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 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)
“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 )
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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?
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.
“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.
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.
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?
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.”
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”
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!
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.
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.
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?
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
@ 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!
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
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.
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.
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?
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.
Completed reads for April: The Difference Engine, by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling Carnival of Saints, by George Herman The Snow Spider, by Jenny Nimmo Emlyn’s Moon, by Jenny Nimmo The Chestnut Soldier, by Jenny Nimmo Death Comes As the End, by Agatha Christie Lord of the Flies, by ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
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The unpopular coalition government is currently rushing to repeal section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act. The clause is Oranga Tamariki's Treaty clause, and was inserted after its systematic stealing of Māori children became a public scandal and resulted in physical resistance to further abductions. The clause created clear obligations ...
Buzz from the Beehive The government’s official website – which Point of Order monitors daily – not for the first time has nothing much to say today about political happenings that are grabbing media headlines. It makes no mention of the latest 1News-Verian poll, for example. This shows National down ...
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Chris Trotter writes – New Zealand politics is remarkably easy-going: dangerously so, one might even say. With the notable exception of John Key’s flat ruling-out of the NZ First Party in 2008, all parties capable of clearing MMP’s five-percent threshold, or winning one or more electorate seats, tend ...
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This is a re-post from The Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler In the wake of any unusual weather event, someone inevitably asks, “Did climate change cause this?” In the most literal sense, that answer is almost always no. Climate change is never the sole cause of hurricanes, heat waves, droughts, or ...
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Hi,From time to time, I want to bring Webworm into the real world. We did it last year with the Jurassic Park event in New Zealand — which was a lot of fun!And so on Saturday May 11th, in Los Angeles, I am hosting a lil’ Webworm pop-up! I’ve been ...
Education Minister Erica Standford yesterday unveiled a fundamental reform of the way our school pupils are taught. She would not exactly say so, but she is all but dismantling the so-called “inquiry” “feel good” method of teaching, which has ruled in our classrooms since a major review of the New ...
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Hey Uncle Dave, When the Poms joined the EEC, I wasn't one of those defeatists who said, Well, that’s it for the dairy job. And I was right, eh? The Chinese can’t get enough of our milk powder and eventually, the Poms came to their senses and backed up the ute ...
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Bryce Edwards writes – Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its ...
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Yesterday marked 10 years since the first electric train carried passengers in Auckland so it’s a good time to look back at it and the impact it has had. A brief history The first proposals for rail electrification in Auckland came in the 1920’s alongside the plans for earlier ...
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You make people evil to punish the paststuck inside a sequel with a rotating castThe following photos haven’t been generated with AI, or modified in any way. They are flesh and blood, human beings. On the left is Galatea Young, a young mum, and her daughter Fiadh who has Angelman ...
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It is all very well cutting the backrooms of public agencies but it may compromise the frontlines. One of the frustrations of the Productivity Commission’s 2017 review of universities is that while it observed that their non-academic staff were increasing faster than their academic staff, it did not bother to ...
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Buzz from the Beehive A statement from Children’s Minister Karen Chhour – yet to be posted on the Government’s official website – arrived in Point of Order’s email in-tray last night. It welcomes the High Court ruling on whether the Waitangi Tribunal can demand she appear before it. It does ...
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Morning in London Mother hugs beloved daughter outside the converted shoe factory in which she is living.Afternoon in London Travelling writer takes himself and his wrist down to A&E, just to be sure. Read more ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – The recent announcement of the University Advisory Group, chaired by Sir Peter Gluckman, makes very clear where the Government’s focus and priorities lie. The remit of the Advisory Group is that Group members will consider challenges and opportunities for improvement in the university sector including: ...
Eric Crampton writes – The Reserve Bank of New Zealand desperately wants to find reasons to have workstreams in climate change. It makes little sense. They’ve run another stress test on the banks looking to see if they could find a prudential regulation case. They couldn’t. They ...
