What has got to happen before the world declares an emergency and acts decisively to mitigate climate change?
Now you realise we are in the midst of dramatic climate change, what are you doing ?
“Arctic temperatures soar 25 degrees above normal during winter.
After New Zealand sweltered in record temperatures last month, the Arctic is also stewing in temperatures 25 degrees above normal. This latest huge temperature spike in the Arctic is another striking indicator of its rapidly transforming climate.
On Monday and Tuesday, the northernmost weather station in the world, Cape Morris Jesup at the northern tip of Greenland, experienced more than 24 hours of temperatures above freezing according to the Danish Meteorological Institute. “How weird is that?” tweeted Robert Rohde, a physicist at the University of California, in the US “Well it’s Arctic winter. The sun set in October and won’t be seen again until March. Perpetual night, but still above freezing.””
“Rick Thoman
@AlaskaWx
For Feb 20th, (unofficial) average daily temperature departure-from-normal for North Slope locales: Umiat: +45F (+25C) , Deadhorse +44F, Nuiqsut: +43F, Wainwright: +40F Utqiaġvik: +39F, Kaktovik +35F. “
“Scary stuff, on many levels,” tweeted Rick Thoman, an Alaskan meteorologist.
And as a result the ice is disappearing.
From the Washington Post article.
“The warmth over Alaska occurred as almost one-third of the ice covering the Bering Sea off Alaska’s West Coast vanished in just over a week during the middle of February, InsideClimateNews reported. Brian Brettschneider, a climatologist based in Alaska, posted that the overall sea ice extent on Feb. 20 was the lowest on a record by a long shot.”
Ed, don’t worry they are signing TPPA so that the wine growers like John Key, Fonterra which doubled milk productivity but failed to pass on to farmers in the previous decades (maybe the 8 million salary shows where some of the profits went and the millions of wasted money into international forays of farm owning in China and other countries), Silver Fern farms (50% foreign owned), and the billions going out from overseas banks will be business as usual – no new taxes!!!, as is building the luxury Hyatt in Auckland using cheap migrant labour as well as water bottling plants with our free water direct from the aquifer. Lucky them, they are the ‘winners’ and get that paltry ‘hopeful’ .03 – 1% after 16 years gain.
Yeah they know that Ed, neo liberalism has many faces and levels. I don’t see the likes of Nash, Mallard, Jones, Robertson, Curran, Marks etc as the saviours of anything except themselves.
Ben Elton’s ‘Stark’ is looking more like a documentary every cycle. IMO we’re seeing the powers that be going all out now with effective control of the pollies, the message and the resources achieved long ago.
At some stage the dam will break though.
The combination of climate change and poverty and inequality will see revolutions and uprisings. It could easily morph into a fascist takeover.
In the US, Europe.
Not here though.
Too apathetic by far.
I guess that’s why Thiel and other libertarian lowlife are buying their escape pads in the Southern Alps.
Yes Ed,
These airheads, and right wing Neo-liberals believe that Hollywood will come out with a movie that will fix the global climate change crisis.
This is due a a result of Hollywood now that has been taken over by the corporations who are reaping billions destroying our planet.
So naturally these “dirty several dozen corporations” will band together and use their ‘influence” to gloss over the failing earths future demise to climate change so Hollywood will l come to the rescue “fictitiously” we will see.
Remember John Key gave Warner bros over $40 million of our tax paid money to them so probably we are now indirectly helping to pay for these false spin-doctoring movies that will emerge over the next several years as our planet dies.
@ ED not only “harder to unpick neoliberal dogma” but longer and more expensive too. Time is not something you have after a natural disaster or if you find out you have only a few years left of water in the aquifer or you can’t afford the burgeoning health bills.
Reminds me of big tobacco that wielded so much power that inspite of all the evidence they were allowed to kill people for decades for profit while the tax payers paid the health bills and their clients were kept in the dark about the effects of smoking in case anyone pointing out the obvious were sued.
Partnership Schools/Kura Hourua board chair Catherine Isaac said she had advised Minister of Education Chris Hipkins the board would retire at the end of its current term on March 1.
Hipkins now gets to appoint a board that doesn’t hate the teaching profession. Yay.
Plus rail for Hawkes Bay and other regional development projects, EQC chair gone; today is a good day.
On a more sombre note, an honorary New Zealand citizen is apparently about to step down from the Aussie DPM position. And he provided such great material 😈
Tourist drivers are a massive issue throughout the South Island
I’m on the road a lot, daily I see tourists weaving, stopping dead, pulling out blind or u turning on blind corners. Daily.
It’s a miracle more people aren’t dead, pure luck.
Some of it is fatigue: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12000200
Our tourist roads are clogged with rental vehicles driven by people without the skill to handle narrow winding open roads let alone fatigue as above. The roads themselves are bulging with more traffic than ever before and state highway 1 has more trucks than ever before,
It s simply another example of infrastructure underfunded.( and nationals sop to the trucking industry)
1) get long haul trucks back on rail
2) tourist cars should all have a T symbol to flag extra caution around them
3) there has to be a higher standard of driving from foreign drivers, must pass practical test before driving here
4) More passing lanes needed and rental companies to make sure tourists know to let traffic past. Frustration is killing
Today this new Labour coalition Government have a last chance to prove they are serious about the climate change issue as they are in Gisborne to release their agreement with NZ First to bring back our rail to Gisborne again after it was damaged in 2012 by national as Steven Joyce as Transport Minister stole the funds that kiwirail needed to protect the drains/culvetts from blocking in heavy rain, and Kiwirail admitted it was the lack of those funds that caused the washout along one km of rail line on 23rd march 2012.
Since then we have seen all other regional lines repaired except the Gisborne line so Labour “Lets do this”.to help reduce truck gridlock on our fragile regional roads and lower the climate change emissions at the same time.
A no brainer labour, as it was youe first PM in 1937 Michael Joseph Savage that finally built the rail sevice from Wairoa to Gisborne nearly 80yrs ago,, so you need to honour your own past rail policies now.
So National was guilty of wrecking our rail and after six long years we have had to wait for a labour lead government to finally reopen the rail service again.
Labour-Greens united on rail
Published: August 23, 2016 11:17AM
‘Wrong government in place’ to make rail a reality: Labour and Greens.
Labour-Greens united on rail
Published: August 23, 2016 11:17AM
QUOTE;
‘Wrong government in place’ to make rail a reality: Labour and Greens.
THE Labour and Green parties last night committed to re-opening the entire length of the Gisborne to Napier rail line but pointed out that would only happen if the National Party was removed from office.
but pointed out that would only happen if the National Party was removed from office. UNQUOTE;
We say to labour;
We will hold your Government to account here.as Jacinda has requested we do so in her speech at Waitangi day 2018.
Labour has promised in the Gisborne Herald press to reopen the rail services to Gisborne from Napier in 2016 before the election.
It seems rather a waste of time to argue for the restoration of the railway line from Napier to Gisborne if you really believe the dire predictions about sea-level change.
I think it is fair to say that any action by New Zealand alone isn’t going to have that much influence on the world’s temperature. We should probably evaluate any changes we might consider on the assumption that not that much change is accomplished by the rest of the world. Sure it might be a worst case. It is also the most likely case.
If we do have significant sea level rise the railway line will be washed out from about where it crosses the Ngaruroro river south of Napier until it reaches the junction with SH5 just past Bay View. The whole length is very close to the sea and probably won’r survive.
Not that anyone would notice of course. Is there enough demand to justify more than one train per week?
Some of what you say is true Alwyn,
Here are some facts to consider.
We certainly recognise that climate change will destroy the roads and rail around all our coastal regions so we do know from overseas and historical NZ press and Government records we have that their were many alternative rail routes that were proposed by NZ Government surveyors dating from 1882 (we have the surveyers maps) to as late as 1939.
There are several that are still viable “alternative routes should the current rail and road routes all fail through inundation or flooding or land that has been destroyed by shifting of riverbeds or earthquakes.
I agree that we need to think about river flows and all other changes on every route.
As you say the Ngaroro river may cause issues also but we imagine that the whole Heretanga plains may even wind up under water in future as it was before the 1931 earthquake sio we know that there was plan to take our rail around the back hills behind the plains and this is easy flat land that is easily available to place rail lines oper that land.
Do remember that the “footprint of a rail line is lass than one third as wide as placing a road and the Chinese now have fully constructed levelers and transporters of continuous rail lines to place new lines very quickly in far less time than it would take to prepare a new base and finish a roading system.
Thanks for the inoput as we need now to prepare for the future of our transport system as when it goes out we need to move to reconstruct.
We had a bad year for heavy storms in 2011 and the road between Napier to Gisborne was closed several times for days as many slips occurred on the road but guess what” the rail was still safe ad usable that year and our freight had increased from one train every three days to two trains every day and in the eight months before the fatal washout kiwi rail had moved 80 000 tonnes of freight which kiwi rail said in one year 100 000 tonnes would break even.
Kiwirail admitted at the HB Regional Council Transport meeting on 21st December 2011 that it had to turn three large customers away, so we were Pissed off at that; – because we had worked so hard to get more freight clients on rail again.
Kiwirail had no more wagons and locos to take on more freight that was asked to be sent on the lie so it was beginning to prove that rail was viable again.
Cleangreen, links to the Stuff and Herald articles on today’s announcements on the regional funding progamme and rail regeneration including between Napier – Wairoa for logging trains are at 14 and 14.1 below . Yay.
We had members of our group at the meeting today and no doubt we had them bending the ministers ears to get the rest of the rail link finished to Gisborne for all our regions future as freight and tourism is exploding here so we need passenger/tourism rail along with all freight now for our secure future.
See my response to Alwyn as he was correct we need to consider other routes if the land near the coast (which road and rail both follow) are both going to wind up under water like other regions will do also.
cleangreen
It is a real tonic to read such an informed regional lobby – and if others can get their facts in a row they have a chance of getting to a better economic level that is practical and really serves the people and their enterprises.
Yes the business’s in Gisborne and other regions all know that without rail they will suffer from “road cartel pricing ” and we have already seen major evidence of this when the final train left Gisborne after 20th March 2012, so to ensure “land based competition we need rail not only to lower road cost a safety and climate change but also for healthy transport competition which will give price and travel choices for their goods.
Its a start, cleangreen. And the PM etc made clear that yesterday’s announcements were just the start, with much more discussion etc and more projects, addtions etc to come over time.
