If you aren’t working this weekend, or even if you are, chances are you’ll waste some of your hard-earned on something you’ll wish you hadn’t. It’s not very optimistic is it? Don’t worry, it’s not a reflection on you personally, happens to everyone not just grumpy old guys in fedora hats*. It’s a sign of the times. It was simply a piece of crap…
Feel free to share your most frustrating crappy purchases, expensive attempts at saving the trees, the whales or anything else well-meaning, or alternatively, that one item you bought at a discount store that still works really well, always did, and now you want another and can’t find it anywhere.
*Did you know that the fedora hat was a symbol adopted and worn by American Women’s Rights movement in the late 1880’s? I didn’t.
Haven’t had a crappy purchase in awhile, I always buy quality stuff, but I’ve had quite a few purchases where I got it and it didn’t quite do what I wanted it to do.
Because most of them are from overseas, I never send them back as the cost doesn’t make it worthwhile.
I remember despairing when seeing a documentary on the guy who became a billionaire from coming up with the idea of those silly rubber bracelets that charities seemed to be pushing all over the place for a while.
Here’s one way of dealing with the nonsense that is consumerism or is he buying into it?
“During the week, he wandered down in his pajamas to have coffee with the employees as they arrived; after hours, and on weekends, he had the whole space to himself. He slept on plastic crates in a breezeway; his minimal possessions included a silver candlestick and a peach-colored satin vest from Japan. “A lot of things you think you need, you don’t,” he said. “I learned all I really need is a bed, a table, nice friends and something to eat.”
He stayed for more than a year, and things began to look up. “It was winter,” he said, “and I went outside. I said, ‘World, I’m immortal. I’ll always exist. But you only exist because I see you. If you don’t give me anything, I won’t give you anything.’ ”
When Ecuador granted asylum to Assange in mid-2012, the Sydney Morning Herald’s Peter Hartcher accused Assange of “hypocrisy” for accepting asylum from President Rafael Correa, “one of the world’s leading oppressors of free speech”.
Annabel Crabb joined in, writing in the SMH: “A gazillion Assange Twitter fans [hailed] Ecuador and its president, Rafael Correa, as a hero of international free speech and human rights. Correa is the same guy who last year jailed a journalist and three executives from the newspaper El Universal [sic] for saying nasty things about him …[and] is expected to soon extradite the Belorussian anti-corruption campaigner Alexander Barankov to a messy fate in his country of birth … Ecuador: champion of free speech. The mind boggles.”
The only factual errors in Crabb’s rant are that Barankov was never extradited (but granted asylum), the journalist and executives mentioned were never jailed and the newspaper is not called El Universal!
It might read like a snide put-down of poorer nations that are somehow less capable of “democracy”, but all SMH did was read from an extensive, Washington-penned playbook on how to denounce the Latin American left.
The El Universo Case
The US press had been practising their denunciations of late Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez’s so-called “dictatorship” in Venezuela for years before turning their attention to Correa. After granting Assange asylum, Correa went to the top of the hit-list.
The Washington Post, New York Times, Christian Science Monitor, The Economist, and Time each ran nearly identical articles on Correa’s supposed repression of free media.
And each placed the same victim at centre-stage: El Universo.
The saga stems from an article published by El Universo on February 5, 2011, written by Emilio Palacio and titled “No to the Lies”. The paper was then sued for libel by Correa.
The article gave Palacio’s account of the dramatic events on September 30, 2010, when Correa was held hostage by rebellious police inside a military hospital for nine hours. ……
The reality? The new law mandates that corporate media be reduced to a third of the market. Public media will make up one-third and non-profit, community media will make up the other third. This means the media will no longer be almost totally dominated by corporate interests and popular sectors will gain previously closed-off access to the media via community outlets.
Now that’s an interesting way to do it and I can see why the corporates are screaming blue murder about it. It’s taken any possible dominance of the narrative away from them.
I put it to a science man that there is no present. There is a past and a future but at this moment we are already moving into the past. He started to give me his opinion but we were interrupted and of course the moment was lost as it shot into the past. Wonder if Philomena could find out if there is a present?
Have a read of some awards handed out to UK businesses… and as you read maybe think about the recent announcement of investor backed programmes for getting those with mental illness into work… and why any society would be lading such behaviour unless they seek to perpetuate it.
Highly predictable decision by the High Court to set aside the original resource consents causing an immediate halt to the one wharf construction now in progress through the shonky POA/Council “compromise” deal.
Who on earth was giving legal advice to Council that this could proceed non-notified? Council needs to get new lawyers. $500,000 down the drain on this case alone-I wonder how many dollars have been wasted by these lawyers in other futile legal cases?
J A Farmer QC, D A Nolan, M R Crotty and K M Dunn for
Second Respondent (POA)
Jim ($1000 per hour) Farmer
and Russell McVeagh
Nothing but the most expensive for the POA…
Russell MCveagh are the biggest and most expensive but not to be mistaken for the best. Remember them in the stoush with IRD over the shonky bloodstock and fllm deals? They will spend your money trying to argue what you want them to though.
Council paid
A R Galbraith QC,
A M Adams and J C Campbell for First
Respondent
Yep, I remember the bloodstock deals, lots of lawyers also lost out on that one. Another dodgy Russell McVeagh deal.
Yep, thanks Auckland Council dimwits – I’m so pleased my rates are going up, so I can pay expensive lawyers to defend ports of Auckland stealing our harbour.
Next time they say we can’t afford pools or libraries, remember where the rates are really going. Environmental barristers of course! Just a wink and a nudge to the COO and resource consent officers and the consents just fly through!
exactly… 2 high paid QC’s plus their overpaid law firms… no change out of half a million is my guess… needs a LGOIMA on council, i doubt the POA will have to disclose other than as part of their overall yearly legal spend.
Someone should do a thorough LGOIMA search and include the CEO, councillors, resource consent officers and related barristers.
Remember what the OIA revealed on the human rights department with Susan Devoy being instructed not to answer the phone. Big Brother.
God knows what these council and related resource consents people are up to with our ratepayer money.
Not legal by the ruling anyway, but anyone with a brain cell should have worked that out.
The scary thing, is the Ports of Auckland and the Council only got caught out, because an action group paid a lot of money to oppose it, councillors were being silenced, people being bullied, and what is happening in our city, where their is not the publicity and money available?
Not even a 500 year old Kauri or a public asset like our wharf is safe from these privatisers.
The Council CEO and Mayor should be taken over the coals for this one, and yes there should be a request for how much litigation on resource consents is going on especially in Auckland, because the council resource consent officers are approving practically EVERY consent, and also the ratepayers are being forced to pay council lawyers hundreds of thousands of dollars of ratepayers money for the council to defend consents from the affected public (who at great expense are needlessly forced into the fray when some stupid council decision affects them is granted) which should never have been granted in the first place.
Someone should check what a ‘growth’ industry this is, for those environmental barristers creaming the teat of rate payer money to defend bad decisions of the council.
The fact the mayor and CEO seems to believe that the resource consent officers acted appropriately against any logical conclusion that the average rate payer could have foreseen, shows how stupid and out of touch they are.
And the fact that the CEO has lost control of ports of Auckland who they own shows just how out of kilter Ports of Auckland board is, with such a pathetic governance to them and how greedy and stupid they all are.
Next time you pay your rates think how much of this went on the council lawyers and how they probably will not even fire anyone in the resource consents department who’s job this clearly was or anyone from the ports of Auckland Board, and how the council seems to be encouraging stupid consents and destroying Auckland amenity as well as enriching themselves in the process.
Of course another big question is Will ports of Auckland continue to waste Ratepayers money by pursuing this. and can Auckland Council actually do it’s job and control Ports of Auckland on something clearly extremely unpopular to Auckland Rate payers?
mind you then there is Mike Lee single handedly preventing the waterfront stadium and sentencing aucklanders to underwriting eden park for another 20 years.
