Open mike 20/12/2013

Written By: - Date published: 6:33 am, December 20th, 2013 - 112 comments
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openmike

Open mike is your post.

For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose.

The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy).

Step right up to the mike …

112 comments on “Open mike 20/12/2013 ”

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  1. Saarbo 1
    20 December 2013 at 6:51 am

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11175412

    “Mr Key told the Herald last night that it was good to end the year in a strong position. “That reflects the growing economic confidence and the acknowledgement by voters that we’ve steered the ship on a very deliberate and accurate course to economic prosperity.”

    What??? “very deliberate and accurate course to economic prosperity”

    Is that what he calls the $40 billion Christchurch Earthquake??? Is that what he calls the record Dairy pay out this year, its a commodity John…nothing to do with your inept National Party…

    The only thing National is good at is SPIN.

  2. bad12 2
    20 December 2013 at 7:20 am

    ”Not in the same league”, so says Auckland City Councilor Cameron Brewer in this morning’s Herald-online over the GIFT of a trip to Australia’s Gold Coast from the news organization Media-Works which this Auckland City Councilor after calling on the Mayor Len Brown to resign over undeclared gifts has admitted to not declaring,

    Utter HYPOCRISY is my opinion and Brewer should follow His own advice and resign from the Auckland Council…

  3. redrattler 3
    20 December 2013 at 7:21 am

    Review of Guy McPherson’s book on Climate change and human extinction,. ‘Going Dark’
    http://redrave.blogspot.co.nz/2013/12/review-of-going-dark.html

  4. amirite 4
    20 December 2013 at 7:24 am

    Another day, another round of editorial Len–bashing by the Herald, arrogantly claiming to speak on behalf of Auckland residents the majority of whom couldn’t even be bothered to get off their chuffs and vote in the local elections.

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=11175347

  5. Philj 5
    20 December 2013 at 7:43 am

    Xox
    Some altered lyrics to an old Kiwi classic song re. Cam Brewer. “There is no corruption in New Zealand”
    Nah, just utter hypocracy

  6. millsy 6
    20 December 2013 at 7:47 am

    I have been a customer of Genesis Energy (on and off due to changing personal circumstances) since 2003, and in the past couple of months, I have noticed that they are getting more hard-nosed in pursuing payment.

    Up until the start of spring, they used to send a reminder that you have missed your payment after the due date of your bill, then 7 days after that, followed it up with a letter warning that you would get your power disconnected. Then you would ring up and get an extentsion of a week or two, and then some breathing space, of course then you could get away with not paying the full amount, as credit action seemed to cease after the next bill came in.

    Now they threaten disconnection if you miss the due date. And if you get an extension, they chase you if you dont pay what you promise to pay by that date.

    Fortunately, I am in a position where I can scrape together the money to pay the bill and have never been in serious danger of being disconnected (though not the case with a lot of other people).

    I have no plans to switch though, as I have objections to the way the power market is set up (There was nothing wrong with getting the power from your local power board or council MED), plus there have been scores of botched switches.

    I think Genesis are doing this as it gears up for privatisation for next year…

    • Colonial Viper 6.1
      20 December 2013 at 7:59 am

      Must keep cashflow looking good for prospective buyers…

    • Disraeli Gladstone 6.2
      20 December 2013 at 8:46 am

      Really, though, they should be doing that anyway.

      I mean, if they’re being rude and intimidating, that’s out of order. But a reminder your bill is due and a week or two grace period is how it should really work. Just ignoring on following up on unpaid bills is business incompetence whether you’re a private company or an SOE.

      And I’m not trying to undermine your circumstances or people less well off. Fuel poverty shouldn’t be happening in New Zealand. But that’s not Genesis’s job. That’s the government’s job.

    • ianmac 6.3
      20 December 2013 at 9:13 am

      While overseas I missed a payment with Trustpower. When discovered I paid with days short of disconnection. They charged me an extra $25 and $40 for their trouble.

    • David H 6.4
      20 December 2013 at 9:42 am

      I am with Genesis. And I pay my power bill by Direct Credit this splits the bill into manageable chunks, and better still, they NEVER bitch about the state of your bill. Mines about 600 in the red, but as long as the DC is running, no moans, and more importantly no threats to be cut off .

      • bad12 6.4.1
        20 December 2013 at 10:00 am

        Mines with Powershop, i am something like 5 or 600 dollars in credit having had a automatic payment of 20 dollars running for the past 3 years and taking advantage of every ‘special’ and buying power months ahead when the future price is lower than their retail packs,

        It’s all transacted on-line and i do the meter read for them twice a week, this week i cut the auto-payment down to 15 dollars a week as the rebates for power i have bought but didn’t use have piled up the cash in my account to 400 dollars,

        i used on-line banking to alter the auto-payment which occurred without a hitch and thinking about the ease with which i can now manage my power and bank accounts i have to wonder when all the Government departments are going to leave Primitive for the annuls of history and get with the digital age…

  7. Te Reo Putake 7
    20 December 2013 at 8:27 am

    Another grim poll for the Nats: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11175412

    I like the headline: Maori Party holds key to government. As if!

    • bad12 7.1
      20 December 2013 at 8:34 am

      Snap, lolz…

    • lurgee 7.2
      20 December 2013 at 8:49 am

      I like the headline: Maori Party holds key to government. As if!

      It’s standard practice to assume minor parties retain current electorates, if any. That’s all made clear in the main story, and the main point the piece makes is that National + Maori would have enough to govern, if things pan out according to the poll – though the text also acknowledges that the Maori Party will be facing a severe challenge.

      • National – 46.8% (+3.1%)
      • Labour – 35.4% (-2.3%)
      • Greens – 10.8% (-0.5%)
      • NZ First – 3.9% (-0.5%)
      • Maori Party – 1.3% (+0.5%)
      • Mana – 0.9% (+0.2%)
      • Act – 0% (-0.1%)
      • United Future – 0% (Same)
      • Conservatives – 0.7% (-0.3%)
      • Legalise Cannabis – 0.1% (Same)

      Obviously, like all polls, it is fairly useless, as it is very difficult to predict how the minor parties will play out. Maori might have 3,2 or 1. Mana might have 1, 2 or 3. United Future, ACT should might cease to exist. Winston, surely, will get above 5% again.

      I think I recall some posters predicting Cunliffe + Greens would be pushing the 50% mark. Might be grimly amusing to dig those predictions up.

      • Te Reo Putake 7.2.1
        20 December 2013 at 9:03 am

        I also assume retention of current seats when I convert the Roy Morgan polls to seats via the electorate calculator, lurgee. But that’s to establish a conservative base line (ie, the best the right can expect). The problem for the Nats in this poll is that it’s the one that most consistently overestimates their support.

