I probably wouldnt jump for joy at BE’s announcement that there will be no more asset sales.
There are other ways to skin a cat.
One is to shut down a state owned company and pass on its work to the private sector, ie Learning Media.
Two is to have the company sell off its assets bit by bit, ie KiwiRail selling the Hillside foundry and AgResearch and Landcorp their farms.
Or you could do what Solid Energy does and contract out the operation of its mines to the private sector, so they are pretty much privately run anyway.
Or simply run it down and provide a completely crap service to such an extent people give up on it and go private – think EQC in Christchurch. Absolutely abysmal and rage-inducing. So much so that many people who work for them have been subjected to personal abused outside of their work which has had other effects within our small communities.
The history of the Christchurch recovery by Brownlee and his band of goons is well painted by now and I don’t think the history books will be kind to him.
The Let Down tenants echo the Occupy movement, which for a brief moment reminded us all that the banks have probably cost us more through the crash, subsidies and tax avoidance than they have contributed in tax revenues. Wealth trickles up to the 1%, not the other way around.
The rich are the ones that cause poverty through their financial system that rewards being rich and punishes working hard.
which for a brief moment reminded us all that the banks have probably cost us more through the crash, subsidies and tax avoidance than they have contributed in tax revenues.
These guys need to get with the programme. Between 2008-2010 the banks lost more money than they had made in their entire history. A clear sign that their record profits in the ten years leading up to the GFC were entire illusory – or fraudulent.
The movie last night “Salute” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAHsYmaodkA was a fantastic movie. Very inspiring movie which not only highlighted USA’s problems with racism but also Australia’s.
Yep – Maori TV News at 7pm (with subtitles for those who don’t know te reo) is a “must view” – especially on the mining and drilling issues, and the land issues which are still a problem for Maori today …… despite Waitangi T. settlements. Another side of Aotearoa many of us don’t see.
When selling off 20% of Air NZ, wouldn’t you have to balance the books by subtracting the cost of buying the airline in the first place against the “profit” of the sale this week?
You are turning an asset on your balance sheet (the ownership stake) into cash. So no.
BTW this is similar to what all private sector companies do when they run down recently purchased public assets. They slowly degrade the assets or get rid of them, transforming the balance sheet into cash that they distribute to themselves.
Tranzrail be one of the best examples, when “Sir” Michael Fay put the order to the GM to haul all possible cash out and do nothing about maintenance and upgrade.
Key has already told the party elite he wants out. He was forced to stay. This isn’t Key’s wish. This is his worst nightmare! Someone up there hates him.
I liked the other joke: ” He promised that the next time Mr Key visited, he would get a book on his own visit – although the laughter indicated he wasn’t necessarily telling the truth.”
Unbelievable … or maybe not given our corporate culture of greed for themselves and austerity for others. A Cleveland Wal-Mart has been asking for donations from customers to pay for some of their employees Thanks Giving celebrations.
Walmart only made US$3.70B dollars last financial quarter. If they were to give every one of their “associates” a $25 Thanksgiving voucher they might go broke…
(2M employees = $50M cost, = US$0.05B reduction in profit for the quarter = unacceptable)
That is where it starts to get a bit murky: wealth is carried in all forms, not just money…..land, art, property, shares, bonds etc.The basic principle is to prevent abnormal accumulation and to redistribute wealth. There are some basic contradictions here…capital is required for investment / reinvestment, so it helps if it accumulates (unless we find a better way of funding enterprise). If we tax the capital we also get into an investment prevention conundrum.
I don’t see the Waltons as much as a rich in liquid terms (they might be but who knows), but what they have is enormous control and consequently power. It does not appear healthy for any society for any small group to have outrageous power and influence.
There are some basic contradictions here…capital is required for investment / reinvestment
However, a lot of the uberwealthy aren’t using this capital for investment/reinvestment in productive ways. They are investing in paper financial assets and real estate, for instance, helping to fuel speculative bubbles but creating fuck all jobs. The classic example is JP Morgan. This bank currently holds US$50B in excess reserves at the Federal Reserve, collecting a couple of billion a year in interest.
You would think that the job of a bank would be to loan this excess money out to corporations and SMEs so that they could invest/re-invest in their enterprises.
But no, it’s easier just to take the interest free ticket clip, especially when there is no expectation of economic growth or increased consumer spending in western countries any time soon.
If we tax the capital we also get into an investment prevention conundrum.
How so? Is building a hydrodam, an electrified train network, researching the next generation of wood processing technologies not “investment”? These are all things which can be done by the tax dollar, and particularly in areas that the private sector aren’t interested in because the payoff cannot be easily and quickly extracted.
It does not appear healthy for any society for any small group to have outrageous power and influence.
At the level of wealth they have, they can, and do, challenge sovereign governments in order to further their own private interests.
Yes the ultra wealthy don’t reinvest in the US or here……maybe, I suspect they do. The job problem in the first world in probably got something to do with under-investment…Marx among others predicted the diminishing rates of return / profit. More recently this problem gets addressed by offshoring production to the third world etc. That of course does not last.
Then the lack of investment despite bank “deposits”…borrowing is at record lows but there are few takers, profits are ltoo low and risk is too high…for both lender and borrower. What a mess. As you say it stays in the bank but something has to pay the interest…usually more debt created out of thin air.
I don’t think spending tax dollars on infrastructure from a diminishing tax base is very useful when it wont lead directly to real investment in consumption, which in turn will drop the tax base. It is the classic problem with Keynes, he got away with it by virtue of cheap expanding energy supply.
No easy answers, what I do think though is that if we can minimize the disparities of wealth retention between top and bottom we are in a better position.
The job problem in the first world in probably got something to do with under-investment…Marx among others predicted the diminishing rates of return / profit. More recently this problem gets addressed by offshoring production to the third world etc. That of course does not last.
The job problem is the critical one to analyse IMO. We are not getting it right and the result is destroying our social capital and our people in the process. As a society we are missing out on the valuable output of creativity and production that we could be enjoying from these under utilised people (the so-called “output gap”).
Offshoring production to the third world has done little for the global economy other than to shift income share away from workers towards owners in an exercise of wage arbitrage. Yes us privileged types in the western world who still have strong incomes get the benefits of product/service price deflation (how on earth you can make and ship a 42″ LCD TV for $300 wholesale is beyond me but apparently it can be done) but that lovely price deflation comes at the cost of income deflation to a lot of workers who lost decent paying jobs.
And then this is the kicker: we’re talking about insufficient paid employment in society. Yet when we look around there is shit loads of work which society needs to get done, which we would all benefit from, but which is not being done. And then there are a lot of unemployed and underemployed people.
So we end up with this situation: a lot of useful, beneficial, productive work for society which could be done. A lot of motivated, capable people who want to enter work, or go from part time work to full time work.
And a political economic system which is so fucked up, it can’t put one and one together to make two – and in some instances, actually thinks that it is a good thing that good people rot in unemployment (as a buffer stock to control inflation, keep wages low, etc).
are they going down hill fast?
Maybe the cuts to food stamps is cutting sales?
Not that it should make paying wages any harder seeing as the staff salary is so low the staff are on food stamps too… the cut in food stamps means their pay has gone down hence the charity drive.
The majority of Walmart employees reportedly make less than $25,000 annually, and many of them rely on food stamps. A case study compiled by the Democratic staff of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce found that employees in one Walmart location received between $96,007 and $219,528 in food stamps over the course of a single year.
When are people going to realise that a corporation like this os not doing them a favour when they hire them?
Wow, we made $ 365 million with AIRNZ. Here is my comparison with some other lump sumps floating around out there such as the $ 13 Billion JP Morgan has to pay in fines for it’s role in the 2008 mortgage scam and the illegal foreclosures which cots thousands of Americans their homes.
$13 billion….hmmm small change compared to the scams….a mere trifle. Also, JPs are banksters, they probably paid by doing some fractional money creation….another scam.
If you can afford to rent or pay a mortgage then you shouldn’t be in a state house because there are other families or people worse off who need the accomadation
Elsewhere on the site, McDonald’s encourages its employees to break apart food when they eat meals, as “breaking food into pieces often results in eating less and still feeling full.” And if they are struggling to stock their shelves with food in the first place, the company offers assistance for workers applying for food stamps.
If a business can’t afford to pay their workers enough so that they aren’t living in poverty then that business should close.
Yeah and McDonalds can go get lost. Fast food chains do nothing but destroy environments (palm oil production/loss of native forest/loss of food sources and livelihoods to those who live in them and loss of wildlife) destroy workplace well being and job security and create health problems (if their products are consumed in excess)
Instead for ultimate nutrition and happiness for everyone:
Remove GST off everything but if it has to be just one essential, take it off all food
Abandon the global corporate food model – we are it’s slaves, not its customers.
Re introduce large scale food production co-ops and in turn introduce large scale grocery retail co-ops to challenge the supermarket industry.
Uncover questionable practices in the supermarket industry and regulate so that suppliers and customers aren’t disadvantaged.
Review food safety standards and improve where necessary. Bring in G.E food labelling
No more advertising nonsense (eg, Countdown feed four for $15)about “food on a budget”, Time we moved on from WW2 mind sets about decent food availability. No one should have to scrimp and save for an essential.
Finally if there’s a special occasion, a birthday, anniversary or celebration everyone has the means, due to afforable housing, food, bills and having well paid jobs, to go a decent restaurant if they chose to.
Rosie’s food for all mandate. Not brought to you by Fonterra, Unilever, Nestle or anyone else.
I thought I would check out how shares in our partially sold assets were going today.
Well ….
Air NZ shares have dropped so far today from $1.65 at opening to $1.580* … with a massive 34 million shares traded in 498 transactions. The big players are having a field day.
* now up slightly to $1.60
Meanwhile:
Meridian – oh dear. Having opened at $1.02, they are down to $0.995. Think this is the first time they have fallen below one dollar. .
Another day, another right-wing hero exposed for what he really is …
Allan Titford has been convicted of multiple crimes, including rape and arson.
