One unexpected benefit might be for pedestrians walking along the esplanade, and not have unheard cycles from behind pass a sideways step away from collision, as they do, as cyclists will have a safe and dedicated path.
As Mrs Mac1 found out yesterday on a Wellington footpath, uneven surfaces can lead to sudden changes of direction and falls. A passing cyclist would have compounded the issue.
If cyclists are threatened by motorists opening doors without checking, as they do, then at least the cyclist won’t have to escape (or be pushed out) into car traffic, but will have a footpath to seek refuge.
And I’ve ridden on half and half paths where pedestrians walk side by side taking up the entire path and not fucken looking thus endangering both cyclists and pedestrians.
Long-time cycleway opponent Jane Byrnesaid the “silent majority” was speaking up because they felt the road was too narrow, while the cycleway was too wide and poorly signposted.
No, that would be the noisy minority making even more noise.
The new layout and raised pedestrian crossings were actually having a positive impact on safety, because they were slowing down motorists who had been ignoring the 50kmh and 30kmh limits along The Parade, Wade-Brown said.
Yep, that’s something that’s been found around the world. Narrower streets slow cars down and reduce crashes (I would link the article but I can’t find it).
Government controlled by party purporting to stand up for the workers is detaining workers for being unable to do their job as a result of policies implemented by that very same government.
No more ironic than a government purporting to be interested in economics running failed neo-liberal cultist policies until their country is $105 billion in debt.
The same Government that is receiving plaudits worldwide for it’s economic performance during a very difficult period that included the GFC and major earthquakes.
Looking at Bowalley Road and lifted this from a comment there. Haven’t read it but it sounds interesting – relating to housing. It refers to Hugh Pavletich who is a developer or speculator or both, of housing and has a vested interest in his own projects and himself.
So interesting to see what line he is pushing. Usually these people are going for more greenfields development, more supply etc .
Hugh Pavletich is touting this:
PLANNING RULES THE CAUSE OF HOUSING CRISIS … TWYFORD & HARTWICH … NEW ZEALAND HERALD
Hartwich’s previous job was with the libertarian thinktank, CIS in Australia.
Twyford is being stupid in agreeing with the govt’s analysis that our housing problem is all about land and councils, rather than financial market factors as well.
Twyford has finally woken up. You only have to look at your new CV to see that it is the land values that are rising fast not the value of the building. Those of us who live in the real world have known this for years.
Jeez Labour, no need to be so quick to condemn beneficiaries for trading their food grant for cash. Are these even legitimate incidences or is it just Tolley and BM playing on their fake Trade Me and other accounts to stir up further hatred (?)
I’ve been searching for it without luck. I thought it was 7am but it must have been the 7 30 update. It went something like: Labours Carmel Sepuloni condemns misuse of hardship grant cards..
Fuck I reckon, Labour should be arguing that the cards are a stupid idea, thats a better angle, differentiate themselves from National. I try to like Labour, I do like Andrew Little, but they sure do make it hard. (& of course, could be media ‘gotcha’ politics, mps speaking without thinking, etc…)
Political parties usually avoid that by directing their caucuses firmly and hiring comms experts. Labour seems to have forgotten that basic approach for about the last 8 years.
It’s Christmas. Deck the halls with holly and find a smile and good word when you see a good person. Don’t bother about Nats, Act (don’t), and take the curate’s egg approach to Labour. All other earnest tryers for good give love and support to at Christmas-time. https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/3097440-a-christmas-carol?page=4
“the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow-passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys.”
― Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol
Merry Christmas! What right have you to be merry? What reason have you to be merry? You’re poor enough.” “Come, then,” returned the nephew gaily. “What right have you to be dismal? What reason have you to be morose? You’re rich enough.”
― Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol
“There was nothing very cheerful in the climate or the town, and yet was there an air of cheerfulness abroad that the clearest summer air and brightest summer sun might have endeavoured to diffuse in vain.”
― Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol
The idea of it is good, the implementation a bit of a bugger’s muddle IN THE NZ context. I note the claim that this is of international design, and commonplace overseas. Unfortunately, Kiwis are not very good drivers as has been discussed elsewhere eg.
– 2 second rule more like the 1 second rule for MOST drivers
– indiscriminate lane changing and trying to get ahead (i.e. driving as though it was all some sort of competition)
– travelling over the speed limit (and as the signs suggest) treating the limit as though it’s a target
– inability to keep within lanes (probably to do with an inability to judge the size of their vehicle – especially SUVs)
– etc.
(and I concede too that not only are NZers not very good drivers, many are not very good cyclists)
I might actually go and take a look at it in the flesh.
Whilst I am all for encouraging people to get onto bikes, walk, run, etc. for health reasons as much as anything else, I’m not sure that designing things in a way that can impact on public transport – which carries many more people – is the way to go.
@ Chairman – I’m interested in your thoughts too.
OK @ Chairman – now I’ve seen it in the flesh.
What I like:
The environment and implementation reinforces the idea that this road is actually SUBurban – i.e. not the racetrack it once was – although there’d been efforts to achieve that previously
What I don’t like:
It’s actually been done on the cheap – YET again (short term-ism).
The road going northward has a berm on the left hand side. The road southward does not.
With a little more investment and commitment to the concept – given the available space, it could have been better. AND it could have included trees on the southward (i.e EAST side) had they thought about it more.
With a little more thought, and shifting things like guttering, we could have had things like (from the property/housing frontage perspective going outward to the road centre line), and with trees on BOTH sides of the road:
– a property frontage
– a minimal berm, equipped with trees (and whatever – even community vege and other gardens)
– a footpath with adequate (though not excessive) width (for the traffic involved)
– a directional cycle lane
– a street parking area
– a street thoroughfare – and one which takes account of the necessities of things like trolleybus lines
– a centre line (probably with ‘no overtaking’)
we could probably have also had things like bus stop bays AND walkways and cycleways that are in-the-main ….. STRAIGHT – but I guess straightness and order is not very trendy these days. WCC and power companies can’t even get positioning of lamp posts consistent (so much so that installation of fibre channels have to wend their merry way around a variety of bullshit obstructions – not so bad though if you’re a Chorus contractor trying to clip the ticket at every twist and turn).
So there ya go. Now tell me what you think of it all
As a student of Sciology, perhaps what this suggests is:
– the average Kiwi bloke is dissatisfied with the size of his dick
– feels the need to forever prove himslef
– as a result, has an inferiority complex
Jeez, maybe I’ve jiss explained JFK.
NOW …. how the fuck to we explain Max. Answer: JOHN
I don’t generally support the slowing of traffic. It largely defeats the purpose of having cars and negatively impacts on productivity.
Ideally, cyclists, motorists and pedestrians need to be separated as much as possible. Therefore, I would have opted for dividing (with a median barrier) and extending the footpath.
OK.
Well perhaps with a little more thought as to how the available space could be used, combined with existing trees and planting others on the other side, as well as relocating curbing …… that separation could have been achieved.
The Parade is fairly wide. In places the footpaths are wider than need be.
But, as I said (above), it has been done on a budget and it seems to have needlessly pissed a lot of people off as a result.
I’m not sure about some of the complaints I’ve seen though – such as the road carriage way not being wide enough.
NO
It’s been a very long long time since I was a SysProg but it looks like that string has been something exrtacted from a DB.
I have some advice though for you (BM) and other IT geeks:
Firstly ….. there’s actually a shitload more to life – especially as you get older.
Secondly ….. reinventing wheels only serves to prop up you own ego if its just as inefficient and ‘in-effective’. I could even argue that the only advances in modern times have occurred at the “PRESENTATION layer’ – if you comprenez VOUS – and I’m sure that you do!
Thirdly …. humans should drive technology – not the other way round
Fourthly (as I often hear when following ‘IT professionals’ discussing their various projects – and believe me its UNINTENTIONAL’) as I walk thru’ the Streets of Wellington and hear them wanking each other off …… reinventing wheels is ekshully not that ‘S M A R T’. In fek it’s really a bit pathetic
Fourthly ….. trying to make yourself indispensable by coding methods that are (to say the least) fucking stupid – e.g. hardcoding IDs rather than referencing a table that Joseph Bloggs (or in your case Joseph Goebles) is going to be a losing battle,
I don’t really think I should carry on. Steven Joooooice (Choooooice Bro – with reference to a dainty little Ayshun from Mermaids) would have a harda tek.
There could be a fifthly, and a sixthly ……… etc.
I’m perfikly happy to deal with it as you see fit.
But PLEASE PLEASE don’t come moaning when the inevitable happens
come to think about it …. BM are the initials of one of the biggest wankers I ever came across – we could go into details – but best not. It’s the thing that LEAST interests me in life as I watch on in amusement.
It’s a bit like blokes that think they know better than an instruction manual authored by someone whose constructed some bullshit-well-needed-essential-app.
are you in Wellington? Spark? Datacom?
Formerly engaged in some earth-shattering project such as INCIS, or in the health sector, or anywhere else for that matter – the record is pretty fukng bleak wherever it was – but then of course you’ve had learnings as to why, and none of it could possibly EVER have been your fault.
no forget that question …. it’s illegal given the terms and conditions.
It’s a condition that comes with engaging with the likes of you. There’s no known cure. The worst part of it is forgetting not to bother in the first place. Some call it troll feeding I think.
Thanks though. I’ll remember not to in future.
It is a bug left over from last weeks WordPress upgrade. The JavaScript I put in to set the first field got invalidated. But work, patchwork sleeping and Damn shopping haven’t left time for coding blocks at home.
From the NZHerald today, an analyst from McKinseys telling the New Zealand government that active leadership to diversify our economy is absolutely critical. And that oil exploration is the wrong way to diversify, because it is as much a commodity product as milk.
Just to let you know BM – The economy is a subset of the environment – not the other way round. You trash the environment – you trash the economy – end of story.
This is what Layla Parker-Katiraee advocates. This could be helped if more students were exposed to science and critical analysis in their education.
“In the meantime, there are a few things we can do:
1) Encourage children in our circle of influence to take science classes in high school and college, even if they’re pursuing a career in an unrelated field.
2) Scientists should step up their communication skills. There aren’t many scientists in the private sector involved in science communication or education. Many of us have been trained in presentation skills. Giving concise explanations or pitches are often required in the private sector. There’s no reason why you can’t expand that skill into a part time hobby.
3) Remember that we all have gaps in our knowledge. Working to fill those gaps rather than mocking them will go a long way.”
If we worked to educate ourselves and others in understanding the role and nature of science and in critical thinking then society would be better able to handle “controversial” scientific issues requiring democratic decisions.
IMO, there’s two parts to the problem that we see here.
The first problem is education and the lack there of both in the basics facts and how to think logically and critically.
The second part is specialisation in that people have become overly specialised and have little to no knowledge of other areas. This prevents people from joining the dots in logical progression to come to the correct answer despite not having the same knowledge of a subject as a specialist would have.
