Simon Bridges works tirelessly in front of the camera. His face is the most known in the length and breadth of Aotearoa. Forever portraying Himself. Bits and Pieces.
While his unsteady assistant Paula, plays bowls from time to time, blatantly releasing highly private material. Her Face is likely well known too.
Which is why I hope Simon Bridges – New Zealand's most known man – gets confirmed in the role he chooses this coming Friday.
We will miss him like heck – if he throws in his Towel. Camera tossed from the Sky Tower. And all that.
Two Faces National. These two are the Only persons known in the National paddock.
And God forbid, if David Seymore's strange dancing ass gets accepted. Bodies all over the place. Endless Bodies. Endless bodies and big money everywhere. No Thanks
Fascinating interview with Hooten on RNZ – he is knifing Bridges hard and talking up Todd Muller (who?).
The National party chickens are coming home to roost, with the number of fundies who have won seats meaning the social conservatives and liberal are now split into two factions – in one corner we have the Evangelical wing & the culture warriors coalesced around Bridges and his happy clappy brother in law, in the other the pragmatic, power at all costs brigade with Todd Muller and Nikki Kaye (likely to lose her seat on this polling).
Well, Michelle Boag, the wicked witch of Waiheke, is also putting the boot into Bridges on RNZ and pushing Muller just now. She is more grandiloquent than connected these days, but she probably represents a strand of National party grandee thinking.
Simon might be in front today, but the push to persuade the wavering MPs is clearly on and if tonight poll is equally bad for National then it may be Simon loses, or worse wins on his own vote only.
So – with Todd Muller – working on placing the Farmers as the Government of New Zealand, the Cities and Towns will turn their backs on Mr and Mrs Gum boots.
Don't do it Todd Boy. Cities and Industries, And multiple essential things are required in a Nation.
It’s quite something isn’t it, the way National Party commentators are practically willing the country into an historic recession so they can say “I told you so”.
As for the Nats losing ground. Colmar Brunton that’s due tonight was apparently polling up until yesterday evening so may capture some of the public sentiment developing as the proverbial hit the fan for the Nats.
Oz was doing really well until there was an outbreak in a meatworks in Victoria. Now they are back to where they were 30 days ago.
Meatworks have been hit particularly hard in Canada and the USA as well.
From what I heard they have been doing social distancing in NZ in meatworks and running double shifts. But that's led to problems with drought stricken farmers trying to get rid of stock and finding it hard to book in.
dunno about Canada, but US workers were told to come in even if ill.
There might also be stats on how centralised the US meat industry is comapred to NZ, but I don't know where. A farmer rep on the Daily Show was saying part of the problem is over the past few decades smaller regional plants have shut down in favour of a few larger facilities. If one in five plants goes down to 30% capacity, that's a major hit. If 2 in 15 go down to 30%, not so bad. And the ones at 100% are closer.
An AMAZING person who can nail her comments – I hope she goes far in the future, a real gem. I wouldn't be surprised if these same essential workers are the same that I see receiving handouts at Christmas time
But don't worry something is happening within National that is FAR MORE IMPORTANT !!
South Auckland cry: 'NZ wants to rebuild, but it's on our backs'
Kiwiblog's best commenter is theorising the National Party leadership challenge is a set up to make Simon look strong. They're all in on it, apparently.
Wouldn't like to be the National Party if this is true and the public find out…
Kiwiblog is ridiculous and irrelevant these days, Farrar has turned it into a platform for a parade of has-been detritus defending 1980s neoliberalism and the comments have re-housed all the wing nuts from whaleoil.
Farrar himself just wants to keep the money coming in to Curia, so he’ll hunt with the hares and run with the hounds.
Sometimes I go there, it is the modern day equivalent of the gruesome pleasure of a 18th Century tourist’ visiting Bedlam. A guilty pleasure, as it were.
The technicolour pustulence can be appealing when you're passing through. I do worry about some of the locals. The promoter always seems to be rolling in cash, villagers scrabbling at his hem.
For the public to find out there'd have to be a leaker and that's unlikely to happen isn't it? Chuckle chuckle.
Mind you if you're 'Kiwiblog's best commenter' you'd probably be quite good at playing the Kiwiblog/Farrar bullshit game and floating bullshit to create a picture you want painted.
The funny thing is that while I think Bridges is a twerp and an embarrassment to National there are other perspectives. I think for a supposed intelligent person he is dumb. He may not have got in a position to do something terrible, his Strike Force Raptor troops sorting the people were words, all piss and wind, he didn't get a chance to unleash them. On Thursday morning he's a political pariah. Did he perpetrate any evil?
John Key, 'Sir' John Key is a hero. His words about the GCSB may have been all piss and wind when it came to their relationship to truth and deed, but he had to chance to, and did what went on.
Line them up. One is like shandy made with non-alcoholic beer and one is Sunset Very Strong Rum with its 84.5% of alcohol.
If David Cormack is to be believed Simon Bridges had a evangelical conversion to a full on God botherer a couple of years ago. If that is true, it would explain his near fanatical conviction that he must – MUST! – bring down these Godless socialists.
Yes he is. The quiet infiltration of hard core evangelicals into National is something our ultra media opinionistas seem determined not to discuss, but it is clearly fuelling this split in National.
If the tory christians lose this caucus tussle, maybe the fortunes of minor parties of that space get a boost. Be interesting to hear how it plays out in the Nat party hierarchy beyond caucus, where the real power resides.
Nah the main groomers and child abusers these days are in schools teaching kids all about anal sex, trans delusions, and how it's wrong to judge people. Instead of showing kids how to be safe from predators
[Nice slur on teachers. Next time you try to make a concise point you could perhaps leave the denigration of a large professional group out of it, yes? As it stands, you come across as a disturbed troll with unresolved issues – Incognito]
Matthew 21:12-13 Jesus throws the moneylenders out of the temple
Luke 4:18-19 Jesus proclaims good news to the poor and oppressed
Matthew 25:37-40 Jesus warns of judgement against those who fail to care for the vulnerable and poor
etc etc
SiBri may have had a conversion to something but it wasn't the Way that Jesus preached. How easily those who dabble in church and don't bother to do the homework fall into relying on religious rules, rather than humbling themselves
The funniest 5 minutes on TV in ages was the Voxpop on the Bridges debacle last night. Still laughing on the classic Nat party garden party attender whose opinion of Jacinda was she wished she was leading the Nat party but when shown photos of Muller and Kaye replied " Amy someone" and "Simon Joyce ". Go Team.
Loved that moment too. A reminder to us lefties that a lot of National's support is based on cultural taxonomies and hierarchies. National represent the right sort of people who pay their bills and mow their lawns. Formal ideology, or any actual knowledge of what is happening in the world, come in second. It's quite sobering really, because it's so resistant to any form of persuasion, and insulting it just strengthens the underlying prejudice that the left is uncouth and unpleasant.
A Well summarised and analysed I think. Why it is very hard to move intelligent and efficacious policy in NZ. The myopic citizens of the comfortably-off (never rich) who surprisingly tend to be right-wing Gnats, don't want to see reality. That is as uncouth as it was to the lords and ladies of the Regency era in the light novels I read for stress-relief. That was then says my mind but – it parallels what I see with eyes wide open now, comes in an urgent whisper from the sidelines.
After some years as a tradesman, I found someone having a flash house and right wing views, was a fairly good indication that I needed to get a big deposit, up front.
transmission gully is in the shit. government has been talking about throwing everything at it. looks like the company is about to walk away from it as it would cost less than staying.
also, someone just took a 50ton digger to ripping parts of it up.
covid, everyone left and went back to australia. trucks, utes were found at wellington airport with the keys still in them.
Someone should ask Simon Bridges about that. When he gets a breather from the Nats infighting. That project has been heading for disaster even while he was the Transport Minister trying to persuade everybody it was on time and under budget.
What harsh winters? What a load of bollocks. That project was a dog from the start. National happily awarded the PPP to an Australian company who didn’t really have a clue what road building in NZ’s tricky geological conditions would require. So far the project has needed about 50% more earthworks than originally specced. They were bringing workers in from Australia, who’ve all gone home because of Covid. The ripping up the tarmac that you’ve mentioned is probably the latest effort at relaying work due to mistakes by the building consortium.
different weather up there mate. go read the reports on the slosh and frozen soil. the last winter or the one before where it rained so much no work could be done for months. same reason kapati express way keeps having issues, drainage to do with how the roads were laid. that was the fault of the contractors though, who are actually being contracted to fix it 😀
Last two winters down south have been bloody odd. There's a hole at the bottom of my road that the council has been meaning to fix for 12 months. Some of that is other reasons but the weather has definitely been an issue. Too much rain.
