And isn’t it funny, you’ve got all the money in the world and you have to live in your own prison –
“…A is packed with security features with its hull making it difficult for intruders to board, and is fitted with numerous security cameras with motion detection systems. Its 240sqm master suite incorporates bomb-proof glass and is opened only by a fingerprint pad and accessible to four or five people, according to the Wall Street Journal…”
Andrea Vance op ed: Some useful analysis, while slipping in little snippets of right wing spin:
Just like his first parliamentary address, many of the Labour faithful believe Cunliffe’s ascension to leadership is overdue. The weight of expectation is enormous, especially from supporters he whipped up into almost fanatical devotion with his hard-left promises on the recent hustings.
hard left? Where?
So, how will he deliver at the same time as bringing lost centre voters back to the fold? David Cunliffe simply can’t out-Key John Key. He’s a talented orator, but, unguarded is prone to slip into grandiose proclamations, which come across as either forced or insincere. Ultra-bright he might be, but unlike Key, Cunliffe is never going to be the politician voters want to crack open a beer with.
Which voters? I’ve never had any desire to “crack open a beer with” Key –
To win back the centre, he intends to go hard on National over inequality. Cunliffe appreciates the middle classes are shocked by growing numbers of children in poverty; stories of schoolchildren growing without breakfast, or turning up shoeless, to class.
Is this really what is going to be the main focus re-middle class voters?
Then – “pre-distribution – an interesting approach to the economy:
Cunliffe seems to be leaning towards current centre-Left thinking on ”pre-distribution”. This favours macro-economic policies which engineer the markets to favour long-term investment over quick profits based on trader’s instincts and knowledge. Pre-distribution favours the taxation of wealth over income.
[…]
Pre-distribution places value on the role of the state to reduce inequality, while ensuring access to good education, health and life’s essentials do not hinge on income. There is a heavy emphasis on early education to put a stop to generational inequality.
Crucially, post the global financial crisis, voters still expect austerity.
That last sentence had me laughing out loud in disbelief. Which voters actually embrace “austerity”?
Pre-distribution is an agenda that British Labour leader Ed Miliband is flirting with. Critics believe he is being too cautious.
The downsides are it is a deeply un-sexy thing to sell. Cunliffe is planning a ”major unveiling” of his 2014 election strategy at the Christchurch conference in November. Expect it to contain many of the elements of pre-distribution.
She’s talking about the standpoint of the top 5%, who seem to get a thrill from seeing everyone get relatively poorer than themselves. But implying that anyone finds any kind of fiscal policy “sexy” is the sign of a true hard core politico.
I’m having trouble with getting edit up – is a continuation of the changes that happened after going to youtube links yesterday. I will ask my son tonight to advise on this and see if I can restore my page to healthy working.
Key moved to the left with bad socialist policies and its assumed that means Labour moves to the far left in some massive shuffle despite the reality and history. Labour moved to the right under Douglas and currently look to be stapling themselves to the right of center in economic matters and lambasting Key for his reckless big government socialism for the few.
Green leader in many ways is talking from a right of center perspective too. The idea, that I agree with, is the economy is not the enemy, rather that by giving up the economy to the right the left, and greens, have ceded government to the big end of town. I mean anyone who doesn’t realize that union leaders are corruptible and have been used by corporate bosses is a fool. The MSM went along with the political class in its wealth grab of the last thirty years. And it would be foolish also not to note Key’s left wing policies and his support for left wing programs. Its not black and white, its only black and white if you buy into the propaganda of the MSM that needs ‘other’ to manufacture consent for the chosen.
The tories have all the experts on socialism, have introduced all the socialist policies that have killed capital for the last thirty years, they’ve even stipulated the rate at which socialism must work at, trickle down.
Maybe Andrea should stick to the job of getting the member P Dunny to E-Mail her pics of the member! And leave the hard stuff like reporting of actual News to those who are better at it than her. IE the Seven Sharp mob of fools, come to mind
An uncharitable commentator on the America’s Cup racing would suggest that it’s continuance is soly at the behest of the advertising dollars currently being reaped by those with the television rights,
i forgot the obscenely grand numbers that advertisers in the US pay for 30 seconds of TV time when the Super-bowl semi’s and final’s are being played out,
Of course yacht racing being a far less viewed ‘sport’ in the US wouldn’t be attracting such huge sums for 30 seconds of air-time but you all can bet that the dollars being traded for advertising across the whole spectacle as the days roll by are mega-bucks,
i would never dare suggest amidst the whipping along of the faux patriotism that the holders of the advertising rights have bunged both teams a substantial pile of the filthy lucre each to prolong the series,
there are no cheats in sports, remember you heard it here first…
Oh and they were saying that the foolish 40 min time limit was at the insistence of the bloody TV networks. I remember hearing it on TV but where I can’t remember.
Whoever it was, I’ll be dancing a jig on Wednesday when Oracle win the cup. That $36 million squandered by the Tories on leisure activities for the rich, would have been far better spent on the arts in general, and Downstage in particular.
For those interested in getting NZ economy going so that we can
get off the grass and have employment for everyone, there are some interesting clues in this interview on radionz this a.m.
She is a power speaker and person – f..ing amazing.
And she says we are l..y. She finds out if people are keen to learn and grow their business by suggesting that they have a talk on Saturday afternoon. That sorts the sheep from the goats. Most only want to work from Monday to Friday 3p.m.
And we will have to keep working longer post-GFC but it should give us decent money and making plans when we can have time off. Like the old fashioned family dairy farm, had time off in winter when they dried the cows off and had a break. Labour could have her as a consultant like NACTs previous Sir Peter Gluckman, The Prime Minister’s science advisor.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon
Feature guest – Deborah Marlow ( 32′ 02″ )
10:07 Serial entrepreneur Deborah Marlow grew up in the floating logging camps of Alaska, ran away from home at 16 and was divorced with a newborn baby by 19.
After working with a re-forestation cooperative for several years she decided she wanted to be rich. She worked her way up through an LA-based IT start up – eventually becoming its Chief Operating Officer. She has lived in the US and Europe, and now is in semi-retirement in Paekakariki, on the Kapiti coast.
Matthew Hooton on Nine-to-Noon – I am angry – let someone answer your accusations! What part of freedom of speech do you now understand? Shouting people down when even Ryan is asking you to give way is an appalling piece of behaviour. You just kept on talking over everyone.
And Mike Williams never got the chance to respond.
Matthew has just accused David Cunliffe of lying. At least 4 times. He became very agitated and squealed his accusations over Katherine’s warning to desist. That could be very significant. Either David refutes and Matthew apologises or David has something to deal with.
I am sure that Cunnliffe can deal with this immediately and will no doubt explain the facts today.
All he has to do is tell us the dates when he was with the Boston Group, and in particular when he left. Then he just tells us the period when he worked on the Fonterra creation.
That will obviously be easy to check against the dates when the Fonterra creation was being organised.
Should be very easy for David to explain and to shut Hooten down.
The main trouble Cunnliffe may have is in finding someone who remembers him doing any of it. That seems to be his main trouble with all the other claims in his CV.
[lprent: I’m sure that you can explain the reasons for your demand in the next 5 minutes. If you don’t then you get a 4 week holiday for trolling.
