It is appalling that the members of the RWC choirs have not been given the seats they were promised. At one ground at least they were offered a TV set in a changing room!! Some have travelled many miles for rehearsals. No pay but the understanding they would see the games they sang for. The choirs have been one of the real success stories of the RWC. How mean spirited can you get.
RWC can spin this however they like, its disgusting behaviour! Mr Sneddon do you think NZ will not care? You and your friends can make the story travel and watch the RWC ‘discover’ some tickets for the final four matches. Maybe a few of the hundreds of free VIP troughers will donate their tickets. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10753746
Yes there are bigger problems out there, but this is NZ. This is not how we do things here. Remember NZ is a Nation that cares, supposedly, about more than the mighty dollar. The Herald has comments turned off and Stuff has not even posted the article. It is up to Kiwis to show this sucks. Hassle everybody you know with this story until the Choirs get tickets
I would like to help organise an event to express outrage: a ‘flag-burning’ or ‘logo’ burning event at a city centre, with many others in attendance, preferably preceded by a march.
Can someone suggest what should be burnt? Can there be others holding similar events at the same time, eg tomorrow or Sunday lunchtime, in other city centres around the country?
Can someone suggest the social or community groups that would join in?
Media should be invited to cover the event and also we should organise our own videotaping to be Youtubed. There would be lots of international media around at the moment and some should be encouraged to cover the event.
RWC bunting seems the obvious choice. There is enough of it around.
May i offer a word of caution:
NOT NZ FLAGS ! NOT AB’s FLAGS !
this is a RWC decision NOT an All Blacks decision.
You will notice there are no comments from any players, that said, there are also no comments from Sneddon and the other the chief troughers either. Care to comment Mr Key ??? Care to stick your hand into your very deep pockets and pay for the tickets yourself. ???
Your donation would be a sure winner đ
The choir has been a huge success and the NZRFU has again shown itself to be totally incompetent from a PR viewpoint.
Certainly justifies a protest but flag burning goes too far. There must be something appropriate – a good bit or sarcastic humour would go a long way here. NZRFU have less sense of humour than the Labour Party (and that’s saying something)
@Jim Nald
Saturday Sept 24th is set aside as Moving Planet Day so let the IRB protest go, they have turned rugby into a gladiatorial game, spectacle, money-maker, business cash cow ( they want – I read that they aren’t happy with the dosh they’ve got from us) so suck it up.
Moving Planet events are all around the country such as Nelson where advert says there will be a mini festival at the Cathedral Steps 11am – 2pm.
I clicked the map on below link and found that red and black circles would bloom and fade, so can’t say just how and where all events are but sounds a good start. And a good follow up to the Polly Higgins thinking. http://www.moving-planet.org/
I still think that the fact that the lions share of the games are on pay TV, with us plebs having to put up with ad ridden delayed coverage for the most of the games, is a scandal in itself. The sgmes should have been live on free-to-air TV.
Sad day for music and those that like a tipple.
REM calling it a day, faded commercially but still put out great work over 30 years with no dip in quality.
SAB Millers final capture of Fosters will be interesting and much like Lion Nathan a national Icon goes to foreign ownership and the quality of the product IMO will decline further as the brands are made everywhere……taste imported Stella/Becks alongside the local brewed stuff.
Friday and the weather is good for the week end….the thought occurs to de mothball the bicycle as the weather warms. The joyous dream of meandering through the back blocks away from the noise and life threatening rush of trucks and cars, to hear the bird song as leisurely progress is made. Time passing slowly enough to behold in passing the ripple of grass on the breeze, to hear the rush of the stream as you float by on the bike.
Hey Jokey, where the f*** is the promised cycleway????????????????
Bloody hell, with Jokeys level and speed of investment that means the median line will fade out of existence …wont even be able to relabel that as cycleway.
Good to see the Hamilton City Council has its piroites right. Slashing and burning funding for community services, talking about selling assets (behind closed doors too!), and proabably cutting funding for community assets like libraries and parks, etc. All while sparing elderly homeowners rate increases (who benefited from councils who built up services, not tore them down).
The Tea Party wannabes who infest our councils need to be reined in before there are no parks, no libaries, no nothing.
Aye Millsy. Unfortunately at Local Government level you get tories who are just as doctrinaire and their central equivalents but lack the ability to even understand at a base level what damage these sorts of cuts cause.
The People’s republic of Auckland stands out as a beacon of hope and sanity in the wilderness that it Local Government! Â Now if only we could get the Government to agree to the inner city loop …
Yet they have no problem saddling their ratepayers with the cost of the new velodrome. A building that come hell-or-higth-water SPARC was going to build as close to Auckland as possible, even though areas like Hawke’s Bay and Manawatu had fully funded options on the table. Its a bloody disgrace.
Cycling is the future, roaring petrol racers are not. People who argue against
the vello should be fined if they don’t add to the list the V8 and the rugby
stadium to their ire.
personally, the problem isn’t the infrastructure spend, its the perplexing
lack of connecting up the facilities. why have we never had a
train bringing supporters from Auckland to the conference
center, or students to the the university, or any of the other
big build up.
The best thing that could happen to Hamilton is for the V8 to end.
A velodrome being built on the grounds of a very expensive private school no less. I too am a cyclist and was involved in the early discussions around the centre of excellence – making this a Waikato BOP initiative was and still is a joke!
Â
BTW it was Waikato REGIONAL council who voted this through.
Â
The fact that Rotorua had everything that was on the criteria (Mountian Biking, BMX track, experience of hosting international events, an academy of sport, extensive road network) – the only thing it didn’t have was a covered velodrome – seems to be have been lost in the fact that it isn’t Tauranga (God’s waiting room) or Hamilton (Bogun central).
Â
Money talks, RDC don’t have any, but Waikato does – game over.
Â
If only they DID have the money though, Ian. How the fuck do you bid for, and win a contract like that where evidence of funding in place was a requirement, and then go bleating to the councils for funding later?
This whole velodrome decision by WRC has been a complete farce and is a sad day for democracy. The decision to proceed was made despite the fact that it is not core business and 60% of 7000 submitters were against and 40% for. (Incidentally, children were also submitters even although they are not ratepayers nor have voting rights). There were also three independent reports commissioned by WRC from professionals which had red flags all over them. They advised this facility should not be expected to make a profit. This has been touted as a NATIONAL facility and is no place for ratepayer funds. The question still remains as to who is going to pay the ongoing costs of maintenance and upgrading in the future. Guess who – the bottomless pit called the ratepayer!
I have to say that Brownlee came across well last night when questioned on Red Zoning. He put the case clearly and firmly together with points here and there in support.
But what he didn’t offer, and what wasn’t questioned, was the issue not of whether any land is rightly zoned red, but why the people have been turfed out with nowhere to go. Why they have been thrown to the lion’s den of the “marketplace”. Why a land swap or similar was not put up. Why the govt doesn’t care about the elderly and the pensioners and the incapacitated being thrown onto the street.
“Why the govt doesn’t care about the elderly and the pensioners and the incapacitated being thrown onto the street.”
You just have to look at the new HNZ policy effective since 1 July to be alarmed at how serious housing in NZ has become. Incapacitated people and pensioners are not even qualifying for HNZ assistance in spite of Heatley claiming that vulnerable people will be looked after. I consider this to be the biggest lie from the current government.
Council housing lists are growing longer as people on NZ super or the invalid benefit do not quailfy for housing due to the formula HNZ use. Basically the main benefit rate is taken into consideration and the accommodation supplement which a person would be entitled to, then the bottom end of the scale of housing in your area is calculated. If there is a shortfall between total applicant outgoings and applicant total income you are given a 3 or 4.
An example of a single person on the invalids benefit who lives in a provincial city.
Main invalid benefit $251.00 (cents not included).
One bedroom flat $150.00
Accommodation supplement entitlement $61.00. (Max AS is $65.00 for the area).
Other ongoing costs are included, basically a person has to have a shortfall and I am not sure by how much. I think the main benefit for a person on NZ super is $309.00. Someone on the unemployment or on sickness gets a little over $200.00 on a main benefit and their chance of scoring a 3 or 4 is higher than a person on NZ super or the invalid benefit. (I will repost with the correct main benefit figures).
There is a health section like the income section. A person on NZ super or the invalid benefit has a greater chance of scoring a 3 or 4 compared to a person on the unemployment benefit or the sickness benefit.
I am not sure how many 3s or 4s a person has to have, it would not surprise me if the minimum was at least two because I just scrape in with two 3s (income and health).
Being homeless or having to vacate in 60 days or less is also taken into consideration and a person also has to look at alternative accommodation e.g. private rental.
Millsy is bang on when she says that ghettos are being created in NZ.
To remedy the housing problem there needs to be a MASSIVE government building programme and/or the accommodation supplement to be increased so that no one pays more than 25% of their income on housing each week.
Weekly main benefit rates for a single person:
Unemployment or sickness age over 25 $201.40
Invalid age 18+ $251.73
NZ super single living alone $339.92
I am not sure how many 3s or 4s a person has to have, it would not surprise me if the minimum was at least two because I just scrape in with two 3s (income and health).
I am therefore incredibly lucky to have got this dump 15 years or so back, when I was on DPB with a 6 year old, and were in the having to vacate in 60 days category. By the looks, with DPB + 1, we would not qualify now. This is making me wonder actually, because apparently, having applied for a transfer means I am considered a new applicant… or am I wrong?
They’ll probably turf you out soon Vicky, being a single woman with no dependants and all.
I’d watch out for that eviction notice due when National win the election. I have it from good sources that a whole bunch are being printed up and will be served the Monday after the election..
Theyâll probably turf you out soon Vicky, being a single woman with no dependants and all.
Wow, I really find your joyous tone about that a bit unseemly… I am on an unemployment benefit, so they might give me a pass, but even if they do kick me out, I find it difficult to care! Why are you so certain that NACT will win the election? I suppose you think that because of my being a “god-botherer”, that I voted or will vote for them… but that’s simply you jumping to an unwarranted conclusion. I would rather die than vote for the Right. Noto bene – I have not always been a single woman (either by the previous definiton of single = not married) or the current one (not currently shagging anyone. Given your bitchy remarks on the other post, I feel the need to point that out.)
My tone is most certainly not joyous. Please dont accuse me of such. In fact, if I had my way, you would be in your house for the rest of your days. Along with every other state house tenant. In fact, I would quadruple the number of state housing and push the slumlords out of the market.
And I don’t assume that you would vote for NACT. I am aware of your left credentials.
I just know what NACT are capable of, thats all. And from what I see, they are going to carry out some serious carnage. No one is going to be safe. And I am convinced, that after the election, they will begin the biggest state house eviction program in this country’s history.
Vicky in 5.2 I gave an example of the formula HNZ use. A person on the unemployment or sickness benefit is better off than a person on the invalids benefit when it comes to scoring at least a 3 because of the level of main benefit. Please do not draw conclusions from what I have said about the minimum of two 3s even though this applies to me.
Please also note that I state that a massive housing programme is required and/or that the accommodation supplement needs to be topped up so that no one pays more than 25% of their income in rent.
The new HNZ rental criteria is brutal and the community housing will also shrink the stock. Their needs to be an independent advocate available for current HNZ tenants and a appeal process other than the tenancy tribunal. A friend of mine is faced with being turfed out of a HNZ home even though market rental is paid for the home they live in. HNZ are hypocrits as they also must look at a person requiring housing in 60 days.
The government is heartless when it comes to housing the most vulnerable. The government cannot even address rheumatic fever in this country (a third world disease) brought on by over crowding and no doubt the lack of a nutrious diet.
