Open Mike 23/12/2018

Written By: - Date published: 7:43 am, December 23rd, 2018 - 156 comments
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156 comments on “Open Mike 23/12/2018 ”

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  1. Ed 1
    23 December 2018 at 7:50 am

    Looks like it was a suburban couple who caused all the drone mayhem in the UK….

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/12/22/gatwick-drone-identities-arrested-couple-revealed/

    • James 1.1
      23 December 2018 at 8:18 am

      iF it was them – then I doubt it they did it because they lived in ‘the burbs’

      I’m sure it will come out they were climate change fanatics or just pissed off with the noise of planes despite them living in a flight path.

      • cleangreen 1.1.1
        23 December 2018 at 8:39 am

        James = another straw man.

        • james 1.1.1.1
          23 December 2018 at 9:12 am

          cleangreen = another hufflepuff.

          See how stupid your comment is?

          Try to discus the post as opposed to a single one line insult that has nothing to do with anything.

          • greywarshark 1.1.1.1.1
            23 December 2018 at 10:28 am

            Boring children. Will you stop squabbling and learn how to use self-control when making sharp criticisms or points on the blog?? You have been coming here long enough – you have served your apprenticeship, now show your skills and stop being foolish, or go to where you would fit in just great.

    • Matiri 1.2
      23 December 2018 at 8:22 am

      That’s the town where I grew up …. with my English mother and Kiwi father.

      • James 1.2.1
        23 December 2018 at 8:26 am

        Oh no – for goodness sake don’t let people know you were in the UK.

        Soon muttonbird will be demanding you show your residency application and the every outraged reason will be all upset.

        • reason 1.2.1.1
          23 December 2018 at 10:20 am

          Your Still being a Dick pick troll James … ugly little englishman

          I’ve explained when you deeply offended me ….

          It was when I was ” Feeling strong emotions and knowing the reality behind two suicides in my wider circle ”

          During that time, here at The Standard you posted ” a particularly shit stained troll post …. with you pretending to care about suicide … while painting the national party as off-bounds for criticism … according to you their dirty hands were clean …”

          Your response to what I wrote was ,,,, “oh here we go – poor easily offended (lack of) reason – who indeed is a snowflake” . … which you tried to back away from despite obviously responding to what i had written.

          Now your saying I’m easily outraged …. I wasn’t even outraged when you nominated the rape threatening Jair Bolsonaro as your pick for the most “charismatic” politician in the world.

          James ” I would happy bet you a months ban if you can find anything saying I admire Jair Bolsonaro.”

          Muttonbird …. “Well you did say he is more charismatic than Jacinda Ardern who you didn’t rate as charismatic at all despite her forming a government within a month of becoming leader of her party. That’s as big an endorsement of Jair Bolsonaro as you can get really.”

          Who other than James, thinks that picking rape happy right wing Jair Bolsonare for most charismatic world leader ,,, is anything other a sign of endorsment / admiration.

          • James 1.2.1.1.1
            23 December 2018 at 11:06 am

            I think I said always offended and easily outraged- your point tend to point this out as fact.

            You need to relax a little.

            • marty mars 1.2.1.1.1.1
              23 December 2018 at 12:23 pm

              You’ve now had multiple chances to back off but you refuse to do that. Instead you ridicule a person for their pain. You’re a sad, ugly sack of shit jamesy.

              • veutoviper …
                23 December 2018 at 12:44 pm

                On this occasion I am going to disagree with you, marty. Muttonbird and reason have been doing a pile on of James for months now – making claims about James where their only backup of their statements has been selective claims and quotes that each have made about what the other or James has said – but with no links to the actual original statements/comments made by James or themselves in earlier comments. They also have had multiple chances to back off when challenged but have also refused to do so. James has the same right as anyone else to challenge such claims and to defend himself IMHO and this is a case of the pot calling the kettle black.

                • Bewildered …
                  23 December 2018 at 1:36 pm

                  Agree a lot of projecting by commenters on this site about jsnes and then they all get prissy and oh so offended when cracks back, especially Marty who is as tough teak on his key board Ed in contrast is just fun

                • reason …
                  23 December 2018 at 1:44 pm

                  Vetroviper …..I was disgusted when James made his troll suicide post …. he may as well have have pissed on the graves of the young teenage girl and the father of young children who were victims of our society…. and causing such sorrow to people I know and love.

                  I did not have the emotional energy to give him the serve he deserved at the time …… but I marked his troll card for future attention.

                  As for the fact James is an englishman …. he himself wrote it and I took note.

                  Ignoring the fact trolls are bad faith posters whose purpose is to waste time ….

                  …. to derail

                  … and to perform the tasks that sending a dick pick achieves … to Lower the tone … to offend …. and make site users experience unpleasant.

                  Ignoring all that ….. Tell or show me how to do a search of james post on this site and i actually will waste my time on him .. even though he could easily go yes or no ……a simple yes or no ….to the fact i have brought up about him.

                  James response to not denying ( the no option ) is as follows ….

                  James …. “Well – ive been insuiating that you are a fuckwit and you’ve never said anything about it … so that must be a valid citation you are a fuckwit.”

                  To which I reply
                  a) this is the first time he’s openly called me a fuckwit
                  b) this is an opinion …. not a fact …. different in that being english is a fact.
                  c) it’s an opinion from a troll / dickpick … and worth nothing.

                  If he were to call me something that was not opinion Russian or Chinese ….. I’d point out what a stupid clown he is.

                  I wonder why he hasn’t to me???? ….

                  A while ago I wrote a post on trolls and how they operate ….. it’s obviously time for another

                  James will feature ….. with him demonstrating the only consistent thing with a political troll is support for their ‘team’ …. which makes them morally inconsistent.

                  James will demonstrate this with his conflicting stances and attitudes to sexual assault …..

                  Featuring Waikato rugby players ….. a bullying hair fetish prime minister …. Oxfam …. and the Labour Party youth camp….. All of which evoked very different attitudes and posts from James.

                  Personally I’m trolls ……….. they are dishonest dick picks … and I try to spoil their fun ….

                  rip n8v child

                  • reason …
                    23 December 2018 at 1:58 pm

                    Personally I dislike trolls ……….. they are dishonest dick picks … and I try to spoil their fun ….

                    rip n8v child …. a talented kiwi james spat on

                  • James …
                    23 December 2018 at 4:15 pm

                    You’re sounding like you are losing it there Reason.

                    Quick question- why do you think being English is a bad thing? You seem to think it’s an insult or something?

                    It’s not cool to use casual racism like that.

                    And what is it that makes you so fascinated with doc pics? You’ve mentioned them like three times today.

                    • Grafton Gully …
                      23 December 2018 at 6:55 pm

                      You love to celebrate royal occasions, are obsessed with the class system, do everything by the book, love to queue and drink tea all day ?

                    • James []
                      23 December 2018 at 7:30 pm

                      I do love a good cuppa.

                    • reason …
                      23 December 2018 at 7:27 pm

                      Losing it ? …. this is what losing it looks like ….. “Well – ive been insuiating that you are a fuckwit and you’ve never said anything about it … so that must be a valid citation you are a fuckwit.”

                      Being an English man is not a bad thing … unless you are a bad Englishman …. Being an immigrant is relevant when commenting on Maori rights & racism,….which you have not held back from …. Or absolving right wing political choices and racism for NZ’s high suicide rates, particularly severe for Maori ….. Or when you bash NZ people on benefits ,,,,, or telling us there has always been NZers living in cars …. etc etc

                      Trolls may be mainly a threat to billy goats …. but Troll is a poor description of what your sort do on the internet.

                      You share the most in common with dick picks …. unsolicited Sending your ugly self.

                      To Lower the tone … to offend …. make site users experience unpleasant…. and your unpleasantness have more of a negative impact on women.

                      If it appears I troll the trolls …… then technically I could be called a dick whacker ……

                      and your one of the dicks ….. james

                    • James []
                      23 December 2018 at 7:34 pm

                      Dear snowflake – By god your grammar is terrible.

                      Did you not study English ?

    • Ed 1.3
      23 December 2018 at 8:46 am

      It may be more complicated…
      Sounds like a good alibi.

      “Forensic squads are now said to be searching a van outside their home but the probe was thrown into confusion as Mr Gait’s boss John Allard said he was at work.

      Mr Allard, who runs a double glazing firm in Crowborough, said he could ‘account for Paul’s movements between the hours of 7am and 5pm last Monday to Friday’.”

      https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6522089/Two-people-arrested-criminal-use-drones-Gatwick-Airport.html

      • greywarshark 1.3.1
        23 December 2018 at 10:31 am

        I was wondering when these drone hazards become regarded as terrorist attacks. Because they are just as bad and done for a malign reason, actually without any real brain reason being applied at all.

        ‘Duh, I’m really keen on these drones and thought it was a good thing to do. And it tests the defences of the airport too, so I’m being helpful really.’ /sarc

  2. Ed 2
    23 December 2018 at 8:14 am

    Chris Hedges nails it.

