There were just three days to execution for 168 condemned allied airmen facing a Nazi firing squad but Squadron Leader Phil Lamason hadn’t told his men and he was determined they’d survive.
“When the 168 allied airmen arrived at Buchenwald Concentration Camp, they didn’t know what they were dealing with yet,” Mike Dorsey said.
“And in Phil Lamason, the Germans didn’t know what they were dealing with yet, either.”
Real news gets rehashed a zillion times within one news-cycle and can be found anywhere on the Web. Opinion pieces are more isolated and unique to one website; I tend to go by author rather than headline (apparently, authors don’t write headlines but I don’t know whether this (also) applies to opinion pieces). I used to be an avid reader of the NZH but rarely read anything there nowadays and usually leave quickly and disappointed. Life is too short to waste on NZH; I want & need enriching experiences!
In this standoff between Greenpeace and the Crown, over the right to protest against deep sea oil drilling, in the face of Russel and Sara’s courageous defiance, it appears the Crown has blinked first.
In these newly opened negotiations, the Crown no doubt, will be offering all sorts of blandishments to try and get Greenpeace to call off these very effective protests.
And no doubt these blandishments, will be accompanied by threats if Greenpeace don’t comply.
Because if this case ever does proceed, it threatens to open a whole big ugly can of worms for the government.
Putting a spotlight on the government’s much publicised opposition to deep sea oil drilling is more sizzle than sausage. Hence the latest back-down.
I imagine that the Crown’s blandishments will probably include an agreement by the Crown to drop all legal action against Greenpeace and Russel and Sara if they agree to stop their protests against oil prospecting.
The threats will be probably include legal action to seize Greenpeace’s assets and funds if they don’t comply.
I also would not describe the government as ‘backing down’, more stopping this stupid show trial that is morally wrong, takes away people’s rights for freedom of speech and protest and confirms to the world that NZ is far from ‘100% pure, clean and green’.
A subtle difference I know, but reflecting the fact that the Crown not the government is (or was), taking this highly charged political case against Greenpeace, using repressive holdover legislation passed by the last government.
The Labour Government, ‘thank the stars’ is not the enemy here.
If cooler heads in the Government has called on the Crown to back off, is up to others to say.
The next step for any progressive legislature would be to remove this repressive piece of legislation from the statute books.
As I have said earlier, if Muldoon in the apartheid era had acted in a similar way to make protesting against Springbok games in New Zealand illegal, tens of thousands of New Zealanders would have been detained and put on trial.
But no. Just like everything else about this case.
Our media toadies know what to report, and what not to report.
And this is far too controversial a news story for them to touch.
Repressive laws that impinge on civil liberties are never enacted on the front pages, but always behind closed doors. This is how democracy is strangled, quietly, with the assistance of the media’s consenting silence.
And before all the naysayers get up in arms; Democracy if it means anything at all, is more than just having the right to vote, this is demonstrated by the fact that the right to protest is one of the first things to go under a repressive takeover. And even in liberal democracies like New Zealand is always under pressure from the Right.
Where did Jenny get the story from?
I don’t understand why there is nothing about the story anywhere
I can’t even find a statement by Greenpeace about the matter, which seems rather surprising as they have had a lot of comments about the case in the past. It is hard to see how they would be cowed about commenting on the topic.
Is her story really accurate?
I’ve had a good look and the most recent news is that Russel Norman and volunteer Sara May Howell are set to stand trial in the Napier District Court at the end of this month.
But with two days left there’s not a sausage on the justice/courts websites, so there could well be unreported developments.
Sneaky and disingenuous, Alwyn. You used the more traditionally correct phrase ‘a lot’. Tracey misspelt it as ‘alot’. Not difficult for you to work out… I think you know damned well what you wrote back in 3.3.2.2 “surprising as they have had a lot of comments about the case in the past.” Trying to evade, as usual when taxed, and projecting wrongfulness onto others, also as usual.
We need better trolls.
I haven’t the faintest idea what Tracey is talking about. With her that is unusual as she is normally quite clear and to the point.
On the other hand your comment is equally opaque. With you it is, of course, the completely normal state of affairs. You never make any sense.
Good Lord, Alwyn. I quoted your own use of ‘a lot’ and pointed out that Tracey had misspelt it as ‘alot’. I showed you which bit of your message at 3.3.2.2
If you were an honest commenter, you would have gone back, checked what Tracey’s question was, and honestly tried to answer it. You haven’t. Tracey’s valid question remains unanswered.
Your choosing to see ‘nussing’ like Private Schultz from Hogans’ Heroes makes you a poor type of escapist, who runs away from real debate with trite insults. You need to find a healthier pastime.
I don’t expect you to answer Tracey’s questions because that’s not your MO, but insulting our intelligence is a new twist in your feeble attempts to refuse answering valid questions. It is also considered rude …
No, Incognito. The thread had gone past normal ‘reply’ thing, so I went back to the last one hoping to get in at bottom of that lot. But someone else my have been doing the same. You? Meanwhile, reply tabs seem to have caught up. But why is there no ‘reply’ tab under my 7.59pm comment?
Murky matters… But standard practice for Alwyn. Always evades when back-footed.
Perhaps you can tell me what her question means then.
She said “See what I did there?”.
The only thing I can see that she did was to misspell “a lot”.
What do you think she means by that question?
“Please explain”? Can’t tell what her question means? Here is her question: (I have changed alot to a lot just to help you.)
“alwyn, what do you mean by “a lot”, I see a few but they put out a lot of press releases every year. See what I did there?”
I see a few dumb people who are so old and out of it that they do not know the expression ‘See what I did there?’ meaning see what trick I pulled – meaning Tracy was aping your trick.
Questioning what ‘a lot’ meant. Maybe a few or very few?
Are you really so infantile as to need all this alwyn, or are you just a stinking troll?
Maybe to help relieve your bweilderment, Alwyn, you could go back and look for the comment where you initially used the term “a lot”, and look at Tracey’s comment in that context?
Careful.
Unless he is registered this Government is planning to make it an offence to call anyone who isn’t “registered” a teacher. They might extend it to people like you using the phrase.
Really?
This bill has been put forward by an MP which is part of the Government.
At every vote to date in the house all the Government Parties, Labour, New Zealand First and the Green Party voted for the bill to proceed.
National and ACT voted against.
Even someone like you would be very hard pressed to make a case that the Government is supporting this bill and its plans to fine people who call themselves a teacher without being registered.
With the liberties you take with the English language, Alwyn, you’d make an excellent half-rate property investor.
I’m not saying you are a half-rate property investor, just that if you did the required training and certification, one day you might be able to con enough people out of their home’s true value that you get a modest amount into your sham family trust before the courts catch up with you.
McFlock.
I presume you think you are saying something meaningful but you aren’t.
If you require help with your property speculation I suggest you should approach Ms Ardern. She seems to do very well at it.
By the way I hope you got a ticket for tail gating traffic on your moped. It is bloody dangerous and a stiff fine might encourage you to desist from such foolish behaviour.
Incognito said In Vino would make an excellent teacher, not that In Vino was actually a teacher. Your response of bleating about registration is just evidence of the fact that you need a good teacher.
I would recommend In Vino, but I’m not sure they’re registered…
@Tracey
A quick trawl through their press releases found about 40 that relate to their protesting about the Amazon Warrior. I didn’t read them thoroughly. I find their literary style distinctly turgid.
That is “a lot” in my opinion. If they can release that many Press Statements on the subject I would think it rather odd if they weren’t rejoicing if this case was not going ahead. They certainly came out with a release when the case was postponed in May last year. http://www.greenpeace.org/new-zealand/en/press/Government-delays-morally-repugnant-case-against-Greenpeace-activists/
Hard to believe they didn’t sound off again if the postponement was true.
Perhaps they are still, as a bunch of loyal Royalists, celebrating the birth of the third Cambridge brat.
Two brothers, Jamil and Ammar, fled Syria in 2012, with their wives and children. After four years waiting in Jordan, they finally received a visa and traveled to the United States as refugees. They arrived on Nov. 8, 2016, which happened to be Election Day. It was, of course, a loaded moment. In effect, the brothers and their families landed in one country and woke up the next morning in another.
Since then, I have been reporting their stories and creating a “true comic” about their lives in America. I went to their mosques, schools and job-training programs. I was also there when Ammar’s family received a frightening death threat, which ultimately forced them to flee their town. Today the illustrator, Michael Sloan, and I bring you the final installment in their story. — Jake Halpern
The man who plowed a van into a crowded Toronto street on Monday, killing 10 people and injuring 15, wrote a Facebook post announcing an “incel rebellion” and hailing the UC Santa Barbara shooter shortly before carrying out the attack. “Incel” is the name adopted by an online community of men who consider themselves “involuntarily celibate” and advocate violence against women. The killer’s Facebook post was first reported by the Canadian news network Global News and has been confirmed as real by Facebook.
…
4chan, as you probably know, is a popular message board where alt-rightists and other people with abhorrent political beliefs congregate. “Chads and Stacys” are terms used in the incel community to refer to conventionally attractive men and women who are sexually active.
The script appears to have shifted towards the so named ‘alt right’ carrying out the act…it’s a change from the more ‘traditional terrorist’ cover story…
These events are carried out by people with mental health issues…not to mention whichever insidious structure sits behind them…
Incel…might as well be ISIS…although I suspect the ‘ISIS’ cover has run it’s course…’alt right’ will be the go to…
Well, yes, they could have mental health issues, but like ISIS, they have a political agenda. Most people with mental health issues don’t advocate violence against those they hate.
Apparently Incel stands for “involuntarily celibate”
“Incel” refers to “involuntary celibate,” essentially meaning that a person can’t get laid because of their looks/personality. The incels make up one segment of the broader “manosphere”, a collection of online masculinist communities that interplay with one another.
“Incel” was a term actually coined by a queer Toronto woman in the 90s to give a name to how she was feeling at the time. It morphed into something horrific. “I can’t uninvent this word, nor restrict it to the nicer people who need it.”
Self-described incels today are almost entirely men who are laser-focused on their inability to have sex & blame women. Of the manosphere communities, incels are the most virulently misogynistic.
Incels differ in important ways from Men’s Rights Activists. While both movements are misogynistic at their core, MRAs deploy a human rights framework to argue men are oppressed. Incels don’t talk about rights, they just hate.
The path to radicalization for incels often starts with the Red Pill/Pick-Up Artist communities. They try to utilize the pseudo-scientific/dehumanizing seduction techniques, still can’t get laid & become infuriated. That’s the path Elliot Rodger went down.
To clarify, the manosphere is a catch-all term that refers to a number of online male communities that overlap, branch off, interface & oppose each other in complicated ways. It includes pick-up artists, men’s rights activists, incels, men going their own way etc.
An important point: if Minassian was an incel & the author of that Facebook post, his attack should probably be described as terrorism, although the lone wolf variety. Incels have an ideology & the goal is to terrorize women & “normies.”
