Some advocates are worried lawmakers will view Labour’s bill as a “compromise position” rather than voting for the Green’s bill, which comes up for the vote tomorrow.
National are meeting this morning to decide whether to let their MPs use conscience votes.
Have the Greens done enough groundwork behind the scenes to muster support and ensure their bill will get over the line? Or will Labour’s bill end up becoming the compromise advocates are worried about?
And yet National will probably mostly vote against it if its a conscience vote and will vote against it if they whip all National MPs to vote the same way.
Thing is, with that sort of support, no MP should vote against Chloe’s bill. If they do then they’re actually being antidemocratic because they’re not representing what the people want.
Sometimes we get some heroes in the Nat party. Everyone remembers Marilyn Waring for crossing the floor and I remember Ian McLean, George Gair and Katherine OReagan crossing for Homosexual Law Reform.
The Bill is reportedly “very, very complex”. Government departments will have to meet certain targets to reduce child poverty, and whether they succeed or not will be reported by the Treasury.
The Prime Minister says this will ensure that child poverty remains a priority across all departments.
“The fact that we’re going to have to report on how we’re doing at the Budget will shape the way that we look at child-wellbeing issues every time we write a Budget,” she said on Monday.
Since it’s going to cover the Public Finance Act it will cover all Departments where it matters the most.
To me the big disappointment is the government has chosen not to engage closely with National on the child poverty legislation.
National are extremely experienced at getting the bureaucracy to conform to to specific targets (the discipline being more useful in a government than the levels that change from year to year).
Including National in the discussion early on rather than a quick briefing the day of bill introduction means that it cannot be a “National Park”, “NZSuper” or “Treaty of Waitangi Settlement” issue that is a cross-House commitment to finalise the issue and not make politics out of it.
This is the big mistake that the Clark government made with the Bill Of Rights Act, among others, which has meant that while BORA is a rider on every bill, it is now routinely disregarded.
Very hard to see this legislation now surviving a change of government.
While taking steps to improve child poverty numbers is worthy, shouldn’t the Government be ensuring that poverty overall is improving? After all, a less equal society is a less prosperous society.
Moreover, as parents of children are better compensated, the Government needs to ensure those struggling (without dependent children) aren’t becoming worse off going forward. Therefore, why not put measures in place to cover both?
Didn’t Ardern reach out to National not long after she was voted in? Therefore, wasn’t it National that failed to closely engage?
If by “overall” you mean all Departments should take account of it, trust me it quickly becomes one measure among a welter of competing bottom lines. Cynicism about multiple and conflicting bottom lines kicks in real quick and at every level.
The most useful thing this Act will do is seek to solidify the definition of poverty.
After that the state – no matter who is running it – can determine what instruments they use to eradicate it, and what funding to allocate.
Unless they include National enough to persuade them to vote for this bill, there will be no enduring common accountability framework that eradicates poverty.
Overall in this case simply refers to all those struggling in poverty that don’t have dependent children meeting Labour’s criteria.
“The most useful thing this Act will do is seek to solidify the definition of poverty “
It’s an unhelpful definition of poverty if those struggling in poverty that don’t have dependent children meeting Labour’s criteria are overlooked.
Whether it becomes merely another measure among a welter of competing bottom lines is up to the Government and whether it lays out its directives clearly (prioritising and straightening out any potential conflicting bottom lines).
Offering to include National is no guarantee National will accept the invitation or are in fact even interested in securing an enduring accountability framework.
National are interested because English repeatedly said so including this morning.
Also they have a 9 year track record on keeping major social initiatives that Labour formed.
There’s always going to be criteria. There’s no helicopter throwing sacks of cash out the window. Nature of bureacracy is to have order in redistribution. A system.
Bill comes out this afternoon. Definitions are in front.
Big questions when this many people are couning on it. Guarantee not all will be satisfied.
English implied it is largely already being done and questioned its effectiveness, especially as Labour’s fiscal restraints largely prevents them from further family income increases.
No one is suggesting throwing out sacks of cash. This is about Labours failure to account for all those in poverty and not merely people with dependent kids. The cutoff (having dependent children or not) leaves far too many (those without dependent children) to fall further through the cracks.
English implied (when pointing to the removal of other targets) lack of education as one of the reasons why people are in poverty. However, if there were more employment opportunities and the minimum wage was a living wage, those with low education levels would be far less likely to be in poverty, Which, of course, Bill completely overlooks.
Announced minimum wage increases partly address ‘overall’ poverty as you say. Labour’s election strategy was not to go too far left with their first term promises. More voters respond to children than adults suffering, sadly.
“English implied (when pointing to the removal of other targets) lack of education as one of the reasons why people are in poverty. However, if there were more employment opportunities and the minimum wage was a living wage, those with low education levels would be far less likely to be in poverty, Which, of course, Bill completely overlooks.”
It was around about that stage in his chat on Natrad this morning that I stomped out doing a fairly good impression of….
“English was reluctant to say whether National will back the Government’s legislation but says Labour’s unlikely to have the cash it needs to deal with the problem long term.”
Presumably you’ve now seen that English was invited to be briefed well before Christmas. He didn’t take up the offer. Hard to have an input when you don’t engage.
Apparently, Labour even sent him a draft of their plans to look over in early December to comment on. So him saying he had not seen the draft to be able to comment on it was his own fault. He has had it in his possession for at least a month and a half.
Am totally hearing where you are coming from and agree with you Chairman. But sadly kids can’t change their poverty easily, especially babies, toddlers and primary school age children.
So looking forward to todays announcement, our new government brings hope for many.
I can only assume if you hear and agree with me you’ll also share in my disappointment that this isn’t being extended to cover all in poverty.
It’s another policy shortfall from Labour.
They’ve yet to be in power for a hundred days, yet these policy shortfalls of Labour are quickly adding up. TPP, minimum wage, cannabis reform, ban on foreign property investment etc, and now this.
If Labour continue on like this they risk voter disappointment outshining the small gains made.
In a time when much is required to be done, Labour are becoming known as the party of baby steps. Too little too late.
Winter energy payment will help the oldies and beneficiaries so much, thanks to the new government.
A year free tertiary education will help youth re poverty.
I wouldn’t be calling them out on cannabis law reform, that’s coming today and tomorrow, go for it Chloe.
I doubt anyone is bumming out that changes are being made on foreign ownership, apart from foreigners.
TPP has changed so so much, the things many were worried about seem to have been taken care of, prior government said it couldn’t change it, turns out they didn’t even try.
We’ve had a new government after nine long hard years for only 100 days, during which we’ve had a summer break.
nat’s are looking for holes instead of solutions, it’s almost like they see poverty as a competition, that’s what really fucks me off. Can’t even work with others to help solve the problem, unless it’s on their terms, selfish competitive thinking which solves nada.
Kids come first, it’s not like a toddler can get out there and find a part time job. Looking forward to todays announcements, loving the new government.
With the deficits many in poverty face, winter energy payments are a nice gesture but will provide little help. Too little.
A year free tertiary education is being blamed for an influx of students adding to rental pressure, thus higher rents in student towns.
Moreover, it’s far from free education. So again, too little
The cannabis reform being voted upon today can certainly be called out for falling far too short. And is.
The changes to foreign ownership exempts far too many foreign investors and is limited to existing houses, hence it’s not only foreign investors impacted that are bummed. This is one of those policies that Labour have managed to disappoint both sides.
While the TPP has had some changes, for a number, those changes don’t go far enough. Hence, the widespread disappointment with Labour when they announced they would support it.
We have a health crisis, a housing crisis etc and yet this lot were happy to take a Christmas break? I would have expected them to put their break on hold and deal to the crisis first.
As for the Nats, we know they are useless, but that doesn’t excuse Labours shortcomings.
As for you loving the new government despite it’s shortcomings, well some are easy to please. I expect them to do a lot better, hence don’t accept this lowering of the bar that you’re demonstrating. It’s counterproductive in getting them to lift their game, which I assume you would also love them to do.
I’m not expecting everything at once, certainly not in the first 100 days after nine years of the nats. But I’m seeing progress, of course with any changes there will also be stumbling blocks.
I think they are doing OK at present, there’s always room for improvement, but I’m happy to wait a bit longer before asking them to lift their game. I think bills a gone burger, he hasn’t lifted his game in decades.
At a guess I’d say most of those in the new government spent a good portion of their holidays working/reading/engaging with the public/researching etc.
“After all, a less equal society is a less prosperous society”.
Would you care to explain exactly what you mean by this statement?
The usual measure of equality is the Gini Coefficient. Albania has a GDP/capita (PPP) of $12,500. It has a Gini coefficient of 0.29.
The USA has equivalent figures of $59,500 and 0.45.
Thus Albania is more “equal” than the USA.
Are you seriously trying to tell us that Albania is more “prosperous” than the USA?
The poverty level is a purely relative thing. It is generally determined by calculating whether someone has an income that is less than some percentage of the average income for the country.
If you had a country where the entire population had an income below about $700/year, which the World Bank considers to be the absolute poverty level, but which had a Gini coefficient of 0 then by the “poverty measures” we use in New Zealand there would be no-one in poverty as we use a relative figure. If everyone has the same income then there is no-one in poverty as we calculate the term.
“I ignore them now”.
I had noticed that. You happily ask people to justify and give links to things you don’t like, or understand, but when asked to justify statements you have made you always ignore the request.
