Open mike 24/02/2019

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, February 24th, 2019 - 110 comments
Categories: open mike - Tags:

Open mike is your post.

For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose.

The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy).

Step up to the mike …

110 comments on “Open mike 24/02/2019 ”

  1. WeTheBleeple 1

    Nationals Blue-green policy revealed:

    “We’re going to undone what we done”.

    • greywarshark 1.1

      TRP
      Will you put up the How to get There post? WtB and I can watch over it in the meantime, I will do so and I think WtB will do anyway, if you will be there as usual. Robert has said he has been very busy.

  2. joe90 2

    Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez certainly has them worried.

    https://twitter.com/AOC/status/1099340415231246336

    The Job Creators Network (JCN), a conservative advocacy group, put up the billboard in Times Square on Wednesday, blaming Ocasio-Cortez for “25,000 lost NYC jobs, $4 billion in lost wages,” and “$12 billion in lost economic activity for NY.”

    “Thanks for nothing, AOC!” read the billboard, located on 42nd Street near Eighth Avenue.

    In a separate statement, JCN asserted that Ocasio-Cortez and other “anti-business politicians” should be held responsible for Amazon’s decision, which they called a “major blow to the New York economy.”

    https://www.newsweek.com/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-fires-back-critics-over-wack-amazon-billboard-isnt-1338613

    • millsy 2.1

      Workers at Amazon get treated worse than the Asian sweatshop workers in China (the wages and conditions of which appear to be getting better even if it is slowly), which is is why I don’t use their site or purchase anything from them.

  3. cleangreen 3

    National = fudging it again, while lying.

  4. cleangreen 4

    What a bloody let-down again today- I woke up at 7am and tuned into RNZ for some of today’s news and was so disappointed by hearing the same boring “Jim Mora” crap stumbling over his words while asking the US correspondent about the findings of the Robert Muller CIA enquiry.

    When- for Gods sakes are they going to get rid of this awful man that reeks of “old National guard”

    • greywarshark 4.1

      Mora must be in with the RW controllers at Radionz. I connect his voice with a
      shallow interest in the world, enough to satisfy the RW brigade, real concerns might get an interested longer coverage because they are temporarily newsworthy or even worthy of a 3 minute coverage. Sunday morning was already going to a weekend coverage like a Sunday paper, but had items of real interest from around the world but with Wallace’s perspective which comes from a younger man with a thoughtful and socially aware background. I miss Wallace. Why waste him on the Panel of chatty people and Drivetime?

      I think the answer to that question would be that the RNZ managers under the spell of hyper-modernisation where the future moves swiftly to be now, and financial futures have become the steering levers for our real future, or what we can perceive or conceive of it. Perhaps the managers and Board of RNZ have a desire that it be as anonymous as its codename; just a radio station with tech additions, measured to the same criteria as commercial stations. The management at all levels may want to get jobs in the commercial broadcasting side in the future, or may have financial interests there now, and they can point out their great efforts to hoist the Radionz figures in the competition for ears that is the rating game for them.

      But Radionz dedicated listeners desire its valuable contribution as a public service and good. There are a large number of minds receiving the facts and thoughts of incisive, informed people broadcasting to them. There are thinking people who want to hear and learn the facts and truth of what is happening in New Zealand and the world. Radionz holds aside the Word Curtain that can hide the reality of our present life.

      And if the numbers listening are less than commercial stations that should not be the main concern. But it should promote itself within its own broadcasting time, advising listeners of coming programs and services, which it does and that makes it more effective. And also by offering sponsorship for activities of interest, in sectors of low listener numbers, so that the various sectors know their interests and concerns are catered for, and I think this is done.

      But that is enough, Radionz should not be more concerned about being top or near than it is about bringing information and culture of New Zealand to us, and telling us about the whole of the world so we aren’t ignorant and narrow-focussed on English speaking countries. One of the tactics used by incomers to a country who have invasive intent, is to sequester the intellectuals, the teachers. I suggest that we are at the receiving end of a soft thrust from the small and dominant percentage of money cultists, who cast the spell of the neolib freemarketeers.
      They are destroying our human society, giving us TINA instead of options, and replacing us with machines – think 5G for instance. If you can still think that is. The Voice will say: It is not encouraged to think for yourself, you are a human and fallible!

      (See Micky Savage post about Computer Overlords – it may be clearer then me about future problems that are on us.)

  5. Morrissey 5

    Ian Smith is without doubt the worst rugby gofer in the world.
    However, this morning we saw an Englishwoman nearly as crass.

    Wales 21-13 England, Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, Saturday 23/2/19

    After this stirring match, the post-match interviews were for some unfathomable reason entrusted to a blonde woman who seems to have been chosen using the same criteria that Donald Trump chooses his cabinet members: she’s ignorant and she’s bumptious.

    First “interview” was with the Welsh fullback, Owen Williams. Her first question was simply cretinous, as well as redundant: “Describe for us the emotions you are feeling right now.”

    Next up was England’s Owen Farrell. If anything, the question to him was even stupider: “Why did you lose this match?”

    Ian “Smithy” Smith is still the worst and most insulting and most ignorant rugby football gofer idiot on the planet, but this English woman is one to watch—assuming that Bein Sports has not fired her immediately following this performance.

  6. Morrissey 6

    The Voice of Compassion backs up President Trump

    @HillaryClinton

    I urge Nicolás Maduro to allow humanitarian aid inside Venezuela’s borders peacefully. People are in need of life-saving medicines, children are subsisting on one meal a day, and a peaceful delivery of food and supplies is to the benefit of all.

    2016 Democratic Nominee, SecState, Senator, hair icon. Mom, Wife, Grandma x2, lawyer, advocate for Elliott Abrams, fan of walks in the woods & weaponized “aid” & crushing democracy.

    https://twitter.com/HillaryClinton/status/1099332899248263170?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet

    Just like Iraq, eh Killer?

  7. joe90 7

    Tens of thousands of Syrians are missing bits of themselves, their families, and their lives too, Jack, so go to the back of the queue, sport.

    https://twitter.com/itvnews/status/1099006858478665729

    https://www.itv.com/news/2019-02-22/jihadi-jack-interview-jack-letts-itv-news-syria/

    • Morrissey 7.1

      Jihadi Jack is the villain, is he? What about all those British politicians and their media parrots who encouraged him and his deluded friends to fight in Syria, and treated them like heroes?

