Kim’s still “got it” in dealing with duplicitous politicians. She allowed some space around Key for his crap to impact on the listener, nice change from the now prevalent hectoring style that eschews even a micro pause.
Election promise broken – ‘The Government will not be delivering on its pre-election promise of free doctors visits for all primary aged children. The ACC Minister has set the Corporation’s funding at a level that will cover only an estimated 90 percent of doctors’ visits for children who are injured(…)Nikki Kaye said the costs of getting the remaining number of injured children free visits outweighs the benefits.”
Meanwhile, professional rugby players earning 100+K get all the costly treatments for free when injured.
How is that fair?
Yep. ACC also covers accidents outside of the workplace. For professional athletes their organisations typically “top up” the payment ACC provides so that the athlete does not have to cough up the patient co-payment themselves.
Surely you guys all know by now, that children don’t count in this country and all tax payers money should be used to prop up highly paid Nat loving sports people and corporates!
Possibly not paid by the RU. I remember when the Warriors started up, ACC assigned special officers to them so any problems could be quickly treated. I would expect a national icon such as the All Blacks to get at least the same level of attention. Or maybe things have changed since those days.
ceos on 2 million a year can get acc. thats partly the point. a system for all. usually they have private insurance both health and income so would not get Acc
Private health insurance doesn’t affect entitlement to ACC. If you have it you get both when/if you are injured.
Also, ACC has long had a unit that deals with the injuries of “special” people – high court judges, sports professionals, politicians, TV presenters etc. -ie the rich and/or powerful have their own unit at ACC dedicated to looking after them separately from the plebs.
I believe this unit exists because it is important in maintaining the status quo that those whose voices are heard aren’t treated the way ordinary people are.
Everyone gets the same treatment. Some just get more of it and without having to wait, or be told their broken neck from a collapsed scrum is a degenerative condition. Like Australia, we are a nation of equals, where Jack is as good as his master. Just don’t tell Jack though, or he might get ideas.
Kim Hill on National Radio MR….what a treat! Yes, John Key sounded surly and the Health and Disability Commissioner has just had a well deserved hammering over the official response to the stupidity at Greymouth Hospital which killed a 15 year old boy.
Ports of Auckland is proceeding with two huge wharf extensions, despite public protests, a political call to halt work and a legal challenge against consents for the work.
Last night Mayor Len Brown was taking a relaxed approach to the work at the port, saying a council request to halt work was still under consideration.
The lawfulness of the consents is being challenged in the High Court in Auckland on June 2 by Urban Auckland, a society of architectural and planning professionals.
Reaction to Mr Hawkins’ statement was swift.
Stop Stealing Our Harbour spokesman Michael Goldwater said the decision to proceed with the extensions displayed incredible arrogance and complete disregard for what the port’s bosses were saying.
Waitemata and Gulf councillor Mike Lee accused the port company of insubordination, while North Shore councillor Chris Darby said the company appeared to be deliberately toying with the council and thinks it is “immune to our unequivocal requests”.
Seems like they are taking a leaf out of their hero the PM’s playbook.
It seems to be more common today. People in all spheres are talking more bullshit and telling lies blatantly and deceiving people and doing just whatever they want as they see the PM get away with it. You know, the “whatever it takes” mantra.
“Stop Stealing Our Harbour spokesman Michael Goldwater said the decision to proceed with the extensions displayed [ incredible arrogance and complete disregard for what the port’s bosses were saying ] perfect alignment with a capitalist perspective.”
Producers will be required to register their powdered baby milk formula with the food and drug regulatory agency, according to a draft revision to the Food Safety Law, submitted to the bi-monthly legislative session of the National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee for its third reading on Monday.
In an earlier draft, submitted in December, the provision on powdered baby milk formula stipulated that firms should only ensure their formulas were on record.
According to Stuff if we turn out on Anzac day we are supprting the deployments against ISIS? How dare they.
“Australians and New Zealanders are being urged to turn out in force on Anzac Day to show they are not cowed by Islamic State terror plots.”
“The best thing Australians and New Zealanders can do is to turn up in very large numbers at Anzac events, wherever they are, to support our values, our interests, our armed forces,” Abbott said.”
But you know the reality now? Now that terror threats are on the list at the mall? …. the reality is that the horse has bolted…. we are at war …… the propaganda has passed a tipping point …. the truth is now gone …… you are either with us or against us …… the entire narrative over the middle east, terror, war America Australia has just changed the last few days ….. (always intended of course. in evidence see timing of particular events)
Was planning to attend the local ceremony in Devonport this year but the crass and blatant political manipulation of the event by the two most abhorrent Australasian leaders of all time has now ensured I will not be there.
I will plant my poppy (in memory of my father who saw action in the final year of WW1 and all of WW2) later in the day after everybody has gone.
Maybe there should be a dusk commemoration by those who are remembering as a symbolic counterpoise to those who turn up at dawn but who seem to have forgotten?
ANZAC DAY PEACE COMMEMORATION to remember all casualties of war will take place at 2pm on Saturday 25 April at the Peace Pole in front of Otago Museum. It will last between 20-30 minutes.
Organised by the Peace Movement Aotearoa. Not quite dusk,and probably silent, so those who find silence uncomfortable should come late:-)
Abbott referred to this Iraq “training” squad of close to 1,000 people as “sons of anzacs”………
What would those who died at Gallipoli and other places think of Abbott, Key and their actions?
I would guess the true anzacs would not wish this on their sons at all…. and especially not in these circumstances around the US and the middle east the last decade or two.
The Iraq squad are not sons of anzacs, that is complete and utter horseshit
Abbott is so crass ! and crude …. and our PM goes along with all this jingoism presumably because “war” stirs our nationwide pride and will keep him being elected ! Maybe …… and maybe not …. there must be a stirring of disgust starting to run through most NZers at the blatant commercialism going on, surely ? Especially those whose families suffered in one way or another thru WW1.
I found that sickening as well – sullying the meaning of a festival that has an established place in the lives of New Zealanders and Australians. The concept of respect is alien to guys like Abbott and Key.
I suspect they’d support both because the two of them are still hostage to the stupid ideas of racial superiority that led to Gallipoli in the first place.
Welcome to our future… where public amenity is transferred to corporate interests for nothing with no oversight (apart from a few incompetent council resource consents people) and even when there is huge public protest, the so called ‘owner’ the council run by CEO Stephen Town who has been very silent through all of this does nothing, and our elected officials also do nothing.
While the Ports of Auckland with a strong record of intensionally breaking the law gets a free run to steal our harbour.
Welcome to our future, where public amenity like our harbour is transferred into corporate control like the Ports of Auckland by a handful of barristers and council resource consent officials and the public is not allowed a say in the process.
Nothing from Stephen Brown CEO of Auckland Council…. someone check his pulse to see if he is still alive …
Ports of Auckland is a company with a proven record of illegal action. One would think with the amount of lawyers on speed dial at the council they could get an injunction to stop work, but no, as usual do nothing.
Ports of Auckland has been ordered to pay $40,000 for deliberately breaking the law in 2012.
“Lynton Crosby, the Conservatives’ election campaign director, is facing a growing Cabinet backlash over his strategy, with ministers worried that the party is pumping out an aggressive and uninspiring message to voters.”
Because the Crosby campaign is designed to make people not want to vote. It only 49% of people who voted Tracey. Which is just 30 odd % of the population. Another 30 odd % are sick of the politics of hate, fear, and manipulation. These fine souls voted with their feet and did not vote.
Another 30 odd % are sick of the politics of hate, fear, and manipulation. These fine souls voted with their feet and did not vote.
The single main reason people do not vote is that they ‘didn’t get round to it, forgot or were not interested’
Only about 7% of non voters express anything like a ‘protest’ reason for not voting.
How many of those who did vote only voted because they were guited into it by the “don’t vote, don’t complain” crowd. I know I have been in this catagory in the past and my wife is currently there. Until there is a box to vote for none of the above then we will not have a truely representative democratic process.
I can’t think of anything more pointless than a ‘none of the above’ vote. If that’s all you want to say then just don’t bother voting. Nothing = nothing.
If you have an alternative in mind, and there are a significant number of citizens that support that alternative, then start a political Party to represent it and get it on the ballot paper so citizens have the opportunity to vote for it.
I can’t think of anything more pointless than a ‘none of the above’ vote. If that’s all you want to say then just don’t bother voting. Nothing = nothing.
For some reason you believe that a no confidence vote is the same as a “nothing” vote. You couldn’t be more wrong.
For some reason you think that ‘none of the above’ is the same thing as ‘no confidence’.
A ‘no confidence’ vote is a condemnation of a specific person or entity within a system, and has the effect of forcing a positive action to restore confidence in that system.
That is quite different to the ‘None of the above’ Crashcart suggests, which is a condemnation of everyone within a system, and as far as I can see, if it happened without some alternative to everyone in the current system being available, it would have no point what so ever. Except anarchy perhaps?
“No confidence” doesn’t apply to individual people or entities. In student union elections (at least in Auckland, from memory) there’s a “no confidence” option in multi-candidate ballots.
Interestingly there’s also a “no vote” option so one could decide how strongly to assert one’s objections.
That is quite different to the ‘None of the above’ Crashcart suggests, which is a condemnation of everyone within a system, and as far as I can see, if it happened without some alternative to everyone in the current system being available, it would have no point what so ever. Except anarchy perhaps?
Really? Then that’s exactly what we should do as anarchy is exactly what we need.
