For 35 years neoliberal;ism has failed the people of this country.
A revolution is required.
A failure by successive Governments to invest in affordable housing could mean as many as 200,000 Kiwi families – including 90,000 in Auckland – could be forced out of cities in search of cheaper homes.
And this so-called “Missing Middle” will not be rescued by KiwiBuild because the $650,000 cost for a two-bedroom Auckland home was out of their reach, Community Housing Aotearoa chief executive Scott Figenshow says.
He said a new report showedthe housing crisis for these workers – who included teachers, nurses, police officers, administrators, baristas and cleaners – had been building since 1990.
It was then the Government dramatically reduced funding for affordable housing programmes and developments, the report by the Centre for Research, Evaluation and Social Assessment found.
This drop in funding meant that while more than 60 per cent of new houses built in the 1960s were affordable homes valued in “the lower two quartiles” of the market, by 2010 only 10 per cent were in the cheapest quartile.
“If the Government doesn’t fund affordable outcomes, then they don’t happen,” Figenshow said.
“The market does not deliver affordable outcomes by itself.
“
The market does not deliver affordable outcomes by itself.
True enough, which is why markets need to be managed and regulated intelligently. Perhaps my lifelong career in heavy industry shapes my view here; but what most people completely under-rate is how astoundingly complex and powerful our modern industrial civilisation is. And compared to pre-industrial eras, just how much prosperity, welfare and safety it delivers. And most of it mediated by markets.
At the same time most technical markets are also managed by a huge range of legal, commercial and technical standards that constrain reasonable outcomes. For instance if you want to do any electrical wiring, there is a standard for that. Same for any mechanical, process or automation technology. In one comment I can’t even begin to convey the sheer depth and complexity of how many different technologies, products and components are all delivered efficiently and effectively to pretty damned high standards of quality and safety with this hybrid strategy of commercial competition and collective regulation.
Even this internetty thingy we’re using, only exists in it’s current form because of thousands of documents which guide its implementation with layer upon layer of hardware and software standards. Standards that everyone must follow or they’re not in the game.
My point is this, markets are a very ancient human tool, and in their modern form deliver an unprecedented prosperity. Us engineers, who tend to be very pragmatically focussed on what works, have long experience in managing our technical markets with standards and certifications. The main reason why other markets fail to deliver decent outcomes is usually ideological or vested interests in NOT imposing regulation and discipline.
I don’t accept that technical specs and other such things are properties of (or related to) markets. There was plenty of technical documentation and implementation before the internet had even public access. If that’s true then this undermines any positive connection between technical progress and markets.
This reasoning also makes clear that the things which actually threaten the internet are not its technical specifications but bills about how internet commerce functions such as the recent undermining of net neutrality. Other areas of business also demonstrate this.
Food safety for example, there is a good understanding of proper food hygene practices. This is unaffected by regulation or deregulation. Then there is the part which says you will maintain good standards or we are (government) coming round to shut down your business (or not).
I would think restaurants show exactly what RL is talking about. There are a lot of food eateries out there, all competing for our $$ in the marketplace, and we are reasonably free to choose which one we want at anytime (i.e. a reasonably free market). However, there is good knowledge about food safety and the public dangers of bad food safety practices. So there are standards and guidelines, training and all the rest to educate the people who prepare food as well as the public on these practices. Then there is a government watchdog who goes around and inspects each premise which sells food and gives it a rating against these standards, and these ratings must be displayed. These ratings are also known by the public, and you would be hard-pushed to find people who would eat at places that have a low rating, so these places will have a drop in revenue, so there is both a regulation fines and a income benefit for maintaining a high rating.
Therefore the market is free (no one is told where it eat or where not to eat, other than places that get closed down because they are actually just serving shit) but effectively managed via regulations/standards, which is what RL is talking about…
Yep, and if there is scant regulation we get hells kitchen. Despite the fact we have a modern well developed understanding of food safety. Thats because the technical progress is separate to and able to function independent of the regulation applied.
Nic. I was trying to convey how an engineer would look at the problem of market failure. As I mentioned above we tend to be a very pragmatic profession. To a small extent Ayn Rand was not entirely wrong with her premise of ‘engineer as hero’. We make large, complex and challenging things work on a daily basis. We are the people who take all the clever science and materials technology and produce the myriad of things which make civilisation work.
And as a rule our internal technical markets work extremely well; and it’s an example that is easy to extrapolate. Nor are engineers wholly on their own here; doctors, lawyers, teachers, nurses, social workers, etc are all professions that increasingly align with ‘best practice’ standards. Food safety is good grass roots example.
My point is simple; markets are like any other tool, when used with skill and discipline they work really well. If not the result is predictably a mess.
Any engineer looking at market failure will not attribute every aspect of progress/failure to markets.
The implication of attributing everything to markets is you exclude all non market solutions, insights, etc…
If we exclude non market solutions there would be no internet. Full stop. Because the public internet followed on from the ARPANET. That already includes implementing TCP/IP to spec (also pre existing). There is precisely zero chance the internet could have come from the commercial sector as too much cooperation is required before investment payoff.
Again no-one is denying the role government, or more precisely the defence sector, played in the internet. It’s a typical mode, the state funds many ideas or innovations, most of which are loss-making, but a few succeed and are then taken from an embryonic form to massive implementation by the commercial sector.
Again a form of the hybrid model I’m pointing to. After all while this internet we’re typing on may well owe it’s origins to ARPANET, it most certainly isn’t the same thing.
Also if I recall correctly TCP/IP in it’s original format came from Xerox.
I don’t accept that technical specs and other such things are properties of (or related to) markets.
I’d agree with that. They’re the result of standards being set either by government or through industry cooperation. Without those standards there’d be a hodgepodge of stuff that simply didn’t work together.
Operating systems are a case in point. iOS, Windows and Linux are the main ones available and none of them can run software programmed for the others. A clear failure of unregulated markets.
Food safety for example, there is a good understanding of proper food hygene practices. This is unaffected by regulation or deregulation.
Good food practices are the result of research. This applies across all industry.
Then there is the part which says you will maintain good standards or we are (government) coming round to shut down your business (or not).
Without regulation and ways to enforce those standards found through research businesses won’t keep to those practices as those practices are expensive and competition demands that they cut costs as much as possible.
More unhelpful binary thinking DtB. It’s a bad habit.
In reality most technical standards committees are staffed by technical leaders from major commercial vendors in that domain. And while some groups are mandated and supported by government, many are not, being purely voluntary commercial organisations that competing companies are all members of.
Most people have no idea just how many of these groups exist, and the extraordinary diversity of technical specialties involved. I could list dozen random ones right now off the top of my head, most of which most people will have never heard of. Yet they all play a vital role in making their market work.
The beauty of this system is that it blends both a necessary stability and minimum quality to the market, while permitting a sufficient degree of innovation and progress. It’s never perfect, but actually works quite well.
This fixed idea you’ve been promoting here for years, that government = good and commerce = bad is just plain wrong. It’s as wrong-headed as any libertarian who spouts the exact opposite ideology and wants the state done away with altogether.
As I said above, in the engineering marketplace I’m intimately familiar with, this hybrid interaction between collective regulation and commercial competition actually fucking WORKS. It’s not a theory, it’s not ideological, and it’s what’s demanded by a large group of generally hard-headed people who carry a very real responsibility to deliver outcomes that are reliable, safe and effective.
And while some groups are mandated and supported by government, many are not, being purely voluntary commercial organisations that competing companies are all members of.
Yeah, that’s what I said.
This fixed idea you’ve been promoting here for years, that government = good and commerce = bad is just plain wrong.
I’ve never done that. In fact my idea of self-owned businesses that run as a cooperative is still very much based around commercial operations and the market.
As I said above, in the engineering marketplace I’m intimately familiar with, this hybrid interaction between collective regulation and commercial competition actually fucking WORKS.
Where did I say that it didn’t? I’m quite aware of how we ended up with DDR rather than RAMBUS memory.
I’m also quite aware that Sodastream uses unique and proprietary standards even for their CO2 bottles despite there already being widely used standards for them. They make higher profits from doing so.
My point is that standards should be enforced in law so that we don’t end up with silly little monopolies like Sodastream and Windows while also allowing innovation and advancement of those standards by the relevant industry.
Well wikipedia suggests an answer: However, RDRAM got embroiled in a standards war with an alternative technology—DDR SDRAM—and quickly lost out on grounds of price, and later, performance.
And it’s quite common to have a number of competing standards active in the same field at the same time. Some are quite open, others tightly held as proprietary property, but both seem to have their place. The former tend to be a little more innovative, the latter better resourced and more stable.
And sometimes quite old standards hang on for decades. For example in my field the ancient 4-20mA standard for analog data transfer is grossly out of date, has numerous frustrating limitations and I wish it would go away … but reality is it’s simple, robust and relatively unskilled techies can implement it easily.
Of course nothing is perfect; everything is some form of compromise to some degree. Or to put it another way, perfections are without limit. Just because we can imagine something better does not prove it IS better, or in any way diminishes what we already know works.
So of course the status quo has faults and shortcomings; that’s grounds to seek ways to take what we have and improve it. Tossing the toys out of the cot and pretending you can do better in some entirely imaginary ‘non-hierarchical’ fashion is pure bunk.
Well wikipedia suggests an answer: However, RDRAM got embroiled in a standards war with an alternative technology—DDR SDRAM—and quickly lost out on grounds of price, and later, performance.
From an article that I read at the time other manufacturers wanted to produce RAMBUS RAM but their licensing prices were too high and hence the high price in the market. I believe (The Wiki doesn’t say) that DDR was, and still is, an open standard that anybody can use without licensing. If they join the consortium they have a say what gets put into the developing standard.
And it’s quite common to have a number of competing standards active in the same field at the same time.
Some are quite open, others tightly held as proprietary property, but both seem to have their place. The former tend to be a little more innovative, the latter better resourced and more stable.
[citation needed]
I see no point to proprietary standards except to produce excessive profits.
Tossing the toys out of the cot and pretending you can do better in some entirely imaginary ‘non-hierarchical’ fashion is pure bunk.
Nobody’s tossing anything out of the cot. I’m pretty sure that the consortium that sets the DDR standard, the standards for Linux, and the W3 are all non-hierarchical and produce stability within those standards while also allowing innovation. There are plenty of other examples as well. They’re centralised discussion places but anybody who’s a member can make suggestions for new additions and discuss why they should be supported or not supported.
Of course these organisations are hierarchical. First of all you have to be really competent to even be a member, then you need to do the hard work to establish credibility and track record, then you actually need some genuinely good ideas that persuade and convince everyone else.
And given that many ideas will conflict, you need the skills to gain allies and ultimately sufficient authority to push your agenda through. Understand that many other members will be commercial competitors, so no-one is going to make it easy for you.
Competency, hard work, skilled politics and personal/positional authority all come into play. Non-hierarchical my arse, without it nothing gets done.
Most global industries are dominated by four or five big vendors; each with their own offerings and platforms that combine a degree of interoperability with their competitors, while retaining some core differentiations for their brand. It comes in any number of forms.
The primary reason why these big vendors retain their position is that in general they are the low risk option. If you’re managing a big project you simply cannot tolerate more than a modest amount of risk. With maybe several hundred thousand engineered items in play, if you don’t mitigate your risks early, with an absolute certainty timelines and budgets will get blown.
Your idea of hierarchy is a little different to mine. My definition looks like this: a system in which members of an organization or society are ranked according to relative status or authority.
Every human field of endeavor is based on the idea of value; we only do things or invest energy into them because we see we see the outcome as better than our current situation.
When it comes to any complex endeavour, such as the ones you’ve linked to, competency is the first and fundamental way we value and give status to people. More competent people will gain more status and have more influence.
As an entity grows beyond something much more complex than a Friday night bowling team, it needs structure, rules and organisation. And without exception this implies a means to implement and enforce these things … which is where authority becomes an inescapable requirement, it embodies the power to engage the machinery of the entity to get things done in a coherent fashion.
In this view hierarchy is absolutely essential; it’s the very fabric of our social life, it’s the actual framework within which anything and everything of value is achieved. As the scope and complexity of the task increases, so does the corresponding degree of hierarchy necessary to achieve it. The nation state itself representing an intensely ordered and complex ranking of powers and authority.
Now this doesn’t imply hierarchies, like markets, are without problems. Manifestly they are not. But it does point to why they are essential and we cannot do without them. And that the whimsically hippy idea of non-hierarchical organisation is every bit as a fantasm as the notion of a market-free economy.
My point is this, markets are a very ancient human tool, and in their modern form deliver an unprecedented prosperity.
Yes they are but no they don’t. Rome also had major poverty issues. Although it’s not the markets that are failing so much but the ownership that is the basis of capitalism that removes resources and freedom from the majority of people.
The main reason why other markets fail to deliver decent outcomes is usually ideological or vested interests in NOT imposing regulation and discipline.
Regulations are what define a market. Good regulation brings about a workable result. Bad regulation fails to do so.
A good example of bad regulation is the ones around the ‘legal highs’ that the last government brought in. Of course, that regulation was a result of the fact that there wasn’t regulation to prevent the drugs from being brought in in the first place and the ideology of National/Act/Dunne that told them that people should be able to make a profit.
There are other examples of bad regulation such as the Leaky Homes debacle.
Good regulation abounds though: Driving on the left-side of the road, lights on vehicles, 230v@50 hertz etcetera.
I’ve always wondered what would happen if all operating systems were brought under standards similar to the way the internet is. It’d kill MS’s near monopoly.
The Great Kiwi way of doing things. Sure we may be quite lackadaisical, – but we don’t go in for harming the bloke and his family next door just because we disagree about politics. And long may it stay that way.
Yes, we’re all very fortunate to be living in a country where revolutionaries drive their old tractors up parliament steps rather than careering through packed al fresco cafes.
Both acts make the front page. One draws focus to the issue, the other draws attention to a sad pointless loss of life.
I think you’ve missed my point Rosemary. The tractor, Zena the Warrior Princess handcuffed to the top of an oil exploration vessel, boys in loin cloths climbing the facade of the old parliament house. They all draw max news exposure to their issues, I think we’re lucky that this is generally as Tienanmen Square as we get.
I’d go further and say the way the government and council have acted on housing is more akin to social cleansing. The are actively demolishing affordable housing in Auckland and putting up expensive housing or expensive affordable housing in it’s place so there is nowhere now for the poor or low income residents to live.
They are also making rentals very hard to come by, with removing state housing rentals and selling them off especially in more expensive areas and the increasing the compliance and standard of private rental housing (although valid in some ways) is increasing the costs of rents. I still have great memories of crappy drafty run down villas in central Auckland I flatted in, that seem to be a thing of the past now, as deemed too substandard by middle class government and woke left officials to be rented out. Once the landlords spend that money renovating it, guess what, it’s too expensive to be rented and sold on into owner occupied territory so another cheap central option for renting, bites the dust.
Meanwhile everything to do with housing including rates and insurance, is going up to be passed on while the council seems to be more interested in corporate welfare projects to spend rates on than than actually doing a good job on the basics which they seem to want to add additional rates for which of course impacts poorer people more. Should a poorer person be expected to pay rates for America’s cup or Westgate mall, while then being asked for a separate levy for transport or waste management that arguably should be the first priority for our rates before the million dollar stadium reports from PWC and marinas?
The accommodation supplement is a subsidy to land Lords pushing up rental prices and house prices.
That money should go to new affordable houses reversing the demand and subsidy to tax free capital gangsters.
I agree it is a good idea to get rid of the rental supplement, but I think you will find as with WFF most people will not be able to survive on their wages or benefits as the whole system of wages vs living, in NZ is now out of whack.
When Kiwibuild is telling you a 1 bed apartment is $500k that is not the landlords but the developers driving that price, as before the big immigration drive, it cost a fraction of that and you could buy an apartment under $200k and get a 3 bed house for $350k in Auckland.
If you buy a Kiwibuild 1 bedroom, have a mortgage on $592, body corporate, rates, insurance of probably $100+ p/w, so that affordable one bedroom with historically low interest rates is costing $700+ per week to service so you probably need to be well over the average wage to afford an affordable 1 bedroom apartment as well as have a stable job or the bank won’t even lend to you.
Could you rent it for that, very unlikely… so the government needs to increase the state house rentals substantially because the figures don’t work for private landlords and that leaves about 50%+ of Kiwis out in the cold with zero options who can’t rent or buy…
More Orwellian speak from Federated Farmers.
Taking calves away from their mothers is not cruel.
Janet Schultz, Federated Farmers Taranaki dairy chairwoman, said although taking calves from their mothers might appear cruel, it was necessary for the health of the animals and the industry.
Schultz said cows experienced the same discomfort as human mothers when their milk came in and a calf couldn’t drink enough to relieve the pain.
“You’d do anything to relieve that pressure but cows can’t,” she said.
“Milking them takes that pain and pressure away.”
While a cow could have 20 to 25 litres of milk in her udder, calves could only drink about five litres, Schultz said.
yes ed – as a vegetarian for 38 years you fucken irritate me with your born again veganism. I’m amazed how all this farm stuff is a big surprise to you.
Write a guestpost you’ve got plenty of evidence and videos and you don’t have anything else to do, do you?
Do you mind showing consideration for other people and stop showing photos of cow carcasses and the like. They can be distressing to some people including me. If you think that forcing stuff down people’s throats like you do is going to make one jot of difference then I suggest you are wrong.
genetics , would seem to be the answer. You can see in modern rice and wheat varieties why the seed is so much bigger than the ancient varieties they developed from.
Dukeoferl why don’t we just over feed those who live in well off countries so they can die early from obesity, Cancer, diabetes, heart attacks, Strokes etc.
And let the other half of the planets population suffer from malnutrician/starvation!
Big money is spent every year improving the genetics, and milk yield of a dairy cow. “Livestock Improvement Corporation, or LIC, is a multinational farmer-owned co-operative which, for more than 100 years, has provided genetics expertise, information and technology to the dairy sector, aimed at improving the prosperity and productivity of farmers”. LIC is listed on the stock exchange and has a large stable of semen bulls!
Beef breed calves stay with their mothers for six months until they are weaned, a natural process non genetically interfered with process where all the milk is for the calf.
From the Stuff article “The number of bobbies sent to the works also fell in 2017, which MPI attributed to a decrease in the size of the national dairy herd and fewer calves overall.”
