Stuff’s slavery investigation concludes that “no slave-tainted fish are ending up in New Zealand”, and also that “it’s almost certain that we have eaten fish caught by crew under conditions of forced labour.”
Always look for the label. If it says “Fabrique en Nouvelle Zelande” there might be a problem. How much are corporate reassurances worth? More importantly, how can they be verified?
My son has a friend who fishes for 3 months at a time at sea near the Auckland Islands , with a crew of around 55 people … he says its a hard life but the captain and crew are a close knit family and they get looked after well ,… and when you compare the two… and whats been going on in the Stuff article,… it just shows that it doesn’t have to be that way at all.
Further proof globalisation and neoliberalism is literally killing people and species as it’s ruthlessly exploits the finite resources of capitalism his planet.
Add that to bananas from slave plantations in the Philippines and electronics from slave mines in the Congo.
The article presents a neoliberal solution- consumers can change things.
Much better would be government actions to rid the oceans of these death factories.
That would be a good use for our navy.
Yes it would , the Navy has a long tradition of hunting down these sort of high sea pirates , and that’s what they are – pirates. Criminals. The trick then is to bring them before the courts on human rights abuses with so many of these govt’s shielding them. And to do that we need the assistance of the ICC- International Criminal Court, if indeed, they manage these sorts of offences.
The other problem is lack of jurisdiction in certain waters, and the sheer size of the area , which enables these criminals to indulge these behaviors,… when we consider that the ocean is a massive water filled desert,… we get an idea of its expanse.
It would need several cases to be made an example of using an international policing force , a power of legal workers behind that , – in short , – some sort of international agreement with teeth, – and therein lies the problem; so many big business interests… which takes us back to the Stuff answer… widespread public education to bring international political solutions.
Wows, OAB, cheers for the link, really pleased the fishing industry is being brought to light, again, so much goes on out there.
WK, this bit…. “The other problem is lack of jurisdiction in certain waters, and the sheer size of the area” absolutely bang on.
It’s important to understand that MOST officers are treated well in the fishing industry, this ensures their flexibility.
What goes on at sea stays at sea, open your mouth and someone may shut it for you, loose lips sink ships etc. Good on Stuff for gaining some insight.
Get the job done, stress runs high out there, fish are money.
In many instances, officers (cook to captain) are paid a salary plus a % of the catch, as a result, the crew are worked hard if the fish are running, no sleep for you, shall we bring up the P epidemic, time is money and all that.
Those in the factory or on deck are often graded to earn their percentage, so if any officers have it in for you, that will impact your grade.
Factory/deck crew from other countries are treated like shite, depending on the ‘culture’ of the vessel. It’s easy as to pick up more offshore factory and deck crews, easy as.
And if you spend 3mths at sea, there’s not much you can do or say about it and there is def nowhere to run.
The RNZN/ MOD have asked for a 3rd OPV that is design to operate in the Southern Ocean in the last DWP as the current two OPV’s are barely Fit for Purpose for Southern Ocean duties (fit for only the Summer run down Sth, but I believe it can’t take a Seasprite down Sth as it pushes the ships ice belt below the waterline). But from the sounds of it the 3rd OPV is on hold until they work out what’s going to replace the P3’s so they can line up right Combat Mission Systems etc so that OPV, Fixed and Rotary Wing assets can have and provide update SA to each other plus future proof the system when the UAV’s entry service sooner or later down the track.
Once that is sorted out I think you would the NZDF spending a lot more time down Sth all yr round instead of usual runs down during the summer periods. With having everybody on the same sheet of music unlike it atm will allow NZDF to effectively enforce the Southern Fishies. If the ODT is right about this one and it’s something that I have been suggesting as well.Then our wishes for a permanent presence in the Southern Ocean might come true.
Then there will be whining from the Fishing Industry as they well able to enforce the quota, Labour and Maritime Laws etc more effectively than at the present time.
The government ought to be looking at whether NZ crews can buy a house. Because if working a couple of months away on rotating shifts won’t let you do that, only a fool would do it. And that’s how the industry falls into the hands of the charter and slave fishing companies.
Here’s a classic example of a slave ship by an Aussie company (by that i mean it used to be Aussie based), their PR via the net would make people think otherwise lololz.
What this particular company does is grow their abalone on a factory ship outside of Aussie waters, that particular ship is a freaking disgrace, workers are treated like dirt, it’s hell on earth for them. The grown abalone is then collected by a small vessel and new spawn are dropped off along with ships stores. No reason for the factory vessels crew to go anywhere near land, keep them onboard as long as possible.
Edit… found an article about their ‘true colours’, was a fair while back, but I doubt they’ve changed.
Suspicions have increased because the ship’s owners have refused to publicly say how much its sailors are being paid, and it is believed that some of the Chinese crew are earning as little as US$300 a month.”
These practices have been going on for too long, may stuff continue to inform kiwis about it.
Because companies will always deny it, check out Polly, bold faced lies from her…
“Polly Kwok Wing-wah, a Hong Kong-based director of the firm, said: ‘The attack has taken the form of false submissions to local media, lies, and untrue allegations to union-biased government ministers and intimidation of company employees.'” LIAR !!!
Pac N save must be using some cheaper fish supplier than other supermarkets are as we have bought three times some red cod with fish bones in them. The cost per kilo is much cheaper than other supermarkets at only $16 a kilo, where other supermarkets are charging over $23 a kilo.
Beware as I got two large fish bones struck between my gums and teeth that caused a gum injury.
We see Jacinda ignoring the elephant in the room again today and was on the media mainly seeming to be worried about something other than mycoplama bovis as the main theme of this day!!!!!!!
We need a moritorium on cow movements until we do this now or we risk a widespread catastrope of this disease now.
Subject; Mycoplasma bovis can be spread on trucks among shared containment areas unless every truck is sterilised see below.
Everyone is asking how did mycoplasma bovis spread across the North Island from the south Island?
It can travel on trucks John, and we cannot allow moving of stock now until it is made safe otherwise we are all going to spread the disease before long now.
This is according to this article from the website.
The new threat of disease to our entire cattle stock is a case of point as we have now allowed the unchecked transport of cows all around NZ on trucks and the Mycoplasma_bovis dsease which may destroy our second largest export earner and biggest company.
Prevention[edit]
There are many ways by which cattle can be prevented from catching Mycoplasma bovis and other pathogenic bacteria.[7]
Transport of animals[edit]
When transporting the animals from one farm to another, It would be appropriate if the transport vehicle could be cleaned with disinfectants before and after use. For better care, environmental swabbing should be taken place and samples sent to a microbiology lab if any harmful bacteria will be detected, further actions should be taken place.[8]
Visitors[edit]
Only authorized people should be allow to visit a farm. Visitors shall arrive with clean clothing and footwear and disinfectant on arrival and departure can be used to stop getting the introduction of bacteria’s. For example, a water mat with disinfectant can be used in the entrance of the farm, water bath, company can provide sanitized clothes for people.
Weekly inspection and maintenance[edit]
In the end of the week, cleaning of all the areas and equipment reduces the chances of animals getting sick. Also, it is important to clean the feedlot container and keep the feed dry. Doubling the boundary fence with a 6-inch gap prevents the animals contacting neighbouring animals.
Well if loosing our largest export earner and farming bussinesses along with their company to overseas (Fonterra) this should now be a full blown five alarm amergency.
I am astounded that anything else is as important as keeping the direct focus on the major loss we are about to encounter if we sit there and ‘dilly dally’ while saying figuratively “rome burns”.
It is all about what’s most important as last governments lost the plot so will we if we dilly dally.
Well if loosing our largest export earner and farming bussinesses along with their company to overseas (Fonterra) this should now be a full blown five alarm amergency.
You do know why there’s cautionary tails about sticking all your eggs one basket right?
I don’t understand the dithering about on this issue. For a country that fines people hundreds of dollars for bringing a piece fruit into an airport it’s bizarre.
Short term pain. Ban all cattle movement for six months, slaughter any infected animals, massive cleaning operation of all associated infrastructure and name all infected farms.
Just make sure if any are driven to the wall they’re not sold offshore. Glomming the mortgaged dairy farms was a major cause of the SCF abuse of state power.
A press release from the nz embassy in Japan.- Translated by Google.
The Prime Minister of New Zealand, the prime minister of the New Zealand, instructed Vice Prime Minister to give birth to the second child in June, and the prime minister of’s will be on maternity leave on may 14th. The Vice Prime Minister published a letter showing his duties as prime minister.
I think we need to have provision set up to go at a moment’s notice with give a little ready for each time some NZr is discriminated into oblivion by the Australian government. Ours is helpless with confronting these intransigent, callous, spiteful non-friendly foreign politicians.
It may well be the case that there is no other country in the world that pays direct transfers for the social welfare of their citizens in another country, but honestly this government does need to go there.
The alternative is that these street waifs are going to be arrested, put into Australian jails, in which they are fully criminalised, after which they will be deported back to New Zealand as criminals.
Yes Ad it makes sense from an objective, economic sense. And there is also the moral imperative. They are being punished by the Australian government for being New Zealanders. It has become clear from recent happenings that sanctions are applied to us that they don’t apply to any other country’s citizens. This was actually stated in the interview with the NZ woman with a convalescent husband on Radionz this morning. http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2018645943/australian-pension-rules-leaving-nz-family-poor
A NZ family living in Perth are struggling to make ends meet after a father broke his leg and cannot gain access to any benefits.