Well we all know the government wants us back in the 1900’s now we know Auckland Council wants the ratepayers in the poor house as part of the 1900’s industrial revolution.
I’m looking forward for Coal to make a come back in our streets.
Horse and carts can replace public transport, or maybe Browns idea of going to Michael Bloomberg and begging for funds for our transport…. note to Len, not only is that is what YOU and the council is paid for to provide public transport, an our rates could be spent on this, not defending stupid illegal council decisions.
It seems, like Murray’s, Saudi’s sheep exports, the idea is not to provide for ourselves but to bribe some overseas person to ‘solve’ our problems all turning to custard of course and getting nothing done.
Maybe the right wingers should take self sufficiency and self reliance a bit more seriously, they have no problem telling the poor how to do it.
“Uncle Tom? Hello?”:
Shouting Woman Interrupts Don Lemon in Charleston
As CNN’s John Berman and Don Lemon reported live earlier today in Charleston on last night’s shooting, a woman interrupted the broadcast to set a few things straight. “We’re mad! We’re angry! Tell the truth!” she said as Berman launched into a report about the heartbreak in Charleston, standing feet way from the Emanuel AME Church.
Awesome, can we interrupt every news live cross from now on. It would quickly make the media look pretty stupid and show them as the sellouts that they are.
These ‘upgrades’ are largely already paid for and shouldn’t require an increase in charges. That’s what depreciation is for but instead of using depreciation funds to replace deteriorating assets the Govt has been looting the fund for special dividends.
Hi ianmac, re is there a present…?
I would venture there is only the present and that the past and future are both fictions.
Btw, slightly related: the past, present and future walk into a bar. It was tense.
Heh gsays. That moment of tension for the punchline. Great!
But if there was no present then you have to find another to make up the classical three.
Perhaps: The past, god, and the future walked into a bar. The god said, “Don’t worry. I will take care of this.” Huh?
An interesting blog by Bryan Gould, but quite thin on suggestions for improvement or change, rather.
It seems that the take-home message is that young (?) enthusiastic, motivated wannabe-politicians lose their way and get caught up in the daily grind of party politics. This means fighting a daily battle for survival in getting noticed, gaining influence, power, and control and other such individualistic pursuits. That a socialist party such as LPNZ suffers from this more, it seems, than National is perhaps because the latter is all about the pursuit of individualism and personal interest over and above collectivism and compassion for fellow Kiwis.
Politics is, or should be, a team effort. Do aspiring politicians really enter the fray thinking that only they can make a difference through their unique and personal actions or do they think that they can make a useful contribution to the collective efforts of many for the betterment of society?
The self-selection of practising politicians is not really any different than of leaders in general. However, if this selection process does not result in the desired outcomes for the collective (e.g. company, political party, etc.) then the rule book needs to be re-written. In other words, the party needs to change its selection process and internal governance. No party should be subject to the personal whims of its leader(s); it always ends up in tears.
An interesting blog by Bryan Gould, but quite thin on suggestions for improvement or change, rather.
There’s a massive cultural change required within UK Labour (and NZ Labour), and it’s virtually impossible to accomplish. There are quite literally, no means of accomplishing the change that is required to survive as an independent modern political force.
That’s quite a devastating verdict! I don’t believe in Doom’s Day thinking or fatalism; there always is a choice, how unpalatable it may be. The alternative is too bad to contemplate, and not just for Labour.
Do you know what the antidote is for the increasing hegemony of individualism? It is not the Vulcan mind meld (and definitely like the Borg) but the human equivalent of that.
Ok, so it seems every week at the moment there is major flooding in Wellington, Dunedin, West Coast, and now lower North Island (I’ve probably missed out some places too). I can’t remember experiencing a period like this where regional weather emergencies have come in quick succession, although my memory doesn’t go back very far. If this is just the entree to global warming, when does the cost of these disruptions make us think about changing our lifestyles, transport methods and the industrialised world we live in? Can money always be found to repair roads, bridges, clean flooded properties, and the continuation with the status quo?
I think Chch has shown us that money/resources are not always there.
I’ve been thinking about the increase in jobs needed going forward (as a counterpoint to the automation will remove most jobs thing). Obviously emergency workers and road workers will be in high demand. Prep consultants too.
I was impressed with one of the flood reports in Hokitika where they fixed a washed out piece of road the next day. I was also impressed by the local council’s response. When they were heading into the second night, the woman on RNZ (don’t know if she was council or CD) said the council had assigned extra staff and phones would be manned through the night. Came across way better than the DCC managed. Reassuring that some parts of NZ still know how to do it.
Most surface water I’ve seen in >22 years but the rain stopped an hour ago although a 1.00am high tide means the stop banks banks are still vulnerable.
I like this bit of Lord Ashdown’s comment: He told the Guardian it was time to end the fractures on the left: “As we – all of us on the left and centre-left – survey the wreckage around us after the last election, we should ask ourselves this question: is this the moment for us to retreat into tribalism, as we always do? My answer to that question is ‘no’.
“There is much we disagree about, but there is more that we agree on. The environment, civil liberties, internationalism; how to build a strong economy within the context of a fair society; how to devolve power to our nations and communities in a way which preserves our national unity, not threatens it; the need to tackle the intolerable gap of inequality which will soon threaten our social cohesion as well as our economic success.
Makes me feel all warm inside. Just what I need on a winter’s day. Get on the bus NZ Labour. There is a strap waiting for you to hang on to.
Braindead sports announcers are an insult to sports fans
Television One News, Saturday 20 June 2015
If you thought that sports commentary could only improve following the enforced departure of Martin “Moron” Devlin and the long overdue retirement of Murray “The Screaming Skull” Deaker, you were wrong. Devlin and Deaker are unpleasant memories, thankfully, but their legacy of shoddiness and rank stupidity has continued.
On TV One News tonight, Jenny-May Coffin burbled that she was looking forward to “the footy in Dunners tonight.” What she meant to say, of course, was “the football in Dunedin tonight.”
The other morning, Paul Henry’s beleaguered and harried sports jock Jim Kayes was similarly tongue-tied, using the puerile term “footy” when previewing (inexpertly) the same match. Prime’s gruesome and unfunny twosome of Mark Richardson and Andrew Mulligan also seem unable or afraid to pronounce the word “football”, as does their co-host Hayley Holt. Over on NewstalkZB, the physically fit but irretrievably dim triathlete Mark Watson and that renowned exponent of footwork, Tony Veitch, repeatedly employ the puerilism, as does Kathryn Ryan on National Radio.
I know that the sports department is the shallow end of the gene pool, but the stupidity and/or timidity of New Zealand sports-casters seems to be almost limitless.
“Without any significant doubt that we are now entering the sixth great mass extinction event,” said Professor Paul Ehrlich, at the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment.
“Species are disappearing up to about 100 times faster than the normal rate between mass extinctions, known as the background rate.
So, there you have it – we have actually entered the first anthropogenic extinction event…
“If it is allowed to continue, life would take many millions of years to recover, and our species itself would likely disappear early on,” said lead author Gerardo Ceballos of the Universidad Autónoma de México.
Professor Ehrlich said that government must start working together to conserve threatened species.
And we’re at the top of the list for being driven to extinction.
Just listening to a Derrick Jensen interview where he talks about environmentalists work as like putting bandages on a patient who is bleeding out from being stabbed by someone. He says it’s all good work, the problem is that while they’re bandaging the patient, the victim is still being stabbed. @ 17:10 in this 1 hour long radio interview http://prn.fm/nature-bats-last-05-19-15/
Buzz from the Beehive Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters was bound to win headlines when he set out his thinking about AUKUS in his speech to the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. The headlines became bigger when – during an interview on RNZ’s Morning Report today – he criticised ...
