The official term for piracy is now “taking control”
Israeli Navy boards Gaza-bound ship ‘Estelle’
by YAAKOV LAPPIN, The Jerusalem Post 10/20/2012 18:16
Navy seizes Swedish ship carrying 30 pro-Palestinian activists after it refused to change course, tows it to Ashdod. PHOTO: COURTESY IDF
The Navy took control of a Swedish ship carrying pro-Palestinian activists towards Gaza on Saturday, and towed the vessel to Ashdod instead.
The activists refused all Israeli requests to divert their course, and had declared that their intention was to violate Israel’s naval blockade on the Gaza Strip. ….
Ah, yes. But of course, there are always two sides (at least) to a story. I aw the Al Jazeera version on my TV this morning, as in the video here, aor with the print report here.
“The Estelle is now under attack – I have just had a message from them by phone,” Victoria Strand, a Stockholm-based spokeswoman for the Ship to Gaza Sweden campaign told the AFP news agency on Saturday.
According to Dror Feiler, another spokesperson, the SV Estelle, whose passengers included five parliamentarians from Europe and a former Canadian politician, was boarded at around 08:15 GMT.
“Five or six military vessels surrounded the Estelle. Soldiers wearing masks are now trying to board the ship. The attack took place on international water: N31 26 E33 45,” Feiler said. The Israeli military confirmed that the ship was boarded.
Thanks for that, karol. I posted a brief and polite response on the Jerusalem Post comments section. I wrote: “‘Taking control’—the new term for piracy.”
Instead of being immediately published, as no doubt all the racist and bloody-minded anti-Palestinian posts were, my comments were “put into moderation”.
No wonder their comment section is so overwhelmingly pro-government. And no wonder the Jerusalem Post is dismissed by thinking people as Israel’s Pravda.
Israel, politically, has long enjoyed the full backing of the United States. (I have no argument with the Israeli people as a whole). To his credit, Obama has been distancing the brutally minded Netanyahu in more recent times, especially on that man’s pressing desire to attack Iran. (It is Israel that possesses the nuclear weapons, not Iran). Now we should really worry with Romney looking a possibility for President. The Israeli government will welcome him with glee. With Romney the world would become, generally, in greater danger (not to mention the rich becoming richer and yet more powerful). This would be likely worse than the rule of George Bush. Yes, yet again, we have to bewail the short memories of human kind!
Thanks for this Morrissey, It must be terribly disappointing and possibly very frightening for the those aboard the Estelle, but when it comes to enforcing the siege on Gaza Israel is no longer all powerful.
While the sea going route to the territory of Gaza is still blocked by Israel and it’s allies.
Less widely reported in the Western media is their weakness in enforcing the siege on land. What has not been reported in the Western median media is that the internationall convoy movement has had much more success breaking the siege of Gaza by the overland route through Egypt and across the Sinai Desert.
Before the fall of Mubarak International aid convoys of trucks filled with medical and other aid were stopped by the Egyptian police and army at the border and turned back. If they refused to turn back they were beaten and arrested by by Mubarak’s riot police who enforced the siege on the territory at the border between Egypt and Gaza in agreement with and on behalf of Israel.
Despite this they persisted.
In one dramatic encounter in 2009 after being attacked by Egyptian riot police the international convoyers fought back and captured numbers of police and even one senior officer who they agreed to release if the police released all the arrested convoy members.
Unable to be moved on by the Egyptian authorities the convoyers through sheer persistence and determination and with the support of the Egyptian people forced the Mubarak regime to back down and let the International Aid convoy enter Gaza.
After this defeat for the Mubarak authorities Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit tried to play down this defeat in the Arab media describing the international aid convoys as “farcical” and said Egyptian authorities would no longer allow such solidarity convoys.[16]
Leading up to, and since the Arab Spring, despite continuing resistance from Egyptian authorities particularly within the army and the police who still hold loyalties to the old regime, several more land convoys have been able to break through the siege and successfully enter Gaza through the northen Egyptian border.
In defying the internationally illegal siege, New Zealand’s own Kia Ora Gaza headed by team captain Roger Fowler have since participated in two successful international overland convoys, one in 2011 in open defiance of Mubarak’s ban and one since his overthrow.
As in the overthrow of the apartheid regime in South Africa, through their courageous and defiant actions New Zealanders can also claim some small part in the overthrow of the oppressive Mubarak regime.
Though the land seige hasn’t been broken, the international convoy movement’s efforts have seriously weakened the enforcement of the siege at the Egyptian border allowing more and more people and goods to get through into Gaza across the Sinai.
Internationally renowned scholar Noam Chomsky is the latest person to defy the siege and enter Gaza through northern Egypt. In 2010 Chomsky was prevented from entering Gaza through the Israeli controlled border. Chomsky is due to defiantly deliver an address today at Gaza university his topic will be the significance of the Arab Spring.
No doubt like every other successful breach of the illegal Israeli siege of Gaza a media cone of silence will descend.
However a full report will be carried on the Kia Ora Gaza website when it comes to hand.
Thanks for this Morrissey, It must be terribly disappointing and possibly very frightening for the those aboard the Estelle, but when it comes to enforcing the siege on Gaza Israel is no longer all powerful.
While the sea going route to the territory of Gaza is still blocked by Israel and it’s allies.
Less widely reported in the Western media is their weakness in enforcing the siege on land. What has not been reported in the Western median media is that the internationall convoy movement has had much more success breaking the siege of Gaza by the overland route through Egypt and across the Sinai Desert.
Before the fall of Mubarak International aid convoys of trucks filled with medical and other aid were stopped by the Egyptian police and army at the border and turned back. If they refused to turn back they were beaten and arrested by by Mubarak’s riot police who enforced the siege on the territory at the border between Egypt and Gaza in agreement with and on behalf of Israel.
Despite this they persisted.
In one dramatic encounter in 2009 after being attacked by Egyptian riot police the international convoyers fought back and captured numbers of police and even one senior officer who they agreed to release if the police released all the arrested convoy members.
Unable to be moved on by the Egyptian authorities the convoyers through sheer persistence and determination and with the support of the Egyptian people forced the Mubarak regime to back down and let the International Aid convoy enter Gaza.
After this defeat for the Mubarak authorities Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit tried to play down this defeat in the Arab media describing the international aid convoys as “farcical” and said Egyptian authorities would no longer allow such solidarity convoys.[16]
Leading up to, and since the Arab Spring, despite continuing resistance from Egyptian authorities particularly within the army and the police who still hold loyalties to the old regime, several more land convoys have been able to break through the siege and successfully enter Gaza through the northen Egyptian border.
In defying the internationally illegal siege, New Zealand’s own Kia Ora Gaza headed by team captain Roger Fowler have since participated in two successful international overland convoys, one in 2011 in open defiance of Mubarak’s ban and one since his overthrow.
As in the overthrow of the apartheid regime in South Africa, through their courageous and defiant actions New Zealanders can also claim some small part in the overthrow of the oppressive Mubarak regime.
Though the land seige hasn’t been broken, the international convoy movement’s efforts have seriously weakened the enforcement of the siege at the Egyptian border allowing more and more people and goods to get through into Gaza across the Sinai.
Internationally renowned scholar Noam Chomsky is the latest person to defy the siege and enter Gaza through northern Egypt. In 2010 Chomsky was prevented from entering Gaza through the Israeli controlled border. Chomsky is due to defiantly deliver an address today at Gaza university his topic will be the significance of the Arab Spring.
No doubt like every other successful breach of the illegal Israeli siege of Gaza a media cone of silence will descend.
However a full report will be carried on the Kia Ora Gaza website when it comes to hand.
Well, well, well – will the opposition be able to level the “nanny-state” at this administration at last. There are clubs up and down the country that have as one of their door raffle prizes “An annual membership” which will be worth a lot more than this $500 limit.
Key is going to get an avalanche of correspondence on this one and watch him try to get it dropped immediately … his mates in golf clubs will be livid.
Now thats a shame as it just puts the kibosh an a great week end. Yes there’s some big prizes but everyone has the same chance. Unlike Pokies where the machine has the best chance, and will break up families. Yep thats the Anti Nanny state at work, break up the family, get more Pokies out there. Don’t allow the fishing comps to continue, they are against the Anti Nanny State.
I found myself totally in agreement with him. Rachel has a low key but direct approach to interviewing that IMHO produces much more information than otherwise.
I am just watching her discuss with a panel including Kennedy Graham and Federated Farmers William Rawlston discussing carbon credits. She effectively showed how shallow Fed Farmer’s rationale for opposing Farming being part of our system. Their rationale is if we make it more expensive for farmers production will flood overseas to countries with less carbon efficient farming techniques. There is no analysis of how much more expensive, or the relative cost of production in different countries compared to her, just a bald statement that if they have to pay a modest ETS price all farms will shut down.
Kennedy Graham had the perfect response. He said shocks have happened in the past and how some countries, notably the Social Democratic countries, are reducing emissions. In NZ they are growing. He talked about the need for behavioral modification change.
He also talked about how countries could be world leaders, fast followers, apathetic spectator or willful obstructionists. He thought NZ was somewhere in the middle. I believe he meant that NZ is between apathetic spectators and willful obstructionists.
Micky and what would you suggest we do about our 0.2% contribution, which won’t put further pressure on our major export industry, followed by higher consumer prices, which will hit those who are already struggling most?
Climate change isn’t the issue. NZ will do very well out of climate change, thank you very much. Liquid fossil fuel depletion is.
Its when diesel goes up to $4/L – $5/L which is the problem. Without massive socio-economic restructuring NOW, our transportation, farming and industrial systems grind to a halt and unstoppable pressure comes on to convert coal to diesel and go deep sea drilling.
No, tallow isn’t viable simply because raising that many cows isn’t viable. Electricity, on the other hand, is – except for the exporting, for that we’ll be using sail.
Um Muzza you are making the exact mistake Federated Farmers made.
The rationale you present is that if farmers have to pay for greenhouse gas emissions they will immediately become unprofitable and will have to flood overseas and defoliate large parts of the Amazon so they can set up farms under a more benign administration.
Whereas it seems to me that farming in NZ is extremely profitable and all that we will be doing is reducing private profit slightly.
And yes we only contribute .2% of the world’s GHGs. But we comprise only .06% of the world’s population.
Of course we should do our bit. If we do not then why should anyone in the world do “their bit”?
Of course we should do our bit. If we do not then why should anyone in the world do “their bit”?
Except they’re not going to do that are they, and if NZ does or does not is hardly an influence!
And the mistakes being made are by people swallowing copius loads of BS on all sides!
@ CV – Yeah about that liquid fossel fuel depletion – Making sure NZ loses access to its own oil/gas reserves, certainly assists in ensuring that NZ continues to be at the mercy of those who control those resources globally!
We need to restructure the dependancies, but thats not on the cards currently is it!