Johno Walsh broke his leg playing in the park with his children at the end of April.
Because his injury occurred outside of his work as a diesel engineer he was ineligible for sick pay or work cover. Now he and his wife Debbie, originally from Hawke’s Bay, found out their income protection insurance won’t pay out until the end of June. They have four children.
So Ms Walsh went to the social welfare office, Centrelink, to see about getting access to their seven years of superannuation paid while living in Australia….
New Zealanders on the Special Category Visa are not eligible for federal benefits. No one can withdraw super for hardship unless they had been on a benefit for six months.
Centrelink staff [were] asked how it was possible permanent residents from other countries were able to qualify for benefits and New Zealanders with seven years in Australia could not…
They and their New Zealand friends both had no idea that their income protection nor superannuation would buffer them.
We’re trying to play it cool cos we don’t want our kids to know, because I don’t think they need to worry about where their next meal is coming from.
“That’s the life of a New Zealand citizen in Australia.”
They have income protection insurance but didn’t shape the policy to cover this, and in a modern society expect that they can get help in times of need and emergency. But not us in Australia. They are following the neoliberal line even more rigidly than our RW governments have done.
I think that we have shown them up in Oz, irritated them, not followed an order etc, and they have decided that they don’t owe us respect, or anything. They have got themselves into a liege lord situation over us by owning our banks, and competing successfully for any business that still manages to run here, and have nothing to lose by acting out of character, that is, in a principled manner.
A moral imperative is a strongly-felt principle that compels that person to act. It is a kind of categorical imperative, as defined by Immanuel Kant. Kant took the imperative to be a dictate of pure reason, in its practical aspect. Not following the moral law was seen to be self-defeating and thus contrary to reason.
Moral imperative – Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moral_imperative
Australian Government Department of Human Services.
This is spelled out so you don’t get confused and end up in the Animal Services Department.
I am wondering whether there will soon be a parallel entity called the A.G. Dept of Robot, Android and AI Services. It will be funded out of the budget for Human Services which will need less funding as much of the work will be carried out by the A.I.R. Service crawlers!
I see that Winston has had another policy altered to favour his benefactors in the Fishing Industry. Years of work down the drain because the fishing industry has called in a debt from Tsar Winston. https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/104082934/government-dfrops-plan-to-restrict-deep-sea-trawling-protect-orange-roughy
Have a look at the photo of Ardern and Peters in this story.
Puppeteer Winston feeding Ardern with the lines she must utter. Then his final words.
“Just do what I tell you Jacinda.” is his order.
You really should learn to read properly.
It was wild Katipo who raised this as an apparently serious comment.
After all Ms Ardern tells us that Winston is going to be Acting PM.
That means she will still be PM and Winnie will only be filling in for her.
Wild Katipo tells us that he is going to actually be Prime Minister. You can only have one at a time so he will have to replace Ardern, won’t he?
Why don’t you ask Wild Katipo where he gets his information from?
You know how folks will react to you posting that link, wrapped up in your usual invective…and success! Because they’re all piling onto you rather than reading the actual article…which demands our attention.
So…now you’ve all taken alwyn’s bait…go and read the article…
I’m afraid they don’t want to read the story Rosemary. If they did they would have to accept the fact that this Government is simply made up of politicians whose main interest is just like every other politician.
They want the power and the perks of office. They aren’t paragons of virtue.
My real complaint about them is not that they are in power. It is that they simply aren’t competent and didn’t spend their time in Opposition preparing to be a Government with a set of well thought out policies.
I mean look at Twyford and Kiwibuild. Have you ever seen anyone in quite such a muddle?
National were tired and really needed replacing. No Government should last more than three terms, at least in my opinion. Unfortunately we have had a group who are incompetent taking over. The only one who actually knows what he is doing is Tsar Winston and he is running things for his mates, like those who run the Fishing Industry and people like Sir Patrick Hogan and the horseracing fraternity.
So, we have a discussion going on about David ‘Footloose’ Seymour trying to raise a rabble in Remmers against a potential invasion of mentally ill folk…and I contributed this link to an article about Seymour’s reaction to the professional opinions of a panel of palliative care experts to the euthanasia select committee.
“Act leader David Seymour, who introduced the bill to Parliament in June last year has hit back, accusing the experts of fearmongering.
He insisted the vulnerable would be protected.
“Our own Attorney-General has written that my bill has sufficient safeguards and is consistent with the New Zealand Bill of Rights. So these guys, frankly, need to go jump in a lake, start debating on the evidence and stop speculating to create fear, uncertainty and doubt.””
“ACT leader David Seymour said he was deeply disappointed that Ms Tesoriero was “spreading misinformation” as intellectually disabled people did not qualify under the bill.
“It’s very ironic that the Disabilities Commissioner of all people would be saying that a person who’s perfectly capable of making a decision … should have fewer rights and choices than other people.””
Tesoreiro had quite rightly pointed out that in NZ people with disabilities “could not freely exercise their choice in New Zealand.
“We live in a world where people focus on fixing us, not on removing the barriers that make us disabled.
“In the absence of adequate services, we run the risk that choice under this bill becomes a Clayton’s choice for disabled people.””
Seymour was supported by none other than Greg ‘give all the cops guns all the time’ O’Connor, who because he has a son with an intellectual disability claims to have looked at the Bill and has not seen any problems.
“A “Clayton’s choice” is a choice that exists in name only and isn’t genuine.
But Mr O’Connor said many disabled people were perfectly able to give well-informed consent.
“You have to be careful – because it’s almost like you’re saying, ‘Leave disabled people over here, because they’re not capable of the same … mental capability””
I know M O’ Connor still uses MP training wheels, but he really needs to be more nuance aware.
What the Disabilities Commissioner is saying Greg, is that while far too many disabled New Zealanders struggle to get the supports they need and have to battle all the way to the United Nations to have they basic rights as humans recognised, it is really inafuckingppropriate to be defending the rights of disabled people to choose euthanasia while dismissing the concerns of a disabled person who represents the rights of all disabled New Zealanders.
Not without making a clear and unequivocal statement on behalf on the government that the rights of all disabled New Zealanders will be respected.
Go have a lie down Gosman. I used far too many words, and there are subtleties that may be difficult to sense for those outside of the disability community.
I just suggest Rosemary that some disabled persons might wish to have the right to choose euthanasia in the present or at some future specified time.
I note that the antis regard their opinions as sacred, and the final authority. This assumes that other people have no agency in their own lives; that they don’t have the intellect, that they must do what society and those around them decide for them. It is strange that others want to own others body and soul.
“….that some disabled persons might wish to have the right to choose euthanasia in the present or at some future specified time. ”
And no one is saying otherwise.
BUT…and this is a very big BUT…there must be no question at all that the disabled person who chooses euthanasia is doing so because the lack of proper support is making their life unbearable.
And at the present point in time this cannot be guaranteed.
Most of the people living with disability in New Zealand have no entitlement to funded supports from the Ministry of Health whatsoever.
And seeking supports from the Ministry of Health has actually made people wish that they were dead.
“I note that the antis regard their opinions as sacred, and the final authority.”
Funny that, I’ve noted the exact same tone from the pros…did you actually read Seymour’s responses to the Commissioner and the palliative care professionals that I referenced in my comment?
Telling the palliative care professionals that they “need to go jump in a lake,”…..
An interesting article to read for those interested? With a 11pg document in English from Sweden on what to do if Sweden is attack from a hostile country.
I was reading a Janes Defence report a mths ago saying Russia Submarine activity in the Baltic Sea is almost back to Cold War levels and a huge increase around the Northern Approaches to Norway, Iceland and UK gap, but not to the same levels as during Cold War although there has been the odd surge or a increase rate of effort too Cold War levels during Russian Navy Summer Manoeuvres or NATO Ex’s.
Everyone is now having to relearn the art of ASW and tracking Subs etc as everything was either cut, mothballed or quietly drop as a peace dividend or the same to find cost savings to fund the “War on Terror” in the Gan and forgetting the need to have the “The Utility of Force” because the silly pollie’s didn’t want rise taxes to fund the “War on Terror” as British Armed Forces have found out thanks to that muppet Blair.
Yes I had seen that article as well, an interesting design and common sense prevail that it was unlikely to work. But they design this wee beauty of Submarine for use in and around the Baltic Sea until the Aussies got hold of it and completely bugged it up.
The design was so good that yanks got hold of a Swedish one on lease complete with it crew to train it scope dopes on how to find a diesel electric sub. When the aussies finally got their subs work properly and gave the yanks a right royal thrashing on RIMPAC Ex’s. As they got inside a Carrier Battle Group Anti Submarine Screen, then tailing the Carrier for couple days taking pictures of it before surfacing beside the Carrier after proclaiming to every Tom, Dick and Harry that no one can penetrate it a Anti Sub screen.
