….The Australian Border Force say that there is no mass hunger strike in Western Australia. But our sources inside are adamant that there is. And we’ve heard leaked audio that backs that up.
We’ve also asked for comment from the New Zealand Government. This is of course has been a diplomatic issue between the two countries for several years now. And one that Corrections Minister, Kelvin Davis, has been very vocal about in the past. But there is no word tonight from the New Zealand Government. And many detainees feel they could do more.
Kelvin Davis was “very vocal about this in the past”. That is true. But that of course was during the lead up to the last election, before he was returned to his seat in parliament as the member for Te Tai Tokerau.
Since then Kelvin Davis has been virtually silent on the issue.
“In the end we will remember not the words of our enemies … but the silence of our friends.”─ Martin Luther King
No one with any sense voted for Labour after 84. For the lack of choice , spoiled my ballot in 87.
It is a continuing theme of radical propaganda and back-tracking in power. Can someone suggest a good analysis of Lee’s ‘Simple on a Soapbox’. Definitely Lee had an ego but all the figures of that time appear conservative in his vista without the caucus’s voting. ‘We’ll be the laughing stock of the world’ said MJS about the 30 shilling old age pension.
Do you really expect the New Zealand government to tell Australia how it should run its prisons/detention camps?
The PM has certainly been quiet on the issue when she advocated the whole issue of detainees/illegal immigrants around 12 months ago. The pushback from Turnbull was quite severe. I think the (then new) government got the message loud and clear not to tell the Australians how to run their country.
One would have assumed someone with your experience Wayne would know the difference between telling another country what to do and standing up for your own citizens.
The latter being what one assumes Jenny was implying.
Fist point; The australians do run a first world justice system and expect New Zealand to understand that.
Second point, and really the key one I was making; the New Zealand government very quickly learned not to lecture Australia, and that seems to include Kelvin Davis.
The treatment and conditions resulting from this first world justice system is what is in dispute.
To not be seen standing up for your citizens (or to even bother to comment) will create flak at home. More so, if one was previously immensely vocal before being elected into power.
“The australians do run a first world justice system”
No – they run a two-tier system – a first worldish one for Oz citizens and a different one for everybody else. They do this unashamedly in order to deter backdoor immigration, because Australia is still a place that lots of people want to get to. With 2.5 to 3 degrees of warming it will be a place people are desperate to leave. That will be a grim sort of poetic justice.
“Do you really expect the New Zealand government to tell Australia how it should run its prisons/detention camps”
No – I expect it to kowtow to superior economic and military power. But while doing this, I don’t expect it to utter the sort of dull, grey, turgid, privilege and injustice-defending bromides that would make it sound like Wayne Mapp.
Do you really expect the New Zealand government to tell Australia how it should run its prisons/detention camps? Of course.
Why? So then the likes of those who say Davis is silent would be able to criticise him, accusing him of butting into Australian affairs and how he’s an embarrassment to our country for doing that.
Diplomatic issue? The issue is that Davis has to make a choice between being attacked mercilessly for outwardly putting the boot into the Aussies or for not overtly putting the boot into the Aussies. Attacked by the same people.
He isn’t in the headlines about it so he’s doing nothing. Let’s attack him about that too. And if he is in the headlines saying he’s doing something and there’s an outline of constructive steps towards some constructive resolution, lets attack the media outlet as a mouthpiece for the left.
And if constructive steps get the people put on planes to New Zealand and one of them does something wrong, stupid or bad, let’s blame Davis for getting them into the country and boot him again.
It’s a political issue. That’s when you get someone saying, “Evil triumphs when good men do nothing. The silence of Kelvin Davis.”
Hi Pete, I really can’t understand where you are coming from.
Without any evidence at all you slyly accuse, myself, and presumably others, of criticising Kelvin Davis when he is silent about the plight of the detainees, and also when he speaks up for the detainees, saying, “how he’s an embarrassment to our country for doing that”. This is a complete lying smear. For the record I was very much in support of Kelvin Davis’ early advocacy for the detainees, and would be very pleased to see him take up their cause again..
In future Pete, instead of engaging in broad smears, you need to say exactly who it is you claim is criticising Kelvin for standing up for the detainees, and who also criticise him for not standing up for the detainees. And provide some sort of evidence to back up your claims.
Do you really think the Australian Authorities are going to admit what is going on in their Detention Centres. The Australian Government has not had a good history of dealing nicely with indigeneous races, and come to think of it we have not been super good here in New Zealand as well IMHO ?
we must not forget who and what is waiting in the wings…
… Because we’re all so obsessed with Trump I don’t think we take enough time to reflect on how deeply terrifying Pence is. Trump may be a bigot, but Pence is a zealot – he believes his discriminatory views are justified by a higher power. Trump may not care about morals but Pence has a dangerous view of what morality entails. He refuses to eat alone with any woman who isn’t his wife, for example, because he apparently views women as nothing more than dangerous sexual temptations. And despite his beliefs about moral purity, he has no problem associating himself with Trump, a man who pays off porn stars. Also, he reportedly calls his wife “Mother” – which is just really creepy.
The Pences, of course, should be free to believe whatever they like. What they shouldn’t be free to do, however, is impose their bigoted views on everyone else, which is exactly what they’re doing. It is not entirely improbable that Pence might be president soon. If that happens then it seems clear he’ll do his best to turn the country into a real-life version of The Handmaid’s Tale.
Congratulations to Mariah (Carey) for having the best response to the nauseating #10YearChallenge that is currently everywhere on social media. “I don’t get this 10-year challenge, time is not something I acknowledge,” she tweeted alongside two identical pictures of herself. This will now be my go-to line for my editor every time I file copy late.
America, in a yet another public display of it’s new role as now unashamed authoritarian world bully boys and corporate enforcers which of course leads to it’s complete lack of regard for free press (when it suits them), has detained with out charge Press TV’ s journalist Marzieh Hashemi for over six days so far.
And while we are on the subject of free press, here is a piece well worth reading from Aaron Mate on The Nation dismantling more of the increasingly hysterical and unhinged ‘Russia Gate” conspiracies…
Of course you wouldn’t know that the whole Russia Gate conspiracy just one huge smoke screen reading or listening to msm, and unfortunately many on this site.
So while we have all had to hear endlessly week after week to this conspiracy theory (which is all it is at this point) that always goes nowhere, the Democratic party and Hillary Clinton have had to take exactly zero responsibility for losing to a half brain dead z grade TV game show host, why is that?
If you are a Russia gate believer, maybe this is the question you should start asking yourself…
Well, duh. If it was, Trump would be making a prison cell look even uglier than it already did, and we’d all be contemplating President Pence and thinking you really do need to be careful what you wish for. Most criminal investigations don’t feature a “smoking gun,” that’s why we have juries – and why they take longer than five minutes to reach a verdict. That doesn’t make those criminal investigations “conspiracy theories.”
And that’s an important point. Juries are often advised by the judge to arrive at a decision based on `the balance of probabilities’, aren’t they? Which is just as elegant way of saying `take your best guess, folks’.
So, in practice, courts decide more often on the picture painted by circumstantial evidence than on proof. Which is where Mueller III’s unprecedented breaking of media silence comes in.
“Cohen was sentenced in December to three years in prison for lying to Congress, campaign finance violations and financial crimes. He said he took full responsibility for his crimes, but said he acted out of blind loyalty to Mr. Trump, who he said “led me to choose a path of darkness over light.””
“During his nomination hearing this week to become attorney general, William P. Barr was asked if the president would have committed a crime if he had coached a witness to testify falsely — or not to testify at all. “Yes,” Mr. Barr said. “Under an obstruction statute, yes.”” https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/18/us/politics/buzzfeed-cohen-russia-tower.html
The day before Buzzfeed reported evidence that Trump had committed that crime. Mueller III yesterday denied that was accurate. He obviously felt he had to – because of that bunch of calls for him to act by leading congressmen. Looks like he doesn’t have a basis to act against Trump. He’s been gathering circumstantial evidence to paint the picture for two years. Not enough.
As I presume you know “balance of probabilities” is about civil trials. Anything to do with impeachment/Russia collusion is on the criminal standard of “beyond reasonable doubt.”
Thanks Wayne. No, I’ve never studied legal process. Just have the view of the average layman – a general idea of how the system works picked up from long-term observation. Beyond reasonable doubt sounds like a requirement of proof to me.
Buzzfeed used the agreement of two ex-govt officials as basis for their claim that the proof exists. Mueller III denied that their claim was accurate. Sounds like the evidence is debatable: proof to some, not to others. This discord around evidence has long been a phenomenon in science: evidence can be interpreted as proof, but opinions often differ. Even between experts!
Uhhh, when it comes to impeachment and conviction, it’s whatever at least 218 House Representatives and at least 67 senators agree are impeachable “high crimes and misdemeanours”, to whatever standard of proof they agree on. Impeachment and conviction is not a criminal proceeding, and it’s different to a civil matter as well.
It is literally correct to say that if said numbers of Congresspeople agreed that what Individual-1 does with his ties are impeachable “high crimes and misdemeanours”, he’d be outta there. Article 1 of impeachment could be the way he wears them way too long to point at the wizened Toad lurking in his trousers. Article 2 of Impeachment could be the way he uses sellotape to vainly attempt to hold the two dangly bits together.
John Roberts as the presiding justice over the senate trial could put as much effort as he wanted to into pointing out how fkn ridiculous it was, but in the end, if 67 senators voted to convict. it’s a done deal. The more likely procedural way to protect Individual-1 would be for the Senate Majority Leader, aka Yertle McConnell, to refuse to even bring the matter to the senate floor for consideration.
“An impeachable offense is whatever a majority of the House of Representatives considers to be at a given moment in history; conviction results from whatever offense or offenses two-thirds of the other body considers to be sufficiently serious to require removal of the accused from office.”
Funnily enough the powers that be seem to (so far) be entirely relying on the public believing the “smoking gun” theory.
You seem to not realise that “Smoking gun” refers to the strongest kind of circumstantial evidence, as opposed to direct evidence. ie…
The smoking gun theory is as follows….
“Trumps been to Russia and wanted to build a Russian Trump Tower;
There are Russians on the internet putting up adverts and #fake news supporting Bernie/Trump/Stein and these have been amazingly successful at…
getting disenfranchised whites in the rust belt all rilled up (which makes no sence ‘cos there lives/wages/housing/health and that of their children are getting better and better with each passing year)
and getting African Americans all rilled up and resentful (which also makes no sence ‘cos there lives are sweet as too);
Bernie and Trump did well;
Its simply not possible that the public no longer believe in the Corporate Democrats ability to deliver change and (cough) ‘Hope’, and that the public would willingly vote for the likes of Trump or Bernie or Stein, therefore……Trump is a Russian stooge.”
(The smoking gun theory also involves ignoring how much the Democrats/Hilary spent, because apparently the Russians are way way better at pushing their message than any of the agencies working for Hilary)
Oh it’s a conspiracy theory alright, and why any critical thinking person is still buying into it’s bullshit constructed narrative is for me the strangest part of the whole thing..quite disheartening really.
With that in mind I think we need tolay out the cards here and face the facts, Russia gate conspiracists are willing to accept, defend and support the narrative of Ex Bush FBI head Robert Mueller and his various (seriously) dodgy co conspirators over established truth tellers like Glenn Greenwald, Robert Fisk, John Pilger, etc etc….
Well as the old saying goes, ‘you make the bed you lie in’
But I guess on the bright side you always have the in depth hard hitting reporting of the liberal turned war hawk Racheal Maddow to keep you up to date ha.
Robert Fisk as an established truth teller? Isn’t he the discredited journalist who was found to have made up stories & treated them as investigative journalism? Maybe he now works for Buzzfeed ?
I remember reading in the NZ Herald quite a few years ago how Robert Fisk came in for some heavy criticism from other journalists, who said he always seemed to get a very detailed story, when others said they were always suspicious of him.
The first link is to an apology by Fisk for writing an article in 2011 in which he quoted from a forged document (unknown to Fisk at the time), hardly a reason to discredit a journalist with decades of solid war reporting.
BTW your linked source HonestReporting (Defending Israel from Media Bias) also defends Israeli violence against unarmed civilians..detaining children in prison..etc etc
HonestReporting’s Top 10 Posts of 2018 https://honestreporting.com/honestreportings-top-posts-of-2018/
As far as Idrees Ahmad’s (whom I admire) piece goes, that is more problematic, the Syrian conflict is so complex, that I personally try to stay at some distance from it, so i can’t really comment on that article.
But I can see your position re’ Fisk if that is your view on the Syrian conflict nonetheless.
Not sure about the Syrian conflict, but seems some people are now saying Fisk is a stooge of Assad & the Russians. Have no idea if this is even true & in the end all journalists have to be paid by someone. Truly being independent is maybe a difficult thing for journalists to achieve.
Difficult to know re Fisk, but I do remember a lot of journalists saying that he always seemed to get the perfect story which seemed to be embellished.
Tamati is right – we live in societies still struggling with their colonial past. In Aotearoa it is hard to appreciate that there was once a time when it was considered acceptable to exterminate indigenous people.
In Australia ‘Kriol’ is a relatively new Aboriginal language with upwards of 20,000 speakers in the Northern Territory and the neigbouring Kimberley region of Western Australia. It is a creole language – meaning it is a kind of emergency language with specific origin.
It arose early this century when surviving members of decimated language groups congregated at the Roper River Mission in order to escape killings being carried out by cattle station companies. Many adults were multilingual – but not in the same languages. Children had often not developed full language competence .
In this situation the only form of communication was a pidgin which had entered the Northern Territory a few decades before with the cattle trade.
It is easy to forget this history in urban centres but like an old coral reef it repeatedly resurfaces when conservative parties with a strong rural base hold sway in Canberra.
I notice the self-satisfied expression of the one young white man who stands in front of the American Indian (Nathan Philips of the Omaha Nation). His tight smile says you can’t make me move, and you can’t touch me.
I keep seeing the left criticize Trump for stating MAGA. Claiming he wants to bring back racism, slavery and segregation. What a bunch of cucks.
Let’s set the record straight. We are going back to a Great America.
An America where the people trust the government.
An America where we are proud of the USA.
An America where we don’t fear terrorist, but terrorist fear us.
An America where getting a job and livable wage is easy.
An America where we create wealth and prosperity.
An America with a tax surplus and not a multi-trillion dollar deficit.
An America where anyone can afford to go to the hospital.
An America where everyone can go to college.
An America where people aren’t afraid of police.
An America with more schools than prisons.
