I can't see any reasonable person agreeing with First Capital. With the council offering to top up the wages, all this Aussie company had to do was honour the conditions.
Clearly they are not good faith bargaining, more looking to trim the balance sheet so as to sell the business.
A TV series for the Labour Party, specifically Grant Robertson who believes that renters can 'just move to a different rental' when their current one gets to expensive. Tone deaf, out of touch, a one percenter if there ever was one.
Those thinking of leveraging their house to buy an investment property should watch Renters. Seeing the costs and associated risk of the landlord business may scare you off.
Everyone else, ignore it. Renters is not entertaining, it stereotypes tenants by highlighting extreme cases and it's so tone-deaf it will make you want to grab your pitchfork and start a revolution.
Also file this under 'we don't know how lucky we have been, still are' but rest assured that Government knows that it got elected by luck and luck alone.
he Ministry of Health allowed a family to remain in the community for more than two days after escaping managed isolation during last year's first level 3 lockdown.
The case was never reported publicly and was deemed low risk because they had come from a country without Covid-19.
But it had some officials in Auckland scrambling, with one person writing to the Ministry of Health to denounce their lack of direction over the incident.
Auckland Regional Isolation and Quarantine (RIQ) response manager at the time Lee Hazlewood wrote a critical email, obtained under the Official Information Act, that the ministry needed to step up.
The blunt email was sent to all agencies involved "respectfully for the record" with some of the issues he had identified.
He said the email was sent in case the breach became a public health issue and said his team contacted the Ministry of Health (MOH) first thing the morning after the breach seeking direction.
"We discussed several options with MOH during the day, [including] sending a clinical nurse to relay MOH guidance and supervise visit, [and] sending the staff member from the RIQ to relay any guidance from the MOH [National Health Coordination Centre]," the email read.
"The RIQ received no direction to act at this time or at any other time during the period that [the family] was outside of [managed isolation]."
His staff were also told conflicting stories around whether the family would return to quarantine or not.
Do you think the family was related to the Michael Woodhouse mystery homeless man in the upmarket Auckland MIQ hotel?
Maybe the 'luck alone' has to do with the luck that the National mob were dishonest, incompetent and idiotic.
Remember Michelle Boag releasing confidential information? Was that luck for Labour? Or bad luck for Hamish Walker who took one for the team while Nikki Kaye decided to quietly disappear? And Michael Woodhouse, no way would he have been in the loop of the info leak, parked himself in the background. And the good luck the 'enquiry' was a snow job.
Anyone who wants to call the government a 'sick joke from day one' is quite welcome to do it. To do it on the back of a relative handful of human stuff ups amongst the many millions of actions and interactions around covid and the border is silly.
Labour is the government and do have responsibility. National is just the opposition because they were thought to be incapable, dishonest and not trustworthy. The half pie enquiry into the Boag affair meant that National was helped to a huge 25.6% in the election and their supporters didn't have to confront the level of scumminess in the midst of the party.
I don't think they are a sick joke, but then i am well housed, well fed and clothes.
What i think they are is opportunistic and right now they make it up as they go along, and even then i don't blame them for that either as the Covid Pandemic will be the gift that keeps on giving for a few more years.
I also don't for a moment believe that we will ever go back to pre Lockdown 4 25th May 2020.
But what i do believe is that they will not tackle any of the social ills they should tackle.
Drug policies
racist drug polices, incrimination of other non violent/criminal behaviour, refusal to treat drug abuse as a health issue rather then a criminal one etc.
On that, total failure, in fact if Little could he would make the whole shebang worse.
Housing
we have currently up and down the country enough people to house a full scale mid size town and this government is going lalalalaala and keeps throwing money at it as if there is no tomorrow.
Total failure
Health and the inaction of Labour
we have new borns with cleft palates put on waiting lists, we have toddlers in need of cardiac surgery on waiting lists and we are currently crowdfunding for beds at Starships ICU
failure.
So what we have here is an inability from Labour to try anything other then the tried and trued that has not worked before. We have labour hide behind referendums in which senior Labour Politians did not state an opinion cause 'i don't want to influence the referendum" Well thanks a bunch dear.
If you ask willy nilly people on the street who boag is – and i actually had to look her up – they will not know. But ask them if they know someone who can't find a rental, or who is on a waiting list, or who is in prison due to racists and outdated criminal laws and chances are they can help you there.
So its not a sick joke, its just a bunch of worn out people that since helen clark never had to earn a day of living in the private market and who have very little ideas about how they affect the country in day to day live. Out of touch and somewhat callous, and devoid of courage. And now they can't hide behind an opposition bench, they can't hide behind coalition partners they are actually all alone responsible for what they do. So who cares about National, they can do no more then Labour could under John Key. Flap their wings and be impotent.
We have a joke for that in Germany : The operation was successful but the patient died. That to me is Labour today, and we are the patient.
We have a joke for that in Germany : The operation was successful but the patient died. That to me is Labour today, and we are the patient.
Germany (a wealthy country with competent political leadership and excellent health infrastructure) sadly has 973 COVID-19 deaths per million. NZ sadly has 5 deaths per million.
I hope that this pandemic has peaked, and reckon a 'joke' involving a patient dying might be considered a bit tasteless right now, even in Germany.
PCC, thankfully not everyone shares your opinion. Some opposition National party MPs are jokes, taking their queue from Collins' eyebrows (what a 'leader').
National party MPs are incapable of governing for all NZers – it's simply not in their DNA. Everyone understands that now – National party voters always knew it.
The Best and Worst Places to Be as Global Vaccinations Take Off A lightning-fast vaccination drive has propelled Israel toward the top of Bloomberg’s Covid Resilience Ranking, transforming everyday life to put the country alongside New Zealand [#1] and Taiwan as one of the best places to be in the coronavirus era.
national mps are jokes, and in saying that the same thing could be said about labour during the john key years, they too managed to fail to win an election till they threw J.A at the electorate. So who will be the saviour of National? Maybe it will be tax cuts, opening weed to business and recreational use, and such. And guess what people would vote for that.
And neither eyebrows nor teeth should ever be cause for a joke.
Yes, they government that promised us transparency has been anything but. Our isolation and low population alone saved us.
