Another example this morning, Bridges suggesting those wrongly evicted are ‘meth crooks’. Talk about ignoring all the facts of the issue, including their own part in it!
Totally bizarre he and Twisted Sister would double down on this when the several articles in the media are all about wrongful evictions of innocent parties.
His snide yap yapping does him no favours.
This morning on RNZ, his argument was so full of holes and hypocrisy.
(What is the word for someone’s position that highlights their own shortcomings?)
At one point he was bemoaning the 9,000 people and families on the HNZ waiting list. Irony much!
Also surely there is a marked difference in residues from manufacturing P than those left from smoking P. Bridge to nowhere was keen to lump them in together.
I can forgive Espinor for not giving it to BTN, as there were so many inconsistencies, which one to choose?
Bridges maybe “man from heaven for Labour” BUT not good for NZ.
IMO, as a country we need a functional and alt view of the opposition to challenge the govts thinking and policies. Otherwise there is a danger of progressing down a direction that would have detrimental results for the future.
I am sure those on the political divide want strong progressive parties. One large weak party is of no value to the direction of NZ, the only blessing is that the weak party is not in govt, this time.
Thanks to an ineffectual labour opposition look what we got from 2011-2017. And the leadership options they gave to counteract Key 🤪. Heck given the faux paus of some within the govts. a monkey would have inflected greater damage.
I disagree again! An opposition is limited in preventing damaging decisions/legislation due to an imbalance in numbers. I think Cunliffe was their best bet, but the msm ran a ruthless campaign against him (remember John Armstrong’s apology for calling for Cunliffe’s resignation)….The msm were more focused on criticizing Labour and its leaders when they were in opposition than holding Key (who they swarned over) to account.
I note today on Stuff and Radio NZ that they are finding any negative angle they can to undermine, subtlely and not so subtley Jacinda’s ability
leadership and strength.
Jane Bowron really laid it on the line what she thinks of Judith Collins.
Duncan Garner is calling Jacinda the UN’s new “squeeze”. How childish. And of course Tova O’Brien is her usual sarcastic self. TV3 must be desperate for headlines and/or an audience.
“Young Christine Blasey Ford remembered as popular figure in Dewey Beach bar scene in 1980s”
QUESTION OF THE DAY
Who do you believe?
• BRETT M. KAVANAUGH
• CHRISTINE BLASEY FORD
• WASHINGTON
Ford’s conditions for testifying “growing”: Conway
Reuters
Boring USA stuff. A diversion from what politics is (should be) about. Good for the covers of women’s mags that specialise in gossip that has a sex or appearance angle which seems to be of enough interest to keep them churning out every week. Can we leave this stuff to the organ-grinders!
Thanks Bearded – did you follow the discussion over reply from certain person at RNZ? (Radionz not Railways NZ – just to make a point about confusing acronym use.) We get USA because that is what people are interested in.
Eventually I suppose we won’t worry about having informative radio bringing us the what the world is doing and thinking,, we will just sit and contemplate the fluff in our navels. I think the reply was to a query to Radionz instigated by cleangreen and apologise if it was actually you, being one of the questioning commenters I read regularly.
There have been many fake storys about Ms Ford .
That was one of them. You should be ashamed at peddling the right wing lies CG!
Ashamed .
Clearly she was from an upper class background, expensive private schools and post grad university education leading to PhD, and a published academic record at a private California University specializing in psychology
hardly the sort of person who was a wild child …at 15 !
Im not going to dignify that GOP rag the Washinton Times ( not the post) by reading it . But I bet its full of ‘people say’ ….. and ‘sources tell us’…
That is its made up.
Why not accept the point – all news isn’t equal and you’ve been pushing synthetic shit mate not natural truth. Sure it gets you high but it kills you in the end – eventually brain turns to mush.
Regardless of whether he did it or not, he will deny it till the bitter end.
Media outlets love high profile sexual scandals, so they will be milking it for all it’s worth, every angle they can get out of it. Click bait gold for them.
Meanwhile, as much as one tries to forget ones rapist(s)/sexual assaulter(s), one never ever forgets who they are, no matter how long ago it happened.
@muttonbird and @saveNZ:
Have you been following Dileepa Fonseka’s series on Stuff?
Occasionally there’s some good work with the likes of Penfold et al.
Da Nile used to be a river in Africa.
Finally INZ and the Labour Inspectorate are owning (bit by bit) of what a complete fuckup policy and its implementation and enforcement has been over the past decade.
Of course much of the problem was of the Munstry of BIE’s own making (encouraging all and sundry to become immigration ‘advisors’) so that there is now a raft of completem charlatans operating – not properly investigated or monitored by another of MBIE’s entities – the IAA.
Shame they did not take the likes of McClymont, and even Delamere and Malcolm more seriously, OR what people such as a couple of Unions and Worker’s Associations were saying.
There is now one almighty mess to clean up – all of which COULD have been avoided.
I-LG is aware, but the corrections appear to be made in baby steps
We’ve been talking about it for a while now, haven’t we.
Immigration mismanagement.
It was always difficult to accept Joyce’s insistence that we only took skilled migrants in order to fill the gaps in our labour force. This would have been fine if it wasn’t such a lie.
It’s clear now there was no management of immigration both direct and through the back-door via student visa extensions. The gutting of the regulatory body was a deliberate ideological decision to soften the ground as a pathway to suppressed wages and high house price growth, both of which gave National voters what they wanted, gains in business profit at the expense of workers, and untaxed income via capital gain.
On the ground it was impossible to reconcile the sheer numbers of young migrants from South Asia (bless them) with any kind of robust and quality international education sector, and of any kind of care in the oversight of their entry here. It was a free-for-all.
I hope more and more comes out on this damaging mismanagement not only of the people but to New Zealand’s young and vulnerable.
The fix is difficult as are all the social and infrastructure deficit messes National created while in government because you don’t want to shock the system (look what happened in 1984) but hopefully decent governance prevails and New Zealand’s international education sector once again becomes elite, and we get the skilled help we need from overseas migrants, not more ditch-diggers and dish-hands.
Ae! Will have to continue this a little later, but suffice to say meantime that ALL the warning signs were there, and you are correct – the system was working as designed and intended by its architects. The result: effectively what amounts to human trafficking because its been a really lucrative ‘industry’. It is on an industrial scale and the genuine are now often tarred with the same brush as the corrupt.
Who’d have thought eh? And over the past decade, I’ve not seen anything in Asian media warning of the pitfalls that were known to be a problem. (Could perhaps have been done as a joint venture with other countries competing for that ‘tik-a-box’ tertiary education export sector
Incidently, last time I looked, there were between 30 and 40 thousand Indians (alone) banged up in US detention cenrtres alone who’ve been subjected to the same sort of scamming that’s been going on in ‘lil ole NuZull, I can’t remember the number from other Asian countries.
I suspect it started off to stimulate NZ out of the global financial crisis, then took on a life of it’s own, but now sadly there will be literally hundreds of thousands of scammers, traffickers or people who do not have the skills for the jobs operating in NZ and it’s just getting worse and worse…. because now people are just getting money for jam for fakes jobs, fake degrees, operating with fake qualifications etc etc… We were second in the world for no corruption – why the f would a government seek to destroy that through importing in scammers with fake jobs and fake degrees, multiplying at alarming rates???
Not sure if this guy got here under a residency type scheme or born in NZ but seems to be operating illegally for years. No wonder our construction does not last and housing NZ in Christchurch used him for 5000 houses, before coming to Auckland where the faulty and illegal construction work is widespread.
