(trotters' latest piece is well worth the read – and explains the incrementalism of this govt – trotter makes a strong case that it's all down to roberston…
'Guided by the éminence grise of Labour’s “Third Way” conservatism, Sir Michael Cullen, Robertson bound Labour in fiscal chains so tight that, in the unlikely event of a Labour-led government being formed, it would lack all freedom of movement. No matter how luminous the promises of “transformation”, without the money to turn promises into reality, the person making them was bound to end up discredited'.
"given it is a classic example of middle-class welfare"
I think that is a very generous take on it, seriously who can afford a new home for their first home, i would have said more high income than middle, besides it is welfare for property developers.
Mr Trotter has a new piece (and audience) that may paint a different motivation (from a different party)…whos playing who?
"National’s success thus hinges upon its ability to generate sufficient fury among Gen-Xers to vote against both their parents and their children. They must be encouraged to call down a plague upon the houses of both the old and the young, so that, finally, a government can be elected that listens to them; delivers to them; and only to them. Simon Bridges and Paula Bennett will bend all their powers towards convincing Generation X of the old adage: “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.”
Have to agree. Nothing in there that you could look at as being evidential. Plus he appears to be simply regurgitating Garner who said much the same thing recently whilst talking about the need of the parliamentary press gallery to feed off blood as a pack.
“Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.”
He is a writer in love with rhetoric and he gets paid for it. I wonder what his take was at the Whalerump.
surely 'the evidence' is that roberston is by definition a neoliberal-incrementalist – ?
and he is just doing what neoliberal-incrementalists do..?
(and the stellar example of that – is that of the 42 recommendations from welfare reform group – for urgent welfare reform – to provide some relief from the grinding poverty – 3 have been accepted by this govt..(!)
and one of those three is an easing of the clawback provisions of any part time work undertaken by benificiaries..
and here is the exciting bit..!..going up in tiny wee increments – benificiaries will be able to – by 2022 – to earn about another twenty bucks a week..(!)
which we can all agree – will do sweet fuck all…
this is what neoliberal incrementalists – like robertson – call 'welfare reform'…
and this is why he has to go..
(i have eyes tightly-closed/fingers-crossed – going 'plse plse let the current scandal take him down..!'..)
ardern should fire him..
and i agree that trotter often spouts colourful shite..
I think much of our government's reluctance to introduce worthwhile welfare reform is they figure that most of that sector are going to vote left regardless.
Unlikely to happen but it leaves room for National to campaign on such a platform. This could squeeze the coalition to take action.
If the right promised sweeping welfare reform would you vote for them Phil?
When the government are questioned on this subject they typically revert to a long list of what they consider to be major steps forward. They deliver their lists with such conviction it's almost like they believe that $200 at the beginning of winter has brought sunlight flooding into 1000's of lives. $200 is of course merely a half full Countdown trolley.
They do usually end their lists with something like "We do acknowledge that there is still an awful lot of work to do…." Political flim flam that indicates 'don't worry Phil, we're getting to your concerns….look at all the fabulous stuff we've already done.'
But that's not what is happening Phil. Here is 9 mins of Carmel back in May assuring beneficiaries that everything is in hand and that there is nothing to worry about.
Nice to see some confirmation of my surmises. The neo-liberal technocracy haven't been measuring their outcomes properly, so that the policies they foist on us, allegedly in our interests, based on their alleged expertise, have just been making things harder. The pretense of economic expertise expressed in policy needs to be rubbished until the mandarin class produce some objective results.
That sounds right SM. I have thought that a lot of what we decide and do is actually based on emotion and personal choice. It gets wrapped up in specially chosen stats and justified because someone said something in a big country or a right wing think tank or Treasury, that fount of all wisdom whose effectiveness is never judged by the actual outcomes on the ground. It's never their fault, as they have an out for everything.
i can count enough to know that the ability to earn an extra $20 a week – by 2022 – as a measure taken to provide some relief from the grinding poverty suffered by the poorest..
lab + grns + nz first – they all promised welfare-reform…
they have (all) delivered textbook incrementalism..
namely – done s.f.a…
i understand you are a full-time labour apologist – so relax – the blame is being shared..
and what about that twenty bucks per wk (just ended..)
so we are now back in the position (except for sole-parents – and goodonthem..! – i begrudge not a cent going to them – they should be getting more..)
we are back in the position where the key/tories' twenty dollar raise to base-rates – is the most that has been done for the poorest – in the past 30 yrs..
i would be really keen to hear yr take on that..'cos i reckon that fact should have all lab/grn/nz first apologists shifting uncomfortably in their seats..
i repeat – the tories/key did more welfare reform…than this lab/grn/nz first has done..
and as an apologist for none of the above – i reckon that both sucks and blows..
What you need is a far left party that's polling above 40 percent, one which carries the voters with it when offering up its non neoliberal incrementalism, on its way to getting a mandate to govern according to those policies.
Right, so you want the Labour Party to become unelectable by JA sacking the finance minister and implementing policy it 1: wouldn't get into law past nz1st, and 2: hasn't got a mandate from the people for anyway.
No, no mandate for 180 degree turns when you cobble together a three way broad church government.
The thing you types always fail to answer is where the votes are coming from. If as you say 90% of votes are for Neo Libs, and half are split between both major parties, the maths don't add up. You may lose some middle ground labour votes but guaranteed you won't get any back from national. That's pretty basic.
Also, there's a to the left of Labour Party already and they only poll 6%. If and when the numbers switch round, that would be a sign for labour to turn more left or change leader like last time the balance was skewed less in their favour.
But you want labour to change. Well it's clear to me that won't happen. While the electorate is polarised, it's incremental all the way in the battle for the middle ground. You can of course pay your subs, work from the inside, and do the hard yards to enact your policy direction. You could always do a momentum and take over, stick your guy in the big seat and watch him poll 20% though I won't wish you good luck.
You types are the ones who have no idea of how politics work in 2019, choosing to peddle daydream slogans without concept of what the voting public is willing to accept, but enough about you, let's hear you rebut and counter the points I raised.
The numbers, Philip, the numbers. You need to address how you'll take the Neo lib voters with you when you push a full on socialist agenda on those who, according you, don't vote for it en mass.
That you see incremental change to the left as such a bad thing, given there's no mandate for making sweeping changes, neither being in a manifesto or campaigned upon, is sort of proof that you don't understand how modern NZ politics work.
It doesn't mean people who accept the reality we find ourselves in don't want change, or even change quickly, but it is reality and there's just there's no point posturing over cliches like its some sort of popularity contest. I didn't party vote labour and wanted much more left leaning policy, but without those numbers, remember those numbers phil? You have to take what you get and push for more votes next time.
Ill wear that tee shirt and not have a Nat government any day of the week until the polling backs my ideology and I can wear one saying 'My vote won it – and I didn't have to resort to posting like an uninformed dong on the internet'
Sorry Sacha that’s BS. JA stole hearts and minds with Labour’s pre election blurb on how social reform was so badly needed. That’s what people remember. Not post election coalition drivel. She’s had opportunities to show she meant what she said and hasn’t shown any real backbone on anything. I’m from the right and realised we needed a fairer CGT and when she waved the white flag on that I believed she was all BS. Since then there’s been nothing happen that’s changed my mind.
@Newview Labour is not the whole government. Moan all you want about how that party have not secured what they promised but be clear who you are talking about.
The voters didn’t vote for this Coalition by personally voting for each of the partners . Labour took on NZF to get power and it was JA electioneering rhetoric That got labour into a position to do that. The voters didn’t give a toss what Winston had to say it was JA they listened to. You can believe what you like Sacha.
So if Labour had not agreed to give Winston First as much as they did, then he would have gone with National and you would then presumably be on a right wing site right now moaning about how a National led government was not achieving everything that National had campaigned on. As a centrist party NZF will always act like a dragging handbrake on the government of the day regardless of whether it leans left or right.
Solkta. I’ve never liked this MMP idea but that’s another discussion. Sometimes the bigger party has to make a stand and call out the other partner if they feel strongly over proposed policy. With the CGT there was no attempt to push the point by labour. If JA had been strong and really wanted legalisation she could have taken it to a vote making the result public. It would then have been seen publicly that Winston was really the problem. That didn’t happen so did Labour really want a CGT we’ll never know. I don’t believe they were that keen. We wouldn’t want to rock the boat in case we loose votes, or upset Winston heaven forbid. It’s wishywashy BS as we’ve seen with the slow progress on other social issues.
Ha! If we all listed the top 20 policy platforms/machinations for our ideal Government most of us would end up with a framework that only 5% of NZers would vote for.
In my search for contentment I've resigned to operating my household as I would my ideal government. I fear wishing for much more is a recipe for discontent.
Wonderful to have your commentary on this blog phillip…
So called 'left' parties are being smashed worldwide by the rise of the right, and the answer from the elite is just to sit tight and follow the likes of fake lefties Trudeau, Shorten or Hilary to almost certain defeat.
So called left parties are being smashed by the right. Does that mean if they had real left leaders instead, the people who deserted the fake left leaders and voted right, wouldn't vote right anymore but go back to the left?
Thats an interesting, if not implausible logic jump.
All the momentum was with Sanders and Corbyn during the previous US and UK elections.
If they weren't hobbled by their own parties undermining them and were able to be unleashed onto the public, we would have gained one left government today, probably two.
So it would be like someone saying Jacinda isn't left enough so I'm gonna vote for Bridges. Yeah, makes sense. lol
As for Corbyn, he got 40% against May, and yet with no challenges from within since, apart from those who left to form change or whatever it’s called, he’s plunged to the low 20s. Go figure.
