Open mike 19/03/2014

Written By: - Date published: 6:48 am, March 19th, 2014 - 227 comments
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227 comments on “Open mike 19/03/2014 ”

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  1. millsy 1
    19 March 2014 at 7:24 am

    Apparently Labour releases its forestry policy to-day.

    I hope we see something decent, though from the sneak peek, I doubt that we will be seeing a change from the policy since 1990 to have the government exit from commercial forestry (which we kinda need before we can sort the other issues (health and safety, lack of added value, etc).)

    • Allyson 1.1
      19 March 2014 at 9:50 am

      Hi Millsey. I think we have moved on from the 70’s early 80’s regarding Health and safety. In a potentially dangerous workplace it now comes as first priority.

    • Tracey 1.2
      19 March 2014 at 12:42 pm

      Wooden it be lovely – Labour’s forestry and wood processing plan:

      Tax deferrals in the form of accelerated depreciation to encourage industry to invest in new technology and plant.
      A pro-wood government procurement policy for government-funded buildings up to four storeys high to boost the domestic market.
      Suspensory loans to encourage new forest planting.
      Forestry taskforces for long-term unemployed.
      Introduce legacy forest status to protect our indigenous forest”

    • greywarbler 1.3
      19 March 2014 at 6:40 pm

      Looks reasonable Millsy don’t you think. Some good incentives.

  2. bad12 2
    19 March 2014 at 7:42 am

    Clap,clap,clap, nice one Labour, while Jacinda Adhern gave a good speech in the Parliament yesterday pointing out the miniscule amount of dollars involved in the ‘fraud’ surrounding those receiving WINZ support as a single person while in a ‘relationship’, Labour voted FOR the Legislation,

    Jacinda also stressed the billions of dollars lost annually to the State from tax avoidance/evasion where the Government has no plans to take any action whatsoever to recover this ‘fraud’ nor target the partners of such fraud who obviously benefit from this billion dollar tax evasion/avoidance,

    Fail badly again Labour,(1),failure one for Labour is that if they have a plan to get stuck into the tax avoiders/evaders none of us have heard a word about it, decrying such behavior in the Parliament is all well and good, BUT, if there is no plan to give the rich wankers who make sport out of tax evasion a kicking in the same vein as National’s latest piece of ‘kick the poor’ Legislation then why bother,

    Fail badly again Labour,(2),failure two Labour is that this piece of Legislation is a simple ‘Bene bash’ which will be mostly used against beneficiaries that are in relationships together, the cost of prosecution and recovery will far outweigh any monies the State will be able to recover and in most of these cases the monies recovered will be coming from a benefit anyway,

    What the vote for this piece of ‘bene bashing’ Legislation says is that Labour with the odd slight reservation supports Legislation which in the current era where what employment there is, is of a rotational nature, gives those in the bottom 30% of the economy a kicking and then expects this 30% at the bottom of the economy to vote for Labour???,

    When Labour point out to the Tories in the top 30% of the economy that for every piece of ‘bene bashing’ Legislation passed in the Parliament during Nationals tenure there will be an equal piece of Legislation targeting the income of that top 30% of the economy during the next Labour tenure there might just be a climate forthcoming where such ‘bene bashing’ Legislation does not come befor the House,

    i would suggest that the Labour support for this piece of Legislation will be a further impetus for the ‘missing million’ to stay home on voting day…

    • karol 2.1
      19 March 2014 at 8:41 am

      Thanks for the excellent run down on this, bad.

      Videos here.

      • bad12 2.1.1
        19 March 2014 at 9:09 am

        Tah for the video Karol, i didn’t subject myself to the whole debate, just had a good listen to Jacinda’s speech,

        While that was good stuff from Jacinda it became pretty pointless when Labour voted for the Legislation,

        Does not Labour understand, every bit of ‘bene bashing’ Legislation resonates far further than ashing…’just’ those who rely on a benefit, mostly for a short time, at any given time,

        The nature of employment for the bottom 30% of the economy is increasingly of a rotational nature and such instability of employment leaves that 30% all too aware that they may be next out the door,

        Any, and i mean ANY perceived attack on those on benefits is seen by that bottom 30% of economy and their wider families as an attack on them,

        Big Ups to the Green Party, Mana, and,the Maori Party who voted NO to this ugly little piece of beneficiary bashing…

        • Rosie 2.1.1.1
          19 March 2014 at 9:41 am

          “While that was good stuff from Jacinda it became pretty pointless when Labour voted for the Legislation,…”

          Ain’t that the truth Bad12. Her words are equal to a “but” in a sentence, the good core of the sentence is negated by the “but”, in this case the “but” is, “we vote with National on this”. Her words are meaningless in light of their support for penalising partners of benefit fraud.

          Disappointing and frustrating too, at a time when Labour are getting (most often) unfair and unnecessarily criticism from both Left and Right, and one is doing one’s best to remain positive and encouraging of friends and family to thoughtfully consider their vote this year!!! Especially when you get that line “they’re all the same, theres no point voting”. Can’t deny that in this instance they are the same. It’s these actions that make it more difficult to “promote” the Labour Party to others.

          Good on the Greens, Mana and Maori Parties. It seems they have thought about it a bit more carefully.

          • bad12 2.1.1.1.1
            19 March 2014 at 10:29 am

            Yes Rosie, unfortunately i have to agree, the latest vote for ‘kick a bene’ Legislation, the policy surrounding raising the age of superannuation, the KiwiBuild policy,

            None of this speaks to the 30% in the bottom of the economy, proposing policy that directly or indirectly disadvantages that 30% in favor of those who have profited greatly from the past 30 years is hardly a means by which to secure their vote,

            While i should be championing Labour’s cause in its present guise i find i can’t,my politics have changed not one iota in 40 years, i support the Labour Principles as expounded by Norman Kirks Government,

            Its a pity that Labour only seem to support such principles in word only, yesterdays Yes vote to the latest piece of ‘kick a bene today’ Legislation says that is so,

            Labour havn’t learned a fucking thing nor changed an iota as far as i can see since the fiasco surrounding David shearer’s ‘bene on the roof’ speech, and that is downright sad…

            • Ergo Robertina 2.1.1.1.1.1
              19 March 2014 at 11:08 am

              From David Cunliffe’s Werewolf interview:

              ‘Gordon Campbell: We’ve got ten minutes. I haven’t asked about your welfare policy, so I’ll make it specific. We all oppose fraud. Does Labour oppose the government’s new welfare fraud policy whereby the partners of welfare fraudsters will be criminally liable for the fraud, and for the repayment of the entire amount – and not simply for the amount from which they might have indirectly benefitted. If re-elected will Labour retain this provision or scrap it ?

              David Cunliffe: Scrap it.

              WHY not just oppose the entire legislation this week, to highlight the unfairness of this provision?
              Labour could have used it to highlight the scale of tax avoidance.
              Instead we get useless hand-wringing from Jacinda Ardern.
              More evidence of Labour’s ambivalence and confusion. At least one MP ought to have voted against the party on this one!

              • bad12 …
                19 March 2014 at 2:06 pm

                And right there Ergo Robertina is Labour’s BIG problem, who the Hell knows what Labour stand for exactly,

                Are there two Labour Parties, one lead by David Cunliffe saying one thing and another lead by who the fuck knows voting another thing in the House…

            • Tracey 2.1.1.1.1.2
              19 March 2014 at 11:28 am

              and could hand the nation back to national for another three years. THATS the really sad bit

        • amirite 2.1.1.2
          19 March 2014 at 12:43 pm

          +1000 bad12, and they wonder why is their support sliding down.
          I think that for the first time ion my life I’ll give my vote to someone other than Labour, and it will most likely be Mana.

          • bad12 2.1.1.2.1
            19 March 2014 at 2:11 pm

            Amirite, for me that ‘unthinkable’ action occurred at the point beneficiaries were denied access to Working for Families, i personally stood to gain nothing from this policy, but, Labours actions at that time were the last straw,

            My Party membership is now with the Green Party, but, should the Party numbers hold up going into vote 2014 Mana might get mine as well…

            • Mark F 2.1.1.2.1.1
              19 March 2014 at 4:27 pm

              I somehow think the irony of the “unthinkable” action beneficiaries being denied access to “Working” for Families is somehow lost on you.

              • bad12 …
                19 March 2014 at 4:58 pm

                Mark F, i somehow think that the intricacies of not naming that particular benefit Working for families is lost on you,

                A universal family benefit would have been the favor of a non-Neo-Liberal Labour Party who would have seen that if the children of the middle class needed such monies directed at them then the children of beneficiaries needed it 3 times as much,

                Your and the wad below SSLands whole argument rests on the belief that beneficiaries are such as a life-long proposition, when the truth is the vast majority of beneficiaries are short term users of the system and their children should not be punished by events they have no control over…

                • srylands …
                  19 March 2014 at 5:15 pm

                  FFS I am sure you mean “lad” rather than “wad”. Or is this more toilet insults?

                  It is all about incentives, son. Low income workers are simply not going to tolerate your proposition.

                  Anyway, you are a liar, or at least making stuff up. More than 70,000 welfare recipients have been on the benefit more than 12 months.

                  You are on the losing side of history.

                  • bad12 …
                    19 March 2014 at 5:38 pm

                    Wad is the word for you SSLands…

                    • Mark F …
                      19 March 2014 at 6:00 pm

                      Again let’s not argue the issue, albeit you started to, but when that gets too hard let’s just throw insults around at the commentators as an answer.

                    • bad12 …
                      19 March 2014 at 6:29 pm

                      Insult you MarkF, i see none, if i were insulting you i would have used words in the vein of ”sod of you piece of shit,i have the intention of spending as much time on you as i do scraping dog-shit off of the bottom of my gumboots”,

                      Now you didn’t see me answer you in that vein did you???, thus no insult was tendered at you so your comment is spurious,

                      What’s to argue, we all know that Working for Families was designed and named in such a way so as to deliberately shut out benefit reliant families from accessing it,

                      The price paid for that by Labour is the loss of my vote and i would suggest the loss of many other’s votes as well…full stop, i see nothing to debate…

                  • freedom …
                    19 March 2014 at 6:12 pm

                    here’s a thought srylands, maybe they are having trouble locating one of the promised 170,000 jobs

              • Murray Olsen …
                19 March 2014 at 11:23 pm

                The policy should have never been called Working for Families. It should have been named honestly, something along the lines of Paying Workers Less. The only families it was designed to help were those of employers and business owners.

            • srylands 2.1.1.2.1.2
              19 March 2014 at 4:31 pm

              How absurd. WFF is an in work tax credit. Why on earth should welfare recipients get it???

              • Akldnut …
                19 March 2014 at 8:15 pm

                Piss off nut job.

                WFF is as much a subsidy to Employers who don’t pay enough to meet the cost of living for workers who earn under a stated/certain amount.

                Being paid a living wage = no WFF, therefore the obligation/need to raise wages is zero.

                Ergo the employer is benefiting from the state payment more as much as the recipient.

              • felix …
                20 March 2014 at 6:05 am

                Typical srylands, all that matters is to you is how you categorise it.

                So let’s categorise it thus: WFF is an in work tax credit allowance for people who otherwise aren’t paid enough to live on.

                Oh look, now people on benefits can get it too!

                Fucking robot.

    • Ad 2.2
      19 March 2014 at 8:50 am

      +10 Bad.
      Labour should propose legislation that supports the courts to break through family trust shields in which whole extended families get mightily tax efficient. Such trusts should be for the protection of intergenerational assets.

      Dust off the trusts from all those dudes from finance companies who are now in jail. In fact while we’re at it, make family trusts vulnerable to the Proceeds of Crime Act, and make financial crimes as well as drug crimes come under its powers.

      Not that I envy or begrudge the rich, mind; I simply want the criminally bad ones really crushed like bugs!

      • bad12 2.2.1
        19 March 2014 at 9:26 am

        Totally agree with you Ad, and while such Legislation was being put through the Parliament Labour should be informing National that for every instance of ‘bene bashing’ promoted while National are the Government there will be an equal piece that specifically targets the criminals supporting National at the top end of the economy when Labour hold the Treasury Benches,

        And do that informing loudly and at every opportunity,

        i am truly saddened by the Labour stance where they ‘seem’ to be terrified of having an accusation made against them by National of ”being soft on beneficiaries”,

        Of course the previous sentence is the ‘kind’ interpretation and i would suggest that many a Labour MP has the same mindset surrounding beneficiaries as their counterparts currently in the Government,

        While none of us can openly condone any fraud committed by a beneficiary, most of that which will be the target of this Legislation, despite Nationals weasel words, will be action taken against other beneficiaries in such relationships, in reality, small fraud based upon ‘need’ where the amount will be as little as 40 or 50 bucks a week,

        Meanwhile the millionaires in the top 30% of the economy, those who vote National and sometimes Labour if enough of a cash reward is on offer, rip the tax systems for 100’s of millions of dollars on a weekly basis based not on ‘need’ but pure naked ‘greed’…

        • Tracey 2.2.1.1
          19 March 2014 at 10:31 am

          people forget the sweep of beneficiaries under the last labour govt. they did a big fraud investigation in or about 2007.

          they seem happy to court the tax avoiders and be seen to be hard on beneficiaries now but expect us to think they will be nice once elected.

          vote green for compassionate nz

          • phillip ure 2.2.1.1.1
            19 March 2014 at 4:43 pm

            plus they took away income from beneficiaries when in power..

            ..nothing has changed..

            ..aarderns’ handwringing means s.f.a…

            ..fucken poxy neo-lib/beneficiary-bashing bastards..

            ..how can any labour people here hold their fucken heads up..?

        • srylands 2.2.1.2
          19 March 2014 at 10:56 am

          “Meanwhile the millionaires in the top 30% of the economy, those who vote National and sometimes Labour if enough of a cash reward is on offer, rip the tax systems for 100′s of millions of dollars on a weekly basis based not on ‘need’ but pure naked ‘greed’…”

          Honestly this is simply a fantasy of your warped smoker addled mind. If you have evidence of tax evasion, report it with evidence to IRD.

          You should see someone about your tobacco induced paranoid delusions.

          How much tax do you pay? None. When that changes you can enter the debate. In the interim be thankful to all the rich pricks who support you.

          • freedom 2.2.1.2.1
            19 March 2014 at 11:01 am

            “legitimate Tax avoidance”

            sound familiar srylands?

          • vto 2.2.1.2.2
            19 March 2014 at 11:02 am

            How much do you contribute to society? (and financial tricksters don’t contribute). None. When that changes you can enter the debate. In the interim be thankful to the people in the street who let you get away with the shit you pull.

          • framu 2.2.1.2.3
            19 March 2014 at 12:21 pm

            “How much tax do you pay? None.”

            well im in the top tax bracket and i would guess thats many commentators here are at least tax positive

            how about you take you stupid insults back to australia?

            • greywarbler 2.2.1.2.3.1
              19 March 2014 at 1:04 pm

              Why don’t you stop consorting with that badass srylands. He’ll lead you to tearing your hair out. Why stress. He’s dross. He represents the zombies of the world.
              He’s just a computer flick of electricity that must be kept alive by being responded to. If you leave him he will eventually go to sleep and there will be a blank screen with no srylands on it. He will cease to exist for us.

              • freedom …
                19 March 2014 at 1:29 pm

                don’t fret on the srylands GW

                E’s a stiff! Bereft of life, ‘e swims in hate! If we feed him facts, he throws back polls’. ‘Is cerebral processes are fungal! ‘E’s off the twig! ‘E’s dumber than a bucket and half as useful, ‘e’s shuffled off the rational world, run down the street intellectually naked and joined the bleedin’ choir immutable!! THIS IS AN EX-THINKER!!

                my sincere apologies to Pyhtons everywhere,
                you are and always will be our masters of mirth

                • greywarbler …
                  19 March 2014 at 2:40 pm

                  Pyhtons will forgive you I am sure. Very creative. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery etc.

                  But I hesitate in doubt. Does he actually bring up the sort of stuff-it arguments that the conservative fatcats would resort to? Is he useful because he helps us to see into the wrong end of the telescope where everything seems so small and clear? Perhaps I am trying to deny us a rich resource of fertile bullshit that would help our ideas grow!!

