[Please note, we are trialling something new for Open Mike and Daily Review.
In order to keep OM and DR free for other conversations, all comments, link postings etc about the US election now need to go in the dedicated US election discussion here.
If you are unsure, post in that thread rather than here. It’s not possible for moderators to shift comments from OM to there, so any comments here may get deleted.
See that rowarth woman? No thanks, b waghorn, but the article you link to and the issue it covers is high up on my “to do” list. I’m putting it to my regional councillors at the next meeting – what is the council’s response to the Parliamentary Commisioner’s report on farming and climate change. You’ll have recoiled from the spin from Rolleston in the article, I’m guessing – he and rowath are tag-teaming it.
The junior doctors strike was the subject of two cracking interviews on NatRad this morning which go to show how “real” news need not be boring. And really, the junior doctors strike is a text book example of how the modern, trivia driven corporate media act as an anaesthesia on the general public. The tawdry NZ Herald has led with a Sydney murder suicide, the Trump-Clinton clown show and Julian Saveas recall for a rugby match. Oh and something called “sponsored content” (pay to publish) for a hair loss product for women.The state of our health system and civil society really does deserve better than the dross and dumbed down bullshit that our current commercial MSM serve up.
I think we should re-look at what Muttonbird said last night.
“Funny how whenever there’s ‘shock resignations’ of National government ministers it’s about rejuvenation and forward thinking, yet when Labour party press secretaries do the same there’s a poisonous culture in Andrew Little’s office.”
Great analysis by Muttonbird. I think our media has lost the plot, and nothing we can do will bring them to heel. For the next election, people have to be offered alternative views, as our media are getting worse. Dirty politics it seems, was just the tip of a very large iceberg.
Number. Number of resignations. Apparently there are a number of resignations expected from the National Government over the next few months. Quite a number. That’s the issue.
I agree, prune some of the deadwood from the benches, promote some newer faces and present a fresher (or as fresh as you can considering how long they’ve been in power) look for the up coming election
However that has nothing to do with the number of resignations in key back room positions for Andrew Little
I’m not calling her deadwood but Key (probably but not definitely) thinks of her that way and Key (probably) told her to go or be fired (again probably)
Key probably wants to present a fresh look to the voters and also wants to stop any controversies before they start up, although It’d be hard to find someone in the National the teachers don’t have a problem with
I personally wouldn’t have got rid of her but then I also haven’t won three general elections either
So why do you think the working life of a Little back room staffer is approximately a month?
Probably for valid reasons, probably. There’s no reason to think otherwise. No more at least, than to believe that Parata’s exit is oddly rapid and premature. !0 years in politics is a remarkably short time though. Do you know how long Bill English has been in politics (just for comparisons sake)? Parata’s departure seems unseemly somehow, don’t you think? Perhaps she’s offended at Key calling her “deadwood” (probably).
“Probably for valid reasons, probably. There’s no reason to think otherwise.”
You really believe that someone would take on a position like that for approximately a month and then go “oh well its not for me”, that someone would give up the chance of real power and you think theres a valid reason for the three/four people leaving, one maybe but 3/4 in quick succession?
I’ll bet if the same amount of people left John Keys office there’d be any number of people saying it must be a horrible place to work
“Parata’s departure seems unseemly somehow, don’t you think? Perhaps she’s offended at Key calling her “deadwood” (probably).”
Quite possibly, as I say I wouldn’t have got rid of her
Your view as to what the PM will have suggested is almost certainly completely wrong. In my view he would have preferred that Hekia should stay. She has got on top of the portfolio, and has made some real gains. She has become a solid performer within the Cabinet.
She also adds deep links into iwi leadership and relationships.
Ouch!
Wayne’s an insider who thinks you’re “almost certainly completely wrong”.
I suspect an insider from Andrew Little’s team would say the same thing.
“almost certainly completely wrong”
Ouch!
“Made some real gains”
– by which you presumably mean that she has pushed ahead on a few things of importance to National that are against best international practice in education, and continued to ignore the entire teaching profession telling her that she was entirely wrong. Not really ‘gains’ then…
Certainly with a crowning achievement like Novapay Hekia was a standout. The logical successor must be Sam Lotu Liga – bringing SERCO into everywhere the government doesn’t know wtf it is doing.
I guess only Hekia can give you (us) that answer Robert,
She has been an MP for about 10 years, high profile…maybe she was told her time was up? or maybe she wanted to spend more time with her family? or different job pathway? etc…
No proof in the piece, not one word of evidence to support a poisonous culture.
Who needs truth, when a snippy headline, a snide attack, and stacks of innuendo will do. All hidden under opinion.
That is the point Puckish, but I’m sure you get that, and would not want to try and misdirect a conversation…No wait you did in your response to Robert Guyton
Oh do pull the other one Puckish, your evidence an opinion piece for starters.
Parata was, and continues to be just one of a collection of bad and incompetent ministers this national government has produced. Jumped before she was pushed, now we getting a sick husband smoke screen. MMMM, somthing rotten in the national house.
“Oh do pull the other one Puckish, your evidence an opinion piece for starters.”
Are you saying they haven’t resigned?
“Parata was, and continues to be just one of a collection of bad and incompetent ministers this national government has produced. Jumped before she was pushed, now we getting a sick husband smoke screen. MMMM, somthing rotten in the national house.”
I personally don’t think so was a bad or incompetent education minister, can you name a National education minister that the teachers unions considered good, you’re always on a hiding to nothing.
You’re probably right when about the jumped before she was pushed, along with the soon to be announced cushy number for her
John Key isn’t known as the smiling assassin for nothing but, and its a pretty big but, its ministers in National getting the axe but its back room staff in Labour quitting
Where I work there has been a position that has had three changes in a little over a year (its currently vacant) and I think that’s a problem
You’ve got three/four resignations over a shorter time and the positions would indicate you get a lot of power once Labour wins power yet you don’t think that’s a problem?
The issue before you do you usual and try to take it side ways – is the representation by the press. No one know why they resigned, so I’m not going to speculate on peoples personal decisions, the speculation of which by the way, is quite vulgar.
So apart from your snide opinion piece, all I’m seeing is a boorish attempt at spin.
So if questions are it, then you think it is fine the press are not holding this appalling collection of ministers to account? Nick I can mess it up Smith, and Murray I gave away the farm McCully – just two examples.
You are the one sticking with your vulgar arguments and missing the point.
I’ve seen you post entertain links here so I guess I should not be surprised you would be into gutter politics, of the amoral speculative kind.
No personal grievances, no golden hand shakes, at least one person actually got a promotion, with the bonus of coming back home. So sorry Puckish you argument is vugar, boorish and childish.
Lets not forget its light weight, and a diversion. You were wrong about Hekia, and you are wrong about this.