Are you going to reply to the request I made asking you to explain when Joyce was Minister of Broadcasting? https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-26-01-2018/#comment-1439892
If I remember correctly while the nats were in power they refused to take part in cross party groups to tackle child poverty, such was their selfishness and egomania.
That is correct Cinny. So, its no wonder the government has been reluctant (if, indeed they have) to be too accommodating with National. Trust is a key element in any negotiation and on this issue National didn’t exactly endear themselves to the cause.
This is patently incorrect. English and other senior National cabinet ministers had put considerable effort into understanding and developing programmes to combat child poverty.
Importantly they thought carefully about how to measure the effectiveness of these programmes in terms of reducing child poverty. Measurement of success is an essential component of such programmes.
Labour would have benefited from taking the initiative to discuss National’s approach to eliminating child poverty; and would have increased the prospect of a cross party agreement on the matter.
“Social Development Minister Paula Bennett has been accused of being flippant about child poverty by saying measuring poverty was difficult because children moved in and out of poverty on a daily or weekly basis.”
bouncing has nothing to do with weight, bouncing is about being excited or hypo. JS… and paula knows she is large and is doing something about it, so i can’t see the offense in Greys comment.
“bounce up and down
To hop up and down. The kids started bouncing up and down when they heard school was closed for the day.”
I did it just to draw you out from under your stone James, you hypocrite.
And why can’t people accept that being fat is something okay. Why if someone chooses to toss off a remark the response is just ‘So’? There is no reason to feel sorry and protective of fat people, except that we dislike it and that is not our right to pass judgment on being fat. Accept it, and accept the occasional rude remark and self-accept and just ride above it is the healthy way to deal with attitudes. What is unhealthy is when you are prevented from walking far as I am because I am both fat and so unfit.
The terrific detective in Reginald Hill’s detective novels, Andy played by Warren somebody on TV in the Dalziel and Pascoe series was nicknamed the Fat Bastard. He was great as a character, a great person and annoying and unreasonable at times, but still liked because of his personal attributes.
nat’s aren’t into cross party task forces and groups to tackle any of NZ’s major problems, it’s either their way or no way, another reason am so pleased about a change of government
the nats didn’t wan’t to take part in a cross party group tackling domestic violence and child abuse either
did paula bring down the rates of domestic violence and child abuse since this defensive rant from 2014?
At what stage of their 9-year period of ‘governance’ did National roll out these “programmes to combat child poverty”?
Doubt we will have to wait that long to see that child poverty is more of a priority for the current Labour-led government than it ever was for National.
Better yet, ignored and then tried to claim cheap political points off the idea they hadn’t been briefed. I bet there is some surprise in the NAct camp that the media actually did some fact checking on this one…
“Ardern denied Labour had not made a genuine effort to engage National, saying she had provided details of the bill more than a month before it was due to be released.”
“English’s response was to accept a briefing for the new year and urge Ardern to retain the public service targets, saying they had created a “step change” in the way the public service worked.”
Sure, get over the fact that Her Majesty’s loyal opposition is represented by lying cowardly scum who shit on people as a perfect representation of everything they believe in.
We are poles apart in our ideology OAB, Bill English could cure cancer and you would still see him as scum.
But what he’d actually do would be to prevent a cure from being developed, especially if it prevented profits for big business, by saying that it cost too much while giving tax cuts to rich people.
…but they too play the game of politics and talk is cheap.
No they don’t. They especially don’t continuously lie the way that National does.
Dirty Politics was about the corrupt actions of National.
Ideally, we would have true cross-party engagement on issues like this.
Ideally our representatives would be representing the majority of people and what the people think should happen but instead most of them are more concerned with what the rich and powerful want.
All English has to do is to stop telling lies. But so long as people like you keep making excuses for him, and enabling him with your support, he won’t.
She provided details of the bill including when it would be put before parliament for a vote and asked for National to contribute and the lazy schmucks in National decided not to do anything and are now lying to cover their arse.
“Softly Softly catchee monkey.” Get this over the line and the framework is in place for sustainable anti poverty targets. It will then be simple to add sectors.
Blinglish at it again on Morning Report. The interviewer gave him enough rope and he came close to hanging himself. Oh, the absolute fucking irony of an ex Natzi PM banging on about things his government ignored or denied until they were up for re-election – not.
He has the temerity to criticise the coalition for doing some work in the areas of child poverty, poor or unavailable housing, wage equity, poverty in general, when his crew spend all their PR energies telling us they were doing something when they weren’t.
Can you see the huge gap in credibility between denying problems then saying what you’re doing about it? Un-bloody-believable! And then . . popping up now to criticise people who ARE doing something about the issues.
They live in an alternative world, not a place i’d like to inhabit.
OK James, have been objectively watching this nasty nats party slowly devalue just about everything in this country for 9 years . . . oh, sorry, not everything. What’s still good, great even? Big business, banks, rip-off local councils, anything where money flows upwards and individuals barely tread water in their fight to just stay afloat.
Noticed anything like that happening? Well, you wouldn’t. It took the labia party, NZ lost and the groan party to do something for everyman. Feel better now?
Bill is late to the party. His child poverty target only happened when Gower handed it to him in the debates — he has no credibility on the issue whatsoever.
Manuka honey. Government not supporting our family businesses. Quite perverse I consider.
09:05 Beekeepers welcome MPI U-turn on Manuka honey
NZ Beekeeping was set to take MPI to the High Court, starting today, over its proposed export standard on the premium honey. The industry group maintained that the standard would have meant more than 100 million dollars a year in export products could no longer be called manuka honey, and would have caused major damage to the rural economy. Yesterday, MPI agreed not to change the definition and NZ Beekeeping withdrew the legal action. Kathryn talks with NZ Beekeeping president Russell Berry and spokesperson for the UMF Honey Associaton John Rawcliffe. http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/2018629923/beekeepers-welcome-mpi-u-turn-on-manuka-honey
Surely its far better to have an industry standard ,it will be far more damageing to nzs Manuka brand if its found to be any old shit with a Manuka Labal on it
“Is your superfood honey FAKE? Experts reveal that three times more jars of healing manuka are sold around the world than being produced in New Zealand”
I was at a meeting last night where government ministers spoke.
One stated and repeated that they had “a pollyannish” view of the future: that AGW presented NZ with opportunities. And they had no awareness that government policies around AGW are predicated on information that, at a very fundamental level, lacks scientific credibility.
So I’m a bit bummed out today.
On the bright side, although the meeting was attended by a large set of people who at first glance might be said to be aging and middle class, the only spontaneous applause of the night was for audience members who threw down the gauntlet and challenged the idea that current economic arrangements should be protected or preserved.
“The valuation of the Hapua St house – home to the same tenant for 37 years”
Wow! 37 years in a state house, and here I though the purpose of the welfare system was to help people when they needed it, not for a lifetime. No wonder we don’t have enough state housing, people never seem to leave.
37 years ago he was 44 when he may have hit hard times, it was also 1981 before the famous NZ stock market crash, before we had child poverty, before we had a housing crisis, before we even knew what climate change was – I’m not sure what I’m meant to be envious about.
I can admit to being slightly envious of someone who has benefited from state-subsidised housing for 37 years. You’re either in denial, or considerably richer than me…
Indiana
You are always light on deep thought. You said state housing was to ‘help people when they need it’. Obviously he did need it. The ‘social welfare’ system has for decades been pushing people out of state housing so if they couldn’t push him out, there was something preventing that.
Fair call. Is it also fair for State Hosing to relocate this person to a another state house (apparently there are 1411 empty state homes) , so they could sell the property to release its value to increase the state housing stock?
No. Because that’s just a distraction from the fact that policy decisions at the government level have cut 5000 houses off the HNZ stock over the last ten years or so.
One house sale does fuck all compared to a government that actually wants to house people.
Indiana
Not a fair call. First you have a go at tenant for needing a state house for more than a set period of time. Then you turn around and criticise gummint for the way they have managed housing stock?
I wonder – do you care about anything? You seem to just want something to be negative about to prod TS to say something. Does that make you feel important, very wise and objective about the hoi polloi? Ultimately it would be good at the end of a discussion to feel that we had seen a better way of doing something rather than look for someone or thing to fault. Do you agree?
Here I am again suggesting that you actually read something before hitting your keyboard/phone. I really don’t know whether you have actual reading problems or are naturally obtuse – or deliberately so.
The Herald article states:
The artist had moved into the home 37 years ago with his wife, who was unwell. She died not long after they moved in.
The man has watched as houses around him were built and the tiny road become increasingly clogged with parked cars.
He said if he had a choice he wouldn’t live there – the area had become too busy for his liking.
But he’s made it home, carpeting the floors, fixing the walls, tending to the garden and filling the humble lounge with his array of paintings and carvings.
If you look at the photo of the house itself, there is a long ramp up to a small deck with access into the house via french doors – suggesting wheelchair access. Whether that was for his wife or himself (or both) is unclear.
If he has longterm/permanent mobility and/or other disabilities requiring this type of access and other modifications inside the house, then it makes sense that he has been allowed to remained in the house since his wife’s death. Otherwise, as greywarshark has pointed out, he would probably have been moved out years ago.
No mention of the 667 empty properties, nor the 1411 state homes were sitting empty. You instead attack one individual to score points.