So you think that we should do nothing to save our planet from environmental ruin because we are only doing a bit of damage (albeit at the rate of three times as much as the rest of the people on the planet) and besides some others are not doing their share either?
So you think that we should do nothing to save our planet from environmental ruin because we are only doing a bit of damage (albeit at the rate of three times as much as the rest of the people on the planet) and besides some others are not doing their share either?
Many times I have repeated a stance on the pollution/destruction which is wrecking this planet, so ill say it again.
Absolutely it needs to stop, only it won’t, not under current systems/conditions that control all aspects of our lives, it should become very clear by now that TPTB are not especially interested, for the time being!
Especially as all those other farmers in the social democratic countries overseas are doing their bit, it’s a disgrace that our farmers are being let off.
Of course, focussing just on farmers is bullshit. As it is, only two more generations of farmers (max) will have access to large quantities of fert and the diesel needed to spread it with. One way or another, NZ farming is going back to its low intensity roots.
What I want to see is for more city dwellers to give up their personal transport. And to quit buying stuff which has to be made and shipped from 10,000 km away.
For all of these things to happen without major unpleasant disruption we need to seriously restructure our entire economy and economic infrastructure NOW.
Change our export industry to one that’s less damaging. Of course, we have to do that anyway as we have to cut down the number of farms so that we can clean up our rivers and lakes and bring NZ back to having a pristine environment.
You can stream parts of The Nation here
They usually have most of the show up in segments on saturday or sunday – Hone was on this week talking asset shares.
Bernard Hickey is onto the UK Starbucks’ tax evasion story today, and asks if we should be getting onto such evasions in NZ.
Google, for example, made losses for tax purposes in New Zealand in the last two years, despite advertising industry estimates that last year it made revenues from NZ of more than $100 million. Last year it paid just $109,000 in tax in NZ.
Perhaps it’s time NZ consumers and taxpayers targeted companies such as Google and Facebook that don’t pay their fair share of tax globally.
Meanwhile, speaking of Facebook and business, Dotcom shows he’s not really aligned with the left, but with making money out of social networking.
Hopefully no one mistook Dotcom to be “aligned with the Left”. We just need him to help hold crony politicians to account, whether they are Left, Centre or Right.
A really good colunn from Matt McCarten today about the destruction of our local communities by shopping corporations like the Warehouse. It reminded me how much has changed in the 20-odd years I’ve lived where I do. I particularly miss the little gardening shop in my local shopping centre. A mine of local and more general gardening information, and quite a social spot. It shut down about ten years ago, and since that time, other than the chain-shops, cheap import outlets, and the op-shops, very few retailers have survived. There are always a few empty shops at any given time. Businesses regularly start up, but sadly you know it’s probably not going to be long until the closing down sale, and it seldom is.
Recently, I started making more effort to buy from old-fashioned grocery, butchery, and fruit and vege shops rather than the ubiquitous supermarket. I have to admit the first thing I noticed was how much dearer pretty much everything was, and I wondered if I could afford to shop according to my conscience. Not without cutting back, anyway.
The problem is this very viscious circle in which, due to a variety of community-destructive practices, supermarkets, the Warehouse etc. are significantly cheaper, and out-compete and drive out community enterprises. At the same time wages are down and unemployment is up, many people are struggling, and those cheaper prices are an essential part of making ends meet. And the big chains employ fewer people the the old community shopping centres did, at reduced wages, in worse conditions………….. and so it continues.
In the closest main center to me, you simply cannot buy any hardware materials within any reasonable walking distance of the city center. And there was, until very recently, only one greengrocer’s…located in a suburb about an hour’s walk away. Things moved forward with the establishment of a single non-supermarket outlet for vegetables within walking of the city center.
And to think that in the township I live there used to a butcher, a baker, a post office, a general store…all gone bar the dairy. Thankfully, at least the dairy owner is committed to serving the locals and sourcing stock accordingly – as opposed to stocking the vastly overpriced tatt from the usual dairy store suppliers.
Lower priced peripheral land being exploitable due to a car culture won’t last forever!
As American suburb dwellers are being forced to discover. With no footpaths in many suburbs, no where to go even if there were, $5/gallon gasoline is going to be a real shock for them. (Even though I think we basically pay that in NZ now, the US has been sheltered from the true price of fossil fuels due to theirs being the oil reserve currency of the world).
Only observational : But it is here !!!
Ater the property bubble of the 2003-7 we experienced perhaps even a 10% rebalancing. Over the last 6 months + there has been a marked increase in properties (excluding mono plastered properties) Just review local Auckland property presses and the lack of properties with stated selling prices – Tender & Auctions dominate the means of addressing pricing. Banks have returned to past practices plenty of cheap money flowing into NZ reflecting in extremely low rates of NZ just above 5%. http://www.interest.co.nz/borrowing http://www.3news.co.nz/Housing-bust-could-be-looming/tabid/421/articleID/260837/Default.aspx
I have seen properties selling 20% above expectations Valuations/vendor and estate agents. I know Key struggles to remember what he voted on 2 months ago http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10841405
Yet here we are 5 years on and forgetting what happened last time. We worry about selling a few $ of SOE assets yet here we are indirectly selling so much more of NZ offshore, only here it is disguised in bank loans. Should the market collapse NZ equity is lost as the banks have 1st claims on any sales obtained and then able to repay their backers. And if times get really tough “To Big to Fail” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Too_big_to_fail
Labour’s Shane Jones and the Greens Gareth Hughes are on Q&A discussing New Zealand’s approach to declaring parts of the Ross Sea off limits for commercial fishing.
Murray McCully was invited to attend but said that he was too busy. His Government is in the unusual position where its proposal is less protective than the United States position.
The Government should not be too concerned, Jones is doing a good line of trotting out their lines and defending their position. Apparently the science is settled and reducing the number of tooth fish by about half is somehow “sustainable fishing”.
As Mike Smith said recently Jones needs to work out if he is a Labour Party MP or a sea lord MP.
October 21st 2015 is the day, the greatest
day in the History of Earth, no day on
earth will be happier for all the earth’s humans.
You see October 21 2015 is the day that (according
to the movie back to the future 2) we finally get
HOVERBOARDS!!!
Sure, here on October 21 2012, some physics
professors,such as Michio Kaku might say, “We
aren’t that advanced yet and we won’t have
Hoverboards by 2015”
Well I say “Not with that attitude”
I believe in Marty, Doc and Jennifer, I believe
the date October 21 2015 was picked for a
reason, I believe that on every corner of the
planet, we will have Hoverboards, some
might even have pitbulls, and the future
will be here.
We won’t have flying cars, or clothes that
dry themselves, or any other gadget like
that, but we will have HOVERBOARDS!
So to the world’s scientist’s, to the Geeks,
to the engineers, to the brainiest people
on earth, stop worrying about creating
what you have been creating, it is now, October
21 2012, you have three more years, three
more years, till you give the people of earth,
the greatest invention in HISTORY.
Kabbalah seems to be more exclusive than that, and tied to the Khazars who are possibily impersonating being “Jewish”.
Whatever it is thats going on, it gets played out in hollywood, on, and off the screens on a regular basis. The history of abuse, murder, and the overt in your face numerology, and paganistic symbolism in movies/tv, not to mention the satanic overtones which have become so blatant in the pop music industry of late!
Im still hopeful, maybe not like the movie, but maybe in 40 years time, some multi billion dollar theme park will create that controlled indoor environment.
Section 156A replaced (Minister may merge schools)
Replace section 156A with:
“156AMinister may merge schools
“(1)Subject to sections 156B and 157, the Minister may, by notice in the Gazette, merge 1 or more State schools (merging schools) that are not integrated schools with another State school (the continuing school) that is not an integrated school, if the Minister is satisfied that—
“(a)each board of a school concerned has made reasonable efforts to consult the parents of students (other than adult students) enrolled full-time at the school about the proposed merger; and
“(b)the consultation that has taken place has been adequate in all the circumstances; and
“(c)the creation of a single school by the proposed merger is appropriate in the circumstances.
supports the uptake of early childhood education by allowing a national student number to be allocated to children who are identified as being likely to benefit from attending an early childhood service, but who are unlikely to attend such a service;
The next time Monsieur Matthew Hooton gets on radio, he should be asked how deep Natz MPs will be reaching into their wallets and handbags to fund the next election.
“… the National Party has started to realise that potential donors and its traditional donors are not committing to its donor fund for its fighting fund … as it builds up towards the 2014 election.
“National party MPs have been requested by the party apparatus to contribute $30,000 over the next year – to contribute to the fighting fund for 2014. (Labour at its worst was – its MPs were asked to contribute around $5000.)
“These people [ie Natz] are running scared and that information is from the inside.”
But to continue with it as Banks and certain others did, a decade later, when Ellis and his legal team (with overwhelming public support), were pushing to have his named cleared, well frankly that defies political commonsense. Its a behaviour that just doesn’t add up; unless of course one factors in the possibility that there had been other powerful stakeholders with interests and agenda’s of their own in judicial mix….which, readers, is not that uncommon in New Zealand; a remarkably small group of people have held far to much power for far to long, and they’ve all been intent on selfishly protecting their thrones.
In cases of wrongful conviction in New Zealand there are always dangerous undercurrents hidden from sight. People and events that are concealed and protected from the public’s steely glare. We believe that in the Peter Ellis miscarriage of justice case, perhaps more than any of its contemporaries, this “protection racket” may be behind Mr Ellis’s inability to obtain justice. Post trial and Ellis’s release from prison (starting with the ‘Eichelbaum Report‘) the events, the officials attitudes, the politicking and the governments actions have never quite stacked up (at least in the minds of the intelligent Kiwi’s we’ve spoken with); the question is why?
And still these same people are wrecking lives, and still the apathy of Kiwis allows it to continue. Yet more excellent work from the LF Team, on “No Corruption NZ”
UHT milk tastes foul, I don’t blame the kids for not drinking it. Fonterra should maybe have done a bit of market research to see whether what they are offering is going to be palatable to those receiving the milk.
C73 you continue to prove new research showing right wingers have simplistic answers for complex problems while claiming at the same time to be better educated and more intelligent than the the rest of us.
Selfishness is all your up to nothing more!
Then stop complaining about what they eat (or lack of) if they were in such a bad way as Labour likes to crow about then drinking some UHT milk wouldn’t be such a hardship
You might have a point if none of the kids drank the milk.
As it is, it would seem at least some are hungry enough to drink milk that they don’t like.
Weak tory effort to pretend that if some are not in hardship, none are in hardship springs to mind. By your logic if someone quits a job, nobody is unemployed and really looking for a job.
