Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step right up to the mike…
“His words came amid a bitter battle yesterday between senior members of the Palino team and National Party insiders.”
I sense this is just the tip of the iceberg. The Nats are panicking about the polls and there is a war going on for who takes over from Key. Slater and the tea party fringe support Collins and the other slight less extreme group ( clearly supported by the finders of the NZ Herald) back Joyce.
“Fast-food giant McDonald’s has been paid $272,000 by the Government to help unemployed people get back to work.
It was part of $22 million in wage subsidies paid by the Ministry for Social Development in four years to June this year, an Official Information Act request reveals.
Other fast-food chains also received whopper payments – believed to be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Work and Income deputy chief executive Debbie Power said 21,145 beneficiaries got jobs through the schemes at a cost of $1022 a client.”
Unbelievable. A true scandal.
So companies with bad work conditions who fail to pay their workers a living wage get rewarded by this crony government.
They are the government for the large multinational corporates.
I wonder how small NZ cafés in competition with these mega corporate bludgers maintain their competitiveness as they don’t go cap in hand to government so they can pay even less on their wages. The free market. What a load of utter bs. Can’t believe that even the ideological free-marketeers can support this.
Hope Labour and the Greens pick up this story.
This is wrong from so many angles.
So Macca’s get a Grand a ‘client’ so that they can exploit some poor kid on less than the minimum (youth rates) wage. No wonder they are doing so well, soon they won’t need to sell their crap.
Call me old-fashioned, but as far as celebrity outlaws go, I’ll take Ned Kelly over Chopper Read any day…
Ned Kelly, on the other hand, achieved fame and notoriety for entirely different reasons. The son of an Irish convict, sent to Van Diemen’s Land by the British occupiers for stealing two pigs, Kelly represented a distinct social layer — the often Irish Catholic rural poor who represented one of the lowest rungs in the social order of the white colonisers.
Do we have the same affection for the ‘Ned Kelly’s’ of the world here? Who would our ones be – Tame Iti comes closest I think but the outlaw bit is more a media generated selling point than fact imo.
Not as far as I’m concerned, so sort of resent the insinuation, if of course it is an insinuation and not just a bit of passive aggressive racism, in which case I resent it a lot.
There’s no link between not accepting iti a kiwi icon and me being a racist, casual comment or not, so I’m still not sure why you’d do that, but put your pitch fork away, love, I don’t care if an arseh*le is black, white, brown or yellow, the colour of mine won’t stop me calling one out.
It doesn’t bother me if you don’t accept Iti as a kiwi icon (not sure that’s what marty was doing anyway). We are allowed to disagree after all. I was just responding, in like, to your superficial characterisation of the man.
You’re so right, I don’t know whether Hood wasn’t an arsehat, but I won’t insinuate racism as the reason if a non anglo saxon says he was. Know what I mean?
“You’re so right, I don’t know whether Hood wasn’t an arsehat, but I won’t insinuate racism as the reason if a non anglo saxon says he was. Know what I mean?”
Not really. I have no idea if you are racist or not*. My original comment was just a way of mirroring how superficial and off-point your comment about Iti was. I think it just derailed a potentially interesting conversation that marty started. But fair doos, I carried on the derailment 🙂
*although I always find it interesting that being accused of being racist is worse than actually being racist.
“iti is no Hood” is such a lovely sentence construction.
“Not really. I have no idea if you are racist or not*”
I’m surprised you can’t tell, either way, seeing you’re usually so perceptive and all.
*although I always find it interesting that being accused of being racist is worse than actually being racist.”
Well I’m sure that’s not true, but falsely accused is still pretty bad, especially when it’s something like racist, wife beater or terrorist for example.
““iti is no Hood” is such a lovely sentence construction.”
My bad luck the booker prize has already gone, though truth be told I fluked it, so probably not so meritus really.
““iti is no Hood” is such a lovely sentence construction.”
My bad luck the booker prize has already gone, though truth be told I fluked it, so probably not so meritus really.
I think it was a combined effort :-p Plus a late appreciation on my part of the use of the lower case for iti 🙂
Racism… I tend to the view that we have all internalised racism to an extent, so I don’t consider questioning racism in people to be the Big Bad Thing you do. If you say to me that you are not racist, to be honest I don’t even know what that means. Racism is so complex and such a multiplicity of things, can any of us say we are truely completely free of racism? (well, yes, we can say it, but what does it mean?). I’m also not a fan of the idea that racists/wife beaters/terrorists are only those bad people over there, different from us, and us non-racists over here are the good people.
“Plus a late appreciation on my part of the use of the lower case for iti”
See, now there’s the perception thing I was talking about 😉
Again, not a racist thing, but definitely deliberate to indicate my lack of respect for the bloke. Well spotted.
“can any of us say we are truly* completely free of racism?”
I can say I don’t judge my worth to be better than another’s because of the colour of our skins, just like I don’t think worse of women for not being men.
I don’t know if that makes me uniquely not racist and sexist, but I hope not.
Ps.
* I edited the word ‘truly’ in your quote when I was composing my reply as the little red line underneath it was pissing me off 😉
Maybe that’s the beauty of the sentence too, because I liked the te reo puns and the juxtaposition with English language rules of capitalisation (iti is no Hood, Iti is no hood), without seeing that as being a slight against Tame.
“I can say I don’t judge my worth to be better than another’s because of the colour of our skins, just like I don’t think worse of women for not being men.
I don’t know if that makes me uniquely not racist and sexist, but I hope not.”
And if that was the full extent of what racism is (or sexism) I might agree with you 🙂
Anyway, going back to Robin, I don’t know that much about the meta-cultural aspects of that particular tale, who was telling the story for instance, and whether one can be an arsehole and useful to the community at the same time.
Likewise Ned Kelly. Was there an elevation of one criminal over another? Why?
“Maybe that’s the beauty of the sentence too, because I liked the te reo puns and the juxtaposition with English language rules of capitalisation (iti is no Hood, Iti is no hood), without seeing that as being a slight against Tame.”
I’ll take your word for it. Human isn’t my first language 😉
“And if that was the full extent of what racism is (or sexism) I might agree with you”
Full extent or not, without a check list, it’ll have to do for starters. 🙂
That’s probably what a few folk said about kelly at the time – in fact even to this day.
I guess one has to recognise the existence of a distinct social layer and the validity of its concerns before one can distinguish between a common criminal and someone reacting to systemic injustice – or indeed recognise that the two might be one and the same.
I’d say that Iti is much more aware of his context within any political issues than Kelly every was.
No, iti is just a repeat ignorant criminal separatist pushing his own agenda. Hardly a Kelly representing a distinct social layer.
You wouldn’t know an ignorant criminal separatist if he/she bit you on your overinflated arse.
Tame is very much an icon in Aotearoa. Not perhaps to the racist, neo-colonialist, white supremacist, paternalistic, or ignorant (tick the box). His name will be spoken after his death and his legend will perpetuate as tūpuna.
Unlike Kelly, Tame has never killed anyone. He has not robbed multiple banks, or taken hostages. His shooting to death of a flag and firearms convictions has no moral equivalence to the killing of three policemen – yet, Kelly is iconic and Tame is a criminal separatist.
Tame’s story is one of a continuous and consistent conflict against an inherently corrupt system. That social layer that you are too cock-eyed to perceive is greatly evident in Māori homes and hearts. Tame represents a significant voice – his is not a monologue.
Yeah, I replied as I saw fit, but you’re free to consider and give your own opinion though, being a free country and all.
I might even read it after work.
I think you are ignorant. Your prejudices are obvious which makes you also a hypocrite.
I think you are part of that other Labour. The Labour that is narrow-minded, with bourgeois tendencies, and has pretensions towards egalitarianism. That other Labour that wouldn’t know a worker if they fell over the mop.
I can’t debate with ignorance. It’s a waste of energy and precious time (insert emoticon shaped like a pūkana).
Good job I didn’t try and spin a nugget into a treasured national icon then.
But of course your opinion is just that, a personal opinion, yet probably not one representative of the wider Kiwi community.
It’s time we stopped drinking the thinktank kool-aid
Business, power and politics rarely mix without controversy. It’s essential that the media asks the uncomfortable questions
by ANTONY LOEWENSTEIN, The Guardian, 18 October 2013
The ABC TV Lateline interview with Kurt Campbell, former US assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, was cordial, even reverential. It was conducted in the middle of March this year, more than a month after Campbell had left the state department.
Interviewer Emma Alberici asked Campbell about the transformation of Burma and the release of Aung San Suu Kyi. He gushed that it was remarkable, and gave some folksy anecdotes about a “better future” for the Burmese. The interview then swiftly moved on to focus on the prospects of Hillary Clinton running for president in 2016. There were no questions about Campbell’s push for greater ties with the Indonesian military despite its shocking record of abuse in West Papua.
There were also no questions about Campbell’s Washington and Singapore-based investment organisation, the Asia Group, and its efforts to win lucrative contracts across the Asia-Pacific region. After all, his company had been launched before this interview took place and surely warranted some questions about the appropriateness of setting up a company so soon after leaving government.
It might be considered an example of the unwillingness of the mainstream media to challenge potential conflicts of interest when it comes to the murky melding of business and politics. With the announcement in August by the Lowy Institute that Campbell was its 2013 distinguished international fellow, it’s vital to question the ways in which our media has drunk the thinktank kool-aid.
