I get bollock bored reiterating to my “centrist” middle class Key voting associates that we have a train wreck of youth unemployment here in NZ. I know Canterbury has a had a quake but look at this:
The number of Cantabrians aged 15 to 24 in employment has dropped by 12,300, the September 2011 Household Labour Force Survey revealed.
The fall comes despite 8700 people in the age bracket leaving the city last year.
In effect this says that in an area of 350,000 we might expect to find 12% of the population aged 18-24…..roughly 42000 people, of whom 12,300 are out of work (nearly a third), and if you count those who have gone 21,000…a half.
This is a huge indictment on the failure of all recent governments, especially the current NACT crop who don’t appear to even acknowledge the issue or give a rats arse. And worse still its a giant j’acuse at those voter who work on the “I am all right Jack” principle.
There may be a significant breakthrough in the Affco dispute this morning; it looks like pressure from Iwi has forced Talley’s back to the table and an agreement now looks likely.
If someone is currently on a one week ban here (guess who) and posts a comment on another blog (KB, General Debate today) asking for someone there to post their comment on the Standard for them, what is the position? I have no intention of doing so; the comment appears to include a link to the banned person’s own blog……
PS – FYI the same banned person was also using the other blog yesterday to respond to/comment on comments posted here subsequent to the TS ban being invoked.
I should think he can do whatever he wants on another site.
Anyone who was foolish enough to copy his comments over to here should expect moderator attention – probably deleting the comments to start with and escalating from there as necessary.
It’s up to us how we moderate. Pete’s politics may be remiss but his heart is in the right place. He is, however, a bit obsessive (as are some other regular commenters) – I’ve seen this with commenters before and it generally ends in tears. I think it’s time to let it go.
I’d also recommend that anyone who finds themselves taking the blogs too seriously, and I include obsessing over who said what to who on another blog, should take a few days off to spend some time in the real world. It’ll do you good.
For the most part Pete provides good debate here and does obviously put a lot of time into knowing his stuff.
Where he becomes annoying is the frequency at which he posts.
Anyway,
I see stuff have an article on how the majority of people still blame Labour for debt. A perfect opportunity for Labour to get some media spotlight and point out the flaws in this.
You guys run this excellent site. I am happy to accept your moderation/banning. I wouldn’t complain just as I wouldn’t should a householder asked me to leave their property. Not that that has ever happened!
I enjoy watching Rural Delivery in the weekends. They’ve been running stories recently about developments in farm effluent treatment systems, and this made me hopeful that we might finally see a reduction in the amount of pollution going into New Zealand waterways…
PROTEST TODAY, Monday 21 May 2012
12 noon – 2pm
OUTSIDE JOHN BANK’S EPSOM OFFICE
27 Gillies Ave
Newmarket
A protest has been called today, calling for the resignation of – the arguably not so ‘Honorable’ MP for Epsom, because he is not, in my considered opinion, ‘fit for duty’ as an MP – let alone a Minister.
How come former Labour MP Taito Phillip Field got sentenced for SIX years for ‘bribery and corruption’, for providing ‘immigration advice’ to Thai nationals in exchange for work on his properties – while Minister John Banks gets political protection from NZ Prime Minister John Key, after giving ‘immigration assistance’ and Coatsville property purchase ‘assistance’ to a German/ Finnish national, in return for $50,000 donated to ‘Banksie’s’ 2010 Auckland Mayoral campaign fund, and gifts valued at over $500 which he failed to declare?
It is also of great concern to me, as a fighter against ‘white collar’ crime, that ACT’s ‘one law for all’ has yet to apply to both the current and former Leaders of the ACT Party, whom, as former fellow directors of Huljich Wealth Management (NZ) Ltd, both signed Huljich Kiwisaver Scheme registered prospectuses dated 22 August 2008 and 18 September 2009, which contained untrue statements, but were never charged for so doing. This is a strict liability offence under s58(3) of the Securities Act 1978, but neither the old Securities Commission, the Finance Markets Authority (FMA), the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) , nor the NZ Police arguably ‘did their job’ and charged Banks or Brash. Have they been politically protected at the highest levels?
John Banks is now the Minister of Regulatory Reform, yet four different ‘regulatory’ bodies failed to act against him, someone, who arguably couldn’t properly run a Kiwisaver Scheme, yet now has a key Ministerial post and is supposedly helping to run the country ‘perceived’ to be the ‘least corrupt in the world’? (According to Transparency Internaional’s 2011 ‘Corruption Perception Index, http://cpi.transparency.org/cpi2011/results/ which obviously, in my considered opinion, is not worth the paper upon which it is written.)
I don’t expect the ACT MP for Epsom, Minister of Regulatory Reform, the ‘Honorable’ John Banks, to be particularly keen to see me, or this protest, which is intended to ‘hold his feet to the fire’.
“Mr Carter told TVNZ’s Q & A yesterday that local governments were in a similar position to central government, which intends to balance the books by selling up to 49 per cent of shares in the state-owned energy companies, and a further stake in Air NZ”
“I think if you look at my own city of Christchurch where we clearly have an extraordinary situation, the Christchurch balance sheet is strong with a number of assets, the council needs to make the decision.”
— One can see how this is going to play out in advance!
Matthew Hooton this morning got into his stride on his favourite subject, his own opinion about our economic situation and why it’s Labour’s fault. He talked over the top of Josie Pagani quite a lot. One swingeing quote – “No government anywhere in the world creates jobs”.
I’m sick of cynical negative right-wingers who quote figures from the sweepings of the economist floor as a reason for governments not doing anything. When we need practical policies to stimulate business or advance policies that will assist the mass of small taxpayers we get this do-nothing chant. We should be putting in Auckland’s rail while prices are cheap and spending on infrastructure resulting in more employment. Of course we do have to try to employ New Zealanders, not shoot ourselves in the foot bringing in cheap labour while our own people languish and despair and drink and drug or steal so they can have regular food, good housing that presently they are shut away from.
Also he talks about having a surplus in the 1990s and refers first to Ruth Richardson and Bill Birch with Michael Cullen added on. He was all right until the last three years and then spent on policies. ‘Working for Families is one of his insane policies that delivers welfare to the wealthy.’
He ignores what he must have learned in any studies he has done, that paying this sort of assistance to everyone cuts across the wealthy drone about how they are supporting low income drones and it’s not fair they should pay out all the time! Also it tends to be easier and cheaper to administrate when going to all in the target group, rather than scrutinising people’s rather than trying to sieve out the goodies from the bad low incomes.
And lastly this thing about ‘welfare’ – we all have advantage from the provisions that government makes for the nation. One of the things the wealthy and those in power have done is to trade most of our manufacturing jobs, a continuing process, because the world has gone free market which has had some advantages and massive disadvantages. It was obvious that jobs would be lost, the pr…ks knew this so now they are cynically blaming conditions on the poor and resenting every assistance.
prism:”Also it tends to be easier and cheaper to administrate when going to all in the target group, rather than scrutinising people’s rather than trying to sieve out the goodies from the bad low incomes.”
Pretty sure that at the time that is exactly Mr Cullens point. So true.
Drug lords are okay if they keep a high income and off the dole? The problem with fishing the pool of poor is that you aren’t as diligent at higher incomes. Providing welfare has never been justification for criminalization of the poorest – except by fascists. Sure there will always be some, like the lady who didn’t declare she was living with her husband. Just because one banker creates a ponsi scheme doesn’t mean all bankers are criminals.
The solution is to provide the basic limited income to survive as a negative income tax, that rewards people who have little to engage in economic activity, presently the system punitively scraps any extra income at 70c in the dollar blocking the stepping stone from a little work to part-time work.
Give the social injustice of large parts of the population leveraging themselves into massive debt exposure, and then desperate wanting tax cuts to continue their bubble economic vision. At the expense of future generations, the environment, all the activity economics of selling stuff sideways to create paper profit growth (asset sales), shows up the lying conceit in our elites.
Hooton does interrupt far too much. I think it’s a tactic to destroy the point that the other speaker is making. Certainly, I found it very hard to follow the thread of the arguments. I wish that Nat Radio took notice of that complaint.
Pleased to see you returned safely from the gorse fields, Felix.
Makes for bad radio all round, the shouty Hooten and the underpowered Pagani…..a couple of go to media commentators with egos way out of proportion to their ability.
It would good to have more of a green commentator ‘from the left’ sometimes. Today’s comment about nobody being against growth would then be challenged. I’m more for redistribution, personally, and not in favour of ‘growth’ if it means exploitation of the planet’s limited resources.
Not even the NZ Green party is advocating for a zero-growth economic policy. You might as well find a militant Trotskyite to offer their perspectives for all the relevance for mainstream NZ politics.
How right you are, nobody will advocate a zero growth policy. I suspect the Greens will go as far as a zero balance policy on the “externalities” (especially environmental) that are currently unpaid in our economic system.
More importantly we had better get used to a zero growth economy because that is what we have now, and will have for good in the future. There is a methodology prior NZ governments have used for this scenario: its called “balancing the books”. Its got these nasty little necessities such as import controls etc. It used to upset most people, they will be again.
Your second paragraph makes little sense. Something along the lines of we currently have zero growth now and should get used to it in future, (does this mean you are cool with everything), and then something about import controls. Truly bizarre shift in thinking there.
Gos, we currently have zero growth full stop.No problem so far, its demonstrable.
The next contention is get used to it: I happen to believe that resource depletion (in particular energy depletion) will result in a declining economy (as opposed to either growth or zero balance). There is lots of evidence (dont ask me to cite).
Final contention (also historically demonstrable) is that before growth became the accepted norm governments and businesses lived on their current balance, therefore had to balance their books.
Bizarre? What I find truly bizarre is the number of people walking blindfolded into a very evident future because they cant get out of the cornucopian mindset.
Funnily enough I’ve been having a similar discussion with someone on the Hot Topic blog recently (see, I haven’t been away from the internet completely).
I happen to think it reflects poorly on Hooten which I don’t mind at all, but it also reflects poorly on Pagani that she allows it. Williams doesn’t let Hooten shout him down. Neither does McCarten.
They all do it to an extent. Hooten tends to interupt when he spots BS during a long diatribe from the left wing commentator. Kathryn Ryan struggles at time to control him, (and the others), but generally does an okay job. Williams and Hooten end up agreeing with each more often than not so perhaps that is why he doesn’t interupt as much.
Williams and Hooten end up agreeing with each more often than not so perhaps that is why he doesn’t interupt as much.