              • framu …
                19 March 2014 at 2:09 pm

                “He’ll lead you to tearing your hair out” its a bit late for that 🙂

                but your right – its best to not go too far down the garden path with that one

                • greywarbler …
                  19 March 2014 at 2:38 pm

                  Come into the garden Maude. He’ll lead you down the garden path all right.
                  Forget maude, try mordant. Or nothing. Will wither like a dead leaf. He’s useful for word play. But we have plenty of more pressing subjects.

          • bad12 2.2.1.2.4
            19 March 2014 at 2:02 pm

            Diddums SSLands, despite the restrictions you would wish to place upon my ability to enter the debate here at the Standard i will of course (a) ignore your pathetic whining, and (b),continue to laugh at you, albeit admittedly cruelly, as some form of congenital retard barely able to perambulate with un-scraped knuckles,

            There is clear evidence in the Victoria University study of the amounts of tax evasion/avoidance currently occurring within our economy,

            The recent announcement of a ‘slower than normal’ tax take of some 800 million dollars adjudged to be payable from the GDP figures and the IRD’s own estimates shows that ‘tax cheating’ is escalating to a point where it will be considered a sport much the same as was the case within the economy of Greece befor that economy collapsed,

            Of course as far as Business is concerned the first port of call for Legislation designed to put a stop to the billion+ dollar annual tax fraud should be the mandatory jailing of all the enablers of such tax fraud along with the fraudsters,while having all their assets seized as possibly the proceeds of crime,

            The fact that you appear to work for that little firm of tax lawyers up on the Terrace would make you SSLands one of the first in line to be turned upside down by investigators, tossed in a jail cell and have your pathetically small pile of plunder handed over to the State,

            You would have obviously earned such treatment…

      • The Lone Haranguer 2.2.2
        19 March 2014 at 11:01 am

        Ad, its hard to argue with your sentiments, all criminality is essentially the same.

        I am bemused with your “I simply want the criminally bad ones really crushed like bugs”. The vindictive bit in me agrees wholeheartedly (hey I celebrate when the Finance Coy directors go to jail) but I worry that reflects as badly on my character as much as on theirs.

        Are you saying that the “criminally bad” benes (last seen on roofs apparently) should also be crushed like bugs?

        Are we supporting “Punishment” for the white collar criminals, and “rehabilitation” for bene criminals here? Are we progressive, or are we old school punitive?

        • Ad 2.2.2.1
          19 March 2014 at 12:29 pm

          I am saying that those financial directors who have been proven guilty of fraud should have their trusts unwound.

          • freedom 2.2.2.1.1
            19 March 2014 at 1:33 pm

            Absolutely AD
            If beneficiaries’ partners and their families can be driven down into further poverty by having their assets seized, how is it fair that these trusts float above it all and the families of those convicted continue to receive the benefit of their largesse.

        • greywarbler 2.2.2.2
          19 March 2014 at 1:11 pm

          TeLone H
          Like your pseudo.

    • MrSmith 2.3
      19 March 2014 at 9:33 am

      Yes Bad12 looks like Labour is joining National’s beneficiary bashing crusade, great way to push a few more of those 800k disaffected voters over to the Greens , Labour the party that just keeps giving.

      • bad12 2.3.1
        19 March 2014 at 9:53 am

        For what its worth MrSmith, the amount of monies spent on detecting, prosecuting, punishing, and, recovering such small fraud will far outweigh any monies recovered,

        As the Green parties Jan Logie pointed out, there is a small financial advantage of two beneficiaries living together in an undeclared relationship,

        The monies proposed to be spent on detecting and prosecuting this minor fraud would be far better spent providing a financial incentive for such beneficiaries living in such relationships to be open about such relationships with WINZ,

        A simple adjustment where the relationship when declared gave the combined benefit income an extra 10-20 dollars over and above the combined single benefits of both of those in the relationship,(if such were both beneficiaries),would simply see such fraud cease to exist,

        The cost of doing so would be no more to the State than that spent upon detecting,prosecuting,punishing, and, recovering monies from beneficiaries than what is now being proposed as spending by this Legislation…

    • greywarbler 2.4
      19 March 2014 at 10:30 am

      Listening to the radio this morning – this is how I feel.
      Labour speaks against the bene fraud penalties being extended and makes a good point about all those happy partners of financial scammers living on the ill gotten deeds of their sneaky slimy mates who deserve the same legal charges.. But that would upset some very superior, well dressed, respected members of higher class society. Who are just gangster molls or pimps really.

      But they never get called on whose money they have been using to maintain their nice life style. And their partner spends a little time in prison or on detention and the one at home has the goodies in their name, and if they have been on top of all the dodges, they will have a cache of money overseas.

      Then Labour votes for the legislation. WTF.

      Then Labour speaks against the electoral legislation attempting to control fraud. Labour minimises the fraud by a Labour candidate, which does no good for Labour’s image. Mojo Mathers makes a comment that it is patronising or dismissive of the Bill using the word ‘gestures’ as an assistance when there are difficulties with speech. Which is a silly petty attitude from her. Goff gets up and thunders about nothing at all.

      The whole thing seems to have been a backward step by Labour and driven by a desire not to agree with anything the NACTs do. I don’t know if it was a good Bill or not, but it should not have been attacked by Goff as he did. Just mindless thunder from him. Bloody political rhetoric and parliamentary stageiness which results in us not getting the good sensible governance that we need.

      I’m pissed off.

    • srylands 2.5
      19 March 2014 at 10:48 am

      “there is no plan to give the rich wankers who make sport out of tax evasion”

      This is pure myth.

      • thatguynz 2.5.1
        19 March 2014 at 10:54 am

        So what is the plan then if the absence thereof is a myth?

      • bad12 2.5.2
        19 March 2014 at 1:48 pm

        Weirder than usual SSLands, i thought that not possible in your case, but, just goes to show we learn something new everyday,

        Was the comment so abridged and unintelligible because of a choking apoplectic rage on your part…

        • framu 2.5.2.1
          19 March 2014 at 2:12 pm

          the funny thing is hes talking about a question that was raised in the comments

          so is the question a myth? – dont think so as its there up thread

          can a question asked, ever be a myth?

    • Murray Olsen 2.6
      19 March 2014 at 11:18 pm

      Jacinda is bloody hopeless. She’s blaming a few struggling beneficiaries for the mess the ACT governments have made of the country. That’s modern Labour for you. They cut back Social Security and then say they have to be hard on beneficiaries to preserve the gains made by Savage. Nobody on a benefit is going to take solace from the fact that Labour treats them like shit because it loves them, while NAct treats them like shit because it hates them. Strangely enough, most are unlikely to get the level of sophistication implicit in the Labour message. That warm glow from being loved won’t pay the rent.

  3. tc 3
    19 March 2014 at 7:43 am

    Oravida anybody? Has our msm grown bored with another corruption tale involving a nat minister, theres enough for an entire section.

    • BM 3.1
      19 March 2014 at 7:47 am

      It’s tedious and boring beyond belief and no one gives a shit that she got a free meal.

      But keep pushing it Labour, it hurts you more than it hurts National.

      • Tracey 3.1.1
        19 March 2014 at 8:01 am

        whereas signing a painting to help a charity raise money….

      • North 3.1.2
        19 March 2014 at 8:23 am

        And how alarming that BM’s standard reflects this – ” If I can get away with it……all good…….everyone stop moaning “.

        The sociopathy of the criminal mindset. Some fine role model !

        • BM 3.1.2.1
          19 March 2014 at 8:39 am

          Some one brought her a meal !!!!
          My God that outrageous!!!!!

          Why hasn’t John Key sacked her !!!!!, why isn’t this all over the news 24 hours a day !!!!!,

          Damn you MSM,VRWC, RSS for keeping all the citizens in the dark about what’s truly going on.

          • marty mars 3.1.2.1.1
            19 March 2014 at 9:03 am

            I think plans are already underway to make a movie out of this – jennifer lawrence to play collins and woody harrleson to play key. Apparently it won’t be a rom/com but they are going for a shootemup thriller like the bourne ones. Not sure what the rough titles are but crusher is definitely in there – gold they say gold!

      • felix 3.1.3
        19 March 2014 at 8:31 am

        Free meal? ‘the fuck has that got to do with it?

        She got caught out spending her work time giving special assistance to a company that gave her party $55,000 and is pretty much owned and run by her family and close friends and National party colleagues.

        • Te Reo Putake 3.1.3.1
          19 March 2014 at 8:43 am

          I’d go further than ‘owned by her family’, felix. As a married couple, they are in effect a single economic unit. For example, should they divorce, their incomes would be assessed and shared equitably. What’s good for Orivida is a financial benefit for Collins.

        • BM 3.1.3.2
          19 March 2014 at 8:45 am

          No, it’s all about the free meal and the fact that she “dropped in” on the way to the airport and Oravida wasn’t directly between her last appointment and the airport.

          Truly appalling.

          • vto 3.1.3.2.1
            19 March 2014 at 8:50 am

            sheesh……

            political favours for her family

          • Te Reo Putake 3.1.3.2.2
            19 March 2014 at 8:52 am

            So you’re cool with Ministers lying, BM? Good to know how low the standards are in your world, puts a lot of your comments in context.

          • Ron 3.1.3.2.3
            19 March 2014 at 9:18 am

            As revealed in parliament yesterday the Oravida offices were in the opposite direction from the airport so it was certainly not on the way to the airport.
            The minister admitted she was not aware of the geography she was not good with directions. Key would say Amen to that.

            No, it’s all about the free meal and the fact that she “dropped in” on the way to the airport

          • felix 3.1.3.2.4
            19 March 2014 at 9:44 am

            Ok BM, you just keep going on and on about the meal and let the adults handle the serious stuff.

            Every bit helps. There’s a good trool.

          • Tracey 3.1.3.2.5
            19 March 2014 at 11:25 am

            a thirty kilometre detour in the opposite direction now appears in bm’s dictionary beside ” drop in”

          • framu 3.1.3.2.6
            19 March 2014 at 12:26 pm

            your utterly wrong BM – the reporting of the whole saga is focused on much more than that – if one can read one should know this

            im guessing you can read

          • risildowgtn 3.1.3.2.7
            19 March 2014 at 2:06 pm

            BM….

            Even you cant be that fucking thick to believe the shit you spin…… but then again

        • Pasupial 3.1.3.3
          19 March 2014 at 9:14 am

          It isn’t forgotten about in this morning’s ODT:

          When first asked about the visit to the offices of the company on whose board her husband David Wong-Tung serves, Ms Collins said it was to “have a cup of tea on the way to the airport”. But her claim the visit was for a casual cup of tea rang false after a formal invitation from the company two weeks before was released under the Official Information Act. Yesterday the cup of tea was looking even less casual after Labour MP Grant Robertson asked whether she was aware “that Oravida’s headquarters are 30km in the opposite direction… [Ms Collins said] “I had no idea where I was.”

          http://www.odt.co.nz/news/politics/295674/judith-collins-30km-detour-cup-tea

          The MSM may let a politician away with misleading parliament; fleeing reporters is another story.

        • MrSmith 3.1.3.4
          19 March 2014 at 9:37 am

          Not to mention she is the Minister of justice!

      • mickysavage 3.1.4
        19 March 2014 at 8:50 am

        Looks like BM is channeling John Key (http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/9843597/Oravida-focus-bad-for-votes-Key)

        Of course there is nothing to see here and people should move on. They are only interested in helping the Labour Party /sarc

  4. bad12 4
    19 March 2014 at 8:12 am

    Does it HURT real good Nikkie, Nikkie Kaye is embroiled in a little legal battle having sold a couple of businesses a while back and ended up out of pocket by 300 odd thousand dollars,

    Going into arbitration, a step befor a High Court hearing, Nikkie won the day and the arbitrator awarded Her the 300 thou,

    Who would have thunk it, the business on the other side of this little equation then folded leaving poor poor Nikkie Kaye with a useless bit of paper as the award only related to the company said to owe Her the monies and not the individual that was the material owner/beneficiary of that company,

    Now you know Nikkie just how all those who go through employment relations tribunals feel when upon winning damages against their former employees they are left holding a meaningless piece of paper because the owners of such businesses simply swap them into a company of another name,

    Perhaps Nikkie as a Government MP should promote a little Legislation that attaches all such orders from the courts/tribunals to the names of the material owners/beneficiaries of companies as well as the business concerned…

    • ScottGN 4.1
      19 March 2014 at 8:26 am

      I think you have the wrong Nicky here bad12? I only saw this story fleetingly yesterday but I believe it concerns Nicky Wagner the National PM for Christchurch Central.

      • bad12 4.1.1
        19 March 2014 at 8:31 am

        Thanks for that one ScottGN, i stand corrected and apologize for any embarrassment caused to Nikkie Kaye,

        Lolz, that would appear to scuttle any chance of a Law change surrounding who is responsible for court/tribunal orders as the Christchurch Central MP is rumored to have little chance of a return after the vote in 2014…

  5. bad12 5
    19 March 2014 at 8:40 am

    Ah yes, good old Neo-Liberalism definitely works as it was intended, from the 2013 Census,

    10,782, (1),consists of mobile and improvised dwellings, roofless or rough sleepers,and, dwellings in a motor-camp,

    The number of occupied dwellings of these types more than doubled since 2001, i am of course overjoyed to hear that a cardboard box or a roofless structure is now a dwelling,

    Pity the Census didn’t ask all of this demographic if they ‘wanted’ a real house….

  6. JK 6
    19 March 2014 at 9:04 am

    Gordon Campbell has a long, and interesting, interview with David Cunliffe on Werewolf . Here’s the link, or you can go straight to Scoop NZ and pick up on it yourself.

    http://werewolf.co.nz/2014/03/labour-pains/

    • thatguynz 6.1
      19 March 2014 at 10:57 am

      Did he suggest in the interview that Labour would scrap the Bill that they just voted for in Parliament? WTF?

      (Not that I disagree with them scrapping it but if they were planning to do that, why vote for it and potentially alienate voters in the first place?)

  7. captain hook 7
    19 March 2014 at 9:11 am

    these tories speak out of both sides of their mouth at once.
    they say there is no such thing as a free lunch for anyone else except them.

  8. geoff 8
    19 March 2014 at 9:51 am

    One of the biggest gimps in the country, Peter Dunne on RNZ, peddling his backwards drug law preferences.
    Revealed that his personal thoughts on drugs are, “I don’t like them, I wish they didn’t exist”
    What a head-in-the-sand muppet.

    Fucking bow tie wearing, crypto-fascist.

    • Rosie 8.1
      19 March 2014 at 9:59 am

      Hasn’t he just come back from a narcotics conference in Austria or something? He’s possibly on some kind of zealous buzz.

      As for “I don’t like them, I wish they didn’t exist”, you could say the same about him.

      “I don’t like him, I wish he didn’t exist”.

      Hopefully he won’t after 20th September.

    • Hayden 8.2
      19 March 2014 at 10:01 am

      “I don’t like them, I wish they didn’t exist”

      Except for those he uses, of course.

      • Rosie 8.2.1
        19 March 2014 at 10:20 am

        You mean that fairy dust he snorts Hayden?

        Nah, the only thing he is addicted to is getting his photo in the weekly suburban local paper that covers his electorate, The Craggy Island Times. (For those of you familiar with Father Ted)

    • freedom 8.3
      19 March 2014 at 10:52 am

      Once again two people on a radio [propagandize] how best to exempt alcohol from being tested against the low harm criteria.

      Back in 2011 Associate Health Minister Peter Dunne said “there’d be a measure of outrage if wine was found to be illegal.” now why would wine be found to be illegal you ask?
      http://www.tripme.co.nz/forums/archive/index.php/t-5921.html?s=22e6b3ce1f9a4f317fd33b3a84c92424

      That is obviously taking the entire argument to an extreme, but we all know alcohol is by far the most destructive drug this Nation uses recreationally, yet alcohol gets a hospital pass when the hypocrisy is pointed at.

      To be clear, I personally want all ‘synthetic marijuanas’ taken off shelves, transported to abandoned mining pits and buried. Then any references to location of those pits should subsequently be removed from all historical records. The synthetics are not, and never can be, marijuana. They are poisons and are destroying lives. The addictive nature of some of the synthetics is on a par with some opiates. They are not marijuana.

      Instead of allowing one of the oldest and most widely used natural medicine on the planet to be developed into a commercially and socially beneficial product by approaching the topic with a responsible and honest outlook, we get blah bla blah blabalablah and various other rehashes of reefer madness. Alcohol meanwhile continues on warm and snug in the eiderdown of impervious double standards.