Sorry – times up. You didn’t read it? Who cares we presume that your lack of observation presumes guilt. Afterall that is what you just applied as the required standard. An arbitrary ‘crime’, a arbitrary time to resolve it, and presumably an arbitrary punishment.
It is just a old style strawman argument of the type that Hooten, Farrar, et al like raising when they’re being fuckwits. But don’t bring that crap on to this site.
And don’t be a complete fuckwit and don’t whine about it….. I just applied the exact same standard to you as you’re applying to DC. ]
The problem Hooten has is that his only explantion for his ‘lie’ cliam is that Hooton worked in some role after 2000, and doesn’t remember Cunliffe being involved. Which is no surprise because Cunliffe was elected in Nov 99. That leaves only most of ’99 and the years previous.
I am sure that Cunnliffe can deal with this immediately and will no doubt explain the facts today.
Yes, yes, that’s the tired old predictable tactic from you lot on the Right. Yawn.
– Chuck mud, demand denial
– If denial comes, chuck more mud. Keep chucking
– Continue until Labour’s own agenda disappears from media coverage
Key has gone through seven years as National leader and five as PM without bothering to explain his countless false statements (unless you count “forgetting” or “shoulder-shrugging” as a rebuttal). So don’t get your hopes up.
Love the scent of Hooton’s fear though, it’s a sweet smell.
Hooten is trying to pin John Key’s massive weakness i.e. Being a Liar….onto Cunliffe. This is their new spin, I reckon more from the Right will be trying to put this label on Cunliffe.
Hooten’s performance on 9 to Noon was disgraceful, he is desperate. He should be booted off if RNZ is consistent.
Hooten was frothing at the mouth, he is on a mission…given he is a paid spin doctor I believe RNZ need to have a serious look at his spot on 9 to Noon, as he is using it for professional reasons…it just seems very wrong.
I’m a bit sick of radio nz allowing time every week for someone who is paid by the National Party to lie to the public.
A few weeks ago they tried something new. Instead of Hooten, a paid spin doctor, they got an actual political commentator to take the slot.
The result was – surprise – an interesting discussion about politics in NZ. I have no idea why they abandoned the format and returned to the paid-for National party spin show instead.
I am not paid by the National Party and never have been. Worked for Bolger/Shipley govt until early 1999, but was paid by ministerial services not party.
*Sigh* Matthew who are you trying to kid. Seriously. Do we all seem like we are 5 years old to you?
Not paid by the Party. But paid by it’s supporters. And/or it’s MPs/candidates. And/or the various fundraising and operational bodies/trusts under effective National Party control.
The Gormless Fool formerly known as Oleolebiscuitbarrell 10.5.1.1.1
I can only see everything you pass an opinion on, Matthew, as being designed to “shift opinion and policies to support the business plans of [y]our clients.”
Given that you’re paid for your opinions and the above quote is your definition of what you do, I don’t see it as being unreasonable to interpret what you say and write as being for a client. If it’s for the NActs or someone else in support of them, there’s barely a difference.
No, Matthew is most definitely paid to spread the National Party’s muck.
Of course the money doesn’t come directly out of a bank account called “Official National Party Bullshit and Lies Fund” though, as both parties in these sorts of dirty deals must maintain plausible deniability.
In much the same way as John Key put that 1.5 million through the National Party’s network of money-laundering trusts and plausibly claimed that he didn’t buy his seat.
Totally agree, Karol, that Hooten’s performance and accusations were disgraceful. And also agree with Ianmac’s comments that the accusations need to be dealt with quickly.
However, I wonder whether his performance today, and particularly his failure to listen to Ryan’s warnings etc, may lead to RNZ/ Nine to Noon considering him a liability and perhaps ‘retire’ him from the programme in future. One can but hope…..
It’s also a clear sign that the Right are panicking like headless chickens about Cunliffe.
(I see MM below has said as much…)
Which is really odd, given that they’ve seen Cunliffe in action for more than 10 years in Government and in Oppostiion so it’s not like he’s an unknown quantity just appeared on the scene.
The CV obviously needs cleaning up but heck, it wasn’t even the issue under discussion. They were talking about the deputy and the new caucus line up about to be announced when Hooten suddenly veered off into Andrea Vance, the CV and the liar accusations. The man is not a commentator worthy of RNZ; he’s obsessed.
I heard most of it too and it was as low as you can go – hollowhooton was a rabid dog trying to be a big man and I hope he gets kicked off the show. Only good thing is it shows how scared they are of Cunliffe.
Ha! thanks. I was looking for that quote, which is:
nd I was also a management consultant tasked with advising on the formation of Fonterra from Kiwi Cooperative Dairies and the New Zealand Dairy Group.
I have long taken an interest in this most crucial industry for the New Zealand economy and am proud to have been part of the Government that set up Fonterra in the first place.
That matches up with my google findings below. Basically, it was in the pre-Fonterra merger operations that Cunliffe was involved in.
It’s the usual hodge-podge of innuendo and rumour mongering – and if you put aside the context for the quote that she (perhaps mistakenly?) provides, then it’s not clear that he’s referring only to his time with BCG as opposed to general past activity:-
BEFORE politics, a job with the Boston Consultancy Group delivered “boots on the ground, hands dirty business” experience and brought him and his wife back to Auckland.
“I got to work in a dozen different industry sectors, helped with the split up of ECNZ [the Electricity Corporation], helped with the formation of Fonterra, worked in an ACC-type insurance company, fixed up a pulp and paper mill.”
Those four years as a consultant offered him an edge when he entered Parliament in 1999, aged just 36.
That looks like serious defamation material alright.
Hooten reckoned that he worked on the Fonterra Merger of NZ Dairies and Kiwi Co Op, I would love to know what he actually had involvement in because the National Party was dead set against the merger, they ideologically hate co ops…the question is whether he actually had any involvement, we know he is a major bull shit artist.
in a related machine cog; watching the MSM television news from ‘time-to-time’ (popular pollie fudge of the facts, that term) it frequently seems that the format and selection of content has changed very little since the Sherry of the seventies. Peter Williams, the weather girls, and so on. Ten minute articles on issues of national pride and patriotism, the latest (Not) science findings on whether coffee, chocolate, oral sex, cucumbers cause cancer, dreadful criminal acts carried out by the underclass, old, white professionals getting caught for fraud and their fingers in the till, what mis-pronunciation an MP was guilty of in the House, All-Black coaches and captains on what will lift the team, and therefore the nations’ place on the world stage, Rachel Hunter…
I think KK, that the official line was something to do with concerns over something he said possibly leaving them open to defamation charges. Like when when Matthew Hooten called Cunliffe a liar, kind of like that. I’m sure that RNZ will be consistent and ban him too.
Though Bradbury did also call John Key a ‘nasty piece of work’ for making a throat-slitting gesture at his political opponents after a man tried to kill himself in parliament.
[lprent: KK picked up a ban for diversion trolling earlier in the day in another post. ]
It looks pretty clear that this is the line of attack that will be repeated and reinforced in multiple ways. Everything that Cunliffe says from now on will be inspected for opportunities to repeat the notion in the public’s mind.
