Every party complains about the media coverage they get, but not too loudly in case they lose favour and coverage. Media reports commonly don’t seem accurate to those being reported on. Mostly that is a natural effect of someone else looking at things differently.
In our democratic system the media hold a lot of power.
Just as most politicians mean well and work hard, the same for journalists. Personal views and preferences must influence how stories are chosen and covered but most journalists try to provide width and balance to their coverage.
Actually Peter it’s down to the management editing and controlling what’s published by setting agendas and employing kids just look at the fresh young faces doing stories on drunken sport heads on the TV.
To quote a good mate, also a senior experienced journo, ‘too few employers and the editors have preconceived yarns to get out there, cross them and you’re out of a job’
Games is rigged dude…..watch Oz news to get a stark contrast in how balanced reporting is done.
I know it’s rigged. A few people are looking at what might be able to be done to hold them to account, a bit at least. Power of the ‘net may be able to apply some pressure.
what might be able to be done to hold them to account, a bit at least.
Geez Pete. You are standing for a party headed by a hairpiece that backs this current rabble like a bad smell. This is not “holding them to account”. Your party is part of the problem.
It is part of this contrived gerrymander that gives the right an undue advantage. Basically if the hairpiece wins National gets 1.2% more of the party vote than it actually won.
Your comments are hypocritical. If you truly want to “hold them to account” then resign and join a real party, one determined to do something for ordinary people, not for millionaires.
But that’s the problem, the millionaries are loosing their shirts because they are running the country so badly.
But worse they’ve locked in the tax system to make any company that grows (or farm, crafer) into a target for foreign take over.
NZ is digging itself faster into serfdom, and that’s what’s so astonishing about the elite here, that they really are that incredibly self-destructive.
The culture is set by media and the jerk elite has decided it doesn’t care what nonsense is peddled, or by whom.
Am STILL awaiting a âprogress reportâ (promised Friday morning 18 November 2011) from the Serious Fraud Office (SFO).
ARE THE NZ SFO GOING TO EQUALLY LAY CHARGES AGAINST ACT CANDIDATE FOR EPSOM JOHN BANKS, AND ACT LEADER DON BRASH, AS WERE LAID AGAINST FORMER FELLOW DIRECTOR OF HULJICH WEALTH MANAGEMENT (NZ) LTD â PETER HULJICH FOR SIGNING âREGISTERED PROSPECTUSESâ WHICH CONTAINED UNTRUE STATEMENTS â OR NOT?
IF NOT â WHY NOT?
How come ACTâs âONE LAW FOR ALLâ â apparently doesnât apply to the ACT Leader Don Brash, and ACT candidate for Epsom John Banks?
Whereâs ACTâs âZERO TOLERANCEâ for âwhite collarâ CRIME?
Will be following up with the SFO this morningâŠ..
Of course this issue is being given the mainstream media coverage one would expect in election yearâŠâŠ
Not.
(Situation normal)
Penny Bright
CENSORED
Independent Candidate for Epsom
Campaigning against âwhite collarâ CRIME, CORRUPTION (and its root cause â PRIVATISATION) and âCORPORATE WELFAREâ [email deleted]
The teapot scandal will break National
Rena will scupper them
Labours policys will bring them back
NZ will have a collective wakening to what John Keys about
The Greens, Mana, Winston First and Labour will get enough votes
The worm turned
Attacking the Mad Butcher will get votes
Playing the personality politics is the way to go (not that Labours doing that of course)
Any one of the above is a game changer so don’t give up hope just yet
He wants folks to swallow his shit recipes
[audio src="http://podcast.radionz.co.nz/mnr/mnr-election2011-20111123-0708-national_defends_record_on_trans-tasman_exodus-048.mp3" /]
David Cunliffe makes excellent points:
[audio src="http://podcast.radionz.co.nz/mnr/mnr-election2011-20111123-0714-labours_finance_spokesman_discusses_emigration_stats-048.mp3" /]
Strange lack of empathy from Joanne Black, in the latest Listener, for Bradley Ambrose. Remember she has admitted to leaving a tape running hidden behind a bunch of flowers after a press conference with then PM Geoffrey Palmer. Then she played it to other journalists and possibly politicians including Ruth Richardson who then used it in the house to mock the PM.
Bradley Ambrose was pushed away, with a scrum of other journalists, from a public meeting in a cafe, to a position a few feet away. Whether or not it was accidental, he left the mike in full view of several DPS staff and the two politicians, none of whom noticed it. When he realised it was still recording he alerted his contracted employer and deleted it.
When he realized it was still recording he alerted his contracted employer and deleted it.
Hmm more like he rubbed his hands together and thought ha ha pay day is coming!
Deleted it – don’t you mean copied it and sold to who ever would buy it?
His argument that it was all an accident and he didn’t mean to tape the conversation would be like you or me walking out of a supermarket with groceries without paying for them, going home and eating the groceries.
When Plod comes around to have a chat you say, oh yes I realized after I got home that I hadn’t paid for the groceries so it wasn’t stealing – but I decided to eat them anyway as it was ok to.
Wouldn’t hold up in court as the consumption proves the intent. I think Mr Ambrose is going to find out this afternoon that the judge will decide that his selling of the conversation will allow a prosecution to use this as evidence as to his intention or otherwise of taping the conversation deliberately.
Your last point is incorrect, Jimmie, because the judge is not being asked to rule on the question of the selling of the conversation, just whether it was a private conversation or not. If not, that lets the cameraman off the hook, if it is private, then the cops have to then make the decision about prosecution.
By the way, who said he sold the tape? I haven’t seen it reported anywhere that he was paid for it.
“that the judge will decide that his selling of the conversation will allow a prosecution to use this as evidence as to his intention or otherwise of taping the conversation deliberately.”
Granny Herald has returned to form pushing propaganda and disinformation for the Nats in on it’s front page with article from chief cheerleader John sycophant Armstrong. The editor busied himself with talking up the dangers of earthquakes prone buildings in Auckland (FFS!) demanding ‘the public have a right to know’ but has nothing to say on the suppression of information involved in the ombudsman withholding advice that the government received from treasury wrt asset sales, or the lack of any concrete evidence to back up Nationals claim that ownership will be retained by
New Zealanders.
Inside the political pages the talk (excepting Rudman) was all about how Shonkeys charm is like the sun and without it we would all surely wither and die.
And Kathryn Ryan gets bored quickly has an idea she just has to express right then and talks over the top of Key rather than waiting for a natural pause. Just done it 3 times in 30 seconds. (it’s not just Key she does it all the time as does Kim Hill end rant. RANt continues – she also talks way too quick. It’s like dealing with an 8 year old who has to blurt everything out in one go. Key and Goff have a much more moderate pace and the contrast really grates).
Key said something really interesting right up front after the introduction when Ryan said that Nats could govern alone based on recent polls, the first party to do so under MMP. He then said something like ‘that [Fairfax] poll could be overstating things’.
Katherine is the interviewer. She asks the question. Key goes off on a tangent and avoids the question. Katherine attempts to return to the question. Key shouts over her and continues to avoid.
Pity. Key could have answered some good questions but failed.
It’s a long form interview – she doesn’t have to rush. But she does it all the time. No doubt she’ll be as irritating with Goff tomorrow. It appears like it is more about her and her voice getting airspace. Kim Hill has developed the same problem.
I didn’t hear the whole interview, but a part of it I did hear, Key was wandering off the question that was asked and started talking about Goff, so Kathryn had to interrupt to get him back on track.
In the interview Key admitted that they are planning to spend 4 billion dollars on the power grid/network.
So let’s get this straight. He is going to spend billions upgrading the lines and wants to sell the power generation plants that need the lines to deliver their product.
We are paying to build the trucks, and the roads, that takes their goods to market for us to buy
================
How can the host not have the basic treasury and budget figures on hand.
Key says National just delivered a zero budget – i hear crickets-
key says labour left hundreds of billions of debt – more crickets –
Key said they have not lumped NZ with new debt – i swear i heard a black hole open up –
The 4b is old news and probably accounted for as it is 100% funded by consumers. It has meant Transpower has not been giving the govt a dividend in recent years despite making 100m or so a year. I think Labour started the ball rolling in about 2007. Oh and Labour allowed Transpower to ‘sell’ the national grid to Wachovia in a buy and lease back arrangement to rort US taxpayers.
But your analogy doesn’t hold. The govt already builds and owns the roads. But it doesn’t try and own the cars and trucks that run on them, or the factories that fill the trucks, or the office blocks filled by people who drive their cars on the roads. Are you calling for wholescale nationalisation of the means of production and transport?
it is a very clear and simple metaphor of what is represented by NZ paying to build new power grid systems and transmission lines and then selling the companies that produce the electricity that will use those very lines to sell power back to NZ. or were you just wanting to waste my time?
the whole structure is corrupt and the more we all look into it the murkier the whole story becomes.
Left , Right, doesn’t matter, the deals done in NZ the last thirty years have to be brought to light and those responsible have to be held to account.
Even this single phone call raises more than a few questions as to the legitimacy of the status quo.
It’s a completely odd ‘metaphor’ because it’s not one.
But that aside, what you are saying is that it is strange and illegitimate for the government to build a road to develop some crown land at the end of it, and then sell that land to private enterprises (like farmers, builders and developers), who will then turn it into a housing estate or warehousing or farms and use that same crown owned road to service the area and bring produce and people out of it to other places served by the same crown owned roading network. Strange, because that is how much of NZ was developed and they are still doing it today http://www.primecommercial.co.nz/1657269
“Are you calling for wholescale nationalisation of the means of production and transport?”
Why not? The idea probably gives you an aneurysm, but as my late brother used to say “If you’re going to sin, might as well make it an original one!” đ
(PS I think you meant wholesale though wholescale is orignal, and almost fits!)
Lew has an interesting observation over on Kiwipolitico:
The other day David Farrar got in a pre-emptive whinge about Bryan Bruceâs Inside New Zealand documentary on child poverty that aired last night on TV3.
Yeah, itâs election week, and yeah, Labour are emphasising their poverty alleviation focus on the back of this documentary. But isnât it more telling that National and its proxies immediately and reflexively go on the defensive, rather than acknowledging the problems of child poverty and renewing its commitment to resolving them?
But National are the government now, and their defensiveness, I think, signals that they know they bear some responsibility for child poverty. And yet theyâre not willing to do much about it, beyond the tired old saw of âa rising tide lifts all boatsâ, and announcements that they will further constrict the welfare state to force the parents of these sick children to seek jobs that arenât there. (And yes; National bought time during the documentary as well: the âcracking down on benefit fraudâ ad was a particularly cynical form of irony.)
So, when the psychopaths in National heard that there was a documentary showing just how bad the poverty in NZ had become over the last three decades of neo-liberalism they called it a Labour advert, said it wasn’t their fault and then promised to make it worse by cracking down on beneficiaries?
The other side of that is that most of the poverty statistics you see variously quoted as appalling, third world etc date from Labour’s time in power, a period of apparantly massive growth and success. That’s just the nature of the time it takes to collate and analyse this stuff. We are not going to know the impact of National on the trend for some time, like it or not.
Did you see the bit where I mentioned the last three decades of neo-liberalism? Yes, Labour’s to blame as well.
The point was that, given the evidence, National whinge and whine and don’t do anything to get rid of the poverty. Of course, they don’t want to because having large amounts of poverty pushes wages down just as John Key said he wanted.
Key was interviewed by Katherine Nine to Noon. (Try hard to be open minded.)
Katherine shouted down.
Key: Slippery. Evasive. Devious.
(Comparing his performance with that of other leaders in terms of honesty credibility trust. Awful!)
Shonkey could get caught with two 13 year old girls in the back of the limo and his fan club would still be relaxed. The rabid and rapid response of the Kiwiblog gargoyle re one widely perceived advantage to Phil Goff following the TV3 debate shows these people are on maximum wind.
Judge Helen Winkelmannâs phone would possibly have been busy last nite.
Really the likes of Key, Farrar and Joyce can only be considered as traitorous swine running a continuous âdark opâ on behalf of capital in NZ.
You are spot on, Key could do anything and it would not matter. The basic issue is that NZers (as pointed out in Trotters latest column) want reassurance and parenting from their lovely leader. Facts and policies are of no real issue, we just want to be lead by nice daddy John.
Upshot is that we will as a nation ignore that nice daddy John will sell of the house and then have an affair with a merchant bankster mistress, all so long as we feel reassured. And in 3 years we will wont get letters from Hawaii from runaway daddy because we wont have our own address, we will be out in the street.
Which begs the question: when will we grow up and become adults assessing our own futures? When will we leave political infancy?
Any chance you explaining to me the point and its value of always attacking the PM. Hasn’t he also gotten a heap of ministers and MPs running things.. so what’s with the obsession.. don’t you see how counter-productive this is.. and how excellent JK is fending it off.. looks to me a lot of the time like he’s inviting it so he can deflect scrutiny from the others..
Cheers, I’ve got so used to the tags and automatic logons that I even forgot to re-enter the data on the comment above and had to go back and reload it.
Yep. Unfortunately I’ve spent the last week pushing data for election day targeting which is more time dependent.