No. More calves are being disposed of on farm as soon as they are born as it is more economic to buy in adult replacements rather than rear calves. I know of one farm in my valley, milking 3000 cows, that kill all the calves themselves. They are careful to do it humanely of course and make sure the charnel pit is well away from waterways …….
“charnel pit”
Thanks, Matiri, I’ll use that at the next meeting of Environment Southland.
Well away from waterways? Perhaps, but groundwater…you’re only required to have a separation of 1 metre there…
Often when a high profile suicide happens vulnerable people can move into dark places in their own thoughts and suicidal ideation can increase.
NOW is the time to connect to those you care or are concerned about.
In my experience VALIDATION is the best way to go at the start. This is not agreeing with them but validating that their experience/emotions/desperation/hopelessness/overwhelment is theirs.
“I can see that you’re really upset” rather than “Hey why not go for a walk”
I’m sure we need courses to teach people how to validate and then once it lands to go for solutions. Solutions early (even with the best intentions) can feel invalidating.
Depression is like having a disease in ones brain that is trying to kill you every single day.
It’s so difficult to ask for help, it’s so hard. You can’t see it, and if one keeps it inside, there often are no signs for others to look for.
If we are all more caring, that goes a long way. Whether its building up the esteem of people you know or strangers. Every kind word, every caring gesture can change someone elses life, even if it’s for a moment, it counts.
Example, you see a parent in the supermarket struggling with a moody child, instead of giving them a funny look, or a look of sympathy, why not say… you’re doing a great job mum/dad. Words have so much power and can change lives.
Mike King was brilliant on the AM show this morning.
I agree.
This current philosophy of hush hush in relation to suicide doesn’t seem to be rhe answer.
An empathetic ear that truly listens is very valuable.
Well said. This is a sensitive time for all involved. What makes this more painful than other losses is the question “Why?” and knowing there may never be an answer to that.
Probably creates a lot of confusion too in people effected. Some people still see it as a weakness and won’t show any compassion, others won’t know how to react to it.
So yes keep the lines of communication open and share what youre feeling with others, might be the best way to deal with an overwhelming experience.
“Whenever credible pollsters ask the voters to name their preferred Liberal leader, Dutton has never cracked double digits.” So choosing Dutton is giving the electorate the fingers, suggesting his supporters haven’t read the Carnegie primer (How to Win Friends and Influence People).
RNZ news at noon: the next challenge will go ahead & is likely to succeed. Turnbull’s main prop, the Belgian-born finance minister, has called for him to hold another meeting for the challenge. We heard this guy say a number of MPs had told him they have changed their minds since the last challenge and no longer support Turnbull.
What sort of situation is when they have a vote , lose by a larger amount than what Turnbull won over Abbott and then a couple of days later have another vote.
Its now banana republic stuff.
What Turnbull should do is abstain from a Confidence vote in parliament and have an immediate election.
Dutton has been told by one of the independents that if he pushed for another vote that he will sit on the cross benches leaving a hung parliament.
So Dutton has been shutdown for now.
Peak Trump theory: Trump’s battle against the US political establishment was surprisingly successful, to the extent that the establishment reluctantly got behind his presidency, but now that some of his helpers have been found guilty of criminal conduct the sleazeball-in-chief will fall like a nine-pin. The mid-terms will prove he’s past his peak.
Current polling has the Dems looking stronger, so it depends if heartland disaffection with the establishment will continue to motivate voters or not. As long as talented operatives keep volunteering to replace those who move out, the Trump machine will maintain momentum. Trump shows no sign of weakening.
I’m still waiting for the shift that will render him a single-term president. I see voters there scratching their heads after yesterday, musing “Okay, so do I vote for the devil I know, or do I vote for the other devil I know. Jeez, tough one.”
next elections are just over 2 months away. That will tell you if theres a shift or not. It may not happen in heartland Trump but the Orange County Republicans , ie suburbia might be lost.
Given he lost the popular vote by 3 1/2 million Orange Country will become blue country in november
Many Trump supporters will not have health care, farmers who supported Trump have no cheap labour to harvest crops, Chinese tariffs on agricultural imports will have hit home and Trumps promise of $12billion in farm aid won’t be enough or even delivered.
Many Republican Reps. are baling out as they see the writing on the wall.
In the recent by-election their was a 10% swing against the republicans in the rural heartland.
Then their are more prosecutions coming to All the Presidents Henchman.
Yes I’m well aware of what music snobs and hipsters think of him but i don’t care, anyone that writes In The Air Tonight or The Roof Is Leaking or *insert whatever song you think is his best here* or whatever is worthy of respect
He is the singer-song writer-drummer nonpareil (all due respect to Don Henly and Karen Carpenter) and I’ll be there having a great time
When you’re one of only three people to have ever sold more 100 million records as a single artist and as part of a group then I’m pretty sure you’ve got enough cash 🙂
It’s said that David Cameron was a big Phil Collins fan while at University – so he’d be delighted if the Genesis man turned out to be a Tory. However, despite supposedly threatening to leave the country if Labour won in 1997, Collins claims he is not a Conservative supporter. He just happens to live in a tax haven, the stingy git.
The son and I have taken to listening to Zakk Wylde as of late. The guys awesome. He has one of the richest baritone bass voices in that genre of music, and is incredible on guitar. He was Ozzy Osbourne’s guitarist for many years.Here he is at Live at the Budokan in 2002. Hes just gotten better and better over time.
Zakk Wylde insane solo HD – YouTube
Video for zakk wylde youtube▶ 8:06
Saw “his Bobness” at Christchurch last time in the awful Horncastle Arena. May have just been the world’s worst acoustics but I have never been so disappointed in my life.
Hope you have a better experience.
I can remember hearing a specific part of ‘In the air tonight’ for the first time like it was yesterday. I can see who was in the room, what was on the table. The drum intro in that song is so good Cadbury bought the rights and trained a gorilla to play it.
Apparently it was a bit of a disaster. He defecated all over the studio, stunk like he’d never showered, ate the pot plants in reception, harassed the women like he was Trump, wouldn’t set up his own kit and the manager is still trying to get an infestation of exotic lice out of the Persian rug in his office.
It’s ironic how Lauren Southern and Stefan Molyneux have just left New Zealand when something that they actually have been right in warning about is now taking place. Southern has highlighted the reverse racism of the South African government, while Molyneux likes to attack Marxism for being responsible for the deaths of millions of people in the twentieth century. Now has a deadly combination of reverse racism married to Marxist ideology (plus a high level of government corruption) will see the land of white farmers taken with no reimbursement. I doubt the majority of all South Africans want to see this happen and it’s obvious what a disaster it is going to be. Already farmland is already now virtually worthless as no one wants to buy it, and farmers aren’t going to invest any more money in their farms or pay off their debts. If the progressive movement leaves it to the alt right to stand up for white farmers, it gives alt right intellectuals like Southern and Molyneu all the moral justification they could hope for.
Some years back my partner made friends with a black Zimbabwe woman (Shona background IRRC) who made exactly the same point. The new black owners knew perfectly well their tenure was solely due to political privilege and could be revoked at a whim. Therefore they invested nothing into their farms; whose productivity then plummeted close to zero.
You might imagine South Africa would have learnt from such a proximate example.
Didn’t you know shes an alt-right, transphobic, neo-liberal, fee speech hating, neo-nazi, anti-feminist, conservative and generally all round bad person that will cause the world to rise up in an orgy of alt-rightness that will plunge the world into a darkness that it will never recover from?
Yep, I doubt that the increasing talk of land seizures without compensation would happen under Nelson Mandela.
Very easy to gain political points for SA leaders when apparently unemployment is between 25 – 50% to then go for a popular policy of giving away land… the problem though seen by Zimbabwe is that if the land is not farmed properly people start to starve which is worse and creates a basket case.
It’s not so much the land, but the farming of it, that is important and also the government gets taxes off it I would imagine, so if people stop farming and stop paying land taxes you might start to see even more problems than they already have with their appalling violence and crime rate like the genocides that started occurring in Zimbabwe.
Whose going to set up business in SA, if you get robbed at gunpoint constantly or worse because they can’t contain security or militia start going around and taking land with government support?
I guess it’s an option if the government can afford the wages and can afford the upkeep for seed, stock, maintenance… where are they getting the money from, will it turn out like ‘animal farm’ where they just continue with capitalism? Whose training these new farmers to farm, who makes the decisions, can a tribal society with numerous factions, who traditionally don’t get on, cooperate? What happens if one coop get something wrong, or their is drought, as you can lose everything.
Look at China, they achieved it by extreme control of population and making everyone give land to the government. However they do not have democracy.
With Zimbabwe the government didn’t even pay the teachers salaries let alone farmers salaries, then overseas money for HIV control just disappeared, massive genocide as people found it easier to fight than work and cooperate…
will it turn out like ‘animal farm’ where they just continue with capitalism?
We can hope not but the chances are that they will and it will fail.
Whose training these new farmers to farm, who makes the decisions, can a tribal society with numerous factions, who traditionally don’t get on, cooperate?
What new farmers?
The farmers.
Fucked if I know. Perhaps they can try.
What happens if one coop get something wrong, or their is drought, as you can lose everything.
Did I mention the idea that the farms would still be owned by the government?
People are pointing out that South Africa will go the same was as Zimbabwe despite not knowing what South Africa is actually going to do. They do, after all, have the example of Zimbabwe and what not to do right in front of them. This is what my what if was trying to highlight.
Reversing colonialism esoteric pineapples.
The Colonists took everything from the owners and enslaved them.
Now the reverse is not so perverse.
Some compensation that’s a better deal than the indigenous people got.
But as in Zimbabwe where farming collapsed South Africa needs to be very careful.
In NZ we have Landcore that runs farms better than the private farmers and also does research as well. Hopefully they’ll follow this model rather than the model of Zimbabwe.
NB I’m not anti Marxist but tend to believe that top down communism always fails.
That’s because it’s not communism. Actual communism is always non-hierarchical.
That us true and is a problem created by running them as a commercial operation that needs to make a profit. It’s still better than simply giving the land to profiteers.
Gobbledygook. No-one ever explains what they mean by that.
It also’s both amusing and alarming to read people claiming that they know how to do socialist revolutions better than anyone else. This usually from people who’ve never run anything more complex than a corner dairy.
I sometimes wonder if Marx would look at his followers and say “dudes, what the fuck – I was outlining a vague abstract idea of where I figured society was going to go, not prescribing an objective you can work towards” or something similar.
Communism is supposed to be a situation where nobody is alienated from anyone else by ownership or competition or whatever. Decisions are made collectively, nobody is elevated above anyone else although each specialises in what they’re best at. So non-hierarchical.
The pisser is that Marx said the first revolution would be of the oppressed against the oppressor, and that would result in a dictatorship that would then implement the social change to eventually bring about the communist society. But there would also be a lot of failed attempts (where the revolutionary dictatorship becomes oppressive rather than emancipatory) before the final communist eventuality occurs.
So every “communist” regime that kills millions then fails is not “true communism”. Even if they said they were at the time. So one can never say “communism doesn’t work” because if it doesn’t work, it wasn’t truly “communism”.
But his documentation of factory conditions in England, that was fucking spot on.
‘ “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
“But note that this approach puts an awful lot of power into the hands of a party leader (assuming that she or he still has the backing of her or his party). And where there is power, then there is the temptation to use that power in ways bad as well as good……”
Otago University law lecturer and Professor, Andrew Geddis on the Waka Jumping Bill
Your `MPs get elected by us’ rationale is mere generalisation. You’d see the fallacy if you looked at what actually happens. They are selected by a party to represent that party in parliament. They are elected by electors who vote for them on the basis of that party representation. The electoral contract that creates an MP is entered into by that MP contracting to both party and electors.
Presuming you do realise the gravity of breaching any contract, you just need to establish in your mind the cause and effect relationship. Betrayal of trust is a gut-wrenching issue, regardless who suffers it…
Surely Captains Picks for Party lists is undemocratic too ? Its so obvious in National where their ‘ethnic’ list Mps all occur at the same location on the list.
The party hierarchy puts them there as the regional party groups in National arent going to chose a ‘ethnic ‘ Mp for their lists ( unless they are already an electorate MP)
I remember the fuss over Willie jackson who was supposed to be ‘given’ a high list place by Little when in fact it was quite a way down when the List committee did their work. Didnt matter in the end though.
‘Great men are almost always bad men’ That is very questionable, and is a phrase that goes for simplicity and apparent wisdom as a terse comment.
But, great people are often people who are known about and talked about, and as we know greatness isn’t often thrust upon you officially unless you have pleased the grantors of greatness. Hence Sirs Robert Douglas and his ilk, just one letter away from ill. What a difference a word and a letter makes.l Grates on me that does.
Rockefeller. Known for illustrious connections to money and finance.
Schweitzer. Known for something, did he get a Nobel Prize?
The truly great’s achievements are often that they bring out the good in society, it gets adopted, and the knowledte of their contribution fades, as Schweitzer’s has. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Schweitzer
Uri Avnery, Israeli activist for a Palestinian state, dead at 94
Uri Avnery, a self-confessed former “Jewish terrorist” who went on to become Israel’s best-known peace activist, died in Tel Aviv on Monday, following a stroke. He was 94.
As one of Israel’s founding generation, Avnery was able to gain the ear of prime ministers, even while he spent decades editing an anti-establishment magazine that was a thorn in their side.
Provocative, but I’ll support you on this. Making fracking illegal here would challenge some of those who voted for this government, but could be the numbers make it worthwhile. Is the UK doing as much fracking as we are, or more?
Anyway, it is a genuinely radical move by Corbyn. Admirable, and good timing too. Latest UK poll I saw had Labour & Conservatives both on 40% – watch the next one to see if Labour drops, eh?
I think our geology is too young to have the stable sedimentary basins that can be exploited by Fracking. The Westcoast does have oil traces in places and drilling for oil did occur as early as the 1880s but the geology mean the ground has been twisted/faulted around too much to provide it in useful amounts.
Same happened to the gold exploration with gold bearing rock suddenly disappearing due to faulting.
We arent known now as the drowned sub continent Zelandia for nothing
I’ve been informed that fracking is happening here in Taranaki but when I went online to check that a while back there was no indication of where exactly. I suppose the status quo defines it as private commercial info but I reckon there’s enough public concern that the government ought to force them to specify exactly where they’re doing it, so we can see it all on a map!
Yeah that may be the one I found. Doesn’t specify the sites where fracking occurs. Google produced this: “Deep well injection is a liquid waste disposal technology.” Looked like a contender, but ain’t.
I remember that the ‘spoil’ that was left over from fracking was being spread on certain farmlands in Taranaki. Is my memory right?
And its was making some people uneasy as I think that toxic stuff, (that ought to remain quietly in its stratum) is brought to the surface and likely to pollute land and get into waterways.
Yes I remember reading something on it somewhere as it cause a bit of stink and was used as an example of what could happen in the gas fields on the Darling Downs in Western Queensland and in the Liverpool Basin in NSW.
Thanks Pat, well done. So there’s a map showing 10 fracking locations as of 2011 – four right on or adjacent to the highway south & one in like proximity to the highway north. There’s only one close to a residential center (Egmont Village). I got a printout.
I believe the oil seeps on the coast is sour oil, which can only be used for oil burning boilers or asphalt in building roads unlike sweet oil which is used for your POL products.
Breeding Robert like every other type of farming Humans have over thousands of years maybe hundreds have increased yields.
But if cows feel pain from having an full udder that sends a signal to the cow to slow down milk production or dry off.
The Dairy farmer unsurps nature by continuing to milk the cow fooling its natural instincts.
So the pain and cruelty is spin relying on ignorance
Recently found cheese in Egypt show’s we have been milking animals for at least 3,000 years.
“The Dairy farmer unsurps nature by continuing to milk the cow fooling its natural instincts.”
Of course its not natural to provide grass paddocks to ungulates free from predators. Its a short and brutish life that ‘nature ‘ provides , with most offspring taken by predators or disease. Lets have that instead.
Dukeoferl why don’t we just over feed those who live in well off countries so they can die early from obesity, Cancer, diabetes, heart attacks, Strokes etc.
And let the other half of the planets population suffer from malnutrician/starvation.
Dukeoferl we have been miking animals for 3,000 years I didn’t imply what your trying to imply with your lie.
Mearly pointing out another lie by the federated farmers crude cruel analogy.
In light of the Kiwi scientist leading a team to discover Loch Ness’s biodiversity… perhaps he should heed the words of The Police ,…
Another suburban family morning
Grandmother screaming at the wall
We have to shout above the din of our Rice Krispies
We can’t hear anything at all
Mother chants her litany of boredom and frustration
But we know all her suicides are fake
Daddy only stares into the distance
There’s only so much more that he can take
Many miles away
Something crawls from the slime
At the bottom of a dark Scottish lake….
New Loch Ness Monster Sighting – YouTube
Video for Eoin O’Faodhagain from Donegal film footage you tube▶ 10:28
Yeah , I reckon they’re still there. When you consider the case of the gorilla and the Giant Panda , which was written off by scientists for decades and then found, undoubtedly.
It took around 60 years to find the Panda,- and its black and white against a green bamboo background, moves slowly, stays in one area, breeds slowly, and hardly is a highly mobile animal like a moose… I’d say the problem is more us human beings and our presumptions,… and arrogance.
Well, I think the moose were suited enough to the extreme weather, but the vegetation was more dense than the type they originally hailed from. However there’s no denying there’s suitable vegetation as for other deer species,…
They are a very large animals which in Fiordland has advantages and disadvantages… the large size makes them resistant to the cold extremes, but also moving through the vegetation more difficult.
I would say its feasible for Fiordland to support a small population, perhaps smaller in size than usual because of the environment.
Here’s a tip: When I was with an old local deer culler in the early 1990’s he wanted to show me a small herd of white tailed deer at the back of Lake Wakatipu which wasn’t supposed to exist. DOC knew of them but didn’t advertise the fact because foreign hunters would bring in a pretty penny for the chance to hunt them. We didn’t hunt them, just observed as we did not need the meat.And there they were… a small herd of about 6-7 .
All this stuff…. and this too !
Mystery Big Cat Sighting South Island NZ.mp4 – YouTube
Video for big black cats in New Zealand footage you tube▶ 4:13
Yeah maybe an escaped Maine Coon but, again, I think Moose are still more likely but if you do find some verifiable evidence (either large cat or Moose) I’ll be the first to congratulate you
Well, Canadian tourists saw what they believe to be a cougar further south, and reported it to the Police,… and various have reported the black cat variety,… and its interesting to note that the Americans had both cougars and jaguars as mascots on their warships in WW2.
