Open mike 21/12/2015

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, December 21st, 2015 - 76 comments
Categories: open mike - Tags:

openmikeOpen mike is your post.

For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy).

Step up to the mike …

76 comments on “Open mike 21/12/2015 ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. Chooky 1
    21 December 2015 at 7:54 am

    This is good …hope yet for the environment clean up . I was always fascinated by Foxton…quaint with so much important NZ history but scruffy and dirty at the waters’ edges

    “The Foxton Everglades”

    http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/sunday/audio/201783578/the-foxton-everglades

    “The Horowhenua town of Foxton was once home to a bustling port with steamers and sailing ships carting away the region’s flax fibre. Rowing races and swimming competitions were regularly held in the Manawatu River which flowed through the town. All that changed in the 1940s with the Whirokino Cut – originally designed as a flood spillway but which ended up diverting the river entirely and cutting off the so-called Foxton Loop from the river. Now a group of environmental organisations is calling for the loop and the river to be reconnected and they have visions of the region’s wetlands being restored to a point where the “Foxton Everglades” become a major tourist attraction. Jeremy Rose visits the economically-depressed town to talk to some of those behind the proposal.”

    ( this is also good…the Avon was once so deep that a horse and his rider completely disappeared and were never seen again while crossing this river in the heart of Christchurch near the town hall)

    ‘Avon River’

    http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/sunday/audio/201783579/avon-river

    “When you think of the Avon-Ōtākaro river in Christchurch, it’s likely to be an image of a meandering stream making its way through the city, fish swimming lazily, round stones on the bottom – boats punting along. The reality is very different, with much of the Avon, outside the CBD area, polluted with stormwater, sewage overflow and illegal dumping. Wallace talks to kaumatua Teoti Jardine and Prof Bryan Jenkins, who are both part of the Avon-Ōtākaro Network Strategic Steering Group.”

    ( these are the real indigenous environmentalists that Naomi Klein talks about as hope for the future ….working at the flaxroots /grassroots to protect and rejuvenate the landscapes they love )

  2. Paul 2
    21 December 2015 at 7:56 am

    White Ribbon Rob McCann CEO must practise what the organisation he represents preaches.
    Dreadful defence of Key on RNZ this morning.

    http://www.radionz.co.nz/audio/player/201783634

    • Paul 2.1
      21 December 2015 at 8:05 am

      Charities that question the government lose the government’s funding.
      Ask the Problem Gambling Foundation.

      • Tiger Mountain 2.1.1
        21 December 2015 at 10:47 am

        yes, wondered at first why the CEO was being so evasive

      • Heather Grimwood 2.1.2
        21 December 2015 at 8:41 pm

        to Paul at 2.1….yes, but the alternative is to succumb to blackmail…….only courageous refusal to do so and support from other sponsors and donations can halt it, but the publicity of doing so should both increase their number and send a strong message to New Zealanders that such disgusting public behaviour will not be tolerated. I care deeply about the culture that our young are inheriting.

    • Tory 2.2
      21 December 2015 at 8:15 am

      Left is obviously still a bit raw regarding prison cell jokes following previous police investigation of Ex Labour MP Darren Hughes after “a young man laid a complaint of a sexual nature against him”.
      https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darren_Hughes#Police_investigation_and_resignation

      • miravox 2.2.1
        21 December 2015 at 8:27 am

        So Darren Hughes is an ambassador for white ribbon? I didn’t know that!

        And has the PM resigned for his sexual faux pas?

        Sorry, I’m out of the country and this is all news to me.

      • Paul 2.2.2
        21 December 2015 at 8:33 am

        zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

      • Colonial Viper 2.2.3
        21 December 2015 at 12:37 pm

        Don’t be such a smartass Tory, the Right Wing has had its own very close calls.

        • greywarshark 2.2.3.1
          21 December 2015 at 2:41 pm

          Colonial viper
          Happy Christmas Col. I hope you enjoy your time off so you can recharge your batteries.