An America that upholds the bill of rights.
An America that spends money to fix itself before “fixing” the world.
An America where “Made in USA” is cheaper than “Made in China”.
An America that doesn’t have one way tarrifs.
An America that doesn’t allow threats of war from other nations. Looking at you North Korea.
An America that stands for Freedom and Democracy.
That’s the America we are going back to. That is the future. No more free rides for fake allies. No more fake diplomacy while Americans die to terrorist. No more corrupt secret deals. No more profit at the expense of American lives.
MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!!
FUCK YOU CLINTON, CTR, DEMOCRATS, AND ANY OTHER FREEDOM HATING TRAITORS!
Those thick youth look like cardboard cutouts compared to the native elders. Those young adults are nothing, not even dust, gone, evaporated back to their nothingness.
“The students, many of whom were wearing “Make America Great Again” caps, from private, all-male Covington Catholic High School in Park Hills were in Washington for an anti-abortion rally on Friday when they were filmed surrounding Nathan Phillips and mocking the Native American’s singing and drumming.”
Frankie the Pope has a message for the little shits.
Pope Francis on Friday addressed a video message to the world’s young indigenous people holding their World Indigenous Youth Gathering in Soloy, Diocese of David, Panama, from January 17 to 21. The young people will then move on to Panama city to join the World Youth Day (WYD) 2019, January 22-27, which the Pope is joining on January 23.
Speaking in Spanish, the Pope is encouraging the indigenous young people to hold on to their cultures and roots by fighting marginalization, exclusion, waste and impoverishment that is threatening them and build another world that is possible and that is more just and human.
[…]
Return to native cultures. Take care of the roots, because from the roots comes the strength that will make you grow, prosper and bear fruit. It must also be a way of showing the indigenous face of our Church in the context of WYD and of affirming our commitment to protect the Common House and to collaborate in building another possible world, that is more just and more human.
“But lesser known are the (Monty Python) troupe’s other feature-length films, including 1983’s “The Meaning of Life.” Amidst a dinner party with Death and a machine that goes “ping!”, audiences are treated to one of the weirdest, most catchy astronomy tunes out there: The Galaxy Song…
… just how accurate is the science? Let’s take a look!
[What’s going on, cobber? Your last few comments look like you’ve walked away from the laptop and your pet hamster has tap danced on the keyboard. If you want to put a link up, please add a short explanation of its relevance. Don’t want to waste people’s time, ae? TRP]
Anyone watch Go South on Prime last night? Really awesome piece of TV. Hopefully this will manage to get on TV networks all round the world. Do more to promote NZ than anything else.
A predictable opinion piece in today’s Herald website by Lawrence Yule National MP for Tukituki and spokesperson for horticulture. Nowt, zip, yadda, nil, nothing about the orchidists paying their workforce a decent wage – but he reckons the Government has a role to play to help them out. Poor petals. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12193308
A leaked poll commissioned by the pro-EU Best for Britain campaign suggests that voters would be less likely to back Labour if the party was committed to stopping Brexit.
According to the poll, passed to the Guardian, almost a third of respondents said they would be less likely to vote Labour, a similar number to those who said it would not make a difference. Twenty-five per cent said it would make them more likely to back Labour, with the rest saying they did not know.
it is not cake and eating it too, rather it is combining representative democracy and direct democracy.
So with that in mind in this case: An election is held that combines the Tory platform with the favored brexit approach of it’s support base (which is looking for the maximum separations with the EU) & the Labour combines it’s platform with the favored brexit approach of it’s support base (which is looking for a continuation of partnership with the EU as much as possible).
Then the representatives of the election result, negotiate their balances to the differences and trade offs with the EU and their supoort base platform, so it remains a winning process for the electorate’s involvement in the process. And either way the election goes, there remains strong bargaining power for the British side.
And i believe, at heart, it is probably that simple in how to complete the process started with the referendum in a way that is diplomatic to all concerned.
Like everyone I’d always believed that the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse were Conquest, War, Famine, and Death. And then I read this:
The Black Horse
When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come and see!” I looked, and there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, “A quart of wheat for a day’s wages, and three quarts of barley for a day’s wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine!” (Revelation 6:5-6)
And realised that the The Black Horse wasn’t famine at all.
Good riddance to New Zealand’s Biggest Bogans
by E. KERR McROVI, The N.Z. Gerald, Sunday 20 January 2019
You would have to wonder what this country’s Biggest Bogans were doing when they chose the New Zealand taxpayer to fund their calumny from 2008 until we gave them the arse in 2017.
Did they think we were complete saps, willing to roll over and accept their appalling anti-social and criminal behaviour? That we were too primitive and unsophisticated to galvanise ourselves into a posse of right-thinking community policemen and women? A little bit of homework would have shown that we have spectacularly good form in bringing down even highly trained criminals, far less amateurs.
But just to recap … That bunch of foul mouthed, bribe-taking, snitching, backstabbing, housing expenses-rorting, cigar smoke-blowing, hairpulling louts made headlines on a daily – nay, hourly – basis. Since award-winning journalist Nicky Hager exposed to the nation in 2014 that their leader had allowed his office to be the command centre for an illegal, secret campaign of character assassination and vilification run by the infamous and disgusting Cameron FailAll Slater, assisted incompetently and pathetically by his stumble-tongued slave Jordan Williams, this gang of reprobates ran our country’s reputation into the ground with the same lack of concern as their dirty dairy friends foul the water the rest of us used to drink and swim in.
The gang of thugs parked up at the Beehive for nine terrible years quickly drew the attention of Kiwis thanks to their filthy language and their filthy behaviour. [1] When a local woman suffering from asthma asked one of them to stop smoking a cigar in their enclosed box at a football match, the feral fellow turned particularly nasty. Instead of ceasing to smoke, he walked up to the woman and blew smoke in her face. This led to the woman’s husband nearly knocking Coleman’s brains out. [2] And thus it began.
As a result of the publicity over the cigar fracas, a number of people approached the Herald with their own horror stories of encountering the nation’s Biggest Bogans.
A man who had the great misfortune to share a flight with one of these appalling humans recounted his bad behaviour at Christchurch Airport in 2014. It was hours of misery for everyone involved, when the fattest and most unpleasant of all the Bogans bumptiously bypassed security to board a domestic flight. He was fined $2,000 for that bit of idiocy. [3]
Next, a young waitress from Parnell came forward to complain about the leader of the Unruly Gang. She recognised the lout from his many appearances in the media and told how he and his people had come to her cafe and repeatedly pulled her hair while his wife just watched. [4]
Another of these antisocial and repulsive pests was caught by one of our leading artists in the act of befouling our waterways, along with his horrid dirty dairying amigos. [5]
This Unruly, Unholy Mob had no idea just how effective New Zealanders can be at monitoring aberrant behaviour. Those of us who are honest will remember that the gangsters who ran that vicious and secret campaign of character assassination from Wonky John’s office were exposed not by this country’s counter espionage agents or even our investigative police officers. The hapless bumbling tossers in charge of the operation were exposed thanks to a concerned computer expert (“Rawshark”) who had clocked a number of odd incidents and reported them to the renowned journalist Nicky Hager.
So this group of professional louts never had a chance of slipping under the radar. The reaction to these no-hopers was an excellent example of what can happen when we work together.
Spoke to my m8 yesterday who’s grandfather played for Liverpool, about the Liverpudlian gypsies touring New Zealand he reckons they are Northern Ireland protestants one of the worst breed of people on the planet.
‘ That bunch of foul mouthed, bribe-taking, snitching, backstabbing, housing expenses-rorting, cigar smoke-blowing, hairpulling louts made headlines on a daily – nay, hourly – basis. Since award-winning journalist Nicky Hager exposed to the nation in 2014 that their leader had allowed his office to be the command centre for an illegal, secret campaign of character assassination and vilification run by the infamous and disgusting Cameron FailAll Slater, assisted incompetently and pathetically by his stumble-tongued slave Jordan Williams, this gang of reprobates ran our country’s reputation into the ground with the same lack of concern as their dirty dairy friends foul the water the rest of us used to drink and swim in.’
M8’s name is Murphy not sure what his grandfather’s name was but I will ask him the next time I talk to him and let you know, probably feeding me B/S, never thought to ask.
So. My US trip has been a civil rights pilgrimage. There are people in NZ who are actively seeking to emulate the US, to use the same tactics and the same themes to divide our society, poison our discourse, and to use our values against us.
Kia ora the am show There you go duncan kicking the poor vulnerable people.
Its a lollie scramble in the house building boom in Taungara that’s the capitalist way charge what ever one can get from the buyer.???????????????????????????????.
simon you way of running the country into the ground look at what has happened hundreds of people under the bridge and you spout about they way shonky run the country. national sold half of the power companys and in just 5 years the money raised buy the sales of those crown jewels has been losted in capital gain’s and dividend’s a gift to their wealthy share market m8 of 5 billion tipcal national kick the poor vulnerable people.
Alcohol related death’s in NZ IS 600 to 1000 how many die from weed can not find any from consumeing it enough said.
Jason its quite hot in Australia at the minute can cook a egg on the bonnet of a car and your prime minister wants to build more coal power plants that burns heaps of carbon and use heaps of WATER.
I say Michael Mosley diet will be good .Drop the sugar and have porridge in the morning is a good way to to stop the hunger pangs and lose weight it makes the body work to digets it to .
The biggest hitts the tax system’s get is fraud that comes from the white collar crime there was a figure of $1 billion in the media .Goverments and council’s fraud. I say that figure is the tip of the Iceburg.
Global warming it the biggest threat enough said Ka kite ano P.S Mahi ki hoariri
Unequal income distribution is what causes a lot of our society problems health crime slow economy low education levels also Unequal income affects Wahine the people whom raise our tamariki the most .
How unequal is New Zealand?
In New Zealand, income (and probably wealth) was being shared out more and more evenly from the 1950s up until the 1980s – but for the next two decades we had the developed world’s biggest increase in income inequality.
As the graph (at left) shows, in that time, the average income of someone in the richest 1% has doubled, from just under $200,000 to nearly $400,000 (adjusting for inflation). In contrast, the average disposable income for someone in the poorest 10% is only slightly higher than it was in the 1980s. (More details and the source of this graph can be found in Wealth and New Zealand, published by BWB.) That means many New Zealanders struggle to pay their bills and lead a decent life.
Another way to put it is that someone in the richest 10% used to earn five times as much as someone in the poorest 10%; now they earn eight times as much.
Wealth is also very largely in the hands of a few. As the graph (below) shows, in New Zealand the wealthiest tenth own nearly a fifth of the country’s net worth, while the poorest half of the country has less than 5 per cent. That leaves many people in poverty, lacking the resources they need to participate in society and follow their dreams. (Again, further details are available in Wealth and New Zealand.)
What is the connection with poverty?
Inequality connects both ends of the spectrum, wealth and poverty, and argues that they have to be looked at together. The fundamental issue is distribution: how are the economy and society structured, and where do they deliver their rewards?
In other words, poverty doesn’t exist in isolation: people are poor, in part, because the economy directs much of the country’s resources to those who are already doing well. For instance, within a company, pay for ordinary staff can be low because so much of the company’s income goes to senior management and shareholders.
Wealth and poverty can’t be separated.Polling shows New Zealanders have consistently rated inequality as the single biggest issue facing the country since 2014. Over 80 per cent of the country say they are concerned or very concerned about income and wealth imbalances. Internationally, all the world’s major economic bodies – including the IMF, the OECD and the World Bank – have argued for some time that inequality is a major problem and must be addressed. Ka kite ano links below
Here you go the goverments don’t mesure the % of income that the people pay and in the poor peoples case with gst at 15 % we the poor pay the higest % of taxs to income ratio. And the rulers wonder why MAORI are so upset with OUR lot this system is dishing us up Ana to kai
Do the rich really pay the most in tax?
The rich don’t really pay that much in tax – and to the extent that they do, it’s because they get the biggest chunk of the income
The government likes to say that the richest 15% of households (those earning over $150,000) pay three-quarters of all the “net tax” .
The problem with this measure is that it isn’t really about tax. It does start with the amount of income tax paid by different groups – but it then does complicated calculations about how much those groups received in benefit payments, the accommodation supplement, paid parental leave and Working for Families. Those figures are subtracted from the amount of tax paid by each group, to arrive at a strange sort of “net financial contribution to the government’s books” measure.
More useful figures about income tax are in the graph below, which shows how much of our national income goes to each of the country’s ten income groups – and what proportion of the total tax take they contribute
None of these figures, of course, includes capital gains (income made from selling assets such as houses and shares), because we don’t for the most part either tax or record those capital gains.
If we did, since those capital gains will go largely to the richest tenth, the truth about tax in New Zealand is that the rich almost certainly pay less of their income in tax than the poor do. ka kite ano links below
You see people 4 % is what drips off the wealthy’s plates for maori to fight over and some still have the gaul to moan about what Maori/minority cultures get from the system . TIMES ARE GOING TO CHANGE.
Eco Maori say mandatory voting is what is need to get a fair representation for all Kiwis at the minute the pollies are to scared to tackle the big issues that will upset the retired babyboomers whom 98% vote . If everyone votes the politicians will listen to the poor people more.
Kia ora Newshub Some of those Wai falls around Auckland has some old Maori history.
House prices are expensive in Aotearoa at the minute all part of shonkys plan.
I saw that video of that old Native American that was being taunted by that boy so disrespectful those young people are Alot of people are disrespectful these days the old fella was a War veteran to. Public expenses in Aotearoa was one of the lowest in the world so was our grocery prices low as compared to the rest of the World 10 years ago.
If the trees are dangerous ie fall over in bad weather they should be felled but one would think the council would follow dew process after all they set the examples.
That was lucky that no one was hurt in that bombing in Ireland I smell something.
The Orca video under the artic ice is really cool see those Orca have smaller dorsal fins than the ones around NZ. I did not see much publicity on the marine sanctuary being set up around the Ross Sea??????????.
Ka kite ano.
Kia ora Newshub it’s good for our farmers that Jacinda has got a export deal with Britain I still say Britain should stay with the European Union. As for the Air forces Gropper its the same as the roast busters the state white coller people bending the laws to protect there m8. That’s why there is a status of limitations LAW to protect government people from getting held accountable for all the cheating they did while in power.A new government find there dirty deeds cannot litigate against the cheats. The man made drug problem the pills what ever man made drug problem is here and now because the state spent all its resources farcicaly fighting weed that is practically harmless when compared factual with other forms of drugs and ignore these other drugs that has killed many people shonkys the ring leader is the ring leader. duncan your a alt right red neck who thinks a Wahine place is behind a MAN your views change like your underwear. Like I have said the world’s laws are made to protect the ruling classes and hammer the poor people that’s a fact. I have all read put a post up about the gropper ropper CASE.
