Housing, the social type, have the Loonies truly taken over the asylum in this particular area of social policy,(this just couldn’t be so, we only have to look at Housing Minister Nick Smith’s actions in a previous guise when He was made deputy leader of the National Party under Doctor Dullard Don Brash to see that this man of action knows what He wants and how to get it, even if that means barking orders at all and sundry including opposition MP’s resulting in Him being removed from the position),
Housing tho, the social type, having announced the National Governments abdication of its role in the States provision of housing for those in the most precarious positions in our society, Smith said that He wanted there to be 20% less homes owned by the State and that the private sector charities would provide for any shortfall, in last years budget 30 million dollars was passed across from the State to what Smith terms NGO’s to boost the provision of such housing,
Result: zilch, zero, nada, not one house has been built, not one family in need housed.
This years budget slashed the amount of funding given to these NGO’s to 10 million dollars and it was revealed on RadioNZ National this morning that Smith has a brand new plan for the NGO provision of social housing, the NGO’s can go to the banks and borrow the monies needed to build such housing, as if they would,
Not quite ”let them eat cake” from Smith, more an invitation to the poor to go buy a $50 tent from the warehouse,(but don’t erect it where the middle class can see it and become offended as occurred recently when a mini-tent town of 4 was set up under the Welcome to Wellington sign at ‘the gap’ near Wellington airport)…
Anyone know what almost the whole of the suburbs of:
– Owairaka
– Mt Roskill
– Mt Wellington
– Panmure
– Oranga
– Lower Hutt
– Waikare
and now Hobsonville
have in common?
Yep, you could add dozens if not hundreds more suburbs to that list as well Ad,(i just listened to Labour Housing spokesperson Phill Twyford on RadioNZ extolling the virtue of 3–400 thousand dollar housing as the solution to affordable housing, IF He ”gets it” He is obviously keeping ”it” a big secret),
Seems to me ‘the song remains the same’, pamper the middle class and ignore the poor…
@ Once was Tim…State houses were built with very high quality wood and joinery and solidly built and many were located in very desirable areas mixed in with other housing ( NZs former egalitarian society)….so what does demolition or removal tell you?!
…..it tells you that John Key /NACT and mates want to capitalise on the valuable land underneath the State House in the desirable area and rebuild ….too bad about the State tenants!
Yep chooky, i too live in one here in Wellington, 70 years+ of age my mansion is still trucking along doing what the builders intended it to do,(the lack of maintenance tho is making her look a bit sad around the edges),
Most of the States stock here in Wellington was built as whole of suburb State housing and it wasn’t until (a), tenants were allowed to purchase them under Labour, and (b), National later started flicking them off to their rentier mates for a song that the mix was totally altered,
My little street of all State houses originally, has suffered from such sell offs, there is left two disparate sets of inhabitants neither of whom have any like for each other,(the destruction of community)…
Indeed! My ex wife has an ex-State house in what is now a desirable part of Wellington’s eastern suburbss. Incredibly well-built and solid. It’s had insulation, some bits and pieces added on (such as a deck) to remove that ‘tickytacky box’ look people used to moan about – and is now worth a bundle apparently.
It’s appalling to see the same such housing in the Hutt Valley all boarded up, empty & ready for demolition when a bit of creativity, landscaping, etc. at relatively minimal expense could be applied to bring about a similar result.
Basically Natzi ideology at work yet again. Vandalism!
I’d prefer to see a bit of care and attention applied to all those Hutt Valley state houses in a similar vein to my ex’s place, and allow us to resurrect a decent social housing programme again. Interesting too that this sort of housing was developed usually with a Community Hall and other amenities nearby (including railway stations, or bus routes with a regular timetable).
They don’t have to be ghettos – one of the demonising labels the Natzis often apply (where that is the case – why aren’t they placing the blame squarely where it belongs – i.e. bad management on the part of Housing Corp – or whatever they call themselves these days).
Housing should be a BIG election issue!…i have a friend in a state house …he is a qualified architect but due to poor health on an invalids benefit…he is under a lot of stress thinking his state house will be sold out from under him( he can not afford to buy it!)….he does a lot of community work for free but cant get a fulltime job ( like many other New Zealanders , because the jobs are NOT there!)
John Key and NACT are preparing to sell State houses all over New Zealand paid for by previous generations of compassionate NZers who wanted to live in an egalitarian compassionate society…it is theft by the wealthy John Key/NACT for their mates …it is sociopathic and crime against those least fortunate and must be recognised and broadcast as such….a BIG ELECTION issue!!! Keeping existing housing stock for New Zealanders
On Morning report today, John Key maintaining that NZ having the highest house prices in the OECD is due to the robust recovery of the NZ economy !!
Really?
Great from Jokeyhen this morning. House prices high, good – criticism bad. Binary Key as usual.
bad 12 comment on Nick Smith is on the mark –
Smith said that He wanted there to be 20% less homes owned by the State and that the private sector charities would provide for any shortfall, in last years budget 30 million dollars was passed across from the State to what Smith terms NGO’s to boost the provision of such housing,
Indicates to me that this is another example of government by target – ordering this or that to be done whether impractical, impossible, or actually destructive.
Dictionary.com has the word ‘fiat’ an arbitrary decree or pronouncement, especially by a person or group of persons having absolute authority to enforce it: The king ruled by fiat.
We are getting away from a true democracy, as we thought we knew it. Dictatorship by the Robber Barons eating democracy and its public goods, leaving us the fish bones to boil for our soup.
No it was just p…s envy then. The orgasmatic condition came when he got to power. The prancing pony became the ringmaster along with the adrenalin rush of having the whiphand.
One wonders one does whether there is s & m propernsity in a large number of us as we keep voting for parties that produce hurtful outcomes, while at the same time we revile s.59 for children. Perhaps we don’t want better conditions for the country, perhaps we so like inequality because it makes life more interesting as someone earlier said. How can this attitude still be trotted out? It must be some sort of pathological mental condition. FFS
The lesson that NZers learnt in the 1930’s and 1940’s is that Government and political parties can be a major help to the nation and its peoples.
What it forgot was the lesson of the 1910’s and 1920’s that Government will not provide that major help unless it is forced to by a mass movement of the people.
The beads go on to act as “sponges for toxic chemical pollutants” and are mistaken for food by aquatic organisms. This means that the pollutants can enter the food chain and contaminate fish that humans eat, as well as birds, turtles and mammals.
Ah, mankind – finding so many new and innovative ways to pollute the environment.
Statins, the silver bullet drug for heart disease are again in the news with an international study highlighting the dangers of liver disease due to high use of statin dosage and an Otago Uni study with a counter view saying the number of those effected is far lower than the lives said to be saved by the use of statins,
Having been prescribed this drug i complied with ‘Doctors orders’ until (a) i had researched and taken up a diet containing as close to zero ‘bad fats’ as possible without resorting to mung beans and lentils as the sole dietary intake, and (b), researched statin drugs as far as i could on the internet,
Having also been prescribed drugs for diabetes at the same time i found i was forced by the revelations of that research to make a decision to ditch one or the other, the statins or the diabetes meds,
Here’s why, to achieve correct levels of sugars in the blood requires the presence of magnesium in the blood, the liver controls the levels of magnesium that are sent into the body with any excess excreted by that liver, Statins as a drug are in the category of a ‘blocker’ along with ‘blocking’ bad fats from entering and being deposited in the arteries Statins also ‘block’ certain vitamins and minerals including vitamin B12 and magnesium,(some of these ‘blocked’ fats, vitamins, and minerals cannot be excreted by the liver which is where the liver disease from Statin use comes from),
So, if you have high cholesterol levels AND high blood sugar levels for which you are being prescribed drugs ie: statins it is a recipe for your blood sugar levels to stay high,(or worse spike them up to the point of being diagnosed as diabetic),
My next blood test, had my Doctor having an eye popping moment as She looked at them,(and probably singing in Her mind the praises of Statins), as the no bad fats diet i formulated pulled my cholesterol level firmly below the danger line, and i did not tell Her i had tossed the Statins 8 weeks earlier…
Not quite Phillip, the blood sugar in the latest test was still slightly high despite a huge cut in sugar intake,(the problem being there as my intake of fruits has climbed by x10 while i cut the use of actual sugar and such tests cannot differentiate how the sugars get there),
Don’t ever see myself ”going vegan”, there is a logical reason as well as my meat eaters upbringing which pushes me in the direction of judging good fats/bad fats,
There are a number of minerals and vitamins that our bodies need that are only soluble and transportable around the body via fats, good or bad fats will do the work so we need some fats in our diets and i don’t think i could devour enough nuts/avocados to provide enough good fat so fish is on the menu along with the odd bout of yummy bacon and egg burger and when i smell fresh bread in the supermarket, shaved beef,(97% fat free lolz)…
Absolutely, diet is amongst the most important factors in developing or reversing type 2 diabetes.
Unfortunately there’s not enough willpower amongst the majority to eat well and exercise, hats off to bad12 for changing his eating habits and seeing the changes that can be made.
No fucking way CV, not once did the doctor discuss with me what sort of dietary change might bring the numbers both in the cholesterol and the blood sugar down to where they should be,
Let the glorified pill pushers think they provided the ‘fix’, to do otherwise is to be confronted with ”Doctors ego” and a lot of them have the ego problem, i am at that point with the interesting piece of bone growing on my spine, the Radiologist,(at the center of a complaint to the health and disability commissioner), after first denying this particular outcrop of bone growth was there, when confronted, admitted it was, but, He didn’t consider it could be the source of pain, then recommended an MRI/Cat scan which the Doctor refuses to order on the basis that She ”doesn’t think” along with the radiologist that it is the source of pain,(Doctors ego takes over as they close ranks)…
Ger a better doctor. Preferably one under 40, they are a new breed. Find one that only works part time, because they know that there is more to life than work. If you can’t have a laugh with them, then they’re not for you. Ask around, and find one that diabetics say that they don’t get told off by. Oh, and read everything you can find by Michael Pollan, Marion Nestle, Gary Taubes and Gary Scheiner. They don’t all agree with each other, so you’re going to have to make your own opinions. Live by your HBA1c, not your daily blood tests. Get on insulin, if you’re not already, but don’t fall into the trap of eating to your insulin, rather than injecting to your life.
Wonderpup, Horses for courses, i have found older more experienced doctors are more better in terms of what they do and don’t tell me,
Are you type 1, i do not even necessarily have a great amount of faith in the type 2 diagnosis, after ditching the Statins 8 weeks out from the next scheduled blood test, i ditched the Metformin 2 weeks later, i trusted in what i was doing with the diet to bring the blood sugar numbers down to where i supposedly wasn’t diabetic,(the blood sugar has improved hugely while still being slightly high),
My belief is that both the high cholesterol and the high blood sugar were the result of a poor diet, and the blood test after i had ditched the 2 sets of meds would strongly suggest that the diet i came up with, researching the good/bad of everything eaten via the internet is the correct remedy for ME,
Anyone reading this should note why i stressed the me in the last paragraph, there is diabetes from poor diet ie: ingesting too much sugar which features way too much in a lot of foods it shouldn’t, and then there is Diabetes where the body cannot produce, i think, enough insulin????, anyone with the latter problem i would suggest should disregard what i am saying about diet and stick to the meds…
Interesting watch for you then bad12 on filmsforaction.org, considering your thoughts on diet and diabetes.
Documentary style is mediocre, but the story of those with diabetes who managed to stay the distance for 30 days is interesting. Simply Raw: Reversing Diabetes in 30 days.
A couple of years ago, I went raw for three months. Lost 22 kg without even thinking about it. I really concluded that it was the lack of any kind of processed food that picks up your energy levels and balances your body.
Tah Molly, i will have a look at the video later, i don’t tho think i could go 30 days on a diet of totally raw foods,
My method is a bit slower, losing 20+ kilo in 90 days,(but what’s the hurry it took 30 years to put it on),butter and cheese have gone along with 99% of meat, all types of drinks that contain an amount of sugar, and fruit and veg are now by volume the majority of what i eat,
i take the fat off in small increments adjusting the diet as i go to make sure i can put some back on if needed and continue to take it off, am down to 94 kilo and will be happy when i lose 10 more,
Definitely feel the benefits in managing pain in both the hips and back along with a way faster recovery time from my fitness regime,(aka working my garden)…
Hi Molly, very interesting. What do you consider raw? Does this mean meat and eggs (I can for the life of it not eat them raw!) are out? Only fruit and vege?
@ bad 12 …you would make a better doctor than your doctor
btw recently they have been giving cancer patients mega doses of the measles virus in order to combat cancer…on the other hand most of the medical profession and the vaccination industry want to vaccinate children against measles….go figure….we are all just guinea pigs…keep away from docs unless absolutely necessary…or take what they say with a grain of salt…generally they are proved wrong in the end ( but I have great respect for emergency services and the hospital docs)
“btw recently they have been giving cancer patients mega doses of the measles virus in order to combat cancer”
No actually that is completely incorrect ……what has been experimented with is treating patients with viruses that have been genetically engineered to specifically infect cancer cells, rather than causing the particular illness that they usually bring. When injected into the body, the viruses seek out and destroy the tumour cells, multiplying inside them to create even more cancer-killing viruses.
conveniently you forgot to mention the words ‘measles virus’…genetically engineered tinkered with or not ( you think the genetic engineering tinkering is what counts …but no it is the ‘measles virus’ that counts
…it has long been thought that common childhood viruses like measles rev up the natural immune system and protect against cancer later in life….seems as if those anti- measles vaccine people were right
No it is not the measles virus that counts, the unmodified measles virus has no anti tumour effect.
“…it has long been thought that common childhood viruses like measles rev up the natural immune system and protect against cancer later in life….seems as if those anti- measles vaccine people were right.”
There is absolutely no evidence (zip, zilch, nada) to support this statement.
Only a slight reclaiming Rosie, my view of the Radiologists non inclusion of the large piece of bone growing on my spine in His original report was that it was simply a device to stifle demand further up the food chain in the hospitals,
i already knew what the prognosis was from having had an X-ray taken 7 years earlier, something the latter radiologist was unaware of which obviously emboldened Him to not include the bone growth in the report,
A previous doctor already told me that the system will not operate on such growths until they become life threatening, Lolz, when asked how i would know when this life threatening point had been reached He flatly told me ”Oh it will pierce your bowels”, again Lolz, i thought at the time He should have donned a black cap to deliver such news, but, at least He was being honest,
What worries me, and i made this point pretty clearly to the health and disability commissioner is if the Radiologist, not knowing i already knew of the bone growths existence, casually disregarded mentioning it in His report is ”what else has He decided to disregard on how many other patients”,
The wider question of course is then the question of ”was the Radiologist acting by direction and if so by the direction of whom”…
It’s wrong, in situations where you are fully at the mercy of clinicians, the radiologist in this case (unlike the situation with the Dr’s around taking control of lowering your cholesterol sans meds), that you are forced to be in a position where you have to advocate for yourself, as the level of care provided is inadequate and may likely cause harm.
The situation with the radiologist is such a worry and totally unacceptable. And I reckon you question rightly in regard to the radiologists’ approach with other patients too, just how wide spread is his approach of disregarding essential clinical information in his reporting….and WHY……
Good luck for a favourable response from the H & D Commissioner and furthermore, some action on the spinal bone growth. let us know how you get on – if you like.
Lolz Rosie, i am not holding my breath for a favorable result from the H and D commission, i demanded that they require the work of the Radiologist be independently audited for as long as He has worked there to discover anything else He chose not to report on other patients,
Will let you know on that,
If the worst comes to the worst with my extra piece of bone i will suddenly do the disappear as a quick dial of 111 will be in order, the bone is growing anteriorlly, which means forward, IF it continues to grow it will meet the Transverse section of the Large Intestine at some point which will not be fun times nor sunshine and lolly-pops…
Holy crap, not the kind of wait-and-see game you’d want to play – All the best for the bone not stabbing you in the gut. I mean that, you need to stay out of Wellington Hospital. I went there Monday last week for an outpatients appointment where I dealt with a very sick clinician and ended up with the flu!
bad12
How much would it cost to have that scan/procedure done privately in $? Do you know? The problem of getting access to it could result from a reaction to doubt or pressure from you and be a male/female thing. It is important for female self esteem that they feel they are correct and not being questioned just because a male does not have faith in a female opinion. That used to be the case, and I guess still happens sometimes. The approach of saying honestly how much of a problem the condition is to you, may break through to your doctor who may then feel okay about not following the radiologist’s line. People often try to help ‘a problem’
‘outcrop of bone growth was there, when confronted, admitted it was, but, He didn’t consider it could be the source of pain, then recommended an MRI/Cat scan which the Doctor refuses to order on the basis that She ”doesn’t think” along with the radiologist that it is the source of pain,(Doctors ego takes over as they close ranks)…’
Perhaps they will act to help identify definitely what the pain source is. ‘A patient with chronic pain has found what he/she considers a better pain scale than the one previously used for communicating patient to doctor. http://lane.stanford.edu/portals/cvicu/HCP_Neuro_Tab_4/0-10_Pain_Scale.pdf
Aide to Erdogan PM photographed kicking protestor restrained on ground by soldiers
This earlier incident happened 3 days ago
Something very wrong with the current Turkish ruling establishment. These are the same people who have used brute force on peaceful protestors in recent years.
That was a shocking photo the world got to see but sadly such violent actions against work rights and human rights protesters aren’t uncommon in Turkey.
Those who receives email newsletters from international Unions and labour rights organisations will see that Turkish workers have been routinely exposed to unsafe working conditions and harassment from employers and authorities, and examples of these have increased during Erdogan’s leadership. Turkey is always up there with Colombia and Bangladesh with news of work rights abuses and unlawful detention of Union delegates and leaders.
This article from June last year covers the basics;
Not really, they are under stress as the country is Muslim and tries to do good with the christian Europe (Nato). Sitting on the Prosperous, figuratively and literally caught between 2 worlds whose fight is getting fiercer with every year. The only way to keep control is to control the people. Watch this spot, it will be another sparked up area and the fight of faith is inching towards the West.
The ease of misuse of this live camera information by the authorities (and no doubt their private sector contractors), also sharing of images as well as live feeds with other Five Eyes nations, is very significant.
The sis and gcsb missed a biggie yesterday. I hid the plans to a nuclear reactor, dirty bomb, drone schematics, a list of all worldwide foreign agents and kim dotcoms grocery list in a song I uploaded yesterday.
Play that bad boy back in reverse and let the frogs of war run free. 🙂
Edit: Site admin, I apologise for the trigger words, but at least you’ll know the ip of the spooks that come a crawling 😆
It is a “So what” article. It’s main purpose seems to be to whine about the fact the Bill English isn’t giving Labour Credit for low debt which helped him get back in to surplus without increasing debt too much.
It’s a three part problem. The overarching concept is that of modern civil rights – the necessary ability to enforce restrictions and limitations on a (very powerful) state, its agents, and how they must treat and behave towards their own citizens with fairness and due process.
