Well it was exactly the tradeoff that tax group suggested. They wanted to extend the lowest tax bracket @10.4% from its current level of 14k up to between ~22 or ~30k. That gives a tax reduction to everyone paying personal income tax.
So I wouldn’t say that the question was loaded, it is exactly what is on the table.
I imagine the list is very long. The national anthem and to speak in parliament are the most obvious ones. Probably too to greet people when they come to her office.
How long before NZ’s idiotic ‘adventure tourism’ industry gets such a bad Health & Safety reputation that it goes bust?
Apart from the lost jobs, I wouldn’t be sad to see it go. Nothing more irritating than oblivious fools compelled to race across the landscape and jump off bits of it, rather than being content to merely be in it.
What a typical leftist view of the World – “I don’t like what other people want to do with their free time so I want them to stop it despite it providing tens of thousands of jobs that pay more than anything I’m
offering as an alternative.”
Evolution made the young (especially men) into risk takers . The riskiest thing most get in their day to day lives is crossing the road . That is the y of adventure tourism .
Was surprised to find out when the fatality at Tree Adventures took place a few years ago, that they don’t have to be reviewed on safety procedures to start operations.
World total debt now stands at $250 trillion dollars and we can never pay this amount back.
“Global debt levels soared over the past decade, with the vast majority accumulated by emerging market nations.
According to figures from the Institute of International Finance (IIF), global levels of debt held by households, governments, financials and non-financial corporates jumped by over $US70 trillion in the past decade to a record high of $US215 trillion, equating to 325% of global GDP.
Here’s what that increase looks like, looking back not only over the past decade but also to the decade before.”
Global Debt is now 10 x times what it was in the last GFC, through Qualitative Easing and money printing by the Federal Reserve it would appear their will be another correction at some stage in the future, it may be 10 x times as big as the last GFC. Interested know how Gossie reads the situation hopefully he can advise us tomorrow ?
Any chance you can explain why the opposition keep killing black Venezuelans in their violent night protests? Or can you explain why the opposition keeps violently attacking security forces and police?
And more importantly, why do you personally oppose a democratically elected President?
Maduro has said they will have new election and has asked the opposition to participate.
Also the UN special envoy found no humanitarian crisis in Venezuela
Maduro is not the democratically elected President of Venezuela as his election did not meet the criteria set down for a free and fair democratic election.
Are you by any chance Venezuelan or have you even been to Venezuela in the last 3 years? Just trying to establish your credibility for making such an unsubstantiated claim.
Wow Gosman, all you got is lies. What he won exactly the same percentage of votes as Obama, in a system way more honest than the US one. So I’m going to say Bullshit on your statement or what normal people would call it – a lie.
Caught out on your lying again, how about you do the world a favour and stop lying.
“Under the Venezuelan constitution, the CNE is the official independent body responsible for overseeing and guaranteeing the transparency of all elections.
The opposition says it is dominated by Maduro allies. It is made up of five members. The opposition alleges that four of the five are government stooges and therefore does not trust the body to be independent.
Luis Emilio Rondón, the one CNE member which has been critical of the government, said he did not recognise the results because “Venezuelans’ freedom to vote” had not been respected.”
The one member of the so called “independent” electoral body that is not a government appointed stooge called the election not free and fair. Was there something similar in the US during the last election?
Funny that the only one of the so called “independent” electoral body that wasn’t appointed by the Maduro regime was the only one that had a problem with the election don’t you think adam?
Do you believe electoral bodies should be regarded as independent by the political parties in the country or do you think the government of the day can appoint anyone they like without reference to the opposition? I’m just asking next time you complain about a National lead government appointing someone to say the board of RNZ.
Evidently the US have been flooding Venezuela with weapons to effect some kind of Civil War ?
Cuba have traditionally been one of Venezuela’s main trading partners, Cuba supply Venezuela with Doctors in exchange for oil to get around the USA embargo on Cuba which has been in effect since 1959 when Castro & Guevera took back Cuba after it was annexed by the USA in 1900.
In general Gosman conducts himself with a great deal more dignity and intellectual consistency than almost everyone here who berates him like children having tantrums …
The forces collapsing Venezuela are coming from outside, not from with in its domestic economy. Venezuelas food production is privately owned. There is nothing that would support gooies ideoical possesion.
Never though it possible until now but I just gave less of a fuck about what gooie has to say. You didn’t catch any more feelings or reasons did you logic?
“In 2010, the government nationalised the farm supply business. Agropatria is now responsible for supplying farmers with everything from seeds to pesticides.”
Your own linked article states Venezuela imports 70% of it’s food yet you want to claim Maduro is responsible for the actions of private companies being dicks with Venezuelan food, you fake. What’s even more distasteful is how any one would stick up for you, let alone allow your fake news bullshit opinions to go unchallenged just pisses me off to no end (is there no one here with a set of balls?)
Since at least 2002 after the failed military coupe against Chavez, America has issued Terrorism-Related Sanctions, Drug Trafficking-Related Sanctions, Trafficking in Persons Sanctions, Targeted Sanctions Related to Antidemocratic Actions, Human Rights Violations, and Corruption, Sanctions on Holding Companies, Additional Financial Sanctions. None of which has any evidence, just concerns from Whitehouse spokespeople who’ve never set foot in Venezuela in there life’s.
Correction: The link stated Venezuela used to make 70 % of it’s own food BEFORE Chavez took over and did stupid things like nationalise the agricultural inputs businesses. Did you not read the article?
Your questions are insulting. Now you blame Chavez for foreign interests meddling in the affairs of another nation during a military coup but what ever.
You obviously did not read the link I posted in any depth.
“In 2010, the government nationalised the farm supply business. Agropatria is now responsible for supplying farmers with everything from seeds to pesticides.
Timing is crucial and producers say the government is not delivering.
Corn is a government staple, meaning farmers have to sell it at regulated prices
This year, Ronald did not get fertiliser in time for his corn crop, so it suffered.
The corn he does grow he has to sell at regulated prices because it is a government staple. He can only just keep the farm afloat.
“We have to go it alone to try and make things better but the situation is so bad,” he says. “The country’s financial situation and what we have now is tough.” ”
In 2010 Chavez was still in power. It was his decision to nationalise the Agricultural supply company.
This decision has contributed mightily to the collapse in farming as did the decision to impose price controls and the hyper-inflation caused by excessive government spending.
You ignore countries forign to Venezuela meddling in there affairs, organising military coups and basically being shit bags because of what the largest oil reserve nation in the world, Venezuala, may one day represents a threat to U.S interests by virtue of economic sovereignty and standing on there own to feet. Still amazed at how you could gender such love from a self professed left wing site as the Standard. Amazed and angry self proffered smart people can’t even see it.
I don’t ignore them. I discount them because by far the biggest damage to the Venezuelan economy was done by the Chavista regime. This is what YOU are ignoring in your attempts to place the blame anywhere but on left wing policies.
So Chavez was elected in 1999, and was succeeded by his deputy Maduro. That’s about 20 years, and, nope, still zip nada skeletons in the closet. The numbers are just not on your side.
The sharp cold snap will have horticulturalists out with the smudge pots and other tools to defeat frost on crops, some not quite ready yet. Thought of you Robert and your grapes etc Hope you were ok. We too had rain last night Cinny, and were delighted after a long dry spell has sent the younger trees to autumn colour early.
No worries, Patricia – is was a bit chilly but today’s sunny and warmer. Your trees have assumed their autumn coats – yikes! Too soon, too soon! I need a long summer for our plans to come to fruition. One of our guests is a winemaker trained in Italy in an ancient style where the grapes are mushed into huge clay amphora. He’s going to teach me how, having seen the lovely big crop we have here this year 🙂
How long before it is drinkable? Do the vines have to have age?
My father made fijoa wine, it was beautiful. He said the trees were mature so the fruit was flavoursome and sweet.
Venezuelan socialism seems to be working just fine. Perhaps our resident Venezuelan reporter or Dick Brandson will be able to explain the humanitarian crisis over there lol.
Yes and the fact that an average meal costs over 12,500 Bolívar Soberano and that this is tied to the USD officially at a rate of 60 to 1 must mean that Venezuelans are doing wonderfully well to afford a lunch worth over 200 US dollars.
Perhaps you can report back from Venezuela how the millions there can afford $200 dollar lunches? Sure you’re not getting confused with how much you spend for lunch down at the Viaduct?
You two are such numpties. The average price of a basic meal in Venezuela is not really the equivalent of 200 USD. The Bolívar Soberan’s value has been set articifically high by the dunderheaded Venezuelan regime. The ACTUAL value is probably about 1 or 2 USD however that is likely to be out of reach for the vast majority of Venezuelans as they don’t make even that amount per day as a result of the collapse of the Venezuelan economy.
The US should invade NZ, as we have had more kiwis leave these shores (as a percentage) than people who have left Venezuela. Just following your logic stunned mullet.
That was certainly true between 1999 and 2008 I suppose.
On the other hand in 2008 we had an election that got rid of the incumbent lot of idiots and the flow reversed.
The New Zealand Military accepted the result of the poll and didn’t, like the Venezuelan lot, keep the rejected junta in power.
Lucky for that wasn’t it? Otherwise we might have continued with the massive exodus and been invaded.
Gee isn’t this sort of history fun? I see why you indulge Adam.
I love your ideological wankery alwyn. You’re consistent at least.
As for the military keeping a junta in power – man you so detached from reality with that line, I’m going to suggest you put down the crack pipe. But I’m not sure you can.
If I heard correctly on RNZ this morning that there is a suggestion that all rental properties should heave a heater to bring them up to 18C ????
Franly a silly suggestion however well intended..
The trouble people, some idiots, seem to think you can swan around in light clothing as they see in Hollywood etc movies.
I am a house owner and over the years I have double glassed a house I built which was insulated to start with … I also wasted money on a heat pump which rarely gets run as I am a firm believe in “personal’ as opposed to ‘general’ heating and from an experiment learnt that using the heat pump would reduce or cripple my life style so I keep warm with personal heating.
I guess that is only what an adult can do and difficult for children, or safe for them to be near heaters
Some ti,me ago the suggestion was 16C now its is 18C …. how high will these folk want it to go?.
I can only guess where this suggestion comes from which helps to confirm my opinion that they are hopelessly impractical and a menace to the well-being of the country.
If this government wants to improve conditions they should build and run more state houses so that everyone can have a good basic standard of accomdation and only have to ‘private rent’ if they want better for themselves and are prepared to pay for it.
Further to my last point … my son has central heating in the States where he lives these days but I remembering his wife telling me hat the price of electricity is much less there.
I do not know the details but it seems to me that Govt should reduce the price of power rather than gouging folk with current high prices.
It is probably not surprising really that their power is cheaper in the USA.
Did you know that 32% of US electricity is generated using Natural Gas, which is a clean method of production?
And that 30% is by coal?
And also that 20% is from Nuclear power plants? https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/index.php?page=electricity_in_the_united_states
Now who was it that won’t let us explore for natural gas anymore?
And has demanded that any coal fired stations be shut down?
And never allowed us to have nuclear power, which is probably the greenest of all the electricity generation methods?
And you act all surprised that our electricity is more expensive than in the US?
Our power assets were stolen by incompetent, venal scumbags – who can’t run the companies efficiently, and don’t want to anyway.
The coalition seems to be considering a few steps other than the lameass populism the Key kleptocracy embraced to try to stay in power at any cost. Reform of the power companies would enjoy a strong mandate, particularly if it includes significant punishment for non-performing PPPs that lie about outcomes to steal public assets.
Without that reform, rental landlords and employers will face another round of controls, because NZ’s poor cannot save for housing while being simultaneously rack rented and squeezed by utility companies.
Yes, both he and the companies should face some kind of consequence for their lies, and for their professional irresponsibility.
In Korea, PPPs know they’d better deliver what they promise – or their CEOs will be in jail, and the companies will be restructured until they deliver, or sold off to make good on the penalty provisions that were part of the agreement.
STANDARD 9 – ACCURACY
9e
whether the broadcaster sought and/or presented comment, clarification or input from any relevant person or organisation
STANDARD 8 – BALANCE
8c The assessment of whether a reasonable range of other perspectives has been presented includes consideration of the following, where relevant;
-whether the programme was narrowly focused on one aspect of a larger, complex debate
-the nature of the issue/whether listeners could reasonably be expected to be aware of views expressed in other coverage, including coverage in other media (eg, is it an ongoing topic of debate, such that listeners can reasonably be expected to have a broad understanding of the main perspectives on the issue)
”Venezuela: Growing condemnation of Maduro’s aid refusal’ RNZ Morning Report 25/02/2019 7.30am
This segment, does not inform the public of the following information in regards to aid/Venezuela, thereby misinforming the public through an lack of accuracy and balance in it’s reporting.
1. Both the Red Cross and the UN have declined to participate in the US/Lima Group aid programme, in large because of the politicized nature of the aid programme.
The right wing are in control of RNZ now, ever since the Labour Coalition Government took over in 2018, National moved to install their own CEO to control RNZ.
That CEO has damaged the brand beyond repair now, and forced John Campbell out after that right wing CEO was installed there .
Claire Curran did much of the damage as she fucked the whole RNZ system up for good.and should have removed him from CEO immediately.
We placed an official complaint with the RNZ after Labour took it over in november 2017 and got a dismissive letter back from Curran saying she would not dismiss the National appointed CEO.
Claire Curran is public enemy number one now, for her causing our loss of free speech.
That is a good example of how a CGT would affect a hypothetical business owner with no relevance to how small business (or any business) works. It is a terrible example of real life.
How, for instance, is leaving $600K of profit in the bank over 20 years reinvesting in the business? Her accountant would advise her against this.
