Another day in John Key’s neo-liberal nightmare.
We have become a cruel, greedy, uncaring and selfish nation under his wretched leadership.
Uncaring.
New Zealand’s housing.
‘Baby gets sick in crowded house
A baby has contracted potentially deadly meningococcal meningitis – and a senior hospital doctor says overcrowded housing is a factor in the development of his condition.
The 3-month-old boy lives at a Tauranga property with 10 other people sharing two bedrooms, a lounge and a caravan. He is one of eight people – including a 16-month toddler and three teenagers – living in the two-bedroom state house in Gate Pa. Another three people, including two children aged 5 and 13, live in a caravan outside.
Doctors confirmed on Sunday that the baby had meningococcal meningitis. Tauranga Hospital specialist paediatrician Dr Hugh Lees this week wrote to Housing New Zealand (HNZ) on behalf of the family, stating that baby Hamish’s diagnosis was “meningococcal meningitis”, which he said was “known to be associated with overcrowding”.
Dr Lees asked the case be given urgent attention and he supported an application for “appropriate housing”. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11662280
One of the people living at the house is a manager & cannot afford a rental, must be in retail or a McJob or something because their wages are utter shite. But it’s OK, the state will will top up employers pathetic pay & the state will top up your wage for the greedy landlords, she will be alllllllllll right in godzone.
We peons have had a visitation from our glorious leader whereupon he delivered these words unto my child…”Nothing lifts people out of poverty faster if they can work and earn money”.
Another day in John Key’s neo-liberal nightmare.
We have become a cruel, greedy, uncaring and selfish nation under his wretched leadership.
Cruel
Housing New Zealand
‘Queenstown social housing questioned
A memo from Housing New Zealand details an exit strategy for its presence in Queenstown.
The memo, released under the Official Information Act, relates to the sale last month of one of the agency’s 10 homes in the resort town.
It said the town was a “high profile resort/lifestyle environment” with “reasonable work opportunities”, which could be seen as “incompatible” with a social housing presence.
The comments have angered social housing providers in the town, including the Queenstown Lakes Community Housing Trust.
Its executive officer, Julie Scott, said it had a waiting list of 350 people struggling to find affordable accommodation.
“I just met with a family this morning and she was in tears. They’ve been in Queenstown since 1992, they’ve got three kids and they’ve got until 22 August and then they’ve got to be out of their property.
“They just can’t find anywhere to go and it’s just heartbreaking.”
Queenstown has been “incompatible” with just about all social services for the last 40 years at least. It’s been almost impossible to access the dole, a state house or most other benefits, so accomodation subsidies don’t kick in. Even sickness benefit is difficult. About the only beneficiaries are on the pension, and there’s a lot of them, some of quite modest means but they do own their home. The senior citizens is a very active bunch down here.
I’m not that worried about HNZ selling out here, they got very good prices for the properties they sold and PROVIDED that money’s going to more housing in needier areas. That we’ll see. Their presence here is sort of a hangover from the days of government departments and an age when large employers had staff housing. The staff housing got sold off in the 90’s but HNZ endured. One story was that they couldn’t get their shit together in time to catch each cycle, so by the time they were ready to sell the market had gone.
These problems are old hat for Queenstown, we have always had hordes of “immigrants” flocking into town when times are good to partake of our perceived lifestyle, so the place goes crazy. What’s different this cycle, and under this government is that this business model has been scaled up and transferred to Auckland.
Another day in John Key’s neo-liberal nightmare.
We have become a cruel, greedy, uncaring and selfish nation under his wretched leadership.
Cruel
Housing, prisons.
‘I reported from South Sudan and Sierra Leone. What I’ve returned to in New Zealand still shocks me…..
To not be able to swim in our rivers because they are so dirty would’ve been unthinkable to me 10 years ago. In March, the Waikato River Authority said it could take up to 100 years for the Waikato and Waipa rivers to be restored to clean and healthy levels. I’ve seen first-hand waterways that run off the Waikato River blanketed in a creeping toxic algae, festering like a black drain, lifeless. Meanwhile, what remains of our pristine water is being sold by the likes of the Ashburton District Council, to be extracted, bottled up and sent overseas.
Above ground, New Zealand’s reported rate of intimate partner violence is the highest in the developed world. Our incarceration rate is also one of the highest in the developed world and more than half of the men behind bars are Māori. According to Corrections Minister Judith Collins, our prison population topped 9,000 for the first time last year: “Since 2014, the prison population has increased… leading to record highs throughout 2015 and early 2016.” In part, she said the booming prison population was due to locking up family violence offenders for longer.
Then there’s housing and homelessness. New Zealand has one of the fastest growing rates of income inequality in the OECD and it’s on show in our biggest city. In Auckland, families with at least one working parent are living in vans and cars, with marae and charitable trusts stepping in to fill the breach left by social services. How galling it must be for those parents trying to find a warm place for their children to sleep to then see the Prime Minister’s son in all his privileged glory, posing with a Lambourghini and helicopter in his music video.
Another day in John Key’s neo-liberal nightmare.
We have become a cruel, greedy, uncaring and selfish nation under his wretched leadership.
Selfish, greedy.
Max Key.
‘Then there’s housing and homelessness. New Zealand has one of the fastest growing rates of income inequality in the OECD and it’s on show in our biggest city. In Auckland, families with at least one working parent are living in vans and cars, with marae and charitable trusts stepping in to fill the breach left by social services. How galling it must be for those parents trying to find a warm place for their children to sleep to then see the Prime Minister’s son in all his privileged glory, posing with a Lambourghini and helicopter in his music video.’
‘Can’t wait to share paradise with you’……. says Max Key.
Key, Mike Hosking and Paul Henry all call New Zealand paradise.
And they are all rich.
And don’t have the compassion or empathy to see how tough it it for many New Zealanders.
For many New Zealanders it’s a neo-liberal nightmare.
All part of the grand plan to attract criticism to max then the ‘cyber bullying’ and ‘class war’ cards will be played as well as all the msm shills who get to play their sympathy violins for hard done by max.
It is a shame they have hijacked ‘cyber bullying’ to mean people taking the piss out of the powerful & famous. Since when has hassling politicians & musicians been ‘cyber bullying’, since it suited the powers that be, who think themselves above criticism.
The class war has been won. The left collapsed with thew end of the Soviet Union. And see how the New Prime Minister of Canada, son of a left marxist has been assimilated by Feminism. He wont improve workers economy.
Oh for fucks sake. It is not neoliberal. New Zealand has a left government. New Zealanders never ever will elect a neoliberal government. You must be tripping.
NZ has been a neo-liberal place since the 1980s as you well know. All governments since then have been either right-wing or hard right-wing. The present government is hard right-wing while pretending to be centrist – and you know that as well.
So at what point do they cross the Marie Antoinette threshold and it’s perceived as arrogance and bites them on the arse.
The casualties will be mounting of their aspirational economy, Max’s escapade would be hard watching for a young Dairy couple in their first farm with the big mortgage and deficits for the foreseeable. And probably soon to be followed by a lot in tourism and beekeeping.
We’re seeing a lot of really grumpy and jealous New Zealanders over our counter in Queenstown. People quite annoyed that someone else is perceived as doing better than them or their town.
Makes me wonder who the Keys are trying to reach with this caper?
WTF ? For a rag report that wrongly accused and defamed a man ? And has been found to be spectacularly wrongheaded and false ? WTF ??? Who pays the price for smashing over good people in this country anymore ?
The whole exercise cost over $500,000 & Finlayson said in Parliament he stood by the report when Labour questioned it in Feb. How about that, Labour were doing a good job holding the Govt to account.
Women make all the choices to be in a relationship, men have very little options but to settle for one that says yes. And their is some people that just shouldnt be in a relationship.
The question should be is how can we educate women to make better choices in men, because the problem isnt going to be fixed by doing the same thing over and over, and expecting a different outcome each time.
And prohibition sure worked wonderfully in America circa early last century, the social outcomes was a huge success.
Rugby is pretty boring with the All Blacks winning all the time.
You’re acting like women enter into a relationship with full knowledge about what the future holds.
I suspect very few men are abusive at the start of a relationship, it’s only once the woman has no other choice that the abuse starts, trapping the woman and making it very difficult to escape.
I thought he was meaning, Men are such desperate creatures, we sniff around women all day long until we find one who will say yes.
Where as women get to exersize choice in their mate much more, in a primal base sort of way.
IDNK it’s early I just woke up. The bloody standard requires, a fully comprehending mind of extraordinary intellect almost 24/7 where as right wing blogs expect you more to grunt at there bigotry, a far easier task.
and if he really thinks this about men in general, he is a pretty sad human being.
Men, generally speaking are not animals that can’t control their urges and desires.
Most man are not abusers, some are, and many of those that are would be repeat offenders, especially if they get away with their behavior. However, i firmly believe that the vast majority of men does not behave like a grunting degenerate around women and girls.
I would also really hope that men will stand up to that type of bullshit peddling.
It is time that we put the blame where the blame belongs, to those that abuse and hurt others, irrespective of gender, age and all the other stuff.
Hi Sabine I think you took it , too far to the literal, as the coffee enters my system I may be able to say it better,
In the gender search for a partner, perhaps he meant the male moves from rejection to rejection as he tries to impress each prospective mate, where as the female of the species is the one who sits and selects from her prospective mates as they vie for her affections.
as per my comment below, i have absolutly no idea what he meant, but i can read what he typed.
And what he typed is usally called Victim blaming and putting the onus on the Victim to protect herself form future harm, i guess whith the help of a glass ball or some tarot cards. I mean its not that man or women run around with a tattoo on their heads that say ‘beware, abuser’.
I was just focused on that particular sentence of his, the rest of it made little sense, I just got his reference to the mating ritual.
His one weakness of argument I immediately noticed, was his simplification of the issue, which due to the diversity of human behaviour he fails to acknowledge, as in the fact, Sociopaths, psychopathic people. I won’t go into their behavioural expertise area’s if you understand me, because he should realize it and incorporate it into his argument but fails to see it at all. Why should I enlighten his narrow perceptions of how things are.
When he learns to challenge his beliefs he’ll adopt a more rational view point.
Dating is a numbers game, and for a yes answer, some guys dont stop when they do get a yes, in marry.
I simplified the issue for the reason its not an easy one answer fix,
and it wont be solved because of human nature. And that desire of sexual attraction overrides any red flags.
I mentioned police proposing allowing women access to mens criminal records, privacy grounds aside, would it have worked,
has warning a female that a guy is no good ever.
These are crimes are of certain types of men who are psychotic, mentally ill, or just opportunists, it in no way relates to being in a relationship with a guy who drinks and watches Rugby.
And I cant stop them.
And Im not victim blaming, your projecting that onto me.
Thank you Lanthanide. I am just NOT getting into the theme of Graeme’s comment today. If there’s a few sentences that can sum up a response to Graeme, you’ve done it. Again, thank you.
So how can we fix rampant sexual abuse in religious communities etc, where booze isnt involved.
And for that matter where government agencies replace children back with their abusers.
Yes, if this girl/women would have just have the good sense to ‘choose’ a different Dad. And i am sure the wifes and children of the other men mentioned in this article are also trying very hard in the future to ‘choose’ better men and dads.
If your comment was an attempt at sarcasm it failed.
“A man who raped his own daughter, forced her to wear bondage and pimped her to six other men told police it was fun while it lasted.
The father, who cannot be named, has been jailed for more than 22 years in what a judge described as one of the worst cases of its kind.
He pleaded guilty to 61 offences committed between 2013 and 2015 when the girl was aged between 11 and 13.”
“Benjamin Simon Clarke was previously sentenced to three years in jail for his involvement, which included photographing the girl in lingerie and nude.
Former pastor and father-of-two, Dawid Volmer, was sentenced to 10-and-a-half years after he admitted molesting and raping the blindfolded girl while her dad was present.
but how do you propose she could have ‘saved’ herself, by ‘choosing’ a better man in her life, and not ‘ignoring’ the pointers and hints that her father is a degenerate, that a priest is a degenerate that up to 6 man had no issue raping a girl of 11 – 13 years old.
that is what you stated above. that women should choose ‘better men’. so how does a child choose her father? Please explain. Thanks.
what about this girls and one boy? in care of CYF and a foster family?
Could they not just have choosen a better foster father? Or maybe the violene is really the fault of the one meeting out violence and not the fault of the one receiving the violence.
good grief, you really are a sad excuse for a human being aren’t you 🙂
Systemic failures in government agencies and various institutions are something I can not fix, and that political parties in government duck any responsibility if fixing problems they could.
Just blaming it all on booze and rugby is getting tiring to hear.
Meanwhile its an election next year, maybe a new anti domestic violence campaign will fix deeply embedded social problems that just seem to get worse.
Doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting a different result each time sure seems to be working.
I am not sure why you are mentioning booze and rugby all the time, cause i sure did not. I just mentioned all the cases of women not exercising good choice in the choice of their fathers, foster fathers, teachers, and so on. All those bad choices women make, we don’t even get rugby and booze to excuse our poor choice making when it comes to the men that will rape, abuse, beat and murder us.
Are you really that repulsive that you’ll settle for the first person who doesn’t run away screaming? If so, I think you’d be better advised to look at improving your own self rather than blaming all woman.
“The question should be”; why should anyone pay heed to one who can type; “their is some people” (not the only error, just the most concentrated), and then post it on a public thread? If they give their reasoning as little thought as they do their composition, then why am I wasting my time responding to this gibberish…
It sure aint none of my fault.
What happened to the police proposal that women could check up mens criminal record, that seems to have been dropped.
And Women do ignor red flags, and warnings.
Greg – get this and really really listen – the men that abuse, kill, rape, molest, and all of the other disgusting, degrading things they do to their victims are SOLELY to blame for their offending. That is the start, middle and end of the answer. If you don’t accept that then you are part of the problem not the solution.
I wish the focus was less on offender and more on the critical role of journalism/media and the need to not use that position for expressions of personal opinion.
I just stick with a few beers, work enough hours to pay rent , food etc.
Minimizing stress and chaos,
and avoiding the unrealistic expectations of others.
Well ok then Campbell Live was losing viewing and only picked up when TV3 announced its axing, to the best of my knowledge Mike Hosking isn’t losing viewers yet if people think it may get axed then more people may watch it, if for nothing else then curiosity to see what the fuss is about
That would only make sense if there were a whole lot of people who love Hosking in the way that others love Campbell. I just don’t think that’s true. There will be some, but mostly people watch Hosking because it’s on and because it’s sensational.
A lot of Campbell’s audience had stopped watching TV or were getting their current affairs on the internet. It’s really a different situation than Hosking.