Presumably, the right wingers who advised ‘lefties’ to cease attacking Key and his character will now give Hooten, and others in the media, the same advice as regards Cunliffe? Or, perhaps they won’t.
It’s a funny old world when the son of a salt of the earth Reverend, imbued with the values of small town New Zealand conservatism can apparently be quite reasonably accused of ‘lying’ through leaving out of date community contributions in his CV while a man who spends his entire employment in one of the most ethically dubious professions on earth, misleads the New Zealand public over his shareholdings and is not fully believed by 60% of New Zealanders has a character that, apparently, should never be brought into question in the media.
From the links people have provided here, it is clear that Matthew Hooten is either very ill-informed about the process that led to the formation of Fonterra or he has chosen deliberately to misrepresent that process in order to smear David Cunliffe.
Either way, it is not a very competent performance by a professional political commentator.
Matthew Hooton is losing it on Radio New Zealand and smearing Cunliffe. He has no idea of the work that Cunliffe did for BCG so his claims cannot be substantiated or confirmed.
Hooton has this habit of:
1. Twisting a second hand report of something that Cunliffe may or may not have said,
2. Says that this interpretation is not true and therefore Cunliffe is lying.
This is a deeply cynical approach to commenting on political matters. The way I see it Radio New Zealand should not put up with this sort of behaviour.
But I’m seeing a few BCG top team ending up at Fonterrra. Also, at least one BCG person was involved with NZ Dairy etc in the merger that led up to the formation of BCG.
Mr Romano joined Fonterra in 2005 but had worked in the dairy industry since 1997.
A chemical engineer, he was a senior executive in NZ Dairy Group, the big Waikato-based company rolled into the huge industry merger which formed Fonterra in 2001.
Mr Romano has been in management jobs at Alcoa of Australia, the Boston Consulting Group and Dairy Partners America.
Add to that: , from Scoop, dated 2001, a BCG press release say they worked with NZ Dairy for more than 10 years, co-producing the report on industry structure
Friday, 15 June 2001, 3:49 pm
Press Release: Boston Consulting Group
As the farmer vote for Global Dairy Company approaches, there is a huge amount of press, much of it confused, about the views of advisors to the New Zealand Dairy Industry
The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) has worked with the industry for over ten years including jointly preparing the so-called McKinsey Report on Industry Structure, which recommended a single, integrated organisation as the best way to maximise the value for farmer shareholders. In addition, BCG has worked extensively with the marketing arm of the industry, both in the New Zealand Milk and NZMP businesses.
I thought families were out of bounds… is it different if you volunteer them?
[lprent: Generally they are except if politicians rely upon them. Unfortunately I have no context to figure out what you’re talking about. I must either finish working on that damn mobile interface or turn it off. ]
In recent months, a lively media conversation has taken place in regard to what the surface temperature record is telling us. Here, a group of leading Atmospheric and Ocean experts put the data in context.
tough deal for the meatheads who want o jump on their hardly davisons, imagining that they are freeeeeeee……
The era of lardasses using everything up is nearly over.
that will be a challenge.
wont it!
Seems Key is as well practised at lying as that other egoist back in the 1940,s
He appears adept at scoring as much icon status as the media can foist upon him maybe is investments in the afore said industry are so critical to the running of the country the fact that we could be close having the screws put on us because of our growing national debt might have escaped him and then what will hear in excuses when theres nothing left to sell and hes voted out suppose he’ll just leave and go back to where he has friends because anyone who thinks this twerp Key will come back and fix his mess has got to be in cuckoo land
Identified the site attacking the site. Added another layer of defence (in this case a 5 minute block) against sites that are not identified as requesting too many pages too fast.
Great to se Annette Sykes speaking. Some similar speakers to the Auckland town hall meeting – but Dotcom was in bed with a broken leg and we got Cunliffe instead of Shearer.
Russel Norman made a very good speech, and much food for thought in Cunliffe’s well crafted speech: “What would a good government do?” Firstly he’s not going to make brash promises. he’s going to repeal amendments and instigate a thorough review – not necessarily in that order. His stated aim is to balance needs for security with citizens rights to freedom and privacy. He did point to significant details in both the GCSB Aand TICs Bills that are very dodgy.
Seeby Woodhouse- now I wasn’t so ken on his speech in Auckland. But, now he says, that soon after giving that speech he went to the US and Europe. in the US and on returning to NZ he got pulled aside and interrogated by officials about the purpose of his trip. The officials also had detailed information on things like Seeby’s credit card spending while in Europe.
What I appreciate about the line up of speakers, as with the Auckland meetings is that every speaker has something unique to bring to the talk and they come from such a variety of backgrounds, so you don’t end up with a repetitive kind of message. Many thanks to all the speakers for sharing their knowledge and many thanks to the anti GCSB coalition for organising it, and TDB for livestreaming it.
Annette Sykes and Valerie Morse both spoke with strength and spoke to the heart, well mine at least.
Seeby Woodhouse’s experience with American Customs and then on his return home with NZ Customs said alot for the lack of trust we should have in our govt, the GCSB Act and the soon to be passed TICS Bill. The fact that he travels all the time and this is the first time he has been “interviewed” by customs about his movements and his choice of credit card for booking flights, only after he spoke at the public meeting in Auckland is a bit sus eh?. He was very careful to not jump to conclusions or accuse the govt of spying but it is all a bit disturbing. Such a mild mannered ordinary non radical guy too – the govt doesn’t discriminate! Maybe you can’t even be secure in privacy under the guise of “respectable business person”.
It was a great night. My only gripe was where on earth was everyone? Why wasn’t the Church full?
“We are the third easiest country in the world to do business in, according to the World Bank’s 2012 Doing Business report. [that truly is the name of the report I didn’t make it up]. They also rated us the easiest place in the world to set up a business, the best for protecting investors and the fourth easiest for getting credit.”
So please oh wealthy ones, please Masters, come over here we want your money and we will do anything [and I mean anything ]to have the sweet scent of your immorality here. We keep wages so wonderfully low-it is almost like having slaves and the citizens will do just about anything for a buck these days, they are so desperate, and they all believe our lies here; so come on over and join the free-for-all.
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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 “defend the principle that New Zealanders are equal before the law.” To achieve this, they have pledged they “will not advance ...
Chris Trotter writes – The absence of anything resembling a fightback from the public servants currently losing their jobs is interesting. State-sector workers’ 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 ...
It’s a simple deal. We pay taxes in order to finance the social services we want and need. The carnage now occurring across the public sector though, is breaking that contract. Over 3,000 jobs have been lost so far. Many are in crucial areas like Education where the impact of ...
Hi,A friend had their 40th over the weekend and decided to theme it after Curb Your Enthusiasm fashion icon Susie Greene. Captured in my tiny kitchen before I left the house, I ending up evoking a mix of old lesbian and Hillary Clinton — both unintentional.Me vs Hillary ClintonIf you’re ...
This is a re-post from Andrew Dessler at the Climate Brink blogIn 2023, the Earth reached temperature levels unprecedented in modern times. Given that, it’s reasonable to ask: What’s going on? There’s been lots of discussions by scientists about whether this is just the normal progression of global warming or if something ...