Weirdness about 2 weeks ago, when Ryan messed up and said “From the Right, Mike Williams!”
That wasn’t the weird part – that happened when Williams said in response to her apology “That’s all right, I am really on the right, when I stop and think about it”.
With Ryan herself, that episode became a love fest of agreement amongst the three. 🙁
Well yeah, boil it down enough and they’re all discussing the issues of the day from strictly within the boundaries of our neo-liberal right wing economic paradigm.
Joint Media Statement
21st May 2012 Significant Progress in AFFCO dispute
After a full day of negotiations in Auckland yesterday the parties to the long running industrial dispute at the AFFCO meat works have made significant progress and are now working quickly towards trying to reach a final agreement for union members to ratify.
The parties today reached provisional agreement on the core document and are now working towards the settlement of specific site documents.
As part of a joint commitment to building a new type of relationship the parties have agreed and committed to a return to work within a short time frame of all workers and the withdrawal or suspension of all legal action while the final details are agreed.
The union and the owners of AFFCO (Talley Group) have been greatly assisted by the Iwi Leaders Forum who were represented at the negotiations today and wish to jointly acknowledged the role this group has played in working with both sides to find solutions that will enable the company to thrive in the future and the workers to work under fair and reasonable conditions.
The Iwi leadership forum members including Ken Mair, Tukoroirangi Morgan and Sonny Tau are adamant that in order to achieve an enduring settlement between the two parties it must be hinged around trust and confidence.
“The commitment by Andrew Talley and senior management to an open and regular dialogue with Union officials goes a long way to restoring confidence and certainty,” said the Iwi leaders.
“We have both sought to learn from this dispute and ensure that moving forward we build in the opportunity for a new type of relationship between the company, the union and its members. We also both value the ongoing commitment from Iwi to support this relationship” Andrew Talley said on behalf of AFFCO.
“Our members will be greatly relieved that we have made this progress today and keenly interested in us moving towards a full settlement. They are very open to making these meat works the best in the country and will welcome a different type of relationship, “ Dave Eastlake Meat Workers General Secretary said.
The parties will be making no further comment while the process is continuing.
Any other people who hadn’t heard of Louis Crimp and wondered .. I’ve just put some informative links on Open Mike for yesterday 20/5. I meant to put it on today’s.
Guess how he made his money – pokies and not winning on them haha. You didn’t think that did you. No his business is in the machines – for the players he’s the ghost in the machine perhaps.
On Louis Crimp. Couldn’t easily get info about Andrew Housing but there was quite a lot about him. I am fascinated by his big hearted philanthropy. He bought a house sold as a fundraiser by hospice for three times the expected price was one thing that raised his profile. He always has plenty to say and seems to be consulted for comment ad nauseum.
Well there has to be a circut breaker sometimes, and Sonny and the Moerewa people were getting well pissed off with Talley’s in Northland. Maybe the frozen pea sales were dropping a bit too in the odd Pak ’n Save.
Not everything must be talked about on blogs. But, “the withdrawal or suspension of all legal action while the final details are agreed” is a worry because an ‘in favour of the union ruling’ as per Open Country Cheese as to the legality of employing scabs, not to mention the legality of the targeted lockouts while the MWU was in bargaining, could help a number of workers in the very near future with Talley’s favourite charity, the Natz about to take us all back to 1991.
Looks like a typical Talley’s tactical tit pull to me at first glance.
Tapu Misa on the lack of sacrifice by the rich and the excess sacrifice by the poor dealt by this government.
“Judged by the yardstick of international norms,” he writes, “New Zealand under-taxes high income earners and over-taxes low income earners.” Using the preferred OECD “tax wedge” measure, for example, New Zealand’s tax rate among the 28 high-income OECD countries at the $100,000 salary level is 15 percentage points lower than the average, “representing over US$26,000 in tax that the average high income OECD country collects from these workers and their employers [that] New Zealand does not”.
Well, so much for the rich running off to other countries if we raise taxes on them. If they did they’d be taxed more.
That was exactly the para that I toyed with reposting here Draco. It is funny how higher taxes are always painted as a disaster and yet those northern European countries tax higher and do better. Especially when lower taxes are used as support for the myth that rich people provide the jobs rather than the poorer spending and working provide the wealth.
In addition to discourse, what types of activities are opponents to the current Neo-Liberal Capitalist Growth Economic Ideology Regime taking?
Subverting the forms of propaganda previously dominated by those abusing power.
But what Action; What translation into behaviour,care and guidance?
Downsizing?
Downshifting?
Deleveraging (urrgh!)
Reducing Reusing Recycling
Deinsuring
Disestablishing
Dissent before dishonour.
Leaving the payment of all greedy accounts till the 3 Month business payment schedule elapses?
Public transport use.
Kai gathering, home gardening, home cooking
I mean shutting off the blood supply to the greedy parasites.
There is always the ‘5.56 option of last resort’, but I expect to see that in Europe sometime in the near future, not here. Maybe that will make a few of the corporate bludgers sit-up and take notice.
Yes, there are some good suggestions in there. As always, it is the doing that matters, at the personal level, rather than any list of possibles for the undefined masses. In that context then, here’s what a particular philosopher had to say a long time ago, shortly before he left a country that was descending into chaos:
“When the great Tao is forgotten,
goodness and piety appear.
When the body’s intelligence declines,
cleverness and knowledge step forth.
When there is no peace in the family,
filial piety begins.
When the country falls into chaos,
Patriotism is born.”.
LaoTzu said the Tao was a way of natural harmony, greater than and existing before god. It’s interesting to see how the concept moves past good and bad as final resting points of human behaviour – listing them, really, as lesser evils – and reaches past that to an absolute kind of flowing/alternating order/disorder.
Within the context of your question on what each of us can do, via behaviour care and guidelines, we could do worse than use these guidelines as measure for action. LaoTzu’s political comments would also be echoed thousands of years later in social movements that understood that the overall good of the people as a collective mattered more than anything else; more than leaders careers, empire building or even the sciences. He was of the idea that materialism undermined the health of people and the earth.
Of course, his work has been fantastically abused by various Chinese leaders and historical figures since then, distorting it from a route to peace into sexual warfare and justification for totalitarianism and oppressions, but then so has Christianity under the capitalists. So as long as we understand this is a guide for our behaviour towards peace, not war and oppression, not as tool of offense, then we’ll stay the right side of the line – I hope. Shouldn’t be too hard to translate into modern terminology: you touch on several points already, such as “downsizing”, “downshifting” etc.
“Throw away holiness and wisdom’
and the people will be a hundred times happier.
Throw away morality and justice,
and people will do the right thing.
Throw away industry and profit,
and there won’t be any thieves.
If these three aren’t enough,
just stay at the centre of the circle
and let all things take their course.”
This pretty much spells out the main idea: while man cannot hope to not act in response to events, he should know how to do the least amount of damage and reach for the action of in-action that will naturally lead to the best action. As left eventually becomes right, why get into the power struggle at all?
“The great Way is easy,
yet people prefer the side paths.
Be aware when things are out of balance.
Stay centred within the Tao.
When rich speculators prosper,
while farmers lose their land;
when government officials spend money,
on weapons instead of cures;
when the upper class is extravagant and irresponsible
while the poor have nowhere to turn –
all this is robbery and chaos.
It is not in keeping with the Tao.”
The Tao Te Ching is somewhat of an oxymoron, since it’s existence contradicts the goal of the masters, which was to not speak, but do. It was written, we are told, because someone asked for guidelines to the art of living as a master was leaving a particular part of the country. I think that “leaving” actually meant he was approaching death, but we could get lost in metaphors and lose the message: action, above all else.
There is another frequently cited tale that says a region was under all kinds of trouble, environmentally and socially, and a master was called to settle it. He camped on the outskirts of the region, isolated and seeing no one, until things returned to normal – which was within a few days. The idea is that he was so in tune with the natural way of things, that his presence, his act of relocating, brought natural balance back to the region. He didn’t talk, and neither should anyone, is the meaning. Do something that moves toward balance, instead.
The Master doesn’t try to be powerful;
Thus he is truly powerful.
The ordinary man keeps reaching for power;
Thus he never has enough.
The Master does nothing,
Yet leaves nothing undone.
The ordinary man is always doing things,
Yet many more things are left to be done.
The kind man does something,
Yet something remains undone
The just man does something,
And leaves many things to be done.
The moral man does something,
And when no one responds
He rolls up his sleeves and uses force.
When the Tao is lost, there is goodness.
When goodness is lost, there is morality.
When morality is lost, there is ritual.
Ritual is the husk of true faith,
The beginning of chaos.
Therefore the Master concerns himself
With the depths and not the surface,
With the fruit and not the flower.
He has no will of his own.
He dwells in reality,
And lets all illusion go.”
That second to last verse, the following backwards of effect and stages of decline are echoed in the other famous Book of Changes, which precedes our modern Leftist ideas that there is a reason for everything, by a long way; that nothing is simple, and that there is only the point where you stop looking. Unfortunately, Taoism also condemns statistics completely as an idiocy.
And the final example, with the dry humour and realism that many of the verses hold:
Governing a large country is like frying a small fish.
You spoil it too much with poking.
Centre your country in the Tao
And evil will have no power.
Not that it isn’t there,
But you’ll be able to step out of its way.
Give evil nothing to oppose
And it will disappear by itself.”
Or as you put it: “… shutting off the blood supply to the greedy parasites.”
That Louis Crimp chappie from down south, who gave 100K+ to ACT to “do somethng about the maoris” who are “full of welfare and crime”, and who ACT now say they think says offensive things but they’ll take his money, (given to achieve offensive things), anyway…
… will be on Campbell live tonight, even though he didn’t know the camera was rolling.
It is enough to make a person embarrassed to have even walked the same streets as he did!
I have looked in vain for the $500,000,000.00 that he says is going into finding Te Reo but if we are cutting Māori Language funding even though it is a legal language of this country, then I presume that monies dedictaed to the teaching of English and NZ Sign will also be cut freeing up that funding for something else?!
The man is an idiot and a bully. I notice that he has threatened that he will not fund Act if they don’t make the abolition of Te Reo funding a non-negotiable. That is what he did to Stadium Southland Trust vis a vis the acknowledgment of ILT funding for the project. ILT has poured far more money into the Invercargill community than Louis Crimp ever will but the trustees gave into his blackmail. It will be interesting to see how Act respond
I saw that, and now I see why the Hell Pizza owners decided to approach Clive to put their case and refused to appear on Sunday on TV1…
The interviewer on Clive are giving the owner a sympathetic ear, she’s oozing with sweet kind questions (no hard ones) and it’s obvious why he chose to refuse Sunday and appear on Clive, after all, how many times has TV 3 ever criticised business men?
