In case it is a discussion topic again today, the Public Records Act says councils and other agencies have to *keep* records. It does not control them *making available* that information to the public.
And there she was, being given a talking to and threatened with 24 hour trespass for a peaceful, quiet protest outside of parliament. Frank expressed surprise that such actions were not allowed…(news for you Frank…try simply handing out flyers!)
We’d moved our little act of sedition out onto the footpath three years earlier…Penny folded up her tent because she didn’t wan’t to jeopardize her chance of meeting with the Justice and Electoral Select Committee.
”
However, Ms Bright pointed out a number of areas where New Zealand lacked a domestic legislative framework for genuine transparency,
lobbying – there currently being no ‘Register of Lobbyists’, or ‘Code of Conduct for Lobbyists’,
and ‘State Capture’ – where vested interests gained influence at ‘policy’ level, prior to legislation being passed.
On the issue of civil servants and political figures leaving the public service and entering the private sector (eg; consultancy-work) – Ms Bright denounced the practice of the “revolving door”, and recommended a “quarantine period”.
A policy of ‘post-separation employment’ could deny sensitive information from being used for personal gain.
It was also pointed out that, at Local Government level, there was no mandatory requirement for a ‘Register of Interests’ for elected representatives (unlike central government MPs).”
I share Penny’s opinion on many issues to do with the way our elected representatives behave and how they spend our tax and rates dollars. I want to know who is up who and who is paying.
Putting the specifics aside for a moment, this is what activism looks like: taking a strong and principled stand against a perceived wrong or injustice to raise awareness and to evoke a change.
James…have YOU ever made a stand on “principle” about anything?
“principle” definition
“noun
1.
a fundamental truth or proposition that serves as the foundation for a system of belief or behaviour or for a chain of reasoning.
“the basic principles of justice” ”
Or do you merely gumbeat from behind the safety of your keyboard?
Well for starters if she dosn’t they will sell her house from under her.
Being that it will be a forced sale – she will quite possibly get a lot lower price than if it wasnt.
and if you cannot work out any other reasons – like all the people who contribute and pay their rates – then there is no way to explain basic concepts.
Because currently she’s using all the services that the council provides and not contributing to them. Rates pay for parks, sewers, roads, community venues, etc. etc.
She’s a tax dodger.
Had a quick look at your comment history…it indicates a base level ‘thinker’…if that…
To your question…
I’m 100% in support of any human being who takes a stand on principal, on behalf of others, against the covered-up and fraudulant practices, entities such as AKL Council preside over…
Go dig a hole and take that dump you’re choking up on….bro!
no and I have no interest – I trust the council to work in the best interest of the city (despite him not being a mayor I voted for), and I do my part paying my rates – like almost everyone else.
Penny blight is a disgrace – and I am glad that the council are holding her to account.
” I trust the council to work in the best interest of the city “
It would be in the best interest of the city, for processes to be transparent.
You refer that your payment is willingly given, and that is fine. But you also include the assumption above, that allocation of payments is for those services that are required for a well-planned city and its communities.
Whenever I have attended a council consultation in Auckland, Penny Bright has been there, and her level of knowledge and questions are reasonable given the lack of information provided. That does not mean that it is comfortable for those questioned, and those who dismiss her do so to discredit her, not because her questions are not important or pertinent.
You seem to be definite on a lot of issues on which you have little knowledge. It may pay for you to read more, and comment less.
I don’t like what my Taxes are being spent on. I don’t believe there was transparency in the Coalition Agreement. I believe that the PM dishonestly withheld her pregnancy.
Do you think that I and others who agree should withhold my Income Tax as a fair protest?
(Interesting that you already know what your taxes will be spent on…)
“I don’t believe there was transparency in the Coalition Agreement. “
Same amount of transparency has been available for all coalition agreements. Why does this one bother you so?
“I believe that the PM dishonestly withheld her pregnancy.”
This sentence makes no sense at all.
Penny Bright has been advocating for transparency, and also IIRC the charging of GST on what is essentially a tax on property.
“Do you think that I and others who agree should withhold my Income Tax as a fair protest?”
Given your comment, I would guess that you would be unable to risk your liberty to make such protest. It is a personal choice, to decide what priorities and values you hold, and how much you are willing to risk to see the right outcomes. Kudos to you if you have such an issue.
Penny Bright does not advocate for an individual benefit, but for a systematic change. I admire her for her commitment, because I believe that she has over time shown consistency and integrity – and dogmatic faith in the right outcome being the desired result – rather than personal vindication.
In person, her arguments seem to be easier to absorb than her writings, but I just assume that her writing reflects the fact that many people don’t know even the basics on issues, and she takes them through a lot of detail to finally get to the point she is trying to make. Her level of knowledge is more apparent in question and answer sessions, but she does aggravate the representatives of council when they give a insubstantial and irrelevant reply to her queries.
I don’t know if I would have the same admiration for you – given your lack of detail provided – but many already do avoid taxes, and often they are the ones most able to pay them without hardship.
How do you feel about the current lack of prosecutions and asset taking to address those avoiders and evaders, who are not making any stand on issues – just want to have more cash available for their personal (or company) use?
How come you never applied “Pay your share” to the likes of John Key …. or the economic segregation laws his Nact government passed James ????.
“The numbers are staggering. More than $2 trillion in U.S.-based multinational profits currently sit in offshore accounts, representing, by credible estimates, in excess of $500 billion in unpaid taxes.”
“The crisis in multinational corporate tax avoidance is growing exponentially.”.
How come you are so strident in relation to Penny who is taking an anti-corruption stance …..?
But so silent in relation to the massive corruption that John key was fighting and legislating for ? .
She saw something she felt was unjust.
She refused to kowtow to a law in order to challenge that injustice.
She is facing the consequences of that refusal head on, rather than trying to evade them in some way. Challenge, yes, but not evade.
My nose is a fine James ….. it detects stinkers throwing around words and concepts like “fair share”quite well…..and as stinkers do not believe in ‘fairness’ I feel quite entitled to show real examples of Greedy people not paying their “fair share”.
Your the one who took that route to attack Pennys protest …. I’m judging you, not her.
Rich people skipping out of paying their fair share is done for Greed … and its what John Key described as “working creatively” …..
Heres the reporting at the time for a John Shewan art work ….. a strong depiction of bank robbery.
“TAX FACTOR
Five big banks face about $2.4 billion of disputed tax assessments for 22 structured finance transactions.
Who owes what:
Westpac: $961 million in tax and interest. High Court case lost, but expected to appeal.
Bank of New Zealand: $654m in tax and interest. High Court case lost, but will appeal.
ANZ and National: $562m in dispute, court case pending.
Commonwealth Bank of Australia/ASB Bank: $280m in dispute, case pending.
Note: The figures do not include possible penalties, which could range from 20 per cent to 100 per cent of the tax owed.”
+100 Rosemary McDonald If there is know transparency in government organizations local or central they are hiding deceit full practices stealing off the people or providing shoddy services getting kick backs from developers there many avenues for these people who are elected to serve in the best interest of the people and not line there own pockets or there associates / family this is the reason our waste and water services are inadequate . We are a wealth country with dum future planning for the esencial services we pay for .Look at all the complaints about common tourist crapping in inappropriate places, I say the councils should put portaloos in all these places Its a know brainer the commen people spend money in NZ to get with it NZ . A lot of these young people won;t all ways be poor lets look after them like we do for the wealthy .Ana to kai heres the link
Ata marie eco maori. There should never be any reason/excuse to see “legally confidential and privileged” or “commercially sensitive” on any document pertaining to the expenditure of taxes, levies and rates or to do with any activity by statutory bodies.
Speaking of democracy… (*Tangentiality Alert*)
Of all the ironically named CCOs (Council-Controlled Organisations) which came with Rodney Hide’s supercity vanity project; the most sinister is, perhaps, Auckland Transport. Auckland ratepayers, those archetypal “sleepy hobbits” are financing a massive proliferation of CCTV cameras. No discussion, no accountability, not even any kind of cost/benefit analysis. Total surveillance anyone? So, Auckland Transport are now major Deep State players, and will be very much a partner with NZ Police in their new Facial Recognition project which I have mentioned previously.
There should never be any reason/excuse to see “legally confidential and privileged” or “commercially sensitive” on any document pertaining to the expenditure of taxes, levies and rates or to do with any activity by statutory bodies.
The only way to get to that state of affairs is to lobby central govt for law changes – not to hound a local body who is following the law as it currently is.
Citizens are entitled to lodge official information requests or conduct court cases. We are *not* legally or democratically entitled to get line-by-line accounts or see every single contract entered into on our behalves.
There are grounds in the LGOIMA for evaluating what to release or withhold and councils must follow those. Councils cannot change the laws that govern their conduct.
Yet where has Ms Bright’s righteous indignation been directed to date? Be an activist by all means, just not a stupid one.
There are different flavours of democracy. New Zealand’s does not involve direct citizen access to most decisions or to line-item accounting. ‘Consultation’ is not a vote. Mob rule is not part of the system.
By all means make a case, build a movement and get the govt to change our laws to what you believe we should have.
Unfortunately most elected local government are just that – comfortable middle aged retired folk. And then add on a slice or two of vested interest – and what do you have? A nice cosy cabal of white folk looking after number 1 and peeing in each others pockets.
Down the chain its no different.
I think that is what P B is really campaigning about – and if the LGOIMA does not allow for more open govt then it needs to be changed. ACC has recently had examples where administrators were found guilty of corrupt practice http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11763594
And I know for a fact that that sort of behaviour of accepting box seats at the rugby etc by council staff – in all areas has been going on for years.
+100 Rosemary McDonald If there is know transparency in government organizations local or central they are hiding deceit full practices stealing off the people or providing shoddy services getting kick backs from developers there many avenues for these people who are elected to serve in the best interest of the people and not line there own pockets or there associates / family this is the reason our waste and water services are inadequate . We are a wealth country with dum future planning for the esencial services we pay for .Look at all the complaints about common tourist crapping in inappropriate places, I say the councils should put portaloos in all these places Its a know brainer the commen people spend money in NZ to get with it NZ . A lot of these young people won;t all ways be poor lets look after them like we do for the wealthy .Ana to kai heres the link
Someone is stuffing with my computer at least we know the new government is transparent look at the treasury story the neo liberals would have covered that story up about getting the stats wrong on child poverty .Ka pai
My moko was born at 1145 am today baby girl curly hair and a Maori nose Ka pai . This is the reason Im pushing for Equality for Ladys Equality for all I say and a clean environment for all OUR mokos . We are only carers of Papatuanuku we live such a short life and are but a fraction of time its not on that the greedy should ruin it for the vast future of mother earth and all her living beings {This will change under my watch} .Ka kite ano
I have no problem with someone being an activist about organisational transparency – just with tactics like lying about what fundamental laws say and conducting arguments in bad faith.
“How is a ‘public’ record ‘public’ Sacha – if it’s not readily accessible for public scrutiny?”
Does the Public Records Act cover the management of public records, rather than being a public record of documents? Seems like a fundamental misunderstanding of the title on Penny’s part.
The PRA stipulates keeping records properly so that they are accessible for other laws to decide *whether* to make them publicly available. The PRA itself does not make information available. That is not its job. Never has been.
The law simply does not say what Ms Bright says it means (look at the words for yourself) and her claim that council is breaking it is therefore false. When people have shown you so, many times in explicit detail, repeating such a claim becomes a deliberate lie.
I have no idea how she has persisted so long in her delusion about those different functions but it really does not help when media broadcasts her bogus claims and misleads the public. RNZ Checkpoint has just done it for the second day in a row. I am deeply unimpressed.
“Sorry I was a bit snippy there. Busy day, meetings, lots to get through. I hope Rosemary will also understand where I was coming from.”
I potter off to do stuff and the conversation went on without me!
Sacha…I get that it irks that PB seems to be expecting her desired outcome from perhaps the wrong legislation … and your comments around 1.22 pm onwards (I’ve lost the numbery things on my screen) gave me much pause for thought while I was getting on with stuff I needed to do.
Do you agree that there needs to be more transparency from central and local government?
Many of us don’t trust those elected to govern because of sometimes appalling lack of transparency to the point that when we are given information by Our Rulers…we question their motives. That is how deep this distrust goes.
So changing it is really important…and the situation has got so bad, to the detriment of so many, that this change needs come faster than an electoral cycle.
That’s why I’m going to be challenging Clare Curran…she claimed to be keen on greater transparency.
Trust is the right word. I want to see more genuine public engagement – beyond just transparency – from all public agencies. Digital platforms can help do that but it requires way more than technology.
Very hard thing to achieve and certainly not helped by amateur theatrics. If I did not care about the overall kaupapa, the destructive behaviour would not annoy me so much.
can’t see how it’s much different from you hassling PR repeatedly tbh (and not backing it up) 😉
I’ve seen Sacha tackle this with Penny many times, where he makes clear and pertinent points and quotes the relevant legislation. He’s not lazy and his having run out of patience makes sense given her inability to deal with the actual points Sacha raises.
I think he’s talking about the time you tried to make a thread about something else a discussion about Muslims. You got a long ban for it. I’m sure you remember.
I get banned so often its hard to keep track 😉 but seriously I try not to post anything racist but i guess there are certain subjects that can lead to…misunderstandings
I say it is excellent having a new person with a positive view on environmentally friendly issues on Breakfast show on TVNZ ONE Hayley Holts Ka pai .