No, Farrar’s think-piece is not based on any practical example. The businessperson in the article spent nothing at all on new equipment or vehicles and because all profit went to the bank. So she finished with the same tools and van she started with 20 years earlier. That is so hard to believe that the entire premise lacks any kind of validity whatsoever.
I definitely do not want to enter any discussion or argument about vaccinations but it is rather amusing that an article about measles includes the statement “…there has been a rash of recent cases in the South.”
They seem to be thinking the decades of their free market financial neo-liberalism has something to do with the marked state of societal decline, which is obviously a cover for rabid anti-semitism.
The other end of the street, fortified by surveiliance and private security, are more like if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, while they embark on a grand destination of hard power and expansion, & the league of nations last century didn’t exist yet their colonies do!
China is one of the biggest methamphetamine manufacturers in the world, doubt whether production and export sales are monitored very closely. They now call Tonga the “Ice Kingdom” due to the amount of methamphetamine available in Tonga, this is one of the gateways into NZ.
I automatically laugh when I see a photo of soimon bridges in an article. I don’t bother reading it, because of his mind numbing “I will say anything to get elected” drivel contained within. Anyone else?
I seen this story on Stuff website at first it looks like a positive spin for The big 2 fertiliser companys Eco Maori totally agrees with the video on most points but big money has limited the positive data on Organic farming price will be a bit higher but if the whenua is worked correctly prouduction need not drop .The video do my mahi for me
Greenpeace wants to ban nitrogen fertiliser
Ka kite ano links below https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/110844298/nitrogen-fertilise-is-not-a-fundamental-part-of-nz-dairy-farming
Its a illision that New Zealand is one of the least corrupt countrys in the world if they can standby and let the cops break all my and my whanaus rights interfering in my grandchildrens futures playing games with my children getting people to play with my wife her psychologist is in on the game trying to tell her to do dumb shit for a 52 year old grandpearent because some cop from Gisborne Gisborne man has a big chip on his sholders because this savage is not stupid like he has stereotype me as has the whole justice system of the world at his disposal . Every time I go some were these clowns have a play in action WTF THE positive thing is I,m Not stupid and they are gracing Eco Maori with Mana and they are scared of me and te tangata can see with there OWN eyes that the systems are corrupt so they will keep out of the SHIT Lost his marbles try to intimadate Eco Maori he was a dirty RAT that one he got what he deserved he restated the Eco Maori man hunt framing me with his lies P.S I can thank the FOOLS FOR the Mana that I have now LOL One would be supprised at the amount of undercover cops they have spieing on KIWIS They swarm thats why they get the name sandflys
Kia ora Newshub That’s a cheap air fair price from Air NZ I still won’t be flying.???
Wow the injustice system is hounding me and can’t even keep a REAL CRIMINAL in the country for prosecution Te muppets show.
Mike its dry all right have not seen it this dry since 2013 I feel for those farmers and horticultural croppers affected by the drought in Tasman and down south island. It would be logical to have a walkway and cycle lanes under the Auckland Harbour Bridge surely the transport agency will pay those people who have invested so much in to designing the under bridge walking way and cycling Lane.
That very unusual weather fish getting blown out of the the Wai and being caught mid air by people. The great lakes in Canada and America had a huge ice wall being blown on land I think it was about 3mtrs high it has happened before. I think that all the private contractors who lost money on the Mainzeal company going bust stinks.
Mercury Energy creaming kiwis it is shocking how high power price are its not on that private house holders are paying a higher price for power than commercial consumers.?????.
Ka kite ano
Kia James and Mulls from The Crowd Goes Wild.
Congratulat to the coach.
Nothing wrong with being nice
I try not to sound like the open Mike houling person but the Tamariki Mokopunas and Wahine issues + the sandflys one has to hold it down but when one see what I see most people will break In a few weeks as I don’t tell you everything.
That was a good catch by the dog 83 mtrs is that a record.
Eco Maori could do with a hinaki I would catch all of the buggers
Ka kite ano
Kia ora The AM Show yea you must have a nice spun out lieing dirt file on me and its growing everyday.
A America train stuck in the Snow for 2 days I wonder if trump can smell the Roses and change his neanderthal attitude towards climate change and stop backing carbon as it looks like he is the only one who has not figured out that the tipping point on climate change is here and now.
The Auckland council is trying to get traffic jam sorted out you sound like a blue flag wavering person. The public transport problems is being minupulated by blue flags wavers to get one of there carbon Pro m8 in the Auckland Mayor’s office. We need to get people onto buses and trains to lower our carbon footprint .
As for the cops carrying guns all the time a big Know.
You cannot even make a complaint at a police station you need to get a lawyer who cost $20.000 to be able to get justice against the cops otherwise its impossible to
lay a complaint why because they don’t want the public to know of all the dumb shit that they do to the common public you see they discrimination against the common people they intimidat they won’t go and break the rights of a person driving a $50.000 car they will get sued. The cops just want to use the fact if they get to carry guns as a intimidation device.
They are crying foul that I am damaging there reputation. But know they are the ones breaking the laws of the land breaching my whanau rights. All they have to do is FUCK OFF and leave my Whanau alone but know they are like a HALFWIT who keeps pushing a button and they get a punch blood nose they are just to stupid to learn to stop pushing that BUTTON.
A carbon tax is need Jamie yes the foolish neanderthal like duncan keep rubbishing any tax from the polluting people like him they think its OK that property owners make millions of untaxed money while the common people carry the tax burden.
Wars are started by wealthy people they still have the cups of tea together play sports but the stupid Wars they start is fought by the poor common people doesn’t matter if we die.
With your poll did the cops know the poll was run this morning polls are use to minupulate people into thinking that the majority think some thing is OK when in reality it is not a majority and most people are like SHEEP and will just follow the majority.
What idiot takes his child out of a house on to a footpath to watch a car chase and put himself and his child in danger very foolish or A SET Up to get cops guns.
Durr a house is accommodation I have said your small brain does not let you think about other people situation mark there is a housing crisis caused by national party so that people like you can cream the common people.
All the big country’s of Europe have been control by big businesses they love most people to rent off them they get the rent and capital gains to for Equality we need more people to own houses or the rich will get richer and the poor will be milked dry by the wealthy.
Ka kite ano
Here is the proff that global warming is here and now and still some neandathals keep there heads stuck in a pile of money blocking OUR True reality .
The reality is if we do not change our ways asap our grandchildren are going to have a big MESS
They were everywhere in London on the weekend. The people in short sleeves or sandals. The ones with sunglasses ostentatiously hanging from the front of their shirts or balanced on top of their heads. The beer gardens and riverside pubs of the capital were heaving; corner shops ran out of ice-cream. Outside it was 17C (62F).
Monday was another warm day, without a cloud in the sky, and in the late afternoon the light took on a magical, honey-coloured hue. It brought to mind one of those summer evenings you remember from childhood, when you’d be in the park all day and your parents let you stay out until bedtime, and you felt like you were doing something deliciously naughty just by being there.
‘I can’t help but be concerned’: early spring worries UK readers
Read more
Except it isn’t early summer: it’s February. And the entire developed world has not so much been doing something slightly naughty as systematically attacking the global ecosystem over a period of decades, and that’s how we go into this mess.
We should try to hold on to this fact as young, posh men the nation over develop a strange delusion that anyone would want to see their elbows; this is not supposed to be happening. Less than a month ago, there was video footage of extreme cold weather coming out of Chicago. Forks supported in midair by suddenly frozen noodles, water poured from kettles instantly freezing on its way to the ground: you know the sort of thing. OK, that was on the other side of the world, and was extreme and terrifying enough. But at least it was terrifying in the right direction.
On Monday, though, the temperature hit 20.3C in Ceredigion, west Wales: the highest February temperature ever recorded in Britain and the first time the thermometer had breached 20C in winter. The BBC weather account tweeted it out with a gif of the sunshine icon and the same excitable breathlessness with which Springwatch would announce it had found a new type of vole. My response contained a single word, repeated seven times. It began with F. Ka kite ano Links below
Eco Maori says people should unite across the World as the big companys here in NZ pay shit money no guarantee 40 hour week just enough money to servive but all one can afford to do is work and rest no money for leasure time we are acturly slipping backwards. When I was a young fellow any tep work no guaranted hours was payed 30 % more +holiday pay on top now that is not the case.
The big companys should be forced to pay the people who make there money a living wage.
It would be nice to know how much corporate welfare the BIG COMPANIES get in New Zealand besides family support that subserdizes there labour rates in the long run.
Cities across America should unite against big corporations
New York’s resistance to Amazon’s HQ2 is a model for a new kind of politics for cities to follow
Julia Salazar and Shaun Scott
We are from New York City and Seattle respectively. What unites us – and other major cities across the country – is that we are forced to make hard choices about equity, taxes, and jobs in the age of mega-corporations.
Seattle is the birthplace of Amazon. The city government has catered to corporations by refusing to tax them in ways that could benefit working people. When the Seattle city council repealed the Employee Head Tax in June 2018, it said goodbye to $47.5m of revenue that could have gone toward deeply affordable housing. The people of New York City, on the other hand, chose a different path. Despite a full-court press from the mayor, the governor, and business interest groups, a grassroots movement of ordinary people defeated the richest man in the world. Amazon’s lauded HQ2, which would have allowed the company to usurp millions of dollars in public funds, was rejected by the people of Queens who correctly saw the deal as the blatant giveaway that it waS
On one hand, Seattle’s actions were the latest act of political surrender to big business; on the other, activists across the country rightly took New York’s resistance as proof that a better world without capitalist extortion of public resources is possible.
There was a time when organized labor underwrote the most socio-economically equal period in American history. From the end of World War II until the mid-1970s, trade and factory workers could count on stable pay and reliable benefits in places like Seattle. The federal government played a major part in this post-war prosperity by subsidizing both urban and suburban housing, so that working families could save money and get ahead. After a corporate backlash in the 1970s, the free-market philosophy of Reagan-era America combined with widespread deindustrialization to dismantle this redistributive policy framework.
Using mass layoffs and casualized (“flexible”) labor, corporate America has kept the working class in a state of perpetual anxiety for the last four decades. The declining fortunes of working families is the result of capitalism’s war on organized labor, with the percentage of unionized workers in America dramatically decreasing from 33 percent in 1955, to 20 percent in 1983, to 10.7 percent in 2017. Meanwhile, federal housing investments have also declined sharply since since the 1970s. As professor Jason Hackworth wrote in his 2010 book The Neoliberal City, “gone are the days of the federal government providing direct subsidies to house the most acutely poor.” Stagnating wages combined with mounting costs-of-living have spelled doom for working people.
If we stand firm, major corporations will have to change how they do business. They might have to discontinue the kind of union-busting activity that Amazon has been known for. Like Microsoft, they might increase the philanthropic contributions they make towards local housing solutions. Or maybe they’ll finally pay their fair share of taxes. As any labor organizer will tell you, direct action gets the goods. When cities stand up for themselves, they stand up for each other.
We can live in cities that marshal public space and resources for the common good. To do so, we’ll have to band together. We’ll have to resist forfeiting the public trust for the private gain of a few. Ka kite ano Links below P.S Eco Maori Has these ultra wealthy people ————Ana to kai we just want a fair deal
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The Abortion Legislation Committee has reported back on the Abortion Legislation Bill and recommended that it be passed with some amendments. Unfortunately, the latter include even more hoops to jump through for those seeking abortions after 20 weeks, including a time-wasting requirement to consult a second doctor. No-one casually seeks ...
Brexit is likely to be a disaster for the UK (how sad, never mind). But now that they're out of the EU, the latter has finaly taken the opportunity to blacklist one of their key tax havens:The Cayman Islands, a British overseas territory, is to be put on an EU ...
I’m not quite sure of what to make of the new figures for COVID-19 (as we must now call the novel coronavirus – though I’m not sure the capitalisation is correct) from Hubei province:Image from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-51495484The spike yesterday is a consequence of a using a different way of ...
Bob Jones has dropped his defamation case against Renae Maihi. Good. But at the same time, it perfectly exposes what the case was all about: not protecting Jones' reputation, but punishing someone who had dared to criticise him, and deterring others from doing the same. This rich pompous asshat dragged ...
As I've done for the past few years, I'm curating and presenting The Listening Lounge, the talk programme at Splore. On the morning of Saturday the 22nd at the Living Lounge stage, the korero goes like this.Yes, we're talking about drugs again, not just because I'm professionally interested in drug ...
What Were They Thinking? RNZ's CEO Paul Thompson (left) and Jim Mather, Chairman of the RNZ Board of Governors, attempt to justify the debacle arising out of their attempt to downgrade RNZ Concert to the Economic Development, Science and Innovation Select Committee at Parliament on Thursday, 13 February 2020.WHAT IS ...
Dame Tariana Turia with former PM John KeyWhat is it about Tariana Turia’s grudge against the Labour Party? Not content with attacking the Government over Whānau Ora funding, which was increased by $80 million in 2019, she has now made it personal by saying that Jacinda Ardern is out of her ...
Back in 2017, right after being elected, Jacinda Ardern promised that there would be no new mines on conservation land. Since then, her government has done nothing to make that happen, and now the policy has been officially "parked" for the election:West Coast-Tasman MP Damien O'Connor says the "no new ...
So the guy who advocated for public burning and beheading feels offended because someone called him a racist!Perhaps Bob Jones hasn't heard of the very old saying; Live by the sword, die by the sword?I mean for someone who often writes opinionated nonsense about Maori; this is a ridiculous case ...
The government today announced a major support package aimed at reducing homelessness. A thousand new transitional housing places, more support for people to find homes (or not lose them in the first place), all good stuff. The one problem with it is that they're going to start charging people in ...