Up until now that is, at the party conference, where grassroots activists are pushing against Corbyn's fence sitting, wanting an unambiguous Remain stance.
Trying to shaft the deputy leader won't help win over the majority remainers in the party, either.
Was that a comparison of two political phenoms with the Bridge? Ok… Probably best if I leave you to talk about the failure of Corbyn post election. You seem very good at that…
How soon some forget. Labour made some promises before the last election. They did involve more spending than National, but they also included scrapping National's tax cuts that would have applied from April 2018. National campaigned on putting more money into everyone's pockets through cutting tax. Who wouldn't like a bit more money in their pockets each payday? But National lied about what they would have to do as a result of their tax cuts – they would further reduce services from government, but they never admitted to that – they called their cuts efficiency savings.
In order to get votes, Labour promised limits on borrowing, not to introduce new taxes or increase taxes until after a report had been issued (and after the next election) – and coalition negotiations required some funding for Green and NZ First priorities.
Now you are wanting a large increase in spending for one sector. Lets be clear, I am sure many Labour supporters would like spending on benefits to increase now, but National is not the only bullshitter, philip ure – any major change in public spending will have implications for either tax raising or other spending, with other consequential changes to employment, overall borrowing, inflation, etc.
So are you simply calling for our current government to be branded liars, or do you have proposals for how to raise the money your spending increases would need? Would you cut spending on hospitals and Pharmac? Would you renege on pay settlements with nurses and teachers?
So where does the philip ure party sit? Responsible government that understands that more spending in one area needs changes in another area? Or a liar party that pretends cutting taxes can be matched by "efficiency gains" without cutting services? Be responsible, philip, and give us the other side of your wish-list – "Show us the Money!"
Consistent in ignoring the reality that campaign promises cannot be totally ignored. Honesty and integrity are valuable attributes in gaining votes – or are you happy to see Labour in opposition again so soon?
Earn over $48k and you pay 30% tax on the bit over $48k….thats way too much tax.
Earn over $70k and pay 33% on that.
I reckon you should pay 30% on income over $70k and 33% on income over $100k. Then have another tax bracket say 39% for income over $150k and 45% for income over $200k
Boost Working for Families to all those who currently receive it and extend it to 30,000 more families, in addition to the Working for Families changes announced in Budget 2017.
Introduce a Best Start payment to help families with costs in a child’s early years.
Implement the Accommodation Supplement increases announced in Budget 2017.
Introduce 26 weeks paid parental leave to ensure that families are provided with vital support at a crucial stage in their children’s lives.
Increase the Family Tax Credit base rate for the eldest child to $5,878. This is currently $5,303 for eldest children aged 16-18 and $4,822 for eldest children aged 0-15 (due to be increased to $5,303 according to Budget 2017).
Adopt the Budget 2017 changes to the Family Tax Credit base rate for subsequent children and new abatement rate.
Raise the abatement threshold for Working for Families to $42,700, currently $36,350 (due to be cut to $35,000 according to Budget 2017).
All this sort of talk goes way over Phils head. As hes doesnt support a family or know or care about this as it wont end up in HIS pocket
"
Introduce a Best Start payment of $60 a week for each child in the first year after Paid Parental Leave ends, and for low to middle income families up to age three.
How about this one
A Wellington sole parent with a two year old and an income of $45,000:
With Labour, this family gets $107 more a week (plus up to $55 in Accommodation Supplement)
Fess up Phil , as its mostly about those with young kids, you are missing out and beating the drum here about your empty pockets
Another shill singing for his supper. These tame 'left' column fillers seem to like to impress their fellow political anoraks and upset the leftys who think their opinion matters.
Chris who ? from the echo chamber of nz political repeaters.
Rhetoric to entertain the masses and impress each other (his fellow soapbox holders like hoots etc) whilst not upsetting his paymasters i.e. the media owners.
Trotter makes his living saying SFA but still manages to upset people who think he should be saying and doing more in the echo chamber of the NZ media.
I see we're still on the remarkably dense and blind view that whatever Labour's failing to be transformational in Government is down to everyone who isn't Jacinda, in this case it's Robertson's fault.
The Peasants Revolt failed because Wat Tyler and the rebels believed the King was actually pure of heart and on their side, but was misled by his 'wicked' advisors.
The historical reach is important. it shows for example that rigorous debate(and discourse) were important parts of a vigorous democracy.
Isocrates in Areopagiticus some 25 centuries ago.
The less well-to-do among the citizens were so far from envying those of greater means that they were as solicitous for the great estates as for their own, considering that the prosperity of the rich was a guarantee of their own well-being. Those who possessed wealth, on the other hand, did not look down upon those in humbler circumstances, but, regarding poverty among their fellow-citizens as their own disgrace, came to the rescue of the distresses of the poor, handing over lands to some at moderate rentals, sending out some to engage in commerce, and furnishing means to others to enter upon various occupations;
for they had no fear that they might suffer one of two things—that they might lose their whole investment or recover, after much trouble, only a mere fraction of their venture; on the contrary, they felt as secure about the money which was lent out as about that which was stored in their own coffers. For they saw that in cases of contract the judges were not in the habit of indulging their sense of equity1 but were strictly faithful to the laws;
and that they did not in trying others seek to make it safe for themselves to disobey the law,1 but were indeed more severe on defaulters than were the injured themselves, since they believed that those who break down confidence in contracts do a greater injury to the poor than to the rich; for if the rich were to stop lending, they would be deprived of only a slight revenue, whereas if the poor should lack the help of their supporters they would be reduced to desperate straits.
And so because of this confidence no one tried to conceal his wealth1 nor hesitated to lend it out, but, on the contrary, the wealthy were better pleased to see men borrowing money than paying it back; for they thus experienced the double satisfaction—which should appeal to all right-minded men—of helping their fellow-citizens and at the same time making their own property productive for themselves. In fine, the result of their dealing honorably with each other was that the ownership of property was secured to those to whom it rightfully belonged, while the enjoyment of property was shared by all the citizens who needed it.
I thought Trotter’s was a lovely story but not quite at the epic level of Homer, for example. I think he could make a decent living turning it into an audiobook for budding ballet choreographers or as storyteller on a late-night radio show for insomniacs. However, it didn’t pass the mustard as political commentary from a wannabe political historian although I did enjoy his joyous verbosity and I might apply it to spice up my own rants too with more couleur locale and Wayang-like depictions of key political players for more dramatic impact.
I have already ‘unpacked’ it, but you missed it because you were not reading between the lines.
Trotter’s opinion piece shows complete disregard for the (political) context, which to me suggests it was not political commentary but a raconteurial rant.
I know somebody else who “loves the sound of his own voice a bit more than he should” and thinks that his opinion has more validity than the opinions of others..
I mentioned in the work kitchen the other day to the resident pro-China migrant guy that a good friend of mine had gone back to Hong Kong to take part in the democracy protests. He spent a little while trying to wheedle the name of this person out me, then I went back to my desk and forgot about it.
Later that afternoon, he came and sat next to me and invited me along to some dinners and meeting the various pro-Beijing front organisations in Auckland run in order to discuss China. I politely declined. But while he is a pleasant enough fellow, this guy has lived here for over ten years and yet he is basically a low rent volunteer spy for Beijing. He will never owe his loyalty to NZ.
And when you see long term Sinophiles and insightful friends of China like this guy bailing out as fast they can, you wonder when will our politicians ever wake up, and how donkey deep is the National party with the authoritarian butchers of Beijing?
She's remarkably passionate about allegations against Labour, but seems blissfully ignorant of documented human rights abuses routinely employed by China to crush dissent
Latest 23/9/19 ‘Australian newscorp’
(Quote) “Five-year period ending 2019 set to be hottest on record. A few days after kids across the globe marched in support of environmental issues, the UN has released a new report on the current state of the planet, and it’s not pretty reading.” (un-quote)
The US response seems more like a face-saving PR exercise. Pretty embarrassing that the billions spent by Saudi Arabia on American weaponry was out-gunned by low cost drones launched by a poorly resourced rebel outfit from one of the most poverty stricken places on earth.
Not poorly resourced , they seemed to have a large portion of the Yemen military forces at the start of civil war.. this doesnt sound like they are all that deficient
"over 400 Houthi ballistic and cruise missile launches, drone strikes, and naval attacks since June 2015"
An 'ally and friend' ( which was the origin of the 9/11 attackers) who is waging war on its tiny neighbour with US supplied planes and bombs.
So its OK for US to provide military supplies but not OK for Iran to do so.
Its nothing new really – except when it involves the mother lode -oil.
"FDD’s Long War Journal has tracked and mapped over 400 Houthi ballistic and cruise missile launches, drone strikes, and naval attacks since June 2015. For more information, see the three-part series: Houthi missiles,drones, naval attacks.]"
They have been missile attacks on US Navy ships, ballistic missiles against Saudi airports
How much do we value democratic freedom and the 4th estates role within it?
"Experts have identified the Chinese New Zealand Herald website as a propaganda outlet for the government of China.
However, the news outlet's co-owner, NZME, says the Chinese NZ Herald is not beholden to China’s media guidelines and censorship requirements.
An investigation by Newsroom, with the help of China propaganda experts, found the news organisation's operational structure, and its Chinese state internet and security permits, amounted to the news site coming under the supervision and control of various Chinese Communist Party (CCP) authorities."
Where do you look for clues when you are puzzled about behaviour that seems irrational for the good of the country – Money (as cartoon on my book Dilbert and the way of the Weasel says, where he stands by a sign attracting zombies towards> 'Unattended Piles of Money')!
