All incidents like this should be used as an opportunity to examine the processes in place that the crew and rescue teams followed to see what worked well and what didn’t.
It’s an opportunity to continually learn and update safety procedures to increase the odds of the next incident also ending without loss of life.
The only concern I ever have about these things is if the investigation process becomes corrupted and results in a witch hunt.
He did get his agenda through though, and that was to paint Little and Labour as communist and overbearing, and taking away from Little’s message which is equality of eduction opportunity for all children.
It was a New Zealand tradition that parents had always contributed to schools
And it was traditional for the rape of wives to not be counted as rape. We got rid of that because we realised that it was wrong.
Tradition is usually wrong in fact which is why we keep changing things for the better.
We’re a generous open society
Well, we used to be. These days we’re more of a selfish, cheap, me,me,me society thanks to Act policies that were brought in during the 1980s by the 4th Labour government.
It is worth noting that for every $1.80 parents donate to schools, taxpayers contribute about $100.”
Which is just proof that the government isn’t properly funding schooling.
Secret spraying of glyphosate all over Auckland, without the knowledge or consent of citizens and ratepayers?
Helping to make Auckland ‘the most liveable city in the world’ – by secretly poisoning people whose health and well-being is significantly affected by glyphosate?
BREAKING NEWS: Official Information Act documents reveal extensive covert spraying of glyphosate in Auckland streets – see Reports & Submissions for WMA Report and News for WMA Media Release
THIS IS A SPECIAL FRONT PAGE “Back to the Future” REPORT
“The only consideration for Council should be the health and welfare of the public” Meriel Watts – July 2015
TOXIC CHEMICALS RETURNING TO AUCKLAND
When the second Back to the Future film was released in November 1989 it portrayed a future 2015. Now we are that future, and unbelievably Auckland Council and Auckland Transport is emulating the character Biff and are returning thirty years into the past to change our present and future.
They are returning us to a toxic dark age that will see 1.5 million people once again facing chemicals on their streets and parks, berms and playgrounds on a regular basis.
This is no conjecture or fictitious fairy tale – it is cold factual policy that is already being actioned.
We knew there had been a collective dragging of the feet on the part of Auckland Council and Auckland Transport (AT) in getting on with the task of implementing the hard won 2013 Weed Management Policy (WMP), what we didn’t know was that there was a hidden agenda.
An agenda at the highest level of Council to gut and neutralise the vision, principles and objectives of the WMP and execute a return to chemical control across the region.
…..
________________________________________________________
In my view – this is a scandalous breach of municipal power and authority regarding the promotion and protection of public health
within the Auckland region, for which I predict significant repercussions at the highest levels for those involved.
Hi Penny. How long has herbicide been off the streets and parks of Auckland? Has it been since 2013 when that WMP you refer to was introduced?
Being herbicide free sounds very progressive. Safer for the environment, humans, bees and animals. I’m impressed. Sorry it may return. Thats incredibly backwards.
Almost as backwards at the Wellington City Council who spray everything into oblivion and ignore basic H&S protocols. Eg. A worker was out spraying the roundabout outside my house in 115km gusting winds last year (I checked metservice as I couldn’t believe what I was seeing) and they never wear any PPE. I’ve never seen any worker provided with gloves or masks, or if they are provided with them they don’t wear them.
I’ve tried raising the issue of using glyphosate and also it’s excessive use with both parks and gardens and the GWRC and it’s fallen on deaf ears.
Another reason our so called Green Mayor is a phoney and a hypocrite.
Good luck with attempts to keep Ak herbicide free in public spaces.
Penny,
When there’s a heavy dew I can often smell it in the GI area, not far from where I live.
I know that smell anywhere as we had it in the garage when I was a youngster.
Not a scientific method I know..
FFS, try explaining what is actually going on. NZ city councils routinely spray glyphosate to control weeds, to call it covert is just daft. Are you saying that they had stopped in Auckland and have now resumed without telling anyone?
Just to be clear, I’m completely against the use of glyphosate in most situations it’s currently used in, so my comment here is about issues being sensationalised and presented very poorly without actual information that informs people. All I can see here is some alarmist rhetoric but no explanation of what the problem is. That doesn’t help the cause.
Hi weka. I didn’t consider that point, although I did read the linked piece which says that areas that had fought to be treated chemical free now are being given the same treatment as everywhere else.
Knowing the changes that have been brought about locally with the new service provider procurement policy by Auckland Council, I took the information on face value as a consequence of larger service providers taking the cheapest (more efficient methods) to look after our road verges and parks and reserves.
One of our local community groups took it upon themselves to look after a neglected piece of bush reserve, handslashing the weeds and setting bait traps for unwanted pests. They did this for several years, but after procurement the new service providers came in and just sprayed chemicals.
Like you, I’m not a fan of glyphosate being used indiscriminately on our environment. I am wary of not having full transparency in what is being used.
I must have missed that. I did try reading both Penny’s comment and the linked articles several times but couldn’t get past the nonsense. Are you saying that the council used a non-herbicide method for a while and have gone back to a herbicide method? And that the former was done at the request of the community and the latter done in secret without discussing with the community?
Pretty sure this has happened in other places, just not secretly. I seem to remember that Dunedin trialed the steam weedkilling machine in suburbs that had kerbs, and then a few years later they stopped (because of some dispute over the contract and the cost of the machine I think). Then they started using pine oil, which caused a whole set of other problems that they pretty much ignored. Haven’t heard what they are doing now. It wouldn’t surprise me if they’re using glyphosate again, because while they might want to find an alternative and be responsive to the community the bottom line for them is that the weeds have to be killed and they have to do that within their budget. In other words, the culture war hasn’t been won within councils by any means regardless of what policy they have from year to year.
If the Auckland council have done ridden rough shod over the community on this, that’s bad and they should be called on it. But both the comment and the linked piece are the kind of rhetoric and misleading sensationalising that put people off and actually stall progress. That’s what made me grumpy.
Edit, I’ve just reread the link and it’s very unclear what it’s talking about. It assumes a level of knowledge about the Auckland situation that I and most non-Aucklanders won’t have (and probably many Aucklanders). And it doesn’t actuall say what’s happened. Bizarre.
Hope everyone is observing the impending political confluence of:
– the Prime Minister’s speech coming up in Auckland at the end of January
– the signing of the Trans Pacific Partnership in Auckland with all its massive media focus in February
– Waitangi Day
– Big Gay Out
– Parliamentary Speech from the Throne
He will be laying out pre-budget signals particularly in transport, treaty negotiations, legislative reform, tax signals, the works.
The PM has a massive media surge about to occur over the next month.
The broad Opposition need really strong things to say to even get a look in.
If anyone thinks this lot have run out of steam, the momentum has been building for a while and is about to hit.
The wise person would certainly take advice from a far-right tr0ll.
This lot never had more than steam going anyway – no policy, no guts, no brains, no growth, no jobs and no shame.
It’s astonishing really, that such a thoroughly worthless set of crooks can even briefly hijack the system of governance of a first world nation. The first act of any true nationalist government would be to make an example of them to be remembered for generations.
His calls may have no place amongst the political left…
but in my view it will be the inevitable consequence of the oppression that the each government has exerted over the poor since 1984.
Key and English can only push the poor so far before something will break.
Unless both National and Labour change their current economic policy direction in the next few years, I sadly believe there will be a violent uprising.
I do not propose violence.
However, there are many people from the neo-liberal era who should be tried:
Tony Blair, Donald Rumsfeld, Dick Cheney and George Bush need to be tried for the invasion of Iraq.
A number of international bankers need to be arraigned for their corrupt banking practices of the 1990s and 2000s.
EXXon Mobil an others need to be tried for their duplicity over climate change, which will result in ecocide.
Sulla was almost unique in not using violence – he impoverished corrupt officials and made them live out their lives in poverty. Just the thing for Key & Brownlee.
“Sulla was almost unique in not using violence – he impoverished corrupt officials and made them live out their lives in poverty. Just the thing for Key & Brownlee.”
I think you need to read more history Stuart – Sulla was most certainly a violent dictator.
The better attack lines for Little are:
– demand more wages in pocket. Currently poor growth.
– more $$ support for growth sectors. Un balanced and risky.
– more houses. Astonishing squalor and poverty.
Leave the rest for the Greens.
The political year needs to start for the Opposition. Key is on fire.
If NZ economy stalls, it won’t be for lack of public and public-private spending through this government. The political momentum is fully theirs in first quarter 2016.
Rob McCann from White Ribbon is STILL out of the building.
I resent an email to Rob McCann late last week asking him to put forward his reasoning for retaining the PM as an ambassador for White Ribbon when the PM has consistently demonstrated his lack of suitability for such a role, including the fact that he himself is an abuser.
I simply get the same out of office reply.
Again Key will not be held to account for his behaviour and attitude towards women and through their silence, it looks like White Ribbon are protecting him.
I think he’s decided to take a permanent holiday, from this issue at least. He’s not likely to front up now, not when the issue “is so last year” and everyone has conveniently forgotten. Another PR win for Key.
‘Dairy price fall at Global Dairy Trade auction pressures Fonterra payout
World dairy prices have fallen again at auction, leaving farmers resigned to Fonterra dropping an already low payout.
The average auction price dropped 1.4 per cent to US$2405 a tonne at the Global Dairy Trade (GDT) auction. That compared with a 1.6 per cent fall in the last auction a fortnight ago.
Federated Farmers Dairy chairman Andrew Hoggard said the disappointingly weak GDT result would put more pressure on Fonterra’s “poor” forecast payout of $4.60 a kilogram of milksolids.’
OCD revealed this week that tough international market conditions had forced it to lower its milk forecast by 30 cents to $4-$4.30/kg.
The dairy company’s chief executive Steve Koekemoer said, in an email sent to suppliers, the payout fall was because of weak demand and an oversupply of milk products in the global market, resulting in continous downward price pressure.’
This in the business section of stuff.
The only thing that is patently wrong about this article is the word ‘surprisingly’. If their editors paid attention and did their job, it would have been obvious to them.
‘IMF warns global growth could be ‘derailed’ over the next two years
Global growth could be “derailed” over the next two years if key transitions in the world economy are not successfully navigated, the International Monetary Fund has warned.
It has surprisingly downgraded its predictions for global growth for 2016 and 2017, cutting growth estimates by 0.2 percentage points across the board for advanced economies, for emerging markets, and for the world, over both years.
The move will wipe away billions of dollars in potential global GDP.
The IMF says ongoing problems with China’s economic rebalancing, the huge fall in global commodity prices and rising US interest rates are seriously hampering global growth efforts.
“This coming year is going to be a year of great challenges and policymakers should be thinking about short-term resilience and the ways they can bolster it, but also about the longer-term growth prospects,” IMF economic counsellor and director of research Maurice Obstfeld warned.
“Unless the key transitions in the world economy are successfully navigated, global growth could be derailed.”
The Reserve Bank offered a seemingly reassuring economic forecast on Thursday. Our GDP growth has slowed to an annual rate of about 2 per cent but it will recover next year thanks to brisk construction activity and tourism, and some strengthening of commodities.
But the Reserve Bank added that the outlook crucially depends on China. If its problems deepen and its growth slows further, then things gets tougher for the global economy. We are not immune……………
…..But what’s going on in China is far more profound. The country is undertaking its biggest, most complicated and difficult strategic shift in its 35 years of modernisation, a senior bank economist told this columnist in an interview in Beijing this week. Other interviewees during the week fleshed out many areas of that journey……………
………Consequently, China’s debts have quadrupled in the past seven years to US$28 trillion, equal to 282 per cent of its GDP. Such a high level means China has less room for errors of policy-making or performance…….
…………….For the past 20 years, many companies and economies around the world have geared themselves up to met the demands of a burgeoning China. They made lots of money along the way.
But for the first time ever, the world has to adjust to a faltering China.
European markets open sharply lower
In the wake of falls on Asian markets, investors in Europe are seeing heavy losses at the start of trading.
The FTSE 100 is down 110 points or 1.8% 5766, its lowest level since November 2012 and less than 100 points off a bear market (down 20% from its all time high last April).
Germany’s Dax is down 2.3% while France’s Cac has fallen 2.4% and Italy’s FTSE MIB is down 2.6%.
curious thing is the number of “positive spin’ pieces in the past week or two….in the face of all evidence to the contrary….but then we know
that a “positive outlook” is vital to the market (and of course the incumbents).
Business ‘intentions’ to hire more staff 2016 sounds all very positive does it not….lets see what their actions are…
i intend to hire more staff
i intend to hire more staff if i have more sales
i intend to hire more staff if i have the money to pay their wages
i intend
i intend
i intend
I follow facts and data not spin for vested interests.
Hudson New Zealand executive general manager Roman Rogers, the sole source for your positive article, is one such vested interest.
I prefer to follow more knowledgeable folk, like Jim Rogers https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Rogers
‘Reflections on the media
Listening to the crap that Radio NZ and the rest of the media are coming up with this resonated. The media are playing a similar role to the orchestra on the Titanic, knowing things are useless and the ship is going down they continue to produce beautiful notes.
They are playing the whole thing out, playing beautiful music as the ship goes down.
Those people who don’t listen to the alternative voices, just go out to work, work hard and then come back and turn on the TV – they are just loving the music and they see no problem.
They are not getting reality.
The media, from A to Z are to blame for creating this false sense so that ordinary people will be blindsided.
The people in the know, from the power-that-be to the investment banks ignore the mainstream media and paying attention to alternative media.
I call out the whole of the media – from print media in totem, to television and – most especially (because they have a mandate to provide serious, reliable reporting) – Radio New Zealand.
They are all lying.’
The first two news stories are caused by a slowing world economy.
And the third story is again sourced by Hudson executive general manager Roman Rogers.
You need to source your news from outside the NZ msm.
The thread on the Herlad this morning shows how laughable a source it is.
Thing is, what we’re seeing now isn’t the result of good economic management but economic mismanagement.
Of course, Labour’s economic principles are essentially the same as National’s but they probably would have pulled us out of the recession of 2k7/8 whereas under National we’re still in it. That’s what all the low inflation has been about for the last few years.
It’s one of those contradictions of the present economic system. Under ‘economic booms’ we get high inflation and under recessions we get low inflation.
National has kept inflation down by keeping us in recession.
Couldn’t agree more Paul – it is despairing what we hear on the TV and Radio – after the first two Business Reports this week on RNZ – we didn’t even bother to tune in this morning – what’s the purpose of it, its just a load of cobblers. Everybody is in this boat together and why on earth they keep giving us this crap when they’re going to suffer with loss of assets like all of us, when it all turns to custard – do they think they’re immune – its laughable. Remember the 1980’s when all the wealthy were jumping off buildings, selling off their Beamers and bawling like babies when they had to give up their homes in NZ, the farmers heartbroken because they had to walk off their farms. People have short memories. Nobody will be immune when everything falls out of the “markets” as it will one day.
In specific sectors like construction, property, retail, wine, tourism, horticulture, i.t., this joint is absolutely humming.
It’s still really uneven though. Dairy still sucks. Overall unemployment is still tracking slowly higher. Rural New Zealand that doesn’t have a good tourist profile or near an international airport is really patchy.