Rob MacCullough writes – Pundits from the left and the right are arguing that National’s Fast Track Bill that is designed to speed up infrastructure decisions could end up becoming mired in a cesspool of corruption. Political commentator ...
Looking at the headlines this morning it’s hard to feel anything other than pessimistic about the future of humanity.Note that I’m not speaking about the future of mankind, but the survival of our humanity. The values that we believe in seem to be ebbing away, by the day.Perhaps every generation ...
Swabbing mixed breed baby chicks to test for avian influenzaUh oh. Bird flu – often deadly to humans – is not only being transmitted from infected birds to dairy cows, but is now travelling between dairy cows. As of last Friday, Bloomberg News reports, there were 32 American dairy herds ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
What is it with the mining industry? Its not enough for them to pillage the earth - they apparently can't even be bothered getting resource consent to do so: The proponent behind a major mine near the Clutha River had already been undertaking activity in the area without a ...
Photo # 1 I am a huge fan of Singapore’s approach to housing, as described here two years ago by copying and pasting from The ConversationWhat Singapore has that Australia does not is a public housing developer, the Housing Development Board, which puts new dwellings on public and reclaimed land, ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
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. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
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. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
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. ...
The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure. The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. “I’m putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...
The new NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) App is a secure ‘one stop shop’ to provide the services drivers need, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Digitising Government Minister Judith Collins say. “The NZTA App will enable an easier way for Kiwis to pay for Vehicle Registration and Road User Charges (RUC). ...
Whānau with tamariki growing up in emergency housing motels will be prioritised for social housing starting this week, says Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka. “Giving these whānau a better opportunity to build healthy stable lives for themselves and future generations is an essential part of the Government’s goal of reducing ...
Racing Minister Winston Peters has paid tribute to an icon of the industry with the recent passing of Dave O’Sullivan (OBE). “Our sympathies are with the O’Sullivan family with the sad news of Dave O’Sullivan’s recent passing,” Mr Peters says. “His contribution to racing, initially as a jockey and then ...
Assalaamu alaikum, greetings to you all. Eid Mubarak, everyone! I want to extend my warmest wishes to you and everyone celebrating this joyous occasion. It is a pleasure to be here. I have enjoyed Eid celebrations at Parliament before, but this is my first time joining you as the Minister ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced Pharmac’s largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff. “Access to medicines is a crucial part of many Kiwis’ lives. We’ve committed to a budget allocation of $1.774 billion over four years so Kiwis are ...
Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
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 ...
Asia Pacific Report A Pacific civil society alliance has condemned French neocolonial policies in Kanaky New Caledonia, saying Paris is set on “maintaining the status quo” and denying the indigenous Kanak people their inalienable right to self-determination. The Pacific Regional Non-Governmental Organisations (PRNGOs) Alliance, representing some 15 groups, said in ...
Koi Tū New Zealand cannot sit back and see the collapse of its Fourth Estate, the director of Koi Tū: The Centre for Informed Futures, Sir Peter Gluckman, says in the foreword of a paper published today. The paper, “If not journalists, then who?” paints a picture of an industry ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Foreign investment proposals with implications for Australia’s strategic or economic security will face tougher scrutiny, under a policy overhaul to be announced by Treasurer Jim Chalmers on Wednesday. At the same time, the government ...
A Waitangi Tribunal inquiry report has warned government that a repeal of Section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act could cause harm to children in care. ...
The Treasury has published today three new papers covering government consumption multipliers, automatic stabilisers and the impacts of global shocks on New Zealand’s economy. ...
Asia Pacific Report The Pacific state of Hawai’i’s House of Representatives has joined the state’s Senate in calling for a ceasefire in Israel’s war on Gaza, becoming the first state to pass such a resolution, reports Hawaii News Now. In March, the Senate passed a ceasefire resolution with a 24–1 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christopher Ferrie, A/Prof, UTS Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Research and ARC DECRA Fellow, University of Technology Sydney PsiQuantum The Australian government has announced a pledge of approximately A$940 million (US$617 million) to PsiQuantum, a quantum computing start-up company based in Silicon Valley. Half ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hunter Bennett, Lecturer in Exercise Science, University of South Australia Cameron Prins/Shutterstock If you spend a lot of time exploring fitness content online, you might have come across the concept of heart rate zones. Heart rate zone training has become more ...
