I couldn’t find anything on last night’s meeting in the Herald this morning, despite going right to the bottom of the page. I guess it will be tucked away somewhere. Ironically, an article on Key’s performance in his interview with John Campbell, was still up, despite it being days old.
Yes, Campbell’s poll result 52666 votes, 89% against the Bill. Combined with another amazing pack public meeting…and virtually nothing in the NZ Herald.
If you mean the Hoskings who wrote this, then yeah, I’d really like to hear how that quiet chat goes . . .
“Government of laws and not of men” is not a left wing principle: it was most clearly enunciated by John Locke, whose writings on government in the late 17th Century form the basis of much classical liberal and conservative philosophy about private property rights – and what is personal privacy if not a private property right? – and small government.
Those who favour small government, and having the rights of officials to interfere in your lives and business kept under firm legal control, should be concerned about this legislation.
You might be irritated by the way a few prominent left wing journalists have seized upon this and used it as a soapbox.
You might be outraged at the shamelessness of opposition parties who rail against this particular extension of state power but who plan to extend that powers with every other announcement they make.
Put that irritation and outrage to one side for now. It will keep, believe me. There is a more important issue to deal with now.
Think on this: what will those politicians from the left wing parties like the Greens or Labour do with these powers when and if they attain office?
If you think they will do anything rather than use these powers to further bolster the size of the state in our lives, then I have an emissions trading scheme to sell you.
Hasn’t the Green Party said it will repeal the Act? How is this consistent with your spin?
I suspect that, especially given the information uncovered by Nicky Hager, any SIS/GCSB left employed under a Labour/Greens/Mana government would keep spying, but not as directed by the government. The information obtained, probably about the left, would go straight to Washington. The Greens and Mana know this and even some in Labour are waking up to it. The latest revelations have only driven the point home – as a sovereign nation we cannot afford to have intelligence services linked into UKUSA, Echelon, or whatever. If we need one, we’re going to have to rebuild from scratch.
The latest revelations have only driven the point home – as a sovereign nation we cannot afford to have intelligence services linked into UKUSA, Echelon, or whatever. If we need one, we’re going to have to rebuild from scratch.
Wonder why human rights abuses are becoming the norm here and our laws watered down. Take a look at what happening in the UK. Its time to sever ties with this country:
Human rights are legal fictions which are used in place of the natural rights of common law. There are very good reasons to sever state ties with the UK, but it isn’t something that can happen overnight because of the oaths of allegiance of NZ MPs and judges.
“Go Figure” Moment of the Day: on Firstline this morning…
“If Shearer was really serious about being Prime Minister he would have come and sorted this out because that’s what Helen Clark did with the then Leader of the Opposition.”
A bit of role reversal going on there I think.
In accordance with most historical mass movements, those opposed to GCSB might consuder adopting a simple symbol of opposition to wear as a badge etc.(e.g. HART badges, red poppy, etc)
I suggest the outline of a fish or snapper, in red. (J Key’s attempted red herring). Easy to make, easily recognisble.
Reminded again of the US comedian who said: ” You’re Prime Minister’s name is John Key? That’s what you ask for in America when you need to go to the bathroom in a service station !”
I therefore suggest a small drawing of a toilet because it is where he is leading us.
I wish as much concern for our nation’s families in need of assistance could be shown to match that of the search for the yacht Nina and its occupants. Apparently there are 41 satellites viewing this area of the world – I don’t know if that is the total or just from the west. Concerned people are scouring views from one private satellite (the USA refused access to its own citizens to view the government’s records) looking for signs of these precious people. Our NZ parents and their children are not so precious.
Perhaps we could have a report every day of one NZ family that had been needy and had received all the help wanted to improve their position and find themselves in a secure home, with transport, able to manage their parental duties, near to work, and with a holiday weekend provided and paid for and tutoring and sports equipment for the children, and further part-time education for the parents. Just to show that we and our government agencies are working to assist citizens to have opportunities to successfully make their way in life. To show we do not abandon our people when there are rough times and they are under stress from poverty and lack of job opportunities and low wages.
Agree Amirite. Hone added perspective which has always been visible but so often ignored. And “we” expect “them” to help “us” fight “our” battles. Much like the times when Maori and low boys were only any good if they won tests or the Ranfurly Shield. Those times are still with us in measure, as much as popular middle class canard denies it.
Hone has some powerful things to say that apply to Maori and pakeha as well. Good on him. You can’t just ask nicely, you’ll get the brush-off. Someone has to insist for fair treatment and an opportunity to live life, and not the vicious punitive government punch in the nose.
They have given away other people’s property (our trade barriers were part of our resources that protected us ensuring home-made could compete with imports – would the Dutch mine their polders,barriers against the sea, for a quick buck?) to ensure one section of society can trade without let or hindrance. Doh, they then make their own hindrance. And don’t have proper surveillance where it is needed, over their own processes and pipes. Can’t have pipes flowing with money into NZ and not have clean pipes going out.
You can’t just ask nicely, you’ll get the brush-off.
yep. look at the history of the abolition movement, the 40 hour week, womens suffrage, the right to form trade unions.
The Left has forgotten what it takes to make real changes. Its why the fuckwit Right Wingers go on about “having better manners” to lefties. Because they know about the power of taking concrete action on concrete issues.
Without doing that we will always get watered down policy wonkish positioning.
“our trade barriers were part of our resources that protected us ensuring home-made could compete with imports ”
Trade barriers are a major cost. They especially hurt the poor while transferring resources to the few. Capitalists become lobbyists and get rich behind tariffs (or worse import licenses). How can you support policies that transfer resources from consumers to producers to prop up inefficient local production? It is ridiculous. I thought this debate finished 20 years ago.
Trade barriers hurt the poor? Are you saying that competing with Chinese laborers pound for pound, who on average get paid as little as $6,500 NZD annually (Gansu province) is good for people on low incomes in New Zealand? It is clearly not more efficient to compete with economies that pay their workers peanuts, especially when none of those savings are transferred to consumers.
some trade barriers will be required in order to bring a degree of localisation back to the NZ economy, and to buffer us from external economic shocks.
Removal of barriers only works if each country has the exact same wages, exact same services (hospital, fire, telecoms, etc), exact same laws and protections and, most importantly, the exact same enforcement of those laws and protections. If they’re not the same then the price difference is incorrect which results in industry going to where it’s least efficient. Exactly as we’ve been seeing over the last few decades.
@Grey
I’ve often thought the same sort of thing after a large earthquake – the politicians, the media, councils et al – anxious to show their concern and understanding.
I guess killing them slowly (the beneficiaries, the indigent, etc) is acceptable these days.
What we need is to follow Thatcher’s way and decide to have a good war, it takes people’s minds off their chilblains after earthquakes destroy their housing and revitalises National Spirit.
Trouble is after the traditional expressions of concern, the government will want the affected people to wait for a few years till they get round to taking them seriously. I remember this approach being applied to an African famine fast approaching. The authorities were preparing and expected to be ready to mount humanitarian assistance within six months. But only six weeks food was left – the reporting journalist was in tears. /sarc
So they say that our GDP per capita is increasing.
But is it really? Are we as a nation of people more active and producing and doing more? My suspicion is no we are not. My suspicion is that the GDP numbers simply reflect an increase in the amount of money spinning around the economy. And where has that money come from? My suspicion is all of that extra money has come from debt lent into existence and printed by the banks.
It is a anti-spam “feature” from wordfence. It looks at how many page requests different types of organisms make per minute and throttles it if it exceeds a quantity (currently 4) in that minute, then you get that message.
What it is for is to stop someone trying to dump the whole or a large part of the whole site at once thereby making the site largely inaccessible for others. One or the other of the limits get hit multiple times every day. The bingbot is particularly obnoxious. But there is also someone from China reading successively through various authors comments last week. And we’ve had attempts to do simple page sweeps from inside NZ (and not just the National Library)
Bit of a bugger if you’re someone who just looks at the site every few days, opens anything that looks interesting in a new tab and settles down for a quick few minutes’ concentrated reading.
I was ready to blame it on Sticky Beak Key and his insatiable desire to read all my emails though. Might be an idea for something to do if the error page is customisable…
Whatever he’s doing, I wish he’d just bugger off, and take Goff, King, Shearer, Jones, and Hipkins with him. He is an irrelevance and an embarrassment. His major achievements have been to close schools and gag Cunliffe.
The home of the NeoLiberal revolution the U$. The Brave new world we have been copying courtesy of Roger the Dodger and his followers continues to show its true colours:
“Drastic growth in “extreme poverty” in US”
The 1% continue to crow on the pile’s top having cornered most of the wealth.
Well yes, Colonial Viper, it IS very bad if the Guardian had to destroy the Snowden material, but
why on earth – seeing they’re dealing with spooks, spies, and goodness knows what else – didn’t they keep a back-up copy or two (or more) on other sites? Surely when you’re dealing with such sensitive material you (the media concerned) would ensure safety of content by copying, and re-copying and taking the USBs elsewhere. Maybe they did do that ….. hope so, anyway.
but why on earth – seeing they’re dealing with spooks, spies, and goodness knows what else – didn’t they keep a back-up copy or two (or more) on other sites?
