mmmmm……I’d keep your knees together a while longer, Red, or at least insist on withdrawl – that big Kahuna might look irresistable after a couple of drinks, but reduced WFF and DPB will be one heck of a hangover….
I see Bernard is being more circumspect about it now.
But his #8 really means “get rid of interest free student loans and working for families”. These are two policies he seems particularly offended by and has been bleating about them for years.
Yeah, I dont know how he expects people to pay their rent,etc when they lose their WFF, but I guess when you are rolling in it, you dont worry about those things.
I noticed that he wants the super age raised to 67. Which will be a kick in the teeth for those who have slogged their guts for 40-50 years doing manual work and then to find that they have to wait two more years to qualify for national super so they can retire at last.
I have noticed that those who wish to see the national super age raised are those who have spent all their working lives sitting on their asses in an office and eating chocolate.
9 Reducing consumption of imports, and saving, producing and exporting more.
Why do people always expect an export led recovery to more growth to work?
We have limited resources so why are politicians and economists so enthusiastic about using them up as fast as possible? Do they want our children and grand-children to have nothing?
Is it really that important to force most people to work so that a few can have more nothing money in the bank?
Can we please start asking two questions:
1.) What is the economy?
2.) What is it that we want the economy to do?
I have a couple of answers:
1.) The economy is the environment
2.) To support our society in such a way so that everyone has a reasonable living standard without destroying the environment.
Unfortunately our “economists” and politicians believe that the economy is money and that it’s purpose is to make a few people rich and everybody else poor.
Smile and wave
Smile and wave
When the country’s problems are so grave
The economy’s in a stew, somehow we’ll muddle through
It’ll be all right if I smile and wave.
Tax cuts will make the country grow
Cut public staff to pay the way
If the unemployment rate gets high
Everyone can work on the cycleway
Australia equality’s our goal
How to increase our growth at all?
We’ll cut taxes and wages here
We’ll catch up if they follow us and fall
Smile and wave
Smile and wave
When the country’s problems are so grave
The economy’s in a stew, somehow we’ll muddle through
It’ll be all right if I smile and wave.
Tax cuts will make the country grow
Or maybe just our debt will blow
Cut public staff to pay the way
Though unemployment ranks are raised
Everyone can work on my cycleway
Smile and wave
Smile and wave
Australia equality’s our goal
How to increase our growth at all?
We’ll cut taxes, jobs and wages here
Sell our best assets all offshore
Perhaps we’ll catch up if they fall
NZ’s example is green and rich
The Ireland of the South Pacific
We’ll soon be a world financial hub
Yet another throw away line thats flubbed
The bankers now own the Irish blood
More downgrades and we’re in the bailout club
Smile and wave
Smile and Wave
Aren’t you getting bored?
Not just photo ops, it takes work to do the PM’s job
The criticisms are tiring, everyone’s got a beef
Last thing you need is a bloody ship on a reef.
Her logic is that we’ve had big disasters and Key handled them well. But he hasn’t and the economy is crap. There is zero analysis in this piece. It reads like a National party press release. And she’s hinting Key might last to a third term? Who pays her to write this simplistic shit?
Exactly. Their assured victory is looking less assured so the memo went out: say that Key’s had a lot to deal with and yeah he’s not perfect but he tries so hard and he’s a nice guy…
Helen Clark – the prime minister we can thank for NZ winning the RWC staging rights – was only mentioned once on Q&A this morning. During a short segment at the end of the programme with Auck. Central’s Jacinda Ardern and Nikki Kaye, some political analyst (not Jon Johannson) made the comment that in 2008 he thought Judith Tizard was tainted by her association with Helen Clark and that is why she lost the seat to Nikki Kaye.
No response from anyone. I’m disgusted and am thinking I will not bother to watch tonight.
Actually, I’m also getting a little fed up with how late the games are. I may just record it. I nod off and wake early these days. Nodded off a couple of times during the Wales – Aussie match.
Not the forgone conclusion that National has been relying on.
I wonder how dirty they are going to get when threatened – more throat slashing gestures? More blame shift?ing More tanties from Key?
I think we have “game on”!
Watch the dirty tricks come thick and fast… the rumours… innuendo… claims of electoral fraud and related activity… suggestions of social (throw sex in there too) deviation… you name it, it’ll be on the Nat’s agenda!
Rumours of social (an sexual) deviation – have the rumours about a prominent MP hopeful who had an affair with a drug addict going to suddenly go away?
Claims of electoral fraud and related activity – just two days ago David Parker posted on Kiwiblog implying that the Sensible Sentencing Trust had brought David Garrett a place on Act’s list, which as far as I am aware has been shown to be completely false given the SST has never given any money to Act.
I’m not trying in anyway to imply that National are squeaky clean, quite the opposite but don’t pretend like it’s a game that only right wing parties play.
On a different note I’ve noticed a lot of posts on here recently about the disappearance of Act, which is fair enough given how they are polling.
However polls like this (not withstanding other rumours etc.) would suggest that Act will get back in through Epsom, as I seem to remember an earlier poll in Epsom saying that many of the people who planned to vote National would vote for the Act candidate if they perceived that National needed them.
I’m not trying in anyway to imply that National are squeaky clean, quite the opposite but don’t pretend like it’s a game that only right wing parties play.
I’ve been following the ‘political game’ for 35 years, and I can tell you the left-wing parties are as pure as fresh snow when compared to activites of right-wing parties and some of their vassals. I know of things that happened in the past (much of it before the 90s decade) which would cause a few individuals heart palpitations if they thought any of it was to see the light of day. I doubt if there is anyone in the Labour Party who knows the whole story.
Oh and the story re David Garrett will certainly be true. There’s more than one way to donate to political parties when you don’t donate to political parties. Secret Trusts anyone?
Ok well if you said it must be true then? It sure seems like you don’t have any proof and are just assuming that is what happened.
I have no doubt that many right wing parties have done many things that they do not want to see the light of day, but to be honest if you think Labour are pure as fresh snow you are definitely looking through red tinted glasses.
To be honest I’m sure that there are some parties which probably don’t have anything that bad too hide and those parties are more likely to be left wing (the Greens are one), however that does not mean that left wing parties are pure as fresh snow and all right wing parties are corrupt.
I get it I just have a problem with people saying Labour are as pure as fresh snow because they are comparing their current activities to the activities of right wing parties in the 80s.
You have a problem full stop Chris because your cognitive abilities are rather poor. Who said the ‘activities’ were confined to the 80s? Some were… some were after the 80s. The link between them is they involved the same handful of people.
Is that the Labour way? Charles Chauvel said he could prove a claiom in Red Alert recently, when I asked hime for the proof he said it was because he was “a good judge of character”. I know how to judge his character now.
Yep, anything and everything that they can think of will be thrown at the opposition parties over the next week all the while blaming the opposition parties for fighting dirty.
THIS Rugby World Cup has been a banquet of mana tane — the good aspects of manliness.
When men express their masculinity in a good way they are calm, strong, determined, competent, self-sacrificing, protective, ambitious, brave and humble, with vision for how events might play out.
Warrior energy.
This weekend the All Blacks are ambassadors for the mana tane of all New Zealand men.
so pete you agree with the position outlined in the article that,
“There has been a push to portray the differences between men and women as social convention rather than hard-wired biology.
According to this world view, women should compete with men for power, and not need their love.
Men tend to want power and women tend to want love
A man feels good about himself when he does good things. A woman does good things when she feels good about herself.
When a woman feels great she is compassionate, graceful, empathetic, nurturing, modest, creative, flexible, gentle . . . feminine.
The Ministry of Women’s Affairs advocates for it and women’s studies departments at most universities supply the indoctrinated staff.
It promotes the message that women should embrace assertiveness, compete with men and be protected from them.
The philosophy is called feminism but it would be more accurately called “femasculinism”, because really it is a rejection of femininity.
