly is the word. Also it uses a lot of water like dairying. And relies on elevated incomes at the upper end. Let them make homebrew when the market falls and we will grow oats on the land left vacant. This grain is a major valued one after wheat and as I understand it has lots of good things in it.
Good for my breakfast, and doesn’t lead to a red-veined nose like the big drinkers I have observed.
Good points.
On this you’re totally correct; huge blind spot. I don’t drink much at all, but on reflection here I’m going to cut it altogether. Good references.
So SOMA Ed ?
Actually, all indicators seem to show that New Zealanders are drinking less, not more. Off all the pubs that were open back in 1998, I would wager that only half to two thirds are still open today.
The data provided in tharticle would suggest consumption is up.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/104684246/new-zealand-where-alcohol-is-normalised–and-that-means-more-drinking
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/104684246/new-zealand-where-alcohol-is-normalised–and-that-means-more-drinking
Can Alcohol Help You Live Longer? Here’s What the Research Really Says
I think I’ll stick with the age old Everything in moderation including moderation.
Cheers:)
DTB
I think that research about moderate alcohol being good for you stands up to todays scrutiny in current studies.
Drinking every day is bad for you. It is better to have a day off after two days on or something like that. And then only have one glass. It is the sort of perfection that it would be hard to achieve.
Seen this? https://www.stuff.co.nz/science/106158271/huge-alcohol-clinical-trial-collapses
My link said many of the same things but it referenced a different study.
A good read
Is that a conspiracy theory from the Maori left? That the white Europeans colonised lands because the natives where less worthy? I thought the imperialism was for resources, so they could fight-off the other Kings, Kaisers and Tsar. If it wasn’t the English, it would have been the French. And any French colony I ever saw, had dogs shitting where they shouldn’t. Pardon, but many of us Maori can still recognise a glass half full 😉
English could quickly see the Maori where equals, too strong to push around, so they did a Treaty, then slowly marginalised the natives with law, banking and all that til capitalism had full control. Ok, maybe the English where more skilled at industrial governance and finance. But the Maori are stronger on mana and all that.
There are lots of threads to the weave. Each valid because of the specific perspective and also as a whole, combined narrative.
Personally I don’t think the English were benevolent to Māori – they still stole the land and resources and tried to annihilate Te Ao Māori albiet with silk gloves on rather than their usual rusty blade.
Would you have preferred the French, marty mars?
None of the bastards would be my choice.
But it was inevitable that someone would arrive; perhaps the English were the best option? And if so, lets get on with making the best of it 🙂
Bullshit mate. Sad to read that crap from you.
Marty! I don’t understand your comment but would like to: which bit is bullshit? I don’t want to have given the wrong impression so would appreciate the chance to clarify.
If you are killed in 1942 by a Nazi or non Nazi German do you think you care about their naziness?
The English were NEVER the best of the bunch – their trail of misery spans the globe and adversly affected many differnt indigenous peoples. We rate the english and conform history showing how nice they were because of historic clingons.
And yes we are here and we are what we are. We are the waka and the waka is us,
End.
Thanks, Marty. I share your view of “The English” and their/our rapacious ways/history, however…I still wonder who you would nominate to have replaced them as the incoming culture, given that there was bound to be one; the French? Portuguese? Russians? Chinese? Who, I wonder, would you welcome in place of the English?
The complication for me, is … blood. If we are to regard our genetic material as tapu, what do we say about our English toto? Can we dismiss it as not us, indulge in some selective self-hatred, or what?
Robert my father is English. My whakapapa includes his lines. That is just the way it is. This is the way with whakapapa – lots of Scots in there too.
There is no answer to if not the English then who – it is irrelevant.
Thanks, Marty. I’m sorry, I can’t follow this discussion; must be too distracted by the beautiful sunny day we are enjoying here me aku mokopuna e takaro ana around my legs and the temptation to plant out the 100 red currants I lifted yesterday from my cuttings bed…in any case, kia pai to ra e hoa.
Robert I wonder sometimes about how it would have been if French had got here and showed real, lasting interest. They still interfere from Paris in Tahitian politics but have they been worse than other countries in their style? The Portugese left Timor L’Este in a bit of a mess. Russians and China have tried to change their own political systems and lines of power, with great upheavals in the main country spreading out to their adherents.