        So, if the best they can do is hope the MP still have 3 seats, then they are gone.

        ps, anybody remember the Conservative Party? Just a few weeks ago, they were going to be National’s life support system, now they’re nowhere and the MP are their only hope. As Bad12 points out, Key’s weird attack on Hone Harawira now makes some sense.

        • Lanthanide 7.2.1.1
          20 December 2013 at 9:09 am

          Key’s attack on Hone made perfect sense if you read the comments on the stuff story when it was first announced Hone was going to South Africa.

          Huge amount of racial-divisive hate-speech all voted to +20 and +30 within minutes.

          Obviously Hone has said a lot of polarising things in the past, and it seems some segment of the population really really detest him, and not because of his politics.

          • ScottGN 7.2.1.1.1
            20 December 2013 at 9:49 am

            I’m not sure I get the logic of this. Sure Key might be playing to his base but why? They vote for him anyway and they do get out and vote. Maybe National is seeing some slippage of this demographic to Labour? On the other hand, in attacking Hone he risks pissing off voters in the Maori Electorates who don’t have a great record at turning out to vote and getting them energized enough to go to the polling booth. Surely if National is going to win next year they need the so-called ‘missing million’ to sit out another election.

            • Lanthanide 7.2.1.1.1.1
              20 December 2013 at 10:03 am

              Reminding everyone how much they hate Hone taints Mana’s electoral partners: Greens and Labour.

              Vote Labour, get Hone.

              • ScottGN …
                20 December 2013 at 10:57 am

                I get that Lanth but I’m still inclined to think the prime motivation for attacking Hone was Key’s own wounded ego. He knows that he handled the whole delegation and the trip poorly and he hated being reminded of his weasel words around his stance on the ’81 tour. He looked small and petty and his instinct was to throw some shit at someone else as a diversion.

      • Lanthanide 7.2.2
        20 December 2013 at 9:07 am

        Yip, NZFirst getting over 5% changes the whole picture dramatically.

        • ScottGN 7.2.2.1
          20 December 2013 at 9:35 am

          Agreed. And based on this poll Winston only needs another 1 percent (or thereabouts) to get back in. You’d be mad not to assume he’s well capable of achieving that.

          • gobsmacked 7.2.2.1.1
            20 December 2013 at 9:50 am

            The poll suggests that “Colin Craig – news story” and “Conservative Party vote” are 2 completely separate entitities.

            (small sample and all that, but still).

          • Puckish Rogue 7.2.2.1.2
            20 December 2013 at 10:11 am

            I dunno, if Craigs gifted a seat then there might be a few cross-over votes from winstonFirst to the Conservatives on the basis that it won’t be a wasted vote

            • gobsmacked 7.2.2.1.2.1
              20 December 2013 at 10:16 am

              On behalf of the opposition, I implore John Key to try and “gift” Colin Craig a seat.

              It’s a gift that would keep on giving …

    • phillip ure 7.3
      20 December 2013 at 9:19 am

      re ‘grim toll for national’..

      ..how so..?

      ..nats have gone up..labour/grns have slumped..

      ..and what recent announcements were there from labour..?

      ..that’s right..!..that standover-threat/promise from neo-lib poster-boy parker..

      ..that labour would kick their constituents in the guts..again/still..

      ..by either raising the pension age..or raising g.s.t..

      ..parker invited punters to take their pick..which poisoned-chalice did they prefer..

      ..and for why..?..(i hear you ask..)

      ..because..as parker told us…t.i.n.a..

      ..eh..?

      ..and funny story..!..i am currently compiling the whoar-awards..

      ..and i am giving zinger of the year..to one i have relentlessly shredded all year..

      ..bill english..

      ..a week or so ago..he noted that the problem with labour..

      ..is that they don’t know where they stand..

      ..and when you have a party talking out of one side of their mouth about getting back those lost 800,000 voters..

      ..and out of the other promising to make them work for two years longer before getting the pension..

      ..(with many/most maori dying much earlier than pakeha..good one..!..eh..?..)

      ..it is hard not to agree with english..

      .and when you add to parkers’ brain-fart-threat the refusal of labour to speak of the real poverty in this land..(they will only talk about the ‘working-poor’..haven’t you noticed..?..)

      ..it is clear that ideological-confusion/war is rampant in labour..

      ..and as the polls confirm..

      ..they are fooling/convincing nobody..

      ..especially not those ‘lost’ 800.000+ voters they claim to be reaching out to..

      ..phillip ure..

    • srylands 7.4
      20 December 2013 at 10:11 am

      [deleted]

      [lprent: currently banned. ]

  8. bad12 8
    20 December 2013 at 8:32 am

    There is a fresh Herald-Digipoll in today’s Herald-online, pretty much a large Yawn showing us all what we already know that the 2014 election is going to be very tight,

    The Herald-Digipoll, or to be more precise, the analysis that comes with it is claiming the Maori Party will be the key to who forms the next Government,

    Really, on my reading of the tea-leaves the Maori Party next year will cease to exist in any meaningful form without any representation in the Parliament, which would leave the equation needed for a Government of the left to need more than one Mana Party MP,(the electoral battle between Annette Sykes and Te Ururoa Flavell for the Waiariki electorate may well be a crucial one and my advice to the Green and Labour Parties would be to consider that electorate seat vary carefully)…

    PS: easy to see why Slippery the PM has taken to attacking Mana Party leader Hone Harawira…

    • Lanthanide 8.1
      20 December 2013 at 9:10 am

      I think it’s reasonable to expect MP to win 1 seat. That’s my default prediction, anyway.

      • bad12 8.1.1
        20 December 2013 at 9:29 am

        Which one do you Predict the Maori Party to win Lanth, i base a lot of my thinking around the swing TO the Mana Party that was evident in the Te Ikaroa-Rawhiti by-election coupled with the not inconsiderate fact that if it’s ‘hard’ out there then it’s doubly so for Maori who will reflect this in their votes,

        Sharples seat of Tamaki-Makarau i would suggest is going back to Labour based on the by-elections swing against the Maori Party easily wiping Sharples 2000 vote margin into history,

        Waiariki held by Flavell with a wafer-thin 1000 vote majority???, on the evidence of the Ikaroa-Rawhiti by-election again the Maori Party is but a bad memory,(what Labour and the Green Party ‘do’ in this electorate tho could alter that),

        Te Tai Hauauru is the electorate i find hardest to ‘read’, Aunty Tariana isn’t standing so personal loyalty to Her isn’t a consideration, considering the above oft mentioned ‘swing’ and the (probably of more import), fact that in the final analysis this is the Rohe of Ratana who at their most recent of annual Hui have told the faithful their preference is for a Labour-Green Government, this far South the Mana Party isn’t that strong, i pick Labour will have this electorate back as well…

    • Puckish Rogue 8.2
      20 December 2013 at 10:07 am

      The knives will be sharpening for Cunliffe…hasn’t made the impact he was selected for

  9. logie97 9
    20 December 2013 at 8:35 am

    Great news – the cow cockies are experiencing boom times after the drought.
    Presumably Paula will be expecting WINZ to recover those advances she was to quick to offer.