Revealed: Arron Banks puts controversial diamond mine up for sale The millionaire businessman Arron Banks, who spent £8m on the Brexit campaign, has put a controversial South African diamond mine on the market. Mr Banks confirmed to Channel 4 News that the Newlands mine in Barkly West, Northern Cape province is up for sale for ZAR10m – just over £500,000. In a statement Mr Banks told…
and further on Brexit :
London Mayor Sadiq Khan calls for Labour MPs to commit to stopping Brexit amidst party civil warThe infighting at the top of the party has continued following yesterday’s move to unseat Deputy Leader Tom Watson. Today Jeremy Corbyn was forced to defend reported allegations from a senior advisor that his team lacked ‘professionalism, competence and human decency’. Jon Snow spoke to London mayor Sadiq Khan, who today made a direct appeal…
This one is amazing. German villages bulldozed to make space for coal mineEurope’s biggest economy, Germany, has promised to phase out coal by 2038 in order to meet climate change commitments. Yet it is expanding one of its biggest open cast mines, which is 48 square kilometres in size. The expansion will demolish five villages in the process, but the coal company responsible says it is not…
sickening and real – make sure your people are safe, ask them, don't just assume they are
When you're strangled, it takes just 10 seconds to lose consciousness. At 15 seconds you lose control of your bladder. Within two minutes … death.
That's the timeline of strangulation, an offence so closely linked to deaths from domestic violence that if someone puts their hands around your neck and squeezes, you are seven times more likely to go on to die, because people who get angry enough to strangle are more likely to do it again and at some point they might get too angry to release their grip.
What, no media at the Ardern/Trump meeting? Someone must be scared of being toweled by relative youth, gender, empathy and intellect. No p**sy grabbing this time!
Concerning Trump and our brave young PM riding forth Quixote-like, if you can get to see today's stuff with Jeff Bell's cartoon on the hairpiece and our PM, (with apologies to Lewis Carroll) I think you'll find it good.
What, no media at the Ardern/Trump meeting? Someone must be scared of being toweled by relative youth, gender, empathy and intellect. No p**sy grabbing this time!
You are confused about what is a meeting with discussions and the photo ops which precede it.
I've got a serious question for Mr Ure – it could either amuse you, or drive you into a severe depression, the like of which I'm not sure there's a cure for – even IF there was something synthetic to ease the symptoms:
Did you ever come across Glenda H in your travels in the past? There's a billboard or two around Mt Victoria (one of which I saw a Toy Boi weilding a hammer with).
I just received my voting papers and discovered it's standing for local gummint, as is its ….. [for the sake of civility] ….. followers.
My first thought was that it’s taking the piss – but it (and all)'re actually serious!!!
I’ll know when it’s time to leave town if ever that got a foothold
A Time to get off your B and change that horrible link about someone going on about chainsaw murders.
And Mr bielski can be shown what we expect from local and central councillors in this country trying to find a working peace in the world and respect for all who have good spiritual beliefs, not ones of disdain and superiority.
I got off on the wrong track there. I was thinking it was about the councillor from Manawatu who can't stand Muslims. I think he should get voted out. He's getting too old for coping with the world and change and it's possible that he doesn't like women either – it often goes alongside.
I think that it's haters who use tech platforms to pedal there hate content but the tech companies have to try and stop them using their platforms.
Kia Kaha Greta that is the correct measage to give to the people who are leading the Papatuanuku to our destruction. I agree chasing economic growth over the wellbeing of our future environment has to change to chasing sustainability and countrys being rewarded for this behaviour.
I agree its good to change the school funding system to include economic back ground and other factors to help our tamariki that need help the most that is looking after our future.
For some reason I always get restricted phone calls can you guess who is making them you would be correct.
Thomas Cook collapse has stranded heaps of people on holiday let hope not to many people are left in a mess because of that.
The people of the Manuatu will be wrapped to have a new route for their main road. I have not been on that road in decades.
That's is what needs to happen Winston including Farmer in the emissions trading skeem by 2025. If Our Farmers were not included in the Emissions skeem what phenomenon will encourage Our farmers to reduce there carbon footprint.
I tau toko Te tangata whenua who are championing to stop seabed mineing.
I Rotorua has a housing shortage itcs not on that people have to live under a bridge most of our cities have this problem to.
Eco Maori tau toko online voting let's not wait to long for this great initiative. It will make the process more efficient and will bring in more voters..
A 3. Month payed course teaching Wahine life skills teaching them how to grow Kai and encouraging Te Wahine to give up drugs is cool
simon you know that you would have been kissing trumps ass say yes sir no sir
Its awesome to see heaps more people seeing reality about OUR Global Warming Papatuanuku. The champions of Our futures Climate have done A awesome job the Phenomenon is a unstoppable force now Kia Kaha to you ALL.
That's Commission of enquiries into state staff abuseing people looks like a choreography set up.
That's is sad seeing people praying on our inenecint elderly using phone calls and scamming them out of their money.
Duncan Greta has got The Am Show attention Greta has the Papatuanuku attention on Our Futures Environment NOW if you are not on board of Our WAKA looking after our futures environment you will be washed into Our History Books.
You know that was hard I haven't seen anyone get it correct.
Using cloth nappies will save you heaps of putea and our environment. I would not trust others picking them up and cleaning them as babies skins are quite sensitive we used a hygiene products that are designed for sensitive skins.
We can have low or no carbon footprint larger passengers plane travellers. We just need to invest the time and putea into the new goals of low carbon flights. Solar and batteries are increasingly becoming more efficient made bio fuel for take of and landing and solar and batteries for gliding around Papatuanuku.
This Solar-Powered Plane Can Circle the Globe With No Pollution | That’s Amazing
Some dreams are so fantastic, it takes an unprecedented bid for adventure and glory to see them blossom to fruition. Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg, captivated by the spirit of great expeditions of the past, partnered to make the first flight across the world in a solar-powered plane that produced no pollution. Storing solar energy in batteries, the Solar Impulse is capable of staying aloft indefinitely. However, as Piccard and Borschberg learned, this didn't make the adventure easy—or require any less intrepid heroism from the co-pilots. Ka kite Ano
Tauranga Tangata Whenua you would think that the Tauranga council should have a duty to fix some of the wrongs of the past. The whenua is not billions like Tangata Whenua have lost. If they have a humane thought then they will give that whenua to Mana whenua.
That's cool in Tamiki Makaurau the council are putting system in place to get more Maori to vote.
The new app teaching practical life skills is a good idea to teach Rangatahi skills in how putea works and other skills that are needed to thrive in Aotearoa society.
I think it's not acceptable that Iwi data is not available for Tangata Whenua to use to plan for our Mokopuna future.
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Trust in me in all you doHave the faith I have in youLove will see us through, if only you trust in meWhy don't you, you trust me?In a week that saw the release of the 3,000 page Abuse in Care report Christopher Luxon was being asked about Boot Camps. ...
TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking about the Royal Commission Inquiry into Abuse in Carereport released this week, and with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on a UN push to not recognise carbon offset markets and ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 26, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Transport: Simeon Brown announced$802.9 million in funding for 18 new trains on the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines, which ...
The northern expressway extension from Warkworth to Whangarei is likely to require radical changes to legislation if it is going to be built within the foreseeable future. The Government’s powers to purchase land, the planning process and current restrictions on road tolling are all going to need to be changed ...
Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedFirst they came for the doctors But I was confused by the numbers and costs So I didn't speak up Then they came for our police and nurses And I didn't think we could afford those costs anyway So I ...
Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on UnsplashWe’re back again after our mid-winter break. We’re still with the ‘new’ day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when we have our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream ...
Notes: This is a free article. Abuse in Care themes are mentioned. Video is at the bottom.BackgroundYesterday’s report into Abuse in Care revealed that at least 1 in 3 of all who went through state and faith based care were abused - often horrifically. At least, because not all survivors ...
Luxon speaks in Parliament yesterday about the Abuse in Care report. Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:PM Christopher Luxon said yesterday in tabling the Abuse in Carereport in Parliament he wanted to ‘do the ...
About a decade ago I worked with a bloke called Steve. He was the grizzled veteran coder, a few years older than me, who knew where the bodies were buried - code wise. Despite his best efforts to be approachable and friendly he could be kind of gruff, through to ...
Some of the recent announcements from the government have reminded us of posts we’ve written in the past. Here’s one from early 2020. There were plenty of reactions to the government’s infrastructure announcement a few weeks ago which saw them fund a bunch of big roading projects. One of ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Thursday, July 25 are:News: Why Electric Kiwi is closing to new customers - and why it matters RNZ’s Susan EdmundsScoop: Government drops ...
Hi,I felt a small wet tongue snaking through one of the holes in my Crocs. It explored my big toe, darting down one side, then the other. “He’s looking for some toe cheese,” said the woman next to me, words that still haunt me to this day.Growing up in New ...
Yesterday I happily quoted the Prime Minister without fact-checking him and sure enough, it turns out his numbers were all to hell. It’s not four kg of Royal Commission report, it’s fourteen.My friend and one-time colleague-in-comms Hazel Phillips gently alerted me to my error almost as soon as I’d hit ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Thursday, July 25, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day were:The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquirypublished its final report yesterday.PM Christopher Luxon and The Minister responsible for ...
The Official Information Act has always been a battle between requesters seeking information, and governments seeking to control it. Information is power, so Ministers and government agencies want to manage what is released and when, for their own convenience, and legality and democracy be damned. Their most recent tactic for ...
TL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:Transport and Energy Minister Simeon Brown is accelerating plans to spend at least $10 billion through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to extend State Highway One as a four-lane ‘Expressway’ from Warkworth to Whangarei ...