    “We Can’t Fight Climate Change if We Keep Lying to Ourselves

    The inability to see what is in front of our eyes replicates the blindness of all past civilizations that celebrated their eternal glory at moments of precipitous decline. The difference is that life across the whole planet will go down this time. It is comforting to pretend this is not happening, to foster false hopes and fool ourselves with the myth of human progress, but these illusions only tranquilize us at a moment when we should be rising in collective fury against those who are orchestrating our doom.”

    https://t.co/HmUnQC4Hez?amp=1

    [Ed, you’ve been told repeatedly not to spam the site. Put up your own opinions, please. TRP]

    • Tuppence Shrewsbury 2.1
      23 December 2018 at 8:20 am

      It’s too early for this bull shit practise of using quotes as comments. Intellectual dishonesty on a Sunday morning

      • cleangreen 2.1.1
        23 December 2018 at 8:38 am

        Tuppence Shrewsbury = “straw man extreme”

        • greywarshark 2.1.1.1
          23 December 2018 at 10:41 am

          cleangreen
          You present my own thoughts. It is a cunning plan the RWNJs have – to take on the role of irritated superior committed supporters of this blog about anyone who gathers ire from the moderators. Like the sneak at school sucking up to the teacher to get a jibe at another student.

          and maui
          I agree with you. I really want to know what is being said in other outlets and by people of note, and videos, but not a line of them opened up all the way down the screen from the same person. Even when they are from different people, it is possible to have a video battle between 2 or 3 people. Restraint, think of what others would want Standadistas.

          I don’t mind a paragraph that lays down an opinion with context. Joe90 does this quite often and it is very enlightening. So Ed is at fault when he takes over the site publishing other’s opinions and spreading his statements and thoughts to excess.

          I have suggested that it would be good if we limited our comments; to say 5 an hour, then we would either get a bunch or more spaced, but not dominating the flow. We need to keep up the flow, I do miss so many of those from even the past year, and of course further back.

      • mauī 2.1.2
        23 December 2018 at 8:59 am

        We could just ban anyone who posts a quote or video… that would be the end of about half the commentariat.

    • cleangreen 2.2
      23 December 2018 at 8:43 am

      es Ed these ‘straw men’ – James and Tuppence Shrewsbury need to learn the term “in the real world” reality that climate change is now upon jus and nothing they try to believe will change the fact that we are locked into a catastrophe of a climate now spinnng out of control.

      They will reap what they sow eventually.

    • Ed 2.3
      23 December 2018 at 8:47 am

      I agree with Chris Hedges. I said he nails it.

      By the way, many other people put up links with even less comment. Save NZ at 3 for example.

      I am confused.
      What have I done that other don’t do.

      [This has been explained to you many times, by multiple moderators. Banned till Jan 1, 2019. TRP]

      • Drowsy M. Kram 2.3.1
        23 December 2018 at 3:02 pm

        Ed, thanks for your comments and links this year – admire your perseverance.

        Wishing you well for the Xmas-New Year ‘break’.

    • SPC 2.4
      23 December 2018 at 4:13 pm

      Maybe there should be a links to commentary page set up each week.

    • SaveNZ 3.1
      23 December 2018 at 8:38 am

      What I despise the most about the rise of the ‘woke left’ is that they have lost sight of actually changing the fundamentals of equality aka valuing and accounting for at a government and economic and social level all the work that (mostly women) do that is unpaid and their part in ignoring the environmental impacts of unlimited growth.

      We expect ignorance and lack of action from the right wingers but the sad news is that now the woke left is more likely to spit the dummy at Rachel Stewart, attack the centre left while giving their questions to the Natz, support Karel Sroubek’s residency while not much peep about NZ prisoners not even being able to vote, give water rights to Chinese overseas interests while apparently being oblivious to the human rights abuses over there or the environmental impacts, not a peep out of all the immigration scams from people paying for their job https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/107073384/the-big-scam-the-tip-of-an-immigration-scam-iceberg to dowry scams and the marriage of a special needs teen with mental ages of 7…. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12123831

      • OnceWasTim 3.1.1
        23 December 2018 at 8:57 am

        Would you say that the ‘woke left’ have a lot in common with what we used to call the Chardonnay Socialist, and that it’s a phenomenon that’s directly proportional to their level of comfort within the particular bubble they inhabit?

        Sorry to be so deep and meaningful (or unmeaningful) so early on a Sunday morning.

        By the way, It’s good to see Fonseka and Kilgallon calling out the bullshit. They join others who’ve been trying for quite some time – at RNZ and even one at Granny as well as some in unions, Alistair McClymont and the guy in Chch, Migrant Worker’s Association.
        My ‘impression’ is that I L-G and Faafoi are listening but its taken a while for them to get a handle on things but its going to take a bit more time for INZ and the Labour Inspectorate to effect a huge cultural and structural change and so far it’s all a bit depressing to watch.

      • marty mars 3.1.2
        23 December 2018 at 10:46 am

        Your continued use of woke left shows me you’re part of the problem.
        You co opt words you don’t understand to build arguments against groups you aren’t part of.
        You may as well be a rwnj imo.

      • patricia bremner 3.1.3
        23 December 2018 at 12:42 pm

        Not totally correct here SaveNZ. Extra inspectors have been reporting rorts involving migrants causing those employers to repay them, lose the right to hire them. Several scams have been prosecuted. Work is being done on forced marriages.
        The water rights were established under the previous Government. Later ones have been turned down.
        I see OncewasTim has outlined cases, so I’ll leave it there.

    • KJT 3.2
      23 December 2018 at 10:48 am

      One of our few politicians, with a heart.

    • SPC 3.3
      23 December 2018 at 4:22 pm

      And ironically the most obvious solution to the problem of unpaid work is one feminists have not advocated.

      Payment of income support (at dole level) to the non working partner.

      1. For those with children under 5 no work test.
      2. For those doing voluntary work (including those doing unpaid caring work) no work test.
      3. For those without children or children over 5 with a work test.

      • KJT 3.3.1
        23 December 2018 at 4:30 pm

        UBI. Used to be family benefit.
        Green party working on it now, but unconditional child support, paid to all mothers, kept the majority of children free from poverty in the sixties and seventies.

  4. James 4
    23 December 2018 at 8:33 am

    Not content with just having teachers strike now this government is going to have school principals marching on Wellington.

    https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/education/109533618/its-not-the-end-of-school-boards-just-a-tweak

    • millsy 4.1
      23 December 2018 at 8:38 am

      Principals upset that their schools will lose the privileged position they have in the current education environment.

      • Ed 4.1.1
        23 December 2018 at 8:42 am

        Maclean’s and Auckland Grammar are the schools mentioned.

      • stunned mullet 4.1.2
        23 December 2018 at 9:36 am

        What is this privileged position they have in the current education environment ?

        • JanM 4.1.2.1
          23 December 2018 at 10:14 am

          Schools were set up in competition to each other under Tomorrows Schools rather than the co-operative model which previously existed. Certain schools worked to gain advantage, less for their students, more for the ‘reputations’ of their fiefdoms. All sorts of shenanigans have been operating from excluding local children, taking selected children from out of zone, and preventing children who may fail from sitting NCEA exams. While this may make the schools look good to the great unwashed, it flies in the face of the intention of public education to be offered fairly to all children. If you want to play silly beggars like that, open a private school, don’t rort the state system.
          To the best of my knowledge, only one school principal (at Cambridge High) has actually been caught and dealt with operating in this way

        • millsy 4.1.2.2
          23 December 2018 at 11:30 am

          Winner and loser schools have been created thanks to the TS reforms.

        • millsy 4.1.2.3
          23 December 2018 at 11:32 am

          TS have created winner and loser schools.

      • Ed1 4.1.3
        23 December 2018 at 2:41 pm

        It is not clear why some principals are objecting to the proposals – from the article :
        “Taking power away from boards would create “bland, one-size-fits-all” institutions and destroy the role of communities in schools, Hargreaves said.

        He called on parents to oppose the recommendations and said parents had already been quick to voice their backing for him.

        Parents wanted to know they could have an impact on their children’s education through the board of trustees’ parent representatives, he said. “To think that that’s going to be passed over to another faceless bureaucracy is what really worries them,” he said. ”

        Some of that is refuted later in the article, but it is not clear at all what the specific concerns are, or whether they have correctly interpreted the proposals.

        Pooling resources in a local area does make sense for maintenance, property development, contracting, HR advice and services, and clearly there needs to be some consistency about zoning to ensure that is consistently applied (where needed) so that we have a reasonable level of fairness to both schools and potential pupils – as seen by the community not necessarily by individual schools.

        There has been an unseemly rush to jump to conclusions. I applaud the openness of the report to discussion, and I suspect the time given will not be long enough for some areas of concern. Articles looking for conflict are not helpful at this stage – it would have been interesting to have heard how the concerned principals believe the proposals would have the results they predict – I suspect they are imputing a detailed reasoning of their own to broad proposals where the details is currently absent.

    • KJT 4.2
      23 December 2018 at 10:42 am

      Principal’s that have been gaming the current system to maximize their own pay and power, at the expense of students and their communities are upset.

      My heart bleeds for them.

      • Herodotus 4.2.1
        23 December 2018 at 10:57 am

        citation to this rant ???
        Also nice to see that some here have so little regard to Principals thinking that their motivation is solely to max their pay – nothing to do with the students ??
        And I note that the McLeans principal was previously Principal of Wesley, so has the experience from 2 differing perspectives.
        https://rotaryremuera.club/Stories/steven-hargreaves-principal-of-wesley-college

        • KJT 4.2.1.1
          23 December 2018 at 11:11 am

          I taught at both a high decile and low decile school.

