Open mike 19/02/2013

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, February 19th, 2013 - 182 comments
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Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose.

The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to Policy in the banner).

Step right up to the mike…

182 comments on “Open mike 19/02/2013 ”

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  1. Jenny 1
    19 February 2013 at 6:14 am

    ‘

    “The biggest climate change rally in US history”

    Will we have. to have similiar rallies here before our law makers start taking climate change seriously?

    :“I hope that Americans are fed up with being ignored and with having Congress controlled by the big polluting industries and that they have decided that they are simply not going to stop until their voices are heard.”

    Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse Euro News

    http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2013/feb/17/keystone-xl-pipeline-protest-dc

    “I think it’s really important for Obama to realise that his base, the people who supported him, do not want this,”

    Judy Dufficy Former teacher from Chicago.and Obama volunteer.

  2. mickysavage 2
    19 February 2013 at 7:36 am

    Did anyone just hear our beloved leader on Radio New Zealand this morning? He sounded well under the weather and as if he had a hard night the night before.

      • Sanctuary 2.1.1
        19 February 2013 at 8:45 am

        Anyone else detecting signs Key has developed a drinking problem?

        He was slurring at the RWC opening, something politely overlooked by the media – but hey, he a Kiwi guy just like us and who would deny the man a drink?

        John Key “fainted” in a Christchurch restaurant, and no real suitable explaination was given. it was immediately after his holiday, so fatigue could hardly be the reason.

        Audrey Young sent out a not so subtle hint Key was suffering a hangover recently in Queenstown:

        “…During a wreath-laying ceremony, Key appeared to have difficulty keeping his eyes open for a couple of minutes. He kept rubbing his eyes, but no sooner had he opened them than they would shut. He said later, through a spokeswoman, that the problem was because of the glare on the war memorial, which made his eyes water…”

        http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10864459

        Muldoon famously announced an election drunk as a skunk, and our media studiously avoided mentioning that.

        Alcohol abuse is probably endemic in parliament, like hospo I would imagine it is an occupational hazard linked to ready access, long hours and work pressure. But would our media have the courage to expose a drunkard PM?

        • Colonial Viper 2.1.1.1
          19 February 2013 at 8:48 am

          But would our media have the courage to expose a drunkard PM?

          Well, who do you think he is drinking with half of the time?

          And yes, binge drinking is endemic in Parliament. MPs, staffers, advisors, what have you.

          • TheContrarian 2.1.1.1.1
            19 February 2013 at 9:35 am

            I worked in Parliament for about 3 years and never saw any of this binge drinking you mention. And as a heavy drinker myself I would have loved to have joined in but alas – it doesn’t really exist.

            And if John Key had a drinking problem then the opposition would be all over it. How better to win an election than to portray your opponent as a drunk?

          • King Kong 2.1.1.1.2
            19 February 2013 at 9:43 am

            And you know this because alot of MP’s and Parliamentary staffers carry out this binge drinking in your back bedroom in Dunedin?

        • Tim 2.1.1.2
          19 February 2013 at 11:33 am

          “Anyone else detecting signs Key has developed a drinking problem?”

          It’s hard to tell – he has such lazy speech. As mother used to say….. ‘Lazy speech, lazy thinking, lazy mind’

          It’s why he has to rely on an ideology learned parrot-fashion – and a failed one at that!

          • TheContrarian 2.1.1.2.1
            19 February 2013 at 11:34 am

            I thought it was a speech impediment he had as a child. Read it somewhere though can’t find any reference for it.

            • McFlock 2.1.1.2.1.1
              19 February 2013 at 12:13 pm

              It could be any number of things.
              Hell, he might have brain cancer, hence the desire to finish his bucket list.

              Whatever it is, it might be getting worse – hopefully for him it’ll clear up when he leaves office. Less stress and all that. I don’t think anyone can fuck up a country this badly without it having a corrosive effect on their soul.

            • felixviper 2.1.1.2.1.2
              19 February 2013 at 1:21 pm

              Yep, it’s a speech impediment.

              Oddly enough it only seems to surface when he’s on the piss.

    • David H 2.2
      19 February 2013 at 9:56 am

      Sound’s like he’s still half shickered. must have been a big nite last nite.

    • Chris 2.3
      19 February 2013 at 10:29 am

      I didn’t think it sounded like him,maybe he has a speech double.He sounded like he either had a hangover or had taken meds for something or other. Probably something to “relax” him.

  3. johnm 3
    19 February 2013 at 7:37 am

    More on the horror of ATOS in the U$K. Coming here if Johnny Keyshine can only work up the nerve:

  4. Mr Burns 4
    19 February 2013 at 7:52 am

    Oh look that Shearer person is a really tolerant fellow. He says there is room in the Labour Party for MPs with homophobic views.

    http://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2013/02/shearer_on_homophobes_and_labour.html#comments

    • TiggerViper 4.1
      19 February 2013 at 9:43 am

      Hardly breaking news since two Labour MPs met an anti-marriage equality petition on Parliament’s steps. And they’re still MPs. New diversion thanks.

  5. The Al1en 5
    19 February 2013 at 7:57 am

    Increasingly looking like, despite Labour’s best efforts, it’s status quo for the next few years.
    We’re on our people.
    Look after your mums, your neighbours and by the grace of dog, we’ll all make it through.

  6. Aww 6
    19 February 2013 at 8:05 am

    35 women are saved from having more babies while they are on a benefit or low income. Victory!

    http://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2013/01/free_contraception_uptake.html

    • infused 6.1
      19 February 2013 at 8:10 am

      God forbid people actually pay for their own kids instead of lumping them on to everyone else.

      • Colonial Viper 6.1.1
        19 February 2013 at 8:37 am

        God forbid we create an extra 150,000 jobs so that everyone who wants a family can have a working income.

      • Colonial Weka 6.1.2
        19 February 2013 at 9:02 am

        God forbid that women should decline to take contraception that has risks and side effects. Why is the govt not free funding other kinds of contraception?

        • TiggerViper 6.1.2.1
          19 February 2013 at 9:46 am

          God forbid the media ask why men aren’t sharing responsibility for contraception. I say we offer free vasectomies along with all types of contraception.

          • Colonial Weka 6.1.2.1.1
            19 February 2013 at 10:10 am

            That’s not a bad idea. Problem is, Bennett wants teenagers to stop having babies, and I doubt many young men want to get the snip.

        • higherstandard 6.1.2.2
          19 February 2013 at 12:16 pm

          Virtually all forms of contraception are majority funded by the state in NZ.

      • Draco T Bastard 6.1.3
        19 February 2013 at 12:14 pm

        So, in your view, what is the purpose of the economy?

  7. JK 7
    19 February 2013 at 8:25 am

    This poll was on TV1 breakfast news yesterday. Extract from today’s Herald

    The poll also had good news for National, with a 5 percentage point jump in support taking them to 49 per cent. Labour was on 33 per cent and the Greens 11 per cent.

    Mr Key also gained five points, according to the preferred prime minister measure, giving him 44 per cent, with Labour leader David Shearer on 15 per cent.

    • Colonial Weka 8.1
      19 February 2013 at 9:09 am

      “TheDailyBlog.co.nz will bring together 30 of the best left-wing bloggers and progressive opinion shapers in NZ all onto one site to critique the news, the media, and politics to provide the other side of the story.”

      “Launching March 1st TheDailyBlog.co.nz will feature: Chris Trotter, Selwyn Manning, Professor Jane Kelsey, Keith Locke, Sue Bradford, John Minto, David Slack, Morgan Godfery, Gareth Renowden, Coley Tangerina, Phoebe Fletcher, Dr Wayne Hope, Queen of Thorns, Burnt out Teacher, Steve Grey, Aaron Hawkins, Marama Davidson, Tim Selwyn, James Ritchie, Efeso Collins, Robert Winter, Lynn Prentice, Frank MacsKasy, Matt McCarten, Wayne Butson, Chris Flatt, Allan Alach, TheDailyBlog Reposts and The Liberal Agenda.”