Agreed, its quite different. Campbell Live getting axed was a commercial decision because he was losing viewers, Hosking isn’t losing viewers and is popular but people want him axed because they don’t like his views
Have faith Weka, one of the morons will slip up and mention that which they promised never to mention.
On a side note, I really find it absurdly ridiculous we have a PM, who is so arrogant he’s come out defending keeping Rebstock, and without even saying he dismisses the Ombudsman as irrelevant to his agenda, he just did by ignoring him. Iain moves on he knew and got a free pass, helped onto his next train wreck.
I trust a full investigation into the actions of National will be forthcoming regarding abuses of power, upon a change of government.
Rebstock is an Auckland based economist and company director. She is Chair of the ACC Board, Chair of the Work and Income Board, Deputy Chair of KiwiRail, and Chair of the Insurance and Savings Ombudsman Commission. Paula is also a member of the University of Auckland Business School Advisory Board, a member of the Synergia Limited advisory board and a director of Auckland Transport. She is also a lead reviewer for the Performance Improvement Framework for the State Services Commission. Paula has been chair of the New Zealand Commerce Commission (2003-2009) and a member of the Commission for 11 years.
Other past roles include director of the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology, and Health Benefits Limited, general manager with the Department of Labour, as well as economic adviser positions with the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and the New Zealand Treasury. Paula has also worked in the private sector in the United States in the 1980s.
It beggars belief!!
This hard-wired American neoliberal junkie with a vindictive bent is practically running the show. I wonder how many NZ lives she has destroyed thus far… not to mention those she has slandered or defamed.
I sincerely hope the next Lab/Green/NZ First(?) govt. ensures she never gets another position of influence in this country ever again!
With Rebstock in charge no wonder the railways are being closed down and no wonder this government has fought sensible public transport options in Auckland (only to do the usual u-turn on the rail loop when their ridiculous position became untenable) and no wonder ACC has become much harder to obtain.
Her refusal to front up today to answer questions when disastrously wrong with the Foreign Affairs report , or earlier answer a civil question on ACC investment of public money (listen to Morning Report this morning) speaks volumes for the way this government operates.
Auckland Mayoral candidate Phil Goff supports road tolls for Auckland.
Labour Party Leader Andrew Little is calling for Labour Party supporters to support Phil Goff for Auckland Mayor.
Does that mean that the Labour Party supports road tolls for Auckland?
Statement by Auckland Mayoral candidate Penny Bright
“Road Tolls? NO WAY!”
“Let’s get it right – there is NO SUCH THING as ‘public transport’ in Auckland,” says Auckland Mayoral candidate Penny Bright.
“There are 10 private bus companies, 4 private ferries and a French multi-national operating and managing Auckland trains.”
“What is ‘public’ – is the subsidies these private passenger transport operators are receiving – but there is no transparency or accountability regarding how much is being received by whom.”
“I know – because I have asked.”
“Here is the LGOIMA (Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act) reply from Auckland Transport, dated 7 July 2015:
“Here is the evidence in the form of an extensive Privacy Act reply from Auckland Transport, dated 29 October 2015, which confirms that these private passenger transport operators did NOT want to reveal how much public monies they were receiving in the form of SUBSIDIES:
“Here’s a wild idea – how about ‘opening the books’ and ‘cutting out the contractors’, and making ‘public’ transport truly PUBLIC – by bringing ownership, management and operation back ‘in house’, under the not-for-profit, public service model?”
“Why should the public subsidise that which we no longer own, operate or manage?”
“If the private sector are SO ‘efficient’ – why do they need public subsidies?”
“‘Activists – get things done.
As well as carrying out this pivotal investigative research, I have also petitioned Parliament, where I have raised my concerns about Auckland Council Controlled Organisations (CCOs) – directly, and successfully, with the law-makers.”
“Accountability and transparency of Auckland’s council-controlled organisations
The petitioner told us of her concern that the public was unable to have a say on the model of Auckland’s CCOs after the 2009 Auckland “super city” merger.
She stressed that the public is also unable to have a say about the directorship of CCOs or to have any direct say in CCO statements of intent.
She believes that this is because CCOs are not classified as local authorities for the purposes of the Local Government (Rating) Act 2002.
The petitioner strongly believes that CCOs need to be more accountable to Auckland ratepayers because a percentage of rates goes towards the operations of CCOs.
She told us that she is defending her “lawful right as a citizen to know where my money is being spent”.
The petitioner questions how the efficiencies and cost-effectiveness of Auckland CCOs is monitored.
She is particularly concerned that information about the financial transactions of CCOs is unclear and difficult for the public to access.
For example, she would prefer that contractor transactions were easily available in a written format for public scrutiny.
The petitioner also asked why Auckland Transport does not provide open access to information about transport subsidies, given that much transport in Auckland is privately operated.
We were also told that Auckland rates have increased to pay for a transport levy.
…”
Priced out of apartments as well, forcing inner city workers to the suburbs.
It sure is wonderful sitting n a bus with virus filled passengers, or relying on the trains to be on time.
Auckland’s wage increases by its major employers have been lucky to be inflationary.
It sure is wonderful sitting n a bus with virus filled passengers, or relying on the trains to be on time.
The ‘virus filled’ buses cause less death per year than the cars (probably the lack of viruses due to good coverage of vaccines) and the trains are almost always on time.
the trains are probably a shitload more reliable than a car.
That’s why people get pissed off if they’re more than a few minutes late on any particular run, whereas even if traffic runs okay there’s always “sorry, I couldn’t find a park”.
Labour will instigate a funding mechanism whereby a portion of your toll (sorry congestion pricing incentive) invoice will be topped up, dependent on the extent to which your trip was related to your work. This won’t be available to anyone not working, or with more than 2.45 children under the age of 12.
There will also be a secondary method whereby you can estimate your likely toll bill for the next year and be paid the top up amount by NZTA. However penalty charges (150%) will be incurred should your estimate prove to be incorrect by more than 0.637%.
A partial compensation refund fund will also be available on a contestable, first in first served basis, with a sliding scale reduction for multiples of 12 public transport trips. Keep your tickets.
Further these charges will not apply to any vehicle less than 14 months old or with a market value greater than 48000 or with a WOF less than 2 weeks old.
I finally figured out why John keys flag referendum failed. The proper flag option he wanted didn’t get picked.
It would have been a black flag, with the word in bold white “democracy” written across it, and to finish it off, a nice blue slash going from bottom left corner, to the top right.
Patrick Cowley did the original mega 12″ version of I Feel Love, he was one of the first casualties of HIV/Aids back in the early 80s. The guy was pure genius, alongside Moroder he pretty much invented Disco/Hi-NRG/Electro whatever. Not heard the Bronski Beat version, it’s all right, they def wear their influences on their sleeves, love ’em.
I grew up with both as they came during different era’s I too agree both were good as each other, have to go for the former Donna summer for me. by a creative first way.
And of course you can hear Moroders “tears” famously sampled in DJ Shadow’s Organ Donor:
Now I’ve gotta get outta here because this isn’t politics, this more like The Standard Weekend Social. I’ve gotta go catch up with Brexit, check the house for ducks and work out how to use facebook. I’ve finally given in after all these year!
I was born in NZ to a UK mother and an Albanian father, I’ve seen it spelled Briton, and it’s a distraction to the point I make.
Oh BTW Trying to belittle someone you don’t know is just a reflection of your own insecurities, and how I spelled it , unless this is a spelling contest is my business.
It’s no distraction, just a bit of a fun fact to go with your third party rhetoric.
For informational purposes only, if you’ve ever seen ‘made in Briton’ then whoever wrote it got it really wrong. In the context given it’s always going to be Britain, unless of course it’s an archaeological relic from the relevant time period.
“The Britons were an ancient Celtic people who lived in Great Britain from the Iron Age through the Roman and Sub-Roman periods. They spoke a language that is now known as Common Brittonic.”
I never been there, rrreally, what would I know about the UK 🙂
come on dude I lived there ten years, mum came back 2 weeks ago from ten years there, we may have had a good catch up you know?. My sister works for the Council in Sunderland, she’s kiwi born, but like me has right of abode?
Britain is the country. Briton is a person from Britain. They sound the same, but our illogical spelling system means that one sound can have a number of spellings in English..
Dunedin, what are you doing? 20 degrees yesterday – are you serious? Are you trying for the 2016 climate change challenge to be the most unlikely southern city to have the highest winter temperature?
The degree of cognitive dissonance in South Dunedin must be peaking too (they had a meeting earlier in the week where some residents thought the council talking about the flooding in the context of climate change was greenie nonsense).
A face palm meeting by the sounds of it. It’s difficult when a council actually acknowledges their geographical area has a problem with CC and the residents deny it. A similar thing happened a few years ago when the Kapiti District council projected sea level rises along the coastline where housing would be affected.
Residents said it was nonsense and scaremongering. Now the $million + homes on beachfront land are sitting there unsold while houses elsewhere in that range, especially in town, in Wgtn, are selling no problem. I wonder if there will be an issue with potential buyers talking their insurance agents and the agents letting them know they will high premiums living in such a setting.
Even when I was a kid in the 70’s growing up across the road from the sea we had massive spring storms that would bring dunes down. It’s going to be nuts as we move further into the anthropocene.
Dunedin hasn’t had a winter, I work outside & have def noticed it, this time last year I think we had 2 dumps of snow! & the floods a year ago too (yes we were surrounded by water, came right to the door, 2 hours in this street were pulled down because of damage), been living in this suburb for 10 or so years, & def noticed the beach is nearer than it used to be, its a bit scary when you can hear it so close. Also a few years ago I had to dig a grave for the dog & the water table is only maybe 1-2 feet below us! So good on Cull for talking about it, though he’s back-tracking a bit because of the South Dunedin morons.
Side note, South Dunedin is one of the poorest suburbs in the country, with shocking rates of teen pregnancies, over crowding, unemployment etc…but it is connected to the richest suburbs of the city with old beautiful Victorian mansions & brand new mega flash cars, so I think its the rich end of town complaining, I doubt the poor have too much invested in this suburb.
Thanks for the local report. It’s always good to hear from residents and get their viewpoint. It’s often the case the wealthy have louder voices, or quite often more influence with the council.
Farry lives around the corner from me in the biggest house in the street,I would imagine he has a direct line to council/Govt. He was responsible for the stadium & got some kinda ‘honour’ from the Nat Govt for his effort in lying to us about it’s benefits. Some stunning old mansions in this ‘hood, a lot of ‘old money’ swishing around. Pity it’s all gonna be underwater in a few years.
The area used to be sand dunes & wetlands, the ducks still walk around thinking it is, but then maybe they have long genetic memories & know it will be theirs again one day.
No mention of Farry in the ODT, mainly; Ray MacLeod, spokesman of the South Dunedin Action Group (SDAG). Haven’t heard of him before, do you have any local knowledge? It seems a weird bit of delusion to be; blaming those attempting to formulate a response to climate change, for the property damage caused by sealevel rises.
SDAG spokesman Ray MacLeod finished the meeting by praising some of the council’s short-term measures, but had harsh words when it came to what he perceived as a “green” agenda on the council.
This agenda had resulted in a council policy of “strategic withdrawal” from South Dunedin “by stealth”, Mr MacLeod said.
Council chief executive Sue Bidrose earlier said there was no such plan, but both she and Mayor Dave Cull, whose speech was read out by Acting Mayor Andrew Noone, said such an option could not be counted out, given the serious threat posed by climate change.
This seems to me to be another bit of prepositioning for the anti-Green vote in this year’s local body elections. Similar to the antiwindfarm movement that sprangup out of nowhere earlier in Warrington.
In slamming “green” councillors, Mr MacLeod pointed to a proposal in the second generation plan being consulted on which would require “sensitive activities”, which included emergency services and other key infrastructure, in South Dunedin, to be relocatable.
He called on South Dunedin residents to vote out “green” councillors and Mr Cull, who he said were willing to “sacrifice” South Dunedin people in favour of their ideology.
No sorry, I just mentioned Farry because he’s around the corner, he’s more a behind the scenes type of guy, just my opinion. I don’t know of Mr MacLeod, but read about his anti ‘green’ type rant, maybe he should make use of the internet & google Canute. Not heard of the South Dunedin Action Group before this article sorry.
Just read the group was started after last years flood, maybe I should try & get involved, I love this ‘burb!
” It seems a weird bit of delusion to be; blaming those attempting to formulate a response to climate change, for the property damage caused by sealevel rises.”
Disagree.
Last year 90%+ of the damage was caused by DCC neglect. And all of the sub par post flood response.
Did climate change add a couple of cm to the flood height? Sure. So what.
I don’t know of this Farry character but there always seems to a local body self promoting/self interest type that is also in league with the nat party.
Hope you’ve got some strong contenders to look at voting for this year, ones that are aligned to environmental/restoration/cc issues/resilience. (Just reading Pasupial’s comment below).
Re ducks. I think they have long family memories, just my observation. I’ve really noticed that the more of the farmland disapears on the development where I live (especially the boggy bits) the more ducks we get in the garden, that won’t leave.
Because I live in their territory I feel I have a duty to care for them. I give them fresh water everyday as their water source has dried up. We had a drought over summer and they had nothing to eat so hung out here. I’ve also got orphaned ducklings who grew up in our garden and they come here every day, some are pets. They have a double risk with ongoing development too. The more roads that go in, the more stormwater drains there are for ducklings to fall into. I had SPCA in to help me rescue 3 babies that went down a drain. The SPCA person said that in the developing northern areas they had double the callouts, up to 500 call outs for ducklings alone. It’s a waste of their time. We just need smaller gap grates.
As humans we may expect them move somewhere else but they don’t seem to. They stay in their turf. Hope the ducks in your area have enough grass and insects to eat and enough water.
Still wondering why Woodhouse hasn’t stood against Curran. He has more connections to the Dunedin South electorate than she does. I figure it is because he can’t be bothered being an electorate MP.
There was a time when Curran was perceived as a bit of an embarrassment who spent too much time on twitter, but for what it’s worth, I think that’s changed.
She has grown into the role. She works hard. Yes she can be a bit impulsive and makes some mistakes, but has a lot of heart.
Her approach to the June flood was spot on from the day one; she held council to account for its dissembling and appeared to do a huge amount of work on that issue (for individual cases as well as the infrastructure issue).
It will be interesting to see if her efforts translate into more votes next time around.
I was about to say: It’s amazing how many Dunedinites are on this site.
But, come to think of it, Dunedin is still the most Left-leaning City in the Country* (Wellington’s the only other centre where the Left continue to beat the Right Bloc) … so maybe not all that surprising after all.
* Indeed, it’s been argued that Pete George is the only Dunedinite to have Party-Voted National at the last Election. Isn’t that right, Pete ?