      • Psycho Milt 7.1.1

        Jihadi Jack is the villain, is he?

        Not if you actually read the comment. It may be useful for you to review the logical fallacy “straw man” and reflect on how to avoid its persistent appearance in your comments.

        What about all those British politicians and their media parrots who encouraged him and his deluded friends to fight in Syria, and treated them like heroes?

        What about, indeed… Better review “whataboutery” while you’re at it.

        • Morrissey 7.1.1.1

          “Straw man”? So the British media did not back up its politicians (as always) and treat the likes of Jihadi Jack as heroes when they took their ignorant asses off to Syria after 2011? It’s a “straw man”, is it?

          You’re adept at deflection—and there’s no better example of official deflection than the creation of “whataboutery”. It’s almost as effective at stifling criticism as bawling “anti-Semitism” at a critic of Israel, or “Godwins!” at someone who dares to compare modern state crimes to those of the Nazis. (In other words, no one with any sense takes it seriously.)

          • Psycho Milt 7.1.1.1.1

            It’s hard to work out whether your almost-comical misrepresentation of the comments you reply to is deliberate, or just reflects poor reading comprehension.

      • joe90 7.1.2

        Jihadi Jack is the villain, is he?

        Pompous gas baggery and an ability to discern villainy in the same breath.

        You’re a fucking wonder, Moz.
        /

  8. cleangreen 8

    Good for Dona Awatere for encouraging kids to go on strike as global kids network spreads across the globe.
    “As adults, we should be ashamed at our inaction and wilful delusion as every climate change alarm screams at us that we must make immediate change. If it takes our children to shame us from our apathy, so be it”.
    “I will join the children of Aotearoa on March 15th to stand in solidarity with their hope, their dreams and their future”.
    Donna Awatere Huata
    Māori Climate Commissioner

    https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2019/02/20/maori-climate-commissioner-its-time-nz-children-went-on-strike-to-shame-adults-over-climate-change-inaction/

    Our Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, stated that climate change was her generations ‘nuclear-free moment’, yet when we consider actual environmental policy to date, we can conclude that this ‘moment’ is little more than a feel good nuclear free bumper sticker. This criticism is not just levelled at our Government, the latest research shows it can be made against almost every Government.

    If our Labour coalition Government will not seriously go hard to ‘phase out the massive importation of increased annual increase of trucks’ – that are now increasing our carbon footprint even more – and finally and get serious about getting rail freight back on track; – we do need to show up the Labour Government as just sitting back without making the ‘decisive transport moves to reduce climate change emission targets in NZ!!!!

    Wake up labour the world is melting = “Climate change; – is your generations ‘nuclear moment’.”

    • Morrissey 8.1

      Donna Awatere? Who the hell appointed that fraud and ACT cultist a “climate commissioner”?

  9. Adrian Thornton 9

    The shameful Trump backed regime change is shamefully weaponizing of humanitarian aid,

    “This Is Not Humanitarian Aid: A Maduro Critic in Venezuela Slams U.S. Plan to Push Regime Change”

  10. Cinny 10

    Wooo hooooo it’s RAINING 🙂 Proper rain for the first time in months 🙂

    There’s going to be some happy people across the Tasman region.

    • Prickles 10.1

      So good to wake this morning to the sound of rain on the roof. The trees and plants in my garden are starting to quietly sing. Really enjoying that it’s a Sunday as well so that I have the time to simply watch it forming puddles on the paths.

  11. Morrissey 11

    What did I misrepresent, Milt? I called you on your ridiculous “straw man” comment, and your enthusiastic support for the cynical “whataboutery” defence so beloved of the extreme right. How did I misrepresent you?

  12. Morrissey 12

    Tony Benn was scathing in his dismissal of Labour’s traitors.

    (Pity about his chickenhawk son.)

    https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2019/02/19/inspiring-footage-of-tony-benn-emerges-thats-devastating-for-labours-quitters/

  13. Gabby 13

    That would be terrible question if they had won morry. Had they won? What was the answer btw? Was it especially bad because of her hair colour? What colour is Ian Smith’s hair?

  14. Gabby 14

    They can all stay in Syria too morry.

  15. Morrissey 15

    Gabby: That would be terrible question if they had won morry. Had they won?

    MORRY: No, they’d lost.

    Gabby: What was the answer btw?

    MORRY: He was staggered by the question and struggled to formulate an answer. There was a lot of commotion all round, so it was hard to communicate.

    Gabby: Was it especially bad because of her hair colour?

    MORRY: Ahhh! I see the import of your questions now! Touché, Gabbers, touché!

    Gabby: What colour is Ian Smith’s hair?

    MORRY: Blond. It bleached as his brain was fried over all those years standing in the sun mouthing his witless “sledging” comments.

  16. Siobhan 16

    Card Carrying Democrat and Hillary Supporter trying to communicate with little humans and getting on board with the #revolution…

    ‘A group of about 20 middle and high school students organized by Sunrise Movement confronted the California Democrat in her San Francisco offices on Friday.
    The children pleaded with the senator to sign the Green New Deal resolution championed by freshman congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, telling Feinstein that they had heard from ‘scientists’ that the earth only has 12 years before cataclysm.

    You know what’s interesting about this group? I’ve been doing this for 30 years. I know what I’m doing,‘ Feinstein replied.

    You come in here, and you say it has to be my way or the highway. I don’t respond to that,’ she continued.

    I’ve gotten elected, I just ran. I was elected by almost a million vote plurality. And I know what I’m doing. So you know, maybe people should listen a little bit.

    https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/feb/22/dianne-feinstein-sunrise-movement-green-new-deal

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dianne_Feinstein

    Given that she was one of sixteen Democratic female senators to sign a letter endorsing Hillary Clinton to be the Democratic nominee, it seems fair to mention…thank goodness we have more women in politics…a kinder, more empathetic way of being…..

  17. Morrissey 17

    Gabby: They can all stay in Syria too morry.

    MORRY: I think every U.K. and U.S. politician who funded and supported the destruction of Syria should be made to stand trial there.

  18. Morrissey 18

    Feinstein is a joke. A vicious, nasty joke.

  19. KJT 19

    All I can say is, I hope the Saunders, Warrens, and Cortez’s, gain ascendancy in the USA, or we are stuffed.