I don’t see this government vulnerable on the economy across 2016, unless there is a further global catastrophe similar to GFC.
NZ is tiny.
If a serious world economic crisis eventuates, they are the playthings of the US and China and the global financial world.
I know you idolise Key, but this is getting delusional.
NZ was a global ‘plaything’ last time, and came out better and faster than most countries in the world.
We are in better shape than 2008.
The Opposition will have to have a lot more up their sleeve than simply joining the Usual Suspects outside Sky City in Feb for the TPPA signing if they are convince more people to vote for them. Which is the point.
OK. You are welcome to think NZ is immune from world economics.
I don’t.
And, as I said previously to pr, this has absolutely nothing to do with Labour or National, which is something you both seem to want to reduce it to.
By citing the recovery from 2008, I demonstrated how New Zealand is affected by world events.
You need to show you understand the purpose of government within the economy, and the different purposes National and Labour have in mind to affect change in the economy. This site generally discusses the politics of New Zealand, including the role of the economy in politics. So stating “this has nothing to do with National or Labour” is not for you to pronounce on. It’s for everyone to contribute to as they wish.
Yup – pig-headed stupidity never adapts to the environment until it’s too late.
Their track record of recovering NZ from the GFC would have been impressive if they had done it – but they just played crony capitalism and let everything go to hell.
That $118 billion of debt is a useful yardstick for understanding this government’s economic acumen – most useless pack of tossers NZ has ever seen. Worse than Muldoon. Dumber than a sack of hammers.
Private debt
The amount of new mortgage debt New Zealanders are taking out has hit a new high.
Borrowers last week took out $1.556 billion of housing loans – the most since Reserve Bank (RBNZ) records began in 2003.
Dairy was always going to fall, the bubble was created by rumors of a clamp down on the milk powder import market in China. Stock was bought in case it was going to happen.
I remember hearing someone on RNZ talking about this a few months ago and they mentioned this often happens when people get wind of possible future trade restrictions. ie: buy and hold, just in case.
And no, I can’t remember who said it.
It is utterly impossible, as this country has demonstrated again and again, for the rich to save as much as they have been trying to save, and save anything that is worth saving. They can save idle factories and useless railroad coaches; they can save empty office buildings and closed banks; they can save paper evidences of foreign loans; but as a class they cannot save anything that is worth saving, above and beyond the amount that is made profitable by the increase of consumer buying.
It is for the interests of the well to do – to protect them from the results of their own folly – that we should take from them a sufficient amount of their surplus to enable consumers to consume and business to operate at a profit. This is not “soaking the rich”; it is saving the rich. Incidentally, it is the only way to assure them the serenity and security which they do not have at the present moment.
Almost, but not quite, to the full truth: The rich are the problem.
Not when this government has made it quite clear that the rights of people with disabilities can be arbitrarily cast aside.
Rosemary McDonald in Open Mike 19/1 expressed concerns about euthanasia for the people who need it and want it now, because disability may possibly get caught up in the practice. And that can’t be dismissed as a possibility, under governments which are influenced primarily by thoughts of efficiency and wishes to reduce spending.
The disabilities lack of support needs to be seen as part of that lack for most other people. Under the neo lib government materialism and capital accretion are the main aims and measures of a worthwhile life. People themselves and their attributes and needs, are at the fringes. They may be called in to centre stage at times, but can be banished to the fringes again quite arbitrarily. The only reason that government does anything for welfare and supporting people is so that they can still pretend that this is a responsive state, is still a democracy for the people. That’s all bullshit at present.
When, or if, the mass of people who are living monetarily below comfortable standards, and who realise how constricted their human lives have become, actually arouse themselves, there will be change. But lack of vision, and a willingness to work to change must happen. I’m reading a book by a man whose family came to NZ after WW2 and who returned to Europe, revisiting NZ in the 1990s. He was struck at the difference that neo lib had made on the ethos that he experienced.
At the end of his record of his visit he says:
The people of NZ have it in their power to use this crucial point in the country’s history to transform the political culture, and map out a new route to the summit. Go for it NZ. Let’s not rely on politicians or messiahs. Each one of us must remember – If it is to be, it is up to me.
Michael Mence 1999
“A woman suffering from multiple sclerosis pleads with doctors to kill her.[3] Her husband gives her a fatal overdose, and is put on trial, where arguments are put forth that prolonging life is sometimes contrary to nature, and that death is a right as well as a duty.[4] It culminates in the husband’s declaration that he is accusing them of cruelty for trying to prevent such deaths.[5]”
we should all watch this one…if nothing else it might help the pro euthanasia people understand where the anti brigade are coming from in terms of the disabled community.
”And that can’t be dismissed as a possibility, under governments which are influenced primarily by thoughts of efficiency and wishes to reduce spending.”
The lack of resourcing in disability and palliative care services in New Zealand makes a move toward euthanasia less likely, as those services would need to be better funded to provide a viable alternative if there was a choice.
While revisiting old songs – the lyrics from Lost in Love apply to those of us who love the old NZ we had. Perhaps this can be the theme song for those who fight to retain what was good.
AIR SUPPLY LYRICS
“Lost In Love”
I realize the best part of love is the thinnest slice
And it don’t count for much
but I’m not letting go
I believe there’s still much to believe in
So lift your eyes if you feel you can
Reach for a star and I’ll show you a plan
I figured it out
What I needed was someone to show me
You know you can’t fool me
I’ve been loving you too long
It started so easy
You want to carry on
[Chorus:]
Lost In Love and I don’t know much
Was I thinking aloud and fell out of touch?
But I’m back on my feet and eager to be what you wanted
So lift your eyes if you feel you can
Reach for a star and I’ll show you a plan
I figured it out
What I needed was someone to show me
[Chorus]
Now I’m lost, lost in love, lost in love, lost in love
Repeat http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/airsupply/lostinlove.html
From the 2005 album, “The Singer and the Song” – old guys with a good message.
It includes the statement that “means New Zealand’s production of milk has trebled since 1990 while methane emissions from dairy cattle have only doubled over that period”. That means that the methane per unit of milk has dropped by a third”
It also says “the number of sheep in the country has almost halved, with a concomitant emissions reduction, yet as much lamb and mutton is produced as ever”.
I hadn’t thought that such spectacular results would really be possible in such a short time.
Maybe we can help to feed the hungry millions (or billions) of the world after all.
Well, I do. We need to cut back on the farms and rebuild our natural environment. Having better than 50% of our land mass in farming is poisoning our land. Better to drop it back to ~15% and replant native bush in the land freed up.
Keep that bush to the tops of hills and significant bush tracts next to streams and rivers and we can then take our treated sewage and drop it on that bush. The bush treats it further and the nutrients run down onto the farms meaning that our farms won’t need artificial fertiliser. The riparian planting next to our rivers and streams will stop run-off from the farms getting into the rivers keeping them pristine.
Do that and we have sustainable farming and a sustainable society.
Everyone who understands ecology knows that there is too much dairy farming in NZ. But that’s not what you said. What you said was a blatant lie about the GP.
Then perhaps you will tell us just what you plan to do with the cows?
I remember when I was a kid I knew lots of farm children. They all had pet (ie orphaned) lambs. They children were in two groups. One group knew damn well that the lamb was going to the works and that was how they got their pocket money. The others were told, and may even have believed, that the lamb went too to another farm up the road and lived happily ever after.
I suppose that the Green Party will tell us that they are going to create lovely zoos for the surplus cows and they will happily live out their lives.
I’ll admit I got a bit carried away about the Vegan touch. I am amazed though how many of the Green supporters I know are of a vegetarian bent and think that every one should follow their example.
Everything that comes out of your mouth about the GP (including the above) is just outright lies about the Green Party. I don’t even believe your anecdotes. You really are a shitty troll, but thanks for giving me even more evidence of how distorted your commenting is, it will be a handy reference.
Yes Dear.
However please amuse me.
Just which bit of this comment is a lie? After all if there is too much dairy farming in New Zealand we must presume you are going to reduce it, and we are going to have a lot of surplus cows.
Of course you claim it is ALL lies but that comment on your part clearly falls into the category politely called a terminological inexactitude.
Now try and point out anything that is a lie in this comment.
Why would I reply to that? You’re trolling is boring. I’ve already said you’ve given me enough reference material to show what a dick you are when it comes to lying about the GP. I don’t have to explain it, people can see what you are doing, I’ll just keep naming it.
If you continue to read comments I make, and as far as I know there is nothing to force you to do so, you might remember these quotes from genuinely famous people before you compose a response.
George Washington said:
“The foolish and wicked practice of profane cursing and swearing is a vice so mean and low that every person of sense and character detests and despises it.”
Joseph Cook said:
“A single profane expression betrays a [person’s] low breeding.”
and Eric Hoffer said
“Rudeness is the weak [person’s] imitation of strength.”
On the other hand you may be a fan of the old version of the US TV show “The Tonight Show” where Johnny Carson said:
“Never use a big word when a little filthy one will do.”
Funny, not least because I haven’t been particularly profane in this conversation. And because that’s the best you’ve got?
I’m very comfortable swearing in the appropriate context, and the standard is certainly one place where it’s appropriate. Swearing can enrich language and communication as many here know. So I have no problem at all standing up and telling you to fuck off for being a creep.
I also think that your inability to present actual arguments that make sense exposes you to more ridicule than you would otherwise get. That is of course up to you. You know how it works here. I’m not a fan of the ridicule culture on ts (or the internet in geneeral) and speak out against it quite a lot, but the inability to form an argument and instead to troll is one area where I think people deserve stronger language than normal, because they’re basically trying to mindfuck with the place and relating with them as normal social humans just doesn’t work.
By all means carry on playing your little games, I’m happy to keep pointing out where you are telling lies about the Green Party (although seeing as how you tell a lie pretty much every time you mention them I could probably find a way of shorthanding from now on, I’ll give it some thought).
obviously the cows will be culled, and sold to the US for hamburger….exactly as they currently are due to stock rationalisation due to low powder price….or possibly sold to china as breeding stock, provided they are red coloring.
‘Agriculture is the dominant use of land in New Zealand and has had the most widespread impact on water quality. In 1993, the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research summarised available data on the quality of water in rivers. They concluded that “lowland river reaches in agriculturally developed catchments are in poor condition” reflecting “agriculturally derived diffuse and point source waste inputs in isolation or in addition to urban or industrial waste inputs”. The key contaminants identified in lowland rivers were dissolved inorganic nitrogen, dissolved reactive phosphorus, sediment and faecal contamination. Small streams in dairy farming areas were identified as being in very poor condition.[2]
Sediment from erosion of hills and river banks is also a source of pollution of waters.
In recent years water pollution has increased since stocking rates of grazing animals have become higher, and there is an increasing use of fertilizers. Horticulture, arable farming and plantation forestry generally have a lesser impact than dairy farming.[1]
In 2001 Fish and Game New Zealand started the high profile “dirty dairying” campaign to highlight the effect of pollution from dairy farming intensification on the ecological health of freshwater environments. As a reaction to this campaign Fonterra, the largest dairy company in New Zealand, along with a number of government agencies instigated the Dairying and Clean Streams Accord to address water pollution due to dairy farming. The aim of the Accord is to limit the access of stock to waterways. Fonterra exports the majority of its produce, and encourages farmers to limit environmental impacts as a method of getting environmentally aware consumers to purchase their products. In a report released in October 2008 Fish and Game and Forest and Bird were highly critical of the Accord.’
Do we have too many cows in the cruel dairy industry ????
It depends how much fecal matter and excess nitrogen you are comfortable polluting our rivers,streams, lakes and estuary s with……..
National are happy with our water ways having so much faecal pathogens that they are unsafe to swim in ……. they have legislated this gift to us.
But apart from our rivers filling with shit other cow negatives include …….
These big heavy beasts are hard on the land and require a huge amount of water to produce 1 liter of milk …..
The dairy farms are mono culture and parasite numbers build up requiring more and more chemical drenches given to the cows …..
Our current ‘modern’ farming methods using chemical fertilizers are a cheat on nature ……. short term yields of grass/milk may increase but the soil is degrading……….. and the runoff from the salted up soils pollute our water ways….. sometimes killing them with toxic algae blooms
We import palm kernel as a cattle feed from the corrupt gangster nation Indonesia ……………. tales abound of dead birds, insects, bandages, other seeds and vegetation etc being mixed in and present with this feed …….. with our cut back and slack bio-security under National this could be how foot & mouth disease or other foreign threats like fruit flies enter New Zealand.
The high milk prices drove up farm prices and farm debt soared with many expensive dairy conversions ……. A fair few farmers are now in the process of going broke and will probably be forced to sell their farms …….. to the highest overseas bidders
National used record high milk prices to paper over their economic vandalism. …….They seemed blindsided by the fact other countries could breed cows increasing herd numbers and milk production……
Jumping in boots and all into the dairy boom was nationals great economic plan ………………… That and a property bubble where young New Zealanders are excluded unless they have parents who already own property.
John Key is our cow boy……………….. 100% pure.
“Some naively take the view that every drop of water that makes it to the sea is a waste” ……..
Before Christmas the media was full of big spending stories. Not surprising considering there are more people in NZ than ever before. But after Christmas there were stories of Christmas spending actually being down and the example of Dick Smith and others. Some people obviously have a lot of money but most are just struggling to get by. Those writing and being interviewed on the big spending stories also have no idea about the stress caused by not having money, so assume everyone has a big income like them.
The MSM have been spinning to make it look like everything is fine. I’m pretty sure that a plurality of the population was wondering how others could have so much.
Further distractions ahead of signing the TPP.
Yes, we are allowed to vote for a flag that symbolises our sovereignty.
But we have no say in our actual sovereignty.
Rapidly becoming a tin pot dictatorship.
“Somebody was actually like am I gonna watch the motherf***ing Oscars,” he posted. “F*** no. What the f*** am I going to watch that bulls*** for? “They ain’t got no n***** nominated. All these great movies and all this great s*** y’all keep stealing from us. F*** you! F*** you!”
While it makes sense for the Academy to try and diversify its membership, what does it say about the existing predominantly white membership that two years in a row it chose all white actor movies?
Have you considered the possibility, just once, that the best performances this year were by white men and women? Or do you find the idea unbelievable?
I quite like watching TV of the NFL (the American Football game).
Should I start a campaign to have it boycotted, and insist that TVNZ must remove it from their pop-up channel?
After all, the majority of the players, particularly in the “skilled” positions, are clearly Black. I have only seen one Asian looking man, and he only came on a few times a game to punt the ball.
Clearly there must be prejudice in picking players if they don’t match the racial makeup of the US.
Alternatively I can take the view that I am seeing the very best and they happen to be, disproportionally Black men. There, easy isn’t it?
your possibility is rubbish and you know it – you just have to defend the indefensible – the people making this a bigger and bigger issue are in the industry and know more about this from an industry and ‘people of colour’ point of view than a nobody like you al – you just embarrass yourself like a clod.
Oh dear Marty.
You really don’t like weka very much do you?
Why don’t you let him (or her) answer. I don’t think that he (or she) will be greatly impressed by what you are saying.