The Post reports on how the government is refusing to release its advice on its corrupt Muldoonist fast-track law, instead using the "soon to be publicly available" refusal ground to hide it until after select committee submissions on the bill have closed. Fast-track Minister Chris Bishop's excuse? “It's not ...
As pressure on it grows, the livestock industry’s approach to the transition to Net Zero is increasingly being compared to that of fossil fuel interests. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / Getty ImagesTL;DR: Here’s the top five news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above ...
The New Zealand Herald reports – Stats NZ has offered a voluntary redundancy scheme to all of its workers as a way to give staff some control over their “future” amidst widespread job losses in the public sector. In an update to staff this morning, seen by the Herald, Statistics New Zealand ...
On Werewolf/Scoop, I usually do two long form political columns a week. From now on, there will be an extra column each week about music and movies. But first, some late-breaking political events:The rise in unemployment numbers for the March quarter was bigger than expected – and especially sharp ...
David Farrar writes – The Herald reports: TVNZ says it is dealing with about 50 formal complaints over its coverage of the latest 1News-Verian political poll, with some viewers – as well as the Prime Minister and a former senior Labour MP – critical of the tone of the 6pm report. ...
Muriel Newman writes – When Meridian Energy was seeking resource consents for a West Coast hydro dam proposal in 2010, local Maori “strenuously” objected, claiming their mana was inextricably linked to ‘their’ river and could be damaged. After receiving a financial payment from the company, however, the Ngai Tahu ...
Alwyn Poole writes – “An SEP,’ he said, ‘is something that we can’t see, or don’t see, or our brain doesn’t let us see, because we think that it’s somebody else’s problem. That’s what SEP means. Somebody Else’s Problem. The brain just edits it out, it’s like a ...
Our trust in our political institutions is fast eroding, according to a Maxim Institute discussion paper, Shaky Foundations: Why our democracy needs trust. The paper – released today – raises concerns about declining trust in New Zealand’s political institutions and democratic processes, and the role that the overuse of Parliamentary urgency ...
This article was prepared for publication yesterday. More ministerial announcements have been posted on the government’s official website since it was written. We will report on these later today …. Buzz from the BeehiveThere we were, thinking the environment is in trouble, when along came Jones. Shane Jones. ...
New Zealand now has the fourth most depressed construction sector in the world behind China, Qatar and Hong Kong. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 8:46am on Thursday, May 2:The Lead: ...
Hi,I am just going to state something very obvious: American police are fucking crazy.That was a photo gracing the New York Times this morning, showing New York City police “entering Columbia University last night after receiving a request from the school.”Apparently in America, protesting the deaths of tens of thousands ...
Winston Peters’ much anticipated foreign policy speech last night was a work of two halves. Much of it was a standard “boilerplate” Foreign Ministry overview of the state of the world. There was some hardening up of rhetoric with talk of “benign” becoming “malign” and old truths giving way to ...
Graham Adams assesses the fallout of the Cass Review — The press release last Thursday from the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls didn’t make the mainstream news in New Zealand but it really should have. The startling title of Reem Alsalem’s statement — “Implementation of ‘Cass ...
This open-for-business, under-new-management cliché-pockmarked government of Christopher Luxon is not the thing of beauty he imagines it to be. It is not the powerful expression of the will of the people that he asserts it to be. It is not a soaring eagle, it is a malodorous vulture. This newest poll should make ...
The latest labour market statistics, showing a rise in unemployment. There are now 134,000 unemployed - 14,000 more than when the National government took office. Which is I guess what happens when the Reserve Bank causes a recession in an effort to Keep Wages Low. The previous government saw a ...
Three opinion polls have been released in the last two days, all showing that the new government is failing to hold their popular support. The usual honeymoon experienced during the first year of a first term government is entirely absent. The political mood is still gloomy and discontented, mainly due ...
National's Finance Minister once met a poor person.A scornful interview with National's finance guru who knows next to nothing about economics or people.There might have been something a bit familiar if that was the headline I’d gone with today. It would of course have been in tribute to the article ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – Throughout the pandemic, the new Vice-Chancellor-of-Otago-University-on-$629,000 per annum-Can-you-believe-it-and-Former-Finance-Minister Grant Robertson repeated the mantra over and over that he saved “lives and livelihoods”.As we update how this claim is faring over the course of time, the facts are increasingly speaking differently. NZ ...
Chris Trotter writes – IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in acknowledgement of electoral victory: “We’ll govern for all New Zealanders.” On the face of it, the pledge is a strange one. Why would any political leader govern in ways that advantaged the huge ...
Bryce Edwards writes – The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill ...
TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 10:06am on Wednesday, May 1:The Lead: Business confidence fell across the board in April, falling in some areas to levels last seen during the lockdowns because of a collapse in ...
Over the past 36 hours, Christopher Luxon has been dong his best to portray the centre-right’s plummeting poll numbers as a mark of virtue. Allegedly, the negative verdicts are the result of hard economic times, and of a government bravely set out on a perilous rescue mission from which not ...
Auckland Transport have started rolling out new HOP card readers around the network and over the next three months, all of them on buses, at train stations and ferry wharves will be replaced. The change itself is not that remarkable, with the new readers looking similar to what is already ...
Completed reads for April: The Difference Engine, by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling Carnival of Saints, by George Herman The Snow Spider, by Jenny Nimmo Emlyn’s Moon, by Jenny Nimmo The Chestnut Soldier, by Jenny Nimmo Death Comes As the End, by Agatha Christie Lord of the Flies, by ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Have a story to share about St Paul’s, but today just picturesPopular novels written at this desk by a young man who managed to bootstrap himself out of father’s imprisonment and his own young life in a workhouse Read more ...
The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill English, Simon Bridges, Steven Joyce, Roger Sowry, ...
Newsroom has a story today about National's (fortunately failed) effort to disestablish the newly-created Inspector-General of Defence. The creation of this agency was the key recommendation of the Inquiry into Operation Burnham, and a vital means of restoring credibility and social licence to an agency which had been caught lying ...
Holding On To The Present:The moment a political movement arises that attacks the whole idea of social progress, and announces its intention to wind back the hands of History’s clock, then democracy, along with its unwritten rules, is in mortal danger.IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in ...
Stuck In The Middle With You:As Christopher Luxon feels the hot breath of Act’s and NZ First’s extremists on the back of his neck and, as he reckons with the damage their policies are already inflicting upon a country he’s described as “fragile”, is there not some merit in reaching out ...
The unpopular coalition government is currently rushing to repeal section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act. The clause is Oranga Tamariki's Treaty clause, and was inserted after its systematic stealing of Māori children became a public scandal and resulted in physical resistance to further abductions. The clause created clear obligations ...
Buzz from the Beehive The government’s official website – which Point of Order monitors daily – not for the first time has nothing much to say today about political happenings that are grabbing media headlines. It makes no mention of the latest 1News-Verian poll, for example. This shows National down ...
It Takes A Train To Cry:Surely, there is nothing lonelier in all this world than the long wail of a distant steam locomotive on a cold Winter’s night.AS A CHILD, I would lie awake in my grandfather’s house and listen to the traffic. The big wooden house was only a ...
Packing A Punch: The election of the present government, including in its ranks politicians dedicated to reasserting the rights of the legislature in shaping and determining the future of Māori and Pakeha in New Zealand, should have alerted the judiciary – including its anomalous appendage, the Waitangi Tribunal – that its ...
Dead Woman Walking: New Zealand’s media industry had been moving steadily towards disaster for all the years Melissa Lee had been National’s media and communications policy spokesperson, and yet, when the crisis finally broke, on her watch, she had nothing intelligent to offer. Christopher Luxon is a patient man - but he’s not ...