If what they say is true then hopefully the protestors will get charged for damaging government property but if the judicial system has been taken over by dirty, stinking, pinko lefties then he’ll probably be let off with a warning
“Parata was, and continues to be just one of a collection of bad and incompetent ministers this national government has produced. Jumped before she was pushed, now we getting a sick husband smoke screen. MMMM, somthing rotten in the national house.”
adam I feel the need to point out your double standards here…
“Oh do pull the other one Puckish, your evidence an opinion piece for starters”
And what have you just written above adam? oh that’s right its your own opinion piece!!
Now there is nothing wrong with anyone having an opinion, but when you call up someone for having an opinion, then respond back with your own opinion…its hmm??
Adam – Puckish Rogue’s aim is to dishearten readers here who are supportive of the Left. His wide-eyed “questions” are his method for keeping us feeling insecure. He insists that his topic of the day is THE issue and tries always to drag discussion back to his choice of topic, which, curiously enough, always has Labour/Little/the Left cast in a negative light. He’s always done it and will continue to do it until the election. We’d be best to ignore completely, his “angles”. Sadly, I find quibbling with him fun but will try now to ignore his bait. Almost always, his topics of interest are lightweight and inconsequential. Oh, how I wish Pucky would introduce a topic that had some weight, some gravitas, some oomph!
“Funny how whenever there’s ‘shock resignations’ of National government ministers it’s about rejuvenation and forward thinking, yet when Labour party press secretaries do the same there’s a poisonous culture in Andrew Little’s office.”
I mean its not quite the same thing is it, comparing the resignations of ministers to press secretaries.
For starters Hekia has been in parliament for 10 years whereas the average Labour press secretary seems to be lasting around a month so we’re probably overdue for another resignation
However I am not, for one instance, laying the blame for this at Andrew Littles feet, just because its his office and they’re working under him is no reason to think hes a bad boss
“Funny how whenever there’s ‘shock resignations’ of National government ministers it’s about rejuvenation and forward thinking, yet when Labour party press secretaries do the same there’s a poisonous culture in Andrew Little’s office.”
“Great analysis by Muttonbird”
adam I think you need to understand the difference between a MP and a member of staff (in this case employed by Labour).
Interesting, seems they found it by accident a new method to convert carbon dioxide to ethanol. No all we need to know is can it be recreated in another lab.
10 billion tonnes (ie, between a quarter and a third of current annual emissions) of CO2 being captured in some nano-tech dependent ethanol process every year, year on year; decade after decade? Sure.
There is nothing in any industrial process we currently have that even comes close to kind of volume/scale.
As far as I can see, this idea is proposing a ‘get around’ on the fact we don’t have the geological capacity to store the required volumes of CO2 that we can’t yet capture by…incorporating it into batteries!!!!?
And it was an accident. Which means it has not be replicated yet. If you noticed a small little video connected with that – about the capture of CO2, and how it’s not working how they expected either.
No not a story of hope, more a glimpse at the desperation to get a good news story out there by the press.
Didn’t you read yesterdays Guardian CV? The world is saved!
“MIT nuclear fusion record marks latest step towards unlimited clean energy”
Now MIT scientists have increased the record plasma pressure to more than two atmospheres, a 16% increase on the previous record set in 2005, at a temperature of 35 million C and lasting for two seconds. The breakthrough …
Two seconds is quite a long time in the field of Nuclear Fusion. Even the Guardian’s clickbaity editors admit in the title that this is one of many steps needed to achieve a practical fusion generator (other than the sun of course). This is the bit that depressed me:
However, the world record was achieved on the last day of the MIT tokamak’s operation, because funding from the US Department of Energy has now ended. The US, along with the EU, China, India, South Korea, Russia and Japan, are now ploughing their fusion funding into a huge fusion reactor called ITER… should be completed in 15-20 years and aims to deliver 500MW of power, about the same as today’s large fission reactors. But the project has been hampered by delays.
chief executive of Tokamak Energy [a spin-off from the UK’s national fusion lab], said the important aspect of the MIT world record was that it showed extreme conditions can be created in small tokamaks: the volume of the MIT device is just one cubic metre. “The conventional view is that tokamaks have to be huge [like ITER] to be powerful,” he said. “The MIT people disagree with that view, as do we.” Kingham’s target is for his company’s compact reactors to produce their first electricity by 2025.
ITER seems like putting a lot of eggs into the one basket, especially if takes so much longer to build and prove. I’m not sure that having private companies piggy-backing on public research to patent Fusion Reactor tech is such a great idea either though.
Its a novel way to capture emissions from flue stacks.
Ultimately a win-win situation would be to use bio char for carbon sequestration. This would pull CO2 out of our atmosphere while also allowing our soils to replenish their carbon stocks, as its estimated the worlds cultivated soils have lost 50 – 70% of their original carbon stock.
Unfortunately, all the cunning plans seem to be coming from all those who want to keep going the same way. Facts don’t deter them from their greed which is destroying us.
Despite not being a Government or Ministry, given the Government’s past negative reaction to being criticized, the Salvation Army comments about immigrants and jobs is quite a brave thing to have done.
Heard on RNZ 6am and 7am news, but not on subsequent bulletins:
Two Pro-democracy members of the Hong Kong parliament were denied a scheduled meeting with NZ finance minister, and meetings with anyone in the NZ government.
Their explanation – the Chinese government has a long reach.
But, if true, since when has the Chinese government been determining who our elected representatives can meet?
“I heartily agree that Nigel Farage and Trump are grotesques. But the free-traders peddle their own untruths. They have insistedthat black is white, even as the voters beg to differ. In their seminar rooms, their TV studios and their Geneva offices, they have perpetrated the ideological sleight of hand that equates internationalism with free trade, and globalisation with untrammelled corporate power. The result has been misery for workers from Bolton to Baltimore to Bangladesh. But it has also left the six-figure technocrats who supervise our economic system pushing a zombie idea. Because that is what free trade has become: an idea leached of life and meaning but stumbling on for want of any replacement. We have a globalisation for bankers, but not for children fleeing the bombs of Syria. Security for investors but not for workers.
To see how debased the notion of free trade has become, look at the deal between Canada and the EU that is currently being voted through Europe’s parliaments. It’s called the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (Ceta), and the fact that you can see it at all is largely down to leaks of the documents, which forced the European commission to publish,. That is after the negotiations were conducted for five years in secret, with even the directives kept hidden from the hundreds of millions of citizens affected.
This is no minor technical work. Provided it is passed in time, Ceta will apply to Britain too – and parts of it will affect Britons’ lives even after we’ve “taken back control”. It has been billed as “a backdoor for TTIP”, the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, which collapsed this summer amid public opposition both in Europe and the US. Like TTIP, Ceta includes the investor-state dispute settlement system – which hands big business the power to sue governments, including for profits they haven’t made yet. A US multinational with an office in Canada (nearly all of them) will be able to sue Britons for bringing in laws that lose them money. This was the mechanism tobacco giant Philip Morris used to sue Australia’s government for bringing in plain packaging. On that occasion, Big Tobacco was unsuccessful – but it took four years of expensive legal battle.”
