A little pearl of wisdom from one of the regular contributors:
"Belief in the threat of climate change is what people think they are supposed to support, so they do, to pollsters. Belief in business as usual is what people depend on, so they vote accordingly."
Dennis Frank – Daily Review, 20th May, 2019.
He was talking about the Oz election, but the problem is universal. I'm afraid the man in the street, Joe Bloggs, will not take climate change seriously until it bites him on the bum.
"That's where leadership is meant to step in, but they're too scared of corporate ire"
Hold it right there WtB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.
There'll need to be several "pieces of work" and a number of consultative "conversations" with "officials" before anything can proceed "going forward". When those "conversations" are complete and "resonations" reached, we can probably proceed on a path of transformation and compassion
Na you’re wrong . This government has in very short time got most people excepting climate change as fact . And is progressing in the right direction . Move to fast and the push back will mean failure.
Of course if we had started in 1958 it would have been better . But today is the next best time.
"This government has in very short time got most people excepting climate change as fact "
So that's an achievement is it? I 'spose it is (in a really miniscule sort of way – even though most of them knew in the first place but were just coming to terms with the long term rather than keeping their loifsoyles taday and ta morra)
The bleeding bloody obvious springs to mind. A shame it doesn't extend to other ussues going forwid.
Megan and the sure rinse
Iain and Krus ummigrayshun and the feks of currint polsee
its easy to not understand if your job depends on it.
that is what i lay at the feet of government anywhere.
i don't so much have an issue with joe and jane sixpack but i have an issue with those that have the power to chance (all of them – no matter party affiliation) but do nothing.
I see the purchase price of 'bought-back' kiwibuild houses is not disclosed as 'commercially sensitive'. This is total bollocks – it is public money. What happens when you are locked to the religion of having a private business taking a cut of all things delivered by the state.
@ UncookedSelachimorpha +1 "What happens when you are locked to the religion of having a private business taking a cut of all things delivered by the state."
That religion is called free market liberalism, which just sunk the Australian Labour party and was the reason NZ Labour only scrapped in by the skin of it's teeth after three terms of disgusting and destructive National leadership.
This is part of a critique by Chris Trotter on the Oz Labour win that wasn't. (BEOT Big End of Town)
Simple enough, one might have thought, but one would have been reckoning without the extraordinary tone-deafness of the post-Hawke/Keating Labor Party. Instead of interpreting the poll data as evidence that, if they played their cards right, a win might just be possible, Shorten et al regarded it as proof that, since a loss was impossible, they could play their cards any damn way they pleased.
“We’ll never get a better chance to do all the things we’ve been promising ourselves for the past decade than this”, Labor told itself. “So, come on Comrades, this time we can quite safely bet the whole farm!” Which is pretty much what they did: promising to raise taxes and increase spending like it was going out of style. (Which, of course, it has been for the best part of three decades.)
Not only did they ignore the fact that the BEOT has untold billions invested in the farm, but they also thought it would be good politics to construct their campaign narrative around the idea of putting the inhabitants of the BEOT in their place. Unsurprisingly, the BEOT had a better idea.
I don't agree with Trotters analysis or his 'three objectives to winning an election..
"Winning a general election requires a political party to achieve three critical objectives: 1) Convince the voters that, economically-speaking, your team has got the right solutions. 2) Convince the voters that your opponents haven’t got a clue what the right answers even look like. 3) Convince the voters that, unless they do something to stop them, your opponents have a better-than-even chance of winning the election. In just three words: Reassure. Undermine. Terrify."
I will offer my opinion on winning elections a bit later, but must get off and do some work now.
Bloody hell Sam! How I wish you and others would quit using the word 'woke' in any other way than as the past participle of the verb 'to wake'.
What you are trying to show is that 1) you are hip 2) you are up with the terminology 3) you understand neocon rubbish words, and that they are useful, and that they add something to our vocabulary.
Sorry to disabuse you, but they are unintelligible rubbish, akin to those who use them.
I think Chris Trotter paints himself into unfortunate corners sometimes.
You absolutely have to rein in the BEOT if you want a society that works OK for everyone. But if you can't defeat the BEOT electorally, because they can outspend and out-message you, plus you face a populace where the psychological hegemony of neoliberal ideas runs very deep after 40 years of propaganda – what then? Despair?
It is much easier to gloomily describe this predicament than suggest ways of painting out of the corner. (I plead guilty on this one too.)
the prices the govt paid should be disclosed as LINZ captures all sales data. All realestate agents have access how else would they be able to have data on local sales .
Yes I wondered about that. Why not keep it as a state house and put in tenants who would appreciate it and look after it and be part of a community that was probably working and functional. Good house, good possibilities for lifting oneself out of the doldrums. Go for it Twyford, but choose your tenants right.
The bullying in parliament report comes out today. Hang on to your hats, I predict this will be damning for both the major parties. Very pleased it's happening, it's long overdue, thanks to Trev and the government for initiating it.
Thanks for bringing it up Cinny. I think it is going to be a shock to most people just how toxic the place is.
I would love to see a commission of inquiry into bullying in the Public Service generally and that it include retrospective cases. That would enable me to come forward and tell my story. It is something I've wanted – indeed needed – to do for a very long time but have been unable to due to the lack of a safe and secure environment.
“Just because it’s politics and people are passionate doesn’t mean any of us can behave like arseholes around this place. It’s a privilege to serve here, and the people who put us here expect us to lead and want to respect us as leaders.”
Apparently parliament is a toxic environment awash in bullying, harassment, entitled behaviour, verbal abuse and positively teeming with massive, unrestrained egos.
Well I never!
Also, the Press Gallery behave in 'unacceptable' ways.
Stuff has 4 – FOUR articles on Game of Thrones ending this morning, as if it was important. It's good TV, but important? As part of a picture it is.
Bread and Circuses aka violence conditioning for the masses. Producers/writers seem to delight in trying to outshine each other in their propensity to dream up horrors.
"a way to kill compassion to ensure the brutalization of Roman civilians and thus their compliance (or at least their complacency) vis-à-vis Imperial expansion and domestic policing"
Have we learned to not give a fuck yet? Are we entertained by all these stabbings?
There'll be awards, red carpet, gushing interviews, tears…
You ask whether "Have we learned to not give a fuck yet? Are we entertained by all these stabbings".
From the fact that the series appears to have been very popular I suppose the answer to the questions has to be yes. If nobody watched it they certainly wouldn't have bothered spending a fortune on making it. One must simply suggest that everyone who watched it was in fact entertained.
So says he who, immodestly, says that he had never heard of the series until recently and has never seen a single episode. The most I have seen was snippets in the news in the last few days.
So, if you don't approve of what they are showing the only thing to do is don't watch it. It is like the people who claim that "I never vote. It just encourages the bastards". If you watch the program, and the ads, you are just encouraging the people who make it to go even further next time.
What political statement will the Crusaders make next? First they offend religion, now sexuality. Not bad for a non-political group who just play a game.
Sure there is always at least two sides to every story, and often one involves lies to protect reputations, especially when it comes to the national sport.
How many of us here have seen drunk rugby players act like arseholes? Heaps I'd say.
Listening to the interviews this morning I believe the other fellows who complained and not the Crusaders denial and great innocence. It's a reflection I think of the brutal way that things get splattered on Facebook, the no-respect for others, the arrogant 'I'll do it my way, you lowlife (applies to whoever is chosen for disdain). This type of abuse has been going on for years and so many sportspeople give themselves an edge by harassing others in opposing teams, or the public. That's our society these days folks, authority is prepared to allow shit to happen to others, bystanders even, as externalities to the really important goal, whatever that is.
If it wasn't already obvious to everybody in the world, the US have completely lost any interest in disguising the fact that they are prepared to attack or bully any country that stands in the way of their hegemony out in the open.
Their hostile and dangerous actions against Venezuela and Iran.
Their attackon Huawei.
The US war on whistle blowers and persecution of Assange.
The US compliance and support of apartheid in Gaza, the West Bank and Israel.
Their compliance and support of the humanitarian tragedy in Yemen.
The US arming and legitimizing the despotic terrorist state of Saudi Arabia.
The list could go on, and on.
Lets just hope that Bernie Sanders gets the nomination, takes out Trump in the rust belt, and restores at lest a semblance of sanity to US foreign policy.
I think most people would consider the US governments relentless actions against Huawei over the last while including today's announcement, only in order to protect US private corporate interests as an attack, so in a word yes.
We assure you while we are complying with all US gov't requirements, services like Google Play & security from Google Play Protect will keep functioning on your existing Huawei device," Google said on Twitter.
I see there is another teens fleeing from police crash in Te Atatu on the Stuff web site this morning. When are these idiots going to learn when police signal you to stop…..you stop! At least they only injured themselves so that's all good. they will be off the roads for a while which makes it safer for everyone.
Many (maybe even most) teens do. Pushing too hard, failing to do risk assessment, not seeing warning signs, getting carried away, not realising how drunk they are…
Google told me there was an OIA request on police chase statistics last year: seems that a little over half of pursuits are abandoned (probably includes "called off for safety" as well as "lost 'em"). So some of these kids' peer group probably have escaped pursuit before.
All fun and games until someone gets hurt. But if there's nothing else to do, or no real hope for advancement, teens gonna do stupid shit.
Went flying off a 50cc a couple of years back. Straight over the handle bars, instinctive forward roll, worst problem was a tear in my pants from where I hit the key in the ignition with my thigh. God bless lower speeds.
Rear end panel damage to the car cost more than my scooter did new (which had a jiggle at the garage but was otherwise fine).
That was me worrying about what guy on the left was going to do, to the detriment of forward observation. #imadickhead
So you think that stealing cars, driving dangerously and endangering the public is all ok and just a bit of youthful silliness? These idiots put innocent people on the roads in danger.
Yes I did some stupid things as a teen but I never once stole a car, and never once ran from police.
Jimmy you good little lord fauntleroy, you sound a bit preachy there. You are probably too old and was always in the wrong class to appreciate the great attraction of stealing cars and joy riding. If you can be so proud of not having stolen a car, what is it that you did when you were being naughty? You seem to take pride in not having had to run from police in a stolen car. So what did you do?
The joyriders might be from a background that would understand and enjoy 'Boy'. Have a look at the trailer, and I bet it will show a different way of looking at the dynamics of life Jimmy than you have experienced.
So you still don't give a shit that kids actually got injured, but there was a chance that you could have been. Oh the humanity!
Keep up the middle class moral outrage, one day you might come down from the ivory tower and figure out why Remuera kids aren't doing this stuff or tagging from dusk till dawn.
No I don't give a shit that these kids got injured. They made the choice and got injured due to their own actions. However, I am greatly concerned (and give a shit) that while they are on the road hooning around they are putting my kids and other innocent people in danger.
How would you feel if they drove in to your wife / daughter /son trying to evade the police?
I'd feel like I seriously screwed up my responsibilities as a parent.
There's plenty of ways to have loads of fun scaring yourself shitless with speed, heights, freefalls, explosions etc that don't involve putting strangers at risk. Anything to do with public roads and vehicles are particularly important to take responsibly and seriously, not something to get your jollies with. Because the consequences to strangers can be so severe.
That's the attitude I think I've successfully just given my eldest (easy, he's that way inclined anyway) and I'm about to start trying to get my twins to take on board (hmm, gonna be more of a challenge, they're somewhat more neurotypical teenage boys).
I was more on Jimmy's idea that we needed to imagine a personal relationship to give a damn.
To me, hooning is one of those things where the negligence is there, but they're still kids. Kids make mistakes.
Contrast that with a court news thing I saw a while back where the hoon was basically in his late thirties – donuts, excess speed, failing to stop, ISTR it was the full trifecta. That dude, I'm totally with the "lock him up" crowd. Teens, even early twenties? I'm more ambivalent.
You mean my kids driving and running from police? I would be seriously disappointed with my parenting skills, and seriously disappointed with them. I hate to think what my old man would have done to me if I had ever not stopped for police when told to.
I don't know the statistics, but I am seriously wondering if there would be less of these terrible instances if it was advertised that the police will chase you as these young people with the nothing to lose mentality are simply putting their foot down knowing police will pull out of the chase.
You'd also be sad they got injured, no? Don't forget that bit.
Here are the stats. The trouble with your plan is that sometimes the offenders get away – lose the cops in back roads, get enough distance to bail, whatever. You just change the rules into more of an "all or nothing" situation. Same with stiffer penalties – that just increases the panic from an initial poor reaction.
The psychology and practicality of vehicle pursuits for both offender and police officer is interesting – did some reading on it about ten years ago. ISTR that if aerial unit was involved it basically doubled the chances of a successful stop. But then of course that gets limited by finance and controlled air spaces.
Maybe I'm too old to think like them, but if I knew the police would relentlessly pursue me I would be less likely to run as even if I initially got away they would eventually catch up to me. At the moment they know they have probably a 50% chance? of getting away and unfortunately they take the chance often with tragic results.
As the mother of three, and the child of a veritable gaggle of parents and step parents…let me assure you that children can be very very disappointing. It doesn't necessarily make them bad people, and sometimes they grow up to be even better than you, as a parent, deserve.
You clearly lack the imagination to understand that the whole point of the chase, the adrenaline rush, is from being chased..being caught is no more of a factor in the decision to flee, than the idea the cops will stop chasing. In fact its probably slightly disappointing when the cops do pull back. The whole point is these kids are not thinking, they are simply reacting to stimuli.
If the adrenaline rush is what they are after, then I have even less sympathy for them when they "roll the dice" and lose. They put countless innocent people at risk simply for a "high" ….very selfish.
I do feel sorry for the police as they are often in a no win situation.
If that did happen I'd probably feel a lot better about it knowing a sane policy was in place that didn't involve risky police chases and naughty teens that endangered more lives.
When they are 'young,dumb and full of cum', combined with whatever the fuck else has shaped their usually totally dysfunctional and violent lives, I don't think these young guys are really in a psychological space of mind to 'learn when police signal you to stop…..you stop!'
The problems for most of these 'idiots' are far more systemic and complicated than that, that much I do know, how to fix it, that question is probably well above my pay level.
For an informative view on how a good place turns shitty and youth go to the pack watch all series of The Wire.
It starts in the street but moves on to the working class supplying the street and then a larger focus with the dodgy dealing political and business class all in on their various games.
It is startlingly profound in retrospect.
It touched briefly upon further meddling from on high. Were the focus to enlarge further there'd be the 'philanthropic' (the PR face of the billionaire class) types behind the scenes encouraging class warfare via deals to influence money-centric law.
Just thinking this morning about how money is just a set of formalised, legalised promises. We talk about it as if it is real and substantial, Donald Duck's Grandpa had gold coins in a pile that he used to jump into. But gold is just a token within the money system that is carefully managed as to its daily value for buying some real thing – hamburgers have been used as a standard for instance.