  20. Morrissey 20

    Don’t forget Tulsi Gabbard, and Ro Khanna and Ilhan Omar. There ARE decent and intelligent people in the Democratic Party, just not in the “leadership.”

    Until 2015, there was the same problem in the British Labour Party.

  21. cleangreen 21

    What a dumb arse lot ‘Local Government NZ is as they said “Climate Change agreement in Paris was only an inspirational thing”

    Maybe they need to wake up for our sakes as they profess to be ‘responsible’ for our health and wellbeing’.

    I don’t think so at all its just hollow words again and again.

    http://www.un.org/en/climatechange/index.shtml

    The world is in a race to limit climate change. – To meet the urgent need to address climate change and to achieve the Paris agreement UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is convening a Summit in 2019, to raise ambition and climate change action.

    ‘The race is on, the race that we can win, it is a race we must win’.

    CLIMATE SUMMIT, 23 SEPTEMBER 2019
    Climate change is the defining issue of our time and now is the defining moment to do something about it. There is still time to tackle climate change, but it will require an unprecedented effort from all sectors of society. To boost ambition and accelerate actions to implement the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, UN Secretary-General António Guterres will host the 2019 Climate Summit on 23 September to meet the climate challenge. The Summit will showcase a leap in collective national political ambition and it will demonstrate massive movements in the real economy in support of the agenda. Together, these developments will send strong market and political signals and inject momentum in the “race to the top” among countries, companies, cities and civil society that is needed to achieve the objectives of the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals.

    • Renewable energy offers new job opportunities and is crucial to creating more sustainable and inclusive communities.
    • Shrinking biodiversity poses major risk to the future of global food and agriculture, landmark UN report shows
    • With the biodiversity of plants cultivated for food shrinking, the global population’s health, livelihoods and environment are under severe threat. This warning from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) comes as the UN agency releases a new report – the first of its kind – on the state of the world’s biodiversity in food and agriculture
    • UN announces roadmap to Climate Summit in 2019, a ‘critical year’ for climate action
    • 2019 is a critical year, the “last chance” for the international community to take effective action on climate change, General Assembly President Maria Espinosa said on Thursday, during a briefing to announce the UN’s roadmap to the Climate Summit in September.
    • Guterres underlines climate action urgency, as UN weather agency confirms record global warming
    • In the wake of data released by the United Nations World Meteorological Organization (WMO), showing the past four years were officially the ‘four warmest on record,’ UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for urgent climate action and increased ambition, ahead of his climate summit in September.

  22. KJT 22

    Given the ill judged, self serving ignorant opposition to, even, a long term measure such as stopping new oil exploration permits.

    I don’t think we are going to do very much about AGW, within the next 30 years.

  23. joe90 23

    a kinder, more empathetic way of being..

    …by explaining that because of the partisan nature of politics and necessity of compromise she supports a plan written by experts that can actually be passed in a deeply divided legislature. And then she asked her aide to get copies for every child.

    btw, the hacks who got their project veritas on in their attempt to portray Feinstein as dismissive of youth involvement in fighting climate change neglected to mention her recently introduced legislation to promote education on climate change.

    https://www.feinstein.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=8ED67027-4EF0-41D9-8433-357F0C6F5E38

  24. greywarshark 24

    Something we aren’t taught in schools – the different ways of showing love to others. It would be covered if we taught philosophy and then mixed civics in, which is how we manage to live together and combine our talents and our credits (money) to build physical systems – that is showing a form of love, acting to help each other. And we encourage community and respect so we can have a reasonably harmonious home area. All that takes co-operation to some level. With a respect for the regulations that set the pathways that we travel on physically and mentally.

    But we need to have our own internal guidelines, and not only respect others, where they deserve it, and understand them when they don’t deserve respect, but we need to respect ourselves – to have an internal view of proper behaviour and standards that we try to keep to and don’t go beyond very often, and attempt to stop a repetition. Then we can respect ourselves, know personally that we try to be a good person, and forgive ourselves if mistakes aren’t too bad in our own judgment.

    But underlying the respect must be an understanding and love for others, and when one can understand others and overlook their faults against your feeling self, then you learn to include yourself in your forgiveness. Self-hate and self-denigration can cause a lot of inner distress and outward aggression. So when you can understand, much of the hostility that can arise in yourself about others’ behaviour is lessened.

    The understanding of the inner love and its outward expression is important, and is turned to a desire to be helpful and try to protect. (There was a news item recently about a dolphin with a dead calf. Observers saw her keeping it with her, carrying it on her back, dropping it and turning to pick it up again. Sad and poignant.) We need to bring kindness to our lives and dealings with others, but at the same time I think that kindness and practicality must go hand-in-hand. That mother dolphin will have to let her child go at some time. She might cry but practicality will move on, and so must she live, or die herself.

    Wikipedia on the different forms of feeling love as described by the Greeks.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love
    Ancient Greek philosophers identified five forms of love: essentially,
    familial love (in Greek, Storge),
    friendly love or platonic love (Philia),
    romantic love (Eros),
    guest love (Xenia) and
    divine love (Agape).
    Another one is pragma (see below in Greek words for love)
    Modern authors have distinguished further varieties of love: unrequited love, infatuated love, self-love, and courtly love. Asian cultures have also distinguished

    Ren, Kama, Bhakti, Mettā, Ishq, Chesed, and other variants or symbioses of these states.[8][9] Love has additional religious or spiritual meaning. This diversity of uses and meanings combined with the complexity of the feelings involved makes love unusually difficult to consistently define, compared to other emotional states.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_words_for_love
    This goes into more details to describe each type of love and where and how it might be shown.

  25. veutoviper 25

    Is it just me or is “Reply” not currently working for other people as well?

    I am on a PC using Chrome.

  26. joe90 26

    Reply’s broken for me, too.

    • lprent 26.1

      Ummm testing..

      Works for me on chrome on a mobile.

      Probably caching. There was a update to wordpress 5.1 yesterday. I will glushbthe cache.

      • lprent 26.1.1

        Ok. Forced the cache to get a new media string and flushed the page cache. That looks like it fixed it

        Unfortunately I was lying on my back reading a backlog of magazines all day when bored with a book on the language kotlin.

        • NZJester 26.1.1.1

          Well, the “Reply” button is working again for me on the latest version of Firefox on a PC. So yep all seems to be working again.

