The most appalling thing about the proposal is the retrospectively. Courts are meant to be there so that citizens can argue their rights have been breached and if established for consequences to follow. The Bill of Rights sets the standards that should be imposed.
If every time a citizen successfully shows that his or her rights under the Bill of Rights have been breached Parliament then turns around and changes the law so that no one else can rely on the same rights then we may as well do away with the Courts. Leave it all up to Key and the Police to decide guilt and innocence. Imagine how efficient it would be and how much money would be saved!
Labour want the bill to go to a select committee. They also opposed four particular provisions of the Search and Surveillance Bill. National will obviously try and use this as a dog whistle. But the principles are that appalling that Labour has to oppose this.
We are a passive lot. Our rights to privacy, and freedom from unreasonable search and seizure, have been slowly frittered away by various Governments over the years. while rights to freedom from surveillance without cause have been taken away.
The media have mostly been silent. When they haven’t been actively supporting it, using, mostly, specious excuses about cutting crime.
The skynet bill and the new search and surveillance bill are unacceptable infringements on our rights to freedom from search and seizure.
Already existing laws about survaillance and airport and port security also exceed the rights of search, of ordinary citizens, that authorities should have.
My reading of the events is, Police had to drop the terrorist charges since
no reasonable person would believe social activists were anything more.
as we know, gangs, and terrorists seek lives of privacy, not public
activism. And that’s why the so many of the charges have
been dropped, because the evidence was not lawfully obtained,
since I’m pretty sure you will find in every political gathering
of left or right, some individuals making statements that are
alarming. So how the government can conclude that any of
these individiuals is guilty of anything, or that the case has any
merit because the supreme court have rejected this part of
the evidence, when there is likely to be much more that
will come under scrutiny, and when all the evidence has been
‘discovered’ the court throw does not out the last few cases.
Its just politics. National cannot promise there will be no apology,
or that no compensation will be paid, all they can promise is
no decision will be made before the election. And that’s
why its so disturbing, that National would play politics with
lawful minority political gatherings.
Your reading is wrong. Police needed permission from the Solicitor General to lay charges under the TSA. He denied them because the TS Act wasn’t able to be used in the context, not that there wasn’t something dodgy going on or that a jury would not find the case reasonable.
The SC has rejected the legality of the evidence gathering. They have accepted that that illegality though is outweighed by the seriousness of the charges for four people- so there is evidence that is deemed useful and legal. NZ is not an American TV show where people automatically escape serious charges for breach of procedure.
Is some journalist going to ask Michael Fay if he will end up doing to the Crafar farms what he did to NZ Rail? i.e. systematically pull all cash out of the business and doing no maintenance or upgrades whatsoever on the infrastructure, eventually turning the outfit into a piece of shit.
The blood-sucker is back. God help NZanders from him and the likes of him.
Just in time for the next round of privatisations next year, ready to make another killing.
Are you saying that whoever owns the farms can expose them over time to
foreign ownership? Because we’re been see that for some time as Carfer
did just this, by borrowing excessively from overseas. Whose to say Fey
won’t get the investment money from overseas!
So the problem isn’t ownership, its just how easy it is to give money to
kiwis who then invest it poorly (in housing and farm property bubbles).
I don’t know, what we need is some form of tax to bring the free for
all in capital farming to an end.
A free for all that leave kiwis with borrowing from overseas as their
only choice, which of course is not a choice.
These are farms that failed under NZ ownership and management. If they can make them successful and pay 30mill more for them, why not? Should Fay get a sweet deal because of his passport? Maybe he’d be interested in a railway too…
To counter this, if the Chinese are paying $30M more for Crafer, why should NZ Rail pay more for NZ made carriages than Chinese ones?
15% difference is ok in my eyes to keep the Chinese out.
Campbell Live interviewed him last night. (Good interview.) Fay vowed to not sell farm land. As his example the farm that he bought 40 years ago is still owned by him.
But trust this man? Yeah right!
Michael Fay or the Party of Public Assets (the direct Chinese wording for their communist party, I believe).
Some choice. Pity the government cant buy them and create an agrarian version of Cal-Tech or MIT – or what about iwi – they have cash to burn. They might even make them the basis of a Maori owned milk processor to compete with Fonterra.
Yeah, the words that have been really good indicators of people indulging in bad behavior in the past. I add them there when I have to warn about behavior or ban based on comments that use those words. It simplifies my life because it catches the trolls that find themselves incapable of change to avoid a simple capture pattern.
And between CHCH and Dunedin. They could’ve done a pilot for the RWC to see how it fared and whether it would be worth continuing as a standard service.
Small c catholic simply means universal, so in sense of tastes, eclectic! I am surprised that fact is not more well known… 🙂
I remember my Mum explaining that to me when I was very confused after attending her Presbyterian church as a child, that the creed said the Presbyterian church was ‘catholic’…
I’ve just read the article where it says there has been a $750,000 blowout in keys personal bodyguard budget. In response to questions from ONE News about why the Diplomatic Protection Squad is blowing its budget, Key said: “Trawl through the court reports about how many people are trying to kill me”. Is there anybody out there able to do that. I would love to know eaxactly how many. I suspect it is none and I would love to hear his response to that piece of information
Russel Norman launched the Greens’ job creation plans today and demonstrated a clear difference between a National led future and a Green future. The Greens have practical, fully costed and government led initiatives, while National have a “stand back and let the market lead” approach. The Greens would like to retain national ownership and control over our resources and technological developments, while National is pursuing an open access approach to exploiting our resources. While the Greens will plant trees, National will mine lignite. The Greens plan for a low carbon future and National see coal and oil as the way to go.
and yet again the Stuff censor is hard at work. I know several people who submitted comments between 10 am and 11 am yet those comments are nowhere to be seen.
I guess that even after all of this time you still don’t understand what the moderators are trying to achieve here.
Generally we don’t care much about language, political opinions, and most opinions. It isn’t the purpose of this site to provide a nice safe environment. It is a place to argue robustly and you’d better be prepared to argue your corner robustly if you want to have an opinion here.
We do care about behavior onsite, and specifically about behaviors that bore the crap out of people and divert discussions into meaningless babble or flame wars. This is because we find that this is what keeps people away from online forums like this.