The Lowy Institute sees itself as Australia’s leading foreign affairs thinktank. Its fellows and staff routinely appear in the media pontificating about global affairs, including a push for greater defence spending that would allow countless contractors to earn billions of dollars. Its head Michael Fullilove, who’s also a non-resident senior fellow in foreign affairs at the Brookings Institution, writes longingly about former US national security advisor Henry Kissinger as a “realist”, despite…
”Give them a taste of Jake the Muss”, so said actor Temuera Morrison in the lead up to last nights televising of the All Blacks V Wallabies ‘bloody-slow cup’ rugby game in Dunedin last night,
You seriously have to wonder what the f**k goes on in the minds of the New Zealand Rugby Union or Sky Television if this were solely the work of the broadcaster,
The character of ‘Jake the Muss’ from the movie ‘Once Were Warriors’, for anyone that doesn’t know, was an alcoholic child abusing wife beater at the head of a totally dysfunctional family who had among His friends at least one child molester happily brought home to the party,
And that’s what the New Zealand Rugby Union wants to portray on prime time television as an example to and of our All Black team???,
Whoever in the NZRFU sanctioned that piece of ugliness to be used in conjunction with the All Blacks name should be given the kick into touch they fully deserve…
No Sky TV here, so it was Prime Television, Sky’s poorer sister that broadcast this particular ugly piece of jingoism which could have only appealed to the most crass of rugby supporters,
At first i thought ‘the piece’ was simply an ‘Ad’ but as it continued, 5-10 minutes, my disgust rose and it ended up spoiling what was a ‘festival type’ game of running rugby where the All Blacks seemed to give the Wallaby’s every chance to shine,
‘Jake the Muss’ as portrayed by Morrison in the ‘Once Were Warriors film’ brought to life for many in this country an impoverished section of New Zealand society inflicted with all the negative social baggage that such poverty brings, in a word ugly,
Temuera Morrison, obviously paid for His work screened on Prime Television last night, making references connecting both ‘Jake the Muss’ and ‘Once were Warriors’ to the All Blacks playing in Dunedin last night was for want of any better vocabulary equally as ‘ugly’…
I share your view that it’s ‘ugly’. Worth a note to the NZRU about whether they want to be associated with this type of promotion of their sport – especially given that there appears to be links between watching rugby and domestic violence and NZRU has a social responsibility programme.
I’ve met so many people who believes this stuff doesn’t happen (or only happens in a few Maori families so don’t see anything wrong with a ‘fictional’ portrayals of these men (thanks, Alan Duff for not putting any Pakeha dysfunctional families in the movie to reinforce the stereotypes and division). So I guess that whoever did this and approved it comes from those who approve of the the ‘Muss’ behaviour, believe it’s a fiction, or have never seen the movie and just see a hero.
Tem Morrison should take a good hard look at what he’s selling himself for as well.
The idiots in charge of the Warriors decided at one stage to give every player a theme song, which they’d play at the stadium. Steve Kearney got the theme to Once Were Warriors and kicked up a stink until they got rid of it. Once again the black wifebeater wearing crowd showed itself 20 years ahead of the lounge suit wearing dinosaurs running union.
And so even though we face the difficulties of Toady and Tamara, I still have a drain. It is a drain deeply rooted in the American drain, leading down from the mountain top.
LONG EMBARRASSED SILENCE.
I have a train that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true moaning of the band Creed: “We hold these truths to be half-evident, that all men are created. Equal is as good as sugar.
I have a dram that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sun will shine on farmers and farmer slaves and the sons of former farmer slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table at the back of the restaurant, by the toilet of brotherhood.
I have droned that one day even the state of Mrs Hippy, a state swallowing the plate of justice, will be transformed into an oasis of fruit and juices.
I have a dream that my four little chickens will one day live in animation where they will not be judged by the color of their crispy skins but by the content of their charcoal.
1. the branch of mathematics that deals with complex systems whose behaviour is highly sensitive to slight changes in conditions, so that small alterations can give rise to strikingly great consequences.
Just a reminder about a lecture on a topic close to our hearts- for Wednesday 30th.
2013 Bruce Jesson Lecture:
Sir Edmund Thomas –
Reducing Inequality: A Strategy for a Cause
The speaker, a Distinguished Fellow at the Law School at The University of Auckland, argues that the gross inequality in income and wealth which besets New Zealand is the outcome of the neo-liberal economic measures of the mid-1980s and early 1990s and the culture of liberal individualism and unfettered free market ideology which it spawned.
A breakdown in social cohesion and a sense of community is the result. Reforms to counter this inequality are widely mooted. But increasing focus and discussion on the topic is confronted by a plethora of mantras and myths purveyed by the rich and powerful. The stimulus for change is deadened.
The speaker advances a strategy designed to provide a coherent impetus to reduce the rank inequality that now prevails.
The Rt Hon Sir Edmund Thomas will deliver the 2013 lecture on Wednesday 30 October, 6.30pm, at the Maidment Theatre (bar opens at 5.30pm).
He could go a lot further than that. Insurers are pocketing about a billion dollars a year from homeowner insurance premiums. Are they subsidising something else with this money?
Interesting stuff we should all know about.
Deposit guarantee scheme, depositor insurance, capped bank scheme – only Israel and New Zealand don’t have these in the OECD. http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/sunday
Audio will follow soon.
11.40 Wayne Brittenden’s Counterpoint
Five years ago this month the global financial decline kicked in deeply. Wayne looks at the implications of the next meltdown that some punters are predicting, and the potential for serious social unrest. Chris follows up with Dr Bill Rosenberg, economist at the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions.
The British were apparently freaked out by bankers like Goldman Sachs into with scary scenarios
of rioting and looting if banks collapsed.
Bill Rosenberg says that NZ’s bank accounts can be as low at times half of NZs with bank a/cs have less than $580 in their account. How would we manage if there was a collapse of our banks?
Most of our banks are owned by Australians – except Kiwibank thanks Mr Anderton, and some ex building society ones still not sold off to furriners. Australian banks have a deposit guarantee scheme but it doesn’t apply to us though we banks with those Oz banks in NZ! The usual way of treating NZ by that country. The funds of Australian banks would be drawn on to meet their obligations in Oz. It could be that funds from their branches in NZ would be utilised to meet the extra demand, with no legal responsibility to provide for us here. Great, Ansett all over again. Getting NZ to pay for what would be otherwise an Oz obligation. We bought Ansett, like naive idiots, and we naively have allowed Oz to get their beefy hands on our banks too in line with our friendly relationship under CER.
Also interesting. Sir Alan Mark – Wise Response Update ( 10′ 41″ )
09:45 Sir Alan Mark talks with Chris about the progress of the Wise Response
initiative – backed by a number of well known New Zealanders – that asks politicians to
acknowledge environmental, economic and social risks affecting us all. http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/sunday
became friends with a chap yesterday, a soil scientist for a large fertilizer company, and he’s english, yet he confirms all the criticisms environmentalists on the left have of current farming practises and fracking in particular. Sees his role as mitigating the influences of farmer’s fathers and grandfathers upon the practises of today. Also not a supporter of the RWSS.
Thanks for that. I have been aware of this problem for some time and emailed the RBNZ and other trading banks. They said the government needed to legislate as the Oz government did. So I emailed the PM and was politely told to sling my hook.
I’ve no doubt that we would be the losers with the Oz banks taking from NZ savers to give to Oz customers.
There was a connection between two items on Radionz tonight. One was the news that fire services in Australia are fairly sure that some will have been deliberately set by firebugs crazy enough to trash lives and the environment .
Destructive bugs have travelled in wood used in crates and pallets etc in shipping between countries. The more shipping, the more the problem. A lot of the extra exports and imports caused by the free market with countries taking a deliberate bias against being self-sufficient has resulted in the spread of insect bugs to new countries where the trees have no natural weapons against them and they are trashing the environment.
One has a name like the emerald beetle which is killing ash trees big time along with a fungus called ash dieback and between them have decimated ash trees in the west with 99 per cent having died off in some places.
Then there is a red fungus that has hit plane trees in Europe and has spread along the line of established trees lining French canals.
Then there is a bug that is serious that is being spread by campers in Canada and USA who take their own firewood with them, which includes the bugs which on their own would not be able to spread this far. Probably it is something that good campers have always done so that they don’t touch the natural forest environment, but it is turning out to be a bad thing.
All very bad news for a planet that is in a delicate state of imbalance already. Trees are supposed to be great helpers – they are going to be under pressure from droughts, torrential rainfall, high winds, now insects and organisms that are practically unstoppable. And then there are humans that are in a strange space. They think and act not like informed, educated, thoughtful modern men, nor do they think and act like savvy ancient men. They are another sort of scourge that we have bred and allowed to be dragged up by whoever, and they might be the catalyst that brings our demise, not climate change.
Fox News plays dubbed audio of stenogapher Dianne Reidy’s rant. There’s some audio missing at the beginning, but they make it look like they reported what she said from the podium.
“She said something about the devil. It was sudden, confusing and heartbreaking. She is normally a gentle soul.” ~ Ros-Lehtinen
Incomplete transcript:
“He will NOT be mocked!” (x3)
(from the elevator:)
“The greatest deception here, is this is NOT one nation under God. It never was. Had it been…no…it would not have been…the Constitution would not have been written by Freemasons that go against God. You cannot server two masters! You cannot serve two masters… Praise be to God and the Lord Jesus Christ!”
Olivia and Noah and Hana are going to the library!It is fun to go to the library. It has books and songs and mat time and people who smile at you and say, Hello Olivia, what have you been doing this morning?The library is more fun than the mall. At ...