Allan who? Google the name, and check out the websites cheerleading for him … “One New Zealand” (sic), E-local (a nasty rag, in your mailbox), “one law for all” (sounds familiar, Brash-fans?).
He’s the hero of 3 a.m. talkback saddoes and Kiwiblog t/rolls – the kind that pop up here all too often. They must be proud today.
Titford is being sentenced in the Whangarei District Court today after he was convicted by a jury on 14 charges of assault with a weapon, seven of assault, four of male assaults female, three of assault on a child, three of sexual violation, two of arson, and single charges of using a document with intention to defraud, threatening to kill, assault using a weapon, perjury, attempting to pervert the course of justice and discharging a firearm.
The sexual offences were committed against his former wife Susan Cochrane who in an unusual step waived her right for name suppression so Titford could be named.
[…]
His former wife Susan read her victim impact statement to the court, saying Titford had kept her “as a slave” for 22 years.
In a victim impact statement read to the court, Ms Cochrane said she had been kept as a slave by Titford for 22 years, and was a victim of his sexual offences.
Ms Cochrane was diagnosed with depression in 1995 and had thought of committing suicide numerous times over the last 20 years. But a “special bond” with her children stopped her.
At the High Court in Whangarei, he was sentenced to 16 years’ jail on rape charges and violent assaults on his wife. Judge Duncan Harvey said he had subjected his wife and family to repeated violent abuse in a reign of terror that dated back to 1989.
The court heard victim impact statements from his former wife, Susan Cochrane, and three of his children who said they had lived in fear of daily beatings from Titford and were made to work like slaves on the farm.
Titford is well-known for his 20-year campaign against the Waitangi Tribunal and the Treaty of Waitangi after the Roroa land claim led to the sale of his farm to the Crown in the 1990s.
He was also found guilty of burning down his homestead at Maunganui Bluff – an arson he blamed at the time on Maori.
Judge Harvey said Titford attempted to gain sympathy with the public by sabotaging his own bulldozer and burning down the homestead in a bid to gain more compensation from the Government.
“You attempted to burn down your homestead on one occasion, and on the second occasion you succeeded – all the while by blaming local Maori.
“These incidents received nation-wide publicity and, as a result of your actions, the local Maori people earned the anger of many people in New Zealand who sympathised with you because of what they saw as a grave injustice. It is time for the people of New Zealand to learn the truth.”
the local Maori people earned the anger of many people in New Zealand who sympathised with you because of what they saw as a grave injustice. It is time for the people of New Zealand to learn the truth.”
His supporters included (former) ACT people like Muriel Newman, and local newspaper editors.
Incredibly dignified and restrained comments by local Maori (Nathan? didn’t catch) on RNZ Checkpoint.
It should be compulsory listening for every bigot who has been regurgitating anti-Maori poison – and the media who played their part in ignoring the REAL story, and were scratching the Orewa race itch instead.
And we’re only learning the truth because his ex-wife chose to lift name suppression. She has more courage than a hundred right-wing bloggers and ranters.
Radio NZ news bulletins today have continually referred to Titford as “the anti-Treaty activist”. Fact is: he is an anti-Māori activist, a fervent hater of Māori culture, and a dyed-in-the-wool racist. His supporters have included such notorious race-baiters as John Ansell, Muriel Newman, Rodney Hide, Paul Holmes and Kyle Chapman.
Yet Radio NZ keeps referring to Titford as if he is some kind of political thinker, rather than a crude and violent bigot. I guess the script that these hapless newsreaders are obliged to follow is written by the same person who instructs Radio NZ newsreaders to describe the bloodthirsty S.S. leader Garth “The Knife” McVicar as a “victims’ advocate”.
While I recognise the point you’re making, Moz, Radio NZ were correct. He was an activist against the treaty. His motivation may have been racist, but that description is quite literally the fact of the matter.
Glad to see him gone though, and thanks for reminding of us of the names of his smug and supine supporters who I hope are all cringeing at what their backing of him actually allowed him to get away with.
He was an activist against the treaty. His motivation may have been racist, but that description is quite literally the fact of the matter.
You are, strictly speaking, correct. However, to credit his violent and relentless hatred of Māori as political is like crediting Kyle Chapman as a political analyst, or Garth McVicar as a justice analyst, or science-denier Leighton Smith—another Titford supporter by the way—as a science analyst. All of these are true, in a narrow sense.
Equally, I am an automobile expert, because I can inflate a tyre and pump in gas occasionally.
I don’t see anyone calling him an expert or an analyst.
He was treated as a noble, persecuted battler by (amongst others) North and South magazine, Paul Holmes, ACT, the National Party, numerous sympathetic television interviewers and the New Zealand Herald. His choleric and ignorant opinions were treated with respect and sympathy; while Titford lacks the polish and the social cachet of people like Michael Bassett and David Round, his “analysis” was, and is, about as rigorous as theirs.
Yesterday’s hourly repetition (on Radio NZ) that he is an “anti-Treaty activist” only further adds to the misleading perception of this violent, cynical, racist criminal.
Still, I don’t see anyone calling him either of the words you chose.
Fair enought, felix. You are correct. Maybe I mistook Titford for one of his rabid supporters, like Muriel Newman or Michael Bassett or Rodney Hide, all of whom speak like him, and all of whom ARE treated with (entirely unwarranted) respect.
Fact is he is an activist. Whether you or I agree with his activism is neither here nor there.
I agree with you. Titford is a racist anti-Maori activist who uses redneck dissatisfaction with the Treaty as a tool. He is absolute scum and lucky that Te Roroa are very gentle people. He was a Kyle Chapman in gumboots, with an unhealthy dash of sex criminal in the mix.
Titford is a racist anti-Maori activist who uses redneck [sic] dissatisfaction with the Treaty as a tool.
Murray, I love your description of Titford as “Kyle Chapman in gumboots”!
But please avoid abusing the term “redneck” by applying it to people like Allan Titford. Many hard-working and enlightened outdoor workers and farmers are thoughtful and intelligent people; the term you should use is “bigot” or “racist” or “reactionary” or “National Party supporter”.
Most of the really vile racists who infest our media—Larry “Lackwit” Williams, Leighton Smith, Michael Laws, Sean Plunket, Kerre McIvor, John Ansell, Nevil “Breivik” Gibson, Garth The Knife McVicar, David Round, Michael Bassett, Muriel Newman, Rodney Hide—enjoy indoor employment with no danger of physical harm, and minimal or zero responsibility. Other than Smith, who occasionally potters around in his vineyard, not one of them has a red neck from working outside.
That’s called ‘chutzpa’…..explained in terms of someone in the U.S.A.who had just been convicted of murder… after killing his parents but whose lawyer asked the judge for leniency because he was now an orphan.
Yes it does adam. Independent food production, in agriculture especially is becoming more of a threat to the global corporate food giants as this method of production gains popularity. It would seem, that corporates have a level of control over govt regulation. Hows that for a surprise! Corporates influencing govt!
Whats the bet that something like the Canadian equivalent of Fonterra (and I wonder does Fonterra in fact have a stake in the Canadian market?) are behind that influence in this case. Maybe not overtly, but they will be there.
Remember when Health was the portfolio that always hurt the government? Annette King is just making no impact at all on Ryall. She is looking exasperated.
Agree, King needed to go when clark did. She was health minister so it’s an epic fail on her.
plenty of material such as the way shifty has played with the wait lists via reclassification and done the classic money to private but risk stays public.
It requires effort to get it and discretion as health’s a small area with gov’t as the single employer virtually….there’s the issue, she’s past it let someone fresh like David Clark at it.
DC will reshuffle, gotta give the old guard a chance, respect for your elders etc
The Gormless Fool formerly known as Oleolebiscuitbarrell 16.1.1
He already got fined for showing the suppression orders to be a farce, didn’t see anyone from the left dipping into their pockets to make the same point
Michelle Boag refers to the Legatum Institute praising our country…to suggest that no-one should be complaining about the state of New Zealand. The mentions Kazakhstan by comparison..saying we have nothing to complain about compared to them.
Mora fails again to question this strawman argument as usual…
It is also significant that she chose Kazakhstan as her example of a country where children fear being bombed. Of course, a more obvious and more appropriate example would have been Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen or Palestine. But Boag, being the right wing ideologue that she is, would never ever make that mistake; she quite cleverly kept the implied criticism to an official foe—Russia.
Unfortunately, while she is clever and always on the job, Brian Edwards and Jim Mora are neither; they simply let her comment go unchallenged and unmodified.
Man beats sister for being an ‘egg’
by JIMMY ELLINGHAM
When he thought his sister was being an “egg”, a Palmerston North beneficiary hit her in the face. On October 14, Michael Walker, 25, was at home, where he lived with his mother, sister and nephew.
When Walker and his sister argued over cleaning their mum’s vehicle, he went to the car, pulled out the car jack and smashed a window. His sister confronted him and he punched her in the face three times.
“He stated his sister was being an egg but then refused to explain his actions,” police prosecutor Sergeant Stu Oram told the Palmerston North District Court yesterday.
Walker admitted charges of assault and wilful damage.
The should just begin to quietly reacquire the shares cheaper, announcing at the last moment that they are doing so causing a rapid price spike, ensuring that the Government’s stake is worth more than ever before.
Or maybe I’m talking about what Goldman Sachs would do.
Maybe it goes down Te Atatu Rd, on second look, Not Hepburn. Still looks small, but lots of big households there due to economic constraints.
I see lots of grown kids moving back home or families moving back together, one house at $600 pw rent is better than two at $420. Three generation families..
Avondale and the sea side of Kelston are very popular with young families, still reasonably priced in Auckland with estuary views and close to transport.
Nats bright idea to gift the new Auckland seat to Colin Craig looks to be in a bit of trouble. TV3 is reporting that Bennett has called a crisis meeting of her electorate officials.
Except that the new Upper Harbour seat looks like a marginal at best for both National and Labour and likely to be Labour leaning in a swing year (which next year could easily be).Its a pretty dodgy prospect for them if they want to ensure that Craig wins a seat. So that leaves them with the option of turfing out a sitting Nat MP in a North Shore seat to accommodate Craig and so it gets messy. As for Bennett, sure she could go in on the list but losing her Westie base would be a pretty big blow.
