Us fed reserve today decides to continue its funny money looney economic policy. THE PM of nz has yet to offer his view of their policy to the president and he has put it on his agenda wirh david cameron.
Tracey it appears one persons ‘funny money loony economic policy’ is another’s economic orthodoxy,
What i would like to know is exactly where is all this supposed hyper-inflation in the US economy from the 80 odd billion dollars a month of money production by the Federal Reserve, the current means by which the US government is staving off the (inevitable???) collapse of it’s economy has so far caused insignificant amounts of inflation,
An economist would tell you that such inflation cannot occur when after a collapse of economy ‘money production’ is restrained inside the parameters of the economies highest point befor that economic collapse,
In other words X amount of money was in circulation at the point immediately prior to the collapse of economy, such a collapse reducing the money in circulation to x,
Remembering that to have reached the higher X amount of monies in circulation Y amount of inflation would have also occurred previously, by only ‘producing’ the monies to take that amount back to the previous X amount and no more, further inflation is avoided simply because that inflation occurred in previous years as the economy grew to have that X amount of monies in circulation.
The debatable point here in New Zealand is whether it would have been far more economically astute for the Government here after the GFC to simply ‘print’ the monies it has so far borrowed to keep the Government’s ‘spend’ at the same level as it was pre-GFC…
Its extremely difficult to generate hyper-inflation by issuing new money. What has happened in the US due to the Fed stuffing the financial system with excess reserves however is asset price inflation eg a share market bubble and the reflation of the housing bubble. This does most for the wealthy who hold these financial assets, and absolutely nothing for the unemployed person on the poverty line.
Its extremely difficult to generate hyper-inflation by issuing new money.
Actually, it’s very easy – just issue it to the workers instead of the banks. Of course, that wasn’t going to happen as the money was being issued solely to make the rich richer rather than having them fall over and become poor from all the “risk” that they took.
Actually, it’s very easy – just issue it to the workers instead of the banks.
I’ll counter this by saying that it doesn’t ever happen this way, unless there has also been widescale war, destruction of productive/human capacity, or a currency collapse forced by debts in foreign hard currency.
Yes Bernanke keeps priming the presses. After nearly 5 years of QE and interest rates close zero the US economy continues to need it’s fix and the Wall Street party continues.
I suspect Benanke’s doing a “Greenspan” and attempting to keep the ship afloat just long enough for him to get out when he stands down as chairman in January 2014.
Meanwhile he continues to hand cheap funny money to his mates to gamble in the Wall Street casino while robbing middle class savers, debasing the greenback and handing future taxpayers the bill.
This will all end very, very badly – I suspect Bernanke’s biggest concern is whether he can make it to January?
It does seem like madness that looks like it could implode at anytime. But Japan has been doing the same thing for decades and their zombie economy hasn’t imploded yet so maybe this will be the status quo for a very long time?
Geoff, yes I agree Japan have been doing a similar thing for decades but that has been in isoltaion. Trouble is that now US, UK, ECB & Japan are all doing it in a vain attempt to keep things afloat and there is no real evidence it’s working.
It’s not creating jobs or reflating economies. What it’s doing is allowing the market to mis-price risk and blow up unsustainable asset bubbles directing capital into asset speculation rather than business creation.
It’s taking from the 99% who are the very people needed to fuel the economy and who will ultimately pay the price for this madness.
The end game will come quickly when the reef fish turn and swim the other way – trouble is they will be swimming a damn sight faster away from the “shark” than they did towards the “food”.
Japan has been doing similar for a couple of decades, yes. But they were always backstopped by a strong trade and payments surplus.
As of a year or two ago that is now over, destroyed by China, Sth Korea, and also the many ongoing effects of the Fukushima disaster.
Bottom line: Japan is screwed. Kyle Bass expects a financial implosion there within 2 years, partly driven by the above, largely driven by the awful and shrinking demographics of the nation.
In this Herald article, a Kelly Global Workplace Index states that New Zealand has the highest workplace turnover, I found it interesting how the article tries to twist the narrative that the driver of our nations high job turnover is due to positive factors such as people changing jobs for personal growth and advancement, this is an example of quote:
“But now [they] can go out and get the jobs they want. Humans develop and want to be challenged and I see an increase in job turnover as a sign people are moving on and the economy is recovering.”
But I think the reality is the attached excerpt, from an advertisement from the situations vacant on Tuesday in our local paper, for a position in one of NZ’s largest freight companies:
“Applicants must be physically fit; have good writing and communication
skills; be capable of undertaking the duties expected of a truck driver; and be
prepared to work any day of the week with early starts and/or late finishes.”
The other day i made a comment referring to Russell Norman’s innate ability to get Ministers in this Slippery National Government to lie to Him at the Parliaments question time either with deliberation or by omission,
i was at the time having a good old laugh at the victim of Russell’s latest inquisition Conservation Minister Nick Smith who under a barrage of queries from Russell seemed to have denied ever asking to see the Draft of DOC’s report on the damming of the Tukituki River while if my memory serves me right denied ever reading the 40 odd page document,(later whittled down for some strange reason to just 2 paragraphs),
This morning RadioNZ National are reporting that they have seen a leaked email from a senior manager of DOC which directly instructed senior staff at DOC to send a copy of the full report to the Minister Nick Smith,
‘Didn’t ask to see the report’, ‘never read the report’, ‘never knew the draft existed’, naughty naughty Nick Smith expect Russell Norman to not only continue the inquisition but also to claim that the Parliament has deliberately been mislead…
I thought that too until I read who put that perspective on it… head of employers and manufacturers . Further down a professor has a different perspective.
I also read the bishop of wellington who earns 60k pa plus a house is taking a pay cut to assist people working for the church to earn a living wage. Compare that with fletchers policy here
Jonathan Ling (previous CEO), reacted to the GFC with decisive action and put a freeze on wages and salaries for eighteen months. (Cannot find link for this reported in media, just knew someone who worked there at the time).
Of course, this impacted on his income …. not at all. His bonuses went up to compensate.
Yeah, but don’t those guys take money out of people’s pay packets to build their funny buildings so they have somewhere to mumble to themselves on sundays?
Even the corgis will want to give the Key the old ankle chomp! Imagine being invited (only because you are PM) and then having the gall to ask if your family can come too – The newspapers are full of this in the UK!! – This is supposed to be an official trip to Balmoral isn’t it? I can’t imagine the Queen invited Jonkey because they are bosom buddies! And why does John Key always remind me of a Fagan/Uriah Heep hybrid? So many questions!!
Love the Heap! A singer who thinks the keyboard player is on the Moog simplifier, a guitarist named Mick Box, and a smacked up kiwi member of the 27 club on bass. ’73 was one of the great rock vintages.
Great to see Julie Ann Genter serving it to Brownlee in the House yesterday re transport in Auckland particularly delays to the City Rail Link. Brownlee forgot to oppose her tabling Auckland Trnasport’s report on the matter, so now the costs of the delay are on record.
Transport Blog is carrying the footage today so no need to repeat it. Also seemed pretty coordinated as a Parliamentary question with Labour’s Ian Lees-Galloway. Dare I hope for cooperation?
Well spotted Ad, I think we are going to see more obvious signs of cooperation between Labour and both the Greens and NZF till we win the election. Cunliffe said something along those lines earlier this week.
And can I just give a shout out to Iain Lees Galloway? Only halfway through his second term in parliament and entrusted with one of the top jobs. His work in his electorate is top class, something John Key acknowledged in the Epsom tea tapes when he told Banks the Nats had no chance of winning Palmy back (“he’s knocked on a lot of doors”). And he has built a huge activist base in a provincial town in a time where the LP has only two MP’s outside the big cities.
Have talked to Iain a fair bit and he has definitely impressed me. My relations and friends in his electorate always see him out and about at the local markets and other events. He’s been yet another talented Labour MP kept on the back burner due to the ABC bullshit.
yesterday i did a bit of a rant in this forum about just how dismal gower et.al. are/were at that basic journalistic-responsibility ..actual accurate ‘reporting’/’reportage’..
(citing their ‘it’s robertson!..it’s robertson!’..no..it’s jones..!..it’s jones..!..cunnliffe who?’-coverage of the recent labour leadership race..)
….i.e….reporting (hopefully) being a relating of as near as possible (given the limits of the time?format) of what has actually happened wherever to/by whom..
..and something at which gower et.al fail miserably..in their constant searches for gifs/angles to sneer along to..
..last nite in america..on the daily show..
..jon stewart said it all so much better..
..as he ripped into the american versions of gower et.al..
Oh Fuck unless Labour-Greens win next year John Key gets both the opening of the National Convention Centre but also get the homecoming and series of the America’s Cup.
This more than Cunliffe actually makes me want to start donating again. I just won’t be able to stand that amount of patriotism. (Unless Cunliffe got to front it! 😉 )
Agreed– the sport & politics mash sometimes throws up upsets (like a tighthead scrum). Helen & Tana pitched for RWC and John Key got to give the three-way. Trev opened the chequebook for Deano & Dalton and John will be at welcome home.