Boo hoo if the milk they don’t pay for isn’t what they like. Its free, its good for them so maybe they should be a little more greatful
This is one of the problems of the left, a company gives out free milk (yes its good publicity but its still free milk) but some kids don’t like the taste because its not what they’re used to (now if it tasted like an energy drink…) so its blame the company
To paraphrase Bob Jones: If $50 dollar notes fell from the sky you lefties would complain it wasn’t $100 dollar notes
Hey chris73, I thought you liked the idea that the ‘customer was always right’ and that it was important to take feedback into account to ‘continuously improve the service that one provides’.
Good private sector values, you know. Try using them sometime.
Well, from my perspective is that an ill-suited corporate marketing ploy is being operated in place of any government efforts in the area. And that tories like you are arguing that a high dropout rate in this imperfect pilot scheme is evidence that there is no problem that the government should be addressing.
Of course, if you weren’t such a blinkered arsehole you’d know that the success of any scheme involves providing the good or service in a manner that is appropriate to the audience, not just in the manner that’s convenient for the supplier.
Don’t worry Chris73, some children are so hungry they really appreciate this horrible tasting milk, so please don’t scorn this initiative and perhaps stop it.If you had read further down the article you would have found this information and not needed to post such a sarcastic comment.
Several schools, although having seen numbers level off, consider the programme a massive success.
At Manaia View School at least 90 per cent of the children have milk every day.
“I’ve got lots of kids who ask for more as a reward,” said Ian Bird, the teacher in charge of milk.
At Kaitaia Primary School milk was reaching those most in need.
“We are decile 1C for a good reason.
“We have a number of families who struggle financially, and with the cost of fresh food and milk they just can’t afford it,” principal Brendon Morrissey said.
Chris73, please notice the sentence “We are decile 1C for a good reason.”
I knew a simple minded, cynical, wanna- play- Nact -mindset would pick this badly written, misleading, dogwhistle article up and try to present it’s headline and first part as ‘evidence’ that children are not hungry. Shame on you. Try and aim for higher morals Chris and a more becoming point of view. Perhaps the journalist who wrote this could think a little more too, rather than ‘muddy the waters and end up writing what I have heard are “coloured” articles. In this case, it was coloured navy blue and faded yellow.
I’m picking the whole thing is ‘a have’ that will not incidentally benefit Fontera on the publicity front. Y’know, roll out a system that is deliberately set up to fall over so that in the future, when somebody raises the issue of milk in schools, the finger can be pointed at the ungrateful ingrates who refused to drink the milk those nice guys at Fontera provided ‘last time we tried that’.
Meantime, why not Fontera’s best approximaton of real milk alongside the necessary refrigeration (which would cost sweet f.a. in the scheme of things) and whatever flavourings that might have been necessary in order that the kids considered it palatable or potable?
“I am beginning to wonder if kids are so used to sugar that they don’t want to drink milk anymore,” said principal Barbara Bronlund.
Or it could be just that milk is just really horrible to drink.
… putting recycling programmes in place for the packaging, which has also unexpectedly proved a problem.
No, it didn’t “unexpectedly proved a problem” it’s that the numbskulls putting the scheme in place didn’t think about the natural results of supplying more rubbish to the schools. Now, if we still had milk in glass bottles the recycling wouldn’t be such a problem.
When Josh Fattal and I finally came before the Revolutionary Court in Iran, we had a lawyer present, but weren’t allowed to speak to him. In California, an inmate facing the worst punishment our penal system has to offer short of death can’t even have a lawyer in the room. He can’t gather or present evidence in his defense. He can’t call witnesses. Much of the evidence—anything provided by informants—is confidential and thus impossible to refute.
2 good items in todays Sunday Star Times.
one says that kweewees diamond has lost its shine and the other is a large leader on the govt CEO pay.
it says that the justifications for the sums being payed to these presumed titans and would be captains of industry are just piffle.
what more can one say.
its our money and National is just handing it out to their mates for no good reason.
time to reign them in.
bring it up at the next Labour Party meeting you attend and dont let go.
Interesting that 3 News included this story in it’s 6pm bulletin tonight. And Dunne at the end acting all surprised..?!
New research reveals tax dodgers are ripping off the country at up to 150 times the rate of welfare fraudsters, but are being jailed much less often.
So why are our courts showing more tolerance to tax evaders? One is not giving what you should; the other is taking what you shouldn’t.
They also had a report on the anti-austerity demo in London this weekend. But why use a report from US TV and not one from the UK? Or even Al Jazeera?
Nurses, cleaners, librarians and ambulance drivers were among those who joined the march and a rally in London’s central Hyde Park, in one of the biggest anti-austerity protests this year. Organisers estimated that 150,000 people took part.
Marches also took place in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and Glasgow, Scotland. Police said the London march had passed peacefully and they expected to report a low number of arrests in a bulletin later.
Trade union leaders are trying to use the rally to pile more pressure on Cameron, telling protesters the government’s economic plan has failed and only prolonged Britain’s recession.
Its cause TV3 aim towards younger viewership. Older people lean towards the UK, younger people towards the USA.
In the end there is little difference. UK & USA are both imperialistic forces which shape our current form of liberal democratic capitalism. Ignoring that Fox News comedy channel, BBC and USA news are not that much different.
Al Jazeera and RT are worth a watch.
“Hey chris73, I thought you liked the idea that the ‘customer was always right’ and that it was important to take feedback into account to ‘continuously improve the service that one provides’.
Good private sector values, you know. Try using them sometime.”
I don’t think the customer is always right (I’ve spent a few years in customer service) I think the customer is generally a greedy, grasping moron.
But that aside a customer is defined as:
A customer (also known as a client, buyer, or purchaser) is the recipient of a good, service, product, or idea, obtained from a seller, vendor, or supplier for a monetary or other valuable consideration.
So unless the kids or schools are paying (I don’t think the free publicity counts) for the milk they ain’t customers.
If Fonterra was using “Good private sector values” they’d be charging the schools but they’re not
“If Fonterra was using “Good private sector values” they’d be charging the schools but they’re not”
Just shows your simple mind. See, what they did was identify a need that the government refuses to acknowledge. They use the “oh look, we’re being nice to the kiddies” to make its consumers feel better about being reamed by a near-monopoly.
Such a shame their programme is a bit off the mark. What’s the humanitarian equivalent of “greenwashing”, I wonder?
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Introduction Automobiles have become ubiquitous in modern society, serving as a primary mode of transportation and a symbol of economic growth and personal mobility. With countless vehicles traversing roads and highways worldwide, it begs the question: how many cars are there in the world? Determining the precise number is a ...
Maintaining a safe and reliable vehicle requires regular inspections. Whether it’s a routine maintenance checkup or a safety inspection, knowing how long the process will take can help you plan your day accordingly. This article delves into the factors that influence the duration of a car inspection and provides an ...
Mazda Motor Corporation, commonly known as Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automaker headquartered in Fuchu, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The company was founded in 1920 as the Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd., and began producing vehicles in 1931. Mazda is primarily known for its production of passenger cars, but ...
Your car battery is an essential component that provides power to start your engine, operate your electrical systems, and store energy. Over time, batteries can weaken and lose their ability to hold a charge, which can lead to starting problems, power failures, and other issues. Replacing your battery before it ...
In most states, you cannot register a car without a valid driver’s license. However, there are a few exceptions to this rule. Exceptions to the RuleIf you are under 18 years old: In some states, you can register a car in your name even if you do not ...
Mazda, a Japanese automotive manufacturer with a rich history of innovation and engineering excellence, has emerged as a formidable player in the global car market. Known for its reputation of producing high-quality, fuel-efficient, and driver-oriented vehicles, Mazda has consistently garnered praise from industry experts and consumers alike. In this article, ...
Struts are an essential part of a car’s suspension system. They are responsible for supporting the weight of the car and damping the oscillations of the springs. Struts are typically made of steel or aluminum and are filled with hydraulic fluid. How Do Struts Work? Struts work by transferring the ...
Car registration is a mandatory process that all vehicle owners must complete annually. This process involves registering your car with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and paying an associated fee. The registration process ensures that your vehicle is properly licensed and insured, and helps law enforcement and other authorities ...
Zoom is a video conferencing service that allows you to share your screen, webcam, and audio with other participants. In addition to sharing your own audio, you can also share the audio from your computer with other participants. This can be useful for playing music, sharing presentations with audio, or ...
Building your own computer can be a rewarding and cost-effective way to get a high-performance machine tailored to your specific needs. However, it also requires careful planning and execution, and one of the most important factors to consider is the time it will take. The exact time it takes to ...
Sleep mode is a power-saving state that allows your computer to quickly resume operation without having to boot up from scratch. This can be useful if you need to step away from your computer for a short period of time but don’t want to shut it down completely. There are ...
Introduction Computer-Assisted Translation (CAT) has revolutionized the field of translation by harnessing the power of technology to assist human translators in their work. This innovative approach combines specialized software with human expertise to improve the efficiency, accuracy, and consistency of translations. In this comprehensive article, we will delve into the ...
In today’s digital age, mobile devices have become an indispensable part of our daily lives. Among the vast array of portable computing options available, iPads and tablet computers stand out as two prominent contenders. While both offer similar functionalities, there are subtle yet significant differences between these two devices. This ...
A computer is an electronic device that can be programmed to carry out a set of instructions. The basic components of a computer are the processor, memory, storage, input devices, and output devices. The Processor The processor, also known as the central processing unit (CPU), is the brain of the ...
Voice Memos is a convenient app on your iPhone that allows you to quickly record and store audio snippets. These recordings can be useful for a variety of purposes, such as taking notes, capturing ideas, or recording interviews. While you can listen to your voice memos on your iPhone, you ...
Laptop screens are essential for interacting with our devices and accessing information. However, when lines appear on the screen, it can be frustrating and disrupt productivity. Understanding the underlying causes of these lines is crucial for finding effective solutions. Types of Screen Lines Horizontal lines: Also known as scan ...
Right-clicking is a common and essential computer operation that allows users to access additional options and settings. While most desktop computers have dedicated right-click buttons on their mice, laptops often do not have these buttons due to space limitations. This article will provide a comprehensive guide on how to right-click ...
Powering up and shutting down your ASUS laptop is an essential task for any laptop user. Locating the power button can sometimes be a hassle, especially if you’re new to ASUS laptops. This article will provide a comprehensive guide on where to find the power button on different ASUS laptop ...
Dell laptops are renowned for their reliability, performance, and versatility. Whether you’re a student, a professional, or just someone who needs a reliable computing device, a Dell laptop can meet your needs. However, if you’re new to Dell laptops, you may be wondering how to get started. In this comprehensive ...
Two-thirds of the country think that “New Zealand’s economy is rigged to advantage the rich and powerful”. They also believe that “New Zealand needs a strong leader to take the country back from the rich and powerful”. These are just two of a handful of stunning new survey results released ...