The sales pitch for PPPs like Transmission Gully was that the private parties would finance all the upfront costs and build it and wear the risks, and would then make their money by getting paid an ongoing annual fixed fee starting from when it was opened and operating.
So if the company is about to just walk away, then it looks to me like the PPP model says we should get all the work done so far for free, and the government could then just go ahead and complete the job and get it done at reduced cost with the bonus of not having to pay the annual operating fees.
Or did the National government lie about what PPPs really are and pull a bait and switch on us all when they signed up to the project?
There were always a couple of vehicles used by The Transmission gully workers around our way at night – must have accommodation in the area. Vehicles were there post lockdown but haven't seen them just recently. The plot thickens
Just browsing through the Health website and looked at the workforce tab. Asking both employees and organisations to register their needs.
My questions are:
– When and how and where the contracts to the agencies below awarded- what fees if any do they receive from public money or does the employer pay as usual and why was the decision made to use these two firms?
Beyond has been around a fair while and has always looked to be a mid – upper level agency but the Accent Health if I have the right one looks like it specialised pretty much in the recruitment of overseas health workers and getting visas. Not an obvious choice?
– while there may be a need to allocate available trained staff across the public health system – is this also being used to allocate people to by the private for profit healthcare sector in particular the aged care and outsourced care giving contracts? If it is being used by for profit providers why are they not being advised to advertise over the usual websites and for that matter be required to pay decent wages and have decent conditions of work?
-should public money be used to enhance private contracts
– Is the contract tracing outsourced and if so are they accessing the app data?
Accent Health Recruitment is matching health workers to roles by considering the qualifications and skill sets required, the location where the worker is needed, and the hours they would need to work. Beyond Recruitment is assisting with additional screening questions and reference checks to help determine suitability.
Matthew Paris from UK on Radionz this morning gave me a hollow laugh. Their private company Serco, the efficient operator of all things, has been given the government contract to be part of the Covid-19 tracing system.
Lots of people signing up for it, it would probably have ended up looking like running a bounty-hunter system like in the old USofA. And ballsed up right at the start, they sent one of the applicants a file with addresses of all the other applicants and Matthew Paris says, they now all know those contacts.
How the UK thought that their contracting out was going to be better for this delicate and important task than direct control I don't know. But under present political strictures from the USA's Milton Friedman et al it seems that UK gummint and others of similar mien (mean!), is set at being nothing but an expensive employment agency for ambitious nouveau riche jerks after perks.
Yeah , I have always thought a 4 day working week was the right balance in life, particularly if working for someone else! Bring it on Jacinda – it won,t make any difference to me , as self -employed I work any ,or all, seven days of the week I want to, or need to.
I recall my father once telling me a three day weekend would be perfect, "One day for the house, one day for the family and one for himself". And then he said, "Guess which one misses out at the moment".
Data manipulation in Florida and Georgia by Republican administrations to support re-opening of the state. Listen from 1m19s through to about 2m22s. Amazing. And so delusional to believe they could get away with it – at least when Stalin always reported exceeding his 5-year plans for steel production, there was no public information eco-system that allowed people to check.
Poor old Mike. Yesterday he claimed National could still win but today has conceded defeat.
Still claiming National won the election in 2017, etc. And on the Labour led government which has gained plaudits all over the world for its pandemic response he has this to say:
As opposed to a circus of a panicked, self-absorbed, spineless, self-interested former government that gave up at the first sign of trouble.
Try reading that bit you quoted again, in context! He's actually putting the boot into the Nats. And that's after a moment of honesty: "I have no idea." 🙃
"Unfortunately, for the last half-century, the prevailing political message in many countries has been that governments cannot – and therefore should not – actually govern. Politicians, business leaders, and pundits have long relied on a management creed that focuses obsessively on static measures of efficiency to justify spending cuts, privatization, and outsourcing.
As a result, governments now have fewer options for responding to the crisis, which may be why some are now desperately clinging to the unrealistic hope of technological panaceas such as artificial intelligence or contact-tracing apps. With less investment in public capacity has come a loss of institutional memory (as the UK’s government has discovered) and increased dependence on private consulting firms, which have raked in billions. Not surprisingly, morale among public-sector employees has plunged in recent year"
I thought this was an excellent extract to pass on pat. I have quoted it and you in a comment on TDB in Waatea News today. More people should read this summation I believe, and perhaps we could see more clearly.
Imagine if it seeded here. A Scott Base lab's popular Emperor Penguin turns ill. They pop it on a flight to the Christchurch vet school. Prof + 20 students develop a weird cough. As soon as they twigged I'd hope our Government would slam down on the region/city and secure it tightly. Stop all domestic movement. Aircraft, cars, buses, taxis trains, bikes, pedestrians, insist everyone locks down hard. With the exception of departing international flights. There will be lots of people not feeling well that need to get home to all points on the globe. I think we should follow WHO guidelines and halt all domestic movement but allow taxi, bus and Uber movement to the departure terminal of the Christchurch international airport.
You'd think someone would have had a little tinkle, even if not a full on leak, but yeah, waiting for the likely discrepancies between polls for the line to be reported as national are pulling it back etc.
I suppose I'll have to break a habit and actually watch tv news for a change.
There's a column in Stuff written by someone called Damian Grant. The blurb at the end says " Damien Grant is a regular columnist for Stuff, and an insolvency practitioner and business owner based in Auckland. He writes from a libertarian perspective and is a member of the Taxpayers Union' but not of any political party."
In writing about Todd Muller's writing as a 10 year of how he wanted to be American President, Grant says: " Now, I am not going to criticise a ten-year-old for outsized ambitions; this is the inevitable result of an education system that rewards participation rather than achievement."
What? I dreamt of being an All Black, a famous pop singer and climbing Mt Everest. The inevitable result of an education system that rewards participation rather than achievement I suppose?
I could have dreamt of being a silly arse and ended up being one. But what sort of an education system would it be if I ended up like Damian Grant?
Sentenced to 30 months' jail for fraud and says jail doesn’t change you, nat type shill, would rather buy a new phone than give to charity, and has an all round sort of tosser bigot vibe.
Grant clearly doesn't know anything about the education system – it has a mania for assessment mainly due to influential nitwits (like Grant) constantly demanding it. To cut him some slack, I guess all right-wing libertarians have been pyschically scarred by seeing the state intervene strongly and competently to save people from a deadly virus. And in addition save the economy from far worse damage than it would have experienced without that interference. Kind of blows their worldview to smithereens and makes them babble incoherently.
Why are the National party propagandists so good at unconscious irony?
After decades of pushing for an education system that rewards mindless rote learning, to pass constant narrow testing, he complains about education that "rewards participation rather than achievement".
The aggressive retort by party diplomats is designed to do what it's doing. It's working. It has nothing to do with annoying us and everything to do with no fuel at Chinese bowsers being Don's fault.
Yeah, I've been provoked into flipping out in an outrageous way before, I'm sure I'm not alone. I'm pleased I didn't do so in front of an armed Policeman. When flipping out, calculating the status of the people about is furthermost from your mind.
Nobody is evil to the core but it's hard not to wonder if some of these people being taken down aren't evil at all. They left their insulin in their other pants etc.
I think you're right, we can put wild animals to sleep with tranquiliser darts, we insist on it, anything else is Barbaric, why not humans.
That reminds me of Nigel Latta in his Beyond the Darklands programme. A young chap had spent years drinking and driving, had been through the courts and sent to prison a number of times, but over the years he'd also killed six people. This, according to Nigel Latta, meant that he was 'evil'. It really was quite incredible. Latta's approach in that show was always to interview the subject's friends and family about the person's background to try to explain their behaviour. People who knew this chap described him as essentially a good guy who was kind and worked hard and who'd give you the shirt off his back, but that when he drank he'd do stupid things. Nobody said a bad word against this guy apart from how he was when he drank. Latta went to the trouble of talking to these people presumably to get an insight into things, but still described him as 'evil'. It was an extraordinary conclusion, especially coming from someone who holds themselves out as an expert on 'human behaviour'.
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May 28, 2025.Ladies and gentlemen. It’s a beautiful clear morning here in Auckland City. We’re heading for a maximum temperature of 14 degrees, and the local time is now 10:30am. Please remain seated if you’d like to, or get up and walk around the plane if you prefer. New regulations ...
Somebody has made a new survey and it tells us this little waterlogged nation of ours is rocketing up the misery charts. Maybe they took it before the sun came back out.Or maybe they took it any time in the last two years. Because negativity is quite surely the new ...