When people say civil liberties are being stripped – it’s very bad news for the direction of society as a whole.
The 3 parts of the problem as I see it –
1) General privacy – the ability of every free citizen to pursue his or her own life, thoughts, relationships and goals without being constantly monitored by god-only-knows-who
2) Misuse of information: just check out the number of police staff/officers, hospital staff etc who have been found guilty of misusing or inappropriately accessing police or medical records. This shit happens all the time. Also google LOVEINT for the NSA version.
3) Total power imbalance between ordinary citizens and the power elite: where dissent, protest and political opposition can be tracked, criminalised, undermined and smeared by an unaccountable power elite. People and structures who know everything about what you do and who you talk to – but you know nothing about what they do and who they talk to.
There is a fourth area of concern and that is economic espionage of entire industries or countries, but that’s a whole other ball game.
3) Total power imbalance between ordinary citizens and the power elite: where dissent, protest and political opposition can be tracked, criminalised, undermined and smeared by an unaccountable power elite. People and structures who know everything about what you do and who you talk to – but you know nothing about what they do and who they talk to.
So, that would be Google, Yahoo, MS etc etc
The problem isn’t the state having this data – it’s the private companies that will have access to it. And they will have access to it, that’s what the ongoing privatisation is all about.
The problem isn’t the state having this data – it’s the private companies that will have access to it.
I disagree about your diagnosis of ‘where the problem is’. The state is part of the main problem IMO.
Firstly in the US the form of government is a corporatocracy – i.e. there is no longer any clear dividing line between private corporations and “the state.”
Secondly – corporations (cannot yet) declare you persona non grata and have you held in indefinite detention, without charge, at a military run black site in Nigeria, or summarily executed by drone without trial. The state can.
Thirdly – history tells us that whenever ‘the state’ builds a massive, highly secretive security and surveillance programme, it will eventually end up using those tools against its own people.
Firstly in the US the form of government is a corporatocracy – i.e. there is no longer any clear dividing line between private corporations and “the state.”
Same as here really.
Secondly – corporations (cannot yet) declare you persona non grata and have you held in indefinite detention, without charge, at a military run black site in Nigeria, or summarily executed by drone without trial. The state can.
Under a plutocracy/oligarchy the state will do what it’s told.
Thirdly – history tells us that whenever ‘the state’ builds a massive, highly secretive security and surveillance programme, it will eventually end up using those tools against its own people.
Then don’t make it highly secretive.
To be honest, I’m in two minds about it. I don’t like the state monitoring people personal lives but I can see the advantages with statistics and crime. And we need those statistics with the crime bit being an added benefit. As far as I’m concerned no one should be able to live monitor those cameras unless there’s an emergency or a crime to solve.
CV, corporations have no problem getting people summarily executed in the 3rd world. They don’t let their lack of drones stop them when someone protests about oil extraction polluting rivers in the Amazon, or people protesting the activities of agroindustry. It’s often when they can’t do their own dirty work, for whatever reason, that they call in the state.
Oh of course. I’m not saying that corporates are the good guys here. Just look at the activities of the East India Company (which were fully sanctioned by the government of the British Empire).
The difference is that we are now in an age where the cruel tactics of colonial/feudal empire which were applied to and perfected in third world nations are now being brought home to the centre of western developed countries. The breaking up of the Occupy movement in the US by the government using electronic surveillance, drone recon, specialist infiltration and teams of black clad body armoured men carrying long barreled assault weapons transported by armoured vehicles. It doesn’t look any different from what they would use in Fallujah, and the orders were given by the same US politicians who greenlit operations in Fallujah.
Only this time it was applied to Oakland, Ca. against American kids.
Of course this is nothing new. The tyranny that the power elite of the ancient Greeks brought upon their subjugated foreign territories, they eventually also brought back home unto their own.
The problem isn’t the state having this data – it’s the private companies that will have access to it. And they will have access to it, that’s what the ongoing privatisation is all about.
A nurse who worked at a DHB became aware that her ex-husband had a new woman in his life. The nurse then went on to look up that woman’s electronic medical records 44 times in 38 days. The nurse went on to use some of the information she had gained.
Public employee, public sector, state funded, not a corporate.
So, what’s the percentage of misuse and what processes are in place to prevent such misuse?
You really can’t say ZOMG, this one thing happened and thus it’s all bad. Which you seem to do every time someone mentions using a computer.
All the systems we use have an element of risk. The question is whether any one system provides more benefits than risk. As far as medical records go I’d rather have them on a central government database than not because of the benefits that it provides.
There are literally dozens of known/prosecuted cases over the last 10 years in NZ, and the number of unknown/unpursued cases will be many times that.
Keep your blinders on if you like Draco, but at the end of the day I am not concerned with some jealous ex- looking up my or your details, I am very concerned in the faith you are putting in a state security apparatus which is remaking itself into a panopticon able to follow and predict all our thoughts and our movements.
And this isn’t hyperbole. In Dunedin they installed computerised networked number plate reading cameras without consulting with the public. Where does that live information go? Who is it accessible by? What exists to prevent that information from being accessed and sent overseas?
And have you noticed google’s real time search function? The one which sends each keystroke you type over the internet and then predicts ahead of you completing your sentence what you are searching for? How do you know that google is not monitoring every single keystroke you type into your browser, not just when you use the search box?
And that’s like the tip of the tip of the iceberg, mate.
Then do some actual damn research on how the security state has treated people like Manning, Binney, Appelbaum, Keriakau and others, keeping in all the while mind that NZ is an integral part of the FVEYE partnership.
BTW the argument that ‘you’d rather it was the state rather than private corporations’ holding this information is fair enough but you know as well as me that “the state” uses private sector cloud providers like Amazon and private sector IT consultants all the time. Just like Edward Snowden worked for Booz Allen consultants.
There are literally dozens of known/prosecuted cases over the last 10 years in NZ, and the number of unknown/unpursued cases will be many times that.
Dozens out of how many millions of possibles? And the last part of your sentence is pure hyperbole.
In Dunedin they installed computerised networked number plate reading cameras without consulting with the public. Where does that live information go? Who is it accessible by? What exists to prevent that information from being accessed and sent overseas?
That’s still not a reason not to do it but it is a reason for more transparency from our public service.
BTW the argument that ‘you’d rather it was the state rather than private corporations’ holding this information is fair enough but you know as well as me that “the state” uses private sector cloud providers like Amazon and private sector IT consultants all the time.
Which means that it needs to be illegal for the state to use private consultants and providers and for a charge of treason to apply to anyone in government/public service who causes it to be done.
CV, this is the same Draco that didn’t thinking hacking/internet security breaches were really that much of a problem or very frequent despite 100’s of cases of such security breaches…at the tip of the iceberg
Well, I have somewhat less faith in the integrity of the design and implementation of these systems, also in how the power elite might use them to advantage themselves, and to disadvantage ordinary citizens.
And as you point out, its not like we are short of examples of where things have gone badly wrong.
Draco’s idea that ‘it’s only a really small % of transactions through the system which are the problem’ also ducks the core issue – that the entire system itself is weighted against ordinary citizens, for the interests of a very few people, and it was deliberately designed that way.
that the entire system itself is weighted against ordinary citizens, for the interests of a very few people, and it was deliberately designed that way.
very frequent despite 100′s of cases of such security breaches…at the tip of the iceberg
You didn’t provide hundreds of cases of internet security breaches. You presented hundreds of cases of security breaches most of which seemed to be physical breaches.
You speak as if the internet is not based on physical hardware, cables and interfaces which can be compromised just like the firmware and software parts of it can be.
Dozens out of how many millions of possibles? And the last part of your sentence is pure hyperbole.
Sorry mate – well known fact – the vast majority of “white collar” style computer crime/systems fraud is not reported. So not hyperbole at all, just fact.
As for all the other safeguards you mentioned – sure they might be effective – but no one is talking about implementing them.
Well then, you’ll be able to provide the research won’t you. And provide the percentages.
Hmmmm are you trying to be a dick about this now? Are you even trying to suggest that most computer crime is reported? Very well have it your way.
For cybercrime events, the difference between victimization and police-recorded crime can be many orders of magnitude. Online consumer credit card fraud victimization reported in population-based surveys, for example, may alone be more than 80 times greater than total police recorded
computer-related fraud and forgery in the same country.3 According to one populationbased
survey of almost 20,000 individual internet users in 24 countries, only 21 per cent of respondents who said that they had been a victim of any cybercrime act indicated that they had reported the act to the police.
The question is whether any one system provides more benefits than risk. As far as medical records go I’d rather have them on a central government database than not because of the benefits that it provides.
No, you also have to consider how that one system interacts with all the others.
There are good reasons to have patient records (including primary healthcare) on one database, because if I go up to Auckland and have an accident they’ll need to know what meds I’m on, what symptoms are chronic and what symptoms might have been caused by my misadventure. BUT
I’m also in mind of the audit the cops did of who accessed crime records, including active investigations. A number of sworn and nonsworn staff were done for accessing the casefiles of prominent cases when, e.g. the crime was in southland and the officer was way up north, or vice versa. Imagine that they were poorly paid DHB crunchers accessing your mental health records (for a hypothetical) after being bribed by your ex-to-be’s lawyer’s PI.
And will it make us more blasé about other data-matching? Big debates about the first street cameras, not much of a whimper about ANR/AFR.
So while work is progressing on a unified patient data system, the real work is not being done so much on database integration so much as nutting out who can access what and how it’s protected. And that’s a fuckload of work before coding keystroke one, not some magical hand-waving ‘oh, we can make it safe and secure’. Not in the real world.
I don’t think Draco has worked on any serious tech development projects before. It’s always very easy to under estimate the time, complexity and cost of implementing well designed systems with proper safe guards, even with all the will in the world. And I sense that the will is sorely lacking amongst the power elite who want these technologies as ‘force multipliers’ for their own interests.
Draco is very very idealistic / naieve when it comes to technology matters (remember when he tried to convince us that every single problem had been solve with e-voting?).
Gosman crime had fallen in most western countries becausr of new technology cctv DNA computers for quick accurate information sharing cell phone monitering and a rapidly aging population.
Venezuela is a developing country with a very young population and poor infrastructure.
Somalia anyone.
[lprent: I fail to see the relevance to this post. Moved to OpenMike ]
Venezuela is a middle income country which used to enjoy the highest living standards in Latin America. I’d suggest it is highly arrogant, bordering on racist, to claim the problems in Venezuela are because it is a developing nation.
perhaps the decades of us and cia undermining have assisted with high crime rates and economic issues. that venezuela is the fifth largest oil producing nation is probably just a coincidence
Why can’t you accept that the problems in Venezuela are mainly the result of the policies introduced by Venezuelans? Instead you create a conspiracy story about how shortages of basic foods and increased crime rate are caused by the ‘evil’ machinations of the CIA. They aren’t. The CIA doesn’t have that sort of ability. The sort of problems in places like Venezuela are the inevitable outcomes of adopting the sort of policy mix that they are following. In that sense it was an entirely predictable outcome.
The sort of problems in places like Venezuela are the inevitable outcomes of adopting the sort of policy mix that they are following. In that sense it was an entirely predictable outcome.
Of course it was entirely predictable, Venezuela had a toxic mix of – a government who wanted to advantage it’s own people instead of foreign corporates, and a US embassy.
And of course, the US has never actively worked to economically isolate and destabilise governments that it doesn’t like lol that’s never happened before
Whether or not the US has done that or not is largely irrelevant because the US generally can’t cause the sort of economic damage that a nation does to itself via the sort of dumb ass leftist policies followed by countries like Venezuela. All the US provides is an excuse for the economically illiterate rulers of said country to blame their own incompetence on.
Venezuela is a middle income country which used to enjoy the highest living standards in Latin America.
John Gunther wrote Inside Latin America in 1941 describing Venezuela fifteen years into an oil boom when Caracas had the highest cost of living in the world with food prices typically 10 or more times higher than in the US.
A country which boasted more than 50 revolutions in a century, an illiteracy rate of 90%, feudal social systems dominated by a landed class who refused to modernise.
A country where a majority of goods were imported and heavily taxed, a country where tariffs were imposed to support an almost non-existent agricultural sector which had all but collapsed following the departure of the poor to work in the oil-fields.
A country where despite huge oil revenues since the 1920’s there was no industrial base.
More money, give us more money. We want more money more more more more ….
Two stories. First, Ngai Tahu wanting to convert 7,000 ha of land immediately adjacent to the Hurunui River into irrigated intensive dairy. The river itself is already polluted to the extent of warnings re fishing and swimming. The new Regional Plan only five months old has nutrient levels already exceeded. The land itself is very bony and prone to leaching…. yet still Ngai Tahu persists.
Just like most all farmers, who over the years always cry “but we want to care for the land and leave it better than we have it now”, when the reality is that the environment today is worse than 20 years ago, and worse than 20 years before that, and 20 years before that. In other words, the farming sector has worsened the environment year after year after year after year… this is the measured fact.
Second story, another irrigation / dam proposal in Canterbury whereby in the event of dam failure following an earthquake or similar, at least three people are expected to die and countless homes and property destroyed. “Oh, don’t worry” say the proponents “the chances of that happening in Canterbury are very low”…… yes I know, unbelievable isn’t it…
@ vto…yes it is very disappointing from Ngai Tahu Corporation….surely with a bit of specialist advice from Lincoln College and nous and entrepreneurialship they can find another land use for this area and become ecological leaders eg grow medicinal herbs, seeds etc….from what i have heard growing seeds for the right international market is way more profitable than being involved in the dairy industry
Ngai Tahu really has to take its Mana and Kaitiaki of the land and rivers very seriously if it is not to betray/sully its Mana /reputation inherited from the ancestors …the Old Maori of the land who were conservationists and very spiritual ecologically minded
That’s right chooky. I’m sure the posts of mine sometimes read quite harsh – harsher than intended probably. However, this aint tiddlywinks, as Tana Umaga famously put it once… this is about people’s lives and the land on which we live. The land on which my children and their children will live and breathe.
It is intensely disappointing as Ngai Tahu are in the sweet spot to lead on these types of issues, in ways you suggest, rather than tag along on the dairy greed train. They also take a much longer view than most, which is good, so I don’t understand why they go down this sort of path. It most definitely diminishes them.
But you know – self-justification is a sight to behold ……..
Did you not like the point I was making MM? Did something about it cause you discomfort? Remember that feeling. It’s called cognitive dissonance. It’s a feeling which teaches much. Those who were once subjugated can sometimes learn very quickly to subjugate others.
fuck off – you made a snide comment and i replied in kind with a comment that probably made you shit your pants with cognitive dissonance. i don’t like the way the fishing is done and I would do anything to stop the disgusting practices – like not buying fish for instance – can you or vot say the same? Or are you joining in with his hate session – have you even been to the marae down there or heard the histories?
lol vto you have consistently shown animosity towards the iwi. I have even gone to the trouble to explain some basic concepts to you recently because you didn’t even slightly understand the concepts and what has happened to that effort – nothing, you ignored my genuine attempt to help you to continue on with your ignorance. You are a sad case.
“I have even gone to the trouble to explain some basic concepts to you recently because you didn’t even slightly understand the concepts and what has happened to that effort – nothing, you ignored my genuine attempt to help you to continue on with your ignorance.”
hardly useless as my sentences outline a wasted effort on my part – the knowledge given freely squandered by you in a orgy of extravagance – your shame is palatable.
More money, give us more money. We want more money more more more more ….
Two stories. First, Ngai Tahu wanting to convert 7,000 ha of land immediately adjacent to the Hurunui River into irrigated intensive dairy. The river itself is already polluted to the extent of warnings re fishing and swimming. The new Regional Plan only five months old has nutrient levels already exceeded. The land itself is very bony and prone to leaching…. yet still Ngai Tahu persists.
Just like most all farmers, who over the years always cry “but we want to care for the land and leave it better than we have it now”, when the reality is that the environment today is worse than 20 years ago, and worse than 20 years before that, and 20 years before that. In other words, the farming sector has worsened the environment year after year after year after year… this is the measured fact.
Second story, another irrigation / dam proposal in Canterbury whereby in the event of dam failure following an earthquake or similar, at least three people are expected to die and countless homes and property destroyed. “Oh, don’t worry” say the proponents “the chances of that happening in Canterbury are very low”…… yes I know, unbelievable isn’t it…
More money, give us more money. We want more money more more more more ….
Two stories. First, Ngai Tahu wanting to convert 7,000 ha of land immediately adjacent to the Hurunui River into irrigated intensive dairy. The river itself is already polluted to the extent of warnings re fishing and swimming. The new Regional Plan only five months old has nutrient levels already exceeded. The land itself is very bony and prone to leaching…. yet still Ngai Tahu persists.
Just like most all farmers, who over the years always cry “but we want to care for the land and leave it better than we have it now”, when the reality is that the environment today is worse than 20 years ago, and worse than 20 years before that, and 20 years before that. In other words, the farming sector has worsened the environment year after year after year after year… this is the measured fact.
Second story, another irrigation / dam proposal in Canterbury whereby in the event of dam failure following an earthquake or similar, at least three people are expected to die and countless homes and property destroyed. “Oh, don’t worry” say the proponents “the chances of that happening in Canterbury are very low”…… yes I know, unbelievable isn’t it…
These are where the farms that have polluted the environment are, not the new ones coming on now. So start your campaign with these ones – perhaps a boycott or name and shame campaign – get facebook going on it – a media release or two – go for it, I’d even support you if you stood tall for your principles.
Believe it or not I do put words into actions on various fronts from time to time. Such fronts have been somewhat limited recent years however due to unforeseen events ….
The FP of that site is one of the most depressing things I’ve seen in a while.
The Facts about Dairy Farming
There are about 11,400 dairy farms in New Zealand, including non-commercial smallholding farms.
There are about 11,800 dairy herds, totalling over 4.6 million cows.
Since the year 2000, the amount of land used for dairy farming has increased from 1,330,000 hectares to almost 1,640,000 hectares.
In 1990 the average herd size was 160 cows, today it is 393 cows.
The majority of herds are in the North Island (62.9%), with an average North Island herd size of 327 cows.
Generally the largest farms and herds are in the South Island, where there has been most growth in dairy farming in the past 10 years. South Canterbury has the largest average herd size of 779 cows.
Total milk production has increased from nearly 13 billion litres in 2000 to over 19.1 billion litres in 2012.
Ninety-five per cent of all milk produced is processed for export.
New Zealand’s largest dairy company, Fonterra, earns about 20% of the country’s total export income.
“Ngai Tahu really has to take its Mana and Kaitiaki of the land and rivers very seriously if it is not to betray/sully its Mana /reputation inherited from the ancestors…the Old Maori of the land who were conservationists and very spiritual ecologically minded”
That sort of statement makes me laugh – so much ignorance in so few words. Stick to dissing doctors chooky because if you jump on the vto bandwagon tears will flow.
“Personally I have no respect for these people and only animosity. Their attitude and actions are behaviour of the lowest human kind. Fuck them.”
