Open mike 22/08/2016

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, August 22nd, 2016 - 206 comments
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openmikeOpen mike is your post.

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

Step up to the mike …

206 comments on “Open mike 22/08/2016 ”

  1. Paul 1

    Looks like another surge of immigrants is arriving to put further pressure on our housing crisis.

    http://i.stuff.co.nz/national/83406855/British-registrations-to-move-to-New-Zealand-double-after-Brexit-Immigration-NZ

    Neoliberalism relies on globalisation and encourages immigration to weaken workers’ bargaining positions. This excerpt comes from a brilliant article by Martin Jacques.

    “But the causes of this political crisis, glaringly evident on both sides of the Atlantic, are much deeper than simply the financial crisis and the virtually stillborn recovery of the last decade. They go to the heart of the neoliberal project that dates from the late 70s and the political rise of Reagan and Thatcher, and embraced at its core the idea of a global free market in goods, services and capital. The depression-era system of bank regulation was dismantled, in the US in the 1990s and in Britain in 1986, thereby creating the conditions for the 2008 crisis. Equality was scorned, the idea of trickle-down economics lauded, government condemned as a fetter on the market and duly downsized, immigration encouraged, regulation cut to a minimum, taxes reduced and a blind eye turned to corporate evasion.”

    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/aug/21/death-of-neoliberalism-crisis-in-western-politics

  2. weka 2

    A geologist speculating on how water from the Tukituki might have gotten into the aquifer (drought created cracks in the clay, flooding spread the water to those areas). I’m still not seeing very good explanations though (is this surface clay? The 2 impervious layers?)

    http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/311529/river-water-may-have-contaminated-supply-scientist

  3. The Chairman 3

    The Māori King will not be voting for Labour again.

    He said he had changed his mind about the party after its leadership said it would not work with the Māori Party.

    http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/te-manu-korihi/311515/maori-king-rejects-labour-in-unscripted-speech-closing

    However, didn’t Labour and the Greens recently extend an open invitation to any party that wanted to join them in changing the Government? Or has that now been retracted?

    Thoughts?

    • Wyndham 3.1

      It is difficult not to see the hand of Tuku Morgan behind most of what King Tuheitia says. Tuku appears to be making a strong political come back with his recent ascension to president of the Maori Party and a declared interest in bringing Hone Harawira in from the political wilderness.

      • The Chairman 3.1.1

        Indeed, it is difficult not to see the hand of Tuku Morgan at play.

        However, if Labour did change their position and have now ruled out working with the Māori Party, one could argue his position has some merit. Perhaps he was also unhappy with Labour’s unwillingness to work with Hone?

        • Anne 3.1.1.1

          I presume Labour has ruled out working with the Maori Party because the M.P. has supported almost every bit of government legislation to which Labour is implacably opposed. In such circumstances, Labour is correct to side-step the M.P. If they can’t to what’s right by their own people, then what chance to trust them on anything else.

          • marty mars 3.1.1.1.1

            How many votes have labour mate with there mates in the gnats???

            Talk about letting people down – A+ for labs.

          • weka 3.1.1.1.2

            Have Labour ruled out working with the Mp? Citation please.

            • The Chairman 3.1.1.1.2.1

              “Have Labour ruled out working with the Mp?”

              According to the Māori King.

              However, as highlighted by Sabine, it seems the King is being somewhat disingenuous. Unless there is more to it and he knows something we don’t?

              • weka

                So that would be a no then. And all this speculation is based on a single sentence in an RNZ report that isn’t even a quote. And no-one bothering to define what ‘working with’ means in this context.

                None of us yet know what either Labour or the Mp think or have done, nor really even what the Māori King said/meant.

                • The Chairman

                  “So that would be a no then. And all this speculation is based on a single sentence in an RNZ report that isn’t even a quote.”

                  No.

                  Little was also interviewed about it on RNZ. He didn’t dispute Labour no longer willing to work with them.

                  And there is this from TV3, the King blamed comments made by Little that Labour couldn’t work with the Māori Party.

                  Nanaia Mahutatold told Newshub the Māori King was as free to make political statements as anyone else, but that she has spoken to Mr Little about it.

                  “I’ve given him a brief of what was said and the context in which it was said. It’s up to Andrew in terms of how he chooses to respond.”

                  However, Ms Mahuta wouldn’t be drawn on whether Mr Little should retract and apologise for his comments, to heal divisions.

                  “There is no doubt Andrew will reflect on a whole lot of comments from a whole lot of people.”

                  • weka

                    Can you please link to where Little made this statement on RNZ?

                    • weka

                      Thanks.

                      So, there is nothing there that says that Labour won’t work with the Mp (he does say they won’t work with Harawira).

                      Which means this whole conversation is based on pretty much nothing.

                    • The Chairman

                      The assertion that Labour won’t work with the MP was made by the King in the first link provided. Which is one of the reasons why he won’t be voting Labour. And which Little was later questioned on in the last link provided.

                      What I found interesting was Little never addressed the reason why the King won’t be voting Labour.

                      If the King was mistaken or incorrect, surely that would have been one of the first things Little would have addressed?

                      It was also somewhat supported by the report on TV3. Which I already highlighted above.

                      http://www.newshub.co.nz/politics/mori-king-dumps-labour-backs-mori-and-mana-2016082209

                      The whole thing raises a lot of questions, hence why I started the discussion.

                    • weka

                      “The assertion that Labour won’t work with the MP was made by the King in the first link provided.”

                      Not quite. RNZ report that he said something like that. There is no quote or context.

                      The audio with Little was obviously edited and we don’t get to hear the original question. He wasn’t asked if Labour have ruled out working with the Mp, it doesn’t come up. He was asked about ruling out Harawira and answers that.

                      So, all we have is a single sentence in an RNZ report that no-one on the largest left wing blog in NZ is able to confirm.

                    • The Chairman

                      Your overlooking it was also reported to be asserted by the King on TV3, which was a little more specific in their reporting. Directly naming Little and quoting the King as finding Little’s statement (Labour couldn’t work with the MP) “hurtful”

                      Nanaia Mahuta was also questioned on whether Little should retract and apologise, but wouldn’t be drawn.

                      Therefore, we have more than a single sentence in a RNZ report, but questions still remain.

                      As you point out, it’s interesting no-one on the largest left wing blog in NZ is able to confirm Labour’s alleged change of position, thus allowing us to fully ascertain whether the King and what has been reported is on the level.

            • Anne 3.1.1.1.2.2

              I was replying to TC @ 3 weka.

              Until someone can prove otherwise, I was assuming the Maori King’s contention that … he had changed his mind about the party [Labour] after its leadership said it would not work with the Māori Party is correct.

            • alwyn 3.1.1.1.2.3

              The party’s late leader, the now -person” David C certainly appeared to have done so when he was in power but it is almost impossible to find any definitive comment by the current party leader. He is a master of the “on the one hand… on the other hand ” approach of saying different things to different groups of course.

              Cunliffe said
              “The Labour leader says there will be a maximum of three parties in Government should the party take office after September 20 – Labour, the Green Party and New Zealand First.” and
              “But he said Internet Mana and Maori Party “absolutely won’t be ministers”.”
              http://www.newshub.co.nz/politics/labour-wont-have-maori-party-in-govt-2014090822

              • weka

                Nothing to do with this conversation though.

                • alwyn

                  Why on earth not?
                  You are making an assumption that he is talking about Andrew Little being the leader he meant.
                  The King didn’t say that however. He said, “He said he had changed his mind about the party after its leadership said it would not work with the Māori Party”.
                  He doesn’t say when that happened and it is only an assumption made by people on this blog that he meant the current leadership. He could have given up on Labour in 2014 for all we know.
                  That would make his statement perfectly understandable.

                  He is, after all, entitled to believe that statements of Labour Party policy stand until they are unequivocally reversed. Has Little ever said, about Cunliffe’s comment on working with Maori, that it no longer applies? He was very quick to announce that changing the age for Super was scrapped and that there would be no CGT.
                  Perhaps the Kings remark is merely an attempt to force Little to scrap the last remaining policy of Cunliffe’s reign?

          • Sabine 3.1.1.1.3

            The homeless inquiry is run by Labour, the Greens and the Maori Party. So obviously the Labour and Green Coalition can and is working with the Maori Party.

            As for the Maori Party they clearly state that they will work with whomever is in Power. Luckily for this country, everyone gets to have a vote an every one gets to vote by themselves.

            In the end does it matter if the one publicly votes when everyone else is alone in the both making their choice?

            • weka 3.1.1.1.3.1

              Thanks Sabine. There is a large amount of misinformation being peddled in this thread.

            • Karen 3.1.1.1.3.2

              Exactly, Sabine.

              I am not aware of any statement from Andrew Little saying Labour will not work with the Māori Party if there is a Labour led government. If he did can someone provide a citation?

              I was initially surprised by this statement by Kīngi Tūheitia but not so much when I thought about the influence of Tuku Morgan. The only way the Māori Party can get more seats is by taking them off the Labour Party, so expect to hear more attacks on Labour now that Tuku Morgan is the president. He is far too right wing for my tastes but there is no question that he is a very astute politician.

              As for Labour gifting seats to the Māori Party – what on earth for? There is no advantage to Labour in doing this. Even the Nats don’t stand aside in any electorate – including Epsom.

            • Anne 3.1.1.1.3.3

              I don’t understand your response to my 3.1.1.1 Sabine. I didn’t say the M.P. has supported every bit of govt. legislation. I said “almost” which is true. Yes, there are areas where they can work reasonably well together but that’s the case between all political parties. I expect there are areas where Labour and ACT – or even the Greens and ACT – have something in common.