If you want someone to protect you the evil languages and ideas of that nasty world outside, then this isn’t the right place. In fact I suspect that crawling back into the womb would be the best option…
Stuff of course have a significantly different imperative – not getting sued. Unlike us they have a site that is a lot harder to move outside of legal jurisdictional bounds if required and they have enough money that it becomes worth while suing them.
An interesting Q&A from Erin Leigh on Farrar’s Kiwiblog.
Very revealing as to the helpless position a public servant can find themselves in when a Minister of the Crown chooses to slander them under the protection of Parliamentary Priviledge, and they are left defensless and exposed by those who should at least give them basic employment, emotional and what most would see as a safe workplace environment, support.
here is a [really long] link for ongoing reports from Occupy Wall St including a live stream when it is up.
As well as the MSM silence, the Police stopping resupply of food and water, the ongoing Net service difficulties and the selective cellular disruption that is ongoing, Yahoo has been discovered to be censoring its news contributors. SO nothing to see hear then.
‘But as one wit put it, recalling 1951: “A National Government taking control of the waterfront in election year. Worked for them in the past.” ‘
We need a mock up photo of John Key and Sid Holland lookalike.
It seems the voters of the day were happy to blame workers for wanting a decent wage in 1951. It looks like the same will happen this time.
I have seen a recent photo of John Key looking up into the mist and I have seen more than enough photos of Sid Holland when he closed down the media so that voices could not be equally heard, to recognise the similarities both in looks and in actions.
Be vigilant after the rugby world cup; you think it is bad now for the left leaning voices to be heard; you aint seen nothin’ yet..
What else, ummm, advertisements. They’ll be a doozy.
We have the blue movember and the promisekeepers in town soon to tell us how wicked women are that men must lead them into the kitchen and out of equality. Have we had the blue prostate checkups yet?
Not a skerrick will be paid by National for what is obviously a campaign ‘vote for Key’ advertisement.
Look carefully at the ads in the next month or so. If you think there is a conflict of interest there and that Key’s party should have to pay for ‘obvious favouritism at no cost’ just like Peter Leitch recently, then complain to the Broadcasting Authority.
This year is pivotal if we are to retain our autonomy as a country. This is no time for greed and selfishness.
“Look carefully at the ads in the next month or so. If you think there is a conflict of interest there and that Key’s party should have to pay for ‘obvious favouritism at no cost’ just like Peter Leitch recently, then complain to the Broadcasting Authority.”
It’s Jum here. Get your names right. I’m certainly not bitter when it comes to the disgrace that is National these days. They have no credibility and their supporters surely must be ashamed to show their faces. Bitterness no; on the button yes.
Read The Hollow Men. Steps 1 – 10 about how to manipulate the New Zealand voter; you’ll be pleased to know they’re falling for it because they are still trusting. I have no idea why. I really thought Roger Douglas, aligned with the master mask, JKeyll, would make people do their homework on the past lies of NActU, but no.
The only reason you’re attacking is because you know I’m correct. You pondscum have no sense of ethical behaviour, no principles; only greed.
You’re are a bitter wee thing and you’ll give yourself an ulcer. For the record the nat’s are not my party – I’m not a tribal thing like yourself which allows me a bit more perspective to see that there is fuck all difference between labour and national
Thank you higherstandard for these little bits that help me place you.
No, I’m not bitter, really. This is interesting to me – the fact that New Zealanders fall all over themselves for the John Key roadshow, yet ask no questions of him. These are parents with children and grandchildren that will enter the job market as ‘flexible’ labour. Flexible i.e. casualized labour is the way to get an ulcer – no mortgage security when the job might end at any time.
So I’m probably disappointed in New Zealanders, in general, especially those that insist on telling us that Labour and National are the same, when the Labour policies and the National no-policies, except sell everything and give it to the rich which the Act Roger Douglas and the Nat Ruth Richardson and now the NAct Bill English always do.
The difference between the two parties is that Labour/Greens actually think about the future. All the NActs think about is how to increase their personal money supply from exploiting cheap labour. If you can’t see the difference higherstandard, then you need to change your name.
Maybe you’re an Act acolyte? Trying to play the ‘same as’ game and damage Labour’s different and futuristic policies would certainly point you in that direction. If that is the case, and looking at the current Act lineup, I would have to say that you have no standards at all.
The Greens launched their fantastic Green Jobs policy today. It’s a well thought out and progressive plan to move New Zealand forward into a clean and productive future…
A juxtaposition of positions – Same newspaper, same day, same topic – health sector pay
The first is from an at times quite moving article about Philip Gould , one of the architects of New Labour, who has terminal cancer:
The illness has changed him in so many ways, he says. Not least politically. The story of Philip Gould’s cancer could be a parable. Here was the archetypal moderniser who had so lost faith in traditional Labour values that he took the private healthcare route. A surgeon in America told him he did not need the extreme surgery that the NHS had suggested. Gould took his advice and the cancer came back. By the time he returned to the NHS, it was too late. He’s painfully aware of the ironies. “When I came back I began to realise that NHS facilities, particularly for this cancer, were fantastic. Now I wouldn’t go to a private hospital. I have completely changed my view.”
Has cancer changed his political position? “Oh yes. Certainly. No question.” He’s more old Labour? “Old Labour? It has certainly made me more aware … yes, it’s made me more leftwing is the answer. It has made me realise the importance of public service and community. The other thing that has moved me is being in intensive care, which is really tough for the nurses. I don’t know what they get, £35,000 a year? [The highest pay-grade is £34,189.] They do 12-hour shifts on one patient who is seriously ill and then they start talking about Wayne Rooney or whatever, and you realise with that level of inequality it’s impossible to continue to get people to do these jobs because these jobs are based on the sense within society that there is some fairness about the level of contribution and the level of reward and that has broken down. So that changed me.”
NHS staff, most of whom are experiencing a two-year freeze on their pay, are furious that ministers are seeking to compel them to work longer and contribute more for ultimately smaller pensions. Unions such as Unison, Unite and the GMB have pledged to ballot their members, although the British Medical Association, Royal College of Nursing and Royal College of Midwives are reluctant to do so.
