Even when the National Party get dragged kicking and screaming into doing stuff for the public good the proposal ends up being under-cooked and needs to be expanded later for more cost.
The CRL has already been shown that the original plans, as agreed by the dear leader J Key, would hit capacity in 2035, just 10 years after it opened. Luckily we have such wonderful people in power now, with Goff and Tyford pushing for agreement at Council and Cabinet to increase the size now whilst still building to push the capacity up
They need to SLOW Auckland population growth especially as it is on the back of minimally and low waged workers immigrating here and the amount of consents for dirty trucks crossing through Auckland for decades.
Cheap workers are great for all the 1% multinational businesses making more profits, driving up commercial rents and housing, but how are the existing ratepayers (past down to renters) supposed to find the extra money on top of the petrol taxes, for the tourist highway to CBD and SkyCity stops for all these new people?
Likewise if we have half a million people coming into Auckland on $20 p/h and expected to pay $9 or even negative taxes, while pushing down wages, or satellite families for children/elderly, it’s putting more strain on the rest of the country to raise the taxes for all the roads, transport, hospitals, schools, super….
I’m not blaming the people coming, I’m just pointing out having more people to benefit the 1%, while the 60% of low waged workers are worse off, might not be a winning strategy. Nor spending billions in infrastructure so that there is another liquor store and takeaway and broken down truck venture delivering to them, or truck and trailer of fill or chickens going backwards and forwards for decades through Auckland, or more million dollars apartments for Singapore investors rented to Aucklander’s (using accomodation supplements from government), on the Auckland landscape.
None of these favoured NZ ventures is long term gain to the country, or going to grow productivity and create long term prosperity, quite the opposite, increasing inequality!
Perhaps time for council to rethink strategy towards higher waged, higher tax paying, more sustainable business (aka high tech or green tech) being the focus for growth in Auckland…
And with 4 degrees of warming – what are all those tens of thousands of people transported into the central city going to be doing?
Is it possible that we are now solving the problem that should have been solved immediately post-WWII? And while the craft beer drinkers and film festival attendees think it’s really marvellous, it’s got little to do with our actual future?
“It’s been happening to me too. Really concerning….”
Was this after this? Sanctuary said; “I was listening to Winston Peters this morning on Radio NZ being interviewed as acting PM, and I found myself nodding in agreement…”
There is a simple answer to the temporary condition that you are currently suffering from; it is that you are clearly hearing ‘common sense here’ from NZF Leader & Acting PM Peters.
So, y’know, apart from walking into someone’s dwelling, and also allowing for privacy/lack of disturbance (eg no right to traipse through someone’s garden), legislate that people can traverse land.
Other exceptions might be recognised visitor attractions that normally charge an entry fee and bumbling straight through a farmer’s crop (walk around the edge of such fields).
The interesting point about the Hunter Valley case, that nobody seems to be picking up on (or is willfully ignoring), is that there is access to that conservation land already, via marginal strip. That provides for walking access. But no, people are no longer satisfied with walking access, they want to be able to drive their SUVs wherever they please, because they think that is their right – hence pushing for an easement on the 40kms of gravel road.
The Cochrane family, who had the lease before Matt Lauer, actually had more restrictive access over Hunter Valley Station, so the change of ownership has been a good thing for public access. Of course, because Lauer is American, there is no mention of that.
Thanks for that info, Sam C, re the marginal strip access and the previous lease. I agree with your comments re people wanting more than walking access, eg SUVs etc – and also with B Waghorn’s wonderfully worded one “But having slack jawed morons wandering around farms is a recipe for disaster.”
I was interested in Peters’ views this morning on RNZ suggesting that the OIO did not do its work properly.
RNZ actually has a several separate articles up on their website this morning re the Hunter Valley situation and Matt Lauer. Here is the link to the one about Peters’ view on the OIO – which has links to the other two articles today and some previous ones in the Related Articles column on the right.
We can point out that the government hasn’t done their job properly in that they’ve opened NZ land up for sale to non-citizens. That should never have happened.
The Hunter Valley Road is the only viable access to the Hawea Conservation Park, which is part of the publicly owned conservation estate. Few people are prepared to walk up 40 km of gravel road through a sheep station so that they can get to public land. Winston was right to criticize the sale of crown land to Lauer without proper access to Hawea and the OIO’s decision but whether words will lead to action is questionable. Scandinavian countries have extensive ‘right to roam’ rules over private land (reference to Bill’s question above) that are centuries old and part of the culture there. Don’t think they would work in NZ, perhaps because we have a higher percentage of dickheads. One of the reasons for getting to remote places like Hawea is to get away from them!
There is plenty of publicly owned conservation estate all over NZ that few people are prepared to walk to. And long may that last. Keeps the dickheads out and allows those of us prepared to put the hard yards in to enjoy it, without half of Queenstown dropping their litter and shitting in the creek beds.
Not so straight forward the road is a shifting dirt track farm road.
With dangerous river crossings that can’t be walked.
Any one can get permission to use this road.
But not when farming safety and flooding.
It would be far quicker and safer to use a boat to get to the head of lake Hawea.
Only very experienced Bush trekkers can safely access the Hunter Valley conservation area.
Let’s not get carried away
You are right Sam but my understanding is that this is not true in all cases. Perhaps this is only true for all MS’s created after the 1987 Conservation Act?
Marginal strips have not been recognised on many Crown Pastoral Lease properties until they went through tenure review when they are identified and mapped.
I have know problem with easements to get people to beaches and national parks . And could live with it being forced if agreement can’t be reached .
But having slack jawed morons wandering around farms is a recipe for disaster .
When my stroke hit me in 2005 i was at a batch in Lake Waikaremoana with no internet or phone line available, I couldnt even lift a cup up and put it down but luckily I had some ‘asprin and Niacin’ to thin my blood and dialate my blood vessels and arteries respectively, and by me actually hitting myself for most of the night on niacin that caused a lot of ‘flushing’ (a hot pin pricking feeling) by moring I could walk again and had a good chance of partical recovery until by two days later when my doctor gave me a ‘chelation’ iv using (EDTA) to assist to partically unblock my clot that caused my sroke.
I tried the usual route here;
After spending five hours at the hostpital the day after the stroke all that netted me was only having a CT scan and no treatment for my stroke.
I was forced to go to my doctor three days after the incident for effective treatment.
So if you my friend or anyone does wind up like i did; – please look for immeadiate solutioins and not just wait to get some service at the Hospital days later; – as the literature said get treatment quickly, -and if stroke/high blood pressure prone please always carry some genuine asprin (acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) (not disprin) and niacin (B3) with you always.
Only acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) thins the blood as vinegar does but the other painkillers do not if they dont contain acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) as most are sythetically produced and are not from natural ingredients.
Facial drooping: A section of the face, usually only on one side, that is drooping and hard to move. This can be recognized by a crooked smile.
Arm weakness: The inability to raise one’s arm fully
Speech difficulties: An inability or difficulty to understand or produce speech
Time: If any of the symptoms above are showing, time is of the essence; call the emergency services or go to the hospital.
Tough situation – sounds like you did really well.
After my heart attack last year I’ve been wondering what the future holds as mum had an early heart attack and then 10 years later the strokes started – probably 6 over 9 years till the last one took her out.
I’m hoping the meds and exercise as well as reduced stress ☺ will help keep it all at bay at least until the kids are old enough to remember me.
This, mixed with the heavy influence of gospel music sung throughout Australian missionaries, formed a new wave of stories that told tales of dispossession, rebellion and heartache that faced black Australians. Aboriginal Country Music became its own style of music.
cg, I was a big fan of Dylan in the late 60s, and 70s. So I am very familiar with that album, and part of why I included him as an alt-country artist. And yes, Nashville Skyline mainstreams country in his songs.
Also includes Girl from the North Country, which was first included in an earlier album, freewheelin Dylan:
Re benefit sanctions and simon wanting to re introduce them. Spoke to someone who went to the WINZ last week, things have changed there she said. Poor woman ended up having a break down at the office due to stresses in her life. Her case worker listened, supported her, gave her advice and direction on how to get help and counseling. Case worker told her not to worry about looking for work for the next couple of weeks, because it is more important for her to get help for her stresses etc. Case worker then contacted her a couple of days later just to make sure she was ok.
Some people have difficulty looking for work because they are so messed up, due to other factors in their life, that’s what they need support and help for. Warmed my heart to hear this story. Sometimes people just need to know that someone cares and wants to help them, sometimes this is more important than anything else.
Taking things away (ie benefit sanctions) from someone who is already suffering helps no one. Not everyone is lazy, some people are simply messed up and need professional help.
Have WINZ staff been retrained under our new government? Or did the woman just get lucky with an understanding case manager?
Good to hear that Cinny. And I have had a similar experience with the WINZ Seniors staff over the last month or so. A marked difference in attitude and help provided.
In my experience in the last 8-10 or so years, there was a marked difference in approach between WINZ staff dealing with those under 65 and staff dealing with those on Super. (I did some ad hoc voluntary advocacy for people with mental health issues on benefits for some years; then had to give up work for health/disability reasons myself two years short of 65 and was a beneficiary once my savings ran out; and then transitioned onto Super.)
IMHO this differential declined somewhat over the last few years as they also drastically cut the number of Super staff available for face to face appointments (here in Wellington anyway) – meaning that you had to wait weeks for a face to face appointment and then the case manager was under so much pressure that the appointment would be rushed and superficial – and things would not get sorted properly.
About six weeks ago I was in one of those awful situations where a whole lot of things happened at once (broken appliances, a broken car, and me needing emergency dental surgery and other related dental treatment) and I was under massive physical and financial stress. I had a meltdown on the phone to WINZ Super staff. The (senior) person I was talking to was marvelous, talked me down etc and within days I had a $300 grant for some of the dental work plus loans for the rest and for fixing the car etc, and a personal case manager. The senior person has also been in contact with me several times and I have their direct contact details plus those of my case manager. Some outstanding matters (eg my and my doctors’ applications for disability allowance for the last few years) are now slowly getting sorted.
The attitude etc of the people I have dealt with recently has been so much better than in the past. I have asked them whether they have been receiving training etc – they were reticent in their responses but the difference is marked! I have also complimented them on it and strongly expressed hope that the empathy and help that I received is also being applied to beneficiaries under 65 years of age etc.
V.V, thanks for sharing, that was fascinating and encouraging. I’m really happy for you. Long may the ‘new attitude’ at WINZ continue and improve.
Someone caring and treating another with compassion and understanding goes a long long way. It’s heart warming to hear such stories, life changing, life saving even.