          Tory shows the type of NZr that supports National, low and grubby. Naturally then seeing our Prime Minister resorting to Key’s capers doesn’t upset Tory’s standards and sensitivities – because he hasn’t got any.

      • Draco T Bastard 2.2.4
        21 December 2015 at 1:11 pm

        And the apologists comes in with their but Labour did it too attempt to defend and distract.

        They really don’t seem to understand that vile behaviour is vile behaviour no matter who does it.

      • Wainwright 2.2.5
        21 December 2015 at 7:43 pm

        Still a bit raw? You’re the one bringing it up 4.5 years later. Not got any new mateiral?

      • greywarshark 2.2.6
        22 December 2015 at 10:45 am

        Tory
        Your link states that Mr Hughes resigned. Can you bring pressure to bear on your Key malefactor, or do you favourably factor in a bit of okay hanky panky into your side’s contenders?

    • Chooky 2.3
      21 December 2015 at 10:36 am

      +100…i thought so too Paul…White Ribbon risks undermining itself with advocacy like that

      at least the Problem Gambling Foundation stood true to itself

    • Rosie 2.4
      21 December 2015 at 11:11 am

      Hi Paul. That audio won’t play for me. So White Ribbon has been criticised for having Key as an ambassador?

      I was really shocked to learn last week that he was even an ambassador, when he himself is an abuser, (Amanda Bailey) an enabler (Tania Billingsley) and a denier(Roast busters) of sexual abuse. There is an action station petition going asking White Ribbon to get Key to stand down as an ambassador.

      I know it’s easy to get cynical about on line petitions but action stations is effective, they played a part in getting Key to apologise (in his own I don’t give a rats arse way) to the opposition for his rapists and murderers comment.

      Here’s the petition:

      http://www.actionstation.org.nz/noribbon

      Key is an embarrassment to the White Ribbon campaign an undoes all the good work that so many volunteers and genuine ambassadors put into their work. But above all he is example of what they are working against therefore it’s totally inappropriate for him to be an ambassador.

      Lets get rid of NZ’s very own Silvio Berlusconi having any involvement with this group.

      • Karen 2.4.1
        21 December 2015 at 11:26 am

        Don’t just the petition, send them an email as well. Hearing the White Ribbon CEO making excuses for Key this morning made so angry.

        I don’t believe for a moment that Key did not understand the references to prison rape, but even if that is what the CEO believes why does he think it acceptable for Key to appear on a radio station like the Rock? How is that in keeping with White Ribbon’s aims?

        • RedLogix 2.4.1.1
          21 December 2015 at 11:35 am

          Indeed if Key didn’t know about the ‘joke’ in advance and was set up … then where is his demand for a retraction and apology? And then a refusal to do anymore appearances with the Rock.

          Key’s silence only indicates he his complicit in it.

          • Rosie 2.4.1.1.1
            21 December 2015 at 12:03 pm

            “Key’s silence only indicates he his complicit in it.”

            I agree. This isn’t the first time he’s been “set up” (feeding the chickens, pissing in the shower etc) and it’s not the first time he’s behaved badly (gay red shirt) on the radio. So he knows by now how this works.

            He has an audience to appeal to and appeal to them he must. Playing one sector of society against another seems to work for him. He’s only concerned about the people that vote for him, not the people as a whole who he is meant to represent.

            If he had a problem with it, along the lines of, ” I refuse to be played by you and encouraged to speak and act in an undignified manner, which is inappropriate for my status and position as PM and will no longer appear on Hauraki and The Rock” he would have said it by now.

            So yes, totally complicit.

            • Draco T Bastard 2.4.1.1.1.1
              21 December 2015 at 1:19 pm

              +1

              Key appeals to the scum of society.

              • James …
                21 December 2015 at 4:33 pm

                And also to wide segments of the rest of the population.

                I know you keep missing the point – but he’s extremely popular, and more people want him as PM than anyone else by a very, very wide margin.