New World Orders: The challenge facing Christopher Luxon and Chris Hipkins is how to keep their small and vulnerable nation safe and stable in a world whose economic and political climate the forty-seventh American president is changing so profoundly.IT IS, SURELY, the ultimate Millennial revenge fantasy. Calling senior Baby-Boomer and Gen-X ...
“This might surprise you, Laurie, but I reckon Trump’s putting on a bloody impressive performance.”“GOODNESS ME, HANNAH, just look at all those Valentine’s Day cards!”“Occupational hazard, Laurie, the more beer I serve, the more my customers declare their undying love!”“Crikey! I had no idea business was so good.” Laurie squinted ...
In 2005, Labour repealed the long-standing principle of birthright citizenship in Aotearoa. Why? As with everything else Labour does, it all came down to austerity: "foreign mothers" were supposedly "coming to this country to give birth", and this was "put[ting] pressure on hospitals". Then-Immigration Minister George Hawkins explicitly gave this ...
And I just hope that you can forgive usBut everything must goAnd if you need an explanation, nationThen everything must goSongwriters: James Dean Bradfield / Sean Anthony Moore / Nicholas Allen Jones.Today, I’d like to talk about a couple of things that happened over the weekend:Brian Tamaki’s Library Invasion and ...
New reporting highlights how Brooke van Velden refuses to meet with the CTU but is happy to meet with fringe Australian-based unions. Van Velden is pursuing reckless changes to undermine the personal grievance system against the advice of her own officials. Engineering New Zealand are saying that hundreds of engineers ...
The NZCTU strongly supports the Employment Relations (Employee Remuneration Disclosure) Amendment Bill. This Bill represents a positive step towards addressing serious issues around unlawful disparities in pay by protecting workers’ rights to discuss their pay and conditions. This Bill also provides welcome support for helping tackle the prevalent gender and ...
Years of hard work finally paid off last week as the country’s biggest and most important transport project, the City Rail Link reached a major milestone with the first test train making its way slowly though the tunnels for the first time. This is a fantastic achievement and it is ...
Engineers are pleading for the Government to free up funds to restart stalled projects. File Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Monday, February 17 are:Engineering New Zealand CEO Richard Templer said yesterday hundreds of ...
It’s one of New Zealand’s great sustaining myths: the spirit of ANZAC, our mates across the ditch, the spirit of Earl’s Court, Antipodeans united against the world. It is also a myth; it is not reality. That much was clear from a series of speakers, including a former Australian Prime ...
Many people have been unsatisfied for years that things have not improved for them, some as individuals, many more however because their families are clearly putting in more work, for less money – and certainly far less purchase on society. This general discontent has grown exponentially since the GFC. ...
A listing of 34 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, February 9, 2025 thru Sat, February 15, 2025. This week's roundup is again published soleley by category. We are still interested in feedback to hone the categorization, so if ...
The Salvation Army’s State of the Nation report shows worsening food poverty and housing shortages mean more than 400,000 people now need welfare support, the highest level since the 1990s. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate and ...
You're just too too obscure for meOh you don't really get through to meAnd there's no need for you to talk that wayIs there any less pessimistic things to say?Songwriters: Graeme DownesToday, I thought we’d take a look at some of the most cringe-inducing moments from last week, but don’t ...
Please note: I’ve delayed my “What can we do?” article for this video.The video above shows Destiny Church members assaulting staff and librarians as they pushed through to a room of terrified parents and young children.It was posted to social media last night.But if you read Sinead Boucher’s Stuff, you ...
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is sea level rise exaggerated? Sea levels are rising at an accelerating rate, not stagnating or decreasing. Warming global temperatures cause land ice ...
Here is a scenario, but first a historical parallel. Hitler and the Nazis could well have accomplished everything that they wanted to do within German borders, including exterminating Jews, so long as they confined their ambitious to Germany itself. After all, the world pretty much sat and watched as the ...
I’ve spent the last couple of days in Hamilton covering Waikato University’s annual NZ Economics Forum, where (arguably) three of the most influential people in our political economy right now laid out their thinking in major speeches about the size and role of Government, their views on for spending, tax ...
Simeon Brown’s Ideology BentSimeon Brown once told Kiwis he tries to represent his deep sense of faith by interacting “with integrity”.“It’s important that there’s Christians in Parliament…and from my perspective, it’s great to be a Christian in Parliament and to bring that perspective to [laws, conversations and policies].”And with ...
Severe geological and financial earthquakes are inevitable. We just don’t know how soon and how they will play out. Are we putting the right effort into preparing for them?Every decade or so the international economy has a major financial crisis. We cannot predict exactly when or exactly how it will ...
Questions1. How did Old Mate Grabaseat describe his soon-to-be-Deputy-PM’s letter to police advocating for Philip Polkinghorne?a.Ill-advisedb.A perfect letterc.A letter that will live in infamyd.He had me at hello2. What did Seymour say in response?a.What’s ill-advised is commenting when you don’t know all the facts and ...
NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi President Richard Wagstaff has called on OJI Fibre Solutions to work with the government, unions, and the community before closing the Kinleith Paper Mill. “OJI has today announced 230 job losses in what will be a devastating blow for the community. OJI needs to work with ...
NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi President Richard Wagstaff is sounding the alarm about the latest attack on workers from Minister of Workplace Relations and Safety Brooke van Velden, who is ignoring her own officials to pursue reckless changes that would completely undermine the personal grievance system. “Brooke van Velden’s changes will ...
Hi,When I started writing Webworm in 2020, I wrote a lot about the conspiracy theories that were suddenly invading our Twitter timelines and Facebook feeds. Four years ago a reader, John, left this feedback under one of my essays:It’s a never ending labyrinth of lunacy which, as you have pointed ...
And if you said this life ain't good enoughI would give my world to lift you upI could change my life to better suit your moodBecause you're so smoothAnd it's just like the ocean under the moonOh, it's the same as the emotion that I get from youYou got the ...
Aotearoa remains the minority’s birthright, New Zealand the majority’s possession. WAITANGI DAY commentary see-saws manically between the warmly positive and the coldly negative. Many New Zealanders consider this a good thing. They point to the unexamined patriotism of July Fourth and Bastille Day celebrations, and applaud the fact that the ...
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts & talking about the week’s news with regular and special guests, including: and on the week in geopolitics, including the latest from Donald Trump’s administration over Gaza and Ukraine; on the ...
Up until now, the prevailing coalition view of public servants was that there were simply too many of them. But yesterday the new Public Service Commissioner, handpicked by the Luxon Government, said it was not so much numbers but what they did and the value they produced that mattered. Sir ...
In a moment we explore the question: What is Andrew Bayly wanting to tell ACC, and will it involve enjoying a small wine tasting and then telling someone to fuck off? But first, for context, a broader one: What do we look for in a government?Imagine for a moment, you ...
As expected, Donald Trump just threw Ukraine under the bus, demanding that it accept Russia's illegal theft of land, while ruling out any future membership of NATO. Its a colossal betrayal, which effectively legitimises Russia's invasion, while laying the groundwork for the next one. But Trump is apparently fine with ...
A ballot for a single member's bill was held today, and the following bill was drawn: Employment Relations (Collective Agreements in Triangular Relationships) Amendment Bill (Adrian Rurawhe) The bill would extend union rights to employees in triangular relationships, where they are (nominally) employed by one party, but ...
This is a guest post by George Weeks, reviewing a book called ‘How to Fly a Horse’ by Kevin AshtonBook review: ‘How to Fly a Horse’ by Kevin Ashton (2015) – and what it means for Auckland. The title of this article might unnerve any Greater Auckland ...
This story was originally published by Capital & Main and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. Within just a week, the sheer devastation of the Los Angeles wildfires has pushed to the fore fundamental questions about the impact of the climate crisis that have been ...
In this world, it's just usYou know it's not the same as it wasSongwriters: Harry Edward Styles / Thomas Edward Percy Hull / Tyler Sam JohnsonYesterday, I received a lovely message from Caty, a reader of Nick’s Kōrero, that got me thinking. So I thought I’d share it with you, ...
In past times a person was considered “unserious” or “not a serious” person if they failed to grasp, behave and speak according to the solemnity of the context in which they were located. For example a serious person does not audibly pass gas at Church, or yell “gun” at a ...
Long stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Thursday, February 13 are:The coalition Government’s early 2024 ‘fiscal emergency’ freeze on funding, planning and building houses, schools, local roads and hospitals helped extend and deepen the economic and jobs recession through calendar ...
For obvious reasons, people feel uneasy when the right to be a citizen is sold off to wealthy foreigners. Even selling the right to residency seems a bit dubious, when so many migrants who are not millionaires get turned away or are made to jump through innumerable hoops – simply ...
A new season of White Lotus is nearly upon us: more murder mystery, more sumptuous surroundings, more rich people behaving badly.Once more we get to identify with the experience of the pampered tourist or perhaps the poorly paid help; there's something in White Lotus for all New Zealanders.And unlike the ...
In 2016, Aotearoa shockingly plunged to fourth place in the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index. Nine years later, and we're back there again: New Zealand has seen a further slip in its global ranking in the latest Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI). [...] In the latest CPI New Zealand's score ...
1. You’ve started ranking your politicians on how much they respect the rule of law2. You’ve stopped paying attention to those news publications3. You’ve developed a sudden interest in a particular period of history4. More and more people are sounding like your racist, conspiracist uncle.5. Someone just pulled a Nazi ...