Good morning to Jack and the rest of the crew on Breakfast I know this new show will be exciting educational and fair can not watch for to long got to go to work.
All the best from Eco Maori .Ka kite ano
Simon Black makes a good point regarding the US govt shutdown
“There’s been all sorts of fear surrounding the possibility of a shutdown. And now that it’s here, it turns out there’s not really much of a major impact.
There’s still food on the shelves and gas at the pumps. The economy is still functioning.
There are simply fewer people to slow it all down.
And let’s be honest– it’s not a complete government shutdown. Any function deemed ‘essential’ is still at work, including the military, federal courts, air traffic control, etc.
Social Security recipients will keep receiving their benefits too.
But any government function deemed ‘nonessential’ has been shut down… which raises an interesting question:
Why does the government do anything that’s non-essential to begin with?”
Definitions of ‘essential’ and ‘non-essential’ usually contain the notion of time.
Is it essential I pay my power bill today? No. Is it essential that I pay it before the power company cuts me off in a few weeks? Yes. With public infrastructure the timeframes are much longer but the work is still important.
I don’t think we should allow semantic wooliness around the meaning of ‘essential’ to be used as a weapon by loony advocates of small government.
The US system is pretty rigid and inflexible. Had this situation occurred in a Westminster style system, the government would have resigned, dissolved parliament and gone to the country for a fresh mandate.
Stony silence from Jim Mora as Penny Ashton rebuked Paula Bennett yesterday; he’s possibly in for a bollocking from Richard Griffin for failing to shut her down. The Panel, RNZ National, Monday 22 January 2018
Jim Mora, Penny Ashton, Bernard Hickey, Caitlin Cherry
This little discussion was just before the end of the show. It was pretty uneventful, until Penny Ashton made a comment about the hypocrisy of Paula Bennett. Either accidentally or on purpose, music swelled up as she delivered her rebuke….
Weighing up gastric bypass
Former deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett has revealed she’s had gastric bypass surgery. She’s now recovering well but the news has ignited the conversation about how effective the surgery is for those strugglign with thier weight and whether it should be publicly funded. We ask the panelists what they think and Bernard Hickey tells us his experience with the operation. https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/thepanel/audio/2018629006/weighing-up-gastric-bypass
JIM MORA: Uh, Paula Bennett has, ahhh, revived the conversation about gastric bypass surgery. “Haters can hate,” she says of her decision to have the surgery, and she says on Facebook that she is now “at the beginning of what I plan to be a much healthier, active life. After years of weight gain and loss, I can see a clear path ahead.” And, uh, gastric bypass or bariatric surgery, uh, we’ve probably heard most of us about the success stories and possibly the lack of success stories too. The Ministry of Health tells us there were four hundred and eighty ni-i-i-i-ine publicly funded bariatric surgical procedures in the 2016-17 financial year, the largest number so far. Paula Bennett’s surgery though was private. And a lot of people have had it now, and they include Bernard Hickey.
BERNARD HICKEY: Yes that’s right. Nine years ago I paid for it. It’s had an amazing effect, and I’m sure will keep me alive for quite a bit longer and keep me away from the public hospital system.
PENNY ASHTON: Exactly.
BERNARD HICKEY: The great irony here is that we’re happy to fork out 20, 30, 40 K for a hip replacement to obviously improve the quality of someone’s life, and fair enough too. But you could easily pay the 20 to 30 K for bariatric surgery and save yourselves hundreds of thousands of dollars, and the various treatments for diabetes and heart disease and all sorts of other things that happen to people who are overweight. And it strikes me that this is a simple case of a cost benefit analysis that hasn’t been done, to work out that we would be better off if we did pay for more publicly funded weight loss surgery.
MORA: What are the pitfalls? I know you can drink the calories, and your tummy can expand again, and many of us probably know a person or two for whom it didn’t work. And you’ve just outlined the benefits. How often do you reckon it does work, from your experience?
BERNARD HICKEY: Ah, well—
MORA: Most of the time?
BERNARD HICKEY: yeah I’d have to look at the stats, I haven’t—
MORA: The stats are hard to come by and there’s some dispute as you can imagine.
BERNARD HICKEY: Yeah. I mean, I know from personal experience and from some of the people around me that it has worked. You’re right, there have been a few that it hasn’t, and it’s no substitute for, you know, eating and drinking less and doing more exercise. But the immediate effects, and certainly around diabetes reduction, and the stats from overseas where there is better data, shows that it certainly reduces the amount of really expensive hospital care that people need in later life. Not to mention the lost production and all the other things—- MORA: Yeah.
BERNARD HICKEY: —-that you get when you’re overweight and—
MORA: And yet it would seem every time this subject comes up, Bernard, that it certainly does have its haters, people who think if you hadn’t eaten so much you wouldn’t need the surgery. And this point of view resurfaces every time.
BERNARD HICKEY: Yeah, it’s similar in a way to the debate that we have about drugs and whether it’s a medical issue or whether it’s some sort of moral issue. It’s clear, all the research shows that diets don’t work for people who are overweight. We live in an obesogenic environment. Every billboard, every shop that you walk into is trying to sell you sugar, not to mention lots of other things as well. And we’ve created a culture which is about making people overweight. So we shouldn’t be too surprised when some people become overweight. And if you’re gonna have an across the board attack on this sort of high, ahhh, high weight problems for people, because it’s not just a few people, it’s a lot of people, then you should be doing lots of things, and weight loss surgery of course—it’s a bit like the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff but along with other things it’s something that you do to attack this problem.
PENNY ASHTON: Well it feels like it’s also a little bit at the TOP, because then you’re stopping the diabetes and the heart disease and stuff, so maybe it’s the ambulance halfway down.
BERNARD HICKEY: Hmmmmm.
MORA: It’s interesting, as you say, you have to think that people may conveniently forget whatever bad habits they may have that will, you know, require public medical funding down the road. There are a LOT of things that people do that are going to require that, but there is some extra judgmental process applied to bariatric surgery.
PENNY ASHTON: Yeah. And I’d just like to say that I think, you know, Paula Bennett is brave coming out and saying this and talking about it, and I think that’s fantastic. Obviously I’m a very staunch Labour supporter but, you know, anybody that’s fat-shaming her over this and making jokes about it is terrible. Um, she did say, however, she made this comment: “People treat you differently when you’re overweight and when you’re seriously overweight from when you’re not. People have this perception of people who are overweight, that it’s all in their own hands, and they’re just greedy people and they can’t control how they eat.” My husband made a little alteration to it and put it on Facebook, that said: “People, I think people have this perception of people who are POOR, — [orchestral music swells up from this point]—- and that it’s all in their own hands and that they’re just lazy people and they can’t control how they spend.” So I’m just putting that out there for a little alternative to her thing on her Ministry portfolio.
MORA: How many rescues do you think you’re entitled to on the public purse, d’you think? One time tattoos removal, drug rehab. one time, gastric bypass. This is the other interesting question, isn’t it.
BERNARD HICKEY: Yeah. I, I, ummmm, you certainly wouldn’t want more than one gastric bypass.
PENNY ASHTON: No. I think we don’t live in America and we have good public health funding, which is good.
As you well know, that is how they end every edition of that show – it is just a signal from the producer to wrap up.
But this was not the segment that ended the show. The segment that ended the show was the one about bus shelters in Dunedin. I thought there was something odd about this when I was transcribing it. I was pretty sure that there was no music swelling up as Penny Ashton spoke when I heard it live. Curiously, on the archived link, music appears, even though it was not there originally. I checked on other links from the same episode—such as the Mahia rocket segment—but there is no music at the end of them. But, for some reason, music has been superimposed on Penny Ashton’s voice after the live recording.
No tinfoil, sorry.
What is the point of that crack? Are you trying to be funny, or are you suggesting something serious?
The issue i have with this is Penny is basically ignoring the issue (gastric bypass for health) and just using it as an excuse to bring up something else (poor people bashing)
People have enough of a moral high horse when it comes to this, the old “you’re fat because you’re lazy” thing or it gives people an excuse to sanctimoniously give “advice”, just eat this and do that and you’ll lose weight kind of thing but really they don’t about the issue or person just that they get to spew out their brand bulls**t
Personally I think gastric bypasses should be funded because it will save pain, money and productivity over the long term
I don’t have a problem with it being publicly funded as it will save millions down the line. What I find strange is that she will lead ‘a much healthier, active life’ AFTER the surgery.
This is like people who go into Christmas planning on dieting in the new year… and then don’t.
There is plenty she can be doing now, instead of waiting for the surgery hoping it will solve the problem for her.
Just know through observing others that later usually means never.
You do realise that you don’t just rock up to hospital and they stick the knife in? There is quite a bit of preparing for an operation like this and the mental side is just as important as the physical.
Through my observations via the news media of Bennett over the years, her flippancy won’t get her through this.
Mora puts out an outside shell of the concerned and erudite liberal.
But he’s not.
He is a superficial shill for the right wing.
A grasping and greedy individual who hides the facts he has no principles, courage and integrity behind his jolly Jim persona.
He never seems erudite to me, in spite of the considerable efforts he makes to use big, obscure, latinate words whenever possible. He constantly misuses the word “alluded”, and his reading seems to consist almost entirely of the New York Times (he’s often quoted the vicious right wing columnist David Brooks) and the Daily Telegraph.
Like everyone else, he knows his show is largely trivial, even insultingly so, as we can see by his constant, pathetic assurances that the inconsequential research of the day “comes from a reputable university.”
Only 56 percent of the delegates in the former German capital opted for formal coalition talks with the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU). The SPD isn’t exactly euphoric about the prospect of a new coalition government.
The Social Democrat Leader is going to have to take the proposal back to his membership. That will not be pretty. It is hard to see the Social Democrat leader surviving this.
However the alternative is that the coalition talks fail, Germany has a fresh election, the far right rises in power even more, and Merkel has to do a deal similar to that in Austria with the far right.
After that the EU as the final remaining node of any consistent form of idealism in global politics will be under real threat.
So, a fair amount riding on this coalition negotiation in Germany.
I see they read the 101 Guide on how to destroy your ostensibly centre-left political party and have your vote split amongst a strongly left-wing party and a libertarian party. I think that guide was written by Francois Hollande…
The SPD are suckers. They should have told Merkel to get lost and forced another election. AfD has peaked, and their vote would collapse, like FN and UKIP. The rise of Europe’s far right is an illusion. Now they are going to be stuck in what is essentially a right wing government for 4 years.
will this be a case of the Attorney General, on behalf of etc; etc; etc; etc; etc; etc, having chosen to do the crime, now requiring the rest of NZ to have to do the time.
yes andrew murray I believe this will be a case where AG does the crime and we pick up the bill.
however Dotcom has suggested, https://twitter.com/KimDotcom/status/954783482730856448
that a significant portion of that money (when he is finally successful!) will be recycled to address homelessness and suicide.
Such touching concern! Any concern for the live ones in the detention centres for which you imply your support?
And if live boat people were to reach NZ, you would be joyously blaming Jacinda, wouldn’t you? Hence your touching concern?
Don’t play innocent, James. You implied support for Australia’s hard stance, and you know well that Jacinda has been criticised by some already for ‘undermining’ that stance. But now is not a good time to be called out about it, so…
Thanks for clearing the murky air. But I wouldn’t rush to heed the opinion of the Tory Telegraph.. Just remember that some of the boat people who did not die are having a grim time in the detention centre… You don’t want them to die, but you have no concern about how they live. Shallow much?
What the Aussie approach ignores is that people are prepared to risk their lives to escape where they are.
The Aussies are still intercepting boats. Which means people are still dying.
They’re just taking different routes so that the results are swept under the australian carpet – It’s easier to hide a boatload of cheap labour in Sydney than it is in Auckland, whatever the asylum seekers say or were told.
Nobody is sailing to NZ. I’ll believe otherwise when they run aground on Cape Reinga.
What the Aussie approach ignores is that people are prepared to risk their lives to escape where they are.
I’d be more impressed if they’d be willing to risk their lives to change their own country to be a place that they’d like to live rather than simply abandoning it and expecting others to pick the bill for their selfishness.
70,000 per year won’t take long to have 1 million immigrate and we still don’t know what the carrying capacity for NZ is.
That’s reality.
When Climate Change really hits and the equator becomes uninhabitable where do you think all those hundreds of millions are going to go? Most will go north, some will come south and some of those will come to NZ. A small amount of a huge number is still more than we can cope with.
No. It’s you pulling dramatic statements out of your arse again.
If it becomes necessary to put a hard cap on immigration controls, the 15 year timeframe you’re talking about is more than enough time to do so well before we reach the mythic million.
The reality is that our major immigration problem consists of the Thiels, KDCs etc of the world – rich people buying up NZ with extreme political and property-rights views, and the money to throw at our representatives.
We all might end up in the bilges of lifeboatNZ, while they have vineyards and estates.
The only way to address people trying to illegally immigrate to another country is to address the problems in the country that they’re trying to leave.
Thing is, we can’t actually do that. Only the people of that country can which includes those trying to leave.
We have to take care of those already here (which we’re really doing very well at) and we really can’t afford to take people in arbitrarily.
Those terrible ‘boat people’ ……… formally known as refugees.
I was watching a relatively low grade documentary the other day ….. regarding rich Chinese immigrants into Canada …. and I say low grade because it seemed to be focusing on race and culture instead of money and legalized corruption.
But it did quote one thing that made my ears prick up ……the gist of it being ….,
That the average refugee paid more in tax to the Canadian government …. than rich corrupt Chinese immigrants do …. which makes sense given the corrupts use of tax havens, shell companies etc,….
