That storm was part of a six-day outbreak of an estimated 180 tornadoes that caused 177 deaths, including 157 in Joplin, Missouri. Total losses across 15 states were greater than $7 billion, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
“The year 2011 has already established itself in the record books as a historic year for weather-related disasters, and it is not over — in fact, hurricane season is just getting under way,” NOAA Deputy Administrator Kathryn D. Sullivan told the Senate Appropriations Committee in late July.
“Catastrophic drought occurred once every five years in the 1950s and once every two years in the 1990s. But in the past 10 years it’s been almost every year,” Li Maosong, director of the Agricultural Information Office at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), told China Daily.
Tang Huajun, deputy dean of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), said a 5 to 10 percent crop loss is foreseeable by 2030 if climate change continues.
‘The impact of climate change, coupled with arable land loss and water shortages, will cause a bigger grain production fluctuation and pose a threat to reaching output targets,’ Tang told China Daily.
According to statistics from the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), the average annual crop losses due to drought in China were 75.7 billion yuan ($11.1 billion) from 1988 to 2004, while annual losses due to flood were 51.1 billion yuan.
‘Drought has become the greatest disaster facing China’s agriculture,’ said Lin Erda, a professor with CAAS.
Russia has enough grain to cover its domestic needs after harvesting this year 38% less than the previous crop, a senior official said Monday. However markets believe Russia could be forced to import several million tons to ensure grain reserves until the following 2011 harvest
Having helped out with a Whitcoulls stock take and observed deeply the full range of bullsh*t they stock it comes as no surprise they’d stock what is the “how-to” of child abuse the fundie Christian way in order to make a profit.
And ironically enough even Family First is against it, despite their framing of the Section 59 repeal as only being about light smacks, instead of closing the loop hole that allowed for the level of abuse To Train Up A Child teaches to be dealt with properly.
Tonight, CNN’s 360 with Anderson Cooper picked up with Gary Tuchman’s report on Michael and Debi Pearl, best-selling authors of religiously themed books. The Pearls’ methods are controversial, particularly in light of a case involving Kevin and Elizabeth Schatz of Paradise, California, jailed for spanking their two adoptive daughters so severely that one died. The surviving adopted child, as well as their biological children who were also victims of severe punishment, are in foster care.
District attorney Michael Ramsey says there is no doubt in his mind that the Pearls’ advice influenced the Schatzes and that they share some responsibility for the abuses and death. A copy of their book, To Train Up a Child, was found in the Schatz home, marked and underscored. His office decided not to prosecute the Pearls because they had a “First Amendment right to say awful things.”
Should NZ booksellers be allowed to sell a book advocating smacking children?
Which totally misrepresents what the book is about. It isn’t about ‘smacking’, but rather seriously violent ways of discipling children, apparently including using a ‘rod’, thumping and hair pulling. FFS.
The U.S. Department of State seems likely to approve a huge pipeline to carry tar sands oil (about 830,000 barrels per day) to Texas refineries unless sufficient objections are raised. The scientific community needs to get involved in this fray now. If this project gains approval, it will become exceedingly difficult to control the tar sands monster…
I see that our beloved leader, Dear John, has jumped onto the international bandwagon to recognise the new regime in Lybia. Why does he also offer millions from our meagre overseas aid budget for the rebuilding of infrastructure when there is going to be billions of Gaddifi’s frozen funds in America now released to the new government? Surely we should be using our aid budget in the Pacific and let the rich Muslim countries assist the rebuild of Lybia?
No-one put me right on a statement I made on police detention of the young Asperger’s sufferer in Christchurch. I thought that diversion was one possibility but hear police saying that it is only available for them to use with someone who admits guilt. It is not suited then to a case where they are dealing with someone who has a different, particular, altered view of society because of different brain function. Something else is needed. There must be some fairer way of treating such offenders, perhaps under a mental health act. Does anyone know?
Also the light bulbs theft was played up but apparently also, he was inside the forbidden zone which was being zealously guarded by authority. To keep us safe from harm. Also to prevent this sort of mindless looting so I guess any reasoned response would have long ago snuck out the door and down the steps.
My recollection is that he was prepared to plead guilty on the condition that diversion was granted. This sort of negotiation is fairly standard practice as far as i am aware and often but not always results in a satisfactory outcome for both the accused and the police.
In this case the police refused diversion because they wanted to make an example of him and justify their use of force and so it went to defended hearing.
I am not a lawyer however so someone else may be able to shed a bit more light on the particulars of this case and the protocols around the use of diversion.
If you see someone on the bridge about to jump, do you assume them guilty or
bas jumping? The police need distance from the events to act with integrity.
So my question is why was diversion denied, could it be because the
prosecution lawyers decided, as you say there is a certain amount of
negiotiations, were the Police the only people involved in the decision?
Doctors do not just call people names, label them, for fun. Asbergers
is an affliction.
After Daniel Domscheit-Berg was suspended in August 2010, he went about destroying leaked documents held by the well known whistle-blower site Wikileaks…
well well well
thought i should put three holes in the ground ready to be filled with more JK BS
Hands up if you too thought the Asset sales were to pay off Debt. Joyce has said repeatedly that Transmission Gully and the other roads for multi-freight incorporated had budgets already put aside for them, So what does this little statement actually mean ? Apart from the fact these feckers believe the public to be complete morons i mean, which sadly the majority, according to the polls, appear to be.
The above article claims that news reports from Libya are being doctored, and that the rebels have not been nearly as successful as has been made out. The claim by at least one reporter that she has been threatened, by some parts of the MSM, for telling the truth, seems almost more shocking than the war itself.
I don’t know whether the Al Jazeera report was doctored, I do understand that there is plenty of spin, bias and outright lies in the MSM. But there are also plenty of reports that show this ‘globalresearch’ article is not reflecting reality.
This will do more to curtail tax avoidance than National has pretended to be doing in the last couple of years.
I only wonder why it took the IRD until 2008 to file this case against the pair who had been rorting the system since 2000. Surely they could’ve gotten onto them in 2003-04ish?
I liked the $25,000 fee imposed by the learned judges to compensate IRD for having to defend the appeal.
Hundreds or thousands of rorters will be likewise at risk similar to these two pillocks of the community. I’d like to see a grace period for similar rorters to ‘fess and pay up, or incur a nice $25,000 for making the IRD do the work. Abuser pays!
Hmmm. You wonder? Flippin’ heck, you must be dense. You clearly didnt read the article. The case was lost by the commissioner in the High Court, went to the Court of Appeal, and was then appealed to the Supreme Court. On top of that, there would have been the initial investigation by the IRD, the issuing of NOPA’s and the correspondence that surrounds that.
Secondly, the article makes it look like the two surgeons were only paying tax on their salaries, which is not correct as the difference would either be taxed in (a) the trust or (b) the beneficiaries of the trust hands if a distribution to them was made.
Thirdly, the article doesnt say that the Court of Appeal decision was 2 -1 for the Commissioner. Clearly, the case was complex and there must have been some evidence that the arrangement wasnt tax avoidance to convince one judge to dissent. In fact, the dissenting judgment makes the observation that it would seem unusual that tax avoidance arises where a taxpayer consistently pays a lower than market salary of a certain amount and they save on tax merely because tax
rates change.
There are plenty of statutory controls on tax avoidance in this country, and they work just fine. Its just that numbnuts like you, and your ilk, don’t (a) understand what tax avoidance is (b)understand them and (c) dont want to understand them since it would ruin your half baked theories.
Why don’t you post a few links to beneficiaries “rorting” the system? I’m sure you’d be able to easily find a few if you really wanted to try.
I have no idea why you are whining like this. It seems to have touched a nerve. It comes down to this: There has just been a decision by the highest court in New Zealand that you cannot structure your affairs for the sole purpose of avoiding paying your fair share of tax.
Any idiot reading the article will know that the trust/business still has to pay tax, but it will be at a lower rate than their personal income tax rate, and this has been found by the court to be tax avoidance. Whether or not the decision was unanimous at all stages, it has been upheld by the highest court of NZ. On that basis, it will serve as a precedent for future cases. Indeed, this case is part of the ‘statutory controls on tax avoidance’ – the IRD will obviously need to defend itself against any decisions it makes if challenged in court, and the court has come out on the side of the IRD.