I was astounded and impressed buy Obrians nuanced take on sanctions ie one that punishes a woman for not naming the father is worse than other sanctions .
Even garner was calling national out for going been bashing to try and get some air time.
I agree with you Bewildered, however, one can take a look at the person as a whole, on a case by case basis, and offer some hope. Such actions would be more beneficial to all than treating someone as number on a sheet that gets a tick next to it if they get a job and worries about whatever else is going on for them.
No point helping someone get a job if they are a bit messed up, and as a result they end up failing in the job, unable to hold it down etc, which only leads to more feelings of misery by said person. Or more job interviews that don’t work out because they are ‘messed up’. Vicious unproductive circle in that approach. Better to help the person, then help them get a job.
That has happened here in Aus. My brother in NSW has 16 panels on his roof. He has had money back from the grid and no or very low bills. Others are complaining of $1200.00 bills for a quarter 13 weeks. So maybe Megan has a point. If you join NZ Greypower, you get their cheap rate, we pay about $60.00 a fortnight.
There is quite an arguement that the poor are subsidising the rich here in Aus, to the point it is a political football. Not sure apart from Nationalising, what can be done.
Always have been fights and blockades to new technologies, by vested interests.
Perhaps “The winter payment to cardholders” NZ is a plan to buffer this?
Great article – and fantastic photography from the wonderful Rob Suisted. I worked with Rob at DOC HQ in Wellington back in the second half of the 1990s when I went in as part of a team sorting things following the Cave Creek disaster. Rob was then National Marine Mammal Advisor and great at his job. It really was a toss up as to whether to encourage him to stay at DOC due to his skills and knowledge in that area – or to back him and his tremendous photographic skills in his dream to step into the unknown and become a self employed photographer. A really nice person to boot.
But I digress. Did you see this comment and link (re Waimea Dam Doomed?) a few days ago ?
This Stuff article yesterday was also encouraging re “A group of Marlborough students on a mission to save New Zealand’s marine life has impressed the Prime Minister with their passion. The year 12 and 13 Marlborough Girls’ College students wrote to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern hoping to update marine legislation, and do away with some of the red tape that had held up similar projects. …”
Missed that Waimea damn dam one. Have been following it because as pickles noted Tasman, including GB will help pay for it!! Yeah nah ta – doomed is good. Already pretty poor vibes between Tasman council and a lot of GB ressies because of grandstand and a few other bits and bobs.
I think he should be boycotted- unacceptable 5 years ago and today. I’ll never watch him again (doesn’t mean much cos I never watched him hardly anyway).
He claimed that France winning the World cup was really a victory for Africa because the French team had a large number of players that were African in origin. This despite the fact that the majority of them were either born or brought up in France from an early age AND had learned to play Football in France. It is like claiming that the All Blacks winning the Rugby Union World cup is a victory for the Pacific Islands.
Because he thinks the fact that a French player of a particular ethnic background is somehow as much (if not more) African than French. That is racist thinking. Just as Richie McCaw’s success as a Rugby player was not attributed to Scotland or the rest of Europe so Kylian Mbappé abilities are not shared with Cameroon or the entire continent of Africa.
As it is a very short article here it is, but the actual link does include an interesting video of Matt, in his famous (or should that be infamous?) brown suit, buttonholing Maori King advisor Rangi Whakaruru at Auckland Airport some time ago.
“The office of the Māori King has been raided by Serious Fraud Office investigators probing claims of financial mismanagement.
The raid this morning at the King’s offices at the Endowed College Buildings in Ngāruawāhia follows a referral from the Charities Service who have spent the past year looking into claims of misspending at Ururangi Trust.
Ururangi is a registered charity intended to support the functions of King Tūheitia Paki, funded annually by Tainui to the tune of $2m. In 2015 it was the subject of an adverse Charities Service investigation and warned further issues could see its charitable status revoked.
Ururangi has been the subject of a long-running Herald investigation, canvassing lavish spending on luxury automobiles, international travel and a mysterious $46,000 invoice for stomach-stapling surgery paid by Tainui despite documentation being unclear as to who actually received the operation.”
When finding the Herald article related to the SFO raid of the Maori King’s office, I came across this Herald article also about a Police matter relating to Clarke Gayford …
Record highs in Japan and North America, wide spread fires in Sweden, Greece and the US, we’re fiddling while we burn.
This month’s scorching heat wave broke records around the world. The Algerian city of Ouargla, with a population of half a million, had a temperature of 124.3 degrees Fahrenheit on July 6, the hottest reliably measured temperature on record in Africa. In Ireland and Wales, the unusually hot weather revealed ancient structures normally hidden by grass or crops. In Chino, California, the mercury soared to 120 degrees. Another round of hazardous summer heat is expected this week, with record high temperatures possible in the southern United States.
This is a very informative and in depth piece from Cenk Uygur. Around the firing of the director of The Guardians Of The Galaxy III. 20 minutes, goes into how the alt-right trolls work and how they do things.
channel 31.
today nationals getting more and more frantic.
nikki kaye getting ruder and ruder as she repeats coalition members names over and over.
this is just horrible behaviour and right now chris penk is using words that are too big for him. he is banausic , his jokes are not funny and his allusions are pissweak with absolutley no substance whatsoever.
what baffles me is where do the nationals party get these namby pamby little twerps from.
they all look and sound like they have come out of the same weetbix packet and their underpants are too tight.
new zeland deserves beter than this.
Donald J. Trump
✔
@realDonaldTrump
To Iranian President Rouhani: NEVER, EVER THREATEN THE UNITED STATES AGAIN OR YOU WILL SUFFER CONSEQUENCES THE LIKES OF WHICH FEW THROUGHOUT HISTORY HAVE EVER SUFFERED BEFORE. WE ARE NO LONGER A COUNTRY THAT WILL STAND FOR YOUR DEMENTED WORDS OF VIOLENCE & DEATH. BE CAUTIOUS!
1:24 PM – Jul 23, 2018
310K
222K people are talking about this
Consequences the like of which few throughout history have ever suffered?
Good morning The AM Show it good to see the government attack the correct corruption the big money laundering organisation.
It would be Nice to see them go after the business fraud that’s billions. of dollars of missed revenue for our society. The last government were just common tangata basher and they had another boot this week.
Condolences to the whano of the tangata in Greece who have died it a tragedy that I have to capitalise on. We are axcerarating the destruction of Papatuanukue we are turning the Paradise that the GOD’S have gifted us into a place of Hell.
And why is this still happening well its the Greedy rich who want to control ALL the tangata of Papatuanukue they don’t care if the consequences of there action turns Papatuanukue into Hell.
Duncan you know how it is you get information on a subject and you change your opinion Winston has changed his mind on the tabbaco subject I’m not going to give my opinion on the subject. If there is a direct connection between the price of smokes and the sharp increase in burglarys you can not deny that fact.
Sir Avery is doing a good thing a product that can save the most vulnerable of Papatuanukue society.
Ka kite ano
Good evening Newshub some people think its safer to sleep on the streets than in a building the cold and damp unsafe environment will stuff up ones lungs and cause respiratory problems there are many problems that the tangata on the streets face the od night in a cold damp environment won’t cause to much harm to ones health but sleeping every night in these condition’s is shortening there lives and this is a crime in my eyes so please help the innocent vulnerable tangata all around Aotearoa Get a good safe place to sleep OUR society has place them in this predicament . I know I can be a bit defensive but I think its understandable coming from Eco Maori.
The yacht tragedy show’s Eco Maori that the rules are different when you come from a elite New Zealand family hypocrisy plutocracy is what comes to mind you know what would have happened if they were brown broke tangata te pukapuka would have thrown them straight into the hinaki .
Ka kite ano
TL;DR: Here’s six links that stood out to me in the last day in Aotearoa’s political economy to 6:06am on Sunday, May 19:Aotearoa-NZ is the seventh worst in the OECD’s homelessness rankings, just behind the United States and just ahead of Australia. BlackRock thinks rate hikes actually worsen inflation because ...
Halfway up a historic tower in York, we are neither up nor down. At the top you will have views of a city steeped in antiquity, made and remade by Romans, Normans, Vikings, Tescos. Below, you will find a retired minister happy to tell you all about this most astonishing ...
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park in collaboration with members from our Skeptical Science team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Does breathing contribute to CO2 ...
David Farrar writes – The Herald reports: KiwiRail’s seemingly endless requests for more money is damning. At one point, KiwiRail assured Robertson when he was the Finance Minister that the worst-case scenario would be an extra $300 million before requesting $1.2 billion a few months later. Not what most people ...
No one knows what it's likeTo be the bad manTo be the sad manBehind blue eyesNo one knows what it's likeTo be hatedTo be fatedTo telling only liesHave you ever wondered what life must be like for Mike Hosking? Seeing things in black and white through blue tinted specs? In ...
Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past two week’s editions.Share More Than A FeildingBike bling, London Read more ...
Hi,I think we all made it through another week — congratulations. I’ve been digesting the new Arab Strap record, which is astonishing. In other news, I’m going to be doing a Webworm popup in Auckland, New Zealand on Saturday July 13. I’ll bring a bunch of merch, and some other ...
The Fast-Track Approvals Bill enables cabinet ministers to circumvent key environmental planning and protection processes for infrastructure projects. Its difficulties have been well canvassed. This column suggests a different way of thinking about the proposal. I am going to explore the Bill from the perspective of its proponents with their ...
New Zealand First Cabinet Minister Shane Jones has become the best advertisement against the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill. In selling the radical new resource consenting processes, in which ministers can green light any mine, dam, or other major development, Jones seems to be shooting the proposal in the foot. ...
Buzz from the Beehive Associate Education Minister David Seymour is urging the PostPrimary Teachers Association to put learning ahead of ideology. He wants the union leaders to call off their teachers meetings around the country where they hope to muster the strength to undo the government’s plans to establish several ...
What are police for? "Fighting crime" is the obvious answer. If there's a burglary, they should show up and investigate. Ditto if there's a murder or sexual assault. Speeding or drunk or dangerous driving is a crime, so obviously they should respond to that. And obviously, they should respond to ...
Michael Reddell writes – I got curious yesterday about how the Australia/New Zealand real exchange rate had changed over the last decade, and so dug out the data on the changes in the two countries’ CPIs. Over the 10 years from March 2014 to March 2024, New Zealand’s ...
Graham Adams writes that 20 years after the land march, judges are quietly awarding a swathe of coastal rights to iwi. Early this month, an hour-long documentary was released by TVNZ to mark the 20th anniversary of the land-rights march to oppose Helen Clark’s Foreshore and Seabed Act. The account ...