“The single main reason people do not vote is that they ‘didn’t get round to it, forgot or were not interested’
Only about 7% of non voters express anything like a ‘protest’ reason for not voting.”
Piffle
Then you go on with more piffle The lost sheep – is it the argument of the unthinking or self-righteous, I really don’t know – “go start your on political party”. What a trifling boring and dullard argument. How about you go organise some sheep and put them in a pig pen if your not happy with the world. That’s what you said – piffle.
People are not happy with this world, or how it’s run – but don’t talk to anyone – just sit in your room and pontificate about how your great system and ideas of governance are the only option. Just more right wing turgid arguments against the people. The TINA buzz sanctimoniously put, just like the late roger dogulas. So if your going to lambaste us with piffle, any chance you could do it with a modicum of originality?
“The single main reason people do not vote is that they ‘didn’t get round to it, forgot or were not interested’”
That’s three reasons there, Tls, and they come under the single biggest category of why people didn’t vote – Disengaged – which included:
I didn’t get round to it or I forgot about it/am not interested 21.0
I didn’t think it was worth voting because my vote wouldn’t have made a difference 7.1
I didn’t think it was worth voting because it makes no difference which party is in government 7.0
I didn’t think it was worth voting because politicians only care about being in power 5.1
Dislike politicians, the political system, or all parties 3.0(*)
Total Disengaged 43.2
(*) Relative sampling error is 30–49.9 percent, and should be viewed with caution.)
The ‘not interested’ category could probably do with separation from the ‘forgot/didn’t get around to it’ options, imo. Without further explanation it could just as easily fit with any one of the other options in the Disengaged category.
I am glad to see that Prof Jane Kelsey has called attention to the incorrect implication given by both Radio NZ and the NZ Herald that the Fast Track for the TPPA had been achieved by Obama. In fact the Fast Track Bill had just been tabled in the US Congress.
The RNZ headline was “Obama to get fast-track authority for TPP”
These parts of the report distinctly gave the impression that this was a done deal.
“The US Congress has agreed to give President Barack Obama the authority to fast-track its signing.
However, the US commitment still has hurdles to overcome.
The agreement, struck by the leaders of the tax-writing committees, will grant the president so-called trade promotion authority, which will limit lawmakers to taking only a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ vote on any eventual trade deal without any power to amend it.
The Republican chairs of the Senate’s Finance Committee and Ways and Means Committee had to agree to stringent requirements for the trade deal to win over the ranking Democrat on the finance panel.”
Tim Groser no doubt was pushing that line. I hope that NZ’s interests are not being sacrificed by Tim Groser on his altar of ambition to become NZ’s Ambassador in Washington.
Any folks here who are in Dunedin and have an interest in Irish/working class/left history might be interested in a couple of talks I’m giving on campus about the 1916 Rebellion in Ireland and its aftermath.
The talks are at 5pm, today (Tuesday), April 21 and 5pm, next Tuesday (April 28) and are in Room 4, upstairs in the Clubs and Societies building at 84 Albany Street.
In the first talk I’ll be looking at the lead-up to the Rising, in particular the arrival in Irish society of the working class as an organised industrial/political force with the formation especially of the Irish Transport and General Workers Union, founded by James Larkin and later led by James Connolly, the development of its newspaper (the widely-read Irish Worker, edited by Sean O’Casey) and of the workers’ militia (the Irish Citizen Army, led by Connolly, Michael Mallin and Countess Markievicz; the formation of the first republican paramilitary organisation, Na Fianna Eireann, founded by Countess Markievicz; the revitalisation of the Irish Republican Brotherhood by young militants like Sean MacDiarmada and the return of the veteran Tom Clarke; the formation of a republican women’s movement (Inghinidhe na hEireann), founded by Maud Gonne; and the Irishwomen’s Suffrage League.
I’ll look at the 1913 Dublin Lockout and the Home Rule Crisis and the different responses within Irish nationalism to World War 1.
Today’s Herald “Chinese bank giant pushes into New Zealand mortgage market…”
Stop the World a moment.
Where is NZ Inc heading?
We have a person who was singularly able to influence New Zealand social policy for many years as the Reserve Bank Governor, (failed to lead National to government even through “Hollow Men” tactics and push his agenda) now turns up heading a foreign bank which is bleeding more “Decent Ordinary Blokes” money offshore.
“Industrial and Commercial Bank of China New Zealand began lending last year and made $11.2 million in home loans in the 12 months to December 31, according to a disclosure statement lodged with the Companies Office.”
Apparently these new banks are keeping the Aussie banks honest.
“Last year Reserve Bank deputy governor Grant Spencer said the arrival of Chinese and Indian banking giants was a “watershed event” that would help keep the dominant Australian-owned lenders “on their toes”.
Now, what say for starters, the Government instructed that all of it’s business (education, health, roading etc) be put the way of KIWI Bank.
And speaking of people on boards of big banks – it is forever interesting how the New Zealand Herald (et al), when trumpeting the new Industrial and Commercial Bank of China and its entrance to the NZ market, have completely forgotten to mention that Jenny Shipley is a Director on the Board of the ICBC’s ‘sister bank’ the Chinese Construction Bank and has been since 2007.
Even when discussing recent NZ Government appointments, and listing the appointees responsibilities and previous experience, they just forget to include this apparently insignificant fact?
Our Jenny Shiply indépendant chair of Mainzeal until 2 weeks before it collapsed into bankruptcy. Great to see the banks want to see such a ‘successful’ director. It’s not cronyism and connections – really….
Sorry CR but making 11.2 million would be servicing a few more mortgages wouldn’t it??? I took that to read “extracted”. Wouldn’t have thought lending 11.2 would be the sort of small change that Brash would be involved in. Stand to be corrected on that …
Here’s a little story about play nice, or you don’t get paid.
It’s about a small company legally supplying a necessary service to 15 million people around the world and getting absolutely shafted by corporate bully boys for doing nothing but offering a better business model.
Oh and he lives in NZ, while he waits, assets stripped, to be extradited while JK backslaps with the US Movie industry.
Another enemy of the people from our Beloved Leader. Nicky Hager, John Campbell, Snowdon, Dotcom, Catton, so many people who seem to want a ‘different’ type of democracy from the Nats and the Entertainment Industry.
If only Dotcom had invested in residential property all would have been well.
In a free market, a company can make whatever decisions they feel like. If they don’t want to deal with gays or blacks, for example, there will be no legislative pressure requiring them to do so. A company can be as vile as its owners feel like. The free market will end up with concentration of economic power in fewer and fewer hands. It is not a good thing and Paypal refusing to deal with Mega is not against the ideals of the free market.
FYI, our favorite ex-Northland MP is now CEO of Carrington Resort on the Karikari Peninsula. The resort is now owned by a Chinese consortium who are buying and developing large tracks of the peninsula. Margaret Mutu conspicuous by her absence. What nexts ?
Much as the early reports on Sabin’s appointment referred to it as to the position of CEO of the Peppers Carrington Resort, a subsequent (edited) report on the NBR corrected this to CEO of Magnificant Jade:
Former National MP Mike Sabin has been appointed as chief executive officer of Magnificent Jade, which oversees the New Zealand-based assets of Chinese real estate developer Shanghai CRED.
In 2013, Shanghai CRED bought Northland’s luxurious Peppers Carrington Resort for a sum understood to be almost $29 million. It was reported on NBR ONLINE and other media earlier this week that Mr Sabin had been appointed chief executive officer of the resort.
However, the Mantra Group, which operates the resort under the Peppers luxury resort brand, has since confirmed that Mr Sabin has not or is not an employee of Peppers, and that Peppers was not consulted on the appointment.
…
It is understood that Shanghai CRED is planning to upscale Peppers Carrington Resort into the largest five star resort in New Zealand and Mr Sabin’s appointment as chief executive of Magnificent Jade is central to this development.
(note: this article has been updated to reflect that Mr Sabin is CEO of Magnificent Jade, and not Peppers Carrington Resort)
So it seems that Sabin will not be actually the “on the spot” hands-on manager of the resort itself. Presumably Simon Jones, who has apparently been in this position for some years, will continue to be the CEO/manager of the resort itself.
Well, a spokesman for the Peppers Carrington deal is the Shanghai Pengxin/Crafar Farms go-to guy Cedric Allan, who has a little known strategic communications consultancy business with Michelle Boag. So I guess there might be a really slim chance of them being in contact with the Chinese Construction Bank Director, ex National Party Leader, regular Government Board appointee and almost one term PM Dame Jenny Shipley.
Speaking of Dame Jenny, I am reminded of something she said back in 2011
“The Chinese don’t want land, the Chinese want the resources and protein,”
They have certainly been busy securing the resources, One Pure is an excellent example of that. further resource grabs are evident all over New Zealand and who knows, maybe tourism counts as protein for the mind?
Exactly,CV – although I have no links etc to verify this. Unfortunately at present I have little time to follow through on this …. but it is annoying me which usually means that insomnia will result – and what do you do when you cannot sleep ………………….
Organised by a girlfriend of Kate Middleton’s. Always reminds me of the decline and fall of the Roman Empire when the elite can’t be bothered to hide their decadence from the rest of society any more.
+1 Yep I would have liked to see an enquiry. I don’t think Peter Ellis was guilty or had a fair trial, while people in power like Lord Janner in the UK and the roast buster youths get away with no prosecution.
On the programme ‘I am Innocent” there was a case where a Dad was put away for abusing his kids, when all along it was their ‘support person’ the Stepfather who was the abuser, who stood behind them in court convicting the Dad, and the kids were confused and were not allowed to retract. The law is unjust in this area.