McCully moves onto the list and Craig runs in East Coast Bays:
“East Coast Bays is also home to the City Impact Church, a multi-million dollar operation run by senior pastor Peter Mortlock and a potential Christian power-base for the Conservatives.”
That’s the most likely outcome. The only problem for Key is that it leaves him open to attack that he’s so desperate to get elected next year he’s prepared to turf out a sitting Nat MP.
She’ll want to go for Upper Harbour. So much for her Westie claims. On the other hand she may be told she can’t have it. Reserved for ‘The Teeth’ (Colin Craig) . She’ll have to go on the list. Poor wee Benny girl. My heart bleeds for her.
Actors aren’t actually the characters they play, though. Sheryl West was the Westie. Where Robyn Malcolm came from was irrelevant. Paula pretends she is the character she plays. If they decided to give her Epsom, she’d start eating cucumber sandwiches.
Fuck you asshole, it was in the Chch Press (yeah the paper edition) today…solo mum and bene buys 7 grand car so the welfare system can’t be too shabby huh
The fuck part of “in the Chch Press (yeah the paper edition) today” don’t you understand? Solo mum/bene has the money to buy a 7 grand car so she can obviously manage her finances enough to not only live on but also buy her dream car
So what? The solo mum can buy a (more than) decent car on the money shes given so isn’t that the main thing…oh sorry it doesn’t play into the “living wage” garbage
Have you tried to buy a second hand car lately? It took me a month or two to get my latest one. Old cars are not as cheap as they once were, and there’s not a lot going. In terms of reliability, it’s probably not worth buying anything much under $5-6 thou – and that’s taking a chance.
So why not go down to the smelter and tell the workers why it was a bad idea and see what reception you get?
However its a nice attempted distraction from the main point which is a solo mum on a benefit manages to buy a 7 grand car when all you hear from labour/greens is some whining and bleating about how bad the benes have it
Thats funny I’m absolutely stoked that a solo mom on a benefit can afford her dream car, it shows that National are quite generous whereas the looney left would have you believe National are miserly
Benes shouldn’t have dreams or be ashperashunal. They aren’t even allowed chocolate biscuits when belts are being tightened. And they should know their place, head down, over a bucket probably.
Given a chance to run down someone on a benefit without knowing all the details, the average RW will push any facts or understanding aside. Everybody knows that benes are not playing ‘The Game’ and get into an opposition huddle all turning and spitting at the same time. It leaves watchers on the left gobsmacked.
Maybe a NAct cabinet minister paid her off for not taking a sexual harassment case against him? Of course, I have as much evidence for this as you do for your version, but why worry about facts when we can take our prejudices for a walk?
What the story does show is that NAct voting car dealers are scum, following the moral and ethical prescriptions of your leader.
Yes, our generous tax payer donation of $ 1.7 billion to South Canterbury Finance was a bit ott, wasn’t it?
Got a comment on that..or are you bene bashing over 7k
Just wondering…..
I don’t think labour or National should have done what they did, I think they should have been left to go under and rather then bashing benes I’m praising National for being as generous as they are…as should you lot
Left debating 101: Ignore the main point and try to refocus the arguement on a different matter
Who cares what you think chris73, the party you support pulled together $1.7B for rich SCF investors no probs yet $3M for dead workers families and its deep pockets short arms syndrome.
left debating tactic: emotional arguments are used when failing to argue case
This is about how generous National are to benes ie they can afford to buy decent cars
What National is or isn’t doing for the miners families is a seperate issue, which you are more then welcome to start a thread about but has no relevance here
I’m not bashing benes (although her utter stupidity does make it tempting) I’m using her as an example of why the benefit system isn’t as bad as the posters on here make out
and for the record I’d agree to the govt to hire people (and pay them accordingly) to specifically target companies that don’t pay their taxes
You mean bennie-like too lazy and indolent to get on with peeling those spuds aye Piss ? Sitting on your bellicose arse waiting for others to do it all for you ?
Sad for Mrs Piss-Ford if those scummy no-pay Maccers people missed the Maccers sweet-and-sour dipping sauce.
The boundary changes. Some NAT MPs might be fucked off. That on top of low internal polling might have some people quietly counting numbers in their heads.
“The economy is set to grow 3.6 per cent next year, putting New Zealand in the top six developed countries according to an OECD report.
The forecast rate would put New Zealand well above the OECD average of 2.4 per cent forecast for next year, and ahead of Australia on 2.7 per cent.”
– Another reason why National will be returned to power and why there’ll be another series of “why didn’t the people vote for Labour” on this site after the election
Aha, greed and posing. “It’s all about my penis substitute!” Compensating much? I’ve been told that style matters more than size, though the two are hardly exclusive.
And there we see just how much empathy chris73 really has – an earthquake is simply a political opportunity. Let us all thank him for his honesty, though his idols might be embarrassed.
7000 grand can buy you a decent car but when your requirements for a decent are: purple paint job and (I’m assuming) rims then you probably will be dissappointed
But doesn’t change the fact she could afford a 7 grand car on what the government gives her so well done National for being so generous 🙂
Right debating points: try to bash bennies as bludgers and try to divert attention away from the real bludgers who siphon off way more of taxpayers money.
There was nothing in that article that said she was on a benefit. And besides, she could have been working part time, and scrimped and saved, begged and burrowed.
And anyway, if the dealer is going to sell an unwarranted car to someone, then it speaks more about him than anyone else.
My father has been a car dealer for 40-odd years, and he has never sold a car that was unwarranted to anyone.
Well whatever he is or isn’t he’ll get a gifted\seat and probably drag in 4% of votes with him as he seems to be averaging around 2.5% of the vote since the last election…imgine what it’ll do when its announced what seat he’ll run and win…
Probably get more votes then Peter Dunne and Mana combined 🙂
Ooh, homophobia! How quaint! FWIW, I’m both straight and taken, sorry.
So why do you masturbate while thinking about an 80-year old woman you’ve never met? You are one sick puppy, I have to say. If I had any perversions like yours, I wouldn’t advertise them.
Well, I just got “chris73” with his rape fantasy to show what rape culture is – it’s all about shaming people – both the women who are victims and the men who are the “owners” of women. His weird, perverted fantasy about raping my elderly mother shows just what he and his ilk practise.
Sorry ropata, I’m not going to watch that video. I know too many rape victims and trigger warnings apply to me too.
Debate using reason and evidence.
Don’t insult, use slogans, distract or derail.
Time for bed, I sense.
I know youngsters able to debate using less puerile arguments.
Watching TV3. Can’t believe the stupid Campbell Live programme on nonentity Crazy Colin shopping for broccoli and his ‘greetings card ‘philosophies’.
What a waste of TV time. Unbelievable that this person could be remotely regarded as one of our ‘leaders’. I thought Banks was about as low as we could get in idiocy but I was wrong.
It was like a Jon Stewart parody on Fox News or a Stewart joke based on Toronto’s experience
but they were serious1
Campbell tried unsuccessfully to mask his contempt for Craig but he and the camera people must be so ashamed of presenting us with this rubbish TV. .At least Gower wasn’t involved but still a new low in TV!
A regular little Martha Stewart. Like Brian Edwards’ bestie Michelle Boag who some months ago on Mora’s Flanel waxed long about her devilishly clever $1.59 purchase of half a head of cauliflower. Lasted three meals !
But National’s plan is (apparently) to parachute Craig in, so he becomes a Nat-substitute. So then he wouldn’t be a fringe candiadate, but a “mainstream” 50 percenter.
When/if there’s a post on all this, I’ll list Top Ten ways that Gower is wrong – and Epsom is not a model that can easily be followed. Too busy right now.
In America, they need parodists like John Stewart and Steven Colbert… in New Zealand, Colon Craig Rat Boy and Banks seem to render parody redundant… but in fact they make it more necessary.
I understand the Boundaries Commission have released the new boundaries.
I heard something on radio as a comment and it was suggesting that Bennets seat was to be combined with Upper Harbour. Cannot find anything on line about this. Anyone have more details
I did but cannot see any thing about the announcement. I would have thought the Electoral Commission would have it on their web site its of interest to quite a few people I would have thought. But nothing there nothing on TV3 or NZ Herald or Stuff
Someone must have the details but where?
Ron, scroll up the Open Mike page. There’s a link to the 3 News report on it. [22.1.1.1]. It’s not going to be announced officially til tomorrow. 3 News leaked it tonight. they are the only source.
Thanks should have scrolled up further. AS I am in East Coast Bays electorate it might prove interesting either way. Think I would emigrate if Craig wins this seat. Oh well back on street campaigning for me
Mate apparently the boundary changes were leaked to Patrick Gower today (which is interesting in itself). I imagine the official announcement will still be made tomorrow by the Electoral Commission.
Yes. It seemed like a Nat leak as all the focus was on Craig and National. Probably trying to prepare the way for McCully to move on & Craig to move in.
There should have been more focus on Labour’s options – so the coverage was telling.
If you’re correct and the boundary changes were leaked to Gower by the PMO, presumably as a way of furthering the narrative they’re trying to build around Craig’s electoral prospects next year (when the reality is that the new Auckland seat is most likely Labour leaning and not really suitable for Craig) then that is pretty shabby politics. You’d like too hope that the Electoral Commission can get on and do its work without politics and spin interfering.
What a great effort from All Whites 3-1 down and managed to get another one. Great comeback. It seemed that everyone expected Mexico to do well despite them having had a dip recently. The crowd were loving it. Sounds like it was a good game to watch.
3 degrees of insanity, is Paula Bennett appearing on my TV decrying the rack renting ‘holiday park’ in Her electorate,
What exactly does this abysmal Minister think happens when the State in the guise of the National Government She is a Minister in sells off State Houses by the 100 and only replaces 30 of every 100 they flick off,
They found in Arizona that tents were quite satisfactory for housing their unpopular malefactors. The people in the State love it, or at least some vocal ones. The rest can’t make themselves heard. And I think it is a lot cheaper, and that is what matters to those whose minds, ethics and standards have been gained by readings from mail order catalogues and supermarket brochures and of course watching well-groomed horses neighing on television.