SPECIAL REPORT:By Eugene Doyle He is the most popular Palestinian leader alive today — and yet few people in the West even know his name. Absolutely no one in Gaza or the West Bank does not know him. That difference speaks volumes about who dominates the media narrative that ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Will McCallum, PhD Candidate – School of Communication and Creative Arts, Deakin University Earlier this year, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton accused Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of not supporting Operation Sovereign Borders – the military-led border security operation that has “closed Australia’s borders ...
By Melyne Baroi in Port Moresby A Papua New Guinea MP, Peter Isoaimo, who had been ousted by the National Court in an alleged bribery case, has been reinstated by the Supreme Court on appeal. A three-member Supreme Court bench found that the National Court had erred in finding that ...
Publisher Chris Holdaway reflects on the unique project of collecting the work of the late, terrific poet Schaeffer Lemalu. One of the nice things you can do as a truly independent publisher is to make the books that writers want to make, whatever they happen to be. That’s how I’ve ...
Those profiled in the stamp series served on overseas deployments from 1995 onwards, and all have been awarded theNew Zealand Operational Service Medal. ...
Last night’s dismal poll result for the coalition government shows the limits of trying to govern as an opposition, argues Joel MacManus. There’s a quote from the American political activist Barbara Deming: “Vengeance is not the point; change is. But the trouble is that in most people’s minds, the thought ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Shireen Morris, Associate Professor and Director of the Radical Centre Reform Lab at Macquarie University Law School, Macquarie University Leonid Andronov/Shutterstock Foreign interference in Australian democracy poses a growing risk to our national sovereignty. It refers to coercive, corrupt or ...
A defendant charged by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has pleaded guilty to four charges of obtaining by deception in relation to a mortgage fraud scheme. Sentencing has been scheduled for 14 August 2024. ...
What to say when pesky journalists ask gotcha questions like ‘can you name a single book you’ve ever read?’ and ‘did you read it, or did you just see the movie?’This week, Act Party arts spokesperson Todd Stephenson foolishly agreed to an interview with Newsroom’s Steve Braunias regarding his ...
Explainer - What will a ban on cellphones in schools achieve? Can students use them during lunch breaks? And what happens if you need to contact your child? ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jodi Rowley, Curator, Amphibian & Reptile Conservation Biology, Australian Museum, UNSW Sydney Jodi Rowley, CC BY-NC-ND In winter 2021, Australia’s frogs started dropping dead. People began posting images of dead frogs on social media. Unable to travel to investigate the deaths ...
In the year ended March 2024, 0.4 percent of home transfers were to people who didn’t hold New Zealand citizenship or a resident visa, according to figures released by Stats NZ today. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Wasay Majid, Research Assistant , University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau New Zealand’s accommodation supplement scheme is facing scrutiny, with Social Development Minister Louise Upston recently saying “there is merit in considering whether the current settings are fair and sustainable long-term”. The ...
By Koroi Hawkins, RNZ Pacific editor The first prime ministerial candidate has been announced in Solomon Islands and it is not Manasseh Sogavare. The man of the hour is Jeremiah Manele, the MP for Hograno/Kia/Havulei constituency in Isabel Province, who served as minister of foreign affairs in the last government. ...
Protesting the removal of bins by leaving piles of your dog’s shit for others to deal with doesn’t make you a hero – it’s precious and entitled behaviour. You haven’t truly lived until you’ve stood on the shoreline of Auckland’s Cheltenham beach, desperately trying to scoop increasingly liquid dog shit ...
Analysis - Christopher Luxon will be alert to the factors driving the dire polling, but won't be waving the white flag just yet, RNZ political editor Jo Moir writes. ...
