The latest Roy Morgan poll has some surprises and some results not so surprising.
National Party 49.5% (up 5.5%)
Labour 26.5% (down 4%)
Greens 12.5% (down 4.5%)
New Zealand First 6.5% (up 1.5%)
Maori Party 1.5% (unchanged)
Others 1.5% (up 1%)
Mana Party 1% (up 0.5%)
United Future 1% (up 0.5%)
ACT NZ 0% (down 0.5%)
I’m surprised National have bounced back that much. It may be a lucky spike going againbst a recent slightly downward trend.
Labour’s drop doesn’t surprise me, sustained negative politics and a non-prominent leader won’t be enthusing swing voters.
Greens drop back to earth is no surprise, the last poll spike seemed likely to be too much too quickly.
NZF seems to be still doing well with the “stuff it, there’s no one else worth voting for” vote.
I think TV3 have their next poll release tomorrow night, it will be interesting to see how that compares.
UF doubled what’s been a consistent (albeit very modest) level of poll support for some time. I’m sure there are less worries there than with Labour. Or are you happy with where Labour’s at?
Except the increase is less than the error of the poll and thus statistically non-significant, meaning that it’s more probable that 0.5% increase is noise.
So what does that make the % movement in the Roy Morgan poll for the 3 bigger Party,s in the space of a month???,
Such erratic ‘polling’ cannot really be relied upon as an accurate estimate of support and I would dare not here suggest that a certain Australian public relations firm has had a private conversation with a certain Australian public polling firm, reminding that polling firm just how much biz that public relations firm puts their way,
Such things just never happen like that,(only in the conspiracy theories,our range of tin-foil hats are available for sale online at you know where),
Or do they, during the 2011 election campaign,and, the months leading up to that campaign I was involved commenting online elsewhere, needless to say the experience was a cesspool of abuse firstly directed at me and secondly indulged in by me in terms of ‘giving as good as I got’,
Back to the point tho, during the ongoing debate over whether NZFirst had a bulls roar show of re-entering the Parliament on that un-named site I was actively watching a particular ‘on-line political polling site’ with great interest, particularly the nature of the NZFirst ‘polling’ on that site,
When asked befor the election,and,based upon what I had learned from that particular polling site I quoted NZFirst as being 6.2%–12% of the vote,
The accuracy 6.2% and the wide % differential I gave at the time was simply the addition to what my base-line figure for NZFirst’s polling was at the time of all the times that Party was manipulated downward within that particular poll,(ie every time NZFirst polled 5% it was immediately manipulated back down to 3%),
Over the past 2 Roy Morgan polls the swings for all 3 Party,s Green/Labour/National are far to great to be viewed as an accurate record of voter sentiment…
The fact that almost 30% of the voting population didn’t vote last election and that Roy Morgan are accounting for only around 12% of those people, makes that poll completely useless.
As part of IBM’s Battery 500 project — an initiative started in 2009 to produce a battery capable of powering a car for 500 miles — Big Blue has successfully demonstrated a light-weight, ultra-high-density, lithium-air battery.
…
The main thing, though, is that lithium-air energy density is a lot higher than conventional lithium-ion batteries: the max energy density of lithium-air batteries is theorized to be around 12 kWh/kg, some 15 times greater than li-ion — and more importantly, comparable to gasoline.
That potential energy density is astoundingly high.
Of course, we also need to remember that unlike oil, batteries are not a source of energy. Batteries can only store energy that is sourced or generated from elsewhere.
The reality is, there is no way this is going to be honestly and accurately applied to all the corporate expense accounts, the credit cards, the private parking, in-house catering, the subsidised travel etc etc that the business world gorge on everyday.
What is an expense account if not a payment in lieu of salary?
There’s “some” pressure on Dunedin City Council to follow Christchurch and declare the city frack free. The front page of this week’s community newspaper was covered by it.
It claims “a lot of people in Dunedin are calling for this”. I followed some links and found lightweight support around New Zealand and bugger all in Dunedin. The person claiming that was an Octagon occupier – remember the 99%? What the frack?
Hey Pete, is there any subject that you are not an expert on??
Now let’s see –
knows there is nothing wrong with fracking.
knows everything there is to know about industrial relations.
knows everything about the advantages of charter schools.
knows everything about the advantages of conference centres and government tendering.
knows everything there is to know about good teaching practice (supported Tolley to the hilt remember…)
Or do you just post to flame?
How do you rate on the supply of statins and asparin to all in the country free in order to raise life expectancy?
Are there a few letters missing off your profile.
MSc, LLB, MBA, MEng. MAcc, MGeol, MPlan, MEd
I don’t think there’s “nothing wrong with fracking”. I await the results of the Commissioner for the Environment inquiry with interest. If the inquiry finds real and significant concerns about fracking in New Zealand then I’ll be concerned about fracking here.
I do have a problem with a very small number of people trying to pressure DCC into doing something that probably isn’t council business, and especially without proper democratic consultation.
Urban areas have been known to be harmed by mining when the land subsides. Fracking under urban areas will over time leave a huge risk for homeowners, will this be on the LIM?
Underground mining, such as in Waihi, and the West Coast has sweet f.a. to do with fracking.
Fracking is only used to detect oil and gas at substantial depths.
Fracking causes earthquakes. Earthquakes are just large large earth movements. Subsidence is what people call earth movements that are not perceivable.
Fracking will increase, not only the possibility for earthquakes, but subsidence.
“If the inquiry finds real and significant concerns about fracking in New Zealand then I’ll be concerned about fracking here.”
newsflash for Petey et al, we live on the same frakkin planet you moron, the laws of physics apply here just the same as they do elsewhere. Nitpick all you want but the very physical act of fraccing is class-A-high-grade-collector-edition- stupid!
The reason councils should get involved at the behest of the people is because national government cannot currently be trusted to protect the environment we are all dependent on.
So now that Sky is slated to get pokies, will their investors sue if they lose income from future changes to the law, aka smoking branding?
Crafer was a news story from the beginning, first as cow pooh overflowing, then as the first Chinese buyer was not of good standing, and then National rubberstamping the deal, now as China gets Landcorp to make milk for them. The only good Crafer has commanded is to open the debate up on how stupid it is to fix legislation and tax, lock in decline, and become tenants in our own land.
The Crafer family bankrupted their farms, the ownership therefore turning to the money lenders, Westpac, an Australian Bank who became the de facto owners.
Maybe Westpac should not have lent them so much in the beginning.
Nevertheless they have still lost a large sum from this sale even so.
Warmonger, racist, and general all-round bigoted fuckwit Mark Bennett filling in for Michael Laws on Radio Live yesterday:
I can’t wait to see the first aircraft carrier arrive for god’s sake I mean, you know, big, big lumpy old David Lange, standing up there on his pulpit telling us why we can’t have Americans down here, and forgetting the 70 odd thousand that died to clear all the nips out of this part of the world, you know, I mean, I (sputter, pant sputter), what did, (fap fap choke),what really was the man thinking? (pant pant) I can’t wait for the first nuclear powered American aircraft carrier to arrive in the Waitemata Harbour I’ll be out there on a raft with a big sign saying “welcome home” (bursts into song and jizzes his pants)
Oh and for bonus points this little rant was bookended by anti-mislim fervour.
Hi Felix
Radio Live is outrageously right wing. At the moment they’ve got Rodney Hide filling in for John Tamihere. Laws is a professional underclass basher. Willy Jackson might be effective but dilutes everything with “Mate” ,laughter, humour, feel good music and jokeyness. Maggie Barry who worked there is now a Nat MP. JT is an apologist for the right. Paul Henry another American toady. And Key had his 1 hour Party Political Broadcast prior to the last election.
I think I will vote that old die hard Winnie Peters next time. Was a Labour voter for awhile then migrated to Greens for the past 4 elections.
No wonder Labour has got no traction – a new leader who looks like Keys lite – smiley middle aged middle class white guy -yawn. And the residual Helengrad elements still lurking, like the reverse racist, man hating felix types.
I am particularly impressed with NZ First’s immigration position.
Funny how the biggest tossers name themselves after mythological heros.
Mankind has enough fire thanks kiwi_pro(meth)eus. And since you only seem to be carrying shit you better fuck off before you get to find out if your liver really can grow back overnite.
Warmonger, racist, and general all-round bigoted fuckwit Mark Bennett filling in for Michael Laws on Radio Live yesterday:
Oh, is Bennett still around? I did wonder what had become of him (I listened to him in the 1990s, as his station was the only one I could get while travelling.) What a vile man he is!
We can only hope, the ‘feeling’ here is that ‘climate change’ might have just moved the ‘seasons’ a little meaning Spring/Summer on the wee islands Of Gods Own may start a little later than October,
The evidence for this,well very little,(another bald assertion from the home of bald assertions)our garden seeds tho,sprouting out of the ground with monotonous regularity in October every year would not in 2011 come forth till well into November,
An isolated incident perhaps more to do with Wellington’s ‘strange’ weather in 2011,(snowing twice in Winter down at sea-level),lets see what happens this October…
The summers in NZ are generally referred to the months they end in, as has always been the case. Hence the 2012 summer has already ended as at 29 February 2012.
Much the same in the Northern Hemisphere where the Winters are referred to the months they end in.
You don’t use the start of the seasons to signify the current years. You are the first person I’ve ever seen that seems to think that.
Summer 2013 for NZ starts in December 2012 and ends in February 2013.