Have a look at what the question was you “clod”. I’ll repeat it for your benefit.
“Have you considered the possibility, just once, that the best performances this year were by white men and women? Or do you find the idea unbelievable?”
Your answer was “your possibility is rubbish”.
You therefore believe that weka is completely unable to consider that question? Hard wired and without any ability to think about something?
I am disappointed that you think that way about her.
you seem to be really struggling with this al, allow me to help
This thread started with a link showing many people of colour within the industry (“On Monday, Spike Lee, this year’s Oscar honouree for lifetime achievement, and Jada Pinkett Smith announced they will boycott the ceremony in protest.”) and even Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs saying there was an issue.
now sure maybe you could put your offensive, ridiculous and self serving “possibility” to them but we know that won’t happen don’t we – courage lacking no doubt and I’m sure snoop would love to get a tweet or text from you about your “possibility” but let’s just do a big LOL now around that one.
So you really are just a clod exposing your ingrained and wide ignorance but the good news is this is par for your course so the very low expectations people have of you are being met. Well done you.
As Paul pointed out, alwyn, you’re trolling, badly. At least have the sense to have some coherence to your trolling. And please stop making shit up about people (the GP, marty just now), not only do you look like a dork, it makes the conversations boring.
“Have you considered the possibility, just once, that the best performances this year were by white men and women? Or do you find the idea unbelievable?”
It wasn’t once, it was 2 years running (plus all the other years its happened in the past), so no, I don’t find it believable. It’s also only believable if you think that the films and actors nominated for the Oscars are there solely on merit. If you believe that, and that there are no commercial, political or cultural dynamics at play, you are a fool.
Of course they, or at least the films, aren’t there on “merit”. It doesn’t mean that the voters from the Academy were bigoted though which appears to be your conjecture.
If they were truly bigoted the would hardly be giving a lifetime award to Spike Lee would they? He is, as I’m sure you are aware, black.
There have been three black men and one black woman who have won best actor/actress Oscars this century. The voters can’t really be totally anti-black can they?
As far as an opinion from “Snoop”. Long experience has taught me that the greater the percentage of obscenities in someone’s speech the stupider they are.
Thanks Magisterium, that might just answer the question. Because I’m sitting here thinking, we know what happened last year so what were these people thinking this year? Or were they not thinking?
Ko Haapu was a bodyguard for Prime Minister John Key in Afghanistan in 2010.
He has been detained in Perth since October and faces deportation because he is a member of a bikie gang, despite having no criminal record.
According to stuff he is facing criminal charges so perhaps there is a bit more to this than his girlfriend is admitting. Wouldn’t be the first person in prison to say ‘I ain’t done it’.
I’d love to see the legal definition of ‘associate with’. But of course there doesn’t have to be because Australia is using a proto-fascist process that is discretionary and at the whim of the person in charge.
Great logical progression. Can you pass on to the Oz gummint another clear logical progression that will bowl them over, and end up with the Kiwis and others not being held by these nOzties on flimsy charges and allowed to return to wherever they want to be?
According to stuff.co.nz he is facing criminal charges and has a court date. His own lawyer says the deportation issue is extra judicial, so he won’t be in court for that. So someone is telling fibs about his history.
Note that NZ too has a history of not letting people from the same gang in because we don’t like their activities. Good to see the left is cuddling crims again.
And don’t even get me started on their links and support for and from the violent crime creating Alcohol industry ……..
Didn’t you know National won us the world cup as number one for domestic violence ????
John Key and the nats would like to extend a special thanks to all the battered woman and abused children who helped make this dream come true ………………..
Serco a blinding searchlight in Nationals brighter future will try and pick up the profit .
Key of course can’t remember him and doesn’t want to know.
Ko Haapu has been detained since Nov last year. He was arrested after visiting a friend in prison.
Dutton has been informed I understand – but he is a grubby piece of work and should never have the responsibility of being a Minister. We cannot expect him to act with any decency.
Now the gulags of Australia under Duttons watch are causing at least one detainee every other day to attempt to kill themselves. If Dutton ever sets foot in NZ he should be arrested and tried for torture.
But getting deported is the logical and predictable outcome of joining a bikie gang in Australia without Australian permanent residency or citizenship.
Hold on. Taiho. I seem to remember that Ko Haapu is not a member of a bikie gang but is friendly with some who are. Which if true, takes him a step back from the original premise here. If you know different just say.
That gets us into draconian control laws, specifying that innocent members of the public can be arrested on any arbitrary thing that some shithead doesn’t like after he got pissed yesterday, his daughter gave him the fingers, and his wife didn’t give him anything. ‘Right I’m going to get someone today, he growled teeth gritted.’ (I should write for The Herald. I can make up stuff that is just likelihood but sounds quite feasible.)
Aussie media and the Immigration Department describe him as a member. But that’s not even really relevant, because the Australian government’s criterion for failing the character test is “association” not “membership”.
Do you really believe that it’s ok for immigration status to be determined by a single interpretation of ‘association’? It’s like the academic who was denied normal academic access to information held by the NZ police because he associated with gangs (i.e. he interacted with them when he did researched on them). What if someone had a child with a gang member and thus ‘associated’ with them over parenting but was themselves not a gang member, not a criminal and not a bad influence on society?
Do you really believe that it’s ok for immigration status to be determined by a single interpretation of ‘association’?
No. But it’s the law. Visiting your buddy the gang boss in jail when you’re on a visitor visa and the Australian government has a hardon for cracking down on gangs AND deporting people is just fucking stupid.
‘Cos the leading item on RNZ National news this lunch time is that inflation is the lowest its been in quite some time . . . .
And yes, Pat, I’d noticed all that sudden media spin on our “ruckstar” economy too!
I suppose its what the idle rich like to portray on the surface while furiously paddling underneath as they try to find a way to save their millions from the impending economic collapse.
And while we are at the “gloom and doom” stuff, special thanks to Paul (above) for the link “Why this slump has legs”. That’s an absolutely brilliant article that everyone should read.
Funny, that. I’d picked 2017 as “crunch” year, but its looking increasingly likely that it might come sooner than that.
I agree, the article ‘Why This Slump Has Legs’ was brilliant, one of my top three reads on Monday. I shared it round the members of the ‘missing million’ I have personally committed to trying to enlighten. Thanks for posting here Paul. I agree with Murray that its a ‘must read’.
This interview with Nomi Prins was also good: elegant explanation of how the US response to 2008’s ‘credit crunch’ by pumping liquidity into the investment market led to the asset bubble in oil and energy investment we are seeing today:
The other article I enjoyed on Monday was this in commemoration of Martin Luther King Jnr Day in the US. Powerful stuff and nourishing food for thought:
This article is a bit of a warning to us all I think.:
The Cayman Islands…..home to 100000 companies and no tax, more companies than people…..business heaven?
(……a satellite of planet key?……. a popular watering hole of the International Democratic Union?)
Check out “Ugland House” … it rather lives up to it’s name.
Very, very good. I did a paper on Mana Wahine and I was amazed by the distortions created via colonisation and christianity around the role, prestige and mana of women within Te Ao Māori – a shocking revelation for me and really showed the insidious and totally destructive force of colonisation.
Ngahuia Murphy has received $110,000 from the Health Research Council to complete her PhD studies into Māori beliefs of the womb or whare tangata.
“I am looking at some of the pre-colonial ceremonies and ritual knowledge traditions around the whare tangata and I’m going to be tracing those ceremonial practices into the context of today.”
In order to complete her masters Ngahuia Murphy read texts from colonial ethnographers, who studied Māori in the early days.
“What they have written about Māori women and particularly Māori women’s reproductive body is that it is a source of inferiority in our culture, which completely contradicts our cultural paradigms about the significance of the whare tangata as the house of humanity.”
Ms Murphy said accounts of Māori girls and women menstruating were derogatory and written as if menstruation was viewed as a dirty thing.
“What is really disturbing is what they wrote 150 years ago has been reproduced across history up until contemporary times, creating these really oppressive, really powerful narratives about the inferiority of Māori women in our culture.”
“This is what I want to challenge.”
National is trampling over the laws of this country by flying the alternative fern flag alongside the New Zealand flag on 250 sites, including the Auckland Harbour Bridge, says New Zealand First.
“National is acting like an advertising agency – not like a responsible government.
“It’s yet more disgraceful behaviour in the entire $26 million flag farce.
“Mr Key and National know they face humiliation in the referendum. This latest flag flying ploy shows they are desperate not to be losers.
“To fly the referendum flag winner beside the New Zealand flag is an exercise in deception and suggesting that it has the same status. Legally it has none.
There’s nothing that I can add to that. National have gone off the deep end with their desire to change the flag against the wishes of the people.
What’s the bet the plan is to get the tea towel logo over the line and then hey presto… National will announce a new party logo that is remarkably similar. They have already managed to get the two colours wanted – blue and black with a dash of white.
What’s the bet the plan is to get the tea towel logo over the line and then hey presto… National will announce a new party logo that is remarkably similar. They have already managed to get the colours wanted – blue and black with a dash of white.
I haven’t quite followed all of this but it appears to be saying that Canada cannot legalise cannabis due to existing international treaties but individual states in the US can because the Federal Government in the US cannot compel individual states to make something illegal.
Hmmm that could be right. Maybe Canada could follow the same route. Provincial Governments are fairly autonomous – certainly you know when you transit from Ontario to Quebec – its almost like going from one country to another – well it is in a way. Just an accident in history and a one day war, and French Canadians won’t let you forget it. 🙂
You’re a good writer, Paul. Howabout you write something yourself and send it in via the contribute link? Or, if you prefer, you can email a draft to me and I’ll edit it. Day off tomorrow, so I’ve got a bit of time to colloborate on a post, if you’re keen.
tereoputake@gmail.com Looking forward to seeing the first draft! I can add in embedded links later on, so feel free to use full link references as in your first comment above. Add in your thoughts on why Son of GFC is going to be a doozy and we’re off and running.
New Zealand is again having to reconcile conflicting pressures from its military and its trade interests. Should we join Pillar Two of AUKUS and risk compromising our markets in China? For a century after New Zealand was founded in 1840, its external security arrangements and external economics arrangements were aligned. ...
The ‘50 Shades of Green’ farmers’ protest in 2019 was heavy on climate change denial, but five years on, scepticism and criticism about the idea that pine forests can save us is growing across the board. File photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s the top six news items of note in climate ...
This morning the sky was bright.The birds, in their usual joyous bliss. Nature doesn’t seem to feel the heat of what might angst humans.Their calls are clear and beautiful.Just some random thoughts:MāoriPaul Goldsmith has announced his government will roll back the judiciary’s rulings on Māori Customary Marine Title, which recognises ...
In 2003, the Court of Appeal delivered its decision in Ngati Apa v Attorney-General, ruling that Māori customary title over the foreshore and seabed had not been universally extinguished, and that the Māori Land Court could determine claims and confirm title if the facts supported it. This kicked off the ...
Earlier this week at Parliament, Labour leader Chris Hipkins was applauded for saying that the response to the final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care had to be “bigger than politics.” True, but the fine words, apologies and “we hear you” messages will soon ring ...
TL;DR: In news breaking this morning:The Ministry of Education is cutting $2 billion from its school building programme so the National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government has enough money to deliver tax cuts; The Government has quietly lowered its child poverty reduction targets to make them easier to achieve;Te Whatu Ora-Health NZ’s ...
Kia ora. These are some stories that caught our eye this week – as always, feel free to share yours in the comments. Our header image this week (via Eke Panuku) shows the planned upgrade for the Karanga Plaza Tidal Swimming Steps. The week in Greater Auckland On ...
1. What's not to love about the way the Harris campaign is turning things around?a. Nothingb. Love all of itc. God what a reliefd. Not that it will be by any means easye. All of the above 2. Documents released by the Ministry of Health show Associate Health Minister Casey ...
Trust in me in all you doHave the faith I have in youLove will see us through, if only you trust in meWhy don't you, you trust me?In a week that saw the release of the 3,000 page Abuse in Care report Christopher Luxon was being asked about Boot Camps. ...
TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking about the Royal Commission Inquiry into Abuse in Carereport released this week, and with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on a UN push to not recognise carbon offset markets and ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 26, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Transport: Simeon Brown announced$802.9 million in funding for 18 new trains on the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines, which ...
The northern expressway extension from Warkworth to Whangarei is likely to require radical changes to legislation if it is going to be built within the foreseeable future. The Government’s powers to purchase land, the planning process and current restrictions on road tolling are all going to need to be changed ...
Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedFirst they came for the doctors But I was confused by the numbers and costs So I didn't speak up Then they came for our police and nurses And I didn't think we could afford those costs anyway So I ...
Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on UnsplashWe’re back again after our mid-winter break. We’re still with the ‘new’ day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when we have our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream ...
Notes: This is a free article. Abuse in Care themes are mentioned. Video is at the bottom.BackgroundYesterday’s report into Abuse in Care revealed that at least 1 in 3 of all who went through state and faith based care were abused - often horrifically. At least, because not all survivors ...
Luxon speaks in Parliament yesterday about the Abuse in Care report. Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:PM Christopher Luxon said yesterday in tabling the Abuse in Carereport in Parliament he wanted to ‘do the ...
About a decade ago I worked with a bloke called Steve. He was the grizzled veteran coder, a few years older than me, who knew where the bodies were buried - code wise. Despite his best efforts to be approachable and friendly he could be kind of gruff, through to ...
Some of the recent announcements from the government have reminded us of posts we’ve written in the past. Here’s one from early 2020. There were plenty of reactions to the government’s infrastructure announcement a few weeks ago which saw them fund a bunch of big roading projects. One of ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Thursday, July 25 are:News: Why Electric Kiwi is closing to new customers - and why it matters RNZ’s Susan EdmundsScoop: Government drops ...
Hi,I felt a small wet tongue snaking through one of the holes in my Crocs. It explored my big toe, darting down one side, then the other. “He’s looking for some toe cheese,” said the woman next to me, words that still haunt me to this day.Growing up in New ...
Yesterday I happily quoted the Prime Minister without fact-checking him and sure enough, it turns out his numbers were all to hell. It’s not four kg of Royal Commission report, it’s fourteen.My friend and one-time colleague-in-comms Hazel Phillips gently alerted me to my error almost as soon as I’d hit ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Thursday, July 25, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day were:The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquirypublished its final report yesterday.PM Christopher Luxon and The Minister responsible for ...
The Official Information Act has always been a battle between requesters seeking information, and governments seeking to control it. Information is power, so Ministers and government agencies want to manage what is released and when, for their own convenience, and legality and democracy be damned. Their most recent tactic for ...
TL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:Transport and Energy Minister Simeon Brown is accelerating plans to spend at least $10 billion through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to extend State Highway One as a four-lane ‘Expressway’ from Warkworth to Whangarei ...
I live my life (woo-ooh-ooh)With no control in my destinyYea-yeah, yea-yeah (woo-ooh-ooh)I can bleed when I want to bleedSo come on, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)You can bleed when you want to bleedYea-yeah, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)Everybody bleed when they want to bleedCome on and bleedGovernments face tough challenges. Selling unpopular decisions to ...