Speaking of Trev- if Cunliffe can confirm that Wainuiomata man won’t be speaker then this Waitakere man might be tempted back. 🙂
veutoviper. he will be fine with the queen, he expects to receive a knighthood from her, pacific leaders are merely savages diverting him from trips to the states. i agree he appeared disinterested and as though he could smell something offensive.
How hard is it for these idiots to grasp that the law is based on a person’s ability to make the right choice and that some mental illnesses remove a persons capability to make the right choice?
Also, it’s not like people who are ruled not guilty due to mental illness get off, often they’re committed to mental health institutions or have to live with the realisation of what they’ve done (which can lead to self-harming/suicide) on top of living with their condition(s).
Plus for maximum irony these muppets support the political parties which love to underfund mental health services resulting in less support hours and beds in mental health facilities…
I had one round in the chamber for the SST ; thanks NickS for echoing this story from RNZ last High Noon.
Pr 19:28. A corrupt witness mocks at justice, (yes, that is you Garth ),
and the mouth of the wicked gulps down evil.
(though I doubt the dude has the reckonin’ to be fig’rin’ all them words out) 😎
Firstly Soper has no proof that this is as direct a question as he claims and secondly, even if it were, the jobs are explicitly tied to the leadership. You don’t think Key kept Brash’s staff do you? Or that Judith Collins will keep Key’s?
“Labour Leader David Cunliffe, who championed the workers’ case against the Government’s industrial reforms, could be breaking the law himself.
Mr Cunliffe has been asking his staff who they supported during the leadership race and if it wasn’t him, then they’ve been sacked.”
[citation needed]
“More than 20 staff run the risk of losing their jobs now that Mr Cunliffe’s taken over.
Most of them are contracted to the Labour leader of the day which means all staff have to reapply for their jobs.”
So which is it Soper? Staff on contracts who have to reapply when the Leader changes, or Cunliffe sacking people who didn’t vote for him? And is it all staff or most staff?
he was also on the front bench last night for Lianne Dalziel’s valedictory .. two seats along
( away from the speaker) from where he used to sit and his body language suggested he would rather have been anywhere else on earth.
stab the puff-adder. Even a reptile like him should be able to understand the importance of these Heretaunga rivers and aquifers. I could see him squirming this way and that in Question Time Tuesday.’s Gone with the Wind.
The superphosphate the sheep and beef cockies have been dumping on the place for a 100 years has accumulated to be released over the coming hundred already. Dick!
Time for a campaign to get Parliament available on freeview with the aerial.At the moment you can only get it if you have a disc and open yourself up to the pay per view channels.
Is Parliament going to become pay per view too?
Why is democracy becoming a two tier system in New Zealand?
And radio broadcasts of Parliament extended beyond the main centres, the god botherer station kicked off its frequency and a youth/iwi/access RNZ2 implemented.
i Have an aerial for freeview (just no decoder at the mo’), yet I could watch Parliament on 22 (until it was returned to the lender). Now gotta save for a Freeview installed TV.
have to confess a weakness for these new LED Flatscreens; they can be quite hypnotic.
Compromise is such a b*tch at times. Still one cannot complain about the amount of connection possible with the rest of the world; Foreign News channels, The web, Google, Wikis, Youtube. And to sit in ones’ own warm abode with ready access to references. We are so privileged with opportunity when the necessary Scaffolding
(that was a rung) is made available. 😀
(even Greenspan laments the neglect of educational focus on maths and the sciences). It is not by accident that the Jewish faith, with their ongoing reconciliation of science with scripture are so successful economically: Ties that bind (Literally, and figuratively).
I was watching the a bill going through committee stages last night and if there were six people in the house that would probably be an over estimation.
What is the point of passing legislation if so few MP’s are in the house. This seems to be a constant feature of NZ parliament and I guess it is owed to the stupid system if allowing MP’s to vote courtesy of the whips. I wish we would go back to teh system of all members being required to be in house with a few exceptions made via ‘pairs’ which the opposition agree to allow government to effect its business. In all other cases if government wants to pass legislation they will need to endure a majority of their MP’s are present in the house
I see aunty amy is providing 15m for a new internet cable into nthland.
where was the govt when business was trying to get one into the middle of the north island where diversity is assured, and she says stn cross is good til 2020.
She will be slammed over this hopefully, FFS it must connect south of the current cable and stn cross is fine, you just have to get its owners to light it up.
Incompetant and easily led like alot of govt ministeds.
Hi folks just to let you kow that from 7pm tonight I will do a special live skype on The Daily Blog. I would like to invite all Standardistas to visit The Daily Blog.
but I just put a DVD on Dave. Man! Anyway, to all appearances, Tory spin aside, you and the team are doing well. IMO, breathe and think. You are your team are way smarter than your opposition. and Russel Norman is very capable in his role attacking those Ministers.
A great piece of advice I always give to clients before cross-examination is probably applicable to any media appearances – if you need to think about the answer for a bit, take a sip of water first. However, if that happens too often you’ll soon be seeking an adjournment for a toilet break 😀
The leadership hustings schedule was pretty merciless…and for David he had a full Sunday of events after the announcement, then straight into it on Monday in Wellington. And as he said, working to the early hours of every morning. Crazy shit.
No wonder Cunliffe looks so tired with all those chirps of feedback constantly haunting his words! Bomber seemed to be transmitting from a place several seconds away on the temporal dimension. Whereas Manning was almost jarringly well presented – which just made the other two’s tech glitches even more evident.
I ended up mostly just listening while browsing other pages (a sure recipe for missing bits, and much rewinding). However, I far prefer that discussion; with all it’s technical teething problems, to something like “The Vote” with much higher production values, but an impoverished discourse.
Here we have a communist, socialists, conservatives and others, also tertiary experts, discuss for a long time educational policy on public TV in Chile, which is hardly a “leftist” country these days.
So we can see that there, I can show you heaps more and better from Europe and other places, but we here in NZ are told such “public broadcasting” costs too much, we get brainwashed and inundated with commercial ads.
Nobody here seems to even bother with this, all being brainwashed to death. Are there any Kiwis, awake and caring about their sound states of mind, and independent thinking and information? Or are most of you happy with being brainwashed and dumbed down consumerist instruments?
I am shocked and dismayed, and I wish to be dead at times, as this society we have, is NOT worth living in.
Free education in NZ also, we are not getting it, at least the gifted and otherwise “deserving” must get it, but we now have fee payments and privatised education in NZ.
Division and segregation rule in NZ, once a country supposedly “egalitarian”, what a sick joke the present reality is.
Pay respect for one in the “stadium” in Santiago de Chile who were shot, tortured, and disposed off at open sea, off the shores of Chile!
Human rights is one thing, and there are other reasons, sadly too many in NZ are too scared to take a stand, while civil rights and so are transgressed daily, where are you Kiwis, got to care, do you care??? Too busy with America’s Cup, rugby and self fulfilling careers? I once thought this country stood for something, apparently no more?!
Shame on MOST NZ and NZers – for cowardice and never speaking out and up, it is the endless repeat of shame, that is what I see and read here and on every NZ blog! I wish I had never come back to this horrible and soulless place!
Sorry, distress has many words, sometimes over the top, and I suffer from ill health that expresses itself as above at times. I must admit that there are progressive people in this country, but sadly also many that do not care so much, and it is the latter that tend to drive me to despair and harsh criticism.
Few understand, but this is the subtle voice of peace and social unity, who cares these days, especially in NZ??
People who stand up, take a solid stand, dare to be hit and attacked, and stand their ground, and fight back, that is what free and democratic societies are made of, I see nonone in this country be gutful enough to care and take a stand! X
@ xtasy …you are being heard!!!!!…..many NZers have great sympathy for what the Chilean people went through after Allende was assasinated and under Pinochet…..In my 20s I used to work in a department building on the Terrace in Wellington with an older Chilean communist leader who was left for dead in Chile after a gunshot to the head….(he still had the scars)…..but was smuggled out by his friends ……and eventually came to NZ…He used to come into my office and tell us what had happened in Chile…..He was a very quiet , determined , inspiring man…..very strong
…..It is very hard for people who have never been through what Chileans have been through to understand the trauma……but we are sympathetic!!!!!.
….. To really get understanding it is best you talk to other Chileans who have been through the same thing
They have buckets of blood at their hands, as we know, but it is all “legal” according to “their laws”. Sad this is, what is though nothing new in the world, and which history proves.
Chooky – I despair at times, hence my “ranting” again last night. I met three young Chileans tonight, at a supermarket in Downtown Auckland. I had a chat and mentioned Camilla Vallejo, the former student leader there, and they all know her, and they all liked her! They had nothing good to say about the way capitalism is applied there.
Yes, I met a few Chileans on my travels, also in NZ. What excites me about Chile is that there people do dare to go out on the streets, and take a vocal stand, young and old. Of course the capitalist system that is out of control keeps many intimidated, also in Chile. Also Chileans love music and culture, and I respect them very much for that.
I am doing my bit of “stirring” up emotions and ideas, to hopefully get more locals here woken up and also take a stand, as you appear to be doing very well already.
