If the help involves any more fucken dots and effort to try and work out what the hell you are raving on about exactly, no thanks Phil. Appreciate the offer though.
Well, no, phil, I’m not virgo. I prefer my chinese astrological classification. If it helps, that one describes me as the type of person who “likes to make love in a laundry chute, just to see what it feels like”. Anyway, I’ve had enough dots and blank space for the day. I’m off to do something useful.
Phil, it’s never going to happen. My girlfriend is emphatically not assisting in my ongoing search for a chute of an appropriate size and design. My last 10 advertisements for another girlfriend who might have produced a blank.
All I have gained to date is 5 trespass notices. This is why I don’t like astrology. I am considering entering politics in France, Italy or the US, where this kind of activity is likely to get me elected.
Very amusing Phil U and Arfamo. Good repartee.
Reminds me of Jewel of the Nile discussion refereed by the Jewel who was Avner Eisenberg – looking at him on google seems very funny
Phil is extrapolating from a headline in a UK sunday newspaper. The actual result on voting intention is:
Labour leads on 35 per cent, the Conservatives are 30 per cent, UKIP have19 per cent and the Lib Dems remain stalled on 8 per cent. Given the UK’s FPP voting system, the support for UKIP is illusory; they won’t actually win 19% of the seats. They may, however, cause the Tories to lose quite a few.
The upcoming European elections, which are on a proportional basis, may be more fruitful for the swivel eyed loons of UKIP. Ironic, given their hatred of Johnny Foreigner.
“Paying out KiwiSaver cash under the serious financial hardship provision benefits only the bankrupt’s creditors rather than the bankrupt themselves,.”
Stephen Joyce’s department (Business Innovation and Employment) are undermining the KIWISAVER scheme.
The ministry’s view is that a bankrupt’s KiwiSaver money should be available to pay creditors.
That will lead to money-lenders extending debt at high rates on the strength of a KIWISAVER statement.
That will screw the poorest and benefit usurious gangsters.
I’d wondered about this and looking at the article there does need to be some clearer rules. Firstly, most kiwisaver is the normal modest contributions from work. But it is possible to set up a personal kiwisaver scheme and if the dollars in it are large enough then it can be quite worthwhile (main cost are the audit requirements) so they can be set up and business people could and are hiding large dollops of assets in them.
Second problem is the ability to get at it at 65. Banks if they have a security that they can readily access leave loans outstanding, accruing interest and then take control of the estate or in this case could go for the kiwisaver at age 65. Some other pension funds require a court order to pay out.
And then there are issues around welfare benefits and care payments for the elderly etc, etc. Didn’t matter until now when kiwisaver dollars are getting up.
Yep, and frankly they should be at the top of the queue along with/just after employees. That would stop banks and the like overlending. BTW liquidation is for companies so no kiwisave rimpact
Yeah, I know a few of them as well but they’re not going to get anything out of this as they happen to be unsecured creditors. To get it so that the small business owners and contractors get paid requires a law change to make them secured and primary creditors. All this seems to do is give the banks access to someones retirement fund if they go bankrupt.
“my eyes glaze over..my ears shut down.”
No matter – you didn’t miss a thing
(i.e. despite his being challenged by the best, better, bestest pretender to the title of “ethical, incisive, public service broadcaster extraordinaire, regular and work-life balanced regular Gal or Guy”)
… oops – no wait – there’s a Mora to come – I’ll hold off just for now in aaaaantici……..pay.shun….
Basically it says that when National gets into power, they screw down on ACC and make it change it’s policies so that fewer people get the cover they are legislated to receive.
DAILY STRUGGLE: Rewa Eves has been in constant pain since she fell during the magnitude 5.9 aftershock in June 2011, but has been denied surgery by ACC and the Canterbury District Health Board will not accept her on to the surgical waiting list.
ACC, however, has refused to pay for the surgery she needs to fix her shoulders.
“They told me it’s a pre-existing condition . . . and apparently I left it too long after the fall to apply, but I didn’t know whether I was coming or going.”
Yeah, but I think they still get reassessed as the the person at teh top of the list drops off when they get their surgery. ie they’re still in the system (in effect on the waiting list without being prioritised).
So what makes it possible for a patient to be operated on in 6 months?
All this crap came about when Shipley was in charge of our health system. She actually abolished waiting lists and instead implemented a ‘booking system’.
National came very close to destroying our public health system. The falling down hospitals at the edge of every provincial town in the country attest to that.
The article above is a good example of just how stupid and callous this govt is. Refuse people surgery on ACC, put them on the second tier waiting list at the local DHB, and get the person’s GP to monitor while in limbo. Let the person deteriorate, and prevent them from being a (productive) part of society.
makes me wonder how many other earthquake victims are still waiting for treatment.
The trouble with NZ health system is that we’re still good at keeping people alive, but we’re shit at that gap between “barely alive” and “well”. People either sit in limbo waiting (but not “waiting”) for treatment, or progressively degrade in condition until they need the machine that goes “bing” (at which point we give them excellent, but much more expensive, treatment).
The cause is simply that the system has been degraded and shuffled about for decades, and the medics and administrators naturally prioritise treatment for greatest need as resources are depleted.
I was just pointing out why “resources” were being depleted from the hospital. It’s easy enough to fix but it would cost money (more hospitals, doctors, etc) thus would require higher taxes and would possibly drive up wages as unemployment decreases.
“……….waiting lists had apparently been cut after the Minister told the board that nobody was to wait for more than six months.
GP’s were referring people who never made it on to the waiting list because their case was not sufficiently urgent, she said.
“This is going to have a real blowout because we have a lot of very sick people who are not getting on to the waiting list” “.
ACC was ruthless under Labour too. Its strategy was to exit as many long term clients as possible, which included the use of private contractors to do so. A lot of this filtered through to the media in the early 2000s. It didn’t affect the broader middle class the way the Nats’ cuts have though. It’s probably why Labour don’t make too much noise about ACC now.
Not down at ACC. They are on the welfare now. 2013 annual report boasts that 2740 long term claimmants returned to “independence” whatever that means.
And I’m not so sure that ACC aren’t gaming the system. It would need more time to work out but given that the company levies (work) are going down but the earner levies (you & me in the workforce) are not to the same extent, then it’s possible that:
-treatment costs are being shoveled disproportionately onto the earners account to benefit company levies and reduce the government dollop for non earner injuries
– The release of liabilty for earnings compensation (as the boomers approach 65 the need for earnings compensation shuts down which will reduce liabilities horrendously) is being handed to employers despite both employers and employees funding it originally.
Employees fund earnings for non work accidents but the the earnings compensation is split roughly 50:50 between work and non work accidents so treatment costs and reduction in earnings liability should be shared in the same ratio.
Meanwhile, buried deep in the news reports, was a report that ACC and the Hawkes Bay Reigonal Council has entered into a pretty dodgy looking deal whereby ACC paid the HBRC a lump sum in return for ACC getting the income from their leasehold property for the next 30-odd years.
Kinda like if I owned a rental property, and rented it out for $300 a week, someone comes along and offers me $50000 in return for keeping the rent I get from it for the next 30 years.
Its effectively a loan, but not called that on the balance sheets.
I tried to find the link to put up, but it has disspeared.
It’s securitising a stream of income Millsy and has been around for a while. Imagine they assigned the property leases. Can be used to turn revenue streams into capital blocks of money.
Main problem here is that the HBRC has grabbed future council income to spend today (Ruitaniwha Dam?) and reduced choices for future elected bodies – and any problems with the details.
Does the council have to make up any shortfall in the rents, who maintains the properties, what rates of increases did they build into the rents, etc, etc and who benefits from these details.
Oh dear. I read this and suddenly get reminded of one of the main causes of the GFC.
Sell a collection of repayment obligations in return for a large chunk of money now. Gee that’s securitising a stream of income isn’t it?
There it was mortgages, here it is property leases. Tell me it aint so.
Yes I know that this is stretching things a bit, but still.
Incidentally the lease is only on the bare land, not the house so maintenance doesn’t come into it. I believe that these leases have 21 year terms after which revaluation takes place. I wouldn’t guarantee that though.
Yes, I saw Ianmac’s yesterday comment re the stuffed ACC article and was not remotely surprised by the policy direction influenced by the board “plants”.
Having accessed ACC services under Labour in 2007 and under National in 2011 – 2014 I can say I couldn’t have received more differing levels of service. (Xavier has a point at 6.2 though about Labour’s role, I was one of the lucky ones however at that point). Personal experience aside, the Nat Govt has demonstrated fairly consistently it’s contempt for the aims of ACC via their policy changes. The increasing number of people denied surgery is an example of the worst aspects of the changes to ACC.
My reply, (part of which I posted on OM last week) from Ian Lees Galloway regarding reinstating full funding for ACC physio visits was a bit luke warm and didn’t fill me with confidence for Labour’s plans to restore ACC to it’s former levels of service. Yet to hear back from Kevin Hague.
Yeah, ’cause insurance companies never back out of their obligations or contracts. There’s no track record of that happening overseas or in New Zealand in any insurance industry whatsoever.
I frequently typo my name as Lantahnide when typing quickly. It’s only because The Standard has cookies (or my browser remembers, whatever) that you don’t see it more often.
Jared Bernstein at The New York Times and then Elise Gould at EPI produced counterfactual poverty estimates showing that, had inequality not shot up in the last forty years, poverty as we measure it in the United States would have been eliminated
Basically, if we hadn’t have followed the neo-liberal fallacy and rewarded the rich for being rich we would have eliminated poverty. Instead, we’ve been increasing it.
Which more or less dovetails with predictions from the 50’s and 60’s that in the future people wouldn’t need to work and there’d be a lot of leisure time.
Instead, the leisure time has accrued to a tiny elite while the rest get crumbs and wage slavery.
most recent example being: imagine if the US Bailout Funds had actually gone where they could have done some good and were used to pay off people’s morgtages, instead of being repeatedly gifted to the criminals who leveraged off them.
Of course doing so would mean central banks having to admit the entire ponzi scheme is not helping the global economy, but enslaving it like a millstone mule, grinding out a profit for them and leaving the rest of us to scrabble for the broken chaff.
I don’t know if it’s been said here or not but George Osborne (the Most Cutting-Tory of Tories) has decided he wants to see a large above-inflation rise in the minimum wage. It’s currently at around £6.30 ($12.60 roughly) and he wants it raised by 70p ($1.40) to £7 ($14). So we have an austerity-focussed Tory Chancellor in England backing a sizable rise in the minimum wage believing businesses can take the hit and it would be good for the economy.
It’ll be interesting if Key and English sticks to tiny, in line with inflation rises.
If National thinks Labour has any traction with living wage rhetoric, they will increase minimum wage in May Budget BUT it wont be called a “lolly scramble” by the press or national’s supporters. They will puff out their chest reassured they still have a caring side.
The argument is already in place if they look to Britain. Osborne is essentially saying “we can do this because our management of the economy and the deficit was so good.”
I can see the same argument being used by English. I still don’t think they will go to $15 though. Maybe $14.50 or something. Compromise. It’s the government’s modus operandi.
It seems to be ‘fashionable’ emanating from Europe the desire to lift the living standards of the ‘have nots’ even among the hardened Tory’s, perhaps the rioting that at times has gone largely unreported,(Hamburg in Germany), and that that has been covered here by the media,(Greece etc), has shown the Tory’s the ‘writing on the wall’ if the acceleration in inequality continues on it’s current trajectory,
Listening yesterday to RadionNZ National replaying an earlier interview Chris Laidlaw with ex Prime Minister Jim Bolger that i had missed had me laughing like a loon,
Once past the waffle and excuses surrounding the actions of His time as Prime Minister Bolger talked of what has been occurring in today’s New Zealand and global economy,
What Bolger said could have been direct quotes from what we see CV and Draco commenting here at the Standard every day and i was left with the strong suspicion that old Jim might be a secret lurker and looker at what goes on here,
On inequality Bolger was adament that should such continue in this country it posed the ‘greatest danger’ to the economic well-being of NZ and in a world wide sense described Neo-Liberalism particularly in Britain as a ‘money go round attended by ‘ticket clippers’ every step of the way’,there was a lot more in such a vein and for a laugh it might be worth while going to the RadioNZ National web-site for a listen,(but you have to wade through 20 minutes of Bolger waffle to hear Jim expound socialism),
Lolz, listening to him brought to mind that old adage that a lot of ‘Lefty’s move to the right as they age’ and i thought then that perhaps the same is true of those on the right as well but in reverse…
At this moment seven pounds converts, at the mid-rate for the currency, to $13.92. Thus his desired figure is only $0.17 above the current New Zealand, which is due for revision in February and will be paid from April 1, when it woud likely go to at least $14.00. Seems like the UK is trying to catch up with New Zealand doesn’t it.
Does anyone have official, rather than anecdotal, numbers for the Cost of Living in Britain compared to New Zealand?
Average cost for renting a house in England and Wales is around 800 UK pounds per month. ($1600 per month or $400 per week according to your conversion above).
There was an article in ‘the guardian’ a week or so back comparing prices across Europe that also (from memory) included average wage comparisons.
Anyway. Average wage rates in the UK are higher than here. Problem with NZ is that far too many workers bumble along just above that min wage level.
Media Alert from Graham McCready:
_____________________________________________________________________
Graham Mc Cready, Prosecutor for New Zealand Private Prosecution Service will attend the Auckland District Court Public Office Today at 4:00PM to file:
Memorandum;
Application to make Len Brown case a test case for gifts/bribes and corrupt practices in local body politics;
Application under Section 106 of the Crimes Act 1961 to the Attorney General for NZPPS to Prosecute Len Brown under Section 105(1); or in the alternative an application for the District Court to refer that issue to the High Court to seek an order for the case to continue using the precedent in the Tito Phillip Field case;
Written Submissions; affidavits and exhibits as Required under the Criminal Procedures Act sufficient for the Court to issue a summons to Len Brown using the precedent in the John Banks case;
An urgent application for the Court to set a date for a hearing where all these matters be dealt with in open court before a District Court judge.
There will be no other charges filed against any other named defendant until all these issues are disposed off.
The filed documents will be distributed to media after filing.
Respectfully
Graham Mc Cready
Agent for NZPPS Ltd
Prosecutor
……………..
…………………
Note to media:
I will be working on these documents all day
Please refrain from phoning so I can get the job done.
____________________________________________________________________
Good luck with that, hopefully the absurd decision to go after Brown’s wife will now be seen as a step too far,
To use the Taito Phillip Field case as a precedent you will have to provide the Court with a little thing called ‘Evidence’, the Field case only succeeded because those who gifted the labour to Field gave evidence that both they and Field knew exactly why they were providing Him with such free labour,
Good luck with putting someone on the stand from any of the relevant Hotel’s or organizations who will give such evidence, without it you have no precedent and thus little chance of having this prosecution proceed,
There can be no precedent applied to Brown from the Banks case, both are entirely different matters of law requiring entirely different charges to be laid, in not declaring the ‘gifts’ Brown appears to be subject to no ‘legal remedy’ other than being ‘sanctioned’ by His Council for not declaring the gifts,
i will tho watch this little side-show develop with interest…
Retired Wellington accountant Graham McCready has dropped procedures to file legal charges against Auckland Mayor Len Brown’s wife, Shan Inglis.
[..]
Mr McCready says he found out yesterday that there’s a procedural issue of applying to the Attorney General for permission to prosecute anyone for corruption.
“If you want to know why I didn’t know before I will just tell you that I stuffed up, and that’s a very honest situation.”