David Farrar writes – The Herald reports: Suspended Green MP Darleen Tana has passed an unpleasant milestone: she has now been absent for as many parliamentary sitting days as she has been present for this year. Tana is on full pay while she is suspended, and will benefit from a ...
Peter Dunne writes – It is no coincidence that two Labour should-have-been MPs are making the most noise about public sector cuts. As assistant general secretary of the Public Service Association, Fleur Fitzsimons has been at the forefront of revealing where the next round of state sector job ...
Bryce Edwards writes – It’s becoming a classic case study for why lobbying deals with politicians need greater scrutiny. Former National Minister Steven Joyce runs a lobbying company with a major client – the University of Waikato. The University desperately wants $300m+ of taxpayer funding to establish a ...
This is one of the (extra) weekly columns on music or movies. Plenty of solid analyses of Possession exist online and most of them – inevitably – contain spoilers. This column is more in the way of a first-timer’s aid to getting your initial bearings. You don’t need to have ...
I am painting in oil, a portrait of a manWho has taken all the heart aches,And all the pain he can stand.I am using all the colors of blue,I have here on my stand.I am painting in oil, a portrait of a man.This has been an interesting week for me. ...
Helen Clark joins the Hoon as a special guest talking whether Aotearoa should join Aukus II, and her views on the fast track legislation and how Luxon and the new Government are performing. File Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for subscribers features co-hosts ...
With an election due in less than nine months, Britain’s embattled PM, Rishi Sunak, gave a useful speech earlier this week. He made a substantial case for his government, perhaps as compelling as is possible in the current environment. Quite an achievement. His overall theme was security, first pulling ...
Open access notablesPublicly expressed climate scepticism is greatest in regions with high CO2 emissions, Pearson et al., Climatic Change:We analysed a recently released corpus of climate-related tweets to examine the macro-level factors associated with public declarations of climate change scepticism. Analyses of over 2 million geo-located tweets in the U.S. showed that climate ...
You can be all negative about these charter schools if you want, but I’m here to accentuate the positive. You can get all worked up, if you want to, by the contradiction of Luxon saying We’re going to make sure that every school in the country is teaching exactly the same ...
Losing The Room: One can only speculate about what has persuaded the Coalition Government that it will pay no electoral price for unreasonably pushing ahead with policies that are so clearly against the national interest. They seem quite oblivious to the risk that by doing so they will convince an increasing ...
Name suppression decisions can be tough sometimes. No matter your views on free speech, you have to be hard-hearted not to be torn by the tug of the competing arguments. I think you can feel the Supreme Court wrestling with that in M v The King. The case for ...
The Merchants of Menace: The Coalition Government has convinced itself that the “Brahmins’” emollient functions have become much too irksome and expensive. Those who see themselves as the best hope of rebuilding New Zealand’s ailing capitalist system, appear to have convinced themselves that a little bit of blunt trauma is what their mollycoddled ...
When National first proposed its Muldoonist "fast-track" law, they were warned that it would inevitably lead to corruption. And that is exactly what has happened, with Resources Minister Shane Jones taking secret meetings with potential applicants:On Tuesday, in a Newsroom story, questions were raised about a dinner Jones ...
Buzz from the Beehive One day – hopefully – we will push that Russian rascal, Vladimir Putin, beyond breaking point. Perhaps it will happen today, when he learns that Foreign Minister Winston Peters is again tightening the thumbscrews. Peters announced further sanctions, this time on 28 individuals and 14 entities ...
How Labour’s and National’s failure to move beyond neoliberalism has brought New Zealand to the brink of economic and cultural chaos.TO START LOSING, so soon after you won, requires a special kind of political incompetence. At the heart of this Coalition Government’s failure to retain, and build upon, the public ...
“Members of Parliament don’t work for us, they represent us, an entirely different thing. As with so much that has turned out badly, the re-organising of MPs’ responsibilities began with the Fourth Labour Government. That’s when they began to be treated like employees – public servants – whose diaries had ...
It’s becoming a classic case study for why lobbying deals with politicians need greater scrutiny. Former National Minister Steven Joyce runs a lobbying company with a major client – the University of Waikato. The University desperately wants $300m+ of taxpayer funding to establish a third medical school in New Zealand, ...
Time To Choose: Like it or not, the Kiwis are either going into AUKUS’s “Pillar 2” – or they are going to China.HAD ZHENG HE’S FLEET sailed east, not west, in the early Fifteenth Century, how different our world would be. There is little reason to suppose that the sea-going junks ...
Henry Ergas writes – When in Randall Jarrell’s Pictures from an Institution, a college president is accused of being a hypocrite, the novel’s narrator retorts that the description is grossly unfair. After all, the man is still far from the stage of moral development at which the charge ...
David Farrar writes – Radio NZ reports: The Education Review Office says too many new teachers feel poorly prepared for their jobs. In a report published on Monday, the review office said 60 percent of the principals it interviewed said their new teachers were not ready. ...
New Zealand’s economic performance and the PM’s vision Michael Reddell writes – When I wrote yesterday morning’s post, highlighting how poorly both New Zealand and its Anglo peer countries have been doing in respect of productivity in recent times (ie, in the case of New ...
Hi all,Firstly - thank you! You guys are awesome. The response I’ve received to last night’s mail has been quite overwhelming. It’s a ghastly day outside, but there are no clouds in here.In case you didn’t read my email and are wondering what on earth I’m talking about you can ...
If there was still any doubt as to who is actually running this government – and it isn’t the buffoon from Botany – then this week’s announcement of a huge spend up on charter schools has settled the matter. While jobs and public services continue to be cut in the ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Gaye Taylor As widespread drought raises expectations for a repeat of last year’s ferocious wildfire season, response teams across Canada are grappling with the rapidly changing face of fire in a warming climate. No longer quenched by winter, nor quelled by the ...
Half of Christchurch City Holdings Ltd’s directors and its chair resigned en masse last night in protest at Christchurch City Council’s demand to front-load dividends File Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The chair of Christchurch City Council’s investment company and four of its independent directors resigned in protest last ...
The University of Waikato has reworded an advertisement that begins the tender process for its new $300 million-plus medical school even though the Government still needs to approve it. However, even the reworded ad contains an architect’s visualisations of what the school might look like. ACT leader David Seymour told ...
As a follow-up to the Rings of Power trailer discussion, I thought I needed to add something. There has been some online mockery about the use of the same actor for both the Halbrand and Annatar incarnations of Sauron. The reasoning is that Halbrand with a shave and a new ...
This isn’t quite as dramatic as the title might suggest. I’m not going anywhere, but there is something I wanted to talk to you about.Let’s start with a typical day.Most days I send out a newsletter in the morning. If I’ve written a lot the previous evening it might be ...
Buzz from the Beehive The promise of tax relief loomed large in his considerations when the PM delivered a pre-Budget speech to the Auckland Business Chamber. The job back in Wellington is getting government spending back under control, he said, bandying figures which show that in per capita terms, the ...
Yesterday de facto Prime Minister David Seymour announced that his glove puppet government would be re-introducing charter schools, throwing $150 million at his pet quacks, donors and cronies and introducing an entire new government agency to oversee them (the existing Education Review Office, which actually knows how to review schools, ...
Seeing that, in order to discredit the figures and achieve moral superiority while attempting to deflect attention away from the military assault on Rafa, Israel supporters in NZ have seized on reports that casualty numbers in Gaza may be inflated … Continue reading → ...
David Farrar writes – Newstalk ZB report: The man responsible for a horror hit and run in central Wellington last year was on a suspended licence and was so drunk he later asked police, “Did I kill someone?” Jason Tuitama injured two women when he ran a red ...
Muriel Newman writes – Former US President Ronald Reagan once said, “Freedom is a fragile thing and it’s never more than one generation away from extinction. It is not ours by way of inheritance; it must be fought for and defended constantly by each generation.” The fight for ...
Why Courts should have said Waitangi Tribunal could not summons Karen Chhour Gary Judd writes – In the High Court, Justice Isacs declined to uphold the witness summons issued by the Waitangi Tribunal to compel Minister for Children, Karen Chhour, to appear before it to be ...
Bryce Edwards writes – The number of voices raising concerns about the Government’s Fast-Track Approvals Bill is rapidly growing. This is especially apparent now that Parliament’s select committee is listening to submissions from the public to evaluate the proposed legislation. Twenty-seven thousand submissions have been made to Parliament ...
An average of 166 New Zealand citizens left the country every day during the March quarter, up 54% from a year ago.Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The economy and housing market is sinking into a longer recession through the winter after a slump in business and consumer confidence in ...
The government has made it abundantly clear they’re addicted to the smell of new asphalt. On Tuesday they introduced a new term to the country’s roading lexicon, the Roads of Regional Significance (RoRS), a little brother for the Roads of National (Party) Significance (RoNS). Driving ahead with Roads of Regional ...
School is outAnd I walk the empty hallwaysI walk aloneAlone as alwaysThere's so many lucky penniesLying on the floorBut where the hell are all the lucky peopleI can't see them any moreYesterday morning, I’d just sent out my newsletter on Tama Potaka, and I was struggling to make the coffee. ...
Hi,I wanted to check in and ask how you’re doing.This is perhaps a selfish act, of attempting to find others feeling a similar way to me — that is to say, a little hopeless at the moment.Misery loves company, that sort of deal.Some context.I wish I could say I got ...
I have hitherto been fairly quiet on the new season of Rings of Power, on the basis that the underwhelming first season did not exactly build excitement – and the rumours were fairly daft. The only real thing of substance to come out has been that they have re-cast Adar ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
“The thing is,” Chris Luxon says, leaning forward to make his point, “this has always been my thing.”“This goes all the way back to the first multinational I worked for. I was saying exactly the same thing back then. The name of our business needs to be more clear; people ...
Buzz from the Beehive It’s been a momentous few days for Children’s Minister Karen Chhour. The Court of Appeal has overturned a High Court decision which blocked a summons order from the Waitangi Tribunal for her. And today she has announced the Government is putting children first by introducing to ...
In 2014 former Australian army lawyer David McBride leaked classified military documents about Australian war crimes to the ABC. Dubbed "The Afghan Files", the documents led to an explosive report on Australian war crimes, the disbanding of an entire SAS unit, and multiple ongoing prosecutions. The journalist who wrote the ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – According to the respected Pew Research Centre, “In seven of eight [European] countries surveyed, the most trusted news outlet asked about is the public news organization in each country”. For example, “in Sweden, an overwhelming majority (90%) say they trust the public broadcaster SVT”. ...