      • freedom 8.3.1
        19 March 2014 at 10:59 am

        p.s. Don’t even get me started on the billions of dollars Hemp could contribute to NZ if given the opportunity.

        • greywarbler 8.3.1.1
          19 March 2014 at 11:19 am

          A bit of trivia – Cameron the filmmaker is growing hemp on his property in NZ. Recently a couple of potentially happy punters tried to steal some but learnt that it wasn’t going to give them a high, even get their feet off the ground because it’s low in – THC?

          • cricklewood 8.3.1.1.1
            19 March 2014 at 12:20 pm

            yep, plenty of people have given hemp a crack but destruction by those who think they are stealing the good stuff and the regulatory hoops around testing for THC content make it a marginal crop when compared with maize or similar so a fair number give up and go back to easier crops.

            • greywarbler 8.3.1.1.1.1
              19 March 2014 at 1:17 pm

              Is there a Hemp Growers Group? Strength in numbers and a newsletter on problems, officials, pests, advice. Uses, best buyers, export form templates, advice, reports, collection points, best preparation. Payments, pockets of networked growers conforming to season and harvest to get viable quantities for best sale advantage. All that.

              • cricklewood …
                19 March 2014 at 6:50 pm

                Not that im aware of but the people I knew tried around 10 years ago. Its actually bloody easy to grow and requires few imputs. Problem been things like vandalism due to people think it been the good stuff and there was suspicion large amounts were stolen to pad out the smokable stuff. There were also a large number of regulatory hoops to jump through.
                All added up it was more economic to grow maize.

          • phillip ure 8.3.1.1.2
            19 March 2014 at 9:36 pm

            one thing i like what cameron has done..

            ..he bought big dairy holdings..

            ..and is converting them to grow real food..

            ..he’s a vegan..

            ..didn’tyaknow..?

  9. Rosie 9
    19 March 2014 at 9:55 am

    If you thought those photo stock images on Fairfax’s Stuffed.co.nz site were a)misrepresenting the story b)irrelevant or c) just plain weird, you’d be right. Unsurprisingly, it is being suggested there is an agenda to push:

    http://werewolf.co.nz/2014/03/airbrushing-the-news/

    Stuffed’s “lifestyle” section is a particularly good example of this manipulation. So many unrealistic photo’s of women, it’s no better than a “Women’s Dismay” or “No idea” trashy mag.

  10. travellerev 10
    19 March 2014 at 10:07 am

    Does anybody out there realize that ex-Forex Trader John ” Wall street banker” Key signed a deal excluding the global reserve currency, the US $, with China yesterday. THE FIRST WESTERN NATION TO DO SO????? No, THE FIRST ANGLO SAXON BANKSTER OWNED NATION?????

    HELLOO, We’re talking the hegemony of the US dollar here!

    Who will be next to drop the dollar? By the way the expectation was that it was the banksters themselves who want to collapse the US dollar in favor of a global currency. Is John Key being the goofer to start the process?

    • nadis 10.1
      19 March 2014 at 11:08 am

      wow. How does your mind work – how do you see a conspiracy in this news?

      Lets get some facts (see here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fact for a description of what a fact is).

      NZ has not dropped the US dollar as reserve currency. What has happened is that China now allows official convertibility versus the NZD along with the USD (a western nation), AUD (a western nation), JPY ( a western nation), RUB (a medieval fascist state) and MYR. So where did you get “THE FIRST WESTERN NATION TO DO SO”

      The Renminbi has always been unofficially convertible against any currency – any bank or foreign exchange shop will make you a price against any curreny. what convertibility means is that if you want to settle a currency onshore in China via the central bank it must be using one of the official convertible currencies. In offshore Renminbi centres (HK, Singapore, London) anything goes but there is a theoretical risk that the offshore rate could diverge from the onshore. And the Bank of China has agreements with at least 20 other central banks to swap currency to assist in times of crisis.

      If you want to trade currency futures you can do so on the CME – these are cash settled against the official Bank of China USD exchange rate.

      China manages the FX value of the currency in a band (recently widened) versus a trade weighted basket of currencies (USD, JPY, KRW, EUR, and to a lesser extent AUD, GBP, THB, CAD, SGD).

      Yes the Renminbi is an increasingly used currency – as it should be given the importance of Chinese trade – but it is still a long way from being a serious reserve currency. It won’t be that until China has at least the following:

      full currency convertibility (prob by 2015)
      free floating currency (?)
      robust rule of law and a strong judiciary (decades away)
      liberalisation of capital account flows
      transparent interest rate market and a functioning government bond market.

      China is aiming to get everything up to speed by 2020. Until then you won’t see the Yaun as a reserve currency except for cosmetic reasons (i.e., Australia).

      Just to be really really clear. Nobody is dropping the USD – that is just a fantasy in your anti-american mind. People have been calling for an end to USD hegemony since at least 1971 (earliest reference I can find) but the reality is no other currency comes close to the USD in terms of the reserve characteristics states and institutions care about. Yes the importance of the USD will continue to decline over time but except in the minds of political fantasists like Chavez and his successors, Iran, Putin etc the USD is and will remain the key reserve currency for quite some time.

      “By the way the expectation was that it was the banksters themselves who want to collapse the US dollar in favor of a global currency.” What does this even mean? Whose expectation? I think I might rush out today and buy some tinfoil futures.

      • Bill 10.1.1
        19 March 2014 at 11:40 am

        You might find Gordon Campbell’s piece on this (on the side bar) of interest. Here’s the direct link http://gordoncampbell.scoop.co.nz/2014/03/19/gordon-campbell-on-new-zealands-currency-deal-with-china/

        • nadis 10.1.1.1
          19 March 2014 at 1:15 pm

          Yep thats a good summary. I think the US bleating about the Yuan devaluation is more political than anything else. Same thing happened in the 80s except then it was the Yen. The reality is that even with an “undervalued” Yuan a lot of industrial firms are moving manufacturing back to the US – even with higher wage costs a lot of manufacturing finds it cheaper in the US. Doesn’t necessarily mean more trades or semi skilled jobs though as the level of automation is very high.

          • freedom 10.1.1.1.1
            19 March 2014 at 7:51 pm

            “a lot of industrial firms are moving manufacturing back to the US”

            interesting, which firms nadis ?

      • Lanthanide 10.1.2
        19 March 2014 at 1:36 pm

        As informative as all of this is, you really spent way too much time on rebutting the latest piece of nonsense from travellerev.

      • travellerev 10.1.3
        19 March 2014 at 2:21 pm

        ROFL!

        RUB (a medieval fascist state)

        ROFL!

        JPY ( a western nation)

        ROFL!

        that is just a fantasy in your anti-american mind.

        ROFL!

        political fantasists like Chavez and his successors, Iran, Putin

        Oh dear

        ROFL!

        • travellerev 10.1.3.1
          19 March 2014 at 2:23 pm

          Lanthanide,

          ROFL, ROFL, ROFL! you’re getting funnier by the day!

        • nadis 10.1.3.2
          19 March 2014 at 6:04 pm

          Hmmm – I don’t really want to waste too much time but you would have to agree Russia does meet all the standard criteria for the definition of a fascist state:

          Look at any modern historian or writer who writes on the topic i.e., Emilio Gentile, Umberto Eco etc and they all have similar criteria including:

          Nationalism. Check. (See media manipualtion of the Russian population)
          Imperialism. Check. (See Ukraine, Georgia, the ‘stans)
          Traditional values. Check. (See homosexual laws in Russia, Politicians views on the place of women – “go home and bear children”)
          Cult of a strong and virile leader from whom all power flows. Check (See Putin with shirt off chop wood and wrestle large fish)
          Repressive police. Check. (See Cossacks, Pussy Riot and any independent journalist in Russia – assuming they haven’t been assassinated yet)
          Corporate organisation of the economy to serve the state. Check. (See oligarchs, compare those who work with Putin, those that don’t. Hint: Exile or prison)
          Revisionist History based on national identity, racial identity, historic wrongs: Check (See Putin’s yearnings for the glory days of the USSR)
          Civil ethic that places the state above the individual, ostracizes and terrorises those that are different, values military strength. Check. (See Cossacks, Pussy Riot, Jews, Muslims, Russian Police etc etc)
          etc, etc

          Russia is very much a fascist state based on commonly accepted criteria.

          RE Japan – I think your racism is showing. Just because they are Asian doesn’t mean they can’t be a fully functioning Western Style democracy with global integration. I think most people would regard Japan as part of the West – the G7 or OECD membership is usually the arbiter of that. Japan is in both.

          One could go on. “ROFL”. What are you? 12 years old? Keep sheltering under your tinfoil hat. here’s another link for you:

          http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/enhanced/doi/10.1111/j.2044-8309.2010.02018.x/

          • freedom 10.1.3.2.1
            19 March 2014 at 6:21 pm

            Nadis, by your own reasoning you must agree that the USA is also a fascist state.

            Begs the questions,
            Why are we so closely tied to a fascist state?

            More importantly, what do you think we should do about it?

      • travellerev 10.1.4
        19 March 2014 at 2:26 pm

        Also,

        Cognitive dissonance and <a href=”>Suspension of disbelief are two things you might wanna read up on while we are slinging wiki links around. ROFL!

  11. Bill 11
    19 March 2014 at 10:30 am

    Hmm…stuff happening in Taiwan.

    On Mar 18, 21:00, protesters stormed into the Parliament after hearing KMT announcing there would be no further review on the trade agreement. Protesters entered the building through all entrances, and they used chairs to prevent police entering and arresting them. Moreover, protesters broke into Chang Ching-chung’s office, and found numerous business cards from Chinese companies.

    Updated photoes are here http://www.appledaily.com.tw/realtimenews/article/politics/20140318/362423/1/

    Currently, the protesters have occupied the main building of the Parliament, which was the first time in history of Republic of China (Taiwan).

    http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-1108450

  12. Saarbo 12
    19 March 2014 at 10:31 am

    Oh dear, our dairy driven windfall might be on its way down…as commodities behave…I guess this is why we need an alternative.

    http://www.globaldairytrade.info/en/product-results/whole-milk-powder/

  13. Quasimodo 13
    19 March 2014 at 10:39 am

    Norman Kirk once came to speak at our student union, making a strong impression.

    Dressed in a suit he was in a jovial mood and ranged from policy to anecdotes of the Christchurch waterfront. He left us optimistic and enthused.

    There is no-one who does that for me today.

    Both major parties seem full of soulless apparatchiks - the only recent amusement being ‘Boadicea’ Collins, and Shane Jones’ torture of the English language. Who is Felicity ? What do they teach them at Harvard ?

    It may be an unfair comparison - but Kirk had knocked around, built his own house, been mayor of Kaiapoi, worked off a few rough edges ..

    http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/5k12/kirk-norman-eric

    If Norman were around today he might question whether a burnt-out John Key is in the best interest of New Zealand.

  14. Papa Tuanuku 14
    19 March 2014 at 10:43 am

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/porirua/9842331/Prayer-garden-falls-foul-of-Treaty-claims

    This story is underpinned by the idea that Maori aren’t aloud to be real landlords, even when its their land. Maori are the bad guys for making a decision about the use of their own land.

    However when govt destroys a community like GI, or when landlords scam vulnerable tenants, the assumption is that it’s a god given right, and goes alomst under the radar. Hell, we even have a landlord programme to educate the nation of what bad tenants the bad people of Sth Auckland are.

    • nadis 14.1
      19 March 2014 at 11:30 am

      Are you saying Maori landlords are really noisy or do you mean “allowed”?

      I didn’t get the angle from the story you did – what I saw was the Church Group asking to be able to continue to use the land until it is needed for something else, being open to leasing it but frustrated because they cannot contact the owner (which happens to be the Crown until title is transferred later this year).

      Wheres the racism? Now if you were talking about how the Wellington Tenths Trust and other similar trusts were run in the past (with imposed rent caps etc) you’d have a very strong point. They were disgraceful.

  15. Quasimodo 15
    19 March 2014 at 10:49 am

    Good luck for the general election, guys !

  16. greywarbler 16
    19 March 2014 at 10:51 am

    I was having a look at the Bush family. Combining politics and business successfully for yonks! To get into politics you don’t have to have had a sterling career in business doing useful stuff and a commitment to the people. It helps if you have made a lot of money, have influential family and connections and can hire smart games players like Rove et al.

    Bits about George W. and some serendipity facts:
    He purchased a share in a baseball franchise and was managing general partner for 5 years. The shares he paid $800,000 in 1989, he sold less than a decade later for $US15 million.

    In 1994 he campaigned for Texas and one of his advisors was Karl Rove.
    He brought homosexuality of his opposition Richards and her staff into his campaign discourse.
    He agreed to a bill for Texans to carry concealed weapons.
    He used a budget surplus for a huge tax cut of $2 billion.
    He made efforts to raise the salaries of teachers and improve educational test scores.
    (Raising salaries of teachers? Was that through performance pay, or using the new policies of leader teachers being introduced here? Educational test score improvements – through NatStand? Through schools performance funding?)
    In his second term of four years he promoted faith-based groups and had high approval ratings.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_W._Bush
    http://www.salon.com/2001/11/19/bush_oil/

    And a thinkpiece on it all that gives us a template for what we are enjoying.
    http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0208-05.htm

    Debt and deficits: Whenever a Bush is president, private debt and government deficits seem to grow. Middle- and low-income Americans borrow to offset the income squeeze of recessions. The hallmark of Bush economics during both presidencies has been favoritism toward capital over workers. Federal budget deficits have soared because of a combination of upper-bracket tax favors, middle-income job shrinkage, big federal spending to hype election-year economic growth, huge defense outlays and overseas military spending for the wars in Iraq and elsewhere. Imperial hubris costs a lot of money.

    • thatguynz 16.1
      19 March 2014 at 11:01 am

      Did you include Prescott Bush in your reading? Seems the dubiousness of the Bush family goes a generation further back 😉

      • greywarbler 16.1.1
        19 March 2014 at 11:12 am

        I saw the name I think he crops up in those links I put. You can catch up with bits you have forgotten if you have time. I have learned my fill for today about Bush so didn’t read all of it. I had to prune my reading time. It’s a jungle in there.

        • Draco T Bastard 16.1.1.1
          19 March 2014 at 9:48 pm

          Prescott Bush, IIRC, would have been done for treason and summarily shot if the US hadn’t, just a couple of months before hand, added a new law of profiteering from war. I doubt if he was the only rich person who so benefited from the new law.

    • freedom 16.2
      19 March 2014 at 11:13 am

      research Grandad for some real horror, the Bush family is as evil a group of psycopaths as the 20th Century ever produced

      hint, look into their chemical company holdings and which airforce they enabled

      • thatguynz 16.2.1
        19 March 2014 at 11:21 am

        Yep, was certainly a bit of an eye-opener for me when I first saw a lot of that stuff too and puts a lot of the “current” view of 20th century history in a much different light.

      • greywarbler 16.2.2
        19 March 2014 at 11:22 am

        Okay if I must. I also didn’t put the link purporting to show their connections with Bin Laden. Don’t want to get anyone here started on a crusade/tirade. But it’s on google.

        • freedom 16.2.2.1
          19 March 2014 at 12:20 pm

          Greywarbler the conneection between the Bush and Bin Laden families is very real. guess who daddy Bush was having breakfast with on that most evil of days?

          I actually have a print of a copy of the notary document from the late 1970’s showing the Bin Laden business and personal interests in the USA being signed over to the Bush’s business manager and long time associate James Reynolds Bath.

          I like your tirade statement GW
          -with those unfortunate initials, will you be changing your name now 😉

          but I would be remiss in not posting a link to The New Pearl Harbour.
          (note: I am posting a link, not entering a dialogue)

          With no overstatement, it is essential viewing if you want to see publicly available facts delivered objectively without spin and conjecture.
          http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/september-11-new-pearl-harbor/

          It is long, but as you begin to watch it you will realise why.
          There is so much clear and accurate detail, followed simply by questions.

          It does not tell you what to think. It does not try to suggest who did what.

          The New Pearl Harbour merely does what the official story refused to do.
          The New Pearl Harbour investigates the facts as our physical world knows them and then asks obvious questions that have never been answered.

          There are other links and downloads are out there, because it does get removed from YouTube quite regularly. I recommend you watch it in chapters because at over three and a half hours and crammed with data, it is a lot to take in on one sitting.

    • nadis 16.3
      19 March 2014 at 11:21 am

      If he had kept his shares in the Texas rangers till now his holding would be worth around 45 million.