I love your part of the country despite not having been there for years. As does the PM who is there often, with her partner being ‘a boy from Gisborne’.
That would be an interesting topic for a detailed post / discussion outlining NZTA’s objectives and the opposition to them, and by whom. Also who’s making / keeping it unseen.
With trains to the airport, tourists can relax get a look at the landscape and get safely to Whangerai, Tauranga , wherever then support these regional centers hiring their campers or cars in that region. Gets rid of all the hire places in the city , saves gas and perhaps a few lives and brings more employment to regions.
I also like the idea of Friday evening bar/railcars to Bay of Islands:
water taxis from Opua wharf , or the snow for weekend breaks.
I feel rail connects communities while building community by putting people in situations to communicate, rather than screaming at each other in steel boxes.
The worst on the Wellington trains I heard of was quite a number of years ago now. A friend of mine who was on the train has never forgotten it and still cannot find any polite words for the Green Party.
The Green Party were going to hold a conference in the Wairarapa. Being good little lads and ladesses they all decided to travel on the evening commuter train from Wellington. They never thought to advise the railways of the fact that they were planning to double the normal number of passengers.
They then all arrived early and took all the seats. The normal commuters had to stand nearly all the way, They were apparently most definitely not happy campers.
I haven’t been following the discussion on Russian meddling in American politics mainly because I consider the whole proposition bullshit – American politics are so fucked up the Russians simply don’t need to meddle!
But this quote from the World Socialist Web Site seemed ‘pretty relevant’ to me:
“Fifteen years ago, on February 5, 2003, against the backdrop of worldwide mass demonstrations in opposition to the impending invasion of Iraq, then-US Secretary of State Colin Powell argued before the United Nations that the government of Saddam Hussein was rapidly stockpiling “weapons of mass destruction,” which Iraq, together with Al Qaeda, was planning to use against the United States.
“There was only one problem with Powell’s presentation: it was a lie from beginning to end.
“Fifteen years later, the script has been pulled from the closet and dusted off. This time, instead of “weapons of mass destruction,” it is “Russian meddling in the US elections.” Once again, assertions by US intelligence agencies and operatives are treated as fact. Once again, the media is braying for war. Once again, the cynicism and hypocrisy of the American government—which intervenes in the domestic politics of every state on the planet and has been relentlessly expanding its operations in Eastern Europe—are ignored.”
As usual, the World Socialist Web Site is full of shit.
In 2003, the US administration was peddling lies about Iraq while the US intelligence services had a much more accurate view of the situation and did report that more accurate view. 15 years later, the US administration is peddling lies about its dealings with Russia while the intelligence services are reporting a much more accurate view.
So, yeah, the two situations are entirely comparable, just not in the way the WSWS would like.
While I agree the proposition that the Russian government was/is utilising social media platforms to “undermine democracy” is bullshit, and that the hue and cry over Iraq’s supposed weapons of mass destruction was decidedly sickening – I think the comparison of the two is a bit off the mark.
A far more apt comparison for Iraq and WMD bullshit is Syria.
Here’s today’s Robert Fisk’s cogent piece in the Independent. It’s
worth contrasting and comparing it with today’s stenographic articles in The Guardian.
And yes, I also agree with PM that “The World Socialist Web” site thang leaves a lot to be desired. They won’t make the obvious parallel I just did in this comment because as far as they can figure, the goodness of any opposition to a government is generally beyond question – even when, as in the case of Syria, that opposition is to a government running a deeply interventionist economy of the type their ideological roots (authoritarian) lauded for decade after decade 😉
Good morning Am 3 news show people nice red jacket Duncan I a bit busy with the farm and the mokos it its excerlint that those 16 year old mokos won at the Winter Olympics.
Some tangata don’t realise how serious I take MY MOKOS future ECO MAORI Says that if they are trying to damage my credibility they are damageing My mokos future. Duncan Im that you learn by your mistakes we will have good thing going as I have said before I don’t like to have a negative effect on anyone go
Kia kaha Ka kite ano
Duncan I’m really pleased that Andrew Little is taking the bull by the horns a really good bloke and he has 300 signatures from people who work in OUR justice systems to back his moves to reform the justice system in Atoearoa.
ECO MAORI Says we all have to back Andrew and these changes will benefit all the people in Atoearoa.
Ka kite ano
Duncan I agree that Christen Bartle deserved to win New Zealand of the year she is a Great role model for all OUR Lady’s.
I was quietly backing Mike King.
But I’m a bit bias being Maori like you Ka pai. Ka kite ano
“Andrew Little is a remarkable man.” agree but even more surprising that he’s selling out on TPPA. Likewise Jacinda.
At the end of the day it will be the PM and people ex union leaders like Little that were in charge when it was signed who will be remembered as responsible for signing it.
If it was Brash, Key, Goff or Nash leading the charge for the .1% you could understand it, less so those with a few more principles.
His union mates don’t exactly agree…
“We appreciate the Government releasing the text and National Interest Analysis before signing, but that analysis is deeply flawed. It assumes that working people will find new employment immediately when their jobs are displaced by the CPTPP. That assumption is simply not supported by international evidence and New Zealand’s history of job losses.”
“At the end of the day it will be the PM and people ex union leaders like Little that were in charge when it was signed who will be remembered as responsible for signing it.”
Indeed, savenz. History will show the left initiated it and signed it off.
Today is mud shoveling day, beautiful weather outside. Taking the day off to help friends, a slip tore down their driveway and through the carport, luckily it just missed their house and garage. BYO shovel.
Huge kudos for the early storm warning at the start of the week, that helped so many people.
We were lucky at ours, kids did enjoy kayaking on the road in the rain water. Skimmer board at the park, what can you do, two days off school, make the most of a bad situation 🙂
Apples are everywhere in Riwaka, either side of the road, everywhere, need any apples to feed your stock or pigs etc, head to Riwaka and help yourself.
It’s a mess in our region, but on the upside, we’ve a stunning community and everyone is doing what they can to help those in need. Much love to everyone over the Bay, thinking of you all.
Anyone else wishing for a reincarnation of the Ministry of Works? A depot at either side of the hazard-prone areas. Blokes who knew their work. Sufficient equipment plus temporary bridges..
The private companies do their best – yet they’re not exactly set up to cope well with big wash outs and other natural disasters.
Perhaps we could add a new Works department to the regional development venture.
Andrea
Keep thinking MOW – we will have lots more national disasters. We don’t want private companies reporting on their annual financial sheets that they were good for profit. Poor little NZ being eaten by money-borers. We need a strong government that represents the people, let the others go and live on some island the Peter Thiel sets up. Just BO>
I agree – he just didn’t work as a front of house leader but as a guy who can work behind the scenes and just get things done he has really found his niche. Good and effective.
Having met him, (Andrew) he is far more engaging than he appears on TV, unless he is unaware of the camera. Bright intelligent blue eyes and an easy manner, showing interest in what you have to say. Andrew is a facilitator who brings good people on board and gets them motivated.
Agree! He also knows how to draw people out and plays to their strengths not their weaknesses. Bravo to him for thinking hard before committing to another (billion dollar) prison too!
Funny waste of QT yesterday when the Nat questioning if Iranian delgates refused to shake hands with Labour MPs. When my wife worked in Arab Emirates the men never touched/shook hands with her. No problem. Courtesy reigned. (One charming senior man would touch her elbow to elbow with a grin.).
Never be afraid of deceitful, dishonest and brutal power. That is true freedom.
Timely words in the light of the latest school massacre in Florida and the NRA chief’s indescribably awful responses. The NRA have purloined the words true freedom and have hoodwinked half a nation into believing owning guns is true freedom.
That is the brutality of the USA as it currently stands – aided and supported by a truly repugnant president and federal government.
Yes, lucky help is on the way for the loggers and multinational business interests with public money!
Would make more sense if actual jobs were part of the investment (aka loggers using it have to employ local workers at 40 hour weeks at x wages) and industry pay back the money or are they just expecting trickle down jobs and estimates with no stipulations whatsoever?
Also are they processing the logs here into value added goods with the proceeds going into NZ tax coffers or exporting the raw products?
Funny, residents in Auckland are expecting to pay petrol taxes and commuter charges in Auckland, multinational logging companies get free trains. It’s all about fairness to the .1%
No mention of a 10% increase in taxes on trucks on the road!
I really cannot be bothered with engaging with you savenz.
As Ad said to you at 11.1.1.2.1.under the “Nationals-meh-leadership-contest” post, do youself a favour do some proper research as it is a waste of time engaging with you otherwise.
As I noted in my reply to Ad at 11.1.1.2.1.2, you have posted a plethora of negative comments today under that post and here on OM and I predicted that you would do so in respect to the regional development funding announced today by the Government. True to form you did not disappoint.
Did you actually read the Herald article? Because that summarises the conditions for funding from the Provincial Growth Fund which iis aimed at boosting growth and creating jobs in the regions – eg this first round is expected to create more than 700 direct jobs and 60 indirect jobs.
“The criteria for funding will include an assessment on whether a project boost productivity, adds jobs, uses Maori or other assets week, and mitigates climate change. It will also have to add value, rather than duplicate work already happening and must have support from local groups. There must also be evidence of good governance and the ability to survive once the fund was exhausted.”
The article also covers the plans for the planting of trees this year and in the years to come. Go read it yourself – and the http://www.beehive.govt.nz/ website.
When 700 new jobs for LOCALS are created by the logging companies then let me know, sounds like you are referring to the entire growth fund not the article itself which talks about trains for the loggers to get trucks off the road.
No it’s a question, how much are the logging companies going to pay to get their logs transported by rail subsidised by taxpayers and why not add in a 10% tax on diesel if that’s what the are proposing to do to Aucklander’s or a ‘commuter charge for trucks.
Given the damage logging trucks do to the Napier-Wairoa road and the way they clog up this often passing-lane free and narrow highway, restoring rail service is a no-brainer. Unfortunately some of us were hoping for the Wairoa-Gisborne section to also be fixed.
We will continue our fight as we were there in 2009-2011 fighting to get the freight up on the Napier Gisborne line.
So Steven Joyce would keep it open (see my response and story on my response to Alwyn on 4.2.1.1)
As we were finding more freight for the line that kiwi rail admitted publicly on 21/12/2011 that they had no locos and wagons to carry it all and had to turn three large customers away then because we had found so many customers for them to use rail!!!!!