I won’t wait for shonky who should be hiding under a rock after the Big mess he has made of Atoearoa. Ka kite ano P.S to busy with our Mokopunas
Yea wealth is OK so long as shonky doesn’t have control of it and give it to the few while the many have to struggle to survive its OK if wealth is shared it is well documented that a equal society is much happier and healthier when your share the lollipops I get it wealthy people get a logical block from their $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$. Quite a common phenomenon around Papatuanukue that has caused all the ills of Papatuanukue don’t worry common people money is going to be a thing of the past we will have a currency that has a consciousness connection to it any cheating people will go broke. Ana to kai Ka kite ano
There you go shonky is a alt right trump supporter trump is ripping of the poor common people like shonky did and giving it to his rich m8 bullshiting about trumps popularity in America Ana to kai Ka kite ano
Kia ora Newshub It’s cool Jamie Lee Ross is OK more drama for national I see one of their biggest spin doctors is not in good shape.
A tree falling on people picnicking at the shot over river condolences to the people who were involved in the incident Tawhirirmate is a powerful force.
Jacinda is determined to keep Aotearoa exporters to Britain in the good tradition trading partners Ka pai.
Aotearoa is a haven but trying to sail hear in over loaded unsafe boat is a risk to great to make we get some big seas here in the Pacific.
national flogging the same horse weed benefit bashing sorry they won’t get anyone attention but there 25 %core voters 65 % of kiwis support weed laws reforms only fools and horses /bridges.
We seen The Marama /Moon last night at the Farm she was showing off her beauty.
That was awesome that lady Lee had her treasure returned to that were stolen she looked wrapped she was lucky the boys who found them found her Ka kite ano
by John Edmundson The International Socialist Organisation (ISO) have recently reposted a February article, by Romany Tasker-Poland, explaining ISO’s position in the “trans rights” debate. It is available on their website and on their Facebook Page. The article sets out to explain why “socialists support trans rights”. It reads more ...
"Auckland City Mission: 10% of Kiwis experiencing food insecurity", RNZ, 16 October 2019:About half a million people are experiencing food insecurity, according to new research from the Auckland City Mission. Food insecurity, or food poverty, is defined as not having enough appropriate food. The City Mission said over the last ...
Media Statement for Immediate Release 16th October 2019 “Fake News” from Auckland City Council CCOs Board Chairs re pay and performance bonuses for top managers Despite comments from Auckland City Council CCOs Board Chairs re pay and performance bonuses for top managers—Herald Newspaper Tuesday Oct 15th–there is very little evidence ...
Would You Buy A Used Propaganda Video From This Man? Bridges and the National Party’s strategists have discovered that the ideas and attitudes considered acceptable by today’s editors and journalists are no longer enforceable. The rise and rise of the Internet and the social media platforms it spawned means that ...
There is plenty of evidence of the way the business mentality has permeated every level of society since the recrudescence of market liberalism 35 years ago. You only need to think of how citizens in need of help from their government, their state, their country, are now routinely described as ...
John MacCormickOver the last 40 years, New Zealanders – and people in other countries – have experienced big changes in the jobs they do and where they live and work. These changes include: a decline in manufacturing jobs an increase in jobs in ‘information-intensive’ industries (which are better paid ...
Nick Wilson, Leah Grout, Mereana Wilson, Anja Mizdrak, Phil Shoemack, Michael BakerProtecting waterways has the benefits of: (1) protecting water from hazardous microbes; (2) minimising cancer risk and other problems from nitrates in water; (3) avoiding algal blooms that are hazardous to health; (4) protecting mahinga kai uses (cultural ...
by The Council of Disobedient Women In a press release today Massey University announced it has decided to rebrand and reorientate after struggling to be a University for grown-ups. For some time the University has wanted to be a safe play space for wee-woke-misogynists who have been really badly triggered ...
After a brief dalliance with 'hard Revoke' it looks like the Lib Dems are changing ground on on Brexit, with leader Jo Swinson reverting to calling for a second referendum on Johnson's deal.The party has tabled an amendment to the Queen’s speech requesting that any deal brought back from Brussels ...
The government has decided that someone has done Something Bad. But despite their belief, there seems to be no evidence that they have actually broken the law. So the government's solution is to pass a retrospective law allowing them to be punished anyway, on a lower standard of proof. If ...
So, Judith Collins has done a Facebook rant about climate change, peddling the same shit National has been shovelling for the past twenty years: the impacts are overstated, there's no need to do anything about it, and its too hard anyway (oh, and its so unfair that people who peddle ...
Climate Explained is a collaboration between The Conversation, Stuff and the New Zealand Science Media Centre to answer your questions about climate change.If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, please send it to climate.change@stuff.co.nzThere is a lot of discussion on the benefits of ...
I came across this song quite by accident. If it isn't one of Greta Thunberg's favourites - it should be.Video courtesy of YouTube.This post is exclusive to Bowalley Road. ...
Last month, NZDF's shoddy coverup of what it knew about civilian casualties in Operation Burnham began to fall apart, with the revelation that a report on the matter, which NZDF claimed not to have, had been sitting in an NZDF safe for the past nine years. Yesterday, the man responsible ...
While many imagine that countries like the USA and Europe dominate space activities, in fact India is now a major player on this stage. It launches satellites for its own purposes and also commercially, and has constellations orbiting our planet and returning data of vital importance to that nation in ...
Thanks to a report from the Acting Inspector General of Intelligence and Security following a complaint by Nicky Hager, we have come to find out that the SIS illegally spied on Mr. Hager on behalf of the NZDF after publication of Hager’s 2011 book, Other People’s Wars. The NZDF justified ...
COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT GLOBAL WARMING MYTH 1: Global temperatures are rising at a rapid, unprecedented rate. FACT: The HadCRUT3 surface temperature index, produced by the Hadley Centre of the UK Met Office and the Climate Research Unit of the University of East Anglia, shows warming to 1878, cooling to 1911, ...
For the past week, Extinction Rebellion has been peacefully protesting in London to demand action on climate change. The British government's response? Ban their protests:Police have banned Extinction Rebellion protests from continuing anywhere in London, as they moved in almost without warning to clear protesters who remained at the movement’s ...
An essay by Judith Collins MP reported on Carbon News yesterday seems to show an alarming shift in attitude within the National Party. Collins argues against the Zero Carbon Bill, the Paris Agreement, and downplays the magnitude of climate impacts. The Paris Agreement was adopted in December 2015 and ratified ...
When they were running for election, Labour promised to overhaul the Employment Relations Act and introduce fair pay agreements to set basic pay and conditions on an industry level, preventing bad employers from undercutting good ones. They followed this up by establishing a working group, which reported back in January ...
A list of indicators of bad science – many of these are found in articles promoted by anti-fluoride activists. Anti-fluoride activists have been pouring money into a scaremongering campaign warning pregnant women not to drink fluoridated water. They claim fluoride will lower the IQ of their future child. Fluoride ...
Nothing Left To Say: Labour's pollster, Stephen Mills, remains swaddled-up in the comforting myths of the 1980s. As if the experience of Roger Douglas’s genuinely radical post-Muldoon policy agenda was literally a once-in-a-lifetime thing – as much as the party could possibly absorb for at least the next 50 years.MEMO ...
The Royal Commission on abuse in care is very significant for the disability community. For many decades last century, thousands of disabled children, and adults who managed to survive, were locked away from families and communities. This was not for anything they had done, but for the perceived threat their ...
With an unfair voting system, uneven electorates and an un-elected upper house, the UK's "democracy" is barely worthy of the name. But now the government wants to make it worse:The government has been accused of suppressing voters’ rights with the potential disenfranchisement of tens of thousands of people after plans ...
Back in the 90's and early 2000's, the building industry was building leaky homes which should never have been granted consent. Now it turns out they've been building dodgy office blocks as well:New imaging technology has revealed hundreds of major buildings nationwide have defective or missing concrete or reinforcing steel. ...
Local body election results were released over the weekend, to joy or despair depending on where you live. In Auckland, Phil Goff trounced John Tamihere, who is muttering darkly about running for Parliament again (but which party would want him?) Wellington is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of Weta Workshop, except ...
How could government evolve over the next decades? Reports of democracy’s imminent demise are greatly exaggerated. However, satisfaction with political systems in many countries is low, so there is much to do for governments of all political stripes to improve relevance and trust. Digital technologies are seen as one ...
Two years have now gone by since the Friday afternoon when my university-student son and I headed out of our Barcelona flat to a nearby primary school, designated as a polling station for the vote that was to be held the following Sunday: the referendum on Catalonia’s independence from Spain ...
Overruled: The joint decision of Finance Minister, Grant Robertson (Labour) and his Associate Minister, David Parker (Labour) arguably the two most powerful ministers in Jacinda Ardern’s government, to grant OceanaGold the consents which Land Information Minister, Eugenie Sage (Greens) had earlier denied them, offers bitter proof of how hard fighting ...
More than double the number of people who will vote in this year’s local body elections have tried marijuana or urinated somewhere they shouldn’t have. As local elections look set for the lowest turnout in decades, with many regions falling well short of 40%, the Government is exploring a number ...
A Statement on Abortion Law Reform by the Council of Disobedient Women On the eve of bringing an end to antiquated, anti-women abortion laws Green MP Jan Logie intends to write women out of the Bill. With a stroke of the pen, the woke are aiming for total erasure ...
Musings continue apace about “the experienced businessman!” soon to be taking up a National Party MP position. Or to be more accurate, being parachuted into a seat to shut down their former MP Jamie-Lee Ross, who despite his own shortcomings shed at least some more light on the inner workings ...
The Ugandan government wants to murder gay people:Uganda has announced plans to impose the death penalty on homosexuals. The bill, colloquially known as “Kill the Gays” in Uganda, was nullified five years ago on a technicality, but the government said on Thursday it plans to resurrect it within weeks. The ...
Freedom Of Speech? The Säuberung (cleansing by fire) was the work of the German Student Union which, on 10 May 1933, under the watchful eye of the Nazi Reichminister for Propaganda, Joseph Goebbels, consigned 25,000 books to the flames in a ritual exorcism of “un-German thought”. According to the logic of the ...
“There can be no such thing as kaupapa Māori political parties or politics in Aotearoa” (Willie Jackson, Labour Party (2017). Māori TV, General/List Election Special) I begin with that claim because at the time, I was confounded at first that it fell out of Willie Jackson’s mouth, and then ...
New Zealand has prided itself for decades with regard to its lack of pollution, and all will be aware that the ‘100% Pure New Zealand‘ meme is under threat through land, water and air pollution of various causes. There is another type of contamination that the country also faces: light ...
New Zealand’s media is doing its part in Japan, reassuring those in the path of the storm that they won’t miss any rugby while away from their flooded homes. New Zealand sports reporters stationed in Japan for the Rugby World Cup have had the rare and heartwarming opportunity to inform ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones is the only Cabinet member in favour of putting it all on green. As Finance Minister Grant Robertson finds himself with an enormous $7.5 billion surplus, the Government has begun intense, at times contentious conversations about whether to put the money on red or black at ...
by Susanne Kemp At the start of September close to 100,000 school teachers went on strike in Jordan. They demanded a 50% pay rise. A pay rise actually agreed to by the regime back in 2014. In early October, however, in the face of government repression and threats, the teachers’ ...
Climate Explained is a collaboration between The Conversation, Stuff and the New Zealand Science Media Centre to answer your questions about climate change.If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, please send it to climate.change@stuff.co.nzWhy do people still think climate change isn’t real?David ...
Back in 2011, journalist Nicky Hager published Other People's Wars, an expose on NZDF's activities over the previous decade of the "war on terror". NZDF didn't like this, and especially didn't like the fact that it was base don leaks from their own. So, they had the SIS investigate him ...
The Zero Carbon Bill is due back from select committee in two weeks, and will likely pass its final stages in November. So naturally, farmers are planning a hate-march against it. But they're not just demanding lower methane targets so they can keep on destroying the planet; they're also demanding ...
Last year, California burned. This year, to stop it happening again (or rather, to stop themselves from being found liable if it happens again), Pacific Gas and Electric is cutting power to half the state for a week:Schools are closed. Traffic lights down. Tunnels dark. Businesses unopened. Hospitals running on ...
The Best Way: Missing from the on-line voting debate is any reference to the voting system that produces turn-out figures ranging from 77 to 93 percent of registered voters. The voting system used to collect and count the votes cast in our parliamentary elections. The system that involves citizens making ...
Among the great new bunch of political friends we have been making recently is the excellent Australian-based Marxist gender-critical site, Freer Lives. So we asked the comrade who set up that blog to write something for Redline on the blog, himself, his analysis of the rise of gender politics and ...
by Don Franks The Auckland City Mission is struggling with a 40 percent increase in demand for food parcels this year. A total of 23,020 were needed by June. Last month Missioner Chris Farrelly told the Herald the “cupboards are bare” and without an emergency food drive, he can’t see ...
by The Council of Disobedient Women Massey Wellington Student Association had a sit-in today. Imagine a sit-in. On a campus. Against a women’s rights meeting. Did the ’60s really happen or did we fucking dream it? They gathered in the student square, an echo chamber. Sitting on soft pillows ...
For some reasons, my post about the mystery message from inside the Downing Street bunker seemed to catch people's attention. Quite a lot of hits from NZ (unsurprisingly) and the USA (a bit more puzzlingly, but hi there, USAians!!) and 76 views from the Ukraine.I've celebrated my Ukrainian readers in ...
First, almost a score of Labour MPs seem to have sent a letter to the EU basically begging them to accept a deal - any deal - just so Britain can get the Heck on with Brexiting instead of being trapped in limbo:
by Phil Duncan In 2016 the National-led government suspended the Parent Visa Category, through which migrants were able to bring their parents into New Zealand. Since then over 5,700 people have been in immigration limbo, stuck on the visa wait list. Labour is now bringing back the scheme. Well, sort ...
The following was released yesterday (Tues, October 8) by the women’s liberation organisation Speak Up for Women. On 23 September Speak Up For Women announced that we would be holding an event at the Massey University Theaterette in Wellington. The event is called Feminism 2020. The intention of the event ...