The start of NZ was not to be a place to banish Brit criminals like Australia which seems to have left a calculating materialistic culture there. So the zeitgeist was slightly different here at the start, but Maori still had to struggle against free market business approaches, a set of legal attacks on their land owning rights, disease, rigid class systems, and an attempt to obliterate their language and culture. But the Treaty prevented a wholesale bulldozer approach by colonists. Whether the other colonising countries used this legal, or similar agreement I don’t know.
The Dutch also could be considered as they were prominent in parts of the Pacific.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_East_Indies#Social_history
There is no easy answer – live in perfect peace and that means to be vulnerable to determined adventurers. How people are trying to find a place that they can hold as their own and not be denied a place or job in it by the whims of others who seek to possess whatever they want and dispossess those who have it.
Pitcairn Island in 2015 story –
https://theculturetrip.com/europe/articles/11-unclaimed-lands-you-can-actually-rule/
Scottish stories:
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/sep/26/this-island-is-not-for-sale-how-eigg-fought-back
and
Joining together and investing to own your own place:
http://www.visitknoydart.co.uk/kf
https://theculturetrip.com/europe/articles/11-unclaimed-lands-you-can-actually-rule/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_micronations
Micro island colonised by plastic – timely piece.
https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/05/henderson-island-pitcairn-trash-plastic-pollution/
This morning on Radionz Mediawatch there was an item on some bent pseudo-history fantasy that had been made in NZ with a mix of useful dips into the useful bits of science, mixed with supposition and factoids from informed people who can not be named because they would be chastised for leaking by their peers or families. Mediawatch got it taken down from TV on Demand – I think in their Documentary and Factual section!
https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/mediawatch/audio/2018658273/seven-foot-tall-pre-maori-disappear-from-tvnz
They married quite a few. That was probably a dirty beastly trick too.
Ha I think it wasn’t a strategy for them that arrived here.
For conquering Māori it was a strategy – ties whakapapa together.
That is – for Māori who conquered other Māori it was a strategy…
I don’t think there’s any conspiracy theory involved in what marty is saying.
Colonisers have always found ways of morally validating their actions – they have to, otherwise the contradiction between their ethical frameworks and what they actually do, becomes too great.
There are a number of justifications – all related: christianising heathens, Darwinian inevitably of more advanced populations displacing less advanced, and cultural superiority. Technology differences are often the vector for such misconceptions – if one culture has sailing ships, astronomical instruments, steam engines, 400 years of printed books including Shakespeare and the King James bible and the other doesn’t – it is likely to mistakenly consider itself superior and do bad things.
Don Brash is the contemporary exemplar of this strand in NZ racism – the deep conviction that the Maori view of the world is pretty worthless and not worth considering
+111
He makes my skin crawl. Wormtongue
Yeah brash and those rwnjs have that effect – filthy lying scum.
Just a half asleep musing.
At the time of writing this, there are 11 comments in Open Mike, six by Ed and all on alcohol consumption in NZ – a subject of some concern obviously. However, my half asleep observation is that Ed supports his six comments with seven links – all to NZ mainstream media sources namely Stuff, the Herald, Scoop, and Newshub all being media that Ed continually criticises and urges us to ignore. Ummm. …
This was intended to be in the 2 thread but sorry, I am on IPad and don’t know how to move it there.
The link is to scientific experts.
Selman, Huckle, Bullen, Connor…..
I could link, using the msm, the arguments made for a pro alcohol shill, such as Leggatt.
Sorry to inconvenience you by introducing this important topic for discussion.
Debating the benefits of a plant based diet and discussing the alcoholic state of New Zealand.
These appear to be off limits subjects for some here.
This is Open Mike.
Thank you Ed, it is important to have a no alcohol diet and a solely plant based one if you can.
Yes it is.
Good for you.
And good for the planet.
And those that don’t stop booze ed?
btw I know your a born again vegan – when did you stop the booze?
But the alcohol, it made from plants.
I think where Ed went wrong was beginning his comments with “Stop drinking”.
We don’t like being told what to do.
solkta
You come up with some good points at times. Can you try to keep up the standard and not deteriorate into sneers and sly smarts.
Are they vegan plants? Not like those venus flytrap non vegan bums.
Some of the plants used for booze look closely related to triffids. I’d be worried about those.
http://d3lp4xedbqa8a5.cloudfront.net/s3/digital-cougar-assets/nzww/2015/07/24/post-41358/67-4.jpg
You can make it from chickens too: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cock_ale
Ed does not urge people to ignore those media. What he does do is urge people to read and view them skeptically. Otherwise we end up repeating, even endorsing, fantasies and black propaganda such as “Putin put Trump into the White House”, “Criticizing Israeli crimes = antisemitism”, “Nicky Hager stole those emails”, and “New Zealand’s troops in Afghanistan are helping to keep the peace.”