                • Tracey …
                  21 December 2015 at 4:47 pm

                  Which might explain why nz is third in the world for sexual violence. Your pride is misplaced and harmful.

                  For the record his popularity is now in the 40s. Quite thedrop from the 60s

                • McFlock …
                  21 December 2015 at 4:53 pm

                  Not “wide segments”. Just a few narrow, but strategic, wedges.

                  For all their talk of “aspiration”, these tories level everyone down rather than seeking to raise themselves up. hence the missing million and the fuck-useless flag distraction.

                • Rosie …
                  21 December 2015 at 5:22 pm

                  James. Vladimir Putin enjoys an 80% approval rating. Does his popularity mean Russia is an awesome place to live?

                  Does Key’s supposed popularity make his abuse of women and rape culture joking make it all ok then?

                  What will history say of those who defended him?

        • miravox 2.4.1.2
          21 December 2015 at 11:38 am

          Yep – i think the video makes it clear the Prime Minister knew EXACTLY what was going on, and that he enabled the skit to continue.

          Apart from dismissing prison rape as a joke, he provides a pretty awful template for young men to follow in terms of sexual attitudes.

          Sexual mores are already difficult for young men to negotiate – they don’t need people in highly esteemed places to make light of sexual offences.

        • Rosie 2.4.1.3
          21 December 2015 at 11:54 am

          Hi Karen. Good idea. I will email the CEO, as soon I have time to get the audio to play and take in what he said, and send an appropriate response.

          Honestly if I had any idea Key was an ambassador I would have written to them ages ago. I’m so totally flabbergasted (“my ghasts were well and truly flabbered” – Rhinocrates) that they think Key is a suitable person to have as an ambassador.

          It’s not just this latest prison rape jolly jape, it’s everything that went before it too.
          How long has Key been an ambassador do we know? During his time he was abusing Amanda Bailey? Was Key marching alongside Kelvin Davis when he did his hikoi around Northland speaking out against violence towards women?

          Are White Ribbon OK with celebrity mouthpieces who say one thing and do another?

          So many questions!

          • Rosie 2.4.1.3.1
            21 December 2015 at 2:31 pm

            This is getting more absurd by the moment folks. Key has been an ambassador since 2010:

            “John became a White Ribbon Ambassador in 2010. “Family violence wrecks far too many lives in New Zealand,” says Mr Key. “This government is committed to working with the police, community and family organisations, and campaigns like White Ribbon and It’s Not OK to encourage people to take action and help bring family violence down.”

            http://whiteribbon.org.nz/act/ambassadors/

            Why TF has he not been stood down/removed given his history with his absolutely creepy and inappropriate attitude around the sexual abuse of women and girls?

            This explanation does not cover it: (“we take him at his word”

            http://whiteribbon.org.nz/2015/12/20/white-ribbon/

        • Paul 2.4.1.4
          21 December 2015 at 9:27 pm

          How else can pressure be put on White Ribbon?

    • mary_a 2.5
      21 December 2015 at 3:47 pm

      Hi Paul – (2) – yes I heard the same interview on RNZ and thought White Ribbon CEO McCann sounded as though he had been “got at!” Told not say anything negative about FJK, because if he did, White Ribbon just might find itself with a shortage of funds!

      Also another interesting point is Stuff has closed its comments section on the FJK/White Ribbon issue and the comments posted and published earlier today have been pulled completely!

      Signs of a dictatorship?

      What’s the saying … he (she) who has the media, has the power … or something to that effect.

      Welcome to most glorious state of NZ, where most exalted leader for life must be obeyed at all times!

    • Draco T Bastard 2.6
      21 December 2015 at 5:18 pm

      Time for Key to Strip (off his White Ribbon)

      So it seems we can add the White Ribbon Campaign to the burgeoning list of individuals and organizations willing to excuse and overlook Key’s boorishness, acting as if he were a lovable cheeky toddler stamping his chubby feet at the prospect of a bath, rather than the fully grown adult leader of our nation, responsible for his choices, which increasingly reflect badly on us all. How could someone with Key’s alleged business and political acumen not realize that stepping into a cage could only end badly?