Syria Solidarity: National day of action 29th October
Civilians in Aleppo and across Syria are being intensively bombed by Russia with bunker bombs, phosphorous bombs, napalm, thermobaric and cluster bombs; and by the Syrian regime with chlorine containing barrel bombs; targetting homes, schools, hospitals, rescue teams, and underground shelters .
Like many Syrian cities, Aleppo has been under a starvation siege. The regime and Russian have even bombed the city’s water supply.
Despite these atrocious crimes against humanity, Aleppo’s people show tremendous solidarity and caring for each other, as they work to find the wounded under the rubble, and rush them to undergound clinics for treatment. Hundreds of democratically run community councils have been formed across Syria in the liberated areas. They have produced a tremendous amount of art, literature, music, and electronic media documenting the revolution and counter revolution in Syria.
The “peace” talks have broken down. It is clear that Russia and the Assad regime are looking for a military solution to enable the genocidal Assad regime to continue in power.
Most of the fighters killing Syrian civilians are not Syrians. They include soliders from Afghanistan, Lebanon, Iran and Iraq, many of them conscripted or desperately poor with no other options for a living.
The Assad regime and Russia have killed half a million Syrian people. The genocide has to stop! The regime regularly uses rape and torture as weapons.
The war started because people across Syria went onto the streets to demand democracy, and instead were shot, rounded up, tortured, raped and killed. So the people took up arms to defend themselves. The Assad regime has vowed to continue to obliterate the population until it accepts his rule.
Both the United States and Russia have re-defined the people’s struggle for democracy as a “war on terror” and are both responsible for killing civilians.
Isis grew in Syria with the encouragement of the Assad regime. Assad deliberately released extremists from his jails, who went on to join Isis in Syria. The regime leaves Isis alone, and Isis is continually attacking the democratic opposition groups. The democratic opposition has been forced to fight on two fronts, against the attacks from the regime and from Isis. Despite the evils perpetrated by Isis, it has killed a fraction of the number of people, that the Assad regime has. The Assad regime with its Russian and Iranian allies are the greater evil.
Stop the bombing! Troops out!
No more genocide! Solidarity with the Syrian Revolution!
Victory for Syrian people now!
Utterly delusional bollocks there Ian. That’s the ‘bending over backwards to be nice’ take by the way. Because the only other take is that your post and those organising the protest are deliberately peddling simplistic and disgusting lies. The Boris Johnson’s of the world would, no doubt, approve of your stance.
Unfortunately many well meaning people who know no better may well pedal on down. 🙁
[In order to keep OM and DR free for other conversations, all comments, link postings etc about the US election now need to go in the dedicated US election discussion here.
If you are unsure, post in that thread rather than here. It’s not possible for moderators to shift comments from OM to there, so any comments here may get deleted – weka]
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span class=”dropcap”>As hideous as David Seymour can be, it is worth keeping in mind occasionally that there are even worse political figures (and regimes) out there. Iran for instance, is about to execute the country’s leading hip hop musician Toomaj Salehi, for writing and performing raps that “corrupt” the nation’s ...
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TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the two days to 6:06am on Thursday, April 25:Politics: PM Christopher Luxon has set up a dual standard for ministerial competence by demoting two National Cabinet ministers while leaving also-struggling ...
Hi,Today I mainly want to share some of your thoughts about the recent piece I wrote about success and failure, and the forces that seemingly guide our lives. But first, a quick bit of housekeeping: I am doing a Webworm popup in Los Angeles on Saturday May 11 at 2pm. ...
It is hard to see what Melissa Lee might have done to “save” the media. National went into the election with no public media policy and appears not to have developed one subsequently. Lee claimed that she had prepared a policy paper before the election but it had been decided ...
Open access notablesIce acceleration and rotation in the Greenland Ice Sheet interior in recent decades, Løkkegaard et al., Communications Earth & Environment:In the past two decades, mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet has accelerated, partly due to the speedup of glaciers. However, uncertainty in speed derived from satellite products ...
Buzz from the Beehive A statement from Children’s Minister Karen Chhour – yet to be posted on the Government’s official website – arrived in Point of Order’s email in-tray last night. It welcomes the High Court ruling on whether the Waitangi Tribunal can demand she appear before it. It does ...
Mr Bombastic:Ironically, the media the academic experts wanted is, in many ways, the media they got. In place of the tyrannical editors of yesteryear, advancing without fear or favour the interests of the ruling class; the New Zealand news media of today boasts a troop of enlightened journalists dedicated to ...
It's hard times try to make a livingYou wake up every morning in the unforgivingOut there somewhere in the cityThere's people living lives without mercy or pityI feel good, yeah I'm feeling fineI feel better then I have for the longest timeI think these pills have been good for meI ...
In 1974, the US Supreme Court issued its decision in United States v. Nixon, finding that the President was not a King, but was subject to the law and was required to turn over the evidence of his wrongdoing to the courts. It was a landmark decision for the rule ...
Every day now just seems to bring in more fresh meat for the grinder.In their relentlessly ideological drive to cut back on the “excessive bloat” (as they see it) of the previous Labour-led government, on the mountains of evidence accumulated in such a short period of time do not ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Megan Valére SosouMarket gardening site of the Itchèléré de Itagui agricultural cooperative in Dassa-Zoumè (Image credit: Megan Valère Sossou) For the residents of Dassa-Zoumè, a city in the West African country of Benin, choosing between drinking water and having enough ...
Buzz from the Beehive Melissa Lee – as may be discerned from the screenshot above – has not been demoted for doing something seriously wrong as Minister of ...
Morning in London Mother hugs beloved daughter outside the converted shoe factory in which she is living.Afternoon in London Travelling writer takes himself and his wrist down to A&E, just to be sure. Read more ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – The recent announcement of the University Advisory Group, chaired by Sir Peter Gluckman, makes very clear where the Government’s focus and priorities lie. The remit of the Advisory Group is that Group members will consider challenges and opportunities for improvement in the university sector including: ...
Eric Crampton writes – The Reserve Bank of New Zealand desperately wants to find reasons to have workstreams in climate change. It makes little sense. They’ve run another stress test on the banks looking to see if they could find a prudential regulation case. They couldn’t. They ...
Rob MacCullough writes – Pundits from the left and the right are arguing that National’s Fast Track Bill that is designed to speed up infrastructure decisions could end up becoming mired in a cesspool of corruption. Political commentator ...
Looking at the headlines this morning it’s hard to feel anything other than pessimistic about the future of humanity.Note that I’m not speaking about the future of mankind, but the survival of our humanity. The values that we believe in seem to be ebbing away, by the day.Perhaps every generation ...
