Here is the official Government advice on what we should do at Level 2:
Keep your distance when outside your home
You should keep at least 2 metres in public and in retail stores, like supermarkets and clothes shops and 1 metre in most other places like workplaces, cafes, restaurants and gyms
You are encouraged to wear face coverings in situations where physical distancing is not possible, like in shops
Wearing face coverings is advised where it’s not possible to practise physical distancing or to carry out contact tracing. For example, in crowded spaces on Tertiary Education Organisation campuses,
At Alert Level 2, when not on public transport, we recommend you consider wearing a face covering when you cannot maintain physical distance from people you do not know
Keep a 2 metre distance in public. Take extra care if you interact with people you don’t know as it won’t be easy to do contact tracing if needed.
But hey what’s more important – a group selfie, or promoting Covid-19 safety.
Did you post this BS before you woke up and engaged that fluff in your skull that pretends to be RWNJ brain or are you a SM manipulator or DP operative doing the dirty work for PDF et al with the link-whoring?
It is straight and exact copy & paste job of a post on KB with four (!) convenient links for sharing. Well, thank you very much!
Moderators of this site don’t like dealing with the mind-numbingly stupid and blatantly dishonest, particularly with the election campaign in full swing.
Banned for the same number of days as the number of comments on that KB post, i.e. 102 days – Incognito]
What's missing here? The date the photo was taken. Looks like fake news then, eh? You reckon a career as an agent of disinformation is a goer, think again. Gotta get the basics right first… 😷
I’m in CHB. We’re at level two also. Still supposed to social distance. You know . Space at the supermarket etc. it’s called leading by example. Stop making excuses. Or does it only apply to lesser mortals.
New View is right, you should read the above level 2 rules listed above. They apply for Manawatu as well as the rest of NZ. I believe the rules also apply to politicians as well as plebs.
I think Pat was being ironic. Its an example of why its important to put /sarc at end when you intend that. Otherwise it just seems malicious as new view's first comment was.
GWS. People here can see no wrong in what Jacinda Ardern does. It’s amusing not malicious. Imagine if Judith Collins had done similar. It would be front page everywhere. Of course JC won’t have the adoration of the crowds but she is attempting to come up with policies post Covid which is what the tax cuts are about. What is the Coalition policies for when the wage subsidy comes off or did I miss that.
None Solkta But an employer who is under less financial pressure may consider not letting an employee go or even employ an additional person. It also puts more cash in circulation which is exactly what this Government is doing but will stop doing after the election. The wage subsidy doesn’t help those without jobs now does it. And yes it’s designed to get votes. Just like Jacinda Ardern’s little public gathering in my photo attached above. It’s electioneering.
Okay, you weren't doing fake news, fair enough. A technical breach of the govt policy by the PM is an interesting situation, I agree.
Media will jump on it so wait & see how she handles it. If I were her media advisor I'd be tempted to suggest she admit to being a typical kiwi sometimes. But she will have to factor in any likely comment from Ashley, eh?
Here in NP I observe the 2m thing in a store (chances of me getting up close & personal with anyone are slim due to my self-imposed isolation lifestyle). We're conforming to policy, but I reckon anyone outside Ak stopped expecting regional community spreading a while back – so they won't freak out.
Only the already-anti Jacinda will froth over that. Everyone else will think, "Gosh, she's popular!". It's a beamingly happy photo; I hope it is used everywhere! Judith's "baby-gnaws-on-knuckle" pic isn't in the same league.
Im wondering if this is the same person photographed this week on stuff, with a fairly average tattoo of judith collins on his thigh????? apparentley was done in the ycato on a l(y)okal.
Incognito
Your ban of new view reminds me of the line in A Few Good Men; "You can't handle the truth."
[lprent: I guess that you can’t handle the truth. Either that or you have a reading deficiency. That was both a copyright violation and a astro-turf violation he was banned for. This is all laid out in the site policy.
Link-spamming when not in the context of the comment thread.
It is kind of hard to argue that it is in context when it was the first comment.
Similarly pasting long materials from other sites, especially copyrighted materials, is not permitted. Just link and selectively quote. Repeated offences is really dumb.
Hard to argue that there was selective quoting when there was no attempt to quote, no attribution, no link back to the originating site, and I don’t think that new view even added any of his own words – probably because of the fluff brain quality of his thinking. Even the first paragraph reeks of Farrar being his usual simpleton self (I haven’t bothered to look). There is no way that it couldn’t have been a violation of the Copyright Act 1994, and if requested by the original simpleton author, it will be removed in its entirety.
But you also violated the site policy as far as I am concerned. On two counts as well. Accusing one of the moderators of not being able to handle “the truth” when he was simply following a defined policy is offensive and abusive. And just forcing me to write this wastes my time, especially as I have had to refer you to the policy in the past.
Generally wasting a moderators time is just not a good idea. We’re there to deal with isolated problems. People persistently sucking up our voluntary time won’t like the results.
Abusing the sysop or post writers on their own site – including telling us how to run our site or what we should write. This is viewed as self-evident stupidity, and should be added as a category to the Darwin Awards.
As the term is up to the moderator, I find it proportionate (and humorous) to give you the exactly the same treatment for exactly the same basic offence. Banned for 102 days. It also means that I don’t have to waste more time calculating the end date. Incognito has already done it for me.]
The content wasn't the issue. That someone was dumping copyrighted and/or astroturfing material on the site always is. There is always a some kind of reaction to people who violate either of those two limitations because otherwise there is no incentive not to keep dropping legally liable material here.
There really isn't a requirement for us to remove the material unless requested to do so by the copyright holder. As DPF hasn’t claimed copyright on his site, then he has a full copyright to it.
Personally I find it just as offensive that Wayne is trying to tell us how we should run our site when he has clearly never bothered to think the implications through. As I remember it, he was in the Law Commission at the time they were looking at the recommendations that became the Harmful Digital Communications Act.
I guess his attitude explains why that was such widespread and probably unintended set of effects from those recommendations. As an example, it required much stronger levels of moderation on this site. It also made sure that the authorship of all comments on this site were deliberately obscured without decryption or login access, and caused a more robust form of moderation to ensure that various behaviours were constrained – like mentioning names of non-public figures.
The truth is that we negotiated hard with PDF to syndicate posts from his blog and although he was keen as a house flipper in post-lockdown, he said it would lower his mana with the RWNJ crowd and he has a reputation to uphold. At the end of the day, we could not form a coalition 🙁
Just sad, people claiming we should already be at level 1 outside Auckland trying to make this an issue a day before (like tomorrow) we are at Level 1 outside Auckland.
Sunday, so how about a sermon on the theology of democracy, which nowadays gets masked by the lesser of two evils theory. Polls indicate Labour is seen as lesser currently, but Judith has deployed the money is the root of all evil strategy to flip the binary switch in the minds of mainstreamers.
So those folk now have a real choice: the money or the bag. Familiar & traditional to Aotearoa. As a child in the 1950s, when entertainment media consisted of Selwyn Toogood and not much else, It's in the Bag was on the radio in homes all over the nation regularly.
The empire was fading in collective memory, so folks were being trained as consumers (instead of breeders and cannon fodder). The basic idea was contestants had to be seduced by a binary choice: the money or the bag. Greed make them want the money, but consumer goods were in the bag! They could be worth way more! Or way less! Thus the gamble, and the thrill driven by greed & fear simultaneously. The perfect recipe of capitalism, ubiquitous throughout the nation.
This was god's will, of course. God, being omnipotent as well as omniscient, created the devil as a useful operating system to make folks choose. The devil was in the detail (in the bag). The binary mental straitjacket imposed on mainstreamers by democracy meant they couldn't choose good, they had to choose the lesser of two evils: left or right. God was being devilishly clever!
There's more to it, of course, such as the divine right of kings devolving into the ruling class, serfs morphing into servants and the working class, etc. But for now, here endeth the lesson. Amen.
Great analogy Dennis however whether it be a wage subsidy whereby the employer gets to hand the money over or whether it’s money going directly to the consumer, it’s still money. Our money, borrowed money. Our grandkids money. Of course the real issue here is that the tax cuts stay for a couple of years. The subsidy doesn’t.
Of course the real issue here is that the tax cuts stay for a couple of years.
No, the issue is that the tax cuts only benefit the rich and won't boost the economy at all as we've seen time and time again.
Oh, and there's no guarantee that the pandemic will be over in two or three years. We may be dealing with it for decades in which case having to re-institute the taxes/subsidy would just be a waste of time and money. Better, and easier, just to get rid of it once it's no longer needed.
We will probably have to pay more to go to the doctor, or for our prescriptions if we get these tax cuts. Or more in fees for government services, ie for drivers licences, birth certificates, etc. And of course, schools will start charging parents more, then youll have congestion charges, fees for this, fees for that.
National choose tax cuts over helicopter money, as the latter is given equally and tax cuts is their traditional discrimination in favour of those on higher incomes.
Both Swarbrick and Mellow tweeted yesterday that Auckland Central was a three way split. Which is not a particularly accurate assessment of the Newshub poll. They both chose to focus on the high number of undecideds. But even if one of them could do the impossible and get all of those undecideds it still probably wouldn’t be enough to overhaul White.
It is wise to consider the ' undecided/undeclared' vote…but you are correct there is little chance the result will differ unless there is a considerable swing against White.
Undecideds disproportionately stay home on Election Day (or should that be Election Month, these days) … analysts generally place far too much importance on them.
No, but there will likely be some correlation. Undecideds in polls are likely to not vote or to ultimately distribute their votes more or less in a similar way to the majority of those polled who express preferences?
What I mean is, they are unlikely to vote en masse for one candidate and therefore change the result dramatically.
Adam Bandt in Melbourne plus Elizabeth May on Vancouver Island and Caroline Lucas in the UK seat of Brighton.
Greens could do the same here if they got off their arses and put some effort into identifying and winning a seat. But they seem to prefer scraping in on the threshold every election.
It's certainly important to her, ipso facto, it's important to me. Just heard about the $ billion. Casts your Chloe criticism into the shade a bit, Chris T!
It doesn't. Chloe managed the debate very well, as she invariably does. National stuffed-up their big launch; something they've managed to avoid in the past, but this time around, they are bedevilled by mistakes, from choosing Todd Muller, then Gerry Brownlee and Judith Collins, and now, it becomes apparent, Paora Goldsmith. Today's loss of face is par for National's 2020 "annus horribilis"
It's not especially that I thinks she's a female, Chris, I expect everyone thinks she's a female, including you and Chloe. That's important in and of itself, don't you think? I do wonder if you've got the wrong end of the stick here, and like a wee terrier, won't loosen your grip.
She's certainly a woman, Chris. I'm not sure how she refers to herself, but if she says, woman, I'll say it too. I get that you didn't think much of Chloe's Q&A appearance – thanks ever so much for letting us know and drumming your opinion home.
You called her a "mere slip of a girl", possibly because back to nature deep conservatives want a world where girls are girls and men are men – like Samson.
Well, Grafton, no (sigh, etc) I was lampooning Chris T, choosing the phrase I (somewhat ungenerously and teasingly) presumed he would use, in order to highlight what I believed to be the lack of substance to his comment. I should have used a sarcastic tag; you'll note I also said "you're clearly more intellectually adroit and debate-capable…" and if that doesn't support my claim, nothing could. I do not consider Chloe to be "a slip of a girl" and never use the phrase when describing a woman, except in jest, sarcastically or kindly (it can be done!). Thanks though, for your attention to the issue, on behalf, of, I'm assuming, Chloe who could, I'm presuming, brush off such a perceived slight, or confront me with her fury at being called such, should she choose. Being, as she is, so much more than a mere slip of a girl. Sarc, etc.
And yes, us back to nature deep conservative (?) types do want a world where men are men, girls are girls, women are women, boys are boys and so an and so on, with all the nuances and possibilities in between, above and around, calling themselves whatever they choose to call themselves. Cheers!
I don't have the ability to reply to Incognito, but if they can see this. I felt her arguments for her bill were weak as given the arguments from the other side, but as I said I will probably still vote yes
I felt her arguments for her bill were weak as given the arguments from the other side …
And now it is about how she answered specific questions??
You have been all over the place with this today and so non-committal that I’m starting to doubt that you’re interested in genuine debate and that you comment here in good faith. I can’t even figure out whether I agree or disagree with you because you have stating nothing of any substance and with clarity. You know what is likely to happen next, don’t you? Because I’m starting to get fed up with this.