Anyone know where the Geranium Lady, the useless TV gardening show one, where she sits in all of this ? Maybe ShonKey’ll jack up gifting her safe Tory seat to the Weirdo ?
North
You may as well prattle children’s rhymes about the geranium lady, just replace Mary with Maggie.
Wikipedia says this version dates from 1744 so the matters exercising our minds and enthusing our actions continue down the ages.
Mistress Mary, Quite contrary,
How does your garden grow?
With Silver Bells, And Cockle Shells,
And so my garden grows.[1]
It is all very well cutting the backrooms of public agencies but it may compromise the frontlines. One of the frustrations of the Productivity Commission’s 2017 review of universities is that while it observed that their non-academic staff were increasing faster than their academic staff, it did not bother to ...
Buzz from the Beehive Two speeches delivered by Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters at Anzac Day ceremonies in Turkey are the only new posts on the government’s official website since the PM announced his Cabinet shake-up. In one of the speeches, Peters stated the obvious: we live in a troubled ...
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…it has a restricted jurisdiction which must not be abused: it is not an inquisitionNOTE – this article was published before the High Court ruled that Karen Chhour does not have to appear before the Waitangi Tribunal Gary Judd writes – The High Court ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – One of reasons Oranga Tamariki exists is to prevent child neglect. But could the organisation itself be guilty of the same?Oranga Tamariki’s statistics show a decrease in the number and age of children in care. “There are less children ...
David Farrar writes: Graeme Edgeler wrote in 2017: In the first five years after three strikes came into effect 5248 offenders received a ‘first strike’ (that is, a “stage-1 conviction” under the three strikes sentencing regime), and 68 offenders received a ‘second strike’. In the five years prior to ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in politics. That’s refreshing and will be extremely ...
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 ...
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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 ...
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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: ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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, ...
Buzz from the Beehive Reactions to news of the government’s readiness to make urgent changes to “the resource management system” through a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) suggest a balanced approach is being taken. The Taxpayers’ Union says the proposed changes don’t go far enough. Greenpeace says ...
I’m starting to wonder if Anna Burns-Francis might be the best political interviewer we’ve got. That might sound unlikely to you, it came as a bit of a surprise to me.Jack Tame can be excellent, but has some pretty average days. I like Rebecca Wright on Newshub, she asks good ...
Chris Trotter writes – Willie Jackson is said to be planning a “media summit” to discuss “the state of the media and how to protect Fourth Estate Journalism”. Not only does the Editor of The Daily Blog, Martyn Bradbury, think this is a good idea, but he has also ...
Graeme Edgeler writes – This morning [April 21], the Wellington High Court is hearing a judicial review brought by Hon. Karen Chhour, the Minister for Children, against a decision of the Waitangi Tribunal. This is unusual, judicial reviews are much more likely to brought against ministers, rather than ...
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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. ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
I was initially resistant to the idea often suggested to me that the Government should deliver an arts strategy. The whole point of the arts and creativity is that people should do whatever the hell they want, unbound by the dictates of politicians in Wellington. Peter Jackson, Kiri Te Kanawa, Eleanor ...
Pacific Media Watch Palestine solidarity protesters today demonstrated at the Auckland headquarters of Television New Zealand, accusing the country’s major TV network of broadcasting “propaganda” backing Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. About 50 protesters targeted the main entrance to the TVNZ building near Sky Tower and also picketed a side ...
Opinion by Lynley Hood. Forty years on from my 1985 Fulbright Grant, my disquiet over the war in Gaza evoked some troubling questions. The answer to my first question – What is the primary purpose of the Fulbright Programme? – was on the Fulbright NZ website. It says: US Senator, ...
The ministers responsible for green-lighting major projects need to be open about potential conflicts of interest, says Transparency International. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Powell, Professor, Family and Sexual Violence, RMIT University It has been a particularly distressing start to the year. There is little that can ease the current grief of individuals, families and communities who have needlessly lost a loved one to men’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Lichen, the first described example of symbiosis.AdeJ Artventure/Shutterstock Once known only to those studying biology, the word symbiosis is now widely used. Symbiosis is the intimate ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kim Hemsley, Head, Childhood Dementia Research Group, Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University Olena Ivanova/Shutterstock “Childhood” and “dementia” are two words we wish we didn’t have to use together. But sadly, around 1,400 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Whiteford, Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University The government’s Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee has just published its second report. It was set up by Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth in 2022 to provide: ...
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A brief round-up of submissions on the controversial proposed law. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week, submissions on the controversial Fast-track Approvals Bill closed just hours after the government released a list of stakeholder organisations who were sent letters advising how they could ...
A poem from Robin Peace’s new collection Detritus of Empire: feather / grass / rock. Cereal giving I see a woman’s hands, see her curious hands break a stalk as she walks through the tall prairie, the savannah, the steppe, wherever it was. See her idly bite the grass that ...
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The Commissioner's decision validates the longstanding efforts of the local community and ensures that Awataha Marae will be managed to serve the needs of the local community, particularly for hosting tangihanga. ...
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Ryan, Teaching Fellow in Economics, University of Waikato GettyImagesfatido/Getty Images There is an ongoing global debate over whether the high inflation seen in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic can be lowered without a recession. New Zealand is not ...
The ‘Wicked Game’ heartthrob is in his late 60s now. That didn’t stop him putting on a lively, goofy and very sparkly show. Apart from ‘Wicked Game’, which graces a sultry playlist of mine simply called 💋, my last sustained Chris Isaak listening session took place when I was about ...
Analysis - Two ministers were stripped of portfolios in a warning to Cabinet, drama broke out at the Waitangi Tribunal, and the gang patch ban bill ran into opposition. ...
Tara Ward makes an impassioned plea for some vital pop culture merch. In April 1999, I became obsessed with a new reality television show called Popstars. Every Tuesday night, five strangers transformed into music royalty before my very eyes as Joe, Keri, Carly, Erika and Megan were chosen to form ...
PNG Post-Courier In the early hours of ANZAC Day, aerial photographs captured an impressive gathering of Australians and Papua New Guineans at Isurava in the Northern (Oro) Province. The solemn dawn service yesterday was held at a site steeped in history, where some of the fiercest battles of World War ...
The PSA is shocked that Oranga Tamariki has used the cost cutting drive to downgrade its commitment to Te Ao Māori and remove many specialist Māori roles. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Kemish, Adjunct Professor, School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry, The University of Queensland There can be no more powerful symbol of the relationship between Australia and Papua New Guinea than the prime ministers of these neighbouring countries walking together on the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sharon Robinson, Distinguished Professor and Deputy Director of ARC Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future (SAEF), University of Wollongong, University of Wollongong Andrew Netherwood Over the last 25 years, the ozone hole which forming over Antarctica each spring has started to shrink. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Viktoria Kahui, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Economics, University of Otago Getty Images/Amy Toensing Biodiversity is declining at rates unprecedented in human history. This suggests the ways we currently use to manage our natural environment are failing. One emerging concept focuses on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy Colin Bednall, Associate Professor in Management, Swinburne University of Technology marvent/Shutterstock Finding the best person to fill a position can be tough, from drafting a job ad to producing a shortlist of top interview candidates. Employers typically consider information from ...
Wondering where to host your next BYO? Whether its a small gathering or a massive party, we’ve got some recommendations. I was first introduced to the concept of BYOs at Dunedin’s India Gardens, a legendary but sadly defunct establishment, which purveyed enormous quantities of mango chicken to Aotearoa’s drunkest future ...
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The sector says it’s hopeful her replacement Paul Goldsmith will be able to throw it a lifeline, after six months with a minister deemed missing in action, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign ...
The government can't just rely on axing public sector jobs and has to do more to cut spending, says the chief economist at a free market think tank. ...
Rock The Vote NZ, known for its advocacy for minor party unity and its role within the Freedoms NZ Coalition during the 2023 General Election, celebrates this merger as a strategic enhancement of its operational strength and outreach. ...
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You can’t have missed the Gallipoli story as the movies, documentaries, essays and books capture what it was like for New Zealand troops in their eight-month campaign on the Peninsula. But this Anzac Day the Auckland War Memorial Museum has published a book that sheds light on a little-known aspect of the ...
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I probably wouldnt jump for joy at BE’s announcement that there will be no more asset sales.
There are other ways to skin a cat.
One is to shut down a state owned company and pass on its work to the private sector, ie Learning Media.
Two is to have the company sell off its assets bit by bit, ie KiwiRail selling the Hillside foundry and AgResearch and Landcorp their farms.
Or you could do what Solid Energy does and contract out the operation of its mines to the private sector, so they are pretty much privately run anyway.
Or simply run it down and provide a completely crap service to such an extent people give up on it and go private – think EQC in Christchurch. Absolutely abysmal and rage-inducing. So much so that many people who work for them have been subjected to personal abused outside of their work which has had other effects within our small communities.
The history of the Christchurch recovery by Brownlee and his band of goons is well painted by now and I don’t think the history books will be kind to him.
No more asset sales. So that’s all right then? Bolted door stable horse etc
Boris comes to the rescue of the super-rich!
The rich are the ones that cause poverty through their financial system that rewards being rich and punishes working hard.
These guys need to get with the programme. Between 2008-2010 the banks lost more money than they had made in their entire history. A clear sign that their record profits in the ten years leading up to the GFC were entire illusory – or fraudulent.
Thank you to The Maori Channel.
The movie last night “Salute” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAHsYmaodkA was a fantastic movie. Very inspiring movie which not only highlighted USA’s problems with racism but also Australia’s.
Yep – Maori TV News at 7pm (with subtitles for those who don’t know te reo) is a “must view” – especially on the mining and drilling issues, and the land issues which are still a problem for Maori today …… despite Waitangi T. settlements. Another side of Aotearoa many of us don’t see.
When selling off 20% of Air NZ, wouldn’t you have to balance the books by subtracting the cost of buying the airline in the first place against the “profit” of the sale this week?
You are turning an asset on your balance sheet (the ownership stake) into cash. So no.
