Open mike 20/04/2010
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6:00 am, April 20th, 2010 - 32 comments
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The Green Party says the need is greater than ever for Aotearoa New Zealand to pursue an independent foreign policy. ...2 weeks ago
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Tēnā koutou katoa – it is a pleasure to be here today. I would like to begin by acknowledging the important leadership role you all play in ensuring a quality health system New Zealanders can trust. There is enormous clinical expertise in this room covering a wide range of disciplines. ...2 days ago
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Tēnā koutou katoa. Mr President, Excellencies, Delegates. New Zealand, and all nations represented here today, are already dealing with the impacts of climate change. Our households, businesses, and economies are bearing the costs of its effects. The choices we make now will shape the severity of these impacts for generations ...2 days ago
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With the launch of Fraud Awareness Week, the Government is committing to new coordination efforts across industry and government to combat online scams, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Online financial scams are a growing problem for New Zealand. New data released today shows that Kiwis lost nearly ...4 days ago
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Defence Minister Judith Collins will this week attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus in Vientiane, Laos. “We need to take every opportunity to engage with our international partners, given the increasingly unstable geo-political situation,” Ms Collins says. “New Zealand has a long-standing commitment to this ...4 days ago
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- NZ signs trade deal with Costa Rica, Iceland and Switzerland
Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has signed a pioneering trade agreement that prioritises New Zealand’s sustainable exports at a ceremony during APEC in Peru today. “The Agreement on Trade and Sustainability (ACCTS), between Costa Rica, Iceland, and Switzerland was concluded in July of this year and opens up significant ...6 days ago
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Five new Aquaculture Settlement Areas will help ensure Ngāi Tahu shares in the opportunities aquaculture offers for Southland’s economy, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. “The Aquaculture Settlement Areas (ASAs) I’m announcing today set aside space so the Crown and Ngāi Tahu can assess their potential for aquaculture development. ...7 days ago
- Government launches review to ensure electricity market is fit-for-purpose
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- Speech to Social Investment Hui: Jack and his whānau need our help
Kia ora koutou katoa. Nau mai, haere mai, piki mai. Ki te mihi atu ahau, ki te manwhenua nei, Te Atiawa, Ngāti toa rangatira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa. Thank you, Andy, for your introduction. Let me acknowledge you as the new Chief Executive of the Social Investment ...7 days ago
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- Humans are killing off the old and wise animals that hold nature together. Here’s what must change
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Treena Clark, Chancellor’s Indigenous Research Fellow, Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building, University of Technology Sydney Once located 250 metres to the east of the Art Gallery of South Australia, the grand beaux-arts style Jubilee Exhibition Building was constructed to house the ...1 hour ago
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Annette Greenhow, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Law, Bond University Linda George/Shutterstock The ten-year anniversary of the death of much-loved Australian cricketer Phillip Hughes falls on November 27. The 25-year-old’s life was tragically cut short in 2014 when a bouncer ...1 hour ago
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephanie Gomes-Ng, Senior Lecturer of Psychology, Auckland University of Technology Getty Images Former New Zealand prime minister John Key has three white rabbits painted on his helicopter, a nod to his “massively superstitious” habit of repeating “white rabbits” three times at ...3 hours ago
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A man abused by a former political figure is "immensely relieved" at a government proposal to end secrecy around sex offenders' identities. ...4 hours ago
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There is plenty yet to play out, but the next election is at this rate shaping up as trio versus trio, writes Toby Manhire. A subplot of this week’s historic hīkoi mō te Tiriti has been the sight of the three opposition parties presenting a unified front. Te Pāti Māori ...5 hours ago
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Opinion: The immediate horror of nuclear weapon explosions – the blinding flash, crushing blast wave, and radioactive inferno – is well documented.But what nuclear-armed nations either don’t grasp or won’t admit, is far more chilling: how their weapons could devastate even countries thousands of kilometres from any mushroom clouds.The collapse ...5 hours ago
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- Newsroom daily quiz, Friday 22 November
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp');Got a good quiz question? Send Newsroom your questions.The post Newsroom daily quiz, Friday 22 November appeared first on Newsroom. ...5 hours ago
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The post Daily crossword, Friday 22 November appeared first on Newsroom. ...5 hours ago
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A framework for global carbon trading under the Paris Agreement is finally nearing completion at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan after years of halting talks.Climate Change Minister Simon Watts is one of two ministers tasked by the COP29 hosts with landing a long-sought deal on Article 6 of the climate accord, ...5 hours ago
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Richard Marles is an ambitious man who hasn’t given up the dream of one day reaching the top job. But, despite being deputy prime minister, his profile is much lower than that of Treasurer Jim ...10 hours ago
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nial Wheate, Professor of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Macquarie University Australia’s drug regulator has issued a safety warning over the medicine Phenergan and related products containing the antihistamine drug promethazine. The Therapeutic Goods Administration said the over-the-counter products should not be given to children ...16 hours ago
The server will be getting hardware changes this evening starting at 10pm NZDT.