Nice one wtl. Dont have any arguments as to what you say at all other than I’m not sure where you get whining from. I was in fact responding to Lanth who couldnt understand why the IRD hadnt gotten onto these chaps sooner. The fact that the High Court ruled in favour of the taxpayer and the CofA decision had a dissenter means that the issue wasnt as clear cut as it seemed. Ergo it took longer.
And yes, it may set a precedent. But then Duke of Westminster v IRD was a precedent. They can be ignored. And I’d point out that this decision was very tightly aligned to the facts in this case. In fact, there are situations where this sort of arrangement would be perfectly ok.
You are quite wrong when you say “any idiot” There are many on this site who would believe these guys were paying no tax on the balance. Just read what some have to say.
As a matter of interest, what do you consider a fair share of tax? What rates are fair and which thresholds? Who do you consider to be rich and at what point does one become rich to fall into the top marginal tax rate? I read and hear a lot of rhetoric about “paying you fair share” here and from the Labour Party, but no one ever puts a line in the sand, do they?
In Vino, “There are many on this site who would believe these guys were paying no tax on the balance. Just read what some have to say.”
Whereabouts? On this post Lanth, wtl, you and I have commented on the decision. And we four are not ‘many on this site’. And I don’t see us making any comment on not paying tax on the balance.
1) You seemed to be whining based on a your long and somewhat insulting response to Lanth. It certainly seems to have taken some time for the case to have been filed and you have outlined some possible reasons for this, so fair enough.
2) I am hardly an expert, but it seems that tax accountants are taking noted of this decision and that IRD may issue some guidelines as a result of this decision. As such, it would appear that this case is, in fact, an important precedent.
3) Indeed some people mistakenly think that they paid no tax but it is impossible to write a report explicitly stating every single point. In my view that report was written well and was quite clear, unlike some other stuff that comes out of the NZ media. I still believe that most people reading that article would have understood what happened, including many of those here.
4) ‘Fair share’ in the above comment referred to what is set in the law, i.e. what other NZers are paying. These people tried to avoid paying what they were supposed to be structuring their affairs in a certain way and I’m glad they have been caught. I am not willing to go into an argument with you about tax rates at this time but I will state that I strongly support a complete overhaul of the system, such as that proposed by Gareth Morgan.
When farmers and other self employed can organise their affairs so that their children can qualify for Student Allowance and sit in lecture theatres next to children of families on moderate combined incomes (exceeding $70000 combined) who do not therefore qualify for Student Allowance, there is something fundamentally wrong with the tax system.
Farmers and the self employed can also put everything down to the company so that they can claim the GST back, fill the family SUV tanks with diesel, claim clothing allowances and many more and generally live a charmed life. Don’t start talking about the few benefit abusers.
And it would seem that the grafting that might go on on the shop floor increases 10 fold the further up the chain you go…
And therefore logie97, a beneficiary, who pays no, or little tax, and who’s children get a student allowance, should also be berated?
Farming is a business. Certain expenses in business are tax deductible, as they are incurred in generating taxable income, and there are anti-avoidance provsions in the Income Tax act to prevent abuse.
and there are anti-avoidance provsions in the Income Tax act to prevent abuse.
And are they enforced fairly and evenly across industries?
What if accountants structure affairs so that income is minimised – legal avoidance?
And therefore logie97, a beneficiary, who pays no, or little tax, and who’s children get a student allowance, should also be berated?
This example shows you don’t get it. In the case of a social welfare beneficiary, the social welfare beneficiary will often be in control of very little income and assets.
logie97 is talking about farming beneficiaries. Who often have very significant revenue flows and assets under their direction.
I would say of course they are enforced evenly and fairly Colonel. Why would you say it is not?
What if? What is the point of this question? Minimising your tax is a right give by the Courts in Westminster v IRD (and taken away to a degree by the Penny & Hooper decision). Are you asking what I think of legal avoidance?
I think I do get it Colonel. And I also understand farming quite well in fact. I’m also sure that you understand that “very significant revenue flows” dont always equate to lots of money in the bank. A beneficiary has revenue flows as well, and has choices as to what to do with it, however limited they may be. Assets are a different story to a point, agreed. However, assets don’t always have a direct correlation to cashflow unless they are disposed off. Then there’s the old hoary problem of debt – equity and interest to be sorted.
So, are you saying that a farmer, with no taxable income, but assets (or an indirect benefit from assets), should not be able to get assistance from the government for his child to attend unversity, whilst a beneficiary, who has no taxable income and has no assets should? If so, are you advocating, heaven forbid, asset testing?
I came across yet another stupid tweet by Tau Henare today, claiming that National had made more varsity places available. From past experience I know not to trust a single word the pathological liar says, so I went about doing a little research…
It is has been interesting (and depressing) keeping track of the Obama administration’s slow but sure capitulation to the Wall Street gnomes. Has anybody the US financial sector yet been charged over the frauds which triggered the 2008 crisis? Here’s the latest:
Last April, the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations released a 650-page report on the financial crisis that provided a detailed factual account of banking fraud as well as the collusion of federal regulatory agencies and the credit rating firms. The report concluded with a list of federal securities statutes that it suggested had been violated by major Wall Street firms.
The Obama administration has ignored this report as part of its efforts to shield the financial elite from being held to account for its actions.
Now, having blocked any federal prosecution of senior bank officials, the administration is intervening to quash investigations at the state level. Nothing could more clearly demonstrate its role as a tool of the US financial oligarchy.
If I want to download and watch a film made in 1979 and seemingly not around in quantity am I able to do that? Or do I get sanctioned under new or old laws? And would it be safe to link to the site to get more information? I’m cautious about the internet not wanting to get caught up in the bad web of deceit that’s out there. Anyone who could steer me in the right direction?
IANAL but I think I would be illegal to download it without paying for the rights to view it. In practice, however, I doubt you would get into trouble for doing so (as long as you are simply downloading it) – that would require the rights holders to make an effort to determine that you have downloaded it and lodge a complaint. I doubt anyone would be bothered for an old movie which isn’t making any money.
Should you download it? That is probably more of a moral decision on your part so you have to make up your own mind.
Not sure what you mean by ‘safe to link’, but I don’t think lprent would want you to post a link to a site hosting movie downloads, so don’t do so (if that’s what you mean).
@wtl – Thanks for info. The movie wasn’t available on amazonuk so I feel ok to consider downloading it. I was wondering if even going to a site that was legally unsatisfactory might get me into trouble
As for links – I’ve heard stories about being careful as to what you link into to prevent trojan programs etc. We have a pretty good firewall here and operate through Linux and I think that makes a difference but I still am unsure when I think of linking. The bad web of deceit bit – just my reaction to the shysters who use the web for criminality and abuse of privacy.
As for links – I’ve heard stories about being careful as to what you link into to prevent trojan programs…
Yes you would want to be careful about what sites you visit. Sites that host illegal or quasi-legal material are more likely to be malicious than other sites. Obviously, don’t install or run any programs from any site you don’t trust. But if you just download a movie file (e.g. .avi), you should be able to play it in a movie player without any worries. Some sites may take advantage of security holes in your browser or operating system to install programs into your computer without your knowledge, but I think it is much more likely that they would infect your computer by ‘tricking’ you into installing something.
Would a Standardista like to build on and extend the analysis for this piece please?
“The temptation to look at food as another form of fuel to use for the energy crisis will exacerbate the food crisis … ”
“The food industry also opposes the new GM product because, although not inedible, it is unsuitable for use in the manufacture of food products that commonly use corn. Farmers growing corn for human consumption are also concerned about cross-contamination. …
“The same traits that make the modified corn so attractive to the ethanol industry – the swift breakdown of starches – would be a disaster for the food industry, turning corn chips into shapeless lumps, and stripping the thickening properties from corn starch.”
* Further questions to be raised – What does research, if any, reveal about the nutritional content of the new GM corn? What involvement,if any, does the alcohol industry have with this new GM corn?
