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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The furore. In case you didn’t notice there was a controversy in the weekend involving dolphins in a little town off the South Island. Don’t panic, they haven’t declared independence and resumed whaling, this was simply a sailing event.The problem began when racing was cancelled on the opening day of ...
For 20 years or more, the case for a meaningful capital tax gains has been mulled over and analysed to death, including by the tax working group chaired by Sir Michael Cullen. More than once, the International Monetary Fund has said a CGT would be a good idea for New ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: The Public Health Communications Centre (PHCC) call for urgent preventive action and a risk assessment survey of long covid in this briefing noteLocal scoop: NZ road deaths surpass OECD rates, so why is the govt reversing safety plans? ...
This story was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. This story is part of a collaboration with Grist and WABE to demystify the Georgia Public Service Commission, the small but powerful state-elected board that makes critical decisions about everything from raising ...
This is a guest post from Robert McLachlan Global warming is accelerating; 2023 was off the charts. We need to stop burning fossil fuels. In New Zealand, transport accounts for half of all fossil fuels burnt. In the Emissions Reduction Plan, transport emissions fall 41% by 2035. As the ...
Labour productivity has been receding rapidly over the past two years, reversing a post-lockdown rise. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy as at 6:26am on Tuesday, March 26 include:Workers have been treading water in output per hour worked for 12 years, ...
TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 2 include:Today, Parliament resumes sitting at 2pm for the second week of a two-week session. Officials for SIS and GCSB report their annual reviews in public to the Intelligence and Security Select Committee from 5.10pm.Tomorrow, ...
Faced with a barrage of criticism over the promised tax cuts from usually supportive commentators, Finance Minister Nicola Willis yesterday reaffirmed her intention to include them in this year’s Budget. The Government is up against it over the cuts just about every way it turns. Commentators like Fran O’Sullivan, Matthew ...
Here’s my pick of today’s substack posts as of 6:26pm on Monday, March 25: writes via his substack that Market-rate housing will make your city cheaper writes via his substack about the problems talking to double-cab ute (truck) drivers about their vehicles. today about moments of radicalisation in ...
Buzz from the Beehive Just before Christmas, Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivered something that was pitched as a mini-budget and brayed about the decisive action being taken to repair the Government books and support income tax relief in Budget 2024. In a statement headed Fiscal repair job underway. she introduced ...
My sister Belinda asked Dad yesterday what one word would describe Mum best. He said: vivacious.If you only knew her from the photos on the slideshow we've made for today,you might wonder about that, because the camera tended to lie with Mum.If ever she saw a camera pointed at her, she ...
There are two major public consultations closing in the next week, Auckland Council’s Long Term Plan (LTP), and the draft Government Policy Statement on Land Transport (GPS). Closing dates and times: LTP closes Thursday 28 February, at 11.59pm – a minute to midnight! GPS closes Tuesday 2 April, at 12pm noon – note that’s ...
From Kiwiblog’s David Farrar – Bryce Wilkinson writes: Senior Fellow Bryce Wilkinson’s analysis reveals that since March 2009, New Zealand has spent $158 billion more overseas than it has earned, but its NIIP has only fallen by $32 billion.Statistics New Zealand shows that receipts from overseas reinsurers have ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition? Brian Easton writes – The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could ...
Dear Nicola Willis,Right now you’ve probably got lots of competing demands coming at you. Ministers who’ve inherited quite a mess, or so you’ve told us, looking for money in the budget to improve things. I imagine that’s why they came to parliament - to make things better.You’ll have to make ...
The Local Government, Transport and Auckland Minister hasthreatened councils with intervention if they don’t merge water assets to take them off balance sheet, just as the now-repealed Three Waters plan directed. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things of note this morning for Monday, March 25 include:Simeon ...
A listing of 36 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 17, 2024 thru Sat, March 23, 2024. Story of the week Thanks to John Mason having the stamina to sit down to watch "Climate - the Movie" ...
This morning the Q&A programme had Simeon Brown on to talk about National’s replacement for Three Waters. In case anyone’s forgotten the three are - drinking water, waste water, and sewerage. It’s quite important not to get them mixed up. In much the same way that you wouldn’t want to ...
