The change I want to see is less obsession with one topic in these general posts. How do you suggest I ‘be’ that?
I’ve been ignoring it for weeks and all I see is endless bickering, no attempts to make it relevant to NZ labour movement politics, wasting of moderators’ time and reduction of the other voices willing to brave the resulting swamp.
It is quite relevant actually, it shows up the natural issues we have in dealing with labour movement issues in NZ.
The first is internationalism, and if people are engaging with the concept in modern and classical sense. Do people have a internationalist outlook, or is it all tribalism?
The second is the East-West divide or North-South – Money-No money, Or Race/Class divide.
The third, is a relationship with the dominant power in society and our relation to their mouth pieces, the modern media.
Thanks. I’d welcome that perspective being explicitly added to all discussions here about far-off wars. Would make a pleasant change from the disconnected bickering.
I admit, I could be reading you wrong Chairman. It is just that I thought your comment added nothing to the debate over Syria, and was just an opportunist attempt to take advantage of the obvious split in the Left over Syria to start a flame war.
The other reason that I thought you are right Wing is your role in this debate HERE, where I may have mistakenly lumped you in with commenters veutoviper and McFlock who seem to be of the firmly held opinion, that contracts made with oil companies are more sacred than human life or the protection of the biosphere.
But again I could be wrong. And if I so I do apologise.
So I will take the time to answer the implied questioning of the Labour Party contained in your statement.
The Chairman 1
23 April 2018 at 6:47 am
Unlike the Labour Party’s disappointing acceptance, it’s good to see the Greens are opposing the latest air strike on Syria.
Personally I don’t think the Labour Party’s “acceptance” of the latest air strike on Syria was “disappointing” at all. In fact I think it was hard headed, and principled.
I think that the Labour Party struck the right balance, they didn’t give their full support to these air strikes, which must have taken some courage when every other country we align with gave their full support. But they accepted the need for them.
In my opinion the Labour Party’s current nuanced position on Syria, is very similar to that held by the late Jo Cox, assassinated by a neo-nazi sympathiser.
Cox called on the UK to use it’s airforce to make humanitarian air drops. She also supported a no fly zone. But Cox refused to vote for airstrikes on Syria.
Cox campaigned for a solution to the Syrian Civil War.[20] In October 2015, she co-authored an article in The Observer with Conservative MP Andrew Mitchell, arguing that British military forces could help achieve an ethical solution to the conflict, including the creation of civilian safe havens in Syria.[21] During that month Cox launched the All Party Parliamentary Friends of Syria group, becoming its chair.[22][23] In the Commons vote in December to approve UK military intervention against ISIL in Syria, Cox abstained because she believed in a more comprehensive strategy that would also include combatting President Bashar al-Assad and his “indiscriminate barrel bombs”.[20] She wrote:
By refusing to tackle Assad’s brutality, we may actively alienate more of the Sunni population, driving them towards Isis. So I have decided to abstain. Because I am not against airstrikes per se, but I cannot actively support them unless they are part of a plan. Because I believe in action to address Isis, but do not believe it will work in isolation.[24]
Andrew Grice of The Independent felt that she “argued forcefully that the UK Government should be doing more both to help the victims and use its influence abroad to bring an end to the Syrian conflict”.[25] In February 2016, Cox wrote to the Nobel Committee praising the work of the Syrian Civil Defense, a civilian voluntary emergency rescue organisation known as the White Helmets, and nominating them for the Nobel Peace Prize: “In the most dangerous place on earth these unarmed volunteers risk their lives to help anyone in need regardless of religion or politics”. The nomination was accepted by the committee, and garnered the support of twenty of her fellow MPs and several celebrities, including George Clooney, Daniel Craig, Chris Martin and Michael Palin. The nomination was supported by members of Canada’s New Democratic Party, who urged Stéphane Dion, the country’s Foreign Affairs Minister, to give his backing on behalf of Canada.[26][27]
Cox, a supporter of the Labour Friends of Palestine & the Middle East,[28] called for the lifting of the blockade of the Gaza Strip.[29] She opposed efforts by the government to curtail the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, and said “I believe that this is a gross attack on democratic freedoms. Not only is it right to boycott unethical companies but it is our right to do so.”[30]
A right wing troll and flame war instigator? Your opinion of me is totally incorrect, Jenny.
The intent of my initial comment/post was to publicly give the Greens a pat on the back while expressing my disappointment with Labour. Presenting an opportunity for us to discuss the two stances taken.
As for your opinion regarding Labour’s acceptance stance, I have to say I disagree. Opting for the middle ground, the Government lacked the courage to take a firm stance either way. Disappointing those that wanted to see the Government offer more support while also disappointing those that wanted to see the Government oppose it.
Jenny I have only just caught up with your claims above that The other reason that I thought you are right Wing is your role in this debate HERE, where I may have mistakenly lumped you in with commenters veutoviper and McFlock who seem to be of the firmly held opinion, that contracts made with oil companies are more sacred than human life or the protection of the biosphere.
What a load of bullshit. Back in that discussion on the Government’s decision to not allow any new oil and gas exploration permits but continue those already approved linked to under “HERE”, my comment was simply that:
“As The Chairman and Pat have said, to avoid those holding current permits which go out for years from suing the NZ Government (ie taxpayers) for probably hundreds of million of dollars, if not billions, for breach of contract, lost earnings etc etc .”
That is a ridiculous long bow that you have drawn from a simple statement pointing out the likely costs of breaching those existing oil and gas exploration contracts, to claiming that I, for one, “seem to be of the firmly held opinion, that contracts made with oil companies are more sacred than human life or the protection of the biosphere.”
I am strongly against any further oil or gas exploration on land in NZ or elsewhere, or anywhere in the worldwide marine environment due to the damage already done. And I was – and am still totally angry – that those exploration contracts were ever let in the first place by previous NZ governments of any hue or political persuasion.
But some of us here actually live and work/or have worked in the real world – not on some idealistic planet like some of you do.
If the existing contracts were thrown out and the NZ Government sued, those milllions/billions of dollars would have to come from somewhere.
Where do you suggest – the health budget, the social security/welfare budget, delaying essential infrastructure like rebuilding the railways, conservation budget, etc, etc?
It is those sort of false assumptions, and false equivalences that led me to decide not to reply to your original reply to me at the time where you tried to make an equivalence to the aboliiton of slavery etc.
But that claim of yours in your comment above as to my beliefs etc is a step too far. I would love it if we could stop all existing oil and gas exploration right this minute but realism dictates otherwise – and even people like James Shaw seem to understand that.
Good on you Jenny. But the Chairman is playing a persona of being a cool, superior, informed commenter bringing intelligence and order to the children’s playpen. From that elevated position and personal opinion behind it, every complaint, disagreement or comment is grist for more microscopic dissection of the reaction, questioning disdainfully, word by word. It will go on for ever. Occasionally there will be an apparently thoughtful comment usually though at an acute angle towards RW. Do not regard this as a trend!
Waste of time and space and thought power engaging with this robot-like person. It could be a prototype for automated responses to drive direction on vox populi like this one instead of people reading, thinking, discussing and learning from each other for greater understanding across the polity.
Well you can be a Green supporter and be critical of their direction in particular when for some inexplicable reason they go from 11% to 6% – clearly the cheerleaders egging them on are not exactly working in the Greens best interests.
We also live in a democracy so we can actually disagree with political decisions – but in the case of the Chairman – he is supporting the Greens decision on Syria. Therefore the attack on the Chairman, seems to be more of a concern trolling on behalf of people who don’t support the Greens attacking the person who does support the Greens pretending he/she doesn’t… weird.
Lord, have you seen many of Chairman’s concern-ridden comments? He has given himself away many times, but persists in pretending to be genuine. Jenny is the lastest in a long list of people who have twigged.
Totally disagree, if Greens had taken notice of what Green supporter criticism was telling them, then they might not be in the position hey are today. To be a cheerleader when a political party is going down the toilet for votes, is not a good idea. Be the friend that tells them, not a good idea!
I voted Greens last time too (for party vote) but very grudgingly because I thought they had screwed up big time, but wanted to make sure Greens made over 5%.
I wasn’t worried so much the Metiria issue, but a whole range of things that made it more about the Green MP’s rather than about the Green Party.
Criticism from “supporters” is usually constructive. And if the circumstances just prior to last election are “inexplicable” to you, you weren’t paying attention.
On the contrary, that binary is your construct. I’m sure it’s purely coincidental that phrasing it in that way emphasises division between coalition partners.
To steal a term from Ardern, I accept the positions of both parties, and I respect and understand the basis for their decisions. I believe both parties have made good-faith decisions based on the particular situation they are in. I don’t know that I would do anything different to Labour if I was the major governing party, and if I were in the Greens’ position I’d probably feel more free to express a stronger opinion.
As you can see, we both vote Green, yet our opinions differ. While I can understand Labour’s position, I don’t accept or agree with it. I’m more aligned with the Greens stance.
It would be interesting to see how many Labour supporters fully agree with the Government’s stance.
The Government must have felt they could get away with taking this middle ground stance. Hence, if their supporters oppose this, they need to voice their disappointment.
And while you accept the position of both parties, which do you support?
As for your remark: “stick your concern up your arse.”
What are you on about? I haven’t raised a concern.
Your language is the same as always: “support” vs “oppose”. “Fully agree” vs “don’t accept”. Urging people to “voice their disappointment”. Saying the government is trying to “get away with” something.
Here’s a bombshell for you: the Greens don’t agree with Labour’s position, but they accept it. Despite your attempts to sow discord, they’re not walking away from the coalition, are they?
And no, my position isn’t fence-sitting. My position is that this government has potential to be a great government, with all parties involved. So really, the distinction between “accepting” the fact that the yanks are going to bomb folks and impotently opposing this state of nature is pretty pointless. Our government probably needs both things to be said.
If Ardern spoke strongly against it, Trump would get fucked off and hold a grudge. That might bite us later. But the Greens don’t expose us to that level of diplomatic friction, so they can speak more strongly. The lack of National-level enthusiastic support suggests to me that the Greens could well have been saying what Ardern would have liked to have been able to say.
As to the latest airstrike on Syria, I don’t like it. But as I’ve said before, I can’t decide whether I don’t like it because it was an unsanctioned trilateral attack on a sovereign nation, or whether I don’t like it because it was intentionally ineffective when they should have been genuinely trying to kill Assad and destroy his military infrastructure for the last 6 years. But this strike was just the bullshit of both worlds.
It would be interesting to see how many Labour supporters fully agree with the Government’s stance.
Huh!? Aren’t you privy to plenty of anecdotal evidence, feedback and the Greens’ internal polling?
As McFlock has already done a superb job of explaining it to you I won’t have to add much.
You don’t seem to understand the consensus approach of the Greens, which does not rely on “fully agree[ing]” or similar absolutes.
The Greens think and operate more in a holistic integrated way, at multiple levels, not in black & white or Left & Right.
You may not also agree with your spouse, for example, but you still accept them and you won’t express your disappointment in the hope (or with the intention) that they would change their ways so that you won’t get disappointed again in future.
It’s no bombshell to me that the Greens accept Labour’s position. It’s basically what I pointed out to Pat below. The thing is, although the Greens accept Labour’s position, they don’t share it.
Sure, the Green’s voicing their stance doesn’t expose us to the same level of diplomatic friction, but you seem to be saying you support our Government kowtowing to Trump to avoid any potential friction. Care to clarify? And while kowtowing to Trump may avoid diplomatic friction, it would paint us as a bit of a pushover on the international stage.
If we were to oppose, our opposition couldn’t be that impotent if it were to bother the States enough to create friction.
And opposing wouldn’t be pointless, especially if it grew Labour’s support. For me, Labour’s acceptance is another in the list of reasons not to vote for them. Wonder how many others from the left feel the same way? So while Labour may have avoided diplomatic friction, I’m sure their stance has created friction and a divide amongst a number of their own supporters.
Kowtowing? You are obviously unaware of the reactions by the aussies or the nato states. They actively supported it. NZ is almost the odd one out amongst western nations in merely “acceptin” them.