Apparently it will released at 2.15pm. Sorry – no link as word of mouth.
Timing is interesting not only because of Xmas, but because the hearing only finished on Nov 24. So one of the fastest court decisions that I can recall for such a complex case.
MSM is now reporting the expected release – eg The Herald here
I find it unhelpful to have a “heads will roll culture” because my experience in the workplace is that when things go wrong it is often systemic. It is to do with the culture of the place. sometimes its a commitment to doing things the cheapest way possible and making as much profit as possible. Scapegoating one person will not solve systemic problems. I have also had experience of the wrong person being blamed in the case I was thinking of a manager had done some dodgy figures but managed to blame it on the manager under her in the hierarchy who got demoted. A thorough examination of the whole culture of the place and the systems that were operating might have done something to effect real change. As it was it really was pretty much business as usual.
With the lack of culpability witnessed, I question whether we actually suffer from a culture of blame.
I agree that on some occasions problems can be systemic within an enterprise. However, CEO’s and such are there to oversee such issues are rectified. A CEO should be aware of the culture within their organization. Therefore, I disagree with your notion.
As for people being wrongly accused, I agree examinations require to be thorough, with any blame being laid solely at the feet of those responsible.
I think there’s a distinction around that how accountability occurs following a failure.
Presenting this in an adventure aviation context is interesting, here there’s a culture of finding “what” went wrong in an adverse event and working to prevent it happening again. This is quite different to the “who” scapegoating that often appears in political and media culture.
It’s rare outside criminal intent or negligence that an adverse event has a single point of accountability, and we have laws and legal accountabilities to deal with these aspects. And these legal sanctions should be robust and with out favour.
However business failures, like aviation accidents have a multitude of causes, often totally unrelated that line up produce carnage. An air accident investigation tries to determine as many of these aspects as possible so that better outcomes can be achieved from similar situations in the future. This has allowed aviation to progress from what was pretty dodgy in 1920 to safer than driving, and probably walking now.
When we focus on finding individual scapegoats we get other things happening. First we miss the real causes of the failure, maybe the weakest, financially, politically or socially goes down masking everything else, and then everyone gets really risk adverse.
I don’t think this sort of accountability culture is going to produce an environment where people can confidently and easily move from one career to another. We need a culture where failure is seen as a positive learning experience and shared. A culture change around this could be rather disruptive of our political environment.
It’s only logical to find out what went wrong in order to help prevent it from reoccurring. However, doing so generally points to whom (if anyone) was at fault.
It may be that accountability may have to be shared. And although we do have laws to deal with criminal intent or negligence (if and when identified) you seem to be overlooking professional accountability.
I’m not advocating we seek out scapegoats to scalp, but I am pointing out professional accountability can’t be overlooked and those accountable must be held to account.
Therefore, while I agree with a number of your points, I reject the notion that failure should only be seen as a positive learning experience and shared. If investigations show people are culpable, they require to be held to account.
It’s conservative thinking that seeks certainty and the elimination of risk, and then trys to abrogate responsibility when it all turn to shit. The trap here is in thinking that we can eliminate ALL risk. You can’t, there’s just too many unrelated and random variables. So, when we progress, as in try something new, we are going to get some honest failures, along with spectacular wins. We should celebrate both.
Dishonest activities however, both failures and “wins”, must be jumped on, hard.
It doesn’t follow that all failure is dishonest, and it’s bloody tragic to see otherwise honest and honourable people go down for doing dishonest things as their lives and /or business falls to bits. A better attitude to, and management of failure would save a lot of grief.
Holding the culpable to account is not an attempt to eliminate risk, but it does help set in place an accepted framework and expected level of professionalism.
Removing accountability opens the door to excessive risk taking and a culture of failure acceptance.
While taking risk can produce benefits and lead to a company’s progression, excessive risk can result in a company’s collapse.
Growing too fast, taking on excessive risk and ultimately collapsing is an opportunity wasted, thus not a model for future success.
Therefore, it’s not a model to be encouraged and expanded by removing accountability and celebrating failure.
a culture of blame works all ways…..as was highlighted by Keys stated cause of child poverty. Thought the article in its entirety provoked interest it what they will release next year….heres hoping it is something inspiring.
I find it incredible that some posters think it is acceptable on a thread about alleged rape humour to call me Fisi-anal or some such moniker. Not a single Leftist has called out shame. The hypocrisy of the Left is gob smacking. My noble African name is sacred and no matter what I post such gutter language is surely unacceptable to any person with some sense of decency. It is a particularly childish and nasty form of internet bullying. It will not silence me.
You condone such behaviour. Disgraceful. This blog is not surely just an echo chamber for the deluded. I never compared the insults aimed at me with rape. Can you not read?
I think you insult the intelligence of everyone here with pretty much every damned comment you make, and you don’t even have the decency to be honest about it and call people names.
1: it’s not football. It’s not a game.
2: fuck that guy. There’s room for disagreement, then there’s that tory trooll. He’s worked hard for it and earned the abuse.
And the divine economy might or might not exist. But as respect between humans is earned, so are scorn, defiance, slight regard and contempt. Of which fisiani has earned a plenitude.
fisiani
Aren’t you the guy that loves Key and can’t understand why no one else here does, I don’t know why you don’t try kiwiblog, they share similar view point to you and have a similar level of intellect, you’d be right at home.
I don’t know if realise what you just said?
“You should be able to love Key with out being called a name”
I didn’t condone the supposed name calling, I merely suggested an alternative spot where he could go and not receive any grief, I don’t know if you read the posts that are in dispute, but McFlock’s comments were appropriate, everybody has the right to free speech, even you.
So just to clarify, we’re allowed to suggest someone’ “sounds like” they’ve done enough wrong to be imprisoned, but we’re not allowed to use rude words or show other poor form according to you?
Yeah, nah. My insults are direct. Yours are duplicitous. Get off your hypocritical high horse.
Christ! For once “I’m inclined to agree with you Mathew”. However As far as I can see so far, I haven’t seen your mates on the roster (“hard Rightists”) call people out either.
Who’s on duty tonight btw?
Do you do The Daily Blog as well? There now seems to be six at least hitting the dislike button. You should congratulate yourselves – that’s an increase of 50% (going forward). Could be a brighter future eh?
Good to see that you now fully appreciate the nastiness of Key’s behaviour.
I hope you will now also call him out for his hypocrisy on – oh! so many things – such as being an ambassador for white ribbon and at the same time indulging in jokes about prison rape, failing to apologize to Tania over his Govt’s appalling handling of her sexual assault and claiming it was a political stunt, calling many women MPs who have been the subject of abuse – “rape apologists”, being an habitual predator handling the pony tails of young girls and women, and twisting the apology of David Cunliffe on behalf of men to women – when NZ has one of the highest rates of abuse in the western world, etc.
When you have called out Key on his appalling hypocrisy maybe then we might apologize for calling you names.
The problem is that the site policy allow for such “abuse” provided the moderators can see a point to it, just as they allow for you to comment with your own opinions and to provide your own take on the opinions of others. We couldn’t give a damn if you choose or don’t choose to use the provided room for pointed attacks and abuse or not. That is your choice.
Personally, I find that I use whatever I need to when I want to get a point across. My nastiest attacks when I want to have a go at someone use absolutely no “abuse”. I simply read their previous comments and figure out suggestions or explanations for the ‘reasoning’ behind the formation of their views and opinions.
There are very few people that I can’t set off like a rocket at guy fawkes with those kinds of attacks at their world views without ever “abusing” them if I feel the inclination. This is a skill developed after decades around the net is probably why I don’t feel the need to level the playing field where you do. In my opinion, all that does is to give way too much weight to net experience. Allowing robust debate and pointed abuse evens up the playing field somewhat because it means that people can express themselves more freely at whatever level they feel comfortable with.
What you are proposing allows a dissection using manners that gives the advantage to whoever has the most experience within the implied rules. I don’t like that 18th century farce. As far as I’m concerned it should have died with the French monarchy at Versailles in 1789, but which unfortunately survived up until after the second world war.
As it is I keep a vigilant eye for people trying to game the system and deliberately pressing people into the policy electric fence that they know about and the other does not.
Abyway trying to change the rules on this site is a dangerous tactic if you aren’t an author, because for those of us who actually work on the site, it becomes highly irritating to argue with people who don’t and who have no real idea about what is going on. Especially since they are always so damn repetitive about repetitively screaming what they want (like a spoilt child) rather than considering what authors and others might want. Plus not considering why these rules were set at the position that they were. Which appears to be what you are doing.
But you should be pretty aware of this already. It isn’t like I try to conceal my attitudes about the best way to deal with people without skin in the site trying to help us out by suggesting directly or indirectly how we should run the site.
Fact, in 2011, there were fewer new homes built in NZ that year than were built in (wait for it) 1965, and now a housing shortage.
An interesting aspect to the large influx of refugees into Germany, over 800,000, was how would Germany house them all.
It seems Germany has an interesting housing policy, they maintain a surplus of relatively cheap housing stock, ensuring real affordability for there own work force, they also regulate the housing industry, there reasoning is that these workers are considered a very important part of a successful economy, by keeping rents and housing prices relatively low, the work force has more money in their pockets to spend in the local economy, this all forms part of a wider economic strategy.
They found that the workers were more productive if they didn’t feel they were only going to work to pay the rent.
Of the 800,000 refugees, most will get work, and they will end up very loyal employees.
For a right wing Govt, it’s unusual to see a smart, common sense approach to the way in which they treat their work force, there maybe some lessons to be learned here.
we have a housing policy where it’s more profitable to leave them vacant and flip them to other speculators than it is to actually provide homes for people.
Yeah, and who profits from that, Germany in is an industrial nation of 110m , they’ve realised over the long term that a highly productive work force is more profitable than short term speculation, every one needs a roof over their head.
I suppose that is the crux of it, a long term economic plan that will lift the countries prosperity
“What could possibly go wrong?”
That is funny, I don’t know if you meant it to be.
Hasn’t it already gone wrong, Key is the man without a plan for the future of NZ, I just wish his tenure was a short term.
Unfortunately much of the appeal of neo-liberalism to the current government is that divesting state services enables ministers to be lazier and less accountable. They have no desire to actually govern, and think that destroying state capacity is a positive achievement. Most third world countries are better governed, perhaps in part because their citizens would not tolerate the kind of pathetic crap that our Gnat MPs get up to. The neo part of Labour isn’t much better.
It’s not a product for sale — it’s a memorial, a tribute. First of all, to me, it doesn’t seem appropriate. It really was just an expression that I felt was important for me offer to these families, and for other people to hear so that they could have a voice for what they were feeling inside, because a lot of the dialogue that we hear in the media doesn’t give us the opportunity to grieve a way that is respectful to the families. I wanted to offer that to everyone, especially the families. I wanted them to see that there are people who understand their pain and are not just trying to make a headline out of their tragedy.