Today’s newsletter comes with a mini-podcast conversation between me and my buddy Liv Tennet, talking about her time as a child actor in Lord of the Rings. It’s a conversation with a lot of giggles as she talks about falling off a horse, and becoming a meme. Read ...
The Desmog Climate Disinformation Database documents, "individuals and organisations that have helped to delay and distract the public and our elected leaders from taking needed action to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and fight global warming." It's a who's who of the organised climate change denial movement, in other words. In ...
Bob Edlin writes – A High Court judge has decided miscreants who have mana – or who claim to have mana – should be treated differently from miscreants who have none. It’s a ruling that suggests indigenous law-breakers have a better chance of securing a discharge without conviction ...
Welcome to the first, and possibly last, edition of Brickbats, Bouquets and Bull’s Wool. In which I’ll take a look at the events of the last week or so, and rate them.In such ratings the numbers usually have more to do with the opinions of the reviewer, than the actual ...
Roger Partridge writes – My earlier column this month, New Zealand’s highest court could be facing a turning point, prompted a flood of feedback from business readers and lawyers alike. A common query was what Parliament can do to restrain an overreaching judiciary. This week I discuss two steps Parliament ...
TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.16pm on Friday, March 22: writes about New Zealand's Building Boom—And What the World Must Learn From It over at his substack. challenges the Auckland Council’s use of a 3.8 degrees of warming forecast to oppose a wave-park and data centre project ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition?The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could deliver her promised income tax cuts. Appointed minister, she ...
Buzz from the Beehive Ministers of the Crown have drawn attention to one sector of the science sector which is unlikely to be subjected to heavy spending cuts, a state-funded broadcaster which is doing nicely, thank you, and a sporting event that had $5.4 million from the public purse puffed ...
Abbott’s Freestyle Libre sensors allow continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). The sensor is applied to the back of the patient’s arm, with a thin filament under the skin measuring glucose levels constantly. But it costs around $100 per sensor and must be replaced once every 14 days. Photo by BSIP/Universal Images ...
The Inspector General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) recently released a report in which he exposes the existence of a foreign intelligence partner-controlled technological “capability” inside the headquarters of the GCSB, NZ’s 5 Eyes-affiliated signals intelligence collection and analysis agency. … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – Nearly three decades after the introduction of MMP and multiparty governments there should be a greater level of understanding about their finer points than often appears to be the case. The reaction to the despicable outburst from the Deputy Prime Minister at the weekend highlights ...
The sweet kisses from fruit of summerHave slowly been turning dullerYou say, "those times"And "remember the daysWhen we went outside and there still was the shade?"Taking no reason into play…Autumn. Clear, blue days shortening to longer nights, growing colder. Aotearoa.That’s us. The temperature dropping, the looming car crash - so ...
Bryce Edwards writes – “It is often said that behind every great man is a great woman”. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their “Ladies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxon”. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April ...
David Farrar writes – The Electoral Commission has published the expense returns for political parties for the 2023 election. I’ve put them in a table with how many votes a party got so we can see the spend per vote. National only spent $3.34 for every vote they got, almost ...
Winston Peters’ headline-making actions over the past week may have been a show of political power intended to strengthen his hand in Budget negotiations. It was no accident that his State of the Nation speech was as it was. He made it as New Zealand First Leader, not as Deputy ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:Former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson bowed out of politics this week, giving a series of exit ...
Graham Adams writes — If you love the law or sausages, as the saying goes, best not to look too closely at how they are made. And after watching the orgy of self-pity when Newshub’s closure was announced on February 28, television journalism should definitely be added to the list of those ...
Venerable New Zealand political commentator, Chris Trotter (https://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/), is a sad creature these days. Once one of the most reliable Leftist writers out there – Economic Left at that – Trotter seems to have absorbed the worldview of Auckland culture-war obsessives. It is not for me to categorise what he ...
The Coalition Government’s plan to ‘get Auckland moving’ is a cuts cover-up that will ultimately cost Aucklanders more to move around the city, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Slashing the Ministry of Pacific Peoples by 40% will have a devastating impact on pacific communities and further highlights how little this government cares about anything other than cutting taxes for the wealthiest few. ...
Labour has proposed an urgent inquiry to investigate the ever-increasing profits of supermarkets, aiming to lower costs for shoppers and food producers alike, says Labour Spokesperson for Commerce and Consumer Affairs Arena Williams and Primary Production Spokesperson Cushla Tangaere-Manuel. ...