( I hope someone shoves this article in front of Shane Jones pronto.)
“The future of Auckland’s beaches and waterways will be doomed if the council is granted a consent to discharge stormwater for at least three more decades, an environmental researcher is warning.
The Auckland Council has applied for a 35-year consent to both divert stormwater through the public network and overland as well as discharging it into the environment.
Researcher John McCaffery said the application was insulting – as there was growing public concern over the discharge of contaminated storm-water and sewerage.
“Here we are right in the middle of conversations on how to deal with it and the council is saying in 30 days time we want you to give us approval to do whatever we choose to do for 35 years without constraints.”
I swear to god I just witnessed Illinois Gov. Rauner stir Hershey's syrup into milk, and take a big sip to symbolize his commitment to diversity. pic.twitter.com/E3rOFZ6wuC— Adrian (@blagojevism) February 21, 2018
Totally left field and nothing to do with anything discussed on OM so far today….my wife is being told she has to biff her (2Degrees) 2G phone…that she only uses for calls and texts…for a 4G phone.
She is resistant to this…environment etc…and wonders why a 2G phone would have to be made redundant rather than being able to keep it on using it just for texts/calls without access to data/networks etc.
2Degrees have told her something about different frequencies.
Can anyone explain this simply…I would be appreciative.
Drum , I got same message , you can check what network yr phone uses, top left hand corner of screen, if it says 3g you are fine – ignore message to up grade.
hope this helps.
Megan Woods, you dark horse!!! Ruthlessly sacking a member of the old male elite establishment without even a fig leaf of an excuse or a big golden handshake actually takes some doing, and will send shock waves through board rooms and mahogany lined club rooms everywhere.
The contrast with the buddy buddy nod nod wink wink crony capitalism of National (who couldn’t even get a conviction out of the CTV building or Pike River, total death toll 144) couldn’t be starker.
MANY THANKS to the good people on TVNZ 1 NEWS at 6pm.
Its good to hear you people use Climate change on the news that is reality the wind were that much stronger than a category 5 in Gita they need to raise the level two a category 6 Ka pai.
It also good to see you reporting that crime is dropping in Atoearoa that’s realistic when I tell he tangata that the justice system are corrupt the mokos are to scared to break the law Ka pai.
. P.S ECO MAORI can see the sandflys at it again spinning more lies to justify all the attention they give me they are sending millions trying to suppress me the fools. And some people are that gullible they are falling for there lies once again.
Did you see how biest the justice system is against MAORI 62% of men in jail are Maori and you still believe there bullshit lies?????? They got nothing why did they stop my givealittle.co.nz account because they are scared I will sue them for millions that’s reality. Why because you are all witness to the NZ police breaching all my rights and my familys rights. Ana to kai.
Ka kite ano
They locked up my uncle and killed him because they thought he was me they have got 2 other relatives of mine in jail because they thought these people were me. Many thanks to the person who they have been getting there information from for protectioning my identity till ECO MAORI is muture enough to handle there bullshit moves I will win this battle and force the police into submission.
Ka kite ano P.S. I have many whano in the hinaki but those 2 were set up buy the police
If I did not have the Mana of Eco Maori and thestandard.org.nz website to check the sandflys move and Im also aware I see them and smell them thanks to my Te puna gentic gifts the sandflys would have killed me on the roads by now.
Ka kite ano
So funny Hillary & Jeremy I had long hair and I was working hard fishing when I was 16 that was my second year I also was going to the pub set my deck hands tickets at 16 the tutor accused me of fakeing my 2 years experience fishing the skipper gave me a letter to confirm my experience he passed me I worked on 2 boats with him old Yella we called him lol I tried to work with him when I was in my 20ts one trip and I told him to stick it lol
Ka kite ano
What an insane world here in nz we apparently have a huge meth problem the stuff is currently selling for half the price of tobacco …(thanks ASH ) And 12 of our people DIED last year from smoking SYNTHETIC cannabis !!!! Im listening to naterly rnz was it this morn or yest morn hearing about a drug spraying chopper up arround the coramandle filling its herbacide tank on a beach !!! bad enough but what a fucked up stratedgy for dealing with very serious drug problems in nz CREATE SHORTAGES OF A NATRUAL PRODUCT ??????how fucked is that ???sorry about spelling
Buzz from the Beehive Much more media attention is being paid to something Winston Peters said about former Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr than to a speech he delivered to the New Zealand China Council. One word is missing from the speech: AUKUS. But AUKUS loomed large in his considerations ...
Is the economy in another long stagnation? If so, why?This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be ...
The annual list of who's been bribing our politicians is out, and journalists will no doubt be poring over it to find the juiciest and dirtiest bribes. The government's fast-track invite list is likely to be a particular focus, and we already know of one company on the list which ...
In the weeks after the October 7 Hamas attacks on Southern Israel I wrote about the possible 2nd, 3rd and even 4th order effects of the conflict. These included new fronts being opened in the West Bank (with Hamas), Golan … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – It is one of the oldest truisms that there is never a good time for MPs to get a pay rise. This week’s announcement of pay raises of around 2.8% backdated to last October could hardly have come at a worse time, with the ...
David Farrar writes – Newshub reports: Newshub can reveal a fresh allegation of intimidation against Green MP Julie-Anne Genter. Genter is subject to a disciplinary process for aggressively waving a book in the face of National Minister Matt Doocey in the House – but it’s not the first time ...
The Treasury has published a paper today on the global productivity slowdown and how it is playing out in New Zealand: The productivity slowdown: implications for the Treasury’s forecasts and projections. The Treasury Paper examines recent trends in productivity and the potential drivers of the slowdown. Productivity for the whole economy ...
Winston Peters’ comments about former Australian foreign minister look set to be an ongoing headache for both him and Luxon. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for subscribers features co-hosts and , along with regular guests on Gaza and ...
These puppet strings don't pull themselvesYou're thinking thoughts from someone elseHow much time do you think you have?Are you prepared for what comes next?The debating chamber can be a trying place for an opposition MP. What with the person in charge, the speaker, typically being an MP from the governing ...
The land around Lyme Regis, where Meryl Streep once stood, in a hood, on the Cobb, is falling into the sea.MerylThe land around Lyme Regis, around the Cobb that made it rich, has always been falling slowly but surely into the sea. Read more ...
Buzz from the Beehive Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters was bound to win headlines when he set out his thinking about AUKUS in his speech to the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. The headlines became bigger when – during an interview on RNZ’s Morning Report today – he criticised ...
The Post reports on how the government is refusing to release its advice on its corrupt Muldoonist fast-track law, instead using the "soon to be publicly available" refusal ground to hide it until after select committee submissions on the bill have closed. Fast-track Minister Chris Bishop's excuse? “It's not ...
As pressure on it grows, the livestock industry’s approach to the transition to Net Zero is increasingly being compared to that of fossil fuel interests. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / Getty ImagesTL;DR: Here’s the top five news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above ...
The New Zealand Herald reports – Stats NZ has offered a voluntary redundancy scheme to all of its workers as a way to give staff some control over their “future” amidst widespread job losses in the public sector. In an update to staff this morning, seen by the Herald, Statistics New Zealand ...
On Werewolf/Scoop, I usually do two long form political columns a week. From now on, there will be an extra column each week about music and movies. But first, some late-breaking political events:The rise in unemployment numbers for the March quarter was bigger than expected – and especially sharp ...
David Farrar writes – The Herald reports: TVNZ says it is dealing with about 50 formal complaints over its coverage of the latest 1News-Verian political poll, with some viewers – as well as the Prime Minister and a former senior Labour MP – critical of the tone of the 6pm report. ...
Muriel Newman writes – When Meridian Energy was seeking resource consents for a West Coast hydro dam proposal in 2010, local Maori “strenuously” objected, claiming their mana was inextricably linked to ‘their’ river and could be damaged. After receiving a financial payment from the company, however, the Ngai Tahu ...
Alwyn Poole writes – “An SEP,’ he said, ‘is something that we can’t see, or don’t see, or our brain doesn’t let us see, because we think that it’s somebody else’s problem. That’s what SEP means. Somebody Else’s Problem. The brain just edits it out, it’s like a ...
Our trust in our political institutions is fast eroding, according to a Maxim Institute discussion paper, Shaky Foundations: Why our democracy needs trust. The paper – released today – raises concerns about declining trust in New Zealand’s political institutions and democratic processes, and the role that the overuse of Parliamentary urgency ...
This article was prepared for publication yesterday. More ministerial announcements have been posted on the government’s official website since it was written. We will report on these later today …. Buzz from the BeehiveThere we were, thinking the environment is in trouble, when along came Jones. Shane Jones. ...
New Zealand now has the fourth most depressed construction sector in the world behind China, Qatar and Hong Kong. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 8:46am on Thursday, May 2:The Lead: ...
Hi,I am just going to state something very obvious: American police are fucking crazy.That was a photo gracing the New York Times this morning, showing New York City police “entering Columbia University last night after receiving a request from the school.”Apparently in America, protesting the deaths of tens of thousands ...
Winston Peters’ much anticipated foreign policy speech last night was a work of two halves. Much of it was a standard “boilerplate” Foreign Ministry overview of the state of the world. There was some hardening up of rhetoric with talk of “benign” becoming “malign” and old truths giving way to ...
Graham Adams assesses the fallout of the Cass Review — The press release last Thursday from the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls didn’t make the mainstream news in New Zealand but it really should have. The startling title of Reem Alsalem’s statement — “Implementation of ‘Cass ...
This open-for-business, under-new-management cliché-pockmarked government of Christopher Luxon is not the thing of beauty he imagines it to be. It is not the powerful expression of the will of the people that he asserts it to be. It is not a soaring eagle, it is a malodorous vulture. This newest poll should make ...
The latest labour market statistics, showing a rise in unemployment. There are now 134,000 unemployed - 14,000 more than when the National government took office. Which is I guess what happens when the Reserve Bank causes a recession in an effort to Keep Wages Low. The previous government saw a ...
Three opinion polls have been released in the last two days, all showing that the new government is failing to hold their popular support. The usual honeymoon experienced during the first year of a first term government is entirely absent. The political mood is still gloomy and discontented, mainly due ...