The point being that there is a long history to central banks creating money for productive spending – the idea did not begin nor end with Jeremy Corbyn or Richard Murphy. Indeed, throughout history many states have successfully used their money creating powers to grow their economies (without triggering hyperinflation).
The empirical reality, both when looking at quantitative data and qualitative descriptions of what actually happens in hyperinflations, shows that they are not the results of well-governed states abusing the money creation process.
Indeed, the case study of Weimar Republic shows that it was not even state-led money creation but private bank money creation that triggered hyperinflation.
The lessons from the above case studies suggest that hyperinflations do not happen simply because of an increase in money creation; indeed, the private banking sector in the UK more than doubled the money stock from 1997-2007 and we did not see experience hyperinflation. Hyperinflation in Germany and Zimbabwe was preceded by a fundamental collapse in the productive capacity of the economy, which started the inflationary pressure.
Throughout history, governments have used their ability to create money to fund public spending. While none of these policies were called, “People’s QE”, “Sovereign Money Creation”, or “Helicopter Money”, they shared the common trait of using newly created state money to finance government spending, rather than relying on commercial banks to create new money through lending.
The times when this state-led money creation has resulted in high inflation or even hyperinflation (inflation of over 50% a year) have been well documented. However, the times when governments have created money in a careful and responsible manner to grow the economy are usually ignored or overlooked. At Positive Money, we want to set the record straight and bring to light the many case studies where state-led money creation has successfully boosted the economy without leading to economic disaster.
Money creation by the state is the answer to our financial difficulties such as poverty and inequality.
This type of story pisses me off – blame it on computer generated letters?? bullshit!!!
“Then the second letter came, claiming that even though the agency had now seen Leger’s medical certificates, he still needed to be “actively seeking work”.
Leger said the suggestion of sending out CVs from his hospital bed sounded like a bad joke.
“It’s that extra stress that you don’t need at this time going through the treatment,” he said.”
It wouldn’t surprise me if those computer generated letters were designed to upset people, you know, so they get out of their sick beds and get a job.
gnat 101
extra stress = more motivation
less money = more motivation
persistent hassle = more motivation
ridicule = more motivation
cut additional benefits = more motivation
desperation = more motivation
loss of dignity = more motivation
not enough money = more motivation
begging for help = more motivation
…….Corrrrrrr Blimey. That gnat 101 stuff is rilly rilly esprashunul eh? Now I know where all those street “beggars” I just encountered walking from Courtenay Place to Lambton Quay are going wrong. I guess they really should just pull themselves together as ‘get with the programme’
Ekshully, I must remember to give them a right good letchering the next time I pass.
There are obviously Pulla Bent and Soimun Brudgizz type learnings to be learned. I’ll give them a set of bootstraps – how they choose to use them of course…. is up to them
No that can’t be right marty. When I look about at the top execs and CEO’s they very loudly claim that the exact opposite of all those things = more motivation.
It wouldn’t surprise me if those computer generated letters were designed to upset people, you know, so they get out of their sick beds and get a job.
I think it’s more what is said later in the article,
“She said it’s not us it’s just a system generated message that can’t separate who’s got what sickness or what amount of sickness.
Which is basically that when they scraped sickness benefit the system they put in place was done incompetently. If you want to see where National are doing evil there, it’s more likely to be in monkey wrenching the system over time so that eventually they’ve got an excuse to privatise.
“Which is basically that when they scraped sickness benefit the system they put in place was done incompetently.”
yes done incompetently and the system they put in was incompetent too – deliberately? Is monkey wrenching when they chuck a monkey wrench in and wait and see what shit happens or is it when the place it into position to create shit.
I’m lucky I spose I can see multiple layers of incompetence, mistakes and deliberate design all over the system and I agree the end goal is some type of privatisation agenda.
There are many preventable calamities at this time of year – kia kaha to all those dealing with this system.
Yeah, it’s always that weird mix of creepy ideology and incompetence and hard to tell how much of which each time. And with WINZ we can add in the fact that it was already a system pretty stressed by meddling from multiple governments, instead of taking care of something important.
“In my day, school report cards did not mince words to mollycoddle fragile little darlings or confuse litigious parents.
In similar spirit, here’s Prime Minister John Key’s report for 2015.
English
Oral. John has plenty to say on behalf of all New Zealanders. His pronunciation – which often compresses syllables into sausage meat – would benefit from speech therapy.
Written. We have not sighted any prose (or poetry) we are confident is John’s original work. Apparently he pays a huddle of crack spin doctors to produce his essays behind the bike sheds. F”
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Way Beyond Reform: Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer have no more interest in remaining permanent members of “New Zealand’s” House of Representatives than did Lenin and Trotsky in remaining permanent members of Tsar Nicolas II’s “democratically-elected” Duma. Like the Bolsheviks, Te Pāti Māori is a party of revolutionaries – not reformists.THE CROWN ...
Buzz from the Beehive Auckland was wiped off the map, when Education Minister Jan Tinetti delivered her speech of welcome as host of the inaugural Conference of Pacific Education Ministers “here in Tāmaki Makaurau”. But – fair to say – a reference was made later in the speech to a ...
Morning mate, how you going?Well, I was watching the news last night and they announced this scientific report on Climate Change. But before they got to it they had a story about the new All Blacks coach.Sounds like important news. It’s a bit of a worry really.Yeah, they were talking ...
Always a bailout: US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the Government would fully guarantee all savers in all smaller US banks if needed. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: No wonder an entire generation of investors are used to ‘buying the dip’ and ‘holding on for dear life’. US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen ...
Wealthy vested interests have an oversized influence on political decisions in New Zealand. Partly that’s due to their use of corporate lobbyists. Fortunately, the influence lobbyists can have on decisions made by politicians is currently under scrutiny in Guyon Espiner’s in-depth series published by RNZ. Two of Espiner’s research exposés ...
Yesterday afternoon it rained and traffic around the region ground to a halt, once again highlighting why it is so important that our city gets on with improving the alternatives to driving. For additional irony, this happened on the same day the IPCC synthesis report landed, putting the focus on ...
The Beginning: Anti-Co-Governance agitator, Julian Batchelor, addresses the Dargaville stop of his travelling roadshow across New Zealand . Fascism almost always starts small. Sadly, it doesn’t always stay that way. Especially when the Left helps it to grow.THERE IS A DREADFUL LOGIC to the growth of fascism. To begin with, it ...
Hi,From an incredibly rainy day in Los Angeles, I just wanted to check in. I guess this is the day Trump may or may not end up in cuffs? I’m attempting a somewhat slower, less frenzied week. I’ve had Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s new record on non-stop, and it’s been a ...
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 ...
RNZ has been shining their torch into corners where lobbyists lurk and asking such questions as: Do we like the look of this?and Is this as democratic as it could be?These are most certainly questions worth asking, and every bit as valid as, say:Are weshortchanged democratically by the way ...
RNZ has continued its look at the role of lobbyists by taking a closer look at the Prime Minister's Chief of Staff Andrew Kirton. He used to work for liquor companies, opposing (among other things) a container refund scheme which would have required them to take responsibility for their own ...
Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta has left for Beijing for the first ministerial visit to China since 2019. Mahuta is to meet China’s new foreign minister Qin Gang where she might have to call on all the diplomatic skills at her command. Almost certainly she will face questions on what role ...
TL;DR:The Opportunities Party’s Leader Raf Manji is hopeful the party’s new Teal Card, a type of Gold card for under 30s, will be popular with students, and not just in his Ilam electorate where students make up more than a quarter of the voters and where Manji is confident ...
When I was a kid New Zealand was actually pretty green. We didn’t really have plastic. The fruit and veges came in a cardboard box, the meat was wrapped in paper, milk came in a glass bottle, and even rubbish sacks were made of paper. Today if you sit down ...
Looking back through the names of our Police Ministers down the years, the job has either been done by once or future party Bigfoots – Syd Holland, Richard Prebble, Juduth Collins, Chris Hipkins – or by far lesser lights like Keith Allen, Frank Gill, Ben Couch, Allen McCready, Clem Simich, ...
Chris Trotter writes – The Crown is a fickle friend. Any political movement deemed to be colourful but inconsequential is generally permitted to go about its business unmolested. The Crown’s media, RNZ and TVNZ, may even “celebrate” its existence (presumably as proof of Democracy’s broad-minded acceptance of diversity). ...
Four out of the five people who have held the top role of Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff since 2017 have been lobbyists. That’s a fact that should worry anyone who believes vested interests shouldn’t have a place at the centre of decision making. Chris Hipkins’ newly appointed Chief of ...
Feedback on Auckland Council’s draft 2023/24 budget closes on March 28th. You can read the consultation document here, and provide feedback here. Auckland Council is currently consulting on what is one of its most important ever Annual Plans – the ‘budget’ of what it will spend money on between July ...
by Molten Moira from Motueka If you want to be a woman let me tell you what to do Get a piece of paper and a biro tooWrite down your new identification And boom! You’re now a woman of this nationSpelled W O M A Na real trans woman that isAs opposed ...
Buzz from the Beehive New Zealand Education Minister Jan Tinetti is hosting the inaugural Conference of Pacific Education Ministers for three days from today, welcoming Education Ministers and senior officials from 18 Pacific Island countries and territories, and from Australia. Here’s hoping they have brought translators with them – or ...
Let’s say you’ve come all the way from His Majesty’s United Kingdom to share with the folk of Australia and New Zealand your antipathy towards certain other human beings. And let’s say you call yourself a women’s rights activist.And let’s say 99 out of 100 people who listen to you ...
James Shaw gave the Green party's annual "state of the planet" address over the weekend, in which he expressed frustration with Labour for not doing enough on climate change. His solution is to elect more Green MPs, so they have more power within any government arrangement, and can hold Labour ...
RNZ this morning has the first story another investigative series by Guyon Espiner, this time into political lobbying. The first story focuses on lobbying by government agencies, specifically transpower, Pharmac, and assorted universities, and how they use lobbyists to manipulate public opinion and gather intelligence on the Ministers who oversee ...
Nick Matzke writes – Dear NZ Herald, I am a Senior Lecturer in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Auckland. I teach evolutionary biology, but I also have long experience in science education and (especially) political attempts to insert pseudoscience into science curricula in ...
James Shaw has again said the Greens would be better ‘in the tent’ with Labour than out, despite Labour’s policy bonfire last week torching much of what the Government was doing to reduce emissions. File Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The Green Party has never been more popular than in some ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Sarah Wesseler Poor air quality is a long-standing problem in Los Angeles, where the first major outbreak of smog during World War II was so intense that some residents thought the city had been attacked by chemical weapons. Cars were eventually discovered ...