With 14% of jobs on the line at the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, the responsible Minister Melissa Lee is failing to stand up for the very communities she’s meant to be representing. ...
COURT OF APPEAL: TRIFECTA OF VICTORY FOR NZ FIRST, TRIFECTA OF FAILURE FOR OPPONENTS For the third time since April 2020, New Zealand First has defeated the Serious Fraud Office and all those complicit in a malicious attack against a political party going about its lawful business in a lawful ...
The Green Party stands with people who live in public housing, people in dire housing need, experts and advocates in demanding better than the Government’s archaic approach to housing those who need our support the most. ...
New Zealand has recently lost the hosting rights of some major international sporting events including the America’s Cup, the Rugby Championship, Netball World Cup, and the Wellington Sevens. We are now at a huge risk of losing SailGP as well. And it won’t stop there. The recent issues with SailGP ...
A Member’s Bill drawn this week would modernise insurance law and make things fairer and more transparent for consumers, Christchurch Central MP Duncan Webb said. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues has confirmed she was aware of funding issues in mid-December and did nothing to stop it. On 14 March, she signed off on changes that were announced and implemented on 18 March without any consultation with disability communities. ...
Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter says her members' bill is an opportunity for the coalition government to plug the gap in electric vehicle incentives. ...
The National Government continues to talk about irresponsible tax cuts that will only drive up inflation, despite the country entering a technical recession. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues must act urgently to reinstate flexibility around the funding for disability support and apologise to disabled carers. ...
This story has been initiated by a leftie shill reporter who proactively sought to call a member of a former band, which disbanded twelve years ago, give their biased appraisal of what was said in my speech, and concocted a ham-fisted attempt at a story that does nothing but show ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Many in the mainstream media have taken what was said in New Zealand First’s State of the Nation Speech in Palmerston North on Sunday and deliberately, deceitfully, and ignorantly misrepresented what I said and why I said it. The headlines and commentary on the news stated that I compared ‘co-governance ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
Good afternoon. Thank you for, in your very busy lives, turning up to this meeting today. On October 14th last year New Zealanders overwhelmingly voted for change. That is exactly what this new government is bringing. New Zealand First campaigned to ‘take back our country’ and stop the disastrous economic ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April. “It was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates. Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend. “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” Mr Peters says. Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. “Road safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track. “Dam safety regulations ...
The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the government’s finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Government’s Budget objectives. “The coalition Government intends ...
The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says. “The Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says. “These changes are long overdue – the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009. ...
The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Education’s School Property Function. The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There is a clear need ...
State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Today I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” Minister Responsible for ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. “We’re sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union. “I am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says. “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “Comprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. “I would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
Good morning, it’s great to be here. First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning. I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
Before moving onto the substance of today’s address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and I’m sorry I can’t be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the Whangārei site where the facility will be constructed. “Northland has faced a number ...
New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata Māori 20 years ago, says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisation’s 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
COMMENTARY:By Ronny Kareni Since the atrocious footage of the suffering of an indigenous Papuan man reverberates in the heart of Puncak by the brute force of Indonesia’s army in early February, shocking tactics deployed by those in power to silence critics has been unfolding. Nowhere is this more evident ...
Analysis - Nicola Willis is holding firm on tax cuts despite the economic outlook being worse than forecast and critics urging her to wait, writes Peter Wilson for The Week In Politics. ...
Opposition MPs and unions are criticising a proposal by New Zealand’s Ministry of Pacific Peoples to cut staff by 40 percent. The country’s largest trade union — The Public Service Association — says the ministry has informed staff that it is looking to shed 63 of 156 positions. Opposition MPs ...
A poem by Poetry Aotearoa Yearbook 2024 featured poet Carin Smeaton. Daughtr of the 90s when she gets promoted to usherette a baby blu eel carries her all the way up to mothership she’s hovering high she lets the underaged in to see keanu reeves she lets the only lonely ...
Analysis by Keith Rankin. Keith Rankin, trained as an economic historian, is a retired lecturer in Economics and Statistics. He lives in Auckland, New Zealand. My earlier article – Can ‘Good’ be the Greater Evil? – looked at the issue of how wars should end, and how Good versus Evil ...