Although with this planet shifting by degrees on its axis in the last two years with Chile and Japan (and still waiting to see what the double banger M8’s in Indonesia have caused) it’s theoretically likely that the seasons have shifted by up to a month.
Not everythings on the internet you doofus. My kids primary school newsletter isn’t on the interwebs, and neither is common knowledge that’s been passed down.
Summer 2012 School Holidays are over and it’s back to school.
And a simple google for you will show that Chile and Japan did shift earth on it’s axis.
It’s not shit when it’s been pear-shaped reviewed.
Oskar, you are way off beam with both summers and axis. While the earthquakes may have had a tiny and temporary effect on the way the globe wobbles, they have not moved the seasons by so much as a minute, let alone a month.
Having experienced a few summers, it has been my understanding that NZ seasons traditionally are said to follow European ones. We’ve just ‘enjoyed’ summer 2011 and Europe is just beginning summer 2012. But more importantly, the question is what Trev meant by ‘summer 2012’. And clearly, he meant next summer, because it’s a more sensible time in the electoral cycle to be considering one’s future. If he’d meant summer 2011, he’d have simply said ‘over the summer’.
But given the vast amount by which the sumatran quakes slid past each other – which is “unprecedented” given the plates moved anywhere between 21 – 38 metres depending on which site you read.
We’ll just have to agree to disagree on when the summer period is claimed.
After all, I have an old dominion post here from November last year that talks about Summer 2011-2012 Events.
I would have thought most people would refer to it as Summer 2012 given there’s more months in the 2012 summer than in 2011, albeit a factor of 2 months.
And Te Reo – the effects are not “temporary” they are permanent. 25 years ago Summers regularly started around Labour Weekend. I’ve seen the summer seasons start later and later and haven’t seen a Summer begin before or on Labour Weekend since around 1998.
Ive had to plant out my summer crops later in the year since then given what’s planted over Labour Weekend tends to flower too early for proper pollination.
Anything planted towards the end of November/mid December gets a much better fruiting season on. Zucchinis I planted November last year were done by Waitangi weekend. Some I planted during the xmas break are still going strong even now – and these are all from seedlings.
Stop confusing Oscar with actual numbers, especially when it involves time periods. He has a bit of Timelords problem – never quite sure of what era he is in.
But in this case, I suspect he is confused between the rates of magnetic variation and axial precession. One is measured in minutes per year, the other in fractions of a meter per year.
With long service and his being upfront, Trevor gathered some history, which on cue has the negative sorts picking out those “events.” Think of those very obscure MPs who came and went without their names being known by anyone except their Mums and Dads. Trevor has achieved a great deal. As Minister of Education for instance he was upfront, progressive, approachable and frank. Compare that with current and past Min of Ed.
Williamson in his discourse justified the decision for the Crafar deal as “…well Helen Clark celebrated the high country estate sale to Shania Twain” so that makes it okay – I said – she said …
Just one small point Williamson didn’t mention was that Shania Twain made her estate open to the general public to walk / frolic and appreciate, and from memory, the land did not appear to be in the “productive” area.
(As an aside, some of you may remember the Tokoroa/Kinleath plant under NZForestProducts – The public used to have reasonable access and visit the set-up.
When it went to foreign interests, there were considerably elaborate fences and several security gates erected to discourage visits.)
The 2005 purchase of the 25,000 ha Mototapu and Mt Soho stations by companies linked to Ms Twain and her then husband were hailed by politicians and the media as signalling a new “smart, win win” approach to the controversial subject of foreigners buying up great chunks of prime NZ land.
I’m pretty sure that the stations were quite productive – before Shania Twain bought them anyway.
“Shania Twain made her estate open to the general public to walk / frolic and appreciate,”
err, no she didn’t. What she did was establish a walking track so that the public could access a very specific part of the farm. The rest is off limits. Prior to that access by the public would have been vaguer but more free. Access to high country farms has changed alot in the past decade, largely due to NZ being overrun by tourists. Traditional values on land access have changed.
As far as I know, the Motutapu Station is a productive farm. I don’t know if Twain is still the owner, as her and her husband have since separated.
btw, (for Mark up there esp) I was opposed to the sale at the time.
DTB and weka
points well made, thanks and noted. I was more concerned about the justification – “They did it so that it makes it okay for us…” mentality.
We probably should be grateful – I think Labour’s position on overseas land ownership was one of the outstanding reasons for people to migrate to voting Greens.
Yes I think that was Winston’s and David’s point. The sale of “prime, dairy farming land” is very different from High Country farms. (A great little Campbell Live item on Thursday by the way, on the up for sale of “Castle Hill Station” in the Hill Country Canterbury. Wonderful country.)
felix; too many sausage rolls has made his brain go funny!
they keep idiots like him on tap to appeal to the prejudices of all the bigots and to smother the rest in nonsense.
its easily done.
out on highway 61.
I think I will vote that old die hard Winnie Peters next time. Was a Labour voter for awhile then migrated to Greens for the past 4 elections.
No wonder Labour has got no traction – a new leader who looks like Keys lite – smiley middle aged middle class white guy -yawn. And the residual Helengrad elements still lurking, like the reverse racist, man hating felix types.
I am particularly impressed with NZ First’s immigration position.
[Don’t go there mickey; the mods get to decide what is trolling or not. We have our own brew of “Lynn Prentice Capricious Slash” for piddling on real trolls…RL]
Hang on, felix and the like can be as obnoxious and abuse as they like -> “Warmonger, racist, and general all-round bigoted fuckwit” [ which is actually a fair enough description of the shock jock ]
But if anyone points out the ridiculous views or behaviour of felix et al, it is “trolling”?
But you didn’t point out any of my ridiculous views, k_p, you just made up some ridiculous views and pretended they were mine.
ps I think you’ve been around here for long enough under your various names to know exactly what you were doing and exactly what the rules are (they’re in the policy which you’ve no doubt been pointed to dozens of times).
you just made up some ridiculous views and pretended they were mine.
I’ve often seen you do that felix. It’s a core part of your gaming.
And you say:
“I think you’ve been around here for long enough under your various names…”
and
“I think our new friend k_p is going to be fun.”
within 17 minutes. That’s the sort of thing you might refer to like:
This bald-faced lie, this flat denial of what you just typed in your previous comment.
Yes, I do know, my last comment was slightly sarcastic.
And your claim of sarcasm on your contradictory statements doesn’t make sense. I know that can happen when you post off the cuff comments without giving it much thought, and not bothering reviewing your past comments thoroughly.
Your man hating and reverse racism is right there for everyone to see.
You claim you have nothing to do with Labour, but your extreme views fit in nicely with a certain Labour faction. Which is why you hang around here like a bad smell.
Why don’t you go hang out with that uber man hater QofT on her Wymin Against Phalopression site? She needs all the help she can get, she only averages 1 or 2 comments on her bitter twisted ravings and those are usually her own, lol.
It’s true k_p, I’m a labour voter and I hate men. And I’m a lesbian. And I’m QoT’s lover. And we’re satanists.
But I did already freely admit to my reverse racism so I’m not sure why you’re banging on about that. I think you might be suffering from reverse comprehension.
Why aren’t you over on QofT blog, she looks awfully lonely. Guess you hang out here because its the only site with a decent sized audience which will tolerate a rad fem nut job.
Got a bit of a chip on your shoulder over QoT have you, lie down on the couch and let it all out.
Did she cut you down sometime, or laugh at your micro flightless breeding equipment, oh diddums, go see Slater for another cuddle tosspot.
Did she cut you down sometime, or laugh at your micro flightless breeding equipment, oh diddums, go see Slater for another cuddle tosspot.
I don’t know if you’re a man or a woman, (I tend to assume everyone here is a gay man ) but you all really are terribly obsessed with male genitalia, hey? 🙂
I’ve no obsession with members no, but am rather keen on my partner and her feminine charm.
My attempt to show support for felix with my abuse to k_p was dumb and useless as felix can scratch back just fine without my insignificant two cents.
“I don’t know if you’re a man or a woman, (I tend to assume everyone here is a gay man )”
That is one of the most unusual things I’ve read on here, can you elaborate on that in any way?
You mean that thing about how you said you reckoned only 2 of the regulars here had kids, and I suggested you were speaking in tongues? ‘Cos, like, it was a ridiculous thing to say?
That’s because I posted the first one in the wrong column and when I hit the delete button all I got was a -1 which I presume is an output break for debugging. So I went ahead and posted it further down anyway.
“The carbon-fuelled, capital-driven model of economic growth, which started in my country 200-odd years ago, has spread across the planet and is now, I believe, reaching its apex here in China.”
The party’s Epsom MP today warned supporters that ”New Zealand has taken a major turn to the left.’
[..]
”The people of New Zealand have elected a parliament in the majority that is to the left of what our Australian cousins called socialists…without ACT we are staring in the face of two decades of Labour, the Greens and [NZ First leader] Winston [Peters].”
This, the same day many righties are claiming a rise in National’s support as in the latest Roy Morgan poll.
And, funny, but I thought the 2011 election was claimed by some as a landslide victory for National!
In November, New Zealanders went to the polling booth to elect a new Parliament. John Key and the National came out victorious as Phil Goff led the Labour Party to an all-time low party vote. National made a landslide victory despite it being one of the lowest voter turnout since women were given the right to vote.
John Banks…. the guy who slammed casinos in 1997, and is supportive of them today:
In the past, John Banks has opposed increasing gambling opportunities in New Zealand
“They’re wideboys, they’re flashboys, they’re big boys and they can take it,” he said in 1997. “Because the little people of this country have been sucked, hung, drawn, quartered, bled by these people in these casinos.”