We believe the $5 million a year Ministry of Women’s Affairs should become the “Ministry of Gender Affairs” and address the unique needs of both women and men, rather than trying to socially engineer away biology.”
In the last couple of decades there’s been plenty of solid research, which is nicely summarised in Delusions of Gender that throws biological determinism/hardwiring out the window when in comes to everything bar gender identity and sexual orientation.
And to be really blunt – gender roles are cultural constructs, not biological determined.*
Aside from the whole pregnancy and breast-feeding thing, of which breast-feeding is not really a requirement thanks to formula if there’s issues, and due to the joys of biology with a few hormones you can get guys to express milk.
For Mad Science purposes. Of course.
____________________________________
*gender roles are not gender identity per the evidence from transsexuals and people born with ambiguous genitalia who were forced into a particular gender based on surgeons + parents decisions.
It’s July 2008. You are a “TBTF” bank CEO. You’ve been running a 30 year ponzi scheme using ever-increasing amounts of debt while GDP has languished in roughly the same place for the last two decades in terms of numerical growth. In the 3rd Quarter of 2007, when the S&P 500 hits 1576 and the DOW tops, the economy put about six times the amount of debt into the system as there was GDP growth, and at that point GDP had started to roll over. It had an obvious geometric progression look to it but only a few people in the blogosphere had been hollering about it. You wondered how much longer it was going to be before the people woke up.
Looking forward to end of RWC so that we can see Labour’s Policy being released. Appreciate you cannot compete against RWC so “Way Go Labour” from say Wednesday. Let’s know how you can assess the next 3 years/6 years (including 2014 win). Don’t copy the Greens – they are loving the limelight currently with a possibility of 15 seats. Let’s have the Labour alternative to Labour seats away from Greens (though they will be a good coalition party after 2014). Meld labour Policy with Greens not separately and we are on to a winner. Turning Left will not help.
This morning on Radio NZ just after 11 am austerity measures (which will occur for months – years) in Greece were reported as increasing suicide.
40% increase in reported suicide in a twelve month period.
Twice as many calls to crisis helplines due to the strain and anguish of the economy.
Payments can be deferred for months re business but eventually the cracks open up.
Nearly 17% unemployment.
I have not caught up with the European Euro Bank and IMF meeting because if Greece is not loaned 8,000,000,000 euros they cannot pay pensions in mid November.
I explained to a person the other day how governments are bailing out banks and that banks will foreclose on the family home rather than assist the home owner. A man on after 11 am this morning said that governments need to bail out home owners before the banks.
There were other interesting interviews in that post-11am slot (called ‘Ideas’, I think). It was all about the movements this year opposing capitalism and for democracy.
There was a good report on protestors from Tunisia, Israel, Chile and Wellington. The Tunisian and Israeli woman interviewed were particularly interesting. The report came later in the hour.
One particularly interesting comment from the Israeli woman (in response to the comment that the protestors appear to have about 90% support in the population) is that everyone from the religious Jews to Arab Israelis are part of it.
When they talk to each other, they realise they all want the same thing (a home, community, stable work, etc.) and they can’t get it because of the radical new right policies – including privatisation – that are being implemented internally in Israel.
She noted that not many people outside Israel realise all the internal tensions and think that Israel’s only problem is the ‘Israeli-Palestinian’ issue.
Labour’s water policy comes out tomorrow — apparently it will feature charging farmers for water taken for irrigation. I find it very interesting that farmers seem to have no problem for paying for electricity, but when it comes to water, they expect it to be free.
Well, back in my student days in the early 70s I shared a bedroom with another student for a few months. I knew a couple of (straight) male students who also shared a bedroom for a lot longer than that.
Actually, yes do think things are much harder for students today, but I’m not sure whether sharing a bedroom is that much of a sign of how much harder it is.
I would like to see some research done into the cost of housing for students in Dunedin and Auckland when it comes to affordability and choice. Wellington has a good transport system and the city is more compact. Christchurch is different again due to housing being a problem not just for students in particular.
There is a real housing crisis in Auckland which will not go away until the housing shortage is addressed properley. Heatley (if returned) will ruin HNZ.
Dunedin:
I think the inner circle (4 blocks from campus) goes for 100-150p.w. plus expenses, maybea bit more (I gave up looking in that area over a decade ago). $80-odd p.w. for a room a distance from campus, but that involves $30p.w. on public transport or getting reamed for parking.
I think student loan “living costs” are still around $170 p.w.? I don’t think it’s possible to get an education these days without constant value from parents (either free board or a hundred dollars a week) or serious amounts of work, to the point it stuffs your study.
As I said before, I wouldnt recommend full time study to a school leaver anymore. I would say get a job and study part time/extramurally. I wouldnt bank on the forces anymore, given that the jobs there are slowly being outsourced and privatised.
I think it must be the future job prospects that must be most worrying to young people/students these days, compared with when I was young. This means there is much more pressure to get good grades today.
My main full time student experience was as a teachers’ college student (not a degree course in those days). Money was quite tight, but I was bonded to work for 3 years after graduation and guaranted a job.
Before doing that course, in my late teens, I was working full time and was sharing a little flat (this was the late 60s). There were weeks when we had no money for food the day before payday. We didn’t have much to spend our money on – we had no TV, just a radio, a little record player, and one landline phone between us. There wasn’t much night life in Auckland, just movies and pubs, which we spent sparingingly on. Our transport was largely motor scooters or public transport.
I had friends around that time who shared a bedroom to make it easier for them financially. But we all had jobs, albeit not well paid, and we all felt these jobs would lead to higher paid ones in the future.
In contrast, the future must be quite a worry for young people today.
$164/week for living costs, and about $190 a week for a student allowance + living costs + rent subsidy if not living with parent(s).
And yeah, it’s pretty difficult to live off that alone unless you’re flatting with communal cooking/groceries or living at home, especially if you drive or bus.
Even with flatting, it’d be pretty dodgy math.
Back in the day I was on $150/wk loans, but that was ten or fifteen years ago. There was a period i was on rice and foodbanks for a bit, but in general I lived okay – not well, but okay. Forget dignity, I just don’t see how it adds up on current prices, even according to tory slide rules.
Yeap, last time I was flatting I only had $20/week left after rent. food and bills from $150/week living costs.
Bloody depressing and without student job search I would have had “fun”.
These days I wouldn’t even dream of trying to flat in Christchurch without a part time job as the increases in food and power make it tricky to live off $164-169/week and eat properly.
I still think that that the HNZ changes are more geared towards private landlords than anything else. The only thing I can see is rents rising across the board as a result of forcing thousands of vulnerable tenants and families into insecure private rentals.
I have always belived that the price of food, veges, milk, etc is a red herring. Its the fact that rents are so bloody high that we have bugger all left to buy anything else.
Why do they refuse to move to the suburbs – I’m in Mt Albert and pay only a little more than that for a nice two bedroom unit with a pool, gym etc in the complex.
Studying is bloody expensive and youre always poor. I was lucky that the qualification I’ve got I was able to gain at the local poly, so I could live with the parents while I was studying. Since then they chopped a lot of qualifications offered there so many young people have to move to another city into these situation.
It seems to be that the least financially hard way to ‘upskill’ is to study part time while working.
Tertiary education needs a huge shakeup in this country.
“Tertiary education needs a huge shakeup in this country.”
Same theme, the haves and the have nots. We know who the haves are.
Students have it so hard today due to constant limitations e.g. rising fees, cost of housing, limiting of courses, no job security when the qualification/degree is gained.
” no job security when the qualification/degree is gained”
Took me 2 years to find a job after I got my degree in IT. I was overqualified for non-IT jobs and underqualified for the IT jobs currently going.
In all honesty sometimes I wonder if my qualification needed to be at a degree level and whether a simple 1-2 year certificate or diploma would have been sufficent.
“If the minimum wage is raised, some workers will be laid off and prices will go up. End of story.”