But the organisation NHS Employers has increased the prospect of another money wrangle by declaring that the NHS salary bill is unsustainable and that local pay deals are needed to bring down costs. It claims that, despite the pay freeze for all NHS staff earning over £21,000, the cost to its members – such as hospital and mental health trusts – of employing staff is rising by 2.4% a year.
And there, in a nutshell, is the problem with consumerist, corporatist track we’re on IMO… I’m unable to see any possibility of valuing the essentials of life and society within the current economic and political system.
NHS staff, most of whom are experiencing a two-year freeze on their pay…
My son is a staff nurse at Welly Hospital, and a good 50% of his colleagues, nurses and residents are British – they’re refugees from the NHS! He wanted to go work in Britain in 2011 or 2012, but luckily, they have dissuaded him from making what would have been a big mistake.
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President Trump on the day he announced tariffs against Mexico, Canada and China, unleashing a shock to supply chains globally that is expected to slow economic growth and increase inflation for most large economies. Photo: Getty ImagesLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate ...
Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on UnsplashHere’s what we’re watching in the week to February 9 and beyond in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty:Monday, February 3Politics: New Zealand Government cabinet meeting usually held early afternoon with post-cabinet news conference possible at 4 pm, although they have not been ...
Trump being Trump, it won’t come as a shock to find that he regards a strong US currency (bolstered by high tariffs on everything made by foreigners) as a sign of America’s virility, and its ability to kick sand in the face of the world. Reality is a tad more ...
A listing of 24 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, January 26, 2025 thru Sat, February 1, 2025. This week's roundup is again published soleley by category. We are still interested in feedback to hone the categorization, so if ...
What seems to be the common theme in the US, NZ, Argentina and places like Italy under their respective rightwing governments is what I think of as “the politics of cruelty.” Hate-mongering, callous indifference in social policy-making, corporate toadying, political bullying, intimidation and punching down on the most vulnerable with ...
If you are confused, check with the sunCarry a compass to help you alongYour feet are going to be on the groundYour head is there to move you aroundSo, stand in the place where you liveSongwriters: Bill Berry / Michael Mills / Michael Stipe / Peter Buck.Hot in the CityYesterday, ...
Shane Jones announced today he would be contracting out his thinking to a smarter younger person.Reclining on his chaise longue with a mouth full of oysters and Kina he told reporters:Clearly I have become a has-been, a palimpsest, an epigone, a bloviating fossil. I find myself saying such things as: ...
Warning: This post contains references to sexual assaultOn Saturday, I spent far too long editing a video on Tim Jago, the ACT Party President and criminal, who has given up his fight for name suppression after 2 years. He voluntarily gave up just in time for what will be a ...
New Zealand First has today introduced a Member’s Bill which would restore decision-making power to local communities regarding the fluoridation of drinking water. The ‘Fluoridation (Referendum) Legislation Bill’ seeks to repeal the Health (Fluoridation of Drinking Water) Amendment Act 2021 that granted centralised authority to the Direct General of Health ...
New Zealand First has introduced a Member’s Bill aimed at preventing banks from refusing their services to businesses because of the current “Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Framework”. “This Bill ensures fairness and prevents ESG standards from perpetuating woke ideology in the banking sector being driven by unelected, globalist, climate ...
Erica Stanford has reached peak shortsightedness if today’s announcement is anything to go by, picking apart immigration settings piece by piece to the detriment of the New Zealand economy. ...
Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. The intention was to establish a colony with the cession of sovereignty to the Crown, ...
Te Whatu Ora Chief Executive Margie Apa leaving her job four months early is another symptom of this government’s failure to deliver healthcare for New Zealanders. ...
The Green Party is calling for the Prime Minister to show leadership and be unequivocal about Aotearoa New Zealand’s opposition to a proposal by the US President to remove Palestinians from Gaza. ...
The latest unemployment figures reveal that job losses are hitting Māori and Pacific people especially hard, with Māori unemployment reaching a staggering 9.7% for the December 2024 quarter and Pasifika unemployment reaching 10.5%. ...
Waitangi 2025: Waitangi Day must be community and not politically driven - Shane Jones Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. ...
Despite being confronted every day with people in genuine need being stopped from accessing emergency housing – National still won’t commit to building more public houses. ...
The Green Party says the Government is giving up on growing the country’s public housing stock, despite overwhelming evidence that we need more affordable houses to solve the housing crisis. ...
Before any thoughts of the New Year and what lies ahead could even be contemplated, New Zealand reeled with the tragedy of Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming losing her life. For over 38 years she had faithfully served as a front-line Police officer. Working alongside her was Senior Sergeant Adam Ramsay ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson will return to politics at Waitangi on Monday the 3rd of February where she will hold a stand up with fellow co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick. ...
Te Pāti Māori is appalled by the government's blatant mishandling of the school lunch programme. David Seymour’s ‘cost-saving’ measures have left tamariki across Aotearoa with unidentifiable meals, causing distress and outrage among parents and communities alike. “What’s the difference between providing inedible food, and providing no food at all?” Said ...
The Government is doubling down on outdated and volatile fossil fuels, showing how shortsighted and destructive their policies are for working New Zealanders. ...
Green Party MP Steve Abel this morning joined Coromandel locals in Waihi to condemn new mining plans announced by Shane Jones in the pit of the town’s Australian-owned Gold mine. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to strengthen its just-announced 2030-2035 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement and address its woeful lack of commitment to climate security. ...
Today marks a historic moment for Taranaki iwi with the passing of the Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill in Parliament. "Today, we stand together as descendants of Taranaki, and our tūpuna, Taranaki Maunga, is now formally acknowledged by the law as a living tūpuna. ...
Labour is relieved to see Children’s Minister Karen Chhour has woken up to reality and reversed her government’s terrible decisions to cut funding from frontline service providers – temporarily. ...
It is the first week of David Seymour’s school lunch programme and already social media reports are circulating of revolting meals, late deliveries, and mislabelled packaging. ...
The Green Party says that with no-cause evictions returning from today, the move to allow landlords to end tenancies without reason plunges renters, and particularly families who rent, into insecurity and stress. ...
The Government’s move to increase speed limits substantially on dozens of stretches of rural and often undivided highways will result in more serious harm. ...
In her first announcement as Economic Growth Minister, Nicola Willis chose to loosen restrictions for digital nomads from other countries, rather than focus on everyday Kiwis. ...