What a amoral individual you are indiana, maybe you want to have a we look at yourself as an individual, and ask why you want to pick on people rather than offer solutions or look at the bigger picture.
Bloody obvious you didn’t grow up in our time here in a NZ who guaranteed everyone a home under “state housing” in the 1950’s that was how things were here then.
Many never owned there own home so this was quite common back then.
“Easiest way is just don’t reply to people who’s views you disagree with.”
It’s still a derail if I don’t reply but the thread fills up with stupidity.
We’ve had debates with denialists ad nauseum (and some of the other authors still let that happen under their posts). The topic for debate under *this thread isn’t whether climate change is real or not (nor whether it’s too late to do anything or not). TS isn’t a free for all, and it’s quite normal for off-topic comments to be moved off thread. I just like to save myself the bother by making the boundaries clear up front.
News on the nuclear energy front – the US Nuclear Regulatory Commision has approved a small modular reactor design as being “walk-away safe”, ie it won’t release radiation or melt down even with total loss of control in any kind of natural disaster.
New Zealand has such abundant natural renewable energy resources that I can’t see something like this ever getting installed on land here. But a 50MW power output is ideal for a large ship. So I think we need to get used to the idea that a zero-carbon future will include ships powered by reactors like this in our harbours. If a worldwide carbon price gets imposed, that future might come at us very quickly.
But a 50MW power output is ideal for a large ship. So I think we need to get used to the idea that a zero-carbon future will include ships powered by reactors like this in our harbours.
That’s pretty much what I’ve been thinking for the last few years.
As part of the original “Nuclear weapons free” movement we were never opposed to the safe future use of nuclear technology if/when it became available.
It was always about weapons.
Sounds interesting, I think nuclear power could be great if the current problems can be overcome. That reactor looks like a great step for safety. The waste problem still remains I suspect.
We have scientific proof if weather modification. It would be nice to think that the TPPA would permit us to legislate a against more aluminum being dumped into our sky.
NZ needs to move on this in what would be a world first.
We also must implement grey water as part of all new builds and retrofit as soon as possible.
I feel like I’m the only one taking about this but hope just one of you will catch on. I don’t even read replies because I’m certain they will just attack me/my post whatever.
All will be well (in their world) when that fella Jesus is returned to his rightful position in the House.
”
henry cooke
✔
@henrycooke
About 250 folks on Parliament lawn looking to keep mentions of Jesus in the Parliamentary Prayer
12:01 PM – Jan 30, 2018
7 7 Replies Retweets 1 1 like
Twitter Ads info and privacy
Hi everyone, I’m out on the forecourt of Parliament where about 300 or so Christians are tallying in an attempt to keep mentions of Jesus in the Parliamentary prayer. Speaker Trevor Mallard has yet to make a decision on this but will obviously have to make one by 2pm when the House opens for the first time this year.
Spokesman Ross Smith told me he and a delegation met with the Speaker just before Christmas and he hasn’t heard from them since then. He’s here praying for all MPs and the new Government, and is still hopeful Jesus will stay in the prayer. Even if he doesn’t however Smith says this rally – which is quite impressively staged – will have been worth it.”
Bullshit A is for________. If the smelter dosnt get the volume to justify 14,000kwh at about 5 cents per kWh. The smelter will go the way of John Keys political career.
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
[Antoine said >>You can’t just ‘shut down the smelter until the crisis is over’, it doesn’t work like that.<<
afaik Antoine is correct – you can't shut down Tiwai for a period of time and then start it up again. Once you shut it down, that's it (too expensive to restart I think).
But that could have sorted out amongst adults in the original thread. You appear intent on behaving like a child. You've been warned about being abusive in the past (only a few days ago) and now you've been stupid enough to do that shit under one of my posts and have my too hot an afternoon, irritated at having to go look things up, moderator attention. I hope I have yours. You are now warned that if you continue to post pointless personal abuse you will be banned (in part for shitstirring, but also for wasting moderator time). Any questions, feel free to ask – weka]
@ James 13.1) … I know you are referring to Meteria Turei, which has nothing to do with the topic. Or have I missed something along the way? So please explain the connection between Meteria and Chloe Swarbrick’s medicinal cannabis bill for me please?
Really @ One Two (13.2)? Funny that, because I received an email from Chloe Swarbrick thanking me for my support for “her” bill, as no doubt did many other supporters! Sent 6.26pm this evening, Tuesday 30 January 2018!
You don’t have a fucking position. What, you think that her public record is the same as her academic record or lists of interests? Now you’ve gone from “wouldn’t have authored” (which means no involvement in its construction) to “without considerable assistance”.
But my point is that it doesn’t fucking matter. She’s the one putting her name and reputation behind it. She’s the one making the effort. She’s the one saying the government bill doesn’t go far enough. And you still want to take a dump on that because it might not have been crafted by a single MP with no contribution from others.
Whatever. It’s still probably more than you’ve ever done.
mary_a, I am going to ignore the others playing ‘I am more ignorant than you’ with each other in this thread, but here is some background on the Bill now under Chloe’s name.
The proposed Bill authored by Julie Anne Genter was originally put into the Member’s Bill ballot and drawn out of the ballot in June 2017 but not put before the House for 1st Reading before the House rose for the General Election.
Once the new Government was formed, Julie Anne Genter could no longer lead the Bill as she is now Minister of Women (and Associate Minister of Health and of Transport) and Ministers cannot put forward Member’s Bills. So on becoming a Minister, JA Genter had to hand this Bill over to another Green Party MP who was not a Minister – hence Chloe Swarbrick now leading it.
There were a lot of media articles on this before Christmas but here is a link to an excellent article on the Bill on a website I visited for the first time this morning.
I was pleasantly surprised to find it this site one by young people (Kiwis) for young people. I will be keeping an eye on this site as this is the sort of thing we need to get youth more involved ( but being an old skeptic I want to find out a little more about its background etc).
The Art of War states that you should know your adversaries better than you know yourself. This is why the USA spies on everyone on Papatuanukue yes everyone
The USA is using us to spy on the rest of the World and everyone in NZ
Here is a link to back my consenrns
NZ ‘spying’ for Trump
11 min ago
Protesters outside a government spy base have called for New Zealand to stop “working for Trump”.
PS keep the tinfoil for your barbecue boys K. Ana to kai
I have decided not to write about the sandflys as it a waste of my precious time. I will write about them when I need to check there dumb moves.
Ana to kai here is the link I tryed to post
NZ ‘spying’ for Trump
11 min ago
Protesters outside a government spy base have called for New Zealand to stop “working for Trump”.
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A listing of 26 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 28, 2024 thru Sat, May 4, 2024. Story of the week "It’s straight out of Big Tobacco’s playbook. In fact, research by John Cook and his colleagues ...
Yesterday I received come lovely feedback following my Star Wars themed newsletter. A few people mentioned they’d enjoyed reading the personal part at the beginning.I often begin newsletters with some memories, or general thoughts, before commencing the main topic. This hopefully sets the mood and provides some context in which ...
April 30 was going to be the day we’d be calling Mum from London to wish her a happy birthday. Then it became the day we would be going to St. Paul's at Evensong to remember her. The aim of the cathedral builders was to find a way to make their ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – Can’t remember the last book by a Kiwi author you read? Think the NZ government should spend less on the arts in favor of helping the homeless? If so, as far as Newsroom is concerned, you probably deserve to be called a cultural ignoramus ...
Eric Crampton writes – Grudges are bad. Better to move on. But it can be fun to keep a couple of really trivial ones, so you’re not tempted to have other ones. For example, because of the rootkit fiasco of 2005, no Sony products in our household. ...
A new report warns an estimated third of the adult population have unmet need for health care.Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāHere’s the six key things I learned about Aotaroa’s political economy this week around housing, climate and poverty:Politics - Three opinion polls confirmed support for PM Christopher Luxon ...
Today is May the fourth. Which was just a regular day when my mother took me to see the newly released Star Wars at the Odeon in Rotorua. The queue was right around the corner. Some years later this day became known as Star Wars Day, the date being a ...
Buzz from the Beehive Much more media attention is being paid to something Winston Peters said about former Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr than to a speech he delivered to the New Zealand China Council. One word is missing from the speech: AUKUS. But AUKUS loomed large in his considerations ...
Is the economy in another long stagnation? If so, why?This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be ...
The annual list of who's been bribing our politicians is out, and journalists will no doubt be poring over it to find the juiciest and dirtiest bribes. The government's fast-track invite list is likely to be a particular focus, and we already know of one company on the list which ...
In the weeks after the October 7 Hamas attacks on Southern Israel I wrote about the possible 2nd, 3rd and even 4th order effects of the conflict. These included new fronts being opened in the West Bank (with Hamas), Golan … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – It is one of the oldest truisms that there is never a good time for MPs to get a pay rise. This week’s announcement of pay raises of around 2.8% backdated to last October could hardly have come at a worse time, with the ...
David Farrar writes – Newshub reports: Newshub can reveal a fresh allegation of intimidation against Green MP Julie-Anne Genter. Genter is subject to a disciplinary process for aggressively waving a book in the face of National Minister Matt Doocey in the House – but it’s not the first time ...
The Treasury has published a paper today on the global productivity slowdown and how it is playing out in New Zealand: The productivity slowdown: implications for the Treasury’s forecasts and projections. The Treasury Paper examines recent trends in productivity and the potential drivers of the slowdown. Productivity for the whole economy ...