Thanks Karol, my description of the charge Graham Mac,(with the help of Penny Bright),intended to lay against Brown’s wife as absurd is the ‘mild version’ of what i think of such an action and i think i made my anger pretty much clear in a comment about the matter a couple of days ago,
As a public figure Brown has to be answerable for His actions and it’s fair enough for Graham Mac to attempt to make Him answerable befor the Courts,(although i do not believe He has a show in hell of being able to satisfy even the Attorney General that He has sufficient evidence for such a charge to proceed against Brown unless He and Penny have ‘the smoking gun’ so far kept secret),
My opinion, expressed the other day, about the proposed charges against Brown’s wife seems to have come about solely because Graham Mac belatedly realized that most of the hotel accommodation was booked by Shan Inglis,(which may or may not lead the Courts to conclude that it wasn’t Len Brown who accepted such ‘gifts’ that were given,(the hotels will simply point out that for VIP’s this is normal practice),
Hopefully Browns wife will now be left alone to get on with Her life as she sees fit…
The thing about these hotel up-grades, they only have a nominal charge. There isn’t anything tangible in them. You’re still paying for the bed, the room and the servicing. They are fixed costs – an up-grade costs the hotel nothing if that room will not be sold on the night, and that tends to be the main reason why people are up-graded.
The main thing Len did wrong is not declaring the freebie’s.
But listening to L.B. on Nat. Radio with Kathryn Ryan this morning, he stills seems unable to differentiate between the public and private person. While he “was on the job” he was the Mayor, most of his liaisons were initiated while he was the Mayor, but then took place after hours.
I entirely agree with you on the matter of room upgrades, such upgrades in my opinion are only worth what Brown and His wife were prepared to pay for a night’s stay in whatever hotel(s) gave the upgrade…
English is overseas at some forum, looking to see how other countries are tackling the growing gulf between those who have and those who don’t. (Was on RNZ 10am news) Interesting, he is there for ideas – apparently our Government doesn’t have any – surprise, surprise!!
So like the green paper on “child abuse” – first a meeting, then a round of ideas, then further meetings, time for a breath and a cup of tea, more consultation, finally consult the stake holders, and then present the grand plan. Time elapsed – maybe 2 – 3 years. As for most of those in poverty, well, your guess is as good as mine, but in reality, their prognosis is not good. A bit like Paula Bennett’s guide for dealing with child abuse and child poverty – zip it sweetie.
Re the green paper on child abuse. Wise observation as per usual from you Will. And English? Ha, well perhaps he may be listening to George Osbourne? (Comment above from Disraeli Gladstone)
• She operated Easy Rider knowing that a master holding a skippers certificate was required and that the appropriate certificate was not held
• She caused or permitted the vessel to be operated in a manner which caused unnecessary danger or risk to the persons on board
• As the director of AZ1 Enterprises Ltd, she acquiesced or participated in the failure of the company to ensure that no action or inaction of any employee while at work harmed any other person on board Easy Rider
• As the director, she acquiesced or participated in the failure of the company to ensure the safety of its employees while at work on board the Easy Rider
• As the director, she acquiesced or participated in the failure of the company to ensure that no contractor or subcontractor was harmed while doing work on board.
Dv the bigger the crime the less the time.
Penny Bright Graham McCready
Why aren’t you taking the Directors of Pike River to court
Me thinks you are just in it for your own ego stroking and political gain?.
Penny for your information i have been involved in various community initiatives for most of my life the list is long fostering children,helping street kids turn their lives around, political party involvement from beating the streets to high level organization, sports teams organizing coaching playing, environmental clean ups tree planting etc etc.I belong to a community service organization we do a lot to foster young into volunteering building stronger communities most of us in this organization are fed up with the snails pace of govt action so we are working from the bottom up,
29 people died at pike river loose morals len hasn’t killed any one i don’t disagree with him facing the music.
but those board members and managers at pike river should be in gaol for a long time.
I just criticised you to get your attention.
This corporate corruption is far worse than any political scandal
this is corporate manslaughter .
you seem to be a person along with mr mcCready who could put some real criminals on trial.
Sorry it really pisses me off that no one is being held accountable for this horrific crime
can you help.
In all fairness to Penny Bright and Graham Mac, the families of the Pike River 29 have been reported as asking that ‘others’ do not mount private prosecutions against the hierarchy of the Pike River Mining Company as an attempt to prosecute that fails may prevent the families themselves from pursuing their own prosecutions in the future…
Now they’re claiming Key has an “unusual degree of integrity”
Mike Williams continues to act as Hooton’s patsy From the Left and From the Right, Radio NZ National, Monday 20 January 2014
I tuned in to this morning’s programme late, about 11:25, just in time to hear this….
MATTHEW HOOTON: John Key does operate with a degree of integrity that is unusual in politics…..
Hooton went on to burnish what is obviously a major new National Party talking point—that the prime minister is a man of integrity—making sure that he repeated that canard as many times as he could in sixty seconds. All up and down the length of the country, listeners snorted in derision, shouted in outrage, ground their teeth and shook their heads in disbelief—but in the Radio NZ studios, there was silence. There was not even the hint of a suggestion that Hooton had just committed yet another gross violation of truth. There was not a word of demur. Paul Holmes’s former high school classmate and pal Mike Williams, billed as being “From the Left”, remained silent, as did the host, Kathryn Ryan.
Admittedly I heard only the last few minutes, so perhaps I’m being harsh on Ryan and Williams. Perhaps Ryan actually said something intelligent earlier in the programme, and perhaps Mike Williams had the courage to contradict one of those sly, cynical, loaded comments that are Hooton’s speciality.
But by the sounds of the dismal three minutes or so that I heard, it sounds like it’s business as usual at National Party Radio.
“How does Hooton have a clue what integrity looks like?”
He thinks it’s something that’s stuck to the bottom of his shoe. To be gotten rid of at the first opportunity, he keeps it there along with Truthfulness and Honesty.
You couldn’t be too harsh on Williams if you tried. He is getting more and more like the proverbial wet bus ticket every time he deigns to open his mouth, if only to change feet! If onlt he would get permanent Laryngitis!
DH did you listen to the show listen( listen carefully on live stream) Williams and Ryan were silent because hootons comments were unbelievable.
both Williams and Ryan took hooton to task on every other issue.
Including Hootons comment that Key is a shoe in 2014 election pointing out key is running out of coalition partners.
Morissey only heard one comment out of context.
Just have a listen DH then come back to me if you think i was wrong.
I have listened to it again I even put on Headphones so there was no distraction, and I stand by what I said. And silence because they were what? Appalled ? They didn’t say that. In fact they said nothing. And if something is that bad to render them speechless, even after having time to think about it, still can’t come up with anything to say. Then they both deserve to be changed. And I thought Ryan is supposed to be good at this interviewing stuff.
Governments the world over are tacitly admitting the war on pot has been lost and the sooner education regulation and decriminalization enter the fray the better for all. No better proof for this than Obama’s recent comments. That said, we still seem to be facing some odd decisions. Despite this and quasi-valid decisions like it, progress is being made but any real step-change won’t occur until every last patent has been sewn up by the pharmacrats and the light turns green, so to speak.
Despite decades of stating there was no such thing, the US patent office have begun to approve patents for medicinal use of cannabinoids. Big pharma has an ever-expanding web of patent applications being duly processed. I read somewhere it is estimated that China alone has over three thousand medical-use patents under consideration. Atop this health horizon are the mountain ranges of tax dollars hemp regulation would generate, not to mention the piles of Police dollars marijuana reform would free up.
Those three elements, health, tax and policing, prove how the breadth of the approaching transformation is not able to be quantified into a quick-fix soundbite. It will require a herculean effort in stage-managed incrementalism, fortunately the MSM are well trained for this heavy lifting.
The few Hemp products available and the timid steps towards legal reformation being explored, are simple manoeuvres designed to tie down social engineering options necessary for the big international roll out. After a century of propaganda it is no easy ask to return balance to the discussion but once the patents are signed and the greenlight is given, just watch how quickly the message changes. It took almost twenty years to cement petrochemicals as the saviour of the world and turn the world against hemp, which at the time was one of the biggest Industries on the planet. Admittedly that was a different time. Flipping the message would be a lot faster and for a few, just like last time, it will again be very very profitable. Despite the social blowback from decades of lies being overcome, the lollies will be dispersed, the rules will be changed, the people will forget and the game as always will continue. The difference this time is the product they are pushing might actually help the planet.
i recently had a conversation with a cop from the far north.
we eventually got on to the subject of pot.
he was of the opinion that it would never be deriminalized/legalized, in fact there have been murmurs of it being changed from class c drug to class b.
the reasoning he gave was that the thc levels had increased from 3-5%, in the ’70s to a staggering 33%!
obviously this is all anecdotal, but an interesting insight into how the powers that be are thinking.
As you say, an anecdotal insight, but it is a sad reality expressive of the current thinking.
It is however, a bluntly innaccurate insight, designed to excite the puritans and build fear in the ignorant. It is as absurd as saying all roses are red.
hey thanx c.v., its good to be able to point out what the “experts” have discovered.
another thing, the drug foundation seems to have taken a slighltly different tack over recent years away from the knee jerk “all drugs are bad, …mmkay..” (thank you south park) to a more reasoned and considered tone.
Looks like they trying to stop ‘every joe blow’ growing thier own strong stuff and only getting weak shit (and probably full of ‘Keep it burning chemicals’ from them.) Good luck to them trying their ‘It’s all ours’ Patent bullshit down here.
Graedel’s analysis of substitutes involved ploughing through scientific literature and interviewing product designers and material scientists. The results are a sobering reminder of how critical some metals are. On seeing the data, Andrea Sella of University College London said, “This is an important wake up call.”
None of the 62 elements have substitutes that perform equally well. And some of those have no substitutes at all (or if there are substitutes, then they are inadequate). They include: rhenium, rhodium, lanthanum, europium, dysprosium, thulium, ytterbium, yttrium, strontium and thallium.
Only to those of us which didn’t realise that the world was limited to begin with – which would include economists:
Economists have long assumed that a shortage of anything will promptly lead to the development of suitable substitutes, an attitude fostered in part because there have been successful substitutions in the past, such as the cobalt and rhenium examples.
But, then, the average, run of the mill economist wouldn’t know what an economy was if they tripped over one.
That part seems to be saying that some advanced countries no longer have a growing demand for metals such as iron and aluminium. These types of metals have a massive abundance in the Earth’s Crust and are also easily recyclable. It’s implied that, therefore, these metals use is sustainable but we need to look to how those metals are produced. Iron, for example, uses a lot of coke in it’s production and so needs a supply of coal available to be produced and coal is likely to peak and then decline putting a limit on availability of steel.
Are they a massive power-play by the Chinese government? They know that fuel prices are likely to skyrocket in the next 10 years, so figure “hey, lets build new cities while the crude flows?”.
graphene very strong carbon one molecule thick able to conduct electricity and a good way to lock up carbon the rate of change in technology is gathering pace.
recycling of circuitry will become more economically viable!
As the article points out, the bulk metals such as aluminium and iron availability isn’t really a problem but once you get into the rare earths and stuff then we have a problem.
That said, this could be interesting as far as computers and cell phones go.
Alienated as I am at the moment from various goings on at RNZ, but can someone confirm for me whether or not the participants (i.e. mathew Hooten, and “I’m Inclined to Agree with you”), regulated, or should I say “regularised” by the ‘regular-work-life-balanced-Regular-Gal’ (coming in a nearby second from the world’s most (and ‘nicest’) Regular Guy – can you tell me whether they’re ekshly getting some sort of FEE for this bilge?
“Great Having you on board guys” of course, and Rinnie holds you in nice-gal-esteem, and she’ll keep ACROSS it all – y’all – of course.
But… do they get some sort of remuneration for all that first-of-the-year Nine-ton-Noon “from the right, and from the right” spin, opinion and spiel?
The trick is not to look at the words, Draco. It’s all perfectly reasonable if you understand that their core tenet is “scare the middle/lower-middle class into conservatism by implying that the State is trying to control your life while letting degenerates roam free.”
It took me a while to see the point of the screenshot – the print of “my mummy’s a criminal” bit – I couldn’t read the small print on my laptop – had to go to NZ First’s website. It’s a vid against the removal of the protection for child bashers in the section 59 Bill.
With apologizes to all my gay friends.
In England, as reported in todays NZ Herald, some twit, a Councillor, is reported as saying the flooding there is to blame on – “gay marriage.”
Colin Craig? Cameroon Brewer? anyone like that spring to mind in New Zealand. ffs, what century are we living in? do you laugh or cry? absolutely absurd.
Morrissy you missed the rest of the show listen to it on livestreaming
Mike Williams gave his best account in a long time.
Hearsay Hoodwinker was put in his place by Ryan and Williams countered every argument hooten tried to put foward its electon year williams is not agreeing anymore no more free ride smart move by Williams .
Last year williams let hooten have a free ride this year is different.
Listen to live stream of the whole show.
Even on the Peters issue hooten was rabbiting on about Keys integrety about no deal With Peters Ryan hauled him up on that saying hooten has got that wrong.
Doesn’t Hooten remember Keys change of heart.
Hollow hooter is trying to stop national potential voters supporting Peters with his dog whistle but Ryan was having none of it.
Thanks for that encouraging information, tricledrown. I did say that maybe they had performed better than they did on the few minutes I heard, and it appears that they did.
It was a rumblin’ and a swaying’ up here near the Newlands ridgeline here in Wgtn. Really glad it didn’t amount to anything. How are folks doing closer to the epi-centre in The Wairarapa?
Public Id: 2014p051675
NZDT: Monday, January 20 2014 at 3:52:42 pm
New Zealand region intensity ?: strong
Maximum intensity ?: strong
Depth: 65 km
Magnitude: 6.3
Location: 10 km north of Castlepoint
Freaky. Lost some crockery and a stereo’s gone for a burton. Off to help find the neighbour’s dog, little bugger took off down the street like a fluffyUsain Bolt.
Cheers, David, everything seems to be working ok. A couple of brick chimneys down in my street, and a powerline dropped on the railway tracks, so it did have a bit of oomph to it.
Have to say though, that if you can run across the room to save the flat screen tv, it’s not that severe a quake. Can’t remember what geonet use as the scale but that’s their word so I guess Stuff is using it.
Wow that shake at 3.50 was a disturbing one. one of my sheds is now lop sided. Am based just out of Levin . not much frazzles me but that has. Am still shaking a tad
Sorry about your shed and your nerves risildowgtn. I hope you soon begin to feel more settled and that you’re not getting the aftershocks up there. All quiet here but I think there are aftershocks going on around Manawatu. Hopefully they are not making their presence felt in Horowhenua there.
From a long 2008 Herald article all about Key’s early life unearthed by travellerev.
Ask yourself as you read this paragraph….does this ring true with someone unable to remember which he stood on during the 81 tour?
Sounds like porkies, Mr Key.
Key himself credits those early debates as sparking his interest in politics. He remembers being attracted by the fiery political arguments of the 1970s and 1980s. “They were quite intense debates – Kawerau and Kinleith and people striking over the Cook Strait ferries – all of those kind of things,” he says. “It was certainly a period of time where politics were prominent and I was fascinated by it.”
Mr Brewer said the protesters did not justify security being there.
“I don’t believe ratepayers should be funding security guards to surround the Mayor on such occasions. A few hecklers and peaceful demonstrators exercising their democratic right is no justification,” he said.
Havent heard him object to the pry ministers over use of guards? I bet they cost more than 20 bucks an hour.
3 News tonight, in Tory propaganda mode: have a go at Kim Dotcom for copyright infringEments by some Mega users: Brewer having a go at Brown, and Tory spin on the need to make more Auckland land, on the fringes of the city, for home buyers (spinning for property sepculators)….then talking up Canterbury housing upsurge.
Yes it was appalling stuff alright. No proper investigations. Just innuendo and snide inferences. I guess the truth is too boring. The decision to raise security detail around a VIP – be they prime minister or mayor of the supercity – is taken by the person/body charged with providing the security and not the VIP. The only exception is John Key who likes lots of DPS fellas around him cos it makes him feel so important.
The reality is: a senior council official would have made the decision to up security detail around Len Brown. I understand it was also partly due to the fact a cabinet minister was also present.
