Fenton St business owner Donna Walsh told the hearing she had to lock the doors of their fashion store, Willow Boutique, between customers because they felt unsafe.
this is something that i do too, and many other businesses. It is just safer.
"Rotorua has 50 motels (in emergency housing) and Auckland has 100. Rotorua has 1.5 per cent of New Zealand's population but has 9 to 10 per cent of the emergency housing population. It's disproportionate.
these are the small low budget motels for the most part that used to house kiwi families coming for an affordable holiday. Not anymore. It is too dangerous now.
Restore Rotorua chairman Trevor Newbrook said the organisation…..,
did not want the consents granted and wanted to stop people from outside Rotorua moving into the city's emergency housing.
He said he found "unbelievable" the continued "denials" of the council, Government departments, MPs and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern – whom he said was recorded as saying it was a "perception" people came from out of town.
He said the Ministry of Social Development's report released this year showed a third of those in emergency housing were not living in Rotorua in the 30 days before entering a motel.
I know of one of these people, she sleeps in her unwarranted, unrego'ed car often times as she consideres the motels unsafe. She has her family in Auckland.
Watchdog Security chief executive officer Brett Wilson said despite claims most people were local, it was his view a "significant portion" of those in the motels were from out of town.
For example, his police colleagues had told him about a Palmerston North man recently released from serving a prison sentence for two serious crimes and now living in a Rotorua motel.
We all know at least one person who is in one of these hovels who is not and never was from Rotorua and who has no connection to Rotorua.
The city's police and medical support resources were also impacted and the Government had not given additional resources to compensate.
"We have a lot of interaction with police but in the last 12 months the ability of police has dropped off because they are so tied up with family violence and drug activity in emergency housing."
Yes, it is so fucking bad. And family violence is everywhere.
He said contacts at Rotorua Hospital had said the emergency department was "clogged up" with people from emergency housing as many of them did not have a GP.
Wilson said he had spoken to some people in the motels – many of whom did not want to go on record for fear of retaliation – who told him they don't like the way the contracted motels were being run.
this is what the women who sleeps in her car rather then the motel said. Tiny Dean literally has his own gang masquerading as security. People are quite scared actually.
He described security plans at the motels as "woefully inadequate" and was concerned about some of the people being employed in security roles.
Yeah, Tiny Deans private little militia.
Glenholme resident Ryan Holmes congratulated the council on the "amazing clean-up" before the hearing started. He said graffiti was gone, lawns were mowed and trolleys and rubbish picked up.
In his view: "It is all to create an impression all is well on MSD Mile. If you had been here a week ago, you would have been shocked."
Yeah, cause we are all suckers and bitches to the goverment. And sadly it will take only a few days to again look like the beginning of Skid Row.
Christina Phillips, a retired teacher with over 34 years' experience …..,
she was concerned about the risk to the learning and development of children in central Rotorua emergency housing motels, including there being little to no play equipment or green space for children.
She believed there was no goodwill from the moteliers making big money out of emergency housing to put any of it back into providing safe play environments for children.
we are all concerned and why would these government paid slumlords actually do anything, after all they are just there for emergency housing and no standards apply. Never mind the kids.
Urbano Bistro owner Richard Sewell described the situation as a "catastrophe" and said Rotorua's reputation was "in tatters".snip
He said since writing his submission when he had 17 staff, he now had eight and was struggling to find staff. His revenue was down 45 per cent.
"This might be the end of the road for us."
all of us my friend, all of us. The town that was killed by a government who could not give a fuck, can't be bothered, and really just wants to look good on camera. Never mind the damage hiding behind the camera.
Hennessy's Irish Bar owner Reg Hennessy said he saw the violence, drug dealing and intimidation not only around his central city pub but when he walked his dog along Fenton St while living in Sophia St – at a home he has since sold out of safety concerns.
He said gangs had "mushroomed" in Rotorua and he often drove home on Fenton St at 11pm and saw little kids playing on the road.
He described seeing drugged-out people stumbling around the central city as being like something from a "zombie movie".
yep, all that shite is happening, in plain sight and no the police can't do anything, i don't know maybe they aren't supposed to do anyting.
A lawyer representing Restore Rotorua, Vanessa Hamm, told commissioners she was "dismayed" to hear earlier evidence that suggested having a group such as Restore Rotorua "magnified" the issues residents faced.
"That is really patronising."
Well, you made the government look bad, the ministers as out of touch, and we can't have that.
The commissioners, David Hill, Sheena Tepani and Greg Hill will hear more submissions today and Friday before reconvening Monday, October 31, finishing on Tuesday, November 1.
Do i expect any chances? Not sure. Fact is that Rotorua was screwed over by a government that really could not care at all about the people living there. A government that wanted to be seen as doing something and that rain misery, hell, crime, drugs, open panhandling, prostitution and child abuse on our town, and all that under the guise of kindness.
Reminder to the do-gooders that like the government don't really care about the issues that arrive when one just drops people on a town in a 'out of sight out of mind' frame of thinking, we have no industries others then tourism, and red stag timber. We have lost most of our tourism, Kiwis don't stay in Rotorua anymore as it is now too dangerous, and they are quite right.
We have 11% unemployment – way way way above the 'average' of NZ, and we have a government that can't give a fuck. You want to know why Labour has a chance of losing the next election worse then Cunliffe lost, it is this not giving a fuck.
But i am really happy that Tiny Dean and some people without scruples made millions of the governments tit. I mean there has to be a bright side, and homelessness and misery is a good earner for those that made a career out of the hunger and misery of other people.
Interesting how nobody is talking about Visions of a Helping Hand loaning a van for anti-vaxxers to go riot in Wellington. It also seems like they're linked to Marty Verry through Paul Laing, a former trustee of the group who shares the same name as Red Stag's commercial manager.
The current ideology about local government is driven by central government and across multiple areas: housing development policy, RMA changes, shrinking orle of local government in totality, and removal of control of all water functions.
That is where you will find people don't want to work in local government.
Rotorua is feeling the effects of decades of neglect and Sabine blames it all on the current government. Typical of someone who doesn't seem to know the history behind the situation and the racism that has been rife there for nearly two hundred years. Then she tries to claim its all about something called ideology.
Its got nothing to do with ideology but problems that have been allowed to fester for so many years, and it will take as many years to eradicate.
I’ve heard Tapsell being interviewed a few times now. She sounds fantastic. A breath of fresh air from the current in vogue wokery. My only fear for Rotorua is that she is so good, she’s likely to be shoulder tapped for a higher office.
He is settled married with family here and in Parliament. Unlike the chorus he is working on projects. Today at Reporoa opened a Biogas producer using waste to produce biogas. But you would rather diss our region.
When I see statements like the following I would think that Sabine's 11% figure may be correct.