The Government’s commitment to get New Zealand’s roads back on track is delivering strong results, with around 98 per cent of potholes on state highways repaired within 24 hours of identification every month since targets were introduced, Transport Minister Chris Bishop says. “Increasing productivity to help rebuild our economy is ...
The former Cadbury factory will be the site of the Inpatient Building for the new Dunedin Hospital and Health Minister Simeon Brown says actions have been taken to get the cost overruns under control. “Today I am giving the people of Dunedin certainty that we will build the new Dunedin ...
From today, Plunket in Whāngarei will be offering childhood immunisations – the first of up to 27 sites nationwide, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. The investment of $1 million into the pilot, announced in October 2024, was made possible due to the Government’s record $16.68 billion investment in health. It ...
New Zealand’s strong commitment to the rights of disabled people has continued with the response to an important United Nations report, Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston has announced. Of the 63 concluding observations of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), 47 will be progressed ...
Firstly I want to thank OceanaGold for hosting our event today. Your operation at Waihi is impressive. I want to acknowledge local MP Scott Simpson, local government dignitaries, community stakeholders and all of you who have gathered here today. It’s a privilege to welcome you to the launch of the ...
Resources Minister Shane Jones has launched New Zealand’s national Minerals Strategy and Critical Minerals List, documents that lay a strategic and enduring path for the mineral sector, with the aim of doubling exports to $3 billion by 2035. Mr Jones released the documents, which present the Coalition Government’s transformative vision ...
Racing Minister, Winston Peters has announced the Government is preparing public consultation on GST policy proposals which would make the New Zealand racing industry more competitive. “The racing industry makes an important economic contribution. New Zealand thoroughbreds are in demand overseas as racehorses and for breeding. The domestic thoroughbred industry ...
Business confidence remains very high and shows the economy is on track to improve, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis says. “The latest ANZ Business Outlook survey, released yesterday, shows business confidence and expected own activity are ‘still both very high’.” The survey reports business confidence fell eight points to +54 ...
Enabling works have begun this week on an expanded radiology unit at Hawke’s Bay Fallen Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital which will double CT scanning capacity in Hawke’s Bay to ensure more locals can benefit from access to timely, quality healthcare, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. This investment of $29.3m in the ...
The Government has today announced New Zealand’s second international climate target under the Paris Agreement, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand will reduce emissions by 51 to 55 per cent compared to 2005 levels, by 2035. “We have worked hard to set a target that is both ambitious ...
Nine years of negotiations between the Crown and iwi of Taranaki have concluded following Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/the Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill passing its third reading in Parliament today, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “This Bill addresses the historical grievances endured by the eight iwi ...
As schools start back for 2025, there will be a relentless focus on teaching the basics brilliantly so all Kiwi kids grow up with the knowledge, skills and competencies needed to grow the New Zealand of the future, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “A world-leading education system is a key ...
Housing Minister Chris Bishop and Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson have welcomed Kāinga Ora’s decision to re-open its tender for carpets to allow wool carpet suppliers to bid. “In 2024 Kāinga Ora issued requests for tender (RFTs) seeking bids from suppliers to carpet their properties,” Mr Bishop says. “As part ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today visited Otahuhu College where the new school lunch programme has served up healthy lunches to students in the first days of the school year. “As schools open in 2025, the programme will deliver nutritious meals to around 242,000 students, every school day. On ...
Minister for Children Karen Chhour has intervened in Oranga Tamariki’s review of social service provider contracts to ensure Barnardos can continue to deliver its 0800 What’s Up hotline. “When I found out about the potential impact to this service, I asked Oranga Tamariki for an explanation. Based on the information ...
A bill to make revenue collection on imported and exported goods fairer and more effective had its first reading in Parliament, Customs Minister Casey Costello said today. “The Customs (Levies and Other Matters) Amendment Bill modernises the way in which Customs can recover the costs of services that are needed ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Department of Internal Affairs [the Department] has achieved significant progress in completing applications for New Zealand citizenship. “December 2024 saw the Department complete 5,661 citizenship applications, the most for any month in 2024. This is a 54 per cent increase compared ...
Reversals to Labour’s blanket speed limit reductions begin tonight and will be in place by 1 July, says Minister of Transport Chris Bishop. “The previous government was obsessed with slowing New Zealanders down by imposing illogical and untargeted speed limit reductions on state highways and local roads. “National campaigned on ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis has announced Budget 2025 – the Growth Budget - will be delivered on Thursday 22 May. “This year’s Budget will drive forward the Government’s plan to grow our economy to improve the incomes of New Zealanders now and in the years ahead. “Budget 2025 will build ...
For the Government, 2025 will bring a relentless focus on unleashing the growth we need to lift incomes, strengthen local businesses and create opportunity. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today laid out the Government’s growth agenda in his Statement to Parliament. “Just over a year ago this Government was elected by ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour welcomes students back to school with a call to raise attendance from last year. “The Government encourages all students to attend school every day because there is a clear connection between being present at school and setting yourself up for a bright future,” says Mr ...
The Government is relaxing visitor visa requirements to allow tourists to work remotely while visiting New Zealand, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis, Immigration Minister Erica Stanford and Tourism Minister Louise Upston say. “The change is part of the Government’s plan to unlock New Zealand’s potential by shifting the country onto ...
The opening of Kāinga Ora’s development of 134 homes in Epuni, Lower Hutt will provide much-needed social housing for Hutt families, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I’ve been a strong advocate for social housing on Kāinga Ora’s Epuni site ever since the old earthquake-prone housing was demolished in 2015. I ...
Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay will travel to Australia today for meetings with Australian Trade Minister, Senator Don Farrell, and the Australia New Zealand Leadership Forum (ANZLF). Mr McClay recently hosted Minister Farrell in Rotorua for the annual Closer Economic Relations (CER) Trade Ministers’ meeting, where ANZLF presented on ...
A new monthly podiatry clinic has been launched today in Wairoa and will bring a much-needed service closer to home for the Wairoa community, Health Minister Simeon Brown says.“Health New Zealand has been successful in securing a podiatrist until the end of June this year to meet the needs of ...