Terrible stuff on TV3 news Karol I agree. Rather than drawing the bleedin’ obvious conclusion from the fact (stated) that Akl house prices are over 8 times average earnings, that is that:
1. There is a speculative bubble happening in housing in Akl. 2. A CGT would help to fix this.
Instead the so-called expert they had on went on about freeing up more land.
When will they learn this is NOT the problem or the solution-rather it is the tax system we have that favours housing rather than productive investment. Even people like Gareth Morgan are now shouting this from the rooftops.
Yes Brewer a minor fly in a very large bucket of ointment is being given oxygen far above the amount He has either earned or deserves, if not for Lens indiscretions Brewer would be the unheard of nobody that he actually is,
DOCTORS and their professional organisation members seem to be reading blogs and online forums (e.g. Sciblogs, ACC Forum, even The Standard, The Daily Blog, Kiwiblog and so forth)!
They have been getting worried about stuff that has been found out, that has been raised concerns about, and they have now apparently seen a need to take actions and defend the profession, their members, and policies that organisations like the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) and their Australasian Faculty of Occupational and Environmental Medicine have started promoting since 2010. This includes their policy statement on “The Health Benefits of Work”!
It was all phased in and developed with the help of Professor Mansel Aylward, Dame Carol Black and pushed for with the help of Dr David Beaumont (President Elect of AFOEM, formerly working for ATOS!), same as Principal Health Advisor Dr David Bratt, MSD.
After launching their ideologically coloured policy and consensus statements, and follow-up ones, they have now got worried about their claims. Hence they now saw a need to specify what “work” is supposed to be “good for health”, and they have come up with a statement on “What is good work?”!?
“Background
1. As a doctor you are expected to sign a variety of medical certificates that range in purpose from confirming sickness to certifying death and are required by receiving agencies, which include employers, insurers, ACC and government departments.
2. This statement outlines the standards that you must follow when completing a medical certificate1. It may be used by the Health Practitioner’s Disciplinary Tribunal, the Council and the Health and Disability Commissioner as a standard by which your conduct is measured. A certificate you have completed may also be challenged in a New Zealand court and you may be called upon to justify your decisions.”
“Professional obligations
3. Certificates are legal documents. Any statement you certify should be completed promptly, honestly, accurately, objectively and based on clear and relevant evidence.
4. Your obligation is to the patient and to the law. Issues like the type of certificate being completed or who initiated, or pays, for the consultation must not influence your assessment and findings.
5. You must not complete a medical certificate for yourself or someone close to you.”
“Implications of certificates
6. You must be aware that completing a certificate has implications for the patient, yourself, and the agency receiving the
certificate.
7. Studies have shown that patient, family and cultural factors may influence how doctors complete certificates. Certificates may have financial implications for the patient and the recipient through benefits, employment and compensation payments and failure to complete a certificate appropriately may have a negative impact on the patient, the patient’s family
or the receiving agency. You need to be aware of these influences and recognise that you may be susceptible to them.
8. Completing a certificate may also directly affect the safety and security of others. Certifying a patient to undertake work when he or she is unfit may place the patient or the patient’s colleagues at risk.
9. Because a certificate has implications for the receiving agency, that agency might contact you for more information. You should therefore have a conversation with the patient about the information you are permitted to disclose if you are approached.”
I think that much more needs sorting out here, and the ones that have to correct their ways above all else are the top dogs sitting in the MSD and in government as a whole!
And any “research” from Professor Mansel Aylward should go straight into the waste paper bin, for shredding and recycling! Dr Bratt should himself be sacked and sent to spend the rest of his “working life” on the “dole”, I suggest, and his assets should be frozen, so he has no access to them.
The Medical Council of NZ, the RACP and AFOEM have got worried, and I wonder how MSD and WINZ are going to work with them and their doctor members in future, as they seem to be planning to be more careful with assessments and diagnosis.
So maybe that is behind the plans for WINZ to start contracted out “medical assessments” and “work capability assessments” in February this year, following the UK example with ATOS, and possibly some competition for them over there some time soon.
Keep your eyes on WINZ and what their “contracted” providers will get up to!
Any considered opinions on this one – given that NZ is perceived to be ‘the least corrupt country in the world’?
_____________________________________________________________________________
EVIDENCE Attorney-General Chris Finlayson voted in favour of the New Zealand International Convention Centre Bill — Third Reading 12 November 2013
How is this not a significant ‘conflict of interest’ for NZ Attorney-General Chris Finlayson?
Even worse that it was a ‘personal’ vote?
NZ Attorney-General Chris Finlayson voted in favour of the NZ International Convention Centre Bill (Third Reading). yet under s.106 of the NZ Crimes Act 1961,
(1)No one shall be prosecuted for an offence against any of the provisions of sections 100, 101, 104, 105, 105A,105B, 105C, and 105D without the leave of the Attorney-General, who before giving leave may make such inquiries as he or she thinks fit.
(It is s.105(1) of the Crimes Act 1961, that a private prosecution of Auckland Mayor Len Brown was received by the Auckland District Court on !5 January 2014.)
_____________________________________________________________________________
(1)Every official is liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 7 years who, whether within New Zealand or elsewhere, corruptly accepts or obtains, or agrees or offers to accept or attempts to obtain, any bribe for himself or herself or any other person in respect of any act done or omitted, or to be done or omitted, by him or her in his or her official capacity.
(2)Every one is liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 7 years who corruptly gives or offers or agrees to give any bribe to any person with intent to influence any official in respect of any act or omission by him or her in his or her official capacity.
Compare: Criminal Code (1954) s 102 (Canada)
Section 105(2): amended, on 3 May 2001, by section 7 of the Crimes (Bribery of Foreign Public Officials) Amendment Act 2001 (2001 No 28).
_____________________________________________________________________________
Originally published by The Hill After decades of failure to pass major federal climate legislation, Congress finally broke through last year with the Inflation Reduction Act and its close to $400 billion in clean energy investments. Energy modeling experts estimated that these provisions would help the U.S. cut its carbon pollution ...
Apology Accepted? “I dropped the ball on Friday, I was too slow to be seen …The communications weren’t fast enough – including mine. I’m sorry for that.”–Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown.HOW OFTEN do politicians apologise? Sincerely apologise? Not offer voters the weasel words: “If my actions have offended anyone, then I ...
At first blush, Christopher Luxon’s comment at the parliamentary powhiri at Waitangi this year sounded tone deaf. The Leader of the Opposition in talking about the Treaty of Waitangi described New Zealand as “a little experiment”. It seemed to diminish the treaty and the very idea of our nation. Yet ...
THE (new) Prime Minister said nobody understands what co-governance means, later modified to that there were so many varying interpretations that there was no common understanding. BRIAN EASTON writes: Co-governance cannot be derived from the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. It does not use the word. It ...
A brief postscript to yesterday’s newsletter…Watching the predawn speeches just now, the reverence of those speaking and the respectful nature of those listening under umbrellas in the dark. I felt a great sadness at the words from Christopher Luxon last evening still in my head. The singing in the dark accompanied ...
by Don Franks While on holiday,I stayed a few days in Scotland with a friend who showed me one of the country’s great working-class achievements. It was a few miles out of central Edinburgh, a huge cantilever bridge across the river Forth. The Forth Bridge was the first major structure ...
Time To Call A Halt: Chris Hipkins knows that iwi leaders possess the means to make life very difficult for his government. Notwithstanding their objections, however, the Prime Minister’s direction of travel – already clearly signalled by his very public demotion of Nanaia Mahuta – must be confirmed by an emphatic and ...
A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Jan 29, 2023 thru Sat, Feb 4, 2023. Story of the Week Social change more important than physical tipping points1.5-degree Goal not plausible Photo: CLICCS / Universität Hamburg Limiting global ...
So Long - And Thanks For All The Fish: In the two-and-a-bit years since Jacinda Ardern’s electoral triumph of 2020, virtually every decision she made had gone politically awry. In the minds of many thousands of voters a chilling metamorphosis had taken place. The Faerie Queen had become the Wicked ...
Look at us here on our beautiful islands in the South Pacific at the start of 2023, we have come so far.Ten days ago we saw a Māori Governor General swearing in our new PM and our first Pasifika Deputy PM, ahead of this year’s parliament where they will be ...
The Herald’s headline writers are at it again! A sensible and balanced piece by Liam Dann on the battle against inflation carries a headline that suggests that NZ is doing worse than the rest of the world. Check it out and see for yourself if I am right. Is this ...
Photo by Anna Demianenko on UnsplashTLDR: Here’s my longer reads and listens for the weekend for sharing with The Kaka’s paying subscribers. I’ve opened this one up for all to give everyone a taste of the sorts of extras you get as a full paying subscriber.Subscribe nowDeeper reads and listens ...
Hello from the middle of a long weekend where I’m letting the last few days unspool, not ready, not yet, to give words to the hardest of what we heard.Instead, today, here are some good words from other people.Mother CourageWhen I wrote last year about Mum and Dad’s move to ...
Workers Now is a new slate of candidates contesting this year’s general election. James Robb and Don Franks are the people behind this initiative and they are hoping to put the spotlight on working people’s interests. Both are seasoned activists who have campaigned for workers’ rights over many decades. Here is ...
Buzz from the Beehive Politicians keen to curry favour with Māori tribal leaders have headed north for Waitangi weekend. More than a few million dollars of public funding are headed north, too. Not all of this money is being trumpeted on the Beehive website, the Government’s official website. ...
Insurers face claims of over $500 million for cars, homes and property damaged in the floods. They are already putting up premiums and pulling insurance from properties deemed at high risk of flooding. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTLDR: This week in the podcast of our weekly hoon webinar for paying subscribers, ...
Our Cranky Uncle Game can already be played in eight languages: English, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish and Swedish. About 15 more languages are in the works at various stages of completion or have been offered to be done. To kick off the new year, we checked with how ...
The (new) Prime Minister said nobody understands what co-governance means, later modified to that there were so many varying interpretations that there was no common understanding.Co-governance cannot be derived from the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. It does not use the word. It refers to ‘government’ on ...
It’s that time of the week again when and I co-host our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kaka. Jump on this link for our chat about the week’s news with special guests Auckland Central MP Chloe Swarbrick and Auckland City Councillor Julie Fairey, including:Auckland’s catastrophic floods, which ...
In March last year, in a panic over rising petrol prices caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the government made a poor decision, "temporarily" cutting fuel excise tax by 25 cents a litre. Of course, it turned out not to be temporary at all, having been extended in May, July, ...
This month’s open thread for climate related topics. Please be constructive, polite, and succinct. The post Unforced variations: Feb 2023 first appeared on RealClimate. ...
Buzz from the Beehive Two fresh press releases had been posted when we checked the Beehive website at noon, both of them posted yesterday. In one statement, in the runup to Waitangi Day, Maori Crown Relations Minister Kelvin Davis drew attention to happenings on a Northland battle site in 1845. ...
It’s that time of the week again when I’m on the site for an hour for a chat in an Ask Me Anything with paying subscribers to The Kaka. Jump in for a chat on anything, including:Auckland’s catastrophic floods, which are set to cost insurers and the Government well over ...
Australia’s Treasurer Jim Chalmers (left) has published a 6,000 word manifesto called ‘Capitalism after the Crises’ arguing for ‘values-based capitalism’. Yet here in NZ we hear the same stale old rhetoric unchanged from the 1990s and early 2000s. Photo: Getty ImagesTLDR: The rest of the world is talking about inflation ...
A couple of weeks ago, after NCEA results came out, my son’s enrolment at Auckland Uni for this year was confirmed - he is doing a BSc majoring in Statistics. Well that is the plan now, who knows what will take his interest once he starts.I spent a bit of ...
Kia ora. What a week! We hope you’ve all come through last weekend’s extreme weather event relatively dry and safe. Header image: stormwater ponds at Hobsonville Point. Image via Twitter. The week in Greater Auckland There’s been a storm of information and debate since the worst of the flooding ...
Hi,At 4.43pm yesterday it arrived — a cease and desist letter from the guy I mentioned in my last newsletter. I’d written an article about “WEWE”, a global multi-level marketing scam making in-roads into New Zealand. MLMs are terrible for many of the same reasons megachurches are terrible, and I ...
Time To Call A Halt: Chris Hipkins knows that iwi leaders possess the means to make life very difficult for his government. Notwithstanding their objections, however, the Prime Minister’s direction of travel – already clearly signalled by his very public demotion of Nanaia Mahuta – must be confirmed by an emphatic ...
Open access notables Via PNAS, Ceylan, Anderson & Wood present a paper squarely in the center of the Skeptical Science wheelhouse: Sharing of misinformation is habitual, not just lazy or biased. The signficance statement is obvious catnip: Misinformation is a worldwide concern carrying socioeconomic and political consequences. What drives ...
Mark White from the Left free speech organisation Plebity looks at the disturbing trend of ‘book burning’ on US campuses In the abstract, people mostly agree that book banning is a bad thing. The Nazis did us the favor of being very clear about it and literally burning books, but ...
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has undergone a stern baptisim of fire in his first week in his new job, but it doesn’t get any easier. Next week, he has a vital meeting in Canberra with his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese, where he has to establish ...
As PM Chris Hipkins says, it’s a “no brainer” to extend the fuel tax cut, half price public subsidy and the cut to the road user levy until mid-year. A no braoner if the prime purpose is to ease the burden on people struggling to cope with the cost of ...
Buzz from the Beehive Cost-of-living pressures loomed large in Beehive announcements over the past 24 hours. The PM was obviously keen to announce further measures to keep those costs in check and demonstrate he means business when he talks of focusing his government on bread-and-butter issues. His statement was headed ...
Poor Mike Hosking. He has revealed himself in his most recent diatribe to be one of those public figures who is defined, not by who he is, but by who he isn’t, or at least not by what he is for, but by what he is against. Jacinda’s departure has ...
New Zealand is the second least corrupt country on earth according to the latest Corruption Perception Index published yesterday by Transparency International. But how much does this reflect reality? The problem with being continually feted for world-leading political integrity – which the Beehive and government departments love to boast about ...
TLDR: Including my pick of the news and other links in my checks around the news sites since 4am. Paying subscribers can see them all below the fold.In Aotearoa’s political economyBrown vs Fish Read more ...
TLDR: Including my pick of the news and other links in my checks around the news sites since 4am. Paying subscribers can see them all below the fold.In Aotearoa’s political economyBrown vs Fish Read more ...
In other countries, the target-rich cohorts of swinging voters are given labels such as ‘Mondeo Man’, ‘White Van Man,’ ‘Soccer Moms’ and ‘Little Aussie Battlers.’ Here, the easiest shorthand is ‘Ford Ranger Man’ – as seen here parked outside a Herne Bay restaurant, inbetween two SUVs. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / ...
In other countries, the target-rich cohorts of swinging voters are given labels such as ‘Mondeo Man’, ‘White Van Man,’ ‘Soccer Moms’ and ‘Little Aussie Battlers.’ Here, the easiest shorthand is ‘Ford Ranger Man’ – as seen here parked outside a Herne Bay restaurant, inbetween two SUVs. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / ...
Transport Minister and now also Minister for Auckland, Michael Wood has confirmed that the light rail project is part of the government’s policy refocus. Wood said the light rail project was under review as part of a ministerial refocus on key Government projects. “We are undertaking a stocktake about how ...
Sometime before the new Prime Minister Chris Hipkins announced that this year would be about “bread and butter issues”, National’s finance spokesperson Nicola Willis decided to move from Wellington Central and stand for Ohariu, which spreads across north Wellington from the central city to Johnsonville and Tawa. It’s an ...
They say a week is a long time in politics. For Mayor Wayne Brown, turns out 24 hours was long enough for many of us to see, quite obviously, “something isn’t right here…”. That in fact, a lot was going wrong. Very wrong indeed.Mainly because it turns ...