A friend of mine has just been dealt out an appalling decision by the Health and Disability Commissioner, letting off the hook the worst hatchet doctor in Auckland, that is a WiNZ hatchet doctor. This will go public soon, and he will be named and shamed!
So he went out this afternoon to do a personal protest outside the HDC Office in Queen Street. We need much more of this to happen, otherwise we will lose the battle to commerce, the corrupt government and more.
@ xtasy….keep in touch with those vibrant Chileans… they know how to party and dance and make music and enjoy life!!!!…..NZers, many of us originated from that Blairite nation of “small shop keepers” …. but also have the Maori warrior class gene and the Celts’ …..So initially and superficially we may seem to be a bit ‘slow’ ….but once the going gets tough ……then…..(as was shown in the ’81 Springbok Tour)….the tough get going
Buzz from the Beehive Much more media attention is being paid to something Winston Peters said about former Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr than to a speech he delivered to the New Zealand China Council. One word is missing from the speech: AUKUS. But AUKUS loomed large in his considerations ...
Is the economy in another long stagnation? If so, why?This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be ...
The annual list of who's been bribing our politicians is out, and journalists will no doubt be poring over it to find the juiciest and dirtiest bribes. The government's fast-track invite list is likely to be a particular focus, and we already know of one company on the list which ...
In the weeks after the October 7 Hamas attacks on Southern Israel I wrote about the possible 2nd, 3rd and even 4th order effects of the conflict. These included new fronts being opened in the West Bank (with Hamas), Golan … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – It is one of the oldest truisms that there is never a good time for MPs to get a pay rise. This week’s announcement of pay raises of around 2.8% backdated to last October could hardly have come at a worse time, with the ...
David Farrar writes – Newshub reports: Newshub can reveal a fresh allegation of intimidation against Green MP Julie-Anne Genter. Genter is subject to a disciplinary process for aggressively waving a book in the face of National Minister Matt Doocey in the House – but it’s not the first time ...
The Treasury has published a paper today on the global productivity slowdown and how it is playing out in New Zealand: The productivity slowdown: implications for the Treasury’s forecasts and projections. The Treasury Paper examines recent trends in productivity and the potential drivers of the slowdown. Productivity for the whole economy ...
Winston Peters’ comments about former Australian foreign minister look set to be an ongoing headache for both him and Luxon. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for subscribers features co-hosts and , along with regular guests on Gaza and ...
These puppet strings don't pull themselvesYou're thinking thoughts from someone elseHow much time do you think you have?Are you prepared for what comes next?The debating chamber can be a trying place for an opposition MP. What with the person in charge, the speaker, typically being an MP from the governing ...
The land around Lyme Regis, where Meryl Streep once stood, in a hood, on the Cobb, is falling into the sea.MerylThe land around Lyme Regis, around the Cobb that made it rich, has always been falling slowly but surely into the sea. Read more ...
Buzz from the Beehive Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters was bound to win headlines when he set out his thinking about AUKUS in his speech to the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. The headlines became bigger when – during an interview on RNZ’s Morning Report today – he criticised ...
The Post reports on how the government is refusing to release its advice on its corrupt Muldoonist fast-track law, instead using the "soon to be publicly available" refusal ground to hide it until after select committee submissions on the bill have closed. Fast-track Minister Chris Bishop's excuse? “It's not ...
As pressure on it grows, the livestock industry’s approach to the transition to Net Zero is increasingly being compared to that of fossil fuel interests. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / Getty ImagesTL;DR: Here’s the top five news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above ...
The New Zealand Herald reports – Stats NZ has offered a voluntary redundancy scheme to all of its workers as a way to give staff some control over their “future” amidst widespread job losses in the public sector. In an update to staff this morning, seen by the Herald, Statistics New Zealand ...
On Werewolf/Scoop, I usually do two long form political columns a week. From now on, there will be an extra column each week about music and movies. But first, some late-breaking political events:The rise in unemployment numbers for the March quarter was bigger than expected – and especially sharp ...
David Farrar writes – The Herald reports: TVNZ says it is dealing with about 50 formal complaints over its coverage of the latest 1News-Verian political poll, with some viewers – as well as the Prime Minister and a former senior Labour MP – critical of the tone of the 6pm report. ...
Muriel Newman writes – When Meridian Energy was seeking resource consents for a West Coast hydro dam proposal in 2010, local Maori “strenuously” objected, claiming their mana was inextricably linked to ‘their’ river and could be damaged. After receiving a financial payment from the company, however, the Ngai Tahu ...
Alwyn Poole writes – “An SEP,’ he said, ‘is something that we can’t see, or don’t see, or our brain doesn’t let us see, because we think that it’s somebody else’s problem. That’s what SEP means. Somebody Else’s Problem. The brain just edits it out, it’s like a ...
Our trust in our political institutions is fast eroding, according to a Maxim Institute discussion paper, Shaky Foundations: Why our democracy needs trust. The paper – released today – raises concerns about declining trust in New Zealand’s political institutions and democratic processes, and the role that the overuse of Parliamentary urgency ...
This article was prepared for publication yesterday. More ministerial announcements have been posted on the government’s official website since it was written. We will report on these later today …. Buzz from the BeehiveThere we were, thinking the environment is in trouble, when along came Jones. Shane Jones. ...
New Zealand now has the fourth most depressed construction sector in the world behind China, Qatar and Hong Kong. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 8:46am on Thursday, May 2:The Lead: ...
Hi,I am just going to state something very obvious: American police are fucking crazy.That was a photo gracing the New York Times this morning, showing New York City police “entering Columbia University last night after receiving a request from the school.”Apparently in America, protesting the deaths of tens of thousands ...
Winston Peters’ much anticipated foreign policy speech last night was a work of two halves. Much of it was a standard “boilerplate” Foreign Ministry overview of the state of the world. There was some hardening up of rhetoric with talk of “benign” becoming “malign” and old truths giving way to ...
Graham Adams assesses the fallout of the Cass Review — The press release last Thursday from the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls didn’t make the mainstream news in New Zealand but it really should have. The startling title of Reem Alsalem’s statement — “Implementation of ‘Cass ...
This open-for-business, under-new-management cliché-pockmarked government of Christopher Luxon is not the thing of beauty he imagines it to be. It is not the powerful expression of the will of the people that he asserts it to be. It is not a soaring eagle, it is a malodorous vulture. This newest poll should make ...
The latest labour market statistics, showing a rise in unemployment. There are now 134,000 unemployed - 14,000 more than when the National government took office. Which is I guess what happens when the Reserve Bank causes a recession in an effort to Keep Wages Low. The previous government saw a ...
Three opinion polls have been released in the last two days, all showing that the new government is failing to hold their popular support. The usual honeymoon experienced during the first year of a first term government is entirely absent. The political mood is still gloomy and discontented, mainly due ...
National's Finance Minister once met a poor person.A scornful interview with National's finance guru who knows next to nothing about economics or people.There might have been something a bit familiar if that was the headline I’d gone with today. It would of course have been in tribute to the article ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – Throughout the pandemic, the new Vice-Chancellor-of-Otago-University-on-$629,000 per annum-Can-you-believe-it-and-Former-Finance-Minister Grant Robertson repeated the mantra over and over that he saved “lives and livelihoods”.As we update how this claim is faring over the course of time, the facts are increasingly speaking differently. NZ ...
Chris Trotter writes – IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in acknowledgement of electoral victory: “We’ll govern for all New Zealanders.” On the face of it, the pledge is a strange one. Why would any political leader govern in ways that advantaged the huge ...
Bryce Edwards writes – The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill ...
TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 10:06am on Wednesday, May 1:The Lead: Business confidence fell across the board in April, falling in some areas to levels last seen during the lockdowns because of a collapse in ...
Over the past 36 hours, Christopher Luxon has been dong his best to portray the centre-right’s plummeting poll numbers as a mark of virtue. Allegedly, the negative verdicts are the result of hard economic times, and of a government bravely set out on a perilous rescue mission from which not ...
Auckland Transport have started rolling out new HOP card readers around the network and over the next three months, all of them on buses, at train stations and ferry wharves will be replaced. The change itself is not that remarkable, with the new readers looking similar to what is already ...
Completed reads for April: The Difference Engine, by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling Carnival of Saints, by George Herman The Snow Spider, by Jenny Nimmo Emlyn’s Moon, by Jenny Nimmo The Chestnut Soldier, by Jenny Nimmo Death Comes As the End, by Agatha Christie Lord of the Flies, by ...
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 ...
Have a story to share about St Paul’s, but today just picturesPopular novels written at this desk by a young man who managed to bootstrap himself out of father’s imprisonment and his own young life in a workhouse Read more ...
The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill English, Simon Bridges, Steven Joyce, Roger Sowry, ...
Newsroom has a story today about National's (fortunately failed) effort to disestablish the newly-created Inspector-General of Defence. The creation of this agency was the key recommendation of the Inquiry into Operation Burnham, and a vital means of restoring credibility and social licence to an agency which had been caught lying ...
Holding On To The Present:The moment a political movement arises that attacks the whole idea of social progress, and announces its intention to wind back the hands of History’s clock, then democracy, along with its unwritten rules, is in mortal danger.IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in ...