Those who have followed the hatchet job on Peggy Burrows Principal of Rangiora High School, might care to visit the Givealittle page at https://explore.givealittle.co.nz/search?q=Peggy+Burrows
This time Peggy’s Rangiora case is in the Herald. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11662583
Bev Moore, the Commissioner has also done a hatchet job on an Invercargill Principal in a similar fashion because that Principal contested National Standards. That Principal took her case to Court won and was vindicated.
Nasty unfair stuff.
In Vino. The excuse that Moore gave for sacking Peggy was her speaking out to defend herself. So what happened with the ERA?
Aha. Found it dated 24 June:
“The Employment Relations Authority yesterday ruled against the Rangiora High School commissioner, Beverley Moore, after she took a case to try and gag former RHS principal, Peggy Burrows. ” http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK1606/S00797/era-finds-in-favour-of-peggy-burrows.htm
My mate has this installation at the moment, some people find it shocking, some are angry, but most are talking about homelessness which is kinda the point. Well done Toki!
Got a few lovely notes offering help, blankets, couches to sleep on etc…The All Blacks walked past without even glancing down, it’s been quite fascinating watching peoples reactions, I thought it was real when I first saw it. Apparently Dunedins homeless sleep in the greenbelt, too cold on the streets. And he’s left it outside over night a few times & each time in the morning the sleeping bag has been removed so we assume people are checking ‘he/she’ is OK. No sign of any Bennett ‘flying squad’ of monkeys as yet, still time!
Rest of the exhibition is good too if anyone is walking past, have a look!
“The British pound is in freefall as the Brexit vote looks set to win the EU Referendum. In the last five minutes it has fallen 8 per cent against the US dollar.
The crash is now the largest in modern history and has exceeded the fall known as Black Wednesday in 1992 when the UK was forced out of the European Exchange Rate Mechanism.”
I wonder what instructions those trustees who are managing blind trusts/investments in foreign exchanges are receiving from those who have major interests in those blind trusts …
All credit to Amy Adams for reading out the apology to Teina Pora, apparently she didn’t have to. It was the least she could do, now it’s the polices turn.
. . Former Police, Corrections, and Justice Minister in the previous John Key government, Judith Collins, has been ridiculed on social media after posting a comment on Twitter that was patently untrue; . Wrong!! National did not remove Prisoners’ ability to vote. Parliament voted through a Private Member’s Bill ...
Speaker Trevor Mallard was left to look after Jones, while his usual caretaker, Winston Peters, underwent surgery. A truly adorable scene from Parliament yesterday has gone viral, after Speaker Trevor Mallard cradled an extremely drunk Shane Jones in his arms while the House was in session. Loud “awwww”s could be ...
Western media have defended their decision not to cover the fires so as not to give them any oxygen. Social media outrage continues to grow around the sentiment that mainstream western media is devoting too little coverage to an ongoing series of fires in the Amazon rainforest, and in doing ...
A Long Time Ago, In A Parallel Universe Far, Far Away: The political journalist scratched his head in confusion. Only then did he notice the name of the building: ‘The Jacinda Ardern Presidential Library and Public Resource Centre’. Making his way inside to the information desk, he asked the librarian ...
Too Much Of Nothing: In many respects it is the power of a free press to keep history’s images vivid and clear that renders it so important to the life of our democracy. It was the Czech writer, Milan Kundera, who said it best: “The struggle of man against power ...
Spark is bracing for a customer backlash as rugby fans all across the country struggle to get a picture on their wireless router. With the Rugby World Cup fast approaching, an elderly Taranaki couple are furious after being told that they still won’t be able to watch the tournament, even ...
Several explosions have been reported across Auckland, as well-meaning environmentalists have already begun purchasing too much petrol Starting from next week, customers will no longer need a car to purchase petrol directly from the pump, a development that two major fuel providers are billing as an opportunity to help fight ...
A new study claims to find that a mother’s exposure to fluoridated water during pregnancy may decrease the IQ of male children – but is it correct? (Photo: Getty Images) Anti-fluoride campaigners are promoting ...
Yesterday the Greater Wellington Regional Council unanimously declared a climate emergency. They've also set themselves a goal of being carbon neutral by 2030, though this only applies to their direct emissions. Still, its a good step, and as usual it invites the question: where is Parliament? When are we going ...
That's the only way to describe the government's plans for a Parliamentary Budget Office to allow opposition parties to get an independent costing of their policies. When the idea was first floated back in 2016 as an office within Treasury, I thought that wasn't independent enough and argued that it ...
Today is a Member's day, and after the third reading of Hamish Walker's KiwiSaver (Oranga Tamariki Guardians) Amendment Bill, Parliament will be continuing the committee stage of David Seymour's End of Life Choice Bill. The bigots have put up another pile of amendments in an effort to delay or wreck ...
Television advertising has a huge impact on our lives. Even if we don’t recognise that, we know it has to be true, since otherwise why would advertisers spend so much on it? Its significance, however, is greater than simply the influence it has on what we purchase and consume. It ...
by Jan Rivers More than 30 years ago a Commission of Inquiry was held in New Zealand to investigate, amongst other things, whether women with cervical cancer were aware that they had been part of a research project and whether they were properly informed of the treatment options ...
Everyone Wants To Be Fuhrer: When fascist groups are discussed, the image conjured-up in the minds of most New Zealanders is one of pathetic misfits. This negative impression is reinforced by the latter’s idiotic embrace of the swastika. Even in the second decade of the twenty-first century, the baleful legacy ...
by Philip Ferguson This weekend just past marks the 50th anniversary of Woodstock, the most famous of the great 1960s music festivals. It was held over the weekend (Friday-Monday) of August 15-18, 1969. Woodstock was a highpoint of the US ‘counter-culture’, and also the beginning of its end. When exploring the ...
It looks like the government has won over the public on its vehicle feebate scheme:A feebate scheme that would transfer hundreds of millions of dollars from buyers of higher-emission cars into the pockets of people buying EVs and other more fuel-efficient vehicles has been winning favour with submitters, the Government ...
When people suggest lowering the voting age, others argue that the young are too uneducated or silly to exercise the duties of citizenship. Australian John Quiggin has just blown that argument out of the water:Looking at the array of ignorant and vindictive old men attacking Greta Thunberg and other young ...
In the previous two posts, I laid out the context and set the theoretical framework to answer a question: whether indigenous economies should take the LEAP. This final part outlines ways to conceive of practicing mana motuhake within the existing legal system by carving out special jurisdictions that enable Indigenous ...
Fully Informed? Labour’s 2017 promises raised expectations that were little short of revolutionary. Unfortunately, they were never adequately shaken through the fiscal sieve. The hard economic work was not done – and it shows. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s critics have long complained that her grasp of the way the New ...
You cannot expect to pound communities into the ground day after day, year after year, decade after decade and just expect them to take it lying down. There’s a point at which the place will explode. And we’re faced with some very big ructions on both sides of the Atlantic ...
Back in May, Destiny Church leaders Brian and Hannah Tamaki launched another political party. Despite consisting entirely of followers of their religion, they grandly called it "Coalition New Zealand", in a vain effort to suggest it was something broader. But when they applied for registration, submitters opposed the name, as ...
The following article is excerpted and translated from two articles in recent issues of Lutte de Classe (Class Struggle), the magazine of Lutte Ouvrière (Workers Struggle), the revolutionary workers group active in France. We don’t necessarily agree with everything in it – for instance, the 1956-62 war for independence involved rather more revolutionary forces than ...
The Pacific is on the front line of climate change, and if we don't cut emissions quickly, some countries are literally going to be underwater. Because of this, small Pacific states had tried to use this week's Pacific Islands Forum meeting to get Pacific countries to agree to ending coal ...
To Limit Another's Rights Is To Limit One's Own: Is it too much to expect senior members of our Government to be capable of explaining that we protect the rights of human-beings precisely because not even the most depraved act can cancel-out the fact that its perpetrator is also a ...
Going Down? Once truth and propaganda become fused in the minds of one’s followers, debate and discussion become redundant. If one’s opponents are all outrageous liars, then engaging with them in any way is pointless. Rather than waste its time, a political party should, instead, target all its messages at ...
This section builds on Part 1 of this series to provide a theoretical basis for the final instalment (part 3 – to come). Self-determination: law or resurgence — or both? International law promotes the principal of equal treatment and self-determination, which includes peoples’ rights to freely pursue their social, cultural and ...
Everyone was outraged yesterday to learn that the Christchurch shooting accused had been able to send mail from prison to his Nazi fans, apparently pushing more hate. "How could this possibly happen", people asked. Simple: because New Zealand is a civilised country, and so we let prisoners send and receive ...
If we are to avoid dangerous anthropogenic climate change, we need to rapidly decarbonise our transport fleet. The good news: its starting to happen:The number of electric vehicles on New Zealand's roads have nearly tripled in the past two years. There are currently 15,453 registered electric vehicles (EVs), up ...
We need to fundamentally reframe our systems settings to address the drivers causing and underpinning inequality; structural change in systems especially financial. The Equality Network Hui was held in Wellington on 27 June 2019. The hui covered important topics such as child poverty; a living wage; taxation; public health; mental ...
The views-per-page for some of my recent postings:Depressing, isn't it? Provide thoughtful and wise commentary on the mainstream of British politics and no-one notices. Make a passing reference to Tommy DICKHEAD Robinson in a thread title and you get hundreds of views. Write something about anti-Semitism and you get another ...
The government has announced plans to move the Treaty of Waitangi and other taonga to a new site. Great news! So where are they going? Right next to the old one:The new plan will see a new 22,000-square-metre archive built on the former site of Defence House - the former ...
Back in June, StatsNZ went public about a project to track population data on an hourly level by using people's cellphones. It wasn't as bad as it initially looked - they were receiving no individual data, only counts by suburb - but there was still a huge consent problem, so ...
Most economists agree that a currently slowing economy could do with some stimulus – and they would also agree that there is no shortage of infrastructure projects which could be brought to productive fruition with help from that stimulus. In view of the current practice of sub-contracting economic policy decisions ...
I did an interview on the TVNZ Breakfast Show about the situation in Hong Kong. I tried to frame the issue as a collective action problem between two sides with very different end games. The video is here. Because of time constraints we could not discuss the fact that the ...
Image Credit: Wild Rose College A new study reporting the ranges of values for kidney and liver parameters in a healthy population is being actively misrepresented by anti-fluoride campaigners. The Fluoride Action Network’s (FAN) latest ...
Image Credit: Wild Rose College A new study reporting the ranges of values for kidney and liver parameters in a healthy population is being actively misrepresented by anti-fluoride campaigners. The Fluoride Action Network’s (FAN) latest ...
AN OPEN LETTER FOR SIGN ON BY ORGANISATIONS AND MOVEMENTS ACROSS THE WORLD, ALLIED IN THE FIGHT AGAINST INEQUALITY. This letter was released at the UN Political Forum on 9 July, where the Sustainable Development Goal on inequality was reviewed. The purpose of the letter is to call out the ...
We asked a young gay science student and critic of trans ideology and the trans activists’ assault on women’s and gay rights to outline his views on Redline. Thanks to him for his article. by Cian Ó Catháin Gender identity ideology (Gender ID) is ripping through western society at full ...
The Environment Committee is currently hearing submissions on the Zero Carbon Bill, and Stuff is reporting on the submissions. Today, they're covering yesterday they heard from "NZ" Steel:NZ Steel has told MPs it may be forced to close with the loss of thousands of jobs if changes aren't made to ...
Students are striking against climate change on September 27. And this time, they're asking everyone to join them:Students are taking to the streets, beaches and parks on 27 September, and we're inviting everyone to join us. That's right, this is an intergenerational issue, and you're all invited to put pressure ...
Peter McKenzie has a piece on Newsroom this morning about how local body politics is awash with property developer cash. 70% of all the donations in the 2016 Wellington mayoral election came from property developers. And its pretty obvious what they want in exchange:That’s particularly important in local government, according ...
Source: Unknown, twitter user Recently, I wrote a (relatively) short paper titled as above, to explore what self-determination could like in a practical sense. Maybe I’m a bit of an international trade truther or something, but I absolutely believe trade is at the heart of achieving peace and self-determination. Since ...
In the 1960s, after I had graduated with a first-class Oxford postgraduate law degree, I joined the British Foreign Office as the top entrant of my year. There, I worked for a couple of years on European affairs and was eventually posted to the Embassy in Brussels. After this exposure ...
Alone, Alone. All, All Alone: Will it be a good or a bad thing, when humanity’s bright blue spacecraft is stricken by the civilisation-destroying problem of Climate Change, that no Huston Control will be standing-by to rescue the crew?“WE HAVE A PROBLEM, HUSTON.” These were the words used by the ...
I heard a 45 minute interview with Monica Lewinsky talking to TED’s Chris Anderson on BBC Radio 4 over the weekend, and have listened to it another two times out walking. I recommend it. Highly. Man, I am so impressed with how this woman has integrated her life experiences and ...
Jonathan Haidt and Greg Lukianoff, The Coddling of the American Mind: how good intentions and bad ideas are setting up a generation for failure, London, Penguin, 2019, 352pp; reviewed by Gearóid Ó Loingsigh Jonathan Haidt and Greg Lukianoff’s book The Coddling of the American Mind is a timely book, whose ...
When the Justice Committee reported back on the Administration of Justice (Reform of Contempt of Court) Bill, free speech advocates breathed a sigh of relief. As originally introduced, the Bill reitered the ancient offence of "scandalising the court" - basicly, a special sedition law protecting judges from criticism. The select ...
Eighteen months ago, the government promised to strengthen the Bill of Rights Act, by explicitly affirming the power of the courts to issue declarations of inconsistency and requiring Parliament to formally respond to them. Since then - crickets. Which raises the obvious question: are they actually going to do this, ...
Back in March, the Ministry of Justice conducted a public consultation exercise on whether to hold a review of the Official Information Act. 285 people submitted on it. Now, Stuff has trawled through those submissions, and the case for reform is strong:The Justice Ministry asked Kiwis what they thought was ...
National's prisoner voting ban has gone down as one of the worst laws in New Zealand history. Passed after a farcical debate (including this farcial speech from ACT MP Hilary Calvert), it has subsequently been found to be inconsistent with the Bill of Rights Act by the High Court, Court ...
Divided Loyalties: Can the Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, be relied upon? That’s what the boys and girls at Foggy Bottom and the Pentagon needed to be reassured about. Because, from the perspective of Washington, it’s looking more and more like Jacinda Ardern and her Labour Party comrades are getting ready ...
