[Please note, we are trialling something new for Open Mike and Daily Review.
In order to keep OM and DR free for other conversations, all comments, link postings etc about the US election now need to go in the dedicated US election discussion here.
If you are unsure, post in that thread rather than here. It’s not possible for moderators to shift comments from OM to there, so any comments here may get deleted.
The housing crisis is really hitting home around here. Next door sold within 10 days of being on the market, a sharp contrast considering it was on the market for a couple of months a few years back before being sold. Welcome to Motueka, most of the ‘for sale’ signs have sold stickers on them.
My sister is about to find herself homeless, the investor that owns the rental she is in decided to put it on the market, it sold within 10 days. She’s been looking for anything for her and her son for the last 4 weeks, she has two weeks left to find some where, but there is nowhere, rentals are let out within hours of being advertised, she’s even going to open homes to ask real estate agents if a property investors are potential buyers, she’s doing everything she can to find a home.
I’m now cleaning out one of my garages, lucky it’s coming into summer. Her son has one term left at primary school, my place is 30 mins away on the open road to his school, changing his school at this stage is not an option. Did I mention she is working?
Housing crisis is causing massive mental health issues and stress for so many, it’s not just an Auckland issue, I’ve never seen my sister so stressed, and she is just one working parent with a child, it’s heartbreaking.
Thanks but she does not live in Motueka, she lives in Richmond.
A quick look on trade me says there are 2 places with 2 bedrooms in her price range, but Tapawera is 45mins on the open road away from her sons school.
There are 4 places in her price range on trade me, but they are all one bedrooms. JS
Do you have any rentals in Richmond James?
She is my sister by love not by blood, sadly her mum has passed away, I’m all she has. Planting a massive vege garden this year, excess veges are given away free at my gate, it’s all part of making a good community
Good for you on all counts Cinny. I hope you all find a better way soon, and it’s heartening to hear about what you do to make it work in the meantime. James’ comment was incredibly ignorant, and worse, the whole implied neoliberal slant of you’re not trying hard enough, I know what’s best, has just been shown up by your generosity, self-reliance, and ingenuity. Kia kana.
IKR, I’m like sheez if this is taking such a toll on her, one can only begin to imagine the stress for thousands like her, and those with children. And how can renters have the security of a home with speculators flicking off properties for gain, worries about the residents, profit over people. It’s a disgrace.
The housing crisis is a reality for white middle class NZ, among thousands of others hurting. Landlords are taking the cream with accommodation supplements aplenty, and the ability to pick and choose crippling rent prices. The outgoing government does nothing, no capital gains, no rent caps, nothing to prevent speculators milking the system for all they can, no matter where in the world they reside.
Hi Garth Barefoot, made any more donations to the outgoing government? No doubt your real estate empire will be making a very tidy profit.
This is what i have been saying for the longest time.
It is not only AKL it is everywhere.
And the move out of Auckland (insert what ever other city might apply) and move to the country side is not helping as it fucks up the housing market there.
Fact is there are not enough houses in NZ to keep up with standard population growth and continued unrestricted migration (those that come to live and work and those the only come to buy a speculation object or several).
yep it is unacceptable that so many desperate people make the choice they do and the families, loved ones and whānau left behind with so many questions and effects that do resonate through generations.
Kia kaha to all.”
[sorry marty, short of deleting the conversation below (which we try not to do) I can’t do much to put it elsewhere. Thanks for reposting. – weka]
I’m sorry – (and this is not aimed specifically at the poster above) it pisses me off when people on this blog use sucicide stats to have a crack at the government yet are happy to tell people on here to do things like hang themselves should they have a different view to them.
This behaviour has generally gone unchecked by other posters – as opposed to trying to stop bullying behaviour that can actually lead people to self harm.
but sadly for some posters on here – telling a righty to kill themselves is all good. As I have said before – I hope they never have to live with that kind of pain in their family – it’s a hard way to learn what damage their actions can cause.
“Richardrawshark 9.1.1.1
16 June 2016 at 11:55 am
I think fisi BM Bob, Little’s words that you are on about were “bla bla this deal LOOKS dodgy”.
I remember the interview very well
At no time did he come out in public saying it WAS a dirty deal.
Then Hagaman threatened a law suit if he didn’t retract, well why would he the deal looks dodgy. It’s just a statement of fact.
You guys are pathetic. hang yourselves, it’ll be easier now than after the election when the NZ public massively vote red green or anything but blue.”
[Right, you’ve provide one example below. Now you need to provide two more examples in the next hour (you seem to think ‘people’ not person are doing this), and provide the actual links this time so I can see the context. As a moderator I am interested in anyone telling other commenters to kill themselves and anyone here can bring that to the moderators attention.
However it is completely unacceptable to do it in the way you have done as a major derailment of an incredibly serious topic. At the least, you could have started a new subthread, and taken more care in how you brought this up. Whatever grievance you have about being abused on this site (you’ve commented on this before), it doesn’t take precedence over the people reading OM today who have had someone they love commit suicide.
It is also not ok to tell lump all commenters into one mass and then make out they are responsible for others’ behaviour e.g. saying that people who comment on suicide also tell people to kill themselves. I am going to ban you for a time, but want to see the links first. You also own marty an apology – weka]
I don’t know if it counts but does someone thinking it’d be hilarious if I got HIV count, I mean I know its not the same as telling someone to go hang themselves but its getting up there
So no, you don’t care to know if, or not, there are children as a result of your irresponsible behaviour.
Wouldn’t it be hilarious if, in the fullness of time, you discovered you have HIV.
(but you know sometimes you have a little too much to drink…)
Maui is right
“We’ve seen all this from rwinger men before. Eww.”
And yuck
[no, it doesn’t count. James was referring to people telling others to kill themselves. That’s not what Brigid said. Also she appears to be being sarcastic to make a point in the middle of somewhat contentious exchange. It was a rude thing to say but I wouldn’t have moderated that myself unless there was an escalation of abuse going on. Honestly, if we moderated everyone who was rude like that, we’d be at it all day and we’d basically be controlling what the conversation was. No-one wants that unless there is a bloody good reason. I probably would have moderated the go hang yourself one by placing a warning. – weka]
The thing was though as I said numerous times on the thread (probably didn’t seem important I guess)
Puckish Rogue 7.2.1.1
16 September 2016 at 9:34 am
Did you happen to notice this sentence by any chance?
“But yeah the law should be amended at the very least or dropped altogether and hopefully National will”
See I thought that was pretty clear but I guess not
followed by
Puckish Rogue 8.1.1.2.1
16 September 2016 at 10:20 am
Well first off I don’t know that I have any, I was usually pretty good with protection (but you know sometimes you have a little too much to drink…) so I don’t know that I have any
Secondly as I stated previously:
“But yeah the law should be amended at the very least or dropped altogether and hopefully National will”
So I guess the answer is I’d like the law to get dropped then my taxes can towards paying all solo mums fairly
And as for pointing out the consequences of my actions (from over a decade ago) you don’t think that contracting HIV is a tad over the top?
This just illustrates my points later on, people didn’t even bother to note that I was supportive of solo parents getting paid fairly but instead people focused on the supposed “nasty” comments I made (whoever here hasn’t had a one night stand or unprotected sex then please feel free to cast the first stone) to justify their own actions
They pointed out a consequence of your own behaviour…
So, if someone was to comment that it’s hilarious when gays or IV drug users get HIV, they’d just be helpfully pointing out a consequence of those people’s behaviour? I don’t think so.
…that you see it as threatening or bullying is interesting.
That you see it as anything other than abusive is interesting. I don’t have any great complaint to make against abusive comments, but let’s not pretend they’re something different from what they are.
Show me where I had a “crack at the government” above. In fact I didn’t mention them at all.
What pisses me off is rwnj’s who shit all over serious topics because they are too thick and dim to just stfu about things they don’t or can’t understand or care about.
Far from shitting over serious topics – this is close to my heart and I take it very seriously. Sadly I know a bit about it.
I stated that I wasn’t talking specifically about you. I was simply building on your comment.
But – hey good on you – someone talks about the bully behaviour on this blog (as opposed to robust debate) and the damage it can cause and you counter with “take your bullshit and fuck off”
I don’t want anyone to commit suicide, even RWNJ…… So maybe you can ask your leader ShonKey to focus on the people, not just his money and power……. And leave little girls hair alone as well….. Fkn creepy.
Ive never communicated with John Key – so not much I can do there – but I DO communicate with people on blogs – why not start there?
Whats wrong with a “bottom up” approach to helping people, to stop behaviour which can cause such terrible outcomes.
Would we not be better as a society for this?
People are happy to call out “rape apologist”, but in general are happy to go with a pack mentality to “attack” others who they dont agree with. Isnt that just as bad?
Inclined to agree with james here, there is a serious problem of bullying on this site, not a good look at all, you moderators need to get together and sort out a code and then apply it consistantly and to everyone, including yourselves
[don’t tell the moderators/authors what to do. Reread the Policy. You and James will now both take yourselves out of this subthread or expect to be banned. See my comment above. If you want to discuss moderation policy on ts, this is NOT the way to do – weka]
Then don’t say nasty and stupid things. Then people would not have to resort to calling you Tory scum, wingnuts, rwnj and other descriptions which fix so well.
You have to admit it is ironic that you get upset when it gets dished back, but many wingnuts are happy to dish it out. Boohoo, is it sad that the poor little leftists have a spin. Sad little Tory rebates finding that hard are they, cry me a river.
Politics is a bit of hardball, if you want it to be nice a cuddly, then stop voting Tory, because the only reaction to the reactionaries is to come out fighting or give up. Remember it’s Tory wind bags like you, who support the creepy one, and his flock of incompetent ministers…
Actually I think we err far too much on the side of robust instead of on building a place where we can learn things, and things can change. At times this place looks like a straight out den of whack the RWer. People see that and stay away and we miss many voices that should be otherwise heard. That includes lefties and righties and people who aren’t on the spectrum.
I agree weka, but most of the time it is driven from some pretty nasty comments to begin with.
Many comments from the Tory club I just find stupid, and as such, I leave alone. But more than a few are actually just nasty, these need to be responded to. It’s not so much whack a Tory rebate, it’s call them out for there repeated nastiness and bereft reasoning.
I for one, am sick of the continued calumny that pours forth from too many Tory commentators on this site.
I disagree, I think adam is justifying his own actions by deciding how I post irrespective of my own intentions
As I posted below if he thinks what I post is nasty then I must be nasty which “allows” him to post nasty replies back
and of course its all the nasty torys fault:
“But more than a few are actually just nasty, these need to be responded to. It’s not so much whack a Tory rebate, it’s call them out for there repeated nastiness and bereft reasoning.”
No I think you use these supposed transgressions as an excuse to vent your spleen.
You dismiss peoples opinions that you disagree with as wind ups, nasty or stupid yet not even considering that the people posting them actually believe those opinions and because those opinions are “nasty” then the people posting them are “nasty” which justifies your comments
Incorrect Robby, I could say that your contribution to this thread is trolling, that you are a troll and you may (or may not be) but I don’t really know what your intentions are, only you know for sure
So adam can say I’m nasty or whatever to justify his own actions but only I know what my intentions are and its on him when he misinterprets what I (or other people he disagrees with) say
What the matter Puckish, feeling a bit exposed that people got your number?
Don’t feel to bad, we all have patterns – yours are just a bit more obvious than most.
I was not actually saying you are nasty Puckish, actually you are one of the Tories here who says the least nasty or stupid things. You play a different game. Again, back to patterns.