David Farrar writes – Kata MacNamara reports: Details of Tony Blakely’s involvement in the New Zealand Government’s response to the pandemic raise serious questions about the work of the Covid-19 Royal Commission of Inquiry over which he presides. It has long been clear that Blakely, a ...
Chris Trotter writes – Are you a Brahmin or a Merchant? Or, are you merely one of those whose lives are profoundly influenced by the decisions of Brahmins and Merchants? Those are the questions that are currently shaping the politics of New Zealand and the entire West. ...
RNZ reports – It’s supposed to be a haven of healing and spiritual awakening but residents of the Kawai Purapura community say they’ve been hurt and deceived. It’s the successor to the former Centrepoint commune, and has been on the bush block opposite Albany shopping centre since 2008. It ...
TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. Usually we have a video chat to go with this wrap, but were unable to do one this week. We’ll be back next week.Several reports ...
The Transport Minister has set a hard 'fiscal envelope' of $6.54 billion for transport capital spending. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The economy is settling into a state of suspended animation as the Government’s funding freezes and job cuts chill confidence and combine with stubbornly high interest rates to ...
To be precise, the term “anti- Zionism” refers to (a) criticism of the political movement that created a modern Jewish state on the historical land of Israel, and to (b)the subjugation of Palestinians by the Israeli state. By contrast, the term “anti-Semitism” means bigotry and racism directed at Jewish people, ...
This is a re-post from the Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler Because hurricanes are one of the big-ticket weather disasters that humanity has to face, climate misinformers spend a lot of effort muddying the waters on whether climate change is making hurricanes more damaging. With the official start to the hurricane ...
Yesterday the Mayor released what he calls his “plan to save public transport” which is part of his final proposal for the Council’s Long Term Plan (LTP). This comes following consultation on the draft version that occurred in March which showed, once again, that people want more done on transport, especially ...
And it's a pleasure that I have knownAnd it's a treasure that I have gainedAotearoa’s coalition government is fragile. It’s held together by the obsequious sycophancy of Christopher Luxon, who willingly contorts his party into the fringe positions of his junior coalition partners and is unwilling to contradict them. The ...
The Select Committee hearing submissions on the fast-track consenting legislation is starting to become a beat-up of regional councils. The inflexibility and slow workings of the Councils were prominent in two submissions yesterday. One, from the Coromandel Marine Farmers Association, simply said that the Waikato Regional Council’s planning decisions were ...
Back in April, the High Court surprised everyone by ruling that Ministers are above the law, at least as far as the Waitangi Tribunal is concerned. The reason for this ruling was "comity" - the idea that the different branches of government shouldn't interfere with each other's functions. Which makes ...
Buzz from the BeehiveTolling was mentioned when Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced the government was re-introducing the Roads of National Significance (RoNS) programme, with 15 “crucial” projects to support economic growth and regional development across New Zealand. All RoNS would be four-laned, grade-separated highways, and all funding, financing, and ...
or the past 14 years, ever since the Spanish government cheated on an autonomy deal, Catalonia has reliably given pro-independence parties a majority of seats in their regional parliament. But now that seems to be over. Catalans went to the polls yesterday, and stripped the Catalan parties of their majority. ...
David Farrar writes – Radio NZ report: Labour Party leader Chris Hipkins said the Electoral Commission should make sure the system ran smoothly and “taking away the right of thousands of people to vote” was not the answer. “Thousands of people enroled and voted on the day. If ...
The Government’s introduction of legislation that would enable landlords to end tenancies with no reason marks a dark day for the 1.4 million people who rent their home in Aotearoa. ...
The Minister for Mental Health has found the Suicide Prevention Office and mental health support for 111 calls slipping through his fingers, says Labour spokesperson for Mental Health Ingrid Leary. ...
Today’s justification from the Minister for Children for scrapping protections for our tamariki was either a case of ignorance or deliberate deception. ...
The Green Party says the Government’s misguided policy on gangs will fail, following the announcement of the establishment of a national gang unit and district gang disruption units to target gang activities. ...
“With Police pay negotiations still unresolved after six months in Government, Mark Mitchell has today rolled the Commissioner out for a rebrand of their approach to gang crime,” Labour police spokesperson Ginny Andersen said. ...
The Government bringing back 50 charter schools will not increase achievement and is a distraction from the core mission of the education system, Labour education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
Te Pāti Māori is showing extreme concern over the Environment Select Committees adoption of a lucky dip draw to determine hearings for the Fast Track Approvals bill. Of the 27,000 submissions, 2,900 requested to present. All organisations will be heard; however, the remaining 2,350 submitters will be subject to a ...
Today New Zealand First will introduce a Member’s Bill that will protect women’s spaces. The ‘Fair Access to Bathrooms Bill’ will require, primarily in the interest and safety of women and girls, that all new non-domestic publicly accessible buildings provide separate, clearly demarcated, unisex and single sex bathrooms. This Bill ...
The Green Party is welcoming Climate Change Minister Simon Watts’ continuation of Hon. James Shaw’s cross-party work on climate adaptation, now in the form of a Finance and Expenditure Committee Inquiry. ...
The National Government plans to cut 390 jobs at ACC, including roles in the areas of prevention of sexual violence, road safety and workplace safety. ...
The Government has been caught in opposition to evidence once again as it looks to usher in tried, tested and failed work seminar obligations for job-seeking beneficiaries. ...
The Green Party is welcoming the announcement by the Minister Responsible for RMA Reform Chris Bishop to approve most of the Wellington City Council’s District Plan recommendations. ...
David Seymour has failed to get the sweeping cuts he wanted to the free and healthy school lunch programme, Labour education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
Hon Willie Jackson has been invited by the Oxford Union to debate the motion “This House Believes British Museums are not Very British’ on May 23rd. ...
Green Party MP Hūhana Lyndon says her Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill is an opportunity to right some past wrongs around the alienation of Māori land. ...
A senior, highly respected King’s Counsel with decades of experience in our law courts, Gary Judd KC, has filed a complaint about compulsory tikanga Māori studies for law students - highlighting the utter depths of absurdity this woke cultural madness has taken our society. The tikanga regulations will compel law ...
The Government needs to be clear with the people of the Nelson Marlborough region about the changes it is considering for the Nelson Hospital rebuild, Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said. ...
Ministers must front up about which projects it will push through under its Fast Track Approvals legislation, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced that the Government will make it easier for lines firms to take action to remove vegetation from obstructing local powerlines. The change will ensure greater security of electricity supply in local communities, particularly during severe weather events. “Trees or parts of trees falling on ...
Wairarapa Moana ki Pouakani were the top winners at this year’s Ahuwhenua Trophy awards recognising the best in Māori dairy farming. Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka announced the winners and congratulated runners-up, Whakatōhea Māori Trust Board, at an awards celebration also attended by Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Finance Minister ...
"On the 27th of March, I sought assurances from the Chief Executive, Department of Internal Affairs, that the Department’s correct processes and policies had been followed in regards to a passport application which received media attention,” says Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden. “I raised my concerns after being ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins has announced the appointment of three new District Court Judges, to replace Judges who have recently retired. Peter James Davey of Auckland has been appointed a District Court Judge with a jury jurisdiction to be based at Whangarei. Mr Davey initially started work as a law clerk/solicitor with ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour is calling on the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) to put ideology to the side and focus on students’ learning, in reaction to the union holding paid teacher meetings across New Zealand about charter schools. “The PPTA is disrupting schools up and down the ...
Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly today announced the appointment of Craig Stobo as the new chair of the Financial Markets Authority (FMA). Mr Stobo takes over from Mark Todd, whose term expired at the end of April. Mr Stobo’s appointment is for a five-year term. “The FMA plays ...
Surf Life Saving New Zealand and Coastguard New Zealand will continue to be able to keep people safe in, on, and around the water following a funding boost of $63.644 million over four years, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Associate Transport Minister Matt Doocey say. “Heading to the beach for ...
New Zealand and Tuvalu have reaffirmed their close relationship, Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters says. “New Zealand is committed to working with Tuvalu on a shared vision of resilience, prosperity and security, in close concert with Australia,” says Mr Peters, who last visited Tuvalu in 2019. “It is my pleasure ...
New Zealand is gravely concerned about the situation in New Caledonia, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The escalating situation and violent protests in Nouméa are of serious concern across the Pacific Islands region,” Mr Peters says. “The immediate priority must be for all sides to take steps to de-escalate the ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon met today with Samoa’s O le Ao o le Malo, Afioga Tuimalealiifano Vaaletoa Sualauvi II, who is making a State Visit to New Zealand. “His Highness and I reflected on our two countries’ extensive community links, with Samoan–New Zealanders contributing to all areas of our national ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has announced that he has approved Waiheke Island ferry operator Island Direct to be eligible for SuperGold Card funding, paving the way for a commercial agreement to bring the operator into the scheme. “Island Direct started operating in November 2023, offering an additional option for people ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters today announced further sanctions on 28 individuals and 14 entities providing military and strategic support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “Russia is directly supported by its military-industrial complex in its illegal aggression against Ukraine, attacking its sovereignty and territorial integrity. New Zealand condemns all entities and ...
A year on from the tragedy at Loafers Lodge, the Government is working hard to improve building fire safety, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “I want to share my sincere condolences with the families and friends of the victims on the anniversary of the tragic fire at Loafers ...
Ka nui te mihi kia koutou. Kia ora and good afternoon, everyone. Thank you so much for having me here in the lead up to my Government’s first Budget. Before I get started can I acknowledge: Simon Bridges – Auckland Business Chamber CEO. Steve Jurkovich – Kiwibank CEO. Kids born ...
New Zealand and Vanuatu will enhance collaboration on issues of mutual interest, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “It is important to return to Port Vila this week with a broad, high-level political delegation which demonstrates our deep commitment to New Zealand’s relationship with Vanuatu,” Mr Peters says. “This ...
Minister for Land Information, Chris Penk will travel to Peru this week to represent New Zealand at a meeting of trade ministers from the Asia-Pacific region on behalf of Trade Minister Todd McClay. The annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Ministers Responsible for Trade meeting will be held on 17-18 May ...
Minister of Education Erica Stanford will head to the United Kingdom this week to participate in the 22nd Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers (CCEM) and the 2024 Education World Forum (EWF). “I am looking forward to sharing this Government’s education priorities, such as introducing a knowledge-rich curriculum, implementing an evidence-based ...
Minister of Education Erica Stanford has today thanked outgoing New Zealand Qualifications Authority Chair, Hon Tracey Martin. “Tracey Martin tendered her resignation late last month in order to take up a new role,” Ms Stanford says. Ms Martin will relinquish the role of Chair on 10 May and current Deputy ...