Peter Ellis was obviously innocent. His bad luck was to be a male working with children at a time that collective madness overtook many social workers and child psychologists. I remember around that time, a microcephalic psychologist tried explaining to me that my father had sexually abused me and that I had suppressed the memories. This was based on nothing except distorted memories of a lecture she’d just been to. God save us from crusading psychologists.
I’m reasonably certain that there was a specific type of vindictive or self righteous professional woman who rejoiced at seeing Peter Ellis pay for his “crimes” – and still does. The result echoes decades down the track – men stay well away from early childhood and primary school education, and as a society we’re Ok with it.
Couple of weeks ago I was out running/training at the park I usually run at, big public place, sports teams and that sort of thing present, and a girl roughly 11 or 12 asked if she could run with me. I made the stupid on-the-spot-answer that she could. We ran together for one lap. I walked beside her when she stopped to catch her breath, let her set the pace, encouraged her forward, reinforced that she should pay attention to what she thought and felt. We talked about sport, good practice, and training. I had about five minutes to impress the alternative to what I’d seen the local coaches slamming into the children:
masculine pain/gain
division of mind/body
everyone for themselves
heroes over teams
individuals over support.
I can’t go back to that park now. That’s the price I have to pay. I won’t speak to another young person again – there are only so many parks round here. Society sees a grown man running with a young girl and immediately thinks “Pedophile”. What I should have done, what society wants me to reply to youngsters who approach me, is, “No go away!”
Thanks NZ. Great country you’re putting together here.
To the contrary Charles, you should go back to the same park and run as you have always done. If anyone asks to join in, you can easily decline. But please, it should not prevent you from going back again. That just feeds the disease.
easy to say until someone else decides you look dodgy.
I remember a story of a guy near a local beach who saw a crying, unattended toddler. He felt he had to get a female to go up to the kid, as it would be a bad look if he went up and a parent saw it at the wrong moment (strange guy, crying kid) and went off the handle.
I recommend watching the film “Capturing the Friedmans” an HBO documentary film directed by Andrew Jarecki. It focuses on the 1980s investigation of Arnold and Jesse Friedman for child molestation. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Documentary Feature in 2003.
May the TPPA die and go back to hell from whence it came. Hey, let’s sell our country for some magic beans! I am amazed the US Congress is staffed by wiser and more intelligent people than our own governing gits.
John Berry
Bloody Hell!
Shits getting so bad I’m getting close to the point of burying my head in the sand, its really driving me to despair. Has the whole world gone fucking mad recently or is it just me?
Native Affairs with Mihingarangi Forbes on Maori TV is astonishingly powerful .. check on their website for replays. And next week, they have a vital debate on the importance of public broadcasting in NZ.
Plus, of course, they are the go-to place on Anzac Day. Sam Neill has made what looks like a fine documentary .. he was interviewed about it last night on Native Affairs … and for sure he is no fan on Pry Minister Key. Definitely worth a watch ..
“Alex Swney pleads guilty to a further $2.5 million fraud
Hamish McNicol · Tuesday April 21, 2015 ·
Alex Swney, the former boss of Auckland business organisation Heart of the City, has pleaded guilty to further fraud charges of more than $2.5 million.
Mr Swney appeared in the Auckland District Court this morning to answer a charge brought by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) of dishonestly using documents.
He has pleaded guilty to the charge and was remanded on bail until his next appearance on April 30.
The maximum prison term for the charge is seven years.
Mr Swney created fictitious invoices while at Heart of the City which resulted in payments of more than $2.5 million to accounts controlled by him.
SFO director Julie Read says the misappropriation increased the cost of the services provided by the organisation and reduced the benefits delivered by it.
“Fraud of this size by employees who are entrusted with the management and expenditure of substantial sums of money is very costly for both the businesses concerned and more broadly for the community as it harms the integrity of these organisations,” she says.
In January, Mr Swney also admitted to charges laid by the IRD covering $1.8 million in unpaid taxes.
He had initially denied the charges last year but after switching lawyers to Murray Gibson changed his plea.
The IRD also alleges Mr Swney owes $1.4 million in penalties and interest.
Mr Swney will be sentenced on four of the original IRD charges this month, after another 34 initial charges were dropped.
He also faces civil proceedings by Heart of the City’s board, which undertook an independent investigation when the allegations surfaced.
Heart of the City is mostly funded by targeted business rates and its purpose is to promote business in the Auckland CBD.
In its most recently available annual report for 2011-2012, the organisation records receiving $4.47 million in revenue.
Earlier this year the association teamed up with Auckland Tourism Events and Economic Development (ATEED) to fund a domestic tourism campaign.
It also had funded the Whitcoulls Santa each Christmas, but NBR Rich Listers the Mansons and SkyCity are now funding the statue for five years.
Mr Swney had been at the helm of the business association for more than a decade.
In 2007 he unsuccessfully ran for mayor of (then) Auckland City Council, which he lost to John Banks. ”
________________________________________________________________________________________
Happy to watch TV3 news and Campbell live but have an instinctive rapid response when a Paul Henry promo suddenly comes on and I have to panic switch channels quickly to avoid looking at or hearing him.
Consequently I mostly watch TV1.
Retiring in Britain is tiring to contemplate. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2042630/New-era-hippies-Millions-50s-relying-home-pension.html A recent report highlighted the huge financial pressure on Britain’s older people.
HomeLet, a firm of lettings experts, looked at the number of its clients between the age of 66 and 70 who were selling their home and moving into rental accommodation.
Over the last year, it found a 30 per cent increase in those putting up the ‘For Sale’ sign – a move likely to be fuelled by a chronic lack of cash….
Another survey warned yesterday that people turning to renting are facing record costs.
The study revealed that it is cheaper to buy a home than to rent the same property in 45 of the country’s 50 largest towns…. the asking price of all two-bedroom flats available to buy or to rent…..
On average, it found the cost of the monthly rental bill higher than the cost of the mortgage.
I am writing a theoretical sociological essay with regards to Campbell Live’s potential dumping (or watering down) in the guise of Theodore Adorno’s Culture Industry thesis. Hopefully it’s a good one given the local application. Anyway, does anyone know where I can (reliably) follow up these TV ratings that have been so liberally tossed around in the ensuing arguments over Campbell’s commercial viability? I know this is not discussion, but I’ll be happy to share a link to the essay when it’s done. But only if you’re a fan of Campbell or Adorno, or both 😉
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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 ...
Who likes being sneered at? Nobody. Worse yet, when the sneerer has their facts all wrong, and might well be an idiot.The sneer in question is The adults are in charge now, and it is a sneer offered in retort to criticism of this new Government, no matter how well ...
When in government, Labour pushed to extend the Parliamentary term to four years, to reduce accountability and our ability to vote out a bad government. And now, they're trying to do it through the member's ballot, with a Four-Year Parliamentary Term Legislation Bill. The bill at least requires a referendum ...
A ballot for a single Member's Bill was held today, and the following bill was drawn: Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill (Hūhana Lyndon) The bill would prevent the government from stealing Māori land in breach of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. It ...
Simeon Brown, alongside Wayne Brown, is favouring a political figleaf now in exchange for loading up tens of millions in extra interest costs on Auckland ratepayers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Ratings agency Standard & Poor’s is pushing back hard at suggestions from Local Government Minister Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown ...
Buzz from the Beehive One headline-grabber from the Beehive yesterday was the OECD’s advice that the government must bring the Budget deficit under control or face higher interest rates. Another was the announcement of a $1.9 billion “investment” in Corrections over the next four years. In the best interests of ...
Chris Trotter writes – Had Zheng He’s fleet sailed east, not west, in the early Fifteenth Century, how different our world would be. There is little reason to suppose that the sea-going junks of the Ming Dynasty, among the largest and most sophisticated sailing vessels ever constructed, would have failed ...
David Farrar writes – Two articles give a useful contrast in balance. Both seek to be neutral explainer articles. This one in the Herald on Social Investment covers the pros and cons nicely. It links to critical pieces and talks about aspects that failed and aspects that are more ...
The tikanga regulations will compel law students to be taught that a system which does not conform with the rule of law is nevertheless law which should be observed and applied…Gary Judd KC writes – I have made a complaint to Parliament’s Regulation ...
The future of Te Huia, the train between Hamilton and Auckland, has been getting a lot of attention recently as current funding for it is only in place till the end of June. The government initially agreed to a five year trial, through to April 2026, but that was subject ...
TL;DR: Hamas has just agreed to Israel’s ceasefire plan. Nelson hospital’s rebuild has been cut back to save money. The OECD suggests New Zealand break up network monopolies, including in electricity. PM Christopher Luxon’s news conference on a prison expansion announcement last night was his messiest yet.Here’s my top six ...
A homicide in Ponsonby, a manhunt with a killer on the run. The nation’s leader stands before a press conference reassuring a frightened nation that he’ll sort it out, he’ll keep them safe, he’ll build some new prison spaces.Sorry what? There’s a scary dude on the run with a gun ...
Hi,I know it’s been awhile since there’s been any Webworm merch — and today that all changes!Over the last four months, I’ve been working with New Zealand artist Jess Johnson to create a series of t-shirts, caps and stickers that are infused with Webworm DNA — and as of right ...
The OECD’s chief economist yesterday laid it on the line for the new Government: bring the deficit under control or face higher Reserve Bank interest rates for longer. And to bring the deficit under control, she meant not borrowing for tax cuts. But there was more. Without policy changes—introducing a ...