Courtroom Drama: There is no off-switch in a courtroom. Neither is it possible to turn the page in disgust. Ill-formed and ill-defended opinions will be exposed ruthlessly and unapologetically. As Shakespeare put it: “Reputation is an idle and most false imposition; oft got without merit, and lost without deserving.” Sometimes the ...
As of today, the novel coronavirus spreading in China is called COVID-19. Why does it matter? Around the office, we’ve had several conversations over the past few weeks about how 2019-nCoV needed its own name. First, it was getting annoying calling it by the above designation, and ‘novel coronavirus’ doesn’t ...
by Philip Ferguson Last month B’Tselem, the Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, reported: “In 2019, Israeli security forces killed 133 Palestinians, including 28 minors. Of the casualties, 104 were killed in the Gaza Strip, 26 in the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and three within ...
A ballot for a single Member's Bill was held today, and the following bill was drawn: Arms (Firearms Prohibition Orders) Amendment Bill (No 2) (Brett Hudson)Its basicly more "tough on crime" nonsense (its already illegal for unlicensed people to own guns) designed to wedge NZ First against its arsehole base. ...
In 2015 the world agreed to the Paris Agreement to fight climate change. Each country would offer a Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) "that it intends to achieve", and "pursue domestic mitigation measures, with the aim of achieving [it]". And every five years, they'd improve on it, ratcheting up ambition until ...
In theory, the emissions trading scheme should reduce emissions. Making polluters pay for permits to pollute lets them save money by reducing pollution, giving them a financial incentive to do the right thing. But right from the start the ETS was broken with a system of free allocation, so polluters ...
Irish voters went to the polls on Saturday in parliamentary elections, and perhaps delivered a political revolution. Since independence, Irish politics has been dominated by two parties, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. Basicly patronage networks with indistinguishable policies, their cleavage isn't ideology, but who killed whose father or grandfather in ...
Once again the Aotearoa Bike Challenge is on us, and once again I’m participating. In principle this is not hard because it does not represent a significant switch in behavior for me. I already bike nearly every day. The Bicycle The fascinating thing about cycling is the realisation that this ...
Lately there has been a great deal of misinformation regarding the origins and purpose of Skeptical Science. As John Cook wrote nearly a decade ago, Skeptical Science is primarily a website that debunks climate misinformation with peer-reviewed science. Despite the ever-worsening impacts from climate change, with record after record being broken in ...
Under Attack: By sacking not only RNZ Concert’s presenters, but also its producers and librarians, and reducing the station to an automated purveyor of classical music in-between parliamentary broadcasts, RNZ’s CEO, Paul Thompson, wasn’t simply announcing an operational shake-up, he was declaring war on one of the most important guardians of ...
Story of the Week... Editorial of the Week... Toon of the Week... Quote of the Week... Coming Soon on SkS... Climate Feedback Reviews... SkS Week in Review... Poster of the Week... Story of the Week... Australian smoke plume sets recordsThe recent wildfires in Australia sent one of ...
The Global Protest to #FightInequality was powerful – thankyou and what next? Dear allies, We started the decade with a huge protest to #FightInequality that was heard around the world, including the 1% at Davos. Watch and share the highlights on facebook and twitter. A huge thank you. Together we ...
The Ministry of Health have announced a package that might ensure NZ will never experience another measles epidemic. While at the time of writing the details are still limited it appears that the important limitations in our current programme have been acknowledged and the intent is to address them. Great ...
Prof Nick Wilson, Prof Michael BakerIn this blog we briefly summarise our assessment of the highly uncertain new coronavirus threat. Given its potential to become a severe and prolonged global pandemic, a precautionary response now means activating all components of our pandemic plan, with a particular focus on ‘keep ...
When Labour was running for election, Jacinda Ardern famously said that climate change was "my generation's nuclear free moment". The implication was that her government would take the problem seriously, and act swiftly to reduce emissions. The reality:New Zealand will emit a million more tonnes of greenhouse gases in 2020 ...
James Renwick is Professor of Physical Geography at Victoria University of Wellington. He studied at Canterbury and the University of Washington and has worked on diverse aspects of climate science, including global atmospheric circulation and Antarctic sea ice. In December 2019 he was appointed to the New Zealand Climate Change ...
by Philip Ferguson Exit polls are showing a three-way virtual tie between the main parties in the south of Ireland. Sinn Fein, Fianna Fail and Fine Gael are all on just over 22%. FG on 22.4, SF on 22.3, FF on 22.2. Exit polls indicate that over 30% of 18-24 ...
A chronological listing of news articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week, i.e., Sun, Feb 2, 2020 through Sat, Feb 8, 2020 Editor's Pick New Report Details How Fossil Fuel Industry's Climate Destruction Also Exacerbates Human Rights Abuses"Even in the face of the ...
In a previous post I described briefly when and how the Starlink satellite chains – recent launches by Space-X in a scheme to bring 5G internet connectivity to the whole globe – could be seen from New Zealand with the naked eye. Here I provide an update and predictions for ...
Keeping The Faith: This Government’s broad, new, heavily moderated, progressive faith does not require a prime minister with the powers of a medieval pope. Jacinda’s regime has no need of subterranean torture chambers to ensure compliance. A gift for diplomacy and the ability to inspire her fellow human-beings is all ...
Jonathan Freedland of the Guardian has penned a column which chastises the left wing of the Labour party for daring to retain principles and ideals, qualities - it seems - that should be jettisoned in pursuit of power.Never mind that Freedland was an ardent Remainer, that is to say, one ...
Tonight’s news suggests the coronavirus outbreak may have originated from pangolins. Details are very sketchy, almost nothing at all beyond a claim of high similarity. My impression is this claim comes from a press release by South China Agricultural University. Initial discussion online suggests this is a more likely candidate ...
by Susanne Kemp The Fire and Emergency service (FENZ) has recently asked firefighters in Auckland Areas 3, 4 and 5 to take on an additional duty that has rather ominous implications. Namely, to collect names and addresses of everyone on the premises of fires they attend. The firefighters’ union, the ...
Part of the story of the Nazis' rise to power in Germany was the willingness of mainstream right-wing parties to work with them to keep out the left. Because of this, one of the fundamental rules of postwar German politics has been "do not work with Nazis". As a result, ...
There has long been a truism in public broadcasting: don't mess with Concert FM. The theory was that although the station has been in a long-term audience decline, and that audience is steadily ageing out, it has powerful establishment support – and any threat to it would provoke a fury.As ...
This is a re-post from the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists The heat absorbed in Earth’s oceans reached a new record in 2019, found a recent study published in the journal Advances in Atmospheric Sciences. Despite the fact that this has been the case for almost every year over the past decade, this information ...
We are confronted with the spectre of Simon Bridges making clear he cannot, will not, trust Winston Peters – the oft-cited “King Maker” in New Zealand politics.Supporters are lauding it as a master stroke, naturally, because in their eyes, it prevents him being the tail that wags the dog. ...
by Don Franks Under a government claiming empathy with the fine arts, Radio New Zealand ( RNZ) is poised to cut back its classical music station, RNZ Concert. The plan is replacing it on FM radio with music “for a younger audience” as part of a new multimedia music brand. ...
More Thwaites This past week we heard disturbing news about Antarctica's Thwaites Glacier. Helping to fill in the longer term history of Thwaites' behavior and especially helpful in interpreting results of the recent drilling project and what it may say about the future of this unstable mass of ice is Revealing the ...
Inaccuracies are very common in scientific paper abstracts. Image credit:Science in the Abstract: Don’t Judge a Study by its Cover I have come to accept anti-fluoride campaigners will never stop cherry-picking research and findings ...
“The scene is set, the players met…”. And what players they are in this farce of an Election coming up in the United States this year. There is a multi-faceted anger in the broader situation the world finds itself in, in which the false promises of so-called “moderates” find themselves ...
A few years ago, a company lowballed a contract to dispose of toxic waste from the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter. So, they dumped it in a disused paper mill in Mataura, then went into liquidation - effectively dumping the problem on local councils. The waste is dangerous - it releases ...
Unhappy with the demonisation of Iran in Western media, I was fortunate to have the Australian Institute of International Affairs invite me to write an alternative analysis for their on-line journal Australian Outlook. I did, and they serialised it into two parts. The essays are short, so I did not ...
Over on The Good Society, Max Rashbrooke suggests that its time to start directly taxing wealth:A wealth tax would be levied on net wealth – that is, the value of people’s assets once their debts have been subtracted. Such a tax would be highly redistributive. Levied at 1% on wealth ...
The quarterly labour market statistics have been released, and unemployment has dropped to 4%. There are now 111,000 unemployed - 15,000 fewer than when Labour took office. Its not the performance we had under Clark (when unemployment was ~3.3%), but its still a reasonable improvement over prevailing conditions under National. ...
Prof Michael Baker, Prof Nick Wilson, Louise Delany, Prof Richard Edwards, Prof Philippa Howden-ChapmanThe current national measles epidemic in New Zealand is amongst the largest we have experienced in the last 40 years. It can be linked to the problems created by long-term erosion and fragmentation of national public health ...
I’m about to start teaching science communication to tertiary students, which is equally hilarious and terrifying to me. (Hi to my students who have Googled me and found this post.) I loved English at high school, but we spent most of our time reading The Outsiders, discussing the differences between metaphors and ...
Space-X has started launching its Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit with a plan to use some tens of thousands of these to deliver 5G wifi to the whole globe. Chains of these satellites can be seen in the evening or before-dawn skies, through the sunlight they scatter. Here I provide ...
New Zealand was the first country to decriminalise prostitution and it was promoted as a progressive move. Yet survivors of the sex trade say that pimps and johns are emboldened operating within the law, and that the women are treated more like a piece of property to be used and ...
An obscene 12 percent pay jump for already overpaid CEOs last year reveals a willful ignorance from much of corporate New Zealand to the on-going harm inequality is causing the very society they live in, said Peter Malcolm, spokesperson for the income equality project Closing the Gap. In its annual ...
One thing I remember about the interview I did with Rex Halliday for Planet magazine in 1992 was a couple of times being on the verge of tears.Rex was reflecting on the community effort that went into the second Hero party at the old Princes Wharf building – and the ...
Something you don't see: Malawi's constitutional court has annulled fraudulent elections and ordered new ones:Judges in Malawi have annulled last year’s elections and called for a new ballot within 150 days. In a landmark judgment that experts hailed as a step forward for democracy, the country’s constitutional court found that ...
Our Scibloggers have been providing updates on the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. This page will be updated as more posts are published. 3 February 2020 Coronavirus ‘infodemic’ The WHO has called the coronavirus outbreak an ‘infodemic’, with information spreading rapidly – and sometimes incorrectly – online. Sarah-Jane O’ConnorLately, in Science 2 ...
If you haven’t watched Newsroom’s video showing Oranga Tamariki staff attempting to uplift a newborn baby yet you should do so. Although it's not the worst case as far as interventions go, it’s certainly not a good look for the Government. Because of this controversy there’s been a plethora of ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Sarah Wesseler As one result of modern farming practices that strip organic matter from the ground, between 20 and 60% of the carbon once stored in the world’s agricultural soils has been lost. Putting it back – a process known as carbon ...
Darroch Ball, Spokesperson for Law and Order New Zealand First welcomes the deployment of an Eagle Police helicopter in Christchurch in what is a step towards fulfilling its long-standing goal to increase the use of police helicopters for the front line, particularly in addressing the scourge of fleeing drivers. Christchurch leads ...
It may have been the first sitting week of 2020, but our Government is already in full-swing - managing a strong economy, investing in infrastructure, and working to break the cycle of homelessness. Read below for all that, and more... ...
In a heated debate in Parliament, National's Deputy Leader Paula Bennett claimed that “nearly 1600 patched gang members have been added” since the Coalition Government took power. To illustrate her point, she altered a chart used by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to show her government’s progress in housing to instead ...
Speech by the Rt Hon Winston Peters at Parliament’s Opening 2020 "We all need insurance" This year New Zealanders are going to have a clear choice to make That choice is between: Optimism versus pessimism; More progress versus back to the future; Investment versus divestment; Unity versus division. New Zealand ...
Infrastructure Minister Shane Jones has slammed the Board of Auckland Airport following the airport's runway closing twice within two weeks due to maintenance. Around 2,000 passengers were affected by last week’s runway closures, according to 1NEWS. Another maintenance closure on January 24 saw two international flights and three domestic flights ...
Jenny Marcroft, Spokesperson for Broadcasting New Zealand First supports the commissioning of a business case to assess the viability of a new public media entity. “A strong media environment is critical for a healthy democracy. New Zealand First is a strong supporter of a diverse, independent media,” New Zealand First broadcasting spokesperson ...
Pounamou and technology industries in the West Coast region are set to receive more than $2 million in Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) funding. This was announced by the Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher Tabuteau during Waitangi Day commemorations in Hokitika. He said $800,000 would be given to Development West ...
Clayton Mitchell MP, New Zealand First spokesperson for Labour and Industrial Relations Unemployment and wage growth numbers released by Stats NZ today demonstrate a labour market in good shape with unemployment falling to 4.0%, the underutilisation rate falling to an 11 year low, and wage growth at a 10-year high ...
Hon. Ron Mark, New Zealand First Spokesperson for Defence New Zealand First Spokesperson for Defence Ron Mark, welcomes the official opening of Te Rau Aroha, a new museum at Waitangi Treaty Grounds as part of our Coalition Agreement. “It is a great honour to be part of an effective Government ...