Well vto, I do understand where your sentiments are coming from. Apart from the few and far between examples of responsible dairy farmers on Country Calendar over the years and that “Keeping it Pure” series, these short sighted greedy environmental and animal abusing “people” don’t inspire any respect in me either.
And thats not speaking as an uppity townie either – My grandparents were dairy farmers and I still have cousins dairying…….
Same. It may read harshly but when they do these things and they impact very directly on other people then its gloves off… after all they have their gloves off and going for it, stuff everyone else…. another example of it is Central Plains Water whereby they achieved “Requiring Authority” status. This allowed them to compulsorily take other peoples homes and property for the purposes of their private business. It is just gobsmacking.
.. life is a funny thing… it tends to go full circle. It will be interesting to see how this all comes back to bite this greed ………
Oh, yes, lets not forget Central Plains Water! Amy Adams, Minister for Destroying the Environment, seems to have gotten away with her self advancing part in the govt funded private scheme……….but you’re right vto, those chickens gonna come home to roost one day.
John Banks is in court today. The other corrupt and dodgy Nats one day will surely have to be held to account, or publicly and historically judged at least if not for their illegal dealings but for their moral and social failings.
Greed for money above all else is the white man’s sickness. And today that sickness has spread amongst very many different peoples of many different cultures.
People have to learn a very simple thing – corporate organisations can never approach the morality of individuals. And if corporate organisations begin to act in harmful and compromised ways, they must be defied even if they are the organisations that you nominally identify with. To me this is what you pointed to, and what MM refused to acknowledge even though I am sure he knows better.
Greed itself I think is common to all, but it shows itself in different forms. In the current white mans world money leads to power and this is the common aphrodisiac which drives it. Money itself quickly pales – it is the power that results from money that is the cause of the trouble.
You are right that it has spread, and you are right about the corporate of course. The corporate is a creature of legislated logic and nothing more. Of course the corporate has only been around a couple hundred years or so and I suspect it is beginning to reach its use-by date as all of its negative features become apparent – and dangerous to society. What we see with business in NZ is exactly this dilemma, be it finance companies, dairying, Pike River, the list is extensive …
Of course the corporate has only been around a couple hundred years or so
In fact, much longer than 100 years. The west has been in this game a long time. Example: the Dutch East India Company, formed in the 1600s to carry out colonial exploitation.
If you prefer a more local example – the New Zealand Company, formed for the exploitation of these newly discovered lands almost 180 years ago.
Most people i know already know what you have explained, including me.
I have explained in the past to vto regarding mana and how it applies here in regards to entities that represent iwi members – I’m not going to bother again. Every day you interact and support the corporations you denounce – why is that cv, why not stand on your principles eh?
Do you think it smart or clever, your rebuke about my use of trinkets, toys and services produced by foreign corporations?
You believe that it can form some kind of shield for Ngai Tahu’s massively profitable yet environmentally damaging corporate decision, by using a smear and implying that I am a hypocrite for raising the point?
No sir; yours is arguing from a position of moral weakness and merely describes how corporatised and commercialised our ordinary existance has become, and how Ngai Tahu Corporate have joined a long line of other entities and organisations who now seem far too comfortable with the use of environmental exploitation for economic profit.
Just as I stood against contracts for crappy trains from China; that commercial activity was the wrong thing for NZ to be involved with and harmful to our national heritage and long term interests, as is conversion of forestry land into even more dairy farms, extraction of even more precious and rare fresh water for feeding to cows, and further intensification of what has been reported to be an already well over-dairyed region.
But as you say, perhaps you are too fatigued to say anything more about the matter; and anyways, your peers would not like you criticising Ngai Tahu’s profitable commercial decisions in too robust a manner.
There are many corporates and many dairy farms – choosing one group (late to the game) and castigating them for their decisions whilst sitting there utilizing all of the products and services made and delivered by all of the corporations out there is hypocritical. Bringing up an unrelated matter (slave fishing) to make your point just shows that you are petty.
I didn’t say i was fatigued I think… but i can assure you some in the iwi organisation cannot stand my view and me and the outlets I express that view in. I stand for what i believe in. I would not create dairy farms, i would not dam or fuck the rivers, i would not sell land or anything else, I would focus on people and community and connection. And all of those things would be above profit and increased market share. But alas i am just one voice even though I refuse to be quiet – much to the irritation of everyone 🙂
“People have to learn a very simple thing – corporate organisations can never approach the morality of individuals. And if corporate organisations begin to act in harmful and compromised ways, they must be defied even if they are the organisations that you nominally identify with.”
I hope that the people opposing the Hurunui dairy farms are successful.
I find it interesting that the focus is on Ngāi Tahu (focussing on NTF would be more accurate), instead of Ecan. The common denominator in the wholesale pollution of NZ by industrial dairying is the regional councils, bodies elected by the general public (yes, I’m aware of the issues with Ecan). How is it that the regional councils have stood by and let NZ become so polluted? How is it that we have allowed this shit to go on for so long? If you look at who are on the regional councils traditionally, and who bothers to vote in local body elections, it’s pretty clear that NZ wants to ‘protect the environment’ but is not really willing to do much to ensure that.
Yes NTF have culpability, and beyond that the iwi have responsibilities too. But we can’t take potshots at NT and pretend that we are any different when it comes down to it.
weka, I have railed against all parties including the regional councils.
You ask ” How is it that the regional councils have stood by and let NZ become so polluted?” Because they are controlled by farming interests. Simple. And this government has pushed more power into the regional councils for this very reason – it keeps the pesky greenies out of the picture.
Example – Westland Regional Council. Corrupt as all shit. So corrupt that some Councillors have even stood in the dock shoulder to shoulder in support of a farmer being prosecuted by their very Council for illegally altering the Taramakau River. How is that? True story. No regard for the separation of powers and governance issues. The links and corruption in Westland is mind-boggling. Check it out one day.
Then move onto Southland. Ecan of course. It is a simple and sad tale. The Regional Councils are controlled by farming interests. End of story.
It’s not the end of the story. We can take that further. Regional councils are publicly elected bodies. That means that we, the public, have responsibilities here, we are not passive victims with not power or control. When you say “Ngai Tahu should do x, y, z” you also have to say that the rest of NZ also has to do x, y, z. Pretty sure that most regional councils will be dominated by white men. Why is that?
corporate organisations can never approach the morality of individuals
Personally I’ve always figured that any organisation is only as morally good as the least moral individual in it. You can only go so far with fragmentation of authority and bureaucratic disconnection from outcome, but you need a real bastard somewhere to come up with ingenious ways to be evil.
While your comment rings true, we have to remember that it was ‘some ingenious evil bastard’ who dreamt up the idea, it was ordinary clerks, book keepers, schedulers and linesmen looking after their careers, collecting their wages, feeding their families, and turning a blind eye, who allowed the trains to Treblinka to keep running on time.
indeed – but they were necessary, not sufficient.
And while most would have known what was going on to greater or lesser degrees (or levels of self-denial), it never would have happened without a few folk at the top issuing the orders and planning logistics and the sheer practical obstacles to that level of slaughter.
The clerks could equally have been running an aid agency.
xox
I was driving past the Hurinui River and the pine plantations that in the area that are being cleared for dairy pollution. It’s a beautiful area and so is the hinterland of Canterbury that is about to be irrigated with dairy effluent. This is extremely experimental and risky to the health of the water and environment. So the Government sacked the democratic body responsible for the environment! Alarming.
Gosman you speak with forked tongue so when did Venezuela have the least inequality and highest living standards.
That was when Hugo Chavez took control from 2000 till 2008.
Then GFC stuffed that along with US trade sanctions on Oil equipment(US companies supply most of Worlds equipment).
Now Venezuelas oil infrastructure has been run down.
The US CIA would be happy to have another facist corrupt dictator in charge like pre 2000.
So Cia yesman trying to bully me with your racist rhetoric and half truths won,t win any argument!
What nonsense. There are a multitude of different countries Venezuela can get oil equipment from without having to deal with the US. Venezuela managed to ride out the worst effects of the GFC quite well as it was cushioned by huge reserves built up from high oil proces previously. The problems have arisen in the past three or so years and are to do with the fact the Government is pursuing typical hard left economic policies and frightening off investment.
They’re not too broke at all. They’re just looking at things the wrong way. They have the resources, now they need to find a way to move those resources. The same applies to every country.
Foreign money will no more move those resources as local money.
No they didn’t as they didn’t follow the polices that I advocate. If they did, most of the rulers, military officers and bankers would be in jail for corruption and/or treason.
Today, the trial of John Banks started in No 6 Court at Auckland High Court. Going to be interesting ….
RNZ National reported on the 10am news that someone threw a bucket of dirt over Banks as he was going into court. This has delayed the start scheduled for 10am.
stuff considers dotcoms wife coming off companies as a director four days before publically announcing seperation is news equal to someone throwing mud at banks but behind any story that banks was due in court today,
not trying to be a conspiracy boffin just think its odd prioritising
Well whatever happens with Dotcom next, they’ve managed to fuck up his life now and break his marriage up. This is a typical approach for the security and surveillance state. Even if you were to win in court in the end, you’ll still lose.
‘Houston…We have a problem!…Nobody is buying brand new cars anymore! Well they are, but not on the scale they once were. Millions of brand new unsold cars are just sitting redundant on runways and car parks around the world. There, they stay, slowly deteriorating without being maintained.
There photos of huge car parks full of unsold cars.
Mmm. I will never be able to buy a car new. Have different priorities really but what a terrible waste of resources, and they cannot give the cars away to the needy because that would make a bad situation worse.
Wayne
How come Abbott govt has increased top tax rate to 47%.To pay a much smaller govt debt than NZ.
Which scadinavian country has a top tax rate of 60%.
You have been born with a silver spoon in your mouth and don’t care about anyone but the already well off.
Party political broadcast no original though or research just another boring yesman.
Who is trying to undermine the rights of the poor.
Whenever inequality in economies grows those economies become more unstable ie 1920 to 1929.
Lead to a long recession followed by the great depression.
The US will fall over sooner than later with the huge money in US politics the Republicans will most likely regain control of the senate and the nasty policies of austerity will be even harsher bringing the US economy to its knees.
Those nations that underwent austerity (Not the US that’s for sure) have generally come through much better than the nations that attemopted to spend their way out. Witness the difference between France and the Baltic nations.
France has not undergone austerity. In fact the French have been very vocal in opposing any attempts to introduce these sorts of policies across the Eurozone.
Gosman are you refering to Germany printing billions of €.
Germany bailing its own industry out plus most of Europe.
Gos you have no evidence.
Just more half truths.
As for Oil equipment you are full of it.
The US has most of the technology no other country has adequate oil equipment.
Countries like Russia Iran and venezuela have all had to reduce production because of US sanctions on vital equipment only manufactured in the US.
Stick that in your Oil pipe and smoke it CIA yesman.
You’re having a laugh. If the US had some sort of monoply on supplies of oil equipment then Russia wouldn’t even contemplate annexing territories from countries surrounding it.
Gos can you tell me how long food stamps ie welfare US style have been cut for longterm beneficeries ie for those on food stamps unemployment insurance for more! than 2 years
[lprent: You are banned from leaving further comments on my post. If you want to stray way off topic then do so in OpenMike. Trickledown is getting the same warning and a educational site ban for a week for drifting it. ]
Wayne.
National is and has played hard and fast with research and development.
Doing a lot of damage.
Removing grants closing down wool research letting top woolresearch scientists go to South Africa.
Damaging Invermays world leading genetics research.
Chopping and changing funding when research needs to be ongoing and steady to achieve results.
One such funding debacle happened when a certain world class researcher damned the govts lack of action on child poverty he had his research funding withdrawn.
National have barely made research grants back to the levels Michael Cullen had funded.
Wayne if you haf any independent though you would be highly critical of Nationals shambolic politicized damage it has done to Research.
[lprent: Off topic – moved to Open Mike. You are banned for a week for doing a diversion way off topic on my post. ]
lprent: I can understand you wanting to ban trickledown for not following the thread on your post, but banning from all posts seems extraordinary. I can think of many who should be banned for spreading misinformation, but aren’t. Might I suggest a longer ban on your posts, but not banned from “The Standard” altogether.
Let it be known I’d be happy to share a production credit with him, but unlike Lorde, the song writing plaudits would have to be all my own. As an ‘artist’, personal pride would mean it couldn’t be any other way.
A media statement from Maori television says that Julian Wilcox will not be seeking the nomination for the Tamaki-Makaurau seat in the September election,
The seat has i would suggest now become a lot more marginal and could be won by any of Labour/Mana/Greens/Maori Party candidates…
Roy referred to empathy on the Inequality lectures thread and gave a link about it which I question as to effectiveness. I thought I had better put my comment here.
Roy 6.7.1.2.1
19 May 2014 at 3:18 pm Empathy, like most things, is both genotype (nature) and environment (nurture). Clean_power drew the short straw on one or both. http://sites.bu.edu/ombs/2010/07/24/all-about-empathy/
The research seems open to interpretation. There is another well known study where people were put in charge of a learning program to encourage people to think and give correct answers on a subject. The idea was that they were to receive a slight electric shock that would encourage better results but eventually punish those who consistently failed. There were noises of distress when the buttons were pushed which became louder as the intensity of the shock rose.
People were willing to continue even when getting to a strong shock. They had supervisors whose task was to browbeat them to continue. I don’t know why they couldn’t walk away from the test, whether they were being paid, or it was implied that they would be failures themselves, and no-one else was leaving.
Empathy didn’t win here. And some sort of mind control or group think kept the testers at their post. I don’t believe that empathy is something people are born with. Babies have to be communicated with at a level that suits their brains and abilities to gradually learn. And parents have to constantly remember their child is very young and helpless to recover from impatience, frustration and anger when the child won’t let the parent sleep, can’t keep food down and so on. It has to be worked at and the horrific cases of abuse are times when empathy has not been present.
Note that electric shock research was done in a highly artificial environment. And you could argue that is exactly what the neolibs and neocons have deliberately done to us – fabricated for us an extremely artificial environment, one which minimises our natural sense of empathy, co-operation and community while augmenting peoples inner drives for selfishness and greed.
I just heard an Oz reporter say that Abbott had been very courageous in putting this hard budget forward where he raises tax after vowing he wuldn’t do so, and apparently he is saying it is necessary for the good of the economy.
Julia Gillard no doubt said the same thing when she tried to bring in the enviromental tax. But the media weren’t understanding about her need to front up to do that. Perhaps it suits the media bosses to go along with Abbott’s measures that apparently have cut into much needed welfare just as the economy goes down.
So Oz suckers, you haven’t learned anything about our economies by watching what we have suffered and getting prepared for down times yourselves. Probably thought you were ever the lucky country. Now you have kicked out Labour and got Monkman in. He’ll have the poor on fasting weekends praying for respite every hour at his religious retreats.
I just read an interesting report in the Indian press.
Criminal cases in high places: Every third newly elected MP has criminal background
New Delhi, May 18, 2014, (IANS):
Every third of the newly elected member of the Lok Sabha has a criminal background, an analysis of the disclosures they have made in their affidavits has shown.
An analysis of 541 of the 543 winning candidates by National Election Watch (NEW) and Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) shows that 186 or 34 percent newly elected MPs have in their election affidavits disclosed criminal cases against themselves.
In 2009, 30 percent of the Lok Sabha members had criminal cases. This has now gone up by four percent.
According to the analysis, a candidate with criminal cases had 13 percent chance of winning in the 2014 Lok Sabha election whereas it was five percent for an aspirant with a clean record.
Of the 186 new members, 112 (21 percent) have declared serious criminal cases, including those related to murder, attempt to murder, causing communal disharmony, kidnapping, crimes against women etc.
Party wise, the largest numbers 98 or 35 percent of the 281 winners from the BJP have in their affidavits declared criminal cases against themselves.
Eight (18 percent) of the 44 winners from the Congress, six (16 percent) of the 37 winners from the AIADMK, 15 (83 percent) of the 18 winners from the Shiv Sena, and seven (21 percent) of the 34 winners fielded by Trinamool Congress also have disclosed criminal cases against themselves.
Fancy putting money ahead of the land we live on, the air we breathe and the water we drink – bloody fools…
This governments approach to the environment is one of its very worst aspects. Witness what they encourage in Canterbury re dairy and shit. I can’t believe it.
And they actually stole it – they had to get the jackboots out and physically have people removed from the Environment Canterbury building to enable their own commissars enter and make laws to suit the dairy farmers. It is like something out of Putins Russia, or Ukraine.
And good news that Ngāi Tahu have pulled out of the Ruataniwha project. There was imo no good reason and plenty of very bad reasons to be involved in that. Thank the Gods that sense has prevailed and i’m not even worried about the manifestation of that sense, just pleased it arrived.
The Hawke’s Bay’s Ruataniwha Water Storage Scheme has been dealt another blow after the South Island’s Ngai Tahu followed Trustpower in withdrawing from the irrigation project.
Yes it is good. Have you been following it? Do you know the reason they pulled the pin? It is written in the linked article and goes to the discussion points up-thread.
“Ngai Tahu have been looking for a partner with infrastructure expertise as well as an entity already operating in the South Island,” said council chief executive Andrew Newman.
“Trustpower brought both of those qualities to the table and Ngai Tahu were depending on an investor partner to meet those needs.”
personally i’d prefer better reasons but there you go.
Not sure how that relates to your comments upthread.
It was simply not going to make enough money .. ” it didn’t meet its risk and return framework.”
If only the Central Plains Water people would do the same thing but in that case they have got money from ratepayers and taxpayers so, you know, it doesn’t matter …. They have also;
stolen the water from the people,
forcibly acquired other people’s homes as a “Requiring Authority”,
had this government trample on national parks (Rakaia Water Conservation Orders),
Got elderly ratepayers to loan them money for feasibility studies and initial funding,
Had power companies sold so this government can give them the rest of the money.
Removed democracy from the people of Canterbury
If the CPW was so good as an investment then why can’t the farmers raise the money themselves? Why do they have to get elderly ratepayers to do it? It isn’t even that much – about $400million (put into context, there are countless private projects in Chch rebuild which are $50-200million – it aint that much).
What it is is greed again. Greed greed greed. These farmers which are receiving all of the above public largesse are going to see their farms double triple quadruple in value as a result.
The scale of the dupe is mind-boggling.
And don’t ever try pointing any of this out to the farmers, oh no … harrumph, snort, storm off …. we should all be grateful, we should ….
especially the elderly ratepayers who are funding them (and having their drinking water supplies sullied with cow shit as the icing on the cake …. ).
Which reminded me of a thought I had when the whingers in the Old Auckland City were crying about the council no longer mowing their front lawns. Mowing the verge is part of your civic duty because it’s far cheaper for you to do it than the council. I had a quiet chuckle imagining how much they would be screaming if the expanded ACC had started mowing everyone’s front lawns and the rates had jumped by $1000 per year to cover it.
Sprawl, it’s damned expensive but so is being an individualistic society.