Winston Peters’ comments about former Australian foreign minister look set to be an ongoing headache for both him and Luxon. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for subscribers features co-hosts and , along with regular guests on Gaza and ...
These puppet strings don't pull themselvesYou're thinking thoughts from someone elseHow much time do you think you have?Are you prepared for what comes next?The debating chamber can be a trying place for an opposition MP. What with the person in charge, the speaker, typically being an MP from the governing ...
The land around Lyme Regis, where Meryl Streep once stood, in a hood, on the Cobb, is falling into the sea.MerylThe land around Lyme Regis, around the Cobb that made it rich, has always been falling slowly but surely into the sea. Read more ...
Buzz from the Beehive Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters was bound to win headlines when he set out his thinking about AUKUS in his speech to the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. The headlines became bigger when – during an interview on RNZ’s Morning Report today – he criticised ...
The Post reports on how the government is refusing to release its advice on its corrupt Muldoonist fast-track law, instead using the "soon to be publicly available" refusal ground to hide it until after select committee submissions on the bill have closed. Fast-track Minister Chris Bishop's excuse? “It's not ...
As pressure on it grows, the livestock industry’s approach to the transition to Net Zero is increasingly being compared to that of fossil fuel interests. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / Getty ImagesTL;DR: Here’s the top five news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above ...
The New Zealand Herald reports – Stats NZ has offered a voluntary redundancy scheme to all of its workers as a way to give staff some control over their “future” amidst widespread job losses in the public sector. In an update to staff this morning, seen by the Herald, Statistics New Zealand ...
On Werewolf/Scoop, I usually do two long form political columns a week. From now on, there will be an extra column each week about music and movies. But first, some late-breaking political events:The rise in unemployment numbers for the March quarter was bigger than expected – and especially sharp ...
David Farrar writes – The Herald reports: TVNZ says it is dealing with about 50 formal complaints over its coverage of the latest 1News-Verian political poll, with some viewers – as well as the Prime Minister and a former senior Labour MP – critical of the tone of the 6pm report. ...
Muriel Newman writes – When Meridian Energy was seeking resource consents for a West Coast hydro dam proposal in 2010, local Maori “strenuously” objected, claiming their mana was inextricably linked to ‘their’ river and could be damaged. After receiving a financial payment from the company, however, the Ngai Tahu ...
Alwyn Poole writes – “An SEP,’ he said, ‘is something that we can’t see, or don’t see, or our brain doesn’t let us see, because we think that it’s somebody else’s problem. That’s what SEP means. Somebody Else’s Problem. The brain just edits it out, it’s like a ...
Our trust in our political institutions is fast eroding, according to a Maxim Institute discussion paper, Shaky Foundations: Why our democracy needs trust. The paper – released today – raises concerns about declining trust in New Zealand’s political institutions and democratic processes, and the role that the overuse of Parliamentary urgency ...
This article was prepared for publication yesterday. More ministerial announcements have been posted on the government’s official website since it was written. We will report on these later today …. Buzz from the BeehiveThere we were, thinking the environment is in trouble, when along came Jones. Shane Jones. ...
New Zealand now has the fourth most depressed construction sector in the world behind China, Qatar and Hong Kong. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 8:46am on Thursday, May 2:The Lead: ...
Hi,I am just going to state something very obvious: American police are fucking crazy.That was a photo gracing the New York Times this morning, showing New York City police “entering Columbia University last night after receiving a request from the school.”Apparently in America, protesting the deaths of tens of thousands ...
Winston Peters’ much anticipated foreign policy speech last night was a work of two halves. Much of it was a standard “boilerplate” Foreign Ministry overview of the state of the world. There was some hardening up of rhetoric with talk of “benign” becoming “malign” and old truths giving way to ...
Graham Adams assesses the fallout of the Cass Review — The press release last Thursday from the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls didn’t make the mainstream news in New Zealand but it really should have. The startling title of Reem Alsalem’s statement — “Implementation of ‘Cass ...
This open-for-business, under-new-management cliché-pockmarked government of Christopher Luxon is not the thing of beauty he imagines it to be. It is not the powerful expression of the will of the people that he asserts it to be. It is not a soaring eagle, it is a malodorous vulture. This newest poll should make ...
The latest labour market statistics, showing a rise in unemployment. There are now 134,000 unemployed - 14,000 more than when the National government took office. Which is I guess what happens when the Reserve Bank causes a recession in an effort to Keep Wages Low. The previous government saw a ...
Three opinion polls have been released in the last two days, all showing that the new government is failing to hold their popular support. The usual honeymoon experienced during the first year of a first term government is entirely absent. The political mood is still gloomy and discontented, mainly due ...
National's Finance Minister once met a poor person.A scornful interview with National's finance guru who knows next to nothing about economics or people.There might have been something a bit familiar if that was the headline I’d gone with today. It would of course have been in tribute to the article ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – Throughout the pandemic, the new Vice-Chancellor-of-Otago-University-on-$629,000 per annum-Can-you-believe-it-and-Former-Finance-Minister Grant Robertson repeated the mantra over and over that he saved “lives and livelihoods”.As we update how this claim is faring over the course of time, the facts are increasingly speaking differently. NZ ...
Chris Trotter writes – IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in acknowledgement of electoral victory: “We’ll govern for all New Zealanders.” On the face of it, the pledge is a strange one. Why would any political leader govern in ways that advantaged the huge ...
Bryce Edwards writes – The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill ...
TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 10:06am on Wednesday, May 1:The Lead: Business confidence fell across the board in April, falling in some areas to levels last seen during the lockdowns because of a collapse in ...
Over the past 36 hours, Christopher Luxon has been dong his best to portray the centre-right’s plummeting poll numbers as a mark of virtue. Allegedly, the negative verdicts are the result of hard economic times, and of a government bravely set out on a perilous rescue mission from which not ...
Auckland Transport have started rolling out new HOP card readers around the network and over the next three months, all of them on buses, at train stations and ferry wharves will be replaced. The change itself is not that remarkable, with the new readers looking similar to what is already ...
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 ...
Have a story to share about St Paul’s, but today just picturesPopular novels written at this desk by a young man who managed to bootstrap himself out of father’s imprisonment and his own young life in a workhouse Read more ...
The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill English, Simon Bridges, Steven Joyce, Roger Sowry, ...
Newsroom has a story today about National's (fortunately failed) effort to disestablish the newly-created Inspector-General of Defence. The creation of this agency was the key recommendation of the Inquiry into Operation Burnham, and a vital means of restoring credibility and social licence to an agency which had been caught lying ...
Holding On To The Present:The moment a political movement arises that attacks the whole idea of social progress, and announces its intention to wind back the hands of History’s clock, then democracy, along with its unwritten rules, is in mortal danger.IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in ...
Stuck In The Middle With You:As Christopher Luxon feels the hot breath of Act’s and NZ First’s extremists on the back of his neck and, as he reckons with the damage their policies are already inflicting upon a country he’s described as “fragile”, is there not some merit in reaching out ...
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 ...
It Takes A Train To Cry:Surely, there is nothing lonelier in all this world than the long wail of a distant steam locomotive on a cold Winter’s night.AS A CHILD, I would lie awake in my grandfather’s house and listen to the traffic. The big wooden house was only a ...
Packing A Punch: The election of the present government, including in its ranks politicians dedicated to reasserting the rights of the legislature in shaping and determining the future of Māori and Pakeha in New Zealand, should have alerted the judiciary – including its anomalous appendage, the Waitangi Tribunal – that its ...
Dead Woman Walking: New Zealand’s media industry had been moving steadily towards disaster for all the years Melissa Lee had been National’s media and communications policy spokesperson, and yet, when the crisis finally broke, on her watch, she had nothing intelligent to offer. Christopher Luxon is a patient man - but he’s not ...
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 ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is ...
Luxon will no doubt put a brave face on it, but there is no escaping the pressure this latest poll will put on him and the government. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political ...
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 ...
Something odd happened yesterday, and I’d love to know if there’s more to it. If there was something which preempted what happened, or if it was simply a throwaway line in response to a journalist.Yesterday David Seymour was asked at a press conference what the process would be if the ...
Ministers must front up about which projects it will push through under its Fast Track Approvals legislation, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
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. ...
The Government has delivered on its election promise to provide a financially sustainable model for Auckland under its Local Water Done Well plan. The plan, which has been unanimously endorsed by Auckland Council’s Governing Body, will see Aucklanders avoid the previously projected 25.8 per cent water rates increases while retaining ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters discussed the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and enhanced cooperation in the Pacific with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during her first official visit to New Zealand today. "New Zealand and Germany enjoy shared interests and values, including the rule of law, democracy, respect for the international system ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop today released his decision on four recommendations referred to him by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, opening the door to housing growth in the area. The Council’s Plan Change 92 allows more homes to be built in existing and new ...
Thank you, John McKinnon and the New Zealand China Council for the invitation to speak to you today. Thank you too, all members of the China Council. Your effort has played an essential role in helping to build, shape, and grow a balanced and resilient relationship between our two ...
The Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...
The coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says. “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...
Structured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...
The rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...
The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
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 ...