They were told to ditch them near wars end.
NZ and Australia had a rabbit problem. Who knows if a few were released in Aussie and NZ on behalf of some farmers as a ‘mates favor’…
Plenty of food down south. And cougars can jump vertically up to 15 feet. I don’t think a 4 or 5 strand fence would be any problem to negotiate…
The fossils were relatively well known but thought to be extinct until a group of university students skiers at Mt Hotham spotted what they initially thought were rats. One of them (the person I’ve gotten to know quite well recently) realised the tail was too bushy for a rat and latter spotted a family inside the hut behind the coal stove. Finally using a live trap they managed to capture some and quickly realised what they’d found.
Awesome. Winston’s pretty ponies are going to get taxpayer funded all weather tracks to run on.
While their riders whip them along.
Patiently waiting for a response from SAFE.
I have it on reasonably good authority that few race meetings are abandoned in NZ because of poor track conditions anyway.
Variable track conditions merely add another factor for fuckwit bettors to take into consideration when deciding on which exploited piece of horseflesh to put their money on.
There’s compromise for political expediency, then there’s being compromised.
I am not at all comfortable with the government funding horse racing, which is nothing more than cruel exploitation of animals for the pleasure of bored humans with too much money and time on there hands.
I have no problem with those sad sacks spending their time and money betting on human racers who have willingly consented to be exploited.
‘Act leader David Seymour said the programme should be extended to the remaining state owned enterprises, such as NZ Post and Landcorp.’
“A partial privatisation would free up revenue for new road and rail projects, closing the so-called ‘infrastructure gap’. It would give Kiwis families new investment opportunities. And it would subject these companies to market forces, requiring them to deliver better results for Kiwis as shareholders and customers.”
The previous govt didn’t build schools excetera it squandered the money on election bribes tax cuts to the well off.
The coalition has given those not so well off a heating payout.
This govt can’t undo every bit of the previous govts agenda and would be foolish to do so.
Big break throughs in solar power generation will bring much needed competition to the electricity sector.
For govts to be buying back electricity companies at much higher prices than they received (firesale prices to their well off mates) shows how stupid National supporters are.
The current Government seems to have equally stupid things to waste money on.
All weather race tracks for Winnies stallions and mares to run on. Up to $30 million dollars now, although the industry say that they may contribute some of it. I wonder haw many horses Winston part owns these days.
A cycle and walking track on the Auckland Harbour bridge.
Why should the people in Wellington have to pay for something in Auckland that only a few dozen people are likely to use on a typical day like today? https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12112168
Why can’t we have the money, which is already estimated to be $99 million, to spend on providing a reservoir to supply water for the Wellington Hospital to use after an earthquake?
Twyford could even use it to build a few houses. What is the current count for his fantasy project KiwiBuild? Still at precisely zero isn’t it after 10 months in the Beehive?
How much did it cost – or shall we say… why are these working groups even needed if National hadn’t made such a mess of the place?
The colossal amount of infrastructure that was neglected to induce privatization of health and education and to get Bill English’s surplus when they could have done the same by not introducing tax cuts for the rich.
Or would you and alwyn rather a unilateral approach with the same sort of bloody minded-ness that National exhibited?
I’d far rather have some deliberation than the bull in the china shop of National trying to jemmy things in favor of the rich, myself…
I suppose the Labour Party policy on the flag during the 2014 election might have been a bit cheaper. When you read it you see that they were simply going to implement a new flag. There was no provision for the public to have a say in simply keeping the existing one..
“Labour would also review the design of the New Zealand flag, with the party saying “the time has come for a change and it is right for the issue to be put to the public”.”
That might seem as if we were going to have a choice but when you read what follows
“We would however support the ability of the RSA and similar organisations to continue to fly the current flag if they so wish”.
They clearly weren’t allowing for the possibility that everyone might want to keep the current one. It was going to change. http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/policies/10451013/Labour-backs-national-flag-review
However that is all in the past. I don’t think anyone will be able to bring a flag change up before about 2035.
As it was proven , – the John Key flag referendum never was popular, often criticized as a waste of tax payer money and amounted to little more than a John Key vanity project.
There’s just no come back from that can be justified.
And BTW, – its no use claiming ‘ that’s all in the past ‘ and then trying to dodge the fact of Nationals uselessness while trying to criticize the coalition in the same breath.
It was BECAUSE of National’s uselessness that we are in the predicament we are now in.
“criticize the coalition in the same breath.”.
But I wasn’t. I was simply commenting on the fact that the LABOUR party policy in 2014 was very similar to the National one. Not identical of course. Labour had no intention of allowing us, at that time, of keeping the old flag.
I don’t even think that National was useless. At least they gave us the choice. Labour clearly had no such intention. Like the “waka-jumping bill” we could have said anything we liked and they would have ignored it.
I have no idea what the other parties in the “coalition” thought in 2014. If I had to guess I imagine that Winston would have probably said he was in favour of the current flag. The Green Party would probably have insisted on one of the Koru options.
As I say though, it doesn’t matter now. After Little, Andrew put his (then) party into reverse the whole thing turned to custard.
Why should the people in Wellington have to pay for something in Auckland that only a few dozen people are likely to use on a typical day like today?
Do you really have no idea about concepts like “the common good”? Are you really that stupid, or are you, as I suspect, simply imprisoned by your dismal ideology?
“Common Good”.
The common good would have included giving the people of New Zealand the transport options they prefer. Safe roads. We should be providing what the general populace want, not the desires of a small minority of latte slurping, lycra wearing lunatics pretending that they are the peloton of the Tour de France.
Can you imagine pedestrians and cyclists co-existing in that little glass tube attached to the bridge in that picture in the article I linked to?
Oriental Bay in Wellington, which is much, much wider is dangerous enough. I have twice been flattened there by idiots on bikes coming up from behind at high speed with their heads bent down and their bums in the air.
Once I was on crutches, and they still didn’t try and avoid me.
The sell off of the state assets under Key was supposed to provide money for an infrastructure fund….. fat difference that did …yes I know it was a smoke and mirrors game then, still is.
It always starts out with the con about cheaper prices for consumers, and ownership staying within NZ, but after a certain time elapses, we find ‘ hello!,- the foreigners now own the controlling share stock’…
As if that wasn’t the game plan all along.
Partial privatization is the steep and slippery slope and foot in the door towards full privatization and losing our SOE’s forever.
Its time we stopped listening to Rimmer and his outdated scandalous 1980’s trickle down crap.
If national had of been the businesses wizzs they would have us believe they would have kept 100% ownership and got them running as well as you say they are now there by doubling the profits into the countries coffers .
I assume your talking about the dim dark 80s old man. Two thoughts comes to mind . Labour were forced into radical action due to the national parties prior economic neglect and the the infiltration of a scummy band if rogernomes .
I think it could be applied to the wrecking of Solid Energy too. Better to sell it at the top of the market than sell off the bits for scrap. If one were such a pack of incompetents that one could not run it.
Even TVNZ? Personally I would sell that now while that old relic is still worth anything. It is an antique and is going to die soon.
Look at what Telecom did when they sold the Yellow Pages for, if my memory serves, about $2.2 billion a decade ago. How did they find anyone silly enough to buy something that was obviously dying?
I suppose people here think that selling it was terrible and that we should have kept it while it quietly decayed into a worthless, useless load of junk.
‘Even TVNZ? Personally I would sell that now while that old relic is still worth anything. It is an antique and is going to die soon ‘.
If its worth anything to foreign buyers then its worth keeping.
Obviously.
And Telecom was name changed because American buyers bought our telecommunications – which we built up and payed for the infrastructure. It wasn’t until a Labour MP called them to task a few years back for their gross ripping off of the NZ consumers with their charging that they were brought to heel over their price gouging.
So much for competition ,lowering of prices and privatization.
And foreign buyers of our SOE’s.
This is no longer the 1980’s and no one believes in that shit anymore.
You did note, I hope, that I was talking about selling the Yellow Pages.
Would you have kept that relic of the past or would you have seen, as I certainly did, that the internet meant that they were dead?
I was amazed, and pleased that they got $2.24 billion for them.
The ranting of the Principal of a private school that has class sizes of about 12 – 15 ? Try quoting a Principal of a state school facing the problems of the real world, Pockish Rouge.
State where a black woman is standing for governor has mysteriously decided to close polling stations where black people vote.
10 Georgia counties with large black populations have closed polling places in 2018. Ally of Brian Kemp traveling state to "recommend polling place closures” @mjs_DC reports. This is outrageous https://t.co/Cpk1SC7gFNpic.twitter.com/SIFQ1xRlw4— Ari Berman (@AriBerman) August 21, 2018
Good evening The Am Show The Sky path over the Auckland harbor bridge will finally get built this will bring heaps of tourist the good thing is we don’t have much smog we will be able to see for miles with know fussy haze smog ka pai.
The digital push back from the——– I have been telling people for year’s that they spent to much time on there phone’s Duncan we were told that this 21s century communication machine was going to be the GAME CHANGER making the 00.1 % accountable for there deceit Eco Maori has ——— all over Papatuanuku they opened te kite and now are trying to close it spending millions but know ana to kai.
The Bridges leak well tell’s a story especially with the leakier’s knee jerk reaction asking not to be named this does not look good for the ———-.
That’s a good point Mark and Ingrid make if a person was reading a book no one would think anything but so a lot of people read there phones this is what I do a lot of reading and posting my opinions of what;s happening on Papatuanuku at the minute .
I will be encouraging my mokopuna to embrace the Internet and to get educated to take the best advantage of the Internet to help them up there ladder’s of life I encourage every one to embrace this Technology and excel with It.
Ka kite ano P.S us young one’s only had horses and stick and stone’s to play with we have control of the habit the offspring have grown up with the Internet so it’s a bit harder for them to control the habit I think trump’s lawyer doesn’t know we can read his word’s
Here we go the Banks need to be regulated to treat it’s customer’s with respect especially when thing’s get a bit tight for there customers this look like a sticth up job by someone link below ka kite ano. P.S they should be looking for any options to keep the SME business trading not just pull the rug out from under there feet
I would not trust people like this to have te mokopunas Aotearoa’s OUR future in there hand’s this is the behavior I expect of the neo capitalist .
They are using Gregg Boyed’s tragedy to get out of being held accountable for there action’s against there leader of the national party . Like I have said before they have no morels or sense of loyalty we seen what they did to Winston.
I say that the person who leaked this information should be Identified and shamed we do not want a person like this having the chance to becoming Prime Minister like that person who is crying the sky will fall on there heads if he is made accountable for his action’s Ana to kai Ka kite ano link below
I can see all the troll’s giving there trolling view’s on tangata whenua in jails on the street’s on the couch ect , There solution is get off you —– .
I know what It’s like being Maori as I am one I have had business turning over hundred’s of thousand of dollar’s I started 5 business with the help of my wife .
I have seen life get real hard for the common person over the last 9 years they opened the immigration flood gates these people get treated better than Maori the empolyer’s put them up on a pedestal so don’t compare the successful immigrants to Maori troll it does not cut it .
I have applied for job’s were I know that I am more qualified and able than there manager the problem is when I go to the interview the first thought that enters the employer’s mind I can see it is O he’s Maori and all my good qualification’s are turfed out the cot he’s going to be lazy he will rob us he is going to be late all the time discrimination’s is rife . So I say the whole system needs to change .
Did you see moody collins this morning on The Am Show trying to give credit for the crime rate falling to the national party got the cheek well that’s neo libreals for you fake it till you make it
Ka kite ano Link below . P.S we know who did that Ka kaha
Many thanks to the European Union for doing the logical ban halogen light bulbs old tec need’s to be replaced by new tec Ka pai Ka kite ano link is below . P.S these old light use twice the power and more than led lights
Good evening Newshub That’s the way Jacinda when the generals don’t toe the line you let all the other generals know that behavior is unacceptable so punishment is warranted.
Australia has a Maori Prime Minster lol know OUR Scotty Morrison is a good kiwi maori
same names different people .
Condolences to Ed King Lynyrd Skynyrd old guitarist whano its a old classic song
It was a beautiful day today looking over the lake getting told about some of my whapapa Alex Ka kite ano
The Crowd Goes Wild James & Wairangi James got to look after your supporters lol.
Eco Maori will chair the NZ Breakers Basket Ball team with there new couch Ka pai
Ka kite ano P.S smash them bro was good tonight
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Remember the government's tyrannicalTerrorism Suppression (Control Orders) Bill? Remember how it was rammed through Parliament, with a four-day submission period and a select committee process that was a democratic fraud? At the time, the government gave the impression that there was an urgent need for this legislation, that a ...
Attack journalist - Tova O'BrienWe all know that much of the mainstream media in New Zealand is terribly biased. They are in effect another branch of the National Party, and can often be even more prejudiced than their right wing bosses.In fact many right wing politicians moonlight as journalists and ...
Former National Party President - Michelle BoagAfter the complete botch job Hamish Walker made of leaking the private details of COVID-19 patients to the mainstream media last week, the best-case scenario for Todd Muller and the National Party would be if the news cycle went quiet about their involvement.But unfortunately ...
One of the challenges of working on illegal wildlife markets, is you don’t really have scope to talk about your research into illegal wildlife markets. There is some stuff though that willbe coming out on Asiatic black bears in China, and before Covid19, I was delving more into rhinos. Which ...
Some are surprised at this sudden brain implosion on the part of both Michelle Boag, former National Party President, and the National Party in general, in exposing the private, confidential details of COVID patients. Others…? Let’s be blunt: not so much. Too many of that Party have long operated with ...
Michelle Boag - Former National Party PresidentWhen Todd Muller decided not to discipline Hamish Walker for his horribly racist press release last week, you had to wonder if his lack of proper leadership had something to do with a shared belief system? After all, the whiteness of the blue “team” ...
On Twitter today, lawyer Felix Geiringer asked a good question: why are MP's exempt from the Privacy Act? The Act imposes its obligations on "agencies", and s8 of the 2020 Act states that this term does not include... a member of Parliament in their official capacity The 1993 Act, ...
Climate Explained is a collaboration between The Conversation, Stuff and the New Zealand Science Media Centre to answer your questions about climate change.If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, please send it to climate.change@stuff.co.nzWhat was the climate and sea level like at times ...
So now we know, beyond all doubt. The National party has no interest in joining the “team of five million” in our fight against the pandemic but its priority is to take every opportunity it can to damage the government. The cynicism is breathtaking. It was prepared to leak the ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters The massive dust storm that formed over the Sahara Desert in mid-June invaded the southeastern U.S. June 25-28, bringing dangerous levels of air pollution, low visibility, and colorful sunsets. The air pollution event over parts of Texas and the Gulf ...
In 1987, as a British Labour MP, I was elected to the Shadow Cabinet by my colleagues and was asked by the party leader to direct Labour’s campaign in the general election of that year. The election was to take place at the height of Mrs Thatcher’s dominance and we ...
National MP Nicola WillisHousing, which I would argue is a fundamental human right, has long been a problem in New Zealand. Not only do we have some of the most overpriced houses in the entire world, much of the housing stock is substandard and therefore affects not just people’s health ...
If the government has not lined up behind a "Yes" vote in this year's cannabis referendum the way some reformers would have liked, one entirely laudable thing it did do was commission some science around the public's choice.That science landed today, in the form of the report from an expert ...
Associate Professor Sara WaltonAt the heart of the discussion on opening up our borders is the dichotomy of health and the economy – both of which are actually intertwined, like many things with our economy, as this epidemic has shown.If we think about our country as a system, ...
This is a re-post from Carbon Brief by Josh Gabbatiss This year will see the largest ever drop globally in both investment and consumer spending on energy as the coronavirus pandemic hits every major sector, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). The crisis is accelerating the shutdown of older fossil-fuelled ...
A short opinion piece – Friday 26th June 2020 Whilst our Government has treated many financial victims of the current Covid-19 virus with appropriate generosity, the same cannot be said for those of the two earlier “epidemics” in NZ. The “Covid-84” virus (also called “Rogernomics”) spread systemic greed, with the ...
Everyone deserves a a decent life. We know this is possible with a fairer approach to income support and tax Read the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand’s Poverty Action Plan here ...
After a long break, the government is back inserting secrecy clauses in legislation. This time its the Overseas Investment Amendment Bill (No 3), which in its clause allowing Ministers to exempt purchasers of farm land from the usual rules also allows them to exempt an exemption from the publication requirement: ...
Over the past two years the government has repeatedly delayed a scheme to put cameras on boats to monitor Mew Zealand's pervasively criminal fishing industry. But it turns out that the industry actually wants cameras: Three of the country's biggest seafood companies have broken ranks with the rest of the ...
Louise Delany (public health lawyer)Health and emergency laws have played a critical role in this country’s successful elimination of community transmission of the COVID-19 pandemic. This blog details key aspects of the legislation and comments on issues around testing, payments by incoming travellers for quarantine costs, and mask use. ...
I like Andrew Curry’s succinct and insightful futures blog The Next Wave. His most recent post is about social change. In particular, the decadal-long periods usually required for changes in values. He highlights a 2016 paper by Inglehart and Norris, who examined whether economic insecurity or a “cultural backlash” ...
Story of the Week... Toon of the Week... Coming Soon on SkS... Poster of the Week... SkS Week in Review... Story of the Week... Stop making sense: why it's time to get emotional about climate changeThe science has been settled to the highest degree, so now ...
MONDAY JULY 6Washington (History, Sky 073, 7.30pm). The brilliant Doris Kearns Goodwin is the executive producer of this six-part series about America's first president. It combines interviews with live action and is narrated by Jeff Daniels. It's engaging, said Salon.TUESDAY JULY 7The ABC Murders (Prime, 8.30pm). Sarah Phelps has done incredible things with ...
I think we can all agree that the mainstream media in New Zealand has a very different set of rules for the right wing compared to the left. While Labour and Green Party politicians don’t seem to be able to fart without it becoming a sackable offence, National and Act ...
A chronological listing of news articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, June 28 through Sat, July 4, 2020Editor's Choice'2040': A funny, entertaining, upbeat climate documentaryA timely Australian documentary takes a 'solutions' approach, with the filmmaker inspired by visions of ...