The schools are on holiday and the sun is shining in the seaside village and all day long I have been seeing bunches of bikes; Mums, Dads, teens and toddlers chattering, laughing, happy, having a bloody great time together. Cheers, AT, for the bits of lane you’ve added lately around the ...
Today in our National-led authoritarian nightmare: Shane Jones thinks Ministers should be above the law: New Zealand First MP Shane Jones is accusing the Waitangi Tribunal of over-stepping its mandate by subpoenaing a minister for its urgent hearing on the Oranga Tamariki claim. The tribunal is looking into the ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s 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 – Last week saw two significant developments in the debate over the treatment of trans-identifying children and young people – the release in Britain of the final report of Dr Hilary Cass’s 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 “holiday highway” 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 – There’s a crisis in the news media and the media are blaming it on everyone except themselves. Culpability is being deflected elsewhere – 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 media’s 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 Māori 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 won’t compromise Beijing’s 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 ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
The Government’s newly announced review of methane emissions reduction targets hints at its desire to delay Aotearoa New Zealand’s urgent transition to a climate safe future, the Green Party said. ...
The Government must commit to the Maitai School building project for students with high and complex needs, to ensure disabled students from the top of the South Island have somewhere to learn. ...
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey and his Government colleagues have made a meal of their mental health commitments, showing how flimsy their efforts to champion the issue truly are, says Labour Mental Health spokesperson Ingrid Leary. ...
Māori are yet to see anything from this Government except cuts, reversals and taking our people backwards, Māori Development spokesperson Willie Jackson said. ...
The Coalition Government’s refusal to commit to ongoing funding for social housing is seeing the sector pull back on developments and families watch their dreams of securing a home fade away, says Labour Housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty. ...
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. ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector. "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today paid tribute to Singapore’s outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Meeting in Singapore today immediately before Prime Minister Lee announced he was stepping down, Prime Minister Luxon warmly acknowledged his counterpart’s almost twenty years as leader, and the enduring legacy he has left for Singapore and South East ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. While in Singapore as part of his visit to South East Asia this week, Prime Minister Luxon also met with Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and will meet with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has made further appointments to the Board of Antarctica New Zealand as part of a continued effort to ensure the Scott Base Redevelopment project is delivered in a cost-effective and efficient manner. The Minister has appointed Neville Harris as a new member of the Board. Mr ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis will travel to the United States on Tuesday to attend a meeting of the Five Finance Ministers group, with counterparts from Australia, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. “I am looking forward to meeting with our Five Finance partners on how we can work ...
The coalition Government has today announced purrfect and pawsitive changes to the Residential Tenancies Act to give tenants with pets greater choice when looking for a rental property, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Pets are important members of many Kiwi families. It’s estimated that around 64 per cent of New ...
State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the Government has also asked NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) to consider and provide advice on a Long Tunnel option, Transport Minister Simeon Brown ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters have condemned Iran’s shocking and illegal strikes against Israel. “These attacks are a major challenge to peace and stability in a region already under enormous pressure," Mr Luxon says. "We are deeply concerned that miscalculation on any side could ...
Hundreds of people in little over a week have turned out in Northland to hear Regional Development Minister Shane Jones speak about plans for boosting the regional economy through infrastructure. About 200 people from the infrastructure and associated sectors attended an event headlined by Mr Jones in Whangarei today. Last ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has today thanked outgoing Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora Chair Dame Karen Poutasi for her service on the Board. “Dame Karen tendered her resignation as Chair and as a member of the Board today,” says Dr Reti. “I have asked her to ...
The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has signalled their proposed delivery approach for the Government’s 15 Roads of National Significance (RoNS), with the release of the State Highway Investment Proposal (SHIP) today, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Boosting economic growth and productivity is a key part of the Government’s plan to ...
New Zealand is renewing its connections with a world facing urgent challenges by pursuing an active, energetic foreign policy, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “Our country faces the most unstable global environment in decades,” Mr Peters says at the conclusion of two weeks of engagements in Egypt, Europe and the United States. “We cannot afford to sit back in splendid ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced the Australian Governor-General, His Excellency General The Honourable David Hurley and his wife Her Excellency Mrs Linda Hurley, will make a State visit to New Zealand from Tuesday 16 April to Thursday 18 April. The visit reciprocates the State visit of former Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced that Medsafe has approved 11 cold and flu medicines containing pseudoephedrine. Pharmaceutical suppliers have indicated they may be able to supply the first products in June. “This is much earlier than the original expectation of medicines being available by 2025. The Government recognised ...
New Zealand and the United States have recommitted to their strategic partnership in Washington DC today, pledging to work ever more closely together in support of shared values and interests, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The strategic environment that New Zealand and the United States face is considerably more ...
April 11, 2024 Joint Declaration by United States Secretary of State the Honorable Antony J. Blinken and New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs the Right Honourable Winston Peters We met today in Washington, D.C. to recommit to the historic partnership between our two countries and the principles that underpin it—rule ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Duckett, Honorary Enterprise Professor, School of Population and Global Health, and Department of General Practice and Primary Care, The University of Melbourne iamharin/Shutterstock For many people, the term “bulk billed” refers to a GP visit they don’t have to pay ...
Emmas Hislop, Sidnam and Wehipeihana discuss what’s in a name. Emma Sidnam: Hello Emmas! Thank you so much for agreeing to do this with me. My first question for you is related to what’s been on my mind for a while. It’s very important. You see we’ve recently had some ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Sievers, Research Fellow, Global Wetlands Project, Australia Rivers Institute, Griffith University Chris Brown Humans love the coast. But we love it to death, so much so we’ve destroyed valuable coastal habitat – in the case of some types of habitat, ...
Josh Thomson on the 80s milk ad jingle he can’t stop singing, the beauty of The Simpsons, why Jersey Shore is as good as Shakespeare and more. For someone who spends a lot of time on our screens, popping up in everything from 7 Days to Taskmaster, Educators to Good ...
In apparent defiance of the Biden administration, the Netanyahu government has now initiated missile strikes against Iran. Last Saturday night (Sunday morning in New Zealand) Iran launched more than 300 drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles against Israeli military targets. With the assistance of US, UK and possibly French forces, ...
Māori representation brings a perspective that encompasses not only the interests of Māori communities but also a broader, holistic approach to environmental stewardship and community well-being, principles deeply embedded in Te Ao Māori (the Māori ...
This week in Auckland, a group of young people took over the microphone at a ministerial press conference, to explain why they oppose the Fast-Track Approvals Bill. One young woman said, ‘We’re here because we love Aotearoa New Zealand. We want to raise our children in an environment that’s thriving, ...
The summer was wonderful. Evie was wonderful, too; finally a teenager, finally worthy of long, hot days. She shaved her legs for the first time and bought cut-off shorts from the op-shop that made them look long. She got a Warehouse singlet so tight on her new shape that her ...
When Thomas James was on his solo camp as part of Outward Bound, the keen outdoorsman didn’t find it too challenging, as others often do. In what might just be the perfect illustration of his character, he saw it as a great opportunity to solve a few problems. “I thought, ...