          The low decile had a much higher standard of teaching, and children with family support, had better results than the high decile. In other words, if the low decile school had excluded students likely to get lower marks, as the higher decile one did, in many subtle ways, they would have way “out performed” the high decile.

          Those principal’s are from colleges that are able to pretend they are better schools by cherry picking students, simply perpetuating a class system. To the detriment of education for most children.

          • Herodotus 4.2.1.1.1
            23 December 2018 at 11:58 am

            I am sure then that only these 2 marching will gain little coverage, and would be a poor reflection on both. Yet I gather the march will number more than 2 and will cover a wider range of communities than just Epson and Bucklands Beach. And the Principals that march, will be doing as a display for their concern for current and future students, not selfish self interest to get paid more 🤑

            • KJT 4.2.1.1.1.1
              23 December 2018 at 12:09 pm

              If they were really concerned for the future education of NZ children, they would not be trying to continue the, failed, competitive model exemplified by “Tomorrows Schools”.

              • Herodotus …
                23 December 2018 at 12:20 pm

                How do we know that the proposed changes would be an improvement of Labour’s “Tomorrow Schools” ?
                Looks to me like a power grab by a few bureaucrats/idealists. Similar perhaps to The 84 Labour Govt and how they introduced “Neoliberalism” – and look how that has turned out, and we have been dealing with that Labour govt decision since 😤

                • millsy …
                  23 December 2018 at 12:47 pm

                  So what would you do then? Carry on with the competitive model? All TS has done is introduce the concept of ‘white flight’ to this country.

                  And there was still things like school choice and parental involvement before 1989. I remember my auntie and Uncle sending my cousin to a school the next suburb over even though they lived 600m from their local school. And this was in 85/86.

                • Draco T Bastard …
                  23 December 2018 at 1:14 pm

                  How do we know that the proposed changes would be an improvement of Labour’s “Tomorrow Schools” ?

                  Wrong question.

                  We have a failing system. We know the previous system worked better even if not perfect.

                  Why would we not change the existing system to something that previously worked better while also changing the parts of it that weren’t the best?

                  Looks to me like a power grab by a few bureaucrats/idealists.

                  Looks to me like you’re talking out your arse and scaremongering.

            • millsy 4.2.1.1.1.2
              23 December 2018 at 12:24 pm

              Schools will have the option to retain a lot of their powers under the proposals.

              Parents input into the running of schools will probably be strengthened, as they will have a layer of support to turn to if they are having problems with their school.

              As well, the TS setup is such that parents are largely passive consumers. Also, central government can shut down schools by Fiat.

        • Foreign waka 4.2.1.2
          23 December 2018 at 11:41 am

          Herodotus, the proposed changes are to put the financial, HR and H&S measures into professional hands. Principals should focus on the delivery of curriculum and the training of teachers to deliver an ever more skilled based job. This would be the convincing part of the choice of school if you really want to make such distinction. Nothing is holding anybody back to make donations, but it would be more transparent. Oh! is that the problem?

  5. cleangreen 5
    23 December 2018 at 8:36 am

    Protecting our environment & health.
    In association with other Community Groups, NHTCF and all Government Agencies since 2001.
    • Health and wellbeing.
    • East Coast Transport Project.
    • Save our Gisborne/Napier/Wellington rail project.
    • “No sale of Napier Port campaign”

    23rd December 2018.

    Subject; “So far it has been a nerve racking slow way back to a rail rebuilding industry we had all over NZ once.”

    ‘No thanks to the – “National Party rail wrecking machine that we witnessed over the last 30 yrs.”

    “It is now time to restore our ‘whole essential regional rail services in earnest”

    Dear rail stakeholders,

    Merry Xmas all,

    ‘This is hopefully just the beginning of our desperately needed rail renaissance.’

    https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/more-jobs-pipeline-revived-hillside
    Otago Daily Times
    Dunedin 16 | 10
    Sunday, 23 December 2018
    Send us news & photos
    More jobs in pipeline for revived Hillside.
    By Tim Miller

    South Dunedin’s Hillside workshops. Photo: ODT
    Six years after they were shuttered, the South Dunedin Hillside workshops are slowly coming back to life.
    KiwiRail is advertising for tradespeople to work on wagon conversions at the workshops in Hillside Rd.
    The advertisement says the work is varied and will cover all aspects of locomotive and wagon maintenance and repair.
    People having experience working with heavy plant and machinery, heavy automobiles, locomotives, and ships are encouraged to apply.
    KiwiRail rolling stock asset services general manager Adam Williams said about six new jobs were expected to be added to the 12 staff already working at the workshops.
    There had been significant growth in forestry logs being transported by rail, and KiwiRail had been preparing for some time for the ”Wall of Wood” to come on stream, Mr Williams said.
    Part of KiwiRail’s strategy involved converting existing container wagons to transport logs.

  6. Herodotus 6
    23 December 2018 at 9:02 am

    Good wishes to all those helping out at food banks cooking and serving lunches over this week and helping in some small way those less fortunate,
    Hopefully next year the need will be severely reduced

  7. gsays 7
    23 December 2018 at 9:49 am

    There is a comedy piece on stuff at the moment.

    Amongst other bits there is this gem about the national party: “In the hope it will keep the party’s rep as a slick operating unit – looking leaderly and switched on “…..

    For more giggles- https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/109528733/stacey-kirk-political-slates-wiped-clean-wont-stay-that-way-for-long-in-2019

  8. halfcrown 8
    23 December 2018 at 9:52 am

    There appear to be crisis talks by our government AGAIN with by another parasitical corporate called Amazon over the filming a TV version of Bored With The Rings in NZ
    We do have the money to pay out further corporate welfare when there are so many other issues that are more urgent to fix, and wage rates lowered for the benefit of another pack of parasites and being conned by the so-called benefits (yet to be seen ) to NZ
    Amazon needs to be told pay your fucking tax, no handouts from the NZ taxpayers, and no subsidised low wage rates for any people employed, that the NZ taxpayer has to subsidise with something similar to welfare stamps given to Amazon employees in the US.
    We don’t need more tourists, the countries infrastructure can barely cope with the massive inflows we are experiencing at the moment, and we certainly do not need further cheap unskilled immigration.
    Frankly, before any decision was made I would like to see an enquiry into the so-called benefits the last great fiddle the fucking spiv did with Warners and Jackson and how much NZ really benefited, as I cannot see any when we still have a high rate of child poverty. Also, and if no benefit to NZ, Amazon to be told to fuck off and pay the tax you have avoided on your way out.

    https://i.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/109543455/plans-to-film-1-billion-lord-of-the-rings-television-series-in-nz-under-threat

    • KJT 8.1
      23 December 2018 at 10:46 am

      Subsidies to local productions, as the Ozzies do, has resulted in much greater benefits than, giving up labour laws, and huge amounts of money, to overseas corporate’s.

    • Draco T Bastard 8.2
      23 December 2018 at 11:38 am

      The only thing that private business seems efficient at is demanding ever higher subsidies from governments.

      Unfortunately, modern neo-liberal governments seem efficient in giving them.

      • Ad 8.2.1
        23 December 2018 at 12:06 pm

        Everyone relies on the state.

        • KJT 8.2.1.1
          23 December 2018 at 12:10 pm

          Neo-liberal business, relies on the State even more, but they refuse to fund it.

        • Draco T Bastard 8.2.1.2
          23 December 2018 at 1:02 pm

          A society is a complex series of cross subsidies. That’s how societies, communities, work.

          Businesses, though, have been telling us for decades that subsidies are bad and that there is no society.

          Given this the best thing to do when a business demands subsidies is to say no.

          • shadrach 8.2.1.2.1
            23 December 2018 at 6:47 pm

            I don’t know of a single business that has been “telling us for decades that…there is no society”. Can you name one? Business relies on societies to sell their goods and services. These societies are their markets, and businesses soon learn that they ignore them at their peril.

            • Draco T Bastard 8.2.1.2.1.1
              24 December 2018 at 1:23 am

              I don’t know of a single business that has been “telling us for decades that…there is no society”. Can you name one?

              It’s all part of the delusional ideology introduced by Thatcher, Reagan, Douglass.

              https://www.ft.com/content/d1387b70-a5d5-11e2-9b77-00144feabdc0

              and businesses soon learn that they ignore them at their peril.

              They ignore society all the time. That’s what all those business confidence polls are about.

              • shadrach …
                24 December 2018 at 9:34 pm

                You didn’t say they ‘ignore society’ (which is in itself a nonsense claim), you said businesses have been telling us for decades that “there is no society”.

                This is a nonsense statement that you must have plucked straight from your fundamental orafice.

                Businesses can neither ignore or deny society, for the simple reason society comprises their customers! But there us much more. Societies and businesses are co-dependent. Business supplies goods and services, pays tax, employs people, supports charitable causes, the list goes on and on. If you seriously believe what you have written, you are so far out of touch of not just reality but history you are bordering on delusional.

                • Draco T Bastard …
                  25 December 2018 at 12:37 am

                  You didn’t say they ‘ignore society’ (which is in itself a nonsense claim), you said businesses have been telling us for decades that “there is no society”.

                  They do both.

                  It’s a fundamental part of the business psyche to put themselves above others. To invent excuses as to why they don’t have to work for the good of society. Why we suddenly Corporate Social Responsibility is a thing.