Both Sweden and Finland both cut back it Defence expenditure after the end of the Cold War to a point where they mothballed bases, equipment and move to suspend the National Service requirements of National’s Defence Force including the Civil Defence Forces. The Nordic countries have their own battle group with NATO for UN operations or for NATO’s Out of Area Operations aka The Gan. Which according to a couple of Swedish girl’s who work the bar at near bush block said they and many others are not impressed the close tries that Sweden has developed with NATO since the end of the Cold War. But on the other hand they could under stand the UN operations like Bosnia but not Gan as it comprises its Neutrality and if we run down our Defence Forces then we only have ourselves to blame. They also said Russia is a major concern to them as they see Russia wanting to rebuild its former Tsar Empire across the Baltic Nations and a threat to Nordic Values, Lifestyle and Freedoms.
It’s was only about 5 or so yrs ago (maybe longer not sure) that the last Swedish Troops left Gotland Defences and turn the lights off. Here they now standing its up Defences on Gotland and as my friends were saying it’s little bit concerning that is is happening.
My first book Ticket to Paradise: A Journey to Find the Australian Colony in Paraguay Among Nazis, Mennonites and Japanese Beekeepers
about my search for the remnants of the Australian utopian colony in Paraguay was published by ABC Books in 2012.
I am a writing and journalism academic. My background is as a travel and features journalist for publications in Australia and overseas. I have written for The New York Times, The Guardian, The Toronto Star, The Sydney Morning Herald and Rough Guides among many others. My current academic research focuses on exploring the plurality of the travel writing form.
I am fluent in Spanish and my latest book After Dark: A Nocturnal Exploration of… Read more
China is happy that it is turning sand dunes into productive growing areas.
We could be going ahead with something special for NZ since we are such a beautiful country and we love it. I’m sure we could be forging ahead with organics. I think that the Falklands has done this. Robert G would have good ideas. Let’s do it !
the auckland sandflys are just like the ones in vags the get shitty because I can smell them and cheat and block all my devices from getting this site ———- ka kite ano
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Two years into New Zealand’s Labour-led government, the long-delayed Zero Carbon Bill became law on 7 November. Passed essentially unanimously, the lengthy public debates and political manoeuvring faded away until the final passage was even anticlimactic: Flipping through the @nzstuff@DomPost I was starting to wonder if I’d dreamt ...
Now the Zero Carbon Bill is law, what's next? Obviously, the ETS changes currently before select committee are going to be the next battleground. But we're also going to get a good idea of where we're going, and if the progress the Zero Carbon Act promises is good enough, during ...
Grant PearceThe effects of the current Australian bushfires in New South Wales and Queensland (and also again in California) are devastating and far-reaching. To date, the fires have resulted in several lives being lost and many homes and properties destroyed. Here in New Zealand, the impacts have been only ...
A passing comment in a post the other day about the labour force participation rates of older people prompted me to pull down the fuller data and see what we could see about various participation rates over the decades since the HLFS began in 1986. As it happens, the ...
Distract And Divert: The rise of what we have come to call “Identity Politics” represents the ideological manifestation of the ruling class’s objective need to destroy class politics, and of the middle-class’s subjective need to justify their participation in the process.THE RELIEF of the ruling class can only be imagined. ...
"I saw a newspaper picture,From the political campaignA woman was kissing a child,Who was obviously in pain.She spills with compassion,As that young child'sFace in her hands she gripsCan you imagine all that greed and avariceComing down on that child's lips?" ...
Dr Matt Boyd, Prof Michael Baker, Prof Nick WilsonThe Global Health Security Index which considers pandemic threats has just been published. Unfortunately, NZ scores approximately half marks (54/100), coming in 35th in the world rankings – far behind Australia. This poor result suggests that the NZ Government needs to ...
The Zero Carbon Act is inadequate, with a weak methane target designed to give farmers a free ride. But it turns out it could have been worse: Climate Change Minister James Shaw was so desperate to get National on board, he wanted to gut that target, and leave it in ...
The Herald reprints an Australian story on a couple of tragic deaths in Bali from drinking cocktails that had methanol in them. The story argues that methanol is likely the result of home distillation. But what the young tourists were experiencing was far from a hangover. They’d consumed a toxic cocktail ...
Last month, the police announced a trial of specialist roaming armed units, which would drive round (poor, brown) areas in armoured SUVs, armed to the teeth. When they announced the trial, they told us it was about having armed police "ready to attend major incidents at any time if needed". ...
Spain went to the polls today in the second elections this year, after the Socialists (who had come to power in a confidence vote, then gone to the polls in April) rejected the offer of a coalition with the left-wing PoDemos, and instead decided to gamble n a better outcome ...
A couple of days ago I attended (and spoke at) the University of Waikato’s “LearnFest” event. There were lots of talks and sessions on very diverse aspects of teaching, mostly at tertiary level. One was by Myra Williamson from Te Piringa Faculty of Law here at Waikato, on Contract Cheating ...
There will be a transit of Mercury – the planet Mercury will pass across the face of the Sun – taking place at sunrise in New Zealand on Tuesday, 12th November. It was by observing such an event 250 years ago that James Cook and his scientist colleagues were able ...
Since becoming the world’s first openly transexual mayor and member of parliament, Georgina Beyer has been recognised as a trailblazer for trans rights. Daphna Whitmore talks with her about where she sees the current trans movement We start out talking about legislation the government put on hold that would have ...
If FFNZ really put their faith in “Top Medical Journals” they would now be amending their billboards to recognise new research results. Image from FFNZ but updated to agree with the latest research. ...
National Messiah? Chris Luxon identifies himself as an evangelical Christian. If he is genuine in this self-characterisation, then he will take every opportunity his public office provides to proselytise on behalf of his faith. He will also feel obliged to bear witness against beliefs and practices he believes to be ...
I'm going to make a Reckless Prediction™ that the Tories have 'topped out' in the 'poll of polls' / Britain Elects multipoll tracker at about 38%, and in the next week we will start to see Labour creep up on them.In fact, we might just be seeing the start of ...
by The Council of Disobedient Women Lizzie Marvelly: “I may have missed this… has @afterellen gone all terf-y? Or am I reading something incorrectly? “ https://twitter.com/LizzieMarvelly/status/1191840059105742849 After Ellen is a lesbian website that is unashamedly pro-lesbian, as you’d expect. So why is Ms Marvelly so bothered about lesbians having their ...
Did you know there once was a time when it was illegal to be a gypsy (aka Romani) in Britain?That was between 1530, when the Egyptians Act was passed, and 1856, when it was repealed.Amongst other things, the act forbade the entry of 'Egyptians' into England, ordered those already there ...
Some days I sit and think, “what will I write…?” What do you say when you get to 1000 posts? Maybe you just start where you are, diverge to where this all began, then offer a collection of reader’s favourite posts, and a few of your own? (And throw in ...
Counter-Puncher: The “activists” and “radicals” (his own words) from the Indian community who took such strong exception to Shane Jones’ remarks about Immigration NZ’s treatment of arranged marriages, may end up bitterly regretting their intervention. Jones is not the sort of person who turns the other cheek to his critics.SHANE ...
In the spirit of Remember, remember the fifth of November, let's keep this in mind FOREVER.
Oh dear. Extraordinary interview on PM with Andrew Bridgen and @EvanHD just now. Bridgen was defending Jacob Rees Mogg’s Grenfell comments. Evan asked him if JRM had meant to say he would have left ...
Collision Course? In conditions of ideological white-out, the international bankers’ “Woop-Woop! Pull Up!” warning may have come too late to save global capitalism.WHAT DOES IT MEAN when international bankers are more willing to embrace radical solutions than our politicians and their electors? At both the International Monetary Fund and the ...
Pertussis (whooping cough) is a conundrum. It is a disease that was described hundreds of years ago and the bacteria that causes it (Bordetella pertussis) isolated in 1906. We have had vaccines for about 80 years but this disease is defiant in the face of human immunity. I wanted to ...
The Zero Carbon Bill has just passed its third reading, uanimously. In the end, National supported it - but we all know they'll turn around and gut it the moment they regain power. Meanwhile, I guess ACT's David Seymour didn't even bother to show up. I am on record as ...
Dr Lindsay Robertson, Dr Jerram Bateman, Professor Janet HoekMembers of the public health community hold divergent views on how access to vaping products or electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) products should be arranged. Some believe ENDS should be as widely available as smoked tobacco and argue for liberal ...
When the Police were trying to cover up for the National Party over Dirty Politics, they went all-in with their abuses of power. They illegally search Nicky Hager's house, violating his journalistic privilege and invading his privacy. They unlawfully acquired Hager's bank records. They did the same to left-wing blogger ...
Last month, in response to a wave of protests by Extinction Rebellion, the British government purported to ban their protests from the whole of London. It was a significant interference with the freedoms of expression and assembly, and another sign of the country's decline into tyranny. But now, a court ...
Last year, the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security reported on significant problems with the intelligence warrant system. While they were unwilling to declare any warrant "irregular" (meaning unlawful) due to the recent law change, they were also not willing to give the system a clean bill of health. Now, they've ...
The National Party has come out in support of encouraging greater vaccination uptake. But it sure isn’t the way I’d do it. National’s suggested docking the benefits of those on benefit whose kids aren’t keeping up with their vaccinations. Some in National have suggested extending that to payments under Working ...
Feeding The Flames: It is simply not enough to demand an end to “corruption”, or “inequality”, or the overbearing influence of the authorities in Beijing. These are just “lowest common denominator” demands: the sort of slogans that pull people onto the streets. They are not a plan.WHERE’S THE PLAN? Across ...
