The question, as the philosopher Karl Popper pointed out, is not how to get good people to rule. Most people attracted to power, Popper wrote, are at best mediocre and usually venal. The question is how to build movements to stop the powerful from doing sustained damage to the citizenry, the nation and the environment. It is not our job to take power. It is our job to keep power constantly off balance and fearful of overstepping its reach to pillage on behalf of the elites.
Thank you for the link, and exactly the sort of thoughtful intelligent debate we need to be having.celebrity politics is having a filed day, but as it’s power wanes, and we get closer to the source, it feels like walking through a minefield of trolls and traps. I guess it’s what any army may do when defending their base.
Not much is known about the Trade in Services Agreement, otherwise known as TISA. However the little that has been made public, or the little that has been leaked, has caused much concern. The Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) pales in comparison to TISA and it makes the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) seem small. It is, however, most similar to the World Trade Organization (WTO). It is a massive “free trade” agreement that has been negotiated entirely in secret with 24 countries and the European Union. Altogether, TISA accounts for over 70 percent of world trade in services. You may be asking: “how does this affect me?” The best one sentence response I can come up with is: “how does this not affect you.”
….. New Republic reports that under the agreement, “governments may not be able to regulate staff to patient ratios in hospitals, or ban fracking, or tighten safety controls on airlines, or refuse accreditation to schools and universities. Foreign corporations must receive the same “national treatment” as domestic ones, and could argue that such regulations violate their ability to provide the service. Allowable regulations could not be ‘more burdensome than necessary to ensure the quality of the service,’ according to TISA’s domestic regulation annex. No restrictions could be placed on foreign investment—corporations could control entire sectors.”
Wait: foreign corporations must receive the same national treatment as domestic ones? Since when do we allow foreign countries and foreign companies dictate what we must or must not do? Thanks to Investor State Dispute Settlements (ISDS), we have officially given up our democracy to foreign entities.
Thanks for that Tautoko. This is the bit that particularly struck me: The building of movements and sustained civil disobedience is far more important than voting. Voting without powerful and organized movements is futile. Voting without profound electoral reform, including banishing corporate money from politics, is useless.
We have a good electoral system here in NZ. If 30% of people voted Green we would see real change. Civil disobedience/demonstrations certainly have their place though.
I agree that to say that voting is a complete waste of time is going too far. But a vote for change can achieve very little without a grassroots movement pushing from behind. Neoliberalism was achieved by right wing movements, hungry for things to go their way, lobbying, threatening, getting like-minded people into positions of influence, etc. Meanwhile the left have been persuaded that voting is a bit like choosing an item from a menu, and getting disappointed when the resultant dish doesn’t match the description. And the more real power the right gets, the less effective that attitude becomes.
Thanks for picking out the most important point, Olwyn.
We are spending too much time criticizing Labour for not getting their act together instead of creating the movement ourselves and thus pointing the opposition parties in the required direction. National are laughing at the fact that they can slag off Labour and then watch us join in the slagging. Labour are only impotent and unsure because we are sitting on the sidelines. We need to lead from the streets in a movement which is not allied to any particular political party but which provides a vision of a better and fairer political system that makes neocapitalism obselete.
Thanks, and a great comment too. Especially this: We need to lead from the streets in a movement which is not allied to any particular political party but which provides a vision of a better and fairer political system…
From Granny
“Since 2011, the Government has put $18 million into the Matavai resort as part of its efforts to boost tourism to Niue. That included $7.5 million to build a conference centre soon after Scenic Hotels took over.”
What the Fuck? In what planet can private conference centres be seen as aid??? Is that to bring in more ‘chefs’ and ‘waiting staff’ to keep the locals as poorly paid serfs? So that overseas politicians can have a nice place to stay and ‘do business’ as tax havens to hide money?
+100…yes it is weird the fixation on conference centres…when there are far more important community facilities and issues on which the scarce public money should be spent first
…imo it is a way of making local councils bankrupt so they have to sell up valuable publicly , locally owned, strategic utilites eg airports, port facilities
…just look at how this jonkey nact government annexed Environment Canterbury away from its elected local democratic representation and governance
Thanks for the additional information about this, what appears to be, rotten corrupt deal with Scenic Hotels, Niue, and this wealthy Nat and ACT donating Earl Hagaman character. (whose tax affairs should be looked into incidentally, as Niue is a tax haven)
Part two of the problem, once you move away from the link between party donations and “aid” is why is NZ funding private business in another country? That is not aid to benefit the people of Niue and support their infrastructure. That’s taxpayers propping up Scenic Hotels. This isn’t the Pacific aid programme that you would associate with legitimate aid work.
“Sunday’s devastating earthquake in Ecuador might just be the beginning, according to a seismologist who says that current conditions in the Pacific Rim could trigger at least four quakes with magnitudes greater than 8.0….
Reply to Chooky and save NZ at 3 and 3.1. (The reply button doesn’t appear to be working).
Convention centre mania is rife. Even Wellington is likely to be getting one, when we don’t need one, when the heavily indebted WCC has to borrow more money and pay the thing off over 50 years, when rates will be going up, and when people may not be travelling to conference centres in 20 years when the full impact of climate change is felt and the brakes will have gone on air travel (which currently contributes 3% to greenhouse gas).
But you have groups like the Property Council cheerleading for such wasteful projects that bring little benefit to people:
http://www.propertynz.co.nz/wellington
Handy when you have the deputy mayor on the executive board of the Property Council to help move the project along smoothly.
It’s all about the money honey and for a bonus insult Peter Jackson gets to tag along and get his film museum paid for by us. Joy!
The conference enters have also the added advantage of driving up rates and therefore the poor out of the main cities as well as even better, sell of council assets like water! There is always a helpful crony from wall street and banks keen to buy up the part/partial/private or whatever weasel words they describe to seize former public assets. (I hear the idea of a sports stadium is being floated for Auckland on top of the Sky City convention centre and of course the 1 billion of wasted IT that the council does not care about).
And it gets worse for Detroit inhabitants… from 4 days ago…
High copper or lead levels seen in 19 Detroit schools’ water
“The testing was prompted by the crisis in Flint, where lead flowed from taps after state authorities switched that city’s water supply from Detroit’s system to the Flint River to save money. About 8,000 Flint-area children under age 6 have potentially been exposed to lead.
In Detroit, school officials discovered that even though the municipal water complies with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency standards, elevated levels of lead and some of copper were found in the drinking water fountains or kitchens at 19 of the 62 schools tested so far…..
“It provides clear evidence that schools have to be proactive in finding and fixing these problems – it is not going to go away by itself,” said Marc Edwards, a Virginia Tech professor who helped expose Flint’s water crisis.”
Ok so they privatise the water, try to save money, but now it is the SCHOOL’s responsibility to protect the kids from the water…
On top of this…
“Michigan lawmakers recently approved $48.7 million in emergency funding just to keep Detroit schools open this academic year. Republican Gov. Rick Snyder also is pushing a $720 million school restructuring plan to pay off the district’s operating debt, and wants to spend $18 million over two years to test water in every state school.”
What an amazing country the US is and how efficient is neoliberalism, sarc.
I watched a doco about poor cities in the States in regard to accessing basic services like water connections. They suffer in ways that hard to fathom in a first world country. They are totally at the mercy of “business”, whose needs come first, and private water supply is big business in the States, with cost cutting leading to a lack of maintenance and care.
These poor areas also seem to suffer the worst of non regulation for safe rental accommodation, affecting health and even physical safety when landlords refuse to repair dilapidated locks, doors and windows, as well as broken electrical circuits. The advantages of council bylaws was weighted in favour of the landlord.
Saw this doco on Al Jazeera a couple of months ago but can’t recall the name sorry, or the city where they interviewed the tenants.
In the wake of the latest Colmar Brunton, one or two of our regular Tory Gentlemen-Callers have been enthusiastically pushing some of David Farrar’s carefully misleading and de-contextualised rhetorical strategies:
On (1) … Farrar’s modus operandi is to only make Poll comparisons when it favour’s National or looks particularly bad for Labour. You’ll only see these very brief comparative analyses when Labour / the Left have (I) fallen in a recent poll and (ii) the comparative poll from a previous term was unusually good for Labour / the Left. So that, overall, the comparison looks particularly bad for Labour’s current prospects. He disingenuously presents both the previous and current figures as typical.
Look at the Colmar Bruntons taken either side of the April 2013 one that Farrar cherry-picks for comparison and you’ll see that Labour were doing appreciably worse than 36%, with the Left and Opposition Bloc also well down on the April figures. 36% was the very highest Labour ever rated under Shearer and was entirely atypical.
Or go back to the same point in Key’s First Term (April 2010) and you’ll find that National in 2016 are 4 points down, the Govt a significant 6 points down, while the Opposition Bloc is now a massive 9 points up.