The corn has been modified to contain amylase, which breaks down starch (glucose polymers) to glucose. Obviously, this is an advantage for the corn to be used as a feeder for bio-fuel, as the microorganisms used to generate ethanol are undoubtedly able to metabolise glucose more rapidly than starch.
Without any firsthand knowledge, my expectation is that nutrionally, the corn should still be ‘okay’ to eat – amylase is a naturally occuring enzyme in the body (in the saliva and intestine), as starch needs to be broken down to glucose to be absorbed and utilised. The corn may have a higher percentage of simple sugars than starch, due to the presence of amylase, but should still contain a similar number of calories. Obviously, the presence of the enzyme makes the corn unsuitable for use in certain recipes which demand the starch-like qualities of corn. In saying that, I expect that this corn will not be approved for human consumption as that would probably require additional testing that the company may not bother with.
I don’t think the alcohol industry would have anything to do with this corn, I don’t know of many alcohol products that are consumed use corn as a carbohydrate source. The brewing processes will also be optimised for the particular ingredients used, and I don’t think the break down of starch into glucose is a limiting factor, especially that the quantities of alcohol they produce are rather small (compared to that of biofuel).
Don’t want to go there, but I wonder what the sewer rats think of Slippery’s apples-for-refugees deal? Comments on Rebecca Wright’s bit on the TV3 site suggest this might be a flip-flop too far for some of wee Joky’s fan club…..
Call me a cynic but this looks like a strategy to ensure that NZ falls in behind the Aussie ‘shut the door on boat people’ policies that are being rolled out.
Old Shonkey didn’t have much luck whipping up xenophobic fear here last time refugees held up rather aspirational destination ‘news land’ signs – because boat people dont actually make it to NZ -however this is one way to to make Australia’s problem our problem as well.
Rufugees are going to become an increasing problem in our region, and NZ should take a compassionate stance as it always has, however our policies should be independent from that of Australia. Our neighbour has shown itself incapable of a reasonable discussion on this issue and it’s enforcement methods are likely to become ever more extreme as the situation escalates.
We cannot be an effective advocate for a humanitarian response if we allow the Australians to call the shots.
The NActs raised GST which is a regressive tax – it affects the poor moor than it does the rich. At the same time that they did that they cut taxes for the rich.
I have been reading that selling the SOE’s would make them more commercial and . Surely there are ways to make an organisation transparent without resorting to selling said organisation? My god, they do not need to use dog whistle politics, pork barrel or any of the other terms they use for politicking, our country has by and large lost 20 IQ points across the board in the last 3 years! Time to separate parliament into two sections, one house for legal/ constitutional bills as well as financial, and another house for social laws. Obviously there will be overlaps and conflict, but having a GG with actual power as well as two Speakers may straighten some of this out? I believe we should, as voters choose all three positions via our ballot papers, I believe with how things are heading at the moment something needs to change before my generation are handed a country thats well and truly poked.
@Dave A split house along law categories. That’s an interesting concept. Maybe we could get action on some of the things that drag on – like whether it is legal for councils to build speed checking ramps in city streets etc. The politicians couldn’t agree on whether they should have scented toilet paper or not in their loos.
Yeah, me and my mate were discussing this yesterday and the idea would be that the legal house would operate slower and with more process however the ‘lower’ house would almost be in a state of constant urgency, in a way, but both houses clear each others decisions. Or something along those lines, all I know, from my own perspective is that the party politics is what is slowly eroding democracy in our country. Both major parties are competing on roughly the same policies as they know that swing voters are easy to uh, swing (no pun intended) so something needs to change, for the betterment of all. Or Sue Kedgley is right, we will have riots here one day, and that isn’t a threat or her trying to cause panic, its just a fact of life. And yes, I agree, the only time you have genuine consensus and progress in the house is generally when pay review comes around.
@Dave Yes I see your points. I too feel democracy is being eroded and though our political system has a lot going for it and we have fine-tuned it by adding MMP, we need to have a mission statement for what we want from government and look at how we can achieve this without huge changes from our present democracy. Some would like referendums but I don’t trust my neighbour’s knee jerk responses to problems, or some of those on this blog, to be better than the politicians who can actually achieve good public policy when they aren’t gaming each other and the populace.
More and longer consideration of the basic policies with no possibility of announcing emergency and rushing stuff through without select committee or even cross-party discussion and agreement would definitely be better and the daily organisation could be left to another level. This would be more like a controlling body for local council and policies for everyday organisational matters. Also policies could be trialled by it, with the important ones going to the full government – matters of ethical, human rights, big spending, anything major.
Past election analysis has shown that under our present system, government can be very uninterested in what all the ‘people’ think. What they do is to rely on compliance and automatic voting from their own supporters, discount the opposition votes, and shape their message and policies to the small say 10% swinging voter group. And the practice of seeking the names and addresses of those possibly pliable voters and then setting PR promotional dogs onto them turns democracy into a game to win for one’s own benefit not to serve the country’s needs and interests. We need something better and should be discussing this throughout the country as soon as 2012, after the election is over.
This article gives some idea as to our future that has been brought about by massive over-population and the capitalist free-market. At some point, our great-great-great grandchildren may get around to forgiving us – if mankind survives the catastrophe that he has brought to this world.
Stephen King is hoping to “make some people a little bit angry” with a new, left-leaning morning talk show which will offer a counterbalance to the proliferation of conservative American radio hosts
……
To be hosted by Pat LaMarche, a Green party vice-presidential candidate in 2004, and former reporter Don Cookson, The Pulse Morning Show will air on the King-owned radio stations WZON 103.1 FM and 620 AM from 12 September on weekday mornings and online at zoneradio.com.
……
The show would be targeting politicians who bully Maine residents – in particular those struggling with the welfare system. “There’s an awful lot of bullying going on out there right now [and] nothing is more fun than standing up to a bully,” she said. “We want you to laugh all the time because if you don’t, you’ll cry.”
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In 1974, the US Supreme Court issued its decision in United States v. Nixon, finding that the President was not a King, but was subject to the law and was required to turn over the evidence of his wrongdoing to the courts. It was a landmark decision for the rule ...
Every day now just seems to bring in more fresh meat for the grinder.In their relentlessly ideological drive to cut back on the “excessive bloat” (as they see it) of the previous Labour-led government, on the mountains of evidence accumulated in such a short period of time do not ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Megan Valére SosouMarket gardening site of the Itchèléré de Itagui agricultural cooperative in Dassa-Zoumè (Image credit: Megan Valère Sossou) For the residents of Dassa-Zoumè, a city in the West African country of Benin, choosing between drinking water and having enough ...
Buzz from the Beehive Melissa Lee – as may be discerned from the screenshot above – has not been demoted for doing something seriously wrong as Minister of ...
Morning in London Mother hugs beloved daughter outside the converted shoe factory in which she is living.Afternoon in London Travelling writer takes himself and his wrist down to A&E, just to be sure. Read more ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – The recent announcement of the University Advisory Group, chaired by Sir Peter Gluckman, makes very clear where the Government’s focus and priorities lie. The remit of the Advisory Group is that Group members will consider challenges and opportunities for improvement in the university sector including: ...
Eric Crampton writes – The Reserve Bank of New Zealand desperately wants to find reasons to have workstreams in climate change. It makes little sense. They’ve run another stress test on the banks looking to see if they could find a prudential regulation case. They couldn’t. They ...
Rob MacCullough writes – Pundits from the left and the right are arguing that National’s Fast Track Bill that is designed to speed up infrastructure decisions could end up becoming mired in a cesspool of corruption. Political commentator ...
Looking at the headlines this morning it’s hard to feel anything other than pessimistic about the future of humanity.Note that I’m not speaking about the future of mankind, but the survival of our humanity. The values that we believe in seem to be ebbing away, by the day.Perhaps every generation ...
Swabbing mixed breed baby chicks to test for avian influenzaUh oh. Bird flu – often deadly to humans – is not only being transmitted from infected birds to dairy cows, but is now travelling between dairy cows. As of last Friday, Bloomberg News reports, there were 32 American dairy herds ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
What is it with the mining industry? Its not enough for them to pillage the earth - they apparently can't even be bothered getting resource consent to do so: The proponent behind a major mine near the Clutha River had already been undertaking activity in the area without a ...