NZ opposition would have been impotent in that we would not have been able to get trump to avoid or even merely ameliorate the response. It could have pissed him off, though. Whether the latter is a bad thing needs some complex analyses, but friction is not it’s own reward or a sign of power. Only internet jerks think that.
As for growing Labour’s support, thanks for your concern but I reckon they’ll be ok. Especially if they actually have a decent budget and start building a hospital or two.
He does show a lot of concern which doesn’t quite ring true when considering his other posts. The definition of this is concern trolling. I tend to just scroll on by.
As you can see, the Greens disagreed with Labour and yet the coalition hasn’t fell apart.
The tactic is to scare the Greens into submission, costing them their identity, thus weakening their support. Potentially costing Labour a coalition partner come next election.
Sad that some from the left are falling for it.
Good to see the Greens haven’t totally fallen for it.
It’s a right-wing tactic. Devised of two prongs. Say nothing and risk losing your identity as a result of failing to speak up or speak up and risk being painted as divided.
At a time when our government is claiming that climate change is our generation’s “nuclear-free moment,” and has recently said that there will be no new coal mines on conservation land, it must say no to this mountaintop removal. Without access to this precious DOC land, the mine is unlikely to go ahead.
Hon Dr Megan Woods (Minister of Energy and Resources) and Hon Eugenie Sage (Minister of Conservation), have the power to stop this mine.
Call on Megan Woods and Eugenie Sage to live up to their words, and pull the plug on this dirty and short-sighted project. Sign the petition here:
Deborah Hill Cone: Why does Clarke Gayford bug me?
Not quite sure what the point of this article is, is it for click bait purposes, is it the first shots in the rumours swirling or did she just have to submit something before the deadline and this is the best (worst) she could come up with?
‘He went on to complete a Bachelor of Arts in political science and history, and a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) at the University of Auckland.’
‘During this time, he took leave to travel to the United Kingdom to study at the London School of Economics, and later to complete a postgraduate law degree at St Catherine’s College, Oxford;’
Simon Bridges may be well educated, but he appears low in social and emotional intelligence and lacks individuality, so he comes across as a cardboard cut out of Key.
PR
Simon might be your lord – good luck with that – his educational qualifications haven’t fitted him to be a political leader of the sort we want, and urgently need, in NZ. A NZ that is a well functioning country where citizens are treated fairly with equality and able to work and support themselves in a vital domestic economy.
Dont underestimate the Nat machine grey. He is in bigtime training. They have a template and they are using it again. Having some in the media lead a different angle of attack is not new, while the new leader trains and has no dirt on his hands.
The political game is bigger than the All Blacks I guess Tracey. The team all well paid and very hard to shake down and keep down from the elevated position on the league table they had fashioned for themselves (in a penthouse perhaps).
Labour having done so will have to watch in any ruck that no-one gets their ear bitten off or worse. Watching your back when on the field is axiomatic – to ensure that an axe doesn’t land there!
There is a difference between a questioning mind and one that is very good at repeating information they have learnt. I’m pretty sure that that Simon is more the type to excell at repeating what he’s been taught.
Also those with impressive CV’s seem to somehow be falling into a hybrid intellectual but idiot class (a new right version), an affliction where seemingly extremely well educated individuals somehow have almost zero practicality or ability to solve a problem.
I get confused PR, do Nats now love people who spend a lot of time at University? I know he was a Prosecuter, and worked briefly in a firm but real world? C’mon you guys ridicule lefties with far less academic bullshittery
I clarified your comment hence it is about your thinking, not mine. Stating a fact or making an observation it does not logically follow that one agrees with or accepts it …
Not so sure it is that orchestrated in this case. The topic of every Hill Cone ‘piece’ is Hill Cone herself, ultimately. This fits the pattern rather well.
Mostly I am just envious – not an emotion I suffer from much – but oh! how I wish I could rake in good money from just dashing off any old shite from 8:00-8:30 in the morning and then go fishing or gardening for the rest of the day. Bliss!
Personally, I think she’s miles ahead of HDPA in the quality of her writing.
Yes she is but despite her occasional protestations to the contrary, I’m always mindful of her former right-wing views. It is my experience that leopards never really change their spots.
I don’t have a problem with right-wing views per se; I do have a problem with RWNJs, dogmatic & rigid, arrogant & patronising, major lack of self-awareness and effects on others, and people who are inconsiderate and refuse to say sorry.
I was making a general comparison of the writings of Cone and HDPA; I was not specifically commenting on the Cone’s latest piece, which it sounds like it was a shocker.
Insufficient fawning.
If that isn’t against the law Winston will certainly make it so when he officially takes charge. “So I suggest you should watch it Sunshine”. Winston will soon be the law.
“Catastrophisation”..
I didn’t actually care at all under I saw this wonderful word in your comment. I had never seen or heard it before and I had to look it up.
Thank you for putting another glorious word into my vocabulary. Now I just have to find a real reason to use it.
Haagerup, who founded the Constructive Institute, spoke of how many journalists think the goal of good journalism is to be critical, when in fact the goal should be to inform people in order for people to make up their own minds. Being critical was simply a tool to do that, not the goal, and journalists had mixed that up.
Also note that this is thanks to 17 Stuff staff awarded company scholarships this year. Money & time well spent I’d think.
Can compost help agriculture as well as climate change? I’m not sure what became (if anything) of NZ supposed involvement in world climate change reduction by looking at science and technology, but here seems to be a study that could be investigated further and trialled in NZ.
“California has about 56 million acres of rangeland, the single largest type of land use in the state. If compost made with manure was applied to just 5 percent of that area, they calculated, it would offset emissions from about 80 percent of the state’s agricultural sector — all the cows raised, crops grown, fertilizer applied and tractors driven in California. Much of that offset came from diverting manure from festering lagoons — where it releases methane and nitrous oxide into the atmosphere — into compost, a one-time benefit. But the ongoing drawdown of carbon dioxide from enhanced grass growth could be important, too. If you treated 41 percent of the state’s rangeland, Silver told me, carbon pumped into the earth by photosynthesis might render the entire agricultural sector of the world’s sixth-largest economy carbon-neutral for years to come.”
“compost made with manure” – I wonder what they mean by that? Compost is generally plant-based, not manure-based. Compost making; hot composts especially, produce lots of heat and various gases; not ideal if reducing both is your aim. Cold composts, where time does the work, are probably better, though out-basing is still a thing. My preference would be for direct application of plant material and animal manures to the surface of the soil; I suspect the processes that happen at soil level are different to those that occur in a constructed heap; often it’s the details that make all the difference. Perhaps someone has details of what is released from forest floor litter degrading. I think a managed woodland, one where fungi are nurtured and charcoal produced etc. is the best model around. Masses of cow dung produced by farmed animals (as in California) dug from lagoons! or whatever was to be processed, I expect a methane recovery system would be better than anything else. Here in New Zealand we apply sloppy cow sh*t to pastures through slurry spreaders and irrigation systems, but it’s far from ideal; the problem is the cow shed/milking shed – if cows were out and about all the time there wouldn’t be the problem (different problems, but not the “must move this mountain of sh*t problem).
also watched an interesting article last night about the US putting back prairie grass and bison, also took in carbon and created a haven for flora and fauna… grass based and non intensive farming of grazing animals for example could be used to store carbon… something NZ needs to think about as we go towards very intensive, soil destructive and use of supplementary feed like Palm kernel … the opposite of good carbon practises… there is clearly better ways to managed farmed animals – NZ should be looking at better options, not burying our heads in the sand or increasing our carbon outputs!
You and she may miss the point. As a highly paid Rugby professional, he has clauses in his contract about bringing the game into disrepute. Of course he can rant on the hell-headingness of gays all he likes, provided he resigns his current job and thereby the money first. he would have had a lawyer advise him before he signed the contract on what all the clauses meant…. turns out he just wants the ones that work for him.
Problem is Au rugby union probably need Falou more than he needs them re who creates the values I suggest ending his contract would be
more detrimental to aru than Falou , he has options and one of the few world class players the wallabies have that can draw and audience, hence why kids glove treatment
“The last passenger pigeon, named Martha, died in 1914. It was the same summer that Archduke Franz Ferdinand took one in the gut. Since then, the Archdukes have been multiplying in secret, under different names and titles. Now they are the ones darkening the skies over many of the world’s cities. Now we are the ones darkening the skies, everywhere.”
“The last passenger pigeon, named Martha, died in 1914. It was the same summer that Archduke Franz Ferdinand took one in the gut. Since then, the Archdukes have been multiplying in secret, under different names and titles. Now they are the ones darkening the skies over many of the world’s cities. Now we are the ones darkening the skies, everywhere.”
One reason is that when the new rules (which Key et al said we didn’t need) came in, only a third of Trusts supplied the real name and address info required. The rest let their trusts lapse…
Indeed, but what about the 2/3rds who just went quite? Why did 2/3rds of trust who probably we’re doing somthing underhand, just get a free pass? And last but not least, where did they go?
Hooton on Nine to Noon this morning espousing the need for changing what prisons are about.
“Prisons should be about inmates learning reading, writing and arithmetic then they take a shower and shave and be let out to get a job. Not for murder, rape or GBH convictions though.”
Apparently he advised ACT on this as a potential policy in the past.
I wonder if it has ever occurred to him that the proactive approach of meaningful govt investment in our education system and the reinstatement of a 21st century Ministry of Works would go a long way in solving the need for more prisons in NZ.
I wonder if it has ever occurred to him that who he has supported and voted for during his voting lifetime have not wanted to do what works in prisons but what gets them votes? And his ongoing support and votes for them means they keep giving him what he doesn’t want?
It sounds to me like Hoots has spent some time listening to Alex Swney, born-again swindler, who used to belong to ACT, ran for them in Tamaki, and went to prison cos he thought he wasn’t paid what he was worth, so just embezzled it.
Having made sure he tied up his assets out of reach of IRD, he went to prison, his girls continued at private schools and he styled himself on Shawshank Redemption…. working in the library and teaching people to read and do yoga. Frankly I am surprised he taught anyone to read given he doesn’t usually stop to let anyone else speak.
So the gormless 3 strikes and you’re out party now have members pretending to be astounded the system is broken? Just cos one of theirs went inside and has seen what it’s “really like”? Funny thing about privileged men, they cannot believe something until they or one of their ilk has experienced it.
EVIDENCE based rehab and punishment would go along way to reforming many of our ills, but the votes… the VOTES!
Is it? National and ACT voters have ensured we have a punitive, vengeful focussed system for decades. I have long suspected Simon Power’s early demise (he was often touted as a future PM) was because he wanted an evidence-based, bipartisan approach to our prison system and got yelled down by the “what about the law and order votes” crowd. The SST crowd must vote for someone, I suspect they loved the 3 strikes nonsense.
ACT has provided by far the highest number of MP’s who have been found guilty of crimes. By some margin. Just saying.
Kat. I think Hooton’s comment was in the context of the Government needing to get we the people onside. If we saw the changes as Hooton outlined it would help to counter the shrill voices already screaming, “Do ya want murderers and rapists roaming the streets and climbing in your windows because of these wishy washy Labour Mps?”
Ianmac. I heard it as Hooton suggesting what he thinks prisons should be focusing on, in short repositioning prisons as schools. Having these basic skills would be a perquisite to letting people out of prisons. Not that I disagree with upskilling people in prisons but I tend to agree with Tracey that the previous National/Acts govt vote grabbing and punitive policies towards crime is a major factor in why we have such high incarceration and those on remand have trebled since 2012.
Sour Soper. Poor guy is in mourning. Several cracks about Jacinda flying high and innuendo about her friendship with Trudeau finally saying “she will come to earth back behind her desk in Parliament.”
He and his wife are a sour pair.
The surprise today was 10 out of 10 for Jacinda from Hosking’s wife, almost gracious!! Hosk will have a fit!!
If you thought Mihi Forbes would be an excellent addition
to The Panel, you’re going to be very disappointed.
RNZ National, Monday 23 April 2018, 4:10 p.m.