After a hiatus of over four months Selwyn Manning and I finally got it together to re-start the “A View from Afar” podcast series. We shall see how we go but aim to do 2 episodes per month if possible. … Continue reading → ...
In 2008, the UK Parliament passed the Climate Change Act 2008. The law established a system of targets, budgets, and plans, with inbuilt accountability mechanisms; the aim was to break the cycle of empty promises and replace it with actual progress towards emissions reduction. The law was passed with near-universal ...
Buzz from the Beehive Local Water Done Well – let’s be blunt – is a silly name, but the first big initiative to put it into practice has gone done well. This success is reflected in the headline on an RNZ report:District mayors welcome Auckland’s new water deal with ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate ConnectionsA farmworker cleans the solar panels of a solar water pump in the village of Jagadhri, Haryana Country, India. (Photo credit: Prashanth Vishwanathan/ IWMI) Decisions made in India over the next few years will play a key role in global ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – The Children’s Minister, Karen Chhour, intends to repeal Section 7AA from the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989 because it creates conflict between claimed Crown Treaty obligations and the child’s best interests. In her words, “Oranga Tamariki’s governing principles and its act should be colour ...
Geoffrey Miller writes – The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. ...
Brian Easton writes – This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be (I will report on them ...
TL;DR:Winston Peters is reported to have won a budget increase for MFAT. David Seymour wanted his Ministry of Regulation to be three times bigger than the Productivity Commission. Simeon Brown is appointing a Crown Monitor to Watercare to protect the Claytons Crown Guarantee he had to give ratings agencies ...
The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. Carr had made highly ...
I could be a florist'Round the corner from Rye LaneI'll be giving daisies to craziesBut, baby, I'll wrap you up real safe Oh, I can give you flowers At the end of every dayFor the center of your table, a rainbowIn case you have people 'round to stay Depending on ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to May 12 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Finance Minister Nicola Willis will give a pre-budget speech on Thursday.Parliament sits from Question Time at 2pm on ...
The price of the foreign affairs “reset” is now becoming apparent, with Defence set to get a funding boost in the Budget. Finance Minister Nicola Willis has confirmed that it will be one of the few votes, apart from Health and Education and possibly Police, which will get an increase ...
A listing of 26 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 28, 2024 thru Sat, May 4, 2024. Story of the week "It’s straight out of Big Tobacco’s playbook. In fact, research by John Cook and his colleagues ...
Yesterday I received come lovely feedback following my Star Wars themed newsletter. A few people mentioned they’d enjoyed reading the personal part at the beginning.I often begin newsletters with some memories, or general thoughts, before commencing the main topic. This hopefully sets the mood and provides some context in which ...
April 30 was going to be the day we’d be calling Mum from London to wish her a happy birthday. Then it became the day we would be going to St. Paul's at Evensong to remember her. The aim of the cathedral builders was to find a way to make their ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – Can’t remember the last book by a Kiwi author you read? Think the NZ government should spend less on the arts in favor of helping the homeless? If so, as far as Newsroom is concerned, you probably deserve to be called a cultural ignoramus ...
Eric Crampton writes – Grudges are bad. Better to move on. But it can be fun to keep a couple of really trivial ones, so you’re not tempted to have other ones. For example, because of the rootkit fiasco of 2005, no Sony products in our household. ...
A new report warns an estimated third of the adult population have unmet need for health care.Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāHere’s the six key things I learned about Aotaroa’s political economy this week around housing, climate and poverty:Politics - Three opinion polls confirmed support for PM Christopher Luxon ...
Today is May the fourth. Which was just a regular day when my mother took me to see the newly released Star Wars at the Odeon in Rotorua. The queue was right around the corner. Some years later this day became known as Star Wars Day, the date being a ...
Buzz from the Beehive Much more media attention is being paid to something Winston Peters said about former Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr than to a speech he delivered to the New Zealand China Council. One word is missing from the speech: AUKUS. But AUKUS loomed large in his considerations ...
Is the economy in another long stagnation? If so, why?This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be ...
The annual list of who's been bribing our politicians is out, and journalists will no doubt be poring over it to find the juiciest and dirtiest bribes. The government's fast-track invite list is likely to be a particular focus, and we already know of one company on the list which ...
In the weeks after the October 7 Hamas attacks on Southern Israel I wrote about the possible 2nd, 3rd and even 4th order effects of the conflict. These included new fronts being opened in the West Bank (with Hamas), Golan … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – It is one of the oldest truisms that there is never a good time for MPs to get a pay rise. This week’s announcement of pay raises of around 2.8% backdated to last October could hardly have come at a worse time, with the ...
David Farrar writes – Newshub reports: Newshub can reveal a fresh allegation of intimidation against Green MP Julie-Anne Genter. Genter is subject to a disciplinary process for aggressively waving a book in the face of National Minister Matt Doocey in the House – but it’s not the first time ...
The Treasury has published a paper today on the global productivity slowdown and how it is playing out in New Zealand: The productivity slowdown: implications for the Treasury’s forecasts and projections. The Treasury Paper examines recent trends in productivity and the potential drivers of the slowdown. Productivity for the whole economy ...
Winston Peters’ comments about former Australian foreign minister look set to be an ongoing headache for both him and Luxon. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for subscribers features co-hosts and , along with regular guests on Gaza and ...
These puppet strings don't pull themselvesYou're thinking thoughts from someone elseHow much time do you think you have?Are you prepared for what comes next?The debating chamber can be a trying place for an opposition MP. What with the person in charge, the speaker, typically being an MP from the governing ...
The land around Lyme Regis, where Meryl Streep once stood, in a hood, on the Cobb, is falling into the sea.MerylThe land around Lyme Regis, around the Cobb that made it rich, has always been falling slowly but surely into the sea. Read more ...
Photo by Jari Hytönen 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 Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters was bound to win headlines when he set out his thinking about AUKUS in his speech to the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. The headlines became bigger when – during an interview on RNZ’s Morning Report today – he criticised ...
The Post reports on how the government is refusing to release its advice on its corrupt Muldoonist fast-track law, instead using the "soon to be publicly available" refusal ground to hide it until after select committee submissions on the bill have closed. Fast-track Minister Chris Bishop's excuse? “It's not ...
As pressure on it grows, the livestock industry’s approach to the transition to Net Zero is increasingly being compared to that of fossil fuel interests. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / Getty ImagesTL;DR: Here’s the top five news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above ...
The New Zealand Herald reports – Stats NZ has offered a voluntary redundancy scheme to all of its workers as a way to give staff some control over their “future” amidst widespread job losses in the public sector. In an update to staff this morning, seen by the Herald, Statistics New Zealand ...
On Werewolf/Scoop, I usually do two long form political columns a week. From now on, there will be an extra column each week about music and movies. But first, some late-breaking political events:The rise in unemployment numbers for the March quarter was bigger than expected – and especially sharp ...
David Farrar writes – The Herald reports: TVNZ says it is dealing with about 50 formal complaints over its coverage of the latest 1News-Verian political poll, with some viewers – as well as the Prime Minister and a former senior Labour MP – critical of the tone of the 6pm report. ...
Muriel Newman writes – When Meridian Energy was seeking resource consents for a West Coast hydro dam proposal in 2010, local Maori “strenuously” objected, claiming their mana was inextricably linked to ‘their’ river and could be damaged. After receiving a financial payment from the company, however, the Ngai Tahu ...
The Green Party is welcoming the announcement by the Minister Responsible for RMA Reform Chris Bishop to approve most of the Wellington City Council’s District Plan recommendations. ...
David Seymour has failed to get the sweeping cuts he wanted to the free and healthy school lunch programme, Labour education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
Hon Willie Jackson has been invited by the Oxford Union to debate the motion “This House Believes British Museums are not Very British’ on May 23rd. ...
Green Party MP Hūhana Lyndon says her Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill is an opportunity to right some past wrongs around the alienation of Māori land. ...
A senior, highly respected King’s Counsel with decades of experience in our law courts, Gary Judd KC, has filed a complaint about compulsory tikanga Māori studies for law students - highlighting the utter depths of absurdity this woke cultural madness has taken our society. The tikanga regulations will compel law ...
The Government needs to be clear with the people of the Nelson Marlborough region about the changes it is considering for the Nelson Hospital rebuild, Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said. ...
Ministers must front up about which projects it will push through under its Fast Track Approvals legislation, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
Your Excellency Ambassador Meredith, Members of the Diplomatic Corps and Ambassadors from European Union Member States, Ministerial colleagues, Members of Parliament, and other distinguished guests, Thank you everyone for joining us. Ladies and gentlemen - In diplomacy, we often speak of ‘close’ and ‘long-standing’ relations. ...
The Therapeutic Products Act (TPA) will be repealed this year so that a better regime can be put in place to provide New Zealanders safe and timely access to medicines, medical devices and health products, Associate Health Minister Casey Costello announced today. “The medicines and products we are talking about ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop, today released his decision on twenty recommendations referred to him by the Wellington City Council relating to its Intensification Planning Instrument, after the Council rejected those recommendations of the Independent Hearings Panel and made alternative recommendations. “Wellington notified its District Plan on ...
Rape Awareness Week (6-10 May) is an important opportunity to acknowledge the continued effort required by government and communities to ensure that all New Zealanders can live free from violence, say Ministers Karen Chhour and Louise Upston. “With 1 in 3 women and 1 in 8 men experiencing sexual violence ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government will be delivering a more efficient Healthy School Lunches Programme, saving taxpayers approximately $107 million a year compared to how Labour funded it, by embracing innovation and commercial expertise. “We are delivering on our commitment to treat taxpayers’ money ...