The interior of Banksie’s head is one large scrambled egg. What did the Actoids think of his speech I wonder. While they may be ideologically obsessed with free market logic, not all of them are mad or even idiots.
Maurice Williamson,the latest from within the National Government to stick the leader ‘Slippery’ one with a sharp object, exposing Slippery and His shady dealings with SkyCity for all to see and at the same time getting a spot of utu for previous slights…
Judge O’Grady raised the prospect of there being no trial while hearing arguments over FBI applications to wipe Megaupload’s vast database of members’ files.
He said further study needed to be made of the failure to serve Megaupload, adding; “I frankly don’t know that we are ever going to have a trial in this matter.”
and from the defense:-
Dotcom’s US-based lawyer, Ira Rothken, said it was the defence’s understanding that it was not legally possible for Megaupload to be served with papers accusing it of criminal acts.
He said it would be possible to serve the company with papers for a civil case and – as happened in NZ – for individuals to be remotely charged with crimes.
“My understanding as to why they haven’t done that is because they can’t. We don’t believe Megaupload can be served in a criminal matter because it is not located within the jurisdiction of the United States.”
I suppose we’re going to have to start calling this the Mega Ballsup Case.
Well you did visit, and given your comment i guess you were looking for some intelligent well researched opinions. There are plenty of these on The Standard as well as the kind you obviously don’t like. No reason to run away – unless you just came here just to make a negative judgemental comment. If you’re genuinely interested in challenging and debating left wing politics and ideas then i’d strongly encourage you to stay and get involved
Open access notables A survey of interventions to actively conserve the frozen North, van Wijngaarden et al., Climatic Change:The frozen elements of the high North are thawing as the region warms much faster than the global mean. The dangers of sea level rise due to melting glacier ice, increased ...
Bryce Edwards writes – New Zealand’s biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure. The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On ...
In 2015, then-Prime Minister John Key announced plans for a huge ocean sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands, banning fishing and mining from 15% of Aotearoa's EEZ. It was bold, it was ambitious, and it suggested that National might actually care about the environment. Except they fucked it up: Key failed ...
1. Who has just been given the accolade New Zealander of the Year?a. The Kokakob. The Cook Strait Ferryc. Fair God. Dr Jim Salinger 2. Which of these is an affront to decent society?a. Dame Edna Everageb. Mrs Doubtfire c. Dr. Frank-N-Furterd. Brian 3. Who is Penny Simmonds?a. The aspiring actress in Big ...
New Zealand’s biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure.The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On the face of it, the court found ...
Buzz from the Beehive Waves of rain are set to lash much of the North Island during Easter Weekend as a low-pressure system forms east of New Zealand, according to a weather forecast published in the past day or so. Niwa was warning of a “moisture-laden” long weekend, with rain expected ...
Look around us…Nicola Willis’ promises of balancing the books, of cutting spending without reducing services, and of delivering game changing tax cuts are disappearing before her eyes.Everyday we see stories of violent crime ending in horrific injuries, or worse. The cost of living worsens, whereas the PM claimed renters would ...
TL;DR: My top six news of note on the morning of Thursday, March 28 include:The Government will have to borrow between $10 billion to $15 billion more than previously expected in order to make up for a slowing economy and to pay for $14.9 billion of tax cuts, according to ...
This story by Naveena Sadasivam and Kate Yoder was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. The long-awaited jobs board for the American Climate Corps, promised early in the Biden administration, will open next month, according to details shared exclusively ...
Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don’t think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of ...
Treasury’s first report on the economy since the change of government presents a damning indictment of Labour’s economic management. The problem for National is that it is so damning that logically, coupled with a rapidly slowing economy, Finance Minister Nicola Willis should respond to it by postponing or even cancelling ...
Budget tensions are becoming evident within the Coalition Government. Winston Peters made numerous political points in his speech to the NZF annual conference. But the attack on his own government’s fiscal policies raised issues of substance. ‘Today in the Sunday Star Times, journalist and former advisor to the Labour ...
Buzz from the Beehive The media – sure enough – have been binging on Finance Minister Nicola Willis’ release of the Budget Policy Statement and a statement headed Government announces Budget priorities This assures us – or rather, this parrots the Luxon team mantra – that the Budget “will deliver ...
The Ides of March brought me COVID followed by a bereavement. No wonder they tell you to be careful of them.I’m home now and have resumed the interrupted recuperation. Very much looking forward to getting back to regular things. Meanwhile, some thoughts…OneThis new Prime Minister guy just keeps getting more dire. ...
News that the Chinese ATP 40 cyber-hacking unit penetrated parliamentary internet networks in 2021 has renewed concerns about the PRC’s malign intentions in Aotearoa. But is the hack that significant given the length of time that has passed since its … Continue reading → ...
When Parliament passed the Intelligence and security Act in 2017, they assured us all that it was full of safeguards. Any intrusive surveillance of New Zealanders would be subject to a "triple lock", requiring the approval of the Minister and (supposedly independent) Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants, as well as post-facto ...
Eric Crampton writes – Richard Harman’s Politik newsletter provides a bit of the context that ought to have been showing up in other media reports on potential reductions in public service staffing. Media has been reporting on staffing cuts on the order of about 7%. Is that ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – It’s becoming increasingly apparent that many perceive free speech to have become the preserve of the politically right wing, the religiously conservative, the libertarian fringe, the anti-trans, the anti-Māori and…. well, just fill in with whatever groups or individuals you don’t like and don’t ...
Don Brash writes – As everybody who is not blind and deaf is aware, there is a huge political preoccupation with climate change at the moment, a widespread (though by no means unanimous) belief that global temperatures are rising mainly as a result of the greenhouse gases created ...
TL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy on Wednesday, March 27 include:Chris Bishop laid out his vision for filling Aotearoa-NZ’s $100 billion infrastructure deficit in a speech yesterday, emphasising user pays and private funding, but failed to say how to achieve bipartisanship on population, public borrowing and ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Former Finance Minister Grant Robertson and former Prime Minister Chris Hipkins have been conveying how unhappy they are with the tax system. Last week in his valedictory speech, Robertson called for the introduction of a wealth or capital gains tax. And this week Hipkins ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Buzz from the Beehive China has loomed large in Beehive considerations over the past 24 hours, largely because of that country’s mischief-making in the cyber espionage department. Two media statements emerged on that subject hard on the heels of the PM baulking at questions put to him on RNZ’s Morning ...
Chris Trotter writes – WHY IS THE NATIONAL PARTY doing so much for landlords, property developers, trucking, and construction companies, and so little for everybody who isn’t already pretty well-off? It’s as if protecting landlords’ investments and building apartments and roads now constitute the whole of National’s ...
Bryce Edwards writes – When she was campaigning to be Minister of Finance last year, Nicola Willis pledged that she would resign from the job if she failed to deliver tax cuts in her first Budget. Now, it’s that pledge, along with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s ...
Robert MacCulloch writes – The Reserve Bank has doubled staff numbers in five years to 510, with personnel costs rising to $80 million in 2023 from $32 million in 2018 – up by a whopping 150%. I guess when you print $50 billion and flood markets with liquidity, ...
The furore. In case you didn’t notice there was a controversy in the weekend involving dolphins in a little town off the South Island. Don’t panic, they haven’t declared independence and resumed whaling, this was simply a sailing event.The problem began when racing was cancelled on the opening day of ...
For 20 years or more, the case for a meaningful capital tax gains has been mulled over and analysed to death, including by the tax working group chaired by Sir Michael Cullen. More than once, the International Monetary Fund has said a CGT would be a good idea for New ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: The Public Health Communications Centre (PHCC) call for urgent preventive action and a risk assessment survey of long covid in this briefing noteLocal scoop: NZ road deaths surpass OECD rates, so why is the govt reversing safety plans? ...
This story was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. This story is part of a collaboration with Grist and WABE to demystify the Georgia Public Service Commission, the small but powerful state-elected board that makes critical decisions about everything from raising ...
This is a guest post from Robert McLachlan Global warming is accelerating; 2023 was off the charts. We need to stop burning fossil fuels. In New Zealand, transport accounts for half of all fossil fuels burnt. In the Emissions Reduction Plan, transport emissions fall 41% by 2035. As the ...
Labour productivity has been receding rapidly over the past two years, reversing a post-lockdown rise. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy as at 6:26am on Tuesday, March 26 include:Workers have been treading water in output per hour worked for 12 years, ...
TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 2 include:Today, Parliament resumes sitting at 2pm for the second week of a two-week session. Officials for SIS and GCSB report their annual reviews in public to the Intelligence and Security Select Committee from 5.10pm.Tomorrow, ...
Faced with a barrage of criticism over the promised tax cuts from usually supportive commentators, Finance Minister Nicola Willis yesterday reaffirmed her intention to include them in this year’s Budget. The Government is up against it over the cuts just about every way it turns. Commentators like Fran O’Sullivan, Matthew ...
Here’s my pick of today’s substack posts as of 6:26pm on Monday, March 25: writes via his substack that Market-rate housing will make your city cheaper writes via his substack about the problems talking to double-cab ute (truck) drivers about their vehicles. today about moments of radicalisation in ...
Buzz from the Beehive Just before Christmas, Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivered something that was pitched as a mini-budget and brayed about the decisive action being taken to repair the Government books and support income tax relief in Budget 2024. In a statement headed Fiscal repair job underway. she introduced ...