"According to latest figures from the Ministry of Social Development (MSD), there are about 5000 people currently on Job Seeker benefits in Rotorua which represents over 10% of the working age population."
Alwyn, not forgetting the work allowance has increased to $180 odd which means your "Unemployed might be doing a days work a week. They would be underemployed then.
You’re making a basic error. I’d expect more from someone with qualifications in economics.
Investigating the relationship between unemployment and benefit receipt provides technical audiences a shared understanding of the relationship between people who are unemployed and those who receive Jobseeker Support – Work Ready (JS-WR).
…
From there, we examined the proportion of unemployed people in receipt of JS-WR to test the commonly held assumption that there should be a large amount of overlap between the two groups.
We found that levels of unemployment and JS-WR should not be assumed to indicate a single pool of unemployed JS-WR recipients, even when at a similar level or moving in the same direction, as many unemployed people are not in receipt of JS-WR, and many JS-WR recipients are not unemployed.
I’ve never seen scenes like it at the entrance to a voting lobby. Tories on open warfare. Jostling and Rees Mogg shouting at his colleagues. Whips screaming at Tories. They are done and should call a general election. Two Tory whips dragging people in. Shocking.
Extraordinary stuff happening here during the vote on fracking which is apparently “not a confidence vote”. I’ve just witnessed one Tory member in tears being manhandled into the lobby to vote against our motion to continue the ban on fracking @BBCNewsnight@PaulBrandITV
Amazing quotes spilling out of so many Tory mouths, it's hard to keep up. (Links? all UK media, every minute). Like …
"I am fucking furious and I don’t give a fuck anymore"
That's a deputy Whip!
For historical comparison, probably the closest in NZ would be Shipley/Peters or Lange/Douglas. But this is way more brutal and chaotic than even our worst.
That realisation came faster than the dropping of New Year’s resolutions, which happens annually and not three-yearly. Not voting has almost as many consequences as voting and you lose bragging or whining rights too.
Comedy gold. Couldn't be bothered voting now regret not voting. Well should've, would've, could've, need to get of their ass and vote next time. If you don't vote, then you can't complain about the outcome.
As a young person who's had to move flats three times this year, all I can say is it was a fucking nightmare to register, to the point where it almost verges on voter suppression. One of my flatmates spent about an hour on hold just to be told that, as far as RealMe is concerned, he doesn't exist. Maybe we don't pay rates directly, but I'm paying over $200 a week to the guy who does, so it's pretty outrageous how hard it was to express my basic democratic right.
The image shows "Bryce" standing behind a huge tractor that bears a sign that reads, "STOP strangling farmers they ARE the original environmentalists"
Bryce is wearing heavy boots and is standing on bare ground; soil that's been stripped of its plant-cover, churned up by machinery (and probably herbicide) – it looks lifeless, yet his billboard says, again, that farmers are environmentalists!
Farmers were the original environmentalists when they farmed within the capacity of their land. Now, land is stocked to industrial levels with the aid of shit like palm kernel. Cropping is intensified with the aid of artificial fertilisers and pesticides. And let's not get started on the use and abuse of water.
Farmers must have hired a new PR firm. Their "original environmentalists" message has replaced "We are guardians of the land".
Both are pure BS of course. No mention of the fact that when European settlement began a massive amount of NZ's native forest was felled or burnt off to make way for farms. That continued what Maori had done but to a greater extent.
The loss of animal, bird and plant life must have been colossal.
Bryce is probably keeping 20,000 people alive and is using the tools available to maximize yield.
Bryce probably has an intimate knowledge of soil biology, plant growing and his local environment, that puts him in the top echelon of New Zealand horticulturalists.
Now the dust is slowly settling and the smoke clearing we (…) finally are starting to see some sense. For me, the fact that Jacinda Ardern stepped in to find some loose change to quell the anger of the mob is a watershed moment.
When Latin got dropped from the NZ School Curriculum there was no uproar and Chris Hipkins didn’t try to save it from its untimely death. Perhaps they should have applied to Creative NZ for continuation of funding.
I did Latin at school and Uni. Discussing this today, my friend says that something has to drop off the curriculum if we want to teach Māori, Health and Computer Studies, none of which I was taught at school.
We had Latin, used slide rules (guessing sticks), and certainly nothing about relationships was even mentioned. Instead we practised hymns and Art consisted of dictated notes on pottery but never a drawing pencil or paintbrush in hand.
So I can mourn the loss of Latin, along with Religious Instruction, just as earlier generations lost abacuses in schools, and Rhetoric, Greek and Ancient Sumerian hieroglyphics.
Very few would have paid attention or given a shit if it hadn’t been for those couple of assessors’ comments. It was never about Shakespeare whom most only care about if it is on Netflix. The cancellation of Latin never had the good fortune of becoming a wedge issue in a virtual culture war. Oh well, you win some, you lose some; c’est la vie.
“The regular calls for negotiations to end Russia’s war with Ukraine tend to be more directed at Kyiv or Washington than Moscow, as if they are the main stumbling blocks. Yet it is Vladimir Putin that is demanding that this war leads to a fundamental change in borders and political arrangements, that on any reading of international law he has no right to demand. Vladimir Putin does not preclude talks, but only so long as Russia is allowed to hold on to occupied territory, and even territory from which it has had to retreat. Volodymyr Zelensky demands withdrawal, and while at the start of war he might have been ready to go back to position of 23 February 2022 he now expects to go to the position of eight years earlier before Russia annexed Crimea.”
International law seems increasingly irrelevant given the actions of western powers of late such as the deliberate destruction of the Nordstream pipelines and the blowing up of the Kersh bridge using a truckbomb , seems pretty obvious that the objective of these operations is to prolong and escalate the conflict .
Where does it say in international law that its ok for the united states to occupy land in syria ? or that its ok for israel to continue bulldozing palistinian homes to make more room for israely settlements .The list is very long indeed of the most powerfull countries thumbing their nose at international law.
To my mind addressing Washington and Kyiv to end this war is entirely justified and i'd add London as well .
Well if America had been arming us for ten years and they put in place a pro American gov in order to threaten and in the event of war breaking out weaken australia then yeah i guess they'd have the right .
So far as i know stuart the people of the Donbas wished they'd had more help from Russia not less and could not understand why they took so long to confront the American backed nationalists directly which is why the referendums offering citizenship with the russian federation were taken up so wholeheartedly , they'd had nearly nine years to make up their mind !!
If you knew a little more about the behaviour of the post-soviet Russian state, and the fate of those satellites that chose to leave it, we would hear a great deal less of your pro-despotic assertions.
The West was taken by surprise in 2014, having themselves no plans to go to war with Russia. But in the time since, having learned their lesson, he no longer gets the benefit of the doubt.
The best thing for Russia is a regime change – which, as a brutal kleptocracy, is long overdue. The best thing for Ukraine is a timely cessation of hostilities.