The rich corrupt immigrants also speculate on property …. pushing honest working citizens out of the market.
Sounds like the last 9 years in New Zealand …………..
We should cut immigrants and raise our refugee quota.
Oh gawd. If today had been being a struggle Ad, that would have killed the last vestiges of hope I had in me and sent me shuffling off to the darkness and silence beneath several layers of duvets.
Who’s compromising? from your link:
“Ardern refused to put a time frame on when the fair pay legislation would be introduced but Lees-Galloway has previously put a 12 month time frame on consultation.”
So simply repeating what’s already been said because people are twitchy again results in tories pretending there’s been a change in plan.
You guys really need to read better. Try linking to something that doesn’t contradict your lie, for example.
“We long flagged that was something we needed to spend extra time working alongside our union and business communities, so we are putting that on a longer track.”
Sure sounds like taking a deep breath and not rushing don’t you think
“Longer” is a comparison. Longer track than what? Oh, a longer track than “Legislation to introduce fairness in the work place will be finalised Thursday and introduced before the end of Labour’s first 100 days, on February 2”.
Maybe you can read, but just don’t understand calendars? The 12 months previously mentioned by Lees-Galloway is longer than 100 days.
Come on, at least try to make exposing your lies a challenge.
It was all supposed to happen by Feb 2, the first 100 days but instead its been pushed back due to a drop in business confidence so its fair to assume that had there not been a drop it would have happened sooner
Legislation to introduce fairness in the work place will be finalised Thursday and introduced before the end of Labour’s first 100 days, on February 2.
A cabinet committee is expected to sign it off this week, and it will include reversing the previous National Government’s unpopular rest and meal break legislation, and make changes to the 90 day “right to fire” provisions by providing a resolution service for workers and employers.
Ardern said the changes had been well flagged by Labour on the campaign trail and should come as no surprise to anyone.
But as the drop in business confidence threatens another “winter of discontent” she signalled Labour would move more slowly on one of the more contentious aspects of its industrial relations policy, industry wide fair pay agreements.
Uncertainty over their effect on business has contributed to business unease.
In an overture to business, Ardern said Labour acknowledged the need for a collaborative approach on the legislation.
“We long flagged that was something we needed to spend extra time working alongside our union and business communities, so we are putting that on a longer track.”
Labour never included the industry-wide fair pay agreements in part of their hundred days package.
When they announced the I-WFPAs in August “”We would give ourselves 12 months to sit down with business and unions to look at how the process of bargaining for an FPA would be initiated,”.
When they announced the new governments 100 day plan, I-WFPAs weren’t on it.
Your claim that I-WFPAs were “all supposed to happen by Feb 2, the first 100 days but instead its been pushed back due to a drop in business confidence” is an outright lie.
they’ve done a full schedule of the first hundred days programme, and there’s nothing to indicate that they decided to bring forward the IWFPAs by nine months. Everything about the FPAs was scheduled to take a year, because it’s more complex than the minwage increase or what have you.
Business confidence has nothing to do with the govt schedule, as far as anything you’ve offered indicates – although the recent drop in BC is a good sign the government is on track. Must be a shock, having a government actually follow through on its election pledges.
Not only that… Business confidence?? Why would Labour take any notice at all? Most Business bosses vote National, so they would say their delicate confidence has been shattered, wouldn’t they? Might as well poll the old Business Round Table about whether they are happy to have a Labour Govt.
Pockish R – Business Confidence has about as much credibility as Root Canal Appetite.
Better not comprimise too much. You cannot eliminate child poverty with WINZ payments alone (or, aspiration for that matter). You need good Union Jobs with a living wage and good benefits.
While there is much to be said for a positive outlook on life, this can actually mutate into nothing more than the most perverse joke (or taunt actually, to be honest) to those who find themselves in circumstances that are totally unavoidable more often than not, and who are then often angrily berated by those who consider themselves somehow “better” that it’s essentially their own fault.
Oh God…. how very, very true.
And then there’s the types who think everyone should tootle around the place with massive smiles on their faces from morning to night. Hello everyone, I’ve just broken a leg and an arm, my partner’s walked out on me, the bank’s taken my home and I’ve just lost my job but hey… I’m so happy, happy happy.
Yeah I know, some people are natural smilers – our new PM is one of them but – well. read the article.
I see we have a Hosking/Hawkesby Household double act now in the Herald. Mike and Kate can address an issue from two angles (but not opposing). Just imagine the dinner table conversations now. Will there be competition for “likes/dislikes”? How long before there is a Kate’s minute on the Herald website.
And Hosking on Te Reo.
Good old Mike, world famous in NZ. Just like the language he dismisses.
Try telling the Welsh, Irish, Scotts, Flemish, Afrikaners, et al that their language is of no commericial advantage.
Hosking/Hawkesby double act? Like the two flush buttons on the top of the toilet.
(Te Reo is of commercial advantage in New Zealand. And I’d imagine a Chinese businessperson coming to New Zealand wanting to do big business would find it advantageous too.)
Hes really funny, his timing is excellent, he has a wide range of facial expressions that add to the humour, his laugh is also amusing, good rapport with everyone else on 8 out of 10 cats does countdown, his hosting of big, fat quiz of the year is really good, never heckle him
Hes basically a funny guy that is very well known for a type of humour
He is fascinating. Lots of people are fascinating. Doesn’t mean you’d marry them, trust them to look after your kids (or marry them), or be your doctor.
I wonder how many people that thought that ‘Glittertits” was asking for it, or was attention seeking and shouldn’t be given the media space will complain about Carr being offensive.
Glittertits-gate happens, people talk about how she was asking for it, dressing for attention, too many people getting upset, she should be charged for assault as well, PC gone mad, dress appropriately, guy was drunk…. all excuses which say the drunk guy can do what he wants and people getting upset are wrong, and if she didn’t want people grabbing your tits, then don’t leave them hanging out. I.e. don’t expect a leopord to change his spots
Jimmy Carr, a professional comedian whose whole thing is saying horribly offensive things, says a horribly offensive thing and people jump to saying he shouldn’t do that and get offended by it…
See the connection? Esp. the type of people that would have complained about the girl and about the comedian….
“Esp. the type of people that would have complained about the girl and about the comedian”
I really don’t think that there are very many people who combine those two traits.
I think that it is the same people who approve of the assault on that woman who seem to like the sort of “humour” that Carr offers.
Take someone like Trump. He gets his kicks out or putting up Twitter rants that abuse and insult people who are in no position to respond. Rather like Carr isn’t it?
He also has a long history of sexual assaults on woman.
He certainly isn’t the sort of person you are trying to personify is he?
I think that the sort of people you mention who talk about her “asking for it” probably also like the abusive humour that Carr offers.
Not if it is aimed at them of course. It is only if other people cop it. In just the same way they may approve of the assault taking place, as long as it isn’t them who catches it.
I can’t be sure of course. I don’t know anyone who did take the view about the body-painted woman you talk about. Do you actually know, either personally or by the comments they may have made on line, anyone who really does show the same pair of characteristics you propose or is it just a supposition?
“”Throughout this time, he was a tireless but potent advocate for the children of Northland and beyond, especially those who were less fortunate, either socially or because of their disability or health needs.”
Spencer Beasley recalls a trip with him through the northern reaches of Northland.
“He pointed out a rural school which was to be closed because the academic performance of its students was so extraordinarily poor.
“He visited it and determined its students were severely malnourished. He negotiated a reprieve, organised for milk and fresh produce to be delivered each day, and watched the consequent improvement in their learning. The school stayed open.””
Hi Rosemary, did you know Dr Beasley at some point? It was good to see that link, a story I’d have otherwise missed. I crossed paths with him many, many years ago, too young to remember the exact circumstances but I certainly remember the name. About to contact a relative who can fill in the details.
Gerry Brownlee today.””Her insistence that Australia allow New Zealand to handpick 150 asylum seekers who meet UN refugee status, while Australia handles the rest, on top of the message this sends to human traffickers and those desperate to attempt to reach Australia, shows a disregard to the complexity of the problem.”
in 2016 though we had this. “New Zealand would take 150 refugees each year from Australian detention centres each year if asked to, Prime Minister John Key says.
Brownlee is full of hypocrisy?
Get rid of six of those letters and replace them with a t and you have a more economical way of accurately saying the same thing.
Hypocrisy is a distinct form of two-faced, lying, knowingly dishonest behaviour. It has overtones of the hypocrite thinking he can get away with it, and the smugness of that, and it also belittles the audience listening to the hypocrite because he thinks he is too smart for them with his deception.
Ponyboy’s government would’ve looked the other way and whistled while Austrylya casually slipped a company directorship or two into their hip pocket, and called that vetting.
Arabs allied with Western European countries to rid themselves of their Ottoman oppressors and 100 years later, Erdogan goes full Ottoman.
An Ottoman-style military band performed in the border province of Hatay as a show of support for troops taking part in Turkey’s Olive Branch Operation in Syria’s Afrin on Jan. 22.
The sandflies are destroying my Lawn mowing client base .They impose there presence on everyone of my clients this is a fact I will carry on mowing till the last client leaves they are ignorant _______holes this is more money they are going to have to fork out when I SUE them PS I have a back up plan for self employment I will reveal this soon this is the only dum move they can win on how . .This is how pathetic the sandflys are attacking my employment Kia kaha
I have been on this site before in the past month, warning people about the oncoming crash.
It seems I am not alone. The IMF are also painting a dim view of the near future.
A global recession “may be closer than we think” and the biggest risk to the world economy is complacency, the International Monetary Fund has warned at Davos.
The Chief Economist at the International Monetary Fund agrees with me.
Maurice Obstfeld, of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), said developed economies should brace themselves for an era of lower growth, with long-term prospects of around 1.5 per cent a year.
On the eve of the World Economic Forum, Obstfeld urged politicians and regulators to take action to prepare for another crash
“The next recession may be closer than we think, and the ammunition with which to combat it is much more limited than a decade ago, notably because public debts are so much higher.”
The Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund agrees with me.
Christine Lagarde, the IMF’s managing director, also pointed to a “troubling” increase in debt levels across many countries and warned policymakers against complacency, saying now was the time to address structural deficiencies in their economies.
Interesting take on cryptocurrency and its impact on budget pc gaming. Cheap computers full stop, with the price of ram going through the roof. 10 min video.
Willis has pledged to go ahead with the debt-funded tax cuts, despite growing opposition from her own supporters worried about appearing fiscally irresponsible. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for ...
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Bryce Edwards writes – New Zealand’s biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure. The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On ...
In 2015, then-Prime Minister John Key announced plans for a huge ocean sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands, banning fishing and mining from 15% of Aotearoa's EEZ. It was bold, it was ambitious, and it suggested that National might actually care about the environment. Except they fucked it up: Key failed ...
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New Zealand’s biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure.The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On the face of it, the court found ...
Buzz from the Beehive Waves of rain are set to lash much of the North Island during Easter Weekend as a low-pressure system forms east of New Zealand, according to a weather forecast published in the past day or so. Niwa was warning of a “moisture-laden” long weekend, with rain expected ...
Look around us…Nicola Willis’ promises of balancing the books, of cutting spending without reducing services, and of delivering game changing tax cuts are disappearing before her eyes.Everyday we see stories of violent crime ending in horrific injuries, or worse. The cost of living worsens, whereas the PM claimed renters would ...
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Treasury’s first report on the economy since the change of government presents a damning indictment of Labour’s economic management. The problem for National is that it is so damning that logically, coupled with a rapidly slowing economy, Finance Minister Nicola Willis should respond to it by postponing or even cancelling ...
Budget tensions are becoming evident within the Coalition Government. Winston Peters made numerous political points in his speech to the NZF annual conference. But the attack on his own government’s fiscal policies raised issues of substance. ‘Today in the Sunday Star Times, journalist and former advisor to the Labour ...
Buzz from the Beehive The media – sure enough – have been binging on Finance Minister Nicola Willis’ release of the Budget Policy Statement and a statement headed Government announces Budget priorities This assures us – or rather, this parrots the Luxon team mantra – that the Budget “will deliver ...
The Ides of March brought me COVID followed by a bereavement. No wonder they tell you to be careful of them.I’m home now and have resumed the interrupted recuperation. Very much looking forward to getting back to regular things. Meanwhile, some thoughts…OneThis new Prime Minister guy just keeps getting more dire. ...
News that the Chinese ATP 40 cyber-hacking unit penetrated parliamentary internet networks in 2021 has renewed concerns about the PRC’s malign intentions in Aotearoa. But is the hack that significant given the length of time that has passed since its … Continue reading → ...
When Parliament passed the Intelligence and security Act in 2017, they assured us all that it was full of safeguards. Any intrusive surveillance of New Zealanders would be subject to a "triple lock", requiring the approval of the Minister and (supposedly independent) Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants, as well as post-facto ...
Eric Crampton writes – Richard Harman’s Politik newsletter provides a bit of the context that ought to have been showing up in other media reports on potential reductions in public service staffing. Media has been reporting on staffing cuts on the order of about 7%. Is that ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – It’s becoming increasingly apparent that many perceive free speech to have become the preserve of the politically right wing, the religiously conservative, the libertarian fringe, the anti-trans, the anti-Māori and…. well, just fill in with whatever groups or individuals you don’t like and don’t ...