“He may be mocked as Mr Smile and Wave, but doing that and carrying on as normal is not so different to the Keep Calm and Carry On exhortation during World War II.”
Yes John Key does remind one of Churchill in his efficacy. Thanks Kerre.
and for John Armstrong:
“Phil Goff, at least, showed some restraint in delaying his visit. He then blew it by calling for a moratorium on new deep-sea oil drilling until suitable environmental safeguards are in place. ”
So we handle an oil spill extremely badly, the population as a whole is rather worried about how we would respond to a much larger oil spill and yet somehow the opposition opposing a controversial and unpopular policy is in Armstrong’s words:
Im bloody over that tart. Its always those who are rolling in cash who think those at the bottom end of society are getting too much.
Same as above, it is always those who have spent their working lives in offices pushing pens and shuffling paper who think that the superannuation age should be lifted.
“Same as above, it is always those who have spent their working lives in offices pushing pens and shuffling paper who think that the superannuation age should be lifted.”
My father retired at 60, when that was the age. He’d worked for 46 years, mostly in factories. If he had worked until 65, let alone 67, I doubt whether he would have made it to 76 (when he died – of asbestos related cancer).
I’m always grateful that he had at least a reasonable number of years at the end of his life when he didn’t have to wake up at 5:15am to get to work for the 12 hour 6am shift.
Why of all the Social Welfare measures adopted around the world since the 1800s was the first and the oldest reform always the pension?
What working person hasn’t witnessed an older, once leading, and respected worker being humbled as they fall behind, affected by the afflictions of long-sighted-ness, bad backs and all the other ailments that begin past the age of 40 and accumulate past the age of 50.
Past the age of 60 this humiliation becomes unbearable for other workers to witness.
That is why cutting the pension, or raising the age entitlement is the third rail of Welfare Reform.
Any political party, and I mean ANY PARTY that dares to touch this issue will be severely burned.
Yes, I picked up on that newsense. Talk about double standards! Does Armstrong ever read what he has said in the past? Apparently not because he contradicts himself time and again. I’m actually of the view that he tries to appear ‘neutral’ while surreptitiously pushing the Nat. line as hard as he dares. In other words the subliminal message to the sheeples is “vote National”.
No power to cafes/bars in Kingsland. Four hours before someone says “I think we should get a generator in”
Once again NZ doesn’t have the capacity to react to emergencies and make command decisions or sort out the priorities.
Businesses, tourists, fans need power – bugger where the problem is, we can have one team continuing to work on that – but in the meantime get that generator on the move and get these people hooked up with 90 mins.
New development on the Rena incident….
with the new spill in oil today MNZ are deploying heavy duty booms that can “work in strong currents” and a skimmer that can collect the oil.
So, are they telling us that booms (of the right type) can be deployed in open seas? That oil can be corralled and then collected at sea?
Hmmm.
I thought that the government said such things weren’t possible.
I thought they said that once the ship hit the rocks there was nothing we could do about it.
I though they said that we had to wait until it washed ashore and then collect it.
Surely our government hasn’t lied to us? *lip quiver*
They wouldn’t do that to us would they? *sniff*
I don’t find the lies so hurtful as the fact that they can’t go a month without contradicting themselves, and I don’t find that as sad as the fact that the media almost never notice.
TV3 News didn’t say so. They just glossed over it as though there was no greater story there. I know where they should have got them – from their own emergency equipment storage facility and they should have got it on day one.
How do you topple a tyrant or popularize a foreign cuisine? According to a recent study in the journal Physical Review E, mobilizing an unyielding minority of 10 percent may be enough.
The human rights group reports that in the five years preceding the Arab spring $2.4bn worth of small arms, tear gas, armoured vehicles and other security equipment was sold to five specified countries that have faced or are facing popular uprisings – Bahrain, Egypt, Libya, Syria and Yemen.
And these sales were committed by at least 20 governments including Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, the UK and the US.
Of course it’s business before human rights – can’t make a profit if you go around around standing up for peoples rights. If you did that, they may not fight and then wouldn’t need the weapons.
Ritchie created the C programming language, and together with Ken Thompson, designed the UNIX operating system without either of which you wouldn’t be able to name that other charismatic pioneer so much in the news lately.
Ah well, they come and go. Good legacy left though.
… great result tonight from an enthralling game – and France were not walkovers at all.
(Anyone prepared to open a book on a call for the All Black flag to be adopted as our national flag.) – I give it less than two days to become a national discussion point – hope I’m wrong.
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A new report warns an estimated third of the adult population have unmet need for health care.Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāHere’s the six key things I learned about Aotaroa’s political economy this week around housing, climate and poverty:Politics - Three opinion polls confirmed support for PM Christopher Luxon ...
Today is May the fourth. Which was just a regular day when my mother took me to see the newly released Star Wars at the Odeon in Rotorua. The queue was right around the corner. Some years later this day became known as Star Wars Day, the date being a ...
Buzz from the Beehive Much more media attention is being paid to something Winston Peters said about former Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr than to a speech he delivered to the New Zealand China Council. One word is missing from the speech: AUKUS. But AUKUS loomed large in his considerations ...
Is the economy in another long stagnation? If so, why?This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be ...
The annual list of who's been bribing our politicians is out, and journalists will no doubt be poring over it to find the juiciest and dirtiest bribes. The government's fast-track invite list is likely to be a particular focus, and we already know of one company on the list which ...
In the weeks after the October 7 Hamas attacks on Southern Israel I wrote about the possible 2nd, 3rd and even 4th order effects of the conflict. These included new fronts being opened in the West Bank (with Hamas), Golan … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – It is one of the oldest truisms that there is never a good time for MPs to get a pay rise. This week’s announcement of pay raises of around 2.8% backdated to last October could hardly have come at a worse time, with the ...
David Farrar writes – Newshub reports: Newshub can reveal a fresh allegation of intimidation against Green MP Julie-Anne Genter. Genter is subject to a disciplinary process for aggressively waving a book in the face of National Minister Matt Doocey in the House – but it’s not the first time ...
The Treasury has published a paper today on the global productivity slowdown and how it is playing out in New Zealand: The productivity slowdown: implications for the Treasury’s forecasts and projections. The Treasury Paper examines recent trends in productivity and the potential drivers of the slowdown. Productivity for the whole economy ...
Winston Peters’ comments about former Australian foreign minister look set to be an ongoing headache for both him and Luxon. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for subscribers features co-hosts and , along with regular guests on Gaza and ...
These puppet strings don't pull themselvesYou're thinking thoughts from someone elseHow much time do you think you have?Are you prepared for what comes next?The debating chamber can be a trying place for an opposition MP. What with the person in charge, the speaker, typically being an MP from the governing ...
The land around Lyme Regis, where Meryl Streep once stood, in a hood, on the Cobb, is falling into the sea.MerylThe land around Lyme Regis, around the Cobb that made it rich, has always been falling slowly but surely into the sea. Read more ...
Buzz from the Beehive Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters was bound to win headlines when he set out his thinking about AUKUS in his speech to the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. The headlines became bigger when – during an interview on RNZ’s Morning Report today – he criticised ...
The Post reports on how the government is refusing to release its advice on its corrupt Muldoonist fast-track law, instead using the "soon to be publicly available" refusal ground to hide it until after select committee submissions on the bill have closed. Fast-track Minister Chris Bishop's excuse? “It's not ...
As pressure on it grows, the livestock industry’s approach to the transition to Net Zero is increasingly being compared to that of fossil fuel interests. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / Getty ImagesTL;DR: Here’s the top five news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above ...
The New Zealand Herald reports – Stats NZ has offered a voluntary redundancy scheme to all of its workers as a way to give staff some control over their “future” amidst widespread job losses in the public sector. In an update to staff this morning, seen by the Herald, Statistics New Zealand ...
On Werewolf/Scoop, I usually do two long form political columns a week. From now on, there will be an extra column each week about music and movies. But first, some late-breaking political events:The rise in unemployment numbers for the March quarter was bigger than expected – and especially sharp ...