Swabbing mixed breed baby chicks to test for avian influenzaUh oh. Bird flu – often deadly to humans – is not only being transmitted from infected birds to dairy cows, but is now travelling between dairy cows. As of last Friday, Bloomberg News reports, there were 32 American dairy herds ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
What is it with the mining industry? Its not enough for them to pillage the earth - they apparently can't even be bothered getting resource consent to do so: The proponent behind a major mine near the Clutha River had already been undertaking activity in the area without a ...
Photo # 1 I am a huge fan of Singapore’s approach to housing, as described here two years ago by copying and pasting from The ConversationWhat Singapore has that Australia does not is a public housing developer, the Housing Development Board, which puts new dwellings on public and reclaimed land, ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure. The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. “I’m putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...
The new NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) App is a secure ‘one stop shop’ to provide the services drivers need, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Digitising Government Minister Judith Collins say. “The NZTA App will enable an easier way for Kiwis to pay for Vehicle Registration and Road User Charges (RUC). ...
Whānau with tamariki growing up in emergency housing motels will be prioritised for social housing starting this week, says Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka. “Giving these whānau a better opportunity to build healthy stable lives for themselves and future generations is an essential part of the Government’s goal of reducing ...
Racing Minister Winston Peters has paid tribute to an icon of the industry with the recent passing of Dave O’Sullivan (OBE). “Our sympathies are with the O’Sullivan family with the sad news of Dave O’Sullivan’s recent passing,” Mr Peters says. “His contribution to racing, initially as a jockey and then ...
Assalaamu alaikum, greetings to you all. Eid Mubarak, everyone! I want to extend my warmest wishes to you and everyone celebrating this joyous occasion. It is a pleasure to be here. I have enjoyed Eid celebrations at Parliament before, but this is my first time joining you as the Minister ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced Pharmac’s largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff. “Access to medicines is a crucial part of many Kiwis’ lives. We’ve committed to a budget allocation of $1.774 billion over four years so Kiwis are ...
Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
A Waitangi Tribunal inquiry report has warned government that a repeal of Section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act could cause harm to children in care. ...
The Treasury has published today three new papers covering government consumption multipliers, automatic stabilisers and the impacts of global shocks on New Zealand’s economy. ...
Asia Pacific Report The Pacific state of Hawai’i’s House of Representatives has joined the state’s Senate in calling for a ceasefire in Israel’s war on Gaza, becoming the first state to pass such a resolution, reports Hawaii News Now. In March, the Senate passed a ceasefire resolution with a 24–1 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christopher Ferrie, A/Prof, UTS Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Research and ARC DECRA Fellow, University of Technology Sydney PsiQuantum The Australian government has announced a pledge of approximately A$940 million (US$617 million) to PsiQuantum, a quantum computing start-up company based in Silicon Valley. Half ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hunter Bennett, Lecturer in Exercise Science, University of South Australia Cameron Prins/Shutterstock If you spend a lot of time exploring fitness content online, you might have come across the concept of heart rate zones. Heart rate zone training has become more ...
SPECIAL REPORT:By Eugene Doyle He is the most popular Palestinian leader alive today — and yet few people in the West even know his name. Absolutely no one in Gaza or the West Bank does not know him. That difference speaks volumes about who dominates the media narrative that ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Will McCallum, PhD Candidate – School of Communication and Creative Arts, Deakin University Earlier this year, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton accused Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of not supporting Operation Sovereign Borders – the military-led border security operation that has “closed Australia’s borders ...
By Melyne Baroi in Port Moresby A Papua New Guinea MP, Peter Isoaimo, who had been ousted by the National Court in an alleged bribery case, has been reinstated by the Supreme Court on appeal. A three-member Supreme Court bench found that the National Court had erred in finding that ...
Publisher Chris Holdaway reflects on the unique project of collecting the work of the late, terrific poet Schaeffer Lemalu. One of the nice things you can do as a truly independent publisher is to make the books that writers want to make, whatever they happen to be. That’s how I’ve ...
Those profiled in the stamp series served on overseas deployments from 1995 onwards, and all have been awarded theNew Zealand Operational Service Medal. ...
Last night’s dismal poll result for the coalition government shows the limits of trying to govern as an opposition, argues Joel MacManus. There’s a quote from the American political activist Barbara Deming: “Vengeance is not the point; change is. But the trouble is that in most people’s minds, the thought ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Shireen Morris, Associate Professor and Director of the Radical Centre Reform Lab at Macquarie University Law School, Macquarie University Leonid Andronov/Shutterstock Foreign interference in Australian democracy poses a growing risk to our national sovereignty. It refers to coercive, corrupt or ...
A defendant charged by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has pleaded guilty to four charges of obtaining by deception in relation to a mortgage fraud scheme. Sentencing has been scheduled for 14 August 2024. ...
What to say when pesky journalists ask gotcha questions like ‘can you name a single book you’ve ever read?’ and ‘did you read it, or did you just see the movie?’This week, Act Party arts spokesperson Todd Stephenson foolishly agreed to an interview with Newsroom’s Steve Braunias regarding his ...
Explainer - What will a ban on cellphones in schools achieve? Can students use them during lunch breaks? And what happens if you need to contact your child? ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jodi Rowley, Curator, Amphibian & Reptile Conservation Biology, Australian Museum, UNSW Sydney Jodi Rowley, CC BY-NC-ND In winter 2021, Australia’s frogs started dropping dead. People began posting images of dead frogs on social media. Unable to travel to investigate the deaths ...
In the year ended March 2024, 0.4 percent of home transfers were to people who didn’t hold New Zealand citizenship or a resident visa, according to figures released by Stats NZ today. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Wasay Majid, Research Assistant , University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau New Zealand’s accommodation supplement scheme is facing scrutiny, with Social Development Minister Louise Upston recently saying “there is merit in considering whether the current settings are fair and sustainable long-term”. The ...
By Koroi Hawkins, RNZ Pacific editor The first prime ministerial candidate has been announced in Solomon Islands and it is not Manasseh Sogavare. The man of the hour is Jeremiah Manele, the MP for Hograno/Kia/Havulei constituency in Isabel Province, who served as minister of foreign affairs in the last government. ...
Protesting the removal of bins by leaving piles of your dog’s shit for others to deal with doesn’t make you a hero – it’s precious and entitled behaviour. You haven’t truly lived until you’ve stood on the shoreline of Auckland’s Cheltenham beach, desperately trying to scoop increasingly liquid dog shit ...
Analysis - Christopher Luxon will be alert to the factors driving the dire polling, but won't be waving the white flag just yet, RNZ political editor Jo Moir writes. ...