They did.
You seem to be missing the point, the UK government shouldn’t be able to demand that information that the media has be destroyed. Going the route that the UK has here it shows that the UK is well on the way to becoming an oppressive, totalitarian state.
The Guardian notes that the UK Govt was probably just making a point – that it can physically interfere with a newspaper publisher if it wants to.
The Chief Editor wrote an editorial – remarkably – outlining what happened. He said that Whitehall officials were told that copies of the data were held internationally and that Glenn Greenwald was writing and publishing from Brazil so wouldn’t even be affected by any UK injunction.
They ordered the smashing of the Guardian’s computer equipment anyway. One of the agents joked while witnessing the destruction that they could now call off the “black helicopters”.
What is it with New Zealanders and dogs? I reckon we are about the most uncivilised race on the planet when it comes to dogs. Can’t walk down the street without having to keep an eye out for dogshit bombs. Can’t go to places where dogs are either banned or required to be on a lead because so many owners ignore the rules (despite people with kids going to these places to avoid dogs). Can’t sleep in many urban locales because there will be some dog barking incessantly.
However, it annoys me that, walking places from my home, I sometimes come across a dog not on a lead (some times with, sometimes without an owner). It can make what should be a pleasurable, and environmentally-friendly way of getting place, unpleasant – because unleashed dogs scare me. The owners may think they are harmless, but how can I be sure of that?
Exactly Karol. Nobody can be certain about a dogs intentions, as the above linked article indicates (again). Imo it is unacceptable for dog owners to impose themselves on other people in this way. Similarly with the bombs left on the footpath – in our neighbourhood I would challenge anybody to walk around any block in the vicinity with eyes closed (!) and not end up with the stinking goopoop jammed into their shoes and then walked into the house. Gross.
Finally, I appreciate most owners are responsible but it seems from mine anecdote that the proportion of responsible owners in NZ is far lower than elsewhere.
at an absolute level yes – but you can tell an awful lot about how a dog might behave if you understand their thought process and non verbal cues. The signals are different for different breeds – but theres a lot of common ground and they are surprisingly easy to learn and the responses you can use are highly effective (most of the time)
while i agree there are some really shitty dog owners out there (hey, i live in west AK) they ARE a minority and it serves no one to take a position of it being an issue of dog owners imposing on everyone else.
The far more sensible and productive angle is to accept there are dogs and learn how to mitigate the possible outcomes for both yourself an others around you.
and i say this as someone who has had to drag their partner through the front door and slam a rotties head in said door to get it to detach from her leg.
i hate crap dog owners but i equally have little time for people who assume dogs think and react like humans. I see it as we all have responsibilities when it comes to dogs in society
(this is in no way a comment about the dog attack case in question, or an attack on yourself VTO – just my 10cents)
I’m sure you’re right framu, especially when it comes to reading a dog’s tell-tale signs.
Don’t know about this though “is to accept there are dogs and learn how to mitigate the possible outcomes” or this “we all have responsibilities when it comes to dogs in society”. That is imposing one person’s life choices on others and I don’t see why that is reasonable. I accept it is a reality but only in the same way that drunk drivers are a reality.
sheesh – most dogs you see in public are on no way compareable to the threat you face from drunk drivers – hyperbole much?
re: we all have responsibilities – think of it this way.
You see a dog in the street, you are responsible for how you react.
The dog owner cant be accountable for kids running up to a dog and trying to pat it, or people deliberatly jumping right next to the dog, leaping at it, teasing it or any other number of reactions that will lead to a pretty predictable result. They are accountable for their dogs reaction however
(though im a firm believer in accepting how others see your dog in public – if i had a muscular type dog it would wear a muzzle in public even if it was a softie)
Are we not imposing our selves on dog owners and dogs by behaving like this? Imposition and compromise is a two way street. You cant sit there and say “Well im not into dogs therefore all dog owners have to adjust themselves to suit me” That just leads into a dead end with each side saying its not their fault
Dogs exist – we should take the initiative and educate ourselves and our children on how to behave around and interact with them, otherwise someone gets bit, and the dog possibly gets put down
But surely if one was on the street minding their own business, it is not their responsibility to avoid a dog that is off a lead, any more than it is their responsibility to avoid being hit by a drunk driver.
true – im more talking about our general attitude than a specific scenario.
You are still the author of your reaction – if the dog is showing zero signs of threat and you ignore it its probably going to go on its way – if you leap about the place and act scared the dog is going to start showing interest – possibly unhealthy interest
If you look back at what im saying here we all have responsibilities – dog owner and general public.
I firmly favour knowing both your dog AND how others view your dog. If youve got a rottie its not the most socially harmonious thing to walk it off its lead regardless of its temperament.
An example of the approach the opposition needs to take to show the public precisely what Key’s doing in a way that everybody understands and that convinces people that Key is wrong:
I don’t really know and am not a lawyer but my guess is that if that’s what the contract says and if it’s all going to be covered in legislation anyway then it would be lawful. Even if this level of detail isn’t in the legislation I’d guess that a contract saying as much would be enough.
lprent if you’re around, what has happened to the small colourful square things that used to sit next to each posters name? Always found these extremely helpful in running through a thread – could decide whether to ignore or consider at a far faster pace. Now it takes longer to run down a thread and see what’s going on….
They should be there on both the desktop and mobile versions. But I’ve been trying out a late loader on the desktop version to conform to the mobile version. It loads the images via javascript after the rest of the text page has loaded.
Do you have javascript turned off? Is there are blank space for them? What are you running on?
Oh dear, just when Labour start to get a bit of traction Shearer stuffs it up, wonder why he didn’t want norman to know and what will norman think of that…
and heres the clip if anyone (including Cunliffe ;)) is interested:
National party undercover agent 26 – David Shearer has official blown his cover, arghhhh frustrating he’s done some great work but the jobs not quite done.
Don’t be stupid BM/chris73. The Minister in charge of the GCSB, John Key, is obliged under law to inform the leader of the opposition about any significant developments concerning the GCSB. The fact that Shearer had to approach Key shows that the Prime Minister is ignoring the rules.
Given that Key’s got past history of having to correct statements in the House about who initiated contact with whom, and is apparently incapable of remembering what he’s seen, been briefed on or signed, I’d frankly want his story to be corroborated by a host of angels and saints before considering the possibility that Key’s not outright lying.
The lesson is do not enter into confidential chats with John Key to improve cross-party cooperation, because he will twist it to make it appear like a betrayal. Dirty tricks indeed. Surprised? Na.
Whats funny is that if Key had said no as per the agreement and it came out later they did have meetings the left would have been all up in arms about brain fades and lying…
Of course Shearer could maybe not be so much of a fucking idiot in the first place
Shearer asked Key if he or any of his staff had contacted Labour as the Government worked to gain cross-party support for the proposed legislation.
Shearer insisted “who approached who” was important – he instigated the meeting and Key had his “facts round the wrong was”.
“This is the Government’s bill, the Government did not do anything to try and initiate a sit-down with other parties in order to get broader consensus across the House,” he said.
It’s National’s bill and they should have been the ones approaching other parties – they didn’t.
Are our CCO’s just duplicating effort?
At present, citizens and ratepayers who have a question about council issues or who want to report a problem have to choose between the Auckland Council service centre or one of the CCOs. Would you support integrating the CCO service centres into a single service centre?
Currently if you report a leaking drain, your call may be handled by Auckland Council, WaterCare or AucklandTransport depending on where the drain is.
If you want to ask a question under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act, you may have to ask Auckland Council AND Auckland Transport AND WaterCare. And they may all give you copies of the same information!
What would you do to overcome this waste of ratepayers’ money? waste of citizens’ time and duplication of effort?
Bruce
______________________________________________________________________________
20 August 2013
THE CONSIDERED OPINION OF AUCKLAND MAYORAL CANDIDATE PENNY BRIGHT, ON ‘CCOs’
To be blunt – I believe that the ‘Council Controlled Organisation’ (CCO) model has been the mechanism for the corrupt corporate takeover of the Auckland region.
This is the self-appointed, self-selected, ‘invitation-only’ private sector lobby group, which really runs the Auckland region.
Check for yourself, the links between Auckland Council and Auckland Council CCOs.
How many Auckland Council and Auckland Council CCO contracts are going to member companies of the Committee for Auckland? )
Unelected, appointed businesspeople now control core Council services.
I am, and have been for years, adamantly opposed to the CCO model, and have had considerable experience fighting the former Metrowater CCO model, in my capacity as Media Spokesperson for the Water Pressure Group.
CCOs must go.
Core Council services must be brought back under the direct democratic control of elected representatives.