But come on Puckish you call people when they say stupid things, is it that the Tory flock, are a bit thin skinned…
“What the matter Puckish, feeling a bit exposed that people got your number?”
– If I had a dollar for everytime someone said they had my number I’d have a lot more money then I do now
“Don’t feel to bad, we all have patterns – yours are just a bit more obvious than most. ”
– Theres that assumption again…
“I was not actually saying you are nasty Puckish, actually you are one of the Tories here who says the least nasty or stupid things. You play a different game. Again, back to patterns.”
– Well thank you for that, a while back there were some posts on how the site was becoming nasty (especially towards females) so I took some of the stuff on board and have, somewhat, altered the way I post
I’ve actively stopped mentioning anything negative about peoples looks or bodies
As soon as theres anything to do with rape, sexual assault etc then I tread very warily around the subject or indeed not post at all
Basically I’ve tried to improve what I post and how I post it because if we want this site to be a certain way then all of us have to do our part, it shouldn’t be up to the moderators only to police things around here
Essentially I have rule that I only post what I’d be willing to say out loud, in a group setting
“But come on Puckish you call people when they say stupid things, is it that the Tory flock, are a bit thin skinned…”
– If I had major problems with what people said about here I wouldn’t come back but I do think that the occasional threats of violence, death or just plain nastiness that happens is maybe a bit much, robust sure but come on the whole “up against the wall” thing that some (hello Millsy) on here seem to yearn for isn’t going to happen anytime soon
“Okay, thanks for the opportunity, Pucky, I’ll take it.
Have you played the wind up game with people – then played the poor me card?”
Quick answer is no if you mean I’ve wound up people on purpose then played the poor me card
However if we break the question down separately like have I wound people up and played the poor me card then to the first part of the question, yes sometimes depending on the situation but not as often as most people think and probably as much as most others on here do (much like yourself at times)
To the second part I’ll say probably, I mean I can’t think of any times but I’ve also been posting for a very long time so at some point I might have
Now that’s a completely 100% honest answer but I’m curious if anyone will say I’m wrong
“Disarming answer there, Pucky, thanks for making the effort. Tell me, if you will, do you regard saying here, “National will win in 2017” a wind-up?”
A good question, the type of question that might help explain some things.
If I came on here and said National will win in 2017 and I didn’t think they would then yes I’d consider that a wind up as I’m saying something I don’t believe merely to get a reaction out of the posters
However I do believe that National will win in 2017 (most likely in coalition with NZFirst) so its not a wind up because that’s what I think is going to happen
” so its not a wind up because that’s what I think is going to happen”
Here we differ and I suspect others here will feel as I do. Just because you think a certain thing doesn’t justify your repeating it often on a site where most readers and commentors sincerely hope for the opposite of “what you think”. In any case, you are not prefacing your claim with, “I think”, you are usually making the claim bald, as if it was true. I’m certain that you are not a practiced and successful crystal ball gazer, and so your declaration comes across as arrogant, provocative and a wind-up. But you must know this already, Pucky.
Ok thats reasonable but I also normally explain why I think the way I do so its not like I go National will win and then bugger off
“I’m certain that you are not a practiced and successful crystal ball gazer, and so your declaration comes across as arrogant, provocative and a wind-up. But you must know this already, Pucky.”
Its only perceived that way because I’m on the right of the political spectrum, if I posted in the same way but from a left view nobody would say a word
If, as some posters on here seem to want, all right voting posters on here were banned all you’d end up with is Red Alert 2.0 and I don’t think anyone wants that
Hell there are posters on here that want CV gone, is that what you really want, an echo chamber?
In any case, you are not prefacing your claim with, “I think”, you are usually making the claim bald, as if it was true.
There was a running gag on The Good Wife of a judge who demanded lawyers add “in my opinion” to any assertions they made, because it would be unreasonable to expect the court to recognise that assertions rather than expressions of proven facts were being made. Thanks for volunteering Robert, but you’re really going to have your work cut out for you making everyone preface their claims with “I think.” Er… in my opinion.
Psycho Milt – that’s right, requiring an “I think” before every statement would be unnecessary, however, in Pucky’s case, where he is using his “Key will win, Little will lose” regularly, it would be good manners for him to use the preface, as a sign of good faith. He’s moderated his behaviour significantly in recent months and there’s no reason, I believe, why he wouldn’t do us all the favour of qualifying his most irritating claims with a modest, “I think”. Of course, he doesn’t have to do what I suggest, but I’ve noticed that he wants to fit in better, not attract ire and be accepted as a reasonable commenter and adopting my suggestion would help a great deal, in my opinion.
How about this for an idea Robby, how about we all assume that there’s an invisible I think or In my opinion before every statement on this site, you might not see it but its always there…
Ok Robby lets make a bet on the next election if you’re so confident…
When National wins you, at your earliest convenience of course, praise Nationals win and admit that I, Puckish Rogue was right all along and that my predictions are accurate
If Labour win…I’ll praise Labours victory and admit I got it wrong and that my predictions are as accurate as Martin Bradburys
In this instance winning means being part of the next government of course
Cross his palm with silver and Pucky the Mysterious will reveal the True Secrets of Your Future! Be Amazed by Pucky’s Powers, see Up-Coming Events through Pucky’s All-Seeing Eye! Be Be-Dazzled by the Swirling Miasma in Pucky’s Cryptic Crystal Ball. Swoon at the Confidence the All-Knowing Pucky the Mysterious exudes.
* Quality of experience may vary. Satisfaction not guaranteed.
“Then don’t say nasty and stupid things. Then people would not have to resort to calling you Tory scum, wingnuts, rwnj and other descriptions which fix so well.”
Its in your DNA adam…nasty is the automatic go to when someone does not agree with your world views.
As for me I don’t care about any “name calling” I do have a little fun by calling certain people here far left activists 🙂 However the truth of the matter is most NZ’ers are not far left nor far right, rather someone in the middle of those two extremes.
Kept in mind at the end of the day we all need to get along with each other. And that means with people whom do not share the same political leanings as you may do.
So says the conspiracy theorist. You Chucky hide behind civility and an attempt at moderation to justify your hate and use it to have a go at people. Which is funny, you fall in the catagory of stupid most of the time, as you fall for conspiracy theories, or make them up.
So sorry Chucky you are one of the rwnj I try and avoid, except for the occasional reminder to people that you are a hard right conspiracy theorist.
Its in your DNA adam…nasty is the automatic go to when someone does not agree with your world views.
The problem with that argument is that it’s pretty nasty to tell someone that they are genetically predestined to be nasty. What shall we attribute your nastiness to then?
Chuck is a right-wing troll who does not know when to use ‘whom’. He is a hostile who pretends to be an affable mate. I recommend avoidance of contact. Adam – you can see how he misconstrues victories for himself? You are dead right about him.
“He is a hostile who pretends to be an affable mate”
“I recommend avoidance of contact.”
Maybe you would feel safer if I and a large portion of the population are made to wear an arm band…so you and adam know to avoid us when walking down the street 🙂
I think you need to get out of the class room and into the real world.
“Heavens In Vino”
Give it an apostrophe and you’re saying what many people happily believe, Chuck. There’s a lot of truth in Vino’s comment (I’m sure I know his sister, Veritas).
OK I have (re) read the policy. Now I have a genuine question please treat it as such, (even if i have stupedly missed something)
Question : What is the approved process/venue to discuss or raise issues of moderator guidelines/conduct here
[thanks xanthe, I’ve got stuff to do, will reply later – weka]
There isn’t a process, exactly. But if you disagree with a mod’s decision, you can try putting a case via email at thestandardnz@gmail.com. That approach might result, for example, in a ban being shortened.
Generally speaking, the rule of thumb is that the other mods do not overrule a mod’s decision. So if you piss a mod off, expect to have to cop a ban. Whining about it is unlike to change the result.
Bear in mind, all authors and mods are volunteers. We don’t get paid for this and we have to put up with a lot of crap to keep this joint rockin’. The commenters are important to us, but so are the many thousands who just read the posts. We moderate to make sure this site is worth reading, so occasionally that means making decisions like ending a thread because it’s degenerating.
If you really want to influence the moderation on site, start writing posts, become an author, and eventually you’ll get to mod yourself and see how much of a challenge it is.
Thanks TRP I want to make it clear that this is not about challenging any specific ban. I totally get that you have a volunteer job to do and its not an easy task. I actually think that thestandard is an important part of the new zealand political discourse and my sole motive is to assist you in reaching and holding as wide an audence and engagement as possible. I am more concerned with the interactions that lead to a ban. and the methods availiable to the moderators to “moderate” discussion that is veering towards abuse so that it dosnt get to the ban stage.
i will email the address you have given and say no more here for now
What I’ve noticed (on both left and right wing blogs) is that when someone with a differing view comes along then the other side feel “justified” in saying really nasty stuff to that person, stuff they wouldn’t normally say because they consider themselves a “good” person but its almost as if they’ve decided the other person “deserves” it
You can see echoes of it when a female commentator dares to speak up and men, lets be honest its mostly men, say really horrendous things to her
Different people have different ideas as to what constitutes “nasty” – I tend to swear in real life, so don’t particularly care about it. Call me “fuckface” and I’ll forget about it in moments (just after retaliation 🙂 ).
What surprises me are the number of people who come out with contemptable views who then get upset about me calling them a fuckwit, well before I’m really trying to get personal. Note that I didn’t say “differing views”.
Someone who comes to a blogsite with a known large left-wing/progressive group of commenters and calls the poor “parasites” is looking to wind people up. Fisiani’s blatant lying is also an example.
The moderators do a pretty good job of keeping responses legal and the general abuse trolls out, in my opinion.
What I’ve noticed on the better blogs I’ve seen (not that I read a lot) is that the folks who say “really nasty stuff” just because someone has differing views have an extremely short lifespan on the site, mostly due to moderators but also from community response.
James’ comment was “This behaviour has generally gone unchecked by other posters”. In my opinion that’s bullshit – one or two might slip through everybody’s attention (probably because by that time nobody but the two foes are reading the thread any more), but mods crack down on that shit here and if they don’t, commenters will try to bring it to the mods’ attention.
Which is exactly what happened in the single instance that James pointed to, and it was in fact yourself in the comments that took Richard to task for what he did. From a moderators perspective (this one at least), that’s great because it’s less work for me.
Would you consider this kind of comment on the nasty end of the scale? (I would)
“What pisses me off is rwnj’s who shit all over serious topics because they are too thick and dim to just stfu about things they don’t or can’t understand or care about.
I mean, what about it is nasty? Sure, there are rude words. It’s definitely passionate. I wouldn’t say it’s any nastier than telling someone who asks a basic question to RTFM.
It’s definitely not as nasty as taking a pretty apolitical and straight-up comment about NZ’s tragic suicide rate, an issue that has probably affected most commenters here via friends and loved ones, and then “building on” that comment with an unsubstantiated snipe that on this blog telling those with differing views to kill themselves has “generally gone unchecked”. Which was the context of your quote.
As I say, rude words might be distasteful, but some of the nastiest shit that I read online was written with surface courtesy and polite language.
I can’t see anything there that tells the moderator that you are RW (I assume that’s what you are referring to).
Further, you’ve hardly been censored. You’ve had two instances of what I assume were the same word removed and been told you’re stepping over the line. Your comment seems designed entirely to have a go at someone in a put down way. What was the point other than that?
Without knowing what the word was, I can’t say if the warning was for something considered offensive, or because you were seen as deliberately winding someone up. Either way it happens on both sides of the spectrum (I’ve moderated lefties recently too).
Seriously, if RWers here believe they are being unfairly moderated due to their politics, you need to put up some actual evidence, because at the moment you just seem like you’re annoyed at being moderated.
btw, you can use google to find phrases, or use google site search for things that are more obscure.