The labour market statistics have been released, and unemployment has risen to 4.2%. There are 115,000 unemployed - 11,000 fewer than when Labour took office. In that time the minimum wage has gone up by $2 an hour, which shows that the right's fears about increases causing unemployment are simply ...
The Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee has called for submissions on Andrew Little's tyrannicalTerrorism Suppression (Control Orders) Bill. Normally I encourage participation in the democratic process. I am not doing so in this case. Instead, I encourage all of you to boycott this submissions process, and to post ...
Climate Explained is a collaboration between The Conversation, Stuff and the New Zealand Science Media Centre to answer your questions about climate change.If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, please send it to climate.change@stuff.co.nzIf tiny concentrations of carbon dioxide can hold enough heat ...
Aviation is one of the fastest growing sources of greenhouse gas emissions, and within it, one of the fastest sources is elite travel: billionaires flitting around the world in their private jets, spewing excessive pollution into the atmosphere just so they can avoid mixing with us dirty peasants. But in ...
That's what we face if we don't stop climate change, according to a warning from 11,000 scientists:The world’s people face “untold suffering due to the climate crisis” unless there are major transformations to global society, according to a stark warning from more than 11,000 scientists. “We declare clearly and unequivocally ...
by Phil Duncan Here’s just a few of the kind of threats issued day in and day out against gender-critical women – feminists, marxists, etc – overwhelmingly by MEN (albeit men identifying as women). “Kill all Terfs”. “Shoot a Terf today”. “All terfs deserve to be shot in the head”. ...
This is the third of the synopses of parts of the opening chapter of John Smith’s Imperialism in the 21st Century (New York, Monthly Review Press, 2016). The synopsis and commentary below is written by Phil Duncan. Unlike the humble cup of coffee and t-shirt that we looked at in ...
The chairman of the Upper North Island Supply Chain Strategy (UNISCS) working group, Wayne Brown, has hit back at critics of his group’s recommendations to relocate the Ports of Auckland cargo operations to Whangarei’s deepwater port of Northport. The working group's recommendation to close Auckland waterfront to all but cruise ...
Jenny Marcroft MP, Spokesperson for Health New Zealand First backs the public to decide on the End of Life Choice Bill via a referendum at the 2020 General Election. The Bill, with New Zealand First’s referendum provision incorporated, passed its final reading in Parliament this evening. New Zealand First Spokesperson for ...
Darroch Ball, Spokesperson for Justice New Zealand First is proud that a key Coalition Agreement commitment which will provide for a more transparent and effective criminal justice system has been realised. Legislation to establish the Criminal Cases Review Commission, an independent body focused on identifying and responding to possible miscarriages of ...
"Today we have made a choice that will leave a legacy... I hope that means that future generations will see that we, in New Zealand, were on the right side of history." - Jacinda Ardern, Third Reading of the Zero Carbon Bill ...
Darroch Ball, New Zealand First List MP A Member’s bill has been proposed that would provide income tax exemptions for all New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) personnel while on operational deployment overseas. The Income Tax (Exemption for Salary or Wages of NZDF Members on Active Deployment) Amendment Bill proposed by New Zealand First ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, New Zealand First Leader New Zealand First is proud to have brought common sense to the Climate Change Response (Zero Carbon) Amendment Bill, which passed its final reading in Parliament today. Party Leader Rt Hon Winston Peters says months of hard work went into negotiating a balanced ...
Jenny Marcroft MP, Spokesperson for Health New Zealand First has listened to calls to recognise paramedics as registered health professionals under the Health Practitioners’ Competence Assurance Act (the Act).Today, the Coalition Government announced plans for paramedics to be registered as health practitioners under the Act, and the establishment of a ...
We began the week by commemorating the New Zealand Wars and celebrating a major increase in the number of teachers. Then, we were busy supporting offenders into work and getting our rail back on track after years of underinvestment. And that's just the start! ...
In October I was sworn in as the Mayor of Lower Hutt.It’s the privilege of my life to serve Hutt people as their Mayor. There is something really special to be able to serve the community where I was raised, and where I live. ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Racing Racing Minister Winston Peters met with Korea Racing Authority Chairperson Nak Soon Kim in Seoul today to discuss closer cooperation between the New Zealand and Korean horse racing industries. As part of the visit to the Seoul Racecourse, Mr Peters witnessed ...
Hon Shane Jones, Minister for Regional Economic Development The Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) is investing $10 million to establish Otago as the centre of New Zealand’s creative digital industry over the next ten years, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones announced today. “The initiative will bring us closer to the vision of ...
Hon Shane Jones, Minister for Regional Economic Development The Provincial Growth Fund (PGF)’s skills and employment programme will help young Otago people into long-term forestry careers, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones announced today. Te Ara Mahi will invest $63,000 in the 2020 school year to support eight 17 and 18 ...
Hon Shane Jones, Minister for Regional Economic Development The Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) will support local plans to revitalise and stimulate economic development opportunities in Otago, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones has announced. The four Regional Economic Development Ministers have approved an in-principle investment of $19.9 million towards the region’s ...
The Government is delivering on its promise to protect New Zealanders’ interests by applying a new national interest test to the sales of our most sensitive and high risk assets to overseas buyers. Associate Finance Minister David Parker said under current Overseas Investment Act rules, assets such as ports and ...
The Government is building special housing to accommodate one of Aotearoa’s greatest taonga- our kaumātua, says the Minister for Māori Development, Hon Nanaia Mahuta. Speaking at a National Kaumātua Service Providers Conference in Rotorua today, the Minister reinforced the importance kaumātua play in maintaining and passing on mātauranga Māori, knowledge, ...
Eleven men from a pilot forestry training programme for prisoners in Northland now have full time jobs or job offers upon release, Corrections Minister Kelvin Davis and Forestry Minister Shane Jones announced today. The ‘release to work’ programme was a collaboration between Te Uru Rākau and the Department of Corrections, ...
Minister of State Services Chris Hipkins today introduced into Parliament a Bill that will make it easier for the public service to tackle the biggest challenges facing Governments. The Bill represents the most significant change in the public service in 30 years. The State Sector Act 1988 will be repealed ...
The families of more than 416,000 students will be better off next year as their schools have signed up to the Government’s donations scheme, Education Minister Chris Hipkins said today. The scheme will see almost $62.5 million in additional Government funding go to schools nationwide next year. “I’m really pleased ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has announced further support as the Government of Samoa responds to a serious measles outbreak. “New Zealand will deploy a further 18 vaccination nurses, bringing the total to 30 working in Samoa over the next four weeks,” Mr Peters said. “A New Zealand Medical Assistance ...
Fa’atalofa atu, malo e lelei, Kia ora koutou katoa Thank you to the Child Poverty Action Group for asking me to be here today to provide an update on some of the things that have been happening across my the social development portfolio. Can I firstly acknowledge the vast ...
***Please check against delivery*** Good morning everyone. It is a pleasure to be with you this morning to open this year’s New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing Conference and AGM. Firstly, thank you Dr Alan Jackson, NZTR Chair for your introduction. And let us acknowledge also: The NZTR Board; Dean McKenzie, Chair ...
The Government has delivered on its promise to the over one million New Zealanders who now rent to make it fairer and more secure, Associate Minister of Housing (Public Housing) Kris Faafoi has announced today. Both renters and landlords will benefit from the suite of practical changes to the Residential ...
A marine conservation milestone - the 20th anniversary of the establishment of Te Tapuwae o Rongokako Marine Reserve - is being celebrated today at a community event in Tairāwhiti/East Coast attended by the Minister of Conservation, Eugenie Sage. “The creation of this marine reserve in November 1999 was a game ...
The Government is asking the food industry to step up work to tackle obesity including reducing sugar, fat and salt in their products, better information for consumers, and tighter restrictions on advertising to children. Health Minister David Clark and Food Safety Minister Damien O’Connor have responded to a ...
ew, modern emergency department and outpatient facilities at Queenstown’s Lakes District Hospital mean better emergency care for the growing tourist mecca’s visitors and locals, says Health Minister David Clark. Today Dr Clark officially opened the hospital’s redeveloped Emergency Department and Outpatient facilities. The new facilities include: • An extended Emergency Department ...
Associate Health Minister Julie Anne Genter says today’s release of sexual and reproductive health data reinforces the significance of the Government’s commitment to providing free or very low-cost contraception. The Ministry of Health today published statistics from the Ministry of Health’s 2014/15 Health Survey. “It is important people can make ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced that at the request of the Samoan Government, New Zealand will be providing further support to Samoa as it faces a worsening measles outbreak. “In response to a request from the people of Samoa, New Zealand is providing 3000 measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) ...
“The new Disability Action Plan 2019–2023 moves us towards the inclusive and accessible New Zealand that this government has committed to,” Minister for Disability Issues Carmel Sepuloni announced today. “The Action Plan was designed by disabled people, their family and supporters, the disability sector and government agencies. It will ensure ...
Third Singapore-New Zealand Defence Ministers’ Meeting 14 November 2019 Joint Statement 1. Defence Ministers Ron Mark and Dr Ng Eng Hen today conducted their third annual Singapore-New Zealand Defence Ministers’ Meeting in Singapore. 2. Building on the Enhanced Partnership signed between both countries in May this year, this annual meeting ...