      • Pascal's bookie 8.1.1
        19 February 2013 at 9:30 am

        It’s a strong line up. I assume Bomber hisself will also be posting, but maybe not.

        Best of luck to them (you) all.

        • King Kong 8.1.1.1
          19 February 2013 at 9:38 am

          I am just scared about what happens when you put that many self satisfied, know it alls in the same place. The mix of with pathetic whinging and misplaced sense of entitlement could blow up the internet.

          • Colonial Viper 8.1.1.1.1
            19 February 2013 at 9:48 am

            Bankers, financiers and the 0.1% are the ones with the grand sense of self-entitlement.

          • Draco T Bastard 8.1.1.1.2
            19 February 2013 at 12:47 pm

            Kiwiblog and other similar sites haven’t blown up the internet yet and they’ve got heaps of whingers full of self-entitlement and other RWNJs.

        • David H 8.1.1.2
          19 February 2013 at 10:26 am

          I saw that list and on about half of them I either said “who” or “why” .

      • TheContrarian 8.1.2
        19 February 2013 at 10:03 am

        One just hopes that like Kiwiblog and The Standard (and unlike Tumeke) that commentary is free and moderated sparingly.

        With Bradbury at the helm though I am not very optimistic of this.

        • millsy 8.1.2.1
          19 February 2013 at 10:27 am

          You just hate him because you are a hard-core rightwinger who wants to close schools and hospitals, to pay for tax cuts.

          • Tiger Mountain 8.1.2.1.1
            19 February 2013 at 10:44 am

            “The Daily Blog” sounds like a sterling idea with a big enough roster to pace people or let them quietly slide off if the pace is too much. BUT it had better have like buttons, moderation and one off registration not the the google account login nightmare Tumeke is, if this daily blogger is going to use it.

            • millsy 8.1.2.1.1.1
              19 February 2013 at 11:02 am

              Yeah that’s what pissed my off about Tumeke as well. I didnt want to log in under my real name to post. I would very much prefer to post under “millsy”, the post name I have had for the past 13 years…

          • TheContrarian 8.1.2.1.2
            19 February 2013 at 10:55 am

            Wow – nice non-sequiter, Millsy.

            Sounds like it came from a quote generator.

      • millsy 8.1.3
        19 February 2013 at 10:21 am

        Bloody awesome. Sounds bloody good. A powerhouse of good decent left wingers who belive in things like taxing the rich to pay for schools and hospitals and locking up all DOC land from mining forever.

        Ill definitely be going there on my daily web trawls.

      • xtasy 8.1.4
        19 February 2013 at 10:52 am

        Great!

        This is what is needed! Combining voices and forces, using the power of synergy, to establish a resolute opposition to what we get served up by incompetent, indifferent or even damned biased, misinforming, manipulating and increasingly disgusting privately controlled, commercial mainstream media.

        I look forward to this blog.

        Just one worry I have, I hope it does not come with the features and technical hiccups that Tumeke has caused. Just trying to open that website once again, it instantly made my browser collapse.

        Also I hope it will allow pseudonyms and fair, open debate, similar to what we have here on TS.

        • TheContrarian 8.1.4.1
          19 February 2013 at 11:31 am

          “Also I hope it will allow pseudonyms and fair, open debate, similar to what we have here on TS.”

          As do I. No point in haven’t a big blog with numerous editors if you are just going to shut off dissenting POV’s which unfortunately seems to be the case at Tumeke

      • karol 8.1.5
        19 February 2013 at 6:01 pm

        Now that’s a really good leftie line-up, including many people whose posts I usually read.

        When Bomber dropped his teasers, I was hoping for something with an audio component (like radio) rather than print based. Maybe a left radio/TV station is still something waiting for it’s time to come.

        However, hopefully it’s a line-up that will gain critical mass, and widespread significant mainstream attention. Also, Bomber will likely include some of his bloggers (if not all) as guests on Citizen A.

        I hope it’s an extremely successful blog.

        • felixviper 8.1.5.1
          19 February 2013 at 7:06 pm

          I think a leftie radio network would be more effective than a tv station. Most people can’t watch telly at work.

          • karol 8.1.5.1.1
            19 February 2013 at 7:11 pm

            Hmm… some of us can’t listen to the radio at work. But, I agree a leftie radio station would be an excellent innovation – could be done online. Could be listened to while traveling/commuting.

  9. Dv 9
    19 February 2013 at 9:28 am

    NZTA bills crash victim $1300

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/8320507/NZTA-bills-crash-victim-1300
    The mother of a teenager nearly killed in a car crash has been billed by the New Zealand Transport Agency for the cost of closing the road while she was cut free.

    Is this legal?
    The insurance industry does not know much about it.

    Insurance Council insurance manager John Lucas had never heard of such a charge.

    “From discussions I’ve had with insurers, it would appear to be a new practice.”
    And if it is legal, can accident victims recover costs if the road is not up to standard?

    • Colonial Viper 9.1
      19 February 2013 at 9:36 am

      OMG

      welcome to America

      • TiggerViper 9.1.1
        19 February 2013 at 9:49 am

        I damaged my car on a pothole last month. Invoicing NZTA as we speak…

      • Tigger 9.1.2
        19 February 2013 at 9:52 am

        I damaged my car on a pothole last month. Invoicing NZTA as we speak…

      • Colonial Weka 9.1.3
        19 February 2013 at 9:56 am

        Jeeze, is there no such thing as an accident any more? Wouldn’t NZTA have to prove that the ‘accident’ was the fault of the car owner, if that’s who they are billing?

        • Colonial Viper 9.1.3.1
          19 February 2013 at 10:06 am

          Innocent bystanders to be billed next.

          I guess the NZTA need this money for more valuable highways?

        • David H 9.1.3.2
          19 February 2013 at 10:28 am

          There is NO such thing as an Accident. They are all just Incidents, with differing degree’s of fault, and or blame.

    • millsy 9.2
      19 February 2013 at 10:24 am

      If we all had to pay through the nose for the mistakes we made, then there would be huge queues at the bankruptcy courts.

      Quite frankly I think this charge is BS, and it sets a worrying precedent.

    • ianmac 9.3
      19 February 2013 at 10:35 am

      But the generous souls will not be invoicing dead people. They are so kind???

    • millsy 9.4
      19 February 2013 at 10:52 am

      I note the rednecks on the stuff site think its OK. Nothing turns a redneck on like bankrupting someone because they made a mistake.

      • King Kong 9.4.1
        19 February 2013 at 11:18 am

        Generally people take out insurance to cover their mistakes. The only people who might go bankrupt from this are the selfish who expect everyone else to pick up the tab for their fuck ups.

        • millsy 9.4.1.1
          19 February 2013 at 11:26 am

          So you think its OK to financially cripple this woman? I bet you would have everything taken from her and her out on the street.

          All because you want a tax cut.

          • King Kong 9.4.1.1.1
            19 February 2013 at 11:30 am

            She has got insurance so they should pay it. What is wrong with that?

            • McFlock 9.4.1.1.1.1
              19 February 2013 at 12:41 pm

              It’s called “being a prick to people who have better things to worry about than your 0.03% increase in budget expenditure”.

              The issue seems to be that the fuel levy and other incomes no longer fund our roads, so regional cost centres are forced to be fuckwits to worried or grieving relatives.

            • Draco T Bastard 9.4.1.1.1.2
              19 February 2013 at 1:04 pm

              Because the chances are the insurance won’t pay for it. The NZTA has determined that the driver was at fault and such a determination will let the insurance companies off. It’d be the same as not having a WoF on your car even though the car was up to standard.

        • bad12 9.4.1.2
          19 February 2013 at 11:31 am

          As this would seem to be part of the cost of an accident, guess who will be paying for this piece of stupidity, and i am talking about the billing of this person for these costs as the stupidity,

          The arms of the State shuffling paperwork in an idiots dance will result by the time all the shuffling is done in the costs being double what the original bill was…

        • felixviper 9.4.1.3
          19 February 2013 at 11:55 am

          Are you saying that this goes on all the time?

          That NZTA regularly bills people in accidents for closing the road, but we never heard about it until now because it’s usually covered by insurance?