I doubt Ashley Bloomfield could even lie straight in bed. So many cover ups and downright lies (remember his and the governments lies about PPE?)
This Labour administration has been a joke from start to finish. Kiwibuild. Airport light rail. Fast trains to Hamilton and Tauranga. A Minister of Health that hid under the bed in Dunedin (when not out breaking lockdown). The list is endless.
A Minister of Health who hid his under his bed for months while being part of the establishing of an internationally acknowledged success in dealing with the pandemic?
Of course it wasn't perfect – you weren't involved with your knowledge and expertise. Oh, and people, human beings, were involved in complex and new situations.
Your tone smacks of sadness at missing the hole in one, the home run that would have put a smile on your face to ram home 'the government is hopeless' narrative.
Are you sad tens of thousands didn't die to give you some real bullets?
" Our isolation and low population alone saved us."
Please , there were 1000s arriving every day at the major airport.
And low population ? Ask Ireland with around the same population of 5-6 million and 4800 covid deaths.
Taking the wrong steps in Victoria after an outbreak sourced from a MIQ hotel let to 800 deaths.
Elimination wasnt the starting strategy but very quickly did become that, while National moved to a sort of minimization- open the borders, bring back the students and other useless ideas. if the National party was in power we would be having a 3rd wave of hundreds of dead as we moved in winter
Ireland, part of england? That Ireland? Or is there an Ireland in the middle of an ocean with nothing other around them then water that you could just close off to the public and be done with? lol lol lol lol
yeas and orange is a fruit, and an apple is too, and yet they are so different.
We went into lockdown to prevent our healthcare system from collapsing. Elimination was not what the public was told, we bring in daily cases from overseas, so we have eliminated nothing. We are one infected person away from disaster, considering that our health care system collapsed without Covid, but just due to past and current underfunding by respective governments.
Honey Ireland is part of England and the EU. Ireland could not as we did just close the door to everyone as they were not the only ones to decide. I mean yeah for some details don't matter, but that is a bit thick.
But hey, here is Vietnam, borders China, Laos, Kambodia, 90 million plus people, an 'emerging' nation.
currently we have active 32 cases – all from overseas thus imported
from todays NZ herald.
Before you accuse me of falsehoods let me confim to you that you are looking like the fool that you have shown yourself to be. I generally only speak about things i have seen / read in fairly reputable news organs. I can link to pretty much any of my ideas/opinion for support. As for insulting other posters by throwing a wee tantrum on the floor, that also says more about you then it will ever say about me.
We would never refer to as Scotland as the UK or Ireland as the UK.
But yes, consider the shitshow that was /is England then one can assume that other countries that are also in the UK who are not England have an issue. That is what i was referring to.
Eighteen people have been arrested and 15 charged after crowds of predominantly loyalist youths attacked lines of riot police officers and vehicles with bricks, fireworks and petrol bombs.
Saturday night was the first without major incident since Good Friday on 2 April, with the lack of trouble being linked to the death of the Duke of Edinburgh.
While all Northern Ireland's main parties have condemned the violence, they are divided about its causes.
We are one infected person away from disaster. We are one tremendous South Island earthquake away from disaster. We are one nuclear weapon away from disaster.
The health care system collapsed without Covid? The system isn't perfect, to say it has collapsed is total and obvious rubbish.
Fortunately it wasn't allowed to collapse. Go back a year and a bit. Don't close the borders, don't have lockdowns, don't wear masks … How would that have gone with collapsing the health system?
are you feeling safer today with the health care system of today then you felt a year ago?
we are one case that gets out away from a major fucking disaster as the current mutations are worse and we would have heard if the government would have build a hospital, trained nurses free of charge, created space for an eventual outbreak and such. We got 100 ventilators since. We are still short on nurses, beds, space, and probably ppe, as i have not heard of the breaking ground to a facility that could produce these for us here in NZ.
Peter. CHCH "Our isolation and low population alone saved us".
I am sorry Peter this is absolute bullshit. There were many decisions made in crisis mode that saved us. Closing the boarder to China, major lockdown (hard and early) other wise rates of covid would have sky rocketted. Paying the wage subsidy which has ensured many businesses have survived. Setting up in great haste MIQ for returning Kiwis and reviewing every breach and putting things in. place to prevent them, Ordering a review on contact tracing (Dr Verrall, now a member of cabinet ) and getting it up to speed, ramping up laboratory testing. Locking down when necessary and closing our boarders recently to India where rates of Covid are catastrophic. Oh yes and buying a number vaccines with the roll out underway.
This is why we have had very little covid in our community and very few deaths. Mistakes will occur, because that is life. If you think about your own life over the last week, I imagine you have made some mistakes. i have too. Impossible not too.
So your claim that isolation and small pop = good covid result is nonsence
In 1976 the Bay City Rollers played at the Auckland Town Hall. There was a rule against standing on the seats; of course a lot of the girls in the crowd proceeded to stand on the seats, until a goon from Eden Security punched one of them.
There was, naturally, great anger directed at Eden Security after that.
The Bay City Rollers and The Nolan Sisters?…I never in a million years would have thought of putting those two acts together, but as you have mentioned it I have thought about (briefly) and it sounds not quite right, what makes you think they would have been a good match .
Just relistened to 'I'm in the mood for Dancing',not too bad, but hasn't really stood the test of time too well..but I probably danced to this at some school Disco back then, so who am I too judge?
Being a consultant is one of the most lucrative jobs one can get in one’s field. All it takes is knowing the right people, having a glossy business card, a good sales pitch and loads of confidence. One doesn’t have to be particularly good at anything, just use the right jargon and say the things the ‘customer’ wants to hear. Once one is ‘in’, one’s ‘in’ for as long as one likes. That said, there are very few genuinely good ones around, at least, AFAIK, but I’ve met a few duds in my professional life, some real shockers.
Peter. CHCH "Our isolation and low population alone saved us".
I am sorry Peter this is absolute bullshit. There were many decisions made in crisis mode that saved us. Closing the boarder to China, major lockdown (hard and early) other wise rates of covid would have sky rocketted. Paying the wage subsidy which has ensured many businesses have survived. Setting up in great haste MIQ for returning Kiwis and reviewing every breach and putting things in. place to prevent them, Ordering a review on contact tracing (Dr Verrall, now a member of cabinet ) and getting it up to speed, ramping up laboratory testing. Locking down when necessary and closing our boarders recently to India where rates of Covid are catastrophic. Oh yes and buying a number vaccines with the roll out underway.