The government is currently consulting on plans to improve freshwater quality. So naturally, farmers oppose it:South Taranaki farmers are preparing to fight proposed national freshwater changes that some fear will bankrupt them. The Government's proposed National Environment Standard on Freshwater Management, released in September, rated the Waingongoro River as one ...
Yesterday was the last day for (reliably) posting your vote away in local body elections. Turnouts are mostly much lower than the equivalent time last year (Palmerston North is down 2.3%), and so naturally people are pushing their online-voting snake oil again. Because the online census worked so well, lets ...
This essay, on the political legacy of the eugenics movement, by Kenan Malik was originally published in the Observer on 6 October 2019, under the headline ‘The spirit of eugenics is still with us, as immigrants know to their cost’. Birth control. Intelligence tests. Town planning. Immigration controls. It’s striking how ...
Another year, and the government has announced another enormous government "surplus". And just like last year, its nothing of the sort. When we have people homeless and sick and hungry, when we have schools and hospitals still falling down, when we have underpaid public servants and infrastucture unmaintained or unbuilt, ...
James Forsyth at The Spectator (I know, I know) has tapped one of his contacts inside Number Ten for an insight into the Johnson administration's thinking and strategy.It is fascinating, unsettling and quite, quite mad. Some key points:Negotiations have stalled and the Johnson administration are keen to blame the EU: ...
Fatal Contact: With the arrival of captain James Cook in October 1769, the islands of what would become New Zealand ceased to be the preserve of Polynesian navigators and settlers and became a part of both the world’s map and the world’s history.THE MAORI NATIONALIST assault upon the historical meaning ...
Another round of tactical talks about forming a Government of National Unity have come to nothing with the Liberal Democrats still refusing countenance putting Jeremy Corbyn into Downing Street:Opposition talks on Monday made little headway over when to try and vote down Boris Johnson's government and who might succeed him as ...
by Nick Rogers The debate around the meaning of sex and gender made an appearance at this year’s British Labour Party conference in Brighton. Women’s Place UK – an organisation that questions the demand that biological males who self-identify as woman should have access to women’s spaces, to all-women shortlists, ...
Yesterday I went down to Wellington to participate in the Extinction Rebellion protest. Its part of the latest global wave of XR actions, with actions happening all over the world. Some of those protests are massively disruptive: in Canada, XR is blocking major bridges, stopping people from getting to work. ...
The Workshop is a charitable trust for public good. The Workshop undertake research to find ways of communicating that will build support for the solutions that work to solve complex social and environmental problems. See their Report on Talking about Poverty and Welfare Reform below. ...
What is language? We generally assume that it a facility unique to humans, allowing us to share what’s in and on our minds. We can tell of our plans, our past exploits, our knowledge. It also allows us to lie. And yet there are vast numbers of people we can’t ...
Being and Being Bought (Spinifex Press, 2013) by Kajsa Ekis Ekman A synopsis and commentary of Chapters 1-2 by Daphna Whitmore Ekman, a Swedish journalist and critic, brings together a Marxist and feminist analysis of prostitution and surrogacy in this groundbreaking book She opens the discussion with a definition of ...
I make no claims to having much legal knowledge, so I defer to those trained in this area.I am very much enjoying this twitter stream from m'learned friend in Edinburgh, deciphering the legal arguments around the Scottish court challenge to Boris Johnson, based on the charmingly obscure principle of Nobile ...
Ivory Folly? The University of Auckland’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Stuart McCutcheon, upheld the right of the radical nationalist group, Action Zealandia to exercise their freedom of speech – not matter how distasteful that speech might be. A wiser community of students and scholars would have nodded their agreement and moved on. ...
If you are not convinced terrorist Organisation ‘Extinction Rebellion’ is very, very dangerous – watch this video at one of their recent meetings. Not only is this obviously mentally ill Woman begging the other terrorists to promote killing and “eating” babies and children, if you watch carefully other members nod ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters is predicting a hard Brexit for the United Kingdom, as he believes British Prime Minister Boris Johnson won’t be able to negotiate terms before the October 30 deadline. The Minister, who was one of the first to publicly come out and predict British voters would leave ...
Speaking at the Council of Trade Unions' (CTU) biennial conference, New Zealand First leader Winston Peters told unionists that any future attacks on the Government won't work. "Now, we are being attacked by the union movement in this country. You can have your views but I'm here to say standing ...
We want every New Zealander to be happy, safe, and healthy. To do this, we need to support strong, safe communities, and a robust and efficient health system. ...
Defence Minister Ron Mark has used his powers to overrule a noise complaint ruling against Whenuapai airbase on the grounds of "national security". The Environment Court last month released a ruling in favour of a private developer, declaring the Auckland airbase had to comply with noise restrictions when it performs ...
New Zealand First leader Winston Peters has opened fire against "unreconstructed morons" after NZ First MP Shane Jones was photographed on holiday holding an AR-15 rifle. Mr Peters is defending Mr Jones, telling Magic Talk host Peter Williams that his MP was just having fun "like most people do". "The ...
New Zealand First Deputy Leader and Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher Tabuteau was in attendance during the morning blessing of the Rotorua Lakefront development project. Around 60 people gathered on the shores of Lake Rotorua, including city mayor Steve Chadwick and deputy Dave Donaldson. The Lakefront development is a ...
Forestry Minister Shane Jones is considering reining in on conversions of farmland to forestry, and also issued a warning to foreign-owned forestry companies that make up nearly 75 per cent of the industry. He said too many foreign companies had not provided enough access for domestic processors to get timber. ...
Speaking to Radio NZ, New Zealand First leader Winston Peters said the tightening of the parental category visa is a direct result of the Party’s coalition negotiations with the Labour Party. He said the new changes switch the financial onus from the parent moving to New Zealand to the child ...
The Coalition Government is set to cut red tape in the building and construction sector in an effort to allow more houses to be built, including prefabricated houses. The changes will enable the mass factory production of "high quality" buildings, slash the likely number of building inspections for factory produced ...
Since coming into Government, we’ve worked hard to tackle homelessness and make sure everyone has a warm, dry home. And today, on World Homeless Day, we want to report back and update you on our progress so far. ...
New Zealand First leader Winston Peters has hit back at National Party leader Simon Bridges who criticized the Coalition Government’s approach to crime, and said that the latter isn't credible in his attack on the Government over gang recruitment. "We've got as massive drug problem in this country. It is ...
New Zealand Mānuka honey exporters have welcomed an initiative by the Coalition Government to help secure the term “mānuka honey” to be used exclusively by Kiwi exporters, ensuring that our multimillion-dollar industry is protected. Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones had recently announced that a Provincial Growth Funding of $5.7 ...
Political commentator Mike Hosking has labelled New Zealand First leader Winston Peters as “the voice of reason in a government soft on drugs”, for the Party’s stance on drug testing at music festivals. “If common sense is worth a vote, Winston Peters is quids in,” Mr Hosking said. The Labour ...
Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher Tabuteau has announced Provincial Growth Funding to ensure work opportunities in Turangi and Whanganui, through its skills and employment programme, Te Ara Mahi. A fund of $500,000 will go to Rafting NZ in Turangi for a 16-week river guide training course to train ...
Treasury has shown that the Coalition Government has a $7.5 billion surplus, which is $4 billion higher than what was expected in the 2019 Budget unveiled last May. It is also $2 billion higher than the actual surplus unveiled this time last year, and at a size that has not ...
Official Information Act figures released to NZME show there were 350 assaults on officers in the year to the end of June, 79 more than the year before. The increase in attacks have sparked calls for more legal protection for first responders to be enacted. The assaults included officers being ...
“Nobody wants to see babies uplifted”, this was the pronouncement of Minister for Children Hon. Tracey Martin as her department, Oranga Tamariki, faces multiple inquiries into the number of babies being taken from their families. “But a baby can die with a single punch, “the Minister continued. “So sometimes, Oranga ...
We're making progress on tackling the long-term challenges: from homelessness, to strengthening border security, to bringing banking back New Zealand's small towns. ...
Associate Transport Minister Shane Jones has backed the ambitious plan to move Auckland’s port to Northport, at Whangarei harbour, which he says will be the “King Kong of infrastructure”. The plan is part of the recommendations of a six-person independent working group, which has recommended the Ports of Auckland be ...
A six-member independent working group selected the option of moving Auckland’s port to Northport, in Whangarei, ahead of other options. In what could be New Zealand’s most ambitious infrastructure project yet, a major expansion of the Marsden Point port could happen within 15 years. The project, officially called the “Upper ...
The final Electricity Price Review recommended prohibiting prompt payment discounts but allowing “reasonable” late fees. The findings of this review was welcomed by the Coalition Government, but they hope companies will follow through with its recommendations without regulations needed to be passed. Meridian Energy had already stopped prompt payment discounts, ...
Fletcher Tabuteau, Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development The Provincial Growth Fund (PGF)through its skills and employment programme, Te Ara Mahi,will invest nearly $600,000 to ensure work opportunities for locals in Turangia and Whanganui, Parliamentary Under Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher Tabuteau announced today. “I’m pleased to announce the PGF ...
An export-led economy is one of New Zealand First’s key principles, and our commitment to achieving this is shown by the continuing skyrocketing demand for our beef and sheep meat exports. Beef + Lamb New Zealand's New Season Outlook 2019-20 report forecasts beef, lamb and mutton prices to lift from ...
Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones announced today in Gisborne an investment of $17.27m into bringing “world-leading” food-growing technology and the creation of more than 100 new jobs in the East Coast city. The funding comes from the Provincial Growth Fund, and included a $15 million loan to LeaderBrand, a ...
Hon Shane Jones, Minister for Regional Economic Development More than 100 people in Tairāwhiti’s Tolaga Bay will benefit from two employment initiatives supported by the Provincial Growth Fund, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones and Employment Minister Willie Jackson announced today. “Tolaga Bay is an incredibly tight-knit community, but one in ...
Hon Shane Jones, Minister for Regional Economic Development The Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) is supporting Gisborne business Leaderbrand to produce salad vegetables year round and create more jobs in the Tairāwhiti region, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones announced today. “Our support for Leaderbrand will help them build large greenhouses ...
“Nobody wants to see babies uplifted”, this was the pronouncement of Minister for Children Hon. Tracey Martin as her department, Oranga Tamariki, faces multiple inquiries into the number of babies being taken from their families. “But a baby can die with a single punch, “the Minister continued. “So sometimes, Oranga ...
Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones has praised the promise by New Zealand’s biggest banks not to close any provincial branches while the Coalition Government trials regional banking hubs across the country. The Minister said the announce was the “first sign of hope for regional communities”, many of which have ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, New Zealand First Leader New Zealand First is proud to have delivered an upgrade of the SuperGold Card website and a new smartphone app, which will help unlock the full benefits of the SuperGold Card for 750,000 New Zealand seniors.Party Leader Rt Hon Winston Peters, ...
Delivering a key election campaign promise, New Zealand First is proud to have accomplished a long overdue upgrade of the SuperGold Card today. At an event in Auckland, New Zealand First leader Winston Peters joined Minister for Seniors Hon. Tracey Martin in unveiling the new website and smartphone app which ...
Government Ministers today welcomed the release of a marine environment report highlighting the four key issues affecting our oceans, estuaries and coastlines. The release underlines the importance of government proposals to combat climate pollution, ensure clean freshwater, protect biodiversity, make land use more sustainable, and reduce waste and plastic. Environment ...
The Government has approved funding for a new acute mental health facility for Waikato which will provide better care and support to people with mental health and addiction issues. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Health Minister Dr David Clark announced the $100 million project to replace the aging Henry Rongomau ...
The Government is making progress on its goal to integrate te reo Māori into education by 2025, with over 500 teachers and support staff already graduating from Te Ahu o te Reo Māori, Associate Education Minister Kelvin Davis announced today. Kelvin Davis made the announcement at an awards ceremony in Waikanae today, for ...
Statistics Minister James Shaw has welcomed the first release of 2018 Census data. The first release of data today, 23 September, includes key data on population, regional growth, the number of homes and the size of different ethnic groups in New Zealand. Data from the 2018 Census will support the ...
Minister for Statistics James Shaw today announced a public consultation on a proposed algorithm charter for government agencies. The charter has been developed by the Government Chief Data Steward in response to growing calls for more transparency in government use of data. Computer algorithms – procedures or formulas for solving ...
Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor, Climate Change Minister James Shaw and visiting Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte co-hosted a business roundtable in Auckland this morning focused on working together to address climate change. “The Netherlands is an important partner for New Zealand. We share a strong agricultural history. Sustainable agribusiness and ...
The Government is taking action to build an inclusive economy where more of us receive our fair share at work and businesses can compete on great products and services, not undercutting wages and conditions, Immigration and Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Iain Lees-Galloway says. Two consultations launched today seek feedback ...
The future for New Zealand’s threatened indigenous freshwater fish looks brighter with the passing of the Conservation (Indigenous Freshwater Fish) Amendment Bill in Parliament today said Minister of Conservation, Eugenie Sage. “Until now, our freshwater fish legislation has been 20 years out of date. We have lacked effective tools to ...
At 1.30pm tomorrow, hundreds of thousands of Kiwis will join about 65 million people around the globe in ShakeOut, the world’s biggest earthquake drill. The annual drill is to remind people of the right action to take during an earthquake which is to Drop, Cover, Hold, and to practise their ...
Kiwis are benefiting from higher wage growth and low inflation under the Coalition Government. Stats NZ data out today shows the rise in the cost of living remains low, as annual Consumers Price Index (CPI) inflation fell to 1.5% in September from 1.7% in June. “The low inflation comes as ...
New Zealand’s economic strength and resilience has been recognised in a major update on the state of the global economy. The IMF’s latest World Economic Outlook released overnight shows a reduced global growth forecast over the next two years as issues like the US-China trade war and Brexit take hold. ...
Justice Minister Andrew Little has today introduced a new Bill to prevent terrorism and support the de-radicalisation of New Zealanders returning from overseas. The Terrorism Suppression (Control Orders) Bill gives the New Zealand Police the ability to apply to the High Court to impose control orders on New Zealanders who ...
A Bill that proposes targeted changes to simplify the processes for Māori land owners when engaging with the Māori Land Court has had its First Reading today. “The approach taken by the Government is to ensure that the protection of Māori land remains a priority as we seek to improve ...
Let me first thank all the new unionists and members in the room. There is nothing more important to improving people’s working lives than people making the decision to care, to get on board and help, to take up the reins and get involved. Congratulations to you. You bring the ...
Minister of Defence Ron Mark has signed a certificate exempting the activity of engine testing at Whenuapai Airbase from the Resource Management Act 1991. The Act gives the Minister of Defence the power to exempt activities for the purposes of national security. The certificate will mean the recent Environment Court ...