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and President Emmanuel Macron of France today announced a new non-governmental organisation, the Christchurch Call Foundation, to coordinate the Christchurch Call’s work to eliminate terrorist and violent extremist content online. This change gives effect to the outcomes of the November 2023 Call Leaders’ Summit, ...
Distinguished public servant and former diplomat Sir Maarten Wevers will lead the independent review into the disability support services administered by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. The review was announced by Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston a fortnight ago to examine what could be done to strengthen the ...
Today’s announcement by Police Commissioner Andrew Coster of a National Gang Unit and district Gang Disruption Units will help deliver on the coalition Government’s pledge to restore law and order and crack down on criminal gangs, Police Minister Mark Mitchell says. “The National Gang Unit and Gang Disruption Units will ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today expressed regret at North Korea’s aggressive rhetoric towards New Zealand and its international partners. “New Zealand proudly stands with the international community in upholding the rules-based order through its monitoring and surveillance deployments, which it has been regularly doing alongside partners since 2018,” Mr ...
Air Vice-Marshal Tony Davies MNZM is the new Chief of Defence Force, Defence Minister Judith Collins announced today. The Chief of Defence Force commands the Navy, Army and Air Force and is the principal military advisor to the Defence Minister and other Ministers with relevant portfolio responsibilities in the defence ...
Legislation to repeal section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act has been introduced to Parliament. The Bill’s introduction reaffirms the Coalition Government’s commitment to the safety of children in care, says Minister for Children, Karen Chhour. “While section 7AA was introduced with good intentions, it creates a conflict for Oranga ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins will this week travel to the UK and Italy to meet with her defence counterparts, and to attend Battles of Cassino commemorations. “I am humbled to be able to represent the New Zealand Government in Italy at the commemorations for the 80th anniversary of what was ...
The upcoming Budget will include funding for up to 50 charter schools to help lift declining educational performance, Associate Education Minister David Seymour announced today. $153 million in new funding will be provided over four years to establish and operate up to 15 new charter schools and convert 35 state ...
“The results of the public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has now been received, with results indicating over 13,000 submissions were made from members of the public,” Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says. “We heard feedback about the extended lockdowns in ...
Foreign Minister, Defence Minister, other Members of Parliament Acting Chief of Defence Force, Secretary of Defence Distinguished Guests Defence and Diplomatic Colleagues Ladies and Gentlemen, Good afternoon, tēna koutou, apinun tru It’s a pleasure to be back in Port Moresby today, and to speak here at the Kumul Leadership ...
Health, infrastructure, renewable energy, and stability are among the themes of the current visit to Papua New Guinea by a New Zealand political delegation, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “Papua New Guinea carries serious weight in the Pacific, and New Zealand deeply values our relationship with it,” Mr Peters ...
The coalition Government is launching Roads of Regional Significance to sit alongside Roads of National Significance as part of its plan to deliver priority roading projects across the country, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The Roads of National Significance (RoNS) built by the previous National Government are some of New Zealand’s ...
A high-level New Zealand political delegation in Honiara today congratulated the new Government of Solomon Islands, led by Jeremiah Manele, on taking office. “We are privileged to meet the new Prime Minister and members of his Cabinet during his government’s first ten days in office,” Deputy Prime Minister and ...
New Zealand voted in favour of a resolution broadening Palestine’s participation at the United Nations General Assembly overnight, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The resolution enhances the rights of Palestine to participate in the work of the UN General Assembly while stopping short of admitting Palestine as a full ...
Introduction Good morning. It’s a great privilege to be here at the 2024 Infrastructure Symposium. I was extremely happy when the Prime Minister asked me to be his Minister for Infrastructure. It is one of the great barriers holding the New Zealand economy back from achieving its potential. Building high ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced the upcoming Budget will include new funding of $571 million for Defence Force pay and projects. “Our servicemen and women do New Zealand proud throughout the world and this funding will help ensure we retain their services and expertise as we navigate an increasingly ...
New Zealand’s ability to cope with climate change will be strengthened as part of the Government’s focus to build resilience as we rebuild the economy, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “An enduring and long-term approach is needed to provide New Zealanders and the economy with certainty as the climate ...
Jobseeker beneficiaries who have work obligations must now meet with MSD within two weeks of their benefit starting to determine their next step towards finding a job, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “A key part of the coalition Government’s plan to have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker ...
A new standalone Social Investment Agency will power-up the social investment approach, driving positive change for our most vulnerable New Zealanders, Social Investment Minister Nicola Willis says. “Despite the Government currently investing more than $70 billion every year into social services, we are not seeing the outcomes we want for ...
Check against delivery Good morning. It is a pleasure to be with you to outline the Coalition Government’s approach to our first Budget. Thank you Mark Skelly, President of the Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce, together with your Board and team, for hosting me. I’d like to acknowledge His Worship ...
Your Excellency Ambassador Meredith, Members of the Diplomatic Corps and Ambassadors from European Union Member States, Ministerial colleagues, Members of Parliament, and other distinguished guests, Thank you everyone for joining us. Ladies and gentlemen - In diplomacy, we often speak of ‘close’ and ‘long-standing’ relations. ...
The Therapeutic Products Act (TPA) will be repealed this year so that a better regime can be put in place to provide New Zealanders safe and timely access to medicines, medical devices and health products, Associate Health Minister Casey Costello announced today. “The medicines and products we are talking about ...
The instability comes as the party tries to refresh its brand after six years of being part of a right-wing, pro-imperialist government with both the Labour Party and, from 2017-2020, the far-right NZ First Party. ...
Based on the latest Treasury forecasts, New Zealand Government debt will tick above $90,000 per household for the first time ever at 10pm today, Sunday 19 May 2024. The Taxpayers’ Union is calling it “$90k Debt Day”. Commenting on this, Taxpayers’ ...
Arawata Shane Arawata Shane had wandered long In the wild tangled hills of the West Coast. He came to a stop on the mighty range And looked down at the wide river flats. He breathed in the clean air, And he took in the shadows playing across The face of ...
SPECIAL REPORT:Islands Business in Suva Today is the 24th anniversary of renegade and failed businessman George Speight’s coup in 2000 Fiji. The elected coalition government headed by Mahendra Chaudhry, the first and only Indo-Fijian prime minister of Fiji, was held hostage at gunpoint for 56 days in the country’s ...
By Lydia Lewis, RNZ Pacific journalist and Kelvin Anthony, RNZ Pacific digital journalist Police have used tear gas and stun grenades on rioters at an airport near Nouméa as the chaos in New Caledonia stretched into its sixth day. Five people, including two police officers, have died and hundreds of ...
Asia Pacific ReportThe global human rights watchdog Amnesty International has called on France to not “misuse” a crackdown in the ongoing unrest in the non-self-governing French Pacific territory of Kanaky New Caledonia in the wake of a controversial vote by the French Parliament to adopt a bill changing the territory’s ...
A major provider of school lunches fears the government's new $3 limit for most students will see them eating more pre-packaged and processed food. ...
The star of Dark City: The Cleaner takes us through his life in TV, including the VHS revolution and the John Campbell impression that started it all. Best known for his comedic roles, Cohen Holloway says he struggled at times to maintain the stone cold facade of serial killer on ...
David Hill remembers an old friend, who you’ve probably never heard of. My friend Doug never travelled; he had little interest in the world beyond his own tiny rural town. I’ve rarely known anyone who radiated such contentment. Doug (I’ll call him that) died in March. You won’t know him. ...
Some of the earliest photos of life in Aotearoa are on display at Auckland Museum right now – but the identities of some of the people in them are a mystery.What was it like to be one of the first people in New Zealand to have their photo taken? ...
Since its founding almost a decade ago, Featherston Booktown has grown into one of the country’s most interesting and idiosyncratic literary events. Erin Banks reports from the audience. “Come in, have you had lunch? I’m about to make a cheese toastie.” Mary Biggs, operations manager of Featherston Booktown Karukatea Festival, ...
After 33 years abroad, Loveni Enari recently returned to Aotearoa and Samoa in what a friend joked was an “existential crisis”. He learnt and re-learnt so much about his family, friends and both countries. Almost as an afterthought, he got a Samoan tatau. This is his story. (Accompanying it are ...
Nearly 30 years ago, two people told me they’d killed a woman they knew. I thought the truth would come out, that others would tell it. In the end, I had to. The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.Fact: in 1995, Angela Blackmoore ...
Editor Madeleine Chapman looks back at the week and shines a light on some increasingly rare longform journalism. Mōrena and welcome to The Weekend where there will sadly be no aurora to see. After a busy week last week of short, sharp pieces, this week we swung the other way, ...
ANALYSIS:By David Robie, editor of Asia Pacific Report Jean-Marie Tjibaou, a revered Kanak visionary, was inspirational to indigenous Pacific political activists across Oceania, just like Tongan anthropologist and writer Epeli Hao’ofa was to cultural advocates. Tragically, he was assassinated in 1989 by an opponent within the independence movement during ...
Forget thin is in, apparently now bigger is better … or is it? After over a decade of body positivity, girls, teens and women are even more confused about what body positivity actually is. The movement began with women confronting unrealistic expectations of how their bodies should look. But sub-strands ...
Grace always sat at the bar at the back of The Cambridge, where she could watch who came in. A huge mirror ran the length of the pub, so you could sometimes watch people without them knowing. The mirror made the place seem a lot bigger than it really was. ...
MONDAY Sheriff Mark Mitchell rose at dawn. He had a long day’s ride ahead of him. He was headed for Waikeria. Waikeria! Even the name itself stirred his blood, and set root in his imagination. There was nothing and no one in Waikeria. But he would bend it to his ...
The first phase of the inquest into the death of Gore toddler Lachlan Jones finished this week, turning up plenty of revelations and few answers. But through all the confusion, heartbreak and antipathy on display, the simple fact at the heart of this case remains: if little Lachie’s body had ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Roger Benjamin, Professor in Art History, University of Sydney “She’s no oil painting”. Those were the unkind words of a colleague commenting on the subject of Vincent Namatjira’s acrylic painting, Gina. Every one of the prominent Australians and cultural heroes in Namatjira’s ...
Government plans to require local councils hold a referendum on whether to have Māori wards breaches the Treaty of Waitangi, a Waitangi Tribunal report has found. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Harcourt, Industry Professor and Chief Economist, University of Technology Sydney This year the National Rugby League (NRL) opened its season in Las Vegas. It was an audacious move by the league’s ambitious head honcho Peter V’Landys to showcase the game in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Catherine Strong, Associate Professor, Music Industry, RMIT University Leading music organisations have praised the federal budget for its investment in the live music sector. The budget includes A$8.6 million for a program called Revive Live: to provide essential support to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Marnee Shay, Associate Professor, Principal Research Fellow, The University of Queensland The 2024 federal budget contains A$110 million for Indigenous education. This includes funding for various different organisations to represent and help Indigenous people as well as scholarships in a bid to ...