This is why we have had very little covid in our community and very few deaths. Mistakes will occur, because that is life. If you think about your own life over the last week, I imagine you have made some mistakes. i have too. Impossible not too.
So your claim that isolation and small pop = good covid result is nonsence
all the people that stayed at home, all the people that closed the shops to their businesses knowing full well tht they will not have one to come back too, all the nurses, all the doctors, all the people that donated food, all of us that did all the right things, and the many many sacrifices so many made.
the best intention of government is worth fuck all when you have say a population like the US has.
And as i posted before Vietnam with a population of 93 million and surrounded by three countries one of them china had virtually the same number of infected, recovered and death – their dead numbering at 35 while ours stand at 26, and like us all their cases are imported ones.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/441093/taranaki-aquifer-contaminated-50-times-more-than-acceptable …"They're consistent with a local concentration, a local high-level concentration as opposed to normal land use. "Previously, I've seen concentrations as high or higher, but only around facilities or factories that store such pesticides." The regional council undertook an aerial search and questioned landowners in an effort to find the source of the contamination, but drew a blank and eventually abandoned its investigation.
…Barry Prophet hoped the source could be located. "It certainly isn't good. They are going to have to find out what, where and why?" He had his suspicions."Probably drums were just thrown away back a few years ago."
It could help to provide information if a highish monetary reward was offered for information leading to location – 'no names, no pack drill'.
Week in Review [18 April; 2021] To end this complete and utter shambles, National has called for a return of the Epidemic Response Committee to ensure the Government, and its departments, are held to account for their promises, scrutinise their decisions, and help deliver better public policy and action.
Not only a complete shambles, but an "utter shambles"! Witness the breathtakingly untrustworthy Bishop and Collins parading their feeble grasp on reality for all to see.
The Best and Worst Places to Be as Global Vaccinations Take Off A lightning-fast vaccination drive has propelled Israel toward the top of Bloomberg’s Covid Resilience Ranking, transforming everyday life to put the country alongside New Zealand [#1] and Taiwan as one of the best places to be in the coronavirus era.
and Vietnam which has our numbers in cases plus 9 people more dead (grand total of 35) then us and is a country that is not an island and has 90+ million people living and working there.
I know an inconvenient truth for some, but I think they deserve a round of applaus and as far as governments go in times of a pandemic i think they deserve another round of applause cause these guys did well.
I think they deserve a round of applaus and as far as governments go in times of a pandemic i think they deserve another round of applause cause these guys did well.
Reckon all governments/populations that have done well so far deserve recognition
Maybe certain populations in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos have developed a some immunity to the virus, if, as is supposed, the transmission from bat to human occurred in that country which is the home of the bat to which the virus is linked. I understand that in the northern part of Vietnam there is frequent interaction between humans and the bats, as the local population enter the caves in which the bats live to collect their guano for fertiliser.
The data in the figure above indirectly support the hypothesis that the SARS-CoV-2 group actually originated in mainland Southeast Asia. Indeed, human populations in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam appear to be much less affected by the Covid-19 pandemic than other countries in the region, such as Bangladesh, Myanmar, Malaysia, the Philippines and Indonesia. This suggests that the populations of these four countries may be benefiting from a level of herd immunity to Sarbecoviruses.
Then again Vietnam have developed over the recent past a response to pandemics very similar to that which our Govt initiated in March last year.
As of December 31, 2020, Vietnam had reported 1,465 laboratory confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 35 deaths.2 This success has been attributed to several key factors, including a well-developed public health system, a decisive central government, and a proactive containment strategy based on comprehensive testing, tracing, and quarantining.
One of the reasons Vietnam was able to act so quickly and keep the case count so low is that the country experienced a severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemic in 2003 and human cases of avian influenza between 2004 and 2010. As a result, Vietnam had both the experience and infrastructure to take appropriate action. Vietnam makes many key containment decisions in a matter of days, which may take weeks for governments in other countries to make. Although Vietnam is a highly centralized country, a number of key decisions were made at the local level, which also contributed to the swift response.
Unless someone can link to a credible study that shows natural immunity i would say that is a far fetched idea.
The reason i point to Vietnam as a success rather then us or Taiwan is simply the physical location.
Like we had it easiest among the many, for us to close the border was no issue as we literally just had to prevent airplanes from landing/same with boats. We don't have to worry about landborders that can be porous and hard to manage and controll.
I also point to Vietnam as a bigger success story as they actually continued to work as normally as possible inclusive building production facilities for PPE and such, while we here are still crowd funding ICU beds for Starship Hospital.
I don't consider NZ a success in the 'combat' against Covid, i consider us to be some of the luckiest people to have been physically where we are, and since then we have continued to be lucky. And i hope that we get lucky over and over again, cause we need it .
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The new Victoria University Vice-Chancellor decided to have a forum at the university about free speech and academic freedom as it is obviously a topical issue, and the Government is looking at legislating some carrots or sticks for universities to uphold their obligations under the Education and Training Act. They ...
Do you remember when Melania Trump got caught out using a speech that sounded awfully like one Michelle Obama had given? Uncannily so.Well it turns out that Abraham Lincoln is to Winston Peters as Michelle was to Melania. With the ANZAC speech Uncle Winston gave at Gallipoli having much in ...
She was born 25 years ago today in North Shore hospital. Her eyes were closed tightly shut, her mouth was silently moving. The whole theatre was all quiet intensity as they marked her a 2 on the APGAR test. A one-minute eternity later, she was an 8. The universe was ...
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park in collaboration with members from our Skeptical Science team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is Antarctica gaining land ice? ...
Images of US students (and others) protesting and setting up tent cities on US university campuses have been broadcast world wide and clearly demonstrate the growing rifts in US society caused by US policy toward Israel and Israel’s prosecution of … Continue reading → ...
Barrie Saunders writes – Dear Paul As the new Minister of Media and Communications, you will be inundated with heaps of free advice and special pleading, all in the national interest of course. For what it’s worth here is my assessment: Traditional broadcasting free to air content through ...
Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its arguments for such a bold reform. ...
Peter Dunne writes – The great nineteenth British Prime Minister, William Gladstone, once observed that “the first essential for a Prime Minister is to be a good butcher.” When a later British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, sacked a third of his Cabinet in July 1962, in what became ...
Ele Ludemann writes – New Zealanders had the OECD’s second highest tax increase last year: New Zealanders faced the second-biggest tax raises in the developed world last year, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) says. The intergovernmental agency said the average change in personal income tax ...
We all know something’s not right with our elections. The spread of misinformation, people being targeted with soundbites and emotional triggers that ignore the facts, even the truth, and influence their votes.The use of technology to produce deep fakes. How can you tell if something is real or not? Can ...
This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Simon Clark. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). This year you will be lied to! Simon Clark helps prebunk some misleading statements you'll hear about climate. The video includes ...
It is all very well cutting the backrooms of public agencies but it may compromise the frontlines. One of the frustrations of the Productivity Commission’s 2017 review of universities is that while it observed that their non-academic staff were increasing faster than their academic staff, it did not bother to ...
Buzz from the Beehive Two speeches delivered by Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters at Anzac Day ceremonies in Turkey are the only new posts on the government’s official website since the PM announced his Cabinet shake-up. In one of the speeches, Peters stated the obvious: we live in a troubled ...
1. Which of these would you not expect to read in The Waikato Invader?a. Luxon is here to do business, don’t you worry about thatb. Mr KPI expects results, and you better believe itc. This decisive man of action is getting me all hot and excitedd. Melissa Lee is how ...
…it has a restricted jurisdiction which must not be abused: it is not an inquisitionNOTE – this article was published before the High Court ruled that Karen Chhour does not have to appear before the Waitangi Tribunal Gary Judd writes – The High Court ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – One of reasons Oranga Tamariki exists is to prevent child neglect. But could the organisation itself be guilty of the same?Oranga Tamariki’s statistics show a decrease in the number and age of children in care. “There are less children ...
David Farrar writes: Graeme Edgeler wrote in 2017: In the first five years after three strikes came into effect 5248 offenders received a ‘first strike’ (that is, a “stage-1 conviction” under the three strikes sentencing regime), and 68 offenders received a ‘second strike’. In the five years prior to ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in politics. That’s refreshing and will be extremely ...
TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the two days to 6:06am on Thursday, April 25:Politics: PM Christopher Luxon has set up a dual standard for ministerial competence by demoting two National Cabinet ministers while leaving also-struggling ...
Hi,Today I mainly want to share some of your thoughts about the recent piece I wrote about success and failure, and the forces that seemingly guide our lives. But first, a quick bit of housekeeping: I am doing a Webworm popup in Los Angeles on Saturday May 11 at 2pm. ...
It is hard to see what Melissa Lee might have done to “save” the media. National went into the election with no public media policy and appears not to have developed one subsequently. Lee claimed that she had prepared a policy paper before the election but it had been decided ...
Open access notablesIce acceleration and rotation in the Greenland Ice Sheet interior in recent decades, Løkkegaard et al., Communications Earth & Environment:In the past two decades, mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet has accelerated, partly due to the speedup of glaciers. However, uncertainty in speed derived from satellite products ...
Buzz from the Beehive A statement from Children’s Minister Karen Chhour – yet to be posted on the Government’s official website – arrived in Point of Order’s email in-tray last night. It welcomes the High Court ruling on whether the Waitangi Tribunal can demand she appear before it. It does ...
Mr Bombastic:Ironically, the media the academic experts wanted is, in many ways, the media they got. In place of the tyrannical editors of yesteryear, advancing without fear or favour the interests of the ruling class; the New Zealand news media of today boasts a troop of enlightened journalists dedicated to ...
It's hard times try to make a livingYou wake up every morning in the unforgivingOut there somewhere in the cityThere's people living lives without mercy or pityI feel good, yeah I'm feeling fineI feel better then I have for the longest timeI think these pills have been good for meI ...
In 1974, the US Supreme Court issued its decision in United States v. Nixon, finding that the President was not a King, but was subject to the law and was required to turn over the evidence of his wrongdoing to the courts. It was a landmark decision for the rule ...
Every day now just seems to bring in more fresh meat for the grinder.In their relentlessly ideological drive to cut back on the “excessive bloat” (as they see it) of the previous Labour-led government, on the mountains of evidence accumulated in such a short period of time do not ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure. The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
The Government and Rotorua Lakes Council are committed to working closely together to end the use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua. Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) Tama Potaka says the Government remains committed to ending the long-term use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua by the ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. “I’m putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...
The new NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) App is a secure ‘one stop shop’ to provide the services drivers need, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Digitising Government Minister Judith Collins say. “The NZTA App will enable an easier way for Kiwis to pay for Vehicle Registration and Road User Charges (RUC). ...
Whānau with tamariki growing up in emergency housing motels will be prioritised for social housing starting this week, says Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka. “Giving these whānau a better opportunity to build healthy stable lives for themselves and future generations is an essential part of the Government’s goal of reducing ...
Racing Minister Winston Peters has paid tribute to an icon of the industry with the recent passing of Dave O’Sullivan (OBE). “Our sympathies are with the O’Sullivan family with the sad news of Dave O’Sullivan’s recent passing,” Mr Peters says. “His contribution to racing, initially as a jockey and then ...
Assalaamu alaikum, greetings to you all. Eid Mubarak, everyone! I want to extend my warmest wishes to you and everyone celebrating this joyous occasion. It is a pleasure to be here. I have enjoyed Eid celebrations at Parliament before, but this is my first time joining you as the Minister ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced Pharmac’s largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff. “Access to medicines is a crucial part of many Kiwis’ lives. We’ve committed to a budget allocation of $1.774 billion over four years so Kiwis are ...
Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nick Chartres, Senior Research Fellow, Faculty of Medicine & Health, University of Sydney shutterstockAhmet Misirligul/Shutterstock You go to the gym, eat healthy and walk as much as possible. You wash your hands and get vaccinated. You control your health. This is ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jacqueline Hendriks, Research Fellow and Lecturer, Curtin University Children and young people may be seeing news headlines about men murdering women or footage of people rallying to call for action. Perhaps they or their friends have even gone to the protests. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jessica Balanzategui, Senior Lecturer in Media, RMIT University ABC “Bluey mania” shows no sign of abating. Bluey’s season finale, The Sign, was the most viewed ABC program of all time on iView. A “hidden” follow-up episode, aptly named The Surprise, created ...