You have to wonder why he gets no criminal charges bought against him for fraud. Instead ‘maybe’ just a 5 year ban and not even the full $10,000 fine! Crime pays in NZ and they wonder why it’s spreading!
Time every construction worker and subcontractor had to sit a government run test before coming into NZ to demonstrate they actually have the skills and real fines are imposed on illegal work and workers and the companies that employ or contract them to do the work.
What they should do is get group action lawsuit from the scammed migrants to get back the tens of thousands they were extorted out of by all the middle men. I don’t think those that came here should be given residency, but I do think that the NZ government and police should help the lawsuit, get their money back from he scammers and take the people and business to court that are implicated in the scams. That sends a clear message, don’t do it!
Also they need to stamp down of the marriages. No visas for marriages until the people have been married for 10 years. That way, only the legitimate ones go through.
Aged parents should not be able to get any type of residency or citizenship as there are already visa available. If the kids left them in the first place, seem quite odd that they are asking for visas for the Kiwis to now support their parents too under humanitarian grounds. Aged parents can already come to visit for 18 months why should they get super and health care on the Kiwi system?
We already have reports of ‘Granny dumping’. Migrants on $90k who get their parents in, often use them for child care, then ‘dump’ them onto the NZ public welfare systems and they access health and super straight away. After 87,000 aged parents arrived, even the Natz decided to close it, but apparently there is lobbying for Labour to reopen it???? https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/315435/migrants'-parents-cost-nz-'tens-of-millions‘
@savenz 9.02 am
+100 the NZ government and police should help the lawsuit, get their money back from he scammers and take the people and business to court that are implicated in the scams. That sends a clear message, don’t do it!
It really is a problem with dealing with immigrants and defining what is racism and what is justified concern about fairness to them, and to us, and where to draw the line.
We must be careful that we don’t get into the awful situation they have had in northern England with Pakistani young men grooming young white girls to be sex partners or full prostitutes, and taking the snide male attitude that they are bad girls anyway and don’t deserve any respect or fair treatment. There had been a closing of official eyes to much of the extremely bad behaviour of these Pakistani men whose leaders could be vocal about racism when confronted with the embarrassing behaviour of these young chaps. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotherham_child_sexual_exploitation_scandal
Glad to see finally some news about cleaning up this massive problem which has poured thousands of people into NZ residency and citizenship as a scam. It’s not just that scam, theres downwards effects from scam people marrying/divorcing and getting tens of thousands in dowrys each time, aged relatives coming in, forcing other legitimate businesses out of business as the scams expand with free labour and the so called business as a front, increasing commercial rents and franchises, and the decrease in quality of the actual services that are being sold such as shocking food and poor hygiene from chefs, to hotels that are not fit to be rented out.
In Auckland, much of the food quality has reached an all time low, while the prices for everything is sky high. Likewise stayed at a so called luxury hotel in bay of plenty (should have realised that something was wrong, they changed the name to hide the reviews) that was of a disgusting standard, including rat bait wrappers under the bed and bodged repairs everywhere, but due to time of year (around Christmas) were charging $400 for the rooms, and obviously if you were a tourist you would think that dirty, scary overpriced hotels are normal in NZ. The chain own about 5 hotels around NZ so seem to be doing well, in spite of being appalling.
As well as the scammers, I also blame the middle men and immigration lawyers who seem facilitating the scams.
Weirdly as well, is immigration NZ taking bribes themselves?
Customs have uncovered various scams and prosecuted some of their own staff, but no internal investigation to immigration NZ staff, how they failed to notice 10,000’s of strange visas in low paid jobs?
I Know someone who was trying to legitimately get a work permit for a overseas worker for a highly paid, technical job but immigration NZ were very difficult to deal with and, who knows, maybe waiting for a bribe to clear the visa?
Firstly it was a rort to make money pure ansd simple!!!!
We ourselves were running a billited home where we had offered to overseas “english students” who attended a local ‘private school’ that went broke later, and they came only to find a job here, and really not learn english, we found out after several years and gave it up as a income.
“As well as the scammers, I also blame the middle men and immigration lawyers who seem facilitating the scams.”
Indeed! Let’s be clear though that there are a few ‘lawyers’ – i.e. those that are actual ‘lawyers’ that are legit and who have been among those screaming the loudest. (McClymont for example, Aussie Malcolm maybe, and more recently Delamere – although not too long ago he seemed to be against allowing visas that didn’t tie a worker to a specific employer. He may well have changed his mind given the recent cases that have emerged).
The system as designed and implemented was a recipe for exploitation and has left many people in devastating circumstances. Bear in mind that the amount of money some have been fleeced doing shitty courses or worker imports, with associated ticket clippers along the chain is enough to build a bloody house in some places.
And many of the overstayers just want to try and recoup the money so they can get the hell out of NZ without the shame they’ll face on their return
Many of the other ‘lawyers’ are really only ‘advisors’ (NOT EXCLUSIVELY) and often with vertically integrated interests in other enterprises (a quick search of the companies register, which is also under MBIE could have raised a red flag or two).
These ‘advisors’ – often referred to as ‘advocates’ in other cultures also have a direct and indirect cosy little relationships with things like security firms.
Some even appear to spring up depending on what is the skills shortage list.
E.G. we’re short of hairdressers so I’ll open up a beauty salon, OR how about a labour hire company, Or maybe landscape gardening.
I won’t comment on the suggestion there could be cosy relationships between advisors and public servants although I’ve seen some advisors proudly announcing in promotional material how they’re superior because they used to work in the organisation.
I agree some sort of class action would be beneficial, although I’m not sure it would succeed.
What the system has become is now akin to a Green Card raffle at times with a high degree of victim blaming. As I said, the genuine can get lumped with the corrupt, genuine relationships can be seen as a sham and vice versa, and those that have shown a genuine commitment to NZ have faced a constant uphill battle.
It does look like change is on the way GRADUALLY, but now that its such an almighty mess, it’s hard to know how successful it will be
Deserate is the perfect word that depicts what National is; – as National is always acting irrational.
“National = irractional” – it sort of rhymes doesn’t it.
“There’s…surprisingly little really convincing evidence that there’s a ‘male’ brain hardwired to be good at understanding the world, and a ‘female’ brain hardwired to understand people,” states neuroscientist Cordelia Fine, author of Delusions of Gender. “Our minds are exquisitely socially attuned, and surprisingly sensitive to gender stereotypes.” Even in experiments, when researchers “push gender into the psychological background, men and women’s behavior becomes remarkably similar,” Fine explains. “But when the environment makes gender salient, even subtly,…our thinking, our behavior, the way we perceive others and even our own selves becomes more consistent with gender stereotypes.”
Does anyone else believe Paula Bennett used the word ‘cadence’ without the assistance of a spin meister.
Could be I ‘spose. New ummujdge, new found oidentutty (goan forwud).
If she can be taught the necessary parliamentary nods and facial mannerisms during QT, I guess anything is possible.
Transformational Paula! I wish you luck.
Btw, I’ve got a mate that’s obsessed with leopard skin. She’s thinking of a new age frock type fashion that would’nt be out of place with one or two leopard skin cushions to jooosh things up a bit on ‘the Block’
Strictly non ’50s-loik matronly.
Have you ever heard of a member of the arsehole class crossing the line with only one woman?
As Senate Republicans press for a swift vote to confirm Brett Kavanaugh, President Trump’s nominee to the Supreme Court, Senate Democrats are investigating a new allegation of sexual misconduct against Kavanaugh. The claim dates to the 1983-84 academic school year, when Kavanaugh was a freshman at Yale University.