In today’s digital world, screenshots have become an indispensable tool for communication and documentation. Whether you need to capture an important email, preserve a website page, or share an error message, screenshots allow you to quickly and easily preserve digital information. If you’re an Asus laptop user, there are several ...
A factory reset restores your Gateway laptop to its original factory settings, erasing all data, apps, and personalizations. This can be necessary to resolve software issues, remove viruses, or prepare your laptop for sale or transfer. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to factory reset your Gateway laptop: Method 1: ...
“You talking about me?”The neoliberal denigration of the past was nowhere more unrelenting than in its depiction of the public service. The Post Office and the Railways were held up as being both irremediably inefficient and scandalously over-manned. Playwright Roger Hall’s “Glide Time” caricatures were presented as accurate depictions of ...
Roger Partridge writes – When the Coalition Government took office last October, it inherited a country on a precipice. With persistent inflation, decades of insipid productivity growth and crises in healthcare, education, housing and law and order, it is no exaggeration to suggest New Zealand’s first-world status was ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – In 2022, the Curriculum Centre at the Ministry of Education employed 308 staff, according to an Official Information Request. Earlier this week it was announced 202 of those staff were being cut. When you look up “The New Zealand Curriculum” on the Ministry of ...
Chris Bishop’s bill has stirred up a hornets nest of opposition. Photo: Lynn Grieveson for The KākāTL;DR: The six things that stood out to me in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate from the last day included:A crescendo of opposition to the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill is ...
Monday left me brokenTuesday, I was through with hopingWednesday, my empty arms were openThursday, waiting for love, waiting for loveThe end of another week that left many of us asking WTF? What on earth has NZ gotten itself into and how on earth could people have voluntarily signed up for ...
Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.State of humanity, 20242024, it feels, keeps presenting us with ever more challenges, ever more dismay.Do you give up yet? It seems to ask.No? How about this? Or this?How about this?Full story Share ...
Determining the hardest sport in the world is a subjective matter, as the difficulty level can vary depending on individual abilities, physical attributes, and experience. However, based on various factors including physical demands, technical skills, mental fortitude, and overall accomplishment, here is an exploration of some of the most challenging ...
The allure of sport transcends age, culture, and geographical boundaries. It captivates hearts, ignites passions, and provides unparalleled entertainment. Behind the spectacle, however, lies a fascinating world of financial investment and expenditure. Among the vast array of competitive pursuits, one question looms large: which sport carries the hefty title of ...
Introduction Pickleball, a rapidly growing paddle sport, has captured the hearts and imaginations of millions around the world. Its blend of tennis, badminton, and table tennis elements has made it a favorite among players of all ages and skill levels. As the sport’s popularity continues to surge, the question on ...
Abstract: Soccer, the global phenomenon captivating millions worldwide, has a rich history that spans centuries. Its origins trace back to ancient civilizations, but the modern version we know and love emerged through a complex interplay of cultural influences and innovations. This article delves into the fascinating journey of soccer’s evolution, ...
Tinting car windows offers numerous benefits, including enhanced privacy, reduced glare, UV protection, and a more stylish look for your vehicle. However, the cost of window tinting can vary significantly depending on several factors. This article provides a comprehensive guide to help you understand how much you can expect to ...
The pungent smell of gasoline in your car can be an alarming and potentially dangerous problem. Not only is the odor unpleasant, but it can also indicate a serious issue with your vehicle’s fuel system. In this article, we will explore the various reasons why your car may smell like ...
Tree sap can be a sticky, unsightly mess on your car’s exterior. It can be difficult to remove, but with the right techniques and products, you can restore your car to its former glory. Understanding Tree Sap Tree sap is a thick, viscous liquid produced by trees to seal wounds ...
The amount of paint needed to paint a car depends on a number of factors, including the size of the car, the number of coats you plan to apply, and the type of paint you are using. In general, you will need between 1 and 2 gallons of paint for ...
Jump-starting a car is a common task that can be performed even in adverse weather conditions like rain. However, safety precautions and proper techniques are crucial to avoid potential hazards. This comprehensive guide will provide detailed instructions on how to safely jump a car in the rain, ensuring both your ...
Graham Adams writes about the $55m media fund — When Patrick Gower was asked by Mike Hosking last week what he would say to the many Newstalk ZB callers who allege the Labour government bribed media with $55 million of taxpayers’ money via the Public Interest Journalism Fund — and ...
Note: this blog post has been put together over the course of the week I followed the happenings at the conference virtually. Should recordings of the Great Debates and possibly Union Symposia mentioned below, be released sometime after the conference ends, I'll include links to the ones I participated in. ...
The following was my submission made on the “Fast Track Approvals Bill”. This potential law will give three Ministers unchecked powers, un-paralled since the days of Robert Muldoon’s “Think Big” projects.The submission is written a bit tongue-in-cheek. But it’s irreverent because the FTAB is in itself not worthy of respect. ...
One Could Reduce Child Poverty At No Fiscal CostFollowing the Richardson/Shipley 1990 ‘redesign of the welfare state’ – which eliminated the universal Family Benefit and doubled the rate of child poverty – various income supplements for families have been added, the best known being ‘Working for Families’, introduced in 2005. ...
Buzz from the Beehive A few days ago, Point of Order suggested the media must be musing “on why Melissa is mute”. Our article reported that people working in the beleaguered media industry have cause to yearn for a minister as busy as Melissa Lee’s ministerial colleagues and we drew ...
1. What was The Curse of Jim Bolger?a. Winston Peters b. Soon after shaking his hand, world leaders would mysteriously lose office or shuffle off this mortal coilc. Could never shake off the Mother of All Budgetsd. Dandruff2. True or false? The Chairman of a Kiwi export business has asked the ...
Jack Vowles writes – New Zealand is said to be suffering from ‘serious populist discontent’. An IPSOS MORI survey has reported that we have an increasing preference for strong leaders, think that the economy is rigged toward the rich and powerful, and political elites are ignoring ‘hard-working people’. ...
Chris Trotter writes – MELISSA LEE should be deprived of her ministerial warrant. Her handling – or non-handling – of the crisis engulfing the New Zealand news media has been woeful. The fate of New Zealand’s two linear television networks, a question which the Minister of Broadcasting, Communications ...
TL;DR: The podcast above features co-hosts and , along with regular guests Robert Patman on Gaza and AUKUS II, and on climate change.The six things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the ...
Policymakers rarely wish to make plain or visible their desire to dismantle environmental policy, least of all to the young. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s the top five news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above between Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent ...
I like to keep an eye on what’s happening in places like the UK, the US, and over the ditch with our good mates the Aussies. Let’s call them AUKUS, for want of a better collective term. More on that in a bit.It used to be, not long ago, that ...
TL;DR: The global economy will be one fifth smaller than it would have otherwise been in 2050 as a result of climate damage, according to a new study by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) and published in the journal Nature. (See more detail and analysis below, and ...
New Zealand is said to be suffering from ‘serious populist discontent’. An IPSOS MORI survey has reported that we have an increasing preference for strong leaders, think that the economy is rigged toward the rich and powerful, and political elites are ignoring ‘hard-working people’. The data is from February this ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters is understood to be planning a major speech within the next fortnight to clear up the confusion over whether or not New Zealand might join the AUKUS submarine project. So far, there have been conflicting signals from the Government. RNZ reported the Prime Minister yesterday in ...
Life throws curveballs, and sometimes, those curveballs necessitate wiping your iPhone clean and starting anew. Whether you’re facing persistent software glitches, preparing to sell your device, or simply wanting a fresh start, knowing how to factory reset iPhone without a computer is a valuable skill. While using a computer with ...
Gone are the days when communication was limited to landline phones and physical proximity. Today, computers have become powerful tools for connecting with people across the globe through voice and video calls. But with a plethora of applications and methods available, how to call someone on a computer might seem ...
Open access notables Glacial isostatic adjustment reduces past and future Arctic subsea permafrost, Creel et al., Nature Communications:Sea-level rise submerges terrestrial permafrost in the Arctic, turning it into subsea permafrost. Subsea permafrost underlies ~ 1.8 million km2 of Arctic continental shelf, with thicknesses in places exceeding 700 m. Sea-level variations over glacial-interglacial cycles control ...
The operating system (OS) is the heart and soul of a computer, orchestrating every action and interaction between hardware and software. But have you ever wondered where on a computer is the operating system generally stored? The answer lies in the intricate dance between hardware and software components, particularly within ...
Laptops have become essential tools for work, entertainment, and communication, offering portability and functionality. However, with rising energy costs and growing environmental concerns, understanding a laptop’s power consumption is more important than ever. So, how many watts does a laptop use? The answer, unfortunately, isn’t straightforward. It depends on several ...
Screen recording has become an essential tool for various purposes, such as creating tutorials, capturing gameplay footage, recording online meetings, or sharing information with others. Fortunately, Dell laptops offer several built-in and external options for screen recording, catering to different needs and preferences. This guide will explore various methods on ...
A cracked or damaged laptop screen can be a frustrating experience, impacting productivity and enjoyment. Fortunately, laptop screen repair is a common service offered by various repair shops and technicians. However, the cost of fixing a laptop screen can vary significantly depending on several factors. This article delves into the ...
Gaming laptops represent a significant investment for passionate gamers, offering portability and powerful performance for immersive gaming experiences. However, a common concern among potential buyers is their lifespan. Unlike desktop PCs, which allow for easier component upgrades, gaming laptops have inherent limitations due to their compact and integrated design. This ...
The annual inventory report of New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions has been released, showing that gross emissions have dropped for the third year in a row, to 78.4 million tons: All-told gross emissions have decreased by over 6 million tons since the Zero Carbon Act was passed in 2019. ...
Experiencing a locked computer can be frustrating, especially when you need access to your files and applications urgently. The methods to unlock your computer will vary depending on the specific situation and the type of lock you encounter. This guide will explore various scenarios and provide step-by-step instructions on how ...
While the world has largely transitioned to digital communication, faxing still holds relevance in certain industries and situations. Fortunately, gone are the days of bulky fax machines and dedicated phone lines. Today, you can easily send and receive faxes directly from your computer, offering a convenient and efficient way to ...
In our increasingly digital world, home computers have become essential tools for work, communication, entertainment, and more. However, this increased reliance on technology also exposes us to various cyber threats. Understanding these threats and taking proactive steps to protect your home computer is crucial for safeguarding your personal information, finances, ...
In the ever-evolving world of technology, server-based computing has emerged as a cornerstone of modern digital infrastructure. This article delves into the concept of server-based computing, exploring its various forms, benefits, challenges, and its impact on the way we work and interact with technology. Understanding Server-Based Computing: At its core, ...
The absolute brass neck of this guy.We want more medical doctors, not more spin doctors, Luxon was saying a couple of weeks ago, and now we’re told the guy has seven salaried adults on TikTok duty. Sorry, doing social media. The absolute brass neck of it. The irony that the ...