Chris Trotter writes – New Zealand politics is remarkably easy-going: dangerously so, one might even say. With the notable exception of John Key’s flat ruling-out of the NZ First Party in 2008, all parties capable of clearing MMP’s five-percent threshold, or winning one or more electorate seats, tend ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is ...
Luxon will no doubt put a brave face on it, but there is no escaping the pressure this latest poll will put on him and the government. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political ...
This is a re-post from The Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler In the wake of any unusual weather event, someone inevitably asks, “Did climate change cause this?” In the most literal sense, that answer is almost always no. Climate change is never the sole cause of hurricanes, heat waves, droughts, or ...
Something odd happened yesterday, and I’d love to know if there’s more to it. If there was something which preempted what happened, or if it was simply a throwaway line in response to a journalist.Yesterday David Seymour was asked at a press conference what the process would be if the ...
Hi,From time to time, I want to bring Webworm into the real world. We did it last year with the Jurassic Park event in New Zealand — which was a lot of fun!And so on Saturday May 11th, in Los Angeles, I am hosting a lil’ Webworm pop-up! I’ve been ...
Education Minister Erica Standford yesterday unveiled a fundamental reform of the way our school pupils are taught. She would not exactly say so, but she is all but dismantling the so-called “inquiry” “feel good” method of teaching, which has ruled in our classrooms since a major review of the New ...
Exactly where are we seriously going with this government and its policies? That is, apart from following what may as well be a Truss-Lite approach on the purported economic “plan“, and Victorian-era regression when it comes to social policy.Oh it’ll work this time of course, we’re basically assured, “the ...
Hey Uncle Dave, When the Poms joined the EEC, I wasn't one of those defeatists who said, Well, that’s it for the dairy job. And I was right, eh? The Chinese can’t get enough of our milk powder and eventually, the Poms came to their senses and backed up the ute ...
Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is higher than for any other mayor ...
Buzz from the Beehive Pharmac has been given a financial transfusion and a new chair to oversee its spending in the pharmaceutical business. Associate Health Minister David Seymour described the funding for Pharmac as “its largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff”. ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its ...
TL;DR: Here’s my top 10 ‘pick ‘n’ mix of links to news, analysis and opinion articles as of 10:10am on Monday, April 29:Scoop: The children's ward at Rotorua Hospital will be missing a third of its beds as winter hits because Te Whatu Ora halted an upgrade partway through to ...
span class=”dropcap”>As hideous as David Seymour can be, it is worth keeping in mind occasionally that there are even worse political figures (and regimes) out there. Iran for instance, is about to execute the country’s leading hip hop musician Toomaj Salehi, for writing and performing raps that “corrupt” the nation’s ...
Yesterday marked 10 years since the first electric train carried passengers in Auckland so it’s a good time to look back at it and the impact it has had. A brief history The first proposals for rail electrification in Auckland came in the 1920’s alongside the plans for earlier ...
Right now, in Aotearoa-NZ, our ‘animal spirits’ are darkening towards a winter of discontent, thanks at least partly to a chorus of negative comments and actions from the Government Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on ...
You make people evil to punish the paststuck inside a sequel with a rotating castThe following photos haven’t been generated with AI, or modified in any way. They are flesh and blood, human beings. On the left is Galatea Young, a young mum, and her daughter Fiadh who has Angelman ...
April has been a quiet month at A Phuulish Fellow. I have had an exceptionally good reading month, and a decently productive writing month – for original fiction, anyway – but not much has caught my eye that suggested a blog article. It has been vaguely frustrating, to be honest. ...
A listing of 31 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 21, 2024 thru Sat, April 27, 2024. Story of the week Anthropogenic climate change may be the ultimate shaggy dog story— but with a twist, because here ...
Hi,I spent about a year on Webworm reporting on an abusive megachurch called Arise, and it made me want to stab my eyes out with a fork.I don’t regret that reporting in 2022 and 2023 — I am proud of it — but it made me angry.Over three main stories ...
The new Victoria University Vice-Chancellor decided to have a forum at the university about free speech and academic freedom as it is obviously a topical issue, and the Government is looking at legislating some carrots or sticks for universities to uphold their obligations under the Education and Training Act. They ...
Do you remember when Melania Trump got caught out using a speech that sounded awfully like one Michelle Obama had given? Uncannily so.Well it turns out that Abraham Lincoln is to Winston Peters as Michelle was to Melania. With the ANZAC speech Uncle Winston gave at Gallipoli having much in ...
She was born 25 years ago today in North Shore hospital. Her eyes were closed tightly shut, her mouth was silently moving. The whole theatre was all quiet intensity as they marked her a 2 on the APGAR test. A one-minute eternity later, she was an 8. The universe was ...
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park in collaboration with members from our Skeptical Science team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is Antarctica gaining land ice? ...
Images of US students (and others) protesting and setting up tent cities on US university campuses have been broadcast world wide and clearly demonstrate the growing rifts in US society caused by US policy toward Israel and Israel’s prosecution of … Continue reading → ...
Barrie Saunders writes – Dear Paul As the new Minister of Media and Communications, you will be inundated with heaps of free advice and special pleading, all in the national interest of course. For what it’s worth here is my assessment: Traditional broadcasting free to air content through ...
Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its arguments for such a bold reform. ...
Peter Dunne writes – The great nineteenth British Prime Minister, William Gladstone, once observed that “the first essential for a Prime Minister is to be a good butcher.” When a later British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, sacked a third of his Cabinet in July 1962, in what became ...
Ele Ludemann writes – New Zealanders had the OECD’s second highest tax increase last year: New Zealanders faced the second-biggest tax raises in the developed world last year, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) says. The intergovernmental agency said the average change in personal income tax ...
We all know something’s not right with our elections. The spread of misinformation, people being targeted with soundbites and emotional triggers that ignore the facts, even the truth, and influence their votes.The use of technology to produce deep fakes. How can you tell if something is real or not? Can ...
This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Simon Clark. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). This year you will be lied to! Simon Clark helps prebunk some misleading statements you'll hear about climate. The video includes ...
It is all very well cutting the backrooms of public agencies but it may compromise the frontlines. One of the frustrations of the Productivity Commission’s 2017 review of universities is that while it observed that their non-academic staff were increasing faster than their academic staff, it did not bother to ...
Buzz from the Beehive Two speeches delivered by Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters at Anzac Day ceremonies in Turkey are the only new posts on the government’s official website since the PM announced his Cabinet shake-up. In one of the speeches, Peters stated the obvious: we live in a troubled ...
1. Which of these would you not expect to read in The Waikato Invader?a. Luxon is here to do business, don’t you worry about thatb. Mr KPI expects results, and you better believe itc. This decisive man of action is getting me all hot and excitedd. Melissa Lee is how ...
…it has a restricted jurisdiction which must not be abused: it is not an inquisitionNOTE – this article was published before the High Court ruled that Karen Chhour does not have to appear before the Waitangi Tribunal Gary Judd writes – The High Court ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says. “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...
Structured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...
The rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...
The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure. The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
The Government and Rotorua Lakes Council are committed to working closely together to end the use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua. Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) Tama Potaka says the Government remains committed to ending the long-term use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua by the ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. “I’m putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...
The new NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) App is a secure ‘one stop shop’ to provide the services drivers need, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Digitising Government Minister Judith Collins say. “The NZTA App will enable an easier way for Kiwis to pay for Vehicle Registration and Road User Charges (RUC). ...
Whānau with tamariki growing up in emergency housing motels will be prioritised for social housing starting this week, says Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka. “Giving these whānau a better opportunity to build healthy stable lives for themselves and future generations is an essential part of the Government’s goal of reducing ...
Racing Minister Winston Peters has paid tribute to an icon of the industry with the recent passing of Dave O’Sullivan (OBE). “Our sympathies are with the O’Sullivan family with the sad news of Dave O’Sullivan’s recent passing,” Mr Peters says. “His contribution to racing, initially as a jockey and then ...