  27. greywarshark 27

    I haven’t been able to use Reply just lately either. I am on Firefox.

  28. Incognito 28

    Reply function is not working for me either. I tried MS Edge and Chrome with & without logging in and it made no difference.

  29. veutoviper 29

    Interesting – millsy in a reply to Joe90 at 2.1 at 11.29am has obviously been able to do a Reply.

    millsy – what are you using?

  30. Test!

    [Edit: OK, clearly an issue, I’ll have a look and see if it’s something obvious. If not, I hope LPrent is around to sort it. ]

  31. test 2

    [Nesting/threading is on, but not active. May be a plugin issue, and fixing those is something way above my pay grade.]

  32. Muttonbird 32

    Buuurn!

    Auckland councillors bombarded by emails in support of the e-scooter company Lime say it’s a tactic other lobbyists have tried, such as in the 1080 debate.

    Millennial idiots. All about the App, not the people.

    https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/383230/councillors-bite-back-at-lime-s-email-blitz

  33. Muttonbird 33

    Huawei you say, Millsy?

    It’s started already!

  34. millsy 34

    Tried the reply function on Chrome on my Win 7 desktop, and was a no go.

  35. millsy 35

    Lasted 2 years, a bit slow, but takes the knocks and splashes.

  36. Muttonbird 36

    So Hamish McKay is shocked by the behaviour of some stock agents in an unregulated industry.

    I’m shocked he is shocked, quite frankly. This is what happens under National governments. They deregulate in the name of business growth and sooner or later people suffer.

    Another thing for the Labour government to have to fix…

    https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/rural/2019/02/absolute-bollocks-rural-exchange-host-s-shock-at-rogue-stock-agents-behaviour.html

  37. Gabby 37

    How VERY DARE she suggest people could just listen a bit.

  38. Gabby 38

    I take it that Lime have some sort of parking fine waiver?

  39. Gabby 39

    I guess the politicians who encouraged jihadi jaxie to go to Syria would be easy enough to name morry, who were they again?

    • Tuppence Shrewsbury 40.1

      Nasty America firing upon Venezuelans and setting fire to their aid trucks from those other hopeless South American nations who don’t care about their neighbouring citizens

  40. Morrissey 41

    I guess the politicians who encouraged jihadi jaxie to go to Syria would be easy enough to name morry, who were they again?

    In the U.K. it was the Rt. Dishonorable Blair, Benn (the chickenhawk son, not his admirable dad), Cameron, Johnson, May…

    In the U.S.—hell, Gabby, you know perfectly well who rhetorically and diplomatically supported the headchoppers and heart-eaters in Syria. You need to stop playing silly games.

  41. NZJester 43

    Is the Reply button broken?
    I clicked on it and all it did was add #comment-(number) onto the end of the URL in the address bar instead of opening up the comment fields under the message like it used to. I use Firefox but swapped to Microsoft Edge to try commenting there and it did the same thing.

  42. KJT 44

    Replies broken. Firefox.

    Hackers?

    The ACTiod, Shadrack seems to be able to keep repeating BS.

  43. phantom snowflake 45

  44. Grey Area 46

    Don’t worry, So long as it blocks BM, James and a few other undesirables it’s all good!

  45. Siobhan 47

    Having no immediate ‘reply’ option makes for interesting conversations…its like a weird flow of consciousness debate…i like it…

  46. Cinny 48

    If you hear of the healthy homes narrative re flow on effect and increasing rents; or the cost to the government re bringing state housing ‘up to scratch’.

    Please remind them of the flow on effect of healthy people… more productivity, eases up pressure on hospitals, dr’s etc, reduced stressed on ACC system (sick people are more likely to make a mistake), eases up pressure on educators (less sick kids at school) etc etc etc.

    Thank you 🙂

    It’s about well being; the earths, yours, mine, every ones. Am so looking forward to the budget 🙂

    Any bitching landlords re the healthy homes are naught but greedy, there is no place for them here in NZ anymore. Time for them to ….. move along please…..

  47. Ad 49

    Looking forward to Cohen testifying before the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday. Southern District of New York: time to take the whole Trump family down. Cohen lets us follow the money. In one sense it’s the corroboration matters less than telling the story, which Cohen has been begging to do.

  48. greywarshark 50

    I liked this quote – it seemed to fit your comment Siobhan. Not having a reply button for a while makes a difference.

    If you desire to make a difference in the world, you must be different from the world. – Elaine S. Dalton

    The quoter: Elaine Schwartz Dalton was the thirteenth president of the Young Women organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 2008 to 2013.
    That is a Church that made a difference – and having a woman’s organisation within it was probably a groundbreaker too.

  49. joe90 51

    Manafort’s going to die in prison.

    https://twitter.com/nycsouthpaw/status/1099394892399292416

    Manafort – decades long crime spree

    The Government filed a redacted sentencing memo to the public docket, found here.
    In the absence of a viable twitter account, I am going to do my best to drill down on the 25 page filing. One thing you should probably know is a defendant’s prior actions are a mitigating factor, meaning a Judge can use those in consideration of sentencing.
    One page 1 the following recitation should be highlited. This sets forth a pretty damning predicate that any leniency the Judge might consider is wholly without merit. The relevant facts as argued by the Government in both substance and Manafort’s egregious decades long flouting of our laws should be a sobering reminder that this is WHO Donald Trump selected to be his campaign chairman:

    […]

    The scope of Manafort’s decades long crime spree is stunning and vulgar. We are talking about a man who spent more than a decade committing crimes that ranged from Money Laundering, Loan & Wire Fraud. Lies about his lies. The Government aptly labels Manafort as a hardened criminal. I submit to you that Manafort isn’t just a criminal, he’s a mobbed up thug who acted in manner and means that he was above the law. It never made any sense to me why Manafort would act in such a deleterious manner beyond he already had assurances from Donald Trump that there would be a pardon(s) for Manafort provided he kept his mouth shut.

    https://maddogpac.com/blogs/spicy-files/sco-sentencing-memo-manafort-ddc-case

  50. millsy 52

    There is an elegant solution to the healthy homes debate.

    Have it voluntary, but make the accommodation supplement conditional on homes meeting those standards (or any other MSD funding,

  51. Adrian Thornton 53

    Here is the liberal centrist heart of the Democratic Party responding to some young peoples concerns about their future…and this is exactly why the Dems will lose in 2020 if they screw over Bernie again…but then again, it has been said that the establishment Dems would rather lose to Trump than win with Bernie…unfortunately.I tend to agree.