Yesterday I was reading an excellent newsletter from David Slack, and I started writing a comment “Sounds like some excellent genetic heritage…” and then I stopped.There was something about the phrase genetic heritage that stopped me in tracks. Is that a phrase I want to be saying? It’s kind of ...
Brian Easton writes – Two senior economists challenge some of the foundations of current economics. It is easy to criticise economic science by misrepresenting it, by selective quotations, and by ignoring that it progresses, like all sciences, by improving and abandoning old theories. The critics may go ...
This week marks the twentieth anniversary of the Iraq War. While it strongly opposed the US-led invasion, New Zealand’s then Labour-led government led by Prime Minister Helen Clark did deploy military engineers to try to help rebuild Iraq in mid-2003. With violence soaring, their 12-month deployment ended without being renewed ...
After seventy years, Auckland’s motorway network is finally finished. In July 1953 the first section of motorway in Auckland was opened between Ellerslie-Panmure Highway and Mt Wellington Highway. The final stage opens to traffic this week with the completion of the motorway part of the Northern Corridor Improvements project. Aucklanders ...
National’s appointment of Todd McClay as Agriculture spokesperson clearly signals that the party is in trouble with the farming vote. McClay was not an obvious choice, but he does have a record as a political scrapper. The party needs that because sources say it has been shedding farming votes ...
Rays of white light come flooding into my lounge, into my face from over the top of my neighbour’s hedge. I have to look away as the window of the conservatory is awash in light, as if you were driving towards the sun after a rain shower and suddenly blinded. ...
The columnists in Private Eye take pen names, so I have not the least idea who any of them are. But I greatly appreciate their expert insight, especially MD, who writes the medical column, offering informed and often damning critique of the UK health system and the politicians who keep ...
A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Mar 12, 2023 thru Sat, Mar 18, 2023. Story of the Week Guest post: What 13,500 citations reveal about the IPCC’s climate science report IPCC WG1 AR6 SPM Report Cover - Changing ...
Buzz from the Beehive The building of financial capability was brought into our considerations when Social Development and Employment Minister Carmel Sepuloni announced she had dipped into the government’s coffers for $3 million for “providers” to help people and families access community-based Building Financial Capability services. That wording suggests some ...
Do you ever come across something that makes you go Hmmmm?You mean like the song?No, I wasn’t thinking of the song, but I am now - thanks for that. I was thinking of things you read or hear that make you stop and go Hmmmm.Yeah, I know what you mean, ...
By the end of the week, the dramas over Stuart Nash overshadowed Hipkins’ policy bonfire. File photo: Lynn GrieveasonTLDR: This week’s news in geopolitics and the political economy covered on The Kākā included:PM Chris Hipkins’ announcement of the rest of a policy bonfire to save a combined $1.7 billion, but ...
When word went out that Prime Minister Chris Hipkins would be making an announcement about Stuart Nash on the tiles at parliament at 2:45pm yesterday, the assumption was that it was over. That we had reached tipping point for Nash’s time as minister. But by 3pm - when, coincidentally, the ...
Two senior economists challenge some of the foundations of current economics. It is easy to criticise economic science by misrepresenting it, by selective quotations, and by ignoring that it progresses, like all sciences, by improving and abandoning old theories. The critics may go on to attack physics by citing Newton.So ...
Photo by Walker Fenton on UnsplashIt’s that time of the week again when and I co-host our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kaka for an hour at 5 pm. Jump on this link on Riverside (we’ve moved from Zoom) for our chat about the week’s news with ...
In a nice bit of news, my 2550-word deindustrial science-fiction piece, The Dream of Florian Neame, has been accepted for publication at New Maps Magazine (https://www.new-maps.com/). I have published there before, of course, with Of Tin and Tintagel coming out last year. While I still await the ...
And so this is Friday, and what have we learned?It was a week with all the usual luggage: minister brags and then he quits, Hollywood red carpet is full of twits. And all the while, hanging over the trivial stuff: existential dread, and portents of doom.Depending on who you read ...
When I changed the name of this newsletter from The Daily Read to Nick’s Kōrero I was a bit worried whether people would know what Kōrero meant or not. I added a definition when I announced the change and kind of assumed people who weren’t familiar with it would get ...
There was a time when a political party’s publicity people would counsel against promoting a candidate as queer. No matter which of two dictionary meanings the voting public might choose to apply – the old meaning of odd, strange, weird, or aberrant, or the more recent meaning of gay, homosexual ...
Photo by Joakim Honkasalo on UnsplashIt’s that time of the week for an ‘Ask Me Anything’ session for paying subscribers about the week that was for the next hour, including:PM Chris Hipkins announcement of the rest of a policy bonfire to save a combined $1.7 billion, but which blew up ...
Even though concern over the climate change threat is becoming more mainstream, our governments continue to opt out of the difficult decisions at the expense of time, and cost for future generations. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTLDR: Now we have a climate liability number to measure the potential failure of the ...
Thomas Cranmer writesLike it or not, the culture wars have entered New Zealand politics and look set to broaden and intensify. The culture wars are often viewed as an exclusively American phenomenon, but the reality is that they are becoming increasingly prominent in countries around the world, ...
Here’s an analogy for the Stuart Nash saga. If people are to be forgiven for their sins,Catholic dogma requires two factors to be present. There has to be a sincere act of confession about what has been done, but also a sincere act of contrition, which signals a painful ...
Here’s an analogy for the Stuart Nash saga. If people are to be forgiven for their sins,Catholic dogma requires two factors to be present. There has to be a sincere act of confession about what has been done, but also a sincere act of contrition, which signals a painful ...
Human Destabilisers: Russia now has a new strategic weapon – migratory waves of unwelcome human-beings. Desperate people with different coloured skins and different religious beliefs arriving at, or actually breaching, the national borders of Russia’s enemies can wreak as much havoc, culturally and politically, as a hypersonic missile exploding in the ...
Hi,After Webworm contributor Hayden Donnell wrote his latest piece, ‘RIP to Millennials Killing Everything’, he delivered this exciting and important bonus content.It will make more sense if you’ve read his piece.David. Read more ...
Hi,Before we get to Hayden’s column — RIP to Millennials Killing Everything — a quick observation.There was a day last week where it had suddenly reached 10pm and I hadn’t eaten all day. Hunger had suddenly gripped me with a panicky all-consuming force, so I jumped onto Uber Eats and ...
We add some of the CMIP6 models to the updateable MSU comparisons. After my annual update, I was pointed to some MSU-related diagnostics for many of the CMIP6 models (24 of them at least) from Po-Chedley et al. (2022) courtesy of Ben Santer. These are slightly different to what ...
In a memorable Pulp Fiction scene, Vincent inadvertently shoots their backseat passenger in the head. This leads our heroes Jules and Vincent to express alarm about their predicament.We're on a city street in broad daylight here!says Vincent. We gotta get this car off the roads. You know cops tend to ...
Primary, secondary and kindergarten teachers are all on strike today, demanding higher pay and an end to systematic understaffing. While the former is important - wages should at least keep up with inflation - its the latter which is the real issue. As with the health system, teachers have been ...
So the teachers are on strike, marching across Aotearoa today to press their demands for better pay and working conditions.Children remained in bed this brisk morning, many no doubt quite pleased about a day off school. Parents perhaps taking the day off to look after the kids, or working from ...
After the Cold War the consensus among Western military strategists was that the era of Big Wars, defined as peer conflict between large states with full spectrum military technologies, was at an end, at least for the foreseeable future. The … Continue reading → ...
Dairy giant Fonterra has posted a 50% lift in net profit to $546m, doubled its interim dividend, and is proposing a return of capital of 50c a share, injecting a note of optimism into the nation’s dairy industry. Fonterra’s strong performance is against a backdrop of market volatility. It ...
Buzz from the Beehive The bothersome economic news today is that New Zealand’s GDP fell by 0.6% in the December quarter, weaker than market forecasts of a fall of around 0.2% and much weaker than the Reserve Bank’s assumption of a 0.7% rise. This followed the even-more-bothersome news yesterday that ...
Ouch: Hipkins’ policy bonfire has resulted in an expensive self-administered removal of a Budgetary foot with an explosive device. File Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTLDR: Bonfires can be dangerous things when they get out of control. They also create a lot of smoke and heat and burn the grass. ...
* Dr Bryce Edwards writes – I teach a first-year course at Victoria University of Wellington about government and the political process in New Zealand. In “Introduction to Government and Law”, students learn there are rules preventing senior public servants from getting involved in big political debates – as we ...
I teach a first year course at Victoria University of Wellington about government and the political process in New Zealand. In “Introduction to Government and Law”, students learn there are rules preventing senior public servants from getting involved in big political debates – as we have recently witnessed with Rob ...
An issue of integrity has claimed the first ministerial scalp in Prime Minister Chris Hipkins’ premiership. Police Minister Stuart Nash lasted mere weeks in the role after admitting in a radio interview this morning that he had called Police Commissioner Andrew Coster to ask him if police were going to ...
For some time now we’ve known that the cost and completion timeframe for the City Rail Link would increase. Yesterday we finally learned by just how much. Costs City Rail Link Ltd (CRL Ltd) today confirms it has submitted a formal funding request to its Sponsors – the Crown and ...
The Government’s decision to back peddle on lowering speed limits is hitting potholes. At this stage, although it is part of the Government’s reprioritisation efforts to free up money to alleviate cost of living increases, the speed limit change looks unlikely to do that. And it appears that it ...
The University of Otago – the oldest university in New Zealand – towers over my home city of Dunedin. When classes are on, something like a fifth of Dunedin’s population are university students. It is also the largest employer in the South Island. To say that this is a ...
Last weekend brought the latest instalment in Stuff’s bravura satirical series Of course you can afford a house! Just dig deeper!I love how much their appreciation of humour has evolved in just a few short years since the days when I would get to produce, for a few meagre dollars, ...
Australia’s move to strengthen its defence capability with five nuclear-powered attack submarines underlines how relatively defenceless New Zealand is in the Pacific. Kiwis may gasp that the Labor government in Australia recognises it must outlay $400bn on the nuclear subs, but this ensures that Australia is not exposed ...
Political parties that want to negotiate with the Green Party must come to the table with much faster, bolder climate action, co-leaders James Shaw and Marama Davidson emphasised in their State of the Planet speech today. ...
Political parties that want to negotiate with the Green Party after the election must come to the table with much faster, bolder climate action, co-leaders James Shaw and Marama Davidson emphasised today. ...
You will never truly understand, from the pictures you’ve seen in the newspapers or on the six o-clock news, the sheer scale of the devastation wrought by Cyclone Gabrielle. ...
We’re boosting incomes and helping ease cost of living pressures on Kiwis through a range of bread and butter support measures that will see pensioners, students, families, and those on main benefits better off from the start of next month. ...
The error Labour Ministers made by stopping work on a beverage container return scheme will be reversed by the Greens at the earliest opportunity as part of the next Government. ...