The appointment of Elizabeth Longworth as Chair of the New Zealand National Commission for UNESCO was one of just two press statements on the government’s official website today. Perhaps that’s because ministers have been busy preparing speeches for the Labour Party faithful who have gathered in Wellington for the party’s ...
Alarm bells have been rung by the department after its Deputy Director-General for Operations warns, ‘the initial view shows that we do not have sufficient funding to cover our basic running costs’.Thomas Cranmer writes – Following last week’s budget, alarm bells have been rung by the Department ...
Luxon went after the NIMBY vote, declaring National’s 2021 bipartisan deal with Labour to make it much easier to put three townhouses on a regular section ‘wrong’. File Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTLDR: The week’s news in Aotearoa’s political economy I covered via The Kākā for subscribers included:The Labour ...
Hello! This is the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the week.Here’s what you may have missed.Last Sunday’s column was about the budget A big chunk of this year’s budget coverage was brought to us by the words crass, gauche and venal. The big questions ...
Hi,Usually Webworms are quite focussed — this one is the opposite. No rhyme or reason. A bit like my brain: sometimes ultra-focussed, other times utterly unable to settle on a goddamn thing. And as we head into the weekend, there are a bunch of things buzzing around in my head ...
The Mainstream Media, and especially the New Zealand Herald, regularly carry misinformed columns on the causes of the country’s low-grade economic performance over recent years. One old codger, John Gascoigne, who describes himself as “a Cambridge-based economic commentator” (not the university, alas!) correctly told us early this week that New ...
The Treasury released its budget economic forecasts. What do they say about the economy over the next four months?Let me begin me with an irritation. One post-budget headline was ‘Treasury optimistic over recession risk in Budget 2023'. Treasury being optimistic is almost an oxymoron. They fire down the centre.It is ...
Photo by Ron Fung on UnsplashIt’s that time of the week again when and I co-host our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm. Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news with special guests:5.00 pm ...
1. Who most likely gave LOTO Luxon the idea to pull the rug on the urban density policy?a. A leading thinker on affordable housing b. A leading thinker on 15 minute cities c. A leading thinker on sustainable urban planning d. National-Party-supporting property developers2 . With what was this illustration made?a. Artificial inseminationb. ...
Buzz from the BeehivePoint of Order tallied $314.4 million of spending in the latest ministerial statements posted on the government’s official website. This includes a lump of money to – yes, really – help identify businesses in tourism and hospitality which treat their staffs well and to fund the ...
It’s that time of the week for an ‘Ask Me Anything’ session for paying subscribers about the week that was for an hour from midday (my apologies for the late start today), including:the Government’s payment of $130 million of Climate Emergency Fund money to NZ Steel to help it cut ...
National/ACT would have 62 seats in a 120 seat Parliament if the latest poll results were replicated in the October election, but micro-movements around the median and the size of Te Pāti Māori’s caucus will decide who governs. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: National/ACT could govern alone after October ...
Welcome to Friday – again! Hard to believe we’re almost in June. Here’s our latest roundup of stories that caught our eye this week. The Week in Greater Auckland On Monday, Matt covered the transport highlights from this year’s Budget. On Tuesday, Matt asked if the end is ...
What should one make of the Reserve Bank Governor’s extraordinary donation of a hostage to fortune in forecasting an end to interest rate hikes? Conspiracy theorists will be scratching their tinfoil hats and mumbling about positioning for a whacking great payoff on being forced out by a new government. ...
During New Zealand First coalition negotiations our policy was to train and resource 1800 new frontline police. We secured this coalition policy win to ensure our streets had a police force that could tackle crime - after years of neglect. Remember those previous nine years of neglect saw a ‘tag ...
Katie Kenny from Stuff published an article today with a lazy attempt at so-called ‘fact checking’ my recent comments on the World Health Organisation’s concerning new regulations being developed. What is most surprising is that throughout this entire ‘fact checking’ process, Kenny never once rang me asking for my side ...
The National Party has released another confused and rushed policy that will only further worsen the inequality that is driven by unaffordable housing. ...
Welcome to sunny and calm Wellington, which I know those of you who are visiting would of course expect to be the case. It’s been a busy week since we put forward the 2023 Budget. Labour MPs have been out across the motu giving the good oil on the Budget. ...
Kia orana, Talofa lava, Mālo e lelei, Taloha ni, Fakaalofa lahi atu, Noa’ia e mauri, Ni sa bula vinaka, Kia ora, Tena Koutou Katoa. Labour Party President Jill Day, Prime Minister Hipkins, Party faithful, delegates and comrades, whānau and friends, it’s a privilege to be here today. I begin my ...
One of my kaumātua up North stood before the Waitangi Tribunal and said: ‘He aha kē ahau, te tangata kore hara i mua i te Atua, e tu nei kia whakawaatia e koe, te tangata tāhae, te tangata hara, te tangata kore tikanga?Ko koe kē te tika, kia tū ...
New Zealanders will be highly concerned that the World Health Organisation proposes to effectively take control of independent decision making away from sovereign countries and place control with the Director General. W.H.O International Health Regulations on future outbreaks of disease aim to give the Director General extraordinary and wide-sweeping powers. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to take responsibility for reducing inflation by taxing wealth instead of leaving RBNZ to continue hiking the Official Cash Rate. ...
The Green Party has released its list of candidates for the 2023 election. With a mix of familiar faces, fresh new talent, and strong tangata whenua voices, this exceptional group of candidates are ready to set the direction of the next Government. ...
Thank you for your invitation to be here, after yesterday's budget, and for the opportunity to talk with you. In the economic and social turmoil following the arrival of COVID 19 in New Zealand many concerns emerged. How would we keep our economy going and maintain our exports which are ...
At the heart of Budget 2023 is a cost of living package, designed to ease the pressure on New Zealanders in the face of global inflation and the challenges of rebuilding from extreme weather events. It provides practical cost of living relief across some of the core expenses facing Kiwis ...
A long standing Green Party policy has been extended yet again in this year’s Budget. This will deliver warmer homes for thousands of people, lower power bills, and cut climate pollution. ...
The Green Party is fully on board with free bus and train travel for under 12s and half price travel for under 25s - next stop, free travel for all under 18s, students, and apprentices. ...
Earlier this week, the Prime Minister announced a billion dollar flood and cyclone recovery package as part of Budget 2023. This is about doing the basics - repairing and rebuilding what has been damaged and making smart investments, including $100 million of protection funding to ensure future events don’t cause ...
The Fuel Industry (Improving Fuel Resilience) Amendment Bill would: boost New Zealand’s fuel supply resilience and economic security enable the minimum stockholding obligation regulations to be adapted as the energy and transport environment evolves. “Last November, I announced a six-point plan to improve the resiliency of our fuel supply from ...
The Government is making sure those on low incomes will no longer have to wait five weeks to get the minimum weekly rate of ACC, and improving the data collected to make the system fairer, Minister for ACC Peeni Henare said today. The Accident Compensation (Access Reporting and Other Matters) ...
A compulsory code of conduct will ensure school board members are crystal clear on their responsibilities and expected standard of behaviour, Minister of Education Jan Tinetti said. It’s the first time a compulsory code of conduct has been published for state and state-integrated school boards and comes into effect on ...
Tena koutou katoa and thank you, Mayor Nadine Taylor, for your welcome to Marlborough. Thanks also Doug Saunders-Loder and all of you for inviting me to your annual conference. As you might know, I’m quite new to this job – and I’m particularly pleased that the first organisation I’m giving a ...
The Government will enter into a funding arrangement with councils in cyclone and flood affected regions to support them to offer a voluntary buyout for owners of Category 3 designated residential properties. It will also co-fund work needed to protect Category 2 designated properties. “From the beginning of this process ...
The Government has announced changes to strengthen requirements in venues with pokie (gambling) machines will come into effect from 15 June. “Pokies are one of the most harmful forms of gambling. They can have a detrimental impact on individuals, their friends, whānau and communities,” Internal Affairs Minister Barbara Edmonds said. ...
The total Police workforce is now the largest it has ever been. Police constabulary stands at 10,700 officers – an increase of 21% since 2017 Māori officers have increased 40%, Pasifika 83%, Asian 157%, Women 61% Every district has got more Police under this Government The Government has delivered on ...
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hon Nanaia Mahuta met with Korea President Yoon, as well as Pacific Islands Forum Secretary General Henry Puna, during her recent visit to Korea. “It was an honour to represent Aotearoa New Zealand at the first Korea – Pacific Leaders’ Summit. We discussed Pacific ambitions under the ...