If you had actually stated in your original comment @ 5 at 9:59 AM why you were of that opinion then possibly we could have had a decent conversation about a topical topic. Instead, it invited scorn, as you expected, and wasted time and bandwidth here. You had plenty of opportunity to lead the conversation in a different direction but you chose not to and more than 10 hours later we’re still none the wiser as to why you think “she was a bit crap” to you on Q+A.
Stating an opinion without giving reasons and arguments in support and/or refusing to defend it is just (as bad as) trolling. This site encourages robust debate, which is impossible with trolling hence that receives Moderator attention.
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As someone involved with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) the results of lingering Covid-19 effects are sounding like CFS. CFS results from catching a virus, sometimes very infectious, that the body does not fully recover from. The person can be left with various ailments, that cannot be attributed to a known named medical problem. So what is done is to note the ailments and see if they are included in the list that has been stated as a template for diagnosing the syndrome that is called Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
Also individuals may start to personally look at vitamin therapy, specialised diet such as an athlete's diet, so ensuring that deficiencies that the virus has left in the body's organs and mechanism can be assisted. Chronic fatigue can be overcome to a large extent, but new ways of being become necessary; the body must be considered and adjustments made to allow for the ailment and expectations of performance and recovery from physical or mental stress be changed; it will be harder and take longer than normal to regain your everyday energy for those affected with CFS.
Signs and symptoms
The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends these criteria for diagnosis:
Greatly lowered ability to do activities that were usual before the illness. This drop in activity level occurs along with fatigue and must last six months or longer.
Worsening of symptoms after physical or mental activity that would not have caused a problem before illness. This is known as post-exertional malaise (PEM).
Sleep problems
Additionally, one of the following symptoms must be present:
Problems with thinking and memory (cognitive dysfunction, sometimes described as "brain fog")
While standing or sitting upright; lightheadedness, dizziness, weakness, fainting or vision changes may occur (orthostatic intolerance)
Other common symptoms:
Many, but not all people with ME/CFS report:
Muscle pain, joint pain without swelling or redness, and headache
Tender lymph nodes in the neck or armpits
Sore throat
Irritable bowel syndrome
Chills and night sweats
Allergies and sensitivities to foods, odors, chemicals, lights, or noise
Never had it noticeably until it became evident that the early part of the morning was becoming more of a struggle. Rather than resigning myself to aging, I chose regeneration. A bit of online research threw up rosemary. Problem noticeably vanished within a few weeks of using it.
Symptom: groggy first thing, hard to clear the head & get going. Method: one of them cheap tiny whizzing sharp blade gizmos, renders a handful of rosemary leaves & flowers into tiny wee bits close to powder. Using one of them enclosing tea strainers you get at $2 shops, add to your favourite herbal tea sachet. Drink anytime of day.
I have a small pot on the stove for reheating – you can get several days out of it, more if you want. In the middle ages villagers had perpetual soups in pots above an embered fire – same principle.
If you want to defeat cancer as well, add herb Robert. Don't tell the cancer pharmaceutical industry.
Thanks Dennis. Those tips will serve us well in the future when we have to be more self reliant.
But as part of CFS, it is something that is ongoing and pervasive, it may disappear for a while then descend if the person becomes too stressed for the body's catch-up mechanism. And it would be part of ongoing symptoms that occur for at least a six-month period. The analogy that sufferers use is that you start your day with a finite bucket of energy, and have to conserve it so it lasts throughout. This unfortunately can be translated in the minds of people looking in judgment, as showing the person as lazy, malingering, playing up etc and lead to retribution and harsh targets to force the person to try, and try harder. Failure only proves to the authoritarian mind that you have a mental problem, and are just a drop-out prepared to be a burden on society.
It's a very unhappy life for those who come up against these rock-hard diagnoses. That has happened in the UK where a regimen of medical men have mostly chosen the negative and inhumane, psychological deficiency approach for many decades. I hope it has changed but certain ones are so elevated in their profession and society, there is no cause for them to examine their navels.
A few professional people have done sterling work, but the debilitating effect on sufferers means they have little energy to stand up and speak for themselves. They need a Cancer Society or Heart Trust arrangement to raise publicity and sympathy – but it is a non-physical sickness and slippery in its diagnosis, and tiredness appears to be an excuse for laziness which is something that people approach with an almost biblical disdain.
When I researched it, I was impressed by the survivor accounts online. Folks understandably want to share their good luck with others, to be helpful. After all, as I informed folks here a couple of years back, the herb is named after the 13th century Archbishop of Paris who became famous for curing his parishioners.
Word of mouth, though traditional, drives an economy more than scientific judgments. If the effect is repeatable, I mean, as usually seems to be the case with herbal lore. Human experience sometimes can't be proven in a lab, sad to say…
Word of mouth, though traditional, drives an economy more than scientific judgments. If the effect is repeatable, I mean, as usually seems to be the case with herbal lore. Human experience sometimes can't be proven in a lab, sad to say…
Driving an economy has little to do with being scientifically correct or risky to one’s health; the imperatives are completely different, orthogonal if you like (but not quite).
Repeatability and reproducibility are at the core of experimental evidence and they build confidence and predictability, statistically speaking, not because of intuition or gut feeling.
Clinical trials are not conducted in the lab; they are carefully controlled and monitored field trials.
If an effect does not show up in a trial, even with careful sub-group analysis, it fails to meet the threshold for acceptance by the science community as a proven fact. Any claims of the opposite are then misleading or worse and generally used with profit motives in mind (i.e. ‘driving an economy’).
This is how mainstream medical science works, by design, it is based on populations and not on individuals. There is a move towards personalised medicine but even those trials are not conducted on a fully individual level.
Unfortunately, these facts and nuances are often ignored when people comment on these issues. Anecdotal evidence is highly personal but generally also poorly documented and this makes it impossible to draw firm conclusions. Thus, one is left mostly with gut feelings, beliefs, and feels …
I'm wouldn't consider myself as a 'fan of Swarbrick', but I thought she was by far the best at presenting her argument on the QnA debate.,
On the other hand I thought Goldsmith was pure shit on the tax segment and if he thinks that was a game changer, he will look a Fool after election night. It seems like people on the minimum wage are not hard working people at all and deserve FA from the Nasti Party.
Spot the Freudian slip! Are the Reds to be blamed for everything? And note the bit I have bolded – we have to move seriously on getting better and more public transport; reliable and affordable and responsive to need and the commuter's requirements.
The network is one that doesn't handle events like this well, Walker said.
"You can't build your way of of it forever and we're going to have to think smarter about how we try and manage demand on the roads, so that's greater use of the likes of public transport and that sort of thing, particularly around the peak times."
NZTA owns and through the motorway alliance maintains a bridge that takes 20% of Auckland peak traffic and is nearly 70 years old and being maintained into dotage – yet they don't have spare parts ready to put up in it?
NZTA and that motorway alliance should have their heads read.
Also, if the bridge components are that brittle, should they really be hanging a large cycleway off the clipons? BECA better have that design risk-percentaged up to the eyeballs.
If they kept spares against every conceivable accident they would have a decent chunk of an entire new bridge sitting in a warehouse.
The clip-ons are separate structures to the original bridge and entirely underneath so truck impact is unlikely – worst case is big fat bastard on the downhill side maxing out the bike speed. And yes, the cycleway is going on the east side for structure reasons – trucks coming south on the east side are more likely to be empty going to the port.
I haven't forgotten the cataclysmic collapse of the huge bridge in Melbourne last century. I remember hearing that the engineers working on an unfamiliar box design I think, developed in the UK, got in touch with the original firm for advice when stresses started showing up. I don't think anyone was prepared to come forward at that late stage.
This from the University of Melbourne that touches on older bridges needing repair or strengthening to cope not only with ageing but new modern demands: https://pursuit.unimelb.edu.au/articles/a-bridge-too-far The collapse of the Morandi Bridge in Genoa, Italy, earlier this year is a stark reminder of the need for well-planned and well-funded bridge-strengthening programs.
The Morandi Bridge was constructed in 1967, a similar age to Melbourne’s West Gate Bridge, which was built in 1965. Both bridges were built when traffic and vehicle weights were far lighter and the volume of traffic less than the weight capacities today.
In August, during a thunderstorm, a 210-metre section of the 1000-metre long Morandi Bridge collapsed, killing 43 people. The collapse raises many questions – was neglectful maintenance, shoddy workmanship or poor design to blame? It also highlights the need for thorough monitoring and careful maintenance.
How good are our engineers? How stringently are their CVs checked, their certification verified? NZ had its own problems with engineers after the Christchurch earthquake.
One was that of Mr Shirtcliff – (note originally from South Africa which country has produced a number of duff white male refugees.)
Mr Shirtcliff has lived in Australia as William Fisher for more than 25 years. He has a spacious home in Brisbane, a late-model Mercedes and a $200,000 motor launch.
When Mr Shirtcliff left South Africa in late 1969 to settle in Sydney, he took on Mr Fisher's identity, including his birthplace, birthdate and his bachelor of engineering degree from the University of Sheffield.
.
The collapse of the CTV building in the earthquake brought up the problem of standards which were claimed to be obsolete by a Canterbury University academic, and also, a NZ firm which was a 'bit relaxed' (my quotes), about supervision.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CTV_Building A new reinforced concrete standard emphasising ductility came into effect in New Zealand in 1982. Stefano Pampanin, an associate professor at the University of Canterbury who teaches in structural and seismic design, described the non-ductile philosophy as "an obsolete design based on the levels of knowledge and code provisions that existed before the mid-1980s".
The structural design engineer was Alan Reay Consultants (named after the company's owner) and the architect was Alun Wilke Associates Architects, both of which are firms based in Christchurch.
In September 2012 it was discovered the man who supervised the building's construction had faked his engineering degree. Gerald Shirtcliff had stolen the identity of a retired engineer based in the UK, William Fisher.
Auckland Business Chamber's chief executive Michael Barnett said another harbour crossing has been desperately needed for years and the crash shows it is time for action.
And the Auckland Business dude fails to understand the lack of space to put another bridge. Proving, once again, that business people haven't got a clue about economics.
To be fair I think there is likely not a 4.3 billion hole in their policy, they are just hiding the fact they will be selling things off, slashing public spending by under-funding everything again, and raising taxes on the working class to help pay for it.
It is how National always try and fill in their policy holes.
After all that they would still have a hole and will just borrow us back into heavier debt again to fill in the rest.
So if National wins it will be a Loose Loose for all but the richest Kiwis
Joyce’s hole was real too, in his imagination. Beliefs and feels are real, you know, and can matter more to voters than bigly numbers peppered around in bigly lolly scrambles. National knows this so they’ll stick with spreading the vibes.
There's a hole in your bucket dear Peter, dear Peter. The name of our Finance Minister is Grant Robertson. You won't be taken seriously if you can't quote correct names and details for VIPs. (And feel free to point out my faults when you see them – I don't claim immunity.)
"Economic uncertainty, job insecurity, high unemployment, low population growth – surely the housing market is in trouble?
But no. On Monday, Westpac Bank stated that “the housing market appears to have shrugged off the latest lockdown” and “we’ve revised up our house price forecast, and now expect an increase of 3.5 percent between March and December 2020”."
low interest rates mean nothing if you cannot service the sum required …unemployment is increasing and hours worked decreasing , household income is not increasing…subprimre mortgages didnt work out too well in 2008
there are plenty of houses, almost 2 million for a population of 5 million and that population is ageing with the increasing uptake of retirement villages and rest home care…and there are around 40,000 AirBnBs in NZ which arnt going to be paying their way any time soon.
Article about infill housing. Relatives have a granny flat, properly sit4ed, and not encroached on by mutistorey buildings, it is a very good use of land, and a very pleasant klittle dwelling.
I have one strong negative to the image in this link. The housing trust has painted them dark something. I object to this fashionable concept spreading like a dark shadow over suburbs probably all over NZ. Dark or beige, horrible. Actually a telling example of the loss of joi-de-vivre? since nolib laid its dead hand on our country.
Infil housing and granny flats have been going on for decades ….havnt read article (yet) but it also appears to start from the (widely disseminated) misconception of a lack of housing
Rhetoric Pat. There is a lack of affordable housing available to people on low incomes. There must be some kept for them and not to be picked up like gems on a beach by the ravenous hordes feasting on our housing stock.