Russian agents like Girkin have no future in a free Ukraine – they will go to considerable lengths to prevent one. In no way do such espiocrats represent a plausible popular separatist movement – he is an agent provocateur, Russia's catspaw, nothing more.
Well, well, the Transmission Gully protesters drove there in hired vans according to today's Dominion Post. Do as we say, not do as we do. At least they should have got up earlier and ridden their bikes there. One thinking person needing to get on with his day managed to outwit them.
The group want the government to "Restore Passenger Rail". So as soon as there's a functioning rail system, they're going to use the train instead of a hired van…
Also looking forward to the impatient car drivers ripping off the banners from the "farmers" blocking the roads today. More likely that the two biggest polluter groups in this country stick together though…
However, there will always be a big difference between the two: Polluting car drivers will always be just a problem and never be the solution to pollution. While farmers are in a more important position, many of them are part of the problem now and they can / must be part of the solution for the future.
When are the two main political parties in the country have the balls telling the polluters that the days of pollution have to come to an end soon?
It is inevitable – even the National (Polluter) Party surely know this – and obviously, significant parts of our daily life, like infrastructure, agriculture, have to be ready for those days.
How long does it take to get ready? How many decades for something on that scale?
Or do we simply block all combustion engines on our roads from one day to another and shoot million of cows within a month to achieve the necessary, internationally agreed targets?
It's worse than that, Jimmy. These people are dicing with death. All it needs is for some P- head, or the Mongrel Mob, to be held up, and you can bet someone will be on their way to ICU.
They put themselves directly in the path of the public in an area which is heavily restricted and operated by only by Police and NZTA appointed traffic control.
So glad there are people like this to protect our children /s
Arizona GOP Candidate Arrested For Allegedly Masturbating In Truck Near Preschool
…
In a Facebook post from May, Kaufman said he wanted “our children protected [from] the progressive left.”
Kaufman was charged with public sexual indecency, but 12News in Phoenix reported that Kaufman could also face a possible felony charge because of his proximity to the preschool.
Can't believe I actually agree with Eaqub (don't buy a house in Auckland its better to rent) Shamubeel for once. I've been saying for years tax brackets need to be adjusted for inflation and both Nats and Labour never adjust them. Riduculous to be paying 30% tax on earnings over $48k which I think was set back in 2009? or 2011.
Sweden calls bullshit and abolishes ministry of environment,due to having a nuclear moment,as it provides solution based measures for its economic future.
The greens disliked by 95% of voters are upset,but will be helped through the transition by an increased spend on mental health.
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Should New Zealand have a snap election? That’s one of the questions arising out of the chaos of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s shock resignation. There’s an increased realisation that everything has changed, and the old plans and assumptions for election year have suddenly evaporated. So, although Ardern has named an ...
I warned about the trap of virtue signaling in my article Virtue signaling over Ukraine. This video is still relevant – but have we moved on since then? The Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 was universally condemned at the time. Or was it? Certainly, the political atmosphere ...
Earlier this week Point of Order carried a post by Geoffrey Miller on how Japan under a new security blueprint is doubling its defence spending. The plans see Japan buying up advanced weaponry – including long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles from the US – and spending more on ...
Anyone else suffering back-to-work-blues? We’re battling, but still upright. Haere tonu! Today’s cover image is of sunset over Tirohanga Whānui Bridge, sourced from Twitter. The week in Greater Auckland On Monday, Jolisa pondered the fate of AT’s ‘Statements of Imagination’. Tuesday’s post was a guest post by Grady ...
Open access notables Bad news delivered by an all-star cast of familiar researchers: Another Year of Record Heat for the Oceans. From the abstract: In 2022, the world’s oceans, as given by OHC, were again the hottest in the historical record and exceeded the previous 2021 record maximum. According to IAP/CAS data, ...
The resignation of Jacinda Ardern has already made more global headlines than you might expect for that of the PM of a small commonwealth nation like say Sierra Leone (population 6.5 million) or Singapore (population 5.5 million). But international observers might not be too surprised by Ardern’s announcement that ...
One of my earliest political memories is the resignation of Prime Minister David Lange in August 1989. I remember this because of a brown felt-tipped pen drawing I did of the Beehive, the building that houses the Executive of the New Zealand Government. More than thirty years later, we ...
Buzz from the Beehive Hard on the heels of our Buzz from the Beehive earlier today, the PM has made two announcements – the 2023 general election will be held on Saturday 14 October and she will not be campaigning to win a third term as Prime Minister. She will ...
Jacinda Ardern had an outsized impact on New Zealand’s international relations. While all Prime Ministers travel internationally, Ardern’s calendar was fuller than most. Ardern’s first major foreign trip came within weeks of her election in 2017, to the APEC summit in Vietnam. The meeting gave Ardern her first in-person encounter ...
She gave it her all. No New Zealand Prime Minister has ever dominated the political scene at home as she has done, or has established an international profile to match hers. No New Zealand Prime Minister has had to confront such a sequence of domestic and international catastrophes – from ...
Jacinda Ardern's shock resignation announcement today has left a lot of us with a lot of complicated feelings. In my case, while I've been highly critical of Ardern's government, I'm still sorry to see her go. We've had far too many terrible things happen during her term as Prime Minister ...
The decision by Jacinda Ardern to end her term as Prime Minister on February 7 has come as a stunning surprise. It turns the task of a centre-left government winning re-election this year from difficult to nigh on impossible. No-one else among the Labour caucus has Ardern’s ability to explain ...
Jacinda Ardern’s first press conference as Labour leader in August 2017 was a defining moment in the past decade of New Zealand politics. A young woman (by the standards of politics) who had long been tipped for higher office, she had underperformed as a minister and Andrew Little’s noble resignation ...
The tools exist to help families with surging costs – and as costs continue to rise it is more urgent than ever that we use them, the Green Party says. ...
Members of Parliament for the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand have today written to Iran’s Grand Ayatollah Khamenei to condemn the ongoing violence and killing of women’s rights and democracy protesters, and to call on him to intervene immediately. ...
As the Mayor of Auckland has announced a state of emergency, the Government, through NEMA, is able to step up support for those affected by flooding in Auckland. “I’d urge people to follow the advice of authorities and check Auckland Emergency Management for the latest information. As always, the Government ...
Ka papā te whatitiri, Hikohiko ana te uira, wāhi rua mai ana rā runga mai o Huruiki maunga Kua hinga te māreikura o te Nota, a Titewhai Harawira Nā reira, e te kahurangi, takoto, e moe Ka mōwai koa a Whakapara, kua uhia te Tai Tokerau e te kapua pōuri ...
Carmel Sepuloni, Minister for Social Development and Employment, has activated Enhanced Taskforce Green (ETFG) in response to flooding and damaged caused by Cyclone Hale in the Tairāwhiti region. Up to $500,000 will be made available to employ job seekers to support the clean-up. We are still investigating whether other parts ...