Labour market figures came in softer than the Reserve Bank had forecast, but they won’t be enough to move the needle on interest rates, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. Unemployment ...
The campaign will engage the community and encourage submissions on the bill to the New Zealand government by the closing submission deadline of Friday 31st of May 2024 4pm. ...
The paper raises concerns about declining trust in New Zealand's political institutions and democratic processes, and the role that the overuse of Parliamentary urgency plays in that. ...
The Urban Habitat Collective was an attempt to built an innovative new form of apartment building in Wellington. Here’s why it failed, and why the idea could still work, writes co-founder Bronwen Newton. When we started the Urban Habitat Collective in November 2018, we thought we were starting a revolution, ...
Two decades ago this week, a controversial law that attempted to define ownership of the foreshore and seabed prompted a formidable display of outrage and kōtahitanga as 15,000 marched to parliament. Jamie Tahana looks back.‘Hīkoi, hīkoi,” they chanted by the thousands as the biggest Māori march in a generation ...
A Labour Party Member’s Bill aims to plug a culpability gap between manslaughter and health and safety breaches The post New push for corporate killing laws appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Terence O’Brien had the rare and no doubt undesired distinction of rising to one of the most exalted positions in New Zealand diplomacy, then being unceremoniously recalled to Wellington without explanation just when his career was at its zenith. What is perhaps more surprising is that he appears to have ...
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Why has New Zealand slipped from third to 12th on Quality of Death Indexes over the past decade or so? Hospice New Zealand Chief Executive Wayne Naylor has a list of reasons. “We don’t have a current national strategy – the Government hasn’t renewed our 2001 strategy, so we don’t ...
While women’s sport is exploding in Aotearoa and around the world, you still don’t hear a lot of talk about athletes and their periods, RED-S, breastfeeding and visible panty-lines. SASS (Suze and Sez Sports)Talk isn’t afraid to have that kōrero.LockerRoom founder Suzanne McFadden and Olympian broadcaster Sarah ...
On an unusually hot night in January 2019, a little boy’s lifeless body was found face up in a small town’s sewage oxidation pond. To the police, it was an open and shut case: three-year-old Lachlan Jones had run away from his home in the Southland town of Gore, climbed ...
Rongotai MP Julie Anne Genter has apologised in Parliament after National accused her of intimidating and attacking one of its ministers in the House. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Prime Minister and state and territory leaders met on Wednesday as the national cabinet to discuss a crisis gripping Australia – the horrific number of women murdered this year. The killings have shocked ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Radhika Raghav, Teaching Fellow, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Otago Netflix Indian director Sanjay Leela Bhansali is known for his big-budget Bollywood production, featuring grand sets, star casts, meticulously choreographed dance sequences and lavish costumes, jewellery and furnishings. ...
Sir Robert devoted his life to disability rights after living in institutions in his younger years, says Kaihautū Tika Hauātanga | Disability Rights Commissioner Prudence Walker. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Powell, Professor, Family and Sexual Violence, RMIT University Violence against women is not a women’s problem to solve, it is a whole of society problem to solve; and men in particular have to take responsibility. Those were the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jessica Allen, Senior Lecturer in Chemical and Renewable Energy Engineering, University of Newcastle Snapshot freddy/ShutterstockPlans to revive an old coal-fired power station using bioenergy are being considered in the Hunter region of New South Wales. Similar plans for the station ...
Responding to the long-awaited release of judges’ special allowances, including free air travel and hotels for spouses, generous sabbaticals, and access to limousines, Taxpayers’ Union spokesman Alex Murphy said: “In what world does your employer ...
Analysis - The United States has unveiled plans to boost the weapons trade with Australia and the UK, on the same day that Winston Peters is expected to sketch NZ's position on AUKUS. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrea Carson, Professor of Political Communication, Department of Politics, Media and Philosophy, La Trobe University Since Australia’s First Nations Voice to Parliament referendum in October 2023, diverse commentaries have sought to explain why it failed. But what does an analysis of media ...
Lawyers representing two iwi as well as the Māori Women’s Welfare League on Wednesday asked the Court of Appeal to overturn last week’s High Court decision on the Waitangi Tribunal’s decision to summons Children’s Minister Karen Chhour. The Tribunal is currently investigating the Government’s decision to repeal section 7AA of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Albanese government will introduce legislation to ban deepfake pornography and provide more funding for the eSafety Commission to pilot age-assurance technologies. The contribution of internet sites to gender-based violence was one major issue ...
Average ordinary time hourly earnings, as measured by the Quarterly Employment Survey (QES), increased 5.2 percent in the year to the March 2024 quarter, according to figures released by Stats NZ today. Annual wage cost inflation, as measured by the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dimitrios Salampasis, FinTech Capability Lead | Senior Lecturer, Emerging Technologies and FinTech, Swinburne University of Technology Clem Onojeghuo/Unsplash In the digital era, the job market is increasingly becoming a minefield – demanding and difficult to navigate. According to the Australian Bureau ...
As of the March 2024 quarter, we can now look back on 20 years of data related to youth not in employment, education, or training (NEET), as collected by the Household Labour Force Survey (HLFS), according to figures released by Stats NZ today. "The ...
Thousands of workers attended public events in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch today to celebrate International Workers’ Day (May Day), but union representatives are urging caution and vigilance over the Government’s blatantly "anti-worker" ...
The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 4.3 percent in the March 2024 quarter, compared with 4.0 percent in the previous quarter, according to figures released by Stats NZ today. ...
The PSA is warning the Government that the sensitive information of New Zealanders held by various agencies will fall into the wrong hands if the latest round of proposed cuts goes ahead. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Talitha Best, Professor of Psychology, CQUniversity Australia Victoria Rodriguez/Unsplash How do sugar rushes work? – W.H, age nine, from Canberra What a terrific question W.H! Let’s explore this, starting with some of the basics. What is sugar? ...