My sister Belinda asked Dad yesterday what one word would describe Mum best. He said: vivacious.If you only knew her from the photos on the slideshow we've made for today,you might wonder about that, because the camera tended to lie with Mum.If ever she saw a camera pointed at her, she ...
There are two major public consultations closing in the next week, Auckland Council’s Long Term Plan (LTP), and the draft Government Policy Statement on Land Transport (GPS). Closing dates and times: LTP closes Thursday 28 February, at 11.59pm – a minute to midnight! GPS closes Tuesday 2 April, at 12pm noon – note that’s ...
From Kiwiblog’s David Farrar – Bryce Wilkinson writes: Senior Fellow Bryce Wilkinson’s analysis reveals that since March 2009, New Zealand has spent $158 billion more overseas than it has earned, but its NIIP has only fallen by $32 billion.Statistics New Zealand shows that receipts from overseas reinsurers have ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition? Brian Easton writes – The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could ...
Dear Nicola Willis,Right now you’ve probably got lots of competing demands coming at you. Ministers who’ve inherited quite a mess, or so you’ve told us, looking for money in the budget to improve things. I imagine that’s why they came to parliament - to make things better.You’ll have to make ...
The Local Government, Transport and Auckland Minister hasthreatened councils with intervention if they don’t merge water assets to take them off balance sheet, just as the now-repealed Three Waters plan directed. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things of note this morning for Monday, March 25 include:Simeon ...
A listing of 36 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 17, 2024 thru Sat, March 23, 2024. Story of the week Thanks to John Mason having the stamina to sit down to watch "Climate - the Movie" ...
This morning the Q&A programme had Simeon Brown on to talk about National’s replacement for Three Waters. In case anyone’s forgotten the three are - drinking water, waste water, and sewerage. It’s quite important not to get them mixed up. In much the same way that you wouldn’t want to ...
Today’s newsletter comes with a mini-podcast conversation between me and my buddy Liv Tennet, talking about her time as a child actor in Lord of the Rings. It’s a conversation with a lot of giggles as she talks about falling off a horse, and becoming a meme. Read ...
The Desmog Climate Disinformation Database documents, "individuals and organisations that have helped to delay and distract the public and our elected leaders from taking needed action to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and fight global warming." It's a who's who of the organised climate change denial movement, in other words. In ...
Bob Edlin writes – A High Court judge has decided miscreants who have mana – or who claim to have mana – should be treated differently from miscreants who have none. It’s a ruling that suggests indigenous law-breakers have a better chance of securing a discharge without conviction ...
Welcome to the first, and possibly last, edition of Brickbats, Bouquets and Bull’s Wool. In which I’ll take a look at the events of the last week or so, and rate them.In such ratings the numbers usually have more to do with the opinions of the reviewer, than the actual ...
Roger Partridge writes – My earlier column this month, New Zealand’s highest court could be facing a turning point, prompted a flood of feedback from business readers and lawyers alike. A common query was what Parliament can do to restrain an overreaching judiciary. This week I discuss two steps Parliament ...
TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.16pm on Friday, March 22: writes about New Zealand's Building Boom—And What the World Must Learn From It over at his substack. challenges the Auckland Council’s use of a 3.8 degrees of warming forecast to oppose a wave-park and data centre project ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition?The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could deliver her promised income tax cuts. Appointed minister, she ...
Buzz from the Beehive Ministers of the Crown have drawn attention to one sector of the science sector which is unlikely to be subjected to heavy spending cuts, a state-funded broadcaster which is doing nicely, thank you, and a sporting event that had $5.4 million from the public purse puffed ...
Abbott’s Freestyle Libre sensors allow continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). The sensor is applied to the back of the patient’s arm, with a thin filament under the skin measuring glucose levels constantly. But it costs around $100 per sensor and must be replaced once every 14 days. Photo by BSIP/Universal Images ...
The Inspector General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) recently released a report in which he exposes the existence of a foreign intelligence partner-controlled technological “capability” inside the headquarters of the GCSB, NZ’s 5 Eyes-affiliated signals intelligence collection and analysis agency. … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – Nearly three decades after the introduction of MMP and multiparty governments there should be a greater level of understanding about their finer points than often appears to be the case. The reaction to the despicable outburst from the Deputy Prime Minister at the weekend highlights ...
The sweet kisses from fruit of summerHave slowly been turning dullerYou say, "those times"And "remember the daysWhen we went outside and there still was the shade?"Taking no reason into play…Autumn. Clear, blue days shortening to longer nights, growing colder. Aotearoa.That’s us. The temperature dropping, the looming car crash - so ...
Bryce Edwards writes – “It is often said that behind every great man is a great woman”. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their “Ladies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxon”. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April ...
David Farrar writes – The Electoral Commission has published the expense returns for political parties for the 2023 election. I’ve put them in a table with how many votes a party got so we can see the spend per vote. National only spent $3.34 for every vote they got, almost ...
Winston Peters’ headline-making actions over the past week may have been a show of political power intended to strengthen his hand in Budget negotiations. It was no accident that his State of the Nation speech was as it was. He made it as New Zealand First Leader, not as Deputy ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:Former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson bowed out of politics this week, giving a series of exit ...
Graham Adams writes — If you love the law or sausages, as the saying goes, best not to look too closely at how they are made. And after watching the orgy of self-pity when Newshub’s closure was announced on February 28, television journalism should definitely be added to the list of those ...
Venerable New Zealand political commentator, Chris Trotter (https://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/), is a sad creature these days. Once one of the most reliable Leftist writers out there – Economic Left at that – Trotter seems to have absorbed the worldview of Auckland culture-war obsessives. It is not for me to categorise what he ...
The cruelty of short-term memory loss is that each time you ask where she is, you get the fresh shock and grief of the news. That was Dad's day yesterday.Comfortingly, it seems to be less so today. Last night he looked crumpled, today he seems more settled. There's a card ...
Photo by Alvan Nee on UnsplashIt’s that new day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) 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 ...
Buzz from the Beehive One minister is talking tough while a colleague – whose ministry had acted tough and drawn a barrage of flak – has shown an official softening. Some ministers are doing what Labour was good at, which is distributing public funds to causes regarded as worthy or ...
A ballot for 4 Member's Bills was held today, and the following bills were drawn: Insurance Contracts Bill (Duncan Webb) Income Tax (Clean Transport FBT Exclusion) Amendment Bill (Julie Anne Genter) Crimes (Increased Penalties for Slavery Offences) Amendment Bill (Greg Fleming) Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) ...
One of the strongest narratives about "our" spy agencies is that they are basically institutional traitors, working for foreign powers (or just themselves), without any control or oversight by the elected government. And today, we have yet another report from the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security which explicitly confirms this. ...
“It is often said that behind every great man is a great woman”. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their “Ladies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxon”. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April to meet the Prime Minister’s ...
The Coalition Government’s plan to ‘get Auckland moving’ is a cuts cover-up that will ultimately cost Aucklanders more to move around the city, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Slashing the Ministry of Pacific Peoples by 40% will have a devastating impact on pacific communities and further highlights how little this government cares about anything other than cutting taxes for the wealthiest few. ...
Labour has proposed an urgent inquiry to investigate the ever-increasing profits of supermarkets, aiming to lower costs for shoppers and food producers alike, says Labour Spokesperson for Commerce and Consumer Affairs Arena Williams and Primary Production Spokesperson Cushla Tangaere-Manuel. ...
With 14% of jobs on the line at the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, the responsible Minister Melissa Lee is failing to stand up for the very communities she’s meant to be representing. ...
COURT OF APPEAL: TRIFECTA OF VICTORY FOR NZ FIRST, TRIFECTA OF FAILURE FOR OPPONENTS For the third time since April 2020, New Zealand First has defeated the Serious Fraud Office and all those complicit in a malicious attack against a political party going about its lawful business in a lawful ...
The Green Party stands with people who live in public housing, people in dire housing need, experts and advocates in demanding better than the Government’s archaic approach to housing those who need our support the most. ...
New Zealand has recently lost the hosting rights of some major international sporting events including the America’s Cup, the Rugby Championship, Netball World Cup, and the Wellington Sevens. We are now at a huge risk of losing SailGP as well. And it won’t stop there. The recent issues with SailGP ...
A Member’s Bill drawn this week would modernise insurance law and make things fairer and more transparent for consumers, Christchurch Central MP Duncan Webb said. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues has confirmed she was aware of funding issues in mid-December and did nothing to stop it. On 14 March, she signed off on changes that were announced and implemented on 18 March without any consultation with disability communities. ...
Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter says her members' bill is an opportunity for the coalition government to plug the gap in electric vehicle incentives. ...
The National Government continues to talk about irresponsible tax cuts that will only drive up inflation, despite the country entering a technical recession. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues must act urgently to reinstate flexibility around the funding for disability support and apologise to disabled carers. ...
This story has been initiated by a leftie shill reporter who proactively sought to call a member of a former band, which disbanded twelve years ago, give their biased appraisal of what was said in my speech, and concocted a ham-fisted attempt at a story that does nothing but show ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Many in the mainstream media have taken what was said in New Zealand First’s State of the Nation Speech in Palmerston North on Sunday and deliberately, deceitfully, and ignorantly misrepresented what I said and why I said it. The headlines and commentary on the news stated that I compared ‘co-governance ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
Good afternoon. Thank you for, in your very busy lives, turning up to this meeting today. On October 14th last year New Zealanders overwhelmingly voted for change. That is exactly what this new government is bringing. New Zealand First campaigned to ‘take back our country’ and stop the disastrous economic ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April. “It was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates. Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend. “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” Mr Peters says. Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. “Road safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track. “Dam safety regulations ...