Buzz from the Beehive Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones relishes spatting and eagerly takes issue with environmentalists who criticise his enthusiasm for resource development. He relishes helping the fishing industry too. And so today, while the media are making much of the latest culling in the public service to ...
Having written, taught and worked for the US government on issues involving unconventional warfare and terrorism for 30-odd years, two things irritate me the most when the subject is discussed in public. The first is the Johnny-come-lately academics-turned-media commentators who … Continue reading → ...
Eric Crampton writes – Kainga Ora is the government’s house building agency. It’s been building a lot of social housing. Kainga Ora has its own (but independent) consenting authority, Consentium. It’s a neat idea. Rather than have to deal with building consents across each different territorial authority, Kainga Ora ...
Muriel Newman writes – The Coalition Government says it is moving with speed to deliver campaign promises and reverse the damage done by Labour. One of their key commitments is to “defend the principle that New Zealanders are equal before the law.” To achieve this, they have pledged they “will not advance ...
Chris Trotter writes – The absence of anything resembling a fightback from the public servants currently losing their jobs is interesting. State-sector workers’ collective fatalism in the face of Coalition cutbacks indicates a surprisingly broad acceptance of impermanence in the workplace. Fifty years ago, lay-offs in the thousands ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
The Government’s newly announced review of methane emissions reduction targets hints at its desire to delay Aotearoa New Zealand’s urgent transition to a climate safe future, the Green Party said. ...
The Government must commit to the Maitai School building project for students with high and complex needs, to ensure disabled students from the top of the South Island have somewhere to learn. ...
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey and his Government colleagues have made a meal of their mental health commitments, showing how flimsy their efforts to champion the issue truly are, says Labour Mental Health spokesperson Ingrid Leary. ...
Māori are yet to see anything from this Government except cuts, reversals and taking our people backwards, Māori Development spokesperson Willie Jackson said. ...
The Coalition Government’s refusal to commit to ongoing funding for social housing is seeing the sector pull back on developments and families watch their dreams of securing a home fade away, says Labour Housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty. ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector. "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today paid tribute to Singapore’s outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Meeting in Singapore today immediately before Prime Minister Lee announced he was stepping down, Prime Minister Luxon warmly acknowledged his counterpart’s almost twenty years as leader, and the enduring legacy he has left for Singapore and South East ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. While in Singapore as part of his visit to South East Asia this week, Prime Minister Luxon also met with Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and will meet with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has made further appointments to the Board of Antarctica New Zealand as part of a continued effort to ensure the Scott Base Redevelopment project is delivered in a cost-effective and efficient manner. The Minister has appointed Neville Harris as a new member of the Board. Mr ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis will travel to the United States on Tuesday to attend a meeting of the Five Finance Ministers group, with counterparts from Australia, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. “I am looking forward to meeting with our Five Finance partners on how we can work ...
The coalition Government has today announced purrfect and pawsitive changes to the Residential Tenancies Act to give tenants with pets greater choice when looking for a rental property, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Pets are important members of many Kiwi families. It’s estimated that around 64 per cent of New ...
State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the Government has also asked NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) to consider and provide advice on a Long Tunnel option, Transport Minister Simeon Brown ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters have condemned Iran’s shocking and illegal strikes against Israel. “These attacks are a major challenge to peace and stability in a region already under enormous pressure," Mr Luxon says. "We are deeply concerned that miscalculation on any side could ...
Hundreds of people in little over a week have turned out in Northland to hear Regional Development Minister Shane Jones speak about plans for boosting the regional economy through infrastructure. About 200 people from the infrastructure and associated sectors attended an event headlined by Mr Jones in Whangarei today. Last ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has today thanked outgoing Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora Chair Dame Karen Poutasi for her service on the Board. “Dame Karen tendered her resignation as Chair and as a member of the Board today,” says Dr Reti. “I have asked her to ...
The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has signalled their proposed delivery approach for the Government’s 15 Roads of National Significance (RoNS), with the release of the State Highway Investment Proposal (SHIP) today, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Boosting economic growth and productivity is a key part of the Government’s plan to ...
New Zealand is renewing its connections with a world facing urgent challenges by pursuing an active, energetic foreign policy, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “Our country faces the most unstable global environment in decades,” Mr Peters says at the conclusion of two weeks of engagements in Egypt, Europe and the United States. “We cannot afford to sit back in splendid ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced the Australian Governor-General, His Excellency General The Honourable David Hurley and his wife Her Excellency Mrs Linda Hurley, will make a State visit to New Zealand from Tuesday 16 April to Thursday 18 April. The visit reciprocates the State visit of former Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced that Medsafe has approved 11 cold and flu medicines containing pseudoephedrine. Pharmaceutical suppliers have indicated they may be able to supply the first products in June. “This is much earlier than the original expectation of medicines being available by 2025. The Government recognised ...
New Zealand and the United States have recommitted to their strategic partnership in Washington DC today, pledging to work ever more closely together in support of shared values and interests, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The strategic environment that New Zealand and the United States face is considerably more ...
April 11, 2024 Joint Declaration by United States Secretary of State the Honorable Antony J. Blinken and New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs the Right Honourable Winston Peters We met today in Washington, D.C. to recommit to the historic partnership between our two countries and the principles that underpin it—rule ...
By Koroi Hawkins, RNZ Pacific editor in Honiara Solomon Islands’ incumbent prime minister Manasseh Sogavare has been re-elected in the East Choiseul constituency. It is the opening move in the political chess match to form the country’s next government. Returning officer Christopher Makoni made the declaration late last night after ...
Headline: The moment of friction. – 36th Parallel Assessments In strategic studies “friction” is a term that it is used to describe the moment when military action encounters adversary resistance. “Friction” is one of four (along with an unofficial fifth) “F’s” in military strategy, which includes force (kinetic mass), ...
The Fast-track Bill, if passed, would allow three Ministers, unchallenged and unchecked, to approve the immediate extraction and exhaustion of one-off resources. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Duckett, Honorary Enterprise Professor, School of Population and Global Health, and Department of General Practice and Primary Care, The University of Melbourne iamharin/Shutterstock For many people, the term “bulk billed” refers to a GP visit they don’t have to pay ...
Emmas Hislop, Sidnam and Wehipeihana discuss what’s in a name. Emma Sidnam: Hello Emmas! Thank you so much for agreeing to do this with me. My first question for you is related to what’s been on my mind for a while. It’s very important. You see we’ve recently had some ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Sievers, Research Fellow, Global Wetlands Project, Australia Rivers Institute, Griffith University Chris Brown Humans love the coast. But we love it to death, so much so we’ve destroyed valuable coastal habitat – in the case of some types of habitat, ...
Josh Thomson on the 80s milk ad jingle he can’t stop singing, the beauty of The Simpsons, why Jersey Shore is as good as Shakespeare and more. For someone who spends a lot of time on our screens, popping up in everything from 7 Days to Taskmaster, Educators to Good ...
In apparent defiance of the Biden administration, the Netanyahu government has now initiated missile strikes against Iran. Last Saturday night (Sunday morning in New Zealand) Iran launched more than 300 drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles against Israeli military targets. With the assistance of US, UK and possibly French forces, ...
Māori representation brings a perspective that encompasses not only the interests of Māori communities but also a broader, holistic approach to environmental stewardship and community well-being, principles deeply embedded in Te Ao Māori (the Māori ...
This week in Auckland, a group of young people took over the microphone at a ministerial press conference, to explain why they oppose the Fast-Track Approvals Bill. One young woman said, ‘We’re here because we love Aotearoa New Zealand. We want to raise our children in an environment that’s thriving, ...
The summer was wonderful. Evie was wonderful, too; finally a teenager, finally worthy of long, hot days. She shaved her legs for the first time and bought cut-off shorts from the op-shop that made them look long. She got a Warehouse singlet so tight on her new shape that her ...
When Thomas James was on his solo camp as part of Outward Bound, the keen outdoorsman didn’t find it too challenging, as others often do. In what might just be the perfect illustration of his character, he saw it as a great opportunity to solve a few problems. “I thought, ...
From the unstable and drippy to the hi-tech and pretty, here’s our ranking of all the tunnels you can drive through in this country. The first tunnel seems to have been built in 2200BC in Babylonia, kicking off a global phenomenon for digging holes in order to get places more ...
Lucinda Bennett on the art of being greedy but resourceful. This is an excerpt from our weekly food newsletter, The Boil Up. When I picture the market, it is always this time of year. Crisp air, dripping nose, counting coins with cold fingers. Sunlight pale, filtered through specks of dew still ...
Zoë Colling’s favourite piece in the ‘That’s So Last Century’ collection is a lubrication chart for a sewing machine from the ’60s. It’s about the size of a postcard, and carefully maintained. “I like it that this piece of ephemera highlights that manual and technical side of the skill involved ...
Kia Ora Gaza A passionate haka reverberated through Auckland International Airport as a medical team of three New Zealand doctors received an emotional farewell from a big crowd of supporters before flying to Turkey to join the international Freedom Flotilla to Gaza. The doctors, who left Auckland yesterday, hope to ...
With submissions closing today, Macassey-Pickard says groups around the country have been supporting a huge range of people to make their submissions. ...
Our response to the new legislation is informed by targeted conversations with practitioners working in the system and through an implementation lens. ...
The new ‘Fast-track Approvals Bill’ would give just three Ministers the power to approve or deny development projects. They would avoid the usual checks and balances that are in place to protect rivers, land, the ocean, and communities. ...
COMMENTARY:By Eugene Doyle Helen Clark, how I miss you. The former New Zealand Prime Minister — the safest pair of hands this country has had in living memory — gave a masterclass on the importance of maintaining an independent foreign policy when she spoke at an AUKUS symposium held ...
The government's released the list of organisations provided with information on how to apply - just hours before public submissions on the bill close. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Milton Speer, Visiting Fellow, School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, University of Technology Sydney Before climate change really got going, eastern Australia’s flash floods tended to concentrate on our coastal regions, east of the Great Dividing Range. But that’s changing. Now ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elizabeth Finkel, Vice-Chancellor’s Fellow, La Trobe University Sia Duff / South Australian Museum In February, the South Australian Museum “re-imagined” itself. In the face of rising costs and inadequate government funds, CEO David Gaimster, who took the reins last June, declared ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alan Pearce, Professor, School of Allied Heath, Human Services & Sport, La Trobe University, La Trobe University This week, Collingwood AFL player Nathan Murphy announced his retirement, brought on by his concussion history and ongoing issues. The 24-year-old’s seemingly sudden retirement, ...