National's Finance Minister once met a poor person.A scornful interview with National's finance guru who knows next to nothing about economics or people.There might have been something a bit familiar if that was the headline I’d gone with today. It would of course have been in tribute to the article ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – Throughout the pandemic, the new Vice-Chancellor-of-Otago-University-on-$629,000 per annum-Can-you-believe-it-and-Former-Finance-Minister Grant Robertson repeated the mantra over and over that he saved “lives and livelihoods”.As we update how this claim is faring over the course of time, the facts are increasingly speaking differently. NZ ...
Chris Trotter writes – IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in acknowledgement of electoral victory: “We’ll govern for all New Zealanders.” On the face of it, the pledge is a strange one. Why would any political leader govern in ways that advantaged the huge ...
Bryce Edwards writes – The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill ...
TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 10:06am on Wednesday, May 1:The Lead: Business confidence fell across the board in April, falling in some areas to levels last seen during the lockdowns because of a collapse in ...
Over the past 36 hours, Christopher Luxon has been dong his best to portray the centre-right’s plummeting poll numbers as a mark of virtue. Allegedly, the negative verdicts are the result of hard economic times, and of a government bravely set out on a perilous rescue mission from which not ...
Auckland Transport have started rolling out new HOP card readers around the network and over the next three months, all of them on buses, at train stations and ferry wharves will be replaced. The change itself is not that remarkable, with the new readers looking similar to what is already ...
Completed reads for April: The Difference Engine, by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling Carnival of Saints, by George Herman The Snow Spider, by Jenny Nimmo Emlyn’s Moon, by Jenny Nimmo The Chestnut Soldier, by Jenny Nimmo Death Comes As the End, by Agatha Christie Lord of the Flies, by ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Have a story to share about St Paul’s, but today just picturesPopular novels written at this desk by a young man who managed to bootstrap himself out of father’s imprisonment and his own young life in a workhouse Read more ...
The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill English, Simon Bridges, Steven Joyce, Roger Sowry, ...
Newsroom has a story today about National's (fortunately failed) effort to disestablish the newly-created Inspector-General of Defence. The creation of this agency was the key recommendation of the Inquiry into Operation Burnham, and a vital means of restoring credibility and social licence to an agency which had been caught lying ...
Holding On To The Present:The moment a political movement arises that attacks the whole idea of social progress, and announces its intention to wind back the hands of History’s clock, then democracy, along with its unwritten rules, is in mortal danger.IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in ...
Stuck In The Middle With You:As Christopher Luxon feels the hot breath of Act’s and NZ First’s extremists on the back of his neck and, as he reckons with the damage their policies are already inflicting upon a country he’s described as “fragile”, is there not some merit in reaching out ...
The unpopular coalition government is currently rushing to repeal section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act. The clause is Oranga Tamariki's Treaty clause, and was inserted after its systematic stealing of Māori children became a public scandal and resulted in physical resistance to further abductions. The clause created clear obligations ...
Buzz from the Beehive The government’s official website – which Point of Order monitors daily – not for the first time has nothing much to say today about political happenings that are grabbing media headlines. It makes no mention of the latest 1News-Verian poll, for example. This shows National down ...
It Takes A Train To Cry:Surely, there is nothing lonelier in all this world than the long wail of a distant steam locomotive on a cold Winter’s night.AS A CHILD, I would lie awake in my grandfather’s house and listen to the traffic. The big wooden house was only a ...
Packing A Punch: The election of the present government, including in its ranks politicians dedicated to reasserting the rights of the legislature in shaping and determining the future of Māori and Pakeha in New Zealand, should have alerted the judiciary – including its anomalous appendage, the Waitangi Tribunal – that its ...
Dead Woman Walking: New Zealand’s media industry had been moving steadily towards disaster for all the years Melissa Lee had been National’s media and communications policy spokesperson, and yet, when the crisis finally broke, on her watch, she had nothing intelligent to offer. Christopher Luxon is a patient man - but he’s not ...
Chris Trotter writes – New Zealand politics is remarkably easy-going: dangerously so, one might even say. With the notable exception of John Key’s flat ruling-out of the NZ First Party in 2008, all parties capable of clearing MMP’s five-percent threshold, or winning one or more electorate seats, tend ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is ...
Luxon will no doubt put a brave face on it, but there is no escaping the pressure this latest poll will put on him and the government. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political ...
This is a re-post from The Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler In the wake of any unusual weather event, someone inevitably asks, “Did climate change cause this?” In the most literal sense, that answer is almost always no. Climate change is never the sole cause of hurricanes, heat waves, droughts, or ...
Something odd happened yesterday, and I’d love to know if there’s more to it. If there was something which preempted what happened, or if it was simply a throwaway line in response to a journalist.Yesterday David Seymour was asked at a press conference what the process would be if the ...
Hi,From time to time, I want to bring Webworm into the real world. We did it last year with the Jurassic Park event in New Zealand — which was a lot of fun!And so on Saturday May 11th, in Los Angeles, I am hosting a lil’ Webworm pop-up! I’ve been ...
Education Minister Erica Standford yesterday unveiled a fundamental reform of the way our school pupils are taught. She would not exactly say so, but she is all but dismantling the so-called “inquiry” “feel good” method of teaching, which has ruled in our classrooms since a major review of the New ...
Exactly where are we seriously going with this government and its policies? That is, apart from following what may as well be a Truss-Lite approach on the purported economic “plan“, and Victorian-era regression when it comes to social policy.Oh it’ll work this time of course, we’re basically assured, “the ...
Hey Uncle Dave, When the Poms joined the EEC, I wasn't one of those defeatists who said, Well, that’s it for the dairy job. And I was right, eh? The Chinese can’t get enough of our milk powder and eventually, the Poms came to their senses and backed up the ute ...
Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is higher than for any other mayor ...
Buzz from the Beehive Pharmac has been given a financial transfusion and a new chair to oversee its spending in the pharmaceutical business. Associate Health Minister David Seymour described the funding for Pharmac as “its largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff”. ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its ...
TL;DR: Here’s my top 10 ‘pick ‘n’ mix of links to news, analysis and opinion articles as of 10:10am on Monday, April 29:Scoop: The children's ward at Rotorua Hospital will be missing a third of its beds as winter hits because Te Whatu Ora halted an upgrade partway through to ...
span class=”dropcap”>As hideous as David Seymour can be, it is worth keeping in mind occasionally that there are even worse political figures (and regimes) out there. Iran for instance, is about to execute the country’s leading hip hop musician Toomaj Salehi, for writing and performing raps that “corrupt” the nation’s ...
Yesterday marked 10 years since the first electric train carried passengers in Auckland so it’s a good time to look back at it and the impact it has had. A brief history The first proposals for rail electrification in Auckland came in the 1920’s alongside the plans for earlier ...
Right now, in Aotearoa-NZ, our ‘animal spirits’ are darkening towards a winter of discontent, thanks at least partly to a chorus of negative comments and actions from the Government Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on ...
You make people evil to punish the paststuck inside a sequel with a rotating castThe following photos haven’t been generated with AI, or modified in any way. They are flesh and blood, human beings. On the left is Galatea Young, a young mum, and her daughter Fiadh who has Angelman ...
April has been a quiet month at A Phuulish Fellow. I have had an exceptionally good reading month, and a decently productive writing month – for original fiction, anyway – but not much has caught my eye that suggested a blog article. It has been vaguely frustrating, to be honest. ...
A listing of 31 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 21, 2024 thru Sat, April 27, 2024. Story of the week Anthropogenic climate change may be the ultimate shaggy dog story— but with a twist, because here ...
Hi,I spent about a year on Webworm reporting on an abusive megachurch called Arise, and it made me want to stab my eyes out with a fork.I don’t regret that reporting in 2022 and 2023 — I am proud of it — but it made me angry.Over three main stories ...
The new Victoria University Vice-Chancellor decided to have a forum at the university about free speech and academic freedom as it is obviously a topical issue, and the Government is looking at legislating some carrots or sticks for universities to uphold their obligations under the Education and Training Act. They ...
Do you remember when Melania Trump got caught out using a speech that sounded awfully like one Michelle Obama had given? Uncannily so.Well it turns out that Abraham Lincoln is to Winston Peters as Michelle was to Melania. With the ANZAC speech Uncle Winston gave at Gallipoli having much in ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop today released his decision on four recommendations referred to him by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, opening the door to housing growth in the area. The Council’s Plan Change 92 allows more homes to be built in existing and new ...
Thank you, John McKinnon and the New Zealand China Council for the invitation to speak to you today. Thank you too, all members of the China Council. Your effort has played an essential role in helping to build, shape, and grow a balanced and resilient relationship between our two ...
The Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...
The coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says. “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...
Structured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...
The rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...
The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure. The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
The Government and Rotorua Lakes Council are committed to working closely together to end the use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua. Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) Tama Potaka says the Government remains committed to ending the long-term use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua by the ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. “I’m putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...
The new NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) App is a secure ‘one stop shop’ to provide the services drivers need, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Digitising Government Minister Judith Collins say. “The NZTA App will enable an easier way for Kiwis to pay for Vehicle Registration and Road User Charges (RUC). ...
Whānau with tamariki growing up in emergency housing motels will be prioritised for social housing starting this week, says Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka. “Giving these whānau a better opportunity to build healthy stable lives for themselves and future generations is an essential part of the Government’s goal of reducing ...
Racing Minister Winston Peters has paid tribute to an icon of the industry with the recent passing of Dave O’Sullivan (OBE). “Our sympathies are with the O’Sullivan family with the sad news of Dave O’Sullivan’s recent passing,” Mr Peters says. “His contribution to racing, initially as a jockey and then ...
Assalaamu alaikum, greetings to you all. Eid Mubarak, everyone! I want to extend my warmest wishes to you and everyone celebrating this joyous occasion. It is a pleasure to be here. I have enjoyed Eid celebrations at Parliament before, but this is my first time joining you as the Minister ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced Pharmac’s largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff. “Access to medicines is a crucial part of many Kiwis’ lives. We’ve committed to a budget allocation of $1.774 billion over four years so Kiwis are ...
Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Council members voted 21 to 4 in favour of Ahluwalia returning to the Laucala campus following a much-awaited meeting in Vanuatu this week. It comes as USP and its two unions — the Association of the University of the South Pacific Staff (AUSPS) and the Administration and Support Staff Union ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nicola Henry, Professor & Australian Research Council Future Fellow, Social and Global Studies Centre, RMIT University Shutterstock Following an emergency meeting of the National Cabinet this week, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced a raft of measures to tackle the problem ...