The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the government’s finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Government’s Budget objectives. “The coalition Government intends ...
The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says. “The Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says. “These changes are long overdue – the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009. ...
The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Education’s School Property Function. The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There is a clear need ...
State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Today I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” Minister Responsible for ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. “We’re sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union. “I am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says. “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “Comprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. “I would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
Good morning, it’s great to be here. First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning. I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
Before moving onto the substance of today’s address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and I’m sorry I can’t be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the Whangārei site where the facility will be constructed. “Northland has faced a number ...
New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata Māori 20 years ago, says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisation’s 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
Pacific Media Watch The Paris-based global media freedom watchdog RSF (Reporters Without Borders) has appealed for information about the “disappearance” of Palestinian journalist Bayan Abusultan. She was reportedly last seen on March 19 among people “sequestered” in this week’s raid and siege of Al Shifa hospital by Israeli troops in ...
EDITORIAL:The Jakarta Post It happens again and again; indigenous Papuans fall victim to Indonesian soldiers. This time, we have photographic evidence for the brutality, with videos on social media showing a Papuan man being tortured by a group of plainclothes men alleged to be the Indonesian Military (TNI) members. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robyn J. Whitaker, Director of the Wesley Centre for Theology, Ethics, and Public Policy & Associate Professor, New Testament, Pilgrim Theological College, University of Divinity A strange and eclectic range of activities takes place across these few weeks of the year. Some ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University It’s Easter weekend, which means many of us will be kicking back with the greatest hits on repeat. But whether you’re a boomer, or an ‘80s or ’90s kid, you might be ...
RNZ Pacific Fiji’s Acting Public Prosecutor has filed an appeal against the sentences of former prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama and suspended police chief Sitiveni Qiliho in their corruption case. Bainimarama was granted an absolute discharge for attempting to pervert the course of justice while Qiliho received a conditional discharge with ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Arosha Weerakoon, Senior Lecturer and General Dentist, School of Dentistry, The University of Queensland Casezy idea/Shutterstock How does toothpaste work? What did people use before toothpaste was invented? – Amelia, age 7, Meanjin (Brisbane) Thanks for your ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brett Hallam, Associate professor, UNSW Sydney IM Imagery/Shutterstock Solar SunShot is well named. The Australian government announced today it would plough A$1 billion into bringing back solar manufacturing to Australia, boosting energy security, swapping coal and gas jobs for those ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Dix, Research Fellow in Nutrition & Dietetics, The University of Queensland Easter is the time for chocolate. The shops are full of fantastically packaged and shiny chocolates in all shapes and sizes, making trips to the supermarket with children more challenging ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Felton, Adjunct Senior Researcher, University of South Australia Even in a stubborn cost-of-living crisis, it seems there’s one luxury most Australians won’t sacrifice – their daily cup of coffee. Coffee sales have largely remained stable, even as financial pressures have ...
Mining company Trans-Tasman Resources has unexpectedly withdrawn its application for a consent to suck the valuable metals vanadium and titanium from the Taranaki seafloor, as it apparently wagers on the Government’s new fast-track process. It had spent two-and-a-half days putting its case to the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision-making committee, at ...
Contrary to the Associate Minister of Education’s claims, analysis of Healthy School Lunches Programme - Ka Ora, Ka Ako assessments has revealed it provides excellent value for the taxpayer dollar, as a groundswell of public opposition to Government ...
Greenpeace says wannabe Taranaki seabed miner Trans-Tasman Resources is likely banking on Christopher Luxon’s fast-track process to side-step proper scrutiny of its Taranaki seabed mining proposal by bailing out of the Environmental Protection Agency hearing ...
Kiwis Against Seabed mining today slammed Australian owned would-be seabed miner Trans Tasman Resources (TTR) for abandoning its application to the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) to mine the seabed of the South Taranaki Bight. The company ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katie Attwell, Associate Professor, School of Social Sciences, The University of Western Australia Ground Picture/Shutterstock Months after COVID vaccines were introduced in 2021, governments and private organisations mandated them for various groups. Health and aged care workers were among the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Dzurak, Scientia Professor Andrew Dzurak, CEO and Founder of Diraq, UNSW Sydney Diraq For decades, the pursuit of quantum computing has struggled with the need for extremely low temperatures, mere fractions of a degree above absolute zero (0 Kelvin or ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne A national Essential poll, conducted March 20–24 from a sample of 1,150, gave the Coalition a 50–44 lead including undecided, a reversal ...
The Taxpayers’ Union has today made a formal request under the Regulations of the People’s Republic of China on Open Government Information () for information held about how New Zealand Members of Parliament are spending taxpayer ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert Nelson, Honorary Principal Fellow, The University of Melbourne A Byzantine depiction of the Eucharist in Saint Sophia Cathedral, Kyiv.Jacek555/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA A nasty quarrel arose in the 11th century over what kind of bread should be used in holy ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Patrick Hesp, Professor, Flinders University Patrick Hesp In some parts of Australia, coastal dunes are retreating from the ocean at an alarming rate, as waves carve up the beach and wind blows the sand inland. But coastal communities are largely ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Luke Heemsbergen, Senior Lecturer, Digital, Political, Media, Deakin University With an impressive 60% of the US smartphone market, Apple is undeniably big, but not a clear monopoly. Yet, years of innovation by Apple have effectively given the company its own exclusive ...
Whether you’re facing layoffs or are just an emotional junior staffer, it’s always a good idea to scout out a good crying place before you need it. It’s an incredibly hard time for Wellington. Across the city, thousands of public servants are hearing tough news about redundancies and layoffs. Government ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Miller-Jones, Professor, Curtin University Nuclear explosions on a neutron star feed its jets. Danielle Futselaar and Nathalie Degenaar, Anton Pannekoek Institute, University of Amsterdam, CC BY-SA How fast can a neutron star drive powerful jets into space? The answer, it ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Daryl Adair, Associate Professor of Sport Management, University of Technology Sydney Earlier this week, independent MP Andrew Wilkie accused the AFL of conducting “off the books” illicit drug testing to identify players using substances of abuse, then inappropriately withdrawing them from matches ...
The Government’s announcement that it will scrap plans for a vast marine sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands is ‘shameful’ and will make it impossible for Aotearoa New Zealand to meet its international commitments, says the World Wide Fund for Nature ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Quiggin, Professor, School of Economics, The University of Queensland Shutterstock The federal government has bowed to pressure from the car industry, announcing it will relax proposed emissions rules for utes and vans and delay enforcement of the new standards ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Suzanne Rutland, Professor Emerita, University of Sydney In his latest book, Jewish Life in Medieval Spain, Jonathan Ray focuses on the tumult of the 14th century in Spain – a time of the plague, civil strife and war between the two largest ...
While creating a slate of world-class shows, Whakaata Māori also developed a generation of world-class creatives. Television is an odd word. It mixes the Ancient Greek and Latin languages, and its most literal meaning is “far-off sight”. In the contemporary and living language of te reo Māori, “whakaata” as a ...
Yesterday the UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Israel’s war on Gaza. This significant step and the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza prompted an urgent debate in the New Zealand Parliament. Leader ...
The Government’s decision to reduce access to continuous glucose monitors (CGM) not only threatens the lives of children with type 1 diabetes and increases the potential for ‘Dead in Bed’ syndrome, but also threatens the health of their parents an ...
Apples are available year-round, but the wide variety on offer involves intensive scientific research – and large-scale commercialisation. What’s beautiful, red, sweet and crunchy? Tony Martin’s favourite kind of apple: Sassy. The CEO of apple and pear breeding organisation Prevar, Martin’s fondness for Sassy represents professional success as well as ...
Family violence specialist service Shine is calling on employers to stop asking for proof of domestic violence in order for employees to access domestic violence leave. The call comes five years after the introduction of the Domestic Violence ...
The Deputy Chairperson of the Finance and Expenditure Committee is calling for public submissions on the Budget Policy Statement 2024. The Budget Policy Statement 2024 (BPS) sets out the Government's priorities for the 2024 Budget. It explains the approach ...
Brutal government spending cuts that will see the size of the Ministry for Pacific Peoples slashed by 40% will hit Pasifika communities hard, the PSA says. The Ministry has told staff that it is seeking voluntary redundancies, and to redeploy and reassign ...
I live with five people I mostly love, but our different ideas about generosity are starting to really irk me.Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nzDear Hera,This is a bit of a random one but here goes. I’m 22 and work an OK job (OK meaning I get paid ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Maria Nicholas, Senior Lecturer in Language and Literacy Education, Deakin University Earlier this month, the New South Wales government announced it would roll out programs for gifted students in every public school in the state. This comes amid concerns gifted school ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christopher Rudge, Law lecturer, University of Sydney Massachusetts General Hospital In a world first, we heard last week that US surgeons had transplanted a kidney from a gene-edited pig into a living human. News reports said the procedure was a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Tombs, Howard Paterson Chair of Theology and Public Issues, University of Otago The 5th-century Maskell panel showing Jesus in a loincloth.British Museum, CC BY-NC-SA When Jesus is shown on the cross, he is almost always depicted wearing a loincloth around ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University Shutterstock When you think about a red object, you might picture a red carpet, or the massive ruby in the Queen’s crown. Indeed, Western monarchies and marketing from brands such ...