Notice too that Farrar, for instance, made no comparison when the July 2015 Colmar Brunton put the Opposition Bloc as much as 5 points ahead of the Government. If he had, we would have seen that the Nats were (in July 2015) down 9 points (on July 2009), with the Govt Bloc down 12. You could say similar things about the Sep 2015, Oct 2015 and Feb 2016 Colmar Bruntons.
On (2) … In the Colmar Brunton and Reid Research Preferred PM Polls, John Key has fallen to his lowest average (39%) since becoming PM. That’s 10-14 points down on his First Term.
Meanwhile, his net Favourability ratings are down to a net positive of just + 2. That’s his lowest rating ever. Key may be well ahead of Little in the Preferred PM rankings (arguably a somewhat blunt instrument given the traditional incumbency advantage) but he’s been lagging behind the Labour leader on the Favourability measure for most of the last year.
Notice, incidentally, how far Key has fallen since 2015 – a net positive Favourability rating of + 22 in the first quarter of 2015 and now, in the immediate wake of the failed Flag Referendum, a plunge to just + 2. Back in 2014 Key was on + 27, and in his first year as PM (2009) on an average + 58 rating !!!
He’s become a polariser in the same mould as Muldoon. As many people consider him Unfavourably as have a Favourable attitude towards him.
Kind of missing the main point though (or is this a gee up the troops thing?) National is still far ahead of Lab/Greens after eight years in power, John Key is still far ahead of Andrew Little in preferred PM, in fact Andrew Little is behind Winston Peters for preferred PM
In broad terms, don’t dispute anything you’ve said there. Labour certainly want to be up above 35%, with the Lab+Green total 45% + to be in with a reasonable chance of pulling Peters their way …
Do, however, want to point out that:
(1) The Preferred PM measure is not necessarily the gold standard. In the UK, for instance, Approval, Favourability and Satisfaction ratings are very much at the heart of leadership poll analysis. They assign much lower priority to the (infrequently sampled) Preferred PM stats. There’s no particular theoretical reason why the New Zealand MSM should focus so obsessively on the Preferred PM stats, apart from the fact that most local pollsters tend towards that measure.
(2) As I’ve said, there’s an obvious incumbency effect that renders the Preferred PM rating’s usefulness questionable (though it’s still up for debate)
(3) Key is by no means as popular as he’s always been (despite constant repetition of this meme in the MSM and among you highly enthusiastic Tory interlopers)
(4) Just how misleading Farrar’s Party Support numbers are. Very good at leaving entirely misleading impressions (always, of course, in National’s favour) for any passing strapped-for-time journos to gratefully pick up on. (As they so often do). Things are rather more finely balanced than Farrar (or indeed you (above) Nats far ahead of Lab+Green) imply.
This is beginning to sound like insubordination, Mr Gormster.
Is that your little plan ? It is isn’t it ? Insurrection ? Mutiny, Mr Gormster, Mutiny ??? What ? Seize the good ship Labour from us loyalists ?, sail her through the treacherous Seas of High Finance, turning her in the direction of no-man’s land before ruthlessly scuttling her on the Reef of Despair ? Is that your little plan ? Aye, but not before you Tory Blaggards and Scurvy Cut-throats have rowed ashore every last barrel of rum, I’ll be bound !!!
Least ways, that’s how I sees it.
The Gormless Fool formerly known as Oleolebiscuitbarrell 6.2.1.1
No, you’re confusing National with the entire Government Bloc. Nats down 4 points (in terms of the respective Colmar Bruntons), Government down 6 points, Opposition Bloc up a massive 9 points.
The Key Government’s honeymoon was in 2009 when it averaged 59% in the polls. By 2010, it had fallen to 56% and remained there throughout 2011 (we’re talking annual averages here).
With the exception of this latest poll, all of the Colmar Bruntons and Reid Research polls since May 2015 (that’s 8 consecutive polls) had the Government on 48%. 11 points Down on its 2009 honeymoon average and 8 points Down on its 2010-2011 average.
Yeah, I preferred your earlier reply: “Fair enough”. Had a slightly more … respectful, almost obsequious tone about it. Suddenly you seem to have become emboldened all over again. It’s almost as if you are Jean-Claude Van Damme !!! I have a feeling Gormy and Magisterium turning up at the last minute has lifted your morale, stiffened your resolve, as it were. Three former Young Nats together, none of you wanting to lose face in front of the others.
The ICIJ said it will publish the full list of involved companies and individuals linked to them in early May, citing emails, financial spreadsheets and passports among its evidence.
OAB, Wayne is one of the few right wingers who comments here without being an outright troll, is it really necessary to stalk him when there are many other more right wingers who are deserving of your attention.
I pay his wages. He’s been deriving his income from the public purse for long enough to cope with a bit of personal responsibility for his decisions, don’t you think?
In any case, I’m genuinely interested: he was a member of the executive that involved us in organised crime, after all. Did anyone bring it up at the Cabinet table? “John, why are you cuddling up to crims?” That sort of thing.
Edit: I suspect he can’t answer the question because he’s in the National Party’s pocket. Aren’t you even a little bit curious?
Hey Lynn, that bug is back where the Name and Mail fields are blank on every new comment (my browser normally stores them). I noticed this first yesterday.
The TPP has a two-track outcome on biologics protection. Parties can choose to provide effective market protection through at least 8 years of data protection. Alternatively, Parties can choose to provide effective market protection through at least 5 years of data protection, along with other measures, These measures and circumstances include regulatory settings, patents, and the time it takes for follow-on medicines to become established in the market.
Froman: U.S. Sending Out TPP Implementation Teams, Undecided On Fixes
U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman on Monday (April 18) said the U.S. government is sending teams to Trans-Pacific Partnership countries to discuss how they will implement their obligations on intellectual property (IP) and other issues, as well as the capacity building they may require in order to meet them.
http://insidetrade.com/
We need to make sure that the information from these team discussions is fully reported.
The process of coercing farmers into voting for this deal was always suspect. My understanding is there is much more to run on this story yet. Good on Winston for taking up the cause.
Yep. The NZ Taxpayer could have prevented this sell off for the price of a couple of flag referendums. No surprises that SFF management are closely watching how Talley’s are getting away with brutalizing their workforce.
Follow The Money Or Why We Should Arrest People Like John Key And His Banking Mates
Probably, most people, when reading about the Panama tax dodgers and New Zealand’s quiet achievement in becoming as “tax” haven, wonder how the rich always getaway with shit like this and kind of wished they were in the same predicament: Filthy rich and hiding their money from the tax people.
The next thought is probably if they can get away with it why should I pay tax? Both are legitimate sentiments but what it does not address is that apart from the obvious crime of theft these rich people are committing and the subsequent deprivation of the poor as a result of that theft, the money is not just resting in a safe place. It is being used.
Tax havens therefore should not be called tax havens but more correctly Secrecy Jurisdictions.
“The whiff of corruption follows McCully around” …. the ultra-cleverness of the ultimate coder out-wits the GUI / WYSIWIG / reasonably intelligent expectations of the Joe Evridge poster (unrelated to Edna).
If it was going to get any more complicated or time consuming – why bother?
Here’s a comment that may or may not appear on that thread.
(The whiff of corruption follows McCully around). btw L …. as you know – you’ll never be able to code for every pillock, but if you consider it worth your marriage, and an aid to dealing with whatever your obsession avoidance – it’s worth a shot – arrogant cunt eh?) – or maybe just bleeding obvious
Christ Almighty – it goes a frikken sight deeper than McCully who probably only succumbed to his own naivety, aided and abetted by that Chez Longe upholstery material cladded vixen; know-it-all member of something we used to call a 4th Estate – now more aptly described as the ass-licking Thorndon bubble press gang. (Most of whom don’t/can’t see the medium/long term). Just another Rosemary McCluck lookalike aspiring to claim their rights to a higher class (otherwise known as social climbing wankers)
…… NOW we have our dearest Leader, John Key (side-by-side with knock-kneed Adonis son Mex – whose beauteous presence pervades as much social media as he and his acolytes can muster) suggesting he’s ‘open’ to an extradition treaty (provided of course, ewwmun roights britches en the deth penty don’t figure in such an arrangement).
Apparently there are 50 on a list (that is 50 that are known of presumably)
They reap what they sow. I wonder jst hear relexed he’s gunna b when he reterns home on Earforce 1. (John – you really must get that 757 repainted!)
Aaron Hawkins has announced his intention to run for mayor of Dunedin under the Green Party banner. I think he’s been a good councillor so far and I’ll be interested in his mayoral platform. One good thing about Dunedin is that the voting system for mayor is STV, so the left bloc won’t be split.
Tuesday, 19 April 2016, 10:56 am
Press Release: Professor Jane Kelsey
Government seeking to stymie Waitangi Tribunal report on TPPA
“Why the government suddenly announced it is fast-tracking the report date for the select committee considering the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) from the end of May to 4 May is now clear.