    • phillip ure 9.1
      20 December 2013 at 11:28 am

      paula won’t need to..i’m sure they will also ‘offer’..

      ..i am sure they would not like to be seen painting themselves as bludging-beneficiaries..

      ..eh..?

      ..(how does it work again..?

      ..oh..!..that’s right..!

      ..in the good yrs you profit/trouser it..

      ..and in the bad years we pay..

      ..eh..?

      ..that’s how you roll..eh..?..)

      ..phillip ure..

  10. rich the other 10
    20 December 2013 at 8:51 am

    Green peace hammered in the court.
    What a year to look forward to , every things looking up and the icing on the cake is when these extremist environmentalists are put in their place.
    Corporate bludgers like green peace should be banned from our shores, bring on the oil and gas.
    Let’s give National a real mandate at the next election and really see progress.

    • bad12 10.1
      20 December 2013 at 8:53 am

      DEFINITELY, a mandate to spend another 9 parked up on the Opposition Benches should just about fix what ails National…

    • vto 10.2
      20 December 2013 at 8:57 am

      what progress?

      more printed money?
      more debt issued?
      more shit in the rivers?
      more oil on the beaches?
      more miners killed dead?
      more forestry workers killed dead?
      still being unable to support a family on a decent days work?
      more lies from Key?
      more lies from Banks?
      more of NZ owned by foreigners?

      you don’t know what progress is, you shallow fool

      • rich the other 10.2.1
        20 December 2013 at 10:02 am

        VTO ,Try opening your eves.

        More money printed = green policy
        more debt = good management, that’s why we still can pay benefits to the needy.
        rivers =National spending $100 million
        More oil on beaches =WHERE ??
        More miners killed =pike river =environmentalist and labour
        Forestry deaths = national employing 30 site inspectors
        Still unable to Support family’s = unemployment going down, looking better
        Key = what lies
        Bank’s = who cares , good riddance
        Foreign owners = who cares, they can’t take it away and will ultimately will sell it back.

        As I said , things are looking great and the greens continue to poison labours chances ,even better.

        • bad12 10.2.1.1
          20 December 2013 at 10:16 am

          i suggest a name change, ‘Rich another delusional’ would obviously be a far better descriptive of you…

          • srylands 10.2.1.1.1
            20 December 2013 at 10:28 am

            [deleted]

            [lprent: currently banned. ]

            • Beatie 10.2.1.1.1.1
              20 December 2013 at 11:44 am

              ‘Plus over the next few years the new wealth will “trickle down” to the poor, removing the need for any minimum wages’. You must be very young and naive Srylands. 30 years of ‘jam tomorrow’ and you still believe this neoliberal bullshit.

        • vto 10.2.1.2
          20 December 2013 at 10:39 am

          You seem to be both ignorant and nasty…

          “More money printed = green policy”
          Not at all – policy of Nat-type govts in UK and USA and Japan and everywhere. It is also what banks do whenever a loan is issued. Just printed.

          ” more debt = good management, that’s why we still can pay benefits to the needy.”
          Total bullshit. For paying for tax cuts and the shortfall created by asset sales.

          ” rivers =National spending $100 million”
          More bullshit. The shit is flowing into the rivers more today than it was yesterday. Same again tomorrow.

          ” More oil on beaches =WHERE ??”
          Bay of Plenty, fool.

          ” More miners killed =pike river =environmentalist and labour”
          Fuck you arsehole. Your demented philosophies killed 29 dead men. Stay away from the coast cunt.

          ” Forestry deaths = national employing 30 site inspectors”
          Same again. National’s religion still led to these deaths. Everything can be priced? – brainless

          ” Still unable to Support family’s = unemployment going down, looking better”
          Wake up idiot. I referred to being unable to support a family when employed. It is even more impossible when unemployed.

          ” Key = what lies”
          Liar yourself

          ” Bank’s = who cares , good riddance”
          He is an indicator of your people

          ” Foreign owners = who cares, they can’t take it away and will ultimately will sell it back.”
          *slowly shakes head*

          ignoramus extremis

        • Naki Man 10.2.1.3
          20 December 2013 at 11:42 am

          rich the other. you are 100% on the money
          who knows what planet vto, bad12 and Flip are living on
          their heads are firmly up their ARSE
          I hope green peace get smashed with costs

          • millsy 10.2.1.3.1
            20 December 2013 at 11:52 am

            I dont know what planet youre living on, but I would like a live on a planet with clean air, and water, and no toxic waste dumps?

            You, on the other hand would sit by and let tonnes of toxic waste fill our rivers if it meant an extra few dollars.

            It is amazing isnt it. A homey smashes a few windows and it is lablled vandalism. An oil company poisons a whole river and it is called wealth creation.

          • Draco T Bastard 10.2.1.3.2
            20 December 2013 at 12:43 pm

            And you’re as delusional as rich the other. Must be living on Planet Key.

        • Draco T Bastard 10.2.1.4
          20 December 2013 at 12:41 pm

          Everything you listed there is wrong. As you believe it to be true this means that you’re delusional.

          And here’s a list of John Key’s lies for you.

          As for printing money, that is exactly what the government should be doing while taking away that power from the private banks. Money should not be loaned into existence bearing interest.

    • millsy 10.3
      20 December 2013 at 9:10 am

      Progress?

      If “progress” to you means thick smog enveloping our cities, rivers chocked with toxic waste and open cast mines scarring our national parks, then you can shove it right up your jaxy.

      And the way things are set up, the oil companies will just suck our oil and gas dry, and take it, and the profits off shore. We will have nothing but a big mess to clean up and royalties pissed away on tax cuts.

    • Flip 10.4
      20 December 2013 at 9:21 am

      @ Rich the other
      Icing a ‘sh*! cake’ still tastes like ‘sh*!’. Hopefully those making it get to eat it.

    • yeshe 10.5
      20 December 2013 at 10:00 am

      rich the other … seeing as how you don’t think the environment is important to you, perhaps you should try holding your breath while you count your money ?

  11. bad12 11
    20 December 2013 at 8:51 am

    Graham McCready, He who ensured Banks gets whats coming to Him is going to have a busy New Year if news reports are anything to go by,

    RadioNZ is this morning reporting that Graham will be seeking to prosecute Auckland Mayor Len Brown,(exactly what for the news report failed to provide enlightenment of),

    David Cunliffe, Peter Whittal, Len Brown, and will we now see Cameron Brewer added to Grahams ‘list’…

    • Lanthanide 11.1
      20 December 2013 at 9:12 am

      The man is seriously over-exposing himself.