Writer, teacher and academic Vincent O’Sullivan died on Sunday 28 April. Here we gather tributes from friends, colleagues, and students who remember his extraordinary contributions. I went down to the garage tonight. There was a bird shrieking out in the bush, in the dark, maybe a kākā. Miraculously, through the ...
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a burnt-out corporate escapee explains how she gets by ‘working as little as possible’. Want to be part of The Cost of Being? Fill out the questionnaire here.Gender: Female Age: 31 Ethnicity: Pākehā Role: Contractor in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy Schmidt, Professor of Chemistry, UNSW Sydney Albert Russ / Shutterstock The icebreaker of many a barbeque conversation is something like “what do you do for a crust?” “I teach chemistry at university,” is what we usually reply. Then silence. Our ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Asher Flynn, Associate Professor of Criminology, Monash University Shutterstock Sexual harassment is often considered to be a person-to-person act, but new research shows Australians are also experiencing and perpetrating workplace harassment in large numbers through technology. Our latest study shows one ...
A petition signed by more than 16,500 people, demanding the government take stronger action to halt the genocide of Palestinians by the State of Israel, is being presented to the House of Representatives today by Hon Phil Twyford. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Burnett, Honorary Associate Professor, ANU College of Law, Australian National University jenmartin/Shutterstock April has been a bad month for the Australian environment. The Great Barrier Reef was hit, yet again, by intense coral bleaching. And Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek delayed ...
Winston Peters might not give a ‘rat’s derriere’ about last night’s poll, but it revealed the unusual absence of a honeymoon period and little payoff for the government’s action plan approach, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Marco de Jong, Lecturer, Law School, Auckland University of Technology Getty Images Details released by the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet under the Official Information Act reveal New Zealand officials have been considering involvement in AUKUS from the outset. ...
The government's treatment of Māori raised eyebrows, with countries saying New Zealand needed to do more to reduce health, education and justice inequities. ...
The age of criminal responsibility was one of numerous human rights issues raised during Aotearoa New Zealand’s UPR. Other key themes were racism and discrimination, the disproportionate representation of Māori in prison, and to uphold the UN Declaration ...
In a sitdown interview ahead of his final day at Parliament this week, the former Green Party co-leader tells RNZ about his lowest point during 2017's rough election campaign. ...
Is the fringe radio station really in a financial crisis, or is it just running a hyped-up donation drive? Fringe internet radio station Reality Check Radio was launched by the anti-vaccine mandates group Voices for Freedom in March 2023. For the next year, it undertook probably the most aggressive promotional ...
Above the Fold: On Monday, the biggest Māori screen production company faced down the biggest funder of Māori content at the High Court. It was an incredibly tense moment – then, just as quickly, it resolved. Duncan Greive breaks down a strange day in the screen sector.Yesterday morning, Māori ...
When it comes to talking about the Government’s controversial fast-track consenting process, political scientist Richard Shaw refers to the famous Chinese sci-fi novel Three-Body Problem, while RNZ’s In Depth journalist Farah Hancock talks about zombie projects. Shaw is referring to the three-party coalition Government and how the proposed legislation is ...
Opinion: The debate over single gender versus co-educational schooling has long been controversial. I went to a co-ed school and was inspired by a remarkable woman who was my maths teacher, and because of her deep knowledge and passion for the subject, I knew that maths was definitely an option ...
He won everything and he earned a knighthood and he was a senior literary figure to the point that he was a living monument to himself until his death in the weekend at 86, but there was something about Vincent O’Sullivan that flew under the radar, that was independent and ...
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It’s a ride that’s lasted almost 30 years for mother and daughter BMX riders Nancy and Toni James, and the next stop is the World Championships in Rock Hill, South Carolina. Almost 27 years ago, Nancy and her husband Gerrard took their oldest child, Daniel, to the Waitākere BMX Club. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rick Sarre, Emeritus Professor of Law and Criminal Justice, University of South Australia The rate of women killed by their partners in Australia grew by 28% from 2021–22 to 2022–23, according to new statistics released today by the Australian Institute of Criminology ...
Ministry of Disabled People employees were promised a permanent role, but were told to start packing three weeks before their fixed term contract finished, says a former employee. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Blakers, Professor of Engineering, Australian National University Clean Energy Council / Neoen As Australia’s rapid renewable energy rollout continues, so too does debate over land use. Nationals Leader David Littleproud, for example, claimed regional areas had reached “saturation point” and ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brendan C. Walsh, Sessional Academic, The University of Queensland Arrest for witchcraft (1866) by John PettieNGV, CC BY-NC In recent decades, governments the world over have increasingly taken action to address the dark history of witch-hunting. In western Europe, memorials to ...
By Mark Rabago, RNZ Pacific Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas correspondent The US Department of Justice is being urged to condemn and cease its reliance on the “Insular Cases” — a series of US Supreme Court opinions on US territories, which have been labelled racist. Senate Judiciary Committee chair Dick ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kara Dadswell, Senior Lecturer in Psychology, Victoria University Ask your son or daughter, niece, or nephew to draw you a picture of a sport coach. They will most probably draw a man. Why? Our latest research published in the Psychology of Sport ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nicole Rinehart, Professor, Child and Adolescent Psychology, Director, Krongold Clinic (Research), Monash University Shutterstock/Brian A. Jackson “Charlie” is an eight-year-old child with autism. Her parents are worried because she often responds to requests with insults, aggression and refusal. Simple demands, such ...
[Please note, we are trialling something new for Open Mike and Daily Review.
In order to keep OM and DR free for other conversations, all comments, link postings etc about the US election now need to go in the dedicated US election discussion here.
If you are unsure, post in that thread rather than here. It’s not possible for moderators to shift comments from OM to there, so any comments here may get deleted.
Have fun folks – weka]
If you want to see the rowarth woman earning here daily bread watch henry on delay in about 5o mins. The most stunning display of a set up interview i’ve seen , and that’s coming from someone who watch’s henry and thinks the ETS is a farce. I believe it was set up to counter this
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/opinion/85509709/warning-to-farmers-better-to-move-on-emissions-now-than-face-major-shock-later
See that rowarth woman? No thanks, b waghorn, but the article you link to and the issue it covers is high up on my “to do” list. I’m putting it to my regional councillors at the next meeting – what is the council’s response to the Parliamentary Commisioner’s report on farming and climate change. You’ll have recoiled from the spin from Rolleston in the article, I’m guessing – he and rowath are tag-teaming it.
The junior doctors strike was the subject of two cracking interviews on NatRad this morning which go to show how “real” news need not be boring. And really, the junior doctors strike is a text book example of how the modern, trivia driven corporate media act as an anaesthesia on the general public. The tawdry NZ Herald has led with a Sydney murder suicide, the Trump-Clinton clown show and Julian Saveas recall for a rugby match. Oh and something called “sponsored content” (pay to publish) for a hair loss product for women.The state of our health system and civil society really does deserve better than the dross and dumbed down bullshit that our current commercial MSM serve up.