It gives the Waitangi Tribunal three rather than seven weeks to produce its urgent report on the claim brought by prominent Maori that the Agreement violates the Crown’s obligations under the Treaty of Waitangi”, says Professor Jane Kelsey who has been advising the claimants.
“Bernie Sanders is not only taking on the Washington establishment in his campaign for the Democratic Party presidential nomination, he is also challenging many of the received truths that make up the ideological foundations upon which its power rests…
“Follow the money” is the classic directive to journalists trying to understand where power and influence lie in society. In terms of uncovering who influences various New Zealand political parties and governments, it therefore pays to look at who is funding them. The political parties are legally obliged to make ...
Rob MacCullough writes – Here is my subjective ranking on a “most-left” to “most-right” scale of most of our major NZ Universities, with some anecdotal (and at times amusing) evidence to back up the claim.Extreme Left Auckland University of TechnologyEvidenceThe ...
Eric Crampton writes – I hadn’t thought about this one until a helpful email showed up in my inbox.It’s pretty obvious that income tax thresholds should automatically index with inflation – whether to anchor the thresholds in percentiles of the income distribution, or to anchor against a real ...
Jacqui Van Der Kaay writes – Parliament’s speaker had no option but to refer Green MP Julie Anne Genter to the Privileges Committee for her behaviour in the House last Wednesday evening. The incident, in which she crossed the floor to wave a book and yell at National ...
Gary Judd writes – The Dean of the law school at the Auckland University of Technology is someone called Khylee Quince. I have been sent her social media posting in which she has, over the LawNews headline “Senior King’s Counsel files complaint about compulsory tikanga Maori studies for ...
Cleo Paskal writes – WASHINGTON, D.C.: ‘Many of us have received phone calls from [the opposing camp] telling them if they join the camp they will be given projects for their wards and $300,000 [around US$35,000] each’, says former Malaita Premier Daniel Suidani. The elections in Solomon Islands aren’t ...
With hindsight, it was inevitable that (a) Hamas would agree to the ceasefire deal brokered by Egypt and Qatar and that ( b) Israel would then immediately launch attacks on Rafah, regardless. We might have hoped the concessions made by Hamas would cause Israel to desist from slaughtering thousands more ...
Placards and mourners outside the Kilbirnie Mosque following the Christchurch terror attack: MSD has terminated the Kaiwhakaoranga service, which has been used by 415 families since the attacks. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: The Government’s pledge to only cut ‘back office’ staff rather than ‘frontline’ services is on increasingly shaky ground, with ...
There’s been a few smaller public transport announcements over the last week or so that I thought I’d cover in a single post. Fareshare I’ve long called for Auckland Transport to offer a way to enable employer-subsidised public transport options. The need for this took on even more importance ...
Parliament’s speaker had no option but to refer Green MP Julie Anne Genter to the Privileges Committee for her behaviour in the House last Wednesday evening. The incident, in which she crossed the floor to wave a book and yell at National Minister Matt Doocey, reflects poorly on Genter and ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Who likes being sneered at? Nobody. Worse yet, when the sneerer has their facts all wrong, and might well be an idiot.The sneer in question is The adults are in charge now, and it is a sneer offered in retort to criticism of this new Government, no matter how well ...
When in government, Labour pushed to extend the Parliamentary term to four years, to reduce accountability and our ability to vote out a bad government. And now, they're trying to do it through the member's ballot, with a Four-Year Parliamentary Term Legislation Bill. The bill at least requires a referendum ...
A ballot for a single Member's Bill was held today, and the following bill was drawn: Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill (Hūhana Lyndon) The bill would prevent the government from stealing Māori land in breach of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. It ...
Simeon Brown, alongside Wayne Brown, is favouring a political figleaf now in exchange for loading up tens of millions in extra interest costs on Auckland ratepayers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Ratings agency Standard & Poor’s is pushing back hard at suggestions from Local Government Minister Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown ...
Buzz from the Beehive One headline-grabber from the Beehive yesterday was the OECD’s advice that the government must bring the Budget deficit under control or face higher interest rates. Another was the announcement of a $1.9 billion “investment” in Corrections over the next four years. In the best interests of ...
Chris Trotter writes – Had Zheng He’s fleet sailed east, not west, in the early Fifteenth Century, how different our world would be. There is little reason to suppose that the sea-going junks of the Ming Dynasty, among the largest and most sophisticated sailing vessels ever constructed, would have failed ...
David Farrar writes – Two articles give a useful contrast in balance. Both seek to be neutral explainer articles. This one in the Herald on Social Investment covers the pros and cons nicely. It links to critical pieces and talks about aspects that failed and aspects that are more ...
The tikanga regulations will compel law students to be taught that a system which does not conform with the rule of law is nevertheless law which should be observed and applied…Gary Judd KC writes – I have made a complaint to Parliament’s Regulation ...
The future of Te Huia, the train between Hamilton and Auckland, has been getting a lot of attention recently as current funding for it is only in place till the end of June. The government initially agreed to a five year trial, through to April 2026, but that was subject ...
TL;DR: Hamas has just agreed to Israel’s ceasefire plan. Nelson hospital’s rebuild has been cut back to save money. The OECD suggests New Zealand break up network monopolies, including in electricity. PM Christopher Luxon’s news conference on a prison expansion announcement last night was his messiest yet.Here’s my top six ...
A homicide in Ponsonby, a manhunt with a killer on the run. The nation’s leader stands before a press conference reassuring a frightened nation that he’ll sort it out, he’ll keep them safe, he’ll build some new prison spaces.Sorry what? There’s a scary dude on the run with a gun ...
Hi,I know it’s been awhile since there’s been any Webworm merch — and today that all changes!Over the last four months, I’ve been working with New Zealand artist Jess Johnson to create a series of t-shirts, caps and stickers that are infused with Webworm DNA — and as of right ...
The OECD’s chief economist yesterday laid it on the line for the new Government: bring the deficit under control or face higher Reserve Bank interest rates for longer. And to bring the deficit under control, she meant not borrowing for tax cuts. But there was more. Without policy changes—introducing a ...
After a hiatus of over four months Selwyn Manning and I finally got it together to re-start the “A View from Afar” podcast series. We shall see how we go but aim to do 2 episodes per month if possible. … Continue reading → ...
In 2008, the UK Parliament passed the Climate Change Act 2008. The law established a system of targets, budgets, and plans, with inbuilt accountability mechanisms; the aim was to break the cycle of empty promises and replace it with actual progress towards emissions reduction. The law was passed with near-universal ...
Buzz from the Beehive Local Water Done Well – let’s be blunt – is a silly name, but the first big initiative to put it into practice has gone done well. This success is reflected in the headline on an RNZ report:District mayors welcome Auckland’s new water deal with ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate ConnectionsA farmworker cleans the solar panels of a solar water pump in the village of Jagadhri, Haryana Country, India. (Photo credit: Prashanth Vishwanathan/ IWMI) Decisions made in India over the next few years will play a key role in global ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – The Children’s Minister, Karen Chhour, intends to repeal Section 7AA from the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989 because it creates conflict between claimed Crown Treaty obligations and the child’s best interests. In her words, “Oranga Tamariki’s governing principles and its act should be colour ...
Geoffrey Miller writes – The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. ...
Brian Easton writes – This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be (I will report on them ...
TL;DR:Winston Peters is reported to have won a budget increase for MFAT. David Seymour wanted his Ministry of Regulation to be three times bigger than the Productivity Commission. Simeon Brown is appointing a Crown Monitor to Watercare to protect the Claytons Crown Guarantee he had to give ratings agencies ...
The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. Carr had made highly ...
I could be a florist'Round the corner from Rye LaneI'll be giving daisies to craziesBut, baby, I'll wrap you up real safe Oh, I can give you flowers At the end of every dayFor the center of your table, a rainbowIn case you have people 'round to stay Depending on ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to May 12 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Finance Minister Nicola Willis will give a pre-budget speech on Thursday.Parliament sits from Question Time at 2pm on ...
The price of the foreign affairs “reset” is now becoming apparent, with Defence set to get a funding boost in the Budget. Finance Minister Nicola Willis has confirmed that it will be one of the few votes, apart from Health and Education and possibly Police, which will get an increase ...
A listing of 26 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 28, 2024 thru Sat, May 4, 2024. Story of the week "It’s straight out of Big Tobacco’s playbook. In fact, research by John Cook and his colleagues ...
Yesterday I received come lovely feedback following my Star Wars themed newsletter. A few people mentioned they’d enjoyed reading the personal part at the beginning.I often begin newsletters with some memories, or general thoughts, before commencing the main topic. This hopefully sets the mood and provides some context in which ...