      • bad12 11.1.1
        20 December 2013 at 9:42 am

        Yeah with every announcement of a new prosecution target the soundtrack to ‘Fame’ goes off in my nut,

        Having had a conversation with the bloke about His abilities to perform in the High Court vis a vis the Bank’s prosecution i think over-stretching considering His abilities better describes His situation,

        Still if any of those He is set to privately prosecute have broken the law and the relevant authorities refuse to prosecute i can only say ‘good luck with that’ and help Him out financially if i agree with the prosecution,(as i did with the Banks matter)…

  12. complex 12
    20 December 2013 at 9:08 am

    Dick Quax on Len Brown being a repeat offender (RNZ 9am News Bulletin, 20 Dec 13):

    “It’s deja vu – all over again”.

    Amusing. Far less amusing is the high-handed politicking from the likes of him. Moral indignation should be reserved for more important things in life.

  13. Ron 13
    20 December 2013 at 9:13 am

    RNZ reported this morning that we can expect a Royal visit in April next year.
    I had the memory that there was a convention that Royal Visits would not occur in an election year.
    Can someone with better recall than me please comment.
    It seems to me that a Royal Visit in April would tie in quite nicely with an Election called for around July 12. Get in quick whilst the populace are entranced with the ‘pretty baby’ etc.

    • Lanthanide 13.1
      20 December 2013 at 9:19 am

      Royal visits by the monarch.

      William isn’t King.

      • Ron 13.1.1
        20 December 2013 at 9:36 am

        No but he is Royal Family and represents then whilst in the country otherwise why bother coming. I don’t think conventions said only the Queen/King could not come I understood it would be any family member would not be invited during election year.
        John key was reported on RNZ last month as saying

        “The Prime Minister says there may be a visit to New Zealand by members of the royal family in 2014.
        John Key says he can’t say whether a visit will take place, or who might be coming, but it doesn’t matter that it is an election year.
        He says established protocols are in place and a visit would not happen close to a general election without support from both the main parties”
        http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/226726/pm-sees-no-problem-with-royal-visit-in-election-year

        Obvioulsy Key saw it as a possible breach of protocol then and said it could be avoided by getting agreement among other parties and that it not be held close to an election.

        Of course a visit in April would not be considered close to a November election by Key he could then a month later decide to hold an early election.

        As quoted above a visit would not happen close to an election. I consider any date in 2014 as being close to an election.
        So what I was asking just what are the protocols

    • ScottGN 13.2
      20 December 2013 at 9:31 am

      I think the convention is that royal visits don’t happen within 3 months of an election? William visited in March 2011 (after the Chch quake) which of course was also an election year.

  14. Bearded Git 14
    20 December 2013 at 11:11 am

    Tony Ryall is a nasty bit of work. Check this out:

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/politics/9534274/Ryall-questioned-over-top-board-posts

    I guess this is par for the course for this cabinet.

  15. Draco T Bastard 15
    20 December 2013 at 11:55 am

    You know how, according to the RWNJs, private is always better and thus charter schools will be better? Well, in Sweden:

    When one of the biggest private education firms in Sweden went bankrupt earlier this year, it left 11,000 students in the lurch and made Stockholm rethink its pioneering market reform of the state schools system.

    Oops

    While it is difficult to say how, or even whether, private involvement and falling standards are linked, the NAE says there are indications the market-driven reforms have contributed to widen the gaps in school performances.

    Que surprise

    “I think we have had too much blind faith in that more private schools would guarantee greater educational quality,” said Tomas Tobé, head of the parliament’s education committee and spokesman on education for the ruling Moderate party.

    Exactly

    The opposition Green Party – like the Moderates long-time supporters of privately run schools but now backing the clamp-down – issued a public apology in a Swedish daily last month headlined “Forgive us, our policy led our schools astray”.

    At least one of their political parties is willing to take responsibility for their actions.

  16. Morrissey 16
    20 December 2013 at 12:00 pm

    “The machine of destruction does not stop for one day”
    Israeli historian ILAN PAPPE interviewed for Le Mur a Des Oreilles
    Recorded 22 October 2013

    LMaDO: Ilan, you are an historian, you’ve published numerous books, amongst them the famous and controversial for some people Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine in 2006. In 2007 you moved to England where you are currently teaching history at the Exeter University. You are part of what is called by some people “the new historians” who give a new analysis and narrative of the history of Zionism and the history of the creation of Israel. You’ve taken some radical positions against the state of Israel. Why and when did you decide to stand on the Palestinians’ side? And what were the consequences for you being Israeli?

    ILAN PAPPE: Changing point of view on such a crucial issue is a long journey, it doesn’t happen in one day and it doesn’t happen because of one event. I’ve tried in one of my books called Out of the Frame to describe this journey out of Zionism to a critical position against Zionism. If I had to choose a formative event that really changed my point of view in dramatic way, it would be the attack of the Israelis on Lebanon in 1982. For us who grew up in Israel, it was the first non-consensus war, the first war that obviously was a war of choice: Israel was not attacked, Israel attacked. Then the first Intifada happened. These events were eye openers in many ways for people like myself who already had some doubts about Zionism, about the historical version we learned at school.

    It is a long journey and once you take it, you are facing your own society, you are even facing your own family and it is not a nice position to be in. People who know Israel know that it is an intimate and vibrant society so if you are against it, you feel it in every aspect of your life. I think this is one of the reasons why it takes a bit longer for the people like me to come to the point where you say there is no return: you have to subscribe to these views whatever the repercussions are.

    Read more……
    http://lemuradesoreilles.org/2013/12/18/conversation-with-ilan-pappe/

  17. Morrissey 17
    20 December 2013 at 12:14 pm

    Hypocrite of the Year Awards
    No. 3: CAMERON BREWER

    Auckland councillor Cameron Brewer, who has been baying for Mayor Len Brown’s blood for not declaring gifts, has admitted not declaring a four-day junket to the Gold Coast.

    Mr Brewer yesterday admitted taking free air tickets and accommodation paid for by MediaWorks, which runs TV3. The right-wing councillor said he made a declaration of interests in 2011, but not in 2012, which would cover the period he went to Queensland.

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11175444

    More hypocrisy…..

    1.) Mora & co. (plus some amusingly demented comments by a trio of hapless Standardisti)….
    http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-16102013/#comment-711105

    2.) Obama the human rights champion (WARNING: this one is really offensive)….
    http://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2013/jul/01/barack-obama-nelson-mandela-robben-island-video

  18. aerobubble 18
    20 December 2013 at 12:37 pm

    I think its dumb to celebrate Christmas, a winter festival, in the Summer. See I said it.

    Dumber now most NZ are non-religious.

    Worse, the opportunity of having a winter holiday for Saudi’s to come over to at the hottest time of their year.