Don Brash was one of the few hopes for New Zealand he said at the time about 5 years ago it would be harder than the second world war to get New Zealand to a Growing sustainable country catching up with Australia. That was over 5 years ago and he was ignored along with many of Acts initial policy’s. So if was as hard as war then well.
The Solution is:
I really see it, first we need pleading to international help to help us recover and get international aid. We need to outsource Government departments such as entire health sector to Australia to administer. We need to have boarder-less “passport free” crossing to Australia, common currency just for start.
We then need to remove RMA completely and privatize the Building Department and all associated acts.
Sell the entire Tertiary Education sector.
Reduce income tax to 10%
Removed GST of all food, and basic living items.
Introduce Capital gains tax
Sell parts or New Zealand to Europe and America allowing them to create cities such as a French city in South island ran and administered by France.
Increase school standards. (Longer Day- Real economic teaching learn anther language from early on.)
Remove the treaty of Wiatangi form many government items.
Put some Politicians in jail. ( And look at performance pay- Electronic Elections on the internet).
Write a CONSTITUTION based on the American.
Removed number of MPs make it 99 and fix MMP i.e. party percent list choice elected from public.
Remove Government Standards: i.e allow cheap quality small electric cars on road. Allow Insurance companies to take risk analysis – not Government
Increase tax on alcohol. Also other government arbitrary standards which may not have cost benefit logical ratio.
Sell some roads completely.
Remove many testing and certification schemes.
Reduce all fines by 50%
Sell ACC and allow privatization and suing
Removed 50% of Government Agency’s and ministry’s.
Stop putting money in the Rugby industry.
Sue the transport minister for spending millionths on motorways for the Roading Lobby.
Invest in heavy public transport and bike lanes for the big city’s.
Don’t think we’ve really tried it Draco at all National are just keeping the same old Labour Policies but doing things slower with the exception of Motorway Lust.
Key always said Don Brash and Roger Douglas policies where unworkable and extreme. Well perhaps we need some “extreme” stuff to get NZ on track.
Driving NZ off a cliff is extreme, but it won’t get us back on track.
Giving every NZer a decent wage is the way to get us back on track. We print the money, we implement a CGT, we implement an FTT and we implement a 0.5% pa wealth tax to pay for it.
Capital which leaves the country for reasons other than the facilitation of direct trade is also taxed.
Oh yeah, the nationalisation of core economic infrastructure back into public and community ownership and control.
Not really Colonial that extreme – good to see you thinking. Printing credit is well overdue- absolutely Should funded some council projects for a few years.
Basically one side of the economic philosophy here is to allow quicker and rapid exchange of service and expertise between citizens of this country without third-party holdups and Government intervention. This is probably one of the quickest ways to allow society to exchange goods services and find a natural system which benefits all parties.
Allowing business to open run services people want rapidly. (Super Rapid – Houses built in a week sort of fast) In fact no building consents, all done on buyer choice buyer insurance schemes and “enforced” contract law.
So you could quickly find the service you are best to aid society with and also reap rewards of other diligent members of the commerce community for a price your happy with.
We’re all adults we don’t need Government checking every transaction and business idea to make sure they fit all governments rules and regulations.
Ah, a libertarian or, in other words, someone who’s all for oppressing the majority of people. Yes, that is the result of the BS you peddle.
A major reason why we have regulation is so that everyone is working with the best knowledge. We all adults, yes, we’re not all omniscient gods. The consent process is there to ensure that houses are built to best standards (well, that’s the theory unfortunately the government seems to have forgotten that and set minimum standards well bellow what they should be). If you remove those standards and remove the process to ensure those standards then what we will have would be a situation much worse than the leaking homes saga and no one would be accountable for it. People would start a business, make millions and then, as soon as trouble looked like it was starting, liquidate the business.
We’re a democracy so government happens to be us, what we call government is actually our administrative arm and, like all administration, it’s needed. Unfortunately, idiots like you go round telling people that our needed administration is evil.
“People would start a business, make millions and then, as soon as trouble looked like it was starting, liquidate the business.”
That’s what happens now.
Perhaps under contract law, when you purchase a Product you look to see if they have a long history and perhaps their underwriters.
And perhaps even write and agreement which binds your purchase to the personal seller of the product and not the business. ( guess in Contract Law you could write any terms and conditions in you wanted, as long as you both agree and sign off on it.)
In fact business models could start which take care of purchasing contracts and could even insure the product as security. Sort of like Safeseller on trademe
They way I see it things get more and more interesting and more productive and harmonious in Libertarian economics.
They way I see it things get more and more interesting and more productive and harmonious in Libertarian economics.
LOL, no, they get more litigious and most people can’t afford the lawyers required to help negotiate the contracts or enforce the contracts that are signed.
outsourcing government departments to Australia? Really. I heard on RNZ in the last few days that some Australian states are complaining that they aren’t given equal treatment nationally with the bigger more powerful states like NSW. I think it’s to do with being given less funding and consideration in policies.
And you think NZ wouldn’t be undermined by any Australian-based governance of NZ?
Ditto for any control of cities by French or US interests – it would open these cities to yet more plundering by wealthy and powerful overseas interests.
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Bryce Edwards writes – New Zealand’s biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure. The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On ...
In 2015, then-Prime Minister John Key announced plans for a huge ocean sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands, banning fishing and mining from 15% of Aotearoa's EEZ. It was bold, it was ambitious, and it suggested that National might actually care about the environment. Except they fucked it up: Key failed ...
1. Who has just been given the accolade New Zealander of the Year?a. The Kokakob. The Cook Strait Ferryc. Fair God. Dr Jim Salinger 2. Which of these is an affront to decent society?a. Dame Edna Everageb. Mrs Doubtfire c. Dr. Frank-N-Furterd. Brian 3. Who is Penny Simmonds?a. The aspiring actress in Big ...
New Zealand’s biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure.The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On the face of it, the court found ...
Buzz from the Beehive Waves of rain are set to lash much of the North Island during Easter Weekend as a low-pressure system forms east of New Zealand, according to a weather forecast published in the past day or so. Niwa was warning of a “moisture-laden” long weekend, with rain expected ...
Look around us…Nicola Willis’ promises of balancing the books, of cutting spending without reducing services, and of delivering game changing tax cuts are disappearing before her eyes.Everyday we see stories of violent crime ending in horrific injuries, or worse. The cost of living worsens, whereas the PM claimed renters would ...
TL;DR: My top six news of note on the morning of Thursday, March 28 include:The Government will have to borrow between $10 billion to $15 billion more than previously expected in order to make up for a slowing economy and to pay for $14.9 billion of tax cuts, according to ...
This story by Naveena Sadasivam and Kate Yoder was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. The long-awaited jobs board for the American Climate Corps, promised early in the Biden administration, will open next month, according to details shared exclusively ...
Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don’t think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of ...
Treasury’s first report on the economy since the change of government presents a damning indictment of Labour’s economic management. The problem for National is that it is so damning that logically, coupled with a rapidly slowing economy, Finance Minister Nicola Willis should respond to it by postponing or even cancelling ...
Budget tensions are becoming evident within the Coalition Government. Winston Peters made numerous political points in his speech to the NZF annual conference. But the attack on his own government’s fiscal policies raised issues of substance. ‘Today in the Sunday Star Times, journalist and former advisor to the Labour ...
Buzz from the Beehive The media – sure enough – have been binging on Finance Minister Nicola Willis’ release of the Budget Policy Statement and a statement headed Government announces Budget priorities This assures us – or rather, this parrots the Luxon team mantra – that the Budget “will deliver ...
The Ides of March brought me COVID followed by a bereavement. No wonder they tell you to be careful of them.I’m home now and have resumed the interrupted recuperation. Very much looking forward to getting back to regular things. Meanwhile, some thoughts…OneThis new Prime Minister guy just keeps getting more dire. ...
News that the Chinese ATP 40 cyber-hacking unit penetrated parliamentary internet networks in 2021 has renewed concerns about the PRC’s malign intentions in Aotearoa. But is the hack that significant given the length of time that has passed since its … Continue reading → ...
When Parliament passed the Intelligence and security Act in 2017, they assured us all that it was full of safeguards. Any intrusive surveillance of New Zealanders would be subject to a "triple lock", requiring the approval of the Minister and (supposedly independent) Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants, as well as post-facto ...
Eric Crampton writes – Richard Harman’s Politik newsletter provides a bit of the context that ought to have been showing up in other media reports on potential reductions in public service staffing. Media has been reporting on staffing cuts on the order of about 7%. Is that ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – It’s becoming increasingly apparent that many perceive free speech to have become the preserve of the politically right wing, the religiously conservative, the libertarian fringe, the anti-trans, the anti-Māori and…. well, just fill in with whatever groups or individuals you don’t like and don’t ...
Don Brash writes – As everybody who is not blind and deaf is aware, there is a huge political preoccupation with climate change at the moment, a widespread (though by no means unanimous) belief that global temperatures are rising mainly as a result of the greenhouse gases created ...
TL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy on Wednesday, March 27 include:Chris Bishop laid out his vision for filling Aotearoa-NZ’s $100 billion infrastructure deficit in a speech yesterday, emphasising user pays and private funding, but failed to say how to achieve bipartisanship on population, public borrowing and ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Former Finance Minister Grant Robertson and former Prime Minister Chris Hipkins have been conveying how unhappy they are with the tax system. Last week in his valedictory speech, Robertson called for the introduction of a wealth or capital gains tax. And this week Hipkins ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Buzz from the Beehive China has loomed large in Beehive considerations over the past 24 hours, largely because of that country’s mischief-making in the cyber espionage department. Two media statements emerged on that subject hard on the heels of the PM baulking at questions put to him on RNZ’s Morning ...
Chris Trotter writes – WHY IS THE NATIONAL PARTY doing so much for landlords, property developers, trucking, and construction companies, and so little for everybody who isn’t already pretty well-off? It’s as if protecting landlords’ investments and building apartments and roads now constitute the whole of National’s ...
Bryce Edwards writes – When she was campaigning to be Minister of Finance last year, Nicola Willis pledged that she would resign from the job if she failed to deliver tax cuts in her first Budget. Now, it’s that pledge, along with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s ...