The reality is that private sector businesspeople do NOT ‘transmogrify’ into competent ‘public servants’.
The LAW, systems, culture and habits from the private sector business world are not the same as those from the ‘public service’ / government world.
In fact, in my considered opinion, the neo-liberal ‘Rogernomics’ mantra that ‘public is bad – private is good’ – has been a global rort and fraud perpetrated upon the public.
At Auckland Council and CCO level, there are now thousands of consultants and contractors, with their private snouts in our public trough, making private profit out of public services which used to be provided ‘in-house’.
Have YOUR rates gone up or down since this Auckland ‘SUPERCITY’ was forced upon us?
If this ‘contracting-out / PRIVATISED’ model was genuinely more ‘efficient’ – wouldn’t rates be going DOWN – not UP?
As Mayor – I will have directly-attached to the Mayor’s office, not ‘spin-doctors’, but a small team of forensic investigators, who will OPEN THE BOOKS and make available for public scrutiny, the NAMES of the consultants/ contractors; the SCOPE / TERM and VALUE of these contracts.
Also, a ‘Quality Assurance’ expert in the public service area, who will help ensure proper ‘open, transparent and democratically-accountable’ systems are in place, to help ensure ‘prudent stewardship’ over our public monies, assets and resources.
(I have had a Quality Assurance background myself, so have some knowledge and experience in setting up systems THAT WORK.)
Also a ‘whistle-blower hotline’ direct to the Mayo\’s office, so that anonymous tipoffs from concerned staff/citizens, can help to expose corrupt conflicts of interest.
Unless a ‘cost-benefit’ analysis proves that the use of private ‘consultants/ contractors’ is a more ‘cost-effective’ use of ratepayer monies, then these services will be returned ‘in-house’.
‘Cutting out the private consultants /contractors\’ should help to free up some hundreds of millions of ratepayers public monies.
I believe that the public majority should benefit from our public monies, and this ‘corporate welfare’ must STOP.
David Shearer: Is the Prime Minister saying that the law society, the human rights commission, the privacy comissioner, Geoffry Palmer, and many others also don’t understand the law?
John Key: Mr Speaker, yes.
House: What an arrogant man, what an arrogant man.
These words from David Slack on Mora this afternoon in response to Mora asking whether the PM’s assurances affect his position on the GCSB bill:
“No (!). If I’m buying a used car I’m going to listen to the mechanic not the used car salesman.” – wherein Key is the used car salesman and Geoffrey Palmer is the mechanic. Beautiful !
What the hell has happened to this country ? Are we that dumb ? A country where seemingly all the mechanics can be roundly debunked by a wan “I disagree” from the used car salesman.
Certainly the Affable Tory Fool Mora was somewhat animated in asserting that the PM’s assurances cannot be spurious (as the other panelist mentioned) because there are those who trust those assurances. What ? Thought Mora was Mensa material ?
Lolz wans’t that a good laugh, and the TV news made the guffaws even bigger, i have often accused the current Prime minister of turning the Office of Prime Minister into little more than the rough shack to be found on any used car lot in this country,
Tonight Him and Bill confirmed that they are seeking the annual award for the top NZ used car salesman with a vengence announcing tonight a used car salesman pay a third now and a third later deal with the latest ransacking of New Zealand’s asset base,
Bill from Dipton, never to be found wanting for a word when things get really really stupid, when asked how much flicking the next load of power shares on tick would cost against the price gained from the share offer looked impressively akin to the village idiot when He told the media he wouldn’t have a clue…
Do we take it as read then, is the American NSA paying hard cash for the New Zealand GCSB’s ability to plug the US spy agency’s into the data stream of New Zealand citizens,
What a neat way for the GCSB to avoid all New Zealand laws currently being enacted in the Parliament, simply plug the NSA into the data stream and they in turn can report back any ‘threats’ to the current National Government,
Who’s going to know??? when the Prime Minister point blank refuses to confirm or deny the NSA payment question asked by Russell Norman in the House today who among us would now be willing to bet money that they are not paying the GCSB here to plug them directly into the data stream,
When the Prime Minister could not answer NO to Russell Norman’s question in the House today over US NSA payments to the GCSB the equivocation simply screamed YES…
i have to wonder if the payments made by the US spy agency NSA to foreign intelligence organizations includes GPS locations so as to give the Prez an easy target should He feel the need to launch a drone or two in the general direction should future events label ‘crticism’ as a definite terrorist threat…
I think the NSA has contributed/owned GCSB for many, many years .. as long as Waihopai has been open ( or is it closed?) and even Tangimoana before then. And I don’t think the prime ministers knew .. well, David Lange said he didn’t know until he read one of Nicky Hager’s books.
Actually, I have always wondered how the US powers-that-be had power over Helen Clark to not make this country GM free when the chance was there and the mood of the country was with her. Never made sense to me, and I have to keep wondering. How little have we known for how long ??
.. in interview, Mr Livingstone said plainly that MI5, Britain’s “national” branch of the intelligence services (MI6 is international), had covered up paedophile rings, so they could find blackmail evidence as leverage on politicians.
Why attack the consensus? In recent years, social scientists have started to put the pieces together. A study published in the journal Nature Climate Change in 2011, replicated by a 2013 study published in the journal Climatic Change, found that public perceptions about scientific agreement are linked to support for policy to mitigate climate change. When people think that scientists are still debating about what’s causing climate change, they’re less likely to support climate action.
The problem is that, for the last 20+ years, we’ve had a bunch of sociopaths/psychopaths attacking the consensus in the public domain and thus causing doubt in the public.
Anything that dose not suit your agenda annoyes you I think. From 08 or any other time. And then you stand upon your soap box and preach about democracy at the same time banning anyone who has a different point of view. Irony
[lprent: Off topic for the post. Moved to OpenMike. Read the policy.
I usually ban for silly behaviour. A good indicator would be to dump a off-topic comment into the top level comments of a post. You look like a good candidate. But who knows – now you have had your wee wank and spray like a miniature poodle, you may even have something to contribute. Stranger things have happened. ]
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Budget tensions are becoming evident within the Coalition Government. Winston Peters made numerous political points in his speech to the NZF annual conference. But the attack on his own government’s fiscal policies raised issues of substance. ‘Today in the Sunday Star Times, journalist and former advisor to the Labour ...
Buzz from the Beehive The media – sure enough – have been binging on Finance Minister Nicola Willis’ release of the Budget Policy Statement and a statement headed Government announces Budget priorities This assures us – or rather, this parrots the Luxon team mantra – that the Budget “will deliver ...
The Ides of March brought me COVID followed by a bereavement. No wonder they tell you to be careful of them.I’m home now and have resumed the interrupted recuperation. Very much looking forward to getting back to regular things. Meanwhile, some thoughts…OneThis new Prime Minister guy just keeps getting more dire. ...
News that the Chinese ATP 40 cyber-hacking unit penetrated parliamentary internet networks in 2021 has renewed concerns about the PRC’s malign intentions in Aotearoa. But is the hack that significant given the length of time that has passed since its … Continue reading → ...
When Parliament passed the Intelligence and security Act in 2017, they assured us all that it was full of safeguards. Any intrusive surveillance of New Zealanders would be subject to a "triple lock", requiring the approval of the Minister and (supposedly independent) Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants, as well as post-facto ...
Eric Crampton writes – Richard Harman’s Politik newsletter provides a bit of the context that ought to have been showing up in other media reports on potential reductions in public service staffing. Media has been reporting on staffing cuts on the order of about 7%. Is that ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – It’s becoming increasingly apparent that many perceive free speech to have become the preserve of the politically right wing, the religiously conservative, the libertarian fringe, the anti-trans, the anti-Māori and…. well, just fill in with whatever groups or individuals you don’t like and don’t ...
Don Brash writes – As everybody who is not blind and deaf is aware, there is a huge political preoccupation with climate change at the moment, a widespread (though by no means unanimous) belief that global temperatures are rising mainly as a result of the greenhouse gases created ...
TL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy on Wednesday, March 27 include:Chris Bishop laid out his vision for filling Aotearoa-NZ’s $100 billion infrastructure deficit in a speech yesterday, emphasising user pays and private funding, but failed to say how to achieve bipartisanship on population, public borrowing and ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Former Finance Minister Grant Robertson and former Prime Minister Chris Hipkins have been conveying how unhappy they are with the tax system. Last week in his valedictory speech, Robertson called for the introduction of a wealth or capital gains tax. And this week Hipkins ...
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 ...
Buzz from the Beehive China has loomed large in Beehive considerations over the past 24 hours, largely because of that country’s mischief-making in the cyber espionage department. Two media statements emerged on that subject hard on the heels of the PM baulking at questions put to him on RNZ’s Morning ...
Chris Trotter writes – WHY IS THE NATIONAL PARTY doing so much for landlords, property developers, trucking, and construction companies, and so little for everybody who isn’t already pretty well-off? It’s as if protecting landlords’ investments and building apartments and roads now constitute the whole of National’s ...