Assalaamu alaikum, greetings to you all. Eid Mubarak, everyone! I want to extend my warmest wishes to you and everyone celebrating this joyous occasion. It is a pleasure to be here. I have enjoyed Eid celebrations at Parliament before, but this is my first time joining you as the Minister ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced Pharmac’s largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff. “Access to medicines is a crucial part of many Kiwis’ lives. We’ve committed to a budget allocation of $1.774 billion over four years so Kiwis are ...
Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Shaun Eaves, Senior Lecturer in Physical Geography, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Jamey Stutz, CC BY-SA How often do mountains collapse, volcanoes erupt or ice sheets melt? For Earth scientists, these are important questions as we try ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Flood, Professor of Sociology, Queensland University of Technology Shutterstock Most young adult men in Australia reject traditional ideas of masculinity that endorse aggression, stoicism and homophobia. Nonetheless, the ongoing influence of those ideas continues to harm men and the people ...
The NZQA proposal released to staff today would involve a net loss of 35 roles. There are 66 roles being disestablished with 13 of those currently vacant, and 31 new roles proposed, said Fleur Fitzsimons Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga ...
Alex Casey talks to Loren Taylor, the writer, director and star of new film The Moon is Upside Down, about assembling her dream ensemble cast, toilet paper pads and turning literal dreams into reality. There’s a moment in The Moon is Upside Down where frazzled anaesthetist Briar (Loren Taylor) gets ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cassy Dittman, Senior Lecturer/Head of Course (Undergraduate Psychology), Research Fellow, Manna Institute, CQUniversity Australia With winter sports swinging into action, adults around the country have volunteered or been volunteered by others (humorously known as being “volun-told”) to coach junior sports teams. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Karleen Gribble, Adjunct Associate Professor, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Western Sydney University richardernestyap/Shutterstock Parents are often advised to burp their babies after feeding them. Some people think burping after feeding is important to reduce or prevent discomfort crying, or to ...
Workers at a major ASB contact centre in Auckland have voted to take strike action and withdraw their labour following disappointing pay negotiations with the employer and an "offer" to workers that would leave them worse off than the previous year. ...
As the government tries to get the country back on track with a school phone ban, Tara Ward has an idea for where they should turn their attention to next.New Zealand students returned to school on Monday morning, but their cellphones did not. The government’s new phone ban began ...
The Labour Party is demanding Peters be stood down, saying "he's embarrassed the country" with a "totally unacceptable" attack on a prominent AUKUS critic. ...
The Inter-Parliamentary Alliance, whose members were victims of a China-backed cyber attack, is discussing forming a standing committee to deal with foreign influence. ...
The PSA is concerned that the voluntary redundancies being offered to staff by Stats NZ will impact on the agency’s ability to deliver on its core functions. ...
Results ranged from surprisingly yum to soul-destroying. I love cooking. The kitchen is a hearth of culinary creation, of sensory delights, of gastronomic poetry. I also can’t afford anything nice. Why does a pack of instant noodles and some milk cost ten bucks? I love you, Aotearoa, but I miss ...
By Koroi Hawkins, RNZ Pacific editor Police in Solomon Islands are on high alert ahead of the election of the prime minister today. The two candidates for the top job are former foreign affairs minister Jeremiah Manele at the head of the Coalition for National Unity and Transformation, which is ...
He’s fine but it feels like I’m losing a friend and it’s making me bitter. How do I say ‘enough is enough’? Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nzHey Hera,I’ve recently moved in with a girlfriend, her partner Steve, and his friend. We all live in a lovely little house. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nick Chartres, Senior Research Fellow, Faculty of Medicine & Health, University of Sydney shutterstockAhmet Misirligul/Shutterstock You go to the gym, eat healthy and walk as much as possible. You wash your hands and get vaccinated. You control your health. This is ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jacqueline Hendriks, Research Fellow and Lecturer, Curtin University Children and young people may be seeing news headlines about men murdering women or footage of people rallying to call for action. Perhaps they or their friends have even gone to the protests. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jessica Balanzategui, Senior Lecturer in Media, RMIT University ABC “Bluey mania” shows no sign of abating. Bluey’s season finale, The Sign, was the most viewed ABC program of all time on iView. A “hidden” follow-up episode, aptly named The Surprise, created ...
Labour market figures came in softer than the Reserve Bank had forecast, but they won’t be enough to move the needle on interest rates, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. Unemployment ...
The campaign will engage the community and encourage submissions on the bill to the New Zealand government by the closing submission deadline of Friday 31st of May 2024 4pm. ...
The paper raises concerns about declining trust in New Zealand's political institutions and democratic processes, and the role that the overuse of Parliamentary urgency plays in that. ...
The Urban Habitat Collective was an attempt to built an innovative new form of apartment building in Wellington. Here’s why it failed, and why the idea could still work, writes co-founder Bronwen Newton. When we started the Urban Habitat Collective in November 2018, we thought we were starting a revolution, ...
Two decades ago this week, a controversial law that attempted to define ownership of the foreshore and seabed prompted a formidable display of outrage and kōtahitanga as 15,000 marched to parliament. Jamie Tahana looks back.‘Hīkoi, hīkoi,” they chanted by the thousands as the biggest Māori march in a generation ...
A Labour Party Member’s Bill aims to plug a culpability gap between manslaughter and health and safety breaches The post New push for corporate killing laws appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Terence O’Brien had the rare and no doubt undesired distinction of rising to one of the most exalted positions in New Zealand diplomacy, then being unceremoniously recalled to Wellington without explanation just when his career was at its zenith. What is perhaps more surprising is that he appears to have ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A,DIV,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, Thursday 2 May appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Why has New Zealand slipped from third to 12th on Quality of Death Indexes over the past decade or so? Hospice New Zealand Chief Executive Wayne Naylor has a list of reasons. “We don’t have a current national strategy – the Government hasn’t renewed our 2001 strategy, so we don’t ...
While women’s sport is exploding in Aotearoa and around the world, you still don’t hear a lot of talk about athletes and their periods, RED-S, breastfeeding and visible panty-lines. SASS (Suze and Sez Sports)Talk isn’t afraid to have that kōrero.LockerRoom founder Suzanne McFadden and Olympian broadcaster Sarah ...
On an unusually hot night in January 2019, a little boy’s lifeless body was found face up in a small town’s sewage oxidation pond. To the police, it was an open and shut case: three-year-old Lachlan Jones had run away from his home in the Southland town of Gore, climbed ...
Rongotai MP Julie Anne Genter has apologised in Parliament after National accused her of intimidating and attacking one of its ministers in the House. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Prime Minister and state and territory leaders met on Wednesday as the national cabinet to discuss a crisis gripping Australia – the horrific number of women murdered this year. The killings have shocked ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Radhika Raghav, Teaching Fellow, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Otago Netflix Indian director Sanjay Leela Bhansali is known for his big-budget Bollywood production, featuring grand sets, star casts, meticulously choreographed dance sequences and lavish costumes, jewellery and furnishings. ...
Sir Robert devoted his life to disability rights after living in institutions in his younger years, says Kaihautū Tika Hauātanga | Disability Rights Commissioner Prudence Walker. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Powell, Professor, Family and Sexual Violence, RMIT University Violence against women is not a women’s problem to solve, it is a whole of society problem to solve; and men in particular have to take responsibility. Those were the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jessica Allen, Senior Lecturer in Chemical and Renewable Energy Engineering, University of Newcastle Snapshot freddy/ShutterstockPlans to revive an old coal-fired power station using bioenergy are being considered in the Hunter region of New South Wales. Similar plans for the station ...
Responding to the long-awaited release of judges’ special allowances, including free air travel and hotels for spouses, generous sabbaticals, and access to limousines, Taxpayers’ Union spokesman Alex Murphy said: “In what world does your employer ...