Thank you Morrissey.
THE CHIMERA OF BRITISH ANTI-SEMITISM, AND
HOW NOT TO FIGHT IT IF IT WERE REAL
by Norman G. Finkelstein, Aug. 17, 2018
The current hysteria engulfing the British Labour Party resolves itself into a pair of interrelated, if discrete, premises: Anti-Semitism in British society at large and the Labour Party in particular have reached crisis proportions. If neither of these premises can be sustained, then the hysteria is a fabrication. In fact, no evidence has been adduced to substantiate either of them; on the contrary, all the evidence points in the opposite direction. The rational conclusion is that the brouhaha is a calculated hoax—dare it be said, plot?—to oust Jeremy Corbyn and the principled leftist politics he represents from British public life.
But even if the allegations were true, the solution would still not be to curb freedom of thought in the Labour Party. At its worthiest, the Left-Liberal tradition has attached a unique, primordial value to Truth; but Truth cannot be attained if dissentients, however obnoxious, are silenced. Given the fraught history of anti-Semitism, on the one hand, and its crude manipulation by Jewish elites, on the other, an objective, dispassionate assessment could appear beyond reach. Still, it must be attempted. The prospect of a historic victory for the Left might otherwise be sabotaged as, thus far, Corbyn’s supporters, whether it be from fear, calculation, or political correctness, dare not speak the name of the evil that is afoot.
The degree of anti-Semitism infecting British society has been the subject of numerous polls over a sustained period of time. These surveys have uniformly, consistently, and unambiguously concluded that anti-Semitism (1) has long been a marginal phenomenon in British society, infecting under 10 percent of the population, (2) is far less salient than hostility to other British minorities, and (3) is less pronounced in the UK than almost anywhere else in Europe. One might suppose that settled matters. But in 2017 the British Institute for Jewish Policy Research (JPR) published a study that purportedly refined conventional wisdom by measuring the “elasticity” of anti-Semitism: that is, not just the percentage of confirmed anti-Semites, but also the prevalence of stereotypes that stigmatize Jews.[1] It found that, whereas a mere 2-5 percent of the British population can be reckoned anti-Semites, fully 30 percent harbor at least one anti-Semitic stereotype.
Before parsing the study’s data, a couple of truisms warrant recalling. First, a generalization is something that is held to be generally true; it evidently allows for exceptions. ….
Read more….
http://normanfinkelstein.com/2018/08/17/finkelstein-on-corbyn-mania/
From the Herald
“I gambled 72 hours non-stop without eating, I gambled without thinking of the consequences.”
The casino made him a VIP………
Host responsibility yea right
Sky City must be happy politicians are in their pocket.
Gambling, alcohol, tobacco . sugar, shit food all high profit , lots of money for the corrupt that run the place.
I heard Kim Hill interview a guy on depression yesterday and he made a lot of sense but then he mentioned possible link between mental ill health and processed food and I thought , well that’s the last we’ll hear of you .
I also see that anti psychotics use is on the rise sounds like a win win for to high profit industries.
“I also see that anti psychotics use is on the rise sounds like a win win for to high profit industries.”
How is this a win win for high profit industries in NZ ?
big pharma sell more drugs to hide the effects of processed food so they can sell more of it ,
What nonsense. Firstly the antipsychotics in question that are prescribed in this setting olanazpine, quetiapine and risperidone sell all of 280k, 290k and 113k per annum all via generic pharmaceutical companies so hardly very profitable, secondly to suggest that processed foods are involved in the mix of antipsychotic Rxing is frankly bullshit.
For a healthy and happy life……
Avoid processed food
Avoid alcohol
Avoid eating animals
Healthy… meh. Maybe.
Happy? Fucking doubtful.
Speaking of which, please tell us that you’re not against recreational sex, at least.
more recreational sex create more orgone energy heal the world.
http://www.orgonics.com/whatisor.htm
Do you think it all getting too weird and wonderful McFlock! Nobody can afford to do anything without thinking about it these days.
https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/insight/audio/2018658561/insight-foetal-alcohol-damaging-baby-brains
Women drinking before and all during their pregnancies have to have someone look after their maimed babies with foetal alcohol syndrome and who require huge amounts of patience, sometimes they will almost destroy a house in one of their rampages, and to move beyond this can be helped but cannot cope with anything but certainty and regular timetables.