Bryce Edwards writes – When she was campaigning to be Minister of Finance last year, Nicola Willis pledged that she would resign from the job if she failed to deliver tax cuts in her first Budget. Now, it’s that pledge, along with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s ...
Robert MacCulloch writes – The Reserve Bank has doubled staff numbers in five years to 510, with personnel costs rising to $80 million in 2023 from $32 million in 2018 – up by a whopping 150%. I guess when you print $50 billion and flood markets with liquidity, ...
The furore. In case you didn’t notice there was a controversy in the weekend involving dolphins in a little town off the South Island. Don’t panic, they haven’t declared independence and resumed whaling, this was simply a sailing event.The problem began when racing was cancelled on the opening day of ...
For 20 years or more, the case for a meaningful capital tax gains has been mulled over and analysed to death, including by the tax working group chaired by Sir Michael Cullen. More than once, the International Monetary Fund has said a CGT would be a good idea for New ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: The Public Health Communications Centre (PHCC) call for urgent preventive action and a risk assessment survey of long covid in this briefing noteLocal scoop: NZ road deaths surpass OECD rates, so why is the govt reversing safety plans? ...
This story was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. This story is part of a collaboration with Grist and WABE to demystify the Georgia Public Service Commission, the small but powerful state-elected board that makes critical decisions about everything from raising ...
This is a guest post from Robert McLachlan Global warming is accelerating; 2023 was off the charts. We need to stop burning fossil fuels. In New Zealand, transport accounts for half of all fossil fuels burnt. In the Emissions Reduction Plan, transport emissions fall 41% by 2035. As the ...
Labour productivity has been receding rapidly over the past two years, reversing a post-lockdown rise. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy as at 6:26am on Tuesday, March 26 include:Workers have been treading water in output per hour worked for 12 years, ...
TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 2 include:Today, Parliament resumes sitting at 2pm for the second week of a two-week session. Officials for SIS and GCSB report their annual reviews in public to the Intelligence and Security Select Committee from 5.10pm.Tomorrow, ...
Faced with a barrage of criticism over the promised tax cuts from usually supportive commentators, Finance Minister Nicola Willis yesterday reaffirmed her intention to include them in this year’s Budget. The Government is up against it over the cuts just about every way it turns. Commentators like Fran O’Sullivan, Matthew ...
Here’s my pick of today’s substack posts as of 6:26pm on Monday, March 25: writes via his substack that Market-rate housing will make your city cheaper writes via his substack about the problems talking to double-cab ute (truck) drivers about their vehicles. today about moments of radicalisation in ...
Buzz from the Beehive Just before Christmas, Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivered something that was pitched as a mini-budget and brayed about the decisive action being taken to repair the Government books and support income tax relief in Budget 2024. In a statement headed Fiscal repair job underway. she introduced ...
My sister Belinda asked Dad yesterday what one word would describe Mum best. He said: vivacious.If you only knew her from the photos on the slideshow we've made for today,you might wonder about that, because the camera tended to lie with Mum.If ever she saw a camera pointed at her, she ...
There are two major public consultations closing in the next week, Auckland Council’s Long Term Plan (LTP), and the draft Government Policy Statement on Land Transport (GPS). Closing dates and times: LTP closes Thursday 28 February, at 11.59pm – a minute to midnight! GPS closes Tuesday 2 April, at 12pm noon – note that’s ...
From Kiwiblog’s David Farrar – Bryce Wilkinson writes: Senior Fellow Bryce Wilkinson’s analysis reveals that since March 2009, New Zealand has spent $158 billion more overseas than it has earned, but its NIIP has only fallen by $32 billion.Statistics New Zealand shows that receipts from overseas reinsurers have ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition? Brian Easton writes – The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could ...
Dear Nicola Willis,Right now you’ve probably got lots of competing demands coming at you. Ministers who’ve inherited quite a mess, or so you’ve told us, looking for money in the budget to improve things. I imagine that’s why they came to parliament - to make things better.You’ll have to make ...
The Local Government, Transport and Auckland Minister hasthreatened councils with intervention if they don’t merge water assets to take them off balance sheet, just as the now-repealed Three Waters plan directed. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things of note this morning for Monday, March 25 include:Simeon ...
A listing of 36 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 17, 2024 thru Sat, March 23, 2024. Story of the week Thanks to John Mason having the stamina to sit down to watch "Climate - the Movie" ...
This morning the Q&A programme had Simeon Brown on to talk about National’s replacement for Three Waters. In case anyone’s forgotten the three are - drinking water, waste water, and sewerage. It’s quite important not to get them mixed up. In much the same way that you wouldn’t want to ...
Today’s newsletter comes with a mini-podcast conversation between me and my buddy Liv Tennet, talking about her time as a child actor in Lord of the Rings. It’s a conversation with a lot of giggles as she talks about falling off a horse, and becoming a meme. Read ...
The Desmog Climate Disinformation Database documents, "individuals and organisations that have helped to delay and distract the public and our elected leaders from taking needed action to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and fight global warming." It's a who's who of the organised climate change denial movement, in other words. In ...
Bob Edlin writes – A High Court judge has decided miscreants who have mana – or who claim to have mana – should be treated differently from miscreants who have none. It’s a ruling that suggests indigenous law-breakers have a better chance of securing a discharge without conviction ...
Welcome to the first, and possibly last, edition of Brickbats, Bouquets and Bull’s Wool. In which I’ll take a look at the events of the last week or so, and rate them.In such ratings the numbers usually have more to do with the opinions of the reviewer, than the actual ...
Roger Partridge writes – My earlier column this month, New Zealand’s highest court could be facing a turning point, prompted a flood of feedback from business readers and lawyers alike. A common query was what Parliament can do to restrain an overreaching judiciary. This week I discuss two steps Parliament ...
TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.16pm on Friday, March 22: writes about New Zealand's Building Boom—And What the World Must Learn From It over at his substack. challenges the Auckland Council’s use of a 3.8 degrees of warming forecast to oppose a wave-park and data centre project ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition?The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could deliver her promised income tax cuts. Appointed minister, she ...
Buzz from the Beehive Ministers of the Crown have drawn attention to one sector of the science sector which is unlikely to be subjected to heavy spending cuts, a state-funded broadcaster which is doing nicely, thank you, and a sporting event that had $5.4 million from the public purse puffed ...
Abbott’s Freestyle Libre sensors allow continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). The sensor is applied to the back of the patient’s arm, with a thin filament under the skin measuring glucose levels constantly. But it costs around $100 per sensor and must be replaced once every 14 days. Photo by BSIP/Universal Images ...
The Inspector General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) recently released a report in which he exposes the existence of a foreign intelligence partner-controlled technological “capability” inside the headquarters of the GCSB, NZ’s 5 Eyes-affiliated signals intelligence collection and analysis agency. … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – Nearly three decades after the introduction of MMP and multiparty governments there should be a greater level of understanding about their finer points than often appears to be the case. The reaction to the despicable outburst from the Deputy Prime Minister at the weekend highlights ...
The sweet kisses from fruit of summerHave slowly been turning dullerYou say, "those times"And "remember the daysWhen we went outside and there still was the shade?"Taking no reason into play…Autumn. Clear, blue days shortening to longer nights, growing colder. Aotearoa.That’s us. The temperature dropping, the looming car crash - so ...
Bryce Edwards writes – “It is often said that behind every great man is a great woman”. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their “Ladies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxon”. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April ...
David Farrar writes – The Electoral Commission has published the expense returns for political parties for the 2023 election. I’ve put them in a table with how many votes a party got so we can see the spend per vote. National only spent $3.34 for every vote they got, almost ...
Winston Peters’ headline-making actions over the past week may have been a show of political power intended to strengthen his hand in Budget negotiations. It was no accident that his State of the Nation speech was as it was. He made it as New Zealand First Leader, not as Deputy ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:Former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson bowed out of politics this week, giving a series of exit ...
Graham Adams writes — If you love the law or sausages, as the saying goes, best not to look too closely at how they are made. And after watching the orgy of self-pity when Newshub’s closure was announced on February 28, television journalism should definitely be added to the list of those ...
Venerable New Zealand political commentator, Chris Trotter (https://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/), is a sad creature these days. Once one of the most reliable Leftist writers out there – Economic Left at that – Trotter seems to have absorbed the worldview of Auckland culture-war obsessives. It is not for me to categorise what he ...
The Coalition Government’s plan to ‘get Auckland moving’ is a cuts cover-up that will ultimately cost Aucklanders more to move around the city, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Slashing the Ministry of Pacific Peoples by 40% will have a devastating impact on pacific communities and further highlights how little this government cares about anything other than cutting taxes for the wealthiest few. ...
Labour has proposed an urgent inquiry to investigate the ever-increasing profits of supermarkets, aiming to lower costs for shoppers and food producers alike, says Labour Spokesperson for Commerce and Consumer Affairs Arena Williams and Primary Production Spokesperson Cushla Tangaere-Manuel. ...