                  The Only Corporate Responsibility Is to Increase Profits

                  In 1970, just as the idea of corporate social responsibility was gaining traction and influential advocates in the United States, the economist Milton Friedman published a short essay titled “The Social Responsibility of Business is to Increase its Profits.” Possibly the most provocative single contribution to the history of business ethics, Friedman set out to show that large, publicly owned corporations ought to be about making money, and the ethical obligations imposed by advocates of CSR should be dismissed. His arguments convinced some and not others, but the eloquent and accessible way he made them, combined with the fact that his ideas were published in a mainstream publication—the New York Times Magazine—ensured their impact.Milton Friedman, “The Social Responsibility of Business Is to Increase Its Profits,” New York Times Magazine, September 13, 1970, accessed June 7, 2011, http://www.colorado.edu/studentgroups/libertarians/issues/friedman-soc-resp-business.html.

                  I’m pretty sure that there are a number of business people out there who still agree with Friedman and Thatcher. Hell, I know business people personally who say so.

                  Societies and businesses are co-dependent.

                  Yes they are. The problem is that most business people think that everyone else, who is not in a society, are totally dependent upon them. Considering that the laws have been drawn up to make that true I suppose that they’ve got a good case for it. As soon as government starts making it not true they start going on about communism and reds under the bed.

                  BTW, I note that I’m providing links.

                  You’re talking out your arse.

                  • shadrach …
                    27 December 2018 at 10:22 am

                    “It’s a fundamental part of the business psyche to put themselves above others.”
                    Rubbish. Again. Business relies on it’s customers, and it’s customers are society. But I’m still waiting for you to post links supporting your claim “businesses have been telling us for decades that “there is no society”. Still waiting.

                    “The problem is that most business people think that everyone else, who is not in a society, are totally dependent upon them. ”
                    Where do you get this crap? Who are these ‘most business people’? Smart business people recognise that their business is dependent on society, not the other way around. If they don’t they fail, because they continue to produce goods and services no-one wants.

                    “The Social Responsibility of Business is to Increase its Profits.”
                    And here’s an excellent response. https://journals.aom.org/doi/10.5465/amp.24.3.11

                    You clearly have no idea of how business works or what it contributes, so I’ll back up the article above wiht something simple for your New Years reading:

                    https://www.forbes.com/sites/marissaperetz/2017/12/19/these-companies-prove-you-can-be-socially-conscious-and-profitable/#6860db363b10

                    https://www.classy.org/blog/6-socially-responsible-companies-applaud/

                    https://www.shopkeep.com/blog/10-ways-small-businesses-benefit-the-local-community

                    • Pat …
                      27 December 2018 at 10:47 am

                      “Rubbish. Again. Business relies on it’s customers, and it’s customers are society”

                      You conflate a target market with society….an industry that markets say housing to high wealth individuals thinks not of the impact of its actions on any segment that is outside its target market…and nor can it as if it does it will lose market share to a competitor who does not.

                      The weighing of overall benefit to society of market actions was the role of government…a role abandoned some decades ago.

                      Now the real political power exercised in a democracy is relative to the ability to consume/invest.

                    • Draco T Bastard …
                      27 December 2018 at 1:03 pm

                      Rubbish. Again. Business relies on it’s customers, and it’s customers are society.

                      And that would be why businesses are always screwing down wages right?
                      Why they don’t like unions?

                      Yes, over the last few years there’s been a big build-up in socially conscious businesses. I note that the first thing that Forbes article does is blame the actions of the employees. See, this is called blame shifting and, when you get right down to it, whitewashing.

                      Is it possible for a business to be part of society? Yes. Are they? No. They’re just there to make a profit and unearned income for their owners.

                    • shadrach …
                      27 December 2018 at 2:16 pm

                      “You conflate a target market with society…”
                      No, I don’t. A target market is not necessarily static. A target market can change, as a business expands, contracts or diversifies. But a target market is a subset of society.

                      “….an industry that markets say housing to high wealth individuals thinks not of the impact of its actions on any segment that is outside its target market…and nor can it as if it does it will lose market share to a competitor who does not.”
                      Rubbish. You assume that the pursuit of profit can always be achieved by ignoring everything outside a firms target market. You simply have no idea what your talking about.

                    • shadrach …
                      27 December 2018 at 2:21 pm

                      “And that would be why businesses are always screwing down wages right?”
                      They aren’t always screwing down wages. In some cases business will pay more to get a higher quality workforce. It is the market that ultimately determines what a job is worth, with moderation from outside elements such as the minimum wage.

                      “Why they don’t like unions?”
                      Who? Are you seriously suggesting all businesses ‘don’t like unions’?

                      “Is it possible for a business to be part of society? Yes. Are they? No.”
                      Of course they are. They employ people. They pay tax that is used to pay for stuff you use.

                      “They’re just there to make a profit and unearned income for their owners.”
                      You really don’t have a clue do you? Where dd you develop this hatred for business? Is it jealousy that without business society as we know it could not function?

                      And I’m still waiting for you to post links supporting your claim “businesses have been telling us for decades that “there is no society”. Still waiting.

                    • Pat …
                      27 December 2018 at 4:34 pm

                      lol…already you walk away from and qualify your original statement.

                      “Rubbish. Again. Business relies on it’s customers, and it’s customers are society. But I’m still waiting for you to post links supporting your claim “businesses have been telling us for decades that “there is no society”. Still waiting.”

                      Go ahead and name one company or product that demonstrates that “Businesses can neither ignore or deny society, for the simple reason society comprises their customers!”

                    • shadrach …
                      28 December 2018 at 12:21 pm

                      “lol…already you walk away from and qualify your original statement.”
                      I haven’t walked away from anything.

                      “Go ahead and name one company or product that demonstrates that “Businesses can neither ignore or deny society, for the simple reason society comprises their customers!””
                      Kodak. Kodak ignored the shift to digital photography (among other trends). They filed for bankruptcy in 2012. The demise of Kodak, and it’s subsequent regeneration, is well documented.

                      Then there’s…
                      Blockbuster
                      Polaroid
                      Pan Am
                      Borders
                      Compaq
                      GM

                      And there are many, many more. I can give you the reasons each failed if you like; all relate to a failure to relate to the changing needs of their customers.

                • Pat …
                  28 December 2018 at 12:35 pm

                  Thank you for providing examples of companies that did indeed ignore their target markets (and competitors) and consequently failed…..society continued.

                  Pity you remain unable to distinguish between the two

                  • shadrach …
                    28 December 2018 at 2:26 pm

                    Oh so you were looking for an example of a single business failure that brought down the whole of society? Why didn’t you just ask that? Or are you actually sidestepping?

                    What you fail to understand is that business and society have a type of co-dependency. Not a single business and society. The failure of a single business can harm society, but it won’t destroy it. But the success of a society is largely dependent on the success of business generally, because of employment, tax revenues etc.

                    I can help you to understand by asking you this…in a world without business, who would employ all of the people currently employed? Provide the tax revenue that pays for your hospital visits and the roads you drive on? Who would provide the goods and services you use? Provide the independent blogs, such as the one we are having this discussion on?

                    • Pat …
                      28 December 2018 at 3:32 pm

                      “Oh so you were looking for an example of a single business failure that brought down the whole of society? Why didn’t you just ask that? Or are you actually sidestepping?”

                      Deliberate misinterpretation and absurdity appear to be a theme with you….I sought a single example of a business/product that considered society as opposed to target market …I wont hold my breath waiting as it is obviously beyond your ken.

                    • shadrach …
                      28 December 2018 at 11:09 pm

                      “I sought a single example of a business/product that considered society as opposed to target market ”
                      What? That is gibberish. And it isn’t what you wrote. Here’s what you wrote:

                      “Go ahead and name one company or product that demonstrates that “Businesses can neither ignore or deny society, for the simple reason society comprises their customers!””

                      I named several. Then you changed the question to:
                      “…companies that did indeed ignore their target markets (and competitors) and consequently failed…..society continued.”

                      You are simply being dishonest. And you’re squirming. So I’ll give you another chance:

                      “I can help you to understand by asking you this…in a world without business, who would employ all of the people currently employed? Provide the tax revenue that pays for your hospital visits and the roads you drive on? Who would provide the goods and services you use? Provide the independent blogs, such as the one we are having this discussion on?”

                    • Pat …
                      29 December 2018 at 6:25 pm

                      as i gift you zyzzyva I ask how many opportunities should be presented to the wilfully obtuse?
                      (clue, the answer isnt ’42’)

                    • shadrach …
                      30 December 2018 at 4:00 pm

                      “as i gift you zyzzyva I ask how many opportunities should be presented to the wilfully obtuse?”
                      You mean how many opportunities should you be given to answer my simple question? Go on. You’re the one criticizing businesses. Tell us who’ll employ people and generate tax revenue for welfare, for housing, for health, for education….

    • halfcrown 8.3
      23 December 2018 at 12:15 pm

      Oops a typo It should read ‘We do NOT have the money etc

  9. Cinny 9
    23 December 2018 at 10:15 am

    Holiday info for any driving through or coming to Motueka.

    Our main st (High St) is bumper to bumper this time of year, if you see anyone struggling to cross the road, or exit a driveway, please stop and let them cross/through.

    It only takes a couple of seconds. THANKS 🙂

    FYI

    The best sneaky car parking in town is behind Whitwells in the main street.

    The cheapest fuel is at the self serve NPD at the beginning of town, just after the one and only roundabout.