…
19 October 2016 at 3:07 pm (Edit)
Would you consider this kind of comment on the nasty end of the scale? (I would)
“What pisses me off is rwnj’s who shit all over serious topics because they are too thick and dim to just stfu about things they don’t or can’t understand or care about.
You James can take your bullshit and fuck off.”
I’m actually curious what you find problematic with that.
You’ll note the policy is against pointless abuse.
The trick is to make an associated point more explicit as the abuse becomes less “oblique” (I’m not sure you were quite as subtle as you think if that’s the example). Think of it like a bank balance: the more developed your point, the more you can spend in the way of abuse, right up until you hit the card limit for daily withdrawals and they ban your arse 🙂
While I would rarely hold myself up to be an example of ideal behaviour, I’ve commented here for years and don’t recall ever getting a ban. I’ve certainly been warned a couple of times (Bill was within a hairsbreadth of banning me once), but generally survived.
BTW, I tend to google with “site:thestandard.org.nz” when the site search engine is down. Not as useful, but gets one there eventually 🙂
Pucky … I think you may have participated in group bullying while being rude to Penny …… from memory
And have you not read the stuff of BM , Ross ……. and james when they talk about and smear strippers ????
Rape apology central with those three dicks posting ………
Did you hear about how it took two brave children not even old enough to vote to stop our devious prime minister promoting to a judicial role the most creepy thing/man to crawl out of the new zealand police force since clint rickards ???……..
Perhaps you have heard of roastbusters ?????…. and the police dishonesty and inaction regarding it ….
Or how about Customs officers sexually assaulting females who are visiting people the Government does not like ……………..
I can not remember you condemning any of the above …..
Your concern for females feels hollow and false to me ……………. based on your own actions and approval or indifference towards the cruelty served up by people like Collins & key
Did you speak up when Key twisted the words of Cunliffe speaking out against men beating women and children ??? ……
hi marty, i read yr post last night and it is grim reading.
i am wary of commenting too much for fear of being misinformed or causing pain to others.
while i agree we do not need to lionize victims of suicide (haka at school assembly), i do not think the current policy of remaining silent is working.
from reading around, one of the most cited causes of distress and pain, leading to suicide seems to be feeling isolated from people/community.
sometimes having someone to listen makes a huge difference.
it is hard to comprehend the cutting of funding to youthline and other services which are often the first port of call for someone in distress.
“while i agree we do not need to lionize victims of suicide (haka at school assembly), i do not think the current policy of remaining silent is working. ”
Yep gsays it is a real tough one – on one hand we don’t want to be seen to glorify suicide and on the other we don’t want to not talk about it. In my work with these individuals – validation of their right to their feelings, listening without trying to shove solutions at them, and helping them build new skills which create other options and choices can work. But it all takes time and if we miss the small envelope they can be lost – the reduction in funding is a nationwide emergency imo.
Apparently they are called ‘completed suicides’, there are many more attempts (incomplete suicides) & people who are considering it (& all the self harmers?), which all added up must be a huge amount for our tiny population. How do our stats compare to a city of 4 million I wonder?
Yep the suicide attempts and self harming incidents are through the roof in terms of numbers both gross and percentage wise. And the coroners have quite specific criteria before they call it a suicide which again reduces the statistics. I can’t imagine anyone in this country who isn’t affected by suicide and/or (I’m putting this in here because they are on the same continuum) self harming.
…and given recent Posts and discussions on this site which are primarily attacking Trump …eg this is a typical statement “Like a great many women and a fair amount of men too, I’m disgusted (but not surprised) with the misogyny expressed by Trump.”
This is study is interesting:
‘Women more likely to use misogynistic terms online, report finds’
“Women in the UK and US are more likely to use misogynist language on social media than men, according to the results of a four-year study.
The research was carried out by the social media research firm Brandwatch and looked at 19 million tweets over a four-year period to assess the levels of anti-woman sentiment expressed online.
The study found that over that period there were 3 million posts which contained terms abusive to women – with women most likely to have posted them…
The report was carried out for anti-bullying charity Ditch The Label, and found that words like “bitch,” “cow” and “slut” had passed into common usage by women online…
He said the huge rise in income inequality in the 1980s and 1990s was not just a historical event. Its social impact continued to this day, and people were increasingly recognising the damage that poverty was doing, he said.
“The biggest issue I have is The New Zealand Initiative seems completely oblivious to the point that even if the big increase in inequality was in the 1980s and 1990s, and hasn’t worsened since then, it still has big implications for the country today.
“They seem to think that if something happened in the past it doesn’t matter. It is really quite an extraordinary way of looking at the issue,” Rashbrooke said.
Good grief, that’s making my head spin. Conspiracy upon conspiracy.
The thing that stands out for me is that for such an elaborate plot they did some very stupid things e.g. the ranty/rambly nature of the post on the dating website. Plus the details in the story were weird if they were made up, and weird if they were true (by true I don’t mean the accusations, I mean that the main players are actual people in real life).
Still don’t know which bits had actions in RL and which were completely happening in cyberspace e.g. is the dating agency real or not?
Yeah I saw that, but I prefer to have something in addition to wikileaks or Assange’s lawyers backing that up. Call me cynical (not saying they are lying, just that I don’t trust them as a source to that degree).
OMG! I thought you were joking, good job, that list MP has done enough damage. Can’t think of any in the outgoing government whom have the slightest interest in education. Please please please NickOff follow her lead and bugger off too.
If you listen you will be able to hear the cheers in school staff rooms around the nation this lunch time 😀
You will see a big change in Cabinet before the next election. John Key has so much talent on the backbench and you can expect that a few Ministers will opt to retire to make way for a fresh face.
Parata is not the only senior Minister who has advised John Key that they want out of politics.
Watch for the promotion of Alfred Ngaro,Brett Hudson , Mark Mitchell, Scott Simpson , Paul Foster-Bell, Chris Bishop , Barbara Kuriger,Todd Muller, Alistair Scott to name but a few.
Brett Hudson, the ‘low profile’ List MP based in Ōhāriu whom the Nat’s put up against Dunne last election. Sales and account management background. Older fella.
Mark Mitchell the Rodney MP ex police man whom was said to have hired Simon Lusk whom went on to collaborate with Slater in an attempt to discredit Mitchells political opponents. I wonder if Mitchells email account is now secure lolz
Scott Simpson the MP for Coromandel whom loves to meet up with Donhua Liu, he received a $5000 donation from the controversial Chinese-born property developer for his 2011 election campaign, after meeting Liu about 10 times, including a couple of dinner dates. Connections with Lusk to it’s been said.
Barbara Kuriger, MP for Taranaki-King Country, and a shareholder in 2 family owned farming businesses, ex dairy board. Wonder if her and Judith compare notes?
Todd Muller MP for Bay of Plenty, former Zespri and Fonterra executive and asker of Patsy Questions. What has he done for his voters?
Alastair Scott is MP for Wairarapa and also owner of Matahiwi Estate winery and a former banker, I wonder what his agenda is?
Dang, it appears there is nothing new about this lot, more of the same, more executives, farmers and bankers looking after their own. Wonder what they have done for NZ or their local voters since coming into parliament?
[if it refers to Trump, it’s about the election. Please put it up in the discussion thread. I’ll leave this one here until you do, then delete it. See the bold at top and bottom of thread. Mods can’t move comments out of OM (except to trash). If in doubt stick it in the other thread. Thanks for checking – weka]
ACCI comes out swinging against the aspects of the Trans Pacific Partnership
“Australia’s biggest business organisation has distanced itself from claims the proposed Trans Pacific Partnership will create hundreds of thousands of jobs and be a “gigantic foundation stone” for Australia’s future.”
Not the person or place I expect these kind of comments..sent by a friend.
“I am not an economist but I have come to the conclusion that central banks collectively have now indeed lost the plot. The whole point of their independence was that they could be brave enough to make people confront reality. Yet in reality they are blowing up a bubble of make-believe money to avoid immediate pain, except for penalising the poor and the prudent.
Not important but every Spring I have serious hay fever through to December at least. But none this year. First time in my life.
Anyone else ab-normal strikes?
[In order to keep OM and DR free for other conversations, all comments, link postings etc about the US election now need to go in the dedicated US election discussion here.
If you are unsure, post in that thread rather than here. It’s not possible for moderators to shift comments from OM to there, so any comments here may get deleted – weka]
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 ...
TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Tuesday, March 19:Kāinga Ora’s dry rot The Spinoff DailyBill McKibben on ‘Climate Superfunds’ making Big Oil pay for climate damage The Crucial YearsPreston Mui on returning to 1980s-style productivity growth NoahpinionAndy Boenau on NIMBYs needing unusual bedfellows Urbanism SpeakeasyNed Resnikoff's case ...
Negative yesterday, negative today. Negative all year, according to one departing reader telling me I’ve grown strident and predictable. Fair enough. If it’s any help, every time I go to write about a certain topic that begins with C and ends with arrrrs, I do brace myself and ask: Again? Are ...
Bryce Edwards writes – It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just show a minimal amount of flux in public support ...
Inspirational: The Family of Man is a glorious hymn to human equality, but, more than that, it is a clarion call to human freedom. Because equality, unleavened by liberty, is a broken piano, an unstrung harp; upon which the songs of fraternity will never be played.“Somebody must have been telling lies about ...
Tax Lawyer Barbara Edmonds vs Emperor Justinian I- Nolo Contendere: False historical explanations of pivotal events are very far from being inconsequential.WHEN BARBARA EDMONDS made reference to the Roman Empire, my ears pricked up. It is, lamentably, very rare to hear a politician admit to any kind of familiarity ...
It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just show a minimal amount of flux in public support for the various parties in ...
Buzz from the Beehive Housing Minister Chris Bishop delivered news – packed with the ingredients to enflame political passions – worthy of supplanting Winston Peters in headline writers’ priorities. He popped up at the post-Cabinet press conference to promise a crackdown on unruly and antisocial state housing tenants. His ...
Ele Ludemann writes – The Reserve Bank is advertising for a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion advisor. The Bank has one mandate – to keep inflation between one and three percent. It has failed in that and is only slowly getting inflation back down to the upper limit. Will it ...
Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency Waka KotahiThe fact that a ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Gavin Jacobson talks to Thomas Piketty 10 years on from Capital in the 21st CenturyThe SalvoLocal scoop: Green MP’s business being investigated over migrant exploitation claims StuffSteve KilgallonLocal deep-dive: The commercial contractors making money from School ...
It’s a home - but Kāinga Ora tenants accused of “abusing the privilege” may lose it. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Government announced a crackdown on Kāinga Ora tenants who were unruly and/or behind on their rent, with Housing Minister Chris Bishop saying a place in a state ...
This is a guest post by Connor Sharp of Surface Light Rail Light rail in Auckland: A way forward sooner than you think With the coup de grâce of Auckland Light Rail (ALR) earlier this year, and the shift of the government’s priorities to roads, roads, and more roads, it ...
Note: As a paid-up Webworm member, I’ve recorded this Webworm as a mini-podcast for you as well. Some of you said you liked this option - so I aim to provide it when I get a chance to record! Read more ...
TL;DR: In my ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Monday, March 18:IKEA is accused of planting big forests in New Zealand to green-wash; REDD-MonitorA City for People takes a well-deserved victory lap over Wellington’s pro-YIMBY District Plan votes; A City for PeopleSteven Anastasiou takes a close look at the sticky ...