This handy Queer Theory Glossary is from thetranswidow.com In case you’ve had trouble keeping up with the spate of new queer theory terms, here’s a handy glossary for your reference. Queer – A straight person with an interesting haircut. Non-binary/genderqueer – A chubby young female, typically 16-28, who has ...
by Daphna Whitmore US social psychologist and author Jonathan Haidt spoke on 1 August in Auckland to a crowd of around one thousand people. He is best known for his bookThe Coddling of the American Mind which examines the new climate of trigger warnings and acute sensitivity of Gen Z. ...
What an extraordinarily depressing experience it is to be compelled to watch, at 12,000 miles distance, the contortions and machinations of the British political class as they set about their determined attempt to overturn the decision taken by the British people that they wish to leave the European Union. The ...
The winter grazing issue is becoming a highly sensitised one that I hope will not become so politicised that it delays solutions and results in the suicides of some very stressed farmers.Winter grazing has hit the headlines after a determined campaign, including the release of a video of some very ...
by Don Franks Way back when British guitar virtuoso Joe Brown was a beginning session guy he got to back a visiting American artist. Young Joe was an able technician but had yet to learn some points of professionalism. Part way through “Five foot high and rising” Joe tired of ...
Since scientists started studying climate change, they have warned that it will reduce food production. And now, its happening:The climate crisis is damaging the ability of the land to sustain humanity, with cascading risks becoming increasingly severe as global temperatures rise, according to a landmark UN report compiled by some ...
The Abortion Legislation Bill just passed its first reading, 94-23. Its a far bigger margin than I expected, even allowing for the Winston factor, and it reflects the overwhelming support there is in this country for reform. but that support isn't a new thing - it has existed for literally ...
The Justice Committee has called for submissions on the Referendums Framework Bill. The Bill does what it says on the label - establishes a framework for referenda. Things you may want to address in your submission: Whether the bill should apply only at the 2020 election, or whether it should ...
The Thompson and Clark / MBIE spying scandal continues to result in fallout, this time in the form of a report on the implementation of MBIE's "Operation Exploration", its internal operation to enforce the infamous Anadarko Amendment which criminalised protests against the oil industry. MBIE's enforcement operation was tainted by ...
So, Winston Peters is defending his last-minute demand for a referendum on abortion by claiming he was "blindsided" by the bill. Really? The bill is a government bill. It has been working through the cabinet approval process since December last year. As part of that process, NZ First was consulted, ...
The Green Part has been accused of lack of transparency in two recent situations. The first was the claimed media lockdown during Green's annual conference and the second was Julie Ann Genter's refusal to release a letter she had sent to Phil Twyford.I do get frustrated when journalist's succumb to ...
Opportunities to dodge tax are shrinking with the completion of a new tax agreement with Switzerland, Revenue Minister Stuart Nash announced today. Mr Nash and the Swiss Ambassador David Vogelsanger have today signed documents to update the double tax agreement (DTA). The previous DTA was signed in 1980. “Double tax ...
‘Original Sin’ of Land Confiscation at Ihumātao is a wrong that can be put right by Government says Justice & Peace Commission of Catholic Diocese of Auckland ...
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told a press conference on August 19 that her government is likely to impose new restrictions on prisoners’ rights to send letters. She said the law could be changed in “weeks.” ...
Heart-warming images of House Speaker Trevor Mallard cradling a baby in Parliament have been welcomed around New Zealand, but the Public Service Association warns most families can only dream of such support in the workplace. ...
Applying New Zealand’s international human rights commitments, particularly those in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, can help in resolving the situation at Ihumātao, Chief Human Rights Commissioner Paul Hunt says. ...
Climate campaigners impersonating bank staff have taken to the streets this week to expose ANZ Bank’s sponsorship of the fossil fuel industry. In the series of satirical actions in Wellington, Dunedin, and Auckland, the ‘bank staff’ promoted ...
Auckland Action Against Poverty joins the Children’s Commissioner , The Green Party , The New Zealand Drugs Foundation , Child Poverty Action Group and other organisations in the calls for an immediate end to the drug testing benefit sanctions. ...
Negotiations between Port Otago workers represented by the Rail and Maritime Transport Union (RMTU) and the Maritime Union of New Zealand (MUNZ) and management failed today and the unions have issued notice of an overtime ban from Saturday 7th September. ...
Queenstown Lakes District Council’s comments that it has applied for a consent to pollute waterways to avoid 'prosecutions by the Otago Regional Council' are unacceptable,’ Fish & Game New Zealand Chief Executive Martin Taylor says. ...
On March 15, the real world impact of online hate became abundantly, horrifically clear. As a shooter opened fire at two Christchurch mosques, the online image board 8chan anticipated, celebrated and amplified his killing spree. ...
Friday, 23 August: Government delegates from around the world, including New Zealand, are meeting in New York for the third of four meetings at the United Nations to agree a Global Oceans Treaty that could help to protect 30% of our oceans by 2030. Greenpeace ...
The excuses about a reportedly unwanted $57,000 payrise for Dunedin City Council CEO Sue Bidrose are laughable, says the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union. ...
The Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance has launched the “Ratepayer Protection Pledge” committing to no more than 2% annual rate hikes over the next Council term, and has written to all Mayoral and Council candidates asking them to sign. The pledge will ...
This Saturday, Pakuranga Hunt Day at the Ellerslie Racecourse will see anti-horse racing protesters demonstrating at the corner of Ascot Avenue and Greenlane East. ...
Mayoral candidate John Tamihere will meet with Pacific Island leaders and community elders today at Puhunui Reserve in South Auckland to commit to a Pasefika Cultural Centre. ...
Cruel and invalid Forced Swim Tests carried out at Victoria University of Wellington, will be exposed at the University Open Day today, so prospective students can be warned about the flawed and unethical research being conducted at the institute. ...
The organiser of the annual YWCA Equal Pay Awards has expressed her disappointment with the latest Gender Pay Gap figure for New Zealand workers. The figure rose slightly from 9.2% in 2018 to 9.3% for the quarter ended 30 June 2019. ...
The Council of Licenced Firearm Owners (COLFO) is urging firearms owners to pass on information to the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Attack on Christchurch Mosques now that the period for submissions has been extended to 27 September. ...
An application was filed in the Employment Relations Authority in Wellington today, seeking an injunction to prevent the Board of the New Zealand Nurses Organisation from removing the President from office. ...
The Government’s commitment to support literacy and numeracy training in the workplace is a strong signal from Government on recognising the importance of upskilling, reskilling and increasing productivity alongside their commitment to address the challenges ...
“The infrastructure sector sees a major role for the New Zealand Infrastructure Commission/Te Waihanga in lifting the nation’s sagging infrastructure performance,” says Paul Blair, incoming CEO of Infrastructure NZ. ...
The AA is calling on the Government to bring forward critical highway projects while time is spent properly developing the plans for a rapid transit system in Auckland. ...
Between 2015/16 and 2017/18, DHBs spent $280 million treating patients due to adverse drug reactions, reveals the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union in its latest briefing paper on health productivity . ...
The Pay Equity Coalition Auckland (PECA) is pleased the gender pay gap has decreased slightly. Statistics released today show the gap is now 11.9%, nearly 2 percent less than last year. ...
The Council of Licenced Firearm Owners (COLFO) is urging firearms owners to make sure they pass on any information they have to the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Attack on Christchurch Mosques before submissions close tomorrow (Friday). ...
The big electricity companies consider solar energy “disruptive” and want pricing to suppress it. In contrast, advocates of local energy say that solar, energy efficiency, and other local energy solutions are the cheapest ways to reduce carbon emissions. ...
The Earthquake Commission and Shine Lawyers are delighted to announce that EQC has reached an agreement with the Gibling family, agreeing to cover the cost of repairs of remaining earthquake damage on their property. ...
Four months into the inquiry, the Royal Commission is gathering significant information and continues to receive valuable submissions from the public, from current and former State servants, experts and community groups. ...
While Fish & Game New Zealand is pleased to see Federated Farmers Environment Spokesperson Chris Allen say that 'we all want good, fresh water', he conveniently overlooks some key facts. ...
What: Wellington demo “Save the Amazon Forest/Salve a Amazônia!” When: Friday, 6 September 2019 from 12:30-13:30 Where: Embassy of Brazil in Wellingtona ...
Rt Hon Trevor Mallard, Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives, welcomes the visit of His Excellency Eduardo Ferro Rodrigues, President of the Assembly of the Republic of Portugal. ...
A cross political Mental Health and Addictions Wellbeing group will be launched on Wednesday 28 August hosted by Sir John Kirwan and Moe Milne (ONZM) who have both been at the forefront of our country’s often difficult conversations about mental ...
Confirmation that the government will be progressing an independent Parliamentary Budget Office is great news for democracy and transparency, Federated Farmers says. ...
At first glance, Simon Bridges’ strident opposition to the government’s proposal to establish an independent office to cost political parties’ election spending plans looks childish and petty. ...
Euthanasia-Free NZ is appalled that Parliament spent so little time debating Part 2 of the End of Life Choice Bill and voted to leave it full of holes. ...
Jordan Williams, a spokesman for the Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance and its nationwide sister group the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union is slamming Auckland Mayor Phil Goff for his comments today that John Tamihere would need the Government’s support to ...
A ‘one size fits all’, inflexible and punitive regulatory regime for water quality just gets backs - and costs - up and most importantly will not work, Federated Farmers says. ...
Mediation yesterday between secondary principals and the government has resulted in a deal that the principals' negotiating team is recommending to its members. ...
Clubs New Zealand welcomes the decision of Justice Minister Andrew Little to put forward a bill amending the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act to allow all licensed premises to remain open for Rugby World Cup matches. ...
The Australia and New Zealand Ministerial Forum on Food Regulation has ordered a review looking at labelling of added sugars in food and drinks. An option under investigation is ‘a pictorial approach applied to sugary beverages / sugar-sweetened beverages’ ...
Labour market data released by Statistics New Zealand today indicates that a gender pay gap persists in New Zealand, despite improvement in some areas. ...
In the midst of the 6th Great Extinction Event the coalition, STOP Trashing Our Planet is urging voters to take full responsibility for the legacy we are leaving our children. ...
LGNZ will carefully consider the proposed National Policy Statement on Urban Development (NPS-UD) to assess if it meets the Government’s aim of enabling urban development or simply adds more red tape to the planning process. ...
At school camp, the children are banned from having phones, laptops, lollies, chocolate, money, cotton clothing or independent thoughts. They, are, however, allowed home baking – but it’s gotta be hearty. How hearty are you? We are packing for a school camp. If you’re thinking that the middle of winter is ...
Phil Goff’s rival has already pledged an 0800-Jacinda homeless hotline and an 18-lane harbour bridge. What’s next? The two most important people in the 2019 campaign for the Auckland mayoralty faced each other down on Wednesday night across the desk in the NZME debate: Bernard Orsman and Simon Wilson. Correction: it ...
Split Level View Finder: Theo Schoon and New Zealand Art is the exhibition that sparked a protest over issues of cultural appropriation and institutional representation. Theo Schoon is a divisive historical figure. But is his art any good? Martin Patrick reviews.British novelist L.P. Hartley once wrote that “the past is ...
Ahead of debuting her solo show at New Zealand Fashion Week, Korean-NZ couture designer Cecilia Kang talks about growing up ‘feminine’, being influenced by the LGBTQ+ community, and why an ‘administrative error’ at Fashion Week left her so shaken up. ‘I like something big,” says Cecilia Kang, gesturing to the giant ...
The Labour Party is distancing itself from one of its members who is strongly pro-Beijing and has caused controversy in the Chinese community by standing for local office in Auckland. ...
Faced with staff shortages, equipment failures, cancer risks, and a jump in critical calls that can leave them traumatised, some firefighters are wondering if it’s time to hang up the hose. Gareth Shute reports on the dissatisfaction inside Fire and Emergency New Zealand.The state of our nation’s fire service is ...
“She comes over. You’re my mother, she says. Yes, I say. I don’t know you, she says”: a mother and child seaside story by Wellington author Jan Pryor. Photo by Peter Black. ...
On Monday the government announced its new five-year strategy to reduce the Māori prison population. Emilie Rākete looks at another ‘kaupapa Māori’ prison initiative that degrades prisoners and asks if Corrections are capable of seeing it through.On August 19th, the Department of Corrections announced Hōkai Rangi, its new strategy intended ...
By Michael Andrew The Indonesian media is contributing to resentment and racism toward Papuans, according to a human rights researcher and former journalist. Andreas Harsono of Human Rights Watch Jakarta told Pacific Media Watch many Indonesian journalists either view Papuans as enemy “separatists” or deviants and their reporting tends to convey these ...
Analysis - The prime minister puts a stake in the ground over petrol prices, National balks at having its election promises costed and the government puts millions into helping the homeless. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Danilo Ignacio de Urzedo, PhD candidate, University of Sydney Record fires are raging in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest, with more than 2,500 fires currently burning. They are collectively emitting huge amounts of carbon, with smoke plumes visible thousands of kilometres away. Fires in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sean Docking, Post-doctoral researcher, La Trobe University Basketball fans around the world were recently sickened by the footage of NBA star Kevin Durant’s Achilles tendon rupturing during a game. But while many think it’s only elite athletes who suffer from Achilles tendon ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bruce Mountain, Director, Victoria Energy Policy Centre, Victoria University The possibility of blackouts affecting half of Victoria has attracted plenty of attention to a document once read only by industry insiders and policy wonks: the Electricity Statement of Opportunities. The Statement, updated ...
George Clooney sold his tequila company for a billion dollars – but is the stuff any good? The Spinoff finds out. Imagine being so stupidly sexy you sneeze and sell a billion-dollar booze company. That’s what George Clooney did last year, flicking off the tequila business he started accidentally with an ...
The departure of "two Pākehā men" from the government's justice reform group will not hurt the quality of its final report, another member of the team says. ...
Combatting internet-related harm is being stymied by inter-industry disagreement and a lack of information about the extent and nature of the problem, a new report says. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Harcourt, J.W. Nevile Fellow in Economics and host of The Airport Economist, UNSW Amid the tributes to former deputy prime minister Tim Fischer and the stories of his authenticity, courage and quirky interests – like trains and military history – what ...
Current leader of the National Party, Simon Bridges.Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards – Is Simon Bridges really trying to channel Donald Trump? Or is he taking his cue from Scott Morrison? Or is he looking to emulate Boris Johnson? Whatever the inspiration, there’s been a clear change in the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra [embedded content]Michelle Grattan talks about the sad news of the passing of former Deputy Prime Minister Tim Fischer with University of Canberra Vice-Chancellor Professor Deep Saini. They also discuss Scott Morrison’s recent announcement about joining ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gabriel Crowley, Adjunct Principal Research Fellow, James Cook University In February, about 600,000 cattle were killed by catastrophic flooding across north Queensland’s Carpentaria Gulf plains. The flood waters rose suddenly, forming a wall of water up to 70km wide. Record depths were ...