Maybe all the people on NZ super not making the HNZ criteria need to be wheeled up to parliament as the numbers will grow by the week as single not sharing NZ super main benefit rate is $339.92 and single NZ super sharing is $313.00 (cents not included). Heatley is a non visionary as far as I am concerned because it is homes that people need and not the competitive divisive situation which he has thrust apon the most vulnerable.
The new HNZ rental criteria is brutal and the community housing will also shrink the stock. Their needs to be an independent advocate available for current HNZ tenants and a appeal process other than the tenancy tribunal. A friend of mine is faced with being turfed out of a HNZ home even though market rental is paid for the home they live in. HNZ are hypocrits as they also must look at a person requiring housing in 60 days.
Maybe all the people on NZ super not making the HNZ criteria need to be wheeled up to parliament as the numbers will grow by the week as single not sharing NZ super main benefit rate is $339.92 and single NZ super sharing is $313.00 (cents not included). Heatley is a non visionary as far as I am concerned because it is homes that people need and not the competitive divisive situation which he has thrust apon the most vulnerable.
He doesn’t seem to like any political party though, which isn’t very helpful to those who still hope that voting will make a difference, or simply believe that we must try to engage with the political system even as we work on other solutions such as permaculture and sustainable communities.
Perhaps AFKTT should start his own party, or maybe he has already – I certainly feel that there would be a place for his views on our political spectrum.
Where is the astonishing personal attack? Mallard’s post seemed pretty reasonable to me and it comes as a hell of a surprise that it turns out that Edwards is on David Farrar’s payroll. No wonder Edwards is constantly sniping at Labour, eh.
HS you, and the supposedly ‘outraged’ others have consistently chosen to ignore the point I was raising – the inappropriateness of of the butchers electioneering on taxpayer funded tv ‘news’ Now he is joined by Richardhead of the year contender Matthew Ridge who I hope drowns in his carwash for breaching election rules – LOL –
There – now you have something new to be ‘outraged’ about.
Notice: to all celebraties planning to use their ‘fame’ in an underhand manner to promote the corruption that is the National government – you will not be spared my disdain.
Personally I am a great believer in the value of the Darwin awards where people remove themselves from the gene pool. I am usually not hesitant in suggesting it as a career enhancing objective to worthy recipients when I comment.
Of course the countervailing viewpoint is that eventually people like jcw (whom the comment was made in response to) will eventually examine the actual process of civil court rather than simply relying on theoretical codswallop. Unfortunately I suspect from their writing that they gather their opinions by examining their navel from the inside (by shoving their head up their arse) and will do almost anything to avoid examining the real world. My comment was not about their opinion. My comment was about their experience and their apparent inability to understand that reality and theory are frequently different.
You have a similar problem because you are comparing a robust comment with an actual argument attached compared to the outright denigration without any argument that characterizes the sewer. In other words you don’t see actual discussion at the sewer from what I have seen. When an opposing opinion is voiced there, the usual response is to have a straight personal attacks without bothering to argue about the topic – basically what you see is schoolyard bullying. That is the reason that people outside the in-group there from the left tend not to waste time there.
Here you tend to get responses that are argument served with sarcasm. There are a few over the top comments without arguments. But as a moderator I tend to only get irritated when there is a pattern of behavior that I have to exert effort to correct.
And my suggestion is that you try a similar solution to that suggested for jcw. It appears to me that you lack the observational skills required to learn. Of course I could be wrong?
AAAwww whats wrong you spinning and spitting tacks because you got the arse from Red Alert??? Give them a real E-Mail address and they will let you in, if only just to laugh at your pathetic attempts to make mountains out of molehills.
The NZ Herald ran an article about Fonterra today that was particularly interesting. In conjunction with other recent media releases, it showed the dairy industry is getting a free ride at the taxpayer and environments expense…
When the Government can pull out all stops to ensure the success of a waterfront party you would think that they could do the same to save our most significant and internationally recognized wetland. $11.5 million is being spent to resuscitate the already dead Lake Ellesmere, why can’t they concentrate on the Waituna Lagoon while it is still living, though only just. http://localbodies-bsprout.blogspot.com/2011/09/emergency-team-argue-while-waituna-dies.html
Dave, could not agree more. The whole thing is criminal and tragic. The mental dislocation between our personal desires and our environment is exactly as you highlight, we head for a Darwin Award as a species.
New owners of the Phoenix football team to be announced shortly!!
A few more tears at the Pike River hearings, the police and now Peter Whittel. And we have no doubt cried at some of the crap we have been hearing – report assessed unsatisfactory because of a spelling mistake etc. It seems like the police want to operate like USA drone operators – sitting behind a desk in Wellington or away from the scene of the tragedy directing the action or non-action whichever seems the safest to the distant generals directing the war.
I was getting very pissed off with people praising Sereipesos for spending on the Phoenix, saving their commercial bacon, being the dude whilst all the while the tax he owed was not paid. Then I thought perhaps I should say fuck it to my fellow taxpayer, you losers pay taxes whilst I buy a soccer team and live the dream. Terry, with revelatory poser, me too me too…..
For some reason it wouldn’t let me delete those two test posts above. I was trying to test Strikethrough, which doesn’t seem to work.
Anyway, looks like Key is spilling the beans on his private talk with Obama?
”But if you think about the global financial crisis that has taken place, that has been a very significant event and remains a very significant event in Europe and the United States. Just to give you a bit of perspective of what that means in the US – their numbers are just dire. Their unemployment rate is 9.2 per cent officially but even the president told me their unofficial unemployment rate is about 14 or 15 per cent. http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/5674399/New-Zealand-will-survive-with-Asias-helpÂ
[lprent: Removed. I’ll have a look at the trasher. Strikethrough is meant to be useable – could be an wordpress update has broken my patch. ]
Kiwis First! (except if your industry is the arts, film or tv)
“Immigration changes support screen and entertainment industries” (bahahahahaha)
Press Release by New Zealand Government at 2:50 pm, 22 Sep 2011
Changes announced today to visa processes for screen, entertainment and music industry workers will support the sector’s growth, says Immigration Minister Jonathan Coleman.
The changes provide a simpler, more streamlined system for the entry of temporary entertainment industry workers into New Zealand.
”The existing policy is out-dated. It’s been in place for 20 years and the entertainment industry has grown hugely over that time,” says Dr Coleman.
Today’s changes mean workers here for 14 days or less, or workers on an international co-production, face a greatly simplified process. For longer periods of employment, such as during the making of feature films, the policy places more trust in employers who have proven their bona fides and have a track record of bringing in workers for legitimate purposes.
”The screen industry employs around 6,700 people and is worth over $2.8 billion dollars a year, with great potential for further growth. To realise that growth, we need immigration policies that ensure key workers can get here with minimal fuss so that New Zealand remains an attractive destination for productions,” says Dr Coleman.
Under current rules for screen, entertainment and music workers, all work visa applications are referred to the industry guilds and unions under a ‘silent approval’ process. This means that the guilds or unions have the right to object to an application.
”In some cases, issues with existing processes were putting offshore investment in the New Zealand screen industry at risk,” says Dr Coleman.
”Another feature of the changes is that performers here for significant music, arts or cultural festivals can come into the country on a visitor visa.
”In the past two and a half years there have been 14 applications disputed by unions or guilds out of 4800 applications for screen industry work, and the Government has ultimately granted visas in all those cases.
”In short, we are removing a redundant, bureaucratic process which only served to make New Zealand a less attractive place for the screen and entertainment industry to do business.”
The new policy will be operational from March 2012.
About two months ago I posted saying that work and income did not consider home contents as being a cost which they included in an application for a food grant. When you go to HNZ for housing assistance a green form called “Finding a private rental property” and a form called the Department of Building and Housing is given to you. The Department of Building and Housing form states “Before you move in: Purchase contents insurance that includes tenant liability.”
Interesting when it comes to one government department saying that contents insurance is essential and another government department saing the cost is not essential. I expect there are repercussions for people in Christchurch when it comes to contents and liability insurance.
SPADA used to make a mint from this process…wonder what deal their CE Borland (good friends with Arts Minister Finlayson) did to ensure they wouldn’t be hit in the pocket…
The latest edition of the Listener has an article entitled Cold Comfort, which is all about New Zealandâs high electricity prices and how they contribute to ill health. It makes for sober reading, especially when considering that the continuing trend of high electricity prices and low incomes is going to make things a lot worseâŠ
Is it any wonder with profit taking built in at all 4 deconstructed layers of the old NZEC and local power boards, with NZEC and local power boards at least that was only 2 levels and the NZEC could take a holistic view of generation and distribution up to where local distribution boards took over.
If ever there was an industry screaming to be nationalized it’s this essential service and give business certainty over supply.
The god-bothers have been let out of their cave yet again and are bursting blood vessels with the thought of dirty grubby SEX being taught in our schools.
The debate over sex education has pretty much proved that there are still a lot of Victorian-era prudes who think sex is unclean and disgusting and should only be had to make babies. Not something exciting and enjoyable that can take place in so many different forms.
And yes, it is OK as long as its consensual, those who take part are over 16, and a condom is used.
The god-bothers have been let out of their cave yet again and are bursting blood vessels with the thought of dirty grubby SEX being taught in our schools.
All I will say (all I dare say) is that if you’re referring to recent stories in the Herald, you’ve very badly missed the point! I have nothing against sex ed if it’s about teaching kids what they need to know to be safe. But from what I have read, what the “god-botherers” (us? đ ) are against, is teaching 6 year olds the mechanics. They don’t need to know – the squick factor will be enough at that age anyway.
So, Millsy, get a grip – or rather loosen your grip! You’re throttling something…
I’m not advocating teaching sex to to 6 year olds, Vicky32, but I am feeling rather uneasy at the neo-Victorian prudish backlash being conducted right now, who, as I said before want to drill it into our kids heads that sex is dirty and grubby (but not when its being paid for by a middle aged white businessman of course).
The same people want abortion and homosexuality recriminalised and divorce laws tightened. Effectively rolling back the social freedoms that people fought very hard to win against an older generation riddled with double standards – the generation of the 40’s, and 50’s were at it like rabbits.
And the NZH puts enough spin and beat up into the article to make it look like an issue when it isn’t. These days I wouldn’t read the NZH if you paid me.
Iâm not advocating teaching sex to to 6 year olds, Vicky32, but I am feeling rather uneasy at the neo-Victorian prudish backlash being conducted right now, who, as I said before want to drill it into our kids heads that sex is dirty and grubby (but not when its being paid for by a middle aged white businessman of course).
Â
No, not that I have read! (I am going by the stories in the Herald that I read the other day.) Apparently there’s been some spewing on talkback, but I avoid talkback.
Effectively rolling back the social freedoms that people fought very hard to win against an older generation riddled with double standards â the generation of the 40âČs, and 50âČs were at it like rabbits.
That people in the 40s and 50s were at it like wabbits is a myth… That was my parents’ generation, and no, they weren’t – at least not anywhere near what people do now! Your “social freedoms” are simply licence.
What’s the bloody big deal about young people having sex? Christ, as long as they are enjoying it who cares?
Social freedoms being a licence? WTF? I dont know about you, but I really dont think that we should be putting regulations on people having sex, just because a bunch of party poopers who read some 2000 year old translation (from Aramaic to Greek to Latin to Middle English to English) of some cruddy old scrolls written by some scribe in the scorching desert dont like people enjoying intamite relations with each other.
BTW, I used to be an anti sex prude. Then I started getting some and changed my position 100%.