David Farrar writes – The Herald reports: TVNZ says it is dealing with about 50 formal complaints over its coverage of the latest 1News-Verian political poll, with some viewers – as well as the Prime Minister and a former senior Labour MP – critical of the tone of the 6pm report. ...
Muriel Newman writes – When Meridian Energy was seeking resource consents for a West Coast hydro dam proposal in 2010, local Maori “strenuously” objected, claiming their mana was inextricably linked to ‘their’ river and could be damaged. After receiving a financial payment from the company, however, the Ngai Tahu ...
Alwyn Poole writes – “An SEP,’ he said, ‘is something that we can’t see, or don’t see, or our brain doesn’t let us see, because we think that it’s somebody else’s problem. That’s what SEP means. Somebody Else’s Problem. The brain just edits it out, it’s like a ...
Our trust in our political institutions is fast eroding, according to a Maxim Institute discussion paper, Shaky Foundations: Why our democracy needs trust. The paper – released today – raises concerns about declining trust in New Zealand’s political institutions and democratic processes, and the role that the overuse of Parliamentary urgency ...
This article was prepared for publication yesterday. More ministerial announcements have been posted on the government’s official website since it was written. We will report on these later today …. Buzz from the BeehiveThere we were, thinking the environment is in trouble, when along came Jones. Shane Jones. ...
New Zealand now has the fourth most depressed construction sector in the world behind China, Qatar and Hong Kong. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 8:46am on Thursday, May 2:The Lead: ...
Hi,I am just going to state something very obvious: American police are fucking crazy.That was a photo gracing the New York Times this morning, showing New York City police “entering Columbia University last night after receiving a request from the school.”Apparently in America, protesting the deaths of tens of thousands ...
Winston Peters’ much anticipated foreign policy speech last night was a work of two halves. Much of it was a standard “boilerplate” Foreign Ministry overview of the state of the world. There was some hardening up of rhetoric with talk of “benign” becoming “malign” and old truths giving way to ...
Graham Adams assesses the fallout of the Cass Review — The press release last Thursday from the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls didn’t make the mainstream news in New Zealand but it really should have. The startling title of Reem Alsalem’s statement — “Implementation of ‘Cass ...
This open-for-business, under-new-management cliché-pockmarked government of Christopher Luxon is not the thing of beauty he imagines it to be. It is not the powerful expression of the will of the people that he asserts it to be. It is not a soaring eagle, it is a malodorous vulture. This newest poll should make ...
The latest labour market statistics, showing a rise in unemployment. There are now 134,000 unemployed - 14,000 more than when the National government took office. Which is I guess what happens when the Reserve Bank causes a recession in an effort to Keep Wages Low. The previous government saw a ...
Three opinion polls have been released in the last two days, all showing that the new government is failing to hold their popular support. The usual honeymoon experienced during the first year of a first term government is entirely absent. The political mood is still gloomy and discontented, mainly due ...
National's Finance Minister once met a poor person.A scornful interview with National's finance guru who knows next to nothing about economics or people.There might have been something a bit familiar if that was the headline I’d gone with today. It would of course have been in tribute to the article ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – Throughout the pandemic, the new Vice-Chancellor-of-Otago-University-on-$629,000 per annum-Can-you-believe-it-and-Former-Finance-Minister Grant Robertson repeated the mantra over and over that he saved “lives and livelihoods”.As we update how this claim is faring over the course of time, the facts are increasingly speaking differently. NZ ...
Chris Trotter writes – IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in acknowledgement of electoral victory: “We’ll govern for all New Zealanders.” On the face of it, the pledge is a strange one. Why would any political leader govern in ways that advantaged the huge ...
Bryce Edwards writes – The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill ...
TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 10:06am on Wednesday, May 1:The Lead: Business confidence fell across the board in April, falling in some areas to levels last seen during the lockdowns because of a collapse in ...
Over the past 36 hours, Christopher Luxon has been dong his best to portray the centre-right’s plummeting poll numbers as a mark of virtue. Allegedly, the negative verdicts are the result of hard economic times, and of a government bravely set out on a perilous rescue mission from which not ...
Green Party MP Hūhana Lyndon says her Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill is an opportunity to right some past wrongs around the alienation of Māori land. ...
A senior, highly respected King’s Counsel with decades of experience in our law courts, Gary Judd KC, has filed a complaint about compulsory tikanga Māori studies for law students - highlighting the utter depths of absurdity this woke cultural madness has taken our society. The tikanga regulations will compel law ...
The Government needs to be clear with the people of the Nelson Marlborough region about the changes it is considering for the Nelson Hospital rebuild, Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said. ...
Ministers must front up about which projects it will push through under its Fast Track Approvals legislation, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
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. ...
It is a pleasure to be speaking to you as the Minister for Digitising Government. I would like to thank Akolade for the invitation to address this Summit, and to acknowledge the great effort you are making to grow New Zealand’s digital future. Today, we stand at the cusp of ...
New Zealand is urging both Israel and Hamas to agree to an immediate ceasefire to avoid the further humanitarian catastrophe that military action in Rafah would unleash, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The immense suffering in Gaza cannot be allowed to worsen further. Both sides have a responsibility to ...
A new online data dashboard released today as part of the Government’s school attendance action plan makes more timely daily attendance data available to the public and parents, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. The interactive dashboard will be updated once a week to show a national average of how ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced Rosemary Banks will be New Zealand’s next Ambassador to the United States of America. “Our relationship with the United States is crucial for New Zealand in strategic, security and economic terms,” Mr Peters says. “New Zealand and the United States have a ...
The Government is considering creating a new tier of minerals permitting that will make it easier for hobby miners to prospect for gold. “New Zealand was built on gold, it’s in our DNA. Our gold deposits, particularly in regions such as Otago and the West Coast have always attracted fortune-hunters. ...
Minister for Trade Todd McClay today announced that New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will commence negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA). Minister McClay met with his counterpart UAE Trade Minister Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi in Dubai, where they announced the launch of negotiations on a ...
New Zealand Sign Language Week is an excellent opportunity for all Kiwis to give the language a go, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. This week (May 6 to 12) is New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) Week. The theme is “an Aotearoa where anyone can sign anywhere” and aims to ...
Six tertiary students have been selected to work on NASA projects in the US through a New Zealand Space Scholarship, Space Minister Judith Collins announced today. “This is a fantastic opportunity for these talented students. They will undertake internships at NASA’s Ames Research Center or its Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), where ...
New Zealanders will be safer because of a $1.9 billion investment in more frontline Corrections officers, more support for offenders to turn away from crime, and more prison capacity, Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell says. “Our Government said we would crack down on crime. We promised to restore law and order, ...
The OECD’s latest report on New Zealand reinforces the importance of bringing Government spending under control, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The OECD conducts country surveys every two years to review its members’ economic policies. The 2024 New Zealand survey was presented in Wellington today by OECD Chief Economist Clare Lombardelli. ...
The Government has delivered on its election promise to provide a financially sustainable model for Auckland under its Local Water Done Well plan. The plan, which has been unanimously endorsed by Auckland Council’s Governing Body, will see Aucklanders avoid the previously projected 25.8 per cent water rates increases while retaining ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters discussed the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and enhanced cooperation in the Pacific with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during her first official visit to New Zealand today. "New Zealand and Germany enjoy shared interests and values, including the rule of law, democracy, respect for the international system ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop today released his decision on four recommendations referred to him by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, opening the door to housing growth in the area. The Council’s Plan Change 92 allows more homes to be built in existing and new ...
Thank you, John McKinnon and the New Zealand China Council for the invitation to speak to you today. Thank you too, all members of the China Council. Your effort has played an essential role in helping to build, shape, and grow a balanced and resilient relationship between our two ...
The Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...
The coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says. “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...
Structured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...
The rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...