COMMENTARY:Jewish Voice for Peace The UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza on Monday — and for the first time since the beginning of the Israeli military’s genocide of Palestinians, the United States abstained rather than vetoing it. Security Council resolutions are legally binding, ...
Asia Pacific Report A New Zealand investigative journalist and author says the US spy system hosted by the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) appears to be a controversial intelligence system used in global capture-kill operations. Writing a commentary for RNZ News today, Nicky Hager, author of Secret Power, a 1996 ...
While Nicola Willis wouldn’t give any details on its size, she said a package of tax cuts is definitely still coming in this year’s budget, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is welcoming the investigation into the Department of Internal Affairs after it was revealed that the Department’s Chief Executive personally reached out to expedite a DJs passport application. Taxpayers’ Union Campaigns ...
Finance minister Nicola Willis delivers her first budget statement, and unwittingly helps Joel MacManus save his relationship. Nicola Willis strode into the Beehive Theatrette. Around me, on the green foldout seats, were the country’s top business and political journalists. They were all here to see her announce the Budget Policy ...
Twenty years ago today, Māori Television launched after much controversy. Jamie Tahana looks back on its survival and impact across two decades. Chad Chambers stepped onto the stage, the brim of his cap casting a shadow across his face. His smile beamed as bright as his white freezing works gumboots, ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[quiz],DIV[quiz],A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions. The post Newsroom daily quiz, Thursday 28 March appeared first on Newsroom. ...
A lengthy response to the recently released draft Government policy statement on transport will soon be delivered from Auckland Council to Minister of Transport Simeon Brown. A submission raising concerns about funding distribution and the plan’s treatment of Auckland passed through the council’s transport committee on Wednesday, despite some councillors ...
The unidentified foreign intelligence operation discussed in a scathing report by New Zealand’s Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) last week appears to be a controversial United States intelligence system. The IGIS report said the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) decision to host a foreign system from 2012-2020 was “improper” ...
Tauranga, Rotorua, Wellsford, Onehunga, Westhaven marina – Gavin Strawhan walks the meanish streets of New Zealand in his entertaining debut novel The Call, almost sure to roar into the number 1 position on the Nielsen bestseller chart, its front cover bearing a rave from somebody: “A really good and genuinely ...
On a Thursday in February, at Wellington’s Conservation House, the Conservation Authority, a statutory body advising the eponymous department and minister, Tama Potaka, opened its 195th meeting. Under consideration that afternoon was an agenda item written by Tim Bamford, chief advisor in the Department of Conservation’s biodiversity, heritage and visitors ...
As a young gymnast, Aimee Didierjean was always conscious of making sure her underwear wasn’t showing on the competition floor. A peek of a bra strap, or briefs if a leotard rode up, would cost a gymnast points in her routines. “When I was growing and going through puberty, it ...
Jubi/West Papua Daily Repeated cases of Indonesian military (TNI) soldiers torturing civilians in Papua have been evident, as seen in the viral video depicting the torture of civilians in the Puncak Regency allegedly done by soldiers of Raider 300/Brajawijaya Infantry Battalion. There is a pressing need for stringent law enforcement ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra In 2023, Anthony Albanese was shooting for the moon, his eyes on the Voice referendum. On one view, he looked like the idealist reflecting his left-wing roots. In 2024, we’re seeing a pragmatic, determined, ...
The House - The principle that all MPs are honourable and that they should be taken at their word has been tested multiple times this week in Parliament. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Helen Dickinson, Professor, Public Service Research, UNSW Sydney Drazen Zigic/Shutterstock Since the review of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) released its recommendations in December, there has been a series of Town Hall events to discuss them around the country ...
Asia Pacific Report Two of the global Freedom Flotilla ships are being prepared in Turkey and almost ready for the upcoming humanitarian mission to Gaza. It is expected that the flotilla will include a New Zealand medical team. Kia Ora Gaza is a member of the international Freedom Flotilla Coalition ...
The latest Roy Morgan poll has some surprises and some results not so surprising.
National Party 49.5% (up 5.5%)
Labour 26.5% (down 4%)
Greens 12.5% (down 4.5%)
New Zealand First 6.5% (up 1.5%)
Maori Party 1.5% (unchanged)
Others 1.5% (up 1%)
Mana Party 1% (up 0.5%)
United Future 1% (up 0.5%)
ACT NZ 0% (down 0.5%)
I’m surprised National have bounced back that much. It may be a lucky spike going againbst a recent slightly downward trend.
Labour’s drop doesn’t surprise me, sustained negative politics and a non-prominent leader won’t be enthusing swing voters.
Greens drop back to earth is no surprise, the last poll spike seemed likely to be too much too quickly.
NZF seems to be still doing well with the “stuff it, there’s no one else worth voting for” vote.
I think TV3 have their next poll release tomorrow night, it will be interesting to see how that compares.
http://www.roymorgan.com/news/polls/2012/4764/
If you consider 12.5% to be ‘dropping back to earth’ then United Future must be positively subterranean
It’s all relative, isn’t it.
UF doubled what’s been a consistent (albeit very modest) level of poll support for some time. I’m sure there are less worries there than with Labour. Or are you happy with where Labour’s at?
Except the increase is less than the error of the poll and thus statistically non-significant, meaning that it’s more probable that 0.5% increase is noise.
So what does that make the % movement in the Roy Morgan poll for the 3 bigger Party,s in the space of a month???,
Such erratic ‘polling’ cannot really be relied upon as an accurate estimate of support and I would dare not here suggest that a certain Australian public relations firm has had a private conversation with a certain Australian public polling firm, reminding that polling firm just how much biz that public relations firm puts their way,
Such things just never happen like that,(only in the conspiracy theories,our range of tin-foil hats are available for sale online at you know where),
Or do they, during the 2011 election campaign,and, the months leading up to that campaign I was involved commenting online elsewhere, needless to say the experience was a cesspool of abuse firstly directed at me and secondly indulged in by me in terms of ‘giving as good as I got’,
Back to the point tho, during the ongoing debate over whether NZFirst had a bulls roar show of re-entering the Parliament on that un-named site I was actively watching a particular ‘on-line political polling site’ with great interest, particularly the nature of the NZFirst ‘polling’ on that site,
When asked befor the election,and,based upon what I had learned from that particular polling site I quoted NZFirst as being 6.2%–12% of the vote,
The accuracy 6.2% and the wide % differential I gave at the time was simply the addition to what my base-line figure for NZFirst’s polling was at the time of all the times that Party was manipulated downward within that particular poll,(ie every time NZFirst polled 5% it was immediately manipulated back down to 3%),
Over the past 2 Roy Morgan polls the swings for all 3 Party,s Green/Labour/National are far to great to be viewed as an accurate record of voter sentiment…
You are right bad12. In short something does not add up. Margin of error or something else?
Oh well Pete has delivered his analysis so the rest of us may as well piss off home…
ACT-zero point zero-heh.
“Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose.”
The fact that almost 30% of the voting population didn’t vote last election and that Roy Morgan are accounting for only around 12% of those people, makes that poll completely useless.
Christian charity corner:
Seven years jail for singing in church?
Interesting battery news. Yes it’s a long way off from production, yada yada yada, but still good news none the less:
http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/12/04/20/1344223/ibm-creates-breathing-high-density-lithium-air-battery
Some brief quotes:
Emphasis mine.
I wonder if it is known how much energy/resources are needed to produce a light-weight, ultra-high-density, lithium-air battery?
That potential energy density is astoundingly high.
Of course, we also need to remember that unlike oil, batteries are not a source of energy. Batteries can only store energy that is sourced or generated from elsewhere.
one more tax on the poor
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10800337
or are the usual suspects going to defend it as fair and equitable?
The reality is, there is no way this is going to be honestly and accurately applied to all the corporate expense accounts, the credit cards, the private parking, in-house catering, the subsidised travel etc etc that the business world gorge on everyday.
What is an expense account if not a payment in lieu of salary?
Government’s left hand: we want charities to provide more social housing! We want charities to do all the things we don’t want to do any more!
Government’s right hand: pay us tax on all those fringe benefits you previously didn’t have to tax!
There’s “some” pressure on Dunedin City Council to follow Christchurch and declare the city frack free. The front page of this week’s community newspaper was covered by it.
It claims “a lot of people in Dunedin are calling for this”. I followed some links and found lightweight support around New Zealand and bugger all in Dunedin. The person claiming that was an Octagon occupier – remember the 99%? What the frack?
Hey Pete, is there any subject that you are not an expert on??
Now let’s see –
knows there is nothing wrong with fracking.
knows everything there is to know about industrial relations.
knows everything about the advantages of charter schools.
knows everything about the advantages of conference centres and government tendering.
knows everything there is to know about good teaching practice (supported Tolley to the hilt remember…)
Or do you just post to flame?
How do you rate on the supply of statins and asparin to all in the country free in order to raise life expectancy?
Are there a few letters missing off your profile.
MSc, LLB, MBA, MEng. MAcc, MGeol, MPlan, MEd
Just wondering.
I don’t think there’s “nothing wrong with fracking”. I await the results of the Commissioner for the Environment inquiry with interest. If the inquiry finds real and significant concerns about fracking in New Zealand then I’ll be concerned about fracking here.
I do have a problem with a very small number of people trying to pressure DCC into doing something that probably isn’t council business, and especially without proper democratic consultation.
Urban areas have been known to be harmed by mining when the land subsides. Fracking under urban areas will over time leave a huge risk for homeowners, will this be on the LIM?