From the unstable and drippy to the hi-tech and pretty, here’s our ranking of all the tunnels you can drive through in this country. The first tunnel seems to have been built in 2200BC in Babylonia, kicking off a global phenomenon for digging holes in order to get places more ...
Lucinda Bennett on the art of being greedy but resourceful. This is an excerpt from our weekly food newsletter, The Boil Up. When I picture the market, it is always this time of year. Crisp air, dripping nose, counting coins with cold fingers. Sunlight pale, filtered through specks of dew still ...
Zoë Colling’s favourite piece in the ‘That’s So Last Century’ collection is a lubrication chart for a sewing machine from the ’60s. It’s about the size of a postcard, and carefully maintained. “I like it that this piece of ephemera highlights that manual and technical side of the skill involved ...
Kia Ora Gaza A passionate haka reverberated through Auckland International Airport as a medical team of three New Zealand doctors received an emotional farewell from a big crowd of supporters before flying to Turkey to join the international Freedom Flotilla to Gaza. The doctors, who left Auckland yesterday, hope to ...
With submissions closing today, Macassey-Pickard says groups around the country have been supporting a huge range of people to make their submissions. ...
Our response to the new legislation is informed by targeted conversations with practitioners working in the system and through an implementation lens. ...
The new ‘Fast-track Approvals Bill’ would give just three Ministers the power to approve or deny development projects. They would avoid the usual checks and balances that are in place to protect rivers, land, the ocean, and communities. ...
COMMENTARY:By Eugene Doyle Helen Clark, how I miss you. The former New Zealand Prime Minister — the safest pair of hands this country has had in living memory — gave a masterclass on the importance of maintaining an independent foreign policy when she spoke at an AUKUS symposium held ...
The government's released the list of organisations provided with information on how to apply - just hours before public submissions on the bill close. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Milton Speer, Visiting Fellow, School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, University of Technology Sydney Before climate change really got going, eastern Australia’s flash floods tended to concentrate on our coastal regions, east of the Great Dividing Range. But that’s changing. Now ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elizabeth Finkel, Vice-Chancellor’s Fellow, La Trobe University Sia Duff / South Australian Museum In February, the South Australian Museum “re-imagined” itself. In the face of rising costs and inadequate government funds, CEO David Gaimster, who took the reins last June, declared ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alan Pearce, Professor, School of Allied Heath, Human Services & Sport, La Trobe University, La Trobe University This week, Collingwood AFL player Nathan Murphy announced his retirement, brought on by his concussion history and ongoing issues. The 24-year-old’s seemingly sudden retirement, ...
The Mental Health Foundation provides support and resources for those facing the loss of their job, so it’s wrong in the very week the Government adds another 1000 jobs to its tally of cuts, that this is happening. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexander Howard, Senior Lecturer, Discipline of English and Writing, University of Sydney Daniel Boud/Sydney Theatre Company Decay, terror, revulsion. These are three of the central themes of Thomas Bernhard’s rarely performed play The President. The Austrian is one of the greatest ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ye In (Jane) Hwang, Postdoctoral Research Associate at School of Population Health, UNSW Sydney Shutterstock You’d be hard pressed to find any aspect of daily life that doesn’t require some form of digital literacy. We need only to look back ten ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says threats by ministers Shane Jones and David Seymour to reform or close down the Waitangi Tribunal were “ill-considered”, as legal experts say the ministers may have breached Cabinet Manual conventions. “I think those comments are ill-considered and we expect all ministers to actually exercise good ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rob Newton, Professor of Exercise Medicine, Edith Cowan University Pexels/RDNE stock project You’re not in your 20s or 30s anymore and you know regular health checks are important. So you go to your GP. During the appointment they measure your waist. ...
A new poem by Evangeline Riddiford Graham. Mitochondrial Problem I. It was long drive to Kansas for the man and his dog but you have to understand he said She doesn’t fly. Which calls to mind not carsick shitting barking or whining but a dog who chooses not to as ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)Hot off the press, this debut ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laura Wajnryb McDonald, PhD candidate in Criminology, University of Sydney Less than 24 hours after Ashlee Good was murdered in Bondi Junction, her family released a statement requesting the media take down photographs they had reproduced of Ashlee and her family without ...
Chief executive Shaun Robinson said it has not had any government funding cut, but government-funded contracts have not kept pace with rising costs. ...
The Ministry of Health has delayed the release of its evidence brief on the safety, reversibility and mental health and wellbeing outcomes for puberty blockers. While we wait, Julia de Bres speaks to those with firsthand experience. Best practice gender-affirming healthcare is based on trans people’s self-determination and agency. The ...
Barcelona’s city streets have gone from traffic-clogged to pedestrian-friendly. How? Superblocks. Ellen Rykers explains. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week I read a great interview with renowned urbanist Janette Sadik-Khan by The Spinoff’s Wellington editor Joel MacManus: “You can reimagine streets, ...
Student groups ‘Climate Action VUW’, Schools Strike 4 Climate and VUWSA will be on the street in Wellington today, the last day for submissions on the Fast-track Approvals Bill, with a message that the fight against the Government’s ‘War on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sofia Ammassari, Research Fellow, Griffith University Since 2014, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity has grown exponentially – and so has the formidable organisational machine of his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). These two factors will be key to delivering the BJP a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brendon Hyndman, Associate Professor of Education (Adjunct) & Senior Manager (BCE), Charles Sturt University During COVID almost all Australian students and their families experienced online learning. But while schools have long since gone back to in-person teaching, online learning has not gone ...
Yes, they’re better for the environment. No, that’s not a good enough reason for me to use them. Once every 26 days or so, my period arrives, and if struck by an act of God, I am caught red-crotched without products. How, after 17 years of this, do I still ...
“It will cause significant harm to our environment and communities. It is completely at odds with New Zealanders’ relationship with nature and our need for a low-carbon, sustainable economic future." ...
The Chair of the National Maori Authority, Matthew Tukaki, has warned a Parliamentary Select Committee that fast-tracking legislation is a perilous practice that undermines the core tenets of democracy, transparency, and accountability. ...
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http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/9194599/Key-v-Cunliffe-What-the-personality-tests-reveal
John Cunliffe/David Key?
I wonder how hard it would be to spray paint “No drilling in the Arctic” on the side…?
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11128669
And isn’t it funny, you’ve got all the money in the world and you have to live in your own prison –
“…A is packed with security features with its hull making it difficult for intruders to board, and is fitted with numerous security cameras with motion detection systems. Its 240sqm master suite incorporates bomb-proof glass and is opened only by a fingerprint pad and accessible to four or five people, according to the Wall Street Journal…”
Elysium on the high seas.
Andrea Vance op ed: Some useful analysis, while slipping in little snippets of right wing spin:
hard left? Where?
Which voters? I’ve never had any desire to “crack open a beer with” Key –
Is this really what is going to be the main focus re-middle class voters?
Then – “pre-distribution – an interesting approach to the economy:
That last sentence had me laughing out loud in disbelief. Which voters actually embrace “austerity”?
And “austerity” is so much more “sexy”?
She’s talking about the standpoint of the top 5%, who seem to get a thrill from seeing everyone get relatively poorer than themselves. But implying that anyone finds any kind of fiscal policy “sexy” is the sign of a true hard core politico.