Robert MacCulloch writes – The Reserve Bank has doubled staff numbers in five years to 510, with personnel costs rising to $80 million in 2023 from $32 million in 2018 – up by a whopping 150%. I guess when you print $50 billion and flood markets with liquidity, ...
The furore. In case you didn’t notice there was a controversy in the weekend involving dolphins in a little town off the South Island. Don’t panic, they haven’t declared independence and resumed whaling, this was simply a sailing event.The problem began when racing was cancelled on the opening day of ...
For 20 years or more, the case for a meaningful capital tax gains has been mulled over and analysed to death, including by the tax working group chaired by Sir Michael Cullen. More than once, the International Monetary Fund has said a CGT would be a good idea for New ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: The Public Health Communications Centre (PHCC) call for urgent preventive action and a risk assessment survey of long covid in this briefing noteLocal scoop: NZ road deaths surpass OECD rates, so why is the govt reversing safety plans? ...
This story was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. This story is part of a collaboration with Grist and WABE to demystify the Georgia Public Service Commission, the small but powerful state-elected board that makes critical decisions about everything from raising ...
This is a guest post from Robert McLachlan Global warming is accelerating; 2023 was off the charts. We need to stop burning fossil fuels. In New Zealand, transport accounts for half of all fossil fuels burnt. In the Emissions Reduction Plan, transport emissions fall 41% by 2035. As the ...
Labour productivity has been receding rapidly over the past two years, reversing a post-lockdown rise. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy as at 6:26am on Tuesday, March 26 include:Workers have been treading water in output per hour worked for 12 years, ...
TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 2 include:Today, Parliament resumes sitting at 2pm for the second week of a two-week session. Officials for SIS and GCSB report their annual reviews in public to the Intelligence and Security Select Committee from 5.10pm.Tomorrow, ...
Faced with a barrage of criticism over the promised tax cuts from usually supportive commentators, Finance Minister Nicola Willis yesterday reaffirmed her intention to include them in this year’s Budget. The Government is up against it over the cuts just about every way it turns. Commentators like Fran O’Sullivan, Matthew ...
Here’s my pick of today’s substack posts as of 6:26pm on Monday, March 25: writes via his substack that Market-rate housing will make your city cheaper writes via his substack about the problems talking to double-cab ute (truck) drivers about their vehicles. today about moments of radicalisation in ...
Buzz from the Beehive Just before Christmas, Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivered something that was pitched as a mini-budget and brayed about the decisive action being taken to repair the Government books and support income tax relief in Budget 2024. In a statement headed Fiscal repair job underway. she introduced ...
My sister Belinda asked Dad yesterday what one word would describe Mum best. He said: vivacious.If you only knew her from the photos on the slideshow we've made for today,you might wonder about that, because the camera tended to lie with Mum.If ever she saw a camera pointed at her, she ...
There are two major public consultations closing in the next week, Auckland Council’s Long Term Plan (LTP), and the draft Government Policy Statement on Land Transport (GPS). Closing dates and times: LTP closes Thursday 28 February, at 11.59pm – a minute to midnight! GPS closes Tuesday 2 April, at 12pm noon – note that’s ...
From Kiwiblog’s David Farrar – Bryce Wilkinson writes: Senior Fellow Bryce Wilkinson’s analysis reveals that since March 2009, New Zealand has spent $158 billion more overseas than it has earned, but its NIIP has only fallen by $32 billion.Statistics New Zealand shows that receipts from overseas reinsurers have ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition? Brian Easton writes – The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could ...
Dear Nicola Willis,Right now you’ve probably got lots of competing demands coming at you. Ministers who’ve inherited quite a mess, or so you’ve told us, looking for money in the budget to improve things. I imagine that’s why they came to parliament - to make things better.You’ll have to make ...
The Local Government, Transport and Auckland Minister hasthreatened councils with intervention if they don’t merge water assets to take them off balance sheet, just as the now-repealed Three Waters plan directed. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things of note this morning for Monday, March 25 include:Simeon ...
A listing of 36 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 17, 2024 thru Sat, March 23, 2024. Story of the week Thanks to John Mason having the stamina to sit down to watch "Climate - the Movie" ...
This morning the Q&A programme had Simeon Brown on to talk about National’s replacement for Three Waters. In case anyone’s forgotten the three are - drinking water, waste water, and sewerage. It’s quite important not to get them mixed up. In much the same way that you wouldn’t want to ...
Today’s newsletter comes with a mini-podcast conversation between me and my buddy Liv Tennet, talking about her time as a child actor in Lord of the Rings. It’s a conversation with a lot of giggles as she talks about falling off a horse, and becoming a meme. Read ...
The Desmog Climate Disinformation Database documents, "individuals and organisations that have helped to delay and distract the public and our elected leaders from taking needed action to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and fight global warming." It's a who's who of the organised climate change denial movement, in other words. In ...
Bob Edlin writes – A High Court judge has decided miscreants who have mana – or who claim to have mana – should be treated differently from miscreants who have none. It’s a ruling that suggests indigenous law-breakers have a better chance of securing a discharge without conviction ...
Welcome to the first, and possibly last, edition of Brickbats, Bouquets and Bull’s Wool. In which I’ll take a look at the events of the last week or so, and rate them.In such ratings the numbers usually have more to do with the opinions of the reviewer, than the actual ...
Roger Partridge writes – My earlier column this month, New Zealand’s highest court could be facing a turning point, prompted a flood of feedback from business readers and lawyers alike. A common query was what Parliament can do to restrain an overreaching judiciary. This week I discuss two steps Parliament ...
TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.16pm on Friday, March 22: writes about New Zealand's Building Boom—And What the World Must Learn From It over at his substack. challenges the Auckland Council’s use of a 3.8 degrees of warming forecast to oppose a wave-park and data centre project ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition?The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could deliver her promised income tax cuts. Appointed minister, she ...
Buzz from the Beehive Ministers of the Crown have drawn attention to one sector of the science sector which is unlikely to be subjected to heavy spending cuts, a state-funded broadcaster which is doing nicely, thank you, and a sporting event that had $5.4 million from the public purse puffed ...
Abbott’s Freestyle Libre sensors allow continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). The sensor is applied to the back of the patient’s arm, with a thin filament under the skin measuring glucose levels constantly. But it costs around $100 per sensor and must be replaced once every 14 days. Photo by BSIP/Universal Images ...
The Inspector General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) recently released a report in which he exposes the existence of a foreign intelligence partner-controlled technological “capability” inside the headquarters of the GCSB, NZ’s 5 Eyes-affiliated signals intelligence collection and analysis agency. … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – Nearly three decades after the introduction of MMP and multiparty governments there should be a greater level of understanding about their finer points than often appears to be the case. The reaction to the despicable outburst from the Deputy Prime Minister at the weekend highlights ...
The sweet kisses from fruit of summerHave slowly been turning dullerYou say, "those times"And "remember the daysWhen we went outside and there still was the shade?"Taking no reason into play…Autumn. Clear, blue days shortening to longer nights, growing colder. Aotearoa.That’s us. The temperature dropping, the looming car crash - so ...
Bryce Edwards writes – “It is often said that behind every great man is a great woman”. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their “Ladies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxon”. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April ...
David Farrar writes – The Electoral Commission has published the expense returns for political parties for the 2023 election. I’ve put them in a table with how many votes a party got so we can see the spend per vote. National only spent $3.34 for every vote they got, almost ...
Winston Peters’ headline-making actions over the past week may have been a show of political power intended to strengthen his hand in Budget negotiations. It was no accident that his State of the Nation speech was as it was. He made it as New Zealand First Leader, not as Deputy ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:Former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson bowed out of politics this week, giving a series of exit ...
Graham Adams writes — If you love the law or sausages, as the saying goes, best not to look too closely at how they are made. And after watching the orgy of self-pity when Newshub’s closure was announced on February 28, television journalism should definitely be added to the list of those ...
Venerable New Zealand political commentator, Chris Trotter (https://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/), is a sad creature these days. Once one of the most reliable Leftist writers out there – Economic Left at that – Trotter seems to have absorbed the worldview of Auckland culture-war obsessives. It is not for me to categorise what he ...
The cruelty of short-term memory loss is that each time you ask where she is, you get the fresh shock and grief of the news. That was Dad's day yesterday.Comfortingly, it seems to be less so today. Last night he looked crumpled, today he seems more settled. There's a card ...
The Coalition Government’s plan to ‘get Auckland moving’ is a cuts cover-up that will ultimately cost Aucklanders more to move around the city, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Slashing the Ministry of Pacific Peoples by 40% will have a devastating impact on pacific communities and further highlights how little this government cares about anything other than cutting taxes for the wealthiest few. ...
Labour has proposed an urgent inquiry to investigate the ever-increasing profits of supermarkets, aiming to lower costs for shoppers and food producers alike, says Labour Spokesperson for Commerce and Consumer Affairs Arena Williams and Primary Production Spokesperson Cushla Tangaere-Manuel. ...
With 14% of jobs on the line at the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, the responsible Minister Melissa Lee is failing to stand up for the very communities she’s meant to be representing. ...
COURT OF APPEAL: TRIFECTA OF VICTORY FOR NZ FIRST, TRIFECTA OF FAILURE FOR OPPONENTS For the third time since April 2020, New Zealand First has defeated the Serious Fraud Office and all those complicit in a malicious attack against a political party going about its lawful business in a lawful ...
The Green Party stands with people who live in public housing, people in dire housing need, experts and advocates in demanding better than the Government’s archaic approach to housing those who need our support the most. ...
New Zealand has recently lost the hosting rights of some major international sporting events including the America’s Cup, the Rugby Championship, Netball World Cup, and the Wellington Sevens. We are now at a huge risk of losing SailGP as well. And it won’t stop there. The recent issues with SailGP ...
A Member’s Bill drawn this week would modernise insurance law and make things fairer and more transparent for consumers, Christchurch Central MP Duncan Webb said. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues has confirmed she was aware of funding issues in mid-December and did nothing to stop it. On 14 March, she signed off on changes that were announced and implemented on 18 March without any consultation with disability communities. ...
Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter says her members' bill is an opportunity for the coalition government to plug the gap in electric vehicle incentives. ...
The National Government continues to talk about irresponsible tax cuts that will only drive up inflation, despite the country entering a technical recession. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues must act urgently to reinstate flexibility around the funding for disability support and apologise to disabled carers. ...