Transforming New Zealand: Brian EastonBrian Easton will discuss the above topic at 2/57 Willis Street, Wellington at 5:30pm on Tuesday 26 February at 2/57 Willis Street, WellingtonThe sub-title to the above is "Why is the Left failing?" Brian Easton's analysis is based on his view that while the ...
Salvation Army’s State of the Nation 2025 report highlights falling living standards, the highest unemployment rates since the 1990s and half of all Pacific children going without food. There are reports of hundreds if not thousands of people are applying for the same jobs in the wake of last year’s ...
Mountain Tui is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Correction: On the article The Condundrum of David Seymour, Luke Malpass conducted joint reviews with Bryce Wilkinson, the architect of the Regulatory Standards Bill - not Bryce Edwards. The article ...
Tomorrow the council’s Transport, Resilience and Infrastructure Committee meet and agenda has a few interesting papers. Council’s Letter of Expectation to Auckland Transport Every year the council provide a Letter of Expectation to Auckland Transport which is part of the process for informing AT of the council’s priorities and ...
All around in my home townThey're trying to track me down, yeahThey say they want to bring me in guiltyFor the killing of a deputyFor the life of a deputySongwriter: Robert Nesta Marley.Support Nick’s Kōrero today with a 20% discount on a paid subscription to receive all my newsletters directly ...
Hi,I think all of us have probably experienced the power of music — that strange, transformative thing that gets under our skin and helps us experience this whole life thing with some kind of sanity.Listening and experiencing music has always been such a huge part of my life, and has ...
Business frustration over the stalled economy is growing, and only 34% of voters are confidentNicola Willis can deliver. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Wednesday, February 12 are:Business frustration is growing about a ...
I have now lived long enough to see a cabinet minister go both barrels on their Prime Minister and not get sacked.It used to be that the PM would have a drawer full of resignations signed by ministers on the day of their appointment, ready for such an occasion. But ...
This session will feature Simon McCallum, Senior Lecturer in Engineering and Computer Science (VUW) and recent Labour Party candidate in the Southland Electorate talking about some of the issues around AI and how this should inform Labour Party policy. Simon is an excellent speaker with a comprehensive command of AI ...
The proposed Waimate garbage incinerator is dead: The company behind a highly-controversial proposal to build a waste-to-energy plant in the Waimate District no longer has the land. [...] However, SIRRL director Paul Taylor said the sales and purchase agreement to purchase land from Murphy Farms, near Glenavy, lapsed at ...
The US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act has been a vital tool in combatting international corruption. It forbids US companies and citizens from bribing foreign public officials anywhere in the world. And its actually enforced: some of the world's biggest companies - Siemens, Hewlett Packard, and Bristol Myers Squibb - have ...
December 2024 photo - with UK Tory Boris Johnson (Source: Facebook)Those PollsFor hours, political poll results have resounded across political hallways and commentary.According to the 1News Verizon poll, 50% of the country believe we are heading in the “wrong direction”, while 39% believe we are “on the right track”.The left ...
A Tai Rāwhiti mill that ran for 30 years before it was shut down in late 2023 is set to re-open in the coming months, which will eventually see nearly 300 new jobs in the region. A new report from Massey University shows that pensioners are struggling with rising costs. ...
As support continues to fall, Luxon also now faces his biggest internal ructions within the coalition since the election, with David Seymour reacting badly to being criticised by the PM. File photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate ...
Not since 1988 when Richard Prebble openly criticised David Lange have we seen such a challenge to a Prime Minister as that of David Seymour to Christopher Luxon last night. Prebble suggested Lange had mental health issues during a TV interview and was almost immediately fired. Seymour hasn’t gone quite ...
Three weeks in, and the 24/7 news cycle is not helping anyone feel calm and informed about the second Trump presidency. One day, the US is threatening 25% trade tariffs on its friends and neighbours. The reasons offered by the White House are absurd, such as stopping fentanyl coming in ...
This video includes personal musings and conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Adam Levy. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). Wherever you look, you'll hear headlines claiming we've passed 1.5 degrees of global warming. And while 2024 saw ...
Photo by Heather M. Edwards on UnsplashHere’s the key news, commentary, reports and debate around Aotearoa’s politics and economy in the week to Feb 10 below. That’s ahead of live chats on the Substack App and The Kākā’s front page on Substack at 5pm with: on his column in The ...
Is there anyone in the world the National Party loves more than a campaign donor? Why yes, there is! They will always have the warmest hello and would you like to slip into something more comfortable for that great god of our age, the High Net Worth Individual.The words the ...
Waste and fraud certainly exist in foreign aid programs, but rightwing celebration of USAID’s dismantling shows profound ignorance of the value of soft power (as opposed to hard power) in projecting US influence and interests abroad by non-military/coercive means (think of “hearts and minds,” “hugs, not bullets,” “honey versus vinegar,” ...
Health New Zealand is proposing to cut almost half of its data and digital positions – more than 1000 of them. The PSA has called on the Privacy Commissioner to urgently investigate the cuts due to the potential for serious consequences for patients. NZNO is calling for an urgent increase ...
We may see a few more luxury cars on Queen Street, but a loosening of rules to entice rich foreigners to invest more here is unlikely to “turbocharge our economic growth”. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate ...
Let us not dance daintily around the elephant in the room. Our politicians who serve us in the present are not honest, certainly not as honest as they should be, and while the right are taking out most of the trophies for warping narratives and literally redefining “facts”, the kiwi ...
A few weeks ago I took a look at public transport ridership in 2024. In today’s post I’m going to be looking a bit deeper at bus ridership. Buses make up the vast majority of ridership in Auckland with 70 million boardings last year out of a total of 89.4 ...
Oh, you know I did itIt's over and I feel fineNothing you could say is gonna change my mindWaited and I waited the longest nightNothing like the taste of sweet declineSongwriters: Chris Shiflett / David Eric Grohl / Nate Mendel / Taylor Hawkins.Hindsight is good, eh?The clarity when the pieces ...
Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on UnsplashHere’s what we’re watching in the week to February 16 and beyond in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty:Monday, February 10The Kākā’s weekly wrap-up of news about politics and the economy is due at midday, followed by webinar for paying subscribers in Substack’s ...
A listing of 23 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, February 2, 2025 thru Sat, February 8, 2025. This week's roundup is again published soleley by category. We are still interested in feedback to hone the categorization, so if ...
Today, I stumbled across a Twitter Meme: the ending of The Lord of the Rings as a Chess scenario: https://x.com/mellon_heads/status/1887983845917564991 It gets across the basic gist. Aragorn and Gandalf offering up ‘material’ at the Morannon allows Frodo and Samwise to catch Sauron unawares – fair enough. But there are a ...
Last week, Kieran McAnulty called out Chris Bishop and Nicola Willis for their claims that Kāinga Ora’s costs were too high.They had claimed Kāinga Ora’s cost were 12% higher than market i.e. private devlopersBut Kāinga Ora’s Chair had already explained why last year:"We're not building to sell, so we'll be ...
The Government’s newly announced funding for biodiversity and tourism of $30-million over three years is a small fraction of what is required for conservation in this country. ...
The Government's sudden cancellation of the tertiary education funding increase is a reckless move that risks widespread job losses and service reductions across New Zealand's universities. ...
National’s cuts to disability support funding and freezing of new residential placements has resulted in significant mental health decline for intellectually disabled people. ...
The hundreds of jobs lost needlessly as a result of the Kinleith Mill paper production closure will have a devastating impact on the Tokoroa community - something that could have easily been avoided. ...
Today Te Pāti Māori MP for Te Tai Tokerau, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi, released her members bill that will see the return of tamariki and mokopuna Māori from state care back to te iwi Māori. This bill will establish an independent authority that asserts and protects the rights promised in He Whakaputanga ...
The Whangarei District Council being forced to fluoridate their local water supply is facing a despotic Soviet-era disgrace. This is not a matter of being pro-fluoride or anti-fluoride. It is a matter of what New Zealanders see and value as democracy in our country. Individual democratically elected Councillors are not ...
Nicola Willis’ latest supermarket announcement is painfully weak with no new ideas, no real plan, and no relief for Kiwis struggling with rising grocery costs. ...
Half of Pacific children sometimes going without food is just one of many heartbreaking lowlights in the Salvation Army’s annual State of the Nation report. ...
The Salvation Army’s State of the Nation report is a bleak indictment on the failure of Government to take steps to end poverty, with those on benefits, including their children, hit hardest. ...
New Zealand First has today introduced a Member’s Bill which would restore decision-making power to local communities regarding the fluoridation of drinking water. The ‘Fluoridation (Referendum) Legislation Bill’ seeks to repeal the Health (Fluoridation of Drinking Water) Amendment Act 2021 that granted centralised authority to the Direct General of Health ...
New Zealand First has introduced a Member’s Bill aimed at preventing banks from refusing their services to businesses because of the current “Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Framework”. “This Bill ensures fairness and prevents ESG standards from perpetuating woke ideology in the banking sector being driven by unelected, globalist, climate ...
Erica Stanford has reached peak shortsightedness if today’s announcement is anything to go by, picking apart immigration settings piece by piece to the detriment of the New Zealand economy. ...
Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. The intention was to establish a colony with the cession of sovereignty to the Crown, ...
Te Whatu Ora Chief Executive Margie Apa leaving her job four months early is another symptom of this government’s failure to deliver healthcare for New Zealanders. ...
The Green Party is calling for the Prime Minister to show leadership and be unequivocal about Aotearoa New Zealand’s opposition to a proposal by the US President to remove Palestinians from Gaza. ...