          Highly unlikely KK. I hardly think our insurance companies would be paying out such fees and not telling us.

          • King Kong 9.4.1.3.1
            19 February 2013 at 12:40 pm

            According to NZTA they have been doing it for years. Obviously you know better.

            • McFlock 9.4.1.3.1.1
              19 February 2013 at 12:43 pm

              depends under what circumstances. Were they billing families of hospitalised drivers ten years ago? I reckon they were probably billing people for vandalism or diesel on the roads for donuts, and it’s encroached from there into full fuckwitted behaviours.

            • Draco T Bastard 9.4.1.3.1.2
              19 February 2013 at 1:06 pm

              Insurance Council insurance manager John Lucas had never heard of such a charge.

              “From discussions I’ve had with insurers, it would appear to be a new practice.”

              And yet it seems to be the first time that the insurance companies have heard of it.

        • Draco T Bastard 9.4.1.4
          19 February 2013 at 1:00 pm

          Generally people take out insurance to cover their mistakes.

          And the most efficient and cheapest insurance is living in a community which is something we all do and, in fact, have to do.

    • NoseViper (The Nose knows) 9.5
      19 February 2013 at 12:58 pm

      This is shocking stuff. Assistance to citizens should be part of the national support of road users. If it is a commercial vehicle being used for business then it could be argued that this be done.

      How can it be that daft bu..s go off to sea or on tramping trips with no proper equipment, or tourists hit their emergency beacon for a helicopter and I don’t think there is a charge for this.
      Yachties floating around on the sea, wanting to be rescued of course, if their lifestyle or sport goes badly wrong. Do they pay the ships diverted to help them?

      Some things are just unreasonable – like tenants being asked to pay for a house they were renting if it burns down. How can ordinary people have to shoulder these extra costs which should be borne elsewhere?

      • Draco T Bastard 9.5.1
        19 February 2013 at 1:10 pm

        Call the Coast Guard and you will be charged. Of course, the Coast Guard is a volunteer organisation and not (or minimally) government funded.

        • KJT 9.5.1.1
          19 February 2013 at 1:54 pm

          Coastguard does not charge for rescuing people, only if you want them to save your boat as well. Even this is free if you have paid the, modest, membership fee.

          Same with shipping companies. I have never heard of a shipping company charging for rescueing people after a Mayday. There is a fund available to reimburse rescuers. I don’t think it has ever been claimed.
          Loss of income, or damage, from having to divert for a mayday is, however, covered in marine insurance.
          Which means we can come and rescue you without worrying being sued for risking the owners ship, so long as you have made it a “Mayday”.

          If you want a commercial vessel to go to the time, trouble and expanse of picking up your boat as well, though, expect to pay. In most cases this risks the ships insurance cover as well as extra delays and costs. At 50k plus a day they add up quick.

      • McFlock 9.5.2
        19 February 2013 at 1:15 pm

        I think ambulances have a charge that’s more commonly applied now, too.

        Everyone gets short of public funds, everyone finds incremental revenue.
        National’s “brighter future”.

      • Rogue Trooper 9.5.3
        19 February 2013 at 4:36 pm

        cereally though, cobber, there is always “The Sunbird” or “Ancient Evenings” (Smith and Mailer) 🙂

  10. Pete 10
    19 February 2013 at 9:59 am

    We’re all very highly critical of the government, but I think we should applaud Cabinet’s decision to go ahead with plain packaging on cigarette packets. I think it will remove the cachet some brands have – like Marlboro, Dunhill, Lucky Strike and Camel. I don’t think it will deter those who stick with more downmarket brands, but it will take some of the glamour away for those who might take up smoking. A positive move, in my opinion.

    • bad12 10.1
      19 February 2013 at 11:42 am

      Lolz, i don’t think it will have the slightest effect on those who take up smoking, having been a smoker during the limited amount of time i spent at college and also having had the displeasure of watching the same (mis)behavior from my nieces during their incarceration at the same institution i can assure you that for the young smoker ‘brand’ isn’t a consideration,

      These days cigarettes aren’t shared as freely as they were when i was a young smoker, but, the size of the school of smokers that gather in those out of the way places on the college campus for a quick puff befor class looks to be remarkably the same in number as it was during my stint in the corridors of such august edifices of learning,

      These days in the ‘smoking school’ one person usually has found the cash with which to buy a packet of filtered cigarettes and the other smokers in the ‘school’ usually have a dollar each to buy a smoke,

      Bit like a ‘drunks school’ or a ‘druggies school’ it’s the addiction what brings them together as they know that the numbers mean at least one of them on any given occasion will have the means to supply the group with whatever the addiction is…

      • bad12 10.1.1
        19 February 2013 at 12:02 pm

        As far as applauding the Government on this issue i fell that you are viewing the whole issue very simplistically through the lens of the manipulation of your mind,

        With at least a billion dollars of tobacco tax being collected from users being over and above the actual cost to society of the use of tobacco products the Health budget could now be said to be being propped up by that taxation on tobacco products,

        Should the use of the products decrease radically from Government taxation and other ‘moves’ against the product Government would have to ‘find’ that extra billion dollars from somewhere else or cut that money from the Health or other budgets,

        The Government tho knows that very few users will actually quit the product and within 6 months most of those who quit have taken to using the product again,

        The chairman of the Quit program admitted in its annual report 2011 that ‘they’ only reach 2% of smokers and a study by a university Professor, (both of which i have provided links to befor on open mike),says that only 1.9% of smokers who try end up actually quitting the addiction,

        Meanwhile there is an unknown number of young people who take up the habit and become addicted constantly replacing the small % of users who have managed to kick their addiction,

        The only means of actually reducing the number of addicts to this product would be to declare tobacco a prescription poison only available via Doctor’s prescription and register all the present cohort of addicts with their Doctors,

        Within a year of such a registration program tobacco could then be made only available to registered addicts thus dramatically curtailing access to the product for anyone not a registered addict…

    • McFlock 10.2
      19 February 2013 at 12:47 pm

      lol
      whatever, pete.
      Now I’m not allowed to see what they have to sell me, they’re not allowed to tell me, and I can’t see what they sold me. The absurdity of zealotry.

      • Pete 10.2.1
        19 February 2013 at 1:01 pm

        If it weren’t for the inevitable organised crime, I’d outlaw tobacco entirely. If you’re buying it, I’d question your wisdom to make rational purchasing decisions in the first place.

        • McFlock 10.2.1.1
          19 February 2013 at 1:11 pm

          Luckily for me, my personal habits are none of your business.

          Maybe I looked at the relative odds and decided it’s better to live life and have fun than to live in fear. My level of smoking is probably about as harmful to me as your sanctimonious attitude is to you. Each to their own, I guess.

        • bad12 10.2.1.2
          19 February 2013 at 2:56 pm

          As the largest cohort of the 20 odd % of the population who do indulge in the product are in the lowest income brackets ‘health issues’ are merely a smokescreen for Government revenue farming off of those who are addicted,

          There is one ‘thing’ that will kill a person faster than will the tobacco addiction and that is ‘poor diet’ and extremely poor diet will speedily result in a number of health issues becoming apparent in those that suffer from that poor diet,

          So, constant revenue farming of tobacco products by Governments simply leaves those addicted and suffering low and extremely low incomes then have a ‘choice’, kick the addiction or face a severely restricted diet as the food spend is in most cases for the poor the only area of expense where cuts can be made,

          As i point out above, the chairman of the quit program admitted in the annual report,(first sentence), that the program is accessed by barely 2% of smokers, the further study i allude to above,(which i have previously posted a link to) shows that barely 2% of those who try actually manage to quit the addiction,

          What then going forward will be the health results for the other 98% of tobacco addicts unable to quit their addictions and being forced to exist on an increasingly severe poor diet,

          i wont argue here about the rationality of purchasing the product except to say what addict do you know of that makes an entirely rational decision to support such an addiction, it is however given the facts, totally irrational for governments to attempt to stop addicts accessing the product at the center of their addiction by continuously raising the price of that product thus putting the health of those addicted in as much if not more danger from another causative than the original addiction,

          All of that tho is only relevant if you believe the raising of such taxation is based upon rational health decisions by that Government…

    • Colonial Viper 10.3
      19 February 2013 at 1:45 pm

      Pete – next thing to do: all alcohol advertising, packaging and labelling to be in black and white only.