New research on the impacts of extreme weather on coastal marine habitats in Tairāwhiti and Hawke’s Bay will help fishery managers plan for and respond to any future events, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. A report released today on research by Niwa on behalf of Fisheries New Zealand ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters will lead a broad political delegation on a five-stop Pacific tour next week to strengthen New Zealand’s engagement with the region. The delegation will visit Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and Tuvalu. “New Zealand has deep and ...
There has been a material decline in gas production according to figures released today by the Gas Industry Co. Figures released by the Gas Industry Company show that there was a 12.5 per cent reduction in gas production during 2023, and a 27.8 per cent reduction in gas production in the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins tonight announced the recipients of the Minister of Defence Awards of Excellence for Industry, saying they all contribute to New Zealanders’ security and wellbeing. “Congratulations to this year’s recipients, whose innovative products and services play a critical role in the delivery of New Zealand’s defence capabilities, ...
Welcome to you all - it is a pleasure to be here this evening.I would like to start by thanking Greg Lowe, Chair of the New Zealand Defence Industry Advisory Council, for co-hosting this reception with me. This evening is about recognising businesses from across New Zealand and overseas who in ...
It is a pleasure to be speaking to you as the Minister for Digitising Government. I would like to thank Akolade for the invitation to address this Summit, and to acknowledge the great effort you are making to grow New Zealand’s digital future. Today, we stand at the cusp of ...
New Zealand is urging both Israel and Hamas to agree to an immediate ceasefire to avoid the further humanitarian catastrophe that military action in Rafah would unleash, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The immense suffering in Gaza cannot be allowed to worsen further. Both sides have a responsibility to ...
A new online data dashboard released today as part of the Government’s school attendance action plan makes more timely daily attendance data available to the public and parents, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. The interactive dashboard will be updated once a week to show a national average of how ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced Rosemary Banks will be New Zealand’s next Ambassador to the United States of America. “Our relationship with the United States is crucial for New Zealand in strategic, security and economic terms,” Mr Peters says. “New Zealand and the United States have a ...
The Government is considering creating a new tier of minerals permitting that will make it easier for hobby miners to prospect for gold. “New Zealand was built on gold, it’s in our DNA. Our gold deposits, particularly in regions such as Otago and the West Coast have always attracted fortune-hunters. ...
Minister for Trade Todd McClay today announced that New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will commence negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA). Minister McClay met with his counterpart UAE Trade Minister Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi in Dubai, where they announced the launch of negotiations on a ...
New Zealand Sign Language Week is an excellent opportunity for all Kiwis to give the language a go, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. This week (May 6 to 12) is New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) Week. The theme is “an Aotearoa where anyone can sign anywhere” and aims to ...
Six tertiary students have been selected to work on NASA projects in the US through a New Zealand Space Scholarship, Space Minister Judith Collins announced today. “This is a fantastic opportunity for these talented students. They will undertake internships at NASA’s Ames Research Center or its Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), where ...
New Zealanders will be safer because of a $1.9 billion investment in more frontline Corrections officers, more support for offenders to turn away from crime, and more prison capacity, Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell says. “Our Government said we would crack down on crime. We promised to restore law and order, ...
The OECD’s latest report on New Zealand reinforces the importance of bringing Government spending under control, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The OECD conducts country surveys every two years to review its members’ economic policies. The 2024 New Zealand survey was presented in Wellington today by OECD Chief Economist Clare Lombardelli. ...
The Government has delivered on its election promise to provide a financially sustainable model for Auckland under its Local Water Done Well plan. The plan, which has been unanimously endorsed by Auckland Council’s Governing Body, will see Aucklanders avoid the previously projected 25.8 per cent water rates increases while retaining ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters discussed the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and enhanced cooperation in the Pacific with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during her first official visit to New Zealand today. "New Zealand and Germany enjoy shared interests and values, including the rule of law, democracy, respect for the international system ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop today released his decision on four recommendations referred to him by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, opening the door to housing growth in the area. The Council’s Plan Change 92 allows more homes to be built in existing and new ...
Thank you, John McKinnon and the New Zealand China Council for the invitation to speak to you today. Thank you too, all members of the China Council. Your effort has played an essential role in helping to build, shape, and grow a balanced and resilient relationship between our two ...
The Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...
The coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says. “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...
Structured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...
The rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...
The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure. The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Albanese government is talking up the crucial role of gas as a transition fuel “through to 2050 and beyond”. In a gas strategy to be released on Thursday, the government envisages the fuel’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Next week the government will again next try to get its legislation through to deal with non-citizens who won’t cooperate with efforts to deport them. The bill, which the opposition and crossbench refused to rush ...
A long-term project that will set out an alternative vision for Aotearoa that looks beyond the narrow confines of the policy straight jacket adopted by successive governments. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bree Hurst, Associate Professor, Faculty of Business and Law, QUT, Queensland University of Technology TK Kurikawa/Shutterstock A much-awaited report into Coles and Woolworths has found what many customers have long believed – Australia’s big supermarkets engage in price gouging. What started ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Daniel Ghezelbash, Associate Professor and Deputy Director, Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law, UNSW Law & Justice, UNSW Sydney The Albanese government wanted to avoid an inquiry into its migration amendment bill. The report, handed down yesterday by a senate committee that ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joo-Cheong Tham, Professor, Melbourne Law School, The University of Melbourne Lobbying is at the heart of government. Who has access to and influence over key government officials shapes the decisions governments make – and how they make them. The ability to influence ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Myfany Turpin, Associate Professor, Ethnomusicology, Linguistics and Ethnobiology, University of Sydney The act representing Australia at this year’s Eurovision contest has sadly not qualified for the grand final. Yet for Zaachariaha Fielding and Michael Ross, the duo that makes up Electric Fields, ...
In announcing changes to the school lunches programme, David Seymour said kids would no longer be served ‘woke’ foods. To clear up any confusion, The Spinoff has compiled a guide to the wokeness levels of some common food items. Apple = NOT WOKE Avocado = WOKE Avocado, smashed = EVEN ...
The Minister Responsible for GCSB and the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security have been notified of this review, and have been provided a finalised Terms of Reference. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Minglu Chen, Senior Lecturer, Government and International Relations, University of Sydney Robert Way/Shutterstock As the past few years have illustrated so clearly, the Australia-China relationship is complicated. As such, it is crucial for Australians to develop a more nuanced understanding of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mariana Campbell, Research Lecturer, Conservation, Charles Darwin University Marilyn Connell Australian freshwater turtles are facing an alarming trend. Almost half of these species are listed as vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered. The Mary River turtle (Elusor macrurus) is one of Australia’s ...
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Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A,DIV,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, Wednesday 8 May appeared first on Newsroom. ...
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Listening to Kim Hill interview John Key yesterday morning I am wondering how safe her job is. She was great and John did not sound very happy.
It’s so refreshing to hear a journalist on Morning Report for a change.
Kim’s still “got it” in dealing with duplicitous politicians. She allowed some space around Key for his crap to impact on the listener, nice change from the now prevalent hectoring style that eschews even a micro pause.
+1
so it seems ms ferguson is in gallipoli and ms hill is but a brief abberation. sigh.
Yip.
Brilliant cartoon by Malcolm Evans.
Totally sums it up.
http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2015/04/21/malcolm-evans-anzac-selfies/
Election promise broken – ‘The Government will not be delivering on its pre-election promise of free doctors visits for all primary aged children. The ACC Minister has set the Corporation’s funding at a level that will cover only an estimated 90 percent of doctors’ visits for children who are injured(…)Nikki Kaye said the costs of getting the remaining number of injured children free visits outweighs the benefits.”
Meanwhile, professional rugby players earning 100+K get all the costly treatments for free when injured.
How is that fair?
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/271689/doctor-visit-promise-falls-short
It doesn’t matter; it’s the thought that counts.
+1 Unbelievable.
“Meanwhile, professional rugby players earning 100+K get all the costly treatments for free when injured.”
Um, pretty sure they would be paid for by the rugby union. You know, private medicine?
Are you sure? I thought ACC covered all work place injuries.
Yep. ACC also covers accidents outside of the workplace. For professional athletes their organisations typically “top up” the payment ACC provides so that the athlete does not have to cough up the patient co-payment themselves.
Surely you guys all know by now, that children don’t count in this country and all tax payers money should be used to prop up highly paid Nat loving sports people and corporates!
@ SAVE NZ – Hear hear.
Plus there’s the fact that children don’t vote, while sports people are Gods!
Possibly not paid by the RU. I remember when the Warriors started up, ACC assigned special officers to them so any problems could be quickly treated. I would expect a national icon such as the All Blacks to get at least the same level of attention. Or maybe things have changed since those days.
acc works closely with rugby cos nzru acc levies are high… and they want to reduce levies through accident reduction. plus role modelling blah blah.
insurers i would think… but they do occasionally use public hospital services in emergencies
same story .. lies, lies, lies ….
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/67908476/free-gp-visits-dont-cover-all-children–greens
Wait a minute, do professional sportspeople get ACC? Or are you talking about highly paid, amateur sportspeople?
ceos on 2 million a year can get acc. thats partly the point. a system for all. usually they have private insurance both health and income so would not get Acc
Private health insurance doesn’t affect entitlement to ACC. If you have it you get both when/if you are injured.