Air New Zealand has confirmed Nouméa’s Tontouta International airport in New Caledonia is closed until Tuesday. The airline earlier told RNZ it would update customers as soon as it could. Earlier today, Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters told RNZ Morning Report government officials had been working on an “hourly basis” ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Grant Linley, PhD Candidate in Ecology, Charles Sturt University Grant Linley Australia’s unprecedented Black Summer bushfires in 2019–20 created ideal conditions for misinformation to spread, from the insidious to the absurd. It was within this context that a bizarre story ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Marcel Scharth, Lecturer in Business Analytics, University of Sydney OpenAI executive Mira Murati launching GPT-4o.OpenAI Earlier this week OpenAI launched GPT-4o (“o” for “omni”), a new version of the artificial intelligence (AI) system powering the popular ChatGPT chatbot. GPT-4o is promoted ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Treasure McGuire, Assistant Director of Pharmacy, Mater Health SEQ in conjoint appointment as Associate Professor of Pharmacology, Bond University and as Associate Professor (Clinical), The University of Queensland Speedkingz/Shutterstock Menopause is a natural biological process that marks the end of a ...
A new poem by Hannah Patterson. Xiāng There’s a pear tree in our backyard And Xiāng tells me She can’t eat them anymore Not after some things that have happened in her life. She tells me, in Mandarin The word for pear sounds the same as the word for disassociation ...
‘Cycling Works’ aims to show business support for citywide cycle infrastructure. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week, supermarket giant Foodstuffs lost its attempt to block the construction of a cycle lane outside Thorndon New World in Wellington. The Spinoff’s Wellington editor ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Slow Productivity by Cal Newport (Penguin, $40)Taking out the top spot in Auckland this ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Lowe, Emeritus Professor, School of Environment and Science, Griffith University For decades, Australia has exported uranium – but not used it, other than in the Lucas Heights research reactor. But change is coming. We now face a rapidly deepening commitment to ...
"In future I should walk away," Green MP Julie Anne Genter says after complaints over an exchange in Parliament and from two members of the public. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonathan Graffam, PhD Candidate in Theatre, Monash University Gianna Rizzo/Malthouse Music pumps; lights pulsate; two sweaty bodies sway together, touching, breathing in each other’s scent. A male body framed by downlight restlessly shifts between stances and gestures. He undresses. The intensity ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sandra van der Laan, Professor of Accounting, University of Sydney Mtaya/Shutterstock At some point, you or someone else will need to make a decision about your “send-off”. Most Australians die in an institution, such as a hospital or aged care facility. ...
Asia Pacific Report Vanuatu Prime Minister Charlot Salwai — who is also Chairman of the Melanesian Spearhead Group — has reaffirmed MSG’s support of the pro-independence umbrella group Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front (FLNKS) stance opposing the French government’s constitutional bill “unfreezing” the New Caledonia Electoral Roll. It is ...
Producer Susan Leonard remembers her father Ernie, a pioneer of Māori television, and how his legacy lives on in Pathfinders.My father was a fabulous man. His name was Ernie Leonard and he started in TV in the 1970s when it was still glamorous – when TVNZ made behind the ...
By Patrick Decloitre, RNZ Pacific correspondent French Pacific desk, and Lydia Lewis, RNZ Pacific journalist The suspected ringleaders of the unrest in New Caledonia have been placed in home detention and the social network TikTok has been banned as French security forces struggle to restore law and order. The French ...
Multi-year appropriations - which give the government authority to spend money without reapplying annually - are loosening Parliament's control of the public purse, auditor-general says. ...
Dr. Eric Chuah who stood for a centrist NZ political party in the October 2023 NZ Elections for Maungakiekie Auckland will stand as a candidate for Tauranga City Council Ward of Matua-=Otumoetai and Mayor of Tauranga. ...
If you can’t get to the comedy fest, let us bring the comedy fest to you. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. The New Zealand International Comedy Festival is in full swing at the moment, with a veritable smorgasboard of comedy treats ...
A new poll commissioned by Unions Wellington shows an overwhelming majority of Wellingtonians oppose the Council’s plan to sell the 34% public stake in Wellington Airport. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Aruna Sathanapally, Chief Executive, Grattan Institute, Grattan Institute A central focus of this week’s budget is the treasury’s forecast for inflation. By this time next year, inflation is projected to be back within the Reserve Bank’s 2-3% target range. Inflation has ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Yolanda van Heezik, Professor of Ecology, University of Otago Getty Images Cities across Aotearoa New Zealand are trying to solve a housing crisis, with increasing residential density a key solution. But not everyone is happy about the resulting loss of natural ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alison Reeve, Deputy Program Director, Energy and Climate Change, Grattan Institute WDG Photo/Shutterstock For years, the electricity sector has been the poster child for emissions cuts in Australia. The sector achieved a stunning 26% drop in emissions over the past 15 ...
It’s often the last thing people want to do, but asking someone if they’re having suicidal thoughts is a critical first step to helping them. Content warning: this story discusses suicide and suicidal ideation. For a list of resources that can help if you or someone you know is feeling ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy J. Ralph, Associate Professor, Macquarie University The pyramids at Giza, like dozens of others, are located several kilometres west of the current path of the Nile.Alex Cimbal / Shutterstock The largest field of pyramids in Egypt – consisting of 31 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Diepstraten, Senior Research Officer, Blood Cells and Blood Cancer Division, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute ABO PHOTOGRAPHY/Shutterstock Receiving a cancer diagnosis is life-changing and can cause a range of concerns about ongoing health. Fear of cancer returning is one ...
Winston Peters has been on tour around the Pacific while two unrelated crises unfolded, explains Stewart Sowman-Lund in this extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. Two separate ...
This is the Mount Everest of artificial meatcraft.Ah, bacon. Pig’s gold. Toast’s consolation. Dawn’s savoury embrace. If meat was a currency, bacon would be the Benjamin Franklin. Or if you’re feeling patriotic, the Lord Rutherford. When it comes to fake bacon, the obvious question is: why bother? In the ...
From illegal milk to sprinkler bans and airplane ticket scams, Tyrone Barugh is on a one-man mission through New Zealand’s most obscure legal loopholes. I’m deep undercover, investigating Wellington’s criminal underworld. Inside this store, I’ve been told there is a million-dollar trade in illicit substances. A man dressed in black ...
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12093951
Even when the National Party get dragged kicking and screaming into doing stuff for the public good the proposal ends up being under-cooked and needs to be expanded later for more cost.
The CRL has already been shown that the original plans, as agreed by the dear leader J Key, would hit capacity in 2035, just 10 years after it opened. Luckily we have such wonderful people in power now, with Goff and Tyford pushing for agreement at Council and Cabinet to increase the size now whilst still building to push the capacity up
They need to SLOW Auckland population growth especially as it is on the back of minimally and low waged workers immigrating here and the amount of consents for dirty trucks crossing through Auckland for decades.
Cheap workers are great for all the 1% multinational businesses making more profits, driving up commercial rents and housing, but how are the existing ratepayers (past down to renters) supposed to find the extra money on top of the petrol taxes, for the tourist highway to CBD and SkyCity stops for all these new people?
Likewise if we have half a million people coming into Auckland on $20 p/h and expected to pay $9 or even negative taxes, while pushing down wages, or satellite families for children/elderly, it’s putting more strain on the rest of the country to raise the taxes for all the roads, transport, hospitals, schools, super….
I’m not blaming the people coming, I’m just pointing out having more people to benefit the 1%, while the 60% of low waged workers are worse off, might not be a winning strategy. Nor spending billions in infrastructure so that there is another liquor store and takeaway and broken down truck venture delivering to them, or truck and trailer of fill or chickens going backwards and forwards for decades through Auckland, or more million dollars apartments for Singapore investors rented to Aucklander’s (using accomodation supplements from government), on the Auckland landscape.
None of these favoured NZ ventures is long term gain to the country, or going to grow productivity and create long term prosperity, quite the opposite, increasing inequality!
Perhaps time for council to rethink strategy towards higher waged, higher tax paying, more sustainable business (aka high tech or green tech) being the focus for growth in Auckland…
And with 4 degrees of warming – what are all those tens of thousands of people transported into the central city going to be doing?
Is it possible that we are now solving the problem that should have been solved immediately post-WWII? And while the craft beer drinkers and film festival attendees think it’s really marvellous, it’s got little to do with our actual future?
I was listening to Winston Peters this morning on Radio NZ being interviewed as acting PM, and I found myself nodding in agreement…
I need a lie down and a warm flannel on my forehead.
“I was listening to Winston Peters this morning on Radio NZ….”
I’m assuming you’re referring to this….
https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2018654916/winston-peters-slams-tobacco-tax
…not this? https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/birds-on-morning-report/audio/2586406/japanese-snipe
🙂
It’s been happening to me too. Really concerning….
Anne at 2.2 said
“It’s been happening to me too. Really concerning….”
Was this after this? Sanctuary said; “I was listening to Winston Peters this morning on Radio NZ being interviewed as acting PM, and I found myself nodding in agreement…”
There is a simple answer to the temporary condition that you are currently suffering from; it is that you are clearly hearing ‘common sense here’ from NZF Leader & Acting PM Peters.
My comment was in answer to Sanctuary and is also tongue in cheek. Unfortunately there is no emoticon for t in c.
And yes common sense prevails. It has prevailed since October of last year.
Hehehehehehe funny 🙂 Will have to have a listen, cheers for the link.
Why doesn’t NZ simply pass a “right to roam” act?
So, y’know, apart from walking into someone’s dwelling, and also allowing for privacy/lack of disturbance (eg no right to traipse through someone’s garden), legislate that people can traverse land.
Other exceptions might be recognised visitor attractions that normally charge an entry fee and bumbling straight through a farmer’s crop (walk around the edge of such fields).
The interesting point about the Hunter Valley case, that nobody seems to be picking up on (or is willfully ignoring), is that there is access to that conservation land already, via marginal strip. That provides for walking access. But no, people are no longer satisfied with walking access, they want to be able to drive their SUVs wherever they please, because they think that is their right – hence pushing for an easement on the 40kms of gravel road.
The Cochrane family, who had the lease before Matt Lauer, actually had more restrictive access over Hunter Valley Station, so the change of ownership has been a good thing for public access. Of course, because Lauer is American, there is no mention of that.