Please note:To skip directly to the- parliamentary footage in the video, scroll to 1:21 To skip to audio please click on the headphone iconon the left hand side of the screenThis video / audio section is under development. ...
Given the crackdown on wasteful government spending, it behooves me to point to a high profile example of spending by the Luxon government that looks like a big, fat waste of time and money. I’m talking about the deployment of NZDF personnel to support the US-led coalition in the Red ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:40 am on Wednesday, July 24 are:Deep Dive: Chipping away at the housing crisis, including my comments RNZ/Newsroom’s The DetailNews: Government softens on asset sales, ...
As I reported about the city centre, Auckland’s rail network is also going through a difficult and disruptive period which is rapidly approaching a culmination, this will result in a significant upgrade to the whole network. Hallelujah. Also like the city centre this is an upgrade predicated on the City ...
Today, a 4 kilogram report will be delivered to Parliament. We know this is what the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care weighs, because our Prime Minister told us so.Some reporter had blindsided him by asking a question about something done by ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Wednesday, July 24, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Beehive:Transport Minister Simeon Brownannounced plans to use PPPs to fund, build and run a four-lane expressway between Auckland ...
NewstalkZB host Mike Hosking, who can usually be relied on to give Prime Minister Christopher Luxon an easy run, did not do so yesterday when he interviewed him about the HealthNZ deficit. Luxon is trying to use a deficit reported last year by HealthNZ as yet another example of the ...
Back in January a StatsNZ employee gave a speech at Rātana on behalf of tangata whenua in which he insulted and criticised the government. The speech clearly violated the principle of a neutral public service, and StatsNZ started an investigation. Part of that was getting an external consultant to examine ...
Renting for life: Shared ownership initiatives are unlikely to slow the slide in home ownership by much. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:A Deloittereport for Westpac has projected Aotearoa’s home-ownership rate will ...
You're broken down and tiredOf living life on a merry go roundAnd you can't find the fighterBut I see it in you so we gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsWe gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsAnd I'll rise upI'll rise like the dayI'll rise upI'll rise unafraidI'll rise upAnd I'll ...
There’s been a change in Myers Park. Down the steps from St. Kevin’s Arcade, past the grassy slopes, the children’s playground, the benches and that goat statue, there has been a transformation. The underpass for Mayoral Drive has gone from a barren, grey, concrete tunnel, to a place that thrums ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global society may have finally slammed on the brakes for climate-warming pollution released by human fossil fuel combustion. According to the Carbon Monitor Project, the total global climate pollution released between February and May 2024 declined slightly from the amount released during the same ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Tuesday, July 23 are:Deep Dive: Penlink: where tolling rhetoric meets reality BusinessDesk-$$$’sOliver LewisScoop:Te Pūkenga plans for regional polytechs leak out ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announcedthe Board of Te Whatu Ora-Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
A homeless person’s camp beside a blocked-off slipped damage walkway in Freeman’s Bay: we are chasing our tail on our worsening and inter-related housing, poverty and climate crises. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Orderimage, ...
Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
Waiting In The Wings:For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSAannounced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent talking about the National-ACT-NZ First Government’s release of its first Emissions Reduction Plan;University of Otago Foreign Relations Professor and special guest Dr Karin von ...
Open access notablesImproving global temperature datasets to better account for non-uniform warming, Calvert, Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society:To better account for spatial non-uniform trends in warming, a new GITD [global instrumental temperature dataset] was created that used maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) to combine the land surface ...
A late change to charter school legislation will cheat educators out of fair pay and negotiating power proving charter schools are just a vehicle to make profit out of our education system. ...
In 2004 te iwi Māori rallied against the Crown’s attempt to confiscate our coastlines and moana with the Foreshore and Seabed Act. This led to the largest hīkoi of a generation and the birth of Te Pāti Māori. 20 years later, history is repeating itself. Today the government has announced ...
It has been five and a half years since the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care was established to investigate the abuse of children, young people, and vulnerable adults within state and faith-based institutions. Yesterday, the final report - Whanaketia through pain and trauma, from darkness to light ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to take action off the back of the International Court of Justice ruling on Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine. ...
On Friday the International Court of Justice reaffirmed what Palestinian’s have been telling us for decades: that the occupation and colonisation of Palestinian lands by Israel is illegal and must end immediately. They also called for reparations for Palestinian’s who have lived under Israeli occupation since it began in 1967. ...
Labour calls on the Government to act after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian Territories is illegal. ...
The 53.7 percent rise in benefit sanctions over the last year is more proof of this Government’s disdain for our communities most in need of support. ...
Aotearoa could be a country where every child grows up feeling safe, loved and with a sense of belonging in their whānau and community. But for some of our children, this is far from reality. Instead, they are trapped in a maze of intergenerational harm that they can’t escape on ...
Te Pāti Māori are calling for David Seymour to resign as Associate Health Minister in response to his call for Pharmac to ignore the Treaty of Waitangi. “This announcement is just another example of the government’s anti-Tiriti, anti-Māori agenda.” Said Co-leader and spokesperson for health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. “Seymour thinks it ...
The soaring price of renting is driving the rise of inflation in this country - with latest figures from Stats NZ showing rents are up 4.8 per cent on average while annual inflation is at 3.3 per cent. ...
National’s Emissions Reduction Plan will take New Zealand further from the economy we need to ensure the next generation has a stable climate and secure livelihoods. ...
Following consultation with named parties and thorough consideration of privacy interests, the Green Party is in a position to release the Executive Summary of the final report from the independent investigation into Darleen Tana. ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon should be asking serious questions of his Minister for Resources Shane Jones now it’s been revealed he misled the public about a dinner with mining companies that he didn’t declare and said wasn’t pre-arranged. ...
Te Pāti Māori have submitted to the Justice Select Committee against the Sentencing (Reinstating Three Strikes) Amendment Bill. The bill will further entrench racism in our justice system and fails to focus on rehabilitation. “Reinstating Three Strikes will empower a systematically racist system and exacerbate the overrepresentation of Māori in ...
The Transport and Infrastructure Committee is set to make a determination on the Residential Tenancies Amendment (RTA) Bill in the coming weeks. “This legislation will give landlords the power to kick our whānau out onto the street for no reason” said Housing spokesperson, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “Their solution to the housing ...
“National’s campaign was about tackling crime and the best they can do is a two-year long Ministerial Advisory Group,” Labour justice spokesperson Duncan Webb said. ...
“There are more examples of charter schools failing their students than there are success stories. The coalition Government is driving to dismantle our public school system and instead promote a privatised, competitive structure that puts profits before kids,” Jan Tinetti said. ...
“This government is choosing to deliberately mislead and withhold information, keeping our people in the dark about this government’s agenda and the future of our mokopuna,” said co-leader and spokesperson for Health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. The call comes after the demand from the Chief Ombudsman that Associate Minister of Health, Casey ...
“Today’s climate announcement by Simon Watts makes clear the National Government is simply paying lip service to meeting its climate change targets,” Megan Woods said. ...
National is choosing to make life harder for workers by taking away the rights our communities have fought hard for. Here's how they’re taking workers backwards. ...
Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue. We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views. “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
Tēnā tātou katoa, Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts. “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet. “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks. “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care. At the heart of this report are the ...
For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...
The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...
With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...
Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says a bill that has passed its first reading will improve parental leave settings and give non-biological parents more flexibility as primary carer for their child. The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No3), passed its first reading this morning. “It includes a change ...
Two Bills designed to improve regulation and make it easier to do business have passed their first reading in Parliament, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. The Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Bill and Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill make key changes to legislation administered by the Ministry ...
New legislation paves the way for greater competition in sectors such as banking and electricity, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Competitive markets boost productivity, create employment opportunities and lift living standards. To support competition, we need good quality regulation but, unfortunately, a recent OECD report ranked New ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says lotteries for charitable purposes, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, and local hospices, will soon be allowed to operate online permanently. “Under current laws, these fundraising lotteries are only allowed to operate online until October 2024, after which ...
The Coalition Government is accelerating work on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of its Roads of National Significance programme, with an accelerated delivery model to deliver this project faster and more efficiently, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “For too long, the lack of resilient transport connections ...
Sir Don McKinnon will travel to Viet Nam this week as a Special Envoy of the Government, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “It is important that the Government give due recognition to the significant contributions that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made to New Zealand-Viet Nam relations,” Mr ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says newly appointed Commissioner, Grant Illingworth KC, will help deliver the report for the first phase of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons, due on 28 November 2024. “I am pleased to announce that Mr Illingworth will commence his appointment as ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters travels to Laos this week to participate in a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-led Ministerial meetings in Vientiane. “ASEAN plays an important role in supporting a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Mr Peters says. “This will be our third visit to ...
Construction of a new mental health facility at Te Nikau Grey Hospital in Greymouth is today one step closer, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “This $27 million facility shows this Government is delivering on its promise to boost mental health care and improve front line services,” Mr Doocey says. ...
New Zealand is committing nearly $50 million to a package supporting sustainable Pacific fisheries development over the next four years, Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This support consisting of a range of initiatives demonstrates New Zealand’s commitment to assisting our Pacific partners ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour says proposed changes to the Education and Training Amendment Bill will ensure charter schools have more flexibility to negotiate employment agreements and are equipped with the right teaching resources. “Cabinet has agreed to progress an amendment which means unions will not be able to initiate ...
In response to serious concerns around oversight, overspend and a significant deterioration in financial outlook, the Board of Health New Zealand will be replaced with a Commissioner, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti announced today. “The previous government’s botched health reforms have created significant financial challenges at Health NZ that, without ...
Minister for Space and Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins will travel to Adelaide tomorrow for space and science engagements, including speaking at the Australian Space Forum. While there she will also have meetings and visits with a focus on space, biotechnology and innovation. “New Zealand has a thriving space ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will travel to China on Saturday to attend the Ministerial on Climate Action meeting held in Wuhan. “Attending the Ministerial on Climate Action is an opportunity to advocate for New Zealand climate priorities and engage with our key partners on climate action,” Mr Watts says. ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is travelling to the Solomon Islands tomorrow for meetings with his counterparts from around the Pacific supporting collective management of the region’s fisheries. The 23rd Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Committee and the 5th Regional Fisheries Ministers’ Meeting in Honiara from 23 to 26 July ...
The Government today launched the Military Style Academy Pilot at Te Au rere a te Tonga Youth Justice residence in Palmerston North, an important part of the Government’s plan to crackdown on youth crime and getting youth offenders back on track, Minister for Children, Karen Chhour said today. “On the ...
The Government has welcomed news the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has begun work to replace nine priority bridges across the country to ensure our state highway network remains resilient, reliable, and efficient for road users, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“Increasing productivity and economic growth is a key priority for the ...
Acting Prime Minister David Seymour has been in contact throughout the evening with senior officials who have coordinated a whole of government response to the global IT outage and can provide an update. The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet has designated the National Emergency Management Agency as the ...
New Zealand and Japan will continue to step up their shared engagement with the Pacific, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “New Zealand and Japan have a strong, shared interest in a free, open and stable Pacific Islands region,” Mr Peters says. “We are pleased to be finding more ways ...
New developments in the heart of North Island forestry country will reinvigorate their communities and boost economic development, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones visited Kaingaroa and Kawerau in Bay of Plenty today to open a landmark community centre in the former and a new connecting road in ...
President Adeang, fellow Ministers, honourable Diet Member Horii, Ambassadors, distinguished guests. Minasama, konnichiwa, and good afternoon, everyone. Distinguished guests, it’s a pleasure to be here with you today to talk about New Zealand’s foreign policy reset, the reasons for it, the values that underpin it, and how it ...
Last summer when Matairangi burned, Ginny and Tom stood at the window of their lounge, watching kākā shoot skyward from the burning trees. From the distance, they looked to Ginny like pages torn from books and thrown into a bonfire. It was Tom, voice tight, who told her it was ...
Opinion: The Canadian short story writer Alice Munro – winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2013 – died in May at the age of 92. Her work was about “the damage people inflict on one another in the name of love”, Deborah Treisman wrote in the New Yorker. ...
This month marks two years since the most powerful telescope ever built sent its first pictures back to earth. From its lofty vantage point, beyond the moon in orbit around the sun, the James Webb Space Telescope was tuned to observe the first stars and galaxies being born soon after ...
Comment: After Climate Change Minister Simon Watts’ preview several weeks ago, I had some optimism about the Government’s emissions reduction plan. Now I’ve read the discussion document, that hope has been dashed. How can the Government propose a plan that wants to take New Zealand taxpayers’ hard-earned money, and spend ...
Christopher Luxon: hurdles The little man from National jumps hurdles in his sleep. He’s quite good at it in his dreams and even though the reality doesn’t quite match up you have to give him credit for getting up every morning and crashing into the very first hurdle of the ...
Comment: It was a good two hours into the conversation when Tyrone Marks raised the most basic of questions when I first spoke to him in 2017. “They didn’t explain the things they did to me. They never told me why. And they still haven’t. There’s no explanation for it. ...
Madeleine Chapman rounds out Death Week on The Spinoff with a final recommendation. You can read all of our Death Week coverage here. Nothing forces you to reflect on your life and relationships quite like proximity to death. For those whose nearest and dearest have died, there are reasonably obvious ...
Whitney Greene takes us through her life in television, including the TV character she’d like to plan a funeral for and her cow lung catastrophe on The Traitors NZ. “If the phone rings, I have to answer it,” Whitney Greene from The Traitors NZ warns as we begin our My ...
Maddie Ballard reviews the debut essay collection of Pōneke writer Flora Feltham.In ‘The Raw Material’, the longest essay in Flora Feltham’s dazzling debut collection, the author heads out for a run after hours of weaving and sees the world turn to textile. “Pounding along the Parade, I saw the ...
Andy Christiansen, one half of the experimental rock-pop duo TRiPS, shares the tunes inspiring the band’s perfect weekend and new release. “Good speakers, good food, good music, no distractions”: that’s all you need to enjoy the psychedelic stylings of TRiPS, a new band formed by Fly My Pretties’ Barnaby Weir ...
Celebrating our quadrennial opportunity to become experts in a bunch of sports we never normally watch.The games of the XXXIII Olympiad are upon us. Paris will host this year’s showcase of sporting and athletic prowess, which means some late-night and early-morning viewing for us in Aotearoa.But what sports ...
The photograph is striking and beautiful, but also disturbing – a reminder that my love for John was often entangled in shame.The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.In the spring of 1980, in Dunedin, shortly before his death, someone took a photograph ...
Get to know Babushka, our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Babu’s humans, Jo and Isabel, for their support. Dog name: Babushka (Babu for short) Age: 2Breed: Border Collie X poodleIf rescued, ...
Pacific Media Watch A Lebanese photojournalist who was severely wounded during an Israeli air strike in south Lebanon carried the Olympic torch in Paris this week in honour of her peers who have been wounded and killed in the field — especially in Gaza and Lebanon. Christina Assi of Agence ...
The first report in a five-part web series focused on the 15th Triennial Conference of Pacific Women taking place in the Marshall Islands this week.SPECIAL REPORT:By Netani Rika in Majuro Women continue to fight for justice 70 years after the first nuclear tests by the United States caused ...