The Government’s Research and Development Tax Incentive has supported more than $2 billion of New Zealand business innovation – an increase of around $1 billion in less than nine months. "Research and innovation are essential in helping us meet the biggest challenges and seize opportunities facing New Zealand. It’s fantastic ...
The next ‘giant leap’ in New Zealand’s space journey has been taken today with the launch of the National Space Policy, Economic Development Minister Barbara Edmonds announced. “Our space sector is growing rapidly. Each year New Zealand is becoming a more and more attractive place for launches, manufacturing space-related technology ...
A new Year 7-13 designated character wharekura will be built in Pāpāmoa, Associate Minister of Education Kelvin Davis has announced. The wharekura will focus on science, mathematics and creative technologies while connecting ākonga to the whakapapa of the area. The decision follows an application by the Ngā Pōtiki ā Tamapahore ...
Protecting the environment by establishing a stronger, more consistent system for freedom camping Supporting councils to better manage freedom camping in their region and reduce the financial and social impacts on communities Ensuring that self-contained vehicle owners have time to prepare for the new system The Self-Contained Motor Vehicle ...
A new law passed last night could see up to 25 percent of Family Court judges’ workload freed up in order to reduce delays, Minister of Justice Kiri Allan said. The Family Court (Family Court Associates) Legislation Bill will establish a new role known as the Family Court Associate. The ...
New Zealand businesses will begin reaping the rewards of our gold-standard free trade agreement with the United Kingdom (UK FTA) from today. “The New Zealand UK FTA enters into force from today, and is one of the seven new or upgraded Free Trade Agreements negotiated by Labour to date,” Prime ...
The Government will reform outdated surrogacy laws to improve the experiences of children, surrogates, and the growing number of families formed through surrogacy, by adopting Labour MP Tāmati Coffey’s Member’s Bill as a Government Bill, Minister Kiri Allan has announced. “Surrogacy has become an established method of forming a family ...
Defence Minister Andrew Little departs for Singapore tomorrow to attend the 20th annual Shangri-La Dialogue for Defence Ministers from the Indo-Pacific region. “Shangri-La brings together many countries to speak frankly and express views about defence issues that could affect us all,” Andrew Little said. “New Zealand is a long-standing participant ...
Research, Science and Innovation Minister Dr Ayesha Verrall and the Chinese Minister of Science and Technology Wang Zhigang met in Wellington today and affirmed the two countries’ long-standing science relationship. Minister Wang was in New Zealand for the 6th New Zealand-China Joint Commission Meeting on Science and Technology Cooperation. Following ...
5 percent uplift clearer and simpler to navigate Domestic productions can access more funding sources 20 percent rebate confirmed for post-production, digital and visual effects Qualifying expenditure for post-production, digital and visual effects rebate dropped to $250,000 to encourage more smaller productions The Government is making it easier for the ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Associate Minister of Foreign Affairs (Pacific Region) Carmel Sepuloni will represent New Zealand at Samoa’s 61st Anniversary of Independence commemorations in Apia. “Aotearoa New Zealand is pleased to share in this significant occasion, alongside other invited Pacific leaders, and congratulates Samoa on the milestone of 61 ...
The Government is continuing to support retailers with additional funding for the highly popular Fog Cannon Subsidy Scheme, Police and Small Business Minister Ginny Andersen announced today. “The Government is committed to improving retailers’ safety,” Ginny Andersen said. “I’ve seen first-hand the difference fog cannons are making. Not only do ...
The Government has received the first independent review of the Intelligence and Security Act 2017, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins says. The review, considered by the Parliamentary Intelligence and Security Committee, was presented to the House of Representatives today. “Ensuring the safety and security of New Zealanders is of the utmost ...
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has expressed condolences on behalf of New Zealand to the Kingdom of Tonga following the death of Her Royal Highness Princess Mele Siu’ilikutapu Kalaniuvalu Fotofili. “New Zealand sends it’s heartfelt condolences to the people of Tonga, and to His Majesty King Tupou VI at this time ...
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has expressed condolences on behalf of New Zealand to the Kingdom of Tonga following the death of Her Royal Highness Princess Mele Siu’ilikutapu Kalaniuvalu Fotofili. “New Zealand sends it’s heartfelt condolences to the people of Tonga, and to His Majesty King Tupou VI at this time ...
Defence Minister Andrew Little and Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta have today announced the extension of the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) deployment to Solomon Islands, as part of the regionally-led Solomon Islands International Assistance Force (SIAF). “Aotearoa New Zealand has a long history of working alongside the Royal Solomon ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta will travel to the Republic of Korea today to attend the Korea–Pacific Leaders’ Summit in Seoul and Busan. “Korea is an important partner for Aotearoa New Zealand and the Pacific region. I am eager for the opportunity to meet and discuss issues that matter to our ...
Trade and Export Growth Minister Damien O’Connor joined ministerial representatives at a meeting in Detroit, USA today to announce substantial conclusion of negotiations of a new regional supply chains agreement among 14 Indo-Pacific countries. The Supply Chains agreement is one of four pillars being negotiated within the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework ...
Our most spoken Pacific language is taking centre stage this week with Vaiaso o le Gagana Samoa – Samoa Language Week kicking off around the country. “Understanding and using the Samoan language across our nation is vital to its survival,” Barbara Edmonds said. “The Samoan population in New Zealand are ...
Over 90 per cent of New Zealanders are expected to receive this year’s nationwide test of the Emergency Mobile Alert system tonight between 6-7pm. “Emergency Mobile Alert is a tool that can alert people when their life, health, or property, is in danger,” Kieran McAnulty said. “The annual nationwide test ...
ENGLISH: Whakatōhea and the Crown sign Deed of Settlement A Deed of Settlement has been signed between Whakatōhea and the Crown, 183 years to the day since Whakatōhea rangatira signed the Treaty of Waitangi, Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Andrew Little has announced. Whakatōhea is an iwi based in ...
Elizabeth Longworth has been appointed as the Chair of the New Zealand National Commission for UNESCO, Associate Minister of Education Jo Luxton announced today. UNESCO is the United Nations agency responsible for promoting cooperative action among member states in the areas of education, science, culture, social science (including peace and ...
Tourism and hospitality employer accreditation scheme to recognise quality employers Better education and career opportunities in tourism Cultural competency to create more diverse and inclusive workplaces Innovation and technology acceleration to drive satisfying, skilled jobs Strengthening our tourism workers and supporting them into good career pathways, pay and working conditions ...
Tourism and hospitality employer accreditation scheme to recognise quality employers Better education and career opportunities in tourism Cultural competency to create more diverse and inclusive workplaces Innovation and technology acceleration to drive satisfying, skilled jobs Strengthening our tourism workers and supporting them into good career pathways, pay and working conditions ...
Greater access to primary care, including 193 more front line clinical staff More hauora services and increased mental health support Boost for maternity and early years programmes Funding for cancers, HIV and longer term conditions Greater access to primary care, improved maternity care and mental health support are ...
Greater access to primary care, including 193 more front line clinical staff More hauora services and increased mental health support Boost for maternity and early years programmes Funding for cancers, HIV and longer term conditions Greater access to primary care, improved maternity care and mental health support are ...
The Government continues progress on the survivor-led independent redress system for historic abuse in care, with the announcement of the design and advisory group members today. “The main recommendation of the Royal Commission of Inquiry’s Abuse in Care interim redress report was for a survivor-led independent redress system, and the ...
Aotearoa New Zealand is providing NZ$7.75 million to respond to urgent humanitarian needs in the Horn of Africa, Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta announced today. The Horn of Africa is experiencing its most severe drought in decades, with five consecutive failed rainy seasons. At least 43.3 million people require lifesaving and ...
Health Minister Ayesha Verrall has opened two new state-of-the-art mental health facilities at the Christchurch Hillmorton Hospital campus, as the Government ramps up its efforts to build a modern fit for purpose mental health system. The buildings, costing $81.8 million, are one of 16 capital projects the Government has funded ...
The Government is continuing to invest in our regional economies by announcing another $24 million worth of investment into ten diverse projects, Regional Development Minister Kiri Allan says. “Our regions are the backbone of our economy and today’s announcement continues to build on the Government’s investment to boost regional economic ...
An $8 million boost to New Zealand Māori Tourism will help operators insulate themselves for the future. Spread over the next four years, the investment acknowledges the on-going challenges faced by the industry and the significant contribution Māori make to tourism in Aotearoa. It builds on the $15 million invested ...
Defence Minister Andrew Little has marked the arrival of the first 18 Bushmaster protected mobility vehicles for the New Zealand Army, alongside personnel at Trentham Military Camp today. “The arrival of the Bushmaster fleet represents a significant uplift in capability and protection for defence force personnel, and a milestone in ...