Photo # 1 I am a huge fan of Singapore’s approach to housing, as described here two years ago by copying and pasting from The ConversationWhat Singapore has that Australia does not is a public housing developer, the Housing Development Board, which puts new dwellings on public and reclaimed land, ...
Buzz from the Beehive Reactions to news of the government’s readiness to make urgent changes to “the resource management system” through a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) suggest a balanced approach is being taken. The Taxpayers’ Union says the proposed changes don’t go far enough. Greenpeace says ...
I’m starting to wonder if Anna Burns-Francis might be the best political interviewer we’ve got. That might sound unlikely to you, it came as a bit of a surprise to me.Jack Tame can be excellent, but has some pretty average days. I like Rebecca Wright on Newshub, she asks good ...
Chris Trotter writes – Willie Jackson is said to be planning a “media summit” to discuss “the state of the media and how to protect Fourth Estate Journalism”. Not only does the Editor of The Daily Blog, Martyn Bradbury, think this is a good idea, but he has also ...
Graeme Edgeler writes – This morning [April 21], the Wellington High Court is hearing a judicial review brought by Hon. Karen Chhour, the Minister for Children, against a decision of the Waitangi Tribunal. This is unusual, judicial reviews are much more likely to brought against ministers, rather than ...
Both of Parliament’s watchdogs have now ripped into the Government’s Fast-track Approvals Bill. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s political economy and beyond on the morning of Tuesday, April 23 are:The Lead: The Auditor General,John Ryan, has joined the ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Sarah SpengemanPeople wait to board an electric bus in Pune, India. (Image credit: courtesy of ITDP) Public transportation riders in Pune, India, love the city’s new electric buses so much they will actually skip an older diesel bus that ...
The infrastructure industry yesterday issued a “hurry up” message to the Government, telling it to get cracking on developing a pipeline of infrastructure projects.The hiatus around the change of Government has seen some major projects cancelled and others delayed, and there is uncertainty about what will happen with the new ...
Hi,Over the weekend I revisited a podcast I really adore, Dead Eyes. It’s about a guy who got fired from Band of Brothers over two decades ago because Tom Hanks said he had “dead eyes”.If you don’t recall — 2001’s Band of Brothers was part of the emerging trend of ...
Buzz from the Beehive The 180 or so recipients of letters from the Government telling them how to submit infrastructure projects for “fast track” consideration includes some whose project applications previously have been rejected by the courts. News media were quick to feature these in their reports after RMA Reform Minister Chris ...
It would not be a desirable way to start your holiday by breaking your back, your head, or your wrist, but on our first hour in Singapore I gave it a try.We were chatting, last week, before we started a meeting of Hazel’s Enviro Trust, about the things that can ...
Calling all journalists, academics, planners, lawyers, political activists, environmentalists, and other members of the public who believe that the relationships between vested interests and politicians need to be scrutinised. We need to work together to make sure that the new Fast-Track Approvals Bill – currently being pushed through by the ...
Feel worried. Shane Jones and a couple of his Cabinet colleagues are about to be granted the power to override any and all objections to projects like dams, mines, roads etc even if: said projects will harm biodiversity, increase global warming and cause other environmental harms, and even if ...
Bryce Edwards writes- The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. ...
Michael Bassett writes – If you think there is a move afoot by the radical Maori fringe of New Zealand society to create a parallel system of government to the one that we elect at our triennial elections, you aren’t wrong. Over the last few days we have ...
Without a corresponding drop in interest rates, it’s doubtful any changes to the CCCFA will unleash a massive rush of home buyers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: The six things that stood out to me in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate on Monday, April 22 included:The Government making a ...
Sunday was a lazy day. I started watching Jack Tame on Q&A, the interviews are usually good for something to write about. Saying the things that the politicians won’t, but are quite possibly thinking. Things that are true and need to be extracted from between the lines.As you might know ...
In our Weekly Roundup last week we covered news from Auckland Transport that the WX1 Western Express is going to get an upgrade next year with double decker electric buses. As part of the announcement, AT also said “Since we introduced the WX1 Western Express last November we have seen ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 29 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Stats NZ releases its statutory report on Census 2023 tomorrow.Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivers a pre-Budget speech at ...
A listing of 29 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 14, 2024 thru Sat, April 20, 2024. Story of the week Our story of the week hinges on these words from the abstract of a fresh academic ...
The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. The Government says this will ...
This is a column to say thank you. So many of have been in touch since Mum died to say so many kind and thoughtful things. You’re wonderful, all of you. You’ve asked how we’re doing, how Dad’s doing. A little more realisation each day, of the irretrievable finality of ...
Identifying the engine type in your car is crucial for various reasons, including maintenance, repairs, and performance upgrades. Knowing the specific engine model allows you to access detailed technical information, locate compatible parts, and make informed decisions about modifications. This comprehensive guide will provide you with a step-by-step approach to ...
Introduction: The allure of racing is undeniable. The thrill of speed, the roar of engines, and the exhilaration of competition all contribute to the allure of this adrenaline-driven sport. For those who yearn to experience the pinnacle of racing, becoming a race car driver is the ultimate dream. However, the ...
Introduction Automobiles have become ubiquitous in modern society, serving as a primary mode of transportation and a symbol of economic growth and personal mobility. With countless vehicles traversing roads and highways worldwide, it begs the question: how many cars are there in the world? Determining the precise number is a ...
Maintaining a safe and reliable vehicle requires regular inspections. Whether it’s a routine maintenance checkup or a safety inspection, knowing how long the process will take can help you plan your day accordingly. This article delves into the factors that influence the duration of a car inspection and provides an ...
Mazda Motor Corporation, commonly known as Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automaker headquartered in Fuchu, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The company was founded in 1920 as the Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd., and began producing vehicles in 1931. Mazda is primarily known for its production of passenger cars, but ...
Your car battery is an essential component that provides power to start your engine, operate your electrical systems, and store energy. Over time, batteries can weaken and lose their ability to hold a charge, which can lead to starting problems, power failures, and other issues. Replacing your battery before it ...
In most states, you cannot register a car without a valid driver’s license. However, there are a few exceptions to this rule. Exceptions to the RuleIf you are under 18 years old: In some states, you can register a car in your name even if you do not ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
The protest outside the White House correspondents’ dinner hotel. Image: Anatolu video screenshot APR More than two dozen Palestinian journalists had called for a boycott of the dinner, writing an open letter urging their American colleagues not to attend. “You have a unique responsibility to speak truth to power and ...
“Our exporters should, therefore, be deeply concerned that the Fast-track Approvals Bill was not assessed for consistency with any of our free trade commitments prior to being introduced to the House,” says Gary Taylor, Chief Executive of the Environmental ...
NZCTU President Richard Wagstaff is calling on all political parties to support the new Member’s Bill from Labour’s workplace relations and safety spokesperson Camilla Belich MP that would ensure negligent companies are held accountable when their employees ...
A historian with an uncanny track record of predicting US election winners tells RNZ's Sunday Morning that President Biden looks to be on track for another term, but things could still go very wrong for him. ...
A historian with a track record of predicting US election winners tells RNZ's Sunday Morning that President Biden looks to be on track for another term, but things could still go wrong for him. ...
Ngaio Marsh House is one of Christchurch’s best kept secrets – and contains more than a few mysteries of its own.Trust Ngaio Marsh to leave more than a few mysteries scattered through her house long after her departure. For a start, there’s the curious concrete portal in the garden, ...
Appointment viewing has been lost to the mists of time, but memories of Montana Sunday Theatre can still be conjured by hitting play on a particular piece of classical music. “You’re not going to be able to sell it.” Over 30 years on, Karen Bieleski still recalls how the task ...
Performance Review King Luxon sat behind His massive polished oak desk. It is Performance Review time. There is a knock on the door. “Enter!” says the King. In steps Minister of Disabilities and Carer Pedicures, Penny Simmonds. “I can explain everything …” she begins. “Fine,” says King Luxon, pressing the ...
The pair opened their first fully collaborative exhibition, Nina for Flowers, last Saturday. Gabi Lardies visited their studio to find out who Nina is and what working together was like.‘It didn’t start out like, ‘This is a show about Nina,’” says Josephine Jelicich, gripping a thermos of peppermint tea. ...