The latest unemployment figures reveal that job losses are hitting Māori and Pacific people especially hard, with Māori unemployment reaching a staggering 9.7% for the December 2024 quarter and Pasifika unemployment reaching 10.5%. ...
Waitangi 2025: Waitangi Day must be community and not politically driven - Shane Jones Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. ...
Despite being confronted every day with people in genuine need being stopped from accessing emergency housing – National still won’t commit to building more public houses. ...
The Green Party says the Government is giving up on growing the country’s public housing stock, despite overwhelming evidence that we need more affordable houses to solve the housing crisis. ...
Before any thoughts of the New Year and what lies ahead could even be contemplated, New Zealand reeled with the tragedy of Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming losing her life. For over 38 years she had faithfully served as a front-line Police officer. Working alongside her was Senior Sergeant Adam Ramsay ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson will return to politics at Waitangi on Monday the 3rd of February where she will hold a stand up with fellow co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick. ...
Te Pāti Māori is appalled by the government's blatant mishandling of the school lunch programme. David Seymour’s ‘cost-saving’ measures have left tamariki across Aotearoa with unidentifiable meals, causing distress and outrage among parents and communities alike. “What’s the difference between providing inedible food, and providing no food at all?” Said ...
The Government is doubling down on outdated and volatile fossil fuels, showing how shortsighted and destructive their policies are for working New Zealanders. ...
Green Party MP Steve Abel this morning joined Coromandel locals in Waihi to condemn new mining plans announced by Shane Jones in the pit of the town’s Australian-owned Gold mine. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to strengthen its just-announced 2030-2035 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement and address its woeful lack of commitment to climate security. ...
Today marks a historic moment for Taranaki iwi with the passing of the Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill in Parliament. "Today, we stand together as descendants of Taranaki, and our tūpuna, Taranaki Maunga, is now formally acknowledged by the law as a living tūpuna. ...
The Government’s commitment to get New Zealand’s roads back on track is delivering strong results, with around 98 per cent of potholes on state highways repaired within 24 hours of identification every month since targets were introduced, Transport Minister Chris Bishop says. “Increasing productivity to help rebuild our economy is ...
The former Cadbury factory will be the site of the Inpatient Building for the new Dunedin Hospital and Health Minister Simeon Brown says actions have been taken to get the cost overruns under control. “Today I am giving the people of Dunedin certainty that we will build the new Dunedin ...
From today, Plunket in Whāngarei will be offering childhood immunisations – the first of up to 27 sites nationwide, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. The investment of $1 million into the pilot, announced in October 2024, was made possible due to the Government’s record $16.68 billion investment in health. It ...
New Zealand’s strong commitment to the rights of disabled people has continued with the response to an important United Nations report, Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston has announced. Of the 63 concluding observations of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), 47 will be progressed ...
Resources Minister Shane Jones has launched New Zealand’s national Minerals Strategy and Critical Minerals List, documents that lay a strategic and enduring path for the mineral sector, with the aim of doubling exports to $3 billion by 2035. Mr Jones released the documents, which present the Coalition Government’s transformative vision ...
Firstly I want to thank OceanaGold for hosting our event today. Your operation at Waihi is impressive. I want to acknowledge local MP Scott Simpson, local government dignitaries, community stakeholders and all of you who have gathered here today. It’s a privilege to welcome you to the launch of the ...
Racing Minister, Winston Peters has announced the Government is preparing public consultation on GST policy proposals which would make the New Zealand racing industry more competitive. “The racing industry makes an important economic contribution. New Zealand thoroughbreds are in demand overseas as racehorses and for breeding. The domestic thoroughbred industry ...
Business confidence remains very high and shows the economy is on track to improve, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis says. “The latest ANZ Business Outlook survey, released yesterday, shows business confidence and expected own activity are ‘still both very high’.” The survey reports business confidence fell eight points to +54 ...
Enabling works have begun this week on an expanded radiology unit at Hawke’s Bay Fallen Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital which will double CT scanning capacity in Hawke’s Bay to ensure more locals can benefit from access to timely, quality healthcare, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. This investment of $29.3m in the ...
The Government has today announced New Zealand’s second international climate target under the Paris Agreement, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand will reduce emissions by 51 to 55 per cent compared to 2005 levels, by 2035. “We have worked hard to set a target that is both ambitious ...
Nine years of negotiations between the Crown and iwi of Taranaki have concluded following Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/the Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill passing its third reading in Parliament today, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “This Bill addresses the historical grievances endured by the eight iwi ...
As schools start back for 2025, there will be a relentless focus on teaching the basics brilliantly so all Kiwi kids grow up with the knowledge, skills and competencies needed to grow the New Zealand of the future, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “A world-leading education system is a key ...
Housing Minister Chris Bishop and Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson have welcomed Kāinga Ora’s decision to re-open its tender for carpets to allow wool carpet suppliers to bid. “In 2024 Kāinga Ora issued requests for tender (RFTs) seeking bids from suppliers to carpet their properties,” Mr Bishop says. “As part ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today visited Otahuhu College where the new school lunch programme has served up healthy lunches to students in the first days of the school year. “As schools open in 2025, the programme will deliver nutritious meals to around 242,000 students, every school day. On ...
Minister for Children Karen Chhour has intervened in Oranga Tamariki’s review of social service provider contracts to ensure Barnardos can continue to deliver its 0800 What’s Up hotline. “When I found out about the potential impact to this service, I asked Oranga Tamariki for an explanation. Based on the information ...
A bill to make revenue collection on imported and exported goods fairer and more effective had its first reading in Parliament, Customs Minister Casey Costello said today. “The Customs (Levies and Other Matters) Amendment Bill modernises the way in which Customs can recover the costs of services that are needed ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Department of Internal Affairs [the Department] has achieved significant progress in completing applications for New Zealand citizenship. “December 2024 saw the Department complete 5,661 citizenship applications, the most for any month in 2024. This is a 54 per cent increase compared ...
Reversals to Labour’s blanket speed limit reductions begin tonight and will be in place by 1 July, says Minister of Transport Chris Bishop. “The previous government was obsessed with slowing New Zealanders down by imposing illogical and untargeted speed limit reductions on state highways and local roads. “National campaigned on ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis has announced Budget 2025 – the Growth Budget - will be delivered on Thursday 22 May. “This year’s Budget will drive forward the Government’s plan to grow our economy to improve the incomes of New Zealanders now and in the years ahead. “Budget 2025 will build ...
Asia Pacific Report Two Palestinian resistance groups have condemned “the brutal assault” on prisoners at Ofer Prison, saying it was “barbaric criminal behaviour that reflects the fascist and terrorist nature of” Israel. In the joint statement, Hamas and Palestine Islamic Jihad (PIJ) called the attack a “miserable attempt” by Israel ...
By Caleb Fotheringham, RNZ Pacific journalist in Avarua, Rarotonga Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown hopes to have “an opportunity to talk” with the New Zealand government to “heal some of the rift”. Brown returned to Avarua on Sunday afternoon (Cook Islands Time) following his week-long state visit to China, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sonia R. Grover, Clinical Professor of Gynaecology, The University of Melbourne Polina Zimmerman/Pexels Menstruation, or a period, is the bleeding that occurs about monthly in healthy people born with a uterus, from puberty to menopause. This happens when the endometrium, the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ella Barclay, Senior Lecturer, School of Art and Design, Australian National University Despite the perceived outrage at Khaled Sabsabi’s depiction of Hassan Nasrallah in his 2007 work You, Australian art has long made subjects of outlaws and questionable figures. And it is ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Louise Pryke, Honorary Research Associate, Department of Classics and Ancient History, University of Sydney Lisa Tomasetti/Opera Australia “It’s an old song”, Hermes (Christine Anu) sings at the opening of Hadestown, but “we’re gonna sing it again and again”. Based on a ...
An additional $13 million will be invested in tourism infrastructure, including upgrading huts and resolving the backlog in Milford Sound concessions. ...
The reality is that we have no obligation to tolerate the intolerant. They are using violence to shut down and silence others. The result of tolerating intolerant views is the loss of everyone’s freedom of speech except for the one who most effectively ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert Davis, Associate Professor in Conservation, Edith Cowan University Adwo/Shutterstock Humans have been poisoning rodents for centuries. But fast-breeding rats and mice have evolved resistance to earlier poisons. In response, manufacturers have produced second generation anticoagulant rodenticides such as bromadiolone, widely ...
Alex Casey unearths Simon Court’s full sales pitch for how menstrual cups could end poverty. On Friday last week, Act MP Simon Court was accused of “mansplaining” during a parliamentary committee hearing about benefit sanctions. After submitter Rachel Dibble shared her concerns about period poverty and the impact that sanctions ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexander Gillespie, Professor of Law, University of Waikato It’s an unfortunate fact that bad people sometimes want guns. And while laws are designed to prevent guns falling into the wrong hands, the determined criminal can be highly resourceful. There are three main ...
Asia Pacific Report Two independent Jewish Voices groups in Aotearoa New Zealand have written an open letter to the government condemning the Zionist “colonisation” project leading to genocide and criticising the role of the NZ Jewish Council for its “unelected” and “uncritical support” for Israel. The groups, Alternative Jewish Voices ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne A national Newspoll, conducted February 10–14 from a sample of 1,244, gave the Coalition a 51–49 lead, unchanged from the previous Newspoll, ...
We round up everything coming to streaming services this week, including Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, Apple TV+, ThreeNow, Neon and TVNZ+. If you enjoy whip-smart satire: The White Lotus (Neon, February 17) HBO’s award-winning The White Lotus is back for what critics are calling “an absolutely exquisite third ...