Incels & the broader manosphere are an important component of what we’ve come to think of as the alt-right (depending on your definition of that term). Misogyny is the most common gateway drug to other forms of hate.
More tweets in this thread, and replies, in the link above.
The path to radicalization for incels often starts with the Red Pill/Pick-Up Artist communities. They try to utilize the pseudo-scientific/dehumanizing seduction techniques, still can’t get laid & become infuriated. That’s the path Elliot Rodger went down…
Arshy Mann (man)
Edit: 6.1.2 your second pararaph…preyed on and used as dupes…yes…the agenda has now changed…to incel…
Are you suggesting by saying ‘could’ that they might not have mental health issues or in other words that they might be completely normal, rational and sane?
FFS! I would absolutely guarantee that someone who murders 10 people in cold blood and then begs the police to shoot him in the head has mental health issues. No sane person, regardless of their political leanings, would do this.
The statement of yours quoted above should read “Well, yes, they obviously have mental health issues”
I disagree. I did not know a lot about the alleged perp when I made the comment you refer to, other than that he was linked to Incel.
I feel it’s important to be cautious about attributing mental illness to all people who commit mass murder, because the evidence so far seems to say otherwise. Most of the research on this is with respect to mass shootings. And psychologists conclude that most mass shooters are not mentally ill.
The linked article says that people tend to attribute mental illness to violent acts that most people find incomprehensible. They also say most mentally ill people are not violent – psychologists tend to want to break that connection.
Associating mental illness with violence is, in a certain respect, a natural reaction to an action that to most people seems unfathomable.
They argue that it is dangerous to jump to such conclusions, even though it is understandable why many people do make that jump.
Perhaps he was using his freedom of speech to express himself.
/
UPDATE: Facebook confirms to CBC's Matthew Braga @mattbraga that the post from Alek Minassian referencing "The Incel Rebellion" and Elliot Rodger is real, and was posted publicly on his profile before Facebook shut it down.— CBC News Alerts (@CBCAlerts) April 24, 2018
In an assortment of threads that popped up after the news media began to report on a supposed Facebook post from Minassian announcing that “the Incel Rebellion has … begun,” some of the Incels.me regulars are celebrating the killings and the alleged killer as “life fuel” for them and their nihilistic, misogynistic, misanthropic “movement.” (Click on the pics below to see the comments in context on Incels.me.)
I will be interested to see how much uptake this gets in the media and if it will then be taken over by the ” everyone wins” sarcastic, PC screaming element (Hosking, Richardson, Garner come to mind )
Hopefully none because it’s a non issue. It’s just someone’s opinion.
As far as I know there isn’t a sport in existence where the aim of the game isn’t to win or get the highest score. That’s what sport is about. Obviously, not winning is not the end of the world and there’s no place for winning at all costs, but you still play to win, even if playing for fun.
Yes, heaps of people play sport for fun, but the aim when playing for fun is still to win. You can’t not play to win in sport because all sports include some form of winning as the entire purpose of the sport. You can’t play football for fun and not have goals, because scoring goals is the entire purpose of football.
That’s what sport is, a competition. Either against an opponent or trying to beat your own personal best. training is done to play sport better and so incorporates sport. Everything else, including exercising for health or vanity, is not a sport.
If anyone can’t understand that, then they’ve never played and enjoyed sports and will never get it.
It is interesting that comes up. Seems to be a round about.
Growing up all sport was win or lose, a game of bull rush would happening on the school fields during break time, playing tiggy, hide and seek all forms of winning and losing.
From memory almost all kids played some form of school sport or club sport it was the done thing.
But we didn’t have playstations, xboxes we had a say 3 TV channels ollie olson (excuse me if I spelt his name wrong) was presenting the afternoon kids show.
All the neighbourhood kids you used to get out and play together in the park or a cul-de-sac nearby. There was generally a winning side and losing side.
A few years back when soccer/football NZ came up with the no score rule for kid’s games. I went with my niece and nephew to a couple of their games toed the party line and said its about getting out and having fun not the score. After the game, the kids were asking what the score was and wanted to know who won.
I did have to admit chuckling when the coach said ok is ABC’s turn to be player of the day. Which was my niece who made a lovely daisy chain while playing right back.
Perhaps participation is dropping due to other factors cost or other forms of entertainment and not that kids feel pressured by winning or losing.
Which is odd when you may recall our former PM said the reason for poverty is drugs and yet his government didn’t really lift investment in drug and alcohol programmes.
“Government did no cost-benefit analysis on oil and gas ban”
Perhaps its because of the drop in emissions – ahhh nope:
“There’s also been no estimates on whether global greenhouse gas emissions will fall as a result of the decision.
“No specific estimate has been provided to me. I have been advised by officials that the effect on global emissions depends on the response of New Zealand’s large gas users.”
Perhaps we will all save $ at the pump? – not looking good either:
“”No specific estimate has been provided to me on the price impact on gas of the decision to grant no further offshore oil and gas exploration permits. Officials have advised that gas prices have risen in the past when the supply of gas has been constrained,” Dr Woods said.”
Consultation with industry? Also – nope.
“No formal consultation was undertaken with PEPANZ in relation to the decision to grant no further offshore oil and gas exploration permits.”
Brilliant decision making:
No idea of the cost
No idea if it will actually achieve what they want
No idea of impact
No consultation.
They didn’t do a cost benefit on TPPA either, but don’t recall you complaining then.
Oil and gas are scum as per the 29 dead Pike river miners whose families did not even get an attempt at a rescue, nor a recovery of bodies or even the compensation for the families. And Mobil weaselled out of paying to clean up after itself in the Tank Farm in Auckland.
Notably the treatment of tariff elimination as a true positive at its face value, when in reality these gains are unlikely to be assigned to NZ exporters. So why the magic maths? Because without it a positive case cannot be made.
The families split Whittall’s blood money, $3.41 million, between them, the ACC compensation is expected to be anything between $10 million and $20 million in total, and PRC has been ordered by the courts to pay a substantial amount.
Unfortunately for me, under current conditions, after 25years of solar use I would have lost 200bucks.
Doesn’t matter anyway because I don’t own a house and probably never will so don’t have any choice about solar or not (currently).
One thing I don’t get is why would you pay thousands and thousands of dollars to install a solar power solution and then remain connected to the grid? Surely the whole idea is to get off the grid and generate your own power (or a group of neighbours together) so you no longer need to have anything to do with any power company? (Especially since they only pay around 25% of what they charge you per unit you sell them currently) (I think)
One thing I don’t get is why would you pay thousands and thousands of dollars to install a solar power solution and then remain connected to the grid?
To me staying connected to the grid brings the benefits of distributed generation. Not sunny over Westport? Not a problem. The sun over Christchurch will keep the refrigerator going. Or the wind generators over by Stewart Island. Or the solar panels in Auckland. Or the geothermal in Rotorua.
Surely the whole idea is to get off the grid and generate your own power (or a group of neighbours together) so you no longer need to have anything to do with any power company?
That’s actually the expensive way. It’s what we’ve been told over the last thirty years as we’ve been instructed to become super-independent individuals but it’s actually a bad idea. Doing that brings more bureaucracy, more costs in advertising and dead-weight loss in profit.
Much better to have a state monopoly installing and maintaining the power infrastructure across the country including the solar panels on your roof.
(Especially since they only pay around 25% of what they charge you per unit you sell them currently) (I think)
There’s also been no estimates on whether global greenhouse gas emissions will fall as a result of the decision.
No formal consultation was undertaken with PEPANZ in relation to the decision to grant no further offshore oil and gas exploration permits.
Actually irrelevant.
We know that we have to stop burning oil and the best way to do that is to leave it in the ground. The industry, having known about global warming for decades, knew that this decision was coming and should have planned for it rather than now whinging about it.
It’s the only economic decision we could make.
No specific estimate has been provided to me on the price impact on gas of the decision to grant no further offshore oil and gas exploration permits. Officials have advised that gas prices have risen in the past when the supply of gas has been constrained,” Dr Woods said.
The pricing system is there to, get this, restrict the use of scarce resources. So, if the price goes up then it’s actually doing its job.
“We know that we have to stop burning oil and the best way to do that is to leave it in the ground”
Of course – you miss the big point that we arnt leaving it in the ground we are just shipping it from the other side of the world.
“It’s the only economic decision we could make.”
– citation (as you are fond of asking for) – as there is nothing to back that up at all – its all ideological.
Of course – you miss the big point that we arnt leaving it in the ground we are just shipping it from the other side of the world.
Actually, I’m not. We can, and will, stop shipping it from the other side of the world in time as well as well as stopping extraction from NZ.
– citation (as you are fond of asking for) – as there is nothing to back that up at all – its all ideological.
No, climate change isn’t ideological you fool. It’s simple reality and not the delusion that you subscribe to.
It goes like this:
We have a set amount of fossil fuels that we can burn. Depending upon which research you mention we’ve either already passed that point or we’re very near to it. Either way, we can’t afford to continue extracting and burning fossil fuels thus we need to decrease the amount being extracted so as to decrease the amount being burned.
NZ is only a small country and we can only do our part but it is a part that must be done.
“Actually, I’m not. We can, and will, stop shipping it from the other side of the world in time as well as well as stopping extraction from NZ.”
Wrong – just wrong.
Anyway – as per the original point – Labour have done ZERO research on this (as per the oia request). Its not thought out either in impact or even if it will achieve what they want it to
Its armature hour at the beehive and thank goodness National will overturn this as soon as getting back into power.
“We have made no announcements about ending coal, and we certainly haven’t done any work,” she [Megan Woods]* told Q+A.
“What I’m saying is there are no plans to do that. We haven’t done anything.”
“We haven’t done anything” ?!?
What the Hell?
Are we to understand that Megan Woods hasn’t done anything on coal, despite receiving a petition from climate change groups calling on the Energy Minister to take a stand on this issue?
“SIGN THE PETITION: STOP TE KUHA COALMINE”
At a time when our government is claiming that climate change is our generation’s “nuclear-free moment,” and has recently said that there will be no new coal mines on conservation land, it must say no to this mountaintop removal. Without access to this precious DOC land, the mine is unlikely to go ahead.
Hon Dr Megan Woods (Minister of Energy and Resources) and Hon Eugenie Sage (Minister of Conservation), have the power to stop this mine.
Call on Megan Woods and Eugenie Sage to live up to their words, and pull the plug on this dirty and short-sighted project. Sign the petition here:
So; so much for Ardern’s ‘nuclear moment’; more like expediency and hollow words wins the day – again.
I don’t recall Lange equivocating in this way when he announced a true ‘nuclear moment’. Then, there was no equivocation – it was sticking to beliefs, principles and values come what may.
Ardern and her government diminish the ‘nuclear moment’ concept.
And just wondering if Ardern and company are avoiding addressing the issue of coal production and use in their climate change policy ‘nuclear moment’ because of their historical and sentimental links to that industry. Hence their political expediency and selectivity on climate change policy.