Don Brash writes – As everybody who is not blind and deaf is aware, there is a huge political preoccupation with climate change at the moment, a widespread (though by no means unanimous) belief that global temperatures are rising mainly as a result of the greenhouse gases created ...
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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 ...
Buzz from the Beehive China has loomed large in Beehive considerations over the past 24 hours, largely because of that country’s mischief-making in the cyber espionage department. Two media statements emerged on that subject hard on the heels of the PM baulking at questions put to him on RNZ’s Morning ...
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Bryce Edwards writes – When she was campaigning to be Minister of Finance last year, Nicola Willis pledged that she would resign from the job if she failed to deliver tax cuts in her first Budget. Now, it’s that pledge, along with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s ...
Robert MacCulloch writes – The Reserve Bank has doubled staff numbers in five years to 510, with personnel costs rising to $80 million in 2023 from $32 million in 2018 – up by a whopping 150%. I guess when you print $50 billion and flood markets with liquidity, ...
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For 20 years or more, the case for a meaningful capital tax gains has been mulled over and analysed to death, including by the tax working group chaired by Sir Michael Cullen. More than once, the International Monetary Fund has said a CGT would be a good idea for New ...
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Photo by Alvan Nee on UnsplashIt’s that new day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when and I co-host our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm. Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news ...
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COURT OF APPEAL: TRIFECTA OF VICTORY FOR NZ FIRST, TRIFECTA OF FAILURE FOR OPPONENTS For the third time since April 2020, New Zealand First has defeated the Serious Fraud Office and all those complicit in a malicious attack against a political party going about its lawful business in a lawful ...
The Green Party stands with people who live in public housing, people in dire housing need, experts and advocates in demanding better than the Government’s archaic approach to housing those who need our support the most. ...
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A Member’s Bill drawn this week would modernise insurance law and make things fairer and more transparent for consumers, Christchurch Central MP Duncan Webb said. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues has confirmed she was aware of funding issues in mid-December and did nothing to stop it. On 14 March, she signed off on changes that were announced and implemented on 18 March without any consultation with disability communities. ...
Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter says her members' bill is an opportunity for the coalition government to plug the gap in electric vehicle incentives. ...
The National Government continues to talk about irresponsible tax cuts that will only drive up inflation, despite the country entering a technical recession. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues must act urgently to reinstate flexibility around the funding for disability support and apologise to disabled carers. ...
This story has been initiated by a leftie shill reporter who proactively sought to call a member of a former band, which disbanded twelve years ago, give their biased appraisal of what was said in my speech, and concocted a ham-fisted attempt at a story that does nothing but show ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Many in the mainstream media have taken what was said in New Zealand First’s State of the Nation Speech in Palmerston North on Sunday and deliberately, deceitfully, and ignorantly misrepresented what I said and why I said it. The headlines and commentary on the news stated that I compared ‘co-governance ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
Good afternoon. Thank you for, in your very busy lives, turning up to this meeting today. On October 14th last year New Zealanders overwhelmingly voted for change. That is exactly what this new government is bringing. New Zealand First campaigned to ‘take back our country’ and stop the disastrous economic ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April. “It was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates. Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend. “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” Mr Peters says. Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. “Road safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track. “Dam safety regulations ...
The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the government’s finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Government’s Budget objectives. “The coalition Government intends ...
The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says. “The Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says. “These changes are long overdue – the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009. ...
The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Education’s School Property Function. The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There is a clear need ...
State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Today I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” Minister Responsible for ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. “We’re sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union. “I am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says. “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “Comprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. “I would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
Good morning, it’s great to be here. First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning. I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
Before moving onto the substance of today’s address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and I’m sorry I can’t be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the Whangārei site where the facility will be constructed. “Northland has faced a number ...
New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata Māori 20 years ago, says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisation’s 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
Jesus had dinner with his 12 disciples right before he died. Noted historian Madeleine Chapman finds out who really deserved to be there.First published in 2018 but let’s be honest, the subject is timeless. As you sit on your couch this Easter Sunday, eating a chocolate egg you know ...
The newly-promoted Northern League club is on a mission to return to the National League for the first time in two decades. Plenty about domestic football in New Zealand has changed in that time – but the sense that this amateur competition is not an entirely level playing field remains. ...
Comment: Every year on February 2, a dozen men in tuxedos and top hats approach the burrow of a groundhog in Gobbler’s Knob, Pennsylvania and entice the beaver-like rodent to emerge and predict the weather. If the groundhog, named Punxsutawney Phil, sees its own shadow when it is summoned, legend ...
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Auckland Council has put a deadline on new weather-impacted property owners applying for categorisation as government funding looks set to run out. Councillors have voted to support a deadline of September 30 for property owners who haven’t accessed support to come forward and engage with the council’s recovery office. It ...
NONFICTION 1 BBQ Economics by Liam Dann (Penguin Random House, $40) “It’s official,” wrote Dann nine days ago in the Herald, where he works as business editor at large, “we’re in recession.” Yeah, great. He delivered the bad stats: “GDP fell 0.1 percent in the December 2023 quarter, compared with ...
By Anneke Smith, RNZ News political reporter A petition urging the New Zealand government to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people has been tabled in the House. More than 200 people gathered on Parliament’s forecourt today and they were met by MPs from Labour, the Greens and Te ...
Pacific Media Watch The Paris-based global media freedom watchdog RSF (Reporters Without Borders) has appealed for information about the “disappearance” of Palestinian journalist Bayan Abusultan. She was reportedly last seen on March 19 among people “sequestered” in this week’s raid and siege of Al Shifa hospital by Israeli troops in ...
EDITORIAL:The Jakarta Post It happens again and again; indigenous Papuans fall victim to Indonesian soldiers. This time, we have photographic evidence for the brutality, with videos on social media showing a Papuan man being tortured by a group of plainclothes men alleged to be the Indonesian Military (TNI) members. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robyn J. Whitaker, Director of the Wesley Centre for Theology, Ethics, and Public Policy & Associate Professor, New Testament, Pilgrim Theological College, University of Divinity A strange and eclectic range of activities takes place across these few weeks of the year. Some ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University It’s Easter weekend, which means many of us will be kicking back with the greatest hits on repeat. But whether you’re a boomer, or an ‘80s or ’90s kid, you might be ...
RNZ Pacific Fiji’s Acting Public Prosecutor has filed an appeal against the sentences of former prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama and suspended police chief Sitiveni Qiliho in their corruption case. Bainimarama was granted an absolute discharge for attempting to pervert the course of justice while Qiliho received a conditional discharge with ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Arosha Weerakoon, Senior Lecturer and General Dentist, School of Dentistry, The University of Queensland Casezy idea/Shutterstock How does toothpaste work? What did people use before toothpaste was invented? – Amelia, age 7, Meanjin (Brisbane) Thanks for your ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brett Hallam, Associate professor, UNSW Sydney IM Imagery/Shutterstock Solar SunShot is well named. The Australian government announced today it would plough A$1 billion into bringing back solar manufacturing to Australia, boosting energy security, swapping coal and gas jobs for those ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Dix, Research Fellow in Nutrition & Dietetics, The University of Queensland Easter is the time for chocolate. The shops are full of fantastically packaged and shiny chocolates in all shapes and sizes, making trips to the supermarket with children more challenging ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Felton, Adjunct Senior Researcher, University of South Australia Even in a stubborn cost-of-living crisis, it seems there’s one luxury most Australians won’t sacrifice – their daily cup of coffee. Coffee sales have largely remained stable, even as financial pressures have ...
Mining company Trans-Tasman Resources has unexpectedly withdrawn its application for a consent to suck the valuable metals vanadium and titanium from the Taranaki seafloor, as it apparently wagers on the Government’s new fast-track process. It had spent two-and-a-half days putting its case to the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision-making committee, at ...
Contrary to the Associate Minister of Education’s claims, analysis of Healthy School Lunches Programme - Ka Ora, Ka Ako assessments has revealed it provides excellent value for the taxpayer dollar, as a groundswell of public opposition to Government ...
Greenpeace says wannabe Taranaki seabed miner Trans-Tasman Resources is likely banking on Christopher Luxon’s fast-track process to side-step proper scrutiny of its Taranaki seabed mining proposal by bailing out of the Environmental Protection Agency hearing ...
Kiwis Against Seabed mining today slammed Australian owned would-be seabed miner Trans Tasman Resources (TTR) for abandoning its application to the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) to mine the seabed of the South Taranaki Bight. The company ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katie Attwell, Associate Professor, School of Social Sciences, The University of Western Australia Ground Picture/Shutterstock Months after COVID vaccines were introduced in 2021, governments and private organisations mandated them for various groups. Health and aged care workers were among the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Dzurak, Scientia Professor Andrew Dzurak, CEO and Founder of Diraq, UNSW Sydney Diraq For decades, the pursuit of quantum computing has struggled with the need for extremely low temperatures, mere fractions of a degree above absolute zero (0 Kelvin or ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne A national Essential poll, conducted March 20–24 from a sample of 1,150, gave the Coalition a 50–44 lead including undecided, a reversal ...
The Taxpayers’ Union has today made a formal request under the Regulations of the People’s Republic of China on Open Government Information () for information held about how New Zealand Members of Parliament are spending taxpayer ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert Nelson, Honorary Principal Fellow, The University of Melbourne A Byzantine depiction of the Eucharist in Saint Sophia Cathedral, Kyiv.Jacek555/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA A nasty quarrel arose in the 11th century over what kind of bread should be used in holy ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Patrick Hesp, Professor, Flinders University Patrick Hesp In some parts of Australia, coastal dunes are retreating from the ocean at an alarming rate, as waves carve up the beach and wind blows the sand inland. But coastal communities are largely ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Luke Heemsbergen, Senior Lecturer, Digital, Political, Media, Deakin University With an impressive 60% of the US smartphone market, Apple is undeniably big, but not a clear monopoly. Yet, years of innovation by Apple have effectively given the company its own exclusive ...
Whether you’re facing layoffs or are just an emotional junior staffer, it’s always a good idea to scout out a good crying place before you need it. It’s an incredibly hard time for Wellington. Across the city, thousands of public servants are hearing tough news about redundancies and layoffs. Government ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Miller-Jones, Professor, Curtin University Nuclear explosions on a neutron star feed its jets. Danielle Futselaar and Nathalie Degenaar, Anton Pannekoek Institute, University of Amsterdam, CC BY-SA How fast can a neutron star drive powerful jets into space? The answer, it ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Daryl Adair, Associate Professor of Sport Management, University of Technology Sydney Earlier this week, independent MP Andrew Wilkie accused the AFL of conducting “off the books” illicit drug testing to identify players using substances of abuse, then inappropriately withdrawing them from matches ...
The Government’s announcement that it will scrap plans for a vast marine sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands is ‘shameful’ and will make it impossible for Aotearoa New Zealand to meet its international commitments, says the World Wide Fund for Nature ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Quiggin, Professor, School of Economics, The University of Queensland Shutterstock The federal government has bowed to pressure from the car industry, announcing it will relax proposed emissions rules for utes and vans and delay enforcement of the new standards ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Suzanne Rutland, Professor Emerita, University of Sydney In his latest book, Jewish Life in Medieval Spain, Jonathan Ray focuses on the tumult of the 14th century in Spain – a time of the plague, civil strife and war between the two largest ...
While creating a slate of world-class shows, Whakaata Māori also developed a generation of world-class creatives. Television is an odd word. It mixes the Ancient Greek and Latin languages, and its most literal meaning is “far-off sight”. In the contemporary and living language of te reo Māori, “whakaata” as a ...
Yesterday the UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Israel’s war on Gaza. This significant step and the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza prompted an urgent debate in the New Zealand Parliament. Leader ...
The Government’s decision to reduce access to continuous glucose monitors (CGM) not only threatens the lives of children with type 1 diabetes and increases the potential for ‘Dead in Bed’ syndrome, but also threatens the health of their parents an ...
Apples are available year-round, but the wide variety on offer involves intensive scientific research – and large-scale commercialisation. What’s beautiful, red, sweet and crunchy? Tony Martin’s favourite kind of apple: Sassy. The CEO of apple and pear breeding organisation Prevar, Martin’s fondness for Sassy represents professional success as well as ...
Family violence specialist service Shine is calling on employers to stop asking for proof of domestic violence in order for employees to access domestic violence leave. The call comes five years after the introduction of the Domestic Violence ...
The Deputy Chairperson of the Finance and Expenditure Committee is calling for public submissions on the Budget Policy Statement 2024. The Budget Policy Statement 2024 (BPS) sets out the Government's priorities for the 2024 Budget. It explains the approach ...
Brutal government spending cuts that will see the size of the Ministry for Pacific Peoples slashed by 40% will hit Pasifika communities hard, the PSA says. The Ministry has told staff that it is seeking voluntary redundancies, and to redeploy and reassign ...
I live with five people I mostly love, but our different ideas about generosity are starting to really irk me.Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nzDear Hera,This is a bit of a random one but here goes. I’m 22 and work an OK job (OK meaning I get paid ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Maria Nicholas, Senior Lecturer in Language and Literacy Education, Deakin University Earlier this month, the New South Wales government announced it would roll out programs for gifted students in every public school in the state. This comes amid concerns gifted school ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christopher Rudge, Law lecturer, University of Sydney Massachusetts General Hospital In a world first, we heard last week that US surgeons had transplanted a kidney from a gene-edited pig into a living human. News reports said the procedure was a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Tombs, Howard Paterson Chair of Theology and Public Issues, University of Otago The 5th-century Maskell panel showing Jesus in a loincloth.British Museum, CC BY-NC-SA When Jesus is shown on the cross, he is almost always depicted wearing a loincloth around ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University Shutterstock When you think about a red object, you might picture a red carpet, or the massive ruby in the Queen’s crown. Indeed, Western monarchies and marketing from brands such ...