Buzz from the Beehive Here’s hoping for a lively post-cabinet press conference when the PM and – perhaps – some of his ministers tell us what was discussed at their meeting today. Until then, Point of Order has precious little Beehive news to report after its latest monitoring of the ...
David Farrar writes – We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how labour went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promiseThe result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
I’m a bit worried that I’ve started a previous newsletter with the words “just when you think they couldn’t get any worse…” Seems lately that I could begin pretty much every issue with that opening. Such is the nature of our coalition government that they seem to be outdoing each ...
Geoffrey Miller writes – Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. ...
Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
“I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
.“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
“It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet – is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
Bob Edlin writes – And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ HeraldThomas CoughlanSimeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
TL;DR:Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it: We want our country to be a ...
The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading → ...
Ele Ludemann writes – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
What was that judge thinking?Peter Williams writes – That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read:Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop:Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
Buzz from the BeehiveThe text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary. It can be quickly analysed ...
For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
Questions need to be asked on both sides of the worldPeter Williams writes – The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read:Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop:The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
TL;DR:Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
Bob Edlin writes – The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
The New Zealand public voted for a change in direction at the 2023 general election and that is exactly what this coalition government has been delivering in its first 100 days. There was an immediate focus on the economy, easing the cost of living, cracking down on law and order ...
The Government has left the health system as an afterthought, announcing half-baked targets at the last minute of their 100-day plan, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
Kiwis are still waiting for their promised cost of living support after 100 days of a National Government that is taking us backwards, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The National Government has spent its first 100 days stopping, cutting and reversing. They have scrapped stuff for stuff for the sake of it, without putting up any solutions of their own – and it’s hardworking New Zealanders who will pay for it. ...
100 days of National taking NZ backwardsThe National Government has spent its first 100 days stopping, cutting and reversing. They have scrapped stuff for stuff for the sake of it, without putting up any solutions of their own – and it’s hardworking New Zealanders who will pay for it. ...
The Government must commit to funding free and healthy school lunches, as thousands of people sign the petition to keep them, education spokesperson Jan Tinetti says. ...
If the Government was serious about moving families into public housing, they would build more houses so there is actually somewhere for people to go. ...
The free and healthy school lunches programme feeds our kids, helps them to learn, and saves families money – but it is at risk under this Government, education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
The Government’s proposed changes to Firearms Prohibition Orders (FPO) add almost nothing new and are merely an attempt to distract from its plans to loosen gun laws, police spokesperson Ginny Andersen and justice spokesperson Dr Duncan Webb said. ...
The great Victorian era English politician Lord Macauley stood in the British House of Parliament and said, "The gallery in which the reporters sit has become a fourth estate of the realm".He understood and outlined even way back then, the significant role and influence media have in a democracy. ...
"The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April. ...
Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand. Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships. “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland Acknowledgements and opening Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says. “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024 Acknowledgements and opening Morena, Nga Mihi Nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country. “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week. “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee. “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today. “The Amendment Paper represents ...
Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level. “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024. “Lower fruit and vege ...
Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all. Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all. Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction. Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness. It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
Former Transport Minister and CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber Hon Simon Bridges has been appointed as the new Board Chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for a three-year term, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced today. “Simon brings extensive experience and knowledge in transport policy and governance to the role. He will ...
Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology. It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says he is looking forward to the day when three key water projects in Northland are up and running, unlocking the full potential of land in the region. Mr Jones attended a community event at the site of the Otawere reservoir near Kerikeri on Friday. ...
Associate Finance Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government has agreed to restore deductibility for mortgage interest on residential investment properties. “Help is on the way for landlords and renters alike. The Government’s restoration of interest deductibility will ease pressure on rents and simplify the tax code,” says ...
Sport and Recreation Minister Chris Bishop will travel to Switzerland today to attend an Executive Committee meeting and Symposium of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Mr Bishop will then travel on to London where he will attend a series of meetings in his capacity as Infrastructure Minister. “New Zealanders believe ...
Pacific Media Watch Earthwise hosts Lois and Martin Griffiths. Earthwise presenters Lois and Martin Griffiths on Plains FM 96.9 community radio talk to Dr David Robie, a New Zealand author, independent journalist and media educator with a passion for the Asia-Pacific region. David talks about the struggle to raise awareness ...
Pacific Media Watch Ismail al-Ghoul, an Al Jazeera Arabic correspondent who was held for 12 hours at Gaza’s al-Shifa hospital, says Israeli forces rounded up Palestinian journalists at the facility and made them kneel on the ground for hours, while naked and blindfolded. “The occupation forces handcuffed and blindfolded us ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tony Wood, Program Director, Energy, Grattan Institute chinasong, Shutterstock Electricity customers in four Australian states can breathe a sigh of relief. After two years in a row of 20% price increases, power prices have finally stabilised. In many places they’re ...
Chumbawamba have reportedly issued the deputy PM a cease-and-desist notice after he used their song 'Tubthumping' before his state of the nation speech. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Deborah Lupton, SHARP Professor, Vitalities Lab, Centre for Social Research in Health and Social Policy Centre, and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society, UNSW Sydney kitzcorner/Shutterstock The assertion from Queensland’s chief health officer John Gerrard that ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Shutterstock Why are musicians so keen to get played on the radio? It can’t be because of the money. In Australia they are paid at rates so low they ...
"Farmers make a point not to tell our urban cousins how to live, yet Chlöe from central Auckland is hell-bent on having her say about farmers," says ACT Rural Communities spokesman Mark Cameron. “On her first day in the House as Green ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards – Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Curran, Associate Professor of Ecology, Lincoln University, New Zealand Getty Images/Gerald Corsi In the latest move to reform environmental laws in New Zealand, the coalition government has introduced a bill to fast-track consenting processes for projects deemed to ...
Uber has argued it does not have as much control over drivers as the unions suggest, and wants a judgment ruling that drivers are employees and not contractors set aside and sent back to the Employment Court. The 2022 ruling followed a three-week hearing in which four drivers sought to ...
What can and can’t be purchased by disabled people or their carers has been slashed in an effort by the Ministry of Disabled People Whaikaha to save money. The purchasing guidelines, a set of rules that sets out what can be purchased using the various streams of Government disability funding, ...
The Treasury has published today a new Analytical Note by Tod Wright and Hien Nguyen, Fiscal incidence in New Zealand: The effects of taxes and benefits on household incomes in tax year 2018/19 . Analyses of the distributional impact of taxation and government ...
The Treasury has published today a new Analytical Note by Cory Davis, Boston Hart and Benjamin Stubbing, Household cost-of-living impacts from the Emissions Trading Scheme and using transfers to mitigate regressive outcomes . This Analytical Note ...
A coalition of public transport and climate organisations, united as ‘Transport for All’, is actively opposing the government’s transport proposals. The draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) includes plans for higher fares for public transport, ...
Greater Wellington is inviting feedback on proposed changes to its Revenue and Financing Policy. The Revenue and Financing Policy covers the Council’s various sources of funding, and how the cost of services is shared across the region. This includes ...
Labour has conceded it could have done more to deal with disruptive state housing tenants while in government but says the current coalition is going too far. ...
The band has asked their record label to issue a cease and desist to stop the NZ First leader using their 1997 hit to support his ‘misguided political views’. “I get knocked down, but I get up again,” blared through the speakers on Sunday as Winston Peters took the stage ...
By Lydia Lewis, RNZ Pacific journalist Food rationing is underway in remote areas in Papua New Guinea’s Highlands following torrential rain and flash flooding. More than 20 people have been reported dead in Chimbu Province. In nearby Enga Province, the centre of last month’s massacre, a 15-year-old boy has been ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Hughes, Lecturer, Research School of Management, Australian National University After months of debate and intrigue, the AFL’s 19th and newest team, the Tasmania Devils, finally launched its jumper, logo and colours in Devonport this week. The Devils will wear green, ...
Brannavan Gnanalingam reviews the debut novel by Saraid de Silva.One of the most baffling things for children who move to a new country is what their parents’ (or grandparents’) lives were like prior to moving – for kids in particular, they’re too busy trying to fit in in their ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Gaunson, Associate Professor in Cinema Studies, RMIT University Narelle Portanier/Binge “If you don’t know who your mob are, you don’t know who you are,” Detective Andrea “Andie” Whitford (played by Leah Purcell) is told early into the new crime ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elise Klein, Associate professor, Australian National University It’s commonly accepted that women do the vast majority of caregiving in Australian society. But less appreciated is that Indigenous women do larger amounts of unpaid care than any other group. Working with the Aboriginal ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne Joe Biden and Donald Trump have both secured their parties’ nominations for the November 5 United States general election by winning a ...
Comment: There has been a striking contrast in trans-Tasman interest about Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi’s visit to New Zealand and Australia. While the Australian press has been full of articles about the visit – including his curious decision to meet with former prime minister and China booster Paul Keating ...
After years of pressuring banks and other institutions to stop investing in fossil fuels, climate campaigners are making some progress. So how does divestment work?For years, climate activists have been pushing banks and other big institutions to divest from fossil fuels. New research from climate advocacy group 350 Aotearoa ...
For Boba, Ethan and Ashley, K-pop is a place to belong, a way to express themselves, and a bridge to connect with others. The three young Polynesians are part of a K-pop fan community in Tāmaki Makaurau. It’s one of many that have sprung up worldwide as K-pop has gone ...
For Boba, Ethan and Ashley, K-pop is a place to belong, a way to express themselves, and a bridge to connect with others. This one-off documentary presents three intimate portraits of young Polynesians who are pulled into a Korean cultural phenomenon. K-POLYS is directed by Litia Tuiburelevu, Produced by Hex ...
There’s ample evidence demonstrating free school lunch programmes provide wide benefits across schools, households and communities according to public health researchers. ACT Minister David Seymour wants to reduce the spending on Aotearoa New Zealand’s ...
By Wata Shaw in Suva Fiji is facing an exodus of Fijians as many are leaving for overseas seeking employment and education and others are migrating, says Opposition MP Viliame Naupoto. Speaking in Parliament, he said: “His Excellency’s speech (Ratu Wiliame Katonivere) comes after a little over one year of ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is welcoming comments from Christopher Luxon this morning recommitting to ‘no new taxes’ as part of Budget 2024. “Mr Luxon’s refusal at the Post-Cabinet press conference yesterday to repeat the ‘no new taxes’ promise ...
SAFE is urgently calling on the Environment Committee to reject the Government’s Fast-Track Approvals Bill, and is urging New Zealanders to rally behind the call. The proposed Bill, currently under consideration with the Environment select committee, ...
Teammates who spend all their time picking fights with spectators are only helpful for the other team, writes Madeleine Chapman. Anyone who has ever played a team sport competitively, particularly as a child and particularly, for some reason, basketball, will know that there’s a lot of politics involved. While there ...
The long-running Wellington music festival is too focused on the Jim Beam-ness and not enough on the Homegrown-ness.There is something about Homegrown that’s difficult to place. A barely perceptible-ness. Like feeling a ghost is watching you from the corner of the room but when you look, there’s nothing there. ...
The latest Ipsos New Zealand Issues Monitor reveals that fewer New Zealanders believe crime / law and order is one of the top issues facing our country. In 2018, Ipsos New Zealand started tracking the key issues facing New Zealand. In this wave ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Griffiths, Deputy Program Director, Budgets and Government, Grattan Institute Australia’s political donations rules are woefully inadequate, but donations reform is finally on the agenda. The federal government has signalled its interest in reform and will soon begin briefing MPs on its ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Patrick Taylor, Chief Environmental Scientist, EPA Victoria; Honorary Professor, School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University Naiyana Somchitkaeo/Shutterstock A recent study published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine has linked microplastics with risk to human health. The study ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Albert Van Dijk, Professor, Water and Landscape Dynamics, Fenner School of Environment & Society, Australian National University Global climate records were shattered in 2023, from air and sea temperatures to sea-level rise and sea-ice extent. Scores of countries recorded their hottest year ...