The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure. The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
The Government and Rotorua Lakes Council are committed to working closely together to end the use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua. Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) Tama Potaka says the Government remains committed to ending the long-term use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua by the ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. “I’m putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...
The new NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) App is a secure ‘one stop shop’ to provide the services drivers need, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Digitising Government Minister Judith Collins say. “The NZTA App will enable an easier way for Kiwis to pay for Vehicle Registration and Road User Charges (RUC). ...
Whānau with tamariki growing up in emergency housing motels will be prioritised for social housing starting this week, says Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka. “Giving these whānau a better opportunity to build healthy stable lives for themselves and future generations is an essential part of the Government’s goal of reducing ...
Racing Minister Winston Peters has paid tribute to an icon of the industry with the recent passing of Dave O’Sullivan (OBE). “Our sympathies are with the O’Sullivan family with the sad news of Dave O’Sullivan’s recent passing,” Mr Peters says. “His contribution to racing, initially as a jockey and then ...
Assalaamu alaikum, greetings to you all. Eid Mubarak, everyone! I want to extend my warmest wishes to you and everyone celebrating this joyous occasion. It is a pleasure to be here. I have enjoyed Eid celebrations at Parliament before, but this is my first time joining you as the Minister ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced Pharmac’s largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff. “Access to medicines is a crucial part of many Kiwis’ lives. We’ve committed to a budget allocation of $1.774 billion over four years so Kiwis are ...
Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Vanita Yadav, Senior Research Fellow, Urban Transformations Research Centre, Western Sydney University Brett Boardman/Belvoir The complex and grappling issue of violence against women takes centre stage in the soul-stirring solo dance drama Nayika: A Dancing Girl. During a dinner conversation ...
Disruption to patient care from a nationwide junior doctors strike is bordering on unsafe, a senior doctor claims, despite what health officials say. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Diepstraten, Senior Research Officer, Blood Cells and Blood Cancer Division, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute Ground Picture/Shutterstock The anti-cancer drug abemaciclib (also known as Vernezio) has this month been added to the Australian Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) to treat certain ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dominic McAfee, Postdoctoral researcher, marine ecology, University of Adelaide Robbie Porter, OzFish Unlimited Around Australia, hundreds of people are coming together to help a once-prized, but decimated and largely forgotten marine ecosystem. They’re busy restoring Australia’s native oyster and mussel reefs. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sara Webb, Lecturer, Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University of Technology Austin Human/Unsplash How does Earth stop meteors from hitting Earth and hurting people? –Asher, 6 years 11 months, New South Wales Alright, let’s embark on a meteor ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rory Mulcahy, Associate Professor of Marketing, University of the Sunshine Coast Professional sports organisations regularly promote and develop initiatives to support diversity, equity and inclusion. While sport has the power to change attitudes by sparking conversations about political issues and social ...
Comment: The weekly Monday post-Cabinet press conference is a useful forum for observing Christopher Luxon and how he is developing into the job of Prime Minister. He attempts to convey the impression of a man of action, speaking fast, delivering memorised National Party strategies in a connect-the-slogans kind of way, ...
Double votes, missing ballot boxes, tired tech and stressed staff: how tick-tallying went astray at last year’s election. Cast your mind back to November 2023, that bleary-eyed post-election period duringwhichwewaited, andwaited, for a coalition deal to be hammered out. A distraction from the hotel-hopping of our ...
International audiences are starting to discover what New Zealand already knew about After the Party.When After the Party aired in New Zealand last year, the response was fast and furious. In his preview for Rec Room, Duncan Greive said it was a “gritty, wrenching and highly confronting” series. By ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Shahram Akbarzadeh, Convenor of the Middle East Studies Forum (MESF), and Acting Director the Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University Iran’s leadership has been a direct beneficiary of the months-long war in Gaza. With every missile that Israel fires ...
Claire Mabey reviews the haunting and sexy debut novel from Sinéad Gleeson, who is about to touch down in Aotearoa for a string of live events.When Irish writer Sinéad Gleeson was in Aotearoa in 2018 with her spectacular collection of essays, Constellations, she told me she was working on ...
PNG Post-Courier Bougainville Affairs Minister Manasseh Makiba has described the Post-Courier’s front page story yesterday regarding a meeting between Bougainville and national government leaders as “sensationalised” and without substance. The Autonomous Bougainville Government (AGB) had warned it might use “other avenues to gain its independence” should the PNG government “continue ...
Where some saw the worst press conference given by the government to date, Anna Rawhiti-Connell recognised girl maths game.Nicola Willis, recently exasperated by comparisons to Ruth Richardson, said she was “a bit sick of being compared with every female finance minister that’s ever been out there.”Some think that’s ...
The March results are reported against forecasts based on the Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update 2023 (HYEFU 2023), published on 20 December 2023 and the results for the same period for the previous year. ...
Jamie Arbuckle, the district councillor who became an MP but decided to keep getting paid for both roles, will instead donate one salary to charity. ...
Adding gender to the Human Rights Act would simply make the implicit explicit. So why is it so controversial? Paul Thistoll explain. At present, Aotearoa’s 1993 Human Rights Act (HRA) includes sex, marital status, religious belief, ethical belief (meaning a lack of religious belief), colour, race, ethnicity or national origin, ...
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, an 18-year-old who’s studying and working in hospo shares their approach to spending and saving. Want to be part of The Cost of Being? Fill out the questionnaire here.Gender: Transmasc Age: 18 Ethnicity: Pākehā/Māori Role: Student, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jane Kelsey, Emeritus Professor of Law, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Getty Images Resources Minister Shane Jones has reportedly asked officials for advice on whether oil and gas companies could be offered “bonds” as compensation if drilling rights offered by ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Gleeson, Associate Professor of Law, Macquarie University Shutterstock The Albanese government is weighing up the costs of delivering an election promise to protect religious people from discrimination in Commonwealth law. Such protections were relatively uncontroversial when included in state anti-discrimination ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Yen Ying Lim, Associate Professor, Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Monash University Pexels/Andrea Piacquadio Dementia is often described as “the long goodbye”. Although the person is still alive, dementia slowly and irreversibly chips away at their memories and the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Judy Bush, Senior Lecturer in Urban Planning, The University of Melbourne Adam Calaitzis/Shutterstock I met with a friend for a walk beside Merri Creek, in inner Melbourne. She had lived in the area for a few years, and as we walked ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Throsby, Distinguished Professor of Economics, Macquarie University Arts companies and individual artists in Australia are supported by government arts agencies, philanthropists, industry bodies, private donors and patrons. However, it is frequently overlooked that a major source of support for the arts ...
Harm Reduction Coalition Aotearoa, a new incorporated society dedicated to ending harmful drug policies, officially launched today, seeks a new fit-for-purpose drug law for Aotearoa New Zealand, rooted in science, experience and evidence. ...
The Corrections Minister admits he "muddied the water" after he and the Prime Minister repeatedly provided incorrect information about a $1.9 billion prison spend-up. ...
It took a post-post-cabinet statement to confirm that 810 new beds will be built at Waikeria, writes Stewart Sowman-Lund in this extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...
Lili Tokaduadua was only 15 when she left her family in Fiji to pursue her netball dream in New Zealand. She’d been playing the sport for 10 years and was offered a netball scholarship at Auckland’s Howick College. Now, in her first year out of high school, the 19-year-old defender ...
The beloved local grocers lost a legal challenge to stop a new cycleway outside their store. Joel MacManus reports. In the annals of New Zealand legal history, there are a few brave people who have dared to stand up to the powers that be, no matter how bleak the odds ...
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Going viral and very funny…
But is it satire? It wou
Hoots!
Those eyes just freak me out!
That is soooo gooood!!
This guy is unreal. Monckton’s ancestors were ‘famous’ pornographers in Britain’s Victorian era.
Thanks Bernard Hickey, great summary of advice to follow….if only….