Thank you, Dr Maximilian Oskar Bircher-Benner, for your brilliant invention. I’m another mid-20s Kiwi who had an OE last year. I hopped on my bicycle where France meets the Atlantic and cycled east. I pedalled through the Loire Valley, down rivers lined with willows and ancient wisteria-draped chateaus. I relished ...
Asia Pacific Report From France to Australia, university pro-Palestine protests in the United States have now spread to several countries with students pitching on-campus camps. And students at Columbia and other US universities remain defiant as campuses have witnessed the biggest protests since the anti-Vietnam war and anti-apartheid eras in ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards, Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)New Zealand Government’s Fast Track legislation. Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government ...
Tara Ward talks to presenter Naomi Toilalo about the new TV show that turns food waste into a three course feast. Naomi Toilalo is standing in the warehouse at Good Neighbour Tauranga, helping unpack the two-and-a-half tonnes of rejected food that will arrive at the community support hub that day. ...
Scout is our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Scout’s human, Avril, for her support. Dog name: Scout (named after the little girl in To Kill a Mockingbird – she inherited the independent spirit ...
Megan Alatini takes us through her life in TV, including ‘terrible’ daytime TV, the class of Carol Hirschfeld and her most embarrassing TrueBliss moment. When she responded to a vague newspaper ad asking “do you have what it takes to be a popstar?” 25 years ago, Megan Alatini never guessed ...
A new exhibition in Wellington showcases the faces behind your local goods and services. Back in 1977, when I was a fine arts student at the University of Canterbury, I took a series of photographs of Christchurch shopkeepers. The photos were for a calendar – a project for my end ...
Toomaj and his resistance to tyranny through his songs have become an icon for the youth of Iran, so his sentence has hit the nation hard. Toomaj Salehi is not the first artist to pay the price for standing with the people. ...
My cousin Dylan and I spotted these big eels under the bridge that summer. We watched them lounging under the dark weed, facing into the flow of water, their mouths frozen open. Dylan and I couldn’t stop thinking about those eels. The night we went down to the creek, we ...
Newsroom, home of satire. My long-running weekly satirical series The Secret Diary has moved to Newsroom and will appear every Saturday, with Victor Billot’s wildly popular satirical Odes continuing to appear every Sunday. Diaries, Odes – while serious political columnists toil at meaningful opinions and stroke their chins to an ...
Tara Ward unravels the many nuanced layers of a cartoon about talking dogs.This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. It’s not often an episode of a children’s cartoon has adults sobbing into their sleeves, but that’s exactly what happened this week when ...
Working as a doctor in developing countries to help communities achieve better health outcomes is nothing short of a life goal for Jessica Tater. The University of Otago medical student has her sights firmly set on joining the international humanitarian organisation Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) when she qualifies ...
There’s an island in the far reaches of Auckland’s territory, sitting off the tip of the Coromandel Peninsula, 30 minutes by air from the city or four hours on the slow boat. Aotea Great Barrier is off-grid, it has a population of fewer than a thousand people … and most ...
Asia Pacific Report An Australian author and advocate, Jim Aubrey, today led a national symbolic one minute’s silence to mark the “blood debt” owed to Papuan allies during the Second World War indigenous resistance against the invading Japanese forces. “A promise to most people is a promise,” Aubrey said in ...
Asia Pacific Report The Freedom Flotilla is ready to sail to Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. All the required paperwork has been submitted to the port authority, and the cargo has been loaded and prepared for the humanitarian trip to the besieged enclave. However, organisers received word of an “administrative ...
Pacific Media Watch Palestine solidarity protesters today demonstrated at the Auckland headquarters of Television New Zealand, accusing the country’s major TV network of broadcasting “propaganda” backing Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. About 50 protesters targeted the main entrance to the TVNZ building near Sky Tower and also picketed a side ...
Opinion by Lynley Hood. Forty years on from my 1985 Fulbright Grant, my disquiet over the war in Gaza evoked some troubling questions. The answer to my first question – What is the primary purpose of the Fulbright Programme? – was on the Fulbright NZ website. It says: US Senator, ...
The ministers responsible for green-lighting major projects need to be open about potential conflicts of interest, says Transparency International. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Powell, Professor, Family and Sexual Violence, RMIT University It has been a particularly distressing start to the year. There is little that can ease the current grief of individuals, families and communities who have needlessly lost a loved one to men’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Lichen, the first described example of symbiosis.AdeJ Artventure/Shutterstock Once known only to those studying biology, the word symbiosis is now widely used. Symbiosis is the intimate ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kim Hemsley, Head, Childhood Dementia Research Group, Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University Olena Ivanova/Shutterstock “Childhood” and “dementia” are two words we wish we didn’t have to use together. But sadly, around 1,400 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Whiteford, Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University The government’s Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee has just published its second report. It was set up by Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth in 2022 to provide: ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne The Queensland state election will be held in October. A YouGov poll for The Courier Mail, conducted April 9–17 from a sample ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Naeni, PhD candidate at Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University There’s been much talk in recent months about what a possible second Donald Trump presidency in the United States could mean for Europe, Russia’s war in Ukraine, the ...
A brief round-up of submissions on the controversial proposed law. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week, submissions on the controversial Fast-track Approvals Bill closed just hours after the government released a list of stakeholder organisations who were sent letters advising how they could ...
A poem from Robin Peace’s new collection Detritus of Empire: feather / grass / rock. Cereal giving I see a woman’s hands, see her curious hands break a stalk as she walks through the tall prairie, the savannah, the steppe, wherever it was. See her idly bite the grass that ...
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 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)A handsomely produced (debossed cover, lovely ...
The Commissioner's decision validates the longstanding efforts of the local community and ensures that Awataha Marae will be managed to serve the needs of the local community, particularly for hosting tangihanga. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tristan Salles, Associate professor, University of Sydney Examples of Australian landscapes.Unsplash Seventy thousand years ago, the sea level was much lower than today. Australia, along with New Guinea and Tasmania, formed a connected landmass known as Sahul. Around this time – ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Felicity Castagna, Lecturer, Creative Writing, Western Sydney University Day Day Market, ParramattaPhoto: Garry Trinh I live on the edge of Parramatta, Australia’s fastest-growing city, on the kind of old-fashioned suburban street that has 1950s fibros constructed in the post-war housing boom, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Ryan, Teaching Fellow in Economics, University of Waikato GettyImagesfatido/Getty Images There is an ongoing global debate over whether the high inflation seen in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic can be lowered without a recession. New Zealand is not ...
The ‘Wicked Game’ heartthrob is in his late 60s now. That didn’t stop him putting on a lively, goofy and very sparkly show. Apart from ‘Wicked Game’, which graces a sultry playlist of mine simply called 💋, my last sustained Chris Isaak listening session took place when I was about ...
Analysis - Two ministers were stripped of portfolios in a warning to Cabinet, drama broke out at the Waitangi Tribunal, and the gang patch ban bill ran into opposition. ...
Tara Ward makes an impassioned plea for some vital pop culture merch. In April 1999, I became obsessed with a new reality television show called Popstars. Every Tuesday night, five strangers transformed into music royalty before my very eyes as Joe, Keri, Carly, Erika and Megan were chosen to form ...
PNG Post-Courier In the early hours of ANZAC Day, aerial photographs captured an impressive gathering of Australians and Papua New Guineans at Isurava in the Northern (Oro) Province. The solemn dawn service yesterday was held at a site steeped in history, where some of the fiercest battles of World War ...
The PSA is shocked that Oranga Tamariki has used the cost cutting drive to downgrade its commitment to Te Ao Māori and remove many specialist Māori roles. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Kemish, Adjunct Professor, School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry, The University of Queensland There can be no more powerful symbol of the relationship between Australia and Papua New Guinea than the prime ministers of these neighbouring countries walking together on the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sharon Robinson, Distinguished Professor and Deputy Director of ARC Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future (SAEF), University of Wollongong, University of Wollongong Andrew Netherwood Over the last 25 years, the ozone hole which forming over Antarctica each spring has started to shrink. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Viktoria Kahui, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Economics, University of Otago Getty Images/Amy Toensing Biodiversity is declining at rates unprecedented in human history. This suggests the ways we currently use to manage our natural environment are failing. One emerging concept focuses on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy Colin Bednall, Associate Professor in Management, Swinburne University of Technology marvent/Shutterstock Finding the best person to fill a position can be tough, from drafting a job ad to producing a shortlist of top interview candidates. Employers typically consider information from ...