April 30 was going to be the day we’d be calling Mum from London to wish her a happy birthday. Then it became the day we would be going to St. Paul's at Evensong to remember her. The aim of the cathedral builders was to find a way to make their ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – Can’t remember the last book by a Kiwi author you read? Think the NZ government should spend less on the arts in favor of helping the homeless? If so, as far as Newsroom is concerned, you probably deserve to be called a cultural ignoramus ...
Eric Crampton writes – Grudges are bad. Better to move on. But it can be fun to keep a couple of really trivial ones, so you’re not tempted to have other ones. For example, because of the rootkit fiasco of 2005, no Sony products in our household. ...
A new report warns an estimated third of the adult population have unmet need for health care.Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāHere’s the six key things I learned about Aotaroa’s political economy this week around housing, climate and poverty:Politics - Three opinion polls confirmed support for PM Christopher Luxon ...
Today is May the fourth. Which was just a regular day when my mother took me to see the newly released Star Wars at the Odeon in Rotorua. The queue was right around the corner. Some years later this day became known as Star Wars Day, the date being a ...
Buzz from the Beehive Much more media attention is being paid to something Winston Peters said about former Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr than to a speech he delivered to the New Zealand China Council. One word is missing from the speech: AUKUS. But AUKUS loomed large in his considerations ...
Is the economy in another long stagnation? If so, why?This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be ...
The annual list of who's been bribing our politicians is out, and journalists will no doubt be poring over it to find the juiciest and dirtiest bribes. The government's fast-track invite list is likely to be a particular focus, and we already know of one company on the list which ...
In the weeks after the October 7 Hamas attacks on Southern Israel I wrote about the possible 2nd, 3rd and even 4th order effects of the conflict. These included new fronts being opened in the West Bank (with Hamas), Golan … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – It is one of the oldest truisms that there is never a good time for MPs to get a pay rise. This week’s announcement of pay raises of around 2.8% backdated to last October could hardly have come at a worse time, with the ...
David Farrar writes – Newshub reports: Newshub can reveal a fresh allegation of intimidation against Green MP Julie-Anne Genter. Genter is subject to a disciplinary process for aggressively waving a book in the face of National Minister Matt Doocey in the House – but it’s not the first time ...
The Treasury has published a paper today on the global productivity slowdown and how it is playing out in New Zealand: The productivity slowdown: implications for the Treasury’s forecasts and projections. The Treasury Paper examines recent trends in productivity and the potential drivers of the slowdown. Productivity for the whole economy ...
Winston Peters’ comments about former Australian foreign minister look set to be an ongoing headache for both him and Luxon. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for subscribers features co-hosts and , along with regular guests on Gaza and ...
These puppet strings don't pull themselvesYou're thinking thoughts from someone elseHow much time do you think you have?Are you prepared for what comes next?The debating chamber can be a trying place for an opposition MP. What with the person in charge, the speaker, typically being an MP from the governing ...
The land around Lyme Regis, where Meryl Streep once stood, in a hood, on the Cobb, is falling into the sea.MerylThe land around Lyme Regis, around the Cobb that made it rich, has always been falling slowly but surely into the sea. Read more ...
Buzz from the Beehive Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters was bound to win headlines when he set out his thinking about AUKUS in his speech to the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. The headlines became bigger when – during an interview on RNZ’s Morning Report today – he criticised ...
The Post reports on how the government is refusing to release its advice on its corrupt Muldoonist fast-track law, instead using the "soon to be publicly available" refusal ground to hide it until after select committee submissions on the bill have closed. Fast-track Minister Chris Bishop's excuse? “It's not ...
As pressure on it grows, the livestock industry’s approach to the transition to Net Zero is increasingly being compared to that of fossil fuel interests. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / Getty ImagesTL;DR: Here’s the top five news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above ...
The New Zealand Herald reports – Stats NZ has offered a voluntary redundancy scheme to all of its workers as a way to give staff some control over their “future” amidst widespread job losses in the public sector. In an update to staff this morning, seen by the Herald, Statistics New Zealand ...
On Werewolf/Scoop, I usually do two long form political columns a week. From now on, there will be an extra column each week about music and movies. But first, some late-breaking political events:The rise in unemployment numbers for the March quarter was bigger than expected – and especially sharp ...
David Farrar writes – The Herald reports: TVNZ says it is dealing with about 50 formal complaints over its coverage of the latest 1News-Verian political poll, with some viewers – as well as the Prime Minister and a former senior Labour MP – critical of the tone of the 6pm report. ...
Muriel Newman writes – When Meridian Energy was seeking resource consents for a West Coast hydro dam proposal in 2010, local Maori “strenuously” objected, claiming their mana was inextricably linked to ‘their’ river and could be damaged. After receiving a financial payment from the company, however, the Ngai Tahu ...
Alwyn Poole writes – “An SEP,’ he said, ‘is something that we can’t see, or don’t see, or our brain doesn’t let us see, because we think that it’s somebody else’s problem. That’s what SEP means. Somebody Else’s Problem. The brain just edits it out, it’s like a ...
Our trust in our political institutions is fast eroding, according to a Maxim Institute discussion paper, Shaky Foundations: Why our democracy needs trust. The paper – released today – raises concerns about declining trust in New Zealand’s political institutions and democratic processes, and the role that the overuse of Parliamentary urgency ...
This article was prepared for publication yesterday. More ministerial announcements have been posted on the government’s official website since it was written. We will report on these later today …. Buzz from the BeehiveThere we were, thinking the environment is in trouble, when along came Jones. Shane Jones. ...
New Zealand now has the fourth most depressed construction sector in the world behind China, Qatar and Hong Kong. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 8:46am on Thursday, May 2:The Lead: ...
Hi,I am just going to state something very obvious: American police are fucking crazy.That was a photo gracing the New York Times this morning, showing New York City police “entering Columbia University last night after receiving a request from the school.”Apparently in America, protesting the deaths of tens of thousands ...
Winston Peters’ much anticipated foreign policy speech last night was a work of two halves. Much of it was a standard “boilerplate” Foreign Ministry overview of the state of the world. There was some hardening up of rhetoric with talk of “benign” becoming “malign” and old truths giving way to ...
Hon Willie Jackson has been invited by the Oxford Union to debate the motion “This House Believes British Museums are not Very British’ on May 23rd. ...
Green Party MP Hūhana Lyndon says her Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill is an opportunity to right some past wrongs around the alienation of Māori land. ...
A senior, highly respected King’s Counsel with decades of experience in our law courts, Gary Judd KC, has filed a complaint about compulsory tikanga Māori studies for law students - highlighting the utter depths of absurdity this woke cultural madness has taken our society. The tikanga regulations will compel law ...
The Government needs to be clear with the people of the Nelson Marlborough region about the changes it is considering for the Nelson Hospital rebuild, Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said. ...
Ministers must front up about which projects it will push through under its Fast Track Approvals legislation, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
New research on the impacts of extreme weather on coastal marine habitats in Tairāwhiti and Hawke’s Bay will help fishery managers plan for and respond to any future events, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. A report released today on research by Niwa on behalf of Fisheries New Zealand ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters will lead a broad political delegation on a five-stop Pacific tour next week to strengthen New Zealand’s engagement with the region. The delegation will visit Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and Tuvalu. “New Zealand has deep and ...
There has been a material decline in gas production according to figures released today by the Gas Industry Co. Figures released by the Gas Industry Company show that there was a 12.5 per cent reduction in gas production during 2023, and a 27.8 per cent reduction in gas production in the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins tonight announced the recipients of the Minister of Defence Awards of Excellence for Industry, saying they all contribute to New Zealanders’ security and wellbeing. “Congratulations to this year’s recipients, whose innovative products and services play a critical role in the delivery of New Zealand’s defence capabilities, ...
Welcome to you all - it is a pleasure to be here this evening.I would like to start by thanking Greg Lowe, Chair of the New Zealand Defence Industry Advisory Council, for co-hosting this reception with me. This evening is about recognising businesses from across New Zealand and overseas who in ...
It is a pleasure to be speaking to you as the Minister for Digitising Government. I would like to thank Akolade for the invitation to address this Summit, and to acknowledge the great effort you are making to grow New Zealand’s digital future. Today, we stand at the cusp of ...
New Zealand is urging both Israel and Hamas to agree to an immediate ceasefire to avoid the further humanitarian catastrophe that military action in Rafah would unleash, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The immense suffering in Gaza cannot be allowed to worsen further. Both sides have a responsibility to ...
A new online data dashboard released today as part of the Government’s school attendance action plan makes more timely daily attendance data available to the public and parents, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. The interactive dashboard will be updated once a week to show a national average of how ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced Rosemary Banks will be New Zealand’s next Ambassador to the United States of America. “Our relationship with the United States is crucial for New Zealand in strategic, security and economic terms,” Mr Peters says. “New Zealand and the United States have a ...