Writer, teacher and academic Vincent O’Sullivan died on Sunday 28 April. Here we gather tributes from friends, colleagues, and students who remember his extraordinary contributions. I went down to the garage tonight. There was a bird shrieking out in the bush, in the dark, maybe a kākā. Miraculously, through the ...
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a burnt-out corporate escapee explains how she gets by ‘working as little as possible’. Want to be part of The Cost of Being? Fill out the questionnaire here.Gender: Female Age: 31 Ethnicity: Pākehā Role: Contractor in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy Schmidt, Professor of Chemistry, UNSW Sydney Albert Russ / Shutterstock The icebreaker of many a barbeque conversation is something like “what do you do for a crust?” “I teach chemistry at university,” is what we usually reply. Then silence. Our ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Asher Flynn, Associate Professor of Criminology, Monash University Shutterstock Sexual harassment is often considered to be a person-to-person act, but new research shows Australians are also experiencing and perpetrating workplace harassment in large numbers through technology. Our latest study shows one ...
A petition signed by more than 16,500 people, demanding the government take stronger action to halt the genocide of Palestinians by the State of Israel, is being presented to the House of Representatives today by Hon Phil Twyford. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Burnett, Honorary Associate Professor, ANU College of Law, Australian National University jenmartin/Shutterstock April has been a bad month for the Australian environment. The Great Barrier Reef was hit, yet again, by intense coral bleaching. And Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek delayed ...
Winston Peters might not give a ‘rat’s derriere’ about last night’s poll, but it revealed the unusual absence of a honeymoon period and little payoff for the government’s action plan approach, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Marco de Jong, Lecturer, Law School, Auckland University of Technology Getty Images Details released by the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet under the Official Information Act reveal New Zealand officials have been considering involvement in AUKUS from the outset. ...
The government's treatment of Māori raised eyebrows, with countries saying New Zealand needed to do more to reduce health, education and justice inequities. ...
The age of criminal responsibility was one of numerous human rights issues raised during Aotearoa New Zealand’s UPR. Other key themes were racism and discrimination, the disproportionate representation of Māori in prison, and to uphold the UN Declaration ...
In a sitdown interview ahead of his final day at Parliament this week, the former Green Party co-leader tells RNZ about his lowest point during 2017's rough election campaign. ...
Is the fringe radio station really in a financial crisis, or is it just running a hyped-up donation drive? Fringe internet radio station Reality Check Radio was launched by the anti-vaccine mandates group Voices for Freedom in March 2023. For the next year, it undertook probably the most aggressive promotional ...
Above the Fold: On Monday, the biggest Māori screen production company faced down the biggest funder of Māori content at the High Court. It was an incredibly tense moment – then, just as quickly, it resolved. Duncan Greive breaks down a strange day in the screen sector.Yesterday morning, Māori ...
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It’s a ride that’s lasted almost 30 years for mother and daughter BMX riders Nancy and Toni James, and the next stop is the World Championships in Rock Hill, South Carolina. Almost 27 years ago, Nancy and her husband Gerrard took their oldest child, Daniel, to the Waitākere BMX Club. ...
When it comes to talking about the Government’s controversial fast-track consenting process, political scientist Richard Shaw refers to the famous Chinese sci-fi novel Three-Body Problem, while RNZ’s In Depth journalist Farah Hancock talks about zombie projects. Shaw is referring to the three-party coalition Government and how the proposed legislation is ...
Opinion: The debate over single gender versus co-educational schooling has long been controversial. I went to a co-ed school and was inspired by a remarkable woman who was my maths teacher, and because of her deep knowledge and passion for the subject, I knew that maths was definitely an option ...
He won everything and he earned a knighthood and he was a senior literary figure to the point that he was a living monument to himself until his death in the weekend at 86, but there was something about Vincent O’Sullivan that flew under the radar, that was independent and ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rick Sarre, Emeritus Professor of Law and Criminal Justice, University of South Australia The rate of women killed by their partners in Australia grew by 28% from 2021–22 to 2022–23, according to new statistics released today by the Australian Institute of Criminology ...