I know how to fix the problem to get around the new cache, but it takes time to dig out the old code from javascript. I just haven’t had time to do so. But I’m almost done. However I also have to stop my holiday and go back to the paying job…
I’d revert it back to the normal system, but we’re getting read peaks that are quite high. Tonight for instance we did about a quarter of the days page views in just over an hour after the debate (and surprise surprise we just made another record for highest page view day and highest visitor day – the second this week). The cache was the only thing that made the system operate without falling unresponsive. It was feeding the same cached page to multiple readers rather than regenerating it for each reader.
That generates a separate page for each logged in user (whilst serving up cached copies for non-logged in) and therefore has all of that stuff operational without issues (it is the readers that cause the peak issues)
Prior to the last election in 2008, National promised that New Zealander’s would Wave goodbye to higher taxes⊠however National increased GST to 15%. The broken promise ensured that socially negative statistics kept growing.
National’s pledge card also said: Not your loved ones⊠meaning that New Zealanderâs would stop leaving en mass. However weâve seen the first net migration loss in ten years and the increasing exodus has continued to grow under National over the last three years.
Some people have argued that the Christchurch earthquakes are the reason for the continued exodus⊠however only a small percentage of those leaving come from Christchurch. The vast majority of people are leaving because National has mismanaged the economy and things are getting worse here in New Zealand.
Get it right Jackal, National did not mismanage the economy, they did not even attempt to do anything other than transfer wealth to their mates, scrap social expenditure and plan to sell off the silver to themselves.
Incorrect. National has
– deliberately skewed the economy in favour of the wealthy elite,
– generated a massive government debt
– overseen an embarrassing credit downgrade
All in preparation for the privatisation of our juicy public assets.
Another wealth grab by the insatiable banksters and their useful idiots…
That GST increase was fiscally risk neutral.. go ask any pensioner whose fixed income had to otherwise take a hit on regular grocery for example.. try for more REAL in your comments please.
“That GST increase was fiscally risk neutral.. go ask any pensioner whose fixed income had to otherwise take a hit on regular grocery for example.”
That’s gurble, really! What does ” fiscally risk neutral” even mean? It’s jargon of some sort, each of the words makes sense on its own, but together? No… ?????
More great Poll results for National despite all the personal Mudslinging from Labour. I know Iprent is not in favour of this as I have read his comments on it before. That the Election should always be fought on a Policy basis. There are two real problems for Labour in this Election that I see.
1) The associated link with Winston Peters as shown by the contrived worm,and polls the Public dont trust him even though Phil Goff says he does.
2) The rise of the Greens this party is appearing as fresh full of new ideas and the voters choice for the left vote. While Labour throws out its same old same old. I believe within 3 more Elections that the Greens will have a bigger voter base than Labour unless Labour can revitalise itself.
To do that they need to attract some smart Business people to their ranks who can show some comercial nouse. This means there will be a direct or indirect conflict with the Union power base in Labour.At the moment they cant show any credible way how they are going to grow the Economy without over taxing a smaller ,and smaller base of people. Sooner or later the leaves all fall off the money tree, and labour has no plans to show how it can create wealth in the Economy so Businesses will invest money ,and hire more people
Hi Bill,
I just spent a couple of minutes puzzling how the ‘Bill of old’ could have changed his attitude so drastically, and concluded that you are a new commenter. I think you need a new handle.
At least I assume it’s not you Bill – Standard author and parecon proponent?
At least I assume itâs not you Bill â Standard author and parecon proponent?
Yep….I mean no. Not me. And the person signing in as ‘bill’ on another thread isn’t me either. (Have commented beneath the comments with those handles asking that the handles be changed.)
I don’t think Bill actually logged in to comment. That’s the problem. You can comment without logging in, all you need to do is provide a name (say “Bill”) and an email address.
Probably the only way to avoid this is to require commenters to log-in, because I believe all login usernames are unique.
I believe within 3 more Elections that the Greens will have a bigger voter base than Labour unless Labour can revitalise itself.
That I kinda agree with. The rest of your comment was complete delusional BS. With Peak Oil already here the economy can’t be grown so all we’re left with is correcting the misallocation of resources that capitalism has caused. NAct, wants to do the opposite and make things worse.
big ups to Rob Guyton – constantly posting on good green issues and with a wicked sense of humour – exhibit 1 this headline – “This man suffers from worms” guess who?
It has many in-text links, which I intend to follow up on. One crucial aspect is the recent disclosure of a 1987 EPA report which found:
‘…fracking contaminated well and groundwater in West Virginia. For decades, the industry had been able to deny this critical case study and insist fracking was perfectly safe because, as the New York Times notes, the caseâs details âwere sealed from the public when energy companies settled lawsuits with landowners.â Now, though, the oil and gas industry cannot issue such denials with impunity…’
I’m not sure what you are getting excited about. The report interesting and well written but comes pretty much to the same conclusion as others – it’s the integrity of the casings that are the issue not the fracking process. This is a known issue and applies to any well of any sort going through ground water. The report is very clear that the fracked zone does not directly affect the aquifer.
âŠitâs the integrity of the casings that are the issue not the fracking process.
/facepalm
The fracking process forces apart the rock so we can assume that “the integrity of the casings” has no bearing whatsoever on if the fracking compound enters the ground water. Physics ensures that it will.
No because the fracking (usually) happens thousands of feet below any ground water. The fractures themselves are millimetres wide which is why sand is use as a proppant to keep the cracks open. and they wouldn’t/shouldn’t intersect say with an aquifer in these circumstances because they primarily travel laterally within a geological formatin rather than vertically between formations.
The casings are supposed to contain fluids and gas as they pass through other geological formations from the source rock to the well head. It is these failing that seem to be the issue. Like a hose getting a hole in it while you are running a siphon. If you’ve done it a thousand times before and it fails once, it’s likely the hose is the problem not the siphoning method.
There’s also been an increase in stranding’s closer to the MV Rena disaster, which is known to have released over 2000 barrels of heavy crude oil into the ocean. 3150 Litres of Corexit 9500 was also applied throughout the cleanup operation and 23,240 kgs of Alkylsulphonic Acid was lost overboard.
Quick question to moderators : why am I having to type in user name and mail address for every comment? It used to store them. Problem at my end or yours?
so kweewee is going to sell Kiwibank.
it doesnt belong to him or his party either (the john kee and matthew hooton party).
It belongs to New Zealanders and Phill Goff should make that quite clear to New Zealanders tonight on teevee.
They have edited their site. What they had (up until yesterday afternoon) was:
National and Labour serve foreign interests not New Zealand. They will both swamp us with immigration, they will both serve the wealthy on the backs of the poor, donât be fooled by them again, vote for the other parties. get blue and red out. If you want traditional Kiwi life vote NZ First.
“In this country we must vote for the smaller parties…” replaced “If you want traditional Kiwi life vote NZ First.”
Over the last week or so, it has been reported in several media articles that he is a National supporter – that probably should now be “was” in the past tense.
I feel, especially in these last days leading up to our elections, that it is vital that New Zealanders see this. Actually, stuff the elections, this is something that every person in Aotearoa needs to watch and think about because this is about us as a community, this is about us taking responsibility as human beings. This is about us putting people before corporations and profits.
After my initial surge of rage, disgust, and extreme sadness at watching this clip, my main three questions are these:
Firstly, what on EARTH are they teaching at the police colleges that produce policepeople that are so eager to inflict serious harm on other humans? When I was at primary school, even at high school, to want to become a policeperson came out of a desire to help, protect and generally do good in a community. Not sit on a desperate and upset man and calmly beat him around the head and ribs with a police-issue baton in front of his extremely pregnant partner SO THAT A LUCRATIVE POWER COMPANY WHO TURNS OVER MILLIONS EACH YEAR CAN SAVE A FEW BUCKS!! (which turned out to be a mistake on the power company’s part anyway!)
Secondly, what lack of humanity allows contractors to carry on their job when they can see the result it is having? What is this crazy hold over people that lets them use the excuse ‘I was just doing my job’ when they can see that doing their job is causing a man to receive head injuries? When it is causing immense distress to a woman who is overdue to give birth?
And, in conclusion to the first two questions I guess, as it was so VERY obvious that things weren’t going so well in this situation (to put it lightly) why on earth could the police and contractors not take the sensible approach, pull back, and reassess the situation?? I cannot think of any reason why the disconnection of power had to happen at that specific time, given the resulting circumstances. Not exactly a life-or-death situation for the power company was it? Are we really the type of society who would rather see another human beaten till they bleed rather than have a company lose out on a few profits?? Do we truly worship money that much? Should we really let it control us in that way?
To those of you who say, regarding the police, that they were only doing their jobs, then I say – well, if that is their job, then I think it’s time we thought about what sort of system we’re living under. Because I don’t want any part of it.
OMG! That is one of the most outrageous abuses of police plus corporate power toward an individual in NZ that I have ever seen – and all this is completely legal???? (call me sheltered, but Wow!). There was no crime that warranted that sort of treatment (and not even an unpaid power bill, in the end).
seeing a lot of calls for the death penalty, if any country ever commits to arresting them.
I say no to the death penalty for these architects of misery.
Incarceration in a penitentiary, life sentences, no house arrest, no quick deaths, no easy out for these murderers, let their long final days be spent in fear and regret.
Good God. We have had 20 plus years now of “Tomorrow’s Schools” and ERO.
Parents have been free to join boards of trustees in open and free elections.
They have had screeds of information available to them.
One has to wonder just who is driving this attitude.
One thing is for certain – Delorus Umbridge is going to create an extremely demoralised teaching profession. Of course, she is a here-today-gone-tomorrow politician and will not be subject to any scrutiny herself – in fact apart from the infamous Merv Wellington and David Lange, people would be hard pressed to name the succession of Ministers of Education.
Why has she got such a snitch on teachers? Is she holding a grudge against her 1960’s teachers and schools. Did she fail School Cert?
Did a teacher guest in one of her hotels do something untoward in a room?
Not really, Greens will only grow until they risk leaving behind the activist base. So the question for the Greens is; are you an activist party or one for the middle classes?
Oh fuck, we’ve got ads from the anti-MMP brigade playing at the top of the page. They’re really going all out now in splurging on ads focusing on Winston, even stooping as low as to buy ads on facebook.
When you’re up to your neck in shit it’s tempting to try to get out of it.
However, the ‘Lucky Country’ isn’t so lucky these days, especially for new arrivals.
‘According to press release from the Mortgage & Finance Association of Australia, âFirst time home buyers have little confidence in the Australian economy, as they baulk at property purchases and hoard their cashâ.’
‘SYDNEY (MarketWatch) — The world’s second-largest iron ore miner Rio Tinto PLC /quotes/zigman/182541/quotes/nls/rio RIO -1.35% will boost its fleet of driverless trucks 15-fold to 150 vehicles over the next four years, as part of a bid to increase margins at its mines in Australia’s Pilbara region.’
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The government introduced the Education and Training Bill to Parliament yesterday. Its a massive bill, which replaces both existing Education Acts, as well as various other bits of legislation (including some which are still proceeding through the House). I'll leave the serious analysis to teachers and people who actually know ...
Amelia SharmanThere’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to micro-credentials, those bits of bite-sized learning that can help workers stay on top of technological change. What’s a micro-credential? While definitions vary, micro-credentials can be understood as short courses that allow people to learn new skills or have an existing competency recognised. ...
All Smiles Now: Claire Szabo is taking up her presidential role after serving as the CEO of Habitat For Humanity. Which is absolutely perfect! After KiwiBuild was so comprehensively mismanaged by Phil Twyford, the party has not only elected a new president from a thoroughly respectable not-for-profit, but one who ...
While much of the NZ left has transitioned to postmodern and identity politics in relation to transgender ideology, there are some very good articles about that deploy Marxist methodology in relation to this subject. The one below is from the British marxist group Counterfire and appeared on their site here ...
by Daphna Whitmore At Golden Oaks, a luxurious country retreat in the Hudson Valley, pregnant women have the best care money can buy. From the organic food, personalised exercise programmes, private yoga instruction and daily massages Golden Oaks looks like a country lodge for the upper class. Set some time ...
When Labour was running for election in 2017, it felt it needed to demonstrate "fiscal responsibility" and signed itself up to masochistic "budget responsibility rules". It was a fool's errand: the sorts of voters who demand fiscal responsibility are also the sorts of voters who believe that labour can never ...
Writing in Stuff, Joel MacManus looks at what we need to do to meet the Zero Carbon Act's targets. The core of it:1. Convert 85 per cent of vehicles on the road to electric. 2. Eliminate fossil fuels from all industrial heating up to 300 degrees Celsius. 3. Double our ...
Professors Janet Hoek and Richard Edwards, Emeritus Professor Phil Gendall, Jude Ball, Dr Judith McCool, Anaru Waa, Dr Becky FreemanRecent media reports have presented conflicting evidence on youth vaping in NZ. While some NZ school principals report concerns about increasing vaping on school grounds and confiscating vapes, ASH Year ...
“America the Beautiful!”, staunch defender of democracy, freedom and… a whole lot of despotic tyrants that play nice with what is called “the Washington Consensus.” America is indeed capable of immense good, but like any Nation, and most assuredly any aspirant to the mantle of Empire, great, immense evil. All ...