Stuck In The Middle With You:As Christopher Luxon feels the hot breath of Act’s and NZ First’s extremists on the back of his neck and, as he reckons with the damage their policies are already inflicting upon a country he’s described as “fragile”, is there not some merit in reaching out ...
The unpopular coalition government is currently rushing to repeal section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act. The clause is Oranga Tamariki's Treaty clause, and was inserted after its systematic stealing of Māori children became a public scandal and resulted in physical resistance to further abductions. The clause created clear obligations ...
Buzz from the Beehive The government’s official website – which Point of Order monitors daily – not for the first time has nothing much to say today about political happenings that are grabbing media headlines. It makes no mention of the latest 1News-Verian poll, for example. This shows National down ...
It Takes A Train To Cry:Surely, there is nothing lonelier in all this world than the long wail of a distant steam locomotive on a cold Winter’s night.AS A CHILD, I would lie awake in my grandfather’s house and listen to the traffic. The big wooden house was only a ...
Packing A Punch: The election of the present government, including in its ranks politicians dedicated to reasserting the rights of the legislature in shaping and determining the future of Māori and Pakeha in New Zealand, should have alerted the judiciary – including its anomalous appendage, the Waitangi Tribunal – that its ...
Dead Woman Walking: New Zealand’s media industry had been moving steadily towards disaster for all the years Melissa Lee had been National’s media and communications policy spokesperson, and yet, when the crisis finally broke, on her watch, she had nothing intelligent to offer. Christopher Luxon is a patient man - but he’s not ...
Chris Trotter writes – New Zealand politics is remarkably easy-going: dangerously so, one might even say. With the notable exception of John Key’s flat ruling-out of the NZ First Party in 2008, all parties capable of clearing MMP’s five-percent threshold, or winning one or more electorate seats, tend ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is ...
Luxon will no doubt put a brave face on it, but there is no escaping the pressure this latest poll will put on him and the government. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political ...
This is a re-post from The Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler In the wake of any unusual weather event, someone inevitably asks, “Did climate change cause this?” In the most literal sense, that answer is almost always no. Climate change is never the sole cause of hurricanes, heat waves, droughts, or ...
Something odd happened yesterday, and I’d love to know if there’s more to it. If there was something which preempted what happened, or if it was simply a throwaway line in response to a journalist.Yesterday David Seymour was asked at a press conference what the process would be if the ...
Hi,From time to time, I want to bring Webworm into the real world. We did it last year with the Jurassic Park event in New Zealand — which was a lot of fun!And so on Saturday May 11th, in Los Angeles, I am hosting a lil’ Webworm pop-up! I’ve been ...
Education Minister Erica Standford yesterday unveiled a fundamental reform of the way our school pupils are taught. She would not exactly say so, but she is all but dismantling the so-called “inquiry” “feel good” method of teaching, which has ruled in our classrooms since a major review of the New ...
Exactly where are we seriously going with this government and its policies? That is, apart from following what may as well be a Truss-Lite approach on the purported economic “plan“, and Victorian-era regression when it comes to social policy.Oh it’ll work this time of course, we’re basically assured, “the ...
Hey Uncle Dave, When the Poms joined the EEC, I wasn't one of those defeatists who said, Well, that’s it for the dairy job. And I was right, eh? The Chinese can’t get enough of our milk powder and eventually, the Poms came to their senses and backed up the ute ...
Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is higher than for any other mayor ...
Buzz from the Beehive Pharmac has been given a financial transfusion and a new chair to oversee its spending in the pharmaceutical business. Associate Health Minister David Seymour described the funding for Pharmac as “its largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff”. ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its ...
TL;DR: Here’s my top 10 ‘pick ‘n’ mix of links to news, analysis and opinion articles as of 10:10am on Monday, April 29:Scoop: The children's ward at Rotorua Hospital will be missing a third of its beds as winter hits because Te Whatu Ora halted an upgrade partway through to ...
span class=”dropcap”>As hideous as David Seymour can be, it is worth keeping in mind occasionally that there are even worse political figures (and regimes) out there. Iran for instance, is about to execute the country’s leading hip hop musician Toomaj Salehi, for writing and performing raps that “corrupt” the nation’s ...
Yesterday marked 10 years since the first electric train carried passengers in Auckland so it’s a good time to look back at it and the impact it has had. A brief history The first proposals for rail electrification in Auckland came in the 1920’s alongside the plans for earlier ...
Right now, in Aotearoa-NZ, our ‘animal spirits’ are darkening towards a winter of discontent, thanks at least partly to a chorus of negative comments and actions from the Government Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on ...
You make people evil to punish the paststuck inside a sequel with a rotating castThe following photos haven’t been generated with AI, or modified in any way. They are flesh and blood, human beings. On the left is Galatea Young, a young mum, and her daughter Fiadh who has Angelman ...
April has been a quiet month at A Phuulish Fellow. I have had an exceptionally good reading month, and a decently productive writing month – for original fiction, anyway – but not much has caught my eye that suggested a blog article. It has been vaguely frustrating, to be honest. ...
A listing of 31 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 21, 2024 thru Sat, April 27, 2024. Story of the week Anthropogenic climate change may be the ultimate shaggy dog story— but with a twist, because here ...
Hi,I spent about a year on Webworm reporting on an abusive megachurch called Arise, and it made me want to stab my eyes out with a fork.I don’t regret that reporting in 2022 and 2023 — I am proud of it — but it made me angry.Over three main stories ...
The new Victoria University Vice-Chancellor decided to have a forum at the university about free speech and academic freedom as it is obviously a topical issue, and the Government is looking at legislating some carrots or sticks for universities to uphold their obligations under the Education and Training Act. They ...
Do you remember when Melania Trump got caught out using a speech that sounded awfully like one Michelle Obama had given? Uncannily so.Well it turns out that Abraham Lincoln is to Winston Peters as Michelle was to Melania. With the ANZAC speech Uncle Winston gave at Gallipoli having much in ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
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. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
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. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop today released his decision on four recommendations referred to him by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, opening the door to housing growth in the area. The Council’s Plan Change 92 allows more homes to be built in existing and new ...
Thank you, John McKinnon and the New Zealand China Council for the invitation to speak to you today. Thank you too, all members of the China Council. Your effort has played an essential role in helping to build, shape, and grow a balanced and resilient relationship between our two ...
The Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...
The coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says. “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...
Structured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...
The rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...
The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure. The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
The Government and Rotorua Lakes Council are committed to working closely together to end the use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua. Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) Tama Potaka says the Government remains committed to ending the long-term use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua by the ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. “I’m putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...
The new NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) App is a secure ‘one stop shop’ to provide the services drivers need, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Digitising Government Minister Judith Collins say. “The NZTA App will enable an easier way for Kiwis to pay for Vehicle Registration and Road User Charges (RUC). ...
Whānau with tamariki growing up in emergency housing motels will be prioritised for social housing starting this week, says Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka. “Giving these whānau a better opportunity to build healthy stable lives for themselves and future generations is an essential part of the Government’s goal of reducing ...
Racing Minister Winston Peters has paid tribute to an icon of the industry with the recent passing of Dave O’Sullivan (OBE). “Our sympathies are with the O’Sullivan family with the sad news of Dave O’Sullivan’s recent passing,” Mr Peters says. “His contribution to racing, initially as a jockey and then ...
Assalaamu alaikum, greetings to you all. Eid Mubarak, everyone! I want to extend my warmest wishes to you and everyone celebrating this joyous occasion. It is a pleasure to be here. I have enjoyed Eid celebrations at Parliament before, but this is my first time joining you as the Minister ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced Pharmac’s largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff. “Access to medicines is a crucial part of many Kiwis’ lives. We’ve committed to a budget allocation of $1.774 billion over four years so Kiwis are ...
Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
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 ...
Analysis - A poll showing the opposition is more popular than the government raises questions, politicians go through their 'trial by pay rise' and a Green MP loses her cool in the debating chamber. ...
The entire stretch of Tokomaru Bay on the East Coast will be subject to a joint customary marine title for two hapū, and extending up to four miles out to sea. A High Court judge has found the two groups, who during the case settled a dispute over boundaries for ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Hall, Lecturer, Media & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University A longstanding feud between TikTok and Universal Music Group seems to have finally reached an end, with both parties signing a deal that will see Universal-backed music returned to the social media ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Siobhan O’Dean, Postdoctoral Research Associate, The Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use, University of Sydney After several highly publicised alleged murders of women in Australia, the Albanese government this week pledged more than A$925 million over five years ...
Political parties have now fully disclosed the donations they received last year - with National getting more than double the cash of any other party. ...
A Pacific regionalism expert has called out New Zealand's Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters for withholding information from the public on AUKUS military pact. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard de Grijs, Professor of Astrophysics, Macquarie University Bruno Scramgnon/Pexels All systems are “go” for tonight’s launch of China’s next step in a carefully planned lunar exploration program. Placed on top of a powerful Long March 5 rocket, the Chang’e 6 ...