One of the most effective, and successful, graphics developed by Skeptical Science is the escalator. The escalator shows how global surface temperature anomalies vary with time, and illustrates how "contrarians" tend to cherry-pick short time intervals so as to argue that there has been no recent warming, while "realists" recognise ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTLDR: Here’s a quick roundup of the news today for paying subscribers on a slightly frantic, very wet, and then very warm day. In Aotearoa’s political economy today Read more ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTLDR: Here’s a quick roundup of the news today for paying subscribers on a slightly frantic, very wet, and then very warm day. In Aotearoa’s political economy today Read more ...
Tomorrow we have a funeral, and thank you all of you for your very kind words and thoughts — flowers, even.Our friend Michèle messaged: we never get to feel one thing at a time, us grownups, and oh boy is that ever the truth. Tomorrow we have the funeral, and ...
Lynn and I have just returned from a news conference where Hipkins, fresh from visiting a relief centre in Mangere, was repeatedly challenged to justify the extension of subsidies to create more climate emissions when the effects of climate change had just proved so disastrous. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The ...
Lynn and I have just returned from a news conference where Hipkins, fresh from visiting a relief centre in Mangere, was repeatedly challenged to justify the extension of subsidies to create more climate emissions when the effects of climate change had just proved so disastrous. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The ...
A new Prime Minister, a revitalised Cabinet, and possibly revised priorities – but is the political and, importantly, economic landscape much different? Certainly some within the news media were excited by the changes which Chris Hipkins announced yesterday or – before the announcement – by the prospect of changes in ...
Currently the government's strategy for reducing transport emissions hinges on boosting vehicle fuel-efficiency, via the clean car standard and clean car discount, and some improvements to public transport. The former has been hugely successful, and has clearly set us on the right path, but its also not enough, and will ...
Buzz from the Beehive Before he announced his Cabinet yesterday, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins announced he would be flying to Australia next week to meet that country’s Prime Minister. And before Kieran McAnulty had time to say “Three Waters” after his promotion to the Local Government portfolio, he was dishing ...
The quarterly labour market statistics were released this morning, showing that unemployment has risen slightly to 3.4%. There are now 99,000 people unemployed - 24,000 fewer than when Labour took office. So, I guess the Reserve Bank's plan to throw people out of work to stop wage rises "inflation", and ...
Another night of heavy rain, flooding, damage to homes, and people worried about where the hell all this water is going to go as we enter day twenty two of rain this year.Honestly if the government can’t sell Three Waters on the back of what has happened with storm water ...
* Dr Bryce Edwards writes – Prime Minister Chris Hipkins continues to be the new broom in Government, re-setting his Government away from its problem areas in his Cabinet reshuffle yesterday, and trying to convince voters that Labour is focused on “bread and butter” issues. The ministers responsible for unpopular ...
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins continues to be the new broom in Government, re-setting his Government away from its problem areas in his Cabinet reshuffle yesterday, and trying to convince voters that Labour is focused on “bread and butter” issues. The ministers responsible for unpopular reforms in water and DHB centralisation ...
Hi,It’s weird to me that in 2023 we still have people falling for multi-level marketing schemes (MLMs for short). There are Netflix documentaries about them, countless articles, and last year we did an Armchaired and Dangerous episode on them.Then you check a ticketing website like EventBrite and see this shit ...
Nanaia Mahuta fell the furthest in the Cabinet reshuffle. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTLDR: PM Chris Hipkins unveiled a Cabinet this afternoon he hopes will show wavering voters that a refreshed Labour Government is focused on ‘bread and butter cost of living’ issues, rather than the unpopular, unwieldy and massively centralising ...
Nanaia Mahuta fell the furthest in the Cabinet reshuffle. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTLDR: PM Chris Hipkins unveiled a Cabinet this afternoon he hopes will show wavering voters that a refreshed Labour Government is focused on ‘bread and butter cost of living’ issues, rather than the unpopular, unwieldy and massively centralising ...
Shortly, the absolute state of Wayne Brown. But before that, something I wrote four years ago for the council’s own media machine. It was a day-in-the-life profile of their many and varied and quite possibly unnoticed vital services. We went all over Auckland in 48 hours for the story, the ...
Completed reads for January Lilith, by George MacDonald The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (poem), by Samuel Taylor Coleridge Christabel (poem), by Samuel Taylor Coleridge The Saga of Ragnar Lodbrok, by Anonymous The Lay of Kraka (poem), by Anonymous 1066 and All That, by W.C. Sellar and R.J. ...
Pity the poor Brits. They just can’t catch a break. After years of reporting of lying Boris Johnson, a change to a less colourful PM in Rishi Sunak has resulted in a smooth media pivot to an end-of-empire narrative. The New York Times, no less, amplifies suggestions that Blighty ...
On that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened. And rain fell on the earth.Genesis 6:11-12THE TORRENTIAL DOWNPOURS that dumped a record-breaking amount of rain on Auckland this anniversary weekend will reoccur with ever-increasing frequency. The planet’s atmosphere is ...
Buzz from the Beehive There has been plenty to keep the relevant Ministers busy in flood-stricken Auckland over the past day or two. But New Zealand, last time we looked, extends north of Auckland into Northland and south of the Bombay Hills all the way to the bottom of the ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters When early settlers came to the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers before the California Gold Rush, Indigenous people warned them that the Sacramento Valley could become an inland sea when great winter rains came. The storytellers described water filling the ...
Wayne Brown managed a smile when meeting with Remuera residents, but he was grumpy about having to deal with “media drongos”. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTLDR: In my pick of the news links found in my rounds since 4am for paying subscribers below the paywall:Wayne Brown moans about the media and ...
Wayne Brown managed a smile when meeting with Remuera residents, but he was grumpy about having to deal with “media drongos”. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTLDR: In my pick of the news links found in my rounds since 4am for paying subscribers below the paywall:Wayne Brown moans about the media and ...
Dr Bryce Edwards writes – Last night’s opinion polls answered the big question of whether a switch of prime minister would really be a gamechanger for election year. The 1News and Newshub polls released at 6pm gave the same response: the shift from Jacinda Ardern to Chris Hipkins ...
Hipkins’ aim this year will be to present a ‘low target’ for those seeking to attack Labour’s policies and spending. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTLDR: Anyone dealing with Government departments and councils who wants some sort of big or long-term decision out of officials or politicians this year should brace for ...
Hipkins’ aim this year will be to present a ‘low target’ for those seeking to attack Labour’s policies and spending. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTLDR: Anyone dealing with Government departments and councils who wants some sort of big or long-term decision out of officials or politicians this year should brace for ...
Last night’s opinion polls answered the big question of whether a switch of prime minister would really be a gamechanger for election year. The 1News and Newshub polls released at 6pm gave the same response: the shift from Jacinda Ardern to Chris Hipkins has changed everything, and Labour is back ...
Over the last few years, it’s seemed like city after city around the world has become subject to extreme flooding events that have been made worse by impacts from climate change. We’ve highlighted many of them in our Weekly Roundup series. Sadly, over the last few days it’s been Auckland’s ...
And so the first month of the year draws to a close. It rained in Auckland on 21 out of the 31 days in January. Feels like summer never really happened this year. It’s actually hard to believe there were 10 days that it didn’t rain. Was it any better where ...
Kia ora e te whānau. Today, we mark the anniversary of the signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi - and our commitment to working in partnership with Māori to deliver better outcomes and tackle the big issues, together. ...
We’ve just announced a massive infrastructure investment to kick-start new housing developments across New Zealand. Through our Infrastructure Acceleration Fund, we’re making sure that critical infrastructure - like pipes, roads and wastewater connections - is in place, so thousands more homes can be built. ...
The Green Party is joining more than 20 community organisations to call for an immediate rent freeze in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, after reports of landlords intending to hike rents after flooding. ...
When Chris Hipkins took on the job of Prime Minister, he said bread and butter issues like the cost of living would be the Government’s top priority – and this week, we’ve set out extra support for families and businesses. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to provide direct support to low-income households and to stop subsidising fossil fuels during a climate crisis. ...
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. ...
Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta departs for India tomorrow as she continues to reconnect Aotearoa New Zealand to the world. The visit will begin in New Delhi where the Foreign Minister will meet with the Vice President Hon Jagdeep Dhankar and her Indian Government counterparts, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and ...
Over $10 million infrastructure funding to unlock housing in Whangārei The purchase of a 3.279 hectare site in Kerikeri to enable 56 new homes Northland becomes eligible for $100 million scheme for affordable rentals Multiple Northland communities will benefit from multiple Government housing investments, delivering thousands of new homes for ...
A memorial event at a key battle site in the New Zealand land wars is an important event to mark the progress in relations between Māori and the Crown as we head towards Waitangi Day, Minister for Te Arawhiti Kelvin Davis said. The Battle of Ohaeawai in June 1845 saw ...
More Police officers are being deployed to the frontline with the graduation of 54 new constables from the Royal New Zealand Police College today. The graduation ceremony for Recruit Wing 362 at Te Rauparaha Arena in Porirua was the first official event for Stuart Nash since his reappointment as Police ...
The Government is unlocking an additional $700,000 in support for regions that have been badly hit by the recent flooding and storm damage in the upper North Island. “We’re supporting the response and recovery of Auckland, Waikato, Coromandel, Northland, and Bay of Plenty regions, through activating Enhanced Taskforce Green to ...
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has welcomed the announcement that Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal, Princess Anne, will visit New Zealand this month. “Princess Anne is travelling to Aotearoa at the request of the NZ Army’s Royal New Zealand Corps of Signals, of which she is Colonel in Chief, to ...
A new Government and industry strategy launched today has its sights on growing the value of New Zealand’s horticultural production to $12 billion by 2035, Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor said. “Our food and fibre exports are vital to New Zealand’s economic security. We’re focussed on long-term strategies that build on ...
25 cents per litre petrol excise duty cut extended to 30 June 2023 – reducing an average 60 litre tank of petrol by $17.25 Road User Charge discount will be re-introduced and continue through until 30 June Half price public transport fares extended to the end of June 2023 saving ...
The strong economy has attracted more people into the workforce, with a record number of New Zealanders in paid work and wages rising to help with cost of living pressures. “The Government’s economic plan is delivering on more better-paid jobs, growing wages and creating more opportunities for more New Zealanders,” ...
The Government is providing a further $1 million to the Mayoral Relief Fund to help communities in Auckland following flooding, Minister for Emergency Management Kieran McAnulty announced today. “Cabinet today agreed that, given the severity of the event, a further $1 million contribution be made. Cabinet wishes to be proactive ...
The new Cabinet will be focused on core bread and butter issues like the cost of living, education, health, housing and keeping communities and businesses safe, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has announced. “We need a greater focus on what’s in front of New Zealanders right now. The new Cabinet line ...
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins will travel to Canberra next week for an in person meeting with Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese. “The trans-Tasman relationship is New Zealand’s closest and most important, and it was crucial to me that my first overseas trip as Prime Minister was to Australia,” Chris Hipkins ...
The Government is providing establishment funding of $100,000 to the Mayoral Relief Fund to help communities in Auckland following flooding, Minister for Emergency Management Kieran McAnulty announced. “We moved quickly to make available this funding to support Aucklanders while the full extent of the damage is being assessed,” Kieran McAnulty ...
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 ...
By Hilaire Bule, RNZ Pacific Vanuatu correspondent in Port Vila Vanuatu’s prime minister has stressed any future employment within the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) Secretariat must be from MSG member countries. Prime Minister Ishmael Kalsakau, who is also chair of the MSG Secretariat, made the statement following the recruitment of ...
SPECIAL REPORT:By Yamin Kogoya On Friday 10 February 2023, it will be one month since the Papua Governor Lukas Enembe was “kidnapped” at a local restaurant during his lunch hour by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) and security forces. The crisis began in September 2022, when Governor Enembe was ...
By Kālino Lātū, editor of Kaniva News Dr Sitiveni Halapua, former deputy leader of Tonga’s Democratic Movement, has died aged 74. Born on February 13, 1949, he was a respected academic, a pioneer of Tonga’s democratic reforms and pioneer of a conflict resolution system based on traditional practices. Halapua earned ...
COMMENTARY:By Richard Naidu in Suva Five weeks on from Christmas Eve, I think most of us are still a bit stunned at what has happened in Fiji. A new government came to power in dramatic circumstances. It took not one but two Sodelpa management board meetings to change it, ...
By Red Tsounga Another house done, and onto the next . . . Volunteers working in Mount Roskill community over the past few days helping those suffering from Auckland’s flash flood devastation have done us proud. Tremendous work by everybody. Here are some random photos of our volunteer teams on ...
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 Mick Tsikas/AAP Senator Lidia Thorpe announced on Monday that she would be leaving the Greens. Thorpe had split with the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dennis B. Desmond, Lecturer, Cyberintelligence and Cybercrime Investigations, University of the Sunshine Coast The news of a so-called “Chinese spy balloon” being shot down over the US has reignited interest in how nation-states spy on one another. It’s not confirmed that the ...
Today, at a Waitangi ki Waititi concert hosted by Te Whānau o Waipareira at Hoani Waititi Marae, West Auckland; Takutai Moana Natasha Kemp was officially announced as Te Pāti Māori Candidate for Tāmaki Makaurau for the 2023 Election. Hailing ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Daniel Pockett/AAP Victorian Indigenous Senator Lidia Thorpe has defected from the Greens to sit on the crossbench, declaring she wants to fully represent the “Blak Sovereign Movement” in parliament. The announcement by ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Daniel Pockett/AAP Victorian Indigenous Senator Lidia Thorpe has defected from the Greens to sit on the crossbench, declaring she wants to fully represent the “Blak Sovereign Movement” in parliament. The announcement by ...
Sure, Scotty Morrison’s Māori At Work is a wonderful resource for Aotearoa’s collective te reo Māori journey. But is it judgemental enough for the modern office environment?First published September 12 2019 The growing strength of te reo is palpable across Aotearoa, with record numbers of people participating in Mahuru ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jane Mills, Professor and Dean La Trobe Rural Health School, La Trobe University Shutterstock It can be tough to access front-line health care outside the cities and suburbs. For the seven million Australians living in rural communities there are significant ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Donald Rothwell, Professor of International Law, Australian National University Chad Fish/AP Was the balloon that suddenly appeared over the US last week undertaking surveillance? Or was it engaging in research, as China has claimed? While the answers to these ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brendan Walker-Munro, Senior Research Fellow, The University of Queensland Shutterstock The generative AI industry will be worth about A$22 trillion by 2030, according to the CSIRO. These systems – of which ChatGPT is currently the best known – can write ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Doug Drury, Professor/Head of Aviation, CQUniversity Australia Shutterstock When booking a flight, do you ever think about which seat will protect you the most in an emergency? Probably not. Most people book seats for comfort, such as leg room, ...
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has described this morning's Waitangi dawn service as moving and says he welcomes the shift away from a focus on politics. ...
Screenwriter Dana Leaming’s debut comedy series Not Even is out now on Prime and Neon. This is the out the gate story of how it got there.Kia ora, Hi, What up? Up to? U up? …I’m Dana. I wrote and co-directed (with Ainsley Gardiner) the TV show Not Even ...
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 Mick Tsikas/AAP A federal Newspoll, conducted February 1-4 from a sample of 1,512, gave Labor a 55-45 lead, unchanged on ...
The Human Rights Commission, Te Kāhui Tika Tangata, last week released two reports on racism and the impact of colonialism in Aotearoa. Among their many insights was the necessity of a wider understanding of how racism manifests itself. I was honoured to accept an invitation by Te Kāhui Tika Tangata ...
