AM Show news @ 6am: JLR was sectioned. Confirmed that he was taken against his will. Still no report of who called the police in. Tacit denial from the media of our right to know this. Why don’t they just spit the dummy and admit it?
@Ed (1.1.1) … Mitchell an ex cop (and mercenary), appointed recently as JLR’s “minder,” will be very familiar with the mental health act sectioning process!
Until we know who called the police and whether the tapes still exist, people have every right to be suspicious about the timing, convenience and circumstances of JLR’s removal from the public eye.
We question the Saudis when a journalist who challenges the regime disappears.
Is there a reason we can’t ask questions when an MP who was challenging the establishment here is silenced and removed from sight?
+ 1 Ed, Ross releases taped revelations that rock our political establishment when it is found you buy your way in, and then Ross is suddenly sectioned under the mental health act, and NOT by anybody close to him??? You’d be a real sheeple if you thought ok now, lets just think that all is well in politics in NZ and it’s just a little coincidence.
One of the many reasons Labour and Greens lost the election 6 years ago was that when dirty politics came out, they appeared to do nothing, and did not actively try to restore and investigate and criminalise the breaches of justice in NZ.
They were in opposition then, but now they are not.
What are they doing? Sitting on their hands and doing nothing while our political systems burns???
As corruption goes, we get one or two departments covering their arses on an issue. People selling information to private investigators off their own bat.
Multiple organisations and people risking (rather than protecting) their careers to save the opposition party from a scandal? That’s an order of magnitude less likely.
When they were in government, when there were ostensibly crimes to investigate, when they needed to cover the government’s arse (departments, not dunnokeyo), and multiple clinicians weren’t part of the conspiracy.
So only a one-in-ten chance (by your reckons) that corruption is afoot; phew!
Trying to keep calm, but the “Carry on, nothing to see here” message, espoused by unbiased panelist paragons such as Conor English, is unsettling. Because clearly there is something to see here (and I’m not talking about JLR’s mental health, which comments on this site have persuaded me is matter between him and health professionals.)
While we wait to see, many will naturally be wondering what (if anything) authorities may eventually choose to tell us regarding the corrupt dealings of NZ politicians. I fear that all political parties may be circling their wagons.
that’s only 1 in 10 if you think that every single department in every instance is breaking the law to protect its own arse, and every person trusted with personal information will sell it to the first PI who comes asking.
I’d put it more as 0.001 to 0.0001. No point getting your knickers in a twist until Mallard says JLR has been committed but Mallard has been denied access to him.
Call me high-threshold, but I tend to not get too worried at sudden noises (although it has happened once or twice, lol).
What I don’t understand is why some people want to fill a void with the worst-imaginable scenario, rather than simply waiting to see if any key indications occur
I think I get that. There’s a continuum of thresholds for sudden/loud/annoying ‘noises’, as in this exchange:
“Relax, what’s the worst that can happen?”
“Exactly, what’s the worst that can happen!”
I don’t understand why this continuum exists either (although there must be theories), and can only observe that “we’re all different”.
My chief concern is the extent of secret buying and selling of political influence and favours in NZ.
JLR seemed able and prepared to shed some light on political corruption from the inside. Right now he is unable to do so, and I doubt that particular light will shine again.
Which is fair enough; that’s probably the best course of action for JLR. But (IMO), it’s the worst possible outcome for the NZ public.
He shed enough light for folks to start digging. Read somewhere today that it’s been confirmed the donor’s mate is in line for the candidate camp they talked about over the phone.
I personally think that all corruption is a problem and needs to be dealt with.
BTW: 0.0001 of ~ 3 million is 300 corrupt people in the workforce which is a load of bollocks really. I think you’ll find that it’s much higher than that as pretty much all business people in this country happen to be corrupt. Just check out all the ‘cash’ jobs that people do.
From Martin Matthews/Auditor-General, who hired Joanne Harrison who then went on to commit nearly a million dollars of fraud under his nose…. https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/boss-hired-ministry-transport-726-000-fraudster-not-embarrassed to the auditor-general failing to notice Kairpara council was entering into a wastewater scheme nearly making it bankrupt and increasing rates 25% … Louise Nicholas cases, Roastbusters.. so many cases over the years about corruption, stupidity, asleep at the wheel and despicable crimes from officials in power in NZ… and many of them seemingly not being bought to justice…
To right Ed ….. Here’s what Nicky Hager revealed about Nationals dodgy fundraising …. back in the Brash hollow days
““The high value donars gave their donations to trusts, which passed it on anonymously to the party. Over one and a half million was to come in via the Waitemata & Ruahine trusts. Both of PO. Box 2244 Auckland”……” In public senior party mp’s and officials denied knowing the identity of donars, but privately they knew perfectly well who was writing the cheques”…….
The donars were invited to private fundraising dinners….the media was excluded …… a table cost $5000 the tobacco industry brought 2* ………..Don Brash or John Key made the speeches.”
*coincidentally the number of tobacco industry mp’s the nacts had in parliament …. until Todd Barclay started breaking the law ….. and had to leave in a big hush job of a coverup.
At the end Barclays mental health had him too depressed to turn up for work at parliament in his last couple of months …. he took the pay though ….and was seen trying to drown his sorrows in pubs with the unearned cash.
Amanda Gillies, the newsreader, said those two things. I also noticed earlier a couple of other news media reports online saying so. I’d never heard of The Nutters Club!
“Here, people talk about their experiences of being admitted to hospital, in some cases using powers provided by the Mental Health Act 1983, or “being sectioned”. To be sectioned, three people (an Approved Mental Health Professional (AMHP) or nearest relative and two doctors) must agree that the person is suffering from a mental disorder and needs to be detained for assessment or treatment, either for their own safety or the safety of others.” http://www.healthtalk.org/peoples-experiences/mental-health/mental-health-ethnic-minority-experiences/being-sectioned-under-mental-health-act
It is a point worth being reminded of constantly, though.
Otherwise folks might think that the shrill demands for private information are based on a genuine procedural irregularity.
If the search engine worked, it would be funny to see what some current commenters thought of Paula Bennett releasing beneficiaries’ private information.
Yeah the search function being gone is a bit of a bastard really.
But anyway – it seems everyone here clamoring to know the specifics about Ross’s mental health are all doing so to satisfy some dark need of their own rather than because they ‘care’.
Ross will talk when Ross wants to talk and if he wants to talk. That’s that.
The Herald has found a few stories more important than the JLR crisis in its online news.
Sam Whitelock is going to Japan,Megan is sporting Karen Walker sunglasses among the eight tales deemed to go higher up in their news feed.
The editors are following their owners’ orders very well.
“Drastic though it was, the death of art history at the University of Otago was merely the latest in a series of staffing and programme cuts in arts and humanities faculties at universities around New Zealand. Otago cut 16 jobs from its humanities division in 2016, the University of Waikato cut 17 humanities and social sciences teaching roles in 2017, and AUT announced in August this year it planned to cut up to 40 full-time positions from its Society and Culture faculty. The University of Auckland will cut five staff from its School of Language, Linguistics and Culture and ignored furious protests earlier this year when it decided to close three specialist arts libraries.”
“The trend is not isolated to New Zealand: US magazine The Atlantic recently concluded that, after decades of premature predictions, maybe this time a crisis in the humanities could be for real.”
“Certainly in New Zealand, the largest, long-established humanities subjects have suffered steep falls in student numbers. At undergraduate level, literature students fell by a quarter over the past decade. Foreign language departments lost 30 percent of their students. History student numbers declined by 16 percent, and art history and religious studies numbers nearly halved. The patterns are similar at postgraduate levels. All up, those five subjects alone lost nearly 4000 bachelor and postgraduate students between 2008 and 2017.”
“There were 1000 fewer humanities students enrolled in 2017 than in 2008, despite an increase of almost 40,000 students across all degrees and subjects.”
She quotes an academic: “society needs people asking “why” more than ever right now. “We are in the era of fake news … That’s why it’s absolutely crucial to be giving people those educations that enable them to perform that type of critical thinking that involves not taking something at face value – so thinking about what the motivations for presenting it in a particular way are, thinking about what the things that aren’t being said might be – and that’s the bread and butter of humanities education at university level.”
And another: “Vocation isn’t just a job. Vocation is about wanting to make a difference in the world. It’s about enacting positive social change.”
“There’s one strange outlier in the humanities data. Since 2008, the number of students taking sociology as their predominant course of study has increased by 58 percent – an increase so large that the subject now has more enrolments than any other major.” Now that is extremely interesting!
You don’t see international students taking humanities. Let’s face it, Auckland Uni sees itself as catering to the needs to international students first and foremost, with the needs of New Zealand students a distant last. In fact, I reckon they would throw all the kiwi students out and have 100pc internationals if they had their way.
Reflective of governments that have placed the needs of foreigners over the needs of locals.
Yep, and so Auckland Uni’s plummet down the international tables…. and we have massive skills shortages as people, funny enough, don’t want to work in a low wage economy… go figure!
At lease neoliberalism has found yet another way to profit from low skilled people, so we can be a nation of petrol attendants and middle manager placeholders and bad lawyers and engineers who don’t speak or read English too well which is slight disadvantage in that career but atlease they are cheap!
I paid good money at Auckland uni to listen to a climate change denier for several lectures. I queried why he was even there and was told, it’s good to have both sides of the story. This was AFTER international consensus, and he preached that crap like it was gospel and students took lots of notes. Most of those students being internationals, or rich kids aka mini keys.
They’re also dead keen on GE and have fallen for corporate lines and obfuscation hook line and sinker. They push this crap and talk about how we the public are misinformed ninnies who will cost us a fortune in missed opportunities bla bla bla. The MSM are spouting the same shit lately.
Idiots regurgitating idiots. Repeating what they’ve been told or read, towing the corporate line. Gutless and pithy. They deserve to lose their rank.
WeTheBleeple – sad news – under the Natz massive clear out of universities of great lecturers and replaced by neoliberals robot lecturers and management.
Spot on millsy. I always saw ripping off foreign students as a cheat’s way of boosting the criminal underfunding dealt out to our Education system right from when that ripping off was introduced under the supposedly ‘progressive’ reforms done during the 80s and 90s.
Ripping off foreigners by profiteering out of them using the good reputation of our Education system is leading to its natural outcome: the ruination of our Education system.
The Economy makes a very good servant, but a very bad master. We still need most people to understand that, it seems.
We could probably have a good complain about the world today … or the supremacy of monetised instrumental rationality or somesuch.
But seriously who reads novels now?
In fact who reads now?
I am sure we few are still the guardians of the galaxy, but as for all the rest …
If humanities are still in decline when this government has made the first year of study free, maybe they need to reflect on what they are offering since they can’t even give it away.
Going to uni is not something that is like fast food. If the humanities remain funded and are respected by a healthy culture in society they will attract the students who will gain in wisdom from them, and some will find them a vocation.
Unfortunately our culture is based on materialistic aspects, like thinking about milk production, and as everyone knows milk goes sour very quickly.
If the humanities remain funded and are respected by a healthy culture in society they will attract the students who will gain in wisdom from them, and some will find them a vocation.
It’s the respect that’s missing. When people get abused and insulted for studying humanities then people simply won’t do it. Same goes for work really.
Unfortunately, young people have been indoctrinated to think that only STEM subjects lead to personal prosperity. Even those who’re still passionate about the Humanities are worried that their job prospects won’t be good enough; critical thinking won’t afford them to buy their first home in a main centre, the EV, and family holidays in Fiji. Sociology makes them more employable, it seems.
(3) He’s not too bright: he failed his U.E. not once but TWICE, and he thinks it’s funny to bawl out in parliament: “Who IS this Edmund Burke? Who IS this Edmund Burke?”
Good grief. Where do newspapers find these fucking idiots?
So Lyn Webster thinks that a parasite rentier class is no more than just reward for hard work. let’s take a look at her ridiculous argument.
“….The premise behind a capital gains tax is that people who work pay tax but people that get income from investing in capital – ie: shares, farms, rental properties etc do not and that this is somehow unfair….”
So, let’s start with a straw man shall we Lyn? I mean why not, the rest of your piece is bullshit so let’s start as we mean to go on. But anyway, actually the main argument for a CGT is that the current tax system has at least contributed to rampant property speculation, encourages the creation of a parasiste rentier class that sucks dynamism out of the economy and ties up far to much of the nations wealth in fixed assets that do not contribute to growth.
“…Everyone is entitled to live their life as they see fit. But why should the more astute person who perhaps sacrificed a bit of fun for hard work and saving, be made to pay a capital gains tax? Haven’t they earned their gains..?”
Except that money makes money and in an undynamic economy dominated by a risk averse rent seeking elite the most likely indicator of social class and economic status is going to be who your parents are, not how hard you work.
“…Political correctness prevents us from saying dole-bludger or beneficiary or loser…”
But hey,. you’ll say it anyway, you bigoted arsewipe.
“…Unfortunately it seems the Government of the day appears to have lost sight of the purpose of hard mahi, business and investment, preferring to dole out handouts from a ‘never ending’ money tree to whoever fits the ‘criteria’…”
Seriously? This sentence… this sentence… it’s unoriginal talkback banality makes me want to bang my head on a wall until the pain of reading her column stops. This sentence offends at very least because this stuck up piece of bourgeois shit appropriates Maori – the language of a people oppressed and colonised by people like her – to support her argument.
“…When did working hard and having financial success became a dirty word in New Zealand..?”
Ummmm, how about never, you entitled dumb idiot?
Like I said, where the fuck do they find these people????
I’m not a fan of any taxes that rely on taxable income. With loopholes galore and not catering for globalism and the rise in offshore tax havens and buying multiple citizenships around the world, get any taxes immediately with no ability for people to pay less (stamp duty, petrol taxes, rates, financial transaction taxes…)
The article’s argument fell down for me as soon as the author hypothesised that the reason for a CGT was a government adviser looking for something to tax to pay for growing superannuation costs.
The author ignored the concept that income should be taxable, no matter how it is gained.