      The real story around his baseball investment was not the Texas Rangers but rather the fact that he sold shares in Harken Energy to pay off his loan just days before Harken failed. No insider trading was proved but……. and to this day Bush has blocked the release of the SEC report which “exonerated” him (probably more like didn’t find sufficient evidence to prosecute). His business career was one long stream of “coincidences” and sweetheart deals with local and state authorities. Not to mention his bacdated sevice in the Air National Guard to avoid the Vietnam draft.

      The real interesting stories about the Bush family can be found by googling “George Prescott Bush Nazi Germany”.

      GW Bush – easily the worst US president since WW2, way worse than Nixonin terms of damage done to US society, global relationshipsd and a couple of specific countries.

  17. fender 17
    19 March 2014 at 11:59 am

    Hi lprent, can you teach the “501 non-human, excessive page-view detection” thingy to count?

    Cos 1 attempted page-view seems over the top, but if I’m an undesirable maybe you could change the message to “don’t come back”.

    [lprent: Umm. Ok I’ll dial it back a bit. Just been getting a bit frustrated by the overseas bots periodically trying to flatten the site but not being recognized as being bots. The non-human thing is a bit odd though. Oh I see, it is a common (used by many people) IP that has been tagged as a bot.

    Looks like I will have to whitelist NZ IP’s. ]

  18. greywarbler 18
    19 March 2014 at 12:43 pm

    If Te Kohanga Reo is an official charity then it gets special tax status doesn’t it and requirements? When money is being raised for good causes registered as charities, there are requirements and expectations as to how that operates.

    The Education Minister says an independent review of public funding to Te Kohanga Reo National Trust Board has found there was no misuse of public money by the trust….
    The Ernst & Young investigation followed allegations the trust’s commercial arm, Te Pataka Ohanga, misused business credit cards to pay for dresses, fuel and accommodation.
    The review did not look into the financial dealings of the commercial arm, as Ms Parata says it is not publicly funded.

    Ms [Hekia] Parata told Radio New Zealand’s Morning Report programme on Wednesday the Charities Commission was examining the financial dealings of the trust’s commercial arm…

    This seems reasonable and takes the matter forward without belabouring the organisation.
    But it is a knockback for the public willing Kohanga Reo well and hoping that Maori will find it as valuable in its outcomes as they wish.

    A spokesperson for the Trust suggest that it is getting unfair scrutiny of its commercial arm, giving a well-known retail business as an example. Well it is a different case, the shareholders are largely interested in money return, even if they like books. The stakeholders in Kohanga Reo are interested in good outcomes, they are not just financial investors. They have invested their commitment to their cultural taonga in Te Kohanga Reo.

    When Maori officials or leaders spend money on such things as a wedding dress, or perhaps get their teeth straightened, or their stomachs stapled it seems inappropriate when it is expected that the aim is to help all Maori within their charity focus.

    Now say, that the wedding dress was designed and made by Maori, and there was a desire to support this cultural enterprise. The Board could have decided officially to do so, and stipulated that after the photographs had been taken, and before there were any red wine toasts or food, or meeting sticky mokopuna, the dress would be handed over to be auctioned. Now that would have caused a buzz, recovered all or most of the money (and the wearer then would repay any shortfall), giving PR to all, aroused a lot of interest amongst all the families in the movement, and in the general public.

    But using the funds from the commercial arm’s credit allowance as a cash cow to be milked, or a loan fund to be drawn at will is not a correct behaviour. There is a moral hazard when there is too much trust given to one person and not rigid rules of conduct that emphasise the primacy of the mission, i.e. working for the advancement and services of Te Kohanga Reo,and the need for probity.

    • marty mars 18.1
      19 March 2014 at 4:30 pm

      Hone and Mana have come out with a strong statement on this sad state of affairs

      “It’s time to clear house and let new trustees rebuild the faith of the whānau in Kōhanga Reo.”

      “I recommend that senior trustees of the National Trust step down from the Trust and allow new trustees to run the affairs of the Kōhanga Reo Movement, and that a new strategy be adopted to ensure Kōhanga Reo is seen to be more inclusive, more positive, more proactive, and more welcoming to new whānau and new tamariki.”

      http://mana.net.nz/2014/03/new-broom-needed-to-sweep-the-pathway-for-kohanga/

  19. captain hook 19
    19 March 2014 at 1:12 pm

    the country is turning into a combination reality teavy show/ oriental despotism.
    There is no rule of law any more.
    Only the National Party rules as they make them up as they go along at the whim of collins and key.
    Time to change the channel.

  20. amirite 20
    19 March 2014 at 1:34 pm

    I guess she didn’t manage to do a dirty deal with the government to get off scot-free like Whittall did.

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11222475

  21. Enough is Enough 21
    19 March 2014 at 1:37 pm

    Rumour has it that Mr Key really upset some of his Republican mates on Wall Street with his holiday with the democaratic President.

    He has some explaining to do for his pay masters

    • thatguynz 21.1
      19 March 2014 at 2:49 pm

      What makes you think their paymasters are any different – particularly given that the Democrats would likely be found to the right of the National Party 🙂

  22. captain hook 22
    19 March 2014 at 1:46 pm

    Why didn’t someone tell Mr O what sort of job key really is?

  23. greywarbler 23
    19 March 2014 at 2:28 pm

    This morning Robert Lithgow was very concerned about directions in our justice system.
    Law with Robert Lithgow ( 19′ 1″ )
    11:32 Robert Lithgow QC talks about changes to legal aid.
    http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon

    I have just had a great idea. Instead of expensive jail terms for minor offences against the citizens, give them the option of running the gauntlet. We will sign up to take turns to line up in two facing rows, with those soft baton bashers or possibly rolled up newspapers (which could be provided free as the papers make so much of their living and our news from crime). Then the person has to run down the middle while we bash the hell out of them. s.59 will have to be set aside for these cases. It will make me feel better and provide some real accountability to their backsides, arms, legs and perhaps head.

    What brings this on today, but will no doubt be repeated each day I take an interest in the news, is the story of the dopey fishermen (age 59 and 23) who had to be rescued by a capable, knowledgable, practical surfer from the water around the notorious bar at the mouth of the Buller. The surfer Julian Young, said that one guy was tiring and ‘the 23 year old had a lifejacket tucked under his arm for buoyancy, having taken it off because it kept forcing his head under the water.’

    I have read about lifejackets doing this in the past. It is reasonable to think that NZ would have better standards than ones allowing such ones to still be supplied. There should also have been sanctions against those that did not obey an instruction to hand them back for destruction by the government. Those who sold, and the officials who allowed them to stay in circulation should be punished with the gauntlet. If it was the swimmer/fisherman’s own jacket then he also should run the gauntlet. There are so many macho boneheads in NZ that they would reach the top of Mt Aoraki if placed head to foot. Only some physical punishment will reach these fellows, no amount of talking, education, forewarning seems to reach them.

    And lastly. I read recently some wise guy saying that businessmen all believe in free enterprise except when it applies to themselves. I see that Nicky Wagner Christchurch MP is suing a guy who bought something from her and refuses to pay in full. She has been awarded costs in addition, but hasn’t been able to collect. So she went to Court alleging that the buyer asset stripped his companies to avoid paying her. I thought that was supposed to be clever business practice. That’s how NZ Inc is being treated now by Key & Coy.

    The Court has decided that “I didn’t prove [that the buyer] conspired to defraud me. We think they got it wrong and we are appealing the judgment.” Watch this space. We may learn something useful to use in our future moves against the NACTs. After all, if they don’t want to run the government as one for the people, advancing their interests as a whole, but instead are running it as a complex business holdings entity with rather dodgy methods like SFC, then why should they not have business principles applied to them. They should be answerable in Court and go to prison if they have stolen our assets, or else can be shown to have defrauded the country.

  24. Saarbo 24
    19 March 2014 at 2:34 pm

    The NZ Heralds attack against Labour are unrelenting

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=11222022

    From Fran O Sullivan, warning, this article ill make you feel quite nauseous, it is pure PR for the National Party.

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=11222060

    From John Armstrong.

    People can claim that Labour’s drop in the polls is due to various matters associated with Labour (Cunliffes trusts, Labour’s right wingers undermining, etc) , but I reckon the NZ Heralds unrelenting attacks on Labour and its corresponding promotion of National is having a bigger impact…unfortunately it is still the major paper/news source in our most populated areas.

  25. bad12 25
    19 March 2014 at 3:27 pm

    The Herald online has a piece today showing that among the first 780 State housing tenants to be tossed out of their homes 20%,(1 of every 5), will be aged 65 or older,

    Nick and Paula not happy with being seen as simply cruel and heartless bastards toward the aged have included in the ‘plan’ 27 tenants who are ‘severely and permanently disabled’,

    That’s just a teaser for the main event which should have every Tory running dog in the country slavering at the bit to watch such evictions live on their TV news screens,

    The main event for year one is the 5000 odd State tenants who at present pay at or close to market rents for their properties who will be ‘managed’ into the private sector because as Nick and Paula say there is a squeeze on the waiting list for housing from the State,

    What Nick forgot to add in the attached Cabinet paper,(released to the public and then withdrawn by Nick and Paula, but still available as an attachment to the Herald story),is that there’s a squeeze on the availability of State Housing because Nick has already sold at least 1000 of them claiming no-one wanted to rent them,

    New and unspecified ‘incentives’ will be used to lever the tenants from their homes and if such ‘incentives’ don’t work then the eviction under a 90 day eviction notice should do the trick nicely,

    No tenant will be exempt from having WINZ staff ‘sensitively’ review their tenancies, and after you have stopped laughing at such a ridiculous notion of anyone down at the local WINZ office being capable of ‘sensitivity’ we can move on to thinking ‘who’ is next,

    Obviously Nick and Paula, the taste for the blood of the poor not nearly sated by the first 5000 evictions will have to find a ‘new’ criteria to rid the next 5000 tenants of their homes after the dispatch of the ‘near market rent payers’, so, we can suppose that the ‘next 5000’ in line for the ‘kick’ will be the next income group down from the ‘near market rent payers’,

    Much is said in the Cabinet paper about the ability of the likes of the Salvation Army to now access a full subsidy for the provision of Social housing, while little, in other words nothing, is said about the fact that since Nick and Paula announced this grandiose plan the number of such homes that have been announced as ‘to be built’ numbers in the 100, not 100’s or 1000’s, in the 100,

    The numbers fit pretty well tho with Nick’s intention that the State will provide in the future 20% less housing and this unannounced asset sale which is the real unstated intention of ridding the State of its tenants while giving the Government a better return than the other failed asset sales needed to be sold to the public as a simple rearrangement of tenants while all the while ‘kicking’ them from their homes as its a bit on the hard side to sell em all with tenants still in situ..

    • Tracey 25.1
      19 March 2014 at 3:55 pm

      what a sad country we live in.

      is that the same salvation army john key said need to get out more and see what he sees?

      • bad12 25.1.1
        19 March 2014 at 4:37 pm

        Yes a country in the sixth year of Nationals current guise to be viewed as a sick society when the aged will be ‘ripped’ from their homes which is likely to see more than a few of them killed by the stress,

        The bland Cabinet document talks of WINZ staff learning this ‘sensitivity’ when assessing who remains in their State Houses as they roll out the program of evictions,

        We can all expect to see on the TV news more than a few of the aged being ‘sensitively’ removed by the boys in blue,(but not till after the election),

        There are no monetary savings to be made from pushing these people into the private sector, the added cost to the State through increased Accommodation Supplements will see to that,

        The For Sale signs will go up on these properties as soon as Smith and Bennett have levered the tenants from the properties…

    • srylands 25.2
      19 March 2014 at 4:30 pm

      If 1000 houses have been sold they have not gone away. People still live in them. These reviews have enormous public support. It is welfare housing designed for poor people. The checks are designed to ensure that people that can buy housing in markets do so.

      Given that you live in a State house (by your own admission), I question your objectivity in this issue.

      Rich bludgers living in welfare and charity housing should be kicked to the kerb.

      You really are picking on loser issue after loser issue. Keep it up son.

      • bad12 25.2.1
        19 March 2014 at 4:40 pm

        There is only one intelligent comment i can add to your latest spew SSLands, and that is Fuck Off You Piece Of Shit…

  26. Penny Bright 26
    19 March 2014 at 3:36 pm

    Where the people lead – the politicians will follow?

    (Given that in the 2013 Auckland Mayoral campaign I polled 4th with nearly 12,000 votes –

    “OPEN THE BOOKS – CUT OUT THE CONTRACTORS!”

    The ‘transparency’ ball is in the air – increasing numbers of the voting public are GETTING IT – just waiting for political parties to catch up and get some clear policies in place to ensure a legislative framework for ‘open, transparent and democratically-accountable’ local and central government and judiciary?

    FYI

    19 March 2014

    In light of the recent threat made by Auckland Council to sell my house, over disputed rates,

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11221478

    here is some background information, which does not appear to be widely known:

    My previous attempts to get a law change to the Local Government Act 2002,to ensure that the ‘devilish details’ of contracts issued would be available for public scrutiny through publication in Council and CCO Annual Reports, by initiating Petition 2008/2:

    1) BACKGROUND: WHAT ‘TRIGGERED’ THE INITIATION OF THIS PETITION?

    MY RATES DISPUTE WITH AUCKLAND CITY COUNCIL:

    A) Auckland City Council CEO David Rankin stated in his

    “Overview of direction seeking for 2008/2009 Annual Plan,” 21 February 2008:

    “Council has budgeted to spend almost $1 billion in cash this financial year.

    The staff salary and wages component of that budget is $145 million.

    To successfully carry out its business, including meeting legislative requirements council relies heavily on private sector providers in the form of goods, services and people (temporary labour, external experts and specialist advisors. ”

    (That leaves over $855 million being spent on private sector contracts.)

    B) When asked in an Official Information Act request (ACC OlA Request No: 1997) whether the operation and management of 64 services provided by Auckland City Council had been contracted out to the private sector:

    a) If so, which companies have these contracts.

    b) What is the value of each of these contracts.

    c) For how long is the term of each of these contracts.

    d) Who decided which company would get these contracts.

    e) When were the decisions made as to which companies would get these contracts

    Auckland City Council Chief Executive David Rankin replied in a letter dated 8 October 2007, as the reason for denying ratepayers this information about where public rates monies are being spent:

    “If we release the names of the companies who have contracts with us,together with the amounts spent, these suppliers could be disadvantaged.

    Their other potential customers may deduce the rates Auckland City Council are being charges and demand the same pricing. Equally their competitors may deduce their pricing structure and use it against them.”

    2) PETITION TO PARLIAMENT

    http://www.parliament.nz/en-nz/pb/presented/petitions/49DBHOH_PET2936_1/petition-of-penelope-mary-bright-and-189-others-requesting

    Petition of Penelope Mary Bright and 189 others

    Requesting that the House urgently amend the Local Government Act 2002 to make it a mandatory requirement to ensure councils and council-controlled organisations are open to public scrutiny by using annual reports to record contracts issued to the private sector for goods, services and people as a means of providing openness and accountability in council operations; and to help ensure prudent stewardship of citizen and ratepayer resources.

    Petition number: 2008/2
    Presented by: Sue Bradford
    Date presented: 16 December 2008
    Referred to: Local Government and Environment Committee

    3) EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT PETITION:

    Evidence, based upon many hours of unpaid research which I provided to the Local Government and Environment Select Committee, in support of this petition, including 65 Local Government OIA replies from 85 New Zealand District, City and Regional Councils:

    http://www.parliament.nz/en-nz/pb/sc/documents/evidence/49SCLGE_EVI_49DBHOH_PET2936_1_A67578/penelope-mary-bright-supp1

    4) REPORT OF THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND ENVIRONMENT SELECT COMMITTEE:

    http://www.parliament.nz/resource/0000075765

    “The petitioner identifies her failure to obtain information from the Auckland City Council on its award of contracts to the private sector as a motivating factor for her petition.

    We received the results of her survey of 65 district councils confirming that no councils publish details of contracts in their annual reports, and some councils supply details of individual contracts to the auditor as a matter of course.

    The petitioner claims that the secrecy around the award of local government contracts is not compatible with the principles of openness, transparency, and democratic accountability enshrined in legislation such as the Local Government Act 2002, and the Local Government (Rating) Act 2002.”