The Government and Rotorua Lakes Council are committed to working closely together to end the use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua. Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) Tama Potaka says the Government remains committed to ending the long-term use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua by the ...
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 ...
By Eleisha Foon, RNZ Pacific senior journalist A Pacific regionalism academic has called out New Zealand’s Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters for withholding information from the public on AUKUS and says the security deal “raises serious questions for the Pacific region”. Auckland University of Technology academic Dr Marco de Jong ...
How worried should we be about the cloud? This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. I currently have a few thousand unread emails languishing in my inbox, mostly old marketing newsletters and piles of unread science journal press releases. I have a similar number ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nuurrianti Jalli, Assistant Professor of Communication Studies College of Arts and Sciences Department of Languages, Literature, and Communication Studies, Northern State University Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Southeast Asian governments not only have to deal with the virus but also with the false ...
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MPs to vote on medicinal cannabis bills.
Some advocates are worried lawmakers will view Labour’s bill as a “compromise position” rather than voting for the Green’s bill, which comes up for the vote tomorrow.
National are meeting this morning to decide whether to let their MPs use conscience votes.
Have the Greens done enough groundwork behind the scenes to muster support and ensure their bill will get over the line? Or will Labour’s bill end up becoming the compromise advocates are worried about?
It’s a great pity it can’t be just decriminalised and have done with it! It may make a severe dent in the awful meth issue as well
If the referendum was held first and succeeded, it would largely make this current vote a waste of time.
Yes please Jan and thank you, absolutely agree with you.
Interestingly from Kiwiblog: https://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2018/01/grey_power_backs_swarbrick_bill.html
The net support for not having medical use of cannabis being a criminal offence by party vote is:
National voters +60% (78% to 18%)
Labour voters +61% (78% to 17%)
NZ First +54% (77% to 23%)
Greens +77% (88% to 11%)
Not much difference between National and Labour but you’d have to say that’s overwhelming support
And yet National will probably mostly vote against it if its a conscience vote and will vote against it if they whip all National MPs to vote the same way.
Thing is, with that sort of support, no MP should vote against Chloe’s bill. If they do then they’re actually being antidemocratic because they’re not representing what the people want.
Since when has that ever bothered our Parliament?
At least 60% against the TPPA.
Never but that does tend to prove that we don’t have a democracy but a dictatorship.
Sometimes we get some heroes in the Nat party. Everyone remembers Marilyn Waring for crossing the floor and I remember Ian McLean, George Gair and Katherine OReagan crossing for Homosexual Law Reform.
“Everyone remembers Marilyn Waring…”
Not everyone, but I do.
Hero? Most definitely.
Unlikely to be seen again.
Ardern’s child poverty law to be unveiled
The Bill is reportedly “very, very complex”. Government departments will have to meet certain targets to reduce child poverty, and whether they succeed or not will be reported by the Treasury.
The Prime Minister says this will ensure that child poverty remains a priority across all departments.
“The fact that we’re going to have to report on how we’re doing at the Budget will shape the way that we look at child-wellbeing issues every time we write a Budget,” she said on Monday.
http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2018/01/ardern-s-child-poverty-law-to-be-unveiled-tomorrow.html
Shouldn’t this measure be extended to cover poverty overall?
Why aren’t Labour extending this measure to ensure that overall poverty remains a priority across all departments?
Since it’s going to cover the Public Finance Act it will cover all Departments where it matters the most.
To me the big disappointment is the government has chosen not to engage closely with National on the child poverty legislation.
National are extremely experienced at getting the bureaucracy to conform to to specific targets (the discipline being more useful in a government than the levels that change from year to year).
Including National in the discussion early on rather than a quick briefing the day of bill introduction means that it cannot be a “National Park”, “NZSuper” or “Treaty of Waitangi Settlement” issue that is a cross-House commitment to finalise the issue and not make politics out of it.
This is the big mistake that the Clark government made with the Bill Of Rights Act, among others, which has meant that while BORA is a rider on every bill, it is now routinely disregarded.
Very hard to see this legislation now surviving a change of government.
While taking steps to improve child poverty numbers is worthy, shouldn’t the Government be ensuring that poverty overall is improving? After all, a less equal society is a less prosperous society.
Moreover, as parents of children are better compensated, the Government needs to ensure those struggling (without dependent children) aren’t becoming worse off going forward. Therefore, why not put measures in place to cover both?
Didn’t Ardern reach out to National not long after she was voted in? Therefore, wasn’t it National that failed to closely engage?
I am not sure what you mean by “overall”.
If by “overall” you mean all Departments should take account of it, trust me it quickly becomes one measure among a welter of competing bottom lines. Cynicism about multiple and conflicting bottom lines kicks in real quick and at every level.
The most useful thing this Act will do is seek to solidify the definition of poverty.
After that the state – no matter who is running it – can determine what instruments they use to eradicate it, and what funding to allocate.
Unless they include National enough to persuade them to vote for this bill, there will be no enduring common accountability framework that eradicates poverty.
Overall in this case simply refers to all those struggling in poverty that don’t have dependent children meeting Labour’s criteria.
“The most useful thing this Act will do is seek to solidify the definition of poverty “
It’s an unhelpful definition of poverty if those struggling in poverty that don’t have dependent children meeting Labour’s criteria are overlooked.
Whether it becomes merely another measure among a welter of competing bottom lines is up to the Government and whether it lays out its directives clearly (prioritising and straightening out any potential conflicting bottom lines).
Offering to include National is no guarantee National will accept the invitation or are in fact even interested in securing an enduring accountability framework.
National are interested because English repeatedly said so including this morning.
Also they have a 9 year track record on keeping major social initiatives that Labour formed.
There’s always going to be criteria. There’s no helicopter throwing sacks of cash out the window. Nature of bureacracy is to have order in redistribution. A system.
Bill comes out this afternoon. Definitions are in front.
Big questions when this many people are couning on it. Guarantee not all will be satisfied.
English implied it is largely already being done and questioned its effectiveness, especially as Labour’s fiscal restraints largely prevents them from further family income increases.
No one is suggesting throwing out sacks of cash. This is about Labours failure to account for all those in poverty and not merely people with dependent kids. The cutoff (having dependent children or not) leaves far too many (those without dependent children) to fall further through the cracks.
English implied (when pointing to the removal of other targets) lack of education as one of the reasons why people are in poverty. However, if there were more employment opportunities and the minimum wage was a living wage, those with low education levels would be far less likely to be in poverty, Which, of course, Bill completely overlooks.
Announced minimum wage increases partly address ‘overall’ poverty as you say. Labour’s election strategy was not to go too far left with their first term promises. More voters respond to children than adults suffering, sadly.
“English implied (when pointing to the removal of other targets) lack of education as one of the reasons why people are in poverty. However, if there were more employment opportunities and the minimum wage was a living wage, those with low education levels would be far less likely to be in poverty, Which, of course, Bill completely overlooks.”
It was around about that stage in his chat on Natrad this morning that I stomped out doing a fairly good impression of….
“Jacinda Ardern wants Bill English’s backing for the Government’s new child poverty legislation.”
http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2017/12/govt-asks-national-for-child-poverty-law-support.html
“English was reluctant to say whether National will back the Government’s legislation but says Labour’s unlikely to have the cash it needs to deal with the problem long term.”
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/99745492/National-says-raising-incomes-is-what-addresses-child-poverty-in-the-long-term
I guess we have his answer, which is very hypocritical to say the least.
Govt poverty target ‘makes no sense
– Bill English
http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2018/01/govt-poverty-target-makes-no-sense-bill-english.html
Thanks, Louis. That was the reaching out I was referring to Ad above.
What you’d expect when National haven’t been consulted on the bills’ drafting and haven’t seen it.
They haven’t said no, but Labour have chosen to do the usual.
Sad😁
Presumably you’ve now seen that English was invited to be briefed well before Christmas. He didn’t take up the offer. Hard to have an input when you don’t engage.
Apparently, Labour even sent him a draft of their plans to look over in early December to comment on. So him saying he had not seen the draft to be able to comment on it was his own fault. He has had it in his possession for at least a month and a half.
Am totally hearing where you are coming from and agree with you Chairman. But sadly kids can’t change their poverty easily, especially babies, toddlers and primary school age children.
So looking forward to todays announcement, our new government brings hope for many.
I can only assume if you hear and agree with me you’ll also share in my disappointment that this isn’t being extended to cover all in poverty.
It’s another policy shortfall from Labour.
They’ve yet to be in power for a hundred days, yet these policy shortfalls of Labour are quickly adding up. TPP, minimum wage, cannabis reform, ban on foreign property investment etc, and now this.
If Labour continue on like this they risk voter disappointment outshining the small gains made.
In a time when much is required to be done, Labour are becoming known as the party of baby steps. Too little too late.
Winter energy payment will help the oldies and beneficiaries so much, thanks to the new government.
A year free tertiary education will help youth re poverty.
I wouldn’t be calling them out on cannabis law reform, that’s coming today and tomorrow, go for it Chloe.
I doubt anyone is bumming out that changes are being made on foreign ownership, apart from foreigners.
TPP has changed so so much, the things many were worried about seem to have been taken care of, prior government said it couldn’t change it, turns out they didn’t even try.
We’ve had a new government after nine long hard years for only 100 days, during which we’ve had a summer break.
nat’s are looking for holes instead of solutions, it’s almost like they see poverty as a competition, that’s what really fucks me off. Can’t even work with others to help solve the problem, unless it’s on their terms, selfish competitive thinking which solves nada.