Image credit:The beginner’s guide to blogging I notice a few regulars no longer allow public access to the site counters. This may happen accidentally when the blog format is altered. If your blog is ...
1080 is used to control pests in NZ. Its use is contested by a noisy few. A new report claims high levels of 1080 in rats washed up on a beach. Flora and Fauna of Aotearoa (F&F) won’t name the laboratory that did their testing. It has sparked a hunt ...
What Kind Of Empire? The thing for Kiwis to decide is what kind of empire they want to belong to. The kind that, while offering its own citizens democratic rights, demands absolute obedience from its “friends”? Or, the kind that, while authoritarian at home, takes a relaxed attitude to the ...
It hasn't been a good week for the Conservatives, pollwise. All major recent polls are showing their lead shrinking.Comparing each pollster's current (between 29/11 and 22/11) and previous most recent poll.Com Res - Conservative lead down 3 points.You Gov - Conservative lead down 1 point.Kantar - Conservative lead down 4 ...
Within quick succession, Countdown maths wizard and twitterer Rachel Riley, alleged comedian David Baddiel and prominent lawyer Andrew Julius have all expressed very similar opinions / ideas:
These #3billboards are going round London today, organised by ex-Labour people, horrified by what their party has become. Their principles haven’t changed, they’re ...
So, there have been a bunch of bad polls out for Labour, and even the Leftie's friend, Survation, have recently given the Conservatives a rip-snorting 11% lead. You Gov's much vaunted MRP poll - which pretty much nailed the result in 2015 - is currently predicting a comfortable majority for ...
The European Parliament has voted overwhelmingly to declare a climate emergency:The European parliament has declared a global “climate and environmental emergency” as it urged all EU countries to commit to net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The vote came as scientists warned that the world may have already crossed ...
Pure Fear: Worse than Heroin, this drug’s addictive power was terrifying. People under its influence didn’t drift off to Elysium. Nor did it persuade inadequate individuals that they could conquer the world. No, this drug – pure crystal methamphetamine, “P” for short – unlocked the gates of Hell itself. It ...
As the rate of measles infection, and of deaths, continues to climb in Samoa, antivaccination activists infectious disease proponents seem intent on doubling down on their claims about vaccination. (Check pretty much any news-media FB post about measles & you’ll see exactly what I mean.) Unfortunately, some of them have ...
Samoa are experiencing a devastating measles epidemic. It is possible that 2-3% of the population will ultimately be infected by the time it is over. Hopefully the mass immunisation campaign currently under way can mitigate some of this, for many it is too late. The first question many people ask ...
Meghan Murphy is a Canadian writer and journalist She runs the Feminist Current website which she founded in 2012. She was a keynote speaker for the Feminism2020 conference in Wellington this month. When Massey University cancelled the original venue booking Feminism2020 was hosted in Parliament by MP David Seymour. Meghan ...
Text and photos by Gearóid Ó Loingsigh Colombia has lived through one week of protests against the economic measures taken by president Duque. What looked like a protest that would fizzle out after its first day on November 21st is still going strong. Part of the reason for the continuance ...
Around a million billion pass through you each second, almost all originating from our sun, but few of them are likely to interact with you enroute. I was reading in a physics magazine earlier in the week about the nature of neutrinos. These are extremely numerous elementary particles, but only ...
By Pallab GhoshThere’s value in covering new research advances, even when the underlying science is unsettled. But there are also risks.The recent announcement that scientists discovered water on the planet K2-18b, 110 light years away, prompted a media swoon. News stories, including a piece written by me, billed ...
I wrote this review a couple of years ago when I was still in the process of getting my head around the politics of transgenderism, and specifically the claim that intersex conditions lend support to the notion that sex is ‘socially constructed’. Since writing this review I have come across ...
Climate Explained is a collaboration between The Conversation, Stuff and the New Zealand Science Media Centre to answer your questions about climate change.If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, please send it to climate.change@stuff.co.nzHow much does our use of air travel contribute to the ...
Minor planet/asteroid (2309) Mr. Spock is named not for the character in Star Trek, but for a cat that was itself imperturbable, logical, intelligent and had pointed ears. In a preceding blog post I introduced one of my favourite asteroids, (2472) Bradman, and also mentioned (6581) Sobers amongst a few ...
Today the death toll from measles in Samoa rose to 32. All but four of the dead were less than 5 years old. Absolutely terrible, heartbreaking, news. That statistic alone should be enough to give the lie to the common claim by antivaccination activists plague enthusiasts that “measles is a ...
by Gearóid Ó Loingsigh It is late here in Bogotá, almost 11.30pm on Monday the 25th of November as I write this. The day began full of hope with yet more massive marches throughout the country, a mix of the International Day of Non-Violence Against Women and the National Strike. ...
Anti-fluoride activists are rubbing their hands in glee over what they claim is “yet another study” showing fluoride harms the brains of children. But their promotion relies on IQ relationships which the paper’s authors acknowledge disappearing when outliers or other factors are considered. And they completely ignore other relationships ...
The feature below is the conclusion of A History of Economic Thought, whose author was a leading Marxist economist in Russia in the early 20th century, Isaac Ilyich Rubin. The book arose from a course he ran at Moscow University following the Russian Revolution. First published in Russian in 1929, ...
There are many thousands of asteroids with formal names, some humdrum but other more noteworthy (depending on your predilections). One of my favourites, the name of which I was involved in suggesting, is (2472) Bradman, named for the Australian cricketing great. As a minor planet (synonym: asteroid) spotter, I have ...
Tory manifesto: big on austerity, low on promise, non-existent on delivery. The Tories: the party so big on ambition they couldn't be arsed writing a manifesto. MLK: "I have a dream!"BJ: "I'll just have a nap." Labour: Broadband!Tories: Narrow minds! Labour have hope, dreams and ambition. The Tories will save ...
The Ministry of Health has announced that “people under the age of 50 travelling from New Zealand to Samoa, Tonga, Philippines and Fiji” are now on the list of national priorities for MMR vaccination. Given the outbreaks of measles in Samoa, Tonga, Philippines and Fiji, the Ministry of Health is ...
Hong Kong has been protesting for six months for, demanding democracy, human rights, and an end to police violence. Today, they went to the polls in district council elections - a low-level of government with virtually no power, similar to community boards in New Zealand. But while the positions themselves ...
Text and photos by Gearóid Ó Loingsigh On Friday 22nd of November a curfew came into effect and troops were deployed on the streets, here in Bogota. It was the first time since September 1977 that a curfew had been imposed on the city. The decision was a cynical pre-planned ...
Meanwhile, while the government is planning to restore voting rights to prisoners, National is promising to turn our prisons into US-style slave-labour camps:The Opposition is proposing compulsory education, training or employment for prisoners who are serving sentences of two years or more. [...] On Sunday, National Party Leader Simon Bridges ...
Excerpts from Being and Being Bought, by Kajsa Ekis Ekman Spinifex Press, 2013. Ekman, a Swedish journalist and critic, brings together a Marxist and feminist analysis of prostitution and surrogacy in this groundbreaking book. This is the second part of a synopsis and brief commentary of the book by Daphna ...
Dalmeet Singh ChawlaIn 2008, psychologists proposed that when humans are shown an unfamiliar face, they judge it on two main dimensions: trustworthiness and physical strength. These form the basis of first impressions, which may help people make important social decisions, from who to vote for to how long a ...
Claas Kirchhelle, University of Oxford; Adam Roberts, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, and Andrew Singer, Centre for Ecology & HydrologyAntibiotics are among the most important medicines known to humankind, but we are running out of this crucial resource. Decisive action is needed if we are to retain access to ...
Things That Make You Go - Hmmmm: “All right. Let me come at this another way. I’m guessing that what you’ve got in that box contains names, dates, bank account numbers – all the details you need to put Winston Peters and Jacinda Ardern squarely in the cross-hairs. So, the first ...
Coasters Turn Out In Droves: It’s precisely the widening gulf between those with actual experience of things like guns, chainsaws and drilling machines, and those who regulate their use, that accounts for the angry crowd at Greymouth’s Messenger Park on Sunday, 17 November 2019. In the rarefied atmosphere where decisions ...
There are perennial arguments about the circumstances of the assassination of President Kennedy in 1963, and in particular whether more than one shooter is required by the evidence (such as the Zapruder film). Those who know little about physics frequently claim that the sharp backwards motion of JFK’s head as ...
Apparently, some people enjoy washing their cars. Each to his or her own, I suppose. I mean, some people like duck shooting, some people follow Coronation Street, and some people’s idea of a good day out is to sit on a grass bank at Seddon Park and watch cricket all ...
Last week we learned that New Zealand First had apparently tried to enrich itself from public office, with a dodgy forestry company linked to a number of NZ First figures sticking its hand out repeatedly for government money. Today in Question Time Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones had his ...
Finally, governments seem slowly to be beginning to act on climate change. But its not enough. While they're publicly signing up to targets, they're planning to destroy the world by continuing fossil fuel extraction:The world’s nations are on track to produce more than twice as much coal, oil and gas ...
Stuff has begun interviewing NZ First's secret donors, and it turns out that its as bad as we expected. They start with racing industry figure Garry Chittick, who is predictably grumpy about NZ First's coalition choices. Meanwhile, I'm looking at the list of pork NZ First has effectively given its ...
Stag At Bay: Twelve years ago, Winston Peters was still robust enough to come back from the political crucifixion which his political and media enemies had prepared for him. In his seventies now, the chances of a second resurrection are slim. We should, therefore, prepare for the last gasp of ...
Satellites pass over NZ all the time (literally). Here I focus on the 187 Planet Labs ‘Dove’ Earth-imaging satellites, and I show that one can determine in advance where they will be, enabling scientists on the ground to correlate their environmental and other data collection with opportunities to get imaging ...
The Council of Disobedient Women has learned that the Prefect of Aro Valley has been promoted to a new role with the blessing of the Pope of Wellington. Softy Jejune Parson has been appointed Mother Superior of Woke Wellington for the work she has been doing calling out heretics, ...
On both sides of the Atlantic, some purportedly “contentious” and “difficult to deal with” leadership contenders to lead the US and UK, as President and Prime Minister respectively, seem to have thrown a few spanners into the works of the normal messaging most are used to hearing constantly. Except they’re ...
In Question Time today the Prime Minister was naturally facing questions about Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters and his dubious party financing arrangements, which seem to violate electoral finance law. Her response was to pretend that it was nothing to do with her, and that she is not responsible for ...
A prisoner stripped of their name, imprisoned for a secret crime after a secret trial, with all details legally suppressed for secret reasons. A story by Kafka or Dumas? China? No, its just the latest stage of Australian tyranny:An Australian citizen was prosecuted, convicted, and jailed in the ACT last ...
Stuff has more details on what New Zealand First's slush-fund has been funding, with much of the spending directly benefiting the party. Which makes it look a lot like hidden donations, rather than the completely-innocent-giant-pile-of-cash Winston is trying to portray it as. The Electoral Commission is now investigating, but Simon ...
I've joked before about how hosting international summits effectively turns part of your country into a police state for the duration. Well, New Zealand is hosting APEC in 2021, with events throughout the year in Christchurch, Wellington, and Auckland. And the government has put up a bill to give itself ...
Mark Patterson, Spokesperson for Primary Industries New Zealand First spokesperson for Primary Industries, Mark Patterson, has called for awareness to be raised and more stringent biosecurity checks to be put in place for African Swine Fever (ASF), a widespread virus that is uncontrolled in most of Asia and a serious ...
Jenny Marcroft MP, Spokesperson for Human Rights A critical step has been taken to end gender based violence against women and girls in Parliament this evening. New Zealand First Spokesperson for Human Rights Jenny Marcroft MP has welcomed the passing of the first reading of the Crimes (Definition of Female ...
New Zealand First MP Shane Jones says it's time to recognise market forces haven't led to the expected reduction in Māori smoking rates and try a new approach. The Party had recently invoked the agree to disagree clause in their Coalition Agreement with the Labour Party, and will not support ...
Live from the Whanganui Opera House, on the final day of the 2019 Labour Party Conference, Jacinda Ardern announced the largest investment in school property in 25 years. ...
The Coalition Government will be banning foreign donations to political parties and candidates, ahead of next year’s general elections. Legislation will be introduced to Parliament and passed under urgency – emphasising the need for such restrictions to safeguard our democracy. The bill introduces a new requirement that party secretaries and ...
Associate Transport Minister Shane Jones opened Taipā's $19 million bridge recently, improving transport infrastructure in the Northland region. The two-lane bridge is 107m long with a 2.5m-wide shared walking and cycling path, and will reduce the congestion that the old one-lane bridge was notorious for. The project had also included ...
The Overseas Investment Office have rejected the application of Mercury Agriculture LP, which is 92 per cent controlled by Canadian interests, to purchase more than 2000 hectares of South Canterbury and Otago land. Mercury wanted to buy 2000ha at Rangitata, 1494ha near Ashburton, 816ha near Cromwell and 212ha near Temuka. ...