The 2023 General Election will be held on Saturday 14 October 2023, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced today. “Announcing the election date early in the year provides New Zealanders with certainty and has become the practice of this Government and the previous one, and I believe is best practice,” Jacinda ...
Jacinda Ardern has announced she will step down as Prime Minister and Leader of the Labour Party. Her resignation will take effect on the appointment of a new Prime Minister. A caucus vote to elect a new Party Leader will occur in 3 days’ time on Sunday the 22nd of ...
The Government is maintaining its strong trade focus in 2023 with Trade and Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor visiting Europe this week to discuss the role of agricultural trade in climate change and food security, WTO reform and New Zealand agricultural innovation. Damien O’Connor will travel tomorrow to Switzerland to attend the ...
The Government has extended its medium-scale classification of Cyclone Hale to the Wairarapa after assessing storm damage to the eastern coastline of the region. “We’re making up to $80,000 available to the East Coast Rural Support Trust to help farmers and growers recover from the significant damage in the region,” ...
The Government is making an initial contribution of $150,000 to the Mayoral Relief Fund to help communities in Tairāwhiti following ex-Tropical Cyclone Hale, Minister for Emergency Management Kieran McAnulty announced. “While Cyclone Hale has caused widespread heavy rain, flooding and high winds across many parts of the North Island, Tairāwhiti ...
Rural Communities Minister Damien O’Connor has classified this week’s Cyclone Hale that caused significant flood damage across the Tairāwhiti/Gisborne District as a medium-scale adverse event, unlocking Government support for farmers and growers. “We’re making up to $100,000 available to help coordinate efforts as farmers and growers recover from the heavy ...
A vaccine for people at risk of mpox (Monkeypox) will be available if prescribed by a medical practitioner to people who meet eligibility criteria from Monday 16 January, says Associate Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall. 5,000 vials of the vaccine have been obtained, enough for up to 20,000 ...
RNZ News Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has acknowledged the way Aucklanders have come together and opened their homes to those in need, with the New Zealand government focused on providing the resources needed to get the city back up and running. The new prime minister — just four days into ...
RNZ News Minister for Emergency Management Kieran McAnulty has asked for communication on support after the severe thunderstorm in Auckland to be stepped up. It comes after a Civil Defence warning text failed to be sent out, and Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown told RNZ they will be reviewing the response, ...
RNZ News Three people are dead and at least one person is missing following the flooding overnight in Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city. About 1000 people were still stranded today after Auckland Airport was closed last night because of flooding of the arrival and departure foyers. Flights were cancelled for ...
Prime minister Chris Hipkins has confirmed there are three deaths linked to the extreme weather event in Auckland over the past 24 hours. There is also at least one person missing. Speaking at a press conference in Auckland, Hipkins said the priority was to make sure Aucklanders were safe, housed ...
Wayne Brown has doubled down on his decision last night to shun the media until close to midnight and only order a state of emergency at 9.30pm. In a defensive display to the media this afternoon, the Auckland mayor was questioned on comments other councillors made last night, including some ...
*This story was first published on The Conversation and is republished with permission*Until New Zealand's stormwater drain system adapts to our rising climate, it will never be able to cope with the level of flooding seen in Auckland on Friday night, writes James Renwick The extraordinary flood event Auckland experienced ...
Chris Hipkins has experienced his first major event as prime minister, just days into his tenure. He’s spent the day in Auckland alongside emergency services, surveying the damage and assessing next steps. He’s due to speak at 3.15pm alongside Auckland mayor Wayne Brown. Thanks to Stuff, here is a livestream. ...
Due to the “unprecedented weather event” in Auckland, organisers have confirmed the “heartbreaking decision” to cancel this year’s Laneway Festival. “We were so excited to deliver this show to our biggest crowd ever in New Zealand, our team has been working around the clock to do everything they can to ...
With the rain easing for a moment, many will be beginning the arduous task of cleaning out their flooded property. Auckland council has release advice for cleaning up after a flood. Cleaning up after a flood It is important to clean and dry your house and everything in it. Floodwater ...
Air New Zealand Chief Operational Integrity and Safety Officer Captain David Morgan says the airline’s domestic flights in and out of Auckland resumed from 12pm today as Auckland Airport re-opens. But he said with a backlog of flights and customers, the priority is those who need to travel urgently. “Those ...
Festival-goers holding on hope for Laneway, set to take place at Western Springs on Monday, will have to wait a bit longer for an official update. A brief post on Facebook this afternoon stated: “Safety is Laneway Festival’s number one priority. With the large weather event Auckland is currently experiencing, ...
Wayne Brown has defended the timing of a declaration of a state of emergency last night following record rainfall in Auckland. “The state of emergency is a prescribed process, it’s quite formal, and I had to wait until I had the official request from the emergency management centre. The moment ...
After the 11th hour cancellation last night, Elton John has cancelled the second concert of his farewell tour at Mt Smart, which had been scheduled for this evening. In a statement, John said: “Following the instruction of the emergency services, we have no option but to cancel tonight’s show in ...
The member of parliament for Mt Albert, Jacinda Ardern, has posted a message on Facebook following the flooding in Auckland. “I’m very conscious that it’s been a while since I posted, and there have been a few big things happening. But today the most important thing is everyone’s wellbeing and ...
Flooding of the runway, the check-in and arrivals areas on the ground floor and surrounding roads has disrupted operations at Auckland International, halting all departures until at least 5pm today, with no arrivals before 4:30am tomorrow. “People are asked not to come to the International Terminal at this time for ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Renwick, Professor, Physical Geography (climate science), Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Victoria Park near the Auckland CBD on January 27.Getty Images The extraordinary flood event Auckland experienced on the night of January 27, the eve of the ...
New Zealand’s largest insurance group, IAG, says it is on track to receive more than 1,100 claims from Aucklanders by lunchtime after the city was deluged in the wettest day on record. Those claims, said the group which includes AMI, State and NZI Insurance, span property damage to homes and ...
The rampant flooding in Auckland didn’t just detonate its provincial public holiday weekend – it coincided with the biggest weekend of the year to date for live events. A pair of Elton John concerts at Mt Smart stadium had a combined capacity of over 80,000, while both Laneway at Western ...
Auckland is beginning a clean-up after its wettest day since records began. “Auckland was clobbered on Friday,” said emergency management duty controller Andrew Clark. “We won’t start to get a good idea of numbers affected until later today and, even then, this will take time, with information still coming in ...
The prime minister, Chris Hipkins, is travelling to Auckland after devastating floods hit the city overnight. With the airport out of operation until at least midday, he is landing at Whenuapai air base on a New Zealand Defence Force Hercules aircraft from Wellington. ...