    5) SUBMISSION TO THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT ACT 2002 AMENDMENT BILL

    Submission I subsequently made to the Local Government Act 2002 Amendment Bill on this and related matters:

    http://www.parliament.nz/en-nz/pb/sc/documents/evidence/49SCLGE_EVI_00DBHOH_BILL9872_1_A55792/penny-bright

    “On 9 March 2009, I submitted evidence to this same Local and Environment Select Committee, in support of Petition 2008/002:
    which:

    “Respectfully request(ed) that the House urgently amend the Local Government Act 2002 to make it a mandatory requirement to ensure councils and council-controlled organisations are open to public scrutiny by using annual reports to record contracts issued to the private sector for goods, services and people as a means of providing openness and accountability in council operations; and to help ensure prudent stewardship of citizen and ratepayer resources.”

    MY CONSIDERED RECOMMENDATION AS TO THE NECESSARY LEGISLATIVE CHANGE:

    Publishing details of contracts issued in Council Annual Reports is not intended to add thousands of pages, containing every word written for every contract issued.

    All that is required is:

    a) The name(s) of the contracting company /contractor.

    b) The $ value of the contract.

    c) The term (length) of the contract.

    d) The scope of the contract.

    eg: DOG CONTROL

    a) Joe Bloggs Dog Control Services Ltd.

    b) $350,000

    c) 2008 – 2010

    d) Enforcement of Dog Control Bylaw 123 for Auckland City Council (ward(s) covered)

    e) CONTRACT NUMBER ACC 33333

    http://www.parliament.nz/resource/0000075765

    “It is our view that the issues raised by the petitioner are best dealt with as part of a comprehensive review and we recommend that the Minister consider the issues raised in this petition. ..”

    Unfortunately – this Bill does not fix this problem.

    The public still don’t know exactly where our rates are being spent.
    This is NOT transparent.

    It seems ridiculous that the public can scrutinise thousands of pages detailing Ministerial spending on credit cards – but the public are not provided with the above-mentioned ‘devilish’ detail which would clearly show where BILLION$ of residents and ratepayers public monies are being spent on private contractors.

    Please amend this Bill to do so.
    …………. ”

    Those who choose to bleat and whine about my refusal to pay rates, because we are not being told exactly where rates monies are being spent, may now be a little more mindful of all the (unpaid) the work which I have chosen to do to help remedy this situation?

    You may care to compare this (unpaid) research which I have done, with the arguably bogus 19 page (unsigned) ‘Ernst and Young’ Report of 13 December 2013, which cost Auckland Council over $250,000 ?

    http://img.scoop.co.nz/media/pdfs/1312/Independent_Review_Report_FINAL_131213.pdf)

    “Auckland Council CEO Stephen Town confirmed the cost of the EY Report and legal work was approximately $250,000.”

    http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK1402/S00157/negotiated-payment-from-mayor-towards-cost-of-ey-report.htm

    Penny Bright

    ‘Anti-corruption / anti-privatisation Public Watchdog’

    http://www.pennybright4mayor.org.nz

    • Mark F 26.1
      19 March 2014 at 4:55 pm

      All that “be as it may” but that doesn’t excuse you from not paying your rates. You may have some idea that there is a greater purpose here but that is your call.

      If you think others should somehow show sympathy for your plight just because you can fill many column inches with cut and paste doesn’t alter, for one second, your obligation to pay your dues to society. All others have to and if they don’t then authorities do have the right to do whatever is required to square the ledger.

      Quote from NZ Herald.
      “But Ms Bright said she did not have cash to settle the rates bill, which was $2197 last year, based on the capital value of $530,000. Her only income was a flatmate’s contribution.

      “I’ve been working full-time in the public interest since 2000.””

      So for the last 14 years you have not been in paid employment, your choice I presume, and now you cry crocodile tears to us because you have been working full-time in the public interest you can’t afford to pay your dues. To use an old saying “you have made your bed now sleep in it”.

      I am sorry but if working full-time in the public interest since 2000 hasn’t brought in sufficient remuneration, why do you think you should therefore somehow be exempt from paying your dues? If that was a valid excuse then I am sure there would be a veritable landslide of people declaring that they have “been working full-time in the public interest” and should therefore be exempt from rates.

      • Tracey 26.1.1
        19 March 2014 at 5:11 pm

        except for the ones who can pay tax lawyers to find loopholes to avoid paying the tax rates the rest of us do… so not everyone is paying theirdue.

        • Mark F 26.1.1.1
          19 March 2014 at 5:18 pm

          So somehow your reply excuses Ms Bright from paying her dues?

          Your reply is about taxes not rates so it is hardly an apples for apples response.

        • srylands 26.1.1.2
          19 March 2014 at 5:27 pm

          This is a fantasy. What do you mean by “the rest of us”? New Zealand has a neutral, hard to avoid tax system, with most of the tax paid for by high income taxpayers.

          Except on drunk planet Tracey of course.

          Can you please point me to your top 5 “loopholes” that you think significantly erode the tax base and what you would do to close those loopholes? Because I have no idea what you are on about. If you are aware of them I suggest that you carefully document them and forward your case to IRD.

          It is this fantasy thinking that is driving you into the losing side of history. The problem you have is that your fantasies become more and more extreme and disconnected from evidence.

          • Lanthanide 26.1.1.2.1
            19 March 2014 at 9:56 pm

            “New Zealand has a neutral, hard to avoid tax system”

            Yeah, ’cause trusts are so hard to set up 🙄

          • Murray Olsen 26.1.1.2.2
            20 March 2014 at 1:57 am

            Find your own loopholes, SSlands. Don’t expect us to help you defraud the public. The fact that you are not aware of them just shows you will never be a real member of the club you support.

            Now please take bad12’s advice.

          • thatguynz 26.1.1.2.3
            20 March 2014 at 10:13 am

            You’re an absolute fucking idiot srylands.. Did your 1% mates forget to send you the memo of how to structure your affairs to minimise your tax obligations? You must feel very butthurt about being left out.

            As (I think it was) Framu earlier said, I think you will find a number of people that either author or comment here are in the top tax bracket – probably some by a fair margin however there is a difference between knowing how to minimise tax exposure and actually doing it. I know full well how to go about doing it in a manner that is a) perfectly legal and b) significantly beneficial to me however I don’t because I believe in the use of my taxes to assist those facing adversity and the essential services that society consumes.

            Now take your generalisations and fuck off back to Whalespew. Your mission here has failed.

  27. BLiP 27
    19 March 2014 at 3:59 pm

    ‘

    Anyone been listening to the General Debate as National Ltd™’s ministers, one after the other, rant on about the government’s care and consider for the environment? Each and every one of them are lying through their teeth. Since its election to government in 2008, the John Key led National Ltd™ government has . . .

    been caught out repeatedly lying in the run up to and during the election campaign about its real intentions in relation to the environment

    celebrated the opening of the foreign-owned Pike River Coal Ltd mine on DOC land adjacent to the Paparoa National Park from which 1 megatonne of coal will be extracted per year for the next 20 years – Pike River Coal Ltd has announced that it has found additional coal in the national park

    cancelled a proposed efficiency standard (MEPS) on incandescent lightbulbs

    reversed a moratorium on building new gas/oil/coal power stations

    removed the bio fuel subsidy

    scrapped the scheme that would have penalised imported vehicles producing high emissions

    removed regulations for water efficient new housing by Order in Council

    renewed leases on sensitive high country farms which were meant to return to DOC

    reversed restrictions on the freeholding of vast swathes of land on the edge of the Southern Lakes

    arbitrarily excised 400 hectares from the brand new Oteake Conservation Park, including the most important and, ecologically, the rarest part of the new Park, the tussock and shrubland that went right down to the banks of the Manuherikia River, to enable future access to lignite

    said nothing to say in regard to the World Commission on Protected areas of IUCN’s severe criticism of its intention to investigate mineral resources and mining opportunities in protected conservation areas including our three UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Te Wahi Pounamu-South West New Zealand, Tongariro National Park and the Sub Antarctic Islands

    approved two prospecting permit applications lodged by Australian iron-ore giant Fortescue Metals Group subsidiary FMG Pacific lodged in June – areas covered by the two-year permits include an 8204-square-kilometre area of seabed adjoining the west coast from Cape Reinga to the Manukau Harbour and a 3798-square-kilometre prospecting area of land from Cape Reinga to the Kaipara Harbour including Ninety Mile Beach, the west side of the Aupouri Peninsula, Kaitaia and the Hokianga.

    approved an additional prospecting permit for Fortescue Metals in relation to 3568sq km right next door to the Kahurangi National Park where the Heaphy Track is

    was forced to release its Ministry of Economic Development (MED) report under the Official Information Act that proclaims “significant mineral potential” in the Fiordland, Kahurangi and Paparoa national parks – the report said the Waitutu area of the Fiordland National Park had sufficient petroleum reserves to be “worthy” of inclusion in a review of conservation land protected from mining

    secretly granted the minerals industry the right to veto proposed National Park boundaries and permission for any such vetoes to be kept confidential – in spite of recommendations from its own officials against any such a veto

    called for caring New Zealanders to halt their “emotional hysteria” and recognise that conservation land should be mined for minerals and went on to say “Mining in a modern, technological way can have a negligible effect”

    rubished the Department of Conservation (“Canterbury Farming” June 2010 issue – now offline) suggesting it was incapable of looking after the high country reserves and parks under its control

    gutted the home insulation scheme

    pulled $300 million out of public transport, walking and cycling schemes and added it to a pot of $2 billion to ‘upgrade’ state highways

    changed the law to provide billions of dollar in subsidies for polluters via the ETS casino

    begun a process of gutting the Resource Management Act to make it difficult/impossible for the public to lodge appeals against developers

    removed the ability of Auckland to introduce a fuel levy to fund planned public transport upgrades

    left electrification of the Auckland rail network up in the air without promised funding commitments and then came through with a dodgy loan scheme and then unilaterally reorganised the local government structure before finally setting about the privatisation-by-stealth model when busting KiwiRail

    removed the programme to make Government Departments ‘carbon neutral’ and also began its first wave of public sector redundancies starting with the Ministry for the Environment which was responsible for the scheme

    removed funding for public tv advertising on sustainability and energy efficiency

    pulled funding for small-town public litter bin recycling schemes

    displayed cabinet ministers expressing public support the bulldozing of Fiordland

    reduced Department of Conservation funding by $54 million over three years

    cancelled funding for the internationally acclaimed ‘Enviroschools’ programme

    usurped the democratic role of local Councils of determining policies for their citizens by requiring the abandonment of the efficient and well-established tree protection rules for urban areas

    set about revamping Auckland governance in a way that is likely to greatly reduce the ‘Environmental Watchdog’ role of the the current Regional Council (since completely fucked it up with the SuperShitty)

    removed Auckland’s metropolitan limits and opened the gateway for unfettered urban sprawl

    defended internationally the importation of rain-forest-wrecking palm kernel and stood silent while Federated Farmers called Greenpeace “despicable” criminals, traitors, and robbers

    stood silent while Godfrey Bloom, a Member of the European Parliament and infamous Climate Change Denialist, publicly rejoiced in the 1985 bombing of the Greenpeace Rainbow Warrior – who was doing so while standing on a dock next to the replacement vessel

    took a 0% emissions reduction target to Copenhagen. Yes, seriously, that isn’t a misprint – that was the lower bound of their negotiation platform – then missed the 01/02/10 deadline for commitment to action it had agreed to – meanwhile 55 of the 80 countries which attended did make the deadline

    secretly cancelled the internationally recognised scheme for the mandatory labelling of exotic woods to ensure the timber has not been taken from rain forests in direct contradiction of its own statements made at the 13th World Forestry Congress in Argentina

    supported the Department of Conservation’s decision to open up the pristine Cathedral Cove to an ice-cream franchise

    gave the Department of Conservsation $1.7 million to further develop commercial activities on DOC land and started an “off set” plan allowing company’s to damage the conservation estate if they agree to improve land elsewhere – no monitoring regime has been suggested on put in place

    left DOC director-general Al Morrison to announce that DOC is to charge for services that had been free and, to soften the public up to the idea that there will be more “energy generation schemes” operating on DOC land

    took no action to reduce existing pollution pouring into the Manawatu River and is “leaving it up to industry” to come up with solutions to heal the river which was described by the Cawthorn Institute as “one of the worst polluted in the Western world”

    announced a $1.69 million industry subsidy to kick start marine farming without identifying no-go areas nor putting in place a consultation process for individiuals, communities, and other general coastal users

    been forced to release documents under the Official Information Act which confirm that DOC has “giving up” on ecologically valuable high-country land in the Mackenzie Basin because of funding cuts. The released documents cite “statements made by ministers”, “diminishing funding” and the Government’s new high-country policies as reasons for the changed stance – the comments from DOC were made after Land Information New Zealand (Linz), which manages the tenure review process, ignored DOC’s previous conservation recommendations for the farms

    used former National Party minister and current director of Open Country Cheese – a company convicted of filthy farming practices and found by the supreme court to be a dodgy employer – Wyatt Creech to head up an enquiry into Environment Canterbury which had been standing up the dairy farmers’ demands for more and more water resources and less and less regulation. The Creech report recommended the Environmental Canterbury be sacked and replaced with government appointments and the voters of Canterbury do without democracy until the water situation had been resolved. The Canterbury area holds 50 percent of New Zealand’s fresh water reserves and 50 percent of the water required for hyrdo energy. The Creech report said Environmental Centerbury put too much focus on the environment

    been subjected to international condemnation for knowing next to nothing about the parlous state of the New Zealand fisheries

    bucked international trends and poured more acid on the 100% Pure brand and increases the bluefin tuna quota

    squirmed when New Zealand is subject to international criticism for its backing of commericial whaling which National Ltd supports

    funded Government-owned company Solid Energy runs an essay competition entitled “ The role of coal in sustainable energy solutions for New Zealand” for school children. First prize is a trip to New Zealand’s largest coal customer, China.

    supported access fees for entrance onto DOC walkways – fee introduced following cuts to DOC’s budget.

    pressed on with PR bullshit about how New Zealand’s environment would profit from mining national parks, Conservation Minister Kate Wilkinson says.