This weekend was Labour's 103rd Party Conference! We welcomed over 500 of our Labour whānau in red to Whanganui, where we reflected on the last two years in Government, and looked ahead to 2020 and beyond. We know the long-term challenges facing New Zealand won't be tackled overnight, but we're making ...
Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones announced that the Provincial Growth Fund will invest $9.6 million to seal the final unsealed section of State Highway 43 from Stratford to Taumarunui. The Minister said sealing the 12-kilometre gravel section of the highway – also called the “Forgotten World Highway” - through ...
Former Finance Minister and former chair of the Tax Working Group, Sir Michael Cullen, has voiced his support for New Zealand First’s decision to oppose the planned increase in tobacco excise tax. In an interview with The Weekend Collective, he said that increasing the price was no longer effective in ...
Māori are natural storytellers. On the marae we use stories to tell our history, to teach the next generation life lessons and to let people know, in our most creative of ways, who we are and where we have come from. ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, New Zealand First Leader New Zealand First has invoked the ‘Agree to Disagree’ provisions of the Coalition Agreement because it cannot support the announced 11.46 percent increase in the tobacco excise from 1 January 2020. “Studies show that the automatic tobacco excise increases are having less effect ...
Taupō-based company Geo40 has made a breakthrough in extracting near battery-grade lithium from geothermal fluid which its says could be a gamechanger. Its chief executive John Worth said the earth mineral was highly prized, with battery-grade lithium selling for US$10,000 (NZ$15,600) a tonne. Geo40 was founded in 2010 to find ...
Crown research institute AgResearch Ltd, as part of its Future Footprint plan, had intended to relocate top scientists and support staff — particularly those focused on sheep genetics and genomics — from Invermay to Lincoln. However, those plans seem to have been shelved at the request of the Coalition Government. ...
Ten engineering firms in Southland are receiving a total of $2.13 million in Provincial Growth Fund funding to lift productivity and create new jobs. Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones announced in Invercargill that the 10 engineering and manufacturing firms would receive funding to assist them with buying equipment that ...
The number of new residents to New Zealand is the lowest it has been in nearly two decades and it has earned the ire of the immigration industry. The industry alleges that 'Trump-style extreme vetting' is being put in place aimed at keeping a lid on immigration numbers. June Ranson, ...
The Royal New Zealand Air Force is one step closer to modernising its fleet after the United States State Department recently approved the sale of five new C-130J Hercules aircraft to New Zealand. Arms manufacturer Lockheed Martin, in Fort Worth, Texas, will provide the aircraft, but as a "foreign military ...
Forestry Minister Shane Jones wants to create a log barging facility at Hicks Bay and turn the area into a Special Economic Zone. The move would be part of protecting New Zealand's forests from being depleted by India and China, he said. It follows his announcement last week to strengthen ...
New Zealand First supports the changes recommended by the Winter Grazing Taskforce to improve animal welfare outcomes through the winter months, and the establishment of a pan-sector action group to implement them. New Zealand First Primary Industries Spokesperson Mark Patterson says the report highlights areas of concern about the animal ...
Former prime ministers Helen Clark and Sir John Key, formerly from the Labour and National parties respectively, have joined forces in support of New Zealand First’s plan to relocate Auckland's port to Whangārei. While Ms Clark and Sir John spent their political careers on opposite sides of the political divide, ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters is in Japan for the Foreign Ministers' meeting of the G20 grouping of countries as one of nine "invited" countries. He has used the opportunity to cast a spotlight on the plight of Pacific countries, calling out countries which still offered subsidies or Government assistance to ...
It's been a great week of progress: we've celebrated Children's Day, we've made communities safer with 1800 new police, and we've seen almost 90% of eligible schools take up Government funding to scrap school donations - taking pressure off the families of more than 416,000 students. ...
Hon Shane Jones, Minister of Forestry The Government will further strengthen New Zealand’s wood processing sector as part of our focus on ‘value over volume’ in our forestry industry, Forestry Minister Shane Jones says. Minister Jones will today meet with forestry representatives in Northland to signal new measures to help the ...
New Zealand First are celebrating the announcement of an investment of $3.5 million into five new trapping devices. These are a range of bait and trap devices, all designed to be left unattended for long periods of time. NZ First conservation spokesperson Jenny Marcroft says that this latest development will ...
Jenny Marcroft, Spokesperson for Conservation New Zealand First is proud to announce the Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) has allocated $3.5 million to develop innovative predator control approaches which will reduce the need for repeated 1080 use. $19.5 million of PGF funding was announced for Predator Free 2050 Limited in February ...
Darroch Ball, Spokesperson for Police New Zealand First is proud to have delivered on a key Coalition Agreement commitment to adding 1800 new frontline police, with the graduation of Recruit Wing 332 in Porirua today. Law and Order Spokesperson Darroch Ball says increasing police numbers and boosting their resources was one ...
Clayton Mitchell, Spokesperson for Consumer Affairs The ‘wheel clamping’ Bill that will cap clamper fees to $100 passed its third readinginParliament today. New Zealand First welcomes The Land Transport (Wheel Clamping) Amendment Bill to combat predatory wheel clamping behaviour in what is currently a largely unregulated business. Cowboy clampers are: gouging ...
Jenny Marcroft, Spokesperson for Health New Zealand First welcomes the passage of the Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission Bill through its first reading in Parliament. “Today’s progress takes serious action on the mental health and addiction crisis the country is facing,” says New Zealand First Health Spokesperson Jenny Marcroft. “The re-establishment ...
Mark Patterson, Spokesperson for Primary Industries Today the Government announced the delivery of the promise to protect New Zealand interests by applying a new National Interest Test to the sales of our most sensitive and high risk assets to overseas buyers. This further strengthening of the Overseas Investment Act will ...
The Coalition Government is delivering on its promise to protect New Zealanders’ interests by applying a new national interest test to the sales of our most sensitive and high-risk assets to overseas buyers. Under current Overseas Investment Act (OIA) rules, assets such as ports and airports, telecommunications infrastructure, electricity and ...
Rt Winston Peters, Leader of New Zealand First Allegations raised this morning by Stuff Limited / Fairfax concern a party matter but I am confident that New Zealand First has operated within electoral laws, now and for the last 27 years. Declarable donations were declared to the Electoral Commission. Our ...
The chairman of the Upper North Island Supply Chain Strategy (UNISCS) working group, Wayne Brown, has hit back at critics of his group’s recommendations to relocate the Ports of Auckland cargo operations to Whangarei’s deepwater port of Northport. The working group's recommendation to close Auckland waterfront to all but cruise ...
Eight Queen’s Counsel have been appointed under a process that includes the new criterion of a commitment to improving access to justice, Attorney-General David Parker announced today. “The new criterion was included this year. It emphasises that excellence and leadership in the profession can be seen through a wider, community ...
Onslow College in Wellington will get 20 new classrooms for more than 400 students, Education Minister Chris Hipkins announced today. The much-needed investment will relieve growth pressure the school has been experiencing for some time. Seven existing classrooms which have deteriorated over time will also be replaced, bringing the total ...
More than 250 young New Zealanders will add international experience to their education, thanks to the latest Prime Minister’s Scholarships for Asia (PMSA) and Latin America (PMSLA), Education Minister Chris Hipkins announced today. This round of scholarships supports 252 recent graduates or current students to undertake study, research or internships ...
Consumers will benefit from a more competitive, transparent retail fuel market as a result of changes the Government will be making in response to the findings of the Commerce Commission’s study of the fuel sector. “We accept the Commission’s findings and, as the Prime Minister has said, we’re ready to ...
Five new cancer medicines have now been funded this year, meaning thousands of people have more treatment options PHARMAC has today announced that it has approved two new medicines for funding – fulvestrant for breast cancer and olaparib for ovarian cancer. This follows earlier decisions on advanced lung cancer treatment alectinib, ...
The Minister of Local Government, Hon Nanaia Mahuta says the Government will consider making changes to local electoral legislation before the 2022 elections to fix the problems that have arisen where elections are settled by a coin toss. The Minister says the recount process in the Murupara- Galatea ward at ...
New Zealand will sign up to new international maritime regulations to reduce ship emissions and lift air quality around ports and harbours, Associate Transport Minister Julie Anne Genter announced today. Subject to completion of the Parliamentary treaty examination process, New Zealand will sign up to Annex VI of MARPOL, an ...
New legislation to transform our urban areas and create sustainable, inclusive and thriving communities will tomorrow be introduced to Parliament, Urban Development Minister Phil Twyford said. “The Urban Development Bill gives Kāinga Ora-Homes and Communities the tools it needs to partner with councils, communities, mana whenua and private developers to ...
Today’s launch of He taonga te Tamaiti: Every child a taonga: The Early Learning Action Plan 2019-2029 provides the foundation for long-lasting changes to early learning, Education Minister Chris Hipkins says. “Early learning will be one of the Government’s top education priorities going into 2020,” Chris Hipkins said. ...
Major decisions made by the Government will now be considered under a climate change lens, Minister for Climate Change James Shaw announced today. “Cabinet routinely considers the effects of its decisions on human rights, the Treaty of Waitangi, rural communities, the disability community, and gender – now climate change will ...
Education Minister Chris Hipkins today announced the appointment of Māori education specialist Dr Wayne Ngata and Business NZ head Kirk Hope to the Board of the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC). Dr Alastair MacCormick has been reappointed for another term. “Wayne Ngata, Kirk Hope and Alastair MacCormick bring a great deal ...
The next phase of the Pike River Re-entry project is underway, Minister Responsible for Pike River Re-entry Andrew Little says. “Fresh air will be pumped into the Pike River Mine drift this week, following acceptance of the plan for re-entry beyond the 170m barrier by New Zealand’s independent health and ...
New Zealand consumers will have greater certainty about their insurance cover when they need to make claims as a result of proposed government changes. “Insurance is vitally important in supporting consumers and businesses to be financially resilient when unexpected events happen,” Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs Kris Faafoi said. ...
The Crown is providing an opportunity for the hapu of Ngāpuhi to rebuild its framework from the ground up for collective negotiations to deal with its historical Treaty claims, Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Andrew Little and Minister for Māori Development Nanaia Mahuta announced today. The Crown is also ...
A Bill enabling referendums to be held with the 2020 General Election has passed its third reading. Justice Minister Andrew Little says the Act is important for upholding the integrity of New Zealand’s electoral process. “The Government has committed to holding a referendum on legalising recreational cannabis at the next ...
The first release of public information on the two referendums to be held at next year’s General Election was made today with an informative new Government website going live. Additionally, the draft Cannabis Legalisation and Control Bill has been released, showing the strict controls on cannabis that will apply if ...
The Government is taking action to protect New Zealand from foreign interference in our elections by banning foreign donations to political parties and candidates, Justice Minister Andrew Little announced today. Legislation will be introduced to Parliament this afternoon and passed under urgency. “There’s no need for anyone other than New ...
Governments and tech companies are holding a two-day workshop, hosted by YouTube/Google in Wellington, to test the Christchurch Call Shared Crisis Response Protocol. The workshop aims to refine and strengthen the response in the event of a terrorist attack with online implications. Companies, governments, civil society experts and NGOs will ...
The new independent Cancer Control Agency has formally opened today, delivering on the Government’s plan to improve cancer care in New Zealand. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Minister of Health David Clark marked the occasion by announcing the membership of the Advisory Council that will be supporting ...
Small businesses who deal with government departments are set to be paid faster and have improved cash flow as a result, under a new strategy released today. The Government is backing recommendations from the Small Business Council (SBC) and has agreed to implement three initiatives immediately to support business and ...
The Education and Training Bill 2019, introduced in Parliament today, proposes the biggest education changes in decades and is an important step towards improving success for all our learners, Education Minister Chris Hipkins said. “The Bill’s rewrite of education legislation is long overdue. Indeed one Education Act, parts of which ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Aupito William Sio will travel to Bali to represent New Zealand at the 12th Bali Democracy Forum that will be held on the 5-6 December. “The Forum is a valuable opportunity for Asia-Pacific countries to share experiences and best practice in building home-grown democracy and fostering ...
A package of new and expanded technology and other tools will encourage responsible camping and help communities and local councils better manage freedom camping this summer, Tourism Minister Kelvin Davis announced today. “Our Government has been investing to improve the freedom camping experience for everyone because we want to support ...
The government is laying the groundwork to understanding our genes – work that can help us tackle some of our biggest health challenges, like heart disease and diabetes, says Research, Science and Innovation Minister Megan Woods. $4.7 million has been invested in the Genomics Aotearoa Rakeiora programme. The programme will ...
Nearly every state schools will receive a capital injection next year valued at $693 per student to bring forward urgent school property improvements, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Education Minister Chris Hipkins announced today. The one-off cash injection is the first project to be announced from the Government’s infrastructure package ...
The Government has decided to bring forward major investments in New Zealand’s infrastructure to future proof the economy. “Cabinet has agreed to a significant boost to infrastructure investment. I have directed the Treasury to help bring together a package of projects that can be brought into the Government’s short and ...
It is a great pleasure to be with you today in Whanganui. Like the Prime Minister I grew up with the TV clip of Selwyn Toogood booming “What do you say Whanganui, the money or the bag?” to an unsuspecting ‘It’s in the Bag’ audience. For those under the age ...