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has arrived in Auckland for a daylong visit to the city following its catastrophic flood on Friday night. Flying in an Air Force Hercules to Whenuapai, Hipkins will spend roughly three hours on the ground assessing flood damage in the city before returning. He will receive ...
A quirk of timing left all Auckland’s institutions on the back foot. But social media, particularly TikTok, graphically showed just how bad the situation was. Late afternoon on a Friday is known as time to quietly drop bad news. You have the plausible deniability of it happening during work hours, ...
It’s a common sight during summer. It’s also a recipe for disaster.I recently drove with my family from New Plymouth to Tāmaki Makaurau and, just like how I lost count of how many cows I saw on the way, I lost count of how many cars had a passenger ...
Opinion - Election year has begun with a bang, and already the punditry and speculation are ramping up, but Grant Duncan warns not to treat polls as gospel. ...
New Zealand’s new prime minister, Chris Hipkins, is formally facing down an emergency just a few days after being sworn in, summoning the National Crisis Management Centre to the Beehive. The Beehive Bunker is being stood up to help with coordination of the emergency response in Auckland. I’ve asked ...
Analysis - Jacinda Ardern is one of New Zealand's most historically significant leaders. But she did not achieve the grand vision for Aotearoa her outsized rhetoric promised. ...
Brits abroad can be an asset to Aotearoa - but only if we make an effort to engage with te ao Māori, writes Scottish expat Fran Barclay Earlier this week, the UK High Commissioner signalled a promising intention to address the barriers facing young Māori and Pasifika who aspire to ...
"They want the Māoris out": provincial life in NZShe hadn’t learned to shut her mouth. Howard was tired of Councillor Kemp harping on and on and on. He pushed himself deeper into the boardroom chair and leaned back as far as he could force it. This woman had ranted ...
Positive affirmation quotes often aren’t helpful for tāngata whai ora. But taking the piss out of them can be. Early in January, on the first day of what would be a week of staying in bed with the curtains pulled, I put a disappointingaffirmations Instagram post up on my stories. ...
Ellen Rykers visits Mahakirau Forest Estate, ‘a crown jewel in the Coromandel Range’, where pest control is serious business.This is an excerpt from our weekly environment newsletter Future Proof – sign up here. The Mahakirau Forest Estate is not your average subdivision. Enter through its tall ...
As Auckland tackles severe floods and the city’s airport emerges from a deluge on both the runway and in terminals, Air New Zealand has confirmed that no flights will leave or arrive before noon on Saturday at the earliest. In a statement, the airline said anyone booked for a flight ...
RNZ News Mayor Wayne Brown has shut down criticism that he was too slow in declaring a state of emergency after severe flooding in Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city. In a media stand-up late on Friday evening, Brown said he was following advice from experts and as soon as they ...
The Prime Minister has gone down to the Beehive bunker to help coordinate the emergency response, as the Insurance Council warns some Aucklanders whose homes and business are flooded face very hard times ahead. Jonathan Milne reports.Comment: Standing by the south-western motorway, I watched in dismay as hundreds of cars ...
A state of emergency has been declared in Auckland as severe weather causes major flooding across much of the city. It’s expected the rain will continue into the morning. This post will be updated as more information is shared.What does a state of emergency mean? A state of emergency ...
Auckland’s mayor Wayne Brown said he declared an emergency in Auckland as soon as he possibly could – and he made the decision without listening to the “clamour” of the public. There has been some criticism of the mayor for his relative silence today throughout the deadly flooding that’s hit ...
Welcome to a special late night edition of The Spinoff’s live updates as Auckland enters a state of emergency. Stewart Sowman-Lund is on deck, with help from our news team.The top linesAuckland is in a state of emergency. It will remain in place for seven ...
Prime minister Chris Hipkins is pleased the call was made to declare a state of emergency in Auckland. All government agencies were working “flat out” to help in what was an “extraordinary set of circumstances”, Hipkins said in a tweet. “The emergency response is underway and the government is ready ...
Auckland’s mayor Wayne Brown has released a statement following the decision to declare a state of emergency in Auckland. Brown has faced criticism this evening for his relative silence throughout today’s major flooding, with the first public pronouncement of the state of emergency coming from his deputy. Brown said the ...
Christopher Luxon has criticised the time it took for the state of emergency in Auckland to be declared. The National Party leader is currently in Southland, but told Today FM he intends to get back to Auckland as soon as possible. Earlier in the night, Luxon sent a tweet “urging” ...
Here is, verbatim, that latest information we have from Civil Defence on tonight’s state of emergency in Auckland: Auckland Emergency Management has opened a Civil Defence Centre to assist those that have been displaced or need assistance following today’s severe weather. The centre is open now and is based at ...
Severe flooding has ravaged Auckland today but the mayor of the city is barely visible. As I write, the airport has flooded, check-in areas looking like a public pool. Motorways are overflowing and cars have been seen floating down streets like a river. A person has died in floodwaters in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Treasurer Jim Chalmers has laid out an economic blueprint for pursuing “values-based capitalism”, involving public-private co-investment and collaboration and the renovation of key economic institutions and markets. In a 6000-word essay in The Monthly ...
This is live coverage of the developing situation in Auckland. We will continue to update this with photos and information as it comes to hand. After a day of torrential rain, and new reports of at least one death in the flood water, a state of emergency has been declared ...
Fans are describing Auckland Transport's plans to help them get to and from Elton John's concerts in the supercity this weekend as a fiasco with tonight's concert now cancelled due to the weather. Two concerts were due at Mt Smart Stadium before tonight's concert was called off in the face ...
A state of emergency has been declared in Auckland due to severe flooding that has caused people to evacuate their homes. It was officially declared at 9.54pm. Meanwhile, Auckland Airport has closed its international terminal check-in due to flooding inside the building. The airport says it is sincerely sorry to ...
RNZ News Residents in flood-prone areas of West Auckland are being asked to prepare to evacuate as bad weather causes power cuts and car crashes across Tāmaki Makaurau, with a severe thunderstorm watch in place for the north of Aotearoa New Zealand. Auckland Emergency Management said the severe weather across ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Ward, Postdoctoral research fellow, The University of Queensland Five years ago, bulldozers with chains cleared forests and woodlands almost triple the size of the Australian Capital Territory in a single year. Brazil? Indonesia? No – much closer: Queensland. In 2018-19, ...
Auckland Transport has apologised for confusing messaging that suggested attendees of tonight’s Elton John concert should drive. In a post on Facebook last night, AT said “driving to the concert is recommended” – a suggestion that prompted backlash due to the lack of parking options near the stadium. The announcement ...
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In his memoir Spare, Prince Harry revealed he attended the future King and Queen of England’s wedding with a frostbitten penis. A veteran of Antarctic expeditions says it’s not an issue that crops up often, if at all.Now that the avalanche of coverage about the Duke of Sussex’s memoir ...