National returned a massive donation the day after a Newsroom story linked the donors to a property being investigated for operating unlawfully as a migrant workers’ hostel. The party’s 2023 donation filings, released on Friday, show it returned a $200,000 donation from Buen Holdings on August 23. That was the ...
Pacific Media Watch New Zealand has slumped to an unprecedented 19th place in the annual Reporters Without Borders World Press Freedom Index survey released today on World Press Freedom Day — May 3. This was a drop of six places from 13th last year when it slipped out of its ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joshua Black, Political Historian and Administrator Officer, Australian Historical Association, Australian National University Australia has had its fair share of public record-keeping controversies in recent years. Some have been mere farce, as in the case of two formerly government-owned filing cabinets (containing ...
Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL), a United Nations-affiliated organization dedicated to fostering peace through civilian-led initiatives, has issued a statement in response to the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran. ...
A poem by Tessa Keenan, from AUP New Poets 10. Mātou These days we are a photograph; one of a farm strewn with cows that used to be bright harakeke or swamp. The kids point at it and say the sun sits behind a smudge (left by someone at Christmas); ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan (Faber & Faber, $25)The masterful Irish writer ...
Marriage and civil union statistics record the number of marriages and civil unions registered in New Zealand each year, and divorce statistics record the number of divorces granted in New Zealand each year. Key facts Marriages and civil unions In ...
Marriage and civil union statistics record the number of marriages and civil unions registered in New Zealand each year, and divorce statistics record the number of divorces granted in New Zealand each year. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lennon Y.C. Chang, Associate Professor of Cyber Risk and Policy, Deakin University Taiwan stands out as a beacon of democracy, innovation and resilience in an increasingly autocratic region. But this is under growing threat. In recent years, China has used a variety ...
In this excerpt from her new memoir, Dame Susan Devoy remembers her turn as star contestant on the 2022 season of Celebrity Treasure Island. The most anxious time of every day was pre-elimination, when you knew this could be your final day on the show. I felt such contradictory emotions, ...
A week that began in triumph ended in an all-too-familiar disaster for the Green Party. Duncan Greive asks if there’s something in the mission that breaks its best and brightest. A long, strange week for the Green party began with a fantastic poll result. On one level this is hardly ...
By Lydia Lewis, RNZ Pacific journalist Vanuatu’s former prime minister and opposition MP Ishmael Kalsakau has stepped down — just two days after he confirmed he was the rightful opposition leader. Kalsakau, MP for Port Vila, confirmed to ABC’s Pacific Beat, and the Vanuatu Daily Post on Thursday that he ...
What’s to blame for the coalition’s choppy start? Six months in, and the mojo meter is in the doldrums. A new poll would put National out of power and sees its leader, Chris Luxon, sliding in popularity. How much is it about policy, how much coalition management and a perception ...
The striking report goes far beyond the proposed repeal of the Oranga Tamariki Act’s Treaty of Waitangi provision, and its impact should be felt far beyond the unique circumstances of the claim it addresses. Earlier this week, the Waitangi Tribunal released an interim report on the government’s proposed repeal of ...
The world has been experiencing a productivity slowdown, from which New Zealand has not been exempt. COVID-19 temporarily boosted labour productivity, but more recently, productivity has retreated. The overall trend since 2007 has been one of slow productivity ...
What’s more wasteful than spending $315k on syrup and machine maintenance? Trying to drum up a controversy about it.Cast your mind back to the pre-pandemic idylls of 2019. A “rat” was a disgusting rodent and not a self-administered plague test; the sixth Labour government was in power; and the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Fitz-Gibbon, Professor of Social Sciences, Faculty of Arts, Monash University, Monash University Ken stocker/Shutterstock In the wake of numerous killings of women allegedly by men’s violence in 2024, thousands of Australians have joined rallies across the country to demand action ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Henry Cutler, Professor and Director, Macquarie University Centre for the Health Economy, Macquarie University Oleg Ivanov IL/Shutterstock Waiting times for public hospital elective surgery have been in the news ahead of this year’s federal budget. That’s the type of non-emergency surgery ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Konstantine Panegyres, McKenzie Postdoctoral Fellow, Historical and Philosophical Studies, The University of Melbourne Amna Artist/Shutterstock One of the earliest descriptions of someone with cancer comes from the fourth century BC. Satyrus, tyrant of the city of Heracleia on the Black Sea, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Rose, Professor of Sustainable Future Transport, University of Sydney LanaElcova/Shutterstock Electric vehicles are often seen as the panacea to cutting emissions – and air pollution – from transport. Is this view correct? Yes – but only once uptake accelerates. Despite the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Giselle Natassia Woodley, Researcher and Phd Candidate, Edith Cowan University There is widespread agreement Australia needs to do better when it comes to gender-based violence. Anger and frustration at the numbers of women being killed saw national rallies over the weekend and ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Graham, Lecturer in Economics, University of Sydney Mark and Anna Photography/Shutterstock As home ownership moves further out of reach for many Australians, “rentvesting” is being touted as a lifesaver. Rentvesting is the practice of renting one property to live ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sukhmani Khorana, Associate Professor, Faculty of Arts, Design and Architecture, UNSW Sydney Netflix The new season of Heartbreak High is garnering mixed reviews. Critics are writing about the racy story lines, comparing it to other coming-of-age series about teenage relationships and ...
Bob Carr intends to launch legal action against Winston Peters and Julie Anne Genter is facing a second allegation of bullying. Both sucked the air out of an announcement on education, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in ...
In 1995, Sally Clark went out on her own in a bold and unorthodox attempt to join an illustrious group of equestrian riders conquering the world. In the days of glovebox road maps, brick cell phones, and the hit song How Bizarre, Clark refused to follow Sir Mark Todd, Blyth ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ben Beaglehole, Senior Lecturer, Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Otago niphon/Getty Images The number of people accessing medication for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in Aotearoa New Zealand increased significantly between 2006 and 2022. But the disorder is still under-diagnosed and ...
To celebrate the start of New Zealand music month, we look back at the best local tuneage that managed to weasel its way into Hollywood productions. There’s nothing quite like the thrilling zap of recognition when New Zealand weasels its way into a glamorous Hollywood production. Crack open a Tui ...
People trust other people more than institutions. So how can the media gain that trust through journalists without losing what’s important about the institution? Anna Rawhiti-Connell reflects on two years of curating the news for The Bulletin.Amonth ago, armed cops descended on my neighbourhood as calls to “lock your ...
Essay: If the Crown harms children, how do you hold it accountable? Analysis by Aaron Smale in light of the Waitangi Tribunal court decision. The post The Crown versus Māori Children appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Opinion: PFAS – per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances – are a class of thousands of man-made chemicals used widely in everyday consumer items such as textiles, packaging, and cookware, popular for their water, grease and stain-repellent properties. However, the very properties that make PFAS so attractive to manufacturers are also what ...
NONFICTION 1 The Last Secret Agent by Pippa Latour & Jude Dobson (Allen & Unwin, $37.99)’ This is the hottest book in New Zealand, number one with a bullet in its first week, selling more than any overseas title, and demand is so huge that it’s already been reprinted. A ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A,DIV,A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions. The post Newsroom daily quiz, Friday 3 May appeared first on Newsroom. ...
A warning – suicide is discussed in this podcast New Zealand’s own long-running soap Shortland Street doesn’t hesitate to kill off its much-loved characters. But would TVNZ dare to kill off our favourite soap? That’s the fear as times get tough in television – even though it’s been pointed out ...
Asia Pacific Report A West Papuan resistance leader has condemned the United Nations role in allowing Indonesia to “integrate” the Melanesian Pacific region in what is claimed to be an “egregious act of inhumanity” on 1 May 1963. In an open letter to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Organisasi Papua Merdeka-OPM ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra A key part of the Albanese government’s political strategy is to fill the news cycle with its presence and messaging. Ministers are deployed to the maximum, even when they’ve little to say. This week ...
Recent extreme weather events showed the importance of a well-functioning insurance system, says Commerce and Consumer Affairs minister Andrew Bayly. ...
By Jo Moir, RNZ News political editor, and Craig McCulloch, deputy political editor New Zealand’s Labour Party is demanding Winston Peters be stood down as Foreign Minister for opening up the government to legal action over his “totally unacceptable” attack on a prominent AUKUS critic. In an interview on RNZ’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christian Brakenridge, Postdoctoral research fellow at Swinburne University, Centre for Urban Transitions, Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute The Conversation, Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock People have a pretty intuitive sense of what is healthy – standing is better than sitting, exercise is great for overall ...
The Wellington-based Reserve Force soldier is now almost three years into his New Zealand Army career with 5th/7th Battalion, Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment. ...
"The Government needs to release the review immediately as this reckless approach to change risks disjointed decision making and creates more distress and uncertainty for staff," Fitzsimons said. ...