New Zealand’s newest Great Walk, the Paparoa Track, was officially opened in Blackball today by the Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage alongside the family members of the Pike 29 and Ngāti Waewae. Local mayors and MP for the West Coast Hon Damien O’Connor were also in attendance. “Paparoa National Park ...
Minister of Defence Ron Mark turned the first sod of earth on the infrastructure works for the new P-8A Poseidon fleet at RNZAF Base Ohakea today. “The Coalition Government’s investment in Ohakea will ensure the Royal New Zealand Air Force can manage, maintain and task the new fleet efficiently ahead ...
Civil Defence Minister Hon Peeni Henare today announced the establishment of the new National Emergency Management Agency from 1 December 2019. The National Emergency Management Agency will replace the Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management. It will be an autonomous departmental agency, hosted by the Department of the Prime ...
New Zealand tertiary students with top grades and a passion for space will once again be offered the opportunity to work with the world’s best and brightest at NASA, Economic Development Minister Phil Twyford announced today. Recipients of the New Zealand Space Scholarship are nominated by the Ministry of Business, ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced further support to Samoa in the wake of an ongoing measles outbreak in the country. Additional medical supplies and personnel, including a third rotation of New Zealand’s emergency medical assistance team (NZMAT), further nurse vaccinators, intensive care (ICU) specialists and Samoan-speaking medical professionals, will ...
Health Minister Dr David Clark says new data showing a sharp drop in the number of people who can’t afford to visit their GP is a sign of real progress. One year after the Government made it cheaper for about 600,000 Kiwis to visit their doctor, results of the New ...
The Trade for All Advisory Board has released its recommendations for making New Zealand’s trade policy deliver for all New Zealanders. The report was today welcomed by Trade and Export Growth Minister David Parker. “Trade is crucial to this country’s economy and well-being, and the benefits need to flow to all ...
A partnership signed today between the Crown and local iwi, Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangātira (Ngāti Toa), will improve the quality of state housing in western Porirua, says the Associate Minister of Housing, Kris Faafoi. Contracts have been signed at a ceremony at Takapūwāhia Marae, in Porirua, between Ngāti Toa, ...
E aku manukura, tēnā koutou. He kupu whakamahara tēnei i te aituā nui i Te Tiri o Te Moana, i Erebus I runga i tētahi maunga tiketike i riro atu rā tētahi hunga i arohanuitia E murimuri aroha tonu ana ki a rātou. Kua titia rātou ki te manawa, mō ...
The Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) is supporting an initiative that will help Southlanders into local jobs, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones announced in Invercargill today. “I’m pleased to be in the great South today to announce PGF support of $1.5 million for Southland Youth Futures. This initiative is all ...
Ten engineering firms in Southland are receiving Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) investment to lift productivity and create new jobs, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones said today in Invercargill. Minister Jones announced over $4 million of PGF support for projects in the engineering and manufacturing, and aquaculture sectors and for ...
The Government has made good progress towards eliminating the gender pay gap in the Public Service, Minister for Women Julie Anne Genter announced today. The latest data from the annual Public Service Workforce Data Report, shows that the 2019 Public Service gender pay gap fell to 10.5% from 12.2% in ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to make streets safer for kids to walk and cycle to school, by reducing speed limits to a maximum of 40 km/h around urban schools and 60 km/h around rural schools. “Our kids should have the freedom to walk and cycle to school ...
This week's biggest-selling New Zealand books, as recorded by the Nielsen BookScan New Zealand bestseller list and described by ReadingRoom literary editor Steve Braunias. ...
An alliance of top researchers is trying to keep New Zealand ahead of complex health challenges from overuse of antibiotics, threats to freshwater quality and emerging infectious diseases. ...
The birthplace of the Labour Party is once again at the forefront of a new movement, this time harnessing the power of the collective to step away from coal towards a low carbon future.Blackball is a small place with a huge history. This week the town, 29 kilometres from Greymouth, ...
Life expectancy is increasing all the time, and now actuaries and retirement experts say young people need far more information on what they’ll need to do with their money if they live to 100. Don’t worry, we’re here to help. The message from the Retirement Income Interest Group of the New ...
German politician Joschka Fischer has had a remarkable career. From street violence and helping to set up the Green party, he matured into the foreign minister and vice-chancellor of a united Germany, serving until 2005. His understanding of power politics led him to support the use of force in the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Scott Morrison said it with a straight face, and repetition for emphasis. “I’m very pleased, very pleased, with the performance of all of my ministers,” he declared on Thursday. This ringing if unconvincing universal endorsement ...
PARENTS AROUND THE WORLD PLEA FOR URGENT CLIMATE ACTION 222 parents groups from 27 countries have released a heartfelt joint plea calling on negotiators at this year’s UN climate summit – COP25 – in Madrid to push for ambitious and urgent ...
Government proposals to overhaul insurance contract laws should make the whole process of taking out insurance easier and simpler to understand for consumers, says Financial Advice New Zealand. ...
Despite New Zealand First lobbying hard at the Cabinet table, the Finance Minister says the case to move Auckland's port operations north has not yet been made. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jane Tomnay, Assoc. Professor / Director of Centre for Excellence in Rural Sexual Health, University of Melbourne Around one in six Australian women have had an abortion by their mid-30s. These women come from all age groups and demographics: some are mothers ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Roslyn Petelin, Course coordinator, The University of Queensland Reports this week about the demise of the Apostrophe Protection Society may have been greatly exaggerated. The Apostrophe Protection Society was set up in 2001 in the UK by retired journalist John Richards with ...
Today the Court of Appeal released their decision to allow Helen Milner (The Black Widow) to have the last remaining body samples of the husband she murdered, in an attempt to prove her innocence by trying to see if he had an underlying heart condition. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rebecca Pearse, Lecturer, Department of Political Economy, University of Sydney Federal Labor this week commemorated a dubious anniversary – a decade of climate policy failure. And it pointed the finger of blame squarely at the Greens. Labor claimed that had the Greens ...
The recent statement by Simon Tyler on behalf of the National Provident Fund and the Government Superannuation Fund, that environmental and social goals must be balanced with financial risk and reward, displays conceptual confusion about the role of ethical ...
A bill designed to deal with terrorists returning from overseas has hit its latest speed bump as human rights groups raise concerns that it could be used to stifle press freedom. ...
by David Barber “To read,” says Jim Flynn, Emeritus Professor of Politics at Otago University, “is to enter a magic realm in which people are more interesting, informed, amusing and intelligent than anyone you encounter in everyday life.” It is a realm that half of New Zealand 15-year-olds never enter, ...
Democracy in New Zealand is suffering from a Parliament which under-performs in its scrutiny of human rights. A new report says human rights oversight by select committees examining potential legislation is weak and ad hoc. Human rights obligations and ...
Children’s Commissioner, Judge Andrew Becroft, calls the Breaking Down Porn report, released today by the Chief Censor, a ‘wake-up call’ for all New Zealanders. “I welcome today’s report. It’s a wake-up call and a catalyst for a national ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Scott Morrison has announced a dramatic overhaul of the federal public service, cutting the number of departments and creating several new mega ones, while removing five secretaries. The departments will be reduced from 18 to ...
New information has emerged showing it was the New Zealand First chief of staff who identified potential conflicts of interest between a forestry company and two senior government ministers. ...
The Real Pod assembles to dissect the week in reality television and real life, with special thanks to Nando’s.Are top sheets good or bad? Who is leaving giant dog poo piles everywhere? And why did Max Key delete his last Instagram post? Our investigative journalism continues as we try and get ...
Business is Boring is a weekly podcast series presented by The Spinoff in association with Callaghan Innovation. Host Simon Pound speaks with innovators and commentators focused on the future of New Zealand. This week he talks to Jodie Fox, co-founder of Shoes of Prey.For many years, this week’s podcast guest ...
A community hui has been called this weekend in South Auckland to gather feedback on the trial of armed police patrols. The meeting is part of People Against Prisons Aotearoa’s Arms Down campaign against the militarisation of policing. The trial ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Szymek Drobniak, DECRA Fellow, UNSW Ageing is an inevitability for all living organisms, and although we still don’t know exactly why our bodies gradually grow ever more decrepit, we are starting to grasp how it happens. Our new research, published in Ecology ...
The Spinoff presents the exclusive premiere of MAALA’s new music video, the Connor Pritchard-directed ‘Fire Burning’.Evan ‘MAALA’ Sinton says:I released Composure, my first album,in 2016 and then I did these two quite random singles – ‘In My Head’ and ‘Crazy’ – in 2017. Those songs were quite a weird ...
Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Kris Faafoi says the government will act after a report confirms consumers are paying more than what would be expected in a competitive fuel market. ...
New Zealand’s leading organisation for Holocaust education and remembrance expresses their concern and disappointment regarding the cartoon published in yesterday’s New Zealand Herald comparing the proposed removal of approximately 350 trees from ...
Images show enveloped letters from NZ Police and Customs which allow anyone handling the mail to identify the recipients as licenced firearms owners, without having to open it. ...
E tū says uncertainty hangs over the future of forest products firm Claymark Group after it was placed in receivership, though the hope is it will find a buyer. ...
Stuck for gift ideas? We got you.The great news is: you’re spoiled for choice this year. The sheer number of high quality products being made or produced by Māori and Pasifika creators in Aotearoa means it’s easy to buy beautiful and local for friends and whānau this Christmas (and beyond). ...
New Electoral Commission chair Marie Shroff said she was surprised to find she had lesser powers than in her previous role as Privacy Commissioner. ...
In the latest episode of On The Rag, based on the podcast of the same name, watch as Alex Casey, Michèle A’Court and Leonie Hayden get real about women and safety.Fasten your seatbelts and hold onto your tits, the seventh episode of On the Rag is all about safety. What did ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Marina Khan, PhD Candidate, Western Sydney University The Department of Home Affairs has begun taking steps to outsource its visa processing to private service providers. This move has sparked an important national debate on transparency, accountability and profiteering in the immigration system. ...
The Reserve Bank has softened the blow to bank profits, dividends and mortgage rates slightly by tweaking its capital upgrade proposals. Bernard Hickey reports. ...
Labour’s rating with voters has dropped to its lowest in two years, according to the latest Colmar Brunton poll. This has provoked a flurry of action by ministers, with a $400m new spend on schools and promises of big infrastructure projects to be announced in the half-year fiscal update. Finance ...
A We determine the application as a full court of the High Court. B The application for release of bodily samples of the deceased for further scientific testing is granted. ...
Yesterday, we published an essay by novelist Lloyd Jones lamenting the change in New Zealand’s book culture. Today, Alie Benge responds with a passionate defence of the modern NZ library.Lloyd Jones is worried. He couldn’t find the New Zealand fiction section in Tūranga library, and now the walls are crumbling. ...
Wellington (5 December 2019): The Reserve Bank of New Zealand should suspend its decision to increase banks’ capital and re-open the public consultation process says public policy think tank, The New Zealand Initiative. ...
Responding to the final findings of the Commerce Commission’s inquiry into fuel prices, New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union spokesman Louis Houlbrooke says: “The Commerce Commission’s whole inquiry should be roundly dismissed as a joke. The Government ...
Shane Jones, Minister of Regional Economic Development, eventually declaring a conflict of interest over the NZ Future Forestry Products PGF application wasn't political transparency — it was crisis management butt covering, says the New Zealand Taxpayers ...
Carers NZ and the Carers Alliance of 45 national not for profits have joined the Government to celebrate its new five-year Action Plan, aimed at better supporting New Zealand’s 430,000+ family, whānau and aiga carers. ...
There’s nothing sadder than a nation immersed in remorse. We have been constrained from entering into the endless debate about the Air NZ DC-10 crash into Mt Erebus 40 years ago. It is a circular and irreconcilable argument. Who was to blame? At this distance, does it matter? Facts are ...
The Spinoff editor explains the thinking behind The Spinoff Members.As anyone who has been following the story of the New Zealand media in 2019 will know, it’s stormy out there. Across the board, outlets, us included, are feeling the digital pinch. Advertising spends are down, and the lion’s share of ...
Tara Ward remembers the book that made every school project sing.If you went school in New Zealand during the ‘80s and ‘90s, there’s one book you’ll remember. The deep blue cover will be etched into your memory, the hand sketched drawings seared onto your emotional core. It was The Lettering Book, ...
Most people born in the 1980s knew the line ‘first comes love, then comes marriage, then comes the baby in the baby carriage’, but that’s not so common for the present generation, Stats NZ said today. ...
A new publication by the Salvation Army offers a timely reminder that bolder solutions need to be considered to meaningfully reduce inequality and poverty in Aotearoa New Zealand. ...
The Independent Police Conduct Authority has found that two officers were justified in using pepper spray, Tasers and manual force to effect a man's arrest in Geraldine on 31 August 2018. ...
Despite New Zealand First lobbying hard at the Cabinet table, the Finance Minister says the case to move Auckland's port operations up north has not yet been made. ...
Police acknowledge the findings of an Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) report which finds that two officers were justified in using force to effect a man’s arrest in Geraldine in August 2018. “The two officers attempting to arrest this ...