Racist National MP Hamish WalkerEven before Todd Muller's coup ousted Simon Bridges by a single vote, it was patently obvious that the National Party promotes and stands for white privilege. In fact they’ve always worked to ensure the discriminatory status quo in New Zealand doesn’t change.So it’s no surprise that ...
Dave HeatleyZero community transmission. Just a handful of active cases, all in quarantine. New Zealand is in an attractive situation, at least compared to much of the world. The situation could be robust and enduring – or it might be fragile, just one border incursion away from a “second ...
Is the consequence of the Simpson Report proposals for restructuring the health system poorer accountability to people? When in doubt, centralise‘ has been a persistent theme in New Zealand public policy throughout our history. The current government is no exception. Here are some examples. - The regional polytechs have been ...
I wrote earlier in the week about the Scientology front organisations Drug Free World and Drug Free Ambassadors and their quite prominent role in anti-cannabis reform "coalition" assembled by Family First and a newloca branch of the American prohibitionist organisation SAM.It turns out Family First aren't the only ones helping ...
Nik GreenMuch of the public debate about the response to the COVID-19 pandemic has focused on the extent to which government regulations have restricted personal and business activity.Oxford University Blavatnik School of Government Here in New Zealand, the question of when to change Alert Levels dominated the ...
James Higham, University of OtagoUnprecedented border closures and the domestic lockdown have paralysed New Zealand’s $40.9 billion a year tourism industry. In the process, the vulnerability of the sector to external shocks and the tenuous nature of tourism employment have been exposed. While New Zealand’s handling of the pandemic ...
Raising The Bar: Would that the Prime Minister and her colleagues would listen as intently to what the people – as opposed to the power elites – are saying as the Greens. Were they so disposed, the popular clamour for a transformational post-Covid reset would be loud in their ears. ...
Climate Explained is a collaboration between The Conversation, Stuff and the New Zealand Science Media Centre to answer your questions about climate change.If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, please send it to climate.change@stuff.co.nzDo you think the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown will slow or ...
A bit like a letter home. I have now been full-time at the University of Melbourne since 2019. Before that, I was 20 years at the University of Otago, Wellington. Indeed, I set up this very Public Health Expert Blog with Nick Wilson ten years ago. Now I am your ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections House Democrats have released a comprehensive report showing how – if they control the White House and both the Senate and the House of Representatives – they might move forward on climate change. Their “Climate Crisis Action Plan,” released June 30 by the ...
A ballot for three Member's Bills was held today, and the following bills were drawn: Electoral (Integrity Repeal) Amendment Bill (David Carter) Harmful Digital Communications (Unauthorised Posting of Intimate Visual Recording) Amendment Bill (Louisa wall) Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Bill (Judith ...
We're keeping New Zealand moving, one progress-packed week at a time. Read below to find out how we're creating jobs, protecting the environment, looking out for the health of New Zealanders', and upgrading our critical infrastructure - and that's only this week. ...
We're keeping New Zealand moving, one progress-packed week at a time. Read below to find out how we're creating jobs, protecting the environment, looking out for the health of New Zealanders', and upgrading our critical infrastructure - and that's only this week. ...
Hon Shane Jones, Minister for Regional Economic Development The Provincial Growth Fund is providing up to $19.5 million to boost innovative primary sector businesses and create training and job opportunities for Northland locals through the construction of an innovation and enterprise park at Ngawha, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones ...
The Green Party is today unveiling part one of its plan for a fossil-fuel free Aotearoa, including an immediate ban on new industrial coal boilers. ...
Mark Patterson MP, Spokesperson for Primary Industry New Zealand First is supporting calls by hunters and the New Zealand Tahr Foundation (NZTF) to halt a large scale cull of Himalayan Tahr by the Department of Conservation in National Parks. The calls are supported by a 40,000 strong petition and the ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Leader of New Zealand First New Zealand First leader Winston Peters today scoffed at suggestions that a team of six political operatives have been dispatched to New Zealand to assist his campaign. ‘As President Ronald Reagan once said, ‘there they go again.’ ‘The clickbait journos can’t ...
New Zealand First is pleased to announce Jenny Marcroft as the party’s election 2020 candidate for the Auckland Central electorate. Jenny spent years working in Auckland Central, having spent a vast proportion of her broadcasting career there. She says she, "knows the place and knows the people." Ms Marcroft says ...
New Zealanders deserve healthy rivers and lakes that are safe to swim in - but they have been getting worse for decades. That's why, with our latest announcement, we're investing in projects that will help clean up our rivers and lakes and restore them to health, within a generation. ...
This week we moved into the second half of 2020 - and our Government delivered another week of big changes and major progress for New Zealanders. Read below for a wrap of the key things moments from the week - from extending paid parental leave, to making major investments in ...
The Green Party has opposed the COVID-19 Recovery Fast-track Consenting Bill which shortcuts normal consenting processes under the Resource Management Act (RMA), reduces public participation and narrows environmental considerations. ...
Hon Shane Jones, Minister of Regional Economic Development A regional freight hub for the lower North Island will be built just northeast of Palmerston North, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones has announced. The Government is investing $40 million through the Provincial Growth Fund to designate and buy land and design ...
Green Party Co-leader Marama Davidson is calling for the introduction of a Guaranteed Minimum Income to lift hundreds of thousands of people out of poverty and prevent more families entering into further debt with the Ministry of Social Development. ...
There has been renewed focus on New Zealand First acting as a handbrake on the Government after our decision to not support Auckland light rail. We are a handbrake for bad ideas, that istrue, but our track record since 2017 has seen New Zealand First constructively also serve as an ...
Mark Patterson MP, New Zealand First List MP New Zealand First’s Fair Residency for Superannuation Bill passed its First Reading in Parliament today. The Bill makes a significant change to NZ Super by raising the minimum residency requirement from 10 to 20 years, after age 20. “Currently, a migrant of ...
Darroch Ball MP, Spokesperson for Law and Order A New Zealand First member’s bill in the name of Darroch Ball introducing a six-month minimum prison sentence for assaults on first responders has passed its second reading in Parliament. The new offence of "injuring a first responder or corrections officer with ...
Fletcher Tabuteau MP, Deputy Leader of New Zealand First New Zealand First welcomes the launch of the new Criminal Cases Review Commission, gifted with the name from Waikato-Tainui - Te Kāhui Tātari Ture, announced in Hamilton today by Justice Minister Andrew Little. “New Zealand First has long believed in and ...
The Green Party is celebrating over $800m in new funding for green projects, which will get people into jobs while solving New Zealand’s long-term challenges. ...
Mark Patterson MP, Spokesperson for Primary Industries New Zealand First is appalled that Meridian seems to have been unnecessarily spilling water from its dams to drive up its profits."While New Zealanders have been coming together in some of our darkest hours, we don’t expect power gentailers to waste water and ...
We wrapped up the first half of 2020 with a busy month, taking additional steps to support New Zealanders as we continue with our economic recovery. We rolled out targeted packages to support key industries like tourism and construction, helped create jobs in the environmental and agriculture sectors, and set ...
Hon Shane Jones, Minister for Infrastructure Infrastructure Minister Shane Jones has welcomed the appointment of Maurice Davis and his deep infrastructure and construction experience to the board of the Infrastructure Commission. Mr Davis (Ngāti Maniapoto), is the seventh and final appointment to the board led by former Reserve Bank Governor ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Leader of New Zealand First New Zealand’s click bait journalism is taking a turn for the worse, with yet another example of sensationalist, wilful-misrepresentation of the facts. “New Zealand First has worked constructively with its Coalition partner on hundreds of pieces of legislation and policy, and ...
The Green Party is today unveiling its Poverty Action Plan, which includes a Guaranteed Minimum Income to ensure people have enough to live with dignity. ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister Fletcher Tabuteau MP, Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development The Rotorua Museum redevelopment and Whakarewarewa and Tokorangi Forest projects will be accelerated thanks to a $2.09 million Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) boost, Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters and Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher ...
This week, we rolled out the next steps of our recovery plan, with new infrastructure investment, extra support for tourism operators, and a new programme to get Kiwis into agriculture careers. The global economic consequences of COVID-19 will continue to be a challenge, but we have a detailed plan to ...
Jenny Marcroft MP, Spokesperson for Health New Zealand First welcomes the passage of the Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission Bill through its final reading in Parliament today fulfilling a coalition agreement commitment. “This is an important step in saving the lives of New Zealanders and delivers a key coalition commitment ...
Whakatāne has been given a $2.5 million boost to speed up previously funded projects and create more than 450 jobs in the next decade. Of those, the equivalent of 160 full-time jobs could be delivered in the next six weeks. Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters is in town to make ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister Fletcher Tabuteau MP, Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development The Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) is investing $2.5 million to accelerate three infrastructure projects in Whakatāne, Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters and Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher Tabuteau announced today. “This package is about ...
Infrastructure Minister Shane Jones is throwing his weight behind a bid by the Auckland Council to fast-track the more than doubling of the city's water allowance from the Waikato River. And he's coming out strongly against anyone who plans on getting in the way of this campaign. "It is my ...
The Green Party is thrilled to see changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that mean consents for large projects can be declined if they will have significant climate change implications that are inconsistent with the Zero Carbon Act and Aotearoa New Zealand’s Paris Agreement obligations. ...
Hon Ron Mark, Minister of Defence The Royal New Zealand Navy’s new ship, Aotearoa, set sail for New Zealand on 10 June from the Republic of Korea, and is due to arrive in Auckland tomorrow, announced Minister of Defence Ron Mark. “Aotearoa is the Royal New Zealand Navy’s new fleet ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Racing Racing Minister Winston Peters has today welcomed the Racing Industry Bill passing its third reading, creating the legislative framework for revitalising the racing industry while limiting the need for future government intervention. “For too long our domestic racing industry has ...
The Green Party has today put forward an amendment to the Electoral (Registration of Sentenced Prisoners) Amendment Bill to ensure all people in prisons can vote in general elections. ...
The Green Party welcomes the decision to not proceed with Public Public Investment (PPI) delivery of Auckland’s light rail project and to instead run the process through the public service. ...
Stephen Clark, Māori Land Court Judge of Hamilton has been appointed as a District Court Judge with jury jurisdiction to be based in Hamilton, Attorney-General David Parker announced today. Judge Clark graduated with an LLB from Auckland University in 1988 and was admitted to the Bar in the same year. ...
The Crown will provide a loan to Hawke’s Bay Airport to ensure it can trade through COVID-19 economic impacts, support the region’s recovery and protect up to 200 jobs. The Crown has a 50 percent shareholding in Hawke’s Bay Airport Limited (HBAL), with Napier City Council holding 26 percent and ...
Four celebrated Māori and Pasifika events will receive up to $100,000 each in funding from the new Creative and Cultural Events Incubator fund, Economic Development Minister Phil Twyford announced today. The four events that were successful in the inaugural funding round are: Kia Mau Festival, Wellington Māoriland Film Festival, Otaki ...
The Minister for Pacific Peoples, Aupito William Sio is pleased to announce the inaugural launch of Kiribati Language Week as part of the 2020 Pacific language Weeks programme. “I am so pleased that this year we are able to provide resourcing support to the Kiribati community in Aotearoa which will ...
Wildlife institutions affected by a loss of visitor revenue during the COVID-19 lockdown are set to receive government support with nearly $15 million of funding available announced Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage. “Eco-sanctuaries, zoos, aquariums, wildlife parks, and wildlife rescue, hospital and rehabilitation facilities provide crucial support for the recovery ...
The Government is expanding and accelerating frontline mental health and wellbeing services at tertiary education institutes (TEI) to help students manage ongoing stresses related to COVID-19. “The lockdown has been hugely disruptive for students. Many of them have had to relocate and move to online learning, isolating them from their ...
The Minister of Police says a major operation against the Mongrel Mob in Waikato will make a big dent in drug harm and violent offending linked to organised crime networks. “Senior leadership of the Waikato Mongrel Mob has been taken out as a result of Operation Kingsville, which resulted in ...
The Government is extending the border exception criteria to enable some offshore victims and support people of the Christchurch mosque attacks to attend the sentencing of the accused beginning on 24 August2020, says Immigration Minister Iain Lees-Galloway. “We want to support our valued Muslim brothers and sisters who were directly ...
A project to support volunteer efforts to look after streams and rivers is getting a boost thanks to support from DOC’s Community Conservation Fund announced Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage today. “The government is backing efforts to look after waterways with $199,400 for the Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust from ...
Minister for Women Julie Anne Genter today announced that funding for the COVID-19 Community Fund for women and girls will be doubled, as the first successful funding applications for the initial $1million were revealed. “Women and girls across the country have suffered because of the effects of COVID-19, and I ...
The Government’s books were better than forecast with a higher GST take as the economy got moving again after lockdown, Finance Minister Grant Robertson says. The Crown Accounts for the 11 months to the end of May indicate the year end results for tax revenue will be stronger than forecast. ...
A plan to revitalise New Zealand’s strong wool sector and set it on a new, more sustainable and profitable path was unveiled today by Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor. The newly-released report - Vision and Action for New Zealand’s Wool Sector - was developed by the Wool Industry Project Action Group ...
Community efforts to create a Predator Free Whangārei will receive a $6 million boost, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones and Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage announced today. The new funding, through Government company Predator Free 2050 Ltd, will create around 12 jobs while enabling the complete removal of possums over ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has announced that the New Zealand Government is reviewing the settings of its relationship with Hong Kong. “China’s decision to pass a new national security law for Hong Kong has fundamentally changed the environment for international engagement there,” Mr Peters said. “New Zealand remains deeply ...
Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones has announced details of a multimillion-dollar investment in Whangārei for infrastructure projects that will help it recover from the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 200 jobs are expected to be created through the $26 million investment from the Government’s rejuvenation package ...
Following a second incident in which a person escaped from a managed isolation facility, security is being enhanced, including more police presence onsite, Minister Megan Woods said. “The actions of some individuals who choose to break the very clear rules to stay within the facilities means that more resourcing is ...
Waste reduction and recycling programmes in Kaipara are set to get a boost with Associate Environment Minister Eugenie Sage today announcing a $361,447 grant from the Ministry for the Environment’s Waste Minimisation Fund (WMF) Sustainable Kaipara. “The new funding will allow Sustainable Kaipara to partner with local schools, kura, community ...
The Government will support the Southland economy in the wake of multinational mining company Rio Tinto’s decision to follow through with its long signalled closure of the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter. “This day has unfortunately been on the cards for some time now, but nevertheless the final decision is a ...
New tools being developed to help boost Aotearoa’s Predator Free 2050 effort were unveiled today by Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage and Under Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher Tabuteau. A new rat poison, a camera with predator recognition software to detect and report predators, a new predator lure and a ...
The Coalition Government has approved the purchase of a fleet of Bushmaster vehicles to replace the New Zealand Army’s armoured Pinzgauers, Defence Minister Ron Mark has announced today. The new fleet of 43 Australian-designed and built Bushmaster NZ5.5 will provide better protection for personnel and improved carrying capacity. “The age ...
The Government’s three prevention frameworks to reduce family violence in Aotearoa were launched this week by Associate Minister for Social Development Poto Williams. The frameworks were developed in partnership with communities around New Zealand, and build on the work the Government has already begun with its new family violence prevention ...
The Government is pleased to confirm funding for improvements to radiology and surgical services at Hawke's Bay DHB, Health Minister Chris Hipkins says. "The Minister of Finance the Hon Grant Robertson and former Health Minister Dr David Clark approved funding for Hawke's Bay DHB’s redevelopment of their radiology facilities ...
• New funding for four beds at Napier’s Springhill Residential Addiction Centre • A new managed withdrawal home and community service, and peer support before and after residential care at Tairāwhiti DHB • A co-ordinated network of withdrawal management services throughout the South Island • Peer support in Rotorua and ...
Introduction, seafarers and POAL Good morning everyone, I am delighted to be online with you all today. Before I begin, I have to acknowledge that COVID-19 has disrupted the maritime sector on an unprecedented scale. The work of seafarers and the maritime industry is keeping many economies around the world ...
A $13 million investment from Government will create jobs and improve the resilience of the rail connection between Christchurch and the West Coast, Infrastructure Minister Shane Jones and Regional Economic Development Under-Secretary Fletcher Tabuteau say. The funding comes from the tagged contingency set aside in Budget 2020 for infrastructure projects ...
The Government is investing $761 million to assist local government upgrade under-pressure water services across the country, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta announced today. The announcement was made at the site of the water bore that was found to be the source of the fatal ...
Recognised Seasonal Employers and migrant seasonal workers stranded in New Zealand will be able to continue working and supporting themselves with more flexible hours and roles, says Immigration Minister Iain Lees-Galloway. The time-limited visa changes are: Stranded RSE workers will be able to work part-time (a minimum of 15 hours ...
The Government is making immediate short-term changes to visa settings to support temporary migrants already onshore in New Zealand and their employers, while also ensuring New Zealanders needing work are prioritised, Immigration Minister Iain Lees-Galloway says. We are: Extending temporary work visas due to expire by the end of 2020 ...
Professor Peter Skelton CNZM has been appointed as Chief Freshwater Commissioner and Alternate Environment Court Judge Craig James Thompson as Deputy Chief Freshwater Commissioner for the newly established Freshwater Planning Process (FPP). Environment Minister David Parker today also announced the appointment of Chief Environment Court Judge Laurie Newhook as the ...
Auckland Queen’s Counsel Neil Campbell has been appointed a Judge of the High Court, Attorney‑General David Parker announced today. Justice Campbell graduated with a BCom and LLB (Hons) from the University of Auckland in 1992. He spent two years with Bell Gully Buddle Weir in Auckland before travelling to the United ...
The Associate Minister for Greater Christchurch Regeneration, Poto Williams, is seeking feedback on a proposal to better enable the development and operation of commercial film and video facilities in Christchurch. The Proposal, developed by Regenerate Christchurch in response to a request from Christchurch City Council, asks that powers under section ...
The Government has launched a bold plan to boost primary sector export earnings by $44 billion over the next decade, while protecting the environment and growing jobs. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern today released Fit for a Better World – Accelerating our Economic Potential, a 10-year roadmap to unlock greater value ...
A new approach to prevent family harm that encourages greater collaboration across government and community groups is being celebrated at the opening of a new facility in Auckland. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern today opened the Multi-Disciplinary Family Harm Prevention Hub Te Taanga Manawa in Lambie Road in Manukau. The facility ...