By Koroi Hawkins, RNZ Pacific editor Jeremiah Manele has been elected Prime Minister of Solomon Islands, polling 31 votes to 18 over rival candidate and former opposition leader Mathew Wale with one abstention. The final result of the election by secret ballot was announced by the Governor-General, Sir David Vunagi, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Priestley Habru, PhD candidate, public diplomacy, University of Adelaide Former foreign minister Jeremiah Manele has been elected the next prime minister of Solomon Islands, defeating the opposition leader, Matthew Wale, in a vote in parliament. The result is a mixed bag for ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Shaun Eaves, Senior Lecturer in Physical Geography, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Jamey Stutz, CC BY-SA How often do mountains collapse, volcanoes erupt or ice sheets melt? For Earth scientists, these are important questions as we try ...
Us fed reserve today decides to continue its funny money looney economic policy. THE PM of nz has yet to offer his view of their policy to the president and he has put it on his agenda wirh david cameron.
Tracey it appears one persons ‘funny money loony economic policy’ is another’s economic orthodoxy,
What i would like to know is exactly where is all this supposed hyper-inflation in the US economy from the 80 odd billion dollars a month of money production by the Federal Reserve, the current means by which the US government is staving off the (inevitable???) collapse of it’s economy has so far caused insignificant amounts of inflation,
An economist would tell you that such inflation cannot occur when after a collapse of economy ‘money production’ is restrained inside the parameters of the economies highest point befor that economic collapse,
In other words X amount of money was in circulation at the point immediately prior to the collapse of economy, such a collapse reducing the money in circulation to x,
Remembering that to have reached the higher X amount of monies in circulation Y amount of inflation would have also occurred previously, by only ‘producing’ the monies to take that amount back to the previous X amount and no more, further inflation is avoided simply because that inflation occurred in previous years as the economy grew to have that X amount of monies in circulation.
The debatable point here in New Zealand is whether it would have been far more economically astute for the Government here after the GFC to simply ‘print’ the monies it has so far borrowed to keep the Government’s ‘spend’ at the same level as it was pre-GFC…
Its extremely difficult to generate hyper-inflation by issuing new money. What has happened in the US due to the Fed stuffing the financial system with excess reserves however is asset price inflation eg a share market bubble and the reflation of the housing bubble. This does most for the wealthy who hold these financial assets, and absolutely nothing for the unemployed person on the poverty line.
Funny that.
Actually, it’s very easy – just issue it to the workers instead of the banks. Of course, that wasn’t going to happen as the money was being issued solely to make the rich richer rather than having them fall over and become poor from all the “risk” that they took.
I’ll counter this by saying that it doesn’t ever happen this way, unless there has also been widescale war, destruction of productive/human capacity, or a currency collapse forced by debts in foreign hard currency.
Good grief.
Doing your Charlie Brown act again?
Yes Bernanke keeps priming the presses. After nearly 5 years of QE and interest rates close zero the US economy continues to need it’s fix and the Wall Street party continues.
I suspect Benanke’s doing a “Greenspan” and attempting to keep the ship afloat just long enough for him to get out when he stands down as chairman in January 2014.
Meanwhile he continues to hand cheap funny money to his mates to gamble in the Wall Street casino while robbing middle class savers, debasing the greenback and handing future taxpayers the bill.
This will all end very, very badly – I suspect Bernanke’s biggest concern is whether he can make it to January?
It does seem like madness that looks like it could implode at anytime. But Japan has been doing the same thing for decades and their zombie economy hasn’t imploded yet so maybe this will be the status quo for a very long time?
Geoff, yes I agree Japan have been doing a similar thing for decades but that has been in isoltaion. Trouble is that now US, UK, ECB & Japan are all doing it in a vain attempt to keep things afloat and there is no real evidence it’s working.
It’s not creating jobs or reflating economies. What it’s doing is allowing the market to mis-price risk and blow up unsustainable asset bubbles directing capital into asset speculation rather than business creation.
It’s taking from the 99% who are the very people needed to fuel the economy and who will ultimately pay the price for this madness.
The end game will come quickly when the reef fish turn and swim the other way – trouble is they will be swimming a damn sight faster away from the “shark” than they did towards the “food”.
Japan has been doing similar for a couple of decades, yes. But they were always backstopped by a strong trade and payments surplus.
As of a year or two ago that is now over, destroyed by China, Sth Korea, and also the many ongoing effects of the Fukushima disaster.
Bottom line: Japan is screwed. Kyle Bass expects a financial implosion there within 2 years, partly driven by the above, largely driven by the awful and shrinking demographics of the nation.
Alan Greenspan: The Age of Turbulence and the ‘creative destruction’ it makes.
This is what hardship looks like for one of the 1% when they have been caught doing something against the law.
http://m.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11126767
Looks like Nick Smith has been caught telling porkies in parliament. Again.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/regional/222109/minister-voiced-dam-submission-concerns
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11126754
In this Herald article, a Kelly Global Workplace Index states that New Zealand has the highest workplace turnover, I found it interesting how the article tries to twist the narrative that the driver of our nations high job turnover is due to positive factors such as people changing jobs for personal growth and advancement, this is an example of quote:
“But now [they] can go out and get the jobs they want. Humans develop and want to be challenged and I see an increase in job turnover as a sign people are moving on and the economy is recovering.”
But I think the reality is the attached excerpt, from an advertisement from the situations vacant on Tuesday in our local paper, for a position in one of NZ’s largest freight companies:
“Applicants must be physically fit; have good writing and communication
skills; be capable of undertaking the duties expected of a truck driver; and be
prepared to work any day of the week with early starts and/or late finishes.”
Nothing to do with growth, everything to do with some of the poorest work conditions in the oecd!
Then there is the lowest quality of management seen anywhere in the world I’ve ever experienced!
Truly so awful, it defies belief.
The articles premise, is ridiculous!
The other day i made a comment referring to Russell Norman’s innate ability to get Ministers in this Slippery National Government to lie to Him at the Parliaments question time either with deliberation or by omission,
i was at the time having a good old laugh at the victim of Russell’s latest inquisition Conservation Minister Nick Smith who under a barrage of queries from Russell seemed to have denied ever asking to see the Draft of DOC’s report on the damming of the Tukituki River while if my memory serves me right denied ever reading the 40 odd page document,(later whittled down for some strange reason to just 2 paragraphs),
This morning RadioNZ National are reporting that they have seen a leaked email from a senior manager of DOC which directly instructed senior staff at DOC to send a copy of the full report to the Minister Nick Smith,
‘Didn’t ask to see the report’, ‘never read the report’, ‘never knew the draft existed’, naughty naughty Nick Smith expect Russell Norman to not only continue the inquisition but also to claim that the Parliament has deliberately been mislead…
“Didn’t ask to see the report’, ‘never read the report’, ‘never knew the draft existed’,”
Must have been taking lessons from the same guy that Shonky uses. Next will come the convenient brain fades.
Lolz, being as charitable as possible to Nick i have to point out there is no evidence of Him being in possession of one in the first place…
True, but there is now evidence that he did know that it existed and that he asked for it.
Sarbo
I thought that too until I read who put that perspective on it… head of employers and manufacturers . Further down a professor has a different perspective.
I also read the bishop of wellington who earns 60k pa plus a house is taking a pay cut to assist people working for the church to earn a living wage. Compare that with fletchers policy here
http://m.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11126712
Jonathan Ling (previous CEO), reacted to the GFC with decisive action and put a freeze on wages and salaries for eighteen months. (Cannot find link for this reported in media, just knew someone who worked there at the time).
Of course, this impacted on his income …. not at all. His bonuses went up to compensate.
Did look for link for above, and instead found this – interesting that the Herald and Stuff has two contradictory headlines within the space of one day:
Ling’s pay doubles, but bonus suffers Herald – 25 Sept 2010
Fletcher’s boss gets profits back as profits return Stuff – 24 Sept 2010
SNAFU
Knew “interesting” was not the word I was looking for. Thanks DTB.
Yeah, but don’t those guys take money out of people’s pay packets to build their funny buildings so they have somewhere to mumble to themselves on sundays?
Bad and sanctuary. Nick is slow to learn from tge boss. He should have prefaced with…
I have no recollection of…
I may have but I dont remember…
anyone its just the environment… right?
At last we have in John Key a Prime Minister who is a genuine world-class statesman.
Right up there with Nixon and Berlusconi…
an amusing snippet of vid on tvone breakfast..
..key tugging his forelock/clasping his kness..while cameron lectures him..
..a serial-bullshitter..being fed bullshit..by another serial-bullshitter..
..and funny story..!..key looked uncomfortable..at being bullshitted to..
..(you’d think he’d be more ‘quite-relaxed’ in that ouvre..eh..?..)
..and funny story part two:..both the bullshitter and the bullshittee..
..they both know it is all total bullshit…eh..?
..in fact..it was/is ‘literally’.. a masterclass in bullshitting..
..phillip ure..
sorry phillip .. methinks maybe ‘oeuvre’ not ‘ouvre’ (as in open) ? ( just helping out here as you are always so precise !!) 🙂
heh..!
philip ure..
“At last we have in John Key a Prime Minister who is a genuine world-class statesman.”
Not according to the Pacific News report on Morning Report today!
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2569790/pacific-news-for-19-september-2013
Starting at 2.58 in, remarks made by a Marshall Island Cabinet Minister about Key’s attitude at the recent Pacific Island Forum included
– “did not seem connected in an impressive manner”,
– “seemed odd”
– “offhanded and not in good form”.