Analysis - A poll showing the opposition is more popular than the government raises questions, politicians go through their 'trial by pay rise' and a Green MP loses her cool in the debating chamber. ...
The entire stretch of Tokomaru Bay on the East Coast will be subject to a joint customary marine title for two hapū, and extending up to four miles out to sea. A High Court judge has found the two groups, who during the case settled a dispute over boundaries for ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Hall, Lecturer, Media & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University A longstanding feud between TikTok and Universal Music Group seems to have finally reached an end, with both parties signing a deal that will see Universal-backed music returned to the social media ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Siobhan O’Dean, Postdoctoral Research Associate, The Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use, University of Sydney After several highly publicised alleged murders of women in Australia, the Albanese government this week pledged more than A$925 million over five years ...
Political parties have now fully disclosed the donations they received last year - with National getting more than double the cash of any other party. ...
A Pacific regionalism expert has called out New Zealand's Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters for withholding information from the public on AUKUS military pact. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard de Grijs, Professor of Astrophysics, Macquarie University Bruno Scramgnon/Pexels All systems are “go” for tonight’s launch of China’s next step in a carefully planned lunar exploration program. Placed on top of a powerful Long March 5 rocket, the Chang’e 6 ...
National returned a massive donation the day after a Newsroom story linked the donors to a property being investigated for operating unlawfully as a migrant workers’ hostel. The party’s 2023 donation filings, released on Friday, show it returned a $200,000 donation from Buen Holdings on August 23. That was the ...
Pacific Media Watch New Zealand has slumped to an unprecedented 19th place in the annual Reporters Without Borders World Press Freedom Index survey released today on World Press Freedom Day — May 3. This was a drop of six places from 13th last year when it slipped out of its ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joshua Black, Political Historian and Administrator Officer, Australian Historical Association, Australian National University Australia has had its fair share of public record-keeping controversies in recent years. Some have been mere farce, as in the case of two formerly government-owned filing cabinets (containing ...
Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL), a United Nations-affiliated organization dedicated to fostering peace through civilian-led initiatives, has issued a statement in response to the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran. ...
A poem by Tessa Keenan, from AUP New Poets 10. Mātou These days we are a photograph; one of a farm strewn with cows that used to be bright harakeke or swamp. The kids point at it and say the sun sits behind a smudge (left by someone at Christmas); ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan (Faber & Faber, $25)The masterful Irish writer ...
Marriage and civil union statistics record the number of marriages and civil unions registered in New Zealand each year, and divorce statistics record the number of divorces granted in New Zealand each year. Key facts Marriages and civil unions In ...
Marriage and civil union statistics record the number of marriages and civil unions registered in New Zealand each year, and divorce statistics record the number of divorces granted in New Zealand each year. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lennon Y.C. Chang, Associate Professor of Cyber Risk and Policy, Deakin University Taiwan stands out as a beacon of democracy, innovation and resilience in an increasingly autocratic region. But this is under growing threat. In recent years, China has used a variety ...
In this excerpt from her new memoir, Dame Susan Devoy remembers her turn as star contestant on the 2022 season of Celebrity Treasure Island. The most anxious time of every day was pre-elimination, when you knew this could be your final day on the show. I felt such contradictory emotions, ...
A week that began in triumph ended in an all-too-familiar disaster for the Green Party. Duncan Greive asks if there’s something in the mission that breaks its best and brightest. A long, strange week for the Green party began with a fantastic poll result. On one level this is hardly ...
By Lydia Lewis, RNZ Pacific journalist Vanuatu’s former prime minister and opposition MP Ishmael Kalsakau has stepped down — just two days after he confirmed he was the rightful opposition leader. Kalsakau, MP for Port Vila, confirmed to ABC’s Pacific Beat, and the Vanuatu Daily Post on Thursday that he ...
What’s to blame for the coalition’s choppy start? Six months in, and the mojo meter is in the doldrums. A new poll would put National out of power and sees its leader, Chris Luxon, sliding in popularity. How much is it about policy, how much coalition management and a perception ...
The striking report goes far beyond the proposed repeal of the Oranga Tamariki Act’s Treaty of Waitangi provision, and its impact should be felt far beyond the unique circumstances of the claim it addresses. Earlier this week, the Waitangi Tribunal released an interim report on the government’s proposed repeal of ...
The world has been experiencing a productivity slowdown, from which New Zealand has not been exempt. COVID-19 temporarily boosted labour productivity, but more recently, productivity has retreated. The overall trend since 2007 has been one of slow productivity ...
What’s more wasteful than spending $315k on syrup and machine maintenance? Trying to drum up a controversy about it.Cast your mind back to the pre-pandemic idylls of 2019. A “rat” was a disgusting rodent and not a self-administered plague test; the sixth Labour government was in power; and the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Fitz-Gibbon, Professor of Social Sciences, Faculty of Arts, Monash University, Monash University Ken stocker/Shutterstock In the wake of numerous killings of women allegedly by men’s violence in 2024, thousands of Australians have joined rallies across the country to demand action ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Henry Cutler, Professor and Director, Macquarie University Centre for the Health Economy, Macquarie University Oleg Ivanov IL/Shutterstock Waiting times for public hospital elective surgery have been in the news ahead of this year’s federal budget. That’s the type of non-emergency surgery ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Konstantine Panegyres, McKenzie Postdoctoral Fellow, Historical and Philosophical Studies, The University of Melbourne Amna Artist/Shutterstock One of the earliest descriptions of someone with cancer comes from the fourth century BC. Satyrus, tyrant of the city of Heracleia on the Black Sea, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Rose, Professor of Sustainable Future Transport, University of Sydney LanaElcova/Shutterstock Electric vehicles are often seen as the panacea to cutting emissions – and air pollution – from transport. Is this view correct? Yes – but only once uptake accelerates. Despite the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Giselle Natassia Woodley, Researcher and Phd Candidate, Edith Cowan University There is widespread agreement Australia needs to do better when it comes to gender-based violence. Anger and frustration at the numbers of women being killed saw national rallies over the weekend and ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Graham, Lecturer in Economics, University of Sydney Mark and Anna Photography/Shutterstock As home ownership moves further out of reach for many Australians, “rentvesting” is being touted as a lifesaver. Rentvesting is the practice of renting one property to live ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sukhmani Khorana, Associate Professor, Faculty of Arts, Design and Architecture, UNSW Sydney Netflix The new season of Heartbreak High is garnering mixed reviews. Critics are writing about the racy story lines, comparing it to other coming-of-age series about teenage relationships and ...
Bob Carr intends to launch legal action against Winston Peters and Julie Anne Genter is facing a second allegation of bullying. Both sucked the air out of an announcement on education, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in ...
In 1995, Sally Clark went out on her own in a bold and unorthodox attempt to join an illustrious group of equestrian riders conquering the world. In the days of glovebox road maps, brick cell phones, and the hit song How Bizarre, Clark refused to follow Sir Mark Todd, Blyth ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ben Beaglehole, Senior Lecturer, Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Otago niphon/Getty Images The number of people accessing medication for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in Aotearoa New Zealand increased significantly between 2006 and 2022. But the disorder is still under-diagnosed and ...
To celebrate the start of New Zealand music month, we look back at the best local tuneage that managed to weasel its way into Hollywood productions. There’s nothing quite like the thrilling zap of recognition when New Zealand weasels its way into a glamorous Hollywood production. Crack open a Tui ...
People trust other people more than institutions. So how can the media gain that trust through journalists without losing what’s important about the institution? Anna Rawhiti-Connell reflects on two years of curating the news for The Bulletin.Amonth ago, armed cops descended on my neighbourhood as calls to “lock your ...
Opinion: PFAS – per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances – are a class of thousands of man-made chemicals used widely in everyday consumer items such as textiles, packaging, and cookware, popular for their water, grease and stain-repellent properties. However, the very properties that make PFAS so attractive to manufacturers are also what ...
NONFICTION 1 The Last Secret Agent by Pippa Latour & Jude Dobson (Allen & Unwin, $37.99)’ This is the hottest book in New Zealand, number one with a bullet in its first week, selling more than any overseas title, and demand is so huge that it’s already been reprinted. A ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A,DIV,A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions. The post Newsroom daily quiz, Friday 3 May appeared first on Newsroom. ...
A warning – suicide is discussed in this podcast New Zealand’s own long-running soap Shortland Street doesn’t hesitate to kill off its much-loved characters. But would TVNZ dare to kill off our favourite soap? That’s the fear as times get tough in television – even though it’s been pointed out ...
Essay: If the Crown harms children, how do you hold it accountable? Analysis by Aaron Smale in light of the Waitangi Tribunal court decision. The post The Crown versus Māori Children appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Asia Pacific Report A West Papuan resistance leader has condemned the United Nations role in allowing Indonesia to “integrate” the Melanesian Pacific region in what is claimed to be an “egregious act of inhumanity” on 1 May 1963. In an open letter to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Organisasi Papua Merdeka-OPM ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra A key part of the Albanese government’s political strategy is to fill the news cycle with its presence and messaging. Ministers are deployed to the maximum, even when they’ve little to say. This week ...
Recent extreme weather events showed the importance of a well-functioning insurance system, says Commerce and Consumer Affairs minister Andrew Bayly. ...
By Jo Moir, RNZ News political editor, and Craig McCulloch, deputy political editor New Zealand’s Labour Party is demanding Winston Peters be stood down as Foreign Minister for opening up the government to legal action over his “totally unacceptable” attack on a prominent AUKUS critic. In an interview on RNZ’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christian Brakenridge, Postdoctoral research fellow at Swinburne University, Centre for Urban Transitions, Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute The Conversation, Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock People have a pretty intuitive sense of what is healthy – standing is better than sitting, exercise is great for overall ...
The Wellington-based Reserve Force soldier is now almost three years into his New Zealand Army career with 5th/7th Battalion, Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment. ...
We should be concerned.
Very concerned.
What has got to happen before the world declares an emergency and acts decisively to mitigate climate change?
Now you realise we are in the midst of dramatic climate change, what are you doing ?
“Arctic temperatures soar 25 degrees above normal during winter.