“Cabinet needs to do better - and today has shown exactly why we need Green Ministers in cabinet, so we can prioritise action to cut climate pollution and support people to make ends meet,” says Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson. ...
Biggest increase in food prices for over three decades shows the need for an excess profit tax on corporations to help people put food on the table. ...
The Green Party has today launched a submission guide to help Aucklanders give crucial input and prevent potentially disastrous Auckland Council budget proposals. ...
With calls growing for inquiries and action on bank profits, the Greens say the Government has all the information it needs to act now and put a levy on banks. ...
As large parts of Aotearoa recover from two of the worst climate disasters we have ever experienced, it would be a huge mistake for the Government to deprioritise climate action from future transport investments, the Green Party says. ...
The Green Party is celebrating the signing of a historic United Nations Ocean Treaty, and calls on the new Oceans and Fisheries Minister to urgently step up protection for Aotearoa’s oceans. ...
Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment Priyanca Radhakrishnan has today launched the Love Better campaign in a world-leading approach to family harm prevention. Love Better will initially support young people through their experience of break-ups, developing positive and life-long attitudes to dealing with hurt. “Over 1,200 young kiwis told ...
Hon Rino Tirikatene, Minister for Courts, welcomes the Ministry of Justice’s appointment of Dr Garry Clearwater as New Zealand’s first Chief Clinical Advisor working with the Coroners Court. “This appointment is significant for the Coroners Court and New Zealand’s wider coronial system.” Minister Tirikatene said. Through Budget 2022, the Government ...
The Government via the Cyclone Taskforce is working with local government and insurance companies to build a picture of high-risk areas following Cyclone Gabrielle and January floods. “The Taskforce, led by Sir Brian Roche, has been working with insurance companies to undertake an assessment of high-risk areas so we can ...
E te huia kaimanawa, ko Ngāpuhi e whakahari ana i tau aupikinga ki te tihi o te maunga. Ko te Ao Māori hoki e whakanui ana i a koe te whakaihu waka o te reo Māori i roto i te Ao Ture. (To the prized treasure, it is Ngāpuhi who ...
113,400 exits into work in the year to June 2022 Young people are moving off Benefit faster than after the Global Financial Crisis Two reports released today by the Ministry of Social Development show the Government’s investment in the COVID-19 response helped drive record numbers of people off Benefits and ...
The Government’s priority to keep New Zealand at the cutting edge of food production and lift our sustainability credentials continues by backing the next steps of a hi-tech vertical farming venture that uses up to 95 per cent less water, is climate resilient, and pesticide-free. Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor visited ...
E nga mana, e nga iwi, e nga reo, e nga hau e wha, tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou kātoa. Warm Pacific greetings to all. It is an honour to host the inaugural Conference of Pacific Education Ministers here in Tāmaki Makaurau. Aotearoa is delighted to be hosting you ...
The new renal unit at Taranaki Base Hospital has been officially opened by the Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall this afternoon. Te Huhi Raupō received around $13 million in government funding as part of Project Maunga Stage 2, the redevelopment of the Taranaki Base Hospital campus. “It’s an honour ...
Defence Minister Andrew Little has marked the arrival of the country’s second P-8A Poseidon aircraft alongside personnel at the Royal New Zealand Air Force’s Base at Ohakea today. “With two of the four P-8A Poseidons now on home soil this marks another significant milestone in the Government’s historic investment in ...
Aotearoa New Zealand will provide further humanitarian support to those seriously affected by last month’s deadly earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria, says Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta. “The 6 February earthquakes have had devastating consequences, with almost 18 million people affected. More than 53,000 people have died and tens of thousands more ...
Migrant communities across New Zealand are represented in the new Migrant Community Reference Group that will help shape immigration policy going forward, Immigration Minister Michael Wood announced today. “Since becoming Minister, a reoccurring message I have heard from migrants is the feeling their voice has often been missing around policy ...
Construction has begun on major works that will deliver significant safety improvements on State Highway 3 from Waitara to Bell Block, Associate Minister of Transport Kiri Allan announced today. “This is an important route for communities, freight and visitors to Taranaki but too many people have lost their lives or ...
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has today appointed Ginny Andersen as Minister of Police. “Ginny Andersen has a strong and relevant background in this important portfolio,” Chris Hipkins said. “Ginny Andersen worked for the Police as a non-sworn staff member for around 10 years and has more recently been chair of ...
Six further bailey bridge sites confirmed Four additional bridge sites under consideration 91 per cent of damaged state highways reopened Recovery Dashboards for impacted regions released The Government has responded quickly to restore lifeline routes after Cyclone Gabrielle and can today confirm that an additional six bailey bridges will ...
Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta departs for China tomorrow, where she will meet with her counterpart, State Councillor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang, in Beijing. This will be the first visit by a New Zealand Minister to China since 2019, and follows the easing of COVID-19 travel restrictions between New Zealand and China. ...
Education Ministers from across the Pacific will gather in Tāmaki Makaurau this week to share their collective knowledge and strategic vision, for the benefit of ākonga across the region. New Zealand Education Minister Jan Tinetti will host the inaugural Conference of Pacific Education Ministers (CPEM) for three days from today, ...
A vital transport link for communities and local businesses has been restored following Cyclone Gabrielle with the reopening of State Highway 5 (SH5) between Napier and Taupō, Associate Minister of Transport Kiri Allan says. SH5 reopened to all traffic between 7am and 7pm from today, with closure points at SH2 (Kaimata ...
Internal Affairs Minister Barbara Edmonds has thanked generous New Zealanders who took part in the special Lotto draw for communities affected by Cyclone Gabrielle. Held on Saturday night, the draw raised $11.7 million with half of all ticket sales going towards recovery efforts. “In a time of need, New Zealanders ...
The Government has announced funding of $3 million for providers to help people, and whānau access community-based Building Financial Capability services. “Demand for Financial Capability Services is growing as people face cost of living pressures. Those pressures are increasing further in areas affected by flooding and Cyclone Gabrielle,” Minister for ...
Minister of Education, Hon Jan Tinetti, has announced appointments to the Board of Education New Zealand | Manapou ki te Ao. Tracey Bridges is joining the Board as the new Chair and Dr Therese Arseneau will be a new member. Current members Dr Linda Sissons CNZM and Daniel Wilson have ...
Fifteen ākonga Māori from across Aotearoa have been awarded the prestigious Ngarimu VC and 28th (Māori) Battalion Memorial Scholarships and Awards for 2023, Associate Education Minister and Ngarimu Board Chair, Kelvin Davis announced today. The recipients include doctoral, masters’ and undergraduate students. Three vocational training students and five wharekura students, ...
High Court Judge Jillian Maree Mallon has been appointed a Judge of the Court of Appeal, and District Court Judge Andrew John Becroft QSO has been appointed a Judge of the High Court, Attorney‑General David Parker announced today. Justice Mallon graduated from Otago University in 1988 with an LLB (Hons), and with ...
The economy has continued to show its resilience despite today’s GDP figures showing a modest decline in the December quarter, leaving the Government well positioned to help New Zealanders face cost of living pressures in a challenging global environment. “The economy had grown strongly in the two quarters before this ...
Aucklanders now have more ways to get around as Transport Minister Michael Wood opened the direct State Highway 1 (SH1) to State Highway 18 (SH18) underpass today, marking the completion of the 48-kilometre Western Ring Route (WRR). “The Government is upgrading New Zealand’s transport system to make it safer, more ...
This section contains briefings received by incoming ministers following changes to Cabinet in January. Some information may have been withheld in accordance with the Official Information Act 1982. Where information has been withheld that is indicated within the document. ...
Aotearoa New Zealand Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta reaffirmed her commitment to working together with the new Government of Fiji on issues of shared importance, including on the prioritisation of climate change and sustainability, at a meeting today, in Nadi. Fiji and Aotearoa New Zealand’s close relationship is underpinned by the Duavata ...
The Government is delivering a coastal shipping lifeline for businesses, residents and the primary sector in the cyclone-stricken regions of Hawkes Bay and Tairāwhiti, Regional Development Minister Kiri Allan announced today. The Rangitata vessel has been chartered for an emergency coastal shipping route between Gisborne and Napier, with potential for ...
The Government will progress to the next stage of the NZ Battery Project, looking at the viability of pumped hydro as well as an alternative, multi-technology approach as part of the Government’s long term-plan to build a resilient, affordable, secure and decarbonised energy system in New Zealand, Energy and Resources ...
This morning I was made aware of a media interview in which Minister Stuart Nash criticised a decision of the Court and said he had contacted the Police Commissioner to suggest the Police appeal the decision. The phone call took place in 2021 when he was not the Police Minister. ...
The Government’s sharp focus on trade continues with Aotearoa New Zealand set to host Trade Ministers and delegations from 10 Asia Pacific economies at a meeting of Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) Commission members in July, Minister for Trade and Export Growth Damien O’Connor announced today. “New Zealand ...
$25 million boost to support more businesses with clean-up in cyclone affected regions, taking total business support to more than $50 million Demand for grants has been strong, with estimates showing applications will exceed the initial $25 million business support package Grants of up to a maximum of $40,000 per ...
80 per cent of 2021 Resident Visas applications have been processed – three months ahead of schedule Residence granted to 160,000 people 84,000 of 85,000 applications have been approved Over 160,000 people have become New Zealand residents now that 80 per cent of 2021 Resident Visa (2021RV) applications have been ...
The Government continues to invest in New Zealand’s burgeoning space industry, today announcing five scholarships for Kiwi Students to undertake internships at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in California. Economic Development Minister Stuart Nash congratulated Michaela Dobson (University of Auckland), Leah Albrow (University of Canterbury) and Jack Naish, Celine Jane ...
The Lead Coordination Minister for the Government’s Response to the Royal Commission’s Report into the Terrorist Attack on the Christchurch Mosques travels to Melbourne, Australia today to represent New Zealand at the fourth Sub-Regional Meeting on Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Security. “The Government is committed to reducing the threat of terrorism ...
The health and safety practices at our nation’s ports will be improved as part of a new industry-wide action plan, Workplace Relations and Safety, and Transport Minister Michael Wood has announced. “Following the tragic death of two port workers in Auckland and Lyttelton last year, I asked the Port Health ...
Bikes, electric bikes and scooters will be added to the types of transport exempted from fringe benefit tax under changes proposed today. Revenue Minister David Parker said the change would allow bicycles, electric bicycles, scooters, electric scooters, and micro-mobility share services to be exempt from fringe benefit tax where they ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta will hold bilateral meetings with Fiji this week. The visit will be her first to the country since the election of the new coalition Government led by Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sitiveni Rabuka. The visit will be an opportunity to meet kanohi ki ...
The Government is introducing the Severe Weather Emergency Legislation Bill to ensure the recovery and rebuild from Cyclone Gabrielle is streamlined and efficient with unnecessary red tape removed. The legislation is similar to legislation passed following the Christchurch and Kaikōura earthquakes that modifies existing legislation in order to remove constraints ...
