It seems the Palestinian terrorist organizations no longer being happy murdering Israelis have turned to destroying their own hospitals and murdering the own.
BBC News – Gaza hospital: What video, pictures and other evidence tell us about Al Ahli hospital blast
It was not an Israeli air to ground missile target.
Neither Hamas and Islamic Jihad deliberately fire rockets that fail to reach their target in Israel.
It hit the car park area not the hospital itself. It did not leave much in the way of a blast crater. It was the number of civilians congregating there because the hospital was not a target that explains the number of victims.
It could well be a rocket that misfired and the unused fuel caught fire.
PS RNZ is still reporting that a hospital was bombed rather than a car park area beside it.
I'm doubt if the tin-pot rockets Hamas uses could have caused this. It is probably just Israel lying to deflect blame as usual. The whole Gaza siege is against international law.
… little crater damage and the unused rocket fuel creating a fireball in the car park (parked cars also with petrol)
The whole Gaza siege is against international law.
The regime in Afghanistan was removed because they hosted the group behind 9/11 – Hamas organised the murder of hundreds of Israelis and rules in Gaza …
The IDF and settlers have killed thousands of Palestinians
Collective punishment is a war crime
from google
" International humanitarian law, including the fourth Geneva Convention and additional protocols, prohibits collective punishment in all circumstances. The imposition of collective punishment can be considered a war crime under customary international law"
I think Hamas are a bunch of murdering lunatics but that doesn't mean they are the only bunch of murdering shits out there. The hands of the nation of Israel are also drenched in blood IMO.
A nation has a right to war on a nation that wars on them and remove its government. If a government can be removed from power for hosting a terrorist group, more so a governing agency which runs the terrorist group – in this case its own armed militants.
The IDF and settlers have killed thousands of Palestinians
As many as Jews that killed by intifada etc or as many as by the PA’s own forces?
Collective punishment is a war crime
What is collective punishment in wartime?
Russia attacking water and power production facilities of Ukraine? Or Israel doing it in Gaza?
Gaza is a place where people live above a terrorist encampment (a collective of murderous incels in the basement who think Jews are Chads). They use the parents of children above as hostages to their regimes continuance – citing war crime whenever someone comes to make them accountable.
The Fog of War my dad was there 1045-48 the league of Nations but in reality the British Army trying to keep impossible promises it had made to both sides over the years since 1917 from the defeat of the Ottomans in Palestine. Its been a tit for tat revenge driven War breaking out full scale .The truth will come out. The fundamentalist Jews blew up the British military headquarters and blew up their own synagogs blaming Arabs so they could garner international support.Their are no winners in this ongoing conflict no one has a solution otherwise it would have been found by now.Netanyahu is using this conflict to hide his corruption and trying to form a dictatorship Trump of Israel funny that Trump backs Russias side and backs Hamas and Hezboolah . Trump is Putins puppet.This conflict is designed to distract the US support from the Ukraine.Brand new weapons supplied to Hamas made in Russia China and Rockets from Iran.This is an edge of empire war both sides pushing as far as they can without full-scale war or the nuke option.
Rather than indulging in inflammatory language such as destroying their own hospitals and murdering the own, how about you stick to the far more likely cause:
An Hamas missile misfired. I saw the BBC story last night and apparently Hamas are launching rockets from a cemetery not far from the hospital.
National have painted themselves into a corner Winston will have the handbrake on.look for a Shipley style coup National will white ant NZ first to try and overthrow Winston for a second time.Winston has been shafted Twice by National 3rd time coming up.National not being able to implement its tax cuts will go down like a cup of hot sick with its supporters.
And from ACT I'm waiting to see if Hoggard gets Agriculture or Environment. Just to see how fast he rolls back animal welfare standards and introduces GE organisms.
The revanchism of this government looks scary. It like National in opposition spent six years mainly cultivating their own version of the Dolchstoßlegende (stabbed in the back by the eternal Winston), and now they wish to restore the country to some sort of nostalgic ante-bellum vision of Keyland where cronyism and rentier capitalism rules supreme. Perhaps Luxon will unwitting prove Marx right – “History repeats itself, first as a tragedy, second as a farce”.
Love that. But given how big a part Covid is playing in the revanchist desire to restore the proper order, should it be "ante-morbus" rather than "ante-bellum"? (I wouldn't know, two years of schoolboy Latin 50-odd years ago have a very short half-life.)
to bwaghorn at 2 : a frightening situation from my long-experienced viewpoint as a white woman hugely concerned for future of my great – grandchildren and their peers, male and female.
Interesting to see old boiled ham head wearing an All Black jersey on the weekend. Got me thinking about how class has become a thing in our sport nowadays. Ever since McCaw decided to shit on all those working class AB supporters by publically hanging around with Key (and latterly Luxon) and endorsing National the whole All Black schtick has evolved towards being a tedious self help Ted talk to inspire the sparklingly clean SUV crowd who see the over-priced merchandise of All Blacks brand as part of their entitlement to affordable luxury. Rugby, the senators watching the circus from the better seats of the colosseum.
Whereas working class NZers (at least in Auckland) now more or less all support the Warriors.
It is a pity, but I guess the engalitarian dream dies not with a bang, but with a whimper.
Ardern went to her fair share of All Blacks games but she wasn't as convincing as Helen Clark's support of the Warriors.
Since sporting codes have long since replaced unions for organising our working and active middle classes, why the left doesn't even try for credibility within sport is perplexing. Labour sure didn't handle Louisa Wall well.
Hopefully Cushla Tangaere-Manuel is the start of Labour giving sport its proper recognition.
I agree. If I had been Hipkins, I'd have worn Warriors gear at every opportunity south of Greenlane and been seen sharing a sausage roll with the Warriors Joker.
One thought – it is positively de rigueur amongst the fashionable chattering classes of the left to hate on the All Blacks and look down their noses at collision sports as rather beastly and uncivilised, and since that group comprises most of what passes as the left's intellectual oomph these days I think we know why the left has been slow to engage…
I'm glad my kids played football and didn't get beaten to a pulp playing rugby. Having said that, those quarter-finals last weekend were four of the finest sporting contests I have ever seen, especially those 37 phases.
Pfft I saw more injuries when I was playing soccer (including one fatality when a goal keeper hit his head on the upright of the goal above the padding) than I ever did playing rugby – admittedly both sports were a lot rougher through the 70's and 80's.
The thing that stopped me going back to soccer after finishing rugby though was to go to a match and listen to the abuse given to referees in particular. A bigger bunch of jerks I've never seen before or since.
and I have a child crippled for life from playing soccer as well – very bad injury. Late tackle.
McCaw and mates have developed an extensive multi-million dollar subdivision near Wanaka, getting consent for it in a sensitive rural landscape surprisingly easily.
Yes, Mr McCaw was coy about his political views when playing, but if you used your imagination it was not hard to guess…and he admitted in his “leaving” interview with Kim Hill that because of the Rugby Admins views, National was the house brand for All Blacks and very few spoke out publicly in other directions. Silence is often condoning.
Remember the pony puller in chief haunting their dressing rooms Steinie in hand and his appearance on the cover of Rugby News, masquerading as Captain, the squad in a V formation behind him, during 2014 election year? After various complaints he slipped through the rules because of the categorisation of the publication re publishing schedule. RN Editor squares off here…
I raise this because the Natzos are so embedded in various quarters particularly in the provinces–sports clubs, fire stations, Police stations, business associations, Real Estate, Lodges and “benevolent” clubs many of which are defacto NZ National cadres.
… the Natzos are so embedded in various quarters particularly in the provinces–sports clubs, fire stations, Police stations, business associations, Real Estate, Lodges and “benevolent” clubs many of which are defacto NZ National cadres.
Remember Maggie Barry? Former MP for North Shore? She had her electorate office on the whole upper floor of a largish building emblazoned with blue and white Nat signage. It was next door to the Takapuna Police station also two storied and emblazoned with the usual blue and white police insignia. One could easily be mistaken for the other. I had it on good authority that the social camaraderie between the two groups went well beyond normal neighbourly friendliness.
Interesting you mention that Anne, when I first moved to the Far North in the 90s, the Editor of the Northland Age had his own swipe card for the Kaitaia Police Station. This was confirmed to me by a number of people including hard bitten ex Auck Star journalist Tony Gee who worked up there.
As the cops management changed and the newspaper ownership changed–no more swipe card–but still a very cosy relationship.
Lukas is probably a Nat voter. When the present incumbent, Simon Watts took over they moved the office elsewhere. Maybe the owner of the building didn't want the electorate office to remain after Maggie stepped down – just guessing.
I have heard from various sources Watts is very unpopular, but being a true blue seat they still vote for him.
But for how much longer? Being partisan has implications beyond just audience share. For example, the Irish rugby team can retain players because of a government policy that allows key sportsmen who end their playing careers in Ireland to claim back 40 per cent of the tax they paid over a 10-year period playing within the EU.
If Irish rugby was seen as partisan in the way the likes of McCaw and some officials would like, such a scheme would be unlikely to last from one electoral cycle to another.
I think Chippy should keep his job for several reasons:
Firstly, I don't think it was his fault Labour lost. He was given a hospital pass, and did the best he could from that position IMO.
Secondly, I can't really see anyone better to take over from him.
Thirdly, he seems to be a pragmatist, which is what I think Labour needs right now. I think Labour should leave all the woke stuff to the Greens, and get back to its roots, and become more aligned to workers again. I think Labour has lost its soul in many respects.
If anyone should get fired, it is whoever came up with that stupid "not National" marketing campaign that didn't give any clear messaging to vote Labour.