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He Lives!
As I was consuming my morning repast, this emerged from my toaster. What can it mean?
https://markdoran.files.wordpress.com/2021/04/prince-ph-toast.jpg
You need a different horse.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/wellington/300284386/thousands-sign-petition-in-support-of-striking-wellington-bus-drivers
please consider signing this petition
Done.
I can't see any reasonable person agreeing with First Capital. With the council offering to top up the wages, all this Aussie company had to do was honour the conditions.
Clearly they are not good faith bargaining, more looking to trim the balance sheet so as to sell the business.
A TV series for the Labour Party, specifically Grant Robertson who believes that renters can 'just move to a different rental' when their current one gets to expensive. Tone deaf, out of touch, a one percenter if there ever was one.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/karl-puschmann-tvnzs-renters-is-everything-wrong-with-nz/DN4ALYS5VVT3PRXZAQYTHDAPXI/
I have watched it a couple times. Some property managers seem to go over to the property when it is too late to help the landlord or the tenant.
Those who smash up their home have issues and intervention is required.
as do the ones that think you can rent a burned out property while its being renovated. 🙂
the whole serious is fucked up lowest common denominator television.
Also file this under 'we don't know how lucky we have been, still are' but rest assured that Government knows that it got elected by luck and luck alone.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/covid-19-coronavirus-how-a-family-fled-and-returned-to-miq-facility-in-auckland/CBDHTOHBHO3I5YLCA324OIKUCE/
Do you think the family was related to the Michael Woodhouse mystery homeless man in the upmarket Auckland MIQ hotel?
Maybe the 'luck alone' has to do with the luck that the National mob were dishonest, incompetent and idiotic.
Remember Michelle Boag releasing confidential information? Was that luck for Labour? Or bad luck for Hamish Walker who took one for the team while Nikki Kaye decided to quietly disappear? And Michael Woodhouse, no way would he have been in the loop of the info leak, parked himself in the background. And the good luck the 'enquiry' was a snow job.
Peter, how does trotting out the Labour party line about National excuse the fact that this government has been a sick joke from day one?
Labour is actually the government, and thus they and they alone have the responsibility. National is just the opposition (and Boag not even that).
Transparency and honesty, I think Ardern promised. Yeah, right.
Anyone who wants to call the government a 'sick joke from day one' is quite welcome to do it. To do it on the back of a relative handful of human stuff ups amongst the many millions of actions and interactions around covid and the border is silly.
Labour is the government and do have responsibility. National is just the opposition because they were thought to be incapable, dishonest and not trustworthy. The half pie enquiry into the Boag affair meant that National was helped to a huge 25.6% in the election and their supporters didn't have to confront the level of scumminess in the midst of the party.
The sick joke is that House prices, Rents and the number if people in slum hotels are rising at record rates…
Labour governing for the land owning classes…
I don't think they are a sick joke, but then i am well housed, well fed and clothes.
What i think they are is opportunistic and right now they make it up as they go along, and even then i don't blame them for that either as the Covid Pandemic will be the gift that keeps on giving for a few more years.
I also don't for a moment believe that we will ever go back to pre Lockdown 4 25th May 2020.
But what i do believe is that they will not tackle any of the social ills they should tackle.
Drug policies
racist drug polices, incrimination of other non violent/criminal behaviour, refusal to treat drug abuse as a health issue rather then a criminal one etc.
On that, total failure, in fact if Little could he would make the whole shebang worse.
Housing
we have currently up and down the country enough people to house a full scale mid size town and this government is going lalalalaala and keeps throwing money at it as if there is no tomorrow.
Total failure
Health and the inaction of Labour
we have new borns with cleft palates put on waiting lists, we have toddlers in need of cardiac surgery on waiting lists and we are currently crowdfunding for beds at Starships ICU
failure.
So what we have here is an inability from Labour to try anything other then the tried and trued that has not worked before. We have labour hide behind referendums in which senior Labour Politians did not state an opinion cause 'i don't want to influence the referendum" Well thanks a bunch dear.
If you ask willy nilly people on the street who boag is – and i actually had to look her up – they will not know. But ask them if they know someone who can't find a rental, or who is on a waiting list, or who is in prison due to racists and outdated criminal laws and chances are they can help you there.
So its not a sick joke, its just a bunch of worn out people that since helen clark never had to earn a day of living in the private market and who have very little ideas about how they affect the country in day to day live. Out of touch and somewhat callous, and devoid of courage. And now they can't hide behind an opposition bench, they can't hide behind coalition partners they are actually all alone responsible for what they do. So who cares about National, they can do no more then Labour could under John Key. Flap their wings and be impotent.
We have a joke for that in Germany : The operation was successful but the patient died. That to me is Labour today, and we are the patient.
Germany (a wealthy country with competent political leadership and excellent health infrastructure) sadly has 973 COVID-19 deaths per million. NZ sadly has 5 deaths per million.
I hope that this pandemic has peaked, and reckon a 'joke' involving a patient dying might be considered a bit tasteless right now, even in Germany.
Germany is also a country in the middle of europe and nz is an island in a vast empty ocean.
all those apples and oranges….all fruit.
Comparisons may be fruitless, and yet there's no place I'd rather be.
Funny that.
PCC, thankfully not everyone shares your opinion. Some opposition National party MPs are jokes, taking their queue from Collins' eyebrows (what a 'leader').
National party MPs are incapable of governing for all NZers – it's simply not in their DNA. Everyone understands that now – National party voters always knew it.
Drowsy, we agree on one thing at least: some National mps are jokes. And yes, those eyebrows….
national mps are jokes, and in saying that the same thing could be said about labour during the john key years, they too managed to fail to win an election till they threw J.A at the electorate. So who will be the saviour of National? Maybe it will be tax cuts, opening weed to business and recreational use, and such. And guess what people would vote for that.
And neither eyebrows nor teeth should ever be cause for a joke.
Yes, they government that promised us transparency has been anything but. Our isolation and low population alone saved us.
I doubt Ashley Bloomfield could even lie straight in bed. So many cover ups and downright lies (remember his and the governments lies about PPE?)
This Labour administration has been a joke from start to finish. Kiwibuild. Airport light rail. Fast trains to Hamilton and Tauranga. A Minister of Health that hid under the bed in Dunedin (when not out breaking lockdown). The list is endless.