Does not bode well for his weekend with the Queen!
Even the corgis will want to give the Key the old ankle chomp! Imagine being invited (only because you are PM) and then having the gall to ask if your family can come too – The newspapers are full of this in the UK!! – This is supposed to be an official trip to Balmoral isn’t it? I can’t imagine the Queen invited Jonkey because they are bosom buddies! And why does John Key always remind me of a Fagan/Uriah Heep hybrid? So many questions!!
cos’ he’s been Stealin’ when he should’a been bye-in’
Love the Heap! A singer who thinks the keyboard player is on the Moog simplifier, a guitarist named Mick Box, and a smacked up kiwi member of the 27 club on bass. ’73 was one of the great rock vintages.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Thain
A Kerslake fan
Nixon and Berlusconi . . . and Mussolini
Great to see Julie Ann Genter serving it to Brownlee in the House yesterday re transport in Auckland particularly delays to the City Rail Link. Brownlee forgot to oppose her tabling Auckland Trnasport’s report on the matter, so now the costs of the delay are on record.
Transport Blog is carrying the footage today so no need to repeat it. Also seemed pretty coordinated as a Parliamentary question with Labour’s Ian Lees-Galloway. Dare I hope for cooperation?
Well spotted Ad, I think we are going to see more obvious signs of cooperation between Labour and both the Greens and NZF till we win the election. Cunliffe said something along those lines earlier this week.
And can I just give a shout out to Iain Lees Galloway? Only halfway through his second term in parliament and entrusted with one of the top jobs. His work in his electorate is top class, something John Key acknowledged in the Epsom tea tapes when he told Banks the Nats had no chance of winning Palmy back (“he’s knocked on a lot of doors”). And he has built a huge activist base in a provincial town in a time where the LP has only two MP’s outside the big cities.
Yeah. It has been impressive to watch.
Have talked to Iain a fair bit and he has definitely impressed me. My relations and friends in his electorate always see him out and about at the local markets and other events. He’s been yet another talented Labour MP kept on the back burner due to the ABC bullshit.
I have observed Iain Lees Galloway to be cogent speaker.
CRL and the CFN in Parliament
yesterday i did a bit of a rant in this forum about just how dismal gower et.al. are/were at that basic journalistic-responsibility ..actual accurate ‘reporting’/’reportage’..
(citing their ‘it’s robertson!..it’s robertson!’..no..it’s jones..!..it’s jones..!..cunnliffe who?’-coverage of the recent labour leadership race..)
….i.e….reporting (hopefully) being a relating of as near as possible (given the limits of the time?format) of what has actually happened wherever to/by whom..
..and something at which gower et.al fail miserably..in their constant searches for gifs/angles to sneer along to..
..last nite in america..on the daily show..
..jon stewart said it all so much better..
..as he ripped into the american versions of gower et.al..
http://www.thedailyshow.com/full-episodes/tue-september-17-2013-jake-gyllenhaal
phillip ure..
Oh Fuck unless Labour-Greens win next year John Key gets both the opening of the National Convention Centre but also get the homecoming and series of the America’s Cup.
This more than Cunliffe actually makes me want to start donating again. I just won’t be able to stand that amount of patriotism. (Unless Cunliffe got to front it! 😉 )
Agreed– the sport & politics mash sometimes throws up upsets (like a tighthead scrum). Helen & Tana pitched for RWC and John Key got to give the three-way. Trev opened the chequebook for Deano & Dalton and John will be at welcome home.
Speaking of Trev- if Cunliffe can confirm that Wainuiomata man won’t be speaker then this Waitakere man might be tempted back. 🙂
veutoviper. he will be fine with the queen, he expects to receive a knighthood from her, pacific leaders are merely savages diverting him from trips to the states. i agree he appeared disinterested and as though he could smell something offensive.
Perhaps worried that while He is away Judith Collins will play…
in case you missed this lovely funny piece a few days back .. advice to Key for hanging out with Her Madge … I laughed out loud !!
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=11125055
I had a good laugh also when I saw it – and at some of the comments. I recall reading somewhere that grouse shooting might also be on the programme ……
I wonder whether his DPS minders also got an invitation?
He could possibly smell sweat, in his cologne cocoon of highly mannered artificial living and behaving the human smell would be unusual and unwelcome.
http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/push-change-verdicts-mentally-ill-5587162
Fuck the Sensible Sentencing Trust.
How hard is it for these idiots to grasp that the law is based on a person’s ability to make the right choice and that some mental illnesses remove a persons capability to make the right choice?
Also, it’s not like people who are ruled not guilty due to mental illness get off, often they’re committed to mental health institutions or have to live with the realisation of what they’ve done (which can lead to self-harming/suicide) on top of living with their condition(s).
Plus for maximum irony these muppets support the political parties which love to underfund mental health services resulting in less support hours and beds in mental health facilities…
Yesterdays nine to noon – Simon Moore, John Dawson and Ruth Money
http://podcast.radionz.co.nz/ntn/ntn-20130918-0907-increased_number_of_acquitted_crimes_on_mental_health_grounds-048.mp3
I had one round in the chamber for the SST ; thanks NickS for echoing this story from RNZ last High Noon.
Pr 19:28. A corrupt witness mocks at justice, (yes, that is you Garth ),
and the mouth of the wicked gulps down evil.
(though I doubt the dude has the reckonin’ to be fig’rin’ all them words out) 😎
Is the year’s biggest Hollywood blockbuster a Marxist polemic?
http://readingthemaps.blogspot.co.nz/2013/09/floating-to-elysium.html
An interesting, and sad article thanks ultra-left.I always find the articles at readingthemaps very interesting and expansive to the world-view.
http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/auckland/news/nbpol/1171021875-labour-staff-questioned-on-their-loyalty-to-cunliffe
– This is good, cunliffe needs to weed out the non-believers
Whadda loada crap!
Firstly Soper has no proof that this is as direct a question as he claims and secondly, even if it were, the jobs are explicitly tied to the leadership. You don’t think Key kept Brash’s staff do you? Or that Judith Collins will keep Key’s?
Jonolism at its finest!
Thats why I’m saying its good, hes having a clean out of dead wood and replacing with his own people which will strengthen his grip on the party
“Labour Leader David Cunliffe, who championed the workers’ case against the Government’s industrial reforms, could be breaking the law himself.
Mr Cunliffe has been asking his staff who they supported during the leadership race and if it wasn’t him, then they’ve been sacked.”
[citation needed]
“More than 20 staff run the risk of losing their jobs now that Mr Cunliffe’s taken over.
Most of them are contracted to the Labour leader of the day which means all staff have to reapply for their jobs.”
So which is it Soper? Staff on contracts who have to reapply when the Leader changes, or Cunliffe sacking people who didn’t vote for him? And is it all staff or most staff?
I agree TRP, jonolism at its finest.
Where is Shearer?
I spotted him sitting in a backrow seat on TV in Question Time today looking very relaxed. Question 3 or 4 from memory.
he was also on the front bench last night for Lianne Dalziel’s valedictory .. two seats along
( away from the speaker) from where he used to sit and his body language suggested he would rather have been anywhere else on earth.
so when are the proles with only a uhf aerial going to get parliament on freeview or is it restricted to disc and sky subscribers only?
Looks like another National minister is about to be slaughtered.
https://www.ipredict.co.nz/app.php?do=contract_detail&contract=MIN.DEPART.2013.2
Any guesses who it is?
Nick Smith? Can’t see him surviving another scandal!
stab the puff-adder. Even a reptile like him should be able to understand the importance of these Heretaunga rivers and aquifers. I could see him squirming this way and that in Question Time Tuesday.’s Gone with the Wind.
The superphosphate the sheep and beef cockies have been dumping on the place for a 100 years has accumulated to be released over the coming hundred already. Dick!
Time for a campaign to get Parliament available on freeview with the aerial.At the moment you can only get it if you have a disc and open yourself up to the pay per view channels.
Is Parliament going to become pay per view too?
Why is democracy becoming a two tier system in New Zealand?
And Select Committee hearings should be televised.
And radio broadcasts of Parliament extended beyond the main centres, the god botherer station kicked off its frequency and a youth/iwi/access RNZ2 implemented.
i Have an aerial for freeview (just no decoder at the mo’), yet I could watch Parliament on 22 (until it was returned to the lender). Now gotta save for a Freeview installed TV.
You can buy plain decoders for under a $100
or $500 if you want to record stuff
plain decoders that take a flash drive/USB stick, all done for less than $150
have to confess a weakness for these new LED Flatscreens; they can be quite hypnotic.
Compromise is such a b*tch at times. Still one cannot complain about the amount of connection possible with the rest of the world; Foreign News channels, The web, Google, Wikis, Youtube. And to sit in ones’ own warm abode with ready access to references. We are so privileged with opportunity when the necessary Scaffolding
(that was a rung) is made available. 😀
(even Greenspan laments the neglect of educational focus on maths and the sciences). It is not by accident that the Jewish faith, with their ongoing reconciliation of science with scripture are so successful economically: Ties that bind (Literally, and figuratively).