A Bill to improve the court system’s response to sexual violence has passed its first reading in Parliament today. Justice Minister Andrew Little says the Sexual Violence Legislation Bill will reduce the trauma sexual violence complainants experience in court, while maintaining defendants’ fundamental rights and making sure the trial process ...
Streamlined payment practices are a step closer for Kiwi businesses with the formal launch of New Zealand’s e-Invoicing framework. Small Business Minister Stuart Nash says the government has now established the structure to enable automated and direct data exchange between the accounting systems of buyers and sellers. “The move to ...
Another 51 quarantine officers and four new biosecurity detector dog teams will help protect New Zealand from invasive pests and diseases this summer, says Biosecurity Minister Damien O’Connor. “The Government is delivering on its commitment to strengthen New Zealand’s biosecurity system and support our valuable primary sector “New Zealand’s flora, fauna ...
A new report has found New Zealand’s space sector contributed $1.69 billion to the economy in the last financial year and employs 12,000 people, Minister for Economic Development Phil Twyford announced today. The report by Deloitte was commissioned by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment and shows New Zealand ...
Judge Coral Shaw has been appointed as the new Chair of the Royal Commission into Historical Abuse in State Care and in the Care of Faith-based Institutions, Internal Affairs Minister Tracey Martin announced today. "Judge Shaw, who is currently one of the inquiry commissioners, is extremely well qualified for the ...
The Government has confirmed its third major mental health facility upgrade since the Budget, this time at Palmerston North Hospital. The Prime Minister and Health Minister today visited MidCentral DHB to announce that $30 million has been allocated to upgrade its acute mental health facility. It follows earlier announcements in ...
The roll out of the National Bowel Screening Programme has reached the halfway mark, with 10 out of 20 District Health Boards now part of the programme. MidCentral DHB, which covers Palmerston North, Manawatu and surrounding districts, this week became the latest to DHB to offer free bowel screening to ...
The Government welcomes PHARMAC’s decision to fund a vaccine to protect young people from meningococcal disease from 1 December this year. “Meningococcal disease is a serious threat which people at higher risk should be protected from,” says Associate Health Minister Julie Anne Genter. “The combined pharmaceutical budget was increased by ...
Groups involved with innovative fisheries research projects are encouraged to apply for government support in the latest funding round from the Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures programme. Fisheries Minister Stuart Nash says the SFF Futures funding is designed to be flexible enough to support small or large projects across a ...
The Government has fixed an issue affecting how Immigration New Zealand has processed visa applications for culturally arranged marriages, which will now see a consistent process applied which ensures people with legitimate arranged marriages can visit New Zealand while also preventing any rorting of the system. Earlier this year Immigration ...
The Royal Commission into the Attacks on Christchurch Mosques will report back on 30 April 2020 to give it more time to hear submissions and consider information, Internal Affairs Minister Tracey Martin announced today. The Royal Commission was originally scheduled to report back to Government by 10 December 2019. “There has ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Washington DC today to attend a ministerial meeting focused on defeating ISIS, and to continue pursuing New Zealand’s trade opportunities. Mr Peters will participate in a meeting of Foreign and Defence Ministers from key countries contributing to the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS. ...
The recently crowned Bird of the Year, the hoiho/yellow eyed penguin, is getting a much needed helping hand alongside more than 168 other community conservation projects announced Minister for Conservation Eugenie Sage today. 168 community conservation projects throughout New Zealand are benefiting from $8 million in government grants, including $500,000 ...
Controls on assault rifles and semi-automatic firearms are to be broadened to include some types of pistols, under changes to a bill currently making its way through Parliament. Police Minister Stuart Nash has tabled a Supplementary Order Paper to the Arms Legislation Bill, which is currently before a Select Committee ...
Minister of Defence Ron Mark will travel to Singapore today to conduct a counterpart visit and to co-chair the third annual Singapore-New Zealand Defence Ministers’ Meeting with his counterpart, Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen. “Singapore is one of our most important defence partners in the region, and our ...
Nelson’s Salisbury School is to be rebuilt, creating a modern and suitable learning environment for students at the residential special school, Education Minister Chris Hipkins and Associate Education Minister Tracey Martin announced today. The school for girls aged 8-15, in Richmond, was earmarked for closure by National until the process ...
The panel undertaking a comprehensive review of the Resource Management Act has identified the main issues to be addressed and options for reform and is calling for feedback to inform its final report. In July the Government announced the comprehensive review of the resource management system, including the RMA - ...
An important safety valve has been added to New Zealand’s criminal justice system with the third reading of the Criminal Cases Review Commission Bill today. The Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) will investigate claimed miscarriages of justice. “We’ve seen how our justice system can very occasionally get things spectacularly wrong, ...
Racing Minister Winston Peters welcomes the tabling of the Racing Industry Transition Agency (RITA) 2019 Annual Report in Parliament today. He says the 2019 Annual Report marks the point when New Zealand’s racing industry’s decline was arrested and a turnaround started. RITA’s 2019 Annual Report recorded an industry net profit ...
The New Zealand Government is today sending 21 firefighters to help fight the ongoing catastrophic Australian bushfires. “The fires in Australia are in some of the toughest, most challenging conditions ever,” says Internal Affairs Minister Tracey Martin. “As of yesterday morning, there were 100 active bushfire-related incidents across Queensland and ...
More frontline support for schools through a new education agency, as part of a redesigned Ministry of Education More support for principals and school boards including through a new centre of leadership and local leadership advisor roles New independent disputes panels for parents and students Management of school property ...
The Government’s reform of the Tomorrow’s Schools system is a watershed moment in education and an opportunity to create meaningful change for ākonga Māori and their whānau, Associate Education Minister Kelvin Davis said today. “Last year through Kōrero Mātauranga | Education Conversation, Māori teachers, parents, ākonga, whānau, hapū and iwi ...
Infrastructure Minister is welcoming the first of many updated project pipelines from the newly established New Zealand Infrastructure Commission today. The New Zealand Infrastructure Commission, Te Waihanga, has released an expanded pipeline of major capital projects – another crucial step towards delivering better infrastructure outcomes. “The first iteration of the ...
Tougher gun laws designed to improve public safety through firearms prohibition orders are proposed in a new document released for public input. Police Minister Stuart Nash says firearms prohibition orders (FPOs) would give new powers to Police to ensure high-risk individuals come nowhere near firearms. “We have already prohibited the ...
In the second part of a new event series looking at the future of Auckland, The Spinoff and Auckland Council host In My Backyard: Glen Innes, to ask what the suburb can teach the rest of the city about housing. Photographer Brendan Kitto shares his images from the 2016 exhibition Redevelop ...
Employees of the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research say they don’t want to take industrial action, but management have backed them into a corner. ...
NZ First leader Winston Peters is refusing to comment on news reports raising questions about how the party uses the New Zealand First Foundation to handle donations. ...
The Finance Minister Grant Robertson says it's too early to definitively say the Government is looking to lend millions of dollars to Auckland Council, to buy disputed land at Ihumātao. ...
The government will strengthen overseas investment rules by assessing whether the sale of high-risk assets - including "significant media entities" - is in the national interest. ...
The Public Service Association supports a Bill introduced by the government yesterday that aims to replace the State Sector Act 1988 with a new Public Service Act. ...
A quiz from the NZ Initiative got people talking this morning, mostly because it showed we were a nation of dumb-dumbs. Alex Braae, a person of limited intelligence and vast general knowledge, took the test. People who know me often conclude that there’s one area in which I really shine – ...
Leaks of NZ First Foundation records raise big questions about the party’s funding, and there’s every chance of more to come. A glance at history suggests the scale of the problem. An early election may not be a bad idea at all, suggests Danyl MclauchlanIt’s happening.During its time in government ...
The Independent Police Conduct Authority has found that Police were justified in using a Police dog during the arrest of a man in Auckland on 9 November 2018. ...
A review of the Crown Minerals Act 1991 to ensure it supports the long-term well-being of New Zealanders has been launched today with the release of a discussion document. ...
The A2 Milk Company expects continued strong growth for its speciality dairy products with increased marketing investment in China and the United States. ...
Greenpeace protesters have covered Parliament lawn with replica coral this morning, calling on the Government to take urgent action on bottom trawling. ...
Chlöe Swarbrick’s “OK boomer” retort in Parliament has proved to be the spark that set alight a dry field of latent generational angst. The debate over the remark rolls on and on, revealing that generational warfare is a growing cleavage in New Zealand. Increasingly, political problems of housing, inequality, climate ...
Can the flagship Disney+ show The Mandalorian serve the Star Wars diehards at the same time as the casual viewer, asks Sam Brooks.A quick multiple-choice test to find out if The Mandalorian is for you or not.Q. Does the title The Mandalorian mean anything to you?A) No.B) Kind of? It’s definitely part of ...
Editor’s Note: Here below is a list of the main issues currently under discussion in New Zealand and links to media coverage.New Zealand Parliament Buildings, Wellington, New Zealand.Today’s content by Dr Bryce Edwards.NZ First Matt Shand (Stuff): NZ First Foundation dodging electoral rules? Records suggest breaches Matt ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is labelling the Government and Auckland Council cowards, for reportedly giving in to the thugs occupying privately owned Ihumātao and proposing to use taxpayer funds and Auckland Council to buy the land. Radio NZ is reporting ...