Wondering where to host your next BYO? Whether its a small gathering or a massive party, we’ve got some recommendations. I was first introduced to the concept of BYOs at Dunedin’s India Gardens, a legendary but sadly defunct establishment, which purveyed enormous quantities of mango chicken to Aotearoa’s drunkest future ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julien Cooper, Honorary Lecturer, Department of History and Archaeology, Macquarie University Julien Cooper The hyper-arid desert of Eastern Sudan, the Atbai Desert, seems like an unlikely place to find evidence of ancient cattle herders. But in this dry environment, my new ...
The sector says it’s hopeful her replacement Paul Goldsmith will be able to throw it a lifeline, after six months with a minister deemed missing in action, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign ...
The government can't just rely on axing public sector jobs and has to do more to cut spending, says the chief economist at a free market think tank. ...
Rock The Vote NZ, known for its advocacy for minor party unity and its role within the Freedoms NZ Coalition during the 2023 General Election, celebrates this merger as a strategic enhancement of its operational strength and outreach. ...
2011: Year of billion-dollar disasters
That storm was part of a six-day outbreak of an estimated 180 tornadoes that caused 177 deaths, including 157 in Joplin, Missouri. Total losses across 15 states were greater than $7 billion, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
“The year 2011 has already established itself in the record books as a historic year for weather-related disasters, and it is not over — in fact, hurricane season is just getting under way,” NOAA Deputy Administrator Kathryn D. Sullivan told the Senate Appropriations Committee in late July.
Drought ‘poses threat’ to grain security
“Catastrophic drought occurred once every five years in the 1950s and once every two years in the 1990s. But in the past 10 years it’s been almost every year,” Li Maosong, director of the Agricultural Information Office at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), told China Daily.
Climate Change ‘Takes Toll’ on Grain Harvest
Tang Huajun, deputy dean of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), said a 5 to 10 percent crop loss is foreseeable by 2030 if climate change continues.
‘The impact of climate change, coupled with arable land loss and water shortages, will cause a bigger grain production fluctuation and pose a threat to reaching output targets,’ Tang told China Daily.
According to statistics from the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), the average annual crop losses due to drought in China were 75.7 billion yuan ($11.1 billion) from 1988 to 2004, while annual losses due to flood were 51.1 billion yuan.
‘Drought has become the greatest disaster facing China’s agriculture,’ said Lin Erda, a professor with CAAS.
Russia admits crop loss of 38%; self sufficient in 2010 but no reserves for 2011
Russia has enough grain to cover its domestic needs after harvesting this year 38% less than the previous crop, a senior official said Monday. However markets believe Russia could be forced to import several million tons to ensure grain reserves until the following 2011 harvest
http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/child-training-book-promotes-abuse-4363404
Having helped out with a Whitcoulls stock take and observed deeply the full range of bullsh*t they stock it comes as no surprise they’d stock what is the “how-to” of child abuse the fundie Christian way in order to make a profit.
And ironically enough even Family First is against it, despite their framing of the Section 59 repeal as only being about light smacks, instead of closing the loop hole that allowed for the level of abuse To Train Up A Child teaches to be dealt with properly.
Some beat their children to death…
Tonight, CNN’s 360 with Anderson Cooper picked up with Gary Tuchman’s report on Michael and Debi Pearl, best-selling authors of religiously themed books. The Pearls’ methods are controversial, particularly in light of a case involving Kevin and Elizabeth Schatz of Paradise, California, jailed for spanking their two adoptive daughters so severely that one died. The surviving adopted child, as well as their biological children who were also victims of severe punishment, are in foster care.
District attorney Michael Ramsey says there is no doubt in his mind that the Pearls’ advice influenced the Schatzes and that they share some responsibility for the abuses and death. A copy of their book, To Train Up a Child, was found in the Schatz home, marked and underscored. His office decided not to prosecute the Pearls because they had a “First Amendment right to say awful things.”
My giddy aunt! How insane can some people be?
There’s really nothing Christian about these ideas… and some “Christians” need to learn that.
Stuff is running the following poll:
Which totally misrepresents what the book is about. It isn’t about ‘smacking’, but rather seriously violent ways of discipling children, apparently including using a ‘rod’, thumping and hair pulling. FFS.
Silence is Deadly – Jim Hansen
The U.S. Department of State seems likely to approve a huge pipeline to carry tar sands oil (about 830,000 barrels per day) to Texas refineries unless sufficient objections are raised. The scientific community needs to get involved in this fray now. If this project gains approval, it will become exceedingly difficult to control the tar sands monster…
http://www.dominionpaper.ca/topics/tar_sands
I see that our beloved leader, Dear John, has jumped onto the international bandwagon to recognise the new regime in Lybia. Why does he also offer millions from our meagre overseas aid budget for the rebuilding of infrastructure when there is going to be billions of Gaddifi’s frozen funds in America now released to the new government? Surely we should be using our aid budget in the Pacific and let the rich Muslim countries assist the rebuild of Lybia?
Not to mention the devastated people of that forgotten earthquake in Haiti.
No-one put me right on a statement I made on police detention of the young Asperger’s sufferer in Christchurch. I thought that diversion was one possibility but hear police saying that it is only available for them to use with someone who admits guilt. It is not suited then to a case where they are dealing with someone who has a different, particular, altered view of society because of different brain function. Something else is needed. There must be some fairer way of treating such offenders, perhaps under a mental health act. Does anyone know?
Also the light bulbs theft was played up but apparently also, he was inside the forbidden zone which was being zealously guarded by authority. To keep us safe from harm. Also to prevent this sort of mindless looting so I guess any reasoned response would have long ago snuck out the door and down the steps.
My recollection is that he was prepared to plead guilty on the condition that diversion was granted. This sort of negotiation is fairly standard practice as far as i am aware and often but not always results in a satisfactory outcome for both the accused and the police.
In this case the police refused diversion because they wanted to make an example of him and justify their use of force and so it went to defended hearing.
I am not a lawyer however so someone else may be able to shed a bit more light on the particulars of this case and the protocols around the use of diversion.
@CL Thanks for that
If you see someone on the bridge about to jump, do you assume them guilty or
bas jumping? The police need distance from the events to act with integrity.
So my question is why was diversion denied, could it be because the
prosecution lawyers decided, as you say there is a certain amount of
negiotiations, were the Police the only people involved in the decision?
Doctors do not just call people names, label them, for fun. Asbergers
is an affliction.
Wikileaks Traitor – Daniel Domscheit-Berg
After Daniel Domscheit-Berg was suspended in August 2010, he went about destroying leaked documents held by the well known whistle-blower site Wikileaks…
http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/politics/5495890/Asset-sales-may-prop-up-cost-of-expressway
well well well
thought i should put three holes in the ground ready to be filled with more JK BS
Hands up if you too thought the Asset sales were to pay off Debt. Joyce has said repeatedly that Transmission Gully and the other roads for multi-freight incorporated had budgets already put aside for them, So what does this little statement actually mean ? Apart from the fact these feckers believe the public to be complete morons i mean, which sadly the majority, according to the polls, appear to be.
Eddie has put up a post on this
http://thestandard.org.nz/wanna-trade-solid-energy-for-the-kapiti-expressway/
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=26155
The above article claims that news reports from Libya are being doctored, and that the rebels have not been nearly as successful as has been made out. The claim by at least one reporter that she has been threatened, by some parts of the MSM, for telling the truth, seems almost more shocking than the war itself.
Hardly surprising when doctoring the news and repressing journalism appears to be par for the course in the Arab world.