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a teacher explains why he and his partner are in frugal mode – and how they’re making it work. Gender: Male Age: 35Ethnicity: Pākehā Role: I am an intermediate school teacher and my partner is ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Bendall, Senior Lecturer, Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences, Australian Catholic University Binge Mary & George, the new British television drama series, depicts the real-life story of Mary Villiers and her son George, and their social climbing at the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jason Nassios, Associate Professor, Centre of Policy Studies, Victoria University This article is part of The Conversation’s series examining the housing crisis. Read the other articles in the series here. Australian state and federal governments spend money in many ways to ...
The finance minister is denying that there’s a $5.6b shortfall in paying for the government’s campaign promises, including tax cuts. At his post-cabinet press conference yesterday, the PM refused to rule out new taxes to pay for the cuts, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s ...
Kāinga Ora tenants abused by their neighbours are doubting the government's crackdown on disruptive tenants will make a difference on their behaviour. ...
Kāinga Ora is New Zealand’s biggest residential landlord, housing more than 180,000 vulnerable people in more than 67,000 properties. Yesterday the government announced a crackdown on its tenants who fall behind on rent. One longtime Kāinga Ora tenant shares her experience.For 18 years I lived in a 1960s standalone ...
Why does this myth persist, and what’s the real reason our skin is suffering?It’s one of the biggest international grievances New Zealanders hold, up there with the sinking of the Rainbow Warrior and 1981’s underarm incident. We’re quick to tell international travellers that the world’s pollution led to the ...
Opinion: In a move that has shocked road safety advocates across the country, the new Minister of Transport, Simeon Brown, is poised to abandon the previous government’s speed limit reduction policy, particularly around schools. Even more alarmingly, he wants school speed limits to be variable rather than full-time, arguing ...
Auckland Council is opposing a fast-track development backed by Sir John Kirwan and Spark NZ, because it doesn’t meet stringent new climate adaptation requirements The post Surf-data centre faces new 3.8C climate warming rules appeared first on Newsroom. ...
When the Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act was introduced in 2009 it was firmly targeted at gangs and drugs. The legislation means police no longer need a conviction to seize assets that criminals can’t prove were paid for legitimately, as long as their alleged offences are punishable by more than a ...
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Bob’s relationship with certain members of Lincoln’s academic staff continued to deteriorate in the 1990s. Others supported him publicly, though articles such as Roland Clark’s 1993 piece in Growing Today cannot have pleased the university management. Clark wrote that Bob was selling onions from the Biological Husbandry Unit to a ...
SailGP’s races feature in-your-face action, with agile, hydro-foiling catamarans tacking and jibing for the title over several days. However, public comments ahead of the global series’ return to New Zealand have left this past year’s controversy in the shadows, as a key appointment attracts criticism from dolphin advocates. A year ...
Opinion: We are fast approaching a fundamental change in prisons. As the number of people on custodial remand looks set to overtake the number of sentenced prisoners, the main function of prisons in New Zealand may become incarcerating un-sentenced people who may not be guilty of offending. We have already ...
A huge seven months lies in store for the White Ferns, beginning this week with the visit of England and culminating with the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh in September and October. Starting on Tuesday in Dunedin, the world ranked No. 2 visitors will play five T20s and three ODIs, ...
The letters, which were published last week, were addressed to Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) Chairperson Megawati Sukarnoputri, National Democrat Party (NasDem) Chairperson Surya Paloh, National Awakening Party (PKB) Chairperson Muhaimin Iskandar, Justice and Prosperity Party (PKS) President Ahmad Syaikhu and United Development Party (PPP) Chairperson Muhammad Mardiono. In ...
Evicting more people from state housing is ignorant to the consequences of poverty, the Greens say, but the Housing Minister says it's a privilege that can be taken away if abused. ...
Evicting more people from state housing is ignorant to the consequences of poverty, the Greens say, but the Housing Minister says it's a privilege that can be taken away if abused. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emerald L King, Lecturer in Humanities, University of Tasmania IMDB Between Netflix’s 2023 live-action version of One Piece, and its latest take on Avatar: The Last Airbender, fans are once again asking: why are live-action anime adaptations so tricky to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emerald L King, Lecturer in Humanities, University of Tasmania IMDB Between Netflix’s 2023 live-action version of One Piece, and its latest take on Avatar: The Last Airbender, fans are once again asking: why are live-action anime adaptations so tricky to ...
The government says it still intends to deliver tax cuts by July, but will not lock them in until they have got them past their coalition partners. ...
[Please note, we are trialling something new for Open Mike and Daily Review.
In order to keep OM and DR free for other conversations, all comments, link postings etc about the US election now need to go in the dedicated US election discussion here.
If you are unsure, post in that thread rather than here. It’s not possible for moderators to shift comments from OM to there, so any comments here may get deleted.
Have fun folks – weka]
Look at our new invisible surplus clothes……yes said Msm…..looks fabulous..
The Emperor has no clothes? Surely not!
A new private prison being built.
Suicide rates spiralling.
Meanwhile the corporate media reports on Dan Carter, The Real Housewives of Auckland and ‘one perfect leap for a lamb.’
The brighter future.
The housing crisis is really hitting home around here. Next door sold within 10 days of being on the market, a sharp contrast considering it was on the market for a couple of months a few years back before being sold. Welcome to Motueka, most of the ‘for sale’ signs have sold stickers on them.
My sister is about to find herself homeless, the investor that owns the rental she is in decided to put it on the market, it sold within 10 days. She’s been looking for anything for her and her son for the last 4 weeks, she has two weeks left to find some where, but there is nowhere, rentals are let out within hours of being advertised, she’s even going to open homes to ask real estate agents if a property investors are potential buyers, she’s doing everything she can to find a home.
I’m now cleaning out one of my garages, lucky it’s coming into summer. Her son has one term left at primary school, my place is 30 mins away on the open road to his school, changing his school at this stage is not an option. Did I mention she is working?
Housing crisis is causing massive mental health issues and stress for so many, it’s not just an Auckland issue, I’ve never seen my sister so stressed, and she is just one working parent with a child, it’s heartbreaking.
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2016/09/zealand-relentless-housing-crisis-160928153415463.html
She should try trademe. A quick look shows 10 houses for rent right there in motueka.
Starting at only $240 per week.
Your welcome.
/facepalm
Great stuff James… not. It’s your bloody mob that’s deliberately doing this to our society. And it’s not ‘your welcome’, it’s ‘you’re welcome’.
Blinking typo on the you’re.
Thank you.
@ James. A double typo to be accurate. The ‘ and the e.
Two out of six characters is more likely poor spelling.
Thanks but she does not live in Motueka, she lives in Richmond.
A quick look on trade me says there are 2 places with 2 bedrooms in her price range, but Tapawera is 45mins on the open road away from her sons school.
There are 4 places in her price range on trade me, but they are all one bedrooms. JS
Do you have any rentals in Richmond James?
She is my sister by love not by blood, sadly her mum has passed away, I’m all she has. Planting a massive vege garden this year, excess veges are given away free at my gate, it’s all part of making a good community
Good for you on all counts Cinny. I hope you all find a better way soon, and it’s heartening to hear about what you do to make it work in the meantime. James’ comment was incredibly ignorant, and worse, the whole implied neoliberal slant of you’re not trying hard enough, I know what’s best, has just been shown up by your generosity, self-reliance, and ingenuity. Kia kana.
I really feel that the ‘what’s in it for me’ philosophy rather than the ‘it takes a village’ outlook is what is screwing up so many lives.
Very lucky in Motueka, it’s more about ‘we’ here than ‘me’, seems to work better for us like that.
Thanks for the good vibes, much appreciated
poor thing Cinny hope things work out for her ( your sister) its really hard now and we have a government that is not ruling for all the people
IKR, I’m like sheez if this is taking such a toll on her, one can only begin to imagine the stress for thousands like her, and those with children. And how can renters have the security of a home with speculators flicking off properties for gain, worries about the residents, profit over people. It’s a disgrace.
The housing crisis is a reality for white middle class NZ, among thousands of others hurting. Landlords are taking the cream with accommodation supplements aplenty, and the ability to pick and choose crippling rent prices. The outgoing government does nothing, no capital gains, no rent caps, nothing to prevent speculators milking the system for all they can, no matter where in the world they reside.
Hi Garth Barefoot, made any more donations to the outgoing government? No doubt your real estate empire will be making a very tidy profit.
This is what i have been saying for the longest time.
It is not only AKL it is everywhere.
And the move out of Auckland (insert what ever other city might apply) and move to the country side is not helping as it fucks up the housing market there.
Fact is there are not enough houses in NZ to keep up with standard population growth and continued unrestricted migration (those that come to live and work and those the only come to buy a speculation object or several).
its fucked up beyond believe.
A very interesting, though no doubt controversial, article:
http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2016/10/american-intervention-syria/504512/?utm_source=atlfb
A thought provoking read
Recommended.
Firefox won’t play that Extremist, but a switch to Chrome will. Something to do with advertisements.
I put this up on the Daily Review last night – I’ll reiterate it here
“Tough stuff coming up
“Men aged between 25 and 29, and women aged between 40 and 44, are the most at-risk when it comes to suicide, new figures show.
The female suicide rate is the highest on record, with 170 women dying by suicide during the past year.
While more men die by suicide in New Zealand, the gap between the genders is the smallest it’s been…
…Maori suicide rates remain higher than any other ethnicity in the country.
…The Canterbury Region has recorded its highest suicide total since records began in 2008, with 78 deaths.
…In 2016, 252 employed people died by suicide – up from 246 the previous year.
Meanwhile, 146 unemployed people took their own lives, followed by 70 retirees or pensioners, and 55 students.”
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/85449334/nz-suicide-toll–unacceptably-high
yep it is unacceptable that so many desperate people make the choice they do and the families, loved ones and whānau left behind with so many questions and effects that do resonate through generations.
Kia kaha to all.”
[sorry marty, short of deleting the conversation below (which we try not to do) I can’t do much to put it elsewhere. Thanks for reposting. – weka]
I’m sorry – (and this is not aimed specifically at the poster above) it pisses me off when people on this blog use sucicide stats to have a crack at the government yet are happy to tell people on here to do things like hang themselves should they have a different view to them.
This behaviour has generally gone unchecked by other posters – as opposed to trying to stop bullying behaviour that can actually lead people to self harm.
but sadly for some posters on here – telling a righty to kill themselves is all good. As I have said before – I hope they never have to live with that kind of pain in their family – it’s a hard way to learn what damage their actions can cause.
[citation needed]
“Richardrawshark 9.1.1.1
16 June 2016 at 11:55 am
I think fisi BM Bob, Little’s words that you are on about were “bla bla this deal LOOKS dodgy”.
I remember the interview very well
At no time did he come out in public saying it WAS a dirty deal.
Then Hagaman threatened a law suit if he didn’t retract, well why would he the deal looks dodgy. It’s just a statement of fact.
You guys are pathetic. hang yourselves, it’ll be easier now than after the election when the NZ public massively vote red green or anything but blue.”
[Right, you’ve provide one example below. Now you need to provide two more examples in the next hour (you seem to think ‘people’ not person are doing this), and provide the actual links this time so I can see the context. As a moderator I am interested in anyone telling other commenters to kill themselves and anyone here can bring that to the moderators attention.