This story has been initiated by a leftie shill reporter who proactively sought to call a member of a former band, which disbanded twelve years ago, give their biased appraisal of what was said in my speech, and concocted a ham-fisted attempt at a story that does nothing but show ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Many in the mainstream media have taken what was said in New Zealand First’s State of the Nation Speech in Palmerston North on Sunday and deliberately, deceitfully, and ignorantly misrepresented what I said and why I said it. The headlines and commentary on the news stated that I compared ‘co-governance ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
Good afternoon. Thank you for, in your very busy lives, turning up to this meeting today. On October 14th last year New Zealanders overwhelmingly voted for change. That is exactly what this new government is bringing. New Zealand First campaigned to ‘take back our country’ and stop the disastrous economic ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April. “It was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates. Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend. “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” Mr Peters says. Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. “Road safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track. “Dam safety regulations ...
The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the government’s finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Government’s Budget objectives. “The coalition Government intends ...
The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says. “The Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says. “These changes are long overdue – the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009. ...
The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Education’s School Property Function. The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There is a clear need ...
State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Today I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” Minister Responsible for ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. “We’re sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union. “I am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says. “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “Comprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. “I would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
Good morning, it’s great to be here. First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning. I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
Before moving onto the substance of today’s address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and I’m sorry I can’t be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the Whangārei site where the facility will be constructed. “Northland has faced a number ...
New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata Māori 20 years ago, says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisation’s 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
Analysis - Nicola Willis is holding firm on tax cuts despite the economic outlook being worse than forecast and critics urging her to wait, writes Peter Wilson for The Week In Politics. ...
Opposition MPs and unions are criticising a proposal by New Zealand’s Ministry of Pacific Peoples to cut staff by 40 percent. The country’s largest trade union — The Public Service Association — says the ministry has informed staff that it is looking to shed 63 of 156 positions. Opposition MPs ...
A poem by Poetry Aotearoa Yearbook 2024 featured poet Carin Smeaton. Daughtr of the 90s when she gets promoted to usherette a baby blu eel carries her all the way up to mothership she’s hovering high she lets the underaged in to see keanu reeves she lets the only lonely ...
Analysis by Keith Rankin. Keith Rankin, trained as an economic historian, is a retired lecturer in Economics and Statistics. He lives in Auckland, New Zealand. My earlier article – Can ‘Good’ be the Greater Evil? – looked at the issue of how wars should end, and how Good versus Evil ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 AMMA by Saraid de Silva (Moa Press, $38)A stunning debut novel reviewed by Brannavan ...
From Steve Martin to Ricky Stanicky, a pick’n’mix of things worth watching and listening to this long weekend. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. If you’re at a loss for something to occupy yourself with this Easter, don’t panic: The Spinoff’s got ...
Jesus had dinner with his 12 disciples right before he died. Noted historian Madeleine Chapman finds out who really deserved to be there.First published in 2018 but let’s be honest, the subject is timeless. As you sit on your couch this Easter Sunday, eating a chocolate egg you know ...
The newly-promoted Northern League club is on a mission to return to the National League for the first time in two decades. Plenty about domestic football in New Zealand has changed in that time – but the sense that this amateur competition is not an entirely level playing field remains. ...
Comment: Every year on February 2, a dozen men in tuxedos and top hats approach the burrow of a groundhog in Gobbler’s Knob, Pennsylvania and entice the beaver-like rodent to emerge and predict the weather. If the groundhog, named Punxsutawney Phil, sees its own shadow when it is summoned, legend ...
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Auckland Council has put a deadline on new weather-impacted property owners applying for categorisation as government funding looks set to run out. Councillors have voted to support a deadline of September 30 for property owners who haven’t accessed support to come forward and engage with the council’s recovery office. It ...
NONFICTION 1 BBQ Economics by Liam Dann (Penguin Random House, $40) “It’s official,” wrote Dann nine days ago in the Herald, where he works as business editor at large, “we’re in recession.” Yeah, great. He delivered the bad stats: “GDP fell 0.1 percent in the December 2023 quarter, compared with ...
By Anneke Smith, RNZ News political reporter A petition urging the New Zealand government to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people has been tabled in the House. More than 200 people gathered on Parliament’s forecourt today and they were met by MPs from Labour, the Greens and Te ...
Pacific Media Watch The Paris-based global media freedom watchdog RSF (Reporters Without Borders) has appealed for information about the “disappearance” of Palestinian journalist Bayan Abusultan. She was reportedly last seen on March 19 among people “sequestered” in this week’s raid and siege of Al Shifa hospital by Israeli troops in ...
EDITORIAL:The Jakarta Post It happens again and again; indigenous Papuans fall victim to Indonesian soldiers. This time, we have photographic evidence for the brutality, with videos on social media showing a Papuan man being tortured by a group of plainclothes men alleged to be the Indonesian Military (TNI) members. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robyn J. Whitaker, Director of the Wesley Centre for Theology, Ethics, and Public Policy & Associate Professor, New Testament, Pilgrim Theological College, University of Divinity A strange and eclectic range of activities takes place across these few weeks of the year. Some ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University It’s Easter weekend, which means many of us will be kicking back with the greatest hits on repeat. But whether you’re a boomer, or an ‘80s or ’90s kid, you might be ...
RNZ Pacific Fiji’s Acting Public Prosecutor has filed an appeal against the sentences of former prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama and suspended police chief Sitiveni Qiliho in their corruption case. Bainimarama was granted an absolute discharge for attempting to pervert the course of justice while Qiliho received a conditional discharge with ...
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brett Hallam, Associate professor, UNSW Sydney IM Imagery/Shutterstock Solar SunShot is well named. The Australian government announced today it would plough A$1 billion into bringing back solar manufacturing to Australia, boosting energy security, swapping coal and gas jobs for those ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Dix, Research Fellow in Nutrition & Dietetics, The University of Queensland Easter is the time for chocolate. The shops are full of fantastically packaged and shiny chocolates in all shapes and sizes, making trips to the supermarket with children more challenging ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Felton, Adjunct Senior Researcher, University of South Australia Even in a stubborn cost-of-living crisis, it seems there’s one luxury most Australians won’t sacrifice – their daily cup of coffee. Coffee sales have largely remained stable, even as financial pressures have ...
Mining company Trans-Tasman Resources has unexpectedly withdrawn its application for a consent to suck the valuable metals vanadium and titanium from the Taranaki seafloor, as it apparently wagers on the Government’s new fast-track process. It had spent two-and-a-half days putting its case to the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision-making committee, at ...
Contrary to the Associate Minister of Education’s claims, analysis of Healthy School Lunches Programme - Ka Ora, Ka Ako assessments has revealed it provides excellent value for the taxpayer dollar, as a groundswell of public opposition to Government ...
Greenpeace says wannabe Taranaki seabed miner Trans-Tasman Resources is likely banking on Christopher Luxon’s fast-track process to side-step proper scrutiny of its Taranaki seabed mining proposal by bailing out of the Environmental Protection Agency hearing ...
Kiwis Against Seabed mining today slammed Australian owned would-be seabed miner Trans Tasman Resources (TTR) for abandoning its application to the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) to mine the seabed of the South Taranaki Bight. The company ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katie Attwell, Associate Professor, School of Social Sciences, The University of Western Australia Ground Picture/Shutterstock Months after COVID vaccines were introduced in 2021, governments and private organisations mandated them for various groups. Health and aged care workers were among the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Dzurak, Scientia Professor Andrew Dzurak, CEO and Founder of Diraq, UNSW Sydney Diraq For decades, the pursuit of quantum computing has struggled with the need for extremely low temperatures, mere fractions of a degree above absolute zero (0 Kelvin or ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne A national Essential poll, conducted March 20–24 from a sample of 1,150, gave the Coalition a 50–44 lead including undecided, a reversal ...
The Taxpayers’ Union has today made a formal request under the Regulations of the People’s Republic of China on Open Government Information () for information held about how New Zealand Members of Parliament are spending taxpayer ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert Nelson, Honorary Principal Fellow, The University of Melbourne A Byzantine depiction of the Eucharist in Saint Sophia Cathedral, Kyiv.Jacek555/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA A nasty quarrel arose in the 11th century over what kind of bread should be used in holy ...
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Luke Heemsbergen, Senior Lecturer, Digital, Political, Media, Deakin University With an impressive 60% of the US smartphone market, Apple is undeniably big, but not a clear monopoly. Yet, years of innovation by Apple have effectively given the company its own exclusive ...
Whether you’re facing layoffs or are just an emotional junior staffer, it’s always a good idea to scout out a good crying place before you need it. It’s an incredibly hard time for Wellington. Across the city, thousands of public servants are hearing tough news about redundancies and layoffs. Government ...
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Daryl Adair, Associate Professor of Sport Management, University of Technology Sydney Earlier this week, independent MP Andrew Wilkie accused the AFL of conducting “off the books” illicit drug testing to identify players using substances of abuse, then inappropriately withdrawing them from matches ...
The Government’s announcement that it will scrap plans for a vast marine sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands is ‘shameful’ and will make it impossible for Aotearoa New Zealand to meet its international commitments, says the World Wide Fund for Nature ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Quiggin, Professor, School of Economics, The University of Queensland Shutterstock The federal government has bowed to pressure from the car industry, announcing it will relax proposed emissions rules for utes and vans and delay enforcement of the new standards ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Suzanne Rutland, Professor Emerita, University of Sydney In his latest book, Jewish Life in Medieval Spain, Jonathan Ray focuses on the tumult of the 14th century in Spain – a time of the plague, civil strife and war between the two largest ...
While creating a slate of world-class shows, Whakaata Māori also developed a generation of world-class creatives. Television is an odd word. It mixes the Ancient Greek and Latin languages, and its most literal meaning is “far-off sight”. In the contemporary and living language of te reo Māori, “whakaata” as a ...
Yesterday the UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Israel’s war on Gaza. This significant step and the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza prompted an urgent debate in the New Zealand Parliament. Leader ...
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While Nicola Willis wouldn’t give any details on its size, she said a package of tax cuts is definitely still coming in this year’s budget, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is welcoming the investigation into the Department of Internal Affairs after it was revealed that the Department’s Chief Executive personally reached out to expedite a DJs passport application. Taxpayers’ Union Campaigns ...
Finance minister Nicola Willis delivers her first budget statement, and unwittingly helps Joel MacManus save his relationship. Nicola Willis strode into the Beehive Theatrette. Around me, on the green foldout seats, were the country’s top business and political journalists. They were all here to see her announce the Budget Policy ...