Jim Mora, Mihi Forbes, Sam Johnson, Caitlin Cherry
Johnson, a Young Nat, started the show by vapouring on about how Jacinda represents “generational change,” and then getting in a party-political kick in the head by insisting the rest of the Labour Party was not like her, and that there was going to be trouble for the government in the next six months. Then he said: “But whatever side of the political fence you are on, you should be very happy about the way the Prime Minister held herself.”
Mihi Forbes vacuously endorsed Johnson’s words, saying something equally vapid about Jacinda and “the world stage.”
Mihi Forbes has a well earned reputation as a straight talker and a courageous journalist. She could have made a difference to this usually substandard show. Sadly, she seems to have chosen the standard option for many women on this show: meekly agreeing with whatever Mora and the other guest say, no matter how asinine. Hell, they might as well have the egregious Lisa Scott on the show….
‘Plausible deniabilty’ in action.
Thompson & clarke and government entities and their agents. Checkpoint is well on the way to the expose….but then there are also some of the other little nudge nudge wink wink activities between T&C and a public service that @Wayne assures us is impartial (see the weekend).
Maybe part of Steven Joyce’s 11 billion hole will be the number of CEO’s and snr managemwnt in the public service who should rightfully be put on ‘gardening leave’as what should be the bleeding bloody obvious is investigated.
We have become truly 3rd world. Some of the muppetry really astounds me ( going forward ).
The question is now whether our exec branch of government will ekshully deal with our out-of-control admin wing in this grand pissing competition between the two.
I think I just heard a DOC ‘official’ tell us that the services of T&C were still being used….despite being told ( from memory) that the SSC and ministers saying this was not on and should stip.
As I listened to the reasons why their services were required, i had to ask myself WHY AREN’T THE NZ POLICE handling this? Afterall, that is their job!
I’m afraid we have @spikeyboy – as I raise a toast with a dainty wee glass full of the best Matrinborough Chardonnay, whilst clutching my pearls and telling my partner how absolutely horrid it all is going forward.
Worse still, many of TS commenters haven’t yet seen fit to make any sort of comment (one way or the other).
At the very least I was hoping for an @ Anne or @ Patrician Bremner take on it all.
An @ Ad or an @ Wayne’s take, I think I can already imagine.
I wonder sometimes whether Labour and its coalition partners are masochistic, as in beat me beat me with some more ‘official’ lies and bullshit. The past record and
current pushback hasn’t yet caused some Ministers to wake the fuck up!
No wonder some are nervous about the breadth of backgrounds on the new group for Secret Services, some questions we all ask will now be asked and some of the skullduggery will need to be justified
“I know how these orders are given. I know how a sniper does the shooting. I know how many authorizations he needs before he receives an authorization to open fire. It is not the whim of one or the other sniper who identifies the small body of a child now and decides he’ll shoot. Someone marks the target for him very well and tells him exactly why one has to shoot and what the threat is from that individual. And to my great sorrow, sometimes when you shoot at a small body and you intended to hit his arm or shoulder, it goes even higher.”
For “it goes even higher,” Fogel uses a Hebrew idiom also meaning “it costs even more.”
In this chilling statement, in which a general talks about snipers targeting the “small body of a child,” Fogel makes crystal clear that this policy is premeditated and deliberate.
While presenting unarmed Palestinian children as dangerous terrorists worthy of death, Fogel describes the snipers killing them in cold blood as the innocent, vulnerable parties who deserve protection.
“We have soldiers there, our children, who were sent out and receive very accurate instructions about whom to shoot to protect us. Let’s back them up,” he says.
Jenny…A horrific account. Israel is supported in these atrocities by the USA and all other nations who stay silent. An outrage to anyone with a smidgen of ethics.
Good morning Newshub Yes my spelling is—— but you know what they say about one skill being naturally missing another is enhanced ???????.
Duncan you are behaving Honorably that was a good interview with Jacinda .
Yes most of OUR Elderly sit at home isolated from society mean while the cost of everything keeps climbing which limits there food budget so they don’t get the right nutrition or exercise . I say we should include them in OUR society they have a lot of good knowledge and morels that should be past on to the Mokopunas thats how Maori used to be the Koro and Kuia looked after the Mokopunas while the able went to work get the Kaumatua is early child care and schools it would be beneficial to all.
MJ I researched artificial sugars and the facts put me off them cancer causing agents in them yes I know I smoke my Nan smoked till she was 60 and lived to 93 thats a good innings.
Its not racism untill you are the one feeling the effects of this human behavior and Eco Maori is differently feeling these effects the sandflys get a hint of me being scared of them and they step up the intimidation I am not scared of them as I have done nothing wrong and I have the skills my Tipuna bestowed on me.???????? here’s a link.
The old, the children, the disabled, the unwell and uncared for, the homeless, the low paid… the numbers of our vulnerable used to be small but increasingly their numbers are moving beyond being a mere “minority”.
The antidote? We are told we must “grow the economy”. Well the economy has been growing for decades and yet… As long as many pretend that growing the economy is a panacea and thereby comfort themselves that as long as the economy grows things will be fine, we will continue to fail our vulnerable. Our vulnerable are who we are supposed to protect, not relegate to subsistence and essentially tell them they shoukd feel lucky they werent born in India.
Sadly eco, 675000 plus land is way out of many kiwis hands. It was hard to tell from the article if land was included in the price or not. I suspect not.
157 square metre house costing $675,000 is about $4300 per square metre.
I am all for passive houses but until the price plummetts it is a rich womans dream.
FYI when we moved from Auckland to Christchurch ladt year we built new and tgat included 20 solar panels. Install and purchase of the panels and equipment was 135000.
Batteries are not yet regarded by our supplier as worth their cost
Here you go a Lady with 2 children working and having a hard time putting a roof over there heads .I know some one in the same situation thanks to bill and shonky we have a major shortage of houses .Ka kite ano hears the link
Newshub Malissa The new British Royal baby boy congratulations Willaim an Kate .
I say that Jacinda and Clarke are a cool couple and will be excellent parents Ka pai eh hoa yes the fish I was handling was over 35 years ago everything was in abundance and big in those days.
Mike I have already commented on that painting you see I have been studying our tipuna and history I have read a lot of good storys about Tepuia she and Apirana Ngata built a lot of Marae and Trust farms and I would not agree to any of OUR boys going to war You see the nurturing instinct from a Great Mana Whine Tepuia .
Yea the Kiwis Rugby League team is going for the best coach I remember all those going for the coachs job Toovey Hasler Daley they were all mean players back in the day Yea. the Mokos are here Ka kite ano
The Crowd Goes Wild Mulls and James I won’t comment on that team.
Hows the eye and calf and the ratings you know Eco Maori is the flute Master .
Kronfeld looks like he dosen’t like water lol ka kite ano P.S
The IPL Cricket is awesome I like the way they (Play)
Tax reminder – have your say to the Tax Working Group. TS has talked and thought about it often enough and its failings at present. We could do so much better with the right shift – to the left of course.
ttp://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1804/S00241/one-week-left-to-have-your-say-on-the-future-of-tax.htm
“The quick polls have been popular with more than 10,000 responses so far and it’s encouraging that a good proportion of those votes have been followed up with a submission.”
Note: 10,000 responses so far – out of 4+ million taxpayers minus children not big enough to suck gobstoppers. It isn’t many really is it. Your input will be effective at some level so don’t miss out.
Open access notables A survey of interventions to actively conserve the frozen North, van Wijngaarden et al., Climatic Change:The frozen elements of the high North are thawing as the region warms much faster than the global mean. The dangers of sea level rise due to melting glacier ice, increased ...
Bryce Edwards writes – New Zealand’s biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure. The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On ...
In 2015, then-Prime Minister John Key announced plans for a huge ocean sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands, banning fishing and mining from 15% of Aotearoa's EEZ. It was bold, it was ambitious, and it suggested that National might actually care about the environment. Except they fucked it up: Key failed ...
1. Who has just been given the accolade New Zealander of the Year?a. The Kokakob. The Cook Strait Ferryc. Fair God. Dr Jim Salinger 2. Which of these is an affront to decent society?a. Dame Edna Everageb. Mrs Doubtfire c. Dr. Frank-N-Furterd. Brian 3. Who is Penny Simmonds?a. The aspiring actress in Big ...
New Zealand’s biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure.The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On the face of it, the court found ...
Buzz from the Beehive Waves of rain are set to lash much of the North Island during Easter Weekend as a low-pressure system forms east of New Zealand, according to a weather forecast published in the past day or so. Niwa was warning of a “moisture-laden” long weekend, with rain expected ...
Look around us…Nicola Willis’ promises of balancing the books, of cutting spending without reducing services, and of delivering game changing tax cuts are disappearing before her eyes.Everyday we see stories of violent crime ending in horrific injuries, or worse. The cost of living worsens, whereas the PM claimed renters would ...
TL;DR: My top six news of note on the morning of Thursday, March 28 include:The Government will have to borrow between $10 billion to $15 billion more than previously expected in order to make up for a slowing economy and to pay for $14.9 billion of tax cuts, according to ...
This story by Naveena Sadasivam and Kate Yoder was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. The long-awaited jobs board for the American Climate Corps, promised early in the Biden administration, will open next month, according to details shared exclusively ...
Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don’t think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of ...
Treasury’s first report on the economy since the change of government presents a damning indictment of Labour’s economic management. The problem for National is that it is so damning that logically, coupled with a rapidly slowing economy, Finance Minister Nicola Willis should respond to it by postponing or even cancelling ...
Budget tensions are becoming evident within the Coalition Government. Winston Peters made numerous political points in his speech to the NZF annual conference. But the attack on his own government’s fiscal policies raised issues of substance. ‘Today in the Sunday Star Times, journalist and former advisor to the Labour ...
Buzz from the Beehive The media – sure enough – have been binging on Finance Minister Nicola Willis’ release of the Budget Policy Statement and a statement headed Government announces Budget priorities This assures us – or rather, this parrots the Luxon team mantra – that the Budget “will deliver ...
The Ides of March brought me COVID followed by a bereavement. No wonder they tell you to be careful of them.I’m home now and have resumed the interrupted recuperation. Very much looking forward to getting back to regular things. Meanwhile, some thoughts…OneThis new Prime Minister guy just keeps getting more dire. ...
News that the Chinese ATP 40 cyber-hacking unit penetrated parliamentary internet networks in 2021 has renewed concerns about the PRC’s malign intentions in Aotearoa. But is the hack that significant given the length of time that has passed since its … Continue reading → ...
When Parliament passed the Intelligence and security Act in 2017, they assured us all that it was full of safeguards. Any intrusive surveillance of New Zealanders would be subject to a "triple lock", requiring the approval of the Minister and (supposedly independent) Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants, as well as post-facto ...
Eric Crampton writes – Richard Harman’s Politik newsletter provides a bit of the context that ought to have been showing up in other media reports on potential reductions in public service staffing. Media has been reporting on staffing cuts on the order of about 7%. Is that ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – It’s becoming increasingly apparent that many perceive free speech to have become the preserve of the politically right wing, the religiously conservative, the libertarian fringe, the anti-trans, the anti-Māori and…. well, just fill in with whatever groups or individuals you don’t like and don’t ...
Don Brash writes – As everybody who is not blind and deaf is aware, there is a huge political preoccupation with climate change at the moment, a widespread (though by no means unanimous) belief that global temperatures are rising mainly as a result of the greenhouse gases created ...
TL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy on Wednesday, March 27 include:Chris Bishop laid out his vision for filling Aotearoa-NZ’s $100 billion infrastructure deficit in a speech yesterday, emphasising user pays and private funding, but failed to say how to achieve bipartisanship on population, public borrowing and ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Former Finance Minister Grant Robertson and former Prime Minister Chris Hipkins have been conveying how unhappy they are with the tax system. Last week in his valedictory speech, Robertson called for the introduction of a wealth or capital gains tax. And this week Hipkins ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Buzz from the Beehive China has loomed large in Beehive considerations over the past 24 hours, largely because of that country’s mischief-making in the cyber espionage department. Two media statements emerged on that subject hard on the heels of the PM baulking at questions put to him on RNZ’s Morning ...