However it is completely unacceptable to do it in the way you have done as a major derailment of an incredibly serious topic. At the least, you could have started a new subthread, and taken more care in how you brought this up. Whatever grievance you have about being abused on this site (you’ve commented on this before), it doesn’t take precedence over the people reading OM today who have had someone they love commit suicide.
It is also not ok to tell lump all commenters into one mass and then make out they are responsible for others’ behaviour e.g. saying that people who comment on suicide also tell people to kill themselves. I am going to ban you for a time, but want to see the links first. You also own marty an apology – weka]
I don’t know if it counts but does someone thinking it’d be hilarious if I got HIV count, I mean I know its not the same as telling someone to go hang themselves but its getting up there
https://thestandard.org.nz/stop-the-sanctions/
Brigid 8.1.1.2.1.2
16 September 2016 at 12:44 pm
So no, you don’t care to know if, or not, there are children as a result of your irresponsible behaviour.
Wouldn’t it be hilarious if, in the fullness of time, you discovered you have HIV.
(but you know sometimes you have a little too much to drink…)
Maui is right
“We’ve seen all this from rwinger men before. Eww.”
And yuck
[no, it doesn’t count. James was referring to people telling others to kill themselves. That’s not what Brigid said. Also she appears to be being sarcastic to make a point in the middle of somewhat contentious exchange. It was a rude thing to say but I wouldn’t have moderated that myself unless there was an escalation of abuse going on. Honestly, if we moderated everyone who was rude like that, we’d be at it all day and we’d basically be controlling what the conversation was. No-one wants that unless there is a bloody good reason. I probably would have moderated the go hang yourself one by placing a warning. – weka]
They pointed out a consequence of your own behaviour, that you see it as threatening or bullying is interesting.
The thing was though as I said numerous times on the thread (probably didn’t seem important I guess)
Puckish Rogue 7.2.1.1
16 September 2016 at 9:34 am
Did you happen to notice this sentence by any chance?
“But yeah the law should be amended at the very least or dropped altogether and hopefully National will”
See I thought that was pretty clear but I guess not
followed by
Puckish Rogue 8.1.1.2.1
16 September 2016 at 10:20 am
Well first off I don’t know that I have any, I was usually pretty good with protection (but you know sometimes you have a little too much to drink…) so I don’t know that I have any
Secondly as I stated previously:
“But yeah the law should be amended at the very least or dropped altogether and hopefully National will”
So I guess the answer is I’d like the law to get dropped then my taxes can towards paying all solo mums fairly
And as for pointing out the consequences of my actions (from over a decade ago) you don’t think that contracting HIV is a tad over the top?
This just illustrates my points later on, people didn’t even bother to note that I was supportive of solo parents getting paid fairly but instead people focused on the supposed “nasty” comments I made (whoever here hasn’t had a one night stand or unprotected sex then please feel free to cast the first stone) to justify their own actions
They pointed out a consequence of your own behaviour…
So, if someone was to comment that it’s hilarious when gays or IV drug users get HIV, they’d just be helpfully pointing out a consequence of those people’s behaviour? I don’t think so.
…that you see it as threatening or bullying is interesting.
That you see it as anything other than abusive is interesting. I don’t have any great complaint to make against abusive comments, but let’s not pretend they’re something different from what they are.
Show me where I had a “crack at the government” above. In fact I didn’t mention them at all.
What pisses me off is rwnj’s who shit all over serious topics because they are too thick and dim to just stfu about things they don’t or can’t understand or care about.
You James can take your bullshit and fuck off.
Far from shitting over serious topics – this is close to my heart and I take it very seriously. Sadly I know a bit about it.
I stated that I wasn’t talking specifically about you. I was simply building on your comment.
But – hey good on you – someone talks about the bully behaviour on this blog (as opposed to robust debate) and the damage it can cause and you counter with “take your bullshit and fuck off”
classy, well thought out robust reply there.
I don’t want anyone to commit suicide, even RWNJ…… So maybe you can ask your leader ShonKey to focus on the people, not just his money and power……. And leave little girls hair alone as well….. Fkn creepy.
Ive never communicated with John Key – so not much I can do there – but I DO communicate with people on blogs – why not start there?
Whats wrong with a “bottom up” approach to helping people, to stop behaviour which can cause such terrible outcomes.
Would we not be better as a society for this?
People are happy to call out “rape apologist”, but in general are happy to go with a pack mentality to “attack” others who they dont agree with. Isnt that just as bad?
Inclined to agree with james here, there is a serious problem of bullying on this site, not a good look at all, you moderators need to get together and sort out a code and then apply it consistantly and to everyone, including yourselves
[don’t tell the moderators/authors what to do. Reread the Policy. You and James will now both take yourselves out of this subthread or expect to be banned. See my comment above. If you want to discuss moderation policy on ts, this is NOT the way to do – weka]
Then don’t say nasty and stupid things. Then people would not have to resort to calling you Tory scum, wingnuts, rwnj and other descriptions which fix so well.
You have to admit it is ironic that you get upset when it gets dished back, but many wingnuts are happy to dish it out. Boohoo, is it sad that the poor little leftists have a spin. Sad little Tory rebates finding that hard are they, cry me a river.
Politics is a bit of hardball, if you want it to be nice a cuddly, then stop voting Tory, because the only reaction to the reactionaries is to come out fighting or give up. Remember it’s Tory wind bags like you, who support the creepy one, and his flock of incompetent ministers…
Too soon.
Actually I think we err far too much on the side of robust instead of on building a place where we can learn things, and things can change. At times this place looks like a straight out den of whack the RWer. People see that and stay away and we miss many voices that should be otherwise heard. That includes lefties and righties and people who aren’t on the spectrum.
I agree weka, but most of the time it is driven from some pretty nasty comments to begin with.
Many comments from the Tory club I just find stupid, and as such, I leave alone. But more than a few are actually just nasty, these need to be responded to. It’s not so much whack a Tory rebate, it’s call them out for there repeated nastiness and bereft reasoning.
I for one, am sick of the continued calumny that pours forth from too many Tory commentators on this site.
Yes
@Weka – totally agree.
Are you sure you’re not just using it as an excuse to say what you say because you feel justified in your actions?
Come on Puckish, you play the wind up game with people – then play the poor me card. You are hardly one to talk.
Too soon…
Adam’s got Pucky pigeon-holed perfectly.
I disagree, I think adam is justifying his own actions by deciding how I post irrespective of my own intentions
As I posted below if he thinks what I post is nasty then I must be nasty which “allows” him to post nasty replies back
and of course its all the nasty torys fault:
“But more than a few are actually just nasty, these need to be responded to. It’s not so much whack a Tory rebate, it’s call them out for there repeated nastiness and bereft reasoning.”
it was too soon…
No I think you use these supposed transgressions as an excuse to vent your spleen.
You dismiss peoples opinions that you disagree with as wind ups, nasty or stupid yet not even considering that the people posting them actually believe those opinions and because those opinions are “nasty” then the people posting them are “nasty” which justifies your comments
“Come on Puckish, you play the wind up game with people – then play the poor me card. You are hardly one to talk.”
Pucky said: “…I think adam is justifying his own actions…”
Adam’s not “justifying his actions. He’s accurately describing yours.
Incorrect Robby, I could say that your contribution to this thread is trolling, that you are a troll and you may (or may not be) but I don’t really know what your intentions are, only you know for sure
So adam can say I’m nasty or whatever to justify his own actions but only I know what my intentions are and its on him when he misinterprets what I (or other people he disagrees with) say
Or you could simply ask me instead of assuming
What the matter Puckish, feeling a bit exposed that people got your number?
Don’t feel to bad, we all have patterns – yours are just a bit more obvious than most.
I was not actually saying you are nasty Puckish, actually you are one of the Tories here who says the least nasty or stupid things. You play a different game. Again, back to patterns.
But come on Puckish you call people when they say stupid things, is it that the Tory flock, are a bit thin skinned…
“… you could simply ask me instead of assuming…”
Okay, thanks for the opportunity, Pucky, I’ll take it.
Have you played the wind up game with people – then played the poor me card?
“What the matter Puckish, feeling a bit exposed that people got your number?”
– If I had a dollar for everytime someone said they had my number I’d have a lot more money then I do now
“Don’t feel to bad, we all have patterns – yours are just a bit more obvious than most. ”
– Theres that assumption again…
“I was not actually saying you are nasty Puckish, actually you are one of the Tories here who says the least nasty or stupid things. You play a different game. Again, back to patterns.”
– Well thank you for that, a while back there were some posts on how the site was becoming nasty (especially towards females) so I took some of the stuff on board and have, somewhat, altered the way I post
I’ve actively stopped mentioning anything negative about peoples looks or bodies
As soon as theres anything to do with rape, sexual assault etc then I tread very warily around the subject or indeed not post at all
Basically I’ve tried to improve what I post and how I post it because if we want this site to be a certain way then all of us have to do our part, it shouldn’t be up to the moderators only to police things around here
Essentially I have rule that I only post what I’d be willing to say out loud, in a group setting
“But come on Puckish you call people when they say stupid things, is it that the Tory flock, are a bit thin skinned…”
– If I had major problems with what people said about here I wouldn’t come back but I do think that the occasional threats of violence, death or just plain nastiness that happens is maybe a bit much, robust sure but come on the whole “up against the wall” thing that some (hello Millsy) on here seem to yearn for isn’t going to happen anytime soon
“Okay, thanks for the opportunity, Pucky, I’ll take it.
Have you played the wind up game with people – then played the poor me card?”
Quick answer is no if you mean I’ve wound up people on purpose then played the poor me card
However if we break the question down separately like have I wound people up and played the poor me card then to the first part of the question, yes sometimes depending on the situation but not as often as most people think and probably as much as most others on here do (much like yourself at times)
To the second part I’ll say probably, I mean I can’t think of any times but I’ve also been posting for a very long time so at some point I might have
Now that’s a completely 100% honest answer but I’m curious if anyone will say I’m wrong
Here you go Puckish this should make you feel better.
The only blue man group I like…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTJfITfbYNA
Could have been worse I suppose
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BinWA0EenDY
Disarming answer there, Pucky, thanks for making the effort. Tell me, if you will, do you regard saying here, “National will win in 2017” a wind-up?
“Disarming answer there, Pucky, thanks for making the effort. Tell me, if you will, do you regard saying here, “National will win in 2017” a wind-up?”
A good question, the type of question that might help explain some things.
If I came on here and said National will win in 2017 and I didn’t think they would then yes I’d consider that a wind up as I’m saying something I don’t believe merely to get a reaction out of the posters
However I do believe that National will win in 2017 (most likely in coalition with NZFirst) so its not a wind up because that’s what I think is going to happen
” so its not a wind up because that’s what I think is going to happen”
Here we differ and I suspect others here will feel as I do. Just because you think a certain thing doesn’t justify your repeating it often on a site where most readers and commentors sincerely hope for the opposite of “what you think”. In any case, you are not prefacing your claim with, “I think”, you are usually making the claim bald, as if it was true. I’m certain that you are not a practiced and successful crystal ball gazer, and so your declaration comes across as arrogant, provocative and a wind-up. But you must know this already, Pucky.
Ok thats reasonable but I also normally explain why I think the way I do so its not like I go National will win and then bugger off
“I’m certain that you are not a practiced and successful crystal ball gazer, and so your declaration comes across as arrogant, provocative and a wind-up. But you must know this already, Pucky.”
Its only perceived that way because I’m on the right of the political spectrum, if I posted in the same way but from a left view nobody would say a word
If, as some posters on here seem to want, all right voting posters on here were banned all you’d end up with is Red Alert 2.0 and I don’t think anyone wants that
Hell there are posters on here that want CV gone, is that what you really want, an echo chamber?