COMMENTARY:Jewish Voice for Peace The UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza on Monday — and for the first time since the beginning of the Israeli military’s genocide of Palestinians, the United States abstained rather than vetoing it. Security Council resolutions are legally binding, ...
Asia Pacific Report A New Zealand investigative journalist and author says the US spy system hosted by the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) appears to be a controversial intelligence system used in global capture-kill operations. Writing a commentary for RNZ News today, Nicky Hager, author of Secret Power, a 1996 ...
While Nicola Willis wouldn’t give any details on its size, she said a package of tax cuts is definitely still coming in this year’s budget, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is welcoming the investigation into the Department of Internal Affairs after it was revealed that the Department’s Chief Executive personally reached out to expedite a DJs passport application. Taxpayers’ Union Campaigns ...
Finance minister Nicola Willis delivers her first budget statement, and unwittingly helps Joel MacManus save his relationship. Nicola Willis strode into the Beehive Theatrette. Around me, on the green foldout seats, were the country’s top business and political journalists. They were all here to see her announce the Budget Policy ...
Twenty years ago today, Māori Television launched after much controversy. Jamie Tahana looks back on its survival and impact across two decades. Chad Chambers stepped onto the stage, the brim of his cap casting a shadow across his face. His smile beamed as bright as his white freezing works gumboots, ...
Tauranga, Rotorua, Wellsford, Onehunga, Westhaven marina – Gavin Strawhan walks the meanish streets of New Zealand in his entertaining debut novel The Call, almost sure to roar into the number 1 position on the Nielsen bestseller chart, its front cover bearing a rave from somebody: “A really good and genuinely ...
On a Thursday in February, at Wellington’s Conservation House, the Conservation Authority, a statutory body advising the eponymous department and minister, Tama Potaka, opened its 195th meeting. Under consideration that afternoon was an agenda item written by Tim Bamford, chief advisor in the Department of Conservation’s biodiversity, heritage and visitors ...
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A lengthy response to the recently released draft Government policy statement on transport will soon be delivered from Auckland Council to Minister of Transport Simeon Brown. A submission raising concerns about funding distribution and the plan’s treatment of Auckland passed through the council’s transport committee on Wednesday, despite some councillors ...
The unidentified foreign intelligence operation discussed in a scathing report by New Zealand’s Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) last week appears to be a controversial United States intelligence system. The IGIS report said the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) decision to host a foreign system from 2012-2020 was “improper” ...
In case it is a discussion topic again today, the Public Records Act says councils and other agencies have to *keep* records. It does not control them *making available* that information to the public.
Read for yourself the section often cited by a certain stubborn fool: http://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2005/0040/latest/DLM345729.html
I like to do my homework Sacha, and when I was looking into this Penny Bright person one of the fairest articles I read was this…https://fmacskasy.wordpress.com/tag/penny-bright/
And there she was, being given a talking to and threatened with 24 hour trespass for a peaceful, quiet protest outside of parliament. Frank expressed surprise that such actions were not allowed…(news for you Frank…try simply handing out flyers!)
We’d moved our little act of sedition out onto the footpath three years earlier…Penny folded up her tent because she didn’t wan’t to jeopardize her chance of meeting with the Justice and Electoral Select Committee.
”
However, Ms Bright pointed out a number of areas where New Zealand lacked a domestic legislative framework for genuine transparency,
lobbying – there currently being no ‘Register of Lobbyists’, or ‘Code of Conduct for Lobbyists’,
and ‘State Capture’ – where vested interests gained influence at ‘policy’ level, prior to legislation being passed.
On the issue of civil servants and political figures leaving the public service and entering the private sector (eg; consultancy-work) – Ms Bright denounced the practice of the “revolving door”, and recommended a “quarantine period”.
A policy of ‘post-separation employment’ could deny sensitive information from being used for personal gain.
It was also pointed out that, at Local Government level, there was no mandatory requirement for a ‘Register of Interests’ for elected representatives (unlike central government MPs).”
I share Penny’s opinion on many issues to do with the way our elected representatives behave and how they spend our tax and rates dollars. I want to know who is up who and who is paying.
There is way too much dodgy shit going on ….
Perhaps. But she still has to pay her rates.
She is suffering the consequences for her actions and it’s deserved.
Pay your share penny.
Putting the specifics aside for a moment, this is what activism looks like: taking a strong and principled stand against a perceived wrong or injustice to raise awareness and to evoke a change.
Not paying (the) rates is taking such a stand …
James…have YOU ever made a stand on “principle” about anything?
“principle” definition
“noun
1.
a fundamental truth or proposition that serves as the foundation for a system of belief or behaviour or for a chain of reasoning.
“the basic principles of justice” ”
Or do you merely gumbeat from behind the safety of your keyboard?
I have principles – I pay my bills and money I owe on time.
If she had any she would do the same. There are many ways for her to protest without not paying her fair share.
Spoken like a true capitalist – the only principles that come to your mind involve money.
We will see where your principles are when she loses her house and how far you are willing to dip into your own pockets to help her out.
Talk is cheap.
So are you.
Why does she have to pay her rates, James…
Do tell…
Well for starters if she dosn’t they will sell her house from under her.
Being that it will be a forced sale – she will quite possibly get a lot lower price than if it wasnt.
and if you cannot work out any other reasons – like all the people who contribute and pay their rates – then there is no way to explain basic concepts.
Predictable reaponse from you,James…
But you’ve not answered the question…and I have no doubt that you’ve never made a principled stand which was against your own interest…
Do you pay your rates?
nothing huh?
“Do you pay your rates?”
He sounds like a renter
Ignore him.
Because currently she’s using all the services that the council provides and not contributing to them. Rates pay for parks, sewers, roads, community venues, etc. etc.
She’s a tax dodger.
No, she is NOT a tax dodger..
That’s a moronic response…
“No, she is NOT a tax dodger..
That’s a moronic response…”
So you think bludging off the rate payers is ok?
If i had my way she would be digging a hole in the back lawn when she wanted to have a dump.
Had a quick look at your comment history…it indicates a base level ‘thinker’…if that…
To your question…
I’m 100% in support of any human being who takes a stand on principal, on behalf of others, against the covered-up and fraudulant practices, entities such as AKL Council preside over…
Go dig a hole and take that dump you’re choking up on….bro!
Judith Collins and the Nact party support tax dodgers…… and its all done for the noble motive of Greed Naki man …
Do you see the difference with Penny ?.
Heres some more differences …
“In 2006, corporations held roughly $600 billion offshore. That sum would soon double, then triple.”
“The Herald reported last month that the 20 multinational companies most aggressive in shifting profits out of New Zealand paid virtually no tax,”
All New Zealanders not using tax havens are paying for the Real tax cheats .
What are your rates being spent on James?
Have you viewed the budgets lately, and seen how many contracts have been awarded without following due process and with no transparency?
If so, you may find Penny Bright’s actions both understandable and commendable.
no and I have no interest – I trust the council to work in the best interest of the city (despite him not being a mayor I voted for), and I do my part paying my rates – like almost everyone else.
Penny blight is a disgrace – and I am glad that the council are holding her to account.
” I trust the council to work in the best interest of the city “
It would be in the best interest of the city, for processes to be transparent.
You refer that your payment is willingly given, and that is fine. But you also include the assumption above, that allocation of payments is for those services that are required for a well-planned city and its communities.
But there has been a lack of transparency over many decisions, for example, the millions given to the V8 in Pukekohe, and even councillors are querying the existence of ATEED and the funding they receive.
Whenever I have attended a council consultation in Auckland, Penny Bright has been there, and her level of knowledge and questions are reasonable given the lack of information provided. That does not mean that it is comfortable for those questioned, and those who dismiss her do so to discredit her, not because her questions are not important or pertinent.
You seem to be definite on a lot of issues on which you have little knowledge. It may pay for you to read more, and comment less.
I don’t like what my Taxes are being spent on. I don’t believe there was transparency in the Coalition Agreement. I believe that the PM dishonestly withheld her pregnancy.
Do you think that I and others who agree should withhold my Income Tax as a fair protest?
(Interesting that you already know what your taxes will be spent on…)
“I don’t believe there was transparency in the Coalition Agreement. “
Same amount of transparency has been available for all coalition agreements. Why does this one bother you so?
“I believe that the PM dishonestly withheld her pregnancy.”
This sentence makes no sense at all.
Penny Bright has been advocating for transparency, and also IIRC the charging of GST on what is essentially a tax on property.
“Do you think that I and others who agree should withhold my Income Tax as a fair protest?”
Given your comment, I would guess that you would be unable to risk your liberty to make such protest. It is a personal choice, to decide what priorities and values you hold, and how much you are willing to risk to see the right outcomes. Kudos to you if you have such an issue.
Penny Bright does not advocate for an individual benefit, but for a systematic change. I admire her for her commitment, because I believe that she has over time shown consistency and integrity – and dogmatic faith in the right outcome being the desired result – rather than personal vindication.
In person, her arguments seem to be easier to absorb than her writings, but I just assume that her writing reflects the fact that many people don’t know even the basics on issues, and she takes them through a lot of detail to finally get to the point she is trying to make. Her level of knowledge is more apparent in question and answer sessions, but she does aggravate the representatives of council when they give a insubstantial and irrelevant reply to her queries.
I don’t know if I would have the same admiration for you – given your lack of detail provided – but many already do avoid taxes, and often they are the ones most able to pay them without hardship.
How do you feel about the current lack of prosecutions and asset taking to address those avoiders and evaders, who are not making any stand on issues – just want to have more cash available for their personal (or company) use?
“I believe that the PM dishonestly withheld her pregnancy”
LOL, from who?? Her partner?? It’s nobody elses fucking business you idiot.
How come you never applied “Pay your share” to the likes of John Key …. or the economic segregation laws his Nact government passed James ????.
“The numbers are staggering. More than $2 trillion in U.S.-based multinational profits currently sit in offshore accounts, representing, by credible estimates, in excess of $500 billion in unpaid taxes.”
“The crisis in multinational corporate tax avoidance is growing exponentially.”.
How come you are so strident in relation to Penny who is taking an anti-corruption stance …..?
But so silent in relation to the massive corruption that John key was fighting and legislating for ? .
You Smell like trolls bullshit to me …. James
you need to get your nose looked at.
and you are just making a ton of false equivalences because you cannot justify her actions.
She saw something she felt was unjust.
She refused to kowtow to a law in order to challenge that injustice.
She is facing the consequences of that refusal head on, rather than trying to evade them in some way. Challenge, yes, but not evade.
What part of that needs justification?
“She is facing the consequences of that refusal head on, rather than trying to evade them in some way.”
Indeed she is – and I admire her for that.
Truth is there are many other ways she could have protested rather than bludging off other rate payers – by not paying her rates.
If she has a legal point, she’s not bludging.
As it seems at the moment, she’ll pay anyway.
But at least we agree she’s staunch.
My nose is a fine James ….. it detects stinkers throwing around words and concepts like “fair share”quite well…..and as stinkers do not believe in ‘fairness’ I feel quite entitled to show real examples of Greedy people not paying their “fair share”.
Your the one who took that route to attack Pennys protest …. I’m judging you, not her.
Rich people skipping out of paying their fair share is done for Greed … and its what John Key described as “working creatively” …..
Heres the reporting at the time for a John Shewan art work ….. a strong depiction of bank robbery.
“TAX FACTOR
Five big banks face about $2.4 billion of disputed tax assessments for 22 structured finance transactions.
Who owes what:
Westpac: $961 million in tax and interest. High Court case lost, but expected to appeal.
Bank of New Zealand: $654m in tax and interest. High Court case lost, but will appeal.
ANZ and National: $562m in dispute, court case pending.
Commonwealth Bank of Australia/ASB Bank: $280m in dispute, case pending.
Note: The figures do not include possible penalties, which could range from 20 per cent to 100 per cent of the tax owed.”
+100 Rosemary McDonald If there is know transparency in government organizations local or central they are hiding deceit full practices stealing off the people or providing shoddy services getting kick backs from developers there many avenues for these people who are elected to serve in the best interest of the people and not line there own pockets or there associates / family this is the reason our waste and water services are inadequate . We are a wealth country with dum future planning for the esencial services we pay for .Look at all the complaints about common tourist crapping in inappropriate places, I say the councils should put portaloos in all these places Its a know brainer the commen people spend money in NZ to get with it NZ . A lot of these young people won;t all ways be poor lets look after them like we do for the wealthy .Ana to kai heres the link
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/100771514/poo-and-loo-paper-littering-akaroa-anger-locals-who-demand-tougher-action-on-freedom-campers Ka kite ano
Ata marie eco maori. There should never be any reason/excuse to see “legally confidential and privileged” or “commercially sensitive” on any document pertaining to the expenditure of taxes, levies and rates or to do with any activity by statutory bodies.
Ever.
+111
As a democracy the people actually need to know so that they can make informed decisions.