With 14% of jobs on the line at the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, the responsible Minister Melissa Lee is failing to stand up for the very communities she’s meant to be representing. ...
COURT OF APPEAL: TRIFECTA OF VICTORY FOR NZ FIRST, TRIFECTA OF FAILURE FOR OPPONENTS For the third time since April 2020, New Zealand First has defeated the Serious Fraud Office and all those complicit in a malicious attack against a political party going about its lawful business in a lawful ...
The Green Party stands with people who live in public housing, people in dire housing need, experts and advocates in demanding better than the Government’s archaic approach to housing those who need our support the most. ...
New Zealand has recently lost the hosting rights of some major international sporting events including the America’s Cup, the Rugby Championship, Netball World Cup, and the Wellington Sevens. We are now at a huge risk of losing SailGP as well. And it won’t stop there. The recent issues with SailGP ...
A Member’s Bill drawn this week would modernise insurance law and make things fairer and more transparent for consumers, Christchurch Central MP Duncan Webb said. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues has confirmed she was aware of funding issues in mid-December and did nothing to stop it. On 14 March, she signed off on changes that were announced and implemented on 18 March without any consultation with disability communities. ...
Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter says her members' bill is an opportunity for the coalition government to plug the gap in electric vehicle incentives. ...
The National Government continues to talk about irresponsible tax cuts that will only drive up inflation, despite the country entering a technical recession. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues must act urgently to reinstate flexibility around the funding for disability support and apologise to disabled carers. ...
This story has been initiated by a leftie shill reporter who proactively sought to call a member of a former band, which disbanded twelve years ago, give their biased appraisal of what was said in my speech, and concocted a ham-fisted attempt at a story that does nothing but show ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Many in the mainstream media have taken what was said in New Zealand First’s State of the Nation Speech in Palmerston North on Sunday and deliberately, deceitfully, and ignorantly misrepresented what I said and why I said it. The headlines and commentary on the news stated that I compared ‘co-governance ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
Good afternoon. Thank you for, in your very busy lives, turning up to this meeting today. On October 14th last year New Zealanders overwhelmingly voted for change. That is exactly what this new government is bringing. New Zealand First campaigned to ‘take back our country’ and stop the disastrous economic ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April. “It was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates. Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend. “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” Mr Peters says. Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. “Road safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track. “Dam safety regulations ...
The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the government’s finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Government’s Budget objectives. “The coalition Government intends ...
The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says. “The Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says. “These changes are long overdue – the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009. ...
The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Education’s School Property Function. The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There is a clear need ...
State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Today I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” Minister Responsible for ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. “We’re sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union. “I am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says. “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “Comprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. “I would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
Good morning, it’s great to be here. First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning. I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
Before moving onto the substance of today’s address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and I’m sorry I can’t be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the Whangārei site where the facility will be constructed. “Northland has faced a number ...
New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata Māori 20 years ago, says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisation’s 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
COMMENTARY:By Ronny Kareni Since the atrocious footage of the suffering of an indigenous Papuan man reverberates in the heart of Puncak by the brute force of Indonesia’s army in early February, shocking tactics deployed by those in power to silence critics has been unfolding. Nowhere is this more evident ...
Analysis - Nicola Willis is holding firm on tax cuts despite the economic outlook being worse than forecast and critics urging her to wait, writes Peter Wilson for The Week In Politics. ...
Opposition MPs and unions are criticising a proposal by New Zealand’s Ministry of Pacific Peoples to cut staff by 40 percent. The country’s largest trade union — The Public Service Association — says the ministry has informed staff that it is looking to shed 63 of 156 positions. Opposition MPs ...
A poem by Poetry Aotearoa Yearbook 2024 featured poet Carin Smeaton. Daughtr of the 90s when she gets promoted to usherette a baby blu eel carries her all the way up to mothership she’s hovering high she lets the underaged in to see keanu reeves she lets the only lonely ...
Analysis by Keith Rankin. Keith Rankin, trained as an economic historian, is a retired lecturer in Economics and Statistics. He lives in Auckland, New Zealand. My earlier article – Can ‘Good’ be the Greater Evil? – looked at the issue of how wars should end, and how Good versus Evil ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 AMMA by Saraid de Silva (Moa Press, $38)A stunning debut novel reviewed by Brannavan ...
From Steve Martin to Ricky Stanicky, a pick’n’mix of things worth watching and listening to this long weekend. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. If you’re at a loss for something to occupy yourself with this Easter, don’t panic: The Spinoff’s got ...
Jesus had dinner with his 12 disciples right before he died. Noted historian Madeleine Chapman finds out who really deserved to be there.First published in 2018 but let’s be honest, the subject is timeless. As you sit on your couch this Easter Sunday, eating a chocolate egg you know ...
The newly-promoted Northern League club is on a mission to return to the National League for the first time in two decades. Plenty about domestic football in New Zealand has changed in that time – but the sense that this amateur competition is not an entirely level playing field remains. ...
Comment: Every year on February 2, a dozen men in tuxedos and top hats approach the burrow of a groundhog in Gobbler’s Knob, Pennsylvania and entice the beaver-like rodent to emerge and predict the weather. If the groundhog, named Punxsutawney Phil, sees its own shadow when it is summoned, legend ...
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Roy Morgan.
National down 7
Labour up 5
Greens up 4.
Guess the corporate media won’t mention it then.
http://www.roymorgan.com/morganpoll/new-zealand/voting-intention-summary
I couldn’t find anything on last night’s meeting in the Herald this morning, despite going right to the bottom of the page. I guess it will be tucked away somewhere. Ironically, an article on Key’s performance in his interview with John Campbell, was still up, despite it being days old.
sigh.
Yes, Campbell’s poll result 52666 votes, 89% against the Bill. Combined with another amazing pack public meeting…and virtually nothing in the NZ Herald.
However number 1 item on RNZ 7am News.
Will RNZ get a live interview from the government on the issue?
Or will JK have a quiet chat with his mate Hoskings on ZB
If you mean the Hoskings who wrote this, then yeah, I’d really like to hear how that quiet chat goes . . .
“Government of laws and not of men” is not a left wing principle: it was most clearly enunciated by John Locke, whose writings on government in the late 17th Century form the basis of much classical liberal and conservative philosophy about private property rights – and what is personal privacy if not a private property right? – and small government.
Those who favour small government, and having the rights of officials to interfere in your lives and business kept under firm legal control, should be concerned about this legislation.
You might be irritated by the way a few prominent left wing journalists have seized upon this and used it as a soapbox.
You might be outraged at the shamelessness of opposition parties who rail against this particular extension of state power but who plan to extend that powers with every other announcement they make.
Put that irritation and outrage to one side for now. It will keep, believe me. There is a more important issue to deal with now.
Think on this: what will those politicians from the left wing parties like the Greens or Labour do with these powers when and if they attain office?
If you think they will do anything rather than use these powers to further bolster the size of the state in our lives, then I have an emissions trading scheme to sell you.
http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/gcsb-bill-why-small-govt-conservatives-should-be-worried-rh-p-144493
Hasn’t the Green Party said it will repeal the Act? How is this consistent with your spin?
I suspect that, especially given the information uncovered by Nicky Hager, any SIS/GCSB left employed under a Labour/Greens/Mana government would keep spying, but not as directed by the government. The information obtained, probably about the left, would go straight to Washington. The Greens and Mana know this and even some in Labour are waking up to it. The latest revelations have only driven the point home – as a sovereign nation we cannot afford to have intelligence services linked into UKUSA, Echelon, or whatever. If we need one, we’re going to have to rebuild from scratch.
QFT
repealing the Bill isn’t any good as the original Act is more full of holes than Swiss cheese.
The NZ Herald’s online heading
Rugby’s $64m injury bill
The ACC forked out nearly $64 million for rugby injuries in the past year – with almost 70,000 active claims for players at all levels.E
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11111163
Bread and circuses.
Who is the editor of the Herald?
On mobile site this is the fourth article from top – http://m.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11111156 – a piece designed to make Key look reasonable about spying.
Jesus, Herald, you think you’re not ready being watched?
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11111048
It’s in the ‘Most popular’ sidebar on the website, currenty number two. No sign of snapper.
A lawyer, and atheist, and the ugly truth about NZ’s corrupt judicial system:
http://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2013/08/marriage_day.html/comment-page-1#comment-1189287
Wonder why human rights abuses are becoming the norm here and our laws watered down. Take a look at what happening in the UK. Its time to sever ties with this country:
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/aug/19/david-miranda-interview-detention-heathrow
Human rights are legal fictions which are used in place of the natural rights of common law. There are very good reasons to sever state ties with the UK, but it isn’t something that can happen overnight because of the oaths of allegiance of NZ MPs and judges.
“Go Figure” Moment of the Day: on Firstline this morning…
“If Shearer was really serious about being Prime Minister he would have come and sorted this out because that’s what Helen Clark did with the then Leader of the Opposition.”