The Mental Health Foundation provides support and resources for those facing the loss of their job, so it’s wrong in the very week the Government adds another 1000 jobs to its tally of cuts, that this is happening. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexander Howard, Senior Lecturer, Discipline of English and Writing, University of Sydney Daniel Boud/Sydney Theatre Company Decay, terror, revulsion. These are three of the central themes of Thomas Bernhard’s rarely performed play The President. The Austrian is one of the greatest ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says threats by ministers Shane Jones and David Seymour to reform or close down the Waitangi Tribunal were “ill-considered”, as legal experts say the ministers may have breached Cabinet Manual conventions. “I think those comments are ill-considered and we expect all ministers to actually exercise good ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ye In (Jane) Hwang, Postdoctoral Research Associate at School of Population Health, UNSW Sydney Shutterstock You’d be hard pressed to find any aspect of daily life that doesn’t require some form of digital literacy. We need only to look back ten ...
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A new poem by Evangeline Riddiford Graham. Mitochondrial Problem I. It was long drive to Kansas for the man and his dog but you have to understand he said She doesn’t fly. Which calls to mind not carsick shitting barking or whining but a dog who chooses not to as ...
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 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)Hot off the press, this debut ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laura Wajnryb McDonald, PhD candidate in Criminology, University of Sydney Less than 24 hours after Ashlee Good was murdered in Bondi Junction, her family released a statement requesting the media take down photographs they had reproduced of Ashlee and her family without ...
Chief executive Shaun Robinson said it has not had any government funding cut, but government-funded contracts have not kept pace with rising costs. ...
The Ministry of Health has delayed the release of its evidence brief on the safety, reversibility and mental health and wellbeing outcomes for puberty blockers. While we wait, Julia de Bres speaks to those with firsthand experience. Best practice gender-affirming healthcare is based on trans people’s self-determination and agency. The ...
Barcelona’s city streets have gone from traffic-clogged to pedestrian-friendly. How? Superblocks. Ellen Rykers explains. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week I read a great interview with renowned urbanist Janette Sadik-Khan by The Spinoff’s Wellington editor Joel MacManus: “You can reimagine streets, ...
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http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Article.aspx?id=288598
The official term for piracy is now “taking control”
Israeli Navy boards Gaza-bound ship ‘Estelle’
by YAAKOV LAPPIN, The Jerusalem Post 10/20/2012 18:16
Navy seizes Swedish ship carrying 30 pro-Palestinian activists after it refused to change course, tows it to Ashdod. PHOTO: COURTESY IDF
The Navy took control of a Swedish ship carrying pro-Palestinian activists towards Gaza on Saturday, and towed the vessel to Ashdod instead.
The activists refused all Israeli requests to divert their course, and had declared that their intention was to violate Israel’s naval blockade on the Gaza Strip. ….
Read more from Israel’s Pravda by clicking here….
http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Article.aspx?id=288598
Ah, yes. But of course, there are always two sides (at least) to a story. I aw the Al Jazeera version on my TV this morning, as in the video here, aor with the print report here.
Thanks for that, karol. I posted a brief and polite response on the Jerusalem Post comments section. I wrote: “‘Taking control’—the new term for piracy.”
Instead of being immediately published, as no doubt all the racist and bloody-minded anti-Palestinian posts were, my comments were “put into moderation”.
No wonder their comment section is so overwhelmingly pro-government. And no wonder the Jerusalem Post is dismissed by thinking people as Israel’s Pravda.
Democracy in Israel has long long since gone. And a lot of Israeli’s are very unhappy about it.
Israel, politically, has long enjoyed the full backing of the United States. (I have no argument with the Israeli people as a whole). To his credit, Obama has been distancing the brutally minded Netanyahu in more recent times, especially on that man’s pressing desire to attack Iran. (It is Israel that possesses the nuclear weapons, not Iran). Now we should really worry with Romney looking a possibility for President. The Israeli government will welcome him with glee. With Romney the world would become, generally, in greater danger (not to mention the rich becoming richer and yet more powerful). This would be likely worse than the rule of George Bush. Yes, yet again, we have to bewail the short memories of human kind!
Interesting .that many Jewish people world wide now refer to Jews who live in Isareal as Israelies.
Thanks for this Morrissey, It must be terribly disappointing and possibly very frightening for the those aboard the Estelle, but when it comes to enforcing the siege on Gaza Israel is no longer all powerful.
While the sea going route to the territory of Gaza is still blocked by Israel and it’s allies.
Less widely reported in the Western media is their weakness in enforcing the siege on land. What has not been reported in the Western median media is that the internationall convoy movement has had much more success breaking the siege of Gaza by the overland route through Egypt and across the Sinai Desert.
Before the fall of Mubarak International aid convoys of trucks filled with medical and other aid were stopped by the Egyptian police and army at the border and turned back. If they refused to turn back they were beaten and arrested by by Mubarak’s riot police who enforced the siege on the territory at the border between Egypt and Gaza in agreement with and on behalf of Israel.
Despite this they persisted.
In one dramatic encounter in 2009 after being attacked by Egyptian riot police the international convoyers fought back and captured numbers of police and even one senior officer who they agreed to release if the police released all the arrested convoy members.
Unable to be moved on by the Egyptian authorities the convoyers through sheer persistence and determination and with the support of the Egyptian people forced the Mubarak regime to back down and let the International Aid convoy enter Gaza.
After this defeat for the Mubarak authorities Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit tried to play down this defeat in the Arab media describing the international aid convoys as “farcical” and said Egyptian authorities would no longer allow such solidarity convoys.[16]
Leading up to, and since the Arab Spring, despite continuing resistance from Egyptian authorities particularly within the army and the police who still hold loyalties to the old regime, several more land convoys have been able to break through the siege and successfully enter Gaza through the northen Egyptian border.
In defying the internationally illegal siege, New Zealand’s own Kia Ora Gaza headed by team captain Roger Fowler have since participated in two successful international overland convoys, one in 2011 in open defiance of Mubarak’s ban and one since his overthrow.
As in the overthrow of the apartheid regime in South Africa, through their courageous and defiant actions New Zealanders can also claim some small part in the overthrow of the oppressive Mubarak regime.
Though the land seige hasn’t been broken, the international convoy movement’s efforts have seriously weakened the enforcement of the siege at the Egyptian border allowing more and more people and goods to get through into Gaza across the Sinai.
Internationally renowned scholar Noam Chomsky is the latest person to defy the siege and enter Gaza through northern Egypt. In 2010 Chomsky was prevented from entering Gaza through the Israeli controlled border. Chomsky is due to defiantly deliver an address today at Gaza university his topic will be the significance of the Arab Spring.
No doubt like every other successful breach of the illegal Israeli siege of Gaza a media cone of silence will descend.
However a full report will be carried on the Kia Ora Gaza website when it comes to hand.
Thanks for this Morrissey, It must be terribly disappointing and possibly very frightening for the those aboard the Estelle, but when it comes to enforcing the siege on Gaza Israel is no longer all powerful.
While the sea going route to the territory of Gaza is still blocked by Israel and it’s allies.
Less widely reported in the Western media is their weakness in enforcing the siege on land. What has not been reported in the Western median media is that the internationall convoy movement has had much more success breaking the siege of Gaza by the overland route through Egypt and across the Sinai Desert.
Before the fall of Mubarak International aid convoys of trucks filled with medical and other aid were stopped by the Egyptian police and army at the border and turned back. If they refused to turn back they were beaten and arrested by by Mubarak’s riot police who enforced the siege on the territory at the border between Egypt and Gaza in agreement with and on behalf of Israel.
Despite this they persisted.
In one dramatic encounter in 2009 after being attacked by Egyptian riot police the international convoyers fought back and captured numbers of police and even one senior officer who they agreed to release if the police released all the arrested convoy members.
Unable to be moved on by the Egyptian authorities the convoyers through sheer persistence and determination and with the support of the Egyptian people forced the Mubarak regime to back down and let the International Aid convoy enter Gaza.
After this defeat for the Mubarak authorities Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit tried to play down this defeat in the Arab media describing the international aid convoys as “farcical” and said Egyptian authorities would no longer allow such solidarity convoys.[16]
Leading up to, and since the Arab Spring, despite continuing resistance from Egyptian authorities particularly within the army and the police who still hold loyalties to the old regime, several more land convoys have been able to break through the siege and successfully enter Gaza through the northen Egyptian border.
In defying the internationally illegal siege, New Zealand’s own Kia Ora Gaza headed by team captain Roger Fowler have since participated in two successful international overland convoys, one in 2011 in open defiance of Mubarak’s ban and one since his overthrow.
As in the overthrow of the apartheid regime in South Africa, through their courageous and defiant actions New Zealanders can also claim some small part in the overthrow of the oppressive Mubarak regime.
Though the land seige hasn’t been broken, the international convoy movement’s efforts have seriously weakened the enforcement of the siege at the Egyptian border allowing more and more people and goods to get through into Gaza across the Sinai.
Internationally renowned scholar Noam Chomsky is the latest person to defy the siege and enter Gaza through northern Egypt. In 2010 Chomsky was prevented from entering Gaza through the Israeli controlled border. Chomsky is due to defiantly deliver an address today at Gaza university his topic will be the significance of the Arab Spring.
No doubt like every other successful breach of the illegal Israeli siege of Gaza a media cone of silence will descend.
However a full report will be carried on the Kia Ora Gaza website when it comes to hand.
http://kiaoragaza.wordpress.com/2012/10/20/us-academic-noam-chomsky-visits-gaza-for-conference/
Oh, why am I not surprised? 🙁
Well, well, well – will the opposition be able to level the “nanny-state” at this administration at last. There are clubs up and down the country that have as one of their door raffle prizes “An annual membership” which will be worth a lot more than this $500 limit.
Key is going to get an avalanche of correspondence on this one and watch him try to get it dropped immediately … his mates in golf clubs will be livid.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10841884
And aren’t the hunting lobby United Future’s constituency?
Now thats a shame as it just puts the kibosh an a great week end. Yes there’s some big prizes but everyone has the same chance. Unlike Pokies where the machine has the best chance, and will break up families. Yep thats the Anti Nanny state at work, break up the family, get more Pokies out there. Don’t allow the fishing comps to continue, they are against the Anti Nanny State.
Where is there any evidence of involvement from the government in this? Just seems like a department enforcing laws already on the books.
Owners of pokie machines complained. Government Department protecting the interests of pokie machine owners. Corporate Fascism.
The Wynne “Sensible” Gray Award for Pretentious Writing
Entry No. 1: JACK TAME
Jack Tame: Slow down that war
It was as quiet and calm as a cliche. Somewhere distant a train click-clacked in steady rhythm. Birds hopped between leafy old trees. ….
Read more, if you can bear it, here…
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=10841827
Brian Edwards yesterday posted praising the interview ability of Rachel Smalley on TV3’s the Nation.
I found myself totally in agreement with him. Rachel has a low key but direct approach to interviewing that IMHO produces much more information than otherwise.