I would have thought that the lesson would have been learned from the "we don't trust you Mr Key" campaign that didn't work either, likely for similar reasons.
I think the "not National" campaign likely helped NZ First as much as Labour. If Labour wanted to go negative, it should have had a campaign along the lines of "National wants to do that; Labour will do this; so vote Labour."
And fwiw, it matters not how many 'women' a party claims to have, when for all intends and purposes these women* could a. be all men declaring themselves to be women, or b. the women* actively work to destroy everything other women* in the decades before them created such as female toilets, female prisons, female sports, female political lists, female awards.
It was in large numbers women* that helped Winnie win, and it was Women* who helped Labour lose.
*women – adult human female.
Personally i am very pleased that the birthing body helper from Ilam (labour) can go back to their job helping men give birth.
Data about votes for parties (age, gender etc) will be available later, as there is detailed research carried out after every election. None exists yet.
So far all we have is pre-election polling, which suggests you are mistaken. The female/male gender split does not favour the Right, especially not NZF:
From the groups of women i interact with, NZ First was the vote of choice, as literally they are the only party that is not head over heels gone into the gender abyss.
What can I say, we voted for the best out of totally unappealing bunch.
In Rotorua, Labour got trashed, and considering that no one knew the quota dame that ran and no one actually ever saw that person who knew if they actually existed. The dude that ran for labour is even funnier, a lawyer that ran for mayor under the rainbow colors pretending to be independent of Labour, and then suddenly covered in Red. The Green Party girl must have found a proper job, or accepted that she is not gonna win anything in Rotorua as this is the first year out of five that i have not heard from her. And she ran for MP, council, and Mayor of Rotorua.
ACT did ok. National creamed it. TPM will never win anything in Rotorua and any candidate will ruin their reputation forever if they do run under the mantle of TPM.
You can take it as you like, but Labour lost because people did not vote for them, did not donate, did not volunteer, did in fact not even entertain Labour at all. And many many of them women – human females.
As for the gender split who cares. Female and Male are now mixed sex category and thus are devoid of any meaning. The moment you include bepenised people (inverted or entire) into the pool of women – human females you’ve got nothing. Ditto for the males.
And even then I can see bepenised people who self id as something different to their sex to rather vote for the Green Party as they are even more rabid on the destruction of women's rights then the Labour party. No pretense given by the Greens which is something I consider refreshing.
Lastly, I expect the Green Party to be the death of the Labour party in the end.
That's your opinion, Observa asked for evidence. Even though Labour lost, they still got votes, so people did "entertain Labour" and donated and volunteered.
"I expect the Green Party to be the death of the Labour party in the end."
A question I have is why it takes so long to count the specials? It was possible to count a multiples of the specials figure in one day. So, why should it take so long to count a smaller number?
We cast our Special Votes in London last Thursday. There were a lot of people coming in to the High Commission to vote. Most of them were older people like us – travelers with sensible shoes and backpacks! I wore my Peterloo T shirt from Manchester to remind myself about what happens when the Boss Class makes all the rules.
The Specials will all have to be sorted, checked, scanned and sent to the relevant Electorate Returning Officers.
Having worked in a voting place on Saturday and done the required training I have a much better understanding of special votes than I did before.
Each person who makes a special vote has to make a special vote declaration to the returning officer in the electorate they believe they are entitled to vote in. The declaration is checked and witnessed by the issuing officer in the voting place who issues them a ballot paper which goes into an envelope with two pockets along with the declaration and is returned to the home electorate. If someone is enrolling and voting their enrolment form is processed separately post voting day. There are seven options as to why someone is making a special vote.
From what I understand (as we just did the declaration checking and witnessing and ballot issuing) the specials are returned to the home electorate where each one has be be checked to confirm it is a valid special vote. I think this is what takes the time. The counting is the easy bit at the end.
Our LEC is going to be looking at the way we campaign the future.
The day of leaflets, billboards, and sign waving may be over. They are expensive, and either end up slashed, defaced, in the rubbish, or in our case, actually sawn down. Time, money and energy may be better put into social media. Door knocking might stay, as it is face to face contact. We don’t have the financial resources to spread ourselves too thin.
Partly by consistently banging the law and order drum to ramp up fear, the National MP has turned our electorate into the most right wing in the country. Our candidate was outstanding; young, female, local, and incredibly hard working.
I’ll be interested to see what other LECs are thinking.
Can someone here advise me – a superannuat living in a boarding house do they receive the living alone allowance or is it classed as shared accommodation?
Barfly – in your situation, if you are self-sufficient i.e., renting a room in a boarding house and buying your own groceries, doing your own cooking, etc. – you should be classed as living alone and therefore receive the living alone allowance.
As Work and Income often give different advice to different people, and so much can depend on who you strike on the day, I would recommend first talking directly with Work and Income (if you can ever get through – current wait time 81 minutes!!!) and if you have no joy, contact a beneficiary advocate with your query; there are a lot dotted around New Zealand.
When 12-year-old Braden Fahey collapsed during football practice and died, it was just the beginning of his parents’ nightmare.
Deep in their grief a few months later, Gina and Padrig Fahey received news that shocked them to their core: A favorite photo of their beloved son was plastered on the cover of a book that falsely argues COVID-19 vaccines caused a spike of sudden deaths among healthy young people.
The book, called “Cause Unknown,” was co-published by an anti-vaccine group led by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President John F. Kennedy’s nephew, who is now running for president. Kennedy wrote the foreword and promoted the book, tweeting that it details data showing “ COVID shots are a crime against humanity.”
The Faheys couldn’t understand how Braden’s face appeared on the book’s cover, or why his name appeared inside it.
I thought Luxon was making a reasonable point when he said negotiations should not be held in the media spotlight. Bored journalists want to be constantly fed the latest updates – the public, not so much.
Except … Luxon has been all over the media every day since the election. Today he's in Auckland giving yet another press conference. He'll obviously be asked about the obvious, and he'll obviously not answer the obvious.
His media advisers should take him aside and explain that if he has nothing to say, that's OK. But don't keep holding press conferences to say it.
He's addicted to the limelight. We've got three years of this. Think I'll be bypassing the 6pm news from now on. Watching that bald head spout slogans and platitudes night after night will be bad for my health.
I think this whole vote counting thing is a bit of an anachronism. Surely, we could have computers with touch screens set up in the booths that feed the results straight into a central data base. The specials could be handled in a similar way, with a few more steps to complete the voting process. Then, we would have the results instantly, rather than waiting for several weeks.
Sounds great until bugs cause incorrect results or worse, it gets hacked. However unlikely people think that is, it only has to happen once to be awful.
For those wondering about Special Votes, this table from the last election is useful.
Not for where they will go (we don't know) but where they are from. Overwhelmingly, the Specials are cast within New Zealand. Not overseas. Ignore the talking heads on TV/radio, who don't do their homework.
The Greens and TPM will consolidate and grow their vote.
ACT will be exposed as incompetent…all bark no trousers…
National will have to face all kinds of headwinds…climate related, economic….let's see how well they do in the eyes of a fractious public.The end of NZ first. Winnie just doesn't have it anymore,he's gone bizarre in a failed attempt to be relevant and NZ first is nothing without Winnie.Although I did rate his previous 2nd in command
• NACT goes all Liz Truss and loses the electorate for years to come, trying to do things too quickly. Upheaval is too unpalatable.
• NACT+NZF is shambolic and impotent. Scandal after scandal. Bickering and vetoing gets old, fast. Voters are appalled.
• Timidity hamstrings any massive change, certainly nothing we can’t undo in three years. Even a double-termer is survivable.
• (As I put in an earlier comment) It’s an utterly poisoned chalice due to international factors, the outlook is grim for any govt; voters want change, again.
There’s no God-given rule that a govt should be a multi-termer, people might wake up and realise what they’ve voted for before then. Labour might get away from the failed centre. Younger, more desperate and concerned green voters may increase in the stats.
I mean small-g green, btw. I thought it might happen this time round, due to the ever-loudening warnings we’re getting on climate and other emergencies. That message could increase (though not from this sorry upcoming govt). Interesting trend forming though, with the GP electorates and the increased GP vote.
Stats NZ have reasonable population statistics – if you mean how many people will turn 18 in time to vote at the next general election, about 195,000 going by Infoshare.
I wouldn’t be so optimistic about Labour’s chances in 2026. National just need to run a very simple campaign. One Labour was unable to in 2023: these are the things we’ve done, these are the things that have improved.
The other problem Labour has is they’re now just a smaller version of the party the country kicked out last weekend. It needs many MPs to move on during the term to bring fresh talent in. Little to his credit has done that. Unfortunately it’s just bought Shannan back, so no gains there.
Like you, I’m incredibly optimistic… that labour won’t see government until to 2030’s, if they manage to survive as a party until then. I expect they have become an irrelevance both to the left and right. You just need to look at the regular posts from Greg / Mickeysavage to evidence this. It’s everyone else that’s wrong, never Labour.
[Lately, your comments have become increasingly trollish, but I draw the line at attacking a TS Author with lies. This is your warning – Incognito]
What if the next 3 years do not go according to National's plan? If that turns out to be the case, do you think National could get away with running another scam in 2026?
"a smaller version of the party" like National was after the 2020 election. National came back and so can Labour.
Surely the conversation about Labour regaining power is about what Labour need to change or stand for. This daydreaming that NAct will be so bad is going to lead to disappointment.
You have to give credit where it's due. A first term MP, made leader, turned a small, thoroughly beaten, divisive rabble into a government in waiting. Labour's failure to deliver on many things was partly responsible for that.