I’m having trouble with getting edit up – is a continuation of the changes that happened after going to youtube links yesterday. I will ask my son tonight to advise on this and see if I can restore my page to healthy working.
spin
Key moved to the left with bad socialist policies and its assumed that means Labour moves to the far left in some massive shuffle despite the reality and history. Labour moved to the right under Douglas and currently look to be stapling themselves to the right of center in economic matters and lambasting Key for his reckless big government socialism for the few.
“right of center”. really?
Green leader in many ways is talking from a right of center perspective too. The idea, that I agree with, is the economy is not the enemy, rather that by giving up the economy to the right the left, and greens, have ceded government to the big end of town. I mean anyone who doesn’t realize that union leaders are corruptible and have been used by corporate bosses is a fool. The MSM went along with the political class in its wealth grab of the last thirty years. And it would be foolish also not to note Key’s left wing policies and his support for left wing programs. Its not black and white, its only black and white if you buy into the propaganda of the MSM that needs ‘other’ to manufacture consent for the chosen.
interesting
“That last sentence had me laughing out loud in disbelief. Which voters actually embrace “austerity”?”
The sane, rational ones?
Probably the same ones barking for tax cuts prior to 2008.
And they’re still barking for more tax cuts for themselves and increasing GST.
Nope, the insane ones. The ones that believe that money is the economy.
Well the tories have made socialism theirs.
The tories have all the experts on socialism, have introduced all the socialist policies that have killed capital for the last thirty years, they’ve even stipulated the rate at which socialism must work at, trickle down.
Maybe Andrea should stick to the job of getting the member P Dunny to E-Mail her pics of the member! And leave the hard stuff like reporting of actual News to those who are better at it than her. IE the Seven Sharp mob of fools, come to mind
Gordon Campbell does a good job lancing the benefits- hype about the Americas Cup over on Scoop.
An uncharitable commentator on the America’s Cup racing would suggest that it’s continuance is soly at the behest of the advertising dollars currently being reaped by those with the television rights,
i forgot the obscenely grand numbers that advertisers in the US pay for 30 seconds of TV time when the Super-bowl semi’s and final’s are being played out,
Of course yacht racing being a far less viewed ‘sport’ in the US wouldn’t be attracting such huge sums for 30 seconds of air-time but you all can bet that the dollars being traded for advertising across the whole spectacle as the days roll by are mega-bucks,
i would never dare suggest amidst the whipping along of the faux patriotism that the holders of the advertising rights have bunged both teams a substantial pile of the filthy lucre each to prolong the series,
there are no cheats in sports, remember you heard it here first…
Oh and they were saying that the foolish 40 min time limit was at the insistence of the bloody TV networks. I remember hearing it on TV but where I can’t remember.
Guess how many boat races we’ve won since Stevie Joyce showed up on the scene.
Mr Fux it
Flat-head arrival produces flat results.
Actually, it all turned to custard after Mallard arrived…. Joyce arrived later to tell him to phone home.
liar.
Whoever it was, I’ll be dancing a jig on Wednesday when Oracle win the cup. That $36 million squandered by the Tories on leisure activities for the rich, would have been far better spent on the arts in general, and Downstage in particular.
You know it was the last Labour government who organised the funding, right? Unless you’re calling them tories…?
Just lookingat a passing comment I made and adding to it.
“With a few adjustments blinglish could turn us into bangladish.”
That’s if blinglish keeps cooking up ideas to give the wealthy more bang for their buck. Think about it – if you like it you can have it.
Another day, another cringeworthy farticle in the Stuff:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/comment/columnists/dave-armstrong/9197065/Concise-Cunliffe-ready-for-battle
For those interested in getting NZ economy going so that we can
get off the grass and have employment for everyone, there are some interesting clues in this interview on radionz this a.m.
She is a power speaker and person – f..ing amazing.
And she says we are l..y. She finds out if people are keen to learn and grow their business by suggesting that they have a talk on Saturday afternoon. That sorts the sheep from the goats. Most only want to work from Monday to Friday 3p.m.
And we will have to keep working longer post-GFC but it should give us decent money and making plans when we can have time off. Like the old fashioned family dairy farm, had time off in winter when they dried the cows off and had a break. Labour could have her as a consultant like NACTs previous Sir Peter Gluckman, The Prime Minister’s science advisor.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon
Feature guest – Deborah Marlow ( 32′ 02″ )
10:07 Serial entrepreneur Deborah Marlow grew up in the floating logging camps of Alaska, ran away from home at 16 and was divorced with a newborn baby by 19.
After working with a re-forestation cooperative for several years she decided she wanted to be rich. She worked her way up through an LA-based IT start up – eventually becoming its Chief Operating Officer. She has lived in the US and Europe, and now is in semi-retirement in Paekakariki, on the Kapiti coast.
It is my comment where I say we we’ll have to keep working longer, by the way. I can’t edit so thought I should just make it clear that’s my comment.
Matthew Hooton on Nine-to-Noon – I am angry – let someone answer your accusations! What part of freedom of speech do you now understand? Shouting people down when even Ryan is asking you to give way is an appalling piece of behaviour. You just kept on talking over everyone.
And Mike Williams never got the chance to respond.
Disgraceful!
let it out karol.
Matthew has just accused David Cunliffe of lying. At least 4 times. He became very agitated and squealed his accusations over Katherine’s warning to desist. That could be very significant. Either David refutes and Matthew apologises or David has something to deal with.
I am sure that Cunnliffe can deal with this immediately and will no doubt explain the facts today.
All he has to do is tell us the dates when he was with the Boston Group, and in particular when he left. Then he just tells us the period when he worked on the Fonterra creation.
That will obviously be easy to check against the dates when the Fonterra creation was being organised.
Should be very easy for David to explain and to shut Hooten down.
The main trouble Cunnliffe may have is in finding someone who remembers him doing any of it. That seems to be his main trouble with all the other claims in his CV.
[lprent: I’m sure that you can explain the reasons for your demand in the next 5 minutes. If you don’t then you get a 4 week holiday for trolling.
Sorry – times up. You didn’t read it? Who cares we presume that your lack of observation presumes guilt. Afterall that is what you just applied as the required standard. An arbitrary ‘crime’, a arbitrary time to resolve it, and presumably an arbitrary punishment.
It is just a old style strawman argument of the type that Hooten, Farrar, et al like raising when they’re being fuckwits. But don’t bring that crap on to this site.
And don’t be a complete fuckwit and don’t whine about it….. I just applied the exact same standard to you as you’re applying to DC. ]
The problem Hooten has is that his only explantion for his ‘lie’ cliam is that Hooton worked in some role after 2000, and doesn’t remember Cunliffe being involved. Which is no surprise because Cunliffe was elected in Nov 99. That leaves only most of ’99 and the years previous.
This shit is laughable.
I am sure that Cunnliffe can deal with this immediately and will no doubt explain the facts today.
Yes, yes, that’s the tired old predictable tactic from you lot on the Right. Yawn.
– Chuck mud, demand denial
– If denial comes, chuck more mud. Keep chucking
– Continue until Labour’s own agenda disappears from media coverage
Key has gone through seven years as National leader and five as PM without bothering to explain his countless false statements (unless you count “forgetting” or “shoulder-shrugging” as a rebuttal). So don’t get your hopes up.