Alt Fact: If we stop producing oil here we’ll just have to import more oil from overseas.
Truth: New Zealand’s vehicles already run almost entirely on imported oil.
Alt Fact: Stopping oil and gas exploration will lead to more climate emissions.
Truth: Any oil and gas we keep in the ground is oil and gas that can’t be burnt and can’t increase global emissions.
Alt Fact: Exporting New Zealand gas to developing countries will lower global emissions.
Truth: We’re far better off investing in clean energy and exporting our expertise in renewables.
Alt Fact: Oil and gas is one of the backbones of our economy and employs 11,000 people, whose jobs are destroyed by the move to stop new offshore exploration.
Truth: Economies thrive with long term stability. Starting the clean energy transition now means no 80s-style economic shock, and long-term security for the clean energy industry.
Oil and gas employs around 4,300 people directly and it’s really important that these workers and the communities that depend on this industry are supported to find sustainable livelihoods in other industries. The people with the best gauge of whether a decision is good or bad for workers are the trade unions that represent them. Importantly, the NZ Council of Trade Unions has welcomed the Government’s decision, which provides a long-term signal to the oil industry that they must now wind down and prioritise a transition plan for their workers. They say:
“The whole point of a just transition is that actually, we know change is coming, it’s inevitable, and we are going to create high-paying sustainable jobs that match people’s skills. You’d almost think from the reaction from the oil and gas industry that the rug was being pulled out from under working people overnight. The Government and the union movement have been very clear that a transition plan, particularly for affected regions is the right way to go.”
Let’s not forget that the energy transition is also an enormous economic and job opportunity. Clean energy produces four times more jobs than the oil industry. In the US, solar jobs are growing as much as 12 times faster than the rest of the economy. In New Zealand, clean energy could provide 25,000 new jobs. A recent Westpac report found that taking steps to address climate change now will save the New Zealand economy $30 billion dollars, compared to delaying our response.
Alt Fact: The lights will go out and energy will cost more.
Truth: Oil and gas cost money – but sunshine and wind are free! Renewable energy is already cheap and has the potential to be much much cheaper.
Alt Fact: We shouldn’t wind down oil and gas until we have clean energy to replace it.
Truth: Saying no to future gas is vital to getting more clean energy into the system.
Alt Fact: Restricting oil and gas supply is a waste of time – we need to tackle at the demand side.
Truth: We need to address both supply and demand if we’re going to achieve the necessary cut in carbon emissions.
I wonder if Phil Twyford and his acolyte Genter will reconsider their mad approach of to building cycle tracks and putting trams into Auckland instead of continuing National’s policy of putting safer roads into Northland?
Another serious crash on SH1 north of Auckland.
Does the current Government really not give a damn about the people of the North? https://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/northland/103375110/state-highway-1-blocked-three-people-injured-after-crash-near-whangarei
That was the second serious crash in Northland within 12 hours I understand.
That crash happened north of Whangarei. So even if National’s fantasies about holiday highways and bridges had been completely fulfilled, that particular bit of road would not have been improved. As far as I can tell, anyway.
I’m not really sure you can put the blame for the Island Bay fiasco on the National led Government. They certainly put up some money for cycling in urban areas but al least in Wellington the choice of where to put them was done by the Council. This one goes right to the door of the then Mayor, Green Party member (and one time Green List Candidate for Parliament) Celia Wade-Brown and her self chosen Deputy-Mayor and now Mayor, Labour’s Justin Lester.
However the whole thing has been a disaster. The Council has been encouraging cyclists on hilly, narrow, winding roads that are simply not suitable for them. The Island Bay exercise was merely the most public one.
There are places in Wellington City that are suitable for cycling. Miramar and Kilbirnie are fine. The CDB and the hill suburbs are not.
As a pedestrian I have twice been run into on the footpath at Oriental Bay where cyclists travelling at high speed are allowed to share the footpath. They ride up from behind pedestrians at speed and you get no warning. Then they pass very close to people walking. On one occasion I was run into when I was on crutches. Even seeing that the person tried to pass me at a minimum clearance and bowled me.
Bloody idiots are most of Wellington’s cyclists. Why can’t they treat it as recreation and ride at the weekends on the cycleways along the Hutt River?
The gold-plated RONS boondoggles have starved the regions of funding for simpler road safety improvements. If you want to blame someone, start with Nat voters.
Sacha. Having just driven from Cable Bay to Whangarei I can verify your claim that 4 laning doth not necessarily equate to safety on our roads.
What is needed is a fuckwit test that eliminates such from the driver population. I hazard this could be a simple blood test. Perhaps fuckwittedness is genetic and upon detection of said DNA the same needle could deliver instant and painless demise.
Serious smash at Kauri just north of Whangarei earlier…do you think it inspired the fwit towing the boat to slow down after he nearly plowed into the traffic management truck controlling traffic around the crash site????
Imagine if there was a decent and affordable rail passenger service from Auckland to the north.
I did 2 road trips to Wellsford in a week, a couple of weeks’ back, to work events. The 2nd one was done at late notice to cover for a staff member who had an unexpected bereavement.
That drive is wearying in a work day. During the second trip I was musing on how much easier it would have been if there was a passenger rail service between Auckland and Wellsford – and there would be a couple of hours when I could have been working, while sitting on the train.
The road option is fine for able bodied adults, before they get into old age, but not so great for others, young and old and differently abled.
The Intercity bus followed me down the Dome Valley to Warkworth on the second return journey – a very big rig to be travelling the Dome Valley: not very frequent, and mostly expensive.
When you first said Auckland to the North I thought you meant the North North. Isn’t Wellsford just an outlying part of Auckland..hehe
That said, I agree there should be passenger rail available from the top of the north to the bottom of the south. Not sure who pays for it but it should be there.. lol
That is a bloody good idea.
However I would be very unhappy if they took my driver’s license away because the fuel warning light in my car came on while I was doing the test.
Only about 90 km left before the car runs out.
A simple breath test…like the alcohol limit thingy that locks the vehicle if the driver is over the limit…only this one would measure ‘hippocampus clearly functioning’ markers.
Some roads are not great…but most of SH1 is fine…main problem is folks are simply too impatient.
The fact that an accident, even if survived, is going to cost more time than just following along is a concept that escapes the gotta pass mob.
You know of such a test do you Rosemary?
A nice simple breath test?
Pray tell us where it is available. Personally I think that level 4 and level 5 autonomous vehicles will be everywhere long before your proposed test is available.
By then of course we won’t need your test. Nobody will be driving cars. https://www.techrepublic.com/article/autonomous-driving-levels-0-to-5-understanding-the-differences/
And when no one is driving cars, everyone will do the speed limit and drive tot he conditions. Shame we have to wait til then for some to understand the roads are not the problem, it’s how people drive on them that is fatal.
According to most traffic engineers New Zealand roads ARE the problem.
If the current CoL take your opinion as being fact the will probably not make any attempt to fix the roads. This will leave them responsible for many deaths.
On the other hand they will have no reason to adopt the recommendation I saw recently that claimed that all undivided roads should have their speed limit reduced to 70 kph. I’m sure the Green Associate Minister is simply itching to bring that in but she won’t have any excuse to do it. Why reduce the speed limit on inferior roads if it isn’t the road that helps cause accidents?
Which way do you think they will go?
The NZTA certainly seems to think that improving the roads makes them safer. They say
“NZ Transport Agency Director of Safety and Environment Harry Wilson says these two roads have been selected for the new limit because they are two of the safest roads in New Zealand, with safety features such as median-barriers, no crossing roads, no tight curves and two lanes in each direction, which significantly reduces the risk of serious collisions occurring.”
Does he know less about it than you do? https://nzta.govt.nz/media-releases/new-speed-limits-for-tauranga-eastern-link-and-cambridge-section-of-waikato-expressway/
Most traffic engineers, etc obviously have some agenda when they say roads are the problem. Any good driver can drive a (modern, mechanically sound) car on rural rds in NZ at 100kph with no issues and no danger at all.
Our rural (or urban for that matter) are not perfect by any stretch but they’re sealed and signposted. If someone crosses the centreline and crashes into an oncoming vehicle then it will always be the driver’s fault (other than mechanical failure) not the roads. I can’t see how it could be the roads fault unless maybe a yet to be repaired pothole has opened up but even then, the driver should see that sort of thing and adjust accordingly.
Are there any stats which tell us what percentage of crashes have the road condition as the primary cause ?
Of course there are accidents on all roads Tracey. That statement of yours is rather like Genter claiming that her aim is zero road accident deaths. It isn’t going to happen.
On the good roads there are generally less of them and they are less serious. That is the difference.
Note that in particular circumstances you can improve the road and cause more accidents. They are generally much less serious though. For example on Centennial Highway north of Wellington they put in barriers between the lanes. It increased the number of accidents but reduced the serious injury and fatal ones as it pretty much cut out the head on ones.
Whenever some one calls other drivers too impatient, it usually means that they themselves are the problem, they just can’t see it. (too busy toddling along at 70kph in the fast lane admiring the scenery no doubt)
If you want to blame someone, start with Nat voters.
As per normal with National voters alwyn’s been trying very hard to make all the fuckups by National not his responsibility despite the fact that he voted for them and supported those fuckups.
Alwyn your government had around 100 road safety police vacancies as safety wasnt a priority.
breath testing was no longer a safety priority and the numbers were cut by 40%.
While ministers cant direct police operations, the Road Transport budget funded $100s of millions of police duty on roads under contract. ( ie specific numbers of breath tests etc)
Guess who was Transport Minister when the cut to the police road safety budget was done. Simon Bridges.
*
And apparently rural cycleways are great cos the wealthy Auckland and Wellington peepes get to go on glamping style cycle tours… but cycle ways in our cities, god forbid
A quick look even by a non-statistician like me shows that in 2016 NZ north of Auckland, including the Far North, Whangarei and Kaipara in MoT stats, then there were 199 accidents in the Far North, 185 in Whangarei, and 57 in Kaipara causing injury.
441 accidents causing injury north of Auckland in 365 days. On average, one accident every 20 hours.
Two accidents in twelve hours is statistically not unusual.
How many of these accidents were due to the state of the road?
How many to excessive speed, alcohol and drugs, carelessness, risk-taking, tiredness, etc?
I don’t think my comment implied in any way that 2 accidents was “unusual”.
However did you notice that, from the statistics you quoted, the ratio for accidents/thousand population is 2.6 for the area north of Auckland but only 2.06 for the country as a whole?
What causes it is beyond my knowledge but I suspect that poor roads is a major contributor. National was at least planning to help improve that, even if only for SH1. This Government seems far more interested in other things, like trams and cycle tracks in Auckland.
@mac1 Do not expect alwyn to argue fairly. He dallies but fails to reply when really taxed. If you are winning, he will not reply. He is a troll. He will pop up later with the usual dross.
I confess I am horrified to find that 2 serious accidents in the area north of Auckland within 12 hours is considered to be normal.