    • QoT 10.4
      19 February 2013 at 6:58 pm

      The only winners here are the manufacturers of branded cigarette tins.

  11. xtasy 11
    19 February 2013 at 10:32 am

    Fascist Work and Income NZ –

    A new website has been set up by someone, to offer a forum for those that have suffered bad, unfair treatment, wrong decisions and whatever else at the hands of NZ’s largest government department/agency:

    http://workandincomerfascis.wix.com/fascistworkandincome#!name-n-shame/c1qno

    I am not sure who is behind this, and “fascist” may be over the top for some, but it seems, that the increasing harrassment, denial of rights and entitlements, off-loading from some benefits and shifting of claimants and applicants onto other, lower rated ones (e.g. from sickness to UB or invalid’s benefit to SB), is leading to increasing anger and people seeing a need to let off steam.

    Bennett is creating a lot of adversaries with the policies she and her government are introducing, now forcing not only sole parents, but also increasingly sick, and soon even disabled, into some kinds of work, same as the Department of Work and Pensions have been doing in the UK for years, using private assessor ATOS and bizarre work capability tests, that led to over 1,100 deaths from Jan. to August 2011 alone:

    http://blacktrianglecampaign.org/2012/10/31/government-use-might-of-american-insurance-giant-to-destroy-uk-safety-net-by-mo-stewart-update/

    http://blacktrianglecampaign.org/2012/05/31/a-tale-of-two-models-disabled-people-vs-unum-atos-government-and-disability-charities-by-debbie-jolly-dpac/

    See also Bennett’s speech that is considered to be a “game changer” in the way seriously, longer term sick and disabled will be put under pressure in future:

    http://www.beehive.govt.nz/speech/speech-medical-professionals

    She is clearly a fan of those assessments and test that are used in the UK, and she was already consulted and lobbied by the man who saw to it, that the tests (designed in principle by highly controversion US insurance giant Unum) were implemeted by governments in Britain.

    So lots to be worried about, that is on top of what WINZ and MSD throw at beneficiaries already now, to make life a misery.

    Perhaps use this website to vent your anger, WINZ dependent, disentitled and disowned NZers?

  12. bad12 12
    19 February 2013 at 11:26 am

    Hah, Kathryn Ryan on RadioNZ nine to noon trying to twist what Economics and Business commentator Rob Oram was saying about ‘the living wage’ into some right wing political framing,

    Oram told that tool that He was talking economics not politics, that shut Her up…

  13. Elizabeth Bourchier Real Labour 13
    19 February 2013 at 11:32 am

    Poor John, he had a busy night at Antoine’s on Parnell Rise. He was very well looked after.
    That genius Tony A never disappoints.

    Good thing John lives around the corner!

  14. Anakereiti 14
    19 February 2013 at 11:46 am

    Needing some ideas….friend of mine is only 19 with a 10 week old baby, yes she is a solo mum, currently back at school and working part time also. She currently lives in the redzone and has until May to leave. She like so many others is having a hell time finding a rental. Her rental payments are guaranteed, thanks to Paula B – her landlord is happy to be a referee….I have been sending out emails for housing rentals and the tone of the reply is all about her being a young solo mum, and then declining her. She has good credit, no previous rental issues…can anyone suggest a way to get past the stigma of being a young solo mum. 🙂

    • unpcnzcougar 14.1
      19 February 2013 at 12:01 pm

      Tell her to meet with the agents/landlord with a grown up (preferably one in a suit) and then state her case ie she is studying and working and will always meet the rent payments. This is what I did in the same situation and got a rental when they were in short supply.

      Also tell them you are happy to have inspections more frequently. Don’t take baby (but of course tell them about baby) and make sure she is dressed well.

    • bad12 14.2
      19 February 2013 at 12:25 pm

      Lolz, if there is no specifics in the ad for the places your mate is trying to rent about babies DON’T TELL THEM, there is nothing in any legislation that would require Her to do so,

      Suggest you also tell them that your friend is a ‘student’ who works part-time and can pay the rent through the help of the accommodation supplement, might have to stretch the ‘student’ one to include the field of study,

      The only other suggestion which probably is a non starter is that your friend shift to a city/town that doesn’t have the accommodation problems currently being experienced there which are probably going to get worse as the re-build ramps up…

    • Rosie 14.3
      19 February 2013 at 1:25 pm

      Hi Anakereiti. There is nothing about your friend that would indicate that landlords should be wary of her. In fact, she has things in favour as a tenant, regular guaranteed rent payments, a referal, part time work and is in education. So I would say its the landlords that have the problem and doesn’t their response sound like discrimination?

      I wonder what the tenancy act would have to say about declining a reliable prospective tenant on the grounds of solo parenting?

      Sorry not that helpful but maybe call the DBH on 0800 83 62 62 to clarify her rights

      http://www.dbh.govt.nz/tenancy-index

      • Anakereiti 14.3.1
        19 February 2013 at 1:47 pm

        Thanks to all, for your help. Il try a couple of different ways ….see which one gets her in first lol. Thanks

      • bad12 14.3.2
        19 February 2013 at 2:31 pm

        Don’t think the tenancy law says anything about a landlord discriminating against anyone, if anyone wanted to buy into a fight, a long one, with landlords appearing to discriminate the Human Rights Commissioner would be the place to start,

        Wouldn’t tho solve the immediacy of the housing problem…

        • Rosie 14.3.2.1
          19 February 2013 at 3:35 pm

          Hi bad12. I think its wise to always be aware of your rights, not necesssarily in the event that you will take issue with another party and take it up at a formal level – its just something that may help at an informal level and maybe can be used in an opportunistic way. Nothing like a subtle mention of the other parties legal obligations/or your rights to get things moving.

          Sometimes works. Sometimes doesn’t.

          We have had the experience on two occasions of being selected as tenants due to our child free status and have been chosen over couples with children. I’ve found this out later once via the landlord herself and once via a friend of the landlord. Great to get a flat but sucks to be partly responsible for an outcome in that discriminates against children. It happens, landlords are excluding children from their right to housing. This is happening in Anakereiti’s friends’ instance.

          I think if Anakereiti is receiving regular responses that refer to the prospective tenant being a “solo Mum” then it wouldn’t hurt to look into her rights as parent seeking accomodation. No it won’t solve the immediate problem (and it is a major one especially if she’s settled into study). Its not for the tenant to carry stigma and work out ways around that to get into a flat, its up to the landlord to put their prejudice aside. Easier said than done I know, but I wish her well for finding a good place to live soon.

          • bad12 14.3.2.1.1
            19 February 2013 at 4:58 pm

            True, the one answer i forgot to put to AnaKereiti was her friend could apply to the State for housing as, (i assume),Her friend is on a low income and a single parent,

            Unfortunately the friend also appears to live in Christchurch where accommodation is becoming scarcer,

            Other than suffer renting a wreck of a house which i have seen highlighted on the TV i cannot think of any other good advice,

            Yes the problem with ‘our rights’ is that while many of us know them,(or know discrimination when we are subject to it), in most cases we are left to fight such battles on our own behalf which can be one hell of a battle for those without the skills,

            This is the uneven playing field of the past 30 years of deregulation, instead of having a relevant Government department to complain to which then investigates such complaints and prosecutes in the case of wrong-doings being found we all have been left having to investigate and prosecute on our own behalves,

            Such ‘thinking’ which presupposes the honesty and integrity of those in ‘higher’ positions in society is obviously failed ideology and we need return to a system where alleged breaches of rules and laws across all facets of society are investigated and ,(if warranted), prosecuted by the relevant Government Department which deals with that legislation…

  15. mickysavage 15
    19 February 2013 at 12:13 pm

    In breaking news Charles Chauvel has resigned as a list MP to take up a job at the UN.