Surely the conversation about Labour regaining power is about what Labour need to change or stand for. This daydreaming that NAct will be so bad is going to lead to disappointment.
There's absolutely no doubt about what Luxon, Willis, Mitchell et al. stand for – it's to make life even more profitable for themselves and their backers, and even tougher for "bottom feeders".
You have to admire National’s clarity of message, and their genuine desire and ability to deliver – on specific promises – let the 'good times' roll.
Mate, yr singing to the choir. Why more hasn't been made about Land Lord Luxon's proposed conflict of interest revamping of 'property investors' returns is beyond me.
Imho, Labour's priorities are no mystery. I'm personally deeply appreciative of our government's decision to prioritise health during a pandemic. They didn't have too, but given the limited capacity of our public health service any other course would have courted disaster.
The changes introduced by the 6th Labour-led government provide some clues about what Labour stands for, in particular those changes which "Lord Luxon" intends to reverse.
The authors of those 'scrapped/axed' articles don't opine on likely trends in the hourly minimum adult wage, currently $22.70 – a 44% increase in six years (since 2017). For comparison, the minimum wage increased by 31% in the nine years between 2008 ($12) and 2017 ($15.75), so in the last six years the minimum wage has increased at more than double the rate during the nine years before that.
I acknowledge Labour were well outspent come election time, but you can't realistically deny the change in discipline from the Nats once Luxon took over.
National has promised a few hospital rebuilds too, they will face the same issues. Dont forget the new medical school, more frontline workers in provincial hospitals.
Like the many hats John Key would be wearing to avoid issues, Luxon will find many variations of what the word "commit" means
Immigration and House sales to overseas investors and Winston Peters
I see some dead rats waiting to be swallowed.
A mission for Labour is to identify achievable policy that's both popular and beneficial to society whilst at the same time being an anathema to the RW political parties. I know that's a tall order but I may have an idea or two rattling around that's worth looking at.
Barfly. I totally agree about the achievable policies and sounding out what the ‘bottom feeders’ really want and need and aim for that but don’t make impossible promises. We ourselves are joining the Labour Party and will do what it takes to make New Zealand/Aotearoa great again. We are poor boomers so have plenty of time to give to the cause as well as becoming financial members.
I don’t think it will take long for Luxon to crumble. He’s already proven that even though he’s got a shiny dome he’s not very bright. It didn’t take Chris H long to turn him into a slavering mess. Seymour will probably cause a race war and then have to go into hiding. As for Winston every time I look at him the song ‘Never smile at a crocodile’ pops into my head. Not kidding. It’s very annoying. Good times ahead. Can’t wait to get started.
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Salvation Army’s State of the Nation 2025 report highlights falling living standards, the highest unemployment rates since the 1990s and half of all Pacific children going without food. There are reports of hundreds if not thousands of people are applying for the same jobs in the wake of last year’s ...
Mountain Tui is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Correction: On the article The Condundrum of David Seymour, Luke Malpass conducted joint reviews with Bryce Wilkinson, the architect of the Regulatory Standards Bill - not Bryce Edwards. The article ...
Tomorrow the council’s Transport, Resilience and Infrastructure Committee meet and agenda has a few interesting papers. Council’s Letter of Expectation to Auckland Transport Every year the council provide a Letter of Expectation to Auckland Transport which is part of the process for informing AT of the council’s priorities and ...
All around in my home townThey're trying to track me down, yeahThey say they want to bring me in guiltyFor the killing of a deputyFor the life of a deputySongwriter: Robert Nesta Marley.Support Nick’s Kōrero today with a 20% discount on a paid subscription to receive all my newsletters directly ...
Hi,I think all of us have probably experienced the power of music — that strange, transformative thing that gets under our skin and helps us experience this whole life thing with some kind of sanity.Listening and experiencing music has always been such a huge part of my life, and has ...
Business frustration over the stalled economy is growing, and only 34% of voters are confidentNicola Willis can deliver. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Wednesday, February 12 are:Business frustration is growing about a ...
I have now lived long enough to see a cabinet minister go both barrels on their Prime Minister and not get sacked.It used to be that the PM would have a drawer full of resignations signed by ministers on the day of their appointment, ready for such an occasion. But ...
This session will feature Simon McCallum, Senior Lecturer in Engineering and Computer Science (VUW) and recent Labour Party candidate in the Southland Electorate talking about some of the issues around AI and how this should inform Labour Party policy. Simon is an excellent speaker with a comprehensive command of AI ...
The proposed Waimate garbage incinerator is dead: The company behind a highly-controversial proposal to build a waste-to-energy plant in the Waimate District no longer has the land. [...] However, SIRRL director Paul Taylor said the sales and purchase agreement to purchase land from Murphy Farms, near Glenavy, lapsed at ...
The US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act has been a vital tool in combatting international corruption. It forbids US companies and citizens from bribing foreign public officials anywhere in the world. And its actually enforced: some of the world's biggest companies - Siemens, Hewlett Packard, and Bristol Myers Squibb - have ...
December 2024 photo - with UK Tory Boris Johnson (Source: Facebook)Those PollsFor hours, political poll results have resounded across political hallways and commentary.According to the 1News Verizon poll, 50% of the country believe we are heading in the “wrong direction”, while 39% believe we are “on the right track”.The left ...
A Tai Rāwhiti mill that ran for 30 years before it was shut down in late 2023 is set to re-open in the coming months, which will eventually see nearly 300 new jobs in the region. A new report from Massey University shows that pensioners are struggling with rising costs. ...
As support continues to fall, Luxon also now faces his biggest internal ructions within the coalition since the election, with David Seymour reacting badly to being criticised by the PM. File photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate ...
Not since 1988 when Richard Prebble openly criticised David Lange have we seen such a challenge to a Prime Minister as that of David Seymour to Christopher Luxon last night. Prebble suggested Lange had mental health issues during a TV interview and was almost immediately fired. Seymour hasn’t gone quite ...
Three weeks in, and the 24/7 news cycle is not helping anyone feel calm and informed about the second Trump presidency. One day, the US is threatening 25% trade tariffs on its friends and neighbours. The reasons offered by the White House are absurd, such as stopping fentanyl coming in ...
This video includes personal musings and conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Adam Levy. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). Wherever you look, you'll hear headlines claiming we've passed 1.5 degrees of global warming. And while 2024 saw ...
Photo by Heather M. Edwards on UnsplashHere’s the key news, commentary, reports and debate around Aotearoa’s politics and economy in the week to Feb 10 below. That’s ahead of live chats on the Substack App and The Kākā’s front page on Substack at 5pm with: on his column in The ...
Is there anyone in the world the National Party loves more than a campaign donor? Why yes, there is! They will always have the warmest hello and would you like to slip into something more comfortable for that great god of our age, the High Net Worth Individual.The words the ...
Waste and fraud certainly exist in foreign aid programs, but rightwing celebration of USAID’s dismantling shows profound ignorance of the value of soft power (as opposed to hard power) in projecting US influence and interests abroad by non-military/coercive means (think of “hearts and minds,” “hugs, not bullets,” “honey versus vinegar,” ...
Health New Zealand is proposing to cut almost half of its data and digital positions – more than 1000 of them. The PSA has called on the Privacy Commissioner to urgently investigate the cuts due to the potential for serious consequences for patients. NZNO is calling for an urgent increase ...
We may see a few more luxury cars on Queen Street, but a loosening of rules to entice rich foreigners to invest more here is unlikely to “turbocharge our economic growth”. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate ...
Let us not dance daintily around the elephant in the room. Our politicians who serve us in the present are not honest, certainly not as honest as they should be, and while the right are taking out most of the trophies for warping narratives and literally redefining “facts”, the kiwi ...
A few weeks ago I took a look at public transport ridership in 2024. In today’s post I’m going to be looking a bit deeper at bus ridership. Buses make up the vast majority of ridership in Auckland with 70 million boardings last year out of a total of 89.4 ...
Oh, you know I did itIt's over and I feel fineNothing you could say is gonna change my mindWaited and I waited the longest nightNothing like the taste of sweet declineSongwriters: Chris Shiflett / David Eric Grohl / Nate Mendel / Taylor Hawkins.Hindsight is good, eh?The clarity when the pieces ...
Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on UnsplashHere’s what we’re watching in the week to February 16 and beyond in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty:Monday, February 10The Kākā’s weekly wrap-up of news about politics and the economy is due at midday, followed by webinar for paying subscribers in Substack’s ...
A listing of 23 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, February 2, 2025 thru Sat, February 8, 2025. This week's roundup is again published soleley by category. We are still interested in feedback to hone the categorization, so if ...
Today, I stumbled across a Twitter Meme: the ending of The Lord of the Rings as a Chess scenario: https://x.com/mellon_heads/status/1887983845917564991 It gets across the basic gist. Aragorn and Gandalf offering up ‘material’ at the Morannon allows Frodo and Samwise to catch Sauron unawares – fair enough. But there are a ...
Last week, Kieran McAnulty called out Chris Bishop and Nicola Willis for their claims that Kāinga Ora’s costs were too high.They had claimed Kāinga Ora’s cost were 12% higher than market i.e. private devlopersBut Kāinga Ora’s Chair had already explained why last year:"We're not building to sell, so we'll be ...
Stuff’s Political Editor Luke Malpass - A Fellow at New Zealand IniativeLast week I half-joked that Stuff / The Post’s Luke Malpass1 always sounded like he was auditioning for a job at the New Zealand Initiative.Mountain Tui is a reader-supported publication. For a limited time, subscriptions are 20% off. Thanks ...