Speaking of democracy… (*Tangentiality Alert*)
Of all the ironically named CCOs (Council-Controlled Organisations) which came with Rodney Hide’s supercity vanity project; the most sinister is, perhaps, Auckland Transport. Auckland ratepayers, those archetypal “sleepy hobbits” are financing a massive proliferation of CCTV cameras. No discussion, no accountability, not even any kind of cost/benefit analysis. Total surveillance anyone? So, Auckland Transport are now major Deep State players, and will be very much a partner with NZ Police in their new Facial Recognition project which I have mentioned previously.
https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-18-01-2018/#comment-1437039
“No matter how paranoid you are, you’re not paranoid enough.” (Susanne Modeski: The X-Files)
The only way to get to that state of affairs is to lobby central govt for law changes – not to hound a local body who is following the law as it currently is.
Citizens are entitled to lodge official information requests or conduct court cases. We are *not* legally or democratically entitled to get line-by-line accounts or see every single contract entered into on our behalves.
There are grounds in the LGOIMA for evaluating what to release or withhold and councils must follow those. Councils cannot change the laws that govern their conduct.
Yet where has Ms Bright’s righteous indignation been directed to date? Be an activist by all means, just not a stupid one.
Democracy requires that sort of access.
There are different flavours of democracy. New Zealand’s does not involve direct citizen access to most decisions or to line-item accounting. ‘Consultation’ is not a vote. Mob rule is not part of the system.
By all means make a case, build a movement and get the govt to change our laws to what you believe we should have.
But only one which is actually democratic – participatory democracy.
And there we see your problem – you’ve bought the lies of the capitalists.
Democracy is not mob rule. It’s people making informed decisions. Something that our present system prevents to allow the few to rule.
Democracy is balancing the interests of all citizens – which does not mean majority rule. That tends to work best for (gasp) comfortable white folk.
Participatory democracy is not one thing. Compare Switzerland with NZ for example.
The moment a council invokes “commercial secrecy” we know we’re being lied to.
Unfortunately most elected local government are just that – comfortable middle aged retired folk. And then add on a slice or two of vested interest – and what do you have? A nice cosy cabal of white folk looking after number 1 and peeing in each others pockets.
Down the chain its no different.
I think that is what P B is really campaigning about – and if the LGOIMA does not allow for more open govt then it needs to be changed. ACC has recently had examples where administrators were found guilty of corrupt practice
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11763594
And I know for a fact that that sort of behaviour of accepting box seats at the rugby etc by council staff – in all areas has been going on for years.
+100 Rosemary McDonald If there is know transparency in government organizations local or central they are hiding deceit full practices stealing off the people or providing shoddy services getting kick backs from developers there many avenues for these people who are elected to serve in the best interest of the people and not line there own pockets or there associates / family this is the reason our waste and water services are inadequate . We are a wealth country with dum future planning for the esencial services we pay for .Look at all the complaints about common tourist crapping in inappropriate places, I say the councils should put portaloos in all these places Its a know brainer the commen people spend money in NZ to get with it NZ . A lot of these young people won;t all ways be poor lets look after them like we do for the wealthy .Ana to kai heres the link
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/100771514/poo-and-loo-paper-littering-akaroa-anger-locals-who-demand-tougher-action-on-freedom-campers Ka kite ano
Someone is stuffing with my computer at least we know the new government is transparent look at the treasury story the neo liberals would have covered that story up about getting the stats wrong on child poverty .Ka pai
My moko was born at 1145 am today baby girl curly hair and a Maori nose Ka pai . This is the reason Im pushing for Equality for Ladys Equality for all I say and a clean environment for all OUR mokos . We are only carers of Papatuanuku we live such a short life and are but a fraction of time its not on that the greedy should ruin it for the vast future of mother earth and all her living beings {This will change under my watch} .Ka kite ano
Blessings for your mokopuna
and +100 on what you say.
I have no problem with someone being an activist about organisational transparency – just with tactics like lying about what fundamental laws say and conducting arguments in bad faith.
The issue deserves better representation.
“…just with tactics like lying about what fundamental laws say and conducting arguments in bad faith.”
Help me out here Sacha…where can I find a link to where PB did this?
Many times, on here and elsewhere. Try searching for ‘public records act’ for a start, and lately anything to do with cycleways.
You know you did not answer Rosemary McDonald’s question, just bluster.
The go google it yourself argument is lazy at best – down right rude at worst.
Some of us have day jobs. And I meant searching on this site for ‘public records act’.
Here are a few to get you started:
https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-19012017/#comment-1288975
https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-10122015/#comment-1106972
https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-14122016/#comment-1274870
Looking at that first link.
“How is a ‘public’ record ‘public’ Sacha – if it’s not readily accessible for public scrutiny?”
Does the Public Records Act cover the management of public records, rather than being a public record of documents? Seems like a fundamental misunderstanding of the title on Penny’s part.
The PRA stipulates keeping records properly so that they are accessible for other laws to decide *whether* to make them publicly available. The PRA itself does not make information available. That is not its job. Never has been.
The law simply does not say what Ms Bright says it means (look at the words for yourself) and her claim that council is breaking it is therefore false. When people have shown you so, many times in explicit detail, repeating such a claim becomes a deliberate lie.
I have no idea how she has persisted so long in her delusion about those different functions but it really does not help when media broadcasts her bogus claims and misleads the public. RNZ Checkpoint has just done it for the second day in a row. I am deeply unimpressed.
Sorry I was a bit snippy there. Busy day, meetings, lots to get through. I hope Rosemary will also understand where I was coming from.
“Sorry I was a bit snippy there. Busy day, meetings, lots to get through. I hope Rosemary will also understand where I was coming from.”
I potter off to do stuff and the conversation went on without me!
Sacha…I get that it irks that PB seems to be expecting her desired outcome from perhaps the wrong legislation … and your comments around 1.22 pm onwards (I’ve lost the numbery things on my screen) gave me much pause for thought while I was getting on with stuff I needed to do.
Do you agree that there needs to be more transparency from central and local government?
Many of us don’t trust those elected to govern because of sometimes appalling lack of transparency to the point that when we are given information by Our Rulers…we question their motives. That is how deep this distrust goes.
So changing it is really important…and the situation has got so bad, to the detriment of so many, that this change needs come faster than an electoral cycle.
That’s why I’m going to be challenging Clare Curran…she claimed to be keen on greater transparency.
I’t would be great to talk tactics….
Trust is the right word. I want to see more genuine public engagement – beyond just transparency – from all public agencies. Digital platforms can help do that but it requires way more than technology.
Very hard thing to achieve and certainly not helped by amateur theatrics. If I did not care about the overall kaupapa, the destructive behaviour would not annoy me so much.
can’t see how it’s much different from you hassling PR repeatedly tbh (and not backing it up) 😉
I’ve seen Sacha tackle this with Penny many times, where he makes clear and pertinent points and quotes the relevant legislation. He’s not lazy and his having run out of patience makes sense given her inability to deal with the actual points Sacha raises.
Funny thing is i’m now quite interested in what he thinks I wrote so I’m looking forward to a link being posted
I think he’s talking about the time you tried to make a thread about something else a discussion about Muslims. You got a long ban for it. I’m sure you remember.
I get banned so often its hard to keep track 😉 but seriously I try not to post anything racist but i guess there are certain subjects that can lead to…misunderstandings
And that in big long sentence is my problem with you right there Puckish Rogue, why can you lie so easy?
https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-25012017/#comment-1291618
I say it is excellent having a new person with a positive view on environmentally friendly issues on Breakfast show on TVNZ ONE Hayley Holts Ka pai .
Good morning to Jack and the rest of the crew on Breakfast I know this new show will be exciting educational and fair can not watch for to long got to go to work.
All the best from Eco Maori .Ka kite ano
Simon Black makes a good point regarding the US govt shutdown
“There’s been all sorts of fear surrounding the possibility of a shutdown. And now that it’s here, it turns out there’s not really much of a major impact.
There’s still food on the shelves and gas at the pumps. The economy is still functioning.
There are simply fewer people to slow it all down.
And let’s be honest– it’s not a complete government shutdown. Any function deemed ‘essential’ is still at work, including the military, federal courts, air traffic control, etc.
Social Security recipients will keep receiving their benefits too.
But any government function deemed ‘nonessential’ has been shut down… which raises an interesting question:
Why does the government do anything that’s non-essential to begin with?”
It would depend whether you and they agree what is “essential”.
Definitions of ‘essential’ and ‘non-essential’ usually contain the notion of time.
Is it essential I pay my power bill today? No. Is it essential that I pay it before the power company cuts me off in a few weeks? Yes. With public infrastructure the timeframes are much longer but the work is still important.
I don’t think we should allow semantic wooliness around the meaning of ‘essential’ to be used as a weapon by loony advocates of small government.
The US system is pretty rigid and inflexible. Had this situation occurred in a Westminster style system, the government would have resigned, dissolved parliament and gone to the country for a fresh mandate.
Shock Doctrine mrk Trump ?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w44lApffH30
Stony silence from Jim Mora as Penny Ashton rebuked Paula Bennett yesterday; he’s possibly in for a bollocking from Richard Griffin for failing to shut her down.
The Panel, RNZ National, Monday 22 January 2018
Jim Mora, Penny Ashton, Bernard Hickey, Caitlin Cherry
This little discussion was just before the end of the show. It was pretty uneventful, until Penny Ashton made a comment about the hypocrisy of Paula Bennett. Either accidentally or on purpose, music swelled up as she delivered her rebuke….
JIM MORA: Uh, Paula Bennett has, ahhh, revived the conversation about gastric bypass surgery. “Haters can hate,” she says of her decision to have the surgery, and she says on Facebook that she is now “at the beginning of what I plan to be a much healthier, active life. After years of weight gain and loss, I can see a clear path ahead.” And, uh, gastric bypass or bariatric surgery, uh, we’ve probably heard most of us about the success stories and possibly the lack of success stories too. The Ministry of Health tells us there were four hundred and eighty ni-i-i-i-ine publicly funded bariatric surgical procedures in the 2016-17 financial year, the largest number so far. Paula Bennett’s surgery though was private. And a lot of people have had it now, and they include Bernard Hickey.
BERNARD HICKEY: Yes that’s right. Nine years ago I paid for it. It’s had an amazing effect, and I’m sure will keep me alive for quite a bit longer and keep me away from the public hospital system.
PENNY ASHTON: Exactly.
BERNARD HICKEY: The great irony here is that we’re happy to fork out 20, 30, 40 K for a hip replacement to obviously improve the quality of someone’s life, and fair enough too. But you could easily pay the 20 to 30 K for bariatric surgery and save yourselves hundreds of thousands of dollars, and the various treatments for diabetes and heart disease and all sorts of other things that happen to people who are overweight. And it strikes me that this is a simple case of a cost benefit analysis that hasn’t been done, to work out that we would be better off if we did pay for more publicly funded weight loss surgery.
MORA: What are the pitfalls? I know you can drink the calories, and your tummy can expand again, and many of us probably know a person or two for whom it didn’t work. And you’ve just outlined the benefits. How often do you reckon it does work, from your experience?
BERNARD HICKEY: Ah, well—
MORA: Most of the time?
BERNARD HICKEY: yeah I’d have to look at the stats, I haven’t—
MORA: The stats are hard to come by and there’s some dispute as you can imagine.
BERNARD HICKEY: Yeah. I mean, I know from personal experience and from some of the people around me that it has worked. You’re right, there have been a few that it hasn’t, and it’s no substitute for, you know, eating and drinking less and doing more exercise. But the immediate effects, and certainly around diabetes reduction, and the stats from overseas where there is better data, shows that it certainly reduces the amount of really expensive hospital care that people need in later life. Not to mention the lost production and all the other things—-
MORA: Yeah.
BERNARD HICKEY: —-that you get when you’re overweight and—
MORA: And yet it would seem every time this subject comes up, Bernard, that it certainly does have its haters, people who think if you hadn’t eaten so much you wouldn’t need the surgery. And this point of view resurfaces every time.
BERNARD HICKEY: Yeah, it’s similar in a way to the debate that we have about drugs and whether it’s a medical issue or whether it’s some sort of moral issue. It’s clear, all the research shows that diets don’t work for people who are overweight. We live in an obesogenic environment. Every billboard, every shop that you walk into is trying to sell you sugar, not to mention lots of other things as well. And we’ve created a culture which is about making people overweight. So we shouldn’t be too surprised when some people become overweight. And if you’re gonna have an across the board attack on this sort of high, ahhh, high weight problems for people, because it’s not just a few people, it’s a lot of people, then you should be doing lots of things, and weight loss surgery of course—it’s a bit like the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff but along with other things it’s something that you do to attack this problem.
PENNY ASHTON: Well it feels like it’s also a little bit at the TOP, because then you’re stopping the diabetes and the heart disease and stuff, so maybe it’s the ambulance halfway down.
BERNARD HICKEY: Hmmmmm.
MORA: It’s interesting, as you say, you have to think that people may conveniently forget whatever bad habits they may have that will, you know, require public medical funding down the road. There are a LOT of things that people do that are going to require that, but there is some extra judgmental process applied to bariatric surgery.
PENNY ASHTON: Yeah. And I’d just like to say that I think, you know, Paula Bennett is brave coming out and saying this and talking about it, and I think that’s fantastic. Obviously I’m a very staunch Labour supporter but, you know, anybody that’s fat-shaming her over this and making jokes about it is terrible. Um, she did say, however, she made this comment: “People treat you differently when you’re overweight and when you’re seriously overweight from when you’re not. People have this perception of people who are overweight, that it’s all in their own hands, and they’re just greedy people and they can’t control how they eat.” My husband made a little alteration to it and put it on Facebook, that said: “People, I think people have this perception of people who are POOR, — [orchestral music swells up from this point]—- and that it’s all in their own hands and that they’re just lazy people and they can’t control how they spend.” So I’m just putting that out there for a little alternative to her thing on her Ministry portfolio.