Rt. Hon. Winston Peters, Deputy Prime MinisterGood morning,Let us start with important acknowledgements.First, this special day, in remembrance of the 28th Maori Battalion, is also to honour all those men and women who have risked their lives in the service of our country.Second, special guest Robert ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters says New Zealand will look to build on its relationship with the United Kingdom and recommit to the European Union, after the country officially left the continental union recently. The Minister said New Zealand already cooperates closely with Britain on defence and security issues and has ...
Today, our Government announced the biggest infrastructure investment in a generation.We’re investing $12 billion to upgrade and build rail, roads, schools and hospitals across the country – modernising our infrastructure, preparing for climate change and helping to future-proof our economy.Find out everything you need to know about the ...
A Government programme to wipe out pea weevil has achieved a world first, with Biosecurity Minister Damien O’Connor today announcing the successful eradication of the noxious pest from Wairarapa. This means the nearly four-year ban on pea plants and pea straw was lifted today. Commercial and home gardeners can again grow ...
Southland residents hit by flooding caused by heavy rainfall can now access help finding temporary accommodation with the Government activating the Temporary Accommodation Service, Minister of Civil Defence Peeni Henare announced today. “The Temporary Accommodation Service (TAS) has been activated by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment to help ...
“Is that it?” That’s Finance Minister Grant Robertson’s response to Simon Bridges’ much-hyped economic speech today. “Simon Bridges just gave the most over-hyped and under-delivered speech that I can remember during my time in politics,” Grant Robertson said. “It’s not surprising. Simon Bridges literally said on the radio this morning ...
A trial deployment of the Police Eagle helicopter in Christchurch will test whether the aircraft would make a significant difference to crime prevention and community safety. “The Bell 429 helicopter will be based in Christchurch for five weeks, from 17 February to 20 March,” said Police Minister Stuart Nash. “The ...
The Government has kept up the pace of its work to promote New Zealand’s trade interests and diversify our export markets, with visits to Fiji and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) by Trade and Export Growth Minister David Parker. Building momentum to bring the PACER Plus trade and development agreement ...
The Coalition Government’s investment in a strong border and disrupting transnational organised crime produced record results for stopping drugs in 2019, says Minister of Customs Jenny Salesa. The illegal drugs were seized at the New Zealand border by Customs, and overseas by Customs’ international border partners before the drugs could ...
Transport Minister Phil Twyford today kicked off construction of a separated cycleway alongside Tamaki Drive. A two-way separated cycleway will be built along the northern side of Tamaki Drive, between the Quay Street Cycleway extension and Ngapipi Road. There will be a separate walking path alongside. Phil Twyford said giving ...
Owner-occupiers of unit and apartments living in earthquake-prone buildings will have certainty about the financial support they’ll be eligible for with the release of criteria for an upcoming assistance scheme, Minister for Building and Construction Jenny Salesa says. The Residential Earthquake-Prone Building Financial Assistance Scheme will help unit owners facing ...
Temporary restrictions on travel from China will remain in place as a precautionary measure to protect against the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus. The restrictions which prevent foreign nationals travelling from, or transiting through, mainland China from entering New Zealand have been extended for a further 8 days. This position ...
Employment Minister Willie Jackson announced today that Tairāwhiti rangatahi will benefit from an investment made by the Government’s He Poutama Rangatahi (HPR) scheme. The funding will go to the Tautua Village, Kauneke programme and the Matapuna Supported Employment Programme which will fund 120 rangatahi over two years. “Both programmes work ...
All parents and caregivers need to ensure that their children go to school unless they are sick, Associate Education Minister Tracey Martin said today. “The school attendance results for 2019 show, across the board, a drop in the number of students going to school regularly,” the Minister says. “Apart from ...
A Deed of Settlement agreeing redress for historical Treaty claims has been signed by the Crown and Moriori at Kōpinga Marae on Rēkohu (Chatham Islands) today, Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Andrew Little has announced. Moriori have a tradition of peace that extends back over 600 years. This settlement ...
Transport Minister Phil Twyford today with Māori King Tuheitia Pōtatau Te Wherowhero VII officially opened the country’s newest road, the $384 million Huntly section of the Waikato Expressway. The 15km four-lane highway with side and central safety barriers takes State Highway 1 east of Huntly town, across lowlands and streams ...
The rapid uptake of life-saving new hepatitis C medicine Maviret since it was funded by PHARMAC a year ago means the elimination of the deadly disease from this country is a realistic goal, Health Minister David Clark says. Hepatitis C is a blood-borne virus which attacks the liver, proving fatal ...
Kaupapa Māori will underpin the Government’s new plan to deal with homelessness announced by the Prime Minister in Auckland this morning. “Māori are massively overrepresented among people experiencing homelessness, so, to achieve different outcomes for Māori, we have to do things very differently,” says the Minister of Māori Development ...
1000 new transitional housing places delivered by end of year to reduce demand for emergency motel accommodation. Introduce 25% of income payment, after 7 days, for those in emergency motel accommodation to bring in line with other forms of accommodation support. Over $70m extra to programmes that prevents those at ...
Clear requirements for ensuring customers are treated fairly by banks, insurers and other financial service providers are included in new financial conduct legislation that passed its first reading today. “The recent reviews, by the Financial Markets Authority (FMA) and Reserve Bank of New Zealand, into the conduct of banks and ...
Applications are now open for the fifth round of the Regional Culture and Heritage Fund Associate Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Grant Robertson announced today. “I am delighted to open this year’s fund which has some $7 million available to support performing arts venues, galleries, museums and whare ...
The Minister of Māori Development, Hon Nanaia Mahuta today congratulated Associate Professor Amokura Kawharu on her appointment as the next President of the Law Commission. “Amokura Kawharu will be a standout in her new role, leading in an innovative and forward looking approach to the law reform process. She will ...
Auckland University legal academic Amokura Kawharu has been appointed as the next President of the Law Commission, Justice Minister Andrew Little announced today. Associate Professor Kawharu will take up her new appointment on 11 May 2020. “I would like to congratulate Associate Professor Kawharu on her appointment,” Andrew ...
A programme for employers to help them engage effectively with younger employees was launched today by Minister of Employment, Willie Jackson. The Youth Ready Employer Programme contains a range of on-line templates that employers can easily access to help with employing and retaining young people in their businesses. The programme ...
Budget 2020 will be delivered on Thursday 14 May, Finance Minister Grant Robertson announced today. “This year’s Budget will continue the Coalition Government’s focus on tackling the long-term challenges facing New Zealand while also preparing the economy for the future. “Those challenges and opportunities cannot be resolved in one budget, ...
I move, That this House place on record its appreciation and thanks for the devoted and distinguished service to New Zealand by the late Rt Hon Michael Kenneth Moore, member of the Order of New Zealand, a member of Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, an Honorary Member of the ...
Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor has today classified the drought conditions in Northland as an adverse event for the primary sector, unlocking $80,000 in Government support. “This is recognition that the extreme and prolonged nature of this dry spell is taking its toll on our farmers and growers and additional support ...
The Minister of Police says an operation to smash a trans national drug smuggling ring today will make a significant impact on the methamphetamine trade fuelling harm in our communities. Police have announced 10 arrests and the seizure of up to five million dollars’ worth of illicit drugs after an ...
The Government’s books are in a strong position to withstand global headwinds, with the accounts in surplus and expenses close to forecast, Finance Minister Grant Robertson says. The Treasury today released the Crown accounts for the six months to December. The operating balance before gains and losses (OBEGAL) was above ...
Race courses can improve safety with this year’s second round of funding from the Racing Safety Development Fund. Minister for Racing Winston Peters has announced the second funding round of 2019/20 is open with $347,875 available for distribution. “The racing industry is integral to the economic and social fabric of ...
The Government is committing $300,000 to fund research to update behavioural information to make sure HIV and STI prevention services are targeted appropriately in New Zealand. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Finance Minister Grant Robertson made the announcement at today’s Big Gay Out in Auckland. “There is much talk about ...
The Minister of Broadcasting, Communications and Digital Media has announced work will begin on a business case to assess the viability of forming a new public media entity. “The Government must ensure New Zealanders have a strong independent public media service for decades to come, which means ensuring public ...
Minister of Civil Defence Hon Peeni Henare announced today that the Government will contribute $100,000 to the Southland regional Mayoral Relief Fund, to support communities impacted by the recent flooding in Southland. Mr Henare says this week’s flooding has caused significant disruption to communities in the lower South Island. ...
Heritage buildings throughout New Zealand will benefit from the $1.1 million in Heritage EQUIP funding grants announced today. “These grants for seismic strengthening projects help private building owners get the advice they need to start building work or to get the work completed,” Grant Robertson says. “Timaru’s Grosvenor Hotel has ...
A new survey has found New Zealand’s game development sector has grown beyond expectations and is on track to becoming a billion dollar industry in 2025, Economic Development Minister Phil Twyford says. “New Zealand’s interactive media sector grew by 42 per cent in last financial year to $203.4 million, according ...
Te Tii, the lower marae at Waitangi, is among more than 70 marae now connected to broadband internet thanks to the Provincial Growth Fund’s marae connectivity scheme, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones said today. In February 2019, the Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) allocated $21 million to connect rural towns ...
The West Coast has had a funding injection of over $1.2 million from the Provincial Growth Fund, Under Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher Tabuteau announced at Waitangi Day commemorations in Hokitika today. The PGF projects announced are: $800,000 to Development West Coast for a Grey District Regional Digital Hub ...
Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor has declared an adverse event for the Southland and Otago regions, unlocking Government support for farmers and growers. “Widespread flooding has resulted in severe disruption, with many people evacuated from their homes and many farms being affected by flood waters. It’s putting pressure on our farmers, ...
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has announced a funeral service for former Labour Prime Minister the Rt Hon Mike Moore, ONZ, AO. A public service will be held on Friday 14 February at 2pm at Dilworth School senior campus, 2 Erin Street, Epsom, Auckland. “The service will be a celebration of ...
Today’s news of low unemployment, rising wages and record numbers of Maori in work shows the economy is in good shape and that the Government is delivering better outcomes across New Zealand. “The Coalition Government has overseen a strong economy. Our investments in infrastructure, our focus on lifting wages of ...
Opening of Waitangi Museum Te Rau Aroha 9.30am, 5 February 2020 [CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY] Good morning, Let us start with important acknowledgements. First, this special day, in remembrance of the 28th Maori Battalion, is also to honour all those men and women who have risked their lives in the service ...
The government has agreed to help crayfish exporters to minimise the impact of trade disruptions caused by the coronavirus outbreak in China. Between 150 and 180 tonnes of live rock lobster are currently held in New Zealand in pots and tanks, at sea and on land, after export orders were ...
Rural Communities Minister Damien O’Connor is travelling to Southland today. The region is in a state of local emergency following widespread flooding. “I’m heading down there to support response and recovery efforts and meet with the locals”, he said. “A lot of people have been evacuated from their homes, have suffered ...
The boundaries of free speech were at issue in two recent court cases, one in Britain, the other in New Zealand. In the British case, a judge ruled that the police response to an ex-officer’s tweets (allegedly transphobic) was a “disproportionate interference” with his right to freedom of expression. The ...
The Tauranga-based power company Trustpower has cut its earnings expectations by as much as 14 percent because of lower power prices and pressure on margins. ...
It’s not worth putting much credence in Simon Bridges’s complaints about the current Government’s piling on hikes in petrol taxes until he commits to reversing them, says the Taxpayers’ Union . Spokesman Louis Houlbrooke said, “It’s not ...
Researchers say councils need to be doing much more to ensure homes and buildings aren't wiped out when a mega-tsunami eventually strikes the east coast of the North Island. ...
Water utilities right across the country face major challenges to upgrade and maintain their underground three waters network. Water New Zealand’s Technical Manager, Noel Roberts says Wellington’s waste water woes are not unique to the capital city. ...
With more than a thousand locations in 250 cities worldwide, UK company Stasher is allowing travellers to store their luggage while offering local businesses a way to earn extra cash. Having recently launched in New Zealand, co-founder and CEO Jacob Wedderburn-Day explains how the business works. How did Stasher start and ...
National's deputy leader Paula Bennett says if Winston Peters had any involvement in covert photographs of journalists meeting a source, he is not fit to be deputy prime minister. ...
ALRANZ Abortion Rights Aotearoa is co-sponsoring a National Day of Action – Our Bodies, Our Choices, with Fem Force, Victoria University Feminists Organisation, NCW, and HELP. “Now is the time for people who care about women and pregnant people ...
Editor’s Note: Here below is a list of the main issues currently under discussion in New Zealand and links to media coverage.New Zealand Parliament Buildings, Wellington, New Zealand.Today’s contentPolitical donations Danyl Mclauchlan (Spinoff): The donations mess reveals a vacuum in our political system. Who will fill it? ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Luke Robinson, Lecturer, Department of Occupational Therapy, Monash University When people think about Australian Rules Football injuries, they tend to think about head injuries and the long-term effects of concussion. Or they might think of the potentially lengthy recoveries after hamstring, shoulder ...
Simon Bridges reckons those on the average wage shouldn’t be hit by a 33-cents-in-the-dollar tax. And they’re not. Not even close. Alex Braae explains. It takes an incredible political talent to announce that you disagree with a policy setting, and have that critique be so powerful that it retroactively becomes government ...
Sam Brooks heads along to Meatstock 2020, and finds himself questioning the symbiotic relationship between meat-eating and machismo.As I entered Auckland’s ASB Showgrounds for the first day of Meatstock 2020, a girl was exiting. Trucker cap on, eyes hidden behind aviators, manicured fingers wrapped around a can, itself wrapped in ...
Today’s launch of the Ngati Porou treaty settlement documentary is significant for the iwi and for all New Zealanders as we further our understanding of the journey to Te Tiriti o Waitangi settlements, Bernadette Cavanagh CE Manatū Taonga Ministry ...