      Because he doesn’t really have political acumen but showmanship directed by C/T.

      • Rosie 2.6.1
        21 December 2015 at 9:21 pm

        Thanks for that link to that well written post Draco. Something mentioned further up the link regarding funding has been elaborated on here:

        “The annual return filed with Charities Services reveals the organization received just $3,691 in donations for the year ending June 30, 2015 while at the same time garnering government grants and contracts to the tune of $309,940. Prior to then, their two posted returns report zero income from any source.

        By the way, in July 2014, Christchurch lost its only remaining rape crisis centre for lack of just $30,000 of government funding.”

        I’m reluctant to criticise a group whose purpose is to reduce abuse, however this disclosure about their financial position may indicate their unwillingness to drop Key.

        Which goes back to Heather Grimwood’s point at 2.1.2, which really comes down to integrity. For the sake of the victims they represent and the people they are trying to prevent from becoming victims they need to disassociate themselves from a perpetrator, enabler and bystander.

        • Draco T Bastard 2.6.1.1
          21 December 2015 at 10:59 pm

          I keep looking at that paragraph you quoted and I keep getting the feeling of rort. $200k operating costs on 1.5 person? Just how much is the CEO paying himself?

          • Rosie 2.6.1.1.1
            22 December 2015 at 9:21 am

            I was giving them the benefit of the doubt and thinking about the cost of TV advertising, poster campaigns and print media advertising……………?

  3. ianmac 3
    21 December 2015 at 8:39 am

    Put together cell/soap “jokes”, girls’ ponytail fondling, Labour supports rapists, and there seems to be a seedy pattern there. What about ones we don’t know about?

    • Trey 3.2
      21 December 2015 at 1:33 pm

      Mike Sabin

    • seeker 3.3
      21 December 2015 at 4:37 pm

      @ianmac8.39am

      Extra horror I have still to recover from ……. his nasty throat slashing gesture at the opposition benches ( mainly women opposite him).So violent,unsettling and shocking.
      Hideous behaviour from the leader of a civilised country.

      • Anne 3.3.1
        21 December 2015 at 8:27 pm

        The throat slashing gesture was aimed directly at Phil Goff who was leader at that time.

        • seeker 3.3.1.1
          21 December 2015 at 9:54 pm

          I remember Annette King sitting next to Goff Darien Fenton just behind and just looked it up to see Stevie (can’t remember her last name, sorry)just behind Annette King, all in the front firing line. Don’t care if he did it to Goff ,it was just such appalling behaviour Anne, the sort that can really affront a woman especially because of it’s apparent association with violence.
          I must say Goff did much to deflect it’s hideousness, by behaving calmly, stately and thereby almost protectively while
          the women gasped in horror and anger, and I along with them.
          It was almost like being confronted by a known dog suddenly turned rabid.

          • Anne 3.3.1.1.1
            21 December 2015 at 10:51 pm

            Yes seeker it was a despicable incident and a pre-curser for all he has done and said since. At the time we weren’t aware of his sociopathic tendencies. According to the media he believed the unfortunate gentleman was wanting to kill him and he blamed Phil Goff and Labour. That, in itself was absurd because if the man had jumped off the balcony it was the Labour members sitting immediately below him who would have been injured or even killed – not john Key.

            Afterwards he tried to excuse himself by saying “there were people who wanted to kill him”. There were unstable people who wanted to kill Helen Clark too but she didn’t run around blaming National.

            • seeker 3.3.1.1.1.1
              22 December 2015 at 10:26 am

              Thanks Anne, a really good ,truthful, perceptive comment, particularly the phrase ” despicable incident…….. a pre-curser for all he has said and done since”.
              My description of rabid dog again sprang to mind.
              Nicely put about Helen, so true. In those days I felt proud to be a Kiwi. Nowadays, I have to feel proud to be a Kiwi in spite of our prime minister,but always because of the wonderful Kiwis I know.