A new poem by Wellington poet and publisher Ash Davida Jane. objects in the mirror are closer than they appear if a dog digs in the right spot and unearths a rib what do I care if a woman grows from that bone take her in and tend to her ...
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The yellow brick road to Mt Smart stadium looks to be packed this weekend as thousands travel to dual Elton John concerts In the words of pop royal Elton John, “I think it’s going to be a long, long time” - in this case for the 40,000 odd concert-goers driving ...
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Oh well, i guess this now makes it official.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/rotorua-emergency-housing-motels-locals-make-heartfelt-pleas-to-commissioners-to-end-chaotic-system/BC5YEMH7KDWSXYHZTS5YEXMSU4/
Do i expect any chances? Not sure. Fact is that Rotorua was screwed over by a government that really could not care at all about the people living there. A government that wanted to be seen as doing something and that rain misery, hell, crime, drugs, open panhandling, prostitution and child abuse on our town, and all that under the guise of kindness.
Reminder to the do-gooders that like the government don't really care about the issues that arrive when one just drops people on a town in a 'out of sight out of mind' frame of thinking, we have no industries others then tourism, and red stag timber. We have lost most of our tourism, Kiwis don't stay in Rotorua anymore as it is now too dangerous, and they are quite right.
We have 11% unemployment – way way way above the 'average' of NZ, and we have a government that can't give a fuck. You want to know why Labour has a chance of losing the next election worse then Cunliffe lost, it is this not giving a fuck.
But i am really happy that Tiny Dean and some people without scruples made millions of the governments tit. I mean there has to be a bright side, and homelessness and misery is a good earner for those that made a career out of the hunger and misery of other people.
Italics are mine.
Thanks for posting Sabine. I would feel outraged if that had happened to the town I lived in.
The time to be outraged was in 2001 when State Houses were being demolished. Bit late now.
"More than 4000 state homes have been sold or demolished in the past five years.
Statistics released under the Official Information Act show the number of Housing NZ properties, divided by region, every five years since 2001.
In 2001, the total number of state houses was 61,217, which increased to a peak of 69,742 in 2011.
Five years on, the number has dropped by 4192 to 65,550."
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/82009360/housing-new-zealands-biggest-loser
Interesting how nobody is talking about Visions of a Helping Hand loaning a van for anti-vaxxers to go riot in Wellington. It also seems like they're linked to Marty Verry through Paul Laing, a former trustee of the group who shares the same name as Red Stag's commercial manager.
https://www.redstagtimber.co.nz/people/our-people
https://register.charities.govt.nz/CharitiesRegister/ViewCharity?accountId=bd37b3f0-a7a1-e711-aae0-00155d6b7730&searchId=13fc5a7a-56b8-4144-9a3c-1963ed06d1b7
If Mayor Brown keeps attacking his own agencies he will find so many leave that nothing gets done. Even the contractors will work precisely to rule.
Can Labour and Green councillors organise to control him? Ardern is happy to interfere with water. Can she set a few boundaries today?
Aucklands pt system is already collapsing. GreaterAuckland sets it out at length today.
The stakes are very high.
Good, then he can replace these with civil servants rather then ideological stooges.
Really hoping that Tania Tapsell here in Rotorua does the same.
No one wants to work in local government right now.
All the best to Mayor Tapsell.
who knows, maybe people just don't want to work in local government that is driven by ideology rather then common sense.
Maybe council will actually function better when some of the silo builders get cleared out.
Tania is doing fine. She will be a much better Mayor that the last Ex Labour MP larping as Mayor could have ever hoped and wished to be.
The current ideology about local government is driven by central government and across multiple areas: housing development policy, RMA changes, shrinking orle of local government in totality, and removal of control of all water functions.
That is where you will find people don't want to work in local government.
Rotorua is feeling the effects of decades of neglect and Sabine blames it all on the current government. Typical of someone who doesn't seem to know the history behind the situation and the racism that has been rife there for nearly two hundred years. Then she tries to claim its all about something called ideology.
Its got nothing to do with ideology but problems that have been allowed to fester for so many years, and it will take as many years to eradicate.
There's no magic wand Sabine.
I’ve heard Tapsell being interviewed a few times now. She sounds fantastic. A breath of fresh air from the current in vogue wokery. My only fear for Rotorua is that she is so good, she’s likely to be shoulder tapped for a higher office.
That’s comedy gold there: only the best rise to the top in politics. Case in point: Tories in UK.
Yes true, and Mallard here in NZ.
she’s likely to be shoulder tapped for a higher office.
But she wasn't. They chose Sam Uffindell.
That's the National Party "merit" selection, right there.
Hard to pick someone if they’re not in the race
https://i.stuff.co.nz/bay-of-plenty/128273332/it-wont-be-me-tapsell-rules-herself-out-of-tauranga-race
But if she puts her hat in the ring for Rotorua and goes against the former weather presenter …
That's correct, she didn't enter the selection race.
But you said "shoulder tapped". If National really wanted Tapsell, they could have tapped hard.
Here's how much they rate her. At the election Tapsell was no. 64 on the list. That's 24 places below Matt King.
64th on the list in 2023 and she’s in. Even 85th on the list next year and she’s be a fair shout to get in.
National are going to lose all their electorates and ACT will get no votes?
Cool.
Jack "the former weather presenter" Tamaki Coffey, has been a successful Rotorua business owner who sold his two businesses in July.
"who sold his two businesses in July"
It seems that he could see what was coming. From what I have read about Rotorua lately he would appear to have made an extremely sensible decision.
He is settled married with family here and in Parliament. Unlike the chorus he is working on projects. Today at Reporoa opened a Biogas producer using waste to produce biogas. But you would rather diss our region.
Oh, people like you Sabine? Non ideologue?????You're pushing the truth to suit your story.
Current unemployment Govt figures 3.3% underemployment 9.2%
11% unemployed in Rotorua would be eight thousand and 63 people.
Where do you get your figures from?
When I see statements like the following I would think that Sabine's 11% figure may be correct.
"According to latest figures from the Ministry of Social Development (MSD), there are about 5000 people currently on Job Seeker benefits in Rotorua which represents over 10% of the working age population."
https://www.baytrust.org.nz/community-stories/id/299
Alwyn, not forgetting the work allowance has increased to $180 odd which means your "Unemployed might be doing a days work a week. They would be underemployed then.
Come to Rotorua and see.
You’re making a basic error. I’d expect more from someone with qualifications in economics.
https://www.stats.govt.nz/research/investigating-the-relationship-between-unemployment-and-benefit-receipt/
Wgtn council are apparently Advertising for staff in Auckland
What not even Wellingtonians want to work for the ueber lefty that was currently elected. That is funny!!!
We vote for you, we don't wanna work for you.
Is Brown heading for Tauranga?
Tauranga hasn't had any democractically elected Councillors or a mayor for several years now.
Let's see what unfolds instead of crystal ball gazing, perhaps.