Why don’t Western democratic governments typically regulate the porn industry, internet service providers (ISPs) or other internet services who make pornographic content accessible to children? And how is a change in the idea of what it means ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is calling on the Ministry of Health to demand back the $319,000 of taxpayers spent on a flawed study suggesting a weekly lotto ticket is as harmful as an amputated leg and that occasional gambling is comparable to having a heart ...
Across the prime minister’s Monday morning broadcast interviews, there was one overwhelming theme: the behaviour of NZ First and Winston Peters, who happens also to be the deputy prime minister.With turmoil engulfing government coalition partner NZ First and deputy PM Winston Peters, the logical next person to ask for a ...
By Michael Norris in Wellington After a week-long controversy, New Zealand’s public broadcaster Radio New Zealand (RNZ) has withdrawn a proposal to axe its classical music station RNZ Concert. But despite the sudden backtrack, RNZ Concert isn’t safe yet. Whatever the final outcome of RNZ’s rethink, it is clear ...
“The Government’s current dispute with councils regarding the Urban Development Bill is the result of Phil Twyford’s failure to cut red tape on a broader basis,” says New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union spokesman Louis Houlbrooke. “In Opposition, ...
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says the New Zealand First Foundation - which faces investigation from the SFO - has nothing to do with her or Winston Peters' role in her Cabinet. ...
The Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has been speaking with her Australian counterpart about options to evacuate New Zealanders stuck on a cruise ship, quarantined in Japan. ...
Government seeks power to seize reins over electricity industry; and property investors to blame for NZ's high house prices, not lack of supply, researcher says. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bénédicte Cenki-Tok, Associate professor at Montpellier University, EU H2020 MSCA visiting researcher, University of Sydney As the world shifts away from fossil fuels, we will need to produce enormous numbers of wind turbines, solar panels, electric vehicles and batteries. Demand for the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Chris Salisbury, Research Associate, School of Political Science & International Studies, The University of Queensland With cries of “Quexit!” still echoing faintly in our ears, Queenslanders head towards a state election in October. For many, interest lies in whether federal Labor’s poor ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Susanne Becken, Professor of Sustainable Tourism and Director, Griffith Institute for Tourism, Griffith University If you’re a traveller who cares about reducing your carbon footprint, are some airlines better to fly with than others? Several of the world’s major airlines have announced ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Pi-Shen Seet, Professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Edith Cowan University Every year, the Australian Taxation Office releases a report that includes the highest earning occupations in Australia. These are mostly in the medical, legal and financial sectors. This information is commonly used ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hal Pawson, Professor of Housing Research and Policy, and Associate Director, City Futures Research Centre, UNSW Despite two years of housing market cooling in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia stayed near the top of the global unaffordability league in 2019. And with prices ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Diane Kraal, Senior Lecturer, Business Law and Taxation Dept, Monash Business School, Monash University So worried is the government about the meagre income it is getting from gas during the middle of Australia’s biggest gas export boom that it asked an independent ...
NZ's effective policy of tempting guest workers here with the chance of permanent residency and then quietly withdrawing that chance has become a damaging economic addiction that is mean and fraudulent, Bernard Hickey argues. ...
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Bridges gives signal of tax cuts, police under pressure over family violence problem, and condemnation rains down over Peters scandal.Expect plenty of news today about National’s economic manifesto to take into the next election. From Simon Bridges’ appearance on Q+A yesterday (welcome back ...
A "surreptitious" conspiracy to introduce special NZ gold kiwifruit plants into China could cost a Chinese-born local grower $15m for breaches of intellectual property laws. ...
Maia Wilson is being tipped as the next Maria Folau in the Silver Ferns shooting circle, but she wants to stamp her own unique footprint on netball history. ...
Dental decay is NZ's most common chronic disease, yet it is not covered by the health system. Cat McLennan explains why we should introduce free dental care for adults. ...
Winston Peters was once the one who could plausibly rail against the self-interest of the establishment. Today that seems laughable, So where are the real critics offering reform, asks Danyl Mclauchlan. Politics is messy. It’s chaotic; most things happen for complex combinations of reasons and these are not always obvious, ...
The conversation around how we prepare for coronavirus here needs to be guided by a sense of our common humanity, write Ruth Cunningham, Charlotte Paul, Andrew Moore, Ayesha Verrall of the University of Otago’s Department of Public Health.Borders have been closed, arrivals from Wuhan are in quarantine, and New Zealanders ...
Pretty much everything has a breaking point. The only questions are where, when and how. Might it be coming soon with climate change policy? This week there was disarray in the Australian Liberal and National party coalition over the costs of climate change policy. This was one of the issues ...
Ex-tropical cyclone Uesi is due to reach the west of the South Island this afternoon, bringing further pain to flood-hit Southland. Here’s what you need to know.Ex-tropical, you say. What on earth does that mean? A tropical cyclone, which is a low-pressure system that forms over warm waters in the tropics, ...
The Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand has confirmed anti-poverty campaigner Ricardo Menendez March as their candidate for Maungakiekie in this general election. Ricardo Menendez March has been working as the Coordinator for Auckland Action Against Poverty, ...
We review the entire country and culture of New Zealand, one thing at a time. Today, a bunch of us have a hoon on Burger King’s new chip butty.The United Kingdom’s contributions to world cuisine, like its contributions to the world in general (Morris dancing, Piers Morgan, colonialism etc), are ...
Emily Writes reviews the now infamous orgasm episode of the even more infamous Netflix show The Goop Lab.It was four days after the fourth person asked me to review the orgasm episode of Netflix’s The Goop Lab that I finally sat down to watch it.I don’t like Gwyneth Paltrow but ...
Beige and on-trend? Not for this poet. Paula Harris gives some real-life, applicable decor advice.Last night I was procrastinating and avoiding working on some poem revisions, because being a poet means that when you have other things to do, you write a poem, and when you have a poem to ...
Have we reached peak smartphone? Henry Burrell reviews the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip, an engineering marvel which all but highlights how few ways there are to improve phones in 2020.In the age of smartphones, notifications and constant communication, you might wish for a simpler time when the old flip phone ...
By Hans Nicholas Jong in Jakarta Experts have warned that a slate of sweeping deregulation planned by the Indonesian government could prove disastrous for the environment and create even more conflicts over land and resources. The administration of President Joko Widodo is preparing to submit to Parliament two bills ...
Dr Bryce Edwards.Does money buy policy in New Zealand politics and government? Based on the ongoing political finance scandal involving New Zealand First, which comes hot on the heels of the Serious Fraud Office charging four people in relation to donations to the National Party, New Zealanders have every ...
It’s an unprecedented level of excitement in the US for a New Zealand novel. It’s also very sudden. The hype for The Absolute Book, published by Victoria University Press in September last year, took off with a hiss and a roar after Dan Kois’s ...
Taxpayers were called on to cough up $87,994 million in the 2019 Budget, accounting for much of the $120,984m which the Treasury estimated would be collected in government revenue this financial year. In his Budget speech, Finance Minister Grant Robertson said: So, today in this first Wellbeing Budget, we are ...
The State Housing Action Network (SHAN) is deeply disappointed that the Government’s recently announced Aotearoa Homelessness Action Plan fails to provide for increases in the state housing stock which are essential for addressing the homelessness crisis. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Norris, Associate Professor, Programme Director (Composition), Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington After a week-long controversy, New Zealand’s public broadcaster Radio New Zealand (RNZ) has withdrawn a proposal to axe its classical music station RNZ Concert. But despite the ...
Serena Bentley writes on an illuminating survey in Auckland and Christchurch of the work of a daring modernist artist deserving of wider attention.Cigarette in hand, Dame Louise Henderson stares straight down the barrel of the camera. Her gaze is magnetic. So begins this exhibition, a partnership between Christchurch and Auckland ...
A secretive group excavating a cave near Huntly believe it’s filled with a race of pre-Polynesian giants’ skeletons, but iwi and archaeologists have serious concerns, reports RNZ’s Susan Strongman.Archaeologists say a group of people tunnelling into the side of a country road in search of a race of pre-Polynesian giants’ ...
Friends, it’s a new dawn, it’s a new day, and season five of our beloved Outlander is finally here.Droughtlander is done for another year, and while we might be shrivelled husks of our former selves, the first episode of our favourite time-travelling drama quenched our thirst with a ginger tsunami of ...
The cancellation of this weekend’s Lantern Festival isn’t the only knock-on effect from the novel coronavirus outbreak to reach Auckland, with the city’s Chinese restaurants reporting a decline in custom.The ban on inbound travel from China combined with overly cautious local diners avoiding their establishments has hit Auckland Chinese restaurateurs ...
"The man I had liked became the man I knew I would detest for a long time": a short story from the new collection by a master of the form, Vincent O'Sullivan. ...
A special national event happened yesterday in Epsom, Auckland. A remarkable life of national and global success was recognised from all points on the political spectrum. Tim Murphy was there. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The secretary of the Prime Minister’s department, Phil Gaetjens, has criticised “significant shortcomings” in Bridget McKenzie’s decision-making in the sports rorts affair, while outlining his argument that her allocation of grants was not politically biased. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The secretary of the Prime Minister’s department, Phil Gaetjens, has criticised “significant shortcomings” in Bridget McKenzie’s decision-making in the sports rorts affair, while outlining his argument that her allocation of grants was not politically biased. ...
By Lian Buan in Manila A Philippines court has issued arrest warrants against former senator Antonio Trillanes IV and 10 other people for conspiracy to commit sedition, the court confirmed. The branch clerk of Quezon City Metropolitan Trial Court (MeTC) Branch 138 confirmed today that the warrants had been ...
5 & 6 August 2020 (pre-conference workshop on 4 August) Grand Millennium Hotel, Auckland New Zealand has an exceptional reputation internationally for the food it produces, exporting premium quality produce to meet the growing demands of ...
Open mike 25/02/2019 
Prof Philippa Howden-Chapman Housing policy is building up to be the key election issue again. In this blog I reflect on the importance of the role of the New Zealand Government in improving access to affordable housing. I look at what the Government has been doing to increase quality public housing ...49 mins ago
Writing on The Spinoff, Danyl Mclauchlan argues that we have a vacuum in our political system, in that there is no longer an anti-establishment party anymore:I think there’s a vacuum in our political system. There are obvious problems with the status quo but no real critics offering reform. It’s a ...1 hour ago
I am among the most pro-free speech people I know. I don’t doubt there are others more strident than me, but I’m certainly up there. And my support for freedom of expression isn’t limited to opposition to government-imposed restrictions. It extends to a belief that employers should have limited powers ...12 hours ago
A chronological listing of news articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week, i.e., Sun, Feb 9, 2020 through Sat, Feb 15, 2020 Editor's Pick ANALYSIS-Climate change opens up 'frontier' farmland, but at what cost to the planet? Climate change could expand farmland globally by ...1 day ago
After cross-examination Jones knew he would lose the defamation case he took against film maker Renae Maihi. That’s why he threw in the towel. The weight of evidence was clearly against the old tycoon with the defense presenting fifty articles to confirm Jones’ racist views.Being unable to harass somebody into ...2 days ago
Sprung! Former NZ First president, Lester Gray, chats with RNZ's Guyon Espiner in the carpark of a Tauranga shopping centre. (Photo supplied anonymously to NZ First and The BFD.)IT’S CLEAR THAT an important aspect of Jacinda Ardern’s political success is her willingness to seek – and take – advice. This ...2 days ago
by Philip Ferguson Last month B’Tselem, the Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, reported: “In 2019, Israeli security forces killed 133 Palestinians, including 28 minors. Of the casualties, 104 were killed in the Gaza Strip, 26 in the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and three within ...5 days ago
...1 week ago
Jonathan Freedland of the Guardian has penned a column which chastises the left wing of the Labour party for daring to retain principles and ideals, qualities - it seems - that should be jettisoned in pursuit of power.Never mind that Freedland was an ardent Remainer, that is to say, one ...1 week ago
We are confronted with the spectre of Simon Bridges making clear he cannot, will not, trust Winston Peters – the oft-cited “King Maker” in New Zealand politics. Supporters are lauding it as a master stroke, naturally, because in their eyes, it prevents him being the tail that wags the dog. ...2 weeks ago
Inaccuracies are very common in scientific paper abstracts. Image credit: Science in the Abstract: Don’t Judge a Study by its Cover I have come to accept anti-fluoride campaigners will never stop cherry-picking research and findings ... 2 weeks ago
“The scene is set, the players met…”. And what players they are in this farce of an Election coming up in the United States this year. There is a multi-faceted anger in the broader situation the world finds itself in, in which the false promises of so-called “moderates” find themselves ...2 weeks ago
Unhappy with the demonisation of Iran in Western media, I was fortunate to have the Australian Institute of International Affairs invite me to write an alternative analysis for their on-line journal Australian Outlook. I did, and they serialised it into two parts. The essays are short, so I did not ...2 weeks ago
New Zealand was the first country to decriminalise prostitution and it was promoted as a progressive move. Yet survivors of the sex trade say that pimps and johns are emboldened operating within the law, and that the women are treated more like a piece of property to be used and ...2 weeks ago
Darroch Ball, Spokesperson for Law and Order New Zealand First welcomes the deployment of an Eagle Police helicopter in Christchurch in what is a step towards fulfilling its long-standing goal to increase the use of police helicopters for the front line, particularly in addressing the scourge of fleeing drivers. Christchurch leads ...3 hours ago
It may have been the first sitting week of 2020, but our Government is already in full-swing - managing a strong economy, investing in infrastructure, and working to break the cycle of homelessness. Read below for all that, and more... ...3 days ago
A Government programme to wipe out pea weevil has achieved a world first, with Biosecurity Minister Damien O’Connor today announcing the successful eradication of the noxious pest from Wairarapa. This means the nearly four-year ban on pea plants and pea straw was lifted today. Commercial and home gardeners can again grow ...12 mins ago
RNZ's ploy was the equivalent of strapping Concert FM to a car’s front bumper and gunning the engine, and it seems to have worked. ...18 mins ago
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says the Covid-19 coronavrius will have a negative - but temporary - impact on New Zealand's GDP. ...24 mins ago
The boundaries of free speech were at issue in two recent court cases, one in Britain, the other in New Zealand. In the British case, a judge ruled that the police response to an ex-officer’s tweets (allegedly transphobic) was a “disproportionate interference” with his right to freedom of expression. The ...47 mins ago
Airbnb is putting forward its own blueprint to regulate holiday rentals in New Zealand. ...1 hour ago
The Tauranga-based power company Trustpower has cut its earnings expectations by as much as 14 percent because of lower power prices and pressure on margins. ...1 hour ago
It’s not worth putting much credence in Simon Bridges’s complaints about the current Government’s piling on hikes in petrol taxes until he commits to reversing them, says the Taxpayers’ Union . Spokesman Louis Houlbrooke said, “It’s not ...2 hours ago
Researchers say councils need to be doing much more to ensure homes and buildings aren't wiped out when a mega-tsunami eventually strikes the east coast of the North Island. ...2 hours ago
With more than a thousand locations in 250 cities worldwide, UK company Stasher is allowing travellers to store their luggage while offering local businesses a way to earn extra cash. Having recently launched in New Zealand, co-founder and CEO Jacob Wedderburn-Day explains how the business works. How did Stasher start and ...2 hours ago
Editor’s Note: Here below is a list of the main issues currently under discussion in New Zealand and links to media coverage.