The Government has released a major new report on the options for relocating the Port of Auckland’s freight operations while deferring any decision on the issue. “That decision needs to be informed by policy analysis that is still to be completed. As a result it will be up to a ...
The history of Rāpaki is being restored through the inclusion of te reo in thirteen official place names on Te Pātaka-o-Rākaihautū / Banks Peninsula and around Lyttelton Harbour/Whakaraupō, the Minister for Land Information, Eugenie Sage, announced today. “I am pleased to approve the proposals from Te Hapū o Ngāti ...
Bookings for seats on Air New Zealand flights into New Zealand will be managed in the short term to ensure the Government is able to safely place New Zealanders arriving home into a managed isolation or quarantine facility, says Housing Minister Megan Woods. “Last week Air Commodore Darryn Webb and I ...
Grant Robertson has today announced the first major release of funding from the $265 million Sport Recovery Package announced at Budget 2020. “Today we’re setting out how $80 million will be invested, with $54 million of that over the 2020/2021 financial year for organisations from community level through to elite ...
The Government is maintaining current levy rates for the next 2 years, as part of a set of changes to help ease the financial pressures of COVID-19 providing certainty for businesses and New Zealanders, ACC Minister Iain Lees-Galloway says. “New Zealanders and businesses are facing unprecedented financial pressures as a ...
Small businesses are getting greater certainty about access to finance with an extension to the interest-free cashflow loan scheme to the end of the year. The Small Business Cashflow Loan Scheme has already been extended once, to 24 July. Revenue and Small Business Minister Stuart Nash says it will be ...
A package of 23 projects across the country will clean up waterways and deliver over 2000 jobs Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Environment Minister David Parker announced today. The $162 million dollar package will see 22 water clean-up projects put forward by local councils receiving $62 million and the Kaipara ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kris Gledhill, Professor of Law, Auckland University of Technology The sentencing of the Christchurch mosque killer was always going to be tense. Having admitted his guilt in March, his declaration that he would now represent himself at the hearing on August 24 ...
The Serious Fraud Office is investigating donations made to the Labour Party in 2017 Donations to the Labour Party in 2017 are now under the microscope of the Serious Fraud Office, the corruption watchdog said in a statement. The SFO declined to release any further details about the investigation. This ...
National Party stalwart Michelle Boag gave officials her private email address when asked where best to send a daily list of Covid-19 patients, the Director General of Health says. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kerrie Davies, Lecturer, School of the Arts & Media, UNSW Review: A Room Made of Leaves, Text Publishing Some time ago, during the renovation of a historic house in Sydney, a tin box, sealed with wax and wrapped in oiled canvas, ...
Whakamā refers to a state of personal or collective embarrassment and shame. Unabated shame can corrode the soul. Tikanga can fix and prevent it, writes Tainui Stephens.This story contains descriptions of racism and racist language.It seems to me some radio talkback hosts suffer from an empathy bypass: a quixotic condition ...
Today’s news that the mosque shooter will represent himself at his sentencing next month has raised fears he plans to use it as a platform for his hateful views. But the judge may have other ideas, write Otago University professors Danica McGovern and Andrew GeddisIn March of this year, the ...
The Say Nope To Dope campaign is slamming the government for its voting pack on the cannabis referendum, and is seeking legal advice. “We’ve been contacted by a number of families who believe that the government pamphlet is putting their own ...
The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union is throwing shade on the Green Party’s new policies to install solar panels on state houses and subsidise them for private residences, which would cost taxpayers $806,000,000 over three years. Taxpayers Union spokesperson ...
Latest from the Beehive – One of the less challenging jobs for a Minister of the Crown is dipping into a trough within his ministerial gift and hoping for favourable headlines by dishing out grants. Economic Development Minister Phil Twyford – who has fallen short of counting Kiwbuild and Auckland ...
People from immigrant backgrounds often struggle to find work in New Zealand, despite their qualifications. So why is the Office of Ethnic Communities looking for people to do its work for free, asks former race relations commissioner Joris de Bres.Last week, the Office of Ethnic Communities announced on Facebook that ...
New Zealanders can’t get enough of The Chase, so why can’t we have our own version? And what would a homegrown version of the quiz show look like anyway? If The Chase were a pandemic, we’d all have herd immunity by now. The British TV quiz show has never been ...
In less than a week, Auckland Council will vote on an emergency budget that looks set to deliver severe cuts to facilities and services across the city. And still pleas for a commitment on shovel ready projects go unheeded by government, writes councillor Desley Simpson.As a country we can feel ...
The gunman of the Christchurch mosque attacks has chosen to represent himself at his sentencing next month. In March, Brenton Tarrant made a late guilty plea to 51 charges of murder, 40 of attempted murder and one under the Terrorism Suppression Act. He is due to be sentenced on 24 ...
A road freight industry representative says a new announcement that negotiations will be extended - again - is further confirmation that something is not right with the project An announcement that a new cash payout will extend negotiations and 'winter works' even further than first thought is being heralded as a sign ...
By Hamish Cardwell, RNZ News Grey Power is enraged by what it says is the “stupid and dangerous” behaviour of people fleeing managed isolation facilities, and says they need the book thrown at them. A person broke a window and absconded from an Auckland hotel on Friday, the fourth such ...
Crowd entertainment at sports games is a hard task, but please let’s stick to T-shirt cannons and on-field japes instead of watching strangers smooch, eh?Funny kiss cam footage is a key element of any viral fail video compilation. A “she’s my sister” sign pulled out of a pocket as the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rohan Clarke, Director, Monash Drone Discovery Platform, and Senior Lecturer in Ecology, Monash University This article is part of Flora, Fauna, Fire, a special project by The Conversation that launched this week. The project tracks the recovery of Australia’s native plants and ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jess Marsh, Research fellow at the Harry Butler Institute, Murdoch University This article is part of Flora, Fauna, Fire, a special project by The Conversation that launched this week. The project tracks the recovery of Australia’s native plants and animals after last ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Lintermans, Associate professor, University of Canberra This article is part of Flora, Fauna, Fire, a special project by The Conversation that launched this week. The project tracks the recovery of Australia’s native plants and animals after last summer’s bushfire tragedy. Explore ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jodi Rowley, Curator, Amphibian & Reptile Conservation Biology, Australian Museum This article is part of Flora, Fauna, Fire, a special project by The Conversation that launched this week. The project tracks the recovery of Australia’s native plants and animals after last summer’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lisa Matisoo-Smith, Professor of Biological Anthropology, University of Otago How did the Polynesian peoples come to live on the far-flung islands of the Pacific? The question has intrigued researchers for centuries. Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl brought the topic to public attention when ...
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Peters, Associate Professor of Wildlife Health and Pathology, Charles Sturt University This article is part of Flora, Fauna, Fire, a special project by The Conversation that launched this week. The project tracks the recovery of Australia’s native plants and animals after ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Wee Tiong Seah, Associate Professor in Mathematics Education, University of Melbourne On Sunday, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews announced government school students in prep to Year 10 in metropolitan Melbourne and the Mitchell Shire will learn from home for term three. The remote ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Phillippa Carnemolla, Senior Research Fellow, School of the Built Environment, University of Technology Sydney The stated purpose of the Morrison government’s HomeBuilder program is to stimulate the economy and create construction jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our research shows home improvements could ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Davidson, Adjunct Senior Lecturer, UNSW Suddenly, the idea of a “job guarantee” is back in vogue. Lawyer, academic, land rights activist and founder of the Cape York Institute Noel Pearson has come out of it favour of it, University of Newcastle ...
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Philip C. Almond, Emeritus Professor in the History of Religious Thought, The University of Queensland From the 11th century onwards, the Legend of Barlaam and Josaphat enjoyed a popularity in the medieval West attained perhaps by no other legend. It was available ...
For all The Spinoff’s latest coverage of Covid-19 see here. Read Siouxsie Wiles’s work here. New Zealand is currently in alert level one – read about what that means here. For official government advice, see here.The Spinoff’s coverage of the Covid-19 outbreak is made possible thanks to donations from Spinoff Members. To support this ...
Investors still betting massive money-printing, despite growing fears of second wave lock-downs in America, India and Brazil, and as Australian cases spike ...
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Self-inflicted story puts National on the defensive, another escape attempt from managed isolation, and a series of party events ahead of election.There’s a convention in journalism called Betteridge’s law of headlines. Basically what it means is that headlines that end in ...
How authoritarian rule is applied to Hong Kong may make New Zealanders question whether closer interactions with China are necessarily desirable, writes Catherine Churchman Get ready for some in-your-face political repression, New Zealand. The Peoples Republic of China (PRC) has just extended its draconian rules on free speech and freedom ...
Using technology remotely to care for patients can go way beyond Zoom calls or basic telehealth measures. Professor Simon Malpas explains how tech can start to even out inequity in healthcare. Imagine you live in Ahipara, Northland. You also have early stage heart failure. It’s a 90-minute drive to your ...
Stephen Hoadley on how Donald Trump has moved the US from its decades-old role of international leadership, and why it might not be easy for a President Biden to restore that mantle. US elections and the resulting presidencies can be geopolitical turning points, whether reflecting them or causing them. Successive ...
The ACT party held its campaign launch in Auckland on Sunday and unveiled new policies, with a new team it hopes will bring a return to the days when it was more than a one man band. Mark Jennings reports. If the number of people paying to attend a political ...
Nicky Pellegrino and Stacy Gregg continue their podcast interview series with popular New Zealand writers. This week: Amy McDaid, the author of Fake Baby. Auckland’s Amy McDaid is an exciting new talent on our literary scene. Her debut novel, Fake Baby, strikes an elegant balance between dark comedy and compassion. ...
Is it finally time for Pacific rugby to come in from the cold in a new Super Rugby competition? Jim Kayes says it's time to believe. In Samuel Beckett’s play Waiting for Godot, the two lead characters wait on a country road, by a tree, for Godot’s arrival. He never ...
A broken foot threatened to derail sailor Alex Maloney's second Olympic campaign. But she's back on track, with a little help from her brother and his America's Cup team-mates. From now on, Alex Maloney will always seek a second opinion. Without it, the Rio Olympics sailing silver medallist saw her ...
With an election now less than 10 weeks away, the National Party is confronting the very real prospect of a crushing defeat, writes Pattrick Smellie for BusinessDesk.Only two things can now save Todd Muller and the National Party from the growing likelihood of a crushing defeat at the September 19 ...
It’s long past time we officially recognised the Māori new year on Māori land, writes Laura O’Connell Rapira.In May, Jacinda Ardern said more public holidays for Kiwis to experience Aotearoa New Zealand is among a number of things the government is “actively considering” to encourage domestic tourism.With many small businesses ...
The Kiwi nurse working in conflict zones, helping war-wounded, and improving hospital systems was forced to do a major pivot when Covid-19 hit Afghanistan. Gail Corbett tells Laura Walters about living her life in some of the world’s most dangerous places, and what keeps her going back. Gail Corbett was ...
This is a story about a Chinese shipwreck, the Māori guardians of the bones, and the documentary maker who' has upset two cultures with his efforts to tell the tale. Is a shipwreck with the bones of 499 Chinese miners a sacred gravesite or a part of history that should be ...
From RNZ Mediawatch New Zealand children use a lot less Kiwi media than they used to. New research shows its Netflix, YouTube and TikTok engaging their eyeballs big time these days. If our kids screen out our local media, what does the future hold for them? The news media seized ...
The Tahr Foundation has released a short video that shows just what Himalayan tahr mean to Kiwis and why so many people are fighting so hard to maintain them in New Zealand. The video is a powerful reminder of the extent that tahr are now woven into ...
Introduction Thank you very much. Elections in New Zealand – like everywhere - are a very special tradition, because they are driven by you. They’re an opportunity to change your future. If you think about it, the Government doesn’t do much. It ...
“This election and Covid-19 present New Zealanders with an opportunity to change their future and create a fair, modern employment insurance scheme,” says ACT’s Employment Spokesperson, and third-ranked candidate, Nicole McKee. “Covid-19 has ...
“A new approach to mental health and addiction will reduce bureaucracy, improve patient choice, and empower New Zealanders,” says ACT’s Deputy Leader and Health Spokesperson Brooke van Velden. “Each year, the government spends about $2 billion ...
"Working people have signaled their commitment to do more to address the most pressing issue of our time; climate change. The energy policies that the Green Party have launched today provide a meaningful contribution to addressing climate change," ...
Climate justice organisation 350 Aotearoa welcomes the Greens' plan to transform Aotearoa’s energy system and set Aotearoa on course towards a fossil-fuel free future in which workers are supported into new jobs, and communities have the power ...
The Old Guard, new to Netflix, is a resounding success because it doesn’t focus on what makes these heroes great, it focuses on what makes them human, writes Sam Brooks.The climax of Netflix’s new movie The Old Guard shouldn’t be anything new, but it feels exhilarating. The titular old guard, ...
A new Green Party announcement heralds a fast-exit out of fossil fuels through a massive state housing solar panel installation programme, a ban on new coal boilers, and the shifting of a target for renewable energy Solar panels and batteries would be installed in 30,000 State homes to create a "virtual power plant" if ...
As yet more male-led festival lineups are announced, Shaquille Wasasala, aka halfqueen, writes an open letter to the industry.To those whose career it is booking talent for music festivals, punters, and people who listen to music.As a DJ and artist who exists at many intersections that directly inform my lens ...
For all The Spinoff’s latest coverage of Covid-19 see here. Read Siouxsie Wiles’s work here. New Zealand is currently in alert level one – read about what that means here. For official government advice, see here.The Spinoff’s coverage of the Covid-19 outbreak is made possible thanks to donations from Spinoff Members. To support this ...
Dunedin writer Victor Billot pens topical verse every Sunday. This week: disgraced MP Hamish Walker.Showing promise The MP for Clutha-Southland did, it is true, post on Facebook that he had been door knocking in Mataura when he hadn’t. He lied. The MP for Clutha-Southland did, it is ...
It’s one of the most commonly used weedkillers in the world, but pressure to phase out use of the herbicide glyphosate could force us to come up with alternatives quickly. Listen to the full episode of Two Cents Worth below. Subscribe to Two Cents' Worth for free on Apple ...
The Covid-19 crisis has exposed gaps in the funding of early education that we should be bold in responding to, writes Sue Cherrington of Victoria University of Wellington Early childhood education has been in the media a great deal over recent weeks, initially with positive but increasingly with negative news reports. ...
It’s an economic theory that advocates tout as a solution to governments’ debt crises, but critics warn is a recipe for hyperinflation. Either way, modern monetary theory is getting a lot more attention in the era of Covid-19.Two big economic ideas have captured the popular imagination during the Covid-19 pandemic: ...
For one hour a week the supermarket lights are dimmed and the music stops. And it’s a kind of triumph, writes Michelle Langstone.I thought there’d been a power cut. The lights were out at the entrance, so you arrived into a kind of gloom. There was no music, and no ...
Open Mike 23/08/2018 
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For 35 years neoliberal;ism has failed the people of this country.
A revolution is required.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12111576
The market does not deliver affordable outcomes by itself.
True enough, which is why markets need to be managed and regulated intelligently. Perhaps my lifelong career in heavy industry shapes my view here; but what most people completely under-rate is how astoundingly complex and powerful our modern industrial civilisation is. And compared to pre-industrial eras, just how much prosperity, welfare and safety it delivers. And most of it mediated by markets.
At the same time most technical markets are also managed by a huge range of legal, commercial and technical standards that constrain reasonable outcomes. For instance if you want to do any electrical wiring, there is a standard for that. Same for any mechanical, process or automation technology. In one comment I can’t even begin to convey the sheer depth and complexity of how many different technologies, products and components are all delivered efficiently and effectively to pretty damned high standards of quality and safety with this hybrid strategy of commercial competition and collective regulation.
Even this internetty thingy we’re using, only exists in it’s current form because of thousands of documents which guide its implementation with layer upon layer of hardware and software standards. Standards that everyone must follow or they’re not in the game.
My point is this, markets are a very ancient human tool, and in their modern form deliver an unprecedented prosperity. Us engineers, who tend to be very pragmatically focussed on what works, have long experience in managing our technical markets with standards and certifications. The main reason why other markets fail to deliver decent outcomes is usually ideological or vested interests in NOT imposing regulation and discipline.
I don’t accept that technical specs and other such things are properties of (or related to) markets. There was plenty of technical documentation and implementation before the internet had even public access. If that’s true then this undermines any positive connection between technical progress and markets.
This reasoning also makes clear that the things which actually threaten the internet are not its technical specifications but bills about how internet commerce functions such as the recent undermining of net neutrality. Other areas of business also demonstrate this.
Food safety for example, there is a good understanding of proper food hygene practices. This is unaffected by regulation or deregulation. Then there is the part which says you will maintain good standards or we are (government) coming round to shut down your business (or not).
I would think restaurants show exactly what RL is talking about. There are a lot of food eateries out there, all competing for our $$ in the marketplace, and we are reasonably free to choose which one we want at anytime (i.e. a reasonably free market). However, there is good knowledge about food safety and the public dangers of bad food safety practices. So there are standards and guidelines, training and all the rest to educate the people who prepare food as well as the public on these practices. Then there is a government watchdog who goes around and inspects each premise which sells food and gives it a rating against these standards, and these ratings must be displayed. These ratings are also known by the public, and you would be hard-pushed to find people who would eat at places that have a low rating, so these places will have a drop in revenue, so there is both a regulation fines and a income benefit for maintaining a high rating.
Therefore the market is free (no one is told where it eat or where not to eat, other than places that get closed down because they are actually just serving shit) but effectively managed via regulations/standards, which is what RL is talking about…
Yep, and if there is scant regulation we get hells kitchen. Despite the fact we have a modern well developed understanding of food safety. Thats because the technical progress is separate to and able to function independent of the regulation applied.
Nic. I was trying to convey how an engineer would look at the problem of market failure. As I mentioned above we tend to be a very pragmatic profession. To a small extent Ayn Rand was not entirely wrong with her premise of ‘engineer as hero’. We make large, complex and challenging things work on a daily basis. We are the people who take all the clever science and materials technology and produce the myriad of things which make civilisation work.
And as a rule our internal technical markets work extremely well; and it’s an example that is easy to extrapolate. Nor are engineers wholly on their own here; doctors, lawyers, teachers, nurses, social workers, etc are all professions that increasingly align with ‘best practice’ standards. Food safety is good grass roots example.