Finance Minister Grant Robertson has announced New Zealand will join the Coalition of Finance Ministers for Climate Action while attending APEC meetings in Chile. The objective of the 39 member Coalition is to share information and promote action to tackle climate change. It was formed in April this year, in ...
Ladies and gentlemen, NZCTU President Richard Wagstaff, members of respective unions – thank you for the invitation to speak to you today. This might be preaching to the choir, but the importance of trade unions in New Zealand’s historical arch is difficult to understate. And it is my belief that ...
"Let’s start by acknowledging that it has been a huge year. " Police Association Annual Conference James Cook Grand Chancellor Hotel Wellington Nau mai, haere mai. Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, ka nui te mihi, ki a koutou katoa. President of the Police Association, Chris Cahill; Members of the Association and ...
Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters and Minister of Defence Ron Mark have announced the New Zealand Government’s decision to again deploy a Royal New Zealand Air Force P-3K2 (P-3) maritime patrol aircraft to support the implementation of United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions imposing sanctions against North Korea. New ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters says New Zealand continues to have serious concerns for peace and stability in north-east Syria. “Recent reports that hundreds of ISIS-affiliated families have fled from a camp are deeply concerning from a humanitarian and security perspective”, Mr Peters says. “While we acknowledge Turkey’s domestic security ...
Biosecurity Minister Damien O’Connor is warning travelling Kiwis to be vigilant as the high-season for the crop-eating brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) is under way. “We’re on high alert to stop BMSB arriving in NZ. The high season runs until April 30 and we’ve strengthened our measures to stop stink ...
The Government is moving swiftly to change the law to improve the welfare and pastoral care of students living in university halls of residence and other tertiary hostels. Cabinet has agreed to several changes, including creating a new mandatory Code of Practice that sets out the duty of pastoral care ...
The Minister for Conservation Eugenie Sage has launched a new comprehensive trapping guide for community trappers to help them protect our native birds, plants and other wildlife, at Zealandia in Wellington today. ‘A practical guide to trapping’, has been developed by the Department of Conservation (DOC), and was launched during ...
Associate Health Minister Julie Anne Genter welcomes PHARMAC’s move to improve access to long-acting reversible contraception (LARCs). PHARMAC has today announced it will fund the full cost of Mirena and Jaydess for anyone seeking long term contraception, lifting previous restrictions on access to Mirena. “I welcome women having greater choices ...
The Government has approved the next stage of a major redevelopment of Taranaki Base Hospital, which will deliver new and improved facilities for patients. Health Minister Dr David Clark has announced details of a $300 million dollar project to build a new East Wing at the New Plymouth hospital. It ...
Extra funding will allow Rural Support Trusts to help farming families, says Minister for Rural Communities and Agriculture Damien O’Connor. “I know that rural families are worried about some of the challenges facing them, including the ongoing uncertainty created by the Mycoplasma bovis outbreak. “Those concerns sit alongside ongoing worries ...
Thank you for the opportunity to be here to present certificates to the 16 graduates who have completed a beekeeping course delivered by the Howard League. Let us start by acknowledging Auckland Prison’s Deputy Prison Director Tom Sherlock, and Acting Assistant Regional Commissioner of Corrections Northern Region Scott Walker - ...
Finance Minister Grant Robertson leaves this weekend to attend the APEC Finance Ministers meeting in Santiago, Chile. Discussions between APEC Finance Ministers at the meeting will include the effects of the current global economic uncertainty, risks for APEC economies and sustainable development of the region. While at APEC Grant Robertson ...
The Minister for Pacific Peoples Aupito William Sio says for Pacific people, language can be a source of strength. It can help ground us and give us confidence. When we speak them, our languages provide us with an immediate and intimate access to our identity and our story - and ...
The Coalition Government has announced an action plan to improve the wellbeing of disabled New Zealanders by addressing inequalities in play, active recreation and sport. The initiative includes training to develop a workforce that understands the needs of children and young people with a range of impairments, advocacy for fit ...
The construction sector is being freed up to allow more homes to be built more quickly as the Government cuts through some of the red tape of the Building Act. “Every New Zealander deserves a warm, dry, safe home and old inefficiencies in the Building Act make building slow and ...
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has welcomed further details on the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall’s visit to New Zealand next month. Their Royal Highnesses will visit New Zealand from 17-23 November – their third joint visit to New Zealand and first in four years. They arrive in Auckland ...
Minister of State for Trade and Export Growth and Minister of Agriculture, Damien O’Connor, heads to Thailand today to attend the final Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Ministerial meeting, as negotiations enter their final stages. “The RCEP Agreement would anchor New Zealand in a regional agreement that covers 16 countries, ...
Pacific young people living in the Hawke’s Bay, Southland and Otago regions will have access to support services that have proved successful in helping young people find new earning and learning opportunities. “Tupu Aotearoa is about changing Pacific young peoples’ lives. Our young people are talented, they are smart, they ...
Introduction As the Minister for ACC I thank you all for the work that you do supporting New Zealanders in their literally most vulnerable moments. From those who hold people’s lives in their hands, to the people who research technique, technology and trends, your work is highly valued. A special ...
Notes prepared for speeches in Christchurch – Wednesday 9 October 2019 Today’s topic, “trends and opportunities for the New Zealand economy,” is certainly one getting a great deal of commentary at the moment. Looking across the media landscape lately you’ll notice we aren’t the only ones having this discussion. There ...
Minister of Health Dr David Clark and Associate Minister of Health Peeni Henare say this year’s World Mental Health Day theme is a reminder of why the Government’s work on mental health is so important. “This year the World Federation for Mental Health has made suicide prevention the main theme ...
Associate Arts, Culture and Heritage Minister Carmel Sepuloni will represent the government at Australia’s Meeting of Cultural Ministers in Adelaide this week. “This year’s meeting is special because New Zealand is expected to become an International Member of the Meeting of Cultural Ministers at this Australian forum,” Carmel Sepuloni said. “The meeting is an opportunity to ...
The Greater Christchurch Claims Resolution Service has resolved 608 insurance and EQC claims in its first year in operation, Minister Megan Woods has announced. The government service, which celebrates its first birthday today, provides a one stop shop to help Cantabrians still battling to get their homes repaired or rebuilt ...
Today’s topic, “trends and opportunities for the New Zealand economy,” is certainly one getting a great deal of commentary at the moment. Looking across the media landscape lately you’ll notice we aren’t the only ones having this discussion. There has been an increasing amount of attention paid to the outlook ...
The proposition that global warming driven by greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is a risk that needs to be dealt with has achieved a large measure of agreement among policymakers. The proposition that it has to be dealt with right now and at great cost has no such consensus.One point ...
A bill to improve the pastoral care of students living in halls of residence has flown through its first reading in Parliament, thanks to cross-party support. ...
In this week's MediaRoom column: could MediaWorks close its TV operations altogether? And the Herald restructures its newsroom to remove a layer of management and shake up its investigative team. ...
Twenty-five young people who represent the future of the Asia-New Zealand relationship have been acknowledged as ‘ones to watch’, by the Asia New Zealand Foundation Te Whītau Tūhono. ...
The taboo that surrounds immigration and our refugee qouta, are two issues rising in New Zealand that need to start being given attention to challenge the fruit loops of the far left. ...
Winston Peters has been ordered to answer questions about whether he received a letter from MSD asking him to check details of his living arrangements, three years before discovering he'd been overpaid. ...
To celebrate 10 years since the start of New Zealand’s Next Top Model, our reality TV podcast The Real Pod is going to recap it week by week. Here are 10 of the most incredible revelations from the very first episode. 1) Colin Mathura-Jeffree was an emo kidThis was the moment ...
Editor’s Note: Here below is a list of the main issues currently under discussion in New Zealand and links to media coverage.New Zealand Parliament Buildings, Wellington, New Zealand.Today’s content by Dr Bryce Edwards.Terrorism bill Lydia Lewis and Dan Satherley (Newshub): Security expert backs new terror law proposal ...
Occupiers of the disputed land at Ihumātao have been shut out of talks with the government about finding a resolution, saying they haven’t had any direct contact with ministers in more than a month, writes RNZ‘s Te Aniwa Hurihanganu and Meriana Johnsen.The Māori King announced in September mana whenua had ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bronwyn Fancourt, Adjunct Research Fellow, University of New England Feral cats are wreaking havoc on our native wildlife, eating more than a billion animals across Australia every year. But managing feral cats and reducing their impacts on our threatened species is challenging, ...
Later this month, the national commemoration of the New Zealand Wars, known as Te Pūtake o Te Riri, is to be held in Taranaki. Local community activist Vivian Hutchinson looks at how a history of conflict has shaped our sense of citizenship and describes how some people in Taranaki are ...
New Zealand First MP Clayton Mitchell is demanding an apology from security guards who booted him out of a Tauranga bar on Saturday night, describing them as politically-motivated "buffoons". ...
New Zealand First MP Clayton Mitchell is demanding an apology from security guards who booted him out of a Tauranga bar on Saturday night, describing them as politically-motivated "buffoons". ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jerry Zhou, Lecturer, School of Medicine, Western Sydney University If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskids@theconversation.edu.au.Does chewing gum stay inside you for years? – Olivia, aged 12, Australia. Great question, Olivia! ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Liam Elphick, Adjunct Research Fellow, Law School, University of Western Australia In March last year, Frances McDormand won the Academy Award for Best Actress. In her acceptance speech, she drew attention to the female nominees in the room and left them with ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peggy Kern, Associate professor, University of Melbourne The Portal follows six individuals who undergo a personal transformation from trauma and struggle to calmness, self-acceptance, and compassion towards others. These personal changes are intertwined with contemplations about the broader struggles facing humanity and ...
Many hill country farmers could be locked into low-return agriculture by government policy, with little chance of breaking the cycle, according to the main meat producers' lobby, Beef + Lamb New Zealand. ...
The Southern DHB has apologised and pledged to change practices after a report into a young woman’s complaint about treatment which included being stripped naked and left unattended in seclusion for 12 hours. Here she tells her story.I’d forgotten the Health and Disability Commission was about to publish its report. ...
In the Chief Ombudsman’s latest Annual Report, contacts for advice increased 29 percent, while more use was being made of guidance material, including the 23 new or updated guides that were published in the 2018/19 year. ...
Fletcher's new offsite home manufacturing facility could be producing two homes a day within a couple of years. But for the moment this high-tech factory is underwhelming. ...
National's leader Simon Bridges says his party will pull its support for the new anti-terrorism legislation if the minister doesn't meet with them next week and start negotiating in good faith. ...
For the latest episode of On the Rag, notorious prude Alex Casey enlisted the help of sex toy expert and pleasure therapist Teddy Curle. It sounds a bit like ingredients for an avant-garde stir-fry recipe. Cauliflower. Kūmara. A jar of Vegemite. But what it actually is, sex toy expert Teddy Curle ...
It is deeply concerning that the state of our marine environment has not improved in the last three years. Resilient coasts and oceans are essential to New Zealanders' health and wealth, so urgent action is needed to address the decline. ...
Something’s crowning this Christmas, and it isn’t King Richard of Aldovia in his favourite tiara. Tara Ward looks at what Netflix’s new movie A Christmas Prince: A Royal Baby could mean for us all. Yesterday Netflix announced they’re about to give birth to the third instalment in the legendary series A Christmas ...
In a new initiative, Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga (NPM) New Zealand’s Māori Centre of Research Excellence is celebrating and recognising the careers of three Māori leaders and visionaries, who have a long history of bringing about major social change ...
The Environmental Defence Society (EDS) has welcomed the publication by the Ministry for the Environment and Stats NZ of Our Marine Environment 2019 , the latest in the reports on the state of our environment. The report is available here . ...
Business is Boring is a weekly podcast series presented by The Spinoff in association with Callaghan Innovation. Host Simon Pound speaks with innovators and commentators focused on the future of New Zealand. This week he talks to Campbell Brown, CEO of PredictHQ.This week we talk to Campbell Brown, the CEO ...
The Government has today released its discussion paper ‘ Designing a Fair Pay Agreements System ’ providing detail of what proposed law for Fair Pay Agreements (FPAs) could include. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Leah Ruppanner, Associate Professor in Sociology and Co-Director of The Policy Lab, University of Melbourne The polls were wrong in the last US and Australian federal elections. Hillary Clinton was favoured to win at a margin of 85% to Donald Trump’s 15%. ...
Today is World Ecolabel Day and to mark the occasion New Zealand’s premier ecolabel has released a study showing the powerful environmental effect of ecolabelled products. ...
Family First's continued fight against attempts by the government's Charities Registration Board to deregister them is set to continue in the Court of Appeal in Wellington next week (Tues & Wed 22-23 Oct). In a significant development, the Charity Law ...
The actions of New Zealanders on land are increasingly harming the ocean’s ability to sustain life. Alex Braae looks at a worrying new government paper on the marine environment.What’s all this then?A new report from the Ministry for the Environment and Stats NZ has sounded alarming warning about state of ...
Farmers for Positive Change (F4PC) congratulates environmental, recreation and public health groups for coming to a united position on the Government’s freshwater reform and finds significant areas of agreement with the Healthy Water, Healthy Future joint ...
In time for Auckland Artweek, Eloise Callister-Baker opens the door on a cluster of small Auckland art spaces, once off the beaten track and ephemeral, now finding cunning new ways to adapt and survive in the CBD property market. Auckland’s terrific documentor of art openings, Sait Akkirman of artdiary.co.nz, provides ...
Right to Life asks, why the Special Abortion Legislation Bill Committee is continuing to discriminate by refusing to hear the 2,740 submitters who have requested the right to make a ten minute oral submission on the highly contentious abortion Bill conceived ...
Winston Peters is calling on an old mate to give evidence in his landmark court case against government agencies over a leak of his personal superannuation details. ...
Government ministers are exulting over how the NZ economy is performing— and their own work in making it stronger. David Clark, standing in for Grant Robertson in Parliament on Tuesday, rejoiced at how solid the “underlying fundamentals of the NZ economy are”. He said the government accounts for the June ...
A campaign to ban the Forced Swim Test in New Zealand is in line with public opinion, according to a new survey commissioned by the New Zealand Anti-Vivisection Society (NZAVS) and SAFE. ...
Environment, health, recreation, and water infrastructure groups have come together to support four essential policies to save fresh water in Aotearoa New Zealand. The Public Health Association, Forest & Bird, Fish & Game New Zealand, Environmental ...