Kids come first, it’s not like a toddler can get out there and find a part time job. Looking forward to todays announcements, loving the new government.
With the deficits many in poverty face, winter energy payments are a nice gesture but will provide little help. Too little.
A year free tertiary education is being blamed for an influx of students adding to rental pressure, thus higher rents in student towns.
Moreover, it’s far from free education. So again, too little
The cannabis reform being voted upon today can certainly be called out for falling far too short. And is.
The changes to foreign ownership exempts far too many foreign investors and is limited to existing houses, hence it’s not only foreign investors impacted that are bummed. This is one of those policies that Labour have managed to disappoint both sides.
While the TPP has had some changes, for a number, those changes don’t go far enough. Hence, the widespread disappointment with Labour when they announced they would support it.
We have a health crisis, a housing crisis etc and yet this lot were happy to take a Christmas break? I would have expected them to put their break on hold and deal to the crisis first.
As for the Nats, we know they are useless, but that doesn’t excuse Labours shortcomings.
As for you loving the new government despite it’s shortcomings, well some are easy to please. I expect them to do a lot better, hence don’t accept this lowering of the bar that you’re demonstrating. It’s counterproductive in getting them to lift their game, which I assume you would also love them to do.
Jacinda is backing the Greens cannabis bill.
I’m not expecting everything at once, certainly not in the first 100 days after nine years of the nats. But I’m seeing progress, of course with any changes there will also be stumbling blocks.
I think they are doing OK at present, there’s always room for improvement, but I’m happy to wait a bit longer before asking them to lift their game. I think bills a gone burger, he hasn’t lifted his game in decades.
At a guess I’d say most of those in the new government spent a good portion of their holidays working/reading/engaging with the public/researching etc.
Cup half full and all that 🙂
Cup half full and all that 🙂 – yes – so agree Cinny. Hopefully we have at least another 9 years to fill the cup to the brim!! 🙂
“After all, a less equal society is a less prosperous society”.
Would you care to explain exactly what you mean by this statement?
The usual measure of equality is the Gini Coefficient. Albania has a GDP/capita (PPP) of $12,500. It has a Gini coefficient of 0.29.
The USA has equivalent figures of $59,500 and 0.45.
Thus Albania is more “equal” than the USA.
Are you seriously trying to tell us that Albania is more “prosperous” than the USA?
The poverty level is a purely relative thing. It is generally determined by calculating whether someone has an income that is less than some percentage of the average income for the country.
If you had a country where the entire population had an income below about $700/year, which the World Bank considers to be the absolute poverty level, but which had a Gini coefficient of 0 then by the “poverty measures” we use in New Zealand there would be no-one in poverty as we use a relative figure. If everyone has the same income then there is no-one in poverty as we calculate the term.
“Would you care to explain exactly what you mean by this statement?”
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11371860
Oh look – Alwyn resorts to reductio ad absurdum again as a debating technique. What a cheap rhetorical trick it is.
AB they hunt in packs these trolls, same names same useless gum beating.
I ignore them now as they are so predictable.
“I ignore them now”.
I had noticed that. You happily ask people to justify and give links to things you don’t like, or understand, but when asked to justify statements you have made you always ignore the request.
Are you going to reply to the request I made asking you to explain when Joyce was Minister of Broadcasting?
https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-26-01-2018/#comment-1439892
I’m not surprised at the lack of engagement, given National’s attitude, particularly on child poverty, which they denied until the election campaign.
The trick in government is to actually achieve something enduring.
I sure didn’t vote for National this election, but poverty can only be eradicated over multiple parliamentary terms.
But national don’t care about poverty.
So the only solution is to have lab/grn in govt for multiple terms.
Yep – and make poverty as unthinkable as, say, burning witches. These are deliberate ethical choices after all.
+1 Louis
If I remember correctly while the nats were in power they refused to take part in cross party groups to tackle child poverty, such was their selfishness and egomania.
That is correct Cinny. So, its no wonder the government has been reluctant (if, indeed they have) to be too accommodating with National. Trust is a key element in any negotiation and on this issue National didn’t exactly endear themselves to the cause.
Not quite the same…and there is every chance that Labour would have done the same thing if they were in Government at the time.
A/ Opposition parties ask the Government to participate in cross-party group…
B/ Government asks for the opposition to participate in cross-party group…
See the difference?
One can be seen as weak (A) while the other being inclusive and strong (B).
You may not agree, but its politics that all sides play.
But we now know that in this case B happened. Unfortunately, so did C – opposition ignores invitation.
Haha yep, I have to agree!
“which they denied until the election campaign”
This is patently incorrect. English and other senior National cabinet ministers had put considerable effort into understanding and developing programmes to combat child poverty.
Importantly they thought carefully about how to measure the effectiveness of these programmes in terms of reducing child poverty. Measurement of success is an essential component of such programmes.
Labour would have benefited from taking the initiative to discuss National’s approach to eliminating child poverty; and would have increased the prospect of a cross party agreement on the matter.
+100
Paula Bennett disputes UNICEF poverty report
http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2017/06/paula-bennett-disputes-unicef-poverty-report.html
“Social Development Minister Paula Bennett has been accused of being flippant about child poverty by saying measuring poverty was difficult because children moved in and out of poverty on a daily or weekly basis.”
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10827507
11 April 2013
” Mr Speaker, there is not a government measure for poverty.. [laughs]… gosh… [laughs]”
Gosh, this large person bounces up and down trumpeting ‘There is not a government measure for poverty’ laughs derisively at Jacinda Ardern.
Says it all about Gnashional and their dismissive attitude to everything that matters to the ordinary citizen of NZ.
“Gosh, this large person bounces ”
Why do people like you think its OK to attack a woman’s weight / size.
bouncing has nothing to do with weight, bouncing is about being excited or hypo. JS… and paula knows she is large and is doing something about it, so i can’t see the offense in Greys comment.
“bounce up and down
To hop up and down. The kids started bouncing up and down when they heard school was closed for the day.”
But hey good try at changing the narrative James
james got nothing but a bunch of amoral tory scum he supports, so faux moral crisis are his speciality.
I did it just to draw you out from under your stone James, you hypocrite.
And why can’t people accept that being fat is something okay. Why if someone chooses to toss off a remark the response is just ‘So’? There is no reason to feel sorry and protective of fat people, except that we dislike it and that is not our right to pass judgment on being fat. Accept it, and accept the occasional rude remark and self-accept and just ride above it is the healthy way to deal with attitudes. What is unhealthy is when you are prevented from walking far as I am because I am both fat and so unfit.
The terrific detective in Reginald Hill’s detective novels, Andy played by Warren somebody on TV in the Dalziel and Pascoe series was nicknamed the Fat Bastard. He was great as a character, a great person and annoying and unreasonable at times, but still liked because of his personal attributes.
“I did it just to draw you out from under your stone James, you hypocrite”
No – you body shame on your own – you own it.
nat’s aren’t into cross party task forces and groups to tackle any of NZ’s major problems, it’s either their way or no way, another reason am so pleased about a change of government
the nats didn’t wan’t to take part in a cross party group tackling domestic violence and child abuse either
did paula bring down the rates of domestic violence and child abuse since this defensive rant from 2014?
At what stage of their 9-year period of ‘governance’ did National roll out these “programmes to combat child poverty”?
Doubt we will have to wait that long to see that child poverty is more of a priority for the current Labour-led government than it ever was for National.
National’s approach, as usual was to pretend to do something, while their overall policies made the problem worse.
100% correct Louis.
Labour wrote National a letter and asked for feedback and consultation.
Which National then ignored.
Really, you should know better than to believe anything that National says.
Better yet, ignored and then tried to claim cheap political points off the idea they hadn’t been briefed. I bet there is some surprise in the NAct camp that the media actually did some fact checking on this one…
“Better yet, ignored and then tried to claim cheap political points off the idea they hadn’t been briefed.”
No English did not ignore it…he (and his COS) simply fucked up and forgot.
Arderns office would have emailed the letter to the media minutes after English said he had no contact with Arderns office.
It was sloppy from English, the letter was a half-hearted attempt by Ardern to be inclusive. But well played by Labour on this one.
I dont believe that the letter was a “half-hearted attempt by Ardern to be inclusive” at all. Quite the opposite.
Yes it shows dishonesty is well alive in the national camp.
[Citation Needed]
But don’t bother. We know you can’t provide any proof of Labour being half-hearted about it which means that you’re lying.
It also means that you’re being defamatory.
“Ardern denied Labour had not made a genuine effort to engage National, saying she had provided details of the bill more than a month before it was due to be released.”
“English’s response was to accept a briefing for the new year and urge Ardern to retain the public service targets, saying they had created a “step change” in the way the public service worked.”
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11984753
Providing “details” is not engaging in genuine dialog on the matter English raised before putting the public service targets in the bin.
I am not saying National would not have done something similar if the shoe was on the other foot.
So get over it DTB! and enjoy the moment…
Sure, get over the fact that Her Majesty’s loyal opposition is represented by lying cowardly scum who shit on people as a perfect representation of everything they believe in.
Can you explain how you manage to get over it?
“Can you explain how you manage to get over it?”
We are poles apart in our ideology OAB, Bill English could cure cancer and you would still see him as scum.