If we thought in our minds when we say money, that we are talking of fairydust we would be closer to understanding the real thing we speak of. And economists have worked out how fairydust is transferred and added value to and relates to real, physical things and real work either physical or mental.
And a Kiwi economist has made it big in his field and is speaking on Radionz about why we don't have to worry about robots and their effect on our degraded society. Get ready for some beautifully delivered fairydust tales for the political nursery school.
10:05 Kinley Salmon : Debunking the "robocalypse"
With all the talk of artificial intelligence and machine learning – does the technological revolution really mean that robots are knocking on the door to take many of our jobs? New Zealand economist Kinley Salmon says there is so much hype, it's hard to think straight. In his new book Jobs, Robots and Us, he argues that more people than ever are in work in New Zealand, technology isn't something that just happens to us, and that the future of work is in our own hands.
We The Beeple
The Wire was set in the time when crack cocaine was flooding the ghettoes of the US courtesy of Reagan;s covert war against the Sandinista govt in Nicaragua.
Gary Webb broke the story, only to be shunned by his fellow journalists (remind you of anyone?)vilified and discredited .Later he was vindicated, too late to save his life . He committed suicide..if shooting yourself twice in the head is a thing.
During the first series the FBI guy talks about how things have changed since the towers fell and heroin being sold on the street is branded WMD and Bin Laden. So it's probably set around 2003.
It's pretty much contemporary with the time of filming. It's not a period piece.
Great characters. Really sophisticated plots. Amazing lines and scenes (my personal favourite was the scene examination conducted purely with the word "fuck"). And Idris.
I imagine that a lot of the people who read and comment on this site will applaud. Ford, after all, make those evil cars and trucks that are, at least in Greenies view, destroying the world. Get them all off the road. Let people go back to the 19th century and take a train or walk
At least I imagine what our resident idiot MP Genter would say. The only cars that should be allowed on the streets of Wellington will be her beloved Beemer Limo's.
The Government will provide almost $40 million in funding for ambulance services in a bid to relieve the pressure some of the providers are under.
But speaking to media this morning, Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters gave a strong hint the Government was planning to fully fund St John in the near future.
"I very confident that we can look forward to a day, and not very far from now, where 95 per cent of the needs of St Johns is funded from central Government."
Although he was confident, he said he was not speaking for "the whole Cabinet, at this point in time".
Having taken a ride in a ambulance a few weeks ago and chatting with the paramedic (over the awful clattering of the vehicle as it negotiated the bends of our sealed but twisty rural roads) I am very, very happy about this.
I'll be positively orgasmic if Cabinet agrees to fund at least 95% of the service…Winston might be forgiven a few of his sins if he can pull this off.
No that would be bad Gabby. Is the idea that the funding will be made available from reducing services elsewhere? Rural people need more, not less for sure.
I see why the Winston First Party survives. People like Rosemary, after 40 years of disappointment, still believe Winston's lies.
Actually it would be very easy to provide the full cost of running the New Zealand Ambulance services. All that is needed is to stop the taxpayer funding Winston's hobby of horse-racing. In order to keep the finances of the NZF party healthy, and to keep Winnie happy with his part ownership of racehorses, the taxpayer is throwing ever more money at all weather tracks.
Originally it was just one track in the Waikato, probably at Cambridge. Now he has wound the ante up to 3 tracks, at Cambridge, at Awapuni and in the South Island. The largesse will come out of the Peters/Jones $3 billion slush fund. If we spent the money, which is probably up to $40 million for horses by this time, we could pay the full cost of ambulance services immediately.
Now: " it would be very easy to provide the full cost of running the New Zealand Ambulance services."
Then:
"PM Bill English told The AM Show on Monday ambulance operators are "not asking for full funding, we're not promising full funding … The proportion of funding is fairly high, and as I understand it has been steady over the years. When you visit the ambulance services they have got pretty good gear these days. Their staff are very well-trained."
(May 2017)
It's amazing how many "easy" things National never got around to doing, isn't it?
Full funding is a pretty cheap promise and relatively easy to do. All that is true.
Bill English was right. The Ambulance service in NZ is pretty good. Modern equipment and well staffed with people who are expert at their job. In recent years all the St Johns equipment has gone through a huge level of upgrade.
The main reason why St Johns has not wanted full funding has been to preserve their independence. Total full funding makes that difficult. Even a small amount of donations (relative to the total cost) has helped preserve their independence.
It will be interesting to see if St Johns will be able to continue to be independent as they have historically been.
thanks heavesn for fundraising, volunteer work – aka unpaid work, bake sales and that stuff so that government actually ahs got nothing else to do but pay your wages and perks right?
and i for one am sure you will want that ambulance service the day you keel over and need one. would be too bad if they showed up in a vehicle from the fifties.
I used to work for the AA before i opened my business, the pretty good gear breaks down regularly cause it is not pretty good, just extremely well maintained by the unpaid staff, you arrogant do nothing know nothing.
People don't have as much free time to donate to St John these days it takes more to make ends meet for everyone. We get a professional service we should pay for it.
I recall my old man was attending the rugby every few weekends in season as a St John representative, he never got a dime but it was a windfall for us kids when we went: all the recycle soft drink bottles. Two cents each, two cents was money!
Dad was never into rugby, but as a local St John guy he fulfilled his obligations. On top of helping loads of players he saved a few people after bad accidents in our village too.
He never once appreciated that government took their service for granted, and it's been an awful long time.
From my understanding, if there are St Johns attending Saturday sport – St Johns are being paid by the sporting organisation.
Sacred Heart (Auckland)has St Johns attending Saturday winter sport. The St Johns staff were called on the day 2 boys being knocked out and a broken bone and that was only the 9:00 games !!! – To cover the costs there is a coffee/Hot Chocolate stand and the old boys cover any shortfalls, great idea by the school, and I would recommend any to seek & support the coffee service.
Thanks Herodotus. Back in the day the club might of donated to St Johns, but the actual officer didn't get paid. A free feed occasionally, but not expected. The public however were very supportive of Dad, their gratitude was obvious.
It was even noted by some parents when he was at Te Aroha baths that they felt safer having their kids swim with him present. Then we nearly lost my brother in the same place – translucent water hid him at the bottom Dad's foot hit something and he hauled him out already unconscious.
It must be hard being held in esteem, only to be human.
Good stuff. The ambulance service should be a 100% public funded service, just like police etc. This 'charity' model is bullshit that only exists to allow the wealthy to avoid paying their share.
A fossil Galaxias fish from Foulden Maar. Photo credit Jon Lindqvist.
Fossil leaves from Foulden Maar. Photo credit Jennifer Bannister.
A fossil leaf from Foulden Maar. Photo credit Tammo Reichgelt.
A short section of core from the Foulden Maar deposit, showing annual layers (alternating yellowish and dark layers) along with underwater landslide events (thicker dark layers). Photo credit Bethany Fox.
100x magnification of a 23-million-year-old leaf cuticle (Litsea calicarioides) from Foulden Maar, showing stomata (white) and epidermal cells (purple). Photo credit Tammo Reichgelt.
A fossil flower (Fouldenia staminosa) from Foulden Maar. Photo credit Jennifer Bannister.
Getz Ice Shelf on the Antarctic coast Credit: NASA/Dick Ewers
The overseas mining company seeking to expand its operation next to a fossil rich geological site of international significance in Otago, says it has good motives, and is surprised by the negative reaction. Plaman Resources is 50.9% owned by the Mayasian business Iris Corp, and 49% owned by two Australian businessmen. It has a permit to mine diatomite in Middlemarch at Foulden Maar – a 23-million-year-old crater lake at Middlemarch – and is seeking permission to buy the neighbouring property to expand the mine. The diatomite is brand named "Black Pearl" and sold as stock feed. The plan has run into strong opposition from some locals, concerned scientists and former Prime Minister Helen Clark. Kathryn talks with co-founder and CEO of Plaman Resources, Peter Plakadis.
On later on Radionz. Rod Oram first about tourism goals, which may be related to the next one on m/billionaires coming here for boltholes!
11:30 New Zealand's billionaire doomsday preppers
A new VICE documentary attempts to track down the overseas billionaires building boltholes in New Zealand. "Hunt for the Bunker People" follows freelance journalist Baz Mcdonald as he investigates why the super rich are looking to buy land in Queenstown as "apocalypse insurance."
As Baz comes to terms with the causes of this paranoia, he considers the implication for Queenstown's shrinking middle class. He joins Kathryn to speak about the documentary and what he plans to do next with his investigation.
Hunt for the Bunker People screens on VICE will be on SKY On Demand and SKY GO until May 23rd.
Does earthquake insurance need a fundamental rethink as private insurers trim their books and EQC gets out of contents insurance?
Kathryn Ryan speaks with the minister responsible for the Earthquake Commission, Dr Megan Woods.
Changes to the Earthquake Commission Act come into affect on July 1st.
They include an increase in the cap on EQC residential building cover from $100,000 to 150,000, a withdrawal of contents cover, and more transparency if earthquake claims have been made on a house in the past.
The Lord of the Great Grift is one step closer to getting exposed. A federal judge has ruled his accountants have to turn over his paperwork to Congress.
Best not reveal anything that might undermine the narrative.
Two left wing NGOs, Yesh Din and Emek Shaveh, filed a petition under the Freedom of Information Act to reveal the identities of archaeological sites and archaeologists working in the West Bank. According to Emek Shaveh, the High Court ruled to conceal the identities of the locations and archaeologists.
Supreme Court rejects NGOs petition, arguing that publishing information publicly could expose archaeologists to academic boycott and undermine Israel’s position in future diplomatic negotiations.
Here’s the result of David Seymour’s incitement of violence toward Golriz Ghahraman the other day.
Now she has to have a police escort to protect her from violent white supremacist RWNJs. This clearly proves it is far right creeps like David Seymour who are undermining the decency and safety of New Zealand society.
Don’t respect me but please (!) respect my requests (plural) to cut out the personal shit. Pointless personal shit is just that. You’ve already taken too much of my time.
what the fuck are you on about. This is like the 100th time you've threatened to ban me. Fuck me. You give a dork a little bit of power and it goes straight to there head.
so asides from anything the woke Australian Green Party leader decided he'd lead a caravan up the Australian coast signalling the virtues of thrift and cleanliness. Net result was 4% swing to the liberals and then in NZ, more woke nutters.
[Given my earlier requests here on OM to cut out the pointless personal shit, this looks like a deliberate provocation of Sam who seems unable to control himself when provoked and you know it – Incognito]
I thought that you had received a ban Sam. Your abusive comments deserve abusive description – they are shit. And your abuse isn't even high-class stuff. You are lowering the tone of this blog and you haven't said anything of value except your own lame opinions. We have plenty of those ourselves, in our own rubbish bins, and yours belong in yours.
Depends if you desire to be a super moderator or a super debater because when it's moderated it's actually not debating, wonder if this place is still for robust debate anymore. Where I come from debates can turn into fist fights. Besides that I was under the impression that I had received a permanent ban at one point for breaking some code of behaviour or something rather than the content of what I was saying ie moderated for ideological reasons rather than causing harm to some ones fragile frame of mind.
I don’t want to ban Sam or anybody else for that matter. I would like him (and others) to cut out the pointless personal shit and get on with robust debate. All it takes is a small change in online behaviour that will have large positive effects on the tone on/of this site.
Stockholm’s general shelters are in poor condition.
In the event of a crisis or war, they could not be used, according to the real estate office.
And there is no money to fix them.
Stockholm city is responsible for 22 active shelters. But none of them meet the requirements – and they cannot fulfill their function as shelters in the event of a crisis or war, Mitt i [local free ‘zine] can now reveal.
The protective shelters are used today as, for example, garages. But the city is obliged to be able put them in service within 48 hours, which is currently not possible. It appears from the real estate office’s budget for the years 2020-2022.
What would happen if there was a crisis or war?
– We can’t handle the 48 hour limit. It is a question of how to plan, says Thomas Schillén, property manager at the real estate office.
In order to be able to use the protective shelters, good ventilation, shock wave doors and toilets are required. It would take many millions to be able to fix them, money missing from the budget.
– We have got a tightening of the new majority and have not received any new funds. We are tightening our staff and have other projects that take a lot of money, “says Thomas Schillén
Chaotic scenes in Newcastle city centre as Nigel Farage hit by a milkshake. He’s been whisked away by his security. This is the aftermath. pic.twitter.com/qxz8yay492
The government announced yesterday the appointment of five new Deputy Chairpersons to the Human Rights Review Tribunal. Legislation has been tweaked to allow these Deputy Chairperson to make and write up decisions.
" This Government has acknowledged the unacceptable backlog of cases before the Human Rights Review Tribunal that developed under the previous National Government and we have taken action by establishing the Deputy Chairperson positions to help reduce the growing backlog,” says Aupito William Sio. "
Unfortunately, one of these Deputy Chairpersons has proven herself to be less than impartial and has, over the decade she spent fighting against disabled people and their chosen family carers, chosen to engage in tactics that in my opinion bring the profession of lawyer in (further) disrepute.
I have sat an listened to her deliberately misinform and misrepresent our situation and on more than one occasion has actually made statements that in any other venue would be considered lying.
Martha Coleman markets herself as being a 'human rights specialist'.. and yes she has had much experience in arguing against claims brought under NZBORA and the HRA.
In the case of family carers being paid to provide the disability supports an eligible person has been assessed as needing her tactics failed (in numerous venues) as the lawyers from the Office of Human Rights Proceedings won the case by simply telling the truth and presenting the facts to the Tribunal and the Courts.
Reality will occasionally prevail.
One aspect of Coleman's career that has always intrigued me is the fact that while she was being paid by Crown Law to prepare the case against family carers she was also a member of the National Advisory Council for the Employment Of Women who stated in their March 2008 report…
NACEW supports a framework for family caring that is based on the following principles: •that the unique contribution of family carers is the provision of emotional and associative care and this needs to be recognised and valued as a priority •that formal care packages are comprehensive responses to the intensity of a client’s needs, and do not make assumptions about the family supports available •that a client and their family members can opt for greater family involvement in care arrangements and negotiate the basis of their involvement within the care package provided •that individual family members who are contracted into explicit service roles have similar protections and rights as other workers.
Yes, I get that lawyers have to be able to argue both sides of an issue convincingly…that's probably why so many end up in politics…but to have read the above, and listened to Coleman enthusiastically and with some malice argue against it, to me calls into question her suitability to participate in decision making for a Tribunal dedicated to upholding human rights.
The fact that Coleman leveled some of her invective against me personally most certainly colours my view.