    Enjoy your visit 🙂

  10. Morrissey 10
    23 December 2018 at 11:12 am

    Paddy Ashdown R.I.P.

    A memory from someone who met him:

    Never liked his politics, and didn’t like his public image; and this was duly reinforced when I once had the misfortune, with a handful of other people, including a French couple, to spend an evening with him & his wife Jane; he spent the entire evening chatting up the French woman, in French, rudely ignoring the rest of us, and embarrassing his wife.

    http://members5.boardhost.com/xxxxx/thread/1545512682.html

  11. Ad 11
    23 December 2018 at 11:31 am

    Lord of the Rings tv series is coming!
    Excitement!
    Subsidies!
    Aragorn!!!!!

    • Morrissey 11.1
      23 December 2018 at 11:33 am

      Will they pay the technicians and actors a decent wage this time?

      • greywarshark 11.1.1
        23 December 2018 at 1:10 pm

        Jobs, interest by government, the minimum wage has just gone up, and perhaps people here can think up some jobs-rich projects that might become permanent, and put these to government while it is receptive to financing start-ups.

        (Tip: Do a business plan, study your projected market, think about the angle you are going to appeal to.)

    • millsy 11.2
      23 December 2018 at 11:41 am

      The movie industry will be dead in 10 years. Online steaming services and suscriber TV will take it’s place.

      • James 11.2.1
        23 December 2018 at 11:59 am

        You do know that this is being produced by amazon right ?

        And the movie industry won’t be dead – movie theatres may be – but not the movie making industry- they just change how their product is delivered.

        • millsy 11.2.1.1
          23 December 2018 at 12:32 pm

          As I said before. Stories being told in this format will overtake the standard 2hr movie. Marvel’s works are the only thing holding up theatres at the moment.

          Even Star Wars has failed to ignite audiences, though that is probably down the storyline of the new trilogy more than anything else

          • James 11.2.1.1.1
            23 December 2018 at 1:23 pm

            You need to get out more:

            Incredibles 2, bohemian rhapsody, mission impossible fallen, fantastic beast, the meg. All huge box office success and not marvel.

          • KJT 11.2.1.1.2
            23 December 2018 at 3:10 pm

            Original movies still hit the mark, at times.

            Star wars was a fresh and original take on the Sci-fi movie, in it’s day.

            Moviemakers failing to inspire audiences, with endless sequels and re hashes of old movies, is not surprising.

        • I feel love 11.2.1.2
          23 December 2018 at 12:38 pm

          “Movie theatres are on the way out” like guitar bands and vinyl. Cinema is still a big deal.

      • Ad 11.2.2
        23 December 2018 at 12:00 pm

        Tv series Mill. Tv series.

        Remember when tv was going to die?

        • millsy 11.2.2.1
          23 December 2018 at 12:29 pm

          That is what I mean. The fact that they are making a TV series and not a movie speaks volumes. Game of Thrones would never have worked as a standard 2 hour film trilogy.

          • I feel love 11.2.2.1.1
            23 December 2018 at 12:49 pm

            You don’t think GOT done it’s dash? I know the books are never ending and ongoing (possibly to never be complete) but like the Walking Dead there doesn’t seem to be an end, it’s like soap opera, there’s no complete story arc, it’s just on and on. Movies are forced to start and finish, they tend to be disciplined and tight, t.v. can meander, which is good for a little while but if things don’t end they get boring. Breaking Bad was excellent because you knew it had a climax, though I hear there’s a sequel/prequel? Some series are too short, some are too long, but there’s something about a good ending.

      • greywarshark 11.2.3
        23 December 2018 at 12:46 pm

        ‘Online steaming services’? Not everybody watches pron in any of its shades of grey.

    • halfcrown 11.3
      23 December 2018 at 12:19 pm

      I would sooner see a Bugs Bunny cartoon

    • KJT 11.4
      23 December 2018 at 12:24 pm

      Not many movies that I wait impatiently for the finish. LOTR was one of them!

      Cost more than ten good local productions also.

      • I feel love 11.4.1
        23 December 2018 at 12:43 pm

        Hopefully Jackson isn’t part of the t.v. series, Mortal Engines totally bombed, maybe he should try a new, original (heck, a local story) idea? & not rehash someone else’s book. He’s a technical genius but a terrible story teller. (I actually thought the Ring and Hobbit movies would be better t.v., they are tediously long).

      • veutoviper 11.4.2
        23 December 2018 at 1:32 pm

        I did not even make it to the end of the first of the trilogy – had to leave the movie theatre due to the volume of the sound and ended up with a three day migraine as a result. Still shudder with the memory. Tried to watch the sequels on video and again gave up.

        • KJT 11.4.2.1
          23 December 2018 at 3:04 pm

          To be fair, I found the Hobbit, books, tedious as well.

          Jackson is not a storyteller. I think he should have stuck to splatter movies, where he was a Master.

          • In Vino 11.4.2.1.1
            23 December 2018 at 4:26 pm

            If you are going to be fair, KJT, The Hobbit (book) was a single, fairly short children’s book. Eminently approachable for all.
            The Lord of the Rings (book) was the long trilogy. I was mildly annoyed by the way Jackson fooled with the books in the first trilogy of films (Lord of the Rings) but could tolerate it. To me, The Hobbit (films – a bloody long overblown trilogy from a single child’s book) is a load of bollocks, which really does throw Jackson’s failings into sharp relief.

            • KJT 11.4.2.1.1.1
              23 December 2018 at 6:39 pm

              Correct. Should have said LOTR.

            • Robert Guyton 11.4.2.1.1.2
              23 December 2018 at 7:44 pm

              Dammit! Missed this interplay – as mentioned before, I have (now) 20 copies of The hobbit and plan to use them in a tutorial manner with youngish students. While the story isn’t entirely perfect for the modern child, it provides great opportunities for all sorts of learnings and discussions – for which I thank JR Tolkien very much. I found Jackson’s movies impossible to enjoy, because of the focus on battle and gore. Tolkien too, did war heavily, understandably. I’m someone who finds the Tom Bombadil material intriguing, and btw, who is Radagast the Brown 🙂

              • The Fairy Godmother …
                23 December 2018 at 10:41 pm

                Ragadast the brown was one of the Istari or wizards ( Gandalf and Saruman were also in the order) He doesn’t come into the story much except in fellowship where he unwittingly relayed Saruman’s message to gandalf leading to Gandalf’s imprisonment in his tower. Ragadast lived somewhere out west and loved birds and animals.

        • Kay 11.4.2.2
          23 December 2018 at 3:16 pm

          @vv- I’d been hearing horror stories about the sound volume in the theatres from day one, so even had I the slightest interest in fantasy movies and hadn’t been so put off by the media reporting Peter Jackson on the front page every time he sneezed and trying their utmost to get him a sainthood, they lost themselves many patrons due to the volume button.
          Proud to say I still haven’t seen any of the movies via any platform and no intention to 🙂

  12. Exkiwiforces 12
    23 December 2018 at 1:03 pm

    Following on from comment last night on the reason why old “Mad Dog” pop smoke over the Trump administration.

    https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-21-12-2018/#comment-1564822

    Another one has pop smoke over Syria as well.

    https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-12-23/us-envoy-brett-mcgurk-quits-over-trumps-syria-withdrawal/10664412

  13. bwaghorn 13
    23 December 2018 at 1:21 pm

    Is that tax working group looking at taxing robots a tax equivalent to the income tax that every worker would have paid that the robot puts out of work . ??

  15. joe90 15
    23 December 2018 at 1:50 pm

    Hows sad. Jules is going to have to clean up after himself.

    An Ecuadorian court has dismissed the appeal of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange’s defense, which requested lifting the home rules imposed on the whistleblower in the Ecuadorian embassy in London, the South American country’s Foreign Ministry said.

    “A court in the Pichincha province today [December 21] confirmed the legal force of the special protocol published by the Ecuadorian Foreign Ministry in October in order to regulate [Assange’s] living in Ecuador’s embassy in London,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

    The court decision was related to the fact that the home rules “do not violate any constitutional rights” which was claimed by Assange’s lawyers, the statement pointed out.

    https://nation.com.pk/22-Dec-2018/ecuadorian-court-dismisses-assanges-appeal-on-embassy-living-restrictions

    • James 15.1
      23 December 2018 at 2:01 pm

      If he dosnt like it – he could always leave.

    • Drowsy M. Kram 15.2
      23 December 2018 at 2:36 pm

      Assange’s whistleblowing and award-winning journalism proved a thorn in the side of many; he will pay the price for the rest of his life, which is only to be expected.

      As ‘John Doe’ (“My life is in danger.“) showed, some whistleblowers must protect themselves.

      Doe said growing global income inequality and corruption allegedly enabled by Mossack Fonseca motivated his actions. Doe also said the papers demonstrated the injustices perpetrated by the industry that creates offshore companies and blamed governments for allowing offshore havens to proliferate, saying he leaked the documents “simply because I understood enough about their contents to realise the scale of the injustices they described.”

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Doe_(whistleblower)

    • francesca 15.3
      23 December 2018 at 4:07 pm

      I’m in agreement with the UN Working group on
      Arbitrary Detention as far as Assange goes.
      There’s a ghoulish delight some people have in seeing him go down

      https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/un-tells-uk—allow-assange-to-leave-ecuador-embassy-freely-11055010

      • SPC 15.3.1
        23 December 2018 at 5:11 pm

        The UK deserves Brexit, and the USA deserves Trump for what it has done to Assange (Snowden deserves the medal of freedom)

        Empires that persecute whistleblowers deserve to fall. They prove themselves worthy of nothing less.