    Dianne Feinstein rebuffs young climate activists’ calls for Green New Deal

  52. David Mac 54

    Everywhere has dramatic scenery, Toyotas and ball-sports. The only truly unique aspect of NZ is Maori, a few plants and critters. Culture wise, Maori are it.

    I think Maori soul music is every bit as grand as anything that ever came out of Detroit. Nothing reminds me of home like those sweet Pacific-Motown tones. I’m surprised we’re yet to have a modern Maori Quartet or similar crack global fame. I think a number of them are world class.

  53. Cinny 55

    Millsy, that just might work, it makes sense.

  54. David Mac 56

    1000’s of Aussies and Kiwis have partied together at Koi Boy Sunday afternoon shows at a Gold Coast beer garden….if they’re still doing it, it’ll be starting any minute now. Sam Cooke, Marvin Gaye, I don’t think the Koi Boys are wannabes, I think they are.

  55. greywarshark 57

    David Mac at 54 that was excellent. So great. Shine!

    • David Mac 57.1

      Yeah cool hey. I believe all Dads love their little girls very very much. Sometimes our wheels can fall off really bad.

  56. Sabine 58

    millsy 52

    just make it mandatory.

    we need insulated homes. Especially with global warming and future proofing in mind, we actually now need to do this.

    cause if we don’t, we are gonna subsidize slum landlords when the next government comes along, or when the shortage of insulated houses grows even larger and we are subsidizing slums as that is the only place to rent.

    gosh, seriously, why can the landlord class not be taken to task as any other company that offers a service to the public is? Food businesses have to show that they run their businesses at no risk to he public, chemical companies have to uphold rules and regulations to make sure there are no spills etc, but he land lord class….oh noes, lets not upset some rich fuck who with the help of a bank managed to buy up some hovels that they now rent out to others to pay of the mortgage and the mortgage financed lifestyle.
    whY? cause we seem to elect cowards.

  57. Poission 59

    Insulation is mandatory from 1 July 2019,am I missing something?

    https://www.tenancy.govt.nz/insulationdeadline/

  58. Andre 60

    @Adrian Thornton 53

    Dunno why you’re whining about the Democratic Party in respect to Dianne Feinstein. Fact is, the California Democratic Party endorsed Kevin de Leon, not her. Feinstein did not get endorsed by any Democratic Party organisation of any kind. (Both candidates in the general election were Democrats due to California’s jungle primary system). It was the general public of the land of fruits and nuts that chose her over de Leon, not the Democratic Party.

    To be sure, she attracted a lot more endorsements than de Leon did from individuals within the Democratic Party who would be considered “establishment”. But you do know how you get to become “establishment”, right? Hint: it has something to do with how many people you can get to vote for you versus how many people your opponent gets to vote for them.

    Just for the record, I voted for de Leon because his positions were much more progressive than Feinstein’s, ie de Leon was much closer to Sanders’ positions than Feinstein was. And because Feinstein has form for shitty things like your clip shows.

    Oddly enough though, de Leon was the one described as “more liberal”. But I s’pose that fits with your occasional assertions that liberalism is being rejected, just probably not the way you mean.

  59. joe90 62

    If this old v young/left v purest progressive/ liberal left v proper proper left shit isn’t put to bed sooner rather than later, then you know who is going to come around the outside and pip the lot of us at the post.

    sigh/fuck

    https://twitter.com/EcoSenseNow/status/1099332287282307072

  60. Gabby 63

    I don’t recall any of them calling for anyone to go and join ISIS morry, no doubt you have some quotes at your fingertips?

  61. greywarshark 64

    Millsy
    It would only make it harder for the tenants, or hopeful tenants. They find something that is near transport to their jobs and shops, but then they have to check whether it is insulation-approved. It takes a while to find the right person to check with and they find it is not right – no accommodation supplement – but it has been let to someone else in the meantime so it’s a nil score either way.

    Try thinking of the people who will be affected immediately when you are assessing various possible policies eh! They aren’t just bits of plastic on a games board or avatars you can discard in seconds.

  62. greywarshark 65

    Patrick Moore
    Pompous little twit-ter himself. And paid to be by the sounds of his fervent affirmation for fossil fuels. No ignore green plans, and all will come right, perhaps not for you and I but Patrick has a saint named after him.

  63. Tamati Tautuhi 66

    Just read in MSM the perfumed steamroller has been communicating directly with the Chinese National Media, trying to undermine the current NZ Government, hopefully she will be questioned by the GCSB & the SIS ?

  64. Morrissey 67

    One “Tuppence Shrewsbury” writes in apparent seriousness of the “aid trucks” the Trump gang is trying to foist on Venezuela.

    If that’s aid, then why has it been denounced by the Red Cross?

  65. Morrissey 68

    Our friend Gabby continues to play the naïf:

    I don’t recall any of them calling for anyone to go and join ISIS morry, no doubt you have some quotes at your fingertips?

    https://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2012/08/20128264510724249.html

    https://www.rollcall.com/video/-236455-1.html

  66. Gabby 69

    Backtracking are you morry ? Nothing there from Bliar n Co urging jack n the jihadis to go forth and isis.

  67. A couple of things.
    1. Those links show nothing of UK mps calling people to join isis.
    2. Obama’s involvement and subsequent aid to syrian rebels pre dates the rise of isis, you know, who sprung up after the russians got involved and introduced no flight zones and supplied the war criminal Assad with anti aircraft systems… But then you already knew that 😉

  68. Morrissey 71

    So it was the RUSSIANS that destroyed Iraq and supported the forces of ISIS in Syria? It wasn’t the U.S. and its junior lack–, errrr, partner. Thanks for that.

  69. Assad was almost gone because of the Syrian opposition rebels. Nothing to do with isis, which came about because of the vacuum left by the scale back of the U.S involvement after the russians backed Assad.

    And before you start changing theatres of war and pushing a fake chronology, let’s have those quotes and links to UK mps.

    Good lad.

  70. Morrissey 73

    Adrian Thornton at No. 53.

    Feinstein doesn’t simply rebuff them, Adrian, she overtalks them and condescends and suggests that they are dupes (“tell whoever sent you here….”).

    This is a grotesque and horrible scene. She gives them as much respect as Trump would.