Analysis - The United States has unveiled plans to boost the weapons trade with Australia and the UK, on the same day that Winston Peters is expected to sketch NZ's position on AUKUS. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrea Carson, Professor of Political Communication, Department of Politics, Media and Philosophy, La Trobe University Since Australia’s First Nations Voice to Parliament referendum in October 2023, diverse commentaries have sought to explain why it failed. But what does an analysis of media ...
Lawyers representing two iwi as well as the Māori Women’s Welfare League on Wednesday asked the Court of Appeal to overturn last week’s High Court decision on the Waitangi Tribunal’s decision to summons Children’s Minister Karen Chhour. The Tribunal is currently investigating the Government’s decision to repeal section 7AA of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Albanese government will introduce legislation to ban deepfake pornography and provide more funding for the eSafety Commission to pilot age-assurance technologies. The contribution of internet sites to gender-based violence was one major issue ...
Average ordinary time hourly earnings, as measured by the Quarterly Employment Survey (QES), increased 5.2 percent in the year to the March 2024 quarter, according to figures released by Stats NZ today. Annual wage cost inflation, as measured by the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dimitrios Salampasis, FinTech Capability Lead | Senior Lecturer, Emerging Technologies and FinTech, Swinburne University of Technology Clem Onojeghuo/Unsplash In the digital era, the job market is increasingly becoming a minefield – demanding and difficult to navigate. According to the Australian Bureau ...
As of the March 2024 quarter, we can now look back on 20 years of data related to youth not in employment, education, or training (NEET), as collected by the Household Labour Force Survey (HLFS), according to figures released by Stats NZ today. "The ...
Thousands of workers attended public events in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch today to celebrate International Workers’ Day (May Day), but union representatives are urging caution and vigilance over the Government’s blatantly "anti-worker" ...
The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 4.3 percent in the March 2024 quarter, compared with 4.0 percent in the previous quarter, according to figures released by Stats NZ today. ...
The PSA is warning the Government that the sensitive information of New Zealanders held by various agencies will fall into the wrong hands if the latest round of proposed cuts goes ahead. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Talitha Best, Professor of Psychology, CQUniversity Australia Victoria Rodriguez/Unsplash How do sugar rushes work? – W.H, age nine, from Canberra What a terrific question W.H! Let’s explore this, starting with some of the basics. What is sugar? ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Karinna Saxby, Research Fellow, Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, The University of Melbourne MART PRODUCTION/Pexels Increasing income support could help keep women and children safe according to new work demonstrating strong links between financial insecurity and domestic violence. ...
If you aren’t working this weekend, or even if you are, chances are you’ll waste some of your hard-earned on something you’ll wish you hadn’t. It’s not very optimistic is it? Don’t worry, it’s not a reflection on you personally, happens to everyone not just grumpy old guys in fedora hats*. It’s a sign of the times. It was simply a piece of crap…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ovum-GjYWKQ
Feel free to share your most frustrating crappy purchases, expensive attempts at saving the trees, the whales or anything else well-meaning, or alternatively, that one item you bought at a discount store that still works really well, always did, and now you want another and can’t find it anywhere.
*Did you know that the fedora hat was a symbol adopted and worn by American Women’s Rights movement in the late 1880’s? I didn’t.
Haven’t had a crappy purchase in awhile, I always buy quality stuff, but I’ve had quite a few purchases where I got it and it didn’t quite do what I wanted it to do.
Because most of them are from overseas, I never send them back as the cost doesn’t make it worthwhile.
From The Guardian Australia under the heading “Australian police and policing”……
http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/jun/04/police-officer-found-not-guilty-of-assault-after-pushing-73-year-old-to-ground
http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/jun/19/gold-coast-police-officer-faces-jail-for-allegedly-leaking-film-of-police-assault
Pretty awful North.
I remember despairing when seeing a documentary on the guy who became a billionaire from coming up with the idea of those silly rubber bracelets that charities seemed to be pushing all over the place for a while.
Here’s one way of dealing with the nonsense that is consumerism or is he buying into it?
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/26/world/europe/Friedrich-Liechtenstein-supergeil-germany.html?_r=0
those silly rubber bracelets…
livestrong courtesy of that athelete of integrty Lance Armstrong
Its an ad for a supermarket chain.
You need to read the article that goes with it.
Excerpt
“During the week, he wandered down in his pajamas to have coffee with the employees as they arrived; after hours, and on weekends, he had the whole space to himself. He slept on plastic crates in a breezeway; his minimal possessions included a silver candlestick and a peach-colored satin vest from Japan. “A lot of things you think you need, you don’t,” he said. “I learned all I really need is a bed, a table, nice friends and something to eat.”
He stayed for more than a year, and things began to look up. “It was winter,” he said, “and I went outside. I said, ‘World, I’m immortal. I’ll always exist. But you only exist because I see you. If you don’t give me anything, I won’t give you anything.’ ”
“… while serving in the military, Mr. Liechtenstein decided to switch careers, because he was unable to keep his personal area tidy.”
haha would that have made it a dishonorable discharge?
Ecuador: Media lies about Correa’s free-speech record
by CHRISTIAN TYM, 21 July 2013
– See more at: https://www.greenleft.org.au/node/54573#sthash.3qOJOhP6.dpuf
When Ecuador granted asylum to Assange in mid-2012, the Sydney Morning Herald’s Peter Hartcher accused Assange of “hypocrisy” for accepting asylum from President Rafael Correa, “one of the world’s leading oppressors of free speech”.
Annabel Crabb joined in, writing in the SMH: “A gazillion Assange Twitter fans [hailed] Ecuador and its president, Rafael Correa, as a hero of international free speech and human rights. Correa is the same guy who last year jailed a journalist and three executives from the newspaper El Universal [sic] for saying nasty things about him …[and] is expected to soon extradite the Belorussian anti-corruption campaigner Alexander Barankov to a messy fate in his country of birth … Ecuador: champion of free speech. The mind boggles.”
The only factual errors in Crabb’s rant are that Barankov was never extradited (but granted asylum), the journalist and executives mentioned were never jailed and the newspaper is not called El Universal!
It might read like a snide put-down of poorer nations that are somehow less capable of “democracy”, but all SMH did was read from an extensive, Washington-penned playbook on how to denounce the Latin American left.
The El Universo Case
The US press had been practising their denunciations of late Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez’s so-called “dictatorship” in Venezuela for years before turning their attention to Correa. After granting Assange asylum, Correa went to the top of the hit-list.
The Washington Post, New York Times, Christian Science Monitor, The Economist, and Time each ran nearly identical articles on Correa’s supposed repression of free media.
And each placed the same victim at centre-stage: El Universo.
The saga stems from an article published by El Universo on February 5, 2011, written by Emilio Palacio and titled “No to the Lies”. The paper was then sued for libel by Correa.
The article gave Palacio’s account of the dramatic events on September 30, 2010, when Correa was held hostage by rebellious police inside a military hospital for nine hours. ……
Read more if you’re serious….
https://www.greenleft.org.au/node/54573
Now that’s an interesting way to do it and I can see why the corporates are screaming blue murder about it. It’s taken any possible dominance of the narrative away from them.
Science dude* on Kim Hill is calling the government’s science policies Stalinist (because they control what science gets done and how it gets done).
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/saturday
*Professor Russell Gray, FRSNZ, is the Director of the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History in Jena, Germany.
Ah, “science man”:
https://youtu.be/NvpbW7JRu0Q?t=130
I put it to a science man that there is no present. There is a past and a future but at this moment we are already moving into the past. He started to give me his opinion but we were interrupted and of course the moment was lost as it shot into the past. Wonder if Philomena could find out if there is a present?