In any case, you are not prefacing your claim with, “I think”, you are usually making the claim bald, as if it was true.
There was a running gag on The Good Wife of a judge who demanded lawyers add “in my opinion” to any assertions they made, because it would be unreasonable to expect the court to recognise that assertions rather than expressions of proven facts were being made. Thanks for volunteering Robert, but you’re really going to have your work cut out for you making everyone preface their claims with “I think.” Er… in my opinion.
Psycho Milt – that’s right, requiring an “I think” before every statement would be unnecessary, however, in Pucky’s case, where he is using his “Key will win, Little will lose” regularly, it would be good manners for him to use the preface, as a sign of good faith. He’s moderated his behaviour significantly in recent months and there’s no reason, I believe, why he wouldn’t do us all the favour of qualifying his most irritating claims with a modest, “I think”. Of course, he doesn’t have to do what I suggest, but I’ve noticed that he wants to fit in better, not attract ire and be accepted as a reasonable commenter and adopting my suggestion would help a great deal, in my opinion.
I encourage you to take up your suggestion with the author of this post https://thestandard.org.nz/key-could-still-win-and-heres-why/ because he seems to be flirting On the edges of good manners and is at risk of not fitting in.
How about this for an idea Robby, how about we all assume that there’s an invisible I think or In my opinion before every statement on this site, you might not see it but its always there…
@inspider – you are encouraging me to criticise the author of a post here, something I’m too polite and respectful to do 🙂
Pucky – you will stop commenting here the day Key and National lose the election (something to practise your “Invisible I think” idea on)
“Pucky – you will stop commenting here the day Key and National lose the election (something to practise your “Invisible I think” idea on)”
We’ll see in 2020 then won’t we 🙂
“We’ll see in 2020 then won’t we”
By then, we’ll not have heard from you for 3 years, so it’ll be a reunion of sorts 🙂
Ok Robby lets make a bet on the next election if you’re so confident…
When National wins you, at your earliest convenience of course, praise Nationals win and admit that I, Puckish Rogue was right all along and that my predictions are accurate
If Labour win…I’ll praise Labours victory and admit I got it wrong and that my predictions are as accurate as Martin Bradburys
In this instance winning means being part of the next government of course
Can we do that thing when we see who can pee the highest as well? Can we Pucky? Can we?
Wouldn’t it have just been easier to say “I think you’re right but I just don’t want to admit it?”
Cross his palm with silver and Pucky the Mysterious will reveal the True Secrets of Your Future! Be Amazed by Pucky’s Powers, see Up-Coming Events through Pucky’s All-Seeing Eye! Be Be-Dazzled by the Swirling Miasma in Pucky’s Cryptic Crystal Ball. Swoon at the Confidence the All-Knowing Pucky the Mysterious exudes.
* Quality of experience may vary. Satisfaction not guaranteed.
“Then don’t say nasty and stupid things. Then people would not have to resort to calling you Tory scum, wingnuts, rwnj and other descriptions which fix so well.”
Its in your DNA adam…nasty is the automatic go to when someone does not agree with your world views.
As for me I don’t care about any “name calling” I do have a little fun by calling certain people here far left activists 🙂 However the truth of the matter is most NZ’ers are not far left nor far right, rather someone in the middle of those two extremes.
Kept in mind at the end of the day we all need to get along with each other. And that means with people whom do not share the same political leanings as you may do.
So says the conspiracy theorist. You Chucky hide behind civility and an attempt at moderation to justify your hate and use it to have a go at people. Which is funny, you fall in the catagory of stupid most of the time, as you fall for conspiracy theories, or make them up.
So sorry Chucky you are one of the rwnj I try and avoid, except for the occasional reminder to people that you are a hard right conspiracy theorist.
adam you do realise you have just validated my post…
The only “hate” occurring here is your response to anyone that has a different view to yours.
Its in your DNA adam…nasty is the automatic go to when someone does not agree with your world views.
The problem with that argument is that it’s pretty nasty to tell someone that they are genetically predestined to be nasty. What shall we attribute your nastiness to then?
Chuck is a right-wing troll who does not know when to use ‘whom’. He is a hostile who pretends to be an affable mate. I recommend avoidance of contact. Adam – you can see how he misconstrues victories for himself? You are dead right about him.
Heavens In Vino…
“He is a hostile who pretends to be an affable mate”
“I recommend avoidance of contact.”
Maybe you would feel safer if I and a large portion of the population are made to wear an arm band…so you and adam know to avoid us when walking down the street 🙂
I think you need to get out of the class room and into the real world.
“Heavens In Vino”
Give it an apostrophe and you’re saying what many people happily believe, Chuck. There’s a lot of truth in Vino’s comment (I’m sure I know his sister, Veritas).
“What shall we attribute your nastiness to then?”
Not nasty weka, just pointing out the inconvenient truth.
Fortunately for the rest of us, you don’t get to decide what is nasty.
OK I have (re) read the policy. Now I have a genuine question please treat it as such, (even if i have stupedly missed something)
Question : What is the approved process/venue to discuss or raise issues of moderator guidelines/conduct here
[thanks xanthe, I’ve got stuff to do, will reply later – weka]
Hi, Xanthe.
There isn’t a process, exactly. But if you disagree with a mod’s decision, you can try putting a case via email at thestandardnz@gmail.com. That approach might result, for example, in a ban being shortened.
Generally speaking, the rule of thumb is that the other mods do not overrule a mod’s decision. So if you piss a mod off, expect to have to cop a ban. Whining about it is unlike to change the result.
Bear in mind, all authors and mods are volunteers. We don’t get paid for this and we have to put up with a lot of crap to keep this joint rockin’. The commenters are important to us, but so are the many thousands who just read the posts. We moderate to make sure this site is worth reading, so occasionally that means making decisions like ending a thread because it’s degenerating.
If you really want to influence the moderation on site, start writing posts, become an author, and eventually you’ll get to mod yourself and see how much of a challenge it is.
Cheers, TRP
Thanks TRP I want to make it clear that this is not about challenging any specific ban. I totally get that you have a volunteer job to do and its not an easy task. I actually think that thestandard is an important part of the new zealand political discourse and my sole motive is to assist you in reaching and holding as wide an audence and engagement as possible. I am more concerned with the interactions that lead to a ban. and the methods availiable to the moderators to “moderate” discussion that is veering towards abuse so that it dosnt get to the ban stage.
i will email the address you have given and say no more here for now
Good as gold, Xanthe and thanks for the thoughtful approach you have taken.
What I’ve noticed (on both left and right wing blogs) is that when someone with a differing view comes along then the other side feel “justified” in saying really nasty stuff to that person, stuff they wouldn’t normally say because they consider themselves a “good” person but its almost as if they’ve decided the other person “deserves” it
You can see echoes of it when a female commentator dares to speak up and men, lets be honest its mostly men, say really horrendous things to her
I’m not so sure that’s entirely fair.
Different people have different ideas as to what constitutes “nasty” – I tend to swear in real life, so don’t particularly care about it. Call me “fuckface” and I’ll forget about it in moments (just after retaliation 🙂 ).
What surprises me are the number of people who come out with contemptable views who then get upset about me calling them a fuckwit, well before I’m really trying to get personal. Note that I didn’t say “differing views”.
Someone who comes to a blogsite with a known large left-wing/progressive group of commenters and calls the poor “parasites” is looking to wind people up. Fisiani’s blatant lying is also an example.
The moderators do a pretty good job of keeping responses legal and the general abuse trolls out, in my opinion.
Well sure not everybody that’s posts here is like that of course
What I’ve noticed on the better blogs I’ve seen (not that I read a lot) is that the folks who say “really nasty stuff” just because someone has differing views have an extremely short lifespan on the site, mostly due to moderators but also from community response.
James’ comment was “This behaviour has generally gone unchecked by other posters”. In my opinion that’s bullshit – one or two might slip through everybody’s attention (probably because by that time nobody but the two foes are reading the thread any more), but mods crack down on that shit here and if they don’t, commenters will try to bring it to the mods’ attention.
Thats fair, as much as I think it’d be amusing to wield the ban hammer it just sounds like to much hard work
Which is exactly what happened in the single instance that James pointed to, and it was in fact yourself in the comments that took Richard to task for what he did. From a moderators perspective (this one at least), that’s great because it’s less work for me.
hah – so I was, amongst several others. Hadn’t bothered to search for the instance before now 🙂
Would you consider this kind of comment on the nasty end of the scale? (I would)
“What pisses me off is rwnj’s who shit all over serious topics because they are too thick and dim to just stfu about things they don’t or can’t understand or care about.
You James can take your bullshit and fuck off.”
Really? I wouldn’t.
I mean, what about it is nasty? Sure, there are rude words. It’s definitely passionate. I wouldn’t say it’s any nastier than telling someone who asks a basic question to RTFM.
It’s definitely not as nasty as taking a pretty apolitical and straight-up comment about NZ’s tragic suicide rate, an issue that has probably affected most commenters here via friends and loved ones, and then “building on” that comment with an unsubstantiated snipe that on this blog telling those with differing views to kill themselves has “generally gone unchecked”. Which was the context of your quote.
As I say, rude words might be distasteful, but some of the nastiest shit that I read online was written with surface courtesy and polite language.
I got censored and ban threatened for obliquely calling a commenter an idiot. I guess it’s ok when the left do it 🙂
Ps what’s happened to the search function? Seems to have disappeared
This one?
https://thestandard.org.nz/i-see-a-poverty-of-ideas-and-a-poverty-of-government-responsibility/#comment-1244402
I can’t see anything there that tells the moderator that you are RW (I assume that’s what you are referring to).
Further, you’ve hardly been censored. You’ve had two instances of what I assume were the same word removed and been told you’re stepping over the line. Your comment seems designed entirely to have a go at someone in a put down way. What was the point other than that?
Without knowing what the word was, I can’t say if the warning was for something considered offensive, or because you were seen as deliberately winding someone up. Either way it happens on both sides of the spectrum (I’ve moderated lefties recently too).
Seriously, if RWers here believe they are being unfairly moderated due to their politics, you need to put up some actual evidence, because at the moment you just seem like you’re annoyed at being moderated.
btw, you can use google to find phrases, or use google site search for things that are more obscure.
…
19 October 2016 at 3:07 pm (Edit)
Would you consider this kind of comment on the nasty end of the scale? (I would)
“What pisses me off is rwnj’s who shit all over serious topics because they are too thick and dim to just stfu about things they don’t or can’t understand or care about.
You James can take your bullshit and fuck off.”
I’m actually curious what you find problematic with that.
Was it this one?
You’ll note the policy is against pointless abuse.
The trick is to make an associated point more explicit as the abuse becomes less “oblique” (I’m not sure you were quite as subtle as you think if that’s the example). Think of it like a bank balance: the more developed your point, the more you can spend in the way of abuse, right up until you hit the card limit for daily withdrawals and they ban your arse 🙂
While I would rarely hold myself up to be an example of ideal behaviour, I’ve commented here for years and don’t recall ever getting a ban. I’ve certainly been warned a couple of times (Bill was within a hairsbreadth of banning me once), but generally survived.
BTW, I tend to google with “site:thestandard.org.nz” when the site search engine is down. Not as useful, but gets one there eventually 🙂
hi inspider,
i was reading as the comments unfolded.
i thought james was thoroughly lacking in empathy with his comment.
heartless.
he may have had a point, but time and place.
this epitomises to me the difference between those of the left from those of the wrong: it is people, it is people, it is people.
while i do not like overly savoury langauge, i saw nothing inappropriate to the response to james.
