*switches on radio* Yay! Morning Report! Real journalism! 🙂
… oh…. what is this? Soggy, empty calorie, warmed over news typical of decayed late neoliberal news agendas everywhere? A diet of trivial scandals, stupid gotchas, centrist journalists running self-important crusades against the enemies of business of usual, moral panics, Meghan Markel and regurgitated claptrap from the Daily Mail?
Centrist crusader Guyon Espiner spent his summer looking for a marginal gotcha on Shane Jones.
Whats the meta? Centrists are out to mire NZ First in financial "scandals" big time in election year, starting from Episode 1 2020, whilst studiously refusing to take seriously the the massive stench of corruption and treason that surrounds the entire neoliberal business and political establishments relationship with the Chinese Communist Party.
I'd heard Guyon Espiner had left his previous role to pursue one allowing more 'in-depth' investigations. In-depth? Hearing him on air this morning it seems like the Olympic high diver is now jumping into puddles. And if there isn't a puddle, peeing on the floor to create one.
In the way a player in sport being called off and replaced having their, "I was enjoying it, I would loved to have stayed on," turning into the headline "player slams coach," Espiner was fiddling with a chat that was a discussion that was a meeting that was a briefing that was a presentation.
He would have had fun with Judith Collins dropping in for a casual cup of tea on the way to a Chinese airport!
I saw on twitter that the whole "story" has turned to custard after a car crash interview with one of the chief protagonists.
This is classic centrist journalism that opens the whole damn MSM up to charges of fake news. A cooked up gotcha "scandal" of slim substance against a party that presents itself as anti-establishment , whilst the elephant in the room – the deliberate attempt to corrupt our business and political elites with a flood of laundered foreign cash from the CCP – is ignored because it would sour to many insider relationships and require to much hard work and might upset some important people.
The problem is most of our senior journalists see themselves as part of the establishment, and view stories through of lens of how they (as in "they" being the establishment) "manage" it's perception through to the public. THAT is the real nub of the growth of the fake news credibility crisis for the MSM, not social media.
A cooked up gotcha "scandal" of slim substance…. whilst the elephant in the room – the deliberate attempt to corrupt our business and political elites with a flood of laundered foreign cash from the CCP – is ignored because it would sour too many insider relationships and require too much hard work and might upset some important people. (my bold)
That behaviour has been occurring for the past 40 years – since the Muldoon reign of terror. Think Erebus among others… important people up to no good… must keep it under wraps. What about the victims? Oh, stuff the victims. It's more important that important people who were up to no good don't get their reputations tarnished.
" a marginal gotcha on Shane Jones. " I assume this is a reference to what and when Minister Jones knew, in regards to NZ Future Forest Products Limited.
While not following this closely, there is something smelly about it. I understand NZFFP hasn't received any public money. Minister Jones' careful oratory whenever this subject comes up rings alarm bells.
The whole NZFFP reason for being is murky.
Deputy Prime minister's lawyer, Brian Henry, his son David Henry and latterly Winston Peter's housemate,Jan Trotman, are Directors. NZFFP is owned by Kinleith Continuation LP, of which, we can only know David Henry is involved. Other partners etc are not listed.
How much money do these people need?
Edit, not to take anything from yr larger point, the shady goings on of funding for the 2 biggest political parties.
Maybe the smelly thing is that the story involves Jones and NZ Future Forest Products Limited.
Maybe Minister Jones' careful oratory is because he doesn't even have to say something and it's 'smelly.'
Maybe his careful oratory is because (as I've already said) a meeting is a chat is a discussion is a briefing that becomes a full blown detailed presentation with back and forth and wheeling and dealing and plotting and scheming.
The fact that someone chatted with someone is enough for you to say 'shady goings on.' the problem mightn't be with what happened or what was in Jones' head, but yours.
And asking how much money do these people need? A whole ocean full I suppose because that's what we were put on planet earth for isn't it? If such a situation involved John Key we'd be calling him a genius and saying he should be given a knighthood for his acumen.
I agree. When it comes to dirty money, the two establishment parties – Labour and National but especially National – are given the benefit of the doubt of the loosest interpretations of laxly applied laws, whilst eveyone else is held to much higher standard of guilty until proven innocent on the slightest infraction. It is immensely frustrating.
"Joe Biden may have stumbled into supporting one of the most radical climate proposals of the primary. The moment came in an interview, published Friday, with members of The New York Times’ Editorial Board, which has been conducting a series of sit-downs with Democratic primary candidates."
Keep calm, he may have just had a senior moment. Or temporary insanity. Alzheimers perhaps? It worked for Reagan.
"Were Biden to faithfully follow his commitment to the Paris goals and plan as outlined to the Times, he would push for not only a rapid, managed decline of the fossil fuel industry, but the creation of a binding international trade regime with the power to materially discipline any nation—including the U.S.—failing to scale back emissions and carbon-intensive exports. This would be a game-changer in American foreign policy, essentially upending the world order as we know it in the interest of building a low-carbon world."
If. What, a liberal faithfully adhering to a commitment? You've got to be kidding! Still, he may have accidentally tossed a curve ball into the presidential campaign. The US media elite would have to swing in behind him, as it always does with liberal leaders. Murdoch would have to take stock of the situation. The old socialist within could join up with younger son James, and tell the older son `mate, it's time to go with the flow'. If that happens, Trump will feel obliged to sail his ship with the new wind.
Without Fox behind him, Trump would face a severe handicap in the presidential campaign. He needs everything he can get to relegate the effect of impeachment. My bet is that he won't tough it out – he'll realise he too must go with the flow. Expect Trump to abandon climate denial some time in the next few months. But only if Biden is not having a senior moment!
Now, now, Martyn. That ain't nice. "Sanders vs Warren represents the great Class vs Identity Politics schism on the Left and those woke Identity Politics activists won’t tolerate the patriarchy robbing them of another female candidate for President so expect the name calling and tribal social media lynch mobs that make them about as a popular as Donald Trump at a Queer Intersectionist Feminist Folk Festival to erupt if Bernie wins." Mmm, there is that, but he could still do with a nice cuppa tea to settle him down.
He goes on to quote Bryce Edwards from the Guardian: "Culture wars are concerned with debates relating to ethnicity, gender, sexuality, human rights, discrimination, free speech and civil liberties. Elements of the political left – especially in the Labour and Green parties – are increasingly associated with campaigns in these areas, and often their stances are not shared by many mainstream voters.
"…hilariously for daring to point out that many woke Identity Politics activists are alienating more voters than they are winning over, Bryce has been immediately decried on Twitter by those very same alienating woke Identity Politics activists."
Yeah, the woke do Pavlov's Dog real well – just push the button & they will bleat on cue. "I think the identity politics left in NZ are more focused on cancelling voters than recruiting them." Actually, no. No such focus because they aren't intelligent enough to connect cause and effect. The vote cancellation they produce is cause by their inadequacy – which they lack the self-knowledge to become aware of.