I represent a woman with credible information regarding Judge Kavanaugh and Mark Judge. We will be demanding the opportunity to present testimony to the committee and will likewise be demanding that Judge and others be subpoenaed to testify. The nomination must be withdrawn.— Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) September 23, 2018
My client is not Deborah Ramirez.— Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) September 23, 2018
My e-mail of moments ago with Mike Davis, Chief Counsel for Nominations for U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary. We demand that this process be thorough, open and fair, which is what the American public deserves. It must not be rushed and evidence/witnesses must not be hidden. pic.twitter.com/11XLZJBTtY— Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) September 24, 2018
Ki Ora Newshub one can not compare our renewable energy futures to Germany,s energy cost. They have a longer winter than us so there heating cost are x2 of ours. The low hanging fruit for our carbon neutral goals are efficiency gains reduceing our energy use and waste.
We have been lead down the wrong path lately like the council have inforced air laws that has pushed fire places out of heaps of house. This move has dubble our housing use and dependants on electricity low investment in Rail wasting money on coal.
Duncan you like putting your nose in smelly place??????.
We are already looking at reforms to our justice system the lock em up attertude we get from the west in not working.
I like the work smarter way to do things
A the keep it simple approach to our government system.
Got the runs Mark ECO knows why.
Jay Laga’aia ECO is a big fan te Kiwi Pacific culture wit & humour that’s the way tau toko te Mokopunas don’t panic people our Pacific culture are a caring cultures Ka pai.
There you go Paddy she’s a world leader yes the men who are with Wahine leaders have to Tau toko them raising the whano.
Well with the high school speach debate I’m guessing that the school is a low decile school the children there have different challenges to the upper class school so hopefully Alot of the parents will take the education of their children more seriously and make sure there children go to school and get a good education
Ka kite ano P.S the ECO MAORI effects
This is a follow up in voicing my objection’s to the use of monsanto’s prouduct glyphosate round up I will let the story do the educating for you as I know if it’s a poision there are bad side effects to IT link is below Ka kite ano. P.S my computer is unblocked after 24 hours Kia kaha
We have always been told since the 1980’s that Round Up (Glysophate) was less toxic than table salt. However the product works by translocating through the plant and interrupting cell division within the plant hence the plant dies. I am wondering how extensive the independent research is on the effects of glysophate in the human body and what happens to cells within the human body exposed to glysophate ???
There have been high rates of cancer and health issues associated with users of agricultural chemicals over the previous decades, I am wondering whether there may be any links to these materials and are Government Agencies complicit in covering these issues over ???
The power full quickly put on the victims hat when they are caught out .
And our society lets these men blame the Wahine for there wrong’s that has to change.
Men have more power than wahine and most are stronger than wahine it is totally wrong for us to let men play the victim’s .
They should bow there heads in shame.
Is that the world you want your daughter’s or mokopuna’s raised in well NOT ECO MAORI .
This is another reason I back equality because I don’t want my granddaugther’s raised in a society were men think wahine are here for there use and abuse .Link is below ka kite ano.
Ki ora Newshub Many thanks to Paddy Grower I know how the system works E hoa .
Neve is on the Papatuanuku’s stage the timing of the release of those emails look like it was intended to try and deflate Jacinda message to the world but know the whole world will still be paying attention to her .That tec guy smell’s the neo’s will not stop the new AGE.
Social worker’s deserve there pay rise its hard work dealing with big social issues .
trump is smelling———he just has not figured it out yet.
With the apple ‘s bio concerns you see negotiations work .
Condolence’s to Merv Smiths whano .
Ka kite ano
Kia ora The Crowd Goes Wild James and Mulls The Argentine’s eat a lot of meat the problem I have with the meat cancer issues is they don’t use Aotearoa’s grass feed meat for there research and we know that grass feed animals do not have the cancer carcinogens that other meat has .
I remember the first time I rode a bike I skined my ankle lol Kia kaha wahine.
The big man’s a true KIWI ka pai
Mulls our M8 on the other channel his star has been shining bright lately .
Ka kite ano Kia kaha P.S some people will learn Ngati Porou culture then ——- them
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Over the holidays, there was a rising tide of calls for people to submit on National's repulsive, white supremacist Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi Bill, along with a wave of advice and examples of what to say. And it looks like people rose to the occasion, with over 300,000 ...
The lie is my expenseThe scope of my desireThe Party blessed me with its futureAnd I protect it with fireI am the Nina The Pinta The Santa MariaThe noose and the rapistAnd the fields overseerThe agents of orangeThe priests of HiroshimaThe cost of my desire…Sleep now in the fireSongwriters: Brad ...
This is a re-post from the Climate BrinkGlobal surface temperatures have risen around 1.3C since the preindustrial (1850-1900) period as a result of human activity.1 However, this aggregate number masks a lot of underlying factors that contribute to global surface temperature changes over time.These include CO2, which is the primary ...
There are times when movement around us seems to slow down. And the faster things get, the slower it all appears.And so it is with the whirlwind of early year political activity.They are harbingers for what is to come:Video: Wayne Wright Jnr, funder of Sean Plunket, talk growing power and ...
Hi,Right now the power is out, so I’m just relying on the laptop battery and tethering to my phone’s 5G which is dropping in and out. We’ll see how we go.First up — I’m fine. I can’t see any flames out the window. I live in the greater Hollywood area ...
2024 was a tough year for working Kiwis. But together we’ve been able to fight back for a just and fair New Zealand and in 2025 we need to keep standing up for what’s right and having our voices heard. That starts with our Mood of the Workforce Survey. It’s your ...
Time is never time at allYou can never ever leaveWithout leaving a piece of youthAnd our lives are forever changedWe will never be the sameThe more you change, the less you feelSongwriter: William Patrick Corgan.Babinden - Baba’s DayToday, January 8th, 2025, is Babinden, “The Day of the baba” or “The ...
..I/We wish to make the following comments:I oppose the Treaty Principles Bill."5. Act binds the CrownThis Act binds the Crown."How does this Act "bind the Crown" when Te Tiriti o Waitangi, which the Act refers to, has been violated by the Crown on numerous occassions, resulting in massive loss of ...
Everything is good and brownI'm here againWith a sunshine smile upon my faceMy friends are close at handAnd all my inhibitions have disappeared without a traceI'm glad, oh, that I found oohSomebody who I can rely onSongwriter: Jay KayGood morning, all you lovely people. Today, I’ve got nothing except a ...
Welcome to 2025. After wrapping up 2024, here’s a look at some of the things we can expect to see this year along with a few predictions. Council and Elections Elections One of the biggest things this year will be local body elections in October. Will Mayor Wayne Brown ...
Canadians can take a while to get angry – but when they finally do, watch out. Canada has been falling out of love with Justin Trudeau for years, and his exit has to be the least surprising news event of the New Year. On recent polling, Trudeau’s Liberal party has ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Much like 2023, many climate and energy records were broken in 2024. It was Earth’s hottest year on record by a wide margin, breaking the previous record that was set just last year by an even larger margin. Human-caused climate-warming pollution and ...
Submissions on National's racist, white supremacist Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi Bill are due tomorrow! So today, after a good long holiday from all that bullshit, I finally got my shit together to submit on it. As I noted here, people should write their own submissions in their own ...
Ooh, baby (ooh, baby)It's making me crazy (it's making me crazy)Every time I look around (look around)Every time I look around (every time I look around)Every time I look aroundIt's in my faceSongwriters: Alan Leo Jansson / Paul Lawrence L. Fuemana.Today, I’ll be talking about rich, middle-aged men who’ve made ...