              I reject the premise that a political party can be a part of “whomsoever is in power” It suggests they have no fundamental principles/values behind them – a sure-fire pathway to eventual failure. Would they have worked with an ACT govt. whose policies are counter to Maori aspiration? They would have been voting for their own swift demise.

              • Sabine

                i merely pointed out to the naysayer and those that want Labour to fail at any cost that irrespective of what one person says it actually means nothing.

                my partner votes Green i don’t. I see the same thing happening elsewhere. One may state they will never ever do this or that, and its good and fine for them, and all the others will do this an that and its good and fine.

                I don’t think that the majority of Maoris will base their vote on what the King says.
                And for the naysayers that say that Labour can’t or won’t work with the Maori Party i merely pointed out that gasp, Labour and the Greens are already working with the Maori Party together in regards to our homeless crisis.
                but then the spring is coming, and sleeping in a car maybe not be an issue anymore until next winter?

                • The Chairman

                  “I merely pointed out to the naysayer and those that want Labour to fail at any cost that irrespective of what one person says it actually means nothing”

                  One can’t deny that the opinion of one of such high notability doesn’t have some voter sway . Nevertheless, there is a good chance that anyone initially considering voting Labour, but are now swayed by the notion, may result in voting Mana instead.

                  “And for the naysayers that say that Labour can’t or won’t work with the Maori Party i merely pointed out that gasp, Labour and the Greens are already working with the Maori Party together in regards to our homeless crisis.”

                  The assertion is Little said Labour can’t or won’t work with the Maori Party. Which could be a new development (taking place after deciding to work together on the homeless crisis)?

                  • Sabine

                    you know what, it does not matter who people vote for in my opinion as long as they vote.

                    I have stated it some three years ago that the opposition parties need to learn to work and co-exists. In the long term that would include Mana or any other new party that will come along.

                    I don’t see how hard that is to understand?

                    MMP = coalitions. Labour/Mana/Greens/Maori/legalise Aotearoa etc etc etc.

                    MMP again. So for now the Labour Party is working with the Maori Party and the Greens on the homeless crisis. Kudos, they are doing it and all the others can get fucked in my books cause they are doing nothing.

                    As for your assertion that Little said this or that, please kindly provide a link. Thanks.

                    Cause the bibpartisan group to address homelessness in NZ has been on the books now for a few weeks/month.

                    • The Chairman

                      “As for your assertion that Little said this or that, please kindly provide a link. Thanks.”

                      It’s not my assertion. I was referring to the assertion reported – i.e. RNZ, TV3.

                      http://www.newshub.co.nz/politics/mori-king-dumps-labour-backs-mori-and-mana-2016082209

                      http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/te-manu-korihi/311515/maori-king-rejects-labour-in-unscripted-speech-closing

                    • Sabine

                      re Chairman
                      so ‘your’ comment :The assertion is Little said Labour can’t or won’t work with the Maori Party.
                      is still without a link to any statement by Little.

                      I merely pointed out that Labour is already working with the Maori Party 🙂 Today they are already working together. Not next year after the election. Today.

                    • The Chairman

                      “So ‘your’ comment :The assertion is Little said Labour can’t or won’t work with the Maori Party is still without a link to any statement by Little.”

                      That’s because the assertion was reportedly made by the King. As shown in the links.

                      “I merely pointed out that Labour is already working with the Maori Party”

                      Yes, which further brings into question what’s been reported.

                    • alwyn

                      Neither Radio New Zealand, not TV3, claimed that Little had said that he would not work with the Maori Party, nor that the Maori King had claimed that Little had done so..
                      What the Maori King said, and which I commented on a little further up this correspondence, was that
                      “He said he had changed his mind about the party after its leadership said it would not work with the Māori Party”.
                      This doesn’t put any particular time on when he did change his mind. It is simply a statement in the past tense about the “leadership”.
                      David Cunliffe DID say this. At the time he said it he was the leader of the Labour Party. Little has never said that the Labour Party no longer held this view. I suspect the Maori King is trying to put pressure on Little to come out and say that Labour would happily work with the M.P. This would put the cat among the pigeons for the Maori members of the Labour Party, and help the M.P in the next election..

                  • Craig H

                    Someone questioned our local MP on this tonight at our LEC meeting – Labour have not ruled out working with MP, and MP have not ruled out working with Labour. The Maori King believes Mana and MP should not be separate parties i.e. they should re-merge.

                    Mondayisation of Waitangi and ANZAC Day and the PPL bills are recent examples of bills from the member’s ballot being passed over the top of NAct, so there’s still room to work with them.

          • The Chairman 3.1.1.1.4

            “I presume Labour has ruled out working with the Maori Party because the M.P. has supported almost every bit of government legislation to which Labour is implacably opposed.”

            If your presumption is correct, it doesn’t explain why Labour initially extended an open invitation to work together.

            • Anne 3.1.1.1.4.1

              I didn’t catch up with that TC. Was it a general invitation or just on some specific legislation? How long ago? Genuine questions.

              • weka

                Anne, have you seen something specific where Labour says they won’t work with the Mp?

              • The Chairman

                “I didn’t catch up with that TC. Was it a general invitation or just on some specific legislation? How long ago?”

                It was an open invitation, extended when they announced their MOU.

    • Colonial Viper 3.2

      Labour should have been working hard to reconcile with the Maori Party since Turia left.

      However doing so would likely require Labour not contesting some seats. Which internally Labour would find unpalatable, especially as Labour views all the Maori Seats as naturally theirs. So the Maori Party get driven back into the arms of National.

      • mpledger 3.2.1

        The Maori party choose to go back into the arms of National. But it seems their intent is to remain MPs at the expense of doing what’s best for Maori.

        • Colonial Viper 3.2.1.1

          And what do you think of all the Maori roll voters who support them?

        • save nz 3.2.1.2

          Yep, maybe Labour might be wrong in the past, (in particular Hone Harawira) but the Maori party has made the situation much worse by propping up National for 8 years. And anyone who tries to justify that as being good for Maori, needs their head read. Maybe it is personally beneficial for the .1% Maori ‘at the table’ just like personally beneficial for the .1% elite Pakeha, Chinese, US etc as well, but what about the rest of Maori and the rest of the country?

          • Chooky 3.2.1.2.1

            +100 save nz

          • Puckish Rogue 3.2.1.2.2

            Well when Labour shafted Maori over the forshore then maybe Maori remembered which party had actually done more to raise Maori up, not through words by through actions, Doug Graham anyone?

            It is the worst kind of racist paternalism to expect/demand Maori vote for Labour without offering anything in return

            • framu 3.2.1.2.2.1

              yet they forgot why labour did what it did – after a certain party kicked the hornets nest

              (thats not to excuse labours actions – just part of the mix at that time)

              • Puckish Rogue

                That’s also true

                • In Vino

                  And Tuku Morgan should have had the honesty to leave Labour with Douglas, Prebble, etc, and be part of the Act Party. He is indeed a 1%er, and is no doubt behind this statement by the so-called Maori king – whose monarchy a number of Maori reject.

                  • Not sure Morgan was ever in Labour, though he may have been a member when he was younger, I suppose. He got elected as a NZF MP in the nineties and has proceeded further and further to the right from then on in.

                    • In Vino

                      Ulp! – I think you may be correct there. I associated him with Rogernomics and $90 taxpayer-funded undies, but it could well have been through NZF .. who are thereby equally tainted.

            • Gabby 3.2.1.2.2.2

              Some Maori.

        • Sanctuary 3.2.1.3

          The comments of the Maori King are just the last throw of the dice by the dying Maori Party. Never forget the Maori Party represent brown privilege as expressed in the form of Iwi businesses that are busily proving capitalist greed is colour blind. At the top of the Iwi entitlement mythology tree is the Maori king.

          These Brown Tories are poised to make an absolute fortune from National’s drive to privatise welfare and education through various shady Iwi organisations. If the Maori Party disappears, so does one of National’s support partners and if National loses power, all those fat, fat contracts featuring taxpayer money going to unaccountable private Maori providers goes with them.

      • Jenny Kirk 3.2.2

        Labour has a proud history of standing candidates in all seats, CV – to enable the Labour message to get out everywhere, including the Maori seats. Why should it deviate from this record now?

        What is more, when Labour and Greens united, they both offered invitations to other Parties to join them. mpledger has it right. The Maori Party are close to National and the Maori King is being taken in by them.

        • Colonial Viper 3.2.2.1

          What did the Labour and Greens leadership offer to the Maori Party in exchange for their support?

          How is the strategy of alienating or eliminating potential MMP allies going for Labour so far?

          • BM 3.2.2.1.1

            You can’t really offer them anything substantial without alienating and pissing off the Maori sector of the Labour party.

            That’s why the Maori party partners with National far more opportunity to get stuff done

        • The Chairman 3.2.2.2

          “Why should it deviate from this record now?”

          Perhaps to help improve their wish of changing the Government?

          For example, if Labour and the Greens stood down in Epsom (an electorate both would never win) and encouraged their supporters to vote for National, that would kill ACT.

          Moreover, Labour and the Greens have indicated there is some potential for them to reach accommodations to support one anothers candidates in electoral seats, suggesting they may be considering deviating from this past record.

          • Colonial Viper 3.2.2.2.1

            You are only allowed to work cross party to get rid of left wing MPs like Hone Harawira.

            • te reo putake 3.2.2.2.1.1

              Except that never happened. They had an election and Hone came second.