Today has been one of her best line-ups EVER
Have a read of some awards handed out to UK businesses… and as you read maybe think about the recent announcement of investor backed programmes for getting those with mental illness into work… and why any society would be lading such behaviour unless they seek to perpetuate it.
https://johnnyvoid.wordpress.com/2015/06/17/priti-patel-hands-award-to-poverty-pay-employer-that-pays-just-2-68-an-hour/
and then there is this “journalistic” behaviour which put me in mind of Rachel Glucina…and Amanda Bailey
appalling stuff
https://johnnyvoid.wordpress.com/2015/06/15/how-the-benefit-lies-begin-claimants-offered-cash-and-fame-to-say-they-dont-want-jobs/
Award winning journalist banned from putting questions to crime commissioner in the UK… must submit her questions via their OIA.
http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/award-winning-investigative-journalist-banned-putting-questinos-birmingham-crime-commissioner
Ports of Auckland and the Super City Council have stuffed up big time on the wharves.
http://www.3news.co.nz/nznews/auckland-council-loses-battle-over-port-2015061918#axzz3dYGw39nw
Highly predictable decision by the High Court to set aside the original resource consents causing an immediate halt to the one wharf construction now in progress through the shonky POA/Council “compromise” deal.
Who on earth was giving legal advice to Council that this could proceed non-notified? Council needs to get new lawyers. $500,000 down the drain on this case alone-I wonder how many dollars have been wasted by these lawyers in other futile legal cases?
J A Farmer QC, D A Nolan, M R Crotty and K M Dunn for
Second Respondent (POA)
Jim ($1000 per hour) Farmer
and Russell McVeagh
Nothing but the most expensive for the POA…
Russell MCveagh are the biggest and most expensive but not to be mistaken for the best. Remember them in the stoush with IRD over the shonky bloodstock and fllm deals? They will spend your money trying to argue what you want them to though.
Council paid
A R Galbraith QC,
A M Adams and J C Campbell for First
Respondent
Yep, I remember the bloodstock deals, lots of lawyers also lost out on that one. Another dodgy Russell McVeagh deal.
Yep, thanks Auckland Council dimwits – I’m so pleased my rates are going up, so I can pay expensive lawyers to defend ports of Auckland stealing our harbour.
Next time they say we can’t afford pools or libraries, remember where the rates are really going. Environmental barristers of course! Just a wink and a nudge to the COO and resource consent officers and the consents just fly through!
exactly… 2 high paid QC’s plus their overpaid law firms… no change out of half a million is my guess… needs a LGOIMA on council, i doubt the POA will have to disclose other than as part of their overall yearly legal spend.
But are their any investigative journalists left?
Someone should do a thorough LGOIMA search and include the CEO, councillors, resource consent officers and related barristers.
Remember what the OIA revealed on the human rights department with Susan Devoy being instructed not to answer the phone. Big Brother.
God knows what these council and related resource consents people are up to with our ratepayer money.
Not legal by the ruling anyway, but anyone with a brain cell should have worked that out.
The scary thing, is the Ports of Auckland and the Council only got caught out, because an action group paid a lot of money to oppose it, councillors were being silenced, people being bullied, and what is happening in our city, where their is not the publicity and money available?
Not even a 500 year old Kauri or a public asset like our wharf is safe from these privatisers.
+100
The Council CEO and Mayor should be taken over the coals for this one, and yes there should be a request for how much litigation on resource consents is going on especially in Auckland, because the council resource consent officers are approving practically EVERY consent, and also the ratepayers are being forced to pay council lawyers hundreds of thousands of dollars of ratepayers money for the council to defend consents from the affected public (who at great expense are needlessly forced into the fray when some stupid council decision affects them is granted) which should never have been granted in the first place.
Someone should check what a ‘growth’ industry this is, for those environmental barristers creaming the teat of rate payer money to defend bad decisions of the council.
The fact the mayor and CEO seems to believe that the resource consent officers acted appropriately against any logical conclusion that the average rate payer could have foreseen, shows how stupid and out of touch they are.
And the fact that the CEO has lost control of ports of Auckland who they own shows just how out of kilter Ports of Auckland board is, with such a pathetic governance to them and how greedy and stupid they all are.
Next time you pay your rates think how much of this went on the council lawyers and how they probably will not even fire anyone in the resource consents department who’s job this clearly was or anyone from the ports of Auckland Board, and how the council seems to be encouraging stupid consents and destroying Auckland amenity as well as enriching themselves in the process.
The public needs to demand accountability!
Just to remember who actually stood up for Auckland’s on the council
GUEST BLOG: Mike Lee – Len Brown must stop Ports of Auckland – See more at: http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2015/03/25/guest-blog-mike-lee-len-brown-must-stop-ports-of-auckland/#sthash.gfjoQORY.dpuf
and the council response
GUEST BLOG: Auckland Council attack Mike Lee’s defence of Auckland Harbour – See more at: http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2015/03/26/guest-blog-auckland-council-attack-mike-lees-defence-of-auckland-harbour/#sthash.mGPX0OW7.dpuf
http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2015/03/27/guest-blog-mike-lee-responding-to-auckland-councils-criticism-of-blog/
Of course another big question is Will ports of Auckland continue to waste Ratepayers money by pursuing this. and can Auckland Council actually do it’s job and control Ports of Auckland on something clearly extremely unpopular to Auckland Rate payers?
mind you then there is Mike Lee single handedly preventing the waterfront stadium and sentencing aucklanders to underwriting eden park for another 20 years.
Sentencing, nice one!
Well we all know the government wants us back in the 1900’s now we know Auckland Council wants the ratepayers in the poor house as part of the 1900’s industrial revolution.
I’m looking forward for Coal to make a come back in our streets.
Horse and carts can replace public transport, or maybe Browns idea of going to Michael Bloomberg and begging for funds for our transport…. note to Len, not only is that is what YOU and the council is paid for to provide public transport, an our rates could be spent on this, not defending stupid illegal council decisions.
It seems, like Murray’s, Saudi’s sheep exports, the idea is not to provide for ourselves but to bribe some overseas person to ‘solve’ our problems all turning to custard of course and getting nothing done.
Maybe the right wingers should take self sufficiency and self reliance a bit more seriously, they have no problem telling the poor how to do it.
“Uncle Tom? Hello?”:
Shouting Woman Interrupts Don Lemon in Charleston
As CNN’s John Berman and Don Lemon reported live earlier today in Charleston on last night’s shooting, a woman interrupted the broadcast to set a few things straight. “We’re mad! We’re angry! Tell the truth!” she said as Berman launched into a report about the heartbreak in Charleston, standing feet way from the Emanuel AME Church.
See more…
http://morningafter.gawker.com/uncle-tom-hello-shouting-woman-interrupts-don-lemo-1712369858
Awesome, can we interrupt every news live cross from now on. It would quickly make the media look pretty stupid and show them as the sellouts that they are.
I see the provinces are being stitched up again….
“Northlanders face $300 power hike”
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11468137
These ‘upgrades’ are largely already paid for and shouldn’t require an increase in charges. That’s what depreciation is for but instead of using depreciation funds to replace deteriorating assets the Govt has been looting the fund for special dividends.
Yep, stealing from the poor to enrich the rich power companies…
Wonder how the cost of living keeps going up, yet power, banks, etc making massive profits….
Ah, the inevitable result of privatisation and the faux market to always produce profits that go to the rich.
Those profits have to come from somewhere and that somewhere happens to be the poor. The richer the rich are the greater the poverty we have is.
Hi ianmac, re is there a present…?
I would venture there is only the present and that the past and future are both fictions.
Btw, slightly related: the past, present and future walk into a bar. It was tense.
Heh gsays. That moment of tension for the punchline. Great!
But if there was no present then you have to find another to make up the classical three.
Perhaps: The past, god, and the future walked into a bar. The god said, “Don’t worry. I will take care of this.” Huh?
well done!