My point is simple; markets are like any other tool, when used with skill and discipline they work really well. If not the result is predictably a mess.
Any engineer looking at market failure will not attribute every aspect of progress/failure to markets.
The implication of attributing everything to markets is you exclude all non market solutions, insights, etc…
If we exclude non market solutions there would be no internet. Full stop. Because the public internet followed on from the ARPANET. That already includes implementing TCP/IP to spec (also pre existing). There is precisely zero chance the internet could have come from the commercial sector as too much cooperation is required before investment payoff.
Again no-one is denying the role government, or more precisely the defence sector, played in the internet. It’s a typical mode, the state funds many ideas or innovations, most of which are loss-making, but a few succeed and are then taken from an embryonic form to massive implementation by the commercial sector.
Again a form of the hybrid model I’m pointing to. After all while this internet we’re typing on may well owe it’s origins to ARPANET, it most certainly isn’t the same thing.
Also if I recall correctly TCP/IP in it’s original format came from Xerox.
Yes, Xerox is not a market either of course.
I’d agree with that. They’re the result of standards being set either by government or through industry cooperation. Without those standards there’d be a hodgepodge of stuff that simply didn’t work together.
Operating systems are a case in point. iOS, Windows and Linux are the main ones available and none of them can run software programmed for the others. A clear failure of unregulated markets.
Good food practices are the result of research. This applies across all industry.
Without regulation and ways to enforce those standards found through research businesses won’t keep to those practices as those practices are expensive and competition demands that they cut costs as much as possible.
More unhelpful binary thinking DtB. It’s a bad habit.
In reality most technical standards committees are staffed by technical leaders from major commercial vendors in that domain. And while some groups are mandated and supported by government, many are not, being purely voluntary commercial organisations that competing companies are all members of.
Most people have no idea just how many of these groups exist, and the extraordinary diversity of technical specialties involved. I could list dozen random ones right now off the top of my head, most of which most people will have never heard of. Yet they all play a vital role in making their market work.
The beauty of this system is that it blends both a necessary stability and minimum quality to the market, while permitting a sufficient degree of innovation and progress. It’s never perfect, but actually works quite well.
This fixed idea you’ve been promoting here for years, that government = good and commerce = bad is just plain wrong. It’s as wrong-headed as any libertarian who spouts the exact opposite ideology and wants the state done away with altogether.
As I said above, in the engineering marketplace I’m intimately familiar with, this hybrid interaction between collective regulation and commercial competition actually fucking WORKS. It’s not a theory, it’s not ideological, and it’s what’s demanded by a large group of generally hard-headed people who carry a very real responsibility to deliver outcomes that are reliable, safe and effective.
Show this binary thinking.
Yeah, that’s what I said.
I’ve never done that. In fact my idea of self-owned businesses that run as a cooperative is still very much based around commercial operations and the market.
Where did I say that it didn’t? I’m quite aware of how we ended up with DDR rather than RAMBUS memory.
I’m also quite aware that Sodastream uses unique and proprietary standards even for their CO2 bottles despite there already being widely used standards for them. They make higher profits from doing so.
My point is that standards should be enforced in law so that we don’t end up with silly little monopolies like Sodastream and Windows while also allowing innovation and advancement of those standards by the relevant industry.
Well wikipedia suggests an answer: However, RDRAM got embroiled in a standards war with an alternative technology—DDR SDRAM—and quickly lost out on grounds of price, and later, performance.
And it’s quite common to have a number of competing standards active in the same field at the same time. Some are quite open, others tightly held as proprietary property, but both seem to have their place. The former tend to be a little more innovative, the latter better resourced and more stable.
And sometimes quite old standards hang on for decades. For example in my field the ancient 4-20mA standard for analog data transfer is grossly out of date, has numerous frustrating limitations and I wish it would go away … but reality is it’s simple, robust and relatively unskilled techies can implement it easily.
Of course nothing is perfect; everything is some form of compromise to some degree. Or to put it another way, perfections are without limit. Just because we can imagine something better does not prove it IS better, or in any way diminishes what we already know works.
So of course the status quo has faults and shortcomings; that’s grounds to seek ways to take what we have and improve it. Tossing the toys out of the cot and pretending you can do better in some entirely imaginary ‘non-hierarchical’ fashion is pure bunk.
From an article that I read at the time other manufacturers wanted to produce RAMBUS RAM but their licensing prices were too high and hence the high price in the market. I believe (The Wiki doesn’t say) that DDR was, and still is, an open standard that anybody can use without licensing. If they join the consortium they have a say what gets put into the developing standard.
https://xkcd.com/927/
[citation needed]
I see no point to proprietary standards except to produce excessive profits.
Nobody’s tossing anything out of the cot. I’m pretty sure that the consortium that sets the DDR standard, the standards for Linux, and the W3 are all non-hierarchical and produce stability within those standards while also allowing innovation. There are plenty of other examples as well. They’re centralised discussion places but anybody who’s a member can make suggestions for new additions and discuss why they should be supported or not supported.
Of course these organisations are hierarchical. First of all you have to be really competent to even be a member, then you need to do the hard work to establish credibility and track record, then you actually need some genuinely good ideas that persuade and convince everyone else.
And given that many ideas will conflict, you need the skills to gain allies and ultimately sufficient authority to push your agenda through. Understand that many other members will be commercial competitors, so no-one is going to make it easy for you.
Competency, hard work, skilled politics and personal/positional authority all come into play. Non-hierarchical my arse, without it nothing gets done.
Most global industries are dominated by four or five big vendors; each with their own offerings and platforms that combine a degree of interoperability with their competitors, while retaining some core differentiations for their brand. It comes in any number of forms.
The primary reason why these big vendors retain their position is that in general they are the low risk option. If you’re managing a big project you simply cannot tolerate more than a modest amount of risk. With maybe several hundred thousand engineered items in play, if you don’t mitigate your risks early, with an absolute certainty timelines and budgets will get blown.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linux_kernel#Development
https://www.w3.org/participate/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JEDEC
Yes, people participating in setting the standards need to know what they’re doing. That itself is not a hierarchy.
Your idea of hierarchy is a little different to mine. My definition looks like this: a system in which members of an organization or society are ranked according to relative status or authority.
Every human field of endeavor is based on the idea of value; we only do things or invest energy into them because we see we see the outcome as better than our current situation.
When it comes to any complex endeavour, such as the ones you’ve linked to, competency is the first and fundamental way we value and give status to people. More competent people will gain more status and have more influence.
As an entity grows beyond something much more complex than a Friday night bowling team, it needs structure, rules and organisation. And without exception this implies a means to implement and enforce these things … which is where authority becomes an inescapable requirement, it embodies the power to engage the machinery of the entity to get things done in a coherent fashion.
In this view hierarchy is absolutely essential; it’s the very fabric of our social life, it’s the actual framework within which anything and everything of value is achieved. As the scope and complexity of the task increases, so does the corresponding degree of hierarchy necessary to achieve it. The nation state itself representing an intensely ordered and complex ranking of powers and authority.
Now this doesn’t imply hierarchies, like markets, are without problems. Manifestly they are not. But it does point to why they are essential and we cannot do without them. And that the whimsically hippy idea of non-hierarchical organisation is every bit as a fantasm as the notion of a market-free economy.
Enough … this is how it really happens!
/agreed.
Yes they are but no they don’t. Rome also had major poverty issues. Although it’s not the markets that are failing so much but the ownership that is the basis of capitalism that removes resources and freedom from the majority of people.
Regulations are what define a market. Good regulation brings about a workable result. Bad regulation fails to do so.
A good example of bad regulation is the ones around the ‘legal highs’ that the last government brought in. Of course, that regulation was a result of the fact that there wasn’t regulation to prevent the drugs from being brought in in the first place and the ideology of National/Act/Dunne that told them that people should be able to make a profit.
There are other examples of bad regulation such as the Leaky Homes debacle.
Good regulation abounds though: Driving on the left-side of the road, lights on vehicles, 230v@50 hertz etcetera.
I’ve always wondered what would happen if all operating systems were brought under standards similar to the way the internet is. It’d kill MS’s near monopoly.
Could you explain what you mean by “a revolution”? Should i buy a gun?
Nah, NZ revolutionaries are armed with witty T-shirts. A third of us can’t be bothered voting.
The Great Kiwi way of doing things. Sure we may be quite lackadaisical, – but we don’t go in for harming the bloke and his family next door just because we disagree about politics. And long may it stay that way.
Witty tee shirts are good.
Yes, we’re all very fortunate to be living in a country where revolutionaries drive their old tractors up parliament steps rather than careering through packed al fresco cafes.
Both acts make the front page. One draws focus to the issue, the other draws attention to a sad pointless loss of life.
Heaven help us all if that is the best example of Kiwi activism a person can come up with.
The man was a do nothing back bench warmer who would have rolled his bloody tractor had security not stepped in
Useless, useless as an MP…as is the current incumbent.
David Mac…you can do better. 🙂
I think you’ve missed my point Rosemary. The tractor, Zena the Warrior Princess handcuffed to the top of an oil exploration vessel, boys in loin cloths climbing the facade of the old parliament house. They all draw max news exposure to their issues, I think we’re lucky that this is generally as Tienanmen Square as we get.
I’d go further and say the way the government and council have acted on housing is more akin to social cleansing. The are actively demolishing affordable housing in Auckland and putting up expensive housing or expensive affordable housing in it’s place so there is nowhere now for the poor or low income residents to live.
They are also making rentals very hard to come by, with removing state housing rentals and selling them off especially in more expensive areas and the increasing the compliance and standard of private rental housing (although valid in some ways) is increasing the costs of rents. I still have great memories of crappy drafty run down villas in central Auckland I flatted in, that seem to be a thing of the past now, as deemed too substandard by middle class government and woke left officials to be rented out. Once the landlords spend that money renovating it, guess what, it’s too expensive to be rented and sold on into owner occupied territory so another cheap central option for renting, bites the dust.
Meanwhile everything to do with housing including rates and insurance, is going up to be passed on while the council seems to be more interested in corporate welfare projects to spend rates on than than actually doing a good job on the basics which they seem to want to add additional rates for which of course impacts poorer people more. Should a poorer person be expected to pay rates for America’s cup or Westgate mall, while then being asked for a separate levy for transport or waste management that arguably should be the first priority for our rates before the million dollar stadium reports from PWC and marinas?
The accommodation supplement is a subsidy to land Lords pushing up rental prices and house prices.
That money should go to new affordable houses reversing the demand and subsidy to tax free capital gangsters.
Ed my reply as above
I agree it is a good idea to get rid of the rental supplement, but I think you will find as with WFF most people will not be able to survive on their wages or benefits as the whole system of wages vs living, in NZ is now out of whack.
When Kiwibuild is telling you a 1 bed apartment is $500k that is not the landlords but the developers driving that price, as before the big immigration drive, it cost a fraction of that and you could buy an apartment under $200k and get a 3 bed house for $350k in Auckland.
If you buy a Kiwibuild 1 bedroom, have a mortgage on $592, body corporate, rates, insurance of probably $100+ p/w, so that affordable one bedroom with historically low interest rates is costing $700+ per week to service so you probably need to be well over the average wage to afford an affordable 1 bedroom apartment as well as have a stable job or the bank won’t even lend to you.
Could you rent it for that, very unlikely… so the government needs to increase the state house rentals substantially because the figures don’t work for private landlords and that leaves about 50%+ of Kiwis out in the cold with zero options who can’t rent or buy…
This might help:
or maybe this:
https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/beatles/revolution.html
More Orwellian speak from Federated Farmers.
Taking calves away from their mothers is not cruel.
While a cow could have 20 to 25 litres of milk in her udder, calves could only drink about five litres, Schultz said.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/106432527/milking-it-taking-calves-from-their-mothers-keeps-the-dairy-industry-going
Not cruel Jenny.
Not cruel.
Keep telling yourself that.
Yes, dairy farming is not cruel.
yes ed – as a vegetarian for 38 years you fucken irritate me with your born again veganism. I’m amazed how all this farm stuff is a big surprise to you.
Write a guestpost you’ve got plenty of evidence and videos and you don’t have anything else to do, do you?
sorry ed I’m a bit grumpy this morning – the guestpost idea is the only thing of worth in my comment. Sorry.
Well done Marty, I honour your humility and apology.
I wrote something a coupla weeks ago that I regretted- once Joe pulled me up on it.
Do you mind showing consideration for other people and stop showing photos of cow carcasses and the like. They can be distressing to some people including me. If you think that forcing stuff down people’s throats like you do is going to make one jot of difference then I suggest you are wrong.
Cut it out please!
Why, Ed, does a cow produce more milk than its calves can drink? What’s the process that causes such over-production, do you know?
genetics , would seem to be the answer. You can see in modern rice and wheat varieties why the seed is so much bigger than the ancient varieties they developed from.
And feeding pumped-up grasses to the animals?
Pumped up grasses ?
Do they have a grass gym ?
Dukeoferl why don’t we just over feed those who live in well off countries so they can die early from obesity, Cancer, diabetes, heart attacks, Strokes etc.
And let the other half of the planets population suffer from malnutrician/starvation!
Big money is spent every year improving the genetics, and milk yield of a dairy cow. “Livestock Improvement Corporation, or LIC, is a multinational farmer-owned co-operative which, for more than 100 years, has provided genetics expertise, information and technology to the dairy sector, aimed at improving the prosperity and productivity of farmers”. LIC is listed on the stock exchange and has a large stable of semen bulls!
Beef breed calves stay with their mothers for six months until they are weaned, a natural process non genetically interfered with process where all the milk is for the calf.
From the Stuff article “The number of bobbies sent to the works also fell in 2017, which MPI attributed to a decrease in the size of the national dairy herd and fewer calves overall.”
No. More calves are being disposed of on farm as soon as they are born as it is more economic to buy in adult replacements rather than rear calves. I know of one farm in my valley, milking 3000 cows, that kill all the calves themselves. They are careful to do it humanely of course and make sure the charnel pit is well away from waterways …….
And so M Bovis spreads ….
“charnel pit”
Thanks, Matiri, I’ll use that at the next meeting of Environment Southland.
Well away from waterways? Perhaps, but groundwater…you’re only required to have a separation of 1 metre there…
Often when a high profile suicide happens vulnerable people can move into dark places in their own thoughts and suicidal ideation can increase.
NOW is the time to connect to those you care or are concerned about.
In my experience VALIDATION is the best way to go at the start. This is not agreeing with them but validating that their experience/emotions/desperation/hopelessness/overwhelment is theirs.
“I can see that you’re really upset” rather than “Hey why not go for a walk”
I’m sure we need courses to teach people how to validate and then once it lands to go for solutions. Solutions early (even with the best intentions) can feel invalidating.
+ 100% Marty
Depression is like having a disease in ones brain that is trying to kill you every single day.
It’s so difficult to ask for help, it’s so hard. You can’t see it, and if one keeps it inside, there often are no signs for others to look for.
If we are all more caring, that goes a long way. Whether its building up the esteem of people you know or strangers. Every kind word, every caring gesture can change someone elses life, even if it’s for a moment, it counts.
Example, you see a parent in the supermarket struggling with a moody child, instead of giving them a funny look, or a look of sympathy, why not say… you’re doing a great job mum/dad. Words have so much power and can change lives.
Mike King was brilliant on the AM show this morning.
I agree.
This current philosophy of hush hush in relation to suicide doesn’t seem to be rhe answer.
An empathetic ear that truly listens is very valuable.
Well said. This is a sensitive time for all involved. What makes this more painful than other losses is the question “Why?” and knowing there may never be an answer to that.
Probably creates a lot of confusion too in people effected. Some people still see it as a weakness and won’t show any compassion, others won’t know how to react to it.
So yes keep the lines of communication open and share what youre feeling with others, might be the best way to deal with an overwhelming experience.
Dutton and his supporters are demanding a second vote this morning.
“Whenever credible pollsters ask the voters to name their preferred Liberal leader, Dutton has never cracked double digits.” So choosing Dutton is giving the electorate the fingers, suggesting his supporters haven’t read the Carnegie primer (How to Win Friends and Influence People).
“The party’s conservative faction has always loathed Turnbull as suspiciously left-wing”. Looks like a re-run of the ideological warfare in the Nats here a decade past.
Rightists vs centrists.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/what-s-so-momentous-that-the-country-must-discard-its-prime-minister-20180821-p4zyv7.html
Shades of Abbott and the ‘bossy boots woman’ (sarc) Peta Credlin he had to run his office
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/sally-cray-righthand-woman-to-malcolm-turnbull-the-invisible-power-in-the-prime-ministers-office-20160922-grm89q.html
Abbott is walking round like a gorilla with a pleased smirk. Some of his bullets. IMO.
A mistake to count his chickens as, Dutton may have made himself ineligible through his interests in Federal child centres.
They’re crazy. Dutton to me comes across as unelectable. Has all the appeal of a pack of sushi that’s been left in the sun.
The polls would plummet under him hard to know what the end game is.
There is Crosby Textor to fix that sort of thing… no problem.
Let them stew in their own sushi..
…..still waiting for their magic to work on Soimon……
Dont think Soimun has them, but Collins might ?
RNZ news at noon: the next challenge will go ahead & is likely to succeed. Turnbull’s main prop, the Belgian-born finance minister, has called for him to hold another meeting for the challenge. We heard this guy say a number of MPs had told him they have changed their minds since the last challenge and no longer support Turnbull.
What sort of situation is when they have a vote , lose by a larger amount than what Turnbull won over Abbott and then a couple of days later have another vote.
Its now banana republic stuff.
What Turnbull should do is abstain from a Confidence vote in parliament and have an immediate election.
I agree with you Duke, re abstain from confidence vote and have an immediate election.
I kinda feel sorry for the Aussies, it’s not often they actually get to elect a PM, it seems their MP’s prefer to do it for them.
Dutton has been told by one of the independents that if he pushed for another vote that he will sit on the cross benches leaving a hung parliament.
So Dutton has been shutdown for now.
Trump also looked unelectable don’t fall into the trap your perceptions are correct
Peak Trump theory: Trump’s battle against the US political establishment was surprisingly successful, to the extent that the establishment reluctantly got behind his presidency, but now that some of his helpers have been found guilty of criminal conduct the sleazeball-in-chief will fall like a nine-pin. The mid-terms will prove he’s past his peak.