              • adam

                Yeah mana shot themselves in the foot, but labour did the dirty too. It was not as nice as you’d like it to be te reo putake

                • Hey, it’s an election, Adam. I been involved in plenty and nice is not a word I would usually associate with the process. Well, maybe if the Greens are involved 😉

                  I guess the point is that the WO spread meme that there was some cooperation between National and Labour still pops up from time to time. It’s bollocks, obviously, but for some people it’s easier to believe that rubbish than accept that Hone made a terrible tactical choice hooking up with a self absorbed millionaire. Ironically, the maori party have also hooked up with a self absorbed millionaire, but they’ve got away with it so far.

        • weka 3.2.2.3

          “What is more, when Labour and Greens united, they both offered invitations to other Parties to join them”

          Citation for that please Jenny.

      • Ad 3.2.3

        The Maori King is a stupid piece of useless corrupt inbred fawning that holds Maori back.

        • marty mars 3.2.3.1

          You offensive creep – luckily your obnoxious opinion is worth nothing. What a foul arsehole you are.

          • weka 3.2.3.1.1

            Not sure if he means the man or the position, but either way it’s easily the most racist comment in the thread so far :-/

            FFS Ad, I know you’re doing this whole inflammatory style of politics now, but putting some context into that comment so it could be understood as anything other than outright offensive and supporting racism might have been a good idea.

        • Anne 3.2.3.2

          The Maori King has been easily led I would say.

        • jcuknz 3.2.3.3

          You could be right AD but for once the guy is talking sense … Labour for years has taken Maori for granted whereas National has given more than crumbs during its stay in office. I hate to think of how many more lollies Maori would get if they had more seats.

          • BM 3.2.3.3.1

            Tainui is also a real business power house in the Waikato now.

            They have their fingers in lots of pies and are doing lots of developments, hardly surprising they see their future with National, not Labour.

            • jcuknz 3.2.3.3.1.1

              Just as Maori showed during the early settlement period they can work the capitalism system as well as any whitey.

              • Puckish Rogue

                I suspect its one of the reasons that Maori have done relatively better then most other peoples that have been colonised

                • What??? How do all those stats look? Typical rubbish from a gnat – it’s all relative unless it’s them.

                  • Puckish Rogue

                    I’d suggest that Maori have certainly done better then the first people in Australia, South Africa, Alaska or the USA (yeah yeah I know its the same country)

                    I mean if I had to choose from that selection I’d choose to be Maori everytime

                    • Bully for you and your stupid view not based an anything except your belly button lint.

                    • Puckish Rogue

                      Please accept this virtual hug from me to you, I feel like you could use one right now and I hope that whatever has you down is resolved soon 🙂

                    • mauī

                      Wow, 3 minutes earlier you said, The worst thing you can do when holding a position is to not try to understand what other peoples points of views are

                    • Puckish Rogue

                      Yup and if someone says something convinces me they’re right and I’m wrong I change or more likely someone points out something I hadn’t considered then I take that on board and that filters through to my postings

                      One of the reasons you don’t see me posting sexist stuff or how I’m likely to point to people that comments on someones physical appearance is not cool and that’s come directly from here

                      I’d post stuff that I didn’t realise was sexist or demeaning but once it was shown from others posts on the subject I immediately changed what I post

        • Puckish Rogue 3.2.3.4

          Tell us what you really think, don’t hold anything back 🙂

        • Grant 3.2.3.5

          Someone doesn’t know how to use fawning in a sentence.

  4. Colonial Viper 4

    The German government tells its people that they must hold 10 days worth of personal food and water in case of terrorist attack. Brighter future?

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/europe/83406644/germany-to-tell-people-to-stockpile-food-and-water-in-case-of-attacks

    • Sabine 4.1

      Fact, Germany grew up with a strong history of war the resulting lack of food and other goods.

      Fact, when your stuff is re-possesed they can’t take 1 TV as the Government insists you need it for the news and to be informed of events such as terrorists attack and floods and other assorted shite that may have to keep you home or to be told where emergency assembly points, shelters and the likes are.

      Fact, every now and then we have -25 – 30 degrees winter and in certain regions become un-reachables aka the Schwaebishe Alp and high mountain Farmers.
      Fact, every now and then we have awesome floods that can make regions un-reachables for days on end.

      Fact, also from Germany we are a transit country, goods come from the south, the east and the west and north to travel through Germany. Leaving us with lots of nice things in the shops. Should a war or terrorist attack happens stuff in the shops may run low. Thus a smart populace is prepared to some extend.

      Fact, if the russians or the us fuckwits start playing war games, Germany France and the rest of europe is gone first and we know it.

      Fact, we grew up with ABC alarms, Fact we have old people having lived through a lot of shit and some of them are awesome hoarders and makers.

      Fact, you should really not start sprouting off about Germany, they are too sane for you. I hear Trump took a truck load of PlayDoh to Louisianna as disaster relieve – how is that for a brighter future.

      • Colonial Viper 4.1.1

        AfD is going to gain more traction as economic and security conditions decline and Merkel insists on letting even more Middle Eastern refugees into the country.

        As for facts how about this one – sales of pepper spray and requests for personal defence weapon permits appear to have reached record highs in Germany this year.

        Fact, if the russians or the us fuckwits start playing war games, Germany France and the rest of europe is gone first and we know it.

        Yes.

        Which makes me somewhat surprised that Germany is willing to risk war via treaties with countries like Latvia and Bulgaria.

        The Germans have also allowed the US to run a lot of Middle Eastern wars as well as CIA renditions out of German bases. And Germany has accepted US directions to put harsh sanctions on Russia.

        Has it not occurred to the German people that many of the costs and risks of these actions – like economic damage to German industry, destabilising the long standing strategic balance with Russia and millions of refugees on the door step – are being borne by the German people and not by the US leaders in far away Washington DC.

        • Sabine 4.1.1.1

          Has it ever incurred to you that you know jack shit about Germany?

          What about that Truckload of Playdoh? Anything to say about the brighter future?

        • Garibaldi 4.1.1.2

          C’mon CV and Sabine .From where I am sitting you are both correct.

          • Sabine 4.1.1.2.1

            i doubt, i have absolutely no use what so ever for CV. I put him in the same box as the other trolls. For what it concerns Germany i sincerely doubt that CV has any knowledge what so ever. Sometimes it behoofes him to keep it shut.
            I am sure there is some Hillary is sick meme that he can peddle if he feels bored and needs attention.

    • Puckish Rogue 4.2

      But how can this be, I mean they’ve opened their borders so everyone that enters should be really thankful and thus safe from terrorist attacks. If anything it should be these countries that should be doing the prepping:

      http://qz.com/635110/these-are-the-routes-being-closed-off-to-refugees-fleeing-into-europe/

      But seriously everyone should be prepping anyway, I myself have just completed my three week preps and am now starting on three months

      • Sabine 4.2.1

        How much water do you have?
        Have you got your sanitation sorted?
        Medication?

        Cause the killing will be done by infected cuts, broken bones and shit everywhere.
        NZ is a good place to go foraging if you know what is edible and if you know how to cook it.

        But a cut to your finger infected is what is going to kill you. Same as it was some 200 years ago,

        • Puckish Rogue 4.2.1.1

          The earthquakes showed me just how unprepared I was (complacent) so I started to some research and found some web sites that were very helpful

          These in particular are very good:

          http://thesurvivalmom.com/

          Very good starting point, some American stuff of course but a mostly useful, common sense approach to prepping

          http://www.americanpreppersnetwork.net/

          Really good stuff on here, theres a lot to go through however its also conservatively American but the information in there means you just need to ignore the political side of it

          From there I take the information and balance it against what I already know and go from there

    • Stuart Munro 4.3

      Kiwis should do the same evidently – for when the real trickledown (bovine fecal matter into aquifers) becomes a flood.

  5. mauī 5

    (Song) Justin Bieber ft. Auckland Law Revue – Sorry to Māori

    https://youtu.be/jpEzMKIO9UQ

  6. save nz 6

    Will this National’s new policy if they get a 4th term? Scary stuff. (Have they already started arresting people).

    U.S. Marshals Are Arresting People in Texas Who Have Outstanding Student Loans

    http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2016/02/us-marshals-forcibly-collecting-student-debt.html

    • Colonial Viper 6.1

      Debtors prisons, the way of the future.

    • Olwyn 6.2

      The selling of student loans by a government seems to me like the use of debt to reintroduce slavery – a variation on private prisons.

  7. Chooky 7

    China’s shame!…how does this compare with Nazi Germany?…the maiming and murder of dissidents and Tibetans and other minority ethnic groups

    ‘Ethan Gutmann and Angela Ballantyne – Forced Organ Harvesting’

    http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/sunday/audio/201812988/ethan-gutmann-and-angela-ballantyne-forced-organ-harvesting

    “Claims of forced organ harvesting from thousands of Chinese prisoners of conscience are revealed in a new documentary being screened around Aotearoa in coming weeks.

    The film is called Hard to Believe – and it alleges the Chinese government is behind an industrial scale programme of organ harvesting – mostly targeting members of the religious sect Falun Gong. The Chinese government maintains this is all a lie, and donors are all prisoners on death row. Ethan Gutmann, author of the book, The Slaughter, is one of the authors of a new 800-page report, ‘An Update,’ that says up to 100,000 transplants are taking place in China each year. Dr Angela Ballantyne is Senior Lecturer in Bioethics at the University of Otago and President of the International Assn of Bioethics.

    https://youtu.be/_SAFxAcNmno

    • RedLogix 7.1

      Yes. This has been around for a while. I mentally shelved it in the ‘need more information’ category, because it really is hard to believe. But if it is true then we have a problem.

      Quite a big one.