A listing of 26 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, December 29, 2024 thru Sat, January 4, 2025. This week's roundup is again published soleley by category. We are still interested in feedback to hone the categorization, so if ...
Hi,The thing that stood out at me while shopping for Christmas presents in New Zealand was how hard it was to avoid Zuru products. Toy manufacturer Zuru is a bit like Netflix, in that it has so much data on what people want they can flood the market with so ...
And when a child is born into this worldIt has no conceptOf the tone of skin it's living inAnd there's a million voicesAnd there's a million voicesTo tell you what you should be thinkingSong by Neneh Cherry and Youssou N'Dour.The moment you see that face, you can hear her voice; ...
While we may not always have quality political leadership, a couple of recently published autobiographies indicate sometimes we strike it lucky. When ranking our prime ministers, retired professor of history Erik Olssen commented that ‘neither Holland nor Nash was especially effective as prime minister – even his private secretary thought ...
Baby, be the class clownI'll be the beauty queen in tearsIt's a new art form, showin' people how little we care (yeah)We're so happy, even when we're smilin' out of fearLet's go down to the tennis court and talk it up like, yeah (yeah)Songwriters: Joel Little / Ella Yelich O ...
Open access notables Why Misinformation Must Not Be Ignored, Ecker et al., American Psychologist:Recent academic debate has seen the emergence of the claim that misinformation is not a significant societal problem. We argue that the arguments used to support this minimizing position are flawed, particularly if interpreted (e.g., by policymakers or the public) as suggesting ...
What I’ve Been Doing: I buried a close family member.What I’ve Been Watching: Andor, Jack Reacher, Xmas movies.What I’ve Been Reflecting On: The Usefulness of Writing and the Worthiness of Doing So — especially as things become more transparent on their own.I also hate competing on any day, and if ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by John Wihbey. A version of this article first appeared on Yale Climate Connections on Nov. 11, 2008. (Image credits: The White House, Jonathan Cutrer / CC BY 2.0; President Jimmy Carter, Trikosko/Library of Congress; Solar dedication, Bill Fitz-Patrick / Jimmy Carter Library; Solar ...
Morena folks,We’re having a good break, recharging the batteries. Hope you’re enjoying the holiday period. I’m not feeling terribly inspired by much at the moment, I’m afraid—not from a writing point of view, anyway.So, today, we’re travelling back in time. You’ll have to imagine the wavy lines and sci-fi sound ...
Completed reads for 2024: Oration on the Dignity of Man, by Giovanni Pico della Mirandola A Platonic Discourse Upon Love, by Giovanni Pico della Mirandola Of Being and Unity, by Giovanni Pico della Mirandola The Life of Pico della Mirandola, by Giovanni Francesco Pico Three Letters Written by Pico ...
Welcome to 2025, Aotearoa. Well… what can one really say? 2024 was a story of a bad beginning, an infernal middle and an indescribably farcical end. But to chart a course for a real future, it does pay to know where we’ve been… so we know where we need ...
Welcome to the official half-way point of the 2020s. Anyway, as per my New Years tradition, here’s where A Phuulish Fellow’s blog traffic came from in 2024: United States United Kingdom New Zealand Canada Sweden Australia Germany Spain Brazil Finland The top four are the same as 2023, ...
Completed reads for December: Be A Wolf!, by Brian Strickland The Magic Flute [libretto], by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Emanuel Schikaneder The Invisible Eye, by Erckmann-Chatrian The Owl’s Ear, by Erckmann-Chatrian The Waters of Death, by Erckmann-Chatrian The Spider, by Hanns Heinz Ewers Who Knows?, by Guy de Maupassant ...
Well, it’s the last day of the year, so it’s time for a quick wrap-up of the most important things that happened in 2024 for urbanism and transport in our city. A huge thank you to everyone who has visited the blog and supported us in our mission to make ...
Leave your office, run past your funeralLeave your home, car, leave your pulpitJoin us in the streets where weJoin us in the streets where weDon't belong, don't belongHere under the starsThrowing light…Song: Jeffery BuckleyToday, I’ll discuss the standout politicians of the last 12 months. Each party will receive three awards, ...
Hi,A lot’s happened this year in the world of Webworm, and as 2024 comes to an end I thought I’d look back at a few of the things that popped. Maybe you missed them, or you might want to revisit some of these essay and podcast episodes over your break ...
Hi,I wanted to share this piece by film editor Dan Kircher about what cinema has been up to in 2024.Dan edited my documentary Mister Organ, as well as this year’s excellent crowd-pleasing Bookworm.Dan adores movies. He gets the language of cinema, he knows what he loves, and writes accordingly. And ...
Without delving into personal details but in order to give readers a sense of the year that was, I thought I would offer the study in contrasts that are Xmas 2023 and Xmas 2024: Xmas 2023 in Starship Children’s Hospital (after third of four surgeries). Even opening presents was an ...
Heavy disclaimer: Alpha/beta/omega dynamics is a popular trope that’s used in a wide range of stories and my thoughts on it do not apply to all cases. I’m most familiar with it through the lens of male-focused fanfic, typically m/m but sometimes also featuring m/f and that’s the situation I’m ...
Hi,Webworm has been pretty heavy this year — mainly because the world is pretty heavy. But as we sprint (or limp, you choose) through the final days of 2024, I wanted to keep Webworm a little lighter.So today I wanted to look at one of the biggest and weirdest elements ...
A listing of 23 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, December 22, 2024 thru Sat, December 28, 2024. This week's roundup is the second one published soleley by category. We are still interested in feedback to hone the categorization, ...
The Green Party has welcomed the provisional ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, and reiterated its call for New Zealand to push for an end to the unlawful occupation of Palestine. ...
The Green Party welcomes the extension of the deadline for Treaty Principles Bill submissions but continues to call on the Government to abandon the Bill. ...
Complaints about disruptive behaviour now handled in around 13 days (down from around 60 days a year ago) 553 Section 55A notices issued by Kāinga Ora since July 2024, up from 41 issued during the same period in the previous year. Of that 553, first notices made up around 83 ...
The time it takes to process building determinations has improved significantly over the last year which means fewer delays in homes being built, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “New Zealand has a persistent shortage of houses. Making it easier and quicker for new homes to be built will ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden is pleased to announce the annual list of New Zealand’s most popular baby names for 2024. “For the second consecutive year, Noah has claimed the top spot for boys with 250 babies sharing the name, while Isla has returned to the most popular ...
Work is set to get underway on a new bus station at Westgate this week. A contract has been awarded to HEB Construction to start a package of enabling works to get the site ready in advance of main construction beginning in mid-2025, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“A new Westgate ...
Minister for Children and for Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence Karen Chhour is encouraging people to use the resources available to them to get help, and to report instances of family and sexual violence amongst their friends, families, and loved ones who are in need. “The death of a ...
Uia te pō, rangahaua te pō, whakamāramatia mai he aha tō tango, he aha tō kāwhaki? Whitirere ki te ao, tirotiro kau au, kei hea taku rātā whakamarumaru i te au o te pakanga mo te mana motuhake? Au te pō, ngū te pō, ue hā! E te kahurangi māreikura, ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says people with diabetes and other painful conditions will benefit from a significant new qualification to boost training in foot care. “It sounds simple, but quality and regular foot and nail care is vital in preventing potentially serious complications from diabetes, like blisters or sores, which can take a long time to heal ...
Associate Health Minister with responsibility for Pharmac David Seymour is pleased to see Pharmac continue to increase availability of medicines for Kiwis with the government’s largest ever investment in Pharmac. “Pharmac operates independently, but it must work within the budget constraints set by the government,” says Mr Seymour. “When this government assumed ...