I am just watching her discuss with a panel including Kennedy Graham and Federated Farmers William Rawlston discussing carbon credits. She effectively showed how shallow Fed Farmer’s rationale for opposing Farming being part of our system. Their rationale is if we make it more expensive for farmers production will flood overseas to countries with less carbon efficient farming techniques. There is no analysis of how much more expensive, or the relative cost of production in different countries compared to her, just a bald statement that if they have to pay a modest ETS price all farms will shut down.
Kennedy Graham had the perfect response. He said shocks have happened in the past and how some countries, notably the Social Democratic countries, are reducing emissions. In NZ they are growing. He talked about the need for behavioral modification change.
He also talked about how countries could be world leaders, fast followers, apathetic spectator or willful obstructionists. He thought NZ was somewhere in the middle. I believe he meant that NZ is between apathetic spectators and willful obstructionists.
Absolutely right, John key and his bunch or traitors are ruining this country.
Why can’t we have an ETS for our farmers when all those other countries have got one in place.
Why can’t we have a government who is actually prepared to do something about climate change when all those other countries have one.
Exactly.
There’ll come a time in the near future when key and his gang will be put on trial for their crimes against NZ and the environment.
Micky and what would you suggest we do about our 0.2% contribution, which won’t put further pressure on our major export industry, followed by higher consumer prices, which will hit those who are already struggling most?
Climate change isn’t the issue. NZ will do very well out of climate change, thank you very much. Liquid fossil fuel depletion is.
Its when diesel goes up to $4/L – $5/L which is the problem. Without massive socio-economic restructuring NOW, our transportation, farming and industrial systems grind to a halt and unstoppable pressure comes on to convert coal to diesel and go deep sea drilling.
We should be thinking about alternatives now.
http://www.esrla.com/pdf/tallow.pdf
No, tallow isn’t viable simply because raising that many cows isn’t viable. Electricity, on the other hand, is – except for the exporting, for that we’ll be using sail.
Um Muzza you are making the exact mistake Federated Farmers made.
The rationale you present is that if farmers have to pay for greenhouse gas emissions they will immediately become unprofitable and will have to flood overseas and defoliate large parts of the Amazon so they can set up farms under a more benign administration.
Whereas it seems to me that farming in NZ is extremely profitable and all that we will be doing is reducing private profit slightly.
And yes we only contribute .2% of the world’s GHGs. But we comprise only .06% of the world’s population.
Of course we should do our bit. If we do not then why should anyone in the world do “their bit”?
Except they’re not going to do that are they, and if NZ does or does not is hardly an influence!
And the mistakes being made are by people swallowing copius loads of BS on all sides!
@ CV – Yeah about that liquid fossel fuel depletion – Making sure NZ loses access to its own oil/gas reserves, certainly assists in ensuring that NZ continues to be at the mercy of those who control those resources globally!
We need to restructure the dependancies, but thats not on the cards currently is it!
So you think that we should do nothing to save our planet from environmental ruin because we are only doing a bit of damage (albeit at the rate of three times as much as the rest of the people on the planet) and besides some others are not doing their share either?
You go girl.
When the greens and labour get back into power we’ll show the filthy farmers and Key and his mates how to lead the world in clean green living.
Many times I have repeated a stance on the pollution/destruction which is wrecking this planet, so ill say it again.
Absolutely it needs to stop, only it won’t, not under current systems/conditions that control all aspects of our lives, it should become very clear by now that TPTB are not especially interested, for the time being!
Especially as all those other farmers in the social democratic countries overseas are doing their bit, it’s a disgrace that our farmers are being let off.
Of course, focussing just on farmers is bullshit. As it is, only two more generations of farmers (max) will have access to large quantities of fert and the diesel needed to spread it with. One way or another, NZ farming is going back to its low intensity roots.
What I want to see is for more city dwellers to give up their personal transport. And to quit buying stuff which has to be made and shipped from 10,000 km away.
For all of these things to happen without major unpleasant disruption we need to seriously restructure our entire economy and economic infrastructure NOW.
Change our export industry to one that’s less damaging. Of course, we have to do that anyway as we have to cut down the number of farms so that we can clean up our rivers and lakes and bring NZ back to having a pristine environment.
Attempted to watch The Nation on TV3 this morning but they seem not to be broadcasting today. Neither are 4, 9 and 8. What gives?
I had to re-scan the channels to get them back (couple of times this week)
You can stream parts of The Nation here
They usually have most of the show up in segments on saturday or sunday – Hone was on this week talking asset shares.
Bernard Hickey is onto the UK Starbucks’ tax evasion story today, and asks if we should be getting onto such evasions in NZ.
Meanwhile, speaking of Facebook and business, Dotcom shows he’s not really aligned with the left, but with making money out of social networking.
Hickey is a damn good guy.
Hopefully no one mistook Dotcom to be “aligned with the Left”. We just need him to help hold crony politicians to account, whether they are Left, Centre or Right.
Well said CV, “Good Civilised” is party independent …..
The fact that he generously contributed to John Banks’s mayoral compaign should give people a litttle clue about his poltical views.
That should have been fairly obvious from the fact that he donated to Banks.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10841815
A really good colunn from Matt McCarten today about the destruction of our local communities by shopping corporations like the Warehouse. It reminded me how much has changed in the 20-odd years I’ve lived where I do. I particularly miss the little gardening shop in my local shopping centre. A mine of local and more general gardening information, and quite a social spot. It shut down about ten years ago, and since that time, other than the chain-shops, cheap import outlets, and the op-shops, very few retailers have survived. There are always a few empty shops at any given time. Businesses regularly start up, but sadly you know it’s probably not going to be long until the closing down sale, and it seldom is.
Recently, I started making more effort to buy from old-fashioned grocery, butchery, and fruit and vege shops rather than the ubiquitous supermarket. I have to admit the first thing I noticed was how much dearer pretty much everything was, and I wondered if I could afford to shop according to my conscience. Not without cutting back, anyway.
The problem is this very viscious circle in which, due to a variety of community-destructive practices, supermarkets, the Warehouse etc. are significantly cheaper, and out-compete and drive out community enterprises. At the same time wages are down and unemployment is up, many people are struggling, and those cheaper prices are an essential part of making ends meet. And the big chains employ fewer people the the old community shopping centres did, at reduced wages, in worse conditions………….. and so it continues.
In the closest main center to me, you simply cannot buy any hardware materials within any reasonable walking distance of the city center. And there was, until very recently, only one greengrocer’s…located in a suburb about an hour’s walk away. Things moved forward with the establishment of a single non-supermarket outlet for vegetables within walking of the city center.
And to think that in the township I live there used to a butcher, a baker, a post office, a general store…all gone bar the dairy. Thankfully, at least the dairy owner is committed to serving the locals and sourcing stock accordingly – as opposed to stocking the vastly overpriced tatt from the usual dairy store suppliers.
Lower priced peripheral land being exploitable due to a car culture won’t last forever!
As American suburb dwellers are being forced to discover. With no footpaths in many suburbs, no where to go even if there were, $5/gallon gasoline is going to be a real shock for them. (Even though I think we basically pay that in NZ now, the US has been sheltered from the true price of fossil fuels due to theirs being the oil reserve currency of the world).
Only observational : But it is here !!!
Ater the property bubble of the 2003-7 we experienced perhaps even a 10% rebalancing. Over the last 6 months + there has been a marked increase in properties (excluding mono plastered properties) Just review local Auckland property presses and the lack of properties with stated selling prices – Tender & Auctions dominate the means of addressing pricing. Banks have returned to past practices plenty of cheap money flowing into NZ reflecting in extremely low rates of NZ just above 5%.
http://www.interest.co.nz/borrowing
http://www.3news.co.nz/Housing-bust-could-be-looming/tabid/421/articleID/260837/Default.aspx
I have seen properties selling 20% above expectations Valuations/vendor and estate agents. I know Key struggles to remember what he voted on 2 months ago
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10841405
Yet here we are 5 years on and forgetting what happened last time. We worry about selling a few $ of SOE assets yet here we are indirectly selling so much more of NZ offshore, only here it is disguised in bank loans. Should the market collapse NZ equity is lost as the banks have 1st claims on any sales obtained and then able to repay their backers. And if times get really tough “To Big to Fail”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Too_big_to_fail
When the property owning middle class feel richer again, as in the midst of a housing asset bubble, incumbents are returned to power.
Cullen used the same tactic.
Labour’s Shane Jones and the Greens Gareth Hughes are on Q&A discussing New Zealand’s approach to declaring parts of the Ross Sea off limits for commercial fishing.
Murray McCully was invited to attend but said that he was too busy. His Government is in the unusual position where its proposal is less protective than the United States position.
The Government should not be too concerned, Jones is doing a good line of trotting out their lines and defending their position. Apparently the science is settled and reducing the number of tooth fish by about half is somehow “sustainable fishing”.
As Mike Smith said recently Jones needs to work out if he is a Labour Party MP or a sea lord MP.
Perhaps he fancies himself as something of a spokeslord?
Three more years.
October 21st 2015 is the day, the greatest
day in the History of Earth, no day on
earth will be happier for all the earth’s humans.
You see October 21 2015 is the day that (according
to the movie back to the future 2) we finally get
HOVERBOARDS!!!
Sure, here on October 21 2012, some physics
professors,such as Michio Kaku might say, “We
aren’t that advanced yet and we won’t have
Hoverboards by 2015”
Well I say “Not with that attitude”
I believe in Marty, Doc and Jennifer, I believe
the date October 21 2015 was picked for a
reason, I believe that on every corner of the
planet, we will have Hoverboards, some
might even have pitbulls, and the future
will be here.
We won’t have flying cars, or clothes that
dry themselves, or any other gadget like
that, but we will have HOVERBOARDS!
So to the world’s scientist’s, to the Geeks,
to the engineers, to the brainiest people
on earth, stop worrying about creating
what you have been creating, it is now, October
21 2012, you have three more years, three
more years, till you give the people of earth,
the greatest invention in HISTORY.
HOVERBOARDS!
THREE MORE YEARS!!
THREE MORE YEARS!!
THREE MORE YEARS!!!
UNTIL…..
HOVERBOARDS!!!!
Theoretically possible today, some kind of Magno repeller board.
Scary power requirements, would have to enclose the magnetised floor space.
Probably cost upwards of $10million for a small hall space … But possible Bud 🙂
If they can do it with a commuter train they can do it with a “HoverBoard” M8
You should take up surfing instead bud !
Wouldn’t mind the hydrateable pizzas myself…
Again theoretically possible, might taste like styrofoam though 🙂
Two words: Power Supply
The day you can fit a couple of megawatts of generation onto a skateboard without vaporising the rider is the day you can have hoverboards.
Actually according to the worlds leading physics’s professor Michio Kaku that is incorrect, there are other ways.