[Extended awkward silence. Penny Ashton snickers nervously.]
MORA: How many rescues do you think you’re entitled to on the public purse, d’you think? One time tattoos removal, drug rehab. one time, gastric bypass. This is the other interesting question, isn’t it.
BERNARD HICKEY: Yeah. I, I, ummmm, you certainly wouldn’t want more than one gastric bypass.
PENNY ASHTON: No. I think we don’t live in America and we have good public health funding, which is good.
“Either accidentally or on purpose, music swelled up as she delivered her rebuke”
As you well know, that is how they end every edition of that show – it is just a signal from the producer to wrap up. No tinfoil, sorry.
As you well know, that is how they end every edition of that show – it is just a signal from the producer to wrap up.
But this was not the segment that ended the show. The segment that ended the show was the one about bus shelters in Dunedin. I thought there was something odd about this when I was transcribing it. I was pretty sure that there was no music swelling up as Penny Ashton spoke when I heard it live. Curiously, on the archived link, music appears, even though it was not there originally. I checked on other links from the same episode—such as the Mahia rocket segment—but there is no music at the end of them. But, for some reason, music has been superimposed on Penny Ashton’s voice after the live recording.
No tinfoil, sorry.
What is the point of that crack? Are you trying to be funny, or are you suggesting something serious?
The issue i have with this is Penny is basically ignoring the issue (gastric bypass for health) and just using it as an excuse to bring up something else (poor people bashing)
People have enough of a moral high horse when it comes to this, the old “you’re fat because you’re lazy” thing or it gives people an excuse to sanctimoniously give “advice”, just eat this and do that and you’ll lose weight kind of thing but really they don’t about the issue or person just that they get to spew out their brand bulls**t
Personally I think gastric bypasses should be funded because it will save pain, money and productivity over the long term
I don’t have a problem with it being publicly funded as it will save millions down the line. What I find strange is that she will lead ‘a much healthier, active life’ AFTER the surgery.
This is like people who go into Christmas planning on dieting in the new year… and then don’t.
There is plenty she can be doing now, instead of waiting for the surgery hoping it will solve the problem for her.
“There is plenty she can be doing now, instead of waiting for the surgery hoping it will solve the problem for her.”
This is the issue I’m trying to highlight, essentially what you’re saying is why doesn’t she just buck her ideas up and get on with it
Would you say to someone with depression to just go outside for a walk and you’ll feel better?
Not at all.
Just know through observing others that later usually means never.
You do realise that you don’t just rock up to hospital and they stick the knife in? There is quite a bit of preparing for an operation like this and the mental side is just as important as the physical.
Through my observations via the news media of Bennett over the years, her flippancy won’t get her through this.
Everybody has different coping mechanisms and, hopefully, it works out for her and she doesn’t suffer the post-operation depression
That she realises there are certain things she can’t have (fizzy drink is no good for staples)
That she might stop liking certain foods or indeed stop getting much pleasure food overall
That as a result of the operation it helps her become happy and healthy
She’s just highlighting Pullya’s selective empathy puckfish.
Yeah she may well be but what it also does is take the focus away from the issue of public funding for gastric bypasses
Poor Jim. I just don’t think he has a brain
He has a brain all right, and he no doubt has empathy. What he lacks is courage and integrity.
https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-21102013/#comment-714200
https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-14062013/#comment-648511
Mora puts out an outside shell of the concerned and erudite liberal.
But he’s not.
He is a superficial shill for the right wing.
A grasping and greedy individual who hides the facts he has no principles, courage and integrity behind his jolly Jim persona.
He never seems erudite to me, in spite of the considerable efforts he makes to use big, obscure, latinate words whenever possible. He constantly misuses the word “alluded”, and his reading seems to consist almost entirely of the New York Times (he’s often quoted the vicious right wing columnist David Brooks) and the Daily Telegraph.
Like everyone else, he knows his show is largely trivial, even insultingly so, as we can see by his constant, pathetic assurances that the inconsequential research of the day “comes from a reputable university.”
I agree.
He tries to show off he knows long words.
He has no authenticity.
Germany’s Social Democrats going into serious coalition talks with Angela Merkel.
They have issues.
http://www.dw.com/en/the-major-sticking-points-in-germanys-upcoming-coalition-talks/a-42264291
Only 56 percent of the delegates in the former German capital opted for formal coalition talks with the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU). The SPD isn’t exactly euphoric about the prospect of a new coalition government.
The Social Democrat Leader is going to have to take the proposal back to his membership. That will not be pretty. It is hard to see the Social Democrat leader surviving this.
However the alternative is that the coalition talks fail, Germany has a fresh election, the far right rises in power even more, and Merkel has to do a deal similar to that in Austria with the far right.
After that the EU as the final remaining node of any consistent form of idealism in global politics will be under real threat.
So, a fair amount riding on this coalition negotiation in Germany.
I see they read the 101 Guide on how to destroy your ostensibly centre-left political party and have your vote split amongst a strongly left-wing party and a libertarian party. I think that guide was written by Francois Hollande…
The SPD are suckers. They should have told Merkel to get lost and forced another election. AfD has peaked, and their vote would collapse, like FN and UKIP. The rise of Europe’s far right is an illusion. Now they are going to be stuck in what is essentially a right wing government for 4 years.
“The rise of Europe’s far right is an illusion.”
No, they are continuing to rise, and rise fast.
https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2017-europe-populist-right/
Worse, Left-wing parties across Europe have plummeted for years:
https://www.economist.com/news/briefing/21695887-centre-left-sharp-decline-across-europe-rose-thou-art-sick
But is the EU’s ideology a valid one?
From what we’ve seen as to how it’s trashed a few national economies is actually isn’t.
Everything is about preserving the least-worst for as long as possible.
The EU Prime Ministers who opted for quantitative easing and budget austerity are reaping a long and bitter harvest.
But yes, the EU is worth preserving.
The EU needs to be fixed big time though. And fixing doesn’t involve turning it into a Fourth Reich.
Murky only HAS to do a deal to the extent of her desperation to cling to power.
https://t.co/65fyyCW6bU
the Dotcom slow train wreck moves forward.
Dotcom’s lawyers will be pleased, the German slot machine keeps paying out regardless of whether the winning numbers come up.
will this be a case of the Attorney General, on behalf of etc; etc; etc; etc; etc; etc, having chosen to do the crime, now requiring the rest of NZ to have to do the time.
yes andrew murray I believe this will be a case where AG does the crime and we pick up the bill.
however Dotcom has suggested,
https://twitter.com/KimDotcom/status/954783482730856448
that a significant portion of that money (when he is finally successful!) will be recycled to address homelessness and suicide.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11980067
NZ – the new destination for boat people?
I wonder if some will try to make it all to NZ.
The deaths have stopped due to Austs hard stance on boat people – I hope none die trying to get to NZ.
New Zealand will feel hard moral and operational debates that Australia has had a decade to consider if migrants arrive by boat.
I hope that the scale of the Tasman Sea continues to dissuade them.
I would rather it dissuade them as opposed to kill them.
Such touching concern! Any concern for the live ones in the detention centres for which you imply your support?
And if live boat people were to reach NZ, you would be joyously blaming Jacinda, wouldn’t you? Hence your touching concern?
I think you will find that the boat people are not coming from the detention centers.
Havn’t seen Jacinda doing or talking about them any time recently.
Don’t play innocent, James. You implied support for Australia’s hard stance, and you know well that Jacinda has been criticised by some already for ‘undermining’ that stance. But now is not a good time to be called out about it, so…
I do support Australias stance. And while I hope it dosnt happen – I do believe that Jacindas stance will end up resulting in deaths,
As a result of her meddling, they are now talking about trying to make the trip to NZ.
“New Zealand offer to house Manus Island asylum seekers fuels smuggle trade, intelligence sources”
https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/national/new-zealand-offer-to-house-manus-island-asylum-seekers-fuels-smuggle-trade-intelligence-sources/news-story/c1980409bc0c79a1eb178f719f03aa95
Thanks for clearing the murky air. But I wouldn’t rush to heed the opinion of the Tory Telegraph.. Just remember that some of the boat people who did not die are having a grim time in the detention centre… You don’t want them to die, but you have no concern about how they live. Shallow much?
Yes the usual concern trolling from James
the usual boring reply from Ed.
At least they’re safe from whatever threatened their lives in their homelands v. Perhaps the threat has subsided and they can return.
Unintended consequences perhaps
Does being an agitator on a blog site which is of no ‘interest’ to you..
Tickle your fancy, James…
When such articles are recycled by the NZH, do you feel that ‘rush’ just before you click ‘publish’…
Go take a look in the mirror…
See if you like what it responds with…
“Go take a look in the mirror…
See if you like what it responds with…”
I do.
“When such articles are recycled by the NZH, do you feel that ‘rush’ just before you click ‘publish’…”
Im sorry I picked an article that dosnt fit with your bias and is uncomfortable for you.
here is a rar-rar article about Jacinda and her upcoming baby – it may be more to your liking:
https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/parenting/100721182/jacinda-ardern-an-inspiration-for-a-generation
Shows how little attention you pay, eh james…
Because you pay little attention (phoney,narissistic traits) you’ve missed that I do not support any government…
While the naked pants down approach you pretend are your ‘actual views’, they are simply that…a pretence….
Don’t be a phoney…homie..
“Because you pay little attention”
I give all your post the attention they deserve.
” I hope none die trying to get to NZ.”
Well Jesus man do something.
Get yer boat and go out and meet them.
Don’t forget the barbie
that wasnt even a good troll attempt.
says the expert in crap troll attempts.
And yet here you are replying.
Good reply, Brigid – hence James’s denial. Yes, a maritime Barbie with Porkie bangers all round, courtesy of James the Compassionate.
Porkie Bangers does not a barbie make.
If its pork – Im more likely to do a tenderloin or a pulled pork from the boston butt / shoulder.
it’s, not its. Are your barbies as bad as your written language?
Thats getting pretty pathetic and desperate.
sorry …. that’s
Western Australia?
What bollocks.
What the Aussie approach ignores is that people are prepared to risk their lives to escape where they are.
The Aussies are still intercepting boats. Which means people are still dying.
They’re just taking different routes so that the results are swept under the australian carpet – It’s easier to hide a boatload of cheap labour in Sydney than it is in Auckland, whatever the asylum seekers say or were told.
Nobody is sailing to NZ. I’ll believe otherwise when they run aground on Cape Reinga.
I’d be more impressed if they’d be willing to risk their lives to change their own country to be a place that they’d like to live rather than simply abandoning it and expecting others to pick the bill for their selfishness.
The sentiment of a true chairborne ranger.
They should at least be informed of the widespread poverty in NZ so they can make an informed decision.
No, the sentiment of someone who understands reality.
We cannot afford to have all of the world immigrate here. We probably can’t afford to have even a million immigrate here in a short time span.
Neither of those options are at all likely to occur at the arse end of the planet.
So much for “reality”.
70,000 per year won’t take long to have 1 million immigrate and we still don’t know what the carrying capacity for NZ is.
That’s reality.
When Climate Change really hits and the equator becomes uninhabitable where do you think all those hundreds of millions are going to go? Most will go north, some will come south and some of those will come to NZ. A small amount of a huge number is still more than we can cope with.
That’s reality.
No. It’s you pulling dramatic statements out of your arse again.
If it becomes necessary to put a hard cap on immigration controls, the 15 year timeframe you’re talking about is more than enough time to do so well before we reach the mythic million.
The reality is that our major immigration problem consists of the Thiels, KDCs etc of the world – rich people buying up NZ with extreme political and property-rights views, and the money to throw at our representatives.
We all might end up in the bilges of lifeboatNZ, while they have vineyards and estates.
The only way to address people trying to illegally immigrate to another country is to address the problems in the country that they’re trying to leave.
Thing is, we can’t actually do that. Only the people of that country can which includes those trying to leave.
We have to take care of those already here (which we’re really doing very well at) and we really can’t afford to take people in arbitrarily.
Those terrible ‘boat people’ ……… formally known as refugees.
I was watching a relatively low grade documentary the other day ….. regarding rich Chinese immigrants into Canada …. and I say low grade because it seemed to be focusing on race and culture instead of money and legalized corruption.
But it did quote one thing that made my ears prick up ……the gist of it being ….,
That the average refugee paid more in tax to the Canadian government …. than rich corrupt Chinese immigrants do …. which makes sense given the corrupts use of tax havens, shell companies etc,….
The rich corrupt immigrants also speculate on property …. pushing honest working citizens out of the market.
Sounds like the last 9 years in New Zealand …………..
We should cut immigrants and raise our refugee quota.
I love fishing – Just found Clarke Gayford’s TV show.
http://fishoftheday.tv
Some beautiful shots and some really yummy recipies from “NZ First man of fishing”
The whole baked Rainbow trout looks beautiful:
http://fishoftheday.tv/recipes/38-pan-seared-wahoo-with-prawns-chilli-salsa-and-vanilla-coconut-sauce-2
“I love fishing…”
We noticed.
““NZ First man of fishing””
Now…are you doing that really shitty American thing with the “First” label or are you telling us that Mr. Gayford is NZ First’s man of fishing?
Confusing.