Im not sure Robby wants to take up that bet with you PR
Is this a nasty comment then ?
Or this one? “If Robert Guyton left the room would you say “there’s one less [deleted] in the room” or “there’s one fewer [deleted] in the room”?”
Look, we all have fewer grammar nowadays.
I
Pucky … I think you may have participated in group bullying while being rude to Penny …… from memory
And have you not read the stuff of BM , Ross ……. and james when they talk about and smear strippers ????
Rape apology central with those three dicks posting ………
Did you hear about how it took two brave children not even old enough to vote to stop our devious prime minister promoting to a judicial role the most creepy thing/man to crawl out of the new zealand police force since clint rickards ???……..
Perhaps you have heard of roastbusters ?????…. and the police dishonesty and inaction regarding it ….
Or how about Customs officers sexually assaulting females who are visiting people the Government does not like ……………..
I can not remember you condemning any of the above …..
Your concern for females feels hollow and false to me ……………. based on your own actions and approval or indifference towards the cruelty served up by people like Collins & key
Did you speak up when Key twisted the words of Cunliffe speaking out against men beating women and children ??? ……
I think we all know the answers to the above ……
The precedent goes back to Amartya Sen – suicide is robust objective data on dissatisfaction with governance.
Of course as a shill for this government we understand your hatred of data.
hi marty, i read yr post last night and it is grim reading.
i am wary of commenting too much for fear of being misinformed or causing pain to others.
while i agree we do not need to lionize victims of suicide (haka at school assembly), i do not think the current policy of remaining silent is working.
from reading around, one of the most cited causes of distress and pain, leading to suicide seems to be feeling isolated from people/community.
sometimes having someone to listen makes a huge difference.
it is hard to comprehend the cutting of funding to youthline and other services which are often the first port of call for someone in distress.
“while i agree we do not need to lionize victims of suicide (haka at school assembly), i do not think the current policy of remaining silent is working. ”
I agree with this
Yep gsays it is a real tough one – on one hand we don’t want to be seen to glorify suicide and on the other we don’t want to not talk about it. In my work with these individuals – validation of their right to their feelings, listening without trying to shove solutions at them, and helping them build new skills which create other options and choices can work. But it all takes time and if we miss the small envelope they can be lost – the reduction in funding is a nationwide emergency imo.
amen to the listening.
to my mind the most profound act of love you can visit on another.
Apparently they are called ‘completed suicides’, there are many more attempts (incomplete suicides) & people who are considering it (& all the self harmers?), which all added up must be a huge amount for our tiny population. How do our stats compare to a city of 4 million I wonder?
Yep the suicide attempts and self harming incidents are through the roof in terms of numbers both gross and percentage wise. And the coroners have quite specific criteria before they call it a suicide which again reduces the statistics. I can’t imagine anyone in this country who isn’t affected by suicide and/or (I’m putting this in here because they are on the same continuum) self harming.
This topic is worth a post – if only to get past the sad tr0ll derailment technique.
The ongoing increases in tobacco tax is fueling robberies nationwide.
A growing number of victims have been harmed and lives are being put at risk. It’s only a matter of time before someone is killed.
Increases in tobacco tax is also fueling a growing black market.
Taxpayers are being forced to pay for more police and new prisons as a result.
It’s also driving those who continue to smoke into further fiscal hardship, adding to the cost, harm and stress growing poverty creates.
When is a enough enough?
There are alternatives to tobacco tax increases. Therefore, isn’t it time we put an end to this crime fueling and harm causing experiment?
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/201820507/salvation-army-wants-to-limit-immigration-to-give-kids-jobs
http://www.salvationarmy.org.nz/research-media/social-policy-and-parliamentary-unit/latest-report/what-next
http://50500.co.nz/
Talking about sexist language
…and given recent Posts and discussions on this site which are primarily attacking Trump …eg this is a typical statement “Like a great many women and a fair amount of men too, I’m disgusted (but not surprised) with the misogyny expressed by Trump.”
This is study is interesting:
‘Women more likely to use misogynistic terms online, report finds’
https://www.rt.com/uk/363048-women-online-misogyny-report/
“Women in the UK and US are more likely to use misogynist language on social media than men, according to the results of a four-year study.
The research was carried out by the social media research firm Brandwatch and looked at 19 million tweets over a four-year period to assess the levels of anti-woman sentiment expressed online.
The study found that over that period there were 3 million posts which contained terms abusive to women – with women most likely to have posted them…
The report was carried out for anti-bullying charity Ditch The Label, and found that words like “bitch,” “cow” and “slut” had passed into common usage by women online…
This is key.
He said the huge rise in income inequality in the 1980s and 1990s was not just a historical event. Its social impact continued to this day, and people were increasingly recognising the damage that poverty was doing, he said.
“The biggest issue I have is The New Zealand Initiative seems completely oblivious to the point that even if the big increase in inequality was in the 1980s and 1990s, and hasn’t worsened since then, it still has big implications for the country today.
“They seem to think that if something happened in the past it doesn’t matter. It is really quite an extraordinary way of looking at the issue,” Rashbrooke said.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/85445497/housing-crisis-the-cause-of-inequality-in-nz-the-new-zealand-initiative
Seems the 48 hour rule applies to things on the interwebs, too.
Wikileaks responds.
https://wikileaks.org/Background-and-Documents-on-Attempts-to-Frame-Assange-as-a-Pedophile-and.html?update3
Good grief, that’s making my head spin. Conspiracy upon conspiracy.
The thing that stands out for me is that for such an elaborate plot they did some very stupid things e.g. the ranty/rambly nature of the post on the dating website. Plus the details in the story were weird if they were made up, and weird if they were true (by true I don’t mean the accusations, I mean that the main players are actual people in real life).
Still don’t know which bits had actions in RL and which were completely happening in cyberspace e.g. is the dating agency real or not?
Third sentence of link…
An unknown entity posing as an internet dating agency…
So, no. The dating agency is a fabrication.
Yeah I saw that, but I prefer to have something in addition to wikileaks or Assange’s lawyers backing that up. Call me cynical (not saying they are lying, just that I don’t trust them as a source to that degree).
Google says they’ve been around for a year or so.
https://www.google.co.nz/search?q=todd+and+clare&client=firefox-b&biw=1920&bih=940&source=lnt&tbs=cdr%3A1%2Ccd_min%3A19%2F10%2F2011%2Ccd_max%3A19%2F10%2F2015&tbm=
Parata sacked. Not sure whether this is a good thing or not.
Now they’ll get someone in to ram through the privatisation changes without the consultation.
Heh.
A great win for education – unless they get some other idiot in to be Minister.
That’s what I’m saying. She was terrible but they’ll get someone even worse – Seymour…!
Noooooooooo!!!!! oh please no
OMG! I thought you were joking, good job, that list MP has done enough damage. Can’t think of any in the outgoing government whom have the slightest interest in education. Please please please NickOff follow her lead and bugger off too.
If you listen you will be able to hear the cheers in school staff rooms around the nation this lunch time 😀
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1610/S00282/parata-will-not-contest-2017-election.htm
The refreshing of the cabinet has begun, will Labour follow suit?
You will see a big change in Cabinet before the next election. John Key has so much talent on the backbench and you can expect that a few Ministers will opt to retire to make way for a fresh face.
Parata is not the only senior Minister who has advised John Key that they want out of politics.
You can’t seriously believe that. Nothing is done without the say-so of Key’s inner circle.
It’s John Key doing the ‘advising’.
Where is the talent on the back bench?
https://national.org.nz/team
Watch for the promotion of Alfred Ngaro,Brett Hudson , Mark Mitchell, Scott Simpson , Paul Foster-Bell, Chris Bishop , Barbara Kuriger,Todd Muller, Alistair Scott to name but a few.
That Mark Mitchell is going to be a good addition
is that because he is involved with Lusk and Slater?
Ngaro is a shoe-in once Lotu Iiga gets his marching orders.
Yes they are back bencher’s, were is the talent.
Brett Hudson, the ‘low profile’ List MP based in Ōhāriu whom the Nat’s put up against Dunne last election. Sales and account management background. Older fella.
Alfred Ngaro another older fella, another List MP, sounds like he has a violence issue.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/9139312/Punched-for-not-praying
Mark Mitchell the Rodney MP ex police man whom was said to have hired Simon Lusk whom went on to collaborate with Slater in an attempt to discredit Mitchells political opponents. I wonder if Mitchells email account is now secure lolz
Scott Simpson the MP for Coromandel whom loves to meet up with Donhua Liu, he received a $5000 donation from the controversial Chinese-born property developer for his 2011 election campaign, after meeting Liu about 10 times, including a couple of dinner dates. Connections with Lusk to it’s been said.
Paul Foster-Bell, Mr big spender and apparently a bully with a high staff turnover.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/81513231/pm-national-mp-paul-fosterbells-high-travel-costs-due-to-his-expertise
Chris Bishop, List MP for the Hutt, his Mrs is Jenna Raeburn, she is a lobbyist for Barton Deakin, well lololol
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/78650109/arrival-of-australian-political-lobbying-firm-in-nz-raises-questions-about-oversight
Barbara Kuriger, MP for Taranaki-King Country, and a shareholder in 2 family owned farming businesses, ex dairy board. Wonder if her and Judith compare notes?
Todd Muller MP for Bay of Plenty, former Zespri and Fonterra executive and asker of Patsy Questions. What has he done for his voters?
Alastair Scott is MP for Wairarapa and also owner of Matahiwi Estate winery and a former banker, I wonder what his agenda is?
Dang, it appears there is nothing new about this lot, more of the same, more executives, farmers and bankers looking after their own. Wonder what they have done for NZ or their local voters since coming into parliament?
I suspect there is more talent in the beehive rest rooms than on the backbenches of parliament.
Parata sacked – how do you know she was sacked. I dislike the woman but how do you know it is not a resignation? explain please.
more ‘pushed’ than ‘sacked’ is what I heard on the political grapevine
Clear out the perceived dead wood and bring in new faces, win win situation
cracks open champers, swigs merrily..
Hekia isn’t standing next election, she’s resigning from politics…
yay, don’t let the beehive door hit you on your way out.
Forget Parata, this is the real important news of the day:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=11731830
Hell yeah
[if it refers to Trump, it’s about the election. Please put it up in the discussion thread. I’ll leave this one here until you do, then delete it. See the bold at top and bottom of thread. Mods can’t move comments out of OM (except to trash). If in doubt stick it in the other thread. Thanks for checking – weka]
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http://www.smh.com.au/business/the-economy/acci-comes-out-swinging-against-the-aspects-of-the-trans-pacific-partnership-20161017-gs47gz.html
ACCI comes out swinging against the aspects of the Trans Pacific Partnership
“Australia’s biggest business organisation has distanced itself from claims the proposed Trans Pacific Partnership will create hundreds of thousands of jobs and be a “gigantic foundation stone” for Australia’s future.”
Not the person or place I expect these kind of comments..sent by a friend.
“I am not an economist but I have come to the conclusion that central banks collectively have now indeed lost the plot. The whole point of their independence was that they could be brave enough to make people confront reality. Yet in reality they are blowing up a bubble of make-believe money to avoid immediate pain, except for penalising the poor and the prudent.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/10/17/central-bankers-have-collectively-lost-the-plot-they-must-raise/
Yes raising interest rates would be fantastic for NZ, sarc.
Not important but every Spring I have serious hay fever through to December at least. But none this year. First time in my life.
Anyone else ab-normal strikes?
Really? In dunedin I’ve been a bit worse than usual, a couple of others mentioned it too.
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