Tories in chaos. It warms the cockles…
Chief Whip just resigned.
Send Sharma to Westminster to discover actual "bullying" …
Amazing quotes spilling out of so many Tory mouths, it's hard to keep up. (Links? all UK media, every minute). Like …
"I am fucking furious and I don’t give a fuck anymore"
That's a deputy Whip!
For historical comparison, probably the closest in NZ would be Shipley/Peters or Lange/Douglas. But this is way more brutal and chaotic than even our worst.
A headline that should be from the Onion, but is actually real, today:
People who didn't bother voting now unhappy with … themselves.
Maybe next time they will make an effort and vote.
That realisation came faster than the dropping of New Year’s resolutions, which happens annually and not three-yearly. Not voting has almost as many consequences as voting and you lose bragging or whining rights too.
Comedy gold. Couldn't be bothered voting now regret not voting. Well should've, would've, could've, need to get of their ass and vote next time. If you don't vote, then you can't complain about the outcome.
Yes Observer it does feel like something from the Onion or the wonderful Australian Shovel
As a young person who's had to move flats three times this year, all I can say is it was a fucking nightmare to register, to the point where it almost verges on voter suppression. One of my flatmates spent about an hour on hold just to be told that, as far as RealMe is concerned, he doesn't exist. Maybe we don't pay rates directly, but I'm paying over $200 a week to the guy who does, so it's pretty outrageous how hard it was to express my basic democratic right.
11 people arrested for protesting about climate change inaction.
Protests in Wellington continue with Groundswell tractors replacing rail activists | Stuff.co.nz
Nek minnit.
Truly ginormous climate protest about to seize the media headlines and streets of New Zealand.
Groundswell NZ's tractor convoys, protests could cause disruption | Stuff.co.nz
The farmers have figured something out here.
The image shows "Bryce" standing behind a huge tractor that bears a sign that reads, "STOP strangling farmers they ARE the original environmentalists"
Bryce is wearing heavy boots and is standing on bare ground; soil that's been stripped of its plant-cover, churned up by machinery (and probably herbicide) – it looks lifeless, yet his billboard says, again, that farmers are environmentalists!
Stunning disconnect from reality!
Farmers were the original environmentalists when they farmed within the capacity of their land. Now, land is stocked to industrial levels with the aid of shit like palm kernel. Cropping is intensified with the aid of artificial fertilisers and pesticides. And let's not get started on the use and abuse of water.
Not forgetting the impact on the roads by the vehicles that are needed to service this sort of carry-on.
Farmers must have hired a new PR firm. Their "original environmentalists" message has replaced "We are guardians of the land".
Both are pure BS of course. No mention of the fact that when European settlement began a massive amount of NZ's native forest was felled or burnt off to make way for farms. That continued what Maori had done but to a greater extent.
The loss of animal, bird and plant life must have been colossal.
Bryce is probably keeping 20,000 people alive and is using the tools available to maximize yield.
Bryce probably has an intimate knowledge of soil biology, plant growing and his local environment, that puts him in the top echelon of New Zealand horticulturalists.
"Bryce probably has an intimate knowledge of soil biology"
I don't believe Bryce does!
As someone once said "Who needs these bloody farmers anyway, there's plenty of meat in the supermarkets".
False flag.
Now the dust is slowly settling and the smoke clearing we (…) finally are starting to see some sense. For me, the fact that Jacinda Ardern stepped in to find some loose change to quell the anger of the mob is a watershed moment.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/programmes/the-detail/story/2018863340/the-sheilah-winn-saga-much-ado-about-funding
When Latin got dropped from the NZ School Curriculum there was no uproar and Chris Hipkins didn’t try to save it from its untimely death. Perhaps they should have applied to Creative NZ for continuation of funding.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/the-detail/300253332/the-detail-latin-unceremoniously-abolished-from-the-new-zealand-curriculum [NB same reporter as above link]
Memento mori
I did Latin at school and Uni. Discussing this today, my friend says that something has to drop off the curriculum if we want to teach Māori, Health and Computer Studies, none of which I was taught at school.
We had Latin, used slide rules (guessing sticks), and certainly nothing about relationships was even mentioned. Instead we practised hymns and Art consisted of dictated notes on pottery but never a drawing pencil or paintbrush in hand.
So I can mourn the loss of Latin, along with Religious Instruction, just as earlier generations lost abacuses in schools, and Rhetoric, Greek and Ancient Sumerian hieroglyphics.
Sic transit gloria mundi.
Caecilius est in horto
I will never forget that!
Very few would have paid attention or given a shit if it hadn’t been for those couple of assessors’ comments. It was never about Shakespeare whom most only care about if it is on Netflix. The cancellation of Latin never had the good fortune of becoming a wedge issue in a virtual culture war. Oh well, you win some, you lose some; c’est la vie.
I never met Caecilius and Metella. Wikipedia tells me they were published in 1970 when I was at TTC. I learnt from Paterson and MacNaughton.
Thanks for the comment about a 'virtual culture war' which gives me a much plainer context to understand the issue.
Nox est perpetua una dormienda.
Good one 🙂
To be clear, my entire comment was my personal opinion.
“The regular calls for negotiations to end Russia’s war with Ukraine tend to be more directed at Kyiv or Washington than Moscow, as if they are the main stumbling blocks. Yet it is Vladimir Putin that is demanding that this war leads to a fundamental change in borders and political arrangements, that on any reading of international law he has no right to demand. Vladimir Putin does not preclude talks, but only so long as Russia is allowed to hold on to occupied territory, and even territory from which it has had to retreat. Volodymyr Zelensky demands withdrawal, and while at the start of war he might have been ready to go back to position of 23 February 2022 he now expects to go to the position of eight years earlier before Russia annexed Crimea.”
https://samf.substack.com/p/getting-to-negotiations?utm_source=email
Can a settlement in Ukraine ever be negotiated? While Putin is the tsar, it seems highly unlikely.
International law seems increasingly irrelevant given the actions of western powers of late such as the deliberate destruction of the Nordstream pipelines and the blowing up of the Kersh bridge using a truckbomb , seems pretty obvious that the objective of these operations is to prolong and escalate the conflict .
Where does it say in international law that its ok for the united states to occupy land in syria ? or that its ok for israel to continue bulldozing palistinian homes to make more room for israely settlements .The list is very long indeed of the most powerfull countries thumbing their nose at international law.
To my mind addressing Washington and Kyiv to end this war is entirely justified and i'd add London as well .
So, despite Putin’s aggression, you’d support him?
Let’s hope the same thinking doesn’t apply if Australia wants to make NZ a part of them. Claiming historical rights going back to early 19th century.
By your logic, they’d have the right.
Well if America had been arming us for ten years and they put in place a pro American gov in order to threaten and in the event of war breaking out weaken australia then yeah i guess they'd have the right .