The author then got onto the ‘hard-earned’ meme which as she stated it is a version of the Protestant work ethic idea that wealth is a sign that God approves of our actions, and that wealth accrued comes from ‘hard work’, which in itself a God-blessed activity. It’s a self-justifying argument. She ignored the fact that capital gains are unearned income, at least in the sense of what most people consider what work is, let alone hard work.
She also introduced the canard that poverty is down to the poor not being hard workers and who made poor decisions. Another self-serving 19th century concept of the ‘undeserving poor’.
To my mind, Lyn’s view is totally perverse and upside-down. The one thing that should never be taxed is the income earned by one’s work. That should be utterly sacred. Webster is a Flat-Earther.
Individual income should be hallowed as tax-free in the way that she thinks capital gains should be.
On the other hand, it would be totally moral to impose taxes on everything else: capital gains, GST, import duties, transaction tax, etc.
But the only thing that should be sacred is the money that one has individually earned. I wonder if Webster has ever thought seriously.
Clearly Lyn Webster hit a particularly sensitive spot there Sanctuary, but could you temper the invective just a tad?
Marama Fox pretty much espoused the same opinion about CGT prior the the 2017…I must trawl back and see if you leveled the same hate on her…
Lyn Webster is one of those tough, strong, resourceful women who refuses to stay down and beg and chooses to get up fight back. I enjoy reading her many writings, and respect her for her resilience. I happen to largely disagree about her take on CGT, but I can see where it comes from.
Many, many years of hard fucking graft and sacrifice.
Not sure how being a hard worker should insulate someone from being called out for a shit opinion.
This whole section is a load of shit
“Imagine if two people were given the same amount of money to do what they liked with. One person worked hard and studied, sacrificed their social life, had respectful habits in not drinking or smoking or over eating, saved diligently and set goals resulting in being able to invest in a rental property which over time grew into a profitable portfolio of rental properties.
The other person was more YOLO and spent up large on home appliances, skipped between jobs, partied up large, travelled, abused their body a bit and ended up broke, on the sickness benefit – easy enough mistakes to make.
Everyone is entitled to live their life as they see fit. But why should the more astute person who perhaps sacrificed a bit of fun for hard work and saving, be made to pay a capital gains tax? Haven’t they earned their gains?”
It is nullified by her own statement earlier in the article
“Maybe it was you or maybe it was a long ago relative that worked hard, recognised an opportunity and made some money out of it.”
If she wants to go on a benne bashing rant but can’t even keep her own argument consistent through such a short article then where does she earn the deference you seem to think she deserves?
Okay. You and Sanctuary are right. In everything you say and every opinion you espouse. Behind, of course, the safety of anonymity. Strong brave people that you are.
There is a growing school of thought that if through hard work and careful spending and very simple living one can release oneself from the yoke of benefit dependency then true freedom from the tyranny of governments with their transient beneficence is possible.
That school of thought is a myth that serves people who would pay CGT.
A living wage would lift people out of “benefit dependency” by recognising the hard work and careful spending they already do. Most people on a benefit already use “careful spending”, because it doesn’t pay enough to offset the harm caused by a society with structural unemployment of 6-8%.
I call it how I see it, and all I see is whiny rural wannabe toff with a bad case of exceptionalism and all the intellectual heft of a Spaniel with a bad hangover.
Why has the so called Media not told us who incarcerated Mr Ross against his will. Are they yet again covering for the blindly Biased Herald, for a Political Party, for a Caucus, for a Chinese Donor, for a Foreigner? For a snide Guyon ? For a twisted Speaker perhaps?
Yesterday, Slater replied to one of his commenters that a National MP did it. We now need a question asked in parliament to identify that MP. We need to target the responsibility precisely where it belongs. That person cannot escape being made politically accountable for their persecution of JLR.
While JLR’s state of health is none of my business, I do want to know who was responsible for having JLR sectioned to a mental health unit and on whose authority was this action carried out!
Yep, but does not sound like the job they were doing was for Ross wellbeing but for the Natz… in that context of course it should be public knowledge, the guy did not voluntarily put himself there and someone released to the media that he was committed, and so the next question should be, who did it and what links they have to the Natz…(or Chinese billionaires)
It doesn’t matter who did it and it isn’t your business. It’s for Ross and his family to decide what information goes publicly, and satisfying commentators at the standard is probably low on the list.
And it doesn’t matter who called it in because Ross will have been assessed by a team of medical professionals to decide whether it is appropriate to section him. If he is sectioned then there is a very good reason. They don’t just do it because of someone’s day so.
Yes, these days money buys anything.. and checking people’s qualifications are legitimate, isn’t a given…
Questions linger over fake psychiatrist
“The father of a mental health patient who died is asking how a fake psychiatrist was able to treat patients for six months before he was stopped.
Mohamed Siddiqui has admitted using false qualifications to work as a psychiatrist in 2015.
He pleaded guilty in Hamilton District Court yesterday to four charges, including using forged documents, obtaining a licence by deception, and receiving a salary and expenses while working as a psychiatrist for Waikato District Health Board.
DHB member Dave Macpherson, whose son Nicky Stevens died while under the care of the DHB’s mental health services, said it was worrying Siddiqui was a member of a mental health crisis team seeing people in vulnerable and dangerous situations.”
+1 to both your and John Selway’s comments above, with the proviso that the support is genuine and reliable – not of the nature of some names that have been mentioned.
It doesn’t really matter because whomever did obviously had reason to do so.
Even if it was Bridges himself whatever reason he did so was serious enough that mental health professionals thought the best option was to section Ross.
But the reason might not be for the benefit of JLR but for the National party. That’s the point.
The medical professionals might just be covering themselves. If they don’t section someone and something goes wrong then they are stuffed. So, for their own benefit, they err on the side of caution.
The bar for sectioning someone is very fucking high. It isn’t done ‘just to err on the side of caution’.
What happens would be that the seriously recommend you stay and if you don’t you have to sign a waver to the affect the medical professionals have no liability and you are checking yourself out despite the opinion you should really stay.
I’ve done it.
Again – you won’t be sectioned unless you really need it. Not just a ‘let’s cover our asses’ because you are effectively imprisoning someone. The bar is damned damned fucking high
John you and I and a few others who work and know this area know you are correct. I’m going to suggest you have a think about the point of continuing to try and counter the speculations. Here’s the point – look after yourself. None of the people here are going to change, they have other agendas. They dont care about the angle on this that you do. They just don’t and won’t get it. Imo You are not going to convince anyone simply because they are not thinking about it in the same way as you. Look after yourself. The commenters and posters here won’t.
But John, listen to marty mars. He works in mental health, as do some others here. What he has said is spot on. Far better than I have been trying to say to you earlier in talking about hitting my head, etc. I have just had to take an hour out and breathe deeply, as I have been putting up links for months on the role of NZ Police these days as the first line of response to mental health emergencies – again a waste of time as evidenced by munro’s comments again this afternoon. It – and they – are just not worth it.
Have other commitments for the next few hours, so out of here thankfully. Take care, JS – and MM
Thanks man – I take your comments seriously.
I may not work in mental health but I have been part of the system for some 15 – 20 years so know a few things…
Interesting. Is this the TVNZ newsreader?? Slater just posted this online, block-quotes his call for legalisation, interspersed with his own comments. If so, remarkable for such an archetypal conservative dude. I cut stories for him quite often at TVNZ, wouldn’t say boo to a goose. Maybe times are a-changin’…
Was checking to see if he had an update, but no. Yesterday’s “National’s hit job puts JLR into care” got 241 comments. Slater’s response to one: “A National MP called the police.” Legally entitled to take out the whistle-blower. Here’s a sample:
“I have worked in the psychiatric field for over 40 years and I can recall no admission to hospital for people suffering mental illness being a police matter that warranted constant repetition by the media unless the patient had caused significant threat to the public. … His work colleagues knew of this, and had known this for some time. It would seem the screw was deliberately turned at a time when it would do the most damage and that began with the so called investigation over the leak. … IMHO JLR was as much set up for a fall as the author of his own destruction.”
One referred to JLR & advisors, provoking this response from Slater: “What advisors? You guys really don’t get it do you. This was JLR acting alone, from a position of fear and destruction, put there by the concerted and planned hit job on him.”
Different commenter: “There are others pulling strings in the back ground.” Slater: “No there aren’t. The only string pulling has been done by Bennett.”
Someone else: “the fact that the ‘establishment’ in the National Party were so threatened by what JLR knew shows that they would stop at nothing to silence him. That it took its toll on the already vulnerable JLR is not surprising. What we should be concerned about is the stranglehold of the National Party’s inner circle, who seem to be confirming their own lack of conscience and accountability with every day that passes. This festering sore needs to be cauterised – and as soon as possible. We need a new conservative political party we can trust, and who we can all get behind wholeheartedly. Our future depends upon it.”
I found another interesting bit. Someone asked “So what was the issue that started this; the clash between Bridges and Ross all about? Slater: “It is call a conscience. Eventually the pressure of the dirty deeds breaks them. Then the truth comes out.”
I agree. Ambitious young politician does the job his party wants, follows instructions, realises it’s morally wrong, gets disgusted, internal pressure builds, becomes a whistle-blower due to conscience.
Yeah, with Slater one’s default position wouldn’t be truth! But I’m inclined to take him at face value in the context here. As I commented, it makes sense in respect of conscience driving Ross after the tipping point.
I’m also seeing divergence of Ross from a theoretical cabal involving Lusk etc. He could have been taking advice from anyone like that earlier, then felt insufficient support or common ground, so the lone wolf behaviour kicked in.
Keep in mind that after leaving school he went straight to standing for council and got in on the youth vote, then was successful in imposing accountability on Len Brown. Such success in formative years would create & define character.
It looks increasingly likely that Australia will take up our offer to settle refugees off Nauru soon.
It was a big issue with voters in Wentworth and the new MP Kerryn Phelps has said it’s her priority as she heads to Canberra. PM Scott Morrison has changed tack and said he’d support resettlement to NZ provided laws can be enacted preventing them from onward travel to Australia. He has received unexpected support from Gillian Triggs (a great Australian!) who has said that while she deplores the discriminatory nature of the ban has said that it’s better than doing nothing. Labor leader Bill Shorten has just rescinded Labor’s opposition to the travel ban. https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/politics/federal/labor-moves-to-end-stalemate-over-refugee-families-held-on-nauru-20181022-p50ba8.html
Has backfired on the Natz as now although Ross sounds like a horrible piece of work, you start to feel sorry for him and more concerned that he has been silenced against his will… to the benefit of the Natz and the billionaire donors of course.
. sorry do we live in NZ where this is allowed to happen while our centre left government takes a seat and does nothing? Clearly all the wails of must do something about mental health fall away, when they let this happen and go la la la
Australia’s behaviour on this issue has been, and continues to be appalling of course but the main thing is to get those families off Nauru so I’m inclined to agree with Gillian Triggs here.
Seeing the sign ” New Zealand is a corrupt polluted tax haven “, in a photo of Penny Brights funeral service … spurred me to write a series of posts in tribute …. starting with a Woman … who possibly even Penny admired.
A Corrupt Corruption Index.
Clare Rewcastle Brown was central to the exposure of the multi billion 1MDB state theft and corruption crimes …
To date it is the largest single example of state fraud / theft …. and has resulted in the largest asset seizure actions in the usa ….. with a NZ connection.
The recently defeated and former Malaysian Prime Minister has been arrested.
Sarawak Report and its corruption fighting author / journalist has also pointed out the falseness of the world corruption index rankings …. by dint of Malaysia s placing on it.
“Malaysia’s place on the world wide Index of corrupt countries fell from 55 to sixty something last year….. “The sad truth of the matter is that Malaysia should be at the bottom of this world index of corrupt countries. How many other countries have a mega criminal as Prime Minister and a Parliament content to do whatever he tells it to do or not to do? Or a Court system which ignores justice in favour of covering the criminal activities of the head of government.”
Maybe NZ has a false high ranking…. a confidence trick penny bright could see through
Clare Rewcastle Brown through repeated articles and numerous examples …. shows how New Zealand is involved with the largest crimes in the world ….. Calling out Judith Collins and John Shewan as either dishonest or inept while she does so .http://www.sarawakreport.org/search/?q=New+Zealand&lang=en&page=1
If our media keep us ignorant about the corrupt corporations, companies and individuals using or exploiting New Zealand …..
And instead we receive repeated reporting that we are the least corrupt country in the world…
Could this cause us to look directly at something, and not see it for what it is ?….
examples
http://bealeness.tumblr.com/post/31987806819/the-basics-behind-the-winebox-inquiry “The insider trades continued throughout the whole privatization process and one man in particular, Michael Fay, became the master of executing deals, which in most countries would be illegal due to “conflict of interests” and also “insider trading” through the possession of forward information. ”
or
” Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy insists “They are finished products, I have seen some fantastic-looking kauri swamp logs being carved and they’re going to be an amazing feature for our country and an international country that they’re destined for. So we manage it very, very closely.” Really? Documents obtained under the Official Information Act by the NEPS are claimed to show that in fact, mandatory information was missing from some 80 per cent of MPI intention-to-export notices processed in 2013.” … https://publicaddress.net/envirologue/swamp-monsters-the-looting-of-northlands/
or
NZ Herald — ” when to remove a contentious exemption of professional services firms – mostly lawyers, accountants and real estate agents – from being covered by anti-money laundering laws passed in 2009.” …. ” the professional services sector was now more attractive to criminals and “potentially provides a ‘road map’ for would-be money launderers”.
That poll is a week old and had a very small sample of only 900, most of the polling outfits in America sample 1500 people. There’s been plenty of polls out since that one that have his approval ratings in the low 40s where it’s been stuck since the election. It’s possible that poll captured an uptick for Trump and Republicans from the Kavanaugh confirmation but the effect from that has already started to wane.
Take a look at fivethirtyeight.
Points for trying. But I think what the polls tell us is that Americans who intend to vote are wisely ignoring all of the partisan rubbish that’s thrown at them from all sides and are making up their own mind about the performance of their president.