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 AMMA by Saraid de Silva (Moa Press, $38)A stunning debut novel reviewed by Brannavan ...
From Steve Martin to Ricky Stanicky, a pick’n’mix of things worth watching and listening to this long weekend. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. If you’re at a loss for something to occupy yourself with this Easter, don’t panic: The Spinoff’s got ...
Jesus had dinner with his 12 disciples right before he died. Noted historian Madeleine Chapman finds out who really deserved to be there.First published in 2018 but let’s be honest, the subject is timeless. As you sit on your couch this Easter Sunday, eating a chocolate egg you know ...
The newly-promoted Northern League club is on a mission to return to the National League for the first time in two decades. Plenty about domestic football in New Zealand has changed in that time – but the sense that this amateur competition is not an entirely level playing field remains. ...
Comment: Every year on February 2, a dozen men in tuxedos and top hats approach the burrow of a groundhog in Gobbler’s Knob, Pennsylvania and entice the beaver-like rodent to emerge and predict the weather. If the groundhog, named Punxsutawney Phil, sees its own shadow when it is summoned, legend ...
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Auckland Council has put a deadline on new weather-impacted property owners applying for categorisation as government funding looks set to run out. Councillors have voted to support a deadline of September 30 for property owners who haven’t accessed support to come forward and engage with the council’s recovery office. It ...
NONFICTION 1 BBQ Economics by Liam Dann (Penguin Random House, $40) “It’s official,” wrote Dann nine days ago in the Herald, where he works as business editor at large, “we’re in recession.” Yeah, great. He delivered the bad stats: “GDP fell 0.1 percent in the December 2023 quarter, compared with ...
By Anneke Smith, RNZ News political reporter A petition urging the New Zealand government to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people has been tabled in the House. More than 200 people gathered on Parliament’s forecourt today and they were met by MPs from Labour, the Greens and Te ...
Pacific Media Watch The Paris-based global media freedom watchdog RSF (Reporters Without Borders) has appealed for information about the “disappearance” of Palestinian journalist Bayan Abusultan. She was reportedly last seen on March 19 among people “sequestered” in this week’s raid and siege of Al Shifa hospital by Israeli troops in ...
EDITORIAL:The Jakarta Post It happens again and again; indigenous Papuans fall victim to Indonesian soldiers. This time, we have photographic evidence for the brutality, with videos on social media showing a Papuan man being tortured by a group of plainclothes men alleged to be the Indonesian Military (TNI) members. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robyn J. Whitaker, Director of the Wesley Centre for Theology, Ethics, and Public Policy & Associate Professor, New Testament, Pilgrim Theological College, University of Divinity A strange and eclectic range of activities takes place across these few weeks of the year. Some ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University It’s Easter weekend, which means many of us will be kicking back with the greatest hits on repeat. But whether you’re a boomer, or an ‘80s or ’90s kid, you might be ...
RNZ Pacific Fiji’s Acting Public Prosecutor has filed an appeal against the sentences of former prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama and suspended police chief Sitiveni Qiliho in their corruption case. Bainimarama was granted an absolute discharge for attempting to pervert the course of justice while Qiliho received a conditional discharge with ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Arosha Weerakoon, Senior Lecturer and General Dentist, School of Dentistry, The University of Queensland Casezy idea/Shutterstock How does toothpaste work? What did people use before toothpaste was invented? – Amelia, age 7, Meanjin (Brisbane) Thanks for your ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brett Hallam, Associate professor, UNSW Sydney IM Imagery/Shutterstock Solar SunShot is well named. The Australian government announced today it would plough A$1 billion into bringing back solar manufacturing to Australia, boosting energy security, swapping coal and gas jobs for those ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Dix, Research Fellow in Nutrition & Dietetics, The University of Queensland Easter is the time for chocolate. The shops are full of fantastically packaged and shiny chocolates in all shapes and sizes, making trips to the supermarket with children more challenging ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Felton, Adjunct Senior Researcher, University of South Australia Even in a stubborn cost-of-living crisis, it seems there’s one luxury most Australians won’t sacrifice – their daily cup of coffee. Coffee sales have largely remained stable, even as financial pressures have ...
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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?