The site will be off line for some hours.
Ya reckon Britain has had it’s pound of flesh out of Iceland yet?
I know Californian cities have been deep in it for quite some time but WTF
.
Unions can be as unfair and unreasonable as the moneyed class if they get a lot of power and leaders who enjoy pushing past reasonable limits. This Californian story shows humans in steam-roller mode, just a change in the faces on the machine.
“the unions quickly mastered confrontational techniques like the “rolling strike,’ in which groups of workers walk off jobs at unannounced times, and the “blue flu,’ in which public-safety workers call in sick en masse.”
This sort of reporting gets on my goat – http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10639513
“Wellington-based Trade Me founder and philanthropist Sam Morgan says he doesn’t pay tax.
“I pay basically no tax,” said the entrepreneur, who founded Trade Me in 1999 and sold it in 2006 to Australian publisher Fairfax for more than $700 million…”
Sam Morgan isn’t a philanthropist, nor is he an entrepreneur. He is a aristocratic, rentier, parasite bestowing amounts of money considerably less than the tax he should be paying on what he thinks is deserving causes.
It is illegal to deliberately set out to avoid paying tax in New Zealand. Based on his own utterances, the IRD should immediately launch a prosecution of Mr. Morgan.
Exhibit A for why the tax system needs restructuring.
Forget about the ‘axe the tax’ rubbish the so called opposition has been wasting their time on. We need a sensible debate on how we fix the silly system we currently have where the Sam Morgan’s of this nation can legally pay less tax then someone with 5% of his wealth.
Why doesn’t he offer to pay a reasonable amount of capital gains tax on his windfall? Then I’d believe he really cares. At the moment he’s all talk.
Actually he explains in the interview that he legally does not have to pay tax according to New Zealand law and that he thinks that is unjust.
So before you go off on a huff perhaps you should read said article first.
( I never thought I’d be defending a stinking rich dude but there you have it, the man actually complained about not having to pay tax)
Iprent
I see that the editor is expanding in possibilities and that is great. Would you consider enabling xhtml tags for images or video’s?
Right thinking philanthropists pay Caesar first and give out of their discretionary money.
I feel unclean.
I just listened to Murray McCully on morning report. He is turning upside down organisations relying on overseas aid by withdrawing Government officials from meetings scheduled for next week to discuss this year’s funding round. The Government was co-hosting the meetings! Go figure.
The groups do not know what the changes will be. Their inability to meet with Government officials has increased tension for them and means they cannot plan. It is possible their programs will fall over.
When McCully was interviewed the one thing he mentioned was that some of the organisations had “political agendas” and concentrated on “trade union rights”. He wants them to concentrate on assistance for the poor instead. As if improving the plight of poorly paid workers would not improve things. His antipathy to the trade union movement is palpable.
He also wants the fund to be used for disaster relief. My understanding is that grants for relief, for instance the recent grants for Samoa, are discrete amounts not taken from the overseas aid budget. Spending this money on disaster relief will mean less help for the poor.
He claimed that the changes were in National’s policy for the last election and therefore mandated.
He was then asked about the Governments adoption of the declaration for the rights of Indigenous People. He had previously claimed a mandate for making the change to the provision of aid. When asked if National supporters would agree to the change he ducked. He said that he was not going to interpret what National party supporters wanted, despite having done so about 1 minute beforehand.
Franz Kafka is alive and well in New Zealand.
Update: Sam Morgan thinks the current tax system is unfair. Clearly, That gives His Majesty Lord Morgan of Wellington the imperial right to opt out until he personally decides he agrees with the tax system…
Didn’t realise that Nick Smith sacked ECan in part as family retribution http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/3599250/ECan-sacking-right-decision
Tim Smith:
Not a good look, as Double Dipton would say.
Wow, the brother of a Minister says that a prosecuting authority should be sacked and with a bit of luck his brother who is a minister and Wodney will do something about it … and they do.
Did I wake up in Zimbabwe?
Capcha Hide, how weird is that!
Interesting attitudes and work interests of politicians’ relatives – Nick Smith and family story reported by ace Martin Van Beynen. Bill English has brother heavily into Federated Farmers.
captcha suspicion
Wow. That stinks, even for Smith.