The ANZ Premiership grand final will be a showdown of netball’s great wingwomen – Mystics’ Michaela Sokolich-Beatson vs Stars’ Gina Crampton. Suzanne McFadden speaks to both athletes, on a common mission. It’s a gritty battle just too close to call. Stars wing attack Gina Crampton and Mystics wing defence Michaela ...
The first King's Birthday Nielsen BookScan New Zealand bestseller list, described by Steve Braunias FICTION 1 The Axeman’s Carnival by Catherine Chidgey (Te Herenga Waka University Press, $35) Next week's Book of the Week review at ReadingRoom is by Philip Matthews (crowned Best Reviewer at last year's ...
Aotearoa has vast tracts of suburban and urban terrain. The possibilities for reformulating under-used landscapes into massive carbon-capture terrains are enormousOpinion: Many New Zealanders are engaged in the environmental work that needs to be done to halt the degradation of our planet. However, addressing increasing carbon dioxide emissions and ...
New Zealand's big emitters are under pressure to do more as the country heads towards its zero carbon 2050 target. NZ Steel's the first mover with a big deal with the Government to help it cut its emissions. Who will be next? The $300 million deal between NZ Steel ...
This week on the Raw Politics podcast: National struggles to deal with race relations and Labour and National fall out over housing density - plus the risk of a caucus breakdown for ACT The Raw Politics team takes a look at how National's leader and MPs are dealing with ...
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A new poem by Wellington poet Victoria Lewis. Carmine well – the cherries appeared quietly there on the kitchen bench as if to smile and say i love you,and you dared to forget those gleaming fruit form a prayer, a devotion bloody on the inside, taut on the out ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra nitpicker/Shutterstock By coincidence, the furore around the consultancy firm PwC is raging just as the National Anti-Corruption Commission is gearing up for its start of business on July 1. The PwC scandal, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ricardo Villegas, Senior Lecturer of Law, University of South Australia Today, Federal Court Justice Anthony Besanko handed down his long-awaited judgment in the defamation case that Ben Roberts-Smith, Australia’s most decorated living former SAS soldier, brought against the Age, the Sydney Morning ...
Wayne Brown has named and attempted to shame councillors who oppose the sale of the council's airport shares, but some are returning fire, saying he does not have the votes to pass his plan. ...
Some certainty has arrived for those impacted by severe weather events earlier this year but the bulk of the detail for a buyout scheme affecting at least 700 homes is a work in progress, writes political editor Jo Moir.Analysis: Cyclone Recovery Minister Grant Robertson has been determined since February ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Rolph, Professor of Law, University of Sydney At the heart of the spectacular defamation trial brought by decorated Australian soldier Ben Roberts-Smith were two key questions. Had the Age, the Sydney Morning Herald and the Canberra Times damaged his reputation ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Deborah Bateson, Professor of Practice, University of Sydney Shutterstock Australians’ access to a range of contraceptive options depends on where they live and how wealthy they are. A recent parliamentary inquiry recommends ways to end this “postcode lottery” for people ...
Labour's campaign chair is standing by a social media post which likens National's prescriptions policy to dystopian TV show and novel The Handmaid's Tale. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Coalition’s decision to oppose the Voice to Parliament has put its moderate members in a jam. Some moderates are active yes advocates, while others are trying to keep low profiles. Bridget Archer, the outspoken ...
Greenpeace Aotearoa is calling out the agriculture industry’s "undue influence" over the Government’s agricultural emissions policy, saying that " predatory denial and delay " have stalled the development of plans to price and reduce ...
“The huge fire in South Auckland illustrates the serious human health risks of incinerating flock, the residual material left over from the scrap metal process. It is one reason we will be opposing the building of a waste incinerator in Te Awamutu ...
It’s reassuring to think that by paying for private treatment you’re ‘freeing up a bed’ in a public hospital. But the reality is private beds don’t free up public beds, they replace them. Ethicists argue that healthcare is special. Unlike other consumer goods, its availability and accessibility should be based ...
The office of mayor Wayne Brown has hit back at criticism journalists were “cherry-picked” for this morning’s budget announcement. A number of media outlets, including The Spinoff, Stuff, TVNZ and Newshub, were not invited to hear Brown’s budget address. Some, however, made it into the room after Brown had started ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Matthew Klugman, Research Fellow, Institute for Health & Sport, member of the Community, Identity and Displacement Research Network, and Co-convenor of the Olympic Research Network, Victoria University Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this article contains mention of the Stolen ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sudyumna Dahal, PhD Student, Australian National University Shutterstock The human costs of tobacco and smoking worldwide are huge. 1.3 billion people use tobacco, mostly in low- and middle-income countries. More than 8 million people die prematurely because of tobacco, at ...
Today, the Government released a discussion document: Safer Online Services and Media Platforms. It aims to reduce people’s exposure to harmful content, and create a system that is easier to navigate if people need to report harmful content. The ...
The Act Party’s compared a proposal to improve online safety to the government’s doomed hate speech laws, and pledged to “kill” it off as well. Consultation is set to begin on a Department of Internal Affairs proposal to change how online content is regulated in New Zealand. But David Seymour ...
A new report from the Auditor-General on four initiatives to improve outcomes for Māori has highlighted the importance of strong relationships between public organisations and Māori, and of taking the time needed to build these relationships. However, ...
The Broadcasting Standards Authority welcomes today’s launch of the public discussion document, Safer Online Services and Media Platforms, on a proposed new content regulation framework. The Authority has long been an advocate for a more flexible regulatory ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alice Clement, Research Associate in the College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University Virtual Australian Museum of Palaeontology, Author providedPalaeontology is the study of evolution and prehistoric life, usually preserved as fossils in rocks. It combines aspects of geology ...
Inclusive Aotearoa Collective Tāhono welcomes the release of the Safer Online Services and Media Platforms report from Te Tari Taiwhenua, dealing with content regulation for media and social media. “We welcome the move to an independent regulator that ...
The drearily titled “Safer Online Services and Media Platforms” document has just been released. Here’s a TLDR summary from The Spinoff’s Shanti Mathias: The suggested changes are pretty different from what we have right now. All digital industries that publish content, including overseas companies like Meta and Google and local ...
The drearily titled “Safer Online Services and Media Platforms” document has just been released. Here’s a TLDR summary from The Spinoff’s Shanti Mathias: The suggested changes are pretty different from what we have right now. All digital industries that publish content, including overseas companies like Meta and Google and local ...
The Safer Online Services and Media Platforms document has just been released by the government’s Content Regulatory Review. It does more than capitalise nouns – here’s what you need to know about what’s inside. What is this document with the world’s most boring name?It’s a proposal from the Department ...
The Safer Online Services and Media Platforms document has just been released by the government’s Content Regulatory Review. It does more than capitalise nouns – here’s what you need to know about what’s inside. What is this document with the world’s most boring name?It’s a proposal from the Department ...
The 2010s musical theatre phenomenon has finally made it to Spark Arena. Does does it live up to the years of expectation? This Angelica Schuyler is transcendent Full disclosure: I am overly familiar with Hamiton without being a full-on Hamilstan. I’ve listened to the cast recording countless times, watched it ...
The 2010s musical theatre phenomenon has finally made it to Spark Arena. Does does it live up to the years of expectation? This Angelica Schuyler is transcendent Full disclosure: I am overly familiar with Hamiton without being a full-on Hamilstan. I’ve listened to the cast recording countless times, watched it ...
Members of the press being turned away from the door distracted from the announcement of asset sales and inflation-pegged rates in Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown’s final budget proposal Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown didn’t mince words at a fiery press conference this morning where he confirmed he’d be calling for a ...
During New Zealand First coalition negotiations our policy was to train and resource 1800 new frontline police. We secured this coalition policy win to ensure our streets had a police force that could tackle crime - after years of neglect. Remember those ...
The government and councils will offer a buyout option to property owners whose land is too risky to rebuild on, and co-fund protection works for those who need it. ...
The government will work with councils to offer a “voluntary buyout” for owners of homes written off by Cyclone Gabrielle and other recent severe weather. About 700 category three properties – those where it’s deemed the risk of future severe weather cannot be sufficiently mitigated – are expected to be ...
Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown’s proposed budget presents a dangerous false choice between cutting public services and privatising Auckland’s assets. The proposal to councillors offers to reinstate funding for public services and increase the pay ...
A leaked consultation document from the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) shows plans to draft and introduce legislation that would entirely restructure the New Zealand censorship regime, bringing online speech, such as material on social media ...