Mā mua ka kite a muri, mā muri ka ora e mua - Those who lead give sight to those who follow, those who follow give life to those who lead. Māori recipients in the New Year 2025 Honours list show comprehensive dedication to improving communities across the motu that ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden is wishing all New Zealanders a great holiday season as Kiwis prepare for gatherings with friends and families to see in the New Year. It is a great time of year to remind everyone to stay fire safe over the summer. “I know ...
Asia Pacific Report Four researchers and authors from the Asia-Pacific region have provided diverse perspectives on the media in a new global book on intercultural communication. The Sage Handbook of Intercultural Communication published this week offers a global, interdisciplinary, and contextual approach to understanding the complexities of intercultural communication in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Benjamin T. Jones, Senior Lecturer in History, CQUniversity Australia In his farewell address, outgoing US President Joe Biden warned “an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy”. The comment suggests ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hrvoje Tkalčić, Professor, Head of Geophysics, Director of Warramunga Array, Australian National University A map showing the ‘Martian dichotomy’: the southern highlands are in yellows and oranges, the northern lowlands in blues and greens.NASA / JPL / USGS Mars is home ...
A new poem by Niamh Hollis-Locke.Field-notes: Midsummer, 9pm, walking barefoot in the reserve after a storm, the sky still light, the city strung out across backs of the hills Dunes of last week’s cut grass washed downslope against the bracken, drifts of pale wet stems rotting into one ...
The poll, conducted between 9-13 January, shows National down 4.6 points to 29.6%, while Labour have risen 4.0 points from last month, overtaking them with30.9%. ...
As the world farewells visionary director David Lynch, we return to this 2017 piece by Angela Cuming about escaping into the haunting world of Twin Peaks. I was only 10 years old when Twin Peaks – and the real world – found me.Once a week, in the dark, I ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Marc C-Scott, Associate Professor of Screen Media | Deputy Associate Dean of Learning & Teaching, Victoria University Screenshot/YouTube The 2025 Australian Open (AO) broadcast may seem similar to previous years if you’re watching on the television. However, if you’re watching online ...
By Anish Chand in Suva A Fiji community human rights coalition has called on Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka to halt his “reckless expansion” of government and refocus on addressing Fiji’s pressing challenges. The NGO Coalition on Human Rights (NGOCHR) said it was outraged by the abrupt and arbitrary reshuffling of ...
A selection of the best shows, movies, podcasts and playlists that kept us entertained over the holidays. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here.Leo (Netflix) My partner and I watched exactly one thing on the TV in our Japan accommodation while ...
Toby Manhire tells you everything you need to know ahead of season two of Severance.After an agonising wait – nearly three years between waffles, thanks to US actor and writer strikes and, some say, creative squabbles – Severance returns today, Friday January 17. For my money the first season ...
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a 32-year-old mother of a one-year-old shares her approach to spending and saving. Want to be part of The Cost of Being? Fill out the questionnaire here.Gender: Female. Age: 32. Ethnicity: East Asian – NZ ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Talia Fell, PhD Candidate, School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry, The University of Queensland The Los Angeles wildfires are causing the devastating loss of people’s homes. From A-list celebrities such as Paris Hilton to an Australian family living in LA, thousands ...
The outgoing and incoming presidents have both claimed credit for the historic deal, writes Stewart Sowman-Lund for The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...
Finally, some good fucking news. The Friday Poem is back! Last year, The Spinoff leveled with its audience about the financial reality it faced and called for support from its audience. Some tough decisions were made at the time including cuts to our commissioning budget and the discontinuation of The ...
The soon-to-be deputy PM has already had a crucial win behind the scenes. First published in Henry Cooke’s politics newsletter, Museum Street. Margaret Thatcher used to love prime minister’s questions. If you’re not familiar, the UK parliamentary system has a weekly procedure where the prime minister is subject to at least ...
Summer reissue: The current coalition not lasting beyond this parliamentary term is an idea that’s been seized on by its opponents. History suggests it’s unlikely – but not impossible. The Spinoff needs to double the number of paying members we have to continue telling these kinds of stories. Please read ...
By Koroi Hawkins, RNZ Pacific editor in Port Vila More than 180,000 registered voters are expected to cast their votes today with polls now open in Vanuatu. It is remarkable the snap election is even able to happen with Friday marking one month since the 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck the ...
New Zealand needs to boost its productivity growth and become more attractive and accessible as a workplace in order to fix its labour market woes, a recruitment agency says.Commenting on new salary survey results from Robert Walters, Shay Peters, the company’s Australia and New Zealand chief executive, says the Government ...
Comment: When Newsroom’s editor Jonathan Milne invited me to write one of two special pieces for the summer break, I faced quite the conundrum. My options were to either review a work of non-fiction or write a column about hope and optimism for 2025.I initially misread Jonathan’s request to review ...
By Daniel Perese of Te Ao Māori News Māori politicians across the political spectrum in Aotearoa New Zealand have called for immediate aid to enter Gaza following a temporary ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel. The ceasefire, agreed yesterday, comes into effect on Sunday, January 19. Foreign Minister Winston Peters ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexandra Sherlock, Lecturer, School of Fashion and Textiles, RMIT University Australian-owned brand UGG Since 1974 has announced it will change its name to “Since 74” for sales outside Australia and New Zealand. There has been a long-running battle over the rights ...
The committee has agreed to split into two sub-committees to increase the number of people it can hear from in the time available. Each sub-committee will meet for 30 hours total, together making up 60 of the 80 planned hours of hearings. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Parmeter, Research scholar, Middle East studies, Australian National University The ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, to come into effect on Sunday, has understandably been welcomed by the overwhelming majority of Israelis and Palestinians. Israelis are relieved that a process for ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christine Carson, Senior Research Fellow, School of Medicine, The University of Western Australia Over the past several days, the world has watched on in shock as wildfires have devastated large parts of Los Angeles. Beyond the obvious destruction – to landscapes, homes, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rose Cairns, Senior Lecturer in Pharmacy, NHMRC Emerging Leadership Fellow, University of Sydney AtlasStudio/Shutterstock TikTok and Instagram influencers have been peddling the “Barbie drug” to help you tan. But melanotan-II, as it’s called officially, is a solution that’s too good to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paula Jarzabkowski, Professor in Strategic Management, The University of Queensland A series of wildfires in Los Angeles County have caused widespread devastation in California, including at least 24 deaths and the destruction of more than 12,000 homes and structures. Thousands of residents ...
COMMENTARY:By Monika Singh The lack of women representation in parliaments across the world remains a vexed and contentious issue. In Fiji, this problem has again surfaced for debate in response to Deputy Prime Minister Manoa Kamikamica’s call for a quota system to increase women’s representation in Parliament. Kamikamica was ...
What compels someone of significant status in society to break the law, repeatedly, might be the same reason I did as a poor teenager. Former Green MP Golriz Ghahraman, who left parliament a year ago today following revelations of shoplifting, is now at the centre of another shoplifting complaint. As ...
Great summary of National’s horror week last week.
Jane Bowron calls Judith Collins, “Twisted Sister”.🤣
Too kind by half.
https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/opinion/107266790/lighten-up-nats-and-stop-barking-at-every-passing-car
That will set off the comments section on Stuff.
Another example this morning, Bridges suggesting those wrongly evicted are ‘meth crooks’. Talk about ignoring all the facts of the issue, including their own part in it!
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/367122/watch-govt-is-compensating-meth-crooks-bridges
Totally bizarre he and Twisted Sister would double down on this when the several articles in the media are all about wrongful evictions of innocent parties.