I wasn’t meaning to highlight it as being unusual though. You are always going to get a lot of accidents on second-rate, narrow, busy, undivided roads.
That was something National was planning to fix up on at least the busiest bit of SH1 in the north. The CoL prefers trams though, even though they will be white elephants before they are even finished.
“Mr Twyford said safety is the Government’s priority, saying that can be achieved through features like passing lands, pull-over bays and median barriers.
“NZTA [New Zealand Transport Association] advised me if we spend $800m on highly targeted safety improvements (we) save 160 lives every year,” he said.
“We are spending about the same on roads generally, but we are spending it right across the country. We are not pork barrelling billions of dollars on a few hand-picked projects.”
Alwyn, “I confess I am horrified to find that 2 serious accidents in the area north of Auckland within 12 hours is considered to be normal.”
I didn’t say that.
It is statistically possible.
What i said was that in 2016, the last year for data I found, there was one injury accident every twenty hours on average north of Auckland.
As you correctly note, Northland, along with other regional roads, has a higher injury accident rate than the big cities with their separated motorways and urban speed restrictions.
How would you feel about speed restrictions back to 80km/h on two-lane unseparated country roads such as the French secondary road system will go to on July 1, down from 90km/h?
“Several previous (French) governments had toyed with the idea as a means of reducing highway deaths, which reached nearly 3,500 in 2016, but backed off in the face of widespread public opposition.
About 55% of those deaths – 1,911 victims – occurred on the 400,000km of so-called secondary roads across France, two-lane routes with no separating guardrail.”
Brave protest and decisions from young women around the world on this issue. Could there be parallels between sports boycotting that eventually led to the end of apartheid in South Africa?
“The reaction to Lorde’s issues over her decision not to perform in Israel pales in comparison to the firestorm of fury that has erupted over Natalie Portman’s refusal to accept the $US1 million Genesis Prize aka “the Jewish Nobel” if Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu was to be present at the award ceremony. Her problem? The treatment of Palestinians in Gaza, up to and including the recent shootings of Gaza protesters.”
My reply yesterday to Tuppence, who posted the same link.
National didn’t give a rats about a hospital with shit all over the shop because, surplus….
Timeline
• 2012 – Large cladding panel falls off the Scott Building. Checks reveal weathertightness problems and leaking. Leaks also fund at Manukau SuperClinic
• 2013 – Leaks found at Kidz First
• 2014 – Leaks found at McIndoe Building
• 2016 – Leaking issues outlined to Ministry of Health, according to DHB
• Mid-2016 Auditor-General’s report shows Counties Manukau reporting it had 89 per cent life left in its buildings
• 2017 – Sewage and sanitation problems are again raised with the board
• Feb 2017 – Treasury rates Counties Manukau among top half of DHBs for repairs and maintenance
• Mid-2017 – DHB commissions first overall expert appraisal of buildings
• Nov 2017 – Independent surveyor Alexander and Co report for DHB outlines problems with buildings
• November 22 – DHB Strategic Assessment Case sets out $123m worth of work across multiple buildings. That amount is now known to be an underestimate.
• Feb 21, 2018 – Counties Manukau DHB appears before health select committee. No mention of specific problems are raised.
• March 13 – David Clark visits Middlemore, where he says he was told about rot, mould and sewage in Scott Building but no other buildings.
• March 20 (circa) – Government approves additional $11.5m towards repairs in Scott Building
• March 22 – RNZ reports based on OIA that four hospital buildings are full of rot and mould. Health Minister David Clark says he knew about only one, the Scott
• March 23 – Former Health Minister Jonathan Coleman says he was not briefed about extent of problems at Middlemore. Clark says he expects DHB to outline plan for managing the issues. Email from Gloria Johnson to board members say documents handed to Clark and his adviser “spells out succinctly the scale and nature of the facilities issues”
• March 27 – DHB says it did not do repairs because Coleman wanted it to stay in surplus
• March 28 – DHB confirms report of sewage leaks in Scott Building
I don’t need to do zip, because arguing that your mob isn’t responsible for the spread of vancomycin-resistant enterococcus is a such good look, eh.
The National Party, the party of shit leaks and deadly infections has quite the ring to it, don’t ya reckon, Jimmy.
.
Up to 50 people to one toilet, a leaking sewer pipe and an insufficient number of handwash basins – a damning report has outlined Middlemore Hospital’s failures during an outbreak of a contagious and potentially fatal bacteria.
Documents released to the Herald on Sunday under the Official Information Act identify several “risk factors” that could have spread vancomycin-resistant enterococcus (VRE) through the hospital’s dialysis unit between October 2012 and May last year.
James what about the report Coleman signed off which referred to 2 buildings needing business case for recladding? That seems to suggest he knew something was wrong. A prudent Minister would have demanded follow up information, and given the leaky home debacle he ought to have asked “are there any other buildings? ” “Had we checked all buildings thoroughly”?
You are not suggesting that document is a lie too are you? Even if there is not sewerage seeping through a wall, that doesn’t make Coleman squeaky clean and innocent on this.
Not necessarily. Darrow is painting himself as a very interested, active Board member. I am sure with your knowledge of Boards you will know there are oftentimes the diligent and the free loaders and the patsy appointment etc etc
Cinny non executive board members are there for governance, they are not running the show or involved in management therefore it is not unusual for professional directors to be on more than one board, to the contrary it is the norm
For real? Even multiple boards of large organisations? Crikey.
Lester Levy the ‘one man band’
“CONSIDER THIS: one man will be nominally responsible for the healthcare of everyone from Wellsford to Otahuhu (“Waitemata” is misleading: the DHB extends from Te Arai Point to the Harbour Bridge, and across both coasts); buses and trains and ferries and roads and bridges and even cutting the grass on the berm outside homes from Wellsford to south of the Bombays (Auckland Transport, it has been estimated, controls 77 per cent of the Auckland Council’s assets and spends half of your rates.) He will be boss to something in the order of 17,500 public sector employees – as well as his private sector responsibilities”
That’s true and some get to be CEO of Brierley and oversee the diminishment of its share price until the shares are simply wiped from the booked, get a 4.5m handshake and go on to be on Boards to tell them how to run their companies.
We have certainly started to see some Board members take a much keener interest in operations since they found out they can be personally liable for things like Health and safety shortfalls.
There are some great Directors out there but there are some negligent ones too, some lazy ones just picking up their cheques and others interfering in operations. To think otherwise suggests a rose coloured view of Boards in NZ. We see some, of political persuasion there for their networks and links rather than proven ability to be on a Board
It’s not fair I’m sure James but Minister Clark is going to pull National’s health reputation round the farmyard tied behind a tractor for at least the first three years until no National MP is dumb enough to ever, ever claim they ever did anything good in the history of NZ health, to the point that any old duffer with a twinge recoils while holding the voting pen.
So expect more shock horror, more amplified outrage, a few more laps around the farm behind the tractor. 😁
Indeed, and maybe some nat voters will start to see that if we keep voting in lying politicians (for labour and national or whoever) they keep lying to us.
We have to stop thinking lying is only bad when the other team does it.
“The real question is why the ministry or the Capital Investment Committee did not advise the Minister on the issues that were raised with them in detail on multiple occasions. The briefings and meeting minutes from the DHB are all on file.””
It appears Darrow thinks Clark is lying. Yet when Coleman claimed no knowledge of a few things, Darrow stayed quiet.
I imagine there is way more to this than we have been told, but to think it is all at the door of Labour is disingenuous
This is ALL fascinating given the no surprises policy that stretched way beyond its envisaged remit under national, and presumably that wide remit will continue under this Government.Such a diligent fellow as Darrow seems to have made sure Clark knows, but not when Coleman was Minister. How odd.
Oh God, I can’t take any more, I think I’m gonna puke. The hostility and utter bafflement of those who try to sell me poppies. Everyone falling over each other to perpetuate the bullshit myth of “brave young men who fought for our freedom.” The inability to voice my views elsewhere due to political correctness and the shouting down of free speech. (See what I did there.)
It’s Groundhog Day!
I guess I’m really disappointed that we are so immature as a nation that we continue to define ourselves by reverence to an old myth which probably originated as British Empire military recruitment propaganda. I also find the degree of conformity we exhibit quite concerning. My own view, obviously an unpopular one, is that it’s time we moved on and pretty much left all this cruelty and slaughter in the past: basically let’s allow ourselves to forget.
Rant over, I appreciate that I am able to say this here; ahhh I feel better already…
I listened to Harry. I wish others would, instead of paying lip service to our veterans for being brave and what they died for, let’s honour them by making sure what they fought and died for happens.
That shows you up then James. You ought to listen to as many views as there are, to get a rounded perspective. Am pretty sure they didnt die so we would all be shoe horned into a single narrow view of the world.
I had the exact conversation with my partner this morning and expressed ambivalence toward what seems to me to have bceome, over my lifetime, a popular trend or fixation, like a dated reality TV show.
I wonder how many “celebrating” our military know that many who fought in WWI and II came back avowed pacifists?
So, I share your hesitation to speak against the current trend. For those wars where our men volunteered for the adventure or the opportunity to shoot people with guns I wonder why I am supposed to regard them as heroes? We are currently seeing huge atrocities in a war today, and ignoring myriad of atrocities on other continents.
We are in danger of glorifying something that most who served in WW I and II would have us NOT.
Thanks, my social world contains precisely no one who supports my stance. We find ourselves currently and recently supporting “other peoples’ wars.” There is a climate in which, for many, our military can do no wrong (in Afghanistan) and have until now seemingly avoided any accountability or governmental oversight. We have some of the characteristics of a military dictatorship. I can’t help wondering if this situation would have been avoided had we not brainwashed ourselves for so long regarding the Gallipoli Campaign.
I can’t imagine what those young men went through. My father never talks about what he saw or did in WW2. We know he was in some of the biggest European battles. My mom says he lost a wonderful part of him and that something never came back.
I asked him once if would knowing what he knows now would he have fought. His only answer was yes.
I have pondered that answer many times.
All I can come up with is he knew he had to volunteer and fight as they were facing invasion, losing their way of life, losing their freedom.
Germany was expanding though Europe, Japan through the pacific. Surely they had to be stopped.
They didn’t want to fight but they did and we live in a world were Japan and Germany are our friends now.
If they hadn’t fought would we be speaking Japanese or German. What would the world look like. Given the brutal nature of those two countries at that time, what would the world be like now.
We don’t have glorify war but we should remember those who gave so much even if they didn’t want to.
I have no problem with remembering but it seems in recent times it has become a, trying to find the right words, trendy thing to do and be seen, wearing a poppy, going to a parade and going to Turkey for dawn services, like an experience to be had rather than a moment to reflect. It is like war is something to be celebrated now rather than commemorated. I tip my hat to the veterans and their right to remember and be remembered but I am left with an uneasy feeling that some who know fuck all about being in a war are wearing it as social badge of honour
I had 2 great uncles who died in WWI and parents who were children in WWII and fully remember the fear of potential invasion etc.