Maybe some sort of standard for MPs needs to be implemented, like you can’t be an MP unless you’re 30+ and have at least five years work experience outside of government/university
“and have at least five years work experience outside of government/university”
If we are making such stipulations then we could add:
– at least five years working outside the private sector – preferably in a not for profit organisation
– never set foot in a university business school
– etc.
Then again, any such stipulations are plainly idiotic and simply demonstrate the biases of the stipulator.
I agree, as the article we have a greater representation then we’ve ever had…as long as you went to university so it would be good to have more views from more walks of life
There’s a reason most politicians these days went to university: the bums on seats approach to university education in the 1990s combined with the fact that being able to write 1200 words and give a presentation are key skills for politicians, not so much for checkout operators or plumbers.
Keep proportionality of 50-60 list MPs, but also make electorates much smaller in size, say 10,000 voters or so. 200-300 seat parliament (if my math is in the ballpark).
How would that encourage more non-uni types to join, sounds like it’d cost a helluva lot more unless you’re decreasing the pay (which would be ok with me) and all we’d get is more of the same
Because it would encourage more local representation and make electorate campaigns cheaper. More akin to local councils. And I’m sure there’d be some electorates where degrees are thin on the ground.
I’d like to see a ballot made up of ordinary people in parliament based on a jury system who are called up for duty for a period of time … not more MP’s … the public having more say…
Fuck no. Jury members can be objected to, and with good reason.
I think smaller community representatives are the way to go, which either means more MPs or going bi-cameral.
Call me a snob, but more direct democracy turns into rabble-rousing, where you end up with things like minaret bans and contradictory policies being implemented by referenda.
But if everyone knows their MP is just down the block, it’s easier to give them a piece of one’s mind.
Don’t agree, Jurys get better results in general, and the ordinary folks seems a lot smarter than the mentality of the MP’s in parliament these days. Many are scum.
And lawyers get to object to specific people being on a jury, no questions asked.
Juries are also vulnerable to dominant personalities, systemic bias, etc.
If we paid politicians less and had them more accountable to smaller electorates, they’d be less inclined to play games. Be too much of a dick, become unseated.
Do you only like Democracy when it agrees with you. Eh?
By the way, church bells waking people up early on Sunday mornings, have been banned in New Zealand for some time.
I’m disappointed to see thatMatthew Hooton’s not going to be on RNZ in his usual slot this morning. I was looking forward to his endless extolling of Simon Bridges’ performance in the last fortnight.
Guess I’ll Just have to content myself with Trish Sherson doing it.
IIRC Hooton is in the UK for about three months or so, doing a “quickie” Masters degree or something along those lines. Been there since about the beginning of Sept or thereabouts, although still doing some of his media stuff (eg Herald articles) from afar.
It has actually been quite refreshing to hear the various substitutes that have been on Nine to Noon – mostly young bright females* who have come across well IMO despite their political leanings!
I too find it refreshing too hear some young, bright women, instead of ignorant old white fellers promoted beyound their competence level. Being an old white feller myself they really annoy me. Giving us a bad name.
Same in Parliament. People like Golriz Gahramen, Chloe Swarbrick and Kiri Allen are exceptional. Gives me hope for the future.
Not meant as any criticism of you at all. Just a totally unconnected senior moment on my part when I typed ‘woman’ because I had seen these two terms being totally misused elsewhere a few minutes beforehand and let the steam out – in the wrong place.
But punctiliously correct! I would have missed that… and I think you will often find spellcheck recommending the wrong option in such cases. We pedants are doomed..
If Hooton is away getting some sort of further educational qualification does that mean he’ll come back as a not ignorant old white feller promoted beyond his competence level?
Great comment KJT
“ignorant old white fellers promoted beyound their competence level. Being an old white feller myself they really annoy me. Giving us a bad name.”
yes , when you recognise the same old arguments and claims and you know they dont work anymore so its good to hear new voices.
I hope Sherson stays. Her bullshit is obvious, whereas Hooton shapes his horseshit quite carefully for the average punter to swallow. Dangerous wee fellow.
Totally disagree with this whitewash (below) from Jacinda, to preserve transparency the point is that EVERY donation should be recorded, even if it is tea towel, dinner or what have you. I’m tired of all these pretty legal ways of avoiding showing your political donations… even a $ should be public knowledge, and defiantly wining and dining, Bridges style!
It ain’t that hard when you take the money to also record who gave it! Much easier than having people buying and hiding political influence which is clearly what is rife in NZ which is certainly putting people off believing in the government.
At the end of the day if it is allowed to be wiped under the carpet that Bridges and Ross were plotting to divide donations then they should be prosecuted under the law and the loophole stopped. Its obviously rife and still nothing done about it.
Trump gained power by telling people he was going to be draining the swamp while the Democrats said, ‘what swamp’?
I’m also tired of being hit up for donations on anything to do with politics – they seem more like money grubbers desperate for funds that actually a likeable party the uses the public funds that are given to them, wisely. Again it is the rise of neoliberalism…. this ideas that they need money to win, rather than ethics or likability and the actual point of politics is supposed to make things better for people in the country not themselves and offshore billionaires.
Same should be happening with local government and they should not be allowed to be taking unsolicited unpaid trips to China or anywhere else! If they want to go, they pay for it themselves, or better still, don’t go!
From Granny…
“When asked about whether the anonymity of donors should remain, Adern questioned the practicality of such a change.
“We then have to look at the vast number, not the numerical value, but the number of our donations which actually come from quite small donations online and things like someone buying a tea towel or sausage sizzle.
“I know that sounds benign but literally that is a part of the way we gather our donations, so would we want a system where, if you made a $10 donation online, you would have to then be on a public register? a) that would be quite unwieldy and b) I think it would probably put people off supporting democracy,” Adern said.”
“would we want a system where, if you made a $10 donation online, you would have to then be on a public register? a) that would be quite unwieldy and b) I think it would probably put people off supporting democracy”
…. yes that attitude has now made our democracy a joke where ethnicities that ‘give’ the most get to be MP’s… and changing our political system to be openly Kleptocratic to the point ethnicities are valued on who much donations it is anticipated they bring in…
aka Two Chinese MP’s are with more than two Indians…
Personally I’d like to see, the identity of any donation so that those for example who buy up 100,000 tea towels or give 100,000 $10 donations, can be examined… in the context of their overall donations and links to those donations…
I can’t imagine any good kiwi employer would ever penalise a worker for donating to a party he saw as anti business savey, even if the worker wasn’t a mate. So a public register of contributors would be fine and dandy.
parties want to hide donors , as it gives them control over the amount of donations.
They will tell you that $100k is gets someone on the list and then find that an Indian Mp connections gave a lot less !
Now you might ask, where I got the idea that some ethnicitys were worth more than others.
And maybe you would bypass that employer if you knew they were a big donator to a certain party… it already is there in the law to show your donations, the difference is that there are ways for donations to be hidden.. I think in NZ it is even more important because we are currently having our assets bought up… and so people are amassing hundreds of millions of property for example and buying influence even their way into parliament!
You have to declare even a few coins to the tax department theoretically, so in general people are used to having to account for money…. also if in these meetings the people then start getting lucrative concessions by government at least it can be tracked back… an average person I don’t think fears that their donation is public of a few dollars, but people who are playing the system will and those who donate big money to both Labour and National or just one or the other for example can be tracked back and it will ensure that there is no favouritism.
Otherwise we go the American way.
Even in OZ they are concerned at big business (banks) and foreign donations… here in NZ the power interest say… oh too hard, nothing to see here…
Some people will most certainly be concerned if their name and address is made public because they gave a local branch a few dollars.
If you want to track the big money, track the big money. Don’t make every political organisation provide a list of all people who turn up to a meeting and chipped in a few coins.
The point is, they can’t track the big money, because there is so many loopholes. They need to close the loopholes.
So what, people may not donate a few coins, sounds better to me, than allowing $100k to buy your right to be an MP and have donors slipping into smaller denominations to hide their donations!
Note this is not the first time aka John Banks being convicted for hiding donations (and then weirdly without another trial unconvicted by the evidence of a US citizen who do not come forward for years, hmmmm bit like the rich lister drug importer yesterday having his conviction quashed, justice is clearly for sale if you are rich and connected, like our MPs and our political system).
I think we all know there will be no justice in NZ over this and nobody will be convicted of fraud on not declaring the donations and put in prison, even though there is taped evidence and presumably Ross is a witness…
So essentially it works for our politicians to hide the donations so they will keep doing it, and even when caught the politician and donor will get away with it.
ISTR the loophole banks exploited was that he got outed after the statute of limitations for the I didn’t do my job offence had passed. Then he had to be nailed down for knowingly signing a false return. He managed to reasonably argue (on appeal) that he had signed it without knowing the contents.
Easy enough to fix – extend or eliminate the statute of limitations for that offence.
Donation splitting is an issue, but can be worked around. Lower the anonymous threshold to $1,000. Audit a percentage of the donations via bank records. Generally make it more trouble than it’s worth.
Increasing the workload of branch treasurers would push people out of politcal participation, as well as the privacy thing. And the rich will still make donations.
Buy a fund raiser T shirt from a campaign and your details are taken, including your employers name .
Regarding banning corporate donations, thats the rule surprisingly in US.
Just means they donate to ‘Super Pacs and even the relevant Party Senate or Congressional campaign committee- who then funds politician.
Yeah, or runs advertising against their candidate’s opponents.
The pac/superpac thing really took off after the Citizens United case which removed campaign spending limits for organisations. We don’t have that constraint.
“I would love a situation where we didn’t have to campaign and fundraise for our campaigns, but we do. I don’t think there is a social license that exists out there for us to have state funding,”
yes there is, how do they know that? The average person wants democracy and not people buying power.
(The Greens apparently ask their MP’s to give part of their salaries to fund the party, unlike the Natz who it seems require $100k up front to become an MP, and presumably then request as many ‘donations’ as possible in return for favourable outcomes or order of NZ awards and then rank the ethnicities that deliver on those donations).
There has been talk of what information people are entitled to in a person’s medical file.
Did you know that were a person to die from surgery without an executor and you took a complaint to the Health and Disability Commissioner (HDC) to investigate, the HDC can limit medical information you recieve from the DHB?
A dead person has no rights and they are not able to question aspects of their care or their death.
The only available options are to do an official information act (OIA) request for missing medical information, or apply to the court for a certificate to become an executor.
Once the coroner’s office closes the file, it can only be reopened if you ask and request the high court or the solicitor general to do so. I am not sure if this is an appeal process.
The coroner’s office does not need to see or include in their cause of death the treatment injury form.
Really hard to get the details from ACC but a woman felt sorry for me and told me that a treatment injury was on file with ACC. I do not know what ICU wrote.
I cannot provide any more information as the situation is current. Other than to say it was routine surgery and everything that could have gone wrong did.
I think it was unrelated to JLR. he was just giving out info from the two people sacked from the board by Clark-
These things happened under the previous board,…. some of whom have now gone.
well i have been watching WO during this (purely scientific research you understand) and i believe i know what he is up to. Have a look at his bogus poll (of WO subscribers) I think he plans for the “new conservatives” to become the alt nat coalition party.
Fancy that, Nikki Kaye at her petulant worst in Parliament today. Maybe she saw her name on some of the lists as a replacement for Bridges and wants to make her mark as a tough one.
Yes well if Greens and Labour had been more organised we could have been rid of her as an electorate MP as they both got more votes combined in Auckand Central.
She is useless, even had someone I know voting blue, complaining about her when he went to try and get some help from the Natz. Clearly he didn’t know you need to pay ahem donate, to get any traction from them these days.
Lisa Owens is on now tonight for Checkpoint. She is the takeover from John Campbell. Says she has something from the MP who was in a relationship with JLR. Lisa is a sharp interviewer.
Well. Lisa started telling about an email/text that was sent to JLR by the Nat MP who was having an affair with him. It ended with “I hope that you die.” The expected report stopped abruptly…. and switched to different topic.
ianmac I replied to you along the same lines but keep getting a “timed out” message.
Yes, there was something fishy there. She came back to the original story 15 mins later sans the bit about the abusive email sent to JLR in August. My guess is there was a last minute call from someone linked to National threatening RNZ if they pursued the story.
Could someone look at the edit function. It’s playing up again.
WTF is going on? It’s like the worse cover up ever. I wish we had some decent media in this country, you know it’s bad if you have to check WO for information.
Beaten, stabbed and burned alive:
The Venezuelan opposition forces in action.
I recommend anyone who wants to understand what is being perpetrated against the people of Venezuela by the United States regime, to watch all of this video, which completely demolishes unfunny propagandamedian John Oliver.
Especially watch the segment beginning at the 36:30 mark.
The lynching of Orlando Figueroa begins at the 39:57 mark. (John Oliver calls this “pretty fucking restrained!”)
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Climate change is expected to generate more and more extreme events, delivering a sort of structural shock to inflation that central banks will have to react to as if they were short-term cyclical issues. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s ...
It’s a simple deal. We pay taxes in order to finance the social services we want and need. The carnage now occurring across the public sector though, is breaking that contract. Over 3,000 jobs have been lost so far. Many are in crucial areas like Education where the impact of ...
Hi,A friend had their 40th over the weekend and decided to theme it after Curb Your Enthusiasm fashion icon Susie Greene. Captured in my tiny kitchen before I left the house, I ending up evoking a mix of old lesbian and Hillary Clinton — both unintentional.Me vs Hillary ClintonIf you’re ...
This is a re-post from Andrew Dessler at the Climate Brink blogIn 2023, the Earth reached temperature levels unprecedented in modern times. Given that, it’s reasonable to ask: What’s going on? There’s been lots of discussions by scientists about whether this is just the normal progression of global warming or if something ...
The schools are on holiday and the sun is shining in the seaside village and all day long I have been seeing bunches of bikes; Mums, Dads, teens and toddlers chattering, laughing, happy, having a bloody great time together. Cheers, AT, for the bits of lane you’ve added lately around the ...