NZPF called for a slowdown of the curriculum change, asking for one subject at a time, so that teachers and principals could be fully trained and feel confident and competent to implement the changes, New Zealand Principals’ Federation (NZPF) President ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By T.J. Thomson, Senior Lecturer in Visual Communication & Digital Media, RMIT University Indonesia’s TVOne launched an AI news presenter in 2023.T.J. Thomson Generative artificial intelligence (AI) has taken off at lightning speed in the past couple of years, creating disruption in ...
Many of the young vapers interviewed by a team of public health researchers said they felt unable to resist the pro-vaping environment that surrounded them. New Zealand’s smokefree law was hailed around the world for creating a smokefree generation that would have lifelong protection from smoking’s harms. The smokefree ...
Analysis: While most Wellingtonians enjoyed a rare but unbeatable sunny day on Saturday, some New Zealand diplomats will have been briefly shocked by a screenshot making the rounds on social media showing US President Donald Trump calling us a “third world country”.The image, it appears, was a fake – certainly a ...
ActionStation Director, Kassie Hartendorp says that the Treaty Principles Bill has galvanised the biggest movement in support of Te Tiriti in modern history. ...
While it is in the interests of Wellington ratepayers to sell off this subsidy for the rich, it is unfortunate that it has come to this point. The council should have never spent a penny on this programme, and the $3.4 million spent is a flagrant abuse ...
A search for the person behind a social media account ridiculing Māori.Last week, while scrolling Facebook, I came across a post shared to the New Zealand Centre for Political Research group. The post began, “From Matua Kahurangi on X”, before pasting his critique of iwi leadership – particularly Ngāpuhi ...
On the heels of The White Lotus season three, Tara Ward travels to Koh Samui, Thailand, to live her best life as a five-star wannabe. I’ve never been one for luxury travel. Despite religiously watching TV shows like Luxury Escapes: World’s Best Holidays and harbouring grand dreams of one day ...
The Treaty Principles Bill submission hearings continue at Parliament today with a range of submitters expected including councils, iwi, community organisations and individuals. ...
It’s become of one of Christchurch’s most famous landmarks online, but why? Alex Casey steps through the portal of the brutalist Timezone. Ask anyone what Christchurch’s most iconic building is and you might expect to hear some of the dusty old classics like the Cathedral, or the Town Hall, or ...
New Zealand’s alignment with the White House is further underscored by its refusal to oppose Trump’s sanctions against the International Criminal Court (ICC). ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Saikal, Emeritus Professor of Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies, Australian National University The dismantling of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) is a serious blow to the soft power of the United States and disastrous for many poor countries ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Janet Hoek, Professor in Public Health, University of Otago Shutterstock/Aliaksandr Barouski New Zealand’s smokefree law was hailed around the world for creating a smokefree generation that would have lifelong protection from smoking’s harms. The smokefree generation would have ended sales of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By George Disney, Research Fellow, Social Epidemiology, The University of Melbourne Edwin Tan/Getty Images When the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) was established in 2013, one of its driving aims was to make disability services and support systems fairer. However, our new ...
The resignation of the director general of health is the latest departure in what Labour is calling a ‘purge’ of health leadership. Another day, another health resignation It’s a dangerous time to be a top health executive. On Friday, Dr Diana Sarfati announced her resignation as director general of health ...
Labour and the Greens say the government should focus spending on tourism infrastructure like tracks, toilets and protection of nature instead of more advertising. ...
Hidden in this article ‘Palino denies plot to take down Brown’ in the 9th paragraph.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11142972
“His words came amid a bitter battle yesterday between senior members of the Palino team and National Party insiders.”
I sense this is just the tip of the iceberg. The Nats are panicking about the polls and there is a war going on for who takes over from Key. Slater and the tea party fringe support Collins and the other slight less extreme group ( clearly supported by the finders of the NZ Herald) back Joyce.
What’s going on behind the scenes is the story.
We continue to subsidise large Corporates.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=11142910
“Fast-food giant McDonald’s has been paid $272,000 by the Government to help unemployed people get back to work.
It was part of $22 million in wage subsidies paid by the Ministry for Social Development in four years to June this year, an Official Information Act request reveals.
Other fast-food chains also received whopper payments – believed to be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Work and Income deputy chief executive Debbie Power said 21,145 beneficiaries got jobs through the schemes at a cost of $1022 a client.”
Unbelievable. A true scandal.
So companies with bad work conditions who fail to pay their workers a living wage get rewarded by this crony government.
They are the government for the large multinational corporates.
I wonder how small NZ cafés in competition with these mega corporate bludgers maintain their competitiveness as they don’t go cap in hand to government so they can pay even less on their wages. The free market. What a load of utter bs. Can’t believe that even the ideological free-marketeers can support this.
Hope Labour and the Greens pick up this story.
This is wrong from so many angles.
So Macca’s get a Grand a ‘client’ so that they can exploit some poor kid on less than the minimum (youth rates) wage. No wonder they are doing so well, soon they won’t need to sell their crap.
Wonder if they fire them before 90 days up, if they can get another client for the same price.
That would be 4k a year off the salary bill.
An interesting read
https://www.greenleft.org.au/node/55165
Do we have the same affection for the ‘Ned Kelly’s’ of the world here? Who would our ones be – Tame Iti comes closest I think but the outlaw bit is more a media generated selling point than fact imo.
No, iti is just a repeat ignorant criminal separatist pushing his own agenda. Hardly a Kelly representing a distinct social layer.
But good sunday morning chuckle, though. Thanks for that.
Lol – hardly ignorant allen. Can you see any robin hood’s out there allen?
Maybe Robin has to be white to be worthy? 😉
“Maybe Robin has to be white to be worthy?”
Not as far as I’m concerned, so sort of resent the insinuation, if of course it is an insinuation and not just a bit of passive aggressive racism, in which case I resent it a lot.
I suppose that’s what you get when you throw out casual observations about serious things.
‘serious things’, no, that can’t be right.
There’s no link between not accepting iti a kiwi icon and me being a racist, casual comment or not, so I’m still not sure why you’d do that, but put your pitch fork away, love, I don’t care if an arseh*le is black, white, brown or yellow, the colour of mine won’t stop me calling one out.
It doesn’t bother me if you don’t accept Iti as a kiwi icon (not sure that’s what marty was doing anyway). We are allowed to disagree after all. I was just responding, in like, to your superficial characterisation of the man.
Was Robin Hood an arsehole? How would we know?
iti is no Hood, but nice try with the iconisation through association by stealth 😆
I don’t think Iti is a Hood. Nor a NZ icon. Nice try at rewriting my comments though. And avoiding what I actually said.
You’re so right, I don’t know whether Hood wasn’t an arsehat, but I won’t insinuate racism as the reason if a non anglo saxon says he was. Know what I mean?
Fame at last The Al1en, shining from a Star.
I don’t know if you’re telling me off again, or not, but I’m quite sure it’s not warranted if you are. Nothing controversial or infamous here.
I have never been so Bold ; clearly you can play at this level.
( Texas hold ’em y’all. 😉
I wasn’t playing, just disagreeing with a comrade and then clearing up a what I considered to be a bit of a cheap shot. No biggie, really.
It’s not like I hide aces up my sleeve or anything.
Hiding Aces can get ya shot for no-good reason.
And the two of cauliflowers get you clubs
Good Game! Cambridge Rules.
Only in the boatrace
sleight of hand.
“sleight of hand, also known as prestidigitation (“quick fingers”) ”
Sounds like a scandal I’d be assured of coming out better than 4/10
unwell ends. To lose the Way is easy.
Walk, fall or jump, but never get pushed off
24 well-followed steps. (I say goddamn The Pusher man).
The Newton bomb – Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Push back.
“You’re so right, I don’t know whether Hood wasn’t an arsehat, but I won’t insinuate racism as the reason if a non anglo saxon says he was. Know what I mean?”
Not really. I have no idea if you are racist or not*. My original comment was just a way of mirroring how superficial and off-point your comment about Iti was. I think it just derailed a potentially interesting conversation that marty started. But fair doos, I carried on the derailment 🙂
*although I always find it interesting that being accused of being racist is worse than actually being racist.
“iti is no Hood” is such a lovely sentence construction.
Effortlessly 😀
“Not really. I have no idea if you are racist or not*”
I’m surprised you can’t tell, either way, seeing you’re usually so perceptive and all.
*although I always find it interesting that being accused of being racist is worse than actually being racist.”
Well I’m sure that’s not true, but falsely accused is still pretty bad, especially when it’s something like racist, wife beater or terrorist for example.
““iti is no Hood” is such a lovely sentence construction.”
My bad luck the booker prize has already gone, though truth be told I fluked it, so probably not so meritus really.
“Effortlessly 😀 ”
And these are the big girlz and boyz you’re so in awe of? 😆
You’re having a bubble, bruv.
open-eyed 😀 (not a lot to compare in the Styx).
“open-eyed 😀 (not a lot to compare in the Styx).”
Brave new world never looks better than the first time you see it.
Slip the ferryman a quid and have a butchers.
““iti is no Hood” is such a lovely sentence construction.”
My bad luck the booker prize has already gone, though truth be told I fluked it, so probably not so meritus really.