Waiting in anticipation for the report into National Party culture that was promised us once the report on Parliament culture was out. I can't seem to find it anywhere though. Wonder what's taking so long…
Stuff just reported this: "Speaking during the first reading of the bill, National leader Simon Bridges said his party was supportive of the principles of the bill but National had "real differences" and expected to see change in select committee. The Government's flagship climate change bill – technically an amendment to an earlier law – would force future governments to set a series of "carbon budgets" over the next 30 years, declining until all long-lived emissions reach net zero at 2050. It will pass first reading on Tuesday afternoon." https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/112890233/national-supports-climate-change-bill-through-first-reading
"The proposed law is based on the United Kingdom's Climate Change Act. The bill would also set up an independent Climate Change Commission that would advise the Government on what these targets should be and how exactly governments should meet them. It would not have any independent power on its own. It's understood NZ First was particularly uncomfortable with talk about giving the commission Reserve Bank-like powers to set the emissions targets itself. Governments will also be required to set a plan for how they will respond to the various effects of climate change."
I wonder who the chief judge is in the circuit where all of the fights between Congress and Trump will play out and whether he cares about partisan norm-busting. Oh that's right…it's some guy named Merrick Garland.
Stuff: "MPs were "treated like gods" with a "master servant relationship". What about goddesses? Seems like it could be a case of unconscious sexism. Mistresses are sometimes into dominance too. There was a dominatrix in the headlines a while back, after the guy who had been paying to be dominated actually died.
And if you call them public servants, is it really all that surprising that MPs treat them as such? What part of the residual patriarchy is so hard to grasp?
Can you expand on your criticisms of Martha Coleman a little more for me @ RMcD?
In what way has she spent "fighting against disabled people and their chosen family carers"? (for example).
I'm not suggesting in any way that your assertions are incorrect.
I'm just curious having known both Martha and brother Bruce in her formative years. Having seen how many of my peers have put comfy little lives over principle, nothing will surprise me, but I'm not yet ready to put Martha in that category.
btw @ lprent – not quite sure why this appears as 25, as opposed to 20.1 or 20.2. but it's possible I'm losing it
Actually, assume the worst (I’m losing it) – I’d hate to have you obsessing over a potential bug that isn’t
Often happens to me. I think I hit the reply to comment button, then after I post it shows up at the bottom of the thread. Remedy is highlight what you wrote, ctrl C to copy it, then delete comment. Then hit the reply button to the comment you want to respond to, ctrl V to copy your response into the new window, post it and watch to ensure it does publish in the right place.
As I admitted… The fact that Coleman leveled some of her invective against me personally most certainly colours my view.
I am one of those family carers.
I sat in on many of those hearings and watched her at work.
I was part of the last group to be represented by the OHRP against the Crown and the Ministry, and up until the final straight Martha 'these people have a sense of entitlement' Coleman was the Crown appointed assassin.
And oh, how she seemed to love her work.
Yeah, yeah, lawyers are supposed to use every trick in the book to make the opposition look like shit…but come on…there are limits, surely?
As I said…misinformation, malicious misrepresentation (well it seemed like malice from where I was sitting) and callous disregard for the people with disabilities who would die without appropriate hands- on care and those of us who provided that care…in many cases where the Ministry's own contracted providers refused to because the Ministry would not fund that level of care.
Even after losing in Atkinson and Spencer, Coleman dug in when it came to our case (King). It beggared belief as for all intents and purposes we were the same as the Atkinson and Spencer cases. Arguably the level of complexity in the care required from and by the King plaintiffs was measurably higher than in the previous cases.
In my particular case she argued that I was claiming to be paid for doing what 'every one else does for love'.
The Ministry's own records show that at least 40 other spouses were being paid by the Ministry for providing care for their partner…and we had met some of these couples who couldn't understand why we were not given the same accommodation by the Ministry.
However…Coleman knew this, must have gained at least a smidgen of an inkling what our lives are like…she sat through enough hearings and read enough of our submissions….you'd think, you'd hope, that at some point she'd actually back off and advise the Crown that the right thing to do would be to put the injustice and the discrimination right.
But, no. And this time last year I was girding up my delicate bits to sit in a court room and listen to Coleman yet again argue a case she had already lost on more than one occasion.
Orders came from Higher Up later last year that the Crown were to settle our case.
Coleman et al suddenly disappeared from the opposition benches and new Crown Lawyers brought in to try and make nice.
I occasionally fantasize that Coleman et al perhaps, in a fit of conscience, deliberately threw Atkinson and Spencer…but no. What they did do, and quite successfully, was to manage to stall any resolution for the rest of us so that National had time to concoct the Part 4 amendment to the PHD Act.
Coleman played a significant role in a saga that has left many in the non ACC disability community, especially those with very high support needs who want to live in their own homes, feeling marginalised. And abused. And totally disillusioned with 'the system'.
Such is the nature of the law and a good many in the legal profession (as we all know from the bullying and misogyny that's become public recently).
I've known a few perfectly 'nice' people that turn into complete arseholes in a court room because its all about winning. If it were me, I'd be more pissed off with MoH – though not surprised given the state of much of our public service these days.
But maybe she has turned into a complete bitch. It'd be a hell of a change over a lifetime though
Where do progressives go for comfort these days. In the USA they are almost up to two figures for shaming rape and sex between men and women if not married. Reading a book of Russian theory The Foundations of Geopolitics by Alexander Dugin there is this:
Foundations engages with obscure strains in 20th-century fascism, relying heavily, for example, on theorist Julius Evola, who advised Mussolini and the SS and promoted extreme misogyny as well as racism for use by the Russian elite. All sex for Evola is rape and a woman outside the home “a monkey.” He and Dugin both sneer that modern men—not to mention gays, lesbians, and transsexuals—are “feminized.” In the Evola-Dugin playbook, sexual and racist anxieties lie at the root of today’s Russian fascism. And with but slight qualification, one can see Rob Porter, Steve Bannon (an Evola fan), Roy Moore, and Donald Trump as decadent facsimiles.
seenothing any publisty is good publicity to some .
I say the Skypath project for cycling and walking is awesome good that the project is going to start.
M8 I'm going to pop the balloons of these new partys Tamaki don't you get the big picture you are going to help the people who have been disrespecting tangata whenua FOOL.
I brought some cheap honey it didn't even have a sweet taste. Honey is has been a medicine for thousands of years and Maori tohunga have been healing tangata for thousands of years to.
Tavita wahine is being lead around the mulberry Bush of the justice system if they were wealthy there would have been people paying for his death that's the system Whanau.
I'm not even going to comment on that fool who can't see past his own faith fool in Britain.
All I can say is I feel for the rabbit wahine in Christchurch I love my pets to maybe start a give a little page to help pay for your rabbits vacation
Tamiki is just going to help national float there toilet I have all ready give my view to not impress with him or Naro trying float his christen party to they both have egos that make them think te ra revolvers around them.
The parliament staff problems is going to get sorted as for Tau what insults did he say to Trevor for that to happen
Kia ora to Maori growing kiwifruit there are heaps of places in Te taiwhiti to grow kiwifruit it could easily be grown organically to big bucks.
It's awesome that Ngati Porou are going to get the right we want from the crown
For ower Coast and Tangaroa
The Whana of the Pike river mine will be happy it is all finally coming to past and reveal what went wrong we know that the safety standards were dropped and that could have been the cause.
The students strive is a awesome way to get Neanderthals attention the pollies around the Papatuanuku are pandering to money and not their children future money is the phenomenon that causes policy to be made that is good for the 00.1% that's a fact.
A lot of consumer don't no the consumer laws but now days thanks to social media and Google we can check the laws.
Bridget Davis I tell the mokopuna you are what you eat I think you book Bridgets Healthy Kitchen is awesome I say a healthy gute is a fact .I need to clean up my diet ma te wa
In my view the poor commen tamariki are in a much better position with the Labour lead government if national was still in power poverty will still snowballing they would have a block on the subject and no one would be talking about it.
I agree with Duncan Tamiki won't make the 5% threshold to get into Parliament remember he has had a few brain FARTs.
Eco maori champions wahine equal rights the Women of Influence award is a great way to achieve that goal of more Wahine getting into managing our Papatuanuku .
Nominations are open for the seventh annual Women of Influence awards, a celebration of change makers and inspiring women.
Sponsored by Stuff and Westpac, the awards have previously recognised politicians, philanthropists, businesswomen and artists.
Jackie Clark, of South Auckland social welfare charity The Aunties, won the supreme award last year. In 2017, former prime minister Helen Clark received the lifetime achievement award. Kate kite ano links below
Its is good that the IPCA has stated that the police chaser was at fault now that a problem has been admitted prosess can be put in place to minimize the losses of life.
Bit of drama with the ambulances people wages.
I have had a good flue it was Monday when I got it a week ago .
Those Christians political parties will take us back 100years with their neanderthal views.
Students strike is what is needed to get the common people view out there above the oil barons $$$$$$$$$$ it is there future we are stuffing NOW.
I feel for the people who are in the atrocitie weather that is happening in America at the minute the common people will suffer the most.
The Queen keeping up with technology the shopping kiosk are very good no need to talk to anyone I have a swarm of puppets following me around. Kate kite ano
I have said that the 2 new Christian political party's will drag Aotearoa back 100years.
It's awesome that Ngati Porou is finally getting our mana back to care for Tangaroa and his creation.
Its better to have a Labour lead government helping tangata whenua than a national lead government that takes from the poor and gives to the wealthy FOOL not everyone is going to be happy its quite hard for that phenomenon in Maoridom
Cool Maori art on display at the Auckland airport it gives Eco Maori a sore face to see all the interest in Maori culture and te reo now it was not like that just a few years ago.
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We went hard and we went early in our health response to COVID-19, and we did everything we could to cushion the economic impact too. In fact, we can fill every letter of the alphabet with the steps we took to fight COVID-19 and ensure we were in a position ...
Investing in our people, backing businesses, and upgrading infrastructure and housing throughout the country - it's been another week of progress for New Zealanders as we deliver our plan to recover and rebuild. ...
July was another busy month, packed with key investments aimed at progressing our economic recovery as we rebuild New Zealand. We extended support for businesses, helped create jobs through local infrastructure projects, and kept working to clean up our waterways so Kiwis can access safe clean water. Check out the ...
The Green Party is calling for the Defence Force Chiefs in place between 2010-2017 to front up and explain how dishonesty, process and policy failures within the Defence Force led to ‘a series of incorrect statements in briefings to ministers and public releases’ regarding alleged breaches of international torture prevention ...
Thanks to our strong health response, New Zealand’s economy is more open than many other countries. But as COVID continues to surge around the world, the economic consequences of the virus will continue to be a challenge, which is why we have a detailed plan to help New Zealand bounce ...
Thanks to our strong health response, New Zealand’s economy is more open than many other countries. But as COVID continues to surge around the world, the economic consequences of the virus will continue to be a challenge, which is why we have a detailed plan to help New Zealand bounce ...
The Green Party are ensuring that New Zealanders who were overseas when COVID-19 hit will not be charged for the cost of isolation or quarantine if they return home to live. ...
It's been another week of creating jobs, supporting local businesses, and investing in infrastructure up and down the country - all of which are helping to keep our economy moving post-COVID-19. ...
Law changes to end tenure review and provide for better management of Crown pastoral lands in the South Island high country were considered by Parliament today with the first reading of the Crown Pastoral Land Reform Bill says Minister for Land Information, Eugenie Sage. ...
The Green Party have secured legislative amendments in a bill expected to pass third reading this week, to ensure better rules for school teachers and staff, so they can de-escalate children with diverse needs and cognitive differences, such as autism, rather than using unnecessary and often traumatising force. ...
New Zealand needs to be more aggressive in pursuing economic opportunities and resist the short-term thinking affecting some of its major industry, Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters says.Mr Peters told Wellington Chamber of Commerce members this morning that the planned closure of the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter will have ...
Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters has ridiculed the National Party "circus", with the politician saying it was in "chaos" after the resignation of another MP.Rangitata MP Andrew Falloon announced on Monday he would retire from politics after he allegedly sent inappropriate pornographic images to a young woman. Following a ...
Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters today outlined what he saw as the requirements to re-open New Zealand's borders for tourists and travellers. If New Zealand was dealing solely with an Australian state such as Tasmania, we wouldn't need a vaccine, said Mr Peters, but these moves were complicated by the ...
New Zealand First leader Winston Peters appears to have prompted last-minute alterations to proposed legislation for commercial landlords and their tenants. Mr Peters told reporters on Wednesday said that he was making sure the proposed bill was in step with what the parties had actually agreed to. He said he ...
Associate Minister for State Owned Enterprise and New Zealand First List MP Shane Jones attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the new NZ Post "super depot" in Wellington. The state-owned postal service, which got $280 million from the Coalition Government last month, is expanding its operations to handle surging parcel volumes. ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Leader of New Zealand First CHECK AGAINST DELIVERYIntroduction Good afternoon. Welcome to you all here today and party supporters watching from around the country. We appreciate your hard work keeping New Zealand First strong; thank you for keeping the faith. Sixty-three days out from Election Day, ...
The diversity of conservation boards around Aotearoa is increasing with 47 appointments to 14 of the 15 conservation boards across New Zealand announced today by the Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage. ...
The Green Party is honoured to be remembering former co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons today at a public memorial service in the heart of Wellington at the Cathedral of St. Paul’s. Following her passing in March, this celebration of her life brings together her friends, family and colleagues to honour her life ...
Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage has announced a $2.5 million boost for South Westland to help a regional alliance of local businesses and government agencies provide nature based jobs. ...
An adjustment payment has been made to Waikato-Tainui and Ngāi Tahu under the relativity mechanisms in their 1995 and 1997 Treaty of Waitangi settlements, Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Andrew Little announced today. The latest payments to Waikato-Tainui and Ngāi Tahu are $2,700,000 and $2,600,000 respectively to ensure the ...
Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters and Transport Minister Phil Twyford today kicked off the start of the Auckland NZ Upgrade Programme rail projects which will support over 400 jobs and help unlock our biggest city. Both ministers marked the start of enabling works on the third main rail line project ...
The Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) investment of $3.78 million in Wairoa will create much needed economic stimulus and jobs, Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher Tabuteau announced today. PGF projects announced today include: $200,000 loan to Nuhaka Kiwifruit Holdings Ltd (operated by Pine Valley Orchard Ltd) to increase the productivity ...
Tenants in public and Māori housing may be benefiting from their own affordable renewable energy in future – a fund to trial renewable energy technology for public and Māori housing has today been announced by Energy and Resources Minister Megan Woods and Associate Minister for Housing (Māori Housing) Nanaia Mahuta. ...
Hokianga will receive $2.7 million to redevelop four of its wharves and upgrade its water supply, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones has announced. Far North District Council will receive $1.8 million from the Provincial Growth Fund for the work on the wharves. “The work will include the construction of ...