Thanks for that info, Sam C, re the marginal strip access and the previous lease. I agree with your comments re people wanting more than walking access, eg SUVs etc – and also with B Waghorn’s wonderfully worded one “But having slack jawed morons wandering around farms is a recipe for disaster.”
I was interested in Peters’ views this morning on RNZ suggesting that the OIO did not do its work properly.
RNZ actually has a several separate articles up on their website this morning re the Hunter Valley situation and Matt Lauer. Here is the link to the one about Peters’ view on the OIO – which has links to the other two articles today and some previous ones in the Related Articles column on the right.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/362479/winston-peters-overseas-investment-office-didn-t-do-its-job-over-matt-lauer-sale
We can point out that the government hasn’t done their job properly in that they’ve opened NZ land up for sale to non-citizens. That should never have happened.
The Hunter Valley Road is the only viable access to the Hawea Conservation Park, which is part of the publicly owned conservation estate. Few people are prepared to walk up 40 km of gravel road through a sheep station so that they can get to public land. Winston was right to criticize the sale of crown land to Lauer without proper access to Hawea and the OIO’s decision but whether words will lead to action is questionable. Scandinavian countries have extensive ‘right to roam’ rules over private land (reference to Bill’s question above) that are centuries old and part of the culture there. Don’t think they would work in NZ, perhaps because we have a higher percentage of dickheads. One of the reasons for getting to remote places like Hawea is to get away from them!
There is plenty of publicly owned conservation estate all over NZ that few people are prepared to walk to. And long may that last. Keeps the dickheads out and allows those of us prepared to put the hard yards in to enjoy it, without half of Queenstown dropping their litter and shitting in the creek beds.
Very public spirited Sam.
Not so straight forward the road is a shifting dirt track farm road.
With dangerous river crossings that can’t be walked.
Any one can get permission to use this road.
But not when farming safety and flooding.
It would be far quicker and safer to use a boat to get to the head of lake Hawea.
Only very experienced Bush trekkers can safely access the Hunter Valley conservation area.
Let’s not get carried away
its a bit more complicated than that because the river moves in its bed but the marginal strip doesnt so access not guaranteed
No. Do your homework. Marginal strips (1987 Conservation Act) move with the waterway. s58 (Land Act 1948) strips are immovable.
So many clowns (clearly who don’t understand the backcountry of NZ) putting their ignorant views forward.
You are right Sam but my understanding is that this is not true in all cases. Perhaps this is only true for all MS’s created after the 1987 Conservation Act?
Marginal strips have not been recognised on many Crown Pastoral Lease properties until they went through tenure review when they are identified and mapped.
I have know problem with easements to get people to beaches and national parks . And could live with it being forced if agreement can’t be reached .
But having slack jawed morons wandering around farms is a recipe for disaster .
Might raise some Treaty issues if not done deftly.
It would also have to account for things like movement restrictions because of Kauri dieback and suchlike.
But it’s an interesting concept to roll around in my brain, nothing too untoward about it at all.
1000%
Thanks Sanctuary for the giggle you gave me this morning; – well said sport.
You said;
“Listening to Winston this morning; – I found myself nodding in agreement…
I need a lie down and a warm flannel on my forehead.”
Have a good restful snooze afterwards.
Good health news, hopefully going back to prevention approach with doctors, more innovation and early intervention to get better outcomes!
Stroke patients getting new lease on life with ‘miraculous’ procedure
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/105509120/stroke-patients-getting-new-lease-on-life-with-miraculous-procedure
Thanks SaveNZ.
When my stroke hit me in 2005 i was at a batch in Lake Waikaremoana with no internet or phone line available, I couldnt even lift a cup up and put it down but luckily I had some ‘asprin and Niacin’ to thin my blood and dialate my blood vessels and arteries respectively, and by me actually hitting myself for most of the night on niacin that caused a lot of ‘flushing’ (a hot pin pricking feeling) by moring I could walk again and had a good chance of partical recovery until by two days later when my doctor gave me a ‘chelation’ iv using (EDTA) to assist to partically unblock my clot that caused my sroke.
I tried the usual route here;
After spending five hours at the hostpital the day after the stroke all that netted me was only having a CT scan and no treatment for my stroke.
I was forced to go to my doctor three days after the incident for effective treatment.
So if you my friend or anyone does wind up like i did; – please look for immeadiate solutioins and not just wait to get some service at the Hospital days later; – as the literature said get treatment quickly, -and if stroke/high blood pressure prone please always carry some genuine asprin (acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) (not disprin) and niacin (B3) with you always.
Only acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) thins the blood as vinegar does but the other painkillers do not if they dont contain acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) as most are sythetically produced and are not from natural ingredients.
zouch, remote and no means of contact? These things can turn up at the worst moments, eh.
The aspirin and niacin was a cunning plan.
But anyone in reach of a phone – ambulance time.
FAST:
Tough situation – sounds like you did really well.
After my heart attack last year I’ve been wondering what the future holds as mum had an early heart attack and then 10 years later the strokes started – probably 6 over 9 years till the last one took her out.
I’m hoping the meds and exercise as well as reduced stress ☺ will help keep it all at bay at least until the kids are old enough to remember me.
Watch your salt intake… a big contributor.
On Sunday evening I watched Teina Pora’s story. Was transfixed. A great production which hugely contrasts with American versions of similar stories.
And our good friend Simon Bridges is opposed to a criminal Review system.
A write up of the program:
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=12092509
Interesting long read, with music. I love the banjo – just something about the cool sound it makes just hits me deep.
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/jul/23/white-people-are-so-fragile-bless-em-rhiannon-giddens-banjo-warrior-cambridge-folk-festival
Ah. I also read that with interest this morning, marty.
I like quite a bit of country music – it has roots also in Irish and Scottish working class/people’s music – ofte music of resistance.
It was a revelation to learn that the banjo comes from Africa, plus the one-string fiddle.
I like mostly some alt country music: Johnny Cash, Steve Earle, Brandi Carlile, some of Dylan, etc.
Rhiannon Giddens is now someone I will look out for on youtube.
Yeah she is one to watch.
I don’t mind a bit of country – prob lean towards old school country with a bit of spoons now and then 😊
https://youtu.be/_nLmM9kcBKs
And
https://youtu.be/e4Ao-iNPPUc
Spoons – yeah, cool. Cheap accessible instrument. The history apparently goes back to at least the Egyptians, Greeeks and Romans, but has been used around the world since about when spoons were invented.
And when I lived in Aussie, I learned country had become a significant part of Aussie indigenous culture: Heard a lot in rural Aussie in 1920s:
Interesting thanks.
Spoons were essential instruments in the deep South where I grew up.
Spoons?
Saws; that’s where it’s at!
Looks a bit aucklandy mate ☺
Skillful though.
Saws?
Rubber chooks ftw
Carolyn, – try Dylans old album fromm1969 “Nashville skyline”
I got hooked on his entry into the ‘blueridge mountain’ bluegrass music then while I was there.
cg, I was a big fan of Dylan in the late 60s, and 70s. So I am very familiar with that album, and part of why I included him as an alt-country artist. And yes, Nashville Skyline mainstreams country in his songs.
Also includes Girl from the North Country, which was first included in an earlier album, freewheelin Dylan:
Tova slammed simon bridges this morning, saying his road show was a complete waste of time. He had a six week opportunity and he blew it.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2018/07/political-wrap-benefits-iran-and-haumaha.html
Re benefit sanctions and simon wanting to re introduce them. Spoke to someone who went to the WINZ last week, things have changed there she said. Poor woman ended up having a break down at the office due to stresses in her life. Her case worker listened, supported her, gave her advice and direction on how to get help and counseling. Case worker told her not to worry about looking for work for the next couple of weeks, because it is more important for her to get help for her stresses etc. Case worker then contacted her a couple of days later just to make sure she was ok.
Some people have difficulty looking for work because they are so messed up, due to other factors in their life, that’s what they need support and help for. Warmed my heart to hear this story. Sometimes people just need to know that someone cares and wants to help them, sometimes this is more important than anything else.
Taking things away (ie benefit sanctions) from someone who is already suffering helps no one. Not everyone is lazy, some people are simply messed up and need professional help.
Have WINZ staff been retrained under our new government? Or did the woman just get lucky with an understanding case manager?
Good to hear that Cinny. And I have had a similar experience with the WINZ Seniors staff over the last month or so. A marked difference in attitude and help provided.
In my experience in the last 8-10 or so years, there was a marked difference in approach between WINZ staff dealing with those under 65 and staff dealing with those on Super. (I did some ad hoc voluntary advocacy for people with mental health issues on benefits for some years; then had to give up work for health/disability reasons myself two years short of 65 and was a beneficiary once my savings ran out; and then transitioned onto Super.)
IMHO this differential declined somewhat over the last few years as they also drastically cut the number of Super staff available for face to face appointments (here in Wellington anyway) – meaning that you had to wait weeks for a face to face appointment and then the case manager was under so much pressure that the appointment would be rushed and superficial – and things would not get sorted properly.
About six weeks ago I was in one of those awful situations where a whole lot of things happened at once (broken appliances, a broken car, and me needing emergency dental surgery and other related dental treatment) and I was under massive physical and financial stress. I had a meltdown on the phone to WINZ Super staff. The (senior) person I was talking to was marvelous, talked me down etc and within days I had a $300 grant for some of the dental work plus loans for the rest and for fixing the car etc, and a personal case manager. The senior person has also been in contact with me several times and I have their direct contact details plus those of my case manager. Some outstanding matters (eg my and my doctors’ applications for disability allowance for the last few years) are now slowly getting sorted.
The attitude etc of the people I have dealt with recently has been so much better than in the past. I have asked them whether they have been receiving training etc – they were reticent in their responses but the difference is marked! I have also complimented them on it and strongly expressed hope that the empathy and help that I received is also being applied to beneficiaries under 65 years of age etc.
V.V, thanks for sharing, that was fascinating and encouraging. I’m really happy for you. Long may the ‘new attitude’ at WINZ continue and improve.
Someone caring and treating another with compassion and understanding goes a long long way. It’s heart warming to hear such stories, life changing, life saving even.
I had the exact opposite last month but that came with a change in person from whom I used to see.
This is a most fascinating post and without time to read the thread I randomly jumped to it.
What area is that in if you don’t mind me asking?
Hey there A.W.W, the lady I spoke with went to the Motueka office.
Cheers
I was astounded and impressed buy Obrians nuanced take on sanctions ie one that punishes a woman for not naming the father is worse than other sanctions .