The Government is considering creating a new tier of minerals permitting that will make it easier for hobby miners to prospect for gold. “New Zealand was built on gold, it’s in our DNA. Our gold deposits, particularly in regions such as Otago and the West Coast have always attracted fortune-hunters. ...
Minister for Trade Todd McClay today announced that New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will commence negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA). Minister McClay met with his counterpart UAE Trade Minister Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi in Dubai, where they announced the launch of negotiations on a ...
New Zealand Sign Language Week is an excellent opportunity for all Kiwis to give the language a go, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. This week (May 6 to 12) is New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) Week. The theme is “an Aotearoa where anyone can sign anywhere” and aims to ...
Six tertiary students have been selected to work on NASA projects in the US through a New Zealand Space Scholarship, Space Minister Judith Collins announced today. “This is a fantastic opportunity for these talented students. They will undertake internships at NASA’s Ames Research Center or its Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), where ...
New Zealanders will be safer because of a $1.9 billion investment in more frontline Corrections officers, more support for offenders to turn away from crime, and more prison capacity, Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell says. “Our Government said we would crack down on crime. We promised to restore law and order, ...
The OECD’s latest report on New Zealand reinforces the importance of bringing Government spending under control, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The OECD conducts country surveys every two years to review its members’ economic policies. The 2024 New Zealand survey was presented in Wellington today by OECD Chief Economist Clare Lombardelli. ...
The Government has delivered on its election promise to provide a financially sustainable model for Auckland under its Local Water Done Well plan. The plan, which has been unanimously endorsed by Auckland Council’s Governing Body, will see Aucklanders avoid the previously projected 25.8 per cent water rates increases while retaining ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters discussed the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and enhanced cooperation in the Pacific with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during her first official visit to New Zealand today. "New Zealand and Germany enjoy shared interests and values, including the rule of law, democracy, respect for the international system ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop today released his decision on four recommendations referred to him by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, opening the door to housing growth in the area. The Council’s Plan Change 92 allows more homes to be built in existing and new ...
Thank you, John McKinnon and the New Zealand China Council for the invitation to speak to you today. Thank you too, all members of the China Council. Your effort has played an essential role in helping to build, shape, and grow a balanced and resilient relationship between our two ...
The Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...
The coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says. “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...
Structured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...
The rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...
The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure. The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
The Government and Rotorua Lakes Council are committed to working closely together to end the use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua. Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) Tama Potaka says the Government remains committed to ending the long-term use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua by the ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. “I’m putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...
The new NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) App is a secure ‘one stop shop’ to provide the services drivers need, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Digitising Government Minister Judith Collins say. “The NZTA App will enable an easier way for Kiwis to pay for Vehicle Registration and Road User Charges (RUC). ...
Responding to an Auditor-General's report slamming failures in the administration of the 2023 General Election, Taxpayers’ Union Policy and Public Affairs Manager, James Ross, said: ...
The Taxpayers’ Union says the Beehive need to lead by example, following reports of more than $50,000 spent upgrading video conferencing equipment and furniture in the Prime Minister’s office. Taxpayers’ Union Campaign Manager, Connor Molloy, ...
An objective list of the 50 most powerful people in New Zealand, as judged by the Spinoff Editorial Board. It’s power list season, baby, and we want in on the action. Sure, there’s the rich list and the powerful “c-suite” list and the young people with power (hmmm) but here, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Thalia Anthony, Professor of Law, University of Technology Sydney ShutterstockThis article contains information on deaths in custody and the names of deceased people, and describes ongoing colonial violence towards Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. First Nations people in Australia ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alex Simpson, Senior Lecturer in Criminology, Macquarie University Netflix Baby Reindeer’s phenomenal success has much to do with its writer and lead, Richard Gadd, who plays Donny in a tender semi-autobiographical account of sexual abuse, harassment and stalking. Gadd’s story has ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Collins, Laureate Professor in Nutrition and Dietetics, University of Newcastle KarolinaGrabowska/Pexels If you didn’t have food allergies as a child, is it possible to develop them as an adult? The short answer is yes. But the reasons why are much ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paul Moon, Professor of History, Auckland University of Technology Ans Westra, self-portrait, c. 1963. National Library ref AWM-0705-F They try but invariably fail – those writers who believe they are capable of encapsulating in prose or verse the essence of ...
Stewart Sowman-Lund looks at the growing concern around the world in this extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. What’s all this? When Covid-19 arrived on our shores in early 2020, some argued we were too slow, or crucially, ill-prepared for a pandemic. So ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Franco Montalto, Professor of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering and Director, Sustainable Water Resource Engineering Laboratory, Drexel University Water runs into a storm drain in a Los Angeles alley on Aug. 19, 2023, during Tropical Storm Hilary.Citizen of the Planet/Universal Images ...
The inquest into the death of Gore toddler Lachlan Jones has turned up a new witness who says he saw two teenagers and a small child in a high vis vest in the area where the boy’s body was found the day he died. Lachie’s body was discovered face up ...
Stories from the tenancy trenches, featuring spider infestations, cupboard rats and same-sex discrimination. Lucy’s brother was living in a damp 1930s building in Mt Eden where “he had to tie the cupboard doors closed so the rats didn’t get in”. Although he shared custody of his six-year-old son, his property ...
Simeon Brown, Chris Luxon, and Wayne Brown climbed into a hole and announced a plan to solve Auckland’s water woes. This is how it’ll work. New Zealand’s pipes are munted. They’re cracked and leaking, and struggling to handle all the extra poos excreted by our rising population. It’s a big, ...
I knew Taika Waititi quite well when he was a kid. His mother lived in a tall narrow house in Aro St, and my youngest sister had a similar house two doors along. They were both single mums, they each had a son aged seven. Taika and my nephew Stepan ...
Opinion: “As time passes, knowledge of the circumstances of the August 2016 outbreak will fade and its immediate impact will be lost.” This statement is from the 2017 report of the Official Inquiry into the Havelock North campylobacteriosis outbreak. The then National-led government established the inquiry after the outbreak left ...
Opinion: Nicholas Khoo looks at two key points in the high-stakes foreign policy pact debate – and asks if NZ can engage with as little drama as possible. The post Where to next for the Aukus ruckus? appeared first on Newsroom. ...
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Opinion: ‘Reference-class forecasting’ is at the heart of improving pricing a project and identifying the expected timeframe but it doesn’t appear to be in use here The post ‘Think fast and act slowly’ is failing big projects appeared first on Newsroom. ...
What do a sombrero in Argentina and cognitive driving tests have in common? Don’t worry, we’re not setting up a bad joke. Hinengaro Clinic dementia clinician Gregory Winkelman has the answer on today’s episode of The Detail. “We ask a patient’s spouse or son or daughter: If you went to ...
Wellington long jumper Phoebe Edwards is back and she’s having fun again. Until this year, Edwards, a top athlete in her teens, had never competed as a senior athlete in New Zealand. In March, the 26-year-old won a national long jump title in a lifetime best of 6.28m after ...
After replacing a fifth of their caucus in just four months, the Greens’ opportunity to reset, reshuffle and refocus on the Government is quickly slipping away The post Persistent Green Party scandals delay caucus reset appeared first on Newsroom. ...
ANALYSIS:By Olli Hellmann, University of Waikato When New Zealanders commemorate Anzac Day today on April 25, it’s not only to honour the soldiers who lost their lives in World War I and subsequent conflicts, but also to mark a defining event for national identity. The battle of Gallipoli against ...
By Robin Martin, RNZ News reporter A New Zealand local authority, Whanganui District Council, has passed a motion calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, condemnation of all acts of violence and terror against civilians on both sides of the conflict and the immediate return of hostages. It comes as ...
Asia Pacific Report The Aotearoa chapter of the Women’s International league for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) has appealed to the New Zealand government to call out Israel over the “cruel and barbaric use of force” in Gaza and demand a permanent ceasefire. The league’s open letter was sent to Prime ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Albanese government will invest $566 million over a decade on data, maps and other tools to promote exploration and development in Australia’s resources industry. The project will fund “the first comprehensive map of what’s ...
Asia Pacific Report Following an open letter by Auckland University academics speaking out in support of their students’ right to protest against the genocidal Israeli war on Gaza, a group of academics at Otago University have today also called on New Zealand academic institutions to “repair colonial violence” and end ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Linda J. Graham, Professor and Director of the Centre for Inclusive Education, Queensland University of Technology Ryan Tauss/ Unsplash, CC BY Two male students have been expelled from a Melbourne private school for their involvement in a list ranking female students. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University The Reserve Bank is now assuming Australians will see no interest rate cuts this year – and quite possibly none before the next federal election, due next May. That’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Hayward, Emeritus Professor of Public Policy, RMIT University The Victorian budget offered more of the same on Tuesday, with the only change being how the budget papers were packaged. The usual shrink wrap was gone, hinting at savings in the pages ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Coalition is demanding extensive amendments to the government’s legislation targeting non-citizens who refuse to co-operate with their removal. In a dissenting report to the senate inquiry into the legislation, the Coalition says it ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Vanita Yadav, Senior Research Fellow, Urban Transformations Research Centre, Western Sydney University Brett Boardman/Belvoir The complex and grappling issue of violence against women takes centre stage in the soul-stirring solo dance drama Nayika: A Dancing Girl. During a dinner conversation ...