At a funeral on Friday, there were A4-sized photos covering every wall of the Dil’s reception lounge. There must have been 200 of them, telling the story in the usual way of the video reel but also, by enlargement, making it more possible to linger and step in.Our friend Nicky ...
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park from the Gigafact team in collaboration with members from our team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is methane the ...
The Government’s idea is that the private sector and Community Housing Providers will fund, build and operate new affordable housing to address our housing crisis. Meanwhile, the Government does not know where almost half of the 1,700 children who left emergency housing actually went. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong ...
Oh, home, let me come homeHome is wherever I'm with youOh, home, let me come homeHome is wherever I'm with youSongwriters: Alexander Ebert / Jade Allyson CastrinosMorena,I’m on a tight time frame this morning. In about an hour and a half, I’ll need to pack up and hit the road ...
This is a post about the Mountain Tui substack, and small tweaks - further to the poll and request post the other day. Please don’t read if you aren’t interested in my personal matters. Thank you all.After oohing-and-aahing about how to structure the Substack model since November, including obtaining ...
This transcript of a recent conversation between the Prime Minister and his chief economic adviser has not been verified.We’ve announced we are the ‘Yes Government’. Do you like it?Yes, Prime Minister.Dreamed up by the PR team. It’s about being committed to growth. Not that the PR team know anything about ...
The other day, Australian Senator Nick McKim issued a warning in the Australian Parliement about the US’s descent into fascim.And of course it’s true, but I lament - that was true as soon as Trump won.What we see is now simply the reification of the intention, planning, and forces behind ...
Among the many other problems associated with Musk/DOGE sending a fleet of teenage and twenty-something cultists to remove, copy and appropriate federal records like social security, medicaid and other supposedly protected data is the fact that the youngsters doing the data-removal, copying and security protocol and filter code over-writing have ...
Jokerman dance to the nightingale tuneBird fly high by the light of the moonOh, oh, oh, JokermanSong by Bob Dylan.Morena folks, I hope this fine morning of the 7th of February finds you well. We're still close to Paihia, just a short drive out of town. Below is the view ...
It’s been an eventful week as always, so here’s a few things that we have found interesting. We also hope everyone had a happy and relaxing Waitangi Day! This week in Greater Auckland We’re still running on summer time, but provided two chewy posts: On Tuesday, a guest ...
Queuing on Queen St: the Government is set to announce another apparently splashy growth policy on Sunday of offering residence visas to wealthy migrants. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Friday, February 7:PM Christopher ...
The fact that Waitangi ended up being such a low-key affair may mark it out as one of the most significant Waitangi Days in recent years. A group of women draped in “Toitu Te Tiriti” banners who turned their backs on the politicians’ powhiri was about as rough as it ...
National’s cuts to disability support funding and freezing of new residential placements has resulted in significant mental health decline for intellectually disabled people. ...
The hundreds of jobs lost needlessly as a result of the Kinleith Mill paper production closure will have a devastating impact on the Tokoroa community - something that could have easily been avoided. ...
Today Te Pāti Māori MP for Te Tai Tokerau, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi, released her members bill that will see the return of tamariki and mokopuna Māori from state care back to te iwi Māori. This bill will establish an independent authority that asserts and protects the rights promised in He Whakaputanga ...
The Whangarei District Council being forced to fluoridate their local water supply is facing a despotic Soviet-era disgrace. This is not a matter of being pro-fluoride or anti-fluoride. It is a matter of what New Zealanders see and value as democracy in our country. Individual democratically elected Councillors are not ...
Nicola Willis’ latest supermarket announcement is painfully weak with no new ideas, no real plan, and no relief for Kiwis struggling with rising grocery costs. ...
Half of Pacific children sometimes going without food is just one of many heartbreaking lowlights in the Salvation Army’s annual State of the Nation report. ...
The Salvation Army’s State of the Nation report is a bleak indictment on the failure of Government to take steps to end poverty, with those on benefits, including their children, hit hardest. ...
New Zealand First has today introduced a Member’s Bill which would restore decision-making power to local communities regarding the fluoridation of drinking water. The ‘Fluoridation (Referendum) Legislation Bill’ seeks to repeal the Health (Fluoridation of Drinking Water) Amendment Act 2021 that granted centralised authority to the Direct General of Health ...
New Zealand First has introduced a Member’s Bill aimed at preventing banks from refusing their services to businesses because of the current “Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Framework”. “This Bill ensures fairness and prevents ESG standards from perpetuating woke ideology in the banking sector being driven by unelected, globalist, climate ...
Erica Stanford has reached peak shortsightedness if today’s announcement is anything to go by, picking apart immigration settings piece by piece to the detriment of the New Zealand economy. ...
Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. The intention was to establish a colony with the cession of sovereignty to the Crown, ...
Te Whatu Ora Chief Executive Margie Apa leaving her job four months early is another symptom of this government’s failure to deliver healthcare for New Zealanders. ...
The Green Party is calling for the Prime Minister to show leadership and be unequivocal about Aotearoa New Zealand’s opposition to a proposal by the US President to remove Palestinians from Gaza. ...
The latest unemployment figures reveal that job losses are hitting Māori and Pacific people especially hard, with Māori unemployment reaching a staggering 9.7% for the December 2024 quarter and Pasifika unemployment reaching 10.5%. ...
Waitangi 2025: Waitangi Day must be community and not politically driven - Shane Jones Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. ...
Despite being confronted every day with people in genuine need being stopped from accessing emergency housing – National still won’t commit to building more public houses. ...
The Green Party says the Government is giving up on growing the country’s public housing stock, despite overwhelming evidence that we need more affordable houses to solve the housing crisis. ...
Before any thoughts of the New Year and what lies ahead could even be contemplated, New Zealand reeled with the tragedy of Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming losing her life. For over 38 years she had faithfully served as a front-line Police officer. Working alongside her was Senior Sergeant Adam Ramsay ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson will return to politics at Waitangi on Monday the 3rd of February where she will hold a stand up with fellow co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick. ...
Te Pāti Māori is appalled by the government's blatant mishandling of the school lunch programme. David Seymour’s ‘cost-saving’ measures have left tamariki across Aotearoa with unidentifiable meals, causing distress and outrage among parents and communities alike. “What’s the difference between providing inedible food, and providing no food at all?” Said ...
The Government is doubling down on outdated and volatile fossil fuels, showing how shortsighted and destructive their policies are for working New Zealanders. ...
Green Party MP Steve Abel this morning joined Coromandel locals in Waihi to condemn new mining plans announced by Shane Jones in the pit of the town’s Australian-owned Gold mine. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to strengthen its just-announced 2030-2035 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement and address its woeful lack of commitment to climate security. ...
Today marks a historic moment for Taranaki iwi with the passing of the Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill in Parliament. "Today, we stand together as descendants of Taranaki, and our tūpuna, Taranaki Maunga, is now formally acknowledged by the law as a living tūpuna. ...
Labour is relieved to see Children’s Minister Karen Chhour has woken up to reality and reversed her government’s terrible decisions to cut funding from frontline service providers – temporarily. ...
It is the first week of David Seymour’s school lunch programme and already social media reports are circulating of revolting meals, late deliveries, and mislabelled packaging. ...
The Green Party says that with no-cause evictions returning from today, the move to allow landlords to end tenancies without reason plunges renters, and particularly families who rent, into insecurity and stress. ...
The Government’s commitment to get New Zealand’s roads back on track is delivering strong results, with around 98 per cent of potholes on state highways repaired within 24 hours of identification every month since targets were introduced, Transport Minister Chris Bishop says. “Increasing productivity to help rebuild our economy is ...
The former Cadbury factory will be the site of the Inpatient Building for the new Dunedin Hospital and Health Minister Simeon Brown says actions have been taken to get the cost overruns under control. “Today I am giving the people of Dunedin certainty that we will build the new Dunedin ...
From today, Plunket in Whāngarei will be offering childhood immunisations – the first of up to 27 sites nationwide, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. The investment of $1 million into the pilot, announced in October 2024, was made possible due to the Government’s record $16.68 billion investment in health. It ...
New Zealand’s strong commitment to the rights of disabled people has continued with the response to an important United Nations report, Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston has announced. Of the 63 concluding observations of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), 47 will be progressed ...
Resources Minister Shane Jones has launched New Zealand’s national Minerals Strategy and Critical Minerals List, documents that lay a strategic and enduring path for the mineral sector, with the aim of doubling exports to $3 billion by 2035. Mr Jones released the documents, which present the Coalition Government’s transformative vision ...
Firstly I want to thank OceanaGold for hosting our event today. Your operation at Waihi is impressive. I want to acknowledge local MP Scott Simpson, local government dignitaries, community stakeholders and all of you who have gathered here today. It’s a privilege to welcome you to the launch of the ...
Racing Minister, Winston Peters has announced the Government is preparing public consultation on GST policy proposals which would make the New Zealand racing industry more competitive. “The racing industry makes an important economic contribution. New Zealand thoroughbreds are in demand overseas as racehorses and for breeding. The domestic thoroughbred industry ...
Business confidence remains very high and shows the economy is on track to improve, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis says. “The latest ANZ Business Outlook survey, released yesterday, shows business confidence and expected own activity are ‘still both very high’.” The survey reports business confidence fell eight points to +54 ...
Enabling works have begun this week on an expanded radiology unit at Hawke’s Bay Fallen Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital which will double CT scanning capacity in Hawke’s Bay to ensure more locals can benefit from access to timely, quality healthcare, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. This investment of $29.3m in the ...