Vincent O’Malley reviews a history of the battle of Gate Pā.First published February 5, 2019 Head up Cameron Road, one of Tauranga’s main arterial routes, a few kilometres out of the city centre and you drive over one of New Zealand’s most important historical sites. The road, named after ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Murray Goot, Emeritus Professor of Politics and International Relations, Macquarie University Support for embedding an Indigenous Voice to parliament in the Constitution has fallen. The polls provide good evidence once you work out how to find it. However, the voters who have ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Doug Drury, Professor/Head of Aviation, CQUniversity Australia Shutterstock When booking a flight, do you ever think about which seat will protect you the most in an emergency? Probably not. Most people book seats for comfort, such as leg room, or ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Libby Rumpff, Senior Research Fellow, The University of Melbourne David Crosling/AAP The Black Summer bushfires of 2019-20 were cataclysmic: a landmark in Australia’s environmental history. They burnt more than 10 million hectares, mostly forests in southeast Australia. Many of our most ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christine Grové, Fulbright Scholar and Adjunct Senior Lecturer, Monash University Anete Lusina/Pexels School attendance levels in Australia are a massive issue according to Education Minister Jason Clare. As he told reporters last week, he hopes to talk to state colleagues ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Marion Terrill, Transport and Cities Program Director, Grattan Institute Revising the generous fuel tax credits given to businesses should be a priority for the Albanese government, because keeping them would conflict with two other pressing priorities: reducing carbon emissions and repairing the ...
For nine years he steered the ship he built, but last week Duncan Greive announced his surprise resignation as CEO of The Spinoff. He joins guest host, Jane Yee, to discuss how doing things differently took The Spinoff from an irreverent TV blog to a respected online magazine, and why ...
Three decades ago one of the giants of New Zealand thinking and writing, Ranginui Walker, published Ka Whawhai Tonu Mātou, Struggle Without End. The book, originally released in 1990 and revised in 2004, is a history of Aotearoa from a Māori perspective. It had a profound influence and today remains ...
A review for Waitangi weekend The bestselling novel Kāwai: For Such a Time as This by Monty Soutar feels like the story Matua Monty has been working toward telling his entire life. It aims for the loftiest mountain peak in a valiant attempt at the fabled Great New Zealand ...
Unfortunately the great flood of January 27 was not a one-off but a precursor to more emergencies likely to strike the city because of environmental effects of climate change. While the Auckland floods are proving devastating, costly and far-reaching, they have also had the strange effect of revealing Tamaki Makaurau's original landscape. ...
Health inequities between Pākehā and Māori are often framed as complex and difficult to change. But making access to GPs and dentists free will not only save money for whānau using these services, it will also save money for the health system and ensure Māori rights to good governance and equity ...
One of New Zealand's most promising fast bowlers, Molly Penfold, was surprised to get the call-up for the T20 World Cup, but she has a great support team around her, Merryn Anderson reports. She's only played one T20 for the White Ferns, and she's yet to take a wicket, but Molly ...
Labour and National’s leaders came to Waitangi agreed on which areas need more investment in election year. But as political editor Jo Moir writes, the country is going to see a big debate on how Māori should benefit from it Prime Minister Chris Hipkins used his speech at Sunday’s pōwhiri ...
Securing the right to housing will require us to challenge the very systems and ideologies that are doing such harm to our planet.Opinion: The images of rivers running down our streets, cars floating down the motorway, houses flooded and half-submerged buses ferrying people across the causeway, will stick with ...
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. ...
It is hard to separate the politics from Waitangi, but the day party leaders were welcomed on to Te Whare Rūnanga was largely free of inflammatory rhetoric and political point scoring. ...
Rheive Grey pays tribute to one political party’s unapologetic commitment to markers of Māori identity, from hei tiki to waiata to tikitiki. I’m proud to be Māori. If you’re like me, it’s hard to read that sentence without singing it in your head. That’s either the power of good campaigning, ...
When I was a man my dick was only average size, but learning how to tuck it out of sight is a steep learning curve for a girl on a budget. The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.Illustrations: Sloane Hong The dick ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Wes Mountain/The Conversation, CC BY-ND Australia’s Reserve Bank is set to push up rates once again at its first meeting for the year on Tuesday, according to all but ...
By David Robie When Papuan journalist Victor Mambor visited New Zealand almost nine years ago, he impressed student journalists from the Pacific Media Centre and community activists with his refreshing candour and courage. As the founder of the Jubi news media group, he remained defiant that he would tell the ...
Today, Te Pāti Māori officially announced Mariameno Kapa-Kingi as their candidate for the Te Tai Tokerau electorate in this year’s General Election. The announcement was part of the pōwhiri for MPs at Te Whare Rūnanga o Waitangi. “Making the announcement ...
Paul Diamond’s book about the 1920s scandal that shocked Whanganui is on the longlist for the Ockhams (in the hotly contested General Non-Fiction category). Victor Rodger reviews. A closeted mayor with huge ambitions. A handsome, young, returned soldier with ambiguous motivations.A scandalous shooting that leads to a spectacular ...
An easy, low sugar jam that tastes even better than the sickly-sweet stuff. Often jam recipes call for much more sugar that I think is necessary, resulting in a cloyingly sweet jam whose flavour sadly becomes lost. Where some recipes will call for equal measures of fruit and sugar, this ...
Professor John Morgan offers a 'lesson plan' for Auckland children returning to school to help them understand what's going on in their city after the floods When Auckland schools go back, there’s a case to be made that geography teachers take over lessons for a day or two. Auckland’s ‘state of emergency’ ...
An acoustic 'harassment' device won’t be used to keep dolphins from high-speed boats, reports David Williams. Organisers of a super-fast boat race have scrapped plans to use an underwater noise device to scare dolphins in a marine mammal sanctuary. SailGP’s consultants, Enviser, lodged an application with the Department of Conservation (DoC) ...
Two reports on racism in New Zealand released by the Human Rights Commission land at a time when political rhetoric around racism is escalating again. Aaron Smale reports. The Human Rights Commission has released two reports that make a number of significant recommendations for confronting white supremacy and institutional racism. But ...
Flooding and land slides at her home in Titirangi have Zoe Hawkins sleeping in her running gear in case she has to flee. She shares her concern for others even more affected - and questions what the future brings. A week ago we lived on the edge of paradise. Our forever home ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Enshrining a constitutional Voice to parliament will bring better practical outcomes and give the best chance for Closing the Gap, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will say in a major address on the referendum on Sunday. ...
By Jamie Tahana, RNZ News Te Ao Māori journalist at Waitangi, and Russell Palmer, digital political journalist Iwi leaders in Aotearoa New Zealand have accused opposition parties National and ACT of “fanning the flames of racism”, urging the prime minister to be brave and not walk away from partnership on Three ...
By Phoebe Gwangilo in Port Moresby Higher Education Minister Don Polye has condemned a decision by the administration of the University of Papua New Guinea to treat a PNG-born and bred grade 12 school leaver as an “international” student. Roselyn Alog, 19, whose parents are Filipinos, was born and raised ...
RNZ Pacific Fiji’s former Elections Supervisor Mohammed Saneem is under investigation by the country’s anti-corruption agency for alleged abuse of office and has been stopped from fleeing the country. The Fijian Elections Office (FEO) said Saneem was alleged to have “on numerous occasions . . . unlawfully authorised payments of ...
Labour's position has alternated over the past few days: first Prime Minister Chris Hipkins would speak, then he wouldn't, and then he would again. ...
Te Pāti Māori Co-leaders Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer are announcing a transformative defence and foreign affairs policy which asserts the Mana Māori Motuhake and Tino Rangatiratanga of tangata whenua in Aotearoa at their Party’s ...
The Prime Minister will no longer speak at Waitangi commemorations after the organising trust moved the political leaders to a panel away from the main event The Waitangi National Trust wrote to political parties last month saying they didn’t want political leaders to speak at the pōwhiri held on the eve ...
The Prime Minister once again has a speaking slot at the pōwhiri in Waitangi after earlier on Saturday saying he would respect the wishes of the trust organisers by not doing so The Waitangi National Trust has given the green light for Chris Hipkins and other political leaders to speak ...
It’s been exactly a decade since Seven Sharp first appeared on our screens. Remember the first episode? We’ve unearthed the tapes. On this day in 2013, a bombshell was thrown into the New Zealand television landscape. “Time for us to make way, because you’re here to see what everyone’s talking ...
MetService meteorologist Lewis Ferris has fronted endless media requests and live crosses this week. Is he getting it right? Lewis Ferris is trying to find his weather map. “This week’s been so insane” he mutters as he closes multiple tabs on the three screens across his Wellington desk. He’s ...
After four years, executive director Max Tweedie has stepped down from Auckland Pride. He tells Sam Brooks about shepherding the festival through a tumultuous few years, and where he’s going from here.This year’s Auckland Pride Festival is set to be the biggest one yet. Over the course of more ...
A flailing mayor was only the public face of a multifaceted flooding communications failure. Duncan Greive examines the mess, and asks what can be done to improve it.It’s a chilling timeline. Stuff’s Kelly Dennett catalogued, beat-by-beat, the 12 hours in which Auckland was pummelled by a catastrophic deluge, interspersing ...
The Dunedin branch of the Green Party has selected Francisco Hernandez as its candidate for the Dunedin electorate in this year’s general election. Francisco Hernandez was the Otago University Students Association President in 2013. He has held a number ...
Waitangi organisers are trying to push political leaders to the side at Sunday's pōwhiri, but Labour's deputy leader says it's not for them to decide who speaks. Te Tai Tokerau MP and Labour’s deputy leader, Kelvin Davis, says the Prime Minister will speak at Sunday’s pōwhiri at Waitangi, in defiance of local ...
Every weekday, The Detail makes sense of the big news stories. This week, we spoke to an aid worker who had made the trip to the war zone in Ukraine, looked at why Carmel Sepuloni was picked to be the new deputy prime minister, visited the flood-torn streets of Titirangi in West ...
Schools play an integral but often unrecognised and unacknowledged role in helping communities respond to and recover from disastersOpinion: Schools in Auckland and other flood-affected areas are about to re-open after a delayed start to the new school year. Students will return to school having experienced wide-ranging impacts. While some ...
A very short story for Waitangi weekend The pā is a lonely place nowadays. Gorse has marched on it like the British troops of old, consuming the hills and leaving the marae looking a bald patch on the head of the earth mother herself. Even the roads have worn thin, ...
This is The Detail's Long Read - one in-depth story read by us every weekend. This week, it's The School Away From School written by Bill Morris and published in NZ Geographic's January/February 2023 issue. You can find the entire article, with photos from Lottie Hedley, on the NZ Geographic website. One hundred years since its ...
COMMENTARY:By Kayt Davies in Perth I wasn’t good at French in my final year of high school. My classmates had five years of language studies behind them. I had three. As a result of my woeful grip on the language, I wrote a terribly bad essay in my final ...
RNZ Pacific Journalist Victor Mambor, who is the chief editor of the West Papuan newspaper and websiteJubi, has received the Oktovianus Pogau Award from the Indonesian-based Pantau Foundation for courage in journalism. The foundation’s Andreas Harsono said Mambor’s decision to return to his father’s homeland and defend the rights ...
RNZ News Green Party MP Chlöe Swarbrick is brushing off concerns a temporary rent freeze in flood-hit Auckland would just see landlords hike rents even more when the controls were lifted — arguing they should stay permanently. More than 20 organisations have signed a letter urging Minister for Auckland Michael ...
whoar..!..the far-right has topped party/pm polls in britain..
http://whoar.co.nz/2014/far-right-prty-beats-tories-and-lib-dems-in-british-poll-and-far-right-leader-beats-cameronclegg-as-favoured-for-prime-minister-ed-whoar-eh-and-good-news-for-kim-dotcom-and-should-h/
(excerpt..)
..and for the likes of kim dotcom..
..this will be very good news..
..the electorate is ripe for something/anything different..
(and funny story..!..the greens in the past would have been in pole-position to grab that opportunity..
..but..the compromises/moves to the centre the greens have taken..and their failures to be a strong different-voice..
..with their (criminal) inaction on/around the medical marijuana bill they (supposedly) supported/fought for..
..being perhaps the most damaging to that ‘outlaw/change’-meme..
..(the greens tried out an innovative new campaigning method with that medical-marijuana bill..
..it was ‘the embarrassed-silence’ mode of campaigning..
..and it wasn’t a success..on any level..
..that and their earlier skirt-lifting/winking/flirting with the idea of supporting a key/tory govt..
..pretty much put the seal on the greens becoming ‘suited-up’..)
(cont..)
phillip ure..
WTF?
what exactly are you having problems getting yr head around..there..
..arfamo..?
..need some help..?
phillip ure..
If the help involves any more fucken dots and effort to try and work out what the hell you are raving on about exactly, no thanks Phil. Appreciate the offer though.
@..arfamo..
..you do know that dot-o-phobia is covered by a.c.c…eh..?
(virgo..?..they tend to dot-o-phobia…i’ve noticed..)
phillip ure..
(virgo..?..they tend to dot-o-phobia…i’ve noticed..)
Do they? Sounds right. Heaps of scientific support for astrological personality classifications. Astrologers are amongst our best thinkers.
vigos can’t take a joke..(the evidence is building..)
..they also have issues with lateral-thinking..eh…?
..does any of that sound familiar..?
..phillip ure..
Well, no, phil, I’m not virgo. I prefer my chinese astrological classification. If it helps, that one describes me as the type of person who “likes to make love in a laundry chute, just to see what it feels like”. Anyway, I’ve had enough dots and blank space for the day. I’m off to do something useful.
..Have …
..an…
ice…
…day
Good for you Arfamo.
@..weka..
.are you cheering on arfamos’ desire to bonk in a laundry-chute..there..
..weka..?
phillip ure..
Phil, it’s never going to happen. My girlfriend is emphatically not assisting in my ongoing search for a chute of an appropriate size and design. My last 10 advertisements for another girlfriend who might have produced a blank.
@ arfamo..
..are you/they known as ‘chute-ists’..?
..and have you faced any (laundry-based) discrimination..?
..since coming out..?
..phillip ure..
All I have gained to date is 5 trespass notices. This is why I don’t like astrology. I am considering entering politics in France, Italy or the US, where this kind of activity is likely to get me elected.
the auckland mayoralty position is coming up soon..?
..there is a pattern there..
..has the object-of-desire manifestation of the incumbants’ mid-life-crisis ever been asked about their relationship..
..and/in the context of.. ‘laundry-chutes’..?
phillip ure..
Hmm. Hotels have laundry chutes. Good tip. Thanks Phil.
are there any protocols in/around your (ahem..!..)..interest..?
..there…arfmo..
..do you prefer an empty or full basket @ the bottom of the chute..?
..does ‘odour’ have a part to play in that chute-attraction/pre-chuting-suitability evaluation..?
..do you like to visit whiteware-showrooms..?
..and stroke the appliances..
..and dream of chute-ing..?
..and do your interests spread/stray into any other part /aspect..
..of the laundry-experience..?
phillip ure..
I’m sorry Phil, your questions indicate a level of interest that is getting prurient. I’m away. Try not to overdo the dots.
it’s alright..i know how to handle my dots..
..and also i’m on a form of apostrophe-methadone..
..it’s called the dash-program..
– so i am learning to substitute – eh – ?
..you should have seen me back in the day..!
..whoar…!!…..
..mainlining dots..all day..and all of the night..
..phillip ure..
Very amusing Phil U and Arfamo. Good repartee.
Reminds me of Jewel of the Nile discussion refereed by the Jewel who was Avner Eisenberg – looking at him on google seems very funny
chrs gw..
..and good on old weka for kicking it off eh..?
..and a bit of a touch of the law of unintended-consequences for that quarrelsome/destructive/hectoring native-bird..
..(of the very very pale-green/carnivorous variety..)
..eh..?
(what’s that sound..?
..is that what a ‘grinding’ weka-beak sounds like..?..)
..and weka is/must be an early short-lister –
– for todays’ foil-of-the-day-award..eh..?
phillip ure..
What?
..”..what..?..”
the very very pale-green/carnivorous native-bird..
..howled into the void..
..(there was no answer..there usually isn’t..)
..phillip ure..
Phil is extrapolating from a headline in a UK sunday newspaper. The actual result on voting intention is:
Labour leads on 35 per cent, the Conservatives are 30 per cent, UKIP have19 per cent and the Lib Dems remain stalled on 8 per cent. Given the UK’s FPP voting system, the support for UKIP is illusory; they won’t actually win 19% of the seats. They may, however, cause the Tories to lose quite a few.