I live my life (woo-ooh-ooh)With no control in my destinyYea-yeah, yea-yeah (woo-ooh-ooh)I can bleed when I want to bleedSo come on, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)You can bleed when you want to bleedYea-yeah, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)Everybody bleed when they want to bleedCome on and bleedGovernments face tough challenges. Selling unpopular decisions to ...
Please note:To skip directly to the- parliamentary footage in the video, scroll to 1:21 To skip to audio please click on the headphone iconon the left hand side of the screenThis video / audio section is under development. ...
Given the crackdown on wasteful government spending, it behooves me to point to a high profile example of spending by the Luxon government that looks like a big, fat waste of time and money. I’m talking about the deployment of NZDF personnel to support the US-led coalition in the Red ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:40 am on Wednesday, July 24 are:Deep Dive: Chipping away at the housing crisis, including my comments RNZ/Newsroom’s The DetailNews: Government softens on asset sales, ...
As I reported about the city centre, Auckland’s rail network is also going through a difficult and disruptive period which is rapidly approaching a culmination, this will result in a significant upgrade to the whole network. Hallelujah. Also like the city centre this is an upgrade predicated on the City ...
Today, a 4 kilogram report will be delivered to Parliament. We know this is what the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care weighs, because our Prime Minister told us so.Some reporter had blindsided him by asking a question about something done by ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Wednesday, July 24, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Beehive:Transport Minister Simeon Brownannounced plans to use PPPs to fund, build and run a four-lane expressway between Auckland ...
NewstalkZB host Mike Hosking, who can usually be relied on to give Prime Minister Christopher Luxon an easy run, did not do so yesterday when he interviewed him about the HealthNZ deficit. Luxon is trying to use a deficit reported last year by HealthNZ as yet another example of the ...
Back in January a StatsNZ employee gave a speech at Rātana on behalf of tangata whenua in which he insulted and criticised the government. The speech clearly violated the principle of a neutral public service, and StatsNZ started an investigation. Part of that was getting an external consultant to examine ...
Renting for life: Shared ownership initiatives are unlikely to slow the slide in home ownership by much. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:A Deloittereport for Westpac has projected Aotearoa’s home-ownership rate will ...
You're broken down and tiredOf living life on a merry go roundAnd you can't find the fighterBut I see it in you so we gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsWe gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsAnd I'll rise upI'll rise like the dayI'll rise upI'll rise unafraidI'll rise upAnd I'll ...
There’s been a change in Myers Park. Down the steps from St. Kevin’s Arcade, past the grassy slopes, the children’s playground, the benches and that goat statue, there has been a transformation. The underpass for Mayoral Drive has gone from a barren, grey, concrete tunnel, to a place that thrums ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global society may have finally slammed on the brakes for climate-warming pollution released by human fossil fuel combustion. According to the Carbon Monitor Project, the total global climate pollution released between February and May 2024 declined slightly from the amount released during the same ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Tuesday, July 23 are:Deep Dive: Penlink: where tolling rhetoric meets reality BusinessDesk-$$$’sOliver LewisScoop:Te Pūkenga plans for regional polytechs leak out ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announcedthe Board of Te Whatu Ora-Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
A homeless person’s camp beside a blocked-off slipped damage walkway in Freeman’s Bay: we are chasing our tail on our worsening and inter-related housing, poverty and climate crises. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Orderimage, ...
Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
Waiting In The Wings:For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSAannounced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent talking about the National-ACT-NZ First Government’s release of its first Emissions Reduction Plan;University of Otago Foreign Relations Professor and special guest Dr Karin von ...
Open access notablesImproving global temperature datasets to better account for non-uniform warming, Calvert, Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society:To better account for spatial non-uniform trends in warming, a new GITD [global instrumental temperature dataset] was created that used maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) to combine the land surface ...
A late change to charter school legislation will cheat educators out of fair pay and negotiating power proving charter schools are just a vehicle to make profit out of our education system. ...
In 2004 te iwi Māori rallied against the Crown’s attempt to confiscate our coastlines and moana with the Foreshore and Seabed Act. This led to the largest hīkoi of a generation and the birth of Te Pāti Māori. 20 years later, history is repeating itself. Today the government has announced ...
It has been five and a half years since the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care was established to investigate the abuse of children, young people, and vulnerable adults within state and faith-based institutions. Yesterday, the final report - Whanaketia through pain and trauma, from darkness to light ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to take action off the back of the International Court of Justice ruling on Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine. ...
On Friday the International Court of Justice reaffirmed what Palestinian’s have been telling us for decades: that the occupation and colonisation of Palestinian lands by Israel is illegal and must end immediately. They also called for reparations for Palestinian’s who have lived under Israeli occupation since it began in 1967. ...
Labour calls on the Government to act after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian Territories is illegal. ...
The 53.7 percent rise in benefit sanctions over the last year is more proof of this Government’s disdain for our communities most in need of support. ...
Aotearoa could be a country where every child grows up feeling safe, loved and with a sense of belonging in their whānau and community. But for some of our children, this is far from reality. Instead, they are trapped in a maze of intergenerational harm that they can’t escape on ...
Te Pāti Māori are calling for David Seymour to resign as Associate Health Minister in response to his call for Pharmac to ignore the Treaty of Waitangi. “This announcement is just another example of the government’s anti-Tiriti, anti-Māori agenda.” Said Co-leader and spokesperson for health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. “Seymour thinks it ...
The soaring price of renting is driving the rise of inflation in this country - with latest figures from Stats NZ showing rents are up 4.8 per cent on average while annual inflation is at 3.3 per cent. ...
National’s Emissions Reduction Plan will take New Zealand further from the economy we need to ensure the next generation has a stable climate and secure livelihoods. ...
Following consultation with named parties and thorough consideration of privacy interests, the Green Party is in a position to release the Executive Summary of the final report from the independent investigation into Darleen Tana. ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon should be asking serious questions of his Minister for Resources Shane Jones now it’s been revealed he misled the public about a dinner with mining companies that he didn’t declare and said wasn’t pre-arranged. ...
Te Pāti Māori have submitted to the Justice Select Committee against the Sentencing (Reinstating Three Strikes) Amendment Bill. The bill will further entrench racism in our justice system and fails to focus on rehabilitation. “Reinstating Three Strikes will empower a systematically racist system and exacerbate the overrepresentation of Māori in ...
The Transport and Infrastructure Committee is set to make a determination on the Residential Tenancies Amendment (RTA) Bill in the coming weeks. “This legislation will give landlords the power to kick our whānau out onto the street for no reason” said Housing spokesperson, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “Their solution to the housing ...
“National’s campaign was about tackling crime and the best they can do is a two-year long Ministerial Advisory Group,” Labour justice spokesperson Duncan Webb said. ...
“There are more examples of charter schools failing their students than there are success stories. The coalition Government is driving to dismantle our public school system and instead promote a privatised, competitive structure that puts profits before kids,” Jan Tinetti said. ...
“This government is choosing to deliberately mislead and withhold information, keeping our people in the dark about this government’s agenda and the future of our mokopuna,” said co-leader and spokesperson for Health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. The call comes after the demand from the Chief Ombudsman that Associate Minister of Health, Casey ...
“Today’s climate announcement by Simon Watts makes clear the National Government is simply paying lip service to meeting its climate change targets,” Megan Woods said. ...
National is choosing to make life harder for workers by taking away the rights our communities have fought hard for. Here's how they’re taking workers backwards. ...
Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue. We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views. “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
Tēnā tātou katoa, Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts. “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet. “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks. “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care. At the heart of this report are the ...
For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...
The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...
With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...
Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says a bill that has passed its first reading will improve parental leave settings and give non-biological parents more flexibility as primary carer for their child. The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No3), passed its first reading this morning. “It includes a change ...
Two Bills designed to improve regulation and make it easier to do business have passed their first reading in Parliament, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. The Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Bill and Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill make key changes to legislation administered by the Ministry ...
New legislation paves the way for greater competition in sectors such as banking and electricity, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Competitive markets boost productivity, create employment opportunities and lift living standards. To support competition, we need good quality regulation but, unfortunately, a recent OECD report ranked New ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says lotteries for charitable purposes, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, and local hospices, will soon be allowed to operate online permanently. “Under current laws, these fundraising lotteries are only allowed to operate online until October 2024, after which ...
The Coalition Government is accelerating work on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of its Roads of National Significance programme, with an accelerated delivery model to deliver this project faster and more efficiently, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “For too long, the lack of resilient transport connections ...
Sir Don McKinnon will travel to Viet Nam this week as a Special Envoy of the Government, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “It is important that the Government give due recognition to the significant contributions that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made to New Zealand-Viet Nam relations,” Mr ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says newly appointed Commissioner, Grant Illingworth KC, will help deliver the report for the first phase of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons, due on 28 November 2024. “I am pleased to announce that Mr Illingworth will commence his appointment as ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters travels to Laos this week to participate in a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-led Ministerial meetings in Vientiane. “ASEAN plays an important role in supporting a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Mr Peters says. “This will be our third visit to ...
Construction of a new mental health facility at Te Nikau Grey Hospital in Greymouth is today one step closer, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “This $27 million facility shows this Government is delivering on its promise to boost mental health care and improve front line services,” Mr Doocey says. ...
New Zealand is committing nearly $50 million to a package supporting sustainable Pacific fisheries development over the next four years, Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This support consisting of a range of initiatives demonstrates New Zealand’s commitment to assisting our Pacific partners ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour says proposed changes to the Education and Training Amendment Bill will ensure charter schools have more flexibility to negotiate employment agreements and are equipped with the right teaching resources. “Cabinet has agreed to progress an amendment which means unions will not be able to initiate ...