Simon Day dined alone at Monique Fiso’s Wellington restaurant Hiakai, and discovered it was the perfect way to appreciate the meaning of this special food. “Would you like a few more minutes with your phone?” the waitress at Hiakai asked sympathetically as I mashed a final goodbye text to my wife ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Willamson, Adjunct Senior Research Fellow, Monash University Australia’s gender pay gap is diminishing, says a new report, but some contributors to it seem harder to overcome than others. For me, the finding hit close to home. The report, by KPMG for ...
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 Te Tiriti o Waitangi: The Treaty of Waitangi by Toby Morris with Ross Calman, Mark Derby, and ...
Honey producer Comvita has confirmed a full year net loss of $27.7m with China market access restrictions and tougher regulations locally affecting the company's sales. ...
James Elliott realises John Tamihere's uncosted bridge proposal wasn't actually a metaphor, but a fine example of 'folks is mighty generous with money what they ain’t got'. ...
A new poem by Oamaru-born poet Nick Ascroft.SupermanHalfway up the ascent zigzagging from Royal Terrace to upper Stuart Street carrying four too-heavy grocery bags I begin to understand that I will not make it. My huffing personage – from the fingers, white with the strain, to a face the colour of rhubarb – will ooze into the pavement and roll slowly ...
The Real Pod assembles to dissect the week in reality television and real life, with special thanks to Nando’s.Sound the alarm, because it’s time for another absolute chaos pod. We’re talking haunted dolls in Waipu, we’re talking giant hands taking over Wellington, we’re talking soft serve cones dipped in powdered Milo. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tony Press, Adjunct Professor, Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania This week, the ABC revealed that the Australian Defence Force wants to roll out military technology in Antarctica. The article raises the issue of what is, or is not, ...
New Zealand teacher aides say their pay reflects an outdated idea of what they do. Elizabeth McLeod hears from four TAs, and one parent, about the classroom realities they face every dayCleaning up poo, defusing violent situations, copping physical and verbal abuse: these are the realities of a teacher aide’s ...
The lanky sidekick from Jono and Ben journeys around New Zealand trying to solve small town problems. Does he succeed?Guy Williams, hardly a shy, retiring type, has been screaming out for his own vehicle for years. A loud, lanky, fearless comic, he’s spent nearly a decade in MediaWorks purgatory, sat ...
Ballot Box.Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards – The nature of New Zealand general election campaigns could be significantly changed with the proposed establishment of an “umpire” to adjudicate over political party manifesto policies. A suggestion has been put forward by the Government for the establishment of a parliamentary watchdog ...
Editor’s Note: Here below is a list of the main issues currently under discussion in New Zealand and links to media coverage.New Zealand Parliament Buildings, Wellington, New Zealand.Today’s content by Dr Bryce Edwards.Ihumātao Delphine Herbert and Dan Satherley (Newshub): Tainui to buy Ihumātao land – sources Danielle ...
Extinction Rebellion takes a tour of downtown Wellington to point out the coal industry stalwarts and ask why they’re still there in the face of a climate emergency. “There are coal companies in Wellington??”That’s the incredulous response every single time we mention taking the public on a tour of the biggest ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rachel A. Ankeny, Professor of History and Philosophy, and Deputy Dean Research (Faculty of Arts), University of Adelaide The South Australian government recently announced its intention to lift the long-standing statewide moratorium on genetically modified (GM) crops, following a statutory six-week consultation ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Vicki Sentas, Senior Lecturer, UNSW Law, UNSW Being strip searched by the police can be intrusive, humiliating and harmful. Typically, strip searches involve being required to strip naked in front of police officers, who often give the direction to “squat and cough”, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Louise Remond, Clinical Psychologist, University of Technology Sydney Hi, I was just wondering if something’s wrong with me because I’m never happy and never want to do anything and I’m getting really lazy and I really hate school. Thanks – Anonymous ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Luke Zaphir, Researcher for the University of Queensland Critical Thinking Project; and Online Teacher at Education Queensland’s IMPACT Centre, The University of Queensland From as early as Grade 3 teachers start teaching children how to put across their own points of view. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard Holden, Professor of Economics, UNSW It’s four years since then Prime Minister Tony Abbott warned Australia had been heading to “a Greek-style economic future”. He was referring to what he said had been happening under the previous Labor government. When Labor ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Samia Khatun, Senior Lecturer, SOAS, University of London Some 1,000 kilometres inland from Sydney, over the Blue Mountains, past the trees that drink the tributaries of the Darling River, there stands a little, red mosque. It marks where the desert begins. The ...
Open mike 24/06/2016 
Open mike is your post.
. . Former Police, Corrections, and Justice Minister in the previous John Key government, Judith Collins, has been ridiculed on social media after posting a comment on Twitter that was patently untrue; . Wrong!! National did not remove Prisoners’ ability to vote. Parliament voted through a Private Member’s Bill ...16 hours ago
Speaker Trevor Mallard was left to look after Jones, while his usual caretaker, Winston Peters, underwent surgery. A truly adorable scene from Parliament yesterday has gone viral, after Speaker Trevor Mallard cradled an extremely drunk Shane Jones in his arms while the House was in session. Loud “awwww”s could be ...1 day ago
Western media have defended their decision not to cover the fires so as not to give them any oxygen. Social media outrage continues to grow around the sentiment that mainstream western media is devoting too little coverage to an ongoing series of fires in the Amazon rainforest, and in doing ...1 day ago
A Long Time Ago, In A Parallel Universe Far, Far Away: The political journalist scratched his head in confusion. Only then did he notice the name of the building: ‘The Jacinda Ardern Presidential Library and Public Resource Centre’. Making his way inside to the information desk, he asked the librarian ...1 day ago
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Nothing from me tody - I'm off to Christchurch to pretend to be other people for a weekend. Normal bloggage should resume on Tuesday. ...2 days ago
Spark is bracing for a customer backlash as rugby fans all across the country struggle to get a picture on their wireless router. With the Rugby World Cup fast approaching, an elderly Taranaki couple are furious after being told that they still won’t be able to watch the tournament, even ...2 days ago
Several explosions have been reported across Auckland, as well-meaning environmentalists have already begun purchasing too much petrol Starting from next week, customers will no longer need a car to purchase petrol directly from the pump, a development that two major fuel providers are billing as an opportunity to help fight ...2 days ago
A new study claims to find that a mother’s exposure to fluoridated water during pregnancy may decrease the IQ of male children – but is it correct? (Photo: Getty Images) Anti-fluoride campaigners are promoting ... 2 days ago
Television advertising has a huge impact on our lives. Even if we don’t recognise that, we know it has to be true, since otherwise why would advertisers spend so much on it? Its significance, however, is greater than simply the influence it has on what we purchase and consume. It ...4 days ago
by Jan Rivers More than 30 years ago a Commission of Inquiry was held in New Zealand to investigate, amongst other things, whether women with cervical cancer were aware that they had been part of a research project and whether they were properly informed of the treatment options ...4 days ago
Everyone Wants To Be Fuhrer: When fascist groups are discussed, the image conjured-up in the minds of most New Zealanders is one of pathetic misfits. This negative impression is reinforced by the latter’s idiotic embrace of the swastika. Even in the second decade of the twenty-first century, the baleful legacy ...5 days ago
In the previous two posts, I laid out the context and set the theoretical framework to answer a question: whether indigenous economies should take the LEAP. This final part outlines ways to conceive of practicing mana motuhake within the existing legal system by carving out special jurisdictions that enable Indigenous ...6 days ago
Fully Informed? Labour’s 2017 promises raised expectations that were little short of revolutionary. Unfortunately, they were never adequately shaken through the fiscal sieve. The hard economic work was not done – and it shows. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s critics have long complained that her grasp of the way the New ...7 days ago
You cannot expect to pound communities into the ground day after day, year after year, decade after decade and just expect them to take it lying down. There’s a point at which the place will explode. And we’re faced with some very big ructions on both sides of the Atlantic ...1 week ago
1 week ago
Going Down? Once truth and propaganda become fused in the minds of one’s followers, debate and discussion become redundant. If one’s opponents are all outrageous liars, then engaging with them in any way is pointless. Rather than waste its time, a political party should, instead, target all its messages at ...1 week ago
We need to fundamentally reframe our systems settings to address the drivers causing and underpinning inequality; structural change in systems especially financial. The Equality Network Hui was held in Wellington on 27 June 2019. The hui covered important topics such as child poverty; a living wage; taxation; public health; mental ...1 week ago
The views-per-page for some of my recent postings:Depressing, isn't it? Provide thoughtful and wise commentary on the mainstream of British politics and no-one notices. Make a passing reference to Tommy DICKHEAD Robinson in a thread title and you get hundreds of views. Write something about anti-Semitism and you get another ...1 week ago
The government has announced plans to move the Treaty of Waitangi and other taonga to a new site. Great news! So where are they going? Right next to the old one:The new plan will see a new 22,000-square-metre archive built on the former site of Defence House - the former ...1 week ago
Back in June, StatsNZ went public about a project to track population data on an hourly level by using people's cellphones. It wasn't as bad as it initially looked - they were receiving no individual data, only counts by suburb - but there was still a huge consent problem, so ...1 week ago
I did an interview on the TVNZ Breakfast Show about the situation in Hong Kong. I tried to frame the issue as a collective action problem between two sides with very different end games. The video is here. Because of time constraints we could not discuss the fact that the ...2 weeks ago
Image Credit: Wild Rose College A new study reporting the ranges of values for kidney and liver parameters in a healthy population is being actively misrepresented by anti-fluoride campaigners. The Fluoride Action Network’s (FAN) latest ... 2 weeks ago
Alone, Alone. All, All Alone: Will it be a good or a bad thing, when humanity’s bright blue spacecraft is stricken by the civilisation-destroying problem of Climate Change, that no Huston Control will be standing-by to rescue the crew?“WE HAVE A PROBLEM, HUSTON.” These were the words used by the ...2 weeks ago
Divided Loyalties: Can the Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, be relied upon? That’s what the boys and girls at Foggy Bottom and the Pentagon needed to be reassured about. Because, from the perspective of Washington, it’s looking more and more like Jacinda Ardern and her Labour Party comrades are getting ready ...2 weeks ago
This handy Queer Theory Glossary is from thetranswidow.com In case you’ve had trouble keeping up with the spate of new queer theory terms, here’s a handy glossary for your reference. Queer – A straight person with an interesting haircut. Non-binary/genderqueer – A chubby young female, typically 16-28, who has ...2 weeks ago
The winter grazing issue is becoming a highly sensitised one that I hope will not become so politicised that it delays solutions and results in the suicides of some very stressed farmers.Winter grazing has hit the headlines after a determined campaign, including the release of a video of some very ...2 weeks ago
The Green Part has been accused of lack of transparency in two recent situations. The first was the claimed media lockdown during Green's annual conference and the second was Julie Ann Genter's refusal to release a letter she had sent to Phil Twyford.I do get frustrated when journalist's succumb to ...2 weeks ago
Opportunities to dodge tax are shrinking with the completion of a new tax agreement with Switzerland, Revenue Minister Stuart Nash announced today. Mr Nash and the Swiss Ambassador David Vogelsanger have today signed documents to update the double tax agreement (DTA). The previous DTA was signed in 1980. “Double tax ...2 weeks ago
On Newshub Nation: Simon Shepherd interviews Children's Commissioner Andrew Becroft and international children's rights expert Laura Lundy ...12 hours ago
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has promised to help Muslim women who are interested in politics. ...7 hours ago
At school camp, the children are banned from having phones, laptops, lollies, chocolate, money, cotton clothing or independent thoughts. They, are, however, allowed home baking – but it’s gotta be hearty. How hearty are you? We are packing for a school camp. If you’re thinking that the middle of winter is ...14 hours ago
Phil Goff’s rival has already pledged an 0800-Jacinda homeless hotline and an 18-lane harbour bridge. What’s next? The two most important people in the 2019 campaign for the Auckland mayoralty faced each other down on Wednesday night across the desk in the NZME debate: Bernard Orsman and Simon Wilson. Correction: it ...15 hours ago
Split Level View Finder: Theo Schoon and New Zealand Art is the exhibition that sparked a protest over issues of cultural appropriation and institutional representation. Theo Schoon is a divisive historical figure. But is his art any good? Martin Patrick reviews.British novelist L.P. Hartley once wrote that “the past is ...15 hours ago
Ahead of debuting her solo show at New Zealand Fashion Week, Korean-NZ couture designer Cecilia Kang talks about growing up ‘feminine’, being influenced by the LGBTQ+ community, and why an ‘administrative error’ at Fashion Week left her so shaken up. ‘I like something big,” says Cecilia Kang, gesturing to the giant ...16 hours ago
The Labour Party is distancing itself from one of its members who is strongly pro-Beijing and has caused controversy in the Chinese community by standing for local office in Auckland. ...16 hours ago
Faced with staff shortages, equipment failures, cancer risks, and a jump in critical calls that can leave them traumatised, some firefighters are wondering if it’s time to hang up the hose. Gareth Shute reports on the dissatisfaction inside Fire and Emergency New Zealand.The state of our nation’s fire service is ...17 hours ago
“She comes over. You’re my mother, she says. Yes, I say. I don’t know you, she says”: a mother and child seaside story by Wellington author Jan Pryor. Photo by Peter Black. ...17 hours ago
On Monday the government announced its new five-year strategy to reduce the Māori prison population. Emilie Rākete looks at another ‘kaupapa Māori’ prison initiative that degrades prisoners and asks if Corrections are capable of seeing it through.On August 19th, the Department of Corrections announced Hōkai Rangi, its new strategy intended ...19 hours ago
By Michael Andrew The Indonesian media is contributing to resentment and racism toward Papuans, according to a human rights researcher and former journalist. Andreas Harsono of Human Rights Watch Jakarta told Pacific Media Watch many Indonesian journalists either view Papuans as enemy “separatists” or deviants and their reporting tends to convey these ...24 hours ago
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Danilo Ignacio de Urzedo, PhD candidate, University of Sydney Record fires are raging in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest, with more than 2,500 fires currently burning. They are collectively emitting huge amounts of carbon, with smoke plumes visible thousands of kilometres away. Fires in ...1 day ago
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sean Docking, Post-doctoral researcher, La Trobe University Basketball fans around the world were recently sickened by the footage of NBA star Kevin Durant’s Achilles tendon rupturing during a game. But while many think it’s only elite athletes who suffer from Achilles tendon ...1 day ago
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bruce Mountain, Director, Victoria Energy Policy Centre, Victoria University The possibility of blackouts affecting half of Victoria has attracted plenty of attention to a document once read only by industry insiders and policy wonks: the Electricity Statement of Opportunities. The Statement, updated ...1 day ago
Internet freedom advocates have slammed the Government for proposing censorship of online gambling sites. ...1 day ago
George Clooney sold his tequila company for a billion dollars – but is the stuff any good? The Spinoff finds out. Imagine being so stupidly sexy you sneeze and sell a billion-dollar booze company. That’s what George Clooney did last year, flicking off the tequila business he started accidentally with an ...1 day ago
As Indonesia cracks down on protests in the disputed West Papua territory, the Government has declined to condemn the violence. ...1 day ago
Combatting internet-related harm is being stymied by inter-industry disagreement and a lack of information about the extent and nature of the problem, a new report says. ...1 day ago
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Harcourt, J.W. Nevile Fellow in Economics and host of The Airport Economist, UNSW Amid the tributes to former deputy prime minister Tim Fischer and the stories of his authenticity, courage and quirky interests – like trains and military history – what ...1 day ago
1 day ago
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gabriel Crowley, Adjunct Principal Research Fellow, James Cook University In February, about 600,000 cattle were killed by catastrophic flooding across north Queensland’s Carpentaria Gulf plains. The flood waters rose suddenly, forming a wall of water up to 70km wide. Record depths were ...1 day ago
Simon Day dined alone at Monique Fiso’s Wellington restaurant Hiakai, and discovered it was the perfect way to appreciate the meaning of this special food. “Would you like a few more minutes with your phone?” the waitress at Hiakai asked sympathetically as I mashed a final goodbye text to my wife ...1 day ago
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Willamson, Adjunct Senior Research Fellow, Monash University Australia’s gender pay gap is diminishing, says a new report, but some contributors to it seem harder to overcome than others. For me, the finding hit close to home. The report, by KPMG for ...1 day ago
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 Te Tiriti o Waitangi: The Treaty of Waitangi by Toby Morris with Ross Calman, Mark Derby, and ...1 day ago
Honey producer Comvita has confirmed a full year net loss of $27.7m with China market access restrictions and tougher regulations locally affecting the company's sales. ...1 day ago
James Elliott realises John Tamihere's uncosted bridge proposal wasn't actually a metaphor, but a fine example of 'folks is mighty generous with money what they ain’t got'. ...1 day ago
Fees for company directors are not keeping pace with their rising workload, according to a new survey. ...2 days ago
New Zealand teacher aides say their pay reflects an outdated idea of what they do. Elizabeth McLeod hears from four TAs, and one parent, about the classroom realities they face every dayCleaning up poo, defusing violent situations, copping physical and verbal abuse: these are the realities of a teacher aide’s ...2 days ago
The Warehouse Group has upgraded its full year profit expectations again. ...2 days ago
New Zealand-owned Kiwibank says it is winning more customers, demonstrated by a strong increase in deposits and lending. ...2 days ago
Dairy's huge role earning export dollars for New Zealand is facing a threat some say could bring it to its knees. ...2 days ago
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Vicki Sentas, Senior Lecturer, UNSW Law, UNSW Being strip searched by the police can be intrusive, humiliating and harmful. Typically, strip searches involve being required to strip naked in front of police officers, who often give the direction to “squat and cough”, ...2 days ago
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Louise Remond, Clinical Psychologist, University of Technology Sydney Hi, I was just wondering if something’s wrong with me because I’m never happy and never want to do anything and I’m getting really lazy and I really hate school. Thanks – Anonymous ...2 days ago
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Luke Zaphir, Researcher for the University of Queensland Critical Thinking Project; and Online Teacher at Education Queensland’s IMPACT Centre, The University of Queensland From as early as Grade 3 teachers start teaching children how to put across their own points of view. ...2 days ago
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard Holden, Professor of Economics, UNSW It’s four years since then Prime Minister Tony Abbott warned Australia had been heading to “a Greek-style economic future”. He was referring to what he said had been happening under the previous Labor government. When Labor ...2 days ago
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Samia Khatun, Senior Lecturer, SOAS, University of London Some 1,000 kilometres inland from Sydney, over the Blue Mountains, past the trees that drink the tributaries of the Darling River, there stands a little, red mosque. It marks where the desert begins. The ...2 days ago
Another day in John Key’s neo-liberal nightmare.
