In a previous US election post, you suggested voter fraud in Super Tuesday results. You relied on TDMS research for evidence. Turns out TDMS was being "misleading at best and corrosive at worst."
Importantly, it used exit poll numbers from 8 p.m. on the day of the primary, according to the table. Those numbers were updated two hours later, though, according to CNN, the outlet cited in the table.
What does "updated" mean? My understanding is that as published results come in, the exit poll numbers are shifted or altered to better accord with the published count. You see the problem there, right?
If votes have been flipped, then the exit poll numbers will be shifted, and guess what?… "Nothing to See Here". That's why the initial exit poll numbers are used.
Besides, you'd reasonably expect inaccurate exit polls to shift this way and that way in relation to the published count, yes? But when they only shift on favour of "establishment" candidates and against "non- establishment" candidates in state after state, well….
And you also might want to reflect on the leanings of Facebook's "fact checking" orgs. and not just uncritically accept what they say.
edit. Almost forgot. The same methodology was used for the 2016 primaries, and as mentioned in my original post, the Republican Primaries were almost all within the margins of error while Democratic ones (with polling taken at the same time for each party’s primary) were out of whack in favour of Clinton.
"Updated" in this context means that Edison Research adjust their exit polling data to account for sample bias in the exit poll.
Even with the best practices, there is no way an exit poll can guarantee that its raw sample of exit interviews is genuinely representative of people voting over the course of a day in a particular precinct.
To put it in the broadest possible terms, they're sort of working backwards in comparison to a traditional poll – instead of applying an assumed turnout model to a raw poll sample, they're applying a poll model to a raw turnout sample.
No. They already know the various bias in the exit poll, and any "updating" of the exit poll after polling booths have closed is in reaction to numbers coming from the published count ie, shifting exit poll numbers to better correlate with the numbers coming from the count.
In relation to the Massachusetts results, as explained on the TDMS site (my emphasis) – As this first published exit poll was subsequently adjusted towards conformity with the final computerized vote count, the currently published exit poll [on CNN] differs from the results above.
I've no idea why the international gold standard used for suggesting something may be awry in an election is suddenly to be thrown aside when the election results in question are Democratic Primary ones, but hey…
They already know the various bias in the exit poll,
That's just a plain old dumb statement. An exit poll is a sample and, by definition, you cannot know the bias in the sample until the actual results of the fucking election are in front of you. If you cannot understand how that leads to adjustment as real results start to roll in… that's entirely on you, kid.
I've no idea why the international gold standard used for suggesting something may be awry in an election is suddenly to be thrown aside
Quit making shit up. Exit polling is not "the gold standard" for monitoring potential election fraud in the slightest. You're being ridiculous.
Your first paragraph (if true) would mean that exit polls could not and would not be used for the detection of possible election fraud.
But, as written in the actual post on all of this, exit polling is precisely what is used to detect possible fraud.
Now, you can wave your arms around the place all that you like on that front, and you can even assert I'm making stuff up and that I'm ridiculous…but it won't alter the fact of the matter.
I want to stress I’m not trying to start a rumour, but just curious, or as they say on twitter – asking for a friend.
With many commentators suggesting this coronavirus crisis could last six months or longer and causing immense damage to our society and (I feel like I want to use a smaller font) the economy, what is the constitutional situation around voting in the middle of a pandemic?
Are there any rules around delaying an election, or cancelling one altogether?
On a lighter note, last night in bed my wife and I indulged in a little intimate elbow bumping.
To be frank, I don’t think it’ll ever replace ‘the real thing,’ but at my age, the real thing is becoming a distant memory, so intimate elbow bumping will have to do!
It amused us, which is as much as the real thing ever did, I suppose.
Then there's the guy who wanted to reduce the amount of close contacts he had, so he changed all his social media profiles to match his Tinder profile 🙂
She should get the VP slot. Of all the candidates for the nomination, even Sanders, Gubbard is the one most capable of pulling votes from Trump. Though her anti-war stances would turn off the neo-cons in the DNC.
I would also have Lisa Nandy as UKLP leader, but it looks like that ain’t happening.
Hmm. Would have quite liked to have seen her as Sanders' VP. I don't think there's any chance she'll be Joe Biden's VP pick – he'll be choosing whoever Clyburn recommends he choose.
Governments are building hospitals in weeks, rapidly training medical aides, mobilising resources and opening the cheque books to prop up economies. It is impressive to see the nation state in action in the interests of their people, especially after decades of being told it is an out of date concept.
"Governments are building hospitals in weeks, rapidly training medical aides,".
Is this true of our Government? The most energetic thing I have seen from our Health Minister, and one of his Associate Ministers, was to see them on TV watching someone get a flu jab.
I would far rather have seen them trying to speed up the supply of ventilators or ICU beds in our hospitals.
[second comment from this mod. There’s very little leeway here for comments that look like they intend to undermine the govt in such a serious crisis. Genuine critique of policy and actions that prompts constructive debate is good. This kind of smeary trolling has a pretty limited lifespan. If you haven’t seen it already I suggest you also read my comment to you from yesterday – weka]
The persona dramatis: Middle aged white guy, clearly a self-employed tradie of some sort. The core of John Key's base.
He said to the lady working behind the counter: "Even as a National supporter I have got to admit she (I assume he means the PM) is handling it reasonably well" followed by "Simon Bridges doesn't seem to understand that the essence of being a New Zealander is getting on with doing the job and not complaining all the time." BTW i am not necessarily agreeing with that last statement… But it shows widespread satisfaction with tje handling of the crisis by the government.
I think so too, most people I know and hear from are not even thinking politics, just getting on with their own lives and keeping themselves and their families safe.
I'm sure I don't. The public will be, at least for a while, totally enamoured with her approach. She does that part of politics superbly. Actual implementation of policy doesn't turn out as well, as KiwiBuild demonstrated.
Personally I expect there to be a snap election. Announce lots of plans for handling the virus and then declare that full support for the Government must be seen to be assured and call a snap election. My pick would be for 30 May or 6 June. I think they would probably get back with Labour and NZF though I don't think the Green Party will survive. Ms Ardern has completely overshadowed them.
On the other hand hanging on until September won't cut it. People will have had enough long before six more months are up and the virus hasn't gone away and deaths are occurring. It won't be deserved but the Government will cop the flack for the restrictions still going on.
That is what I can see as being the way for Labour to get another term. Shame it will mean that Winstone will still be there though.
And yes, I have seen the mod comments and understand where you are coming from.
Trying to be clever as usual, alwyn? I don't think you are aware of the environmental concerns of the base of Green Party support. You never demonstrate such concern yourself, and may be a covert denialist?
Whatever happens, and however bad the Greens are made to look by righties, I think there is an enlightened 5+% of our electorate who will always vote Green, simply because all other parties are far worse for the long term.
You think there is 5+% who will always vote Green. I don't. That is really the only difference between us.
No doubt we will see when the election comes around who is right. In the meantime I'm sure you won't let it upset you if their Poll numbers were to droop.
You will, I presume, also accept the will of the people if the bulk of the Green vote is vacuumed up by the Labour Party?
Of course, but will you even remember that you asked me, if it turns out that you are writing rubbish? And I think you meant 'drop' rather than 'droop'.
I'm wondering about politicians whose approaches the public may not have been notably enamoured with. If they didn't do that part of politics superbly and were so incompetent they left their successor needing to come up with policies such as KiwiBuild, albeit them not 'turning out well', what does that say about them?
Did they have sycophantic followers forcibly telling us how brilliant they were ?
Of course they did. Don't you remember people contributing to blogs who considered, in turn, that Helen Clark, Goff, Shearer, Cunliffe and Little were the greatest thing since sliced bread?
Shearer was actually pretty good. If they hadn't rolled him and kept so many no-hopers around, we would have had a competent option to the incumbents in the 2017 election. I would certainly have welcomed it.