A Minister of Health who hid his under his bed for months while being part of the establishing of an internationally acknowledged success in dealing with the pandemic?
Of course it wasn't perfect – you weren't involved with your knowledge and expertise. Oh, and people, human beings, were involved in complex and new situations.
Your tone smacks of sadness at missing the hole in one, the home run that would have put a smile on your face to ram home 'the government is hopeless' narrative.
Are you sad tens of thousands didn't die to give you some real bullets?
" Our isolation and low population alone saved us."
Please , there were 1000s arriving every day at the major airport.
And low population ? Ask Ireland with around the same population of 5-6 million and 4800 covid deaths.
Taking the wrong steps in Victoria after an outbreak sourced from a MIQ hotel let to 800 deaths.
Elimination wasnt the starting strategy but very quickly did become that, while National moved to a sort of minimization- open the borders, bring back the students and other useless ideas. if the National party was in power we would be having a 3rd wave of hundreds of dead as we moved in winter
Ireland, part of england? That Ireland? Or is there an Ireland in the middle of an ocean with nothing other around them then water that you could just close off to the public and be done with? lol lol lol lol
yeas and orange is a fruit, and an apple is too, and yet they are so different.
We went into lockdown to prevent our healthcare system from collapsing. Elimination was not what the public was told, we bring in daily cases from overseas, so we have eliminated nothing. We are one infected person away from disaster, considering that our health care system collapsed without Covid, but just due to past and current underfunding by respective governments.
Which part of Ireland 5-6 million people.
I wondered before but now you have a tirade of falsehoods. Its pointless engaging with with a fact less froth
Im convinced as you get older the more to the right you will move so that by Hoskings age you could be his alter ego
Honey Ireland is part of England and the EU. Ireland could not as we did just close the door to everyone as they were not the only ones to decide. I mean yeah for some details don't matter, but that is a bit thick.
But hey, here is Vietnam, borders China, Laos, Kambodia, 90 million plus people, an 'emerging' nation.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-australia-lowy-idUSKBN29W311
flattening the curve
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2020/06/coronavirus-a-timeline-of-how-new-zealand-flattened-the-curve-and-beat-covid-19.html
suddenly flattening the curve not good enough anymore – elimination is now the goalpost.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/300185880/flattening-curve-was-not-enough-jacinda-ardern-talks-about-new-zealands-covid-response-us-elections-in-ap-interview
currently we have active 32 cases – all from overseas thus imported
from todays NZ herald.
Before you accuse me of falsehoods let me confim to you that you are looking like the fool that you have shown yourself to be. I generally only speak about things i have seen / read in fairly reputable news organs. I can link to pretty much any of my ideas/opinion for support. As for insulting other posters by throwing a wee tantrum on the floor, that also says more about you then it will ever say about me.
now i am bored with you. bye.
No Ireland is not part of England.
The island of Ireland is home to Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland which is completely independent of the UK.
United Kingdom is made up of England Scotland Wales (the island of Great Britain) and Northern Ireland.
The island of Ireland comprises the Republic of Ireland, which is a sovereign country, and Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom.
Indeed sometimes people from not english countries take "English" as synonimous with "UK" the government, like for me. "England" is the UK much to the chagrin of Scotland. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-56806107
We would never refer to as Scotland as the UK or Ireland as the UK.
But yes, consider the shitshow that was /is England then one can assume that other countries that are also in the UK who are not England have an issue. That is what i was referring to.
also Ireland and the EU
https://europa.eu/european-union/about-eu/countries/member-countries/ireland_en
lol Great way to piss off republicans and unionists at the same time, that.
didn't they. And one still is in the EU and the other isnt, and the it seems that history will repeat itself again, cause 'england'.
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-56664378
We are one infected person away from disaster. We are one tremendous South Island earthquake away from disaster. We are one nuclear weapon away from disaster.
The health care system collapsed without Covid? The system isn't perfect, to say it has collapsed is total and obvious rubbish.
Fortunately it wasn't allowed to collapse. Go back a year and a bit. Don't close the borders, don't have lockdowns, don't wear masks … How would that have gone with collapsing the health system?
are you feeling safer today with the health care system of today then you felt a year ago?
we are one case that gets out away from a major fucking disaster as the current mutations are worse and we would have heard if the government would have build a hospital, trained nurses free of charge, created space for an eventual outbreak and such. We got 100 ventilators since. We are still short on nurses, beds, space, and probably ppe, as i have not heard of the breaking ground to a facility that could produce these for us here in NZ.
Definitely. A year ago NZers were dying daily from COVID-19 and that was causing much anxiety. In the last 7 months there's been 1 COVID-19 death.
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/new-zealand/
During and after gearing up for COVID-19, my GP and local public hospital continue provide excellent service – can't praise/thank them enough.
By a fluke (!), we’ve also almost eliminated the flu.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/nz-is-virtually-flu-free-but-heres-why-you-still-need-your-jab/3XPHU662SGQDVELGQIELXCS2AM/
Peter. CHCH "Our isolation and low population alone saved us".
I am sorry Peter this is absolute bullshit. There were many decisions made in crisis mode that saved us. Closing the boarder to China, major lockdown (hard and early) other wise rates of covid would have sky rocketted. Paying the wage subsidy which has ensured many businesses have survived. Setting up in great haste MIQ for returning Kiwis and reviewing every breach and putting things in. place to prevent them, Ordering a review on contact tracing (Dr Verrall, now a member of cabinet ) and getting it up to speed, ramping up laboratory testing. Locking down when necessary and closing our boarders recently to India where rates of Covid are catastrophic. Oh yes and buying a number vaccines with the roll out underway.
This is why we have had very little covid in our community and very few deaths. Mistakes will occur, because that is life. If you think about your own life over the last week, I imagine you have made some mistakes. i have too. Impossible not too.
So your claim that isolation and small pop = good covid result is nonsence
Endless? Go on, give us another four or five……
It was back in May last year. hardly anyone knew what we know now.
A single family here or there wasnt going to change much, it was the science driven 4.5 week level 4 lockdown and the measures that followed.