"So many of our children are being violently harmed. Their innocence stolen and their bodies used for the sexual gratification and financial gain of those involved in the dark world of paedophillia. These innocent children are voiceless; nobody ...
There must be consternation within the upper ranks of the Labour Party at the performance of some of the Ministers in the coalition government. Every time the government looks like making some positive progress, one or other of these errant Ministers can be ...
Responding to Massey University’s decision to cancel the upcoming ‘Feminism 2020’ event, Free Speech Coalition member Melissa Derby (who had been scheduled to speak at the event) says: ...
New Zealand First's youth wing is at odds with leader Winston Peters over pill-testing at festivals and is working to overturn the party's position. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy Byron, Lecturer in Psychology, University of Wollongong I am in year 11 and I like to listen to music when I am studying, but my dad says that my brain is spending only half of its time studying and the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Philippa England, Senior Lecturer, Griffith Law School, Griffith University Good planning needs integrity, and public participation should play a role in that. But a row over a high-rise development proposed for suburban Brisbane shows what happens when the public feels left out ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Frank Mathmann, Lecturer (Assistant Professor), Queensland University of Technology When you wander down most supermarket aisles are you befuddled by too much choice? Do you feel overwhelmed when comparing new phone deals, insurance offers, energy provider plans? There’s a lot of research ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Philip C. Almond, Emeritus Professor in the History of Religious Thought, The University of Queensland In a speech in Albury last month, Prime Minister Scott Morrison told his audience that he was praying for rain in drought-affected areas. “I pray for that ...
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Prefab housing factory opened amid huge need, worrying new measles developments, and public shows common sense on drug testing.A new factory has been opened to produce building materials, which if scaled up could have a significant impact on construction time ...
The Police Association says the Police Minister will be breaking his promise if he doesn't include staff turnover in the government's police staffing target. ...
Black Fern Vania Wolfgramm has been given a golden opportunity to learn from leaders in US sport, and in return, make a lasting contribution to Kiwi female athletes. ...
A symposium to mark the 50th anniversary of the formation of Halt All Racist Tours shook and changed our society, taking NZ into a new and different national and international consciousness. ...
When Hannah Yang complained about a racist clue in the daily paper, she was reminded of the prevalence of casual racism in New Zealand.I’d never seen a racist clue before.It happened in the morning when I sat down in our break room to look at the day’s cryptic crossword (yes, ...
The commentary around local election turnout is littered with misunderstanding. Yes, there’s a problem, but we should regard any suggestion of a single, simple solution with deep suspicion, writes local elections expert Julienne MolineauxThe Spinoff local election coverage is made possible thanks to The Spinoff Members. For more about becoming ...
Alex Casey talks to Henessey Griffiths, a 22 year-old Dunedin student who just finished her dissertation about one of Youtube’s most controversial stars. Content warning: this article contains mention of suicide, please take careYesterday afternoon in Dunedin, honours student Henessey Griffiths sent a tweet that was a year (or rather, five ...
The Transport Minister has released almost all of the letters he's received from Green MPs, but still refuses to release the letter from Julie Anne Genter that is now at the centre of an Ombudsman complaint. ...
Court documents have confirmed Winston Peters was sent a letter by officials four years into his seven-year overpayment of national superannuation asking him to check details he had supplied, including that he was 'single'. ...
Olympic sailors Blair Tuke and Peter Burling are throwing their weight behind a campaign encouraging New Zealander consumers and businesses to reduce their plastic pollution. ...
National Party leader Simon Bridges says his MP Agnes Loheni let him know she'd be contesting the candidacy for Botany, adding it's a "free world". ...
Open Mike 20/01/2019 
Jo Swinson is doing even worse at this Being Sensible lark that I'd thought. I've just become aware of the following utterance
Today's IPCA report of police criminality: a police officer unalwfully tasered a fleeing suspect who posed no threat to anyone:The police watchdog has found an officer unlawfully tasered an Auckland man who broke his ankle jumping off a balcony to escape arrest. [...] To avoid arrest, the man jumped over ...10 hours ago
Media Statement for Immediate Release 16th October 2019 “Fake News” from Auckland City Council CCOs Board Chairs re pay and performance bonuses for top managers Despite comments from Auckland City Council CCOs Board Chairs re pay and performance bonuses for top managers—Herald Newspaper Tuesday Oct 15th–there is very little evidence ...11 hours ago
Would You Buy A Used Propaganda Video From This Man? Bridges and the National Party’s strategists have discovered that the ideas and attitudes considered acceptable by today’s editors and journalists are no longer enforceable. The rise and rise of the Internet and the social media platforms it spawned means that ...12 hours ago
John MacCormick Over the last 40 years, New Zealanders – and people in other countries – have experienced big changes in the jobs they do and where they live and work. These changes include: a decline in manufacturing jobs an increase in jobs in ‘information-intensive’ industries (which are better paid ...13 hours ago
Climate Explained is a collaboration between The Conversation, Stuff and the New Zealand Science Media Centre to answer your questions about climate change. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, please send it to climate.change@stuff.co.nz There is a lot of discussion on the benefits of ...2 days ago
Thanks to a report from the Acting Inspector General of Intelligence and Security following a complaint by Nicky Hager, we have come to find out that the SIS illegally spied on Mr. Hager on behalf of the NZDF after publication of Hager’s 2011 book, Other People’s Wars. The NZDF justified ...2 days ago
COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT GLOBAL WARMING MYTH 1: Global temperatures are rising at a rapid, unprecedented rate. FACT: The HadCRUT3 surface temperature index, produced by the Hadley Centre of the UK Met Office and the Climate Research Unit of the University of East Anglia, shows warming to 1878, cooling to 1911, ...2 days ago
The Royal Commission on abuse in care is very significant for the disability community. For many decades last century, thousands of disabled children, and adults who managed to survive, were locked away from families and communities. This was not for anything they had done, but for the perceived threat their ...3 days ago
More than double the number of people who will vote in this year’s local body elections have tried marijuana or urinated somewhere they shouldn’t have. As local elections look set for the lowest turnout in decades, with many regions falling well short of 40%, the Government is exploring a number ...6 days ago
“There can be no such thing as kaupapa Māori political parties or politics in Aotearoa” (Willie Jackson, Labour Party (2017). Māori TV, General/List Election Special) I begin with that claim because at the time, I was confounded at first that it fell out of Willie Jackson’s mouth, and then ...1 week ago
Foreign Minister Winston Peters is predicting a hard Brexit for the United Kingdom, as he believes British Prime Minister Boris Johnson won’t be able to negotiate terms before the October 30 deadline. The Minister, who was one of the first to publicly come out and predict British voters would leave ...1 day ago
We want every New Zealander to be happy, safe, and healthy. To do this, we need to support strong, safe communities, and a robust and efficient health system. ...2 days ago
Government Ministers today welcomed the release of a marine environment report highlighting the four key issues affecting our oceans, estuaries and coastlines. The release underlines the importance of government proposals to combat climate pollution, ensure clean freshwater, protect biodiversity, make land use more sustainable, and reduce waste and plastic. Environment ...6 hours ago
E tū members in cleaning and security are welcoming the Government’s call for consultation on the development of Fair Pay Agreements. ...3 hours ago
A bill to improve the pastoral care of students living in halls of residence has flown through its first reading in Parliament, thanks to cross-party support. ...3 hours ago
In this week's MediaRoom column: could MediaWorks close its TV operations altogether? And the Herald restructures its newsroom to remove a layer of management and shake up its investigative team. ...3 hours ago
Judith Collins is filling the blackhole that is National’s climate policy with social media posts appealing to science deniers. ...4 hours ago
To celebrate 10 years since the start of New Zealand’s Next Top Model, our reality TV podcast The Real Pod is going to recap it week by week. Here are 10 of the most incredible revelations from the very first episode. 1) Colin Mathura-Jeffree was an emo kidThis was the moment ...5 hours ago
Editor’s Note: Here below is a list of the main issues currently under discussion in New Zealand and links to media coverage.
A Tom Sainsbury snapchat celebrating the genius of Dan Brown. ...9 hours ago
Many hill country farmers could be locked into low-return agriculture by government policy, with little chance of breaking the cycle, according to the main meat producers' lobby, Beef + Lamb New Zealand. ...9 hours ago
Sky Television's shareholders have approved its deal to retain the Sanzaar rugby rights for an undisclosed sum, making it unconditional. ...9 hours ago
Fletcher's new offsite home manufacturing facility could be producing two homes a day within a couple of years. But for the moment this high-tech factory is underwhelming. ...10 hours ago
Principals nervously wait for the final outcomes of the biggest education system review in 30 years. ...17 hours ago
The Second Fleet was reactivated to patrol the Arctic. Only problem is, the fleet’s home is on the front lines of sea-level rise. ...19 hours ago
Mildly dyslexic Sportsroom editor Steve Deane breaks down the keys to victory for the All Blacks in their World Cup quarterfinal against Ireland. ...19 hours ago
Black Fern Vania Wolfgramm has been given a golden opportunity to learn from leaders in US sport, and in return, make a lasting contribution to Kiwi female athletes. ...19 hours ago
A symposium to mark the 50th anniversary of the formation of Halt All Racist Tours shook and changed our society, taking NZ into a new and different national and international consciousness. ...19 hours ago
What happens when an historic air base that used to be well out of Auckland finds the city has grown up around it? ...19 hours ago
Court documents have confirmed Winston Peters was sent a letter by officials four years into his seven-year overpayment of national superannuation asking him to check details he had supplied, including that he was 'single'. ...1 day ago
An ambitious target for new officers seems to have turned into a cynical redefinition - how will police take the news? ...1 day ago
Olympic sailors Blair Tuke and Peter Burling are throwing their weight behind a campaign encouraging New Zealander consumers and businesses to reduce their plastic pollution. ...1 day ago
Evil triumphs when good men do nothing.
The silence of Kelvin Davis.
Australian commentary begins at 3:00 minutes
Kelvin Davis was “very vocal about this in the past”. That is true. But that of course was during the lead up to the last election, before he was returned to his seat in parliament as the member for Te Tai Tokerau.
Since then Kelvin Davis has been virtually silent on the issue.
“In the end we will remember not the words of our enemies … but the silence of our friends.”─ Martin Luther King
Labour, the party the left can count on to let them down.
No one with any sense voted for Labour after 84. For the lack of choice , spoiled my ballot in 87.
It is a continuing theme of radical propaganda and back-tracking in power. Can someone suggest a good analysis of Lee’s ‘Simple on a Soapbox’. Definitely Lee had an ego but all the figures of that time appear conservative in his vista without the caucus’s voting. ‘We’ll be the laughing stock of the world’ said MJS about the 30 shilling old age pension.
Do you really expect the New Zealand government to tell Australia how it should run its prisons/detention camps?
The PM has certainly been quiet on the issue when she advocated the whole issue of detainees/illegal immigrants around 12 months ago. The pushback from Turnbull was quite severe. I think the (then new) government got the message loud and clear not to tell the Australians how to run their country.
One would have assumed someone with your experience Wayne would know the difference between telling another country what to do and standing up for your own citizens.
The latter being what one assumes Jenny was implying.
Fist point; The australians do run a first world justice system and expect New Zealand to understand that.
Second point, and really the key one I was making; the New Zealand government very quickly learned not to lecture Australia, and that seems to include Kelvin Davis.
The treatment and conditions resulting from this first world justice system is what is in dispute.
To not be seen standing up for your citizens (or to even bother to comment) will create flak at home. More so, if one was previously immensely vocal before being elected into power.
“The australians do run a first world justice system”
No – they run a two-tier system – a first worldish one for Oz citizens and a different one for everybody else. They do this unashamedly in order to deter backdoor immigration, because Australia is still a place that lots of people want to get to. With 2.5 to 3 degrees of warming it will be a place people are desperate to leave. That will be a grim sort of poetic justice.
“Do you really expect the New Zealand government to tell Australia how it should run its prisons/detention camps”
No – I expect it to kowtow to superior economic and military power. But while doing this, I don’t expect it to utter the sort of dull, grey, turgid, privilege and injustice-defending bromides that would make it sound like Wayne Mapp.
Do you really expect the New Zealand government to tell Australia how it should run its prisons/detention camps? Of course.
Why? So then the likes of those who say Davis is silent would be able to criticise him, accusing him of butting into Australian affairs and how he’s an embarrassment to our country for doing that.
The flaw in your logic is it’s not just an Australian affair.
With so many Kiwis affected, it has become a diplomatic issue between the two countries. Hence, a NZ Government response is largely expected.
Diplomatic issue? The issue is that Davis has to make a choice between being attacked mercilessly for outwardly putting the boot into the Aussies or for not overtly putting the boot into the Aussies. Attacked by the same people.
He isn’t in the headlines about it so he’s doing nothing. Let’s attack him about that too. And if he is in the headlines saying he’s doing something and there’s an outline of constructive steps towards some constructive resolution, lets attack the media outlet as a mouthpiece for the left.
And if constructive steps get the people put on planes to New Zealand and one of them does something wrong, stupid or bad, let’s blame Davis for getting them into the country and boot him again.
It’s a political issue. That’s when you get someone saying, “Evil triumphs when good men do nothing. The silence of Kelvin Davis.”
Hi Pete, I really can’t understand where you are coming from.
Without any evidence at all you slyly accuse, myself, and presumably others, of criticising Kelvin Davis when he is silent about the plight of the detainees, and also when he speaks up for the detainees, saying, “how he’s an embarrassment to our country for doing that”. This is a complete lying smear. For the record I was very much in support of Kelvin Davis’ early advocacy for the detainees, and would be very pleased to see him take up their cause again..
In future Pete, instead of engaging in broad smears, you need to say exactly who it is you claim is criticising Kelvin for standing up for the detainees, and who also criticise him for not standing up for the detainees. And provide some sort of evidence to back up your claims.
Do you really think the Australian Authorities are going to admit what is going on in their Detention Centres. The Australian Government has not had a good history of dealing nicely with indigeneous races, and come to think of it we have not been super good here in New Zealand as well IMHO ?
we must not forget who and what is waiting in the wings…
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jan/19/president-pence-women-week-in-patriarchy
and some lightness from that article
Sometimes the worst that can happen is what is required to nudge people back onto the right path.