But he was the only one if you look at Clark from about 2004 onwards. Before that she was pretty capable. Then she got the same disease that Muldoon and Bolger caught in their third terms.
Rubbish, alwyn. Shearer had no idea, and murdered himself with that ridiculous photo of himself holding up a big, dead fish. Without ever sounding convincing before or after.
Cunliffe would have had a chance if he had not misunderestimated the simplistic nature of the not-to-bright Kiwi male, and had his apology for being a male misrepresented by the NZ media.
Little still lacks charisma – maybe his only failing.
And personally, I never warmed to Helen Clark. But she did achieve the sliced bread thing.
I can remember some people who thought Shearer wasn't abysmal (me included), and some people who loved Cunliffe (while I wasn't overly impressed), and some people who liked Little (ISTR I did), but I don't recall any particular commenter here who loved each one "in turn".
I'll admit I would be very hard pressed to actually identify a single person who did take their opinions quite so far.
I do know some Labour Party members though who did think that way. The one the Party currently had as the leader was the only possible candidate for the greatest politician in the country.
It was the party members who were boring, not the party leaders.
I can't think of more than a handful of people I have met who became MPs who were boring. That would be among at least a hundred, and possibly 200 people. People who make into the MPs ranks are usually interesting to talk to and appear to be genuinely interested in whoever it is they are talking to. They have to be like that or I am sure they would go mad.
Well, even if that story is true, there's a fair chance that they were aware that any conversation with you would be quickly retransmitted as "I do know some Labour Party members who really dislike the current leader and much prefer [X]".
I find that comment offensive. I do not, ever, divulge the contents of personal conversations with people who aren't in the business professionally. I feel quite entitled to make derogatory remarks about people, MPs usually, who are claiming the right to set the rules for how I am allowed to behave. I don't claim the same right about people who don't want to decide what I am allowed to do.
You will never find any such comment by me anywhere.
Incidentally I am not, and never have been, a member of a Political Party. I don't trust any professional Politician. I respect the competent ones, and certainly don't respect the idiots but I don't trust any of them.
Just that you'd gleefully report the lack of confidence in a Labour leader in the same way you just reported that they had confidence in every leader Labour had.
[take the weekend off. As amusing as it is to see McFlock calmly countering your trolling here, I think you’ve now shifted from troll to flame-lite and I don’t want to have to keep track of it – weka]
Wonder how long it will be until people realise this is going to go on for a while and there will be adequate food and it settles down. Then how much longer after that til it goes real quiet as people realise maybe they'd better start eating their massive stockpiles before it goes bad.
I don't understand why supermarkets aren't setting aside specific hours for old and other vulnerable people to shop btw.
And as for the monied middle classes wiping shelves clean in states of panic, meaning that "week to week" grocery shoppers can't get the shit they regularly buy – well, I hope the fuckers choke.
I think I heard on RNZ National in the early hours of the morning that there had also be a major run of sales of freezers – but not about to try to find a link for this.
Some will be much more concerned about this innovative change in direction by a Martinborough gin distillery – what are they going to put with their 300 glasses of tonic water a day* to ward off COVID-19?
* Oh wait – who was it here talking about this in the last few days? LOL
"Nobody needs fucking hand sanitiser" and "Why are people so goddamned stupid"
I agree that soap and water – and proper washing and drying – is a better way to clean hands but there are situations where hand sanitiser is a convenient – dare I say it a necessary – substitute for some people, including medicos such as ambulance staff etc.
As I know from personal experience, people sometimes find themselves in situations where they have to carry out necessary medical procedures but there are no available hand washing facilities or these are not clean enough to use.
In such situations hand sanitiser is a godsend for people such as those with diabetes who need to inject insulin regularly or urgently; or those with glaucoma who have to apply eye drops throughout the course of the day, as your hands have to be extremely clean for these types of procedures.
Personally I have found people with diabetes and/or glaucoma, for example, no more or less "goddamned stupid" that those who see things in such black and white terms as your comment suggests.
Thanks. FYI or lprent's, it just did it again with my reply to Rosemary McD at 6.2.1.1.3.1 which again popped up twice – one with the ability to edit and one with no ability. Deleted the one with the ability to edit after checking all OK.
Will see what happens with this one …
All OK – only one this time.
One option we were looking at for a venue was aloe moisturiser as the "softener", so like 1/3 moisturiser 2/3 alcohol.
Ended up not bothering because it's not a recipe put about by moh or public health officers here, as far as we know. Could get confused between weight and volume and all that jazz.
Yes, veutoviper…lots and lots of soap and water handwashing here…to the point where the skin is beginning to peel.
BUT the precious couple of bottles of hand sanitizer I keep for just those medical type situations are worth their weight at the moment.
If you've ever seen the rigmarole the medics go through catheterising some bloke…then imagine doing that procedure while parked on the side of the road in your housebus…
BTW, hand sanitizer theoretically has a shelf life limit…I stabbed my hand the other day, and after allowing the deep wound to bleed one of the Offspring dug up a very old bottle from his car. Stung like absolute buggery…so my guess is it's still good. Wound has healed well.
Horses for courses, and hold fire with the censure eh?
Agree re the stinging etc! But would certainly not use meths pre injecting or near eyes … And it does not come in small sizes like hand sanitiser for popping in a pocket or bag.
I recently did a search through the house, and in bags etc and came up with a surprising number of part used hand sanitizer bottles of various sizes and ages which for the most part seem OK. Local supermaket owner is awaiting new stocks and is going to keep some off the shelves for customers like myself who she knows have an ongoing use/need for it.
Re shelf time limits, like a lot of things whether these are important or extendable really depends on the type of product, its stability and how/where it has been stored. According to my brother chemist, (snap!) hand sanitiser should be OK provided it has been kept in a cool dark place. If left somewhere hot like in a hot car, it often just evaporates. As well as a bigger first aid kit, I have a small "coolie bin" type soft bag (intended for taking lunch to work/school in hot climates) in my car with sanitiser, gloves etc in it which helps overcome evaporation, melting etc problems.
Re catherising, was trained in such things when mother was dying. I then went on to work as a trained medic volunteer at the local hospice c 10 hours a week for about decade, on top of very demanding jobs in the State Services as one of "them (insert word of choice!) bureaucrats".
Back to the run on Freezers… If things go really bad, I suspect that electricity supply could fail as well. So next run should be on petrol/diesel-run power generators, since fuel prices have dropped.
(Of course, with no power you will be lucky to be able to buy petrol or diesel, because petrol pumps are no longer fitted with hand-pump levers. This should soon result in a run on petrol/diesel..)
Right… so to prevent infection via the eyes (a major source of infection, since even people wearing masks will unconsciously end up touching their eyes) will people infer that Meth Spirits eyedrops are a good idea?
Silly thought, but are there any helpful eyedrops available? I doubt it.
All very well if you access to soap and water … for example if you work away from a building such as in the trade I work in or have just left a public area such as people's homes, public transport, the supermarket, the petrol station etc. Hand sanitiser is very useful.
Granted, hand sanitiser is very useful in this case.
The point I was aiming to make was that every man and his dog does not need a bottle of hand sanitiser. Most can use soap and water to wash their hands.
The fact that the world seems to have been scoured of every available bottle suggests that people believe that only hand sanitiser will clean their hands. Therefore my assertion that a good few of them are stupid, stands.
Nobody was talking about 300 glasses a day of tonic water, it was G&Ts. The difference matters. And if the gin runs out, I am not substituting in hand sanitiser.
I don't know why they don't just continue to make gin. Giving everyone the choice to either drink it or disinfect what ever part of their body they like.
Yeah – baked beans three times a week to avoid that sinking feeling of having wasted money.
The disappearance of my clients gave me a chance to go fishing yesterday – got enough for two meals and still well inside the actual catch limit (keep it sustainable folks). My tiny dinghy with a 5HP motor uses much less than a litre of fuel on an expedition – and it has functioning oars if needed. People in gin-palaces sweep past me with amusement and derision on their faces.