Today in our National-led authoritarian nightmare: Shane Jones thinks Ministers should be above the law: New Zealand First MP Shane Jones is accusing the Waitangi Tribunal of over-stepping its mandate by subpoenaing a minister for its urgent hearing on the Oranga Tamariki claim. The tribunal is looking into the ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
The Government’s newly announced review of methane emissions reduction targets hints at its desire to delay Aotearoa New Zealand’s urgent transition to a climate safe future, the Green Party said. ...
The Government must commit to the Maitai School building project for students with high and complex needs, to ensure disabled students from the top of the South Island have somewhere to learn. ...
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey and his Government colleagues have made a meal of their mental health commitments, showing how flimsy their efforts to champion the issue truly are, says Labour Mental Health spokesperson Ingrid Leary. ...
Māori are yet to see anything from this Government except cuts, reversals and taking our people backwards, Māori Development spokesperson Willie Jackson said. ...
The Coalition Government’s refusal to commit to ongoing funding for social housing is seeing the sector pull back on developments and families watch their dreams of securing a home fade away, says Labour Housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty. ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector. "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today paid tribute to Singapore’s outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Meeting in Singapore today immediately before Prime Minister Lee announced he was stepping down, Prime Minister Luxon warmly acknowledged his counterpart’s almost twenty years as leader, and the enduring legacy he has left for Singapore and South East ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. While in Singapore as part of his visit to South East Asia this week, Prime Minister Luxon also met with Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and will meet with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has made further appointments to the Board of Antarctica New Zealand as part of a continued effort to ensure the Scott Base Redevelopment project is delivered in a cost-effective and efficient manner. The Minister has appointed Neville Harris as a new member of the Board. Mr ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis will travel to the United States on Tuesday to attend a meeting of the Five Finance Ministers group, with counterparts from Australia, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. “I am looking forward to meeting with our Five Finance partners on how we can work ...
The coalition Government has today announced purrfect and pawsitive changes to the Residential Tenancies Act to give tenants with pets greater choice when looking for a rental property, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Pets are important members of many Kiwi families. It’s estimated that around 64 per cent of New ...
State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the Government has also asked NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) to consider and provide advice on a Long Tunnel option, Transport Minister Simeon Brown ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters have condemned Iran’s shocking and illegal strikes against Israel. “These attacks are a major challenge to peace and stability in a region already under enormous pressure," Mr Luxon says. "We are deeply concerned that miscalculation on any side could ...
Hundreds of people in little over a week have turned out in Northland to hear Regional Development Minister Shane Jones speak about plans for boosting the regional economy through infrastructure. About 200 people from the infrastructure and associated sectors attended an event headlined by Mr Jones in Whangarei today. Last ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has today thanked outgoing Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora Chair Dame Karen Poutasi for her service on the Board. “Dame Karen tendered her resignation as Chair and as a member of the Board today,” says Dr Reti. “I have asked her to ...
The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has signalled their proposed delivery approach for the Government’s 15 Roads of National Significance (RoNS), with the release of the State Highway Investment Proposal (SHIP) today, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Boosting economic growth and productivity is a key part of the Government’s plan to ...
New Zealand is renewing its connections with a world facing urgent challenges by pursuing an active, energetic foreign policy, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “Our country faces the most unstable global environment in decades,” Mr Peters says at the conclusion of two weeks of engagements in Egypt, Europe and the United States. “We cannot afford to sit back in splendid ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced the Australian Governor-General, His Excellency General The Honourable David Hurley and his wife Her Excellency Mrs Linda Hurley, will make a State visit to New Zealand from Tuesday 16 April to Thursday 18 April. The visit reciprocates the State visit of former Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced that Medsafe has approved 11 cold and flu medicines containing pseudoephedrine. Pharmaceutical suppliers have indicated they may be able to supply the first products in June. “This is much earlier than the original expectation of medicines being available by 2025. The Government recognised ...
New Zealand and the United States have recommitted to their strategic partnership in Washington DC today, pledging to work ever more closely together in support of shared values and interests, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The strategic environment that New Zealand and the United States face is considerably more ...
April 11, 2024 Joint Declaration by United States Secretary of State the Honorable Antony J. Blinken and New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs the Right Honourable Winston Peters We met today in Washington, D.C. to recommit to the historic partnership between our two countries and the principles that underpin it—rule ...
By Koroi Hawkins, RNZ Pacific editor in Honiara Solomon Islands’ incumbent prime minister Manasseh Sogavare has been re-elected in the East Choiseul constituency. It is the opening move in the political chess match to form the country’s next government. Returning officer Christopher Makoni made the declaration late last night after ...
Headline: The moment of friction. – 36th Parallel Assessments In strategic studies “friction” is a term that it is used to describe the moment when military action encounters adversary resistance. “Friction” is one of four (along with an unofficial fifth) “F’s” in military strategy, which includes force (kinetic mass), ...
The Fast-track Bill, if passed, would allow three Ministers, unchallenged and unchecked, to approve the immediate extraction and exhaustion of one-off resources. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Duckett, Honorary Enterprise Professor, School of Population and Global Health, and Department of General Practice and Primary Care, The University of Melbourne iamharin/Shutterstock For many people, the term “bulk billed” refers to a GP visit they don’t have to pay ...
Emmas Hislop, Sidnam and Wehipeihana discuss what’s in a name. Emma Sidnam: Hello Emmas! Thank you so much for agreeing to do this with me. My first question for you is related to what’s been on my mind for a while. It’s very important. You see we’ve recently had some ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Sievers, Research Fellow, Global Wetlands Project, Australia Rivers Institute, Griffith University Chris Brown Humans love the coast. But we love it to death, so much so we’ve destroyed valuable coastal habitat – in the case of some types of habitat, ...
Josh Thomson on the 80s milk ad jingle he can’t stop singing, the beauty of The Simpsons, why Jersey Shore is as good as Shakespeare and more. For someone who spends a lot of time on our screens, popping up in everything from 7 Days to Taskmaster, Educators to Good ...
In apparent defiance of the Biden administration, the Netanyahu government has now initiated missile strikes against Iran. Last Saturday night (Sunday morning in New Zealand) Iran launched more than 300 drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles against Israeli military targets. With the assistance of US, UK and possibly French forces, ...
Māori representation brings a perspective that encompasses not only the interests of Māori communities but also a broader, holistic approach to environmental stewardship and community well-being, principles deeply embedded in Te Ao Māori (the Māori ...
This week in Auckland, a group of young people took over the microphone at a ministerial press conference, to explain why they oppose the Fast-Track Approvals Bill. One young woman said, ‘We’re here because we love Aotearoa New Zealand. We want to raise our children in an environment that’s thriving, ...
The summer was wonderful. Evie was wonderful, too; finally a teenager, finally worthy of long, hot days. She shaved her legs for the first time and bought cut-off shorts from the op-shop that made them look long. She got a Warehouse singlet so tight on her new shape that her ...
When Thomas James was on his solo camp as part of Outward Bound, the keen outdoorsman didn’t find it too challenging, as others often do. In what might just be the perfect illustration of his character, he saw it as a great opportunity to solve a few problems. “I thought, ...
From the unstable and drippy to the hi-tech and pretty, here’s our ranking of all the tunnels you can drive through in this country. The first tunnel seems to have been built in 2200BC in Babylonia, kicking off a global phenomenon for digging holes in order to get places more ...
Lucinda Bennett on the art of being greedy but resourceful. This is an excerpt from our weekly food newsletter, The Boil Up. When I picture the market, it is always this time of year. Crisp air, dripping nose, counting coins with cold fingers. Sunlight pale, filtered through specks of dew still ...
Zoë Colling’s favourite piece in the ‘That’s So Last Century’ collection is a lubrication chart for a sewing machine from the ’60s. It’s about the size of a postcard, and carefully maintained. “I like it that this piece of ephemera highlights that manual and technical side of the skill involved ...
Kia Ora Gaza A passionate haka reverberated through Auckland International Airport as a medical team of three New Zealand doctors received an emotional farewell from a big crowd of supporters before flying to Turkey to join the international Freedom Flotilla to Gaza. The doctors, who left Auckland yesterday, hope to ...
With submissions closing today, Macassey-Pickard says groups around the country have been supporting a huge range of people to make their submissions. ...
Our response to the new legislation is informed by targeted conversations with practitioners working in the system and through an implementation lens. ...
The new ‘Fast-track Approvals Bill’ would give just three Ministers the power to approve or deny development projects. They would avoid the usual checks and balances that are in place to protect rivers, land, the ocean, and communities. ...
COMMENTARY:By Eugene Doyle Helen Clark, how I miss you. The former New Zealand Prime Minister — the safest pair of hands this country has had in living memory — gave a masterclass on the importance of maintaining an independent foreign policy when she spoke at an AUKUS symposium held ...
The government's released the list of organisations provided with information on how to apply - just hours before public submissions on the bill close. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Milton Speer, Visiting Fellow, School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, University of Technology Sydney Before climate change really got going, eastern Australia’s flash floods tended to concentrate on our coastal regions, east of the Great Dividing Range. But that’s changing. Now ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elizabeth Finkel, Vice-Chancellor’s Fellow, La Trobe University Sia Duff / South Australian Museum In February, the South Australian Museum “re-imagined” itself. In the face of rising costs and inadequate government funds, CEO David Gaimster, who took the reins last June, declared ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alan Pearce, Professor, School of Allied Heath, Human Services & Sport, La Trobe University, La Trobe University This week, Collingwood AFL player Nathan Murphy announced his retirement, brought on by his concussion history and ongoing issues. The 24-year-old’s seemingly sudden retirement, ...
The Mental Health Foundation provides support and resources for those facing the loss of their job, so it’s wrong in the very week the Government adds another 1000 jobs to its tally of cuts, that this is happening. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexander Howard, Senior Lecturer, Discipline of English and Writing, University of Sydney Daniel Boud/Sydney Theatre Company Decay, terror, revulsion. These are three of the central themes of Thomas Bernhard’s rarely performed play The President. The Austrian is one of the greatest ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ye In (Jane) Hwang, Postdoctoral Research Associate at School of Population Health, UNSW Sydney Shutterstock You’d be hard pressed to find any aspect of daily life that doesn’t require some form of digital literacy. We need only to look back ten ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says threats by ministers Shane Jones and David Seymour to reform or close down the Waitangi Tribunal were “ill-considered”, as legal experts say the ministers may have breached Cabinet Manual conventions. “I think those comments are ill-considered and we expect all ministers to actually exercise good ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rob Newton, Professor of Exercise Medicine, Edith Cowan University Pexels/RDNE stock project You’re not in your 20s or 30s anymore and you know regular health checks are important. So you go to your GP. During the appointment they measure your waist. ...
A new poem by Evangeline Riddiford Graham. Mitochondrial Problem I. It was long drive to Kansas for the man and his dog but you have to understand he said She doesn’t fly. Which calls to mind not carsick shitting barking or whining but a dog who chooses not to as ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)Hot off the press, this debut ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laura Wajnryb McDonald, PhD candidate in Criminology, University of Sydney Less than 24 hours after Ashlee Good was murdered in Bondi Junction, her family released a statement requesting the media take down photographs they had reproduced of Ashlee and her family without ...
Chief executive Shaun Robinson said it has not had any government funding cut, but government-funded contracts have not kept pace with rising costs. ...
The Ministry of Health has delayed the release of its evidence brief on the safety, reversibility and mental health and wellbeing outcomes for puberty blockers. While we wait, Julia de Bres speaks to those with firsthand experience. Best practice gender-affirming healthcare is based on trans people’s self-determination and agency. The ...
Barcelona’s city streets have gone from traffic-clogged to pedestrian-friendly. How? Superblocks. Ellen Rykers explains. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week I read a great interview with renowned urbanist Janette Sadik-Khan by The Spinoff’s Wellington editor Joel MacManus: “You can reimagine streets, ...
Student groups ‘Climate Action VUW’, Schools Strike 4 Climate and VUWSA will be on the street in Wellington today, the last day for submissions on the Fast-track Approvals Bill, with a message that the fight against the Government’s ‘War on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sofia Ammassari, Research Fellow, Griffith University Since 2014, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity has grown exponentially – and so has the formidable organisational machine of his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). These two factors will be key to delivering the BJP a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brendon Hyndman, Associate Professor of Education (Adjunct) & Senior Manager (BCE), Charles Sturt University During COVID almost all Australian students and their families experienced online learning. But while schools have long since gone back to in-person teaching, online learning has not gone ...
Yes, they’re better for the environment. No, that’s not a good enough reason for me to use them. Once every 26 days or so, my period arrives, and if struck by an act of God, I am caught red-crotched without products. How, after 17 years of this, do I still ...
“It will cause significant harm to our environment and communities. It is completely at odds with New Zealanders’ relationship with nature and our need for a low-carbon, sustainable economic future." ...
The Chair of the National Maori Authority, Matthew Tukaki, has warned a Parliamentary Select Committee that fast-tracking legislation is a perilous practice that undermines the core tenets of democracy, transparency, and accountability. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Tenbensel, Associate Professor, Health Policy, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Getty Images Since coming into power, the coalition government has adopted a simple but shrewd see-how-fast-we-can-move political strategy. However, in the health sector this need for speed entails ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Hronis, Clinical Psychologist, University of Technology Sydney Darya Sannikova/Pexels Whether you’re watching TV, attending a footy game, or eating a meal at your local pub, gambling is hard to escape. Although the rise of gambling is not unique to Australia, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Wong, Forrest Fellow, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia Have you ever wondered if there are more insects out at night than during the day? We set out to answer this question by combing through the scientific ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Carol T Kulik, Research Professor, University of South Australia IR Stone/Shutterstock In Australia, it’s not the done thing to know – let alone ask – what our colleagues are paid. Yet, it’s easy to see how pay transparency can make pay ...
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) is sounding a warning to migrants, that running foul of the law may see them leaving the country prematurely. ...
The government’s plan to get 50,000 people off jobseeker support by 2030 has had a rocky start, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. Beneficiary numbers are up – and so are ...
Raglan Roast is a staple of Wellington coffee culture. But with five branches across the capital, which one is the best? I am a die-hard Raglan Roast fan. It’s consistently the most affordable cafe in Wellington, and one of the only places you can get a coffee after 3pm. So, ...