A crucial day for the future of the city, and the mayor’s message to hundreds of thousands of Aucklanders: I don’t want to talk to you. Wayne Brown was right. The media is awash with drongos. I personally have behaved drongoistically – to borrow a Winstonism – at least twice ...
The PSA is pleased Te Whatu Ora has listened to its concerns and is seeking further consultation with unions on a major restructuring as it seeks to remove duplication and centralise services. "This will be a huge relief for workers," said ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Antje Deckert, Associate Professor (Criminology), Auckland University of Technology Getty Images When TVNZ cancelled reality TV show Police Ten 7 earlier this year, it certainly rattled some law-and-order cages. The show’s former host Graham Bell, who described suspects variously ...
A new survey from Consumer NZ has once again found customer’s prefer the country’s smaller power providers. For the third year in a row, Powershop has come out on top with a satisfaction score of 74% – the sixth time overall it has achieved the accolade. Frank Energy received a ...
Applications to mine in the ocean could begin in July. Why are scientists and activists so concerned?Far from the light of the surface, animals are pale; some glow in the dense darkness, have translucent shells; grow very big or very small. Even the most comprehensive list of deep ocean ...
The Independent Police Conduct Authority has found that a Police dog handler was not justified in using his dog to bite a man who was resisting arrest but was justified in using the dog against a second man who threatened Police. At a Whanganui suburb ...
The interdisciplinary artist from Te Whanganui-a-Tara shares all the mahi that happens behind the scenes. Ana (Ngāti Tāwhaki, Ngāi Tūhoe) has won multiple awards for her theatre work, and has been the recipient of the Te Tumu Toi New Zealand Arts Foundation Springboard Award, where she was mentored by ...
Sustainable Tarras (ST) supports today’s commitment from the new Christchurch City Holdings (CCHL) board seeking increased transparency and community engagement on the Tarras airport, as debated with Christchurch City Council (CCC) at today’s ...
This Sunday, 4 June, Wellington and Christchurch will join over 300 cities worldwide in observing the National Animal Rights Day. The events remember the billions of animals who lose their lives each year due to human actions, and acknowledge the ...
EDS has lodged its submission on “ Strengthening National Direction on Renewable Electricity Generation and Electricity Transmission ”, a consultation document prepared by the Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment and the Ministry ...
Auckland’s mayor snubbed most journalists from a morning launch of his new budget. While the Herald was among a select few allowed in the room, reporters from outlets like Stuff weren’t sent an invitation. In a story headlined “Wayne Brown snubs Stuff readers on major Auckland Council budget update”, a ...
A nationwide poll on pay gaps shows nearly 2 out of every 3 New Zealanders consider pay gaps to be a ‘significant’ or ‘very significant’ issue (64%), with a similar number supporting new pay transparency policies to address the issue (63%). ...
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Better the devils you know…
Simon Bridges works tirelessly in front of the camera. His face is the most known in the length and breadth of Aotearoa. Forever portraying Himself. Bits and Pieces.
While his unsteady assistant Paula, plays bowls from time to time, blatantly releasing highly private material. Her Face is likely well known too.
Which is why I hope Simon Bridges – New Zealand's most known man – gets confirmed in the role he chooses this coming Friday.
We will miss him like heck – if he throws in his Towel. Camera tossed from the Sky Tower. And all that.
Two Faces National. These two are the Only persons known in the National paddock.
And God forbid, if David Seymore's strange dancing ass gets accepted. Bodies all over the place. Endless Bodies. Endless bodies and big money everywhere. No Thanks
Fascinating interview with Hooten on RNZ – he is knifing Bridges hard and talking up Todd Muller (who?).
The National party chickens are coming home to roost, with the number of fundies who have won seats meaning the social conservatives and liberal are now split into two factions – in one corner we have the Evangelical wing & the culture warriors coalesced around Bridges and his happy clappy brother in law, in the other the pragmatic, power at all costs brigade with Todd Muller and Nikki Kaye (likely to lose her seat on this polling).
Rent a rant doing as instructed or just having some fun probably filling up airtime.
They risk doing worse with an unskilled media operator but that's not an issue when the media's in your corner is it.
Well, Michelle Boag, the wicked witch of Waiheke, is also putting the boot into Bridges on RNZ and pushing Muller just now. She is more grandiloquent than connected these days, but she probably represents a strand of National party grandee thinking.
Simon might be in front today, but the push to persuade the wavering MPs is clearly on and if tonight poll is equally bad for National then it may be Simon loses, or worse wins on his own vote only.
Anything but real news I guess these days…..she's just another opinionator
Do you think Simon is bright enough to vote for himself?
Not so stupid as to offer a deal to Muller, "You vote for me and I'll vote for you!"
I'd be interested to know if any of these speculating talking heads have clients in the national caucus.
The Farm takes over ?
So – with Todd Muller – working on placing the Farmers as the Government of New Zealand, the Cities and Towns will turn their backs on Mr and Mrs Gum boots.
Don't do it Todd Boy. Cities and Industries, And multiple essential things are required in a Nation.
It’s quite something isn’t it, the way National Party commentators are practically willing the country into an historic recession so they can say “I told you so”.
Granny's done her bit today on that with the mouth being feed (nz businesses) biting the govt over not being like Oz.
The Herald's ambient bias is amazing. Trevett practically urging National to "not lose ground" is quite something.
And Hosking, he is frantic with worry.
Just as well hardly anyone reads it nowadays.
As for the Nats losing ground. Colmar Brunton that’s due tonight was apparently polling up until yesterday evening so may capture some of the public sentiment developing as the proverbial hit the fan for the Nats.
Oz was doing really well until there was an outbreak in a meatworks in Victoria. Now they are back to where they were 30 days ago.
Meatworks have been hit particularly hard in Canada and the USA as well.
From what I heard they have been doing social distancing in NZ in meatworks and running double shifts. But that's led to problems with drought stricken farmers trying to get rid of stock and finding it hard to book in.
Here's a graph (I hope)
Try linking.
Sorry the link is such a long but at the end is a pretty graph.
https://scontent.fwlg2-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/99103830_1015063508887603_5323176634096812032_n.jpg?_nc_cat=106&_nc_sid=730e14&_nc_ohc=0YaLJ2lgBMkAX-FFD-e&_nc_ht=scontent.fwlg2-1.fna&oh=0855e86c2e3bf7238ffd96444a4bca1b&oe=5EECE234
That uptick in Australia shows up clearly. Unfortunate.
The silver lining is that this whole situation will do wonders for the synthetic meat industry.
why should facts get in the way of some RW spin being it's fronted by the COO of Fonterra…..one of the most incompetently managed organisations in NZ.
Up against Fletchers that's no mean feat.
Do you think meat works being hit hard in the USA and Canada has something to do with the temperature as well as hard to social distance on a line?
dunno about Canada, but US workers were told to come in even if ill.
There might also be stats on how centralised the US meat industry is comapred to NZ, but I don't know where. A farmer rep on the Daily Show was saying part of the problem is over the past few decades smaller regional plants have shut down in favour of a few larger facilities. If one in five plants goes down to 30% capacity, that's a major hit. If 2 in 15 go down to 30%, not so bad. And the ones at 100% are closer.
An AMAZING person who can nail her comments – I hope she goes far in the future, a real gem. I wouldn't be surprised if these same essential workers are the same that I see receiving handouts at Christmas time
But don't worry something is happening within National that is FAR MORE IMPORTANT !!
South Auckland cry: 'NZ wants to rebuild, but it's on our backs'
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12333389
Very impressive! Another wahine toa.( just looked it up – tamatai talavou in Samoan)
Wow! Street knowledge more powerful than you'd think. I wonder if it's ironic that she knows she's being pimped by the government?
https://youtu.be/UGkywE_uCEI
Farrar watch:
Kiwiblog's best commenter is theorising the National Party leadership challenge is a set up to make Simon look strong. They're all in on it, apparently.
Wouldn't like to be the National Party if this is true and the public find out…
Kiwiblog is ridiculous and irrelevant these days, Farrar has turned it into a platform for a parade of has-been detritus defending 1980s neoliberalism and the comments have re-housed all the wing nuts from whaleoil.
Farrar himself just wants to keep the money coming in to Curia, so he’ll hunt with the hares and run with the hounds.
his site traffic says otherwise.
A lot of people like watching bumfights for entertainment.
Sometimes I go there, it is the modern day equivalent of the gruesome pleasure of a 18th Century tourist’ visiting Bedlam. A guilty pleasure, as it were.
The technicolour pustulence can be appealing when you're passing through. I do worry about some of the locals. The promoter always seems to be rolling in cash, villagers scrabbling at his hem.
If you believe his site traffic statistics.