      • McFlock 15.3.2
        24 December 2018 at 8:13 pm

        Never really understood ther angle on that. Cops aren’t supposed to act like it’s a game of Bull Rush and stop chasing a fugitive just because he made it to “Safe”.

        They’re supposed to sit outside until he comes out to face justice.

  16. Dennis Frank 16
    23 December 2018 at 2:48 pm

    Trump was looking good as a result of the US economy doing well. No longer. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-46637680

    “”The Stock Market just reached an All-Time High during my Administration for the 102nd Time, a presidential record, by far, for less than two years,” he tweeted in early October.. Since Mr Trump wrote that tweet, the Dow Jones Industrial Average has fallen more than 4,300 points – a 16% decline.”

    “Due to a combination of rising interest rates, the president’s trade wars, the impending government shutdown and indications of slower economic growth, the now long-in-the-tooth bull market may be coming to an end. December has seen the biggest market decline since the Great Depression and the largest drop in any month since 2009.”

  18. James 18
    23 December 2018 at 4:20 pm

    Here is a recommendation for al if you have time over the Xmas period – podcast called serial.

    I’m part way thru season one and absolutely hooked.

    True story told amazing well.

    It’s not politics – and it would be interesting to hear different views on “who did it” – I have no idea. And it’s possible a terrible miscarriage may have happened.

    Anyway – available everywhere that streams podcast and it’s freeeeeee.

    • aj 18.1
      23 December 2018 at 7:53 pm

      When you finish that, watch American Vandal on Netflix, a very clever and funny parody of true crime documentaries such as Making a Murderer and Serial.

  19. Morrissey 19
    23 December 2018 at 4:43 pm

    No one in Britain with an IQ of 3 figures takes Michael Gove seriously.
    Here is one of the reasons for that…..

    https://twitter.com/_jimfield/status/748846746030186496

    • DJ Ward 19.1
      24 December 2018 at 3:16 pm

      Nobody with an IQ of 3 figures takes funny pictures of a person as information to judge a person as credible. The Farage picture is a pretty good match. Sometimes if a persons IQ is larger than nearly everybody else all that’s left is pointless personal attacks as you can’t debate them and win.

      • Morrissey 19.1.1
        24 December 2018 at 3:30 pm

        Nobody with an IQ of 3 figures takes funny pictures of a person as information to judge a person as credible.

        Gove’s almost complete lack of credibility and respect has nothing to do with his looks.

        The Farage picture is a pretty good match.

        True. I think you’d agree with this writer, i.e., moi, that the Gove/Pob match is a bit of a stretch.

        Sometimes if a persons IQ is larger than nearly everybody else all that’s left is pointless personal attacks as you can’t debate them [sic] and win.

        Michael Gove’s IQ is larger than nearly everybody else’s, is it? You’re possibly the first person in the world with an I.Q. of more than 100 to note that. Please enlighten the rest of us, who’ve been under the impression that Gove was nothing more than an embarrassment to himself and indeed to the Conservative Party.

  20. Ad 20
    23 December 2018 at 5:51 pm

    I just played soccer on Brighton Beach Dunedin with 7 15 year olds.

    Ate sand, tackled dog, saved some goals.

    Dunedin is my best city in New Zealand.

  21. Ad 21
    23 December 2018 at 9:54 pm

    Corbyn finally shows his colours and backs full Brexit even if the government falls.

    No second vote, no soft Brexit, no Scandi Brexit.

    His party is going to cream him.

    • Exkiwiforces 21.1
      23 December 2018 at 11:35 pm

      Well I’m not surprised that “young” Corbyn has finally come out supporting a full Brexit, as he has form for being a Anti EU over the years. Any true Labour MP would know the true impact of EU membership over the years has had on the British working class and the under Class, which has force down wages. enter level jobs have dried up as they have taken by EU nations and number of minor and large companies have moved over the EU countries over the years before Brexit.

      The middle class Toffs that infect the British Labour Party support remaining in the EU as it’s in their own self importance along with middle/ upper class Toffs of Lib Dems and some of the Tories as it forces the working/ under class in their place and know their place in society.

  22. Pat 22
    23 December 2018 at 11:46 pm

    where will you and yours be in 2022?

    “Kevin Anderson of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, has consistently criticised IPCC reports for magical thinking, for assuming that at some point in the near future technology will be both invented and rolled out on a mass scale that will suck carbon dioxide from the atmosphere (so-called negative emission technologies). At the moment, there are none that are close to being ready to be mass produced. Take these out of the most recent IPCC report and instead of 12 years to stop dangerous climate change we have just three.”

    https://theconversation.com/amp/climate-action-must-now-focus-on-the-global-rich-and-their-corporations-108943?__twitter_impression=true

  23. sumsuch 23
    24 December 2018 at 12:19 am

    Parliament is as full of procedure as this place I suppose. There seems to be more substance in other blogs. 12 years, which we all agree about, yet this terrible surround sight media trivia continues.

  24. Eco Maori 24
    24 December 2018 at 9:48 am

    Some Eco Maori Music for the minute

  25. Eco Maori 25
    24 December 2018 at 1:47 pm

    Eco Maori totally agrees with JK Rowlings views on the Cameleon Corbyn his true colours and loyaltys lie with the weathy he is in the wrong party.
    JK Rowling, a longtime critic of Jeremy Corbyn, has mocked the Labour leader’s position on Brexit in sixteen biblical-style tweets.
    In a series of tweets entitled “The visitation of the Corbynites: a festive thread”, the Harry Potter author claimed the possibility of “Saint Jeremy” bringing a jobs-first Brexit was “bollocks” and described Corbyn as “in third place after Pontus May”.
    JK Rowling and the Angry Corbynites – truly a Twitter row for our times
    Ellie Mae O’Hagan

    Read more

    Rowling wrote: “And she did answer, ‘How shall the poor fare under Brexit, which thy saint hath always in his secret heart desired, yet he hath not admitted what was in his heart, lest fewer attend his next sermon on the Glastonbury B stage.’
    “And they did answer, ‘Saint Jeremy will achieve a miracle, and he shall bring forth a jobs-first Brexit and all the land shall rejoice.’ And she did answer, ‘Bollocks.’”
    Ka kite ano

    https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/dec/23/jk-rowling-mocks-jeremy-corbyn-brexit-stance-twitter-thread

  26. Eco Maori 26
    24 December 2018 at 4:13 pm

    The sandflys think there intimadation is working but not against Eco Maori Im just looking after my mokopunas and having a little break well desreved I say ka kite ano

  27. Eco Maori 27
    24 December 2018 at 4:22 pm

    Some Eco Maori Music for the minute

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  • Bernard’s Saturday Soliloquy for the week to July 27

    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 27 were:1. The Minister for Ford Rangers strikes againTransport Minister Simeon Brown was again the busiest of the Cabinet ministers this week, announcing an ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 hour ago
  • Ticket To Anywhere

    You got a fast carAnd I want a ticket to anywhereMaybe we make a dealMaybe together we can get somewhereAny place is betterYesterday’s newsletter, Trust In Me, on the report of abuse in state care, and by religious organisations, between 1950 and 2019, coupled with the hypocrisy of Christopher Luxon ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 hours ago
  • Stories of varying weight

    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on anything you may have missed. Share Read more ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 hours ago
  • Balancing External Security and the Economy

    New Zealand is again having to reconcile conflicting pressures from its military and its trade interests. Should we join Pillar Two of AUKUS and risk compromising our markets in China? For a century after New Zealand was founded in 1840, its external security arrangements and external economics arrangements were aligned. ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    19 hours ago
  • Weekly Climate Wrap: The unravelling of the offsets

    The ‘50 Shades of Green’ farmers’ protest in 2019 was heavy on climate change denial, but five years on, scepticism and criticism about the idea that pine forests can save us is growing across the board. File photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s the top six news items of note in climate ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    24 hours ago
  • What makes us tick

    This morning the sky was bright.The birds, in their usual joyous bliss. Nature doesn’t seem to feel the heat of what might angst humans.Their calls are clear and beautiful.Just some random thoughts:MāoriPaul Goldsmith has announced his government will roll back the judiciary’s rulings on Māori Customary Marine Title, which recognises ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 day ago
  • Foreshore and seabed 2.0

    In 2003, the Court of Appeal delivered its decision in Ngati Apa v Attorney-General, ruling that Māori customary title over the foreshore and seabed had not been universally extinguished, and that the Māori Land Court could determine claims and confirm title if the facts supported it. This kicked off the ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 day ago
  • Gordon Campbell on the Royal Commission report into abuse in care

    Earlier this week at Parliament, Labour leader Chris Hipkins was applauded for saying that the response to the final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care had to be “bigger than politics.” True, but the fine words, apologies and “we hear you” messages will soon ring ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    1 day ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Friday, July 26

    TL;DR: In news breaking this morning:The Ministry of Education is cutting $2 billion from its school building programme so the National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government has enough money to deliver tax cuts; The Government has quietly lowered its child poverty reduction targets to make them easier to achieve;Te Whatu Ora-Health NZ’s ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Weekly Roundup 26-July-2024