      • Chooky 7.1.1

        …very BIG one…and agree it is so bad it is hard to believe! …it puts other human rights violations and crimes against humanity in the pale

    • Sabine 7.2

      When they start branding people, forcing them to wear yellow starts, pink triangles and other assorted symbols to represent their transgressions in public and in prison, when they have charts for its citizens to check if they are ‘aryan’ enough etc etc then you may compare the Chinese and the treatment of their minority groups and the likes to Nazi Germany, when they openly work people to death in mines, factories, fields, when they openly shoot them in front of mass graves for hours on end, when they end up killing 6 million people of one religion and several other million of people who happen to be gay, socialists, communists, catholic, protestant, jehovas witnesses, blind, deaf, mute, otherwise physically handicapped, old or sick then you may start looking for a comparison with the German organised and executed Holocoust.

      In the meantime i suggest you find a different term for it. And then you should also ask yourself who profits of the atrocities committed in China.

      are you aryan enough to survive?

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Jewish_laws#/media/File:Nuremberg_laws.jpg

  8. Puckish Rogue 8

    What a weekend for sport, even the doom merchant no joy lefties on here would have to say its been a pretty decent run

    The Olympics team doing us proud, the All Blacks showing exactly why they’re the standard (pardon the expression ;-)) the only blot being the Diaz v McGregor fight (of course a third fight means bigger box office) and the rain affected 1st test against SA

    Its all good 🙂

    • jcuknz 8.1

      It is the brighter future JK has promised us PR 🙂

    • mauī 8.2

      Surprising seeing you running the establishment line again PR..

      • Puckish Rogue 8.2.1

        Not the establishment line. I just like watching sports and this weekend was a doozy, sports wise

        I know that most of the left would prefer to be suck on a lemon then celebrate NZs sporting achievements but sometimes theres a good weekend and you’re just glad to have watched it 🙂

        • Paul 8.2.1.1

          If sport is t he most important thing to you.

          • Puckish Rogue 8.2.1.1.1

            Bet you’re real fun at parties

            • Paul 8.2.1.1.1.1

              Yes I am because I am able to talk about a lot more than sport and real estate.
              Folk whose repertoire is just sport tend to make parties dull.

              • Puckish Rogue

                Of course because how can anyone enjoy mere sport when there is so many more important things to worry about out there

                • In Vino

                  Well, PR, I think Gordon Campbell has blown your ‘decent run’ apart.

                  More cost per medal for the taxpayer to bear than ever before, and a shrinking TV audience because of Paywall. Actually the lowest value NZ taxpayers have had from any Olympics, if I remember rightly.

                  Maybe the end of the current system, which is sick. I refuse to pay for sport on TV. So do so many others.
                  Read his latest article on Werewolf, admit that he is right, and stop your blathering rubbish.

        • marty mars 8.2.1.2

          Idiot – the left love sports, sportspeople often vote too and for many parties. The right don’t like sport they like competition.

          • Puckish Rogue 8.2.1.2.1

            http://i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/545/236/38d.jpg

            Are you feeling all right this morning? You seem to be more irritable then usual, let it all out if it’ll make you feel better 🙂

            • marty mars 8.2.1.2.1.1

              I feel assaulted by ignorance and bigotry but yeah I’m good.

              This isn’t a competition ☺

              • Puckish Rogue

                I like sports but winning is more enjoyable when theres decent competition and something on the line

                For instance the All Blacks beating say Italy is nice but the All blacks beating Australia in the world cup final was something else entirely

                • What sports do you like that aren’t competitive?

                  • Puckish Rogue

                    Seriously? All sports require an element of competition unless you’re practicing of course

                    • RedLogix

                      And then there is the old school of thinking that says the only true sports are motor racing and alpine climbing. All the rest are games.

                    • Puckish Rogue

                      I’m genuinely interested, whats their reasoning behind that and I’m assuming that motor racing includes various types of sailing as well?

                    • weka

                      “All sports require an element of competition unless you’re practicing of course”

                      What do you call kayaking done outside of competition and practice for competition?

                      Or rock climbing for the joy of it?

                    • RedLogix

                      A spot of googling tracks it down to an Ernst Hemingway quote: ‘There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing, and mountaineering; all the rest are merely games.’

                      And more references here:

                      http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/new_york_city/entry/auto_racing_bullfighting_and_mountain_climbing_are_the_only_real_sports_all

                    • Puckish Rogue

                      I’m not sure I’d call bull fighting any sort of sport

                    • Puckish Rogue

                      Well Weka practice is just that, practice but this is a pretty good definition I reckon: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sport

                      SportAccord uses the following criteria, determining that a sport should:

                      have an element of competition

                      be in no way harmful to any living creature

                      not rely on equipment provided by a single supplier (excluding proprietary games such as arena football)

                      not rely on any “luck” element specifically designed into the sport

                      They also recognise that sport can be primarily physical (such as rugby or athletics), primarily mind (such as chess or go), predominantly motorised (such as Formula 1 or powerboating), primarily co-ordination (such as billiard sports), or primarily animal-supported (such as equestrian sport).

                    • RedLogix

                      Neither would I count bullfighting, which is probably why I’d mentally erased it from my first version.

                      But weka is spot on, while I’ve played football, a bit of rugby and some softball, I found climbing, tramping, kayaking … all activities that challenge your own limitations … far more engaging.

                      Beating other people is easy; overcoming your own fears isn’t.

                    • Puckish Rogue

                      and nothing wrong with that either but for me tramping is something I do for fun, I’m not really looking to challenge myself as such (except for when I haven’t done it in a while and it feels like a challenge even taking a step but I digress)

                      I guess the sports I’ve, mostly, gravitated to are the more team orientated ones

                      However the main point of the original post was what a great weekend it was for NZ sport…maybe I should have added whatever sport it is you choose to participate in 🙂

                    • locus

                      Sport for competition or sport for the sheer enjoyment, either way it’s been a pleasure to be a spectator and to share some wonderful moments this Olympics…..

                      to see people realise their childhood dreams and to show us and the next generation that sporting excellence is as much about the journey, the teamwork and how you participate, as it is about individual achievement.

                    • BM

                      About the only sport that I don’t find boring is Cricket.

                      I don’t think there’s another game that requires as much mental toughness and skill as cricket.

                      It’s a real rooster one moment, feather duster next sort of game ….. or over.

                    • Puckish Rogue

                      All that and more, absolutely. To see people from small towns like Waimate or Timaru etc and, not just compete, but succeed has been really excellent as well and if that’s not motivating enough the sheer class shown by athletes like (but not limited to) Valarie Adams will hopefully convince more women (and men of course) to strive for higher honours in their chosen sports

                    • Puckish Rogue

                      Yes I forgot to mention the cricket this weekend as well, they’ve done well in the bowling but the batting was looking a bit wobbly but unfortunately it looks like rain will have the final say

                    • Sanctuary

                      Just to let you all know, in Spain bullfighting is covered on the same pages as the theatre reviews and ballet performances, not in the sports section.

        • mauī 8.2.1.3

          Of course its the establishment line, just look how the ABs are used by politicians and the media, and how someone of your viewpoint uses the subject on a political blog. Anyway Noam Chomsky says it better:
          https://youtu.be/Vz1nIHv6P6Q

    • Bearded Git 8.3

      $27 million for one silver medal in cycling…..or $54 million for one cycling silver and the same flag.

      Money well spent indeed.

  9. Puckish Rogue said:
    “I know that most of the left would prefer to be suck on a lemon then celebrate NZs sporting achievements…”
    Tell us, PR, why if you believe what you have written, do you visit a Left wing blog to trumpet your support for something you believe the readers here would “rather suck on a lemon” than listen to? You’re better suited to a Right wing blog where sports fans such as yourself are all a twitter with excitement at the Olympic medal tally and the All Black win over Australia.

    • Puckish Rogue 9.1

      Don’t forget UFC 202 🙂

      Probably because while most of the left do suck on lemons (see Pauls comment) not all lefties are like that, some even have comments that’re worth reading

      The worst thing you can do when holding a position is to not try to understand what other peoples points of views are

      If hell is other people then only existing with other people that agree with you may not be hell but it’d certainly be very boring

      • Garibaldi 9.1.1

        PR with your incorrect use of ‘ then/than’, it makes your crap hard to read.

        • Puckish Rogue 9.1.1.1

          Sucks to be you than doesn’t it

          • In Vino 9.1.1.1.1

            Sucks is plural, PR, so it should be ‘doesn’t they’. ☺

          • Chooky 9.1.1.1.2

            …and how about “then” instead of “than”

            • In Vino 9.1.1.1.2.1

              Sorry Chooky, but I think PR was displaying his form of wit, and did that error deliberately. His other many errors are through misguided political slant, and not so deliberate.

              • Chooky

                damn went completely over my head…I thought I had smarty PR on the grammar…(and I am not too hot on grammar myself)

      • framu 9.1.2

        “The worst thing you can do when holding a position is to not try to understand what other peoples points of views are ”

        oh the irony

        i dont have a problem with sportspeople succeeding – but i do have an issue with the way sport is overhyped, over corporatised and the pack mentality displayed by many non participants.

        I would be willing to bet that many have a somewhat similar take – and one that comes across as “dont like sport” if the detail isnt there

        that thing you were saying about not understanding others points of view? 🙂

        • Puckish Rogue 9.1.2.1

          i dont have a problem with sportspeople succeeding – but i do have an issue with the way sport is overhyped, over corporatised and the pack mentality displayed by many non participants

          and that’s a fair point, I feel something has been lost from NZ rugby and it’ll never come back again

          I recall drinking the Cook down in Dunedin (early to mid 90s) and having a look at the uni a rugby photos and just looking at all the provincial and all blacks in the photos and going to games at the ‘brook and having a great time but now…I don’t know its just not quite the same

          However I’d also not want to begrudge a player making decent money from the game, they’re only a tackle away from retirement after all

          But hasn’t some of the performances from the NZ Olympics team, especially the women, been impressive?