Disruption to patient care from a nationwide junior doctors strike is bordering on unsafe, a senior doctor claims, despite what health officials say. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Diepstraten, Senior Research Officer, Blood Cells and Blood Cancer Division, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute Ground Picture/Shutterstock The anti-cancer drug abemaciclib (also known as Vernezio) has this month been added to the Australian Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) to treat certain ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dominic McAfee, Postdoctoral researcher, marine ecology, University of Adelaide Robbie Porter, OzFish Unlimited Around Australia, hundreds of people are coming together to help a once-prized, but decimated and largely forgotten marine ecosystem. They’re busy restoring Australia’s native oyster and mussel reefs. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sara Webb, Lecturer, Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University of Technology Austin Human/Unsplash How does Earth stop meteors from hitting Earth and hurting people? –Asher, 6 years 11 months, New South Wales Alright, let’s embark on a meteor ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rory Mulcahy, Associate Professor of Marketing, University of the Sunshine Coast Professional sports organisations regularly promote and develop initiatives to support diversity, equity and inclusion. While sport has the power to change attitudes by sparking conversations about political issues and social ...
Comment: The weekly Monday post-Cabinet press conference is a useful forum for observing Christopher Luxon and how he is developing into the job of Prime Minister. He attempts to convey the impression of a man of action, speaking fast, delivering memorised National Party strategies in a connect-the-slogans kind of way, ...
Double votes, missing ballot boxes, tired tech and stressed staff: how tick-tallying went astray at last year’s election. Cast your mind back to November 2023, that bleary-eyed post-election period duringwhichwewaited, andwaited, for a coalition deal to be hammered out. A distraction from the hotel-hopping of our ...
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Jamie Arbuckle, the district councillor who became an MP but decided to keep getting paid for both roles, will instead donate one salary to charity. ...
Adding gender to the Human Rights Act would simply make the implicit explicit. So why is it so controversial? Paul Thistoll explain. At present, Aotearoa’s 1993 Human Rights Act (HRA) includes sex, marital status, religious belief, ethical belief (meaning a lack of religious belief), colour, race, ethnicity or national origin, ...
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It’s time to act! Chris Hedges:
http://www.commondreams.org/views/2016/04/18/revolution-air
+1
Thank you for the link, and exactly the sort of thoughtful intelligent debate we need to be having.celebrity politics is having a filed day, but as it’s power wanes, and we get closer to the source, it feels like walking through a minefield of trolls and traps. I guess it’s what any army may do when defending their base.
Here’s another reason to take to the streets.
http://economyincrisis.org/content/prepare-for-tpps-big-brother-the-trade-in-services-agreement
Update on TPP by Lori Wallach
Thanks for that Tautoko. This is the bit that particularly struck me: The building of movements and sustained civil disobedience is far more important than voting. Voting without powerful and organized movements is futile. Voting without profound electoral reform, including banishing corporate money from politics, is useless.
Saying voting is a waste of time is stupid.
We have a good electoral system here in NZ. If 30% of people voted Green we would see real change. Civil disobedience/demonstrations certainly have their place though.
I agree that to say that voting is a complete waste of time is going too far. But a vote for change can achieve very little without a grassroots movement pushing from behind. Neoliberalism was achieved by right wing movements, hungry for things to go their way, lobbying, threatening, getting like-minded people into positions of influence, etc. Meanwhile the left have been persuaded that voting is a bit like choosing an item from a menu, and getting disappointed when the resultant dish doesn’t match the description. And the more real power the right gets, the less effective that attitude becomes.
@Olwyn
+100 Points right on target.
Thanks for picking out the most important point, Olwyn.
We are spending too much time criticizing Labour for not getting their act together instead of creating the movement ourselves and thus pointing the opposition parties in the required direction. National are laughing at the fact that they can slag off Labour and then watch us join in the slagging. Labour are only impotent and unsure because we are sitting on the sidelines. We need to lead from the streets in a movement which is not allied to any particular political party but which provides a vision of a better and fairer political system that makes neocapitalism obselete.
Thanks, and a great comment too. Especially this: We need to lead from the streets in a movement which is not allied to any particular political party but which provides a vision of a better and fairer political system…
Support political organisers beyond the party system, like ActionStation and Generation Zero.
Kia ora
Aucklanders beware – is the Great Auk a candidate for de-extinction ?
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/longnow/~3/awGewgeEdTw/
It is sad to see a site established for positive change misused by biassed and viciously deceitful propaganda for no positive purpose for New Zealand:
https://www.change.org/p/united-nations-helen-clark-is-not-a-suitable-candidate-for-un-secretary-general/c
I suspect many of the comments were made by the same person
I believe the person commenting can be traced back to the Mana party.
http://mananews.co.nz/wp/?p=9236
From Granny
“Since 2011, the Government has put $18 million into the Matavai resort as part of its efforts to boost tourism to Niue. That included $7.5 million to build a conference centre soon after Scenic Hotels took over.”
What the Fuck? In what planet can private conference centres be seen as aid??? Is that to bring in more ‘chefs’ and ‘waiting staff’ to keep the locals as poorly paid serfs? So that overseas politicians can have a nice place to stay and ‘do business’ as tax havens to hide money?
Conference center in Christchurch for Brownlee vanity project, conference centre in Auckland for Sky City for John Key (btw Sky City fraudster venue of choice
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11624732).
Yep, can really see the appeal of ‘aid’ to private real estate projects as a great way to launder tax payers money as bribes.
+100…yes it is weird the fixation on conference centres…when there are far more important community facilities and issues on which the scarce public money should be spent first
…imo it is a way of making local councils bankrupt so they have to sell up valuable publicly , locally owned, strategic utilites eg airports, port facilities
…just look at how this jonkey nact government annexed Environment Canterbury away from its elected local democratic representation and governance
Thanks for the additional information about this, what appears to be, rotten corrupt deal with Scenic Hotels, Niue, and this wealthy Nat and ACT donating Earl Hagaman character. (whose tax affairs should be looked into incidentally, as Niue is a tax haven)
Part two of the problem, once you move away from the link between party donations and “aid” is why is NZ funding private business in another country? That is not aid to benefit the people of Niue and support their infrastructure. That’s taxpayers propping up Scenic Hotels. This isn’t the Pacific aid programme that you would associate with legitimate aid work.
Beyond bonkers.
‘The Big Ones: Scientist warns up to 4 quakes over 8.0 possible under ‘current conditions’ ‘
https://www.rt.com/news/340033-scientist-warns-big-one-earthquake/
“Sunday’s devastating earthquake in Ecuador might just be the beginning, according to a seismologist who says that current conditions in the Pacific Rim could trigger at least four quakes with magnitudes greater than 8.0….
Reply to Chooky and save NZ at 3 and 3.1. (The reply button doesn’t appear to be working).
Convention centre mania is rife. Even Wellington is likely to be getting one, when we don’t need one, when the heavily indebted WCC has to borrow more money and pay the thing off over 50 years, when rates will be going up, and when people may not be travelling to conference centres in 20 years when the full impact of climate change is felt and the brakes will have gone on air travel (which currently contributes 3% to greenhouse gas).
But you have groups like the Property Council cheerleading for such wasteful projects that bring little benefit to people:
http://www.propertynz.co.nz/wellington
Handy when you have the deputy mayor on the executive board of the Property Council to help move the project along smoothly.
It’s all about the money honey and for a bonus insult Peter Jackson gets to tag along and get his film museum paid for by us. Joy!
The conference enters have also the added advantage of driving up rates and therefore the poor out of the main cities as well as even better, sell of council assets like water! There is always a helpful crony from wall street and banks keen to buy up the part/partial/private or whatever weasel words they describe to seize former public assets. (I hear the idea of a sports stadium is being floated for Auckland on top of the Sky City convention centre and of course the 1 billion of wasted IT that the council does not care about).
This is what happens when things go wrong….
https://www.yahoo.com/news/u-bankruptcy-judge-allows-detroit-water-shutoffs-continue-135707328–business.html?ref=gs
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jun/25/un-detroit-human-rights-taps
And it gets worse for Detroit inhabitants… from 4 days ago…
High copper or lead levels seen in 19 Detroit schools’ water
“The testing was prompted by the crisis in Flint, where lead flowed from taps after state authorities switched that city’s water supply from Detroit’s system to the Flint River to save money. About 8,000 Flint-area children under age 6 have potentially been exposed to lead.