Also, ACC has long had a unit that deals with the injuries of “special” people – high court judges, sports professionals, politicians, TV presenters etc. -ie the rich and/or powerful have their own unit at ACC dedicated to looking after them separately from the plebs.
I believe this unit exists because it is important in maintaining the status quo that those whose voices are heard aren’t treated the way ordinary people are.
Everyone gets the same treatment. Some just get more of it and without having to wait, or be told their broken neck from a collapsed scrum is a degenerative condition. Like Australia, we are a nation of equals, where Jack is as good as his master. Just don’t tell Jack though, or he might get ideas.
Kim Hill on National Radio MR….what a treat! Yes, John Key sounded surly and the Health and Disability Commissioner has just had a well deserved hammering over the official response to the stupidity at Greymouth Hospital which killed a 15 year old boy.
From Granddaddy Herald..
Ports of Auckland is proceeding with two huge wharf extensions, despite public protests, a political call to halt work and a legal challenge against consents for the work.
Last night Mayor Len Brown was taking a relaxed approach to the work at the port, saying a council request to halt work was still under consideration.
The lawfulness of the consents is being challenged in the High Court in Auckland on June 2 by Urban Auckland, a society of architectural and planning professionals.
Reaction to Mr Hawkins’ statement was swift.
Stop Stealing Our Harbour spokesman Michael Goldwater said the decision to proceed with the extensions displayed incredible arrogance and complete disregard for what the port’s bosses were saying.
Waitemata and Gulf councillor Mike Lee accused the port company of insubordination, while North Shore councillor Chris Darby said the company appeared to be deliberately toying with the council and thinks it is “immune to our unequivocal requests”.
Carrying out illegal works on their land?
Seems like they are taking a leaf out of their hero the PM’s playbook.
It seems to be more common today. People in all spheres are talking more bullshit and telling lies blatantly and deceiving people and doing just whatever they want as they see the PM get away with it. You know, the “whatever it takes” mantra.
Such fine leadership ……
no knighthood for key
“Stop Stealing Our Harbour spokesman Michael Goldwater said the decision to proceed with the extensions displayed [ incredible arrogance and complete disregard for what the port’s bosses were saying ] perfect alignment with a capitalist perspective.”
FIFY
@saveNZ
Rod Oram takes the POA position apart here.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/201751312/business-commentator-rod-oram
@Bearded Git
Thanks – that’s well worth listening to! Will repost.
‘Interesting’ timing…
Probably just a completely innocent coincidence.
According to Stuff if we turn out on Anzac day we are supprting the deployments against ISIS? How dare they.
“Australians and New Zealanders are being urged to turn out in force on Anzac Day to show they are not cowed by Islamic State terror plots.”
“The best thing Australians and New Zealanders can do is to turn up in very large numbers at Anzac events, wherever they are, to support our values, our interests, our armed forces,” Abbott said.”
No comments enabled on the story
Yes I saw that. It is disgusting.
But you know the reality now? Now that terror threats are on the list at the mall? …. the reality is that the horse has bolted…. we are at war …… the propaganda has passed a tipping point …. the truth is now gone …… you are either with us or against us …… the entire narrative over the middle east, terror, war America Australia has just changed the last few days ….. (always intended of course. in evidence see timing of particular events)
we must watch what we say
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/last-post-first-light/67904656/australianew-zealand-pms-urge-a-show-of-force-on-anzac-day
and this
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/67881452/War-memorials-Australian-heart-is-made-in-India
Was planning to attend the local ceremony in Devonport this year but the crass and blatant political manipulation of the event by the two most abhorrent Australasian leaders of all time has now ensured I will not be there.
I will plant my poppy (in memory of my father who saw action in the final year of WW1 and all of WW2) later in the day after everybody has gone.
Well said Anne. My thoughts will go with you.
Maybe there should be a dusk commemoration by those who are remembering as a symbolic counterpoise to those who turn up at dawn but who seem to have forgotten?
ANZAC DAY PEACE COMMEMORATION to remember all casualties of war will take place at 2pm on Saturday 25 April at the Peace Pole in front of Otago Museum. It will last between 20-30 minutes.
Organised by the Peace Movement Aotearoa. Not quite dusk,and probably silent, so those who find silence uncomfortable should come late:-)
j s
Thanks for that; I was thinking 12pm not 2pm, must have misread email.
The time was changed. Will check with PMA to make sure that the correction has been widely circulated. Thanks for letting me know Pasupial.
+100
Agree completely
Abbott referred to this Iraq “training” squad of close to 1,000 people as “sons of anzacs”………
What would those who died at Gallipoli and other places think of Abbott, Key and their actions?
I would guess the true anzacs would not wish this on their sons at all…. and especially not in these circumstances around the US and the middle east the last decade or two.
The Iraq squad are not sons of anzacs, that is complete and utter horseshit
Abbott is so crass ! and crude …. and our PM goes along with all this jingoism presumably because “war” stirs our nationwide pride and will keep him being elected ! Maybe …… and maybe not …. there must be a stirring of disgust starting to run through most NZers at the blatant commercialism going on, surely ? Especially those whose families suffered in one way or another thru WW1.
I found that sickening as well – sullying the meaning of a festival that has an established place in the lives of New Zealanders and Australians. The concept of respect is alien to guys like Abbott and Key.
They should be a bit clearer about the values they’re wanting to support. Do they mean the massacre of Palestinian villagers by Kiwi Anzacs:
http://www.smh.com.au/national/anzacs-atrocity-had-to-be-done-digger-20090724-dw5x.html
or the machine-gunning of protesting Egyptians by Australian Anzacs:
http://www.solidarity.net.au/highlights/nothing-to-celebrate-in-anzac-the-bloody-history-of-the-british-empire/
I suspect they’d support both because the two of them are still hostage to the stupid ideas of racial superiority that led to Gallipoli in the first place.
Not many people know about those incidents
BTW – this is the same Ports of Auckland that were fined $40k for deliberately breaking the law in 2012.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10853815
Welcome to our future… where public amenity is transferred to corporate interests for nothing with no oversight (apart from a few incompetent council resource consents people) and even when there is huge public protest, the so called ‘owner’ the council run by CEO Stephen Town who has been very silent through all of this does nothing, and our elected officials also do nothing.
While the Ports of Auckland with a strong record of intensionally breaking the law gets a free run to steal our harbour.
Welcome to our future, where public amenity like our harbour is transferred into corporate control like the Ports of Auckland by a handful of barristers and council resource consent officials and the public is not allowed a say in the process.
Nothing from Stephen Brown CEO of Auckland Council…. someone check his pulse to see if he is still alive …
Ports of Auckland is a company with a proven record of illegal action. One would think with the amount of lawyers on speed dial at the council they could get an injunction to stop work, but no, as usual do nothing.
Ports of Auckland has been ordered to pay $40,000 for deliberately breaking the law in 2012.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10853815
“Lynton Crosby, the Conservatives’ election campaign director, is facing a growing Cabinet backlash over his strategy, with ministers worried that the party is pumping out an aggressive and uninspiring message to voters.”
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/tory-mps-revolt-against-lynton-crosbys-aggressive-uninspiring-strategy-10094564.html
So, the Brits are seeing through it, the Aussies see through it, but 49% of kiwis don’t.
Because the Crosby campaign is designed to make people not want to vote. It only 49% of people who voted Tracey. Which is just 30 odd % of the population. Another 30 odd % are sick of the politics of hate, fear, and manipulation. These fine souls voted with their feet and did not vote.
Another 30 odd % are sick of the politics of hate, fear, and manipulation. These fine souls voted with their feet and did not vote.
The single main reason people do not vote is that they ‘didn’t get round to it, forgot or were not interested’
Only about 7% of non voters express anything like a ‘protest’ reason for not voting.
http://www.stats.govt.nz/browse_for_stats/people_and_communities/Well-being/civic-human-rights/non-voters-2008-2011-gen-elections.aspx
How many of those who did vote only voted because they were guited into it by the “don’t vote, don’t complain” crowd. I know I have been in this catagory in the past and my wife is currently there. Until there is a box to vote for none of the above then we will not have a truely representative democratic process.
I can’t think of anything more pointless than a ‘none of the above’ vote. If that’s all you want to say then just don’t bother voting. Nothing = nothing.
If you have an alternative in mind, and there are a significant number of citizens that support that alternative, then start a political Party to represent it and get it on the ballot paper so citizens have the opportunity to vote for it.
For some reason you believe that a no confidence vote is the same as a “nothing” vote. You couldn’t be more wrong.
For some reason you think that ‘none of the above’ is the same thing as ‘no confidence’.
A ‘no confidence’ vote is a condemnation of a specific person or entity within a system, and has the effect of forcing a positive action to restore confidence in that system.
That is quite different to the ‘None of the above’ Crashcart suggests, which is a condemnation of everyone within a system, and as far as I can see, if it happened without some alternative to everyone in the current system being available, it would have no point what so ever. Except anarchy perhaps?
“No confidence” doesn’t apply to individual people or entities. In student union elections (at least in Auckland, from memory) there’s a “no confidence” option in multi-candidate ballots.
Interestingly there’s also a “no vote” option so one could decide how strongly to assert one’s objections.
And what actions would those 2 options lead to if they gathered ? level of support Stephanie?
I think they have to run the election for that position again. Happened at least once at AUSA.
It’s quite similar. It’s certainly not a “nothing” like you claim it to be.
And so what would it lead to if it gathered a significant number of votes CR?