Have now read the article grey and it is as previously observed….the presupposition of a lack….as you yourself note the lack is in affordability, that is not (necessarily) corrected by more
Well Pat it seems to me that parts of the economy have to operate on two levels. If the government is set on the idea of a poor underclass and a precariat that moves in and out of poverty, there needs to be housing provided for them at the cost they can afford. The rest of the country can go for the mansions and nice little places with room for the kids to play in and nice garden and pergola and fence around.
The precariat are never going to be able to move up to that, but could make a reasonable life for themselves if they could have a place to live in that they had security in. They could get help keeping it in shape with a small amount paid each week, which gave them access to tradespeople they could afford. That would be practical for the present situation which seems ongoing. Is it too much to ask for, that people with some gravitas in the matter could actually come to the aid of the good people who are unable to climb the financial ladders?
Or we could make a conscious decision to return housing back to affordable ratios in relation to income and steer investment into productive and needed areas of the economy
I have one strong negative to the image in this link. The housing trust has painted them dark something. I object to this fashionable concept spreading like a dark shadow over suburbs probably all over NZ. Dark or beige, horrible.
I call it the 'beiging' of NZ. It is not limited to the outside of houses. Inside we find beige curtains, matching with the ubiquitous leather or faux lounge suites matching with beige or putty every second place you look.
The putty and cream combo that I think is even worse. I have just watched a very ornate 1900s house being painted ……these houses were usually quite bright with all the doo-dackies painted in different colours even down to stripes on the bullnose verandahs. It became obvious very soon the the owner was a founder member of the putty & cream brigade. All the walls, trims everything is painted either one of those colours. I thought I'll wait until they have finished they may give it some sparkle by painting the window trims or doors some thing like jade or terracotta. But no, the doors are putty, the same colour as the walls.
I think it is something damaging to do with our psyche and the fear of difference. In the same category are the houses with net curtains at every window whether or not the houses overlook or are overlooked.
On the front page of the property supplement for 19/9/20 in the Dom Post it has, GWS, a collection of terrace houses all with dark or beige and all with cars parked in the drives, perhaps becasue no garages were provided. So ugly. Talking about first impressions for potential buyers. I am sure these were not put in to illustrate bad first impressions but they unwittingly did.
You have interesting comments Shanreagh. Have you thought about why people wear dark, plain colours nearly all the time. Black seems ubiquitous. There was a year of the All Blacks but I didn't see that it was pitched to be all backs, for clothing colour.
When I was young it was all colour, floral dresses, Hawaiian shirts. Now we have been overtaken by the grey, the beige, that is the regular colour of the living quarters of space residents on space ships in tv series, and those humans and humanoids on operations for their government. Busy little ants, in a uniform world with foreboding lurking behind each scene.
I am going further with my musing. We are being drawn away from human elaboration to minimalist efficiency, and there is a stultified, and 'high art' approach which regards display as kitsch or tawdry and which I regard as sterile, pretentious and conformist. Think of tv programs where a couple of smart young women, or men, go around people's houses telling them how they should be decorated to the 'correct' level.
Stuck-up and toffy-nosed are the words of the masses for the superior class. We have been splitting away from equality into noticeable classes for some time. I think that this definition of folk art and high art expresses the mood.
Folk art encompasses art produced from an indigenous culture or by peasants or other laboring tradespeople. In contrast to fine art, folk art is primarily utilitarian and decorative rather than purely aesthetic.
Have you thought about why people wear dark, plain colours nearly all the time. Black seems ubiquitous.
I know why I do it. I can’t be bothered doing more than reaching into the draw and pulling out comfortable clothes for the day. No-one cares what I look like at work – they’re only concerned about what I do. A 20 year old white tee-shirt going grey because it goes into the wash with black jeans is ok with me. I haven’t ironed anything for decades. I buy clothes in a triennial fast clothes shop – usually at a single store and with some very confused store staff.
My partner decided a decade ago that I wasn’t allowed to do my triennial clothes shop without some guidance. While this was a bit of a pain because it now takes longer than my usual 45 minutes now, I figured out that passing over that part of my decision making for a reasonable relationship was acceptable. She was talking about being embarrassed about being seen with me. I think it was the coloured tee-shirts both fading and going distinctly grey that got to her.
I refuse to separate washing. As far as I am concerned I test clothing quality by seeing if they can survive repeated cold washes all together followed by the dryer for 10-15 years (I let the angora and wool jerseys dry without the dryer). Anyway for some reason my partner refuses to let me do her washing, nor will do mine – which is fine by me. It means that my washing is pretty functional, fats, and doesn’t involve much effort on my part.
I have the same philosophy about furniture. Which is why our furniture is mostly built like a brick outhouse. The servers live under a pub table that has literally survived since the 1790s. I grew up around furniture that was hardy antiques. I test most modern furniture to a rapid destruction.
Anyway the eventual clothes buying policy was to make sure that all assemblies of clothes matched. So it is either comfortable blacks or greys. Mostly hard wearing cotton or wool with minimal synthetics. (synthetics run through the dryer collect static far too easily and will fry electronics). I only have to make the decision about long pants or short in the morning and if I need a second or even third layer over the tee-shirt.
I’m a complete functionalist. Black works for me. It turns out that blacks washed with black take a long time to fade to grey. No-one looks at me dressed in black and says – who is that slob? The idiotic fashionistas ignore me and I don’t need to point out what dumbarses they are to be concerned about trivialities. A win all round.
You take all the fun out of housework and washing machines and being clothes conscious lprent. All that stuff about looking good and sorting your whites and darks, and fluffies is basic stuff for the advice columns on good housekeeping in women's mags as they advise on how to have the ring of confidence in your standing as a smartly turned out house manager.
eg How do you manage housework?
How do you manage home chores without a maid?
Personally I like grey and black as background colours, trousers. Then bring some colour in to the tops. For your tshirts Lynn you could support some witty, acerbic, satirists in their sacred task of waking us all up with tshirt messages that make us laugh ironically too. You could be a laughter machine lpren – let your lighter side out, beyond your utilitarian and problem-solving vocation!
The UK Green new deal was born out of a paper written by economists, including Ann Pettifor, in response to the 2008 financial crisis. It recommended a set of joined up policies that aspired to deal with the upstream conditions that shaped the credit crisis, encouraged the release of rampant carbon, and led to high oil prices.
What it did was focus squarely on how the rules of our current economic systems shaped climate change, environmental degradation and social inequity. The series of Green New Deal plans now seen across the world, were adapted from that original work and have gained increasing support from the public and across the political spectrum.
Notable examples in play in the real world include the European Commission’s 2019 €1tn ‘European Green Deal’. It aims to transform the 27-country bloc from a high- to a low-carbon economy, without reducing prosperity and while improving people’s quality of life, through cleaner air and water, better health and a thriving natural world. Meanwhile, leading the Asian region, Korea has commited USD$61bn to a Green New Deal by 2025 which they estimate will create 1.9 million new jobs by 2050.
So what do people in New Zealand politics need to be able support a New Green Deal approach? They need a roadmap that has been created for them by everyday people who most need change to happen, and they need to feel there is widespread public support for it. That support needs to be built by a range of groups across our communities and society using innovative thinking and tools.
Providing evidence driven rationales for upstream solutions to address systemic inequities is critical. However, just as important are skills in bringing a diverse range of ordinary people together in agreed and mutually beneficial collective action. Even the best policy solutions in the world need a movement to support them.
So there's this conceptual framework available as a basis for Jacinda to become genuinely transformational upon – if returned as PM post-election. Post-neoliberal politics must be more inclusive to provide a resilient path to the future so we need the Nats to get their heads around it too!
Providing evidence driven rationales for upstream solutions to address systemic inequities is critical. However, just as important are skills in bringing a diverse range of ordinary people together in agreed and mutually beneficial collective action. Even the best policy solutions in the world need a movement to support them"
And the way to do all that is to vote for the party that promotes such….its not as if one dosnt exist, even if it isnt perfect.
How about, instead of imprisoning them here and then getting caught in ten or more years of trying to deport these criminals we just deport them at the time and declare them persona non grata. Keep DNA samples and pictures.
Collins was asked what she thought when she found out about the $4 billion gaffe:
I didn’t let a baby bite my manicured fingers and drool over my moisturised hands to the point that it made my eyebrow twitch to let Paora screw up again. Where was Shane when I needed him? Aren’t doctors supposed to be on call 24/7?
I can’t wait for this Election to be over and I can be the Leader of the Opposition needling Jacinda together with my mates Cam, Dave, and Mike like in the good old days with Lord John before he sacked me without even raising an eyebrow. How unfair was that!
National's launch is not going well. They've fallen between two stools … you either have a crowd and get energy from it, or you speak as if there isn't one. Collins is trying to rev up a crowd that can't be there. They don't know when to applaud and she doesn't know when to wait for it.
The comment search is back online. Turns out that there was at some point, a change in the usage of the comment_type field. I'm not exactly sure when that went through.
I was wondering if Nicky Hager was ever going to say anything
He's been testifying at Assange's trial , but of course you all knew that what with the wall to wall coverage our media has been giving, because freedom of information and protection of journalism are our values etc.Do I really need the sarc tag?
I am also all for their drive for a great string of marine reserves as well. HOwever they will find that they contend with more feral Hilux cromagnons than Minister Sage had to deal with in the Thar-hunting community in Southland and McKenzie Country. I was part of trying to get a marine reserve going from the Waikato mouth to the kaipara – boy every meeting was crowded out with Swanndri'd Australopithicenes.
If they are geared up for the fight through the high courts, I'd welcome it because I want to be able to throw my line off a local wharf and actually catch something. It's close to dead out there.
Auckland Council and DoC have done a shockingly bad job on the Hauraki Gulf area.
Pushing the fishing industry well offshore is where they should be. If the Greens survive and get this one on the bargaining table, it will be a good move, but a big fight.
"Nearly 300 Chinese vessels accounted for 99% of visible fishing just outside the archipelago’s waters between 13 July and 13 August this year, according to analysis by marine conservation group Oceana."
Did anyone else read the praise for Ardern by Attenborough?
It was for the dropping of GDP as the centre of the budget and replacing it with wellbeing. The article itself was on the coming calamity for living things including humanity. He hoped other Governments would take a leaf out of NZ's book.
I had to take an overseas skype call, then could not find it again online NZ Herald. Oh Yes!!
'Saving Planet Earth David Attenborough praises Jacinda Ardern's policies NZ Herald.' Could someone help with the link? Cheers.
He continued: "In 2019, New Zealand made the bold step of formally dropping GDP as its primary measure of economic success and created its own index based upon its most pressing national concerns.
"In this single act, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern shifted the priorities of her whole country away from pure growth and towards something that better reflects the aspirations many of us have."
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Tuesday, March 19:Kāinga Ora’s dry rot The Spinoff DailyBill McKibben on ‘Climate Superfunds’ making Big Oil pay for climate damage The Crucial YearsPreston Mui on returning to 1980s-style productivity growth NoahpinionAndy Boenau on NIMBYs needing unusual bedfellows Urbanism SpeakeasyNed Resnikoff's case ...
Negative yesterday, negative today. Negative all year, according to one departing reader telling me I’ve grown strident and predictable. Fair enough. If it’s any help, every time I go to write about a certain topic that begins with C and ends with arrrrs, I do brace myself and ask: Again? Are ...
Bryce Edwards writes – It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just show a minimal amount of flux in public support ...
Inspirational: The Family of Man is a glorious hymn to human equality, but, more than that, it is a clarion call to human freedom. Because equality, unleavened by liberty, is a broken piano, an unstrung harp; upon which the songs of fraternity will never be played.“Somebody must have been telling lies about ...
Tax Lawyer Barbara Edmonds vs Emperor Justinian I- Nolo Contendere: False historical explanations of pivotal events are very far from being inconsequential.WHEN BARBARA EDMONDS made reference to the Roman Empire, my ears pricked up. It is, lamentably, very rare to hear a politician admit to any kind of familiarity ...
It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just show a minimal amount of flux in public support for the various parties in ...
Buzz from the Beehive Housing Minister Chris Bishop delivered news – packed with the ingredients to enflame political passions – worthy of supplanting Winston Peters in headline writers’ priorities. He popped up at the post-Cabinet press conference to promise a crackdown on unruly and antisocial state housing tenants. His ...