    And then their the cultural recognition, renewal. I mean Maori is now a national language, but not their most important festival?

    • Tracey 18.1
      20 December 2013 at 1:48 pm

      AGREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

      Christ (if he existed) wasnt even born at this time of the year

    • Draco T Bastard 18.2
      20 December 2013 at 5:17 pm

      Yep, would much prefer to have our major holiday season during Matariki.

      • Bill 18.2.1
        20 December 2013 at 6:41 pm

        Major holidays during summer are fine, so you can get away in nice weather and have a hassle free break from it all. Colonial cultural impositions that are detached from any traditional roots…dump ’em. If Christians wish to celebrate Christmas, then fine. And they can do that whenever they want – it’s not any of my business or concern. But this New Year in the middle of summer? To me, that’s offensive bullshit.

        • Draco T Bastard 18.2.1.1
          20 December 2013 at 7:32 pm

          We could always have two major holiday seasons.

          • Bill 18.2.1.1.1
            20 December 2013 at 8:02 pm

            Could. But an extended holiday in winter would be kinda meh. Scrub the Xmas stat days and replace with a floating stat day or two that people can nominate for according to their religion or whatever.

            And meld any N. European NY celebrations with matariki and transfer the stat days from end Dec/beginning Jan to whatever time in June is agreed to be the new, sensible and rooted mark of NY.

  19. aerobubble 19
    20 December 2013 at 12:53 pm

    A visit to a Hamilton Library. Should be renamed. People chattering. Taking phone calls. More social center than place for reading and reflection. Has Hamilton Council taken money from copyright holders so that libraries can play background music, which has the consequence, that people don’t fell the need any longer to be quiet. Is this internet? people do all their quiet work online at home?

    The Library, as a refuge to a young person to read and get away from the family home, is dying.

    • Morrissey 19.1
      20 December 2013 at 4:50 pm

      Agree absolutely. The behaviour at libraries is often terrible. That includes university libraries.

    • Molly 19.2
      20 December 2013 at 7:17 pm

      (Quietly) use libraries all the time, and I disagree. Libraries have an opportunity to be a place of real learning, and community discourse if managed well. The opportunity to access (via library card) books of such diverse subject matter and perspective gives the library user access to the last truly free education in public service.

      If done respectfully, getting people to engage – and dare I mention – putting coffee machines or services in place – could create a vibrant discussion place for all.

      Some Auckland libraries have closed off reading soundproofed rooms specifically for those “quiet users”. I think this is a good solution.

      Of course, university libraries – often used as private study facilities – have different uses and would benefit from the traditional silent approach.

      • Ron 19.2.1
        20 December 2013 at 8:46 pm

        Libraries have become a joke, In Aucklands main Library you cannot move for people sitting on the floors their laptops plugged into power outlets and shouting at the laptop, in foreign languages usually, whilst they use the libraries free wifi to conduct video conversations to family/friends overseas.
        I would imagine the majority of these people dot even have a library card all the want is the free video links and free power to recharge their laptops.
        The free computers provided by library are taken up by children playing computer games.
        Hardly anyone uses the library for the purpose of reading maybe because there is no room left for people to sit.
        I would like to remove all the electronic gizmos from library and return to it being a repository of books, music etc
        If people want to use computers/wifi/video etc let them go to any number of video cafes around town. They are not very expensive and everyone there expects to be doing the same thing so no problem upsetting the other users.

        • aerobubble 19.2.1.1
          22 December 2013 at 12:36 pm

          Yeah, I don’t get that at all. Why not use libraries to have free wifi outside of hours and outside of the building???? There are a huge number of rooms, in schools, churches, with power available, and soon to have a fast broadband. And well the internet is replacing a lot of the stuff you find in a library anyway…

          …oh wow, you mean you have all these young backpackers, and they aren’t using the local fast food burger shop because the wifi there is so crap. Its called capitalism, where are they, where have they been for the last thirty years. Thatcher socialist for the rich.

    • BM 19.3
      20 December 2013 at 8:55 pm

      That’s what happens when you give the darkies and homeless free reign.

      Lefties have created this situation, so suck it up chaps.

  20. Draco T Bastard 20
    20 December 2013 at 1:00 pm

    QE: The greatest subsidy to the rich ever?

    The largesse of the Federal Reserve over the past five years has amounted to one of the largest ever subsidies to the American wealthy—fueling record fortunes, record numbers of new millionaires and billionaires, and an unprecedented shopping spree for everything from Ferraris to Francis Bacon paintings. The prices of the assets owned by the wealthy, and the things they buy, have gone parabolic, bearing little relationship to the weak, broader economy.

    That’s exactly what a lot of us have been saying about the US QE since it started.

    • KJT 20.1
      20 December 2013 at 5:04 pm

      Wonder how the USA would a fared if the QE had been directed at householders, industry, infrastructure and workers, as it was in the “New Deal” instead of to the bankers.

      If the success of the “New Deal” and similar polices in the 30’s, in NZ, are any indication, a lot better.

      • Draco T Bastard 20.1.1
        20 December 2013 at 5:12 pm

        Yes, it’s truly amazing what a society can become when you make everyone a little better off rather than making a few at the top much better off.

  21. Tracey 21
    20 December 2013 at 1:44 pm

    Tamihere is off to court in search of an income stream to replace his lost salary.

    I am wondering if he and vto are the same person?

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11175767

    • Draco T Bastard 21.1
      20 December 2013 at 1:55 pm

      “It’s interesting too at Mediaworks, it’s a sisterhood running it and I’m just writing up my affidavit now and reflecting on it, it’s amazing, it’s back to the future with Helen and co.”

      IIRC, he was calling it the MediaWorks Whanau when he was stood down and now it’s a sisterhood because he’s been effectively fired. He really is a misogynist and definitely should not be on air in any form.

      • Tracey 21.1.1
        20 December 2013 at 5:12 pm

        he really does have a very dated view of the world and a seemingly bordeline pathological dislike of women in decision-making positions.

    • vto 21.2
      20 December 2013 at 7:24 pm

      Tracey I would be very curious to know why you would remotely think that, and further, if you could provide any evidence to support such a weak brainwibble…….

    • vto 21.3
      20 December 2013 at 7:28 pm

      you really need to learn to distinguish between defence of self and attack of other. You are confused.

  22. Tracey 22
    20 December 2013 at 1:46 pm

    Interesting article here about key’s statement… “”Anyone who is innocent has nothing to fear.” operating in practice

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11175860

  23. yeshe 23
    20 December 2013 at 3:26 pm

    We trust this company to manage our prisons. Anyone watching here ?

    From the Guardian, Serco forced to repay 68 million British pounds for non-existent criminals on electronic tagging release ….