Approximately 1.4 million people will benefit from increases to rates and thresholds for social assistance to help with the cost of living Superannuation to increase by over $100 a pay for a couple Main benefits to increase by the rate of inflation, meaning a family on a benefit with children ...
$1 billion in savings which will be reallocated to support New Zealanders with the cost of living A range of transport programmes deferred so Waka Kotahi can focus on post Cyclone road recovery Speed limit reduction programme significantly narrowed to focus on the most dangerous one per cent of state ...
Opinion - There's plenty of research supporting lowering the voting age to 16. Public debate and the law just need to catch up, Claire Breen writes. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra As well as her interviews with politicians and experts, Politics with Michelle Grattan includes “Word from The Hill”, where she discusses the news with members of The Conversation’s politics team. In this podcast Michelle and ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jingdong Yuan, Associate Professor, Asia-Pacific security, University of Sydney Chinese President Xi Jinping’s trip to Moscow this week has been more about reiterating China and Russia’s shared interests, and less about any concrete pathway towards ending the war in Ukraine. While a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Treena Clark, Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Indigenous Research Fellow, Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building, University of Technology Sydney This May, Wiradjuri woman Denni Francisco and her label Ngali will be the first Indigenous designer to have a solo show at Australian Fashion Week. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Treena Clark, Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Indigenous Research Fellow, Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building, University of Technology Sydney This May, Wiradjuri woman Denni Francisco and her label Ngali will be the first Indigenous designer to have a solo show at Australian Fashion Week. ...
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Happy Solstice everyone 🙂
+1
“Bike-lash”
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/75315964/Wellingtons-Island-Bay-cycleway-has-left-residents-confused-and-angry
Thoughts?
One unexpected benefit might be for pedestrians walking along the esplanade, and not have unheard cycles from behind pass a sideways step away from collision, as they do, as cyclists will have a safe and dedicated path.
As Mrs Mac1 found out yesterday on a Wellington footpath, uneven surfaces can lead to sudden changes of direction and falls. A passing cyclist would have compounded the issue.
If cyclists are threatened by motorists opening doors without checking, as they do, then at least the cyclist won’t have to escape (or be pushed out) into car traffic, but will have a footpath to seek refuge.
I have been on European streets where the footpath is split half and half for bikes and pedestrians. It works well. We should get used to it.
And I’ve ridden on half and half paths where pedestrians walk side by side taking up the entire path and not fucken looking thus endangering both cyclists and pedestrians.
+1
Separate the traffic.
No, that would be the noisy minority making even more noise.
Yep, that’s something that’s been found around the world. Narrower streets slow cars down and reduce crashes (I would link the article but I can’t find it).
Oh the bitter sweet irony.
Government controlled by party purporting to stand up for the workers is detaining workers for being unable to do their job as a result of policies implemented by that very same government.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/dec/21/venezuela-frees-pepsi-workers-it-arrested-for-not-making-enough-pepsi
No more ironic than a government purporting to be interested in economics running failed neo-liberal cultist policies until their country is $105 billion in debt.
The same Government that is receiving plaudits worldwide for it’s economic performance during a very difficult period that included the GFC and major earthquakes.
Looking at Bowalley Road and lifted this from a comment there. Haven’t read it but it sounds interesting – relating to housing. It refers to Hugh Pavletich who is a developer or speculator or both, of housing and has a vested interest in his own projects and himself.
So interesting to see what line he is pushing. Usually these people are going for more greenfields development, more supply etc .
Hugh Pavletich is touting this:
PLANNING RULES THE CAUSE OF HOUSING CRISIS … TWYFORD & HARTWICH … NEW ZEALAND HERALD
http://m.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11553128
Paveletich is a long-time sprawl-promoter who pimps Demographia’s annual surveys, debunked in a series of posts on Transportblog (latest: http://transportblog.co.nz/2015/06/03/how-wrong-is-demographia-a-proof-by-contradiction/).
Hartwich’s previous job was with the libertarian thinktank, CIS in Australia.
Twyford is being stupid in agreeing with the govt’s analysis that our housing problem is all about land and councils, rather than financial market factors as well.
Twyford has finally woken up. You only have to look at your new CV to see that it is the land values that are rising fast not the value of the building. Those of us who live in the real world have known this for years.
So increase the density (shouldn’t cause you any issues) and use less land per residence.
Seems like the natural progression to me..
+1
Especially when the exponential costs of sprawl are taken into account.
Jeez Labour, no need to be so quick to condemn beneficiaries for trading their food grant for cash. Are these even legitimate incidences or is it just Tolley and BM playing on their fake Trade Me and other accounts to stir up further hatred (?)
link?
All I found was this stuff article with no mention of Labour
Carmel Sepaloni (apologies if spelt wrong) on RNZ news this morn
latest firefox update doesn’t seem to play the rnz links. bugger.
works now, still can’t find it. What time news?
I’ve been searching for it without luck. I thought it was 7am but it must have been the 7 30 update. It went something like: Labours Carmel Sepuloni condemns misuse of hardship grant cards..
well you’re hardly going to say it’s fine. I’d expect a follow-on along the lines of saying it’s rare and hurts families in genuine need, though.
Fuck I reckon, Labour should be arguing that the cards are a stupid idea, thats a better angle, differentiate themselves from National. I try to like Labour, I do like Andrew Little, but they sure do make it hard. (& of course, could be media ‘gotcha’ politics, mps speaking without thinking, etc…)
+1
“mps speaking without thinking”
Political parties usually avoid that by directing their caucuses firmly and hiring comms experts. Labour seems to have forgotten that basic approach for about the last 8 years.
It’s Christmas. Deck the halls with holly and find a smile and good word when you see a good person. Don’t bother about Nats, Act (don’t), and take the curate’s egg approach to Labour. All other earnest tryers for good give love and support to at Christmas-time.
https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/3097440-a-christmas-carol?page=4
“the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow-passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys.”
― Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol
Merry Christmas! What right have you to be merry? What reason have you to be merry? You’re poor enough.” “Come, then,” returned the nephew gaily. “What right have you to be dismal? What reason have you to be morose? You’re rich enough.”
― Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol
“There was nothing very cheerful in the climate or the town, and yet was there an air of cheerfulness abroad that the clearest summer air and brightest summer sun might have endeavoured to diffuse in vain.”
― Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol
@ Chairman
The idea of it is good, the implementation a bit of a bugger’s muddle IN THE NZ context. I note the claim that this is of international design, and commonplace overseas. Unfortunately, Kiwis are not very good drivers as has been discussed elsewhere eg.
– 2 second rule more like the 1 second rule for MOST drivers
– indiscriminate lane changing and trying to get ahead (i.e. driving as though it was all some sort of competition)
– travelling over the speed limit (and as the signs suggest) treating the limit as though it’s a target
– inability to keep within lanes (probably to do with an inability to judge the size of their vehicle – especially SUVs)
– etc.
(and I concede too that not only are NZers not very good drivers, many are not very good cyclists)
I might actually go and take a look at it in the flesh.
Whilst I am all for encouraging people to get onto bikes, walk, run, etc. for health reasons as much as anything else, I’m not sure that designing things in a way that can impact on public transport – which carries many more people – is the way to go.
@ Chairman – I’m interested in your thoughts too.
OK @ Chairman – now I’ve seen it in the flesh.
What I like:
The environment and implementation reinforces the idea that this road is actually SUBurban – i.e. not the racetrack it once was – although there’d been efforts to achieve that previously
What I don’t like:
It’s actually been done on the cheap – YET again (short term-ism).
The road going northward has a berm on the left hand side. The road southward does not.
With a little more investment and commitment to the concept – given the available space, it could have been better. AND it could have included trees on the southward (i.e EAST side) had they thought about it more.
With a little more thought, and shifting things like guttering, we could have had things like (from the property/housing frontage perspective going outward to the road centre line), and with trees on BOTH sides of the road:
– a property frontage
– a minimal berm, equipped with trees (and whatever – even community vege and other gardens)
– a footpath with adequate (though not excessive) width (for the traffic involved)
– a directional cycle lane
– a street parking area
– a street thoroughfare – and one which takes account of the necessities of things like trolleybus lines
– a centre line (probably with ‘no overtaking’)
we could probably have also had things like bus stop bays AND walkways and cycleways that are in-the-main ….. STRAIGHT – but I guess straightness and order is not very trendy these days. WCC and power companies can’t even get positioning of lamp posts consistent (so much so that installation of fibre channels have to wend their merry way around a variety of bullshit obstructions – not so bad though if you’re a Chorus contractor trying to clip the ticket at every twist and turn).
So there ya go. Now tell me what you think of it all
As a student of Sciology, perhaps what this suggests is:
– the average Kiwi bloke is dissatisfied with the size of his dick
– feels the need to forever prove himslef
– as a result, has an inferiority complex
Jeez, maybe I’ve jiss explained JFK.
NOW …. how the fuck to we explain Max. Answer: JOHN
I don’t generally support the slowing of traffic. It largely defeats the purpose of having cars and negatively impacts on productivity.
Ideally, cyclists, motorists and pedestrians need to be separated as much as possible. Therefore, I would have opted for dividing (with a median barrier) and extending the footpath.
OK.
Well perhaps with a little more thought as to how the available space could be used, combined with existing trees and planting others on the other side, as well as relocating curbing …… that separation could have been achieved.
The Parade is fairly wide. In places the footpaths are wider than need be.
But, as I said (above), it has been done on a budget and it seems to have needlessly pissed a lot of people off as a result.
I’m not sure about some of the complaints I’ve seen though – such as the road carriage way not being wide enough.
@ lprent …. a bug perhaps? or merely an inexplicable glitch not worth the time and effort given it might be a set of circumstances that’s so rare ….
My previous comment on this thread was a reply to Chairman (I.e. replying to his asking for comments [2] above).
It went into a black hole.
I came back to repost and found the following appended to th” Name (Required) * –
field
i.e. in my case >>>>>
“Once was Tim 100 SabineÃÂÃÂÃÂâÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂæour ancestors lived frugally and wel ”
actually now I think about it, my last comment was a reply (on another thread) to Sabine
Just thought you might be interested (being a perfectionist and coding fiddler – that’s a compliment btw)
Are you copying and pasting from word?
NO
It’s been a very long long time since I was a SysProg but it looks like that string has been something exrtacted from a DB.
I have some advice though for you (BM) and other IT geeks:
Firstly ….. there’s actually a shitload more to life – especially as you get older.
Secondly ….. reinventing wheels only serves to prop up you own ego if its just as inefficient and ‘in-effective’. I could even argue that the only advances in modern times have occurred at the “PRESENTATION layer’ – if you comprenez VOUS – and I’m sure that you do!