Dr Bryce Edwards.What is it about reforming laws around money and politics that makes politicians so inclined to stuff it up and act undemocratically? From Helen Clark’s notorious Electoral Finance Act (2007) – which the party eventually voted to repeal, given it was so anti-democratic and unworkable – through ...
Editor’s Note: Here below is a list of the main issues currently under discussion in New Zealand and links to media coverage.New Zealand Parliament Buildings, Wellington, New Zealand.Political donations Guyon Espiner and Kate Newton (RNZ): New details revealed over NZ First-linked company and Shane Jones’ office Matt Shand ...
The bill unveiled this week represents an excellent opportunity to take control of the supply of cannabis and properly reduce harms, writes Joe Boden, director of the Christchurch Health and Development Study.By now the harms associated with cannabis use are well-known. Research from New Zealand – in particular the Christchurch ...
The Commerce Commission's retail fuel market study recommends the introduction of terminal gate pricing and increasing contractual freedom for fuel resellers. ...
There is an element of the proverbial curate’s egg in the government’s proposed recreational cannabis regime. It is good in parts, and not so good in others, but overall leaves a somewhat underdone impression. ...
Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters claims the New Zealand First Foundation was modelled on the National Party Foundation but records revealed in a Stuff investigation suggest otherwise. ...
This Saturday, Christmas at the Races, hosted by Wellington Racing Club, will see anti-horse racing protesters demonstrating outside the main entrance in memory of the dead horses. ...
Open mike 23/11/2011 
Some people seem to want to close down any critical discussion of the current research into the relationship between water fluoride and child IQ. They appear to argue that claims made by researchers should not be open to critical review and that the claims be accepted without proper consideration ...14 hours ago
The government has been congratulating itself over the passage of the Zero Carbon Act, which sets out long-term emissions targets. Meanwhile, Climate Action Tracker has the shameful reality: those targets are insufficient:While New Zealand is showing leadership by having passed the world’s second-ever Zero Carbon Act in November 2019, under ...16 hours ago
Check. Check. One, two, three, four. Is this thing ON? Hello readers, I logged in last night (yeah, it’s been a while) to mark THE END of the landmark legal case, Jordan Williams v Colin Craig, which (gulp) reached The Supreme Court, in which New Zealand’s most-defamed man was suing the politician he ...18 hours ago
Before The Birth: Israel’s most fervent supporters set their clocks ticking in Biblical times. They cite the kingdoms of David and Solomon as proof that, in the words of the Exodus movie’s theme-song: “This land is mine.” The majority of Israel’s backers, however, start their clocks in 1933 – the year Adolf ...18 hours ago
In an unreliable, strange and confusing world, Public Address is proud to present a measure of comfort and stability by annually asking everyone what words or phrases sum up the year that's been – and then giving some of them consumer goods as prizes for being clever or simply lucky.Well, ...22 hours ago
Both my parents are pretty handy – and they seem to have the right tools for most jobs in the garage and they know how to fix practically anything. A similar story could be told about their generation’s experience in the workforce – being a generalist was not unusual and ...22 hours ago
While much of the NZ left has transitioned to postmodern and identity politics in relation to transgender ideology, there are some very good articles about that deploy Marxist methodology in relation to this subject. The one below is from the British marxist group Counterfire and appeared on their site here ...3 days ago
by Daphna Whitmore At Golden Oaks, a luxurious country retreat in the Hudson Valley, pregnant women have the best care money can buy. From the organic food, personalised exercise programmes, private yoga instruction and daily massages Golden Oaks looks like a country lodge for the upper class. Set some time ...3 days ago
“America the Beautiful!”, staunch defender of democracy, freedom and… a whole lot of despotic tyrants that play nice with what is called “the Washington Consensus.” America is indeed capable of immense good, but like any Nation, and most assuredly any aspirant to the mantle of Empire, great, immense evil. All ...4 days ago
Image credit: The beginner’s guide to blogging I notice a few regulars no longer allow public access to the site counters. This may happen accidentally when the blog format is altered. If your blog is ... 5 days ago
It hasn't been a good week for the Conservatives, pollwise. All major recent polls are showing their lead shrinking.Comparing each pollster's current (between 29/11 and 22/11) and previous most recent poll.Com Res - Conservative lead down 3 points.You Gov - Conservative lead down 1 point.Kantar - Conservative lead down 4 ...6 days ago
The Council of Disobedient Women has learned that the Prefect of Aro Valley has been promoted to a new role with the blessing of the Pope of Wellington. Softy Jejune Parson has been appointed Mother Superior of Woke Wellington for the work she has been doing calling out heretics, ...2 weeks ago
On both sides of the Atlantic, some purportedly “contentious” and “difficult to deal with” leadership contenders to lead the US and UK, as President and Prime Minister respectively, seem to have thrown a few spanners into the works of the normal messaging most are used to hearing constantly. Except they’re ...2 weeks ago
Mark Patterson, Spokesperson for Primary Industries New Zealand First spokesperson for Primary Industries, Mark Patterson, has called for awareness to be raised and more stringent biosecurity checks to be put in place for African Swine Fever (ASF), a widespread virus that is uncontrolled in most of Asia and a serious ...19 hours ago
Live from the Whanganui Opera House, on the final day of the 2019 Labour Party Conference, Jacinda Ardern announced the largest investment in school property in 25 years. ...3 days ago
Eight Queen’s Counsel have been appointed under a process that includes the new criterion of a commitment to improving access to justice, Attorney-General David Parker announced today. “The new criterion was included this year. It emphasises that excellence and leadership in the profession can be seen through a wider, community ...17 hours ago
This week's biggest-selling New Zealand books, as recorded by the Nielsen BookScan New Zealand bestseller list and described by ReadingRoom literary editor Steve Braunias. ...31 mins ago
An alliance of top researchers is trying to keep New Zealand ahead of complex health challenges from overuse of antibiotics, threats to freshwater quality and emerging infectious diseases. ...1 hour ago
Sky Sport News presenter Kate King previews a massive weekend for Kiwi sportswomen ...1 hour ago
A handy guide to all you need to know about impeachment. ...1 hour ago
The birthplace of the Labour Party is once again at the forefront of a new movement, this time harnessing the power of the collective to step away from coal towards a low carbon future.Blackball is a small place with a huge history. This week the town, 29 kilometres from Greymouth, ...2 hours ago
NZ is seeing an increasing number of retail 'events' imported from overseas - how long before our spending is exhausted? ...2 hours ago
German politician Joschka Fischer has had a remarkable career. From street violence and helping to set up the Green party, he matured into the foreign minister and vice-chancellor of a united Germany, serving until 2005. His understanding of power politics led him to support the use of force in the ...5 hours ago
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Scott Morrison said it with a straight face, and repetition for emphasis. “I’m very pleased, very pleased, with the performance of all of my ministers,” he declared on Thursday. This ringing if unconvincing universal endorsement ...7 hours ago
PARENTS AROUND THE WORLD PLEA FOR URGENT CLIMATE ACTION 222 parents groups from 27 countries have released a heartfelt joint plea calling on negotiators at this year’s UN climate summit – COP25 – in Madrid to push for ambitious and urgent ...10 hours ago
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Despite New Zealand First lobbying hard at the Cabinet table, the Finance Minister says the case to move Auckland's port operations north has not yet been made. ...12 hours ago
The year has provided tests for the PM's party, government, and the country as a whole - but she is confident 2020 will bring success. ...13 hours ago
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The final version of the Commerce Commission's report says both the retail and wholesale fuel markets are dysfunctional. ...14 hours ago
by David Barber “To read,” says Jim Flynn, Emeritus Professor of Politics at Otago University, “is to enter a magic realm in which people are more interesting, informed, amusing and intelligent than anyone you encounter in everyday life.” It is a realm that half of New Zealand 15-year-olds never enter, ...14 hours ago
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Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Kris Faafoi says the government will act after a report confirms consumers are paying more than what would be expected in a competitive fuel market. ...16 hours ago
The Reserve Bank has softened the blow to bank profits, dividends and mortgage rates slightly by tweaking its capital upgrade proposals. Bernard Hickey reports. ...18 hours ago
The Reserve Bank has made few concessions in making the country's banks hold more capital to strengthen their finances for any future crisis. ...18 hours ago
Labour’s rating with voters has dropped to its lowest in two years, according to the latest Colmar Brunton poll. This has provoked a flurry of action by ministers, with a $400m new spend on schools and promises of big infrastructure projects to be announced in the half-year fiscal update. Finance ...18 hours ago
There’s nothing sadder than a nation immersed in remorse. We have been constrained from entering into the endless debate about the Air NZ DC-10 crash into Mt Erebus 40 years ago. It is a circular and irreconcilable argument. Who was to blame? At this distance, does it matter? Facts are ...19 hours ago
A poem by Dunedin writer Victor Billott in response to that drawing by Garrick Tremain. ...21 hours ago
The Commerce Commission's retail fuel market study recommends the introduction of terminal gate pricing and increasing contractual freedom for fuel resellers. ...22 hours ago
Reports of cyber scams, fraud and 'credential harvesting' are on the rise in New Zealand. ...22 hours ago
Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters claims the New Zealand First Foundation was modelled on the National Party Foundation but records revealed in a Stuff investigation suggest otherwise. ...22 hours ago
Every party complains about the media coverage they get, but not too loudly in case they lose favour and coverage. Media reports commonly don’t seem accurate to those being reported on. Mostly that is a natural effect of someone else looking at things differently.
In our democratic system the media hold a lot of power.
Just as most politicians mean well and work hard, the same for journalists. Personal views and preferences must influence how stories are chosen and covered but most journalists try to provide width and balance to their coverage.
Some journalists abuse their power, framing stories and promoting their own agendas and egos way beyond normal journalistic boundaries.
Actually Peter it’s down to the management editing and controlling what’s published by setting agendas and employing kids just look at the fresh young faces doing stories on drunken sport heads on the TV.
To quote a good mate, also a senior experienced journo, ‘too few employers and the editors have preconceived yarns to get out there, cross them and you’re out of a job’
Games is rigged dude…..watch Oz news to get a stark contrast in how balanced reporting is done.
I know it’s rigged. A few people are looking at what might be able to be done to hold them to account, a bit at least. Power of the ‘net may be able to apply some pressure.
what might be able to be done to hold them to account, a bit at least.
Geez Pete. You are standing for a party headed by a hairpiece that backs this current rabble like a bad smell. This is not “holding them to account”. Your party is part of the problem.
It is part of this contrived gerrymander that gives the right an undue advantage. Basically if the hairpiece wins National gets 1.2% more of the party vote than it actually won.
Your comments are hypocritical. If you truly want to “hold them to account” then resign and join a real party, one determined to do something for ordinary people, not for millionaires.
But that’s the problem, the millionaries are loosing their shirts because they are running the country so badly.
But worse they’ve locked in the tax system to make any company that grows (or farm, crafer) into a target for foreign take over.
NZ is digging itself faster into serfdom, and that’s what’s so astonishing about the elite here, that they really are that incredibly self-destructive.
The culture is set by media and the jerk elite has decided it doesn’t care what nonsense is peddled, or by whom.
Murdoch is an Australian.
Murdoch is an American citizen.
Yes, he is but he was born in Australia and, I believe, still carries Australian citizenship.
Are you complaining about the latest FairFax poll in which UF polls at one tenth of one percent?
Pete, I read your article and I must say I’m surprised.
11 paragraphs about parties conniving to assist each other into seats and not one mention of United Future’s deal with National.
Banks and Brash under attack at Epsom candidate meeting last night:
http://i41.tinypic.com/4sbqmo.jpg
I guess TVNZ will be showing some footage:
http://i43.tinypic.com/2816f49.jpg
More pics at:
Thanks for that ‘Jayman’! đ
22 November 2011 Epsom candidates meeting at the Parnell Jubliee Building 545 Parnell Rd.
I recommended to Epsom voters last night that they do not vote for yet- to- be- charged or convicted âwhite collarâ crook â John Banks.
http://i39.tinypic.com/xkohly.jpg
Am STILL awaiting a âprogress reportâ (promised Friday morning 18 November 2011) from the Serious Fraud Office (SFO).
ARE THE NZ SFO GOING TO EQUALLY LAY CHARGES AGAINST ACT CANDIDATE FOR EPSOM JOHN BANKS, AND ACT LEADER DON BRASH, AS WERE LAID AGAINST FORMER FELLOW DIRECTOR OF HULJICH WEALTH MANAGEMENT (NZ) LTD â PETER HULJICH FOR SIGNING âREGISTERED PROSPECTUSESâ WHICH CONTAINED UNTRUE STATEMENTS â OR NOT?
IF NOT â WHY NOT?
How come ACTâs âONE LAW FOR ALLâ â apparently doesnât apply to the ACT Leader Don Brash, and ACT candidate for Epsom John Banks?
Whereâs ACTâs âZERO TOLERANCEâ for âwhite collarâ CRIME?
Will be following up with the SFO this morningâŠ..
Of course this issue is being given the mainstream media coverage one would expect in election yearâŠâŠ
Not.