Bridges really is mana from heaven for Labour.
His snide yap yapping does him no favours.
This morning on RNZ, his argument was so full of holes and hypocrisy.
(What is the word for someone’s position that highlights their own shortcomings?)
At one point he was bemoaning the 9,000 people and families on the HNZ waiting list. Irony much!
Also surely there is a marked difference in residues from manufacturing P than those left from smoking P. Bridge to nowhere was keen to lump them in together.
I can forgive Espinor for not giving it to BTN, as there were so many inconsistencies, which one to choose?
Nailed it G, simon sure is mana from heaven for Labour.
He was a disaster on the AM Show as well. Didn’t catch him on TVNZ, but I can imagine that didn’t go well either.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2018/09/national-may-back-instant-fines-for-shoplifters.html
Here’s the link for TVNZ interview this morning, this interview was about the bogus testing.
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/simon-bridges-against-compensation-tenants-proven-have-smoked-cooked-meth-in-housing-nz-home
Bridges maybe “man from heaven for Labour” BUT not good for NZ.
IMO, as a country we need a functional and alt view of the opposition to challenge the govts thinking and policies. Otherwise there is a danger of progressing down a direction that would have detrimental results for the future.
I am sure those on the political divide want strong progressive parties. One large weak party is of no value to the direction of NZ, the only blessing is that the weak party is not in govt, this time.
I wonder how long until he is rolled?
Are there any alternatives that wouldn’t get them into even more trouble?
Herodotus, I see it differently re it being a problem that National is a dog meet car opposition.
Ironically the opposition ie checks and balances is coming from the three coalition parties, eg the Greens speaking up about Iraq…….
+1. A coalition government has all the checks and balances required.
No need for National to exist at all really.
Thanks to an ineffectual labour opposition look what we got from 2011-2017. And the leadership options they gave to counteract Key 🤪. Heck given the faux paus of some within the govts. a monkey would have inflected greater damage.
Herodotus,
I disagree again! An opposition is limited in preventing damaging decisions/legislation due to an imbalance in numbers. I think Cunliffe was their best bet, but the msm ran a ruthless campaign against him (remember John Armstrong’s apology for calling for Cunliffe’s resignation)….The msm were more focused on criticizing Labour and its leaders when they were in opposition than holding Key (who they swarned over) to account.
I note today on Stuff and Radio NZ that they are finding any negative angle they can to undermine, subtlely and not so subtley Jacinda’s ability
leadership and strength.
I just wrote a post a few hours ago. I hadn’t seen your comment until now. But that was effectively what my post was on.
They don’t seem to be getting into this opposition thing, and it is nearly a year.
Mind you – Labour in 2009 were slow as well.
Jane Bowron really laid it on the line what she thinks of Judith Collins.
Duncan Garner is calling Jacinda the UN’s new “squeeze”. How childish. And of course Tova O’Brien is her usual sarcastic self. TV3 must be desperate for headlines and/or an audience.
Interesting day ahead in Washington as a result of this ‘most revealing article to date’ in “The Washington Times?
Washington Times report on Christine Blasey Ford.
Having a job as a 15yr olld girl a a very ‘ruanchy bar’ and having multiple love triangle affairs is not making her appear as a choir girl?
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/sep/20/christine-blasey-ford-remembered-dewey-beach-bar-s/
“Young Christine Blasey Ford remembered as popular figure in Dewey Beach bar scene in 1980s”
QUESTION OF THE DAY
Who do you believe?
• BRETT M. KAVANAUGH
• CHRISTINE BLASEY FORD
• WASHINGTON
Ford’s conditions for testifying “growing”: Conway
Reuters
Boring USA stuff. A diversion from what politics is (should be) about. Good for the covers of women’s mags that specialise in gossip that has a sex or appearance angle which seems to be of enough interest to keep them churning out every week. Can we leave this stuff to the organ-grinders!
+100 Grey….too much emphasis on this tittle-tattle and anything to do with USA.
Thanks Bearded – did you follow the discussion over reply from certain person at RNZ? (Radionz not Railways NZ – just to make a point about confusing acronym use.) We get USA because that is what people are interested in.
Eventually I suppose we won’t worry about having informative radio bringing us the what the world is doing and thinking,, we will just sit and contemplate the fluff in our navels. I think the reply was to a query to Radionz instigated by cleangreen and apologise if it was actually you, being one of the questioning commenters I read regularly.
There have been many fake storys about Ms Ford .
That was one of them. You should be ashamed at peddling the right wing lies CG!
Ashamed .
Clearly she was from an upper class background, expensive private schools and post grad university education leading to PhD, and a published academic record at a private California University specializing in psychology
hardly the sort of person who was a wild child …at 15 !
Dukeofurl
So you want to ban other press articles, that you dont ideologically agree with????
That is communism’ is it not?
Supression of other views?
I keep an open mind not a closed one.
However- thanks for your views.
Suppression of other views ?
Clearly You havent heard of fake news then and the willing dupes who spread it.
Funny how often its women who becames the victims of biggest lies
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/19/us/politics/christine-blasey-ford-kavanaughs-fact-check.html
That was a few days ago , no doubt they have multiplied since then
Why dont you grow up CG and find views from credible sources who talk to real people with real names and real jobs that involved crimes like this
https://www.mercurynews.com/2018/09/18/a-former-sex-crimes-prosecutor-analyzed-fords-allegations-against-kavanaugh-heres-her-take/
Im not going to dignify that GOP rag the Washinton Times ( not the post) by reading it . But I bet its full of ‘people say’ ….. and ‘sources tell us’…
That is its made up.
Dukeofurl
We are all allowed our own views, and you seem to prefer to not accept that.
Why not accept the point – all news isn’t equal and you’ve been pushing synthetic shit mate not natural truth. Sure it gets you high but it kills you in the end – eventually brain turns to mush.
+100
How are women supposed to come forward and give testimony when all they will get is media-wide shaming?
They did the same to Anita Hill.
Shame on all who attack the victims of sexual crime, and shame on all who abet these attacks by repeating their stories.
Sure he’ll still be confirmed because the Republicans have the numbers, but there is still no justice for women.
Regardless of whether he did it or not, he will deny it till the bitter end.
Media outlets love high profile sexual scandals, so they will be milking it for all it’s worth, every angle they can get out of it. Click bait gold for them.
Meanwhile, as much as one tries to forget ones rapist(s)/sexual assaulter(s), one never ever forgets who they are, no matter how long ago it happened.
I know ad, soon they’ll be demeaning and attempting to degrade her by calling her a sparkle pony or some other sexist rubbish eh
None of that is relevant to her allegation.
I believe Ford.
@muttonbird and @saveNZ:
Have you been following Dileepa Fonseka’s series on Stuff?
Occasionally there’s some good work with the likes of Penfold et al.
Da Nile used to be a river in Africa.
Finally INZ and the Labour Inspectorate are owning (bit by bit) of what a complete fuckup policy and its implementation and enforcement has been over the past decade.
Of course much of the problem was of the Munstry of BIE’s own making (encouraging all and sundry to become immigration ‘advisors’) so that there is now a raft of completem charlatans operating – not properly investigated or monitored by another of MBIE’s entities – the IAA.
Shame they did not take the likes of McClymont, and even Delamere and Malcolm more seriously, OR what people such as a couple of Unions and Worker’s Associations were saying.
There is now one almighty mess to clean up – all of which COULD have been avoided.
I-LG is aware, but the corrections appear to be made in baby steps
We’ve been talking about it for a while now, haven’t we.
Immigration mismanagement.