The National Party will campaign on a tax cut package, but the leader Simon Bridges is not yet revealing any of the details. ...4 hours ago
A new tenant has been found to occupy the top two floors of what will be New Zealand's tallest commercial building. ...7 hours ago
The Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has been speaking with her Australian counterpart about options to evacuate New Zealanders stuck on a cruise ship, quarantined in Japan. ...8 hours ago
National leader Simon Bridges will today outline the party's economic goals and who will benefit most from the party's proposed tax cuts. ...8 hours ago
Government seeks power to seize reins over electricity industry; and property investors to blame for NZ's high house prices, not lack of supply, researcher says. ...8 hours ago
NZ's effective policy of tempting guest workers here with the chance of permanent residency and then quietly withdrawing that chance has become a damaging economic addiction that is mean and fraudulent, Bernard Hickey argues. ...9 hours ago
A "surreptitious" conspiracy to introduce special NZ gold kiwifruit plants into China could cost a Chinese-born local grower $15m for breaches of intellectual property laws. ...10 hours ago
Mary Macpherson looks at the way photographer MItchell Bright has documented the post-earthquake rebuild of Selwyn in Canterbury. ...11 hours ago
A Conservation Department manager decided it wouldn’t submit on a water consent next to a scientific reserve ...11 hours ago
Maia Wilson is being tipped as the next Maria Folau in the Silver Ferns shooting circle, but she wants to stamp her own unique footprint on netball history. ...11 hours ago
Dental decay is NZ's most common chronic disease, yet it is not covered by the health system. Cat McLennan explains why we should introduce free dental care for adults. ...11 hours ago
Efforts by the Chinese government to contain the coronavirus have an unlikely casualty: our tourist visa processing systems ...12 hours ago
New Zealand has a massive e-waste problem, pushed along by rampant consumerism. ...12 hours ago
Pretty much everything has a breaking point. The only questions are where, when and how. Might it be coming soon with climate change policy? This week there was disarray in the Australian Liberal and National party coalition over the costs of climate change policy. This was one of the issues ...19 hours ago
It’s an unprecedented level of excitement in the US for a New Zealand novel. It’s also very sudden. The hype for The Absolute Book, published by Victoria University Press in September last year, took off with a hiss and a roar after Dan Kois’s ...2 days ago
Taxpayers were called on to cough up $87,994 million in the 2019 Budget, accounting for much of the $120,984m which the Treasury estimated would be collected in government revenue this financial year. In his Budget speech, Finance Minister Grant Robertson said: So, today in this first Wellbeing Budget, we are ...2 days ago
"The man I had liked became the man I knew I would detest for a long time": a short story from the new collection by a master of the form, Vincent O'Sullivan. ...2 days ago
A special national event happened yesterday in Epsom, Auckland. A remarkable life of national and global success was recognised from all points on the political spectrum. Tim Murphy was there. ...2 days ago
Capital Gains Tax Polls
https://sub-zero-politics.blogspot.com/2019/02/cgt-polls.html
The Colmar Brunton question is loaded – “Would you Support or Oppose the Capital Gains Tax if there was a Cut in Personal Income Tax ?”
That’s a bit like asking “would you like to pay less tax and someone else pay more tax’?
Even them only 46% supported “the Capital Gains Tax’ – something that is not even defined yet let alone agreed on by Government parties.
Well it was exactly the tradeoff that tax group suggested. They wanted to extend the lowest tax bracket @10.4% from its current level of 14k up to between ~22 or ~30k. That gives a tax reduction to everyone paying personal income tax.
So I wouldn’t say that the question was loaded, it is exactly what is on the table.
Meanwhile … the Feb 2019 Newshub Reid Research Poll question asked “Do you Support or Oppose the Government imposing a Capital Gains Tax”
(shades of the frequent use of Tax Burden as a deliberate rhetorical device laden with negative connotations)
(Note: client Newshub – rather than pollster Reid Research – devise the questions … as does One News rather than Colmar Brunton)
A simple question – what does Jacinda Ardern actually stand for? Can you explain that?
Sometimes you act like a political neophyte – don’t know if genuine or disingenuous but certainly silly.
What does Jacinda Ardern stand for?
All that is not grey.
Beige I meant beige!!
Have you wondered what would happen if PG joined the Labour Party?
https://www.santamargherita.net/us/product/beige-stardust/
I imagine the list is very long. The national anthem and to speak in parliament are the most obvious ones. Probably too to greet people when they come to her office.
🙂
And probably when elderly people enter the room also.
i heard that she does not stand for the No Mates Party, if that helps with your decision making?
the National Anthem.
Simple answer: read her opening address to Parliament.
it’s there in black and white.
Equity
How long before NZ’s idiotic ‘adventure tourism’ industry gets such a bad Health & Safety reputation that it goes bust?
Apart from the lost jobs, I wouldn’t be sad to see it go. Nothing more irritating than oblivious fools compelled to race across the landscape and jump off bits of it, rather than being content to merely be in it.
What a typical leftist view of the World – “I don’t like what other people want to do with their free time so I want them to stop it despite it providing tens of thousands of jobs that pay more than anything I’m
offering as an alternative.”
Gosman;
So what is the “typical rightist view of the world”?
let it be full of ‘plunder and extortion’?
Gossie left wing views of Democratic Socialists is equitable distribution of wealth and income.
Typical leftie I don’t like it when businesses kill their customers whiny bleating eh gozzer.
Evolution made the young (especially men) into risk takers . The riskiest thing most get in their day to day lives is crossing the road . That is the y of adventure tourism .
Was surprised to find out when the fatality at Tree Adventures took place a few years ago, that they don’t have to be reviewed on safety procedures to start operations.
Something I was not aware of at the time.
Killing people for trying to bring in humanitarian relief supplies. Bravo Venezuelan Socialism.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/feb/23/venezuela-border-latest-maduro-guaido
Weaponising humanitarian aid is killing people. Bravo USA, bravo.
Perhaps the Venezuelan government is getting advice from Hamas.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/feb/06/gaza-un-aid-hamas
Gosman your right wong lot will get your chance to plunder very soon now;
Global Debt is now 200% worse than when the last GFC came in 2008.
We are now on the edge of the financial cliff that is about to crumble.
https://www.businessinsider.com.au/global-debt-levels-hit-an-eye-watering-215-trillion-last-year-2017-4
World total debt now stands at $250 trillion dollars and we can never pay this amount back.
“Global debt levels soared over the past decade, with the vast majority accumulated by emerging market nations.
According to figures from the Institute of International Finance (IIF), global levels of debt held by households, governments, financials and non-financial corporates jumped by over $US70 trillion in the past decade to a record high of $US215 trillion, equating to 325% of global GDP.
Here’s what that increase looks like, looking back not only over the past decade but also to the decade before.”
Read more at;
https://www.businessinsider.com.au/global-debt-levels-hit-an-eye-watering-215-trillion-last-year-2017-4
I don’t see what this has got to do with Venezuela other than the Socialist regime was very good at running up debts.
Gosman;
You are so bloody thick!!!
Read where I said ‘Global’ not ‘Socialist’ – get some new glasses.
Yes and what has “Global” debt got to do with “Socialist” Venezuela?
Agree + 100% the guy is as thick as pig shit
You are just trying to derail the comment thread.
You’re trolling Gozzie – go and have a cup of tea.
This is Open Mike. You can’t troll here.
That is manifestly untrue, though you may dodge the ban hammer here slightly longer.
Global Debt is now 10 x times what it was in the last GFC, through Qualitative Easing and money printing by the Federal Reserve it would appear their will be another correction at some stage in the future, it may be 10 x times as big as the last GFC. Interested know how Gossie reads the situation hopefully he can advise us tomorrow ?
More propaganda from Gosman.
Any chance you can explain why the opposition keep killing black Venezuelans in their violent night protests? Or can you explain why the opposition keeps violently attacking security forces and police?
And more importantly, why do you personally oppose a democratically elected President?
Maduro has said they will have new election and has asked the opposition to participate.
Also the UN special envoy found no humanitarian crisis in Venezuela
https://chicagoalbasolidarity.files.wordpress.com/2018/08/un-report-on-venezuela-and-ecuador-alfred-de-zayas.pdf?fbclid=IwAR2V_GVz6O7hF2E403rHokyK1crm5s3tH0dnpuPg_SI2UPSNKf9h_B50fgQ
You need more proof – or you going to keep up your B.S. Gosman and spreading lies.
https://www.unspecial.org/2018/09/successful-un-mission-to-venezuela/?fbclid=IwAR0WxhfcbNMBovNGgZz5Bi-DhTv4TbtscIE4gmqVJaNJ26J5isGNygs2TCM
Maduro is not the democratically elected President of Venezuela as his election did not meet the criteria set down for a free and fair democratic election.
Are you by any chance Venezuelan or have you even been to Venezuela in the last 3 years? Just trying to establish your credibility for making such an unsubstantiated claim.
CIA and US Sympathizer ?
Gooie can’t handle straying to far outside of his intellectual comfort zone, best to keep it PG for him, might have another tantey.
Wow Gosman, all you got is lies. What he won exactly the same percentage of votes as Obama, in a system way more honest than the US one. So I’m going to say Bullshit on your statement or what normal people would call it – a lie.
Caught out on your lying again, how about you do the world a favour and stop lying.
A system way more honest than the US – Really???
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-44187838
“Under the Venezuelan constitution, the CNE is the official independent body responsible for overseeing and guaranteeing the transparency of all elections.
The opposition says it is dominated by Maduro allies. It is made up of five members. The opposition alleges that four of the five are government stooges and therefore does not trust the body to be independent.
Luis Emilio Rondón, the one CNE member which has been critical of the government, said he did not recognise the results because “Venezuelans’ freedom to vote” had not been respected.”
The one member of the so called “independent” electoral body that is not a government appointed stooge called the election not free and fair. Was there something similar in the US during the last election?
“The opposition says…”
The same ones who have staged how many coup attempts now?
I put the UN link above it also proves the elections are robust and fair. But facts are an inconvenient truth to you ah gossy.
Funny that the only one of the so called “independent” electoral body that wasn’t appointed by the Maduro regime was the only one that had a problem with the election don’t you think adam?
Do you believe electoral bodies should be regarded as independent by the political parties in the country or do you think the government of the day can appoint anyone they like without reference to the opposition? I’m just asking next time you complain about a National lead government appointing someone to say the board of RNZ.
As always just more spin and lies from you.
Why can’t you answer my simple question adam?
When you answer mine, I’ll reciprocate.
Weren’t they trespassing gozzer? You’d think they could’ve left the supplies at the border to be picked up. I guess Guiado wanted to play Santrump.
The UN and the Red Cross were also opposed to the US backed ‘humanitarian’ relief effort, seeing it as a political gimmick.
Evidently the US have been flooding Venezuela with weapons to effect some kind of Civil War ?
Cuba have traditionally been one of Venezuela’s main trading partners, Cuba supply Venezuela with Doctors in exchange for oil to get around the USA embargo on Cuba which has been in effect since 1959 when Castro & Guevera took back Cuba after it was annexed by the USA in 1900.
Wrong on so many levels.
You ducking or did you concede earlier?
In general Gosman conducts himself with a great deal more dignity and intellectual consistency than almost everyone here who berates him like children having tantrums …
Oh certainly, he’s a real sweetheart
I didn’t say you had to agree with him, or even like him …
Suppose I could be a little more concrete then. Venezuela seeks to repatriate $550 million of gold from Britian>>> https://www.reuters.com/article/us-venezuela-gold-exclusive/exclusive-venezuela-seeks-to-repatriate-550-million-of-gold-from-britain-sources-idUSKCN1NA1Q7
The forces collapsing Venezuela are coming from outside, not from with in its domestic economy. Venezuelas food production is privately owned. There is nothing that would support gooies ideoical possesion.
Never though it possible until now but I just gave less of a fuck about what gooie has to say. You didn’t catch any more feelings or reasons did you logic?
Wrong.