Ele Ludemann writes – The Reserve Bank is advertising for a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion advisor. The Bank has one mandate – to keep inflation between one and three percent. It has failed in that and is only slowly getting inflation back down to the upper limit. Will it ...
Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency Waka KotahiThe fact that a ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Gavin Jacobson talks to Thomas Piketty 10 years on from Capital in the 21st CenturyThe SalvoLocal scoop: Green MP’s business being investigated over migrant exploitation claims StuffSteve KilgallonLocal deep-dive: The commercial contractors making money from School ...
It’s a home - but Kāinga Ora tenants accused of “abusing the privilege” may lose it. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Government announced a crackdown on Kāinga Ora tenants who were unruly and/or behind on their rent, with Housing Minister Chris Bishop saying a place in a state ...
This is a guest post by Connor Sharp of Surface Light Rail Light rail in Auckland: A way forward sooner than you think With the coup de grâce of Auckland Light Rail (ALR) earlier this year, and the shift of the government’s priorities to roads, roads, and more roads, it ...
Note: As a paid-up Webworm member, I’ve recorded this Webworm as a mini-podcast for you as well. Some of you said you liked this option - so I aim to provide it when I get a chance to record! Read more ...
TL;DR: In my ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Monday, March 18:IKEA is accused of planting big forests in New Zealand to green-wash; REDD-MonitorA City for People takes a well-deserved victory lap over Wellington’s pro-YIMBY District Plan votes; A City for PeopleSteven Anastasiou takes a close look at the sticky ...
Buzz from the Beehive Here’s hoping for a lively post-cabinet press conference when the PM and – perhaps – some of his ministers tell us what was discussed at their meeting today. Until then, Point of Order has precious little Beehive news to report after its latest monitoring of the ...
David Farrar writes – We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how labour went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promiseThe result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
I’m a bit worried that I’ve started a previous newsletter with the words “just when you think they couldn’t get any worse…” Seems lately that I could begin pretty much every issue with that opening. Such is the nature of our coalition government that they seem to be outdoing each ...
Geoffrey Miller writes – Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. ...
Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
“I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
.“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
“It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet – is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
Bob Edlin writes – And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ HeraldThomas CoughlanSimeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
TL;DR:Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it: We want our country to be a ...
The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading → ...
Ele Ludemann writes – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
What was that judge thinking?Peter Williams writes – That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read:Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop:Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
Buzz from the BeehiveThe text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary. It can be quickly analysed ...
For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
Questions need to be asked on both sides of the worldPeter Williams writes – The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read:Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop:The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
TL;DR:Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
Bob Edlin writes – The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
The New Zealand public voted for a change in direction at the 2023 general election and that is exactly what this coalition government has been delivering in its first 100 days. There was an immediate focus on the economy, easing the cost of living, cracking down on law and order ...
The Government has left the health system as an afterthought, announcing half-baked targets at the last minute of their 100-day plan, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
Kiwis are still waiting for their promised cost of living support after 100 days of a National Government that is taking us backwards, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The National Government has spent its first 100 days stopping, cutting and reversing. They have scrapped stuff for stuff for the sake of it, without putting up any solutions of their own – and it’s hardworking New Zealanders who will pay for it. ...
100 days of National taking NZ backwardsThe National Government has spent its first 100 days stopping, cutting and reversing. They have scrapped stuff for stuff for the sake of it, without putting up any solutions of their own – and it’s hardworking New Zealanders who will pay for it. ...
The Government must commit to funding free and healthy school lunches, as thousands of people sign the petition to keep them, education spokesperson Jan Tinetti says. ...
If the Government was serious about moving families into public housing, they would build more houses so there is actually somewhere for people to go. ...
The free and healthy school lunches programme feeds our kids, helps them to learn, and saves families money – but it is at risk under this Government, education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
The Government’s proposed changes to Firearms Prohibition Orders (FPO) add almost nothing new and are merely an attempt to distract from its plans to loosen gun laws, police spokesperson Ginny Andersen and justice spokesperson Dr Duncan Webb said. ...
The great Victorian era English politician Lord Macauley stood in the British House of Parliament and said, "The gallery in which the reporters sit has become a fourth estate of the realm".He understood and outlined even way back then, the significant role and influence media have in a democracy. ...
"The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April. ...
Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand. Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships. “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland Acknowledgements and opening Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says. “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024 Acknowledgements and opening Morena, Nga Mihi Nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country. “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week. “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee. “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today. “The Amendment Paper represents ...
Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level. “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024. “Lower fruit and vege ...
Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all. Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all. Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction. Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness. It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
Former Transport Minister and CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber Hon Simon Bridges has been appointed as the new Board Chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for a three-year term, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced today. “Simon brings extensive experience and knowledge in transport policy and governance to the role. He will ...
Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology. It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says he is looking forward to the day when three key water projects in Northland are up and running, unlocking the full potential of land in the region. Mr Jones attended a community event at the site of the Otawere reservoir near Kerikeri on Friday. ...
Associate Finance Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government has agreed to restore deductibility for mortgage interest on residential investment properties. “Help is on the way for landlords and renters alike. The Government’s restoration of interest deductibility will ease pressure on rents and simplify the tax code,” says ...
Sport and Recreation Minister Chris Bishop will travel to Switzerland today to attend an Executive Committee meeting and Symposium of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Mr Bishop will then travel on to London where he will attend a series of meetings in his capacity as Infrastructure Minister. “New Zealanders believe ...
Pacific Media Watch Earthwise hosts Lois and Martin Griffiths. Earthwise presenters Lois and Martin Griffiths on Plains FM 96.9 community radio talk to Dr David Robie, a New Zealand author, independent journalist and media educator with a passion for the Asia-Pacific region. David talks about the struggle to raise awareness ...
Pacific Media Watch Ismail al-Ghoul, an Al Jazeera Arabic correspondent who was held for 12 hours at Gaza’s al-Shifa hospital, says Israeli forces rounded up Palestinian journalists at the facility and made them kneel on the ground for hours, while naked and blindfolded. “The occupation forces handcuffed and blindfolded us ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tony Wood, Program Director, Energy, Grattan Institute chinasong, Shutterstock Electricity customers in four Australian states can breathe a sigh of relief. After two years in a row of 20% price increases, power prices have finally stabilised. In many places they’re ...
Chumbawamba have reportedly issued the deputy PM a cease-and-desist notice after he used their song 'Tubthumping' before his state of the nation speech. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Deborah Lupton, SHARP Professor, Vitalities Lab, Centre for Social Research in Health and Social Policy Centre, and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society, UNSW Sydney kitzcorner/Shutterstock The assertion from Queensland’s chief health officer John Gerrard that ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Shutterstock Why are musicians so keen to get played on the radio? It can’t be because of the money. In Australia they are paid at rates so low they ...
"Farmers make a point not to tell our urban cousins how to live, yet Chlöe from central Auckland is hell-bent on having her say about farmers," says ACT Rural Communities spokesman Mark Cameron. “On her first day in the House as Green ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards – Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Curran, Associate Professor of Ecology, Lincoln University, New Zealand Getty Images/Gerald Corsi In the latest move to reform environmental laws in New Zealand, the coalition government has introduced a bill to fast-track consenting processes for projects deemed to ...
Uber has argued it does not have as much control over drivers as the unions suggest, and wants a judgment ruling that drivers are employees and not contractors set aside and sent back to the Employment Court. The 2022 ruling followed a three-week hearing in which four drivers sought to ...
What can and can’t be purchased by disabled people or their carers has been slashed in an effort by the Ministry of Disabled People Whaikaha to save money. The purchasing guidelines, a set of rules that sets out what can be purchased using the various streams of Government disability funding, ...
The Treasury has published today a new Analytical Note by Tod Wright and Hien Nguyen, Fiscal incidence in New Zealand: The effects of taxes and benefits on household incomes in tax year 2018/19 . Analyses of the distributional impact of taxation and government ...
The Treasury has published today a new Analytical Note by Cory Davis, Boston Hart and Benjamin Stubbing, Household cost-of-living impacts from the Emissions Trading Scheme and using transfers to mitigate regressive outcomes . This Analytical Note ...
A coalition of public transport and climate organisations, united as ‘Transport for All’, is actively opposing the government’s transport proposals. The draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) includes plans for higher fares for public transport, ...
Greater Wellington is inviting feedback on proposed changes to its Revenue and Financing Policy. The Revenue and Financing Policy covers the Council’s various sources of funding, and how the cost of services is shared across the region. This includes ...
Labour has conceded it could have done more to deal with disruptive state housing tenants while in government but says the current coalition is going too far. ...
The band has asked their record label to issue a cease and desist to stop the NZ First leader using their 1997 hit to support his ‘misguided political views’. “I get knocked down, but I get up again,” blared through the speakers on Sunday as Winston Peters took the stage ...
By Lydia Lewis, RNZ Pacific journalist Food rationing is underway in remote areas in Papua New Guinea’s Highlands following torrential rain and flash flooding. More than 20 people have been reported dead in Chimbu Province. In nearby Enga Province, the centre of last month’s massacre, a 15-year-old boy has been ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Hughes, Lecturer, Research School of Management, Australian National University After months of debate and intrigue, the AFL’s 19th and newest team, the Tasmania Devils, finally launched its jumper, logo and colours in Devonport this week. The Devils will wear green, ...
Brannavan Gnanalingam reviews the debut novel by Saraid de Silva.One of the most baffling things for children who move to a new country is what their parents’ (or grandparents’) lives were like prior to moving – for kids in particular, they’re too busy trying to fit in in their ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Gaunson, Associate Professor in Cinema Studies, RMIT University Narelle Portanier/Binge “If you don’t know who your mob are, you don’t know who you are,” Detective Andrea “Andie” Whitford (played by Leah Purcell) is told early into the new crime ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elise Klein, Associate professor, Australian National University It’s commonly accepted that women do the vast majority of caregiving in Australian society. But less appreciated is that Indigenous women do larger amounts of unpaid care than any other group. Working with the Aboriginal ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne Joe Biden and Donald Trump have both secured their parties’ nominations for the November 5 United States general election by winning a ...
Comment: There has been a striking contrast in trans-Tasman interest about Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi’s visit to New Zealand and Australia. While the Australian press has been full of articles about the visit – including his curious decision to meet with former prime minister and China booster Paul Keating ...
After years of pressuring banks and other institutions to stop investing in fossil fuels, climate campaigners are making some progress. So how does divestment work?For years, climate activists have been pushing banks and other big institutions to divest from fossil fuels. New research from climate advocacy group 350 Aotearoa ...
For Boba, Ethan and Ashley, K-pop is a place to belong, a way to express themselves, and a bridge to connect with others. The three young Polynesians are part of a K-pop fan community in Tāmaki Makaurau. It’s one of many that have sprung up worldwide as K-pop has gone ...
For Boba, Ethan and Ashley, K-pop is a place to belong, a way to express themselves, and a bridge to connect with others. This one-off documentary presents three intimate portraits of young Polynesians who are pulled into a Korean cultural phenomenon. K-POLYS is directed by Litia Tuiburelevu, Produced by Hex ...
There’s ample evidence demonstrating free school lunch programmes provide wide benefits across schools, households and communities according to public health researchers. ACT Minister David Seymour wants to reduce the spending on Aotearoa New Zealand’s ...
By Wata Shaw in Suva Fiji is facing an exodus of Fijians as many are leaving for overseas seeking employment and education and others are migrating, says Opposition MP Viliame Naupoto. Speaking in Parliament, he said: “His Excellency’s speech (Ratu Wiliame Katonivere) comes after a little over one year of ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is welcoming comments from Christopher Luxon this morning recommitting to ‘no new taxes’ as part of Budget 2024. “Mr Luxon’s refusal at the Post-Cabinet press conference yesterday to repeat the ‘no new taxes’ promise ...
SAFE is urgently calling on the Environment Committee to reject the Government’s Fast-Track Approvals Bill, and is urging New Zealanders to rally behind the call. The proposed Bill, currently under consideration with the Environment select committee, ...
Teammates who spend all their time picking fights with spectators are only helpful for the other team, writes Madeleine Chapman. Anyone who has ever played a team sport competitively, particularly as a child and particularly, for some reason, basketball, will know that there’s a lot of politics involved. While there ...