BTW this is similar to what all private sector companies do when they run down recently purchased public assets. They slowly degrade the assets or get rid of them, transforming the balance sheet into cash that they distribute to themselves.
Tranzrail be one of the best examples, when “Sir” Michael Fay put the order to the GM to haul all possible cash out and do nothing about maintenance and upgrade.
Scum
Another day, another vomit-inducing sycophantic garbage piece in the NannyState Herald:
Monk tells Key of an eternal future at political helm
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=11159738
What teh monk failed to mention is that Key will come back reincarnated as a shit eating beetle.
Yup that’s what we need. A dicktatorship.
Oh, wait…
On the other hand it could have the opposite effect? The kiss of death like sports commentators saying the team cannot loose this match from here.
Key has already told the party elite he wants out. He was forced to stay. This isn’t Key’s wish. This is his worst nightmare! Someone up there hates him.
Monk – Key – there’s a joke here somewhere
‘Golden-bellied capuchin’.
I liked the other joke: ” He promised that the next time Mr Key visited, he would get a book on his own visit – although the laughter indicated he wasn’t necessarily telling the truth.”
‘Apocalyptic’ Storm
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=11159535
😎
Unbelievable … or maybe not given our corporate culture of greed for themselves and austerity for others. A Cleveland Wal-Mart has been asking for donations from customers to pay for some of their employees Thanks Giving celebrations.
Walmart only made US$3.70B dollars last financial quarter. If they were to give every one of their “associates” a $25 Thanksgiving voucher they might go broke…
(2M employees = $50M cost, = US$0.05B reduction in profit for the quarter = unacceptable)
Where did you get that stat? The linked article says that in 2012, Wal-Mart’s profit was $15.7b.
Or are they going down hill fast? And a drop to $3.65b profit means they will go broke?
Quarterly profits vs annual profits, Karol
Ah, OK. A slight drop then.
Also the Walton family collectively are personally worth $100B or more = the same wealth as the bottom 50M or so Americans.
That is where it starts to get a bit murky: wealth is carried in all forms, not just money…..land, art, property, shares, bonds etc.The basic principle is to prevent abnormal accumulation and to redistribute wealth. There are some basic contradictions here…capital is required for investment / reinvestment, so it helps if it accumulates (unless we find a better way of funding enterprise). If we tax the capital we also get into an investment prevention conundrum.
I don’t see the Waltons as much as a rich in liquid terms (they might be but who knows), but what they have is enormous control and consequently power. It does not appear healthy for any society for any small group to have outrageous power and influence.
However, a lot of the uberwealthy aren’t using this capital for investment/reinvestment in productive ways. They are investing in paper financial assets and real estate, for instance, helping to fuel speculative bubbles but creating fuck all jobs. The classic example is JP Morgan. This bank currently holds US$50B in excess reserves at the Federal Reserve, collecting a couple of billion a year in interest.
You would think that the job of a bank would be to loan this excess money out to corporations and SMEs so that they could invest/re-invest in their enterprises.
But no, it’s easier just to take the interest free ticket clip, especially when there is no expectation of economic growth or increased consumer spending in western countries any time soon.
How so? Is building a hydrodam, an electrified train network, researching the next generation of wood processing technologies not “investment”? These are all things which can be done by the tax dollar, and particularly in areas that the private sector aren’t interested in because the payoff cannot be easily and quickly extracted.
At the level of wealth they have, they can, and do, challenge sovereign governments in order to further their own private interests.
Yes the ultra wealthy don’t reinvest in the US or here……maybe, I suspect they do. The job problem in the first world in probably got something to do with under-investment…Marx among others predicted the diminishing rates of return / profit. More recently this problem gets addressed by offshoring production to the third world etc. That of course does not last.
Then the lack of investment despite bank “deposits”…borrowing is at record lows but there are few takers, profits are ltoo low and risk is too high…for both lender and borrower. What a mess. As you say it stays in the bank but something has to pay the interest…usually more debt created out of thin air.
I don’t think spending tax dollars on infrastructure from a diminishing tax base is very useful when it wont lead directly to real investment in consumption, which in turn will drop the tax base. It is the classic problem with Keynes, he got away with it by virtue of cheap expanding energy supply.
No easy answers, what I do think though is that if we can minimize the disparities of wealth retention between top and bottom we are in a better position.
The job problem is the critical one to analyse IMO. We are not getting it right and the result is destroying our social capital and our people in the process. As a society we are missing out on the valuable output of creativity and production that we could be enjoying from these under utilised people (the so-called “output gap”).
Offshoring production to the third world has done little for the global economy other than to shift income share away from workers towards owners in an exercise of wage arbitrage. Yes us privileged types in the western world who still have strong incomes get the benefits of product/service price deflation (how on earth you can make and ship a 42″ LCD TV for $300 wholesale is beyond me but apparently it can be done) but that lovely price deflation comes at the cost of income deflation to a lot of workers who lost decent paying jobs.
And then this is the kicker: we’re talking about insufficient paid employment in society. Yet when we look around there is shit loads of work which society needs to get done, which we would all benefit from, but which is not being done. And then there are a lot of unemployed and underemployed people.
So we end up with this situation: a lot of useful, beneficial, productive work for society which could be done. A lot of motivated, capable people who want to enter work, or go from part time work to full time work.
And a political economic system which is so fucked up, it can’t put one and one together to make two – and in some instances, actually thinks that it is a good thing that good people rot in unemployment (as a buffer stock to control inflation, keep wages low, etc).
are they going down hill fast?
Maybe the cuts to food stamps is cutting sales?
Not that it should make paying wages any harder seeing as the staff salary is so low the staff are on food stamps too… the cut in food stamps means their pay has gone down hence the charity drive.
When are people going to realise that a corporation like this os not doing them a favour when they hire them?
Another example of a corporation using tax payers money to subsidise its low wages and boost its own profits. Like our McDonalds in NZ.
and macdonalds have come out with some advice for their wage-slaves in america…who don’t earn enough to be able to feed themselves..
..that advice is to ‘break their food into pieces’..
..’cos that will help those hungry-employees ‘to feel full’…
(this is not a piss-take..!..)
http://www.alternet.org/mcdonalds-advice-employees-break-food-pieces-keep-you-full
phillip ure..
/snap
Wow, we made $ 365 million with AIRNZ. Here is my comparison with some other lump sumps floating around out there such as the $ 13 Billion JP Morgan has to pay in fines for it’s role in the 2008 mortgage scam and the illegal foreclosures which cots thousands of Americans their homes.
$13 billion….hmmm small change compared to the scams….a mere trifle. Also, JPs are banksters, they probably paid by doing some fractional money creation….another scam.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/9421177/State-house-for-life-no-longer
– A good move, about time the rules were updated
That type of move is, quite simply, psychopathic.
There’s nothing wrong with living in a state house for life.
There is when you dont need it and other families do
yeah, because who needs security in where they live…
it’s pretty basic to the hierarchy of needs. Security of shelter, makes a great difference to a range of behaviours unhelpful to society overall.
If you can afford to rent or pay a mortgage then you shouldn’t be in a state house because there are other families or people worse off who need the accomadation
Is this unreasonable?
Yes.
It is grossly unreasonable that there is a shortage of state houses.
It is unreasonable to give tax cuts to the rich and then kick people out of their homes so the poor can scramble over the crumbs that remain.
Not quite getting the point of course but thats to be expected
You could read it again and again until you get the point..
Alien concept to him.
When considering other people, tories are compelled to make decisions based on the cold logic of necessity, even when it’s not actually necessary.
He got the point, you didn’t.
McDonald’s continues to give advice to it’s employees about how to live in poverty:
If a business can’t afford to pay their workers enough so that they aren’t living in poverty then that business should close.
Oh they can afford it alright!
http://www.policymic.com/articles/61545/if-you-knew-this-unbelievable-fact-about-mcdonald-s-ceo-you-would-go-on-strike-too
McDonalds for you, Logan Brown for me.
Logan Brown for everyone!!!
Ahhhhh, a socialist after my own heart!!!
Yeah and McDonalds can go get lost. Fast food chains do nothing but destroy environments (palm oil production/loss of native forest/loss of food sources and livelihoods to those who live in them and loss of wildlife) destroy workplace well being and job security and create health problems (if their products are consumed in excess)
Instead for ultimate nutrition and happiness for everyone:
Remove GST off everything but if it has to be just one essential, take it off all food
Abandon the global corporate food model – we are it’s slaves, not its customers.
Re introduce large scale food production co-ops and in turn introduce large scale grocery retail co-ops to challenge the supermarket industry.
Uncover questionable practices in the supermarket industry and regulate so that suppliers and customers aren’t disadvantaged.
Review food safety standards and improve where necessary. Bring in G.E food labelling
No more advertising nonsense (eg, Countdown feed four for $15)about “food on a budget”, Time we moved on from WW2 mind sets about decent food availability. No one should have to scrimp and save for an essential.
Finally if there’s a special occasion, a birthday, anniversary or celebration everyone has the means, due to afforable housing, food, bills and having well paid jobs, to go a decent restaurant if they chose to.
Rosie’s food for all mandate. Not brought to you by Fonterra, Unilever, Nestle or anyone else.
😯 and awe
I thought I would check out how shares in our partially sold assets were going today.
Well ….
Air NZ shares have dropped so far today from $1.65 at opening to $1.580* … with a massive 34 million shares traded in 498 transactions. The big players are having a field day.
* now up slightly to $1.60
Meanwhile:
Meridian – oh dear. Having opened at $1.02, they are down to $0.995. Think this is the first time they have fallen below one dollar. .
And MRP – opened at $2.15, now $2.10
EDIT
The Herald on the Air NZ price drop
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11160102
and Meridian
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11160157
and your point is? (I’m quite happy with the dividend payout for MRP by the way)
Depress the share price further so that Government can buy the shares back at a profit (it’s the free market way).
I think I just threw up in my mouth a little.
http://www.publicintegrity.org/2013/11/18/13770/mess-gets-worse-hanford-s-nuclear-site?utm_source=email&utm_campaign=watchdog&utm_medium=publici-email
And were going to sign a free trade deal with these idiots.