The Judicial Conduct Commissioner has recommended a Judicial Conduct Panel be established to inquire into and report on the alleged conduct of acting District Court Judge Ema Aitken in an incident last November, Attorney-General Judith Collins said today. “I referred the matter of Judge Aitken’s alleged conduct during an incident ...
Students who need extra help with maths are set to benefit from a targeted acceleration programme that will give them more confidence in the classroom, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Last year, significant numbers of students did not meet the foundational literacy and numeracy level required to gain NCEA. To ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has announced three new diplomatic appointments. “Our diplomats play an important role in ensuring New Zealand’s interests are maintained and enhanced across the world,” Mr Peters says. “It is a pleasure to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and ...
Ki te kahore he whakakitenga, ka ngaro te Iwi – without a vision, the people will perish. The Government has achieved its target to reduce the number of households in emergency housing motels by 75 per cent five years early, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. The number of households ...
The opening of Palmerston North’s biggest social housing development will have a significant impact for whānau in need of safe, warm, dry housing, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. The minister visited the development today at North Street where a total of 50 two, three, and four-bedroom homes plus a ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced the new membership of the Public Advisory Committee on Disarmament and Arms Control (PACDAC), who will serve for a three-year term. “The Committee brings together wide-ranging expertise relevant to disarmament. We have made six new appointments to the Committee and reappointed two existing members ...
Ka nui te mihi kia koutou. Kia ora, good morning, talofa, malo e lelei, bula vinaka, da jia hao, namaste, sat sri akal, assalamu alaikum. It’s so great to be here and I’m ready and pumped for 2025. Can I start by acknowledging: Simon Bridges – CEO of the Auckland ...
The Government has unveiled a bold new initiative to position New Zealand as a premier destination for foreign direct investment (FDI) that will create higher paying jobs and grow the economy. “Invest New Zealand will streamline the investment process and provide tailored support to foreign investors, to increase capital investment ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins today announced the largest reset of the New Zealand science system in more than 30 years with reforms which will boost the economy and benefit the sector. “The reforms will maximise the value of the $1.2 billion in government funding that goes into ...
Turbocharging New Zealand’s economic growth is the key to brighter days ahead for all Kiwis, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says. In the Prime Minister’s State of the Nation Speech in Auckland today, Christopher Luxon laid out the path to the prosperity that will affect all aspects of New Zealanders’ lives. ...
The latest set of accounts show the Government has successfully checked the runaway growth of public spending, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. “In the previous government’s final five months in office, public spending was almost 10 per cent higher than for the same period the previous year. “That is completely ...
The Government’s welfare reforms are delivering results with the number of people moving off benefits into work increasing year-on-year for six straight months. “There are positive signs that our welfare reset and the return consequences for job seekers who don't fulfil their obligations to prepare for or find a job ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By A J Brown, Professor of Public Policy & Law, Centre for Governance & Public Policy, Griffith University Australia has turned the corner on its decade-long slide on Transparency International’s annual Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), once again ranking in the top ten least ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nicole Bridges, Senior Lecturer in Public Relations and Director of Academic Program – Communication, Creative Industries, Screen Media, Western Sydney University Stock Rocket/Shutterstock For new parents struggling with challenges such as breastfeeding and sleep deprivation, social media can be a great ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Scott French, Senior Lecturer in Economics, UNSW Sydney US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese have stated an exemption for Australia from Trump’s executive order placing 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminium imported into the US is “under consideration”. ...
Analysis - Christopher Luxon's attempts to turn the tables back on the Opposition at Question Time today went down like a lead balloon, Jo Moir writes. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brenton Griffin, Casual Lecturer and Tutor in History, Indigenous Studies, and Politics, Flinders University American Primeval/Netflix On January 24, leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, more commonly known as the Mormon Church, penned a statement condemning the ...
It comes as Whangārei District Council is under fire from the Director General of Health Dr Diana Sarfati after it voted in December against adding fluoridation to the water. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paul Strangio, Emeritus Professor of Politics, Monash University Is history repeating itself in Labor’s fortress state of Victoria? At the 1990 federal election, Bob Hawke’s Labor government had a near-death experience when it lost nine seats in Victoria. A furious Hawke laid ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lisa Nissen, HERA Program Director – Health Workforce Optimisation Centre for the Business & Economics of Health, The University of Queensland Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock If you’ve tried to get an appointment to see a GP or specialist recently, you will likely have felt ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peta Ashworth, Professor and Director, Curtin Institute for Energy Transition, Curtin University Large power grids are among the most complicated machines humans have ever devised. Different generators produce power at various times and at various costs. A generator might fail and another ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bronwyn Orr, Veterinarian, Southern Cross University Mitchell Orr/Unsplash Late last year, rumours swirled online that HomeSafeID, a private Australian pet microchip registry, had stopped operating. On Feburary 5 2025, a notice appeared on the HomeSafeID website, ostensibly from the site’s ...
The government is taking far too long to allocate the 1500 social homes it announced nine months ago and the hold up is stalling desperately-needed homes, says a community housing provider. ...
The agency is setting a 12-week limit on how much rent debt a tenant can accumulate as part of a change in approach that will also see almost half of the outstanding dept wiped away. ...
The media is rife with headlines about people killing animals for kicks. Please don’t.In memory of an Auckland swan, a Bay of Plenty octopus and a Taranaki striped marlin.Imagine this. It’s 7.15am. You’re paddling around on a serene lake with your sweetheart. It seems likely that she’ll give ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra US President Donald Trump has agreed to “consider” exempting Australia from the 25% tariff he has imposed on imports of steel and aluminium to the US. Trump gave the undertaking during a wide-ranging 40-minute ...
Pacific Media Watch Israeli police have confiscated hundreds of books with Palestinian titles or flags without understanding their contents in a draconian raid on a Palestinian educational bookshop in occupied East Jerusalem, say eyewitnesses. More details have emerged on the Israeli police raid on a popular bookstore in occupied East ...
By Caleb Fotheringham, RNZ Pacific journalist China and the Cook Islands’ relationship “should not be disrupted or restrained by any third party”, says Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun, as opposition leaders in Rarotonga express a loss of confidence in Prime Minister Mark Brown. In response to questions from the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Chris Ogden, Associate Professor in Global Studies, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Donald Trump is moving rapidly to change the contours of contemporary international affairs, with the old US-dominated world order breaking down into a multipolar one with many centres of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ronnie Das, Associate Professor in Data Analytics, The University of Western Australia In the recent Border-Gavaskar series against India, Steve Smith agonisingly missed out reaching 10,000 Test runs in front of his home crowd at the Sydney Cricket Ground, falling short by ...