In Detroit, school officials discovered that even though the municipal water complies with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency standards, elevated levels of lead and some of copper were found in the drinking water fountains or kitchens at 19 of the 62 schools tested so far…..
“It provides clear evidence that schools have to be proactive in finding and fixing these problems – it is not going to go away by itself,” said Marc Edwards, a Virginia Tech professor who helped expose Flint’s water crisis.”
http://www.cbs8.com/story/31722710/high-copper-or-lead-levels-seen-in-19-detroit-schools-water
Ok so they privatise the water, try to save money, but now it is the SCHOOL’s responsibility to protect the kids from the water…
On top of this…
“Michigan lawmakers recently approved $48.7 million in emergency funding just to keep Detroit schools open this academic year. Republican Gov. Rick Snyder also is pushing a $720 million school restructuring plan to pay off the district’s operating debt, and wants to spend $18 million over two years to test water in every state school.”
What an amazing country the US is and how efficient is neoliberalism, sarc.
I watched a doco about poor cities in the States in regard to accessing basic services like water connections. They suffer in ways that hard to fathom in a first world country. They are totally at the mercy of “business”, whose needs come first, and private water supply is big business in the States, with cost cutting leading to a lack of maintenance and care.
These poor areas also seem to suffer the worst of non regulation for safe rental accommodation, affecting health and even physical safety when landlords refuse to repair dilapidated locks, doors and windows, as well as broken electrical circuits. The advantages of council bylaws was weighted in favour of the landlord.
Saw this doco on Al Jazeera a couple of months ago but can’t recall the name sorry, or the city where they interviewed the tenants.
Judging from tonights Checkpoint with John Campbell most Christchurch residents don’t want a convention centre
…so why is it being foisted on them?
In the wake of the latest Colmar Brunton, one or two of our regular Tory Gentlemen-Callers have been enthusiastically pushing some of David Farrar’s carefully misleading and de-contextualised rhetorical strategies:
Here are two of these strategies:
(1) At this point in National’s Second Term (April 2013), Labour was polling at 36% and “went on to get thrashed”. Labour is presently polling at 28%
(Farrar’s post here … http://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2016/04/latest_poll-36.html)
(Tory Gentlemen-Callers comments here … http://thestandard.org.nz/bowron-on-a-tired-government/#comment-1162085 and here http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-11042016/#comment-1158863 and here )
(2) That Andrew Little is deeply unpopular, while John Key is overwhelmingly loved, admired and celebrated.
(Farrar … amongst many other posts of the same ilk … http://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2016/04/houston_we_may_have_a_problem.html)
(Gentlemen-Callers … http://thestandard.org.nz/can-we-trust-john-key/#comment-1159832 and here http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-10042016/#comment-1158359 and here http://thestandard.org.nz/can-we-trust-john-key/#comment-1160612 and here http://thestandard.org.nz/can-we-trust-john-key/#comment-1159836 and here http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-13042016/#comment-1159795)
On (1) … Farrar’s modus operandi is to only make Poll comparisons when it favour’s National or looks particularly bad for Labour. You’ll only see these very brief comparative analyses when Labour / the Left have (I) fallen in a recent poll and (ii) the comparative poll from a previous term was unusually good for Labour / the Left. So that, overall, the comparison looks particularly bad for Labour’s current prospects. He disingenuously presents both the previous and current figures as typical.
Look at the Colmar Bruntons taken either side of the April 2013 one that Farrar cherry-picks for comparison and you’ll see that Labour were doing appreciably worse than 36%, with the Left and Opposition Bloc also well down on the April figures. 36% was the very highest Labour ever rated under Shearer and was entirely atypical.
Or go back to the same point in Key’s First Term (April 2010) and you’ll find that National in 2016 are 4 points down, the Govt a significant 6 points down, while the Opposition Bloc is now a massive 9 points up.
Notice too that Farrar, for instance, made no comparison when the July 2015 Colmar Brunton put the Opposition Bloc as much as 5 points ahead of the Government. If he had, we would have seen that the Nats were (in July 2015) down 9 points (on July 2009), with the Govt Bloc down 12. You could say similar things about the Sep 2015, Oct 2015 and Feb 2016 Colmar Bruntons.
On (2) … In the Colmar Brunton and Reid Research Preferred PM Polls, John Key has fallen to his lowest average (39%) since becoming PM. That’s 10-14 points down on his First Term.
Meanwhile, his net Favourability ratings are down to a net positive of just + 2. That’s his lowest rating ever. Key may be well ahead of Little in the Preferred PM rankings (arguably a somewhat blunt instrument given the traditional incumbency advantage) but he’s been lagging behind the Labour leader on the Favourability measure for most of the last year.
2015 Quarterly Net Ratings
………………..1/4……………2/4……………3/4…………….4/4
Key…………..+ 22……………+ 15 ………….+ 10……………+ 16
Little…………+ 24……………+ 25…………..+ 16……………+ 15
Notice, incidentally, how far Key has fallen since 2015 – a net positive Favourability rating of
+ 22 in the first quarter of 2015 and now, in the immediate wake of the failed Flag Referendum, a plunge to just + 2. Back in 2014 Key was on + 27, and in his first year as PM (2009) on an average + 58 rating !!!
He’s become a polariser in the same mould as Muldoon. As many people consider him Unfavourably as have a Favourable attitude towards him.
Kind of missing the main point though (or is this a gee up the troops thing?) National is still far ahead of Lab/Greens after eight years in power, John Key is still far ahead of Andrew Little in preferred PM, in fact Andrew Little is behind Winston Peters for preferred PM
But hey its all good
Da, Comrade, Da.
In broad terms, don’t dispute anything you’ve said there. Labour certainly want to be up above 35%, with the Lab+Green total 45% + to be in with a reasonable chance of pulling Peters their way …
Do, however, want to point out that:
(1) The Preferred PM measure is not necessarily the gold standard. In the UK, for instance, Approval, Favourability and Satisfaction ratings are very much at the heart of leadership poll analysis. They assign much lower priority to the (infrequently sampled) Preferred PM stats. There’s no particular theoretical reason why the New Zealand MSM should focus so obsessively on the Preferred PM stats, apart from the fact that most local pollsters tend towards that measure.
(2) As I’ve said, there’s an obvious incumbency effect that renders the Preferred PM rating’s usefulness questionable (though it’s still up for debate)
(3) Key is by no means as popular as he’s always been (despite constant repetition of this meme in the MSM and among you highly enthusiastic Tory interlopers)
(4) Just how misleading Farrar’s Party Support numbers are. Very good at leaving entirely misleading impressions (always, of course, in National’s favour) for any passing strapped-for-time journos to gratefully pick up on. (As they so often do). Things are rather more finely balanced than Farrar (or indeed you (above) Nats far ahead of Lab+Green) imply.
Fair enough
You’ve convinced me. Labour are sweeping to power. They are unprecedentedly popular with an adoring public.
Keep up the good work.
This is beginning to sound like insubordination, Mr Gormster.
Is that your little plan ? It is isn’t it ? Insurrection ? Mutiny, Mr Gormster, Mutiny ??? What ? Seize the good ship Labour from us loyalists ?, sail her through the treacherous Seas of High Finance, turning her in the direction of no-man’s land before ruthlessly scuttling her on the Reef of Despair ? Is that your little plan ? Aye, but not before you Tory Blaggards and Scurvy Cut-throats have rowed ashore every last barrel of rum, I’ll be bound !!!
Least ways, that’s how I sees it.
Nice!
Nobody expects the Crimson Permanent Assurance!
This in itself is astounding. A government in its third term – six years later! – is polling only 4 points lower than during its honeymoon.
No, you’re confusing National with the entire Government Bloc. Nats down 4 points (in terms of the respective Colmar Bruntons), Government down 6 points, Opposition Bloc up a massive 9 points.
The Key Government’s honeymoon was in 2009 when it averaged 59% in the polls. By 2010, it had fallen to 56% and remained there throughout 2011 (we’re talking annual averages here).
With the exception of this latest poll, all of the Colmar Bruntons and Reid Research polls since May 2015 (that’s 8 consecutive polls) had the Government on 48%. 11 points Down on its 2009 honeymoon average and 8 points Down on its 2010-2011 average.
So not necessarily all that “astounding”.
and yet, somehow after all that analysis, National will win a fourth term
Crazy old world eh
Yeah, I preferred your earlier reply: “Fair enough”. Had a slightly more … respectful, almost obsequious tone about it. Suddenly you seem to have become emboldened all over again. It’s almost as if you are Jean-Claude Van Damme !!! I have a feeling Gormy and Magisterium turning up at the last minute has lifted your morale, stiffened your resolve, as it were. Three former Young Nats together, none of you wanting to lose face in front of the others.
The word is “embiggened”
Cromulent !