It was always difficult to accept Joyce’s insistence that we only took skilled migrants in order to fill the gaps in our labour force. This would have been fine if it wasn’t such a lie.
It’s clear now there was no management of immigration both direct and through the back-door via student visa extensions. The gutting of the regulatory body was a deliberate ideological decision to soften the ground as a pathway to suppressed wages and high house price growth, both of which gave National voters what they wanted, gains in business profit at the expense of workers, and untaxed income via capital gain.
On the ground it was impossible to reconcile the sheer numbers of young migrants from South Asia (bless them) with any kind of robust and quality international education sector, and of any kind of care in the oversight of their entry here. It was a free-for-all.
I hope more and more comes out on this damaging mismanagement not only of the people but to New Zealand’s young and vulnerable.
The fix is difficult as are all the social and infrastructure deficit messes National created while in government because you don’t want to shock the system (look what happened in 1984) but hopefully decent governance prevails and New Zealand’s international education sector once again becomes elite, and we get the skilled help we need from overseas migrants, not more ditch-diggers and dish-hands.
Ae! Will have to continue this a little later, but suffice to say meantime that ALL the warning signs were there, and you are correct – the system was working as designed and intended by its architects. The result: effectively what amounts to human trafficking because its been a really lucrative ‘industry’. It is on an industrial scale and the genuine are now often tarred with the same brush as the corrupt.
Who’d have thought eh? And over the past decade, I’ve not seen anything in Asian media warning of the pitfalls that were known to be a problem. (Could perhaps have been done as a joint venture with other countries competing for that ‘tik-a-box’ tertiary education export sector
Incidently, last time I looked, there were between 30 and 40 thousand Indians (alone) banged up in US detention cenrtres alone who’ve been subjected to the same sort of scamming that’s been going on in ‘lil ole NuZull, I can’t remember the number from other Asian countries.
“Human trafficking”.
Worryingly accurate, and appalling that Steven Joyce actively encouraged the conditions under which it flourished.
I suspect it started off to stimulate NZ out of the global financial crisis, then took on a life of it’s own, but now sadly there will be literally hundreds of thousands of scammers, traffickers or people who do not have the skills for the jobs operating in NZ and it’s just getting worse and worse…. because now people are just getting money for jam for fakes jobs, fake degrees, operating with fake qualifications etc etc… We were second in the world for no corruption – why the f would a government seek to destroy that through importing in scammers with fake jobs and fake degrees, multiplying at alarming rates???
Not sure if this guy got here under a residency type scheme or born in NZ but seems to be operating illegally for years. No wonder our construction does not last and housing NZ in Christchurch used him for 5000 houses, before coming to Auckland where the faulty and illegal construction work is widespread.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/107229367/fradulent-electrician-risked-lives-but-got-stellar-online-reviews-for-electrical-work
Shock finding: Shoddy wiring put vulnerable Housing NZ tenants at risk of dying in fire
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/104856157/shock-finding-shoddy-wiring-put-vulnerable-housing-nz-tenants-at-risk-of-dying-in-fire
You have to wonder why he gets no criminal charges bought against him for fraud. Instead ‘maybe’ just a 5 year ban and not even the full $10,000 fine! Crime pays in NZ and they wonder why it’s spreading!
Time every construction worker and subcontractor had to sit a government run test before coming into NZ to demonstrate they actually have the skills and real fines are imposed on illegal work and workers and the companies that employ or contract them to do the work.
What they should do is get group action lawsuit from the scammed migrants to get back the tens of thousands they were extorted out of by all the middle men. I don’t think those that came here should be given residency, but I do think that the NZ government and police should help the lawsuit, get their money back from he scammers and take the people and business to court that are implicated in the scams. That sends a clear message, don’t do it!
Also they need to stamp down of the marriages. No visas for marriages until the people have been married for 10 years. That way, only the legitimate ones go through.
Aged parents should not be able to get any type of residency or citizenship as there are already visa available. If the kids left them in the first place, seem quite odd that they are asking for visas for the Kiwis to now support their parents too under humanitarian grounds. Aged parents can already come to visit for 18 months why should they get super and health care on the Kiwi system?
We already have reports of ‘Granny dumping’. Migrants on $90k who get their parents in, often use them for child care, then ‘dump’ them onto the NZ public welfare systems and they access health and super straight away. After 87,000 aged parents arrived, even the Natz decided to close it, but apparently there is lobbying for Labour to reopen it????
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/315435/migrants'-parents-cost-nz-'tens-of-millions‘
@savenz 9.02 am
+100
the NZ government and police should help the lawsuit, get their money back from he scammers and take the people and business to court that are implicated in the scams. That sends a clear message, don’t do it!
It really is a problem with dealing with immigrants and defining what is racism and what is justified concern about fairness to them, and to us, and where to draw the line.
We must be careful that we don’t get into the awful situation they have had in northern England with Pakistani young men grooming young white girls to be sex partners or full prostitutes, and taking the snide male attitude that they are bad girls anyway and don’t deserve any respect or fair treatment. There had been a closing of official eyes to much of the extremely bad behaviour of these Pakistani men whose leaders could be vocal about racism when confronted with the embarrassing behaviour of these young chaps.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotherham_child_sexual_exploitation_scandal
Thanks OnceWasTim – I saw the ‘bad egg’ one, but just noticed a few more.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/107212250/the-big-scam-how-our-immigration-system-is-being-rorted
Glad to see finally some news about cleaning up this massive problem which has poured thousands of people into NZ residency and citizenship as a scam. It’s not just that scam, theres downwards effects from scam people marrying/divorcing and getting tens of thousands in dowrys each time, aged relatives coming in, forcing other legitimate businesses out of business as the scams expand with free labour and the so called business as a front, increasing commercial rents and franchises, and the decrease in quality of the actual services that are being sold such as shocking food and poor hygiene from chefs, to hotels that are not fit to be rented out.
In Auckland, much of the food quality has reached an all time low, while the prices for everything is sky high. Likewise stayed at a so called luxury hotel in bay of plenty (should have realised that something was wrong, they changed the name to hide the reviews) that was of a disgusting standard, including rat bait wrappers under the bed and bodged repairs everywhere, but due to time of year (around Christmas) were charging $400 for the rooms, and obviously if you were a tourist you would think that dirty, scary overpriced hotels are normal in NZ. The chain own about 5 hotels around NZ so seem to be doing well, in spite of being appalling.
As well as the scammers, I also blame the middle men and immigration lawyers who seem facilitating the scams.
Weirdly as well, is immigration NZ taking bribes themselves?
Customs have uncovered various scams and prosecuted some of their own staff, but no internal investigation to immigration NZ staff, how they failed to notice 10,000’s of strange visas in low paid jobs?
I Know someone who was trying to legitimately get a work permit for a overseas worker for a highly paid, technical job but immigration NZ were very difficult to deal with and, who knows, maybe waiting for a bribe to clear the visa?
100% agreed here fully SaveNZ.
Firstly it was a rort to make money pure ansd simple!!!!
We ourselves were running a billited home where we had offered to overseas “english students” who attended a local ‘private school’ that went broke later, and they came only to find a job here, and really not learn english, we found out after several years and gave it up as a income.
it was just a rort.
“As well as the scammers, I also blame the middle men and immigration lawyers who seem facilitating the scams.”
Indeed! Let’s be clear though that there are a few ‘lawyers’ – i.e. those that are actual ‘lawyers’ that are legit and who have been among those screaming the loudest. (McClymont for example, Aussie Malcolm maybe, and more recently Delamere – although not too long ago he seemed to be against allowing visas that didn’t tie a worker to a specific employer. He may well have changed his mind given the recent cases that have emerged).