    Kia ora. These are some stories that caught our eye this week – as always, feel free to share yours in the comments. Our header image this week (via Eke Panuku) shows the planned upgrade for the Karanga Plaza Tidal Swimming Steps. The week in Greater Auckland On ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    1 day ago
  • God what a relief

    1. What's not to love about the way the Harris campaign is turning things around?a. Nothingb. Love all of itc. God what a reliefd. Not that it will be by any means easye. All of the above 2. Documents released by the Ministry of Health show Associate Health Minister Casey ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 day ago
  • Trust In Me

    Trust in me in all you doHave the faith I have in youLove will see us through, if only you trust in meWhy don't you, you trust me?In a week that saw the release of the 3,000 page Abuse in Care report Christopher Luxon was being asked about Boot Camps. ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • The Hoon around the week to July 26

    TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking about the Royal Commission Inquiry into Abuse in Care report released this week, and with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on a UN push to not recognise carbon offset markets and ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Friday, July 26

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 26, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Transport: Simeon Brown announced $802.9 million in funding for 18 new trains on the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines, which ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Radical law changes needed to build road

    The northern expressway extension from Warkworth to Whangarei is likely to require radical changes to legislation if it is going to be built within the foreseeable future. The Government’s powers to purchase land, the planning process and current restrictions on road tolling are all going to need to be changed ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 day ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #30 2024

    Open access notables Could an extremely cold central European winter such as 1963 happen again despite climate change?, Sippel et al., Weather and Climate Dynamics: Here, we first show based on multiple attribution methods that a winter of similar circulation conditions to 1963 would still lead to an extreme seasonal ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago
  • First they came for the Māori

    Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedFirst they came for the doctors But I was confused by the numbers and costs So I didn't speak up Then they came for our police and nurses And I didn't think we could afford those costs anyway So I ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    2 days ago
  • Join us for the weekly Hoon on YouTube Live

    Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on UnsplashWe’re back again after our mid-winter break. We’re still with the ‘new’ day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when we have our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Will the real PM Luxon please stand up?

    Notes: This is a free article. Abuse in Care themes are mentioned. Video is at the bottom.BackgroundYesterday’s report into Abuse in Care revealed that at least 1 in 3 of all who went through state and faith based care were abused - often horrifically. At least, because not all survivors ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    2 days ago
  • Will debt reduction trump abuse in care redress?

    Luxon speaks in Parliament yesterday about the Abuse in Care report. Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:PM Christopher Luxon said yesterday in tabling the Abuse in Care report in Parliament he wanted to ‘do the ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Olywhites and Time Bandits

    About a decade ago I worked with a bloke called Steve. He was the grizzled veteran coder, a few years older than me, who knew where the bodies were buried - code wise. Despite his best efforts to be approachable and friendly he could be kind of gruff, through to ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Why were the 1930s so hot in North America?

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters and Bob Henson Those who’ve trawled social media during heat waves have likely encountered a tidbit frequently used to brush aside human-caused climate change: Many U.S. states and cities had their single hottest temperature on record during the 1930s, setting incredible heat marks ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago
  • Throwback Thursday – Thinking about Expressways

    Some of the recent announcements from the government have reminded us of posts we’ve written in the past. Here’s one from early 2020. There were plenty of reactions to the government’s infrastructure announcement a few weeks ago which saw them fund a bunch of big roading projects. One of ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    2 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Thursday, July 25

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Thursday, July 25 are:News: Why Electric Kiwi is closing to new customers - and why it matters RNZ’s Susan EdmundsScoop: Government drops ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • The Possum: Demon or Friend?

    Hi,I felt a small wet tongue snaking through one of the holes in my Crocs. It explored my big toe, darting down one side, then the other. “He’s looking for some toe cheese,” said the woman next to me, words that still haunt me to this day.Growing up in New ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago
  • Not a story

    Yesterday I happily quoted the Prime Minister without fact-checking him and sure enough, it turns out his numbers were all to hell. It’s not four kg of Royal Commission report, it’s fourteen.My friend and one-time colleague-in-comms Hazel Phillips gently alerted me to my error almost as soon as I’d hit ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Thursday, July 25

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Thursday, July 25, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day were:The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry published its final report yesterday.PM Christopher Luxon and The Minister responsible for ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • A tougher line on “proactive release”?

    The Official Information Act has always been a battle between requesters seeking information, and governments seeking to control it. Information is power, so Ministers and government agencies want to manage what is released and when, for their own convenience, and legality and democracy be damned. Their most recent tactic for ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago
  • 'Let's build a motorway costing $100 million per km, before emissions costs'

    TL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:Transport and Energy Minister Simeon Brown is accelerating plans to spend at least $10 billion through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to extend State Highway One as a four-lane ‘Expressway’ from Warkworth to Whangarei ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Lester's Prescription – Positive Bleeding.

    I live my life (woo-ooh-ooh)With no control in my destinyYea-yeah, yea-yeah (woo-ooh-ooh)I can bleed when I want to bleedSo come on, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)You can bleed when you want to bleedYea-yeah, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)Everybody bleed when they want to bleedCome on and bleedGovernments face tough challenges. Selling unpopular decisions to ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Casey Costello gaslights Labour in the House

    Please note:To skip directly to the- parliamentary footage in the video, scroll to 1:21 To skip to audio please click on the headphone icon on the left hand side of the screenThis video / audio section is under development. ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    3 days ago
  • Why is the Texas grid in such bad shape?

    This is a re-post from the Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler Headline from 2021 The Texas grid, run by ERCOT, has had a rough few years. In 2021, winter storm Uri blacked out much of the state for several days. About a week ago, Hurricane Beryl knocked out ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on a textbook case of spending waste by the Luxon government

    Given the crackdown on wasteful government spending, it behooves me to point to a high profile example of spending by the Luxon government that looks like a big, fat waste of time and money. I’m talking about the deployment of NZDF personnel to support the US-led coalition in the Red ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    3 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Wednesday, July 24

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:40 am on Wednesday, July 24 are:Deep Dive: Chipping away at the housing crisis, including my comments RNZ/Newsroom’s The DetailNews: Government softens on asset sales, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • LXR Takaanini

    As I reported about the city centre, Auckland’s rail network is also going through a difficult and disruptive period which is rapidly approaching a culmination, this will result in a significant upgrade to the whole network. Hallelujah. Also like the city centre this is an upgrade predicated on the City ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    3 days ago
  • Four kilograms of pain

    Today, a 4 kilogram report will be delivered to Parliament. We know this is what the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care weighs, because our Prime Minister told us so.Some reporter had blindsided him by asking a question about something done by ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Wednesday, July 24

    TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Wednesday, July 24, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Beehive: Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced plans to use PPPs to fund, build and run a four-lane expressway between Auckland ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Luxon gets caught out

    NewstalkZB host Mike Hosking, who can usually be relied on to give Prime Minister Christopher Luxon an easy run, did not do so yesterday when he interviewed him about the HealthNZ deficit. Luxon is trying to use a deficit reported last year by HealthNZ as yet another example of the ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago
  • A worrying sign

    Back in January a StatsNZ employee gave a speech at Rātana on behalf of tangata whenua in which he insulted and criticised the government. The speech clearly violated the principle of a neutral public service, and StatsNZ started an investigation. Part of that was getting an external consultant to examine ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Are we fine with 47.9% home-ownership by 2048?

    Renting for life: Shared ownership initiatives are unlikely to slow the slide in home ownership by much. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:A Deloitte report for Westpac has projected Aotearoa’s home-ownership rate will ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Let's Win This

    You're broken down and tiredOf living life on a merry go roundAnd you can't find the fighterBut I see it in you so we gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsWe gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsAnd I'll rise upI'll rise like the dayI'll rise upI'll rise unafraidI'll rise upAnd I'll ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • Waimahara: The Singing Spirit of Water

    There’s been a change in Myers Park. Down the steps from St. Kevin’s Arcade, past the grassy slopes, the children’s playground, the benches and that goat statue, there has been a transformation. The underpass for Mayoral Drive has gone from a barren, grey, concrete tunnel, to a place that thrums ...
    Greater AucklandBy Connor Sharp
    4 days ago
  • A major milestone: Global climate pollution may have just peaked

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global society may have finally slammed on the brakes for climate-warming pollution released by human fossil fuel combustion. According to the Carbon Monitor Project, the total global climate pollution released between February and May 2024 declined slightly from the amount released during the same ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Tuesday, July 23

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Tuesday, July 23 are:Deep Dive: Penlink: where tolling rhetoric meets reality BusinessDesk-$$$’s Oliver LewisScoop: Te Pūkenga plans for regional polytechs leak out ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Tuesday, July 23

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announced the Board of Te Whatu Ora- Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • HealthNZ and Luxon at cross purposes over budget blowout

    Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • 2500-3000 more healthcare staff expected to be fired, as Shane Reti blames Labour for a budget defic...

    Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    4 days ago
  • Might Kamala Harris be about to get a 'stardust' moment like Jacinda Ardern?

    As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
    PunditBy Tim Watkin
    5 days ago
  • Solutions Interview: Steven Hail on MMT & ecological economics

    TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
    The KakaBy Steven Hail
    5 days ago
  • Reported back

    The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Vandrad the Viking, Christopher Coombes, and Literary Archaeology

    Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell On The Biden Withdrawal

    History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    5 days ago
  • Joe Biden's withdrawal puts the spotlight back on Kamala and the USA's complicated relatio...