The long-running Wellington music festival is too focused on the Jim Beam-ness and not enough on the Homegrown-ness.There is something about Homegrown that’s difficult to place. A barely perceptible-ness. Like feeling a ghost is watching you from the corner of the room but when you look, there’s nothing there. ...
The latest Ipsos New Zealand Issues Monitor reveals that fewer New Zealanders believe crime / law and order is one of the top issues facing our country. In 2018, Ipsos New Zealand started tracking the key issues facing New Zealand. In this wave ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Griffiths, Deputy Program Director, Budgets and Government, Grattan Institute Australia’s political donations rules are woefully inadequate, but donations reform is finally on the agenda. The federal government has signalled its interest in reform and will soon begin briefing MPs on its ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Patrick Taylor, Chief Environmental Scientist, EPA Victoria; Honorary Professor, School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University Naiyana Somchitkaeo/Shutterstock A recent study published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine has linked microplastics with risk to human health. The study ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Albert Van Dijk, Professor, Water and Landscape Dynamics, Fenner School of Environment & Society, Australian National University Global climate records were shattered in 2023, from air and sea temperatures to sea-level rise and sea-ice extent. Scores of countries recorded their hottest year ...
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a teacher explains why he and his partner are in frugal mode – and how they’re making it work. Gender: Male Age: 35Ethnicity: Pākehā Role: I am an intermediate school teacher and my partner is ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Bendall, Senior Lecturer, Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences, Australian Catholic University Binge Mary & George, the new British television drama series, depicts the real-life story of Mary Villiers and her son George, and their social climbing at the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jason Nassios, Associate Professor, Centre of Policy Studies, Victoria University This article is part of The Conversation’s series examining the housing crisis. Read the other articles in the series here. Australian state and federal governments spend money in many ways to ...
The finance minister is denying that there’s a $5.6b shortfall in paying for the government’s campaign promises, including tax cuts. At his post-cabinet press conference yesterday, the PM refused to rule out new taxes to pay for the cuts, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s ...
Kāinga Ora tenants abused by their neighbours are doubting the government's crackdown on disruptive tenants will make a difference on their behaviour. ...
Kāinga Ora is New Zealand’s biggest residential landlord, housing more than 180,000 vulnerable people in more than 67,000 properties. Yesterday the government announced a crackdown on its tenants who fall behind on rent. One longtime Kāinga Ora tenant shares her experience.For 18 years I lived in a 1960s standalone ...
Why does this myth persist, and what’s the real reason our skin is suffering?It’s one of the biggest international grievances New Zealanders hold, up there with the sinking of the Rainbow Warrior and 1981’s underarm incident. We’re quick to tell international travellers that the world’s pollution led to the ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[quiz],DIV[quiz],A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions. The post Newsroom daily quiz, Tuesday 19 March appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Bob’s relationship with certain members of Lincoln’s academic staff continued to deteriorate in the 1990s. Others supported him publicly, though articles such as Roland Clark’s 1993 piece in Growing Today cannot have pleased the university management. Clark wrote that Bob was selling onions from the Biological Husbandry Unit to a ...
SailGP’s races feature in-your-face action, with agile, hydro-foiling catamarans tacking and jibing for the title over several days. However, public comments ahead of the global series’ return to New Zealand have left this past year’s controversy in the shadows, as a key appointment attracts criticism from dolphin advocates. A year ...
Opinion: We are fast approaching a fundamental change in prisons. As the number of people on custodial remand looks set to overtake the number of sentenced prisoners, the main function of prisons in New Zealand may become incarcerating un-sentenced people who may not be guilty of offending. We have already ...
A huge seven months lies in store for the White Ferns, beginning this week with the visit of England and culminating with the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh in September and October. Starting on Tuesday in Dunedin, the world ranked No. 2 visitors will play five T20s and three ODIs, ...
Opinion: In a move that has shocked road safety advocates across the country, the new Minister of Transport, Simeon Brown, is poised to abandon the previous government’s speed limit reduction policy, particularly around schools. Even more alarmingly, he wants school speed limits to be variable rather than full-time, arguing ...
Auckland Council is opposing a fast-track development backed by Sir John Kirwan and Spark NZ, because it doesn’t meet stringent new climate adaptation requirements The post Surf-data centre faces new 3.8C climate warming rules appeared first on Newsroom. ...
When the Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act was introduced in 2009 it was firmly targeted at gangs and drugs. The legislation means police no longer need a conviction to seize assets that criminals can’t prove were paid for legitimately, as long as their alleged offences are punishable by more than a ...
The letters, which were published last week, were addressed to Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) Chairperson Megawati Sukarnoputri, National Democrat Party (NasDem) Chairperson Surya Paloh, National Awakening Party (PKB) Chairperson Muhaimin Iskandar, Justice and Prosperity Party (PKS) President Ahmad Syaikhu and United Development Party (PPP) Chairperson Muhammad Mardiono. In ...
Evicting more people from state housing is ignorant to the consequences of poverty, the Greens say, but the Housing Minister says it's a privilege that can be taken away if abused. ...
Evicting more people from state housing is ignorant to the consequences of poverty, the Greens say, but the Housing Minister says it's a privilege that can be taken away if abused. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emerald L King, Lecturer in Humanities, University of Tasmania IMDB Between Netflix’s 2023 live-action version of One Piece, and its latest take on Avatar: The Last Airbender, fans are once again asking: why are live-action anime adaptations so tricky to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emerald L King, Lecturer in Humanities, University of Tasmania IMDB Between Netflix’s 2023 live-action version of One Piece, and its latest take on Avatar: The Last Airbender, fans are once again asking: why are live-action anime adaptations so tricky to ...
The government says it still intends to deliver tax cuts by July, but will not lock them in until they have got them past their coalition partners. ...
FFS I knew she was just a magazine cover but didn’t know she was dangerous as well
DAVID UNWIN/STUFF
Here is the official Government advice on what we should do at Level 2:
But hey what’s more important – a group selfie, or promoting Covid-19 safety.
Share this:
[FFS!
Did you post this BS before you woke up and engaged that fluff in your skull that pretends to be RWNJ brain or are you a SM manipulator or DP operative doing the dirty work for PDF et al with the link-whoring?
It is straight and exact copy & paste job of a post on KB with four (!) convenient links for sharing. Well, thank you very much!
Moderators of this site don’t like dealing with the mind-numbingly stupid and blatantly dishonest, particularly with the election campaign in full swing.
Banned for the same number of days as the number of comments on that KB post, i.e. 102 days – Incognito]
What's missing here? The date the photo was taken. Looks like fake news then, eh? You reckon a career as an agent of disinformation is a goer, think again. Gotta get the basics right first… 😷
https://i.stuff.co.nz/manawatu-standard/news/
300110276/prime-minister-jacinda-ardern-backs-tangi-utikere-to-win-palmerston-north-seat
If that was taken in the Manawatu then they are at level two and groups of 100 are allowed. They are outside so what is your problem?
I’m in CHB. We’re at level two also. Still supposed to social distance. You know . Space at the supermarket etc. it’s called leading by example. Stop making excuses. Or does it only apply to lesser mortals.
New View is right, you should read the above level 2 rules listed above. They apply for Manawatu as well as the rest of NZ. I believe the rules also apply to politicians as well as plebs.
It was stupid but doesn't appear to be against the rules.
It was taken two days ago at Massey University apparently.
Ah, but isnt she a pretty little communist?
She is easy on the eyes but she ain't no communist. .
we have all seen this picture. Really we did. And she still ain’t no communist. Not even a socialist. But easy on the eyes.
Unlike what appears to be some kind of neanderthal in the photo above.
Bloody hell he looks like an ugly arsehole.
He's an unattractive farmer.
I think Pat was being ironic. Its an example of why its important to put /sarc at end when you intend that. Otherwise it just seems malicious as new view's first comment was.
Sadly greywarshark humour (?) loses its effect when it has to be explained
I meant when it was understood to be humour you chump./sarc
GWS. People here can see no wrong in what Jacinda Ardern does. It’s amusing not malicious. Imagine if Judith Collins had done similar. It would be front page everywhere. Of course JC won’t have the adoration of the crowds but she is attempting to come up with policies post Covid which is what the tax cuts are about. What is the Coalition policies for when the wage subsidy comes off or did I miss that.
What use will tax cuts be for people who don't have a job? Collins is just offering candy to try and keep some middle class votes.
None Solkta But an employer who is under less financial pressure may consider not letting an employee go or even employ an additional person. It also puts more cash in circulation which is exactly what this Government is doing but will stop doing after the election. The wage subsidy doesn’t help those without jobs now does it. And yes it’s designed to get votes. Just like Jacinda Ardern’s little public gathering in my photo attached above. It’s electioneering.
Politicians, out meeting the public, during the campaign period; "it's electioneering"!!!
Call the Fraud Squad!
Okay, you weren't doing fake news, fair enough. A technical breach of the govt policy by the PM is an interesting situation, I agree.
Media will jump on it so wait & see how she handles it. If I were her media advisor I'd be tempted to suggest she admit to being a typical kiwi sometimes. But she will have to factor in any likely comment from Ashley, eh?
Here in NP I observe the 2m thing in a store (chances of me getting up close & personal with anyone are slim due to my self-imposed isolation lifestyle). We're conforming to policy, but I reckon anyone outside Ak stopped expecting regional community spreading a while back – so they won't freak out.
Only the already-anti Jacinda will froth over that. Everyone else will think, "Gosh, she's popular!". It's a beamingly happy photo; I hope it is used everywhere! Judith's "baby-gnaws-on-knuckle" pic isn't in the same league.
Codger's licking babies all over the shop, skew view, haven't you noticed?
The baby's like, "It tastes like vinegar and misery! I'll never settle after this!"
Im wondering if this is the same person photographed this week on stuff, with a fairly average tattoo of judith collins on his thigh????? apparentley was done in the ycato on a l(y)okal.
See my Moderation note @ 6:31 AM.
Incognito
Your ban of new view reminds me of the line in A Few Good Men; "You can't handle the truth."
[lprent: I guess that you can’t handle the truth. Either that or you have a reading deficiency. That was both a copyright violation and a astro-turf violation he was banned for. This is all laid out in the site policy.
It is kind of hard to argue that it is in context when it was the first comment.
Hard to argue that there was selective quoting when there was no attempt to quote, no attribution, no link back to the originating site, and I don’t think that new view even added any of his own words – probably because of the fluff brain quality of his thinking. Even the first paragraph reeks of Farrar being his usual simpleton self (I haven’t bothered to look). There is no way that it couldn’t have been a violation of the Copyright Act 1994, and if requested by the original simpleton author, it will be removed in its entirety.
But you also violated the site policy as far as I am concerned. On two counts as well. Accusing one of the moderators of not being able to handle “the truth” when he was simply following a defined policy is offensive and abusive. And just forcing me to write this wastes my time, especially as I have had to refer you to the policy in the past.
As the term is up to the moderator, I find it proportionate (and humorous) to give you the exactly the same treatment for exactly the same basic offence. Banned for 102 days. It also means that I don’t have to waste more time calculating the end date. Incognito has already done it for me.]
Wayne, you've been here many years and know that spamming the site with KB content is going to piss mods off irrespective of the content.
If the content were an issue, why wasn't it removed?
The content wasn't the issue. That someone was dumping copyrighted and/or astroturfing material on the site always is. There is always a some kind of reaction to people who violate either of those two limitations because otherwise there is no incentive not to keep dropping legally liable material here.
There really isn't a requirement for us to remove the material unless requested to do so by the copyright holder. As DPF hasn’t claimed copyright on his site, then he has a full copyright to it.
Personally I find it just as offensive that Wayne is trying to tell us how we should run our site when he has clearly never bothered to think the implications through. As I remember it, he was in the Law Commission at the time they were looking at the recommendations that became the Harmful Digital Communications Act.
Umm.. Yep
https://www.lawcom.govt.nz/sites/default/files/projectAvailableFormats/NZLC%20MB3.pdf
I guess his attitude explains why that was such widespread and probably unintended set of effects from those recommendations. As an example, it required much stronger levels of moderation on this site. It also made sure that the authorship of all comments on this site were deliberately obscured without decryption or login access, and caused a more robust form of moderation to ensure that various behaviours were constrained – like mentioning names of non-public figures.