Auckland one of the worst cities in the world for public transport, road taxes according to new data; and substantial benefit hikes appear off the Government's agenda. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rochelle Einboden, Lecturer, The Susan Wakil School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Sydney In Victoria, 35 young people aged 12-17 years ended their lives by suicide between 2007 and 2019 – all were entangled in the child protection system. This was ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alex Haslam, Professor of Psychology and ARC Laureate Fellow, The University of Queensland The ABC’s Australia Talks project aims to stimulate a conversation on a broad sweep of topics — from job security and sexual habits to national pride and personal finances. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Pep Canadell, Chief research scientist, CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere; and Executive Director, Global Carbon Project, CSIRO Nitrous oxide (N₂O) (more commonly known as laughing gas) is a powerful contributor to global warming. It is 265 times more effective at trapping heat in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hilary Hollingsworth, Principal Research Fellow, Australian Council for Educational Research Australian teachers are in the thick of producing end-of-year reports. In many schools, the report writing process begins several weeks – or even months – before reports are eventually released. This process ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Quiggin, Professor, School of Economics, The University of Queensland It is difficult to make predictions, especially about the future. (attributed to Danish physicist Niels Bohr) The difficulty of making predictions has long been known, but the rise of the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Claire Smith, Professor of Archaeology, College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, Flinders University The Stuart Highway in the Northern Territory is dotted with around 300 termite mounds, dressed as people. They are reminiscent of giant, ochre coloured “snowmen” in their distinctly ...
Almost half a million dollars in political donations appear to have been hidden inside a secret slush fund controlled by a coterie of Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters’ trusted advisers. ...
Sources tell RNZ the Crown is considering loaning money to the council to buy the disputed land, with Fletcher seeking $40m - more than double what it paid in 2014. ...
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Christchurch stadium funding in the spotlight, more trouble for NZ First, and medical students caught in rort.Construction hasn’t even come close to starting on the new Christchurch stadium and the money is looking shaky. Stuff’s Michael Hayward reports a business case is ...
Bernard Hickey visited E-Go’s electric car factory in Aachen, Germany to find how it used a 5G network to flip car-making on its head, and how it’s an example of what Industry 4.0 could look like in New Zealand. ...
New rental reforms aren’t about shafting landlords, they’re about requesting that those who built an industry around housing accept that with industry, comes regulation, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell. ...
Severe storm surges will get bigger around parts of the South Island and smaller around the North Island as the climate changes, two studies have now predicted. ...
Were Fonterra’s Open Gates events a shallow PR stunt, or was there something deeper going on? Alex Braae went to Mangatawhiri to find out.This feature is made possible thanks to the Spinoff Members Fund. We need your help to make journalism that matters. For more information, click here.Walking into the Fonterra ...
It was meant to ‘draw a line under the whole episode’. So how did it turn into an unmitigated PR disaster, asks former Edelman executive David Brain.The thing about the Royal Family is that everything they do is PR really. I mean in the old sense of image and spin. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Clarke, Associate Professor, National Security College, Australian National University This past weekend, The New York Times’ China correspondents, Chris Buckley and Austin Ramzy, published an expose of over 400 internal Chinese government documents relating to Beijing’s mass detentions of Uighurs, Kazakhs ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Clarke, Associate Professor, National Security College, Australian National University This past weekend, The New York Times’ China correspondents, Chris Buckley and Austin Ramzy, published an expose of over 400 internal Chinese government documents relating to Beijing’s mass detentions of Uighurs, Kazakhs ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Janet Stanley, Associate professor/Principal Research Fellow, Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute, University of Melbourne It’s hard to comprehend why someone would deliberately light a bushfire. Yet this behaviour regularly occurs in Australia and other countries. We would go a long way to preventing ...
There are 540,000 dwellings in Auckland and 580,000 households. The result is misery no matter how you try to square things through tenancy regulation. ...
The PM says she's set a very clear expectation that the clearing of firing ranges in Afghanistan will be sped up, but says it's not possible to conclude NZ is responsible for civilian deaths. ...
A forestry company with close links to New Zealand First has revealed it applied for a $15 million loan from the Provincial Growth Fund, which is overseen by NZ First minister Shane Jones. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Former prime minister Paul Keating has launched a scathing attack on the Australian media for its coverage of China, denouncing “the nominally pious belchings of ‘do-gooder’ journalists” who live on leaks from security agencies. Keating ...
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Stuff’s slavery investigation concludes that “no slave-tainted fish are ending up in New Zealand”, and also that “it’s almost certain that we have eaten fish caught by crew under conditions of forced labour.”
Always look for the label. If it says “Fabrique en Nouvelle Zelande” there might be a problem. How much are corporate reassurances worth? More importantly, how can they be verified?
^^^
Just read that too,… it was appalling.
My son has a friend who fishes for 3 months at a time at sea near the Auckland Islands , with a crew of around 55 people … he says its a hard life but the captain and crew are a close knit family and they get looked after well ,… and when you compare the two… and whats been going on in the Stuff article,… it just shows that it doesn’t have to be that way at all.
Thank you for sharing.
Awful.
Further proof globalisation and neoliberalism is literally killing people and species as it’s ruthlessly exploits the finite resources of capitalism his planet.
Add that to bananas from slave plantations in the Philippines and electronics from slave mines in the Congo.
The article presents a neoliberal solution- consumers can change things.
Much better would be government actions to rid the oceans of these death factories.
That would be a good use for our navy.
– That would be a good use for our navy –
Yes it would , the Navy has a long tradition of hunting down these sort of high sea pirates , and that’s what they are – pirates. Criminals. The trick then is to bring them before the courts on human rights abuses with so many of these govt’s shielding them. And to do that we need the assistance of the ICC- International Criminal Court, if indeed, they manage these sorts of offences.
The other problem is lack of jurisdiction in certain waters, and the sheer size of the area , which enables these criminals to indulge these behaviors,… when we consider that the ocean is a massive water filled desert,… we get an idea of its expanse.
It would need several cases to be made an example of using an international policing force , a power of legal workers behind that , – in short , – some sort of international agreement with teeth, – and therein lies the problem; so many big business interests… which takes us back to the Stuff answer… widespread public education to bring international political solutions.
It should be done. Murder is going on out there.
Wows, OAB, cheers for the link, really pleased the fishing industry is being brought to light, again, so much goes on out there.
WK, this bit…. “The other problem is lack of jurisdiction in certain waters, and the sheer size of the area” absolutely bang on.
It’s important to understand that MOST officers are treated well in the fishing industry, this ensures their flexibility.
What goes on at sea stays at sea, open your mouth and someone may shut it for you, loose lips sink ships etc. Good on Stuff for gaining some insight.
Get the job done, stress runs high out there, fish are money.
In many instances, officers (cook to captain) are paid a salary plus a % of the catch, as a result, the crew are worked hard if the fish are running, no sleep for you, shall we bring up the P epidemic, time is money and all that.
Those in the factory or on deck are often graded to earn their percentage, so if any officers have it in for you, that will impact your grade.
Factory/deck crew from other countries are treated like shite, depending on the ‘culture’ of the vessel. It’s easy as to pick up more offshore factory and deck crews, easy as.
And if you spend 3mths at sea, there’s not much you can do or say about it and there is def nowhere to run.
An electronics mine. I’d love to see that in action. Do you get working equipment of just components?
The RNZN/ MOD have asked for a 3rd OPV that is design to operate in the Southern Ocean in the last DWP as the current two OPV’s are barely Fit for Purpose for Southern Ocean duties (fit for only the Summer run down Sth, but I believe it can’t take a Seasprite down Sth as it pushes the ships ice belt below the waterline). But from the sounds of it the 3rd OPV is on hold until they work out what’s going to replace the P3’s so they can line up right Combat Mission Systems etc so that OPV, Fixed and Rotary Wing assets can have and provide update SA to each other plus future proof the system when the UAV’s entry service sooner or later down the track.
Once that is sorted out I think you would the NZDF spending a lot more time down Sth all yr round instead of usual runs down during the summer periods. With having everybody on the same sheet of music unlike it atm will allow NZDF to effectively enforce the Southern Fishies. If the ODT is right about this one and it’s something that I have been suggesting as well.Then our wishes for a permanent presence in the Southern Ocean might come true.
https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/dunedin-navy-base-rumour
Then there will be whining from the Fishing Industry as they well able to enforce the quota, Labour and Maritime Laws etc more effectively than at the present time.
The government ought to be looking at whether NZ crews can buy a house. Because if working a couple of months away on rotating shifts won’t let you do that, only a fool would do it. And that’s how the industry falls into the hands of the charter and slave fishing companies.
Here’s a classic example of a slave ship by an Aussie company (by that i mean it used to be Aussie based), their PR via the net would make people think otherwise lololz.
“To satisfy the surging Asian appetite for its abalone, the company said it will base its abalone grow-out ship, the MV Destiny Queen, in Asian waters.”
What this particular company does is grow their abalone on a factory ship outside of Aussie waters, that particular ship is a freaking disgrace, workers are treated like dirt, it’s hell on earth for them. The grown abalone is then collected by a small vessel and new spawn are dropped off along with ships stores. No reason for the factory vessels crew to go anywhere near land, keep them onboard as long as possible.
Edit… found an article about their ‘true colours’, was a fair while back, but I doubt they’ve changed.