I am prepared to see how this Government delivers on all its hype and promises…but they too play the game of politics and talk is cheap.
Ideally, we would have true cross-party engagement on issues like this. Both sides are to blame.
But what he’d actually do would be to prevent a cure from being developed, especially if it prevented profits for big business, by saying that it cost too much while giving tax cuts to rich people.
No they don’t. They especially don’t continuously lie the way that National does.
Dirty Politics was about the corrupt actions of National.
Ideally our representatives would be representing the majority of people and what the people think should happen but instead most of them are more concerned with what the rich and powerful want.
All English has to do is to stop telling lies. But so long as people like you keep making excuses for him, and enabling him with your support, he won’t.
She provided details of the bill including when it would be put before parliament for a vote and asked for National to contribute and the lazy schmucks in National decided not to do anything and are now lying to cover their arse.
“Softly Softly catchee monkey.” Get this over the line and the framework is in place for sustainable anti poverty targets. It will then be simple to add sectors.
Bill lied!!
+1 Patricia
Spot on Patricia,
Have to agree 100% Labour are doing the slow walk whiel ensuring the issues are fully considered correctly.
“Softly softly catchee monkey” tactfully done by labour.
National can’t see this can they?
Blinglish at it again on Morning Report. The interviewer gave him enough rope and he came close to hanging himself. Oh, the absolute fucking irony of an ex Natzi PM banging on about things his government ignored or denied until they were up for re-election – not.
He has the temerity to criticise the coalition for doing some work in the areas of child poverty, poor or unavailable housing, wage equity, poverty in general, when his crew spend all their PR energies telling us they were doing something when they weren’t.
Can you see the huge gap in credibility between denying problems then saying what you’re doing about it? Un-bloody-believable! And then . . popping up now to criticise people who ARE doing something about the issues.
They live in an alternative world, not a place i’d like to inhabit.
Stop reading your rantings once you start using terms like “Natzi PM”.
Just shows you are incapable of reasoned thought or objectivity.
OK James, have been objectively watching this nasty nats party slowly devalue just about everything in this country for 9 years . . . oh, sorry, not everything. What’s still good, great even? Big business, banks, rip-off local councils, anything where money flows upwards and individuals barely tread water in their fight to just stay afloat.
Noticed anything like that happening? Well, you wouldn’t. It took the labia party, NZ lost and the groan party to do something for everyman. Feel better now?
Doogs
These National supporters cant take those national rose coloured sunglasses off yet.
They may wake when winter comes, and they don’t need these sunglasses so they might see the truth then; maybe or not.
Bill is late to the party. His child poverty target only happened when Gower handed it to him in the debates — he has no credibility on the issue whatsoever.
+100 SM
Manuka honey. Government not supporting our family businesses. Quite perverse I consider.
09:05 Beekeepers welcome MPI U-turn on Manuka honey
NZ Beekeeping was set to take MPI to the High Court, starting today, over its proposed export standard on the premium honey. The industry group maintained that the standard would have meant more than 100 million dollars a year in export products could no longer be called manuka honey, and would have caused major damage to the rural economy. Yesterday, MPI agreed not to change the definition and NZ Beekeeping withdrew the legal action. Kathryn talks with NZ Beekeeping president Russell Berry and spokesperson for the UMF Honey Associaton John Rawcliffe.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/2018629923/beekeepers-welcome-mpi-u-turn-on-manuka-honey
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/100945501/beekeepers-take-mpi-to-high-court-over-mnuka-honey-standard
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/100976518/mpis-definition-of-mnuka-honey-changed-on-eve-of-legal-challenge-from-beekeepers
https://www.mpi.govt.nz/growing-and-harvesting/honey-and-bees/manuka-honey/
http://www.airborne.co.nz/links.shtml
Comvita very interested in this business.
https://www.comvita.co.nz/about-us
https://www.comvita.co.nz/store/investor-centre
https://www.comvita.co.nz/store/comvitanz/board-of-directors
https://www.comvita.co.nz/store/comvitanz/leadership-team
Surely its far better to have an industry standard ,it will be far more damageing to nzs Manuka brand if its found to be any old shit with a Manuka Labal on it
“Is your superfood honey FAKE? Experts reveal that three times more jars of healing manuka are sold around the world than being produced in New Zealand”
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3066381/Is-superfood-honey-FAKE-jars-manuka-sold-world-produced-New-Zealand.html
In 2013 the Consumer Council of Hong Kong announced nz manuka honey had been adulterated by cane sugar, antibiotics and pesticides.
“Manuka honey fall fouls of overseas tests”
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/8928858/Manuka-honey-fall-fouls-of-overseas-tests
I was at a meeting last night where government ministers spoke.
One stated and repeated that they had “a pollyannish” view of the future: that AGW presented NZ with opportunities. And they had no awareness that government policies around AGW are predicated on information that, at a very fundamental level, lacks scientific credibility.
So I’m a bit bummed out today.
On the bright side, although the meeting was attended by a large set of people who at first glance might be said to be aging and middle class, the only spontaneous applause of the night was for audience members who threw down the gauntlet and challenged the idea that current economic arrangements should be protected or preserved.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11981063
“The valuation of the Hapua St house – home to the same tenant for 37 years”
Wow! 37 years in a state house, and here I though the purpose of the welfare system was to help people when they needed it, not for a lifetime. No wonder we don’t have enough state housing, people never seem to leave.
Wow, the envy is palpable!
The 81-year old said if he had a choice he wouldn’t live there.
37 years ago he was 44 when he may have hit hard times, it was also 1981 before the famous NZ stock market crash, before we had child poverty, before we had a housing crisis, before we even knew what climate change was – I’m not sure what I’m meant to be envious about.
I can admit to being slightly envious of someone who has benefited from state-subsidised housing for 37 years. You’re either in denial, or considerably richer than me…
Indiana
You are always light on deep thought. You said state housing was to ‘help people when they need it’. Obviously he did need it. The ‘social welfare’ system has for decades been pushing people out of state housing so if they couldn’t push him out, there was something preventing that.
Fair call. Is it also fair for State Hosing to relocate this person to a another state house (apparently there are 1411 empty state homes) , so they could sell the property to release its value to increase the state housing stock?
No. Because that’s just a distraction from the fact that policy decisions at the government level have cut 5000 houses off the HNZ stock over the last ten years or so.
One house sale does fuck all compared to a government that actually wants to house people.
Indiana
Not a fair call. First you have a go at tenant for needing a state house for more than a set period of time. Then you turn around and criticise gummint for the way they have managed housing stock?
I wonder – do you care about anything? You seem to just want something to be negative about to prod TS to say something. Does that make you feel important, very wise and objective about the hoi polloi? Ultimately it would be good at the end of a discussion to feel that we had seen a better way of doing something rather than look for someone or thing to fault. Do you agree?
I remember the Cub of Rome report in the early 70s, which talked about climate change.
Here I am again suggesting that you actually read something before hitting your keyboard/phone. I really don’t know whether you have actual reading problems or are naturally obtuse – or deliberately so.
The Herald article states:
The artist had moved into the home 37 years ago with his wife, who was unwell. She died not long after they moved in.
The man has watched as houses around him were built and the tiny road become increasingly clogged with parked cars.
He said if he had a choice he wouldn’t live there – the area had become too busy for his liking.
But he’s made it home, carpeting the floors, fixing the walls, tending to the garden and filling the humble lounge with his array of paintings and carvings.
If you look at the photo of the house itself, there is a long ramp up to a small deck with access into the house via french doors – suggesting wheelchair access. Whether that was for his wife or himself (or both) is unclear.
If he has longterm/permanent mobility and/or other disabilities requiring this type of access and other modifications inside the house, then it makes sense that he has been allowed to remained in the house since his wife’s death. Otherwise, as greywarshark has pointed out, he would probably have been moved out years ago.
No mention of the 667 empty properties, nor the 1411 state homes were sitting empty. You instead attack one individual to score points.
What a amoral individual you are indiana, maybe you want to have a we look at yourself as an individual, and ask why you want to pick on people rather than offer solutions or look at the bigger picture.
AND most of the value is in the land, NOT the building.
He’s added a lot of value to that house hasn’t he undie.
Wasn’t the philosophy behind state housing that it was a roof over people’s head for life?
Indiana;
Bloody obvious you didn’t grow up in our time here in a NZ who guaranteed everyone a home under “state housing” in the 1950’s that was how things were here then.
Many never owned there own home so this was quite common back then.
Restricting debate because you do not agree with a particular aspect of that debate is bullshit.
How can you have a debate about a topic unless all aspects of that topic are there to be argued for or against?
Easiest way is just don’t reply to people who’s views you disagree with.
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
“Easiest way is just don’t reply to people who’s views you disagree with.”
It’s still a derail if I don’t reply but the thread fills up with stupidity.
We’ve had debates with denialists ad nauseum (and some of the other authors still let that happen under their posts). The topic for debate under *this thread isn’t whether climate change is real or not (nor whether it’s too late to do anything or not). TS isn’t a free for all, and it’s quite normal for off-topic comments to be moved off thread. I just like to save myself the bother by making the boundaries clear up front.
You can hash it out in Open Mike if you want.
100% LOL I agree, weka,
No sense in beating heads here it wastes time and purpose.