I don’t know whether the Al Jazeera report was doctored, I do understand that there is plenty of spin, bias and outright lies in the MSM. But there are also plenty of reports that show this ‘globalresearch’ article is not reflecting reality.
when all of what we are today
is dim dim distant past
a racial memory mostly myth
known to the shaman caste
http://thepeakoilpoet.blogspot.com/2011/08/for-our-sons-and-daughters-too.html
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/money/5498103/IRD-wins-landmark-tax-case
This will do more to curtail tax avoidance than National has pretended to be doing in the last couple of years.
I only wonder why it took the IRD until 2008 to file this case against the pair who had been rorting the system since 2000. Surely they could’ve gotten onto them in 2003-04ish?
I liked the $25,000 fee imposed by the learned judges to compensate IRD for having to defend the appeal.
Hundreds or thousands of rorters will be likewise at risk similar to these two pillocks of the community. I’d like to see a grace period for similar rorters to ‘fess and pay up, or incur a nice $25,000 for making the IRD do the work. Abuser pays!
Hmmm. You wonder? Flippin’ heck, you must be dense. You clearly didnt read the article. The case was lost by the commissioner in the High Court, went to the Court of Appeal, and was then appealed to the Supreme Court. On top of that, there would have been the initial investigation by the IRD, the issuing of NOPA’s and the correspondence that surrounds that.
Secondly, the article makes it look like the two surgeons were only paying tax on their salaries, which is not correct as the difference would either be taxed in (a) the trust or (b) the beneficiaries of the trust hands if a distribution to them was made.
Thirdly, the article doesnt say that the Court of Appeal decision was 2 -1 for the Commissioner. Clearly, the case was complex and there must have been some evidence that the arrangement wasnt tax avoidance to convince one judge to dissent. In fact, the dissenting judgment makes the observation that it would seem unusual that tax avoidance arises where a taxpayer consistently pays a lower than market salary of a certain amount and they save on tax merely because tax
rates change.
There are plenty of statutory controls on tax avoidance in this country, and they work just fine. Its just that numbnuts like you, and your ilk, don’t (a) understand what tax avoidance is (b)understand them and (c) dont want to understand them since it would ruin your half baked theories.
Why don’t you post a few links to beneficiaries “rorting” the system? I’m sure you’d be able to easily find a few if you really wanted to try.
I have no idea why you are whining like this. It seems to have touched a nerve. It comes down to this: There has just been a decision by the highest court in New Zealand that you cannot structure your affairs for the sole purpose of avoiding paying your fair share of tax.
Any idiot reading the article will know that the trust/business still has to pay tax, but it will be at a lower rate than their personal income tax rate, and this has been found by the court to be tax avoidance. Whether or not the decision was unanimous at all stages, it has been upheld by the highest court of NZ. On that basis, it will serve as a precedent for future cases. Indeed, this case is part of the ‘statutory controls on tax avoidance’ – the IRD will obviously need to defend itself against any decisions it makes if challenged in court, and the court has come out on the side of the IRD.
Nice one wtl. Dont have any arguments as to what you say at all other than I’m not sure where you get whining from. I was in fact responding to Lanth who couldnt understand why the IRD hadnt gotten onto these chaps sooner. The fact that the High Court ruled in favour of the taxpayer and the CofA decision had a dissenter means that the issue wasnt as clear cut as it seemed. Ergo it took longer.
And yes, it may set a precedent. But then Duke of Westminster v IRD was a precedent. They can be ignored. And I’d point out that this decision was very tightly aligned to the facts in this case. In fact, there are situations where this sort of arrangement would be perfectly ok.
You are quite wrong when you say “any idiot” There are many on this site who would believe these guys were paying no tax on the balance. Just read what some have to say.
As a matter of interest, what do you consider a fair share of tax? What rates are fair and which thresholds? Who do you consider to be rich and at what point does one become rich to fall into the top marginal tax rate? I read and hear a lot of rhetoric about “paying you fair share” here and from the Labour Party, but no one ever puts a line in the sand, do they?
In Vino, “There are many on this site who would believe these guys were paying no tax on the balance. Just read what some have to say.”
Whereabouts? On this post Lanth, wtl, you and I have commented on the decision. And we four are not ‘many on this site’. And I don’t see us making any comment on not paying tax on the balance.
Ubi veritas?
1) You seemed to be whining based on a your long and somewhat insulting response to Lanth. It certainly seems to have taken some time for the case to have been filed and you have outlined some possible reasons for this, so fair enough.
2) I am hardly an expert, but it seems that tax accountants are taking noted of this decision and that IRD may issue some guidelines as a result of this decision. As such, it would appear that this case is, in fact, an important precedent.
3) Indeed some people mistakenly think that they paid no tax but it is impossible to write a report explicitly stating every single point. In my view that report was written well and was quite clear, unlike some other stuff that comes out of the NZ media. I still believe that most people reading that article would have understood what happened, including many of those here.
4) ‘Fair share’ in the above comment referred to what is set in the law, i.e. what other NZers are paying. These people tried to avoid paying what they were supposed to be structuring their affairs in a certain way and I’m glad they have been caught. I am not willing to go into an argument with you about tax rates at this time but I will state that I strongly support a complete overhaul of the system, such as that proposed by Gareth Morgan.
a read of Gareth Morgan in the Herald might answer some questions here…
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10746808
When farmers and other self employed can organise their affairs so that their children can qualify for Student Allowance and sit in lecture theatres next to children of families on moderate combined incomes (exceeding $70000 combined) who do not therefore qualify for Student Allowance, there is something fundamentally wrong with the tax system.
Farmers and the self employed can also put everything down to the company so that they can claim the GST back, fill the family SUV tanks with diesel, claim clothing allowances and many more and generally live a charmed life. Don’t start talking about the few benefit abusers.
And it would seem that the grafting that might go on on the shop floor increases 10 fold the further up the chain you go…
And therefore logie97, a beneficiary, who pays no, or little tax, and who’s children get a student allowance, should also be berated?
Farming is a business. Certain expenses in business are tax deductible, as they are incurred in generating taxable income, and there are anti-avoidance provsions in the Income Tax act to prevent abuse.
And are they enforced fairly and evenly across industries?
What if accountants structure affairs so that income is minimised – legal avoidance?
This example shows you don’t get it. In the case of a social welfare beneficiary, the social welfare beneficiary will often be in control of very little income and assets.
logie97 is talking about farming beneficiaries. Who often have very significant revenue flows and assets under their direction.
I would say of course they are enforced evenly and fairly Colonel. Why would you say it is not?
What if? What is the point of this question? Minimising your tax is a right give by the Courts in Westminster v IRD (and taken away to a degree by the Penny & Hooper decision). Are you asking what I think of legal avoidance?
I think I do get it Colonel. And I also understand farming quite well in fact. I’m also sure that you understand that “very significant revenue flows” dont always equate to lots of money in the bank. A beneficiary has revenue flows as well, and has choices as to what to do with it, however limited they may be. Assets are a different story to a point, agreed. However, assets don’t always have a direct correlation to cashflow unless they are disposed off. Then there’s the old hoary problem of debt – equity and interest to be sorted.
So, are you saying that a farmer, with no taxable income, but assets (or an indirect benefit from assets), should not be able to get assistance from the government for his child to attend unversity, whilst a beneficiary, who has no taxable income and has no assets should? If so, are you advocating, heaven forbid, asset testing?
National Guts Education
I came across yet another stupid tweet by Tau Henare today, claiming that National had made more varsity places available. From past experience I know not to trust a single word the pathological liar says, so I went about doing a little research…
It is has been interesting (and depressing) keeping track of the Obama administration’s slow but sure capitulation to the Wall Street gnomes. Has anybody the US financial sector yet been charged over the frauds which triggered the 2008 crisis? Here’s the latest:
Obama administration moves to quash state investigations of Wall Street banks
If I want to download and watch a film made in 1979 and seemingly not around in quantity am I able to do that? Or do I get sanctioned under new or old laws? And would it be safe to link to the site to get more information? I’m cautious about the internet not wanting to get caught up in the bad web of deceit that’s out there. Anyone who could steer me in the right direction?
IANAL but I think I would be illegal to download it without paying for the rights to view it. In practice, however, I doubt you would get into trouble for doing so (as long as you are simply downloading it) – that would require the rights holders to make an effort to determine that you have downloaded it and lodge a complaint. I doubt anyone would be bothered for an old movie which isn’t making any money.