Christopher Luxon has joined with Australia and Canada's leaders in voicing support for US President Joe Biden's ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The 2022 election brought the “teal wave” into parliament. The next election will test whether teals, who occupy what were Liberal seats, and other independents can maintain their momentum. Joining us on the Podcast ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Musgrave, Senior lecturer in Pharmacology, University of Adelaide Pixavri/Shutterstock A major Federal Court class action has been dismissed this week after Justice Michael Lee ruled there was not enough evidence to prove the weedkiller Roundup causes cancer. Plaintiff Kelvin ...
In The Week in Politics: politicians have to decide what to do about child abuse, Health NZ is booked in for major surgery and Darleen Tana returns. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Corbould, Associate Professor, Contemporary Histories Research Group, Deakin University Mainstream media are surprisingly muted at the prospect of the world’s most powerful nation being led for the first time by a woman – specifically a woman of colour, Vice President Kamala ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rebecca Bennett, PhD Student, Associate Research Fellow, Deakin University Last week, a drone delivery company called Wing (owned by Google’s parent company, Alphabet) started operating in Melbourne. Some 250,000 residents in parts of the city’s eastern suburbs can now order food from ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonathan Foo, Lecturer, Physiotherapy, Monash University pikselstock/Shutterstock In the next 40 years in Australia, it’s predicted the number of Australians aged 65 and over will more than double, while the number of people aged 85 and over will more than triple. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katrina Grant, Research Associate, Power Institute for Arts and Visual Culture, University of Sydney Jonas Åkerström’s 1790 work, Session of the Accademia dell’Arcadia on August 17 1788.Nationalmuseum/Cecilia Heisser Ever wondered whether you’d have a better chance at winning an Olympic gold ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexandra Jones, Program Lead, Food Governance, George Institute for Global Health wavebreakmedia/Shutterstock On Thursday, Australian and New Zealand food ministers at state, federal and national levels met to thrash out what’s next for health star ratings on packaged foods. Now, after ...
The Abuse in Care report found many Pacific survivors lost their connections to their culture and language, resulting in trauma that has been carried from generation to generation. ...
In the regulatory review, ECC intends to suggest that ERO focus on curriculum delivery reviews rather than the Ministry, because it’s not efficient or effective to have two agencies with radically different approaches climbing over each other. ...
Te Rūnanga Nui o Ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori invites the current government to work in partnership with them to develop a pathway forward, including the development of a parallel pathway and meaningful policy and strategy for Kura Kaupapa Māori ...
If you haven’t started watching yet, Tara Ward begs you to reconsider. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. In the world of New Zealand reality television, we have many gems in our crown. There’s the delicious second season of the Celebrity Treasure ...
A new poem by Fiona Kidman. The clothes of the dead I did not keep my mother’s furry red beret for long nor the stringy scarves that adorned the necks of my aunts, although I have kept tag ends of gold, the rings and trinkets they wore, the brooches no ...
The government’s announcement that it will re-open the foreshore and seabed controversy by changing the rules on recognising centuries-old Māori customary title for a third time goes against the rule of law and New Zealand values,” Mr Tipa says. ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Lioness by Emily Perkins (Bloomsbury, $25) Roarrrr! Perkins’ brilliant, award-winning, Marian-Keyes anointed, darkly funny, long ...
The 2004 Act vested ownership of the foreshore and seabed in the Crown, extinguishing any Māori claims to ownership and causing widespread outrage and protests among Māori communities. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Antje Deckert, Associate Professor (Criminology), Auckland University of Technology Getty Images Despite the connection between institutional harm and gang membership made clear in this week’s mammoth royal commission abuse-in care report, the government seems unlikely to soften its “get tough on ...
From Lewis Clareburt in the swimming to the start of the rowing – the first seven days of Paris 2024 promise to be big for New Zealand. There are few events that bring the country together quite like an Olympic Games. Nothing quite matches the excitement of getting up in ...
Groundbreaking local science just showed up in the most surprising of places: the season finale of The Kardashians. In the season five finale of The Kardashians last night, several members of the family gathered together in one of their signature empty, cream-coloured rooms to hear test results that had been ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Saikal, Emeritus professor of Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies, Australian National University The Middle East is on the brink of a possibly devastating regional war, with hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah reaching an extremely dangerous level. Washington has engaged in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laura Elizabeth Eades, Rheumatologist, Monash University Lupus is an inflammatory autoimmune illness, where the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks itself. Lupus can affect virtually any part of the body, although it most commonly affects the skin, joints and kidneys. The symptoms ...
A law firm that specialises in working with survivors of abuse in State care is disappointed that the Government fails to recognise that its boot camps can be directly compared to previous boot camps from the 1990s and 2000s. ...
Dying is a natural part of life, like updating your Wof or seeing your hairdresser, but without the word-of-mouth recs that help guarantee a good service. What if we changed that? Dying Reviews received by The Spinoff have had the names of organisations redacted while Hospice NZ collects further data. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonti Horner, Professor (Astrophysics), University of Southern Queensland Mike Lewinski/Flickr, CC BY On any clear night, if you gaze skywards long enough, chances are you’ll see a meteor streaking through the sky. Some nights, however, are better than others. At ...
Despite having no bars or other designated spaces for lesbians, Auckland boasts a small but mighty lesbian museum. So how did it get here? The past 18 months has brought increasing hostility towards the queer community across Aotearoa. Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull’s anti-trans rally in Tamaki Makaurau last March led to a ...
Poneke Antifascist Coalition has invited Wellingtonians to stand in solidarity with the Kanak people at 12pm today outside the French Embassy in Wellington. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Layton, Visiting Fellow, Strategic Studies, Griffith University Drones are the signature technology of the Ukraine war. A few miniature aircraft designs were used in the war’s early days, but an incredible array of drones have now evolved. There are different types, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Slee, Associate Professor, Clinical Academic Neurologist, Flinders University Francisco Gonzelez/Unsplash Migraine is many things, but one thing it’s not is “just a headache”. “Migraine” comes from the Greek word “hemicrania”, referring to the common experience of migraine being predominantly ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lee White, Senior Lecturer and Horizon Fellow, School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Sydney Australia was slow to introduce minimum building standards for energy efficiency. The Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) only came into force in 2003. Older homes ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Steven Sherwood, Professor of Atmospheric Sciences, Climate Change Research Centre, UNSW Sydney The past century of human-induced warming has increased rainfall variability over 75% of the Earth’s land area – particularly over Australia, Europe and eastern North America, new research shows. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tony Heynen, Program Coordinator, Sustainable Energy, The University of Queensland A temporary stadium in the Champ-de-Mars, ParisEkaterina Pokrovsky/Shutterstock As Paris prepares to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the sustainability of the event is coming under scrutiny. The organisers have promoted ...
A night of karaoke and community in a pub that feels like a memory. You’d barely even notice it, unless you knew to look. Tucked away behind a liquor store on busy Constable Street is the capital’s last great pub. Newtown Sports Bar is an emblem of the pub culture ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Wright, Professor in Marine Geology, University of Canterbury Louise Corcoran/Getty Images The decline in the number of doctoral candidates at New Zealand universities is a worrying sign for the country’s effort to build a knowledge-based economy. Aotearoa New Zealand’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laurie Berg, Associate Professor, University of Technology Sydney defotoberg/Shutterstock Migrant worker exploitation is entrenched in workplaces across Australia. Tragically, a deep fear of immigration consequences means most unlawful employer conduct goes unreported. On Wednesday, however, the government officially launched a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Vaughan Cruickshank, Senior Lecturer in Health and Physical Education, University of Tasmania Paris is about to host its third summer Olympics. While we don’t yet know what the legacy of this year’s games will be, let’s take the opportunity to reflect on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hugh Breakey, Deputy Director, Institute for Ethics, Governance & Law, Griffith University In the wake of the assassination attempt on former US President Donald Trump, there were calls from bothsides of US politics, as well as internationally, to reduce the brutal, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Keith Rathbone, Senior Lecturer, Modern European History and Sports History, Macquarie University Two high-profile assaults on Australians in Paris have raised concerns about security ahead of the Olympic Games. On Saturday evening, a young woman was allegedly sexually assaulted by a ...
Dying is inevitable and, so it seems, is it costing a lot, writes Stewart Sowman-Lund in today’s extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here.The cost of dying ...
The government took Joyce Harris's first baby and sent her off to a girls' home. Half a century on - and out of oceans of hurt - it asked her to be a mother figure. ...
It’s the deadliest fictional town in the country, but which death has been the most bonkers? Alex Casey looks back at 10 seasons of The Brokenwood Mysteries to find out. Warning: The following ranking story contains famous New Zealand actors appearing to be dead (not alive). The Spinoff has been ...
Water cremation is the biggest thing to happen to the death industry in the last 100 years. Alex Casey meets the people trying to bring it to Aotearoa. Through a set of mirrored doors down the industrial end of Christchurch’s St Asaph Street, death is getting a new lease on ...
Opinion: New Health NZ commissioner Lester Levy is authorised to assume operational leadership – chief executive Margie Apa is effectively relegated to his operational deputy The post All-powerful Levy is feudal baron of a $28b fiefdom appeared first on Newsroom. ...
John Keys’ relationship with the next US president will be different from that with his Hawai’ian neighbour.
What are the implications for our foreign policy.
A tour boat caught fire and sank. Everyone survived, thanks to a superb rescue effort following a well-managed evacuation by the captain and crew.
Yet millions will be spent on an investigation that may take up to a year and a half.
I’m struggling to understand why.
Because the next crew might not be superb.
All incidents like this should be used as an opportunity to examine the processes in place that the crew and rescue teams followed to see what worked well and what didn’t.
It’s an opportunity to continually learn and update safety procedures to increase the odds of the next incident also ending without loss of life.
The only concern I ever have about these things is if the investigation process becomes corrupted and results in a witch hunt.
Empire building by the MSA.
Does a witless fool understand the difference between a voluntary donation and a demand for money?
Apparently not.
Haha. Seymour, right?
He did get his agenda through though, and that was to paint Little and Labour as communist and overbearing, and taking away from Little’s message which is equality of eduction opportunity for all children.
True, although it was tucked away at the bottom of the article, at which point ~95% of the audience has already stopped reading.
Ironically Seymour’s beloved charter schools don’t demand a single cent from parents.
Probably will be why they will end up being popular.
And it was traditional for the rape of wives to not be counted as rape. We got rid of that because we realised that it was wrong.
Tradition is usually wrong in fact which is why we keep changing things for the better.
Well, we used to be. These days we’re more of a selfish, cheap, me,me,me society thanks to Act policies that were brought in during the 1980s by the 4th Labour government.
Which is just proof that the government isn’t properly funding schooling.
🙄
Another disappointing ‘article’ from the MSM. I see the Herald has made it even more like puerile clickbait……
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11576508
Any idea who will get the nod to stand for Labour in the Hutt? Given it’s a safe Labour seat I presume there will be lots of interest.
Would you like me to nominate you, fisiani?
fabulous Idea.
Seen THIS ?
Secret spraying of glyphosate all over Auckland, without the knowledge or consent of citizens and ratepayers?
Helping to make Auckland ‘the most liveable city in the world’ – by secretly poisoning people whose health and well-being is significantly affected by glyphosate?
https://weedmanagementadvisory.wordpress.com/
BREAKING NEWS: Official Information Act documents reveal extensive covert spraying of glyphosate in Auckland streets – see Reports & Submissions for WMA Report and News for WMA Media Release
========================================================
THIS IS A SPECIAL FRONT PAGE “Back to the Future” REPORT
“The only consideration for Council should be the health and welfare of the public” Meriel Watts – July 2015
TOXIC CHEMICALS RETURNING TO AUCKLAND
When the second Back to the Future film was released in November 1989 it portrayed a future 2015. Now we are that future, and unbelievably Auckland Council and Auckland Transport is emulating the character Biff and are returning thirty years into the past to change our present and future.
They are returning us to a toxic dark age that will see 1.5 million people once again facing chemicals on their streets and parks, berms and playgrounds on a regular basis.
This is no conjecture or fictitious fairy tale – it is cold factual policy that is already being actioned.
We knew there had been a collective dragging of the feet on the part of Auckland Council and Auckland Transport (AT) in getting on with the task of implementing the hard won 2013 Weed Management Policy (WMP), what we didn’t know was that there was a hidden agenda.
An agenda at the highest level of Council to gut and neutralise the vision, principles and objectives of the WMP and execute a return to chemical control across the region.
…..
________________________________________________________
In my view – this is a scandalous breach of municipal power and authority regarding the promotion and protection of public health
within the Auckland region, for which I predict significant repercussions at the highest levels for those involved.
Read the details for yourselves ..
Penny Bright
2016 Auckland Mayoral candidate.
Thanks Penny.
An important change to take notice of. A huge step backwards in terms of environmental toxicity for residents.
Just read that the Alternative flag is going to be flown on Harbour Bridge. Is this a diversion??
Hi Penny. How long has herbicide been off the streets and parks of Auckland? Has it been since 2013 when that WMP you refer to was introduced?
Being herbicide free sounds very progressive. Safer for the environment, humans, bees and animals. I’m impressed. Sorry it may return. Thats incredibly backwards.
Almost as backwards at the Wellington City Council who spray everything into oblivion and ignore basic H&S protocols. Eg. A worker was out spraying the roundabout outside my house in 115km gusting winds last year (I checked metservice as I couldn’t believe what I was seeing) and they never wear any PPE. I’ve never seen any worker provided with gloves or masks, or if they are provided with them they don’t wear them.
I’ve tried raising the issue of using glyphosate and also it’s excessive use with both parks and gardens and the GWRC and it’s fallen on deaf ears.
Another reason our so called Green Mayor is a phoney and a hypocrite.
Good luck with attempts to keep Ak herbicide free in public spaces.
Penny,
When there’s a heavy dew I can often smell it in the GI area, not far from where I live.
I know that smell anywhere as we had it in the garage when I was a youngster.
Not a scientific method I know..
FFS, try explaining what is actually going on. NZ city councils routinely spray glyphosate to control weeds, to call it covert is just daft. Are you saying that they had stopped in Auckland and have now resumed without telling anyone?
Just to be clear, I’m completely against the use of glyphosate in most situations it’s currently used in, so my comment here is about issues being sensationalised and presented very poorly without actual information that informs people. All I can see here is some alarmist rhetoric but no explanation of what the problem is. That doesn’t help the cause.
Hi weka. I didn’t consider that point, although I did read the linked piece which says that areas that had fought to be treated chemical free now are being given the same treatment as everywhere else.
Knowing the changes that have been brought about locally with the new service provider procurement policy by Auckland Council, I took the information on face value as a consequence of larger service providers taking the cheapest (more efficient methods) to look after our road verges and parks and reserves.
One of our local community groups took it upon themselves to look after a neglected piece of bush reserve, handslashing the weeds and setting bait traps for unwanted pests. They did this for several years, but after procurement the new service providers came in and just sprayed chemicals.
Like you, I’m not a fan of glyphosate being used indiscriminately on our environment. I am wary of not having full transparency in what is being used.