Current polling has the Dems looking stronger, so it depends if heartland disaffection with the establishment will continue to motivate voters or not. As long as talented operatives keep volunteering to replace those who move out, the Trump machine will maintain momentum. Trump shows no sign of weakening.
I’m still waiting for the shift that will render him a single-term president. I see voters there scratching their heads after yesterday, musing “Okay, so do I vote for the devil I know, or do I vote for the other devil I know. Jeez, tough one.”
next elections are just over 2 months away. That will tell you if theres a shift or not. It may not happen in heartland Trump but the Orange County Republicans , ie suburbia might be lost.
Given he lost the popular vote by 3 1/2 million Orange Country will become blue country in november
Many Trump supporters will not have health care, farmers who supported Trump have no cheap labour to harvest crops, Chinese tariffs on agricultural imports will have hit home and Trumps promise of $12billion in farm aid won’t be enough or even delivered.
Many Republican Reps. are baling out as they see the writing on the wall.
In the recent by-election their was a 10% swing against the republicans in the rural heartland.
Then their are more prosecutions coming to All the Presidents Henchman.
Thought I’d give the delightful Ms Collins a rest this morning and focus on another, possibly even more impressive, Collins:
https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/music/106479680/phil-collins-to-bring-his-not-dead-yet-tour-down-under
Yes I’m well aware of what music snobs and hipsters think of him but i don’t care, anyone that writes In The Air Tonight or The Roof Is Leaking or *insert whatever song you think is his best here* or whatever is worthy of respect
He is the singer-song writer-drummer nonpareil (all due respect to Don Henly and Karen Carpenter) and I’ll be there having a great time
Yeah I’m stoked and excited
I would have thought, perhaps, you and Ms Collins would be more excited about the Wu Tang Clan:
https://www.radionz.co.nz/stories/2018659244/wu-tang-clan-announce-gigs-in-auckland-and-christchurch
Cash Rules Everything Around Me C.R.E.A.M. Get the money, dollar dollar bill y’all
When you’re one of only three people to have ever sold more 100 million records as a single artist and as part of a group then I’m pretty sure you’ve got enough cash 🙂
Might explain why he’s a Tory:
https://www.nme.com/photos/how-musicians-voted-in-the-general-election-1423153
Meanwhile, Wu Tang Is For The Children
“He just happens to live in a tax haven, the stingy git.”:
He’s in good company then
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tax_exile#United_Kingdom
Well, I am very excited, off to the big smoke to see queens of the stone age tonight.
Followed by His Bobness on Sunday night.
Unfortunately other commitments prevent me from seeing headless chickens reform or bailter space play next week.
https://www.barfoot.co.nz/f.mcdonald
Fiona McDonald dusting of the ol’ vocals is good, shes wasted in real estate. She certainly had an effect on teenage me back in the day 🙂
The son and I have taken to listening to Zakk Wylde as of late. The guys awesome. He has one of the richest baritone bass voices in that genre of music, and is incredible on guitar. He was Ozzy Osbourne’s guitarist for many years.Here he is at Live at the Budokan in 2002. Hes just gotten better and better over time.
Zakk Wylde insane solo HD – YouTube
Video for zakk wylde youtube▶ 8:06
I’ve been traversing the alt country backroads lately, I’m digging Junior Brown
Have you watched the Lost highway documentary series by the BBC, its pretty good if you can locate it
No I’m not familiar with it, I see it’s on utube, I clicked the ‘watch later’ button. Thanks.
Saw “his Bobness” at Christchurch last time in the awful Horncastle Arena. May have just been the world’s worst acoustics but I have never been so disappointed in my life.
Hope you have a better experience.
OMG !!!! Queens of the Stone Age are brilliant live, have a fantastic evening, they are ace in concert. Dang I’m jealous 🙂
Puckish @6
Shit I am beginning to sound like Shane Jones
I agree with you there Puckish
Whatever people say no one can say thats hes not a great musician, they may like what hes done but he does it really well
He was fine when he was with Genesis….then it went to pieces.
Maybe this will change your mind (I actually got this on video tape for christmas…)
or maybe this…
I can remember hearing a specific part of ‘In the air tonight’ for the first time like it was yesterday. I can see who was in the room, what was on the table. The drum intro in that song is so good Cadbury bought the rights and trained a gorilla to play it.
Thats a pretty talented gorilla 🙂
Teach Mr Bridges a thing or two?
I’m thinking he might be a bit busy at the moment
Apparently it was a bit of a disaster. He defecated all over the studio, stunk like he’d never showered, ate the pot plants in reception, harassed the women like he was Trump, wouldn’t set up his own kit and the manager is still trying to get an infestation of exotic lice out of the Persian rug in his office.
Phil Collins or the gorilla?
Good help is hard to get.
It’s ironic how Lauren Southern and Stefan Molyneux have just left New Zealand when something that they actually have been right in warning about is now taking place. Southern has highlighted the reverse racism of the South African government, while Molyneux likes to attack Marxism for being responsible for the deaths of millions of people in the twentieth century. Now has a deadly combination of reverse racism married to Marxist ideology (plus a high level of government corruption) will see the land of white farmers taken with no reimbursement. I doubt the majority of all South Africans want to see this happen and it’s obvious what a disaster it is going to be. Already farmland is already now virtually worthless as no one wants to buy it, and farmers aren’t going to invest any more money in their farms or pay off their debts. If the progressive movement leaves it to the alt right to stand up for white farmers, it gives alt right intellectuals like Southern and Molyneu all the moral justification they could hope for.
https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1006892/south-africa-land-seizure-white-farmers-land-grab-ANC-expropriation-compensation-cyril-ram
NB I’m not anti Marxist but tend to believe that top down communism always fails.
Some years back my partner made friends with a black Zimbabwe woman (Shona background IRRC) who made exactly the same point. The new black owners knew perfectly well their tenure was solely due to political privilege and could be revoked at a whim. Therefore they invested nothing into their farms; whose productivity then plummeted close to zero.
You might imagine South Africa would have learnt from such a proximate example.
or even an example further afield….
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=12110522
Didn’t you know shes an alt-right, transphobic, neo-liberal, fee speech hating, neo-nazi, anti-feminist, conservative and generally all round bad person that will cause the world to rise up in an orgy of alt-rightness that will plunge the world into a darkness that it will never recover from?
We should buy a composting toilet for you. They come with handles you’d know just what to do with. 🙂
I don’t know what you’re trying to say 🙂
Yep, I doubt that the increasing talk of land seizures without compensation would happen under Nelson Mandela.
Very easy to gain political points for SA leaders when apparently unemployment is between 25 – 50% to then go for a popular policy of giving away land… the problem though seen by Zimbabwe is that if the land is not farmed properly people start to starve which is worse and creates a basket case.
It’s not so much the land, but the farming of it, that is important and also the government gets taxes off it I would imagine, so if people stop farming and stop paying land taxes you might start to see even more problems than they already have with their appalling violence and crime rate like the genocides that started occurring in Zimbabwe.
Whose going to set up business in SA, if you get robbed at gunpoint constantly or worse because they can’t contain security or militia start going around and taking land with government support?
You’re looking at things through the failed capitalist perspective.
What if after the farms are renationalised the people who farmed them previously are hired, with good salaries, to run the farms for the government?
Renationalisation can work but it requires thinking outside of capitalist ownership.
I guess it’s an option if the government can afford the wages and can afford the upkeep for seed, stock, maintenance… where are they getting the money from, will it turn out like ‘animal farm’ where they just continue with capitalism? Whose training these new farmers to farm, who makes the decisions, can a tribal society with numerous factions, who traditionally don’t get on, cooperate? What happens if one coop get something wrong, or their is drought, as you can lose everything.
Look at China, they achieved it by extreme control of population and making everyone give land to the government. However they do not have democracy.
With Zimbabwe the government didn’t even pay the teachers salaries let alone farmers salaries, then overseas money for HIV control just disappeared, massive genocide as people found it easier to fight than work and cooperate…
They’re the government – they can create it.
We can hope not but the chances are that they will and it will fail.
What new farmers?
The farmers.
Fucked if I know. Perhaps they can try.
Did I mention the idea that the farms would still be owned by the government?
“What if” was of no benefit to Zimbabwe. Some can espouse the theoretical world, others experience the real life consequences.
Once known as the bread basket of Africa. Whilst the link partially refutes that, the country was still a net exporter, look at the decline of Maize & Wheat
“Overall, we view Zimbabwe as a self-sufficient food producer prior to its land reform programme. However, there is limited evidence to support the notion of Zimbabwe having ever been “the breadbasket of Africa”.
https://www.timeslive.co.za/sunday-times/business/2017-11-28-was-zimbabwe-ever-the-breadbasket-of-africa/
https://africacheck.org/2017/11/28/analysis-zimbabwe-ever-breadbasket-africa/
People are pointing out that South Africa will go the same was as Zimbabwe despite not knowing what South Africa is actually going to do. They do, after all, have the example of Zimbabwe and what not to do right in front of them. This is what my what if was trying to highlight.
Reversing colonialism esoteric pineapples.
The Colonists took everything from the owners and enslaved them.
Now the reverse is not so perverse.
Some compensation that’s a better deal than the indigenous people got.
But as in Zimbabwe where farming collapsed South Africa needs to be very careful.
Esoteric Pineapples top down fascism doesn’t work either
Mugabe is much closer to fascism than communism.
Your example is Trumpish.
In NZ we have Landcore that runs farms better than the private farmers and also does research as well. Hopefully they’ll follow this model rather than the model of Zimbabwe.
That’s because it’s not communism. Actual communism is always non-hierarchical.
Landcare has been selling off the land and converting forestry to dairy in environmental disasters waiting to happen.
That us true and is a problem created by running them as a commercial operation that needs to make a profit. It’s still better than simply giving the land to profiteers.
Actual communism is always non-hierarchical.
Gobbledygook. No-one ever explains what they mean by that.
It also’s both amusing and alarming to read people claiming that they know how to do socialist revolutions better than anyone else. This usually from people who’ve never run anything more complex than a corner dairy.
I have – time and time and time again.
I’ve never claimed that so you really shouldn’t go round implying that I have.
I sometimes wonder if Marx would look at his followers and say “dudes, what the fuck – I was outlining a vague abstract idea of where I figured society was going to go, not prescribing an objective you can work towards” or something similar.
Communism is supposed to be a situation where nobody is alienated from anyone else by ownership or competition or whatever. Decisions are made collectively, nobody is elevated above anyone else although each specialises in what they’re best at. So non-hierarchical.
The pisser is that Marx said the first revolution would be of the oppressed against the oppressor, and that would result in a dictatorship that would then implement the social change to eventually bring about the communist society. But there would also be a lot of failed attempts (where the revolutionary dictatorship becomes oppressive rather than emancipatory) before the final communist eventuality occurs.
So every “communist” regime that kills millions then fails is not “true communism”. Even if they said they were at the time. So one can never say “communism doesn’t work” because if it doesn’t work, it wasn’t truly “communism”.
But his documentation of factory conditions in England, that was fucking spot on.
/agreed.
DTB so where does this non totalitarian utopian communism exist.
Read Debt: The First 5000 years for an answer.
does that mean it doesn’t?
No, that book lists a few that came close. Tribes in North America, South America, Africa, Australia and other places.
Something we might achieve in a post-nuclear apocalypse situation then, or at least “come close”.
‘
“Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
“Great men are almost always bad men.”
(Hence the need for checks and balances) J.
If we value our democracy, any move to stifle the voices of those elected to represent us in parliament must be bitterly opposed.
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/on-the-inside/342350/waka-jumping-law-a-cost-to-democracy
Your `MPs get elected by us’ rationale is mere generalisation. You’d see the fallacy if you looked at what actually happens. They are selected by a party to represent that party in parliament. They are elected by electors who vote for them on the basis of that party representation. The electoral contract that creates an MP is entered into by that MP contracting to both party and electors.
Presuming you do realise the gravity of breaching any contract, you just need to establish in your mind the cause and effect relationship. Betrayal of trust is a gut-wrenching issue, regardless who suffers it…
Surely Captains Picks for Party lists is undemocratic too ? Its so obvious in National where their ‘ethnic’ list Mps all occur at the same location on the list.
The party hierarchy puts them there as the regional party groups in National arent going to chose a ‘ethnic ‘ Mp for their lists ( unless they are already an electorate MP)
I remember the fuss over Willie jackson who was supposed to be ‘given’ a high list place by Little when in fact it was quite a way down when the List committee did their work. Didnt matter in the end though.
If you mean Winston, yeah I never agreed with his dictatorship of NZF but they allow him to get away with it. Greens are more democratic than Labour.
‘Great men are almost always bad men’ That is very questionable, and is a phrase that goes for simplicity and apparent wisdom as a terse comment.
But, great people are often people who are known about and talked about, and as we know greatness isn’t often thrust upon you officially unless you have pleased the grantors of greatness. Hence Sirs Robert Douglas and his ilk, just one letter away from ill. What a difference a word and a letter makes.l Grates on me that does.
Rockefeller. Known for illustrious connections to money and finance.
Schweitzer. Known for something, did he get a Nobel Prize?
The truly great’s achievements are often that they bring out the good in society, it gets adopted, and the knowledte of their contribution fades, as Schweitzer’s has.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Schweitzer
Uri Avnery, Israeli activist for a Palestinian state, dead at 94
Uri Avnery, a self-confessed former “Jewish terrorist” who went on to become Israel’s best-known peace activist, died in Tel Aviv on Monday, following a stroke. He was 94.
As one of Israel’s founding generation, Avnery was able to gain the ear of prime ministers, even while he spent decades editing an anti-establishment magazine that was a thorn in their side.
https://www.jonathan-cook.net/2018-08-20/uri-avnery-israel-palestinian-peace-dead-94/
Is Corbyn the ‘Green Churchill’ the world has been waiting for?
Jeremy Corbyn vows to tackle ‘climate catastrophe’ by putting energy system in public hands
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/jeremy-corbyn-big-six-energy-companies-nationalisation-public-ownership-fracking-ban-climate-change-a8204031.html
Will our next Prime Minister utter the words, “Where Britain goes, we go too”.
Should we wait?
Or, should we strike out on our own?
Are we a “fast follower” as John Key insists. Or are we a global trend setter as our history attests?
The missing ingredient in the global struggle against climate change is leadership.
Personally I don’t think we can wait.
Provocative, but I’ll support you on this. Making fracking illegal here would challenge some of those who voted for this government, but could be the numbers make it worthwhile. Is the UK doing as much fracking as we are, or more?
Anyway, it is a genuinely radical move by Corbyn. Admirable, and good timing too. Latest UK poll I saw had Labour & Conservatives both on 40% – watch the next one to see if Labour drops, eh?
I think our geology is too young to have the stable sedimentary basins that can be exploited by Fracking. The Westcoast does have oil traces in places and drilling for oil did occur as early as the 1880s but the geology mean the ground has been twisted/faulted around too much to provide it in useful amounts.
Same happened to the gold exploration with gold bearing rock suddenly disappearing due to faulting.
We arent known now as the drowned sub continent Zelandia for nothing
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydraulic_fracturing_in_New_Zealand
I’ve been informed that fracking is happening here in Taranaki but when I went online to check that a while back there was no indication of where exactly. I suppose the status quo defines it as private commercial info but I reckon there’s enough public concern that the government ought to force them to specify exactly where they’re doing it, so we can see it all on a map!
https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?msa=0&mid=1vumG9QV6mYJ5NHwbLt8l9zuYOYk&ll=-38.88889519749684%2C174.41894558593754&z=11
Yeah that may be the one I found. Doesn’t specify the sites where fracking occurs. Google produced this: “Deep well injection is a liquid waste disposal technology.” Looked like a contender, but ain’t.
I remember that the ‘spoil’ that was left over from fracking was being spread on certain farmlands in Taranaki. Is my memory right?
And its was making some people uneasy as I think that toxic stuff, (that ought to remain quietly in its stratum) is brought to the surface and likely to pollute land and get into waterways.
I can’t clarify that. If it is happening (due to bribery of farmers by the industry) I’d expect the regional council to monitor local run-off.
Yes I remember reading something on it somewhere as it cause a bit of stink and was used as an example of what could happen in the gas fields on the Darling Downs in Western Queensland and in the Liverpool Basin in NSW.
Your memory is correct but it has apparently been stopped
Thanks Pat, well done. So there’s a map showing 10 fracking locations as of 2011 – four right on or adjacent to the highway south & one in like proximity to the highway north. There’s only one close to a residential center (Egmont Village). I got a printout.
I believe the oil seeps on the coast is sour oil, which can only be used for oil burning boilers or asphalt in building roads unlike sweet oil which is used for your POL products.
The latest strategy by NZ Governments both Red & Blue is where the USA go we shall follow, like little puppy dogs ?
Time to grow up and start thinking for ourselves ?
Breeding Robert like every other type of farming Humans have over thousands of years maybe hundreds have increased yields.
But if cows feel pain from having an full udder that sends a signal to the cow to slow down milk production or dry off.
The Dairy farmer unsurps nature by continuing to milk the cow fooling its natural instincts.
So the pain and cruelty is spin relying on ignorance
Recently found cheese in Egypt show’s we have been milking animals for at least 3,000 years.
“Breeding Robert like every other type of farming Humans have over thousands of years maybe hundreds have increased yields.”
Breeding Robert increases yields, yeah I can see that happening
Perhaps we need a different measure of… rightness?
“The Dairy farmer unsurps nature by continuing to milk the cow fooling its natural instincts.”
Of course its not natural to provide grass paddocks to ungulates free from predators. Its a short and brutish life that ‘nature ‘ provides , with most offspring taken by predators or disease. Lets have that instead.
Dukeoferl why don’t we just over feed those who live in well off countries so they can die early from obesity, Cancer, diabetes, heart attacks, Strokes etc.
And let the other half of the planets population suffer from malnutrician/starvation.
Dukeoferl we have been miking animals for 3,000 years I didn’t imply what your trying to imply with your lie.
Mearly pointing out another lie by the federated farmers crude cruel analogy.
In light of the Kiwi scientist leading a team to discover Loch Ness’s biodiversity… perhaps he should heed the words of The Police ,…
Another suburban family morning
Grandmother screaming at the wall
We have to shout above the din of our Rice Krispies
We can’t hear anything at all
Mother chants her litany of boredom and frustration
But we know all her suicides are fake
Daddy only stares into the distance
There’s only so much more that he can take
Many miles away
Something crawls from the slime
At the bottom of a dark Scottish lake….