"If Sanders can re-establish Class as the foundation for the Left, we can pull back working class voters from realigning with the Right and there might be a chance to avoid the madness of right wing Demagogues. If Sanders loses, we are doomed to right wing populism."
I query the validity and relevance of class nowadays, and I have seen no evidence of Sanders making the slightest attempt to validate it in the new millennium. I'd welcome any such attempt, but seems to me Martyn is afflicted by a false assumption. An apt quote from Bernie explaining how the middle & working classes can be simultaneously helped by the Democrats could prove me wrong. Let's see it!
Sanders' support for Medicare for all, free public college, forgiving of student debt and higher minimum wages, will do materially more for the vast majority of women than anything any other candidate is proposing.
Plus, given that Sanders also urged Warren to stand in 2016, was "respectful and encouraging" to Gabbard, that his support base is majority female, and that 40-year old t.v. footage can be found of him encouraging schoolgirls to get involved in politics – one can only conclude that his 'sexism’consists solely of not being a woman. No doubt Sanders would also rise from the grave (if he could) to support some future AOC presidential bid – not because she is female, but because she has the right values and moral framework.
He seems to be opposed/detested by a cadre of affluent, liberal women who are prepared to see poor and working class (and increasingly ex-middle class) women not receive the material benefits of a Sanders presidency, simply in order to have a woman as president.
Hey folks, the time has come to move on from windows 7.
Any recommendations for an OS from the Standardistas?
I am not overly tech savvy and I do not like windows 10. I mainly use laptop for You Tube, some streaming and a wee bit of games ( Civ 6, Elder Scrolls/Skyrim).
Yep. It has the feel of Windows 7 because it's really only 7 with an up-graded format. I'm not a tech savvy person either but had no trouble coping with the change.
Totally unless you want to get your head around linux and running a VM, fantastic options that will reuse the existing hardware, however mac's the easier way out.
MS have screwed the user experience in W10 with continuous deployment and an OS that struggles with stuff W7 nailed years ago like multiple monitors and allowing the user to choose when to patch not Redmond, WA which does it whilst you work and can crash the laptop.
I’ve used Kubuntu (KDE frontend on ubuntu linux) for many years. I’ve used that on everything from smallish ARMs, 10 year old laptops, the up to the moment laptops, high end workstations, and through to the server that runs TS. Not worth using on on hand helds.
Provides a nice clean and very versatile desktop that doesn’t chop and change all over the place. You can make it as complicated as you like (I don’t). Ubuntu is pretty stable as platform. Recently it has been getting faster as the kernel updates get tighter and better organised.
It is way better then windows for most network issues – a big consideration for me as I’m almost entangled in networks all day.
Civ6 on Steam for Linux runs perfectly – I usually play for an hour (or two) each day (my zen moments). Look up the other games on steam or gog. You’ve probably never going to get the up to the moment first person shoot-em-ups. But I prefer things I have to think about.
I do a lot of both embedded and desktop / server code for Linux. I like debian or yocto when I build securely locked down systems. But ubuntu is what I use to build with. It has a ideal balance between security and freedom. It is my preferred work and development platform.
I also use and code for windows (since 1985), android (for the last 5 years) and even reluctantly OSX or frigging iOS (I really don’t like touching apple software – their development licensing really annoys me).
Skyrim and Fallout 4 both run fairly well under the latest release of Proton. The major stumbling block seems to be the audio, which is finicky and prone to latency issues. There are couple of launch parameters you can use in Steam to get them to work properly and they're totally playable, but as you said, some people just want a fire and forget solution as opposed to tinkering. And I can understand that.
It's free, and the days of wrestling with it like it was an eel smeared in margarine are well and truly over. If you want something that looks, acts and runs just like Windows (pretty much — but without all the telemetry harvesting and four-hour-long updates), I can recommend Linux Mint, or if you'd rather support a Kiwi-made distribution, Linux Lite. (Linux Lite has a ton of help available, the forums are really supportive as opposed to those infested with sarcastic neckbeards prone to screaming at you for asking how to copy a file, and it runs like a greased whippet.) Thanks to Steam's Vulkan API, you can play Windows games on Linux. I play Skyrim SE, Fallout 4 and Civilization 5 on Pop!-OS, and they run fine. Not everything will run, but a ton of titles that previously wouldn't even consider running, now perform flawlessly. Unless you're using some fancy proprietary software that absolutely HAS to run on Windows, abandon ship and come to the nerdy side. It's nice here… and you don't spend hours of your life watching a spinning wheel while someone in Redmond reads your browsing history.
It is Australia's biggest contributer to climate change.
It seems however that the current government of Australia, has no intention of doing so and in fact is in the process of increasing and expanding the coal export industry with approval for many new export industry coal mines.
By refusing to take this vital first move Australia is symptomatic of the whole world.
And why we will not end climate change. And why climate change will end us.
With an antitrump reputation, this bunch of principled conservatives aren't flavour of the month, but they seem sensible enough to be worth reading.
"He’s not as strong as Biden in the Rust Belt, but he’s probably strong enough to get the job done. (Trump is in so much trouble in Michigan that Mike Bloomberg is +6 against him there.) But Bernie’s problems with educated suburban voters are probably enough to cost him Virginia and Florida. At which point he’s down to 280 electoral votes and he needs to hold on to everything else, or expand the map. Which would probably mean making big plays in Ohio and Iowa."
"One of the defining features of the last three years has been an emerging argument from both the progressive left and the nationalist right that the free market is overrated."
Hey, when the left and right agree on economics, everyone ought to pay attention. Watch this space! Framing how to spin the emerging consensus, later on this year, will be the key to the future.
Hope someone didn't forget to lock up – if they did, Simon Bridges would have to declare it "entirely appropriate" for someone to have taken the laptops
The way the Herald report is written, with no mention of any property damage like a smashed door or window, a opportunist grab through an unlocked door looks like the case.
Happens a lot. Set the alarm and then not lock the door properly. And too tight to engage a security company to come past and check the place is secure.
The National Party probably staged the laptop burglary to hide their Chinese government connections and dodgy donations. The SFO probably requested them for their enquiries.
I think Bennett was just reported on RNZ as saying it was sinister and suspicious, subtext that it was a political break in I guess. Did she base that on anything or did she just use the opportunity to spin?
Now morphed into The Stranger Case of the Burgled Bunker.
“But a staff member, who did not want to be named, told the Herald the break-in was "pretty odd".
He said the office was "a bit of a bunker" and was partially underground.
"You would have to know that we were here." https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12301755
It is an ‘inside job’ to provide more talking points to talk tough on crime and get traction in the media. Paula Bennett’s photoshoots for magazine covers, even though she’s a walking and perpetual fashion crime, just don’t cut the mustard any longer.
Alternatively, an emotional junior staffer forgot to lock the laptops away at night and left them in full view.
The thieves were contracted by a Chinese owned company (take your pick) to break into the government's bunker and steal the laptops but the thieves raided the wrong bunker.