    This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    5 days ago
  • Why we have to challenge our national fiscal assumptions

    A homeless person’s camp beside a blocked-off slipped damage walkway in Freeman’s Bay: we are chasing our tail on our worsening and inter-related housing, poverty and climate crises. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Existential Crisis and Damaged Brains

    What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • A speed limit is not a target, and yet…

    This is a guest post from longtime supporter Mr Plod, whose previous contributions include a proposal that Hamilton become New Zealand’s capital city, and that we should switch which side of the road we drive on. A recent Newsroom article, “Back to school for the Govt’s new speed limit policy“, ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Monday, July 22

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Monday, July 22

    TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #29

    A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago
  • I'd like to share what I did this weekend

    This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • For the children – Why mere sentiment can be a misleading force in our lives, and lead to unex...

    National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Order image, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • A friend in uncertain times

    Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • The Chaotic World of Male Diet Influencers

    Hi,We’ll get to the horrific world of male diet influencers (AKA Beefy Boys) shortly, but first you will be glad to know that since I sent out the Webworm explaining why the assassination attempt on Donald Trump was not a false flag operation, I’ve heard from a load of people ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • It's Starting To Look A Lot Like… Y2K

    Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Bernard’s Saturday Soliloquy for the week to July 20

    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Pharmac Director, Climate Change Commissioner, Health NZ Directors – The latest to quit this m...

    Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 week ago
  • Flooding Housing Policy

    The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    1 week ago
  • A Voyage Among the Vandals: Accepted (Again!)

    As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā's Chorus for Friday, July 19

    An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Friday, July 19

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Roundup 19-July-2024

    Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Climate Wrap: A market-led plan for failure

    TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Tobacco First

    Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Trump’s Adopted Son.

    Waiting In The Wings: For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Friday, July 19

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSA announced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago

  • Joint statement from the Prime Ministers of Canada, Australia and New Zealand

    Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue.  We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    18 hours ago
  • AG reminds institutions of legal obligations

    Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago
  • More young people learning about digital safety

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views.  “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago
  • Speech to the Conference for General Practice 2024

    Tēnā tātou katoa,  Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    24 hours ago
  • Employers and payroll providers ready for tax changes

    New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts.  “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Experimental vineyard futureproofs wine industry

    An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
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    1 day ago
  • Funding confirmed for regions affected by North Island Weather Events

    The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
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    1 day ago
  • Indonesian Foreign Minister to visit

    Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced.   “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
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    1 day ago
  • Strengthening partnership with Ngāti Maniapoto

    He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
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    2 days ago
  • Transport Minister thanks outgoing CAA Chair

    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
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    2 days ago
  • Test for Customary Marine Title being restored

    The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says.  “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
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    2 days ago
  • Opposition united in bad faith over ECE sector review

    Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet.  “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
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    2 days ago
  • Kiwis having their say on first regulatory review

    After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks.  “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
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    2 days ago
  • Government upgrading Lower North Island commuter rail

    The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
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    2 days ago
  • Government moves to ensure flood protection for Wairoa

    Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • PM speech to Parliament – Royal Commission of Inquiry’s Report into Abuse in Care

    Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care.  At the heart of this report are the ...
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    3 days ago
  • Government acknowledges torture at Lake Alice

    For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...
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    3 days ago
  • Government acknowledges courageous abuse survivors

    The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...
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    3 days ago
  • Half a million people use tax calculator

    With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis.  “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...
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    3 days ago
  • Paid Parental Leave improvements pass first reading

    Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says a bill that has passed its first reading will improve parental leave settings and give non-biological parents more flexibility as primary carer for their child. The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No3), passed its first reading this morning. “It includes a change ...
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    3 days ago
  • Rebuilding the economy through better regulation

    Two Bills designed to improve regulation and make it easier to do business have passed their first reading in Parliament, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. The Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Bill and Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill make key changes to legislation administered by the Ministry ...
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    3 days ago
  • ‘Open banking’ and ‘open electricity’ on the way

    New legislation paves the way for greater competition in sectors such as banking and electricity, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Competitive markets boost productivity, create employment opportunities and lift living standards. To support competition, we need good quality regulation but, unfortunately, a recent OECD report ranked New ...
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    3 days ago
  • Charity lotteries to be permitted to operate online

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says lotteries for charitable purposes, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, and local hospices, will soon be allowed to operate online permanently. “Under current laws, these fundraising lotteries are only allowed to operate online until October 2024, after which ...
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    4 days ago
  • Accelerating Northland Expressway

    The Coalition Government is accelerating work on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of its Roads of National Significance programme, with an accelerated delivery model to deliver this project faster and more efficiently, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “For too long, the lack of resilient transport connections ...
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    4 days ago
  • Sir Don to travel to Viet Nam as special envoy

    Sir Don McKinnon will travel to Viet Nam this week as a Special Envoy of the Government, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced.    “It is important that the Government give due recognition to the significant contributions that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made to New Zealand-Viet Nam relations,” Mr ...
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    4 days ago
  • Grant Illingworth KC appointed as transitional Commissioner to Royal Commission

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says newly appointed Commissioner, Grant Illingworth KC, will help deliver the report for the first phase of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons, due on 28 November 2024.  “I am pleased to announce that Mr Illingworth will commence his appointment as ...
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    4 days ago
  • NZ to advance relationships with ASEAN partners

    Foreign Minister Winston Peters travels to Laos this week to participate in a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-led Ministerial meetings in Vientiane.    “ASEAN plays an important role in supporting a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Mr Peters says.   “This will be our third visit to ...
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    4 days ago
  • Backing mental health services on the West Coast

    Construction of a new mental health facility at Te Nikau Grey Hospital in Greymouth is today one step closer, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “This $27 million facility shows this Government is delivering on its promise to boost mental health care and improve front line services,” Mr Doocey says. ...
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    4 days ago
  • NZ support for sustainable Pacific fisheries

    New Zealand is committing nearly $50 million to a package supporting sustainable Pacific fisheries development over the next four years, Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This support consisting of a range of initiatives demonstrates New Zealand’s commitment to assisting our Pacific partners ...
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    4 days ago
  • Students’ needs at centre of new charter school adjustments

    Associate Education Minister David Seymour says proposed changes to the Education and Training Amendment Bill will ensure charter schools have more flexibility to negotiate employment agreements and are equipped with the right teaching resources. “Cabinet has agreed to progress an amendment which means unions will not be able to initiate ...
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    4 days ago
  • Commissioner replaces Health NZ Board

    In response to serious concerns around oversight, overspend and a significant deterioration in financial outlook, the Board of Health New Zealand will be replaced with a Commissioner, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti announced today.  “The previous government’s botched health reforms have created significant financial challenges at Health NZ that, without ...
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    5 days ago
  • Minister to speak at Australian Space Forum

    Minister for Space and Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins will travel to Adelaide tomorrow for space and science engagements, including speaking at the Australian Space Forum.  While there she will also have meetings and visits with a focus on space, biotechnology and innovation.  “New Zealand has a thriving space ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Climate Change Minister to attend climate action meeting in China

    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will travel to China on Saturday to attend the Ministerial on Climate Action meeting held in Wuhan.  “Attending the Ministerial on Climate Action is an opportunity to advocate for New Zealand climate priorities and engage with our key partners on climate action,” Mr Watts says. ...
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    5 days ago
  • Oceans and Fisheries Minister to Solomons

    Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is travelling to the Solomon Islands tomorrow for meetings with his counterparts from around the Pacific supporting collective management of the region’s fisheries. The 23rd Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Committee and the 5th Regional Fisheries Ministers’ Meeting in Honiara from 23 to 26 July ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Government launches Military Style Academy Pilot

    The Government today launched the Military Style Academy Pilot at Te Au rere a te Tonga Youth Justice residence in Palmerston North, an important part of the Government’s plan to crackdown on youth crime and getting youth offenders back on track, Minister for Children, Karen Chhour said today. “On the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Nine priority bridge replacements to get underway

    The Government has welcomed news the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has begun work to replace nine priority bridges across the country to ensure our state highway network remains resilient, reliable, and efficient for road users, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“Increasing productivity and economic growth is a key priority for the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Update on global IT outage

    Acting Prime Minister David Seymour has been in contact throughout the evening with senior officials who have coordinated a whole of government response to the global IT outage and can provide an update. The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet has designated the National Emergency Management Agency as the ...
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    1 week ago
  • New Zealand, Japan renew Pacific partnership

    New Zealand and Japan will continue to step up their shared engagement with the Pacific, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.    “New Zealand and Japan have a strong, shared interest in a free, open and stable Pacific Islands region,” Mr Peters says.    “We are pleased to be finding more ways ...
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    1 week ago
  • New infrastructure energises BOP forestry towns

    New developments in the heart of North Island forestry country will reinvigorate their communities and boost economic development, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones visited Kaingaroa and Kawerau in Bay of Plenty today to open a landmark community centre in the former and a new connecting road in ...
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    1 week ago
  • 'Pacific Futures'

    President Adeang, fellow Ministers, honourable Diet Member Horii, Ambassadors, distinguished guests.    Minasama, konnichiwa, and good afternoon, everyone.    Distinguished guests, it’s a pleasure to be here with you today to talk about New Zealand’s foreign policy reset, the reasons for it, the values that underpin it, and how it ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

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