I am not trying to belittle it, but I wonder at our fixation with Gallipoli, given we learned little from it in terms of our subservience to the brits and need to do it all again in WWII.
A few weeks ago we discovered that our Defence Force Commander lied to us, as did our former PM when they said Hit and Run got the name of the village wrong. They were wrong about its position but not its name. After some delay there is now a narrow inquiry and so many think it is supporting our military to say “leave them alone, what do you expect?; I expect that people who died in WWI and II died for many reasons including deception and incompetence of military leaders, so we could be free and live in a democracy should be listened to in modern times. And yet, we are supposed to bow down to our MIlitary, to our Secret Services and let them behave as they please (as clearly has happened under the last Government and former govts too). To me, that contradicts what the brave men and women fought for.
As an aside a day of rememberance and reflection is great unless people learn nothing from that reflection, and frnakly given the state of so many NZ services, I wonder how many really do see the lessons?
….it has become a, trying to find the right words, trendy thing to do and be seen, wearing a poppy, going to a parade and going to Turkey for dawn services, like an experience to be had rather than a moment to reflect. It is like war is something to be celebrated…
My thoughts too. I'm sure its not a sentiment shared by the actual veterans and their immediate families, but for many others its the 'in thing to do' without them having any real clue as to what the wars were all about.
If they hadn’t fought would we be speaking Japanese or German. What would the world look like. Given the brutal nature of those two countries at that time, what would the world be like now.
Yeah we don’t know what would have happened, but the way I see it kiwis were fighting as part of the British Empire, they weren’t fighting for their homeland NZ. I find it a stretch to think they sacrificed their lives for us, that’s myth making. Sure if NZ was being invaded you could make that case.
I had two family members in the wars and they barely mentioned it with their own family members once they returned. If they wanted war to be associated with sacrifice, national identity or national pride or whatever I’m sure they would have made that clear to us. But they didn’t. All the same I’m sure Anzac Day was special for them and a chance to remember and see old friends. The day should be for them, not for the following generations.
Back then things were a lot different and NZ was a lot closer and proud of being part of the British empire the empire offered mutual support in times of conflict. You have to look at things in the context of he times and beliefs.
Plus we were at threat of invasion. Japan has designs on both Australia and NZ to secure resource and regional control.
My father was in the Air Force in the South Pacific and would never talk about his 5 years in service. Came back emotionally damaged, self medicated on alcohol and died at 56 years of age.
It;s not about celebrating our military or glorifying war. It’s about remembering those who died. They believed they were fighting for freedom and were willing to sacrifice themselves for it or suffer horrendous physical and mental trauma for it.
Even my parents generation believed what they were told by governments and what they heard on the radio news. It was an entirely different world 100 years ago. It was only really once we started to get televised warfare and massive amounts of information getting to the public during the Vietnam war that the younger generations started to understand that wars are not noble causes.
If we forget those who died then we might in the future make the same mistakes.
Yes we know that pretty much all wars are not about defending freedom, etc. But the brave young men who died at Gallipoli for example, almost certainly believed they were fighting for our freedom and for our country.
That’s good enough for me. Anzac day is about remembering all those who have sacrificed themselves in the belief it was for our freedom.
I doubt you’d get many young volunteers willing to die if they knew all wars are bankers wars and are usually nothing to do with freedom from evil, so they were obviously fighting for what they believed was a just cause.
Same, I actually find it odd that this is the one day the veterans are afforded, I have a picture of my Pop in his WW2 navy uniform and spare him a thought most days.
Good morning The Am Show Duncan everyone is forgetting one fact with Eco Maoris you will work it out .
Emmanuel Macron has hit the nail on the head as the saying goes that anger is not acceptable in World politics Eco Maori admires Macron for his speech to the American congress and people .
Duncan do you want some more tissues would you prefer that national carried on running the country into the ground alot of people have had there feathers ruffled by the new government who is making changes for the mokopunas future to be fair happy and healthy .
At least you have Amanda who can see past her check book and think logically about the future and not just the NOW.
With the traffic jams you always have two have 2 heavy traffic lanes merging and this slows the traffic to a stop they just have to come up with innovative ideas to clear these points of heavy traffic merging under passes over passes at these points simple higher fuel prices will help to.
Ka kite ano P.S Some media hammer the Government on any issue they can
48 hours to Save the Bees
Totally ban bee killing pesticides
France UK GERMANY & 9 other countries are in favour but we need to get four more on board to win the vote This is down to the wire Every signature counts the link is above Kia kaha we need to protect OUR insects & Bees I have already signed Ka kite ano
Newshub Nagti Tama is the only entity that will care for the fresh water springs in Nelson like water should be treated like a treasure a gift from Papatuanuku and Eco Maori says all water should be treated like this now and not just if we run out of water and start to value water then.
Many thanks to our new coalition government for help our most vulnerable people the disabled with more funding for there extra cost to participate in our society Ka pai
I see we have a bit of bad weather coming Ingrid Ka kite ano P.S I have figured out more about my advisories Ana to kai
The Crowd Goes Wild Mulls and James the League has still a long way to go for the
Grand final.
Russel Westbrook is pumping OUR Big Man will find his form I’m backing him.
They will feel his Thunder.
Mulls I made sure not to get hooked on Donkey Kong back in the day lol.
I Tautoko The Crowd Goes Wild to tautoko OUR sports Stars Ka pai Niko Kirwan I still remember your old man cutting everyone up at the first Rugby World Cup
Ka kite ano
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How Labour’s and National’s failure to move beyond neoliberalism has brought New Zealand to the brink of economic and cultural chaos.TO START LOSING, so soon after you won, requires a special kind of political incompetence. At the heart of this Coalition Government’s failure to retain, and build upon, the public ...
“Members of Parliament don’t work for us, they represent us, an entirely different thing. As with so much that has turned out badly, the re-organising of MPs’ responsibilities began with the Fourth Labour Government. That’s when they began to be treated like employees – public servants – whose diaries had ...
It’s becoming a classic case study for why lobbying deals with politicians need greater scrutiny. Former National Minister Steven Joyce runs a lobbying company with a major client – the University of Waikato. The University desperately wants $300m+ of taxpayer funding to establish a third medical school in New Zealand, ...
Time To Choose: Like it or not, the Kiwis are either going into AUKUS’s “Pillar 2” – or they are going to China.HAD ZHENG HE’S FLEET sailed east, not west, in the early Fifteenth Century, how different our world would be. There is little reason to suppose that the sea-going junks ...
Henry Ergas writes – When in Randall Jarrell’s Pictures from an Institution, a college president is accused of being a hypocrite, the novel’s narrator retorts that the description is grossly unfair. After all, the man is still far from the stage of moral development at which the charge ...
David Farrar writes – Radio NZ reports: The Education Review Office says too many new teachers feel poorly prepared for their jobs. In a report published on Monday, the review office said 60 percent of the principals it interviewed said their new teachers were not ready. ...
New Zealand’s economic performance and the PM’s vision Michael Reddell writes – When I wrote yesterday morning’s post, highlighting how poorly both New Zealand and its Anglo peer countries have been doing in respect of productivity in recent times (ie, in the case of New ...
Hi all,Firstly - thank you! You guys are awesome. The response I’ve received to last night’s mail has been quite overwhelming. It’s a ghastly day outside, but there are no clouds in here.In case you didn’t read my email and are wondering what on earth I’m talking about you can ...
If there was still any doubt as to who is actually running this government – and it isn’t the buffoon from Botany – then this week’s announcement of a huge spend up on charter schools has settled the matter. While jobs and public services continue to be cut in the ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Gaye Taylor As widespread drought raises expectations for a repeat of last year’s ferocious wildfire season, response teams across Canada are grappling with the rapidly changing face of fire in a warming climate. No longer quenched by winter, nor quelled by the ...
Half of Christchurch City Holdings Ltd’s directors and its chair resigned en masse last night in protest at Christchurch City Council’s demand to front-load dividends File Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The chair of Christchurch City Council’s investment company and four of its independent directors resigned in protest last ...
The University of Waikato has reworded an advertisement that begins the tender process for its new $300 million-plus medical school even though the Government still needs to approve it. However, even the reworded ad contains an architect’s visualisations of what the school might look like. ACT leader David Seymour told ...
As a follow-up to the Rings of Power trailer discussion, I thought I needed to add something. There has been some online mockery about the use of the same actor for both the Halbrand and Annatar incarnations of Sauron. The reasoning is that Halbrand with a shave and a new ...
This isn’t quite as dramatic as the title might suggest. I’m not going anywhere, but there is something I wanted to talk to you about.Let’s start with a typical day.Most days I send out a newsletter in the morning. If I’ve written a lot the previous evening it might be ...
Buzz from the Beehive The promise of tax relief loomed large in his considerations when the PM delivered a pre-Budget speech to the Auckland Business Chamber. The job back in Wellington is getting government spending back under control, he said, bandying figures which show that in per capita terms, the ...
Yesterday de facto Prime Minister David Seymour announced that his glove puppet government would be re-introducing charter schools, throwing $150 million at his pet quacks, donors and cronies and introducing an entire new government agency to oversee them (the existing Education Review Office, which actually knows how to review schools, ...
Seeing that, in order to discredit the figures and achieve moral superiority while attempting to deflect attention away from the military assault on Rafa, Israel supporters in NZ have seized on reports that casualty numbers in Gaza may be inflated … Continue reading → ...
David Farrar writes – Newstalk ZB report: The man responsible for a horror hit and run in central Wellington last year was on a suspended licence and was so drunk he later asked police, “Did I kill someone?” Jason Tuitama injured two women when he ran a red ...
Muriel Newman writes – Former US President Ronald Reagan once said, “Freedom is a fragile thing and it’s never more than one generation away from extinction. It is not ours by way of inheritance; it must be fought for and defended constantly by each generation.” The fight for ...
Why Courts should have said Waitangi Tribunal could not summons Karen Chhour Gary Judd writes – In the High Court, Justice Isacs declined to uphold the witness summons issued by the Waitangi Tribunal to compel Minister for Children, Karen Chhour, to appear before it to be ...
Bryce Edwards writes – The number of voices raising concerns about the Government’s Fast-Track Approvals Bill is rapidly growing. This is especially apparent now that Parliament’s select committee is listening to submissions from the public to evaluate the proposed legislation. Twenty-seven thousand submissions have been made to Parliament ...
An average of 166 New Zealand citizens left the country every day during the March quarter, up 54% from a year ago.Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The economy and housing market is sinking into a longer recession through the winter after a slump in business and consumer confidence in ...
The government has made it abundantly clear they’re addicted to the smell of new asphalt. On Tuesday they introduced a new term to the country’s roading lexicon, the Roads of Regional Significance (RoRS), a little brother for the Roads of National (Party) Significance (RoNS). Driving ahead with Roads of Regional ...