The upcoming European elections, which are on a proportional basis, may be more fruitful for the swivel eyed loons of UKIP. Ironic, given their hatred of Johnny Foreigner.
Righto. Thanks for that. I think I’ll have some breakfast.
@..trp..
..i wd add that the sunday newspaper is the independent..
..hardly a rightwing-rag..
..and i think the unlying thesis of my piece..stands..
..namely how ripe for change the voters both there and here are..
..and how that ‘protest’ eu-vote..is their only outlet..
..whereas here.?.
..we have mmp..eh..?
..aren’t we lucky bunnies..?
..we can have our revolutions @ the ballot-box..
..we can throw the bastards out..
..and install whoever we so wish..
..(let us pause once again to thank those who made that happen for us..eh..?..
..rod donalds’ finest hour…eh..?..
..vale..!..rod..)
..phillip ure..
(heh..!..maybe ‘unlying’ should read ‘underlying’..eh..?..
..what a difference a ‘der’ makes..eh..?..)
..phillip ure..
“Paying out KiwiSaver cash under the serious financial hardship provision benefits only the bankrupt’s creditors rather than the bankrupt themselves,.”
Stephen Joyce’s department (Business Innovation and Employment) are undermining the KIWISAVER scheme.
The ministry’s view is that a bankrupt’s KiwiSaver money should be available to pay creditors.
That will lead to money-lenders extending debt at high rates on the strength of a KIWISAVER statement.
That will screw the poorest and benefit usurious gangsters.
See story in the NZ Herald.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11189013
I’d wondered about this and looking at the article there does need to be some clearer rules. Firstly, most kiwisaver is the normal modest contributions from work. But it is possible to set up a personal kiwisaver scheme and if the dollars in it are large enough then it can be quite worthwhile (main cost are the audit requirements) so they can be set up and business people could and are hiding large dollops of assets in them.
Second problem is the ability to get at it at 65. Banks if they have a security that they can readily access leave loans outstanding, accruing interest and then take control of the estate or in this case could go for the kiwisaver at age 65. Some other pension funds require a court order to pay out.
And then there are issues around welfare benefits and care payments for the elderly etc, etc. Didn’t matter until now when kiwisaver dollars are getting up.
Just the rich looking for more ways to take everyone else’s money off them.
So right DTB – so how sacred do we make kiwisaver funds – protected up to say $300,000 + CPI
doesnt a banrupt owe some hard working folk some money for goods or services rendered?
I know alot of hard working small business owners and sole traders who have missed out because of a bankruptcy or liquidation declaration.
Yep, and frankly they should be at the top of the queue along with/just after employees. That would stop banks and the like overlending. BTW liquidation is for companies so no kiwisave rimpact
Yeah, I know a few of them as well but they’re not going to get anything out of this as they happen to be unsecured creditors. To get it so that the small business owners and contractors get paid requires a law change to make them secured and primary creditors. All this seems to do is give the banks access to someones retirement fund if they go bankrupt.
What normal people do when the government attacks the right to protest.
Riot.
Have to say I’ve been enoying the tenor of some of your comments lately OAK 🙂
Thanks Weka 🙂
len brown on nine to noon..now..
phillip ure..
Was it worth it?
@ paul..
..nah..!..
..but that could be my bad..
..i have found that whenever brown starts spouting that aspirational-bullshit he slathers/trowels over everything..
..(with that rictus-grin firmly in place..)
..that my eyes glaze over..my ears shut down..
..and i seem to slip thru a tear in the space-time-continuum..
..and i can’t remember a single fucken thing he said..
..eh..?
..i only came back..when a ditty heralded his exit..
..blessed-relief..!..that was…
..i dunno where i go..at moments like that…
..but i do know it is somewhere where brown is not..
..(i think maybe i am allergic to aspirational-bullshit-slathering..eh..?..
..and have physical-reactions to assaults like those from brown..
..i mean..imagine being trapped with him in one of those ‘sacred-to-maori-rooms @ the town hall..?
..history has showen/proven..
..that anything could happen..
..with ‘down-trou’-brown..
..whoar..!..eh..?..)
..as i said..’my bad’..
..phillip ure..
“my eyes glaze over..my ears shut down.”
No matter – you didn’t miss a thing
(i.e. despite his being challenged by the best, better, bestest pretender to the title of “ethical, incisive, public service broadcaster extraordinaire, regular and work-life balanced regular Gal or Guy”)
… oops – no wait – there’s a Mora to come – I’ll hold off just for now in aaaaantici……..pay.shun….
This is a good read.
http://www.nationofchange.org/utah-ending-homelessness-giving-people-homes-1390056183
Solving homelessness by housing people.
Simple really.
If a hard-core right wing state government can do it, then anyone can.
+1
Ianmac posted this in Open Mike yesterday but it seems to have been overlooked. I think it’s important so re-posting:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/9626111/ACC-payments-manipulated
Basically it says that when National gets into power, they screw down on ACC and make it change it’s policies so that fewer people get the cover they are legislated to receive.
AND as an example.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/9626960/No-surgery-for-ailing-woman
DAILY STRUGGLE: Rewa Eves has been in constant pain since she fell during the magnitude 5.9 aftershock in June 2011, but has been denied surgery by ACC and the Canterbury District Health Board will not accept her on to the surgical waiting list.
ACC, however, has refused to pay for the surgery she needs to fix her shoulders.
“They told me it’s a pre-existing condition . . . and apparently I left it too long after the fall to apply, but I didn’t know whether I was coming or going.”
” A letter from the board’s orthopaedic department said although it was “clear [Eves] will benefit from surgery”, the board was unable to provide it.
It said public hospitals could only accept patients on to the waiting list if surgery could be provided within six months”
WTF??!? When did that happen? Is that just Canterbury DHB or are they all doing that?
I think they all are. That way you always have a six months waiting list and no priority below that. and no one can measure the unmet needs.
Yeah, but I think they still get reassessed as the the person at teh top of the list drops off when they get their surgery. ie they’re still in the system (in effect on the waiting list without being prioritised).
So what makes it possible for a patient to be operated on in 6 months?
All this crap came about when Shipley was in charge of our health system. She actually abolished waiting lists and instead implemented a ‘booking system’.
National came very close to destroying our public health system. The falling down hospitals at the edge of every provincial town in the country attest to that.
The article above is a good example of just how stupid and callous this govt is. Refuse people surgery on ACC, put them on the second tier waiting list at the local DHB, and get the person’s GP to monitor while in limbo. Let the person deteriorate, and prevent them from being a (productive) part of society.
What’s the collective cost of all that?
makes me wonder how many other earthquake victims are still waiting for treatment.
The trouble with NZ health system is that we’re still good at keeping people alive, but we’re shit at that gap between “barely alive” and “well”. People either sit in limbo waiting (but not “waiting”) for treatment, or progressively degrade in condition until they need the machine that goes “bing” (at which point we give them excellent, but much more expensive, treatment).
The cause is simply that the system has been degraded and shuffled about for decades, and the medics and administrators naturally prioritise treatment for greatest need as resources are depleted.
It’s not the resources that are depleted but the money as government after government cuts taxes on the rich.
I meant from the operational (lol) perspective, rather than the strategic perspective. But feel free to invent a disagreement where there was none.
I was just pointing out why “resources” were being depleted from the hospital. It’s easy enough to fix but it would cost money (more hospitals, doctors, etc) thus would require higher taxes and would possibly drive up wages as unemployment decreases.
“WTF??!? When did that happen? Is that just Canterbury DHB or are they all doing that?”
Well, CCDHB has certainly cut waiting lists to six months. From this article:
“Dollars before health: Faulkner”
http://fairfaxmedia.newspaperdirect.com/epaper/viewer.aspx
“……….waiting lists had apparently been cut after the Minister told the board that nobody was to wait for more than six months.
GP’s were referring people who never made it on to the waiting list because their case was not sufficiently urgent, she said.
“This is going to have a real blowout because we have a lot of very sick people who are not getting on to the waiting list” “.
So, yeah, Go Tony Ryall.
ACC was ruthless under Labour too. Its strategy was to exit as many long term clients as possible, which included the use of private contractors to do so. A lot of this filtered through to the media in the early 2000s. It didn’t affect the broader middle class the way the Nats’ cuts have though. It’s probably why Labour don’t make too much noise about ACC now.
+1
Doesnt anyone worry about what exactly happens to those that have been ‘exited’?
Not down at ACC. They are on the welfare now. 2013 annual report boasts that 2740 long term claimmants returned to “independence” whatever that means.
And I’m not so sure that ACC aren’t gaming the system. It would need more time to work out but given that the company levies (work) are going down but the earner levies (you & me in the workforce) are not to the same extent, then it’s possible that:
-treatment costs are being shoveled disproportionately onto the earners account to benefit company levies and reduce the government dollop for non earner injuries
– The release of liabilty for earnings compensation (as the boomers approach 65 the need for earnings compensation shuts down which will reduce liabilities horrendously) is being handed to employers despite both employers and employees funding it originally.
Employees fund earnings for non work accidents but the the earnings compensation is split roughly 50:50 between work and non work accidents so treatment costs and reduction in earnings liability should be shared in the same ratio.
If they are on welfare now, their living standard would have taken a tumble, Both ACC and the government are very heartless in doing this.
I hope someone is held to account.
read that on sunday. Am a little surprised that some seem surprised.
this is the type of “skill” that Wayne referred to in another thread as being at the heart of this govt’s economic management.
Meanwhile, buried deep in the news reports, was a report that ACC and the Hawkes Bay Reigonal Council has entered into a pretty dodgy looking deal whereby ACC paid the HBRC a lump sum in return for ACC getting the income from their leasehold property for the next 30-odd years.
Kinda like if I owned a rental property, and rented it out for $300 a week, someone comes along and offers me $50000 in return for keeping the rent I get from it for the next 30 years.
Its effectively a loan, but not called that on the balance sheets.
I tried to find the link to put up, but it has disspeared.
It’s securitising a stream of income Millsy and has been around for a while. Imagine they assigned the property leases. Can be used to turn revenue streams into capital blocks of money.
Main problem here is that the HBRC has grabbed future council income to spend today (Ruitaniwha Dam?) and reduced choices for future elected bodies – and any problems with the details.
Does the council have to make up any shortfall in the rents, who maintains the properties, what rates of increases did they build into the rents, etc, etc and who benefits from these details.
Oh dear. I read this and suddenly get reminded of one of the main causes of the GFC.
Sell a collection of repayment obligations in return for a large chunk of money now. Gee that’s securitising a stream of income isn’t it?
There it was mortgages, here it is property leases. Tell me it aint so.
Yes I know that this is stretching things a bit, but still.
Incidentally the lease is only on the bare land, not the house so maintenance doesn’t come into it. I believe that these leases have 21 year terms after which revaluation takes place. I wouldn’t guarantee that though.
Yes, I saw Ianmac’s yesterday comment re the stuffed ACC article and was not remotely surprised by the policy direction influenced by the board “plants”.
Having accessed ACC services under Labour in 2007 and under National in 2011 – 2014 I can say I couldn’t have received more differing levels of service. (Xavier has a point at 6.2 though about Labour’s role, I was one of the lucky ones however at that point). Personal experience aside, the Nat Govt has demonstrated fairly consistently it’s contempt for the aims of ACC via their policy changes. The increasing number of people denied surgery is an example of the worst aspects of the changes to ACC.
My reply, (part of which I posted on OM last week) from Ian Lees Galloway regarding reinstating full funding for ACC physio visits was a bit luke warm and didn’t fill me with confidence for Labour’s plans to restore ACC to it’s former levels of service. Yet to hear back from Kevin Hague.
Then privatise provision – you get to choose the level of entitlements and because you have a contract they can’t be backed out of.
Tell that to AFFCO
Yeah, ’cause insurance companies never back out of their obligations or contracts. There’s no track record of that happening overseas or in New Zealand in any insurance industry whatsoever.
Give me a break.
Is your pseudo spelt right L?
No, ta. Replying from work and the cookies are picking up the typo I made first day back last Monday.
Lanthanide
Did you get discombobulated coming back from holiday? Won’t be long to Easter.
I frequently typo my name as Lantahnide when typing quickly. It’s only because The Standard has cookies (or my browser remembers, whatever) that you don’t see it more often.
We Would Have Eliminated Poverty Entirely by Now if Inequality Hadn’t Skyrocketed
Basically, if we hadn’t have followed the neo-liberal fallacy and rewarded the rich for being rich we would have eliminated poverty. Instead, we’ve been increasing it.
Which more or less dovetails with predictions from the 50’s and 60’s that in the future people wouldn’t need to work and there’d be a lot of leisure time.
Instead, the leisure time has accrued to a tiny elite while the rest get crumbs and wage slavery.
most recent example being: imagine if the US Bailout Funds had actually gone where they could have done some good and were used to pay off people’s morgtages, instead of being repeatedly gifted to the criminals who leveraged off them.
Of course doing so would mean central banks having to admit the entire ponzi scheme is not helping the global economy, but enslaving it like a millstone mule, grinding out a profit for them and leaving the rest of us to scrabble for the broken chaff.
I don’t know if it’s been said here or not but George Osborne (the Most Cutting-Tory of Tories) has decided he wants to see a large above-inflation rise in the minimum wage. It’s currently at around £6.30 ($12.60 roughly) and he wants it raised by 70p ($1.40) to £7 ($14). So we have an austerity-focussed Tory Chancellor in England backing a sizable rise in the minimum wage believing businesses can take the hit and it would be good for the economy.
It’ll be interesting if Key and English sticks to tiny, in line with inflation rises.
“It’ll be interesting if Key and English sticks to tiny, in line with inflation rises.”
You mean like the pay rises they get themselves …. ?
If National thinks Labour has any traction with living wage rhetoric, they will increase minimum wage in May Budget BUT it wont be called a “lolly scramble” by the press or national’s supporters. They will puff out their chest reassured they still have a caring side.
The argument is already in place if they look to Britain. Osborne is essentially saying “we can do this because our management of the economy and the deficit was so good.”
I can see the same argument being used by English. I still don’t think they will go to $15 though. Maybe $14.50 or something. Compromise. It’s the government’s modus operandi.
It seems to be ‘fashionable’ emanating from Europe the desire to lift the living standards of the ‘have nots’ even among the hardened Tory’s, perhaps the rioting that at times has gone largely unreported,(Hamburg in Germany), and that that has been covered here by the media,(Greece etc), has shown the Tory’s the ‘writing on the wall’ if the acceleration in inequality continues on it’s current trajectory,
Listening yesterday to RadionNZ National replaying an earlier interview Chris Laidlaw with ex Prime Minister Jim Bolger that i had missed had me laughing like a loon,
Once past the waffle and excuses surrounding the actions of His time as Prime Minister Bolger talked of what has been occurring in today’s New Zealand and global economy,
What Bolger said could have been direct quotes from what we see CV and Draco commenting here at the Standard every day and i was left with the strong suspicion that old Jim might be a secret lurker and looker at what goes on here,
On inequality Bolger was adament that should such continue in this country it posed the ‘greatest danger’ to the economic well-being of NZ and in a world wide sense described Neo-Liberalism particularly in Britain as a ‘money go round attended by ‘ticket clippers’ every step of the way’,there was a lot more in such a vein and for a laugh it might be worth while going to the RadioNZ National web-site for a listen,(but you have to wade through 20 minutes of Bolger waffle to hear Jim expound socialism),
Lolz, listening to him brought to mind that old adage that a lot of ‘Lefty’s move to the right as they age’ and i thought then that perhaps the same is true of those on the right as well but in reverse…
At this moment seven pounds converts, at the mid-rate for the currency, to $13.92. Thus his desired figure is only $0.17 above the current New Zealand, which is due for revision in February and will be paid from April 1, when it woud likely go to at least $14.00. Seems like the UK is trying to catch up with New Zealand doesn’t it.
Does anyone have official, rather than anecdotal, numbers for the Cost of Living in Britain compared to New Zealand?