The Government has today announced New Zealand’s second international climate target under the Paris Agreement, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand will reduce emissions by 51 to 55 per cent compared to 2005 levels, by 2035. “We have worked hard to set a target that is both ambitious ...
Nine years of negotiations between the Crown and iwi of Taranaki have concluded following Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/the Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill passing its third reading in Parliament today, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “This Bill addresses the historical grievances endured by the eight iwi ...
As schools start back for 2025, there will be a relentless focus on teaching the basics brilliantly so all Kiwi kids grow up with the knowledge, skills and competencies needed to grow the New Zealand of the future, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “A world-leading education system is a key ...
Housing Minister Chris Bishop and Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson have welcomed Kāinga Ora’s decision to re-open its tender for carpets to allow wool carpet suppliers to bid. “In 2024 Kāinga Ora issued requests for tender (RFTs) seeking bids from suppliers to carpet their properties,” Mr Bishop says. “As part ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today visited Otahuhu College where the new school lunch programme has served up healthy lunches to students in the first days of the school year. “As schools open in 2025, the programme will deliver nutritious meals to around 242,000 students, every school day. On ...
Minister for Children Karen Chhour has intervened in Oranga Tamariki’s review of social service provider contracts to ensure Barnardos can continue to deliver its 0800 What’s Up hotline. “When I found out about the potential impact to this service, I asked Oranga Tamariki for an explanation. Based on the information ...
A bill to make revenue collection on imported and exported goods fairer and more effective had its first reading in Parliament, Customs Minister Casey Costello said today. “The Customs (Levies and Other Matters) Amendment Bill modernises the way in which Customs can recover the costs of services that are needed ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Department of Internal Affairs [the Department] has achieved significant progress in completing applications for New Zealand citizenship. “December 2024 saw the Department complete 5,661 citizenship applications, the most for any month in 2024. This is a 54 per cent increase compared ...
Reversals to Labour’s blanket speed limit reductions begin tonight and will be in place by 1 July, says Minister of Transport Chris Bishop. “The previous government was obsessed with slowing New Zealanders down by imposing illogical and untargeted speed limit reductions on state highways and local roads. “National campaigned on ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis has announced Budget 2025 – the Growth Budget - will be delivered on Thursday 22 May. “This year’s Budget will drive forward the Government’s plan to grow our economy to improve the incomes of New Zealanders now and in the years ahead. “Budget 2025 will build ...
For the Government, 2025 will bring a relentless focus on unleashing the growth we need to lift incomes, strengthen local businesses and create opportunity. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today laid out the Government’s growth agenda in his Statement to Parliament. “Just over a year ago this Government was elected by ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour welcomes students back to school with a call to raise attendance from last year. “The Government encourages all students to attend school every day because there is a clear connection between being present at school and setting yourself up for a bright future,” says Mr ...
The Government is relaxing visitor visa requirements to allow tourists to work remotely while visiting New Zealand, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis, Immigration Minister Erica Stanford and Tourism Minister Louise Upston say. “The change is part of the Government’s plan to unlock New Zealand’s potential by shifting the country onto ...
The opening of Kāinga Ora’s development of 134 homes in Epuni, Lower Hutt will provide much-needed social housing for Hutt families, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I’ve been a strong advocate for social housing on Kāinga Ora’s Epuni site ever since the old earthquake-prone housing was demolished in 2015. I ...
By Caleb Fotheringham, RNZ Pacific journalist Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown says the deal with China “complements, not replaces” the relationship with New Zealand after signing it yesterday. Brown said “The Action Plan for Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) 2025-2030” provides a structured framework for engagement between the Cook Islands ...
The government should not set military style academies into youth justice law, the children's commissioner says, despite its first bootcamp getting a glowing report. ...
The infamous over-the-suit T-shirt worn by the PM at a Parliament barbecue has gone on sale to raise funds for children living in poverty, in a TradeMe auction. ...
MONDAYSheriff Seymour rode slowly down the main street of Dodge on his faithful white horse Atlas Network.He liked what he saw.Children were being fed free lunches prepared by kind people who collected the scraps from an offal rendering plant.“Very strongly flavoured liver, such as ox liver, can be soaked overnight ...
Once upon a time it was all about being an astronaut, a firefighter or doctor; but these days kids have their sights set on becoming vloggers or YouTubers.That’s according to a 2019 study by Lego that surveyed 3000 children between the ages of eight to 12 from the US, the ...
Madeleine Chapman reflects on the week that was. From the moment I started high school and realised almost every other girl in my year was at least partially interested in what the boys were up to, I realised that I would be single for life. The feeling wasn’t one of ...
The Pacific profiles series shines a light on Pacific people in Aotearoa doing interesting and important work in their communities, as nominated by members of the public. Today, Selina Alesana Alefosio.All photos by Geoffery Matautia.On a bright Sunday morning from her grandparent’s home in Pito-one, I spoke with ...
The White Lotus star reflects on her life in TV, including the local ad reference that doesn’t work in Australia, and her bananas co-star on Neighbours.Morgana O’Reilly was scrolling her phone next to her sleeping son on an idle Saturday morning when she got the call confirming that she ...
Claire Mabey explores the pros and cons of puff quotes on book covers.In January, Publishers Weekly put out an article by Sean Manning – publisher of Simon & Schuster’s flagship US imprint – in which he said he’d “no longer require authors to obtain blurbs for their books”.The ...
New Zealand’s Entomological Society is hosting its annual bug of the year contest. Here are some of the insects in the running. For some reason – perhaps humans’ inherent competitiveness, the idealisation of democracy, the need to demarcate winners and losers – one of the best ways to get people ...
A journey along the border, with words and illustrations by Bob Kerr.The Spinoff Essay showcases the best essayists in Aotearoa, on topics big and small. Made possible by the generous support of our members.The Sunset Limited leaves Union Station New Orleans on time at nine in the morning. We ...
Neville Peat is the 2024 recipient of the Prime Minister’s Award for Literary Achievement in nonfiction. He’s written 56 books, mostly on natural history; this excerpt is from The Falcon and the Lark: A New Zealand High Country Journal, first published in 1992. The falcon wintering on the Rock and ...
It was a light-hearted gesture Greta Pilkington will be forever grateful for – thanks to an Aussie rival who jumped in when the Olympic sailor couldn’t be at her own graduation.Pilkington, then 20, had been leading a double life – while qualifying for the 2024 Paris Olympics in the ILCA ...
I was born in the back of my grandfather’s ute, by an overgrown windbreak in a remote place called Wahi-Rakauyou can’t find on a map. I was born a girl but given the man’s name Harvey, as my dad always wanted a violent-minded boy to one day help him ...
“We’re not here to interfere in people’s property rights,” Ngāi Tahu’s Te Maire Tau has told the High Court.Tau, a historian, Upoko (traditional leader) of Ngāi Tūāhuriri, and a university professor of history, is the lead witness in a case designed to force the Crown to recognise the tribe’s rangatiratanga ...
Pacific Media Watch Trump administration officials barred two Associated Press (AP) reporters from covering White House events this week because the US-based independent news agency did not change its style guide to align with the president’s political agenda. The AP is being punished for using the term “Gulf of Mexico,” ...
By Lydia Lewis, RNZ Pacific Presenter/Bulletin editor France’s top diplomat in the Pacific region says talks around the “unfreezing” of New Caledonia’s highly controversial electoral roll are back on the table. The French government intended to make a constitutional amendment that would lift restrictions prescribed under the Nouméa Accord, which ...
By bringing these global voices to the fight for free expression in New Zealand, we’ll continue to protect and expand our culture of free speech, says Nathan Seiuli, the Free Speech Union's Events Manager. ...
The issue is no longer a hypothetical one. US President Donald Trump will not explicitly suggest death camps, but he has already consented to Israel’s continuing a war that is not a war but rather a barbaric assault on a desolate stretch of land. From there, the road to annihilation is ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cecelia Cmielewski, Research Fellow, Institute for Culture and Society, Western Sydney University To be selected as the artist and curator team to represent Australia at the Venice Biennale is considered the ultimate exhibition for an artistic team. To have your selection rescinded, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Steve Turton, Adjunct Professor of Environmental Geography, CQUniversity Australia Severe Tropical Cyclone Zelia is bearing down on the northwest coast of Australia and is likely to make landfall early Friday evening. It’s a monster storm of great concern to Western Australia. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Danielle Ireland-Piper, Associate Professor, ANU National Security College, Australian National University A Victorian government decision to allow dingo culling in the state’s east until 2028 has reignited debate over what has been dubbed Australia’s most controversial animal. Animals Australia, an animal welfare ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hassan Vally, Associate Professor, Epidemiology, Deakin University Overnight, Robert F. Kennedy Jr was confirmed as the secretary of the US Health and Human Services Department. Put simply, this makes him the most influential figure in overseeing the health and wellbeing of more ...
Everything you missed from day five of the Treaty principles bill hearings, when the Justice Committee heard eight hours of submissions.Read our recaps of the previous hearings here.It was another work from home day for the Justice Committee, the only people in Room 3 being security guards, committee ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Milad Haghani, Associate Professor & Principal Fellow in Urban Risk & Resilience, The University of Melbourne Juris Teivans/Shutterstock In Australia, fatal road crashes are climbing again, especially since the pandemic, and despite years of attempts to reduce road trauma, the numbers ...
In its eagerness to appease supporters of Israel, the media is happy to ride roughshod over due process and basic rights. It’s damaging Australia’s (and New Zealand’s?) democracy.COMMENTARY:By Bernard Keane Two moments stand out so far from the Federal Court hearings relating to Antoinette Lattouf’s sacking by the ...