The system as designed and implemented was a recipe for exploitation and has left many people in devastating circumstances. Bear in mind that the amount of money some have been fleeced doing shitty courses or worker imports, with associated ticket clippers along the chain is enough to build a bloody house in some places.
And many of the overstayers just want to try and recoup the money so they can get the hell out of NZ without the shame they’ll face on their return
Many of the other ‘lawyers’ are really only ‘advisors’ (NOT EXCLUSIVELY) and often with vertically integrated interests in other enterprises (a quick search of the companies register, which is also under MBIE could have raised a red flag or two).
These ‘advisors’ – often referred to as ‘advocates’ in other cultures also have a direct and indirect cosy little relationships with things like security firms.
Some even appear to spring up depending on what is the skills shortage list.
E.G. we’re short of hairdressers so I’ll open up a beauty salon, OR how about a labour hire company, Or maybe landscape gardening.
I won’t comment on the suggestion there could be cosy relationships between advisors and public servants although I’ve seen some advisors proudly announcing in promotional material how they’re superior because they used to work in the organisation.
I agree some sort of class action would be beneficial, although I’m not sure it would succeed.
What the system has become is now akin to a Green Card raffle at times with a high degree of victim blaming. As I said, the genuine can get lumped with the corrupt, genuine relationships can be seen as a sham and vice versa, and those that have shown a genuine commitment to NZ have faced a constant uphill battle.
It does look like change is on the way GRADUALLY, but now that its such an almighty mess, it’s hard to know how successful it will be
Gawd. So desperate are National they’re now trying steal the glow from Ardern.
‘I had a meeting with her, I did!’
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2018/09/simon-bridges-jacinda-ardern-working-together-on-climate-change-plan.html
Muttonbird
Deserate is the perfect word that depicts what National is; – as National is always acting irrational.
“National = irractional” – it sort of rhymes doesn’t it.
“Irrational”?
I assume you mean Bridges
That sounds very sexist
GTFO
Nice – good link thanks
Just remember, uber is the enemy.
https://libcom.org/news/no-money-no-food-london-ubereats-workers-strike-22092018
Elvis hates you!!!
Or is Anarcho-syndicalism still relevant.
https://libcom.org/blog/defense-anarcho-syndicalism-outdated-19092018
Does anyone else believe Paula Bennett used the word ‘cadence’ without the assistance of a spin meister.
Could be I ‘spose. New ummujdge, new found oidentutty (goan forwud).
If she can be taught the necessary parliamentary nods and facial mannerisms during QT, I guess anything is possible.
Transformational Paula! I wish you luck.
Btw, I’ve got a mate that’s obsessed with leopard skin. She’s thinking of a new age frock type fashion that would’nt be out of place with one or two leopard skin cushions to jooosh things up a bit on ‘the Block’
Strictly non ’50s-loik matronly.
There’d be a good earn it for ya.
Have you ever heard of a member of the arsehole class crossing the line with only one woman?
As Senate Republicans press for a swift vote to confirm Brett Kavanaugh, President Trump’s nominee to the Supreme Court, Senate Democrats are investigating a new allegation of sexual misconduct against Kavanaugh. The claim dates to the 1983-84 academic school year, when Kavanaugh was a freshman at Yale University.
https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/senate-democrats-investigate-a-new-allegation-of-sexual-misconduct-from-the-supreme-court-nominee-brett-kavanaughs-college-years-deborah-ramirez
Oh look, another woman has come forward.
Hoo boy, bikie gang territory here.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Dn0mJm8WsAAX2kI.jpg
Ki Ora Newshub one can not compare our renewable energy futures to Germany,s energy cost. They have a longer winter than us so there heating cost are x2 of ours. The low hanging fruit for our carbon neutral goals are efficiency gains reduceing our energy use and waste.
We have been lead down the wrong path lately like the council have inforced air laws that has pushed fire places out of heaps of house. This move has dubble our housing use and dependants on electricity low investment in Rail wasting money on coal.
Duncan you like putting your nose in smelly place??????.
We are already looking at reforms to our justice system the lock em up attertude we get from the west in not working.
I like the work smarter way to do things
A the keep it simple approach to our government system.
Got the runs Mark ECO knows why.
Jay Laga’aia ECO is a big fan te Kiwi Pacific culture wit & humour that’s the way tau toko te Mokopunas don’t panic people our Pacific culture are a caring cultures Ka pai.
There you go Paddy she’s a world leader yes the men who are with Wahine leaders have to Tau toko them raising the whano.
Well with the high school speach debate I’m guessing that the school is a low decile school the children there have different challenges to the upper class school so hopefully Alot of the parents will take the education of their children more seriously and make sure there children go to school and get a good education
Ka kite ano P.S the ECO MAORI effects
Many thanks to the good people of OUR Civil courts for making the correct moves that stop our media from merging into one company that could be controlled by the neo liberal capitalist and under mine our democract prosess Kia kaha Ka kite ano link below.
https://i.stuff.co.nz/business/107342494/stuff-nzme-lose-at-court-of-appeal-over-merger
This is a follow up in voicing my objection’s to the use of monsanto’s prouduct glyphosate round up I will let the story do the educating for you as I know if it’s a poision there are bad side effects to IT link is below Ka kite ano. P.S my computer is unblocked after 24 hours Kia kaha
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/sep/24/monsanto-weedkiller-harms-bees-research-finds
We have always been told since the 1980’s that Round Up (Glysophate) was less toxic than table salt. However the product works by translocating through the plant and interrupting cell division within the plant hence the plant dies. I am wondering how extensive the independent research is on the effects of glysophate in the human body and what happens to cells within the human body exposed to glysophate ???
There have been high rates of cancer and health issues associated with users of agricultural chemicals over the previous decades, I am wondering whether there may be any links to these materials and are Government Agencies complicit in covering these issues over ???
It’s glyphosate and the Wikipedia page is not too bad: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glyphosate
The power full quickly put on the victims hat when they are caught out .
And our society lets these men blame the Wahine for there wrong’s that has to change.
Men have more power than wahine and most are stronger than wahine it is totally wrong for us to let men play the victim’s .
They should bow there heads in shame.
Is that the world you want your daughter’s or mokopuna’s raised in well NOT ECO MAORI .
This is another reason I back equality because I don’t want my granddaugther’s raised in a society were men think wahine are here for there use and abuse .Link is below ka kite ano.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/sep/21/brett-kavanaugh-blame-women-anita-hill-cosby-weinstein
Ki ora Newshub Many thanks to Paddy Grower I know how the system works E hoa .
Neve is on the Papatuanuku’s stage the timing of the release of those emails look like it was intended to try and deflate Jacinda message to the world but know the whole world will still be paying attention to her .That tec guy smell’s the neo’s will not stop the new AGE.
Social worker’s deserve there pay rise its hard work dealing with big social issues .
trump is smelling———he just has not figured it out yet.
With the apple ‘s bio concerns you see negotiations work .
Condolence’s to Merv Smiths whano .
Ka kite ano
Kia ora The Crowd Goes Wild James and Mulls The Argentine’s eat a lot of meat the problem I have with the meat cancer issues is they don’t use Aotearoa’s grass feed meat for there research and we know that grass feed animals do not have the cancer carcinogens that other meat has .
I remember the first time I rode a bike I skined my ankle lol Kia kaha wahine.
The big man’s a true KIWI ka pai
Mulls our M8 on the other channel his star has been shining bright lately .
Ka kite ano Kia kaha P.S some people will learn Ngati Porou culture then ——- them