I also took the advice of the admirable greenies on here and got veggie seeds – things that will grow as it gets colder: rocket, broad beans, bok choi, radishes etc. I am nowhere near delusional enough to believe that self-sufficiency is possible for someone as incompetent as me. But if it wasn't for the fear of us running out of money or dying – things wouldn't be too bad.
There was a full page ad in today's Nelson Mail shared between a bunch of supermarkets requesting people to restrain themselves when shopping and not to buy up large. A good deed.
In brief they say: Shop like you normally would… some extra but not for weeks ahead.
Shop in our stores – they are safe. We have thorough cleaning but have increased measures.
Look out for each other – In times of uncertainty a little kindness goes a long way. Please be kind to fellow shoppers and to our store, supply chain and call centre teams who are working around the clock…They're our heroes.
PaknSave – New World – 4 Square – Raeward fresh – Countdown – Fresh Choice – Supervalue
So that is Woolworths NZ (extra info – NZ$6.2 billion fyt June 2018 18,500 employees fully-owned subsidiary of Australian and part of Woolworths Limited Group, which employs more than 190,000 team members globally.)
Foodstuffs (NZ) Ltd is jointly owned by two New Zealand grocery and liquor retailers' cooperatives, Foodstuffs North Island Limited and Foodstuffs South Island Limited.[1] Together, the two cooperatives collectively control an estimated 53% of the New Zealand grocery market. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foodstuffs
It started with toilet rolls – emptied the supermarkets. Then tinned foods – emptied the supermarkets. Then bread – emptied the supermarkets. All of these are now available again. The latest is washing powder. All gone in my local anyway.
What will be the next item to disappear from the shelves?
Btw, I happened upon a way to clear the supermarket aisle you occupy from fellow competitors. Sneeze. Preferably two of them and make sure they're loud. I can guarantee from personal experience (yesterday – hayfever) within 10 seconds you will have the aisle to yourself.
The important point is that while sneezing might not be a symptom of COVID-19 infection the fact is that all people occasionally sneeze. So, a carrier of COVID-19 can and most likely will spread virus particles when sneezing.
Don't go to the supermarket. Shop at your local corner shop, mini mart or Four Square. All the stuff the rampaging hordes have pillaged from Countdown and Pak 'n' Save is still in good supply at my local mini mart. Sure, it's a little more expensive but it's all there. And they could probably do with the business.
Watching the braying herds cram stacks of loo roll into their trolleys makes me chuckle. You know when your parents said to you, "If Jamie jumped off a cliff, would you jump off a cliff too?" Turns out that, yes, the human race would fling themselves into oblivion if they saw everyone else doing it. Lemmings, honestly.
Public Service Announcement: Toilet paper is not going to save you from the Apocalypse.
This neither the time nor place to launch personal attacks on other commenters here. If you have nothing nice to say, please say nothing. People who feel they need to ‘moderate’ here and can’t leave it to the real Moderators usually find themselves being moderated.
Brigid – people are not stupid, as you arrogantly infer. There are many times when people are out and about and soap and water are not nearby. So better sanitiser, than nothing.
How much did Labour have put aside in 2008 – zip… under your logic they fall into the ‘fuck them – they fall’ camp.
[lprent: If you want to just lie, then I suggest you go back to kiwiblog. If you want to comment here and want to assert a fact then you need to support it with something credible. I’m really not interested in tolerating fuckwit trolls myth spinning (ie blatantly lying). You also need to stay at least roughly on the topic. This is your only warning because you are pretty well known to me due to past trolling. ]
[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.]
Grifters gonna grift. And Burr is generally regarded as one of the more ethical and principled Repug senators. Wonder what the rest are up to while hoping they don't get busted?
Yes this was one of the main platforms of her running for office – to really take corruption out of Govt. For casual readers here is a synopsis of what Liz Warren had in mind, and evidence of what she has worked for in the past to reduce this sort of grifting at the publics expense. (from the link Andre provides above)
Both the plan her campaign released in the fall of 2019 and a bill she introduced in the Senate in 2018 would outright ban not just members of Congress, but federal judges, White House staff, senior congressional staff and Cabinet members from owning or trading individual stocks while they're in office. Instead, they would have to put their investments elsewhere, where they simply couldn't profit from having inside information that could affect individual companies or the overall market.
Our Reserve Bank could go one step further and purchase newly issued government bonds directly, rather than existing bonds from banks, to provide the government with a source of debt-free, zero-interest money at no cost to taxpayers to fund a basic income as part of the economic rescue package.
Using that method, taxpayers will not have to pick up the long term tab for billions in interest payments and the repayment of the debt which under standard QE simply provides bigger profits for the overseas shareholders of banks and other financial institutions.
Hand sanitiser is hard to get. I filled a spare empty window-spray bottle with liquid soap and water, and have it sitting in my car along with paper towels.
Dead easy, a few squirts and you can wash your hands easily and dry them off. Don't let shortages of the alcohol based products deprive you of other ways of getting your hands clean if you are not at home. Cheaper too, just as effective, and recycling plastic into other uses. Ticks all the boxes.
I filled up an old household cleaning spray bottle with a few squirts of dishwashing liquid and the rest water. Sprayed down some high contact surfaces and hope that should work to kill the virus. I looked at spraying a dilute bleach solution, but it's strong stuff and I don't want to ruin any benchtops, stainless steel etc. I also thought about using disinfectant instead, but the stuff we have is 1% benzalkonium chloride, and there seems to be mixed views on that ingredient's effectiveness.
An alcohol based disinfectant is the best anti microbial. Non alcohol disinfectants (or hand sanitiser), which contain benzalkkonium chloride, are less effective.
Not wishing to elbow anybody with regard to the extent and duration of this 2019 corona virus but it could still be lurking with vigor well in to 2021 or it may get a lot worse (like the Spanish flu of around 1918-1920 did). But at least for the moment, some still see a bit of humor in it and are showing esprit de corps, but if this drags on it will be devastating for a heavily dependent tourism economy such as NZ.
Also, asking constitutional questions regarding executive (emergency) powers and suspension of general elections is a most valid deliberation. I would think that this type of emergency should not get in the way of standard democratic process come September unless it gets a lot worse and various political factions as parties or MP's are at loggerheads in relation to any further critical and affirmative actions needing to be taken.
[Why are you using a different user name and e-mail address? Please explain – Incognito]
We carry a few dish cloths saturated in vinegar and detergent. Easy to use and launder. Pop into another bag after use to wash and refill. I keep a few pebbles in my pocket to press buttons with n toss away.
Pebbles should NOT be tossed onto the floor around checkout points.. Where is the most ecologically favourable place to toss then into?
(And remember, these are now probably infectious pebbles, and need a 14-day stand-down period..)
70 + years old are advised to stay home the younger tangata will need to help our Kau Matua with the kau Matua having to stay home they are our Taonga.
Good on the tangata jogging for logging
I walk my dog and keep away from people its so easy to read there body language.
Our scientists warned us about the effects of a virus like this and just like global warming the people in charge chose to ignore it for the love of money and power.
The taxpayers union is just a national party attack dog.????.
We need to be calm kind and careful. It is good that our government is looking at ways to help our homeless people.
Its good that the authorities have worked with local Iwi so they can check people going into their rohi to protect their Kaumatua from the effects of the virus.
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TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
“I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
.“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
“It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet – is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
Bob Edlin writes – And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ HeraldThomas CoughlanSimeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
TL;DR:Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it: We want our country to be a ...
The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading → ...
Ele Ludemann writes – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
What was that judge thinking?Peter Williams writes – That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read:Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop:Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
Buzz from the BeehiveThe text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary. It can be quickly analysed ...