Whatâs the bloody big deal about young people having sex? Christ, as long as they are enjoying it who cares?
You’re having a laugh, right? I’ll ignore your offensive language, simply because you said it in hopes of upsetting me… and simply point out some of the consequences… Teen pregnancy, STDs, broken hearts, sterility caused by abortion or the previously mentioned STDs – sterility which then leads to $$$$$ invested in (usually futile) IVF, and oh, did I mention the broken hearts? I suspect that you’re an old man (45-59), as older men often love the thought of teens banging like bunnies, and spend all their time obsessing about the “right” to f*** like rattlesnakes. Young men and women just get on with it – but crucially, they are looking for love and commitment – it takes the middle-aged and cynical to want sex without commitment for its own sake!
I know about all of these consequences – I have witnessed them in my own life and the lives of family members.Â
This is my last word on the subject – and you can blaspheme and get as offensive as you like, I am not getting sucked in – or it won’t be long before I get called “f***ing retard”, “notjob” and all the rest all over again – and it’s always about sex! Men do get very het up and abusive about sex, and I can never understand why.
Men do get very het up and abusive about sex, and I can never understand why.
Â
Possibly because you assume that people didn’t shag in the 40s and 50s just because nobody in your social group did, so therefore anyone with a different perspective is just acting out of depraved wishful thinking. That gets really irritating really quickly.
Â
Â
Â
Possibly because you assume that people didnât shag in the 40s and 50s just because nobody in your social group did, so therefore anyone with a different perspective is just acting out of depraved wishful thinking. That gets really irritating really quickly.
I never said people didn’t shag in the 40s and 50s, I know they did – I said that what people did then wasn’t 1/10th as much shagging as people, even teens, do now! It’s not nothing to do with my social group – which BTW was not middle or upper class… but a teensy bit of logic will tell you that people back then couldn’t shag their brains out with 10-20 ‘partners’ a year back then. There was no reliable method of contraception, and even if there had been, everyone knew everyone else’s business…
Anyone who thinks I am puritanical has a very strange definition of the word! It just seriously makes me very off-piste to see kids encouraged by older people to exploit themselves and each other.
I dont encourage kids to have sex. I just think that we need to cut them a little bit of slack and stop trying to convince them that sex is dirty and grubby, that’s all.
Not really correct Vicky. I remember reading research that said. The rate of sexual activity by young people, and the rate of teenage pregnancies, was higher in the 40’s than now.
It is us who were teenagers in the 60’s and 70’s who should really be blushing. We were like rabbits compared with today’s youth. And had higher teen pregnancy rates. Despite adults not being allowed to tell us, sex even existed, until we were 16. Probably something to do with ideas like “Coke is a contraceptive”.
I am looking for the references for you now, but no longer at Uni so no longer have free access to journals. I know some of the evidence quoted was from the NZ longitudal study.
Kids should be told that sex is best left to when they are with someone that they want to stay friends with for life, but they also need to learn how to protect themselves. And the emotional and physical pro-s and con’s.
We all make mistakes. I cringe, when I remember some of mine as a teenager.
As for sex education do you want it left to parents who believe that their 13 year old daughters should be available to the guru of their nutty religion.
Or contraceptive education to people who believe their daughters should not use it because it prevents gods punishment, of pregnancy for sexually active women.
People who were taught abstinence only have higher teen pregnancy rates, than those who have quality, age appropriate sex education.
Talking of age appropriate. I consented to my, then, 6 year old son going to religious education classes. I thought they would be pretty harmless. Only to find they were being taught about classical period methods of execution. He had night terrors about nails through his hands.
Religion has a lot to answer for!
It is us who were teenagers in the 60âČs and 70âČs who should really be blushing. We were like rabbits compared with todayâs youth. And had higher teen pregnancy rates. Despite adults not being allowed to tell us, sex even existed, until we were 16.
I have to say ‘speak for yourself!’ đ I was a teenager in the 60s/70s, and had parents who very realistic, telling us (3 girls and a boy) all about sex right from the start. Other girls I know might have gone at it like rabbits (I can’t speak for any boys) but there were few of these girls. My nerd peer group was much more interested in academic pursuits! I am not at all aware of adults not being allowed to tell is about sex – I remember sex ed at school, when I was in the 4th form (circa 13 years old)
Kids should be told that sex is best left to when they are with someone that they want to stay friends with for life, but they also need to learn how to protect themselves.
Of course, I agree.
People who were taught abstinence only have higher teen pregnancy rates, than those who have quality, age appropriate sex education.
So people say, but I have yet to see any objective proof – all the ‘studies’ I have seen have have been pubbed by such ‘neutral, unbiased’ groups as Planned Parenthood USA.
Talking of age appropriate. I consented to my, then, 6 year old son going to religious education classes. I thought they would be pretty harmless. Only to find they were being taught about classical period methods of execution. He had night terrors about nails through his hands.
Religion has a lot to answer for!
Irrelevant bigotry, and most unlikely! What RE are you talking about? There’s no such thing in state schools, and in a church school, I can assure you, RE would actually be much more nuanced – therefore, I beg leave to doubt you…
Stats NZ infoshare has tables for live births by maternal age for every calendar year since1962 (sadly not the 40s and 50s, or not that I’ve found). In raw numbers, <15 and 15-19 y.o. mother age groups has been constant if not falling. The rates, if you put them against the census population tables, would be decreasing significantly.
 Â
The numbers across the different agegroups are quite interesting, from a general level – e.g. the 40-44 agegroup had a dramatic decline in the 70s and 80s (probably down to the pill), and is now quite high again (as women delay having children).
A rather interesting study came out a while back. It’s findings were that those people who were more liberal about sex had better and longer lasting relationships that those who were puritanical.
I’m 31, Vicky, and I dont “love the thought of teens banging like bunnies, and spend all their time obsessing about the ârightâ to f*** like rattlesnakes.”. I just think that sex is awesome, and that people should be encouraged to partake in it, without being made to feel guilty and dirty about enjoying it, and that, is what is currently happening in the Herald. People want a society where people, especially women are made to feel dirty and ashamed for enjoying sex. Plain and simple.
People go on about social engineering, but the god-botherers are the biggest social engineers out there.
The Queens’ granddaughter and the non-story in the headlines.
I suppose the whole thing could be put to rest if the blond at the centre of the story, who just happened to be an old friend, was to be seen socialising with them both in the next few days …
So over that. So what if a rugby player buried his head in a women’s chest?
This reminds of me of the frenzy over Tiger Woods because he decided to partake in the thousands of offers he got from women, which is par for the course for pro-golfers (no pun intended). Thanks to their hate, one of the greatest golfers in history has had his career destoryed.
Woods had a pattern of humiliating himself and when his wife found out about his sexual indiscretions this had consequences for her marriage. No point being married to someone who you cannot trust and who has the need to seek sexual pleasure else where or who cannot abstain when apart from you.
When it comes to sex ed class at school the class should be taped and then the parents would have a reference of what their child is being taught. I tend to ask myself what are children being sexually exposed to and what do they need to know to stay safe and who can help them when they need help?
Graham Adams writes about the $55m media fund â When Patrick Gower was asked by Mike Hosking last week what he would say to the many Newstalk ZB callers who allege the Labour government bribed media with $55 million of taxpayersâ money via the Public Interest Journalism Fund â and ...
Note: this blog post has been put together over the course of the week I followed the happenings at the conference virtually. Should recordings of the Great Debates and possibly Union Symposia mentioned below, be released sometime after the conference ends, I'll include links to the ones I participated in. ...
The following was my submission made on the “Fast Track Approvals Bill”. This potential law will give three Ministers unchecked powers, un-paralled since the days of Robert Muldoon’s “Think Big” projects.The submission is written a bit tongue-in-cheek. But it’s irreverent because the FTAB is in itself not worthy of respect. ...
One Could Reduce Child Poverty At No Fiscal CostFollowing the Richardson/Shipley 1990 âredesign of the welfare stateâ â which eliminated the universal Family Benefit and doubled the rate of child poverty â various income supplements for families have been added, the best known being âWorking for Familiesâ, introduced in 2005. ...
Buzz from the Beehive A few days ago, Point of Order suggested the media must be musing âon why Melissa is muteâ. Our article reported that people working in the beleaguered media industry have cause to yearn for a minister as busy as Melissa Leeâs ministerial colleagues and we drew ...
1. What was The Curse of Jim Bolger?a. Winston Peters b. Soon after shaking his hand, world leaders would mysteriously lose office or shuffle off this mortal coilc. Could never shake off the Mother of All Budgetsd. Dandruff2. True or false? The Chairman of a Kiwi export business has asked the ...
Jack Vowles writes – New Zealand is said to be suffering from âserious populist discontentâ. An IPSOS MORI survey has reported that we have an increasing preference for strong leaders, think that the economy is rigged toward the rich and powerful, and political elites are ignoring âhard-working peopleâ. ...
Chris Trotter writes –Â MELISSA LEE should be deprived of her ministerial warrant. Her handling â or non-handling â of the crisis engulfing the New Zealand news media has been woeful. The fate of New Zealandâs two linear television networks, a question which the Minister of Broadcasting, Communications ...
TL;DR: The podcast above features co-hosts and , along with regular guests Robert Patman on Gaza and AUKUS II, and on climate change.The six things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the ...
Policymakers rarely wish to make plain or visible their desire to dismantle environmental policy, least of all to the young. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s the top five news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above between Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent ...
I like to keep an eye on what’s happening in places like the UK, the US, and over the ditch with our good mates the Aussies. Let’s call them AUKUS, for want of a better collective term. More on that in a bit.It used to be, not long ago, that ...
TL;DR: The global economy will be one fifth smaller than it would have otherwise been in 2050 as a result of climate damage, according to a new study by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) and published in the journal Nature. (See more detail and analysis below, and ...
New Zealand is said to be suffering from âserious populist discontentâ. An IPSOS MORI survey has reported that we have an increasing preference for strong leaders, think that the economy is rigged toward the rich and powerful, and political elites are ignoring âhard-working peopleâ. The data is from February this ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters is understood to be planning a major speech within the next fortnight to clear up the confusion over whether or not New Zealand might join the AUKUS submarine project. So far, there have been conflicting signals from the Government. RNZ reported the Prime Minister yesterday in ...
Life throws curveballs, and sometimes, those curveballs necessitate wiping your iPhone clean and starting anew. Whether you’re facing persistent software glitches, preparing to sell your device, or simply wanting a fresh start, knowing how to factory reset iPhone without a computer is a valuable skill. While using a computer with ...
Gone are the days when communication was limited to landline phones and physical proximity. Today, computers have become powerful tools for connecting with people across the globe through voice and video calls. But with a plethora of applications and methods available, how to call someone on a computer might seem ...
Open access notables Glacial isostatic adjustment reduces past and future Arctic subsea permafrost, Creel et al., Nature Communications:Sea-level rise submerges terrestrial permafrost in the Arctic, turning it into subsea permafrost. Subsea permafrost underlies ~ 1.8 million km2 of Arctic continental shelf, with thicknesses in places exceeding 700 m. Sea-level variations over glacial-interglacial cycles control ...
The operating system (OS) is the heart and soul of a computer, orchestrating every action and interaction between hardware and software. But have you ever wondered where on a computer is the operating system generally stored? The answer lies in the intricate dance between hardware and software components, particularly within ...
Laptops have become essential tools for work, entertainment, and communication, offering portability and functionality. However, with rising energy costs and growing environmental concerns, understanding a laptop’s power consumption is more important than ever. So, how many watts does a laptop use? The answer, unfortunately, isn’t straightforward. It depends on several ...