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Tauranga, Rotorua, Wellsford, Onehunga, Westhaven marina – Gavin Strawhan walks the meanish streets of New Zealand in his entertaining debut novel The Call, almost sure to roar into the number 1 position on the Nielsen bestseller chart, its front cover bearing a rave from somebody: “A really good and genuinely ...
On a Thursday in February, at Wellington’s Conservation House, the Conservation Authority, a statutory body advising the eponymous department and minister, Tama Potaka, opened its 195th meeting. Under consideration that afternoon was an agenda item written by Tim Bamford, chief advisor in the Department of Conservation’s biodiversity, heritage and visitors ...
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A must watch piss take on bankers….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmU3xoFrPJM&feature=player_embedded
Those sad little rich men. Scrooge had a better Christmas?
I get bollock bored reiterating to my “centrist” middle class Key voting associates that we have a train wreck of youth unemployment here in NZ. I know Canterbury has a had a quake but look at this:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/6955597/More-young-people-out-of-work-in-city
The number of Cantabrians aged 15 to 24 in employment has dropped by 12,300, the September 2011 Household Labour Force Survey revealed.
The fall comes despite 8700 people in the age bracket leaving the city last year.
In effect this says that in an area of 350,000 we might expect to find 12% of the population aged 18-24…..roughly 42000 people, of whom 12,300 are out of work (nearly a third), and if you count those who have gone 21,000…a half.
This is a huge indictment on the failure of all recent governments, especially the current NACT crop who don’t appear to even acknowledge the issue or give a rats arse. And worse still its a giant j’acuse at those voter who work on the “I am all right Jack” principle.
“And worse still its a giant j’acuse at those voter who work on the “I am all right Jack” principle”
— Yup, and those same selfish fools who think that they are out of harms way, will be in the line of fire eventually, on current course!
There may be a significant breakthrough in the Affco dispute this morning; it looks like pressure from Iwi has forced Talley’s back to the table and an agreement now looks likely.
Good news! 🙂
Question for a moderator
If someone is currently on a one week ban here (guess who) and posts a comment on another blog (KB, General Debate today) asking for someone there to post their comment on the Standard for them, what is the position? I have no intention of doing so; the comment appears to include a link to the banned person’s own blog……
PS – FYI the same banned person was also using the other blog yesterday to respond to/comment on comments posted here subsequent to the TS ban being invoked.
Out of sight, out of mind. Please don’t remind me.
Link is to a Stuff article, not his blog. Agreed, Carol, but trying to preempt…..
I should think he can do whatever he wants on another site.
Anyone who was foolish enough to copy his comments over to here should expect moderator attention – probably deleting the comments to start with and escalating from there as necessary.
It’s up to us how we moderate. Pete’s politics may be remiss but his heart is in the right place. He is, however, a bit obsessive (as are some other regular commenters) – I’ve seen this with commenters before and it generally ends in tears. I think it’s time to let it go.
I’d also recommend that anyone who finds themselves taking the blogs too seriously, and I include obsessing over who said what to who on another blog, should take a few days off to spend some time in the real world. It’ll do you good.
For the most part Pete provides good debate here and does obviously put a lot of time into knowing his stuff.
Where he becomes annoying is the frequency at which he posts.
Anyway,
I see stuff have an article on how the majority of people still blame Labour for debt. A perfect opportunity for Labour to get some media spotlight and point out the flaws in this.
You guys run this excellent site. I am happy to accept your moderation/banning. I wouldn’t complain just as I wouldn’t should a householder asked me to leave their property. Not that that has ever happened!
Fonterra environmental bullies
I enjoy watching Rural Delivery in the weekends. They’ve been running stories recently about developments in farm effluent treatment systems, and this made me hopeful that we might finally see a reduction in the amount of pollution going into New Zealand waterways…
Its quite amusing in a sad way but true that if you want to catch a trout go to a sheep farming area.
PROTEST TODAY, Monday 21 May 2012
12 noon – 2pm
OUTSIDE JOHN BANK’S EPSOM OFFICE
27 Gillies Ave
Newmarket
A protest has been called today, calling for the resignation of – the arguably not so ‘Honorable’ MP for Epsom, because he is not, in my considered opinion, ‘fit for duty’ as an MP – let alone a Minister.
( http://www.dodgyjohnhasgone.com/give-a-grrl-a-banner/ shows some of the banners that will be on display, and should attract attention at this busy part of Newmarket during the flow of lunchtime traffic.)
How come former Labour MP Taito Phillip Field got sentenced for SIX years for ‘bribery and corruption’, for providing ‘immigration advice’ to Thai nationals in exchange for work on his properties – while Minister John Banks gets political protection from NZ Prime Minister John Key, after giving ‘immigration assistance’ and Coatsville property purchase ‘assistance’ to a German/ Finnish national, in return for $50,000 donated to ‘Banksie’s’ 2010 Auckland Mayoral campaign fund, and gifts valued at over $500 which he failed to declare?
It is also of great concern to me, as a fighter against ‘white collar’ crime, that ACT’s ‘one law for all’ has yet to apply to both the current and former Leaders of the ACT Party, whom, as former fellow directors of Huljich Wealth Management (NZ) Ltd, both signed Huljich Kiwisaver Scheme registered prospectuses dated 22 August 2008 and 18 September 2009, which contained untrue statements, but were never charged for so doing. This is a strict liability offence under s58(3) of the Securities Act 1978, but neither the old Securities Commission, the Finance Markets Authority (FMA), the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) , nor the NZ Police arguably ‘did their job’ and charged Banks or Brash. Have they been politically protected at the highest levels?
(Copies of this correspondence are avaialbe on http://www.pennybright4epsom.org.nz )
John Banks is now the Minister of Regulatory Reform, yet four different ‘regulatory’ bodies failed to act against him, someone, who arguably couldn’t properly run a Kiwisaver Scheme, yet now has a key Ministerial post and is supposedly helping to run the country ‘perceived’ to be the ‘least corrupt in the world’? (According to Transparency Internaional’s 2011 ‘Corruption Perception Index, http://cpi.transparency.org/cpi2011/results/ which obviously, in my considered opinion, is not worth the paper upon which it is written.)
I don’t expect the ACT MP for Epsom, Minister of Regulatory Reform, the ‘Honorable’ John Banks, to be particularly keen to see me, or this protest, which is intended to ‘hold his feet to the fire’.
Penny Bright
‘Anti-corruption campaigner’
Penny, Good luck with the protest.
Has there ever been any official explanation why Banks and Brash were not charged after the investigation into Huljich Wealth Management?
Ahead of the council’s budget announcement, Local Government Minister David Carter urged councils around the country to consider the sale of strategic assets rather than rates rises to fund projects.
“Mr Carter told TVNZ’s Q & A yesterday that local governments were in a similar position to central government, which intends to balance the books by selling up to 49 per cent of shares in the state-owned energy companies, and a further stake in Air NZ”
“I think if you look at my own city of Christchurch where we clearly have an extraordinary situation, the Christchurch balance sheet is strong with a number of assets, the council needs to make the decision.”
— One can see how this is going to play out in advance!
Not really surprising, National are all about getting the hands of the rich on our assets so that they can become even bigger
thievesrentiers.Matthew Hooton this morning got into his stride on his favourite subject, his own opinion about our economic situation and why it’s Labour’s fault. He talked over the top of Josie Pagani quite a lot. One swingeing quote – “No government anywhere in the world creates jobs”.
I’m sick of cynical negative right-wingers who quote figures from the sweepings of the economist floor as a reason for governments not doing anything. When we need practical policies to stimulate business or advance policies that will assist the mass of small taxpayers we get this do-nothing chant. We should be putting in Auckland’s rail while prices are cheap and spending on infrastructure resulting in more employment. Of course we do have to try to employ New Zealanders, not shoot ourselves in the foot bringing in cheap labour while our own people languish and despair and drink and drug or steal so they can have regular food, good housing that presently they are shut away from.
Also he talks about having a surplus in the 1990s and refers first to Ruth Richardson and Bill Birch with Michael Cullen added on. He was all right until the last three years and then spent on policies. ‘Working for Families is one of his insane policies that delivers welfare to the wealthy.’
He ignores what he must have learned in any studies he has done, that paying this sort of assistance to everyone cuts across the wealthy drone about how they are supporting low income drones and it’s not fair they should pay out all the time! Also it tends to be easier and cheaper to administrate when going to all in the target group, rather than scrutinising people’s rather than trying to sieve out the goodies from the bad low incomes.
And lastly this thing about ‘welfare’ – we all have advantage from the provisions that government makes for the nation. One of the things the wealthy and those in power have done is to trade most of our manufacturing jobs, a continuing process, because the world has gone free market which has had some advantages and massive disadvantages. It was obvious that jobs would be lost, the pr…ks knew this so now they are cynically blaming conditions on the poor and resenting every assistance.
prism:”Also it tends to be easier and cheaper to administrate when going to all in the target group, rather than scrutinising people’s rather than trying to sieve out the goodies from the bad low incomes.”
Pretty sure that at the time that is exactly Mr Cullens point. So true.
Drug lords are okay if they keep a high income and off the dole? The problem with fishing the pool of poor is that you aren’t as diligent at higher incomes. Providing welfare has never been justification for criminalization of the poorest – except by fascists. Sure there will always be some, like the lady who didn’t declare she was living with her husband. Just because one banker creates a ponsi scheme doesn’t mean all bankers are criminals.
The solution is to provide the basic limited income to survive as a negative income tax, that rewards people who have little to engage in economic activity, presently the system punitively scraps any extra income at 70c in the dollar blocking the stepping stone from a little work to part-time work.
Give the social injustice of large parts of the population leveraging themselves into massive debt exposure, and then desperate wanting tax cuts to continue their bubble economic vision. At the expense of future generations, the environment, all the activity economics of selling stuff sideways to create paper profit growth (asset sales), shows up the lying conceit in our elites.
lolz at Hooton yelling “Josie Josie Josie CALM DOWN!”
His self-awareness is hilariously low, even for a Golem.
felix 😀
Hooton does interrupt far too much. I think it’s a tactic to destroy the point that the other speaker is making. Certainly, I found it very hard to follow the thread of the arguments. I wish that Nat Radio took notice of that complaint.
Pleased to see you returned safely from the gorse fields, Felix.
Much quicker than I thought! Now for the blackberry…
Goats, its easier.
Goats! Don’t talk to me about goats.
They taste good after they have eaten the blackberries…..Rasa on Cuba St cooks a mean South Indian goat curry.