Chris Trotter writes – WHY IS THE NATIONAL PARTY doing so much for landlords, property developers, trucking, and construction companies, and so little for everybody who isn’t already pretty well-off? It’s as if protecting landlords’ investments and building apartments and roads now constitute the whole of National’s ...
Bryce Edwards writes – When she was campaigning to be Minister of Finance last year, Nicola Willis pledged that she would resign from the job if she failed to deliver tax cuts in her first Budget. Now, it’s that pledge, along with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s ...
Robert MacCulloch writes – The Reserve Bank has doubled staff numbers in five years to 510, with personnel costs rising to $80 million in 2023 from $32 million in 2018 – up by a whopping 150%. I guess when you print $50 billion and flood markets with liquidity, ...
The furore. In case you didn’t notice there was a controversy in the weekend involving dolphins in a little town off the South Island. Don’t panic, they haven’t declared independence and resumed whaling, this was simply a sailing event.The problem began when racing was cancelled on the opening day of ...
For 20 years or more, the case for a meaningful capital tax gains has been mulled over and analysed to death, including by the tax working group chaired by Sir Michael Cullen. More than once, the International Monetary Fund has said a CGT would be a good idea for New ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: The Public Health Communications Centre (PHCC) call for urgent preventive action and a risk assessment survey of long covid in this briefing noteLocal scoop: NZ road deaths surpass OECD rates, so why is the govt reversing safety plans? ...
This story was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. This story is part of a collaboration with Grist and WABE to demystify the Georgia Public Service Commission, the small but powerful state-elected board that makes critical decisions about everything from raising ...
This is a guest post from Robert McLachlan Global warming is accelerating; 2023 was off the charts. We need to stop burning fossil fuels. In New Zealand, transport accounts for half of all fossil fuels burnt. In the Emissions Reduction Plan, transport emissions fall 41% by 2035. As the ...
Labour productivity has been receding rapidly over the past two years, reversing a post-lockdown rise. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy as at 6:26am on Tuesday, March 26 include:Workers have been treading water in output per hour worked for 12 years, ...
TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 2 include:Today, Parliament resumes sitting at 2pm for the second week of a two-week session. Officials for SIS and GCSB report their annual reviews in public to the Intelligence and Security Select Committee from 5.10pm.Tomorrow, ...
Faced with a barrage of criticism over the promised tax cuts from usually supportive commentators, Finance Minister Nicola Willis yesterday reaffirmed her intention to include them in this year’s Budget. The Government is up against it over the cuts just about every way it turns. Commentators like Fran O’Sullivan, Matthew ...
Here’s my pick of today’s substack posts as of 6:26pm on Monday, March 25: writes via his substack that Market-rate housing will make your city cheaper writes via his substack about the problems talking to double-cab ute (truck) drivers about their vehicles. today about moments of radicalisation in ...
Buzz from the Beehive Just before Christmas, Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivered something that was pitched as a mini-budget and brayed about the decisive action being taken to repair the Government books and support income tax relief in Budget 2024. In a statement headed Fiscal repair job underway. she introduced ...
My sister Belinda asked Dad yesterday what one word would describe Mum best. He said: vivacious.If you only knew her from the photos on the slideshow we've made for today,you might wonder about that, because the camera tended to lie with Mum.If ever she saw a camera pointed at her, she ...
There are two major public consultations closing in the next week, Auckland Council’s Long Term Plan (LTP), and the draft Government Policy Statement on Land Transport (GPS). Closing dates and times: LTP closes Thursday 28 February, at 11.59pm – a minute to midnight! GPS closes Tuesday 2 April, at 12pm noon – note that’s ...
From Kiwiblog’s David Farrar – Bryce Wilkinson writes: Senior Fellow Bryce Wilkinson’s analysis reveals that since March 2009, New Zealand has spent $158 billion more overseas than it has earned, but its NIIP has only fallen by $32 billion.Statistics New Zealand shows that receipts from overseas reinsurers have ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition? Brian Easton writes – The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could ...
Dear Nicola Willis,Right now you’ve probably got lots of competing demands coming at you. Ministers who’ve inherited quite a mess, or so you’ve told us, looking for money in the budget to improve things. I imagine that’s why they came to parliament - to make things better.You’ll have to make ...
The Local Government, Transport and Auckland Minister hasthreatened councils with intervention if they don’t merge water assets to take them off balance sheet, just as the now-repealed Three Waters plan directed. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things of note this morning for Monday, March 25 include:Simeon ...
A listing of 36 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 17, 2024 thru Sat, March 23, 2024. Story of the week Thanks to John Mason having the stamina to sit down to watch "Climate - the Movie" ...
This morning the Q&A programme had Simeon Brown on to talk about National’s replacement for Three Waters. In case anyone’s forgotten the three are - drinking water, waste water, and sewerage. It’s quite important not to get them mixed up. In much the same way that you wouldn’t want to ...
Today’s newsletter comes with a mini-podcast conversation between me and my buddy Liv Tennet, talking about her time as a child actor in Lord of the Rings. It’s a conversation with a lot of giggles as she talks about falling off a horse, and becoming a meme. Read ...
The Desmog Climate Disinformation Database documents, "individuals and organisations that have helped to delay and distract the public and our elected leaders from taking needed action to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and fight global warming." It's a who's who of the organised climate change denial movement, in other words. In ...
Bob Edlin writes – A High Court judge has decided miscreants who have mana – or who claim to have mana – should be treated differently from miscreants who have none. It’s a ruling that suggests indigenous law-breakers have a better chance of securing a discharge without conviction ...
Welcome to the first, and possibly last, edition of Brickbats, Bouquets and Bull’s Wool. In which I’ll take a look at the events of the last week or so, and rate them.In such ratings the numbers usually have more to do with the opinions of the reviewer, than the actual ...
Roger Partridge writes – My earlier column this month, New Zealand’s highest court could be facing a turning point, prompted a flood of feedback from business readers and lawyers alike. A common query was what Parliament can do to restrain an overreaching judiciary. This week I discuss two steps Parliament ...
TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.16pm on Friday, March 22: writes about New Zealand's Building Boom—And What the World Must Learn From It over at his substack. challenges the Auckland Council’s use of a 3.8 degrees of warming forecast to oppose a wave-park and data centre project ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition?The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could deliver her promised income tax cuts. Appointed minister, she ...
Buzz from the Beehive Ministers of the Crown have drawn attention to one sector of the science sector which is unlikely to be subjected to heavy spending cuts, a state-funded broadcaster which is doing nicely, thank you, and a sporting event that had $5.4 million from the public purse puffed ...
Abbott’s Freestyle Libre sensors allow continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). The sensor is applied to the back of the patient’s arm, with a thin filament under the skin measuring glucose levels constantly. But it costs around $100 per sensor and must be replaced once every 14 days. Photo by BSIP/Universal Images ...
The Inspector General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) recently released a report in which he exposes the existence of a foreign intelligence partner-controlled technological “capability” inside the headquarters of the GCSB, NZ’s 5 Eyes-affiliated signals intelligence collection and analysis agency. … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – Nearly three decades after the introduction of MMP and multiparty governments there should be a greater level of understanding about their finer points than often appears to be the case. The reaction to the despicable outburst from the Deputy Prime Minister at the weekend highlights ...
The sweet kisses from fruit of summerHave slowly been turning dullerYou say, "those times"And "remember the daysWhen we went outside and there still was the shade?"Taking no reason into play…Autumn. Clear, blue days shortening to longer nights, growing colder. Aotearoa.That’s us. The temperature dropping, the looming car crash - so ...
Bryce Edwards writes – “It is often said that behind every great man is a great woman”. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their “Ladies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxon”. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April ...
David Farrar writes – The Electoral Commission has published the expense returns for political parties for the 2023 election. I’ve put them in a table with how many votes a party got so we can see the spend per vote. National only spent $3.34 for every vote they got, almost ...
Winston Peters’ headline-making actions over the past week may have been a show of political power intended to strengthen his hand in Budget negotiations. It was no accident that his State of the Nation speech was as it was. He made it as New Zealand First Leader, not as Deputy ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:Former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson bowed out of politics this week, giving a series of exit ...
Graham Adams writes — If you love the law or sausages, as the saying goes, best not to look too closely at how they are made. And after watching the orgy of self-pity when Newshub’s closure was announced on February 28, television journalism should definitely be added to the list of those ...
Venerable New Zealand political commentator, Chris Trotter (https://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/), is a sad creature these days. Once one of the most reliable Leftist writers out there – Economic Left at that – Trotter seems to have absorbed the worldview of Auckland culture-war obsessives. It is not for me to categorise what he ...
The cruelty of short-term memory loss is that each time you ask where she is, you get the fresh shock and grief of the news. That was Dad's day yesterday.Comfortingly, it seems to be less so today. Last night he looked crumpled, today he seems more settled. There's a card ...
Photo by Alvan Nee on UnsplashIt’s that new day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when and I co-host our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm. Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news ...
Buzz from the Beehive One minister is talking tough while a colleague – whose ministry had acted tough and drawn a barrage of flak – has shown an official softening. Some ministers are doing what Labour was good at, which is distributing public funds to causes regarded as worthy or ...
A ballot for 4 Member's Bills was held today, and the following bills were drawn: Insurance Contracts Bill (Duncan Webb) Income Tax (Clean Transport FBT Exclusion) Amendment Bill (Julie Anne Genter) Crimes (Increased Penalties for Slavery Offences) Amendment Bill (Greg Fleming) Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) ...
One of the strongest narratives about "our" spy agencies is that they are basically institutional traitors, working for foreign powers (or just themselves), without any control or oversight by the elected government. And today, we have yet another report from the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security which explicitly confirms this. ...
“It is often said that behind every great man is a great woman”. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their “Ladies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxon”. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April to meet the Prime Minister’s ...
The Coalition Government’s plan to ‘get Auckland moving’ is a cuts cover-up that will ultimately cost Aucklanders more to move around the city, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Slashing the Ministry of Pacific Peoples by 40% will have a devastating impact on pacific communities and further highlights how little this government cares about anything other than cutting taxes for the wealthiest few. ...
Labour has proposed an urgent inquiry to investigate the ever-increasing profits of supermarkets, aiming to lower costs for shoppers and food producers alike, says Labour Spokesperson for Commerce and Consumer Affairs Arena Williams and Primary Production Spokesperson Cushla Tangaere-Manuel. ...
With 14% of jobs on the line at the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, the responsible Minister Melissa Lee is failing to stand up for the very communities she’s meant to be representing. ...
COURT OF APPEAL: TRIFECTA OF VICTORY FOR NZ FIRST, TRIFECTA OF FAILURE FOR OPPONENTS For the third time since April 2020, New Zealand First has defeated the Serious Fraud Office and all those complicit in a malicious attack against a political party going about its lawful business in a lawful ...
The Green Party stands with people who live in public housing, people in dire housing need, experts and advocates in demanding better than the Government’s archaic approach to housing those who need our support the most. ...
New Zealand has recently lost the hosting rights of some major international sporting events including the America’s Cup, the Rugby Championship, Netball World Cup, and the Wellington Sevens. We are now at a huge risk of losing SailGP as well. And it won’t stop there. The recent issues with SailGP ...
A Member’s Bill drawn this week would modernise insurance law and make things fairer and more transparent for consumers, Christchurch Central MP Duncan Webb said. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues has confirmed she was aware of funding issues in mid-December and did nothing to stop it. On 14 March, she signed off on changes that were announced and implemented on 18 March without any consultation with disability communities. ...
Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter says her members' bill is an opportunity for the coalition government to plug the gap in electric vehicle incentives. ...
The National Government continues to talk about irresponsible tax cuts that will only drive up inflation, despite the country entering a technical recession. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues must act urgently to reinstate flexibility around the funding for disability support and apologise to disabled carers. ...