Ministry of Disabled People employees were promised a permanent role, but were told to start packing three weeks before their fixed term contract finished, says a former employee. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Blakers, Professor of Engineering, Australian National University Clean Energy Council / Neoen As Australia’s rapid renewable energy rollout continues, so too does debate over land use. Nationals Leader David Littleproud, for example, claimed regional areas had reached “saturation point” and ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brendan C. Walsh, Sessional Academic, The University of Queensland Arrest for witchcraft (1866) by John PettieNGV, CC BY-NC In recent decades, governments the world over have increasingly taken action to address the dark history of witch-hunting. In western Europe, memorials to ...
By Mark Rabago, RNZ Pacific Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas correspondent The US Department of Justice is being urged to condemn and cease its reliance on the “Insular Cases” — a series of US Supreme Court opinions on US territories, which have been labelled racist. Senate Judiciary Committee chair Dick ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kara Dadswell, Senior Lecturer in Psychology, Victoria University Ask your son or daughter, niece, or nephew to draw you a picture of a sport coach. They will most probably draw a man. Why? Our latest research published in the Psychology of Sport ...
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 )
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
Charities that question the government lose the government’s funding.
Ask the Problem Gambling Foundation.
yes, wondered at first why the CEO was being so evasive
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.
I agree.
Charities must be independent to have a point.
+1 Heather
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
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.
Well responded. Tory throwing his white man bigottry around again
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Don’t be such a smartass Tory, the Right Wing has had its own very close calls.
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.
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.
Still a bit raw? You’re the one bringing it up 4.5 years later. Not got any new mateiral?
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?
+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
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.
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?
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.
“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.
+1
Key appeals to the scum of society.
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.
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
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.
+1
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?
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.
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!
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/
How else can pressure be put on White Ribbon?
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!
Time for Key to Strip (off his White Ribbon)
Because he doesn’t really have political acumen but showmanship directed by C/T.
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.
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?
I was giving them the benefit of the doubt and thinking about the cost of TV advertising, poster campaigns and print media advertising……………?
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?
Herman…..?
Interesting…..
Oh that Herman Friend of Key!
Mike Sabin
@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.
The throat slashing gesture was aimed directly at Phil Goff who was leader at that time.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Auckland is fine as long as you are earning over say $70K to $80K pa. Otherwise you’re just hard up trying to keep up with basic living expenses.
+100
At least.
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
Deliberate stirring by a corporate shill.
maybe Hooton liked the Green lemon…Red Peak corporate flag ?…and Shaw’s slick manouvering to get it into the first referendum
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.
I think that Hooton may be useful to keep an eye on, as is a weathercock showing which way the wind is blowing.
he reflects one faction, thats all. #weather
@ 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!
“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.
oh James you are such a nact bore…..Max Keiser doesnt agree with you…he thinks Dotcom is a genius
“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.
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
Not so. You may benefit from reading their constitution – or better still, talking to members.
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.
Hooton is running a line. He clearly doesnt follow Shaws actual statements, emails and press releases.
Chooky
Happy Christmas
Thanks for the heads up on Shaw – what can it mean when Hooton praises pollies?
Happy Xmas to YOU too …greywarshark
..it means you might think so…but I couldn’t possibly comment
No you can’t comment Chooky because in this case you would be completely wrong.
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…
http://e-tangata.co.nz/news/margaret-mutu-they-told-me-id-know-how-to-beat-these-pakeha/pathways
Perhaps we are running by hui. It is organised by David Farrar don’t ya know?
It would be interesting to see how long it would take before Farrar, Hooten, Hosk and Henry would be ostracised during a 3 day Hui. All of 5 minutes?
a #princessparty
@ maui …thanks for that interview with Margaret Mutu …very interesting
Wondered why it was serene here today ..
http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/news/national/auckland-council-rates-battle-continues-in-court/
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.
“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?
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
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.