New Loch Ness Monster Sighting – YouTube
Video for Eoin O’Faodhagain from Donegal film footage you tube▶ 10:28
I personally think this is more likely:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/103196185/new-zealands-moose-hunt-a-centurylong-quest-for-a-forests-final-secret
Yeah , I reckon they’re still there. When you consider the case of the gorilla and the Giant Panda , which was written off by scientists for decades and then found, undoubtedly.
It took around 60 years to find the Panda,- and its black and white against a green bamboo background, moves slowly, stays in one area, breeds slowly, and hardly is a highly mobile animal like a moose… I’d say the problem is more us human beings and our presumptions,… and arrogance.
Nope 🙂
You reckon 1080 did the trick then, eh?
Ha!
The poor beasts didn’t thrive in Fiordland (what introduced mammal has?).
Well, I think the moose were suited enough to the extreme weather, but the vegetation was more dense than the type they originally hailed from. However there’s no denying there’s suitable vegetation as for other deer species,…
They are a very large animals which in Fiordland has advantages and disadvantages… the large size makes them resistant to the cold extremes, but also moving through the vegetation more difficult.
I would say its feasible for Fiordland to support a small population, perhaps smaller in size than usual because of the environment.
Here’s a tip: When I was with an old local deer culler in the early 1990’s he wanted to show me a small herd of white tailed deer at the back of Lake Wakatipu which wasn’t supposed to exist. DOC knew of them but didn’t advertise the fact because foreign hunters would bring in a pretty penny for the chance to hunt them. We didn’t hunt them, just observed as we did not need the meat.And there they were… a small herd of about 6-7 .
All this stuff…. and this too !
Mystery Big Cat Sighting South Island NZ.mp4 – YouTube
Video for big black cats in New Zealand footage you tube▶ 4:13
Yeah maybe an escaped Maine Coon but, again, I think Moose are still more likely but if you do find some verifiable evidence (either large cat or Moose) I’ll be the first to congratulate you
Well, Canadian tourists saw what they believe to be a cougar further south, and reported it to the Police,… and various have reported the black cat variety,… and its interesting to note that the Americans had both cougars and jaguars as mascots on their warships in WW2.
They were told to ditch them near wars end.
NZ and Australia had a rabbit problem. Who knows if a few were released in Aussie and NZ on behalf of some farmers as a ‘mates favor’…
Plenty of food down south. And cougars can jump vertically up to 15 feet. I don’t think a 4 or 5 strand fence would be any problem to negotiate…
“Who knows if a few were released in Aussie and NZ on behalf of some farmers as a ‘mates favor’…”
People is stupid so that’s (unfortunately) not out of the realms of possibility.
Another example of a ‘rediscovered’ species that’s become quite personal to me is this amazing little critter:
https://www.zoo.org.au/healesville/animals/mountain-pygmy-possum
The fossils were relatively well known but thought to be extinct until a group of university students skiers at Mt Hotham spotted what they initially thought were rats. One of them (the person I’ve gotten to know quite well recently) realised the tail was too bushy for a rat and latter spotted a family inside the hut behind the coal stove. Finally using a live trap they managed to capture some and quickly realised what they’d found.
How amazing!
‘ They spend all summer breeding and feasting on moths then its back to sleep for six months ‘… those little fellas have got it sorted !
🙂
wild katipo
Great comment thanks.
Awesome. Winston’s pretty ponies are going to get taxpayer funded all weather tracks to run on.
While their riders whip them along.
Patiently waiting for a response from SAFE.
I have it on reasonably good authority that few race meetings are abandoned in NZ because of poor track conditions anyway.
Variable track conditions merely add another factor for fuckwit bettors to take into consideration when deciding on which exploited piece of horseflesh to put their money on.
Oh, MMP, don’t we just love it?
…even better as you can claim that your “horse looks good” and get a tax break too!
Would you prefer we didnt have a Coalition Government at all?
There’s compromise for political expediency, then there’s being compromised.
I am not at all comfortable with the government funding horse racing, which is nothing more than cruel exploitation of animals for the pleasure of bored humans with too much money and time on there hands.
I have no problem with those sad sacks spending their time and money betting on human racers who have willingly consented to be exploited.
One abandoned today. So much rain track unsafe, so research before pontificating.
“One abandoned today…”
Excellent.
A rare win for the horses.
🙂
What makes you think horses don’t like racing ?.
Please don’t tell me you’re one of those people who seem to think the whip just adds to the horse’s pleasure?
And I guess the whole pile up thing is just part of the fun? What’s a few broken legs between friends?
And doing forward rolls over the fences in the steeplechase is just so exciting…
Seriously, surely we’ve evolved enough to realize this is no longer acceptable?
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/106462506/crown-may-be-getting-more-in-dividends-now-than-before-electricity-company-sales
‘Act leader David Seymour said the programme should be extended to the remaining state owned enterprises, such as NZ Post and Landcorp.’
“A partial privatisation would free up revenue for new road and rail projects, closing the so-called ‘infrastructure gap’. It would give Kiwis families new investment opportunities. And it would subject these companies to market forces, requiring them to deliver better results for Kiwis as shareholders and customers.”
Well done National 🙂
“A partial privatisation would free up revenue for new road and rail projects, closing the so-called ‘infrastructure gap’.
And free up dividends for foreign investors and shareholders.
” It would give Kiwis families new investment opportunities ” .
And free up dividends for foreign investors and shareholders.
”And it would subject these companies to market forces, requiring them to deliver better results for Kiwis as shareholders and customers.”
And promote less spending on maintenance while raising prices to free up more dividends for foreign investors and shareholders.
———————————————————-
No thank you.
I’m still waiting for the buy back to begin 🙂
The previous govt didn’t build schools excetera it squandered the money on election bribes tax cuts to the well off.
The coalition has given those not so well off a heating payout.
This govt can’t undo every bit of the previous govts agenda and would be foolish to do so.
Big break throughs in solar power generation will bring much needed competition to the electricity sector.
For govts to be buying back electricity companies at much higher prices than they received (firesale prices to their well off mates) shows how stupid National supporters are.
The current Government seems to have equally stupid things to waste money on.
All weather race tracks for Winnies stallions and mares to run on. Up to $30 million dollars now, although the industry say that they may contribute some of it. I wonder haw many horses Winston part owns these days.
A cycle and walking track on the Auckland Harbour bridge.
Why should the people in Wellington have to pay for something in Auckland that only a few dozen people are likely to use on a typical day like today?
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12112168
Why can’t we have the money, which is already estimated to be $99 million, to spend on providing a reservoir to supply water for the Wellington Hospital to use after an earthquake?
Twyford could even use it to build a few houses. What is the current count for his fantasy project KiwiBuild? Still at precisely zero isn’t it after 10 months in the Beehive?
John Keys nowhere flag referendum cost this country around $ 26 million.
While people lived on the streets.
At least the racing industry does contribute ( albeit in a dubious way ) back to society via the TAB and other ways.
How many working groups, summits, conversations etc etc are Labour currently on and how much is that costing?
How much did it cost – or shall we say… why are these working groups even needed if National hadn’t made such a mess of the place?
The colossal amount of infrastructure that was neglected to induce privatization of health and education and to get Bill English’s surplus when they could have done the same by not introducing tax cuts for the rich.
Or would you and alwyn rather a unilateral approach with the same sort of bloody minded-ness that National exhibited?
I’d far rather have some deliberation than the bull in the china shop of National trying to jemmy things in favor of the rich, myself…
“How much did it cost – or shall we say… why are these working groups even needed if National hadn’t made such a mess of the place”
Why do we need so many working groups when Labour gave the impression they were ready to govern, that they had all the answers
Why indeed
I suppose the Labour Party policy on the flag during the 2014 election might have been a bit cheaper. When you read it you see that they were simply going to implement a new flag. There was no provision for the public to have a say in simply keeping the existing one..
“Labour would also review the design of the New Zealand flag, with the party saying “the time has come for a change and it is right for the issue to be put to the public”.”
That might seem as if we were going to have a choice but when you read what follows
“We would however support the ability of the RSA and similar organisations to continue to fly the current flag if they so wish”.
They clearly weren’t allowing for the possibility that everyone might want to keep the current one. It was going to change.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/policies/10451013/Labour-backs-national-flag-review
However that is all in the past. I don’t think anyone will be able to bring a flag change up before about 2035.
As it was proven , – the John Key flag referendum never was popular, often criticized as a waste of tax payer money and amounted to little more than a John Key vanity project.
There’s just no come back from that can be justified.
And BTW, – its no use claiming ‘ that’s all in the past ‘ and then trying to dodge the fact of Nationals uselessness while trying to criticize the coalition in the same breath.
It was BECAUSE of National’s uselessness that we are in the predicament we are now in.
“criticize the coalition in the same breath.”.
But I wasn’t. I was simply commenting on the fact that the LABOUR party policy in 2014 was very similar to the National one. Not identical of course. Labour had no intention of allowing us, at that time, of keeping the old flag.
I don’t even think that National was useless. At least they gave us the choice. Labour clearly had no such intention. Like the “waka-jumping bill” we could have said anything we liked and they would have ignored it.
I have no idea what the other parties in the “coalition” thought in 2014. If I had to guess I imagine that Winston would have probably said he was in favour of the current flag. The Green Party would probably have insisted on one of the Koru options.
As I say though, it doesn’t matter now. After Little, Andrew put his (then) party into reverse the whole thing turned to custard.
Why should the people in Wellington have to pay for something in Auckland that only a few dozen people are likely to use on a typical day like today?
Do you really have no idea about concepts like “the common good”? Are you really that stupid, or are you, as I suspect, simply imprisoned by your dismal ideology?
“Common Good”.
The common good would have included giving the people of New Zealand the transport options they prefer. Safe roads. We should be providing what the general populace want, not the desires of a small minority of latte slurping, lycra wearing lunatics pretending that they are the peloton of the Tour de France.
Can you imagine pedestrians and cyclists co-existing in that little glass tube attached to the bridge in that picture in the article I linked to?
Oriental Bay in Wellington, which is much, much wider is dangerous enough. I have twice been flattened there by idiots on bikes coming up from behind at high speed with their heads bent down and their bums in the air.
Once I was on crutches, and they still didn’t try and avoid me.
….latte slurping, lycra wearing lunatics…
Your dull attempt at abuse is even less inspired than your “argument”.
To a neoliberal cheerleader with a hammer, everything looks like a privatisation.
The sell off of the state assets under Key was supposed to provide money for an infrastructure fund….. fat difference that did …yes I know it was a smoke and mirrors game then, still is.
You do realise that the only way to get more from less is to artificially inflate prices charged to consumers right?
Yep, we’ve heard it all before.
It always starts out with the con about cheaper prices for consumers, and ownership staying within NZ, but after a certain time elapses, we find ‘ hello!,- the foreigners now own the controlling share stock’…
As if that wasn’t the game plan all along.
Partial privatization is the steep and slippery slope and foot in the door towards full privatization and losing our SOE’s forever.
Its time we stopped listening to Rimmer and his outdated scandalous 1980’s trickle down crap.
You should always listen to Rimmer:
And why?, – because hes Arnold Rimmer…
Ask Arnold, Arnold, Arnold Rimmer
He’s also a fantastic swimmer
And if you play your cards right
Then he just might come round for dinner
🙂
If national had of been the businesses wizzs they would have us believe they would have kept 100% ownership and got them running as well as you say they are now there by doubling the profits into the countries coffers .
National were too weak and timid, they should have done what Labour did and sell it all
None of this keep 51% control they should have sold the lot, in fact National shouldn’t have even announced it before the election
Labour sure were smart about it 🙂
It’s the only workable tactic for anti-democratic screaming incompetents.
But it’s a piss poor way to run a country.
I assume your talking about the dim dark 80s old man. Two thoughts comes to mind . Labour were forced into radical action due to the national parties prior economic neglect and the the infiltration of a scummy band if rogernomes .
Yes of course it was Nationals fault
I’m glad we agree 🤣
I think it could be applied to the wrecking of Solid Energy too. Better to sell it at the top of the market than sell off the bits for scrap. If one were such a pack of incompetents that one could not run it.
Nice little tribute to Aretha:
https://rdln.wordpress.com/2018/08/21/aretha-franklin-1942-2018/
For what its worth I’d favour keeping 51% rather than selling everything off
Even TVNZ? Personally I would sell that now while that old relic is still worth anything. It is an antique and is going to die soon.
Look at what Telecom did when they sold the Yellow Pages for, if my memory serves, about $2.2 billion a decade ago. How did they find anyone silly enough to buy something that was obviously dying?
I suppose people here think that selling it was terrible and that we should have kept it while it quietly decayed into a worthless, useless load of junk.
Not absolutely everything but on a case by case basis, like selling off Telecom completely no but 51% sure
I wasn’t talking about Telecom.
I was talking about that relic of the past, the Yellow Pages.
Would you have kept them?
‘Even TVNZ? Personally I would sell that now while that old relic is still worth anything. It is an antique and is going to die soon ‘.
If its worth anything to foreign buyers then its worth keeping.
Obviously.
And Telecom was name changed because American buyers bought our telecommunications – which we built up and payed for the infrastructure. It wasn’t until a Labour MP called them to task a few years back for their gross ripping off of the NZ consumers with their charging that they were brought to heel over their price gouging.
So much for competition ,lowering of prices and privatization.
And foreign buyers of our SOE’s.
This is no longer the 1980’s and no one believes in that shit anymore.
You did note, I hope, that I was talking about selling the Yellow Pages.
Would you have kept that relic of the past or would you have seen, as I certainly did, that the internet meant that they were dead?
I was amazed, and pleased that they got $2.24 billion for them.
A good article on education, raises some good points
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/education/106404628/striking-teachers-have-lost-the-war-even-if-they-win-a-small-pay-battle
woolly bully wally? Whatty fucky datty meany?
The ranting of the Principal of a private school that has class sizes of about 12 – 15 ? Try quoting a Principal of a state school facing the problems of the real world, Pockish Rouge.
What an appalling article and opinion piece. Sad it is one of the new “private” principals doing the stabbing in the back.
State where a black woman is standing for governor has mysteriously decided to close polling stations where black people vote.
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2018/08/georgia-voter-suppression-brian-kemps-bid-for-governor-depends-on-erasing-the-black-vote-its-working.html
Good evening The Am Show The Sky path over the Auckland harbor bridge will finally get built this will bring heaps of tourist the good thing is we don’t have much smog we will be able to see for miles with know fussy haze smog ka pai.
The digital push back from the——– I have been telling people for year’s that they spent to much time on there phone’s Duncan we were told that this 21s century communication machine was going to be the GAME CHANGER making the 00.1 % accountable for there deceit Eco Maori has ——— all over Papatuanuku they opened te kite and now are trying to close it spending millions but know ana to kai.
The Bridges leak well tell’s a story especially with the leakier’s knee jerk reaction asking not to be named this does not look good for the ———-.
That’s a good point Mark and Ingrid make if a person was reading a book no one would think anything but so a lot of people read there phones this is what I do a lot of reading and posting my opinions of what;s happening on Papatuanuku at the minute .
I will be encouraging my mokopuna to embrace the Internet and to get educated to take the best advantage of the Internet to help them up there ladder’s of life I encourage every one to embrace this Technology and excel with It.
Ka kite ano P.S us young one’s only had horses and stick and stone’s to play with we have control of the habit the offspring have grown up with the Internet so it’s a bit harder for them to control the habit I think trump’s lawyer doesn’t know we can read his word’s
Here we go the Banks need to be regulated to treat it’s customer’s with respect especially when thing’s get a bit tight for there customers this look like a sticth up job by someone link below ka kite ano. P.S they should be looking for any options to keep the SME business trading not just pull the rug out from under there feet
https://www.nzherald.co.nz//personal-finance/news/article.cfm?c_id=12&objectid=12108767&ref=clavis
I would not trust people like this to have te mokopunas Aotearoa’s OUR future in there hand’s this is the behavior I expect of the neo capitalist .
They are using Gregg Boyed’s tragedy to get out of being held accountable for there action’s against there leader of the national party . Like I have said before they have no morels or sense of loyalty we seen what they did to Winston.
I say that the person who leaked this information should be Identified and shamed we do not want a person like this having the chance to becoming Prime Minister like that person who is crying the sky will fall on there heads if he is made accountable for his action’s Ana to kai Ka kite ano link below
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/106529866/leaker-reportedly-texts-simon-bridges-pleading-for-anominity P.S Bridges know’s who this person is
I can see all the troll’s giving there trolling view’s on tangata whenua in jails on the street’s on the couch ect , There solution is get off you —– .
I know what It’s like being Maori as I am one I have had business turning over hundred’s of thousand of dollar’s I started 5 business with the help of my wife .
I have seen life get real hard for the common person over the last 9 years they opened the immigration flood gates these people get treated better than Maori the empolyer’s put them up on a pedestal so don’t compare the successful immigrants to Maori troll it does not cut it .
I have applied for job’s were I know that I am more qualified and able than there manager the problem is when I go to the interview the first thought that enters the employer’s mind I can see it is O he’s Maori and all my good qualification’s are turfed out the cot he’s going to be lazy he will rob us he is going to be late all the time discrimination’s is rife . So I say the whole system needs to change .
Did you see moody collins this morning on The Am Show trying to give credit for the crime rate falling to the national party got the cheek well that’s neo libreals for you fake it till you make it
Ka kite ano Link below . P.S we know who did that Ka kaha
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/2018/08/23/205405/keep-talking-until-justice-is-done
Many thanks to the European Union for doing the logical ban halogen light bulbs old tec need’s to be replaced by new tec Ka pai Ka kite ano link is below . P.S these old light use twice the power and more than led lights
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/aug/23/europe-to-ban-halogen-lightbulbs
Good evening Newshub That’s the way Jacinda when the generals don’t toe the line you let all the other generals know that behavior is unacceptable so punishment is warranted.
Australia has a Maori Prime Minster lol know OUR Scotty Morrison is a good kiwi maori
same names different people .
Condolences to Ed King Lynyrd Skynyrd old guitarist whano its a old classic song
It was a beautiful day today looking over the lake getting told about some of my whapapa Alex Ka kite ano
The Crowd Goes Wild James & Wairangi James got to look after your supporters lol.
Eco Maori will chair the NZ Breakers Basket Ball team with there new couch Ka pai
Ka kite ano P.S smash them bro was good tonight
the