In a brand new documentary series for The Spinoff, comedians and best friends Brynley Stent and Kura Forrester embark on a cross-country quest to find love. Bryn & Ku’s Singles Club is a brand new documentary series for The Spinoff following award-winning comedians and friends Brynley Stent and ...
🚐 Bryn and Ku pack their bags and swap the bleak dating scene of Tāmaki Makaurau for some meet and mingle events in Ōtautahi that will take them out of their comfort zone. ❣️ Bryn & Ku’s Singles Club follows comedians Brynley Stent and Kura Forrester as they head out ...
"The relationship between China and the Cook Islands does not target any third party," the Chinese Foreign Ministry says, as opposition leaders in Rarotonga plan protest. ...
From tradwives to ‘petite blonde’ preferences, this season feels like a throwback for all the wrong reasons, writes Alex Casey. First of all: I know. Complaining about bad stuff on Married at First Sight Australia is like complaining that water is wet. But I’ve been bobbing around in these waters ...
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a public servant who’s ‘trying to get better’ explains her approach to spending and saving. Want to be part of The Cost of Being? Fill out the questionnaire here.Gender: Female. Age: 24. Ethnicity: Pākehā and ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Zena Assaad, Senior Lecturer, School of Engineering, Australian National University Ziv Lavi/Shutterstock Last week, Google quietly abandoned a long-standing commitment to not use artificial intelligence (AI) technology in weapons or surveillance. In an update to its AI principles, which were first ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brenainn Simpson, PhD Candidate, The University of Queensland Florian Nimsdorf / Shutterstock About 400 kilometres northwest of Sydney, just south of Dubbo, lies a large and interesting body of rock formed around 215 million years ago by erupting volcanoes. Known as ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mareike Riedel, Senior lecturer in law, Macquarie University The dramatic rise in antisemitic incidents has dominated headlines in Australia in recent months, with calls for urgent action to address what many are calling a crisis. The Executive Council of Australian Jewry ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jane McAdam, Scientia Professor and ARC Laureate Fellow, Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law, UNSW Sydney For a long time, it seemed refugee law had little relevance to people fleeing the impacts of climate change and disasters. Nearly 30 years ago, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Maggie Kirkman, Senior Research Fellow, Global and Women’s Health, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University Krakenimages.com/Shutterstock You’ve heard of the gender pay gap. What about the gap in medical care? Cardiovascular diseases – which can lead to heart ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Iain White, Professor of Environmental Planning, University of Waikato Getty Images Urban planning has a long history of promoting visionary ideas that advocate for particular futures. The most recent is the concept of the 15-minute city, which has gained traction globally. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew King, Associate Professor in Climate Science, ARC Centre of Excellence for 21st Century Weather, The University of Melbourne Earth is crossing the threshold of 1.5°C of global warming, according to two major global studies which together suggest the planet’s climate has ...
As support for the coalition dips, the PM and his soon-to-be-deputy have engaged in a public war of words. Stewart Sowman-Lund has the details in today’s edition of The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. Support slips If there was ever a political honeymoon, or ...
Even Granny is getting tired of Key’s jackboots.
Labour would be wise to not support this bill and yet another abuse of urgency by National.
Aye good editorial.
The most appalling thing about the proposal is the retrospectively. Courts are meant to be there so that citizens can argue their rights have been breached and if established for consequences to follow. The Bill of Rights sets the standards that should be imposed.
If every time a citizen successfully shows that his or her rights under the Bill of Rights have been breached Parliament then turns around and changes the law so that no one else can rely on the same rights then we may as well do away with the Courts. Leave it all up to Key and the Police to decide guilt and innocence. Imagine how efficient it would be and how much money would be saved!
Labour want the bill to go to a select committee. They also opposed four particular provisions of the Search and Surveillance Bill. National will obviously try and use this as a dog whistle. But the principles are that appalling that Labour has to oppose this.
We are a passive lot. Our rights to privacy, and freedom from unreasonable search and seizure, have been slowly frittered away by various Governments over the years. while rights to freedom from surveillance without cause have been taken away.
The media have mostly been silent. When they haven’t been actively supporting it, using, mostly, specious excuses about cutting crime.
The skynet bill and the new search and surveillance bill are unacceptable infringements on our rights to freedom from search and seizure.
Already existing laws about survaillance and airport and port security also exceed the rights of search, of ordinary citizens, that authorities should have.
Well spotted Susan and a surprising tone for a Herald Editorial! Wow!
My reading of the events is, Police had to drop the terrorist charges since
no reasonable person would believe social activists were anything more.
as we know, gangs, and terrorists seek lives of privacy, not public
activism. And that’s why the so many of the charges have
been dropped, because the evidence was not lawfully obtained,
since I’m pretty sure you will find in every political gathering
of left or right, some individuals making statements that are
alarming. So how the government can conclude that any of
these individiuals is guilty of anything, or that the case has any
merit because the supreme court have rejected this part of
the evidence, when there is likely to be much more that
will come under scrutiny, and when all the evidence has been
‘discovered’ the court throw does not out the last few cases.
Its just politics. National cannot promise there will be no apology,
or that no compensation will be paid, all they can promise is
no decision will be made before the election. And that’s
why its so disturbing, that National would play politics with
lawful minority political gatherings.
Your reading is wrong. Police needed permission from the Solicitor General to lay charges under the TSA. He denied them because the TS Act wasn’t able to be used in the context, not that there wasn’t something dodgy going on or that a jury would not find the case reasonable.
The SC has rejected the legality of the evidence gathering. They have accepted that that illegality though is outweighed by the seriousness of the charges for four people- so there is evidence that is deemed useful and legal. NZ is not an American TV show where people automatically escape serious charges for breach of procedure.
Is some journalist going to ask Michael Fay if he will end up doing to the Crafar farms what he did to NZ Rail? i.e. systematically pull all cash out of the business and doing no maintenance or upgrades whatsoever on the infrastructure, eventually turning the outfit into a piece of shit.