For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
Questions need to be asked on both sides of the worldPeter Williams writes – The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read:Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop:The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
TL;DR:Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
Bob Edlin writes – The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
Every year, in the Budget, Parliament forks out money to government agencies to do certain things. And every year, as part of the annual review cycle, those agencies are meant to report on whether they have done the things Parliament gave them that money for. Agencies which consistently fail to ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – Recent events in American universities point to an underlying crisis of coherent thinking, an issue that increasingly affects the progressive left across the Western world. This of course is nothing new as anyone who can either remember or has read of the late ...
The thing about life’s little victories is that they can be followed by a defeat.Reader Darryl told me on Monday night:Test again Dave. My “head cold” last week became COVID within 24 hours, and is still with me. I hear the new variants take a bit longer to show up ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read:Angus Deaton on rethinking his economics IMFLocal scoop: The people behind Tamarind, the firm that left a $500m cleanup bill for taxpayers at Taranaki’s Tui oil well, are back operating in Taranaki under a different company name. Jonathan ...
Normally when we talk about accessing public transport it’s about improving how easy it is to get to, such as how easy is it to cross roads in a station/stop’s walking catchment, is it possible to cycle to safely, do bus connections work, or even if are there new routes/connections ...
Politicians are not renowned for telling the truth. Some tell us things that are verifiably not true. They offer statements that omit critical pieces of information. Gloss over risks, preferring to offer the best case scenario.Some not truths are quite small, others amusing in their transparency. There are those repeated ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
The New Zealand public voted for a change in direction at the 2023 general election and that is exactly what this coalition government has been delivering in its first 100 days. There was an immediate focus on the economy, easing the cost of living, cracking down on law and order ...
The Government has left the health system as an afterthought, announcing half-baked targets at the last minute of their 100-day plan, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
Kiwis are still waiting for their promised cost of living support after 100 days of a National Government that is taking us backwards, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The National Government has spent its first 100 days stopping, cutting and reversing. They have scrapped stuff for stuff for the sake of it, without putting up any solutions of their own – and it’s hardworking New Zealanders who will pay for it. ...
100 days of National taking NZ backwardsThe National Government has spent its first 100 days stopping, cutting and reversing. They have scrapped stuff for stuff for the sake of it, without putting up any solutions of their own – and it’s hardworking New Zealanders who will pay for it. ...
The Government must commit to funding free and healthy school lunches, as thousands of people sign the petition to keep them, education spokesperson Jan Tinetti says. ...
If the Government was serious about moving families into public housing, they would build more houses so there is actually somewhere for people to go. ...
The free and healthy school lunches programme feeds our kids, helps them to learn, and saves families money – but it is at risk under this Government, education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
The Government’s proposed changes to Firearms Prohibition Orders (FPO) add almost nothing new and are merely an attempt to distract from its plans to loosen gun laws, police spokesperson Ginny Andersen and justice spokesperson Dr Duncan Webb said. ...
The great Victorian era English politician Lord Macauley stood in the British House of Parliament and said, "The gallery in which the reporters sit has become a fourth estate of the realm".He understood and outlined even way back then, the significant role and influence media have in a democracy. ...
The government’s attack on Māori health this week is committing tangata-whenua to a premature death, says Te Pāti Māori. “The government have begun their onslaught on Māori health with the abolishment of the Māori Health Authority and smokefree laws in the same day” said health spokesperson and co-leader, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. ...
Today marks a tragic milestone for New Zealanders as the Coalition Government side with big tobacco to repeal the Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products (Smoked Tobacco) Amendment Act 2022, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins and Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said. ...
New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April. ...
Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand. Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships. “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland Acknowledgements and opening Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says. “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024 Acknowledgements and opening Morena, Nga Mihi Nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country. “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week. “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee. “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today. “The Amendment Paper represents ...
Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level. “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024. “Lower fruit and vege ...
Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all. Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all. Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction. Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness. It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
Former Transport Minister and CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber Hon Simon Bridges has been appointed as the new Board Chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for a three-year term, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced today. “Simon brings extensive experience and knowledge in transport policy and governance to the role. He will ...
Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology. It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says he is looking forward to the day when three key water projects in Northland are up and running, unlocking the full potential of land in the region. Mr Jones attended a community event at the site of the Otawere reservoir near Kerikeri on Friday. ...
Associate Finance Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government has agreed to restore deductibility for mortgage interest on residential investment properties. “Help is on the way for landlords and renters alike. The Government’s restoration of interest deductibility will ease pressure on rents and simplify the tax code,” says ...
Sport and Recreation Minister Chris Bishop will travel to Switzerland today to attend an Executive Committee meeting and Symposium of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Mr Bishop will then travel on to London where he will attend a series of meetings in his capacity as Infrastructure Minister. “New Zealanders believe ...
This year’s Pacific Language Weeks celebrate regional unity and the contribution of Pacific communities to New Zealand culture, says Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti. Dr Reti announced dates for the 2024 Pacific Language Weeks during a visit to the Pasifika festival in Auckland today and says there’s so ...
Greater Wellington is inviting feedback on proposed changes to its Revenue and Financing Policy. The Revenue and Financing Policy covers the Council’s various sources of funding, and how the cost of services is shared across the region. This includes ...
Labour has conceded it could have done more to deal with disruptive state housing tenants while in government but says the current coalition is going too far. ...
The band has asked their record label to issue a cease and desist to stop the NZ First leader using their 1997 hit to support his ‘misguided political views’. “I get knocked down, but I get up again,” blared through the speakers on Sunday as Winston Peters took the stage ...
By Lydia Lewis, RNZ Pacific journalist Food rationing is underway in remote areas in Papua New Guinea’s Highlands following torrential rain and flash flooding. More than 20 people have been reported dead in Chimbu Province. In nearby Enga Province, the centre of last month’s massacre, a 15-year-old boy has been ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Hughes, Lecturer, Research School of Management, Australian National University After months of debate and intrigue, the AFL’s 19th and newest team, the Tasmania Devils, finally launched its jumper, logo and colours in Devonport this week. The Devils will wear green, ...
Brannavan Gnanalingam reviews the debut novel by Saraid de Silva.One of the most baffling things for children who move to a new country is what their parents’ (or grandparents’) lives were like prior to moving – for kids in particular, they’re too busy trying to fit in in their ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Gaunson, Associate Professor in Cinema Studies, RMIT University Narelle Portanier/Binge “If you don’t know who your mob are, you don’t know who you are,” Detective Andrea “Andie” Whitford (played by Leah Purcell) is told early into the new crime ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elise Klein, Associate professor, Australian National University It’s commonly accepted that women do the vast majority of caregiving in Australian society. But less appreciated is that Indigenous women do larger amounts of unpaid care than any other group. Working with the Aboriginal ...
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Hey Bill
In a previous US election post, you suggested voter fraud in Super Tuesday results. You relied on TDMS research for evidence. Turns out TDMS was being "misleading at best and corrosive at worst."
https://www.factcheck.org/2020/03/no-huge-red-flag-that-fraud-occurred-in-mass-primary/
[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.]
Hey Phil. Here's the bit that matters.
Importantly, it used exit poll numbers from 8 p.m. on the day of the primary, according to the table. Those numbers were updated two hours later, though, according to CNN, the outlet cited in the table.
What does "updated" mean? My understanding is that as published results come in, the exit poll numbers are shifted or altered to better accord with the published count. You see the problem there, right?
If votes have been flipped, then the exit poll numbers will be shifted, and guess what?… "Nothing to See Here". That's why the initial exit poll numbers are used.
Besides, you'd reasonably expect inaccurate exit polls to shift this way and that way in relation to the published count, yes? But when they only shift on favour of "establishment" candidates and against "non- establishment" candidates in state after state, well….
And you also might want to reflect on the leanings of Facebook's "fact checking" orgs. and not just uncritically accept what they say.
edit. Almost forgot. The same methodology was used for the 2016 primaries, and as mentioned in my original post, the Republican Primaries were almost all within the margins of error while Democratic ones (with polling taken at the same time for each party’s primary) were out of whack in favour of Clinton.