Video interview with Asma Al-Assad
http://www.youtube.com/embed/ahMxGAPQHiQ
I think we should re-look at what Muttonbird said last night.
“Funny how whenever there’s ‘shock resignations’ of National government ministers it’s about rejuvenation and forward thinking, yet when Labour party press secretaries do the same there’s a poisonous culture in Andrew Little’s office.”
Great analysis by Muttonbird. I think our media has lost the plot, and nothing we can do will bring them to heel. For the next election, people have to be offered alternative views, as our media are getting worse. Dirty politics it seems, was just the tip of a very large iceberg.
The issue is the amount of resignations that’s happening, http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/opinion/83908414/Labour-leaders-staffing-exodus-continues-with-four-key-roles-now-vacant
that’s three key resignations that’s happened recently, four if you count McCarten and that seems to be quite a high turn over
Number. Number of resignations. Apparently there are a number of resignations expected from the National Government over the next few months. Quite a number. That’s the issue.
I agree, prune some of the deadwood from the benches, promote some newer faces and present a fresher (or as fresh as you can considering how long they’ve been in power) look for the up coming election
However that has nothing to do with the number of resignations in key back room positions for Andrew Little
Why are they resigning?
You are describing Hekia Parata as “deadwood”, Pucky.
Why do you characterize her that way?
Why, do you think, is she resigning?
I’m not calling her deadwood but Key (probably but not definitely) thinks of her that way and Key (probably) told her to go or be fired (again probably)
Key probably wants to present a fresh look to the voters and also wants to stop any controversies before they start up, although It’d be hard to find someone in the National the teachers don’t have a problem with
I personally wouldn’t have got rid of her but then I also haven’t won three general elections either
So why do you think the working life of a Little back room staffer is approximately a month?
Probably for valid reasons, probably. There’s no reason to think otherwise. No more at least, than to believe that Parata’s exit is oddly rapid and premature. !0 years in politics is a remarkably short time though. Do you know how long Bill English has been in politics (just for comparisons sake)? Parata’s departure seems unseemly somehow, don’t you think? Perhaps she’s offended at Key calling her “deadwood” (probably).
“Probably for valid reasons, probably. There’s no reason to think otherwise.”
You really believe that someone would take on a position like that for approximately a month and then go “oh well its not for me”, that someone would give up the chance of real power and you think theres a valid reason for the three/four people leaving, one maybe but 3/4 in quick succession?
I’ll bet if the same amount of people left John Keys office there’d be any number of people saying it must be a horrible place to work
“Parata’s departure seems unseemly somehow, don’t you think? Perhaps she’s offended at Key calling her “deadwood” (probably).”
Quite possibly, as I say I wouldn’t have got rid of her
Puckish Rogue,
Your view as to what the PM will have suggested is almost certainly completely wrong. In my view he would have preferred that Hekia should stay. She has got on top of the portfolio, and has made some real gains. She has become a solid performer within the Cabinet.
She also adds deep links into iwi leadership and relationships.
Ouch!
Wayne’s an insider who thinks you’re “almost certainly completely wrong”.
I suspect an insider from Andrew Little’s team would say the same thing.
“almost certainly completely wrong”
Ouch!
Aren’t you supposed to be grafting some trees?
Coffee time. Back to work again. It’s beautifully sunny in Southland.
Huh fancy that, its heavy drizzling in Burnham
just clearing up in dunedin 🙂
All good
“Made some real gains”
– by which you presumably mean that she has pushed ahead on a few things of importance to National that are against best international practice in education, and continued to ignore the entire teaching profession telling her that she was entirely wrong. Not really ‘gains’ then…
Certainly with a crowning achievement like Novapay Hekia was a standout. The logical successor must be Sam Lotu Liga – bringing SERCO into everywhere the government doesn’t know wtf it is doing.
“Why, do you think, is she resigning?”
I guess only Hekia can give you (us) that answer Robert,
She has been an MP for about 10 years, high profile…maybe she was told her time was up? or maybe she wanted to spend more time with her family? or different job pathway? etc…
Yeah, I’m with you, Chuck. It’s odd. Doesn’t add up.
10 years – isn’t that a pension threshold, or used to be?
Nice work if you can get it
yup.
Especially given the tolerance for abject incompetence
Right up there with paid trolling on left wing sites.
They’re all desperate to work for Wee Toddy Baccy.
heh
No proof in the piece, not one word of evidence to support a poisonous culture.
Who needs truth, when a snippy headline, a snide attack, and stacks of innuendo will do. All hidden under opinion.
That is the point Puckish, but I’m sure you get that, and would not want to try and misdirect a conversation…No wait you did in your response to Robert Guyton
I didn’t read what muttonbird said last night but three/four resignations in quick succession is a problem that needs resolving
It’s “a problem that needs resolving”, declares Puckish Rogue. Quick-smart people, look lively, pull ya socks up! Pucky’s declaring again!
If you have that many people leaving that quickly in any sort of industry then yes it is a problem
Is it that hard to admit that working with Andrew Little might be difficult?
Oh do pull the other one Puckish, your evidence an opinion piece for starters.
Parata was, and continues to be just one of a collection of bad and incompetent ministers this national government has produced. Jumped before she was pushed, now we getting a sick husband smoke screen. MMMM, somthing rotten in the national house.
“Oh do pull the other one Puckish, your evidence an opinion piece for starters.”
Are you saying they haven’t resigned?
“Parata was, and continues to be just one of a collection of bad and incompetent ministers this national government has produced. Jumped before she was pushed, now we getting a sick husband smoke screen. MMMM, somthing rotten in the national house.”
I personally don’t think so was a bad or incompetent education minister, can you name a National education minister that the teachers unions considered good, you’re always on a hiding to nothing.
You’re probably right when about the jumped before she was pushed, along with the soon to be announced cushy number for her
John Key isn’t known as the smiling assassin for nothing but, and its a pretty big but, its ministers in National getting the axe but its back room staff in Labour quitting
“Are you saying they haven’t resigned?”
No you are just buying into the beat up by the press, in effect proving my point.
Where I work there has been a position that has had three changes in a little over a year (its currently vacant) and I think that’s a problem
You’ve got three/four resignations over a shorter time and the positions would indicate you get a lot of power once Labour wins power yet you don’t think that’s a problem?
The issue before you do you usual and try to take it side ways – is the representation by the press. No one know why they resigned, so I’m not going to speculate on peoples personal decisions, the speculation of which by the way, is quite vulgar.
So apart from your snide opinion piece, all I’m seeing is a boorish attempt at spin.
So if questions are it, then you think it is fine the press are not holding this appalling collection of ministers to account? Nick I can mess it up Smith, and Murray I gave away the farm McCully – just two examples.