    As the Brazilians would say: Fora Feinstein, Schumer, Pelosi, e o resto de sua gangue vil.!

  71. Morrissey 74

    Al1en, you don’t have a clue what you’re talking about.

  72. Of course, your standard repost to those who call you out for the fake you are.
    Badge of honour, really.

    Those quotes, any luck yet?

  73. Morrissey 76

    You haven’t “called me out”, you’ve simply posted up a load of fantasy—especially the part about the problem being that the U.S. was not involved enough. You’re way out of your depth.

  74. No clue and out of my depth… I’m really getting the you caught me ‘treatment’ now 😆

    Do the cred saving quote. The one where UK mps urged people to join isis.

  75. Morrissey 78

    You’re not getting any “treatment”, you’ve simply been dismissed.

    Go on pretending that the Americans should be MORE involved in Syria, and that the U.K. did not support Al Nusra and ISIS. I don’t need to save face with you; what have you ever written that gives you any ascendancy on this forum over anyone?

    Persecuting that poor Bangladeshi girl? Chuntering on like a NewstalkZzzzzzB host about “the Russians” and the way they run the world?

    Judge Judy sums you up best, methinks….

  76. No clue, out of my depth and now dismissed – The holy trinity of Morrissey’s embarrassment.

    To recap. What you posted above about UK mps urging people to join isis is a bit of a lie, then. There are no links to quotes of any UK mp saying what you claimed.
    No wonder you’re left with posting judge Judy videos 😆

    I’m no poster boy for anything the U.S does, far from it, but I haven’t just been caught out in a lie, like you just have.

    That’s 1-0 in footie terms. Open goal. Couldn’t miss.

  77. Morrissey 80

    There you go Al1en:

    The UK drew up plans to train and equip a 100,000-strong Syrian rebel army to defeat President Bashar al-Assad, BBC Newsnight can reveal.

    The secret initiative, put forward two years ago, was the brainchild of the then most senior UK military officer, General Sir David Richards. It was considered by the PM and the National Security Council, as well as US officials, but was deemed too risky.

    The UK government did not respond to a request for comment.

    Lord Richards, as he is now, believed his proposal could stem the civilian bloodshed in Syria as rebels fought troops loyal to Mr Assad. The idea was considered by David Cameron and Dominic Grieve, the attorney general, and sent to the National Security Council, Whitehall sources said.

    ….With ministers having pledged not to commit British “boots on the ground”, his initiative proposed vetting and training a substantial army of moderate Syrian rebels at bases in Turkey and Jordan.

    Mr Cameron was told the “extract, equip, train” plan would involve an international coalition. It would take a year, but this would buy time for an alternative Syrian government to be formed in exile, the PM was told. ….

    https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-28148943

    Of course, that didn’t happen. Too expensive, too…. complicated. Now you’ll pretend that these “moderate rebels” were the equivalent of the Birkenhead branch of the Labour Party, I suppose.

  78. Muttonbird 81

    Airbnb is disruptive alright, but not to the hotel industry which it purports to be. Instead it is disruptive to communities.

    https://i.stuff.co.nz/travel/110826780/illegal-hotels-at-the-expense-of-housing-the-truth-about-airbnb-in-sydney

    Here’s the website Inside Airbnb mentioned in the article. A fascinating data record of Airbnb listings which should be the job of city councils to collect. Totally alarming is the concentration of entire houses/apartments listed as a proportion of the whole. Auckland data is not available but from Sydney’s numbers it looks to be about 8,000 listings, about 2/3rds of which will be entire houses/apartments.

    http://insideairbnb.com

  79. “There you go Al1en”

    I’m not going to pretend anything, least of all that that quote is anywhere near the same as the one you made earlier about UK mps urging people to join isis.

    “the headchoppers and heart-eaters in Syria”
    That’s not the Syrian rebels Assad was up against at the time.. And again, you know it.

    Want another go?

  80. Sacha 83

    “Having no immediate ‘reply’ option makes for interesting conversations”

    Dilutes the willy-waving a little, at least.

  81. Stuart Munro 84

    You’re pretty much on the button there Al1en, but ISIS did increasingly swing west into Syria once they realized Assad was running a failed state and couldn’t muster nearly as much in the way of opposition as occupied Iraq.

    It does seem to be an area where Morrisey is tender, and might do well to distinguish between fractions of aid captured or misdirected into extremist hands, and systematic funding.

    • The Al1en 84.1

      Isis sure did swing into Syria, as we know, but after the date of the 3/7/14 bbc link posted above, with gains made largely in 2015.

      Morrissey’s fake news.

      • Stuart Munro 84.1.1

        He’s not bad on other matters, but the deep state narrative seems to have knocked him a little off course.

  82. Eco Maori 85

    Kia ora Newshub
    Wow what happens O Air New Zealand has decided to stop price gouging it local Kiwi costumers people are becoming more environmental friendly and flying less ain’t nothing wrong with using the new Skype to conduct meetings to save money and burning less carbon.
    Ka pai for the PEE bust but is still small fry compared to whats on the streets of NZ.
    Of course our government in not going to put to much pressure on farmers and small businesses they are the back bone of Atoearoa.
    YEA RIGHT Eco Maori knows what goes down in the fishing industry it just to easy to rip off with the Quoter system 1.2 million is just cump change he will carry on it just a little bump in the road to them. I know there history.
    Congratulat to all the winners at the Oscar tonight Spike Lee finally Ka pai
    Ka kite ano P.S whanau mahi

  83. Eco Maori 86

    False journey someone else did the chore

  84. Eco Maori 87

    Kia ora James and Mulls from The Crowd Goes Wild.
    Congratulat to the other host.
    The Rome Roads are really narrow.
    Super Rugby looks exciting this Year.
    So the Netball and the
    7s Rugby competition.
    Cricket as well.
    Did you see E I see it ECO see Alot of positives.
    I seen one Golf putt two balls one hole one put sunk and next minute another ball comes in close to being sunken lol. Ka kite ano P.S The more they try and suppress Eco Maori te more Mana I receive lol