Love the scent of Hooton’s fear though, it’s a sweet smell.
It’s very very informative.
It also means that the right cannot settle on a defensive strategy and are running around chasing their own tails.
Hooten is trying to pin John Key’s massive weakness i.e. Being a Liar….onto Cunliffe. This is their new spin, I reckon more from the Right will be trying to put this label on Cunliffe.
Hooten’s performance on 9 to Noon was disgraceful, he is desperate. He should be booted off if RNZ is consistent.
Agreed, Saarbo. And I have emailed 9-2-noon my view on that.
My ears & head hurt listening to that performance.
Hooten was frothing at the mouth, he is on a mission…given he is a paid spin doctor I believe RNZ need to have a serious look at his spot on 9 to Noon, as he is using it for professional reasons…it just seems very wrong.
Same. That was despicable behaviour. I too have Emailed them on my distaste.
You’re braver than me, Karol. I cannot listen to him. His lies make me literally ill.
I’m a bit sick of radio nz allowing time every week for someone who is paid by the National Party to lie to the public.
A few weeks ago they tried something new. Instead of Hooten, a paid spin doctor, they got an actual political commentator to take the slot.
The result was – surprise – an interesting discussion about politics in NZ. I have no idea why they abandoned the format and returned to the paid-for National party spin show instead.
I am not paid by the National Party and never have been. Worked for Bolger/Shipley govt until early 1999, but was paid by ministerial services not party.
*Sigh* Matthew who are you trying to kid. Seriously. Do we all seem like we are 5 years old to you?
Not paid by the Party. But paid by it’s supporters. And/or it’s MPs/candidates. And/or the various fundraising and operational bodies/trusts under effective National Party control.
Do we all seem like we are 5 years old to you?
A little bit, sometimes, to be honest.
down the slide together we go then 😀
I can only see everything you pass an opinion on, Matthew, as being designed to “shift opinion and policies to support the business plans of [y]our clients.”
Given that you’re paid for your opinions and the above quote is your definition of what you do, I don’t see it as being unreasonable to interpret what you say and write as being for a client. If it’s for the NActs or someone else in support of them, there’s barely a difference.
So in other words, you are not paid to be a Nasty little scumbag. It just comes naturally!
No, Matthew is most definitely paid to spread the National Party’s muck.
Of course the money doesn’t come directly out of a bank account called “Official National Party Bullshit and Lies Fund” though, as both parties in these sorts of dirty deals must maintain plausible deniability.
In much the same way as John Key put that 1.5 million through the National Party’s network of money-laundering trusts and plausibly claimed that he didn’t buy his seat.
Totally agree, Karol, that Hooten’s performance and accusations were disgraceful. And also agree with Ianmac’s comments that the accusations need to be dealt with quickly.
However, I wonder whether his performance today, and particularly his failure to listen to Ryan’s warnings etc, may lead to RNZ/ Nine to Noon considering him a liability and perhaps ‘retire’ him from the programme in future. One can but hope…..
It’s also a clear sign that the Right are panicking like headless chickens about Cunliffe.
(I see MM below has said as much…)
Which is really odd, given that they’ve seen Cunliffe in action for more than 10 years in Government and in Oppostiion so it’s not like he’s an unknown quantity just appeared on the scene.
The CV obviously needs cleaning up but heck, it wasn’t even the issue under discussion. They were talking about the deputy and the new caucus line up about to be announced when Hooten suddenly veered off into Andrea Vance, the CV and the liar accusations. The man is not a commentator worthy of RNZ; he’s obsessed.
that’s the politics of (intellectual) envy coming at ya’ in stereo-surround-sound.
“when Hooten suddenly veered off into Andrea Vance, the CV and the liar accusations.”
He wasn’t being paid to talk about the caucus reshuffle.
“The man is not a commentator worthy of RNZ; he’s obsessed.”
He’s not a commentator any more than Suzanne Paul is a cosmetics commentator.
I heard most of it too and it was as low as you can go – hollowhooton was a rabid dog trying to be a big man and I hope he gets kicked off the show. Only good thing is it shows how scared they are of Cunliffe.
Hooton is a waste of time – a 21st century sophist.
If he’s alleging that Cunliffe has been lying here:
http://www.parliament.nz/en-nz/pb/debates/debates/speeches/50HansS_20120403_00000912/cunliffe-david-dairy-industry-restructuring-amendment
that’s a serious, serious defamation.
Ha! thanks. I was looking for that quote, which is:
That matches up with my google findings below. Basically, it was in the pre-Fonterra merger operations that Cunliffe was involved in.
Nice one amarite. And the Dom Post article by Andrea Vance that I assume Hooted was referring to is here… http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/9193525/Naked-ambition-behind-Cunliffes-rise-to-top
It’s the usual hodge-podge of innuendo and rumour mongering – and if you put aside the context for the quote that she (perhaps mistakenly?) provides, then it’s not clear that he’s referring only to his time with BCG as opposed to general past activity:-
That looks like serious defamation material alright.
Hooten reckoned that he worked on the Fonterra Merger of NZ Dairies and Kiwi Co Op, I would love to know what he actually had involvement in because the National Party was dead set against the merger, they ideologically hate co ops…the question is whether he actually had any involvement, we know he is a major bull shit artist.
Fonterra was a Labour Party creation.
in a related machine cog; watching the MSM television news from ‘time-to-time’ (popular pollie fudge of the facts, that term) it frequently seems that the format and selection of content has changed very little since the Sherry of the seventies. Peter Williams, the weather girls, and so on. Ten minute articles on issues of national pride and patriotism, the latest (Not) science findings on whether coffee, chocolate, oral sex, cucumbers cause cancer, dreadful criminal acts carried out by the underclass, old, white professionals getting caught for fraud and their fingers in the till, what mis-pronunciation an MP was guilty of in the House, All-Black coaches and captains on what will lift the team, and therefore the nations’ place on the world stage, Rachel Hunter…
What was the line taken by RNZ/The Panel over the reasons for Martyn Bradbury being dropped as one of their commentators?
Because he was an annoying, shouty, mental.
And yet – Hooton is still there…
I think KK, that the official line was something to do with concerns over something he said possibly leaving them open to defamation charges. Like when when Matthew Hooten called Cunliffe a liar, kind of like that. I’m sure that RNZ will be consistent and ban him too.
Though Bradbury did also call John Key a ‘nasty piece of work’ for making a throat-slitting gesture at his political opponents after a man tried to kill himself in parliament.
[lprent: KK picked up a ban for diversion trolling earlier in the day in another post. ]
It looks pretty clear that this is the line of attack that will be repeated and reinforced in multiple ways. Everything that Cunliffe says from now on will be inspected for opportunities to repeat the notion in the public’s mind.
Presumably, the right wingers who advised ‘lefties’ to cease attacking Key and his character will now give Hooten, and others in the media, the same advice as regards Cunliffe? Or, perhaps they won’t.