This story has been initiated by a leftie shill reporter who proactively sought to call a member of a former band, which disbanded twelve years ago, give their biased appraisal of what was said in my speech, and concocted a ham-fisted attempt at a story that does nothing but show ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Many in the mainstream media have taken what was said in New Zealand First’s State of the Nation Speech in Palmerston North on Sunday and deliberately, deceitfully, and ignorantly misrepresented what I said and why I said it. The headlines and commentary on the news stated that I compared ‘co-governance ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
Good afternoon. Thank you for, in your very busy lives, turning up to this meeting today. On October 14th last year New Zealanders overwhelmingly voted for change. That is exactly what this new government is bringing. New Zealand First campaigned to ‘take back our country’ and stop the disastrous economic ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April. “It was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates. Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend. “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” Mr Peters says. Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. “Road safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track. “Dam safety regulations ...
The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the government’s finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Government’s Budget objectives. “The coalition Government intends ...
The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says. “The Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says. “These changes are long overdue – the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009. ...
The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Education’s School Property Function. The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There is a clear need ...
State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Today I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” Minister Responsible for ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. “We’re sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union. “I am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says. “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “Comprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. “I would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
Good morning, it’s great to be here. First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning. I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
Before moving onto the substance of today’s address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and I’m sorry I can’t be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the Whangārei site where the facility will be constructed. “Northland has faced a number ...
New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata Māori 20 years ago, says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisation’s 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
Comment: Every year on February 2, a dozen men in tuxedos and top hats approach the burrow of a groundhog in Gobbler’s Knob, Pennsylvania and entice the beaver-like rodent to emerge and predict the weather. If the groundhog, named Punxsutawney Phil, sees its own shadow when it is summoned, legend ...
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Auckland Council has put a deadline on new weather-impacted property owners applying for categorisation as government funding looks set to run out. Councillors have voted to support a deadline of September 30 for property owners who haven’t accessed support to come forward and engage with the council’s recovery office. It ...
NONFICTION 1 BBQ Economics by Liam Dann (Penguin Random House, $40) “It’s official,” wrote Dann nine days ago in the Herald, where he works as business editor at large, “we’re in recession.” Yeah, great. He delivered the bad stats: “GDP fell 0.1 percent in the December 2023 quarter, compared with ...
By Anneke Smith, RNZ News political reporter A petition urging the New Zealand government to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people has been tabled in the House. More than 200 people gathered on Parliament’s forecourt today and they were met by MPs from Labour, the Greens and Te ...
Pacific Media Watch The Paris-based global media freedom watchdog RSF (Reporters Without Borders) has appealed for information about the “disappearance” of Palestinian journalist Bayan Abusultan. She was reportedly last seen on March 19 among people “sequestered” in this week’s raid and siege of Al Shifa hospital by Israeli troops in ...
EDITORIAL:The Jakarta Post It happens again and again; indigenous Papuans fall victim to Indonesian soldiers. This time, we have photographic evidence for the brutality, with videos on social media showing a Papuan man being tortured by a group of plainclothes men alleged to be the Indonesian Military (TNI) members. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robyn J. Whitaker, Director of the Wesley Centre for Theology, Ethics, and Public Policy & Associate Professor, New Testament, Pilgrim Theological College, University of Divinity A strange and eclectic range of activities takes place across these few weeks of the year. Some ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University It’s Easter weekend, which means many of us will be kicking back with the greatest hits on repeat. But whether you’re a boomer, or an ‘80s or ’90s kid, you might be ...
RNZ Pacific Fiji’s Acting Public Prosecutor has filed an appeal against the sentences of former prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama and suspended police chief Sitiveni Qiliho in their corruption case. Bainimarama was granted an absolute discharge for attempting to pervert the course of justice while Qiliho received a conditional discharge with ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Arosha Weerakoon, Senior Lecturer and General Dentist, School of Dentistry, The University of Queensland Casezy idea/Shutterstock How does toothpaste work? What did people use before toothpaste was invented? – Amelia, age 7, Meanjin (Brisbane) Thanks for your ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brett Hallam, Associate professor, UNSW Sydney IM Imagery/Shutterstock Solar SunShot is well named. The Australian government announced today it would plough A$1 billion into bringing back solar manufacturing to Australia, boosting energy security, swapping coal and gas jobs for those ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Dix, Research Fellow in Nutrition & Dietetics, The University of Queensland Easter is the time for chocolate. The shops are full of fantastically packaged and shiny chocolates in all shapes and sizes, making trips to the supermarket with children more challenging ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Felton, Adjunct Senior Researcher, University of South Australia Even in a stubborn cost-of-living crisis, it seems there’s one luxury most Australians won’t sacrifice – their daily cup of coffee. Coffee sales have largely remained stable, even as financial pressures have ...
Mining company Trans-Tasman Resources has unexpectedly withdrawn its application for a consent to suck the valuable metals vanadium and titanium from the Taranaki seafloor, as it apparently wagers on the Government’s new fast-track process. It had spent two-and-a-half days putting its case to the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision-making committee, at ...
Contrary to the Associate Minister of Education’s claims, analysis of Healthy School Lunches Programme - Ka Ora, Ka Ako assessments has revealed it provides excellent value for the taxpayer dollar, as a groundswell of public opposition to Government ...
Greenpeace says wannabe Taranaki seabed miner Trans-Tasman Resources is likely banking on Christopher Luxon’s fast-track process to side-step proper scrutiny of its Taranaki seabed mining proposal by bailing out of the Environmental Protection Agency hearing ...
Kiwis Against Seabed mining today slammed Australian owned would-be seabed miner Trans Tasman Resources (TTR) for abandoning its application to the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) to mine the seabed of the South Taranaki Bight. The company ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katie Attwell, Associate Professor, School of Social Sciences, The University of Western Australia Ground Picture/Shutterstock Months after COVID vaccines were introduced in 2021, governments and private organisations mandated them for various groups. Health and aged care workers were among the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Dzurak, Scientia Professor Andrew Dzurak, CEO and Founder of Diraq, UNSW Sydney Diraq For decades, the pursuit of quantum computing has struggled with the need for extremely low temperatures, mere fractions of a degree above absolute zero (0 Kelvin or ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne A national Essential poll, conducted March 20–24 from a sample of 1,150, gave the Coalition a 50–44 lead including undecided, a reversal ...
The Taxpayers’ Union has today made a formal request under the Regulations of the People’s Republic of China on Open Government Information () for information held about how New Zealand Members of Parliament are spending taxpayer ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert Nelson, Honorary Principal Fellow, The University of Melbourne A Byzantine depiction of the Eucharist in Saint Sophia Cathedral, Kyiv.Jacek555/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA A nasty quarrel arose in the 11th century over what kind of bread should be used in holy ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Patrick Hesp, Professor, Flinders University Patrick Hesp In some parts of Australia, coastal dunes are retreating from the ocean at an alarming rate, as waves carve up the beach and wind blows the sand inland. But coastal communities are largely ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Luke Heemsbergen, Senior Lecturer, Digital, Political, Media, Deakin University With an impressive 60% of the US smartphone market, Apple is undeniably big, but not a clear monopoly. Yet, years of innovation by Apple have effectively given the company its own exclusive ...
Whether you’re facing layoffs or are just an emotional junior staffer, it’s always a good idea to scout out a good crying place before you need it. It’s an incredibly hard time for Wellington. Across the city, thousands of public servants are hearing tough news about redundancies and layoffs. Government ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Miller-Jones, Professor, Curtin University Nuclear explosions on a neutron star feed its jets. Danielle Futselaar and Nathalie Degenaar, Anton Pannekoek Institute, University of Amsterdam, CC BY-SA How fast can a neutron star drive powerful jets into space? The answer, it ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Daryl Adair, Associate Professor of Sport Management, University of Technology Sydney Earlier this week, independent MP Andrew Wilkie accused the AFL of conducting “off the books” illicit drug testing to identify players using substances of abuse, then inappropriately withdrawing them from matches ...
The Government’s announcement that it will scrap plans for a vast marine sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands is ‘shameful’ and will make it impossible for Aotearoa New Zealand to meet its international commitments, says the World Wide Fund for Nature ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Quiggin, Professor, School of Economics, The University of Queensland Shutterstock The federal government has bowed to pressure from the car industry, announcing it will relax proposed emissions rules for utes and vans and delay enforcement of the new standards ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Suzanne Rutland, Professor Emerita, University of Sydney In his latest book, Jewish Life in Medieval Spain, Jonathan Ray focuses on the tumult of the 14th century in Spain – a time of the plague, civil strife and war between the two largest ...
While creating a slate of world-class shows, Whakaata Māori also developed a generation of world-class creatives. Television is an odd word. It mixes the Ancient Greek and Latin languages, and its most literal meaning is “far-off sight”. In the contemporary and living language of te reo Māori, “whakaata” as a ...
Yesterday the UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Israel’s war on Gaza. This significant step and the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza prompted an urgent debate in the New Zealand Parliament. Leader ...
The Government’s decision to reduce access to continuous glucose monitors (CGM) not only threatens the lives of children with type 1 diabetes and increases the potential for ‘Dead in Bed’ syndrome, but also threatens the health of their parents an ...
Apples are available year-round, but the wide variety on offer involves intensive scientific research – and large-scale commercialisation. What’s beautiful, red, sweet and crunchy? Tony Martin’s favourite kind of apple: Sassy. The CEO of apple and pear breeding organisation Prevar, Martin’s fondness for Sassy represents professional success as well as ...
Family violence specialist service Shine is calling on employers to stop asking for proof of domestic violence in order for employees to access domestic violence leave. The call comes five years after the introduction of the Domestic Violence ...
The Deputy Chairperson of the Finance and Expenditure Committee is calling for public submissions on the Budget Policy Statement 2024. The Budget Policy Statement 2024 (BPS) sets out the Government's priorities for the 2024 Budget. It explains the approach ...
Brutal government spending cuts that will see the size of the Ministry for Pacific Peoples slashed by 40% will hit Pasifika communities hard, the PSA says. The Ministry has told staff that it is seeking voluntary redundancies, and to redeploy and reassign ...
I live with five people I mostly love, but our different ideas about generosity are starting to really irk me.Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nzDear Hera,This is a bit of a random one but here goes. I’m 22 and work an OK job (OK meaning I get paid ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Maria Nicholas, Senior Lecturer in Language and Literacy Education, Deakin University Earlier this month, the New South Wales government announced it would roll out programs for gifted students in every public school in the state. This comes amid concerns gifted school ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christopher Rudge, Law lecturer, University of Sydney Massachusetts General Hospital In a world first, we heard last week that US surgeons had transplanted a kidney from a gene-edited pig into a living human. News reports said the procedure was a ...
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Asia Pacific Report A New Zealand investigative journalist and author says the US spy system hosted by the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) appears to be a controversial intelligence system used in global capture-kill operations. Writing a commentary for RNZ News today, Nicky Hager, author of Secret Power, a 1996 ...
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Jubi/West Papua Daily Repeated cases of Indonesian military (TNI) soldiers torturing civilians in Papua have been evident, as seen in the viral video depicting the torture of civilians in the Puncak Regency allegedly done by soldiers of Raider 300/Brajawijaya Infantry Battalion. There is a pressing need for stringent law enforcement ...
Unlike the Labour Party’s disappointing acceptance, it’s good to see the Greens are opposing the latest air strike on Syria.
blah blah Syria blah.
Can someone at least set out what you plan to do about it in our NZ context.
Perhaps more will vote Green as a result.
I do not mean you or your comment specifically. Just sick of the topic being raised ad nauseum without practical local relevance.
Highlighting Labour and the Green’s stance gives it local relevance.
Be the change you want to see.
The change I want to see is less obsession with one topic in these general posts. How do you suggest I ‘be’ that?
I’ve been ignoring it for weeks and all I see is endless bickering, no attempts to make it relevant to NZ labour movement politics, wasting of moderators’ time and reduction of the other voices willing to brave the resulting swamp.
It is quite relevant actually, it shows up the natural issues we have in dealing with labour movement issues in NZ.
The first is internationalism, and if people are engaging with the concept in modern and classical sense. Do people have a internationalist outlook, or is it all tribalism?
The second is the East-West divide or North-South – Money-No money, Or Race/Class divide.
The third, is a relationship with the dominant power in society and our relation to their mouth pieces, the modern media.
I could go on.