All I’m seeing from you is the usual head in the sand, nothing to see here, its all the medias fault deliberate ignorance
Worst response, ever.
Yeah people don’t normally like it when you point out their foibles to them
You are the one sticking with your vulgar arguments and missing the point.
I’ve seen you post entertain links here so I guess I should not be surprised you would be into gutter politics, of the amoral speculative kind.
No personal grievances, no golden hand shakes, at least one person actually got a promotion, with the bonus of coming back home. So sorry Puckish you argument is vugar, boorish and childish.
Lets not forget its light weight, and a diversion. You were wrong about Hekia, and you are wrong about this.
“Lets not forget its light weight, and a diversion. You were wrong about Hekia, and you are wrong about this”
I think you’ll find its not yet proven correct
Hey, Puckish-of-the-Crystal-Ball, what do you reckon’s going to happen with Chester?
http://robinwestenra.blogspot.co.nz/2016/10/govt-mp-runs-into-tppa-protesters.html
If what they say is true then hopefully the protestors will get charged for damaging government property but if the judicial system has been taken over by dirty, stinking, pinko lefties then he’ll probably be let off with a warning
You really are a miserable troll.
“Parata was, and continues to be just one of a collection of bad and incompetent ministers this national government has produced. Jumped before she was pushed, now we getting a sick husband smoke screen. MMMM, somthing rotten in the national house.”
adam I feel the need to point out your double standards here…
“Oh do pull the other one Puckish, your evidence an opinion piece for starters”
And what have you just written above adam? oh that’s right its your own opinion piece!!
Now there is nothing wrong with anyone having an opinion, but when you call up someone for having an opinion, then respond back with your own opinion…its hmm??
*stunned silence
It’s the Trump effect Robert Guyton, were any old bullshit is now the truth for rightwing conspiracy theorist nuts.
Adam – Puckish Rogue’s aim is to dishearten readers here who are supportive of the Left. His wide-eyed “questions” are his method for keeping us feeling insecure. He insists that his topic of the day is THE issue and tries always to drag discussion back to his choice of topic, which, curiously enough, always has Labour/Little/the Left cast in a negative light. He’s always done it and will continue to do it until the election. We’d be best to ignore completely, his “angles”. Sadly, I find quibbling with him fun but will try now to ignore his bait. Almost always, his topics of interest are lightweight and inconsequential. Oh, how I wish Pucky would introduce a topic that had some weight, some gravitas, some oomph!
Oh, and Chuck’s just Chuck.
You do know it was adam that started this topic:
“Funny how whenever there’s ‘shock resignations’ of National government ministers it’s about rejuvenation and forward thinking, yet when Labour party press secretaries do the same there’s a poisonous culture in Andrew Little’s office.”
I mean its not quite the same thing is it, comparing the resignations of ministers to press secretaries.
For starters Hekia has been in parliament for 10 years whereas the average Labour press secretary seems to be lasting around a month so we’re probably overdue for another resignation
However I am not, for one instance, laying the blame for this at Andrew Littles feet, just because its his office and they’re working under him is no reason to think hes a bad boss
Not at all
*Splutters, “But, but, but… Adam started it”
Of course he did, Pucky.
Everything began with Adam.
🙂
Incorrect, we’re all in the matrix and everything you know has been loaded into your mind
I see two cats!
Trolls are beneath contempt .
Shilling for the 1%.
Words that describe what they stand for and who they work for would get me banned.
They are on message following the plot laid out by the DP driven agenda setters this govt relies on to keep the sheeple ill informed.
Working as designed folks
So there were no resignations in Littles back room staff, why not try looking up how many resignations there in Keys staff and compare
Too boring. I’m off to graft fruit trees. Have a nice day.
That’s ok I understand, have fun.
“Funny how whenever there’s ‘shock resignations’ of National government ministers it’s about rejuvenation and forward thinking, yet when Labour party press secretaries do the same there’s a poisonous culture in Andrew Little’s office.”
“Great analysis by Muttonbird”
adam I think you need to understand the difference between a MP and a member of staff (in this case employed by Labour).
Clinton campaign & DNC on violence at Trump rallies
https://youtu.be/5IuJGHuIkzY
Vote Fraud HOWTO
https://youtu.be/hDc8PVCvfKs
Interesting, seems they found it by accident a new method to convert carbon dioxide to ethanol. No all we need to know is can it be recreated in another lab.
http://time.com/4536708/carbon-dioxide-ethanol/
He link to the research itself.
https://www.ornl.gov/news/nano-spike-catalysts-convert-carbon-dioxide-directly-ethanol
Interesting; accepted in 7 days! Put the still on 😉
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/slct.201601169/full
10 billion tonnes (ie, between a quarter and a third of current annual emissions) of CO2 being captured in some nano-tech dependent ethanol process every year, year on year; decade after decade? Sure.
There is nothing in any industrial process we currently have that even comes close to kind of volume/scale.
As far as I can see, this idea is proposing a ‘get around’ on the fact we don’t have the geological capacity to store the required volumes of CO2 that we can’t yet capture by…incorporating it into batteries!!!!?
Fuck.
And it was an accident. Which means it has not be replicated yet. If you noticed a small little video connected with that – about the capture of CO2, and how it’s not working how they expected either.
No not a story of hope, more a glimpse at the desperation to get a good news story out there by the press.
To turn CO2 into ethanol would require a massive input of energy…unless we start believing in free energy: cold fusion/zero point energy style…
Didn’t you read yesterdays Guardian CV? The world is saved!
“MIT nuclear fusion record marks latest step towards unlimited clean energy”
Now MIT scientists have increased the record plasma pressure to more than two atmospheres, a 16% increase on the previous record set in 2005, at a temperature of 35 million C and lasting for two seconds. The breakthrough …
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/oct/17/mit-nuclear-fusion-record-marks-latest-step-towards-unlimited-clean-energy
Two seconds! Not quite gazillions of $$$. I tells ye. No. fcuking. stopping. us.
Two seconds is quite a long time in the field of Nuclear Fusion. Even the Guardian’s clickbaity editors admit in the title that this is one of many steps needed to achieve a practical fusion generator (other than the sun of course). This is the bit that depressed me:
ITER seems like putting a lot of eggs into the one basket, especially if takes so much longer to build and prove. I’m not sure that having private companies piggy-backing on public research to patent Fusion Reactor tech is such a great idea either though.
LanzaTech technology is gas fermentation using waste carbon.
http://www.lanzatech.com/innovation/technical-overview/
Its a novel way to capture emissions from flue stacks.
Ultimately a win-win situation would be to use bio char for carbon sequestration. This would pull CO2 out of our atmosphere while also allowing our soils to replenish their carbon stocks, as its estimated the worlds cultivated soils have lost 50 – 70% of their original carbon stock.