  85. Eco Maori 88

    Kia ora The AM Show may is playing a silly game she knows that she has lossed control of brexit. She is risking the futures of the British people all to keep the 00.1 % of happy. Jeremy Corbin is risking the Labour Party by not backing a second referendum on brexit that show me how much control the 00.1 % have on the British Parliament. This lasts paragraph was written before It was announced that Labour UK is backing a second referendum about Time.
    I see the Australian pollie has changed his stance against climate change. scotmo is mitigating climate change to little to late he will be warming the opposition seats soon.
    Why should the provincial growth fund slow down because of the national propaganda economist says so and the media muppet. The last nine years millions of trees have been cut down little trees replanting has happened and the regions have been starved of capital. No need to slow down just a need for more research on the investments made from the fund.
    May be your friend at Simplicity fund should stop gouging the fees they charge for managing tangata Kiwi Saver funds.
    I
    have a sum and it flat lined for 2 years.???? Te monies muppets are aloud to charge g what they want with shonky the bankers puppet clearing the way for them to charge what they want.???????? Why are the gross figures not displayed a fund manager giving advice on a capital gains tax is like a oil barron giving advice about a carbon tax total conflict of interest.
    XERO Will work the taxes out in a couple of key stroke sam stubs you know technology will make your job obsolete in the near future to.
    ECO Maori won’t be flying anywhere anymore I DON’T TRUST THE SYSTEM.
    That’s a good point Prime minister Air NZ flights being cheaper for the region will help boost the higher value tourism in Te tairawhiti have you been there at New years huge crouds and lines into supermarkets.
    Talk about the bad effects of PEE I have seen A man turned into a muppet in 8 years crime is closely linked to HOOKED PEE users doing anything to get there next hit they will Rob there mother father grandparents children to get their fix.
    Mark doing some math? If the number of tourists to the regions goes up from the over crowd other tourist destination than people will stay longer and the government will get more revenue that will offset the government but not sure about yours P.S the banks made bigger profits than Air NZ
    Don’t be jealous of a bigger younger man if I was like that me and my son would have problems but we are cool.
    I David if the other lot was still in charge we would be in billions more dept banks love Crown dept
    Ka kite ano

  86. Eco Maori 89

    This edit pH program is stuffed up can not edit my mahi

  87. Eco Maori 90

    The AM Show good interview on Whanau Ora.
    I was doing some research on how the media treated Tangata Whenua I found a video of paul henry interviewing Ella Henry all he could bang on about was a big family 10 children and he was bashing Maoris Mana poor Dr Ella Henry did not look comfortable at all she looked happy last time I seen her on the show Ka pai Times have changed for the better P.S paul henry liked putting down Wahine to

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    4 days ago
  • Waimahara: The Singing Spirit of Water

    There’s been a change in Myers Park. Down the steps from St. Kevin’s Arcade, past the grassy slopes, the children’s playground, the benches and that goat statue, there has been a transformation. The underpass for Mayoral Drive has gone from a barren, grey, concrete tunnel, to a place that thrums ...
    Greater AucklandBy Connor Sharp
    4 days ago
  • A major milestone: Global climate pollution may have just peaked

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global society may have finally slammed on the brakes for climate-warming pollution released by human fossil fuel combustion. According to the Carbon Monitor Project, the total global climate pollution released between February and May 2024 declined slightly from the amount released during the same ...
    4 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Tuesday, July 23

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Tuesday, July 23 are:Deep Dive: Penlink: where tolling rhetoric meets reality BusinessDesk-$$$’s Oliver LewisScoop: Te Pūkenga plans for regional polytechs leak out ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Tuesday, July 23

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announced the Board of Te Whatu Ora- Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • HealthNZ and Luxon at cross purposes over budget blowout

    Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • 2500-3000 more healthcare staff expected to be fired, as Shane Reti blames Labour for a budget defic...

    Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    4 days ago
  • Might Kamala Harris be about to get a 'stardust' moment like Jacinda Ardern?

    As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
    PunditBy Tim Watkin
    5 days ago
  • Solutions Interview: Steven Hail on MMT & ecological economics

    TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
    The KakaBy Steven Hail
    5 days ago
  • Reported back

    The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Vandrad the Viking, Christopher Coombes, and Literary Archaeology

    Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell On The Biden Withdrawal

    History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    5 days ago
  • Joe Biden's withdrawal puts the spotlight back on Kamala and the USA's complicated relatio...

    This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    5 days ago
  • Why we have to challenge our national fiscal assumptions

    A homeless person’s camp beside a blocked-off slipped damage walkway in Freeman’s Bay: we are chasing our tail on our worsening and inter-related housing, poverty and climate crises. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Existential Crisis and Damaged Brains

    What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • A speed limit is not a target, and yet…

    This is a guest post from longtime supporter Mr Plod, whose previous contributions include a proposal that Hamilton become New Zealand’s capital city, and that we should switch which side of the road we drive on. A recent Newsroom article, “Back to school for the Govt’s new speed limit policy“, ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Monday, July 22

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Monday, July 22

    TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #29

    A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
    6 days ago
  • I'd like to share what I did this weekend

    This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • For the children – Why mere sentiment can be a misleading force in our lives, and lead to unex...

    National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Order image, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • A friend in uncertain times

    Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • The Chaotic World of Male Diet Influencers

    Hi,We’ll get to the horrific world of male diet influencers (AKA Beefy Boys) shortly, but first you will be glad to know that since I sent out the Webworm explaining why the assassination attempt on Donald Trump was not a false flag operation, I’ve heard from a load of people ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • It's Starting To Look A Lot Like… Y2K

    Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Bernard’s Saturday Soliloquy for the week to July 20

    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Pharmac Director, Climate Change Commissioner, Health NZ Directors – The latest to quit this m...

    Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 week ago
  • Flooding Housing Policy

    The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    1 week ago
  • A Voyage Among the Vandals: Accepted (Again!)

    As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā's Chorus for Friday, July 19

    An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Friday, July 19

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Roundup 19-July-2024

    Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Climate Wrap: A market-led plan for failure

    TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Tobacco First

    Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Trump’s Adopted Son.