School is outAnd I walk the empty hallwaysI walk aloneAlone as alwaysThere's so many lucky penniesLying on the floorBut where the hell are all the lucky peopleI can't see them any moreYesterday morning, I’d just sent out my newsletter on Tama Potaka, and I was struggling to make the coffee. ...
Hi,I wanted to check in and ask how you’re doing.This is perhaps a selfish act, of attempting to find others feeling a similar way to me — that is to say, a little hopeless at the moment.Misery loves company, that sort of deal.Some context.I wish I could say I got ...
I have hitherto been fairly quiet on the new season of Rings of Power, on the basis that the underwhelming first season did not exactly build excitement – and the rumours were fairly daft. The only real thing of substance to come out has been that they have re-cast Adar ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
“The thing is,” Chris Luxon says, leaning forward to make his point, “this has always been my thing.”“This goes all the way back to the first multinational I worked for. I was saying exactly the same thing back then. The name of our business needs to be more clear; people ...
Buzz from the Beehive It’s been a momentous few days for Children’s Minister Karen Chhour. The Court of Appeal has overturned a High Court decision which blocked a summons order from the Waitangi Tribunal for her. And today she has announced the Government is putting children first by introducing to ...
In 2014 former Australian army lawyer David McBride leaked classified military documents about Australian war crimes to the ABC. Dubbed "The Afghan Files", the documents led to an explosive report on Australian war crimes, the disbanding of an entire SAS unit, and multiple ongoing prosecutions. The journalist who wrote the ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – According to the respected Pew Research Centre, “In seven of eight [European] countries surveyed, the most trusted news outlet asked about is the public news organization in each country”. For example, “in Sweden, an overwhelming majority (90%) say they trust the public broadcaster SVT”. ...
David Farrar writes – Kata MacNamara reports: Details of Tony Blakely’s involvement in the New Zealand Government’s response to the pandemic raise serious questions about the work of the Covid-19 Royal Commission of Inquiry over which he presides. It has long been clear that Blakely, a ...
Chris Trotter writes – Are you a Brahmin or a Merchant? Or, are you merely one of those whose lives are profoundly influenced by the decisions of Brahmins and Merchants? Those are the questions that are currently shaping the politics of New Zealand and the entire West. ...
RNZ reports – It’s supposed to be a haven of healing and spiritual awakening but residents of the Kawai Purapura community say they’ve been hurt and deceived. It’s the successor to the former Centrepoint commune, and has been on the bush block opposite Albany shopping centre since 2008. It ...
TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. Usually we have a video chat to go with this wrap, but were unable to do one this week. We’ll be back next week.Several reports ...
The Transport Minister has set a hard 'fiscal envelope' of $6.54 billion for transport capital spending. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The economy is settling into a state of suspended animation as the Government’s funding freezes and job cuts chill confidence and combine with stubbornly high interest rates to ...
To be precise, the term “anti- Zionism” refers to (a) criticism of the political movement that created a modern Jewish state on the historical land of Israel, and to (b)the subjugation of Palestinians by the Israeli state. By contrast, the term “anti-Semitism” means bigotry and racism directed at Jewish people, ...
This is a re-post from the Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler Because hurricanes are one of the big-ticket weather disasters that humanity has to face, climate misinformers spend a lot of effort muddying the waters on whether climate change is making hurricanes more damaging. With the official start to the hurricane ...
Yesterday the Mayor released what he calls his “plan to save public transport” which is part of his final proposal for the Council’s Long Term Plan (LTP). This comes following consultation on the draft version that occurred in March which showed, once again, that people want more done on transport, especially ...
And it's a pleasure that I have knownAnd it's a treasure that I have gainedAotearoa’s coalition government is fragile. It’s held together by the obsequious sycophancy of Christopher Luxon, who willingly contorts his party into the fringe positions of his junior coalition partners and is unwilling to contradict them. The ...
The Select Committee hearing submissions on the fast-track consenting legislation is starting to become a beat-up of regional councils. The inflexibility and slow workings of the Councils were prominent in two submissions yesterday. One, from the Coromandel Marine Farmers Association, simply said that the Waikato Regional Council’s planning decisions were ...
Back in April, the High Court surprised everyone by ruling that Ministers are above the law, at least as far as the Waitangi Tribunal is concerned. The reason for this ruling was "comity" - the idea that the different branches of government shouldn't interfere with each other's functions. Which makes ...
Buzz from the BeehiveTolling was mentioned when Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced the government was re-introducing the Roads of National Significance (RoNS) programme, with 15 “crucial” projects to support economic growth and regional development across New Zealand. All RoNS would be four-laned, grade-separated highways, and all funding, financing, and ...
Green Party co-leaders Marama Davidson and Chlöe Swarbrick used this year's State of the Planet to call on the Government to prioritise people and planet as the delivery of the Budget approaches. A full transcript of their speeches can be found below. ...
Green Party co-leaders Marama Davidson and Chlöe Swarbrick have used their State of the Planet speeches to challenge the Government to prioritise people and planet over profit as the delivery of the Budget approaches. ...
The Government’s introduction of legislation that would enable landlords to end tenancies with no reason marks a dark day for the 1.4 million people who rent their home in Aotearoa. ...
The Minister for Mental Health has found the Suicide Prevention Office and mental health support for 111 calls slipping through his fingers, says Labour spokesperson for Mental Health Ingrid Leary. ...
Today’s justification from the Minister for Children for scrapping protections for our tamariki was either a case of ignorance or deliberate deception. ...
The Green Party says the Government’s misguided policy on gangs will fail, following the announcement of the establishment of a national gang unit and district gang disruption units to target gang activities. ...
“With Police pay negotiations still unresolved after six months in Government, Mark Mitchell has today rolled the Commissioner out for a rebrand of their approach to gang crime,” Labour police spokesperson Ginny Andersen said. ...
The Government bringing back 50 charter schools will not increase achievement and is a distraction from the core mission of the education system, Labour education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
Te Pāti Māori is showing extreme concern over the Environment Select Committees adoption of a lucky dip draw to determine hearings for the Fast Track Approvals bill. Of the 27,000 submissions, 2,900 requested to present. All organisations will be heard; however, the remaining 2,350 submitters will be subject to a ...
Today New Zealand First will introduce a Member’s Bill that will protect women’s spaces. The ‘Fair Access to Bathrooms Bill’ will require, primarily in the interest and safety of women and girls, that all new non-domestic publicly accessible buildings provide separate, clearly demarcated, unisex and single sex bathrooms. This Bill ...
The Green Party is welcoming Climate Change Minister Simon Watts’ continuation of Hon. James Shaw’s cross-party work on climate adaptation, now in the form of a Finance and Expenditure Committee Inquiry. ...
The National Government plans to cut 390 jobs at ACC, including roles in the areas of prevention of sexual violence, road safety and workplace safety. ...
The Government has been caught in opposition to evidence once again as it looks to usher in tried, tested and failed work seminar obligations for job-seeking beneficiaries. ...
The Green Party is welcoming the announcement by the Minister Responsible for RMA Reform Chris Bishop to approve most of the Wellington City Council’s District Plan recommendations. ...
David Seymour has failed to get the sweeping cuts he wanted to the free and healthy school lunch programme, Labour education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
Hon Willie Jackson has been invited by the Oxford Union to debate the motion “This House Believes British Museums are not Very British’ on May 23rd. ...
Green Party MP Hūhana Lyndon says her Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill is an opportunity to right some past wrongs around the alienation of Māori land. ...
A senior, highly respected King’s Counsel with decades of experience in our law courts, Gary Judd KC, has filed a complaint about compulsory tikanga Māori studies for law students - highlighting the utter depths of absurdity this woke cultural madness has taken our society. The tikanga regulations will compel law ...
The Government needs to be clear with the people of the Nelson Marlborough region about the changes it is considering for the Nelson Hospital rebuild, Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said. ...
Ministers must front up about which projects it will push through under its Fast Track Approvals legislation, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced that the Government will make it easier for lines firms to take action to remove vegetation from obstructing local powerlines. The change will ensure greater security of electricity supply in local communities, particularly during severe weather events. “Trees or parts of trees falling on ...
Wairarapa Moana ki Pouakani were the top winners at this year’s Ahuwhenua Trophy awards recognising the best in Māori dairy farming. Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka announced the winners and congratulated runners-up, Whakatōhea Māori Trust Board, at an awards celebration also attended by Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Finance Minister ...
"On the 27th of March, I sought assurances from the Chief Executive, Department of Internal Affairs, that the Department’s correct processes and policies had been followed in regards to a passport application which received media attention,” says Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden. “I raised my concerns after being ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins has announced the appointment of three new District Court Judges, to replace Judges who have recently retired. Peter James Davey of Auckland has been appointed a District Court Judge with a jury jurisdiction to be based at Whangarei. Mr Davey initially started work as a law clerk/solicitor with ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour is calling on the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) to put ideology to the side and focus on students’ learning, in reaction to the union holding paid teacher meetings across New Zealand about charter schools. “The PPTA is disrupting schools up and down the ...
Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly today announced the appointment of Craig Stobo as the new chair of the Financial Markets Authority (FMA). Mr Stobo takes over from Mark Todd, whose term expired at the end of April. Mr Stobo’s appointment is for a five-year term. “The FMA plays ...
Surf Life Saving New Zealand and Coastguard New Zealand will continue to be able to keep people safe in, on, and around the water following a funding boost of $63.644 million over four years, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Associate Transport Minister Matt Doocey say. “Heading to the beach for ...
New Zealand and Tuvalu have reaffirmed their close relationship, Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters says. “New Zealand is committed to working with Tuvalu on a shared vision of resilience, prosperity and security, in close concert with Australia,” says Mr Peters, who last visited Tuvalu in 2019. “It is my pleasure ...
New Zealand is gravely concerned about the situation in New Caledonia, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The escalating situation and violent protests in Nouméa are of serious concern across the Pacific Islands region,” Mr Peters says. “The immediate priority must be for all sides to take steps to de-escalate the ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon met today with Samoa’s O le Ao o le Malo, Afioga Tuimalealiifano Vaaletoa Sualauvi II, who is making a State Visit to New Zealand. “His Highness and I reflected on our two countries’ extensive community links, with Samoan–New Zealanders contributing to all areas of our national ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has announced that he has approved Waiheke Island ferry operator Island Direct to be eligible for SuperGold Card funding, paving the way for a commercial agreement to bring the operator into the scheme. “Island Direct started operating in November 2023, offering an additional option for people ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters today announced further sanctions on 28 individuals and 14 entities providing military and strategic support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “Russia is directly supported by its military-industrial complex in its illegal aggression against Ukraine, attacking its sovereignty and territorial integrity. New Zealand condemns all entities and ...
A year on from the tragedy at Loafers Lodge, the Government is working hard to improve building fire safety, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “I want to share my sincere condolences with the families and friends of the victims on the anniversary of the tragic fire at Loafers ...