Makes for bad radio all round, the shouty Hooten and the underpowered Pagani…..a couple of go to media commentators with egos way out of proportion to their ability.
It would good to have more of a green commentator ‘from the left’ sometimes. Today’s comment about nobody being against growth would then be challenged. I’m more for redistribution, personally, and not in favour of ‘growth’ if it means exploitation of the planet’s limited resources.
Not even the NZ Green party is advocating for a zero-growth economic policy. You might as well find a militant Trotskyite to offer their perspectives for all the relevance for mainstream NZ politics.
How right you are, nobody will advocate a zero growth policy. I suspect the Greens will go as far as a zero balance policy on the “externalities” (especially environmental) that are currently unpaid in our economic system.
More importantly we had better get used to a zero growth economy because that is what we have now, and will have for good in the future. There is a methodology prior NZ governments have used for this scenario: its called “balancing the books”. Its got these nasty little necessities such as import controls etc. It used to upset most people, they will be again.
What???
Your second paragraph makes little sense. Something along the lines of we currently have zero growth now and should get used to it in future, (does this mean you are cool with everything), and then something about import controls. Truly bizarre shift in thinking there.
Gos, we currently have zero growth full stop.No problem so far, its demonstrable.
The next contention is get used to it: I happen to believe that resource depletion (in particular energy depletion) will result in a declining economy (as opposed to either growth or zero balance). There is lots of evidence (dont ask me to cite).
Final contention (also historically demonstrable) is that before growth became the accepted norm governments and businesses lived on their current balance, therefore had to balance their books.
Bizarre? What I find truly bizarre is the number of people walking blindfolded into a very evident future because they cant get out of the cornucopian mindset.
Funnily enough I’ve been having a similar discussion with someone on the Hot Topic blog recently (see, I haven’t been away from the internet completely).
Especially the Greens! They’re a farce, honestly. Blue-Greens, opportunists and irredeemably middle class…
Read Growth Fetish by Clive Hamilton
Do you have a better alternative from the left and the right then?
I don’t mind Hooton as a spokesperson for the right.
Some people seem to do though. Why all the complaining about him shouting down poor Josie Pagani?
I happen to think it reflects poorly on Hooten which I don’t mind at all, but it also reflects poorly on Pagani that she allows it. Williams doesn’t let Hooten shout him down. Neither does McCarten.
They all do it to an extent. Hooten tends to interupt when he spots BS during a long diatribe from the left wing commentator. Kathryn Ryan struggles at time to control him, (and the others), but generally does an okay job. Williams and Hooten end up agreeing with each more often than not so perhaps that is why he doesn’t interupt as much.
Who would you like to see doing these spots, presuming we stick with the “left v right” format?
Weirdness about 2 weeks ago, when Ryan messed up and said “From the Right, Mike Williams!”
That wasn’t the weird part – that happened when Williams said in response to her apology “That’s all right, I am really on the right, when I stop and think about it”.
With Ryan herself, that episode became a love fest of agreement amongst the three. 🙁
Well yeah, boil it down enough and they’re all discussing the issues of the day from strictly within the boundaries of our neo-liberal right wing economic paradigm.
goose only because style is more important than substance
Oh yes, a totally weird moment!
Maffoo and Josie, a greater and a lesser RWNJ! Who will speak for the Left?
Super token leftie Chris Trotter?
At least he knows that he is a lefty, Pagani would not even be able to define the term.
A press release on an end to the AFFCO dispute:
Joint Media Statement
21st May 2012
Significant Progress in AFFCO dispute
After a full day of negotiations in Auckland yesterday the parties to the long running industrial dispute at the AFFCO meat works have made significant progress and are now working quickly towards trying to reach a final agreement for union members to ratify.
The parties today reached provisional agreement on the core document and are now working towards the settlement of specific site documents.
As part of a joint commitment to building a new type of relationship the parties have agreed and committed to a return to work within a short time frame of all workers and the withdrawal or suspension of all legal action while the final details are agreed.
The union and the owners of AFFCO (Talley Group) have been greatly assisted by the Iwi Leaders Forum who were represented at the negotiations today and wish to jointly acknowledged the role this group has played in working with both sides to find solutions that will enable the company to thrive in the future and the workers to work under fair and reasonable conditions.
The Iwi leadership forum members including Ken Mair, Tukoroirangi Morgan and Sonny Tau are adamant that in order to achieve an enduring settlement between the two parties it must be hinged around trust and confidence.
“The commitment by Andrew Talley and senior management to an open and regular dialogue with Union officials goes a long way to restoring confidence and certainty,” said the Iwi leaders.
“We have both sought to learn from this dispute and ensure that moving forward we build in the opportunity for a new type of relationship between the company, the union and its members. We also both value the ongoing commitment from Iwi to support this relationship” Andrew Talley said on behalf of AFFCO.
“Our members will be greatly relieved that we have made this progress today and keenly interested in us moving towards a full settlement. They are very open to making these meat works the best in the country and will welcome a different type of relationship, “ Dave Eastlake Meat Workers General Secretary said.
The parties will be making no further comment while the process is continuing.
Any other people who hadn’t heard of Louis Crimp and wondered .. I’ve just put some informative links on Open Mike for yesterday 20/5. I meant to put it on today’s.
Guess how he made his money – pokies and not winning on them haha. You didn’t think that did you. No his business is in the machines – for the players he’s the ghost in the machine perhaps.
His original source of wealth was Andrew Housing, as far as I am aware. The bars and pokies came later
On Louis Crimp. Couldn’t easily get info about Andrew Housing but there was quite a lot about him. I am fascinated by his big hearted philanthropy. He bought a house sold as a fundraiser by hospice for three times the expected price was one thing that raised his profile. He always has plenty to say and seems to be consulted for comment ad nauseum.
Another project was to buy a carpark by a licensing trust tavern with the idea of building a hospital for alzheimers patients there. He has regular run ins with the Invercargill Licensing Trust which might be a hint about this idea. Here is a background link on this.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/news/5068041/Crimp-leaves-trees-across-tavern-driveway
Well there has to be a circut breaker sometimes, and Sonny and the Moerewa people were getting well pissed off with Talley’s in Northland. Maybe the frozen pea sales were dropping a bit too in the odd Pak ’n Save.
Not everything must be talked about on blogs. But, “the withdrawal or suspension of all legal action while the final details are agreed” is a worry because an ‘in favour of the union ruling’ as per Open Country Cheese as to the legality of employing scabs, not to mention the legality of the targeted lockouts while the MWU was in bargaining, could help a number of workers in the very near future with Talley’s favourite charity, the Natz about to take us all back to 1991.
Looks like a typical Talley’s tactical tit pull to me at first glance.
Tapu Misa on the lack of sacrifice by the rich and the excess sacrifice by the poor dealt by this government.
Well, so much for the rich running off to other countries if we raise taxes on them. If they did they’d be taxed more.
Perhaps they are bouyed by such articles…
NZ rated highly for investment safety
I guess they did not factor in the internal investor issues, about $10b lost of investors cash in the financial companies theft!
The drivel the quoted from the bloke at D & B is , confused, bob each way stuff!
That was exactly the para that I toyed with reposting here Draco. It is funny how higher taxes are always painted as a disaster and yet those northern European countries tax higher and do better. Especially when lower taxes are used as support for the myth that rich people provide the jobs rather than the poorer spending and working provide the wealth.
In addition to discourse, what types of activities are opponents to the current Neo-Liberal Capitalist Growth Economic Ideology Regime taking?
Subverting the forms of propaganda previously dominated by those abusing power.
But what Action; What translation into behaviour,care and guidance?
Downsizing?
Downshifting?
Deleveraging (urrgh!)
Reducing Reusing Recycling
Deinsuring
Disestablishing
Dissent before dishonour.
Leaving the payment of all greedy accounts till the 3 Month business payment schedule elapses?
Public transport use.
Kai gathering, home gardening, home cooking
I mean shutting off the blood supply to the greedy parasites.
Any more suggestions?
There is always the ‘5.56 option of last resort’, but I expect to see that in Europe sometime in the near future, not here. Maybe that will make a few of the corporate bludgers sit-up and take notice.
Yes, there are some good suggestions in there. As always, it is the doing that matters, at the personal level, rather than any list of possibles for the undefined masses. In that context then, here’s what a particular philosopher had to say a long time ago, shortly before he left a country that was descending into chaos:
“When the great Tao is forgotten,
goodness and piety appear.
When the body’s intelligence declines,
cleverness and knowledge step forth.
When there is no peace in the family,
filial piety begins.
When the country falls into chaos,
Patriotism is born.”.
LaoTzu said the Tao was a way of natural harmony, greater than and existing before god. It’s interesting to see how the concept moves past good and bad as final resting points of human behaviour – listing them, really, as lesser evils – and reaches past that to an absolute kind of flowing/alternating order/disorder.
Within the context of your question on what each of us can do, via behaviour care and guidelines, we could do worse than use these guidelines as measure for action. LaoTzu’s political comments would also be echoed thousands of years later in social movements that understood that the overall good of the people as a collective mattered more than anything else; more than leaders careers, empire building or even the sciences. He was of the idea that materialism undermined the health of people and the earth.
Of course, his work has been fantastically abused by various Chinese leaders and historical figures since then, distorting it from a route to peace into sexual warfare and justification for totalitarianism and oppressions, but then so has Christianity under the capitalists. So as long as we understand this is a guide for our behaviour towards peace, not war and oppression, not as tool of offense, then we’ll stay the right side of the line – I hope. Shouldn’t be too hard to translate into modern terminology: you touch on several points already, such as “downsizing”, “downshifting” etc.
“Throw away holiness and wisdom’
and the people will be a hundred times happier.
Throw away morality and justice,
and people will do the right thing.
Throw away industry and profit,
and there won’t be any thieves.
If these three aren’t enough,
just stay at the centre of the circle
and let all things take their course.”
This pretty much spells out the main idea: while man cannot hope to not act in response to events, he should know how to do the least amount of damage and reach for the action of in-action that will naturally lead to the best action. As left eventually becomes right, why get into the power struggle at all?
“The great Way is easy,
yet people prefer the side paths.
Be aware when things are out of balance.
Stay centred within the Tao.
When rich speculators prosper,
while farmers lose their land;
when government officials spend money,
on weapons instead of cures;
when the upper class is extravagant and irresponsible
while the poor have nowhere to turn –
all this is robbery and chaos.
It is not in keeping with the Tao.”