    “The scale of overcharging – which included invoicing for the tagging of offenders who were not being monitored, some of whom were already back in prison or had died – is several times larger than previously thought. The original figure was believed to be £15m-£20m for the contracts held by both Serco and the security company G4S; the latter has yet to reach agreement on how much it will repay.

    Both contracts are now the subject of criminal investigation by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO).”

    http://www.theguardian.com/business/2013/dec/19/offender-electronic-tagging-serco-repay-68m-overcharging

  24. Draco T Bastard 24
    20 December 2013 at 3:34 pm

    John Key and National found out lying again.

    • Tracey 24.1
      20 December 2013 at 5:15 pm

      people like grumpy say that is not a proven lie so it doesn’t count and presumably doesnt bear the time for further scrutiny. It’s only your politician views that enable you to see it as misleading or lying. Now, if it turns out he has slept with anyone who is not his wife, grumpy will be baying for his blood. I think Slater will be investigating this and any other right wing politicians private life for such proof, so it’s only a matter of time.

  25. Penny Bright 25
    20 December 2013 at 4:30 pm

    Looking forward to the SFO ‘doing their job’.

    FYI
    ___________________________________________________________________________

    20 December 2013

    Nick Paterson
    General Manager
    Fraud and Corruption
    NZ Serious Fraud Office

    Julie Read
    CEO / Director
    NZ Serious Fraud Office

    ‘Open Letter’

    FYI

    “The New Zealand Private Prosecution Service Limited (“The Service”) gives notice that if the SFO refuses to investigate the complaint of corruption against Mayor Len Brown under Section 105(1) of the Crimes Act the Service will file a Private Prosecution without further notice to the proposed defendants. The names proposed defendants are Len Brown and the CEO of Sky City

    Graham Mc Cready
    Agent for NZPPS Ltd
    …………………
    …………………

    _____________________________________________________________________________

    This has been reported in mainstream media today as follows:

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11175723

    http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/231441/threat-to-file-private-case-against-brown

    Please be advised that I, Penny Bright have worked with the agent for NZ Private Prosecution Services Ltd, Graham McCready on other matters, specifically the private prosecution of John Archibald Banks for alleged electoral fraud, for which he has been committed to trial in the Auckland High Court for a defended hearing set down for 19 May 2014.

    (As the ‘process server’, I personally served the witness summonses which got Kim Dotcom, his lawyer and bodyguard, and the CEO of Sky City to the Auckland District Court to give oral evidence on 15 October 2013. )

    Both Lisa Prager and myself do hope that this will not be necessary and look forward to the NZ Serious Fraud Office ‘doing your job’, as the ‘lead agency’ in New Zealand tasked with investigating bribery and corruption complaints.

    Kind regards,

    Penny Bright
    ……………..

    Lisa Prager
    ……………….
    _____________________________________________________________________________

    ( A copy of this above-mentioned complaint to the NZ Serious Fraud Office is available here:

    http://www.pennybright4mayor.org.nz

    • Tracey 25.1
      20 December 2013 at 5:17 pm

      and this is some good news

      The Commerce Commission has laid charges against Carter Holt Harvey and one of its senior managers over alleged price-fixing in the Auckland timber market.

      The proceedings were filed in the High Court today alleging Carter Holt Harvey entered into an understanding with Fletcher Distribution Ltd to fix the prices of structural timber sold to commercial customers in Auckland.

      The alleged offending occurred during the latter part of 2012 and early 2013.

      “The commission has also filed proceedings against a Carter Holt Harvey manager, Mr Dean Dodds, for his involvement in the understanding,” the commission said in a statement.

    • KJT 25.2
      20 December 2013 at 5:19 pm

      I hope you are now having a go at Cameron Brewer, as well.

      In the interests of impartiality, of course.

    • Ad 25.3
      20 December 2013 at 6:44 pm

      Drumroll… you will shortly announce you will stand again for the Mayoralty.

      Where your vision for the Auckland Plan, Unitary Plan, housing areas, and the actual development of Auckland will be your first priority.

      Oh wait … nope, your focus will be on a sustained internal witch hunt that destroys thousands of careers, grinds the entire administration to a halt, and, once you’ve achieved your aims and are standing on the rubble of a permanent of cycle of internal restructuring, delivers actual power in Auckland straight back to National.

  26. Morrissey 26
    20 December 2013 at 4:38 pm

    “He’s been admitted to a mental hospital”.
    Cue extended hilarity on the Panel
    Radio NZ National, Friday 20 December 2013
    Jim Mora, Joe Bennett, Duncan Webb

    Just before 4 p.m. ….

    JIM MORA: Ummmmm, what’s happened to the interpreter at Nelson Mandela’s memorial service?

    JOE BENNETT: He heeeeeeeeeeeeee!

    SUSAN BALDACCI: [drily] He’s been admitted to a mental hospital.

    …… [Much snickering, snorting and hilarity ensues] ……

    JIM MORA: Ha ha ha ha ha! ….. [snort, snicker] ….. Susan Baldacci, thank you very much! Back with the Panel after the news!

    I am sure this writer, i.e. moi, was not the only listener to feel there was something deeply wrong and immoral about these fools laughing their heads off like this. I sent the ring-leader the following email…..

    Why are you laughing at the plight of that sign language man?

    Dear Jim,

    I am concerned that you and your Panel guests seemed to be greatly amused at the sign language impostor’s being committed to a mental hospital.

    Certainly it was a bizarre performance by Thamsanqa Jantjie; however, there were sinister and cynical impostors at that obscene charade in Johannesburg. Here’s the most notorious of them, waving his arm in the air….
    http://cdn1.independent.ie/world-news/article29829821.ece/ALTERNATES/h342/PANews_bfce2d94-f4ec-4d75-b069-6d5218eab9d2_I1.jpg

    You have on several occasions expressed disdain and amusement at Mr Jantjie’s antics, but have not uttered one word about the supreme hypocrisy of having Barack Obama, that harsh and implacable enemy of dissenters and human rights activists, “lead the mourning”.

    Yours in disgust at the hijacking of a real hero’s memory,

    Morrissey Breen
    Northcote Point

    Keep listening, fellas! He often reads out my little bon-bons.

    • Tim 26.1
      20 December 2013 at 5:50 pm

      Do you know if there’ll be a Matinee Idle this season? If they had any sense RNZ could save themselves a lot of money and extend its run throughout the year!

    • Te Reo Putake 26.2
      20 December 2013 at 6:24 pm

      As usual, nothing in Moz’s misremembering took place, with the exception of a small laugh from Bennett, which may actually be a cough. It’s hard to tell, it was that brief.

      http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/afternoons/audio/2580725/the-panel-pre-show-for-20-december-2013

      Reality starts at about 11.10.

      Moz, have you ever considered applying for the post of North Korean Revolutionary People’s Historical Record Airbrusher? Yours is the only kind of revisionism they respect.