“The reality is we’re getting poorer. The government this year is leaning heavy on chasing economic growth, which is absolutely the right thing to do.” ...
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 The Vegetarian by Han Kang (Granta, $28) Han Kang’s astounding novel was based on an ...
This new docuseries about two single comedians looking for love is also a joyful celebration of female friendship. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. “How many people do you think are boning right now?” Kura Forrester asks Brynley Stent as the bright ...
It seems the Palestinian terrorist organizations no longer being happy murdering Israelis have turned to destroying their own hospitals and murdering the own.
BBC News – Gaza hospital: What video, pictures and other evidence tell us about Al Ahli hospital blast
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-67144061
Pays not to believe anything once war kicks off, .
Pretty sure he already knows that wags. His purpose here is not well-intentioned. dnftt.
+1
Trolling is bad enough. Using innocent dead to do it … vile.
Whatever it was, it was not deliberate.
It hit the car park area not the hospital itself. It did not leave much in the way of a blast crater. It was the number of civilians congregating there because the hospital was not a target that explains the number of victims.
It could well be a rocket that misfired and the unused fuel caught fire.
PS RNZ is still reporting that a hospital was bombed rather than a car park area beside it.
I'm doubt if the tin-pot rockets Hamas uses could have caused this. It is probably just Israel lying to deflect blame as usual. The whole Gaza siege is against international law.
… little crater damage and the unused rocket fuel creating a fireball in the car park (parked cars also with petrol)
The regime in Afghanistan was removed because they hosted the group behind 9/11 – Hamas organised the murder of hundreds of Israelis and rules in Gaza …
No one was talking about Afghanistan
The IDF and settlers have killed thousands of Palestinians
Collective punishment is a war crime
from google
" International humanitarian law, including the fourth Geneva Convention and additional protocols, prohibits collective punishment in all circumstances. The imposition of collective punishment can be considered a war crime under customary international law"
I think Hamas are a bunch of murdering lunatics but that doesn't mean they are the only bunch of murdering shits out there. The hands of the nation of Israel are also drenched in blood IMO.
A nation has a right to war on a nation that wars on them and remove its government. If a government can be removed from power for hosting a terrorist group, more so a governing agency which runs the terrorist group – in this case its own armed militants.
As many as Jews that killed by intifada etc or as many as by the PA’s own forces?
What is collective punishment in wartime?
Russia attacking water and power production facilities of Ukraine? Or Israel doing it in Gaza?
Gaza is a place where people live above a terrorist encampment (a collective of murderous incels in the basement who think Jews are Chads). They use the parents of children above as hostages to their regimes continuance – citing war crime whenever someone comes to make them accountable.
The yanks never targeted hospitals, health care workers and journalists in their invasion of Afghanistan.
This is a new type of low from IDF, oh wait it seems they have people they are copying.
Your evidence of targeting is what, that sometimes that happens and you infer from that deliberation?
The ones doing the copying – Putin's Russia, playing both roles (German and Soviet Russia) in Ukraine today (as per the fall of Warsaw).
What can be said is that Israel and Russia have targeted water and power supply.
The Fog of War my dad was there 1045-48 the league of Nations but in reality the British Army trying to keep impossible promises it had made to both sides over the years since 1917 from the defeat of the Ottomans in Palestine. Its been a tit for tat revenge driven War breaking out full scale .The truth will come out. The fundamentalist Jews blew up the British military headquarters and blew up their own synagogs blaming Arabs so they could garner international support.Their are no winners in this ongoing conflict no one has a solution otherwise it would have been found by now.Netanyahu is using this conflict to hide his corruption and trying to form a dictatorship Trump of Israel funny that Trump backs Russias side and backs Hamas and Hezboolah . Trump is Putins puppet.This conflict is designed to distract the US support from the Ukraine.Brand new weapons supplied to Hamas made in Russia China and Rockets from Iran.This is an edge of empire war both sides pushing as far as they can without full-scale war or the nuke option.
Rather than indulging in inflammatory language such as destroying their own hospitals and murdering the own, how about you stick to the far more likely cause:
An Hamas missile misfired. I saw the BBC story last night and apparently Hamas are launching rockets from a cemetery not far from the hospital.
The Israelis had no qualms about hitting a hospital .They'd already targeted and damaged 2 floors on the Saturday .The very same hospital
An Israeli missile was identified.
Not surprising that Israel doesn't want to own up after the world wide condemnation
https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/133124359/a-lot-of-blue-suits-parliament-is-majority-male-again-after-nationals-election-success
Same old national, bring back the uptight white
New Zealand – land of the long white cloud
National Party – band of the wrong white crowd
"same as it ever was"
When you think about this iconic Talking Heads song Once in a Lifetime its meaning could easily be applied to post election NZ.
Same as it ever was.
Same as it ever was
National have painted themselves into a corner Winston will have the handbrake on.look for a Shipley style coup National will white ant NZ first to try and overthrow Winston for a second time.Winston has been shafted Twice by National 3rd time coming up.National not being able to implement its tax cuts will go down like a cup of hot sick with its supporters.
I think the appropriate expression is: Fight you bastards!
Also a whole lot of farmers.
And from ACT I'm waiting to see if Hoggard gets Agriculture or Environment. Just to see how fast he rolls back animal welfare standards and introduces GE organisms.
Horrifying thought Seymour as Minister of the MSD
/shudder
The revanchism of this government looks scary. It like National in opposition spent six years mainly cultivating their own version of the Dolchstoßlegende (stabbed in the back by the eternal Winston), and now they wish to restore the country to some sort of nostalgic ante-bellum vision of Keyland where cronyism and rentier capitalism rules supreme. Perhaps Luxon will unwitting prove Marx right – “History repeats itself, first as a tragedy, second as a farce”.
That is a great quote
Love that. But given how big a part Covid is playing in the revanchist desire to restore the proper order, should it be "ante-morbus" rather than "ante-bellum"? (I wouldn't know, two years of schoolboy Latin 50-odd years ago have a very short half-life.)
I hope he's only a farce, not another tragedy like Roger Douglas.
Not likely as he's a not a member of Labour
Not the point of what I'm saying, James.
They are already planning to resume live animal exports by the end of the year.
So next year they'll be complaining of the drop in milk powder price.
to bwaghorn at 2 : a frightening situation from my long-experienced viewpoint as a white woman hugely concerned for future of my great – grandchildren and their peers, male and female.
Interesting to see old boiled ham head wearing an All Black jersey on the weekend. Got me thinking about how class has become a thing in our sport nowadays. Ever since McCaw decided to shit on all those working class AB supporters by publically hanging around with Key (and latterly Luxon) and endorsing National the whole All Black schtick has evolved towards being a tedious self help Ted talk to inspire the sparklingly clean SUV crowd who see the over-priced merchandise of All Blacks brand as part of their entitlement to affordable luxury. Rugby, the senators watching the circus from the better seats of the colosseum.
Whereas working class NZers (at least in Auckland) now more or less all support the Warriors.
It is a pity, but I guess the engalitarian dream dies not with a bang, but with a whimper.
Ardern went to her fair share of All Blacks games but she wasn't as convincing as Helen Clark's support of the Warriors.
Since sporting codes have long since replaced unions for organising our working and active middle classes, why the left doesn't even try for credibility within sport is perplexing. Labour sure didn't handle Louisa Wall well.
Hopefully Cushla Tangaere-Manuel is the start of Labour giving sport its proper recognition.
I agree. If I had been Hipkins, I'd have worn Warriors gear at every opportunity south of Greenlane and been seen sharing a sausage roll with the Warriors Joker.
One thought – it is positively de rigueur amongst the fashionable chattering classes of the left to hate on the All Blacks and look down their noses at collision sports as rather beastly and uncivilised, and since that group comprises most of what passes as the left's intellectual oomph these days I think we know why the left has been slow to engage…
I'm glad my kids played football and didn't get beaten to a pulp playing rugby. Having said that, those quarter-finals last weekend were four of the finest sporting contests I have ever seen, especially those 37 phases.
Yeah a couple of the best games ever played, I'd include the refs in that as well.
Pfft I saw more injuries when I was playing soccer (including one fatality when a goal keeper hit his head on the upright of the goal above the padding) than I ever did playing rugby – admittedly both sports were a lot rougher through the 70's and 80's.
The thing that stopped me going back to soccer after finishing rugby though was to go to a match and listen to the abuse given to referees in particular. A bigger bunch of jerks I've never seen before or since.
and I have a child crippled for life from playing soccer as well – very bad injury. Late tackle.
McCaw and mates have developed an extensive multi-million dollar subdivision near Wanaka, getting consent for it in a sensitive rural landscape surprisingly easily.
To paraphrase Taika Waititi
"New Zealand corrupt as fuck"
Yes, Mr McCaw was coy about his political views when playing, but if you used your imagination it was not hard to guess…and he admitted in his “leaving” interview with Kim Hill that because of the Rugby Admins views, National was the house brand for All Blacks and very few spoke out publicly in other directions. Silence is often condoning.
Remember the pony puller in chief haunting their dressing rooms Steinie in hand and his appearance on the cover of Rugby News, masquerading as Captain, the squad in a V formation behind him, during 2014 election year? After various complaints he slipped through the rules because of the categorisation of the publication re publishing schedule. RN Editor squares off here…
https://www.sportsfreak.co.nz/that-john-key-cover-rugby-news-responds/
I raise this because the Natzos are so embedded in various quarters particularly in the provinces–sports clubs, fire stations, Police stations, business associations, Real Estate, Lodges and “benevolent” clubs many of which are defacto NZ National cadres.