Residents of University of Auckland halls are being urged to withhold their accommodation fees from May 1, in a bid to force the university to take student concerns over rent hikes seriously.The University of Auckland is facing a strike from students over the cost of on-campus accommodation. The Students ...
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Opinion: With maths understanding at 42 percent for Year 8 students, there’s no doubt something has to be done. But how? The post Financial literacy should be on all of us appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Hineaupounamu ‘Missy’ Nuku has been scaling mountains in Canada for her college basketball team, the Lakeland Rustlers. Alberta is currently home for the 20-year-old point guard, who is in her first year of a scholarship at Lakeland College, where she is studying for a business degree. She has certainly made ...
New Zealand and the Philippines have signed a new maritime security agreement and stated their concerns over activity in the South China Sea, as Chinese vessels continue to flout international law. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Philippines President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos committed to signing a Mutual Logistics Supporting Arrangement by ...
AM Show news @ 6am: JLR was sectioned. Confirmed that he was taken against his will. Still no report of who called the police in. Tacit denial from the media of our right to know this. Why don’t they just spit the dummy and admit it?
Well it wasn’t his family according to WO who had to tell the wife what had happened.
So who does that leave?
Mark Mitchell?
Apparently he was assigned to the case, according to JLR.
+1 ED
@Ed (1.1.1) … Mitchell an ex cop (and mercenary), appointed recently as JLR’s “minder,” will be very familiar with the mental health act sectioning process!
Ah, a Slater reader. Go away.
It seems from his latest post so is mickysavage. I assume you will tell him the same.
I read the whale blubber and kb from time to time, especially if there is topical political news.
Know your enemy if you have the stomach for it.
You know it.
That’s right – stick to safe echo chambers only that don’t challenge your comfort zones. /sarc
Oh fuck can’t commenters stop themselves making low blows at one another. FGS restrain yourselves.
I wonder if the police took his phone and recordings to a safe place as well ?
Until we know who called the police and whether the tapes still exist, people have every right to be suspicious about the timing, convenience and circumstances of JLR’s removal from the public eye.
We question the Saudis when a journalist who challenges the regime disappears.
Is there a reason we can’t ask questions when an MP who was challenging the establishment here is silenced and removed from sight?
We question the Nats – that’s ok by Ed
We question the saudis – that’s ok by Ed
We question the Russians – nope nope nope nope.
LOLZ.
Ah, but do you ever question the USA??
+ 1 Ed, Ross releases taped revelations that rock our political establishment when it is found you buy your way in, and then Ross is suddenly sectioned under the mental health act, and NOT by anybody close to him??? You’d be a real sheeple if you thought ok now, lets just think that all is well in politics in NZ and it’s just a little coincidence.
One of the many reasons Labour and Greens lost the election 6 years ago was that when dirty politics came out, they appeared to do nothing, and did not actively try to restore and investigate and criminalise the breaches of justice in NZ.
They were in opposition then, but now they are not.
What are they doing? Sitting on their hands and doing nothing while our political systems burns???
“They were in opposition then, but now they are not.”
What are they doing?
Defending the status quo.
https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2018667908/jacinda-ardern-defends-political-donations-system
Because this isn’t Saudi Arabia.
As corruption goes, we get one or two departments covering their arses on an issue. People selling information to private investigators off their own bat.
Multiple organisations and people risking (rather than protecting) their careers to save the opposition party from a scandal? That’s an order of magnitude less likely.
Yeah but if you really hate national and squint really hard, you can see there may be a conspiracy
Already seen the police raiding the houses of people, at the behast of National.
Already happened.
When they were in government, when there were ostensibly crimes to investigate, when they needed to cover the government’s arse (departments, not dunnokeyo), and multiple clinicians weren’t part of the conspiracy.
“That’s an order of magnitude less likely.”
So only a one-in-ten chance (by your reckons) that corruption is afoot; phew!
Trying to keep calm, but the “Carry on, nothing to see here” message, espoused by unbiased panelist paragons such as Conor English, is unsettling. Because clearly there is something to see here (and I’m not talking about JLR’s mental health, which comments on this site have persuaded me is matter between him and health professionals.)
While we wait to see, many will naturally be wondering what (if anything) authorities may eventually choose to tell us regarding the corrupt dealings of NZ politicians. I fear that all political parties may be circling their wagons.
that’s only 1 in 10 if you think that every single department in every instance is breaking the law to protect its own arse, and every person trusted with personal information will sell it to the first PI who comes asking.
I’d put it more as 0.001 to 0.0001. No point getting your knickers in a twist until Mallard says JLR has been committed but Mallard has been denied access to him.
Thanks for that explanation – was the “No point getting your knickers in a twist” intended as a put-down, or are you just playing?
JLR is the most recent individual attempting to shed some light on political corruption in NZ, the difference being that he is a political insider.
I doubt that his efforts will result in any significant decrease in corrupt political practices – BSU.
Not really either. Agitation at this point is pretty pointless and unwarranted.
Thanks, prefer ‘agitation’ to “getting your knickers in a twist”, and ‘unsettled’ over both – but each to their own.
Why do some events unsettled (some of) us? Don’t worry, be happy.
Call me high-threshold, but I tend to not get too worried at sudden noises (although it has happened once or twice, lol).
What I don’t understand is why some people want to fill a void with the worst-imaginable scenario, rather than simply waiting to see if any key indications occur
I think I get that. There’s a continuum of thresholds for sudden/loud/annoying ‘noises’, as in this exchange:
I don’t understand why this continuum exists either (although there must be theories), and can only observe that “we’re all different”.
My chief concern is the extent of secret buying and selling of political influence and favours in NZ.
JLR seemed able and prepared to shed some light on political corruption from the inside. Right now he is unable to do so, and I doubt that particular light will shine again.
Which is fair enough; that’s probably the best course of action for JLR. But (IMO), it’s the worst possible outcome for the NZ public.
He shed enough light for folks to start digging. Read somewhere today that it’s been confirmed the donor’s mate is in line for the candidate camp they talked about over the phone.
“He shed enough light for folks to start digging.”
Hope the folks have headlamps – fingers crossed!
I personally think that all corruption is a problem and needs to be dealt with.
BTW: 0.0001 of ~ 3 million is 300 corrupt people in the workforce which is a load of bollocks really. I think you’ll find that it’s much higher than that as pretty much all business people in this country happen to be corrupt. Just check out all the ‘cash’ jobs that people do.
Meh. Depends on whether you’re talking small cash jobs or violating several sections of the health act, I guess.
W&I leak a fair bit, but StatsNZ has some pretty robust controls in place.
From Martin Matthews/Auditor-General, who hired Joanne Harrison who then went on to commit nearly a million dollars of fraud under his nose…. https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/boss-hired-ministry-transport-726-000-fraudster-not-embarrassed to the auditor-general failing to notice Kairpara council was entering into a wastewater scheme nearly making it bankrupt and increasing rates 25% … Louise Nicholas cases, Roastbusters.. so many cases over the years about corruption, stupidity, asleep at the wheel and despicable crimes from officials in power in NZ… and many of them seemingly not being bought to justice…
There’s a reason they make the news, rather than being stuck alongside drink-drivers and common assaults.
How many cases involved serious breaches by multiple organisations – as in active misconduct rather than just failure in detection?
By multiple organisations you mean one or two ‘mates’ who know how to use process to their personal advantage right?/
To right Ed ….. Here’s what Nicky Hager revealed about Nationals dodgy fundraising …. back in the Brash hollow days
““The high value donars gave their donations to trusts, which passed it on anonymously to the party. Over one and a half million was to come in via the Waitemata & Ruahine trusts. Both of PO. Box 2244 Auckland”……” In public senior party mp’s and officials denied knowing the identity of donars, but privately they knew perfectly well who was writing the cheques”…….
The donars were invited to private fundraising dinners….the media was excluded …… a table cost $5000 the tobacco industry brought 2* ………..Don Brash or John Key made the speeches.”
*coincidentally the number of tobacco industry mp’s the nacts had in parliament …. until Todd Barclay started breaking the law ….. and had to leave in a big hush job of a coverup.
At the end Barclays mental health had him too depressed to turn up for work at parliament in his last couple of months …. he took the pay though ….and was seen trying to drown his sorrows in pubs with the unearned cash.
Confirmed by who? Who or what is the source for this? Another news outlet? WO? KDC?
Are we just going around in circles and is MSM echoing as usual.
Amanda Gillies, the newsreader, said those two things. I also noticed earlier a couple of other news media reports online saying so. I’d never heard of The Nutters Club!
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12146405
https://www.odt.co.nz/news/national/jami-lee-ross-sectioned-mental-health-facility
“Kyle MacDonald from The Nutters Club explained to Tim Dower what being ‘sectioned’ to a mental health facility actually means.” https://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/on-air/mike-hosking-breakfast/audio/kyle-mcdonald-what-being-sectioned-to-a-mental-health-facility-actually-means/
“Here, people talk about their experiences of being admitted to hospital, in some cases using powers provided by the Mental Health Act 1983, or “being sectioned”. To be sectioned, three people (an Approved Mental Health Professional (AMHP) or nearest relative and two doctors) must agree that the person is suffering from a mental disorder and needs to be detained for assessment or treatment, either for their own safety or the safety of others.” http://www.healthtalk.org/peoples-experiences/mental-health/mental-health-ethnic-minority-experiences/being-sectioned-under-mental-health-act
Indeed, she’s a newsreader. What I asked was what or who was her source.
Never mind, it’s academic now because JLR has been unchained and let out of his cage, after they wiped & bugged his phone, of course. [sarc]
You dont have the right to know about someone’s medical situation.
It doesn’t matter who it is.
Agreed, but we just have to accept that some people have very selective hearing – and not let them and this get to us.
It is a point worth being reminded of constantly, though.
Otherwise folks might think that the shrill demands for private information are based on a genuine procedural irregularity.
If the search engine worked, it would be funny to see what some current commenters thought of Paula Bennett releasing beneficiaries’ private information.
Absolutely agree and I fully support John Selway in his points re the privacy rights and principles on people’s medical information.
I must say that I do miss the search engine here but maybe one day …
Yeah the search function being gone is a bit of a bastard really.
But anyway – it seems everyone here clamoring to know the specifics about Ross’s mental health are all doing so to satisfy some dark need of their own rather than because they ‘care’.
Ross will talk when Ross wants to talk and if he wants to talk. That’s that.
https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/107987344/cost-of-hardship-grants-rise-sharply-as-government-accused-of-working-on-the-margins
Unsurprising.
That indicates that they have a choice which, of course, they don’t.
This is, of course, a direct result of National’s own polices from their last time in government.
The Herald has found a few stories more important than the JLR crisis in its online news.
Sam Whitelock is going to Japan,Megan is sporting Karen Walker sunglasses among the eight tales deemed to go higher up in their news feed.
The editors are following their owners’ orders very well.
I think you should boycott them.
I think you will find Ed has boycotted the paper version.
lol so they get click advertising revenue instead
Yep JLR was buried in the Sunday Star Times too…page 14.
“In an era of fake news and partisanship, society needs critical thinkers more than ever. So why are students increasingly turning away from the humanities?” Kate Newton examines this emerging issue in depth: https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/in-depth/368436/universities-face-a-crisis-of-the-humanities
“Drastic though it was, the death of art history at the University of Otago was merely the latest in a series of staffing and programme cuts in arts and humanities faculties at universities around New Zealand. Otago cut 16 jobs from its humanities division in 2016, the University of Waikato cut 17 humanities and social sciences teaching roles in 2017, and AUT announced in August this year it planned to cut up to 40 full-time positions from its Society and Culture faculty. The University of Auckland will cut five staff from its School of Language, Linguistics and Culture and ignored furious protests earlier this year when it decided to close three specialist arts libraries.”
“The trend is not isolated to New Zealand: US magazine The Atlantic recently concluded that, after decades of premature predictions, maybe this time a crisis in the humanities could be for real.”
“Certainly in New Zealand, the largest, long-established humanities subjects have suffered steep falls in student numbers. At undergraduate level, literature students fell by a quarter over the past decade. Foreign language departments lost 30 percent of their students. History student numbers declined by 16 percent, and art history and religious studies numbers nearly halved. The patterns are similar at postgraduate levels. All up, those five subjects alone lost nearly 4000 bachelor and postgraduate students between 2008 and 2017.”
“There were 1000 fewer humanities students enrolled in 2017 than in 2008, despite an increase of almost 40,000 students across all degrees and subjects.”
She quotes an academic: “society needs people asking “why” more than ever right now. “We are in the era of fake news … That’s why it’s absolutely crucial to be giving people those educations that enable them to perform that type of critical thinking that involves not taking something at face value – so thinking about what the motivations for presenting it in a particular way are, thinking about what the things that aren’t being said might be – and that’s the bread and butter of humanities education at university level.”
And another: “Vocation isn’t just a job. Vocation is about wanting to make a difference in the world. It’s about enacting positive social change.”
“There’s one strange outlier in the humanities data. Since 2008, the number of students taking sociology as their predominant course of study has increased by 58 percent – an increase so large that the subject now has more enrolments than any other major.” Now that is extremely interesting!
Well, Sociology is extremely interesting.
You don’t see international students taking humanities. Let’s face it, Auckland Uni sees itself as catering to the needs to international students first and foremost, with the needs of New Zealand students a distant last. In fact, I reckon they would throw all the kiwi students out and have 100pc internationals if they had their way.
Reflective of governments that have placed the needs of foreigners over the needs of locals.
Yep, and so Auckland Uni’s plummet down the international tables…. and we have massive skills shortages as people, funny enough, don’t want to work in a low wage economy… go figure!
At lease neoliberalism has found yet another way to profit from low skilled people, so we can be a nation of petrol attendants and middle manager placeholders and bad lawyers and engineers who don’t speak or read English too well which is slight disadvantage in that career but atlease they are cheap!
I paid good money at Auckland uni to listen to a climate change denier for several lectures. I queried why he was even there and was told, it’s good to have both sides of the story. This was AFTER international consensus, and he preached that crap like it was gospel and students took lots of notes. Most of those students being internationals, or rich kids aka mini keys.