Average cost for renting a house in England and Wales is around 800 UK pounds per month. ($1600 per month or $400 per week according to your conversion above).
There was an article in ‘the guardian’ a week or so back comparing prices across Europe that also (from memory) included average wage comparisons.
Anyway. Average wage rates in the UK are higher than here. Problem with NZ is that far too many workers bumble along just above that min wage level.
FYI
Media Alert from Graham McCready:
_____________________________________________________________________
Graham Mc Cready, Prosecutor for New Zealand Private Prosecution Service will attend the Auckland District Court Public Office Today at 4:00PM to file:
Memorandum;
Application to make Len Brown case a test case for gifts/bribes and corrupt practices in local body politics;
Application under Section 106 of the Crimes Act 1961 to the Attorney General for NZPPS to Prosecute Len Brown under Section 105(1); or in the alternative an application for the District Court to refer that issue to the High Court to seek an order for the case to continue using the precedent in the Tito Phillip Field case;
Written Submissions; affidavits and exhibits as Required under the Criminal Procedures Act sufficient for the Court to issue a summons to Len Brown using the precedent in the John Banks case;
An urgent application for the Court to set a date for a hearing where all these matters be dealt with in open court before a District Court judge.
There will be no other charges filed against any other named defendant until all these issues are disposed off.
The filed documents will be distributed to media after filing.
Respectfully
Graham Mc Cready
Agent for NZPPS Ltd
Prosecutor
……………..
…………………
Note to media:
I will be working on these documents all day
Please refrain from phoning so I can get the job done.
____________________________________________________________________
Good luck with that, hopefully the absurd decision to go after Brown’s wife will now be seen as a step too far,
To use the Taito Phillip Field case as a precedent you will have to provide the Court with a little thing called ‘Evidence’, the Field case only succeeded because those who gifted the labour to Field gave evidence that both they and Field knew exactly why they were providing Him with such free labour,
Good luck with putting someone on the stand from any of the relevant Hotel’s or organizations who will give such evidence, without it you have no precedent and thus little chance of having this prosecution proceed,
There can be no precedent applied to Brown from the Banks case, both are entirely different matters of law requiring entirely different charges to be laid, in not declaring the ‘gifts’ Brown appears to be subject to no ‘legal remedy’ other than being ‘sanctioned’ by His Council for not declaring the gifts,
i will tho watch this little side-show develop with interest…
bad – you nailed it! McCready drops suit against Browns. Although McCready claims his dropping of the suit is due to procedural problems.
Thanks Karol, my description of the charge Graham Mac,(with the help of Penny Bright),intended to lay against Brown’s wife as absurd is the ‘mild version’ of what i think of such an action and i think i made my anger pretty much clear in a comment about the matter a couple of days ago,
As a public figure Brown has to be answerable for His actions and it’s fair enough for Graham Mac to attempt to make Him answerable befor the Courts,(although i do not believe He has a show in hell of being able to satisfy even the Attorney General that He has sufficient evidence for such a charge to proceed against Brown unless He and Penny have ‘the smoking gun’ so far kept secret),
My opinion, expressed the other day, about the proposed charges against Brown’s wife seems to have come about solely because Graham Mac belatedly realized that most of the hotel accommodation was booked by Shan Inglis,(which may or may not lead the Courts to conclude that it wasn’t Len Brown who accepted such ‘gifts’ that were given,(the hotels will simply point out that for VIP’s this is normal practice),
Hopefully Browns wife will now be left alone to get on with Her life as she sees fit…
The thing about these hotel up-grades, they only have a nominal charge. There isn’t anything tangible in them. You’re still paying for the bed, the room and the servicing. They are fixed costs – an up-grade costs the hotel nothing if that room will not be sold on the night, and that tends to be the main reason why people are up-graded.
The main thing Len did wrong is not declaring the freebie’s.
But listening to L.B. on Nat. Radio with Kathryn Ryan this morning, he stills seems unable to differentiate between the public and private person. While he “was on the job” he was the Mayor, most of his liaisons were initiated while he was the Mayor, but then took place after hours.
I entirely agree with you on the matter of room upgrades, such upgrades in my opinion are only worth what Brown and His wife were prepared to pay for a night’s stay in whatever hotel(s) gave the upgrade…
The Herald seems obsessed by the story.
English is overseas at some forum, looking to see how other countries are tackling the growing gulf between those who have and those who don’t. (Was on RNZ 10am news) Interesting, he is there for ideas – apparently our Government doesn’t have any – surprise, surprise!!
So like the green paper on “child abuse” – first a meeting, then a round of ideas, then further meetings, time for a breath and a cup of tea, more consultation, finally consult the stake holders, and then present the grand plan. Time elapsed – maybe 2 – 3 years. As for most of those in poverty, well, your guess is as good as mine, but in reality, their prognosis is not good. A bit like Paula Bennett’s guide for dealing with child abuse and child poverty – zip it sweetie.
Re the green paper on child abuse. Wise observation as per usual from you Will. And English? Ha, well perhaps he may be listening to George Osbourne? (Comment above from Disraeli Gladstone)
In todays Herald
Apart from the first, the rest would seem to fit PIKE RIVER too.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11189193
• She operated Easy Rider knowing that a master holding a skippers certificate was required and that the appropriate certificate was not held
• She caused or permitted the vessel to be operated in a manner which caused unnecessary danger or risk to the persons on board
• As the director of AZ1 Enterprises Ltd, she acquiesced or participated in the failure of the company to ensure that no action or inaction of any employee while at work harmed any other person on board Easy Rider
• As the director, she acquiesced or participated in the failure of the company to ensure the safety of its employees while at work on board the Easy Rider
• As the director, she acquiesced or participated in the failure of the company to ensure that no contractor or subcontractor was harmed while doing work on board.
Phil ure
Trying some Dot Com.edy
Dv the bigger the crime the less the time.
Penny Bright Graham McCready
Why aren’t you taking the Directors of Pike River to court
Me thinks you are just in it for your own ego stroking and political gain?.
Whatever ‘tricledrown’ …..
Like to point a stick at anything useful you have done lately to help the public or the public interest?
When you’re ready …………………………
Penny Bright
Penny for your information i have been involved in various community initiatives for most of my life the list is long fostering children,helping street kids turn their lives around, political party involvement from beating the streets to high level organization, sports teams organizing coaching playing, environmental clean ups tree planting etc etc.I belong to a community service organization we do a lot to foster young into volunteering building stronger communities most of us in this organization are fed up with the snails pace of govt action so we are working from the bottom up,
29 people died at pike river loose morals len hasn’t killed any one i don’t disagree with him facing the music.
but those board members and managers at pike river should be in gaol for a long time.
I just criticised you to get your attention.
This corporate corruption is far worse than any political scandal
this is corporate manslaughter .
you seem to be a person along with mr mcCready who could put some real criminals on trial.
Sorry it really pisses me off that no one is being held accountable for this horrific crime
can you help.
In all fairness to Penny Bright and Graham Mac, the families of the Pike River 29 have been reported as asking that ‘others’ do not mount private prosecutions against the hierarchy of the Pike River Mining Company as an attempt to prosecute that fails may prevent the families themselves from pursuing their own prosecutions in the future…
Now they’re claiming Key has an “unusual degree of integrity”
Mike Williams continues to act as Hooton’s patsy
From the Left and From the Right, Radio NZ National, Monday 20 January 2014
I tuned in to this morning’s programme late, about 11:25, just in time to hear this….
MATTHEW HOOTON: John Key does operate with a degree of integrity that is unusual in politics…..
Hooton went on to burnish what is obviously a major new National Party talking point—that the prime minister is a man of integrity—making sure that he repeated that canard as many times as he could in sixty seconds. All up and down the length of the country, listeners snorted in derision, shouted in outrage, ground their teeth and shook their heads in disbelief—but in the Radio NZ studios, there was silence. There was not even the hint of a suggestion that Hooton had just committed yet another gross violation of truth. There was not a word of demur. Paul Holmes’s former high school classmate and pal Mike Williams, billed as being “From the Left”, remained silent, as did the host, Kathryn Ryan.
Admittedly I heard only the last few minutes, so perhaps I’m being harsh on Ryan and Williams. Perhaps Ryan actually said something intelligent earlier in the programme, and perhaps Mike Williams had the courage to contradict one of those sly, cynical, loaded comments that are Hooton’s speciality.
But by the sounds of the dismal three minutes or so that I heard, it sounds like it’s business as usual at National Party Radio.
Well, I suppose lying and getting away with it shows something about his character – usually not integrity though.
The Hooten quote should have continued with the words,”but in the realm of the sleazy backstreet used car salesman is par for the course”…
How does Hooton have a clue what integrity looks like?
Bomber had it spot on about Pagani and Williams – they are Fox Democrats.
“How does Hooton have a clue what integrity looks like?”
He thinks it’s something that’s stuck to the bottom of his shoe. To be gotten rid of at the first opportunity, he keeps it there along with Truthfulness and Honesty.
And Hootens horseshit spreads across the land
[lprent: Get the name right – it is hooton. ]
OOPPSS. A typo my bad.
http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/top-stories/174227/why-misspelled-names-are-so-common-what-journalists-are-doing-to-avoid-them/
You couldn’t be too harsh on Williams if you tried. He is getting more and more like the proverbial wet bus ticket every time he deigns to open his mouth, if only to change feet! If onlt he would get permanent Laryngitis!
DH did you listen to the show listen( listen carefully on live stream) Williams and Ryan were silent because hootons comments were unbelievable.
both Williams and Ryan took hooton to task on every other issue.
Including Hootons comment that Key is a shoe in 2014 election pointing out key is running out of coalition partners.
Morissey only heard one comment out of context.
Just have a listen DH then come back to me if you think i was wrong.
I have listened to it again I even put on Headphones so there was no distraction, and I stand by what I said. And silence because they were what? Appalled ? They didn’t say that. In fact they said nothing. And if something is that bad to render them speechless, even after having time to think about it, still can’t come up with anything to say. Then they both deserve to be changed. And I thought Ryan is supposed to be good at this interviewing stuff.
Governments the world over are tacitly admitting the war on pot has been lost and the sooner education regulation and decriminalization enter the fray the better for all. No better proof for this than Obama’s recent comments. That said, we still seem to be facing some odd decisions. Despite this and quasi-valid decisions like it, progress is being made but any real step-change won’t occur until every last patent has been sewn up by the pharmacrats and the light turns green, so to speak.
Despite decades of stating there was no such thing, the US patent office have begun to approve patents for medicinal use of cannabinoids. Big pharma has an ever-expanding web of patent applications being duly processed. I read somewhere it is estimated that China alone has over three thousand medical-use patents under consideration. Atop this health horizon are the mountain ranges of tax dollars hemp regulation would generate, not to mention the piles of Police dollars marijuana reform would free up.
Those three elements, health, tax and policing, prove how the breadth of the approaching transformation is not able to be quantified into a quick-fix soundbite. It will require a herculean effort in stage-managed incrementalism, fortunately the MSM are well trained for this heavy lifting.
The few Hemp products available and the timid steps towards legal reformation being explored, are simple manoeuvres designed to tie down social engineering options necessary for the big international roll out. After a century of propaganda it is no easy ask to return balance to the discussion but once the patents are signed and the greenlight is given, just watch how quickly the message changes. It took almost twenty years to cement petrochemicals as the saviour of the world and turn the world against hemp, which at the time was one of the biggest Industries on the planet. Admittedly that was a different time. Flipping the message would be a lot faster and for a few, just like last time, it will again be very very profitable. Despite the social blowback from decades of lies being overcome, the lollies will be dispersed, the rules will be changed, the people will forget and the game as always will continue. The difference this time is the product they are pushing might actually help the planet.
i recently had a conversation with a cop from the far north.
we eventually got on to the subject of pot.
he was of the opinion that it would never be deriminalized/legalized, in fact there have been murmurs of it being changed from class c drug to class b.
the reasoning he gave was that the thc levels had increased from 3-5%, in the ’70s to a staggering 33%!
obviously this is all anecdotal, but an interesting insight into how the powers that be are thinking.
As you say, an anecdotal insight, but it is a sad reality expressive of the current thinking.
It is however, a bluntly innaccurate insight, designed to excite the puritans and build fear in the ignorant. It is as absurd as saying all roses are red.
This Drug Foundation article remarks on the supposedly increasing strength of THC levels
http://www.drugfoundation.org.nz/mythbusters/cannabis-potency
Thanks for that CV. Have heard that meme a few times now, – good to have a reference back to this article.
hey thanx c.v., its good to be able to point out what the “experts” have discovered.
another thing, the drug foundation seems to have taken a slighltly different tack over recent years away from the knee jerk “all drugs are bad, …mmkay..” (thank you south park) to a more reasoned and considered tone.
Looks like they trying to stop ‘every joe blow’ growing thier own strong stuff and only getting weak shit (and probably full of ‘Keep it burning chemicals’ from them.) Good luck to them trying their ‘It’s all ours’ Patent bullshit down here.
Metals in your smartphone have no substitutes
Only to those of us which didn’t realise that the world was limited to begin with – which would include economists:
But, then, the average, run of the mill economist wouldn’t know what an economy was if they tripped over one.
And smartphones will be the least of our worries.
Interesting point about the consumption of some bulk metals having peaked. Anyone know what that means?
Use of alternatives
Worldwide recession possibly combined with a reduction in the rate of increase in world population and/or high consumption populations?
Take your pick.
That part seems to be saying that some advanced countries no longer have a growing demand for metals such as iron and aluminium. These types of metals have a massive abundance in the Earth’s Crust and are also easily recyclable. It’s implied that, therefore, these metals use is sustainable but we need to look to how those metals are produced. Iron, for example, uses a lot of coke in it’s production and so needs a supply of coal available to be produced and coal is likely to peak and then decline putting a limit on availability of steel.
China uses half of the world’s cement, ostensibly to build infrastructure and new developments. But also things like ghost cities.
If that bubble is about to collapse, there will be a major reduction in the use of things like structural and reinforcing steel.
I really wonder about those ghost cities.
Are they a massive power-play by the Chinese government? They know that fuel prices are likely to skyrocket in the next 10 years, so figure “hey, lets build new cities while the crude flows?”.
Those ghost cities are going to be great places for industrial hubs sooner or later.
Badly aging workforce demographics due to one child policy.
graphene very strong carbon one molecule thick able to conduct electricity and a good way to lock up carbon the rate of change in technology is gathering pace.
recycling of circuitry will become more economically viable!
But does it work the same way semi-conductors do?
As the article points out, the bulk metals such as aluminium and iron availability isn’t really a problem but once you get into the rare earths and stuff then we have a problem.
That said, this could be interesting as far as computers and cell phones go.
What’s the issue? Just go back to vacuum tubes and electromechanics. Civil society will do just fine, even if the iGadget crowd is despondent.
Alienated as I am at the moment from various goings on at RNZ, but can someone confirm for me whether or not the participants (i.e. mathew Hooten, and “I’m Inclined to Agree with you”), regulated, or should I say “regularised” by the ‘regular-work-life-balanced-Regular-Gal’ (coming in a nearby second from the world’s most (and ‘nicest’) Regular Guy – can you tell me whether they’re ekshly getting some sort of FEE for this bilge?
“Great Having you on board guys” of course, and Rinnie holds you in nice-gal-esteem, and she’ll keep ACROSS it all – y’all – of course.
But… do they get some sort of remuneration for all that first-of-the-year Nine-ton-Noon “from the right, and from the right” spin, opinion and spiel?
kathryn – please take another diving trip
Translation: do Hooton and Williams etc get paid for being on Nine to Noon?
Don’t know, but have wondered myself. I assume yes.
Ah …. you goet my point then weka – a hugely wafflised question asking a simple question
Anyone else confused?
A screenshot of Family First’s home page.
The trick is not to look at the words, Draco. It’s all perfectly reasonable if you understand that their core tenet is “scare the middle/lower-middle class into conservatism by implying that the State is trying to control your life while letting degenerates roam free.”