Thanks. I’d welcome that perspective being explicitly added to all discussions here about far-off wars. Would make a pleasant change from the disconnected bickering.
Agreed, we should be connecting more dots in the discussions.
I am. But it’s good to see the Greens (in this instance) are voicing it. More need to get in behind them.
IF more on the left voiced our concern with Labour’s acceptance, perhaps we’d encourage them to implant the change we want.
Having a Labour whinge… followed by a Green whinge… is not being the change.
Chairman, in my opinion, you are a Right Wing troll
Why is that, Jenny?
I admit, I could be reading you wrong Chairman. It is just that I thought your comment added nothing to the debate over Syria, and was just an opportunist attempt to take advantage of the obvious split in the Left over Syria to start a flame war.
The other reason that I thought you are right Wing is your role in this debate HERE, where I may have mistakenly lumped you in with commenters veutoviper and McFlock who seem to be of the firmly held opinion, that contracts made with oil companies are more sacred than human life or the protection of the biosphere.
But again I could be wrong. And if I so I do apologise.
So I will take the time to answer the implied questioning of the Labour Party contained in your statement.
Personally I don’t think the Labour Party’s “acceptance” of the latest air strike on Syria was “disappointing” at all. In fact I think it was hard headed, and principled.
I think that the Labour Party struck the right balance, they didn’t give their full support to these air strikes, which must have taken some courage when every other country we align with gave their full support. But they accepted the need for them.
In my opinion the Labour Party’s current nuanced position on Syria, is very similar to that held by the late Jo Cox, assassinated by a neo-nazi sympathiser.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/jo-cox-watch-the-labour-mps-compelling-speech-on-the-aleppo-crisis-a7086011.html
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/09/15/late-jo-coxs-white-helmets-nobel-plea-heard/
Cox called on the UK to use it’s airforce to make humanitarian air drops. She also supported a no fly zone. But Cox refused to vote for airstrikes on Syria.
A right wing troll and flame war instigator? Your opinion of me is totally incorrect, Jenny.
The intent of my initial comment/post was to publicly give the Greens a pat on the back while expressing my disappointment with Labour. Presenting an opportunity for us to discuss the two stances taken.
As for your opinion regarding Labour’s acceptance stance, I have to say I disagree. Opting for the middle ground, the Government lacked the courage to take a firm stance either way. Disappointing those that wanted to see the Government offer more support while also disappointing those that wanted to see the Government oppose it.
Jenny I have only just caught up with your claims above that The other reason that I thought you are right Wing is your role in this debate HERE, where I may have mistakenly lumped you in with commenters veutoviper and McFlock who seem to be of the firmly held opinion, that contracts made with oil companies are more sacred than human life or the protection of the biosphere.
What a load of bullshit. Back in that discussion on the Government’s decision to not allow any new oil and gas exploration permits but continue those already approved linked to under “HERE”, my comment was simply that:
“As The Chairman and Pat have said, to avoid those holding current permits which go out for years from suing the NZ Government (ie taxpayers) for probably hundreds of million of dollars, if not billions, for breach of contract, lost earnings etc etc .”
That is a ridiculous long bow that you have drawn from a simple statement pointing out the likely costs of breaching those existing oil and gas exploration contracts, to claiming that I, for one, “seem to be of the firmly held opinion, that contracts made with oil companies are more sacred than human life or the protection of the biosphere.”
I am strongly against any further oil or gas exploration on land in NZ or elsewhere, or anywhere in the worldwide marine environment due to the damage already done. And I was – and am still totally angry – that those exploration contracts were ever let in the first place by previous NZ governments of any hue or political persuasion.
But some of us here actually live and work/or have worked in the real world – not on some idealistic planet like some of you do.
If the existing contracts were thrown out and the NZ Government sued, those milllions/billions of dollars would have to come from somewhere.
Where do you suggest – the health budget, the social security/welfare budget, delaying essential infrastructure like rebuilding the railways, conservation budget, etc, etc?
It is those sort of false assumptions, and false equivalences that led me to decide not to reply to your original reply to me at the time where you tried to make an equivalence to the aboliiton of slavery etc.
But that claim of yours in your comment above as to my beliefs etc is a step too far. I would love it if we could stop all existing oil and gas exploration right this minute but realism dictates otherwise – and even people like James Shaw seem to understand that.
Good on you Jenny. But the Chairman is playing a persona of being a cool, superior, informed commenter bringing intelligence and order to the children’s playpen. From that elevated position and personal opinion behind it, every complaint, disagreement or comment is grist for more microscopic dissection of the reaction, questioning disdainfully, word by word. It will go on for ever. Occasionally there will be an apparently thoughtful comment usually though at an acute angle towards RW. Do not regard this as a trend!
Waste of time and space and thought power engaging with this robot-like person. It could be a prototype for automated responses to drive direction on vox populi like this one instead of people reading, thinking, discussing and learning from each other for greater understanding across the polity.
Think Star Trek ” In particular we see the Vogon say “Resistance is Useless” and the Borg say “Resistance is Futile”.”
https://scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/114212/is-there-a-link-between-the-vogons-resistance-is-useless-and-the-borgs-resi
Far from reality, but thanks for the insight to your thoughts.
Considering the Chairman votes the Greens a weird comment, but everyone is entitled to their opinion.
That’s their claim. If true, it makes their incessant “concern” quite curious – with voters like that, the Greens don’t need enemies.
Well you can be a Green supporter and be critical of their direction in particular when for some inexplicable reason they go from 11% to 6% – clearly the cheerleaders egging them on are not exactly working in the Greens best interests.
We also live in a democracy so we can actually disagree with political decisions – but in the case of the Chairman – he is supporting the Greens decision on Syria. Therefore the attack on the Chairman, seems to be more of a concern trolling on behalf of people who don’t support the Greens attacking the person who does support the Greens pretending he/she doesn’t… weird.
Lord, have you seen many of Chairman’s concern-ridden comments? He has given himself away many times, but persists in pretending to be genuine. Jenny is the lastest in a long list of people who have twigged.
Totally disagree, if Greens had taken notice of what Green supporter criticism was telling them, then they might not be in the position hey are today. To be a cheerleader when a political party is going down the toilet for votes, is not a good idea. Be the friend that tells them, not a good idea!
I voted Greens last time too (for party vote) but very grudgingly because I thought they had screwed up big time, but wanted to make sure Greens made over 5%.
I wasn’t worried so much the Metiria issue, but a whole range of things that made it more about the Green MP’s rather than about the Green Party.
Criticism from “supporters” is usually constructive. And if the circumstances just prior to last election are “inexplicable” to you, you weren’t paying attention.
FWIW, I voted for the Greens last time.
I agree. It is NATS voters who rarely criticise their lot… that is not a strength, imo
Natz don’t believing in critical thinking but they have got diversion down to a fine art.
In this instance, McFlock it’s not whether or not you voted Green, it’s whether or not you support their stance on this matter?
On the contrary, that binary is your construct. I’m sure it’s purely coincidental that phrasing it in that way emphasises division between coalition partners.
To steal a term from Ardern, I accept the positions of both parties, and I respect and understand the basis for their decisions. I believe both parties have made good-faith decisions based on the particular situation they are in. I don’t know that I would do anything different to Labour if I was the major governing party, and if I were in the Greens’ position I’d probably feel more free to express a stronger opinion.
So stick your concern up your arse.
“I accept the positions of both parties”
Very fence sitting but fair enough.
As you can see, we both vote Green, yet our opinions differ. While I can understand Labour’s position, I don’t accept or agree with it. I’m more aligned with the Greens stance.
It would be interesting to see how many Labour supporters fully agree with the Government’s stance.
The Government must have felt they could get away with taking this middle ground stance. Hence, if their supporters oppose this, they need to voice their disappointment.
And while you accept the position of both parties, which do you support?
As for your remark: “stick your concern up your arse.”
What are you on about? I haven’t raised a concern.
Your language is the same as always: “support” vs “oppose”. “Fully agree” vs “don’t accept”. Urging people to “voice their disappointment”. Saying the government is trying to “get away with” something.
Here’s a bombshell for you: the Greens don’t agree with Labour’s position, but they accept it. Despite your attempts to sow discord, they’re not walking away from the coalition, are they?
And no, my position isn’t fence-sitting. My position is that this government has potential to be a great government, with all parties involved. So really, the distinction between “accepting” the fact that the yanks are going to bomb folks and impotently opposing this state of nature is pretty pointless. Our government probably needs both things to be said.
If Ardern spoke strongly against it, Trump would get fucked off and hold a grudge. That might bite us later. But the Greens don’t expose us to that level of diplomatic friction, so they can speak more strongly. The lack of National-level enthusiastic support suggests to me that the Greens could well have been saying what Ardern would have liked to have been able to say.
As to the latest airstrike on Syria, I don’t like it. But as I’ve said before, I can’t decide whether I don’t like it because it was an unsanctioned trilateral attack on a sovereign nation, or whether I don’t like it because it was intentionally ineffective when they should have been genuinely trying to kill Assad and destroy his military infrastructure for the last 6 years. But this strike was just the bullshit of both worlds.
Huh!? Aren’t you privy to plenty of anecdotal evidence, feedback and the Greens’ internal polling?
As McFlock has already done a superb job of explaining it to you I won’t have to add much.
You don’t seem to understand the consensus approach of the Greens, which does not rely on “fully agree[ing]” or similar absolutes.
The Greens think and operate more in a holistic integrated way, at multiple levels, not in black & white or Left & Right.
You may not also agree with your spouse, for example, but you still accept them and you won’t express your disappointment in the hope (or with the intention) that they would change their ways so that you won’t get disappointed again in future.
It’s no bombshell to me that the Greens accept Labour’s position. It’s basically what I pointed out to Pat below. The thing is, although the Greens accept Labour’s position, they don’t share it.
Sure, the Green’s voicing their stance doesn’t expose us to the same level of diplomatic friction, but you seem to be saying you support our Government kowtowing to Trump to avoid any potential friction. Care to clarify? And while kowtowing to Trump may avoid diplomatic friction, it would paint us as a bit of a pushover on the international stage.
If we were to oppose, our opposition couldn’t be that impotent if it were to bother the States enough to create friction.
And opposing wouldn’t be pointless, especially if it grew Labour’s support. For me, Labour’s acceptance is another in the list of reasons not to vote for them. Wonder how many others from the left feel the same way? So while Labour may have avoided diplomatic friction, I’m sure their stance has created friction and a divide amongst a number of their own supporters.
Kowtowing? You are obviously unaware of the reactions by the aussies or the nato states. They actively supported it. NZ is almost the odd one out amongst western nations in merely “acceptin” them.
NZ opposition would have been impotent in that we would not have been able to get trump to avoid or even merely ameliorate the response. It could have pissed him off, though. Whether the latter is a bad thing needs some complex analyses, but friction is not it’s own reward or a sign of power. Only internet jerks think that.
As for growing Labour’s support, thanks for your concern but I reckon they’ll be ok. Especially if they actually have a decent budget and start building a hospital or two.
Indeed, savenz (1.2.2.1.1).
He does show a lot of concern which doesn’t quite ring true when considering his other posts. The definition of this is concern trolling. I tend to just scroll on by.
Examples, thanks.
Got in quick with the wedgie there chairy.
Can you point me to where Labour supported it?
Can you point to where they opposed it?
I think if you look at Jacindas comment it is the Nee Zealand government who accept it – not labour (who have not said a thing)
Labour are part of the NZ Government. In fact, they have the majority vote within the NZ Government.
Yes – but she wasn’t commenting for labour she was commenting on behalf of the government
“She was commenting on behalf of the government”
The vast majority of the Government come from Labour. Thus, she wouldn’t make such a comment if Labour disagreed.
Still trying huh?…
https://www.interest.co.nz/opinion/93310/despite-national%E2%80%99s-attempts-paint-three-headed-government-uneasy-bedfellows-labour
Not at all.
As you can see, the Greens disagreed with Labour and yet the coalition hasn’t fell apart.
The tactic is to scare the Greens into submission, costing them their identity, thus weakening their support. Potentially costing Labour a coalition partner come next election.
Sad that some from the left are falling for it.