Oops… Fireblade beat me to it. Call it a variation on what Fireblade said. 🙁
Can't hold onto three laptops! Victim of crime. Do we need them looking after law and order, they can't even protect their own stuff. They are victims, get back to us when they survived crime, won cctv footage, got good neighbors who saw everything, and are on top on criminality.
National are complete crap on the economy, productivity been falling since they started attacking unionism, don't they know anything about paying more means higher productivity?
Well, there's a reasonable chance of Bernie getting the nod*..unfortunately he'll be tied up with the impeachment trial for the foreseeable future…leaving Biden to help steer the Democrats towards a spectacular election defeat.
*And Warren, (as a Senator) though she seems to have shot herself in the foot..as was to be predicted by anyone with even the most casual interest in her career..
..oh well.
At least that way Obama won't have to step in and 'save' us from the horror of 'President Bernie'..
I see Piers Morgan's named a fair bit in chancery court doc's in the UK as the tabloids continue to prevent the phone hacking scandal making a court appearance with out of court settlements.
I'd almost forgotten about that as the MSM has soooo cleaned up it's act…..yeah right.
The 7 will be exciting this year in Hamilton I might get a seat.
Its awesome to see the koro play basketball and talking about their mokopuna.
That's is cool Nesian Mystic band are getting back together to do some waita mahi
Yes we have to taonga our wetlands as they filter the Wai before it goes back into Tangaroa and teach our tamariki about the great mahi wetlands actually do
Its great that the government is investing in Railways this mode of transport is much more efficient than other models of transportation. Did you know aviation fuel is not taxed.????.
Gisborne is a great place beaches hunting diving fishing with minimal traffic.
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Its a law like gravity: whenever a right-wing government is elected, they start attacking democracy. And now, after talking to their Republican and Tory and Fidesz chums at the International Democracy Union forum in Wellington, National is doing it here, announcing plans to remove election-day enrolment. Or, to put it ...
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A listing of 26 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 28, 2024 thru Sat, May 4, 2024. Story of the week "It’s straight out of Big Tobacco’s playbook. In fact, research by John Cook and his colleagues ...
Yesterday I received come lovely feedback following my Star Wars themed newsletter. A few people mentioned they’d enjoyed reading the personal part at the beginning.I often begin newsletters with some memories, or general thoughts, before commencing the main topic. This hopefully sets the mood and provides some context in which ...
April 30 was going to be the day we’d be calling Mum from London to wish her a happy birthday. Then it became the day we would be going to St. Paul's at Evensong to remember her. The aim of the cathedral builders was to find a way to make their ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – Can’t remember the last book by a Kiwi author you read? Think the NZ government should spend less on the arts in favor of helping the homeless? If so, as far as Newsroom is concerned, you probably deserve to be called a cultural ignoramus ...
Eric Crampton writes – Grudges are bad. Better to move on. But it can be fun to keep a couple of really trivial ones, so you’re not tempted to have other ones. For example, because of the rootkit fiasco of 2005, no Sony products in our household. ...
A new report warns an estimated third of the adult population have unmet need for health care.Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāHere’s the six key things I learned about Aotaroa’s political economy this week around housing, climate and poverty:Politics - Three opinion polls confirmed support for PM Christopher Luxon ...
Today is May the fourth. Which was just a regular day when my mother took me to see the newly released Star Wars at the Odeon in Rotorua. The queue was right around the corner. Some years later this day became known as Star Wars Day, the date being a ...
Buzz from the Beehive Much more media attention is being paid to something Winston Peters said about former Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr than to a speech he delivered to the New Zealand China Council. One word is missing from the speech: AUKUS. But AUKUS loomed large in his considerations ...
Is the economy in another long stagnation? If so, why?This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be ...
The annual list of who's been bribing our politicians is out, and journalists will no doubt be poring over it to find the juiciest and dirtiest bribes. The government's fast-track invite list is likely to be a particular focus, and we already know of one company on the list which ...
In the weeks after the October 7 Hamas attacks on Southern Israel I wrote about the possible 2nd, 3rd and even 4th order effects of the conflict. These included new fronts being opened in the West Bank (with Hamas), Golan … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – It is one of the oldest truisms that there is never a good time for MPs to get a pay rise. This week’s announcement of pay raises of around 2.8% backdated to last October could hardly have come at a worse time, with the ...
David Farrar writes – Newshub reports: Newshub can reveal a fresh allegation of intimidation against Green MP Julie-Anne Genter. Genter is subject to a disciplinary process for aggressively waving a book in the face of National Minister Matt Doocey in the House – but it’s not the first time ...
The National Government plans to cut 390 jobs at ACC, including roles in the areas of prevention of sexual violence, road safety and workplace safety. ...
The Government has been caught in opposition to evidence once again as it looks to usher in tried, tested and failed work seminar obligations for job-seeking beneficiaries. ...
The Green Party is welcoming the announcement by the Minister Responsible for RMA Reform Chris Bishop to approve most of the Wellington City Council’s District Plan recommendations. ...
David Seymour has failed to get the sweeping cuts he wanted to the free and healthy school lunch programme, Labour education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
Hon Willie Jackson has been invited by the Oxford Union to debate the motion “This House Believes British Museums are not Very British’ on May 23rd. ...
Green Party MP Hūhana Lyndon says her Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill is an opportunity to right some past wrongs around the alienation of Māori land. ...
A senior, highly respected King’s Counsel with decades of experience in our law courts, Gary Judd KC, has filed a complaint about compulsory tikanga Māori studies for law students - highlighting the utter depths of absurdity this woke cultural madness has taken our society. The tikanga regulations will compel law ...
The Government needs to be clear with the people of the Nelson Marlborough region about the changes it is considering for the Nelson Hospital rebuild, Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said. ...
Ministers must front up about which projects it will push through under its Fast Track Approvals legislation, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Jobseeker beneficiaries who have work obligations must now meet with MSD within two weeks of their benefit starting to determine their next step towards finding a job, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “A key part of the coalition Government’s plan to have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker ...
A new standalone Social Investment Agency will power-up the social investment approach, driving positive change for our most vulnerable New Zealanders, Social Investment Minister Nicola Willis says. “Despite the Government currently investing more than $70 billion every year into social services, we are not seeing the outcomes we want for ...
Check against delivery Good morning. It is a pleasure to be with you to outline the Coalition Government’s approach to our first Budget. Thank you Mark Skelly, President of the Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce, together with your Board and team, for hosting me. I’d like to acknowledge His Worship ...
Your Excellency Ambassador Meredith, Members of the Diplomatic Corps and Ambassadors from European Union Member States, Ministerial colleagues, Members of Parliament, and other distinguished guests, Thank you everyone for joining us. Ladies and gentlemen - In diplomacy, we often speak of ‘close’ and ‘long-standing’ relations. ...
The Therapeutic Products Act (TPA) will be repealed this year so that a better regime can be put in place to provide New Zealanders safe and timely access to medicines, medical devices and health products, Associate Health Minister Casey Costello announced today. “The medicines and products we are talking about ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop, today released his decision on twenty recommendations referred to him by the Wellington City Council relating to its Intensification Planning Instrument, after the Council rejected those recommendations of the Independent Hearings Panel and made alternative recommendations. “Wellington notified its District Plan on ...