Michael Fay is not a man to be trusted.
The blood-sucker is back. God help NZanders from him and the likes of him.
Just in time for the next round of privatisations next year, ready to make another killing.
Are you saying that whoever owns the farms can expose them over time to
foreign ownership? Because we’re been see that for some time as Carfer
did just this, by borrowing excessively from overseas. Whose to say Fey
won’t get the investment money from overseas!
So the problem isn’t ownership, its just how easy it is to give money to
kiwis who then invest it poorly (in housing and farm property bubbles).
I don’t know, what we need is some form of tax to bring the free for
all in capital farming to an end.
A free for all that leave kiwis with borrowing from overseas as their
only choice, which of course is not a choice.
Thought I smelled a rat, I did, it was Michael Fay.
So you guys want the Chinese to buy the farms, then?
Yeah, hard choice eh?
Nah. Nationalise them.
These are farms that failed under NZ ownership and management. If they can make them successful and pay 30mill more for them, why not? Should Fay get a sweet deal because of his passport? Maybe he’d be interested in a railway too…
To counter this, if the Chinese are paying $30M more for Crafer, why should NZ Rail pay more for NZ made carriages than Chinese ones?
15% difference is ok in my eyes to keep the Chinese out.
Australian ownership the banks owned and allowed them to be badly managed
Maybe, Because if Sir Michel Fay had been Chinese then he probably would have been hung or imprisoned long ago.
Campbell Live interviewed him last night. (Good interview.) Fay vowed to not sell farm land. As his example the farm that he bought 40 years ago is still owned by him.
But trust this man? Yeah right!
Michael Fay or the Party of Public Assets (the direct Chinese wording for their communist party, I believe).
Some choice. Pity the government cant buy them and create an agrarian version of Cal-Tech or MIT – or what about iwi – they have cash to burn. They might even make them the basis of a Maori owned milk processor to compete with Fonterra.
Why am I on moderation?
You dont seem to apply that to big bruv, who seems to be trolling away (I wonder if he ‘trolls’ on his employers internet. Ahh the irony).
Seems damn unfair to me Millsy…………………………………….
Does the word c0mmunist alert the spam filter?
Moderation is automated. Some words cause you to be put into the moderation queue.
Yeah, the words that have been really good indicators of people indulging in bad behavior in the past. I add them there when I have to warn about behavior or ban based on comments that use those words. It simplifies my life because it catches the trolls that find themselves incapable of change to avoid a simple capture pattern.
Reinstating passenger rail services between Dunedin and Invercargill makes sense for so many reasons.
http://localbodies-bsprout.blogspot.com/2011/09/reinstate-passenger-rail-services-to.html
And between CHCH and Dunedin. They could’ve done a pilot for the RWC to see how it fared and whether it would be worth continuing as a standard service.
Hell – I’d take one between dunedin and its airport!
I have been working quite long hours of late so my brain is a bit buggy, but could someone please explain what the hell this article is meant to convey ???
http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/capital-life/cafe-scene/cafe-reviews/5659169/Don-Brash-ACT-Party-leader-at-Astoria-Wellington
I like this bit:
“I’m not a foodie in the sense that my wife is. My wife is a Singaporean, and Singaporeans tend to be real foodies.”
[much later in the “article”]
“My wife and I are currently separated.”
He says it as if they’re going to get back together or still have some sort of relationship.
“I’m catholic in my tastes.” when discussing fast food is what really had me scratching my head !
He likes take out communion wafers from Jezza Hut? Or a couple of loaves with his fishes and chips?
Small c catholic simply means universal, so in sense of tastes, eclectic! I am surprised that fact is not more well known… 🙂
I remember my Mum explaining that to me when I was very confused after attending her Presbyterian church as a child, that the creed said the Presbyterian church was ‘catholic’…
Hopefully that all the traveling is hell; and he’s gonna retire but no. It’s a fluff piece designed to attempt to make him seem to be almost human.
I Love Chile covers student protests over costs, profits, and the fairness of higher education in unpopular President Sebastian Pinera’s Chile.
Also,The Big Picture: Student protests in Chile.
I’ve just read the article where it says there has been a $750,000 blowout in keys personal bodyguard budget. In response to questions from ONE News about why the Diplomatic Protection Squad is blowing its budget, Key said: “Trawl through the court reports about how many people are trying to kill me”. Is there anybody out there able to do that. I would love to know eaxactly how many. I suspect it is none and I would love to hear his response to that piece of information
Russel Norman launched the Greens’ job creation plans today and demonstrated a clear difference between a National led future and a Green future. The Greens have practical, fully costed and government led initiatives, while National have a “stand back and let the market lead” approach. The Greens would like to retain national ownership and control over our resources and technological developments, while National is pursuing an open access approach to exploiting our resources. While the Greens will plant trees, National will mine lignite. The Greens plan for a low carbon future and National see coal and oil as the way to go.
http://localbodies-bsprout.blogspot.com/2011/09/creating-100000-jobs-for-new-zealanders.html
and yet again the Stuff censor is hard at work. I know several people who submitted comments between 10 am and 11 am yet those comments are nowhere to be seen.
Not as bad as what doesnt get censored here, or what one poster at the hand mirror (great blog by the way) does.
I guess that even after all of this time you still don’t understand what the moderators are trying to achieve here.
Generally we don’t care much about language, political opinions, and most opinions. It isn’t the purpose of this site to provide a nice safe environment. It is a place to argue robustly and you’d better be prepared to argue your corner robustly if you want to have an opinion here.
We do care about behavior onsite, and specifically about behaviors that bore the crap out of people and divert discussions into meaningless babble or flame wars. This is because we find that this is what keeps people away from online forums like this.
If you want someone to protect you the evil languages and ideas of that nasty world outside, then this isn’t the right place. In fact I suspect that crawling back into the womb would be the best option…
Stuff of course have a significantly different imperative – not getting sued. Unlike us they have a site that is a lot harder to move outside of legal jurisdictional bounds if required and they have enough money that it becomes worth while suing them.
I see a regular contributor to this site has yet again been published in the “Granny” 😉
An interesting Q&A from Erin Leigh on Farrar’s Kiwiblog.