In response to serious concerns around oversight, overspend and a significant deterioration in financial outlook, the Board of Health New Zealand will be replaced with a Commissioner, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti announced today. “The previous government’s botched health reforms have created significant financial challenges at Health NZ that, without ...
Minister for Space and Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins will travel to Adelaide tomorrow for space and science engagements, including speaking at the Australian Space Forum. While there she will also have meetings and visits with a focus on space, biotechnology and innovation. “New Zealand has a thriving space ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will travel to China on Saturday to attend the Ministerial on Climate Action meeting held in Wuhan. “Attending the Ministerial on Climate Action is an opportunity to advocate for New Zealand climate priorities and engage with our key partners on climate action,” Mr Watts says. ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is travelling to the Solomon Islands tomorrow for meetings with his counterparts from around the Pacific supporting collective management of the region’s fisheries. The 23rd Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Committee and the 5th Regional Fisheries Ministers’ Meeting in Honiara from 23 to 26 July ...
The Government today launched the Military Style Academy Pilot at Te Au rere a te Tonga Youth Justice residence in Palmerston North, an important part of the Government’s plan to crackdown on youth crime and getting youth offenders back on track, Minister for Children, Karen Chhour said today. “On the ...
The Government has welcomed news the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has begun work to replace nine priority bridges across the country to ensure our state highway network remains resilient, reliable, and efficient for road users, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“Increasing productivity and economic growth is a key priority for the ...
Acting Prime Minister David Seymour has been in contact throughout the evening with senior officials who have coordinated a whole of government response to the global IT outage and can provide an update. The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet has designated the National Emergency Management Agency as the ...
New Zealand and Japan will continue to step up their shared engagement with the Pacific, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “New Zealand and Japan have a strong, shared interest in a free, open and stable Pacific Islands region,” Mr Peters says. “We are pleased to be finding more ways ...
New developments in the heart of North Island forestry country will reinvigorate their communities and boost economic development, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones visited Kaingaroa and Kawerau in Bay of Plenty today to open a landmark community centre in the former and a new connecting road in ...
President Adeang, fellow Ministers, honourable Diet Member Horii, Ambassadors, distinguished guests. Minasama, konnichiwa, and good afternoon, everyone. Distinguished guests, it’s a pleasure to be here with you today to talk about New Zealand’s foreign policy reset, the reasons for it, the values that underpin it, and how it ...
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i am looking forward to public consternation re climate-change = gloal-fucken-apocalypse..
to come somewhere near that engendered by a spinning coloured wheel during a fucken thugby-match..
just saying..!
(‘would you like some bacon with that..?’..)
Please keep the rugby down to a background murmer. As we don't advertise, we really don't need to follow the NZ heralds need to attract advertisers.
Kind of gross their coverage this morning in the printed edition. Was looking at it on pressreader.
obsequious sycophancy.
(trotters' latest piece is well worth the read – and explains the incrementalism of this govt – trotter makes a strong case that it's all down to roberston…
and i hafta agree with him..)
https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2019/09/20/who-will-be-fed-next-to-the-hungry-gods-of-politics/
(excerpt..)
'Guided by the éminence grise of Labour’s “Third Way” conservatism, Sir Michael Cullen, Robertson bound Labour in fiscal chains so tight that, in the unlikely event of a Labour-led government being formed, it would lack all freedom of movement. No matter how luminous the promises of “transformation”, without the money to turn promises into reality, the person making them was bound to end up discredited'.
(robertson has gotta go..!..)
Its a complete rant ,too silly for words.
" it would lack all freedom of movement. No matter how luminous the promises of “transformation”, without the money to turn promises into reality"
What promises have been turned back by no money?
Housing for one , not restricted by money so much ( capital spending,its not counted against a 'surplus') as the ability to build.
meaningful welfare-reform – as just one example..
are you saying robertson is not a neoliberal-incrementalist – who walks faithfully in the foot-prints left by fellow third-wayer cullen..?
that's denying the evidence before yr eyes..isn't it..?
(and yr reference to kiwibuild could not be more apt..
given it is a classic example of the middle-class welfare so favoured by third-wayers/neoliberal-incrementalists..
and as for real reform for the poorest..?…
yeah – nah – eh..?..they don't do that…)
"given it is a classic example of middle-class welfare"
I think that is a very generous take on it, seriously who can afford a new home for their first home, i would have said more high income than middle, besides it is welfare for property developers.
Mr Trotter has a new piece (and audience) that may paint a different motivation (from a different party)…whos playing who?
"National’s success thus hinges upon its ability to generate sufficient fury among Gen-Xers to vote against both their parents and their children. They must be encouraged to call down a plague upon the houses of both the old and the young, so that, finally, a government can be elected that listens to them; delivers to them; and only to them. Simon Bridges and Paula Bennett will bend all their powers towards convincing Generation X of the old adage: “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.”
https://www.interest.co.nz/opinion/101787/chris-trotter-looks-how-different-generations-see-and-judge-prime-minister-jacinda
Have to agree. Nothing in there that you could look at as being evidential. Plus he appears to be simply regurgitating Garner who said much the same thing recently whilst talking about the need of the parliamentary press gallery to feed off blood as a pack.
He is a writer in love with rhetoric and he gets paid for it. I wonder what his take was at the Whalerump.
surely 'the evidence' is that roberston is by definition a neoliberal-incrementalist – ?
and he is just doing what neoliberal-incrementalists do..?
(and the stellar example of that – is that of the 42 recommendations from welfare reform group – for urgent welfare reform – to provide some relief from the grinding poverty – 3 have been accepted by this govt..(!)
and one of those three is an easing of the clawback provisions of any part time work undertaken by benificiaries..
and here is the exciting bit..!..going up in tiny wee increments – benificiaries will be able to – by 2022 – to earn about another twenty bucks a week..(!)
which we can all agree – will do sweet fuck all…
this is what neoliberal incrementalists – like robertson – call 'welfare reform'…
and this is why he has to go..
(i have eyes tightly-closed/fingers-crossed – going 'plse plse let the current scandal take him down..!'..)
ardern should fire him..
and i agree that trotter often spouts colourful shite..
but not this time…
this time he is on the money..
I think much of our government's reluctance to introduce worthwhile welfare reform is they figure that most of that sector are going to vote left regardless.
Unlikely to happen but it leaves room for National to campaign on such a platform. This could squeeze the coalition to take action.
If the right promised sweeping welfare reform would you vote for them Phil?
i don't feel like playing silly-hypotheticals..
that will never happen..
may as well discuss: 'what if we all had ponies?'..
it ain't gonna happen..
meanwhile…
The coalition introducing sweeping welfare reforms is also a hypothetical suggestion. A prospect you regularly entertain.
What would you call your pony?
Stewie
'The coalition introducing sweeping welfare reforms'..
like we were promised – pre-election..?
i am not talking 'ponies'..
i am talking broken promises..
and all do-able…
When the government are questioned on this subject they typically revert to a long list of what they consider to be major steps forward. They deliver their lists with such conviction it's almost like they believe that $200 at the beginning of winter has brought sunlight flooding into 1000's of lives. $200 is of course merely a half full Countdown trolley.
They do usually end their lists with something like "We do acknowledge that there is still an awful lot of work to do…." Political flim flam that indicates 'don't worry Phil, we're getting to your concerns….look at all the fabulous stuff we've already done.'
they have no 'list' to read out on this one –
just an embarrassed silence..
Sepuloni could spend 30 minutes informing us on how life has improved for welfare recipients and not pause for breath.
she could talk about the new pot-plants in the winz offices..
and how the winz security-guards have been told to tone down the concentration-camp guards attitudes/rhetoric..
that's about it – really..
But that's not what is happening Phil. Here is 9 mins of Carmel back in May assuring beneficiaries that everything is in hand and that there is nothing to worry about.
The point I'm trying to make is: It appears they believe they are meeting your wishes Phil.
no….i don't think they are that dumb..
they know full well that what they are doing adds up to s.f.a…
(and sorry – i can't watch sepuloni..
her cant/false-promises/defences of the indefensile – are not good for my blood temperature/blood-pressure..)
Seems they would not have to deal with welfare if they confronted very excessive immigration rates as they said they would .
Michael Reddell
Nice to see some confirmation of my surmises. The neo-liberal technocracy haven't been measuring their outcomes properly, so that the policies they foist on us, allegedly in our interests, based on their alleged expertise, have just been making things harder. The pretense of economic expertise expressed in policy needs to be rubbished until the mandarin class produce some objective results.
That sounds right SM. I have thought that a lot of what we decide and do is actually based on emotion and personal choice. It gets wrapped up in specially chosen stats and justified because someone said something in a big country or a right wing think tank or Treasury, that fount of all wisdom whose effectiveness is never judged by the actual outcomes on the ground. It's never their fault, as they have an out for everything.
It makes a nonsense of pretensions to evidence based policy, which ought to review it pdq.
perhaps you cant count
Labour won 46 seats out of the 120 at the election after 37% of the vote.
The Greens dropped from 14 to 6 seats
Some of The WEAG report is part of the Confidence and Supply Agreement with the Green Party. – Just ONE paragraph of 20.
https://www.greens.org.nz/sites/default/files/NZLP%20%26%20GP%20C%26S%20Agreement%20FINAL.PDF
i can count enough to know that the ability to earn an extra $20 a week – by 2022 – as a measure taken to provide some relief from the grinding poverty suffered by the poorest..
adds up to a fart in a windstorm…
how do you read that any differently..?
mathematically speaking..?
gotta correct an error there – that increase is by 2023 -not 2022…
(it goes up by five bucks a yr…
woo-fucken-hoo..!..eh….)
Not able to count .