The Tao Te Ching is somewhat of an oxymoron, since it’s existence contradicts the goal of the masters, which was to not speak, but do. It was written, we are told, because someone asked for guidelines to the art of living as a master was leaving a particular part of the country. I think that “leaving” actually meant he was approaching death, but we could get lost in metaphors and lose the message: action, above all else.
There is another frequently cited tale that says a region was under all kinds of trouble, environmentally and socially, and a master was called to settle it. He camped on the outskirts of the region, isolated and seeing no one, until things returned to normal – which was within a few days. The idea is that he was so in tune with the natural way of things, that his presence, his act of relocating, brought natural balance back to the region. He didn’t talk, and neither should anyone, is the meaning. Do something that moves toward balance, instead.
The Master doesn’t try to be powerful;
Thus he is truly powerful.
The ordinary man keeps reaching for power;
Thus he never has enough.
The Master does nothing,
Yet leaves nothing undone.
The ordinary man is always doing things,
Yet many more things are left to be done.
The kind man does something,
Yet something remains undone
The just man does something,
And leaves many things to be done.
The moral man does something,
And when no one responds
He rolls up his sleeves and uses force.
When the Tao is lost, there is goodness.
When goodness is lost, there is morality.
When morality is lost, there is ritual.
Ritual is the husk of true faith,
The beginning of chaos.
Therefore the Master concerns himself
With the depths and not the surface,
With the fruit and not the flower.
He has no will of his own.
He dwells in reality,
And lets all illusion go.”
That second to last verse, the following backwards of effect and stages of decline are echoed in the other famous Book of Changes, which precedes our modern Leftist ideas that there is a reason for everything, by a long way; that nothing is simple, and that there is only the point where you stop looking. Unfortunately, Taoism also condemns statistics completely as an idiocy.
And the final example, with the dry humour and realism that many of the verses hold:
Governing a large country is like frying a small fish.
You spoil it too much with poking.
Centre your country in the Tao
And evil will have no power.
Not that it isn’t there,
But you’ll be able to step out of its way.
Give evil nothing to oppose
And it will disappear by itself.”
Or as you put it: “… shutting off the blood supply to the greedy parasites.”
Oh very nice. I appreciated this.
Post of the week. Thanks 🙂
Plus you got us all talking slopely 😀
Thank you from the deepest parts of me. “This is the way, step inside(the Storm and non-act)
Did you see the Joy Division reference, did ya see it……
Richard Wolff, Professor of Economics,University of Massachusetts: The Costs of Capitalism’s Crisis: Who Will Pay.
(YouTube: 1.35.01)
Fifty one percent local ownership, Mugabe style.
What is this madness? http://wonderfulnow.blogspot.co.nz/2012/05/one-more-thing-before-i-go.html
That Louis Crimp chappie from down south, who gave 100K+ to ACT to “do somethng about the maoris” who are “full of welfare and crime”, and who ACT now say they think says offensive things but they’ll take his money, (given to achieve offensive things), anyway…
… will be on Campbell live tonight, even though he didn’t know the camera was rolling.
“… will be on Campbell live tonight, even though he didn’t know the camera was rolling.”
Like shooting fish in a barrel.
” not a native tree, but a nice English tree like an oak” lol. That reporter was very good.
(Crimp had asked her if she had ever had sex against a tree)
It is enough to make a person embarrassed to have even walked the same streets as he did!
I have looked in vain for the $500,000,000.00 that he says is going into finding Te Reo but if we are cutting Māori Language funding even though it is a legal language of this country, then I presume that monies dedictaed to the teaching of English and NZ Sign will also be cut freeing up that funding for something else?!
The man is an idiot and a bully. I notice that he has threatened that he will not fund Act if they don’t make the abolition of Te Reo funding a non-negotiable. That is what he did to Stadium Southland Trust vis a vis the acknowledgment of ILT funding for the project. ILT has poured far more money into the Invercargill community than Louis Crimp ever will but the trustees gave into his blackmail. It will be interesting to see how Act respond
I saw that, and now I see why the Hell Pizza owners decided to approach Clive to put their case and refused to appear on Sunday on TV1…
The interviewer on Clive are giving the owner a sympathetic ear, she’s oozing with sweet kind questions (no hard ones) and it’s obvious why he chose to refuse Sunday and appear on Clive, after all, how many times has TV 3 ever criticised business men?
Why is everything in italics? Weird…
That’s what happens when the kids don’t put their tags away.
Alright, who left their tags on the stairs?
That was UTurn.
http://www.3news.co.nz/No-regret-for-Maori-comments-says-Crimp/tabid/817/articleID/255038/Default.aspx
He’s lost his marbles. If he ever had too many to begin with…
Act sure does attract them!!!
and who is Susan English’s brother in law??
SOUTHERN EQUITIES LIMITED (156001)
Shareholders in Allocation:
Allocation 1:13333334 shares
Susan Joy ENGLISH
22 Vera Street, Karori, Wellington 6012 , New Zealand
Rex Thomas CHAPMAN
42 Don Street, Invercargill 9810 , New Zealand
James Bartholomew HENNESSY
345 Bainfield Road, Rd 2, Invercargill, 9872 , New Zealand
Louis Mervyn CRIMP
164 Mill Road South, No 1 R D, Invercargill 9871 , New Zealand
Don Brash was one of the few hopes for New Zealand he said at the time about 5 years ago it would be harder than the second world war to get New Zealand to a Growing sustainable country catching up with Australia. That was over 5 years ago and he was ignored along with many of Acts initial policy’s. So if was as hard as war then well.
The Solution is:
I really see it, first we need pleading to international help to help us recover and get international aid. We need to outsource Government departments such as entire health sector to Australia to administer. We need to have boarder-less “passport free” crossing to Australia, common currency just for start.
We then need to remove RMA completely and privatize the Building Department and all associated acts.
Sell the entire Tertiary Education sector.
Reduce income tax to 10%
Removed GST of all food, and basic living items.
Introduce Capital gains tax
Sell parts or New Zealand to Europe and America allowing them to create cities such as a French city in South island ran and administered by France.
Increase school standards. (Longer Day- Real economic teaching learn anther language from early on.)
Remove the treaty of Wiatangi form many government items.
Put some Politicians in jail. ( And look at performance pay- Electronic Elections on the internet).
Write a CONSTITUTION based on the American.
Removed number of MPs make it 99 and fix MMP i.e. party percent list choice elected from public.
Remove Government Standards: i.e allow cheap quality small electric cars on road. Allow Insurance companies to take risk analysis – not Government
Increase tax on alcohol. Also other government arbitrary standards which may not have cost benefit logical ratio.
Sell some roads completely.
Remove many testing and certification schemes.
Reduce all fines by 50%
Sell ACC and allow privatization and suing
Removed 50% of Government Agency’s and ministry’s.
Stop putting money in the Rugby industry.
Sue the transport minister for spending millionths on motorways for the Roading Lobby.
Invest in heavy public transport and bike lanes for the big city’s.
Gee its going to be hard for someone.
Right, so your solution to the problem is more of the same?
I’ll put it this way: The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.
Don’t think we’ve really tried it Draco at all National are just keeping the same old Labour Policies but doing things slower with the exception of Motorway Lust.
Key always said Don Brash and Roger Douglas policies where unworkable and extreme. Well perhaps we need some “extreme” stuff to get NZ on track.
Driving NZ off a cliff is extreme, but it won’t get us back on track.
Giving every NZer a decent wage is the way to get us back on track. We print the money, we implement a CGT, we implement an FTT and we implement a 0.5% pa wealth tax to pay for it.
Capital which leaves the country for reasons other than the facilitation of direct trade is also taxed.
Oh yeah, the nationalisation of core economic infrastructure back into public and community ownership and control.
Extreme enough for you?
Not really Colonial that extreme – good to see you thinking. Printing credit is well overdue- absolutely Should funded some council projects for a few years.
Basically one side of the economic philosophy here is to allow quicker and rapid exchange of service and expertise between citizens of this country without third-party holdups and Government intervention. This is probably one of the quickest ways to allow society to exchange goods services and find a natural system which benefits all parties.
Allowing business to open run services people want rapidly. (Super Rapid – Houses built in a week sort of fast) In fact no building consents, all done on buyer choice buyer insurance schemes and “enforced” contract law.
So you could quickly find the service you are best to aid society with and also reap rewards of other diligent members of the commerce community for a price your happy with.
We’re all adults we don’t need Government checking every transaction and business idea to make sure they fit all governments rules and regulations.
Ah, a libertarian or, in other words, someone who’s all for oppressing the majority of people. Yes, that is the result of the BS you peddle.
A major reason why we have regulation is so that everyone is working with the best knowledge. We all adults, yes, we’re not all omniscient gods. The consent process is there to ensure that houses are built to best standards (well, that’s the theory unfortunately the government seems to have forgotten that and set minimum standards well bellow what they should be). If you remove those standards and remove the process to ensure those standards then what we will have would be a situation much worse than the leaking homes saga and no one would be accountable for it. People would start a business, make millions and then, as soon as trouble looked like it was starting, liquidate the business.
We’re a democracy so government happens to be us, what we call government is actually our administrative arm and, like all administration, it’s needed. Unfortunately, idiots like you go round telling people that our needed administration is evil.
I’ll think about what you wrote for a while.
“People would start a business, make millions and then, as soon as trouble looked like it was starting, liquidate the business.”
That’s what happens now.
Perhaps under contract law, when you purchase a Product you look to see if they have a long history and perhaps their underwriters.
And perhaps even write and agreement which binds your purchase to the personal seller of the product and not the business. ( guess in Contract Law you could write any terms and conditions in you wanted, as long as you both agree and sign off on it.)
In fact business models could start which take care of purchasing contracts and could even insure the product as security. Sort of like Safeseller on trademe
They way I see it things get more and more interesting and more productive and harmonious in Libertarian economics.
LOL, no, they get more litigious and most people can’t afford the lawyers required to help negotiate the contracts or enforce the contracts that are signed.
..
Anthony – thanks for your random assortment of unworkable, nation destroying fantasies.
outsourcing government departments to Australia? Really. I heard on RNZ in the last few days that some Australian states are complaining that they aren’t given equal treatment nationally with the bigger more powerful states like NSW. I think it’s to do with being given less funding and consideration in policies.
And you think NZ wouldn’t be undermined by any Australian-based governance of NZ?
Ditto for any control of cities by French or US interests – it would open these cities to yet more plundering by wealthy and powerful overseas interests.