We have become a cruel, greedy, uncaring and selfish nation under his wretched leadership.
Uncaring.
New Zealand’s housing.
‘Baby gets sick in crowded house
A baby has contracted potentially deadly meningococcal meningitis – and a senior hospital doctor says overcrowded housing is a factor in the development of his condition.
The 3-month-old boy lives at a Tauranga property with 10 other people sharing two bedrooms, a lounge and a caravan. He is one of eight people – including a 16-month toddler and three teenagers – living in the two-bedroom state house in Gate Pa. Another three people, including two children aged 5 and 13, live in a caravan outside.
Doctors confirmed on Sunday that the baby had meningococcal meningitis. Tauranga Hospital specialist paediatrician Dr Hugh Lees this week wrote to Housing New Zealand (HNZ) on behalf of the family, stating that baby Hamish’s diagnosis was “meningococcal meningitis”, which he said was “known to be associated with overcrowding”.
Dr Lees asked the case be given urgent attention and he supported an application for “appropriate housing”.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11662280
One of the people living at the house is a manager & cannot afford a rental, must be in retail or a McJob or something because their wages are utter shite. But it’s OK, the state will will top up employers pathetic pay & the state will top up your wage for the greedy landlords, she will be alllllllllll right in godzone.
We peons have had a visitation from our glorious leader whereupon he delivered these words unto my child…”Nothing lifts people out of poverty faster if they can work and earn money”.
Which would be correct – if he and all the governments for the last thirty years hadn’t set it up so that working no longer provided enough income.
+1
Another day in John Key’s neo-liberal nightmare.
We have become a cruel, greedy, uncaring and selfish nation under his wretched leadership.
Cruel
Housing New Zealand
‘Queenstown social housing questioned
A memo from Housing New Zealand details an exit strategy for its presence in Queenstown.
The memo, released under the Official Information Act, relates to the sale last month of one of the agency’s 10 homes in the resort town.
It said the town was a “high profile resort/lifestyle environment” with “reasonable work opportunities”, which could be seen as “incompatible” with a social housing presence.
The comments have angered social housing providers in the town, including the Queenstown Lakes Community Housing Trust.
Its executive officer, Julie Scott, said it had a waiting list of 350 people struggling to find affordable accommodation.
“I just met with a family this morning and she was in tears. They’ve been in Queenstown since 1992, they’ve got three kids and they’ve got until 22 August and then they’ve got to be out of their property.
“They just can’t find anywhere to go and it’s just heartbreaking.”
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/307127/queenstown-social-housing-questioned
“which could be seen as “incompatible” with a social housing presence.”
Financial cleansing plain and simple.
Queenstown has been “incompatible” with just about all social services for the last 40 years at least. It’s been almost impossible to access the dole, a state house or most other benefits, so accomodation subsidies don’t kick in. Even sickness benefit is difficult. About the only beneficiaries are on the pension, and there’s a lot of them, some of quite modest means but they do own their home. The senior citizens is a very active bunch down here.
I’m not that worried about HNZ selling out here, they got very good prices for the properties they sold and PROVIDED that money’s going to more housing in needier areas. That we’ll see. Their presence here is sort of a hangover from the days of government departments and an age when large employers had staff housing. The staff housing got sold off in the 90’s but HNZ endured. One story was that they couldn’t get their shit together in time to catch each cycle, so by the time they were ready to sell the market had gone.
These problems are old hat for Queenstown, we have always had hordes of “immigrants” flocking into town when times are good to partake of our perceived lifestyle, so the place goes crazy. What’s different this cycle, and under this government is that this business model has been scaled up and transferred to Auckland.
Another day in John Key’s neo-liberal nightmare.
We have become a cruel, greedy, uncaring and selfish nation under his wretched leadership.
Cruel
Housing, prisons.
‘I reported from South Sudan and Sierra Leone. What I’ve returned to in New Zealand still shocks me…..
To not be able to swim in our rivers because they are so dirty would’ve been unthinkable to me 10 years ago. In March, the Waikato River Authority said it could take up to 100 years for the Waikato and Waipa rivers to be restored to clean and healthy levels. I’ve seen first-hand waterways that run off the Waikato River blanketed in a creeping toxic algae, festering like a black drain, lifeless. Meanwhile, what remains of our pristine water is being sold by the likes of the Ashburton District Council, to be extracted, bottled up and sent overseas.
Above ground, New Zealand’s reported rate of intimate partner violence is the highest in the developed world. Our incarceration rate is also one of the highest in the developed world and more than half of the men behind bars are Māori. According to Corrections Minister Judith Collins, our prison population topped 9,000 for the first time last year: “Since 2014, the prison population has increased… leading to record highs throughout 2015 and early 2016.” In part, she said the booming prison population was due to locking up family violence offenders for longer.
Then there’s housing and homelessness. New Zealand has one of the fastest growing rates of income inequality in the OECD and it’s on show in our biggest city. In Auckland, families with at least one working parent are living in vans and cars, with marae and charitable trusts stepping in to fill the breach left by social services. How galling it must be for those parents trying to find a warm place for their children to sleep to then see the Prime Minister’s son in all his privileged glory, posing with a Lambourghini and helicopter in his music video.
http://thespinoff.co.nz/media/21-06-2016/i-reported-from-south-sudan-and-sierra-leone-what-ive-returned-to-in-new-zealand-still-shocks-me/
Another day in John Key’s neo-liberal nightmare.
We have become a cruel, greedy, uncaring and selfish nation under his wretched leadership.
Selfish, greedy.
Max Key.
‘Then there’s housing and homelessness. New Zealand has one of the fastest growing rates of income inequality in the OECD and it’s on show in our biggest city. In Auckland, families with at least one working parent are living in vans and cars, with marae and charitable trusts stepping in to fill the breach left by social services. How galling it must be for those parents trying to find a warm place for their children to sleep to then see the Prime Minister’s son in all his privileged glory, posing with a Lambourghini and helicopter in his music video.’
http://thespinoff.co.nz/media/21-06-2016/i-reported-from-south-sudan-and-sierra-leone-what-ive-returned-to-in-new-zealand-still-shocks-me/
‘Can’t wait to share paradise with you’……. says Max Key.
Key, Mike Hosking and Paul Henry all call New Zealand paradise.
And they are all rich.
And don’t have the compassion or empathy to see how tough it it for many New Zealanders.
For many New Zealanders it’s a neo-liberal nightmare.
All part of the grand plan to attract criticism to max then the ‘cyber bullying’ and ‘class war’ cards will be played as well as all the msm shills who get to play their sympathy violins for hard done by max.
It is a shame they have hijacked ‘cyber bullying’ to mean people taking the piss out of the powerful & famous. Since when has hassling politicians & musicians been ‘cyber bullying’, since it suited the powers that be, who think themselves above criticism.
“All hail plankton, all hail plankton”.
Thats why they put it out there with granny trying to garner sympathy for pullya benefit. Its all about subtle messaging and the framing.
The class war is being waged already.
By the rich.
Yes and passed off as the politics of envy
The class war has been won. The left collapsed with thew end of the Soviet Union. And see how the New Prime Minister of Canada, son of a left marxist has been assimilated by Feminism. He wont improve workers economy.
try hitting the keys with your other paw – the one you are using is not making any sense
Oh for fucks sake. It is not neoliberal. New Zealand has a left government. New Zealanders never ever will elect a neoliberal government. You must be tripping.
Don’t blame the ‘left’ for this horrible Govt thank you very much, it’s all yours & your fellow ‘right’ travelers.
NZ has been a neo-liberal place since the 1980s as you well know. All governments since then have been either right-wing or hard right-wing. The present government is hard right-wing while pretending to be centrist – and you know that as well.
” New Zealanders never ever will elect a neoliberal government”
well that explains the lies, dead rats, massive $ spent on PR and the secret smear machine doesnt it
another day, another load of cobblers from sly hands
So at what point do they cross the Marie Antoinette threshold and it’s perceived as arrogance and bites them on the arse.
The casualties will be mounting of their aspirational economy, Max’s escapade would be hard watching for a young Dairy couple in their first farm with the big mortgage and deficits for the foreseeable. And probably soon to be followed by a lot in tourism and beekeeping.
We’re seeing a lot of really grumpy and jealous New Zealanders over our counter in Queenstown. People quite annoyed that someone else is perceived as doing better than them or their town.
Makes me wonder who the Keys are trying to reach with this caper?
How much was Rebstock paid for that rubbish report ?
Far too much
Over $200,000! Yet they cannot afford the to pay a Living Wage, at least the Damehood was cheap & cheerful.
WTF ? For a rag report that wrongly accused and defamed a man ? And has been found to be spectacularly wrongheaded and false ? WTF ??? Who pays the price for smashing over good people in this country anymore ?
She was paid $2,000 per day according to one report. True?
http://norightturn.blogspot.co.nz/2016/06/paula-rebstock-should-pay-for-this.html
“Meanwhile, its worth noting that Rebstock was paid $208,907″ for this report”
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11205716
The whole exercise cost over $500,000 & Finlayson said in Parliament he stood by the report when Labour questioned it in Feb. How about that, Labour were doing a good job holding the Govt to account.
I feel a distinct sense that these bastards are dashing out like Ceauscescus.
Did a communist theorist predict Auckland’s housing crisis 70 years ago?
http://readingthemaps.blogspot.co.nz/2016/06/bill-mcara-on-aucklands-housing-crisis_23.html
We cannot afford the rich
No pandas for Wellington. Perhaps they should have got someone who isn’t a low-life to make the request for them.
Buenos Aires is making the right decision
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jun/23/buenos-aires-zoo-close-animals-captivity-argentina?CMP=share_btn_fb#_=_
+1
New Zealand men.
Alcohol.
Rugby.
A formula for domestic violence..
http://m.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=11662434
Women make all the choices to be in a relationship, men have very little options but to settle for one that says yes. And their is some people that just shouldnt be in a relationship.
The question should be is how can we educate women to make better choices in men, because the problem isnt going to be fixed by doing the same thing over and over, and expecting a different outcome each time.
And prohibition sure worked wonderfully in America circa early last century, the social outcomes was a huge success.
Rugby is pretty boring with the All Blacks winning all the time.
You’re acting like women enter into a relationship with full knowledge about what the future holds.
I suspect very few men are abusive at the start of a relationship, it’s only once the woman has no other choice that the abuse starts, trapping the woman and making it very difficult to escape.
I thought he was meaning, Men are such desperate creatures, we sniff around women all day long until we find one who will say yes.
Where as women get to exersize choice in their mate much more, in a primal base sort of way.