    Department of Conservation director-general Al Morrison said the conservation estate created “opportunities to do a whole lot for a lot of different people . . . we’ve got to get away from this idea that somehow we have to protect one-third of New Zealand for a certain constituency and put it in a jar of formaldehyde and leave it

    created random fantasies of abundant wealth to promote all forms of mining

    ignored reports on sustained non-compliance with resource consents and worsening pollution of water ways.

    ignored its own Ministers possible conflicts of interest

    done nothing as both its own SOE Meridian and the Department of Conservation to withdraw appeals against an 85m high damn with a 14km long reservoir on conservation land.

    granted Energy Resources permission to ship Australian yellowcake uranium ore through New Zealand.

    apologised but does nothing else for breaching the Treaty of Waitangi by granting a mining exploration permit to Brazilian company Petrobras

    continued to remove environmental protection powers from local authorities

    totally reversed gains made in the protection of National Parks and other high-value conservation areas in the South Island.

    commenced a divide-and-rule strategy by attempting to paint New Zealanders interested in protecting the environment as outside of the “mainstream” and in defence of the fact that the media is catching to its bare-faced lies in the lead up to the 2008 election

    carried on with more lies by talking about modern mining like that at Reefton being carried out by Oceana Golds as being like “key hole surgery”

    appeared to believe that the tourists it is attempting to bring to New Zealand are all blind and won’t see for themselves the impact of the dairy farming it is subsidising to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars

    appeared itself to be blind when it comes to the Chairman of Fonterra

    forced the Commissioner for the Environment to delay the release of a report into the ramifications for climate change in regard to lignite mining and proposals to convert the lignite into diesel

    employed financial sleight of hand in shuffling funds towards business interests and away from community groups looking to protect the environment

    made more empty promises when a report showing that a third of New Zealand lankes have poor quality water is released

    backed down on promises to protect New Zealand children (and the environment cleaner by more informed disposal) from harmful chemicals by improving labeling and imposing mandatory standards on containers

    Ignored the findings by attacking the messenger when a World Health Organisation report confirms that New Zealand’s main centres have the worst air in Australasia and Auckland is the most polluted with twice the concentration of damaging airborne particles as Sydney.

    studiously ignored so as to take piss about <a href= http://www.parliament.nz/en-NZ/PB/Business/QWA/2/5/6/QWA_37689_2010-37689-2010-Brendon-Burns-to-the-Minister-of-Health.htm

    dire warnings concerning the quality of drinking water in Reidstone

    failed to mention in its 100% Pure promotions that visitors to the Kerikeri Basin near the Stone Store – one of Northland’s iconic tourism and heritage sites – could come face-to-face with warning signs telling them the water is polluted

    failed to mention in its 100% Pure promotions that tourists in the Coromandel could come face to face with New Zealand’s environmental standards when finding hundreds of dead snapper washed up on Beaches

    presented bogus evidence concerning air pollution

    made more empty promises in relation to air pollution while also extending deadlines for local councils to reduce air pollution

    extended deadlines for businesses previously require to reduce air pollution by 2013

    put tourism operators in Akaroa at risk by refusing to make the harbour a marine reserve . . . and then rubs salt into their wounds

    done nothing after the United Nations finds that National Ltd™’s targets for reducing pollution are not consistent with the measures put in place to achieve those targets

    attempted to defend the Emissions Trading Scheme from comparisons with the Australian model while Environment Minister Nick Smith indicates there’s little chance of the two schemes being integrated any time soon

    then further slowed down the implentation of New Zealand’s Emissions Trading Scheme

    allowed major retailers to reap the benefits of its earlier and secret decision to abandon the mandatory labelling of exotic woods after it is found that the retailers are contributing to the death of native Australian forests despite an independent, year-long investigation which finds otherwise

    tried to keep a meeting between John Key and mininng company Anadarko’s boss <a href= http://www.3news.co.nz/Key-keeps-meeting-with-Anadarko-boss-quiet/tabid/370/articleID/233099/Default.aspx

    secret. The company is responsble for a massive oil spill and is looking to to start drilling off New Zealand soon

    continued to ignore yet more evidence of farmers <a href= http://www.boprc.govt.nz/news-centre/media-releases/november-2011/dairy-compliance-falling-on-deaf-ears/

    failing to comply with environmental regulations

    handed over $400 million to farmers to extend water storage and allow for more land to be used for dairy farms. No mention or provision is made for additional protections required to deal with the increased pollution

    failed to point out in its 100% Pure promotion that tourists (and locals) should avoid the Opihi River along State Highway 1 because of the risk of exposure to toxins from phormidium

    failed to point out in its 100% Pure promotions that tourists arriving at New Zealand’s “nuclear free” sea ports will be sharing the environment with up to 5,000 tonnes of radioactive yellow cake uranium

    lied about how bad the RMA is

    ignored top scientists and academics who point out that its underfunding of the Department of Conservation will send more species into extinction and hurt its 100% Pure image.

    Ignored John Key making an international arse out of himself in regard to New Zealand’s 100% Pure image

    carried on with its lies as New Zealand is identified as jeoparising its good name by allowing us to become one of a small number of states stalling progress in forming an international climate agreement
    kept stringing us along even after Next thing, New Zealand received the 2nd place Fossil Award for “proposing the most Flexible Mechanism imaginable with no oversight or review. Bring on the wild west. They want to be able to use any market mechanisms they wish with absolutely no oversight or international review! There would be no way to ensure that the units from one mechanism have not been sold two or three times to another such mechanism. This would likely unleash a wild west carbon market with double or triple counting of offsets and a likely increase of greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere.”

    stood silent when Fonterra was caught out lying by overstating its farmer’s compliance on excluding stock from waterways by 100%

    put World class surfing waves and Maui’s dolphin’s at Raglan at severe risk by encouraging a proposed iron ore seabed mining in New Zealand’s coastal waters

    never followed up after the scientific models created by New Zealand and the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) to allow fishing are called into question

    set the scene for our children heading down to the park to find an overseas’ owned company had set up a dairy farm in one corner. Over time the shit builds up

    ignored data which shows the <a href= http://www.stuff.co.nz/marlborough-express/news/6427926/More-fish-farms-seen-as-environment-risk

    expansion of fish-farming in the Marlborough Sounds could cause unacceptable changes in the coastal environment

    strategically removed the word “environment” from the lexicon of local and central government

    failed to tell the tourists it hopes to attact with its 100% Pure campaign that every year, New Zealand drops huge quantities of poison-laced food into its forest ecosystems; enough poison to kill its human population 4 times over, every year. No country has ever done anything remotely similar, on such a scale

    failed to tell the tourists it hopes to attract with its 100% Pure campaign that more than a third of Auckland’s beaches fail water quality checks and are closed for swimming

    ignored the closing of the beaches, this time as extremely high concentrations of the bacteria enterococci are identified
    ignored Ministerial conflicts of interest, this time involving John Key who is identified as shareholder in the Bank Of America which is backing mining in New Zealand and Australia . . . even when more information is made available . . . and more information . . . and more information

    pressed on with additional policies that move away from the protection of the environment towards exploitation

    limited , as part of its effort to cash-in on the environment, access to some of New Zealand’s most endangered species and isolated islands only to those who those who contribute financially displacing conservation staff and scientists

    ignored a World Wildlife Fund report, Beyond Rio, which makes clear New Zealand now risks some of the highest rates of biodiversity loss on Earth unless urgent action is taken

    continued to give confidence to Fonterra director Colin Armer being convicted and fined $72,000 for “fouling” a Bay of Plenty waterway after a judge found he could have prevented the pollution were it not for his “systemic” failure to monitor what was happening on his company’s farm

    lied when it said New Zealand has the environmental laws and regulations to control oil and gas development on the continental shelf because there is no equivalent of the Resource Management Act to control oil and gas activity outside of the territorial sea (12 nautical miles offshore).
    lied when it had already agreed coastal plans to allow marine farming consent holders in the Waikato and Marlborough to move from mussel farming to finfish farming without considering the additional environmental effects imposed

    placed short-term business interests ahead of long-term consequences to New Zealand’s environment, particularly biodiversity by allowing damage in one area on the condition that it be “off set” in another creating a dangerous precedent in that such a provisin means that one part of biodiversity can be wrecked in return for “protecting” an area that was never under threat anyway.

    promoted proposals that include include a plant producing about 2 billion litres of diesel per year, using at least 12 million tonnes of lignite per year and another producing 3 billion litres using 12-17 million tonnes of lignite annually. A further project would produce by 2016 1.2 tonnes of the nitrogenous fertiliser, urea, using 2 million tonnes of lignite annually

    tried to hide the fact that its Department of Conservation was ordered to permit Meridian to to build a damn on the Mohikinui River despite its position that “the public conservation land within the Mokihinui River has such high value that it is most unlikely to be suitable for exchange at all

    continued to ignore the slow-motion extinction of Maui’s dolphins:

    gone into hiding after it was discovered that significant cuts to the Ministry for the Environment in the 2012 Budget are not publicly detailed or announced

    continued to ignore its international obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea to “protect and preserve” the martime environment

    refused in the face of repeated calls to set national standards for water quality despite mounting evidence of the need to do so

    further weakened protection for wild rivers in Canterbury with the ECan Act and indicates that further weakening provisions will follow.

    rubber stamped a motorway project with no economic benefit and likely to waste over $1 billion of tax payers’ funds.

    been forced to admit that it has spent $1.67 million in a survey of minerals on the West Coast of New Zealand, including within the Te Wahipounamu South West New Zealand world heritage area. Te Wahipounamu is one of 183 natural heritage

    secretly ordered that world heritage sites on the West Coast be surveyed as part of a $3 million mineral study spanning more than 16,000 square kilometres. The survey was only puiblicy revealed after Green MP Catherine Delahunty asked for details in a parliamentary question

    appointed thoroughtly unsuitable but politically useful members to the Establishment Board for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

    facilitated by neglect the employment of inexperienced managers, making poor policy decisions resulting in additional threats to New Zealand’s biosecurity.

    under resourced New Zealand’s biosecurity system to such an extent that it is fundamentally flawed preventing any way of identifying how the Kiwifruit killer virus got into New Zealand and, thus, no way of preventing it from happening again.

    handed over a further $80 million to business and farmers to subsidise their pollution.

    ignored its own guidelines to provide consent the Milford Dart tunnel and Fiordland Link Experience which would otherwise never have been granted.

    appointed an advisory group to recommend a significant rewrite of the Resource Management Act to remove references to the protection of coastal areas, wetlands, lakes and rivers and indigenous flora and fauna.

    splashed tax payer cash around its consultants considering conservation and environmental protection of the Mackenze Basin and Waitaki Valley

    further weakened the resource consent process for foreign-owned mining companies,

    locked New Zealanders out of the consultation process on the alloting of areas being made available for resource exploration.

    ignored the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment and scrapped government grants for solar water heating

    used the Navy along with police and Crown Law to bully environmental protesters in a legal case they knew could not be won

    put 23 massive blocks of deep and wild waters east of Wellington and Dunedin on the international market for exploratory oil drilling

    allowed its own consultants do a u-turn on the economic benefits of additional roading and then handed them a $200 million contract for further consultation work

    Supported the Department of Conservation into granting foreign-owned multinational mining company OceanaGold permission to destroy 55 hectares of beech forest so as to extend its Reefton mine to a total 81 hectares without public notification

    envouraged the Minerals Industry Association to bully local authorities to step aside from what little environmental protections they are able to impose

    reduced its environment agencies to little more than a ramshackle collection of underfunded and ineffective small back offices with no direction or policy for dealing with the vast marine resources of New Zealand

    eroded New Zealand’s bio-security to such an extent that Christchurch Airport is found to have failed at a basic level

    removed the directive terms “protect”, “preserve”, “maintain” and “enhance” from the RMA fundamentally weakening the legislation and deliberately introducing confusion as to its overall intent.

    futher ensured that New Zealand tax payers continue to subsidise 95% of big polluters’ emissions

    drastically reduced the size of proposed marine reserves off the West Coast so much so that one advocate says they are “an insult” to those who spent years trying to establish them

    instructed its delegates at the world’s largest conservation conference , the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s conference in Korea, to oppose any further measures to protect Maui and Hector dolphins in defiance of 117 other countries and 460 environmental organisations requesting New Zealand ban gill and trawl nets in waters up to 100 metres deep

    lied about the environmental impact of fraking

    refused to enforce its own legislation to protect the environment

    ignored concerns about fracking which has seen the practise banned around the world

    twisted the knife by exploiting news of redundancies at Solid Energy in a statement which claims opponents to a proposed mine are “getting in the way of” potential jobs as part of an effort to discourage legal action

    changed to law allowing a consideration of the effects on climate change to allow Australian-owned mining company Bathurst Resources (also known as Buller Coal) to build a 200-hectare open-cast coal mine on the plateau and excavate 80 million tonnes of coal that, when burnt, will release about 200 million tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere

    further ensured the extinction of New Zealand sea lions by failing to extend necessary fishing restrictions

    failed to protect the New Zealand marine environment and ignored international obligation with its Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf Act oil drilling legislation

    continued to obfuscate and dither while More than half of monitored recreational sites on our rivers are declared unsafe for swimming

    ignored its own scientific evidence and advice from its own authorities to lock-in tax payer funding of business which pollutes New Zealand’s air

    refused to enforce its own laws in respect to water pollution

    changed the law to make it more difficult to build a deck on a house than it is to drill for oil

    avoided its international obligations “to ensure the conservation and management of sharks and their long-term sustainable use” while its fishers carry on with the barbaric practise of shark finning.

    ignored public support for conservation by ordering another round of cuts to the Department of Conservation.

    stood alone at the world’s largest conservation summit and voted against more protection for species at risk

    further gutted environmental protection legislation to speed up the building consent process for developers

    vancelled without notice the five-yearly State of the Environment report put together by the Ministry of the Environment, the report is the largest stock-take of trends relating to land, water, air, plants and animals

    abandoned the Kyoto agreement completely

    allowed its on lobbyist to publicly attack a prominent New Zealand scientist for speaking truth about New Zealand’s environment in an effort to silence the accurate reporting of scientific evidence

    attracted international mockery for the fact that the pristine landscape featured in The Hobbit and used as the basis for the 100% Pure New Zealand campaign as fantastical as dragons and wizards

    remained “relaxed” about the fact that New Zealand is now the 18th worst out of 189 nations when it came to preserving its natural environment

    pulled out of Kyoto just weeks after the OECD reports that global greenhouse gas emissions could rise 50 per cent by 2050 without more ambitious climate policies, as fossil fuels continue to dominate the energy mix

    laughed when New Zealand received two “Fossil of the Day” – first-equal and second place – awards on the first day of international climate talks in Doha, Qatar

    used Hobbiton – Waikato – as the centrepiece of its 100% Pure campaign when the area is the country’s major source of pollution to the Hauraki Gulf

    handed over responsibility for the monitoring and reporting of fraking activity , for which it has inadequate legal protections, to the foreign-owned multi-nationals which are carrying out that activity thus totally ignoring its own Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment

    lied, obfuscated and used government resources to attack and undermined local authority plans to improve water quality
    sanctioned an unnamed foreign-owned multinational to go ahead with a major road through pristine South Island National Parks

    employed disingenuous gobbledeegook to defend its decision to withdraw from the Kyoto Agreement.

    turned a deaf ear to calls for New Zealand to assist pacfic island nations by taking a stronger position on climate change

    displayed contempt for existing agreements and Environment Case law by approving new salmon farms in recreational areas within the Marlborough Sounds

    refused to investigate the impact on increasing use of neonicotinoid pesticides which is likely to be a major contributor to the sudden and dramatic decline (aka colony collapse disorder) of the New Zealand honey bee population, National Ltd™ also refused to consider the development of a strategy to protect what is left of the honey bee population.

    lied about its commitment to addressing climate change

    failed to monitor Sanford Ltd’s pollution resulting in an international embarrassment

    allowed foreign-owned multinationals to proceed with oil exploration without the financial resources available to mitigate any environmental damage should it occur

    been caught out ignoring its own advice on implementing environmental monitoring procedures

    used changes to the Resource Management Act to remove local authorty’s rights and planning for the protection of trees

    commenced removing local authority’s rights to plan for housing

    allowed more than 53 percent of Canterbury’s major water users to avoid having meters installed

    mixed the cooperative model of climate change negotiations with the competitive model used in trade negotiations, thus putting outcomes in both areas a risk

    ducked questions asking for evidence as to the safety of genetically engineered food

    ignored the fact that New Zealand carbon credits are no longer the unit of choice in the New Zealand’s own carbon market. Figures from the official Emission Unit Registry show that emitters who initially supported NZUs are now using a range of international units to meet their carbon obligations under the Emissions Trading Scheme

    used highly dodgy figures in calculating the reduction New Zealand’s net carbon emissions by including trees due to be harvested in the next few years

    ignored news that New Zealand’s first glyphosate resistant weed has been found and the resulting call for the use of glyphosate (Monsanto’s “Roundup”) to cease

    stayed silent for five months after being advised that Fonterra’s milk product were contaminated with dicyandiamide (DCD) and now face an international backlash.

    set no maximum level of contamination of dicyandiamide (DCD) (AKA cyanoguanidine) in milk products for consumption by New Zealanders, stood silent while the farming industry says the withdrawal of dicyandiamide (DCD) will result in yet more pollution of New Zealand’s waterways

    stood silent as NIWA announced findings of research which showed 20 per cent of marine life in the Milford Sounds port area could be killed off as a result of copper leaching from anti-fouling paints on boat hulls

    secretly without consultation and any right of appeal used a short-term draconian law to ammend a water conservation order for the Rakaia River

    been locked out of the international carbon market because of its trucculent attitude

    continued in its efforts to eliminate tree protection of any kind in Auckland and elsewhere

    stood alone as the only developed country not to have tabled an unconditional single number target as part of the international climate change negotiations

    cut funding into research about protecting the last remaining giant kauri

    continued to endanger the 100% Pure brand

    been unable to explain how genetically engineered mould escaped from Massey University laboratories and remains unable or unwilling to provide further information

    introduced foreign species without a consideration of the risk to human health

    allowed oil companies to ignore breaches of resource consent and set neihhbours against neighbours

    obfuscated on the negative economic benefits of major raod works

    obfuscated on the level of cuts to the Department of Conservation

    disengaged the previously widely held concept of environmental protection from any consideration of economic development

    sacked 140 staff at the Department of Conservation

    inserted last minute changes to environmental legislation that were not announced and, thus, not considered during public submissions and earlier readings of Bills.