Cisco sells routers, which aside from storage has got to be the least sexy business in tech. To make them more appealing, and to sell them to new markets before Chinese competitors disrupt Cisco’s existing revenue streams, Cisco wants to turn its routers into hubs for gathering data and making decisions about what to do with it. In Cisco’s vision, its smart routers will never talk to the cloud unless they have to—say, to alert operators to an emergency on a sensor-laden rail car on which one of these routers acts as the nerve center.
Looking at the headlines this morning it’s hard to feel anything other than pessimistic about the future of humanity.Note that I’m not speaking about the future of mankind, but the survival of our humanity. The values that we believe in seem to be ebbing away, by the day.Perhaps every generation ...
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 ...
What is it with the mining industry? Its not enough for them to pillage the earth - they apparently can't even be bothered getting resource consent to do so: The proponent behind a major mine near the Clutha River had already been undertaking activity in the area without a ...
Photo # 1 I am a huge fan of Singapore’s approach to housing, as described here two years ago by copying and pasting from The ConversationWhat Singapore has that Australia does not is a public housing developer, the Housing Development Board, which puts new dwellings on public and reclaimed land, ...
Buzz from the Beehive Reactions to news of the government’s readiness to make urgent changes to “the resource management system” through a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) suggest a balanced approach is being taken. The Taxpayers’ Union says the proposed changes don’t go far enough. Greenpeace says ...
I’m starting to wonder if Anna Burns-Francis might be the best political interviewer we’ve got. That might sound unlikely to you, it came as a bit of a surprise to me.Jack Tame can be excellent, but has some pretty average days. I like Rebecca Wright on Newshub, she asks good ...
Chris Trotter writes – Willie Jackson is said to be planning a “media summit” to discuss “the state of the media and how to protect Fourth Estate Journalism”. Not only does the Editor of The Daily Blog, Martyn Bradbury, think this is a good idea, but he has also ...
Graeme Edgeler writes – This morning [April 21], the Wellington High Court is hearing a judicial review brought by Hon. Karen Chhour, the Minister for Children, against a decision of the Waitangi Tribunal. This is unusual, judicial reviews are much more likely to brought against ministers, rather than ...
Both of Parliament’s watchdogs have now ripped into the Government’s Fast-track Approvals Bill. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s political economy and beyond on the morning of Tuesday, April 23 are:The Lead: The Auditor General,John Ryan, has joined the ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Sarah SpengemanPeople wait to board an electric bus in Pune, India. (Image credit: courtesy of ITDP) Public transportation riders in Pune, India, love the city’s new electric buses so much they will actually skip an older diesel bus that ...
The infrastructure industry yesterday issued a “hurry up” message to the Government, telling it to get cracking on developing a pipeline of infrastructure projects.The hiatus around the change of Government has seen some major projects cancelled and others delayed, and there is uncertainty about what will happen with the new ...
Hi,Over the weekend I revisited a podcast I really adore, Dead Eyes. It’s about a guy who got fired from Band of Brothers over two decades ago because Tom Hanks said he had “dead eyes”.If you don’t recall — 2001’s Band of Brothers was part of the emerging trend of ...
Buzz from the Beehive The 180 or so recipients of letters from the Government telling them how to submit infrastructure projects for “fast track” consideration includes some whose project applications previously have been rejected by the courts. News media were quick to feature these in their reports after RMA Reform Minister Chris ...
It would not be a desirable way to start your holiday by breaking your back, your head, or your wrist, but on our first hour in Singapore I gave it a try.We were chatting, last week, before we started a meeting of Hazel’s Enviro Trust, about the things that can ...
Calling all journalists, academics, planners, lawyers, political activists, environmentalists, and other members of the public who believe that the relationships between vested interests and politicians need to be scrutinised. We need to work together to make sure that the new Fast-Track Approvals Bill – currently being pushed through by the ...
Feel worried. Shane Jones and a couple of his Cabinet colleagues are about to be granted the power to override any and all objections to projects like dams, mines, roads etc even if: said projects will harm biodiversity, increase global warming and cause other environmental harms, and even if ...
Bryce Edwards writes- The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. ...
Michael Bassett writes – If you think there is a move afoot by the radical Maori fringe of New Zealand society to create a parallel system of government to the one that we elect at our triennial elections, you aren’t wrong. Over the last few days we have ...
Without a corresponding drop in interest rates, it’s doubtful any changes to the CCCFA will unleash a massive rush of home buyers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: The six things that stood out to me in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate on Monday, April 22 included:The Government making a ...
Sunday was a lazy day. I started watching Jack Tame on Q&A, the interviews are usually good for something to write about. Saying the things that the politicians won’t, but are quite possibly thinking. Things that are true and need to be extracted from between the lines.As you might know ...
In our Weekly Roundup last week we covered news from Auckland Transport that the WX1 Western Express is going to get an upgrade next year with double decker electric buses. As part of the announcement, AT also said “Since we introduced the WX1 Western Express last November we have seen ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 29 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Stats NZ releases its statutory report on Census 2023 tomorrow.Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivers a pre-Budget speech at ...
A listing of 29 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 14, 2024 thru Sat, April 20, 2024. Story of the week Our story of the week hinges on these words from the abstract of a fresh academic ...
The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. The Government says this will ...
This is a column to say thank you. So many of have been in touch since Mum died to say so many kind and thoughtful things. You’re wonderful, all of you. You’ve asked how we’re doing, how Dad’s doing. A little more realisation each day, of the irretrievable finality of ...
Identifying the engine type in your car is crucial for various reasons, including maintenance, repairs, and performance upgrades. Knowing the specific engine model allows you to access detailed technical information, locate compatible parts, and make informed decisions about modifications. This comprehensive guide will provide you with a step-by-step approach to ...
Introduction: The allure of racing is undeniable. The thrill of speed, the roar of engines, and the exhilaration of competition all contribute to the allure of this adrenaline-driven sport. For those who yearn to experience the pinnacle of racing, becoming a race car driver is the ultimate dream. However, the ...
Introduction Automobiles have become ubiquitous in modern society, serving as a primary mode of transportation and a symbol of economic growth and personal mobility. With countless vehicles traversing roads and highways worldwide, it begs the question: how many cars are there in the world? Determining the precise number is a ...
Maintaining a safe and reliable vehicle requires regular inspections. Whether it’s a routine maintenance checkup or a safety inspection, knowing how long the process will take can help you plan your day accordingly. This article delves into the factors that influence the duration of a car inspection and provides an ...
Mazda Motor Corporation, commonly known as Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automaker headquartered in Fuchu, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The company was founded in 1920 as the Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd., and began producing vehicles in 1931. Mazda is primarily known for its production of passenger cars, but ...
Your car battery is an essential component that provides power to start your engine, operate your electrical systems, and store energy. Over time, batteries can weaken and lose their ability to hold a charge, which can lead to starting problems, power failures, and other issues. Replacing your battery before it ...
In most states, you cannot register a car without a valid driver’s license. However, there are a few exceptions to this rule. Exceptions to the RuleIf you are under 18 years old: In some states, you can register a car in your name even if you do not ...
Mazda, a Japanese automotive manufacturer with a rich history of innovation and engineering excellence, has emerged as a formidable player in the global car market. Known for its reputation of producing high-quality, fuel-efficient, and driver-oriented vehicles, Mazda has consistently garnered praise from industry experts and consumers alike. In this article, ...
Struts are an essential part of a car’s suspension system. They are responsible for supporting the weight of the car and damping the oscillations of the springs. Struts are typically made of steel or aluminum and are filled with hydraulic fluid. How Do Struts Work? Struts work by transferring the ...
Car registration is a mandatory process that all vehicle owners must complete annually. This process involves registering your car with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and paying an associated fee. The registration process ensures that your vehicle is properly licensed and insured, and helps law enforcement and other authorities ...
Zoom is a video conferencing service that allows you to share your screen, webcam, and audio with other participants. In addition to sharing your own audio, you can also share the audio from your computer with other participants. This can be useful for playing music, sharing presentations with audio, or ...
Building your own computer can be a rewarding and cost-effective way to get a high-performance machine tailored to your specific needs. However, it also requires careful planning and execution, and one of the most important factors to consider is the time it will take. The exact time it takes to ...
Sleep mode is a power-saving state that allows your computer to quickly resume operation without having to boot up from scratch. This can be useful if you need to step away from your computer for a short period of time but don’t want to shut it down completely. There are ...
Introduction Computer-Assisted Translation (CAT) has revolutionized the field of translation by harnessing the power of technology to assist human translators in their work. This innovative approach combines specialized software with human expertise to improve the efficiency, accuracy, and consistency of translations. In this comprehensive article, we will delve into the ...
In today’s digital age, mobile devices have become an indispensable part of our daily lives. Among the vast array of portable computing options available, iPads and tablet computers stand out as two prominent contenders. While both offer similar functionalities, there are subtle yet significant differences between these two devices. This ...
A computer is an electronic device that can be programmed to carry out a set of instructions. The basic components of a computer are the processor, memory, storage, input devices, and output devices. The Processor The processor, also known as the central processing unit (CPU), is the brain of the ...
Voice Memos is a convenient app on your iPhone that allows you to quickly record and store audio snippets. These recordings can be useful for a variety of purposes, such as taking notes, capturing ideas, or recording interviews. While you can listen to your voice memos on your iPhone, you ...
Laptop screens are essential for interacting with our devices and accessing information. However, when lines appear on the screen, it can be frustrating and disrupt productivity. Understanding the underlying causes of these lines is crucial for finding effective solutions. Types of Screen Lines Horizontal lines: Also known as scan ...
Right-clicking is a common and essential computer operation that allows users to access additional options and settings. While most desktop computers have dedicated right-click buttons on their mice, laptops often do not have these buttons due to space limitations. This article will provide a comprehensive guide on how to right-click ...
Powering up and shutting down your ASUS laptop is an essential task for any laptop user. Locating the power button can sometimes be a hassle, especially if you’re new to ASUS laptops. This article will provide a comprehensive guide on where to find the power button on different ASUS laptop ...
Dell laptops are renowned for their reliability, performance, and versatility. Whether you’re a student, a professional, or just someone who needs a reliable computing device, a Dell laptop can meet your needs. However, if you’re new to Dell laptops, you may be wondering how to get started. In this comprehensive ...
Two-thirds of the country think that “New Zealand’s economy is rigged to advantage the rich and powerful”. They also believe that “New Zealand needs a strong leader to take the country back from the rich and powerful”. These are just two of a handful of stunning new survey results released ...
In today’s digital world, screenshots have become an indispensable tool for communication and documentation. Whether you need to capture an important email, preserve a website page, or share an error message, screenshots allow you to quickly and easily preserve digital information. If you’re an Asus laptop user, there are several ...
A factory reset restores your Gateway laptop to its original factory settings, erasing all data, apps, and personalizations. This can be necessary to resolve software issues, remove viruses, or prepare your laptop for sale or transfer. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to factory reset your Gateway laptop: Method 1: ...
“You talking about me?”The neoliberal denigration of the past was nowhere more unrelenting than in its depiction of the public service. The Post Office and the Railways were held up as being both irremediably inefficient and scandalously over-manned. Playwright Roger Hall’s “Glide Time” caricatures were presented as accurate depictions of ...
Roger Partridge writes – When the Coalition Government took office last October, it inherited a country on a precipice. With persistent inflation, decades of insipid productivity growth and crises in healthcare, education, housing and law and order, it is no exaggeration to suggest New Zealand’s first-world status was ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – In 2022, the Curriculum Centre at the Ministry of Education employed 308 staff, according to an Official Information Request. Earlier this week it was announced 202 of those staff were being cut. When you look up “The New Zealand Curriculum” on the Ministry of ...
Chris Bishop’s bill has stirred up a hornets nest of opposition. Photo: Lynn Grieveson for The KākāTL;DR: The six things that stood out to me in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate from the last day included:A crescendo of opposition to the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill is ...
Monday left me brokenTuesday, I was through with hopingWednesday, my empty arms were openThursday, waiting for love, waiting for loveThe end of another week that left many of us asking WTF? What on earth has NZ gotten itself into and how on earth could people have voluntarily signed up for ...
Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.State of humanity, 20242024, it feels, keeps presenting us with ever more challenges, ever more dismay.Do you give up yet? It seems to ask.No? How about this? Or this?How about this?Full story Share ...
Determining the hardest sport in the world is a subjective matter, as the difficulty level can vary depending on individual abilities, physical attributes, and experience. However, based on various factors including physical demands, technical skills, mental fortitude, and overall accomplishment, here is an exploration of some of the most challenging ...
The allure of sport transcends age, culture, and geographical boundaries. It captivates hearts, ignites passions, and provides unparalleled entertainment. Behind the spectacle, however, lies a fascinating world of financial investment and expenditure. Among the vast array of competitive pursuits, one question looms large: which sport carries the hefty title of ...
Introduction Pickleball, a rapidly growing paddle sport, has captured the hearts and imaginations of millions around the world. Its blend of tennis, badminton, and table tennis elements has made it a favorite among players of all ages and skill levels. As the sport’s popularity continues to surge, the question on ...
Abstract: Soccer, the global phenomenon captivating millions worldwide, has a rich history that spans centuries. Its origins trace back to ancient civilizations, but the modern version we know and love emerged through a complex interplay of cultural influences and innovations. This article delves into the fascinating journey of soccer’s evolution, ...
Tinting car windows offers numerous benefits, including enhanced privacy, reduced glare, UV protection, and a more stylish look for your vehicle. However, the cost of window tinting can vary significantly depending on several factors. This article provides a comprehensive guide to help you understand how much you can expect to ...
The pungent smell of gasoline in your car can be an alarming and potentially dangerous problem. Not only is the odor unpleasant, but it can also indicate a serious issue with your vehicle’s fuel system. In this article, we will explore the various reasons why your car may smell like ...
Tree sap can be a sticky, unsightly mess on your car’s exterior. It can be difficult to remove, but with the right techniques and products, you can restore your car to its former glory. Understanding Tree Sap Tree sap is a thick, viscous liquid produced by trees to seal wounds ...
The amount of paint needed to paint a car depends on a number of factors, including the size of the car, the number of coats you plan to apply, and the type of paint you are using. In general, you will need between 1 and 2 gallons of paint for ...
Jump-starting a car is a common task that can be performed even in adverse weather conditions like rain. However, safety precautions and proper techniques are crucial to avoid potential hazards. This comprehensive guide will provide detailed instructions on how to safely jump a car in the rain, ensuring both your ...
Graham Adams writes about the $55m media fund — When Patrick Gower was asked by Mike Hosking last week what he would say to the many Newstalk ZB callers who allege the Labour government bribed media with $55 million of taxpayers’ money via the Public Interest Journalism Fund — and ...
Note: this blog post has been put together over the course of the week I followed the happenings at the conference virtually. Should recordings of the Great Debates and possibly Union Symposia mentioned below, be released sometime after the conference ends, I'll include links to the ones I participated in. ...
The following was my submission made on the “Fast Track Approvals Bill”. This potential law will give three Ministers unchecked powers, un-paralled since the days of Robert Muldoon’s “Think Big” projects.The submission is written a bit tongue-in-cheek. But it’s irreverent because the FTAB is in itself not worthy of respect. ...
One Could Reduce Child Poverty At No Fiscal CostFollowing the Richardson/Shipley 1990 ‘redesign of the welfare state’ – which eliminated the universal Family Benefit and doubled the rate of child poverty – various income supplements for families have been added, the best known being ‘Working for Families’, introduced in 2005. ...
Buzz from the Beehive A few days ago, Point of Order suggested the media must be musing “on why Melissa is mute”. Our article reported that people working in the beleaguered media industry have cause to yearn for a minister as busy as Melissa Lee’s ministerial colleagues and we drew ...
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. ...
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. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
The Government’s newly announced review of methane emissions reduction targets hints at its desire to delay Aotearoa New Zealand’s urgent transition to a climate safe future, the Green Party said. ...
The Government must commit to the Maitai School building project for students with high and complex needs, to ensure disabled students from the top of the South Island have somewhere to learn. ...
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey and his Government colleagues have made a meal of their mental health commitments, showing how flimsy their efforts to champion the issue truly are, says Labour Mental Health spokesperson Ingrid Leary. ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector. "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today paid tribute to Singapore’s outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Meeting in Singapore today immediately before Prime Minister Lee announced he was stepping down, Prime Minister Luxon warmly acknowledged his counterpart’s almost twenty years as leader, and the enduring legacy he has left for Singapore and South East ...
How will the recent wave of job cuts impact ethnic diversity in the media? In November last year, I was working a very busy day in the newsroom of a large online news site, interviewing whānau about their concerns over the imminent closure of one of the few puna reo ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ruth Knight, Researcher, Queensland University of Technology Have you ever felt sick at work? Perhaps you had food poisoning or the flu. Your belly hurt, or you felt tired, making it hard to concentrate and be productive. How likely would you be ...
Despite heavy criticism and an ongoing select committee process, the Police Minister says the Government will forge ahead with a ban on gang patches. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sam Whiting, Lecturer – Creative Industries, University of South Australia Shutterstock Everyone has a favourite band, or a favourite composer, or a favourite song. There is some music which speaks to you, deeply; and other music which might be the current ...
A new survey says ‘outlook not great’ for those charged with building infrastructure, while RMA changes delight farmers and depress environmentalists, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. First RMA changes announced ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Olli Hellmann, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Waikato Getty Images When New Zealanders commemorate Anzac Day on April 25, it’s not only to honour the soldiers who lost their lives in World War I and subsequent conflicts, but also ...
A leaked document shows the Canterbury/Waitaha arm of health agency Te Whatu Ora is scurrying to save $13.3 million by July. The “financial sustainability target”, which was “allocated” to Waitaha, is consistent with what’s happening in other districts, says Sarah Dalton, executive director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists. ...
A look at the state of the previous government’s affordable housing scheme, and what could come next.Remind me: What’s KiwiBuild again?First announced in 2012, KiwiBuild was a flagship policy of the Labour Party heading into both its 2014 and 2017 election campaigns. With Jacinda Ardern as prime minister, ...
Labour in opposition will be shocked to learn which party had six years in power but squandered any chance to make real change. Grant Robertson’s valedictory speech was a predictably entertaining trip down memory lane. The acid-tongued incoming Otago University chancellor administered a sick burn to the coalition government. He ...
The following interview with former Green Party MP Sue Kedgley came about because she features in the new memoir Hine Toa by activist Ngāhuia te Awekōtuku; the two knew each other at the University of Auckland in the early 70s, when they were both took on leadership roles in the ...
Taiwan’s semiconductor industry is seen some as its ‘silicon shield’ against invasion – but how will overseas expansion affect that protection? The post The state of Taiwan’s silicon shield appeared first on Newsroom. ...
There’s relief for building owners bending under the weight of earthquake strengthening rules – and costs – that came into force seven years ago. Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk has announced a scheduled 2027 review of the earthquake-prone building regulations will now start this year. Owners will also get ...