"Updated" in this context means that Edison Research adjust their exit polling data to account for sample bias in the exit poll.
Even with the best practices, there is no way an exit poll can guarantee that its raw sample of exit interviews is genuinely representative of people voting over the course of a day in a particular precinct.
To put it in the broadest possible terms, they're sort of working backwards in comparison to a traditional poll – instead of applying an assumed turnout model to a raw poll sample, they're applying a poll model to a raw turnout sample.
No. They already know the various bias in the exit poll, and any "updating" of the exit poll after polling booths have closed is in reaction to numbers coming from the published count ie, shifting exit poll numbers to better correlate with the numbers coming from the count.
In relation to the Massachusetts results, as explained on the TDMS site (my emphasis) – As this first published exit poll was subsequently adjusted towards conformity with the final computerized vote count, the currently published exit poll [on CNN] differs from the results above.
I've no idea why the international gold standard used for suggesting something may be awry in an election is suddenly to be thrown aside when the election results in question are Democratic Primary ones, but hey…
They already know the various bias in the exit poll,
That's just a plain old dumb statement. An exit poll is a sample and, by definition, you cannot know the bias in the sample until the actual results of the fucking election are in front of you. If you cannot understand how that leads to adjustment as real results start to roll in… that's entirely on you, kid.
I've no idea why the international gold standard used for suggesting something may be awry in an election is suddenly to be thrown aside
Quit making shit up. Exit polling is not "the gold standard" for monitoring potential election fraud in the slightest. You're being ridiculous.
Your first paragraph (if true) would mean that exit polls could not and would not be used for the detection of possible election fraud.
But, as written in the actual post on all of this, exit polling is precisely what is used to detect possible fraud.
Now, you can wave your arms around the place all that you like on that front, and you can even assert I'm making stuff up and that I'm ridiculous…but it won't alter the fact of the matter.
I want to stress I’m not trying to start a rumour, but just curious, or as they say on twitter – asking for a friend.
With many commentators suggesting this coronavirus crisis could last six months or longer and causing immense damage to our society and (I feel like I want to use a smaller font) the economy, what is the constitutional situation around voting in the middle of a pandemic?
Are there any rules around delaying an election, or cancelling one altogether?
On a lighter note, last night in bed my wife and I indulged in a little intimate elbow bumping.
To be frank, I don’t think it’ll ever replace ‘the real thing,’ but at my age, the real thing is becoming a distant memory, so intimate elbow bumping will have to do!
It amused us, which is as much as the real thing ever did, I suppose.
Election timetable … on Public Address there's a useful guide by Graeme Edgeler:
https://publicaddress.net/legalbeagle/pandemic-preparedness-and-the-new-zealand/
It's a good question (and I think it's almost certain we will still be dealing with this in September).
Nice to see some humour 🙂
Then there's the guy who wanted to reduce the amount of close contacts he had, so he changed all his social media profiles to match his Tinder profile 🙂
Gabbard is dropping out and endorsing Biden.
https://twitter.com/TulsiGabbard/status/1240650484546859008
"Important Announcement" – sure.
As important as Vernon Tava announcing his preferred coalition partners.
Or she's angling for VP.
She should get the VP slot. Of all the candidates for the nomination, even Sanders, Gubbard is the one most capable of pulling votes from Trump. Though her anti-war stances would turn off the neo-cons in the DNC.
I would also have Lisa Nandy as UKLP leader, but it looks like that ain’t happening.
She's also around 2:1 underwater in favourability among Democrats that care enough about her to form an opinion.
Let alone what what moderate independents and moderate persuadable Republicans might think.
https://www86.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2020/favorability/us/tulsi_gabbard_favorableunfavorable-6799.html
Dems already have California in the bag; she doesn't bring enough.
At most, she might pull a few David Duke and Alex Jones fanbois.
Hmm. Would have quite liked to have seen her as Sanders' VP. I don't think there's any chance she'll be Joe Biden's VP pick – he'll be choosing whoever Clyburn recommends he choose.
Stacey Abrams.
Oooh, brutal slam. On Vernon.
Some news.
https://twitter.com/RVAwonk/status/1240421018826682369
https://www.technologyreview.com/s/615379/antibody-test-how-widespread-coronavirus-covid-19-really-is/?
Governments are building hospitals in weeks, rapidly training medical aides, mobilising resources and opening the cheque books to prop up economies. It is impressive to see the nation state in action in the interests of their people, especially after decades of being told it is an out of date concept.
"Governments are building hospitals in weeks, rapidly training medical aides,".
Is this true of our Government? The most energetic thing I have seen from our Health Minister, and one of his Associate Ministers, was to see them on TV watching someone get a flu jab.
I would far rather have seen them trying to speed up the supply of ventilators or ICU beds in our hospitals.
[second comment from this mod. There’s very little leeway here for comments that look like they intend to undermine the govt in such a serious crisis. Genuine critique of policy and actions that prompts constructive debate is good. This kind of smeary trolling has a pretty limited lifespan. If you haven’t seen it already I suggest you also read my comment to you from yesterday – weka]
I doubt you reflect the mood of the nation.
I just overheard in my local cafe getting coffee:
The persona dramatis: Middle aged white guy, clearly a self-employed tradie of some sort. The core of John Key's base.
He said to the lady working behind the counter: "Even as a National supporter I have got to admit she (I assume he means the PM) is handling it reasonably well" followed by "Simon Bridges doesn't seem to understand that the essence of being a New Zealander is getting on with doing the job and not complaining all the time." BTW i am not necessarily agreeing with that last statement… But it shows widespread satisfaction with tje handling of the crisis by the government.
Simon, Jacinda is eating your lunch big time.
I think so too, most people I know and hear from are not even thinking politics, just getting on with their own lives and keeping themselves and their families safe.
"I doubt you reflect the mood of the nation.".
I'm sure I don't. The public will be, at least for a while, totally enamoured with her approach. She does that part of politics superbly. Actual implementation of policy doesn't turn out as well, as KiwiBuild demonstrated.
Personally I expect there to be a snap election. Announce lots of plans for handling the virus and then declare that full support for the Government must be seen to be assured and call a snap election. My pick would be for 30 May or 6 June. I think they would probably get back with Labour and NZF though I don't think the Green Party will survive. Ms Ardern has completely overshadowed them.
On the other hand hanging on until September won't cut it. People will have had enough long before six more months are up and the virus hasn't gone away and deaths are occurring. It won't be deserved but the Government will cop the flack for the restrictions still going on.
That is what I can see as being the way for Labour to get another term. Shame it will mean that Winstone will still be there though.
And yes, I have seen the mod comments and understand where you are coming from.
Trying to be clever as usual, alwyn? I don't think you are aware of the environmental concerns of the base of Green Party support. You never demonstrate such concern yourself, and may be a covert denialist?
Whatever happens, and however bad the Greens are made to look by righties, I think there is an enlightened 5+% of our electorate who will always vote Green, simply because all other parties are far worse for the long term.
You think there is 5+% who will always vote Green. I don't. That is really the only difference between us.
No doubt we will see when the election comes around who is right. In the meantime I'm sure you won't let it upset you if their Poll numbers were to droop.
You will, I presume, also accept the will of the people if the bulk of the Green vote is vacuumed up by the Labour Party?
Of course, but will you even remember that you asked me, if it turns out that you are writing rubbish? And I think you meant 'drop' rather than 'droop'.
You are a careful reader. I really did mean droop actually.
The current lot of MPs strike me as so dreadfully wet that "droop" seemed totally appropriate.
As far as being wrong goes I will admit that I may be wrong. I don't think describing the views as being "rubbish" is quite valid though.
Time will tell for both of us. (If the virus does not take us out…)
"
(If the virus does not take us out…)"
Ouch! Did you really need to remind me of my advancing years?