Screen recording has become an essential tool for various purposes, such as creating tutorials, capturing gameplay footage, recording online meetings, or sharing information with others. Fortunately, Dell laptops offer several built-in and external options for screen recording, catering to different needs and preferences. This guide will explore various methods on ...
A cracked or damaged laptop screen can be a frustrating experience, impacting productivity and enjoyment. Fortunately, laptop screen repair is a common service offered by various repair shops and technicians. However, the cost of fixing a laptop screen can vary significantly depending on several factors. This article delves into the ...
Gaming laptops represent a significant investment for passionate gamers, offering portability and powerful performance for immersive gaming experiences. However, a common concern among potential buyers is their lifespan. Unlike desktop PCs, which allow for easier component upgrades, gaming laptops have inherent limitations due to their compact and integrated design. This ...
The annual inventory report of New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions has been released, showing that gross emissions have dropped for the third year in a row, to 78.4 million tons: All-told gross emissions have decreased by over 6 million tons since the Zero Carbon Act was passed in 2019. ...
Experiencing a locked computer can be frustrating, especially when you need access to your files and applications urgently. The methods to unlock your computer will vary depending on the specific situation and the type of lock you encounter. This guide will explore various scenarios and provide step-by-step instructions on how ...
While the world has largely transitioned to digital communication, faxing still holds relevance in certain industries and situations. Fortunately, gone are the days of bulky fax machines and dedicated phone lines. Today, you can easily send and receive faxes directly from your computer, offering a convenient and efficient way to ...
In our increasingly digital world, home computers have become essential tools for work, communication, entertainment, and more. However, this increased reliance on technology also exposes us to various cyber threats. Understanding these threats and taking proactive steps to protect your home computer is crucial for safeguarding your personal information, finances, ...
In the ever-evolving world of technology, server-based computing has emerged as a cornerstone of modern digital infrastructure. This article delves into the concept of server-based computing, exploring its various forms, benefits, challenges, and its impact on the way we work and interact with technology. Understanding Server-Based Computing: At its core, ...
The absolute brass neck of this guy.We want more medical doctors, not more spin doctors, Luxon was saying a couple of weeks ago, and now we’re told the guy has seven salaried adults on TikTok duty. Sorry, doing social media. The absolute brass neck of it. The irony that the ...
Buzz from the Beehive Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones relishes spatting and eagerly takes issue with environmentalists who criticise his enthusiasm for resource development. He relishes helping the fishing industry too. And so today, while the media are making much of the latest culling in the public service to ...
Having written, taught and worked for the US government on issues involving unconventional warfare and terrorism for 30-odd years, two things irritate me the most when the subject is discussed in public. The first is the Johnny-come-lately academics-turned-media commentators who … Continue reading → ...
Eric Crampton writes – Kainga Ora is the government’s house building agency. It’s been building a lot of social housing. Kainga Ora has its own (but independent) consenting authority, Consentium. It’s a neat idea. Rather than have to deal with building consents across each different territorial authority, Kainga Ora ...
Muriel Newman writes – The Coalition Government says it is moving with speed to deliver campaign promises and reverse the damage done by Labour. One of their key commitments is to âdefend the principle that New Zealanders are equal before the law.â To achieve this, they have pledged they âwill not advance ...
Chris Trotter writes –Â The absence of anything resembling a fightback from the public servants currently losing their jobs is interesting. State-sector workersâ collective fatalism in the face of Coalition cutbacks indicates a surprisingly broad acceptance of impermanence in the workplace. Fifty years ago, lay-offs in the thousands ...
Mariupol, on the Azov Sea coast, was one of the first cities to suffer almost complete destruction after the start of the Ukraine War started in late February 2022. We remember the scenes of absolute destruction of the houses and city structures. The deaths of innocent civilians – many of ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – Ten years ago, I wrote the following in a Listener column: Every year around one in five new-born babies will be reliant on their caregivers benefit by Christmas. This pattern has persisted from at least 1993. For Maori the number jumps to over one in three. ...
Climate change is expected to generate more and more extreme events, delivering a sort of structural shock to inflation that central banks will have to react to as if they were short-term cyclical issues. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s ...
Itâs a simple deal. We pay taxes in order to finance the social services we want and need. The carnage now occurring across the public sector though, is breaking that contract. Over 3,000 jobs have been lost so far. Many are in crucial areas like Education where the impact of ...
Hi,A friend had their 40th over the weekend and decided to theme it after Curb Your Enthusiasm fashion icon Susie Greene. Captured in my tiny kitchen before I left the house, I ending up evoking a mix of old lesbian and Hillary Clinton — both unintentional.Me vs Hillary ClintonIf you’re ...
This is a re-post from Andrew Dessler at the Climate Brink blogIn 2023, the Earth reached temperature levels unprecedented in modern times. Given that, it’s reasonable to ask: What’s going on? There’s been lots of discussions by scientists about whether this is just the normal progression of global warming or if something ...
The schools are on holiday and the sun is shining in the seaside village and all day long I have been seeing bunches of bikes; Mums, Dads, teens and toddlers chattering, laughing, happy, having a bloody great time together. Cheers, AT, for the bits of lane you’ve added lately around the ...
Today in our National-led authoritarian nightmare: Shane Jones thinks Ministers should be above the law: New Zealand First MP Shane Jones is accusing the Waitangi Tribunal of over-stepping its mandate by subpoenaing a minister for its urgent hearing on the Oranga Tamariki claim. The tribunal is looking into the ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand mediaâs failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. ...
Citizen Science writes –Â Last week saw two significant developments in the debate over the treatment of trans-identifying children and young people â the release in Britain of the final report of Dr Hilary Cassâs review into gender healthcare, and here in New Zealand, the news that the ...
One night while sleeping in my bed I had a beautiful dreamThat all the people of the world got together on the same wavelengthAnd began helping one anotherNow in this dream, universal love was the theme of the dayPeace and understanding and it happened this wayAfter such an eventful day ...
This is a guest post by Oscar Simms who is a housing activist, volunteer for the Coalition for More Homes, and was the Labour Party candidate for Auckland Central at the last election. ...
Turning what Labour called the âholiday highwayâ into a four-lane expressway from Auckland to Whangarei could bring at least an economic benefit of nearly two billion a year for Northland each year. And it could help bring an end to poverty in one of New Zealand’s most deprived regions. The ...
Tonight’s six-stack includes: launching his substack with a bunch of his previous documentaries, including this 1992 interview with Dame Whina Cooper. and here crew give climate activists plenty to do, including this call to submit against the Fast Track Approvals bill. writes brilliantly here on his substack ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
You're in the mall when you hear it: some kind of popping sound in the distance, kids with fireworks, maybe. But then a moment of eerie stillness is followed by more of the fireworks sound and there’s also screaming and shrieking and now here come people running for their lives.Does ...
Karl du Fresne writes –Â Thereâs a crisis in the news media and the media are blaming it on everyone except themselves. Culpability is being deflected elsewhere â mainly to the hapless Minister of Communications, Melissa Lee, and the big social media platforms that are accused of hoovering ...
I don’t normally send out two newsletters in a day but I figured I’d say something about… the news. If two newsletters is a bit much then maybe just skip one, I don’t want to overload people. Alternatively if you’d be interested in sometimes receiving multiple, smaller updates from me, ...
Buzz from the Beehive David Seymour and Winston Peters today signalled that at least two ministers of the Crown might be in Wellington today. Seymour (as Associate Minister of Education) announced the removal of more red tape, this time to make it easier for new early learning services to be ...
Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand mediaâs failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. Our political system is suffering from the ...
David Farrar writes – The Broadcasting Standards Authority ruled: Comments by radio host Kate Hawkesby suggesting MÄori and Pacific patients were being prioritised for surgery due to their ethnicity were misleading and discriminatory, the Broadcasting Standards Authority has found. It is a fact such patients are prioritised. ...
PRC and its proxies in Solomons have been preparing for these elections for a long time. A lot of money, effort and intelligence have gone into ensuring an outcome that wonât compromise Beijingâs plans. Cleo Paskall writes – On April 17th the Solomon Islands, a country of ...
Is speeding up the trip to and from Wellington airport by 12 minutes worth spending up more than $10 billion? Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me in the last day to 8:26 am today are:The Lead: Transport Minister Simeon Brownannounced ...
You're a fraud, and you know itBut it's too good to throw it all awayAnyone would do the sameYou've got 'em goingAnd you're careful not to show itSometimes you even fool yourself a bitIt's like magicBut it's always been a smoke and mirrors gameAnyone would do the sameForty six billion ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections The June general election in Mexico could mark a turning point in ensuring that the country’s climate policies better reflect the desire of its citizens to address the climate crisis, with both leading presidential candidates expressing support for renewable energy. Mexico is the ...
2024, it feels, keeps presenting us with ever more challenges, ever more dismay.Do you give up yet? It seems to ask.No? How about this? Or this?How about this?When I say 2024 I really mean the state of humanity in 2024.Saturday night, we watched Civil War because that is one terrifying cliff we've ...
Buzz from the Beehive A pet project and governmental tunnel vision jump out from the latest batch of ministerial announcements. The government is keen to assure us of its concern for the wellbeing of our pets. It will be introducing pet bonds in a change to the Residential Tenancies Act ...
A recent report generated from a Growing Up in New Zealand (GUiNZ) survey of 1,224 rangatahi MÄori aged 11-12 found: Cultural connectedness was associated with fewer depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms and better quality of life. That sounds cut and dry. But further into the report the following appears: Cultural connectedness is ...
David Farrar writes –  The Herald reports: From the gory details of job-cuts news, youâd think the public service was being eviscerated.  While the mediaâs view of the cuts is incomplete, itâs also true that departments have been leaking the particulars faster than a Wellington ...
Remember the good old days, back when New Zealand had a PM who could think and speak calmly and intelligently in whole sentences without blustering? Even while Iranâs drones and missiles were still being launched, Helen Clark was live on TVNZ expertly summing up the latest crisis in the Middle ...
Costello did not pass on analysis of the benefits of the smokefree reforms to Cabinet, emphasising instead the extra tax revenues of repealing them. Photo: Hagen Hopkins, Getty Images TL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me at 7:26 am today are:The Lead: Casey Costello never passed on ...
True loveYou're the one I'm dreaming ofYour heart fits me like a gloveAnd I'm gonna be true blueBaby, I love youI’ve written about the job cuts in our news media last week. The impact on individuals, and the loss to Aotearoa of voices covering our news from different angles.That by ...
While commentators, including former Prime Minister Helen Clark, are noting a subtle shift in New Zealand’s foreign policy, which now places more emphasis on the United States, many have missed a key element of the shift. What National said before the election is not what the government is doing now. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealandâs good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National governmentâs lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for TÄmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Governmentâs democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Governmentâs proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change thatâs great for the planet and great for consumers after her memberâs bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the countryâs books after Teanau Tuionoâs membersâ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his memberâs bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Todayâs advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
The Governmentâs newly announced review of methane emissions reduction targets hints at its desire to delay Aotearoa New Zealandâs urgent transition to a climate safe future, the Green Party said. ...
The Government must commit to the Maitai School building project for students with high and complex needs, to ensure disabled students from the top of the South Island have somewhere to learn. ...
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey and his Government colleagues have made a meal of their mental health commitments, showing how flimsy their efforts to champion the issue truly are, says Labour Mental Health spokesperson Ingrid Leary. ...
MÄori are yet to see anything from this Government except cuts, reversals and taking our people backwards, MÄori Development spokesperson Willie Jackson said. ...