Remember Maggie Barry? Former MP for North Shore? She had her electorate office on the whole upper floor of a largish building emblazoned with blue and white Nat signage. It was next door to the Takapuna Police station also two storied and emblazoned with the usual blue and white police insignia. One could easily be mistaken for the other. I had it on good authority that the social camaraderie between the two groups went well beyond normal neighbourly friendliness.
Interesting you mention that Anne, when I first moved to the Far North in the 90s, the Editor of the Northland Age had his own swipe card for the Kaitaia Police Station. This was confirmed to me by a number of people including hard bitten ex Auck Star journalist Tony Gee who worked up there.
As the cops management changed and the newspaper ownership changed–no more swipe card–but still a very cosy relationship.
Except that isn’t true Anne.
Maggie Barry had her office at the Atlas Concrete yard opposite Westlake Girls.
I’m sure you’ll have a theory about connections to the evil concrete industry that is just as bad though.
You can street view Atlas Concrete Takapuna and see the current National MP for North Shore signs up.
Lukas, Anne is correct. I had an appointment which was in the same building as Maggie Barry’s office, next to the Takapuna Police Station.
The location of the North Shore MP’s office has changed since; however, Anne is correct about where the office was located when Barry was the MP.
Why are you denying fact?
Lukas is probably a Nat voter. When the present incumbent, Simon Watts took over they moved the office elsewhere. Maybe the owner of the building didn't want the electorate office to remain after Maggie stepped down – just guessing.
I have heard from various sources Watts is very unpopular, but being a true blue seat they still vote for him.
In the words of the prophet Shania Twain,
"He's a fine piece of real estate and I'm gonna get me some land."
SO very Jane Austen.
At least the ABs can win.
But for how much longer? Being partisan has implications beyond just audience share. For example, the Irish rugby team can retain players because of a government policy that allows key sportsmen who end their playing careers in Ireland to claim back 40 per cent of the tax they paid over a 10-year period playing within the EU.
If Irish rugby was seen as partisan in the way the likes of McCaw and some officials would like, such a scheme would be unlikely to last from one electoral cycle to another.
I think Chippy should keep his job for several reasons:
Firstly, I don't think it was his fault Labour lost. He was given a hospital pass, and did the best he could from that position IMO.
Secondly, I can't really see anyone better to take over from him.
Thirdly, he seems to be a pragmatist, which is what I think Labour needs right now. I think Labour should leave all the woke stuff to the Greens, and get back to its roots, and become more aligned to workers again. I think Labour has lost its soul in many respects.
If anyone should get fired, it is whoever came up with that stupid "not National" marketing campaign that didn't give any clear messaging to vote Labour.
I would have thought that the lesson would have been learned from the "we don't trust you Mr Key" campaign that didn't work either, likely for similar reasons.
I think the "not National" campaign likely helped NZ First as much as Labour. If Labour wanted to go negative, it should have had a campaign along the lines of "National wants to do that; Labour will do this; so vote Labour."
It was National that breathed life back into Winston Peters.
No, it was women.
the moment Winnie said that males should not compete against women*, he won.
https://www.teaonews.co.nz/2023/08/17/exclude-trans-women-from-womens-bathrooms-threaten-sports-funding-nz-first/
And fwiw, it matters not how many 'women' a party claims to have, when for all intends and purposes these women* could a. be all men declaring themselves to be women, or b. the women* actively work to destroy everything other women* in the decades before them created such as female toilets, female prisons, female sports, female political lists, female awards.
It was in large numbers women* that helped Winnie win, and it was Women* who helped Labour lose.
*women – adult human female.
Personally i am very pleased that the birthing body helper from Ilam (labour) can go back to their job helping men give birth.
Do you have any evidence for these claims?
Data about votes for parties (age, gender etc) will be available later, as there is detailed research carried out after every election. None exists yet.
So far all we have is pre-election polling, which suggests you are mistaken. The female/male gender split does not favour the Right, especially not NZF:
https://essentialreport.co.nz/questions/the-vote-including-undecided-2/
https://essentialreport.co.nz/questions/nz-first-holding-the-balance-of-power/
From the groups of women i interact with, NZ First was the vote of choice, as literally they are the only party that is not head over heels gone into the gender abyss.
What can I say, we voted for the best out of totally unappealing bunch.
In Rotorua, Labour got trashed, and considering that no one knew the quota dame that ran and no one actually ever saw that person who knew if they actually existed. The dude that ran for labour is even funnier, a lawyer that ran for mayor under the rainbow colors pretending to be independent of Labour, and then suddenly covered in Red. The Green Party girl must have found a proper job, or accepted that she is not gonna win anything in Rotorua as this is the first year out of five that i have not heard from her. And she ran for MP, council, and Mayor of Rotorua.
ACT did ok. National creamed it. TPM will never win anything in Rotorua and any candidate will ruin their reputation forever if they do run under the mantle of TPM.
You can take it as you like, but Labour lost because people did not vote for them, did not donate, did not volunteer, did in fact not even entertain Labour at all. And many many of them women – human females.
As for the gender split who cares. Female and Male are now mixed sex category and thus are devoid of any meaning. The moment you include bepenised people (inverted or entire) into the pool of women – human females you’ve got nothing. Ditto for the males.
And even then I can see bepenised people who self id as something different to their sex to rather vote for the Green Party as they are even more rabid on the destruction of women's rights then the Labour party. No pretense given by the Greens which is something I consider refreshing.
Lastly, I expect the Green Party to be the death of the Labour party in the end.
That's your opinion, Observa asked for evidence. Even though Labour lost, they still got votes, so people did "entertain Labour" and donated and volunteered.
"I expect the Green Party to be the death of the Labour party in the end."
Wishful thinking.
'National proving to be far more negative than Labour'
https://www.1news.co.nz/2023/10/06/study-reveals-which-big-party-has-been-most-negative-online/
Its a pity we will never see a post election media headline like:
"Big money buys NZ Election"
because nobody wants to know about it.
We are back to the bad old days of:
"nothing to see here, move on"
and
"gone by lunchtime".
Such is progress in our small country.
Marginal coverage of the south Auckland election day story.
Yup and that is surprising, since a lot of specials were cast when the system was down – with obvious implications to the final result.
That would require actual work.
Lol…indeed it would
A question I have is why it takes so long to count the specials? It was possible to count a multiples of the specials figure in one day. So, why should it take so long to count a smaller number?
I understand that each special has to go back to its 'home' electorate and is counted there.
We cast our Special Votes in London last Thursday. There were a lot of people coming in to the High Commission to vote. Most of them were older people like us – travelers with sensible shoes and backpacks! I wore my Peterloo T shirt from Manchester to remind myself about what happens when the Boss Class makes all the rules.
The Specials will all have to be sorted, checked, scanned and sent to the relevant Electorate Returning Officers.
Having worked in a voting place on Saturday and done the required training I have a much better understanding of special votes than I did before.
Each person who makes a special vote has to make a special vote declaration to the returning officer in the electorate they believe they are entitled to vote in. The declaration is checked and witnessed by the issuing officer in the voting place who issues them a ballot paper which goes into an envelope with two pockets along with the declaration and is returned to the home electorate. If someone is enrolling and voting their enrolment form is processed separately post voting day. There are seven options as to why someone is making a special vote.
From what I understand (as we just did the declaration checking and witnessing and ballot issuing) the specials are returned to the home electorate where each one has be be checked to confirm it is a valid special vote. I think this is what takes the time. The counting is the easy bit at the end.
One for Labour.
Three for National.
One for Labour.
Four for National.
One for Labour
;..and counting.
How are we doing John?
Our LEC is going to be looking at the way we campaign the future.
The day of leaflets, billboards, and sign waving may be over. They are expensive, and either end up slashed, defaced, in the rubbish, or in our case, actually sawn down. Time, money and energy may be better put into social media. Door knocking might stay, as it is face to face contact. We don’t have the financial resources to spread ourselves too thin.
Partly by consistently banging the law and order drum to ramp up fear, the National MP has turned our electorate into the most right wing in the country. Our candidate was outstanding; young, female, local, and incredibly hard working.
I’ll be interested to see what other LECs are thinking.
Mostly we do it because the other side does it, and some of our supporters get demoralised if we don't have at least some visibility in a sea of blue.
Can someone here advise me – a superannuat living in a boarding house do they receive the living alone allowance or is it classed as shared accommodation?
Barfly – in your situation, if you are self-sufficient i.e., renting a room in a boarding house and buying your own groceries, doing your own cooking, etc. – you should be classed as living alone and therefore receive the living alone allowance.
As Work and Income often give different advice to different people, and so much can depend on who you strike on the day, I would recommend first talking directly with Work and Income (if you can ever get through – current wait time 81 minutes!!!) and if you have no joy, contact a beneficiary advocate with your query; there are a lot dotted around New Zealand.
Good luck.
Would have thought "shared" means a family or long-term partner situation not independent living
Despicable characters.
//
When 12-year-old Braden Fahey collapsed during football practice and died, it was just the beginning of his parents’ nightmare.
Deep in their grief a few months later, Gina and Padrig Fahey received news that shocked them to their core: A favorite photo of their beloved son was plastered on the cover of a book that falsely argues COVID-19 vaccines caused a spike of sudden deaths among healthy young people.
The book, called “Cause Unknown,” was co-published by an anti-vaccine group led by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President John F. Kennedy’s nephew, who is now running for president. Kennedy wrote the foreword and promoted the book, tweeting that it details data showing “ COVID shots are a crime against humanity.”