So recreational sex for them? Only if they have a hysterectomy or a long-term contraceptive implanted. The world is at a dangerous point climatically and in numbers and government has sold itself to the money grubbers. We can;t afford to be casual all the time and not try to help ourselves. The world is having disasters, wars, refugees, huge suffering and we cry when we have pin pricks of controls imposed.
Too many damned wowsers in the world.
I’m not saying women should drink all through pregnancy, no. But a teetotal, vegan, celibate society sounds bloody awful, to me at least. Tobacco-free is irritating enough.
Mcflock
I am beginning to question the importance of being so controlled as at present when not strictly necessary. Do you feel we are living in a ‘should’ society of semi-puritans? It is like the doctor that wants to stop the 80 year old from drinking whiskey – it’s bad for you. Reply, what the hell – what have I got to lose is appropriate I think.
Song from long time ago – Enjoy yourself it’s later than you think, Enjoy yourself while youre still in the pink.
I think it’s good to know the health effects of what we do.
I’m also in favour of things like banning alcohol and tobacco advertising.
But I find that all the most interesting people have a small vice or two.
is see Stacey Kirk has done her expected Bridges soft soap commercial in Stuff
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/106285009/stacey-kirk-searching-for-the-silver-linings-in-simon-bridges-playbook
Not only does she twist the truth she amps the conspiracy angle.
is there any gallery journalist who unabashed acts so consistently as a national party ‘operative’.
Not a squeak about why the big jump overall in nationals expenses in the last 3 months. or even if personal use of Crown limos should be curtailed and it only be for parliamentary business ( which wouldnt have excluded Bridges regional tour) . of course a follow up question could have been have you used a limo for a private night out ?
News Corp HQ “is a temple to dumbing down on an international scale.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSt3F9XGw9w
Assisted by NZME, Stuff, Hosking, Garner, Kirk, Espiner, Mora, Williams, Soper, Duplicity….
And those that link to them – shit spreaders polluting our cleannews waterways.
As a quiz fan, I have just heard about Brit Eggheads this has been going for decades.
On youtube – great fun. Minimum of fancy stuff – well staged.
I have thought of a different line to those concentrating on running in marathons (or acquiring lots of dosh and baubles) till it fills their whole lives and thoughts. What about –
‘Be in the human race, where clever people work out to help themselves along with each other and our home – the planet, to reach the finishing line and outwit the machines through exploiting their weak points, not trying to outrun them (because we never can).’
Baby Time.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/106388432/green-mp-julie-anne-genter-bikes-to-hospital-to-be-induced
She’s one switched on lady. The best thing to do in labor is to keep active, keep moving, which makes baby come quicker. The worst thing to do is sit around, making labor longer.
Thinking of Julie-Anne today. All the best beautiful lady 🙂
She was driving her govt self drive car after shopping/lunching on Ponsonby Road 2 weeks back. No bicycle around then
Cinny (10.1) …
Yep. All the best to Julie Anne Genter. I’m sure she will keep herself physically active during her labour.
Shes being induced in the hospital …. letting nature take its course for a home birth didnt work out
That woman is hard core.
Finally the Greens do a decent story on Conference weekend.
Yes Greens looking to the future and will no doubt ensure that women in far suth can have a birthing unit with reach of a fairly short drive through bad weather conditions, and so no closing of birthing units.
All the best to Julie Anne G and baby and partner too!!
heh
big but deep.
https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us1000gcii#executive
Peter Whittall.
What an unpleasant person.
“Do I feel guilt? No,” Peter Whittall told Stuff. “It is human nature to blame someone.”
https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/106366936/exclusive-pike-river-boss-peter-whittall-guilt-free-living-in-australia
I’d like to see mandatory community service for every executive in charge of a company that has a worker death on their watch . Money is not enough.
Then if management are found to be responsible by ignoring safety then they serve time in prison as well as fair compensation to the families, and thus sending a message to the executives in charge of corporations that one death is too many deaths.
Also with construction. If the building falls aka CTV style, then whoever was in charge of the companies at the time of building have to do community service no matter what and then other charges just come on top.