          • b waghorn 9.1.2.1.1

            The unexpected medal from the pole vaulter was the high light for me .
            Nothing like peaking at the right time.

            • Puckish Rogue 9.1.2.1.1.1

              Yeah wasn’t she impressive, hitting a PB at the exact time she needed it. I personally think Natalie Rooney was one of the, many, highlights for me

              I’m stoked when I hit two clay birds in a row so I was just sitting getting more and more excited about her prospects and her attitude to silver was equally as impressive, she’ll be a good bet for 2020

              • Colonial Viper

                Very nice but the medal is not worth the same as Isinbayeva the world champion was not permitted to compete.

                • There’s an obvious answer: two Olympics, one drug free and one drugged up to the eyeballs.

                  • McFlock

                    Trouble with that is that we’ve seen the results with WWE wrestlers. Very high death rate in middle age.

                    Dunno if sports really deserve the “one crowded hour” attitude.

                    • Not just WWE, McFlock. Plenty of athletes, cyclists, body builders and others have died early, Florence Griffith Joyner being probably the most famous. Lord knows how many from Eastern Europe have died over the last few decades because it’s always been easier to hide the stats there.

                      I suspect if there were two Olympics, one clean the other not so much, the public would prefer the clean one. But Sky TV would happily show both.

                    • McFlock

                      well, that’s capitalism for ya.

                  • Colonial Viper

                    Hi TRP, I had hoped [Deleted. No referring to what you think is my real life identity, please. TRP] would have given you more respect for due process and natural justice.

                    Isinbayeva is a two time Olympic gold medalist and three times world champion. She has been pole vault champion at at least four other major international competitions. Each of these events had independent drug testing before and after. AFAIK she was found clean each and every time.

                    So for her to be banned as a drug cheat as part of the collective punishment of the Russian athletics team and not be given any chance for individual appeal based on her outstanding record to date is nothing short of political and malicious.

                    You shouldn’t excuse it.

                    • CV, the sad fact is that Russian athletics is horribly tainted. I’ve no issue with Isinbayeva or any individual. But all of them were trained and employed under a regime that routinely cheated. It’s unfortunate for her not to be able to go to Rio if she was genuinely clean, but the likelihood is that she wasn’t. Even if she was unaware of what was happening (again, unlikely) the damage is done. It’s not the Olympic gold medal that has been diminished, as she claims, it’s her own record that is now suspect. And that’s the fault of the people she trusted to administer her sport at home, not the IOC.

                      btw, she hasn’t been world champ for ages and coming back after a break of a few years suggests she probably would have struggled to make the grade at Rio. Unless she had, ahem, help 😉

                    • Colonial Viper

                      Yes I can sense your “sadness”. Collective punishment and collective guilt without individual right of appeal then.

                      From wikipedia

                      At the 2012 Olympic Games, she easily qualified for the finals, where she came third with 4.70 m. She considered the bronze medal as success but mentioned that she would like to retire as acting Olympic champion.

                      And again, despite your ungenerous assertions, she tested clean in both the pre and post Olympic drug testing regime.

                    • The sadness is genuine. I’d much prefer that the workers in that industry weren’t being abused by their employers. But we can’t change the past, only influence the future.

                      ps, you probably need to look up ‘collective punishment’. It’s not what you appear to think it is.

                    • Colonial Viper

                      Collective punishment is a form of retaliation whereby a suspected perpetrator’s family members, friends, acquaintances, sect, neighbors or entire ethnic group is targeted. The punished group may often have no direct association with the other individuals or groups, or direct control over their actions.

                      Seems like an appropriate use of the term.

                    • If you think that after reading the definition, you’re a goose.

                • McFlock

                  Isinbayeva was let down by her country’s inability to demonstrate its athletes aren’t drug cheats.

                  • Colonial Viper

                    Russia definitely has had a drug cheat problem amongst some of its athletes.

                    Having said that, 2/3 of its Olympic team (except the athletics section) was finally cleared to compete at Rio so I think that the Russian drug testing regime isn’t as porous as is sometimes made out in the MSM.

                    • McFlock

                      Sounds pretty evenhanded then – they only barred the section with the endemic cheating problem

                    • Colonial Viper

                      And they’ve now banned the Russian para-olympians too. The Olympics finest hour.

                    • McFlock

                      well, maybe the Russians should have tried harder to prevent drug cheats.

                    • Colonial Viper

                      It would be malicious and arbitrary to not allow individual para-olympians with clean drug records to appeal the collective decision and submit to additional testing protocols.

                    • McFlock

                      Well, that depends on how long the drugs have a benefit after they’re out of the system, doesn’t it? For example, if they bulk up muscle mass during training and carry that through (now “drug free”) to rio. Or whether you need a verifiable baseline to detect sudden spikes invarious drugs or hormones. Or whatever.

                      Frankly, I have no idea. Nor do you. Maybe your suggestion would be fair, or maybe quite frankly the russian drug testing debacle has genuinely tainted the entire team and there’s no way to make a plausible determination that any of them are clean.

                    • Colonial Viper

                      So, its to be a judgement of collective guilt with zero right of appeal and no means of proving innocence then?

                      Sounds fair and square.

                    • McFlock

                      National sports bodies wanting their athletes to compete at international events need to abide by the rules to ensure a fair competition.

                      For any individual athlete to compete at a top-level international event, their participation is dependant on the competence and integrity of their support staff and organisations, from coaches and doctors to their national sports organisations.

                      If those national sports bodies systematically failed to do that, then those athletes should rightly blame the sports body that failed to stick to the rules. Just like if an athlete is given a performance enhancing drug by a doctor who failed to ensure they abided by the rules, the athlete should blame the doctor, not the international body.

                      Wasn’t there some fuckup last olympics or so when a NZ athlete almost didn’t get to compete because someone in our sports organisation fucked up some paperwork? Same deal with Russia, only they fucked up the process for an entire team.

                  • mauī

                    Yet countries like Kenya and Jamaica have practices that allow for systemic doping and their athletes are given the all clear.

          • BM 9.1.2.1.2

            and that’s a fair point, I feel something has been lost from NZ rugby and it’ll never come back again

            It’s so robotic and structured it’s just become boring, used to enjoy watching Rugby but haven’t seen a game in years

            Last game was the All black world cup final in 2011, god it was dull, no flair at all it’s like the players have chips in their heads and the coaches were controlling the players .

            • Puckish Rogue 9.1.2.1.2.1

              I’m finding the rubgy played by the All Blacks to be “total” rugby but I’ve found the exposure of the Super teams a bit much

              Having said that the evening out of the NPC competition has been a revelation with the re-emergence of the smaller centres being competitive

              Just…somewhere its lost…something

          • framu 9.1.2.1.3

            re; olympics . absolutely – i’m all for giving the athletes their moment, after all, they are the ones who actually did “thing x”

            not an avid follower, which has made the surprise angle even better. What really ruins it is the idiot media – on the pole vault it only took a minute or two till some egg used rugby line outs as a means to visualise the height she vaulted over – gahh!

            but good lord – whats happening – i keep agreeing with you – good thing the lemon tree is going strong aye 🙂

            • Puckish Rogue 9.1.2.1.3.1

              I’ve long surmised that those on the left and those on the right that post on here probably have more things in common then not on here

              Take all on the right and an approximate amount from the left, add a pub and I’m sure most would get on famously

              As long as politics isn’t brought up 🙂

              • adam

                Odd you have not said much about our tax dollars funding the olympics, but it’s behind a pay wall…

                Oh well the Swans are going well, and the Demons dropped the ball…

                Sports, love what you love – personally I find the olympics dull as dish water – too much politics.

  10. Bill 10

    The “replies” tab is back – yay! Or…fck, I guess we get more of those interminable long streams of pointless ping-pong from ego 1 and ego 2 🙁

    Maybe it’ll fall over again? 🙂

    • Andre 10.1

      It only comes back for me after I’ve made a comment. But it only hangs around if I just click on comments. It disappears again if I do a page refresh, or go back to the front page.

      • Bill 10.1.1

        I think I’m in the same boat. It just disappeared again 🙂

        And should be back in a moment after I submit this comment?

        edit. Yup. And then I refreshed the page and….gone again.

        edit 2. And back again after editing the comment 🙂

        • Macro 10.1.1.1

          The “Reply” button on the bottom of each comment is there, and has always worked for me – but the “Replies” has been intermittent for some time now and mostly nothing appears when clicked. Never mind – I’ll live with it :).

          • weka 10.1.1.1.1

            It does seem to be interrupting the conversations though, because it makes it harder to find what one was talking about. I’m guessing people are mostly going with the convo that is in front of them.

        • Lanthanide 10.1.1.2

          Yip, it’s still broken. Lynn hasn’t had any time to look at it.

  11. Chooky 11

    Excellent interview on Morning Report …what a wonderful woman!

    ‘Medicial cannabis campaigner brings more into NZ – past Customs’

    http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/201813060/medicial-cannabis-campaigner-brings-more-into-nz-past-customs

    “Medicinal marijuana campaigner Rebecca Reider has a history of bringing the drug into NZ. She suffers from chronic pain and has successfully been able to bring more into the country – straight past customs. We speak with her.”

    • Lanthanide 11.1

      What surprised me most about that interview is the amount of time they gave her to speak. Usually they only allot a tiny amount of time for these topics, and Suzie Ferguson keeps interrupting trying to move it on, not letting them actually say anything worthwhile.