The Coalition Governmentâs refusal to commit to ongoing funding for social housing is seeing the sector pull back on developments and families watch their dreams of securing a home fade away, says Labour Housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty. ...
Changes to minimum wage and benefit indexation means many New Zealanders will get less this year, as the Government gives a big tax break to landlords instead. ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. âRecently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachersâ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul.  âThe Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. âScience, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During todayâs meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. âThe Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in TaupĆ as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the TaupĆ International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. âAnticipation for the ITM TaupĆ Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. âThe coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. âThis project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sectorâs productivity,â Mr Jones says. âThe project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Governmentâs plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. âBenefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Governmentâs commitment to doubling New Zealandâs renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealandâs latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. âOur Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. âNew Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Governmentâs intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. âThe introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Todayâs announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Governmentâs plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. âInflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sectorâs role in the export-led recovery of the economy. âI am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Governmentâs support for the revitalisation the sector.  "New Zealandâs wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. âThe inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. âMy meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today paid tribute to Singaporeâs outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.  Meeting in Singapore today immediately before Prime Minister Lee announced he was stepping down, Prime Minister Luxon warmly acknowledged his counterpartâs almost twenty years as leader, and the enduring legacy he has left for Singapore and South East ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. While in Singapore as part of his visit to South East Asia this week, Prime Minister Luxon also met with Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and will meet with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. During todayâs meeting, Prime Minister Luxon ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has made further appointments to the Board of Antarctica New Zealand as part of a continued effort to ensure the Scott Base Redevelopment project is delivered in a cost-effective and efficient manner. The Minister has appointed Neville Harris as a new member of the Board. Mr ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis will travel to the United States on Tuesday to attend a meeting of the Five Finance Ministers group, with counterparts from Australia, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. âI am looking forward to meeting with our Five Finance partners on how we can work ...
The coalition Government has today announced purrfect and pawsitive changes to the Residential Tenancies Act to give tenants with pets greater choice when looking for a rental property, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. âPets are important members of many Kiwi families. Itâs estimated that around 64 per cent of New ...
State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the Government has also asked NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) to consider and provide advice on a Long Tunnel option, Transport Minister Simeon Brown ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters have condemned Iranâs shocking and illegal strikes against Israel.  âThese attacks are a major challenge to peace and stability in a region already under enormous pressure," Mr Luxon says.  "We are deeply concerned that miscalculation on any side could ...
Hundreds of people in little over a week have turned out in Northland to hear Regional Development Minister Shane Jones speak about plans for boosting the regional economy through infrastructure. About 200 people from the infrastructure and associated sectors attended an event headlined by Mr Jones in Whangarei today. Last ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has today thanked outgoing Health New Zealand â Te Whatu Ora Chair Dame Karen Poutasi for her service on the Board.  âDame Karen tendered her resignation as Chair and as a member of the Board today,â says Dr Reti. âI have asked her to ...
The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has signalled their proposed delivery approach for the Governmentâs 15 Roads of National Significance (RoNS), with the release of the State Highway Investment Proposal (SHIP) today, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. âBoosting economic growth and productivity is a key part of the Governmentâs plan to ...
New Zealand is renewing its connections with a world facing urgent challenges by pursuing an active, energetic foreign policy, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.  âOur country faces the most unstable global environment in decades,â Mr Peters says at the conclusion of two weeks of engagements in Egypt, Europe and the United States.  âWe cannot afford to sit back in splendid ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced the Australian Governor-General, His Excellency General The Honourable David Hurley and his wife Her Excellency Mrs Linda Hurley, will make a State visit to New Zealand from Tuesday 16 April to Thursday 18 April. The visit reciprocates the State visit of former Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced that Medsafe has approved 11 cold and flu medicines containing pseudoephedrine. Pharmaceutical suppliers have indicated they may be able to supply the first products in June. âThis is much earlier than the original expectation of medicines being available by 2025. The Government recognised ...
New Zealand and the United States have recommitted to their strategic partnership in Washington DC today, pledging to work ever more closely together in support of shared values and interests, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.  âThe strategic environment that New Zealand and the United States face is considerably more ...
April 11, 2024 Joint Declaration by United States Secretary of State the Honorable Antony J. Blinken and New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs the Right Honourable Winston Peters We met today in Washington, D.C. to recommit to the historic partnership between our two countries and the principles that underpin itârule ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced further New Zealand cooperation with the United States in the Pacific Islands region through $16.4 million in funding for initiatives in digital connectivity and oceans and fisheries research. Â âNew Zealand can achieve more in the Pacific if we work together more urgently and ...
Kia Ora Gaza A passionate haka reverberated through Auckland International Airport as a medical team of three New Zealand doctors received an emotional farewell from a big crowd of supporters before flying to Turkey to join the international Freedom Flotilla to Gaza. The doctors, who left Auckland yesterday, hope to ...
With submissions closing today, Macassey-Pickard says groups around the country have been supporting a huge range of people to make their submissions. ...
Our response to the new legislation is informed by targeted conversations with practitioners working in the system and through an implementation lens. ...
The new âFast-track Approvals Billâ would give just three Ministers the power to approve or deny development projects. They would avoid the usual checks and balances that are in place to protect rivers, land, the ocean, and communities. ...
COMMENTARY:By Eugene Doyle Helen Clark, how I miss you. The former New Zealand Prime Minister â the safest pair of hands this country has had in living memory â gave a masterclass on the importance of maintaining an independent foreign policy when she spoke at an AUKUS symposium held ...
The government's released the list of organisations provided with information on how to apply - just hours before public submissions on the bill close. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Milton Speer, Visiting Fellow, School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, University of Technology Sydney Before climate change really got going, eastern Australiaâs flash floods tended to concentrate on our coastal regions, east of the Great Dividing Range. But thatâs changing. Now ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elizabeth Finkel, Vice-Chancellor’s Fellow, La Trobe University Sia Duff / South Australian Museum In February, the South Australian Museum âre-imaginedâ itself. In the face of rising costs and inadequate government funds, CEO David Gaimster, who took the reins last June, declared ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alan Pearce, Professor, School of Allied Heath, Human Services & Sport, La Trobe University, La Trobe University This week, Collingwood AFL player Nathan Murphy announced his retirement, brought on by his concussion history and ongoing issues. The 24-year-oldâs seemingly sudden retirement, ...
The Mental Health Foundation provides support and resources for those facing the loss of their job, so itâs wrong in the very week the Government adds another 1000 jobs to its tally of cuts, that this is happening. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexander Howard, Senior Lecturer, Discipline of English and Writing, University of Sydney Daniel Boud/Sydney Theatre Company Decay, terror, revulsion. These are three of the central themes of Thomas Bernhardâs rarely performed play The President. The Austrian is one of the greatest ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ye In (Jane) Hwang, Postdoctoral Research Associate at School of Population Health, UNSW Sydney Shutterstock Youâd be hard pressed to find any aspect of daily life that doesnât require some form of digital literacy. We need only to look back ten ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says threats by ministers Shane Jones and David Seymour to reform or close down the Waitangi Tribunal were “ill-considered”, as legal experts say the ministers may have breached Cabinet Manual conventions. “I think those comments are ill-considered and we expect all ministers to actually exercise good ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rob Newton, Professor of Exercise Medicine, Edith Cowan University Pexels/RDNE stock project Youâre not in your 20s or 30s anymore and you know regular health checks are important. So you go to your GP. During the appointment they measure your waist. ...
A new poem by Evangeline Riddiford Graham. Mitochondrial Problem I. It was long drive to Kansas for the man and his dog but you have to understand he said She doesnât fly. Which calls to mind not carsick shitting barking or whining but a dog who chooses not to as ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Booksâ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Hemingwayâs Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)Hot off the press, this debut ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laura Wajnryb McDonald, PhD candidate in Criminology, University of Sydney Less than 24 hours after Ashlee Good was murdered in Bondi Junction, her family released a statement requesting the media take down photographs they had reproduced of Ashlee and her family without ...
Chief executive Shaun Robinson said it has not had any government funding cut, but government-funded contracts have not kept pace with rising costs. ...
The Ministry of Health has delayed the release of its evidence brief on the safety, reversibility and mental health and wellbeing outcomes for puberty blockers. While we wait, Julia de Bres speaks to those with firsthand experience. Best practice gender-affirming healthcare is based on trans peopleâs self-determination and agency. The ...
Barcelonaâs city streets have gone from traffic-clogged to pedestrian-friendly. How? Superblocks. Ellen Rykers explains. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week I read a great interview with renowned urbanist Janette Sadik-Khan by The Spinoffâs Wellington editor Joel MacManus: âYou can reimagine streets, ...
Student groups âClimate Action VUWâ, Schools Strike 4 Climate and VUWSA will be on the street in Wellington today, the last day for submissions on the Fast-track Approvals Bill, with a message that the fight against the Governmentâs âWar on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sofia Ammassari, Research Fellow, Griffith University Since 2014, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modiâs popularity has grown exponentially â and so has the formidable organisational machine of his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). These two factors will be key to delivering the BJP a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brendon Hyndman, Associate Professor of Education (Adjunct) & Senior Manager (BCE), Charles Sturt University During COVID almost all Australian students and their families experienced online learning. But while schools have long since gone back to in-person teaching, online learning has not gone ...
Yes, theyâre better for the environment. No, thatâs not a good enough reason for me to use them. Once every 26 days or so, my period arrives, and if struck by an act of God, I am caught red-crotched without products. How, after 17 years of this, do I still ...
âIt will cause significant harm to our environment and communities. It is completely at odds with New Zealandersâ relationship with nature and our need for a low-carbon, sustainable economic future." ...
The Chair of the National Maori Authority, Matthew Tukaki, has warned a Parliamentary Select Committee that fast-tracking legislation is a perilous practice that undermines the core tenets of democracy, transparency, and accountability. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Tenbensel, Associate Professor, Health Policy, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Getty Images Since coming into power, the coalition government has adopted a simple but shrewd see-how-fast-we-can-move political strategy. However, in the health sector this need for speed entails ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Hronis, Clinical Psychologist, University of Technology Sydney Darya Sannikova/Pexels Whether youâre watching TV, attending a footy game, or eating a meal at your local pub, gambling is hard to escape. Although the rise of gambling is not unique to Australia, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Wong, Forrest Fellow, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia Have you ever wondered if there are more insects out at night than during the day? We set out to answer this question by combing through the scientific ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Carol T Kulik, Research Professor, University of South Australia IR Stone/Shutterstock In Australia, itâs not the done thing to know â let alone ask â what our colleagues are paid. Yet, itâs easy to see how pay transparency can make pay ...
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) is sounding a warning to migrants, that running foul of the law may see them leaving the country prematurely. ...
The governmentâs plan to get 50,000 people off jobseeker support by 2030 has had a rocky start, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoffâs morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. Beneficiary numbers are up â and so are ...
Raglan Roast is a staple of Wellington coffee culture. But with five branches across the capital, which one is the best? I am a die-hard Raglan Roast fan. Itâs consistently the most affordable cafe in Wellington, and one of the only places you can get a coffee after 3pm. So, ...
Residents of University of Auckland halls are being urged to withhold their accommodation fees from May 1, in a bid to force the university to take student concerns over rent hikes seriously.The University of Auckland is facing a strike from students over the cost of on-campus accommodation. The Students ...