They’re also dead keen on GE and have fallen for corporate lines and obfuscation hook line and sinker. They push this crap and talk about how we the public are misinformed ninnies who will cost us a fortune in missed opportunities bla bla bla. The MSM are spouting the same shit lately.
Idiots regurgitating idiots. Repeating what they’ve been told or read, towing the corporate line. Gutless and pithy. They deserve to lose their rank.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNshPbZLywk
WeTheBleeple – sad news – under the Natz massive clear out of universities of great lecturers and replaced by neoliberals robot lecturers and management.
‘Reflective of governments that have placed the ‘wants’ of foreigners over the needs of locals’. FIFY
Spot on millsy. I always saw ripping off foreign students as a cheat’s way of boosting the criminal underfunding dealt out to our Education system right from when that ripping off was introduced under the supposedly ‘progressive’ reforms done during the 80s and 90s.
Ripping off foreigners by profiteering out of them using the good reputation of our Education system is leading to its natural outcome: the ruination of our Education system.
The Economy makes a very good servant, but a very bad master. We still need most people to understand that, it seems.
We could probably have a good complain about the world today … or the supremacy of monetised instrumental rationality or somesuch.
But seriously who reads novels now?
In fact who reads now?
I am sure we few are still the guardians of the galaxy, but as for all the rest …
If humanities are still in decline when this government has made the first year of study free, maybe they need to reflect on what they are offering since they can’t even give it away.
Clearly not Blairites… reading not required…
Going to uni is not something that is like fast food. If the humanities remain funded and are respected by a healthy culture in society they will attract the students who will gain in wisdom from them, and some will find them a vocation.
Unfortunately our culture is based on materialistic aspects, like thinking about milk production, and as everyone knows milk goes sour very quickly.
It’s the respect that’s missing. When people get abused and insulted for studying humanities then people simply won’t do it. Same goes for work really.
Probably because the Humanities don’t teach critical thinking any more.
You only say that because critical thinkiers tend to disagree with you…
“thinkiers”? Do they have the same relationship to thinkers as truthiness has to truth?
lol my mistake. Meant “thinkafiers”. 🙂
Unfortunately, young people have been indoctrinated to think that only STEM subjects lead to personal prosperity. Even those who’re still passionate about the Humanities are worried that their job prospects won’t be good enough; critical thinking won’t afford them to buy their first home in a main centre, the EV, and family holidays in Fiji. Sociology makes them more employable, it seems.
Possible Replacements for Bumbling Bridges.
No. 3: GERRY BROWNLEE
Positives:
(1) He can be funny, though not always on purpose.
https://morrisseybreen.blogspot.com/2017/12/national-party-emergency-caucus-meeting.html
Negatives:
(1) He’s an obnoxious bully, notoriously throwing an elderly protestor down the stairs on one occasion and barging past airport security on another.
https://thestandard.org.nz/brownlee-bullies-gns-staff/
(2) He’s unpopular with women.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12124035
(3) He’s not too bright: he failed his U.E. not once but TWICE, and he thinks it’s funny to bawl out in parliament: “Who IS this Edmund Burke? Who IS this Edmund Burke?”
(4) He, along with the rest of Key’s regime, turned the Christchurch disaster into a fiasco.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/77169484/Gerry-Brownlee-protester-lost-son-Jayden-Andrews-Howland-in-earthquake
This series is compiled by the team at Daisycutter Sports, Inc.
Candidate No. 1: Simon O’Connor; No. 2: Paula “Snitch” Bennett
Coming up: Amy Adams
https://morrisseybreen.blogspot.com/2018/10/possible-replacements-for-bumbling_21.html
Very funny, team Daisycutter – keep up the good work.
Thank you Drowsy. Much appreciated.
Kindest regards,
Jack A. Napes (Chief Executive Officer) and all the team at Daisycutter Sports Inc.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/opinion/107911188/capital-gains-tax-punishes-hard-work
Good grief. Where do newspapers find these fucking idiots?
So Lyn Webster thinks that a parasite rentier class is no more than just reward for hard work. let’s take a look at her ridiculous argument.
“….The premise behind a capital gains tax is that people who work pay tax but people that get income from investing in capital – ie: shares, farms, rental properties etc do not and that this is somehow unfair….”
So, let’s start with a straw man shall we Lyn? I mean why not, the rest of your piece is bullshit so let’s start as we mean to go on. But anyway, actually the main argument for a CGT is that the current tax system has at least contributed to rampant property speculation, encourages the creation of a parasiste rentier class that sucks dynamism out of the economy and ties up far to much of the nations wealth in fixed assets that do not contribute to growth.
“…Everyone is entitled to live their life as they see fit. But why should the more astute person who perhaps sacrificed a bit of fun for hard work and saving, be made to pay a capital gains tax? Haven’t they earned their gains..?”
Except that money makes money and in an undynamic economy dominated by a risk averse rent seeking elite the most likely indicator of social class and economic status is going to be who your parents are, not how hard you work.
“…Political correctness prevents us from saying dole-bludger or beneficiary or loser…”
But hey,. you’ll say it anyway, you bigoted arsewipe.
“…Unfortunately it seems the Government of the day appears to have lost sight of the purpose of hard mahi, business and investment, preferring to dole out handouts from a ‘never ending’ money tree to whoever fits the ‘criteria’…”
Seriously? This sentence… this sentence… it’s unoriginal talkback banality makes me want to bang my head on a wall until the pain of reading her column stops. This sentence offends at very least because this stuck up piece of bourgeois shit appropriates Maori – the language of a people oppressed and colonised by people like her – to support her argument.
“…When did working hard and having financial success became a dirty word in New Zealand..?”
Ummmm, how about never, you entitled dumb idiot?
Like I said, where the fuck do they find these people????
One word
Bludger
It expects to get the benefits of civil society, without having to pay for it
I’m not a fan of any taxes that rely on taxable income. With loopholes galore and not catering for globalism and the rise in offshore tax havens and buying multiple citizenships around the world, get any taxes immediately with no ability for people to pay less (stamp duty, petrol taxes, rates, financial transaction taxes…)
The article’s argument fell down for me as soon as the author hypothesised that the reason for a CGT was a government adviser looking for something to tax to pay for growing superannuation costs.
The author ignored the concept that income should be taxable, no matter how it is gained.
The author then got onto the ‘hard-earned’ meme which as she stated it is a version of the Protestant work ethic idea that wealth is a sign that God approves of our actions, and that wealth accrued comes from ‘hard work’, which in itself a God-blessed activity. It’s a self-justifying argument. She ignored the fact that capital gains are unearned income, at least in the sense of what most people consider what work is, let alone hard work.
She also introduced the canard that poverty is down to the poor not being hard workers and who made poor decisions. Another self-serving 19th century concept of the ‘undeserving poor’.
https://medium.com/@ebruenig/the-undeserving-poor-a-very-tiny-history-96c3b9141e13
To my mind, Lyn’s view is totally perverse and upside-down. The one thing that should never be taxed is the income earned by one’s work. That should be utterly sacred. Webster is a Flat-Earther.
Individual income should be hallowed as tax-free in the way that she thinks capital gains should be.
On the other hand, it would be totally moral to impose taxes on everything else: capital gains, GST, import duties, transaction tax, etc.
But the only thing that should be sacred is the money that one has individually earned. I wonder if Webster has ever thought seriously.
Woman who says she owns her half of the herd reckons a capital gains tax will not necessarily affect me.
https://www.agwomenglobal.com/blog/agwomen-lyn-webster
Clearly Lyn Webster hit a particularly sensitive spot there Sanctuary, but could you temper the invective just a tad?
Marama Fox pretty much espoused the same opinion about CGT prior the the 2017…I must trawl back and see if you leveled the same hate on her…
Lyn Webster is one of those tough, strong, resourceful women who refuses to stay down and beg and chooses to get up fight back. I enjoy reading her many writings, and respect her for her resilience. I happen to largely disagree about her take on CGT, but I can see where it comes from.
Many, many years of hard fucking graft and sacrifice.
So chill, eh?
Areswipe? Shame on you.
Not sure how being a hard worker should insulate someone from being called out for a shit opinion.
This whole section is a load of shit
“Imagine if two people were given the same amount of money to do what they liked with. One person worked hard and studied, sacrificed their social life, had respectful habits in not drinking or smoking or over eating, saved diligently and set goals resulting in being able to invest in a rental property which over time grew into a profitable portfolio of rental properties.
The other person was more YOLO and spent up large on home appliances, skipped between jobs, partied up large, travelled, abused their body a bit and ended up broke, on the sickness benefit – easy enough mistakes to make.
Everyone is entitled to live their life as they see fit. But why should the more astute person who perhaps sacrificed a bit of fun for hard work and saving, be made to pay a capital gains tax? Haven’t they earned their gains?”
It is nullified by her own statement earlier in the article
“Maybe it was you or maybe it was a long ago relative that worked hard, recognised an opportunity and made some money out of it.”
If she wants to go on a benne bashing rant but can’t even keep her own argument consistent through such a short article then where does she earn the deference you seem to think she deserves?
Okay. You and Sanctuary are right. In everything you say and every opinion you espouse. Behind, of course, the safety of anonymity. Strong brave people that you are.
There is a growing school of thought that if through hard work and careful spending and very simple living one can release oneself from the yoke of benefit dependency then true freedom from the tyranny of governments with their transient beneficence is possible.
That school of thought is a myth that serves people who would pay CGT.
A living wage would lift people out of “benefit dependency” by recognising the hard work and careful spending they already do. Most people on a benefit already use “careful spending”, because it doesn’t pay enough to offset the harm caused by a society with structural unemployment of 6-8%.
I call it how I see it, and all I see is whiny rural wannabe toff with a bad case of exceptionalism and all the intellectual heft of a Spaniel with a bad hangover.
Who Sectioned Jami-Lee Ross ?
Why has the so called Media not told us who incarcerated Mr Ross against his will. Are they yet again covering for the blindly Biased Herald, for a Political Party, for a Caucus, for a Chinese Donor, for a Foreigner? For a snide Guyon ? For a twisted Speaker perhaps?
Has Simon Bridges reopened Auschwitz ?
Time for a cuppa tea and a lie down, hey spinner?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwqahYs4SJI
brilliant.
Someone’s medical situation is private information. Ross needs to give permission for any of this to be public. It’s up to him and no one else.
I think if he’s been sectioned which the media is reporting , it should be public knowledge who authorised the sectioning….
Yesterday, Slater replied to one of his commenters that a National MP did it. We now need a question asked in parliament to identify that MP. We need to target the responsibility precisely where it belongs. That person cannot escape being made politically accountable for their persecution of JLR.
@ Dennis Frank (7.2.1.1) … Agree.
While JLR’s state of health is none of my business, I do want to know who was responsible for having JLR sectioned to a mental health unit and on whose authority was this action carried out!
No, someone’s medical situation isn’t public information unless specifically requested by the patient. That’s that
I don’t think it helps anyone releasing the names of medical professionals who are just doing their job.
But it would ease the public speculation if we heard some more detail from people close to Ross. At least I hope he does have some support around him.
Yep, but does not sound like the job they were doing was for Ross wellbeing but for the Natz… in that context of course it should be public knowledge, the guy did not voluntarily put himself there and someone released to the media that he was committed, and so the next question should be, who did it and what links they have to the Natz…(or Chinese billionaires)
It doesn’t matter who did it and it isn’t your business. It’s for Ross and his family to decide what information goes publicly, and satisfying commentators at the standard is probably low on the list.
And it doesn’t matter who called it in because Ross will have been assessed by a team of medical professionals to decide whether it is appropriate to section him. If he is sectioned then there is a very good reason. They don’t just do it because of someone’s day so.
Yeah they do. Just ask any WINZ designated doctor. GPs (medical professionals) always wrongly declare people unable to work. /sarc
ACC have had agreeable Drs for years like WINZ, it’s not that farfetched…
Yes, these days money buys anything.. and checking people’s qualifications are legitimate, isn’t a given…
Questions linger over fake psychiatrist
“The father of a mental health patient who died is asking how a fake psychiatrist was able to treat patients for six months before he was stopped.
Mohamed Siddiqui has admitted using false qualifications to work as a psychiatrist in 2015.
He pleaded guilty in Hamilton District Court yesterday to four charges, including using forged documents, obtaining a licence by deception, and receiving a salary and expenses while working as a psychiatrist for Waikato District Health Board.
DHB member Dave Macpherson, whose son Nicky Stevens died while under the care of the DHB’s mental health services, said it was worrying Siddiqui was a member of a mental health crisis team seeing people in vulnerable and dangerous situations.”
+1 to both your and John Selway’s comments above, with the proviso that the support is genuine and reliable – not of the nature of some names that have been mentioned.
I am not seeking to know his medical situation. I want to know who was responsible for arranging for him to be sectioned. I do not even ask why.
The person(s) responsible is the medical professionals who assessed him and made the call.
If Ross wants to discuss it in more detail then it is up to him and him alone. Not you or anyone else.
And who called the medical professionals ?
It doesn’t really matter because whomever did obviously had reason to do so.
Even if it was Bridges himself whatever reason he did so was serious enough that mental health professionals thought the best option was to section Ross.
But the reason might not be for the benefit of JLR but for the National party. That’s the point.
The medical professionals might just be covering themselves. If they don’t section someone and something goes wrong then they are stuffed. So, for their own benefit, they err on the side of caution.
The bar for sectioning someone is very fucking high. It isn’t done ‘just to err on the side of caution’.
What happens would be that the seriously recommend you stay and if you don’t you have to sign a waver to the affect the medical professionals have no liability and you are checking yourself out despite the opinion you should really stay.
I’ve done it.
Again – you won’t be sectioned unless you really need it. Not just a ‘let’s cover our asses’ because you are effectively imprisoning someone. The bar is damned damned fucking high
Even if your knowledge is correct in general, it needn’t hold in this particular case.
And why this case is important is because a political party (we are to believe) got an enemy sectioned.