A $350 million Residential Development Response Fund is being established to support the residential construction sector and to minimise the economic impact from COVID-19, the Housing Minister Dr Megan Woods has announced. “The Residential Development Response Fund will help to progress stalled or at-risk developments that support our broader housing ...
As part of a broader plan to divert waste from landfill, the Government today announced $10.67 million for new infrastructure as part of the Resource Recovery Network across the Auckland region. “This key investment in Auckland’s community recycling network is part of the Government’s Infrastructure Reference Group ‘shovel ready’ projects ...
The Government is investing $45 million in the first stage of an ambitious urban development project for Tauranga that will employ up to 250 people and help the region grow, Urban Development Minister Phil Twyford announced today. Phil Twyford says the funding has been allocated out of the $3 billion ...
Getting low-emission trucks on the road is a step closer with investment in infrastructure to support hydrogen vehicles, the Energy and Resources Minister Megan Woods has announced. The Infrastructure Reference Group has provisionally approved $20 million for New Plymouth company Hiringa Energy to establish a nationwide network of hydrogen-fuelling stations. ...
A new trades training centre to upskill the local workforce will be built in the South Waikato town of Tokoroa through funding from the Government’s COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund, Education Minister Chris Hipkins and Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones have announced. The Government will contribute $10.84 million from ...
The Government has agreed to repeal part of the Oranga Tamariki Act subsequent children provisions, Minister for Children Tracey Martin announced today. “There are times when children need to go into care for their safety – the safety and care of children must always be paramount,” Minister Martin said. “But ...
A $1.5 million boost to grow primary mental health and addiction services for Pacific peoples in Auckland, Hamilton and Canterbury will lead to better outcomes for Pacific communities, Associate Health Minister Jenny Salesa says. Pasifika Futures has received funding to expand services through The Fono, Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest by ...
Twenty-two projects to boost the sustainability and climate resilience of New Zealand’s food and fibres sector have been announced today by Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor. The $18m funding will deliver practical knowledge to help farmers and growers use their land more sustainably, meet environmental targets, remain prosperous, and better understand ...
Employment Minister Willie Jackson welcomes an initiative that assists employers to get mature workers into New Zealand small businesses. The disadvantages that older people face in the workplace was highlighted in the whole of Government Employment Strategy. In order to address this, a Mature Workers Toolkit has been developed and ...
New Zealand and Australia reaffirmed today the need for the closest possible collaboration as they tackle a global environment shaped by COVID-19, Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters said. “In these challenging times, our close collaboration with Australia is more vital than ever,” said Mr Peters. Mr Peters and his Australian ...
The recovery and forensic examination of the loader driven by survivor Russell Smith means the underground team are now moving into an area of the Pike River Mine that has not been seen since the explosion, Minister Responsible for Pike River Re-entry Andrew Little said. “The fifth and last robot ...
The Government has confirmed a community-wide trial of CovidCard technology as it explores options for COVID-19 contact tracing. “Effective contact tracing is a vital part of the COVID-19 response,” Minister of Health Chris Hipkins said. “While manual processes remain the critical component for contact tracing, we know digital solutions can ...
The government is proposing changes to aquaculture legislation to improve the process for allocating and transferring aquaculture assets to iwi. Fisheries Minister Stuart Nash has introduced the Maori Commercial Aquaculture Claims Settlement Amendment Bill to Parliament. It proposes a limited new discretionary power for Te Ohu Kaimoana Trustee Limited (ToKM). ...
The Minister of Justice has today introduced the Family Court (Supporting Children in Court) Legislation Bill – the next step in the ongoing programme of work to fix the failed 2014 Family Court reforms led by then Justice Minister Judith Collins. The Bill arises from the report of the Independent ...
A new Department of Conservation (DOC) action plan tackles the impacts of climate change on New Zealand’s biodiversity and DOC managed infrastructure including tracks, huts and cultural heritage. Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage says extreme weather events around the country have really brought home our vulnerability to changing weather patterns. ...
A heavily scaled back international Antarctic season will commence this week, Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters and Research, Science and Innovation Minister Megan Woods have confirmed. “Antarctica is the only continent that is COVID-19 free,” Mr Peters said. “Throughout the global pandemic, essential operations and long-term science have continued at ...
The Government is providing up to $30 million to help fund the NZ Campus of Innovation and Sport in Upper Hutt - an investment that will create 244 jobs. “The sports hub is designed to be a world-leading shared service for a range of sports, offering the level of facilities ...
Transport Minister Phil Twyford announced today transport projects currently in construction will continue at pace due to extra Government support for transport projects to mitigate the impact of COVID-19. To keep the $16.9 billion 2018-21 National Land Transport Programme going the Government has allocated funding from the COVID Response and ...
$50 million for further rural broadband digital connectivity has been allocated from the $3 billion infrastructure fund in the COVID Response and Recovery Fund has been announced by Shane Jones, Minister for Infrastructure and Kris Faafoi, Minister for Broadcasting, Communications and Digital Media. The investment will go to boosting broadband ...
The Minister for Broadcasting, Communications and Digital Media has congratulated the Ultra-fast Broadband (UFB) programme on its major milestone of connecting more than 1 million New Zealand households and businesses to UFB. “This milestone has been 10 years in the making and demonstrates the popularity of the UFB network. “Uptake ...
Landmark legislation passed today puts New Zealand on track to saving thousands of lives and having a smokefree generation sooner rather than later, Associate Health Minister, Jenny Salesa says. The Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products (Vaping) Amendment Bill regulates vaping products and heated tobacco devices. “There has long been concern ...
A discriminatory law that has been a symbol of frustration for many people needing and providing care and support, has been scrapped by the Government. “Part 4A of the New Zealand Public Health and Disability Amendment Bill (No 2) was introduced under urgency in 2013 by a National Government,” Associate ...
Kiwi motorists are set to reap the benefits of a more competitive fuel market following the passing of the Fuel Industry Bill tonight, Energy and Resources Minister Megan Woods says. “This Act is where the rubber meets the road in terms of our response to the recommendations made in the ...
The Government has delivered on its promise to New Zealanders to modernise tenancy laws with the passing of the Residential Tenancies Amendment (RTA) Bill 2020 today, says Associate Minister of Housing (Public Housing), Kris Faafoi. “The Residential Tenancies Act 1986 was out-dated and the reforms in the RTA modernise our ...
New rules to protect and restore New Zealand’s freshwater passed into law today. Environment Minister David Parker and Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor welcomed the gazetting of the new national direction on freshwater management. “These regulations deliver on the Government’s commitment to stop further degradation, show material improvements within five years and ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has announced the appointment of Jeremy Clarke-Watson as New Zealand’s new Consul-General in Los Angeles. “New Zealand and the United States share a close and dynamic partnership, based on a long history of shared values and democratic traditions,” Mr Peters said. “Mr Clarke-Watson is a ...
Victims of family violence can end a tenancy with two days’ notice Landlords can terminate tenancies with 14 days’ notice if tenants assault them Timeframe brought forward for limiting rent increases to once every 12 months Extension of time Tenancy Tribunal can hear cases via phone/video conference Reform of New ...
Two employment schemes – one new and one expanded – going live today will help tens of thousands of people continue training on the job and support thousands more into work, the Government has announced. Apprenticeship Boost, a subsidy of up to $12,000 per annum for first year apprentices and ...
The Government is funding a significant infrastructure package at Omokoroa which will create 150 new jobs and help transform the Western Bay of Plenty peninsula, Urban Development Minister Phil Twyford announced today. Phil Twyford says the Government is investing $14 million towards the $28 million roading and water package. This ...
The Bill allowing the Government to recover some costs for managed isolation and quarantine passed its third reading today, with charges coming into force as soon as regulations are finalised. Putting regulations into force is the next step. “The COVID-19 Public Health Response Amendment Bill and its supporting regulations will ...
Today’s unemployment data shows the Government’s plan to protect jobs and cushion the blow for businesses and households against the economic impact of COVID-19 was the right decision, Finance Minister Grant Robertson says. Stats NZ said today that New Zealand’s unemployment rate in the June quarter – which includes the ...
A new role of New Zealand Reading Ambassador for children and young people is being established, Prime Minister and Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Jacinda Ardern and Minister for Internal Affairs and for Children, Tracey Martin announced today. The Reading Ambassador, announced at a Celebration of Reading event at ...
Community Law Centres will receive a funding boost to meet the increased need for free legal services due to COVID-19, Justice Minister Andrew Little said. The $3.5m funding is for the next three financial years and is additional to the almost $8 million for Community Law Centres announced in Budget ...
New Zealand has joined Canada and Chile in a new trade initiative aimed at increasing women’s participation in global trade. Trade and Export Growth Minister David Parker, together with Canada’s Minister for Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade Mary Ng, Chile’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrés Allamand, and Chile’s Vice ...
Building owners around New Zealand have benefited from the latest round of Heritage EQUIP funding with grants totalling $2,230,166. “The Heritage EQUIP grants for seismic strengthening assist private building owners to get the professional advice they need to go ahead with their projects or support them to carry out the ...
The UK car industry has run a good race in the post-Brexit lobbying stakes. But Britain’s chemical industry looks to be making a late run, if recent coverage in the Financial Times is accurate.The issue for the industry is the post-Brexit regulatory regime and how this is to be ...
Latest from the Beehive – We had just finished digesting an outpouring of announcements from the Beehive over the previous 24 hours or so when the Point of Order Trough Monitor shrieked an alert. A new trough had been established. While we were inspecting the contents of this new trough, ...
Analysis by Keith Rankin. Chart 1, Historical: Australian much lower than Spain, Belgium and Sweden. Chart by Keith Rankin. The known incidences of Covid19 in Spain, Belgium and Sweden are similar, although Sweden lagged for a while before overtaking the other two. In deaths, Sweden is slightly lower than ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University The good news in the Reserve Bank’s latest quarterly set of forecasts is that the recession won’t be as steep as it thought last time. The bad news is it ...
Analysis: National entices voters with big infrastructure projects, Judith Collins rips into Jacinda Ardern and Parliament passes a bill that could affect every tenant in the country. ...
By RNZ Pacific France’s new overseas minister Sebastien Lecornu says New Caledonia’s restrictions over the covid-19 pandemic will not affect the preparations for the October referendum on independence. Lecornu gave the assessment during a visit to New Caledonia House in Paris. Paris is expected to send dozens of officials and ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julian Meyrick, Professor of Creative Arts, Griffith University National crises, like the pandemics that can provoke them, come in stages. Each stage presents leaders with unique problems that require mental, moral and emotional agility to manage. Change is the only constant, as ...
How is New Zealand faring in during the Covid-19 pandemic? Newsroom is taking a weekly look at the latest numbers related to the virus and the impact on the economy.Excess deaths Overseas the death toll in some countries has risen sharply, with the ...
Justice campaign organisation JustSpeak has outlined a vision for a society without prisons in its 2020 election campaign ‘ Our Justice Our Future ’. The campaign was launched last night in Wellington, to a sold out audience of supporters and volunteers. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Vasso Apostolopoulos, Pro Vice-Chancellor, Research Partnerships, Victoria University During the COVID-19 pandemic we’re constantly being reminded to practise good hygiene by frequently washing our hands and regularly cleaning the spaces where we live and work. These practices aim to remove or kill ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra University of Canberra Professorial Fellow Michelle Grattan and University of Canberra Assistant Professor Caroline Fisher discuss the week in politics. This week Michelle and Caroline discuss the closure of ‘non-essential’ businesses in Melbourne under stage ...
Labour's campaign slogan "Let's Keep Moving" is hardly the most inspirational but reflects the conservative game plan - trade on the Covid response and stay on track. ...
By granting a permit to OceanaGold to mine under DOC land in the Coromandel, the government is not only threatening an endangered species, says Catherine Delahunty – it’s threatening future generations.I woke up angry. The government has given a 40-year permit to OceanaGold to mine under DOC land behind Whangamatā. ...
How come, after numerous condemnatory reports, Oranga Tamariki chief executive Grainne Moss holds on to her job? Aaron Smale wonders if those harmed by her tenure aren't a big enough voting bloc So, what happens when a government department breaks the law and breaches its own policies? Nothing, apparently. The latest ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ari Mattes, Lecturer in Communications and Media, University of Notre Dame Australia Review: The Meddler, screening at the Melbourne International Film Festival For movie scholars and enthusiasts, one of the worst things about the COVID-19 pandemic has been the shutting down of ...
The combination of solar panels, electricity storage batteries, smart household gadgets, and a boring looking black box is set to change forever how our electricity system works. But do we need subsidies? ...
The New Zealand Bar Assocation says misinformed criticism of a South Island judge’s sentencing of a sex offender has the potential for disturbing consequences for the justice system and society generally. The Bar Association’s President Kate Davenport ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Royal Commission into Aged-Care Quality and Safety delivered it’s interim report in October 2019. Titled ‘Neglect’, it provided a scathing insight into the aged care industry – finding it centred around transactions not care. ...
By Tom Peters, Socialist Equality Group More than one year after the March 15, 2019 terrorist attack, an official inquiry into the mass shooting that killed 51 people and injured 49 in two Christchurch mosques has still not released any information ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Damien Manuel, Director, Centre for Cyber Security Research & Innovation (CSRI), Deakin University Australia’s long-awaited cybersecurity strategy, released yesterday, pledges to spend A$1.67 billion over the next ten years to improve online protection for businesses, individuals and the country as a whole. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Roxana Diamond, PhD Candidate, Flinders University This article has links that contain graphic content Many industries and employees have been hurt by COVID-19. But sex workers, who face stigma and discrimination at the best of times, have been hit particularly hard by ...
By Lulu Mark in Port Moresby Port Moresby may need to expand its covid-19 isolation facilities quickly and effectively in case a big spike in cases occurs, a doctor says. Rita Flynn isolation facility manager Dr Gary Nou said it would be a disaster if the spread of covid-19 in ...
Paige Tapara is a fast-rising young singer-songwriter whose debut EP explores themes of sexuality, coming of age, mental health and relationships. We asked her how it came together, and why she thinks it’s so important for NZ music to include voices like hers.Paige swoops into the room, a cream doughnut in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cathy Foley, Chief Scientist, CSIRO Universities and other research organisations in Australia have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. In May, a group led by Australia’s Chief Scientist Alan Finkel forecasted severe impacts for our research workforce. These included the loss ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nicole Carnt, Scientia Senior Lecturer, School of Optometry and Vision Science, UNSW, Sydney, UNSW You’re rushing and accidentally drop a contact lens on the bathroom floor. Should you: a) run it under the tap and pop it in? b) spit on it ...
The Māori Party is celebrating World Indigenous Day the Māori way, surrounded by friends and whānau at a Meet-the-Candidates at the Third Place Café in Rotorua this weekend. To mark World Indigenous Day, the Māori Party wants to remind Aotearoa ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Wayland, Lecturer, University of Sydney As part of new research into missing persons in Australia, I have been asking people who return after disappearing what they needed or wanted. Mary, who has gone missing four times in the last few years, ...