Opinion: It has been announced that nine percent of roles at Oranga Tamariki will be disestablished, presumably to help fund the tax cuts promised by the coalition Government. I am reminded of the graphics used to illustrate pandemic events, where five thousand people are standing in a field and then ...
After more than two sleepless days, running through savage terrain, Greig Hamilton didn’t know if he was going to finish one of the most gruelling psychological assaults in sport. He was metres away from the finish line, a yellow gate made famous in a Netflix documentary; a race he’d dreamed ...
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COMMENTARY:By Murray Horton New Zealand needs to get tough with Israel. It’s not as if we haven’t done so before. When NZ authorities busted a Mossad operation in Auckland 20 years ago, the government didn’t say: “Oh well, Israel has the right to defend itself.” No, it arrested, prosecuted, ...
NEWSMAKERS:By Vijay Narayan, news director of FijiVillage Blessed to be part of the University of Fiji (UniFiji) faculty to continue to teach and mentor those who want to join our noble profession, and to stand for truth and justice for the people of the country. I was privileged to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Three weeks from now, some of us will be presented with a mountain of budget papers, and just about all of us will get to hear about them on radio, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dan Lowry, Ice Sheet & Climate Modeller, GNS Science Hugh Chittock/Antarctica New Zealand, CC BY-SA As the climate warms and Antarctica’s glaciers and ice sheets melt, the resulting rise in sea level has the potential to displace hundreds of millions of ...
The government's plan to reintroduce a three strikes regime is being strongly opposed by lawyers, who argue there is no evidence it reduces crime or helps people rehabilitate. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dan Jerker B. Svantesson, Professor specialising in Internet law, Bond University Do Australian courts have the right to decide what foreign citizens, located overseas, view online on a foreign-owned platform? Anyone inclined to answer “yes” to this question should perhaps also ask ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Giovanni E Ferreira, NHMRC Emerging Leader Research Fellow, Institute of Musculoskeletal Health, University of Sydney Last week in a post on X, owner of the platform Elon Musk recommended people look into disc replacement if they’re experiencing severe neck or back pain. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Hayward, Emeritus Professor of Public Policy, RMIT University anek.soowannaphoom/Shutterstock NSW Treasurer Daniel Mookhey caught the headlines yesterday, courtesy of a blistering speech condemning the latest GST carve-up. New South Wales, he claimed, would be A$11.9 billion worse off over the ...
While police are "broadly in favour", the government's proposed anti-gang laws are facing pushback from lawyers, rights groups and former gang members. ...
While police are "broadly in favour", the government's proposed anti-gang laws are facing pushback from lawyers, rights groups and former gang members. ...
By Miriam Zarriga in Port Moresby Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has arrived at Kokoda Station, Northern province, at the start of his state visit to Papua New Guinea. Both Albanese and Prime Minister James Marape will meet with the locals and the Northern Provincial government before they begin their ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Chris Wallace, Professor, School of Politics Economics & Society, Faculty of Business Government & Law, University of Canberra Shutterstock An important principle was invoked by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese last week in defence of the government’s Future Made in Australia industry ...
By Patrick Decloitre, RNZ Pacific correspondent French Pacific desk Security forces reinforcements were sent from France ahead of two rival marches in the capital Nouméa today, at the same time and only two streets away one from the other. One march, called by Union Calédonienne party (a component of the ...
A poll last August found that just 16% of New Zealanders oppose bringing back the ‘Three Strikes’ law. The nationwide poll of 1,000 New Zealanders was commissioned by Family First NZ and carried out by Curia Market Research. ...
The solo show from Ana Scotney is both sprawling and intimate, and a must-see, writes Mad Chapman. In the opening moments of Scattergun: After the Death of Rūaumoko, writer and performer Ana Scotney lays out the groundwork, literally. Silently moving around the square stage, Scotney is not so much dancing ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Burridge, Professor of Linguistics, Monash University Who makes the words? Why are trees called trees and why are shoes called shoes and who makes the names? – Elliot, age 5, Eltham, Victoria Good question Elliot! Let’s start with ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Duckett, Honorary Enterprise Professor, School of Population and Global Health, and Department of General Practice and Primary Care, The University of Melbourne at amRawpixel.com/Shutterstock Roles of health professionals are still unfortunately often stuck in the past. That is, before the ...
COMMENTARY:By Malcolm Evans Last week’s leaked New York Times staff directive, as to what words can and cannot be used to describe the carnage Israel is raining on Palestinians, is proof positive, since those reports are published verbatim here in New Zealand, that our understanding of the conflict is ...
In the case of New Zealand, the results confirm that there is no popular support for the vicious austerity program being imposed by the National Party-led government, which is backed in all fundamental respects by the opposition Labour Party. ...
The ‘Vampire’ singer has never visited our part of the world, but that might all be about to change. We assess the evidence.Olivia Rodrigo’s Guts World Tour is pulling in massive crowds as it whips around the US and Europe, even helping to catapult regular supporting act Chappell Roan ...
Testing of drinking water in rural Canterbury over the weekend by Greenpeace revealed that several public town supplies were reaching levels of nitrate above 5 mg/L - the threshold which a growing body of scientific evidence has linked to increased ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rohan Fisher, Information Technology for Development Researcher, Charles Darwin University It may come as a surprise to hear 2023 was Australia’s biggest bushfire season in more than a decade. Fires burned across an area eight times as big as the 2019–20 Black ...
Responding to the Government’s announcement of changes to resource management laws, Taxpayers’ Union Executive Director, Jordan Williams, said: “These changes are a step in the right direction in terms of removing ideological and unworkable ...
More than two years after the Human Rights Council called for the establishment of a national human rights commission, such a body has yet to be formed. ...
Comment:An emergency management system with wide variations in performance, significant capability gaps, funding shortfalls and above all a setup that is not meeting the needs of New Zealanders at times of crisis. The Government’s inquiry into the response to Cyclone Gabrielle and other severe weather events in the North ...
Welcome to the whirring wonders of one brain trying to align its actions with its beliefs within a system it thinks is evil. My brain has been spiralling in a woke conundrum ever since I found out a bookshop I’ve never been to was shutting down. Good Books, a bookshop ...
We repeat our call for criminal justice policy to be based on evidence, something the three strikes regime neglects to recognise – with no evidence that it either reduces crime or assists with rehabilitation. ...
By Koroi Hawkins, RNZ Pacific editor in Honiara With only four more seats in the 50-member Parliament yet to be officially declared, there is no outright winner in the Solomon Islands elections. As of Monday, the two largest blocs in the winner’s circle, independents and the incumbent Prime Minister Manasseh ...
Two/fiftyseven is a multi-purpose space hidden in the heart of Wellington that is paving a way for sustainable building and responsible landlording in Aotearoa and beyond.By 2060 the world is predicted to double its entire building stock, which equates to building an entire New York City every 34 days, ...
Popstars wasn’t just a reality television revolution, it was also a huge moment for Y2K fashion.It’s 25 years since girl group TrueBliss was formed on New Zealand national television, breaking new ground for both the reality television industry and the shiny clothing industry. With the first episode on NZ ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christopher Pepping, Associate Professor in Clinical Psychology, Griffith University Marvin / Shutterstock Are all single people insecure? When we think about people who have been single for a long time, we may assume it’s because single people have insecurities that make ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By William Geary, Lecturer in Quantitative Ecology & Biodiversity Conservation, The University of Melbourne Trismegist san, Shutterstock Landscapes that have escaped fire for decades or centuries tend to harbour vital structures for wildlife, such as tree hollows and large logs. But these ...
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Matthew Crocker, PhD Student in Economics, Deakin University Here’s something for the board of the Reserve Bank of Australia to ponder as it meets next month to set interest rates. It has pushed up rates on 13 occasions since it began its ...
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a charity director outlines how she’s saving for retirement and buying secondhand. Want to be part of The Cost of Being? Fill out the questionnaire here.Gender: Female Age: 45 Ethnicity: Pākehā Role: Charity director, mum of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sophie Yates, Research Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Many Australians with disability feel on the edge of a precipice right now. Recommendations from the disability royal commission and the NDIS review were released late last year. Now a ...
It’s been called a failed experiment and a judicial straightjacket but the government says the revised three strikes law will be a more workable regime, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. Three ...
New Zealand’s Palestinian community and Palestinian Youth Aotearoa are voicing alarm and disappointment with the lack of factual rigour present during the Israeli Ambassador’s appearance as a guest on TVNZ’s Q+A With Jack Tame Sunday (21/04). ...
Both ACT leader David Seymour, who played a key role in drawing up the assisted dying law, and hospice leaders say it's time the legislation was changed. ...
Public submissions on proposed gang control laws are being heard today. Rising gang membership has been cited as rationale for a crackdown – but what do we actually know about how many people belong to gangs in New Zealand?What’s all this then?A rise in the number of gang ...
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The following korero between Ngāhuia te Awekōtuku, author of the newly published memoir Hine Toa, one of the year’s most important books, and Dale Husband from e-tangata, was first published in October. It traverses her involvement with the activist group Ngā Tamatoa at Auckland University in the early 1970s, her ...
In the 16 years since it was bought by the government for $690 million, KiwiRail has had several overhauls and turnaround plans worth billions of dollars. Its ambitions as a successful, profitable operator of tourism, freight and ferries have often been derailed by disasters from earthquakes to cyclones, mine explosions ...
Housing, the social type, have the Loonies truly taken over the asylum in this particular area of social policy,(this just couldn’t be so, we only have to look at Housing Minister Nick Smith’s actions in a previous guise when He was made deputy leader of the National Party under Doctor Dullard Don Brash to see that this man of action knows what He wants and how to get it, even if that means barking orders at all and sundry including opposition MP’s resulting in Him being removed from the position),
Housing tho, the social type, having announced the National Governments abdication of its role in the States provision of housing for those in the most precarious positions in our society, Smith said that He wanted there to be 20% less homes owned by the State and that the private sector charities would provide for any shortfall, in last years budget 30 million dollars was passed across from the State to what Smith terms NGO’s to boost the provision of such housing,
Result: zilch, zero, nada, not one house has been built, not one family in need housed.
This years budget slashed the amount of funding given to these NGO’s to 10 million dollars and it was revealed on RadioNZ National this morning that Smith has a brand new plan for the NGO provision of social housing, the NGO’s can go to the banks and borrow the monies needed to build such housing, as if they would,
Not quite ”let them eat cake” from Smith, more an invitation to the poor to go buy a $50 tent from the warehouse,(but don’t erect it where the middle class can see it and become offended as occurred recently when a mini-tent town of 4 was set up under the Welcome to Wellington sign at ‘the gap’ near Wellington airport)…
Anyone know what almost the whole of the suburbs of:
– Owairaka
– Mt Roskill
– Mt Wellington
– Panmure
– Oranga
– Lower Hutt
– Waikare
and now Hobsonville
have in common?
Could it be the demolition of state houses? …. or vacant state houses awaiting demolition/removal?
just a guess
They were all suburbs built by a state with the will to transform whole cities.
In doing so they raised the standard for quality house quality and housing ownership and security for five decades.
Sometimes a state willing to build entire towns from nothing – check out Clyde for instance.
I think you mean Twizel.
Yes, thanks.
Yep, you could add dozens if not hundreds more suburbs to that list as well Ad,(i just listened to Labour Housing spokesperson Phill Twyford on RadioNZ extolling the virtue of 3–400 thousand dollar housing as the solution to affordable housing, IF He ”gets it” He is obviously keeping ”it” a big secret),
Seems to me ‘the song remains the same’, pamper the middle class and ignore the poor…
That’s not the song as it’s actually about keeping our economy privatised so that the rich get richer while mouthing platitudes about the poor.
Twyford gets it.
Labour’s still got significant policy to go.
@ Once was Tim…State houses were built with very high quality wood and joinery and solidly built and many were located in very desirable areas mixed in with other housing ( NZs former egalitarian society)….so what does demolition or removal tell you?!
…..it tells you that John Key /NACT and mates want to capitalise on the valuable land underneath the State House in the desirable area and rebuild ….too bad about the State tenants!
Yep chooky, i too live in one here in Wellington, 70 years+ of age my mansion is still trucking along doing what the builders intended it to do,(the lack of maintenance tho is making her look a bit sad around the edges),
Most of the States stock here in Wellington was built as whole of suburb State housing and it wasn’t until (a), tenants were allowed to purchase them under Labour, and (b), National later started flicking them off to their rentier mates for a song that the mix was totally altered,
My little street of all State houses originally, has suffered from such sell offs, there is left two disparate sets of inhabitants neither of whom have any like for each other,(the destruction of community)…
Indeed! My ex wife has an ex-State house in what is now a desirable part of Wellington’s eastern suburbss. Incredibly well-built and solid. It’s had insulation, some bits and pieces added on (such as a deck) to remove that ‘tickytacky box’ look people used to moan about – and is now worth a bundle apparently.
It’s appalling to see the same such housing in the Hutt Valley all boarded up, empty & ready for demolition when a bit of creativity, landscaping, etc. at relatively minimal expense could be applied to bring about a similar result.
Basically Natzi ideology at work yet again. Vandalism!
I’d prefer to see a bit of care and attention applied to all those Hutt Valley state houses in a similar vein to my ex’s place, and allow us to resurrect a decent social housing programme again. Interesting too that this sort of housing was developed usually with a Community Hall and other amenities nearby (including railway stations, or bus routes with a regular timetable).
They don’t have to be ghettos – one of the demonising labels the Natzis often apply (where that is the case – why aren’t they placing the blame squarely where it belongs – i.e. bad management on the part of Housing Corp – or whatever they call themselves these days).
john key visits none of them? r
Housing should be a BIG election issue!…i have a friend in a state house …he is a qualified architect but due to poor health on an invalids benefit…he is under a lot of stress thinking his state house will be sold out from under him( he can not afford to buy it!)….he does a lot of community work for free but cant get a fulltime job ( like many other New Zealanders , because the jobs are NOT there!)
John Key and NACT are preparing to sell State houses all over New Zealand paid for by previous generations of compassionate NZers who wanted to live in an egalitarian compassionate society…it is theft by the wealthy John Key/NACT for their mates …it is sociopathic and crime against those least fortunate and must be recognised and broadcast as such….a BIG ELECTION issue!!! Keeping existing housing stock for New Zealanders
+1
at a time when interest rates are climbing for punters but govt can borrow at much lower rates…
Government doesn’t need to borrow as it can create money and that money will have no interest on it.
On Morning report today, John Key maintaining that NZ having the highest house prices in the OECD is due to the robust recovery of the NZ economy !!
Really?
the tvone interviewer didn’t even ask that question..
..she just sat key down..pushed his ‘go!’-button..
..and smiled and nodded along..
..as he laid yards/metres of unremitting/unrelenting-bullshit..
..i guess the interviewer..if she even knew..probably didn’t think that was very important..
..that we have the most unaffordable houses in the oecd..
..that they are 70% over-priced..(seventy-fucken-percent..?..whoar..!..)
..and how can this not be utter madness/a bubble..?
..average wages thirty-something-thousand..
..and clapboard dumps sell for a half a million dollars..?
..when that bubble bursts..it’s gonna get ugly…
Great from Jokeyhen this morning. House prices high, good – criticism bad. Binary Key as usual.
bad 12 comment on Nick Smith is on the mark –
Indicates to me that this is another example of government by target – ordering this or that to be done whether impractical, impossible, or actually destructive.
Dictionary.com has the word ‘fiat’ an arbitrary decree or pronouncement, especially by a person or group of persons having absolute authority to enforce it: The king ruled by fiat.
We are getting away from a true democracy, as we thought we knew it. Dictatorship by the Robber Barons eating democracy and its public goods, leaving us the fish bones to boil for our soup.
so that means key used to have orgasms when labourcwas in govt… high house prices and multiple surpluses
No it was just p…s envy then. The orgasmatic condition came when he got to power. The prancing pony became the ringmaster along with the adrenalin rush of having the whiphand.
s and m?
One wonders one does whether there is s & m propernsity in a large number of us as we keep voting for parties that produce hurtful outcomes, while at the same time we revile s.59 for children. Perhaps we don’t want better conditions for the country, perhaps we so like inequality because it makes life more interesting as someone earlier said. How can this attitude still be trotted out? It must be some sort of pathological mental condition. FFS
The lesson that NZers learnt in the 1930’s and 1940’s is that Government and political parties can be a major help to the nation and its peoples.
What it forgot was the lesson of the 1910’s and 1920’s that Government will not provide that major help unless it is forced to by a mass movement of the people.
New York calls for ban on face scrub microbeads
Ah, mankind – finding so many new and innovative ways to pollute the environment.
/sarc
Statins, the silver bullet drug for heart disease are again in the news with an international study highlighting the dangers of liver disease due to high use of statin dosage and an Otago Uni study with a counter view saying the number of those effected is far lower than the lives said to be saved by the use of statins,
Having been prescribed this drug i complied with ‘Doctors orders’ until (a) i had researched and taken up a diet containing as close to zero ‘bad fats’ as possible without resorting to mung beans and lentils as the sole dietary intake, and (b), researched statin drugs as far as i could on the internet,
Having also been prescribed drugs for diabetes at the same time i found i was forced by the revelations of that research to make a decision to ditch one or the other, the statins or the diabetes meds,
Here’s why, to achieve correct levels of sugars in the blood requires the presence of magnesium in the blood, the liver controls the levels of magnesium that are sent into the body with any excess excreted by that liver, Statins as a drug are in the category of a ‘blocker’ along with ‘blocking’ bad fats from entering and being deposited in the arteries Statins also ‘block’ certain vitamins and minerals including vitamin B12 and magnesium,(some of these ‘blocked’ fats, vitamins, and minerals cannot be excreted by the liver which is where the liver disease from Statin use comes from),
So, if you have high cholesterol levels AND high blood sugar levels for which you are being prescribed drugs ie: statins it is a recipe for your blood sugar levels to stay high,(or worse spike them up to the point of being diagnosed as diabetic),
My next blood test, had my Doctor having an eye popping moment as She looked at them,(and probably singing in Her mind the praises of Statins), as the no bad fats diet i formulated pulled my cholesterol level firmly below the danger line, and i did not tell Her i had tossed the Statins 8 weeks earlier…
basically..go vegan..
..shed yr statins..shed yr diabetes..
Not quite Phillip, the blood sugar in the latest test was still slightly high despite a huge cut in sugar intake,(the problem being there as my intake of fruits has climbed by x10 while i cut the use of actual sugar and such tests cannot differentiate how the sugars get there),
Don’t ever see myself ”going vegan”, there is a logical reason as well as my meat eaters upbringing which pushes me in the direction of judging good fats/bad fats,
There are a number of minerals and vitamins that our bodies need that are only soluble and transportable around the body via fats, good or bad fats will do the work so we need some fats in our diets and i don’t think i could devour enough nuts/avocados to provide enough good fat so fish is on the menu along with the odd bout of yummy bacon and egg burger and when i smell fresh bread in the supermarket, shaved beef,(97% fat free lolz)…
i don’t feel like an elongated-debate..