Thirdly …. humans should drive technology – not the other way round
Fourthly (as I often hear when following ‘IT professionals’ discussing their various projects – and believe me its UNINTENTIONAL’) as I walk thru’ the Streets of Wellington and hear them wanking each other off …… reinventing wheels is ekshully not that ‘S M A R T’. In fek it’s really a bit pathetic
Fourthly ….. trying to make yourself indispensable by coding methods that are (to say the least) fucking stupid – e.g. hardcoding IDs rather than referencing a table that Joseph Bloggs (or in your case Joseph Goebles) is going to be a losing battle,
I don’t really think I should carry on. Steven Joooooice (Choooooice Bro – with reference to a dainty little Ayshun from Mermaids) would have a harda tek.
There could be a fifthly, and a sixthly ……… etc.
I’m perfikly happy to deal with it as you see fit.
But PLEASE PLEASE don’t come moaning when the inevitable happens
come to think about it …. BM are the initials of one of the biggest wankers I ever came across – we could go into details – but best not. It’s the thing that LEAST interests me in life as I watch on in amusement.
It’s a bit like blokes that think they know better than an instruction manual authored by someone whose constructed some bullshit-well-needed-essential-app.
are you in Wellington? Spark? Datacom?
Formerly engaged in some earth-shattering project such as INCIS, or in the health sector, or anywhere else for that matter – the record is pretty fukng bleak wherever it was – but then of course you’ve had learnings as to why, and none of it could possibly EVER have been your fault.
no forget that question …. it’s illegal given the terms and conditions.
You seem a bit unhinged there, Tim.
Might want to go back to your doctor and get him to triple your dosage.
It’s a condition that comes with engaging with the likes of you. There’s no known cure. The worst part of it is forgetting not to bother in the first place. Some call it troll feeding I think.
Thanks though. I’ll remember not to in future.
It is a bug left over from last weeks WordPress upgrade. The JavaScript I put in to set the first field got invalidated. But work, patchwork sleeping and Damn shopping haven’t left time for coding blocks at home.
From the NZHerald today, an analyst from McKinseys telling the New Zealand government that active leadership to diversify our economy is absolutely critical. And that oil exploration is the wrong way to diversify, because it is as much a commodity product as milk.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11564682
Nothing new, but all sound points.
The bit at the bottom left out the rather important fact that Kinley Salmon is a raging environmentalist.
He’s hardly going to be pro primary products.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/nelson-mail/lifestyle-entertainment/3235009/From-Nayland-to-Cambridge
I guess primary production is all Gnats can visualise – never got past primary school most of them.
BM, that’s the least important point.
But you neocons are all about attacking the messenger and ignoring the evidence.
Just to let you know BM – The economy is a subset of the environment – not the other way round. You trash the environment – you trash the economy – end of story.
+1
Democracy and expert advice on scientific issues
IMO, there’s two parts to the problem that we see here.
The first problem is education and the lack there of both in the basics facts and how to think logically and critically.
The second part is specialisation in that people have become overly specialised and have little to no knowledge of other areas. This prevents people from joining the dots in logical progression to come to the correct answer despite not having the same knowledge of a subject as a specialist would have.
Court Decision Alert
The Kim Dotcom and others Extradition decision will be released tomorrow.
No doubt whoever loses will appeal, so not the end yet.
Interesting!
We had the judge’s decision on the Hager case last week – less than 2 weeks before Xmas. Now we have the Dotcom case – two days before Xmas.
You do have to wonder about the timing – just before Xmas when most people are otherwise engaged.
Apparently it will released at 2.15pm. Sorry – no link as word of mouth.
Timing is interesting not only because of Xmas, but because the hearing only finished on Nov 24. So one of the fastest court decisions that I can recall for such a complex case.
MSM is now reporting the expected release – eg The Herald here
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/news/article.cfm?&objectid=11564885
Link to actual item:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11564885
Little says he wants to see a shift away from a ‘culture of blame’ – where there is a call for heads to roll when an enterprise fails.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/74985370/andrew-little-finds-success-in-stability-as-labour-recovers-from-2014-nosedive
The statement comes across as if he’s attempting to remove accountability.
Your thoughts?
I find it unhelpful to have a “heads will roll culture” because my experience in the workplace is that when things go wrong it is often systemic. It is to do with the culture of the place. sometimes its a commitment to doing things the cheapest way possible and making as much profit as possible. Scapegoating one person will not solve systemic problems. I have also had experience of the wrong person being blamed in the case I was thinking of a manager had done some dodgy figures but managed to blame it on the manager under her in the hierarchy who got demoted. A thorough examination of the whole culture of the place and the systems that were operating might have done something to effect real change. As it was it really was pretty much business as usual.
With the lack of culpability witnessed, I question whether we actually suffer from a culture of blame.
I agree that on some occasions problems can be systemic within an enterprise. However, CEO’s and such are there to oversee such issues are rectified. A CEO should be aware of the culture within their organization. Therefore, I disagree with your notion.
As for people being wrongly accused, I agree examinations require to be thorough, with any blame being laid solely at the feet of those responsible.
I think there’s a distinction around that how accountability occurs following a failure.
Presenting this in an adventure aviation context is interesting, here there’s a culture of finding “what” went wrong in an adverse event and working to prevent it happening again. This is quite different to the “who” scapegoating that often appears in political and media culture.
It’s rare outside criminal intent or negligence that an adverse event has a single point of accountability, and we have laws and legal accountabilities to deal with these aspects. And these legal sanctions should be robust and with out favour.
However business failures, like aviation accidents have a multitude of causes, often totally unrelated that line up produce carnage. An air accident investigation tries to determine as many of these aspects as possible so that better outcomes can be achieved from similar situations in the future. This has allowed aviation to progress from what was pretty dodgy in 1920 to safer than driving, and probably walking now.
When we focus on finding individual scapegoats we get other things happening. First we miss the real causes of the failure, maybe the weakest, financially, politically or socially goes down masking everything else, and then everyone gets really risk adverse.
I don’t think this sort of accountability culture is going to produce an environment where people can confidently and easily move from one career to another. We need a culture where failure is seen as a positive learning experience and shared. A culture change around this could be rather disruptive of our political environment.
It’s only logical to find out what went wrong in order to help prevent it from reoccurring. However, doing so generally points to whom (if anyone) was at fault.
It may be that accountability may have to be shared. And although we do have laws to deal with criminal intent or negligence (if and when identified) you seem to be overlooking professional accountability.
I’m not advocating we seek out scapegoats to scalp, but I am pointing out professional accountability can’t be overlooked and those accountable must be held to account.
Therefore, while I agree with a number of your points, I reject the notion that failure should only be seen as a positive learning experience and shared. If investigations show people are culpable, they require to be held to account.
It’s conservative thinking that seeks certainty and the elimination of risk, and then trys to abrogate responsibility when it all turn to shit. The trap here is in thinking that we can eliminate ALL risk. You can’t, there’s just too many unrelated and random variables. So, when we progress, as in try something new, we are going to get some honest failures, along with spectacular wins. We should celebrate both.
Dishonest activities however, both failures and “wins”, must be jumped on, hard.
It doesn’t follow that all failure is dishonest, and it’s bloody tragic to see otherwise honest and honourable people go down for doing dishonest things as their lives and /or business falls to bits. A better attitude to, and management of failure would save a lot of grief.
Holding the culpable to account is not an attempt to eliminate risk, but it does help set in place an accepted framework and expected level of professionalism.
Removing accountability opens the door to excessive risk taking and a culture of failure acceptance.
While taking risk can produce benefits and lead to a company’s progression, excessive risk can result in a company’s collapse.
Growing too fast, taking on excessive risk and ultimately collapsing is an opportunity wasted, thus not a model for future success.
Therefore, it’s not a model to be encouraged and expanded by removing accountability and celebrating failure.
a culture of blame works all ways…..as was highlighted by Keys stated cause of child poverty. Thought the article in its entirety provoked interest it what they will release next year….heres hoping it is something inspiring.
When it comes to the poor, there does seem to be a culture of blame among the right.
I find it incredible that some posters think it is acceptable on a thread about alleged rape humour to call me Fisi-anal or some such moniker. Not a single Leftist has called out shame. The hypocrisy of the Left is gob smacking. My noble African name is sacred and no matter what I post such gutter language is surely unacceptable to any person with some sense of decency. It is a particularly childish and nasty form of internet bullying. It will not silence me.
Refences to the anal area are not references to rape.
But yes, you are frequently disrespected and insulted. Because that is the level of respect you have diligently earned – see sentence 1.
You condone such behaviour. Disgraceful. This blog is not surely just an echo chamber for the deluded. I never compared the insults aimed at me with rape. Can you not read?
liberals don’t need to read cos they’re always right.
You called it hypocrisy, not me.
I think you insult the intelligence of everyone here with pretty much every damned comment you make, and you don’t even have the decency to be honest about it and call people names.
“you do it too” is no defense.
Maybe not.
But it sure as hell is an accusation.
bullshit. play the ball not the man.
1: it’s not football. It’s not a game.
2: fuck that guy. There’s room for disagreement, then there’s that tory trooll. He’s worked hard for it and earned the abuse.
so there’s this thing called metaphor…
in the divine economy there is no earning of abuse.
Some metaphors are more appropriate than others.
And the divine economy might or might not exist. But as respect between humans is earned, so are scorn, defiance, slight regard and contempt. Of which fisiani has earned a plenitude.
I missed it – but you are right.
You should not be insulted.
I support you on that.
You would not annoy people if you were to stop trolling so regularly.
And that name is not a reference to rape.
Apologist for bad behaviour. Duh!
fisiani
Aren’t you the guy that loves Key and can’t understand why no one else here does, I don’t know why you don’t try kiwiblog, they share similar view point to you and have a similar level of intellect, you’d be right at home.
the point is name calling. people should be able to love key anywhere they want without being called names.
I don’t know if realise what you just said?
“You should be able to love Key with out being called a name”
I didn’t condone the supposed name calling, I merely suggested an alternative spot where he could go and not receive any grief, I don’t know if you read the posts that are in dispute, but McFlock’s comments were appropriate, everybody has the right to free speech, even you.
yeah McFlock is blaming his poor netiquette on Fisiani’s trolling. “you’ve earned the abuse” – sounds like the guy’s done some time in prison.
If you click on the name fisiani you will find this is a tr0ll who (metaphorically speaking) has done time for many indiscretions in the past.
North calling fisiani fused anus was an accurate description for someone so consistently full of shit.
it’s in poor taste.
worse is that you’d take a troll so seriously. some lines off blake:
mock on, mock on, voltaire, rousseau
mock on, mock on, tis all in vain
you throw the sand against the wind
the wind blows it back again
lol
So just to clarify, we’re allowed to suggest someone’ “sounds like” they’ve done enough wrong to be imprisoned, but we’re not allowed to use rude words or show other poor form according to you?