38% of the vote doenst give the labour a majority to make the changes even when its in their manifesto
The Phil Ure party got no votes at all
Point out where their actions are against the policy
What about the $20 per person per week increase for beneficiaries – sold as a Winter energy grant
https://www.labour.org.nz/socialdevelopment
lab + grns + nz first – they all promised welfare-reform…
they have (all) delivered textbook incrementalism..
namely – done s.f.a…
i understand you are a full-time labour apologist – so relax – the blame is being shared..
and what about that twenty bucks per wk (just ended..)
so we are now back in the position (except for sole-parents – and goodonthem..! – i begrudge not a cent going to them – they should be getting more..)
we are back in the position where the key/tories' twenty dollar raise to base-rates – is the most that has been done for the poorest – in the past 30 yrs..
i would be really keen to hear yr take on that..'cos i reckon that fact should have all lab/grn/nz first apologists shifting uncomfortably in their seats..
i repeat – the tories/key did more welfare reform…than this lab/grn/nz first has done..
and as an apologist for none of the above – i reckon that both sucks and blows..
i look forward to yr convolutions…
What you need is a far left party that's polling above 40 percent, one which carries the voters with it when offering up its non neoliberal incrementalism, on its way to getting a mandate to govern according to those policies.
Do you have one of them, Philip?
no – what i want is a labour party that actually is a labour party –
not one that has been in the thrall of the neoliberal-incrementaists – since douglas..
but one that looks to its' own roots..
to know/see what needs to be done..
and then to bloody well get on and do it..
Right, so you want the Labour Party to become unelectable by JA sacking the finance minister and implementing policy it 1: wouldn't get into law past nz1st, and 2: hasn't got a mandate from the people for anyway.
Er, okay, astute punditry 🙄
blame nz first if you like..(i'm not buying it..)
and the/any mandate is already there..
c.f..the pre-election promises made – and the subsequent election..
No, no mandate for 180 degree turns when you cobble together a three way broad church government.
The thing you types always fail to answer is where the votes are coming from. If as you say 90% of votes are for Neo Libs, and half are split between both major parties, the maths don't add up. You may lose some middle ground labour votes but guaranteed you won't get any back from national. That's pretty basic.
Also, there's a to the left of Labour Party already and they only poll 6%. If and when the numbers switch round, that would be a sign for labour to turn more left or change leader like last time the balance was skewed less in their favour.
But you want labour to change. Well it's clear to me that won't happen. While the electorate is polarised, it's incremental all the way in the battle for the middle ground. You can of course pay your subs, work from the inside, and do the hard yards to enact your policy direction. You could always do a momentum and take over, stick your guy in the big seat and watch him poll 20% though I won't wish you good luck.
'you types'..
heh..!..i'm pleading for a definition here…
tell us all ya know about 'you types'…
You types are the ones who have no idea of how politics work in 2019, choosing to peddle daydream slogans without concept of what the voting public is willing to accept, but enough about you, let's hear you rebut and counter the points I raised.
I will wait.
what am i not getting about 'how politics works in 2019'..
i'll wait..!..)
'daydream slogans'..no – pre-election promises made..
and re yr above comment..
at least you seem to have accepted that incrementalism as the reality..
to the extent you are now defending it..heh..!
do ya need a t-shirt..?
(suggested slogan..)
'i'm an incrementalist..! – say it loud – and say it proud..!'
I thought that over-use of semi-ellipses is a sure-sign if early-onset incrementalism …
The numbers, Philip, the numbers. You need to address how you'll take the Neo lib voters with you when you push a full on socialist agenda on those who, according you, don't vote for it en mass.
That you see incremental change to the left as such a bad thing, given there's no mandate for making sweeping changes, neither being in a manifesto or campaigned upon, is sort of proof that you don't understand how modern NZ politics work.
It doesn't mean people who accept the reality we find ourselves in don't want change, or even change quickly, but it is reality and there's just there's no point posturing over cliches like its some sort of popularity contest. I didn't party vote labour and wanted much more left leaning policy, but without those numbers, remember those numbers phil? You have to take what you get and push for more votes next time.
Ill wear that tee shirt and not have a Nat government any day of the week until the polling backs my ideology and I can wear one saying 'My vote won it – and I didn't have to resort to posting like an uninformed dong on the internet'
"A Wellington sole parent with a two year old and an income of $45,000:
Coalition governments do not ‘make promises’ before elections, only after the subsequent negotiations. Aint compromise a bitch.
Sorry Sacha that’s BS. JA stole hearts and minds with Labour’s pre election blurb on how social reform was so badly needed. That’s what people remember. Not post election coalition drivel. She’s had opportunities to show she meant what she said and hasn’t shown any real backbone on anything. I’m from the right and realised we needed a fairer CGT and when she waved the white flag on that I believed she was all BS. Since then there’s been nothing happen that’s changed my mind.
@ duke of whatever..
i have already noted multiple times that sole parents are the only ones who have been helped..and how that is good..
so unsure what the fuck yr gotcha! is all about..
(see above – still waiting..)
@Newview Labour is not the whole government. Moan all you want about how that party have not secured what they promised but be clear who you are talking about.
The voters didn’t vote for this Coalition by personally voting for each of the partners . Labour took on NZF to get power and it was JA electioneering rhetoric That got labour into a position to do that. The voters didn’t give a toss what Winston had to say it was JA they listened to. You can believe what you like Sacha.
@ New view
So if Labour had not agreed to give Winston First as much as they did, then he would have gone with National and you would then presumably be on a right wing site right now moaning about how a National led government was not achieving everything that National had campaigned on. As a centrist party NZF will always act like a dragging handbrake on the government of the day regardless of whether it leans left or right.
Solkta. I’ve never liked this MMP idea but that’s another discussion. Sometimes the bigger party has to make a stand and call out the other partner if they feel strongly over proposed policy. With the CGT there was no attempt to push the point by labour. If JA had been strong and really wanted legalisation she could have taken it to a vote making the result public. It would then have been seen publicly that Winston was really the problem. That didn’t happen so did Labour really want a CGT we’ll never know. I don’t believe they were that keen. We wouldn’t want to rock the boat in case we loose votes, or upset Winston heaven forbid. It’s wishywashy BS as we’ve seen with the slow progress on other social issues.
Ha! If we all listed the top 20 policy platforms/machinations for our ideal Government most of us would end up with a framework that only 5% of NZers would vote for.
In my search for contentment I've resigned to operating my household as I would my ideal government. I fear wishing for much more is a recipe for discontent.
Wonderful to have your commentary on this blog phillip…
So called 'left' parties are being smashed worldwide by the rise of the right, and the answer from the elite is just to sit tight and follow the likes of fake lefties Trudeau, Shorten or Hilary to almost certain defeat.
Do you want to walk through that one?
So called left parties are being smashed by the right. Does that mean if they had real left leaders instead, the people who deserted the fake left leaders and voted right, wouldn't vote right anymore but go back to the left?
Thats an interesting, if not implausible logic jump.
All the momentum was with Sanders and Corbyn during the previous US and UK elections.
If they weren't hobbled by their own parties undermining them and were able to be unleashed onto the public, we would have gained one left government today, probably two.
So it would be like someone saying Jacinda isn't left enough so I'm gonna vote for Bridges. Yeah, makes sense. lol
As for Corbyn, he got 40% against May, and yet with no challenges from within since, apart from those who left to form change or whatever it’s called, he’s plunged to the low 20s. Go figure.
Up until now that is, at the party conference, where grassroots activists are pushing against Corbyn's fence sitting, wanting an unambiguous Remain stance.
Trying to shaft the deputy leader won't help win over the majority remainers in the party, either.
Was that a comparison of two political phenoms with the Bridge? Ok… Probably best if I leave you to talk about the failure of Corbyn post election. You seem very good at that…
chrs maui..
i can't believe how – in just political-realities terms – they seem unable to see what you talk about..
'what do we want..?'
'incrementalism'..
'when do we want it..?'
'at some as yet undefined time in the future..!'
meanwhile the right rises – and the planet fucken boils..
well done..!..einsteins…!
This last election was luck, a talking pulpit, but these pricks won't talk. High regards , Ure.
Neoliberal incrementalist. Isn't that really just a more palatable name for conservatism?
pretty much…
(tho' adherents to neoliberalism don't like talking about it..and don't usually like being identified as such..
it is the ideology that dares not say its' name..)
How soon some forget. Labour made some promises before the last election. They did involve more spending than National, but they also included scrapping National's tax cuts that would have applied from April 2018. National campaigned on putting more money into everyone's pockets through cutting tax. Who wouldn't like a bit more money in their pockets each payday? But National lied about what they would have to do as a result of their tax cuts – they would further reduce services from government, but they never admitted to that – they called their cuts efficiency savings.
In order to get votes, Labour promised limits on borrowing, not to introduce new taxes or increase taxes until after a report had been issued (and after the next election) – and coalition negotiations required some funding for Green and NZ First priorities.
Now you are wanting a large increase in spending for one sector. Lets be clear, I am sure many Labour supporters would like spending on benefits to increase now, but National is not the only bullshitter, philip ure – any major change in public spending will have implications for either tax raising or other spending, with other consequential changes to employment, overall borrowing, inflation, etc.
So are you simply calling for our current government to be branded liars, or do you have proposals for how to raise the money your spending increases would need? Would you cut spending on hospitals and Pharmac? Would you renege on pay settlements with nurses and teachers?
So where does the philip ure party sit? Responsible government that understands that more spending in one area needs changes in another area? Or a liar party that pretends cutting taxes can be matched by "efficiency gains" without cutting services? Be responsible, philip, and give us the other side of your wish-list – "Show us the Money!"