Forest & Bird is calling for all political parties to back an end to mining conservation land, after a permit was issued to mine the home of a critically-endangered native animal. This week Oceana Gold was granted a 40-year mining permit from the ...
Here’s a snapshot of a single day in parliament. A day where changes were made to laws that govern everything from the milk in your refrigerator to the speed you can drive your car, and to Netflix, and war crimes, and who tests your water. It was a big day.The ...
*This article was first published on RNZ and is republished with permission* Māori leaders say they have no faith in Oranga Tamariki and the chief executive needs to go after the latest report into the organisation found it was routinely taking newborns without whānau consultation. The Chief Ombudsman's report He Take Kōhukihuki, ...
So is the government succeeding in steering the country through the Covid-19 crisis and what it calls a “one-in-100-year shock”. And just what is it costing? These are questions which will be uppermost in the minds of voters when they cast their ballots in next month’s general election. Finance Minister ...
Peddlethorp calls on other businesses that cancelled events due to Covid to donate now when need is greatest Peddlethorp Architects is calling on businesses that cancelled events due to Covid-19 to donate event catering or funding to those in need, if circumstances ...
A poem by Rhian Gallagher from her new collection Far-Flung.At the Boatshedfor Sonja MitchellWe carried the day through the door the harbour had earned its keep light laid its hands on each contourthe shed held abreast with the shore spreading the waves in pleats we carried the day through the ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man by Mary L. Trump ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alistair Sisson, Postdoctoral Research Associate, City Futures Research Centre, UNSW Social and public housing is intensely stigmatised in Australia and has been for several decades. Estates in particular are often labelled “ghettos”, framed as places of danger, drugs and vice. This stigma ...
National is promising to spend $20 million over four years on increasing testing rates and accessibility to clinical trials for gynaecological cancer if elected. ...
The National Party is criticising the government's list of "shovel-ready projects", meant to kickstart the economy, for not generating enough jobs for women. ...
Wedged between punitive commercial law and an ineffective government, a once-thriving business is dying a slow and expensive death.It was one of the most acclaimed backpackers in New Zealand.Perched at the top of the Elliot Stables building in central Auckland, it was voted by Hostelworld as the city’s most popular ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard Holden, Professor of Economics, UNSW One of the many things COVID-19 has had a dramatic impact on is the way many of us work. Those fortunate enough to be able to work from home have been able to adapt to this ...
When Covid-19 forced New Zealanders to live most of their lives online it exacerbated the effects of digital exclusion. Jean Teng spoke to the organisations that kept vulnerable communities connected during the pandemic. From job hunting and banking to watching TV and scrolling through the news, there is hardly a ...
Bernard Hickey writes this election's argument over who will repay Government debt faster is a dangerous and pointless replay of a 30-year old debate rendered obsolete by today's financial facts Often the myths and legends of the past are more powerful in the minds of politicians, bureaucrats and voters than the reality. Just the fear ...
Coromandel Watchdog of Hauraki says the Government has utterly betrayed the public by allowing MBIE to grant a 40 year mining permit to Oceana Gold on Dept of Conservation land at Wharekirauponga near Whangamata this week. " It is appalling that this ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Moffat, ARC DECRA Senior Research Fellow in Archaeological Science, Flinders University How did the first person evolve? Mabel, age 7, Anglesea, Victoria. Hi Mabel, what a great question! We know humans haven’t always been around. After all, we ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Baker, Professor of Public Health, University of Otago On Sunda Your heading here , New Zealand will mark 100 days without community transmission of COVID-19. From the first known case imported into New Zealand on February 26 to the last case ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Deanne Gannaway, Senior Lecturer in Higher Education, The University of Queensland The federal government’s proposed increase in the cost of studying humanities and communications degrees at Australian universities has stirred much debate. One aspect that should not be overlooked is that these ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alistair Sisson, Postdoctoral Research Associate, City Futures Research Centre, UNSW Social and public housing is intensely stigmatised in Australia and has been for several decades. Estates in particular are often labelled “ghettos”, framed as places of danger, drugs and vice. This stigma ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard Holden, Professor of Economics, UNSW One of the many things COVID-19 has had a dramatic impact on is the way many of us work. Those fortunate enough to be able to work from home have been able to adapt to this ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brendan Coates, Program Director, Household Finances, Grattan Institute A big part of the Morrison government’s response to COVID-19 has been allowing people early access to their superannuation. Australians who have claimed hardship have applied for A$30.7 billion to date. This has been ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert Phiddian, Professor of English, Flinders University For a long time, the answer has been yes. When Saturday Night Live, John Oliver and the satirical establishment railed at him, the president’s supporters were only strengthened in their belief there was a highbrow ...
Welcome to Election Live for August 7, bringing you the latest on election 2020 and other breaking news. For key dates in the election season click here. For all you need to know about the cannabis referendum click here. For the assisted dying referendum click here. Policy launching soon. Get in touch ...
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Preparing for a possible return of the pandemic, SFO prevents JLR document release, and stoush over National candidate selection deepens.I say possible in the headline there, because we can’t know for sure that community transmission of Covid-19 absolutely will come ...
Attention spans were low and hijinks high on Parliament's last sitting day before the September 19 election, as Sam Sachdeva writes “Welcome to the last day of school.” Chris Hipkins’ opening line at his last Covid-19 press conference before the dissolution of Parliament was remarkably fitting - not just because ...
Lockdown highlighted and exacerbated difficulties for young Māori students on the wrong side of the digital divide A lack of access to suitable digital devices, internet connectivity and quality learning resources during the eight weeks of lockdown hindered the learning of rangatahi and tamariki and negatively impacted their mental health and ...
Transport Minister Phil Twyford says he's asked NZTA to strike a deal that will reset the clock and give Transmission Gully a clear path to completion. ...
The future's looking bright for Junior Tall Fern Leah Mafua - pursuing a US college scholarship in basketball, and a business degree that's focused on the sea. Leah Mafua must feel like her ship has come in. The Junior Tall Fern is happy in her new life at Otero Junior College in Colorado, USA ...
Dr Amanda Landers uses the examples of the pandemic and assisted dying to ask: when does your autonomy start and finish? Autonomy is a double-edged sword. It is defined as the right to self-govern, to be independent in thought or deed. It is highly valued by many New Zealanders, but it ...
An aspiring National MP has used a QC threatening urgent legal action to warn off those she believes launched a dirty tricks campaign against her within the party The fight to replace Nikki Kaye as National’s Auckland Central candidate has taken another turn for the worse, with one aspirant threatening ...
Two deeply religious men are standing for Labour in South Auckland. But Justin Latif reports that their views on the abortion law reforms are very different.On a bitterly cold Friday morning, the Māngere electorate candidates’ debateheated up when the topic of abortion was raised. Following a question related to whether ...
Jacinda Ardern was called an enemy of landlords and a threat to tenants after a series of changes to New Zealand’s rental law. Justin Giovannetti contrasts the law for renters here with that of his native Canada.“Our national sport is real estate.” I’ve heard some version of that phrase over ...
New Zealand is both trusted and trusting - good and bad factors if we want to move into the high-tech cyber space and become the Seattle of the South. Auckland has won the right to host the International Privacy, Security and Trust Conference at the end of next year - so as well ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra COVID-19 has now made us two Australias. There’s Victoria – most specifically Melbourne – and then there’s the rest of the country. Melbourne’s extraordinary lockdown complete with curfew is an act of desperation by Daniel ...
Report by Dr David Robie – Café Pacific. – The Hiroshima devastation 75 years ago today. Image: ICAN By David Robie While the globe struggles to cope with the deadly onslaught of the covid-19 pandemic, communicators, historians, journalists and activists ...
Pacific Media Centre Newsdesk Indonesia’s West Papua province has again been recorded as having the worst democracy index in the republic, reports CNN Indonesia. This year (2019), the West Papuan Democracy Index (IDI) was 57.62, even dropping lower from 2018 when it was 58.29 points. Based on data from the ...
This week’s 75th anniversary of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, with 250,000 killed and many more suffering terrible effects on their health, is a sombre reminder of the appalling destruction of nuclear weapons and should spur international efforts ...
Open mike 21/05/2019 
‘Good Economics for Hard Times’ should be on your reading list. New Zealand does not have a Minister of Labour. It has Ministers of Immigration and Workplace Relations and Safety but there is no minister with responsibility for the labour market. That responsibility was abolished in 2012 when ...9 hours ago
Back in the Kyoto era, the international climate change regime included a Clean Development Mechanism to fund emissions reduction projects in developing nations. Essentially someone would certify that a project - e.g. building a windfarm, or installing energy-efficient lightbulbs - would reduce emissions over and above "business-as-usual". The project would ...15 hours ago
By Geoffrey Miller Prominent refugee advocate Murdoch Stephens says he is disappointed by Judith Collins’ reaction to Immigration New Zealand’s decision to grant refugee status to Kurdish-Iranian writer Behrouz Boochani. Judith Collins told media last month that “there’s a lot of concern in New Zealand about what they see as ...20 hours ago
Hello all. Judith here to talk about how National are going to take the election in September. The National Party prides itself its unity and cohesion. We are working together to deliver for New Zealanders. First of all, ee are a strong team. We are a very strong team. Our ...1 day ago
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A little pearl of wisdom from one of the regular contributors:
"Belief in the threat of climate change is what people think they are supposed to support, so they do, to pollsters. Belief in business as usual is what people depend on, so they vote accordingly."
Dennis Frank – Daily Review, 20th May, 2019.
He was talking about the Oz election, but the problem is universal. I'm afraid the man in the street, Joe Bloggs, will not take climate change seriously until it bites him on the bum.
But by then, I fear, it will be far too late.
That's where leadership is meant to step in, but they're too scared of corporate ire.
Shallow from being hollowed out.
Some muddy the waters to appear deep.
They're not.
"That's where leadership is meant to step in, but they're too scared of corporate ire"
Hold it right there WtB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.
There'll need to be several "pieces of work" and a number of consultative "conversations" with "officials" before anything can proceed "going forward". When those "conversations" are complete and "resonations" reached, we can probably proceed on a path of transformation and compassion
Na you’re wrong . This government has in very short time got most people excepting climate change as fact . And is progressing in the right direction . Move to fast and the push back will mean failure.
Of course if we had started in 1958 it would have been better . But today is the next best time.
"This government has in very short time got most people excepting climate change as fact "
So that's an achievement is it? I 'spose it is (in a really miniscule sort of way – even though most of them knew in the first place but were just coming to terms with the long term rather than keeping their loifsoyles taday and ta morra)
The bleeding bloody obvious springs to mind. A shame it doesn't extend to other ussues going forwid.
Megan and the sure rinse
Iain and Krus ummigrayshun and the feks of currint polsee
etc.
I'm thinking we need to have a conversation
There’s an element of truth in that but elections are not single-issue polls and a poll is just a poll.
its easy to not understand if your job depends on it.
that is what i lay at the feet of government anywhere.
i don't so much have an issue with joe and jane sixpack but i have an issue with those that have the power to chance (all of them – no matter party affiliation) but do nothing.
If a Kiwibuild house is bought by the government after not selling – will it become a state house? Good if it did.
Unsold kiwibuild houses bought by government
I see the purchase price of 'bought-back' kiwibuild houses is not disclosed as 'commercially sensitive'. This is total bollocks – it is public money. What happens when you are locked to the religion of having a private business taking a cut of all things delivered by the state.
@ UncookedSelachimorpha +1 "What happens when you are locked to the religion of having a private business taking a cut of all things delivered by the state."
That religion is called free market liberalism, which just sunk the Australian Labour party and was the reason NZ Labour only scrapped in by the skin of it's teeth after three terms of disgusting and destructive National leadership.
Turn Labour Left!
This is part of a critique by Chris Trotter on the Oz Labour win that wasn't. (BEOT Big End of Town)
Simple enough, one might have thought, but one would have been reckoning without the extraordinary tone-deafness of the post-Hawke/Keating Labor Party. Instead of interpreting the poll data as evidence that, if they played their cards right, a win might just be possible, Shorten et al regarded it as proof that, since a loss was impossible, they could play their cards any damn way they pleased.
“We’ll never get a better chance to do all the things we’ve been promising ourselves for the past decade than this”, Labor told itself. “So, come on Comrades, this time we can quite safely bet the whole farm!” Which is pretty much what they did: promising to raise taxes and increase spending like it was going out of style. (Which, of course, it has been for the best part of three decades.)
Not only did they ignore the fact that the BEOT has untold billions invested in the farm, but they also thought it would be good politics to construct their campaign narrative around the idea of putting the inhabitants of the BEOT in their place. Unsurprisingly, the BEOT had a better idea.
https://www.interest.co.nz/opinion/99754/chris-trotter-says-bill-shorten-will-go-down-australian-political-history-labor-leader
I don't agree with Trotters analysis or his 'three objectives to winning an election..
"Winning a general election requires a political party to achieve three critical objectives: 1) Convince the voters that, economically-speaking, your team has got the right solutions. 2) Convince the voters that your opponents haven’t got a clue what the right answers even look like. 3) Convince the voters that, unless they do something to stop them, your opponents have a better-than-even chance of winning the election. In just three words: Reassure. Undermine. Terrify."
I will offer my opinion on winning elections a bit later, but must get off and do some work now.
Right AT add your thoughts later and I'll look foir that. You might like to see on the Billionaire post #13 from Dennis F. and Red Logix.
Heuristic: if someone that hasn't learnt anything new in the past 5 years tells you that something new sucks, then their opinion isn't worth dog shit.
Too many woke people get credit for losing years ago.
Bloody hell Sam! How I wish you and others would quit using the word 'woke' in any other way than as the past participle of the verb 'to wake'.
What you are trying to show is that 1) you are hip 2) you are up with the terminology 3) you understand neocon rubbish words, and that they are useful, and that they add something to our vocabulary.
Sorry to disabuse you, but they are unintelligible rubbish, akin to those who use them.
Heh.
Appropriating African-American vernacular to ridicule others is a chan kiddie thing.
https://thetylt.com/culture/do-white-people-need-to-stop
Fuck you joe90
[Cut the personal shit or find a sandpit to play in – Incognito]
And hello to you, bby boi.
[Cut the personal shit or find a sandpit to play in – Incognito]
take your greeting and shove it up your arse.
See my Moderation note @ 12:53 PM.
Edit: Mod notes above.
See my Moderation note @ 12:58 PM.
I think Chris Trotter paints himself into unfortunate corners sometimes.