Rape Awareness Week (6-10 May) is an important opportunity to acknowledge the continued effort required by government and communities to ensure that all New Zealanders can live free from violence, say Ministers Karen Chhour and Louise Upston. “With 1 in 3 women and 1 in 8 men experiencing sexual violence ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government will be delivering a more efficient Healthy School Lunches Programme, saving taxpayers approximately $107 million a year compared to how Labour funded it, by embracing innovation and commercial expertise. “We are delivering on our commitment to treat taxpayers’ money ...
New research on the impacts of extreme weather on coastal marine habitats in Tairāwhiti and Hawke’s Bay will help fishery managers plan for and respond to any future events, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. A report released today on research by Niwa on behalf of Fisheries New Zealand ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters will lead a broad political delegation on a five-stop Pacific tour next week to strengthen New Zealand’s engagement with the region. The delegation will visit Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and Tuvalu. “New Zealand has deep and ...
There has been a material decline in gas production according to figures released today by the Gas Industry Co. Figures released by the Gas Industry Company show that there was a 12.5 per cent reduction in gas production during 2023, and a 27.8 per cent reduction in gas production in the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins tonight announced the recipients of the Minister of Defence Awards of Excellence for Industry, saying they all contribute to New Zealanders’ security and wellbeing. “Congratulations to this year’s recipients, whose innovative products and services play a critical role in the delivery of New Zealand’s defence capabilities, ...
Welcome to you all - it is a pleasure to be here this evening.I would like to start by thanking Greg Lowe, Chair of the New Zealand Defence Industry Advisory Council, for co-hosting this reception with me. This evening is about recognising businesses from across New Zealand and overseas who in ...
It is a pleasure to be speaking to you as the Minister for Digitising Government. I would like to thank Akolade for the invitation to address this Summit, and to acknowledge the great effort you are making to grow New Zealand’s digital future. Today, we stand at the cusp of ...
New Zealand is urging both Israel and Hamas to agree to an immediate ceasefire to avoid the further humanitarian catastrophe that military action in Rafah would unleash, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The immense suffering in Gaza cannot be allowed to worsen further. Both sides have a responsibility to ...
A new online data dashboard released today as part of the Government’s school attendance action plan makes more timely daily attendance data available to the public and parents, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. The interactive dashboard will be updated once a week to show a national average of how ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced Rosemary Banks will be New Zealand’s next Ambassador to the United States of America. “Our relationship with the United States is crucial for New Zealand in strategic, security and economic terms,” Mr Peters says. “New Zealand and the United States have a ...
The Government is considering creating a new tier of minerals permitting that will make it easier for hobby miners to prospect for gold. “New Zealand was built on gold, it’s in our DNA. Our gold deposits, particularly in regions such as Otago and the West Coast have always attracted fortune-hunters. ...
Minister for Trade Todd McClay today announced that New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will commence negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA). Minister McClay met with his counterpart UAE Trade Minister Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi in Dubai, where they announced the launch of negotiations on a ...
New Zealand Sign Language Week is an excellent opportunity for all Kiwis to give the language a go, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. This week (May 6 to 12) is New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) Week. The theme is “an Aotearoa where anyone can sign anywhere” and aims to ...
Six tertiary students have been selected to work on NASA projects in the US through a New Zealand Space Scholarship, Space Minister Judith Collins announced today. “This is a fantastic opportunity for these talented students. They will undertake internships at NASA’s Ames Research Center or its Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), where ...
New Zealanders will be safer because of a $1.9 billion investment in more frontline Corrections officers, more support for offenders to turn away from crime, and more prison capacity, Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell says. “Our Government said we would crack down on crime. We promised to restore law and order, ...
The OECD’s latest report on New Zealand reinforces the importance of bringing Government spending under control, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The OECD conducts country surveys every two years to review its members’ economic policies. The 2024 New Zealand survey was presented in Wellington today by OECD Chief Economist Clare Lombardelli. ...
The Government has delivered on its election promise to provide a financially sustainable model for Auckland under its Local Water Done Well plan. The plan, which has been unanimously endorsed by Auckland Council’s Governing Body, will see Aucklanders avoid the previously projected 25.8 per cent water rates increases while retaining ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters discussed the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and enhanced cooperation in the Pacific with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during her first official visit to New Zealand today. "New Zealand and Germany enjoy shared interests and values, including the rule of law, democracy, respect for the international system ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop today released his decision on four recommendations referred to him by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, opening the door to housing growth in the area. The Council’s Plan Change 92 allows more homes to be built in existing and new ...
Thank you, John McKinnon and the New Zealand China Council for the invitation to speak to you today. Thank you too, all members of the China Council. Your effort has played an essential role in helping to build, shape, and grow a balanced and resilient relationship between our two ...
The Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...
The coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says. “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...
Structured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...
The rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...
The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
Writer Rebecca K Reilly breaks down the national book awards. What are the Ockhams?The Ockham New Zealand Book Awards are our annual national awards for books published for adults, and have existed in this form since 2016. There are four categories: Fiction, Poetry, General Non-fiction and Illustrated Non-fiction. There ...
Wellington City Council should keep its 34% ownership share in Wellington International Airport, argue Unions Wellington spokespeople Finn Cordwell and Ashok Jacob. Insanity, as the saying goes, is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Wellington City Council (WCC) is yet again proposing to dispose ...
New Zealand’s largest book publisher has undergone drastic changes this week, leaving its future role in local publishing uncertain. Two of the most recognisable local publishers in New Zealand are among those restructured out of Penguin Random House, it was announced this week. Head of publishing Claire Murdoch will leave ...
In 2021 the Public Interest Journalism Fund launched the Te Rito Journalism project, a $2.4 million initiative to boost diversity in New Zealand’s newsrooms. The initiative was in response to the decades-long shortage of Māori and Pacific journalists in the media industry. It was billed as New Zealand’s ...
The Black Ferns Sevens appeared to be a mile behind Australia at the halfway point of the 2023-24 SVNS international circuit. Winless in three tournaments, a cup quarter-final exit in Perth was one of their worst results. To add insult to injury, talismanic skipper Sarah Hirini had been ruled out ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A,DIV,A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions. The post Newsroom daily quiz, Friday 10 May appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Successive governments have tried, and failed, to count Māori. But with the return of social investment, it’s more important than ever to get good data. The post Government looks for a better way to count Māori appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Experts in financing social investment initiatives say New Zealand is in a prime position to tackle social issues via a social investment approach The post What will Willis’ social investment fund look like? appeared first on Newsroom. ...