“The 120-metre, 65-tonne ship has been under close scrutiny by Australian unions, who are furious that all but four of the vessel’s Australian crew were dismissed last September and replaced with much cheaper Chinese sailors and Ukrainian officers and engineers.
Suspicions have increased because the ship’s owners have refused to publicly say how much its sailors are being paid, and it is believed that some of the Chinese crew are earning as little as US$300 a month.”
These practices have been going on for too long, may stuff continue to inform kiwis about it.
Because companies will always deny it, check out Polly, bold faced lies from her…
“Polly Kwok Wing-wah, a Hong Kong-based director of the firm, said: ‘The attack has taken the form of false submissions to local media, lies, and untrue allegations to union-biased government ministers and intimidation of company employees.'” LIAR !!!
Pac N save must be using some cheaper fish supplier than other supermarkets are as we have bought three times some red cod with fish bones in them. The cost per kilo is much cheaper than other supermarkets at only $16 a kilo, where other supermarkets are charging over $23 a kilo.
Beware as I got two large fish bones struck between my gums and teeth that caused a gum injury.
Is it ostrich day today????
We see Jacinda ignoring the elephant in the room again today and was on the media mainly seeming to be worried about something other than mycoplama bovis as the main theme of this day!!!!!!!
We need a moritorium on cow movements until we do this now or we risk a widespread catastrope of this disease now.
Subject; Mycoplasma bovis can be spread on trucks among shared containment areas unless every truck is sterilised see below.
Everyone is asking how did mycoplasma bovis spread across the North Island from the south Island?
It can travel on trucks John, and we cannot allow moving of stock now until it is made safe otherwise we are all going to spread the disease before long now.
This is according to this article from the website.
The new threat of disease to our entire cattle stock is a case of point as we have now allowed the unchecked transport of cows all around NZ on trucks and the Mycoplasma_bovis dsease which may destroy our second largest export earner and biggest company.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mycoplasma_bovis
Prevention[edit]
There are many ways by which cattle can be prevented from catching Mycoplasma bovis and other pathogenic bacteria.[7]
Transport of animals[edit]
When transporting the animals from one farm to another, It would be appropriate if the transport vehicle could be cleaned with disinfectants before and after use. For better care, environmental swabbing should be taken place and samples sent to a microbiology lab if any harmful bacteria will be detected, further actions should be taken place.[8]
Visitors[edit]
Only authorized people should be allow to visit a farm. Visitors shall arrive with clean clothing and footwear and disinfectant on arrival and departure can be used to stop getting the introduction of bacteria’s. For example, a water mat with disinfectant can be used in the entrance of the farm, water bath, company can provide sanitized clothes for people.
Weekly inspection and maintenance[edit]
In the end of the week, cleaning of all the areas and equipment reduces the chances of animals getting sick. Also, it is important to clean the feedlot container and keep the feed dry. Doubling the boundary fence with a 6-inch gap prevents the animals contacting neighbouring animals.
People can concern themselves with more than one thing at a time!!!!!!!!! Especially Prime Ministers!!!!!!!!
Well if loosing our largest export earner and farming bussinesses along with their company to overseas (Fonterra) this should now be a full blown five alarm amergency.
I am astounded that anything else is as important as keeping the direct focus on the major loss we are about to encounter if we sit there and ‘dilly dally’ while saying figuratively “rome burns”.
It is all about what’s most important as last governments lost the plot so will we if we dilly dally.
You do know why there’s cautionary tails about sticking all your eggs one basket right?
I don’t understand the dithering about on this issue. For a country that fines people hundreds of dollars for bringing a piece fruit into an airport it’s bizarre.
Short term pain. Ban all cattle movement for six months, slaughter any infected animals, massive cleaning operation of all associated infrastructure and name all infected farms.
We can point fingers and blame each other later.
Hooch, 100%
Yes we agree.
We now need an imeadiate ‘moritorium’ on this spreading of movements of diseased cattle now or we are done.
Stop trucking cattle now.
and charge them for the clean up.
Just make sure if any are driven to the wall they’re not sold offshore. Glomming the mortgaged dairy farms was a major cause of the SCF abuse of state power.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=12054158
I agree, its Judith time! Yes!
What is Peters up to now.
Peters is pregnant?
A press release from the nz embassy in Japan.- Translated by Google.
Hahaha excellent
Well he has been instructed
He had better get on with it
A.
https://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2018/05/study_finds_journalists_drink_too_much_and_are_bad_at_managing_emotions.html
Submitted without comment 🙂
I think we need to have provision set up to go at a moment’s notice with give a little ready for each time some NZr is discriminated into oblivion by the Australian government. Ours is helpless with confronting these intransigent, callous, spiteful non-friendly foreign politicians.
http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/world/2018/05/advocates-for-homeless-kiwis-in-australia-pen-letter-asking-pm-jacinda-ardern-for-help.html
https://www.msn.com/en-nz/news/video/homeless-kiwis-in-australia-pen-letter-asking-pm-to-help/vp-AAxzu7j
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2018645943/australian-pension-rules-leaving-nz-family-poor
It may well be the case that there is no other country in the world that pays direct transfers for the social welfare of their citizens in another country, but honestly this government does need to go there.
The alternative is that these street waifs are going to be arrested, put into Australian jails, in which they are fully criminalised, after which they will be deported back to New Zealand as criminals.
Which would of course be even worse.
Yes Ad it makes sense from an objective, economic sense. And there is also the moral imperative. They are being punished by the Australian government for being New Zealanders. It has become clear from recent happenings that sanctions are applied to us that they don’t apply to any other country’s citizens. This was actually stated in the interview with the NZ woman with a convalescent husband on Radionz this morning.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2018645943/australian-pension-rules-leaving-nz-family-poor
A NZ family living in Perth are struggling to make ends meet after a father broke his leg and cannot gain access to any benefits.
Johno Walsh broke his leg playing in the park with his children at the end of April.
Because his injury occurred outside of his work as a diesel engineer he was ineligible for sick pay or work cover. Now he and his wife Debbie, originally from Hawke’s Bay, found out their income protection insurance won’t pay out until the end of June. They have four children.
So Ms Walsh went to the social welfare office, Centrelink, to see about getting access to their seven years of superannuation paid while living in Australia….
New Zealanders on the Special Category Visa are not eligible for federal benefits. No one can withdraw super for hardship unless they had been on a benefit for six months.
Centrelink staff [were] asked how it was possible permanent residents from other countries were able to qualify for benefits and New Zealanders with seven years in Australia could not…
They and their New Zealand friends both had no idea that their income protection nor superannuation would buffer them.
We’re trying to play it cool cos we don’t want our kids to know, because I don’t think they need to worry about where their next meal is coming from.
“That’s the life of a New Zealand citizen in Australia.”
They have income protection insurance but didn’t shape the policy to cover this, and in a modern society expect that they can get help in times of need and emergency. But not us in Australia. They are following the neoliberal line even more rigidly than our RW governments have done.
I think that we have shown them up in Oz, irritated them, not followed an order etc, and they have decided that they don’t owe us respect, or anything. They have got themselves into a liege lord situation over us by owning our banks, and competing successfully for any business that still manages to run here, and have nothing to lose by acting out of character, that is, in a principled manner.
Needs / must.
This should be a priority.
Rates of payment here:
https://www.humanservices.gov.au/individuals/enablers/payment-rates-youth-allowance/30496
The link above takes you to the –
Australian Government Department of Human Services.
This is spelled out so you don’t get confused and end up in the Animal Services Department.
I am wondering whether there will soon be a parallel entity called the A.G. Dept of Robot, Android and AI Services. It will be funded out of the budget for Human Services which will need less funding as much of the work will be carried out by the A.I.R. Service crawlers!
I see that Winston has had another policy altered to favour his benefactors in the Fishing Industry. Years of work down the drain because the fishing industry has called in a debt from Tsar Winston.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/104082934/government-dfrops-plan-to-restrict-deep-sea-trawling-protect-orange-roughy
Have a look at the photo of Ardern and Peters in this story.
Puppeteer Winston feeding Ardern with the lines she must utter. Then his final words.
“Just do what I tell you Jacinda.” is his order.
Since you are so concerned you’ll have to vote green next time so nzf has less sway in the next lab/green/and gov
You sour little creep Alwyn, always badmouthing someone trying to do good in running the country besides your losing team.
I really would suggest that you stop reading my comments.
It is obviously not good for your digestion, or for the preservation of your delusions.
Mr Delusional returns. A quote from Alwyn’s rant earlier today:
“I wonder if Ms Ardern realises that she is not just allowing him the role of Acting Prime Minister as she has said. He is going to depose her”
Don’t take anything Alwyn says as being a rational comment. He lives in fantasy land.
You really should learn to read properly.
It was wild Katipo who raised this as an apparently serious comment.
After all Ms Ardern tells us that Winston is going to be Acting PM.
That means she will still be PM and Winnie will only be filling in for her.
Wild Katipo tells us that he is going to actually be Prime Minister. You can only have one at a time so he will have to replace Ardern, won’t he?
Why don’t you ask Wild Katipo where he gets his information from?
And then calm down.
alwyn…playing Machiavelli are you?
You know how folks will react to you posting that link, wrapped up in your usual invective…and success! Because they’re all piling onto you rather than reading the actual article…which demands our attention.