Another day, another right-wing hero exposed for what he really is …
Allan Titford has been convicted of multiple crimes, including rape and arson.
Allan who? Google the name, and check out the websites cheerleading for him … “One New Zealand” (sic), E-local (a nasty rag, in your mailbox), “one law for all” (sounds familiar, Brash-fans?).
He’s the hero of 3 a.m. talkback saddoes and Kiwiblog t/rolls – the kind that pop up here all too often. They must be proud today.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/9421979/Titford-sentenced-on-rape-and-arson-charges
Friends and supporters of Allan Titford … John Ansell and other crazies:
(Warning: link contains extreme racism, i.e. former National/ACT advisers)
http://blog.eternalvigilance.me/2013/05/treatygate-hamiltonintroducing-john-ansell/
Dodged a bullet in 2005, didn’t we? What was Helen’s great wrong again … something to do with a painting? That’s, like, totally worse!
urgh. Nice guy 🙁
3 News:
The Maori Land dispute: – which Titford is bitter about and claims he was treated unfairly.
RNZ calls it rape:
And shows how sexual violence, domestic violence and rape are accompanied by psychological/emotional torture.
the local Maori people earned the anger of many people in New Zealand who sympathised with you because of what they saw as a grave injustice. It is time for the people of New Zealand to learn the truth.”
His supporters included (former) ACT people like Muriel Newman, and local newspaper editors.
Time for some major apologies.
Yes. One of the websites I looked at had a older piece about Titford claiming victimhood at the hands of those nasty Maori.
Incredibly dignified and restrained comments by local Maori (Nathan? didn’t catch) on RNZ Checkpoint.
It should be compulsory listening for every bigot who has been regurgitating anti-Maori poison – and the media who played their part in ignoring the REAL story, and were scratching the Orewa race itch instead.
And we’re only learning the truth because his ex-wife chose to lift name suppression. She has more courage than a hundred right-wing bloggers and ranters.
+ 1 on that interview..
..dignity on a stick/to go..
phillip ure..
Radio NZ news bulletins today have continually referred to Titford as “the anti-Treaty activist”. Fact is: he is an anti-Māori activist, a fervent hater of Māori culture, and a dyed-in-the-wool racist. His supporters have included such notorious race-baiters as John Ansell, Muriel Newman, Rodney Hide, Paul Holmes and Kyle Chapman.
Yet Radio NZ keeps referring to Titford as if he is some kind of political thinker, rather than a crude and violent bigot. I guess the script that these hapless newsreaders are obliged to follow is written by the same person who instructs Radio NZ newsreaders to describe the bloodthirsty S.S. leader Garth “The Knife” McVicar as a “victims’ advocate”.
Meanwhile Stuff & NZ Herald have headlines about “sex and violence” charges.
While I recognise the point you’re making, Moz, Radio NZ were correct. He was an activist against the treaty. His motivation may have been racist, but that description is quite literally the fact of the matter.
Glad to see him gone though, and thanks for reminding of us of the names of his smug and supine supporters who I hope are all cringeing at what their backing of him actually allowed him to get away with.
He was an activist against the treaty. His motivation may have been racist, but that description is quite literally the fact of the matter.
You are, strictly speaking, correct. However, to credit his violent and relentless hatred of Māori as political is like crediting Kyle Chapman as a political analyst, or Garth McVicar as a justice analyst, or science-denier Leighton Smith—another Titford supporter by the way—as a science analyst. All of these are true, in a narrow sense.
Equally, I am an automobile expert, because I can inflate a tyre and pump in gas occasionally.
I don’t see anyone calling him an expert or an analyst.
I don’t see anyone calling him an expert or an analyst.
He was treated as a noble, persecuted battler by (amongst others) North and South magazine, Paul Holmes, ACT, the National Party, numerous sympathetic television interviewers and the New Zealand Herald. His choleric and ignorant opinions were treated with respect and sympathy; while Titford lacks the polish and the social cachet of people like Michael Bassett and David Round, his “analysis” was, and is, about as rigorous as theirs.
Yesterday’s hourly repetition (on Radio NZ) that he is an “anti-Treaty activist” only further adds to the misleading perception of this violent, cynical, racist criminal.
Still, I don’t see anyone calling him either of the words you chose.
Fact is he is an activist. Whether you or I agree with his activism is neither here nor there.
Still, I don’t see anyone calling him either of the words you chose.
Fair enought, felix. You are correct. Maybe I mistook Titford for one of his rabid supporters, like Muriel Newman or Michael Bassett or Rodney Hide, all of whom speak like him, and all of whom ARE treated with (entirely unwarranted) respect.
Fact is he is an activist. Whether you or I agree with his activism is neither here nor there.
He’s an arsonist, first and foremost.
I agree with you. Titford is a racist anti-Maori activist who uses redneck dissatisfaction with the Treaty as a tool. He is absolute scum and lucky that Te Roroa are very gentle people. He was a Kyle Chapman in gumboots, with an unhealthy dash of sex criminal in the mix.
Titford is a racist anti-Maori activist who uses redneck [sic] dissatisfaction with the Treaty as a tool.
Murray, I love your description of Titford as “Kyle Chapman in gumboots”!
But please avoid abusing the term “redneck” by applying it to people like Allan Titford. Many hard-working and enlightened outdoor workers and farmers are thoughtful and intelligent people; the term you should use is “bigot” or “racist” or “reactionary” or “National Party supporter”.
Most of the really vile racists who infest our media—Larry “Lackwit” Williams, Leighton Smith, Michael Laws, Sean Plunket, Kerre McIvor, John Ansell, Nevil “Breivik” Gibson, Garth The Knife McVicar, David Round, Michael Bassett, Muriel Newman, Rodney Hide—enjoy indoor employment with no danger of physical harm, and minimal or zero responsibility. Other than Smith, who occasionally potters around in his vineyard, not one of them has a red neck from working outside.
this appears Very interesting!
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/9422033/Mongrel-Mob-member-seeks-shorter-sentence-for-being-Maori
That’s called ‘chutzpa’…..explained in terms of someone in the U.S.A.who had just been convicted of murder… after killing his parents but whose lawyer asked the judge for leniency because he was now an orphan.
lolz Rodel
…and some flashing lights to go down on
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/9421644/Prostitutes-claim-cop-made-them-flash
http://shropshiresheep.org/farmedanddangerous/
does this seem just stupid to anyone else
Yes it does adam. Independent food production, in agriculture especially is becoming more of a threat to the global corporate food giants as this method of production gains popularity. It would seem, that corporates have a level of control over govt regulation. Hows that for a surprise! Corporates influencing govt!
Whats the bet that something like the Canadian equivalent of Fonterra (and I wonder does Fonterra in fact have a stake in the Canadian market?) are behind that influence in this case. Maybe not overtly, but they will be there.
is michelle boag going to stand for act in epsom..?
..(you heard it here first..)
phillip ure..
Remember when Health was the portfolio that always hurt the government? Annette King is just making no impact at all on Ryall. She is looking exasperated.
Agree, King needed to go when clark did. She was health minister so it’s an epic fail on her.
plenty of material such as the way shifty has played with the wait lists via reclassification and done the classic money to private but risk stays public.
It requires effort to get it and discretion as health’s a small area with gov’t as the single employer virtually….there’s the issue, she’s past it let someone fresh like David Clark at it.
DC will reshuffle, gotta give the old guard a chance, respect for your elders etc
..and doesn’t Shearer look so much more comfortable in Foreign Affairs.
Name suppression didnt defeat the rumour mill up north. Did wail slick breach the suppression order to protect the women and children of the north??
He already got fined for showing the suppression orders to be a farce, didn’t see anyone from the left dipping into their pockets to make the same point
I like how you’re always speaking for him.
yet he has “never met the guy” 😉
We all save the best for our bucket lists.
Michelle Boag refers to the Legatum Institute praising our country…to suggest that no-one should be complaining about the state of New Zealand. The mentions Kazakhstan by comparison..saying we have nothing to complain about compared to them.
Mora fails again to question this strawman argument as usual…
It is also significant that she chose Kazakhstan as her example of a country where children fear being bombed. Of course, a more obvious and more appropriate example would have been Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen or Palestine. But Boag, being the right wing ideologue that she is, would never ever make that mistake; she quite cleverly kept the implied criticism to an official foe—Russia.
Unfortunately, while she is clever and always on the job, Brian Edwards and Jim Mora are neither; they simply let her comment go unchallenged and unmodified.
Man beats sister for being an ‘egg’
by JIMMY ELLINGHAM
When he thought his sister was being an “egg”, a Palmerston North beneficiary hit her in the face. On October 14, Michael Walker, 25, was at home, where he lived with his mother, sister and nephew.
When Walker and his sister argued over cleaning their mum’s vehicle, he went to the car, pulled out the car jack and smashed a window. His sister confronted him and he punched her in the face three times.
“He stated his sister was being an egg but then refused to explain his actions,” police prosecutor Sergeant Stu Oram told the Palmerston North District Court yesterday.
Walker admitted charges of assault and wilful damage.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/9421303/Man-hits-sister-for-being-an-egg
PSA: Family violence is a workplace issue – it impacts on work. In Aussie provisions for coping with family violence are included in some collective agreements.
Has Airnz share price fall taken more off the Govt balances than they got in cash? It’s got to be close.
The should just begin to quietly reacquire the shares cheaper, announcing at the last moment that they are doing so causing a rapid price spike, ensuring that the Government’s stake is worth more than ever before.
Or maybe I’m talking about what Goldman Sachs would do.
Holy shit! Waitakere electorate gets split into Upper Harbour & Kelston – Would Bennett be Kelston? That would most likely be my electorate!
Mine too!
I doubt she’ll have a chance in hell. Last time won by a nose.
On 3 news, did you manage to see where the Kelston boundaries are?
PS: Hi neighbour!
looks like it starts at Heron Park on Gt North Rd, Boundary follows Ash and Rata, Gt North up to and finishes at Hepburn in Glendene.
Everything facing the sea included.