Also like to see an automatic payment to the family of the dead worker of $50k straight away to help them, without any litigation having to have to take place, and years going by and any compensation eaten up by lawyers anyway. Then other cost on top.
Thanks Ed (13) … Whittall is a totally unscrupulous man, no compassion or decency whatsoever!
From one of “guilt free” Whittall’s statements …
** My coping mechanism has always been to talk to my family. I have never sought professional psychological assistance, but I have sought the assistance of my family and I have a wonderful wife.”**
How fortunate for him, when so many who lost loved ones through the Pike River tragedy, don’t have the benefit of having the opportunity to communicate with their spouses or sons at their time of need. They still lay buried in the mine!
Come to think of it now with the benefit of hindsight, looking back at Pike River spokesman Whittall’s comments to media at the time of the mine explosion, they came across as rehearsed, false and totally without empathy or compassion towards the grieving families! In other words, what he said was absolute BS! Betrayal of the bereaved at the highest level!
Hey Whittall can observe and truthfully tell about it! It is human nature to bklame someone. And fair enough, if they are found responsible for a bad outcome because of negligence or of not caring about the reasonable safety conditions expected in modern mines.
On Friday a friend of mine was feeling guilty because she wasn’t contactable for a few hours when someone close to her had a bereavement.
She knew that it was just one of those things – she’s almost always contactable, shit just happened at the worst time. But she felt guilty because she wasn’t there to support her friend.
It’s human nature to feel guilt for things you didn’t do – to go over whether there’s anything you could have done. And, speaking from experience, that stays with you.
I just hope that his claims of being “guilt free” are denial and part of a slow healing process, not a reflection on his character. 29 people he was responsible for died. That should effect any normal human permanently, even if whatever happened wasn’t directly his fault. Not permanently crippling, but to not feel any guilt at all sounds callous.
Elizabeth Warren has a plan; to save capitalism.
Elizabeth Warren has a big idea that challenges how the Democratic Party thinks about solving the problem of inequality.
Instead of advocating for expensive new social programs like free college or health care, she’s introducing a bill Wednesday, the Accountable Capitalism Act, that would redistribute trillions of dollars from rich executives and shareholders to the middle class — without costing a dime.
Warren’s plan starts from the premise that corporations that claim the legal rights of personhood should be legally required to accept the moral obligations of personhood.
https://www.vox.com/2018/8/15/17683022/elizabeth-warren-accountable-capitalism-corporations
That’s so sweet and reasonable joe 90. That is a woman worth watching and supporting.
I am sure they will go down a treat in the land of the free. I would say it is about as viable as Warren passing a DNA test for her Cherokee blood line If she wants other forms of ownership than capital go start a workers cooperative or other form of enterprise. The whole idea of capitalism is for capital to be attracted to the best opprtunity not simply reinvest for reinvestment sake in a firm, hence shareholders reinvest elsewhere If firm does not have viable internal investment options, thus allowing the most efficient use of capital Similarly capitalism forces the firm and it manager to perform or see a falling share price and threat of take over Putting artificial constraints on this as warren proposed would simply weaken US firms competitiveness to that of crony capitalism countries
Gosh bewildered. I get that feeling when I read your comments. This is a left leaning blog and you seem more right. Left in latin I think is sinister and I feel that is how you view us. Am I wrong?
once i read the bill i’ll post on it.
I heard Jim Mora vapouring on about “empathy” last week
It wasn’t the first time, and as per usual, he spoke without the slightest hint of self-awareness or irony….
http://morrisseybreen.blogspot.com/2017/12/10-december-2014-at-821-pm-what-sort-of.html
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/364423/councillor-apology-for-not-enough-were-killed-comment-inadequate
Councillor: Apology for ‘not enough were killed’ comment inadequate
12:34 pm today
Katie Doyle, Journalist
@katiedoyle01 katie.doyle@radionz.co.nz
A Gisborne District councillor says she’s disappointed by an apology she received about racially inappropriate comments she says were made at an official meeting.
Meredith Akuhata-Brown said she was at a council meeting when she heard two of her colleagues joking that not enough Māori had been killed during early encounters with James Cook.
At first, Ms Akuhata-Brown said she could not quite believe what she had heard.
“Stunned silence to be honest. I had just dealt with some other issues and had been away overseas talking about tolerance etcetera, so I was quite shocked,” she said.
“I guess now, when I look back, I wish I had’ve said something, but I was just shocked.”