Ka nui te mihi kia koutou. Kia ora and good afternoon, everyone. Thank you so much for having me here in the lead up to my Government’s first Budget. Before I get started can I acknowledge: Simon Bridges – Auckland Business Chamber CEO. Steve Jurkovich – Kiwibank CEO. Kids born ...
New Zealand and Vanuatu will enhance collaboration on issues of mutual interest, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “It is important to return to Port Vila this week with a broad, high-level political delegation which demonstrates our deep commitment to New Zealand’s relationship with Vanuatu,” Mr Peters says. “This ...
Minister for Land Information, Chris Penk will travel to Peru this week to represent New Zealand at a meeting of trade ministers from the Asia-Pacific region on behalf of Trade Minister Todd McClay. The annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Ministers Responsible for Trade meeting will be held on 17-18 May ...
Minister of Education Erica Stanford will head to the United Kingdom this week to participate in the 22nd Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers (CCEM) and the 2024 Education World Forum (EWF). “I am looking forward to sharing this Government’s education priorities, such as introducing a knowledge-rich curriculum, implementing an evidence-based ...
Minister of Education Erica Stanford has today thanked outgoing New Zealand Qualifications Authority Chair, Hon Tracey Martin. “Tracey Martin tendered her resignation late last month in order to take up a new role,” Ms Stanford says. Ms Martin will relinquish the role of Chair on 10 May and current Deputy ...
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and President Emmanuel Macron of France today announced a new non-governmental organisation, the Christchurch Call Foundation, to coordinate the Christchurch Call’s work to eliminate terrorist and violent extremist content online. This change gives effect to the outcomes of the November 2023 Call Leaders’ Summit, ...
Distinguished public servant and former diplomat Sir Maarten Wevers will lead the independent review into the disability support services administered by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. The review was announced by Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston a fortnight ago to examine what could be done to strengthen the ...
Today’s announcement by Police Commissioner Andrew Coster of a National Gang Unit and district Gang Disruption Units will help deliver on the coalition Government’s pledge to restore law and order and crack down on criminal gangs, Police Minister Mark Mitchell says. “The National Gang Unit and Gang Disruption Units will ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today expressed regret at North Korea’s aggressive rhetoric towards New Zealand and its international partners. “New Zealand proudly stands with the international community in upholding the rules-based order through its monitoring and surveillance deployments, which it has been regularly doing alongside partners since 2018,” Mr ...
Air Vice-Marshal Tony Davies MNZM is the new Chief of Defence Force, Defence Minister Judith Collins announced today. The Chief of Defence Force commands the Navy, Army and Air Force and is the principal military advisor to the Defence Minister and other Ministers with relevant portfolio responsibilities in the defence ...
Legislation to repeal section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act has been introduced to Parliament. The Bill’s introduction reaffirms the Coalition Government’s commitment to the safety of children in care, says Minister for Children, Karen Chhour. “While section 7AA was introduced with good intentions, it creates a conflict for Oranga ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins will this week travel to the UK and Italy to meet with her defence counterparts, and to attend Battles of Cassino commemorations. “I am humbled to be able to represent the New Zealand Government in Italy at the commemorations for the 80th anniversary of what was ...
The upcoming Budget will include funding for up to 50 charter schools to help lift declining educational performance, Associate Education Minister David Seymour announced today. $153 million in new funding will be provided over four years to establish and operate up to 15 new charter schools and convert 35 state ...
“The results of the public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has now been received, with results indicating over 13,000 submissions were made from members of the public,” Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says. “We heard feedback about the extended lockdowns in ...
Foreign Minister, Defence Minister, other Members of Parliament Acting Chief of Defence Force, Secretary of Defence Distinguished Guests Defence and Diplomatic Colleagues Ladies and Gentlemen, Good afternoon, tēna koutou, apinun tru It’s a pleasure to be back in Port Moresby today, and to speak here at the Kumul Leadership ...
Health, infrastructure, renewable energy, and stability are among the themes of the current visit to Papua New Guinea by a New Zealand political delegation, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “Papua New Guinea carries serious weight in the Pacific, and New Zealand deeply values our relationship with it,” Mr Peters ...
The coalition Government is launching Roads of Regional Significance to sit alongside Roads of National Significance as part of its plan to deliver priority roading projects across the country, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The Roads of National Significance (RoNS) built by the previous National Government are some of New Zealand’s ...
A high-level New Zealand political delegation in Honiara today congratulated the new Government of Solomon Islands, led by Jeremiah Manele, on taking office. “We are privileged to meet the new Prime Minister and members of his Cabinet during his government’s first ten days in office,” Deputy Prime Minister and ...
New Zealand voted in favour of a resolution broadening Palestine’s participation at the United Nations General Assembly overnight, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The resolution enhances the rights of Palestine to participate in the work of the UN General Assembly while stopping short of admitting Palestine as a full ...
Introduction Good morning. It’s a great privilege to be here at the 2024 Infrastructure Symposium. I was extremely happy when the Prime Minister asked me to be his Minister for Infrastructure. It is one of the great barriers holding the New Zealand economy back from achieving its potential. Building high ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced the upcoming Budget will include new funding of $571 million for Defence Force pay and projects. “Our servicemen and women do New Zealand proud throughout the world and this funding will help ensure we retain their services and expertise as we navigate an increasingly ...
New Zealand’s ability to cope with climate change will be strengthened as part of the Government’s focus to build resilience as we rebuild the economy, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “An enduring and long-term approach is needed to provide New Zealanders and the economy with certainty as the climate ...
Jobseeker beneficiaries who have work obligations must now meet with MSD within two weeks of their benefit starting to determine their next step towards finding a job, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “A key part of the coalition Government’s plan to have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker ...
A new standalone Social Investment Agency will power-up the social investment approach, driving positive change for our most vulnerable New Zealanders, Social Investment Minister Nicola Willis says. “Despite the Government currently investing more than $70 billion every year into social services, we are not seeing the outcomes we want for ...
Check against delivery Good morning. It is a pleasure to be with you to outline the Coalition Government’s approach to our first Budget. Thank you Mark Skelly, President of the Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce, together with your Board and team, for hosting me. I’d like to acknowledge His Worship ...
Your Excellency Ambassador Meredith, Members of the Diplomatic Corps and Ambassadors from European Union Member States, Ministerial colleagues, Members of Parliament, and other distinguished guests, Thank you everyone for joining us. Ladies and gentlemen - In diplomacy, we often speak of ‘close’ and ‘long-standing’ relations. ...
The Therapeutic Products Act (TPA) will be repealed this year so that a better regime can be put in place to provide New Zealanders safe and timely access to medicines, medical devices and health products, Associate Health Minister Casey Costello announced today. “The medicines and products we are talking about ...
Uncertainty is an overwhelming theme for two seabed mining projects aiming to use the Government’s controversial fast-track regime The post Seabed miners: What we know and what we don’t appeared first on Newsroom. ...
It’s the 38th birthday present Jo Aleh never expected to receive. Last Monday, Aleh and her sailing partner, Molly Meech, flew home to Auckland from Marseille, where they’d been training for their Paris Olympics campaign in the 49erFX. Within a couple of hours of touching down, they were out on ...
“It might feel like the country is slogging it up the hill at the moment,” Finance Minister Nicola Willis tells party faithful in Palmerston North on Sunday, “But we’re gonna get to the top of the hill, and it’s downhill on the other side. And the reason it’s downhill is ...
One issue that all the leaders of the coalition Government have agreed on is the expansion of the Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme. Established in 2007, the scheme allows workers from participating Pacific countries to come to New Zealand to take up roles on a short-term basis. For the government, it’s ...
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The last person anyone expected to see at last week’s Ockham national book awards was Prime Minister Christopher Luxon. He was made to feel as welcome as a plague. He was mocked, and challenged. But good on him for coming. His presence gave the awards an edge, a tension, which ...
NC La Première television reports on the clearing of barricades after a week of protests and rioting in the capital Nouméa. Video: NC 1ère TVBy Patrick Decloitre, RNZ Pacific correspondent French Pacific desk With New Caledonia about to enter its second week of deadly riots, French authorities have mounted ...
Asia Pacific Report Pacific civil society and solidarity groups today stepped up their pressure on the French government, accusing it of a “heavy-handed” crackdown on indigenous Kanak protest in New Caledonia, comparing it to Indonesian security forces crushing West Papuan dissent. A state of emergency was declared last week, at ...
On May 18, the Taiwanese community in Christchurch came together for the "Health for All, Taiwan Can Help" march, urging the World Health Organization (WHO) to grant Taiwan participation. ...
The instability comes as the party tries to refresh its brand after six years of being part of a right-wing, pro-imperialist government with both the Labour Party and, from 2017-2020, the far-right NZ First Party. ...
Based on the latest Treasury forecasts, New Zealand Government debt will tick above $90,000 per household for the first time ever at 10pm today, Sunday 19 May 2024. The Taxpayers’ Union is calling it “$90k Debt Day”. Commenting on this, Taxpayers’ ...
Arawata Shane Arawata Shane had wandered long In the wild tangled hills of the West Coast. He came to a stop on the mighty range And looked down at the wide river flats. He breathed in the clean air, And he took in the shadows playing across The face of ...
SPECIAL REPORT:Islands Business in Suva Today is the 24th anniversary of renegade and failed businessman George Speight’s coup in 2000 Fiji. The elected coalition government headed by Mahendra Chaudhry, the first and only Indo-Fijian prime minister of Fiji, was held hostage at gunpoint for 56 days in the country’s ...
By Lydia Lewis, RNZ Pacific journalist and Kelvin Anthony, RNZ Pacific digital journalist Police have used tear gas and stun grenades on rioters at an airport near Nouméa as the chaos in New Caledonia stretched into its sixth day. Five people, including two police officers, have died and hundreds of ...
Asia Pacific ReportThe global human rights watchdog Amnesty International has called on France to not “misuse” a crackdown in the ongoing unrest in the non-self-governing French Pacific territory of Kanaky New Caledonia in the wake of a controversial vote by the French Parliament to adopt a bill changing the territory’s ...
A major provider of school lunches fears the government's new $3 limit for most students will see them eating more pre-packaged and processed food. ...
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Anzac Day! Thanks guys.
It seems like each year more stories emerge
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/hawkes-bay-today/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503462&objectid=11991138
There were just three days to execution for 168 condemned allied airmen facing a Nazi firing squad but Squadron Leader Phil Lamason hadn’t told his men and he was determined they’d survive.
“When the 168 allied airmen arrived at Buchenwald Concentration Camp, they didn’t know what they were dealing with yet,” Mike Dorsey said.
“And in Phil Lamason, the Germans didn’t know what they were dealing with yet, either.”
..and like so many of that generation hardly ever spoke of their tribulations, obviously an extraordinary person.
Boycotting Herald
Who is Ashwin Mani? And just how much suffering has he had a hand in?
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12038346
https://i.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/70786067/ashburton-rest-home-criticised-after-96yearold-dies-during-flu-outbreak
Boycott the Herald! Even if you read something you want to post, Google it and find the link on another news site.