Paula Bennett looked pissed. He he.
2.09mins into video
http://www.3news.co.nz/Boundary-changes-could-swing-the-election/tabid/1607/articleID/322149/Default.aspx#.UoxGtuLe58F
Thanks, Andy. That looks like quite a small electorate – and I am in that area.
Maybe it goes down Te Atatu Rd, on second look, Not Hepburn. Still looks small, but lots of big households there due to economic constraints.
I see lots of grown kids moving back home or families moving back together, one house at $600 pw rent is better than two at $420. Three generation families..
Avondale and the sea side of Kelston are very popular with young families, still reasonably priced in Auckland with estuary views and close to transport.
I miss the smell of the mangroves..
Watching that they mention the new Kelston seat but fail to mention what happened to the rest of the Waitakere seat.
Hello there, unfortunately not, googling didn’t help much either.
Nats bright idea to gift the new Auckland seat to Colin Craig looks to be in a bit of trouble. TV3 is reporting that Bennett has called a crisis meeting of her electorate officials.
Colin Craig in as MP with 4% of the vote and Bennett loses her seat and goes in as a list MP…not bad (for National :))
Except that the new Upper Harbour seat looks like a marginal at best for both National and Labour and likely to be Labour leaning in a swing year (which next year could easily be).Its a pretty dodgy prospect for them if they want to ensure that Craig wins a seat. So that leaves them with the option of turfing out a sitting Nat MP in a North Shore seat to accommodate Craig and so it gets messy. As for Bennett, sure she could go in on the list but losing her Westie base would be a pretty big blow.
McCully moves onto the list and Craig runs in East Coast Bays:
“East Coast Bays is also home to the City Impact Church, a multi-million dollar operation run by senior pastor Peter Mortlock and a potential Christian power-base for the Conservatives.”
Sounds like a good play by National to do this
That’s the most likely outcome. The only problem for Key is that it leaves him open to attack that he’s so desperate to get elected next year he’s prepared to turf out a sitting Nat MP.
…and smuggle in a truly weird fundy who makes Key’s last neanderthal toy-boy John Banks seem like a normal 21st century kiwi.
Desperate indeed.
She’ll want to go for Upper Harbour. So much for her Westie claims. On the other hand she may be told she can’t have it. Reserved for ‘The Teeth’ (Colin Craig) . She’ll have to go on the list. Poor wee Benny girl. My heart bleeds for her.
Didn’t she grow up down by Taupo and move to Auckland’s North Shore? She’s about as bloody Westie as I am.
She’s about as westie as Robyn Malcolm.
Actors aren’t actually the characters they play, though. Sheryl West was the Westie. Where Robyn Malcolm came from was irrelevant. Paula pretends she is the character she plays. If they decided to give her Epsom, she’d start eating cucumber sandwiches.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/motoring/news/9420765/Costly-lesson-after-buying-car-without-WOF
– What a generous benefit system we have in NZ when a solo mum can afford to buy a $7000 car…
Fuck off moron, nowhere in the article it says she’s a solo mum or on benefit.
Chris is just running desperate distraction because he doesn’t want to talk about Titford and his right-wing fan club.
Who?
Fuck you asshole, it was in the Chch Press (yeah the paper edition) today…solo mum and bene buys 7 grand car so the welfare system can’t be too shabby huh
Or maybe you’ve read it on Whalespew, that truthful and reliable news source for right wing idjits, who ironically, is a beneficiary himself.
The fuck part of “in the Chch Press (yeah the paper edition) today” don’t you understand? Solo mum/bene has the money to buy a 7 grand car so she can obviously manage her finances enough to not only live on but also buy her dream car
Although it’s the corporate welfare system this Government runs which is the most generous – by far.
So what? The solo mum can buy a (more than) decent car on the money shes given so isn’t that the main thing…oh sorry it doesn’t play into the “living wage” garbage
Have you tried to buy a second hand car lately? It took me a month or two to get my latest one. Old cars are not as cheap as they once were, and there’s not a lot going. In terms of reliability, it’s probably not worth buying anything much under $5-6 thou – and that’s taking a chance.
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/CategoryAttributeSearchResults.aspx?search=1&cid=268&sidebar=1&rptpath=1-268-&5=&14=&15=&18=0&18=4000&24=0&24=0&searchRegion=16&sidebarSearch_keypresses=0&sidebarSearch_suggested=0
– 941 listings for used cars for sale under 4 grand from Canterbury
She didn’t pay 7 grand to get a decent car, she spent 7 grand to get her “dream car” theres a big difference
I agree with you Chris.
Another bene living the high life off the back of the NZ tax payer, disgraceful.
chris73, when you come up with 4,5000 more cases of car buying sprees, please let us know as it will equal the social welfare for Rio Tinto.
So why not go down to the smelter and tell the workers why it was a bad idea and see what reception you get?
However its a nice attempted distraction from the main point which is a solo mum on a benefit manages to buy a 7 grand car when all you hear from labour/greens is some whining and bleating about how bad the benes have it
So have you come up with another 4,500 similar cases yet chris73?
Sounds like you are making the case for government stepping in and keeping more industry alive in NZ?
I’d back that.
I’m absolutely disgusted that society is providing a mother and her children with a modest, reasonable vehicle.
What’s wrong with this country? Next we’ll learn they didn’t have noodles for dinner every night last week.
Thats funny I’m absolutely stoked that a solo mom on a benefit can afford her dream car, it shows that National are quite generous whereas the looney left would have you believe National are miserly
Which is why John Key will be returned to power
one $7000 car per ten years is cheaper than one $3,500 car per five years, if you knew anything about living on nothing.
what a shit dumb story.
tell me chris73, how much did the average horse cost, as a chunk of wages, before cars came along?
“it shows that National are quite generous whereas the looney left would have you believe National are miserly”
Ah I see. So if I find one example of a rich guy with a nice car that would prove that taxes are still way too low.
Got it.
Benes shouldn’t have dreams or be ashperashunal. They aren’t even allowed chocolate biscuits when belts are being tightened. And they should know their place, head down, over a bucket probably.
Given a chance to run down someone on a benefit without knowing all the details, the average RW will push any facts or understanding aside. Everybody knows that benes are not playing ‘The Game’ and get into an opposition huddle all turning and spitting at the same time. It leaves watchers on the left gobsmacked.
Maybe a NAct cabinet minister paid her off for not taking a sexual harassment case against him? Of course, I have as much evidence for this as you do for your version, but why worry about facts when we can take our prejudices for a walk?
What the story does show is that NAct voting car dealers are scum, following the moral and ethical prescriptions of your leader.
Beautiful to watch Piss73 under pressure and getting all hoha.
Try living the life which comes with the bennie in the vast majority of cases, Piss arsehole you saviour of all that is right and proper.
Would be a richly deserved case of Tit-For-Tat-Ford.
Yes, our generous tax payer donation of $ 1.7 billion to South Canterbury Finance was a bit ott, wasn’t it?
Got a comment on that..or are you bene bashing over 7k
Just wondering…..
I don’t think labour or National should have done what they did, I think they should have been left to go under and rather then bashing benes I’m praising National for being as generous as they are…as should you lot
Left debating 101: Ignore the main point and try to refocus the arguement on a different matter
Who cares what you think chris73, the party you support pulled together $1.7B for rich SCF investors no probs yet $3M for dead workers families and its deep pockets short arms syndrome.
left debating tactic: emotional arguments are used when failing to argue case
This is about how generous National are to benes ie they can afford to buy decent cars
What National is or isn’t doing for the miners families is a seperate issue, which you are more then welcome to start a thread about but has no relevance here
Hahhahahah – as if bennie bashing isn’t emotive and not based in a rational approach to society or the economy!!!!
I’m not bashing benes (although her utter stupidity does make it tempting) I’m using her as an example of why the benefit system isn’t as bad as the posters on here make out
and for the record I’d agree to the govt to hire people (and pay them accordingly) to specifically target companies that don’t pay their taxes
You guys seem really desperate today. What’s up?
Got home early and waiting for wife to arrive with dinner
Nah you’re flustered. What do you not want to talk about?
You mean bennie-like too lazy and indolent to get on with peeling those spuds aye Piss ? Sitting on your bellicose arse waiting for others to do it all for you ?
Sad for Mrs Piss-Ford if those scummy no-pay Maccers people missed the Maccers sweet-and-sour dipping sauce.
Failed asset sales
Poor internal polling results
The stand off with Andarcko
Probably one of these
The boundary changes. Some NAT MPs might be fucked off. That on top of low internal polling might have some people quietly counting numbers in their heads.
You’re using an anecdote. The thousands that are getting pushed off benefits and generally being screwed over tell a different story.
God, I hope that the left keeps using emotional arguments – care and compassion are far better than greed and ignorance.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/9421266/Economy-set-to-beat-global-growth-OECD
“The economy is set to grow 3.6 per cent next year, putting New Zealand in the top six developed countries according to an OECD report.
The forecast rate would put New Zealand well above the OECD average of 2.4 per cent forecast for next year, and ahead of Australia on 2.7 per cent.”
– Another reason why National will be returned to power and why there’ll be another series of “why didn’t the people vote for Labour” on this site after the election
what sort of car do you drive chris73?
Grand Vitara, can’t afford the land cruiser vx just yet but I’m working on it
Aha, greed and posing. “It’s all about my penis substitute!” Compensating much? I’ve been told that style matters more than size, though the two are hardly exclusive.
chris why not a lexus you have to low asperations to be a defender of policies for your level of income.
“Working on it” aye Piss ?
Like mounting the engine a la Bowel Motion ?
What sort of ShonKey Python cargo-cult is this Piss ?
Grend Vitara to Maori Land Bruiser ?
How asprayshinal !
You mean that National was responsible for the Christchurch earthquake?
When life gives Christchurch lemons National makes a three term government or something like that…you gotta play the cards that you’re dealt much
And there we see just how much empathy chris73 really has – an earthquake is simply a political opportunity. Let us all thank him for his honesty, though his idols might be embarrassed.