Should you download it? That is probably more of a moral decision on your part so you have to make up your own mind.
Not sure what you mean by ‘safe to link’, but I don’t think lprent would want you to post a link to a site hosting movie downloads, so don’t do so (if that’s what you mean).
What exactly is the “bad web of deceit”?
@wtl – Thanks for info. The movie wasn’t available on amazonuk so I feel ok to consider downloading it. I was wondering if even going to a site that was legally unsatisfactory might get me into trouble
As for links – I’ve heard stories about being careful as to what you link into to prevent trojan programs etc. We have a pretty good firewall here and operate through Linux and I think that makes a difference but I still am unsure when I think of linking. The bad web of deceit bit – just my reaction to the shysters who use the web for criminality and abuse of privacy.
this site has some good information regarding the new copyright law http://3strikes.net.nz/
Yes you would want to be careful about what sites you visit. Sites that host illegal or quasi-legal material are more likely to be malicious than other sites. Obviously, don’t install or run any programs from any site you don’t trust. But if you just download a movie file (e.g. .avi), you should be able to play it in a movie player without any worries. Some sites may take advantage of security holes in your browser or operating system to install programs into your computer without your knowledge, but I think it is much more likely that they would infect your computer by ‘tricking’ you into installing something.
Would a Standardista like to build on and extend the analysis for this piece please?
“The temptation to look at food as another form of fuel to use for the energy crisis will exacerbate the food crisis … ”
“The food industry also opposes the new GM product because, although not inedible, it is unsuitable for use in the manufacture of food products that commonly use corn. Farmers growing corn for human consumption are also concerned about cross-contamination. …
“The same traits that make the modified corn so attractive to the ethanol industry – the swift breakdown of starches – would be a disaster for the food industry, turning corn chips into shapeless lumps, and stripping the thickening properties from corn starch.”
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/aug/15/gm-corn-development-food-fuel
* Further questions to be raised – What does research, if any, reveal about the nutritional content of the new GM corn? What involvement,if any, does the alcohol industry have with this new GM corn?
The corn has been modified to contain amylase, which breaks down starch (glucose polymers) to glucose. Obviously, this is an advantage for the corn to be used as a feeder for bio-fuel, as the microorganisms used to generate ethanol are undoubtedly able to metabolise glucose more rapidly than starch.
Without any firsthand knowledge, my expectation is that nutrionally, the corn should still be ‘okay’ to eat – amylase is a naturally occuring enzyme in the body (in the saliva and intestine), as starch needs to be broken down to glucose to be absorbed and utilised. The corn may have a higher percentage of simple sugars than starch, due to the presence of amylase, but should still contain a similar number of calories. Obviously, the presence of the enzyme makes the corn unsuitable for use in certain recipes which demand the starch-like qualities of corn. In saying that, I expect that this corn will not be approved for human consumption as that would probably require additional testing that the company may not bother with.
I don’t think the alcohol industry would have anything to do with this corn, I don’t know of many alcohol products that are consumed use corn as a carbohydrate source. The brewing processes will also be optimised for the particular ingredients used, and I don’t think the break down of starch into glucose is a limiting factor, especially that the quantities of alcohol they produce are rather small (compared to that of biofuel).
Don’t want to go there, but I wonder what the sewer rats think of Slippery’s apples-for-refugees deal? Comments on Rebecca Wright’s bit on the TV3 site suggest this might be a flip-flop too far for some of wee Joky’s fan club…..
The 12 comments from his fan club here perhaps ..
http://www.3news.co.nz/Key-NZ-may-take-refugees-from-Australia/tabid/419/articleID/223224/Default.aspx
Would be fantastic if NZ takes 750 refugees in exchange for sending shonkey into exile?
Call me a cynic but this looks like a strategy to ensure that NZ falls in behind the Aussie ‘shut the door on boat people’ policies that are being rolled out.
Old Shonkey didn’t have much luck whipping up xenophobic fear here last time refugees held up rather aspirational destination ‘news land’ signs – because boat people dont actually make it to NZ -however this is one way to to make Australia’s problem our problem as well.
Rufugees are going to become an increasing problem in our region, and NZ should take a compassionate stance as it always has, however our policies should be independent from that of Australia. Our neighbour has shown itself incapable of a reasonable discussion on this issue and it’s enforcement methods are likely to become ever more extreme as the situation escalates.
We cannot be an effective advocate for a humanitarian response if we allow the Australians to call the shots.
@ Campbell Larsen Good analysis. Couldn’t agree with you more.
SURPRISE! The Republicans finally want higher taxes now
On the poor that is.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/wonkbook-since-when-do-republicans-want-to-raise-taxes/2011/08/23/gIQAPwvaYJ_blog.html?hpid=z2
Wow! Don’t tell NActs who will be truly inspired and reckon that would be aspirational.
The NActs raised GST which is a regressive tax – it affects the poor moor than it does the rich. At the same time that they did that they cut taxes for the rich.
@Jim Nald – Even imspirational. 😀
I have been reading that selling the SOE’s would make them more commercial and . Surely there are ways to make an organisation transparent without resorting to selling said organisation? My god, they do not need to use dog whistle politics, pork barrel or any of the other terms they use for politicking, our country has by and large lost 20 IQ points across the board in the last 3 years! Time to separate parliament into two sections, one house for legal/ constitutional bills as well as financial, and another house for social laws. Obviously there will be overlaps and conflict, but having a GG with actual power as well as two Speakers may straighten some of this out? I believe we should, as voters choose all three positions via our ballot papers, I believe with how things are heading at the moment something needs to change before my generation are handed a country thats well and truly poked.
@Dave A split house along law categories. That’s an interesting concept. Maybe we could get action on some of the things that drag on – like whether it is legal for councils to build speed checking ramps in city streets etc. The politicians couldn’t agree on whether they should have scented toilet paper or not in their loos.
Yeah, me and my mate were discussing this yesterday and the idea would be that the legal house would operate slower and with more process however the ‘lower’ house would almost be in a state of constant urgency, in a way, but both houses clear each others decisions. Or something along those lines, all I know, from my own perspective is that the party politics is what is slowly eroding democracy in our country. Both major parties are competing on roughly the same policies as they know that swing voters are easy to uh, swing (no pun intended) so something needs to change, for the betterment of all. Or Sue Kedgley is right, we will have riots here one day, and that isn’t a threat or her trying to cause panic, its just a fact of life. And yes, I agree, the only time you have genuine consensus and progress in the house is generally when pay review comes around.
@Dave Yes I see your points. I too feel democracy is being eroded and though our political system has a lot going for it and we have fine-tuned it by adding MMP, we need to have a mission statement for what we want from government and look at how we can achieve this without huge changes from our present democracy. Some would like referendums but I don’t trust my neighbour’s knee jerk responses to problems, or some of those on this blog, to be better than the politicians who can actually achieve good public policy when they aren’t gaming each other and the populace.
More and longer consideration of the basic policies with no possibility of announcing emergency and rushing stuff through without select committee or even cross-party discussion and agreement would definitely be better and the daily organisation could be left to another level. This would be more like a controlling body for local council and policies for everyday organisational matters. Also policies could be trialled by it, with the important ones going to the full government – matters of ethical, human rights, big spending, anything major.
Past election analysis has shown that under our present system, government can be very uninterested in what all the ‘people’ think. What they do is to rely on compliance and automatic voting from their own supporters, discount the opposition votes, and shape their message and policies to the small say 10% swinging voter group. And the practice of seeking the names and addresses of those possibly pliable voters and then setting PR promotional dogs onto them turns democracy into a game to win for one’s own benefit not to serve the country’s needs and interests. We need something better and should be discussing this throughout the country as soon as 2012, after the election is over.
This article gives some idea as to our future that has been brought about by massive over-population and the capitalist free-market. At some point, our great-great-great grandchildren may get around to forgiving us – if mankind survives the catastrophe that he has brought to this world.
Mankind should be able to survive long term (a few millenia). But with no more than 1.5B population, probably less.
Could be interesting…
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/aug/24/stephen-king-pulse-radio-show