The Faheys couldn’t understand how Braden’s face appeared on the book’s cover, or why his name appeared inside it.
Braden never received the vaccine.
https://news.yahoo.com/rfk-jr-spent-years-stoking-155201428.html
I thought Luxon was making a reasonable point when he said negotiations should not be held in the media spotlight. Bored journalists want to be constantly fed the latest updates – the public, not so much.
Except … Luxon has been all over the media every day since the election. Today he's in Auckland giving yet another press conference. He'll obviously be asked about the obvious, and he'll obviously not answer the obvious.
His media advisers should take him aside and explain that if he has nothing to say, that's OK. But don't keep holding press conferences to say it.
The gaffe machine loves to talk Obs-why use one word when ten will do?
This is a problem for a politician, because, as any experienced court witness will tell you, the less you say the better.
He's addicted to the limelight. We've got three years of this. Think I'll be bypassing the 6pm news from now on. Watching that bald head spout slogans and platitudes night after night will be bad for my health.
Narcissism unleashed.
He's still on the campaign trail by the look of his school visit on tv1 news
I think this whole vote counting thing is a bit of an anachronism. Surely, we could have computers with touch screens set up in the booths that feed the results straight into a central data base. The specials could be handled in a similar way, with a few more steps to complete the voting process. Then, we would have the results instantly, rather than waiting for several weeks.
Sounds great until bugs cause incorrect results or worse, it gets hacked. However unlikely people think that is, it only has to happen once to be awful.
voting by paper is far far more secure than voting by a computer network.
+1
For those wondering about Special Votes, this table from the last election is useful.
Not for where they will go (we don't know) but where they are from. Overwhelmingly, the Specials are cast within New Zealand. Not overseas. Ignore the talking heads on TV/radio, who don't do their homework.
Electorate Candidate Special Declaration Votes by Electorate (electionresults.govt.nz)
Greens apparently do well out of the overseas vote as well as the Specials. Disproportionately on the overseas vote I guess.
Do you happen to have the link to the prelim results for 2017 and 2020?
2017 and 2020
For detailed figures, they can be derived from various results because the specials are usually available separately.
Reti cancelling public hospitals so that he can profit from private clinics
Seymour trying to turn public education into a gambling app
Mitchell crapping on human rights because he doesn't like gang patches
Luxon about to open the gates of hell and ruin the future of home buyers and renters (+bonus! cancel your fair pay agreement)
We are fucked
it's bad and we're not fucked. We going to do the mahi over the next three years to change the government.
Hopefully before then as this coalition of clowns seems likely to self-destruct
I'm inclined to agree.
Labour will go away and soul search
The Greens and TPM will consolidate and grow their vote.
ACT will be exposed as incompetent…all bark no trousers…
National will have to face all kinds of headwinds…climate related, economic….let's see how well they do in the eyes of a fractious public.The end of NZ first. Winnie just doesn't have it anymore,he's gone bizarre in a failed attempt to be relevant and NZ first is nothing without Winnie.Although I did rate his previous 2nd in command
The old world is changing
Hope lies in a couple of scenarios:
• NACT goes all Liz Truss and loses the electorate for years to come, trying to do things too quickly. Upheaval is too unpalatable.
• NACT+NZF is shambolic and impotent. Scandal after scandal. Bickering and vetoing gets old, fast. Voters are appalled.
• Timidity hamstrings any massive change, certainly nothing we can’t undo in three years. Even a double-termer is survivable.
• (As I put in an earlier comment) It’s an utterly poisoned chalice due to international factors, the outlook is grim for any govt; voters want change, again.
There’s no God-given rule that a govt should be a multi-termer, people might wake up and realise what they’ve voted for before then. Labour might get away from the failed centre. Younger, more desperate and concerned green voters may increase in the stats.
Trivia Q: How many people 2yrs and 364 days to young to vote this year, will be eligible in 2026?
Wouldn't know where to start finding that.
I mean small-g green, btw. I thought it might happen this time round, due to the ever-loudening warnings we’re getting on climate and other emergencies. That message could increase (though not from this sorry upcoming govt). Interesting trend forming though, with the GP electorates and the increased GP vote.
Stats NZ have reasonable population statistics – if you mean how many people will turn 18 in time to vote at the next general election, about 195,000 going by Infoshare.
I wouldn’t be so optimistic about Labour’s chances in 2026. National just need to run a very simple campaign. One Labour was unable to in 2023: these are the things we’ve done, these are the things that have improved.
The other problem Labour has is they’re now just a smaller version of the party the country kicked out last weekend. It needs many MPs to move on during the term to bring fresh talent in. Little to his credit has done that. Unfortunately it’s just bought Shannan back, so no gains there.
Oh don't worry, I'm an old pessimist from waaaaay back. But if there was ever a need for optimism, it's now.
Like you, I’m incredibly optimistic… that labour won’t see government until to 2030’s, if they manage to survive as a party until then. I expect they have become an irrelevance both to the left and right. You just need to look at the regular posts from Greg / Mickeysavage to evidence this. It’s everyone else that’s wrong, never Labour.
[Lately, your comments have become increasingly trollish, but I draw the line at attacking a TS Author with lies. This is your warning – Incognito]
That's just wishful thinking.
Mod note
What if the next 3 years do not go according to National's plan? If that turns out to be the case, do you think National could get away with running another scam in 2026?
"a smaller version of the party" like National was after the 2020 election. National came back and so can Labour.
Surely the conversation about Labour regaining power is about what Labour need to change or stand for. This daydreaming that NAct will be so bad is going to lead to disappointment.
You have to give credit where it's due. A first term MP, made leader, turned a small, thoroughly beaten, divisive rabble into a government in waiting. Labour's failure to deliver on many things was partly responsible for that.
There's absolutely no doubt about what Luxon, Willis, Mitchell et al. stand for – it's to make life even more profitable for themselves and their backers, and even tougher for "bottom feeders".
You have to admire National’s clarity of message, and their genuine desire and ability to deliver – on specific promises – let the 'good times' roll.
Mate, yr singing to the choir. Why more hasn't been made about Land Lord Luxon's proposed
conflict of interestrevamping of 'property investors' returns is beyond me.Still, what do Labour stand for?
Perhaps Labour are in it more for "bottom feeders" (serfs) than they are for mega landLords? But mega landLords do have such deep pockets.
https://www.labour.org.nz/socialdevelopment
Imho, Labour's priorities are no mystery. I'm personally deeply appreciative of our government's decision to prioritise health during a pandemic. They didn't have too, but given the limited capacity of our public health service any other course would have courted disaster.
The changes introduced by the 6th Labour-led government provide some clues about what Labour stands for, in particular those changes which "Lord Luxon" intends to reverse.
https://www.1news.co.nz/2023/10/16/the-labour-policies-that-face-being-scrapped-under-national/
The authors of those 'scrapped/axed' articles don't opine on likely trends in the hourly minimum adult wage, currently $22.70 – a 44% increase in six years (since 2017). For comparison, the minimum wage increased by 31% in the nine years between 2008 ($12) and 2017 ($15.75), so in the last six years the minimum wage has increased at more than double the rate during the nine years before that.
https://www.employment.govt.nz/hours-and-wages/pay/minimum-wage/previous-rates/
Think I know, and admit that some clues are open to interpretation.
Not about "daydreaming" it was a hypothetical response to Jack's claims.
"A first term MP, made leader, turned a small, thoroughly beaten, divisive rabble into a government in waiting."
"He was bankrolled by the richest people in NZ.. the social media behind him was bankrolled by foreign money"
"It's outrageous to say Luxon's own efforts got him across the line"
I acknowledge Labour were well outspent come election time, but you can't realistically deny the change in discipline from the Nats once Luxon took over.
It was certainly better than the crew in charge.
Disagree with your opinion.
He hasn't taken over yet and is unlikely to do so for another month or more depending on the outcome of the specials and Winnie's unpredictable ways.
How is that hospital in Dunedin coming along?
National has promised a few hospital rebuilds too, they will face the same issues. Dont forget the new medical school, more frontline workers in provincial hospitals.
Like the many hats John Key would be wearing to avoid issues, Luxon will find many variations of what the word "commit" means
as for your question
https://www.cpbcon.com.au/en/news-and-media/2021/cimics-cpb-contractors-secures-ece-for-new-dunedin-hospital
'Vital signs of progress at hospital site'
https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/health/vital-signs-progress-hospital-site
'The New Dunedin Hospital will be built in two stages'
https://www.tewhatuora.govt.nz/our-health-system/infrastructure-and-investment/new-dunedin-hospital/
I ll probably repeat this tomorrow –
Immigration and House sales to overseas investors and Winston Peters
I see some dead rats waiting to be swallowed.
A mission for Labour is to identify achievable policy that's both popular and beneficial to society whilst at the same time being an anathema to the RW political parties. I know that's a tall order but I may have an idea or two rattling around that's worth looking at.
Barfly. I totally agree about the achievable policies and sounding out what the ‘bottom feeders’ really want and need and aim for that but don’t make impossible promises. We ourselves are joining the Labour Party and will do what it takes to make New Zealand/Aotearoa great again. We are poor boomers so have plenty of time to give to the cause as well as becoming financial members.
I don’t think it will take long for Luxon to crumble. He’s already proven that even though he’s got a shiny dome he’s not very bright. It didn’t take Chris H long to turn him into a slavering mess. Seymour will probably cause a race war and then have to go into hiding. As for Winston every time I look at him the song ‘Never smile at a crocodile’ pops into my head. Not kidding. It’s very annoying. Good times ahead. Can’t wait to get started.