A bit of role reversal going on there I think.
In accordance with most historical mass movements, those opposed to GCSB might consuder adopting a simple symbol of opposition to wear as a badge etc.(e.g. HART badges, red poppy, etc)
I suggest the outline of a fish or snapper, in red. (J Key’s attempted red herring). Easy to make, easily recognisble.
i like the idea of a symbol/badge to show support but not a fish!
Have you never heard of christianity ?
https://www.google.co.nz/search?q=fish+christian+symbol&client=firefox-a&hs=1sE&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=fJ0SUs_kOqTxiAe1qYHYBQ&ved=0CEAQsAQ&biw=980&bih=757>
Surely a satellite silhouette would be more apt
https://www.google.co.nz/search?q=satellite+dish+silhouette&client=firefox-a&hs=88t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=ZZwSUpOZEIaOiAep2YHIDA&ved=0CDQQsAQ&biw=982&bih=761
(excuse the long links, a nice tidy clean link kept getting screwed up)
p.s to mods: why am I still in moderation, two days now, what have i written of late to warrant such interest?
Reminded again of the US comedian who said: ” You’re Prime Minister’s name is John Key? That’s what you ask for in America when you need to go to the bathroom in a service station !”
I therefore suggest a small drawing of a toilet because it is where he is leading us.
Perhaps it is your name being so treacherous in these times and all that.
🙂 had crossed my mind that perhaps the inner machinations of askimet or whatever it is has done exactly that
and yes even this comment is in moderation
I wish as much concern for our nation’s families in need of assistance could be shown to match that of the search for the yacht Nina and its occupants. Apparently there are 41 satellites viewing this area of the world – I don’t know if that is the total or just from the west. Concerned people are scouring views from one private satellite (the USA refused access to its own citizens to view the government’s records) looking for signs of these precious people. Our NZ parents and their children are not so precious.
Perhaps we could have a report every day of one NZ family that had been needy and had received all the help wanted to improve their position and find themselves in a secure home, with transport, able to manage their parental duties, near to work, and with a holiday weekend provided and paid for and tutoring and sports equipment for the children, and further part-time education for the parents. Just to show that we and our government agencies are working to assist citizens to have opportunities to successfully make their way in life. To show we do not abandon our people when there are rough times and they are under stress from poverty and lack of job opportunities and low wages.
“..I wish as much concern for our nation’s families in need of assistance could be shown ..”
you could maybe go and watch hones’ speech to the ak town hall meeting..
..he deviated from the script..reminding the mainly white/middle-class audience..
..that minorities/the poor/beneficiaries..are already living in/under a surveillance state..
..with petty/minor officials bullying/combing thru/prodding into/ruling over the minuitae/privacies of their lives..
..(a loan required to buy tampons..?..as they are deemed a ‘luxury’..?..by work and income..?..f.f.s..!..)
..as part of their everyday work..
..hone also pointed out the truism that likely a lot of the audience present nodded along in agreement with the idea of ‘benefit-reform’..
..and called on that audience to attend to these injustices as vigorously as they oppose this spooking-legislation..
phillip ure..
Best speech of the night, and not staged at all. I have more and more respect for the guy.
Agree Amirite. Hone added perspective which has always been visible but so often ignored. And “we” expect “them” to help “us” fight “our” battles. Much like the times when Maori and low boys were only any good if they won tests or the Ranfurly Shield. Those times are still with us in measure, as much as popular middle class canard denies it.
Hone has some powerful things to say that apply to Maori and pakeha as well. Good on him. You can’t just ask nicely, you’ll get the brush-off. Someone has to insist for fair treatment and an opportunity to live life, and not the vicious punitive government punch in the nose.
They have given away other people’s property (our trade barriers were part of our resources that protected us ensuring home-made could compete with imports – would the Dutch mine their polders,barriers against the sea, for a quick buck?) to ensure one section of society can trade without let or hindrance. Doh, they then make their own hindrance. And don’t have proper surveillance where it is needed, over their own processes and pipes. Can’t have pipes flowing with money into NZ and not have clean pipes going out.
yep. look at the history of the abolition movement, the 40 hour week, womens suffrage, the right to form trade unions.
The Left has forgotten what it takes to make real changes. Its why the fuckwit Right Wingers go on about “having better manners” to lefties. Because they know about the power of taking concrete action on concrete issues.
Without doing that we will always get watered down policy wonkish positioning.
“our trade barriers were part of our resources that protected us ensuring home-made could compete with imports ”
Trade barriers are a major cost. They especially hurt the poor while transferring resources to the few. Capitalists become lobbyists and get rich behind tariffs (or worse import licenses). How can you support policies that transfer resources from consumers to producers to prop up inefficient local production? It is ridiculous. I thought this debate finished 20 years ago.
Trade barriers hurt the poor? Are you saying that competing with Chinese laborers pound for pound, who on average get paid as little as $6,500 NZD annually (Gansu province) is good for people on low incomes in New Zealand? It is clearly not more efficient to compete with economies that pay their workers peanuts, especially when none of those savings are transferred to consumers.
some trade barriers will be required in order to bring a degree of localisation back to the NZ economy, and to buffer us from external economic shocks.
Removal of barriers only works if each country has the exact same wages, exact same services (hospital, fire, telecoms, etc), exact same laws and protections and, most importantly, the exact same enforcement of those laws and protections. If they’re not the same then the price difference is incorrect which results in industry going to where it’s least efficient. Exactly as we’ve been seeing over the last few decades.
When we had trade barriers, Fairylands, we did not really have any poor!
We did not have workers paid less than it cost to live. Funny that!
What a strange idea. Debates never finish.
@Grey
I’ve often thought the same sort of thing after a large earthquake – the politicians, the media, councils et al – anxious to show their concern and understanding.
I guess killing them slowly (the beneficiaries, the indigent, etc) is acceptable these days.
What we need is to follow Thatcher’s way and decide to have a good war, it takes people’s minds off their chilblains after earthquakes destroy their housing and revitalises National Spirit.
Trouble is after the traditional expressions of concern, the government will want the affected people to wait for a few years till they get round to taking them seriously. I remember this approach being applied to an African famine fast approaching. The authorities were preparing and expected to be ready to mount humanitarian assistance within six months. But only six weeks food was left – the reporting journalist was in tears. /sarc
So they say that our GDP per capita is increasing.
But is it really? Are we as a nation of people more active and producing and doing more? My suspicion is no we are not. My suspicion is that the GDP numbers simply reflect an increase in the amount of money spinning around the economy. And where has that money come from? My suspicion is all of that extra money has come from debt lent into existence and printed by the banks.
So, same level of activity just with more debt.
If so, that is good how?
Slashdot covering last night’s GCSB meeting:
http://yro.slashdot.org/story/13/08/19/1550240/protests-mount-in-new-zealand-against-new-surveillance-laws
@Lynn – I like to open up several tabs at once and browse between them. I’ve been getting this message quite a bit lately.:
Is this a bug, or a feature?
Yeah I do the same and its been slowing down my Colonial Viper turbo boost!
It is a anti-spam “feature” from wordfence. It looks at how many page requests different types of organisms make per minute and throttles it if it exceeds a quantity (currently 4) in that minute, then you get that message.
What it is for is to stop someone trying to dump the whole or a large part of the whole site at once thereby making the site largely inaccessible for others. One or the other of the limits get hit multiple times every day. The bingbot is particularly obnoxious. But there is also someone from China reading successively through various authors comments last week. And we’ve had attempts to do simple page sweeps from inside NZ (and not just the National Library)
lprent, you have mail
Bit of a bugger if you’re someone who just looks at the site every few days, opens anything that looks interesting in a new tab and settles down for a quick few minutes’ concentrated reading.
I was ready to blame it on Sticky Beak Key and his insatiable desire to read all my emails though. Might be an idea for something to do if the error page is customisable…
I’ve widened it out from 4 pages per minute to 10 pages per minute. That should reduce the problem.
A lot of new traffic today coming in via google. They’re reading the GCSB posts. I guess that Snapper isn’t as interesting as John Key thinks?
Thank you for the change 🙂
Ta for fixing it.
Slippery finally tells a truth:
“If I wholesale blatantly flout the law as Prime Minister I’m never going to survive anyway.”
Audrey Young
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11111384
Sixty years later and although they may have moved on from fomenting coups and calling them silly names they’re still at it. John Phillip Shah Key…?.
http://edition.cnn.com/2013/08/19/politics/cia-iran-1953-coup/index.html
Is Trevor Mallard shit stirring? Is there a self proclaimed A and B Labour team? WTF is he on about?
Trevor Mallard @TrevorMallard 3m
Labour “B team” #fairnessatwork pic.twitter.com/QwJw0IrrDo
Whatever he’s doing, I wish he’d just bugger off, and take Goff, King, Shearer, Jones, and Hipkins with him. He is an irrelevance and an embarrassment. His major achievements have been to close schools and gag Cunliffe.