It took me a while to see the point of the screenshot – the print of “my mummy’s a criminal” bit – I couldn’t read the small print on my laptop – had to go to NZ First’s website. It’s a vid against the removal of the protection for child bashers in the section 59 Bill.
The ‘booming’ economy does not feel like it to our regions:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=11188961
With apologizes to all my gay friends.
In England, as reported in todays NZ Herald, some twit, a Councillor, is reported as saying the flooding there is to blame on – “gay marriage.”
Colin Craig? Cameroon Brewer? anyone like that spring to mind in New Zealand. ffs, what century are we living in? do you laugh or cry? absolutely absurd.
Pity the poor sods who live in the same house as him.
The dirty politics behind Key and McCully’s betrayal of Tonga:
http://readingthemaps.blogspot.co.nz/2014/01/letting-down-family.html
That is shameful of NZ.
Thanks for the link, was good to understand that part of Pacific cultures a bit better (fatonia).
Morrissy you missed the rest of the show listen to it on livestreaming
Mike Williams gave his best account in a long time.
Hearsay Hoodwinker was put in his place by Ryan and Williams countered every argument hooten tried to put foward its electon year williams is not agreeing anymore no more free ride smart move by Williams .
Last year williams let hooten have a free ride this year is different.
Listen to live stream of the whole show.
Even on the Peters issue hooten was rabbiting on about Keys integrety about no deal With Peters Ryan hauled him up on that saying hooten has got that wrong.
Doesn’t Hooten remember Keys change of heart.
Hollow hooter is trying to stop national potential voters supporting Peters with his dog whistle but Ryan was having none of it.
Thanks for that encouraging information, tricledrown. I did say that maybe they had performed better than they did on the few minutes I heard, and it appears that they did.
That’s great news.
i only half listened today but heard Williams with a bit of bite at least attempt to put Hooten in His place…
Big shake Central NI
Geonet data
I hope all are safe.
It was a rumblin’ and a swaying’ up here near the Newlands ridgeline here in Wgtn. Really glad it didn’t amount to anything. How are folks doing closer to the epi-centre in The Wairarapa?
Martinborough OK @ Rosie apart from a few scared shitless – a bit worse further north me thinks
Glad you’re all right Tim 🙂
Seems it was Masterton and Palmy that have suffered most
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/9629660/6-3-quake-rattles-lower-North-Island
Public Id: 2014p051675
NZDT: Monday, January 20 2014 at 3:52:42 pm
New Zealand region intensity ?: strong
Maximum intensity ?: strong
Depth: 65 km
Magnitude: 6.3
Location: 10 km north of Castlepoint
Freaky. Lost some crockery and a stereo’s gone for a burton. Off to help find the neighbour’s dog, little bugger took off down the street like a fluffyUsain Bolt.
@TRP
Was quite a thump… Wasn’t rock ‘n’ roll but more like Shake baby Shake.
I do have some spare stereo bits lying around, if needed
Cheers, David, everything seems to be working ok. A couple of brick chimneys down in my street, and a powerline dropped on the railway tracks, so it did have a bit of oomph to it.
Stuff thinks it was in Welly 😉
http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/9629659/Severe-quake-shakes-Wellington
Have to say though, that if you can run across the room to save the flat screen tv, it’s not that severe a quake. Can’t remember what geonet use as the scale but that’s their word so I guess Stuff is using it.
Ooooh, hobbit hater alert:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11189343
Oh… and eagle has landed jokes alert.
Fly like a beagle alert!
still, it’s a bold person who walks underneath one of those. I thought seagulls were dangerous enough…
Wow that shake at 3.50 was a disturbing one. one of my sheds is now lop sided. Am based just out of Levin . not much frazzles me but that has. Am still shaking a tad
Sorry about your shed and your nerves risildowgtn. I hope you soon begin to feel more settled and that you’re not getting the aftershocks up there. All quiet here but I think there are aftershocks going on around Manawatu. Hopefully they are not making their presence felt in Horowhenua there.
Take it easy.
Yep. hope all in the area are feeling OK.
From a long 2008 Herald article all about Key’s early life unearthed by travellerev.
Ask yourself as you read this paragraph….does this ring true with someone unable to remember which he stood on during the 81 tour?
Sounds like porkies, Mr Key.
Key himself credits those early debates as sparking his interest in politics. He remembers being attracted by the fiery political arguments of the 1970s and 1980s. “They were quite intense debates – Kawerau and Kinleith and people striking over the Cook Strait ferries – all of those kind of things,” he says. “It was certainly a period of time where politics were prominent and I was fascinated by it.”
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/john-key-the-unauthorised-biography/news/article.cfm?c_id=1502247&objectid=10522310
Mr Brewer said the protesters did not justify security being there.
“I don’t believe ratepayers should be funding security guards to surround the Mayor on such occasions. A few hecklers and peaceful demonstrators exercising their democratic right is no justification,” he said.
Havent heard him object to the pry ministers over use of guards? I bet they cost more than 20 bucks an hour.
“Labour has accused Key of using the Diplomatic Protection Squad as an entourage, after its costs blew out by $800,000 in 2009/10.
Part of the $800,000 blow-out was $30,000 for squad members to accompany Key during his summer holiday to Hawaii at the end of 2009.”
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/4968881/Clark-turned-down-diplomatic-protection-emails-show
3 News tonight, in Tory propaganda mode: have a go at Kim Dotcom for copyright infringEments by some Mega users: Brewer having a go at Brown, and Tory spin on the need to make more Auckland land, on the fringes of the city, for home buyers (spinning for property sepculators)….then talking up Canterbury housing upsurge.
Yes it was appalling stuff alright. No proper investigations. Just innuendo and snide inferences. I guess the truth is too boring. The decision to raise security detail around a VIP – be they prime minister or mayor of the supercity – is taken by the person/body charged with providing the security and not the VIP. The only exception is John Key who likes lots of DPS fellas around him cos it makes him feel so important.
The reality is: a senior council official would have made the decision to up security detail around Len Brown. I understand it was also partly due to the fact a cabinet minister was also present.
Terrible stuff on TV3 news Karol I agree. Rather than drawing the bleedin’ obvious conclusion from the fact (stated) that Akl house prices are over 8 times average earnings, that is that:
1. There is a speculative bubble happening in housing in Akl. 2. A CGT would help to fix this.
Instead the so-called expert they had on went on about freeing up more land.
When will they learn this is NOT the problem or the solution-rather it is the tax system we have that favours housing rather than productive investment. Even people like Gareth Morgan are now shouting this from the rooftops.
And Key just wanted them to look important (Like a pale an Obama clone)
Yes Brewer a minor fly in a very large bucket of ointment is being given oxygen far above the amount He has either earned or deserves, if not for Lens indiscretions Brewer would be the unheard of nobody that he actually is,
That’ll learn ya Len…
Erik Ravelo – Los Untocables
DOCTORS and their professional organisation members seem to be reading blogs and online forums (e.g. Sciblogs, ACC Forum, even The Standard, The Daily Blog, Kiwiblog and so forth)!
They have been getting worried about stuff that has been found out, that has been raised concerns about, and they have now apparently seen a need to take actions and defend the profession, their members, and policies that organisations like the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) and their Australasian Faculty of Occupational and Environmental Medicine have started promoting since 2010. This includes their policy statement on “The Health Benefits of Work”!
It was all phased in and developed with the help of Professor Mansel Aylward, Dame Carol Black and pushed for with the help of Dr David Beaumont (President Elect of AFOEM, formerly working for ATOS!), same as Principal Health Advisor Dr David Bratt, MSD.
After launching their ideologically coloured policy and consensus statements, and follow-up ones, they have now got worried about their claims. Hence they now saw a need to specify what “work” is supposed to be “good for health”, and they have come up with a statement on “What is good work?”!?
See the details from their further statement on this from Oct. 2013:
http://www.racp.org.nz/page/racp-faculties/australasian-faculty-of-occupational-and-environmental-medicine/realising-the-health-benefits-of-work/latest-news/
Download the ridiculously explained, bizarre publication they released on that: http://www.racp.org.nz/download.cfm?downloadfile=E2F6A860-D1D5-E958-6D9D641F04477400&typename=dmFile&fieldname=filename
Here a further statement to governments, employers, businesses, insurers and the likes:
http://www.racp.org.nz/download.cfm?downloadfile=E2F74DB8-95EE-6BC7-9E2C313D721B6F11&typename=dmFile&fieldname=filename
But that aside, they still stand for this, and try to justify what they said before, and what the high calibre “experts” that pushed for all this, still adhere to:
http://www.racp.org.nz/index.cfm?objectid=E1D5428F-B1BF-2C2F-7A247F80DC4F363C
Here is what the Medical Council of New Zealand saw necessary to remind their members of in September 2013:
http://www.mcnz.org.nz/assets/News-and-Publications/Statement-on-medical-certification-v4.pdf
“Background
1. As a doctor you are expected to sign a variety of medical certificates that range in purpose from confirming sickness to certifying death and are required by receiving agencies, which include employers, insurers, ACC and government departments.
2. This statement outlines the standards that you must follow when completing a medical certificate1. It may be used by the Health Practitioner’s Disciplinary Tribunal, the Council and the Health and Disability Commissioner as a standard by which your conduct is measured. A certificate you have completed may also be challenged in a New Zealand court and you may be called upon to justify your decisions.”
“Professional obligations
3. Certificates are legal documents. Any statement you certify should be completed promptly, honestly, accurately, objectively and based on clear and relevant evidence.
4. Your obligation is to the patient and to the law. Issues like the type of certificate being completed or who initiated, or pays, for the consultation must not influence your assessment and findings.
5. You must not complete a medical certificate for yourself or someone close to you.”
“Implications of certificates
6. You must be aware that completing a certificate has implications for the patient, yourself, and the agency receiving the
certificate.
7. Studies have shown that patient, family and cultural factors may influence how doctors complete certificates. Certificates may have financial implications for the patient and the recipient through benefits, employment and compensation payments and failure to complete a certificate appropriately may have a negative impact on the patient, the patient’s family
or the receiving agency. You need to be aware of these influences and recognise that you may be susceptible to them.
8. Completing a certificate may also directly affect the safety and security of others. Certifying a patient to undertake work when he or she is unfit may place the patient or the patient’s colleagues at risk.
9. Because a certificate has implications for the receiving agency, that agency might contact you for more information. You should therefore have a conversation with the patient about the information you are permitted to disclose if you are approached.”
Yeah, right, the Health and Disability Commissioner will ensure rights of sick and disabled are met, is he?
http://accforum.org/forums/index.php?/topic/14923-health-and-disability-commissioner/
I would rather advise people to take doctors to court than go there!!!
I think that much more needs sorting out here, and the ones that have to correct their ways above all else are the top dogs sitting in the MSD and in government as a whole!
And any “research” from Professor Mansel Aylward should go straight into the waste paper bin, for shredding and recycling! Dr Bratt should himself be sacked and sent to spend the rest of his “working life” on the “dole”, I suggest, and his assets should be frozen, so he has no access to them.
and his assets should be frozen, so he has no access to them
I’d be ok with it if they just froze him.
The Medical Council of NZ, the RACP and AFOEM have got worried, and I wonder how MSD and WINZ are going to work with them and their doctor members in future, as they seem to be planning to be more careful with assessments and diagnosis.
So maybe that is behind the plans for WINZ to start contracted out “medical assessments” and “work capability assessments” in February this year, following the UK example with ATOS, and possibly some competition for them over there some time soon.
Keep your eyes on WINZ and what their “contracted” providers will get up to!
FYI
Any considered opinions on this one – given that NZ is perceived to be ‘the least corrupt country in the world’?
_____________________________________________________________________________
EVIDENCE Attorney-General Chris Finlayson voted in favour of the New Zealand International Convention Centre Bill — Third Reading 12 November 2013
How is this not a significant ‘conflict of interest’ for NZ Attorney-General Chris Finlayson?
Even worse that it was a ‘personal’ vote?
NZ Attorney-General Chris Finlayson voted in favour of the NZ International Convention Centre Bill (Third Reading). yet under s.106 of the NZ Crimes Act 1961,
http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1961/0043/latest/DLM328783.htm
106 Restrictions on prosecution
(1)No one shall be prosecuted for an offence against any of the provisions of sections 100, 101, 104, 105, 105A,105B, 105C, and 105D without the leave of the Attorney-General, who before giving leave may make such inquiries as he or she thinks fit.
(It is s.105(1) of the Crimes Act 1961, that a private prosecution of Auckland Mayor Len Brown was received by the Auckland District Court on !5 January 2014.)
_____________________________________________________________________________
http://www.parliament.nz/en-nz/pb/debates/debates/50HansD_20131112_00000024/new-zealand-international-convention-centre-bill-—-third
New Zealand International Convention Centre Bill — Third Reading
[Sitting date: 12 November 2013. Volume:694;Page:14549. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]
New Zealand International Convention Centre Bill
A personal vote was called for on the question, That the New Zealand International Convention Centre Bill be now read a third time.
Ayes 61
Adams (P) Dunne (P) Key (P) Simpson (P)
Ardern S (P) English (P) King C Smith (P)
Auchinvole (P) Finlayson Lee (P) Tisch (P)
Bakshi (P) Foss (P) Lotu-Iiga (P) Tolley (P)
Banks (P) Foster-Bell Macindoe Tremain (P)
Barry (P) Goldsmith (P) McClay (P) Upston (P)
Bennett D Goodhew (P) McCully (P) Wagner
Bennett P (P) Groser (P) McKelvie (P) Wilkinson (P)
Borrows (P) Guy (P) Mitchell Williamson
Bridges (P) Hauiti (P) Ngaro (P) Woodhouse
Brownlee (P) Hayes (P) O’Connor S (P) Yang (P)
Calder (P) Heatley (P) Parata (P) Young (P)
Carter (P) Henare Roy (P)
Coleman (P) Hutchison (P) Ryall (P)
Collins (P) Joyce (P) Sabin (P) Teller:
Dean (P) Kaye (P) Shanks (P) Ross
Noes 59
Ardern J (P) Harawira (P) Moroney Street (P)
Browning (P) Hipkins (P) Norman (P) Tirikatene (P)
Clark (P) Horan (P) O’Connor D (P) Turei
Clendon (P) Hughes O’Rourke (P) Turia (P)
Cosgrove (P) Huo (P) Parker (P) Twyford (P)
Cunliffe (P) Jones (P) Peters (P) Walker (P)
Curran King A Prasad (P) Wall (P)
Delahunty Lees-Galloway (P) Prosser Whaitiri
Dyson Little Robertson G (P) Williams
Faafoi Logie (P) Robertson R (P) Woods (P)
Fenton Lole-Taylor Roche
Flavell Mackey Sage (P)
Genter (P) Mahuta (P) Sharples (P)
Goff (P) Mallard (P) Shearer (P)
Graham (P) Martin Sio (P) Teller:
Hague (P) Mathers (P) Stewart Beaumont
Bill read a third time.
_____________________________________________________l
http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1961/0043/latest/DLM328753.html
105 Corruption and bribery of official
(1)Every official is liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 7 years who, whether within New Zealand or elsewhere, corruptly accepts or obtains, or agrees or offers to accept or attempts to obtain, any bribe for himself or herself or any other person in respect of any act done or omitted, or to be done or omitted, by him or her in his or her official capacity.
(2)Every one is liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 7 years who corruptly gives or offers or agrees to give any bribe to any person with intent to influence any official in respect of any act or omission by him or her in his or her official capacity.
Compare: Criminal Code (1954) s 102 (Canada)
Section 105(2): amended, on 3 May 2001, by section 7 of the Crimes (Bribery of Foreign Public Officials) Amendment Act 2001 (2001 No 28).
_____________________________________________________________________________
Penny Bright
Surprise, surprise – funny how Bill English wants to tax Google et al to pay their fair share of tax after Labour made the same suggestion last week http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11189319