I’m not sure if I follow or if there is a typo; PDF does claim copyright at the bottom of his web page!?
I doubt he will request removal of the ‘infringing’ material as he’s inviting people to share it
Ah – my mistake. Copyright symbol.
I think I spent too much time in code today.
also Jack Nicholson's character was an arsehole, out of control with his power. Probably not the best reference all things considered.
from memory, it was jacks character that ultimatley couldnt handle the jandal.
😀
The truth is that we negotiated hard with PDF to syndicate posts from his blog and although he was keen as a house flipper in post-lockdown, he said it would lower his mana with the RWNJ crowd and he has a reputation to uphold. At the end of the day, we could not form a coalition 🙁
lol.
Just sad, people claiming we should already be at level 1 outside Auckland trying to make this an issue a day before (like tomorrow) we are at Level 1 outside Auckland.
Sunday, so how about a sermon on the theology of democracy, which nowadays gets masked by the lesser of two evils theory. Polls indicate Labour is seen as lesser currently, but Judith has deployed the money is the root of all evil strategy to flip the binary switch in the minds of mainstreamers.
So those folk now have a real choice: the money or the bag. Familiar & traditional to Aotearoa. As a child in the 1950s, when entertainment media consisted of Selwyn Toogood and not much else, It's in the Bag was on the radio in homes all over the nation regularly.
The empire was fading in collective memory, so folks were being trained as consumers (instead of breeders and cannon fodder). The basic idea was contestants had to be seduced by a binary choice: the money or the bag. Greed make them want the money, but consumer goods were in the bag! They could be worth way more! Or way less! Thus the gamble, and the thrill driven by greed & fear simultaneously. The perfect recipe of capitalism, ubiquitous throughout the nation.
This was god's will, of course. God, being omnipotent as well as omniscient, created the devil as a useful operating system to make folks choose. The devil was in the detail (in the bag). The binary mental straitjacket imposed on mainstreamers by democracy meant they couldn't choose good, they had to choose the lesser of two evils: left or right. God was being devilishly clever!
There's more to it, of course, such as the divine right of kings devolving into the ruling class, serfs morphing into servants and the working class, etc. But for now, here endeth the lesson. Amen.
Great analogy Dennis however whether it be a wage subsidy whereby the employer gets to hand the money over or whether it’s money going directly to the consumer, it’s still money. Our money, borrowed money. Our grandkids money. Of course the real issue here is that the tax cuts stay for a couple of years. The subsidy doesn’t.
D N F T T
Mostly its just created money.
And if you were really worried about the grand-kids you'd be demanding that the private banks stop creating money and charging interest on it. That sort of thing is mathematically, and financially, impossible to support.
No, the issue is that the tax cuts only benefit the rich and won't boost the economy at all as we've seen time and time again.
Oh, and there's no guarantee that the pandemic will be over in two or three years. We may be dealing with it for decades in which case having to re-institute the taxes/subsidy would just be a waste of time and money. Better, and easier, just to get rid of it once it's no longer needed.
We will probably have to pay more to go to the doctor, or for our prescriptions if we get these tax cuts. Or more in fees for government services, ie for drivers licences, birth certificates, etc. And of course, schools will start charging parents more, then youll have congestion charges, fees for this, fees for that.
or in others words 'private sector taxes'
National choose tax cuts over helicopter money, as the latter is given equally and tax cuts is their traditional discrimination in favour of those on higher incomes.
Liked your sermon Dennis F – shakes your hand at the door, first applying hand sanitiser of course.
Both Swarbrick and Mellow tweeted yesterday that Auckland Central was a three way split. Which is not a particularly accurate assessment of the Newshub poll. They both chose to focus on the high number of undecideds. But even if one of them could do the impossible and get all of those undecideds it still probably wouldn’t be enough to overhaul White.
If the Greens cant even get close in the most liberal seat in NZ, they need to figure out their profile.
Even the Melbourne Greens can do it.
The Melbourne Greens got close to winning the most liberal seat in NZ???
The Melbourne Greens won a really liberal seat in Melbourne in 2018, and have 3 in the Victoria Parliament.
So they are in Parliament, and it looks like the Greens in New Zealand won't be.
But hey, focus on syntax if you like.
" it looks like the Greens in New Zealand won't be"
To you. Speculation's a mug's game. Did you speculate, 3 years ago, that The Greens wouldn't be in Parliament? I suspect you did (just speculating').
However, currently the NZ Green Party has 3 times more representation than the Victorian Greens in their respective Parliaments.
Birds do it, bees do it…Melbourne does it, Let's vote for the Greens.
youtube video
It is wise to consider the ' undecided/undeclared' vote…but you are correct there is little chance the result will differ unless there is a considerable swing against White.
Poll result with undecideds
White 33.5%
Mellow 21.0%
Swarbrick 19.1%
Undecided 20.7%
The party vote is even more emphatic
Undecideds disproportionately stay home on Election Day (or should that be Election Month, these days) … analysts generally place far too much importance on them.
almost 21% undecided (albeit from a relatively small sample) is particularly high however
In 2017 turnout in Auckland Central was 79%, in 2014 it was 76%.
Are you suggesting a direct correlation between poll undecideds and turnout?
No, but there will likely be some correlation. Undecideds in polls are likely to not vote or to ultimately distribute their votes more or less in a similar way to the majority of those polled who express preferences?
What I mean is, they are unlikely to vote en masse for one candidate and therefore change the result dramatically.
Fair enough…and all logical. Expect that turnout may well be down this election because of the perceived foregone conclusion.
.
Yep … usually 10-15% in pre-Election Individual Electorate Polls.
The unknown is how they are undecided, is it between White and Swarbrick, or between Mellow and whatever, or between voting and not voting.
Not sure if the polling always goes into that sort of detail. Presume it would for internal party ones.
@Ad (and Robert) 3.1
Adam Bandt in Melbourne plus Elizabeth May on Vancouver Island and Caroline Lucas in the UK seat of Brighton.
Greens could do the same here if they got off their arses and put some effort into identifying and winning a seat. But they seem to prefer scraping in on the threshold every election.
I'm happy for them to scrape in on the threshold every election
It's more fun to figure out how the Greens will fuck up and lose votes every election.
The Greens don't "lose every election".
"It's more fun to figure out how the Greens will fuck up and lose votes every election."
Some peoples idea of fun….
I will probably be shot down by her fans, but have to say Swarbrick isn't doing her argument any favours on Q and A weed debate this morning.
Will probably vote yes to the thing still, but find a better spokesperson.
Perhaps you take the job, Chris T; you're clearly more intellectually adroit and debate-capable that that mere slip of a girl!
Is there a reason why it is important to you she is a young woman?
Sly riposte Chris T.
It's certainly important to her, ipso facto, it's important to me. Just heard about the $ billion. Casts your Chloe criticism into the shade a bit, Chris T!
The fact National made a cock up in costings doesn't change Swarbrick's performance on Q and A
It doesn't. Chloe managed the debate very well, as she invariably does. National stuffed-up their big launch; something they've managed to avoid in the past, but this time around, they are bedevilled by mistakes, from choosing Todd Muller, then Gerry Brownlee and Judith Collins, and now, it becomes apparent, Paora Goldsmith. Today's loss of face is par for National's 2020 "annus horribilis"
While I agree on the National cock-up, I disagree on Swarbrick's performance on Q and A which funny enough was my point.
You still haven't answered why it matters she is a "girl"
Or for that matter why you don’t give her the dignity to say she is a woman
In fact even that doesn't get into the fact why you think her being a female even matters
It's not especially that I thinks she's a female, Chris, I expect everyone thinks she's a female, including you and Chloe. That's important in and of itself, don't you think? I do wonder if you've got the wrong end of the stick here, and like a wee terrier, won't loosen your grip.
She's certainly a woman, Chris. I'm not sure how she refers to herself, but if she says, woman, I'll say it too. I get that you didn't think much of Chloe's Q&A appearance – thanks ever so much for letting us know and drumming your opinion home.
You called her a "mere slip of a girl", possibly because back to nature deep conservatives want a world where girls are girls and men are men – like Samson.
ttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delilah#/media/File:Samson_and_Delilah_film_still.JPG
Well, Grafton, no (sigh, etc) I was lampooning Chris T, choosing the phrase I (somewhat ungenerously and teasingly) presumed he would use, in order to highlight what I believed to be the lack of substance to his comment. I should have used a sarcastic tag; you'll note I also said "you're clearly more intellectually adroit and debate-capable…" and if that doesn't support my claim, nothing could. I do not consider Chloe to be "a slip of a girl" and never use the phrase when describing a woman, except in jest, sarcastically or kindly (it can be done!). Thanks though, for your attention to the issue, on behalf, of, I'm assuming, Chloe who could, I'm presuming, brush off such a perceived slight, or confront me with her fury at being called such, should she choose. Being, as she is, so much more than a mere slip of a girl. Sarc, etc.
And yes, us back to nature deep conservative (?) types do want a world where men are men, girls are girls, women are women, boys are boys and so an and so on, with all the nuances and possibilities in between, above and around, calling themselves whatever they choose to call themselves. Cheers!
I don't have the ability to reply to Incognito, but if they can see this. I felt her arguments for her bill were weak as given the arguments from the other side, but as I said I will probably still vote yes
Judge for yourselves and you may disagree
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/shows/q-and-a/clips/q-a-cannabis-referendum-debate
sigh
That still doesn’t tell us anything because it is vague as. For example, what arguments, why were they weak, etc?
I thought dinner was a bit crap.
Why?
It was not as good as another dinner that I liked better, but I’ll still choose this one when given a choice.
Is this a constructive conversation that is going anywhere?
And now it is about how she answered specific questions??
You have been all over the place with this today and so non-committal that I’m starting to doubt that you’re interested in genuine debate and that you comment here in good faith. I can’t even figure out whether I agree or disagree with you because you have stating nothing of any substance and with clarity. You know what is likely to happen next, don’t you? Because I’m starting to get fed up with this.
Incognito
Probably mostly her inability to handle impairment and children questions
Far out mate.
Was just pointing out she was a bit crap to me on Q and A.
Were you on Q&A???
I didn't see you!
If you had actually stated in your original comment @ 5 at 9:59 AM why you were of that opinion then possibly we could have had a decent conversation about a topical topic. Instead, it invited scorn, as you expected, and wasted time and bandwidth here. You had plenty of opportunity to lead the conversation in a different direction but you chose not to and more than 10 hours later we’re still none the wiser as to why you think “she was a bit crap” to you on Q+A.
You have obviously not seen the Smith "taking a crap" sculpture.
Kind of thought that was what open mike was for. And frankly thanks yes I will while you think she is a slip of a girl
Stating an opinion without giving reasons and arguments in support and/or refusing to defend it is just (as bad as) trolling. This site encourages robust debate, which is impossible with trolling hence that receives Moderator attention.
With all due respect Robert. (I can't reply to your other post as there is no reply button)
Just not calling women a mere slip of a girl. Is probably a better idea than trying to pretend you know what other people think.
Your best comment today!
Staying on topic aeems to be a lost art with some people
In contrast this was Nick Smith's performance this morning,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF20FGZfOfc
Mike called out for misleading figures by the broadcasting watchdog. What a surprise (Sarcasm)
He loves to make things up in support of National. He is just a right-wing hack always supporting the fake right-wing narratives.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/mediawatch/audio/2018764431/watchdog-runs-the-numbers-on-covid-death-claims
edit
As someone involved with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) the results of lingering Covid-19 effects are sounding like CFS. CFS results from catching a virus, sometimes very infectious, that the body does not fully recover from. The person can be left with various ailments, that cannot be attributed to a known named medical problem. So what is done is to note the ailments and see if they are included in the list that has been stated as a template for diagnosing the syndrome that is called Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
Also individuals may start to personally look at vitamin therapy, specialised diet such as an athlete's diet, so ensuring that deficiencies that the virus has left in the body's organs and mechanism can be assisted. Chronic fatigue can be overcome to a large extent, but new ways of being become necessary; the body must be considered and adjustments made to allow for the ailment and expectations of performance and recovery from physical or mental stress be changed; it will be harder and take longer than normal to regain your everyday energy for those affected with CFS.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/chronic-fatigue-syndrome/symptoms-causes/syc-20360490
.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronic_fatigue_syndrome#Signs_and_symptoms
Signs and symptoms
The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends these criteria for diagnosis:
Additionally, one of the following symptoms must be present:
Other common symptoms:
Many, but not all people with ME/CFS report:
brain fog
Never had it noticeably until it became evident that the early part of the morning was becoming more of a struggle. Rather than resigning myself to aging, I chose regeneration. A bit of online research threw up rosemary. Problem noticeably vanished within a few weeks of using it.