Great campaign management in 2011 as well
The home of the NeoLiberal revolution the U$. The Brave new world we have been copying courtesy of Roger the Dodger and his followers continues to show its true colours:
“Drastic growth in “extreme poverty” in US”
The 1% continue to crow on the pile’s top having cornered most of the wealth.
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2013/08/19/extr-a19.html
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-08-05/40-us-workers-now-earn-less-1968-minimum-wage
Guardian says Britain forced it to destroy Snowden material
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/08/20/us-usa-security-snowden-guardian-idUSBRE97I10E20130820
This is very very bad.
Well yes, Colonial Viper, it IS very bad if the Guardian had to destroy the Snowden material, but
why on earth – seeing they’re dealing with spooks, spies, and goodness knows what else – didn’t they keep a back-up copy or two (or more) on other sites? Surely when you’re dealing with such sensitive material you (the media concerned) would ensure safety of content by copying, and re-copying and taking the USBs elsewhere. Maybe they did do that ….. hope so, anyway.
They did.
You seem to be missing the point, the UK government shouldn’t be able to demand that information that the media has be destroyed. Going the route that the UK has here it shows that the UK is well on the way to becoming an oppressive, totalitarian state.
The Guardian notes that the UK Govt was probably just making a point – that it can physically interfere with a newspaper publisher if it wants to.
The Chief Editor wrote an editorial – remarkably – outlining what happened. He said that Whitehall officials were told that copies of the data were held internationally and that Glenn Greenwald was writing and publishing from Brazil so wouldn’t even be affected by any UK injunction.
They ordered the smashing of the Guardian’s computer equipment anyway. One of the agents joked while witnessing the destruction that they could now call off the “black helicopters”.
What is it with New Zealanders and dogs? I reckon we are about the most uncivilised race on the planet when it comes to dogs. Can’t walk down the street without having to keep an eye out for dogshit bombs. Can’t go to places where dogs are either banned or required to be on a lead because so many owners ignore the rules (despite people with kids going to these places to avoid dogs). Can’t sleep in many urban locales because there will be some dog barking incessantly.
Then you get this sort of thing.. http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/9064361/Rottweilers-had-attacked-a-child-before
New Zealand dog owners are irresponsible shitheads to an extent greater than pretty much every other place ever visited. They need to sharpen up.
Grump growl snarl
Most dog owners are responsible.
However, it annoys me that, walking places from my home, I sometimes come across a dog not on a lead (some times with, sometimes without an owner). It can make what should be a pleasurable, and environmentally-friendly way of getting place, unpleasant – because unleashed dogs scare me. The owners may think they are harmless, but how can I be sure of that?
Exactly Karol. Nobody can be certain about a dogs intentions, as the above linked article indicates (again). Imo it is unacceptable for dog owners to impose themselves on other people in this way. Similarly with the bombs left on the footpath – in our neighbourhood I would challenge anybody to walk around any block in the vicinity with eyes closed (!) and not end up with the stinking goopoop jammed into their shoes and then walked into the house. Gross.
Finally, I appreciate most owners are responsible but it seems from mine anecdote that the proportion of responsible owners in NZ is far lower than elsewhere.
“Nobody can be certain about a dogs intentions”
at an absolute level yes – but you can tell an awful lot about how a dog might behave if you understand their thought process and non verbal cues. The signals are different for different breeds – but theres a lot of common ground and they are surprisingly easy to learn and the responses you can use are highly effective (most of the time)
while i agree there are some really shitty dog owners out there (hey, i live in west AK) they ARE a minority and it serves no one to take a position of it being an issue of dog owners imposing on everyone else.
The far more sensible and productive angle is to accept there are dogs and learn how to mitigate the possible outcomes for both yourself an others around you.
and i say this as someone who has had to drag their partner through the front door and slam a rotties head in said door to get it to detach from her leg.
i hate crap dog owners but i equally have little time for people who assume dogs think and react like humans. I see it as we all have responsibilities when it comes to dogs in society
(this is in no way a comment about the dog attack case in question, or an attack on yourself VTO – just my 10cents)
I’m sure you’re right framu, especially when it comes to reading a dog’s tell-tale signs.
Don’t know about this though “is to accept there are dogs and learn how to mitigate the possible outcomes” or this “we all have responsibilities when it comes to dogs in society”. That is imposing one person’s life choices on others and I don’t see why that is reasonable. I accept it is a reality but only in the same way that drunk drivers are a reality.
Gotta fly…. later ..
sheesh – most dogs you see in public are on no way compareable to the threat you face from drunk drivers – hyperbole much?
re: we all have responsibilities – think of it this way.
You see a dog in the street, you are responsible for how you react.
The dog owner cant be accountable for kids running up to a dog and trying to pat it, or people deliberatly jumping right next to the dog, leaping at it, teasing it or any other number of reactions that will lead to a pretty predictable result. They are accountable for their dogs reaction however
(though im a firm believer in accepting how others see your dog in public – if i had a muscular type dog it would wear a muzzle in public even if it was a softie)
Are we not imposing our selves on dog owners and dogs by behaving like this? Imposition and compromise is a two way street. You cant sit there and say “Well im not into dogs therefore all dog owners have to adjust themselves to suit me” That just leads into a dead end with each side saying its not their fault
Dogs exist – we should take the initiative and educate ourselves and our children on how to behave around and interact with them, otherwise someone gets bit, and the dog possibly gets put down
But surely if one was on the street minding their own business, it is not their responsibility to avoid a dog that is off a lead, any more than it is their responsibility to avoid being hit by a drunk driver.
true – im more talking about our general attitude than a specific scenario.
You are still the author of your reaction – if the dog is showing zero signs of threat and you ignore it its probably going to go on its way – if you leap about the place and act scared the dog is going to start showing interest – possibly unhealthy interest
If you look back at what im saying here we all have responsibilities – dog owner and general public.
I firmly favour knowing both your dog AND how others view your dog. If youve got a rottie its not the most socially harmonious thing to walk it off its lead regardless of its temperament.
“New Zealand dog owners are irresponsible shitheads to an extent greater than pretty much every other place ever visited.”
You should spend some time in Paris.
An example of the approach the opposition needs to take to show the public precisely what Key’s doing in a way that everybody understands and that convinces people that Key is wrong:
http://norightturn.blogspot.co.nz/2013/08/selling-it-on-credit.html
The opposition needs to focus properly on convincing the public, not its mates who already agree with them.
is that even legal? (selling shares on credit)
I don’t really know and am not a lawyer but my guess is that if that’s what the contract says and if it’s all going to be covered in legislation anyway then it would be lawful. Even if this level of detail isn’t in the legislation I’d guess that a contract saying as much would be enough.
The fact that something is in legislation does not make it lawful. The state is fundamentally corrupt in its representation of law:
http://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2013/08/police_assn_call_for_teina_pora_inquiry.html/comment-page-1#comment-1183508
lprent if you’re around, what has happened to the small colourful square things that used to sit next to each posters name? Always found these extremely helpful in running through a thread – could decide whether to ignore or consider at a far faster pace. Now it takes longer to run down a thread and see what’s going on….
They should be there on both the desktop and mobile versions. But I’ve been trying out a late loader on the desktop version to conform to the mobile version. It loads the images via javascript after the rest of the text page has loaded.
Do you have javascript turned off? Is there are blank space for them? What are you running on?
hmmmm, Q1 don’t know, Q2 no, Q3 don’t know. This is a problem when positive resistance to new technology is employed…..
Try it now. They should be back. I’ll have a look at the change in CPU load with those features off – affects the images.
Yep back now ta.
New RM poll: The relentless lying about spying has caught up with Johnny Sparkles.
http://www.roymorgan.com/findings/5113-new-zealand-voting-intention-august-2013-201308200137
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/9064246/Labours-spy-bill-changes-unwanted
Oh dear, just when Labour start to get a bit of traction Shearer stuffs it up, wonder why he didn’t want norman to know and what will norman think of that…
and heres the clip if anyone (including Cunliffe ;)) is interested:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=oawBdGJKRhk#at=513
What a disappointment
National party undercover agent 26 – David Shearer has official blown his cover, arghhhh frustrating he’s done some great work but the jobs not quite done.
Key will be gutted.
Don’t be stupid BM/chris73. The Minister in charge of the GCSB, John Key, is obliged under law to inform the leader of the opposition about any significant developments concerning the GCSB. The fact that Shearer had to approach Key shows that the Prime Minister is ignoring the rules.
Necessity has no law.
lol
Given that Key’s got past history of having to correct statements in the House about who initiated contact with whom, and is apparently incapable of remembering what he’s seen, been briefed on or signed, I’d frankly want his story to be corroborated by a host of angels and saints before considering the possibility that Key’s not outright lying.
Considering how many times John Key has been lying over the years, I’d say that everything he said there was complete and utter BS.