By Lydia Lewis, RNZ Pacific journalist A former Tuvalu prime minister says while the New Zealand government’s oil and gas plans show it is concerned about its economy, he is more concerned about the livelihoods and survival of the Tuvalu people. Enele Sopoaga — who still serves as an MP ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Many people who follow federal budgets know about the magnificent “budget tree” in a parliamentary courtyard, which turns a glorious red in time for the May event. This week Treasurer Jim Chalmers posed by ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Samantha Bennett, Professor of Music, Australian National University Richard P J Lambert/flickr, CC BY The future belongs to the analogue loyalists. Fuck digital. As a tsunami of CDs, DAT tapes and samplers swept the recording industry in the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Catherine Strong, Associate professor, Music Industry, RMIT University This week American rapper Macklemore released a new track, Hind’s Hall, which has gained a lot of attention because of its explicitly political nature. The track is unapologetically pro-Palestine. It declares the artist’s ...
Explainer - The government from 2025 is mandating how state schools teach children to read. But what is structured literacy and how does it compare to other teaching methods? ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Danica Jenkins, Lecturer in European Studies, University of Sydney On a freezing spring night in March, Georgia’s national soccer team beat Greece in a nail-biter penalty shootout to qualify for the Euro 2024 championships. The atmosphere on the streets of the capital ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adam G. Arian, Lecturer (Accounting & Finance), Australian Catholic University Loic Manegarium/Pexels Imagine every ton of carbon dioxide a company emits is slowly inflating its costs — not just in terms of potential fines or fees but in the capital it ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Somwrita Sarkar, Senior Lecturer in Design and Computation, University of Sydney The “latte line” is the infamous, invisible boundary that divides Sydney between the more affluent north-east and the south-west. Historically, people north of the line enjoy better access to jobs and ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Dowdy, Principal Research Scientist in Extreme Weather, The University of Melbourne Nomad_Soul/Shutterstock In media articles about unprecedented flooding, you’ll often come across the statement that for every 1°C of warming, the atmosphere can hold about 7% more moisture. This ...
RNZ Pacific Former Fiji Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama has been sentenced to one year in prison, Fiji media are reporting. Bainimarama, alongside suspended Fiji Police Commissioner Sitiveni Qiliho appeared in the High Court in Suva today for their sentencing hearing for a case involving their roles in blocking a police ...
Acting Chief Human Rights Commissioner Saunoamaali’i Dr Karanina Sumeo says, “Addressing violence and abuse remains New Zealand’s most significant human rights issue affecting women. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonathan Symons, Macquarie School of Social Sciences, Macquarie University Michael Schiffer / Unsplash Life has transformed our world over billions of years, turning a dead rock into the lush, fertile planet we know today. But human activity is currently transforming Earth ...
One woman’s quest to watch Challengers without ruining her body clock. Every Saturday morning, I wake up with a screaming demon inside my head urging me to “Do. Something. This. Weekend.” I run through the possibilities in my head in a defensive mental crouch, reminiscent of that one time I ...
The PSA is alarmed that ACC is proposing to shed 309 jobs including 29 dedicated injury prevention jobs at a time when the number and cost of injuries is rising. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tom Baker, Associate Professor in Human Geography, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Getty Images As local and regional councils struggle with inadequate infrastructure and unsustainable costs, New Zealand will be hearing a lot more about the potential solution offered by ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gary Sacks, Professor of Public Health Policy, Deakin University Drazen Zigic/Shutterstock In recent years, there’s been increasinghype about the potential health risks associated with so-called “ultra-processed” foods. But new evidence published this week found not all “ultra-processed” foods are linked ...
Fears that New Zealand is relying too heavily on low-cost forests to absorb its carbon dioxide emissions have been reignited by a report from the OECD. ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis has confirmed the total dollar savings target from public sector cuts has been met, but the reductions have not been felt evenly across public agencies. Government departments were told to make savings set at 6.5 percent or 7.5 percent where headcount had grown by more than ...
She doesn’t have a single kind word for me and it’s getting under my skin.Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nzDear Hera,I have two amazing friends that I absolutely adore. Grace (all names have been changed) and I lived together across 2023 and Olivia moved in with us this ...
Can Western science and Māori science work together to support our well-being? The Te Ohu Mō Papatūānuku (TOMP) Trials Project was a landmark case for healing the land and people with the guidance of Māori science and leadership. This is what happened when Papatūānuku (Earth) was contaminated by toxic discharge, ...
The District Plan is a blueprint for a bigger, better Wellington, through tens of thousands of new apartments and townhouses and a new approach to urban growth. Joel MacManus lays out the vision. The process of putting together Wellington’s new District Plan has been long and excruciating. As a city, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Leah Williams Veazey, ARC DECRA Research Fellow, University of Sydney DavideAngelini/Shutterstock In the 2007 film The Bucket List Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman play two main characters who respond to their terminal cancer diagnoses by rejecting experimental treatment. Instead, they go ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mohan Singh, Professor of Agri-Food Biotechnology, School of Agriculture, Food and Ecosystem Sciences at the University of Melbourne., The University of Melbourne Tanja Esser/Shutterstock Australia’s vital agriculture sector will be hit hard by steadily rising global temperatures. Our climate is already ...
The Acumen Edelman Trust barometer reported that New Zealand’s political trust score now sits below the global average, a topic explored in a recent discussion paper by Maxim Institute. ...
Greenpeace Aotearoa executive director Russel Norman says, "The Fast-Track Bill is the most damaging piece of environmental legislation any Government has introduced in living memory. People are angry, and it’s time to march." ...
The school lunches programme has been retained – and will be extended to some preschoolers. So how is it going to cost $107 million less? To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. The minister with many hats David Seymour wears a number of hats, but this week ...
“Show us the bird,” I found myself muttering at times while reading Hard by the Cloud House by Peter Walker, a deeply thoughtful, often hilarious, at times rambling – but somehow delightfully so – search for the story of a big bird. But not just any bird: the bird. This ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jack Marley, Environment + Energy Editor, UK edition DPVUE .images/Shutterstock Your home was probably designed for a climate that no longer exists. As long as humanity continues to burn fossil fuel, padding the heat-trapping blanket of gases in Earth’s atmosphere, the ...
A senior lawyer has filed a complaint about tikanga becoming a required law school module. Law lecturer Carwyn Jones explains what he’s getting wrong. “…the first law of Aotearoa, a law that served the needs of tangata whenua for a thousand years before the arrival of tauiwi.”– Ani Mikaere ...
In 2019, an Auckland woman woke up from surgery to find that she had undergone a treatment she didn’t consent to. She tells Alex Casey about her experience. From her very first period at the age of 14, Laura experienced “debilitating” levels of pain that forced her to withdraw from ...
Opinion: Could former co-leader James Shaw still make a difference to working with National? The post How the Greens could be contenders appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Opinion: What if we got rid of our existing drug laws and replaced them with a new law that legalised and carefully regulated all psychoactive substances, from cannabis to MDMA, methamphetamine and LSD to magic mushrooms? And which also included legal drugs such as alcohol and nicotine. “Wow,” you might ...
In the gloom following director-general Al Morrison’s job cuts in 2013, the Department of Conservation restructured its operations arm. Eleven conservancy districts were whittled into six new “conservation delivery” regions, under which the Rēkohu/Wharekauri/Chatham Islands area, comprising 40 scattered islands more than 800km east of Christchurch, was tethered to the ...