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=10761003
Do have a nice day and of course ‘Go the All Blacks! ‘ and then hopefully this country can enter some serious political debate! I live in hope!
A good list. Now if you added to it a policy of not selling land to overseas owners and Gareth Morgan’s Big Kahuna tax proposal I’d vote for it.
If you then added in a solid streak of Green energy and sustainable agriculture … I’d line up to have it’s babies.
lololololol
mmmmm……I’d keep your knees together a while longer, Red, or at least insist on withdrawl – that big Kahuna might look irresistable after a couple of drinks, but reduced WFF and DPB will be one heck of a hangover….
Yum.. true. But both niggles could be addressed with a return to a modest Universal Child Allowance.
I see Bernard is being more circumspect about it now.
But his #8 really means “get rid of interest free student loans and working for families”. These are two policies he seems particularly offended by and has been bleating about them for years.
Yeah, I dont know how he expects people to pay their rent,etc when they lose their WFF, but I guess when you are rolling in it, you dont worry about those things.
I noticed that he wants the super age raised to 67. Which will be a kick in the teeth for those who have slogged their guts for 40-50 years doing manual work and then to find that they have to wait two more years to qualify for national super so they can retire at last.
I have noticed that those who wish to see the national super age raised are those who have spent all their working lives sitting on their asses in an office and eating chocolate.
Why can’t NS just be income tested? Not means tested bu INCOME tested.
It seems to be a foreign concept to a lot of people.
Why should people claim NS if they’re already earning 50k+ per year?
Why do people always expect an export led recovery to more growth to work?
We have limited resources so why are politicians and economists so enthusiastic about using them up as fast as possible? Do they want our children and grand-children to have nothing?
Is it really that important to force most people to work so that a few can have more
nothingmoney in the bank?Can we please start asking two questions:
1.) What is the economy?
2.) What is it that we want the economy to do?
I have a couple of answers:
1.) The economy is the environment
2.) To support our society in such a way so that everyone has a reasonable living standard without destroying the environment.
Unfortunately our “economists” and politicians believe that the economy is money and that it’s purpose is to make a few people rich and everybody else poor.
Election campaign needs a song
here is a starter. someone can improve it.
Smile and wave
Smile and wave
When the country’s problems are so grave
The economy’s in a stew, somehow we’ll muddle through
It’ll be all right if I smile and wave.
Tax cuts will make the country grow
Cut public staff to pay the way
If the unemployment rate gets high
Everyone can work on the cycleway
Australia equality’s our goal
How to increase our growth at all?
We’ll cut taxes and wages here
We’ll catch up if they follow us and fall
better then the gambler i guess
Smile and wave
Smile and wave
When the country’s problems are so grave
The economy’s in a stew, somehow we’ll muddle through
It’ll be all right if I smile and wave.
Tax cuts will make the country grow
Or maybe just our debt will blow
Cut public staff to pay the way
Though unemployment ranks are raised
Everyone can work on my cycleway
Smile and wave
Smile and wave
Australia equality’s our goal
How to increase our growth at all?
We’ll cut taxes, jobs and wages here
Sell our best assets all offshore
Perhaps we’ll catch up if they fall
NZ’s example is green and rich
The Ireland of the South Pacific
We’ll soon be a world financial hub
Yet another throw away line thats flubbed
The bankers now own the Irish blood
More downgrades and we’re in the bailout club
Smile and wave
Smile and Wave
Aren’t you getting bored?
Not just photo ops, it takes work to do the PM’s job
The criticisms are tiring, everyone’s got a beef
Last thing you need is a bloody ship on a reef.
Woodham pretends she isn’t shilling for Key. http://m.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=10761026
Her logic is that we’ve had big disasters and Key handled them well. But he hasn’t and the economy is crap. There is zero analysis in this piece. It reads like a National party press release. And she’s hinting Key might last to a third term? Who pays her to write this simplistic shit?
Kerry’s Key Fantasy
It’s pure Sunday morning leave-brain-on the shelf polemic. Kerry Woodham can do better work than this…
I seriously doubt that Baron.
Indeed, she’s had plenty of time to prove her alleged abilities.
Not according to the Horizon poll. Which I suspect is the poll that has her so upset that she’s spouting about how great Jonkey and NACT are.
Exactly. Their assured victory is looking less assured so the memo went out: say that Key’s had a lot to deal with and yeah he’s not perfect but he tries so hard and he’s a nice guy…
Is qu & a just going to be about the RWC, today?
*yawn*. Have sound on mute. Of course the ABs will win. Now let’s get on to politics.
I’m the same with the newspapers Carol. First thing today was nothing but RWC. I was over it weeks ago.
Oh and vive la France!
Helen Clark – the prime minister we can thank for NZ winning the RWC staging rights – was only mentioned once on Q&A this morning. During a short segment at the end of the programme with Auck. Central’s Jacinda Ardern and Nikki Kaye, some political analyst (not Jon Johannson) made the comment that in 2008 he thought Judith Tizard was tainted by her association with Helen Clark and that is why she lost the seat to Nikki Kaye.
No response from anyone. I’m disgusted and am thinking I will not bother to watch tonight.
Vive la France from me too!
Actually, I’m also getting a little fed up with how late the games are. I may just record it. I nod off and wake early these days. Nodded off a couple of times during the Wales – Aussie match.
Thats what you get with the TV networks in charge. TV snaps its fingers, rugby dances. Night games have ruined rugby as a spectacle.
Anyway, come 11pm tonight, we wont be hearing about rugby till Feb.
Go the AB’s — though I have to admit that its hard to get excited about a match that is more or less a foregone conclusion.
And if NZ win, the self congratulatory wankfest could last about 2 weeks.
If NZ lose I figure it will be all over, bar the die hard rugby channel post mortem bullshite.
Et moi aussi!… I keep hearing that if the All Blacks win, so will NACT, and we don’t want that by any means!
As an alternative to the OWS vagueness, here’s a real occupation.
horizon poll relese 22/10/2011
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1110/S00384/horizon-poll-a-close-election-result.htm
Not the forgone conclusion that National has been relying on.
I wonder how dirty they are going to get when threatened – more throat slashing gestures? More blame shift?ing More tanties from Key?
I think we have “game on”!
Watch the dirty tricks come thick and fast… the rumours… innuendo… claims of electoral fraud and related activity… suggestions of social (throw sex in there too) deviation… you name it, it’ll be on the Nat’s agenda!
Not just Nat’s agenda
Rumours of social (an sexual) deviation – have the rumours about a prominent MP hopeful who had an affair with a drug addict going to suddenly go away?
Claims of electoral fraud and related activity – just two days ago David Parker posted on Kiwiblog implying that the Sensible Sentencing Trust had brought David Garrett a place on Act’s list, which as far as I am aware has been shown to be completely false given the SST has never given any money to Act.
I’m not trying in anyway to imply that National are squeaky clean, quite the opposite but don’t pretend like it’s a game that only right wing parties play.
On a different note I’ve noticed a lot of posts on here recently about the disappearance of Act, which is fair enough given how they are polling.
However polls like this (not withstanding other rumours etc.) would suggest that Act will get back in through Epsom, as I seem to remember an earlier poll in Epsom saying that many of the people who planned to vote National would vote for the Act candidate if they perceived that National needed them.
I’m not trying in anyway to imply that National are squeaky clean, quite the opposite but don’t pretend like it’s a game that only right wing parties play.
I’ve been following the ‘political game’ for 35 years, and I can tell you the left-wing parties are as pure as fresh snow when compared to activites of right-wing parties and some of their vassals. I know of things that happened in the past (much of it before the 90s decade) which would cause a few individuals heart palpitations if they thought any of it was to see the light of day. I doubt if there is anyone in the Labour Party who knows the whole story.
Oh and the story re David Garrett will certainly be true. There’s more than one way to donate to political parties when you don’t donate to political parties. Secret Trusts anyone?