America, in a yet another public display of it’s new role as now unashamed authoritarian world bully boys and corporate enforcers which of course leads to it’s complete lack of regard for free press (when it suits them), has detained with out charge Press TV’ s journalist Marzieh Hashemi for over six days so far.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/01/american-journalist-iran-press-tv-jailed-190117085325166.html
And while we are on the subject of free press, here is a piece well worth reading from Aaron Mate on The Nation dismantling more of the increasingly hysterical and unhinged ‘Russia Gate” conspiracies…
The Manafort Revelation Is Not a Smoking Gun
Proponents of the Trump-Russia collusion theory wildly overstate their case, again.
https://www.thenation.com/article/manafort-no-smoking-gun-collusion/
Of course you wouldn’t know that the whole Russia Gate conspiracy just one huge smoke screen reading or listening to msm, and unfortunately many on this site.
So while we have all had to hear endlessly week after week to this conspiracy theory (which is all it is at this point) that always goes nowhere, the Democratic party and Hillary Clinton have had to take exactly zero responsibility for losing to a half brain dead z grade TV game show host, why is that?
If you are a Russia gate believer, maybe this is the question you should start asking yourself…
The Manafort Revelation Is Not a Smoking Gun
Well, duh. If it was, Trump would be making a prison cell look even uglier than it already did, and we’d all be contemplating President Pence and thinking you really do need to be careful what you wish for. Most criminal investigations don’t feature a “smoking gun,” that’s why we have juries – and why they take longer than five minutes to reach a verdict. That doesn’t make those criminal investigations “conspiracy theories.”
And that’s an important point. Juries are often advised by the judge to arrive at a decision based on `the balance of probabilities’, aren’t they? Which is just as elegant way of saying `take your best guess, folks’.
So, in practice, courts decide more often on the picture painted by circumstantial evidence than on proof. Which is where Mueller III’s unprecedented breaking of media silence comes in.
“Cohen was sentenced in December to three years in prison for lying to Congress, campaign finance violations and financial crimes. He said he took full responsibility for his crimes, but said he acted out of blind loyalty to Mr. Trump, who he said “led me to choose a path of darkness over light.””
“During his nomination hearing this week to become attorney general, William P. Barr was asked if the president would have committed a crime if he had coached a witness to testify falsely — or not to testify at all. “Yes,” Mr. Barr said. “Under an obstruction statute, yes.”” https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/18/us/politics/buzzfeed-cohen-russia-tower.html
The day before Buzzfeed reported evidence that Trump had committed that crime. Mueller III yesterday denied that was accurate. He obviously felt he had to – because of that bunch of calls for him to act by leading congressmen. Looks like he doesn’t have a basis to act against Trump. He’s been gathering circumstantial evidence to paint the picture for two years. Not enough.
As I presume you know “balance of probabilities” is about civil trials. Anything to do with impeachment/Russia collusion is on the criminal standard of “beyond reasonable doubt.”
Thanks Wayne. No, I’ve never studied legal process. Just have the view of the average layman – a general idea of how the system works picked up from long-term observation. Beyond reasonable doubt sounds like a requirement of proof to me.
Buzzfeed used the agreement of two ex-govt officials as basis for their claim that the proof exists. Mueller III denied that their claim was accurate. Sounds like the evidence is debatable: proof to some, not to others. This discord around evidence has long been a phenomenon in science: evidence can be interpreted as proof, but opinions often differ. Even between experts!
Thank you, Wayne. I was about to ‘blast’ Dennis for that …. LOL.
Very best wishes and positive thoughts for your health battle.
Uhhh, when it comes to impeachment and conviction, it’s whatever at least 218 House Representatives and at least 67 senators agree are impeachable “high crimes and misdemeanours”, to whatever standard of proof they agree on. Impeachment and conviction is not a criminal proceeding, and it’s different to a civil matter as well.
It is literally correct to say that if said numbers of Congresspeople agreed that what Individual-1 does with his ties are impeachable “high crimes and misdemeanours”, he’d be outta there. Article 1 of impeachment could be the way he wears them way too long to point at the wizened Toad lurking in his trousers. Article 2 of Impeachment could be the way he uses sellotape to vainly attempt to hold the two dangly bits together.
John Roberts as the presiding justice over the senate trial could put as much effort as he wanted to into pointing out how fkn ridiculous it was, but in the end, if 67 senators voted to convict. it’s a done deal. The more likely procedural way to protect Individual-1 would be for the Senate Majority Leader, aka Yertle McConnell, to refuse to even bring the matter to the senate floor for consideration.
Or as Gerald Ford put it much more succinctly,
“An impeachable offense is whatever a majority of the House of Representatives considers to be at a given moment in history; conviction results from whatever offense or offenses two-thirds of the other body considers to be sufficiently serious to require removal of the accused from office.”
Funnily enough the powers that be seem to (so far) be entirely relying on the public believing the “smoking gun” theory.
You seem to not realise that “Smoking gun” refers to the strongest kind of circumstantial evidence, as opposed to direct evidence. ie…
The smoking gun theory is as follows….
“Trumps been to Russia and wanted to build a Russian Trump Tower;
There are Russians on the internet putting up adverts and #fake news supporting Bernie/Trump/Stein and these have been amazingly successful at…
getting disenfranchised whites in the rust belt all rilled up (which makes no sence ‘cos there lives/wages/housing/health and that of their children are getting better and better with each passing year)
and getting African Americans all rilled up and resentful (which also makes no sence ‘cos there lives are sweet as too);
Bernie and Trump did well;
Its simply not possible that the public no longer believe in the Corporate Democrats ability to deliver change and (cough) ‘Hope’, and that the public would willingly vote for the likes of Trump or Bernie or Stein, therefore……Trump is a Russian stooge.”
(The smoking gun theory also involves ignoring how much the Democrats/Hilary spent, because apparently the Russians are way way better at pushing their message than any of the agencies working for Hilary)
…the powers that be seem to (so far) be entirely relying on the public believing the “smoking gun” theory.
Now, there’s a conspiracy theory. Who are these “powers that be,” and on what evidence do you make this claim about them?
Oh it’s a conspiracy theory alright, and why any critical thinking person is still buying into it’s bullshit constructed narrative is for me the strangest part of the whole thing..quite disheartening really.
With that in mind I think we need tolay out the cards here and face the facts, Russia gate conspiracists are willing to accept, defend and support the narrative of Ex Bush FBI head Robert Mueller and his various (seriously) dodgy co conspirators over established truth tellers like Glenn Greenwald, Robert Fisk, John Pilger, etc etc….
Well as the old saying goes, ‘you make the bed you lie in’
But I guess on the bright side you always have the in depth hard hitting reporting of the liberal turned war hawk Racheal Maddow to keep you up to date ha.
“People whose opinions I share” != “established truth tellers.”
Robert Fisk as an established truth teller? Isn’t he the discredited journalist who was found to have made up stories & treated them as investigative journalism? Maybe he now works for Buzzfeed ?
@Bazza64
Would you care to put up a link or links to support your claims re; Fisk please.
@Bazza64
Oh you must mean this discredited journalist…
Robert Fisk
27 December 2018
Trump vs Mattis: Watch out when men of war come to the rescue
https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/jim-mattis-donald-trump-mad-syria-israel-egypt-arafat-sharon-a8700276.html
10 January 2019
The US media has lost one of its sanest voices on military matters – so let’s hope William Arkin’s absence is brief
https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/william-arkin-nbc-donald-trump-military-war-pundits-israel-media-a8719956.html
January 17, 2019
Lessons from the Armenian Genocide for Saudi Arabia in Yemen
https://mirrorspectator.com/2019/01/17/lessons-from-the-armenian-genocide-for-saudi-arabia-in-yemen/
3 January 2019
Judge Richard Goldstone suffered for turning his back on Gaza – but not as much as the Palestinians he betrayed
https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/israel-gaza-war-judge-richard-goldstone-palestinian-conflict-a8709211.html
I remember reading in the NZ Herald quite a few years ago how Robert Fisk came in for some heavy criticism from other journalists, who said he always seemed to get a very detailed story, when others said they were always suspicious of him.
Googled a couple of things:
https://honestreporting.com/independent-admits-robert-fisk-story-was-false/
https://pulsemedia.org/2016/12/03/robert-fisks-crimes-against-journalism/
Definitely not an expert on Mr Fisk, but when I see his name I always remember this.
The first link is to an apology by Fisk for writing an article in 2011 in which he quoted from a forged document (unknown to Fisk at the time), hardly a reason to discredit a journalist with decades of solid war reporting.
BTW your linked source HonestReporting (Defending Israel from Media Bias) also defends Israeli violence against unarmed civilians..detaining children in prison..etc etc
HonestReporting’s Top 10 Posts of 2018
https://honestreporting.com/honestreportings-top-posts-of-2018/
As far as Idrees Ahmad’s (whom I admire) piece goes, that is more problematic, the Syrian conflict is so complex, that I personally try to stay at some distance from it, so i can’t really comment on that article.
But I can see your position re’ Fisk if that is your view on the Syrian conflict nonetheless.
Not sure about the Syrian conflict, but seems some people are now saying Fisk is a stooge of Assad & the Russians. Have no idea if this is even true & in the end all journalists have to be paid by someone. Truly being independent is maybe a difficult thing for journalists to achieve.
Difficult to know re Fisk, but I do remember a lot of journalists saying that he always seemed to get the perfect story which seemed to be embellished.
Thanks
What a breath of fresh air, thank you Adrian.
Tamati is right – we live in societies still struggling with their colonial past. In Aotearoa it is hard to appreciate that there was once a time when it was considered acceptable to exterminate indigenous people.
In Australia ‘Kriol’ is a relatively new Aboriginal language with upwards of 20,000 speakers in the Northern Territory and the neigbouring Kimberley region of Western Australia. It is a creole language – meaning it is a kind of emergency language with specific origin.
It arose early this century when surviving members of decimated language groups congregated at the Roper River Mission in order to escape killings being carried out by cattle station companies. Many adults were multilingual – but not in the same languages. Children had often not developed full language competence .
In this situation the only form of communication was a pidgin which had entered the Northern Territory a few decades before with the cattle trade.
It is easy to forget this history in urban centres but like an old coral reef it repeatedly resurfaces when conservative parties with a strong rural base hold sway in Canberra.
[Adapted from Balzer et. al., “Pidgin”, 2nd ed., page 149, Lonely Planet, 1999]
“Murica, where a group of vile, MAGA capped racists gleefully harass a Native American elder at an Indigenous Peoples March.
I notice the self-satisfied expression of the one young white man who stands in front of the American Indian (Nathan Philips of the Omaha Nation). His tight smile says you can’t make me move, and you can’t touch me.
MAGA means – according to a Reddit? post:
The_Donald Rules.
This list is a wonder to behold for the USA.
What does MAGA mean?
I keep seeing the left criticize Trump for stating MAGA. Claiming he wants to bring back racism, slavery and segregation. What a bunch of cucks.
Let’s set the record straight. We are going back to a Great America.
An America where the people trust the government.
An America where we are proud of the USA.
An America where we don’t fear terrorist, but terrorist fear us.
An America where getting a job and livable wage is easy.
An America where we create wealth and prosperity.
An America with a tax surplus and not a multi-trillion dollar deficit.
An America where anyone can afford to go to the hospital.
An America where everyone can go to college.
An America where people aren’t afraid of police.
An America with more schools than prisons.
An America that upholds the bill of rights.
An America that spends money to fix itself before “fixing” the world.
An America where “Made in USA” is cheaper than “Made in China”.
An America that doesn’t have one way tarrifs.
An America that doesn’t allow threats of war from other nations. Looking at you North Korea.
An America that stands for Freedom and Democracy.
That’s the America we are going back to. That is the future. No more free rides for fake allies. No more fake diplomacy while Americans die to terrorist. No more corrupt secret deals. No more profit at the expense of American lives.
MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!!
FUCK YOU CLINTON, CTR, DEMOCRATS, AND ANY OTHER FREEDOM HATING TRAITORS!
No end of potential nominees for the Supreme Court there, by the look of it.
Those thick youth look like cardboard cutouts compared to the native elders. Those young adults are nothing, not even dust, gone, evaporated back to their nothingness.
“The students, many of whom were wearing “Make America Great Again” caps, from private, all-male Covington Catholic High School in Park Hills were in Washington for an anti-abortion rally on Friday when they were filmed surrounding Nathan Phillips and mocking the Native American’s singing and drumming.”
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jan/20/outcry-after-kentucky-students-in-maga-hats-mock-native-american-veteran
Christians sadly were participants in many colonisations where they tried to exterminate indigenous people.
Frankie the Pope has a message for the little shits.
Pope Francis on Friday addressed a video message to the world’s young indigenous people holding their World Indigenous Youth Gathering in Soloy, Diocese of David, Panama, from January 17 to 21. The young people will then move on to Panama city to join the World Youth Day (WYD) 2019, January 22-27, which the Pope is joining on January 23.
Speaking in Spanish, the Pope is encouraging the indigenous young people to hold on to their cultures and roots by fighting marginalization, exclusion, waste and impoverishment that is threatening them and build another world that is possible and that is more just and human.
[…]
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2019-01/pope-francis-video-message-world-indigenous-youth-panama.html
…were in Washington for an anti-abortion rally on Friday…
Farkinell, it’s the trifecta…
https://twitter.com/riotwomennn/status/1086721329573830656
Look’s like a nice kid ?
Guess he would be a Republican Trump Supporter no doubt ?
Bye bye Good Friday agreement?.
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/police-in-northern-ireland-report-suspected-car-bomb-in-derry-1.3764233
Bit more about the Russian girl and how she got there.
https://www.andrew-drummond.com/2019/01/19/so-who-did-the-dirty-on-oligarchs-girl-nastya-rybka/
Fun and learning. Puts it ALL into perspective.
http://www.astronomy.com/news/2018/08/fact-checking-the-galaxy-song
Manawatu river at Foxton
http://www.horizons.govt.nz/HRC/media/Data/WebCam/Foxton_latest_photo.jpg?ext=.jpg
[What’s going on, cobber? Your last few comments look like you’ve walked away from the laptop and your pet hamster has tap danced on the keyboard. If you want to put a link up, please add a short explanation of its relevance. Don’t want to waste people’s time, ae? TRP]
Anyone watch Go South on Prime last night? Really awesome piece of TV. Hopefully this will manage to get on TV networks all round the world. Do more to promote NZ than anything else.
of course.
https://www.google.com/search?q=askew&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-b
You know, Ed got banished for that type of shit.
Where is Ed ?
Commiserating with Paul somewhere.
A predictable opinion piece in today’s Herald website by Lawrence Yule National MP for Tukituki and spokesperson for horticulture. Nowt, zip, yadda, nil, nothing about the orchidists paying their workforce a decent wage – but he reckons the Government has a role to play to help them out. Poor petals.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12193308
Essentially a copying and pasting of previous talking points.