(Situation normal)
Penny Bright
CENSORED
Independent Candidate for Epsom
Campaigning against âwhite collarâ CRIME, CORRUPTION (and its root cause â PRIVATISATION) and âCORPORATE WELFAREâ
[email deleted]
Bugger the polls. My Ipredict short against National winning isn’t looking too healthy now. đ
16.2 % undecided…!
Now just hang on a minute:
The teapot scandal will break National
Rena will scupper them
Labours policys will bring them back
NZ will have a collective wakening to what John Keys about
The Greens, Mana, Winston First and Labour will get enough votes
The worm turned
Attacking the Mad Butcher will get votes
Playing the personality politics is the way to go (not that Labours doing that of course)
Any one of the above is a game changer so don’t give up hope just yet
You were one of those chumps who thought the All Blacks would win the final by 20 points, weren’t you?
Oh yeah sorry I also should add:
Assett sales
A win by 20 or a win by 1 is still a win (I will admit to some nerves during the match)
Bill English now bullshitting on Morning Report
You mean he actually stopped? Damn – I missed it.
There was a brief interlude in 2008 when he said stuff like
– “we want to get rid of kiwibank”
– “labour left the government accounts in good shape”
but this lapse into reality was soon remedied and the BS is spraying all and sundry once more
bill english = bull egregious
worst Nat leader ever, lost 2002 with 21% or something
National’s deep unpopularity was the only reason NZF/Winston was in parliament.
Winston is National’s problem child (one of many)
Clarification – should have read:
Bill English bullshitting on Morning Report now
He wants folks to swallow his shit recipes
[audio src="http://podcast.radionz.co.nz/mnr/mnr-election2011-20111123-0708-national_defends_record_on_trans-tasman_exodus-048.mp3" /]
David Cunliffe makes excellent points:
[audio src="http://podcast.radionz.co.nz/mnr/mnr-election2011-20111123-0714-labours_finance_spokesman_discusses_emigration_stats-048.mp3" /]
Strange lack of empathy from Joanne Black, in the latest Listener, for Bradley Ambrose. Remember she has admitted to leaving a tape running hidden behind a bunch of flowers after a press conference with then PM Geoffrey Palmer. Then she played it to other journalists and possibly politicians including Ruth Richardson who then used it in the house to mock the PM.
Bradley Ambrose was pushed away, with a scrum of other journalists, from a public meeting in a cafe, to a position a few feet away. Whether or not it was accidental, he left the mike in full view of several DPS staff and the two politicians, none of whom noticed it. When he realised it was still recording he alerted his contracted employer and deleted it.
>>>> When he realised it was still recording he alerted his contracted employer and deleted it.
Are you sure about that?
Well he definitely did the first half.
Ruth Richardson is only a few degrees to the right of Joanne Black.
HOS is not Ambrose’s employer.
Joanne Blacks husband is one of Key’s advisors. Says it all.
Interesting chart……..
http://tiny.cc/dpjbg
When he realized it was still recording he alerted his contracted employer and deleted it.
Hmm more like he rubbed his hands together and thought ha ha pay day is coming!
Deleted it – don’t you mean copied it and sold to who ever would buy it?
His argument that it was all an accident and he didn’t mean to tape the conversation would be like you or me walking out of a supermarket with groceries without paying for them, going home and eating the groceries.
When Plod comes around to have a chat you say, oh yes I realized after I got home that I hadn’t paid for the groceries so it wasn’t stealing – but I decided to eat them anyway as it was ok to.
Wouldn’t hold up in court as the consumption proves the intent. I think Mr Ambrose is going to find out this afternoon that the judge will decide that his selling of the conversation will allow a prosecution to use this as evidence as to his intention or otherwise of taping the conversation deliberately.
Your last point is incorrect, Jimmie, because the judge is not being asked to rule on the question of the selling of the conversation, just whether it was a private conversation or not. If not, that lets the cameraman off the hook, if it is private, then the cops have to then make the decision about prosecution.
By the way, who said he sold the tape? I haven’t seen it reported anywhere that he was paid for it.
These sorts of comments are why he now has a defamation case against Key.
“that the judge will decide that his selling of the conversation will allow a prosecution to use this as evidence as to his intention or otherwise of taping the conversation deliberately.”
But as we now know, she didn’t… đ
Granny Herald has returned to form pushing propaganda and disinformation for the Nats in on it’s front page with article from chief cheerleader John sycophant Armstrong. The editor busied himself with talking up the dangers of earthquakes prone buildings in Auckland (FFS!) demanding ‘the public have a right to know’ but has nothing to say on the suppression of information involved in the ombudsman withholding advice that the government received from treasury wrt asset sales, or the lack of any concrete evidence to back up Nationals claim that ownership will be retained by
New Zealanders.
Inside the political pages the talk (excepting Rudman) was all about how Shonkeys charm is like the sun and without it we would all surely wither and die.
Homebrew + Tourrettes’ song ‘Listen to us’ has had almost ten thousand plays in a week.
listen to it here on:
Vote for this song on the bFM top ten here:
http://www.95bfm.com/default,top10.sm
— let’s make the #1 MEAN SOMETHING this year…
Key on RNZ right now, getting all flustered and talking over the host
And Kathryn Ryan gets bored quickly has an idea she just has to express right then and talks over the top of Key rather than waiting for a natural pause. Just done it 3 times in 30 seconds. (it’s not just Key she does it all the time as does Kim Hill end rant. RANt continues – she also talks way too quick. It’s like dealing with an 8 year old who has to blurt everything out in one go. Key and Goff have a much more moderate pace and the contrast really grates).
Key said something really interesting right up front after the introduction when Ryan said that Nats could govern alone based on recent polls, the first party to do so under MMP. He then said something like ‘that [Fairfax] poll could be overstating things’.
It’s an interview, not a party political broadcast.
Not that Key would know the difference.
Katherine is the interviewer. She asks the question. Key goes off on a tangent and avoids the question. Katherine attempts to return to the question. Key shouts over her and continues to avoid.
Pity. Key could have answered some good questions but failed.
It’s a long form interview – she doesn’t have to rush. But she does it all the time. No doubt she’ll be as irritating with Goff tomorrow. It appears like it is more about her and her voice getting airspace. Kim Hill has developed the same problem.
I didn’t hear the whole interview, but a part of it I did hear, Key was wandering off the question that was asked and started talking about Goff, so Kathryn had to interrupt to get him back on track.
Winston’s weird:
http://readingthemaps.blogspot.com/2011/11/winson-takes-deng-xiaoping-for-drive.html
National Front at Christchurch candidates meeting: http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/newsdetail1.asp?storyID=209559
Pieces of chicken shit scum bags is what they are.
In the interview Key admitted that they are planning to spend 4 billion dollars on the power grid/network.
So let’s get this straight. He is going to spend billions upgrading the lines and wants to sell the power generation plants that need the lines to deliver their product.
We are paying to build the trucks, and the roads, that takes their goods to market for us to buy
================
How can the host not have the basic treasury and budget figures on hand.
Key says National just delivered a zero budget – i hear crickets-
key says labour left hundreds of billions of debt – more crickets –
Key said they have not lumped NZ with new debt – i swear i heard a black hole open up –
The 4b is old news and probably accounted for as it is 100% funded by consumers. It has meant Transpower has not been giving the govt a dividend in recent years despite making 100m or so a year. I think Labour started the ball rolling in about 2007. Oh and Labour allowed Transpower to ‘sell’ the national grid to Wachovia in a buy and lease back arrangement to rort US taxpayers.
But your analogy doesn’t hold. The govt already builds and owns the roads. But it doesn’t try and own the cars and trucks that run on them, or the factories that fill the trucks, or the office blocks filled by people who drive their cars on the roads. Are you calling for wholescale nationalisation of the means of production and transport?
it is a very clear and simple metaphor of what is represented by NZ paying to build new power grid systems and transmission lines and then selling the companies that produce the electricity that will use those very lines to sell power back to NZ. or were you just wanting to waste my time?
the whole structure is corrupt and the more we all look into it the murkier the whole story becomes.
Left , Right, doesn’t matter, the deals done in NZ the last thirty years have to be brought to light and those responsible have to be held to account.
Even this single phone call raises more than a few questions as to the legitimacy of the status quo.
It’s a completely odd ‘metaphor’ because it’s not one.
But that aside, what you are saying is that it is strange and illegitimate for the government to build a road to develop some crown land at the end of it, and then sell that land to private enterprises (like farmers, builders and developers), who will then turn it into a housing estate or warehousing or farms and use that same crown owned road to service the area and bring produce and people out of it to other places served by the same crown owned roading network. Strange, because that is how much of NZ was developed and they are still doing it today http://www.primecommercial.co.nz/1657269
“Are you calling for wholescale nationalisation of the means of production and transport?”
Why not? The idea probably gives you an aneurysm, but as my late brother used to say “If you’re going to sin, might as well make it an original one!” đ
(PS I think you meant wholesale though wholescale is orignal, and almost fits!)
Lew has an interesting observation over on Kiwipolitico:
So, when the psychopaths in National heard that there was a documentary showing just how bad the poverty in NZ had become over the last three decades of neo-liberalism they called it a Labour advert, said it wasn’t their fault and then promised to make it worse by cracking down on beneficiaries?
Yeah, National, really helpful – not.
The other side of that is that most of the poverty statistics you see variously quoted as appalling, third world etc date from Labour’s time in power, a period of apparantly massive growth and success. That’s just the nature of the time it takes to collate and analyse this stuff. We are not going to know the impact of National on the trend for some time, like it or not.
“We are not going to know the impact of National on the trend for some time, like it or not.”
No, but we can make some very educated guesses about whether it’s going to be better, worse, or the same…
Did you see the bit where I mentioned the last three decades of neo-liberalism? Yes, Labour’s to blame as well.
The point was that, given the evidence, National whinge and whine and don’t do anything to get rid of the poverty. Of course, they don’t want to because having large amounts of poverty pushes wages down just as John Key said he wanted.
Key was interviewed by Katherine Nine to Noon. (Try hard to be open minded.)
Katherine shouted down.
Key: Slippery. Evasive. Devious.
(Comparing his performance with that of other leaders in terms of honesty credibility trust. Awful!)
Shonkey could get caught with two 13 year old girls in the back of the limo and his fan club would still be relaxed. The rabid and rapid response of the Kiwiblog gargoyle re one widely perceived advantage to Phil Goff following the TV3 debate shows these people are on maximum wind.
Judge Helen Winkelmannâs phone would possibly have been busy last nite.
Really the likes of Key, Farrar and Joyce can only be considered as traitorous swine running a continuous âdark opâ on behalf of capital in NZ.
You are spot on, Key could do anything and it would not matter. The basic issue is that NZers (as pointed out in Trotters latest column) want reassurance and parenting from their lovely leader. Facts and policies are of no real issue, we just want to be lead by nice daddy John.
Upshot is that we will as a nation ignore that nice daddy John will sell of the house and then have an affair with a merchant bankster mistress, all so long as we feel reassured. And in 3 years we will wont get letters from Hawaii from runaway daddy because we wont have our own address, we will be out in the street.
Which begs the question: when will we grow up and become adults assessing our own futures? When will we leave political infancy?
Any chance you explaining to me the point and its value of always attacking the PM. Hasn’t he also gotten a heap of ministers and MPs running things.. so what’s with the obsession.. don’t you see how counter-productive this is.. and how excellent JK is fending it off.. looks to me a lot of the time like he’s inviting it so he can deflect scrutiny from the others..
Quick note for LP: WYSIWYG and the name and email cookies are no longer working on Firefox.
Edit: or IE.
Lynn’s aware. I thought he was going to fix it but evidently hasn’t done so yet.
Cheers, I’ve got so used to the tags and automatic logons that I even forgot to re-enter the data on the comment above and had to go back and reload it.
Yep. Unfortunately I’ve spent the last week pushing data for election day targeting which is more time dependent.
I know how to fix the problem to get around the new cache, but it takes time to dig out the old code from javascript. I just haven’t had time to do so. But I’m almost done. However I also have to stop my holiday and go back to the paying job…
I’d revert it back to the normal system, but we’re getting read peaks that are quite high. Tonight for instance we did about a quarter of the days page views in just over an hour after the debate (and surprise surprise we just made another record for highest page view day and highest visitor day – the second this week). The cache was the only thing that made the system operate without falling unresponsive. It was feeding the same cached page to multiple readers rather than regenerating it for each reader.
Best suggestion – register and login.
That generates a separate page for each logged in user (whilst serving up cached copies for non-logged in) and therefore has all of that stuff operational without issues (it is the readers that cause the peak issues)
Another broken promise
Prior to the last election in 2008, National promised that New Zealander’s would Wave goodbye to higher taxes⊠however National increased GST to 15%. The broken promise ensured that socially negative statistics kept growing.
National’s pledge card also said: Not your loved ones⊠meaning that New Zealanderâs would stop leaving en mass. However weâve seen the first net migration loss in ten years and the increasing exodus has continued to grow under National over the last three years.
Some people have argued that the Christchurch earthquakes are the reason for the continued exodus⊠however only a small percentage of those leaving come from Christchurch. The vast majority of people are leaving because National has mismanaged the economy and things are getting worse here in New Zealand.