      • Morrissey 26.2.1
        21 December 2013 at 9:01 am

        As usual, nothing in Moz’s misremembering took place,

        There you go again with another extreme statement. You know, if you attempted to comment on my work proportionately and fairly, you might have a point; my posts are not always perfect and I am more than willing to listen to considered and intelligent criticism. Unfortunately, your hectoring is neither considered nor intelligent. You seem to have only one setting: scoffing disrespect. Could I remind you that this is not your local Labour Party branch and you cannot simply shout me or anyone else into silence.

        ….with the exception of a small laugh from Bennett, which may actually be a cough. It’s hard to tell, it was that brief.

        He laughed in exactly the same way as he did when the subject of Mayor Rob Ford’s “great finesse” comes up. You can pretend that it was just a cough if you like.

        MEMO FELLOW STANDARDISTI: I urge you to listen to Joe Bennett laughing, and then tell this bloke Te Reo Putake, who avers he was actually coughing, what you think of his perception skills.

        My dashed-off transcript was faithful to the mood of levity and hilarity in the studio. I didn’t get all their immortal wit, however, so here’s the missing treasure….

        SUSAN BALDACCI: He was actually DUE to attend a mental health checkup on the day of the memorial for Mandela when he did all the crazy— he was actually supposed to go to the doctor that day.
        MORA: [amused] Oh REALLY?
        SUSAN BALDACCI: The mental health doctor. And he just said, No maybe I’ll go to the memorial instead!
        JOE BENNETT: Am I the only one who thinks this was made up after the event?
        MORA: How do you mean?
        JOE BENNETT: Oh I don’t believe this!
        MORA: Oh, okay! No time to discuss this now. It’s five o’clock!

        http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/afternoons/audio/2580725/the-panel-pre-show-for-20-december-2013

        Reality starts at about 11.10.

        My transcript, as pretty much all my transcripts do, caught the mood in that studio perfectly—and you know it. You object to my pinning down these vacuous commentators because they share many of your prejudices, and laugh at some of the same victims of black propaganda campaigns that you do.

        Moz, have you ever considered applying for the post of North Korean Revolutionary People’s Historical Record Airbrusher? Yours is the only kind of revisionism they respect.

        Ha! If anyone on this forum repeatedly acts like a North Korean fanatic, it is you, whether you are jumping on someone who backs the wrong Labour Party candidate or, more brutally, when you echo the lies told by the people who defame and persecute political dissenters and journalists.

  27. Tim 27
    20 December 2013 at 11:21 pm

    23:15 …. and there goes 23 years of probably the most inoffensive, oft-times clever, sometimes informative free-to-air television late night news and ditzy bits – staffed by people whose egos weren’t the driving force. All knobbled by the commercial imperative and the vacuous admen.
    Wheel in Paul Henry (aided by a forklift to lift the weight of his ego)
    See how he runs. If Kiwis are smart – it’ll be a Channel 10 rerun.

    Nightline – by no means perfect, but never an entrant in the race to the bottom

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    Given the crackdown on wasteful government spending, it behooves me to point to a high profile example of spending by the Luxon government that looks like a big, fat waste of time and money. I’m talking about the deployment of NZDF personnel to support the US-led coalition in the Red ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    3 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Wednesday, July 24

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:40 am on Wednesday, July 24 are:Deep Dive: Chipping away at the housing crisis, including my comments RNZ/Newsroom’s The DetailNews: Government softens on asset sales, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • LXR Takaanini

    As I reported about the city centre, Auckland’s rail network is also going through a difficult and disruptive period which is rapidly approaching a culmination, this will result in a significant upgrade to the whole network. Hallelujah. Also like the city centre this is an upgrade predicated on the City ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    3 days ago
  • Four kilograms of pain

    Today, a 4 kilogram report will be delivered to Parliament. We know this is what the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care weighs, because our Prime Minister told us so.Some reporter had blindsided him by asking a question about something done by ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Wednesday, July 24

    TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Wednesday, July 24, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Beehive: Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced plans to use PPPs to fund, build and run a four-lane expressway between Auckland ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Luxon gets caught out

    NewstalkZB host Mike Hosking, who can usually be relied on to give Prime Minister Christopher Luxon an easy run, did not do so yesterday when he interviewed him about the HealthNZ deficit. Luxon is trying to use a deficit reported last year by HealthNZ as yet another example of the ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago
  • A worrying sign

    Back in January a StatsNZ employee gave a speech at Rātana on behalf of tangata whenua in which he insulted and criticised the government. The speech clearly violated the principle of a neutral public service, and StatsNZ started an investigation. Part of that was getting an external consultant to examine ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Are we fine with 47.9% home-ownership by 2048?

    Renting for life: Shared ownership initiatives are unlikely to slow the slide in home ownership by much. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:A Deloitte report for Westpac has projected Aotearoa’s home-ownership rate will ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Let's Win This

    You're broken down and tiredOf living life on a merry go roundAnd you can't find the fighterBut I see it in you so we gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsWe gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsAnd I'll rise upI'll rise like the dayI'll rise upI'll rise unafraidI'll rise upAnd I'll ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • Waimahara: The Singing Spirit of Water

    There’s been a change in Myers Park. Down the steps from St. Kevin’s Arcade, past the grassy slopes, the children’s playground, the benches and that goat statue, there has been a transformation. The underpass for Mayoral Drive has gone from a barren, grey, concrete tunnel, to a place that thrums ...
    Greater AucklandBy Connor Sharp
    4 days ago
  • A major milestone: Global climate pollution may have just peaked

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global society may have finally slammed on the brakes for climate-warming pollution released by human fossil fuel combustion. According to the Carbon Monitor Project, the total global climate pollution released between February and May 2024 declined slightly from the amount released during the same ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Tuesday, July 23

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Tuesday, July 23 are:Deep Dive: Penlink: where tolling rhetoric meets reality BusinessDesk-$$$’s Oliver LewisScoop: Te Pūkenga plans for regional polytechs leak out ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Tuesday, July 23

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announced the Board of Te Whatu Ora- Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • HealthNZ and Luxon at cross purposes over budget blowout

    Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • 2500-3000 more healthcare staff expected to be fired, as Shane Reti blames Labour for a budget defic...

    Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    4 days ago
  • Might Kamala Harris be about to get a 'stardust' moment like Jacinda Ardern?

    As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
    PunditBy Tim Watkin
    5 days ago
  • Solutions Interview: Steven Hail on MMT & ecological economics

    TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
    The KakaBy Steven Hail
    5 days ago
  • Reported back

    The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Vandrad the Viking, Christopher Coombes, and Literary Archaeology

    Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell On The Biden Withdrawal

    History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    5 days ago
  • Joe Biden's withdrawal puts the spotlight back on Kamala and the USA's complicated relatio...