I must have missed that. I did try reading both Penny’s comment and the linked articles several times but couldn’t get past the nonsense. Are you saying that the council used a non-herbicide method for a while and have gone back to a herbicide method? And that the former was done at the request of the community and the latter done in secret without discussing with the community?
Pretty sure this has happened in other places, just not secretly. I seem to remember that Dunedin trialed the steam weedkilling machine in suburbs that had kerbs, and then a few years later they stopped (because of some dispute over the contract and the cost of the machine I think). Then they started using pine oil, which caused a whole set of other problems that they pretty much ignored. Haven’t heard what they are doing now. It wouldn’t surprise me if they’re using glyphosate again, because while they might want to find an alternative and be responsive to the community the bottom line for them is that the weeds have to be killed and they have to do that within their budget. In other words, the culture war hasn’t been won within councils by any means regardless of what policy they have from year to year.
If the Auckland council have done ridden rough shod over the community on this, that’s bad and they should be called on it. But both the comment and the linked piece are the kind of rhetoric and misleading sensationalising that put people off and actually stall progress. That’s what made me grumpy.
Edit, I’ve just reread the link and it’s very unclear what it’s talking about. It assumes a level of knowledge about the Auckland situation that I and most non-Aucklanders won’t have (and probably many Aucklanders). And it doesn’t actuall say what’s happened. Bizarre.
Hope everyone is observing the impending political confluence of:
– the Prime Minister’s speech coming up in Auckland at the end of January
– the signing of the Trans Pacific Partnership in Auckland with all its massive media focus in February
– Waitangi Day
– Big Gay Out
– Parliamentary Speech from the Throne
He will be laying out pre-budget signals particularly in transport, treaty negotiations, legislative reform, tax signals, the works.
The PM has a massive media surge about to occur over the next month.
The broad Opposition need really strong things to say to even get a look in.
If anyone thinks this lot have run out of steam, the momentum has been building for a while and is about to hit.
The wise political person wouldn’t even try and compete, they’d save their scarce ammunition for a time where they can cause more damage.
The wise person would certainly take advice from a far-right tr0ll.
This lot never had more than steam going anyway – no policy, no guts, no brains, no growth, no jobs and no shame.
It’s astonishing really, that such a thoroughly worthless set of crooks can even briefly hijack the system of governance of a first world nation. The first act of any true nationalist government would be to make an example of them to be remembered for generations.
And what would that be?
Sulla wiped out corruption in less than 3 years – can’t argue with a successful methodology.
What, create a dictatorship?
Stuart your continued calls for violence have no place amongst the political left please desist.
His calls may have no place amongst the political left…
but in my view it will be the inevitable consequence of the oppression that the each government has exerted over the poor since 1984.
Key and English can only push the poor so far before something will break.
Unless both National and Labour change their current economic policy direction in the next few years, I sadly believe there will be a violent uprising.
I do not propose violence.
However, there are many people from the neo-liberal era who should be tried:
Tony Blair, Donald Rumsfeld, Dick Cheney and George Bush need to be tried for the invasion of Iraq.
A number of international bankers need to be arraigned for their corrupt banking practices of the 1990s and 2000s.
EXXon Mobil an others need to be tried for their duplicity over climate change, which will result in ecocide.
These are all serious crimes.
Sulla was almost unique in not using violence – he impoverished corrupt officials and made them live out their lives in poverty. Just the thing for Key & Brownlee.
It would be good for some of the 62 to see what life is like without so much.
It was considered unusually cruel, and corruption ceased to be an attractive activity.
“Sulla was almost unique in not using violence – he impoverished corrupt officials and made them live out their lives in poverty. Just the thing for Key & Brownlee.”
I think you need to read more history Stuart – Sulla was most certainly a violent dictator.
Who the devil are you to determine what is or is not the political left?
There are an abundance of left theorists who advocate countering economic violence with other forms.
I don’t insist on violence, but I want the guilty punished. In an exemplary fashion.
Sulla’s cure for corruption would do nicely.
@ stuart munroe
You are a nasty, violent piece of work and no part of the left that I belong to.
I’m a little confused – are you a rightwinger? You don’t seem to be able to spell your own name.
.. that’s *so* Machiavelli
“If anyone thinks this lot have run out of steam, the momentum has been building for a while and is about to hit.”
Do you think think this is the moment when we right up close to “being on the cusp of something very special” that we were promised?
On the cusp alright…..
NZ sharemarket falls again
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/business/294349/nz-sharemarket-falls-again
Weak growth and dairy prices weigh on kiwi
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11575715
The better attack lines for Little are:
– demand more wages in pocket. Currently poor growth.
– more $$ support for growth sectors. Un balanced and risky.
– more houses. Astonishing squalor and poverty.
Leave the rest for the Greens.
The political year needs to start for the Opposition. Key is on fire.
Clearly you live here….
You confuse analysis with fandom far too easily.
Your words.
If NZ economy stalls, it won’t be for lack of public and public-private spending through this government. The political momentum is fully theirs in first quarter 2016.
Rob McCann from White Ribbon is STILL out of the building.
I resent an email to Rob McCann late last week asking him to put forward his reasoning for retaining the PM as an ambassador for White Ribbon when the PM has consistently demonstrated his lack of suitability for such a role, including the fact that he himself is an abuser.
I simply get the same out of office reply.
Again Key will not be held to account for his behaviour and attitude towards women and through their silence, it looks like White Ribbon are protecting him.
He should be back from holiday soon?
I think he’s decided to take a permanent holiday, from this issue at least. He’s not likely to front up now, not when the issue “is so last year” and everyone has conveniently forgotten. Another PR win for Key.
Ideas
Letter to the editor of a paper
Email to Checkpoint.
Contact MPs affected.
More evidence that 2016 is going to be a shocker.
‘Dairy price fall at Global Dairy Trade auction pressures Fonterra payout
World dairy prices have fallen again at auction, leaving farmers resigned to Fonterra dropping an already low payout.
The average auction price dropped 1.4 per cent to US$2405 a tonne at the Global Dairy Trade (GDT) auction. That compared with a 1.6 per cent fall in the last auction a fortnight ago.
Federated Farmers Dairy chairman Andrew Hoggard said the disappointingly weak GDT result would put more pressure on Fonterra’s “poor” forecast payout of $4.60 a kilogram of milksolids.’
OCD revealed this week that tough international market conditions had forced it to lower its milk forecast by 30 cents to $4-$4.30/kg.
The dairy company’s chief executive Steve Koekemoer said, in an email sent to suppliers, the payout fall was because of weak demand and an oversupply of milk products in the global market, resulting in continous downward price pressure.’
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/dairy/76040784/dairy-price-fall-at-globaldairytrade-auction-pressures-fonterra-payout
Sadly, Key and co have no plans to deal with the tsunami about to hit us.
Other economic woes…..
Why This Slump Has Legs
http://www.theautomaticearth.com/2016/01/why-this-slump-has-legs/
Hollande: France Is in An “Emergency Economic Situation”
http://fortruss.blogspot.fr/2016/01/hollande-france-is-in-emergency.html?m=1
‘Dairy futures point to weak demand’
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11575842
NZ sharemarket falls again
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/business/294349/nz-sharemarket-falls-again
Weak growth and dairy prices weigh on kiwi
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11575715
With wave of Iranian oil imminent, a shudder in Saudi Arabia
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11575666
China GDP drops to 25-year low
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11576210
Oil market could drown in oversupply in 2016, says IEA
http://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/jan/19/oil-market-2016-report-international-energy-agency
This in the business section of stuff.
The only thing that is patently wrong about this article is the word ‘surprisingly’. If their editors paid attention and did their job, it would have been obvious to them.
‘IMF warns global growth could be ‘derailed’ over the next two years
Global growth could be “derailed” over the next two years if key transitions in the world economy are not successfully navigated, the International Monetary Fund has warned.
It has surprisingly downgraded its predictions for global growth for 2016 and 2017, cutting growth estimates by 0.2 percentage points across the board for advanced economies, for emerging markets, and for the world, over both years.
The move will wipe away billions of dollars in potential global GDP.
The IMF says ongoing problems with China’s economic rebalancing, the huge fall in global commodity prices and rising US interest rates are seriously hampering global growth efforts.
“This coming year is going to be a year of great challenges and policymakers should be thinking about short-term resilience and the ways they can bolster it, but also about the longer-term growth prospects,” IMF economic counsellor and director of research Maurice Obstfeld warned.
“Unless the key transitions in the world economy are successfully navigated, global growth could be derailed.”
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/world/76066458/imf-warns-global-growth-could-be-derailed-over-the-next-two-years
‘Rod Oram: Preparing for economic pain
The Reserve Bank offered a seemingly reassuring economic forecast on Thursday. Our GDP growth has slowed to an annual rate of about 2 per cent but it will recover next year thanks to brisk construction activity and tourism, and some strengthening of commodities.
But the Reserve Bank added that the outlook crucially depends on China. If its problems deepen and its growth slows further, then things gets tougher for the global economy. We are not immune……………
…..But what’s going on in China is far more profound. The country is undertaking its biggest, most complicated and difficult strategic shift in its 35 years of modernisation, a senior bank economist told this columnist in an interview in Beijing this week. Other interviewees during the week fleshed out many areas of that journey……………
………Consequently, China’s debts have quadrupled in the past seven years to US$28 trillion, equal to 282 per cent of its GDP. Such a high level means China has less room for errors of policy-making or performance…….
…………….For the past 20 years, many companies and economies around the world have geared themselves up to met the demands of a burgeoning China. They made lots of money along the way.
But for the first time ever, the world has to adjust to a faltering China.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/71960711/Rod-Oram-Preparing-for-economic-pain
And more stock market news
Japanese stocks plunge into bear market
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11577004
And more stock market news
European markets open sharply lower
In the wake of falls on Asian markets, investors in Europe are seeing heavy losses at the start of trading.
The FTSE 100 is down 110 points or 1.8% 5766, its lowest level since November 2012 and less than 100 points off a bear market (down 20% from its all time high last April).
Germany’s Dax is down 2.3% while France’s Cac has fallen 2.4% and Italy’s FTSE MIB is down 2.6%.
http://www.theguardian.com/business/live/2016/jan/20/davos-2016-day-1-economic-fears-markets-migration-robots-live
Here is something to cheer you up Paul.
A net 29% of New Zealand firms surveyed plan to increase their staff this year.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/better-business/75982446/want-a-pay-rise-nz-companies-plan-to-boost-staff-in-2016
That is in spite of all the doom and gloom you are trying to portray.
Come on. Just once admit that New Zealand is doing fairly well, isn’t it?
curious thing is the number of “positive spin’ pieces in the past week or two….in the face of all evidence to the contrary….but then we know
that a “positive outlook” is vital to the market (and of course the incumbents).
Business ‘intentions’ to hire more staff 2016 sounds all very positive does it not….lets see what their actions are…
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/75953876/job-market-skewed-in-favour-of-employers-trade-me-says
i intend to hire more staff
i intend to hire more staff if i have more sales
i intend to hire more staff if i have the money to pay their wages
i intend
i intend
i intend
its a bit full of speculation that intend innit?
enough to make your (head) spin
More nonsensical ostrich-like positive spin pieces from RNZ.
And this from our only state broadcaster.
What a joke!
Pravda told the truth more.
‘Exporters not fazed by China slowdown’
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/business/294472/exporters-not-fazed-by-china-slowdown
‘Inflation falls to 16-year low’
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/business/294499/inflation-falls-to-16-year-low
‘Business confidence bounces back’
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/business/294419/business-confidence-bounces-back
I follow facts and data not spin for vested interests.
Hudson New Zealand executive general manager Roman Rogers, the sole source for your positive article, is one such vested interest.
I prefer to follow more knowledgeable folk, like Jim Rogers
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Rogers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXb6QtIFX7k
This may be of interest to you……
‘Reflections on the media
Listening to the crap that Radio NZ and the rest of the media are coming up with this resonated. The media are playing a similar role to the orchestra on the Titanic, knowing things are useless and the ship is going down they continue to produce beautiful notes.
They are playing the whole thing out, playing beautiful music as the ship goes down.
Those people who don’t listen to the alternative voices, just go out to work, work hard and then come back and turn on the TV – they are just loving the music and they see no problem.
They are not getting reality.
The media, from A to Z are to blame for creating this false sense so that ordinary people will be blindsided.
The people in the know, from the power-that-be to the investment banks ignore the mainstream media and paying attention to alternative media.
I call out the whole of the media – from print media in totem, to television and – most especially (because they have a mandate to provide serious, reliable reporting) – Radio New Zealand.
They are all lying.’
http://robinwestenra.blogspot.co.nz/2016/01/the-media-are-lying.html
Another article that ostriches like you don’t want to read.
Europe on the brink of financial MELTDOWN as Germany faces economic ruin
http://www.express.co.uk/finance/city/634309/Europe-on-the-brink-of-financial-meltdown-as-Germany-faces-financial-ruin
Don’t forget:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/76064524/petrol-price-sees-nz-inflation-fall-to-01pc-lowest-since-1999.html
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/money/75981537/bnz-and-sbs-cut-home-loan-rates-first-shots-fired-in-2016-mortgage-wars
https://www.3news.co.nz/nznews/employer-plans-for-hiring-reaches-six-year-high-2016011911
So yes its all falling into place
The first two news stories are caused by a slowing world economy.
And the third story is again sourced by Hudson executive general manager Roman Rogers.
You need to source your news from outside the NZ msm.
The thread on the Herlad this morning shows how laughable a source it is.
So what? Labour trumpeted its economic management when the world was experiencing an economic boom so why shouldn’t National do the same?
This has absolutely nothing to do with Labour or National.
It’s about the world economy.
Thing is, what we’re seeing now isn’t the result of good economic management but economic mismanagement.
Of course, Labour’s economic principles are essentially the same as National’s but they probably would have pulled us out of the recession of 2k7/8 whereas under National we’re still in it. That’s what all the low inflation has been about for the last few years.
It’s one of those contradictions of the present economic system. Under ‘economic booms’ we get high inflation and under recessions we get low inflation.
National has kept inflation down by keeping us in recession.
Liam Dann: Why low prices are bad news
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11576764
Auckland property officially off the boil
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11576146
Couldn’t agree more Paul – it is despairing what we hear on the TV and Radio – after the first two Business Reports this week on RNZ – we didn’t even bother to tune in this morning – what’s the purpose of it, its just a load of cobblers. Everybody is in this boat together and why on earth they keep giving us this crap when they’re going to suffer with loss of assets like all of us, when it all turns to custard – do they think they’re immune – its laughable. Remember the 1980’s when all the wealthy were jumping off buildings, selling off their Beamers and bawling like babies when they had to give up their homes in NZ, the farmers heartbroken because they had to walk off their farms. People have short memories. Nobody will be immune when everything falls out of the “markets” as it will one day.
NZ is very complacent.
This is the sort of cobblers RNZ is running.
Unbelievable
Exporters not fazed by China slowdown
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/business/294472/exporters-not-fazed-by-china-slowdown
In specific sectors like construction, property, retail, wine, tourism, horticulture, i.t., this joint is absolutely humming.