'"Show us the Money!"..'
easy..!
higher taxes on the richest – a land-tax on the land-bankers..
a financial transaction tax..
(how's that for starters….?..)
and at the other end – make the first 20 grand of income tax-free…
that would end the kafkaesque situation of the poorest being taxed on the miserly sums they are given..and they would get that money instead..
how am i going so far..?
Consistent in ignoring the reality that campaign promises cannot be totally ignored. Honesty and integrity are valuable attributes in gaining votes – or are you happy to see Labour in opposition again so soon?
did you miss/not hear the 'transformational welfare-reform' we were promised..
i repeat – all i am asking of those three parties – is that they do what they promised to do..
that they make good on those pre-election promises they all made..
that is all i am asking of them – in that area of policy..
Well overdue for moving the tax brackets.
Earn over $48k and you pay 30% tax on the bit over $48k….thats way too much tax.
Earn over $70k and pay 33% on that.
I reckon you should pay 30% on income over $70k and 33% on income over $100k. Then have another tax bracket say 39% for income over $150k and 45% for income over $200k
https://www.labour.org.nz/familiespackage
Its a broad based scheme
All this sort of talk goes way over Phils head. As hes doesnt support a family or know or care about this as it wont end up in HIS pocket
"
How about this one
A Wellington sole parent with a two year old and an income of $45,000:
Fess up Phil , as its mostly about those with young kids, you are missing out and beating the drum here about your empty pockets
all that you write about is not for the poorest..
it is just more for the 'deserving=families' – as defined by clark..
the 'undeserving' – also as defined by clark – are still being left to rot..
and i have raised my children – so you can just fuck off with that ad-hom..
and no – i am not arguing for my 'empty-pockets'..
once again – you can just fuck off with that one too..
Another shill singing for his supper. These tame 'left' column fillers seem to like to impress their fellow political anoraks and upset the leftys who think their opinion matters.
Chris who ? from the echo chamber of nz political repeaters.
@ tc..
'These tame 'left' column fillers seem to like to impress their fellow political anoraks and upset the leftys who think their opinion matters.'
um..!..i have read the above sentence four times – and i cannot understand whatever it is you are trying to say..
would you mind translating for me..?
Rhetoric to entertain the masses and impress each other (his fellow soapbox holders like hoots etc) whilst not upsetting his paymasters i.e. the media owners.
Trotter makes his living saying SFA but still manages to upset people who think he should be saying and doing more in the echo chamber of the NZ media.
Chris who ?
Reading Marilyn Waring's record of her 9 years under Muldoon he refused to reform the economy at the expense of the poorest. Unlike the last 35 years.
I see we're still on the remarkably dense and blind view that whatever Labour's failing to be transformational in Government is down to everyone who isn't Jacinda, in this case it's Robertson's fault.
The Peasants Revolt failed because Wat Tyler and the rebels believed the King was actually pure of heart and on their side, but was misled by his 'wicked' advisors.
Same as it ever was.
hmm!! – i wonder if robertson has thought of playing the wat tyler/peasants' revolt card yet..?
maybe he is saving it for when things get gnarly for him..?
(points tho' for the historical-reach/shout-out in yr comment..)
The historical reach is important. it shows for example that rigorous debate(and discourse) were important parts of a vigorous democracy.
Isocrates in Areopagiticus some 25 centuries ago.
The less well-to-do among the citizens were so far from envying those of greater means that they were as solicitous for the great estates as for their own, considering that the prosperity of the rich was a guarantee of their own well-being. Those who possessed wealth, on the other hand, did not look down upon those in humbler circumstances, but, regarding poverty among their fellow-citizens as their own disgrace, came to the rescue of the distresses of the poor, handing over lands to some at moderate rentals, sending out some to engage in commerce, and furnishing means to others to enter upon various occupations;
for they had no fear that they might suffer one of two things—that they might lose their whole investment or recover, after much trouble, only a mere fraction of their venture; on the contrary, they felt as secure about the money which was lent out as about that which was stored in their own coffers. For they saw that in cases of contract the judges were not in the habit of indulging their sense of equity1 but were strictly faithful to the laws;
and that they did not in trying others seek to make it safe for themselves to disobey the law,1 but were indeed more severe on defaulters than were the injured themselves, since they believed that those who break down confidence in contracts do a greater injury to the poor than to the rich; for if the rich were to stop lending, they would be deprived of only a slight revenue, whereas if the poor should lack the help of their supporters they would be reduced to desperate straits.
And so because of this confidence no one tried to conceal his wealth1 nor hesitated to lend it out, but, on the contrary, the wealthy were better pleased to see men borrowing money than paying it back; for they thus experienced the double satisfaction—which should appeal to all right-minded men—of helping their fellow-citizens and at the same time making their own property productive for themselves. In fine, the result of their dealing honorably with each other was that the ownership of property was secured to those to whom it rightfully belonged, while the enjoyment of property was shared by all the citizens who needed it.
http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0144%3Aspeech%3D7%3Asection%3D32
I thought Trotter’s was a lovely story but not quite at the epic level of Homer, for example. I think he could make a decent living turning it into an audiobook for budding ballet choreographers or as storyteller on a late-night radio show for insomniacs. However, it didn’t pass the mustard as political commentary from a wannabe political historian although I did enjoy his joyous verbosity and I might apply it to spice up my own rants too with more couleur locale and Wayang-like depictions of key political players for more dramatic impact.
It wasn’t satire, was it?
nah..!..it wasn't satire..
and i agree that trotter loves the sound of his own voice a bit more than he should..
but that doesn't discount the validity of what he says here..
instead of a stream of ad homs directed at him..
why don't you unpack what he says/demonstrate to us readers how his analysis is incorrect/faulty..?
'cos i can't see how you could – but surprise me…
I have already ‘unpacked’ it, but you missed it because you were not reading between the lines.
Trotter’s opinion piece shows complete disregard for the (political) context, which to me suggests it was not political commentary but a raconteurial rant.
I know somebody else who “loves the sound of his own voice a bit more than he should” and thinks that his opinion has more validity than the opinions of others..
ooh…!..more ad homs….right ho..!
i'll just leave you to it..
I mentioned in the work kitchen the other day to the resident pro-China migrant guy that a good friend of mine had gone back to Hong Kong to take part in the democracy protests. He spent a little while trying to wheedle the name of this person out me, then I went back to my desk and forgot about it.
Later that afternoon, he came and sat next to me and invited me along to some dinners and meeting the various pro-Beijing front organisations in Auckland run in order to discuss China. I politely declined. But while he is a pleasant enough fellow, this guy has lived here for over ten years and yet he is basically a low rent volunteer spy for Beijing. He will never owe his loyalty to NZ.
And then this today from newsroom.co.nz –
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/2019/09/23/819874/chinese-nz-herald-under-supervision-and-control-of-chinese-state
And when you see long term Sinophiles and insightful friends of China like this guy bailing out as fast they can, you wonder when will our politicians ever wake up, and how donkey deep is the National party with the authoritarian butchers of Beijing?
What's the Chinese New Zealand Herald?
it is an m.s.m-outlet/publication…..
They have mostly NZ Herald articles translated into Chinese – but often those articles are edited to remove adverse comments about China
example
https://twitter.com/ArrestJK/status/1175955332717146114?s=20
The praise from Paula comes from the wallet
She's remarkably passionate about allegations against Labour, but seems blissfully ignorant of documented human rights abuses routinely employed by China to crush dissent
This latest 'Australian News corp' article on the climate emergency will have all the Climate deniers up in arms too.
https://www.news.com.au/technology/environment/climate-change/fiveyear-period-ending-2019-set-to-be-hottest-on-record/news-story/895e9c2239979888a2089a1311976c9f
Latest 23/9/19 ‘Australian newscorp’
(Quote) “Five-year period ending 2019 set to be hottest on record. A few days after kids across the globe marched in support of environmental issues, the UN has released a new report on the current state of the planet, and it’s not pretty reading.” (un-quote)
They said the world was threatened by WMDs, too.
/
https://twitter.com/MeetThePress/status/1175767427763843073
The US response seems more like a face-saving PR exercise. Pretty embarrassing that the billions spent by Saudi Arabia on American weaponry was out-gunned by low cost drones launched by a poorly resourced rebel outfit from one of the most poverty stricken places on earth.
Not poorly resourced , they seemed to have a large portion of the Yemen military forces at the start of civil war.. this doesnt sound like they are all that deficient
"over 400 Houthi ballistic and cruise missile launches, drone strikes, and naval attacks since June 2015"
An 'ally and friend' ( which was the origin of the 9/11 attackers) who is waging war on its tiny neighbour with US supplied planes and bombs.
So its OK for US to provide military supplies but not OK for Iran to do so.
Its nothing new really – except when it involves the mother lode -oil.
"FDD’s Long War Journal has tracked and mapped over 400 Houthi ballistic and cruise missile launches, drone strikes, and naval attacks since June 2015. For more information, see the three-part series: Houthi missiles,drones, naval attacks.]"
They have been missile attacks on US Navy ships, ballistic missiles against Saudi airports
"Saudi officials reported late last year that over 200 ballistic missiles have been fired towards its territory."
The US is well known for launching long range drone strikes against various countries Pakistan, Yemen Somalia
How much do we value democratic freedom and the 4th estates role within it?
"Experts have identified the Chinese New Zealand Herald website as a propaganda outlet for the government of China.
However, the news outlet's co-owner, NZME, says the Chinese NZ Herald is not beholden to China’s media guidelines and censorship requirements.
An investigation by Newsroom, with the help of China propaganda experts, found the news organisation's operational structure, and its Chinese state internet and security permits, amounted to the news site coming under the supervision and control of various Chinese Communist Party (CCP) authorities."