    • marty mars 11.2

      Rebecca is also a very good poet

  12. b waghorn 12

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=11698404

    A bit of a conundrum . Is it right to evict a tenant who is happy with their flat ,because the conversion of the garage is unpermitted .

    • McFlock 12.1

      Yep. Permits exist for a reason.

      What isn’t right is that they were there in the first place, rather than a decent state house.

      • b waghorn 12.1.1

        Wouldn’t it be better to work with the owner to get it permitted if possible.

        • McFlock 12.1.1.1

          Well, we don’t know if it’s possible. Maybe between everything else in the lot, the site isn’t zoned for that many residences.

  13. Sabine 13

    Phil Twyford at Te Puea Marae in first open meeting to discuss the impacts of homelessness in our Society. This inquiry into Homelessness is bipartisan and is conducted by the Labour Party, the Green Party NZ and of course the Maori Party.

    Notable absent – the Party that supposedly runs the government but then it is a government for some and not for all. Surely we can find Mrs. Bennett, Mr. English and Mr. Smith sipping latte in Mount Eden or another equally nice place so as to not disturb their pretty minds.

    https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1182604225138444&set=a.112303772168500.13663.100001666321260&type=3&theater

  14. Chooky 14

    On the topic of water:

    ‘India’s water crisis: 8 liters for 7 days, for drinking and all other needs (RT DOCUMENTARY)’

    https://www.rt.com/news/356679-india-water-crisis-documentary/

    …”The people in India are one of the first to experience a crisis which within 15 years will affect everyone on the planet, according to scientists’ warnings. And it might be the most devastating one humankind has ever faced.”

    Watch the documentary “H2WOE” on RT and RTD, premiering on September 22.

    https://youtu.be/uuUgIYtTtNc

  15. Poission 16

    communication is the art of breaking a few eggs for making an omelette,as opposed to the internecine squawks of the big and little endians.

    https://medium.com/@nntaled/how-to-legally-own-another-person-4145a1802bf6#.ej7yhhr15

    its a wow.

  16. alwyn 17

    The Herald have an interview with an American academic who is involved in a campaign to get a woman as UN Secretary General.
    She appears to be living about 200 years in the past, when all communication would have been hand-written and carried for months in a sailing vessel. In those days Ambassadors really did have to make decisions on behalf of their country.
    The reason Helen is not doing too well in the contest is, according to her, because 14 of the 15 “people” on the Security Council are men. Ignoring the fact that there are 15 countries rather than people on the Council I find it rather strange that she seems to think that is the people who head their countries delegation to the UN who decide who to vote for rather than the country they represent.
    The Herald says
    “She said on the Security Council itself, there were 14 men and the only woman was US Ambassador Samantha Power”
    and then quote the woman, a Dr Jean Krasno, as saying
    “They all know each other, they’ve all evolved over time with an old boys’ club. And that’s what always happens, they network, so they vote for them. It’s just old boy networking.”
    I bet you didn’t know that it isn’t the New Zealand Government who decide who we are going to vote for but the head of our delegation to the UN. His name, for anyone who isn’t familiar with this seemingly very powerful individual, is Gerard van Bohemen. I wonder what he has been up to? Along with the representatives of Russia, China, Great Britain and so on.
    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=11698804
    I feel rather sorry for Krasno’s students if this is the sort of thing she seems to believe.

  17. Colonial Viper 18

    Early indications that the Vancouver property bubble has popped and that investors local and foreign are running for the exits.

    We’ll know more if this is truly the case over the next 4 to 8 weeks as more sales data comes out.

    • Paul 18.1

      As The Vancouver Housing Market Implodes, The “Smart Money” Is Rushing To Get Out Now

      Three weeks after we suggested that the Vancouver housing bubble had popped in the aftermath of the implementation of the July 25 15% property tax in British Columbia targeting the Chinese free for all in Vancouver real estate, we got confirmation of that last week when we reported that only one word could describe what has happened to Vancouver housing in the past month: implosion.

      Zolo, a Canadian real estate brokerage, which keeps track of MLS home sales in real-time and reports prices as an average rather than the “benchmark price”, showed as of last week a major correction underway in most Metro Vancouver markets. According to the website, the City of Vancouver currently has an average home price of $1.1 million, down 20.7% over the last 28 days and down 24.5% over the last three months. The average detached home is $2.6 million, down 7% compared to three months ago.

      http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-08-21/vancouver-housing-market-implodes-smart-money-scrambles-get-out-now

  18. ianmac 19

    John Campbell is dealing now with water pollution in Hawke’s Bay.
    Crikey!
    Water quality, in for example Tuki Tuki River is awful!
    Must get a replay.
    Dreadful!