It’s not a decent car, you moron. It’s a heap of shit full of problems. As with many sales pitches, the reality didn’t meet the ashprishun.
7000 grand can buy you a decent car but when your requirements for a decent are: purple paint job and (I’m assuming) rims then you probably will be dissappointed
But doesn’t change the fact she could afford a 7 grand car on what the government gives her so well done National for being so generous 🙂
That’s not how you spell “Oops, I’m a bigoted piece of shit and I’ve been caught lying again”
Right debating points: try to bash bennies as bludgers and try to divert attention away from the real bludgers who siphon off way more of taxpayers money.
There was nothing in that article that said she was on a benefit. And besides, she could have been working part time, and scrimped and saved, begged and burrowed.
And anyway, if the dealer is going to sell an unwarranted car to someone, then it speaks more about him than anyone else.
My father has been a car dealer for 40-odd years, and he has never sold a car that was unwarranted to anyone.
Stuff edited the web page after it had gone up but the story was in the Chch Press and it said she was a solo mum on a benefit
So maybe they got it wrong in the printed version, hence the editing of the online version?
Bullshit.
Bit of a shake in Christchurch 8 mins ago 🙁
3.8 on geonet.
Thoughts with all of you in Christchurch.
Colin Craig goes supermarket shopping on Campbell Live … oh dear. Wants a higher tax on alcohol as well! (Nats spin doctors groan …)
If he’s National’s lifeline, they’re dead and buried.
He only needs to win a (gifted) seat and bring in some fundies with him which looks like its going to happen
But he isn’t actually a fundie Christian. Just a pretend Christian.
Thats between him and his god…you know like two minute len 🙂
another right wing diversion.
Len hasn’t campaigned on his religion.
Neither it seems is Craig – Craig just like to seem a bit of an anti-fun ascetic – frugal and abstemious.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/9341193/I-m-answerable-to-my-God-Brown
– Fair call but does make it easy…
Well whatever he is or isn’t he’ll get a gifted\seat and probably drag in 4% of votes with him as he seems to be averaging around 2.5% of the vote since the last election…imgine what it’ll do when its announced what seat he’ll run and win…
Probably get more votes then Peter Dunne and Mana combined 🙂
So how long is your dick? You say that measurements are what it’s all about.
Ask your mum
She’s 80. So you’re prone to gerontophiliac fantasies? That’s too much information, really. Nobody wants to know about your sexual perversions.
Yet you’re asking about my old fella…interesting
Ooh, homophobia! How quaint! FWIW, I’m both straight and taken, sorry.
So why do you masturbate while thinking about an 80-year old woman you’ve never met? You are one sick puppy, I have to say. If I had any perversions like yours, I wouldn’t advertise them.
Crudity warning … http://youtu.be/iZ6L8X5yRZc
Just wanted to take the subject to a new low
Well, I just got “chris73” with his rape fantasy to show what rape culture is – it’s all about shaming people – both the women who are victims and the men who are the “owners” of women. His weird, perverted fantasy about raping my elderly mother shows just what he and his ilk practise.
Sorry ropata, I’m not going to watch that video. I know too many rape victims and trigger warnings apply to me too.
Well done. (That goes for both ‘crates and Ropata)
He was so fucking easy that it was a bore. Still, if he shows up again, I’ll wave the “pervert” flag and see what happens.
just my humble attempt to derail.. nothing to do with rape IMHO
It was pretty funny…in a gruesome kinda way…
Don’t forget the Weirdo’s supported by Best Bling Rankin. That should make all the difference to the price of Weetbix. Yay, God’s World is saved !
I know plenty of real Christians, the kind who practise what they preach – love. Craig is full of hate doused in grease.
Debate using reason and evidence.
Don’t insult, use slogans, distract or derail.
Time for bed, I sense.
I know youngsters able to debate using less puerile arguments.
grumpy old fella
scolds a smelly troll on line
stink lands on us all
“a gifted seat”
As long as National think that’s what it will be, I’m very happy.
(A little research on Epsom pre-2011 would be a good idea, but hey I’m not here to help).
And goodbye to our sexual and social freedoms.
Pogrom for gays, first on the list.
Next burning books on evolution.
Banning holding hands in our schools.
We should all be worried.
Watching TV3. Can’t believe the stupid Campbell Live programme on nonentity Crazy Colin shopping for broccoli and his ‘greetings card ‘philosophies’.
What a waste of TV time. Unbelievable that this person could be remotely regarded as one of our ‘leaders’. I thought Banks was about as low as we could get in idiocy but I was wrong.
It was like a Jon Stewart parody on Fox News or a Stewart joke based on Toronto’s experience
but they were serious1
Campbell tried unsuccessfully to mask his contempt for Craig but he and the camera people must be so ashamed of presenting us with this rubbish TV. .At least Gower wasn’t involved but still a new low in TV!
Agreed. the bigger story is where will Paula Bennett be doing her shopping after the 2014 election?
Craig would have lost thousands of votes in just 5 minutes.
I hope he’s on TV all next year!
Jeez – sounds like I gotta see this 🙂 . Will check tvnz on demand in an hour or so.
A regular little Martha Stewart. Like Brian Edwards’ bestie Michelle Boag who some months ago on Mora’s Flanel waxed long about her devilishly clever $1.59 purchase of half a head of cauliflower. Lasted three meals !
Oh. I don’t agree. Some people will see Craig as down to earth, pragmatic and will lap up the abstemious lifestyle.
Sadly I think you’re right.Not the Tories but the gullible.
Sure, some will.
But National’s plan is (apparently) to parachute Craig in, so he becomes a Nat-substitute. So then he wouldn’t be a fringe candiadate, but a “mainstream” 50 percenter.
When/if there’s a post on all this, I’ll list Top Ten ways that Gower is wrong – and Epsom is not a model that can easily be followed. Too busy right now.
Don’t give too many hints away
What a spoiler.
In America, they need parodists like John Stewart and Steven Colbert… in New Zealand, Colon Craig Rat Boy and Banks seem to render parody redundant… but in fact they make it more necessary.
rhinocrates-
‘Colon’ Craig.Sorry I shouldn’t but, ‘hehehe”
he’s an enema allRight!
CC is an improvement on those slimy invertebrates Brash, Banks and Dunne. May they be consigned to the political dungheap ASAP
I suspect that Dunne and Hide are going to be far superior to CC on multiple measures.
I understand the Boundaries Commission have released the new boundaries.
I heard something on radio as a comment and it was suggesting that Bennets seat was to be combined with Upper Harbour. Cannot find anything on line about this. Anyone have more details
Look above you!
I did but cannot see any thing about the announcement. I would have thought the Electoral Commission would have it on their web site its of interest to quite a few people I would have thought. But nothing there nothing on TV3 or NZ Herald or Stuff
Someone must have the details but where?
Ron, scroll up the Open Mike page. There’s a link to the 3 News report on it. [22.1.1.1]. It’s not going to be announced officially til tomorrow. 3 News leaked it tonight. they are the only source.
Gower also has some comments on his Twitter feed
https://twitter.com/patrickgowernz
Link up the page is here
http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-20112013/#comment-731624
Thanks should have scrolled up further. AS I am in East Coast Bays electorate it might prove interesting either way. Think I would emigrate if Craig wins this seat. Oh well back on street campaigning for me
Mate apparently the boundary changes were leaked to Patrick Gower today (which is interesting in itself). I imagine the official announcement will still be made tomorrow by the Electoral Commission.
Yes. It seemed like a Nat leak as all the focus was on Craig and National. Probably trying to prepare the way for McCully to move on & Craig to move in.
There should have been more focus on Labour’s options – so the coverage was telling.
If you’re correct and the boundary changes were leaked to Gower by the PMO, presumably as a way of furthering the narrative they’re trying to build around Craig’s electoral prospects next year (when the reality is that the new Auckland seat is most likely Labour leaning and not really suitable for Craig) then that is pretty shabby politics. You’d like too hope that the Electoral Commission can get on and do its work without politics and spin interfering.
BTW, the new Kelston electorate, carves a slice out of
Cumliffe’sCunliffe’s New Lynn electorate. How will that impact on his vote?I think New Lynn gains labour leaning neighbourhoods of what is now Waitakere. You might want to check spelling of Mr Cunliffe’s name Karol?
Alternate realities. The NZ news is all All Whites, live blogs. Sommet Sports had Germany and…. someone. Now I think they have France and Ukraine.
What a great effort from All Whites 3-1 down and managed to get another one. Great comeback. It seemed that everyone expected Mexico to do well despite them having had a dip recently. The crowd were loving it. Sounds like it was a good game to watch.
3 degrees of insanity, is Paula Bennett appearing on my TV decrying the rack renting ‘holiday park’ in Her electorate,
What exactly does this abysmal Minister think happens when the State in the guise of the National Government She is a Minister in sells off State Houses by the 100 and only replaces 30 of every 100 they flick off,
The ‘rack renters’ move in, that’s what happens…
paulo bennitto is going to give them tents next
Tents? Pah! Try cardboard boxes. (But with a waxy coating to make them a bit more waterproof – we wouldn’t want to be mean to poor people).
alternatively, there is the newspapers…
ok, ok, I’m going, sheesh!
They found in Arizona that tents were quite satisfactory for housing their unpopular malefactors. The people in the State love it, or at least some vocal ones. The rest can’t make themselves heard. And I think it is a lot cheaper, and that is what matters to those whose minds, ethics and standards have been gained by readings from mail order catalogues and supermarket brochures and of course watching well-groomed horses neighing on television.
?What exactly does this abysmal Minister think? 100% Paura, doesn’t.
Anyone know where the Geranium Lady, the useless TV gardening show one, where she sits in all of this ? Maybe ShonKey’ll jack up gifting her safe Tory seat to the Weirdo ?
For the good of “the party” you understand.
North
You may as well prattle children’s rhymes about the geranium lady, just replace Mary with Maggie.
Wikipedia says this version dates from 1744 so the matters exercising our minds and enthusing our actions continue down the ages.
Mistress Mary, Quite contrary,
How does your garden grow?
With Silver Bells, And Cockle Shells,
And so my garden grows.[1]