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/2019/09/23/819874/chinese-nz-herald-under-supervision-and-control-of-chinese-state
apologies to Sanctuary…I see he has already linked this piece @4
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/399378/bullying-in-the-police-victim-asked-if-she-had-period-troubles
How very retro. Back to the future from the 1970's mindset. Are we regressing or didn't we ever progress at all?
Where do you look for clues when you are puzzled about behaviour that seems irrational for the good of the country – Money (as cartoon on my book Dilbert and the way of the Weasel says, where he stands by a sign attracting zombies towards> 'Unattended Piles of Money')!
Revealed: Arron Banks puts controversial diamond mine up for sale
The millionaire businessman Arron Banks, who spent £8m on the Brexit campaign, has put a controversial South African diamond mine on the market. Mr Banks confirmed to Channel 4 News that the Newlands mine in Barkly West, Northern Cape province is up for sale for ZAR10m – just over £500,000. In a statement Mr Banks told…
and further on Brexit :
London Mayor Sadiq Khan calls for Labour MPs to commit to stopping Brexit amidst party civil war The infighting at the top of the party has continued following yesterday’s move to unseat Deputy Leader Tom Watson. Today Jeremy Corbyn was forced to defend reported allegations from a senior advisor that his team lacked ‘professionalism, competence and human decency’. Jon Snow spoke to London mayor Sadiq Khan, who today made a direct appeal…
https://www.channel4.com/news/ (They have a zingy pile of news items.)
This one is amazing. German villages bulldozed to make space for coal mine Europe’s biggest economy, Germany, has promised to phase out coal by 2038 in order to meet climate change commitments. Yet it is expanding one of its biggest open cast mines, which is 48 square kilometres in size. The expansion will demolish five villages in the process, but the coal company responsible says it is not…
How come that 'averagekiwi' thing is in the Feeds? Sounds alarmingly similar to Kiwibog.
sickening and real – make sure your people are safe, ask them, don't just assume they are
Ardern is doing the keynote speech at the UN Climate change summit tomorrow.
And all-gases bill debated shortly. Not easy optics.
I wish her well
Yes, and to back up concern for climate change there is the protest on Friday 27 Sept. between 12 and 3.00 pm.
https://extinctionrebellion.nz/event/school-strike-for-climate/
and weka's post from 21/9
https://thestandard.org.nz/the-climate-action-momentum/
Have a reply in moderation. Was it the d word that rhymes with Kong?
Sorry about that.
It rhymes with pesto.
Sounds saucy.
Man if esto only had a brain
What, no media at the Ardern/Trump meeting? Someone must be scared of being toweled by relative youth, gender, empathy and intellect. No p**sy grabbing this time!
You underestimate Trump I think. If he wants to do something he does it, conventions no respect for, respect no convention of.
Concerning Trump and our brave young PM riding forth Quixote-like, if you can get to see today's stuff with Jeff Bell's cartoon on the hairpiece and our PM, (with apologies to Lewis Carroll) I think you'll find it good.
What, no media at the Ardern/Trump meeting? Someone must be scared of being toweled by relative youth, gender, empathy and intellect. No p**sy grabbing this time!
You are confused about what is a meeting with discussions and the photo ops which precede it.
Wouldn't hold my breath but Netanyahu could be out.
https://twitter.com/NTarnopolsky/status/1175800308846477313
Interesting how my computer behaves (twitter etc as previously discussed). Your full comment came up, flashed, and then faded back into the bushes.
But no matter, your one sentence above is spell-binding, I hope anyway.
I've got a serious question for Mr Ure – it could either amuse you, or drive you into a severe depression, the like of which I'm not sure there's a cure for – even IF there was something synthetic to ease the symptoms:
Did you ever come across Glenda H in your travels in the past? There's a billboard or two around Mt Victoria (one of which I saw a Toy Boi weilding a hammer with).
I just received my voting papers and discovered it's standing for local gummint, as is its ….. [for the sake of civility] ….. followers.
My first thought was that it’s taking the piss – but it (and all)'re actually serious!!!
I’ll know when it’s time to leave town if ever that got a foothold
no..sorry….glenda h doen't ring any bells..
bigotry alive and well – and these numbnuts supposedly run the place lol
Unbelievable
Mr Bielski told RNZ he only said those things because the press were not present…
This guy is a master of unintentional comedy.
the fucken idiot said 'they worshiped different gods' – and he was having none of that..
he clearly doesn't know the muslim attitude to jesus etc..
he is also clearly as dumb as a doorknob..
and he puts the 'go' in 'bigot'…
Lets be grateful he wasn't born in NZ. Sympathy for the victims.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=12270125
A Time to get off your B and change that horrible link about someone going on about chainsaw murders.
And Mr bielski can be shown what we expect from local and central councillors in this country trying to find a working peace in the world and respect for all who have good spiritual beliefs, not ones of disdain and superiority.
Try
https://www.msn.com/en-nz/news/national/manawat%C5%AB-district-councillor-steve-bielski-stands-by-anti-muslim-sentiments/ar-AAHGnx3?li=BBqdmGR&fdhead=nohdflt2
I got off on the wrong track there. I was thinking it was about the councillor from Manawatu who can't stand Muslims. I think he should get voted out. He's getting too old for coping with the world and change and it's possible that he doesn't like women either – it often goes alongside.
Announcement: Come in No.1 to 150,000, your holiday with Thomas Cook is over. Did you think this was a Butlins holiday camp? Time's up you suckers.
https://www.politico.eu/article/uk-travel-firm-thomas-cook-collapses/
Kia Ora Newshub.
I think that it's haters who use tech platforms to pedal there hate content but the tech companies have to try and stop them using their platforms.
Kia Kaha Greta that is the correct measage to give to the people who are leading the Papatuanuku to our destruction. I agree chasing economic growth over the wellbeing of our future environment has to change to chasing sustainability and countrys being rewarded for this behaviour.
I agree its good to change the school funding system to include economic back ground and other factors to help our tamariki that need help the most that is looking after our future.
For some reason I always get restricted phone calls can you guess who is making them you would be correct.
Thomas Cook collapse has stranded heaps of people on holiday let hope not to many people are left in a mess because of that.
The people of the Manuatu will be wrapped to have a new route for their main road. I have not been on that road in decades.
Ka kite Ano
Kia Ora Te Ao Maori News.
That's is what needs to happen Winston including Farmer in the emissions trading skeem by 2025. If Our Farmers were not included in the Emissions skeem what phenomenon will encourage Our farmers to reduce there carbon footprint.
I tau toko Te tangata whenua who are championing to stop seabed mineing.
I Rotorua has a housing shortage itcs not on that people have to live under a bridge most of our cities have this problem to.
Eco Maori tau toko online voting let's not wait to long for this great initiative. It will make the process more efficient and will bring in more voters..
A 3. Month payed course teaching Wahine life skills teaching them how to grow Kai and encouraging Te Wahine to give up drugs is cool
Ka kite Ano
Kia Ora Newshub.
simon you know that you would have been kissing trumps ass say yes sir no sir
Its awesome to see heaps more people seeing reality about OUR Global Warming Papatuanuku. The champions of Our futures Climate have done A awesome job the Phenomenon is a unstoppable force now Kia Kaha to you ALL.
That's Commission of enquiries into state staff abuseing people looks like a choreography set up.
That's is sad seeing people praying on our inenecint elderly using phone calls and scamming them out of their money.
Duncan Greta has got The Am Show attention Greta has the Papatuanuku attention on Our Futures Environment NOW if you are not on board of Our WAKA looking after our futures environment you will be washed into Our History Books.
You know that was hard I haven't seen anyone get it correct.
Using cloth nappies will save you heaps of putea and our environment. I would not trust others picking them up and cleaning them as babies skins are quite sensitive we used a hygiene products that are designed for sensitive skins.
Ka kite Ano
We can have low or no carbon footprint larger passengers plane travellers. We just need to invest the time and putea into the new goals of low carbon flights. Solar and batteries are increasingly becoming more efficient made bio fuel for take of and landing and solar and batteries for gliding around Papatuanuku.
This Solar-Powered Plane Can Circle the Globe With No Pollution | That’s Amazing
Some dreams are so fantastic, it takes an unprecedented bid for adventure and glory to see them blossom to fruition. Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg, captivated by the spirit of great expeditions of the past, partnered to make the first flight across the world in a solar-powered plane that produced no pollution. Storing solar energy in batteries, the Solar Impulse is capable of staying aloft indefinitely. However, as Piccard and Borschberg learned, this didn't make the adventure easy—or require any less intrepid heroism from the co-pilots. Ka kite Ano
https://youtu.be/4qbROmxxIOU
Kia Ora Newshub.
Lioyd their is a big shift happening for the better Ma Te Wa.
A bottle return machine /system is needed to protect our environment from the waste they end up becoming.
Ingrid I hope that it doesn't hale to much in my neck of the woods it could damage our solar system.
I say that Manuka Honey should be a Aotearoa only brand they can call there's Tea tree honey.
Ka kite Ano
Kia Ora Te Ao Maori News.
Tauranga Tangata Whenua you would think that the Tauranga council should have a duty to fix some of the wrongs of the past. The whenua is not billions like Tangata Whenua have lost. If they have a humane thought then they will give that whenua to Mana whenua.
That's cool in Tamiki Makaurau the council are putting system in place to get more Maori to vote.
The new app teaching practical life skills is a good idea to teach Rangatahi skills in how putea works and other skills that are needed to thrive in Aotearoa society.
I think it's not acceptable that Iwi data is not available for Tangata Whenua to use to plan for our Mokopuna future.
Ka kite Ano