The lesson is do not enter into confidential chats with John Key to improve cross-party cooperation, because he will twist it to make it appear like a betrayal. Dirty tricks indeed. Surprised? Na.
Seriously?
Shearer asked Key twice, the first time Key gave Shearer the opportunity to change his mind or alter the question.
But alas David Shearer the dumbest mofo ever blindly blundered on and darwined himself.
Whats funny is that if Key had said no as per the agreement and it came out later they did have meetings the left would have been all up in arms about brain fades and lying…
Of course Shearer could maybe not be so much of a fucking idiot in the first place
You’re obviously incapable of reading:
It’s National’s bill and they should have been the ones approaching other parties – they didn’t.
Addendum
FYI – arguably the most pivotal question in the Auckland Council Mayoral election?
AUCKLAND COUNCIL ELECTION: Question asked on http://vote.co.nz/dashboard/answer/2424
Are our CCO’s just duplicating effort?
At present, citizens and ratepayers who have a question about council issues or who want to report a problem have to choose between the Auckland Council service centre or one of the CCOs. Would you support integrating the CCO service centres into a single service centre?
Currently if you report a leaking drain, your call may be handled by Auckland Council, WaterCare or AucklandTransport depending on where the drain is.
If you want to ask a question under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act, you may have to ask Auckland Council AND Auckland Transport AND WaterCare. And they may all give you copies of the same information!
What would you do to overcome this waste of ratepayers’ money? waste of citizens’ time and duplication of effort?
Bruce
______________________________________________________________________________
20 August 2013
THE CONSIDERED OPINION OF AUCKLAND MAYORAL CANDIDATE PENNY BRIGHT, ON ‘CCOs’
To be blunt – I believe that the ‘Council Controlled Organisation’ (CCO) model has been the mechanism for the corrupt corporate takeover of the Auckland region.
(If you want evidence of corrupt ‘conflicts of interest’ – check out for yourself http://www.committeeforauckland.co.nz/membership/member-organisations
This is the self-appointed, self-selected, ‘invitation-only’ private sector lobby group, which really runs the Auckland region.
Check for yourself, the links between Auckland Council and Auckland Council CCOs.
How many Auckland Council and Auckland Council CCO contracts are going to member companies of the Committee for Auckland? )
Unelected, appointed businesspeople now control core Council services.
I am, and have been for years, adamantly opposed to the CCO model, and have had considerable experience fighting the former Metrowater CCO model, in my capacity as Media Spokesperson for the Water Pressure Group.
CCOs must go.
Core Council services must be brought back under the direct democratic control of elected representatives.
The reality is that private sector businesspeople do NOT ‘transmogrify’ into competent ‘public servants’.
The LAW, systems, culture and habits from the private sector business world are not the same as those from the ‘public service’ / government world.
In fact, in my considered opinion, the neo-liberal ‘Rogernomics’ mantra that ‘public is bad – private is good’ – has been a global rort and fraud perpetrated upon the public.
At Auckland Council and CCO level, there are now thousands of consultants and contractors, with their private snouts in our public trough, making private profit out of public services which used to be provided ‘in-house’.
Have YOUR rates gone up or down since this Auckland ‘SUPERCITY’ was forced upon us?
If this ‘contracting-out / PRIVATISED’ model was genuinely more ‘efficient’ – wouldn’t rates be going DOWN – not UP?
As Mayor – I will have directly-attached to the Mayor’s office, not ‘spin-doctors’, but a small team of forensic investigators, who will OPEN THE BOOKS and make available for public scrutiny, the NAMES of the consultants/ contractors; the SCOPE / TERM and VALUE of these contracts.
Also, a ‘Quality Assurance’ expert in the public service area, who will help ensure proper ‘open, transparent and democratically-accountable’ systems are in place, to help ensure ‘prudent stewardship’ over our public monies, assets and resources.
(I have had a Quality Assurance background myself, so have some knowledge and experience in setting up systems THAT WORK.)
Also a ‘whistle-blower hotline’ direct to the Mayo\’s office, so that anonymous tipoffs from concerned staff/citizens, can help to expose corrupt conflicts of interest.
Unless a ‘cost-benefit’ analysis proves that the use of private ‘consultants/ contractors’ is a more ‘cost-effective’ use of ratepayer monies, then these services will be returned ‘in-house’.
‘Cutting out the private consultants /contractors\’ should help to free up some hundreds of millions of ratepayers public monies.
I believe that the public majority should benefit from our public monies, and this ‘corporate welfare’ must STOP.
(For more information check out http://www.pennybright4mayor.org.nz http://www.stopthesupercity.org.nz http://www.occupyaucklandvsaucklandcouncilappeal.org.nz )
Kind regards,
Penny Bright
‘Her Warship’
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11111531
………….nuf said !
David Shearer: Is the Prime Minister saying that the law society, the human rights commission, the privacy comissioner, Geoffry Palmer, and many others also don’t understand the law?
John Key: Mr Speaker, yes.
House: What an arrogant man, what an arrogant man.
These words from David Slack on Mora this afternoon in response to Mora asking whether the PM’s assurances affect his position on the GCSB bill:
“No (!). If I’m buying a used car I’m going to listen to the mechanic not the used car salesman.” – wherein Key is the used car salesman and Geoffrey Palmer is the mechanic. Beautiful !
What the hell has happened to this country ? Are we that dumb ? A country where seemingly all the mechanics can be roundly debunked by a wan “I disagree” from the used car salesman.
Certainly the Affable Tory Fool Mora was somewhat animated in asserting that the PM’s assurances cannot be spurious (as the other panelist mentioned) because there are those who trust those assurances. What ? Thought Mora was Mensa material ?
Lolz wans’t that a good laugh, and the TV news made the guffaws even bigger, i have often accused the current Prime minister of turning the Office of Prime Minister into little more than the rough shack to be found on any used car lot in this country,
Tonight Him and Bill confirmed that they are seeking the annual award for the top NZ used car salesman with a vengence announcing tonight a used car salesman pay a third now and a third later deal with the latest ransacking of New Zealand’s asset base,
Bill from Dipton, never to be found wanting for a word when things get really really stupid, when asked how much flicking the next load of power shares on tick would cost against the price gained from the share offer looked impressively akin to the village idiot when He told the media he wouldn’t have a clue…
Do we take it as read then, is the American NSA paying hard cash for the New Zealand GCSB’s ability to plug the US spy agency’s into the data stream of New Zealand citizens,
What a neat way for the GCSB to avoid all New Zealand laws currently being enacted in the Parliament, simply plug the NSA into the data stream and they in turn can report back any ‘threats’ to the current National Government,
Who’s going to know??? when the Prime Minister point blank refuses to confirm or deny the NSA payment question asked by Russell Norman in the House today who among us would now be willing to bet money that they are not paying the GCSB here to plug them directly into the data stream,
When the Prime Minister could not answer NO to Russell Norman’s question in the House today over US NSA payments to the GCSB the equivocation simply screamed YES…
“Equivocation” is such a beautiful word. Means “bullshitting”.
That’s what our society has become. Bullshit ! Great BBQs in Parnell though !
i have to wonder if the payments made by the US spy agency NSA to foreign intelligence organizations includes GPS locations so as to give the Prez an easy target should He feel the need to launch a drone or two in the general direction should future events label ‘crticism’ as a definite terrorist threat…
I think the NSA has contributed/owned GCSB for many, many years .. as long as Waihopai has been open ( or is it closed?) and even Tangimoana before then. And I don’t think the prime ministers knew .. well, David Lange said he didn’t know until he read one of Nicky Hager’s books.
Actually, I have always wondered how the US powers-that-be had power over Helen Clark to not make this country GM free when the chance was there and the mood of the country was with her. Never made sense to me, and I have to keep wondering. How little have we known for how long ??
.. in interview, Mr Livingstone said plainly that MI5, Britain’s “national” branch of the intelligence services (MI6 is international), had covered up paedophile rings, so they could find blackmail evidence as leverage on politicians.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=dU4wfVI7LNc
Closing the consensus gap: Public support for climate policy
The problem is that, for the last 20+ years, we’ve had a bunch of sociopaths/psychopaths attacking the consensus in the public domain and thus causing doubt in the public.
imagine if the world’s rules and norms and structures and governances worked to concentrate the wealth and power down to the bottom of the pyramid
Anything that dose not suit your agenda annoyes you I think. From 08 or any other time. And then you stand upon your soap box and preach about democracy at the same time banning anyone who has a different point of view. Irony
[lprent: Off topic for the post. Moved to OpenMike. Read the policy.
I usually ban for silly behaviour. A good indicator would be to dump a off-topic comment into the top level comments of a post. You look like a good candidate. But who knows – now you have had your wee wank and spray like a miniature poodle, you may even have something to contribute. Stranger things have happened. ]
dude – its a blog, not the mechanism used to run the country – get over yourself
also – know what your on about. There’s plenty of righties who come here and dont get banned