I think it was a combined effort :-p Plus a late appreciation on my part of the use of the lower case for iti 🙂
Racism… I tend to the view that we have all internalised racism to an extent, so I don’t consider questioning racism in people to be the Big Bad Thing you do. If you say to me that you are not racist, to be honest I don’t even know what that means. Racism is so complex and such a multiplicity of things, can any of us say we are truely completely free of racism? (well, yes, we can say it, but what does it mean?). I’m also not a fan of the idea that racists/wife beaters/terrorists are only those bad people over there, different from us, and us non-racists over here are the good people.
“Plus a late appreciation on my part of the use of the lower case for iti”
See, now there’s the perception thing I was talking about 😉
Again, not a racist thing, but definitely deliberate to indicate my lack of respect for the bloke. Well spotted.
“can any of us say we are truly* completely free of racism?”
I can say I don’t judge my worth to be better than another’s because of the colour of our skins, just like I don’t think worse of women for not being men.
I don’t know if that makes me uniquely not racist and sexist, but I hope not.
Ps.
* I edited the word ‘truly’ in your quote when I was composing my reply as the little red line underneath it was pissing me off 😉
[Won’t] “pay the ferryman ’til he gets me to the other side”
Get a gold card off Winston and you’ll be sorted, pops. 🙂
Maybe that’s the beauty of the sentence too, because I liked the te reo puns and the juxtaposition with English language rules of capitalisation (iti is no Hood, Iti is no hood), without seeing that as being a slight against Tame.
“I can say I don’t judge my worth to be better than another’s because of the colour of our skins, just like I don’t think worse of women for not being men.
I don’t know if that makes me uniquely not racist and sexist, but I hope not.”
And if that was the full extent of what racism is (or sexism) I might agree with you 🙂
Anyway, going back to Robin, I don’t know that much about the meta-cultural aspects of that particular tale, who was telling the story for instance, and whether one can be an arsehole and useful to the community at the same time.
Likewise Ned Kelly. Was there an elevation of one criminal over another? Why?
“Maybe that’s the beauty of the sentence too, because I liked the te reo puns and the juxtaposition with English language rules of capitalisation (iti is no Hood, Iti is no hood), without seeing that as being a slight against Tame.”
I’ll take your word for it. Human isn’t my first language 😉
“And if that was the full extent of what racism is (or sexism) I might agree with you”
Full extent or not, without a check list, it’ll have to do for starters. 🙂
“who was telling the story for instance, and whether one can be an arsehole and useful to the community at the same time.”
From recent personal experience, though free of criminal activity, I would have to answer yes and yes. 😆
Good night, Weka.
Rust Never Sleeps Crazy Horse.
That aint no rust, that’s my ferric oxide.
Night, Rogue.
ferrous, the two of us, than to Try valiantly
That’s probably what a few folk said about kelly at the time – in fact even to this day.
I guess one has to recognise the existence of a distinct social layer and the validity of its concerns before one can distinguish between a common criminal and someone reacting to systemic injustice – or indeed recognise that the two might be one and the same.
I’d say that Iti is much more aware of his context within any political issues than Kelly every was.
Al1en
No, iti is just a repeat ignorant criminal separatist pushing his own agenda. Hardly a Kelly representing a distinct social layer.
You wouldn’t know an ignorant criminal separatist if he/she bit you on your overinflated arse.
Tame is very much an icon in Aotearoa. Not perhaps to the racist, neo-colonialist, white supremacist, paternalistic, or ignorant (tick the box). His name will be spoken after his death and his legend will perpetuate as tūpuna.
Unlike Kelly, Tame has never killed anyone. He has not robbed multiple banks, or taken hostages. His shooting to death of a flag and firearms convictions has no moral equivalence to the killing of three policemen – yet, Kelly is iconic and Tame is a criminal separatist.
Tame’s story is one of a continuous and consistent conflict against an inherently corrupt system. That social layer that you are too cock-eyed to perceive is greatly evident in Māori homes and hearts. Tame represents a significant voice – his is not a monologue.
“You wouldn’t know an ignorant criminal separatist if he/she bit you on your overinflated arse.”
I throw that back right at you 😆
“. Not perhaps to the racist, neo-colonialist, white supremacist, paternalistic, or ignorant (tick the box). ”
None of the above, but nice try.
“His name will be spoken after his death and his legend will perpetuate as tūpuna.”
I’m guessing only by the very easily impressed.
” yet, Kelly is iconic and Tame is a criminal separatist.”
Fair comment, at last 😉
“Tame represents a significant voice ”
See comment RE: Easily led
ps. You suck 😆
What was the point of that reply? It doesn’t actually say anything? I thought Adele raised some good points deserving of consideration.
Yeah, I replied as I saw fit, but you’re free to consider and give your own opinion though, being a free country and all.
I might even read it after work.
Al1en
I don’t suck actually.
I think you are ignorant. Your prejudices are obvious which makes you also a hypocrite.
I think you are part of that other Labour. The Labour that is narrow-minded, with bourgeois tendencies, and has pretensions towards egalitarianism. That other Labour that wouldn’t know a worker if they fell over the mop.
I can’t debate with ignorance. It’s a waste of energy and precious time (insert emoticon shaped like a pūkana).
Ignorant is relative, I s’pose.
No Robin hood, but the wannabe merry men playing in the forest should note that video evidence will be admissible next time 😉
That’s very pompous of you – relative to you I suppose.
Pompous is relative, I s’pose 😉
Good job I didn’t try and spin a nugget into a treasured national icon then.
But of course your opinion is just that, a personal opinion, yet probably not one representative of the wider Kiwi community.
so true, as is everything thus making the statement rather redundant.
That was to your first bit – the rest, well – of course.
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/oct/18/thinktanks-kurt-campbell-lowy-institute
It’s time we stopped drinking the thinktank kool-aid
Business, power and politics rarely mix without controversy. It’s essential that the media asks the uncomfortable questions
by ANTONY LOEWENSTEIN, The Guardian, 18 October 2013
The ABC TV Lateline interview with Kurt Campbell, former US assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, was cordial, even reverential. It was conducted in the middle of March this year, more than a month after Campbell had left the state department.
Interviewer Emma Alberici asked Campbell about the transformation of Burma and the release of Aung San Suu Kyi. He gushed that it was remarkable, and gave some folksy anecdotes about a “better future” for the Burmese. The interview then swiftly moved on to focus on the prospects of Hillary Clinton running for president in 2016. There were no questions about Campbell’s push for greater ties with the Indonesian military despite its shocking record of abuse in West Papua.
There were also no questions about Campbell’s Washington and Singapore-based investment organisation, the Asia Group, and its efforts to win lucrative contracts across the Asia-Pacific region. After all, his company had been launched before this interview took place and surely warranted some questions about the appropriateness of setting up a company so soon after leaving government.
It might be considered an example of the unwillingness of the mainstream media to challenge potential conflicts of interest when it comes to the murky melding of business and politics. With the announcement in August by the Lowy Institute that Campbell was its 2013 distinguished international fellow, it’s vital to question the ways in which our media has drunk the thinktank kool-aid.
The Lowy Institute sees itself as Australia’s leading foreign affairs thinktank. Its fellows and staff routinely appear in the media pontificating about global affairs, including a push for greater defence spending that would allow countless contractors to earn billions of dollars. Its head Michael Fullilove, who’s also a non-resident senior fellow in foreign affairs at the Brookings Institution, writes longingly about former US national security advisor Henry Kissinger as a “realist”, despite…
Read more….
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/oct/18/thinktanks-kurt-campbell-lowy-institute
”Give them a taste of Jake the Muss”, so said actor Temuera Morrison in the lead up to last nights televising of the All Blacks V Wallabies ‘bloody-slow cup’ rugby game in Dunedin last night,
You seriously have to wonder what the f**k goes on in the minds of the New Zealand Rugby Union or Sky Television if this were solely the work of the broadcaster,
The character of ‘Jake the Muss’ from the movie ‘Once Were Warriors’, for anyone that doesn’t know, was an alcoholic child abusing wife beater at the head of a totally dysfunctional family who had among His friends at least one child molester happily brought home to the party,
And that’s what the New Zealand Rugby Union wants to portray on prime time television as an example to and of our All Black team???,
Whoever in the NZRFU sanctioned that piece of ugliness to be used in conjunction with the All Blacks name should be given the kick into touch they fully deserve…
That’s appalling and certainly doesn’t fit with the NZRU social responsibility aims – rugby is still meant to be a family game isn’t it?
I’ll stop watching the ABs if they start going down that road. I didn’t see it where I watched the game – I’m guessing it was a particular channel?
No Sky TV here, so it was Prime Television, Sky’s poorer sister that broadcast this particular ugly piece of jingoism which could have only appealed to the most crass of rugby supporters,
At first i thought ‘the piece’ was simply an ‘Ad’ but as it continued, 5-10 minutes, my disgust rose and it ended up spoiling what was a ‘festival type’ game of running rugby where the All Blacks seemed to give the Wallaby’s every chance to shine,
‘Jake the Muss’ as portrayed by Morrison in the ‘Once Were Warriors film’ brought to life for many in this country an impoverished section of New Zealand society inflicted with all the negative social baggage that such poverty brings, in a word ugly,
Temuera Morrison, obviously paid for His work screened on Prime Television last night, making references connecting both ‘Jake the Muss’ and ‘Once were Warriors’ to the All Blacks playing in Dunedin last night was for want of any better vocabulary equally as ‘ugly’…
Well the NZRU have allowed AIG to be a major sponsor, so anything is possible I guess!
AIG – Responsible for abuse of men, women and children of all age, among other financial crimes etc.