How would it have any point, unless there was an alternative offered?
that’s not for you or for me to decide mate.
Really? Then that’s exactly what we should do as anarchy is exactly what we need.
“The single main reason people do not vote is that they ‘didn’t get round to it, forgot or were not interested’
Only about 7% of non voters express anything like a ‘protest’ reason for not voting.”
Piffle
Then you go on with more piffle The lost sheep – is it the argument of the unthinking or self-righteous, I really don’t know – “go start your on political party”. What a trifling boring and dullard argument. How about you go organise some sheep and put them in a pig pen if your not happy with the world. That’s what you said – piffle.
People are not happy with this world, or how it’s run – but don’t talk to anyone – just sit in your room and pontificate about how your great system and ideas of governance are the only option. Just more right wing turgid arguments against the people. The TINA buzz sanctimoniously put, just like the late roger dogulas. So if your going to lambaste us with piffle, any chance you could do it with a modicum of originality?
“The single main reason people do not vote is that they ‘didn’t get round to it, forgot or were not interested’”
That’s three reasons there, Tls, and they come under the single biggest category of why people didn’t vote – Disengaged – which included:
I didn’t get round to it or I forgot about it/am not interested 21.0
I didn’t think it was worth voting because my vote wouldn’t have made a difference 7.1
I didn’t think it was worth voting because it makes no difference which party is in government 7.0
I didn’t think it was worth voting because politicians only care about being in power 5.1
Dislike politicians, the political system, or all parties 3.0(*)
Total Disengaged 43.2
(*) Relative sampling error is 30–49.9 percent, and should be viewed with caution.)
The ‘not interested’ category could probably do with separation from the ‘forgot/didn’t get around to it’ options, imo. Without further explanation it could just as easily fit with any one of the other options in the Disengaged category.
I am glad to see that Prof Jane Kelsey has called attention to the incorrect implication given by both Radio NZ and the NZ Herald that the Fast Track for the TPPA had been achieved by Obama. In fact the Fast Track Bill had just been tabled in the US Congress.
The RNZ headline was “Obama to get fast-track authority for TPP”
These parts of the report distinctly gave the impression that this was a done deal.
“The US Congress has agreed to give President Barack Obama the authority to fast-track its signing.
However, the US commitment still has hurdles to overcome.
The agreement, struck by the leaders of the tax-writing committees, will grant the president so-called trade promotion authority, which will limit lawmakers to taking only a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ vote on any eventual trade deal without any power to amend it.
The Republican chairs of the Senate’s Finance Committee and Ways and Means Committee had to agree to stringent requirements for the trade deal to win over the ranking Democrat on the finance panel.”
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/world/271465/obama-to-get-fast-track-authority-for-tpp
Tim Groser no doubt was pushing that line. I hope that NZ’s interests are not being sacrificed by Tim Groser on his altar of ambition to become NZ’s Ambassador in Washington.
Sorry, forgot link
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11435695
+1
Any folks here who are in Dunedin and have an interest in Irish/working class/left history might be interested in a couple of talks I’m giving on campus about the 1916 Rebellion in Ireland and its aftermath.
The talks are at 5pm, today (Tuesday), April 21 and 5pm, next Tuesday (April 28) and are in Room 4, upstairs in the Clubs and Societies building at 84 Albany Street.
In the first talk I’ll be looking at the lead-up to the Rising, in particular the arrival in Irish society of the working class as an organised industrial/political force with the formation especially of the Irish Transport and General Workers Union, founded by James Larkin and later led by James Connolly, the development of its newspaper (the widely-read Irish Worker, edited by Sean O’Casey) and of the workers’ militia (the Irish Citizen Army, led by Connolly, Michael Mallin and Countess Markievicz; the formation of the first republican paramilitary organisation, Na Fianna Eireann, founded by Countess Markievicz; the revitalisation of the Irish Republican Brotherhood by young militants like Sean MacDiarmada and the return of the veteran Tom Clarke; the formation of a republican women’s movement (Inghinidhe na hEireann), founded by Maud Gonne; and the Irishwomen’s Suffrage League.
I’ll look at the 1913 Dublin Lockout and the Home Rule Crisis and the different responses within Irish nationalism to World War 1.
Bigi linn (all welcome).
For poster, see: https://rdln.wordpress.com/2015/04/15/dunedin-talks-on-the-1916-rebellion-in-ireland/
Phil
Today’s Herald “Chinese bank giant pushes into New Zealand mortgage market…”
Stop the World a moment.
Where is NZ Inc heading?
We have a person who was singularly able to influence New Zealand social policy for many years as the Reserve Bank Governor, (failed to lead National to government even through “Hollow Men” tactics and push his agenda) now turns up heading a foreign bank which is bleeding more “Decent Ordinary Blokes” money offshore.
“Industrial and Commercial Bank of China New Zealand began lending last year and made $11.2 million in home loans in the 12 months to December 31, according to a disclosure statement lodged with the Companies Office.”
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11435747
Apparently these new banks are keeping the Aussie banks honest.
“Last year Reserve Bank deputy governor Grant Spencer said the arrival of Chinese and Indian banking giants was a “watershed event” that would help keep the dominant Australian-owned lenders “on their toes”.
Now, what say for starters, the Government instructed that all of it’s business (education, health, roading etc) be put the way of KIWI Bank.
And speaking of people on boards of big banks – it is forever interesting how the New Zealand Herald (et al), when trumpeting the new Industrial and Commercial Bank of China and its entrance to the NZ market, have completely forgotten to mention that Jenny Shipley is a Director on the Board of the ICBC’s ‘sister bank’ the Chinese Construction Bank and has been since 2007.
Even when discussing recent NZ Government appointments, and listing the appointees responsibilities and previous experience, they just forget to include this apparently insignificant fact?
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11435185
http://www.ccb.com/en/investor/biogofdirectors.html
Our Jenny Shiply indépendant chair of Mainzeal until 2 weeks before it collapsed into bankruptcy. Great to see the banks want to see such a ‘successful’ director. It’s not cronyism and connections – really….
Sounds like they did mortgages on 20 Auckland houses. Nothing to write home about.
Sorry CR but making 11.2 million would be servicing a few more mortgages wouldn’t it??? I took that to read “extracted”. Wouldn’t have thought lending 11.2 would be the sort of small change that Brash would be involved in. Stand to be corrected on that …
Here’s a little story about play nice, or you don’t get paid.
It’s about a small company legally supplying a necessary service to 15 million people around the world and getting absolutely shafted by corporate bully boys for doing nothing but offering a better business model.
https://mega.co.nz/#blog_33
http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/digital-living/66829568/paypal-stops-processing-payments-to-kim-dotcoms-mega
(+ couldn’t see anything on NZH)
The developed world operates a free market economy? yeah ok, if you say so.
@Freedom +1
Oh and he lives in NZ, while he waits, assets stripped, to be extradited while JK backslaps with the US Movie industry.
Another enemy of the people from our Beloved Leader. Nicky Hager, John Campbell, Snowdon, Dotcom, Catton, so many people who seem to want a ‘different’ type of democracy from the Nats and the Entertainment Industry.
If only Dotcom had invested in residential property all would have been well.
In a free market, a company can make whatever decisions they feel like. If they don’t want to deal with gays or blacks, for example, there will be no legislative pressure requiring them to do so. A company can be as vile as its owners feel like. The free market will end up with concentration of economic power in fewer and fewer hands. It is not a good thing and Paypal refusing to deal with Mega is not against the ideals of the free market.
FYI, our favorite ex-Northland MP is now CEO of Carrington Resort on the Karikari Peninsula. The resort is now owned by a Chinese consortium who are buying and developing large tracks of the peninsula. Margaret Mutu conspicuous by her absence. What nexts ?
Much as the early reports on Sabin’s appointment referred to it as to the position of CEO of the Peppers Carrington Resort, a subsequent (edited) report on the NBR corrected this to CEO of Magnificant Jade:
Former National MP Mike Sabin has been appointed as chief executive officer of Magnificent Jade, which oversees the New Zealand-based assets of Chinese real estate developer Shanghai CRED.
In 2013, Shanghai CRED bought Northland’s luxurious Peppers Carrington Resort for a sum understood to be almost $29 million. It was reported on NBR ONLINE and other media earlier this week that Mr Sabin had been appointed chief executive officer of the resort.
However, the Mantra Group, which operates the resort under the Peppers luxury resort brand, has since confirmed that Mr Sabin has not or is not an employee of Peppers, and that Peppers was not consulted on the appointment.
…
It is understood that Shanghai CRED is planning to upscale Peppers Carrington Resort into the largest five star resort in New Zealand and Mr Sabin’s appointment as chief executive of Magnificent Jade is central to this development.
(note: this article has been updated to reflect that Mr Sabin is CEO of Magnificent Jade, and not Peppers Carrington Resort)
Full article is here –
http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/sabin-linked-luxury-resort-goes-ground-over-new-ceo-jb-171490
So it seems that Sabin will not be actually the “on the spot” hands-on manager of the resort itself. Presumably Simon Jones, who has apparently been in this position for some years, will continue to be the CEO/manager of the resort itself.
Best to see where the likes of Shipley and Wong have been around this deal.
Well, a spokesman for the Peppers Carrington deal is the Shanghai Pengxin/Crafar Farms go-to guy Cedric Allan, who has a little known strategic communications consultancy business with Michelle Boag. So I guess there might be a really slim chance of them being in contact with the Chinese Construction Bank Director, ex National Party Leader, regular Government Board appointee and almost one term PM Dame Jenny Shipley.