..all i know is that i know a lot of vegans..
..and not a diabetic amongst them..
..make of that what you will..
If only it were that simple phillip.
i’m no ‘doc’..doc..
..but if you are..
..you must know that much of our diabetes epidemic is down to bad diet..
..eh..?
http://whoar.co.nz/?s=diabetes
and how to explain i know no diabetic-vegans..?
..what accounts for that spurning of the national statistical-trends..?
Small sample size. Selection bias. Overenumeration of favourable circumstances. Any number of reasons really.
Absolutely, diet is amongst the most important factors in developing or reversing type 2 diabetes.
Unfortunately there’s not enough willpower amongst the majority to eat well and exercise, hats off to bad12 for changing his eating habits and seeing the changes that can be made.
Having a handle on complexity can be a real good earner !
You should’ve told her…(your doctor)
No fucking way CV, not once did the doctor discuss with me what sort of dietary change might bring the numbers both in the cholesterol and the blood sugar down to where they should be,
Let the glorified pill pushers think they provided the ‘fix’, to do otherwise is to be confronted with ”Doctors ego” and a lot of them have the ego problem, i am at that point with the interesting piece of bone growing on my spine, the Radiologist,(at the center of a complaint to the health and disability commissioner), after first denying this particular outcrop of bone growth was there, when confronted, admitted it was, but, He didn’t consider it could be the source of pain, then recommended an MRI/Cat scan which the Doctor refuses to order on the basis that She ”doesn’t think” along with the radiologist that it is the source of pain,(Doctors ego takes over as they close ranks)…
Ger a better doctor. Preferably one under 40, they are a new breed. Find one that only works part time, because they know that there is more to life than work. If you can’t have a laugh with them, then they’re not for you. Ask around, and find one that diabetics say that they don’t get told off by. Oh, and read everything you can find by Michael Pollan, Marion Nestle, Gary Taubes and Gary Scheiner. They don’t all agree with each other, so you’re going to have to make your own opinions. Live by your HBA1c, not your daily blood tests. Get on insulin, if you’re not already, but don’t fall into the trap of eating to your insulin, rather than injecting to your life.
(I’ve been diagnosed diabetic for 20 yrs)
Wonderpup, Horses for courses, i have found older more experienced doctors are more better in terms of what they do and don’t tell me,
Are you type 1, i do not even necessarily have a great amount of faith in the type 2 diagnosis, after ditching the Statins 8 weeks out from the next scheduled blood test, i ditched the Metformin 2 weeks later, i trusted in what i was doing with the diet to bring the blood sugar numbers down to where i supposedly wasn’t diabetic,(the blood sugar has improved hugely while still being slightly high),
My belief is that both the high cholesterol and the high blood sugar were the result of a poor diet, and the blood test after i had ditched the 2 sets of meds would strongly suggest that the diet i came up with, researching the good/bad of everything eaten via the internet is the correct remedy for ME,
Anyone reading this should note why i stressed the me in the last paragraph, there is diabetes from poor diet ie: ingesting too much sugar which features way too much in a lot of foods it shouldn’t, and then there is Diabetes where the body cannot produce, i think, enough insulin????, anyone with the latter problem i would suggest should disregard what i am saying about diet and stick to the meds…
Interesting watch for you then bad12 on filmsforaction.org, considering your thoughts on diet and diabetes.
Documentary style is mediocre, but the story of those with diabetes who managed to stay the distance for 30 days is interesting. Simply Raw: Reversing Diabetes in 30 days.
A couple of years ago, I went raw for three months. Lost 22 kg without even thinking about it. I really concluded that it was the lack of any kind of processed food that picks up your energy levels and balances your body.
(… really need to try it again…)
Tah Molly, i will have a look at the video later, i don’t tho think i could go 30 days on a diet of totally raw foods,
My method is a bit slower, losing 20+ kilo in 90 days,(but what’s the hurry it took 30 years to put it on),butter and cheese have gone along with 99% of meat, all types of drinks that contain an amount of sugar, and fruit and veg are now by volume the majority of what i eat,
i take the fat off in small increments adjusting the diet as i go to make sure i can put some back on if needed and continue to take it off, am down to 94 kilo and will be happy when i lose 10 more,
Definitely feel the benefits in managing pain in both the hips and back along with a way faster recovery time from my fitness regime,(aka working my garden)…
Hi Molly, very interesting. What do you consider raw? Does this mean meat and eggs (I can for the life of it not eat them raw!) are out? Only fruit and vege?
Thanks Dr. Molly…i will pass this on to a friend who has struggled with his diabetes…..
When the so-called food in our supermarkets is actually a poison…
I take it you have already seen some of Robert Lustig’s presentations on sugar (fructose), obesity, metabolic syndrome and diabetes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmC4Rm5cpOI
@ bad 12 …you would make a better doctor than your doctor
btw recently they have been giving cancer patients mega doses of the measles virus in order to combat cancer…on the other hand most of the medical profession and the vaccination industry want to vaccinate children against measles….go figure….we are all just guinea pigs…keep away from docs unless absolutely necessary…or take what they say with a grain of salt…generally they are proved wrong in the end ( but I have great respect for emergency services and the hospital docs)
“btw recently they have been giving cancer patients mega doses of the measles virus in order to combat cancer”
No actually that is completely incorrect ……what has been experimented with is treating patients with viruses that have been genetically engineered to specifically infect cancer cells, rather than causing the particular illness that they usually bring. When injected into the body, the viruses seek out and destroy the tumour cells, multiplying inside them to create even more cancer-killing viruses.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/15/us-health-cancer-measles-idUSKBN0DV1Y120140515
conveniently you forgot to mention the words ‘measles virus’…genetically engineered tinkered with or not ( you think the genetic engineering tinkering is what counts …but no it is the ‘measles virus’ that counts
…it has long been thought that common childhood viruses like measles rev up the natural immune system and protect against cancer later in life….seems as if those anti- measles vaccine people were right
My god you are certifiable.
No it is not the measles virus that counts, the unmodified measles virus has no anti tumour effect.
“…it has long been thought that common childhood viruses like measles rev up the natural immune system and protect against cancer later in life….seems as if those anti- measles vaccine people were right.”
There is absolutely no evidence (zip, zilch, nada) to support this statement.
What is your view on enabling legal access to marijuana?
lol…don’t drive northshoredoc any crazier than what he is….he loves his injections…. but the devils happy weed….he does not want to get into trouble …
For what purpose ?
Well done bad. It’s great to see patients reclaiming their power – that’s what you’ve done, and have benefited from it.
Only a slight reclaiming Rosie, my view of the Radiologists non inclusion of the large piece of bone growing on my spine in His original report was that it was simply a device to stifle demand further up the food chain in the hospitals,
i already knew what the prognosis was from having had an X-ray taken 7 years earlier, something the latter radiologist was unaware of which obviously emboldened Him to not include the bone growth in the report,
A previous doctor already told me that the system will not operate on such growths until they become life threatening, Lolz, when asked how i would know when this life threatening point had been reached He flatly told me ”Oh it will pierce your bowels”, again Lolz, i thought at the time He should have donned a black cap to deliver such news, but, at least He was being honest,
What worries me, and i made this point pretty clearly to the health and disability commissioner is if the Radiologist, not knowing i already knew of the bone growths existence, casually disregarded mentioning it in His report is ”what else has He decided to disregard on how many other patients”,
The wider question of course is then the question of ”was the Radiologist acting by direction and if so by the direction of whom”…
It’s wrong, in situations where you are fully at the mercy of clinicians, the radiologist in this case (unlike the situation with the Dr’s around taking control of lowering your cholesterol sans meds), that you are forced to be in a position where you have to advocate for yourself, as the level of care provided is inadequate and may likely cause harm.
The situation with the radiologist is such a worry and totally unacceptable. And I reckon you question rightly in regard to the radiologists’ approach with other patients too, just how wide spread is his approach of disregarding essential clinical information in his reporting….and WHY……
Good luck for a favourable response from the H & D Commissioner and furthermore, some action on the spinal bone growth. let us know how you get on – if you like.
Lolz Rosie, i am not holding my breath for a favorable result from the H and D commission, i demanded that they require the work of the Radiologist be independently audited for as long as He has worked there to discover anything else He chose not to report on other patients,
Will let you know on that,
If the worst comes to the worst with my extra piece of bone i will suddenly do the disappear as a quick dial of 111 will be in order, the bone is growing anteriorlly, which means forward, IF it continues to grow it will meet the Transverse section of the Large Intestine at some point which will not be fun times nor sunshine and lolly-pops…
Holy crap, not the kind of wait-and-see game you’d want to play – All the best for the bone not stabbing you in the gut. I mean that, you need to stay out of Wellington Hospital. I went there Monday last week for an outpatients appointment where I dealt with a very sick clinician and ended up with the flu!
Take care bad.
bad12
How much would it cost to have that scan/procedure done privately in $? Do you know? The problem of getting access to it could result from a reaction to doubt or pressure from you and be a male/female thing. It is important for female self esteem that they feel they are correct and not being questioned just because a male does not have faith in a female opinion. That used to be the case, and I guess still happens sometimes. The approach of saying honestly how much of a problem the condition is to you, may break through to your doctor who may then feel okay about not following the radiologist’s line. People often try to help ‘a problem’
‘outcrop of bone growth was there, when confronted, admitted it was, but, He didn’t consider it could be the source of pain, then recommended an MRI/Cat scan which the Doctor refuses to order on the basis that She ”doesn’t think” along with the radiologist that it is the source of pain,(Doctors ego takes over as they close ranks)…’
Perhaps they will act to help identify definitely what the pain source is. ‘A patient with chronic pain has found what he/she considers a better pain scale than the one previously used for communicating patient to doctor.
http://lane.stanford.edu/portals/cvicu/HCP_Neuro_Tab_4/0-10_Pain_Scale.pdf
Here is a discussion of the problems of conveying pain levels which I thought was quite good.
http://iamtheprofessionalpatient.wordpress.com/2013/12/16/the-challenges-of-doctor-patient-communication-about-pain-and-a-tool-that-could-help/
Would a hospital reception react if you go in and say that you are in pain?
Turkish PM seen to strike miner in supermarket
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=11257268
Tell John I’ll be in Glenview new world at 4pm.
Aide to Erdogan PM photographed kicking protestor restrained on ground by soldiers
This earlier incident happened 3 days ago
Something very wrong with the current Turkish ruling establishment. These are the same people who have used brute force on peaceful protestors in recent years.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/may/15/turkey-mine-disaster-aid-pm-pictures-kicking-protester
At least Erdogan hasn’t promised to do everything he can for the families and reneged on the statement yet.
That was a shocking photo the world got to see but sadly such violent actions against work rights and human rights protesters aren’t uncommon in Turkey.
Those who receives email newsletters from international Unions and labour rights organisations will see that Turkish workers have been routinely exposed to unsafe working conditions and harassment from employers and authorities, and examples of these have increased during Erdogan’s leadership. Turkey is always up there with Colombia and Bangladesh with news of work rights abuses and unlawful detention of Union delegates and leaders.
This article from June last year covers the basics;
http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/17084-turkey-needs-a-labor-rights-spring
Not really, they are under stress as the country is Muslim and tries to do good with the christian Europe (Nato). Sitting on the Prosperous, figuratively and literally caught between 2 worlds whose fight is getting fiercer with every year. The only way to keep control is to control the people. Watch this spot, it will be another sparked up area and the fight of faith is inching towards the West.
lololol
Police pursuing surveillance state in full
Authorities push for facial recognition cameras to go up nationwide.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11257325
The ease of misuse of this live camera information by the authorities (and no doubt their private sector contractors), also sharing of images as well as live feeds with other Five Eyes nations, is very significant.
George Orwell’s 1984 looms ever closer.
It’s already here, Wyndham. The best Surveillance Police State is when the public are oblivious to it.
The sis and gcsb missed a biggie yesterday. I hid the plans to a nuclear reactor, dirty bomb, drone schematics, a list of all worldwide foreign agents and kim dotcoms grocery list in a song I uploaded yesterday.
Play that bad boy back in reverse and let the frogs of war run free. 🙂
Edit: Site admin, I apologise for the trigger words, but at least you’ll know the ip of the spooks that come a crawling 😆
Frank your latest piece on the budget is very good.
Well worth a read
http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2014/05/19/budget-2014-what-deceits-lie-in-this-document/
It is a “So what” article. It’s main purpose seems to be to whine about the fact the Bill English isn’t giving Labour Credit for low debt which helped him get back in to surplus without increasing debt too much.
burqas, balaclavas, and vendetta masks for all!
It’s a three part problem. The overarching concept is that of modern civil rights – the necessary ability to enforce restrictions and limitations on a (very powerful) state, its agents, and how they must treat and behave towards their own citizens with fairness and due process.
When people say civil liberties are being stripped – it’s very bad news for the direction of society as a whole.
The 3 parts of the problem as I see it –
1) General privacy – the ability of every free citizen to pursue his or her own life, thoughts, relationships and goals without being constantly monitored by god-only-knows-who
2) Misuse of information: just check out the number of police staff/officers, hospital staff etc who have been found guilty of misusing or inappropriately accessing police or medical records. This shit happens all the time. Also google LOVEINT for the NSA version.
3) Total power imbalance between ordinary citizens and the power elite: where dissent, protest and political opposition can be tracked, criminalised, undermined and smeared by an unaccountable power elite. People and structures who know everything about what you do and who you talk to – but you know nothing about what they do and who they talk to.
There is a fourth area of concern and that is economic espionage of entire industries or countries, but that’s a whole other ball game.
So, that would be Google, Yahoo, MS etc etc
The problem isn’t the state having this data – it’s the private companies that will have access to it. And they will have access to it, that’s what the ongoing privatisation is all about.
I disagree about your diagnosis of ‘where the problem is’. The state is part of the main problem IMO.
Firstly in the US the form of government is a corporatocracy – i.e. there is no longer any clear dividing line between private corporations and “the state.”
Secondly – corporations (cannot yet) declare you persona non grata and have you held in indefinite detention, without charge, at a military run black site in Nigeria, or summarily executed by drone without trial. The state can.
Thirdly – history tells us that whenever ‘the state’ builds a massive, highly secretive security and surveillance programme, it will eventually end up using those tools against its own people.
Same as here really.
Under a plutocracy/oligarchy the state will do what it’s told.
Then don’t make it highly secretive.
To be honest, I’m in two minds about it. I don’t like the state monitoring people personal lives but I can see the advantages with statistics and crime. And we need those statistics with the crime bit being an added benefit. As far as I’m concerned no one should be able to live monitor those cameras unless there’s an emergency or a crime to solve.
CV, corporations have no problem getting people summarily executed in the 3rd world. They don’t let their lack of drones stop them when someone protests about oil extraction polluting rivers in the Amazon, or people protesting the activities of agroindustry. It’s often when they can’t do their own dirty work, for whatever reason, that they call in the state.
Oh of course. I’m not saying that corporates are the good guys here. Just look at the activities of the East India Company (which were fully sanctioned by the government of the British Empire).
The difference is that we are now in an age where the cruel tactics of colonial/feudal empire which were applied to and perfected in third world nations are now being brought home to the centre of western developed countries. The breaking up of the Occupy movement in the US by the government using electronic surveillance, drone recon, specialist infiltration and teams of black clad body armoured men carrying long barreled assault weapons transported by armoured vehicles. It doesn’t look any different from what they would use in Fallujah, and the orders were given by the same US politicians who greenlit operations in Fallujah.
Only this time it was applied to Oakland, Ca. against American kids.
Of course this is nothing new. The tyranny that the power elite of the ancient Greeks brought upon their subjugated foreign territories, they eventually also brought back home unto their own.
A nurse who worked at a DHB became aware that her ex-husband had a new woman in his life. The nurse then went on to look up that woman’s electronic medical records 44 times in 38 days. The nurse went on to use some of the information she had gained.
Public employee, public sector, state funded, not a corporate.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11257330
So, what’s the percentage of misuse and what processes are in place to prevent such misuse?
You really can’t say ZOMG, this one thing happened and thus it’s all bad. Which you seem to do every time someone mentions using a computer.
All the systems we use have an element of risk. The question is whether any one system provides more benefits than risk. As far as medical records go I’d rather have them on a central government database than not because of the benefits that it provides.
There are literally dozens of known/prosecuted cases over the last 10 years in NZ, and the number of unknown/unpursued cases will be many times that.
Keep your blinders on if you like Draco, but at the end of the day I am not concerned with some jealous ex- looking up my or your details, I am very concerned in the faith you are putting in a state security apparatus which is remaking itself into a panopticon able to follow and predict all our thoughts and our movements.
And this isn’t hyperbole. In Dunedin they installed computerised networked number plate reading cameras without consulting with the public. Where does that live information go? Who is it accessible by? What exists to prevent that information from being accessed and sent overseas?
And have you noticed google’s real time search function? The one which sends each keystroke you type over the internet and then predicts ahead of you completing your sentence what you are searching for? How do you know that google is not monitoring every single keystroke you type into your browser, not just when you use the search box?
And that’s like the tip of the tip of the iceberg, mate.
Then do some actual damn research on how the security state has treated people like Manning, Binney, Appelbaum, Keriakau and others, keeping in all the while mind that NZ is an integral part of the FVEYE partnership.
BTW the argument that ‘you’d rather it was the state rather than private corporations’ holding this information is fair enough but you know as well as me that “the state” uses private sector cloud providers like Amazon and private sector IT consultants all the time. Just like Edward Snowden worked for Booz Allen consultants.
Dozens out of how many millions of possibles? And the last part of your sentence is pure hyperbole.
That’s still not a reason not to do it but it is a reason for more transparency from our public service.
Which means that it needs to be illegal for the state to use private consultants and providers and for a charge of treason to apply to anyone in government/public service who causes it to be done.
CV, this is the same Draco that didn’t thinking hacking/internet security breaches were really that much of a problem or very frequent despite 100’s of cases of such security breaches…at the tip of the iceberg
Well, I have somewhat less faith in the integrity of the design and implementation of these systems, also in how the power elite might use them to advantage themselves, and to disadvantage ordinary citizens.
And as you point out, its not like we are short of examples of where things have gone badly wrong.
Draco’s idea that ‘it’s only a really small % of transactions through the system which are the problem’ also ducks the core issue – that the entire system itself is weighted against ordinary citizens, for the interests of a very few people, and it was deliberately designed that way.
So we redesign it.
The power elite aren’t going to allow that to be funded.
You didn’t provide hundreds of cases of internet security breaches. You presented hundreds of cases of security breaches most of which seemed to be physical breaches.
You speak as if the internet is not based on physical hardware, cables and interfaces which can be compromised just like the firmware and software parts of it can be.
Sorry mate – well known fact – the vast majority of “white collar” style computer crime/systems fraud is not reported. So not hyperbole at all, just fact.
As for all the other safeguards you mentioned – sure they might be effective – but no one is talking about implementing them.