The important part of the date is to do with the numbers: 21 2015 = 2 +1+2+0+1+5 = 11
Hollywood or the people behind it are seriously into numerology, among other things!
Hope you get that hoverboard sometime!
Kabbalah numerology and Jewish dominance of Hollywood!
Hi Jim,
Kabbalah seems to be more exclusive than that, and tied to the Khazars who are possibily impersonating being “Jewish”.
Whatever it is thats going on, it gets played out in hollywood, on, and off the screens on a regular basis. The history of abuse, murder, and the overt in your face numerology, and paganistic symbolism in movies/tv, not to mention the satanic overtones which have become so blatant in the pop music industry of late!
another capitalisation and distortion of Abrahamic Monotheism (not spoken to; spoke to themselves)
😯
🙂
Im still hopeful, maybe not like the movie, but maybe in 40 years time, some multi billion dollar theme park will create that controlled indoor environment.
http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/flexible-timetabling-cards-schools-5143830
Another bad case of the Derps from the Ministry of Education.
Why build more class rooms and hire more teachers when you can just run schools like factories instead?
AND add this from the education amendment bill
Section 156A replaced (Minister may merge schools)
Replace section 156A with:
“156AMinister may merge schools
“(1)Subject to sections 156B and 157, the Minister may, by notice in the Gazette, merge 1 or more State schools (merging schools) that are not integrated schools with another State school (the continuing school) that is not an integrated school, if the Minister is satisfied that—
“(a)each board of a school concerned has made reasonable efforts to consult the parents of students (other than adult students) enrolled full-time at the school about the proposed merger; and
“(b)the consultation that has taken place has been adequate in all the circumstances; and
“(c)the creation of a single school by the proposed merger is appropriate in the circumstances.
AND this in a Cambell blog
http://gordoncampbell.scoop.co.nz/2012/10/17/gordon-campbell-on-secrecy-about-charter-schools-and-dotcom/
Oh, and each child under six will be assigned “a national student number.”
But I cant work out if it is a serious comment
Can anyone say if a national student number is in the bill?
yep found it
supports the uptake of early childhood education by allowing a national student number to be allocated to children who are identified as being likely to benefit from attending an early childhood service, but who are unlikely to attend such a service;
How are they gonna pull that one off?, other than retrospectively classifying them.
They’ll be “Testing” 2 year olds next.
Promoting elitism in 2-5 year olds, start them early M8!
I suspect it is to tie in with the children at risk data base.
Which already exists, it just needs appropriate interpretation.
These policies are so stupid is daunting, the people trying to force them on us are morons.
Abuse/Hiding of this data in the community will be the only result.
The next time Monsieur Matthew Hooton gets on radio, he should be asked how deep Natz MPs will be reaching into their wallets and handbags to fund the next election.
*Thanks to ‘fatty’ pointing out the link to Citizen A (http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-20102012/comment-page-1/#comment-537069):
@ 25:48
“… the National Party has started to realise that potential donors and its traditional donors are not committing to its donor fund for its fighting fund … as it builds up towards the 2014 election.
“National party MPs have been requested by the party apparatus to contribute $30,000 over the next year – to contribute to the fighting fund for 2014. (Labour at its worst was – its MPs were asked to contribute around $5000.)
“These people [ie Natz] are running scared and that information is from the inside.”
I thought the parties with MPs ran a tithing system already so would this $30k be over and above that?
Christchurch, New Zealand; A City Possessed and the travesty that simply refuses to die
And still these same people are wrecking lives, and still the apathy of Kiwis allows it to continue. Yet more excellent work from the LF Team, on “No Corruption NZ”
Is it apathy, ignorance, information overload or a combination of all three?
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/education/7844135/Milk-giveaway-goes-sour-as-kids-drop-out
This is a shame
UHT milk tastes foul, I don’t blame the kids for not drinking it. Fonterra should maybe have done a bit of market research to see whether what they are offering is going to be palatable to those receiving the milk.
At various times I’ve had to drink UHT and powdered milk but then the cost came out of my own pocket.
C73 you continue to prove new research showing right wingers have simplistic answers for complex problems while claiming at the same time to be better educated and more intelligent than the the rest of us.
Selfishness is all your up to nothing more!
I see free milk being rejected because “it tastes different”, simple as that.
So the recipients of corporate marketing largesse can’t be choosers.
It’s such a shame that primary school kids don’t conform to your expectations, C73.
Then stop complaining about what they eat (or lack of) if they were in such a bad way as Labour likes to crow about then drinking some UHT milk wouldn’t be such a hardship
First world problem springs to mind
You might have a point if none of the kids drank the milk.
As it is, it would seem at least some are hungry enough to drink milk that they don’t like.
Weak tory effort to pretend that if some are not in hardship, none are in hardship springs to mind. By your logic if someone quits a job, nobody is unemployed and really looking for a job.
Boo hoo if the milk they don’t pay for isn’t what they like. Its free, its good for them so maybe they should be a little more greatful
This is one of the problems of the left, a company gives out free milk (yes its good publicity but its still free milk) but some kids don’t like the taste because its not what they’re used to (now if it tasted like an energy drink…) so its blame the company
To paraphrase Bob Jones: If $50 dollar notes fell from the sky you lefties would complain it wasn’t $100 dollar notes
Hey chris73, I thought you liked the idea that the ‘customer was always right’ and that it was important to take feedback into account to ‘continuously improve the service that one provides’.
Good private sector values, you know. Try using them sometime.
Well, from my perspective is that an ill-suited corporate marketing ploy is being operated in place of any government efforts in the area. And that tories like you are arguing that a high dropout rate in this imperfect pilot scheme is evidence that there is no problem that the government should be addressing.
Of course, if you weren’t such a blinkered arsehole you’d know that the success of any scheme involves providing the good or service in a manner that is appropriate to the audience, not just in the manner that’s convenient for the supplier.
Don’t worry Chris73, some children are so hungry they really appreciate this horrible tasting milk, so please don’t scorn this initiative and perhaps stop it.If you had read further down the article you would have found this information and not needed to post such a sarcastic comment.
Chris73, please notice the sentence “We are decile 1C for a good reason.”
I knew a simple minded, cynical, wanna- play- Nact -mindset would pick this badly written, misleading, dogwhistle article up and try to present it’s headline and first part as ‘evidence’ that children are not hungry. Shame on you. Try and aim for higher morals Chris and a more becoming point of view. Perhaps the journalist who wrote this could think a little more too, rather than ‘muddy the waters and end up writing what I have heard are “coloured” articles. In this case, it was coloured navy blue and faded yellow.
I’m picking the whole thing is ‘a have’ that will not incidentally benefit Fontera on the publicity front. Y’know, roll out a system that is deliberately set up to fall over so that in the future, when somebody raises the issue of milk in schools, the finger can be pointed at the ungrateful ingrates who refused to drink the milk those nice guys at Fontera provided ‘last time we tried that’.
Meantime, why not Fontera’s best approximaton of real milk alongside the necessary refrigeration (which would cost sweet f.a. in the scheme of things) and whatever flavourings that might have been necessary in order that the kids considered it palatable or potable?
Or it could be just that milk is just really horrible to drink.
No, it didn’t “unexpectedly proved a problem” it’s that the numbskulls putting the scheme in place didn’t think about the natural results of supplying more rubbish to the schools. Now, if we still had milk in glass bottles the recycling wouldn’t be such a problem.
A good alternative would be a segment of edam cheese, the only down side would be the sodium.
This’ll make ya laugh LPRent ….
The cursor in my edit windows stops working when I have Windows Media Center on watching TV.
Only happened to iexplore of course, Good old Windoze 🙂
Shane Bauer, one of three Americans who were detained in Iran in 2009, writes:
Solitary in Iran Nearly Broke Me.Then I Went Inside America’s Prisons.
When Josh Fattal and I finally came before the Revolutionary Court in Iran, we had a lawyer present, but weren’t allowed to speak to him. In California, an inmate facing the worst punishment our penal system has to offer short of death can’t even have a lawyer in the room. He can’t gather or present evidence in his defense. He can’t call witnesses. Much of the evidence—anything provided by informants—is confidential and thus impossible to refute.
That was a disturbing article to read. The sheer deprivation that US prisoners are forced to submit to are barbaric.
I followed US prisons for a year; Supermax etc; just freakin evil
You guys are going to love this. Britain and US use of forced renditions, secret prisons and torture over many decades.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/law/2012/oct/19/torture-uk-britain-blood-government
This stuff did NOT just begin with 9/11.
Indeed.
http://www.historynet.com/the-history-of-torture%E2%80%94why-we-cant-give-it-up.htm/1
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/04/17/britain-destroyed-records-of-colonial-crimes/
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2011/aug/04/uk-allowed-interrogate-tortured-prisoners
2 good items in todays Sunday Star Times.
one says that kweewees diamond has lost its shine and the other is a large leader on the govt CEO pay.
it says that the justifications for the sums being payed to these presumed titans and would be captains of industry are just piffle.
what more can one say.
its our money and National is just handing it out to their mates for no good reason.
time to reign them in.
bring it up at the next Labour Party meeting you attend and dont let go.
Interesting that 3 News included this story in it’s 6pm bulletin tonight. And Dunne at the end acting all surprised..?!
They also had a report on the anti-austerity demo in London this weekend. But why use a report from US TV and not one from the UK? Or even Al Jazeera?
That’s what 3 News always does. Never do they air any reports from the UK, only the USA, for some strange reason!
Its cause TV3 aim towards younger viewership. Older people lean towards the UK, younger people towards the USA.
In the end there is little difference. UK & USA are both imperialistic forces which shape our current form of liberal democratic capitalism. Ignoring that Fox News comedy channel, BBC and USA news are not that much different.
Al Jazeera and RT are worth a watch.
“Hey chris73, I thought you liked the idea that the ‘customer was always right’ and that it was important to take feedback into account to ‘continuously improve the service that one provides’.
Good private sector values, you know. Try using them sometime.”
I don’t think the customer is always right (I’ve spent a few years in customer service) I think the customer is generally a greedy, grasping moron.
But that aside a customer is defined as:
A customer (also known as a client, buyer, or purchaser) is the recipient of a good, service, product, or idea, obtained from a seller, vendor, or supplier for a monetary or other valuable consideration.
So unless the kids or schools are paying (I don’t think the free publicity counts) for the milk they ain’t customers.
If Fonterra was using “Good private sector values” they’d be charging the schools but they’re not
“If Fonterra was using “Good private sector values” they’d be charging the schools but they’re not”
Just shows your simple mind. See, what they did was identify a need that the government refuses to acknowledge. They use the “oh look, we’re being nice to the kiddies” to make its consumers feel better about being reamed by a near-monopoly.
Such a shame their programme is a bit off the mark. What’s the humanitarian equivalent of “greenwashing”, I wonder?
The Fonterra/National Milkwash PR programme.