    Waiting In The Wings: For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Friday, July 19

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSA announced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago

  • Joint statement from the Prime Ministers of Canada, Australia and New Zealand

    Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue.  We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    18 hours ago
  • AG reminds institutions of legal obligations

    Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago
  • More young people learning about digital safety

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views.  “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago
  • Speech to the Conference for General Practice 2024

    Tēnā tātou katoa,  Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    23 hours ago
  • Employers and payroll providers ready for tax changes

    New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts.  “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Experimental vineyard futureproofs wine industry

    An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Funding confirmed for regions affected by North Island Weather Events

    The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Indonesian Foreign Minister to visit

    Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced.   “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Strengthening partnership with Ngāti Maniapoto

    He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Transport Minister thanks outgoing CAA Chair

    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Test for Customary Marine Title being restored

    The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says.  “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Opposition united in bad faith over ECE sector review

    Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet.  “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Kiwis having their say on first regulatory review

    After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks.  “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government upgrading Lower North Island commuter rail

    The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government moves to ensure flood protection for Wairoa

    Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • PM speech to Parliament – Royal Commission of Inquiry’s Report into Abuse in Care

    Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care.  At the heart of this report are the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government acknowledges torture at Lake Alice

    For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government acknowledges courageous abuse survivors

    The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Half a million people use tax calculator

    With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis.  “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Paid Parental Leave improvements pass first reading

    Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says a bill that has passed its first reading will improve parental leave settings and give non-biological parents more flexibility as primary carer for their child. The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No3), passed its first reading this morning. “It includes a change ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Rebuilding the economy through better regulation

    Two Bills designed to improve regulation and make it easier to do business have passed their first reading in Parliament, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. The Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Bill and Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill make key changes to legislation administered by the Ministry ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • ‘Open banking’ and ‘open electricity’ on the way

    New legislation paves the way for greater competition in sectors such as banking and electricity, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Competitive markets boost productivity, create employment opportunities and lift living standards. To support competition, we need good quality regulation but, unfortunately, a recent OECD report ranked New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Charity lotteries to be permitted to operate online

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says lotteries for charitable purposes, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, and local hospices, will soon be allowed to operate online permanently. “Under current laws, these fundraising lotteries are only allowed to operate online until October 2024, after which ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Accelerating Northland Expressway

    The Coalition Government is accelerating work on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of its Roads of National Significance programme, with an accelerated delivery model to deliver this project faster and more efficiently, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “For too long, the lack of resilient transport connections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Sir Don to travel to Viet Nam as special envoy

    Sir Don McKinnon will travel to Viet Nam this week as a Special Envoy of the Government, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced.    “It is important that the Government give due recognition to the significant contributions that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made to New Zealand-Viet Nam relations,” Mr ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Grant Illingworth KC appointed as transitional Commissioner to Royal Commission

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says newly appointed Commissioner, Grant Illingworth KC, will help deliver the report for the first phase of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons, due on 28 November 2024.  “I am pleased to announce that Mr Illingworth will commence his appointment as ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • NZ to advance relationships with ASEAN partners

    Foreign Minister Winston Peters travels to Laos this week to participate in a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-led Ministerial meetings in Vientiane.    “ASEAN plays an important role in supporting a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Mr Peters says.   “This will be our third visit to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Backing mental health services on the West Coast

    Construction of a new mental health facility at Te Nikau Grey Hospital in Greymouth is today one step closer, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “This $27 million facility shows this Government is delivering on its promise to boost mental health care and improve front line services,” Mr Doocey says. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • NZ support for sustainable Pacific fisheries

    New Zealand is committing nearly $50 million to a package supporting sustainable Pacific fisheries development over the next four years, Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This support consisting of a range of initiatives demonstrates New Zealand’s commitment to assisting our Pacific partners ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Students’ needs at centre of new charter school adjustments

    Associate Education Minister David Seymour says proposed changes to the Education and Training Amendment Bill will ensure charter schools have more flexibility to negotiate employment agreements and are equipped with the right teaching resources. “Cabinet has agreed to progress an amendment which means unions will not be able to initiate ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Commissioner replaces Health NZ Board

    In response to serious concerns around oversight, overspend and a significant deterioration in financial outlook, the Board of Health New Zealand will be replaced with a Commissioner, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti announced today.  “The previous government’s botched health reforms have created significant financial challenges at Health NZ that, without ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister to speak at Australian Space Forum

    Minister for Space and Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins will travel to Adelaide tomorrow for space and science engagements, including speaking at the Australian Space Forum.  While there she will also have meetings and visits with a focus on space, biotechnology and innovation.  “New Zealand has a thriving space ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Climate Change Minister to attend climate action meeting in China

    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will travel to China on Saturday to attend the Ministerial on Climate Action meeting held in Wuhan.  “Attending the Ministerial on Climate Action is an opportunity to advocate for New Zealand climate priorities and engage with our key partners on climate action,” Mr Watts says. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Oceans and Fisheries Minister to Solomons

    Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is travelling to the Solomon Islands tomorrow for meetings with his counterparts from around the Pacific supporting collective management of the region’s fisheries. The 23rd Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Committee and the 5th Regional Fisheries Ministers’ Meeting in Honiara from 23 to 26 July ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Government launches Military Style Academy Pilot

    The Government today launched the Military Style Academy Pilot at Te Au rere a te Tonga Youth Justice residence in Palmerston North, an important part of the Government’s plan to crackdown on youth crime and getting youth offenders back on track, Minister for Children, Karen Chhour said today. “On the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Nine priority bridge replacements to get underway

    The Government has welcomed news the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has begun work to replace nine priority bridges across the country to ensure our state highway network remains resilient, reliable, and efficient for road users, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“Increasing productivity and economic growth is a key priority for the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Update on global IT outage

    Acting Prime Minister David Seymour has been in contact throughout the evening with senior officials who have coordinated a whole of government response to the global IT outage and can provide an update. The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet has designated the National Emergency Management Agency as the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • New Zealand, Japan renew Pacific partnership

    New Zealand and Japan will continue to step up their shared engagement with the Pacific, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.    “New Zealand and Japan have a strong, shared interest in a free, open and stable Pacific Islands region,” Mr Peters says.    “We are pleased to be finding more ways ...
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    1 week ago
  • New infrastructure energises BOP forestry towns

    New developments in the heart of North Island forestry country will reinvigorate their communities and boost economic development, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones visited Kaingaroa and Kawerau in Bay of Plenty today to open a landmark community centre in the former and a new connecting road in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • 'Pacific Futures'

    President Adeang, fellow Ministers, honourable Diet Member Horii, Ambassadors, distinguished guests.    Minasama, konnichiwa, and good afternoon, everyone.    Distinguished guests, it’s a pleasure to be here with you today to talk about New Zealand’s foreign policy reset, the reasons for it, the values that underpin it, and how it ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

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