    Bugger, he was once of the best performing Labour MPs …

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10866354

    • Te Reo Putake 15.1
      19 February 2013 at 12:17 pm

      And an pretty damn good left MP comes in, Carol Beaumont.

      • mickysavage 15.1.1
        19 February 2013 at 12:19 pm

        I agree with you there TRP. But Charles performed quite a specialised and important role. Carol is and will be good because she is staunch and understands the party and the trade union movement very well.

      • millsy 15.1.2
        19 February 2013 at 10:39 pm

        In CB we have a good union presence in Parliament. I think you have to go back to the 30’s to see the same amount of union bod in parliamentary Labour.

        (Matthew Hooton will be crying in his beer tonight, he has been worrying about this for a while)

        • Colonial Viper 15.1.2.1
          19 February 2013 at 11:03 pm

          I think you have to go back to the 30′s to see the same amount of union bod in parliamentary Labour.

          Excellent observation. And what an imcomparably Left Wing party that has created under their watch.

    • Rosie 15.2
      19 February 2013 at 12:54 pm

      You beat me to it MS! Just read it on Scoop

      http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1302/S00258/charles-chauvel-announces-resignation.htm

      I’m really curious to see what will happen in Ohariu now. We desparately need to get rid of Peter Dunne in this area for the sake of the electorate but most importantly for the sake of the country. (I know I’m repeating myself) Looking at previous election results, it could be done.

      • millsy 15.2.1
        19 February 2013 at 11:18 pm

        He is pretty much embedded in there really I am afraid. I think he is the reason why the 5th Labour government drifted to the right back from 02-08.

        Hopefully Labour and the Greens will win enough seats to render him irrelevant in the post election horse trading, and he will spend 3 years in the wilderness.

  16. Penny Bright 16
    19 February 2013 at 1:01 pm

    WHAT ‘mandate’ for asset sales?

    DEBUNKING THIS ‘URBAN (AND RURAL?) MYTH’!

    Do the maths!!!!!

    http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/cabinet-holds-back-pushing-asset-sales-waits-supreme-court-bd-136063#comment-607156

    The final vote on the Public Finance (Mixed Ownership Model) Amendment Act 2012, was 61 – 60

    http://www.parliament.nz/en-NZ/PB/Debates/Debates/e/8/e/50HansD_20120626_00000012-State-Owned-Enterprises-Amendment-Bill-Public.htm

    A party vote was called for on the question, That the Public Finance (Mixed Ownership Model) Amendment Bill be now read a third time.

    Ayes 61
    New Zealand National 59; ACT New Zealand 1; United Future 1.

    Noes 60
    New Zealand Labour 34; Green Party 14; New Zealand First 8; Māori Party 3; Mana 1.
    __________________________________________________________

    http://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2013/02/a_lie.html/comment-page-1#comment-1097573

    [ Pete(r) George – Dunedin North candidate – United Future )
    (16,292) Says: February 15th, 2013 at 10:28 pm]

    ” UF did not specifically campaign for the ‘mixed ownership model for the electricity companies and Air New Zealand’ because it was not UF policy”

    WHAT UNITED FUTURE DID CAMPAIGN ON: RE ASSET SALES:
    http://www.unitedfuture.org.nz/asset-sales-policy-announcement/

    Asset Sales Policy Announcement
    10 October 2011

    Kiwibank, Radio New Zealand and the water supply should be ruled out of any future asset sales programmes, UnitedFuture Leader Peter Dunne said today.

    Speaking to the Auckland Rotary Club, he said that given that National has a manifesto that includes asset sales, New Zealanders need to start a proper debate on the future limits of those sales.

    “To this point there has not been a proper national debate beyond National saying yes and Labour saying no.

    “We need a conversation that is more detailed and drills down into what New Zealanders really think are acceptable bottom lines,” he said.

    “New Zealanders, I believe, are not definitively pro-asset sales, but under certain conditions, it is no longer the bogeyman issue that Labour would have you believe.”

    Mr Dunne said UnitedFuture’s role as a support partner is not just to contribute its own policies, but to help keep a government to a reasonable, centrist path.

    ……….. ”

    In my considered opinion – the voting public of Ohariu were thus effectively misled by United Future and Peter Dunne on the issue of support for the ‘Mixed Ownership Model’ for State-Owned electricity assets and Air New Zealand.

    In my considered opinion, United Future and Peter Dunne SOLD OUT the voting public of Ohariu by voting in support of the Public Finance (Mixed Ownership) Amendment Act 2012.

    Had Peter Dunne kept faith with the voting public of Ohariu – the Public Finance (Mixed Ownership Model) Amendment Bill should have BEEN DEFEATED 60 – 61.

    I thus believe that I am absolutely correct in my statement that THERE IS NO MANDATE FOR ASSET SALES – given that this minority National Government (which DID campaign on asset sales) has only 59 out of 121 MPs.

    ACT did not specifically campaign on asset sales – but their support for privatisation is hardly a secret.

    However –

    ” UF did not specifically campaign for the ‘mixed ownership model for the electricity companies and Air New Zealand’ because it was not UF policy”

    THEREFORE! NO MAJORITY – NO MANDATE!

    Penny Bright

    ‘Anti-corruption campaigner’

    Auckland Mayoral Candidate 2013

    http://www.dodgyjohnhasgone.com

    • chris73 16.1
      19 February 2013 at 4:00 pm

      National said what they were going to do if they won, they won so now they’re trying to do what they said they were going to do, I’m not surprised the left arn’t keen on this but National are in power because the majority of voters wanted them in power

      Don’t want this to happen? Then make sure Labour get the majority, quite simple really

      • Te Reo Putake 16.1.1
        19 February 2013 at 4:18 pm

        National did not get a majority, Chris. That’s why they are in a coalition. They rely on John Banks and the vote of Peter Dunne to get the sales passed and Dunne didn’t even campaign on the issue, preferring to stay silent to fool the electors of Ohariu into trusting that he wouldn’t do it.

  17. freedom 17
    19 February 2013 at 1:16 pm

    War memorials may be chattels of nationhood, built of the lives lost in endless blood they are also mausoleums for the freedoms sold long afore their sacrifice, but this embroiders every campaign badge with shame

    http://rt.com/news/sandhurst-mons-rename-bahrain-457/

    I for one would be very interested in what our Prime Minister, who has so often spoken of his respect for the fallen, has to say on this deal.

  18. Rogue Trooper 18
    19 February 2013 at 1:23 pm

    Dom-on T.V; risk of having a criminal conviction by early adulthood increases approx 30% with every hour (?) children and teens spend watching T.V on an average weeknight.-Professor Bob Hancox, Otago Uni.
    conclusion: a strong association

  19. Te Reo Putake 19
    19 February 2013 at 2:50 pm

    “We read all our mail. We welcome leaks, news-tips, feedback, and suggestions for content. Please feel free to email us: thestandardnz@gmail.com. One or more of the editors look at this during the day.”

    Yeah right!

    Does anyone really read the emails that get sent to the Standard or is that line from the contact page a joke? I don’t want to get sniffy about it, but for the second time, I’ve sent through a guest post and not heard diddly back. Fine if you’re not going to publish it, that’s your call, but I’m confused as to why I’m not at least worth the courtesy of a reply.

    Cheers.

    TRP

    [yeah, it’s not easy finding good help when you’re offering no pay and lots of hours. Your post is already in the queue for tomorrow. Eddie]

    [lprent: I looked at this (again) this morning. But after staggering home at or after 2000 after a hard days coding, cooking, blobbing in front of the TV before bed, and then heading to work at 0630 the following day for the last few weeks…. Well the last few bugs are all that stands between me and a life. The time required to set up a guest post is a bit too long. But the guest posts have been a bit neglected over the last month or so. I think we’re all a bit busy. ]

  20. Santi 20
    19 February 2013 at 3:02 pm

    I’m very sorry to se Chalres Chauvel leaving Parliament. I really am.

  21. Santi 21
    19 February 2013 at 3:05 pm

    I’m very sorry to see Charles Chauvel leaving Parliament. I really am.