I'm wondering about politicians whose approaches the public may not have been notably enamoured with. If they didn't do that part of politics superbly and were so incompetent they left their successor needing to come up with policies such as KiwiBuild, albeit them not 'turning out well', what does that say about them?
Did they have sycophantic followers forcibly telling us how brilliant they were ?
"Did they have sycophantic followers".
Of course they did. Don't you remember people contributing to blogs who considered, in turn, that Helen Clark, Goff, Shearer, Cunliffe and Little were the greatest thing since sliced bread?
Shearer was actually pretty good. If they hadn't rolled him and kept so many no-hopers around, we would have had a competent option to the incumbents in the 2017 election. I would certainly have welcomed it.
But he was the only one if you look at Clark from about 2004 onwards. Before that she was pretty capable. Then she got the same disease that Muldoon and Bolger caught in their third terms.
Rubbish, alwyn. Shearer had no idea, and murdered himself with that ridiculous photo of himself holding up a big, dead fish. Without ever sounding convincing before or after.
Cunliffe would have had a chance if he had not misunderestimated the simplistic nature of the not-to-bright Kiwi male, and had his apology for being a male misrepresented by the NZ media.
Little still lacks charisma – maybe his only failing.
And personally, I never warmed to Helen Clark. But she did achieve the sliced bread thing.
I can remember some people who thought Shearer wasn't abysmal (me included), and some people who loved Cunliffe (while I wasn't overly impressed), and some people who liked Little (ISTR I did), but I don't recall any particular commenter here who loved each one "in turn".
"who loved each one "in turn"".
I'll admit I would be very hard pressed to actually identify a single person who did take their opinions quite so far.
I do know some Labour Party members though who did think that way. The one the Party currently had as the leader was the only possible candidate for the greatest politician in the country.
Dead boring they mostly were to talk to though.
And did you enjoy rewarding conversations with any of National's leaders?
It was the party members who were boring, not the party leaders.
I can't think of more than a handful of people I have met who became MPs who were boring. That would be among at least a hundred, and possibly 200 people. People who make into the MPs ranks are usually interesting to talk to and appear to be genuinely interested in whoever it is they are talking to. They have to be like that or I am sure they would go mad.
Well, even if that story is true, there's a fair chance that they were aware that any conversation with you would be quickly retransmitted as "I do know some Labour Party members who really dislike the current leader and much prefer [X]".
I find that comment offensive. I do not, ever, divulge the contents of personal conversations with people who aren't in the business professionally. I feel quite entitled to make derogatory remarks about people, MPs usually, who are claiming the right to set the rules for how I am allowed to behave. I don't claim the same right about people who don't want to decide what I am allowed to do.
You will never find any such comment by me anywhere.
Incidentally I am not, and never have been, a member of a Political Party. I don't trust any professional Politician. I respect the competent ones, and certainly don't respect the idiots but I don't trust any of them.
They are all in it for themselves.
I didn't mean you'd actually name the members.
Just that you'd gleefully report the lack of confidence in a Labour leader in the same way you just reported that they had confidence in every leader Labour had.
Oh dear. You really are in a unhappy mood, aren't you?
Now why on earth do you suggest I would do that? I haven't and I won't do any such thing.
Perhaps I should use Yodaish Star Wars Remarks to describe you? How about 'The bile is bitter in that one'?
Alternatively I could use variants on the, probably apocryphal, statement of Lise Meitner. "I think you are confusing me with Professor Hahn".
In your case I think you are confusing me with Cinny.
https://thestandard.org.nz/daily-review-18-03-2020/#comment-1692574
https://thestandard.org.nz/burning-bridges/#comment-1692769
[take the weekend off. As amusing as it is to see McFlock calmly countering your trolling here, I think you’ve now shifted from troll to flame-lite and I don’t want to have to keep track of it – weka]
mod note.
tRump being the racist dick he so thoroughly is…
When he is supposed to be leading America though a pandemic, he is making hand edits to speeches to scapegoat China.
I see things are still nutso at supermarkets.
Wonder how long it will be until people realise this is going to go on for a while and there will be adequate food and it settles down. Then how much longer after that til it goes real quiet as people realise maybe they'd better start eating their massive stockpiles before it goes bad.
Toilet roll sandwiches?
I don't understand why supermarkets aren't setting aside specific hours for old and other vulnerable people to shop btw.
And as for the monied middle classes wiping shelves clean in states of panic, meaning that "week to week" grocery shoppers can't get the shit they regularly buy – well, I hope the fuckers choke.
I think I heard on RNZ National in the early hours of the morning that there had also be a major run of sales of freezers – but not about to try to find a link for this.
Some will be much more concerned about this innovative change in direction by a Martinborough gin distillery – what are they going to put with their 300 glasses of tonic water a day* to ward off COVID-19?
* Oh wait – who was it here talking about this in the last few days? LOL
– https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2018739355/covid-19-gin-distillery-trialling-making-hand-sanitiser
Nobody needs fucking hand sanitizer. Soap and water is a better way to clean hands.
Why are people so goddamned stupid.
"Nobody needs fucking hand sanitiser" and "Why are people so goddamned stupid"
I agree that soap and water – and proper washing and drying – is a better way to clean hands but there are situations where hand sanitiser is a convenient – dare I say it a necessary – substitute for some people, including medicos such as ambulance staff etc.
As I know from personal experience, people sometimes find themselves in situations where they have to carry out necessary medical procedures but there are no available hand washing facilities or these are not clean enough to use.
In such situations hand sanitiser is a godsend for people such as those with diabetes who need to inject insulin regularly or urgently; or those with glaucoma who have to apply eye drops throughout the course of the day, as your hands have to be extremely clean for these types of procedures.
Personally I have found people with diabetes and/or glaucoma, for example, no more or less "goddamned stupid" that those who see things in such black and white terms as your comment suggests.
Ooops – don't know how that double posting happened and its too late for me to delete one!
Sorted 🙂
Thanks. FYI or lprent's, it just did it again with my reply to Rosemary McD at 6.2.1.1.3.1 which again popped up twice – one with the ability to edit and one with no ability. Deleted the one with the ability to edit after checking all OK.
Will see what happens with this one …
All OK – only one this time.
Then why not just use meths? After all hand sanitiser is mostly alchohol. Do people not know this? I suspect not.
I see there's plenty still in Mitrebe 10.
Meths would be fine…according my my chemist Offspring, but you might want to soften it with a bit of something or other…
One option we were looking at for a venue was aloe moisturiser as the "softener", so like 1/3 moisturiser 2/3 alcohol.
Ended up not bothering because it's not a recipe put about by moh or public health officers here, as far as we know. Could get confused between weight and volume and all that jazz.
Yes, veutoviper…lots and lots of soap and water handwashing here…to the point where the skin is beginning to peel.
BUT the precious couple of bottles of hand sanitizer I keep for just those medical type situations are worth their weight at the moment.
If you've ever seen the rigmarole the medics go through catheterising some bloke…then imagine doing that procedure while parked on the side of the road in your housebus…
BTW, hand sanitizer theoretically has a shelf life limit…I stabbed my hand the other day, and after allowing the deep wound to bleed one of the Offspring dug up a very old bottle from his car. Stung like absolute buggery…so my guess is it's still good. Wound has healed well.
Horses for courses, and hold fire with the censure eh?
Agree re the stinging etc! But would certainly not use meths pre injecting or near eyes … And it does not come in small sizes like hand sanitiser for popping in a pocket or bag.
I recently did a search through the house, and in bags etc and came up with a surprising number of part used hand sanitizer bottles of various sizes and ages which for the most part seem OK. Local supermaket owner is awaiting new stocks and is going to keep some off the shelves for customers like myself who she knows have an ongoing use/need for it.