If you want to know what global warming means watch this:
Baldrick! 🙂
Where’s the cunning plan, that’s what I wan to know.
The perils of WIMPS and why the dark matters.
http://mnras.oxfordjournals.org/content/448/2/1816
Unfortunately, all the cunning plans seem to be coming from all those who want to keep going the same way. Facts don’t deter them from their greed which is destroying us.
Great wee documentary.
Despite not being a Government or Ministry, given the Government’s past negative reaction to being criticized, the Salvation Army comments about immigrants and jobs is quite a brave thing to have done.
https://willnewzealandberight.com/2016/10/20/salvation-army-immigration-commentary-disturbing/
Heard on RNZ 6am and 7am news, but not on subsequent bulletins:
Two Pro-democracy members of the Hong Kong parliament were denied a scheduled meeting with NZ finance minister, and meetings with anyone in the NZ government.
Their explanation – the Chinese government has a long reach.
But, if true, since when has the Chinese government been determining who our elected representatives can meet?
From what I can make out, ever since we signed the FTA with them. Ever since then we’ve been too scared to upset them.
Another fine example of trade overwriting principles.
Russel Norman wasn’t too frightened.
True but, IIRC, the government did apologize.
Privatisation.
Infrastructure.
Climate change.
Them’s the dots. Join them up. Good piece from newshub.
http://www.newshub.co.nz/tvshows/story/ex-manager-blows-lid-on-dangerous-toppling-power-poles-2016101919
I hate Trump and Farage. But on free trade they have a point
Aditya Chakrabortty
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/oct/19/free-trade-broken-idea-elites-deals-ceta-ttip-economic
extract..
“I heartily agree that Nigel Farage and Trump are grotesques. But the free-traders peddle their own untruths. They have insistedthat black is white, even as the voters beg to differ. In their seminar rooms, their TV studios and their Geneva offices, they have perpetrated the ideological sleight of hand that equates internationalism with free trade, and globalisation with untrammelled corporate power. The result has been misery for workers from Bolton to Baltimore to Bangladesh. But it has also left the six-figure technocrats who supervise our economic system pushing a zombie idea. Because that is what free trade has become: an idea leached of life and meaning but stumbling on for want of any replacement. We have a globalisation for bankers, but not for children fleeing the bombs of Syria. Security for investors but not for workers.
To see how debased the notion of free trade has become, look at the deal between Canada and the EU that is currently being voted through Europe’s parliaments. It’s called the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (Ceta), and the fact that you can see it at all is largely down to leaks of the documents, which forced the European commission to publish,. That is after the negotiations were conducted for five years in secret, with even the directives kept hidden from the hundreds of millions of citizens affected.
This is no minor technical work. Provided it is passed in time, Ceta will apply to Britain too – and parts of it will affect Britons’ lives even after we’ve “taken back control”. It has been billed as “a backdoor for TTIP”, the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, which collapsed this summer amid public opposition both in Europe and the US. Like TTIP, Ceta includes the investor-state dispute settlement system – which hands big business the power to sue governments, including for profits they haven’t made yet. A US multinational with an office in Canada (nearly all of them) will be able to sue Britons for bringing in laws that lose them money. This was the mechanism tobacco giant Philip Morris used to sue Australia’s government for bringing in plain packaging. On that occasion, Big Tobacco was unsuccessful – but it took four years of expensive legal battle.”
On a similar note of free trade agreements…. in NZ our politicians just run over democratic protestors…
Govt MP runs into TPPA protesters
Suppressed news: Gov’t MP drives over TPPA protesters
Whanganui MP Chester Borrows in court on careless driving charge
http://robinwestenra.blogspot.co.nz/2016/10/govt-mp-runs-into-tppa-protesters.html
This is very cutting from Mr Evans.
http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2016/10/20/malcolm-evans-solutions-to-the-housing-crisis/
Syria Solidarity: National day of action 29th October
Civilians in Aleppo and across Syria are being intensively bombed by Russia with bunker bombs, phosphorous bombs, napalm, thermobaric and cluster bombs; and by the Syrian regime with chlorine containing barrel bombs; targetting homes, schools, hospitals, rescue teams, and underground shelters .
Like many Syrian cities, Aleppo has been under a starvation siege. The regime and Russian have even bombed the city’s water supply.
Despite these atrocious crimes against humanity, Aleppo’s people show tremendous solidarity and caring for each other, as they work to find the wounded under the rubble, and rush them to undergound clinics for treatment. Hundreds of democratically run community councils have been formed across Syria in the liberated areas. They have produced a tremendous amount of art, literature, music, and electronic media documenting the revolution and counter revolution in Syria.
The “peace” talks have broken down. It is clear that Russia and the Assad regime are looking for a military solution to enable the genocidal Assad regime to continue in power.
Most of the fighters killing Syrian civilians are not Syrians. They include soliders from Afghanistan, Lebanon, Iran and Iraq, many of them conscripted or desperately poor with no other options for a living.
The Assad regime and Russia have killed half a million Syrian people. The genocide has to stop! The regime regularly uses rape and torture as weapons.
The war started because people across Syria went onto the streets to demand democracy, and instead were shot, rounded up, tortured, raped and killed. So the people took up arms to defend themselves. The Assad regime has vowed to continue to obliterate the population until it accepts his rule.
Both the United States and Russia have re-defined the people’s struggle for democracy as a “war on terror” and are both responsible for killing civilians.
Isis grew in Syria with the encouragement of the Assad regime. Assad deliberately released extremists from his jails, who went on to join Isis in Syria. The regime leaves Isis alone, and Isis is continually attacking the democratic opposition groups. The democratic opposition has been forced to fight on two fronts, against the attacks from the regime and from Isis. Despite the evils perpetrated by Isis, it has killed a fraction of the number of people, that the Assad regime has. The Assad regime with its Russian and Iranian allies are the greater evil.
Stop the bombing! Troops out!
No more genocide! Solidarity with the Syrian Revolution!
Victory for Syrian people now!
Wellington action:
2-3pm 29th October, Russian Embassy, 57 Messines Road, Karori
Auckland action:
2-3pm 29th October, Aotea Square
https://www.facebook.com/events/104432090029183/
[have added a link – weka]
Utterly delusional bollocks there Ian. That’s the ‘bending over backwards to be nice’ take by the way. Because the only other take is that your post and those organising the protest are deliberately peddling simplistic and disgusting lies. The Boris Johnson’s of the world would, no doubt, approve of your stance.
Unfortunately many well meaning people who know no better may well pedal on down. 🙁
[In order to keep OM and DR free for other conversations, all comments, link postings etc about the US election now need to go in the dedicated US election discussion here.
If you are unsure, post in that thread rather than here. It’s not possible for moderators to shift comments from OM to there, so any comments here may get deleted – weka]