Symptom: groggy first thing, hard to clear the head & get going. Method: one of them cheap tiny whizzing sharp blade gizmos, renders a handful of rosemary leaves & flowers into tiny wee bits close to powder. Using one of them enclosing tea strainers you get at $2 shops, add to your favourite herbal tea sachet. Drink anytime of day.
I have a small pot on the stove for reheating – you can get several days out of it, more if you want. In the middle ages villagers had perpetual soups in pots above an embered fire – same principle.
If you want to defeat cancer as well, add herb Robert. Don't tell the
cancerpharmaceutical industry.Thanks Dennis. Those tips will serve us well in the future when we have to be more self reliant.
But as part of CFS, it is something that is ongoing and pervasive, it may disappear for a while then descend if the person becomes too stressed for the body's catch-up mechanism. And it would be part of ongoing symptoms that occur for at least a six-month period. The analogy that sufferers use is that you start your day with a finite bucket of energy, and have to conserve it so it lasts throughout. This unfortunately can be translated in the minds of people looking in judgment, as showing the person as lazy, malingering, playing up etc and lead to retribution and harsh targets to force the person to try, and try harder. Failure only proves to the authoritarian mind that you have a mental problem, and are just a drop-out prepared to be a burden on society.
It's a very unhappy life for those who come up against these rock-hard diagnoses. That has happened in the UK where a regimen of medical men have mostly chosen the negative and inhumane, psychological deficiency approach for many decades. I hope it has changed but certain ones are so elevated in their profession and society, there is no cause for them to examine their navels.
A few professional people have done sterling work, but the debilitating effect on sufferers means they have little energy to stand up and speak for themselves. They need a Cancer Society or Heart Trust arrangement to raise publicity and sympathy – but it is a non-physical sickness and slippery in its diagnosis, and tiredness appears to be an excuse for laziness which is something that people approach with an almost biblical disdain.
About it – http://www.drvallings.co.nz/what-is-cfs.html
This from a woman GP giving her own experience with the syndrome; experience is the most bitter way of learning of the Confucian three ways to wisdom.
https://www.rcplondon.ac.uk/news/do-you-really-believe-me
While i understand you are being facetious with your..
If you want to defeat cancer as well, add herb Robert. Don't tell the
cancerpharmaceutical industry.It's not particularly funny when you have understandably desperate people reading them as they will want to believe.
https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE0003/S00015/lyprinol-cancer-cure-stories-inaccurate-bsa.htm
When I researched it, I was impressed by the survivor accounts online. Folks understandably want to share their good luck with others, to be helpful. After all, as I informed folks here a couple of years back, the herb is named after the 13th century Archbishop of Paris who became famous for curing his parishioners.
Word of mouth, though traditional, drives an economy more than scientific judgments. If the effect is repeatable, I mean, as usually seems to be the case with herbal lore. Human experience sometimes can't be proven in a lab, sad to say…
I italicised the important bit.
You can't usually read the accounts of the dead people, the Steve Jobs's of the world.
Good point. Indeed essential to take account of the failures – for a balanced view. History tends to ignore losers!
I got the hardcover bio of him from an opshop for a dollar last summer. Damn good read, that. A real doorstopper – if you need one that big…
Driving an economy has little to do with being scientifically correct or risky to one’s health; the imperatives are completely different, orthogonal if you like (but not quite).
Repeatability and reproducibility are at the core of experimental evidence and they build confidence and predictability, statistically speaking, not because of intuition or gut feeling.
Clinical trials are not conducted in the lab; they are carefully controlled and monitored field trials.
If an effect does not show up in a trial, even with careful sub-group analysis, it fails to meet the threshold for acceptance by the science community as a proven fact. Any claims of the opposite are then misleading or worse and generally used with profit motives in mind (i.e. ‘driving an economy’).
This is how mainstream medical science works, by design, it is based on populations and not on individuals. There is a move towards personalised medicine but even those trials are not conducted on a fully individual level.
Unfortunately, these facts and nuances are often ignored when people comment on these issues. Anecdotal evidence is highly personal but generally also poorly documented and this makes it impossible to draw firm conclusions. Thus, one is left mostly with gut feelings, beliefs, and feels …
Shakespeare knew all about it! “There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance; pray, love, remember;"
Interesting, thanks. Reminds us how easily traditions that help people can get lost despite enduring value, due to culture change.
I'm wouldn't consider myself as a 'fan of Swarbrick', but I thought she was by far the best at presenting her argument on the QnA debate.,
On the other hand I thought Goldsmith was pure shit on the tax segment and if he thinks that was a game changer, he will look a Fool after election night. It seems like people on the minimum wage are not hard working people at all and deserve FA from the Nasti Party.
Gonner: no longer existing, about to expire, die or be gone.
Oh Lol!!
Campaign team's a bit slow on it if they didn't see that one coming… And in Tamaki too
How long did it last before they changed it
Spot the Freudian slip! Are the Reds to be blamed for everything? And note the bit I have bolded – we have to move seriously on getting better and more public transport; reliable and affordable and responsive to need and the commuter's requirements.
The network is one that doesn't handle events like this well, Walker said.
"You can't build your way of of it forever and we're going to have to think smarter about how we try and manage demand on the roads, so that's greater use of the likes of public transport and that sort of thing, particularly around the peak times."
'You can't build your way out of it forever' – Neil Walker duration 9′ :24″
from Sunday Morning
Walker says he's been told it was a rouge gust yesterday that was unexpected but a review surrounding the incident will take place.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/426494/auckland-harbour-bridge-damage-you-can-t-build-your-way-out-of-it-forever
Is a rouge gust a Communist Plot?
lol…I did see that part ( I linked on this)
https://thestandard.org.nz/will-our-cities-revive/
Socialist Weather Control ….: )
NZTA owns and through the motorway alliance maintains a bridge that takes 20% of Auckland peak traffic and is nearly 70 years old and being maintained into dotage – yet they don't have spare parts ready to put up in it?
NZTA and that motorway alliance should have their heads read.
Also, if the bridge components are that brittle, should they really be hanging a large cycleway off the clipons? BECA better have that design risk-percentaged up to the eyeballs.
If they kept spares against every conceivable accident they would have a decent chunk of an entire new bridge sitting in a warehouse.
The clip-ons are separate structures to the original bridge and entirely underneath so truck impact is unlikely – worst case is big fat bastard on the downhill side maxing out the bike speed. And yes, the cycleway is going on the east side for structure reasons – trucks coming south on the east side are more likely to be empty going to the port.
The civil engineers need to get uncivil with each other and check that they have all stresses worked out, allowing for this and that exception that stretches it all to breaking point.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/426379/auckland-harbour-bridge-lanes-could-be-closed-for-several-weeks
I haven't forgotten the cataclysmic collapse of the huge bridge in Melbourne last century. I remember hearing that the engineers working on an unfamiliar box design I think, developed in the UK, got in touch with the original firm for advice when stresses started showing up. I don't think anyone was prepared to come forward at that late stage.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Gate_Bridge
Just before midday on 15 October 1970, a 120 metre span of the half-built West Gate Bridge collapsed into the Yarra, killing 35 workers. A royal commission to investigate the cause of the collapse attributed the failure to a litany of errors in the structural design and method of erection of the bridge. https://www.abc.net.au/archives/80days/stories/2012/01/19/3411538.htm
This from the University of Melbourne that touches on older bridges needing repair or strengthening to cope not only with ageing but new modern demands: https://pursuit.unimelb.edu.au/articles/a-bridge-too-far
The collapse of the Morandi Bridge in Genoa, Italy, earlier this year is a stark reminder of the need for well-planned and well-funded bridge-strengthening programs.
The Morandi Bridge was constructed in 1967, a similar age to Melbourne’s West Gate Bridge, which was built in 1965. Both bridges were built when traffic and vehicle weights were far lighter and the volume of traffic less than the weight capacities today.
In August, during a thunderstorm, a 210-metre section of the 1000-metre long Morandi Bridge collapsed, killing 43 people. The collapse raises many questions – was neglectful maintenance, shoddy workmanship or poor design to blame? It also highlights the need for thorough monitoring and careful maintenance.
.
Some relevant reports that are in pdf I think and I can't receive them but others no doubt can:
https://www.westgatebridge.org/sites/default/files/downloads/pat_preston.pdf
http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/journals/AUConstrLawNlr/2008/35.pdf
.
How good are our engineers? How stringently are their CVs checked, their certification verified? NZ had its own problems with engineers after the Christchurch earthquake.
One was that of Mr Shirtcliff – (note originally from South Africa which country has produced a number of duff white male refugees.)
https://www.smh.com.au/world/fake-engineer-and-a-deadly-building-20120914-25xpd.html
An investigation by Fairfax Media shows that in 1970 Mr Shirtcliff stole the identity of an English engineer called William Anthony Fisher, with whom he worked in South Africa in 1968 and 1969.
Mr Shirtcliff has lived in Australia as William Fisher for more than 25 years. He has a spacious home in Brisbane, a late-model Mercedes and a $200,000 motor launch.
When Mr Shirtcliff left South Africa in late 1969 to settle in Sydney, he took on Mr Fisher's identity, including his birthplace, birthdate and his bachelor of engineering degree from the University of Sheffield.
.
The collapse of the CTV building in the earthquake brought up the problem of standards which were claimed to be obsolete by a Canterbury University academic, and also, a NZ firm which was a 'bit relaxed' (my quotes), about supervision.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CTV_Building
A new reinforced concrete standard emphasising ductility came into effect in New Zealand in 1982. Stefano Pampanin, an associate professor at the University of Canterbury who teaches in structural and seismic design, described the non-ductile philosophy as "an obsolete design based on the levels of knowledge and code provisions that existed before the mid-1980s".
The structural design engineer was Alan Reay Consultants (named after the company's owner) and the architect was Alun Wilke Associates Architects, both of which are firms based in Christchurch.
In September 2012 it was discovered the man who supervised the building's construction had faked his engineering degree. Gerald Shirtcliff had stolen the identity of a retired engineer based in the UK, William Fisher.
And the Auckland Business dude fails to understand the lack of space to put another bridge. Proving, once again, that business people haven't got a clue about economics.
Grant Robinson finds 4.3 billion hole in Nats latest tax relief plan
To be fair I think there is likely not a 4.3 billion hole in their policy, they are just hiding the fact they will be selling things off, slashing public spending by under-funding everything again, and raising taxes on the working class to help pay for it.
It is how National always try and fill in their policy holes.
After all that they would still have a hole and will just borrow us back into heavier debt again to fill in the rest.
So if National wins it will be a Loose Loose for all but the richest Kiwis
NATS admit funding mistakes made, so this time a real hole found
Joyce’s hole was real too, in his imagination. Beliefs and feels are real, you know, and can matter more to voters than bigly numbers peppered around in bigly lolly scrambles. National knows this so they’ll stick with spreading the vibes.
Being loose is what John Key specialised in; if National were to be elected it would be lose lose . . .
peterh at 11
There's a hole in your bucket dear Peter, dear Peter. The name of our Finance Minister is Grant Robertson. You won't be taken seriously if you can't quote correct names and details for VIPs. (And feel free to point out my faults when you see them – I don't claim immunity.)
"Economic uncertainty, job insecurity, high unemployment, low population growth – surely the housing market is in trouble?
But no. On Monday, Westpac Bank stated that “the housing market appears to have shrugged off the latest lockdown” and “we’ve revised up our house price forecast, and now expect an increase of 3.5 percent between March and December 2020”."
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/as-safe-as-houses
What possible reason could the sector have in promoting such a positive outlook?
There are Kiwi's coming back into the country that likely sold off homes overseas and are now buying here.
very few…and certainly not enough to offset the lost short and long term migration.
2. Not enough houses being built, and new houses construction slowing fast once the last big set of units and apartments are completed this year.
Article about infill housing. Relatives have a granny flat, properly sit4ed, and not encroached on by mutistorey buildings, it is a very good use of land, and a very pleasant klittle dwelling.