  4. Ad 4
    21 December 2015 at 8:55 am

    There was a reasonable flurry yesterday about the negative sides of Auckland; people were not impressed when I pointed out that there are some upsides to its growth. Today’s post on TransportBlog points out the scale and speed of growth and improvement in Auckland, across the fields of:
    – Transport, especially public transport
    – Economy
    – Population
    …and many more.

    http://transportblog.co.nz/2015/12/21/2015-aucklands-watershed-year/

    I think it’s a good one.

    The author of the piece will be doing a further one soon.

  5. Chooky 5
    21 December 2015 at 12:46 pm

    Matthew Hooton endorses Greens leader James Shaw as one of the most successful politicians of the year …new type of leadership…less about street activism…taking the Greens position to the centre

    http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/201783664/politics-with-matthew-hooton-and-stephen-mills

    • Paul 5.1
      21 December 2015 at 1:04 pm

      Deliberate stirring by a corporate shill.

      • Chooky 5.1.1
        21 December 2015 at 1:55 pm

        maybe Hooton liked the Green lemon…Red Peak corporate flag ?…and Shaw’s slick manouvering to get it into the first referendum

        • Paul 5.1.1.1
          21 December 2015 at 1:57 pm

          Hooton is trying to stir.
          Plain and simple.
          Anything to cause trouble in the progressive ranks.
          That’s what his corporate masters pay him to do.
          He is a shill not worth listening to.

    • mary_a 5.2
      21 December 2015 at 4:02 pm

      @ Chooky (5) – when a NatzKEY supporter (Hooton) praises the perceived left of centre, I think it’s time to be somewhat apprehensive and begin listening to the alarm bells!

      After giving FJK a get out of jail free card re the flag issue earlier on and now with Hooton ringing his praises, I’m convinced more than ever now Shaw is there to take NZ Greens to the centre/right or right!

      I feel sorry for Meteria Turei, because she is strongly dedicated to keeping left wing Green policies out there. Makes me wonder how long she will be allowed to stay on as co leader.

      So after being a staunch NZ Green supporter for many years, it’s looking more like it will be Hone Harawira and the Mana Movement for me in 2017!

      • James 5.2.1
        21 December 2015 at 4:35 pm

        “it’s looking more like it will be Hone Harawira and the Mana Movement for me in 2017!”

        Are they still Mana or is it still “Internet Mana”?

        Will be interesting how much of the stink of Kim Dotcom stays with Mana this upcoming election.

        • Chooky 5.2.1.1
          21 December 2015 at 4:50 pm

          oh James you are such a nact bore…..Max Keiser doesnt agree with you…he thinks Dotcom is a genius

      • Sacha 5.2.2
        21 December 2015 at 5:31 pm

        “Shaw is there to take NZ Greens to the centre/right or right!”

        That would require their party members to vote for such a shift. It’s not a top-down dictatorship like some other parties seem to be.

        • Wainwright 5.2.2.1
          21 December 2015 at 7:47 pm

          Sure they have the charade of AGMs and membership votes on a coalition, but at the end of the day when decisions have to be made fast the leader makes them. And then you (they) end up on the right with no idea how. Green democracy isn’t any more robust than Labour democracy

          • Sacha 5.2.2.1.1
            21 December 2015 at 9:06 pm

            Not so. You may benefit from reading their constitution – or better still, talking to members.

          • Macro 5.2.2.1.2
            21 December 2015 at 10:31 pm

            You have no idea. If that happened – the caucus would be up in arms – as would be the whole membership. That’s why there is a co-leader. It’s not just James Shaw. It’s Meteria as well.
            Hooten is just saying that because he thinks because James has corporate experience he is one of them. James isn’t.

    • Tracey 5.3
      21 December 2015 at 4:51 pm

      Hooton is running a line. He clearly doesnt follow Shaws actual statements, emails and press releases.