After New Zealand sweltered in record temperatures last month, the Arctic is also stewing in temperatures 25 degrees above normal. This latest huge temperature spike in the Arctic is another striking indicator of its rapidly transforming climate.
On Monday and Tuesday, the northernmost weather station in the world, Cape Morris Jesup at the northern tip of Greenland, experienced more than 24 hours of temperatures above freezing according to the Danish Meteorological Institute. “How weird is that?” tweeted Robert Rohde, a physicist at the University of California, in the US “Well it’s Arctic winter. The sun set in October and won’t be seen again until March. Perpetual night, but still above freezing.””
https://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/101695872/arctic-temperatures-soar-25-degrees-above-normal-during-winter
As Rachel Stewart put it on Twitter
“Keep worrying about stupid shit, people. ”
The numbers put everything else into perspective.
“Rick Thoman
@AlaskaWx
For Feb 20th, (unofficial) average daily temperature departure-from-normal for North Slope locales: Umiat: +45F (+25C) , Deadhorse +44F, Nuiqsut: +43F, Wainwright: +40F Utqiaġvik: +39F, Kaktovik +35F. “
“Scary stuff, on many levels,” tweeted Rick Thoman, an Alaskan meteorologist.
And as a result the ice is disappearing.
From the Washington Post article.
“The warmth over Alaska occurred as almost one-third of the ice covering the Bering Sea off Alaska’s West Coast vanished in just over a week during the middle of February, InsideClimateNews reported. Brian Brettschneider, a climatologist based in Alaska, posted that the overall sea ice extent on Feb. 20 was the lowest on a record by a long shot.”
Ed, don’t worry they are signing TPPA so that the wine growers like John Key, Fonterra which doubled milk productivity but failed to pass on to farmers in the previous decades (maybe the 8 million salary shows where some of the profits went and the millions of wasted money into international forays of farm owning in China and other countries), Silver Fern farms (50% foreign owned), and the billions going out from overseas banks will be business as usual – no new taxes!!!, as is building the luxury Hyatt in Auckland using cheap migrant labour as well as water bottling plants with our free water direct from the aquifer. Lucky them, they are the ‘winners’ and get that paltry ‘hopeful’ .03 – 1% after 16 years gain.
The TPPA locks in an economic model that is killing life on this earth.
It will make it so much harder to unpick neoliberal dogma.
Yeah they know that Ed, neo liberalism has many faces and levels. I don’t see the likes of Nash, Mallard, Jones, Robertson, Curran, Marks etc as the saviours of anything except themselves.
Ben Elton’s ‘Stark’ is looking more like a documentary every cycle. IMO we’re seeing the powers that be going all out now with effective control of the pollies, the message and the resources achieved long ago.
At some stage the dam will break though.
The combination of climate change and poverty and inequality will see revolutions and uprisings. It could easily morph into a fascist takeover.
In the US, Europe.
Not here though.
Too apathetic by far.
I guess that’s why Thiel and other libertarian lowlife are buying their escape pads in the Southern Alps.
Yes, read stark.
The Uber wealthy have plan b’s bought and paid for just in case it’s gets a bit too hot, toxic, dangerous or it’s simply time to exit the scene.
We tick quite a few boxes with many spots inland, elevated, accessible by air easily, in a stable political country, defensible etc.
Yes Ed,
These airheads, and right wing Neo-liberals believe that Hollywood will come out with a movie that will fix the global climate change crisis.
This is due a a result of Hollywood now that has been taken over by the corporations who are reaping billions destroying our planet.
So naturally these “dirty several dozen corporations” will band together and use their ‘influence” to gloss over the failing earths future demise to climate change so Hollywood will l come to the rescue “fictitiously” we will see.
Remember John Key gave Warner bros over $40 million of our tax paid money to them so probably we are now indirectly helping to pay for these false spin-doctoring movies that will emerge over the next several years as our planet dies.
@ ED not only “harder to unpick neoliberal dogma” but longer and more expensive too. Time is not something you have after a natural disaster or if you find out you have only a few years left of water in the aquifer or you can’t afford the burgeoning health bills.
Reminds me of big tobacco that wielded so much power that inspite of all the evidence they were allowed to kill people for decades for profit while the tax payers paid the health bills and their clients were kept in the dark about the effects of smoking in case anyone pointing out the obvious were sued.
I am worried.
Equal pay activist Kristine Bartlett wins 2018 ‘New Zealander of the Year’: https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/101677420/equal-pay-champion-kristine-bartlett-named-2018-new-zealander-of-the-year
Very good
Best news all week.
Fought, achieved, won, tens of thousands of low paid workers – including two of mine – benefited.
Fitting winner.
This reflects a change. The next group are negotiating Not in court. A good thing.
ACT have decided to throw their toys.
Hipkins now gets to appoint a board that doesn’t hate the teaching profession. Yay.
Wonderful news. A real turn about.
Plus rail for Hawkes Bay and other regional development projects, EQC chair gone; today is a good day.
On a more sombre note, an honorary New Zealand citizen is apparently about to step down from the Aussie DPM position. And he provided such great material 😈
and punches only slightly pulled by the Minister…
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/351098/eqc-overhaul-being-stuck-in-limbo-is-unacceptable
Great news all around – but a certain other person here will not agree re the rail etc. See the thread under my 14.1 below. LOL.
Thrilled for the regions. So change begins. Not too shabby or slow either!!
Tourist drivers are a massive issue throughout the South Island
I’m on the road a lot, daily I see tourists weaving, stopping dead, pulling out blind or u turning on blind corners. Daily.
It’s a miracle more people aren’t dead, pure luck.
Some of it is fatigue:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12000200
Our tourist roads are clogged with rental vehicles driven by people without the skill to handle narrow winding open roads let alone fatigue as above. The roads themselves are bulging with more traffic than ever before and state highway 1 has more trucks than ever before,
It s simply another example of infrastructure underfunded.( and nationals sop to the trucking industry)
1) get long haul trucks back on rail
2) tourist cars should all have a T symbol to flag extra caution around them
3) there has to be a higher standard of driving from foreign drivers, must pass practical test before driving here
4) More passing lanes needed and rental companies to make sure tourists know to let traffic past. Frustration is killing
Yes, in Rotorua we often get drivers slowing down to a crawl while they try to decide “which way?” or “look at that!”
They are mainly drivers of rental vehicles, as they are the largest touring group.
They are not prepared for our poor quality roads or the terrain.
KCCC
100
1000% well said keepcalmcarryon.
Today this new Labour coalition Government have a last chance to prove they are serious about the climate change issue as they are in Gisborne to release their agreement with NZ First to bring back our rail to Gisborne again after it was damaged in 2012 by national as Steven Joyce as Transport Minister stole the funds that kiwirail needed to protect the drains/culvetts from blocking in heavy rain, and Kiwirail admitted it was the lack of those funds that caused the washout along one km of rail line on 23rd march 2012.
Since then we have seen all other regional lines repaired except the Gisborne line so Labour “Lets do this”.to help reduce truck gridlock on our fragile regional roads and lower the climate change emissions at the same time.
A no brainer labour, as it was youe first PM in 1937 Michael Joseph Savage that finally built the rail sevice from Wairoa to Gisborne nearly 80yrs ago,, so you need to honour your own past rail policies now.
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1302/S00183/kiwirail-admits-lack-of-maintenance-led-to-wash-out.htm
So National was guilty of wrecking our rail and after six long years we have had to wait for a labour lead government to finally reopen the rail service again.
Labour promises free-to-air RNZ TV channel
HENRY COOKE
Last updated 10:52, September 12 2017
http://gisborneherald.co.nz/localnews/2437884-135/labour-greens-united-on-rail
QUOTE.
Labour-Greens united on rail
Published: August 23, 2016 11:17AM
‘Wrong government in place’ to make rail a reality: Labour and Greens.
Labour-Greens united on rail
Published: August 23, 2016 11:17AM
QUOTE;
‘Wrong government in place’ to make rail a reality: Labour and Greens.
THE Labour and Green parties last night committed to re-opening the entire length of the Gisborne to Napier rail line but pointed out that would only happen if the National Party was removed from office.
but pointed out that would only happen if the National Party was removed from office. UNQUOTE;
We say to labour;
We will hold your Government to account here.as Jacinda has requested we do so in her speech at Waitangi day 2018.
Labour has promised in the Gisborne Herald press to reopen the rail services to Gisborne from Napier in 2016 before the election.
Last message to you all on 17th February 2018.
http://gisborneherald.co.nz/localnews/2437884-135/labour-greens-united-on-rail
It seems rather a waste of time to argue for the restoration of the railway line from Napier to Gisborne if you really believe the dire predictions about sea-level change.
I think it is fair to say that any action by New Zealand alone isn’t going to have that much influence on the world’s temperature. We should probably evaluate any changes we might consider on the assumption that not that much change is accomplished by the rest of the world. Sure it might be a worst case. It is also the most likely case.
If we do have significant sea level rise the railway line will be washed out from about where it crosses the Ngaruroro river south of Napier until it reaches the junction with SH5 just past Bay View. The whole length is very close to the sea and probably won’r survive.
Not that anyone would notice of course. Is there enough demand to justify more than one train per week?
Some of what you say is true Alwyn,
Here are some facts to consider.
We certainly recognise that climate change will destroy the roads and rail around all our coastal regions so we do know from overseas and historical NZ press and Government records we have that their were many alternative rail routes that were proposed by NZ Government surveyors dating from 1882 (we have the surveyers maps) to as late as 1939.
There are several that are still viable “alternative routes should the current rail and road routes all fail through inundation or flooding or land that has been destroyed by shifting of riverbeds or earthquakes.
I agree that we need to think about river flows and all other changes on every route.
As you say the Ngaroro river may cause issues also but we imagine that the whole Heretanga plains may even wind up under water in future as it was before the 1931 earthquake sio we know that there was plan to take our rail around the back hills behind the plains and this is easy flat land that is easily available to place rail lines oper that land.
Do remember that the “footprint of a rail line is lass than one third as wide as placing a road and the Chinese now have fully constructed levelers and transporters of continuous rail lines to place new lines very quickly in far less time than it would take to prepare a new base and finish a roading system.
Thanks for the inoput as we need now to prepare for the future of our transport system as when it goes out we need to move to reconstruct.