Get it right Jackal, National did not mismanage the economy, they did not even attempt to do anything other than transfer wealth to their mates, scrap social expenditure and plan to sell off the silver to themselves.
“National has mismanaged the economy”
Incorrect. National has
– deliberately skewed the economy in favour of the wealthy elite,
– generated a massive government debt
– overseen an embarrassing credit downgrade
All in preparation for the privatisation of our juicy public assets.
Another wealth grab by the insatiable banksters and their useful idiots…
people leaving en masse because they are worried we are going to get another 3years of Shonkey .
That GST increase was fiscally risk neutral.. go ask any pensioner whose fixed income had to otherwise take a hit on regular grocery for example.. try for more REAL in your comments please.
“That GST increase was fiscally risk neutral.. go ask any pensioner whose fixed income had to otherwise take a hit on regular grocery for example.”
That’s gurble, really! What does ” fiscally risk neutral” even mean? It’s jargon of some sort, each of the words makes sense on its own, but together? No… ?????
More great Poll results for National despite all the personal Mudslinging from Labour. I know Iprent is not in favour of this as I have read his comments on it before. That the Election should always be fought on a Policy basis. There are two real problems for Labour in this Election that I see.
1) The associated link with Winston Peters as shown by the contrived worm,and polls the Public dont trust him even though Phil Goff says he does.
2) The rise of the Greens this party is appearing as fresh full of new ideas and the voters choice for the left vote. While Labour throws out its same old same old. I believe within 3 more Elections that the Greens will have a bigger voter base than Labour unless Labour can revitalise itself.
To do that they need to attract some smart Business people to their ranks who can show some comercial nouse. This means there will be a direct or indirect conflict with the Union power base in Labour.At the moment they cant show any credible way how they are going to grow the Economy without over taxing a smaller ,and smaller base of people. Sooner or later the leaves all fall off the money tree, and labour has no plans to show how it can create wealth in the Economy so Businesses will invest money ,and hire more people
Please choose or use a different ‘log in’ name. Cheers.
Hi Bill,
I just spent a couple of minutes puzzling how the ‘Bill of old’ could have changed his attitude so drastically, and concluded that you are a new commenter. I think you need a new handle.
At least I assume it’s not you Bill – Standard author and parecon proponent?
Yep….I mean no. Not me. And the person signing in as ‘bill’ on another thread isn’t me either. (Have commented beneath the comments with those handles asking that the handles be changed.)
I don’t think Bill actually logged in to comment. That’s the problem. You can comment without logging in, all you need to do is provide a name (say “Bill”) and an email address.
Probably the only way to avoid this is to require commenters to log-in, because I believe all login usernames are unique.
That I kinda agree with. The rest of your comment was complete delusional BS. With Peak Oil already here the economy can’t be grown so all we’re left with is correcting the misallocation of resources that capitalism has caused. NAct, wants to do the opposite and make things worse.
big ups to Rob Guyton – constantly posting on good green issues and with a wicked sense of humour – exhibit 1 this headline – “This man suffers from worms” guess who?
http://robertguyton.blogspot.com/2011/11/this-man-suffers-from-worms.html
haha excellent!
Salon: Cities, the new hydrofracking victims.
That article should be read by every NZer.
It has many in-text links, which I intend to follow up on. One crucial aspect is the recent disclosure of a 1987 EPA report which found:
‘…fracking contaminated well and groundwater in West Virginia. For decades, the industry had been able to deny this critical case study and insist fracking was perfectly safe because, as the New York Times notes, the caseâs details âwere sealed from the public when energy companies settled lawsuits with landowners.â Now, though, the oil and gas industry cannot issue such denials with impunity…’
I’m not sure what you are getting excited about. The report interesting and well written but comes pretty much to the same conclusion as others – it’s the integrity of the casings that are the issue not the fracking process. This is a known issue and applies to any well of any sort going through ground water. The report is very clear that the fracked zone does not directly affect the aquifer.
/facepalm
The fracking process forces apart the rock so we can assume that “the integrity of the casings” has no bearing whatsoever on if the fracking compound enters the ground water. Physics ensures that it will.
No because the fracking (usually) happens thousands of feet below any ground water. The fractures themselves are millimetres wide which is why sand is use as a proppant to keep the cracks open. and they wouldn’t/shouldn’t intersect say with an aquifer in these circumstances because they primarily travel laterally within a geological formatin rather than vertically between formations.
The casings are supposed to contain fluids and gas as they pass through other geological formations from the source rock to the well head. It is these failing that seem to be the issue. Like a hose getting a hole in it while you are running a siphon. If you’ve done it a thousand times before and it fails once, it’s likely the hose is the problem not the siphoning method.
Nice fancy ideas mate, let down by actual fracking contaminants found in drinking water all over the world.
you’ll be able to list them then…
Toxins to blame for increased whale stranding’s?
There’s also been an increase in stranding’s closer to the MV Rena disaster, which is known to have released over 2000 barrels of heavy crude oil into the ocean. 3150 Litres of Corexit 9500 was also applied throughout the cleanup operation and 23,240 kgs of Alkylsulphonic Acid was lost overboard.
Quick question to moderators : why am I having to type in user name and mail address for every comment? It used to store them. Problem at my end or yours?
Collective disorder tracks Occupy facebook pages, twitter accounts and Reddit subs.
so kweewee is going to sell Kiwibank.
it doesnt belong to him or his party either (the john kee and matthew hooton party).
It belongs to New Zealanders and Phill Goff should make that quite clear to New Zealanders tonight on teevee.
An interesting read.
Google Doc: Private Clearinghouses and the Origins of Central Banking
Actually Key is not selling kiwibank, thats a big lie.
Correct. National will sell KiwiBank after Key resigns.
Is it true or is just bs that Bradley Ambrose has ties to Kyle Chapman?
Look which party Kyle Chapman is supporting.
http://rwrnz.blogspot.com/2011/11/elections.html
Reading things that aren’t there again Pete. He doesn’t say, but he does say to vote for one of the small parties.
Perhaps he means UF. You’re all white aren’t you?
They have edited their site. What they had (up until yesterday afternoon) was:
“In this country we must vote for the smaller parties…” replaced “If you want traditional Kiwi life vote NZ First.”
Pete:
Well they anit voting for national and please give me a headsup, I dont want to go to that
hate site again.
Back to my original question is it true that Bradley Ambrose has ties to this group?
Over the last week or so, it has been reported in several media articles that he is a National supporter – that probably should now be “was” in the past tense.
Bugger all this election nonsense – I’m going bush. Out after the event so will keep fingers crossed ……
Don’t forget to vote!
Well, as of this time it looks like most people have considered leaving for Australia*.
* If you believe those really stupid online polls.
http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2011/11/tanks-in-small-towns/248975/
Can everyone please post this to their social network of choice, please get justice against police brutality in NZ.
Video is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QQ3XA7KgrY
[Quote]
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2011
[b]where is the humanity?[/b]
I feel, especially in these last days leading up to our elections, that it is vital that New Zealanders see this. Actually, stuff the elections, this is something that every person in Aotearoa needs to watch and think about because this is about us as a community, this is about us taking responsibility as human beings. This is about us putting people before corporations and profits.
After my initial surge of rage, disgust, and extreme sadness at watching this clip, my main three questions are these:
Firstly, what on EARTH are they teaching at the police colleges that produce policepeople that are so eager to inflict serious harm on other humans? When I was at primary school, even at high school, to want to become a policeperson came out of a desire to help, protect and generally do good in a community. Not sit on a desperate and upset man and calmly beat him around the head and ribs with a police-issue baton in front of his extremely pregnant partner SO THAT A LUCRATIVE POWER COMPANY WHO TURNS OVER MILLIONS EACH YEAR CAN SAVE A FEW BUCKS!! (which turned out to be a mistake on the power company’s part anyway!)
Secondly, what lack of humanity allows contractors to carry on their job when they can see the result it is having? What is this crazy hold over people that lets them use the excuse ‘I was just doing my job’ when they can see that doing their job is causing a man to receive head injuries? When it is causing immense distress to a woman who is overdue to give birth?
And, in conclusion to the first two questions I guess, as it was so VERY obvious that things weren’t going so well in this situation (to put it lightly) why on earth could the police and contractors not take the sensible approach, pull back, and reassess the situation?? I cannot think of any reason why the disconnection of power had to happen at that specific time, given the resulting circumstances. Not exactly a life-or-death situation for the power company was it? Are we really the type of society who would rather see another human beaten till they bleed rather than have a company lose out on a few profits?? Do we truly worship money that much? Should we really let it control us in that way?
To those of you who say, regarding the police, that they were only doing their jobs, then I say – well, if that is their job, then I think it’s time we thought about what sort of system we’re living under. Because I don’t want any part of it.
[/quote]
http://commonbravery.blogspot.com/2011/11/where-is-humanity.html
OMG! That is one of the most outrageous abuses of police plus corporate power toward an individual in NZ that I have ever seen – and all this is completely legal???? (call me sheltered, but Wow!). There was no crime that warranted that sort of treatment (and not even an unpaid power bill, in the end).
John Key/Nathan Guy must be panicking re holding the seat of Otaki
I spotted added to most of his billboards in orange
Your vote is crucial this sat
hahaha so dont believe the polls that are cintinuly paraded on tv by the media
Lefties get out there and vote
I’ve seen the same thing today. The Nats are worried!
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10768051
So we had Lab MP’s including Phil Goff support this, now as this would have been for me a great green/environmential policy. Not a mention, I even commented that the up comming Labour weekend would have been a great time to promote this. Perhaps this was all just Phil’s opportunity for a smile and wave photo.
Does The Labour party really act on saving our environment, or as I am comming to believe AFKTT, Labour is as indebted to the system as Nation is ;-(
http://www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/news/4510990/Coromandel-beach-friends-spell-out-their-opposition
http://blog.labour.org.nz/2011/01/04/preserve-new-chum-wainuiototo-beach-for-everyone/
today is an historic day, and it is the smallest step that can lead the longest march
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/211548.html
Should be true but is it?
yes yes yes it is true
downloaded and watched a dozen times. it keeps getting better and better every time
fact is Fact and The Kuala Lumpur War Crimes Tribunal
has now shown the world what real strength is all about.
seeing a lot of calls for the death penalty, if any country ever commits to arresting them.
I say no to the death penalty for these architects of misery.
Incarceration in a penitentiary, life sentences, no house arrest, no quick deaths, no easy out for these murderers, let their long final days be spent in fear and regret.
What do folks think about this info?
You certainly won’t get to read it in mainstream media!
Why Epsom voters whouldn’t support ‘white collar’ CRIMINALS?
đ
http://www.pennybright4epsom.org.nz/
Penny Bright
Independent Candidate (CENSORED) for Epsom
Editorial: Trust parents with the facts about schools
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=10767804
Good God. We have had 20 plus years now of “Tomorrow’s Schools” and ERO.
Parents have been free to join boards of trustees in open and free elections.
They have had screeds of information available to them.
One has to wonder just who is driving this attitude.
One thing is for certain – Delorus Umbridge is going to create an extremely demoralised teaching profession. Of course, she is a here-today-gone-tomorrow politician and will not be subject to any scrutiny herself – in fact apart from the infamous Merv Wellington and David Lange, people would be hard pressed to name the succession of Ministers of Education.
Why has she got such a snitch on teachers? Is she holding a grudge against her 1960’s teachers and schools. Did she fail School Cert?
Did a teacher guest in one of her hotels do something untoward in a room?
What is it with her?
Not really, Greens will only grow until they risk leaving behind the activist base. So the question for the Greens is; are you an activist party or one for the middle classes?
You can be an activist and middle class.
Why is there an ad for Vote for Change at the top of The Standard? “give MMP the boot”.
Epsom voters could not look themselves in the eye if they voted in “that” man.
bye bye binky.
Oh fuck, we’ve got ads from the anti-MMP brigade playing at the top of the page. They’re really going all out now in splurging on ads focusing on Winston, even stooping as low as to buy ads on facebook.
There’s also an IAG investment ad on the main page. What’s going on?
Key: “National is rolling out ultra fast broadband”
Kiwis leaving for Australia: We’re rolling out ultra fast
JN.
When you’re up to your neck in shit it’s tempting to try to get out of it.
However, the ‘Lucky Country’ isn’t so lucky these days, especially for new arrivals.
‘According to press release from the Mortgage & Finance Association of Australia, âFirst time home buyers have little confidence in the Australian economy, as they baulk at property purchases and hoard their cashâ.’
http://www.whocrashedtheeconomy.com/blog/category/australian-housing/
and
‘SYDNEY (MarketWatch) — The world’s second-largest iron ore miner Rio Tinto PLC /quotes/zigman/182541/quotes/nls/rio RIO -1.35% will boost its fleet of driverless trucks 15-fold to 150 vehicles over the next four years, as part of a bid to increase margins at its mines in Australia’s Pilbara region.’
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/rio-tinto-boosts-driverless-iron-ore-truck-fleet-2011-11-02
and
http://au.finance.yahoo.com/q/bc?s=%5EAORD
Out of interest, are you allowed to blog or post on blogs on election day about the election??????