    This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    5 days ago
  • Why we have to challenge our national fiscal assumptions

    A homeless person’s camp beside a blocked-off slipped damage walkway in Freeman’s Bay: we are chasing our tail on our worsening and inter-related housing, poverty and climate crises. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Existential Crisis and Damaged Brains

    What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • A speed limit is not a target, and yet…

    This is a guest post from longtime supporter Mr Plod, whose previous contributions include a proposal that Hamilton become New Zealand’s capital city, and that we should switch which side of the road we drive on. A recent Newsroom article, “Back to school for the Govt’s new speed limit policy“, ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Monday, July 22

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Monday, July 22

    TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #29

    A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago
  • I'd like to share what I did this weekend

    This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • For the children – Why mere sentiment can be a misleading force in our lives, and lead to unex...

    National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Order image, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • A friend in uncertain times

    Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • The Chaotic World of Male Diet Influencers

    Hi,We’ll get to the horrific world of male diet influencers (AKA Beefy Boys) shortly, but first you will be glad to know that since I sent out the Webworm explaining why the assassination attempt on Donald Trump was not a false flag operation, I’ve heard from a load of people ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • It's Starting To Look A Lot Like… Y2K

    Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Bernard’s Saturday Soliloquy for the week to July 20

    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Pharmac Director, Climate Change Commissioner, Health NZ Directors – The latest to quit this m...

    Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 week ago
  • Flooding Housing Policy

    The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    1 week ago
  • A Voyage Among the Vandals: Accepted (Again!)

    As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā's Chorus for Friday, July 19

    An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Friday, July 19

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Roundup 19-July-2024

    Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Climate Wrap: A market-led plan for failure

    TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Tobacco First

    Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Trump’s Adopted Son.

    Waiting In The Wings: For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Friday, July 19

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSA announced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • The Hoon around the week to July 19

    TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent talking about the National-ACT-NZ First Government’s release of its first Emissions Reduction Plan;University of Otago Foreign Relations Professor and special guest Dr Karin von ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #29 2024

    Open access notables Improving global temperature datasets to better account for non-uniform warming, Calvert, Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society: To better account for spatial non-uniform trends in warming, a new GITD [global instrumental temperature dataset] was created that used maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) to combine the land surface ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago

  • Joint statement from the Prime Ministers of Canada, Australia and New Zealand

    Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue.  We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    16 hours ago
  • AG reminds institutions of legal obligations

    Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    19 hours ago
  • More young people learning about digital safety

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views.  “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago
  • Speech to the Conference for General Practice 2024

    Tēnā tātou katoa,  Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    22 hours ago
  • Employers and payroll providers ready for tax changes

    New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts.  “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    24 hours ago
  • Experimental vineyard futureproofs wine industry

    An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Funding confirmed for regions affected by North Island Weather Events

    The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Indonesian Foreign Minister to visit

    Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced.   “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Strengthening partnership with Ngāti Maniapoto

    He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Transport Minister thanks outgoing CAA Chair

    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Test for Customary Marine Title being restored

    The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says.  “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Opposition united in bad faith over ECE sector review

    Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet.  “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Kiwis having their say on first regulatory review

    After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks.  “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government upgrading Lower North Island commuter rail

    The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government moves to ensure flood protection for Wairoa

    Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • PM speech to Parliament – Royal Commission of Inquiry’s Report into Abuse in Care

    Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care.  At the heart of this report are the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government acknowledges torture at Lake Alice

    For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government acknowledges courageous abuse survivors

    The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Half a million people use tax calculator

    With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis.  “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Paid Parental Leave improvements pass first reading

    Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says a bill that has passed its first reading will improve parental leave settings and give non-biological parents more flexibility as primary carer for their child. The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No3), passed its first reading this morning. “It includes a change ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Rebuilding the economy through better regulation

    Two Bills designed to improve regulation and make it easier to do business have passed their first reading in Parliament, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. The Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Bill and Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill make key changes to legislation administered by the Ministry ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • ‘Open banking’ and ‘open electricity’ on the way

    New legislation paves the way for greater competition in sectors such as banking and electricity, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Competitive markets boost productivity, create employment opportunities and lift living standards. To support competition, we need good quality regulation but, unfortunately, a recent OECD report ranked New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Charity lotteries to be permitted to operate online

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says lotteries for charitable purposes, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, and local hospices, will soon be allowed to operate online permanently. “Under current laws, these fundraising lotteries are only allowed to operate online until October 2024, after which ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Accelerating Northland Expressway

    The Coalition Government is accelerating work on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of its Roads of National Significance programme, with an accelerated delivery model to deliver this project faster and more efficiently, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “For too long, the lack of resilient transport connections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Sir Don to travel to Viet Nam as special envoy

    Sir Don McKinnon will travel to Viet Nam this week as a Special Envoy of the Government, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced.    “It is important that the Government give due recognition to the significant contributions that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made to New Zealand-Viet Nam relations,” Mr ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Grant Illingworth KC appointed as transitional Commissioner to Royal Commission

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says newly appointed Commissioner, Grant Illingworth KC, will help deliver the report for the first phase of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons, due on 28 November 2024.  “I am pleased to announce that Mr Illingworth will commence his appointment as ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • NZ to advance relationships with ASEAN partners

    Foreign Minister Winston Peters travels to Laos this week to participate in a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-led Ministerial meetings in Vientiane.    “ASEAN plays an important role in supporting a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Mr Peters says.   “This will be our third visit to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Backing mental health services on the West Coast

    Construction of a new mental health facility at Te Nikau Grey Hospital in Greymouth is today one step closer, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “This $27 million facility shows this Government is delivering on its promise to boost mental health care and improve front line services,” Mr Doocey says. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • NZ support for sustainable Pacific fisheries

    New Zealand is committing nearly $50 million to a package supporting sustainable Pacific fisheries development over the next four years, Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This support consisting of a range of initiatives demonstrates New Zealand’s commitment to assisting our Pacific partners ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Students’ needs at centre of new charter school adjustments

    Associate Education Minister David Seymour says proposed changes to the Education and Training Amendment Bill will ensure charter schools have more flexibility to negotiate employment agreements and are equipped with the right teaching resources. “Cabinet has agreed to progress an amendment which means unions will not be able to initiate ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Commissioner replaces Health NZ Board

    In response to serious concerns around oversight, overspend and a significant deterioration in financial outlook, the Board of Health New Zealand will be replaced with a Commissioner, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti announced today.  “The previous government’s botched health reforms have created significant financial challenges at Health NZ that, without ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister to speak at Australian Space Forum

    Minister for Space and Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins will travel to Adelaide tomorrow for space and science engagements, including speaking at the Australian Space Forum.  While there she will also have meetings and visits with a focus on space, biotechnology and innovation.  “New Zealand has a thriving space ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Climate Change Minister to attend climate action meeting in China

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