IDNK it’s early I just woke up. The bloody standard requires, a fully comprehending mind of extraordinary intellect almost 24/7 where as right wing blogs expect you more to grunt at there bigotry, a far easier task.
and if he really thinks this about men in general, he is a pretty sad human being.
Men, generally speaking are not animals that can’t control their urges and desires.
Most man are not abusers, some are, and many of those that are would be repeat offenders, especially if they get away with their behavior. However, i firmly believe that the vast majority of men does not behave like a grunting degenerate around women and girls.
I would also really hope that men will stand up to that type of bullshit peddling.
It is time that we put the blame where the blame belongs, to those that abuse and hurt others, irrespective of gender, age and all the other stuff.
Hi Sabine I think you took it , too far to the literal, as the coffee enters my system I may be able to say it better,
In the gender search for a partner, perhaps he meant the male moves from rejection to rejection as he tries to impress each prospective mate, where as the female of the species is the one who sits and selects from her prospective mates as they vie for her affections.
typically.
as per my comment below, i have absolutly no idea what he meant, but i can read what he typed.
And what he typed is usally called Victim blaming and putting the onus on the Victim to protect herself form future harm, i guess whith the help of a glass ball or some tarot cards. I mean its not that man or women run around with a tattoo on their heads that say ‘beware, abuser’.
IF he was being sarcastic he failed utterly. The two articles linked by me below are from todays herald. Other headlines today, a. another ‘sex’ attack in Wellington http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/81407411/police-investigating-early-morning-sex-attack-on-wellingtons-taranaki-street and an arrest was made in the case of the 65 year old women who was raped in her home this week
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/81384392/arrest-made-in-porirua-rape-case
then there is the article about a murderer being released from prison, but the body of his victim is still not found http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/81363039/former-detective-holds-out-hope-neithes-body-will-be-uncovered
and of course lets not forget the schoolsgirls with their defrauding knees defrauding and distracting male school teachers to the point of where their naked knees could be considered ‘sexual harrasment’ http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/education/81365804/christchurch-schoolgirls-told-their-skirt-length-distracted-male-teachers , maybe trousers should be the standard school uniform, or maybe teachers need to learn that if the knees of a 16 year old are so ‘defrauding and distracting’ that maybe they should only teach at a boys school….but then i hear there are boys that wear shorts to school…..oh those naked knees of children.
And this is just one morning over coffee. So maybe you know, he just meant what he said?
I was just focused on that particular sentence of his, the rest of it made little sense, I just got his reference to the mating ritual.
His one weakness of argument I immediately noticed, was his simplification of the issue, which due to the diversity of human behaviour he fails to acknowledge, as in the fact, Sociopaths, psychopathic people. I won’t go into their behavioural expertise area’s if you understand me, because he should realize it and incorporate it into his argument but fails to see it at all. Why should I enlighten his narrow perceptions of how things are.
When he learns to challenge his beliefs he’ll adopt a more rational view point.
Dating is a numbers game, and for a yes answer, some guys dont stop when they do get a yes, in marry.
I simplified the issue for the reason its not an easy one answer fix,
and it wont be solved because of human nature. And that desire of sexual attraction overrides any red flags.
I mentioned police proposing allowing women access to mens criminal records, privacy grounds aside, would it have worked,
has warning a female that a guy is no good ever.
Men Going There Own Way is a utube thing.
Relationships are a choice.
Those poor male teachers can’t have been educated at coed schools, or they wouldn’t have made it to university.
These are crimes are of certain types of men who are psychotic, mentally ill, or just opportunists, it in no way relates to being in a relationship with a guy who drinks and watches Rugby.
And I cant stop them.
And Im not victim blaming, your projecting that onto me.
Thank you Lanthanide. I am just NOT getting into the theme of Graeme’s comment today. If there’s a few sentences that can sum up a response to Graeme, you’ve done it. Again, thank you.
Here’s a another hard earned lesson. No booze or Rugby involved here.
https://nz.news.yahoo.com/a/31907367/pregnant-woman-saved-by-breast-implants-as-partner-tried-to-stab-her-to-death/#page1
The modern New Zealand way is not prohibition of Alcohol ………… just attacks and smears on those wanting to lower alcohol ABUSE …..
While passing laws that are a confused expensive mess that work in favor of the booze industry.
Steinlager All blacks ……… Drug All blacks
So how can we fix rampant sexual abuse in religious communities etc, where booze isnt involved.
And for that matter where government agencies replace children back with their abusers.
and this dead women here also could have done a better job at ‘choosing’ that man in her life.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11662452
but hey, it must be her fault and he gets an interview in which he can all tell us what a good boy he is and he meant nothing he did.
Yes, if this girl/women would have just have the good sense to ‘choose’ a different Dad. And i am sure the wifes and children of the other men mentioned in this article are also trying very hard in the future to ‘choose’ better men and dads.
If your comment was an attempt at sarcasm it failed.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=11662214
“A man who raped his own daughter, forced her to wear bondage and pimped her to six other men told police it was fun while it lasted.
The father, who cannot be named, has been jailed for more than 22 years in what a judge described as one of the worst cases of its kind.
He pleaded guilty to 61 offences committed between 2013 and 2015 when the girl was aged between 11 and 13.”
“Benjamin Simon Clarke was previously sentenced to three years in jail for his involvement, which included photographing the girl in lingerie and nude.
Former pastor and father-of-two, Dawid Volmer, was sentenced to 10-and-a-half years after he admitted molesting and raping the blindfolded girl while her dad was present.
Four other men also face charges.”
Its why there are prisons.
but how do you propose she could have ‘saved’ herself, by ‘choosing’ a better man in her life, and not ‘ignoring’ the pointers and hints that her father is a degenerate, that a priest is a degenerate that up to 6 man had no issue raping a girl of 11 – 13 years old.
that is what you stated above. that women should choose ‘better men’. so how does a child choose her father? Please explain. Thanks.
what about this girls and one boy? in care of CYF and a foster family?
Could they not just have choosen a better foster father? Or maybe the violene is really the fault of the one meeting out violence and not the fault of the one receiving the violence.
good grief, you really are a sad excuse for a human being aren’t you 🙂
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/79441329/walmsley-trial-the-evidence-that-simply-couldnt-be-invented
Systemic failures in government agencies and various institutions are something I can not fix, and that political parties in government duck any responsibility if fixing problems they could.
Just blaming it all on booze and rugby is getting tiring to hear.
Meanwhile its an election next year, maybe a new anti domestic violence campaign will fix deeply embedded social problems that just seem to get worse.
Doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting a different result each time sure seems to be working.
I am not sure why you are mentioning booze and rugby all the time, cause i sure did not. I just mentioned all the cases of women not exercising good choice in the choice of their fathers, foster fathers, teachers, and so on. All those bad choices women make, we don’t even get rugby and booze to excuse our poor choice making when it comes to the men that will rape, abuse, beat and murder us.
Tsk tsk tsk.
First post reply was to a lets blame rugby and booze.
Dont date this guy:
https://nz.news.yahoo.com/a/31907367/pregnant-woman-saved-by-breast-implants-as-partner-tried-to-stab-her-to-death/#page1
Greg
Are you really that repulsive that you’ll settle for the first person who doesn’t run away screaming? If so, I think you’d be better advised to look at improving your own self rather than blaming all woman.
“The question should be”; why should anyone pay heed to one who can type; “their is some people” (not the only error, just the most concentrated), and then post it on a public thread? If they give their reasoning as little thought as they do their composition, then why am I wasting my time responding to this gibberish…
Fuck that and fuck you too!
It sure aint none of my fault.
What happened to the police proposal that women could check up mens criminal record, that seems to have been dropped.
And Women do ignor red flags, and warnings.
Just to list one of many Men who are victims as well, Austin Bernard Hemmings stepped in: http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/645983/Stabbing-victim-named-as-father-of-three
I’m avoiding being a victim by choosing a level four MGTOW lifestyle,
Men going their own way.
Greg – get this and really really listen – the men that abuse, kill, rape, molest, and all of the other disgusting, degrading things they do to their victims are SOLELY to blame for their offending. That is the start, middle and end of the answer. If you don’t accept that then you are part of the problem not the solution.
i wasnt ever saying they wernt, thats why we have prisons, what dont you understand:
This is what we do have to compete with:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/sex/7800865/Women-who-date-death-row-prisoners.html
New Zealand men + alcohol + rugby = domestic violence ???
bullshit on the toilet front
Plenty of violence happens in religious communities, where their isnt any booze or rugby. And then theirs gang culture, which does.
This a good, silly game.
http://w3w.co/humans.skill.rats
Mexit petition nears 20,000
https://www.change.org/p/tvnz-get-rid-of-hosking-1347aa6d-8044-4a33-ba59-7fe0a5dba42b
Interview with petition starter,
http://i.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/tv-radio/81370038/mike-hosking-why-i-want-to-get-rid-of-him
I wish the focus was less on offender and more on the critical role of journalism/media and the need to not use that position for expressions of personal opinion.
One could argue that this will make more people watch the show thus consolidating Mike Hoskings position
one could argue that not watching this geezer is good for the mental and spiritual well being of one.
I don’t watch him but you may well be right
Not me, havnt watched TV since Netflix started up.
And he is too predictable.
I prefer kodi… 🙂
I just stick with a few beers, work enough hours to pay rent , food etc.
Minimizing stress and chaos,
and avoiding the unrealistic expectations of others.
One could argue that the moon is made of blue cheese too PR. Go on, make your argument then.
Well ok then Campbell Live was losing viewing and only picked up when TV3 announced its axing, to the best of my knowledge Mike Hosking isn’t losing viewers yet if people think it may get axed then more people may watch it, if for nothing else then curiosity to see what the fuss is about
Or not
That would only make sense if there were a whole lot of people who love Hosking in the way that others love Campbell. I just don’t think that’s true. There will be some, but mostly people watch Hosking because it’s on and because it’s sensational.
A lot of Campbell’s audience had stopped watching TV or were getting their current affairs on the internet. It’s really a different situation than Hosking.
Agreed, its quite different. Campbell Live getting axed was a commercial decision because he was losing viewers, Hosking isn’t losing viewers and is popular but people want him axed because they don’t like his views
paul henry on tv1.
Actually on that topic, where’s our moon base.
Nasa wants to go to Mars, yet we havnt got a moon base yet.
glad I’m not the only one pissed off about that
And ,so many promises of a great future,
4 day working week, or working from home, living wage, paperless office,
They has just managed to implement E invoices in the last 6 months.
Have faith Weka, one of the morons will slip up and mention that which they promised never to mention.
On a side note, I really find it absurdly ridiculous we have a PM, who is so arrogant he’s come out defending keeping Rebstock, and without even saying he dismisses the Ombudsman as irrelevant to his agenda, he just did by ignoring him. Iain moves on he knew and got a free pass, helped onto his next train wreck.
I trust a full investigation into the actions of National will be forthcoming regarding abuses of power, upon a change of government.
and its tough competing with this:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/sex/7800865/Women-who-date-death-row-prisoners.html
Paula Rebstock’s influence on NZers:
It beggars belief!!
This hard-wired American neoliberal junkie with a vindictive bent is practically running the show. I wonder how many NZ lives she has destroyed thus far… not to mention those she has slandered or defamed.
I sincerely hope the next Lab/Green/NZ First(?) govt. ensures she never gets another position of influence in this country ever again!
http://www.beaccessible.org.nz/the-movement/fab-50-network/paula-rebstock
Probably in the thousands so far at least.
And what law would they do that under?
Although, falsifying the report seems like good grounds.
Well, they got rid of Christine Rankin. I was referring to the public sector roles in which she is involved.
With Rebstock in charge no wonder the railways are being closed down and no wonder this government has fought sensible public transport options in Auckland (only to do the usual u-turn on the rail loop when their ridiculous position became untenable) and no wonder ACC has become much harder to obtain.
Her refusal to front up today to answer questions when disastrously wrong with the Foreign Affairs report , or earlier answer a civil question on ACC investment of public money (listen to Morning Report this morning) speaks volumes for the way this government operates.
And she will be getting a heafty stipend for every one, how would her PAYE would work out,
Probably contracts rather than PAYE and she has offshore trusts?
I’d be surprised to find that she paid tax.
Auckland Mayoral candidate Phil Goff supports road tolls for Auckland.
Labour Party Leader Andrew Little is calling for Labour Party supporters to support Phil Goff for Auckland Mayor.
Does that mean that the Labour Party supports road tolls for Auckland?
Statement by Auckland Mayoral candidate Penny Bright
“Road Tolls? NO WAY!”
“Let’s get it right – there is NO SUCH THING as ‘public transport’ in Auckland,” says Auckland Mayoral candidate Penny Bright.
“There are 10 private bus companies, 4 private ferries and a French multi-national operating and managing Auckland trains.”
“What is ‘public’ – is the subsidies these private passenger transport operators are receiving – but there is no transparency or accountability regarding how much is being received by whom.”
“I know – because I have asked.”
“Here is the LGOIMA (Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act) reply from Auckland Transport, dated 7 July 2015:
http://www.parliament.nz/resource/en-nz/51SCLGE_EVI_51DBHOH_PET66634_1_A494427/9aa813e65f89372033c648c285010dec9ff0b40f
“Here is the evidence in the form of an extensive Privacy Act reply from Auckland Transport, dated 29 October 2015, which confirms that these private passenger transport operators did NOT want to reveal how much public monies they were receiving in the form of SUBSIDIES:
http://www.parliament.nz/resource/en-nz/51SCLGE_EVI_51DBHOH_PET66634_1_A494428/9b31a5acc867353077952bd23648be429134bbf6
“Here’s a wild idea – how about ‘opening the books’ and ‘cutting out the contractors’, and making ‘public’ transport truly PUBLIC – by bringing ownership, management and operation back ‘in house’, under the not-for-profit, public service model?”
“Why should the public subsidise that which we no longer own, operate or manage?”
“If the private sector are SO ‘efficient’ – why do they need public subsidies?”
“‘Activists – get things done.
As well as carrying out this pivotal investigative research, I have also petitioned Parliament, where I have raised my concerns about Auckland Council Controlled Organisations (CCOs) – directly, and successfully, with the law-makers.”
http://www.parliament.nz/resource/en-nz/51DBSCH_SCR69296_1/924613ec7fb831c4e74bd062f73287ac2ceb5081
“Accountability and transparency of Auckland’s council-controlled organisations
The petitioner told us of her concern that the public was unable to have a say on the model of Auckland’s CCOs after the 2009 Auckland “super city” merger.
She stressed that the public is also unable to have a say about the directorship of CCOs or to have any direct say in CCO statements of intent.
She believes that this is because CCOs are not classified as local authorities for the purposes of the Local Government (Rating) Act 2002.