IRC Whale Oils were like 2/3 apple safari views …
It's an ugly site, I had a look the other day, just looks old, boring, stale…
For the public to find out there'd have to be a leaker and that's unlikely to happen isn't it? Chuckle chuckle.
Mind you if you're 'Kiwiblog's best commenter' you'd probably be quite good at playing the Kiwiblog/Farrar bullshit game and floating bullshit to create a picture you want painted.
The funny thing is that while I think Bridges is a twerp and an embarrassment to National there are other perspectives. I think for a supposed intelligent person he is dumb. He may not have got in a position to do something terrible, his Strike Force Raptor troops sorting the people were words, all piss and wind, he didn't get a chance to unleash them. On Thursday morning he's a political pariah. Did he perpetrate any evil?
John Key, 'Sir' John Key is a hero. His words about the GCSB may have been all piss and wind when it came to their relationship to truth and deed, but he had to chance to, and did what went on.
Line them up. One is like shandy made with non-alcoholic beer and one is Sunset Very Strong Rum with its 84.5% of alcohol.
If David Cormack is to be believed Simon Bridges had a evangelical conversion to a full on God botherer a couple of years ago. If that is true, it would explain his near fanatical conviction that he must – MUST! – bring down these Godless socialists.
Wasn't his brother-in-law already on that path?
Yes he is. The quiet infiltration of hard core evangelicals into National is something our ultra media opinionistas seem determined not to discuss, but it is clearly fuelling this split in National.
If the tory christians lose this caucus tussle, maybe the fortunes of minor parties of that space get a boost. Be interesting to hear how it plays out in the Nat party hierarchy beyond caucus, where the real power resides.
All those kiddy-fiddlers from those collapsed so-called "Christian "parties had to go somewhere.
Nah the main groomers and child abusers these days are in schools teaching kids all about anal sex, trans delusions, and how it's wrong to judge people. Instead of showing kids how to be safe from predators
[Nice slur on teachers. Next time you try to make a concise point you could perhaps leave the denigration of a large professional group out of it, yes? As it stands, you come across as a disturbed troll with unresolved issues – Incognito]
well, that went south quickly.
Or North, hemisphere depending.
See my Moderation note @ 11:46 AM.
Noted. Apologies for the angry outburst
Ta
It may feel like a thankless, even bleak task at times, but it's an important responsibility. You do it better than I ever managed.

Matthew 21:12-13 Jesus throws the moneylenders out of the temple
Luke 4:18-19 Jesus proclaims good news to the poor and oppressed
Matthew 25:37-40 Jesus warns of judgement against those who fail to care for the vulnerable and poor
etc etc
SiBri may have had a conversion to something but it wasn't the Way that Jesus preached. How easily those who dabble in church and don't bother to do the homework fall into relying on religious rules, rather than humbling themselves
The funniest 5 minutes on TV in ages was the Voxpop on the Bridges debacle last night. Still laughing on the classic Nat party garden party attender whose opinion of Jacinda was she wished she was leading the Nat party but when shown photos of Muller and Kaye replied " Amy someone" and "Simon Joyce ". Go Team.
Loved that moment too. A reminder to us lefties that a lot of National's support is based on cultural taxonomies and hierarchies. National represent the right sort of people who pay their bills and mow their lawns. Formal ideology, or any actual knowledge of what is happening in the world, come in second. It's quite sobering really, because it's so resistant to any form of persuasion, and insulting it just strengthens the underlying prejudice that the left is uncouth and unpleasant.
A Well summarised and analysed I think. Why it is very hard to move intelligent and efficacious policy in NZ. The myopic citizens of the comfortably-off (never rich) who surprisingly tend to be right-wing Gnats, don't want to see reality. That is as uncouth as it was to the lords and ladies of the Regency era in the light novels I read for stress-relief. That was then says my mind but – it parallels what I see with eyes wide open now, comes in an urgent whisper from the sidelines.
"Pay their bills"?
Except their tax bills?
After some years as a tradesman, I found someone having a flash house and right wing views, was a fairly good indication that I needed to get a big deposit, up front.
Heh.
"Between the idea and the reality ….falls the Shadow"
Some news for you.
transmission gully is in the shit. government has been talking about throwing everything at it. looks like the company is about to walk away from it as it would cost less than staying.
also, someone just took a 50ton digger to ripping parts of it up.
covid, everyone left and went back to australia. trucks, utes were found at wellington airport with the keys still in them.
make of that what you will.
Someone should ask Simon Bridges about that. When he gets a breather from the Nats infighting. That project has been heading for disaster even while he was the Transport Minister trying to persuade everybody it was on time and under budget.
I can tell you it mostly was. It was a couple of harsh winters and now covid, which I think has put the nail in.
What harsh winters? What a load of bollocks. That project was a dog from the start. National happily awarded the PPP to an Australian company who didn’t really have a clue what road building in NZ’s tricky geological conditions would require. So far the project has needed about 50% more earthworks than originally specced. They were bringing workers in from Australia, who’ve all gone home because of Covid. The ripping up the tarmac that you’ve mentioned is probably the latest effort at relaying work due to mistakes by the building consortium.
Yep. See article linked below. https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-21-05-2020/#comment-1713753
different weather up there mate. go read the reports on the slosh and frozen soil. the last winter or the one before where it rained so much no work could be done for months. same reason kapati express way keeps having issues, drainage to do with how the roads were laid. that was the fault of the contractors though, who are actually being contracted to fix it 😀
Last two winters down south have been bloody odd. There's a hole at the bottom of my road that the council has been meaning to fix for 12 months. Some of that is other reasons but the weather has definitely been an issue. Too much rain.
the road was ripped up by an angry employee a few days ago. it's being kept hush hush. not a lot of goodwill out there.
Can't beat local knowledge. 🙂
Contractors that don't know, weather occurs. LOL.
According to my local info it was about a year behind 2 years ago
The sales pitch for PPPs like Transmission Gully was that the private parties would finance all the upfront costs and build it and wear the risks, and would then make their money by getting paid an ongoing annual fixed fee starting from when it was opened and operating.
So if the company is about to just walk away, then it looks to me like the PPP model says we should get all the work done so far for free, and the government could then just go ahead and complete the job and get it done at reduced cost with the bonus of not having to pay the annual operating fees.
Or did the National government lie about what PPPs really are and pull a bait and switch on us all when they signed up to the project?
Exactly, and all the gear is leased so let the leasor take it back and then rent it for a fraction of the price and get the new MOW finish it. Sorted.
Good detail about all of that: https://www.greaterauckland.org.nz/2020/05/06/times-up-for-ppps/
There were always a couple of vehicles used by The Transmission gully workers around our way at night – must have accommodation in the area. Vehicles were there post lockdown but haven't seen them just recently. The plot thickens
Marvelous.
https://twitter.com/ProjectLincoln/status/1263204731570307073
Just browsing through the Health website and looked at the workforce tab. Asking both employees and organisations to register their needs.
My questions are:
– When and how and where the contracts to the agencies below awarded- what fees if any do they receive from public money or does the employer pay as usual and why was the decision made to use these two firms?
Beyond has been around a fair while and has always looked to be a mid – upper level agency but the Accent Health if I have the right one looks like it specialised pretty much in the recruitment of overseas health workers and getting visas. Not an obvious choice?
– while there may be a need to allocate available trained staff across the public health system – is this also being used to allocate people to by the private for profit healthcare sector in particular the aged care and outsourced care giving contracts? If it is being used by for profit providers why are they not being advised to advertise over the usual websites and for that matter be required to pay decent wages and have decent conditions of work?
-should public money be used to enhance private contracts
– Is the contract tracing outsourced and if so are they accessing the app data?
https://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/diseases-and-conditions/covid-19-novel-coronavirus/covid-19-resources-health-professionals/join-covid-19-surge-workforce
How are workers assigned to roles?
Accent Health Recruitment is matching health workers to roles by considering the qualifications and skill sets required, the location where the worker is needed, and the hours they would need to work. Beyond Recruitment is assisting with additional screening questions and reference checks to help determine suitability.
Matthew Paris from UK on Radionz this morning gave me a hollow laugh. Their private company Serco, the efficient operator of all things, has been given the government contract to be part of the Covid-19 tracing system.
Lots of people signing up for it, it would probably have ended up looking like running a bounty-hunter system like in the old USofA. And ballsed up right at the start, they sent one of the applicants a file with addresses of all the other applicants and Matthew Paris says, they now all know those contacts.