One of th e country’s top litigation lawyers says New Zealand is seeing a lift in court action between companies. Chapman Tripp partner Justin Graham, who oversees a team of around 80 litigation specialists, says the courts are now so log-jammed that it’s taking over two years to get cases ...
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Comment: Concerns about the state of the economy are creeping up to the top of firms’ list of challenges. That’s evident in both surveys and the tone of our recent client discussions. Skimming the past few weeks of eco-news, it’s not hard to see why. – Retail card spending fell ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Albanese government is talking up the crucial role of gas as a transition fuel “through to 2050 and beyond”. In a gas strategy to be released on Thursday, the government envisages the fuel’s ...
*switches on radio* Yay! Morning Report! Real journalism! 🙂
… oh…. what is this? Soggy, empty calorie, warmed over news typical of decayed late neoliberal news agendas everywhere? A diet of trivial scandals, stupid gotchas, centrist journalists running self-important crusades against the enemies of business of usual, moral panics, Meghan Markel and regurgitated claptrap from the Daily Mail?
*switches radio off* *sigh* 😐
NZ media is basically fucked from top to bottom.
The rnz news bulletin Alexa found me reckons jones and winston are behaving a bit shady and hashed over bridges donation splitting.
Centrist crusader Guyon Espiner spent his summer looking for a marginal gotcha on Shane Jones.
Whats the meta? Centrists are out to mire NZ First in financial "scandals" big time in election year, starting from Episode 1 2020, whilst studiously refusing to take seriously the the massive stench of corruption and treason that surrounds the entire neoliberal business and political establishments relationship with the Chinese Communist Party.
I'd heard Guyon Espiner had left his previous role to pursue one allowing more 'in-depth' investigations. In-depth? Hearing him on air this morning it seems like the Olympic high diver is now jumping into puddles. And if there isn't a puddle, peeing on the floor to create one.
In the way a player in sport being called off and replaced having their, "I was enjoying it, I would loved to have stayed on," turning into the headline "player slams coach," Espiner was fiddling with a chat that was a discussion that was a meeting that was a briefing that was a presentation.
He would have had fun with Judith Collins dropping in for a casual cup of tea on the way to a Chinese airport!
I saw on twitter that the whole "story" has turned to custard after a car crash interview with one of the chief protagonists.
This is classic centrist journalism that opens the whole damn MSM up to charges of fake news. A cooked up gotcha "scandal" of slim substance against a party that presents itself as anti-establishment , whilst the elephant in the room – the deliberate attempt to corrupt our business and political elites with a flood of laundered foreign cash from the CCP – is ignored because it would sour to many insider relationships and require to much hard work and might upset some important people.
The problem is most of our senior journalists see themselves as part of the establishment, and view stories through of lens of how they (as in "they" being the establishment) "manage" it's perception through to the public. THAT is the real nub of the growth of the fake news credibility crisis for the MSM, not social media.
That behaviour has been occurring for the past 40 years – since the Muldoon reign of terror. Think Erebus among others… important people up to no good… must keep it under wraps. What about the victims? Oh, stuff the victims. It's more important that important people who were up to no good don't get their reputations tarnished.
No shit, they shut down the child porn accusations to the their corporate raider buddy.
It fell off the radar super quick.
Odd becasue if anything the accusations just got worse from child porn, to violent child porn, to finally really abusive child porn.
https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/corporate-titan-sir-ron-brierley-charged-over-child-abuse-material-20191218-p53l99.html
Begs the question, how many of the round table people were into this sick shit?
Spot on.
" a marginal gotcha on Shane Jones. " I assume this is a reference to what and when Minister Jones knew, in regards to NZ Future Forest Products Limited.
While not following this closely, there is something smelly about it. I understand NZFFP hasn't received any public money. Minister Jones' careful oratory whenever this subject comes up rings alarm bells.
The whole NZFFP reason for being is murky.
Deputy Prime minister's lawyer, Brian Henry, his son David Henry and latterly Winston Peter's housemate,Jan Trotman, are Directors. NZFFP is owned by Kinleith Continuation LP, of which, we can only know David Henry is involved. Other partners etc are not listed.
How much money do these people need?
Edit, not to take anything from yr larger point, the shady goings on of funding for the 2 biggest political parties.
Maybe the smelly thing is that the story involves Jones and NZ Future Forest Products Limited.
Maybe Minister Jones' careful oratory is because he doesn't even have to say something and it's 'smelly.'
Maybe his careful oratory is because (as I've already said) a meeting is a chat is a discussion is a briefing that becomes a full blown detailed presentation with back and forth and wheeling and dealing and plotting and scheming.
The fact that someone chatted with someone is enough for you to say 'shady goings on.' the problem mightn't be with what happened or what was in Jones' head, but yours.
And asking how much money do these people need? A whole ocean full I suppose because that's what we were put on planet earth for isn't it? If such a situation involved John Key we'd be calling him a genius and saying he should be given a knighthood for his acumen.
Not entirely true, Sanctuary, They did say the SFO
whitewashsorry decision on the money laundering by the Natz will be announced soon.I'm not holding my breath.
I agree. When it comes to dirty money, the two establishment parties – Labour and National but especially National – are given the benefit of the doubt of the loosest interpretations of laxly applied laws, whilst eveyone else is held to much higher standard of guilty until proven innocent on the slightest infraction. It is immensely frustrating.
It'll be better next week after Auckland Anniversary day. It always is – she says fingers tightly crossed.
Biden goes Green! Establishment freaks out! Interviewer verges on disbelief, then safely retreats into polite scepticism: https://newrepublic.com/article/156249/joe-biden-climate-radical-now
"Joe Biden may have stumbled into supporting one of the most radical climate proposals of the primary. The moment came in an interview, published Friday, with members of The New York Times’ Editorial Board, which has been conducting a series of sit-downs with Democratic primary candidates."
Keep calm, he may have just had a senior moment. Or temporary insanity. Alzheimers perhaps? It worked for Reagan.
"Were Biden to faithfully follow his commitment to the Paris goals and plan as outlined to the Times, he would push for not only a rapid, managed decline of the fossil fuel industry, but the creation of a binding international trade regime with the power to materially discipline any nation—including the U.S.—failing to scale back emissions and carbon-intensive exports. This would be a game-changer in American foreign policy, essentially upending the world order as we know it in the interest of building a low-carbon world."
If. What, a liberal faithfully adhering to a commitment? You've got to be kidding! Still, he may have accidentally tossed a curve ball into the presidential campaign. The US media elite would have to swing in behind him, as it always does with liberal leaders. Murdoch would have to take stock of the situation. The old socialist within could join up with younger son James, and tell the older son `mate, it's time to go with the flow'. If that happens, Trump will feel obliged to sail his ship with the new wind.
Without Fox behind him, Trump would face a severe handicap in the presidential campaign. He needs everything he can get to relegate the effect of impeachment. My bet is that he won't tough it out – he'll realise he too must go with the flow. Expect Trump to abandon climate denial some time in the next few months. But only if Biden is not having a senior moment!