Ok well if you said it must be true then? It sure seems like you don’t have any proof and are just assuming that is what happened.
I have no doubt that many right wing parties have done many things that they do not want to see the light of day, but to be honest if you think Labour are pure as fresh snow you are definitely looking through red tinted glasses.
To be honest I’m sure that there are some parties which probably don’t have anything that bad too hide and those parties are more likely to be left wing (the Greens are one), however that does not mean that left wing parties are pure as fresh snow and all right wing parties are corrupt.
if you think Labour are pure as fresh snow you are definitely looking through red tinted glasses.
Your ability to read properly is lacking Chris. The clue is when compared to activities of right wing parties… Get it now?
I get it I just have a problem with people saying Labour are as pure as fresh snow because they are comparing their current activities to the activities of right wing parties in the 80s.
There’s no difference between the antics of the ring-wing parties of the 1980s and today – they’re always despicable.
You have a problem full stop Chris because your cognitive abilities are rather poor. Who said the ‘activities’ were confined to the 80s? Some were… some were after the 80s. The link between them is they involved the same handful of people.
Ok well if you said it must be true then?
Is that the Labour way? Charles Chauvel said he could prove a claiom in Red Alert recently, when I asked hime for the proof he said it was because he was “a good judge of character”. I know how to judge his character now.
Yep, anything and everything that they can think of will be thrown at the opposition parties over the next week all the while blaming the opposition parties for fighting dirty.
Pete, if you’re going to be shilling for Dunne be honest and not this bs paasive aggressive crap. Dunne is done and should be.
Slightly related to rugby much wider:
so pete you agree with the position outlined in the article that,
“There has been a push to portray the differences between men and women as social convention rather than hard-wired biology.
According to this world view, women should compete with men for power, and not need their love.
Men tend to want power and women tend to want love
A man feels good about himself when he does good things. A woman does good things when she feels good about herself.
When a woman feels great she is compassionate, graceful, empathetic, nurturing, modest, creative, flexible, gentle . . . feminine.
The Ministry of Women’s Affairs advocates for it and women’s studies departments at most universities supply the indoctrinated staff.
It promotes the message that women should embrace assertiveness, compete with men and be protected from them.
The philosophy is called feminism but it would be more accurately called “femasculinism”, because really it is a rejection of femininity.
We believe the $5 million a year Ministry of Women’s Affairs should become the “Ministry of Gender Affairs” and address the unique needs of both women and men, rather than trying to socially engineer away biology.”
Oh dear, someone’s been reading Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus again.
/facepalm
The stupid, it burns.
In the last couple of decades there’s been plenty of solid research, which is nicely summarised in Delusions of Gender that throws biological determinism/hardwiring out the window when in comes to everything bar gender identity and sexual orientation.
And to be really blunt – gender roles are cultural constructs, not biological determined.*
Aside from the whole pregnancy and breast-feeding thing, of which breast-feeding is not really a requirement thanks to formula if there’s issues, and due to the joys of biology with a few hormones you can get guys to express milk.
For Mad Science purposes. Of course.
____________________________________
*gender roles are not gender identity per the evidence from transsexuals and people born with ambiguous genitalia who were forced into a particular gender based on surgeons + parents decisions.
Hang it all, I agree with some of that! But on balance, only this ..
After being ferociously attacked on another thread for disagreeing with Mr Man, I don’t feel any of the above right now, however..
http://market-ticker.org/akcs-www?post=196348
It’s July 2008. You are a “TBTF” bank CEO. You’ve been running a 30 year ponzi scheme using ever-increasing amounts of debt while GDP has languished in roughly the same place for the last two decades in terms of numerical growth. In the 3rd Quarter of 2007, when the S&P 500 hits 1576 and the DOW tops, the economy put about six times the amount of debt into the system as there was GDP growth, and at that point GDP had started to roll over. It had an obvious geometric progression look to it but only a few people in the blogosphere had been hollering about it. You wondered how much longer it was going to be before the people woke up.
To truly bring fairness back to employment we need a strong Green influence:
http://localbodies-bsprout.blogspot.com/2011/10/industrial-relations-good-faith.html
Looking forward to end of RWC so that we can see Labour’s Policy being released. Appreciate you cannot compete against RWC so “Way Go Labour” from say Wednesday. Let’s know how you can assess the next 3 years/6 years (including 2014 win). Don’t copy the Greens – they are loving the limelight currently with a possibility of 15 seats. Let’s have the Labour alternative to Labour seats away from Greens (though they will be a good coalition party after 2014). Meld labour Policy with Greens not separately and we are on to a winner. Turning Left will not help.
So, you think a supposedly left-wing party shouldn’t actually be a left-wing party?
This morning on Radio NZ just after 11 am austerity measures (which will occur for months – years) in Greece were reported as increasing suicide.
40% increase in reported suicide in a twelve month period.
Twice as many calls to crisis helplines due to the strain and anguish of the economy.
Payments can be deferred for months re business but eventually the cracks open up.
Nearly 17% unemployment.
I have not caught up with the European Euro Bank and IMF meeting because if Greece is not loaned 8,000,000,000 euros they cannot pay pensions in mid November.
I explained to a person the other day how governments are bailing out banks and that banks will foreclose on the family home rather than assist the home owner. A man on after 11 am this morning said that governments need to bail out home owners before the banks.
There were other interesting interviews in that post-11am slot (called ‘Ideas’, I think). It was all about the movements this year opposing capitalism and for democracy.
There was a good report on protestors from Tunisia, Israel, Chile and Wellington. The Tunisian and Israeli woman interviewed were particularly interesting. The report came later in the hour.
The audio is here (about 52mins) here
One particularly interesting comment from the Israeli woman (in response to the comment that the protestors appear to have about 90% support in the population) is that everyone from the religious Jews to Arab Israelis are part of it.
When they talk to each other, they realise they all want the same thing (a home, community, stable work, etc.) and they can’t get it because of the radical new right policies – including privatisation – that are being implemented internally in Israel.
She noted that not many people outside Israel realise all the internal tensions and think that Israel’s only problem is the ‘Israeli-Palestinian’ issue.
I did hear this interview and noted how stressful life was due to internal politics.
Labour’s water policy comes out tomorrow — apparently it will feature charging farmers for water taken for irrigation. I find it very interesting that farmers seem to have no problem for paying for electricity, but when it comes to water, they expect it to be free.
Students sharing beds to save cash
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10761063
I keep harping on how there is a housing crisis as housing is unaffordable.
Well, back in my student days in the early 70s I shared a bedroom with another student for a few months. I knew a couple of (straight) male students who also shared a bedroom for a lot longer than that.
Cost of a room has gone up $50 a week in the last six months. Today students have to pay fees.
I think in 1973 the European Economic Community said NO to our lamb exports and the oil shock.
Do you think times are much harder for students today?
Actually, yes do think things are much harder for students today, but I’m not sure whether sharing a bedroom is that much of a sign of how much harder it is.
I would like to see some research done into the cost of housing for students in Dunedin and Auckland when it comes to affordability and choice. Wellington has a good transport system and the city is more compact. Christchurch is different again due to housing being a problem not just for students in particular.
There is a real housing crisis in Auckland which will not go away until the housing shortage is addressed properley. Heatley (if returned) will ruin HNZ.
Dunedin:
I think the inner circle (4 blocks from campus) goes for 100-150p.w. plus expenses, maybea bit more (I gave up looking in that area over a decade ago). $80-odd p.w. for a room a distance from campus, but that involves $30p.w. on public transport or getting reamed for parking.
I think student loan “living costs” are still around $170 p.w.? I don’t think it’s possible to get an education these days without constant value from parents (either free board or a hundred dollars a week) or serious amounts of work, to the point it stuffs your study.
As I said before, I wouldnt recommend full time study to a school leaver anymore. I would say get a job and study part time/extramurally. I wouldnt bank on the forces anymore, given that the jobs there are slowly being outsourced and privatised.