The petitioner strongly believes that CCOs need to be more accountable to Auckland ratepayers because a percentage of rates goes towards the operations of CCOs.
She told us that she is defending her “lawful right as a citizen to know where my money is being spent”.
The petitioner questions how the efficiencies and cost-effectiveness of Auckland CCOs is monitored.
She is particularly concerned that information about the financial transactions of CCOs is unclear and difficult for the public to access.
For example, she would prefer that contractor transactions were easily available in a written format for public scrutiny.
The petitioner also asked why Auckland Transport does not provide open access to information about transport subsidies, given that much transport in Auckland is privately operated.
We were also told that Auckland rates have increased to pay for a transport levy.
…”
Penny Bright
2016 Auckland Mayoral candidate.
Indeed, Penny.
National’s brighter future seems to be one where the poor are priced off the roads.
What is Labour’s vision?
Priced out of apartments as well, forcing inner city workers to the suburbs.
It sure is wonderful sitting n a bus with virus filled passengers, or relying on the trains to be on time.
Auckland’s wage increases by its major employers have been lucky to be inflationary.
Dead right, Greg.
The ‘virus filled’ buses cause less death per year than the cars (probably the lack of viruses due to good coverage of vaccines) and the trains are almost always on time.
the trains are probably a shitload more reliable than a car.
That’s why people get pissed off if they’re more than a few minutes late on any particular run, whereas even if traffic runs okay there’s always “sorry, I couldn’t find a park”.
Labour will instigate a funding mechanism whereby a portion of your toll (sorry congestion pricing incentive) invoice will be topped up, dependent on the extent to which your trip was related to your work. This won’t be available to anyone not working, or with more than 2.45 children under the age of 12.
There will also be a secondary method whereby you can estimate your likely toll bill for the next year and be paid the top up amount by NZTA. However penalty charges (150%) will be incurred should your estimate prove to be incorrect by more than 0.637%.
A partial compensation refund fund will also be available on a contestable, first in first served basis, with a sliding scale reduction for multiples of 12 public transport trips. Keep your tickets.
Further these charges will not apply to any vehicle less than 14 months old or with a market value greater than 48000 or with a WOF less than 2 weeks old.
That s farking funny 🙂
Epiphany moment.
I finally figured out why John keys flag referendum failed. The proper flag option he wanted didn’t get picked.
It would have been a black flag, with the word in bold white “democracy” written across it, and to finish it off, a nice blue slash going from bottom left corner, to the top right.
I am a fkn genius!
/sarc.
“I feel love”
Which do you prefer, the original Donna Summer disco sounds or Bronski Beat?
I love both but for today it will be Bronski Beat, featuring Marc Almond
Patrick Cowley did the original mega 12″ version of I Feel Love, he was one of the first casualties of HIV/Aids back in the early 80s. The guy was pure genius, alongside Moroder he pretty much invented Disco/Hi-NRG/Electro whatever. Not heard the Bronski Beat version, it’s all right, they def wear their influences on their sleeves, love ’em.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_Cowley
The Rollo/Sister Bliss Monster Mix.
Gangnam and Gabby, I am definitely going to check those two out later
I grew up with both as they came during different era’s I too agree both were good as each other, have to go for the former Donna summer for me. by a creative first way.
Georgio Moroder produced a lot of hits for Donna Summer. He was a very influential pioneer of electronic beats
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giorgio_Moroder
And of course you can hear Moroders “tears” famously sampled in DJ Shadow’s Organ Donor:
Now I’ve gotta get outta here because this isn’t politics, this more like The Standard Weekend Social. I’ve gotta go catch up with Brexit, check the house for ducks and work out how to use facebook. I’ve finally given in after all these year!
Half of my house is riveted, Heard of multitasking? Split screens etc. 🙂
We are in the, please leave already camp.
You’re in the leave camp?………………
The celebrations are resounding here, and i’m proud to say Sunderland voted to leave to, as well as Durham. Represent North east!
Proud to be British might mean something again, so will “Made in Briton”.
“The celebrations are resounding here, and i’m proud to say Sunderland voted to leave to, as well as Durham. Represent North east!
Proud to be British might mean something again, so will “Made in Briton”.”
Even if you’re not and it’s spelled Britain. lol
“i’m also Albanian”
I was born in NZ to a UK mother and an Albanian father, I’ve seen it spelled Briton, and it’s a distraction to the point I make.
Oh BTW Trying to belittle someone you don’t know is just a reflection of your own insecurities, and how I spelled it , unless this is a spelling contest is my business.
It’s no distraction, just a bit of a fun fact to go with your third party rhetoric.
For informational purposes only, if you’ve ever seen ‘made in Briton’ then whoever wrote it got it really wrong. In the context given it’s always going to be Britain, unless of course it’s an archaeological relic from the relevant time period.
“The Britons were an ancient Celtic people who lived in Great Britain from the Iron Age through the Roman and Sub-Roman periods. They spoke a language that is now known as Common Brittonic.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celtic_Britons
I never been there, rrreally, what would I know about the UK 🙂
come on dude I lived there ten years, mum came back 2 weeks ago from ten years there, we may have had a good catch up you know?. My sister works for the Council in Sunderland, she’s kiwi born, but like me has right of abode?
Sounds lovely
Britain is the country. Briton is a person from Britain. They sound the same, but our illogical spelling system means that one sound can have a number of spellings in English..
Germans use to call yous Englanders…
Dunedin, what are you doing? 20 degrees yesterday – are you serious? Are you trying for the 2016 climate change challenge to be the most unlikely southern city to have the highest winter temperature?
The degree of cognitive dissonance in South Dunedin must be peaking too (they had a meeting earlier in the week where some residents thought the council talking about the flooding in the context of climate change was greenie nonsense).
A face palm meeting by the sounds of it. It’s difficult when a council actually acknowledges their geographical area has a problem with CC and the residents deny it. A similar thing happened a few years ago when the Kapiti District council projected sea level rises along the coastline where housing would be affected.
Residents said it was nonsense and scaremongering. Now the $million + homes on beachfront land are sitting there unsold while houses elsewhere in that range, especially in town, in Wgtn, are selling no problem. I wonder if there will be an issue with potential buyers talking their insurance agents and the agents letting them know they will high premiums living in such a setting.
Even when I was a kid in the 70’s growing up across the road from the sea we had massive spring storms that would bring dunes down. It’s going to be nuts as we move further into the anthropocene.
I live in South Dunedin, we are not all morons.
Dunedin hasn’t had a winter, I work outside & have def noticed it, this time last year I think we had 2 dumps of snow! & the floods a year ago too (yes we were surrounded by water, came right to the door, 2 hours in this street were pulled down because of damage), been living in this suburb for 10 or so years, & def noticed the beach is nearer than it used to be, its a bit scary when you can hear it so close. Also a few years ago I had to dig a grave for the dog & the water table is only maybe 1-2 feet below us! So good on Cull for talking about it, though he’s back-tracking a bit because of the South Dunedin morons.
Side note, South Dunedin is one of the poorest suburbs in the country, with shocking rates of teen pregnancies, over crowding, unemployment etc…but it is connected to the richest suburbs of the city with old beautiful Victorian mansions & brand new mega flash cars, so I think its the rich end of town complaining, I doubt the poor have too much invested in this suburb.
Thanks for the local report. It’s always good to hear from residents and get their viewpoint. It’s often the case the wealthy have louder voices, or quite often more influence with the council.
Farry lives around the corner from me in the biggest house in the street,I would imagine he has a direct line to council/Govt. He was responsible for the stadium & got some kinda ‘honour’ from the Nat Govt for his effort in lying to us about it’s benefits. Some stunning old mansions in this ‘hood, a lot of ‘old money’ swishing around. Pity it’s all gonna be underwater in a few years.
http://www.odt.co.nz/files/featured_gallery/2015/06/aerial_07_03062015_jpg_556eb86932.jpg
http://www.stuff.co.nz/content/dam/images/1/5/4/y/f/3/image.related.StuffLandscapeSixteenByNine.620×349.154ri4.png/1433445323485.jpg
http://www.odt.co.nz/files/featured_gallery/2015/06/aerial_01_03062015_jpg_556eb86911.jpg
http://www.odt.co.nz/files/user21583/aerial_05_03062015.jpg
The area used to be sand dunes & wetlands, the ducks still walk around thinking it is, but then maybe they have long genetic memories & know it will be theirs again one day.
Gangnam Style
No mention of Farry in the ODT, mainly; Ray MacLeod, spokesman of the South Dunedin Action Group (SDAG). Haven’t heard of him before, do you have any local knowledge? It seems a weird bit of delusion to be; blaming those attempting to formulate a response to climate change, for the property damage caused by sealevel rises.
http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/387568/anger-about-south-dunedins-future
This seems to me to be another bit of prepositioning for the anti-Green vote in this year’s local body elections. Similar to the antiwindfarm movement that sprangup out of nowhere earlier in Warrington.
No sorry, I just mentioned Farry because he’s around the corner, he’s more a behind the scenes type of guy, just my opinion. I don’t know of Mr MacLeod, but read about his anti ‘green’ type rant, maybe he should make use of the internet & google Canute. Not heard of the South Dunedin Action Group before this article sorry.
Just read the group was started after last years flood, maybe I should try & get involved, I love this ‘burb!
bugger all coverage in the ODT, what’s that about?
” It seems a weird bit of delusion to be; blaming those attempting to formulate a response to climate change, for the property damage caused by sealevel rises.”
Disagree.
Last year 90%+ of the damage was caused by DCC neglect. And all of the sub par post flood response.
Did climate change add a couple of cm to the flood height? Sure. So what.
You’d think the council could ponder deeply the issues of climate change AND keep the drains clear, really.
Blimey.
I don’t know of this Farry character but there always seems to a local body self promoting/self interest type that is also in league with the nat party.
Hope you’ve got some strong contenders to look at voting for this year, ones that are aligned to environmental/restoration/cc issues/resilience. (Just reading Pasupial’s comment below).
Re ducks. I think they have long family memories, just my observation. I’ve really noticed that the more of the farmland disapears on the development where I live (especially the boggy bits) the more ducks we get in the garden, that won’t leave.
Because I live in their territory I feel I have a duty to care for them. I give them fresh water everyday as their water source has dried up. We had a drought over summer and they had nothing to eat so hung out here. I’ve also got orphaned ducklings who grew up in our garden and they come here every day, some are pets. They have a double risk with ongoing development too. The more roads that go in, the more stormwater drains there are for ducklings to fall into. I had SPCA in to help me rescue 3 babies that went down a drain. The SPCA person said that in the developing northern areas they had double the callouts, up to 500 call outs for ducklings alone. It’s a waste of their time. We just need smaller gap grates.
As humans we may expect them move somewhere else but they don’t seem to. They stay in their turf. Hope the ducks in your area have enough grass and insects to eat and enough water.
mum lived in Atkinson st – like going back in time going there
Michael Woodhouse is from that part of South Dunedin too marty, he mentions it now & again like Key & his state house upbringing.
lol – street cred is hard to buy
Still wondering why Woodhouse hasn’t stood against Curran. He has more connections to the Dunedin South electorate than she does. I figure it is because he can’t be bothered being an electorate MP.
Possibly because Curran is too popular. Nobody seems to have been able to roll her, no matter how much they’d like to take her place.
Curran is too popular? Have you even looked at her plummeting electorate majority?
There was a time when Curran was perceived as a bit of an embarrassment who spent too much time on twitter, but for what it’s worth, I think that’s changed.
She has grown into the role. She works hard. Yes she can be a bit impulsive and makes some mistakes, but has a lot of heart.
Her approach to the June flood was spot on from the day one; she held council to account for its dissembling and appeared to do a huge amount of work on that issue (for individual cases as well as the infrastructure issue).
It will be interesting to see if her efforts translate into more votes next time around.
I was about to say: It’s amazing how many Dunedinites are on this site.
But, come to think of it, Dunedin is still the most Left-leaning City in the Country* (Wellington’s the only other centre where the Left continue to beat the Right Bloc) … so maybe not all that surprising after all.
* Indeed, it’s been argued that Pete George is the only Dunedinite to have Party-Voted National at the last Election. Isn’t that right, Pete ?
Those who have followed the hatchet job on Peggy Burrows Principal of Rangiora High School, might care to visit the Givealittle page at
https://explore.givealittle.co.nz/search?q=Peggy+Burrows
This time Peggy’s Rangiora case is in the Herald.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11662583
Bev Moore, the Commissioner has also done a hatchet job on an Invercargill Principal in a similar fashion because that Principal contested National Standards. That Principal took her case to Court won and was vindicated.
Nasty unfair stuff.
True. And the ERA have just given Peggy a minor victory in overturning the latest gagging order imposed on her. There is hope…
In Vino. The excuse that Moore gave for sacking Peggy was her speaking out to defend herself. So what happened with the ERA?
Aha. Found it dated 24 June:
“The Employment Relations Authority yesterday ruled against the Rangiora High School commissioner, Beverley Moore, after she took a case to try and gag former RHS principal, Peggy Burrows. ”
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK1606/S00797/era-finds-in-favour-of-peggy-burrows.htm
http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/387979/homeless-installation-causes-stir
My mate has this installation at the moment, some people find it shocking, some are angry, but most are talking about homelessness which is kinda the point. Well done Toki!
Good for them! interesting piece of interactive art with people leaving donations of food and cash.
Got a few lovely notes offering help, blankets, couches to sleep on etc…The All Blacks walked past without even glancing down, it’s been quite fascinating watching peoples reactions, I thought it was real when I first saw it. Apparently Dunedins homeless sleep in the greenbelt, too cold on the streets. And he’s left it outside over night a few times & each time in the morning the sleeping bag has been removed so we assume people are checking ‘he/she’ is OK. No sign of any Bennett ‘flying squad’ of monkeys as yet, still time!
Rest of the exhibition is good too if anyone is walking past, have a look!
+ 1 Awesome art and contemporary commentary – love it and the things people have left.
tipping point?
“The British pound is in freefall as the Brexit vote looks set to win the EU Referendum. In the last five minutes it has fallen 8 per cent against the US dollar.
The crash is now the largest in modern history and has exceeded the fall known as Black Wednesday in 1992 when the UK was forced out of the European Exchange Rate Mechanism.”
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11662600
beginning of the transition. A lot of it will be speculative shorting
I wonder what instructions those trustees who are managing blind trusts/investments in foreign exchanges are receiving from those who have major interests in those blind trusts …
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11662642
All credit to Amy Adams for reading out the apology to Teina Pora, apparently she didn’t have to. It was the least she could do, now it’s the polices turn.
I have to be slightly impressed by that.
I don’t have to be but I acknowledge a good measure of belief. Politics fucks up belief unfortunately but it is admirable as far as it goes.