Well then, you’ll be able to provide the research won’t you. And provide the percentages.
Then we need to talk about them rather than hiding behind kneejerk reaction.
Hmmmm are you trying to be a dick about this now? Are you even trying to suggest that most computer crime is reported? Very well have it your way.
http://www.unodc.org/documents/organized-crime/UNODC_CCPCJ_EG.4_2013/CYBERCRIME_STUDY_210213.pdf
(quote is from Annex 2 of the document “Measuring Cybercrime”)
No, you also have to consider how that one system interacts with all the others.
There are good reasons to have patient records (including primary healthcare) on one database, because if I go up to Auckland and have an accident they’ll need to know what meds I’m on, what symptoms are chronic and what symptoms might have been caused by my misadventure. BUT
I’m also in mind of the audit the cops did of who accessed crime records, including active investigations. A number of sworn and nonsworn staff were done for accessing the casefiles of prominent cases when, e.g. the crime was in southland and the officer was way up north, or vice versa. Imagine that they were poorly paid DHB crunchers accessing your mental health records (for a hypothetical) after being bribed by your ex-to-be’s lawyer’s PI.
And will it make us more blasé about other data-matching? Big debates about the first street cameras, not much of a whimper about ANR/AFR.
So while work is progressing on a unified patient data system, the real work is not being done so much on database integration so much as nutting out who can access what and how it’s protected. And that’s a fuckload of work before coding keystroke one, not some magical hand-waving ‘oh, we can make it safe and secure’. Not in the real world.
I don’t think Draco has worked on any serious tech development projects before. It’s always very easy to under estimate the time, complexity and cost of implementing well designed systems with proper safe guards, even with all the will in the world. And I sense that the will is sorely lacking amongst the power elite who want these technologies as ‘force multipliers’ for their own interests.
+100
Draco is very very idealistic / naieve when it comes to technology matters (remember when he tried to convince us that every single problem had been solve with e-voting?).
Not to mention the frequency in which he moves the goalposts, ignores contrary evidence and refuses to change his mind in light of new evidence.
Still – an excellent conversation. Thanks all.
That would be difficult to remember as I’ve never said that. I’ve always said that there are risks but that they are manageable.
Nothing new there. This Government has been kicking the Pike River community for years.
Gosman crime had fallen in most western countries becausr of new technology cctv DNA computers for quick accurate information sharing cell phone monitering and a rapidly aging population.
Venezuela is a developing country with a very young population and poor infrastructure.
Somalia anyone.
[lprent: I fail to see the relevance to this post. Moved to OpenMike ]
Venezuela is a middle income country which used to enjoy the highest living standards in Latin America. I’d suggest it is highly arrogant, bordering on racist, to claim the problems in Venezuela are because it is a developing nation.
perhaps the decades of us and cia undermining have assisted with high crime rates and economic issues. that venezuela is the fifth largest oil producing nation is probably just a coincidence
Why can’t you accept that the problems in Venezuela are mainly the result of the policies introduced by Venezuelans? Instead you create a conspiracy story about how shortages of basic foods and increased crime rate are caused by the ‘evil’ machinations of the CIA. They aren’t. The CIA doesn’t have that sort of ability. The sort of problems in places like Venezuela are the inevitable outcomes of adopting the sort of policy mix that they are following. In that sense it was an entirely predictable outcome.
🙄
Of course it was entirely predictable, Venezuela had a toxic mix of – a government who wanted to advantage it’s own people instead of foreign corporates, and a US embassy.
And of course, the US has never actively worked to economically isolate and destabilise governments that it doesn’t like lol that’s never happened before
Whether or not the US has done that or not is largely irrelevant because the US generally can’t cause the sort of economic damage that a nation does to itself via the sort of dumb ass leftist policies followed by countries like Venezuela. All the US provides is an excuse for the economically illiterate rulers of said country to blame their own incompetence on.
/facepalm
How naive. Have you ever been out of Dunedin? Go to Argentina and check out the chaos that ensues. It is all home grown, I assure you.
Wow, Gosman, you really do live in a different world don’t you?
They must hate us because we love freedom, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
John Gunther wrote Inside Latin America in 1941 describing Venezuela fifteen years into an oil boom when Caracas had the highest cost of living in the world with food prices typically 10 or more times higher than in the US.
A country which boasted more than 50 revolutions in a century, an illiteracy rate of 90%, feudal social systems dominated by a landed class who refused to modernise.
A country where a majority of goods were imported and heavily taxed, a country where tariffs were imposed to support an almost non-existent agricultural sector which had all but collapsed following the departure of the poor to work in the oil-fields.
A country where despite huge oil revenues since the 1920’s there was no industrial base.
http://www.lib.uchicago.edu/e/scrc/findingaids/view.php?eadid=ICU.SPCL.JGUNTHER#idp59390512
http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/page/1860766?zoomLevel=1
The greed of farmers goes on unabated.
More money, give us more money. We want more money more more more more ….
Two stories. First, Ngai Tahu wanting to convert 7,000 ha of land immediately adjacent to the Hurunui River into irrigated intensive dairy. The river itself is already polluted to the extent of warnings re fishing and swimming. The new Regional Plan only five months old has nutrient levels already exceeded. The land itself is very bony and prone to leaching…. yet still Ngai Tahu persists.
Kind of puts any claims about them being stewards of the land to shit … http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/editors-picks/10057878/Farm-conversion-plan-opposed
Just like most all farmers, who over the years always cry “but we want to care for the land and leave it better than we have it now”, when the reality is that the environment today is worse than 20 years ago, and worse than 20 years before that, and 20 years before that. In other words, the farming sector has worsened the environment year after year after year after year… this is the measured fact.
Second story, another irrigation / dam proposal in Canterbury whereby in the event of dam failure following an earthquake or similar, at least three people are expected to die and countless homes and property destroyed. “Oh, don’t worry” say the proponents “the chances of that happening in Canterbury are very low”…… yes I know, unbelievable isn’t it…
http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/north-canterbury/10057902/Fatalities-forecast-if-planned-dams-fail
Greed, greed, greed.
Personally I have no respect for these people and only animosity. Their attitude and actions are behaviour of the lowest human kind. Fuck them.
@ vto…yes it is very disappointing from Ngai Tahu Corporation….surely with a bit of specialist advice from Lincoln College and nous and entrepreneurialship they can find another land use for this area and become ecological leaders eg grow medicinal herbs, seeds etc….from what i have heard growing seeds for the right international market is way more profitable than being involved in the dairy industry
Ngai Tahu really has to take its Mana and Kaitiaki of the land and rivers very seriously if it is not to betray/sully its Mana /reputation inherited from the ancestors …the Old Maori of the land who were conservationists and very spiritual ecologically minded
That’s right chooky. I’m sure the posts of mine sometimes read quite harsh – harsher than intended probably. However, this aint tiddlywinks, as Tana Umaga famously put it once… this is about people’s lives and the land on which we live. The land on which my children and their children will live and breathe.
It is intensely disappointing as Ngai Tahu are in the sweet spot to lead on these types of issues, in ways you suggest, rather than tag along on the dairy greed train. They also take a much longer view than most, which is good, so I don’t understand why they go down this sort of path. It most definitely diminishes them.
But you know – self-justification is a sight to behold ……..
Almost as bad as contracting in foreign fishing boats with slave-like working conditions
almost as bad as actually using slaves to produce those trinkets you love so much
only sentence – personal, irrelevant, useless
net result – nothing
that is harsh – it seems very relevant
Did you not like the point I was making MM? Did something about it cause you discomfort? Remember that feeling. It’s called cognitive dissonance. It’s a feeling which teaches much. Those who were once subjugated can sometimes learn very quickly to subjugate others.
fuck off – you made a snide comment and i replied in kind with a comment that probably made you shit your pants with cognitive dissonance. i don’t like the way the fishing is done and I would do anything to stop the disgusting practices – like not buying fish for instance – can you or vot say the same? Or are you joining in with his hate session – have you even been to the marae down there or heard the histories?
Yes, the guardians…..
“It most definitely diminishes them.”
lol vto you have consistently shown animosity towards the iwi. I have even gone to the trouble to explain some basic concepts to you recently because you didn’t even slightly understand the concepts and what has happened to that effort – nothing, you ignored my genuine attempt to help you to continue on with your ignorance. You are a sad case.
first sentence – personal, irrelevant, useless.
second sentence – personal, irrelevant, useless.
last sentence – personal, irrelevant, useless
net result – nothing
truth hurts eh vto – you. are. a. waste. of. space. Please go back to your self-imposed ban on my comments.
first sentence – personal, irrelevant, useless
second sentence – personal, irrelevant, useless
net result – nothing
“I have even gone to the trouble to explain some basic concepts to you recently because you didn’t even slightly understand the concepts and what has happened to that effort – nothing, you ignored my genuine attempt to help you to continue on with your ignorance.”
hardly useless as my sentences outline a wasted effort on my part – the knowledge given freely squandered by you in a orgy of extravagance – your shame is palatable.
personal, irrelevant, useless
net result – nothing
What do you mean?
“…
The greed of farmers goes on unabated.
More money, give us more money. We want more money more more more more ….
Two stories. First, Ngai Tahu wanting to convert 7,000 ha of land immediately adjacent to the Hurunui River into irrigated intensive dairy. The river itself is already polluted to the extent of warnings re fishing and swimming. The new Regional Plan only five months old has nutrient levels already exceeded. The land itself is very bony and prone to leaching…. yet still Ngai Tahu persists.
Kind of puts any claims about them being stewards of the land to shit … http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/editors-picks/10057878/Farm-conversion-plan-opposed
Just like most all farmers, who over the years always cry “but we want to care for the land and leave it better than we have it now”, when the reality is that the environment today is worse than 20 years ago, and worse than 20 years before that, and 20 years before that. In other words, the farming sector has worsened the environment year after year after year after year… this is the measured fact.
Second story, another irrigation / dam proposal in Canterbury whereby in the event of dam failure following an earthquake or similar, at least three people are expected to die and countless homes and property destroyed. “Oh, don’t worry” say the proponents “the chances of that happening in Canterbury are very low”…… yes I know, unbelievable isn’t it…
http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/north-canterbury/10057902/Fatalities-forecast-if-planned-dams-fail
Greed, greed, greed.
Personally I have no respect for these people and only animosity. Their attitude and actions are behaviour of the lowest human kind. Fuck them…
“
For those who wonder why vto is acting like this I submit a post i did on him which shows a lot about the persona vto.
http://mars2earth.blogspot.co.nz/2013/05/i-dont-tolerate-race-baiters.html
and for balance this was another post i did about vto which offers insight into his anger and belligerence
http://mars2earth.blogspot.co.nz/2012/03/vto-and-me.html
personal, irrelevant, useless
net result – nothing
How do you mean?
“…
The greed of farmers goes on unabated.
More money, give us more money. We want more money more more more more ….
Two stories. First, Ngai Tahu wanting to convert 7,000 ha of land immediately adjacent to the Hurunui River into irrigated intensive dairy. The river itself is already polluted to the extent of warnings re fishing and swimming. The new Regional Plan only five months old has nutrient levels already exceeded. The land itself is very bony and prone to leaching…. yet still Ngai Tahu persists.
Kind of puts any claims about them being stewards of the land to shit … http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/editors-picks/10057878/Farm-conversion-plan-opposed
Just like most all farmers, who over the years always cry “but we want to care for the land and leave it better than we have it now”, when the reality is that the environment today is worse than 20 years ago, and worse than 20 years before that, and 20 years before that. In other words, the farming sector has worsened the environment year after year after year after year… this is the measured fact.
Second story, another irrigation / dam proposal in Canterbury whereby in the event of dam failure following an earthquake or similar, at least three people are expected to die and countless homes and property destroyed. “Oh, don’t worry” say the proponents “the chances of that happening in Canterbury are very low”…… yes I know, unbelievable isn’t it…
http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/north-canterbury/10057902/Fatalities-forecast-if-planned-dams-fail
Greed, greed, greed.
Personally I have no respect for these people and only animosity. Their attitude and actions are behaviour of the lowest human kind. Fuck them….
“
“There are about 11,400 dairy farms in New Zealand, including non-commercial smallholding farms.”
http://www.getahead.co.nz/the-lowdown/the-facts/dairy/
These are where the farms that have polluted the environment are, not the new ones coming on now. So start your campaign with these ones – perhaps a boycott or name and shame campaign – get facebook going on it – a media release or two – go for it, I’d even support you if you stood tall for your principles.
Believe it or not I do put words into actions on various fronts from time to time. Such fronts have been somewhat limited recent years however due to unforeseen events ….
keep an eye out as the years pass
“http://www.getahead.co.nz/the-lowdown/the-facts/dairy/”
The FP of that site is one of the most depressing things I’ve seen in a while.
The Facts about Dairy Farming
There are about 11,400 dairy farms in New Zealand, including non-commercial smallholding farms.
There are about 11,800 dairy herds, totalling over 4.6 million cows.
Since the year 2000, the amount of land used for dairy farming has increased from 1,330,000 hectares to almost 1,640,000 hectares.
In 1990 the average herd size was 160 cows, today it is 393 cows.
The majority of herds are in the North Island (62.9%), with an average North Island herd size of 327 cows.
Generally the largest farms and herds are in the South Island, where there has been most growth in dairy farming in the past 10 years. South Canterbury has the largest average herd size of 779 cows.
Total milk production has increased from nearly 13 billion litres in 2000 to over 19.1 billion litres in 2012.
Ninety-five per cent of all milk produced is processed for export.
New Zealand’s largest dairy company, Fonterra, earns about 20% of the country’s total export income.
Our dairy season runs from 1 June to 31 May.
They say all that as if they’re Good Things 🙁
@ weka
And they can’t or won’t even sell the milk us, the local consumers. at cheaper rates. Bastards.
I’d quite like to see the facts about how much feed is imported for 4.6 million cows. Especially in dry South Canterbury.
Given they’re supplemental feeding on imports in places like Southland….
“Ngai Tahu really has to take its Mana and Kaitiaki of the land and rivers very seriously if it is not to betray/sully its Mana /reputation inherited from the ancestors…the Old Maori of the land who were conservationists and very spiritual ecologically minded”
That sort of statement makes me laugh – so much ignorance in so few words. Stick to dissing doctors chooky because if you jump on the vto bandwagon tears will flow.
first sentence – personal, irrelevant, useless.
second sentence – personal, irrelevant, useless.
net result – nothing
first sentence – not even a sentence.
second sentence – again a non-sentence.
net result – nothing times 2
Please make a better effort which will greatly enhance your chances of gaining popularity.
first sentence – personal, irrelevant, useless.
second sentence – personal, irrelevant, useless.
third sentence – personal, irrelevant, useless
last sentence – personal, irrelevant, useless
net result – nothing
lol the bigot-bot has a bug
personal, irrelevant, useless
net result – nothing
Why do you think that?
“Personally I have no respect for these people and only animosity. Their attitude and actions are behaviour of the lowest human kind. Fuck them.”
Well vto, I do understand where your sentiments are coming from. Apart from the few and far between examples of responsible dairy farmers on Country Calendar over the years and that “Keeping it Pure” series, these short sighted greedy environmental and animal abusing “people” don’t inspire any respect in me either.
And thats not speaking as an uppity townie either – My grandparents were dairy farmers and I still have cousins dairying…….
Same. It may read harshly but when they do these things and they impact very directly on other people then its gloves off… after all they have their gloves off and going for it, stuff everyone else…. another example of it is Central Plains Water whereby they achieved “Requiring Authority” status. This allowed them to compulsorily take other peoples homes and property for the purposes of their private business. It is just gobsmacking.
.. life is a funny thing… it tends to go full circle. It will be interesting to see how this all comes back to bite this greed ………
Oh, yes, lets not forget Central Plains Water! Amy Adams, Minister for Destroying the Environment, seems to have gotten away with her self advancing part in the govt funded private scheme……….but you’re right vto, those chickens gonna come home to roost one day.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/agribusiness/9838125/Columnist-stands-by-Amy-Adams-claims
John Banks is in court today. The other corrupt and dodgy Nats one day will surely have to be held to account, or publicly and historically judged at least if not for their illegal dealings but for their moral and social failings.
Rosie, you must be some sort of clairvoyant
… this … “those chickens gonna come home to roost one day.” …
… and then this …. “John Banks is in court today”
in one comment mere hours before the mud got thrown
Greed for money above all else is the white man’s sickness. And today that sickness has spread amongst very many different peoples of many different cultures.
People have to learn a very simple thing – corporate organisations can never approach the morality of individuals. And if corporate organisations begin to act in harmful and compromised ways, they must be defied even if they are the organisations that you nominally identify with. To me this is what you pointed to, and what MM refused to acknowledge even though I am sure he knows better.
Greed itself I think is common to all, but it shows itself in different forms. In the current white mans world money leads to power and this is the common aphrodisiac which drives it. Money itself quickly pales – it is the power that results from money that is the cause of the trouble.
You are right that it has spread, and you are right about the corporate of course. The corporate is a creature of legislated logic and nothing more. Of course the corporate has only been around a couple hundred years or so and I suspect it is beginning to reach its use-by date as all of its negative features become apparent – and dangerous to society. What we see with business in NZ is exactly this dilemma, be it finance companies, dairying, Pike River, the list is extensive …
In fact, much longer than 100 years. The west has been in this game a long time. Example: the Dutch East India Company, formed in the 1600s to carry out colonial exploitation.
If you prefer a more local example – the New Zealand Company, formed for the exploitation of these newly discovered lands almost 180 years ago.
vto won’t like the white man bit there cv.
Most people i know already know what you have explained, including me.
I have explained in the past to vto regarding mana and how it applies here in regards to entities that represent iwi members – I’m not going to bother again. Every day you interact and support the corporations you denounce – why is that cv, why not stand on your principles eh?
Do you think it smart or clever, your rebuke about my use of trinkets, toys and services produced by foreign corporations?
You believe that it can form some kind of shield for Ngai Tahu’s massively profitable yet environmentally damaging corporate decision, by using a smear and implying that I am a hypocrite for raising the point?
No sir; yours is arguing from a position of moral weakness and merely describes how corporatised and commercialised our ordinary existance has become, and how Ngai Tahu Corporate have joined a long line of other entities and organisations who now seem far too comfortable with the use of environmental exploitation for economic profit.
Just as I stood against contracts for crappy trains from China; that commercial activity was the wrong thing for NZ to be involved with and harmful to our national heritage and long term interests, as is conversion of forestry land into even more dairy farms, extraction of even more precious and rare fresh water for feeding to cows, and further intensification of what has been reported to be an already well over-dairyed region.
But as you say, perhaps you are too fatigued to say anything more about the matter; and anyways, your peers would not like you criticising Ngai Tahu’s profitable commercial decisions in too robust a manner.
There are many corporates and many dairy farms – choosing one group (late to the game) and castigating them for their decisions whilst sitting there utilizing all of the products and services made and delivered by all of the corporations out there is hypocritical. Bringing up an unrelated matter (slave fishing) to make your point just shows that you are petty.