It’s still really uneven though. Dairy still sucks. Overall unemployment is still tracking slowly higher. Rural New Zealand that doesn’t have a good tourist profile or near an international airport is really patchy.
I don’t see this government vulnerable on the economy across 2016, unless there is a further global catastrophe similar to GFC.
Have you looked at the links I have provided?
That is what is about to happen.
This gov’t won’t be shifted because of further economic crisis.
Their track record recovering nz from gfc would be impressive. Arguable, sure, but not enough to be a weakness.
NZ is tiny.
If a serious world economic crisis eventuates, they are the playthings of the US and China and the global financial world.
I know you idolise Key, but this is getting delusional.
NZ was a global ‘plaything’ last time, and came out better and faster than most countries in the world.
We are in better shape than 2008.
The Opposition will have to have a lot more up their sleeve than simply joining the Usual Suspects outside Sky City in Feb for the TPPA signing if they are convince more people to vote for them. Which is the point.
OK. You are welcome to think NZ is immune from world economics.
I don’t.
And, as I said previously to pr, this has absolutely nothing to do with Labour or National, which is something you both seem to want to reduce it to.
By citing the recovery from 2008, I demonstrated how New Zealand is affected by world events.
You need to show you understand the purpose of government within the economy, and the different purposes National and Labour have in mind to affect change in the economy. This site generally discusses the politics of New Zealand, including the role of the economy in politics. So stating “this has nothing to do with National or Labour” is not for you to pronounce on. It’s for everyone to contribute to as they wish.
Yup – pig-headed stupidity never adapts to the environment until it’s too late.
Their track record of recovering NZ from the GFC would have been impressive if they had done it – but they just played crony capitalism and let everything go to hell.
That $118 billion of debt is a useful yardstick for understanding this government’s economic acumen – most useless pack of tossers NZ has ever seen. Worse than Muldoon. Dumber than a sack of hammers.
http://www.interest.co.nz/opinion/79558/bernards-top-10-10-story-behind-big-short-why-chinas-credit-fueled-boom-not-working
Not vulnerable, eh?
Public debt
NZ$ 121,146,690,331 and counting…
http://www.nationaldebtclocks.org/debtclock/newzealand
Private debt
The amount of new mortgage debt New Zealanders are taking out has hit a new high.
Borrowers last week took out $1.556 billion of housing loans – the most since Reserve Bank (RBNZ) records began in 2003.
http://www.interest.co.nz/personal-finance/79216/borrowers-ignore-wheelers-warning-about-threat-high-housing-debt-new-home
So you believe in fairy tales? No-one here is surprised at all.
Confidence is not an objective measure of economic performance.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/27/opinion/krugman-death-of-a-fairy-tale.html?_r=1
Dairy was always going to fall, the bubble was created by rumors of a clamp down on the milk powder import market in China. Stock was bought in case it was going to happen.
I remember hearing someone on RNZ talking about this a few months ago and they mentioned this often happens when people get wind of possible future trade restrictions. ie: buy and hold, just in case.
And no, I can’t remember who said it.
Almost, but not quite, to the full truth: The rich are the problem.
Not when this government has made it quite clear that the rights of people with disabilities can be arbitrarily cast aside.
Rosemary McDonald in Open Mike 19/1 expressed concerns about euthanasia for the people who need it and want it now, because disability may possibly get caught up in the practice. And that can’t be dismissed as a possibility, under governments which are influenced primarily by thoughts of efficiency and wishes to reduce spending.
The disabilities lack of support needs to be seen as part of that lack for most other people. Under the neo lib government materialism and capital accretion are the main aims and measures of a worthwhile life. People themselves and their attributes and needs, are at the fringes. They may be called in to centre stage at times, but can be banished to the fringes again quite arbitrarily. The only reason that government does anything for welfare and supporting people is so that they can still pretend that this is a responsive state, is still a democracy for the people. That’s all bullshit at present.
When, or if, the mass of people who are living monetarily below comfortable standards, and who realise how constricted their human lives have become, actually arouse themselves, there will be change. But lack of vision, and a willingness to work to change must happen. I’m reading a book by a man whose family came to NZ after WW2 and who returned to Europe, revisiting NZ in the 1990s. He was struck at the difference that neo lib had made on the ethos that he experienced.
At the end of his record of his visit he says:
Thanks for bringing this issue up again greywarshark…
I’m going to cut straight to the chase and Godwin be damned.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ich_klage_an
“A woman suffering from multiple sclerosis pleads with doctors to kill her.[3] Her husband gives her a fatal overdose, and is put on trial, where arguments are put forth that prolonging life is sometimes contrary to nature, and that death is a right as well as a duty.[4] It culminates in the husband’s declaration that he is accusing them of cruelty for trying to prevent such deaths.[5]”
this movie was commissioned by Goebbels.
and….https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2kV83nPWnM
we should all watch this one…if nothing else it might help the pro euthanasia people understand where the anti brigade are coming from in terms of the disabled community.
This shit happened within living memory.
”And that can’t be dismissed as a possibility, under governments which are influenced primarily by thoughts of efficiency and wishes to reduce spending.”
The lack of resourcing in disability and palliative care services in New Zealand makes a move toward euthanasia less likely, as those services would need to be better funded to provide a viable alternative if there was a choice.
While revisiting old songs – the lyrics from Lost in Love apply to those of us who love the old NZ we had. Perhaps this can be the theme song for those who fight to retain what was good.
AIR SUPPLY LYRICS
“Lost In Love”
I realize the best part of love is the thinnest slice
And it don’t count for much
but I’m not letting go
I believe there’s still much to believe in
So lift your eyes if you feel you can
Reach for a star and I’ll show you a plan
I figured it out
What I needed was someone to show me
You know you can’t fool me
I’ve been loving you too long
It started so easy
You want to carry on
[Chorus:]
Lost In Love and I don’t know much
Was I thinking aloud and fell out of touch?
But I’m back on my feet and eager to be what you wanted
So lift your eyes if you feel you can
Reach for a star and I’ll show you a plan
I figured it out
What I needed was someone to show me
[Chorus]
Now I’m lost, lost in love, lost in love, lost in love
Repeat
http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/airsupply/lostinlove.html
From the 2005 album, “The Singer and the Song” – old guys with a good message.
This would be the best Air Supply song (IMHO)
Murdock on TPPA
She is a brilliant cartoonist.
Agreed. She’s like a less grotesque version of Trace Hodgson (my personal favourite), and her vicious observations never cease to amuse.
When I read Paul’s comment “she’s a brilliant cartoonist” I immediately assumed he was referring to Murdock. ((S)he is as well and always has been)
Yes–Murdock on TPPA absolutely Brilliant!
There is an interesting article in the latest economist about carbon emissions from ruminants (in this context sheep and cattle for us laymen).
http://www.economist.com/news/science-and-technology/21688374-researchers-new-zealand-are-trying-prevent-livestock-belching
It appears that the Governments approach to the problem by funding some scientific research, rather than adopting the Green approach of shooting them all and becoming Vegans is paying off.
It includes the statement that “means New Zealand’s production of milk has trebled since 1990 while methane emissions from dairy cattle have only doubled over that period”. That means that the methane per unit of milk has dropped by a third”
It also says “the number of sheep in the country has almost halved, with a concomitant emissions reduction, yet as much lamb and mutton is produced as ever”.
I hadn’t thought that such spectacular results would really be possible in such a short time.
Maybe we can help to feed the hungry millions (or billions) of the world after all.
Still telling blatant lies about the Green Party alwyn 🙄
We already know how to feed everyone on the planet without destroying it. It’s the neoliberals/capitalists and greedy fucks that are preventing that.
He knows that.
He is trolling for a reaction.
Badly.
A simple yes or no.
Does the New Zealand Green Party think there is too much dairy farming in New Zealand?
Well, I do. We need to cut back on the farms and rebuild our natural environment. Having better than 50% of our land mass in farming is poisoning our land. Better to drop it back to ~15% and replant native bush in the land freed up.
Keep that bush to the tops of hills and significant bush tracts next to streams and rivers and we can then take our treated sewage and drop it on that bush. The bush treats it further and the nutrients run down onto the farms meaning that our farms won’t need artificial fertiliser. The riparian planting next to our rivers and streams will stop run-off from the farms getting into the rivers keeping them pristine.
Do that and we have sustainable farming and a sustainable society.
Everyone who understands ecology knows that there is too much dairy farming in NZ. But that’s not what you said. What you said was a blatant lie about the GP.
Then perhaps you will tell us just what you plan to do with the cows?
I remember when I was a kid I knew lots of farm children. They all had pet (ie orphaned) lambs. They children were in two groups. One group knew damn well that the lamb was going to the works and that was how they got their pocket money. The others were told, and may even have believed, that the lamb went too to another farm up the road and lived happily ever after.
I suppose that the Green Party will tell us that they are going to create lovely zoos for the surplus cows and they will happily live out their lives.
I’ll admit I got a bit carried away about the Vegan touch. I am amazed though how many of the Green supporters I know are of a vegetarian bent and think that every one should follow their example.
Everything that comes out of your mouth about the GP (including the above) is just outright lies about the Green Party. I don’t even believe your anecdotes. You really are a shitty troll, but thanks for giving me even more evidence of how distorted your commenting is, it will be a handy reference.
Yes Dear.
However please amuse me.
Just which bit of this comment is a lie? After all if there is too much dairy farming in New Zealand we must presume you are going to reduce it, and we are going to have a lot of surplus cows.
Of course you claim it is ALL lies but that comment on your part clearly falls into the category politely called a terminological inexactitude.
Now try and point out anything that is a lie in this comment.
Why would I reply to that? You’re trolling is boring. I’ve already said you’ve given me enough reference material to show what a dick you are when it comes to lying about the GP. I don’t have to explain it, people can see what you are doing, I’ll just keep naming it.
If you continue to read comments I make, and as far as I know there is nothing to force you to do so, you might remember these quotes from genuinely famous people before you compose a response.
George Washington said:
“The foolish and wicked practice of profane cursing and swearing is a vice so mean and low that every person of sense and character detests and despises it.”
Joseph Cook said:
“A single profane expression betrays a [person’s] low breeding.”
and Eric Hoffer said
“Rudeness is the weak [person’s] imitation of strength.”
On the other hand you may be a fan of the old version of the US TV show “The Tonight Show” where Johnny Carson said:
“Never use a big word when a little filthy one will do.”
Funny, not least because I haven’t been particularly profane in this conversation. And because that’s the best you’ve got?
I’m very comfortable swearing in the appropriate context, and the standard is certainly one place where it’s appropriate. Swearing can enrich language and communication as many here know. So I have no problem at all standing up and telling you to fuck off for being a creep.
I also think that your inability to present actual arguments that make sense exposes you to more ridicule than you would otherwise get. That is of course up to you. You know how it works here. I’m not a fan of the ridicule culture on ts (or the internet in geneeral) and speak out against it quite a lot, but the inability to form an argument and instead to troll is one area where I think people deserve stronger language than normal, because they’re basically trying to mindfuck with the place and relating with them as normal social humans just doesn’t work.
By all means carry on playing your little games, I’m happy to keep pointing out where you are telling lies about the Green Party (although seeing as how you tell a lie pretty much every time you mention them I could probably find a way of shorthanding from now on, I’ll give it some thought).
obviously the cows will be culled, and sold to the US for hamburger….exactly as they currently are due to stock rationalisation due to low powder price….or possibly sold to china as breeding stock, provided they are red coloring.
Of course there is.
‘Agriculture is the dominant use of land in New Zealand and has had the most widespread impact on water quality. In 1993, the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research summarised available data on the quality of water in rivers. They concluded that “lowland river reaches in agriculturally developed catchments are in poor condition” reflecting “agriculturally derived diffuse and point source waste inputs in isolation or in addition to urban or industrial waste inputs”. The key contaminants identified in lowland rivers were dissolved inorganic nitrogen, dissolved reactive phosphorus, sediment and faecal contamination. Small streams in dairy farming areas were identified as being in very poor condition.[2]
Sediment from erosion of hills and river banks is also a source of pollution of waters.
In recent years water pollution has increased since stocking rates of grazing animals have become higher, and there is an increasing use of fertilizers. Horticulture, arable farming and plantation forestry generally have a lesser impact than dairy farming.[1]
In 2001 Fish and Game New Zealand started the high profile “dirty dairying” campaign to highlight the effect of pollution from dairy farming intensification on the ecological health of freshwater environments. As a reaction to this campaign Fonterra, the largest dairy company in New Zealand, along with a number of government agencies instigated the Dairying and Clean Streams Accord to address water pollution due to dairy farming. The aim of the Accord is to limit the access of stock to waterways. Fonterra exports the majority of its produce, and encourages farmers to limit environmental impacts as a method of getting environmentally aware consumers to purchase their products. In a report released in October 2008 Fish and Game and Forest and Bird were highly critical of the Accord.’
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_pollution_in_New_Zealand#Agriculture
Do we have too many cows in the cruel dairy industry ????
It depends how much fecal matter and excess nitrogen you are comfortable polluting our rivers,streams, lakes and estuary s with……..
National are happy with our water ways having so much faecal pathogens that they are unsafe to swim in ……. they have legislated this gift to us.
But apart from our rivers filling with shit other cow negatives include …….
These big heavy beasts are hard on the land and require a huge amount of water to produce 1 liter of milk …..
The dairy farms are mono culture and parasite numbers build up requiring more and more chemical drenches given to the cows …..
Our current ‘modern’ farming methods using chemical fertilizers are a cheat on nature ……. short term yields of grass/milk may increase but the soil is degrading……….. and the runoff from the salted up soils pollute our water ways….. sometimes killing them with toxic algae blooms
We import palm kernel as a cattle feed from the corrupt gangster nation Indonesia ……………. tales abound of dead birds, insects, bandages, other seeds and vegetation etc being mixed in and present with this feed …….. with our cut back and slack bio-security under National this could be how foot & mouth disease or other foreign threats like fruit flies enter New Zealand.
The high milk prices drove up farm prices and farm debt soared with many expensive dairy conversions ……. A fair few farmers are now in the process of going broke and will probably be forced to sell their farms …….. to the highest overseas bidders
National used record high milk prices to paper over their economic vandalism. …….They seemed blindsided by the fact other countries could breed cows increasing herd numbers and milk production……
Jumping in boots and all into the dairy boom was nationals great economic plan ………………… That and a property bubble where young New Zealanders are excluded unless they have parents who already own property.
John Key is our cow boy……………….. 100% pure.
“Some naively take the view that every drop of water that makes it to the sea is a waste” ……..
https://garethsworld.com/blog/environment/dairy-dirty-environment/
Before Christmas the media was full of big spending stories. Not surprising considering there are more people in NZ than ever before. But after Christmas there were stories of Christmas spending actually being down and the example of Dick Smith and others. Some people obviously have a lot of money but most are just struggling to get by. Those writing and being interviewed on the big spending stories also have no idea about the stress caused by not having money, so assume everyone has a big income like them.
I sense the media was either being played or was making up news for its advertisers.
The MSM have been spinning to make it look like everything is fine. I’m pretty sure that a plurality of the population was wondering how others could have so much.
It was probably designed to encourage more consumerism.