Speaking of Dame Jenny, I am reminded of something she said back in 2011
“The Chinese don’t want land, the Chinese want the resources and protein,”
They have certainly been busy securing the resources, One Pure is an excellent example of that. further resource grabs are evident all over New Zealand and who knows, maybe tourism counts as protein for the mind?
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10720024
as for Wong? Who knows? But did this ever get the follow up it warranted?
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/4347685/Ex-PM-Shipley-has-link-to-Wongs
Nice bits of intel there, freedom.
and in news just to hand
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/business/271820/jenny-shipley-to-lead-oravida-board
Exactly,CV – although I have no links etc to verify this. Unfortunately at present I have little time to follow through on this …. but it is annoying me which usually means that insomnia will result – and what do you do when you cannot sleep ………………….
Mindfulness of abdominal breathing
Sex clubs for wealthy women
Organised by a girlfriend of Kate Middleton’s. Always reminds me of the decline and fall of the Roman Empire when the elite can’t be bothered to hide their decadence from the rest of society any more.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/love-sex/67901076/What-does-a-sex-club-for-women-look-like
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/67919132/government-declines-inquiry-into-convictions-of-peter-ellis
*Sigh*
+1 Yep I would have liked to see an enquiry. I don’t think Peter Ellis was guilty or had a fair trial, while people in power like Lord Janner in the UK and the roast buster youths get away with no prosecution.
On the programme ‘I am Innocent” there was a case where a Dad was put away for abusing his kids, when all along it was their ‘support person’ the Stepfather who was the abuser, who stood behind them in court convicting the Dad, and the kids were confused and were not allowed to retract. The law is unjust in this area.
The planet has truly spun on its axis – I am 100% in agreement with PR.
*Sigh* indeed.
and Don Brash 🙂
Peter Ellis was obviously innocent. His bad luck was to be a male working with children at a time that collective madness overtook many social workers and child psychologists. I remember around that time, a microcephalic psychologist tried explaining to me that my father had sexually abused me and that I had suppressed the memories. This was based on nothing except distorted memories of a lecture she’d just been to. God save us from crusading psychologists.
I’m reasonably certain that there was a specific type of vindictive or self righteous professional woman who rejoiced at seeing Peter Ellis pay for his “crimes” – and still does. The result echoes decades down the track – men stay well away from early childhood and primary school education, and as a society we’re Ok with it.
Couple of weeks ago I was out running/training at the park I usually run at, big public place, sports teams and that sort of thing present, and a girl roughly 11 or 12 asked if she could run with me. I made the stupid on-the-spot-answer that she could. We ran together for one lap. I walked beside her when she stopped to catch her breath, let her set the pace, encouraged her forward, reinforced that she should pay attention to what she thought and felt. We talked about sport, good practice, and training. I had about five minutes to impress the alternative to what I’d seen the local coaches slamming into the children:
masculine pain/gain
division of mind/body
everyone for themselves
heroes over teams
individuals over support.
I can’t go back to that park now. That’s the price I have to pay. I won’t speak to another young person again – there are only so many parks round here. Society sees a grown man running with a young girl and immediately thinks “Pedophile”. What I should have done, what society wants me to reply to youngsters who approach me, is, “No go away!”
Thanks NZ. Great country you’re putting together here.
I understand where you’re coming from
Thanks Charles, that’s a great story you put together there.
To the contrary Charles, you should go back to the same park and run as you have always done. If anyone asks to join in, you can easily decline. But please, it should not prevent you from going back again. That just feeds the disease.
+1
easy to say until someone else decides you look dodgy.
I remember a story of a guy near a local beach who saw a crying, unattended toddler. He felt he had to get a female to go up to the kid, as it would be a bad look if he went up and a parent saw it at the wrong moment (strange guy, crying kid) and went off the handle.
I recommend watching the film “Capturing the Friedmans” an HBO documentary film directed by Andrew Jarecki. It focuses on the 1980s investigation of Arnold and Jesse Friedman for child molestation. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Documentary Feature in 2003.
It is food for thought on this issue.
http://www.politico.com/story/2015/04/democrats-free-trade-bill-117066.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obamas-evolution-on-trade-will-put-him-at-war-with-his-party/2015/04/15/dabd42f4-ccc8-11e4-a2a7-9517a3a70506_story.html
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11435695
There is a civil war in the US Democratic Party over the TPP and free trade.
Extremely heartening to see the vast majority of commentary on the herald article being against TPP.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=11435695
I particularly liked
May the TPPA die and go back to hell from whence it came. Hey, let’s sell our country for some magic beans! I am amazed the US Congress is staffed by wiser and more intelligent people than our own governing gits.
John Berry
Magic beans, I love it!
And theres is a lot more similar sentiment.
If these guys are on our side, we’re on the wrong side.
What’s the difference between Daesh and Canberra? Language and Geography.
Bloody Hell!
Shits getting so bad I’m getting close to the point of burying my head in the sand, its really driving me to despair. Has the whole world gone fucking mad recently or is it just me?
Native Affairs with Mihingarangi Forbes on Maori TV is astonishingly powerful .. check on their website for replays. And next week, they have a vital debate on the importance of public broadcasting in NZ.
Plus, of course, they are the go-to place on Anzac Day. Sam Neill has made what looks like a fine documentary .. he was interviewed about it last night on Native Affairs … and for sure he is no fan on Pry Minister Key. Definitely worth a watch ..
http://www.maoritelevision.com/news/national/native-affairs-tides-blood
( and yes, Mihi worked a long time on Campbell Live so no surprises there !)
Seen this folks?
“Alex Swney pleads guilty to a further $2.5 million fraud
Hamish McNicol · Tuesday April 21, 2015 ·
Alex Swney, the former boss of Auckland business organisation Heart of the City, has pleaded guilty to further fraud charges of more than $2.5 million.
Mr Swney appeared in the Auckland District Court this morning to answer a charge brought by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) of dishonestly using documents.
He has pleaded guilty to the charge and was remanded on bail until his next appearance on April 30.
The maximum prison term for the charge is seven years.
Mr Swney created fictitious invoices while at Heart of the City which resulted in payments of more than $2.5 million to accounts controlled by him.
SFO director Julie Read says the misappropriation increased the cost of the services provided by the organisation and reduced the benefits delivered by it.
“Fraud of this size by employees who are entrusted with the management and expenditure of substantial sums of money is very costly for both the businesses concerned and more broadly for the community as it harms the integrity of these organisations,” she says.
In January, Mr Swney also admitted to charges laid by the IRD covering $1.8 million in unpaid taxes.
He had initially denied the charges last year but after switching lawyers to Murray Gibson changed his plea.
The IRD also alleges Mr Swney owes $1.4 million in penalties and interest.
Mr Swney will be sentenced on four of the original IRD charges this month, after another 34 initial charges were dropped.
He also faces civil proceedings by Heart of the City’s board, which undertook an independent investigation when the allegations surfaced.
Heart of the City is mostly funded by targeted business rates and its purpose is to promote business in the Auckland CBD.
In its most recently available annual report for 2011-2012, the organisation records receiving $4.47 million in revenue.
Earlier this year the association teamed up with Auckland Tourism Events and Economic Development (ATEED) to fund a domestic tourism campaign.
It also had funded the Whitcoulls Santa each Christmas, but NBR Rich Listers the Mansons and SkyCity are now funding the statue for five years.
Mr Swney had been at the helm of the business association for more than a decade.
In 2007 he unsuccessfully ran for mayor of (then) Auckland City Council, which he lost to John Banks. ”
________________________________________________________________________________________
Penny Bright
http://www.pennybright4mayor.org.nz
Happy to watch TV3 news and Campbell live but have an instinctive rapid response when a Paul Henry promo suddenly comes on and I have to panic switch channels quickly to avoid looking at or hearing him.
Consequently I mostly watch TV1.
What’s the chances of Labour jumping on this water issue Campbell live has been highlighting?
Retiring in Britain is tiring to contemplate.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2042630/New-era-hippies-Millions-50s-relying-home-pension.html
A recent report highlighted the huge financial pressure on Britain’s older people.
HomeLet, a firm of lettings experts, looked at the number of its clients between the age of 66 and 70 who were selling their home and moving into rental accommodation.
Over the last year, it found a 30 per cent increase in those putting up the ‘For Sale’ sign – a move likely to be fuelled by a chronic lack of cash….
Another survey warned yesterday that people turning to renting are facing record costs.
The study revealed that it is cheaper to buy a home than to rent the same property in 45 of the country’s 50 largest towns…. the asking price of all two-bedroom flats available to buy or to rent…..
On average, it found the cost of the monthly rental bill higher than the cost of the mortgage.
Hello Standard people,
I am writing a theoretical sociological essay with regards to Campbell Live’s potential dumping (or watering down) in the guise of Theodore Adorno’s Culture Industry thesis. Hopefully it’s a good one given the local application. Anyway, does anyone know where I can (reliably) follow up these TV ratings that have been so liberally tossed around in the ensuing arguments over Campbell’s commercial viability? I know this is not discussion, but I’ll be happy to share a link to the essay when it’s done. But only if you’re a fan of Campbell or Adorno, or both 😉
Brendan.
You’re asking late on a daily post that probably no one will read tomorrow. Suggest you ask early tomorrow on that day’s Open mike post.
One place for ratings (not sure if there are others) is here:
http://www.throng.co.nz/
Thanks 🙂