I didn’t say i was fatigued I think… but i can assure you some in the iwi organisation cannot stand my view and me and the outlets I express that view in. I stand for what i believe in. I would not create dairy farms, i would not dam or fuck the rivers, i would not sell land or anything else, I would focus on people and community and connection. And all of those things would be above profit and increased market share. But alas i am just one voice even though I refuse to be quiet – much to the irritation of everyone 🙂
“People have to learn a very simple thing – corporate organisations can never approach the morality of individuals. And if corporate organisations begin to act in harmful and compromised ways, they must be defied even if they are the organisations that you nominally identify with.”
I hope that the people opposing the Hurunui dairy farms are successful.
I find it interesting that the focus is on Ngāi Tahu (focussing on NTF would be more accurate), instead of Ecan. The common denominator in the wholesale pollution of NZ by industrial dairying is the regional councils, bodies elected by the general public (yes, I’m aware of the issues with Ecan). How is it that the regional councils have stood by and let NZ become so polluted? How is it that we have allowed this shit to go on for so long? If you look at who are on the regional councils traditionally, and who bothers to vote in local body elections, it’s pretty clear that NZ wants to ‘protect the environment’ but is not really willing to do much to ensure that.
Yes NTF have culpability, and beyond that the iwi have responsibilities too. But we can’t take potshots at NT and pretend that we are any different when it comes down to it.
weka, I have railed against all parties including the regional councils.
You ask ” How is it that the regional councils have stood by and let NZ become so polluted?” Because they are controlled by farming interests. Simple. And this government has pushed more power into the regional councils for this very reason – it keeps the pesky greenies out of the picture.
Example – Westland Regional Council. Corrupt as all shit. So corrupt that some Councillors have even stood in the dock shoulder to shoulder in support of a farmer being prosecuted by their very Council for illegally altering the Taramakau River. How is that? True story. No regard for the separation of powers and governance issues. The links and corruption in Westland is mind-boggling. Check it out one day.
Then move onto Southland. Ecan of course. It is a simple and sad tale. The Regional Councils are controlled by farming interests. End of story.
It’s not the end of the story. We can take that further. Regional councils are publicly elected bodies. That means that we, the public, have responsibilities here, we are not passive victims with not power or control. When you say “Ngai Tahu should do x, y, z” you also have to say that the rest of NZ also has to do x, y, z. Pretty sure that most regional councils will be dominated by white men. Why is that?
Personally I’ve always figured that any organisation is only as morally good as the least moral individual in it. You can only go so far with fragmentation of authority and bureaucratic disconnection from outcome, but you need a real bastard somewhere to come up with ingenious ways to be evil.
While your comment rings true, we have to remember that it was ‘some ingenious evil bastard’ who dreamt up the idea, it was ordinary clerks, book keepers, schedulers and linesmen looking after their careers, collecting their wages, feeding their families, and turning a blind eye, who allowed the trains to Treblinka to keep running on time.
What about Trade Unions then? Are they not just another organised collective?
that’s actually a halfway decent comment.
I need a cup of tea…
indeed – but they were necessary, not sufficient.
And while most would have known what was going on to greater or lesser degrees (or levels of self-denial), it never would have happened without a few folk at the top issuing the orders and planning logistics and the sheer practical obstacles to that level of slaughter.
The clerks could equally have been running an aid agency.
Chris Hedges explains it better than I can, in his essay “The Careerists.”
http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/the_careerists_20120723
Adrian Turkey has arrested everybody and anybody related to safety in the mine disaster.
In the Pike River case everyone got immunity under National!
xox
I was driving past the Hurinui River and the pine plantations that in the area that are being cleared for dairy pollution. It’s a beautiful area and so is the hinterland of Canterbury that is about to be irrigated with dairy effluent. This is extremely experimental and risky to the health of the water and environment. So the Government sacked the democratic body responsible for the environment! Alarming.
Cat gives its owner 5kg of cannabis
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11257527
Mr Ure trains his cat ‘Dodger’ and renames him ‘Fagin’s little helper’ 😆
And Gareth Morgan releases a statement “I love cats man, they’re so intense. Now I’m off to get some Whiskas and 3 Mars bars from the night garage”
Er, 5 grams. It’d be a pretty good cat that could drag 5kg around, plus someone would probably be pretty upset about losing it!
I copied and pasted the headline, and it really did say kg, I promise.
Given modern journalism standards, I believe you.
If it was 5kg of P, the hyper cat could definitely have dragged it around…
Gosman you speak with forked tongue so when did Venezuela have the least inequality and highest living standards.
That was when Hugo Chavez took control from 2000 till 2008.
Then GFC stuffed that along with US trade sanctions on Oil equipment(US companies supply most of Worlds equipment).
Now Venezuelas oil infrastructure has been run down.
The US CIA would be happy to have another facist corrupt dictator in charge like pre 2000.
So Cia yesman trying to bully me with your racist rhetoric and half truths won,t win any argument!
[lprent: Off topic – moved to Open Mike. ]
What nonsense. There are a multitude of different countries Venezuela can get oil equipment from without having to deal with the US. Venezuela managed to ride out the worst effects of the GFC quite well as it was cushioned by huge reserves built up from high oil proces previously. The problems have arisen in the past three or so years and are to do with the fact the Government is pursuing typical hard left economic policies and frightening off investment.
/shrug
Don’t need private investment.
They would disagree with you in Zimbabwe
http://www.zimbabwesituation.com/news/zimsit_fiscal-crisis-signals-zimbabwes-economic-implosion/
Irrelevant example.
Here’s another article on the crisis in Zimbabwe as a result of no foreign investment
http://www.zimbabwesituation.com/news/zimsit_zimbabwe-too-broke-to-implement-economic-plan/
Another irrelevant example. Actually, its the same one but I felt like being generous.
They’re not too broke at all. They’re just looking at things the wrong way. They have the resources, now they need to find a way to move those resources. The same applies to every country.
Foreign money will no more move those resources as local money.
They destroyed their ability to generate their own currency mainly by following the sort of policies you advocate.
No they didn’t as they didn’t follow the polices that I advocate. If they did, most of the rulers, military officers and bankers would be in jail for corruption and/or treason.
re: collins lack of standards
put me in mind of the earlier days of the key administration. remember these quotes?
http://thestandard.org.nz/double-standards-for-double-dipton/
Today, the trial of John Banks started in No 6 Court at Auckland High Court. Going to be interesting ….
RNZ National reported on the 10am news that someone threw a bucket of dirt over Banks as he was going into court. This has delayed the start scheduled for 10am.
Report here – with picture.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/244731/mud-thrown-at-banks-at-start-of-trial
Update – more details in this Herald report
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11257550
Apparently an elderly man who objected to something Banks said in 1997.
Penny Bright was there and witnessed the incident.
A stupid action to throw a bucket of mud like that. The thrower is an idiot.
An idiot maybe, but like the yob that punched Caphill outside the court, a little satisfying none the less.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3afrFshqf7I
or an action to make sure the banks appearance is reported well? the herald didnt have a
heres the story so far article
Yep, should have waited till after the trial.
an older member of society chucked a bucket of dirt over that nice mr banks on his way into his hearing this morning.
despite their coverage of mr brown, neith stuff nor the herald feature mr banks day in court as a major headline.
they do now. Just a bit of a time lag to get it up there.
because the mud was thrown?
stuff considers dotcoms wife coming off companies as a director four days before publically announcing seperation is news equal to someone throwing mud at banks but behind any story that banks was due in court today,
not trying to be a conspiracy boffin just think its odd prioritising
Well whatever happens with Dotcom next, they’ve managed to fuck up his life now and break his marriage up. This is a typical approach for the security and surveillance state. Even if you were to win in court in the end, you’ll still lose.
Video
http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/mud-thrown-john-banks-ahead-trial-5975100
Maybe it’s an omen as the mud stuck.
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-05-16/where-worlds-unsold-cars-go-die
‘Houston…We have a problem!…Nobody is buying brand new cars anymore! Well they are, but not on the scale they once were. Millions of brand new unsold cars are just sitting redundant on runways and car parks around the world. There, they stay, slowly deteriorating without being maintained.
There photos of huge car parks full of unsold cars.
Something is broken in the system.
Mmm. I will never be able to buy a car new. Have different priorities really but what a terrible waste of resources, and they cannot give the cars away to the needy because that would make a bad situation worse.
Give cars away to…the needy? I really can’t follow the logic of that one…how are the “needy” going to pay for fuel, registration and insurance?
Wayne
How come Abbott govt has increased top tax rate to 47%.To pay a much smaller govt debt than NZ.
Which scadinavian country has a top tax rate of 60%.
You have been born with a silver spoon in your mouth and don’t care about anyone but the already well off.
Party political broadcast no original though or research just another boring yesman.
Who is trying to undermine the rights of the poor.
Whenever inequality in economies grows those economies become more unstable ie 1920 to 1929.
Lead to a long recession followed by the great depression.
The US will fall over sooner than later with the huge money in US politics the Republicans will most likely regain control of the senate and the nasty policies of austerity will be even harsher bringing the US economy to its knees.
Those nations that underwent austerity (Not the US that’s for sure) have generally come through much better than the nations that attemopted to spend their way out. Witness the difference between France and the Baltic nations.
Oh fuck off with your one dimensional, single measure dream stories Gosman.
And doesn’t France, even with ‘austerity’ have a top tax rate that would have Gosman cry into his tea?
France has not undergone austerity. In fact the French have been very vocal in opposing any attempts to introduce these sorts of policies across the Eurozone.
Pepe Escobar on the Eurasian Pivot.
Who’s leading this dance?
http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/175845/tomgram%3A_pepe_escobar%2C_who%27s_pivoting_where_in_eurasia/
Gosman are you refering to Germany printing billions of €.
Germany bailing its own industry out plus most of Europe.
Gos you have no evidence.
Just more half truths.
As for Oil equipment you are full of it.
The US has most of the technology no other country has adequate oil equipment.
Countries like Russia Iran and venezuela have all had to reduce production because of US sanctions on vital equipment only manufactured in the US.
Stick that in your Oil pipe and smoke it CIA yesman.
You’re having a laugh. If the US had some sort of monoply on supplies of oil equipment then Russia wouldn’t even contemplate annexing territories from countries surrounding it.
US sanctions frequently apply to oil and gas drilling equipment, spares, etc.
But they will lift said sanctions generously, if your country is willing to let Chevron own all your oil and gas.
Gos can you tell me how long food stamps ie welfare US style have been cut for longterm beneficeries ie for those on food stamps unemployment insurance for more! than 2 years
No idea. What is your point?
[lprent: You are banned from leaving further comments on my post. If you want to stray way off topic then do so in OpenMike. Trickledown is getting the same warning and a educational site ban for a week for drifting it. ]
Wayne.
National is and has played hard and fast with research and development.
Doing a lot of damage.
Removing grants closing down wool research letting top woolresearch scientists go to South Africa.
Damaging Invermays world leading genetics research.
Chopping and changing funding when research needs to be ongoing and steady to achieve results.
One such funding debacle happened when a certain world class researcher damned the govts lack of action on child poverty he had his research funding withdrawn.
National have barely made research grants back to the levels Michael Cullen had funded.
Wayne if you haf any independent though you would be highly critical of Nationals shambolic politicized damage it has done to Research.
[lprent: Off topic – moved to Open Mike. You are banned for a week for doing a diversion way off topic on my post. ]
lprent: I can understand you wanting to ban trickledown for not following the thread on your post, but banning from all posts seems extraordinary. I can think of many who should be banned for spreading misinformation, but aren’t. Might I suggest a longer ban on your posts, but not banned from “The Standard” altogether.
Congratulations to Joel Little on a couple of Billboard awards to go with his recent collection and piles of cash.
http://www.3news.co.nz/Lorde-wins-at-Billboard-Awards/tabid/418/articleID/344833/Default.aspx
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joel_Little#Production_and_writing_credits
Let it be known I’d be happy to share a production credit with him, but unlike Lorde, the song writing plaudits would have to be all my own. As an ‘artist’, personal pride would mean it couldn’t be any other way.
A media statement from Maori television says that Julian Wilcox will not be seeking the nomination for the Tamaki-Makaurau seat in the September election,
The seat has i would suggest now become a lot more marginal and could be won by any of Labour/Mana/Greens/Maori Party candidates…
Roy referred to empathy on the Inequality lectures thread and gave a link about it which I question as to effectiveness. I thought I had better put my comment here.
Roy 6.7.1.2.1
19 May 2014 at 3:18 pm
Empathy, like most things, is both genotype (nature) and environment (nurture). Clean_power drew the short straw on one or both.
http://sites.bu.edu/ombs/2010/07/24/all-about-empathy/
The research seems open to interpretation. There is another well known study where people were put in charge of a learning program to encourage people to think and give correct answers on a subject. The idea was that they were to receive a slight electric shock that would encourage better results but eventually punish those who consistently failed. There were noises of distress when the buttons were pushed which became louder as the intensity of the shock rose.
People were willing to continue even when getting to a strong shock. They had supervisors whose task was to browbeat them to continue. I don’t know why they couldn’t walk away from the test, whether they were being paid, or it was implied that they would be failures themselves, and no-one else was leaving.
Empathy didn’t win here. And some sort of mind control or group think kept the testers at their post. I don’t believe that empathy is something people are born with. Babies have to be communicated with at a level that suits their brains and abilities to gradually learn. And parents have to constantly remember their child is very young and helpless to recover from impatience, frustration and anger when the child won’t let the parent sleep, can’t keep food down and so on. It has to be worked at and the horrific cases of abuse are times when empathy has not been present.
Note that electric shock research was done in a highly artificial environment. And you could argue that is exactly what the neolibs and neocons have deliberately done to us – fabricated for us an extremely artificial environment, one which minimises our natural sense of empathy, co-operation and community while augmenting peoples inner drives for selfishness and greed.
Well said CV. You describe the situation as I see it exactly – in an analogous way.
I just heard an Oz reporter say that Abbott had been very courageous in putting this hard budget forward where he raises tax after vowing he wuldn’t do so, and apparently he is saying it is necessary for the good of the economy.
Julia Gillard no doubt said the same thing when she tried to bring in the enviromental tax. But the media weren’t understanding about her need to front up to do that. Perhaps it suits the media bosses to go along with Abbott’s measures that apparently have cut into much needed welfare just as the economy goes down.
So Oz suckers, you haven’t learned anything about our economies by watching what we have suffered and getting prepared for down times yourselves. Probably thought you were ever the lucky country. Now you have kicked out Labour and got Monkman in. He’ll have the poor on fasting weekends praying for respite every hour at his religious retreats.
I just read an interesting report in the Indian press.
Criminal cases in high places: Every third newly elected MP has criminal background
New Delhi, May 18, 2014, (IANS):
Every third of the newly elected member of the Lok Sabha has a criminal background, an analysis of the disclosures they have made in their affidavits has shown.
An analysis of 541 of the 543 winning candidates by National Election Watch (NEW) and Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) shows that 186 or 34 percent newly elected MPs have in their election affidavits disclosed criminal cases against themselves.
In 2009, 30 percent of the Lok Sabha members had criminal cases. This has now gone up by four percent.
According to the analysis, a candidate with criminal cases had 13 percent chance of winning in the 2014 Lok Sabha election whereas it was five percent for an aspirant with a clean record.
Of the 186 new members, 112 (21 percent) have declared serious criminal cases, including those related to murder, attempt to murder, causing communal disharmony, kidnapping, crimes against women etc.
Party wise, the largest numbers 98 or 35 percent of the 281 winners from the BJP have in their affidavits declared criminal cases against themselves.
Eight (18 percent) of the 44 winners from the Congress, six (16 percent) of the 37 winners from the AIADMK, 15 (83 percent) of the 18 winners from the Shiv Sena, and seven (21 percent) of the 34 winners fielded by Trinamool Congress also have disclosed criminal cases against themselves.
This is the best news in ages
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/10060691/Planning-law-overhaul-stalled
Fancy putting money ahead of the land we live on, the air we breathe and the water we drink – bloody fools…
This governments approach to the environment is one of its very worst aspects. Witness what they encourage in Canterbury re dairy and shit. I can’t believe it.
And they actually stole it – they had to get the jackboots out and physically have people removed from the Environment Canterbury building to enable their own commissars enter and make laws to suit the dairy farmers. It is like something out of Putins Russia, or Ukraine.
And we think we live in some kind of utopia.
And good news that Ngāi Tahu have pulled out of the Ruataniwha project. There was imo no good reason and plenty of very bad reasons to be involved in that. Thank the Gods that sense has prevailed and i’m not even worried about the manifestation of that sense, just pleased it arrived.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11257774
Yes it is good. Have you been following it? Do you know the reason they pulled the pin? It is written in the linked article and goes to the discussion points up-thread.
Well they say this,
personally i’d prefer better reasons but there you go.
Not sure how that relates to your comments upthread.
It was simply not going to make enough money .. ” it didn’t meet its risk and return framework.”
If only the Central Plains Water people would do the same thing but in that case they have got money from ratepayers and taxpayers so, you know, it doesn’t matter …. They have also;
stolen the water from the people,
forcibly acquired other people’s homes as a “Requiring Authority”,
had this government trample on national parks (Rakaia Water Conservation Orders),
Got elderly ratepayers to loan them money for feasibility studies and initial funding,
Had power companies sold so this government can give them the rest of the money.
Removed democracy from the people of Canterbury
If the CPW was so good as an investment then why can’t the farmers raise the money themselves? Why do they have to get elderly ratepayers to do it? It isn’t even that much – about $400million (put into context, there are countless private projects in Chch rebuild which are $50-200million – it aint that much).
What it is is greed again. Greed greed greed. These farmers which are receiving all of the above public largesse are going to see their farms double triple quadruple in value as a result.
The scale of the dupe is mind-boggling.
And don’t ever try pointing any of this out to the farmers, oh no … harrumph, snort, storm off …. we should all be grateful, we should ….
especially the elderly ratepayers who are funding them (and having their drinking water supplies sullied with cow shit as the icing on the cake …. ).
unbelievable
Just found this page which had this video on it:
Ted Talk on crowd sourced government.
Which reminded me of a thought I had when the whingers in the Old Auckland City were crying about the council no longer mowing their front lawns. Mowing the verge is part of your civic duty because it’s far cheaper for you to do it than the council. I had a quiet chuckle imagining how much they would be screaming if the expanded ACC had started mowing everyone’s front lawns and the rates had jumped by $1000 per year to cover it.
Sprawl, it’s damned expensive but so is being an individualistic society.
And then we have this:
Up and up.
.
Britain’s richest people are wealthier than ever before, with a combined fortune of almost £520bn, according to the Sunday Times Rich List.
The total wealth of the richest 1,000 individuals, couples or families jumped 15% in a year, the survey said.
[…]
The total figure for the Rich List is equivalent to a third of the UK’s gross domestic product
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-27459621