Im doing that really shitty American thing, oh, and quoting Jacinda Ardern:
https://twitter.com/jacindaardern/status/954109869509914624
And alongside the “royal baby” thang…you think all ‘traditional’ bases have been well enough covered off?
Maybe there’s a trifecta, and I’m just missing something to do with emperors or some such. Who knows? 🙂
They have to get married.
Now, that’s the trifecta.
But she can save that for Year 3 of the second term.
Oh gawd. If today had been being a struggle Ad, that would have killed the last vestiges of hope I had in me and sent me shuffling off to the darkness and silence beneath several layers of duvets.
😁
😆
I’m starting to enjoy it now, mostly because of the schadenfreude if the baby/christening/first steps, and marriage etc give Labour more than 3 terms.
Does mean we will have our work cut out for us, but still an improvement on the last decade.
It will the the schadenfreude of watching tories trying to douse confelicity. There’s a moral in there somewhere…
They ‘have to’ get married?
And the requisite ensuing divorce would bring a new wave of sympathy for a 5th term? Can we sustain this success rate indefinitely?
Maybe she can bowl the first ball at an ODI?
Pardon a lamb from Christmas dinner…
All the classic photo-ops.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/100788057/no-rush-on-controversial-employment-law-changes-says-ardern
A good call this, sometimes its better to compromise and take a deep breath rather than charge on through
Who’s compromising? from your link:
“Ardern refused to put a time frame on when the fair pay legislation would be introduced but Lees-Galloway has previously put a 12 month time frame on consultation.”
So simply repeating what’s already been said because people are twitchy again results in tories pretending there’s been a change in plan.
You guys really need to read better. Try linking to something that doesn’t contradict your lie, for example.
Do you need glasses?
“We long flagged that was something we needed to spend extra time working alongside our union and business communities, so we are putting that on a longer track.”
Sure sounds like taking a deep breath and not rushing don’t you think
“Longer” is a comparison. Longer track than what? Oh, a longer track than “Legislation to introduce fairness in the work place will be finalised Thursday and introduced before the end of Labour’s first 100 days, on February 2”.
Maybe you can read, but just don’t understand calendars? The 12 months previously mentioned by Lees-Galloway is longer than 100 days.
Come on, at least try to make exposing your lies a challenge.
It was all supposed to happen by Feb 2, the first 100 days but instead its been pushed back due to a drop in business confidence so its fair to assume that had there not been a drop it would have happened sooner
Again you might like to consider this: https://www.specsavers.co.nz/
Legislation to introduce fairness in the work place will be finalised Thursday and introduced before the end of Labour’s first 100 days, on February 2.
A cabinet committee is expected to sign it off this week, and it will include reversing the previous National Government’s unpopular rest and meal break legislation, and make changes to the 90 day “right to fire” provisions by providing a resolution service for workers and employers.
Ardern said the changes had been well flagged by Labour on the campaign trail and should come as no surprise to anyone.
But as the drop in business confidence threatens another “winter of discontent” she signalled Labour would move more slowly on one of the more contentious aspects of its industrial relations policy, industry wide fair pay agreements.
Uncertainty over their effect on business has contributed to business unease.
In an overture to business, Ardern said Labour acknowledged the need for a collaborative approach on the legislation.
“We long flagged that was something we needed to spend extra time working alongside our union and business communities, so we are putting that on a longer track.”
Labour never included the industry-wide fair pay agreements in part of their hundred days package.
When they announced the I-WFPAs in August “”We would give ourselves 12 months to sit down with business and unions to look at how the process of bargaining for an FPA would be initiated,”.
When Labour announced its 100 day plan before the election, I-WFPAs weren’t on it.
When they announced the new governments 100 day plan, I-WFPAs weren’t on it.
Your claim that I-WFPAs were “all supposed to happen by Feb 2, the first 100 days but instead its been pushed back due to a drop in business confidence” is an outright lie.
Are you saying that if business confidence hadn’t dropped they wouldn’t have pushed this through as well
Yup.
they’ve done a full schedule of the first hundred days programme, and there’s nothing to indicate that they decided to bring forward the IWFPAs by nine months. Everything about the FPAs was scheduled to take a year, because it’s more complex than the minwage increase or what have you.
Business confidence has nothing to do with the govt schedule, as far as anything you’ve offered indicates – although the recent drop in BC is a good sign the government is on track. Must be a shock, having a government actually follow through on its election pledges.
“having a government actually follow through on its election pledges.”
Why do 10 Northland bridges come to mind?
Not only that… Business confidence?? Why would Labour take any notice at all? Most Business bosses vote National, so they would say their delicate confidence has been shattered, wouldn’t they? Might as well poll the old Business Round Table about whether they are happy to have a Labour Govt.
Pockish R – Business Confidence has about as much credibility as Root Canal Appetite.
Better not comprimise too much. You cannot eliminate child poverty with WINZ payments alone (or, aspiration for that matter). You need good Union Jobs with a living wage and good benefits.
Got to say exhAlanT’s latest blog (see blog) resonated with me.
https://exhalantblog.wordpress.com/2018/01/22/stop-with-this-incessant-happiness-frankly-its-actually-depressing/
Opening paragraph:
Oh God…. how very, very true.
And then there’s the types who think everyone should tootle around the place with massive smiles on their faces from morning to night. Hello everyone, I’ve just broken a leg and an arm, my partner’s walked out on me, the bank’s taken my home and I’ve just lost my job but hey… I’m so happy, happy happy.
Yeah I know, some people are natural smilers – our new PM is one of them but – well. read the article.
First line should read (see sidebar)…
Like those people who carry on about going to India and seeing how happy the people were there despite the fact that they lived in cardboard boxes.
I see we have a Hosking/Hawkesby Household double act now in the Herald. Mike and Kate can address an issue from two angles (but not opposing). Just imagine the dinner table conversations now. Will there be competition for “likes/dislikes”? How long before there is a Kate’s minute on the Herald website.
And Hosking on Te Reo.
Good old Mike, world famous in NZ. Just like the language he dismisses.
Try telling the Welsh, Irish, Scotts, Flemish, Afrikaners, et al that their language is of no commericial advantage.
Right wing couples seem to get that deal.
There is also Soper and du Plessis Allen who get a double barrel to fire at the left.
Hah!
Irrelevant broadcaster holds forth about irrelevance.
There’s a certain symmetry there…
Give that man a mirror.
Hosking/Hawkesby double act? Like the two flush buttons on the top of the toilet.
(Te Reo is of commercial advantage in New Zealand. And I’d imagine a Chinese businessperson coming to New Zealand wanting to do big business would find it advantageous too.)
Is this the same person that the PM seemed to find so fascinating just a few days ago when she interviewed him on TV3?
Surely she isn’t really a fan of such a creep?
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=11980068
I hope he doesn’t come back to New Zealand when Winston is doing his stand-in job a bit later in the year. That would be even worse.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=11550576
What do people see in that dreadful man?
Hes really funny, his timing is excellent, he has a wide range of facial expressions that add to the humour, his laugh is also amusing, good rapport with everyone else on 8 out of 10 cats does countdown, his hosting of big, fat quiz of the year is really good, never heckle him
Hes basically a funny guy that is very well known for a type of humour
He’s a bit like South Park – shock and disgust humour overlays some pretty deep and complex social commentary.
And heckling responses are part of the live act.
I’d have thought his brand of humour would be pretty well known by now. Also this is how you handle a scandal (depending on the scandal of course)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAcjntGQuCU
first 60 secs are pretty mediocre tbh.
It gets better though 🙂
He is fascinating. Lots of people are fascinating. Doesn’t mean you’d marry them, trust them to look after your kids (or marry them), or be your doctor.
I wonder how many people that thought that ‘Glittertits” was asking for it, or was attention seeking and shouldn’t be given the media space will complain about Carr being offensive.
Glittertits?
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11968384
Ahh ok
What strange connections your mind seems to make.
Glittertits-gate happens, people talk about how she was asking for it, dressing for attention, too many people getting upset, she should be charged for assault as well, PC gone mad, dress appropriately, guy was drunk…. all excuses which say the drunk guy can do what he wants and people getting upset are wrong, and if she didn’t want people grabbing your tits, then don’t leave them hanging out. I.e. don’t expect a leopord to change his spots
Jimmy Carr, a professional comedian whose whole thing is saying horribly offensive things, says a horribly offensive thing and people jump to saying he shouldn’t do that and get offended by it…
See the connection? Esp. the type of people that would have complained about the girl and about the comedian….
“Esp. the type of people that would have complained about the girl and about the comedian”
I really don’t think that there are very many people who combine those two traits.
I think that it is the same people who approve of the assault on that woman who seem to like the sort of “humour” that Carr offers.
Take someone like Trump. He gets his kicks out or putting up Twitter rants that abuse and insult people who are in no position to respond. Rather like Carr isn’t it?
He also has a long history of sexual assaults on woman.
He certainly isn’t the sort of person you are trying to personify is he?
I think that the sort of people you mention who talk about her “asking for it” probably also like the abusive humour that Carr offers.
Not if it is aimed at them of course. It is only if other people cop it. In just the same way they may approve of the assault taking place, as long as it isn’t them who catches it.
I can’t be sure of course. I don’t know anyone who did take the view about the body-painted woman you talk about. Do you actually know, either personally or by the comments they may have made on line, anyone who really does show the same pair of characteristics you propose or is it just a supposition?
Activist passes…
https://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/northland/100802482/distinguished-pediatrician-dies-aged-97
“”Throughout this time, he was a tireless but potent advocate for the children of Northland and beyond, especially those who were less fortunate, either socially or because of their disability or health needs.”
Spencer Beasley recalls a trip with him through the northern reaches of Northland.
“He pointed out a rural school which was to be closed because the academic performance of its students was so extraordinarily poor.
“He visited it and determined its students were severely malnourished. He negotiated a reprieve, organised for milk and fresh produce to be delivered each day, and watched the consequent improvement in their learning. The school stayed open.””
Hi Rosemary, did you know Dr Beasley at some point? It was good to see that link, a story I’d have otherwise missed. I crossed paths with him many, many years ago, too young to remember the exact circumstances but I certainly remember the name. About to contact a relative who can fill in the details.
No, I didn’t know of him…the first I had heard about the Beasley Institute was a few years ago in an a series of articles here..
https://publicaddress.net/access/some-aspects-of-new-zealands-disability-history/
https://publicaddress.net/access/some-aspects-of-new-zealands-disability-history-1/
https://publicaddress.net/access/some-aspects-of-new-zealands-disability-history-2/
https://publicaddress.net/access/some-aspects-of-new-zealands-disability-history-3/
…worth a read, if you haven’t already…and the comments are good too…which is where I think Beasley was mentioned.
I think there will be some interesting discussion in some places about Beasley, the old IHC, and the Institute.
Disability Politics…way more complicated than AB/mainstream!
Gerry Brownlee today.””Her insistence that Australia allow New Zealand to handpick 150 asylum seekers who meet UN refugee status, while Australia handles the rest, on top of the message this sends to human traffickers and those desperate to attempt to reach Australia, shows a disregard to the complexity of the problem.”
http://www.voxy.co.nz/politics/5/302104
in 2016 though we had this. “New Zealand would take 150 refugees each year from Australian detention centres each year if asked to, Prime Minister John Key says.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11664913
Some inconsistency here in Gerry’s dig at Ardern forgetting what his government offered.
Or is Brownlee trying to say that Key’s government would not have vetted their 150 asylum seekers?
Brownlee is full of hypocrisy.
Brownlee is full of hypocrisy?
Get rid of six of those letters and replace them with a t and you have a more economical way of accurately saying the same thing.
I prefer my word; it is also unparliamentary.
Hypocrisy is a distinct form of two-faced, lying, knowingly dishonest behaviour. It has overtones of the hypocrite thinking he can get away with it, and the smugness of that, and it also belittles the audience listening to the hypocrite because he thinks he is too smart for them with his deception.
Shit is far too mild.
Ponyboy’s government would’ve looked the other way and whistled while Austrylya casually slipped a company directorship or two into their hip pocket, and called that vetting.
Arabs allied with Western European countries to rid themselves of their Ottoman oppressors and 100 years later, Erdogan goes full Ottoman.
An Ottoman-style military band performed in the border province of Hatay as a show of support for troops taking part in Turkey’s Olive Branch Operation in Syria’s Afrin on Jan. 22.
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/ottoman-military-band-performs-at-turkey-syria-border-126102
The operation has the most newspeak name I’ve heard in a while —
“Operation Olive Branch”
The sandflies are destroying my Lawn mowing client base .They impose there presence on everyone of my clients this is a fact I will carry on mowing till the last client leaves they are ignorant _______holes this is more money they are going to have to fork out when I SUE them PS I have a back up plan for self employment I will reveal this soon this is the only dum move they can win on how . .This is how pathetic the sandflys are attacking my employment Kia kaha
I have been on this site before in the past month, warning people about the oncoming crash.
It seems I am not alone. The IMF are also painting a dim view of the near future.
The Chief Economist at the International Monetary Fund agrees with me.
The Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund agrees with me.
IMF warns global recession ‘may be closer than we think’
testing….
Good to see this at women’s march in Chicago.
http://www.fightbacknews.org/2018/1/21/palestinians-demand-free-ahed-tamimi-chicago-women-s-march
Interesting take on cryptocurrency and its impact on budget pc gaming. Cheap computers full stop, with the price of ram going through the roof. 10 min video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uT-pP4wvLV8&ab_channel=JayzTwoCents