Opinion: The famed American architect and urban designer Daniel Burnham once said, “Make no little plans. They have no magic to stir men’s blood!” Burnham wouldn’t have been referring to the transport plans in Aotearoa New Zealand over the past five years; projects so big they hadn’t the credibility to ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[quiz],DIV[quiz],A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions. The post Newsroom daily quiz, Friday 19 April appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Opinion: With maths understanding at 42 percent for Year 8 students, there’s no doubt something has to be done. But how? The post Financial literacy should be on all of us appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Hineaupounamu âMissyâ Nuku has been scaling mountains in Canada for her college basketball team, the Lakeland Rustlers. Alberta is currently home for the 20-year-old point guard, who is in her first year of a scholarship at Lakeland College, where she is studying for a business degree. She has certainly made ...
New Zealand and the Philippines have signed a new maritime security agreement and stated their concerns over activity in the South China Sea, as Chinese vessels continue to flout international law. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Philippines President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos committed to signing a Mutual Logistics Supporting Arrangement by ...
The thousands of government “back-office” job cuts are causing widespread pain in the capital city. In today’s episode of The Detail, we speak to three journalists and a think tank researcher, looking at the larger picture around the cuts and what effect it will have on Wellington, a city that’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra When ASIO boss Mike Burgess delivered his annual threat assessment earlier this year, he stressed the rising danger posed by espionage and foreign interference. âIn 2024, threats to our way of life have surpassed ...
The Tribunal had called on Minister for Children Karen Chhour to provide evidence at an urgent inquiry into the repeal of Section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By T.J. Thomson, Senior Lecturer in Visual Communication & Digital Media, RMIT University Midjourney image by T.J. Thomson As more than half of Australian office workers report using generative artificial intelligence (AI) for work, weâre starting to see this technology affect every ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lisa Nicole Sharwood, Injury epidemiologist | Expert Witness, UNSW Sydney Sergey Novikov/Shutterstock Injuries are the leading cause of disability and death among Australian children and adolescents. At least a quarter of all emergency department presentations during childhood are injury-related. Injuries can ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Di Winkler, Adjunct Associate Professor, Living with Disability Research Centre, La Trobe University Shutterstock/Ground PictureMany Australians with disability feel on the edge of a precipice right now. Recommendations from the disability royal commission and the NDIS review were released late ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Salman Shooshtarian, Senior Lecturer, School of Property, Construction and Project Management, RMIT University Salman Shooshtarian Asbestos has been found in mulch used for playgrounds, schools, parks and gardens across Sydney and Melbourne. Local communities naturally fear for the health of their ...
Family First says that the latest abortion statistics make grim and upsetting reading, with a 25% increase in abortions since the decriminalisation of abortion in March 2020. According to an Official Information Act request received by Right to Life ...
Ipsos New Zealand's inaugural participation in a global study on populism reveals a pervasive sense of societal and economic decline among New Zealanders. MORE DETAILS AND FULL REPORT HERE Ipsos New Zealand's inaugural participation in a global study ...
It is appalling that the members of the RWC choirs have not been given the seats they were promised. At one ground at least they were offered a TV set in a changing room!! Some have travelled many miles for rehearsals. No pay but the understanding they would see the games they sang for. The choirs have been one of the real success stories of the RWC. How mean spirited can you get.
Workers used and abused, usual story under a corporatocracy like international rugby is now.
(shows the strength of big “unions”, doesn’t it?)
RWC can spin this however they like, its disgusting behaviour! Mr Sneddon do you think NZ will not care? You and your friends can make the story travel and watch the RWC ‘discover’ some tickets for the final four matches. Maybe a few of the hundreds of free VIP troughers will donate their tickets.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10753746
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/top/85915/rugby-world-cup-final-tickets-up-for-grabs
Hundreds of tickets to the Rugby World Cup final have been returned by Corporate and Hospitality groups
So give them to the Choirs seems obvious really!
Yes there are bigger problems out there, but this is NZ. This is not how we do things here. Remember NZ is a Nation that cares, supposedly, about more than the mighty dollar. The Herald has comments turned off and Stuff has not even posted the article. It is up to Kiwis to show this sucks. Hassle everybody you know with this story until the Choirs get tickets
I would like to help organise an event to express outrage: a ‘flag-burning’ or ‘logo’ burning event at a city centre, with many others in attendance, preferably preceded by a march.
Can someone suggest what should be burnt? Can there be others holding similar events at the same time, eg tomorrow or Sunday lunchtime, in other city centres around the country?
Can someone suggest the social or community groups that would join in?
Media should be invited to cover the event and also we should organise our own videotaping to be Youtubed. There would be lots of international media around at the moment and some should be encouraged to cover the event.
RWC bunting seems the obvious choice. There is enough of it around.
May i offer a word of caution:
NOT NZ FLAGS ! NOT AB’s FLAGS !
this is a RWC decision NOT an All Blacks decision.
You will notice there are no comments from any players, that said, there are also no comments from Sneddon and the other the chief troughers either. Care to comment Mr Key ??? Care to stick your hand into your very deep pockets and pay for the tickets yourself. ???
Your donation would be a sure winner đ
The choir has been a huge success and the NZRFU has again shown itself to be totally incompetent from a PR viewpoint.
Certainly justifies a protest but flag burning goes too far. There must be something appropriate – a good bit or sarcastic humour would go a long way here. NZRFU have less sense of humour than the Labour Party (and that’s saying something)
@Jim Nald
Saturday Sept 24th is set aside as Moving Planet Day so let the IRB protest go, they have turned rugby into a gladiatorial game, spectacle, money-maker, business cash cow ( they want – I read that they aren’t happy with the dosh they’ve got from us) so suck it up.
Moving Planet events are all around the country such as Nelson where advert says there will be a mini festival at the Cathedral Steps 11am – 2pm.
I clicked the map on below link and found that red and black circles would bloom and fade, so can’t say just how and where all events are but sounds a good start. And a good follow up to the Polly Higgins thinking.
http://www.moving-planet.org/
I still think that the fact that the lions share of the games are on pay TV, with us plebs having to put up with ad ridden delayed coverage for the most of the games, is a scandal in itself. The sgmes should have been live on free-to-air TV.
Sad day for music and those that like a tipple.
REM calling it a day, faded commercially but still put out great work over 30 years with no dip in quality.
SAB Millers final capture of Fosters will be interesting and much like Lion Nathan a national Icon goes to foreign ownership and the quality of the product IMO will decline further as the brands are made everywhere……taste imported Stella/Becks alongside the local brewed stuff.
Friday and the weather is good for the week end….the thought occurs to de mothball the bicycle as the weather warms. The joyous dream of meandering through the back blocks away from the noise and life threatening rush of trucks and cars, to hear the bird song as leisurely progress is made. Time passing slowly enough to behold in passing the ripple of grass on the breeze, to hear the rush of the stream as you float by on the bike.
Hey Jokey, where the f*** is the promised cycleway????????????????
I think its that painted white line down the middle of SH1………………………
Bloody hell, with Jokeys level and speed of investment that means the median line will fade out of existence …wont even be able to relabel that as cycleway.
Good to see the Hamilton City Council has its piroites right. Slashing and burning funding for community services, talking about selling assets (behind closed doors too!), and proabably cutting funding for community assets like libraries and parks, etc. All while sparing elderly homeowners rate increases (who benefited from councils who built up services, not tore them down).
The Tea Party wannabes who infest our councils need to be reined in before there are no parks, no libaries, no nothing.
Aye Millsy. Unfortunately at Local Government level you get tories who are just as doctrinaire and their central equivalents but lack the ability to even understand at a base level what damage these sorts of cuts cause.
The People’s republic of Auckland stands out as a beacon of hope and sanity in the wilderness that it Local Government! Â Now if only we could get the Government to agree to the inner city loop …
I think you’ll find the Whanganui District Council has entered the light after a long period in the darkness, too.
“Auckland a beacon of hope and sanity” are you mainlining heroin ?
Auckland council/mayor/councillors are just as mendacious, self serving and troughaphilic as any other council.
Not as bad as the membership of the Executive Council, by any stretch of the imagination.Â
Yet they have no problem saddling their ratepayers with the cost of the new velodrome. A building that come hell-or-higth-water SPARC was going to build as close to Auckland as possible, even though areas like Hawke’s Bay and Manawatu had fully funded options on the table. Its a bloody disgrace.
Cycling is the future, roaring petrol racers are not. People who argue against
the vello should be fined if they don’t add to the list the V8 and the rugby
stadium to their ire.
personally, the problem isn’t the infrastructure spend, its the perplexing
lack of connecting up the facilities. why have we never had a
train bringing supporters from Auckland to the conference
center, or students to the the university, or any of the other
big build up.
The best thing that could happen to Hamilton is for the V8 to end.
A velodrome being built on the grounds of a very expensive private school no less. I too am a cyclist and was involved in the early discussions around the centre of excellence – making this a Waikato BOP initiative was and still is a joke!
Â
BTW it was Waikato REGIONAL council who voted this through.
Â
The fact that Rotorua had everything that was on the criteria (Mountian Biking, BMX track, experience of hosting international events, an academy of sport, extensive road network) – the only thing it didn’t have was a covered velodrome – seems to be have been lost in the fact that it isn’t Tauranga (God’s waiting room) or Hamilton (Bogun central).
Â
Money talks, RDC don’t have any, but Waikato does – game over.
Â
If only they DID have the money though, Ian. How the fuck do you bid for, and win a contract like that where evidence of funding in place was a requirement, and then go bleating to the councils for funding later?
This whole velodrome decision by WRC has been a complete farce and is a sad day for democracy. The decision to proceed was made despite the fact that it is not core business and 60% of 7000 submitters were against and 40% for. (Incidentally, children were also submitters even although they are not ratepayers nor have voting rights). There were also three independent reports commissioned by WRC from professionals which had red flags all over them. They advised this facility should not be expected to make a profit. This has been touted as a NATIONAL facility and is no place for ratepayer funds. The question still remains as to who is going to pay the ongoing costs of maintenance and upgrading in the future. Guess who – the bottomless pit called the ratepayer!
I have to say that Brownlee came across well last night when questioned on Red Zoning. He put the case clearly and firmly together with points here and there in support.
But what he didn’t offer, and what wasn’t questioned, was the issue not of whether any land is rightly zoned red, but why the people have been turfed out with nowhere to go. Why they have been thrown to the lion’s den of the “marketplace”. Why a land swap or similar was not put up. Why the govt doesn’t care about the elderly and the pensioners and the incapacitated being thrown onto the street.
Because that would cost money which they’ve got earmarked for themselves and their rich mates either as further tax cuts and/or subsidies.
“Why the govt doesn’t care about the elderly and the pensioners and the incapacitated being thrown onto the street.”
You just have to look at the new HNZ policy effective since 1 July to be alarmed at how serious housing in NZ has become. Incapacitated people and pensioners are not even qualifying for HNZ assistance in spite of Heatley claiming that vulnerable people will be looked after. I consider this to be the biggest lie from the current government.
Council housing lists are growing longer as people on NZ super or the invalid benefit do not quailfy for housing due to the formula HNZ use. Basically the main benefit rate is taken into consideration and the accommodation supplement which a person would be entitled to, then the bottom end of the scale of housing in your area is calculated. If there is a shortfall between total applicant outgoings and applicant total income you are given a 3 or 4.
An example of a single person on the invalids benefit who lives in a provincial city.
Main invalid benefit $251.00 (cents not included).
One bedroom flat $150.00
Accommodation supplement entitlement $61.00. (Max AS is $65.00 for the area).
Other ongoing costs are included, basically a person has to have a shortfall and I am not sure by how much. I think the main benefit for a person on NZ super is $309.00. Someone on the unemployment or on sickness gets a little over $200.00 on a main benefit and their chance of scoring a 3 or 4 is higher than a person on NZ super or the invalid benefit. (I will repost with the correct main benefit figures).