Maybe the anointed DCCC candidate got spooked by the rising fortunes of Democratic Party outsider Bernie Sanders.
But does anyone believe he will carry through?
Like you (and it seems everyone else), I am a wee bit sceptical.
Could be. The bomber got snooty yesterday: "Bernie was a feminist well before Warren was a Republican." https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2020/01/19/bryce-edwards-guardian-column-culture-wars-and-why-sanders-vs-warren-is-the-class-vs-identity-politics-schism-on-the-left/
Now, now, Martyn. That ain't nice. "Sanders vs Warren represents the great Class vs Identity Politics schism on the Left and those woke Identity Politics activists won’t tolerate the patriarchy robbing them of another female candidate for President so expect the name calling and tribal social media lynch mobs that make them about as a popular as Donald Trump at a Queer Intersectionist Feminist Folk Festival to erupt if Bernie wins." Mmm, there is that, but he could still do with a nice cuppa tea to settle him down.
He goes on to quote Bryce Edwards from the Guardian: "Culture wars are concerned with debates relating to ethnicity, gender, sexuality, human rights, discrimination, free speech and civil liberties. Elements of the political left – especially in the Labour and Green parties – are increasingly associated with campaigns in these areas, and often their stances are not shared by many mainstream voters.
"…hilariously for daring to point out that many woke Identity Politics activists are alienating more voters than they are winning over, Bryce has been immediately decried on Twitter by those very same alienating woke Identity Politics activists."
Yeah, the woke do Pavlov's Dog real well – just push the button & they will bleat on cue. "I think the identity politics left in NZ are more focused on cancelling voters than recruiting them." Actually, no. No such focus because they aren't intelligent enough to connect cause and effect. The vote cancellation they produce is cause by their inadequacy – which they lack the self-knowledge to become aware of.
"If Sanders can re-establish Class as the foundation for the Left, we can pull back working class voters from realigning with the Right and there might be a chance to avoid the madness of right wing Demagogues. If Sanders loses, we are doomed to right wing populism."
I query the validity and relevance of class nowadays, and I have seen no evidence of Sanders making the slightest attempt to validate it in the new millennium. I'd welcome any such attempt, but seems to me Martyn is afflicted by a false assumption. An apt quote from Bernie explaining how the middle & working classes can be simultaneously helped by the Democrats could prove me wrong. Let's see it!
Warren's tactic have backfired anyway, her polling has tanked in recent days.
Sanders' support for Medicare for all, free public college, forgiving of student debt and higher minimum wages, will do materially more for the vast majority of women than anything any other candidate is proposing.
Plus, given that Sanders also urged Warren to stand in 2016, was "respectful and encouraging" to Gabbard, that his support base is majority female, and that 40-year old t.v. footage can be found of him encouraging schoolgirls to get involved in politics – one can only conclude that his 'sexism’consists solely of not being a woman. No doubt Sanders would also rise from the grave (if he could) to support some future AOC presidential bid – not because she is female, but because she has the right values and moral framework.
He seems to be opposed/detested by a cadre of affluent, liberal women who are prepared to see poor and working class (and increasingly ex-middle class) women not receive the material benefits of a Sanders presidency, simply in order to have a woman as president.
Hey folks, the time has come to move on from windows 7.
Any recommendations for an OS from the Standardistas?
I am not overly tech savvy and I do not like windows 10. I mainly use laptop for You Tube, some streaming and a wee bit of games ( Civ 6, Elder Scrolls/Skyrim).
Thanks, in advance, for any input
If you are not overly tech savvy, then just stick to Windows 10.
Windows 10
if it is only the view of windows 10 that gives you displeasure you could use some add ons that would make it look like Windows 7.
this is what Partner says, who is IT man when not putting out fires.
that way you have the support for your games while still having the feel of Windows 7.
https://www.stardock.com/products/start10/
I hope that information is helpful. 🙂
@gsays
Yep. It has the feel of Windows 7 because it's really only 7 with an up-graded format. I'm not a tech savvy person either but had no trouble coping with the change.
I recommend W 10.
Get a Mac.
🙂
🙂
Totally unless you want to get your head around linux and running a VM, fantastic options that will reuse the existing hardware, however mac's the easier way out.
MS have screwed the user experience in W10 with continuous deployment and an OS that struggles with stuff W7 nailed years ago like multiple monitors and allowing the user to choose when to patch not Redmond, WA which does it whilst you work and can crash the laptop.
I’ve used Kubuntu (KDE frontend on ubuntu linux) for many years. I’ve used that on everything from smallish ARMs, 10 year old laptops, the up to the moment laptops, high end workstations, and through to the server that runs TS. Not worth using on on hand helds.
Provides a nice clean and very versatile desktop that doesn’t chop and change all over the place. You can make it as complicated as you like (I don’t). Ubuntu is pretty stable as platform. Recently it has been getting faster as the kernel updates get tighter and better organised.
It is way better then windows for most network issues – a big consideration for me as I’m almost entangled in networks all day.
Civ6 on Steam for Linux runs perfectly – I usually play for an hour (or two) each day (my zen moments). Look up the other games on steam or gog. You’ve probably never going to get the up to the moment first person shoot-em-ups. But I prefer things I have to think about.
I do a lot of both embedded and desktop / server code for Linux. I like debian or yocto when I build securely locked down systems. But ubuntu is what I use to build with. It has a ideal balance between security and freedom. It is my preferred work and development platform.
I also use and code for windows (since 1985), android (for the last 5 years) and even reluctantly OSX or frigging iOS (I really don’t like touching apple software – their development licensing really annoys me).
Looks like Skyrim has problems on Steam for linux. http://www.matthewbuscemi.com/blog/2019-07-02-how-i-got-skyrim-to-work-on-linux.html
You have to use Proton to do it. Generally I find that the aggravation factor of fiddiling around with proton is too high to be bothered with.
Since Civ5, all of the sim family has been pretty seamless on steam.
Skyrim and Fallout 4 both run fairly well under the latest release of Proton. The major stumbling block seems to be the audio, which is finicky and prone to latency issues. There are couple of launch parameters you can use in Steam to get them to work properly and they're totally playable, but as you said, some people just want a fire and forget solution as opposed to tinkering. And I can understand that.
Ubuntu or any other Linux OS.
You can install a windows emulator to run games etc e.g.WINE or Virtual Drive
Linux.
It's free, and the days of wrestling with it like it was an eel smeared in margarine are well and truly over. If you want something that looks, acts and runs just like Windows (pretty much — but without all the telemetry harvesting and four-hour-long updates), I can recommend Linux Mint, or if you'd rather support a Kiwi-made distribution, Linux Lite. (Linux Lite has a ton of help available, the forums are really supportive as opposed to those infested with sarcastic neckbeards prone to screaming at you for asking how to copy a file, and it runs like a greased whippet.) Thanks to Steam's Vulkan API, you can play Windows games on Linux. I play Skyrim SE, Fallout 4 and Civilization 5 on Pop!-OS, and they run fine. Not everything will run, but a ton of titles that previously wouldn't even consider running, now perform flawlessly. Unless you're using some fancy proprietary software that absolutely HAS to run on Windows, abandon ship and come to the nerdy side. It's nice here… and you don't spend hours of your life watching a spinning wheel while someone in Redmond reads your browsing history.