News on the nuclear energy front – the US Nuclear Regulatory Commision has approved a small modular reactor design as being “walk-away safe”, ie it won’t release radiation or melt down even with total loss of control in any kind of natural disaster.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesconca/2018/01/24/can-we-make-a-nuclear-reactor-that-wont-melt-down/#488f7c2b5b7e
https://dailyenergyinsider.com/news/10128-nrc-approves-key-safety-aspect-nuscales-small-modular-reactor-design/
New Zealand has such abundant natural renewable energy resources that I can’t see something like this ever getting installed on land here. But a 50MW power output is ideal for a large ship. So I think we need to get used to the idea that a zero-carbon future will include ships powered by reactors like this in our harbours. If a worldwide carbon price gets imposed, that future might come at us very quickly.
That’s pretty much what I’ve been thinking for the last few years.
As part of the original “Nuclear weapons free” movement we were never opposed to the safe future use of nuclear technology if/when it became available.
It was always about weapons.
Sounds interesting, I think nuclear power could be great if the current problems can be overcome. That reactor looks like a great step for safety. The waste problem still remains I suspect.
uThis might get me banned although not denial.
We have scientific proof if weather modification. It would be nice to think that the TPPA would permit us to legislate a against more aluminum being dumped into our sky.
NZ needs to move on this in what would be a world first.
We also must implement grey water as part of all new builds and retrofit as soon as possible.
I feel like I’m the only one taking about this but hope just one of you will catch on. I don’t even read replies because I’m certain they will just attack me/my post whatever.
GeoEngineering is a reality. Only part of the issue but it has to stop. http://geoengineeringwatch.org
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
won’t get you banned, but it obviously likely to cause a derail if people react to it, so moving it to OM.
Weapons development and advancement…has a long and ongoing record…that is known about…
It would be a hardy soul who could believe weather modification was not occurring in present time…
Highly probable to have been going on for many decades … minimum…
Good wee write up on BOOTS THEORY
https://bootstheory.nz/2018/01/30/a-quick-and-clean-exit/
No need for panic!!!
No need for concern.
The god botherers are on the case!!!
All will be well (in their world) when that fella Jesus is returned to his rightful position in the House.
”
henry cooke
✔
@henrycooke
About 250 folks on Parliament lawn looking to keep mentions of Jesus in the Parliamentary Prayer
12:01 PM – Jan 30, 2018
7 7 Replies Retweets 1 1 like
Twitter Ads info and privacy
Hi everyone, I’m out on the forecourt of Parliament where about 300 or so Christians are tallying in an attempt to keep mentions of Jesus in the Parliamentary prayer. Speaker Trevor Mallard has yet to make a decision on this but will obviously have to make one by 2pm when the House opens for the first time this year.
Spokesman Ross Smith told me he and a delegation met with the Speaker just before Christmas and he hasn’t heard from them since then. He’s here praying for all MPs and the new Government, and is still hopeful Jesus will stay in the prayer. Even if he doesn’t however Smith says this rally – which is quite impressively staged – will have been worth it.”
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/100991126/live-political-year-starts-with-vote-on-medicinal-cannabis-bill
hallelujah!!!
Bullshit A is for________. If the smelter dosnt get the volume to justify 14,000kwh at about 5 cents per kWh. The smelter will go the way of John Keys political career.
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
[Antoine said >>You can’t just ‘shut down the smelter until the crisis is over’, it doesn’t work like that.<<
afaik Antoine is correct – you can't shut down Tiwai for a period of time and then start it up again. Once you shut it down, that's it (too expensive to restart I think).
But that could have sorted out amongst adults in the original thread. You appear intent on behaving like a child. You've been warned about being abusive in the past (only a few days ago) and now you've been stupid enough to do that shit under one of my posts and have my too hot an afternoon, irritated at having to go look things up, moderator attention. I hope I have yours. You are now warned that if you continue to post pointless personal abuse you will be banned (in part for shitstirring, but also for wasting moderator time). Any questions, feel free to ask – weka]
Which bit was the bullshit??
About 90% of everything you’ve written down on the standard. 😄👌👍🖕
moderator note for you to respond to above.
No
[2 week ban. – weka]
[just seen you are already in the ban list and posting despite that, so doubling your previous ban (until May) – weka]
[upgraded to permanent ban – weka]
> A is for________
I think this might be my new sig. Like ‘V is for Vendetta’ but a bit more understated
A.
😆
Anyone with a gram of compassion in their being would be voting in favour of the medicinal cannabis bill.
Personally I’d prefer decriminalisation of cannabis altogether. However if the present bill becomes law, then that’s progress in the right direction.
#I’m with Chloe.
The last green member with a #I’m with…. hashtag didnt end too well.
@ James 13.1) … I know you are referring to Meteria Turei, which has nothing to do with the topic. Or have I missed something along the way? So please explain the connection between Meteria and Chloe Swarbrick’s medicinal cannabis bill for me please?
I thought it pretty clear – I was talking about the Hashtag
Chloe, would not have been author of the bill…
Really @ One Two (13.2)? Funny that, because I received an email from Chloe Swarbrick thanking me for my support for “her” bill, as no doubt did many other supporters! Sent 6.26pm this evening, Tuesday 30 January 2018!
Mary_a
Receiving an email of thanks does not prove being author the bill…I doubt she authored the email…
Nothing in Chloes background indicates she could have authored the medical weed bill…
Nothing in your comments indicates you know a damned thing about her background, so there’s that, too.
But if the bill was written by someone other than her, the authors or whomever thought she was best placed out of all the coalition MPs to sponsor it.
Maybe they knew more about her background than you do?
Her background is matter of public record…seemingly you’ve not thought through your response, McFlock
Of course Chloe is the sponsor….and of the available options…an understandable one…
But she didn’t author the bill without considerable assistance…if she was involved at all…
The levels of misplaced ‘belief’ on this site, are substantial…
Would give you more credit…although you’ve essentially agreed with my position….
You don’t have a fucking position. What, you think that her public record is the same as her academic record or lists of interests? Now you’ve gone from “wouldn’t have authored” (which means no involvement in its construction) to “without considerable assistance”.
But my point is that it doesn’t fucking matter. She’s the one putting her name and reputation behind it. She’s the one making the effort. She’s the one saying the government bill doesn’t go far enough. And you still want to take a dump on that because it might not have been crafted by a single MP with no contribution from others.
Whatever. It’s still probably more than you’ve ever done.
Put a curfew on yourself because your responses are a garbled mess…
My position has been stated. Swarbrick did not author the bill…
You’re authoring credits are more credible…
As for the final sentence…
Come on man…that’s awful…
it’s probably more true than anything you’ve said, no matter how you want to flipflop
Oh I don’t know about that…
She has a clue, after all…
As opposed to people who have zero clue, that is…
…and put ellipses at the end of all their comments as though they have something substantive to say…
…
…
Eh…
mary_a, I am going to ignore the others playing ‘I am more ignorant than you’ with each other in this thread, but here is some background on the Bill now under Chloe’s name.
The proposed Bill authored by Julie Anne Genter was originally put into the Member’s Bill ballot and drawn out of the ballot in June 2017 but not put before the House for 1st Reading before the House rose for the General Election.
Here is a link to the Parliamentary website on the proposed Bill and its history.
https://www.parliament.nz/en/pb/bills-and-laws/bills-digests/document/51PLLaw25061/misuse-of-drugs-medicinal-cannabis-and-other-matters
Once the new Government was formed, Julie Anne Genter could no longer lead the Bill as she is now Minister of Women (and Associate Minister of Health and of Transport) and Ministers cannot put forward Member’s Bills. So on becoming a Minister, JA Genter had to hand this Bill over to another Green Party MP who was not a Minister – hence Chloe Swarbrick now leading it.
There were a lot of media articles on this before Christmas but here is a link to an excellent article on the Bill on a website I visited for the first time this morning.
I was pleasantly surprised to find it this site one by young people (Kiwis) for young people. I will be keeping an eye on this site as this is the sort of thing we need to get youth more involved ( but being an old skeptic I want to find out a little more about its background etc).
http://tearaway.co.nz/28217-2/
Nice song Thane from the Rock radio Ka pai
Umm. Thane Kirby is a bully and a sexist. There’s nothing Ka pai about him.
Best story. Ever.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/100911544/mps-potential-prizewinning-pumpkin-cut-in-alleged-act-of-political-sabotage
Classic!
I honestly can’t tell if they are serious or not.
The Art of War states that you should know your adversaries better than you know yourself. This is why the USA spies on everyone on Papatuanukue yes everyone
The USA is using us to spy on the rest of the World and everyone in NZ
Here is a link to back my consenrns
NZ ‘spying’ for Trump
11 min ago
Protesters outside a government spy base have called for New Zealand to stop “working for Trump”.
PS keep the tinfoil for your barbecue boys K. Ana to kai
I have decided not to write about the sandflys as it a waste of my precious time. I will write about them when I need to check there dumb moves.
Ana to kai here is the link I tryed to post
NZ ‘spying’ for Trump
11 min ago
Protesters outside a government spy base have called for New Zealand to stop “working for Trump”.
Some things wrong with this device I will try a new one or trumps tentacles have reached to block that story
https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/100970736/new-zealand-spying-to-make-america-great–spy-base-protesters
Here it is a link to protest at Waihopai spy base Ana to kai