Time for an FTT?
Rather than increasing GST which increases the tax burden on poorer Kiwis, and lets the rich off the hook. Tax justice demands immediate implementation of a Financial Transactions Tax.
Even (a few) rich would agree:
Trade me founder says tax burden falls on workers
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/3599148/Trade-Me-founder-says-tax-burden-falls-on-workers
What say you Phil?
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/3600224/Indigenous-rights-declaration-symbolic-says-Key
So if the UN Declaration is only symbolic does this make it yet another flag for the MP to wave – looks like an advancement but ultimately meaningless.
And Mr Key, way to kick Sharples in the nuts mere moments after he’s managed to get this from you.
Interesting that John Key said Peta Sharples trip was kept secret so that “it wouldn’t steal his thunder.” What thunder was it when John Key’s trip to USA was so loudly trumpeted?
Sad that it will not make a bit of difference to Maori Rights, unless it gives “Maori full rights over their traditional lands.” Customary rights on Seabed Seashore?
Of course, this is why National has given the MP the go ahead here. We’ll let you do this but you have to promise you’ll quell any moves to have it mean anything. Key calling is ‘symbolic’ is meaningful – symbols are nice but they’re not worth much on the open market.
Sam Morgan was making a point about the ridiculous nature of our tax system where a very very rich person can pay almost no tax. I think that he is an honest brave man. He didn’t have to say anything.
Which makes me wonder about people like John Key. I suppose he pays some tax on his PM salary but what would he pay on $50,000,000? Sickening when John Key makes the statement about the poor cleaner working long hours and paying tax to support lazy students. He could have said that there are some very rich people who pay little tax which leaves the job for cleaners!
What a pity that IRD does not leak!
It’s all on in the UK: Lib Dems up 10% in a week.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/apr/19/liberal-democrats-guardian-icm-poll
The Tories are doing the headless chicken. Not long ago, they were “home and hosed” (to quote the soothsayer called DPF). Their victory was as certain as … well, John Key’s next year. Can’t possibly lose.
Hello Pride, meet Fall. Love it!
We had a visit a wee while back from some creationists..
Pharyngula points to this today, and as he says, it isn’t exactly “Letter from a Birmingham Jail. But MLK wasn’t anywhere near so funny either.
background info: the creationist author of the linked piece is currently sitting in jail for fraud, tax evasion and suchlike.
What have you guys got to say about this disgusting story?
http://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2010/04/jevan_goulter_vs_labour.html#comment-683870
Is this typical behaviour for Labour party MP’s?
Oi!
What you got to say regarding my question to you here which you have apparently run away from?
Answer…please.
No, no…lets come back to the original question, is this normal behaviour for your rainbow MP’s?
bruv is notorious for running away from questions. He’s the Dom Jolly of the blogs. You won’t get an answer.
I was listening to Allie someone from Homepaddock blog talking to Jim Mora. She classes The Standard as rabid left and said that Kiwiblog was the most popular. After looking at the goulter story discussion I see where the rabid right hang out.
I heard all that too and thought about commenting at the time, but couldn’t stop laughing.
A Tory bint using her 2 minutes of fame to do aKiwi blog/ Nat Party political broadcast…fucking laughably pathetic.
Let me put it this way. If the standard is rabid left, then I’m..what?,,,ultra rabid bitey dog of children left?
Its Ele Lundemann. She’s National’s Southern Regional Chair. And while I don’t think she’s completely right with her assessment of The Standard. The fact is many of the writers here are well blunt and don’t pull punches. Not neccessarily a bad thing. But for many it can be a turn-off. And considering her politics its no wonder that’s how she assess The Standard.
Yeah, neither politeness or manners are a criteria of behaviour here. I never quite understood that particular way of thinking so beloved of some people. Always just seemed like a way of quietly hiding things to me. But that is the National party way as far as I can see.
Always just seemed like a way of quietly hiding things to me.
‘Thers’ at whiskey fire has quite a lot say on this civility business.
Bill You can’t be an attack dog – I think Richard Prebble still owns the ‘mad dog’ tag. Think of something else, see you later alligator bill, or pelican bill that would be funny. A bill full of ideas and fishing for answers.
And gingercrush it’s just so middle class, so smarmy to blame occasional, strong, direct language as a turn off and excuse to call passionate, critical people discussing politics and trying for a better run New Zealand – the rabid left.
While it is amusing to use the duck analogy when explaining what energy is being put out ‘Moving like a duck, calm and unruffled on the surface, and paddling like hell underneath’, style and appearance shouldn’t be the most important thing when worrying at policy influencing our country and our lives.