Good to see the Greens haven’t totally fallen for it.
Whose tactic?
It’s a right-wing tactic. Devised of two prongs. Say nothing and risk losing your identity as a result of failing to speak up or speak up and risk being painted as divided.
“We haven’t done anything” ?
And this despite a petition from climate change groups calling on her to take a stand on this issue.
“SIGN THE PETITION: STOP TE KUHA COALMINE”
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12037416
Deborah Hill Cone: Why does Clarke Gayford bug me?
Not quite sure what the point of this article is, is it for click bait purposes, is it the first shots in the rumours swirling or did she just have to submit something before the deadline and this is the best (worst) she could come up with?
You can smell the fear rising in the owned msm.
JA/CG with baby on board blows the smile n wave snake oil bansksta routine that NACT spent years developing out of the water.
National went for a younger, dimmer, outwardly nastier version of Key in contrast.
Dimmer?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_Bridges
‘He went on to complete a Bachelor of Arts in political science and history, and a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) at the University of Auckland.’
‘During this time, he took leave to travel to the United Kingdom to study at the London School of Economics, and later to complete a postgraduate law degree at St Catherine’s College, Oxford;’
Hes hardly what you’d call dim
I think they may have been referring to the dimmer ’aura’.
Oh dear lord
Simon Bridges may be well educated, but he appears low in social and emotional intelligence and lacks individuality, so he comes across as a cardboard cut out of Key.
By that I meant charisma or personality, obviously.
PR
Simon might be your lord – good luck with that – his educational qualifications haven’t fitted him to be a political leader of the sort we want, and urgently need, in NZ. A NZ that is a well functioning country where citizens are treated fairly with equality and able to work and support themselves in a vital domestic economy.
Dont underestimate the Nat machine grey. He is in bigtime training. They have a template and they are using it again. Having some in the media lead a different angle of attack is not new, while the new leader trains and has no dirt on his hands.
The political game is bigger than the All Blacks I guess Tracey. The team all well paid and very hard to shake down and keep down from the elevated position on the league table they had fashioned for themselves (in a penthouse perhaps).
Labour having done so will have to watch in any ruck that no-one gets their ear bitten off or worse. Watching your back when on the field is axiomatic – to ensure that an axe doesn’t land there!
Some here will hate the sport analogy but I say bravo!
Hell, I have a law degree and I assure you, I can be pretty dim. A quick scan over The Standard’s archives could tell you that.
I’m often dimmest before I see the light 😉
Well you’ve got good taste in games so thats got to count for something
Touche
There is a difference between a questioning mind and one that is very good at repeating information they have learnt. I’m pretty sure that that Simon is more the type to excell at repeating what he’s been taught.
Also those with impressive CV’s seem to somehow be falling into a hybrid intellectual but idiot class (a new right version), an affliction where seemingly extremely well educated individuals somehow have almost zero practicality or ability to solve a problem.
Plus savenz they don’t do well in crowds, as they haven’t the spark, so often appear solo.
For example decisions at our universities… to downsize libraries – certain ones of course…
https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2018/04/23/dear-students-of-auckland-university-here-is-how-you-get-your-libraries-back/
That was then. This is now.
Rumblefish
The guy is an arse. If shouty is the best he can do, he’s an idiot.
The guy has little real world experience and even less common sense. Definitely a monkey in a suit like Key however monkeys are more practical? ?
I get confused PR, do Nats now love people who spend a lot of time at University? I know he was a Prosecuter, and worked briefly in a firm but real world? C’mon you guys ridicule lefties with far less academic bullshittery
Well have a nice lie down and a cup of tea and i’m sure you’ll feel more with it 😉
Yesterday duplicity Allen
Today Hill Cone
The msm have been given their marching orders.
And they have large mortgages.
So forget any principles.
Guns for hire.
No I don’t think so, this is quite blatant which is more of a left wing way of doing things.
Nationals usually a bit more subtle about it
So, subtle is a euphemism for secretive & conniving. Fair point 😉
You might very well think that; I couldn’t possibly comment
I clarified your comment hence it is about your thinking, not mine. Stating a fact or making an observation it does not logically follow that one agrees with or accepts it …
Not so sure it is that orchestrated in this case. The topic of every Hill Cone ‘piece’ is Hill Cone herself, ultimately. This fits the pattern rather well.
Mostly I am just envious – not an emotion I suffer from much – but oh! how I wish I could rake in good money from just dashing off any old shite from 8:00-8:30 in the morning and then go fishing or gardening for the rest of the day. Bliss!
I agree that her pieces are mostly like self-therapy, one way or another. Personally, I think she’s miles ahead of HDPA in the quality of her writing.
Personally, I think she’s miles ahead of HDPA in the quality of her writing.
Yes she is but despite her occasional protestations to the contrary, I’m always mindful of her former right-wing views. It is my experience that leopards never really change their spots.
I don’t have a problem with right-wing views per se; I do have a problem with RWNJs, dogmatic & rigid, arrogant & patronising, major lack of self-awareness and effects on others, and people who are inconsiderate and refuse to say sorry.
She’s critical of the fact that men like Gayford get accolades for doing something women have done without applause for centuries.
Gayford doesn’t look smug to me, more he looks a bit like a fish out of water, who hasn’t really adjusted to his new role so far – it may take time.
Enjoy!
https://thespinoff.co.nz/media/23-04-2018/breaking-news-clarke-gayford-reputation-rocked-by-herald-allegations/
I was making a general comparison of the writings of Cone and HDPA; I was not specifically commenting on the Cone’s latest piece, which it sounds like it was a shocker.
Has Deborah Hill Cone got “green eyes” perhaps ?
I’m surprised the article isn’t breaching the the law and is still up.
What law do you think its breaching?
Insufficient fawning.
If that isn’t against the law Winston will certainly make it so when he officially takes charge. “So I suggest you should watch it Sunshine”. Winston will soon be the law.
Paranoia? Catastrophisation ? Trolling ? …..Shrug who cares.
“Catastrophisation”..
I didn’t actually care at all under I saw this wonderful word in your comment. I had never seen or heard it before and I had to look it up.
Thank you for putting another glorious word into my vocabulary. Now I just have to find a real reason to use it.
Presumably she didn’t have a problem with max key
They all love Max Key up and coming playboy.
Danyl Mclauchlan unpacks Deb’s concern that Gayford’s first name ends with the letter “e”.
https://thespinoff.co.nz/media/23-04-2018/breaking-news-clarke-gayford-reputation-rocked-by-herald-allegations/
This was a nice piece that includes and touches upon many points of interest here on TS: https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/102921492/why-is-the-news-so-negative-exploring-constructive-journalism
A wee teaser:
Also note that this is thanks to 17 Stuff staff awarded company scholarships this year. Money & time well spent I’d think.
This is a great retrospective looking at the Hobbit law
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qi7t_g5QObs
So many still repeat and believe the lies around this…
Shes really good, her take on Disney movies are pretty good
Can compost help agriculture as well as climate change? I’m not sure what became (if anything) of NZ supposed involvement in world climate change reduction by looking at science and technology, but here seems to be a study that could be investigated further and trialled in NZ.
“California has about 56 million acres of rangeland, the single largest type of land use in the state. If compost made with manure was applied to just 5 percent of that area, they calculated, it would offset emissions from about 80 percent of the state’s agricultural sector — all the cows raised, crops grown, fertilizer applied and tractors driven in California. Much of that offset came from diverting manure from festering lagoons — where it releases methane and nitrous oxide into the atmosphere — into compost, a one-time benefit. But the ongoing drawdown of carbon dioxide from enhanced grass growth could be important, too. If you treated 41 percent of the state’s rangeland, Silver told me, carbon pumped into the earth by photosynthesis might render the entire agricultural sector of the world’s sixth-largest economy carbon-neutral for years to come.”
https://mobile.nytimes.com/2018/04/18/magazine/dirt-save-earth-carbon-farming-climate-change.html
“compost made with manure” – I wonder what they mean by that? Compost is generally plant-based, not manure-based. Compost making; hot composts especially, produce lots of heat and various gases; not ideal if reducing both is your aim. Cold composts, where time does the work, are probably better, though out-basing is still a thing. My preference would be for direct application of plant material and animal manures to the surface of the soil; I suspect the processes that happen at soil level are different to those that occur in a constructed heap; often it’s the details that make all the difference. Perhaps someone has details of what is released from forest floor litter degrading. I think a managed woodland, one where fungi are nurtured and charcoal produced etc. is the best model around. Masses of cow dung produced by farmed animals (as in California) dug from lagoons! or whatever was to be processed, I expect a methane recovery system would be better than anything else. Here in New Zealand we apply sloppy cow sh*t to pastures through slurry spreaders and irrigation systems, but it’s far from ideal; the problem is the cow shed/milking shed – if cows were out and about all the time there wouldn’t be the problem (different problems, but not the “must move this mountain of sh*t problem).
Robert, what about using the keyhole garden method to deal with the excess sh*t?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keyhole_garden
No wait, scratch that… We could never make enough of them.
read the article…
also watched an interesting article last night about the US putting back prairie grass and bison, also took in carbon and created a haven for flora and fauna… grass based and non intensive farming of grazing animals for example could be used to store carbon… something NZ needs to think about as we go towards very intensive, soil destructive and use of supplementary feed like Palm kernel … the opposite of good carbon practises… there is clearly better ways to managed farmed animals – NZ should be looking at better options, not burying our heads in the sand or increasing our carbon outputs!
I’m needing to clear my history and cache almost daily on TS lately – get a bad request notice.
I also don’t have an edit button around the same time, as for my last comment on Micky’s capitalism post – wanted to correct a grammatical error.
firefox on both mac and pc.
http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2018/04/israel-folaus-gay-comments-arent-hate-speech-jacinda-ardern.html
Well theres hope for Cindy yet
Brilliant as ever by Malcolm Evans
Hell
Israel Folau
Israel Now
https://thedailyblog.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Screen-Shot-2018-04-23-at-12.55.28-PM-768×492.png
You and she may miss the point. As a highly paid Rugby professional, he has clauses in his contract about bringing the game into disrepute. Of course he can rant on the hell-headingness of gays all he likes, provided he resigns his current job and thereby the money first. he would have had a lawyer advise him before he signed the contract on what all the clauses meant…. turns out he just wants the ones that work for him.
Problem is Au rugby union probably need Falou more than he needs them re who creates the values I suggest ending his contract would be
more detrimental to aru than Falou , he has options and one of the few world class players the wallabies have that can draw and audience, hence why kids glove treatment
Who?
“The last passenger pigeon, named Martha, died in 1914. It was the same summer that Archduke Franz Ferdinand took one in the gut. Since then, the Archdukes have been multiplying in secret, under different names and titles. Now they are the ones darkening the skies over many of the world’s cities. Now we are the ones darkening the skies, everywhere.”
https://dark-mountain.net/blog/books/dark-mountain-issue-13-who-cries-for-the-archduke/
Encapsulates everything wrong with the world and the exact attitude that has laid waste to so much that is beautiful.
“The last passenger pigeon, named Martha, died in 1914. It was the same summer that Archduke Franz Ferdinand took one in the gut. Since then, the Archdukes have been multiplying in secret, under different names and titles. Now they are the ones darkening the skies over many of the world’s cities. Now we are the ones darkening the skies, everywhere.”
https://dark-mountain.net/blog/books/dark-mountain-issue-13-who-cries-for-the-archduke/
What amazes me is why has not the new government looked into the Panama Papers a bit more?
The pacific countries we have very close relationships with, keep spewing up doggy information.
Any chance we will see a independent enquiry? Probably not.
https://www.icij.org/investigations/paradise-papers/data-ever-added-offshore-leaks-database/
One reason is that when the new rules (which Key et al said we didn’t need) came in, only a third of Trusts supplied the real name and address info required. The rest let their trusts lapse…
Indeed, but what about the 2/3rds who just went quite? Why did 2/3rds of trust who probably we’re doing somthing underhand, just get a free pass? And last but not least, where did they go?
Winston might get a bullet in the back of the head if he starts looking into the Panama Papers, just like he nearly did with the Wine Box Papers ?