  6. greywarshark 6
    21 December 2015 at 12:57 pm

    Chooky
    Happy Christmas
    Thanks for the heads up on Shaw – what can it mean when Hooton praises pollies?

  7. maui 7
    21 December 2015 at 1:09 pm

    Margaret Mutu on decision making by hui. What if Aotearoa/New Zealand’s decision making had been done like this for the last 175 years, I’m sure we would be in a much better place now…

    Ever since then, we — particularly those of us who were around that time — watch closely to see where the people are coming from. We especially keep an eye on those who work for government departments. We often find that those people come back and try to hog the floor, hog the hui. But we need to listen to those who have been there all the time, who genuinely represent their whānau and their hapū.

    And you let the talk go on. Then, when all the talk is done, the resolution is put. Resolutions in Ngāti Kahu are done by consensus. So, if a resolution isn’t accepted unanimously, it lies on the floor and is brought up at the next hui. The media may perceive that there are people from home who attack me. But, if you come back home and see what happens there, you’ll learn that those people rarely come to hui.

    And, when they do, they are a tiny but vociferous minority who learn that they can’t impose their views, or the government’s views, on the people. So they use the media to try to have a go at me. All that does is produce a very swift reaction from the hapū and marae who remind them of the decisions Ngāti Kahu has made.

    http://e-tangata.co.nz/news/margaret-mutu-they-told-me-id-know-how-to-beat-these-pakeha/pathways

  9. Penny Bright 9
    21 December 2015 at 6:48 pm

    It’s ok Sacha – just as well some of us are defending YOUR rights to ‘open, transparent and democratically accountable’ local government?

    Oh – that’s right – as a (former?) consultant – you may not be quite so keen on fellow citizens being able to ‘follow (their) dollar?

    Any other Auckland Mayoral candidates actually DOING something, and standing up to be counted, regarding wanting more ‘fiscal responsibility’ or ‘fiscal prudence’ with Auckland Council and Auckland Council Controlled Organisations (CCOs) SPENDING?

    “…Bright argued that the council was legally required to publicise the detail of every contract it awarded, and rates assessment notices were central to her case because they did not provide any of this information.

    “Where exactly are our rates monies going? It’s public money, we have a right to know,” she said.

    “I put my freehold house on the line… because nobody is holding the council accountable.

    “I do not expect to be continually persecuted and prosecuted when I’m trying to do a job that nobody else is doing,” she told the judge. ….”

    It’s all good!

    When I’m elected Mayor of Auckland, this nonsense will stop.

    Auckland Council and CCOs WILL be held accountable to the ‘Rule of Law’ regarding citizens and ratepayers LAWFUL rights to ‘open, transparent and democratically accountable’ local government

    (Actually – I think the fact that I’m prepared to make a very strong stand on a matter of principle, actually sets me apart from the rest of the 2016 Auckland Mayoral candidates, whom, in my opinion, are all pretty much the same ….?

    ie: pro-business, pro-‘Supercity’ (for the 1%), with no clear stated policies on how to achieve ‘open, transparent and democratically accountable’ local government?

    Penny Bright

    2016 Auckland Mayoral candidate.

    • Sacha 9.1
      21 December 2015 at 9:44 pm

      “Oh – that’s right – as a (former?) consultant – you may not be quite so keen on fellow citizens being able to ‘follow (their) dollar?”

      Rather defamatory, wouldn’t you say?
      Got the slightest scrap of evidence to back that slur?

      • Penny Bright 9.1.1
        22 December 2015 at 2:00 am

        If you’re in a hole Sacha – in my view – best to stop digging?

        Try googling your own track record from information that is out there in the public domain?

        Kind regards

        Penny Bright

        2016 Auckland Mayoral candidate

        • Sacha 9.1.1.1
          22 December 2015 at 10:02 am

          You really are nasty piece of work. The conclusions you jump to are nonsensical, then you persist in smearing people with them. Grow up and get a real job.

The server will be getting hardware changes this evening starting at 10pm NZDT.
The site will be off line for some hours.