Re shelf time limits, like a lot of things whether these are important or extendable really depends on the type of product, its stability and how/where it has been stored. According to my brother chemist, (snap!) hand sanitiser should be OK provided it has been kept in a cool dark place. If left somewhere hot like in a hot car, it often just evaporates. As well as a bigger first aid kit, I have a small "coolie bin" type soft bag (intended for taking lunch to work/school in hot climates) in my car with sanitiser, gloves etc in it which helps overcome evaporation, melting etc problems.
Re catherising, was trained in such things when mother was dying. I then went on to work as a trained medic volunteer at the local hospice c 10 hours a week for about decade, on top of very demanding jobs in the State Services as one of "them (insert word of choice!) bureaucrats".
Back to the run on Freezers… If things go really bad, I suspect that electricity supply could fail as well. So next run should be on petrol/diesel-run power generators, since fuel prices have dropped.
(Of course, with no power you will be lucky to be able to buy petrol or diesel, because petrol pumps are no longer fitted with hand-pump levers. This should soon result in a run on petrol/diesel..)
How far will these silly hoarders go?
" it does not come in small sizes like hand sanitiser"
I'm sure if you think hard you'd come up with a solution for that.
If you want to disinfect a site on the skin prior to injecting use alcohol. Or Iodine.
Methylated Spirits is denatured alchohol i.e. ethanol. It's every bit as good a disinfectant as the alcohol wipes used by health professionals.
I can't think of an instant where using alcohol to disinfect hands prior to applying eye drops would cause any problem.
You aren't expected to disinfect the eye after all. Are you?
Right… so to prevent infection via the eyes (a major source of infection, since even people wearing masks will unconsciously end up touching their eyes) will people infer that Meth Spirits eyedrops are a good idea?
Silly thought, but are there any helpful eyedrops available? I doubt it.
"will people infer that Meth Spirits eyedrops are a good idea?"
No
All very well if you access to soap and water … for example if you work away from a building such as in the trade I work in or have just left a public area such as people's homes, public transport, the supermarket, the petrol station etc. Hand sanitiser is very useful.
Granted, hand sanitiser is very useful in this case.
The point I was aiming to make was that every man and his dog does not need a bottle of hand sanitiser. Most can use soap and water to wash their hands.
The fact that the world seems to have been scoured of every available bottle suggests that people believe that only hand sanitiser will clean their hands. Therefore my assertion that a good few of them are stupid, stands.
Hence my question about Meths eyedrops. I would love to make up NCEA Level 1 English multi-choice questions about all this.
At home and work that's generally true, but good in the car as a back up since not all public toilets have soap in my experience.
Nobody was talking about 300 glasses a day of tonic water, it was G&Ts. The difference matters. And if the gin runs out, I am not substituting in hand sanitiser.
Well the fish are biting well today! I certainly agree that hand sanitiser is no match for good gin with your tonic water, LOL
I don't know why they don't just continue to make gin. Giving everyone the choice to either drink it or disinfect what ever part of their body they like.
Bloody good accelerant too. Hand sanitiser isn't.
Yeah – baked beans three times a week to avoid that sinking feeling of having wasted money.
The disappearance of my clients gave me a chance to go fishing yesterday – got enough for two meals and still well inside the actual catch limit (keep it sustainable folks). My tiny dinghy with a 5HP motor uses much less than a litre of fuel on an expedition – and it has functioning oars if needed. People in gin-palaces sweep past me with amusement and derision on their faces.
I also took the advice of the admirable greenies on here and got veggie seeds – things that will grow as it gets colder: rocket, broad beans, bok choi, radishes etc. I am nowhere near delusional enough to believe that self-sufficiency is possible for someone as incompetent as me. But if it wasn't for the fear of us running out of money or dying – things wouldn't be too bad.
Seeds, huh? So this is your fault?
https://www.msn.com/en-nz/news/national/never-seen-anything-like-it-before-garden-centres-selling-out-of-seedlings-as-supermarket-shelves-stand-empty/ar-BB11nUhm?li=BBqdg4K
Probably – though I was quite restrained!
There was a full page ad in today's Nelson Mail shared between a bunch of supermarkets requesting people to restrain themselves when shopping and not to buy up large. A good deed.
In brief they say: Shop like you normally would… some extra but not for weeks ahead.
Shop in our stores – they are safe. We have thorough cleaning but have increased measures.
Look out for each other – In times of uncertainty a little kindness goes a long way. Please be kind to fellow shoppers and to our store, supply chain and call centre teams who are working around the clock…They're our heroes.
PaknSave – New World – 4 Square – Raeward fresh – Countdown – Fresh Choice – Supervalue
So that is Woolworths NZ (extra info – NZ$6.2 billion fyt June 2018 18,500 employees fully-owned subsidiary of Australian and part of Woolworths Limited Group, which employs more than 190,000 team members globally.)
Foodstuffs (NZ) Ltd is jointly owned by two New Zealand grocery and liquor retailers' cooperatives, Foodstuffs North Island Limited and Foodstuffs South Island Limited.[1] Together, the two cooperatives collectively control an estimated 53% of the New Zealand grocery market. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foodstuffs
Andre @ 6.
It started with toilet rolls – emptied the supermarkets. Then tinned foods – emptied the supermarkets. Then bread – emptied the supermarkets. All of these are now available again. The latest is washing powder. All gone in my local anyway.
What will be the next item to disappear from the shelves?
Btw, I happened upon a way to clear the supermarket aisle you occupy from fellow competitors. Sneeze. Preferably two of them and make sure they're loud. I can guarantee from personal experience (yesterday – hayfever) within 10 seconds you will have the aisle to yourself.
"sneeze.."
Excellent idea.
Especially into your elbow while elbow-bumping. Multi-tasking!
Nice fake-out. Especially since sneezing isn't a common symptom of COVID-19. It's coughing that's the worry.
https://www.health.gov.au/resources/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-identifying-the-symptoms
Now don't go muddying the issue with facts.
The important point is that while sneezing might not be a symptom of COVID-19 infection the fact is that all people occasionally sneeze. So, a carrier of COVID-19 can and most likely will spread virus particles when sneezing.
Don't go to the supermarket. Shop at your local corner shop, mini mart or Four Square. All the stuff the rampaging hordes have pillaged from Countdown and Pak 'n' Save is still in good supply at my local mini mart. Sure, it's a little more expensive but it's all there. And they could probably do with the business.
Watching the braying herds cram stacks of loo roll into their trolleys makes me chuckle. You know when your parents said to you, "If Jamie jumped off a cliff, would you jump off a cliff too?" Turns out that, yes, the human race would fling themselves into oblivion if they saw everyone else doing it. Lemmings, honestly.
Public Service Announcement: Toilet paper is not going to save you from the Apocalypse.
Come on, Wensetc – it could well be your local corner shop operators who did most of the hoarding…
The trucks that show up every day to deliver stock say otherwise.
Kiwis in Oz who lose jobs and if stuck without income come back here (we do not have any spare housing and especially not for those won a benefit)
So either Oz steps up, or we pay them the dole while they are in Oz while in Oz (and and Oz gives them their AS).
Good point SPC – Look after those poor kiwis stuck in the lucky country.
To: Alwyn
You endlessly try and belittle the real people of New Zealand.
Why?
Is it because the National Party demands that you lust over the struggling poor and
demand they receive the worst possible Life and Livelyhood ? You dine like Pigs with the Landords ! Don't you Alwyn.
"Don't you Alwyn."
Well NO actually. I'm afraid that your comment here is simply delusional. Do these hot flushes happen to you frequently? Try a cold shower.
You'll have stocked up on bogroll then.
NO, simple solution Sell off your shares to pay you tax obligation.
This neither the time nor place to launch personal attacks on other commenters here. If you have nothing nice to say, please say nothing. People who feel they need to ‘moderate’ here and can’t leave it to the real Moderators usually find themselves being moderated.
Brigid – people are not stupid, as you arrogantly infer. There are many times when people are out and about and soap and water are not nearby. So better sanitiser, than nothing.