We had a bad year for heavy storms in 2011 and the road between Napier to Gisborne was closed several times for days as many slips occurred on the road but guess what” the rail was still safe ad usable that year and our freight had increased from one train every three days to two trains every day and in the eight months before the fatal washout kiwi rail had moved 80 000 tonnes of freight which kiwi rail said in one year 100 000 tonnes would break even.
Kiwirail admitted at the HB Regional Council Transport meeting on 21st December 2011 that it had to turn three large customers away, so we were Pissed off at that; – because we had worked so hard to get more freight clients on rail again.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/6170590/At-risk-rail-line-can-t-cope-with-demand
Kiwirail had no more wagons and locos to take on more freight that was asked to be sent on the lie so it was beginning to prove that rail was viable again.
Cleangreen, links to the Stuff and Herald articles on today’s announcements on the regional funding progamme and rail regeneration including between Napier – Wairoa for logging trains are at 14 and 14.1 below . Yay.
Yes veutoviper,
We had members of our group at the meeting today and no doubt we had them bending the ministers ears to get the rest of the rail link finished to Gisborne for all our regions future as freight and tourism is exploding here so we need passenger/tourism rail along with all freight now for our secure future.
See my response to Alwyn as he was correct we need to consider other routes if the land near the coast (which road and rail both follow) are both going to wind up under water like other regions will do also.
Thanks for the input.
cleangreen
It is a real tonic to read such an informed regional lobby – and if others can get their facts in a row they have a chance of getting to a better economic level that is practical and really serves the people and their enterprises.
greywarshark,
Yes the business’s in Gisborne and other regions all know that without rail they will suffer from “road cartel pricing ” and we have already seen major evidence of this when the final train left Gisborne after 20th March 2012, so to ensure “land based competition we need rail not only to lower road cost a safety and climate change but also for healthy transport competition which will give price and travel choices for their goods.
cleangreen
Gisborne and you’all – kia kaha.
Its a start, cleangreen. And the PM etc made clear that yesterday’s announcements were just the start, with much more discussion etc and more projects, addtions etc to come over time.
I love your part of the country despite not having been there for years. As does the PM who is there often, with her partner being ‘a boy from Gisborne’.
Hope you don’t mind, but used your posts here on OM 23 Feb re rail in Hawkes Bay in a big comment on OM 24 Feb to reply to a question re whether the line will be utilised at https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-24-02-2018/#comment-1453366
Meant as a holding reply as you did not seem to around. You may wish to reply also and correct anything I said (you’re the expert, not me).
.
NZTA are trying to reform their licensing and regulatory systems internally but there are multiple vested industrial interests opposing it.
A largely unseen fight but a real biggie.
That would be an interesting topic for a detailed post / discussion outlining NZTA’s objectives and the opposition to them, and by whom. Also who’s making / keeping it unseen.
+1
Absolutely. We are struggling against great wealth and power probably, and they like anonymity.
But tourists the economic miracle of NZ! Supporting luxury hotels, Sky city, tour bus companies etc!
With trains to the airport, tourists can relax get a look at the landscape and get safely to Whangerai, Tauranga , wherever then support these regional centers hiring their campers or cars in that region. Gets rid of all the hire places in the city , saves gas and perhaps a few lives and brings more employment to regions.
I also like the idea of Friday evening bar/railcars to Bay of Islands:
water taxis from Opua wharf , or the snow for weekend breaks.
I feel rail connects communities while building community by putting people in situations to communicate, rather than screaming at each other in steel boxes.
This would count, I suppose, as people “screaming at each other in steel boxes”.
The photo at the start of the article certainly looks like that.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/101736914/passengers-once-again-frustrated-with-wellingtons-overcrowded-train-services
The worst on the Wellington trains I heard of was quite a number of years ago now. A friend of mine who was on the train has never forgotten it and still cannot find any polite words for the Green Party.
The Green Party were going to hold a conference in the Wairarapa. Being good little lads and ladesses they all decided to travel on the evening commuter train from Wellington. They never thought to advise the railways of the fact that they were planning to double the normal number of passengers.
They then all arrived early and took all the seats. The normal commuters had to stand nearly all the way, They were apparently most definitely not happy campers.
I haven’t been following the discussion on Russian meddling in American politics mainly because I consider the whole proposition bullshit – American politics are so fucked up the Russians simply don’t need to meddle!
But this quote from the World Socialist Web Site seemed ‘pretty relevant’ to me:
“Fifteen years ago, on February 5, 2003, against the backdrop of worldwide mass demonstrations in opposition to the impending invasion of Iraq, then-US Secretary of State Colin Powell argued before the United Nations that the government of Saddam Hussein was rapidly stockpiling “weapons of mass destruction,” which Iraq, together with Al Qaeda, was planning to use against the United States.
“There was only one problem with Powell’s presentation: it was a lie from beginning to end.
“Fifteen years later, the script has been pulled from the closet and dusted off. This time, instead of “weapons of mass destruction,” it is “Russian meddling in the US elections.” Once again, assertions by US intelligence agencies and operatives are treated as fact. Once again, the media is braying for war. Once again, the cynicism and hypocrisy of the American government—which intervenes in the domestic politics of every state on the planet and has been relentlessly expanding its operations in Eastern Europe—are ignored.”
My God, we are a gullible species!
As usual, the World Socialist Web Site is full of shit.
In 2003, the US administration was peddling lies about Iraq while the US intelligence services had a much more accurate view of the situation and did report that more accurate view. 15 years later, the US administration is peddling lies about its dealings with Russia while the intelligence services are reporting a much more accurate view.
So, yeah, the two situations are entirely comparable, just not in the way the WSWS would like.
While I agree the proposition that the Russian government was/is utilising social media platforms to “undermine democracy” is bullshit, and that the hue and cry over Iraq’s supposed weapons of mass destruction was decidedly sickening – I think the comparison of the two is a bit off the mark.
A far more apt comparison for Iraq and WMD bullshit is Syria.
Here’s today’s Robert Fisk’s cogent piece in the Independent. It’s
worth contrasting and comparing it with today’s stenographic articles in The Guardian.
And yes, I also agree with PM that “The World Socialist Web” site thang leaves a lot to be desired. They won’t make the obvious parallel I just did in this comment because as far as they can figure, the goodness of any opposition to a government is generally beyond question – even when, as in the case of Syria, that opposition is to a government running a deeply interventionist economy of the type their ideological roots (authoritarian) lauded for decade after decade 😉
Thanks for the link to Fisk Bill.
“The World Socialist Web” are bunch of america Trots, treat that as you will.
Everyone can relax. It’s ok to watch Ocean Man again!
Good morning Am 3 news show people nice red jacket Duncan I a bit busy with the farm and the mokos it its excerlint that those 16 year old mokos won at the Winter Olympics.
Some tangata don’t realise how serious I take MY MOKOS future ECO MAORI Says that if they are trying to damage my credibility they are damageing My mokos future. Duncan Im that you learn by your mistakes we will have good thing going as I have said before I don’t like to have a negative effect on anyone go
Kia kaha Ka kite ano
Duncan I’m really pleased that Andrew Little is taking the bull by the horns a really good bloke and he has 300 signatures from people who work in OUR justice systems to back his moves to reform the justice system in Atoearoa.
ECO MAORI Says we all have to back Andrew and these changes will benefit all the people in Atoearoa.
Ka kite ano
Duncan I agree that Christen Bartle deserved to win New Zealand of the year she is a Great role model for all OUR Lady’s.
I was quietly backing Mike King.
But I’m a bit bias being Maori like you Ka pai. Ka kite ano
Andrew Little is a remarkable man.
+ infinity, he sure is.
“Andrew Little is a remarkable man.” agree but even more surprising that he’s selling out on TPPA. Likewise Jacinda.
At the end of the day it will be the PM and people ex union leaders like Little that were in charge when it was signed who will be remembered as responsible for signing it.
If it was Brash, Key, Goff or Nash leading the charge for the .1% you could understand it, less so those with a few more principles.
Why is it surprising?
He understands the frameworks…he was given access to the monetary and fiscal ‘realities’…
Yet little et al still vote for TPP…
Of course they do…
Remarkable. NO
@ One Two
His union mates don’t exactly agree…
“We appreciate the Government releasing the text and National Interest Analysis before signing, but that analysis is deeply flawed. It assumes that working people will find new employment immediately when their jobs are displaced by the CPTPP. That assumption is simply not supported by international evidence and New Zealand’s history of job losses.”
http://www.union.org.nz/economist-still-concerned-about-tppa-11s-implications-for-working-people/
“At the end of the day it will be the PM and people ex union leaders like Little that were in charge when it was signed who will be remembered as responsible for signing it.”
Indeed, savenz. History will show the left initiated it and signed it off.
While, ironically, the left largely oppose it.
I think you may be in for quite a few surprises.
Today is mud shoveling day, beautiful weather outside. Taking the day off to help friends, a slip tore down their driveway and through the carport, luckily it just missed their house and garage. BYO shovel.
Huge kudos for the early storm warning at the start of the week, that helped so many people.
We were lucky at ours, kids did enjoy kayaking on the road in the rain water. Skimmer board at the park, what can you do, two days off school, make the most of a bad situation 🙂
Apples are everywhere in Riwaka, either side of the road, everywhere, need any apples to feed your stock or pigs etc, head to Riwaka and help yourself.
It’s a mess in our region, but on the upside, we’ve a stunning community and everyone is doing what they can to help those in need. Much love to everyone over the Bay, thinking of you all.
Anyone else wishing for a reincarnation of the Ministry of Works? A depot at either side of the hazard-prone areas. Blokes who knew their work. Sufficient equipment plus temporary bridges..
The private companies do their best – yet they’re not exactly set up to cope well with big wash outs and other natural disasters.
Perhaps we could add a new Works department to the regional development venture.
Sounds like a great community Cinny.
Andrea
Keep thinking MOW – we will have lots more national disasters. We don’t want private companies reporting on their annual financial sheets that they were good for profit. Poor little NZ being eaten by money-borers. We need a strong government that represents the people, let the others go and live on some island the Peter Thiel sets up. Just BO>
Andrew is far better as a rear guard support MP.
Andrew seems to get things done “quietly, quickly, and efficiently” without any fuss and controversy.
I agree – he just didn’t work as a front of house leader but as a guy who can work behind the scenes and just get things done he has really found his niche. Good and effective.