It’s a funny old world when the son of a salt of the earth Reverend, imbued with the values of small town New Zealand conservatism can apparently be quite reasonably accused of ‘lying’ through leaving out of date community contributions in his CV while a man who spends his entire employment in one of the most ethically dubious professions on earth, misleads the New Zealand public over his shareholdings and is not fully believed by 60% of New Zealanders has a character that, apparently, should never be brought into question in the media.
From the links people have provided here, it is clear that Matthew Hooten is either very ill-informed about the process that led to the formation of Fonterra or he has chosen deliberately to misrepresent that process in order to smear David Cunliffe.
Either way, it is not a very competent performance by a professional political commentator.
Whose paid mouthpiece was he today?
And in the Granny Herald, this makes the news under the Politics section:
Max Key joins Prince William on grouse hunt
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=11128657
f#*ks sake
Matthew Hooton is losing it on Radio New Zealand and smearing Cunliffe. He has no idea of the work that Cunliffe did for BCG so his claims cannot be substantiated or confirmed.
Hooton has this habit of:
1. Twisting a second hand report of something that Cunliffe may or may not have said,
2. Says that this interpretation is not true and therefore Cunliffe is lying.
This is a deeply cynical approach to commenting on political matters. The way I see it Radio New Zealand should not put up with this sort of behaviour.
It’s not commentary. It’s paid-for spin.
Radio NZ should have no part of it.
The report gives this impression, but only because of contextual material supplied by the reporter and not the quotes from Cunliffe.
Doing a bit of google digging.
Cunliffe was with BCG 1995-1999. Fonterra was formed in 2001.
But I’m seeing a few BCG top team ending up at Fonterrra. Also, at least one BCG person was involved with NZ Dairy etc in the merger that led up to the formation of BCG.
Galia Barhava-Monteith, Founding Trustee
Maury Leyland
More on her.
Gary Romano
You are onto it Karol.
The formation of Fonterra took years and years. The bill was introduced in June 2001 and there was a lot of work that occurred beforehand.
Add to that: , from Scoop, dated 2001, a BCG press release say they worked with NZ Dairy for more than 10 years, co-producing the report on industry structure
McKinsey report was 1998/99 from the looks of this press release on Scoop
Thanks, I have found some other documents about that from around the same period. Post coming up.
Generation zero together with auckland transport blog are working together to improve auck transport for less money.
they have developed a candidate scorecard to help voters who are concerned about auck transport
http://www.generationzero.org.nz/localelections
I thought families were out of bounds… is it different if you volunteer them?
[lprent: Generally they are except if politicians rely upon them. Unfortunately I have no context to figure out what you’re talking about. I must either finish working on that damn mobile interface or turn it off. ]
Families should always be out of bound!!!
Yale Climate Forum: No Slowdown in Global Warming
In recent months, a lively media conversation has taken place in regard to what the surface temperature record is telling us. Here, a group of leading Atmospheric and Ocean experts put the data in context.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=047vmL6Q_4g
Climate ‘curvature’ Not a recovery from The Little Ice Age
http://www.skepticalscience.com/nuccitelli-et-al-2013-akasofu-debunked.html
tough deal for the meatheads who want o jump on their hardly davisons, imagining that they are freeeeeeee……
The era of lardasses using everything up is nearly over.
that will be a challenge.
wont it!
:-D, and all those Dodge Rams…
Sorry lyn… the comment about max going grouse shooting
Reshuffle announced:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11128844
Police and Corrections – Jacinda Ardern (her request)
Foreign Affairs- David Shearer
Education – Chris Hipkins
Looks like Phil Goff might be going at the end of the term?
More to follow…
groovy, so far, Anne
Also Louisa Wall and Moana Mackey, youth affairs and environment. Moroney & Mahuta to front bench.
yes, must do some research about Sue Moroney (beyond Paid Parental Leave).
xlnt news !!
Seems Key is as well practised at lying as that other egoist back in the 1940,s
He appears adept at scoring as much icon status as the media can foist upon him maybe is investments in the afore said industry are so critical to the running of the country the fact that we could be close having the screws put on us because of our growing national debt might have escaped him and then what will hear in excuses when theres nothing left to sell and hes voted out suppose he’ll just leave and go back to where he has friends because anyone who thinks this twerp Key will come back and fix his mess has got to be in cuckoo land
bbatcuco …. any hope of you finding an edit twerp key and making your post more accessible ? thx 🙂
That was annoying. The database jammed again for no apparent reason.
Identified the site attacking the site. Added another layer of defence (in this case a 5 minute block) against sites that are not identified as requesting too many pages too fast.
The speeches on TICs, live streamed from Wellington via The Daily Blog was worth watching.
Great to se Annette Sykes speaking. Some similar speakers to the Auckland town hall meeting – but Dotcom was in bed with a broken leg and we got Cunliffe instead of Shearer.
Russel Norman made a very good speech, and much food for thought in Cunliffe’s well crafted speech: “What would a good government do?” Firstly he’s not going to make brash promises. he’s going to repeal amendments and instigate a thorough review – not necessarily in that order. His stated aim is to balance needs for security with citizens rights to freedom and privacy. He did point to significant details in both the GCSB Aand TICs Bills that are very dodgy.
Seeby Woodhouse- now I wasn’t so ken on his speech in Auckland. But, now he says, that soon after giving that speech he went to the US and Europe. in the US and on returning to NZ he got pulled aside and interrogated by officials about the purpose of his trip. The officials also had detailed information on things like Seeby’s credit card spending while in Europe.
Chilling!
We’ve just returned from the meeting.
What I appreciate about the line up of speakers, as with the Auckland meetings is that every speaker has something unique to bring to the talk and they come from such a variety of backgrounds, so you don’t end up with a repetitive kind of message. Many thanks to all the speakers for sharing their knowledge and many thanks to the anti GCSB coalition for organising it, and TDB for livestreaming it.
Annette Sykes and Valerie Morse both spoke with strength and spoke to the heart, well mine at least.
Seeby Woodhouse’s experience with American Customs and then on his return home with NZ Customs said alot for the lack of trust we should have in our govt, the GCSB Act and the soon to be passed TICS Bill. The fact that he travels all the time and this is the first time he has been “interviewed” by customs about his movements and his choice of credit card for booking flights, only after he spoke at the public meeting in Auckland is a bit sus eh?. He was very careful to not jump to conclusions or accuse the govt of spying but it is all a bit disturbing. Such a mild mannered ordinary non radical guy too – the govt doesn’t discriminate! Maybe you can’t even be secure in privacy under the guise of “respectable business person”.
It was a great night. My only gripe was where on earth was everyone? Why wasn’t the Church full?
” A light-touch Regulation” A very business-friendly country.
“We are the third easiest country in the world to do business in, according to the World Bank’s 2012 Doing Business report. [that truly is the name of the report I didn’t make it up]. They also rated us the easiest place in the world to set up a business, the best for protecting investors and the fourth easiest for getting credit.”
So please oh wealthy ones, please Masters, come over here we want your money and we will do anything [and I mean anything ]to have the sweet scent of your immorality here. We keep wages so wonderfully low-it is almost like having slaves and the citizens will do just about anything for a buck these days, they are so desperate, and they all believe our lies here; so come on over and join the free-for-all.
signed ‘our’ government?