That is why the light needs to be shone very brightly on how this occurred.
(This doesn’t depend on knowing the details of his mental health. )
You can’t just “get someone sectioned”.
it doesn’t work like that
Absolutely correct.
John you and I and a few others who work and know this area know you are correct. I’m going to suggest you have a think about the point of continuing to try and counter the speculations. Here’s the point – look after yourself. None of the people here are going to change, they have other agendas. They dont care about the angle on this that you do. They just don’t and won’t get it. Imo You are not going to convince anyone simply because they are not thinking about it in the same way as you. Look after yourself. The commenters and posters here won’t.
Mental health is something I take seriously.
Also:
https://xkcd.com/386/
LOL to the link.
But John, listen to marty mars. He works in mental health, as do some others here. What he has said is spot on. Far better than I have been trying to say to you earlier in talking about hitting my head, etc. I have just had to take an hour out and breathe deeply, as I have been putting up links for months on the role of NZ Police these days as the first line of response to mental health emergencies – again a waste of time as evidenced by munro’s comments again this afternoon. It – and they – are just not worth it.
Have other commitments for the next few hours, so out of here thankfully. Take care, JS – and MM
Thanks man – I take your comments seriously.
I may not work in mental health but I have been part of the system for some 15 – 20 years so know a few things…
As I do your comments. I well remember you backing me up some six or so months ago. Just a mild correction – I am a she, not a he – an oldie one!
https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-23-10-2018/#comment-1540641
Now to cope with the feeding frenzy for the next hour or so – me and pets.
Breathe deeply and smell the roses.
See that George, ankarawshark, EIE have replied to you also – good.
What’s Peda Goodfellas up to these days?
Peter Williams: “I’m an avowed non-user. Like the 10-year-old with the cigarette behind the bike sheds, I’ve taken either three or four puffs of cannabis in my life. I couldn’t see the point.” https://www.whaleoil.co.nz/2018/10/peter-williams-on-legalising-cannabis/#more-417299
Interesting. Is this the TVNZ newsreader?? Slater just posted this online, block-quotes his call for legalisation, interspersed with his own comments. If so, remarkable for such an archetypal conservative dude. I cut stories for him quite often at TVNZ, wouldn’t say boo to a goose. Maybe times are a-changin’…
Was checking to see if he had an update, but no. Yesterday’s “National’s hit job puts JLR into care” got 241 comments. Slater’s response to one: “A National MP called the police.” Legally entitled to take out the whistle-blower. Here’s a sample:
“I have worked in the psychiatric field for over 40 years and I can recall no admission to hospital for people suffering mental illness being a police matter that warranted constant repetition by the media unless the patient had caused significant threat to the public. … His work colleagues knew of this, and had known this for some time. It would seem the screw was deliberately turned at a time when it would do the most damage and that began with the so called investigation over the leak. … IMHO JLR was as much set up for a fall as the author of his own destruction.”
One referred to JLR & advisors, provoking this response from Slater: “What advisors? You guys really don’t get it do you. This was JLR acting alone, from a position of fear and destruction, put there by the concerted and planned hit job on him.”
Different commenter: “There are others pulling strings in the back ground.” Slater: “No there aren’t. The only string pulling has been done by Bennett.”
Someone else: “the fact that the ‘establishment’ in the National Party were so threatened by what JLR knew shows that they would stop at nothing to silence him. That it took its toll on the already vulnerable JLR is not surprising. What we should be concerned about is the stranglehold of the National Party’s inner circle, who seem to be confirming their own lack of conscience and accountability with every day that passes. This festering sore needs to be cauterised – and as soon as possible. We need a new conservative political party we can trust, and who we can all get behind wholeheartedly. Our future depends upon it.”
I found another interesting bit. Someone asked “So what was the issue that started this; the clash between Bridges and Ross all about? Slater: “It is call a conscience. Eventually the pressure of the dirty deeds breaks them. Then the truth comes out.”
I agree. Ambitious young politician does the job his party wants, follows instructions, realises it’s morally wrong, gets disgusted, internal pressure builds, becomes a whistle-blower due to conscience.
“Eventually the pressure of the dirty deeds breaks them. Then the truth comes out.”
Hasn’t happened with Slater, AFAIK.
Yeah, with Slater one’s default position wouldn’t be truth! But I’m inclined to take him at face value in the context here. As I commented, it makes sense in respect of conscience driving Ross after the tipping point.
I’m also seeing divergence of Ross from a theoretical cabal involving Lusk etc. He could have been taking advice from anyone like that earlier, then felt insufficient support or common ground, so the lone wolf behaviour kicked in.
Keep in mind that after leaving school he went straight to standing for council and got in on the youth vote, then was successful in imposing accountability on Len Brown. Such success in formative years would create & define character.
It looks increasingly likely that Australia will take up our offer to settle refugees off Nauru soon.
It was a big issue with voters in Wentworth and the new MP Kerryn Phelps has said it’s her priority as she heads to Canberra. PM Scott Morrison has changed tack and said he’d support resettlement to NZ provided laws can be enacted preventing them from onward travel to Australia. He has received unexpected support from Gillian Triggs (a great Australian!) who has said that while she deplores the discriminatory nature of the ban has said that it’s better than doing nothing. Labor leader Bill Shorten has just rescinded Labor’s opposition to the travel ban.
https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/politics/federal/labor-moves-to-end-stalemate-over-refugee-families-held-on-nauru-20181022-p50ba8.html
Has backfired on the Natz as now although Ross sounds like a horrible piece of work, you start to feel sorry for him and more concerned that he has been silenced against his will… to the benefit of the Natz and the billionaire donors of course.
. sorry do we live in NZ where this is allowed to happen while our centre left government takes a seat and does nothing? Clearly all the wails of must do something about mental health fall away, when they let this happen and go la la la
Now that they’ve broken them. And on condition that they be 2nd class citizens forever. Yay Strowlya.
Australia’s behaviour on this issue has been, and continues to be appalling of course but the main thing is to get those families off Nauru so I’m inclined to agree with Gillian Triggs here.
Seeing the sign ” New Zealand is a corrupt polluted tax haven “, in a photo of Penny Brights funeral service … spurred me to write a series of posts in tribute …. starting with a Woman … who possibly even Penny admired.
A Corrupt Corruption Index.
Clare Rewcastle Brown was central to the exposure of the multi billion 1MDB state theft and corruption crimes …
To date it is the largest single example of state fraud / theft …. and has resulted in the largest asset seizure actions in the usa ….. with a NZ connection.
The recently defeated and former Malaysian Prime Minister has been arrested.
Clare helped bring about this downfall of the rich and powerful …..despite PR company hired to conduct multi-fronted campaigns of lies, smears and threats against her http://www.sarawakreport.org/2011/08/taib-paid-out-5-million-to-attack-sarawak-report-international-expose/……
Sarawak Report and its corruption fighting author / journalist has also pointed out the falseness of the world corruption index rankings …. by dint of Malaysia s placing on it.
“Malaysia’s place on the world wide Index of corrupt countries fell from 55 to sixty something last year….. “The sad truth of the matter is that Malaysia should be at the bottom of this world index of corrupt countries. How many other countries have a mega criminal as Prime Minister and a Parliament content to do whatever he tells it to do or not to do? Or a Court system which ignores justice in favour of covering the criminal activities of the head of government.”
Maybe NZ has a false high ranking…. a confidence trick penny bright could see through
Clare Rewcastle Brown through repeated articles and numerous examples …. shows how New Zealand is involved with the largest crimes in the world ….. Calling out Judith Collins and John Shewan as either dishonest or inept while she does so .http://www.sarawakreport.org/search/?q=New+Zealand&lang=en&page=1
If our media keep us ignorant about the corrupt corporations, companies and individuals using or exploiting New Zealand …..
And instead we receive repeated reporting that we are the least corrupt country in the world…
Could this cause us to look directly at something, and not see it for what it is ?….
examples
http://bealeness.tumblr.com/post/31987806819/the-basics-behind-the-winebox-inquiry “The insider trades continued throughout the whole privatization process and one man in particular, Michael Fay, became the master of executing deals, which in most countries would be illegal due to “conflict of interests” and also “insider trading” through the possession of forward information. ”
or
” Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy insists “They are finished products, I have seen some fantastic-looking kauri swamp logs being carved and they’re going to be an amazing feature for our country and an international country that they’re destined for. So we manage it very, very closely.” Really? Documents obtained under the Official Information Act by the NEPS are claimed to show that in fact, mandatory information was missing from some 80 per cent of MPI intention-to-export notices processed in 2013.” …
https://publicaddress.net/envirologue/swamp-monsters-the-looting-of-northlands/
or
NZ Herald — ” when to remove a contentious exemption of professional services firms – mostly lawyers, accountants and real estate agents – from being covered by anti-money laundering laws passed in 2009.” …. ” the professional services sector was now more attractive to criminals and “potentially provides a ‘road map’ for would-be money launderers”.
or
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/366666/at-least-16-foreign-investors-have-bought-nz-sensitive-land-illegally
National party donations dirty tricks
Nat Govt fraudulent carbon credits scam
Meth contamination Hoax …
+1 Reason.
100% reason. spot on.
Mitchell shopped JLR as he knew the ‘sectioning’ of public.
We need to be suspicious now of every National Party MP and action.
I don’t recall Nothing Guy ever sharing piccies of the fantastic carvings now that you mention it. I guess he left his phone in the car.
Good to see that people of the USA are basically ignoring what celebrities have to say
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/world/2018/10/donald-trump-s-approval-rating-higher-than-barack-obama-at-same-stage-of-presidency-new-poll.html
‘Mr Trump’s 47 percent approval rating is the highest of his term. He sat at 44 percent in the last poll conducted by the news outlet in September’
That poll is a week old and had a very small sample of only 900, most of the polling outfits in America sample 1500 people. There’s been plenty of polls out since that one that have his approval ratings in the low 40s where it’s been stuck since the election. It’s possible that poll captured an uptick for Trump and Republicans from the Kavanaugh confirmation but the effect from that has already started to wane.
Take a look at fivethirtyeight.
https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/trump-approval-ratings/?ex_cid=rrpromo
Well if his numbers are stuck then its not going backwards and so the point about ignoring celebrities still stands so its all good 🙂
Points for trying. But I think what the polls tell us is that Americans who intend to vote are wisely ignoring all of the partisan rubbish that’s thrown at them from all sides and are making up their own mind about the performance of their president.
Well if my predictions were accurate I would have won lotto by now 🙂
The yankers have always had a soft spot for crooks chrissy.
So wanting a diversion from JLR I read this article and I thought it interesting
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/107964829/a-breed-apart-mps-are-now-birds-of-a-different-feather
Maybe some sort of standard for MPs needs to be implemented, like you can’t be an MP unless you’re 30+ and have at least five years work experience outside of government/university
“and have at least five years work experience outside of government/university”
If we are making such stipulations then we could add:
– at least five years working outside the private sector – preferably in a not for profit organisation
– never set foot in a university business school
– etc.
Then again, any such stipulations are plainly idiotic and simply demonstrate the biases of the stipulator.
“Then again, any such stipulations are plainly idiotic and simply demonstrate the biases of the stipulator.”
Guilty as charged 🙂
Yep – same here!
Well done, you two! ROFL.
bye bye Paula Benefit.
Maybe a quota for small business owners, tradespeople and wage workers.
You know, the people who actually keep the country going.
The preponderance of lawyers, corporate crawlers and career politicians, is not a good thing.
I agree, as the article we have a greater representation then we’ve ever had…as long as you went to university so it would be good to have more views from more walks of life
There’s a reason most politicians these days went to university: the bums on seats approach to university education in the 1990s combined with the fact that being able to write 1200 words and give a presentation are key skills for politicians, not so much for checkout operators or plumbers.
So how do you think we could encourage more non-university people to stand for parliament?
More MPs.
Keep proportionality of 50-60 list MPs, but also make electorates much smaller in size, say 10,000 voters or so. 200-300 seat parliament (if my math is in the ballpark).
How would that encourage more non-uni types to join, sounds like it’d cost a helluva lot more unless you’re decreasing the pay (which would be ok with me) and all we’d get is more of the same
Because it would encourage more local representation and make electorate campaigns cheaper. More akin to local councils. And I’m sure there’d be some electorates where degrees are thin on the ground.
I’d like to see a ballot made up of ordinary people in parliament based on a jury system who are called up for duty for a period of time … not more MP’s … the public having more say…
Fuck no. Jury members can be objected to, and with good reason.
I think smaller community representatives are the way to go, which either means more MPs or going bi-cameral.
Call me a snob, but more direct democracy turns into rabble-rousing, where you end up with things like minaret bans and contradictory policies being implemented by referenda.
But if everyone knows their MP is just down the block, it’s easier to give them a piece of one’s mind.
Don’t agree, Jurys get better results in general, and the ordinary folks seems a lot smarter than the mentality of the MP’s in parliament these days. Many are scum.
And lawyers get to object to specific people being on a jury, no questions asked.
Juries are also vulnerable to dominant personalities, systemic bias, etc.
If we paid politicians less and had them more accountable to smaller electorates, they’d be less inclined to play games. Be too much of a dick, become unseated.
Do you only like Democracy when it agrees with you. Eh?
By the way, church bells waking people up early on Sunday mornings, have been banned in New Zealand for some time.
No, I don’t like angry mobs being in charge of legislation. There’s a difference.
You would rather have ignorant politicians?
Not sure where you get “angry mobs” from binding referenda?
BTW. Angry mobs are rare, without a good reason.
People learn that in high school. University lecturers expect those skills before you start.
If that were the case, the bulk of first-year essays would be much better than they really are.
Yes. Not many Kirk’s, Savages or JA Lees in our Parliament.
Or even Jim Bolgers 🙂
Yep. One of the few who has been honest enough to admit they stuffed up.
They seem to have a lot of time for affairs and fundraising.. modern MP’s
Sortition – government by jury.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12V9rV_bp_M
https://www.sortitionfoundation.org/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sortition
Interesting idea
Director and co-founder of the Sortition Foundation Brett Hennig’s TED talk.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUee1I69nFs&feature=youtu.be
Indeed
https://www.azquotes.com/quote/912336
‘Only those who do not seek power are qualified to hold it.’