I think it must be the future job prospects that must be most worrying to young people/students these days, compared with when I was young. This means there is much more pressure to get good grades today.
My main full time student experience was as a teachers’ college student (not a degree course in those days). Money was quite tight, but I was bonded to work for 3 years after graduation and guaranted a job.
Before doing that course, in my late teens, I was working full time and was sharing a little flat (this was the late 60s). There were weeks when we had no money for food the day before payday. We didn’t have much to spend our money on – we had no TV, just a radio, a little record player, and one landline phone between us. There wasn’t much night life in Auckland, just movies and pubs, which we spent sparingingly on. Our transport was largely motor scooters or public transport.
I had friends around that time who shared a bedroom to make it easier for them financially. But we all had jobs, albeit not well paid, and we all felt these jobs would lead to higher paid ones in the future.
In contrast, the future must be quite a worry for young people today.
$164/week for living costs, and about $190 a week for a student allowance + living costs + rent subsidy if not living with parent(s).
And yeah, it’s pretty difficult to live off that alone unless you’re flatting with communal cooking/groceries or living at home, especially if you drive or bus.
Even with flatting, it’d be pretty dodgy math.
Back in the day I was on $150/wk loans, but that was ten or fifteen years ago. There was a period i was on rice and foodbanks for a bit, but in general I lived okay – not well, but okay. Forget dignity, I just don’t see how it adds up on current prices, even according to tory slide rules.
Yeap, last time I was flatting I only had $20/week left after rent. food and bills from $150/week living costs.
Bloody depressing and without student job search I would have had “fun”.
These days I wouldn’t even dream of trying to flat in Christchurch without a part time job as the increases in food and power make it tricky to live off $164-169/week and eat properly.
I still think that that the HNZ changes are more geared towards private landlords than anything else. The only thing I can see is rents rising across the board as a result of forcing thousands of vulnerable tenants and families into insecure private rentals.
I have always belived that the price of food, veges, milk, etc is a red herring. Its the fact that rents are so bloody high that we have bugger all left to buy anything else.
But sharing beds is another thing altogether!
Why do they refuse to move to the suburbs – I’m in Mt Albert and pay only a little more than that for a nice two bedroom unit with a pool, gym etc in the complex.
For some the location is the priority due to the advantages:
No transport required.
Time is shaved by not commuting.
Some people find it cheaper to eat out and the CBD offers a better choice generally.
Studying is bloody expensive and youre always poor. I was lucky that the qualification I’ve got I was able to gain at the local poly, so I could live with the parents while I was studying. Since then they chopped a lot of qualifications offered there so many young people have to move to another city into these situation.
It seems to be that the least financially hard way to ‘upskill’ is to study part time while working.
Tertiary education needs a huge shakeup in this country.
pics or stfu
“Tertiary education needs a huge shakeup in this country.”
Same theme, the haves and the have nots. We know who the haves are.
Students have it so hard today due to constant limitations e.g. rising fees, cost of housing, limiting of courses, no job security when the qualification/degree is gained.
” no job security when the qualification/degree is gained”
Took me 2 years to find a job after I got my degree in IT. I was overqualified for non-IT jobs and underqualified for the IT jobs currently going.
In all honesty sometimes I wonder if my qualification needed to be at a degree level and whether a simple 1-2 year certificate or diploma would have been sufficent.
Ugg Kerre Woodham can be insipid at times:
“If the minimum wage is raised, some workers will be laid off and prices will go up. End of story.”
“He may be mocked as Mr Smile and Wave, but doing that and carrying on as normal is not so different to the Keep Calm and Carry On exhortation during World War II.”
Yes John Key does remind one of Churchill in his efficacy. Thanks Kerre.
and for John Armstrong:
“Phil Goff, at least, showed some restraint in delaying his visit. He then blew it by calling for a moratorium on new deep-sea oil drilling until suitable environmental safeguards are in place. ”
So we handle an oil spill extremely badly, the population as a whole is rather worried about how we would respond to a much larger oil spill and yet somehow the opposition opposing a controversial and unpopular policy is in Armstrong’s words:
“a bout of MMP politics at its worst”
Im bloody over that tart. Its always those who are rolling in cash who think those at the bottom end of society are getting too much.
Same as above, it is always those who have spent their working lives in offices pushing pens and shuffling paper who think that the superannuation age should be lifted.
Millsy said:
“Same as above, it is always those who have spent their working lives in offices pushing pens and shuffling paper who think that the superannuation age should be lifted.”
Very good point.
Agreed.
My father retired at 60, when that was the age. He’d worked for 46 years, mostly in factories. If he had worked until 65, let alone 67, I doubt whether he would have made it to 76 (when he died – of asbestos related cancer).
I’m always grateful that he had at least a reasonable number of years at the end of his life when he didn’t have to wake up at 5:15am to get to work for the 12 hour 6am shift.
Why of all the Social Welfare measures adopted around the world since the 1800s was the first and the oldest reform always the pension?
What working person hasn’t witnessed an older, once leading, and respected worker being humbled as they fall behind, affected by the afflictions of long-sighted-ness, bad backs and all the other ailments that begin past the age of 40 and accumulate past the age of 50.
Past the age of 60 this humiliation becomes unbearable for other workers to witness.
That is why cutting the pension, or raising the age entitlement is the third rail of Welfare Reform.
Any political party, and I mean ANY PARTY that dares to touch this issue will be severely burned.
Yes, I picked up on that newsense. Talk about double standards! Does Armstrong ever read what he has said in the past? Apparently not because he contradicts himself time and again. I’m actually of the view that he tries to appear ‘neutral’ while surreptitiously pushing the Nat. line as hard as he dares. In other words the subliminal message to the sheeples is “vote National”.
No power to cafes/bars in Kingsland. Four hours before someone says “I think we should get a generator in”
Once again NZ doesn’t have the capacity to react to emergencies and make command decisions or sort out the priorities.
Businesses, tourists, fans need power – bugger where the problem is, we can have one team continuing to work on that – but in the meantime get that generator on the move and get these people hooked up with 90 mins.
Not 5 hours later!
Posts 17 & 18 the delay is probably due to who is going to pay the bill for the generators and the booms.
Pike River receivers and Christchurch insurers are good examples of why the job is not progressing at an acceptable pace.
New development on the Rena incident….
with the new spill in oil today MNZ are deploying heavy duty booms that can “work in strong currents” and a skimmer that can collect the oil.
So, are they telling us that booms (of the right type) can be deployed in open seas? That oil can be corralled and then collected at sea?
Hmmm.
I thought that the government said such things weren’t possible.
I thought they said that once the ship hit the rocks there was nothing we could do about it.
I though they said that we had to wait until it washed ashore and then collect it.
Surely our government hasn’t lied to us? *lip quiver*
They wouldn’t do that to us would they? *sniff*
I don’t find the lies so hurtful as the fact that they can’t go a month without contradicting themselves, and I don’t find that as sad as the fact that the media almost never notice.
Where did the booms come from?
TV3 News didn’t say so. They just glossed over it as though there was no greater story there. I know where they should have got them – from their own emergency equipment storage facility and they should have got it on day one.
From Sushi to Tunisia: A Guide to Swaying Majority Opinion.
How do you topple a tyrant or popularize a foreign cuisine? According to a recent study in the journal Physical Review E, mobilizing an unyielding minority of 10 percent may be enough.
Arms trade: Business before human rights?
Of course it’s business before human rights – can’t make a profit if you go around around standing up for peoples rights. If you did that, they may not fight and then wouldn’t need the weapons.
Another tech pioneer, Dennis Ritchie, passes
Ah well, they come and go. Good legacy left though.
… great result tonight from an enthralling game – and France were not walkovers at all.
(Anyone prepared to open a book on a call for the All Black flag to be adopted as our national flag.) – I give it less than two days to become a national discussion point – hope I’m wrong.