  19. Paul 20

    Charter Schools: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_htSPGAY7I

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Recent Posts

  • A crisis of ambition
    Roger Partridge  writes – When the Coalition Government took office last October, it inherited a country on a precipice. With persistent inflation, decades of insipid productivity growth and crises in healthcare, education, housing and law and order, it is no exaggeration to suggest New Zealand’s first-world status was ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 hour ago
  • Have 308 people in the Education Ministry’s Curriculum Development Team spent over $100m on a 60-p...
    Rob MacCulloch writes – In 2022, the Curriculum Centre at the Ministry of Education employed 308 staff, according to an Official Information Request. Earlier this week it was announced 202 of those staff were being cut. When you look up “The New Zealand Curriculum” on the Ministry of ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 hour ago
  • 'This bill is dangerous for the environment and our democracy'
    Chris Bishop’s bill has stirred up a hornets nest of opposition. Photo: Lynn Grieveson for The KākāTL;DR: The six things that stood out to me in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate from the last day included:A crescendo of opposition to the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill is ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 hours ago
  • The Bank of our Tamariki and Mokopuna.
    Monday left me brokenTuesday, I was through with hopingWednesday, my empty arms were openThursday, waiting for love, waiting for loveThe end of another week that left many of us asking WTF? What on earth has NZ gotten itself into and how on earth could people have voluntarily signed up for ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 hours ago
  • The worth of it all
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.State of humanity, 20242024, it feels, keeps presenting us with ever more challenges, ever more dismay.Do you give up yet? It seems to ask.No? How about this? Or this?How about this?Full story Share ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 hours ago
  • What is the Hardest Sport in the World?
    Determining the hardest sport in the world is a subjective matter, as the difficulty level can vary depending on individual abilities, physical attributes, and experience. However, based on various factors including physical demands, technical skills, mental fortitude, and overall accomplishment, here is an exploration of some of the most challenging ...
    9 hours ago
  • What is the Most Expensive Sport?
    The allure of sport transcends age, culture, and geographical boundaries. It captivates hearts, ignites passions, and provides unparalleled entertainment. Behind the spectacle, however, lies a fascinating world of financial investment and expenditure. Among the vast array of competitive pursuits, one question looms large: which sport carries the hefty title of ...
    9 hours ago
  • Pickleball On the Cusp of Olympic Glory
    Introduction Pickleball, a rapidly growing paddle sport, has captured the hearts and imaginations of millions around the world. Its blend of tennis, badminton, and table tennis elements has made it a favorite among players of all ages and skill levels. As the sport’s popularity continues to surge, the question on ...
    9 hours ago
  • The Origin and Evolution of Soccer Unveiling the Genius Behind the World’s Most Popular Sport
    Abstract: Soccer, the global phenomenon captivating millions worldwide, has a rich history that spans centuries. Its origins trace back to ancient civilizations, but the modern version we know and love emerged through a complex interplay of cultural influences and innovations. This article delves into the fascinating journey of soccer’s evolution, ...
    9 hours ago
  • How Much to Tint Car Windows A Comprehensive Guide
    Tinting car windows offers numerous benefits, including enhanced privacy, reduced glare, UV protection, and a more stylish look for your vehicle. However, the cost of window tinting can vary significantly depending on several factors. This article provides a comprehensive guide to help you understand how much you can expect to ...
    9 hours ago
  • Why Does My Car Smell Like Gas? A Comprehensive Guide to Diagnosing and Fixing the Issue
    The pungent smell of gasoline in your car can be an alarming and potentially dangerous problem. Not only is the odor unpleasant, but it can also indicate a serious issue with your vehicle’s fuel system. In this article, we will explore the various reasons why your car may smell like ...
    9 hours ago
  • How to Remove Tree Sap from Car A Comprehensive Guide
    Tree sap can be a sticky, unsightly mess on your car’s exterior. It can be difficult to remove, but with the right techniques and products, you can restore your car to its former glory. Understanding Tree Sap Tree sap is a thick, viscous liquid produced by trees to seal wounds ...
    9 hours ago
  • How Much Paint Do You Need to Paint a Car?
    The amount of paint needed to paint a car depends on a number of factors, including the size of the car, the number of coats you plan to apply, and the type of paint you are using. In general, you will need between 1 and 2 gallons of paint for ...
    9 hours ago
  • Can You Jump a Car in the Rain? Safety Precautions and Essential Steps
    Jump-starting a car is a common task that can be performed even in adverse weather conditions like rain. However, safety precautions and proper techniques are crucial to avoid potential hazards. This comprehensive guide will provide detailed instructions on how to safely jump a car in the rain, ensuring both your ...
    9 hours ago
  • Can taxpayers be confident PIJF cash was spent wisely?
    Graham Adams writes about the $55m media fund — When Patrick Gower was asked by Mike Hosking last week what he would say to the many Newstalk ZB callers who allege the Labour government bribed media with $55 million of taxpayers’ money via the Public Interest Journalism Fund — and ...
    Point of OrderBy gadams1000
    15 hours ago
  • EGU2024 – An intense week of joining sessions virtually
    Note: this blog post has been put together over the course of the week I followed the happenings at the conference virtually. Should recordings of the Great Debates and possibly Union Symposia mentioned below, be released sometime after the conference ends, I'll include links to the ones I participated in. ...
    17 hours ago
  • Submission on “Fast Track Approvals Bill”
    The following was my submission made on the “Fast Track Approvals Bill”. This potential law will give three Ministers unchecked powers, un-paralled since the days of Robert Muldoon’s “Think Big” projects.The submission is written a bit tongue-in-cheek. But it’s irreverent because the FTAB is in itself not worthy of respect. ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    18 hours ago
  • The Case for a Universal Family Benefit
    One Could Reduce Child Poverty At No Fiscal CostFollowing the Richardson/Shipley 1990 ‘redesign of the welfare state’ – which eliminated the universal Family Benefit and doubled the rate of child poverty – various income supplements for families have been added, the best known being ‘Working for Families’, introduced in 2005. ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    19 hours ago
  • A who’s who of New Zealand’s dodgiest companies
    Submissions on National's corrupt Muldoonist fast-track law are due today (have you submitted?), and just hours before they close, Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop has been forced to release the list of companies he invited to apply. I've spent the last hour going through it in an epic thread of bleats, ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    21 hours ago
  • On Lee’s watch, Economic Development seems to be stuck on scoring points from promoting sporting e...
    Buzz from the Beehive A few days ago, Point of Order suggested the media must be musing “on why Melissa is mute”. Our article reported that people working in the beleaguered media industry have cause to yearn for a minister as busy as Melissa Lee’s ministerial colleagues and we drew ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    22 hours ago
  • New Zealand has never been closed for business
    1. What was The Curse of Jim Bolger?a. Winston Peters b. Soon after shaking his hand, world leaders would mysteriously lose office or shuffle off this mortal coilc. Could never shake off the Mother of All Budgetsd. Dandruff2. True or false? The Chairman of a Kiwi export business has asked the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    22 hours ago
  • Stop the panic – we’ve been here before
    Jack Vowles writes – New Zealand is said to be suffering from ‘serious populist discontent’. An IPSOS MORI survey has reported that we have an increasing preference for strong leaders, think that the economy is rigged toward the rich and powerful, and political elites are ignoring ‘hard-working people’.  ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • Melissa Lee and the media: ending the quest
    Chris Trotter writes –  MELISSA LEE should be deprived of her ministerial warrant. Her handling – or non-handling – of the crisis engulfing the New Zealand news media has been woeful. The fate of New Zealand’s two linear television networks, a question which the Minister of Broadcasting, Communications ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago
  • The Hoon around the week to April 19
    TL;DR: The podcast above features co-hosts and , along with regular guests Robert Patman on Gaza and AUKUS II, and on climate change.The six things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • The ‘Humpty Dumpty’ end result of dismantling our environmental protections
    Policymakers rarely wish to make plain or visible their desire to dismantle environmental policy, least of all to the young. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s the top five news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above between Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Nicola's Salad Days.
    I like to keep an eye on what’s happening in places like the UK, the US, and over the ditch with our good mates the Aussies. Let’s call them AUKUS, for want of a better collective term. More on that in a bit.It used to be, not long ago, that ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • Study sees climate change baking in 19% lower global income by 2050
    TL;DR: The global economy will be one fifth smaller than it would have otherwise been in 2050 as a result of climate damage, according to a new study by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) and published in the journal Nature. (See more detail and analysis below, and ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Weekly Roundup 19-April-2024
    It’s Friday again. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week on Greater Auckland On Tuesday Matt covered at the government looking into a long tunnel for Wellington. On Wednesday we ran a post from Oscar Simms on some lessons from Texas. AT’s ...
    1 day ago
  • Jack Vowles: Stop the panic – we’ve been here before
    New Zealand is said to be suffering from ‘serious populist discontent’. An IPSOS MORI survey has reported that we have an increasing preference for strong leaders, think that the economy is rigged toward the rich and powerful, and political elites are ignoring ‘hard-working people’.  The data is from February this ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    1 day ago
  • Clearing up confusion (or trying to)
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters is understood to be planning a major speech within the next fortnight to clear up the confusion over whether or not New Zealand might join the AUKUS submarine project. So far, there have been conflicting signals from the Government. RNZ reported the Prime Minister yesterday in ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 day ago
  • How to Retrieve Deleted Call Log iPhone Without Computer
    How to Retrieve Deleted Call Log on iPhone Without a Computer: A StepbyStep Guide Losing your iPhone call history can be frustrating, especially when you need to find a specific number or recall an important conversation. But before you panic, know that there are ways to retrieve deleted call logs on your iPhone, even without a computer. This guide will explore various methods, ranging from simple checks to utilizing iCloud backups and thirdparty applications. So, lets dive in and recover those lost calls! 1. Check Recently Deleted Folder: Apple understands that accidental deletions happen. Thats why they introduced the Recently Deleted folder for various apps, including the Phone app. This folder acts as a safety net, storing deleted call logs for up to 30 days before permanently erasing them. Heres how to check it: Open the Phone app on your iPhone. Tap on the Recents tab at the bottom. Scroll to the top and tap on Edit. Select Show Recently Deleted. Browse the list to find the call logs you want to recover. Tap on the desired call log and choose Recover to restore it to your call history. 2. Restore from iCloud Backup: If you regularly back up your iPhone to iCloud, you might be able to retrieve your deleted call log from a previous backup. However, keep in mind that this process will restore your entire phone to the state it was in at the time of the backup, potentially erasing any data added since then. Heres how to restore from an iCloud backup: Go to Settings > General > Reset. Choose Erase All Content and Settings. Follow the onscreen instructions. Your iPhone will restart and show the initial setup screen. Choose Restore from iCloud Backup during the setup process. Select the relevant backup that contains your deleted call log. Wait for the restoration process to complete. 3. Explore ThirdParty Apps (with Caution): ...
    1 day ago
  • How to Factory Reset iPhone without Computer: A Comprehensive Guide to Restoring your Device
    Life throws curveballs, and sometimes, those curveballs necessitate wiping your iPhone clean and starting anew. Whether you’re facing persistent software glitches, preparing to sell your device, or simply wanting a fresh start, knowing how to factory reset iPhone without a computer is a valuable skill. While using a computer with ...
    2 days ago
  • How to Call Someone on a Computer: A Guide to Voice and Video Communication in the Digital Age
    Gone are the days when communication was limited to landline phones and physical proximity. Today, computers have become powerful tools for connecting with people across the globe through voice and video calls. But with a plethora of applications and methods available, how to call someone on a computer might seem ...
    2 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #16 2024
    Open access notables Glacial isostatic adjustment reduces past and future Arctic subsea permafrost, Creel et al., Nature Communications: Sea-level rise submerges terrestrial permafrost in the Arctic, turning it into subsea permafrost. Subsea permafrost underlies ~ 1.8 million km2 of Arctic continental shelf, with thicknesses in places exceeding 700 m. Sea-level variations over glacial-interglacial cycles control ...
    2 days ago
  • Where on a Computer is the Operating System Generally Stored? Delving into the Digital Home of your ...
    The operating system (OS) is the heart and soul of a computer, orchestrating every action and interaction between hardware and software. But have you ever wondered where on a computer is the operating system generally stored? The answer lies in the intricate dance between hardware and software components, particularly within ...
    2 days ago
  • How Many Watts Does a Laptop Use? Understanding Power Consumption and Efficiency