Probably does not want the drama especially when are up against a rigged Judiciary here in New Zealand ?
Is it really worth the hassle when you are up against the Deep Dark State that is running NZ.
Government in NZ are about the 3rd layer down in the hierarchy behind the Banks & Corporates ?
“Is it really worth the hassle when you are up against the Deep Dark State that is running NZ.”
ooh is Jacinda Part of this deep dark state or does she report to them. Directly or more of a dotted line thing?
Hooton on Nine to Noon this morning espousing the need for changing what prisons are about.
“Prisons should be about inmates learning reading, writing and arithmetic then they take a shower and shave and be let out to get a job. Not for murder, rape or GBH convictions though.”
Apparently he advised ACT on this as a potential policy in the past.
I wonder if it has ever occurred to him that the proactive approach of meaningful govt investment in our education system and the reinstatement of a 21st century Ministry of Works would go a long way in solving the need for more prisons in NZ.
I wonder if it has ever occurred to him that who he has supported and voted for during his voting lifetime have not wanted to do what works in prisons but what gets them votes? And his ongoing support and votes for them means they keep giving him what he doesn’t want?
It sounds to me like Hoots has spent some time listening to Alex Swney, born-again swindler, who used to belong to ACT, ran for them in Tamaki, and went to prison cos he thought he wasn’t paid what he was worth, so just embezzled it.
Having made sure he tied up his assets out of reach of IRD, he went to prison, his girls continued at private schools and he styled himself on Shawshank Redemption…. working in the library and teaching people to read and do yoga. Frankly I am surprised he taught anyone to read given he doesn’t usually stop to let anyone else speak.
So the gormless 3 strikes and you’re out party now have members pretending to be astounded the system is broken? Just cos one of theirs went inside and has seen what it’s “really like”? Funny thing about privileged men, they cannot believe something until they or one of their ilk has experienced it.
EVIDENCE based rehab and punishment would go along way to reforming many of our ills, but the votes… the VOTES!
It’s better than the senseless sentencing crowd who don’t seem to think that white businessmen should go to prison at all. Emery springs to mind.
Is it? National and ACT voters have ensured we have a punitive, vengeful focussed system for decades. I have long suspected Simon Power’s early demise (he was often touted as a future PM) was because he wanted an evidence-based, bipartisan approach to our prison system and got yelled down by the “what about the law and order votes” crowd. The SST crowd must vote for someone, I suspect they loved the 3 strikes nonsense.
ACT has provided by far the highest number of MP’s who have been found guilty of crimes. By some margin. Just saying.
heh
Kat. I think Hooton’s comment was in the context of the Government needing to get we the people onside. If we saw the changes as Hooton outlined it would help to counter the shrill voices already screaming, “Do ya want murderers and rapists roaming the streets and climbing in your windows because of these wishy washy Labour Mps?”
Ianmac. I heard it as Hooton suggesting what he thinks prisons should be focusing on, in short repositioning prisons as schools. Having these basic skills would be a perquisite to letting people out of prisons. Not that I disagree with upskilling people in prisons but I tend to agree with Tracey that the previous National/Acts govt vote grabbing and punitive policies towards crime is a major factor in why we have such high incarceration and those on remand have trebled since 2012.
Winston might get a bullet in the back of the head if he starts looking into the Panama Papers, just like he nearly did with the Wine Box Papers ?
Probably does not want the drama especially when are up against a rigged Judiciary here in New Zealand ?
Is it really worth the hassle when you are up against the Deep Dark State that is running NZ.
Government in NZ are about the 3rd layer down in the hierarchy behind the Banks & Corporates ?
Sour Soper. Poor guy is in mourning. Several cracks about Jacinda flying high and innuendo about her friendship with Trudeau finally saying “she will come to earth back behind her desk in Parliament.”
He and his wife are a sour pair.
The surprise today was 10 out of 10 for Jacinda from Hosking’s wife, almost gracious!! Hosk will have a fit!!
If you thought Mihi Forbes would be an excellent addition
to The Panel, you’re going to be very disappointed.
RNZ National, Monday 23 April 2018, 4:10 p.m.
Jim Mora, Mihi Forbes, Sam Johnson, Caitlin Cherry
Johnson, a Young Nat, started the show by vapouring on about how Jacinda represents “generational change,” and then getting in a party-political kick in the head by insisting the rest of the Labour Party was not like her, and that there was going to be trouble for the government in the next six months. Then he said: “But whatever side of the political fence you are on, you should be very happy about the way the Prime Minister held herself.”
Mihi Forbes vacuously endorsed Johnson’s words, saying something equally vapid about Jacinda and “the world stage.”
Mihi Forbes has a well earned reputation as a straight talker and a courageous journalist. She could have made a difference to this usually substandard show. Sadly, she seems to have chosen the standard option for many women on this show: meekly agreeing with whatever Mora and the other guest say, no matter how asinine. Hell, they might as well have the egregious Lisa Scott on the show….
https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-13032015/#comment-984919
“I’m with Theresa May. Ban the straw.”
— Mihi Forbes, 4:48 p.m.
Has Boris Johnson said anything about this yet?
And if not, why not?
http://normanfinkelstein.com/2018/04/21/assassins/
he’s not bold enough.
Well done, Sacha. A palpable hit!
‘Plausible deniabilty’ in action.
Thompson & clarke and government entities and their agents. Checkpoint is well on the way to the expose….but then there are also some of the other little nudge nudge wink wink activities between T&C and a public service that @Wayne assures us is impartial (see the weekend).
Maybe part of Steven Joyce’s 11 billion hole will be the number of CEO’s and snr managemwnt in the public service who should rightfully be put on ‘gardening leave’as what should be the bleeding bloody obvious is investigated.
We have become truly 3rd world. Some of the muppetry really astounds me ( going forward ).
The question is now whether our exec branch of government will ekshully deal with our out-of-control admin wing in this grand pissing competition between the two.
I think I just heard a DOC ‘official’ tell us that the services of T&C were still being used….despite being told ( from memory) that the SSC and ministers saying this was not on and should stip.
As I listened to the reasons why their services were required, i had to ask myself WHY AREN’T THE NZ POLICE handling this? Afterall, that is their job!
My thoughts exactly. Have we really gone that far down the outsourcing road that the police no longer register as the right option?
I’m afraid we have @spikeyboy – as I raise a toast with a dainty wee glass full of the best Matrinborough Chardonnay, whilst clutching my pearls and telling my partner how absolutely horrid it all is going forward.
Worse still, many of TS commenters haven’t yet seen fit to make any sort of comment (one way or the other).
At the very least I was hoping for an @ Anne or @ Patrician Bremner take on it all.
An @ Ad or an @ Wayne’s take, I think I can already imagine.
I wonder sometimes whether Labour and its coalition partners are masochistic, as in beat me beat me with some more ‘official’ lies and bullshit. The past record and
current pushback hasn’t yet caused some Ministers to wake the fuck up!
You could put a guest post together OW Tim. I am happy to put it up for you?
Sorry OncewasTim. A close friend just confided her daughter has stage 3 breast cancer.
Everything else became a dull background roar.
No wonder some are nervous about the breadth of backgrounds on the new group for Secret Services, some questions we all ask will now be asked and some of the skullduggery will need to be justified
Israeli soldiers who obey orders to shoot children are the real victims here, says Israeli General
Kia Ora Gaza, April 23, 2018
well, you know, they’re only following orders. That’s gotta be a defense, right? 🙄
Jenny…A horrific account. Israel is supported in these atrocities by the USA and all other nations who stay silent. An outrage to anyone with a smidgen of ethics.
Good God!!
Good morning Newshub Yes my spelling is—— but you know what they say about one skill being naturally missing another is enhanced ???????.
Duncan you are behaving Honorably that was a good interview with Jacinda .
Yes most of OUR Elderly sit at home isolated from society mean while the cost of everything keeps climbing which limits there food budget so they don’t get the right nutrition or exercise . I say we should include them in OUR society they have a lot of good knowledge and morels that should be past on to the Mokopunas thats how Maori used to be the Koro and Kuia looked after the Mokopunas while the able went to work get the Kaumatua is early child care and schools it would be beneficial to all.
MJ I researched artificial sugars and the facts put me off them cancer causing agents in them yes I know I smoke my Nan smoked till she was 60 and lived to 93 thats a good innings.
Its not racism untill you are the one feeling the effects of this human behavior and Eco Maori is differently feeling these effects the sandflys get a hint of me being scared of them and they step up the intimidation I am not scared of them as I have done nothing wrong and I have the skills my Tipuna bestowed on me.???????? here’s a link.
https://i.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/103320304/kaumtua-disgusted-at-gallerys-efforts-to-show-colonial-painting-citing-racism Ana to kai Ka kite ano
The old, the children, the disabled, the unwell and uncared for, the homeless, the low paid… the numbers of our vulnerable used to be small but increasingly their numbers are moving beyond being a mere “minority”.
The antidote? We are told we must “grow the economy”. Well the economy has been growing for decades and yet… As long as many pretend that growing the economy is a panacea and thereby comfort themselves that as long as the economy grows things will be fine, we will continue to fail our vulnerable. Our vulnerable are who we are supposed to protect, not relegate to subsistence and essentially tell them they shoukd feel lucky they werent born in India.
Newshub here is how we should be legislated to build all new Houses and buildings
link below .
https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/homed/houses/102816839/applied-science-of-passive-houses . Wow is that how desperate they are flipping the Bird .
Ana to kai Ka kite ano
Sadly eco, 675000 plus land is way out of many kiwis hands. It was hard to tell from the article if land was included in the price or not. I suspect not.
157 square metre house costing $675,000 is about $4300 per square metre.
I am all for passive houses but until the price plummetts it is a rich womans dream.
FYI when we moved from Auckland to Christchurch ladt year we built new and tgat included 20 solar panels. Install and purchase of the panels and equipment was 135000.
Batteries are not yet regarded by our supplier as worth their cost
Here you go a Lady with 2 children working and having a hard time putting a roof over there heads .I know some one in the same situation thanks to bill and shonky we have a major shortage of houses .Ka kite ano hears the link
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/property/103316320/keeping-a-roof-over-my-kids-heads-is-impossible
Newshub Malissa The new British Royal baby boy congratulations Willaim an Kate .
I say that Jacinda and Clarke are a cool couple and will be excellent parents Ka pai eh hoa yes the fish I was handling was over 35 years ago everything was in abundance and big in those days.
Mike I have already commented on that painting you see I have been studying our tipuna and history I have read a lot of good storys about Tepuia she and Apirana Ngata built a lot of Marae and Trust farms and I would not agree to any of OUR boys going to war You see the nurturing instinct from a Great Mana Whine Tepuia .
Yea the Kiwis Rugby League team is going for the best coach I remember all those going for the coachs job Toovey Hasler Daley they were all mean players back in the day Yea. the Mokos are here Ka kite ano
The Crowd Goes Wild Mulls and James I won’t comment on that team.
Hows the eye and calf and the ratings you know Eco Maori is the flute Master .
Kronfeld looks like he dosen’t like water lol ka kite ano P.S
The IPL Cricket is awesome I like the way they (Play)
Tax reminder – have your say to the Tax Working Group. TS has talked and thought about it often enough and its failings at present. We could do so much better with the right shift – to the left of course.
ttp://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1804/S00241/one-week-left-to-have-your-say-on-the-future-of-tax.htm
“The quick polls have been popular with more than 10,000 responses so far and it’s encouraging that a good proportion of those votes have been followed up with a submission.”
Note: 10,000 responses so far – out of 4+ million taxpayers minus children not big enough to suck gobstoppers. It isn’t many really is it. Your input will be effective at some level so don’t miss out.
https://taxworkinggroup.govt.nz/
The group’s website (https://taxworkinggroup.govt.nz) has also been updated to include thought-provoking videos and a quick comment facility. Longer, more detailed submissions are also welcomed and can be sent to submissions@taxworkinggroup.govt.nz.
Explanatory from Scoop giving press release from 14 March 2018.
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1803/S00380/tax-working-group-open-minded-on-how-to-future-proof-tax.htm