Underground mining, such as in Waihi, and the West Coast has sweet f.a. to do with fracking.
Fracking is only used to detect oil and gas at substantial depths.
Fracking causes earthquakes. Earthquakes are just large large earth movements. Subsidence is what people call earth movements that are not perceivable.
Fracking will increase, not only the possibility for earthquakes, but subsidence.
“If the inquiry finds real and significant concerns about fracking in New Zealand then I’ll be concerned about fracking here.”
newsflash for Petey et al, we live on the same frakkin planet you moron, the laws of physics apply here just the same as they do elsewhere. Nitpick all you want but the very physical act of fraccing is class-A-high-grade-collector-edition- stupid!
anywhere, anytime, for anything.
newsflash for freedom – there’s different fracking methods and vastly different gelology in different parts of the world.
Has there been any verifiable reports of significant problems with fracking in New Zealand?
I have often wondered,
do they deliver your koolaid in a drum or do you get an overnight iv?
I agree with you freedom, and add that pete is just a fracking denier
The reason councils should get involved at the behest of the people is because national government cannot currently be trusted to protect the environment we are all dependent on.
So now that Sky is slated to get pokies, will their investors sue if they lose income from future changes to the law, aka smoking branding?
Crafer was a news story from the beginning, first as cow pooh overflowing, then as the first Chinese buyer was not of good standing, and then National rubberstamping the deal, now as China gets Landcorp to make milk for them. The only good Crafer has commanded is to open the debate up on how stupid it is to fix legislation and tax, lock in decline, and become tenants in our own land.
The Crafer family bankrupted their farms, the ownership therefore turning to the money lenders, Westpac, an Australian Bank who became the de facto owners.
Maybe Westpac should not have lent them so much in the beginning.
Nevertheless they have still lost a large sum from this sale even so.
Warmonger, racist, and general all-round bigoted fuckwit Mark Bennett filling in for Michael Laws on Radio Live yesterday:
Oh and for bonus points this little rant was bookended by anti-mislim fervour.
Radio Live, 10:45.35am yesterday. http://www.radiolive.co.nz/Audio/tabid/109/Default.aspx
Hi Felix
Radio Live is outrageously right wing. At the moment they’ve got Rodney Hide filling in for John Tamihere. Laws is a professional underclass basher. Willy Jackson might be effective but dilutes everything with “Mate” ,laughter, humour, feel good music and jokeyness. Maggie Barry who worked there is now a Nat MP. JT is an apologist for the right. Paul Henry another American toady. And Key had his 1 hour Party Political Broadcast prior to the last election.
I think I will vote that old die hard Winnie Peters next time. Was a Labour voter for awhile then migrated to Greens for the past 4 elections.
No wonder Labour has got no traction – a new leader who looks like Keys lite – smiley middle aged middle class white guy -yawn. And the residual Helengrad elements still lurking, like the reverse racist, man hating felix types.
I am particularly impressed with NZ First’s immigration position.
You got one thing right kp, I am a reverse racist.
I’m also a reverse murderer, a reverse Feelers fan, and a reverse foot-fetishist.
Quite wrong about everything else though. As for your trolling, must try harder. Very old hat, very obvious.
Old hat? How about your tired predictable Helen faction drivel? It is as outdated and failed as Rogernomics.
No wonder Labour is going no where fast.
I’m nothing to do with Labour you fucking retard.
Lucky for Labour.
You must be a member of the Tourette Syndrome NZ Party then?
If you don’t like having your intelligence belittled, don’t type such demonstrably stupid things.
If you don’t like naughty words, don’t get into conversations with people who do.
Simple really. Just like you.
If you don’t like having your twisted ideas challenged don’t post them.
Reasonable really. Unlike you.
Are you QofT little sister? – your posts have the same vein popping screamer tone
Lol – your response to someone belittling your intelligence is a four-year old’s version of monkey-see monkey-do.
No surprise, one of felix’s admirers comes rushing to the rescue, lol.
“rescue”? From what? You seem to have delusions of grandeur.
Prometheus…he who stole fire from the gods…and gave it to man kind. Didn’t end up in a very good way did he?
Funny how the biggest tossers name themselves after mythological heros.
Mankind has enough fire thanks kiwi_pro(meth)eus. And since you only seem to be carrying shit you better fuck off before you get to find out if your liver really can grow back overnite.
Another Miss felix admirer, and suffering Tourette’s Syndrome too. You all go to the same support group?
Which reminds me of that funny joke:
How many feminist does it take to change a light bulb?
10, one to change the light bulb and 9 to form a support group for Survivors of Darkness.
Oh dear. Are you not a feminist, k_p?
Ahahaha I wish I’d stayed up for this.
I think our new friend k_p is going to be fun.
Guess you had an early night coz you had to be up for the All Men Are Rapists! Awarness Group meeting.
Oh, is Bennett still around? I did wonder what had become of him (I listened to him in the 1990s, as his station was the only one I could get while travelling.) What a vile man he is!
So when is Mallard coming out with his decision?
Mallard to decide over 2012 summer whether to stand again
Summers long gone, Winter is Coming. Whats the story Scalper Mallard?
That was the 2011 summer just gone, the 2012 summer will start sometime around October.
October? Jeeze some places in NZ are lucky to get summer by New Years 😉
I suggest moving north from Stewart Island 😛
Or away from Wellington!
The North coast of Stewart Island has predominantly pleasant weather.
We can only hope, the ‘feeling’ here is that ‘climate change’ might have just moved the ‘seasons’ a little meaning Spring/Summer on the wee islands Of Gods Own may start a little later than October,
The evidence for this,well very little,(another bald assertion from the home of bald assertions)our garden seeds tho,sprouting out of the ground with monotonous regularity in October every year would not in 2011 come forth till well into November,
An isolated incident perhaps more to do with Wellington’s ‘strange’ weather in 2011,(snowing twice in Winter down at sea-level),lets see what happens this October…
All that hot air rising causes a permanent low pressure area over Wellington.
No
The summers in NZ are generally referred to the months they end in, as has always been the case. Hence the 2012 summer has already ended as at 29 February 2012.
Much the same in the Northern Hemisphere where the Winters are referred to the months they end in.
You don’t use the start of the seasons to signify the current years. You are the first person I’ve ever seen that seems to think that.
Summer 2013 for NZ starts in December 2012 and ends in February 2013.
Although with this planet shifting by degrees on its axis in the last two years with Chile and Japan (and still waiting to see what the double banger M8’s in Indonesia have caused) it’s theoretically likely that the seasons have shifted by up to a month.
Link?
Man, you must read some shit.
Not everythings on the internet you doofus. My kids primary school newsletter isn’t on the interwebs, and neither is common knowledge that’s been passed down.
Summer 2012 School Holidays are over and it’s back to school.
And a simple google for you will show that Chile and Japan did shift earth on it’s axis.
It’s not shit when it’s been pear-shaped reviewed.
Oskar, you are way off beam with both summers and axis. While the earthquakes may have had a tiny and temporary effect on the way the globe wobbles, they have not moved the seasons by so much as a minute, let alone a month.
Having experienced a few summers, it has been my understanding that NZ seasons traditionally are said to follow European ones. We’ve just ‘enjoyed’ summer 2011 and Europe is just beginning summer 2012. But more importantly, the question is what Trev meant by ‘summer 2012’. And clearly, he meant next summer, because it’s a more sensible time in the electoral cycle to be considering one’s future. If he’d meant summer 2011, he’d have simply said ‘over the summer’.
The problem is that your claiming something that isn’t common knowledge.
Yep, by a few centimetres – enough to make no difference at all.
Absolutely tuiti-fruiti.
Exactly – by degrees
But given the vast amount by which the sumatran quakes slid past each other – which is “unprecedented” given the plates moved anywhere between 21 – 38 metres depending on which site you read.
We’ll just have to agree to disagree on when the summer period is claimed.
After all, I have an old dominion post here from November last year that talks about Summer 2011-2012 Events.
I would have thought most people would refer to it as Summer 2012 given there’s more months in the 2012 summer than in 2011, albeit a factor of 2 months.
And Te Reo – the effects are not “temporary” they are permanent. 25 years ago Summers regularly started around Labour Weekend. I’ve seen the summer seasons start later and later and haven’t seen a Summer begin before or on Labour Weekend since around 1998.
Ive had to plant out my summer crops later in the year since then given what’s planted over Labour Weekend tends to flower too early for proper pollination.
Anything planted towards the end of November/mid December gets a much better fruiting season on. Zucchinis I planted November last year were done by Waitangi weekend. Some I planted during the xmas break are still going strong even now – and these are all from seedlings.
No, it’s not degrees, it’s centimetres. For it to be degrees it would have to have been measured in hundreds of kilometres.
Stop confusing Oscar with actual numbers, especially when it involves time periods. He has a bit of Timelords problem – never quite sure of what era he is in.
But in this case, I suspect he is confused between the rates of magnetic variation and axial precession. One is measured in minutes per year, the other in fractions of a meter per year.
/faux concern (Farrar mode) off
With long service and his being upfront, Trevor gathered some history, which on cue has the negative sorts picking out those “events.” Think of those very obscure MPs who came and went without their names being known by anyone except their Mums and Dads. Trevor has achieved a great deal. As Minister of Education for instance he was upfront, progressive, approachable and frank. Compare that with current and past Min of Ed.