SMH
Odd that your logic does not extend to Russia's arming of fifth columnists in Donbas – or it would be if you were trying to pretend to be a balanced or rational commenter.
So far as i know stuart the people of the Donbas wished they'd had more help from Russia not less and could not understand why they took so long to confront the American backed nationalists directly which is why the referendums offering citizenship with the russian federation were taken up so wholeheartedly , they'd had nearly nine years to make up their mind !!
So far as i know
That's your problem right there.
If you knew a little more about the behaviour of the post-soviet Russian state, and the fate of those satellites that chose to leave it, we would hear a great deal less of your pro-despotic assertions.
If you know so much more than i stuart why dont you enlighten 'us'?
The conversation began with the question of negotiation in the Ukraine war .Got anything to add ??
Negotiation with Putin is impractical – veracity is not a value for him.
Former Putin adviser says Russian President 'stopped telling the truth' (yahoo.com)
The West was taken by surprise in 2014, having themselves no plans to go to war with Russia. But in the time since, having learned their lesson, he no longer gets the benefit of the doubt.
The best thing for Russia is a regime change – which, as a brutal kleptocracy, is long overdue. The best thing for Ukraine is a timely cessation of hostilities.
Russian agents like Girkin have no future in a free Ukraine – they will go to considerable lengths to prevent one. In no way do such espiocrats represent a plausible popular separatist movement – he is an agent provocateur, Russia's catspaw, nothing more.
Can you provide some context as to why this fellow Girkin is of significance ATM ?
Poverty worse than we thought.
https://www.msn.com/en-nz/news/national/prime-minister-s-office-apologises-for-misleading-comments-about-new-zealand-s-child-poverty-figures/ar-AA139Ax6?ocid=entnewsntp&cvid=dc305f99749f44ffada3d116d3d41913
[Ironically, your comment is misleading because it doesn’t actually say or imply that. This is your warning – Incognito]
Mod note
Well, well, the Transmission Gully protesters drove there in hired vans according to today's Dominion Post. Do as we say, not do as we do. At least they should have got up earlier and ridden their bikes there. One thinking person needing to get on with his day managed to outwit them.
Where is your link?
Protest like the Amish.
The group want the government to "Restore Passenger Rail". So as soon as there's a functioning rail system, they're going to use the train instead of a hired van…
Also looking forward to the impatient car drivers ripping off the banners from the "farmers" blocking the roads today. More likely that the two biggest polluter groups in this country stick together though…
However, there will always be a big difference between the two: Polluting car drivers will always be just a problem and never be the solution to pollution. While farmers are in a more important position, many of them are part of the problem now and they can / must be part of the solution for the future.
When are the two main political parties in the country have the balls telling the polluters that the days of pollution have to come to an end soon?
It is inevitable – even the National (Polluter) Party surely know this – and obviously, significant parts of our daily life, like infrastructure, agriculture, have to be ready for those days.
How long does it take to get ready? How many decades for something on that scale?
Or do we simply block all combustion engines on our roads from one day to another and shoot million of cows within a month to achieve the necessary, internationally agreed targets?
Here is the story and the video is worth watching. These people are not doing their cause any favours.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2022/10/video-footage-captures-moment-frustrated-motorist-moves-protesters-van-blocking-transmission-gully.html
It's worse than that, Jimmy. These people are dicing with death. All it needs is for some P- head, or the Mongrel Mob, to be held up, and you can bet someone will be on their way to ICU.
Absolutely, I don't think the Mongrel Mob would take to kindly to being held up by them.
Any fan of direct action has to love that.
I hope they don't stop. Probably need to skill up, but that's ok, everyone has to start somewhere.
and yet here you are talking about it. Bet you weren't doing that when they were lobbying government.
Does it matter if we prevent climate collapse or not?
Didn't find it on the Dom Post – but here's a link from Newshub
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2022/10/video-footage-captures-moment-frustrated-motorist-moves-protesters-van-blocking-transmission-gully.html
[Side note, if he was listening to Joe Abercrombie, the protesters are lucky all he did was move the van – he's not noted for 'turn the other cheek']
https://joeabercrombie.com/books/the-heroes/
[Yes, of course not serious.]
protestors were right to stand aside, the driver was abusive and potentially dangerous.
The protestors picked the dangerous situation. Not your normal sit in on a motorway on-ramp.
different kind of dangerous (assuming you are correct, by all means present some evidence)
They put themselves directly in the path of the public in an area which is heavily restricted and operated by only by Police and NZTA appointed traffic control.
protestors on a road, shocking.
So glad there are people like this to protect our children /s
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/arizona-gop-candidate-arrested-allegedly-masturbating-truck_n_635007e2e4b03e8038da457f
Incognito, I don't know how to do links from an IPad, but if I raise an issue I always quote the day and source.
Instructions here. This is for copying a link to email but the principle is the same.
Scroll down to "Copying and Pasting to Email"
https://www.wikihow.com/Mail-a-Link-from-an-iPad
With social media linking, make sure you click on the date/time stamp first (it's on every tweet, FB post etc).
is this real?
Britain is suffering from the old joke:
"Its Eton, Oxford, a safe Conservative constituency, a seat on the Cabinet, and then you are on your own son"
looks true. perhaps they added a bit of drama, but probably didn't need to.
Chief whip remains in post after reportedly resigning earlier | ITV News
One step closer to an annual shot just like the flu jab?
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/300716977/covid19-pfizer-asks-medsafe-to-approve-ba45-bivalent-vaccine
High court confirms suspicions that Trevor Mallard is irrational,and adds 2% points to Winston in future polls
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/477048/former-speaker-trevor-mallard-unreasonable-irrational-unjustified-in-trespassing-winston-peters-high-court
Winston for Hamilton.
He'd win.
Aaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrggghghghghghghghghhgghghhg 🤯
Well, that sent a shiver up my spine….
That's the type of inanities people cast votes on. You are right. Let's see how Peters plays this.
Can't believe I actually agree with Eaqub (don't buy a house in Auckland its better to rent) Shamubeel for once. I've been saying for years tax brackets need to be adjusted for inflation and both Nats and Labour never adjust them. Riduculous to be paying 30% tax on earnings over $48k which I think was set back in 2009? or 2011.
'Cynical political ploy': Economist slams National, Labour over tax policies
Every other investment category except farming socks big time.
Our collective Kiwisaver levels are circling the plug hole.
Labour lost their moment to tax assets 4 years ago.
Sweden calls bullshit and abolishes ministry of environment,due to having a nuclear moment,as it provides solution based measures for its economic future.
The greens disliked by 95% of voters are upset,but will be helped through the transition by an increased spend on mental health.
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/devastating-consequences-swedish-government-scraps-211437038.html
German Greens need a cold winter before they Come To Jesus.
JLR:
Jesus Loves Reactors.