You absolutely have to rein in the BEOT if you want a society that works OK for everyone. But if you can't defeat the BEOT electorally, because they can outspend and out-message you, plus you face a populace where the psychological hegemony of neoliberal ideas runs very deep after 40 years of propaganda – what then? Despair?
It is much easier to gloomily describe this predicament than suggest ways of painting out of the corner. (I plead guilty on this one too.)
the prices the govt paid should be disclosed as LINZ captures all sales data. All realestate agents have access how else would they be able to have data on local sales .
Good point! You wouldn't normally be able to get around LINZ / valuation records.
Yes I wondered about that. Why not keep it as a state house and put in tenants who would appreciate it and look after it and be part of a community that was probably working and functional. Good house, good possibilities for lifting oneself out of the doldrums. Go for it Twyford, but choose your tenants right.
Don't hold your breath waiting for a reporter to ask for an explanation of the commercial sensitivity.
Gabby Yes. I think that we hear understand a lot of the sensitivities though.
The bullying in parliament report comes out today. Hang on to your hats, I predict this will be damning for both the major parties. Very pleased it's happening, it's long overdue, thanks to Trev and the government for initiating it.
Thanks for bringing it up Cinny. I think it is going to be a shock to most people just how toxic the place is.
I would love to see a commission of inquiry into bullying in the Public Service generally and that it include retrospective cases. That would enable me to come forward and tell my story. It is something I've wanted – indeed needed – to do for a very long time but have been unable to due to the lack of a safe and secure environment.
Hugs Anne. I so understand what you are saying. May the day come, when you will feel safe and secure enough to share your story. Much love to you.
Thank-you Cinny. You are a lovely person.
Will we ever see the names of the MPs etc accused of bulling?
The full Report is available here…
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/389696/serious-bullying-rife-at-parliament-report
A seriously Grim Read which flatters our Halls of Power not at all.
Shame.
“Just because it’s politics and people are passionate doesn’t mean any of us can behave like arseholes around this place. It’s a privilege to serve here, and the people who put us here expect us to lead and want to respect us as leaders.”
Thanks for the link Rosemary, it can be a rather vile environment for some who work there. It's the self entitlement of some MP's that's the worst.
Apparently parliament is a toxic environment awash in bullying, harassment, entitled behaviour, verbal abuse and positively teeming with massive, unrestrained egos.
Well I never!
Also, the Press Gallery behave in 'unacceptable' ways.
Stuff has 4 – FOUR articles on Game of Thrones ending this morning, as if it was important. It's good TV, but important? As part of a picture it is.
Bread and Circuses aka violence conditioning for the masses. Producers/writers seem to delight in trying to outshine each other in their propensity to dream up horrors.
"a way to kill compassion to ensure the brutalization of Roman civilians and thus their compliance (or at least their complacency) vis-à-vis Imperial expansion and domestic policing"
Have we learned to not give a fuck yet? Are we entertained by all these stabbings?
There'll be awards, red carpet, gushing interviews, tears…
Game of what? Never ‘eard of it.
You ask whether "Have we learned to not give a fuck yet? Are we entertained by all these stabbings".
From the fact that the series appears to have been very popular I suppose the answer to the questions has to be yes. If nobody watched it they certainly wouldn't have bothered spending a fortune on making it. One must simply suggest that everyone who watched it was in fact entertained.
So says he who, immodestly, says that he had never heard of the series until recently and has never seen a single episode. The most I have seen was snippets in the news in the last few days.
So, if you don't approve of what they are showing the only thing to do is don't watch it. It is like the people who claim that "I never vote. It just encourages the bastards". If you watch the program, and the ads, you are just encouraging the people who make it to go even further next time.
Re the Crusaders…. who would think that a bunch of drunk rugby heads playing away from home would hassle and abuse gay people?
Far out, how they are playing it down is shocking, that kind of behaviour by rugbyheads has been going on since year dot.
Abuse and booze, that's NZ rugby culture, tell me I'm wrong.
What political statement will the Crusaders make next? First they offend religion, now sexuality. Not bad for a non-political group who just play a game.
Do you have proof it happened.?
Hi wags, on RNZ this morn a local woman claimed a player spat beer at her and pinched her bum.
She 'found pig's it was Richie Mounga, 'social mediad' him with her allegations. His response was part apology, part denial. Didn't sound good.
let's ban booze, its a gate way to shitty manners and violence.
Plenty of people can drink without getting abusive. Better to ban thugby.
sorry i forgot the sarcasm tag
/s
Booze and abuse is ingrained in many codes fans. Scottish football is back to it's bad old ways because it never left.
Society's ugly side comes out after a few beersies
Sounds like you've already decided they are guilty then. There is two sides to every story you know.
One story is coherent and detailed, the other is evasive and defensive.
Usually a good indication, that…
Sure there is always at least two sides to every story, and often one involves lies to protect reputations, especially when it comes to the national sport.
How many of us here have seen drunk rugby players act like arseholes? Heaps I'd say.
Update, there is to be an investigation….
https://i.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/super-rugby/112870592/crusaders-coach-scott-robertson-says-trios-alleged-homophobic-slurs-were-misconstrued
Will be interesting to see what the security footage shows but it sounds bad.
George Bridge named as one of the players
struggling with their sexualityinvolved in alleged homophobic incident.https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=12232758
Listening to the interviews this morning I believe the other fellows who complained and not the Crusaders denial and great innocence. It's a reflection I think of the brutal way that things get splattered on Facebook, the no-respect for others, the arrogant 'I'll do it my way, you lowlife (applies to whoever is chosen for disdain). This type of abuse has been going on for years and so many sportspeople give themselves an edge by harassing others in opposing teams, or the public. That's our society these days folks, authority is prepared to allow shit to happen to others, bystanders even, as externalities to the really important goal, whatever that is.
no presumption of innocence at cinny? ESP as independent witnesses have backed their side of events ?
If it wasn't already obvious to everybody in the world, the US have completely lost any interest in disguising the fact that they are prepared to attack or bully any country that stands in the way of their hegemony out in the open.
Their hostile and dangerous actions against Venezuela and Iran.
Their attack on Huawei.
The US war on whistle blowers and persecution of Assange.
The US compliance and support of apartheid in Gaza, the West Bank and Israel.
Their compliance and support of the humanitarian tragedy in Yemen.
The US arming and legitimizing the despotic terrorist state of Saudi Arabia.
The list could go on, and on.
Lets just hope that Bernie Sanders gets the nomination, takes out Trump in the rust belt, and restores at lest a semblance of sanity to US foreign policy.
By attack I guess you mean the unprecedented announcement by the US that Huawei will no longer be able to access Google's operating system and apps?
https://www.news.com.au/technology/gadgets/mobile-phones/huawei-apps-banned-china-hits-back-at-google-united-states/news-story/cfb7fa8cf0a164e28799eb236457a505
“Panicked Huawei owners are already selling their smartphones amid fears they’ll stop working properly, a top trade-in site has warned.
MusicMagpie — which lets you swap your old phones for cash — says it’s seen a huge spike in the number of people selling their Huawei smartphones.”
I think most people would consider the US governments relentless actions against Huawei over the last while including today's announcement, only in order to protect US private corporate interests as an attack, so in a word yes.
This was in stuff
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/world/112868643/google-says-google-play-and-other-services-will-still-work-on-huawei-phones
I see there is another teens fleeing from police crash in Te Atatu on the Stuff web site this morning. When are these idiots going to learn when police signal you to stop…..you stop! At least they only injured themselves so that's all good. they will be off the roads for a while which makes it safer for everyone.
You never did anything stupid as a youth?
You enjoy seeing people injured… nice one.
I never did something stupid that got me killed weewee. You only get to do that once.
I came close once or twice.
Many (maybe even most) teens do. Pushing too hard, failing to do risk assessment, not seeing warning signs, getting carried away, not realising how drunk they are…
Google told me there was an OIA request on police chase statistics last year: seems that a little over half of pursuits are abandoned (probably includes "called off for safety" as well as "lost 'em"). So some of these kids' peer group probably have escaped pursuit before.
All fun and games until someone gets hurt. But if there's nothing else to do, or no real hope for advancement, teens gonna do stupid shit.
I once went 100kph through a massive puddle in a Honda City.
That didn't end well.
Must have taken you a couple of days to get up to that speed lol
Heh. Yeah. And a couple of seconds to stop.
Always wear your seatbelt, kids. And don't drive your Dad's Honda City through puddles at excessive speed. It's a terrible idea.
Went flying off a 50cc a couple of years back. Straight over the handle bars, instinctive forward roll, worst problem was a tear in my pants from where I hit the key in the ignition with my thigh. God bless lower speeds.
Rear end panel damage to the car cost more than my scooter did new (which had a jiggle at the garage but was otherwise fine).
That was me worrying about what guy on the left was going to do, to the detriment of forward observation. #imadickhead
So you think that stealing cars, driving dangerously and endangering the public is all ok and just a bit of youthful silliness? These idiots put innocent people on the roads in danger.
Yes I did some stupid things as a teen but I never once stole a car, and never once ran from police.
Jimmy you good little lord fauntleroy, you sound a bit preachy there. You are probably too old and was always in the wrong class to appreciate the great attraction of stealing cars and joy riding. If you can be so proud of not having stolen a car, what is it that you did when you were being naughty? You seem to take pride in not having had to run from police in a stolen car. So what did you do?
The joyriders might be from a background that would understand and enjoy 'Boy'. Have a look at the trailer, and I bet it will show a different way of looking at the dynamics of life Jimmy than you have experienced.
So you still don't give a shit that kids actually got injured, but there was a chance that you could have been. Oh the humanity!
Keep up the middle class moral outrage, one day you might come down from the ivory tower and figure out why Remuera kids aren't doing this stuff or tagging from dusk till dawn.
No I don't give a shit that these kids got injured. They made the choice and got injured due to their own actions. However, I am greatly concerned (and give a shit) that while they are on the road hooning around they are putting my kids and other innocent people in danger.
How would you feel if they drove in to your wife / daughter /son trying to evade the police?
How would you feel if they were your kids?
I'd feel like I seriously screwed up my responsibilities as a parent.
There's plenty of ways to have loads of fun scaring yourself shitless with speed, heights, freefalls, explosions etc that don't involve putting strangers at risk. Anything to do with public roads and vehicles are particularly important to take responsibly and seriously, not something to get your jollies with. Because the consequences to strangers can be so severe.
That's the attitude I think I've successfully just given my eldest (easy, he's that way inclined anyway) and I'm about to start trying to get my twins to take on board (hmm, gonna be more of a challenge, they're somewhat more neurotypical teenage boys).
I was more on Jimmy's idea that we needed to imagine a personal relationship to give a damn.
To me, hooning is one of those things where the negligence is there, but they're still kids. Kids make mistakes.
Contrast that with a court news thing I saw a while back where the hoon was basically in his late thirties – donuts, excess speed, failing to stop, ISTR it was the full trifecta. That dude, I'm totally with the "lock him up" crowd. Teens, even early twenties? I'm more ambivalent.
You mean my kids driving and running from police? I would be seriously disappointed with my parenting skills, and seriously disappointed with them. I hate to think what my old man would have done to me if I had ever not stopped for police when told to.
I don't know the statistics, but I am seriously wondering if there would be less of these terrible instances if it was advertised that the police will chase you as these young people with the nothing to lose mentality are simply putting their foot down knowing police will pull out of the chase.
You'd also be sad they got injured, no? Don't forget that bit.
Here are the stats. The trouble with your plan is that sometimes the offenders get away – lose the cops in back roads, get enough distance to bail, whatever. You just change the rules into more of an "all or nothing" situation. Same with stiffer penalties – that just increases the panic from an initial poor reaction.
The psychology and practicality of vehicle pursuits for both offender and police officer is interesting – did some reading on it about ten years ago. ISTR that if aerial unit was involved it basically doubled the chances of a successful stop. But then of course that gets limited by finance and controlled air spaces.
Maybe I'm too old to think like them, but if I knew the police would relentlessly pursue me I would be less likely to run as even if I initially got away they would eventually catch up to me. At the moment they know they have probably a 50% chance? of getting away and unfortunately they take the chance often with tragic results.
The 50% includes legitimate escapes and bails.
And it's not a cost-benefit analysis. Kids get carried away.
As the mother of three, and the child of a veritable gaggle of parents and step parents…let me assure you that children can be very very disappointing. It doesn't necessarily make them bad people, and sometimes they grow up to be even better than you, as a parent, deserve.
You clearly lack the imagination to understand that the whole point of the chase, the adrenaline rush, is from being chased..being caught is no more of a factor in the decision to flee, than the idea the cops will stop chasing. In fact its probably slightly disappointing when the cops do pull back. The whole point is these kids are not thinking, they are simply reacting to stimuli.
If the adrenaline rush is what they are after, then I have even less sympathy for them when they "roll the dice" and lose. They put countless innocent people at risk simply for a "high" ….very selfish.
I do feel sorry for the police as they are often in a no win situation.
If that did happen I'd probably feel a lot better about it knowing a sane policy was in place that didn't involve risky police chases and naughty teens that endangered more lives.
When they are 'young,dumb and full of cum', combined with whatever the fuck else has shaped their usually totally dysfunctional and violent lives, I don't think these young guys are really in a psychological space of mind to 'learn when police signal you to stop…..you stop!'
The problems for most of these 'idiots' are far more systemic and complicated than that, that much I do know, how to fix it, that question is probably well above my pay level.
For an informative view on how a good place turns shitty and youth go to the pack watch all series of The Wire.
It starts in the street but moves on to the working class supplying the street and then a larger focus with the dodgy dealing political and business class all in on their various games.
It is startlingly profound in retrospect.
It touched briefly upon further meddling from on high. Were the focus to enlarge further there'd be the 'philanthropic' (the PR face of the billionaire class) types behind the scenes encouraging class warfare via deals to influence money-centric law.
Just thinking this morning about how money is just a set of formalised, legalised promises. We talk about it as if it is real and substantial, Donald Duck's Grandpa had gold coins in a pile that he used to jump into. But gold is just a token within the money system that is carefully managed as to its daily value for buying some real thing – hamburgers have been used as a standard for instance.
If we thought in our minds when we say money, that we are talking of fairydust we would be closer to understanding the real thing we speak of. And economists have worked out how fairydust is transferred and added value to and relates to real, physical things and real work either physical or mental.
And a Kiwi economist has made it big in his field and is speaking on Radionz about why we don't have to worry about robots and their effect on our degraded society. Get ready for some beautifully delivered fairydust tales for the political nursery school.
10:05 Kinley Salmon : Debunking the "robocalypse"
With all the talk of artificial intelligence and machine learning – does the technological revolution really mean that robots are knocking on the door to take many of our jobs? New Zealand economist Kinley Salmon says there is so much hype, it's hard to think straight. In his new book Jobs, Robots and Us, he argues that more people than ever are in work in New Zealand, technology isn't something that just happens to us, and that the future of work is in our own hands.