Yeah, nah. My insults are direct. Yours are duplicitous. Get off your hypocritical high horse.
horses may be more easily forgiven for shitting freely in public.
In some areas horseshit is not just forgiven, but actively sought.
In other areas, the person taking the horse for a ride is blamed.
hope your xmassy thing went well, though.
No – they mustn’t do it in the streets and frighten the horses.
They should do it on kiwiblog where the audience appreciates it and gimp suits and lashings of whale oil are provided for that purpose.
Christ! For once “I’m inclined to agree with you Mathew”. However As far as I can see so far, I haven’t seen your mates on the roster (“hard Rightists”) call people out either.
Who’s on duty tonight btw?
Do you do The Daily Blog as well? There now seems to be six at least hitting the dislike button. You should congratulate yourselves – that’s an increase of 50% (going forward). Could be a brighter future eh?
BAM CRRRAAACK BIFF BOFF KAPOW Brilliant
Good to see that you now fully appreciate the nastiness of Key’s behaviour.
I hope you will now also call him out for his hypocrisy on – oh! so many things – such as being an ambassador for white ribbon and at the same time indulging in jokes about prison rape, failing to apologize to Tania over his Govt’s appalling handling of her sexual assault and claiming it was a political stunt, calling many women MPs who have been the subject of abuse – “rape apologists”, being an habitual predator handling the pony tails of young girls and women, and twisting the apology of David Cunliffe on behalf of men to women – when NZ has one of the highest rates of abuse in the western world, etc.
When you have called out Key on his appalling hypocrisy maybe then we might apologize for calling you names.
“Not a single Leftist has called out shame.”
Actually I have. And some have agreed with me.
The problem is that the site policy allow for such “abuse” provided the moderators can see a point to it, just as they allow for you to comment with your own opinions and to provide your own take on the opinions of others. We couldn’t give a damn if you choose or don’t choose to use the provided room for pointed attacks and abuse or not. That is your choice.
Personally, I find that I use whatever I need to when I want to get a point across. My nastiest attacks when I want to have a go at someone use absolutely no “abuse”. I simply read their previous comments and figure out suggestions or explanations for the ‘reasoning’ behind the formation of their views and opinions.
There are very few people that I can’t set off like a rocket at guy fawkes with those kinds of attacks at their world views without ever “abusing” them if I feel the inclination. This is a skill developed after decades around the net is probably why I don’t feel the need to level the playing field where you do. In my opinion, all that does is to give way too much weight to net experience. Allowing robust debate and pointed abuse evens up the playing field somewhat because it means that people can express themselves more freely at whatever level they feel comfortable with.
What you are proposing allows a dissection using manners that gives the advantage to whoever has the most experience within the implied rules. I don’t like that 18th century farce. As far as I’m concerned it should have died with the French monarchy at Versailles in 1789, but which unfortunately survived up until after the second world war.
As it is I keep a vigilant eye for people trying to game the system and deliberately pressing people into the policy electric fence that they know about and the other does not.
Abyway trying to change the rules on this site is a dangerous tactic if you aren’t an author, because for those of us who actually work on the site, it becomes highly irritating to argue with people who don’t and who have no real idea about what is going on. Especially since they are always so damn repetitive about repetitively screaming what they want (like a spoilt child) rather than considering what authors and others might want. Plus not considering why these rules were set at the position that they were. Which appears to be what you are doing.
But you should be pretty aware of this already. It isn’t like I try to conceal my attitudes about the best way to deal with people without skin in the site trying to help us out by suggesting directly or indirectly how we should run the site.
“My noble African name is sacred”.
Citation please. No amount of earnest Googling in good faith on my part can verify that statement.
All I know is “The baby was cut out of the womb”.
Whose that, eh?
Fact, in 2011, there were fewer new homes built in NZ that year than were built in (wait for it) 1965, and now a housing shortage.
An interesting aspect to the large influx of refugees into Germany, over 800,000, was how would Germany house them all.
It seems Germany has an interesting housing policy, they maintain a surplus of relatively cheap housing stock, ensuring real affordability for there own work force, they also regulate the housing industry, there reasoning is that these workers are considered a very important part of a successful economy, by keeping rents and housing prices relatively low, the work force has more money in their pockets to spend in the local economy, this all forms part of a wider economic strategy.
They found that the workers were more productive if they didn’t feel they were only going to work to pay the rent.
Of the 800,000 refugees, most will get work, and they will end up very loyal employees.
For a right wing Govt, it’s unusual to see a smart, common sense approach to the way in which they treat their work force, there maybe some lessons to be learned here.
we have a housing policy where it’s more profitable to leave them vacant and flip them to other speculators than it is to actually provide homes for people.
Yeah, and who profits from that, Germany in is an industrial nation of 110m , they’ve realised over the long term that a highly productive work force is more profitable than short term speculation, every one needs a roof over their head.
I suppose that is the crux of it, a long term economic plan that will lift the countries prosperity
Whereas NZ has elected a short-term currency gambler and an unreconstructed 80s Treasury wideboy. What could possibly go wrong?
“What could possibly go wrong?”
That is funny, I don’t know if you meant it to be.
Hasn’t it already gone wrong, Key is the man without a plan for the future of NZ, I just wish his tenure was a short term.
Unfortunately much of the appeal of neo-liberalism to the current government is that divesting state services enables ministers to be lazier and less accountable. They have no desire to actually govern, and think that destroying state capacity is a positive achievement. Most third world countries are better governed, perhaps in part because their citizens would not tolerate the kind of pathetic crap that our Gnat MPs get up to. The neo part of Labour isn’t much better.
+1
Sky-Crane 2: Daughter of Skycrane.
Game changer.
Chris Westling
@chriswestling
Falcon 9 brought cost of a 13-tonne payload to LEO from $110m to $56m. With landing & reuse, #SpaceX is projecting new cost of <$8m. #BFD
Médecins Sans Frontières – a year in pictures.
https://msf.exposure.co/a-year-in-pictures
(light version for shitty connections https://msf.exposure.co/a-year-in-pictures?slow=1 )
Aloe Blacc on his Christmas tribute.
It’s not a product for sale — it’s a memorial, a tribute. First of all, to me, it doesn’t seem appropriate. It really was just an expression that I felt was important for me offer to these families, and for other people to hear so that they could have a voice for what they were feeling inside, because a lot of the dialogue that we hear in the media doesn’t give us the opportunity to grieve a way that is respectful to the families. I wanted to offer that to everyone, especially the families. I wanted them to see that there are people who understand their pain and are not just trying to make a headline out of their tragedy.
http://www.npr.org/2015/12/10/459109275/songs-we-love-aloe-blacc-merry-christmas-mr-brown
The History of People’s QE – Neither Right nor Left, Just the Way Forward
Part 2
Part 3
Money creation by the state is the answer to our financial difficulties such as poverty and inequality.
The private creation of credit is one of the most fiercely and brutally guarded privileges of all.
Spot on Draco
This type of story pisses me off – blame it on computer generated letters?? bullshit!!!
“Then the second letter came, claiming that even though the agency had now seen Leger’s medical certificates, he still needed to be “actively seeking work”.
Leger said the suggestion of sending out CVs from his hospital bed sounded like a bad joke.
“It’s that extra stress that you don’t need at this time going through the treatment,” he said.”
http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/wellington/75373823/leukaemia-patient-told-by-work-and-income-to-find-a-job-or-risk-his-benefit
It wouldn’t surprise me if those computer generated letters were designed to upset people, you know, so they get out of their sick beds and get a job.
gnat 101
extra stress = more motivation
less money = more motivation
persistent hassle = more motivation
ridicule = more motivation
cut additional benefits = more motivation
desperation = more motivation
loss of dignity = more motivation
not enough money = more motivation
begging for help = more motivation
and so on to infinity and back
…….Corrrrrrr Blimey. That gnat 101 stuff is rilly rilly esprashunul eh? Now I know where all those street “beggars” I just encountered walking from Courtenay Place to Lambton Quay are going wrong. I guess they really should just pull themselves together as ‘get with the programme’
Ekshully, I must remember to give them a right good letchering the next time I pass.
There are obviously Pulla Bent and Soimun Brudgizz type learnings to be learned. I’ll give them a set of bootstraps – how they choose to use them of course…. is up to them
No that can’t be right marty. When I look about at the top execs and CEO’s they very loudly claim that the exact opposite of all those things = more motivation.
Agreed marty mars that is not only appalling behaviour for a human being, it is actually just bloody stupid.
The National Party government is highlighted in all of its ignorant ideology with this poor fulla’s plight.
Just stupid, brainless, lacks any form of logic, no common sense.
The nacts are frikkin’ loopy
and that is the problem with conservatives when they try to change things….
because they are afraid of change they do not know how to undertake it, and hence make a big hash of things….
conservatives should stay in the hold like the useless ballast that they are
Labour’s frightened of change. That’s more the problem.
It wouldn’t surprise me if those computer generated letters were designed to upset people, you know, so they get out of their sick beds and get a job.
I think it’s more what is said later in the article,
“She said it’s not us it’s just a system generated message that can’t separate who’s got what sickness or what amount of sickness.
Which is basically that when they scraped sickness benefit the system they put in place was done incompetently. If you want to see where National are doing evil there, it’s more likely to be in monkey wrenching the system over time so that eventually they’ve got an excuse to privatise.
“Which is basically that when they scraped sickness benefit the system they put in place was done incompetently.”
yes done incompetently and the system they put in was incompetent too – deliberately? Is monkey wrenching when they chuck a monkey wrench in and wait and see what shit happens or is it when the place it into position to create shit.
I’m lucky I spose I can see multiple layers of incompetence, mistakes and deliberate design all over the system and I agree the end goal is some type of privatisation agenda.
There are many preventable calamities at this time of year – kia kaha to all those dealing with this system.
Yeah, it’s always that weird mix of creepy ideology and incompetence and hard to tell how much of which each time. And with WINZ we can add in the fact that it was already a system pretty stressed by meddling from multiple governments, instead of taking care of something important.
Amazing flip flop from Trotter who seems to have stopped fighting …for anything.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/opinion/75307377/chris-trotter-my-surprise-pick-for-politician-of-the-year
good grief.
Little gem here from The North…
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/northern-advocate/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503450&objectid=11564706
Joanne McNeil: PM gets an F for Social Studies
“In my day, school report cards did not mince words to mollycoddle fragile little darlings or confuse litigious parents.
In similar spirit, here’s Prime Minister John Key’s report for 2015.
English
Oral. John has plenty to say on behalf of all New Zealanders. His pronunciation – which often compresses syllables into sausage meat – would benefit from speech therapy.
Written. We have not sighted any prose (or poetry) we are confident is John’s original work. Apparently he pays a huddle of crack spin doctors to produce his essays behind the bike sheds. F”
and so on…
Very good.