I’m disappointed to see thatMatthew Hooton’s not going to be on RNZ in his usual slot this morning. I was looking forward to his endless extolling of Simon Bridges’ performance in the last fortnight.
Guess I’ll Just have to content myself with Trish Sherson doing it.
IIRC Hooton is in the UK for about three months or so, doing a “quickie” Masters degree or something along those lines. Been there since about the beginning of Sept or thereabouts, although still doing some of his media stuff (eg Herald articles) from afar.
It has actually been quite refreshing to hear the various substitutes that have been on Nine to Noon – mostly young bright females* who have come across well IMO despite their political leanings!
* not intended as sexist in any way.
I too find it refreshing too hear some young, bright women, instead of ignorant old white fellers promoted beyound their competence level. Being an old white feller myself they really annoy me. Giving us a bad name.
Same in Parliament. People like Golriz Gahramen, Chloe Swarbrick and Kiri Allen are exceptional. Gives me hope for the future.
Good to hear – from an old white woman*. LOL.
(* Who still knows that ‘woman’ means one female, and “women” means more than one! Uuuugggggghhhh!)
YES my pet hate too. woman =1 women = more than one… the latter pronounced ‘wimmin’ thanks.
KJT correctly wrote in the plural, and even listed them for you in anticipation.
Huh?
Sorry, I apologise, mea culpa
Not meant as any criticism of you at all. Just a totally unconnected senior moment on my part when I typed ‘woman’ because I had seen these two terms being totally misused elsewhere a few minutes beforehand and let the steam out – in the wrong place.
It’s alright. Just puzzled about where that came from. Got me looking to see if i had committed grammatical heresy. LOL.
Well, this ol’ white fella says you have. It’s all right, not alright.
Semantic pendantic!
But punctiliously correct! I would have missed that… and I think you will often find spellcheck recommending the wrong option in such cases. We pedants are doomed..
Thank you, KJT. That’s the nicest thing anyone’s said to me.
If Hooton is away getting some sort of further educational qualification does that mean he’ll come back as a not ignorant old white feller promoted beyond his competence level?
LOLZ what a hoot.
I think Hoot’s brain was set in concrete, before he left high school.
Education for some, just makes them more skilled in confirming their “reckons”.
Great comment KJT
“ignorant old white fellers promoted beyound their competence level. Being an old white feller myself they really annoy me. Giving us a bad name.”
yes , when you recognise the same old arguments and claims and you know they dont work anymore so its good to hear new voices.
Everytime Sherson spoke, I got Desert Road static on the AM band. I’m picking I didn’t miss much
I hope Sherson stays. Her bullshit is obvious, whereas Hooton shapes his horseshit quite carefully for the average punter to swallow. Dangerous wee fellow.
Totally disagree with this whitewash (below) from Jacinda, to preserve transparency the point is that EVERY donation should be recorded, even if it is tea towel, dinner or what have you. I’m tired of all these pretty legal ways of avoiding showing your political donations… even a $ should be public knowledge, and defiantly wining and dining, Bridges style!
It ain’t that hard when you take the money to also record who gave it! Much easier than having people buying and hiding political influence which is clearly what is rife in NZ which is certainly putting people off believing in the government.
At the end of the day if it is allowed to be wiped under the carpet that Bridges and Ross were plotting to divide donations then they should be prosecuted under the law and the loophole stopped. Its obviously rife and still nothing done about it.
Trump gained power by telling people he was going to be draining the swamp while the Democrats said, ‘what swamp’?
I’m also tired of being hit up for donations on anything to do with politics – they seem more like money grubbers desperate for funds that actually a likeable party the uses the public funds that are given to them, wisely. Again it is the rise of neoliberalism…. this ideas that they need money to win, rather than ethics or likability and the actual point of politics is supposed to make things better for people in the country not themselves and offshore billionaires.
Same should be happening with local government and they should not be allowed to be taking unsolicited unpaid trips to China or anywhere else! If they want to go, they pay for it themselves, or better still, don’t go!
From Granny…
“When asked about whether the anonymity of donors should remain, Adern questioned the practicality of such a change.
“We then have to look at the vast number, not the numerical value, but the number of our donations which actually come from quite small donations online and things like someone buying a tea towel or sausage sizzle.
“I know that sounds benign but literally that is a part of the way we gather our donations, so would we want a system where, if you made a $10 donation online, you would have to then be on a public register? a) that would be quite unwieldy and b) I think it would probably put people off supporting democracy,” Adern said.”
“would we want a system where, if you made a $10 donation online, you would have to then be on a public register? a) that would be quite unwieldy and b) I think it would probably put people off supporting democracy”
…. yes that attitude has now made our democracy a joke where ethnicities that ‘give’ the most get to be MP’s… and changing our political system to be openly Kleptocratic to the point ethnicities are valued on who much donations it is anticipated they bring in…
aka Two Chinese MP’s are with more than two Indians…
Personally I’d like to see, the identity of any donation so that those for example who buy up 100,000 tea towels or give 100,000 $10 donations, can be examined… in the context of their overall donations and links to those donations…
I can’t imagine any good kiwi employer would ever penalise a worker for donating to a party he saw as anti business savey, even if the worker wasn’t a mate. So a public register of contributors would be fine and dandy.
parties want to hide donors , as it gives them control over the amount of donations.
They will tell you that $100k is gets someone on the list and then find that an Indian Mp connections gave a lot less !
Now you might ask, where I got the idea that some ethnicitys were worth more than others.
And the poor (or less interested in cash for access) MP’s are less profitable, so they are off the list… murky… no wonder growing inequality.
And maybe you would bypass that employer if you knew they were a big donator to a certain party… it already is there in the law to show your donations, the difference is that there are ways for donations to be hidden.. I think in NZ it is even more important because we are currently having our assets bought up… and so people are amassing hundreds of millions of property for example and buying influence even their way into parliament!
When I was member of a political party, we used to pass the hat around at the end of each meeting (mostly to cover the room costs for the meeting).
Should each donation of a few coins be registered by name and address?
Yes.
You have to declare even a few coins to the tax department theoretically, so in general people are used to having to account for money…. also if in these meetings the people then start getting lucrative concessions by government at least it can be tracked back… an average person I don’t think fears that their donation is public of a few dollars, but people who are playing the system will and those who donate big money to both Labour and National or just one or the other for example can be tracked back and it will ensure that there is no favouritism.
Otherwise we go the American way.
Even in OZ they are concerned at big business (banks) and foreign donations… here in NZ the power interest say… oh too hard, nothing to see here…
Some people will most certainly be concerned if their name and address is made public because they gave a local branch a few dollars.
If you want to track the big money, track the big money. Don’t make every political organisation provide a list of all people who turn up to a meeting and chipped in a few coins.
The point is, they can’t track the big money, because there is so many loopholes. They need to close the loopholes.
So what, people may not donate a few coins, sounds better to me, than allowing $100k to buy your right to be an MP and have donors slipping into smaller denominations to hide their donations!
Note this is not the first time aka John Banks being convicted for hiding donations (and then weirdly without another trial unconvicted by the evidence of a US citizen who do not come forward for years, hmmmm bit like the rich lister drug importer yesterday having his conviction quashed, justice is clearly for sale if you are rich and connected, like our MPs and our political system).
I think we all know there will be no justice in NZ over this and nobody will be convicted of fraud on not declaring the donations and put in prison, even though there is taped evidence and presumably Ross is a witness…
So essentially it works for our politicians to hide the donations so they will keep doing it, and even when caught the politician and donor will get away with it.
ISTR the loophole banks exploited was that he got outed after the statute of limitations for the I didn’t do my job offence had passed. Then he had to be nailed down for knowingly signing a false return. He managed to reasonably argue (on appeal) that he had signed it without knowing the contents.
Easy enough to fix – extend or eliminate the statute of limitations for that offence.
Donation splitting is an issue, but can be worked around. Lower the anonymous threshold to $1,000. Audit a percentage of the donations via bank records. Generally make it more trouble than it’s worth.
Increasing the workload of branch treasurers would push people out of politcal participation, as well as the privacy thing. And the rich will still make donations.
Or, we could just ban corporate contributions.
+1 Gabby
Even tax legislation has a de minimis threshold of $200 per annum, below which untaxed income does not necessitate filing an income tax return.
Small donations are counted in US .
Buy a fund raiser T shirt from a campaign and your details are taken, including your employers name .
Regarding banning corporate donations, thats the rule surprisingly in US.
Just means they donate to ‘Super Pacs and even the relevant Party Senate or Congressional campaign committee- who then funds politician.
Yeah, or runs advertising against their candidate’s opponents.
The pac/superpac thing really took off after the Citizens United case which removed campaign spending limits for organisations. We don’t have that constraint.
And ban any means that bypass the banning donations…
The problem in today’s society is not the laws but the loopholes.
“I would love a situation where we didn’t have to campaign and fundraise for our campaigns, but we do. I don’t think there is a social license that exists out there for us to have state funding,”
yes there is, how do they know that? The average person wants democracy and not people buying power.
From the Greens
Stop powerful vested interests and preserve democracy
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1810/S00168/stop-powerful-vested-interests-and-preserve-democracy.htm
(The Greens apparently ask their MP’s to give part of their salaries to fund the party, unlike the Natz who it seems require $100k up front to become an MP, and presumably then request as many ‘donations’ as possible in return for favourable outcomes or order of NZ awards and then rank the ethnicities that deliver on those donations).
The mail in referendum on proportional representation is now under way in British Columbia.
https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/feature-to-time-on-proportional-representation-to-time-with-mail-out-of-ballots-by-elections-bc
There has been talk of what information people are entitled to in a person’s medical file.
Did you know that were a person to die from surgery without an executor and you took a complaint to the Health and Disability Commissioner (HDC) to investigate, the HDC can limit medical information you recieve from the DHB?
A dead person has no rights and they are not able to question aspects of their care or their death.
The only available options are to do an official information act (OIA) request for missing medical information, or apply to the court for a certificate to become an executor.
Once the coroner’s office closes the file, it can only be reopened if you ask and request the high court or the solicitor general to do so. I am not sure if this is an appeal process.
The coroner’s office does not need to see or include in their cause of death the treatment injury form.
Really hard to get the details from ACC but a woman felt sorry for me and told me that a treatment injury was on file with ACC. I do not know what ICU wrote.
I cannot provide any more information as the situation is current. Other than to say it was routine surgery and everything that could have gone wrong did.
Hmmm…https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/369235/counties-manukau-dhb-seeks-full-investigation-by-sfo
New Chair of CMDHB has asked the Serious Fraud Office to investigate financial irregularities described latest report from accountancy firm.
Pretty much what Our Fragile Friend was calling for a few months ago…
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/360599/claim-of-unauthorised-excessive-spending-at-counties-manukau-dhb
It’s all starting to make a little bit more sense, in a down-the-rabbit-hole kind of way.
I think it was unrelated to JLR. he was just giving out info from the two people sacked from the board by Clark-
These things happened under the previous board,…. some of whom have now gone.
A new day dawns and Bryce Edwards at last thinks some good for the public at large will come from JLR saga.
“Some of this might be good for politics and democracy. After all, they say that sunlight is the best disinfectant”
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/2018/10/22/280224/the-dangerously-escalating-bridges-ross-wars
How long did it take him to work that out !
No word yet from him on nationals admitted own involvement ‘along with medical professionals and police’ in the recent events.
well i have been watching WO during this (purely scientific research you understand) and i believe i know what he is up to. Have a look at his bogus poll (of WO subscribers) I think he plans for the “new conservatives” to become the alt nat coalition party.
“No word yet from him on nationals admitted own involvement”
I keep seeing this
I’m not accusing you of making it up but can you post a link to this “admitted own involvement” as I haven’t seen it
Fancy that, Nikki Kaye at her petulant worst in Parliament today. Maybe she saw her name on some of the lists as a replacement for Bridges and wants to make her mark as a tough one.
Yes well if Greens and Labour had been more organised we could have been rid of her as an electorate MP as they both got more votes combined in Auckand Central.
She is useless, even had someone I know voting blue, complaining about her when he went to try and get some help from the Natz. Clearly he didn’t know you need to pay ahem donate, to get any traction from them these days.
Yeah. What a snarky person is Nikki. And she still didn’t get the reason she was causing the problem.
This one I think.
https://www.parliament.nz/en/watch-parliament/ondemand?itemId=203355
It wasn’t that long ago she was being compared to Ardern – young women MPs on the up-and up.
Lisa Owens is on now tonight for Checkpoint. She is the takeover from John Campbell. Says she has something from the MP who was in a relationship with JLR. Lisa is a sharp interviewer.
Well. Lisa started telling about an email/text that was sent to JLR by the Nat MP who was having an affair with him. It ended with “I hope that you die.” The expected report stopped abruptly…. and switched to different topic.
ianmac I replied to you along the same lines but keep getting a “timed out” message.
Yes, there was something fishy there. She came back to the original story 15 mins later sans the bit about the abusive email sent to JLR in August. My guess is there was a last minute call from someone linked to National threatening RNZ if they pursued the story.
Could someone look at the edit function. It’s playing up again.
WTF is going on? It’s like the worse cover up ever. I wish we had some decent media in this country, you know it’s bad if you have to check WO for information.
Mind you Lisa Owen would be the last person to mess with.
Of course it is different if the woman bullies and abuses the man.
Beaten, stabbed and burned alive:
The Venezuelan opposition forces in action.
I recommend anyone who wants to understand what is being perpetrated against the people of Venezuela by the United States regime, to watch all of this video, which completely demolishes unfunny propagandamedian John Oliver.
Especially watch the segment beginning at the 36:30 mark.
The lynching of Orlando Figueroa begins at the 39:57 mark. (John Oliver calls this “pretty fucking restrained!”)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fV-C1Ag5sI
I threw up watching the original Oliver piece.
I’ve never watched him again, and never will.
He’s watched, and obviously believed, by many of the “liberals” on this forum.