    Laptops have become essential tools for work, entertainment, and communication, offering portability and functionality. However, with rising energy costs and growing environmental concerns, understanding a laptop’s power consumption is more important than ever. So, how many watts does a laptop use? The answer, unfortunately, isn’t straightforward. It depends on several ...
    2 days ago
  • How to Screen Record on a Dell Laptop A Guide to Capturing Your Screen with Ease
    Screen recording has become an essential tool for various purposes, such as creating tutorials, capturing gameplay footage, recording online meetings, or sharing information with others. Fortunately, Dell laptops offer several built-in and external options for screen recording, catering to different needs and preferences. This guide will explore various methods on ...
    2 days ago
  • How Much Does it Cost to Fix a Laptop Screen? Navigating Repair Options and Costs
    A cracked or damaged laptop screen can be a frustrating experience, impacting productivity and enjoyment. Fortunately, laptop screen repair is a common service offered by various repair shops and technicians. However, the cost of fixing a laptop screen can vary significantly depending on several factors. This article delves into the ...
    2 days ago
  • How Long Do Gaming Laptops Last? Demystifying Lifespan and Maximizing Longevity
    Gaming laptops represent a significant investment for passionate gamers, offering portability and powerful performance for immersive gaming experiences. However, a common concern among potential buyers is their lifespan. Unlike desktop PCs, which allow for easier component upgrades, gaming laptops have inherent limitations due to their compact and integrated design. This ...
    2 days ago
  • Climate Change: Turning the tide
    The annual inventory report of New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions has been released, showing that gross emissions have dropped for the third year in a row, to 78.4 million tons: All-told gross emissions have decreased by over 6 million tons since the Zero Carbon Act was passed in 2019. ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago
  • How to Unlock Your Computer A Comprehensive Guide to Regaining Access
    Experiencing a locked computer can be frustrating, especially when you need access to your files and applications urgently. The methods to unlock your computer will vary depending on the specific situation and the type of lock you encounter. This guide will explore various scenarios and provide step-by-step instructions on how ...
    2 days ago
  • Faxing from Your Computer A Modern Guide to Sending Documents Digitally
    While the world has largely transitioned to digital communication, faxing still holds relevance in certain industries and situations. Fortunately, gone are the days of bulky fax machines and dedicated phone lines. Today, you can easily send and receive faxes directly from your computer, offering a convenient and efficient way to ...
    2 days ago
  • Protecting Your Home Computer A Guide to Cyber Awareness
    In our increasingly digital world, home computers have become essential tools for work, communication, entertainment, and more. However, this increased reliance on technology also exposes us to various cyber threats. Understanding these threats and taking proactive steps to protect your home computer is crucial for safeguarding your personal information, finances, ...
    2 days ago
  • Server-Based Computing Powering the Modern Digital Landscape
    In the ever-evolving world of technology, server-based computing has emerged as a cornerstone of modern digital infrastructure. This article delves into the concept of server-based computing, exploring its various forms, benefits, challenges, and its impact on the way we work and interact with technology. Understanding Server-Based Computing: At its core, ...
    2 days ago
  • Vroom vroom go the big red trucks
    The absolute brass neck of this guy.We want more medical doctors, not more spin doctors, Luxon was saying a couple of weeks ago, and now we’re told the guy has seven salaried adults on TikTok duty. Sorry, doing social media. The absolute brass neck of it. The irony that the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Jones finds $410,000 to help the government muscle in on a spat project
    Buzz from the Beehive Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones relishes spatting and eagerly takes issue with environmentalists who criticise his enthusiasm for resource development. He relishes helping the fishing industry too. And so today, while the media are making much of the latest culling in the public service to ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago
  • Again, hate crimes are not necessarily terrorism.
    Having written, taught and worked for the US government on issues involving unconventional warfare and terrorism for 30-odd years, two things irritate me the most when the subject is discussed in public. The first is the Johnny-come-lately academics-turned-media commentators who … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    2 days ago
  • Despair – construction consenting edition
    Eric Crampton writes – Kainga Ora is the government’s house building agency. It’s been building a lot of social housing. Kainga Ora has its own (but independent) consenting authority, Consentium. It’s a neat idea. Rather than have to deal with building consents across each different territorial authority, Kainga Ora ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago
  • Coalition promises – will the Govt keep the commitment to keep Kiwis equal before the law?
    Muriel Newman writes – The Coalition Government says it is moving with speed to deliver campaign promises and reverse the damage done by Labour. One of their key commitments is to “defend the principle that New Zealanders are equal before the law.” To achieve this, they have pledged they “will not advance ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago
  • An impermanent public service is a guarantee of very little else but failure
    Chris Trotter writes –  The absence of anything resembling a fightback from the public servants currently losing their jobs is interesting. State-sector workers’ collective fatalism in the face of Coalition cutbacks indicates a surprisingly broad acceptance of impermanence in the workplace. Fifty years ago, lay-offs in the thousands ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago
  • What happens after the war – Mariupol
    Mariupol, on the Azov Sea coast, was one of the first cities to suffer almost complete destruction after the start of the Ukraine War started in late February 2022. We remember the scenes of absolute destruction of the houses and city structures. The deaths of innocent civilians – many of ...
    2 days ago
  • Babies and benefits – no good news
    Lindsay Mitchell writes – Ten years ago, I wrote the following in a Listener column: Every year around one in five new-born babies will be reliant on their caregivers benefit by Christmas. This pattern has persisted from at least 1993. For Maori the number jumps to over one in three.  ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago
  • Should the RBNZ be looking through climate inflation?
    Climate change is expected to generate more and more extreme events, delivering a sort of structural shock to inflation that central banks will have to react to as if they were short-term cyclical issues. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Bernard's pick 'n' mix of the news links
    The top six news links I’ve seen elsewhere in the last 24 hours, as of 9:16 am on Thursday, April 18 are:Housing: Tauranga residents living in boats, vans RNZ Checkpoint Louise TernouthHousing: Waikato councillor says wastewater plant issues could hold up Sleepyhead building a massive company town Waikato Times Stephen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on the public sector carnage, and misogyny as terrorism
    It’s a simple deal. We pay taxes in order to finance the social services we want and need. The carnage now occurring across the public sector though, is breaking that contract. Over 3,000 jobs have been lost so far. Many are in crucial areas like Education where the impact of ...
    2 days ago
  • Meeting the Master Baiters
    Hi,A friend had their 40th over the weekend and decided to theme it after Curb Your Enthusiasm fashion icon Susie Greene. Captured in my tiny kitchen before I left the house, I ending up evoking a mix of old lesbian and Hillary Clinton — both unintentional.Me vs Hillary ClintonIf you’re ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago
  • How extreme was the Earth's temperature in 2023
    This is a re-post from Andrew Dessler at the Climate Brink blog In 2023, the Earth reached temperature levels unprecedented in modern times. Given that, it’s reasonable to ask: What’s going on? There’s been lots of discussions by scientists about whether this is just the normal progression of global warming or if something ...
    2 days ago
  • Backbone, revisited
    The schools are on holiday and the sun is shining in the seaside village and all day long I have been seeing bunches of bikes; Mums, Dads, teens and toddlers chattering, laughing, happy, having a bloody great time together. Cheers, AT, for the bits of lane you’ve added lately around the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Ministers are not above the law
    Today in our National-led authoritarian nightmare: Shane Jones thinks Ministers should be above the law: New Zealand First MP Shane Jones is accusing the Waitangi Tribunal of over-stepping its mandate by subpoenaing a minister for its urgent hearing on the Oranga Tamariki claim. The tribunal is looking into the ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago
  • What’s the outfit you can hear going down the gurgler? Probably it’s David Parker’s Oceans Sec...
    Buzz from the Beehive Point  of Order first heard of the Oceans Secretariat in June 2021, when David Parker (remember him?) announced a multi-agency approach to protecting New Zealand’s marine ecosystems and fisheries. Parker (holding the Environment, and Oceans and Fisheries portfolios) broke the news at the annual Forest & ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Will politicians let democracy die in the darkness?
    Bryce Edwards writes  – Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Matt Doocey doubles down on trans “healthcare”
    Citizen Science writes –  Last week saw two significant developments in the debate over the treatment of trans-identifying children and young people – the release in Britain of the final report of Dr Hilary Cass’s review into gender healthcare, and here in New Zealand, the news that the ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • A TikTok Prime Minister.
    One night while sleeping in my bed I had a beautiful dreamThat all the people of the world got together on the same wavelengthAnd began helping one anotherNow in this dream, universal love was the theme of the dayPeace and understanding and it happened this wayAfter such an eventful day ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Texas Lessons
    This is a guest post by Oscar Simms who is a housing activist, volunteer for the Coalition for More Homes, and was the Labour Party candidate for Auckland Central at the last election. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    3 days ago
  • Bernard's pick 'n' mix of the news links at 6:06 am
    The top six news links I’ve seen elsewhere in the last 24 hours as of 6:06 am on Wednesday, April 17 are:Must read: Secrecy shrouds which projects might be fast-tracked RNZ Farah HancockScoop: Revealed: Luxon has seven staffers working on social media content - partly paid for by taxpayer Newshub ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Fighting poverty on the holiday highway
    Turning what Labour called the “holiday highway” into a four-lane expressway from Auckland to Whangarei could bring at least an economic benefit of nearly two billion a year for Northland each year. And it could help bring an end to poverty in one of New Zealand’s most deprived regions. The ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago
  • Bernard's six-stack of substacks at 6:26 pm
    Tonight’s six-stack includes: launching his substack with a bunch of his previous documentaries, including this 1992 interview with Dame Whina Cooper. and here crew give climate activists plenty to do, including this call to submit against the Fast Track Approvals bill. writes brilliantly here on his substack ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • At a glance – Is the science settled?
    On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
    4 days ago
  • Apposite Quotations.
    How Long Is Long Enough? Gaza under Israeli bombardment, July 2014. This posting is exclusive to Bowalley Road. ...
    4 days ago
  • What’s a life worth now?
    You're in the mall when you hear it: some kind of popping sound in the distance, kids with fireworks, maybe. But then a moment of eerie stillness is followed by more of the fireworks sound and there’s also screaming and shrieking and now here come people running for their lives.Does ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago
  • Howling at the Moon
    Karl du Fresne writes –  There’s a crisis in the news media and the media are blaming it on everyone except themselves. Culpability is being deflected elsewhere – mainly to the hapless Minister of Communications, Melissa Lee, and the big social media platforms that are accused of hoovering ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Newshub is Dead.
    I don’t normally send out two newsletters in a day but I figured I’d say something about… the news. If two newsletters is a bit much then maybe just skip one, I don’t want to overload people. Alternatively if you’d be interested in sometimes receiving multiple, smaller updates from me, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • Seymour is chuffed about cutting early-learning red tape – but we hear, too, that Jones has loose...
    Buzz from the Beehive David Seymour and Winston Peters today signalled that at least two ministers of the Crown might be in Wellington today. Seymour (as Associate Minister of Education) announced the removal of more red tape, this time to make it easier for new early learning services to be ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Will politicians let democracy die in the darkness?
    Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. Our political system is suffering from the ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago
  • Was Hawkesby entirely wrong?
    David Farrar  writes –  The Broadcasting Standards Authority ruled: Comments by radio host Kate Hawkesby suggesting Māori and Pacific patients were being prioritised for surgery due to their ethnicity were misleading and discriminatory, the Broadcasting Standards Authority has found. It is a fact such patients are prioritised. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • PM’s South East Asia mission does the business
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 hours ago
  • $41m to support clean energy in South East Asia
    New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago
  • Minister releases Fast-track stakeholder list
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  • Judicial appointments announced
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  • Prime Minister Luxon acknowledges legacy of Singapore Prime Minister Lee
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  • Antarctica New Zealand Board appointments
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  • New Zealand condemns Iranian strikes
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    6 days ago
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