Having met him, (Andrew) he is far more engaging than he appears on TV, unless he is unaware of the camera. Bright intelligent blue eyes and an easy manner, showing interest in what you have to say. Andrew is a facilitator who brings good people on board and gets them motivated.
Agree! He also knows how to draw people out and plays to their strengths not their weaknesses. Bravo to him for thinking hard before committing to another (billion dollar) prison too!
I prefer the Iranian custom of greeting women by placing a hand over their heart and bowing the head slightly. It has a sweetness about it.
Funny waste of QT yesterday when the Nat questioning if Iranian delgates refused to shake hands with Labour MPs. When my wife worked in Arab Emirates the men never touched/shook hands with her. No problem. Courtesy reigned. (One charming senior man would touch her elbow to elbow with a grin.).
Uplifting Friday:
Her final words:
Timely words in the light of the latest school massacre in Florida and the NRA chief’s indescribably awful responses. The NRA have purloined the words true freedom and have hoodwinked half a nation into believing owning guns is true freedom.
That is the brutality of the USA as it currently stands – aided and supported by a truly repugnant president and federal government.
it’s funny isn’t it… I was drawn to NZ’s treatment, as it currently stands, of Maori.
Interesting, the regional development fund gets underway
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/101706620/shane-jones-doles-out-millions-to-northland-hawkes-bay-and-rail-regeneration
Cleangreen will be thrilled re Napier – Wairoa rail regeneration, although I note it seems to be for logging trains only.
The Herald article below has more detail set out by region etc.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12000424
Yes, lucky help is on the way for the loggers and multinational business interests with public money!
Would make more sense if actual jobs were part of the investment (aka loggers using it have to employ local workers at 40 hour weeks at x wages) and industry pay back the money or are they just expecting trickle down jobs and estimates with no stipulations whatsoever?
Also are they processing the logs here into value added goods with the proceeds going into NZ tax coffers or exporting the raw products?
Funny, residents in Auckland are expecting to pay petrol taxes and commuter charges in Auckland, multinational logging companies get free trains. It’s all about fairness to the .1%
No mention of a 10% increase in taxes on trucks on the road!
I really cannot be bothered with engaging with you savenz.
As Ad said to you at 11.1.1.2.1.under the “Nationals-meh-leadership-contest” post, do youself a favour do some proper research as it is a waste of time engaging with you otherwise.
As I noted in my reply to Ad at 11.1.1.2.1.2, you have posted a plethora of negative comments today under that post and here on OM and I predicted that you would do so in respect to the regional development funding announced today by the Government. True to form you did not disappoint.
Did you actually read the Herald article? Because that summarises the conditions for funding from the Provincial Growth Fund which iis aimed at boosting growth and creating jobs in the regions – eg this first round is expected to create more than 700 direct jobs and 60 indirect jobs.
“The criteria for funding will include an assessment on whether a project boost productivity, adds jobs, uses Maori or other assets week, and mitigates climate change. It will also have to add value, rather than duplicate work already happening and must have support from local groups. There must also be evidence of good governance and the ability to survive once the fund was exhausted.”
The article also covers the plans for the planting of trees this year and in the years to come. Go read it yourself – and the http://www.beehive.govt.nz/ website.
Bye.
When 700 new jobs for LOCALS are created by the logging companies then let me know, sounds like you are referring to the entire growth fund not the article itself which talks about trains for the loggers to get trucks off the road.
Have you got proof logging companies get their logs transported on rail for free or are you lying
No it’s a question, how much are the logging companies going to pay to get their logs transported by rail subsidised by taxpayers and why not add in a 10% tax on diesel if that’s what the are proposing to do to Aucklander’s or a ‘commuter charge for trucks.
Let me know, bwaghorn.
Given the damage logging trucks do to the Napier-Wairoa road and the way they clog up this often passing-lane free and narrow highway, restoring rail service is a no-brainer. Unfortunately some of us were hoping for the Wairoa-Gisborne section to also be fixed.
Maybe next time.
Yes grey Area;-
We will continue our fight as we were there in 2009-2011 fighting to get the freight up on the Napier Gisborne line.
So Steven Joyce would keep it open (see my response and story on my response to Alwyn on 4.2.1.1)
As we were finding more freight for the line that kiwi rail admitted publicly on 21/12/2011 that they had no locos and wagons to carry it all and had to turn three large customers away then because we had found so many customers for them to use rail!!!!!
( I hope someone shoves this article in front of Shane Jones pronto.)
http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/6170590/At-risk-rail-line-can-t-cope-with-demand
Even more interesting is the proposal for Landcorp to enter the forestry business….
Are there actually business cases for these projects? BCRs? I am struggling to avoid the suspicion that a lot of the work is just pork barrel…
A.
“The future of Auckland’s beaches and waterways will be doomed if the council is granted a consent to discharge stormwater for at least three more decades, an environmental researcher is warning.
The Auckland Council has applied for a 35-year consent to both divert stormwater through the public network and overland as well as discharging it into the environment.
Researcher John McCaffery said the application was insulting – as there was growing public concern over the discharge of contaminated storm-water and sewerage.
“Here we are right in the middle of conversations on how to deal with it and the council is saying in 30 days time we want you to give us approval to do whatever we choose to do for 35 years without constraints.”
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/351044/stark-warning-over-auckland-s-beaches-and-waterways
Raw sewage spills onto Nelson beaches
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/350189/raw-sewage-spills-onto-nelson-beaches
Oh boy.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chicagoinc/ct-met-rauner-chocolate-milk-0223-chicago-inc-20180222-story.html
Totally left field and nothing to do with anything discussed on OM so far today….my wife is being told she has to biff her (2Degrees) 2G phone…that she only uses for calls and texts…for a 4G phone.
She is resistant to this…environment etc…and wonders why a 2G phone would have to be made redundant rather than being able to keep it on using it just for texts/calls without access to data/networks etc.
2Degrees have told her something about different frequencies.
Can anyone explain this simply…I would be appreciative.
Drum , I got same message , you can check what network yr phone uses, top left hand corner of screen, if it says 3g you are fine – ignore message to up grade.
hope this helps.
Changing technologies. Basically it’s not worth keeping old technology going. That would apply whether it was market driven or other.
Barnaby Joyce – gone!
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/world/351108/barnaby-joyce-steps-down-as-australia-s-deputy-pm
Oh dear! How SAD…..
Never mind.
🙂
That took longer than I thought it would.
Marco sums it up well though.
NZ yet again ‘perceived’ to be ‘the least corrupt country in the world’.
yawn …..
This is what I said about the, IMO, BULLSHIT Transparency International 2016 Corruption Perception Index last year.
What’s changed?
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1701/S00171/the-2016-corruption-perception-index-isnt-worth-the-paper.htm
Press Release: Penny Bright Independent candidate Mt Albert by-election
”The 2016 Corruption Perception Index isn’t worth the paper it’s written on.”
IMO the Transparency International Corruption Perception Index is utter garbage.
When are mainstream media going to ever interview me, to give my considered opinion, as an (unprotected) proven NZ
anti-corruption ‘whistle-blower’?
When you start a consultancy that publishes vacuous bullshit, probably. Just got to come up with some aspiration marketing nonsense.
How do we do it – least corrupt country – I would say most propagandised country – 100% Pure for instance.
Megan Woods, you dark horse!!! Ruthlessly sacking a member of the old male elite establishment without even a fig leaf of an excuse or a big golden handshake actually takes some doing, and will send shock waves through board rooms and mahogany lined club rooms everywhere.
The contrast with the buddy buddy nod nod wink wink crony capitalism of National (who couldn’t even get a conviction out of the CTV building or Pike River, total death toll 144) couldn’t be starker.
Real leadership, at last.
Brilliant! Today has been a very positive day!
BUT. but, but – he resigned of his own accord, didn’t he????
Easiest way to get rid of someone who was following orders. Especially at that level. cheaper to pay them to leave than to give them grounds to sue
MANY THANKS to the good people on TVNZ 1 NEWS at 6pm.
Its good to hear you people use Climate change on the news that is reality the wind were that much stronger than a category 5 in Gita they need to raise the level two a category 6 Ka pai.
It also good to see you reporting that crime is dropping in Atoearoa that’s realistic when I tell he tangata that the justice system are corrupt the mokos are to scared to break the law Ka pai.
. P.S ECO MAORI can see the sandflys at it again spinning more lies to justify all the attention they give me they are sending millions trying to suppress me the fools. And some people are that gullible they are falling for there lies once again.
Did you see how biest the justice system is against MAORI 62% of men in jail are Maori and you still believe there bullshit lies?????? They got nothing why did they stop my givealittle.co.nz account because they are scared I will sue them for millions that’s reality. Why because you are all witness to the NZ police breaching all my rights and my familys rights. Ana to kai.
Ka kite ano
They locked up my uncle and killed him because they thought he was me they have got 2 other relatives of mine in jail because they thought these people were me. Many thanks to the person who they have been getting there information from for protectioning my identity till ECO MAORI is muture enough to handle there bullshit moves I will win this battle and force the police into submission.
Ka kite ano P.S. I have many whano in the hinaki but those 2 were set up buy the police
If I did not have the Mana of Eco Maori and thestandard.org.nz website to check the sandflys move and Im also aware I see them and smell them thanks to my Te puna gentic gifts the sandflys would have killed me on the roads by now.
Ka kite ano
The reason I have made the statement above is because the sandflys have been behaveing really bad on the roads for months Ana to kai
So funny Hillary & Jeremy I had long hair and I was working hard fishing when I was 16 that was my second year I also was going to the pub set my deck hands tickets at 16 the tutor accused me of fakeing my 2 years experience fishing the skipper gave me a letter to confirm my experience he passed me I worked on 2 boats with him old Yella we called him lol I tried to work with him when I was in my 20ts one trip and I told him to stick it lol
Ka kite ano
What an insane world here in nz we apparently have a huge meth problem the stuff is currently selling for half the price of tobacco …(thanks ASH ) And 12 of our people DIED last year from smoking SYNTHETIC cannabis !!!! Im listening to naterly rnz was it this morn or yest morn hearing about a drug spraying chopper up arround the coramandle filling its herbacide tank on a beach !!! bad enough but what a fucked up stratedgy for dealing with very serious drug problems in nz CREATE SHORTAGES OF A NATRUAL PRODUCT ??????how fucked is that ???sorry about spelling
You made your very good point weston which i think most will agree with.