Here is a interesting read in the fires in Sweden and California and how some of the main firefighters are saying is the cause of CC which is now causing them to rethink on how to fight fires IRT CC. Old Mr Dump is blaming the environmental policies of the California State Government, but the firies are saying this is about CC not the States environmental policies.
But I will say this if people are going to live in the bush you must have a bush fire emergency plan weather you intend to go or stay and fight and once you are committed to your COA then stick to your plan and don’t leave it to the last minute if you change your mind as it will be to late.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-08-19/northern-hemisphere-heat-brings-unprecedented-bushfires/10134490
Good morning The AM Show well te sandflys are still giving me Mana.
Yes Duncan I seen these moves all the time shillary tryed it to and TVNZ 1 deserves what they get new management needed there I say. Ana to kai.
Good game this weekend Mark looks like you need to play a couple with yours and Mulls game on the Crowd goes Wild Ka kite ano shillary try a few moves against ECO MAORI failed
Many thanks to the NRL for have a indigenous League competition this is the new way winning of Papatuanukue to celebrate te tangata whenua ECO MAORI Says all country’s should celebrate there tangata whenua we look at te Mokopunas future and Papatuanukue future differently we are more environmently conscious back to the League Ka pai Australia League Ka kite ano link below
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=12109970
This is why I Back Elon Mus because you have this person and his administration and the Go/Pro Oil Party who don’t give a—–about the Mokopunas or Papatuanukue future they are just on a Huge power grab link is Below.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/aug/19/conserving-oil-no-longer-necessary-for-us-says-trump-administration
This is the reality of the people who trump have in his defence team and administration and he wonders why most people are flipping him the Bird link below Ka kite ano.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/aug/19/truth-isnt-truth-rudy-giuliani-trump-alternative-facts-orwellian
Here we go the state suppression machine at work behind closed doors
Why have the statetues of Egypt had all there nose cut off because they are African nose the Powers that be do want to admit that It was Africas who founded one of the first great civilisation of Papatuanukue.
I also don’t agree that tangata whenua arrived in Atoearoa 800 years ago this is a direct oppression of Maori cant have these savages know that they were sailing around Papatuanukue thousands of years before the elete class was still hugging the coast line. They say we wiped out the giant Mour in a hundred years year right it would have taken 200 years at least. I Believe in some of the story’s. To not believe some of the evidence is to have total trust that man is not decfull and we can see that a few will do what ever it takes to keep power. So the probability of Atoearoa history beening suppred is 100% from ECO MAORI views and the reality of how some people have to be woken up to these facts link below Ka kite ano
https://i.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/tv-radio/106407948/tvnz-doco-claiming-celts-were-here-before-mori-has-been-removed-from-ondemand-service
I target the correct target this morning
Ana to kai
There you go A small community has the saloution to our problems of waste They have been working on it for 18 years they are the biggest employer of the community Ka kite ano link below
http://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/106063136/a-blueprint-for-solving-new-zealands-waste-problem Ka pai Raglan Eco has some links to that community been a few years tho
Mana wahine here’s a lady who is not afraid to speak out about the bad parts to there culture the men can do what they want and the ladies are treated as property ka pai
Ka kite ano link below
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/106172556/tongan-white-sheet-ceremony-full-of-contradictions P.S I read the comment’s It said tangata whenua are not aloud to speak on a Marae not all Iwi have this colonial influenced practices Ngati Porou have name our Marae and Hapu after wahine they are aloud to speak on our Marae link below ka kite ano
Good evening Newshub that’s awesome Mp pay freeze Ka pai
Looks like our Australian cousin don’t want to drop there Paris climate changes commitment’s Ka pai Australian voter’s think about your mokopunas future’s
Yes we have to look after OUR elderly some people treat them like a commodity they deserve to be treated with respect .
There you go Mike this intense Papatuanuku weather is all part of Te human caused Global Warming some idiots are still denying these fact’s that we are seeing in reality .
That’s one reason why Eco Maori love’s Aotearoa no snakes not many animals that can cause harm besides human’s that is.
Ka kite ano P.S still trying to sort out our moko health issuse
The Crowd Goes Wild Jame’s and Mull”s It was a good game of Rugby this weekend .
Good run down on the League game .
That was a huge crash at te car racing I missed what comp it is lol Drifting looked good run by Mad Mike did you say
Ka kite ano
Some Eco Maori Music
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiPzU75P9FA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55s3T7VRQSc&list=RD55s3T7VRQSc&t=9