    lied about the practise of fracking going on in New Zealand for the past 30 years

    funded its Economic Development Ministry’s membership of the Coal Association lobby group

    staged a consultation process on the restructuring for the Department of Conservation and then completely ignored any submissions generated

    proposed handing over recreational paua gathering areas to commercial operators

    opened a further 190,000 square kilometers of New Zealand’s coastal waters for oil exploration

    allowed the Minister of Energy’s own political adviser to make public calls for the boycotting of the environmental iniative Earth House

    held secret meetings with oil company executives known international as irresponsible and mendacious

    exposed Auckland beaches to the unmonitored risk of oil exploration by companies unable to afford any clean up operations if required

    breached international law and used parliamentary urgency and ignored international guidelines to rush through legislation depriving New Zealanders of the right to protest against drilling for oil within 350 miles if New Zealand coast

    given permission for oil drilling to take place over earthquake ridden continental plate fault lines just off shore from Wellington

    stood idle while water quality used by households continyes to worsen

    ensured that the MacKenzie Basin is turned from a conservation estate into a development area

    used parliamentary urgency to avoid public notification, consultation and/or consideration of a law allowing companies with no experience nor financial resources to drill for oil on earthquake-ridden fault lines lying in New Zealand coastal waters

    here would be significant and irreversible adverse effects on the conservation values and overall ecological integrity of the application area and the Denniston Plateau should the proposed activity be approved”?

    but wait . . . there’s more, much, much more . . .

    http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0903/S00452.htm <— back up on Chris Bishop

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10869801 <— irony much

    It is disgusting that if you are a sportsperson you get no conviction for an offence that endangered peoples lives because it might affect their ability to play overseas, but an actress convicted for taking part in an environmental protest gets no such consideration.

    http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1306/S00244/savage-attack-on-bee-health.htm

    http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1306/S00240/positive-changes-to-fishing-regulations-announced.htm

    http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1306/S00219/report-highlights-risk-of-governments-mining-agenda.htm

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=10892481

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/pollution/news/article.cfm?c_id=281&objectid=10884397

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=10892985

    http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK1306/S00647/new-zealand-waste-policies-stuck-in-the-past.htm

    http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1306/S00309/environment-commissioner-releases-water-report-update.htm

    http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1307/S00024/iwc-says-govt-must-act-for-survival-of-mauis-dolphins.htm

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10895428

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=10904557

    http://www.theguardian.com/environment/planet-oz/2013/jul/29/hobbit-new-zealand-lord-of-the-rings-middle-earth-oil-gas-drilling

    http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/08/06/us-newzealand-milk-image-idUSBRE97503H20130806

    http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/xinhua/2013-08-05/content_9769307.html

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=10910158

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=10913041

    http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/nz-commits-2020-climate-change-target-5534697

    http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1308/S00273/national-admits-defeat-on-climate-change.htm

    http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1308/S00257/gutted-emissions-trading-scheme-damaging-forestry.htm

    http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1308/S00219/public-silenced-on-oil-well-consents.htm

    http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1308/S00179/rma-changes-risk-further-damage-to-nzs-reputation.htm

    http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1308/S00177/key-stacks-deck-plays-cute-with-rma.htm

    http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1308/S00172/government-welcomes-king-salmon-decision.htm

    http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1308/S00154/minister-must-shoulder-the-blame-for-mpis-mistakes.htm

    http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/planned-oil-exploration-outrages-kaikoura-residents-5535929

    http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1308/S00287/more-deforestation-following-ets-changes.htm

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11115218

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/9099326/Nats-plan-to-remove-right-to-oppose-drilling

    http://www.3news.co.nz/Residents-against-proposed-Fonterra-mine/tabid/423/articleID/311296/Default.aspx

    http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1309/S00100/bills-failure-highlights-nationals-empty-slogan.htm

    http://www.mfe.govt.nz/website/closed-sites/bioethics.html

    http://www.indymedia.org.nz/articles/1255

    Environment Canterbury (
    Temporary Commissioners and Improved Water Management) Act 2010

    Denies access to the Environment Court for the resolution of environmental and resource

    management matters in the
    Canterbury region

    Environment Canterbury (Temporary Commissioners and Improved Water Management) Act 2010
    Enables the Minister for the Environment to choose what law will or
    will not apply to Commissioners appointed to replace
    the Canterbury regional councillors

    http://www.rethinking.org.nz/assets/Newsletter_PDF/Issue_112/02_United_Nations_Universal_Periodic_Review_170613.pdf

    http://lsa.net.au/wcb-content/uploads/lsa/files/2011/Henry%20VIII%20clauses.pdf

    Henry VIII Clause

    http://www.rethinking.org.nz/assets/Newsletter_PDF/Issue_112/02_United_Nations_Universal_Periodic_Review_170613.pdf

    ^^ law society UN submission

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/timaru-herald/business/9107225/Rod-Oram-Time-for-economic-leadership

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/9121336/Deep-sea-oil-plans-anger-stars

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/9134466/Ross-Sea-proposed-sanctuary-slashed

    http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1309/S00064/concerns-over-revised-plan-for-ross-sea-protection.htm

    http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1309/S00059/serious-risk-in-fed-farmers-short-term-thinking.htm

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/9143526/Environmental-OK-for-holiday-highway

    http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1309/S00108/analysis-of-proposed-freshwater-rma-sir-geoffrey-palmer.htm

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=11122601

    http://www.labour.org.nz/news/why-not-wholly-independent-reporting-minister

    http://www.labour.org.nz/news/minister-buying-needless-fight-with-local-authorities

    http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/regional/221858/doc-paper-says-dam-proposal-%27risky%27

    http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/222020/eight-new-o-and-g-exploration-areas-up-for-grabs

    http://thestandard.org.nz/nick-smith-ruataniwha-dam/#comment-699139

    http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1309/S00222/coal-trumps-climate-at-supreme-court.htm

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/environment/news/article.cfm?c_id=39&objectid=11126724

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/9190899/Govt-calls-for-platinum-mining-tenders

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/9143526/Environmental-OK-for-holiday-highway

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/n

    • Tracey 27.1
      19 March 2014 at 5:02 pm

      BLiP

      the thing is you are confusing damage to nz with popularity. john key is popular so apparently the damage he does to aotearoa and the majority of people is vindicated.

      i wish facts really did make the govt mouthpieces heads explode.

    • phillip ure 27.2
      19 March 2014 at 5:09 pm

      you are a national (as in country) treasure..there..blip..

      • freedom 27.2.1
        19 March 2014 at 6:39 pm

        thanks Blip, and shared
        184 days left, should be enough for folks to digest it in time

    • banginthecentre 27.3
      19 March 2014 at 6:03 pm

      can you repeat that please

  28. greywarbler 28
    19 March 2014 at 5:11 pm

    Colonial Viper
    This is a scenario that is creeping into my mind as I see the lack of effective interaction by Labour with the NZ electorate. The time passing with what seems like token communication and too much concern about trivia, table manners and naice argument, and name calling, and ‘not fair’ and finger pointing. And not enough assertive presence of Labour, real, recognisable, noticeable with vision, then policy, then the same again, being revealed and discussed. I hope I am being a sad, grumpy old bastard that has read all the wrong signs, and needs new glasses.

    It may be that we have here a Labour Party that won’t make the changes needed to be viable in the 21st century. Perhaps when it changed in the 1990’s it was the end of a process of decay with too much stress on demands for more wages in a downward economy. The idea of compensating for inflation automatically each wage round, fed into more inflation. What was the plan to deal with that from the unions? The change in 1990’s set permanently in its new form the buy-out for a peppercorn by the neolibs in the name of modernity and efficiency. And though there have been a few changes, it is still under new ownership, still steering the ship the Middle Way. And they will keep on the same route until they hit a reef and stop. It will be too late then to save the ship, but there will be emoluments to those who remain on board, so they will stay and make noises about refloating. But that’s all.

    It could be that you and others are wasting your time thinking that the past beliefs and vision will revive and ignite. The institutional memory and the commitment to the people as a whole has gone, and there is just a flaccid hand-out concern about rights and minorities from the politicians, who see welfare as the main thrust of Labour. A welfare-first mentality without the conviction of the need for a thriving, working supportive business, manufacturing and trading economy. There is talk of jobs and business but no determined, inspired effort to get into the fray and strike out in new ways. So Shane Jones can be allowed to diss the Greens. The corporate interests of Labour are
    conservative, and backward thinking, the opposite to the Greens.

    All that remains is Labour’s stubborn unwillingness to look to the future, to make concessions and advance with some compromises in new directions. Labour is sticking to the recipe of not doing anything too advanced in the business sphere, not doing anything too advanced in any sphere, and not make any advances in social policy thinking. They have mainly kept the lid on, or implemented the latest slogans such as main-streaming, along with trimming back as they retreat, with the latest to be the rise in old age pension limit. So just think from day to day, and keep trying the same recipes in the hope the Party will rise.

    • JK 28.1
      19 March 2014 at 5:40 pm

      To GreyWarbler and all the other pessimists – please be a little more patient. Labour IS getting underway – Cunliffe gave a speech the other day on his economic vision and quite clearly said the day of Neo-liberalism has gone (but, of course, no-one in the media picked this up), and today there has been another announcement re the forestry industry and what Labour intends to do with that.
      Going further back, the concern expressed by Labour and Greens about the state of manufacturing in NZ should have indicated to you that there will be policies coming out to rectify those shortcomings – in fact, one policy has already been announced but its in jargon language – the “procurement” policy which is essential – for tendering for Govt jobs, locals will get a major look-in before the jobs go to overseas tenderers. And you have ignored Best Start. okay – there was slippage there with the Nats ready to pounce on the wrong phrase/wording – but the intent to start to improve the lives of families is clearly spelt out. I getting a bit tired watching you all whinge and carry on ……. how about you look up the policies that have already been announced, and are on the Labour website ?

      • phillip ure 28.1.1
        19 March 2014 at 5:56 pm

        yeah..that’ll get the disenfranchised one million to the polls..won’t it..?

        ..all they see is just more beneficiary/poor-bashing..

      • greywarbler 28.1.2
        19 March 2014 at 6:20 pm

        JK
        It’s jam tomorrow and there is some today. But salt sprinkled on, from the vote for including benes partners in punishment over fraud. It’s each step forward, a half step back. I’m sick of things like Shane having a go at the Greens.

        Good on you for the forestry policy. I haven’t looked at that yet. There was a piece in The Press about some request for wood by a NZ entity. I’ll see how that matches up with what you have put forward.

        As I said. talk about the vision regularly and then have a thought-out policy follow up.. I suggest that Cunliffe says that he doesn’t make promises that they will fall exactly on a set cost. But Labour wants to get within parameters of…. and reporters can get the paper summaries on application.

        Any smarts from the jonos about the figures being near fibs, which is what some of them would say, just point out that NACTs whole economy is a fib. And that Labour figures are as near as they can be after close study and checking with experts.

        And do people know about what has been released as policy? Have you taken polls about the extent of the knowledge? People can’t be relied on to look them up on your web site. What I did do today was look up your party list. Still a number closing at end March. I’ll be waiting to see the selections.

        • greywarbler 28.1.2.1
          19 March 2014 at 6:39 pm

          The piece in the Press I mentioned is on page A8 Tuesday 18/Mar/2014. Its about a woo-first policy to encourage the use of wood as a primary material in new government buildings of up to four storeys. Red Stag Timber NZ largest independent sawmill near Rotorua wants to build and own what would be the first super mill but says the wood-first policy would be crucial to its success.

          The company speaker said that at present plants are not viable because we are too small and have a boom-bust cycle.

          • Colonial Viper 28.1.2.1.1
            19 March 2014 at 8:34 pm

            GW when the NZLP did its best work there were strong unions and civil society movements pushing it to the Left. Those pressures don’t exist now to drive Labour to the left.

            It fits together quite nicely if you think of Labour today as a centrist capitalist party. One which was originally created as the mainstream political arm of an active left wing pro-workers mass movement. But the mass movement has long since died (it was killed off) leaving behind the surviving but unconnected, unpurposed political party to stumble along an uncertain and unclear path.

            • bad12 28.1.2.1.1.1
              19 March 2014 at 9:17 pm

              CV, i consider that along with the union movement the Labour Party was too successful, they got what they wanted, middle class security, even the wharfies when viewed today against what they used to get paid for what they had to do as manual labor befor containerization can be considered as middle class,

              As the mass of workers became that middle class through their struggle so did the Labour Party and i believe their problem lies in that the previous success has had most of them forget the struggle and concentrate on ensuring they lose none of what they gained,

              Unfortunately, forgotten behind them is a trail of desperate workers/beneficiaries that they cannot connect with and seem unable to formulate policy that speaks to what the Labour movement fought so long and hard against,(assuming of course they have any will to do so)…

      • drongo 28.1.3
        19 March 2014 at 7:03 pm

        I don’t see any proof of it. The poll numbers are getting worse, and maybe Mr McCarten has to work for his salary?

      • lurgee 28.1.4
        19 March 2014 at 8:44 pm

        “please be a little more patient. Labour IS getting underway – Cunliffe gave a speech the other day on his economic vision and quite clearly said …”

        Didn’t McFlock post this about a year ago, re Shearer? Stop pinching his posts!

        • McFlock 28.1.4.1
          19 March 2014 at 11:41 pm

          lol

          I’m just soooo glad that a change in leader was the magic bullet for labour that was portrayed.

  29. JK 29
    19 March 2014 at 6:08 pm

    Well – Phil, from where I live, the forestry policy could well provide heaps more jobs for quite a number of those disenfranchised one million. And the procurement policy would do the same.

  30. Zorr 30
    19 March 2014 at 6:50 pm

    Just had a friend post this:
    http://agrihq.co.nz/article/milk-runner-tangles-pm-in-product-endorsement?p=7

    From 11 months ago

    Seems very interesting considering the current scandal

  31. phillip ure 31
    19 March 2014 at 7:12 pm

    a heads up!/warning to all of my brothers and sisters in pot..in northland..

    ..a bird has whispered in my ear..that the drug squad are doing a major sweep thru the area..

    ..starting tomorrow morning..

    ..please spread the word..

    ..and stay cool..!

    • bad12 31.1
      19 March 2014 at 7:18 pm

      Tsk tsk Phillip, using the site to aid and abet criminal pursuits wouldn’t seem a very intelligent thing to do,(even considering how stupidly Neanderthalic most of here view the anti-pot laws to be)…

      • phillip ure 31.1.1
        19 March 2014 at 7:22 pm

        just spread the word..eh..?

        • phillip ure 31.1.1.1
          19 March 2014 at 7:27 pm

          and i hafta say.at the end of day three of serious pot withdrawals..(hah..!..)..that.not smoking has halved my appetite..

          ..so..it is clear..

          ..that yet another medical benefit of the wonder herb is apparent..

          ..as an aid for those suffering from anorexia..

          ..(and it actually puzzles me..this hasn’t been thought of before..

          ..y’know..!..’the munchies’..!…)

          • bad12 31.1.1.1.1
            19 March 2014 at 7:43 pm

            i think Phillip anorexia is a bit more complicated than simply having the ‘munchies’ is capable of fixing,all this talk of dope reminds me i must advertise the three 600 watt lights that have been sitting around doing nothing for too long…

            • phillip ure 31.1.1.1.1.1
              19 March 2014 at 8:11 pm

              re anorexia..of course it is complex..but it can’t hurt..

              ..(and a dose of ‘e’ wouldn’t hurt them either..

              ..might even help them to clear away some of their crap..that is holding them back..
              ..it’s good for that..that ‘e’..)

              .and i also hafta say…

              ..that after some years of everyday use…

              ..withdrawals were a doddle…

              ..it really is the least harmful of all the intoxicants..

              ..and by a country mile..

              ..that pot..

              • bad12 …
                19 March 2014 at 8:25 pm

                Fucks sake, its Doctor Phillip, hey and if they get a little strung out on the previous cocktail you could always cook em a spoon-full of mama’s best smack and ping that up their arms to get em all to just chill,

                At the least Phillip you sound dangerous to the health of the already unhealthy, worst case scenario a raving drug nutter…

                • phillip ure …
                  19 March 2014 at 8:36 pm

                  typical hysteria from you..

                  ..(must be time for a ciggie and a beer..eh..?..)

                  ..and a fact check for you..

                  ..therapists were really pissed off that ‘e’ was made illegal..’

                  ..the claims being a dose of ‘e’/mdma could get as much done as a year of therapy..

                  ..and the american military have just started treating vets with post-traumatic stress..