There is a health section like the income section. A person on NZ super or the invalid benefit has a greater chance of scoring a 3 or 4 compared to a person on the unemployment benefit or the sickness benefit.
I am not sure how many 3s or 4s a person has to have, it would not surprise me if the minimum was at least two because I just scrape in with two 3s (income and health).
Being homeless or having to vacate in 60 days or less is also taken into consideration and a person also has to look at alternative accommodation e.g. private rental.
Millsy is bang on when she says that ghettos are being created in NZ.
To remedy the housing problem there needs to be a MASSIVE government building programme and/or the accommodation supplement to be increased so that no one pays more than 25% of their income on housing each week.
Weekly main benefit rates for a single person:
Unemployment or sickness age over 25 $201.40
Invalid age 18+ $251.73
NZ super single living alone $339.92
Ummmm I’m actually a he.
But everything else, I agree with you.
I honestly belive that this policy was implement so that private landlords could raise their rents to inflation busting levels.
I am therefore incredibly lucky to have got this dump 15 years or so back, when I was on DPB with a 6 year old, and were in the having to vacate in 60 days category. By the looks, with DPB + 1, we would not qualify now. This is making me wonder actually, because apparently, having applied for a transfer means I am considered a new applicant… or am I wrong?
They’ll probably turf you out soon Vicky, being a single woman with no dependants and all.
I’d watch out for that eviction notice due when National win the election. I have it from good sources that a whole bunch are being printed up and will be served the Monday after the election..
Wow, I really find your joyous tone about that a bit unseemly… I am on an unemployment benefit, so they might give me a pass, but even if they do kick me out, I find it difficult to care! Why are you so certain that NACT will win the election? I suppose you think that because of my being a “god-botherer”, that I voted or will vote for them… but that’s simply you jumping to an unwarranted conclusion. I would rather die than vote for the Right. Noto bene – I have not always been a single woman (either by the previous definiton of single = not married) or the current one (not currently shagging anyone. Given your bitchy remarks on the other post, I feel the need to point that out.)
My tone is most certainly not joyous. Please dont accuse me of such. In fact, if I had my way, you would be in your house for the rest of your days. Along with every other state house tenant. In fact, I would quadruple the number of state housing and push the slumlords out of the market.
And I don’t assume that you would vote for NACT. I am aware of your left credentials.
I just know what NACT are capable of, thats all. And from what I see, they are going to carry out some serious carnage. No one is going to be safe. And I am convinced, that after the election, they will begin the biggest state house eviction program in this country’s history.
And BTW, I dont care about your relationship status. ’tis none of my business đ
I just note that HNZ dont really see themselves as catering for single people, thats all..
Vicky in 5.2 I gave an example of the formula HNZ use. A person on the unemployment or sickness benefit is better off than a person on the invalids benefit when it comes to scoring at least a 3 because of the level of main benefit. Please do not draw conclusions from what I have said about the minimum of two 3s even though this applies to me.
Please also note that I state that a massive housing programme is required and/or that the accommodation supplement needs to be topped up so that no one pays more than 25% of their income in rent.
The new HNZ rental criteria is brutal and the community housing will also shrink the stock. Their needs to be an independent advocate available for current HNZ tenants and a appeal process other than the tenancy tribunal. A friend of mine is faced with being turfed out of a HNZ home even though market rental is paid for the home they live in. HNZ are hypocrits as they also must look at a person requiring housing in 60 days.
The government is heartless when it comes to housing the most vulnerable. The government cannot even address rheumatic fever in this country (a third world disease) brought on by over crowding and no doubt the lack of a nutrious diet.
Maybe all the people on NZ super not making the HNZ criteria need to be wheeled up to parliament as the numbers will grow by the week as single not sharing NZ super main benefit rate is $339.92 and single NZ super sharing is $313.00 (cents not included). Heatley is a non visionary as far as I am concerned because it is homes that people need and not the competitive divisive situation which he has thrust apon the most vulnerable.
Agreed! Heatley is an idiot…
Just thought I should point out……
AFKTT got his timing pretty much bang.
He doesn’t seem to like any political party though, which isn’t very helpful to those who still hope that voting will make a difference, or simply believe that we must try to engage with the political system even as we work on other solutions such as permaculture and sustainable communities.
Perhaps AFKTT should start his own party, or maybe he has already – I certainly feel that there would be a place for his views on our political spectrum.
The only political party worth voting for, IMO, is the Greens and even they don’t seem to grok the necessary paradigm shift.
He said there was going to be financial meltdown in October.
1. It isn’t October yet.
2. Nothing has actually melted down yet, it just “fear”, mostly around Greece.
What an astonishing personal attack on Bryce Edwards from Trevor Mallard this morning. http://blog.labour.org.nz/index.php/2011/09/23/bill-english-funds-bryce-edwards/
Where is the astonishing personal attack? Mallard’s post seemed pretty reasonable to me and it comes as a hell of a surprise that it turns out that Edwards is on David Farrar’s payroll. No wonder Edwards is constantly sniping at Labour, eh.
You are a repeater for the slithery one. This was an amused comment. If you want to see real personal attacks go over to the sewer.
“If you want to see real personal attacks go over to the sewer.”
What like this sewer ?
Start from this comment and work down Mickeymouse
http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-19092011/#comment-376448
“I wish the mad butcher would hurry up and die.
Fuck Close Up for giving this National party cheerleader a free slot in primetime.”
That comment sparked a whole day of outrage and argument here.
At the Sewer it would be unremarkable among dozens of similar comments posted every day.
HS you, and the supposedly ‘outraged’ others have consistently chosen to ignore the point I was raising – the inappropriateness of of the butchers electioneering on taxpayer funded tv ‘news’ Now he is joined by Richardhead of the year contender Matthew Ridge who I hope drowns in his carwash for breaching election rules – LOL –
There – now you have something new to be ‘outraged’ about.
Notice: to all celebraties planning to use their ‘fame’ in an underhand manner to promote the corruption that is the National government – you will not be spared my disdain.
Reading HS acting morally outraged brings to mind the image of Kenny Everetts character “Angry of Mayfair”….
http://www.google.co.nz/imgres?q=angry+of+mayfair&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=WYc&sa=X&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&biw=1187&bih=580&tbm=isch&prmd=imvns&tbnid=uNfU_oNZJwvJeM:&imgrefurl=http://www.tammytingles.com/%3Fp%3D1851&docid=SeeMWxntCorX2M&w=684&h=566&ei=tPl7TsbgHomkmQX328zGAQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=87&vpy=135&dur=3441&hovh=204&hovw=247&tx=121&ty=132&page=1&tbnh=116&tbnw=140&start=0&ndsp=20&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0
the sewer, where someone once made this comment to someone who had a different opinion to him:
“Why donât you just find a weapon and kill yourself. It will markedly improve the intellect of those of us who remain.”
Blogosphere is the sewer. Stop pretending that one side is cleaner than the other.
http://thestandard.org.nz/key-is-weak/#comment-169420
Personally I am a great believer in the value of the Darwin awards where people remove themselves from the gene pool. I am usually not hesitant in suggesting it as a career enhancing objective to worthy recipients when I comment.
Of course the countervailing viewpoint is that eventually people like jcw (whom the comment was made in response to) will eventually examine the actual process of civil court rather than simply relying on theoretical codswallop. Unfortunately I suspect from their writing that they gather their opinions by examining their navel from the inside (by shoving their head up their arse) and will do almost anything to avoid examining the real world. My comment was not about their opinion. My comment was about their experience and their apparent inability to understand that reality and theory are frequently different.
You have a similar problem because you are comparing a robust comment with an actual argument attached compared to the outright denigration without any argument that characterizes the sewer. In other words you don’t see actual discussion at the sewer from what I have seen. When an opposing opinion is voiced there, the usual response is to have a straight personal attacks without bothering to argue about the topic – basically what you see is schoolyard bullying. That is the reason that people outside the in-group there from the left tend not to waste time there.
Here you tend to get responses that are argument served with sarcasm. There are a few over the top comments without arguments. But as a moderator I tend to only get irritated when there is a pattern of behavior that I have to exert effort to correct.
And my suggestion is that you try a similar solution to that suggested for jcw. It appears to me that you lack the observational skills required to learn. Of course I could be wrong?
To quote Vic Reeves
BWS has the pip because he/she/it has been banned from Red Alert until he/she/it produces a real email address.
AAAwww whats wrong you spinning and spitting tacks because you got the arse from Red Alert??? Give them a real E-Mail address and they will let you in, if only just to laugh at your pathetic attempts to make mountains out of molehills.
Peter Verschaffelt is the PR man for the Mana Party???? BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
What a bunch of idiots Mana are.
If that turn-coat son of a bit*h Verschaffelt was involved with the Jesus Party I would consider the Devil before not bothering to vote at all.
Why?
Free Ride for Farmers
The NZ Herald ran an article about Fonterra today that was particularly interesting. In conjunction with other recent media releases, it showed the dairy industry is getting a free ride at the taxpayer and environments expense…
When the Government can pull out all stops to ensure the success of a waterfront party you would think that they could do the same to save our most significant and internationally recognized wetland. $11.5 million is being spent to resuscitate the already dead Lake Ellesmere, why can’t they concentrate on the Waituna Lagoon while it is still living, though only just.
http://localbodies-bsprout.blogspot.com/2011/09/emergency-team-argue-while-waituna-dies.html
Dave, could not agree more. The whole thing is criminal and tragic. The mental dislocation between our personal desires and our environment is exactly as you highlight, we head for a Darwin Award as a species.
New owners of the Phoenix football team to be announced shortly!!
A few more tears at the Pike River hearings, the police and now Peter Whittel. And we have no doubt cried at some of the crap we have been hearing – report assessed unsatisfactory because of a spelling mistake etc. It seems like the police want to operate like USA drone operators – sitting behind a desk in Wellington or away from the scene of the tragedy directing the action or non-action whichever seems the safest to the distant generals directing the war.
I was getting very pissed off with people praising Sereipesos for spending on the Phoenix, saving their commercial bacon, being the dude whilst all the while the tax he owed was not paid. Then I thought perhaps I should say fuck it to my fellow taxpayer, you losers pay taxes whilst I buy a soccer team and live the dream. Terry, with revelatory poser, me too me too…..
For some reason it wouldn’t let me delete those two test posts above. I was trying to test Strikethrough, which doesn’t seem to work.
Anyway, looks like Key is spilling the beans on his private talk with Obama?
”But if you think about the global financial crisis that has taken place, that has been a very significant event and remains a very significant event in Europe and the United States. Just to give you a bit of perspective of what that means in the US – their numbers are just dire. Their unemployment rate is 9.2 per cent officially but even the president told me their unofficial unemployment rate is about 14 or 15 per cent.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/5674399/New-Zealand-will-survive-with-Asias-helpÂ
[lprent: Removed. I’ll have a look at the trasher. Strikethrough is meant to be useable – could be an wordpress update has broken my patch. ]
I’ve had the same issue and gave up on it.
“Their unemployment rate is 9.2 per cent officially but even the president told me their unofficial unemployment rate is about 14 or 15 per cent.”
If you add those two figures together
you probably have the actual number of people without work in the USA
Kiwis First! (except if your industry is the arts, film or tv)
“Immigration changes support screen and entertainment industries” (bahahahahaha)
Press Release by New Zealand Government at 2:50 pm, 22 Sep 2011
Changes announced today to visa processes for screen, entertainment and music industry workers will support the sector’s growth, says Immigration Minister Jonathan Coleman.