Very revealing as to the helpless position a public servant can find themselves in when a Minister of the Crown chooses to slander them under the protection of Parliamentary Priviledge, and they are left defensless and exposed by those who should at least give them basic employment, emotional and what most would see as a safe workplace environment, support.
The character-assassination of Erin Leigh by the Labour Party is one of the things that decided me against voting for Labour at the last election.
here is a [really long] link for ongoing reports from Occupy Wall St including a live stream when it is up.
As well as the MSM silence, the Police stopping resupply of food and water, the ongoing Net service difficulties and the selective cellular disruption that is ongoing, Yahoo has been discovered to be censoring its news contributors. SO nothing to see hear then.
http://wearechangetv.us/wp-content/plugins/wordpress-toolbar/toolbar.php?wptbto=http%3A%2F%2Fanonymous-worldwide.blogspot.com%2F&wptbhash=aHR0cDovL3dlYXJlY2hhbmdldHYudXMvMjAxMS8wOS9pbnRlcm5ldC1zaHV0LW9mZi1hdC13YWxsLXN0cmVldC1wcm90ZXN0Lzx3cHRiPkludGVybmV0IHNodXQgb2ZmIGF0IFdhbGwgU3RyZWV0IHByb3Rlc3QsIHBhcnQgb2YgdGhlIGFnZW5kYT88d3B0Yj5odHRwOi8vd2VhcmVjaGFuZ2V0di51czx3cHRiPldlQXJlQ2hhbmdlVFYuVVM%3D
MSM silence?????, this was reported by all the major networks in the states, despite only 150 people showing up.
‘But as one wit put it, recalling 1951: “A National Government taking control of the waterfront in election year. Worked for them in the past.” ‘
We need a mock up photo of John Key and Sid Holland lookalike.
It seems the voters of the day were happy to blame workers for wanting a decent wage in 1951. It looks like the same will happen this time.
I have seen a recent photo of John Key looking up into the mist and I have seen more than enough photos of Sid Holland when he closed down the media so that voices could not be equally heard, to recognise the similarities both in looks and in actions.
Be vigilant after the rugby world cup; you think it is bad now for the left leaning voices to be heard; you aint seen nothin’ yet..
What else, ummm, advertisements. They’ll be a doozy.
We have the blue movember and the promisekeepers in town soon to tell us how wicked women are that men must lead them into the kitchen and out of equality. Have we had the blue prostate checkups yet?
Not a skerrick will be paid by National for what is obviously a campaign ‘vote for Key’ advertisement.
Look carefully at the ads in the next month or so. If you think there is a conflict of interest there and that Key’s party should have to pay for ‘obvious favouritism at no cost’ just like Peter Leitch recently, then complain to the Broadcasting Authority.
This year is pivotal if we are to retain our autonomy as a country. This is no time for greed and selfishness.
“Look carefully at the ads in the next month or so. If you think there is a conflict of interest there and that Key’s party should have to pay for ‘obvious favouritism at no cost’ just like Peter Leitch recently, then complain to the Broadcasting Authority.”
What a bitter little person you are Millsy.
higherstandard,
It’s Jum here. Get your names right. I’m certainly not bitter when it comes to the disgrace that is National these days. They have no credibility and their supporters surely must be ashamed to show their faces. Bitterness no; on the button yes.
Read The Hollow Men. Steps 1 – 10 about how to manipulate the New Zealand voter; you’ll be pleased to know they’re falling for it because they are still trusting. I have no idea why. I really thought Roger Douglas, aligned with the master mask, JKeyll, would make people do their homework on the past lies of NActU, but no.
The only reason you’re attacking is because you know I’m correct. You pondscum have no sense of ethical behaviour, no principles; only greed.
Your party behaviour disgusts me.
Dear oh dear Jum
You’re are a bitter wee thing and you’ll give yourself an ulcer. For the record the nat’s are not my party – I’m not a tribal thing like yourself which allows me a bit more perspective to see that there is fuck all difference between labour and national
Thank you higherstandard for these little bits that help me place you.
No, I’m not bitter, really. This is interesting to me – the fact that New Zealanders fall all over themselves for the John Key roadshow, yet ask no questions of him. These are parents with children and grandchildren that will enter the job market as ‘flexible’ labour. Flexible i.e. casualized labour is the way to get an ulcer – no mortgage security when the job might end at any time.
So I’m probably disappointed in New Zealanders, in general, especially those that insist on telling us that Labour and National are the same, when the Labour policies and the National no-policies, except sell everything and give it to the rich which the Act Roger Douglas and the Nat Ruth Richardson and now the NAct Bill English always do.
The difference between the two parties is that Labour/Greens actually think about the future. All the NActs think about is how to increase their personal money supply from exploiting cheap labour. If you can’t see the difference higherstandard, then you need to change your name.
Maybe you’re an Act acolyte? Trying to play the ‘same as’ game and damage Labour’s different and futuristic policies would certainly point you in that direction. If that is the case, and looking at the current Act lineup, I would have to say that you have no standards at all.
Key and Co will offer greed and selfishness; we must look beyond that greed and selfishness and analyse the losses to us as a country and as a people.
The RWNJ’s Freakout!
The Greens launched their fantastic Green Jobs policy today. It’s a well thought out and progressive plan to move New Zealand forward into a clean and productive future…
John Key should stick to keeping jobs going for currency traders.
Jim Nald,
And if all turns to custard for National, Key will make another speculative run on the NZ dollar, just like he did before – no loyalty, no conscience.
Winston has put himself into the Christchurch mix.
And he used the ‘c word’ – twice.
A juxtaposition of positions – Same newspaper, same day, same topic – health sector pay
The first is from an at times quite moving article about Philip Gould , one of the architects of New Labour, who has terminal cancer:
The second on pay restraint in the NHS, and what looks to be imminent industrial action:
And there, in a nutshell, is the problem with consumerist, corporatist track we’re on IMO… I’m unable to see any possibility of valuing the essentials of life and society within the current economic and political system.
My son is a staff nurse at Welly Hospital, and a good 50% of his colleagues, nurses and residents are British – they’re refugees from the NHS! He wanted to go work in Britain in 2011 or 2012, but luckily, they have dissuaded him from making what would have been a big mistake.