Audio later
Audio: Link supplied by a human!
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/2018695990/kinley-salmon-debunking-the-robocalypse
We The Beeple
The Wire was set in the time when crack cocaine was flooding the ghettoes of the US courtesy of Reagan;s covert war against the Sandinista govt in Nicaragua.
Gary Webb broke the story, only to be shunned by his fellow journalists (remind you of anyone?)vilified and discredited .Later he was vindicated, too late to save his life . He committed suicide..if shooting yourself twice in the head is a thing.
https://nsarchive2.gwu.edu//NSAEBB/NSAEBB2/index.html
During the first series the FBI guy talks about how things have changed since the towers fell and heroin being sold on the street is branded WMD and Bin Laden. So it's probably set around 2003.
It's pretty much contemporary with the time of filming. It's not a period piece.
Great characters. Really sophisticated plots. Amazing lines and scenes (my personal favourite was the scene examination conducted purely with the word "fuck"). And Idris.
Ford has announced it will lay off 7,000 workers worldwide. Pretty shocking. That's a small town out of work.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12232788
I imagine that a lot of the people who read and comment on this site will applaud. Ford, after all, make those evil cars and trucks that are, at least in Greenies view, destroying the world. Get them all off the road. Let people go back to the 19th century and take a train or walk
At least I imagine what our resident idiot MP Genter would say. The only cars that should be allowed on the streets of Wellington will be her beloved Beemer Limo's.
Sometimes infantile hyperbole doesn't work.
Agree, AB. Alwyn usually tries to seem literate and intelligent, but that one was just plain silly.
"We are stting in a leaky boat without an oar"
Why? – as Jacinda's policy to tackle climate change has evaporated sady for her generation and her offspring's..
So arresting journalists and handing down prison terms is the new norm. Thanks censorship crowd.
https://www.thecanary.co/feature/2019/05/15/today-a-nato-country-sentenced-this-woman-to-nearly-two-years-in-jail-for-journalism/
There's nothing new about Turkey imprisoning journalists.
https://cpj.org/imprisoned/2016.php
*slow hand clap*
Way to miss the point joe90…
WTF was your point?
Ring the bells! Sound the trumpets!
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12232792
The Government will provide almost $40 million in funding for ambulance services in a bid to relieve the pressure some of the providers are under.
But speaking to media this morning, Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters gave a strong hint the Government was planning to fully fund St John in the near future.
"I very confident that we can look forward to a day, and not very far from now, where 95 per cent of the needs of St Johns is funded from central Government."
Although he was confident, he said he was not speaking for "the whole Cabinet, at this point in time".
Having taken a ride in a ambulance a few weeks ago and chatting with the paramedic (over the awful clattering of the vehicle as it negotiated the bends of our sealed but twisty rural roads) I am very, very happy about this.
I'll be positively orgasmic if Cabinet agrees to fund at least 95% of the service…Winston might be forgiven a few of his sins if he can pull this off.
Well done.
Sounds great Rosemary.
As long as it doesn't end in further cuts to rural services greysie.
No that would be bad Gabby. Is the idea that the funding will be made available from reducing services elsewhere? Rural people need more, not less for sure.
The idea would be that once central government controls the finances it'll decide where it gets the biggest bang for its buck.
I see why the Winston First Party survives. People like Rosemary, after 40 years of disappointment, still believe Winston's lies.
Actually it would be very easy to provide the full cost of running the New Zealand Ambulance services. All that is needed is to stop the taxpayer funding Winston's hobby of horse-racing. In order to keep the finances of the NZF party healthy, and to keep Winnie happy with his part ownership of racehorses, the taxpayer is throwing ever more money at all weather tracks.
Originally it was just one track in the Waikato, probably at Cambridge. Now he has wound the ante up to 3 tracks, at Cambridge, at Awapuni and in the South Island. The largesse will come out of the Peters/Jones $3 billion slush fund. If we spent the money, which is probably up to $40 million for horses by this time, we could pay the full cost of ambulance services immediately.
Let's do it.
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/sport/other/ardern-says-new-10m-all-weather-horse-racing-track-protect-significant-losses
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=12091937
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=12231683
Hmmm …
Now: " it would be very easy to provide the full cost of running the New Zealand Ambulance services."
Then:
"PM Bill English told The AM Show on Monday ambulance operators are "not asking for full funding, we're not promising full funding … The proportion of funding is fairly high, and as I understand it has been steady over the years. When you visit the ambulance services they have got pretty good gear these days. Their staff are very well-trained."
(May 2017)
It's amazing how many "easy" things National never got around to doing, isn't it?
Full funding is a pretty cheap promise and relatively easy to do. All that is true.
Bill English was right. The Ambulance service in NZ is pretty good. Modern equipment and well staffed with people who are expert at their job. In recent years all the St Johns equipment has gone through a huge level of upgrade.
The main reason why St Johns has not wanted full funding has been to preserve their independence. Total full funding makes that difficult. Even a small amount of donations (relative to the total cost) has helped preserve their independence.
It will be interesting to see if St Johns will be able to continue to be independent as they have historically been.
The Ambulance service in NZ is pretty good
thanks heavesn for fundraising, volunteer work – aka unpaid work, bake sales and that stuff so that government actually ahs got nothing else to do but pay your wages and perks right?
and i for one am sure you will want that ambulance service the day you keel over and need one. would be too bad if they showed up in a vehicle from the fifties.
I used to work for the AA before i opened my business, the pretty good gear breaks down regularly cause it is not pretty good, just extremely well maintained by the unpaid staff, you arrogant do nothing know nothing.
People don't have as much free time to donate to St John these days it takes more to make ends meet for everyone. We get a professional service we should pay for it.
I recall my old man was attending the rugby every few weekends in season as a St John representative, he never got a dime but it was a windfall for us kids when we went: all the recycle soft drink bottles. Two cents each, two cents was money!
Dad was never into rugby, but as a local St John guy he fulfilled his obligations. On top of helping loads of players he saved a few people after bad accidents in our village too.
He never once appreciated that government took their service for granted, and it's been an awful long time.
From my understanding, if there are St Johns attending Saturday sport – St Johns are being paid by the sporting organisation.
Sacred Heart (Auckland)has St Johns attending Saturday winter sport. The St Johns staff were called on the day 2 boys being knocked out and a broken bone and that was only the 9:00 games !!! – To cover the costs there is a coffee/Hot Chocolate stand and the old boys cover any shortfalls, great idea by the school, and I would recommend any to seek & support the coffee service.
Thanks Herodotus. Back in the day the club might of donated to St Johns, but the actual officer didn't get paid. A free feed occasionally, but not expected. The public however were very supportive of Dad, their gratitude was obvious.
It was even noted by some parents when he was at Te Aroha baths that they felt safer having their kids swim with him present. Then we nearly lost my brother in the same place – translucent water hid him at the bottom Dad's foot hit something and he hauled him out already unconscious.
It must be hard being held in esteem, only to be human.
What was their reasoning for wanting to be 'independent'?
People like Rosemary, after 40 years of disappointment, still believe Winston's lies.
I do?
What lies is Winston telling that you are assuming I believe?
Peters does nothing without a political motive and most of the time it is his privileged mates and supporters who benefit.
This time, if his machinations pay off, we all benefit.
Potentially.
Good stuff. The ambulance service should be a 100% public funded service, just like police etc. This 'charity' model is bullshit that only exists to allow the wealthy to avoid paying their share.
Mining our vanished past for fertiliser. Isn't that a great analogy of what is happening to us every day.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/2018695982/mining-company-we-have-good-motives-here
A fossil Galaxias fish from Foulden Maar. Photo credit Jon Lindqvist.
Fossil leaves from Foulden Maar. Photo credit Jennifer Bannister.
A fossil leaf from Foulden Maar. Photo credit Tammo Reichgelt.
A short section of core from the Foulden Maar deposit, showing annual layers (alternating yellowish and dark layers) along with underwater landslide events (thicker dark layers). Photo credit Bethany Fox.
100x magnification of a 23-million-year-old leaf cuticle (Litsea calicarioides) from Foulden Maar, showing stomata (white) and epidermal cells (purple). Photo credit Tammo Reichgelt.
A fossil flower (Fouldenia staminosa) from Foulden Maar. Photo credit Jennifer Bannister.
Getz Ice Shelf on the Antarctic coast Credit: NASA/Dick Ewers
The overseas mining company seeking to expand its operation next to a fossil rich geological site of international significance in Otago, says it has good motives, and is surprised by the negative reaction. Plaman Resources is 50.9% owned by the Mayasian business Iris Corp, and 49% owned by two Australian businessmen. It has a permit to mine diatomite in Middlemarch at Foulden Maar – a 23-million-year-old crater lake at Middlemarch – and is seeking permission to buy the neighbouring property to expand the mine. The diatomite is brand named "Black Pearl" and sold as stock feed. The plan has run into strong opposition from some locals, concerned scientists and former Prime Minister Helen Clark. Kathryn talks with co-founder and CEO of Plaman Resources, Peter Plakadis.
Thanks Grey – good analogy, and nice photos.
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/2019/05/17/588070/fossil-dirt-nutrition-claims-under-doubt
On later on Radionz. Rod Oram first about tourism goals, which may be related to the next one on m/billionaires coming here for boltholes!
11:30 New Zealand's billionaire doomsday preppers
A new VICE documentary attempts to track down the overseas billionaires building boltholes in New Zealand. "Hunt for the Bunker People" follows freelance journalist Baz Mcdonald as he investigates why the super rich are looking to buy land in Queenstown as "apocalypse insurance."
As Baz comes to terms with the causes of this paranoia, he considers the implication for Queenstown's shrinking middle class. He joins Kathryn to speak about the documentary and what he plans to do next with his investigation.
Hunt for the Bunker People screens on VICE will be on SKY On Demand and SKY GO until May 23rd.
Insurance love it or hate it – need it.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/2018695812/earthquake-damage-insurance-dr-megan-woods
Does earthquake insurance need a fundamental rethink as private insurers trim their books and EQC gets out of contents insurance?
Kathryn Ryan speaks with the minister responsible for the Earthquake Commission, Dr Megan Woods.
Changes to the Earthquake Commission Act come into affect on July 1st.
They include an increase in the cap on EQC residential building cover from $100,000 to 150,000, a withdrawal of contents cover, and more transparency if earthquake claims have been made on a house in the past.
The Lord of the Great Grift is one step closer to getting exposed. A federal judge has ruled his accountants have to turn over his paperwork to Congress.
https://edition.cnn.com/2019/05/20/politics/mazars-trump-records/index.html
Best not reveal anything that might undermine the narrative.
Two left wing NGOs, Yesh Din and Emek Shaveh, filed a petition under the Freedom of Information Act to reveal the identities of archaeological sites and archaeologists working in the West Bank. According to Emek Shaveh, the High Court ruled to conceal the identities of the locations and archaeologists.
https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/High-Court-rules-archaeologists-identities-and-digs-in-West-Bank-remain-undisclosed-590167
Supreme Court rejects NGOs petition, arguing that publishing information publicly could expose archaeologists to academic boycott and undermine Israel’s position in future diplomatic negotiations.
https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/.premium-west-bank-archaeological-digs-must-not-be-made-public-israel-s-top-court-rules-1.7255369
Here’s the result of David Seymour’s incitement of violence toward Golriz Ghahraman the other day.
Now she has to have a police escort to protect her from violent white supremacist RWNJs. This clearly proves it is far right creeps like David Seymour who are undermining the decency and safety of New Zealand society.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2019/05/golriz-ghahraman-gets-police-security-escort-following-seymour-menace-comments.html
Happy now, David?
Rubbish. That's got zip nothing to do with counter terrorism operations. Fuck all to do with it, except to demonstrate how woke you are.
Aww. Did joe90 get under your skin, sweetheart?
Your concern for Golriz lasted as long as your woke delusions.
You're angry. Go for a walk to clear your head.
My emotions have zip fuck all to do with your knowledge and skills of counter terrorism.
Please don’t go down this path, you two.
Being a good moderator you'll be able to see that Sam needs a break.
as the woke nutter whispers sweet nothings into people's ears.
Hmmm, holidays for singles are becoming more popular it seems …
I’m a lousy moderator but I do like gifting holidays for couples …
Don't drag me into it. You'll notice I've not responded to Sam after your suggestion. Sam? Not so much.
Why should I respect you, Incognito or anyone else's?
Don’t respect me but please (!) respect my requests (plural) to cut out the personal shit. Pointless personal shit is just that. You’ve already taken too much of my time.
Appreciated.
what the fuck are you on about. This is like the 100th time you've threatened to ban me. Fuck me. You give a dork a little bit of power and it goes straight to there head.
I quite happily let you ban yourself, if you like. You think you can handle the power, Sam? The only question might be: for how long?
* their
i genuinely snorted my drink when I read that – very funny.
Look at the people around you, incognito. Some times it's best to just focus on the people who give a dam.
so asides from anything the woke Australian Green Party leader decided he'd lead a caravan up the Australian coast signalling the virtues of thrift and cleanliness. Net result was 4% swing to the liberals and then in NZ, more woke nutters.
Who's wokey cuckysambam?
[Given my earlier requests here on OM to cut out the pointless personal shit, this looks like a deliberate provocation of Sam who seems unable to control himself when provoked and you know it – Incognito]
fuck off time waster
See my Moderation note @ 5:17 PM.
I thought that you had received a ban Sam. Your abusive comments deserve abusive description – they are shit. And your abuse isn't even high-class stuff. You are lowering the tone of this blog and you haven't said anything of value except your own lame opinions. We have plenty of those ourselves, in our own rubbish bins, and yours belong in yours.
Depends if you desire to be a super moderator or a super debater because when it's moderated it's actually not debating, wonder if this place is still for robust debate anymore. Where I come from debates can turn into fist fights. Besides that I was under the impression that I had received a permanent ban at one point for breaking some code of behaviour or something rather than the content of what I was saying ie moderated for ideological reasons rather than causing harm to some ones fragile frame of mind.
I don’t want to ban Sam or anybody else for that matter. I would like him (and others) to cut out the pointless personal shit and get on with robust debate. All it takes is a small change in online behaviour that will have large positive effects on the tone on/of this site.
Charming.
(google translation)
Stockholm’s general shelters are in poor condition.
In the event of a crisis or war, they could not be used, according to the real estate office.
And there is no money to fix them.
Stockholm city is responsible for 22 active shelters. But none of them meet the requirements – and they cannot fulfill their function as shelters in the event of a crisis or war, Mitt i [local free ‘zine] can now reveal.
The protective shelters are used today as, for example, garages. But the city is obliged to be able put them in service within 48 hours, which is currently not possible. It appears from the real estate office’s budget for the years 2020-2022.