The changes provide a simpler, more streamlined system for the entry of temporary entertainment industry workers into New Zealand.
”The existing policy is out-dated. It’s been in place for 20 years and the entertainment industry has grown hugely over that time,” says Dr Coleman.
Today’s changes mean workers here for 14 days or less, or workers on an international co-production, face a greatly simplified process. For longer periods of employment, such as during the making of feature films, the policy places more trust in employers who have proven their bona fides and have a track record of bringing in workers for legitimate purposes.
”The screen industry employs around 6,700 people and is worth over $2.8 billion dollars a year, with great potential for further growth. To realise that growth, we need immigration policies that ensure key workers can get here with minimal fuss so that New Zealand remains an attractive destination for productions,” says Dr Coleman.
Under current rules for screen, entertainment and music workers, all work visa applications are referred to the industry guilds and unions under a ‘silent approval’ process. This means that the guilds or unions have the right to object to an application.
”In some cases, issues with existing processes were putting offshore investment in the New Zealand screen industry at risk,” says Dr Coleman.
”Another feature of the changes is that performers here for significant music, arts or cultural festivals can come into the country on a visitor visa.
”In the past two and a half years there have been 14 applications disputed by unions or guilds out of 4800 applications for screen industry work, and the Government has ultimately granted visas in all those cases.
”In short, we are removing a redundant, bureaucratic process which only served to make New Zealand a less attractive place for the screen and entertainment industry to do business.”
The new policy will be operational from March 2012.
http://www.actorsequity.org.nz/component/content/article/44-in-the-news/140-nz-equity-condemns-changes-to-the-immigration-procedures
About two months ago I posted saying that work and income did not consider home contents as being a cost which they included in an application for a food grant. When you go to HNZ for housing assistance a green form called “Finding a private rental property” and a form called the Department of Building and Housing is given to you. The Department of Building and Housing form states “Before you move in: Purchase contents insurance that includes tenant liability.”
Interesting when it comes to one government department saying that contents insurance is essential and another government department saing the cost is not essential. I expect there are repercussions for people in Christchurch when it comes to contents and liability insurance.
I have had to let mine lapse for the time being…
Sorry to hear this. I switched to FMG from State and saved a lot.
When it comes to HNZ assessment say food is at least $10 a day and $10 extra for other.
Had the government brought the HNZ policy in a year ago it would cost them more votes. Sneaky and dishonest.
SPADA used to make a mint from this process…wonder what deal their CE Borland (good friends with Arts Minister Finlayson) did to ensure they wouldn’t be hit in the pocket…
By the way, this is punishment for Actor’s Equity and the Hobbit mess. Directors have also come out against this move.
Power Corrupts
The latest edition of the Listener has an article entitled Cold Comfort, which is all about New Zealandâs high electricity prices and how they contribute to ill health. It makes for sober reading, especially when considering that the continuing trend of high electricity prices and low incomes is going to make things a lot worseâŠ
Is it any wonder with profit taking built in at all 4 deconstructed layers of the old NZEC and local power boards, with NZEC and local power boards at least that was only 2 levels and the NZEC could take a holistic view of generation and distribution up to where local distribution boards took over.
If ever there was an industry screaming to be nationalized it’s this essential service and give business certainty over supply.
The god-bothers have been let out of their cave yet again and are bursting blood vessels with the thought of dirty grubby SEX being taught in our schools.
The debate over sex education has pretty much proved that there are still a lot of Victorian-era prudes who think sex is unclean and disgusting and should only be had to make babies. Not something exciting and enjoyable that can take place in so many different forms.
And yes, it is OK as long as its consensual, those who take part are over 16, and a condom is used.
All I will say (all I dare say) is that if you’re referring to recent stories in the Herald, you’ve very badly missed the point! I have nothing against sex ed if it’s about teaching kids what they need to know to be safe. But from what I have read, what the “god-botherers” (us? đ ) are against, is teaching 6 year olds the mechanics. They don’t need to know – the squick factor will be enough at that age anyway.
So, Millsy, get a grip – or rather loosen your grip! You’re throttling something…
I’m not advocating teaching sex to to 6 year olds, Vicky32, but I am feeling rather uneasy at the neo-Victorian prudish backlash being conducted right now, who, as I said before want to drill it into our kids heads that sex is dirty and grubby (but not when its being paid for by a middle aged white businessman of course).
The same people want abortion and homosexuality recriminalised and divorce laws tightened. Effectively rolling back the social freedoms that people fought very hard to win against an older generation riddled with double standards – the generation of the 40’s, and 50’s were at it like rabbits.
And the NZH puts enough spin and beat up into the article to make it look like an issue when it isn’t. These days I wouldn’t read the NZH if you paid me.
No, not that I have read! (I am going by the stories in the Herald that I read the other day.) Apparently there’s been some spewing on talkback, but I avoid talkback.
That people in the 40s and 50s were at it like wabbits is a myth… That was my parents’ generation, and no, they weren’t – at least not anywhere near what people do now! Your “social freedoms” are simply licence.
What’s the bloody big deal about young people having sex? Christ, as long as they are enjoying it who cares?
Social freedoms being a licence? WTF? I dont know about you, but I really dont think that we should be putting regulations on people having sex, just because a bunch of party poopers who read some 2000 year old translation (from Aramaic to Greek to Latin to Middle English to English) of some cruddy old scrolls written by some scribe in the scorching desert dont like people enjoying intamite relations with each other.
BTW, I used to be an anti sex prude. Then I started getting some and changed my position 100%.
You’re having a laugh, right? I’ll ignore your offensive language, simply because you said it in hopes of upsetting me… and simply point out some of the consequences… Teen pregnancy, STDs, broken hearts, sterility caused by abortion or the previously mentioned STDs – sterility which then leads to $$$$$ invested in (usually futile) IVF, and oh, did I mention the broken hearts? I suspect that you’re an old man (45-59), as older men often love the thought of teens banging like bunnies, and spend all their time obsessing about the “right” to f*** like rattlesnakes. Young men and women just get on with it – but crucially, they are looking for love and commitment – it takes the middle-aged and cynical to want sex without commitment for its own sake!
I know about all of these consequences – I have witnessed them in my own life and the lives of family members.Â
This is my last word on the subject – and you can blaspheme and get as offensive as you like, I am not getting sucked in – or it won’t be long before I get called “f***ing retard”, “notjob” and all the rest all over again – and it’s always about sex! Men do get very het up and abusive about sex, and I can never understand why.
Possibly because you assume that people didn’t shag in the 40s and 50s just because nobody in your social group did, so therefore anyone with a different perspective is just acting out of depraved wishful thinking. That gets really irritating really quickly.
Â
Â
Â
I never said people didn’t shag in the 40s and 50s, I know they did – I said that what people did then wasn’t 1/10th as much shagging as people, even teens, do now! It’s not nothing to do with my social group – which BTW was not middle or upper class… but a teensy bit of logic will tell you that people back then couldn’t shag their brains out with 10-20 ‘partners’ a year back then. There was no reliable method of contraception, and even if there had been, everyone knew everyone else’s business…
Anyone who thinks I am puritanical has a very strange definition of the word! It just seriously makes me very off-piste to see kids encouraged by older people to exploit themselves and each other.
I dont encourage kids to have sex. I just think that we need to cut them a little bit of slack and stop trying to convince them that sex is dirty and grubby, that’s all.
If your assertion about sexual practices over the decades is based on something other than anecdotal assumption, feel free to share.
Not really correct Vicky. I remember reading research that said. The rate of sexual activity by young people, and the rate of teenage pregnancies, was higher in the 40’s than now.
It is us who were teenagers in the 60’s and 70’s who should really be blushing. We were like rabbits compared with today’s youth. And had higher teen pregnancy rates. Despite adults not being allowed to tell us, sex even existed, until we were 16. Probably something to do with ideas like “Coke is a contraceptive”.
I am looking for the references for you now, but no longer at Uni so no longer have free access to journals. I know some of the evidence quoted was from the NZ longitudal study.
Kids should be told that sex is best left to when they are with someone that they want to stay friends with for life, but they also need to learn how to protect themselves. And the emotional and physical pro-s and con’s.
We all make mistakes. I cringe, when I remember some of mine as a teenager.
As for sex education do you want it left to parents who believe that their 13 year old daughters should be available to the guru of their nutty religion.
Or contraceptive education to people who believe their daughters should not use it because it prevents gods punishment, of pregnancy for sexually active women.
People who were taught abstinence only have higher teen pregnancy rates, than those who have quality, age appropriate sex education.
Talking of age appropriate. I consented to my, then, 6 year old son going to religious education classes. I thought they would be pretty harmless. Only to find they were being taught about classical period methods of execution. He had night terrors about nails through his hands.
Religion has a lot to answer for!
I have to say ‘speak for yourself!’ đ I was a teenager in the 60s/70s, and had parents who very realistic, telling us (3 girls and a boy) all about sex right from the start. Other girls I know might have gone at it like rabbits (I can’t speak for any boys) but there were few of these girls. My nerd peer group was much more interested in academic pursuits! I am not at all aware of adults not being allowed to tell is about sex – I remember sex ed at school, when I was in the 4th form (circa 13 years old)
Of course, I agree.
So people say, but I have yet to see any objective proof – all the ‘studies’ I have seen have have been pubbed by such ‘neutral, unbiased’ groups as Planned Parenthood USA.
Irrelevant bigotry, and most unlikely! What RE are you talking about? There’s no such thing in state schools, and in a church school, I can assure you, RE would actually be much more nuanced – therefore, I beg leave to doubt you…
Stats NZ infoshare has tables for live births by maternal age for every calendar year since1962 (sadly not the 40s and 50s, or not that I’ve found). In raw numbers, <15 and 15-19 y.o. mother age groups has been constant if not falling. The rates, if you put them against the census population tables, would be decreasing significantly.
 Â
The numbers across the different agegroups are quite interesting, from a general level – e.g. the 40-44 agegroup had a dramatic decline in the 70s and 80s (probably down to the pill), and is now quite high again (as women delay having children).
A rather interesting study came out a while back. It’s findings were that those people who were more liberal about sex had better and longer lasting relationships that those who were puritanical.
I’m 31, Vicky, and I dont “love the thought of teens banging like bunnies, and spend all their time obsessing about the ârightâ to f*** like rattlesnakes.”. I just think that sex is awesome, and that people should be encouraged to partake in it, without being made to feel guilty and dirty about enjoying it, and that, is what is currently happening in the Herald. People want a society where people, especially women are made to feel dirty and ashamed for enjoying sex. Plain and simple.
People go on about social engineering, but the god-botherers are the biggest social engineers out there.
The Queens’ granddaughter and the non-story in the headlines.
I suppose the whole thing could be put to rest if the blond at the centre of the story, who just happened to be an old friend, was to be seen socialising with them both in the next few days …
So over that. So what if a rugby player buried his head in a women’s chest?
This reminds of me of the frenzy over Tiger Woods because he decided to partake in the thousands of offers he got from women, which is par for the course for pro-golfers (no pun intended). Thanks to their hate, one of the greatest golfers in history has had his career destoryed.
Woods had a pattern of humiliating himself and when his wife found out about his sexual indiscretions this had consequences for her marriage. No point being married to someone who you cannot trust and who has the need to seek sexual pleasure else where or who cannot abstain when apart from you.
When it comes to sex ed class at school the class should be taped and then the parents would have a reference of what their child is being taught. I tend to ask myself what are children being sexually exposed to and what do they need to know to stay safe and who can help them when they need help?