But you do have your fairytale stories of the big bad wolf coming to get us
lol
and guess what you would not know today where it not for someone asking.
Lucky, we are so lucky, and some are really happy that they are never told just how lucky they are lest they suddenly felt less lucky. lol
I should be so lucky, lucky lucky lucky – lol
R.I.P. Kevin McKeown from the Bay City Rollers.
A weird piece of Scottish pop culture, and a wee breakthrough here.
Always thought they should match up with The Nolans.
In 1976 the Bay City Rollers played at the Auckland Town Hall. There was a rule against standing on the seats; of course a lot of the girls in the crowd proceeded to stand on the seats, until a goon from Eden Security punched one of them.
There was, naturally, great anger directed at Eden Security after that.
The Bay City Rollers and The Nolan Sisters?…I never in a million years would have thought of putting those two acts together, but as you have mentioned it I have thought about (briefly) and it sounds not quite right, what makes you think they would have been a good match .
Just relistened to 'I'm in the mood for Dancing',not too bad, but hasn't really stood the test of time too well..but I probably danced to this at some school Disco back then, so who am I too judge?
I believe the quantity, quality and efficacy of reviews needs to be reviewed
Do they provide value for money? Who will review the reviewers?
Why the re re reviewers …..and im sure they can ascertain whether its all been value for money, subject to review of course.
Being a consultant is one of the most lucrative jobs one can get in one’s field. All it takes is knowing the right people, having a glossy business card, a good sales pitch and loads of confidence. One doesn’t have to be particularly good at anything, just use the right jargon and say the things the ‘customer’ wants to hear. Once one is ‘in’, one’s ‘in’ for as long as one likes. That said, there are very few genuinely good ones around, at least, AFAIK, but I’ve met a few duds in my professional life, some real shockers.
Good or bad, purpose served.
Peter. CHCH "Our isolation and low population alone saved us".
I am sorry Peter this is absolute bullshit. There were many decisions made in crisis mode that saved us. Closing the boarder to China, major lockdown (hard and early) other wise rates of covid would have sky rocketted. Paying the wage subsidy which has ensured many businesses have survived. Setting up in great haste MIQ for returning Kiwis and reviewing every breach and putting things in. place to prevent them, Ordering a review on contact tracing (Dr Verrall, now a member of cabinet ) and getting it up to speed, ramping up laboratory testing. Locking down when necessary and closing our boarders recently to India where rates of Covid are catastrophic. Oh yes and buying a number vaccines with the roll out underway.
This is why we have had very little covid in our community and very few deaths. Mistakes will occur, because that is life. If you think about your own life over the last week, I imagine you have made some mistakes. i have too. Impossible not too.
So your claim that isolation and small pop = good covid result is nonsence
and last but least….
all the people that stayed at home, all the people that closed the shops to their businesses knowing full well tht they will not have one to come back too, all the nurses, all the doctors, all the people that donated food, all of us that did all the right things, and the many many sacrifices so many made.
the best intention of government is worth fuck all when you have say a population like the US has.
And as i posted before Vietnam with a population of 93 million and surrounded by three countries one of them china had virtually the same number of infected, recovered and death – their dead numbering at 35 while ours stand at 26, and like us all their cases are imported ones.
good.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/man-sentenced-to-jail-for-rape-after-removing-condom-without-consent/NVRGH4GJNZLIEKSENRIDUHZJMI/
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/441093/taranaki-aquifer-contaminated-50-times-more-than-acceptable
…"They're consistent with a local concentration, a local high-level concentration as opposed to normal land use.
"Previously, I've seen concentrations as high or higher, but only around facilities or factories that store such pesticides."
The regional council undertook an aerial search and questioned landowners in an effort to find the source of the contamination, but drew a blank and eventually abandoned its investigation.
…Barry Prophet hoped the source could be located.
"It certainly isn't good. They are going to have to find out what, where and why?"
He had his suspicions. "Probably drums were just thrown away back a few years ago."
It could help to provide information if a highish monetary reward was offered for information leading to location – 'no names, no pack drill'.
Back a bit in 2016, this was published. It's timely to look again at the NZsituation.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/306913/land-of-sludge-and-money
As a matter of interest have a look at the long list various chemicals that might be present in the soil where there has been a factory making chemical/agricultural products:
https://www.trc.govt.nz/assets/Documents/Environment/Monitoring-Industry/MR2015-DowAgroSciences.pdf (search/find – difenoconazole)
Not only a complete shambles, but an "utter shambles"! Witness the breathtakingly untrustworthy Bishop and Collins parading their feeble grasp on reality for all to see.
and Vietnam which has our numbers in cases plus 9 people more dead (grand total of 35) then us and is a country that is not an island and has 90+ million people living and working there.
I know an inconvenient truth for some, but I think they deserve a round of applaus and as far as governments go in times of a pandemic i think they deserve another round of applause cause these guys did well.
🙂
Reckon all governments/populations that have done well so far deserve recognition
Maybe certain populations in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos have developed a some immunity to the virus, if, as is supposed, the transmission from bat to human occurred in that country which is the home of the bat to which the virus is linked. I understand that in the northern part of Vietnam there is frequent interaction between humans and the bats, as the local population enter the caves in which the bats live to collect their guano for fertiliser.
https://scroll.in/article/986077/viruses-similar-to-sars-cov-2-have-been-circulating-for-decades-we-found-one-in-cambodia
Then again Vietnam have developed over the recent past a response to pandemics very similar to that which our Govt initiated in March last year.
https://ourworldindata.org/covid-exemplar-vietnam
[image resized]
Unless someone can link to a credible study that shows natural immunity i would say that is a far fetched idea.
The reason i point to Vietnam as a success rather then us or Taiwan is simply the physical location.
Like we had it easiest among the many, for us to close the border was no issue as we literally just had to prevent airplanes from landing/same with boats. We don't have to worry about landborders that can be porous and hard to manage and controll.
I also point to Vietnam as a bigger success story as they actually continued to work as normally as possible inclusive building production facilities for PPE and such, while we here are still crowd funding ICU beds for Starship Hospital.
I don't consider NZ a success in the 'combat' against Covid, i consider us to be some of the luckiest people to have been physically where we are, and since then we have continued to be lucky. And i hope that we get lucky over and over again, cause we need it .