Not exactly in full hiring mode only small producers who do not contract out.
https://www.trademe.co.nz/browse/categoryattributesearchresults.aspx?140=5&154=5015&144=-1&144=200000&search=1&sidebar=1&cid=5000&rptpath=5000-
Voters less likely to back Labour with ‘stop Brexit’ policy, leaked poll suggests
Can’t have your cake and eat it too.
it is not cake and eating it too, rather it is combining representative democracy and direct democracy.
So with that in mind in this case: An election is held that combines the Tory platform with the favored brexit approach of it’s support base (which is looking for the maximum separations with the EU) & the Labour combines it’s platform with the favored brexit approach of it’s support base (which is looking for a continuation of partnership with the EU as much as possible).
Then the representatives of the election result, negotiate their balances to the differences and trade offs with the EU and their supoort base platform, so it remains a winning process for the electorate’s involvement in the process. And either way the election goes, there remains strong bargaining power for the British side.
And i believe, at heart, it is probably that simple in how to complete the process started with the referendum in a way that is diplomatic to all concerned.
Like everyone I’d always believed that the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse were Conquest, War, Famine, and Death. And then I read this:
And realised that the The Black Horse wasn’t famine at all.
It’s free-market capitalism.
I am not a Christian and don’t believe in the bible or sin so… nice symbolism though.
Neither am I.
But look at all the people who are.
Good riddance to New Zealand’s Biggest Bogans
by E. KERR McROVI, The N.Z. Gerald, Sunday 20 January 2019
You would have to wonder what this country’s Biggest Bogans were doing when they chose the New Zealand taxpayer to fund their calumny from 2008 until we gave them the arse in 2017.
Did they think we were complete saps, willing to roll over and accept their appalling anti-social and criminal behaviour? That we were too primitive and unsophisticated to galvanise ourselves into a posse of right-thinking community policemen and women? A little bit of homework would have shown that we have spectacularly good form in bringing down even highly trained criminals, far less amateurs.
But just to recap … That bunch of foul mouthed, bribe-taking, snitching, backstabbing, housing expenses-rorting, cigar smoke-blowing, hairpulling louts made headlines on a daily – nay, hourly – basis. Since award-winning journalist Nicky Hager exposed to the nation in 2014 that their leader had allowed his office to be the command centre for an illegal, secret campaign of character assassination and vilification run by the infamous and disgusting Cameron FailAll Slater, assisted incompetently and pathetically by his stumble-tongued slave Jordan Williams, this gang of reprobates ran our country’s reputation into the ground with the same lack of concern as their dirty dairy friends foul the water the rest of us used to drink and swim in.
The gang of thugs parked up at the Beehive for nine terrible years quickly drew the attention of Kiwis thanks to their filthy language and their filthy behaviour. [1] When a local woman suffering from asthma asked one of them to stop smoking a cigar in their enclosed box at a football match, the feral fellow turned particularly nasty. Instead of ceasing to smoke, he walked up to the woman and blew smoke in her face. This led to the woman’s husband nearly knocking Coleman’s brains out. [2] And thus it began.
As a result of the publicity over the cigar fracas, a number of people approached the Herald with their own horror stories of encountering the nation’s Biggest Bogans.
A man who had the great misfortune to share a flight with one of these appalling humans recounted his bad behaviour at Christchurch Airport in 2014. It was hours of misery for everyone involved, when the fattest and most unpleasant of all the Bogans bumptiously bypassed security to board a domestic flight. He was fined $2,000 for that bit of idiocy. [3]
Next, a young waitress from Parnell came forward to complain about the leader of the Unruly Gang. She recognised the lout from his many appearances in the media and told how he and his people had come to her cafe and repeatedly pulled her hair while his wife just watched. [4]
Another of these antisocial and repulsive pests was caught by one of our leading artists in the act of befouling our waterways, along with his horrid dirty dairying amigos. [5]
This Unruly, Unholy Mob had no idea just how effective New Zealanders can be at monitoring aberrant behaviour. Those of us who are honest will remember that the gangsters who ran that vicious and secret campaign of character assassination from Wonky John’s office were exposed not by this country’s counter espionage agents or even our investigative police officers. The hapless bumbling tossers in charge of the operation were exposed thanks to a concerned computer expert (“Rawshark”) who had clocked a number of odd incidents and reported them to the renowned journalist Nicky Hager.
So this group of professional louts never had a chance of slipping under the radar. The reaction to these no-hopers was an excellent example of what can happen when we work together.
[1] https://resources.stuff.co.nz/content/dam/images/1/l/f/i/z/s/image.related.StuffLandscapeSixteenByNine.1240×700.1lfi0o.png/1504501119377.jpg
[2] https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10413574
[3] https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/63297518/null
[4] https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/67949918/null
[5] https://resources.stuff.co.nz/content/dam/images/1/l/f/i/z/s/image.related.StuffLandscapeSixteenByNine.1240×700.1lfi0o.png/1504501119377.jpg
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12192586
Spoke to my m8 yesterday who’s grandfather played for Liverpool, about the Liverpudlian gypsies touring New Zealand he reckons they are Northern Ireland protestants one of the worst breed of people on the planet.
Who’s your mate’s grandfather, Tamati?
just wonderful..Morrissey.’👌
‘ That bunch of foul mouthed, bribe-taking, snitching, backstabbing, housing expenses-rorting, cigar smoke-blowing, hairpulling louts made headlines on a daily – nay, hourly – basis. Since award-winning journalist Nicky Hager exposed to the nation in 2014 that their leader had allowed his office to be the command centre for an illegal, secret campaign of character assassination and vilification run by the infamous and disgusting Cameron FailAll Slater, assisted incompetently and pathetically by his stumble-tongued slave Jordan Williams, this gang of reprobates ran our country’s reputation into the ground with the same lack of concern as their dirty dairy friends foul the water the rest of us used to drink and swim in.’
Wow that’s a mouth full but 100% correct.
Worse than the “Unruly Tourists” are these Yobs taunting them in Hamilton
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12191765
M8’s name is Murphy not sure what his grandfather’s name was but I will ask him the next time I talk to him and let you know, probably feeding me B/S, never thought to ask.
Thanks Tamati. Let us know!
Thread.
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1086759055127924739.html
Kia ora the am show There you go duncan kicking the poor vulnerable people.
Its a lollie scramble in the house building boom in Taungara that’s the capitalist way charge what ever one can get from the buyer.???????????????????????????????.
simon you way of running the country into the ground look at what has happened hundreds of people under the bridge and you spout about they way shonky run the country. national sold half of the power companys and in just 5 years the money raised buy the sales of those crown jewels has been losted in capital gain’s and dividend’s a gift to their wealthy share market m8 of 5 billion tipcal national kick the poor vulnerable people.
Alcohol related death’s in NZ IS 600 to 1000 how many die from weed can not find any from consumeing it enough said.
Jason its quite hot in Australia at the minute can cook a egg on the bonnet of a car and your prime minister wants to build more coal power plants that burns heaps of carbon and use heaps of WATER.
I say Michael Mosley diet will be good .Drop the sugar and have porridge in the morning is a good way to to stop the hunger pangs and lose weight it makes the body work to digets it to .
The biggest hitts the tax system’s get is fraud that comes from the white collar crime there was a figure of $1 billion in the media .Goverments and council’s fraud. I say that figure is the tip of the Iceburg.
Global warming it the biggest threat enough said Ka kite ano P.S Mahi ki hoariri
Unequal income distribution is what causes a lot of our society problems health crime slow economy low education levels also Unequal income affects Wahine the people whom raise our tamariki the most .
How unequal is New Zealand?
In New Zealand, income (and probably wealth) was being shared out more and more evenly from the 1950s up until the 1980s – but for the next two decades we had the developed world’s biggest increase in income inequality.
As the graph (at left) shows, in that time, the average income of someone in the richest 1% has doubled, from just under $200,000 to nearly $400,000 (adjusting for inflation). In contrast, the average disposable income for someone in the poorest 10% is only slightly higher than it was in the 1980s. (More details and the source of this graph can be found in Wealth and New Zealand, published by BWB.) That means many New Zealanders struggle to pay their bills and lead a decent life.
Another way to put it is that someone in the richest 10% used to earn five times as much as someone in the poorest 10%; now they earn eight times as much.
Wealth is also very largely in the hands of a few. As the graph (below) shows, in New Zealand the wealthiest tenth own nearly a fifth of the country’s net worth, while the poorest half of the country has less than 5 per cent. That leaves many people in poverty, lacking the resources they need to participate in society and follow their dreams. (Again, further details are available in Wealth and New Zealand.)
What is the connection with poverty?
Inequality connects both ends of the spectrum, wealth and poverty, and argues that they have to be looked at together. The fundamental issue is distribution: how are the economy and society structured, and where do they deliver their rewards?
In other words, poverty doesn’t exist in isolation: people are poor, in part, because the economy directs much of the country’s resources to those who are already doing well. For instance, within a company, pay for ordinary staff can be low because so much of the company’s income goes to senior management and shareholders.
Wealth and poverty can’t be separated.Polling shows New Zealanders have consistently rated inequality as the single biggest issue facing the country since 2014. Over 80 per cent of the country say they are concerned or very concerned about income and wealth imbalances. Internationally, all the world’s major economic bodies – including the IMF, the OECD and the World Bank – have argued for some time that inequality is a major problem and must be addressed. Ka kite ano links below
http://www.inequality.org.nz/understand/
Here you go the goverments don’t mesure the % of income that the people pay and in the poor peoples case with gst at 15 % we the poor pay the higest % of taxs to income ratio. And the rulers wonder why MAORI are so upset with OUR lot this system is dishing us up Ana to kai
Do the rich really pay the most in tax?
The rich don’t really pay that much in tax – and to the extent that they do, it’s because they get the biggest chunk of the income
The government likes to say that the richest 15% of households (those earning over $150,000) pay three-quarters of all the “net tax” .
The problem with this measure is that it isn’t really about tax. It does start with the amount of income tax paid by different groups – but it then does complicated calculations about how much those groups received in benefit payments, the accommodation supplement, paid parental leave and Working for Families. Those figures are subtracted from the amount of tax paid by each group, to arrive at a strange sort of “net financial contribution to the government’s books” measure.
More useful figures about income tax are in the graph below, which shows how much of our national income goes to each of the country’s ten income groups – and what proportion of the total tax take they contribute
None of these figures, of course, includes capital gains (income made from selling assets such as houses and shares), because we don’t for the most part either tax or record those capital gains.
If we did, since those capital gains will go largely to the richest tenth, the truth about tax in New Zealand is that the rich almost certainly pay less of their income in tax than the poor do. ka kite ano links below
http://www.inequality.org.nz/understand/rich-really-pay-tax/
You see people 4 % is what drips off the wealthy’s plates for maori to fight over and some still have the gaul to moan about what Maori/minority cultures get from the system . TIMES ARE GOING TO CHANGE.
Eco Maori say mandatory voting is what is need to get a fair representation for all Kiwis at the minute the pollies are to scared to tackle the big issues that will upset the retired babyboomers whom 98% vote . If everyone votes the politicians will listen to the poor people more.
Why do you need mandatory voting? Can’t you convince people to vote just be explaining how it benefits them?
Kia ora Newshub Some of those Wai falls around Auckland has some old Maori history.
House prices are expensive in Aotearoa at the minute all part of shonkys plan.
I saw that video of that old Native American that was being taunted by that boy so disrespectful those young people are Alot of people are disrespectful these days the old fella was a War veteran to. Public expenses in Aotearoa was one of the lowest in the world so was our grocery prices low as compared to the rest of the World 10 years ago.
If the trees are dangerous ie fall over in bad weather they should be felled but one would think the council would follow dew process after all they set the examples.
That was lucky that no one was hurt in that bombing in Ireland I smell something.
The Orca video under the artic ice is really cool see those Orca have smaller dorsal fins than the ones around NZ. I did not see much publicity on the marine sanctuary being set up around the Ross Sea??????????.
Ka kite ano.
Kia ora Newshub it’s good for our farmers that Jacinda has got a export deal with Britain I still say Britain should stay with the European Union. As for the Air forces Gropper its the same as the roast busters the state white coller people bending the laws to protect there m8. That’s why there is a status of limitations LAW to protect government people from getting held accountable for all the cheating they did while in power.A new government find there dirty deeds cannot litigate against the cheats. The man made drug problem the pills what ever man made drug problem is here and now because the state spent all its resources farcicaly fighting weed that is practically harmless when compared factual with other forms of drugs and ignore these other drugs that has killed many people shonkys the ring leader is the ring leader. duncan your a alt right red neck who thinks a Wahine place is behind a MAN your views change like your underwear. Like I have said the world’s laws are made to protect the ruling classes and hammer the poor people that’s a fact. I have all read put a post up about the gropper ropper CASE.
I won’t wait for shonky who should be hiding under a rock after the Big mess he has made of Atoearoa. Ka kite ano P.S to busy with our Mokopunas
Yea wealth is OK so long as shonky doesn’t have control of it and give it to the few while the many have to struggle to survive its OK if wealth is shared it is well documented that a equal society is much happier and healthier when your share the lollipops I get it wealthy people get a logical block from their $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$. Quite a common phenomenon around Papatuanukue that has caused all the ills of Papatuanukue don’t worry common people money is going to be a thing of the past we will have a currency that has a consciousness connection to it any cheating people will go broke. Ana to kai Ka kite ano
There you go shonky is a alt right trump supporter trump is ripping of the poor common people like shonky did and giving it to his rich m8 bullshiting about trumps popularity in America Ana to kai Ka kite ano
Kia ora Newshub It’s cool Jamie Lee Ross is OK more drama for national I see one of their biggest spin doctors is not in good shape.
A tree falling on people picnicking at the shot over river condolences to the people who were involved in the incident Tawhirirmate is a powerful force.
Jacinda is determined to keep Aotearoa exporters to Britain in the good tradition trading partners Ka pai.
Aotearoa is a haven but trying to sail hear in over loaded unsafe boat is a risk to great to make we get some big seas here in the Pacific.
national flogging the same horse weed benefit bashing sorry they won’t get anyone attention but there 25 %core voters 65 % of kiwis support weed laws reforms only fools and horses /bridges.
We seen The Marama /Moon last night at the Farm she was showing off her beauty.
That was awesome that lady Lee had her treasure returned to that were stolen she looked wrapped she was lucky the boys who found them found her Ka kite ano