“In 2010, the government nationalised the farm supply business. Agropatria is now responsible for supplying farmers with everything from seeds to pesticides.”
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/world-latin-america-42398814
Your own linked article states Venezuela imports 70% of it’s food yet you want to claim Maduro is responsible for the actions of private companies being dicks with Venezuelan food, you fake. What’s even more distasteful is how any one would stick up for you, let alone allow your fake news bullshit opinions to go unchallenged just pisses me off to no end (is there no one here with a set of balls?)
Since at least 2002 after the failed military coupe against Chavez, America has issued Terrorism-Related Sanctions, Drug Trafficking-Related Sanctions, Trafficking in Persons Sanctions, Targeted Sanctions Related to Antidemocratic Actions, Human Rights Violations, and Corruption, Sanctions on Holding Companies, Additional Financial Sanctions. None of which has any evidence, just concerns from Whitehouse spokespeople who’ve never set foot in Venezuela in there life’s.
Correction: The link stated Venezuela used to make 70 % of it’s own food BEFORE Chavez took over and did stupid things like nationalise the agricultural inputs businesses. Did you not read the article?
Your questions are insulting. Now you blame Chavez for foreign interests meddling in the affairs of another nation during a military coup but what ever.
Maduro is in charge.
You obviously did not read the link I posted in any depth.
“In 2010, the government nationalised the farm supply business. Agropatria is now responsible for supplying farmers with everything from seeds to pesticides.
Timing is crucial and producers say the government is not delivering.
Corn is a government staple, meaning farmers have to sell it at regulated prices
This year, Ronald did not get fertiliser in time for his corn crop, so it suffered.
The corn he does grow he has to sell at regulated prices because it is a government staple. He can only just keep the farm afloat.
“We have to go it alone to try and make things better but the situation is so bad,” he says. “The country’s financial situation and what we have now is tough.” ”
In 2010 Chavez was still in power. It was his decision to nationalise the Agricultural supply company.
This decision has contributed mightily to the collapse in farming as did the decision to impose price controls and the hyper-inflation caused by excessive government spending.
You ignore countries forign to Venezuela meddling in there affairs, organising military coups and basically being shit bags because of what the largest oil reserve nation in the world, Venezuala, may one day represents a threat to U.S interests by virtue of economic sovereignty and standing on there own to feet. Still amazed at how you could gender such love from a self professed left wing site as the Standard. Amazed and angry self proffered smart people can’t even see it.
I don’t ignore them. I discount them because by far the biggest damage to the Venezuelan economy was done by the Chavista regime. This is what YOU are ignoring in your attempts to place the blame anywhere but on left wing policies.
Blaming policy is the gospel of liars, thieves, con-artists, and imbeciles who can’t handle the fact that forign policy is beyond them.
Ignoring the effects of bad policy is the domain of the moronic.
So Chavez was elected in 1999, and was succeeded by his deputy Maduro. That’s about 20 years, and, nope, still zip nada skeletons in the closet. The numbers are just not on your side.
Gossie is a lovely little boy, he is a real little sweetie his mum tells me.
US, relief supplies come with guns.
Ask Argentina….
USA actively trying to destabilize Venezuela IMHO
Gossie have a read of this and get back to me.
http://johnpilger.com/articles/the-war-on-venezuela-is-built-on-lies?fbclid=IwAR1T6XyELZ4JQa3N5jFHPlYUjmh_31bn7bTuPKmKKQH83YXD1szRDHMYEEs
Sad to see Pilger lose whatever was left of his journalistic integrity.
Caught some more feelings? So what.
The sharp cold snap will have horticulturalists out with the smudge pots and other tools to defeat frost on crops, some not quite ready yet. Thought of you Robert and your grapes etc Hope you were ok. We too had rain last night Cinny, and were delighted after a long dry spell has sent the younger trees to autumn colour early.
No worries, Patricia – is was a bit chilly but today’s sunny and warmer. Your trees have assumed their autumn coats – yikes! Too soon, too soon! I need a long summer for our plans to come to fruition. One of our guests is a winemaker trained in Italy in an ancient style where the grapes are mushed into huge clay amphora. He’s going to teach me how, having seen the lovely big crop we have here this year 🙂
You may be shit out of luck there bobs. Short cold summer this time.
substantive regime change
https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/precip/CWlink/daily_ao_index/aao/aao_index.html
Gossie is a lovely little boy, he is a real little sweetie his mum tells me.
Arrived at work this morning after riding (mostly down) the 3.3km – not sweating. Arrived up the hill this evening panting but not sweaty…
I wish I could say it was because I was getting so fit. However it was just today’s Auckland weather.
How long before it is drinkable? Do the vines have to have age?
My father made fijoa wine, it was beautiful. He said the trees were mature so the fruit was flavoursome and sweet.
Autumn is nearly here, enjoying the cooler nights some what.
Venezuelan socialism seems to be working just fine. Perhaps our resident Venezuelan reporter or Dick Brandson will be able to explain the humanitarian crisis over there lol.
😆 Yes the exodus of people from Venezuela must just be due to their holiday season.
Yes and the fact that an average meal costs over 12,500 Bolívar Soberano and that this is tied to the USD officially at a rate of 60 to 1 must mean that Venezuelans are doing wonderfully well to afford a lunch worth over 200 US dollars.
https://www.expatistan.com/cost-of-living/country/venezuela
http://fortune.com/2018/08/22/venezuela-redenomination-sovereign-bolivar/
200usd will buy two people an all they can eat Sunday buffet from the top hotel in Hawaii and will cover the tip as well.
Bloody USA, weaponising Aid so that it’s neighbours can eat for less than the price of weekly rent in small town
America.
Perhaps you can report back from Venezuela how the millions there can afford $200 dollar lunches? Sure you’re not getting confused with how much you spend for lunch down at the Viaduct?
You two are such numpties. The average price of a basic meal in Venezuela is not really the equivalent of 200 USD. The Bolívar Soberan’s value has been set articifically high by the dunderheaded Venezuelan regime. The ACTUAL value is probably about 1 or 2 USD however that is likely to be out of reach for the vast majority of Venezuelans as they don’t make even that amount per day as a result of the collapse of the Venezuelan economy.
Are you in Venezuela currently, Gosman?
Have you ever been to the nations which you piss all over in your diatribes?
One two;
Gosman is employed obviously to just annoy people as he/she just talks diatribe with every single post.
I now ignore his/hers rubbish trash.
Thanks cg..
Gosmans recorded archive speaks for itself…
Gossie is on the Gook Nationalist Payroll, he is a Professional RWNJ Troll IMHO ????
Gook?
Fuck you, you racist mother fucker.
yep that fucker should be banned
He/she annoys the f%#k out of me, I am sure he/she must be a faggot ?
Ever lived in a socialist nation? I notice the most starry eyed about socialism have never been or lived near a socialist nation, let alone in it.
Evidently women are more sexual in socialist societies.
Yes. I lived in New Zealand before the 80‘s.
The US should invade NZ, as we have had more kiwis leave these shores (as a percentage) than people who have left Venezuela. Just following your logic stunned mullet.
🙄 😆 🙄
More stunning logic from stunned mullet.
That was certainly true between 1999 and 2008 I suppose.
On the other hand in 2008 we had an election that got rid of the incumbent lot of idiots and the flow reversed.
The New Zealand Military accepted the result of the poll and didn’t, like the Venezuelan lot, keep the rejected junta in power.
Lucky for that wasn’t it? Otherwise we might have continued with the massive exodus and been invaded.
Gee isn’t this sort of history fun? I see why you indulge Adam.
I love your ideological wankery alwyn. You’re consistent at least.
As for the military keeping a junta in power – man you so detached from reality with that line, I’m going to suggest you put down the crack pipe. But I’m not sure you can.
If John Key was still here I am sure we would have had a US Airforce Military Base here by now.
USA have got their grubby little fingers in there somewhere.
Monsoon season in Venezuela they normally migrate down to Uruguay and Argentina for about six weeks until the rainy season finishes.
If I heard correctly on RNZ this morning that there is a suggestion that all rental properties should heave a heater to bring them up to 18C ????
Franly a silly suggestion however well intended..
The trouble people, some idiots, seem to think you can swan around in light clothing as they see in Hollywood etc movies.
I am a house owner and over the years I have double glassed a house I built which was insulated to start with … I also wasted money on a heat pump which rarely gets run as I am a firm believe in “personal’ as opposed to ‘general’ heating and from an experiment learnt that using the heat pump would reduce or cripple my life style so I keep warm with personal heating.
I guess that is only what an adult can do and difficult for children, or safe for them to be near heaters
Some ti,me ago the suggestion was 16C now its is 18C …. how high will these folk want it to go?.
I can only guess where this suggestion comes from which helps to confirm my opinion that they are hopelessly impractical and a menace to the well-being of the country.
If this government wants to improve conditions they should build and run more state houses so that everyone can have a good basic standard of accomdation and only have to ‘private rent’ if they want better for themselves and are prepared to pay for it.
Further to my last point … my son has central heating in the States where he lives these days but I remembering his wife telling me hat the price of electricity is much less there.
I do not know the details but it seems to me that Govt should reduce the price of power rather than gouging folk with current high prices.
jcuknz
Yes I lived in Canada and US for a decade and today the price of power is half the cost of NZ still.
Today we are now being robbed by extortionists called ‘power companies’ here in NZ now and it must stop!
Power Companies have to generate a good return for the investors & shareholders.
They arranged for their suited smootharsed mates in the private sector to do the gouging jucky.
It is probably not surprising really that their power is cheaper in the USA.
Did you know that 32% of US electricity is generated using Natural Gas, which is a clean method of production?
And that 30% is by coal?
And also that 20% is from Nuclear power plants?
https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/index.php?page=electricity_in_the_united_states
Now who was it that won’t let us explore for natural gas anymore?
And has demanded that any coal fired stations be shut down?
And never allowed us to have nuclear power, which is probably the greenest of all the electricity generation methods?
And you act all surprised that our electricity is more expensive than in the US?
We’re not surprised at all.
Our power assets were stolen by incompetent, venal scumbags – who can’t run the companies efficiently, and don’t want to anyway.
The coalition seems to be considering a few steps other than the lameass populism the Key kleptocracy embraced to try to stay in power at any cost. Reform of the power companies would enjoy a strong mandate, particularly if it includes significant punishment for non-performing PPPs that lie about outcomes to steal public assets.
Without that reform, rental landlords and employers will face another round of controls, because NZ’s poor cannot save for housing while being simultaneously rack rented and squeezed by utility companies.
Max Bradford told us that privatizing our Electricity Companies was going to bring down power prices, lying thieving c&%t ?
Yes, both he and the companies should face some kind of consequence for their lies, and for their professional irresponsibility.
In Korea, PPPs know they’d better deliver what they promise – or their CEOs will be in jail, and the companies will be restructured until they deliver, or sold off to make good on the penalty provisions that were part of the agreement.
Yes, it is surprising, considering most of ours is generated by hydro power stations that were fully paid for, from taxation, decades ago.
With a free energy input.
The fact we are paying twice, is because ideological idiots, gave them away in a fire sale.
And we are having to pay back the private sector borrowing, to buy them.
Formal Complaints
Formal Complaint Submitted
STANDARD 9 – ACCURACY
9e
whether the broadcaster sought and/or presented comment, clarification or input from any relevant person or organisation
STANDARD 8 – BALANCE
8c The assessment of whether a reasonable range of other perspectives has been presented includes consideration of the following, where relevant;
-whether the programme was narrowly focused on one aspect of a larger, complex debate
-the nature of the issue/whether listeners could reasonably be expected to be aware of views expressed in other coverage, including coverage in other media (eg, is it an ongoing topic of debate, such that listeners can reasonably be expected to have a broad understanding of the main perspectives on the issue)
”Venezuela: Growing condemnation of Maduro’s aid refusal’ RNZ Morning Report 25/02/2019 7.30am
This segment, does not inform the public of the following information in regards to aid/Venezuela, thereby misinforming the public through an lack of accuracy and balance in it’s reporting.
1. Both the Red Cross and the UN have declined to participate in the US/Lima Group aid programme, in large because of the politicized nature of the aid programme.
Alexandra Boivin, ICRC delegation head for the United States and Canada, said Friday that the ICRC had told U.S. officials that whatever plans “they have to help the people of Venezuela, it has to be shielded from this political conversation.”
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/red-cross-warns-u-s-about-risks-of-sending-aid-to-venezuela
https://venezuelanalysis.com/news/14316
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/red-cross-warns-u-s-about-risks-of-sending-aid-to-venezuela
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-venezuela-politics-un/un-warns-against-politicizing-humanitarian-aid-in-venezuela-idUSKCN1PV2GF
2, The fact that Aid has been delivered from other country’s was (and is) never mentioned
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/aid-wars-in-venezuela-russian-medicine-arrives-as-maduro-blocks-us-aid-141387
https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/Venezuela-Receives-933-Tons-of-Medical-Aid-From-Allies-Abroad-20190214-0025.html
Please also note that RNZ, as far as I know, have never included this information in any of it’s reporting on this subject.
Adrian I am with you there, RNZ is useless now.
The right wing are in control of RNZ now, ever since the Labour Coalition Government took over in 2018, National moved to install their own CEO to control RNZ.
That CEO has damaged the brand beyond repair now, and forced John Campbell out after that right wing CEO was installed there .
Claire Curran did much of the damage as she fucked the whole RNZ system up for good.and should have removed him from CEO immediately.
We placed an official complaint with the RNZ after Labour took it over in november 2017 and got a dismissive letter back from Curran saying she would not dismiss the National appointed CEO.
Claire Curran is public enemy number one now, for her causing our loss of free speech.
Curran f%$ked it up big time trying to play secret squirrel stuff around Wellington, she was extremely wet behind the ears.