How the UK thought that their contracting out was going to be better for this delicate and important task than direct control I don't know. But under present political strictures from the USA's Milton Friedman et al it seems that UK gummint and others of similar mien (mean!), is set at being nothing but an expensive employment agency for ambitious nouveau riche jerks after perks.
Yeah , I have always thought a 4 day working week was the right balance in life, particularly if working for someone else! Bring it on Jacinda – it won,t make any difference to me , as self -employed I work any ,or all, seven days of the week I want to, or need to.
I recall my father once telling me a three day weekend would be perfect, "One day for the house, one day for the family and one for himself". And then he said, "Guess which one misses out at the moment".
Data manipulation in Florida and Georgia by Republican administrations to support re-opening of the state. Listen from 1m19s through to about 2m22s. Amazing. And so delusional to believe they could get away with it – at least when Stalin always reported exceeding his 5-year plans for steel production, there was no public information eco-system that allowed people to check.
Poor old Mike. Yesterday he claimed National could still win but today has conceded defeat.
Still claiming National won the election in 2017, etc. And on the Labour led government which has gained plaudits all over the world for its pandemic response he has this to say:
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12333626
If TVNZ put him in as debate moderator again the country should hit the streets in protest.
Try reading that bit you quoted again, in context! He's actually putting the boot into the Nats. And that's after a moment of honesty: "I have no idea." 🙃
Ah well. He's not a good writer, is he. None on these broadcasters seem to be yet they are all given opinion column inches.
It is telling he has thrown in the towel though!
"Unfortunately, for the last half-century, the prevailing political message in many countries has been that governments cannot – and therefore should not – actually govern. Politicians, business leaders, and pundits have long relied on a management creed that focuses obsessively on static measures of efficiency to justify spending cuts, privatization, and outsourcing.
As a result, governments now have fewer options for responding to the crisis, which may be why some are now desperately clinging to the unrealistic hope of technological panaceas such as artificial intelligence or contact-tracing apps. With less investment in public capacity has come a loss of institutional memory (as the UK’s government has discovered) and increased dependence on private consulting firms, which have raked in billions. Not surprisingly, morale among public-sector employees has plunged in recent year"
https://www.interest.co.nz/opinion/105135/mariana-mazzucato-and-giulio-quaggiotto-show-why-countries-embraced-proactive-state
So true…Will we finally learn the lesson?
I suspect the slow start to Kiwibuild had more to do with that, and a lack of spare capacity, than anything else.
Perhaps…although it was the wrong policy in any case. Something that likely would have been realised in time had the state capability existed.
Yes. I never liked it.
They should have simply built a lot more State rental houses.
My feelings as well
I thought this was an excellent extract to pass on pat. I have quoted it and you in a comment on TDB in Waatea News today. More people should read this summation I believe, and perhaps we could see more clearly.
Its a message that cannot be too widely disseminated (imo)
Imagine if it seeded here. A Scott Base lab's popular Emperor Penguin turns ill. They pop it on a flight to the Christchurch vet school. Prof + 20 students develop a weird cough. As soon as they twigged I'd hope our Government would slam down on the region/city and secure it tightly. Stop all domestic movement. Aircraft, cars, buses, taxis trains, bikes, pedestrians, insist everyone locks down hard. With the exception of departing international flights. There will be lots of people not feeling well that need to get home to all points on the globe. I think we should follow WHO guidelines and halt all domestic movement but allow taxi, bus and Uber movement to the departure terminal of the Christchurch international airport.
Dog eat dog at noon for Simon and Todd.
AC/DC – Dog Eat Dog
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t22TpvtLOro
Isn't the Todd thing a charade to make us all say in unison 'Simon won'
Well that'd be a helluva travel tab Todd Munter's run up for the sake of a subterfuge. Pretty big bubble Munty has by the look of it.
Any spoilers from the 1 news poll?
Nope, but #savesimon is trending #1 on twitter thanks to the input from the left 🙂 Bloody brilliant 🙂
Roll on 6pm, not long now
You'd think someone would have had a little tinkle, even if not a full on leak, but yeah, waiting for the likely discrepancies between polls for the line to be reported as national are pulling it back etc.
I suppose I'll have to break a habit and actually watch tv news for a change.
Hehehe it's more dramatic via the TV news.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cphNpqKpKc4
heh
There's a column in Stuff written by someone called Damian Grant. The blurb at the end says " Damien Grant is a regular columnist for Stuff, and an insolvency practitioner and business owner based in Auckland. He writes from a libertarian perspective and is a member of the Taxpayers Union' but not of any political party."
In writing about Todd Muller's writing as a 10 year of how he wanted to be American President, Grant says: " Now, I am not going to criticise a ten-year-old for outsized ambitions; this is the inevitable result of an education system that rewards participation rather than achievement."
What? I dreamt of being an All Black, a famous pop singer and climbing Mt Everest. The inevitable result of an education system that rewards participation rather than achievement I suppose?
I could have dreamt of being a silly arse and ended up being one. But what sort of an education system would it be if I ended up like Damian Grant?
Sentenced to 30 months' jail for fraud and says jail doesn’t change you, nat type shill, would rather buy a new phone than give to charity, and has an all round sort of tosser bigot vibe.
What more do you need to know?
Grant clearly doesn't know anything about the education system – it has a mania for assessment mainly due to influential nitwits (like Grant) constantly demanding it. To cut him some slack, I guess all right-wing libertarians have been pyschically scarred by seeing the state intervene strongly and competently to save people from a deadly virus. And in addition save the economy from far worse damage than it would have experienced without that interference. Kind of blows their worldview to smithereens and makes them babble incoherently.
Why are the National party propagandists so good at unconscious irony?
After decades of pushing for an education system that rewards mindless rote learning, to pass constant narrow testing, he complains about education that "rewards participation rather than achievement".
I think Red L has read this.
The aggressive retort by party diplomats is designed to do what it's doing. It's working. It has nothing to do with annoying us and everything to do with no fuel at Chinese bowsers being Don's fault.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/417168/homicide-sexual-assault-charges-plummet-during-lockdown
Overall, 22 percent fewer charges were laid in the District Court during the lockdown.
Homicide, robbery and fraud charges all dropped roughly 40 percent while the biggest change was a 65 percent drop in sexual violence charges.
Charges relating to family violence – expected to rise as households came under pressure in the pandemic – dropped 10 percent.
Majorly, lack of (alcoholic) fuel?
"I ain't got no Woodies or DB Browns Uncle Grey but I could have the postie drop you in a little bag of Gizzy Madness my grey mango."
Or, there's no escape.
Why can't cops just use their tasers or shoot people in the shoulder or the leg or something instead of killing people?
https://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/121584925/shocked-friends-remember-taranaki-man-shot-dead-by-police
Yeah, I've been provoked into flipping out in an outrageous way before, I'm sure I'm not alone. I'm pleased I didn't do so in front of an armed Policeman. When flipping out, calculating the status of the people about is furthermost from your mind.
Nobody is evil to the core but it's hard not to wonder if some of these people being taken down aren't evil at all. They left their insulin in their other pants etc.
I think you're right, we can put wild animals to sleep with tranquiliser darts, we insist on it, anything else is Barbaric, why not humans.
That reminds me of Nigel Latta in his Beyond the Darklands programme. A young chap had spent years drinking and driving, had been through the courts and sent to prison a number of times, but over the years he'd also killed six people. This, according to Nigel Latta, meant that he was 'evil'. It really was quite incredible. Latta's approach in that show was always to interview the subject's friends and family about the person's background to try to explain their behaviour. People who knew this chap described him as essentially a good guy who was kind and worked hard and who'd give you the shirt off his back, but that when he drank he'd do stupid things. Nobody said a bad word against this guy apart from how he was when he drank. Latta went to the trouble of talking to these people presumably to get an insight into things, but still described him as 'evil'. It was an extraordinary conclusion, especially coming from someone who holds themselves out as an expert on 'human behaviour'.
To think, I believed the bullshit they fed us when the Taser was added to their arsenal.
I'd be gutted if National polls over 30% tonight.
Don't the Brunton polls usually over egg the nat vote and squish the reds and greens?
I'd be disappointed if they're above 35%
Usually, yes, but these are no usual times and the one poll may influence the other.
Blimey, 29%, your guts are safe. lol
Gee, I hope not. You don't deserve such a fate. I'm picking they come in at 35%, Labour 50%, Greens 6%, NZF 3%, ACT 2%…
It'll probably be L 42, N 39, G 4.9, NZF 8.
"It's a miracle", Simon will say and liken himself to Lazarus (Tova already has) or even Jesus him/herself!
I wouldn’t want to disappoint Tova!
Whoops, looks like I was wrong. 🙂
todd muller worked for fonterra nuff said