Thanks all of you.
Australia needs to end its coal export business.
It is Australia's biggest contributer to climate change.
It seems however that the current government of Australia, has no intention of doing so and in fact is in the process of increasing and expanding the coal export industry with approval for many new export industry coal mines.
By refusing to take this vital first move Australia is symptomatic of the whole world.
And why we will not end climate change. And why climate change will end us.
Here's an in-depth appraisal of a realistic path to victory for Bernie Sanders: https://thebulwark.com/this-is-how-bernie-wins/
With an antitrump reputation, this bunch of principled conservatives aren't flavour of the month, but they seem sensible enough to be worth reading.
"He’s not as strong as Biden in the Rust Belt, but he’s probably strong enough to get the job done. (Trump is in so much trouble in Michigan that Mike Bloomberg is +6 against him there.) But Bernie’s problems with educated suburban voters are probably enough to cost him Virginia and Florida. At which point he’s down to 280 electoral votes and he needs to hold on to everything else, or expand the map. Which would probably mean making big plays in Ohio and Iowa."
"One of the defining features of the last three years has been an emerging argument from both the progressive left and the nationalist right that the free market is overrated."
Hey, when the left and right agree on economics, everyone ought to pay attention. Watch this space! Framing how to spin the emerging consensus, later on this year, will be the key to the future.
Bernie gifts it to them.
The attack file will be a metre deep.
Anti war
Pro green
Anti rich
Pro immigrant
A total gift.
How long will it be before Simon Bridges declares (or infers) it was the Labour Party wot did it:
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12301755
They’ve been ‘hacked’ 😉
Hope someone didn't forget to lock up – if they did, Simon Bridges would have to declare it "entirely appropriate" for someone to have taken the laptops
The way the Herald report is written, with no mention of any property damage like a smashed door or window, a opportunist grab through an unlocked door looks like the case.
Happens a lot. Set the alarm and then not lock the door properly. And too tight to engage a security company to come past and check the place is secure.
Have you seen the "accompanying image"?
National leader Simon Bridges, flanked by colleagues, from left, Amy Adams, Mark Mitchell, Judith Collins and Paula Bennett. Photo / Mark Mitchell
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/GcZn9S3fIwgclm4TDQrVJmo1fxw=/620×396/smart/filters:quality(70)/arc-anglerfish-syd-prod-nzme.s3.amazonaws.com/public/WRBUKFN4BVBG5IWJB4GATL5G6U.jpg
Hilarious!!!
Now why did they run that image when Simon and Mark are out of the country?
The National Party probably staged the laptop burglary to hide their Chinese government connections and dodgy donations. The SFO probably requested them for their enquiries.
I think Bennett was just reported on RNZ as saying it was sinister and suspicious, subtext that it was a political break in I guess. Did she base that on anything or did she just use the opportunity to spin?
National Party headquarters broken into and laptops stolen.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12301755
Anyone game to venture a decent conspiracy?
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12125210
The Curious Case of the Burgled Professor.
Now morphed into The Stranger Case of the Burgled Bunker.
“But a staff member, who did not want to be named, told the Herald the break-in was "pretty odd".
He said the office was "a bit of a bunker" and was partially underground.
"You would have to know that we were here."
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12301755
That's weird, it appears to be well sign posted …
https://twitter.com/ArrestJK/status/1219056376489447424
Ok, I’ll bite.
It is an ‘inside job’ to provide more talking points to talk tough on crime and get traction in the media. Paula Bennett’s photoshoots for magazine covers, even though she’s a walking and perpetual fashion crime, just don’t cut the mustard any longer.
Alternatively, an emotional junior staffer forgot to lock the laptops away at night and left them in full view.
You got it – Junior staffer!
I've got a better one.
The thieves were contracted by a Chinese owned company (take your pick) to break into the government's bunker and steal the laptops but the thieves raided the wrong bunker.
Oops… Fireblade beat me to it. Call it a variation on what Fireblade said. 🙁
Hmmm, Chinese Takeaways, I like it.
Can't hold onto three laptops! Victim of crime. Do we need them looking after law and order, they can't even protect their own stuff. They are victims, get back to us when they survived crime, won cctv footage, got good neighbors who saw everything, and are on top on criminality.
National are complete crap on the economy, productivity been falling since they started attacking unionism, don't they know anything about paying more means higher productivity?
Not the whole story but I reckon Palmy cops are moonlighting as security….
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/118902752/palmerston-north-police-station-heist-details-revealed
Well, there's a reasonable chance of Bernie getting the nod*..unfortunately he'll be tied up with the impeachment trial for the foreseeable future…leaving Biden to help steer the Democrats towards a spectacular election defeat.
*And Warren, (as a Senator) though she seems to have shot herself in the foot..as was to be predicted by anyone with even the most casual interest in her career..
..oh well.
At least that way Obama won't have to step in and 'save' us from the horror of 'President Bernie'..
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2019/11/26/barack-obama-2020-democrats-candidates-biden-073025
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/dec/17/barack-obama-old-white-men
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
I see Piers Morgan's named a fair bit in chancery court doc's in the UK as the tabloids continue to prevent the phone hacking scandal making a court appearance with out of court settlements.
I'd almost forgotten about that as the MSM has soooo cleaned up it's act…..yeah right.
Kia Ora Newshub.
Yes there should be some safety measures at our Airports boarders to screen for the new virus.
The 4 day work week will be OK for salary workers but hourly rate workers will lose out.????.
The best diet is throwing sugar out of your differently no sugary drinks.
Ka kite Ano
Kia Ora Te Ao Maori News.
The 7 will be exciting this year in Hamilton I might get a seat.
Its awesome to see the koro play basketball and talking about their mokopuna.
That's is cool Nesian Mystic band are getting back together to do some waita mahi
Yes we have to taonga our wetlands as they filter the Wai before it goes back into Tangaroa and teach our tamariki about the great mahi wetlands actually do
Ka kite Ano
Kia Ora The Am Show.
Its great that the government is investing in Railways this mode of transport is much more efficient than other models of transportation. Did you know aviation fuel is not taxed.????.
Gisborne is a great place beaches hunting diving fishing with minimal traffic.
Ka kite Ano
Kia Ora Newshub.
Ka pai Greta that's the way keep up the great mahi.
The sky city convention centre is a mess.
Ka kite Ano
Kia Ora Te Ao Maori News.
Climate change is going to have the biggest negative impact on the poorest tangata in the whenua now tangata whenua make up the majority of the poor.
That's the system the top get all the Kai and little for the tamariki.
Iwi creating mahi for tangata is the way to go developing their whenua and growing export crops is awesome.
Ka kite Ano.
That's brilliant Maori art keep up the good mahi.