    • chris73 22.1
      19 February 2013 at 4:29 pm

      http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10866356

      – Wait its ok, Hones offering to help settle this

      First time I’ve heard violent assault and home invasion being described as a dispute…

      • bad12 22.1.1
        19 February 2013 at 5:34 pm

        What point are you actually trying to make here???, if you are attempting to pillory Hone for the actions of His nephews you would also have to pillory Nick Smith over His brother being prosecuted by the Canterbury Regional Council…

        • chris73 22.1.1.1
          19 February 2013 at 6:08 pm

          The point is they’re drop kick losers who should be in jail but they probably won’t because an mp will use their influence to effect the out come

          • bad12 22.1.1.1.1
            19 February 2013 at 6:22 pm

            Carry on with your defamation, i hope Hone reads that and drags you through the courts to ransack every last cent you possess from what can only be described as a sorry sack of you what…

    • Rogue Trooper 23.1
      19 February 2013 at 4:23 pm

      you psychic marionette you

    • McFlock 23.2
      19 February 2013 at 4:31 pm

      Yep.

      What get’s me is that there’s no “valour” or “exceptionalism” involved – what counts as exceptional drone flying? It’s basically down to logged hours and maybe attributed deaths.

      I don’t think they’re too far from going back to “citizen-soldiers”, but someone comes home from work, logs on, plays a computer game for a couple of hours, and gets experience points that count towards a medal.

      The only change from today is that people on the other side of the planet die.

      Quintessential alienation.

      • chris73 23.2.1
        19 February 2013 at 4:36 pm

        On the other hand its actually a good thing if you can kill the enemy without any of your own side dying…kinda makes it easier for your side

        • GregJ 23.2.1.1
          19 February 2013 at 7:13 pm

          Ahh – channelling Paton:

          “The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his.”

        • McFlock 23.2.1.2
          19 February 2013 at 11:41 pm

          It’s a bad thing to be able to do it too easily, with little or no effort. Becomes easier than thinking about a long term solution – or at least that’s one point the General quoted in the article made.

          And of course, it’s all very well being able to blow shit up and then bounce the rubble around, but the acid test is whether your guy can walk down the street in broad daylight. But then that particular debate goes back to Douhet.

          • chris73 23.2.1.2.1
            20 February 2013 at 7:25 am

            It’s a bad thing to be able to do it too easily, with little or no effort.
            – Depends if you’re the one sitting safely at HQ or the one at the pointy end I guess…

            • muzza 23.2.1.2.1.1
              20 February 2013 at 8:52 am

              Moronic attitude C73.

              The risk is in the degrees of control which these methods lead to. Are drones patrolling skies in war zones and out, really something which is going to take humanity in a positive direction!

              If you’re a parent, or going to be, I hope for your families sake that your comments are not reflective of your actual views!

              Come on man, think a little deeper eh!

              • chris73 …
                20 February 2013 at 9:17 am

                I’m thinking of the poor grunt at the sharp end that has to implement the policies of whatever government of the day is running…hes the one that has to go and do the dirty work.

                Someones son, brother, nephew, father, cousin, uncle, friend has to go and do it and if theres a safer way for that guy to do the job then I’m all for it.

                • muzza …
                  20 February 2013 at 10:39 am

                  There ia always a choice, nobody has to do the dirty work, they chose to, situational or not, you’re talking about taking lives by remote control, based on it being safer for someone else, this is madness.

                  Scope creep, mission creep etc, your words are supporting it!

                  You can tell your family and friends that your position lead to NZ skies being droned, because thats where its headed!

                  • chris73 …
                    20 February 2013 at 11:08 am

                    Correct, they chose to do a job…kill the enemy without (preferably) being killed yourself. They have the technology to do the job safer then ever so it would be morally wrong to deny them the opportunity to do so.

                    You want the killing stopped then look at the governments not the soldiers, its not the soldiers (at least in western democratic countries) that decide to go to war its the politicians and the people that elect (or keep electing them)

                    • muzza …
                      20 February 2013 at 11:28 am

                      its the politicians and the people that elect (or keep electing them)

                      Actually its nothing to do with the politicians deciding anything, The decisions to go to war run far deeper than any front facing political entity, which is not elected!

                      That’s why its even more important that people do not buy into this system, and as such the choice being made to wage war using remote control, is trite!

            • McFlock 23.2.1.2.1.2
              20 February 2013 at 12:43 pm

              True. But that’s the difference between political leadership and soldiers. The leader needs to not just take the easy course, but to find a long term solution to the situation.

              Because if drone strikes happen in perpetuity, what are the odds of people responding to that constant terror putting a bomb in the pilot’s local shopping mall? Or the areas involved shift geopolitically to China or Russia to preserve their internal stability, so the US loses some regional influence, and fifty years down the line the drone pilots’ grandkids end up on the pointy end of ww3? And what happens when opponents get the hang of evading detection/slipping through the surveillance filters – classic assymetric problem. If you kill the chaps as soon as you think you’ve found them, you don’t find out who their friends are or what they’re doing.

              Short term “solutions” can be long term mistakes.

    • joe90 23.3
      19 February 2013 at 6:36 pm

      From couple of years ago, Barbara Ehrenreich: War Without Humans and a ted talk, The Robots of War, by P W Singer, the author of Wired for War and Corporate Warriors:The Rise of the Privatized Military Industry.

      This too.

      http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2013/02/hubris-rachel-maddow-documentary-iraq-war-david-corn

  24. Rogue Trooper 24
    19 February 2013 at 4:22 pm

    sooo, the Ozzie “manufacturing confidence” index is in the low 40’s (N0rty)
    Cosgrove-“significant losses of sub-contractors due to Mainzeal flattening may have an effect on the entire construction industry…
    Williamson up against the wall
    Excellent work by Eugenie Sage nailing and hoeing into Tremain (HBRC debt to increase in excess of 500% by 2021; don’t we love spending other peoples money!)

    Spirituality is In The House, thanks to Winning some tutae 🙂

  25. GregJ 25
    19 February 2013 at 6:06 pm

    If I may briefly slip into my professional field – the Overseas parliamentary news has this fascinating snippet about archiving of email for Danish MPs (it’s about half way down the page).

    MPs will be able to select emails for preservation by the State Archives as part of their day to day email management. Members’ correspondence held in the Archives is generally accessible to the public after 75 years.

    I will be fascinated to see how it will actually work in practice (in my experience recordkeeping is not one of the strengths of most politicians).

    Interesting in light of the recent responses to the Law Commission’s recommendation to extend our OIA to cover Parliament.

  26. bad12 26
    19 February 2013 at 7:32 pm

    Pssst, when you get time to look Lprent, the edit function has thrown a spaz, i can access it but none of the comment that needs editing is showing up…

    • The Al1en 26.2
      19 February 2013 at 9:03 pm

      I can’t even see how to edit in the first place, you must have a bourgeoisie pc. 🙂

      • bad12 26.2.1
        19 February 2013 at 9:24 pm

        Lolz and i thought i was the only computer illiterate round here…

        • The Al1en 26.2.1.1
          19 February 2013 at 9:36 pm

          Seriously, the amount of mistakes I make, the edit function was the second thing I looked for after the ‘self publicise’ button.
          Never found either, even if I only really need the one.

          I run music studio software without breaking (many) synapses, and I’m getting really envious when I read posts with *edit in them. :grrr: 😆

          I’m on Chrome, with pop ups blocked and that’s about it. No edit button.

          • bad12 26.2.1.1.1
            19 February 2013 at 9:55 pm

            Seriously, i mean hell pull the other one,leg that is, it plays Jesus my Lord come unto me, that’s with the backing of the full NZ Symphony orchestra as well,

            The edit function appears next to the delete function on the bottom of your posted comment, Yeee-essss, i feel so computer literacerially superior after having said that,

            And even more so with my coining of a brand new word, wonder if i can patent it…

            • The Al1en 26.2.1.1.1.1
              19 February 2013 at 10:04 pm

              There’s a delete button? Now I’m really getting pissed off 😆
              All I see is ‘reply’, and that’s it, even when logged in.

              If you’re making up words – Is the site being al1enistic by denying me buttons others have?
              I’d write to my mp if it wasn’t macindope.