Remove John Key from power
https://www.change.org/p/people-of-nz-new-zealand-kiwis-remove-john-key-from-power
Why Are Labour’s Would-be Leaders So Right-wing?
http://www.bryangould.com/why-are-labours-would-be-leaders-so-right-wing/
Bryan Gould’s latest piece.
Apologies if this has already been posted.
Am slowly catching up with reading online stuff this arvo.
An interesting blog by Bryan Gould, but quite thin on suggestions for improvement or change, rather.
It seems that the take-home message is that young (?) enthusiastic, motivated wannabe-politicians lose their way and get caught up in the daily grind of party politics. This means fighting a daily battle for survival in getting noticed, gaining influence, power, and control and other such individualistic pursuits. That a socialist party such as LPNZ suffers from this more, it seems, than National is perhaps because the latter is all about the pursuit of individualism and personal interest over and above collectivism and compassion for fellow Kiwis.
Politics is, or should be, a team effort. Do aspiring politicians really enter the fray thinking that only they can make a difference through their unique and personal actions or do they think that they can make a useful contribution to the collective efforts of many for the betterment of society?
The self-selection of practising politicians is not really any different than of leaders in general. However, if this selection process does not result in the desired outcomes for the collective (e.g. company, political party, etc.) then the rule book needs to be re-written. In other words, the party needs to change its selection process and internal governance. No party should be subject to the personal whims of its leader(s); it always ends up in tears.
There’s a massive cultural change required within UK Labour (and NZ Labour), and it’s virtually impossible to accomplish. There are quite literally, no means of accomplishing the change that is required to survive as an independent modern political force.
That’s quite a devastating verdict! I don’t believe in Doom’s Day thinking or fatalism; there always is a choice, how unpalatable it may be. The alternative is too bad to contemplate, and not just for Labour.
Do you know what the antidote is for the increasing hegemony of individualism? It is not the Vulcan mind meld (and definitely like the Borg) but the human equivalent of that.
Ok, so it seems every week at the moment there is major flooding in Wellington, Dunedin, West Coast, and now lower North Island (I’ve probably missed out some places too). I can’t remember experiencing a period like this where regional weather emergencies have come in quick succession, although my memory doesn’t go back very far. If this is just the entree to global warming, when does the cost of these disruptions make us think about changing our lifestyles, transport methods and the industrialised world we live in? Can money always be found to repair roads, bridges, clean flooded properties, and the continuation with the status quo?
I think Chch has shown us that money/resources are not always there.
I’ve been thinking about the increase in jobs needed going forward (as a counterpoint to the automation will remove most jobs thing). Obviously emergency workers and road workers will be in high demand. Prep consultants too.
I was impressed with one of the flood reports in Hokitika where they fixed a washed out piece of road the next day. I was also impressed by the local council’s response. When they were heading into the second night, the woman on RNZ (don’t know if she was council or CD) said the council had assigned extra staff and phones would be manned through the night. Came across way better than the DCC managed. Reassuring that some parts of NZ still know how to do it.
A civil defense emergency has been declared in Whanganui/Rangitikei,
http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/news/national/state-highway-one-bridge-damaged-by-flooding/#.VYTzJyekrGc.twitter
Geez, that’s pretty much caused an emergency in most major towns from Kapiti to New Plymouth on the west coast.
Most surface water I’ve seen in >22 years but the rain stopped an hour ago although a 1.00am high tide means the stop banks banks are still vulnerable.
Lovely day.
http://tropic.ssec.wisc.edu/real-time/austeast/movies/gmsirn/gmsirnjava.html
edit: my friend the evacuee has arrived with the cat
And just like to mention breaking the law is nothing new for Ports of Auckland.
Ports of Auckland has been ordered to pay $40,000 for deliberately breaking the law by employing contractors during industrial action at the port.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10853815
Also interesting perspective from Rod Oram on Ports of Auckland Conduct prior to the finding…
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/2514727/business-with-rod-oram
Lord Ashdown says progressive parties should convene to decide joint agenda
http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/jun/19/lord-ashdown-progressive-parties-in-britain-should-work-together
I like this bit of Lord Ashdown’s comment:
He told the Guardian it was time to end the fractures on the left: “As we – all of us on the left and centre-left – survey the wreckage around us after the last election, we should ask ourselves this question: is this the moment for us to retreat into tribalism, as we always do? My answer to that question is ‘no’.
“There is much we disagree about, but there is more that we agree on. The environment, civil liberties, internationalism; how to build a strong economy within the context of a fair society; how to devolve power to our nations and communities in a way which preserves our national unity, not threatens it; the need to tackle the intolerable gap of inequality which will soon threaten our social cohesion as well as our economic success.
Makes me feel all warm inside. Just what I need on a winter’s day. Get on the bus NZ Labour. There is a strap waiting for you to hang on to.
Ignorant churnalist manages to file two stories about Judith Collins in one day.
“The Weekend Herald spoke to Ms Collins and her National Party colleagues about her increased profile in the media in recent weeks.”
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=11468222
“Collins has been talking about Collins everywhere.
…
National MPs have a number of theories for Collins’ media splurge. Her own answer to this is short and simple: “Because [the media] ask me to.”
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=11468068
Gee, I wonder who is giving her oxygen ..
Braindead sports announcers are an insult to sports fans
Television One News, Saturday 20 June 2015
If you thought that sports commentary could only improve following the enforced departure of Martin “Moron” Devlin and the long overdue retirement of Murray “The Screaming Skull” Deaker, you were wrong. Devlin and Deaker are unpleasant memories, thankfully, but their legacy of shoddiness and rank stupidity has continued.
On TV One News tonight, Jenny-May Coffin burbled that she was looking forward to “the footy in Dunners tonight.” What she meant to say, of course, was “the football in Dunedin tonight.”
The other morning, Paul Henry’s beleaguered and harried sports jock Jim Kayes was similarly tongue-tied, using the puerile term “footy” when previewing (inexpertly) the same match. Prime’s gruesome and unfunny twosome of Mark Richardson and Andrew Mulligan also seem unable or afraid to pronounce the word “football”, as does their co-host Hayley Holt. Over on NewstalkZB, the physically fit but irretrievably dim triathlete Mark Watson and that renowned exponent of footwork, Tony Veitch, repeatedly employ the puerilism, as does Kathryn Ryan on National Radio.
I know that the sports department is the shallow end of the gene pool, but the stupidity and/or timidity of New Zealand sports-casters seems to be almost limitless.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
While Jenny-May Coffin may be too dumb to pronounce the word “football”, she does have some talent; she’s an absolute champion when it comes to doing push-ups…..
http://tvnz.co.nz/breakfast-news/jenny-may-coffin-s-handstand-push-up-video-4831975
Earth has entered sixth mass extinction, warn scientists
So, there you have it – we have actually entered the first anthropogenic extinction event…
And we’re at the top of the list for being driven to extinction.
Just listening to a Derrick Jensen interview where he talks about environmentalists work as like putting bandages on a patient who is bleeding out from being stabbed by someone. He says it’s all good work, the problem is that while they’re bandaging the patient, the victim is still being stabbed. @ 17:10 in this 1 hour long radio interview http://prn.fm/nature-bats-last-05-19-15/
Economic viewpoint difference?
http://neweconomicperspectives.org/2015/06/the-imf-defense-of-it-actions-against-the-greeks-is-an-unintended-confession.html
and
http://ineteconomics.org/ideas-papers/blog/greece-has-made-tough-choices-now-its-the-imfs-turn by James K. Galbraith
and
http://ineteconomics.org/ideas-papers/blog/bankers-think-they-have-an-ethical-duty-to-steal-from-taxpayers
and
http://ineteconomics.org/ideas-papers/blog/why-this-time-is-different-for-ukraine