So…now you’ve all taken alwyn’s bait…go and read the article…
There’s something not right about this.
I’m afraid they don’t want to read the story Rosemary. If they did they would have to accept the fact that this Government is simply made up of politicians whose main interest is just like every other politician.
They want the power and the perks of office. They aren’t paragons of virtue.
My real complaint about them is not that they are in power. It is that they simply aren’t competent and didn’t spend their time in Opposition preparing to be a Government with a set of well thought out policies.
I mean look at Twyford and Kiwibuild. Have you ever seen anyone in quite such a muddle?
National were tired and really needed replacing. No Government should last more than three terms, at least in my opinion. Unfortunately we have had a group who are incompetent taking over. The only one who actually knows what he is doing is Tsar Winston and he is running things for his mates, like those who run the Fishing Industry and people like Sir Patrick Hogan and the horseracing fraternity.
So, we have a discussion going on about David ‘Footloose’ Seymour trying to raise a rabble in Remmers against a potential invasion of mentally ill folk…and I contributed this link to an article about Seymour’s reaction to the professional opinions of a panel of palliative care experts to the euthanasia select committee.
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/356086/euthanasia-bill-dangerous-palliative-care-workers
“Act leader David Seymour, who introduced the bill to Parliament in June last year has hit back, accusing the experts of fearmongering.
He insisted the vulnerable would be protected.
“Our own Attorney-General has written that my bill has sufficient safeguards and is consistent with the New Zealand Bill of Rights. So these guys, frankly, need to go jump in a lake, start debating on the evidence and stop speculating to create fear, uncertainty and doubt.””
Seymour continues his less than respectful response to those expressing concern about his pet project with an attack on the Disabilities Commissioner…https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/357924/euthanasia-bill-a-clayton-s-choice-for-disabled-people
“ACT leader David Seymour said he was deeply disappointed that Ms Tesoriero was “spreading misinformation” as intellectually disabled people did not qualify under the bill.
“It’s very ironic that the Disabilities Commissioner of all people would be saying that a person who’s perfectly capable of making a decision … should have fewer rights and choices than other people.””
Tesoreiro had quite rightly pointed out that in NZ people with disabilities “could not freely exercise their choice in New Zealand.
“We live in a world where people focus on fixing us, not on removing the barriers that make us disabled.
“In the absence of adequate services, we run the risk that choice under this bill becomes a Clayton’s choice for disabled people.””
Seymour was supported by none other than Greg ‘give all the cops guns all the time’ O’Connor, who because he has a son with an intellectual disability claims to have looked at the Bill and has not seen any problems.
“A “Clayton’s choice” is a choice that exists in name only and isn’t genuine.
But Mr O’Connor said many disabled people were perfectly able to give well-informed consent.
“You have to be careful – because it’s almost like you’re saying, ‘Leave disabled people over here, because they’re not capable of the same … mental capability””
I know M O’ Connor still uses MP training wheels, but he really needs to be more nuance aware.
What the Disabilities Commissioner is saying Greg, is that while far too many disabled New Zealanders struggle to get the supports they need and have to battle all the way to the United Nations to have they basic rights as humans recognised, it is really inafuckingppropriate to be defending the rights of disabled people to choose euthanasia while dismissing the concerns of a disabled person who represents the rights of all disabled New Zealanders.
Not without making a clear and unequivocal statement on behalf on the government that the rights of all disabled New Zealanders will be respected.
Eh????
The current bill won’t be able to be used by disabled people unless they are of sound mind, can convince a GP.
Go have a lie down Gosman. I used far too many words, and there are subtleties that may be difficult to sense for those outside of the disability community.
I just suggest Rosemary that some disabled persons might wish to have the right to choose euthanasia in the present or at some future specified time.
I note that the antis regard their opinions as sacred, and the final authority. This assumes that other people have no agency in their own lives; that they don’t have the intellect, that they must do what society and those around them decide for them. It is strange that others want to own others body and soul.
“….that some disabled persons might wish to have the right to choose euthanasia in the present or at some future specified time. ”
And no one is saying otherwise.
BUT…and this is a very big BUT…there must be no question at all that the disabled person who chooses euthanasia is doing so because the lack of proper support is making their life unbearable.
And at the present point in time this cannot be guaranteed.
Most of the people living with disability in New Zealand have no entitlement to funded supports from the Ministry of Health whatsoever.
And seeking supports from the Ministry of Health has actually made people wish that they were dead.
“I note that the antis regard their opinions as sacred, and the final authority.”
Funny that, I’ve noted the exact same tone from the pros…did you actually read Seymour’s responses to the Commissioner and the palliative care professionals that I referenced in my comment?
Telling the palliative care professionals that they “need to go jump in a lake,”…..
An interesting article to read for those interested? With a 11pg document in English from Sweden on what to do if Sweden is attack from a hostile country.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-05-22/sweden-issues-leaflet-on-how-to-prepare-for-war/9785934
Saw that.
A great read in translation.
Sweden has their own strong reasons to fear Russia, and it is driving them into NATO membership.
Also some concerns about coastal submarines, if I recall correctly.
I was reading a Janes Defence report a mths ago saying Russia Submarine activity in the Baltic Sea is almost back to Cold War levels and a huge increase around the Northern Approaches to Norway, Iceland and UK gap, but not to the same levels as during Cold War although there has been the odd surge or a increase rate of effort too Cold War levels during Russian Navy Summer Manoeuvres or NATO Ex’s.
Everyone is now having to relearn the art of ASW and tracking Subs etc as everything was either cut, mothballed or quietly drop as a peace dividend or the same to find cost savings to fund the “War on Terror” in the Gan and forgetting the need to have the “The Utility of Force” because the silly pollie’s didn’t want rise taxes to fund the “War on Terror” as British Armed Forces have found out thanks to that muppet Blair.
Oh, I knew I’d read something else a while back:
the Swedish nuclear sub design of old.
Deary me.
Yes I had seen that article as well, an interesting design and common sense prevail that it was unlikely to work. But they design this wee beauty of Submarine for use in and around the Baltic Sea until the Aussies got hold of it and completely bugged it up.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/V%C3%A4sterg%C3%B6tland-class_submarine
The design was so good that yanks got hold of a Swedish one on lease complete with it crew to train it scope dopes on how to find a diesel electric sub. When the aussies finally got their subs work properly and gave the yanks a right royal thrashing on RIMPAC Ex’s. As they got inside a Carrier Battle Group Anti Submarine Screen, then tailing the Carrier for couple days taking pictures of it before surfacing beside the Carrier after proclaiming to every Tom, Dick and Harry that no one can penetrate it a Anti Sub screen.
Lol those would be the ones being replaced by the ones pauline hansen thought could only stay under water for a few hours?
Both Sweden and Finland both cut back it Defence expenditure after the end of the Cold War to a point where they mothballed bases, equipment and move to suspend the National Service requirements of National’s Defence Force including the Civil Defence Forces. The Nordic countries have their own battle group with NATO for UN operations or for NATO’s Out of Area Operations aka The Gan. Which according to a couple of Swedish girl’s who work the bar at near bush block said they and many others are not impressed the close tries that Sweden has developed with NATO since the end of the Cold War. But on the other hand they could under stand the UN operations like Bosnia but not Gan as it comprises its Neutrality and if we run down our Defence Forces then we only have ourselves to blame. They also said Russia is a major concern to them as they see Russia wanting to rebuild its former Tsar Empire across the Baltic Nations and a threat to Nordic Values, Lifestyle and Freedoms.
It’s was only about 5 or so yrs ago (maybe longer not sure) that the last Swedish Troops left Gotland Defences and turn the lights off. Here they now standing its up Defences on Gotland and as my friends were saying it’s little bit concerning that is is happening.
11 pages…
There is number 11, once again
..
This sounds like an interesting read.
https://people.unisa.edu.au/Ben.Stubbs
My first book Ticket to Paradise: A Journey to Find the Australian Colony in Paraguay Among Nazis, Mennonites and Japanese Beekeepers
about my search for the remnants of the Australian utopian colony in Paraguay was published by ABC Books in 2012.
I am a writing and journalism academic. My background is as a travel and features journalist for publications in Australia and overseas. I have written for The New York Times, The Guardian, The Toronto Star, The Sydney Morning Herald and Rough Guides among many others. My current academic research focuses on exploring the plurality of the travel writing form.
I am fluent in Spanish and my latest book After Dark: A Nocturnal Exploration of… Read more
Heart warming and hopeful for the future of our environment.
Together we can make the vital difference and achieve amity and mutuality.
China is happy that it is turning sand dunes into productive growing areas.
We could be going ahead with something special for NZ since we are such a beautiful country and we love it. I’m sure we could be forging ahead with organics. I think that the Falklands has done this. Robert G would have good ideas. Let’s do it !
The dismal Economist deigns to lecture the stone-slingers of Palestine
http://normanfinkelstein.com/2018/05/21/smug-economist-but-the-cover-is-priceless-lecturing-david-as-he-confronts-goliath-that-there-is-a-better-way-than-a-slingshot-it-cant-but-amuse-these-tone-deaf-arses/
the auckland sandflys are just like the ones in vags the get shitty because I can smell them and cheat and block all my devices from getting this site ———- ka kite ano