              • bad12 …
                19 February 2013 at 10:36 pm

                I can only say how saddened i am for your loss as i eagerly await seeing both functions appear as my comment comes up on the page,

                i also now have the sudden urge to deliberately make a large number of errors, both spelling and grammatical, in this latest comment just so i may avail myself of such functions others are not in possession of,

                i will tho resist such an egotistical aberration in character as the aforementioned function tonight only leads to the production of a blank page which in turn leads me to thoughts that perhaps this is the true value of my posted comments…

              • lprent …
                19 February 2013 at 11:10 pm

                Do you have JavaScript enabled? Doesn’t work without it.

    • lprent 26.3
      19 February 2013 at 11:18 pm

      Ok. In the morning….

  27. Toosense 27
    19 February 2013 at 9:26 pm

    Is David Shearer still the leader of the Labour Party?
    And is the Labour Party still the major opposition party?
    There’s been so much going on and it seems that neither David Shearer or anyone else in the Labour party have anything to say. About anything…

    • bad12 27.1
      19 February 2013 at 9:50 pm

      Aw god not another one, next you will be telling us all your a disgruntled member and, ”shrill voice” you wont be voting for them again with that Shearer there….

      • blue leopard 27.1.1
        20 February 2013 at 12:11 am

        @bad12
        Yeah what a bitch that the punters don’t respond the way the Labours strategists (if they have any) think they should.

        Shame on the New Zealand public for being so disobedient!
        Bad New Zealanders!

        (…and take care not criticisze the strategists, its not as though its their job to predict correctly how people will respond…./sarc)

  28. bad12 28
    20 February 2013 at 12:33 am

    Apart from female dogs is there an actual point here that you are trying to get across to me, i fear that if there is my attempts to de-cypher this point,limited i must admit, have failed…

    • blue leopard 28.1
      20 February 2013 at 12:54 am

      Well I was unclear whether you were being sarky in your first comment, so chose to hedge my bets and be sarky in response.

      I am commenting on this trend of criticizing people’s views that express concern about Labour’s or Mr Shearer’s effectiveness, and how it is seeming kind of arse about face in a democracy.

      Despite apparently living in a democracy there appears to be an increasing message that we have to “be nice” and not express dissent to the sham that is going on on both sides of the parliamentary house.

      I mean if everyone just shut up and voted for Labour, it stands to reason they would win. Guess that is how the logic goes.

      I understand that people are paid good money to play the role of political strategist and if any ordinary person not in parliament did their job as badly, as both this government and the Labour party strategists over the last 5 years we would have our arses fired; so a wee bit of negative feedback here and there, really is a very small price to pay, and if listened to, would improve their game.

      • bad12 28.1.1
        20 February 2013 at 2:08 pm

        In answer to that, how many comments have you seen the commenter i was replying to make on the Standard,

        There ‘seems’ to be a trend developing here, and i highlight the word ‘seems’ as this is only a personal observation, that when the ‘i hate Dave S’ crew quiets down it’s criticism of Him up will pop a few ‘names’ here and there who will poke the anti-Shearer fire for signs of life, or to get it raging again,

        These odd commenters who seem like strangers to me could be genuine in their concern about Shearer and having found this site cannot but help unloading such concerns into whatever post they have ‘landed in’ so to speak be that open mike or a specific post on a topic,

        Because of this i give far more ‘weight’ to comments from ‘names’ i recognize as having commented on the site befor and tend to view comments such as the one we are discussing above as just as likely to be posted into the site by those with the specific goal of attempting to destabilize the current Labour leadership for reasons other than concern for that Party…

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    TL;DR: In news breaking this morning:The Ministry of Education is cutting $2 billion from its school building programme so the National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government has enough money to deliver tax cuts; The Government has quietly lowered its child poverty reduction targets to make them easier to achieve;Te Whatu Ora-Health NZ’s ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Weekly Roundup 26-July-2024

    Kia ora. These are some stories that caught our eye this week – as always, feel free to share yours in the comments. Our header image this week (via Eke Panuku) shows the planned upgrade for the Karanga Plaza Tidal Swimming Steps. The week in Greater Auckland On ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    1 day ago
  • God what a relief

    1. What's not to love about the way the Harris campaign is turning things around?a. Nothingb. Love all of itc. God what a reliefd. Not that it will be by any means easye. All of the above 2. Documents released by the Ministry of Health show Associate Health Minister Casey ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 day ago
  • Trust In Me

    Trust in me in all you doHave the faith I have in youLove will see us through, if only you trust in meWhy don't you, you trust me?In a week that saw the release of the 3,000 page Abuse in Care report Christopher Luxon was being asked about Boot Camps. ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • The Hoon around the week to July 26

    TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking about the Royal Commission Inquiry into Abuse in Care report released this week, and with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on a UN push to not recognise carbon offset markets and ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Friday, July 26

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 26, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Transport: Simeon Brown announced $802.9 million in funding for 18 new trains on the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines, which ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Radical law changes needed to build road

    The northern expressway extension from Warkworth to Whangarei is likely to require radical changes to legislation if it is going to be built within the foreseeable future. The Government’s powers to purchase land, the planning process and current restrictions on road tolling are all going to need to be changed ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 day ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #30 2024

    Open access notables Could an extremely cold central European winter such as 1963 happen again despite climate change?, Sippel et al., Weather and Climate Dynamics: Here, we first show based on multiple attribution methods that a winter of similar circulation conditions to 1963 would still lead to an extreme seasonal ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago
  • First they came for the Māori

    Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedFirst they came for the doctors But I was confused by the numbers and costs So I didn't speak up Then they came for our police and nurses And I didn't think we could afford those costs anyway So I ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    2 days ago
  • Join us for the weekly Hoon on YouTube Live

    Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on UnsplashWe’re back again after our mid-winter break. We’re still with the ‘new’ day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when we have our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Will the real PM Luxon please stand up?

    Notes: This is a free article. Abuse in Care themes are mentioned. Video is at the bottom.BackgroundYesterday’s report into Abuse in Care revealed that at least 1 in 3 of all who went through state and faith based care were abused - often horrifically. At least, because not all survivors ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    2 days ago
  • Will debt reduction trump abuse in care redress?

    Luxon speaks in Parliament yesterday about the Abuse in Care report. Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:PM Christopher Luxon said yesterday in tabling the Abuse in Care report in Parliament he wanted to ‘do the ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Olywhites and Time Bandits

    About a decade ago I worked with a bloke called Steve. He was the grizzled veteran coder, a few years older than me, who knew where the bodies were buried - code wise. Despite his best efforts to be approachable and friendly he could be kind of gruff, through to ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Why were the 1930s so hot in North America?

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters and Bob Henson Those who’ve trawled social media during heat waves have likely encountered a tidbit frequently used to brush aside human-caused climate change: Many U.S. states and cities had their single hottest temperature on record during the 1930s, setting incredible heat marks ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago
  • Throwback Thursday – Thinking about Expressways

    Some of the recent announcements from the government have reminded us of posts we’ve written in the past. Here’s one from early 2020. There were plenty of reactions to the government’s infrastructure announcement a few weeks ago which saw them fund a bunch of big roading projects. One of ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    2 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Thursday, July 25

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Thursday, July 25 are:News: Why Electric Kiwi is closing to new customers - and why it matters RNZ’s Susan EdmundsScoop: Government drops ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • The Possum: Demon or Friend?

    Hi,I felt a small wet tongue snaking through one of the holes in my Crocs. It explored my big toe, darting down one side, then the other. “He’s looking for some toe cheese,” said the woman next to me, words that still haunt me to this day.Growing up in New ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago
  • Not a story

    Yesterday I happily quoted the Prime Minister without fact-checking him and sure enough, it turns out his numbers were all to hell. It’s not four kg of Royal Commission report, it’s fourteen.My friend and one-time colleague-in-comms Hazel Phillips gently alerted me to my error almost as soon as I’d hit ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Thursday, July 25

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Thursday, July 25, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day were:The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry published its final report yesterday.PM Christopher Luxon and The Minister responsible for ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • A tougher line on “proactive release”?