How much did Labour have put aside in 2008 – zip… under your logic they fall into the ‘fuck them – they fall’ camp.
[lprent: If you want to just lie, then I suggest you go back to kiwiblog. If you want to comment here and want to assert a fact then you need to support it with something credible. I’m really not interested in tolerating fuckwit trolls myth spinning (ie blatantly lying). You also need to stay at least roughly on the topic. This is your only warning because you are pretty well known to me due to past trolling. ]
[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.]
We won, you lost, eat that !~
[lprent: And that isn’t helpful either. Continue in that vein and I’m liable to lose you off the site. ]
Grifters gonna grift. And Burr is generally regarded as one of the more ethical and principled Repug senators. Wonder what the rest are up to while hoping they don't get busted?
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/senator-richard-burr-coronavirus-stock_n_5e73e80dc5b6f5b7c5412d6c
Oh Look! Another one.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/sen-kelly-loeffler-dumped-millions-in-stock-after-coronavirus-briefing?source=twitter&via=desktop
And another..
https://www.rawstory.com/2020/03/republican-jim-inhofe-dumped-up-to-450000-in-stock-the-fourth-gop-senator-implicated-in-scandal-report/
And another
https://twitter.com/TheRickyDavila/status/1240837180018192385
And then there were five…
So far the list is Richard Burr (R-NC), Kelly Loeffler (R-GA), Ron Johnson (R-WI), Jim Inhofe (R-OK), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA).
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/488593-four-senators-sold-stocks-before-coronavirus-threat-crashed-market
Of course, Liz has a plan for that.
https://www.salon.com/2020/03/20/republicans-are-actually-supervillains-they-profited-while-abandoning-us-to-coronavirus/
Yes this was one of the main platforms of her running for office – to really take corruption out of Govt. For casual readers here is a synopsis of what Liz Warren had in mind, and evidence of what she has worked for in the past to reduce this sort of grifting at the publics expense. (from the link Andre provides above)
Interesting rah rah Social Credit? Has your time come?
Bernard Hickey Recommends Using Social Credit Economic Policy
https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2020/03/20/bernard-hickey-recommends-using-social-credit-economic-policy/
Our Reserve Bank could go one step further and purchase newly issued government bonds directly, rather than existing bonds from banks, to provide the government with a source of debt-free, zero-interest money at no cost to taxpayers to fund a basic income as part of the economic rescue package.
Using that method, taxpayers will not have to pick up the long term tab for billions in interest payments and the repayment of the debt which under standard QE simply provides bigger profits for the overseas shareholders of banks and other financial institutions.
Well it won't be inflationary.
And its the right way to finance government led activity when the capitalist system cannot cope/function/fails.
Indeed!
It's the right way to finance any government led activity at any time. Why increase banks' profits when there's no need.
Hand sanitiser is hard to get. I filled a spare empty window-spray bottle with liquid soap and water, and have it sitting in my car along with paper towels.
Dead easy, a few squirts and you can wash your hands easily and dry them off. Don't let shortages of the alcohol based products deprive you of other ways of getting your hands clean if you are not at home. Cheaper too, just as effective, and recycling plastic into other uses. Ticks all the boxes.
I filled up an old household cleaning spray bottle with a few squirts of dishwashing liquid and the rest water. Sprayed down some high contact surfaces and hope that should work to kill the virus. I looked at spraying a dilute bleach solution, but it's strong stuff and I don't want to ruin any benchtops, stainless steel etc. I also thought about using disinfectant instead, but the stuff we have is 1% benzalkonium chloride, and there seems to be mixed views on that ingredient's effectiveness.
As I understood, disinfectants kill bacteria but not viruses, so why bother?
An alcohol based disinfectant is the best anti microbial. Non alcohol disinfectants (or hand sanitiser), which contain benzalkkonium chloride, are less effective.
Have Googled, and now agree that alcohol-based is effective. Hope that internally applied alcohol is also effective!
Not wishing to elbow anybody with regard to the extent and duration of this 2019 corona virus but it could still be lurking with vigor well in to 2021 or it may get a lot worse (like the Spanish flu of around 1918-1920 did). But at least for the moment, some still see a bit of humor in it and are showing esprit de corps, but if this drags on it will be devastating for a heavily dependent tourism economy such as NZ.
Also, asking constitutional questions regarding executive (emergency) powers and suspension of general elections is a most valid deliberation. I would think that this type of emergency should not get in the way of standard democratic process come September unless it gets a lot worse and various political factions as parties or MP's are at loggerheads in relation to any further critical and affirmative actions needing to be taken.
[Why are you using a different user name and e-mail address? Please explain – Incognito]
See my Moderation note @ 4:25 PM.
We carry a few dish cloths saturated in vinegar and detergent. Easy to use and launder. Pop into another bag after use to wash and refill. I keep a few pebbles in my pocket to press buttons with n toss away.
"I keep a few pebbles in my pocket to press buttons with n toss away."
Now were talking'!
Pebbles should NOT be tossed onto the floor around checkout points.. Where is the most ecologically favourable place to toss then into?
(And remember, these are now probably infectious pebbles, and need a 14-day stand-down period..)
☺
Kia Ora Newshub.
Yes we have to stay positive but be careful.
Ka kite Ano
Kia Ora Te Ao Maori News.
70 + years old are advised to stay home the younger tangata will need to help our Kau Matua with the kau Matua having to stay home they are our Taonga.
Good on the tangata jogging for logging
Ka kite Ano
https://youtu.be/qQfetkoGrpU
Kia Ora Newshub.
The students army are doing great mahi looking after people in self isolation.
Ka kite Ano.
Kia Ora Te Ao Maori News.
That's is good our government giving 56 million to help Tangata Whenua cope with the virus problem facing us.
That's is good that the community helpline gave Te Tane the information he needed.
Yes be calm.
Ka kite Ano
Kia Ora The Am Show.
The positive things its raining our farmers needed rain and in Te Tai tokerau they need rain to.
The Papatuanuku carbon footprint is falling fast thats great for our future and our environment.
Time for A universal wage to build up Aotearoas internal economy.
Ka kite Ano
Kia Ora Newshub.
Yes life as we know it is changing rapidly.
That was a cool view of Tawhirimate Ingrid.
Ka kite Ano.
Kia Ora Te Ao Maori News.
I we are going into level 4 restrictions to protect Te tangata from the virus. We must look after our love one's and give Aohai and be kind.
It is quite hard for rual tangata to see a doctor these days especially if you don't own a Waka.
Ka kite Ano.
Kia Ora The Am Show.
I walk my dog and keep away from people its so easy to read there body language.
Our scientists warned us about the effects of a virus like this and just like global warming the people in charge chose to ignore it for the love of money and power.
The taxpayers union is just a national party attack dog.????.
Ka kite Ano
Since when does the Rotorua Council turn the water off with out giving noticing to the public.??????.
Kia Ora Newshub.
That's good that nanny and care givers are going to be cleared to keep looking after tamariki.
The rain can cause a lot of damage to whare that are not weather proofed.
Ka kite Ano.
Kia Ora Te Ao Maori News.
That is a good question what happens to our homeless people during the levels 4 lock down.
Ka kite Ano.
Kia Ora The Am Show.
Condolences to Albert's whanau those Asterix and Obelix books were one of my favourite when I was a young.
I will be helping educate our mokopuna and obey the lock down rules.
Ka kite Ano
Kia Ora Newshub.
No hunting and fishing.
The wild Kai Moana will get a bit of pressure taken off them with the 4 week shut down in Aotearoa.
Ka kite Ano
Kia Ora Te Ao Maori News.
We need to be calm kind and careful. It is good that our government is looking at ways to help our homeless people.
Its good that the authorities have worked with local Iwi so they can check people going into their rohi to protect their Kaumatua from the effects of the virus.
Ka kite Ano.