I share your view that it’s ‘ugly’. Worth a note to the NZRU about whether they want to be associated with this type of promotion of their sport – especially given that there appears to be links between watching rugby and domestic violence and NZRU has a social responsibility programme.
e.g. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10829563
I’ve met so many people who believes this stuff doesn’t happen (or only happens in a few Maori families so don’t see anything wrong with a ‘fictional’ portrayals of these men (thanks, Alan Duff for not putting any Pakeha dysfunctional families in the movie to reinforce the stereotypes and division). So I guess that whoever did this and approved it comes from those who approve of the the ‘Muss’ behaviour, believe it’s a fiction, or have never seen the movie and just see a hero.
Tem Morrison should take a good hard look at what he’s selling himself for as well.
WTF. Bookmarking this for the next time an All Black gets a discharge without conviction for beating his partner …
The idiots in charge of the Warriors decided at one stage to give every player a theme song, which they’d play at the stadium. Steve Kearney got the theme to Once Were Warriors and kicked up a stink until they got rid of it. Once again the black wifebeater wearing crowd showed itself 20 years ahead of the lounge suit wearing dinosaurs running union.
I always thought Steve Kearney seemed like one of the good guys. Pleased to to see there was a reason to think that.
GREAT SPEECHES OF OUR TIME
Accurately transcribed by Morrissey.
No1. MLK.
And so even though we face the difficulties of Toady and Tamara, I still have a drain. It is a drain deeply rooted in the American drain, leading down from the mountain top.
LONG EMBARRASSED SILENCE.
I have a train that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true moaning of the band Creed: “We hold these truths to be half-evident, that all men are created. Equal is as good as sugar.
I have a dram that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sun will shine on farmers and farmer slaves and the sons of former farmer slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table at the back of the restaurant, by the toilet of brotherhood.
I have droned that one day even the state of Mrs Hippy, a state swallowing the plate of justice, will be transformed into an oasis of fruit and juices.
I have a dream that my four little chickens will one day live in animation where they will not be judged by the color of their crispy skins but by the content of their charcoal.
NEXT WEEK: FROST/NIXON:
Nixon: I am not a crockpot!
Frost: LONG EMBARRASSED SILENCE
*snort*
*snort*
I think that’s enough cocaine for you for a while.
What?
weka – a reference to this thread from yesterday’s Open Mike
http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-19102013/#comment-713007
TRP *Inspired*
Thanks QoT. But to be honest, I didn’t get past TRP’s second line 😉
then of course there was that other great miss-hearing of a political speech..
..what has gone into history..as reagans’ mower-moment..
..(and a mistake/miss-hearing which in its’ own way..begat the garth mcvicars/’lock em up!’/private-prison industries of our times..)-
..where reagan ..(in a/the proto-‘berm-debate’..?) was calling for a neater america..
..pleaing for more regular/frequent mower-action..
..in terms he couched as ‘lawn-order’..
..this was miss-heard..as a call for a more repressive/punitive justice/prison system..
..and thus the rise of the mcvicars/private-prison industries..
..and really the lesson here/there must be..
..the importance of accurate transcribing..
..eh..?
.phillip ure..
Don’t forget Bush Jnr’s War on Tourism, Phillip.
heh..!..
phillip ure..
Could this be chaos theory at work?
1. the branch of mathematics that deals with complex systems whose behaviour is highly sensitive to slight changes in conditions, so that small alterations can give rise to strikingly great consequences.
Seems legit.
Do you recognize that it captures the essential quality of the discussions? I know I do.
Yes, I definitely do know that.
Excellent 😀 (glad I popped by for a read TRP).
amazing what you can do with a tape recorder these days, ain’t it?
GREAT SPEECHES OF OUR TIME.
Accurately transcribed by Morrissey. ….
…….
LONG EMBARRASSED SILENCE
Not bad, Te Reo. That’s a C minus.
Just a reminder about a lecture on a topic close to our hearts- for Wednesday 30th.
2013 Bruce Jesson Lecture:
Sir Edmund Thomas –
Reducing Inequality: A Strategy for a Cause
The speaker, a Distinguished Fellow at the Law School at The University of Auckland, argues that the gross inequality in income and wealth which besets New Zealand is the outcome of the neo-liberal economic measures of the mid-1980s and early 1990s and the culture of liberal individualism and unfettered free market ideology which it spawned.
A breakdown in social cohesion and a sense of community is the result. Reforms to counter this inequality are widely mooted. But increasing focus and discussion on the topic is confronted by a plethora of mantras and myths purveyed by the rich and powerful. The stimulus for change is deadened.
The speaker advances a strategy designed to provide a coherent impetus to reduce the rank inequality that now prevails.
The Rt Hon Sir Edmund Thomas will deliver the 2013 lecture on Wednesday 30 October, 6.30pm, at the Maidment Theatre (bar opens at 5.30pm).
Winston Peters, on a ‘State Insurer’, and an early election (April ; fools ’em every-time ) 😀
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11143113
He could go a lot further than that. Insurers are pocketing about a billion dollars a year from homeowner insurance premiums. Are they subsidising something else with this money?
Interesting stuff we should all know about.
Deposit guarantee scheme, depositor insurance, capped bank scheme – only Israel and New Zealand don’t have these in the OECD.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/sunday
Audio will follow soon.
11.40 Wayne Brittenden’s Counterpoint
Five years ago this month the global financial decline kicked in deeply. Wayne looks at the implications of the next meltdown that some punters are predicting, and the potential for serious social unrest. Chris follows up with Dr Bill Rosenberg, economist at the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions.
The British were apparently freaked out by bankers like Goldman Sachs into with scary scenarios
of rioting and looting if banks collapsed.
Bill Rosenberg says that NZ’s bank accounts can be as low at times half of NZs with bank a/cs have less than $580 in their account. How would we manage if there was a collapse of our banks?
Most of our banks are owned by Australians – except Kiwibank thanks Mr Anderton, and some ex building society ones still not sold off to furriners. Australian banks have a deposit guarantee scheme but it doesn’t apply to us though we banks with those Oz banks in NZ! The usual way of treating NZ by that country. The funds of Australian banks would be drawn on to meet their obligations in Oz. It could be that funds from their branches in NZ would be utilised to meet the extra demand, with no legal responsibility to provide for us here. Great, Ansett all over again. Getting NZ to pay for what would be otherwise an Oz obligation. We bought Ansett, like naive idiots, and we naively have allowed Oz to get their beefy hands on our banks too in line with our friendly relationship under CER.
Also interesting.
Sir Alan Mark – Wise Response Update ( 10′ 41″ )
09:45 Sir Alan Mark talks with Chris about the progress of the Wise Response
initiative – backed by a number of well known New Zealanders – that asks politicians to
acknowledge environmental, economic and social risks affecting us all.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/sunday
became friends with a chap yesterday, a soil scientist for a large fertilizer company, and he’s english, yet he confirms all the criticisms environmentalists on the left have of current farming practises and fracking in particular. Sees his role as mitigating the influences of farmer’s fathers and grandfathers upon the practises of today. Also not a supporter of the RWSS.
..thanks greywarbler…will listen
Thanks for that. I have been aware of this problem for some time and emailed the RBNZ and other trading banks. They said the government needed to legislate as the Oz government did. So I emailed the PM and was politely told to sling my hook.
I’ve no doubt that we would be the losers with the Oz banks taking from NZ savers to give to Oz customers.
Powerful Ads Use Real Google Searches to Show the Scope of Sexism Worldwide
Edison’s revenge
It seems that DC power is becoming fashionable.
Shot Down in Flames , only to Rise Again.
There was a connection between two items on Radionz tonight. One was the news that fire services in Australia are fairly sure that some will have been deliberately set by firebugs crazy enough to trash lives and the environment .
Destructive bugs have travelled in wood used in crates and pallets etc in shipping between countries. The more shipping, the more the problem. A lot of the extra exports and imports caused by the free market with countries taking a deliberate bias against being self-sufficient has resulted in the spread of insect bugs to new countries where the trees have no natural weapons against them and they are trashing the environment.
One has a name like the emerald beetle which is killing ash trees big time along with a fungus called ash dieback and between them have decimated ash trees in the west with 99 per cent having died off in some places.
Then there is a red fungus that has hit plane trees in Europe and has spread along the line of established trees lining French canals.
Then there is a bug that is serious that is being spread by campers in Canada and USA who take their own firewood with them, which includes the bugs which on their own would not be able to spread this far. Probably it is something that good campers have always done so that they don’t touch the natural forest environment, but it is turning out to be a bad thing.
All very bad news for a planet that is in a delicate state of imbalance already. Trees are supposed to be great helpers – they are going to be under pressure from droughts, torrential rainfall, high winds, now insects and organisms that are practically unstoppable. And then there are humans that are in a strange space. They think and act not like informed, educated, thoughtful modern men, nor do they think and act like savvy ancient men. They are another sort of scourge that we have bred and allowed to be dragged up by whoever, and they might be the catalyst that brings our demise, not climate change.
Fox News plays dubbed audio of stenogapher Dianne Reidy’s rant. There’s some audio missing at the beginning, but they make it look like they reported what she said from the podium.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=3yfOhwF0DV8
“She said something about the devil. It was sudden, confusing and heartbreaking. She is normally a gentle soul.” ~ Ros-Lehtinen
Incomplete transcript:
“He will NOT be mocked!” (x3)
(from the elevator:)
“The greatest deception here, is this is NOT one nation under God. It never was. Had it been…no…it would not have been…the Constitution would not have been written by Freemasons that go against God. You cannot server two masters! You cannot serve two masters… Praise be to God and the Lord Jesus Christ!”