Not so much stiffened as engorged or turgid perhaps…
Complete list of names from the Panana Papers. No kiwis thankfully.
http://anonymous.com.pt/complete-list-of-people-named-in-the-panama-papers-videos-at-the-end-of-the-article/
But but but how can that be, John Key must be neck deep in it…its a conspiracy to protect John Key I tells ya
But seriously its good this information has come to light
A complete list, really?.
The ICIJ said it will publish the full list of involved companies and individuals linked to them in early May, citing emails, financial spreadsheets and passports among its evidence.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/politics/panama-papers-what-are-they-who-is-involved-and-why-are-they-important-illegal-legal-tax-avoidance-a6967176.html
Those crazy anonymous guys, what can you say 🙂
BREAKING: NZ Labour Leader Andrew Little is named in the Panama Papers as many times as Prime Minister John Key!
I knew it! Little is neck-deep as much as Key, if not more!!!
But seriously, I’m glad no NZ names were mentioned regardless of political perspectives.
Pedro Almodóvar
Salvatore Bizzarro
I predict Bernie Sanders will win the New York primary.
http://usuncut.com/politics/bernie-hillary-campaign-finance/
Bernie Sanders Just Accused Hillary Clinton of Violating Campaign Finance Laws
___________________________________
Penny Bright
2016 Auckland Mayoral candidate.
What are your predictions for your mayoralty race?
As, in my opinion, the female ‘Bernie Sanders’ of the 2016 Auckland Mayoralty – I predict that I am going to do VERY well 😉
Penny Bright
2016 Auckland Mayoral candidate.
Sadly my friends in the US believe that Bernie will be reasonably easily beaten in the NY primary.
Big call by you Penny, given the polls. We will know tomorrow whether you a seer, or then again, not
Will we ever find out whether you feel ashamed of your personal involvement in money-laundering?
OAB, Wayne is one of the few right wingers who comments here without being an outright troll, is it really necessary to stalk him when there are many other more right wingers who are deserving of your attention.
I pay his wages. He’s been deriving his income from the public purse for long enough to cope with a bit of personal responsibility for his decisions, don’t you think?
In any case, I’m genuinely interested: he was a member of the executive that involved us in organised crime, after all. Did anyone bring it up at the Cabinet table? “John, why are you cuddling up to crims?” That sort of thing.
Edit: I suspect he can’t answer the question because he’s in the National Party’s pocket. Aren’t you even a little bit curious?
🙄
Wow OAB that’s a big call out. I’m curious to see what you have to back that up.
Don’t you understand the connection between tax havens and money laundering?
Big call Wayne – given the trend in the Polls
You could be in for a surprise.
Yep.
A week is a LONG time in politics ….
Bernie Sanders – with his clear, anti-corporate Wall Street 1% platform – has risen in the polls from zero to hero.
As I understand it – at 1pm NZ time tomorrow – voting for the New York democratic primary will close.
I predict a BIG turnout.
Penny Bright
2016 Auckland Mayoral candidate.
Yeah and last weekend was rather telling too. Bernie was out of the country at the Vatican, whilst Hillary was in California for a dinner hosted by George Clooney and charging $343,000 a pop for the privilege where she was showered with 1000 $1 bills. I think that sends a clear message to the voters.
+100 Penny…GO GIRL!…and GO Bernie Sanders!
Hey Lynn, that bug is back where the Name and Mail fields are blank on every new comment (my browser normally stores them). I noticed this first yesterday.
it’s happening on my iphone too.
Me too Weka, name and address goes from my field as well. Weird, hope it isn’t a bug.
Same here. Looks like this bug doesn’t like women.
The TPP has a two-track outcome on biologics protection. Parties can choose to provide effective market protection through at least 8 years of data protection. Alternatively, Parties can choose to provide effective market protection through at least 5 years of data protection, along with other measures, These measures and circumstances include regulatory settings, patents, and the time it takes for follow-on medicines to become established in the market.
http://insidetrade.com/
We need to make sure that the information from these team discussions is fully reported.
Winston has just thrown a spanner in the works re Silver Fern Farms sellout to Shanghai Maling. Nicely timed to coincide with the PMs China visit.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/79089207/nz-first-lays-complaints-over-silver-fern-farms-conduct
The process of coercing farmers into voting for this deal was always suspect. My understanding is there is much more to run on this story yet. Good on Winston for taking up the cause.
Yep. The NZ Taxpayer could have prevented this sell off for the price of a couple of flag referendums. No surprises that SFF management are closely watching how Talley’s are getting away with brutalizing their workforce.
Follow The Money Or Why We Should Arrest People Like John Key And His Banking Mates
Probably, most people, when reading about the Panama tax dodgers and New Zealand’s quiet achievement in becoming as “tax” haven, wonder how the rich always getaway with shit like this and kind of wished they were in the same predicament: Filthy rich and hiding their money from the tax people.
The next thought is probably if they can get away with it why should I pay tax? Both are legitimate sentiments but what it does not address is that apart from the obvious crime of theft these rich people are committing and the subsequent deprivation of the poor as a result of that theft, the money is not just resting in a safe place. It is being used.
Tax havens therefore should not be called tax havens but more correctly Secrecy Jurisdictions.
Nearly 10,000 dead in the ongoing Haiti cholera epidemic. The CDC knows exactly how it started and who’s to blame, but isn’t allowed to tell anyone.
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/foreigners/2016/04/what_caused_haiti_s_cholera_epidemic_the_cdc_s_museum_knows_but_won_t_say.html
“The whiff of corruption follows McCully around” …. the ultra-cleverness of the ultimate coder out-wits the GUI / WYSIWIG / reasonably intelligent expectations of the Joe Evridge poster (unrelated to Edna).
If it was going to get any more complicated or time consuming – why bother?
Here’s a comment that may or may not appear on that thread.
(The whiff of corruption follows McCully around). btw L …. as you know – you’ll never be able to code for every pillock, but if you consider it worth your marriage, and an aid to dealing with whatever your obsession avoidance – it’s worth a shot – arrogant cunt eh?) – or maybe just bleeding obvious
Christ Almighty – it goes a frikken sight deeper than McCully who probably only succumbed to his own naivety, aided and abetted by that Chez Longe upholstery material cladded vixen; know-it-all member of something we used to call a 4th Estate – now more aptly described as the ass-licking Thorndon bubble press gang. (Most of whom don’t/can’t see the medium/long term). Just another Rosemary McCluck lookalike aspiring to claim their rights to a higher class (otherwise known as social climbing wankers)
…… NOW we have our dearest Leader, John Key (side-by-side with knock-kneed Adonis son Mex – whose beauteous presence pervades as much social media as he and his acolytes can muster) suggesting he’s ‘open’ to an extradition treaty (provided of course, ewwmun roights britches en the deth penty don’t figure in such an arrangement).
Apparently there are 50 on a list (that is 50 that are known of presumably)
They reap what they sow. I wonder jst hear relexed he’s gunna b when he reterns home on Earforce 1. (John – you really must get that 757 repainted!)
Oh wow….. it appears to have worked from the submitter that’s not the dedicated follower of fashion or fad or hero worship.
Y’all are really gorgeous tho’. Have a nice day. Missing you already
Aaron Hawkins has announced his intention to run for mayor of Dunedin under the Green Party banner. I think he’s been a good councillor so far and I’ll be interested in his mayoral platform. One good thing about Dunedin is that the voting system for mayor is STV, so the left bloc won’t be split.
Cool. Good man.
What’s the rush, Mr Key?
Tuesday, 19 April 2016, 10:56 am
Press Release: Professor Jane Kelsey
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1604/S00251/government-seeking-to-stymie-report-on-tppa.htm
Seen this?
http://www.brandonturbeville.com/2016/04/nafta-and-tpp-hillary-clintons-free.html?m=1
NAFTA And The TPP – Hillary Clinton’s Free Trade History
Hillary Clinton is not my ‘sister’.
Penny Bright
2016 Auckland Mayoral candidate.
(Who is actively opposed to the TPPA and corporate control by the 1% – locally, nationally and internationally.)
+100…”Hillary Clinton is not my ‘sister’. “
Seen this?
https://twitter.com/smilefestival/status/722257767290023936
damn you, now I’ve gone and followed.
Emergency kittens is a must as well: https://twitter.com/search?q=Emergency%20kittens&src=typd
Where do you stand Wayne, on New Zealand’s secretive ‘foreign trusts’?
Do you think that there is any legitimate purpose for New Zealand secretive ‘foreign trusts’?
If so – what – in your view is this ‘legitimate purpose’?
Penny Bright
2016 Auckland Mayoral candidate.
‘Sanders’s criticism of Israel is long overdue’
https://www.rt.com/op-edge/340073-sanders-israel-palestinians-gaza-us/
“Bernie Sanders is not only taking on the Washington establishment in his campaign for the Democratic Party presidential nomination, he is also challenging many of the received truths that make up the ideological foundations upon which its power rests…