                  ..with both ‘e’/mdma..and lsd..

                  (terminal cancer patients are also being given lsd..with positive outcomes reported..)

                  ..there are none so ignorant..eh..?

                  ..in fact..’e’ could well help you kick the ciggies/beer..eh..?

                  ..nothing else seems to have worked..

                  ..eh..?

                  • phillip ure …
                    19 March 2014 at 8:44 pm

                    and seriously..!..get a fucken grip..eh..?

                    ..i haven’t used smack for over twenty yrs..cocaine about ten..

                    ..and no..i don’t wake up every morning..

                    ..yearning to plunge a syringe filled with both into my arm..

                    ..(as you seem to think..)

                    ..you feckin’ idjit..

                    • phillip ure …
                      19 March 2014 at 8:52 pm

                      and hey..!

                      ..whose the addict now..?

                      ..eh..?

                    • bad12 …
                      19 March 2014 at 9:03 pm

                      Doctor Phillip the piss weak poly-addict, spends His whole damn life wasted on one drug or another and i’m a fucking idiot???,

                      Yeah can’t wait Phillis for the local chemist to get in a supply of mdma and lsd, i wont tho hold my breath,

                      Get it right child i havn’t drunk beer for at least four years which only leaves me with my cigs as a bad habit which i aint about to even think about giving up…

                    • phillip ure …
                      19 March 2014 at 9:21 pm

                      that nico monkey’s really got a grip on you..

                      ..eh..?

                      ..they’ll tear yr last butt from yr cold/dead fingers..eh..?

                      ..heh..!

                      ..and you clearly have not yet had mdma..

                      ..everyone should..

                      ..at least once..

                    • bad12 …
                      19 March 2014 at 9:42 pm

                      Phillip, i was tripping LSD and MDMA befor you had learned to wipe either your nose or your arse, the latter it would appear you have still failed to master,

                      The secret is that such potions are said to be mind expanding and as the cranial cavity can only contain X amount of one, a mind that is, over-doing the use of these things leads to the opposite, brain damage,

                      That brain damage is pretty evident in you as you continually splurge it across the pages of the standard on a daily basis with your …drivel…drivel…more drivel,

                      Someone may well pluck my last ciggy from my cold dead hand,not that i care or will be in any state to notice, its a free habit for me and i see no reason to give up unless you consider the Government bullshit currently being used as brainwashing,successfully i might add, to be the truth,

                      More fool you if you do, they have lied constantly about everything so why anyone with half a brain, admittedly with your brain damage that might not be you, would believe a word of what any of them says is beyond me…

  32. Colonial Viper 32
    19 March 2014 at 7:15 pm

    Just bought 4 ordinary household items from the supermarket this evening. Tea bags, orange juice, vinegar, coffee. All on special. Hardly any shrapnel back from a $20 note. Just shocking.

    • Zorr 32.1
      19 March 2014 at 7:24 pm

      Would have to ask what brands you were buying?

      If buying tea bags, as long as you’re buying gumboot then there’s no need to splash out.
      Coffee is the big spender here because you will end up spending anywhere between $5-10 (depending on tastes) no matter how budget you shop.
      Juice has never been cheap unless you buy Raro/similar
      Budget white/malt vinegar will only run you a couple of dollars – were you buying something fancier here?

      I don’t think at any recent point you would have ever done that shopping trip and come back with anything decent for less than $15.

      • Colonial Viper 32.1.1
        19 March 2014 at 8:00 pm

        From memory: DYC white vinegar 750mL for $2.49 (I was tempted to buy the cheaper no name brand but that was made in Australia)…the real killer was Charlies OJ 2L at almost seven bucks (I do drink RARO but to be real, that’s not orange juice, it just looks orange)…that was on special too…Dilmah 100 tea bags for $3.99…the cheaper stuff was just a dollar less but IMO two months suffering of having to put up with 100 cups of inferior tea is too much to bear. Plunger coffee $6.49.

        • Zorr 32.1.1.1
          19 March 2014 at 8:16 pm

          Yeah – you want “juice” you’ll pay for it

          If you want the health benefits of fruit juice without the negatives and for less money – buy fruit (because the fiber is important) and drink council juice (water) – agreed on the Raro but wasn’t sure what you would call juice.

          But yeah, if you cut out the juice and coffee, you’d have not spent almost $14 (on just those two items). I suck it up on the coffee myself because it’s my food privilege in my household but we currently spend under $350 for a growing family of 5 – we could do it on less but I earn enough and view nutrition as important enough to spend the money on (and we have special dietary requirements). We just don’t spend money on other stuff.

          • Colonial Viper 32.1.1.1.1
            19 March 2014 at 8:22 pm

            Yeah the juice is an extravagance and real fruit is better for ya and cheaper I agree…and it’s far too easy to suck up the loads of invisible sugar hiding within a 350mL glass of juice.

        • phillip ure 32.1.1.2
          19 March 2014 at 9:10 pm

          @ viper..

          ..i agree..cheap tea is just shit/not worth it..

          ..have you tried bells’ kenya bold..?

          ..it’s the rolls royce of teas..

          ..i see my life in two parts..

          ..before kenya bold..

          ..and after kenya bold..

        • Lanthanide 32.1.1.3
          19 March 2014 at 10:02 pm

          Personally the most I’d ever pay for juice is $5 for 3 litres. So $7 for 2 litres is luxury in my book.

          Simple white/malt vinegar doesn’t need a brand name, the generic stuff is pretty much the same. Actually I use vinegar far more for cleaning than for consumption. Spiced or flavoured vinegars might be a little different, though.

          Don’t drink tea or coffee so no comment.

    • bad12 32.2
      19 March 2014 at 7:28 pm

      CV, you must have a really BAD supermarket, i did the weekly shopping on Tuesday and the lot came to 60 bucks,

      That included 4 oranges,5 apples,3 plums,3 banana, 3 lemons,a bag of spuds,a couple of kumara,and a onion, fresh red cod for two meals,(one fried and one raw fish), two tins of pink salmon which with a couple of spuds and a bit of onion will make salmon patties for two meals, 100 tea bags,5 liters of low fat milk,a loaf of bread, a kilo of raw sugar,a jar of crushed ginger, and a tin of coconut cream…

      • Zorr 32.2.1
        19 March 2014 at 7:35 pm

        You know what you didn’t buy? Coffee and juice – those two items alone will set you back a minimum of $10.

        • bad12 32.2.1.1
          19 March 2014 at 8:00 pm

          Back when i did drink the stuff, coffee that is a 90 gram of the budget stuff was two bucks,(comes with a guarantee to have you quitting coffee for life),depending on the brand i would if i had a mind to probably get 3 liters of juice for 3 bucks, but, like the raro sachets which i used to buy plenty off as they are regular specials, the sugar content makes them these days a no no,

          Rather drink water with dinner and have an orange as the after dinner ‘mint’, down in price this week to $2.88c a kilo from 3 bucks something last week,

          The apples were a steal, must have been a good crop this year, 65 cents a kilo, i shop like clock-work and have for the past 3 years had a budget of $60 dollars a week which i manage to hit most weeks,

          Interestingly or not,since Christmas its been a no meat diet,(except for the odd bacon and egg-burger), fish now replaces meat and although by volume i get less for my bucks i still stay within budget while having fish four nights a week….

          Lolz add the two avacado i forgot to the list, at 2 bucks something each quite expensive,but they will make either breakfast or snacks spread on toast all week, having scratched butter and cheese from the buy list as the price for them has jumped…

          • greywarbler 32.2.1.1.1
            19 March 2014 at 8:11 pm

            Pretty good diet, good brain food. No wonder you’re an IED here bad12.

        • greywarbler 32.2.1.2
          19 March 2014 at 8:07 pm

          While we are talking grocdfy. I noticed a warning sign on the toilet paper the other day. It said New and the story goes that is when the size changes or a long held price goes up. Sure enough the regular brand had gone down to 200 pieces from 220 or 230. It;s not obvious they still are sold as Singles or 4 pack and no-one except me ever looks at what quantity. You see I think their used to be 280 pieces on a roll!

          Now this is an example that we don’t have a consumer watchdog that looks out for us here. It would be noticeable what quantity if specified in law that it had to be in say 15 font in a contrast colour right in the middle of the article. But no the pieces number is now on the back not the right hand front. And so on with a lot of items, smallish font, round the side, down the bottom especially on frozens, where it can be hidden by frost or the packaging profile. white on lemon, unreadable.

          We need to know what we are getting for our money without having to be Sherlock Holmes and carry a magnifying glass. Deerstalker hat optional.

          • bad12 32.2.1.2.1
            19 March 2014 at 8:16 pm

            Lolz,greywarbler, go for a meat free,high vege,high fruit,high fish diet,brown rice, multi grain bread, lite fat milk, cut the cheese full stop, and, after a week you will still be shitting plenty but they will be coming out much cleaner so you will use less of the bog roll,

            Know what you mean tho, i pulled over one of the Count-ever-upwards managers when i still shopped there as they had started stocking budget brand 90 gram coffee while advertising it on the price card as 100 grams, lolz sent the wanker into a panic by threatening to call in the watch-dogs…

            • Zorr 32.2.1.2.1.1
              19 March 2014 at 8:23 pm

              “meat free, high fish” — loving it 🙂

              But this is correct, if you ain’t shitting right you need to introduce more fiber in to your diet. Usual recommended is 30g per day but depending on how much you are eating (calories) you may need to eat more – currently I aim for 40-50g per day.

              • bad12 …
                19 March 2014 at 8:50 pm

                Yep it takes the stomach and the rest of the plumbing a week or so to get used to the new regime,

                Lolz add a brocolli to my $60 dollar shop this week as well, am sure that’s now the lot,brocolli over cauliflower on price and the brocolli keeps better, i picked up a whole pumkin 3 weeks ago for 2 bucks and am still chiseling pieces off it and have more than half left, even if i end up feeding half of it to my garden i will have still saved a dollar,

                As Franco one of the famous Italian chefs here in Wellington once told me,”Everything we do here is pretty much the same old veal with a pasta of some kind, the difference, it is all in the sauce”,

                Two spoons of soy oil heated in a pot, two spoons of (wholegrain), grain flour whisked until it resembles bread crumbs, a cup of water and Presto! you have the base of a sauce, as thick or as thin as you want it to be, all you have to do is add the flavors,

                Crushed garlic and honey sauce, easy, a spoon of each,and, Yummy, how bout a peanut and Coconut cream sauce, the left overs from the raw fish still in the can of coconut cream can from tonight and a big spoon of peanut butter,easy,

                Teryaki sauce, fish sauce oyster sauce,with or without honey, a handfull of crushed mixed nuts, with or without curry, ginger, chilli or a host of other herbs changes the taste of everything you pour it over, even when that everything might be the same vege you had the night befor…

            • greywarbler 32.2.1.2.1.2
              20 March 2014 at 10:37 am

              Thanks for the info, and the running report.
              The thing about toilet paper is that everyone uses it and without proper labelling regulations, the makers can get away with a 10% reduction in size and hardly anyone is going to notice. Soon it will have to be put in cartons with folded leaves as they do for commercial packs. The rolls will become so small it will be noticeable. Of course they have that covered by introducing New Super 3-ply that will take over from the satisfactory 2 ply that is all we need.

              It’s a great product to be selling. The Spencer family had it and will still have it I suppose. Why give up this great cash ‘cow’.that keeps them wealthy.

              Also I have finally got the message of lots of water. Reports about how you get saturated and excrete water soluble vitamins only apply to people with excessive intake. It seems to relieve cramps quickly also the tendency to get gouty pains from time to time. I remember to not just get my liquid from tea, fruit juice, coffee really mucks up my sleep though I like it, limit fruit juice eat fruit, and limit alcohol.
              That mucks up more than your sleep.

              What good healthy chefs you and Zorr sound. Have you dallied with raw food though. I am such a slow shifter to new things sometimes. But the people who promote the idea say its excellent, time and energy saving, good flavour, and super healthy. That is with things that are suitable.

      • Colonial Viper 32.2.2
        19 March 2014 at 8:03 pm

        legendary, bad12.

  33. JK 33
    19 March 2014 at 9:40 pm

    ” Two spoons of soy oil heated in a pot, two spoons of (wholegrain), grain flour whisked until ….. ”

    Hey Bad 12 – I’ve got some rice flour and cornflour (remains of attempts at baking) in my pantry
    Would these do as “wholegrain” flour” ……… please advise. Thanks.

    • bad12 33.1
      19 March 2014 at 10:15 pm

      Lolz, the rice flour might do, have never tried to use the stuff, pretty much heat the two spoons of oil and then try the rice flour one spoon at a time, what your looking for when you whip the whisk around it is for a breadcrumb type texture, if its too sloppy simply add a bit more flour,

      Once your there simply add half a cup of water and then add whatever it is you want to flavor your sauce with, if the sauce is too thick you can thin it to what you like with a spot more water,

      It has a French name the base of the sauce but i forgot that in one or another bout of concussion long ago,

      i don’t think corn-flour would work too well…

      • JK 33.1.1
        19 March 2014 at 10:31 pm

        Ta for that, Bad 12. Will try it. Hey – this is meant to be a political blog, not a recipe one ….
        will get back to the politics tomorrow …..

        • bad12 33.1.1.1
          20 March 2014 at 7:23 am

          Lolz all good JK, i am sure we are allowed to stray a little off the politics now and then, seeing that it’s not a Post with a specific topic and pretty much a discussion at the end of the day…

          • greywarbler 33.1.1.1.1
            20 March 2014 at 10:43 am

            bad12
            I think that politics is about organising the way that people live, it’s about life and living and how each individual is able to do that. So that means that everything that we do is related to politics and vice versa. So bringing food, health, clothes, trade, sport, music, cartoons, satire to the site is relevant.

            Only politics is the one that rules the other things. So needs the most attention.

      • freedom 33.1.2
        20 March 2014 at 12:19 am

        it is called a roux

        and using cornflour for a roux would be a very bad idea
        as it is a thickening agent rather than a binder such as flour

        • bad12 33.1.2.1
          20 March 2014 at 7:13 am

          Thats the one freedom, it rocks lolz, which befor i learned unglish would have been the way i pronounced the word…

        • greywarbler 33.1.2.2
          20 March 2014 at 10:50 am

          freedom
          I’ll just pass on a useful hint I’ve discovered using fine semolina. Semolina is a word relating to the size of ground grains, and usually wheat is used. There is coarse semolina and fine semolina. To get the two you might have to go to a shop like Bin Inn.

          Fine semolina is good for thickening stews etc you can just drop in a spoonful and stir it round and it doesn’t go into lumps like flour does. Which has to be mixed with water first.
          Coarse semolina is what you make the old fashioned custard with, usually with milk and with some sugar and thin slices of lemon peel. Simple and delicious.

  34. Clemgeopin 34
    19 March 2014 at 10:04 pm

    Very interesting interview re the Ukraine-Crimea-Russia episode.

  35. tricledrown 35
    19 March 2014 at 11:51 pm

    How much did you spend on tabacco and its acessories.
    Srylands said you pay no tax not true you pay a much higher rate than non smokers.
    82% of tobacco cost goes to govt.
    I like the episode of simpsons on how much gamblers drinkers and smokers pay in tax.

    • bad12 35.1
      20 March 2014 at 7:20 am

      Lolz trickledown, i grow my own, so my whole addiction is a matter of 15 bucks worth of seeds a year, i only buy them in as a insurance against the seeds i get off my plants failing,

      Filters i bought in bulk off of the favorite auction site at 10% of the cost in the shops so the ongoing cost is a weekly 5 dollars for rolly papers,

      If i was buying the stuff i would be paying tax at 50%+ of whats left after paying the rent…

  36. greywarbler 36
    20 March 2014 at 5:00 pm

    Radionz news heading Solid Energy ‘failed to plan’ for slump
    So what’s new – they were just following the current procedure set by the NACTs. Now those are the people that should be examined by de Judge.

    The farmers in beef and lamb have voted to make changes that should help their sector and that is good. But ‘However, overall farmer participation in the Beef and Lamb vote was truly woeful – with just 14 percent of eligible sheep and beef farmers taking part.’

    So don’t know what thats about. Are they that demoralised?
    Chairman John McCarthy –
    Mr McCarthy says the group, known as MIE, believes the industry’s single-minded focus behind the farmgate isn’t enough to turn it around and that procurement and in-market behaviours need to be addressed.

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