What would happen if there was a crisis or war?
– We can’t handle the 48 hour limit. It is a question of how to plan, says Thomas Schillén, property manager at the real estate office.
In order to be able to use the protective shelters, good ventilation, shock wave doors and toilets are required. It would take many millions to be able to fix them, money missing from the budget.
– We have got a tightening of the new majority and have not received any new funds. We are tightening our staff and have other projects that take a lot of money, “says Thomas Schillén
https://mitti.se/nyheter/skyddsrum-oanvandbara-renovering/?omrade=hela-stockholm
Aww..
#milkshake
300 million quid a week, one milkshake at a time.
milkshakes – the new rotten eggs and tomatoes.
The government announced yesterday the appointment of five new Deputy Chairpersons to the Human Rights Review Tribunal. Legislation has been tweaked to allow these Deputy Chairperson to make and write up decisions.
" This Government has acknowledged the unacceptable backlog of cases before the Human Rights Review Tribunal that developed under the previous National Government and we have taken action by establishing the Deputy Chairperson positions to help reduce the growing backlog,” says Aupito William Sio. "
https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/new-support-human-rights-review-tribunal
Unfortunately, one of these Deputy Chairpersons has proven herself to be less than impartial and has, over the decade she spent fighting against disabled people and their chosen family carers, chosen to engage in tactics that in my opinion bring the profession of lawyer in (further) disrepute.
I have sat an listened to her deliberately misinform and misrepresent our situation and on more than one occasion has actually made statements that in any other venue would be considered lying.
Martha Coleman markets herself as being a 'human rights specialist'.. and yes she has had much experience in arguing against claims brought under NZBORA and the HRA.
In the case of family carers being paid to provide the disability supports an eligible person has been assessed as needing her tactics failed (in numerous venues) as the lawyers from the Office of Human Rights Proceedings won the case by simply telling the truth and presenting the facts to the Tribunal and the Courts.
Reality will occasionally prevail.
One aspect of Coleman's career that has always intrigued me is the fact that while she was being paid by Crown Law to prepare the case against family carers she was also a member of the National Advisory Council for the Employment Of Women who stated in their March 2008 report…
NACEW supports a framework for family caring that is based on the following principles: •that the unique contribution of family carers is the provision of emotional and associative care and this needs to be recognised and valued as a priority •that formal care packages are comprehensive responses to the intensity of a client’s needs, and do not make assumptions about the family supports available •that a client and their family members can opt for greater family involvement in care arrangements and negotiate the basis of their involvement within the care package provided •that individual family members who are contracted into explicit service roles have similar protections and rights as other workers.
Yes, I get that lawyers have to be able to argue both sides of an issue convincingly…that's probably why so many end up in politics…but to have read the above, and listened to Coleman enthusiastically and with some malice argue against it, to me calls into question her suitability to participate in decision making for a Tribunal dedicated to upholding human rights.
The fact that Coleman leveled some of her invective against me personally most certainly colours my view.
Waiting in anticipation for the report into National Party culture that was promised us once the report on Parliament culture was out. I can't seem to find it anywhere though. Wonder what's taking so long…
Too true, didn't simon say it would be released after the parliament report?
So that would be tomorrow then, should have been this afternoon.
Stuff just reported this: "Speaking during the first reading of the bill, National leader Simon Bridges said his party was supportive of the principles of the bill but National had "real differences" and expected to see change in select committee. The Government's flagship climate change bill – technically an amendment to an earlier law – would force future governments to set a series of "carbon budgets" over the next 30 years, declining until all long-lived emissions reach net zero at 2050. It will pass first reading on Tuesday afternoon." https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/112890233/national-supports-climate-change-bill-through-first-reading
"The proposed law is based on the United Kingdom's Climate Change Act. The bill would also set up an independent Climate Change Commission that would advise the Government on what these targets should be and how exactly governments should meet them. It would not have any independent power on its own. It's understood NZ First was particularly uncomfortable with talk about giving the commission Reserve Bank-like powers to set the emissions targets itself. Governments will also be required to set a plan for how they will respond to the various effects of climate change."
Karma's a wonderful thing.
Stuff: "MPs were "treated like gods" with a "master servant relationship". What about goddesses? Seems like it could be a case of unconscious sexism. Mistresses are sometimes into dominance too. There was a dominatrix in the headlines a while back, after the guy who had been paying to be dominated actually died.
And if you call them public servants, is it really all that surprising that MPs treat them as such? What part of the residual patriarchy is so hard to grasp?
Anyway, psychology aside, we will now have everyone carefully avoiding the implication that democracy creates toxic workplaces: "Parliament is a toxic workplace with a systemic bullying problem – Francis Review" – Andrea Vance https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/112865411/parliament-a-toxic-workplace-with-systematic-bullying-problem–francis-review
Good to see National supporting Shaw's climate bill into Parliament through its first reading.
They will protest the methane level proposed on behalf of stock farmers, so this is the limits of Shaw's persuasion.
Not a bad result.
How politics is supposed to be done. Need more of this.
Can you expand on your criticisms of Martha Coleman a little more for me @ RMcD?
In what way has she spent "fighting against disabled people and their chosen family carers"? (for example).
I'm not suggesting in any way that your assertions are incorrect.
I'm just curious having known both Martha and brother Bruce in her formative years. Having seen how many of my peers have put comfy little lives over principle, nothing will surprise me, but I'm not yet ready to put Martha in that category.
btw @ lprent – not quite sure why this appears as 25, as opposed to 20.1 or 20.2. but it's possible I'm losing it
Actually, assume the worst (I’m losing it) – I’d hate to have you obsessing over a potential bug that isn’t
Often happens to me. I think I hit the reply to comment button, then after I post it shows up at the bottom of the thread. Remedy is highlight what you wrote, ctrl C to copy it, then delete comment. Then hit the reply button to the comment you want to respond to, ctrl V to copy your response into the new window, post it and watch to ensure it does publish in the right place.
Coleman, working for Crown Law, was the lead in the defense for the Ministry of Health in 'Atkinson".
One of the better precis of the case here…https://www.hrc.co.nz/enquiries-and-complaints/faqs/caring-disabled-adult-family-members/
….and over on Public Address here….https://publicaddress.net/access/paying-family-carers-what-was-all-the-fuss/
As I admitted… The fact that Coleman leveled some of her invective against me personally most certainly colours my view.
I am one of those family carers.
I sat in on many of those hearings and watched her at work.
I was part of the last group to be represented by the OHRP against the Crown and the Ministry, and up until the final straight Martha 'these people have a sense of entitlement' Coleman was the Crown appointed assassin.
And oh, how she seemed to love her work.
Yeah, yeah, lawyers are supposed to use every trick in the book to make the opposition look like shit…but come on…there are limits, surely?
As I said…misinformation, malicious misrepresentation (well it seemed like malice from where I was sitting) and callous disregard for the people with disabilities who would die without appropriate hands- on care and those of us who provided that care…in many cases where the Ministry's own contracted providers refused to because the Ministry would not fund that level of care.
Even after losing in Atkinson and Spencer, Coleman dug in when it came to our case (King). It beggared belief as for all intents and purposes we were the same as the Atkinson and Spencer cases. Arguably the level of complexity in the care required from and by the King plaintiffs was measurably higher than in the previous cases.
In my particular case she argued that I was claiming to be paid for doing what 'every one else does for love'.
The Ministry's own records show that at least 40 other spouses were being paid by the Ministry for providing care for their partner…and we had met some of these couples who couldn't understand why we were not given the same accommodation by the Ministry.
However…Coleman knew this, must have gained at least a smidgen of an inkling what our lives are like…she sat through enough hearings and read enough of our submissions….you'd think, you'd hope, that at some point she'd actually back off and advise the Crown that the right thing to do would be to put the injustice and the discrimination right.
But, no. And this time last year I was girding up my delicate bits to sit in a court room and listen to Coleman yet again argue a case she had already lost on more than one occasion.
Orders came from Higher Up later last year that the Crown were to settle our case.
Coleman et al suddenly disappeared from the opposition benches and new Crown Lawyers brought in to try and make nice.
I occasionally fantasize that Coleman et al perhaps, in a fit of conscience, deliberately threw Atkinson and Spencer…but no. What they did do, and quite successfully, was to manage to stall any resolution for the rest of us so that National had time to concoct the Part 4 amendment to the PHD Act.
http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2013/0022/latest/whole.html
Bastards.
Coleman played a significant role in a saga that has left many in the non ACC disability community, especially those with very high support needs who want to live in their own homes, feeling marginalised. And abused. And totally disillusioned with 'the system'.
I'm sure she'll look back in pride at her work.
Such is the nature of the law and a good many in the legal profession (as we all know from the bullying and misogyny that's become public recently).
I've known a few perfectly 'nice' people that turn into complete arseholes in a court room because its all about winning. If it were me, I'd be more pissed off with MoH – though not surprised given the state of much of our public service these days.
But maybe she has turned into a complete bitch. It'd be a hell of a change over a lifetime though
I'd be more pissed off with MoH –
Heh. I am pretty sure that Coleman's style perfectly complimented the Misery of Health's intent.
Where do progressives go for comfort these days. In the USA they are almost up to two figures for shaming rape and sex between men and women if not married. Reading a book of Russian theory The Foundations of Geopolitics by Alexander Dugin there is this:
Foundations engages with obscure strains in 20th-century fascism, relying heavily, for example, on theorist Julius Evola, who advised Mussolini and the SS and promoted extreme misogyny as well as racism for use by the Russian elite. All sex for Evola is rape and a woman outside the home “a monkey.” He and Dugin both sneer that modern men—not to mention gays, lesbians, and transsexuals—are “feminized.” In the Evola-Dugin playbook, sexual and racist anxieties lie at the root of today’s Russian fascism. And with but slight qualification, one can see Rob Porter, Steve Bannon (an Evola fan), Roy Moore, and Donald Trump as decadent facsimiles.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-far-right-book-every-russian-general-reads
The Christchurch shooter has been charged with terrorism.
What are the implications for all other white supremacists in New Zealand?
Will they now, (finally), be put on the official terror watch list?
Will their organisations now be ruled 'terrorist organisations' under the Suppression Of Terrorism Act?
Will members and organisers of white supremacist and fascist groups face arrest if they try to hold triumphalist public parades and rallies?
Will publicly displaying fascist regalia and flags become a crime, as it is in Germany?
And if not, why not?
Should specific amendments be made to Suppression of Terrorism Act to suppress and disrupt White Supremacist organisations?
<a href="https://apnews.com/703d6b9cdd0d4da78e6ad0fc14f0ffa8" rel="nofollow">https://apnews.com/703d6b9cdd0d4da78e6ad0fc14f0ffa8</a>
Kia ora Newshub.
seenothing any publisty is good publicity to some .
I say the Skypath project for cycling and walking is awesome good that the project is going to start.
M8 I'm going to pop the balloons of these new partys Tamaki don't you get the big picture you are going to help the people who have been disrespecting tangata whenua FOOL.
I brought some cheap honey it didn't even have a sweet taste. Honey is has been a medicine for thousands of years and Maori tohunga have been healing tangata for thousands of years to.
Tavita wahine is being lead around the mulberry Bush of the justice system if they were wealthy there would have been people paying for his death that's the system Whanau.
I'm not even going to comment on that fool who can't see past his own faith fool in Britain.
All I can say is I feel for the rabbit wahine in Christchurch I love my pets to maybe start a give a little page to help pay for your rabbits vacation
Ka kite ano
Kia ora team ao Maori News.
Tamiki is just going to help national float there toilet I have all ready give my view to not impress with him or Naro trying float his christen party to they both have egos that make them think te ra revolvers around them.
The parliament staff problems is going to get sorted as for Tau what insults did he say to Trevor for that to happen
Kia ora to Maori growing kiwifruit there are heaps of places in Te taiwhiti to grow kiwifruit it could easily be grown organically to big bucks.
It's awesome that Ngati Porou are going to get the right we want from the crown
For ower Coast and Tangaroa
The Whana of the Pike river mine will be happy it is all finally coming to past and reveal what went wrong we know that the safety standards were dropped and that could have been the cause.
Ka kite ano
Kia ora The Am Show .
The students strive is a awesome way to get Neanderthals attention the pollies around the Papatuanuku are pandering to money and not their children future money is the phenomenon that causes policy to be made that is good for the 00.1% that's a fact.
A lot of consumer don't no the consumer laws but now days thanks to social media and Google we can check the laws.
Bridget Davis I tell the mokopuna you are what you eat I think you book Bridgets Healthy Kitchen is awesome I say a healthy gute is a fact .I need to clean up my diet ma te wa
In my view the poor commen tamariki are in a much better position with the Labour lead government if national was still in power poverty will still snowballing they would have a block on the subject and no one would be talking about it.
I agree with Duncan Tamiki won't make the 5% threshold to get into Parliament remember he has had a few brain FARTs.
Ka kite ano
Some Eco maori music for the minute
my devices are playing up
Some Eco Maori music for the minute
Eco maori champions wahine equal rights the Women of Influence award is a great way to achieve that goal of more Wahine getting into managing our Papatuanuku .
Nominations are open for the seventh annual Women of Influence awards, a celebration of change makers and inspiring women.
Sponsored by Stuff and Westpac, the awards have previously recognised politicians, philanthropists, businesswomen and artists.
Jackie Clark, of South Auckland social welfare charity The Aunties, won the supreme award last year. In 2017, former prime minister Helen Clark received the lifetime achievement award. Kate kite ano links below
https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/women-of-influence/112888859/know-any-women-of-influence-awards-look-to-honour-change-makers
Kia ora Newshub.
Its is good that the IPCA has stated that the police chaser was at fault now that a problem has been admitted prosess can be put in place to minimize the losses of life.
Bit of drama with the ambulances people wages.
I have had a good flue it was Monday when I got it a week ago .
Those Christians political parties will take us back 100years with their neanderthal views.
Students strike is what is needed to get the common people view out there above the oil barons $$$$$$$$$$ it is there future we are stuffing NOW.
I feel for the people who are in the atrocitie weather that is happening in America at the minute the common people will suffer the most.
The Queen keeping up with technology the shopping kiosk are very good no need to talk to anyone I have a swarm of puppets following me around. Kate kite ano
Kia ora te ao Maori news
I have said that the 2 new Christian political party's will drag Aotearoa back 100years.
It's awesome that Ngati Porou is finally getting our mana back to care for Tangaroa and his creation.
Its better to have a Labour lead government helping tangata whenua than a national lead government that takes from the poor and gives to the wealthy FOOL not everyone is going to be happy its quite hard for that phenomenon in Maoridom
Cool Maori art on display at the Auckland airport it gives Eco Maori a sore face to see all the interest in Maori culture and te reo now it was not like that just a few years ago.
Ka kite ano