Further distractions ahead of signing the TPP.
Yes, we are allowed to vote for a flag that symbolises our sovereignty.
But we have no say in our actual sovereignty.
Rapidly becoming a tin pot dictatorship.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11576769
another white out – as snoop says
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=11576717
While it makes sense for the Academy to try and diversify its membership, what does it say about the existing predominantly white membership that two years in a row it chose all white actor movies?
Have you considered the possibility, just once, that the best performances this year were by white men and women? Or do you find the idea unbelievable?
I quite like watching TV of the NFL (the American Football game).
Should I start a campaign to have it boycotted, and insist that TVNZ must remove it from their pop-up channel?
After all, the majority of the players, particularly in the “skilled” positions, are clearly Black. I have only seen one Asian looking man, and he only came on a few times a game to punt the ball.
Clearly there must be prejudice in picking players if they don’t match the racial makeup of the US.
Alternatively I can take the view that I am seeing the very best and they happen to be, disproportionally Black men. There, easy isn’t it?
your possibility is rubbish and you know it – you just have to defend the indefensible – the people making this a bigger and bigger issue are in the industry and know more about this from an industry and ‘people of colour’ point of view than a nobody like you al – you just embarrass yourself like a clod.
Oh dear Marty.
You really don’t like weka very much do you?
Why don’t you let him (or her) answer. I don’t think that he (or she) will be greatly impressed by what you are saying.
Oh al
I do like weka and most of her comments and that is known and I’ll take it on the chin if she is unimpressed by my comment to you.
but what about what I said – do you have an actual response to that per chance???
Have a look at what the question was you “clod”. I’ll repeat it for your benefit.
“Have you considered the possibility, just once, that the best performances this year were by white men and women? Or do you find the idea unbelievable?”
Your answer was “your possibility is rubbish”.
You therefore believe that weka is completely unable to consider that question? Hard wired and without any ability to think about something?
I am disappointed that you think that way about her.
you seem to be really struggling with this al, allow me to help
This thread started with a link showing many people of colour within the industry (“On Monday, Spike Lee, this year’s Oscar honouree for lifetime achievement, and Jada Pinkett Smith announced they will boycott the ceremony in protest.”) and even Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs saying there was an issue.
now sure maybe you could put your offensive, ridiculous and self serving “possibility” to them but we know that won’t happen don’t we – courage lacking no doubt and I’m sure snoop would love to get a tweet or text from you about your “possibility” but let’s just do a big LOL now around that one.
So you really are just a clod exposing your ingrained and wide ignorance but the good news is this is par for your course so the very low expectations people have of you are being met. Well done you.
As Paul pointed out, alwyn, you’re trolling, badly. At least have the sense to have some coherence to your trolling. And please stop making shit up about people (the GP, marty just now), not only do you look like a dork, it makes the conversations boring.
“Have you considered the possibility, just once, that the best performances this year were by white men and women? Or do you find the idea unbelievable?”
It wasn’t once, it was 2 years running (plus all the other years its happened in the past), so no, I don’t find it believable. It’s also only believable if you think that the films and actors nominated for the Oscars are there solely on merit. If you believe that, and that there are no commercial, political or cultural dynamics at play, you are a fool.
Of course they, or at least the films, aren’t there on “merit”. It doesn’t mean that the voters from the Academy were bigoted though which appears to be your conjecture.
If they were truly bigoted the would hardly be giving a lifetime award to Spike Lee would they? He is, as I’m sure you are aware, black.
There have been three black men and one black woman who have won best actor/actress Oscars this century. The voters can’t really be totally anti-black can they?
As far as an opinion from “Snoop”. Long experience has taught me that the greater the percentage of obscenities in someone’s speech the stupider they are.
“Long experience has taught me that the greater the percentage of obscenities in someone’s speech the stupider they are”
lol this is why we tolerate you alwyn, for the laughs
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/140506204040.htm
see if you can work it out
Oh dear. I must have upset weka. She appears to be using more obscenities every time she replies to my comments.
Getting a little emotional isn’t she?
People understandably get frustrated by your mindless trolling.
the ’emotional’ comment shows your true colours – just another boring sexist dimwit
Pretty much marty. He’d have to be one of the creepier trolls here, probably by quite a margin.
yep he seems creepy – he’s got real issues
IMHO it’s not that the Academy members are white – it’s that they’re old.
stale crackers
Thanks Magisterium, that might just answer the question. Because I’m sitting here thinking, we know what happened last year so what were these people thinking this year? Or were they not thinking?
Free Ko Haapu
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/294451/'he's-let-down,-he's-upset,-he's-confused‘
Free Ko Haapu
Why should I care? Association with a bikie gang can get you deported, he associated with a bikie gang, now he’s getting deported.
We don’t expect you to care.
We do expect NZers to be treated with decency however – but that of course is a foreign concept for RWN ers
According to stuff he is facing criminal charges so perhaps there is a bit more to this than his girlfriend is admitting. Wouldn’t be the first person in prison to say ‘I ain’t done it’.
http://i.stuff.co.nz/national/75787429/detained-former-kiwi-soldier-ko-haapu-awaits-hearing-in-australian-prison
[r0b: stick to one email address (not this one) because every new email address goes into moderation automatically.]
“Why should I care?”
I don’t care if you care, the post was for those that do care, or I could write that less politely if you like
+1
I’d love to see the legal definition of ‘associate with’. But of course there doesn’t have to be because Australia is using a proto-fascist process that is discretionary and at the whim of the person in charge.
+1
Great logical progression. Can you pass on to the Oz gummint another clear logical progression that will bowl them over, and end up with the Kiwis and others not being held by these nOzties on flimsy charges and allowed to return to wherever they want to be?
According to stuff.co.nz he is facing criminal charges and has a court date. His own lawyer says the deportation issue is extra judicial, so he won’t be in court for that. So someone is telling fibs about his history.
Note that NZ too has a history of not letting people from the same gang in because we don’t like their activities. Good to see the left is cuddling crims again.
cuddling crims ?
Do you seriously think that the roastbusters would never have been charged if Helen Clark was prime minister ????????????
Do you think helen Clark would have promoted someone like either Mike Sabin or Judith Collins in justice and law areas ??????
What sort of police force and justice sector could john keys “expert” Mike Sabin possibly give us ?????
And apparently visitors to our country are getting sexually assaulted by our border staff if they are visiting critics of the National Government ….http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10830683
National seem to make things more criminal …………..
And don’t even get me started on their links and support for and from the violent crime creating Alcohol industry ……..
Didn’t you know National won us the world cup as number one for domestic violence ????
John Key and the nats would like to extend a special thanks to all the battered woman and abused children who helped make this dream come true ………………..
Serco a blinding searchlight in Nationals brighter future will try and pick up the profit .
Key of course can’t remember him and doesn’t want to know.
Ko Haapu has been detained since Nov last year. He was arrested after visiting a friend in prison.
Dutton has been informed I understand – but he is a grubby piece of work and should never have the responsibility of being a Minister. We cannot expect him to act with any decency.
Now the gulags of Australia under Duttons watch are causing at least one detainee every other day to attempt to kill themselves. If Dutton ever sets foot in NZ he should be arrested and tried for torture.
Agreed on all counts.
But getting deported is the logical and predictable outcome of joining a bikie gang in Australia without Australian permanent residency or citizenship.
Hold on. Taiho. I seem to remember that Ko Haapu is not a member of a bikie gang but is friendly with some who are. Which if true, takes him a step back from the original premise here. If you know different just say.
That gets us into draconian control laws, specifying that innocent members of the public can be arrested on any arbitrary thing that some shithead doesn’t like after he got pissed yesterday, his daughter gave him the fingers, and his wife didn’t give him anything. ‘Right I’m going to get someone today, he growled teeth gritted.’ (I should write for The Herald. I can make up stuff that is just likelihood but sounds quite feasible.)
Aussie media and the Immigration Department describe him as a member. But that’s not even really relevant, because the Australian government’s criterion for failing the character test is “association” not “membership”.
Do you really believe that it’s ok for immigration status to be determined by a single interpretation of ‘association’? It’s like the academic who was denied normal academic access to information held by the NZ police because he associated with gangs (i.e. he interacted with them when he did researched on them). What if someone had a child with a gang member and thus ‘associated’ with them over parenting but was themselves not a gang member, not a criminal and not a bad influence on society?
Do you really believe that it’s ok for immigration status to be determined by a single interpretation of ‘association’?
No. But it’s the law. Visiting your buddy the gang boss in jail when you’re on a visitor visa and the Australian government has a hardon for cracking down on gangs AND deporting people is just fucking stupid.
I was under the impression that it’s not that clear to the general public and/or people beng affected.
Hey, if you emigrate to another country and live there on a visitor visa without understanding its conditions, that’s fucking stupid.
That’s not how it’s happened though is it.
That’s not how it’s happened though is it.
As far as I can see that’s EXACTLY how it’s happened.
then put him on a plane to NZ….not hold him in isolation in a max security prison for months with no release date or charge….or hearing
http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/australia/76070676/kiwi-david-petersen-named-as-sydney-police-station-victim
Odds on this guy and his family have been shafted by Strayan gummit’s hate policies towards NZers?
How many of the Kiwi detainees are white (pink to be factual)? White Kiwis can be law breakers too. Remember the drugs gang in the 70’s?
This is worth a look:
http://inflationdata.com/inflation/Inflation_Articles/Inflation_and_Recession.asp
Why?
‘Cos the leading item on RNZ National news this lunch time is that inflation is the lowest its been in quite some time . . . .
And yes, Pat, I’d noticed all that sudden media spin on our “ruckstar” economy too!
I suppose its what the idle rich like to portray on the surface while furiously paddling underneath as they try to find a way to save their millions from the impending economic collapse.
And while we are at the “gloom and doom” stuff, special thanks to Paul (above) for the link “Why this slump has legs”. That’s an absolutely brilliant article that everyone should read.
Funny, that. I’d picked 2017 as “crunch” year, but its looking increasingly likely that it might come sooner than that.
I agree, the article ‘Why This Slump Has Legs’ was brilliant, one of my top three reads on Monday. I shared it round the members of the ‘missing million’ I have personally committed to trying to enlighten. Thanks for posting here Paul. I agree with Murray that its a ‘must read’.
The link again:
http://www.theautomaticearth.com/2016/01/why-this-slump-has-legs/
This interview with Nomi Prins was also good: elegant explanation of how the US response to 2008’s ‘credit crunch’ by pumping liquidity into the investment market led to the asset bubble in oil and energy investment we are seeing today:
http://kingworldnews.com/nomi-prins-broadcast-interview-available-now-1-16-16/
The other article I enjoyed on Monday was this in commemoration of Martin Luther King Jnr Day in the US. Powerful stuff and nourishing food for thought:
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-01-18/what-happens-dream-deferred-ask-martin-luther-king-jr
This article is a bit of a warning to us all I think.:
The Cayman Islands…..home to 100000 companies and no tax, more companies than people…..business heaven?
(……a satellite of planet key?……. a popular watering hole of the International Democratic Union?)
Check out “Ugland House” … it rather lives up to it’s name.
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/jan/18/the-cayman-islands-home-to-100000-companies-and-the-850-packet-of-fish-fingers
Very, very good. I did a paper on Mana Wahine and I was amazed by the distortions created via colonisation and christianity around the role, prestige and mana of women within Te Ao Māori – a shocking revelation for me and really showed the insidious and totally destructive force of colonisation.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/294271/maori-women-viewed-as-'inferior'-by-settlers
[Hey Macro for reasons that will at some stage become relevant can’t let this comment through at this stage sorry – MS]
Ok! Understood.
PM Wages War On Public Opinion Over Flag
There’s nothing that I can add to that. National have gone off the deep end with their desire to change the flag against the wishes of the people.
More distractions, it works in their favour so they get the MSM shills to keep the JK vanity flag fest frothy.
How many state houses have they flogged so far?
The Lockwood tea towel again….
“Alternative NZ flag to fly over 250 sites”
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/294530/alternative-nz-flag-to-fly-over-250-sites
Time to give Key a taste of “mass movement” by rejecting his cynical manipulation of the whole flag process and voting for the current NZ flag.
**Keep the NZ flag**
What’s the bet the plan is to get the tea towel logo over the line and then hey presto… National will announce a new party logo that is remarkably similar. They have already managed to get the two colours wanted – blue and black with a dash of white.
You seen this?
“Flags stolen, lost in post ahead of final referendum”
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/the-flag-debate/76069780/flags-stolen-lost-in-post-ahead-of-final-referendum.html
Vive la résistance!
Yep. Steal them. Burn them in public. Draw black swastikas over the top of them – anything that shows our contempt for their dirty little flag game.
You are a woman after my own heart!
What’s the bet the plan is to get the tea towel logo over the line and then hey presto… National will announce a new party logo that is remarkably similar. They have already managed to get the colours wanted – blue and black with a dash of white.
Sorry about that. The edit function has gone a little berserk.
Alternative flag…..is that the one with the dead cat on it???
Yay!!! JC is back in Christchurch rattling cages. Go John!!
yep, good innit…..they ( gov and ICs) will have been getting ready to man the pumps now he has a platform back
I haven’t quite followed all of this but it appears to be saying that Canada cannot legalise cannabis due to existing international treaties but individual states in the US can because the Federal Government in the US cannot compel individual states to make something illegal.
http://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/canada/trudeau-i-want-to-legalize-weed-but-they-wont-let-me/ar-CCvT8H?li=AAggNb9
Hmmm that could be right. Maybe Canada could follow the same route. Provincial Governments are fairly autonomous – certainly you know when you transit from Ontario to Quebec – its almost like going from one country to another – well it is in a way. Just an accident in history and a one day war, and French Canadians won’t let you forget it. 🙂
Lifeboats at the ready.
The Standard should do a thread on the imminent financial economic crisis.
I have provided many links to help start this conversation.
Why This Slump Has Legs
http://www.theautomaticearth.com/2016/01/why-this-slump-has-legs/
Hollande: France Is in An “Emergency Economic Situation”
http://fortruss.blogspot.fr/2016/01/hollande-france-is-in-emergency.html?m=1
‘Dairy futures point to weak demand’
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11575842
NZ sharemarket falls again
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/business/294349/nz-sharemarket-falls-again
Auckland property officially off the boil
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11576146
Liam Dann: Why low prices are bad news
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11576764
Weak growth and dairy prices weigh on kiwi
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11575715
‘IMF warns global growth could be ‘derailed’ over the next two years
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/world/76066458/imf-warns-global-growth-could-be-derailed-over-the-next-two-years
With wave of Iranian oil imminent, a shudder in Saudi Arabia
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11575666
China GDP drops to 25-year low
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11576210
You’re a good writer, Paul. Howabout you write something yourself and send it in via the contribute link? Or, if you prefer, you can email a draft to me and I’ll edit it. Day off tomorrow, so I’ve got a bit of time to colloborate on a post, if you’re keen.
How do I email you?
tereoputake@gmail.com Looking forward to seeing the first draft! I can add in embedded links later on, so feel free to use full link references as in your first comment above. Add in your thoughts on why Son of GFC is going to be a doozy and we’re off and running.