I don’t understand. I have freeview with a UHF aerial and a freeview box/myfreeview, and can watch parliament..
Try doing a full re-scan on your Freeview box. It should be there. Have a look at this page:
http://www.freeviewnz.tv/tv-guide/freeview-channels.aspx
And click on Freeview | HD
These should be all of the channels you can get (except some that are regional)
I don’t have sky or any pay tv , I have a UHF aerial and a satellite dish and a tv with freeview built in and I can get Parliament TV on everything!!
I was watching the a bill going through committee stages last night and if there were six people in the house that would probably be an over estimation.
What is the point of passing legislation if so few MP’s are in the house. This seems to be a constant feature of NZ parliament and I guess it is owed to the stupid system if allowing MP’s to vote courtesy of the whips. I wish we would go back to teh system of all members being required to be in house with a few exceptions made via ‘pairs’ which the opposition agree to allow government to effect its business. In all other cases if government wants to pass legislation they will need to endure a majority of their MP’s are present in the house
+1 Ron
I agree
In some parties they do have to endure the majority of their MPs.
This woman is brain dead. She wants to take NZ kids back to the dark ages.
http://www.3news.co.nz/Paratas-U-turn-on-charter-school-creationism/tabid/1607/articleID/313916/Default.aspx
I’ve got no problems with creationism being taught in religious studies as long as evolution is taught in science classes…
that is a WinSome gravatar.
well spotted 🙂
It describes me better
Once folk know you have a grasp of some of these
Schools
then deep fellowship tends to dry up and church may be perceived more as a Social Supporters Club.
SST vs “the ongoing failure of mental health support systems”- Coroner-referring cases to the Law Commission.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11127145
Here’s a great music video from a film way back with George Harrison and Ringo Starr on the music side. Freedom We Want our Freedom. Handmade Film.
ears are burning to Get Back to Ave Verum.
Let us pierce A la Chapelle Sixtine
(we’re all in the Lists).
I see aunty amy is providing 15m for a new internet cable into nthland.
where was the govt when business was trying to get one into the middle of the north island where diversity is assured, and she says stn cross is good til 2020.
She will be slammed over this hopefully, FFS it must connect south of the current cable and stn cross is fine, you just have to get its owners to light it up.
Incompetant and easily led like alot of govt ministeds.
So the cable extends from NZ to Oz to US right? How much is the NSA contributing to the cable hmmm?
Hi folks just to let you kow that from 7pm tonight I will do a special live skype on The Daily Blog. I would like to invite all Standardistas to visit The Daily Blog.
Awesome, watching now.
but I just put a DVD on Dave. Man! Anyway, to all appearances, Tory spin aside, you and the team are doing well. IMO, breathe and think. You are your team are way smarter than your opposition. and Russel Norman is very capable in his role attacking those Ministers.
A great piece of advice I always give to clients before cross-examination is probably applicable to any media appearances – if you need to think about the answer for a bit, take a sip of water first. However, if that happens too often you’ll soon be seeking an adjournment for a toilet break 😀
Watched it. Great interview, in spite of the squeaky technology!
Like the ideas on NZ as part of the Pacific and a Pacific TV (or was it radio?) channel.
I think RNZ already do shortwave out into the pacific.
Daily Blog skype interview with Cunliffe now up on YouTube.
Ta.
@ CV …re David Cunliffe interview with Daily Blog…..thanks for YouTube link…
Very interesting….Very clearly and succinctly expressed on a number of crucial issues facing the country.
Would like to see more of these interviews, say once a month as a regular feature
…….Have great confidence in David Cunliffe to lead a coalition with the Greens to victory in 2014! .
( He looks very tired though and needs to take at least a day off ….imo)
The leadership hustings schedule was pretty merciless…and for David he had a full Sunday of events after the announcement, then straight into it on Monday in Wellington. And as he said, working to the early hours of every morning. Crazy shit.
No wonder Cunliffe looks so tired with all those chirps of feedback constantly haunting his words! Bomber seemed to be transmitting from a place several seconds away on the temporal dimension. Whereas Manning was almost jarringly well presented – which just made the other two’s tech glitches even more evident.
I ended up mostly just listening while browsing other pages (a sure recipe for missing bits, and much rewinding). However, I far prefer that discussion; with all it’s technical teething problems, to something like “The Vote” with much higher production values, but an impoverished discourse.
Seemed to me that Cunliffe and Manning were very clear and in focus while Bradbury was low-resolution, distorted, crackly and screechy.
And then there were the technical issues…
lol
What the hell is wrong with NZ Aoteaora?
Here we have a communist, socialists, conservatives and others, also tertiary experts, discuss for a long time educational policy on public TV in Chile, which is hardly a “leftist” country these days.
So we can see that there, I can show you heaps more and better from Europe and other places, but we here in NZ are told such “public broadcasting” costs too much, we get brainwashed and inundated with commercial ads.
Nobody here seems to even bother with this, all being brainwashed to death. Are there any Kiwis, awake and caring about their sound states of mind, and independent thinking and information? Or are most of you happy with being brainwashed and dumbed down consumerist instruments?
I am shocked and dismayed, and I wish to be dead at times, as this society we have, is NOT worth living in.
Viva Camilla!
Free education in NZ also, we are not getting it, at least the gifted and otherwise “deserving” must get it, but we now have fee payments and privatised education in NZ.
Division and segregation rule in NZ, once a country supposedly “egalitarian”, what a sick joke the present reality is.
Victor Jara – Chile, one of the assasinated by fascist general Pinochet, an interesting audio with his popular songs:
Victor Jara –
Yo no canto por cantar, etc
Pay respect for one in the “stadium” in Santiago de Chile who were shot, tortured, and disposed off at open sea, off the shores of Chile!
Human rights is one thing, and there are other reasons, sadly too many in NZ are too scared to take a stand, while civil rights and so are transgressed daily, where are you Kiwis, got to care, do you care??? Too busy with America’s Cup, rugby and self fulfilling careers? I once thought this country stood for something, apparently no more?!
Viva el pueblo unida!!
Shame on MOST NZ and NZers – for cowardice and never speaking out and up, it is the endless repeat of shame, that is what I see and read here and on every NZ blog! I wish I had never come back to this horrible and soulless place!
Sorry, distress has many words, sometimes over the top, and I suffer from ill health that expresses itself as above at times. I must admit that there are progressive people in this country, but sadly also many that do not care so much, and it is the latter that tend to drive me to despair and harsh criticism.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xRJ6jbCv1o
Viva Chile, viva Victor Jara!
Few understand, but this is the subtle voice of peace and social unity, who cares these days, especially in NZ??
People who stand up, take a solid stand, dare to be hit and attacked, and stand their ground, and fight back, that is what free and democratic societies are made of, I see nonone in this country be gutful enough to care and take a stand! X
@ xtasy …you are being heard!!!!!…..many NZers have great sympathy for what the Chilean people went through after Allende was assasinated and under Pinochet…..In my 20s I used to work in a department building on the Terrace in Wellington with an older Chilean communist leader who was left for dead in Chile after a gunshot to the head….(he still had the scars)…..but was smuggled out by his friends ……and eventually came to NZ…He used to come into my office and tell us what had happened in Chile…..He was a very quiet , determined , inspiring man…..very strong
…..It is very hard for people who have never been through what Chileans have been through to understand the trauma……but we are sympathetic!!!!!.
….. To really get understanding it is best you talk to other Chileans who have been through the same thing
Thanks USA
And UK/Thatcher of course.
They have buckets of blood at their hands, as we know, but it is all “legal” according to “their laws”. Sad this is, what is though nothing new in the world, and which history proves.
Chooky – I despair at times, hence my “ranting” again last night. I met three young Chileans tonight, at a supermarket in Downtown Auckland. I had a chat and mentioned Camilla Vallejo, the former student leader there, and they all know her, and they all liked her! They had nothing good to say about the way capitalism is applied there.
Yes, I met a few Chileans on my travels, also in NZ. What excites me about Chile is that there people do dare to go out on the streets, and take a vocal stand, young and old. Of course the capitalist system that is out of control keeps many intimidated, also in Chile. Also Chileans love music and culture, and I respect them very much for that.
I am doing my bit of “stirring” up emotions and ideas, to hopefully get more locals here woken up and also take a stand, as you appear to be doing very well already.
A friend of mine has just been dealt out an appalling decision by the Health and Disability Commissioner, letting off the hook the worst hatchet doctor in Auckland, that is a WiNZ hatchet doctor. This will go public soon, and he will be named and shamed!
So he went out this afternoon to do a personal protest outside the HDC Office in Queen Street. We need much more of this to happen, otherwise we will lose the battle to commerce, the corrupt government and more.
Kia kaha all!
@ xtasy….keep in touch with those vibrant Chileans… they know how to party and dance and make music and enjoy life!!!!…..NZers, many of us originated from that Blairite nation of “small shop keepers” …. but also have the Maori warrior class gene and the Celts’ …..So initially and superficially we may seem to be a bit ‘slow’ ….but once the going gets tough ……then…..(as was shown in the ’81 Springbok Tour)….the tough get going