Even garner was calling national out for going been bashing to try and get some air time.
My brother always said he could tell what govt was in power simply by the reception he got at WINZ.
Spot on, bro!
Nice story Cinny but you can’t run policy on nice feelings and individual anecdotes, policy needs to be on collective good, rationality and evidence
I agree with you Bewildered, however, one can take a look at the person as a whole, on a case by case basis, and offer some hope. Such actions would be more beneficial to all than treating someone as number on a sheet that gets a tick next to it if they get a job and worries about whatever else is going on for them.
No point helping someone get a job if they are a bit messed up, and as a result they end up failing in the job, unable to hold it down etc, which only leads to more feelings of misery by said person. Or more job interviews that don’t work out because they are ‘messed up’. Vicious unproductive circle in that approach. Better to help the person, then help them get a job.
Surely there would be studies on such.
On the topic of “One in two go without heating due to cost”, survey finds no mention of this….
Way to be cleared for big electricity players to prey on low-income households
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/opinion/102708888/way-to-be-cleared-for-big-electricity-players-to-prey-on-lowincome-households
That has happened here in Aus. My brother in NSW has 16 panels on his roof. He has had money back from the grid and no or very low bills. Others are complaining of $1200.00 bills for a quarter 13 weeks. So maybe Megan has a point. If you join NZ Greypower, you get their cheap rate, we pay about $60.00 a fortnight.
There is quite an arguement that the poor are subsidising the rich here in Aus, to the point it is a political football. Not sure apart from Nationalising, what can be done.
Always have been fights and blockades to new technologies, by vested interests.
Perhaps “The winter payment to cardholders” NZ is a plan to buffer this?
The silting of scallop beds in Mohua Golden Bay.
Good article
https://www.nzgeo.com/stories/what-we-do-in-the-shallows/
The effects of our poor and commodification style land and sea practices will haunt us for generations.
Great piece Marty – thanks for that.
Also my thanks for the link, marty.
Great article – and fantastic photography from the wonderful Rob Suisted. I worked with Rob at DOC HQ in Wellington back in the second half of the 1990s when I went in as part of a team sorting things following the Cave Creek disaster. Rob was then National Marine Mammal Advisor and great at his job. It really was a toss up as to whether to encourage him to stay at DOC due to his skills and knowledge in that area – or to back him and his tremendous photographic skills in his dream to step into the unknown and become a self employed photographer. A really nice person to boot.
But I digress. Did you see this comment and link (re Waimea Dam Doomed?) a few days ago ?
https://thestandard.org.nz/daily-review-19-07-2018/#comment-1504869
This Stuff article yesterday was also encouraging re “A group of Marlborough students on a mission to save New Zealand’s marine life has impressed the Prime Minister with their passion. The year 12 and 13 Marlborough Girls’ College students wrote to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern hoping to update marine legislation, and do away with some of the red tape that had held up similar projects. …”
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/105616357/impressed-pm-jacinda-ardern-thanks-students-for-fantastic-work
Missed that Waimea damn dam one. Have been following it because as pickles noted Tasman, including GB will help pay for it!! Yeah nah ta – doomed is good. Already pretty poor vibes between Tasman council and a lot of GB ressies because of grandstand and a few other bits and bobs.
I think he should be boycotted- unacceptable 5 years ago and today. I’ll never watch him again (doesn’t mean much cos I never watched him hardly anyway).
https://i.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/tv-radio/105702598/calls-for-boycott-as-racist-trevor-noah-clip-resurfaces
His comments about Africa winning the World cup via France was equally racist.
Can you elaborate?
He claimed that France winning the World cup was really a victory for Africa because the French team had a large number of players that were African in origin. This despite the fact that the majority of them were either born or brought up in France from an early age AND had learned to play Football in France. It is like claiming that the All Blacks winning the Rugby Union World cup is a victory for the Pacific Islands.
I’m not trying to be awkward but why do you think that is racist?
Is it the disregarding France bit, the ‘we can’t tell them apart’ bit or something else?
Because he thinks the fact that a French player of a particular ethnic background is somehow as much (if not more) African than French. That is racist thinking. Just as Richie McCaw’s success as a Rugby player was not attributed to Scotland or the rest of Europe so Kylian Mbappé abilities are not shared with Cameroon or the entire continent of Africa.
Thanks.
French ambassador to the US gave Noah a serve.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DiargMdVAAAGraN.jpg
“… This, even in jest, legitimizes the ideology which claims whiteness as the only definition of being French”
Excellent point.
I wonder if a Tahitian Independence advocate considers themselves French.
Or under the benevolent thumb of French cultural dominance and economic oppression.
Funny the Tahitian youth almost beat us on Youth Suicide, but on this we will not be beaten!
(note – read this above with dripping sarcasm, otherwise it will sound odd)
Bugger, that’s really disappointing.
The wonderful Laura Flanders – Video time 27 minutes.
Jeremy Corbyn: Transformative Economics Through Political Organizing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-uAdOrFv48&ab_channel=TheLauraFlandersShow
Makes you realise how right wing the NZ labour party are, not just economically.
Be interesting to see what this Serious Fraud Office raid on the office of the Maori King brings up.
Why?
Agreed. It is going to be interesting. Linky http://mobile.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.php?c_id=1&objectid=12094378
Comments like this are so frustrating, Ad! Where is your link or links?????
Of course I had to drop everything and google. Right, I had forgotten about Matt Nippert’s latest ongoing ‘dog with a bone’.
Here is a link for others to the latest – https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12094378
As it is a very short article here it is, but the actual link does include an interesting video of Matt, in his famous (or should that be infamous?) brown suit, buttonholing Maori King advisor Rangi Whakaruru at Auckland Airport some time ago.
“The office of the Māori King has been raided by Serious Fraud Office investigators probing claims of financial mismanagement.
The raid this morning at the King’s offices at the Endowed College Buildings in Ngāruawāhia follows a referral from the Charities Service who have spent the past year looking into claims of misspending at Ururangi Trust.
Ururangi is a registered charity intended to support the functions of King Tūheitia Paki, funded annually by Tainui to the tune of $2m. In 2015 it was the subject of an adverse Charities Service investigation and warned further issues could see its charitable status revoked.
Ururangi has been the subject of a long-running Herald investigation, canvassing lavish spending on luxury automobiles, international travel and a mysterious $46,000 invoice for stomach-stapling surgery paid by Tainui despite documentation being unclear as to who actually received the operation.”
EDIT – SNAP JohnnyB but will leave as is.
When finding the Herald article related to the SFO raid of the Maori King’s office, I came across this Herald article also about a Police matter relating to Clarke Gayford …
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12093673
Record highs in Japan and North America, wide spread fires in Sweden, Greece and the US, we’re fiddling while we burn.
This month’s scorching heat wave broke records around the world. The Algerian city of Ouargla, with a population of half a million, had a temperature of 124.3 degrees Fahrenheit on July 6, the hottest reliably measured temperature on record in Africa. In Ireland and Wales, the unusually hot weather revealed ancient structures normally hidden by grass or crops. In Chino, California, the mercury soared to 120 degrees. Another round of hazardous summer heat is expected this week, with record high temperatures possible in the southern United States.
https://thebulletin.org/2018/07/global-heat-wave-an-epic-tv-news-fail/
https://www.yahoo.com/news/sweden-faces-extreme-fire-risk-coming-days-142738368.html
https://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2018/07/23/4-day-heat-wave-southern-california/
“we’re fiddling while we burn”
It’s all the fault of the scientists
I mean how are we meant to trust them when the reckons were that we had more time?
/sarc (of course)
This is a very informative and in depth piece from Cenk Uygur. Around the firing of the director of The Guardians Of The Galaxy III. 20 minutes, goes into how the alt-right trolls work and how they do things.
More on CV’s favourite alt filth.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/mike-cernovich-james-gunn-fired_us_5b5265cce4b0fd5c73c570ac?o0s
CV…on a long term ban…can’t defend himself…
That’s who you’re taking a stab at?
channel 31.
today nationals getting more and more frantic.
nikki kaye getting ruder and ruder as she repeats coalition members names over and over.
this is just horrible behaviour and right now chris penk is using words that are too big for him. he is banausic , his jokes are not funny and his allusions are pissweak with absolutley no substance whatsoever.
what baffles me is where do the nationals party get these namby pamby little twerps from.
they all look and sound like they have come out of the same weetbix packet and their underpants are too tight.
new zeland deserves beter than this.
NZ, does not deserve better…
NZ, is getting exactly what it is allowing to happen…
Can genocide ever be justified?
Consequences the like of which few throughout history have ever suffered?
What does this mean?
Throughout history?
Worse than Dresden? Worse than Warsaw? Worse than Hiroshima?
Are these the sort of historical examples that Donald Trump is threatening to visit on the Iranian people?
How long will the world have to put up with this savage?
Good morning The AM Show it good to see the government attack the correct corruption the big money laundering organisation.
It would be Nice to see them go after the business fraud that’s billions. of dollars of missed revenue for our society. The last government were just common tangata basher and they had another boot this week.
Condolences to the whano of the tangata in Greece who have died it a tragedy that I have to capitalise on. We are axcerarating the destruction of Papatuanukue we are turning the Paradise that the GOD’S have gifted us into a place of Hell.
And why is this still happening well its the Greedy rich who want to control ALL the tangata of Papatuanukue they don’t care if the consequences of there action turns Papatuanukue into Hell.
Duncan you know how it is you get information on a subject and you change your opinion Winston has changed his mind on the tabbaco subject I’m not going to give my opinion on the subject. If there is a direct connection between the price of smokes and the sharp increase in burglarys you can not deny that fact.
Sir Avery is doing a good thing a product that can save the most vulnerable of Papatuanukue society.
Ka kite ano
I don’t trust the Owner of the Newsroom website I still have questions for him to answers. Ana to kai Ka kite ano
Good evening Newshub some people think its safer to sleep on the streets than in a building the cold and damp unsafe environment will stuff up ones lungs and cause respiratory problems there are many problems that the tangata on the streets face the od night in a cold damp environment won’t cause to much harm to ones health but sleeping every night in these condition’s is shortening there lives and this is a crime in my eyes so please help the innocent vulnerable tangata all around Aotearoa Get a good safe place to sleep OUR society has place them in this predicament . I know I can be a bit defensive but I think its understandable coming from Eco Maori.
The yacht tragedy show’s Eco Maori that the rules are different when you come from a elite New Zealand family hypocrisy plutocracy is what comes to mind you know what would have happened if they were brown broke tangata te pukapuka would have thrown them straight into the hinaki .
Ka kite ano