There is a good example of CGT and how it would effect a small business owner on Kiwiblog today.
That is a good example of how a CGT would affect a hypothetical business owner with no relevance to how small business (or any business) works. It is a terrible example of real life.
How, for instance, is leaving $600K of profit in the bank over 20 years reinvesting in the business? Her accountant would advise her against this.
Yes with CGT coming in there will be a high demand for good accountants to structure affairs to avoid as much CGT as possible.
No, Farrar’s think-piece is not based on any practical example. The businessperson in the article spent nothing at all on new equipment or vehicles and because all profit went to the bank. So she finished with the same tools and van she started with 20 years earlier. That is so hard to believe that the entire premise lacks any kind of validity whatsoever.
Farrar – almost always lies by omission of pertinent facts. The resulting trash gets gobbled up by the same old morons who can’t think.
They have about the same discrimination as stray dogs eating garbage.
Yeah, ‘blog blinkers’, tasty chestnuts plucked from the whole story.
I like the toleration of a contrary view here, albeit a thick-skin required, I think it fuels interesting debate.
Quality journalism used to be about ‘This is the ‘for’ argument and this is the ‘against’ argument. Make up your own mind.
Farrar’s blog of ‘Feel this way or be necklaced’ does little to make NZ a better place to live. I think this blog does, thank-you lprent.
Sigh… Damn you Wakefield.
https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/officials-race-identify-measles-patients-contacts
I definitely do not want to enter any discussion or argument about vaccinations but it is rather amusing that an article about measles includes the statement “…there has been a rash of recent cases in the South.”
😆
Well spotted !!!!
Rash is probably prickly too.
Deputy Leader issues a direct challenge to Corbyn to improve the internal conflicts within Labour. Not pretty:
https://www.politico.eu/article/tom-watson-uk-opposition-in-crisis-deputy-leader-admits-jeremy-corbyn-anti-semitism/
They seem to be thinking the decades of their free market financial neo-liberalism has something to do with the marked state of societal decline, which is obviously a cover for rabid anti-semitism.
The other end of the street, fortified by surveiliance and private security, are more like if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, while they embark on a grand destination of hard power and expansion, & the league of nations last century didn’t exist yet their colonies do!
Just a reminder, this guy was considered one of the serious, responsible Repug contenders in 2016.
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2019/02/marco-rubio-tweet-qaddafi-gaddafi.html?via=homepage_recirc_recent
Two more Chinese Methamphetamine Importers caught bringing in the substance into NZ in Golf Carts do we really need this breed of people in NZ ?
JK’s & National Party new imports no doubt ?
Lucky for them they weren’t caught smuggling at the Chinese end.
That’s why they bring it into NZ as they know the consequences are minimal for a very lucrative return on investment (ROI)
China is one of the biggest methamphetamine manufacturers in the world, doubt whether production and export sales are monitored very closely. They now call Tonga the “Ice Kingdom” due to the amount of methamphetamine available in Tonga, this is one of the gateways into NZ.
Tamati Tautuhi, A Thai on a business visa and an illegal Chinese immigrant.( on tv 1.)
Apologies only one Chinaman and a Thai I wonder who his mother was ?
I automatically laugh when I see a photo of soimon bridges in an article. I don’t bother reading it, because of his mind numbing “I will say anything to get elected” drivel contained within. Anyone else?
Nick Yes and Yes.
I seen this story on Stuff website at first it looks like a positive spin for The big 2 fertiliser companys Eco Maori totally agrees with the video on most points but big money has limited the positive data on Organic farming price will be a bit higher but if the whenua is worked correctly prouduction need not drop .The video do my mahi for me
Greenpeace wants to ban nitrogen fertiliser
Ka kite ano links below
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/110844298/nitrogen-fertilise-is-not-a-fundamental-part-of-nz-dairy-farming
Its a illision that New Zealand is one of the least corrupt countrys in the world if they can standby and let the cops break all my and my whanaus rights interfering in my grandchildrens futures playing games with my children getting people to play with my wife her psychologist is in on the game trying to tell her to do dumb shit for a 52 year old grandpearent because some cop from Gisborne Gisborne man has a big chip on his sholders because this savage is not stupid like he has stereotype me as has the whole justice system of the world at his disposal . Every time I go some were these clowns have a play in action WTF THE positive thing is I,m Not stupid and they are gracing Eco Maori with Mana and they are scared of me and te tangata can see with there OWN eyes that the systems are corrupt so they will keep out of the SHIT Lost his marbles try to intimadate Eco Maori he was a dirty RAT that one he got what he deserved he restated the Eco Maori man hunt framing me with his lies P.S I can thank the FOOLS FOR the Mana that I have now LOL One would be supprised at the amount of undercover cops they have spieing on KIWIS They swarm thats why they get the name sandflys
Some Eco Maori Music for the minute .P.S They won`t beable to break my Wairua.
Kia ora Newshub That’s a cheap air fair price from Air NZ I still won’t be flying.???
Wow the injustice system is hounding me and can’t even keep a REAL CRIMINAL in the country for prosecution Te muppets show.
Mike its dry all right have not seen it this dry since 2013 I feel for those farmers and horticultural croppers affected by the drought in Tasman and down south island. It would be logical to have a walkway and cycle lanes under the Auckland Harbour Bridge surely the transport agency will pay those people who have invested so much in to designing the under bridge walking way and cycling Lane.
That very unusual weather fish getting blown out of the the Wai and being caught mid air by people. The great lakes in Canada and America had a huge ice wall being blown on land I think it was about 3mtrs high it has happened before. I think that all the private contractors who lost money on the Mainzeal company going bust stinks.
Mercury Energy creaming kiwis it is shocking how high power price are its not on that private house holders are paying a higher price for power than commercial consumers.?????.
Ka kite ano
Kia James and Mulls from The Crowd Goes Wild.
Congratulat to the coach.
Nothing wrong with being nice
I try not to sound like the open Mike houling person but the Tamariki Mokopunas and Wahine issues + the sandflys one has to hold it down but when one see what I see most people will break In a few weeks as I don’t tell you everything.
That was a good catch by the dog 83 mtrs is that a record.
Eco Maori could do with a hinaki I would catch all of the buggers
Ka kite ano
That’s excellent Mana Wahine Ad boys Ka kite ano
Kia ora The AM Show yea you must have a nice spun out lieing dirt file on me and its growing everyday.
A America train stuck in the Snow for 2 days I wonder if trump can smell the Roses and change his neanderthal attitude towards climate change and stop backing carbon as it looks like he is the only one who has not figured out that the tipping point on climate change is here and now.
The Auckland council is trying to get traffic jam sorted out you sound like a blue flag wavering person. The public transport problems is being minupulated by blue flags wavers to get one of there carbon Pro m8 in the Auckland Mayor’s office. We need to get people onto buses and trains to lower our carbon footprint .
As for the cops carrying guns all the time a big Know.
You cannot even make a complaint at a police station you need to get a lawyer who cost $20.000 to be able to get justice against the cops otherwise its impossible to
lay a complaint why because they don’t want the public to know of all the dumb shit that they do to the common public you see they discrimination against the common people they intimidat they won’t go and break the rights of a person driving a $50.000 car they will get sued. The cops just want to use the fact if they get to carry guns as a intimidation device.
They are crying foul that I am damaging there reputation. But know they are the ones breaking the laws of the land breaching my whanau rights. All they have to do is FUCK OFF and leave my Whanau alone but know they are like a HALFWIT who keeps pushing a button and they get a punch blood nose they are just to stupid to learn to stop pushing that BUTTON.
A carbon tax is need Jamie yes the foolish neanderthal like duncan keep rubbishing any tax from the polluting people like him they think its OK that property owners make millions of untaxed money while the common people carry the tax burden.
Wars are started by wealthy people they still have the cups of tea together play sports but the stupid Wars they start is fought by the poor common people doesn’t matter if we die.
With your poll did the cops know the poll was run this morning polls are use to minupulate people into thinking that the majority think some thing is OK when in reality it is not a majority and most people are like SHEEP and will just follow the majority.
What idiot takes his child out of a house on to a footpath to watch a car chase and put himself and his child in danger very foolish or A SET Up to get cops guns.
Durr a house is accommodation I have said your small brain does not let you think about other people situation mark there is a housing crisis caused by national party so that people like you can cream the common people.
All the big country’s of Europe have been control by big businesses they love most people to rent off them they get the rent and capital gains to for Equality we need more people to own houses or the rich will get richer and the poor will be milked dry by the wealthy.
Ka kite ano
Here is the proff that global warming is here and now and still some neandathals keep there heads stuck in a pile of money blocking OUR True reality .
The reality is if we do not change our ways asap our grandchildren are going to have a big MESS
They were everywhere in London on the weekend. The people in short sleeves or sandals. The ones with sunglasses ostentatiously hanging from the front of their shirts or balanced on top of their heads. The beer gardens and riverside pubs of the capital were heaving; corner shops ran out of ice-cream. Outside it was 17C (62F).
Monday was another warm day, without a cloud in the sky, and in the late afternoon the light took on a magical, honey-coloured hue. It brought to mind one of those summer evenings you remember from childhood, when you’d be in the park all day and your parents let you stay out until bedtime, and you felt like you were doing something deliciously naughty just by being there.
‘I can’t help but be concerned’: early spring worries UK readers
Read more
Except it isn’t early summer: it’s February. And the entire developed world has not so much been doing something slightly naughty as systematically attacking the global ecosystem over a period of decades, and that’s how we go into this mess.
We should try to hold on to this fact as young, posh men the nation over develop a strange delusion that anyone would want to see their elbows; this is not supposed to be happening. Less than a month ago, there was video footage of extreme cold weather coming out of Chicago. Forks supported in midair by suddenly frozen noodles, water poured from kettles instantly freezing on its way to the ground: you know the sort of thing. OK, that was on the other side of the world, and was extreme and terrifying enough. But at least it was terrifying in the right direction.
On Monday, though, the temperature hit 20.3C in Ceredigion, west Wales: the highest February temperature ever recorded in Britain and the first time the thermometer had breached 20C in winter. The BBC weather account tweeted it out with a gif of the sunshine icon and the same excitable breathlessness with which Springwatch would announce it had found a new type of vole. My response contained a single word, repeated seven times. It began with F. Ka kite ano Links below
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/feb/26/terrified-warm-weather-global-warming-london
Some Eco Maori Music for the minute.
Eco Maori says people should unite across the World as the big companys here in NZ pay shit money no guarantee 40 hour week just enough money to servive but all one can afford to do is work and rest no money for leasure time we are acturly slipping backwards. When I was a young fellow any tep work no guaranted hours was payed 30 % more +holiday pay on top now that is not the case.
The big companys should be forced to pay the people who make there money a living wage.
It would be nice to know how much corporate welfare the BIG COMPANIES get in New Zealand besides family support that subserdizes there labour rates in the long run.
Cities across America should unite against big corporations
New York’s resistance to Amazon’s HQ2 is a model for a new kind of politics for cities to follow
Julia Salazar and Shaun Scott
We are from New York City and Seattle respectively. What unites us – and other major cities across the country – is that we are forced to make hard choices about equity, taxes, and jobs in the age of mega-corporations.
Seattle is the birthplace of Amazon. The city government has catered to corporations by refusing to tax them in ways that could benefit working people. When the Seattle city council repealed the Employee Head Tax in June 2018, it said goodbye to $47.5m of revenue that could have gone toward deeply affordable housing. The people of New York City, on the other hand, chose a different path. Despite a full-court press from the mayor, the governor, and business interest groups, a grassroots movement of ordinary people defeated the richest man in the world. Amazon’s lauded HQ2, which would have allowed the company to usurp millions of dollars in public funds, was rejected by the people of Queens who correctly saw the deal as the blatant giveaway that it waS
On one hand, Seattle’s actions were the latest act of political surrender to big business; on the other, activists across the country rightly took New York’s resistance as proof that a better world without capitalist extortion of public resources is possible.
There was a time when organized labor underwrote the most socio-economically equal period in American history. From the end of World War II until the mid-1970s, trade and factory workers could count on stable pay and reliable benefits in places like Seattle. The federal government played a major part in this post-war prosperity by subsidizing both urban and suburban housing, so that working families could save money and get ahead. After a corporate backlash in the 1970s, the free-market philosophy of Reagan-era America combined with widespread deindustrialization to dismantle this redistributive policy framework.
Using mass layoffs and casualized (“flexible”) labor, corporate America has kept the working class in a state of perpetual anxiety for the last four decades. The declining fortunes of working families is the result of capitalism’s war on organized labor, with the percentage of unionized workers in America dramatically decreasing from 33 percent in 1955, to 20 percent in 1983, to 10.7 percent in 2017. Meanwhile, federal housing investments have also declined sharply since since the 1970s. As professor Jason Hackworth wrote in his 2010 book The Neoliberal City, “gone are the days of the federal government providing direct subsidies to house the most acutely poor.” Stagnating wages combined with mounting costs-of-living have spelled doom for working people.
If we stand firm, major corporations will have to change how they do business. They might have to discontinue the kind of union-busting activity that Amazon has been known for. Like Microsoft, they might increase the philanthropic contributions they make towards local housing solutions. Or maybe they’ll finally pay their fair share of taxes. As any labor organizer will tell you, direct action gets the goods. When cities stand up for themselves, they stand up for each other.
We can live in cities that marshal public space and resources for the common good. To do so, we’ll have to band together. We’ll have to resist forfeiting the public trust for the private gain of a few. Ka kite ano Links below P.S Eco Maori Has these ultra wealthy people ————Ana to kai we just want a fair deal
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/feb/26/cities-america-unite-against-big-corporations