Williamson in his discourse justified the decision for the Crafar deal as “…well Helen Clark celebrated the high country estate sale to Shania Twain” so that makes it okay – I said – she said …
Just one small point Williamson didn’t mention was that Shania Twain made her estate open to the general public to walk / frolic and appreciate, and from memory, the land did not appear to be in the “productive” area.
(As an aside, some of you may remember the Tokoroa/Kinleath plant under NZForestProducts – The public used to have reasonable access and visit the set-up.
When it went to foreign interests, there were considerably elaborate fences and several security gates erected to discourage visits.)
Um, what?
I’m pretty sure that the stations were quite productive – before Shania Twain bought them anyway.
“Shania Twain made her estate open to the general public to walk / frolic and appreciate,”
err, no she didn’t. What she did was establish a walking track so that the public could access a very specific part of the farm. The rest is off limits. Prior to that access by the public would have been vaguer but more free. Access to high country farms has changed alot in the past decade, largely due to NZ being overrun by tourists. Traditional values on land access have changed.
As far as I know, the Motutapu Station is a productive farm. I don’t know if Twain is still the owner, as her and her husband have since separated.
btw, (for Mark up there esp) I was opposed to the sale at the time.
(simulpost with Draco)
DTB and weka
points well made, thanks and noted. I was more concerned about the justification – “They did it so that it makes it okay for us…” mentality.
Yes, and Labour did badly on this as well. So it’s more like Labour were dumb fucks so why can’t we be too? 😉
We probably should be grateful – I think Labour’s position on overseas land ownership was one of the outstanding reasons for people to migrate to voting Greens.
Yes I think that was Winston’s and David’s point. The sale of “prime, dairy farming land” is very different from High Country farms. (A great little Campbell Live item on Thursday by the way, on the up for sale of “Castle Hill Station” in the Hill Country Canterbury. Wonderful country.)
“The sale of “prime, dairy farming land” is very different from High Country farms”
In what way?
The fast buck merchants are chasing potential dairy land.
felix; too many sausage rolls has made his brain go funny!
they keep idiots like him on tap to appeal to the prejudices of all the bigots and to smother the rest in nonsense.
its easily done.
out on highway 61.
I think I will vote that old die hard Winnie Peters next time. Was a Labour voter for awhile then migrated to Greens for the past 4 elections.
No wonder Labour has got no traction – a new leader who looks like Keys lite – smiley middle aged middle class white guy -yawn. And the residual Helengrad elements still lurking, like the reverse racist, man hating felix types.
I am particularly impressed with NZ First’s immigration position.
You are trolling kiwi_promethus.
[Don’t go there mickey; the mods get to decide what is trolling or not. We have our own brew of “Lynn Prentice Capricious Slash” for piddling on real trolls…RL]
Hang on, felix and the like can be as obnoxious and abuse as they like -> “Warmonger, racist, and general all-round bigoted fuckwit” [ which is actually a fair enough description of the shock jock ]
But if anyone points out the ridiculous views or behaviour of felix et al, it is “trolling”?
But you didn’t point out any of my ridiculous views, k_p, you just made up some ridiculous views and pretended they were mine.
ps I think you’ve been around here for long enough under your various names to know exactly what you were doing and exactly what the rules are (they’re in the policy which you’ve no doubt been pointed to dozens of times).
you just made up some ridiculous views and pretended they were mine.
I’ve often seen you do that felix. It’s a core part of your gaming.
And you say:
“I think you’ve been around here for long enough under your various names…”
and
“I think our new friend k_p is going to be fun.”
within 17 minutes. That’s the sort of thing you might refer to like:
How does your breakfast taste?
“New friend” was slightly sarcastic Pete.
Hope you didn’t blow your whole wad over that one.
Ok, I’ll rememember the sarcastic excuse for next time.
Sure, but it has to make sense. You know what sarcasm is, right?
I don’t want to see you embarrass yourself claiming all sorts of things are sarcastic when they’re obviously not.
Eggs, eh?
Yes, I do know, my last comment was slightly sarcastic.
And your claim of sarcasm on your contradictory statements doesn’t make sense. I know that can happen when you post off the cuff comments without giving it much thought, and not bothering reviewing your past comments thoroughly.
Sure. It must be easy to forget that you’ve said something over and over again for 2 years.
Scrambled eggs now, is it?
Your constant reference to male sexual organs and their function is fascinating.
Something Freudian going on there with you felix/QofT.
Well I assumed Pete was a male, otherwise I would’ve made a female-equivalent reference.
I’m sure s/he’ll correct me if I got that wrong.
Your man hating and reverse racism is right there for everyone to see.
You claim you have nothing to do with Labour, but your extreme views fit in nicely with a certain Labour faction. Which is why you hang around here like a bad smell.
Why don’t you go hang out with that uber man hater QofT on her Wymin Against Phalopression site? She needs all the help she can get, she only averages 1 or 2 comments on her bitter twisted ravings and those are usually her own, lol.
It’s true k_p, I’m a labour voter and I hate men. And I’m a lesbian. And I’m QoT’s lover. And we’re satanists.
But I did already freely admit to my reverse racism so I’m not sure why you’re banging on about that. I think you might be suffering from reverse comprehension.
My various names?
Calm down, you are being hysterical and irrational.
You sure come across like QofT, little Miss felix.
I think we both know why that is, k_p.
Don’t tell everyone though, it’s taken years of hard work to get the prank to this point and it’s nearly time for the big payoff.
So shh, k? Our little secret.
it’s taken years of hard work to get the prank to this point
The felix prank? That’s no secret.
That’s funny Pete. Like you know what’s up.
Good one.
Why aren’t you over on QofT blog, she looks awfully lonely. Guess you hang out here because its the only site with a decent sized audience which will tolerate a rad fem nut job.
I am over there, logged in as QoT! Doh.
Got a bit of a chip on your shoulder over QoT have you, lie down on the couch and let it all out.
Did she cut you down sometime, or laugh at your micro flightless breeding equipment, oh diddums, go see Slater for another cuddle tosspot.
I don’t know if you’re a man or a woman, (I tend to assume everyone here is a gay man ) but you all really are terribly obsessed with male genitalia, hey? 🙂
I’ve no obsession with members no, but am rather keen on my partner and her feminine charm.
My attempt to show support for felix with my abuse to k_p was dumb and useless as felix can scratch back just fine without my insignificant two cents.
“I don’t know if you’re a man or a woman, (I tend to assume everyone here is a gay man )”
That is one of the most unusual things I’ve read on here, can you elaborate on that in any way?
FWIW, I didn’t think it was dumb to highlight k_p’s weird fixations. And yeah, Vicky does drop some clangers, eh?
Yeah that was an odd one and despite just picking up her comment and hence my late reply, I’d be keen to have her tell more about this.
PMSL! 😀 😀 😀
But Felix you dear sad wee man, that’s what you do! Refer Open Mike 20.4.12…. Therefore the words Pot. Kettle. Black. spring to mind.
You mean that thing about how you said you reckoned only 2 of the regulars here had kids, and I suggested you were speaking in tongues? ‘Cos, like, it was a ridiculous thing to say?
Sorry, was I supposed to take that seriously?
Sorry RL but he posted the same thing twice.
That’s because I posted the first one in the wrong column and when I hit the delete button all I got was a -1 which I presume is an output break for debugging. So I went ahead and posted it further down anyway.
Perhaps China will show us the way forward.
“The carbon-fuelled, capital-driven model of economic growth, which started in my country 200-odd years ago, has spread across the planet and is now, I believe, reaching its apex here in China.”
http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/show/single/en/4876–The-world-s-most-important-story
Breaking news, Banksie has announced that New Zealand has recently taken a major turn to the left. Did anyone else notice, or was I the only one that missed it? http://afinetale.blogspot.co.nz/2012/04/which-country-has-taken-major-turn-to.html
Yes, I thought it was a strange comment.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/6785559/ACT-party-set-sights-on-2014-election
This, the same day many righties are claiming a rise in National’s support as in the latest Roy Morgan poll.
And, funny, but I thought the 2011 election was claimed by some as a landslide victory for National!
http://nz.news.yahoo.com/opinion/post/-/blog/news_makers/post/75/comment/
John Banks…. the guy who slammed casinos in 1997, and is supportive of them today:
http://www.3news.co.nz/John-Banks-relaxes-views-on-casino-industry/tabid/1607/articleID/251304/Default.aspx
Must be a strange landscape of scrambled and shifting views inside JB’s head!
The interior of Banksie’s head is one large scrambled egg. What did the Actoids think of his speech I wonder. While they may be ideologically obsessed with free market logic, not all of them are mad or even idiots.
“not all of them are mad or even idiots.”
[citation needed]
Umm..aahh… eek.. well, I knew one or two once who seemed reasonably sane. Mind you, it was a long time ago.
Maurice Williamson,the latest from within the National Government to stick the leader ‘Slippery’ one with a sharp object, exposing Slippery and His shady dealings with SkyCity for all to see and at the same time getting a spot of utu for previous slights…
Oh dear
and from the defense:-
I suppose we’re going to have to start calling this the Mega Ballsup Case.
The NZ police co-operated with and used our resources to assist this US corporatised bullshit. Bad judgement all round.
..what a toilet this site has become. No wonder I dont visit here. Yuk.
Well you did visit, and given your comment i guess you were looking for some intelligent well researched opinions. There are plenty of these on The Standard as well as the kind you obviously don’t like. No reason to run away – unless you just came here just to make a negative judgemental comment. If you’re genuinely interested in challenging and debating left wing politics and ideas then i’d strongly encourage you to stay and get involved
+1 as they say!