I have one strong negative to the image in this link. The housing trust has painted them dark something. I object to this fashionable concept spreading like a dark shadow over suburbs probably all over NZ. Dark or beige, horrible. Actually a telling example of the loss of joi-de-vivre? since nolib laid its dead hand on our country.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/homed/122768084/close-to-home-could-second-dwellings-be-a-solution-to-the-housing-supply-crisis
Infil housing and granny flats have been going on for decades ….havnt read article (yet) but it also appears to start from the (widely disseminated) misconception of a lack of housing
Rhetoric Pat. There is a lack of affordable housing available to people on low incomes. There must be some kept for them and not to be picked up like gems on a beach by the ravenous hordes feasting on our housing stock.
Have now read the article grey and it is as previously observed….the presupposition of a lack….as you yourself note the lack is in affordability, that is not (necessarily) corrected by more
Well Pat it seems to me that parts of the economy have to operate on two levels. If the government is set on the idea of a poor underclass and a precariat that moves in and out of poverty, there needs to be housing provided for them at the cost they can afford. The rest of the country can go for the mansions and nice little places with room for the kids to play in and nice garden and pergola and fence around.
The precariat are never going to be able to move up to that, but could make a reasonable life for themselves if they could have a place to live in that they had security in. They could get help keeping it in shape with a small amount paid each week, which gave them access to tradespeople they could afford. That would be practical for the present situation which seems ongoing. Is it too much to ask for, that people with some gravitas in the matter could actually come to the aid of the good people who are unable to climb the financial ladders?
Or we could make a conscious decision to return housing back to affordable ratios in relation to income and steer investment into productive and needed areas of the economy
How should that be done Pat?
DTIs and change the incentives.
For others like me who don't have a full set of acronym code breakers embedded:
Residential mortgage lending by debt-to-income (DTI) purpose use – C40 – Reserve Bank of New Zealand. Monetary policy. https://www.rbnz.govt.nz/statistics/c40-residential-mortgage-lending-by-debt-to-income-dti-purpose-use
I call it the 'beiging' of NZ. It is not limited to the outside of houses. Inside we find beige curtains, matching with the ubiquitous leather or faux lounge suites matching with beige or putty every second place you look.
The putty and cream combo that I think is even worse. I have just watched a very ornate 1900s house being painted ……these houses were usually quite bright with all the doo-dackies painted in different colours even down to stripes on the bullnose verandahs. It became obvious very soon the the owner was a founder member of the putty & cream brigade. All the walls, trims everything is painted either one of those colours. I thought I'll wait until they have finished they may give it some sparkle by painting the window trims or doors some thing like jade or terracotta. But no, the doors are putty, the same colour as the walls.
I think it is something damaging to do with our psyche and the fear of difference. In the same category are the houses with net curtains at every window whether or not the houses overlook or are overlooked.
On the front page of the property supplement for 19/9/20 in the Dom Post it has, GWS, a collection of terrace houses all with dark or beige and all with cars parked in the drives, perhaps becasue no garages were provided. So ugly. Talking about first impressions for potential buyers. I am sure these were not put in to illustrate bad first impressions but they unwittingly did.
You have interesting comments Shanreagh. Have you thought about why people wear dark, plain colours nearly all the time. Black seems ubiquitous. There was a year of the All Blacks but I didn't see that it was pitched to be all backs, for clothing colour.
When I was young it was all colour, floral dresses, Hawaiian shirts. Now we have been overtaken by the grey, the beige, that is the regular colour of the living quarters of space residents on space ships in tv series, and those humans and humanoids on operations for their government. Busy little ants, in a uniform world with foreboding lurking behind each scene.
I am going further with my musing. We are being drawn away from human elaboration to minimalist efficiency, and there is a stultified, and 'high art' approach which regards display as kitsch or tawdry and which I regard as sterile, pretentious and conformist. Think of tv programs where a couple of smart young women, or men, go around people's houses telling them how they should be decorated to the 'correct' level.
Stuck-up and toffy-nosed are the words of the masses for the superior class. We have been splitting away from equality into noticeable classes for some time. I think that this definition of folk art and high art expresses the mood.
Folk art encompasses art produced from an indigenous culture or by peasants or other laboring tradespeople. In contrast to fine art, folk art is primarily utilitarian and decorative rather than purely aesthetic.
https://courses.lumenlearning.com/culturalanthropology/chapter/folk-art/
I know why I do it. I can’t be bothered doing more than reaching into the draw and pulling out comfortable clothes for the day. No-one cares what I look like at work – they’re only concerned about what I do. A 20 year old white tee-shirt going grey because it goes into the wash with black jeans is ok with me. I haven’t ironed anything for decades. I buy clothes in a triennial fast clothes shop – usually at a single store and with some very confused store staff.
My partner decided a decade ago that I wasn’t allowed to do my triennial clothes shop without some guidance. While this was a bit of a pain because it now takes longer than my usual 45 minutes now, I figured out that passing over that part of my decision making for a reasonable relationship was acceptable. She was talking about being embarrassed about being seen with me. I think it was the coloured tee-shirts both fading and going distinctly grey that got to her.
I refuse to separate washing. As far as I am concerned I test clothing quality by seeing if they can survive repeated cold washes all together followed by the dryer for 10-15 years (I let the angora and wool jerseys dry without the dryer). Anyway for some reason my partner refuses to let me do her washing, nor will do mine – which is fine by me. It means that my washing is pretty functional, fats, and doesn’t involve much effort on my part.
I have the same philosophy about furniture. Which is why our furniture is mostly built like a brick outhouse. The servers live under a pub table that has literally survived since the 1790s. I grew up around furniture that was hardy antiques. I test most modern furniture to a rapid destruction.
Anyway the eventual clothes buying policy was to make sure that all assemblies of clothes matched. So it is either comfortable blacks or greys. Mostly hard wearing cotton or wool with minimal synthetics. (synthetics run through the dryer collect static far too easily and will fry electronics). I only have to make the decision about long pants or short in the morning and if I need a second or even third layer over the tee-shirt.
I’m a complete functionalist. Black works for me. It turns out that blacks washed with black take a long time to fade to grey. No-one looks at me dressed in black and says – who is that slob? The idiotic fashionistas ignore me and I don’t need to point out what dumbarses they are to be concerned about trivialities. A win all round.
Suzzanne Vega has other reasons…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dTnFLC9jPM
You take all the fun out of housework and washing machines and being clothes conscious lprent. All that stuff about looking good and sorting your whites and darks, and fluffies is basic stuff for the advice columns on good housekeeping in women's mags as they advise on how to have the ring of confidence in your standing as a smartly turned out house manager.
eg How do you manage housework?
How do you manage home chores without a maid?
Personally I like grey and black as background colours, trousers. Then bring some colour in to the tops. For your tshirts Lynn you could support some witty, acerbic, satirists in their sacred task of waking us all up with tshirt messages that make us laugh ironically too. You could be a laughter machine lpren – let your lighter side out, beyond your utilitarian and problem-solving vocation!
That poor kid….bluurgh…(And the Collins Image has gone. Well thank F for that : )
Here's an origin story which may become historic:
So there's this conceptual framework available as a basis for Jacinda to become genuinely transformational upon – if returned as PM post-election. Post-neoliberal politics must be more inclusive to provide a resilient path to the future so we need the Nats to get their heads around it too!
Providing evidence driven rationales for upstream solutions to address systemic inequities is critical. However, just as important are skills in bringing a diverse range of ordinary people together in agreed and mutually beneficial collective action. Even the best policy solutions in the world need a movement to support them"
And the way to do all that is to vote for the party that promotes such….its not as if one dosnt exist, even if it isnt perfect.
Convicted of a record heroin bust, a former child refugee caught in a diplomatic deadlock may never leave New Zealand
How about, instead of imprisoning them here and then getting caught in ten or more years of trying to deport these criminals we just deport them at the time and declare them persona non grata. Keep DNA samples and pictures.
Collins was asked what she thought when she found out about the $4 billion gaffe:
I didn’t let a baby bite my manicured fingers and drool over my moisturised hands to the point that it made my eyebrow twitch to let Paora screw up again. Where was Shane when I needed him? Aren’t doctors supposed to be on call 24/7?
I can’t wait for this Election to be over and I can be the Leader of the Opposition needling Jacinda together with my mates Cam, Dave, and Mike like in the good old days with Lord John before he sacked me without even raising an eyebrow. How unfair was that!
National's launch is not going well. They've fallen between two stools … you either have a crowd and get energy from it, or you speak as if there isn't one. Collins is trying to rev up a crowd that can't be there. They don't know when to applaud and she doesn't know when to wait for it.
On the plus side, she kept it short.
Yeah, I thought they had a couple of steaming piles either side as well..
I'm guilty, I felt it in my heart though didn't say it – about the two stools.
The comment search is back online. Turns out that there was at some point, a change in the usage of the comment_type field. I'm not exactly sure when that went through.
where … comment_type ='';
to
where … comment_type in ('', 'comment');
Thanks lprent – all the cognoscenti salute you and we others just get warm feelings – in the right places.
I was wondering if Nicky Hager was ever going to say anything
He's been testifying at Assange's trial , but of course you all knew that what with the wall to wall coverage our media has been giving, because freedom of information and protection of journalism are our values etc.Do I really need the sarc tag?
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/world/assange-spent-days-redacting-aussie-names-in-wikileaks-court-told/news-story/f0a366e17caccc15f065da08f612f4b1
https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2020/09/20/media-watch-nicky-hager-on-the-julian-assange-case-and-the-nz-media-coverage-blackout/
Yes.. But NZ media and rednecks love ignoring Nicky. To our shame, many NZers need more than a sarc tag..
Craig Murray is doing a wonderful job of covering this historic trial, this is the day 12 link: https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2020/09/your-man-in-the-public-gallery-assange-hearing-day-12/
Also, Caitlin Johnson on the same: http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/55598.htm
And Pepe Escobar on the implications for journalism in general: http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/55603.htm
[Fixed typo in user name]
That's a gutsy policy by the Greens to propose banning of trawling and dredging of the whole of the Hauraki Gulf.
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/greens-announce-election-pledge-ban-bottom-trawling-dredging-in-hauraki-gulf?auto=6192709301001
I am also all for their drive for a great string of marine reserves as well. HOwever they will find that they contend with more feral Hilux cromagnons than Minister Sage had to deal with in the Thar-hunting community in Southland and McKenzie Country. I was part of trying to get a marine reserve going from the Waikato mouth to the kaipara – boy every meeting was crowded out with Swanndri'd Australopithicenes.
If they are geared up for the fight through the high courts, I'd welcome it because I want to be able to throw my line off a local wharf and actually catch something. It's close to dead out there.
Auckland Council and DoC have done a shockingly bad job on the Hauraki Gulf area.
Pushing the fishing industry well offshore is where they should be. If the Greens survive and get this one on the bargaining table, it will be a good move, but a big fight.
Pushing the fishing industry well offshore is where they should be.
The heavy deepwater fleets are in layup due to the repatriation of crews at the end of season.
Fancy all those russians wanting to leave our socialist paradise for a fascist homeland.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/122818435/tiedup-fishing-boats-signal-overseas-worker-crisis-for-industry
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/sep/17/chinese-fishing-armada-plundered-waters-around-galapagos-data-shows
"Nearly 300 Chinese vessels accounted for 99% of visible fishing just outside the archipelago’s waters between 13 July and 13 August this year, according to analysis by marine conservation group Oceana."
For mine the latest coronavirus case is most likely via infection at the managed isolation facility in Christchurch.
Did anyone else read the praise for Ardern by Attenborough?
It was for the dropping of GDP as the centre of the budget and replacing it with wellbeing. The article itself was on the coming calamity for living things including humanity. He hoped other Governments would take a leaf out of NZ's book.
I had to take an overseas skype call, then could not find it again online NZ Herald. Oh Yes!!
'Saving Planet Earth David Attenborough praises Jacinda Ardern's policies NZ Herald.' Could someone help with the link? Cheers.
Saving planet Earth: Sir David Attenborough praises Jacinda Ardern's policies
Thanks DTB, He indoors says the Nats will be sick. A 4 billion hole and this blighting their election start.
Simon might want to check his flyers for spelling mistakes before handing them out.
What a shambles!
😀
No wonder he never delivered those 10 promised bridges!