    The Official Information Act has always been a battle between requesters seeking information, and governments seeking to control it. Information is power, so Ministers and government agencies want to manage what is released and when, for their own convenience, and legality and democracy be damned. Their most recent tactic for ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago
  • 'Let's build a motorway costing $100 million per km, before emissions costs'

    TL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:Transport and Energy Minister Simeon Brown is accelerating plans to spend at least $10 billion through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to extend State Highway One as a four-lane ‘Expressway’ from Warkworth to Whangarei ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Lester's Prescription – Positive Bleeding.

    I live my life (woo-ooh-ooh)With no control in my destinyYea-yeah, yea-yeah (woo-ooh-ooh)I can bleed when I want to bleedSo come on, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)You can bleed when you want to bleedYea-yeah, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)Everybody bleed when they want to bleedCome on and bleedGovernments face tough challenges. Selling unpopular decisions to ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Casey Costello gaslights Labour in the House

    Please note:To skip directly to the- parliamentary footage in the video, scroll to 1:21 To skip to audio please click on the headphone icon on the left hand side of the screenThis video / audio section is under development. ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    3 days ago
  • Why is the Texas grid in such bad shape?

    This is a re-post from the Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler Headline from 2021 The Texas grid, run by ERCOT, has had a rough few years. In 2021, winter storm Uri blacked out much of the state for several days. About a week ago, Hurricane Beryl knocked out ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on a textbook case of spending waste by the Luxon government

    Given the crackdown on wasteful government spending, it behooves me to point to a high profile example of spending by the Luxon government that looks like a big, fat waste of time and money. I’m talking about the deployment of NZDF personnel to support the US-led coalition in the Red ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    3 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Wednesday, July 24

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:40 am on Wednesday, July 24 are:Deep Dive: Chipping away at the housing crisis, including my comments RNZ/Newsroom’s The DetailNews: Government softens on asset sales, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • LXR Takaanini

    As I reported about the city centre, Auckland’s rail network is also going through a difficult and disruptive period which is rapidly approaching a culmination, this will result in a significant upgrade to the whole network. Hallelujah. Also like the city centre this is an upgrade predicated on the City ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    3 days ago
  • Four kilograms of pain

    Today, a 4 kilogram report will be delivered to Parliament. We know this is what the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care weighs, because our Prime Minister told us so.Some reporter had blindsided him by asking a question about something done by ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Wednesday, July 24

    TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Wednesday, July 24, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Beehive: Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced plans to use PPPs to fund, build and run a four-lane expressway between Auckland ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Luxon gets caught out

    NewstalkZB host Mike Hosking, who can usually be relied on to give Prime Minister Christopher Luxon an easy run, did not do so yesterday when he interviewed him about the HealthNZ deficit. Luxon is trying to use a deficit reported last year by HealthNZ as yet another example of the ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago
  • A worrying sign

    Back in January a StatsNZ employee gave a speech at Rātana on behalf of tangata whenua in which he insulted and criticised the government. The speech clearly violated the principle of a neutral public service, and StatsNZ started an investigation. Part of that was getting an external consultant to examine ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Are we fine with 47.9% home-ownership by 2048?

    Renting for life: Shared ownership initiatives are unlikely to slow the slide in home ownership by much. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:A Deloitte report for Westpac has projected Aotearoa’s home-ownership rate will ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Let's Win This

    You're broken down and tiredOf living life on a merry go roundAnd you can't find the fighterBut I see it in you so we gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsWe gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsAnd I'll rise upI'll rise like the dayI'll rise upI'll rise unafraidI'll rise upAnd I'll ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • Waimahara: The Singing Spirit of Water

    There’s been a change in Myers Park. Down the steps from St. Kevin’s Arcade, past the grassy slopes, the children’s playground, the benches and that goat statue, there has been a transformation. The underpass for Mayoral Drive has gone from a barren, grey, concrete tunnel, to a place that thrums ...
    Greater AucklandBy Connor Sharp
    4 days ago
  • A major milestone: Global climate pollution may have just peaked

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global society may have finally slammed on the brakes for climate-warming pollution released by human fossil fuel combustion. According to the Carbon Monitor Project, the total global climate pollution released between February and May 2024 declined slightly from the amount released during the same ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Tuesday, July 23

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Tuesday, July 23 are:Deep Dive: Penlink: where tolling rhetoric meets reality BusinessDesk-$$$’s Oliver LewisScoop: Te Pūkenga plans for regional polytechs leak out ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Tuesday, July 23

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announced the Board of Te Whatu Ora- Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • HealthNZ and Luxon at cross purposes over budget blowout

    Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • 2500-3000 more healthcare staff expected to be fired, as Shane Reti blames Labour for a budget defic...

    Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    4 days ago
  • Might Kamala Harris be about to get a 'stardust' moment like Jacinda Ardern?

    As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
    PunditBy Tim Watkin
    5 days ago
  • Solutions Interview: Steven Hail on MMT & ecological economics

    TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
    The KakaBy Steven Hail
    5 days ago
  • Reported back

    The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Vandrad the Viking, Christopher Coombes, and Literary Archaeology

    Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell On The Biden Withdrawal

    History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    5 days ago
  • Joe Biden's withdrawal puts the spotlight back on Kamala and the USA's complicated relatio...

    This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    5 days ago
  • Why we have to challenge our national fiscal assumptions

    A homeless person’s camp beside a blocked-off slipped damage walkway in Freeman’s Bay: we are chasing our tail on our worsening and inter-related housing, poverty and climate crises. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Existential Crisis and Damaged Brains

    What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • A speed limit is not a target, and yet…

    This is a guest post from longtime supporter Mr Plod, whose previous contributions include a proposal that Hamilton become New Zealand’s capital city, and that we should switch which side of the road we drive on. A recent Newsroom article, “Back to school for the Govt’s new speed limit policy“, ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Monday, July 22

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Monday, July 22

    TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #29

    A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago
  • I'd like to share what I did this weekend

    This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • For the children – Why mere sentiment can be a misleading force in our lives, and lead to unex...

    National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Order image, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • A friend in uncertain times

    Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • The Chaotic World of Male Diet Influencers

    Hi,We’ll get to the horrific world of male diet influencers (AKA Beefy Boys) shortly, but first you will be glad to know that since I sent out the Webworm explaining why the assassination attempt on Donald Trump was not a false flag operation, I’ve heard from a load of people ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • It's Starting To Look A Lot Like… Y2K

    Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Bernard’s Saturday Soliloquy for the week to July 20

    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Pharmac Director, Climate Change Commissioner, Health NZ Directors – The latest to quit this m...

    Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 week ago
  • Flooding Housing Policy

    The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    1 week ago
  • A Voyage Among the Vandals: Accepted (Again!)

    As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā's Chorus for Friday, July 19

    An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Friday, July 19

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Roundup 19-July-2024

    Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Climate Wrap: A market-led plan for failure

    TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Tobacco First

    Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Trump’s Adopted Son.

    Waiting In The Wings: For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Friday, July 19

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSA announced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • The Hoon around the week to July 19

    TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent talking about the National-ACT-NZ First Government’s release of its first Emissions Reduction Plan;University of Otago Foreign Relations Professor and special guest Dr Karin von ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #29 2024

    Open access notables Improving global temperature datasets to better account for non-uniform warming, Calvert, Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society: To better account for spatial non-uniform trends in warming, a new GITD [global instrumental temperature dataset] was created that used maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) to combine the land surface ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago

  • Joint statement from the Prime Ministers of Canada, Australia and New Zealand

    Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue.  We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    17 hours ago
  • AG reminds institutions of legal obligations

    Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago
  • More young people learning about digital safety

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views.  “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago
  • Speech to the Conference for General Practice 2024

    Tēnā tātou katoa,  Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    22 hours ago
  • Employers and payroll providers ready for tax changes

    New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts.  “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Experimental vineyard futureproofs wine industry

    An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Funding confirmed for regions affected by North Island Weather Events

    The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Indonesian Foreign Minister to visit

    Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced.   “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Strengthening partnership with Ngāti Maniapoto

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