Real news gets rehashed a zillion times within one news-cycle and can be found anywhere on the Web. Opinion pieces are more isolated and unique to one website; I tend to go by author rather than headline (apparently, authors don’t write headlines but I don’t know whether this (also) applies to opinion pieces). I used to be an avid reader of the NZH but rarely read anything there nowadays and usually leave quickly and disappointed. Life is too short to waste on NZH; I want & need enriching experiences!
Yes boycott the herald!
Also boycott herald advertisers and let them know why!
Thanks Guys!
Lost in all the other news of the day
The Crown has backed down in taking Russel Norman and Sara Howel to court. (for now at least) And have asked for negotiations with Greenpeace.
The case was set down for two weeks and was supposed to start next Monday, in the Napier District Court.
The defence case was to rely on expert witnesses on the dangers of climate change most notable among them James Hansen of NASA fame.
Greenpeace Trial Witnesses Confirmed
In this standoff between Greenpeace and the Crown, over the right to protest against deep sea oil drilling, in the face of Russel and Sara’s courageous defiance, it appears the Crown has blinked first.
In these newly opened negotiations, the Crown no doubt, will be offering all sorts of blandishments to try and get Greenpeace to call off these very effective protests.
And no doubt these blandishments, will be accompanied by threats if Greenpeace don’t comply.
Because if this case ever does proceed, it threatens to open a whole big ugly can of worms for the government.
Putting a spotlight on the government’s much publicised opposition to deep sea oil drilling is more sizzle than sausage. Hence the latest back-down.
I imagine that the Crown’s blandishments will probably include an agreement by the Crown to drop all legal action against Greenpeace and Russel and Sara if they agree to stop their protests against oil prospecting.
The threats will be probably include legal action to seize Greenpeace’s assets and funds if they don’t comply.
“Greenpeace protest: Russel Norman committed for trial”
(Now canceled pending ongoing negotiations).
Related posts/comments:
Hansen on climate change
Repeal the Andarko Amendment
Greenpeace refuse diversion, put it all on the line to defy Andarko Amendment
Good news about Greenpeace.
I also would not describe the government as ‘backing down’, more stopping this stupid show trial that is morally wrong, takes away people’s rights for freedom of speech and protest and confirms to the world that NZ is far from ‘100% pure, clean and green’.
Yeah this is great news. Thank you savenz
I actually wrote, “The Crown has backed down….“.
A subtle difference I know, but reflecting the fact that the Crown not the government is (or was), taking this highly charged political case against Greenpeace, using repressive holdover legislation passed by the last government.
The Labour Government, ‘thank the stars’ is not the enemy here.
If cooler heads in the Government has called on the Crown to back off, is up to others to say.
The next step for any progressive legislature would be to remove this repressive piece of legislation from the statute books.
As I have said earlier, if Muldoon in the apartheid era had acted in a similar way to make protesting against Springbok games in New Zealand illegal, tens of thousands of New Zealanders would have been detained and put on trial.
As Russel Norman said, This law is “Repugnant“.
It must go.
Thanks, yep a good distinction. The ‘crown’ vs ‘government’.
The Labour/NZF/Green Government
Hope Greepeace get costs
‘
Bearded Git, Greenpeace will get costs and everything else they might possibly want.
But only on one condition;
That they agree to give up their highly effective protests in defiance of the Andarko Amendment and against deep sea oil prospecting.
Greenpeace Aotearoa are at a watershed moment. Do they keep up their defiance against the law, or do they submit?
Is this story anywhere on the MSM?
Surely something as significant as what you are talking about would have been reported somewhere.
You would thinks so wouldn’t you.
But no. Just like everything else about this case.
Our media toadies know what to report, and what not to report.
And this is far too controversial a news story for them to touch.
Repressive laws that impinge on civil liberties are never enacted on the front pages, but always behind closed doors. This is how democracy is strangled, quietly, with the assistance of the media’s consenting silence.
And before all the naysayers get up in arms; Democracy if it means anything at all, is more than just having the right to vote, this is demonstrated by the fact that the right to protest is one of the first things to go under a repressive takeover. And even in liberal democracies like New Zealand is always under pressure from the Right.
And yet alwyn, it is not. What do you make of that?
🙂
Where did Jenny get the story from?
I don’t understand why there is nothing about the story anywhere
I can’t even find a statement by Greenpeace about the matter, which seems rather surprising as they have had a lot of comments about the case in the past. It is hard to see how they would be cowed about commenting on the topic.
Is her story really accurate?
*(My emphasis. J.)
Ah, is jenny lying and making it up you mean?
No I don’t. I am asking if there could be a mistake.
If I thought what you suggest I could merely refer to her as being Dr Clark.
I’ve had a good look and the most recent news is that Russel Norman and volunteer Sara May Howell are set to stand trial in the Napier District Court at the end of this month.
But with two days left there’s not a sausage on the justice/courts websites, so there could well be unreported developments.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12033399
Is it alive, is it dead?
Ha, ha. Schrödinger’s court case.
The mysterious disappearing court case.
alwyn, what do you mean by “alot”, I see a few but they put out alot of press releases every year. See what I did there?
Perhaps you could tell me where I used “alot”. If so I might be able to advise you.
What I see here is you are simply making that word up. I don’t think I have ever used it. Where, if ever, did I actually make your mistake?
https://www.google.com/search?q=alot&sourceid=ie7&rls=com.microsoft:en-NZ:IE-Address&ie=&oe=
Sneaky and disingenuous, Alwyn. You used the more traditionally correct phrase ‘a lot’. Tracey misspelt it as ‘alot’. Not difficult for you to work out… I think you know damned well what you wrote back in 3.3.2.2 “surprising as they have had a lot of comments about the case in the past.” Trying to evade, as usual when taxed, and projecting wrongfulness onto others, also as usual.
We need better trolls.
I haven’t the faintest idea what Tracey is talking about. With her that is unusual as she is normally quite clear and to the point.
On the other hand your comment is equally opaque. With you it is, of course, the completely normal state of affairs. You never make any sense.
Odd, I thought she’s been right on the button each time in this thread. Never mind we will never know what Alwyn really thinks or means 😉
Good Lord, Alwyn. I quoted your own use of ‘a lot’ and pointed out that Tracey had misspelt it as ‘alot’. I showed you which bit of your message at 3.3.2.2
If you were an honest commenter, you would have gone back, checked what Tracey’s question was, and honestly tried to answer it. You haven’t. Tracey’s valid question remains unanswered.
Your choosing to see ‘nussing’ like Private Schultz from Hogans’ Heroes makes you a poor type of escapist, who runs away from real debate with trite insults. You need to find a healthier pastime.
Alwyn, In Vino replied to my comment (see link) but it is clearly meant for you 😉
@ In Vino 25 April 2018 at 7:59 pm https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-25-04-2018/#comment-1478568
I don’t expect you to answer Tracey’s questions because that’s not your MO, but insulting our intelligence is a new twist in your feeble attempts to refuse answering valid questions. It is also considered rude …
No, Incognito. The thread had gone past normal ‘reply’ thing, so I went back to the last one hoping to get in at bottom of that lot. But someone else my have been doing the same. You? Meanwhile, reply tabs seem to have caught up. But why is there no ‘reply’ tab under my 7.59pm comment?
Murky matters… But standard practice for Alwyn. Always evades when back-footed.
Perhaps you can tell me what her question means then.
She said “See what I did there?”.
The only thing I can see that she did was to misspell “a lot”.
What do you think she means by that question?
“Please explain”? Can’t tell what her question means? Here is her question: (I have changed alot to a lot just to help you.)
“alwyn, what do you mean by “a lot”, I see a few but they put out a lot of press releases every year. See what I did there?”
I see a few dumb people who are so old and out of it that they do not know the expression ‘See what I did there?’ meaning see what trick I pulled – meaning Tracy was aping your trick.
Questioning what ‘a lot’ meant. Maybe a few or very few?
Are you really so infantile as to need all this alwyn, or are you just a stinking troll?
Maybe to help relieve your bweilderment, Alwyn, you could go back and look for the comment where you initially used the term “a lot”, and look at Tracey’s comment in that context?
In Vino, you have the patience of a Saint; you would make an excellent teacher 😉
Careful.
Unless he is registered this Government is planning to make it an offence to call anyone who isn’t “registered” a teacher. They might extend it to people like you using the phrase.
Seems you’re confused about a few things, Alwyn, or deliberately spreading disinformation …
Really?
This bill has been put forward by an MP which is part of the Government.
At every vote to date in the house all the Government Parties, Labour, New Zealand First and the Green Party voted for the bill to proceed.
National and ACT voted against.
Even someone like you would be very hard pressed to make a case that the Government is supporting this bill and its plans to fine people who call themselves a teacher without being registered.
With the liberties you take with the English language, Alwyn, you’d make an excellent half-rate property investor.
I’m not saying you are a half-rate property investor, just that if you did the required training and certification, one day you might be able to con enough people out of their home’s true value that you get a modest amount into your sham family trust before the courts catch up with you.
McFlock.
I presume you think you are saying something meaningful but you aren’t.
If you require help with your property speculation I suggest you should approach Ms Ardern. She seems to do very well at it.
By the way I hope you got a ticket for tail gating traffic on your moped. It is bloody dangerous and a stiff fine might encourage you to desist from such foolish behaviour.
It’s meaningful, you just don’t understand it.
Incognito said In Vino would make an excellent teacher, not that In Vino was actually a teacher. Your response of bleating about registration is just evidence of the fact that you need a good teacher.
I would recommend In Vino, but I’m not sure they’re registered…
@Tracey
A quick trawl through their press releases found about 40 that relate to their protesting about the Amazon Warrior. I didn’t read them thoroughly. I find their literary style distinctly turgid.
That is “a lot” in my opinion. If they can release that many Press Statements on the subject I would think it rather odd if they weren’t rejoicing if this case was not going ahead. They certainly came out with a release when the case was postponed in May last year.
http://www.greenpeace.org/new-zealand/en/press/Government-delays-morally-repugnant-case-against-Greenpeace-activists/
Hard to believe they didn’t sound off again if the postponement was true.
Perhaps they are still, as a bunch of loyal Royalists, celebrating the birth of the third Cambridge brat.
Thank you Alwyn. It would have been better to do this 5 hours before you did, however.
Would you buy a used car from Boris or Teresa ?
Happily.
Neither, I’d opt for a used bike from Russel any day of the week 🙂
Touche 😉
I’d tell both of them no thanks. I already have a far more reliable Trabant that’d be better than anything they’re able to provide (going forward)
So, it seems the Toronto van suspected killer was a terrorist – advocating violence against women and the men who consort with them: referred to as “chads” and “stacys”. He was part of a group calling themselves “incel” – linked to alt-right forums.
Such events are unlikely to be what they seem…
The script appears to have shifted towards the so named ‘alt right’ carrying out the act…it’s a change from the more ‘traditional terrorist’ cover story…
These events are carried out by people with mental health issues…not to mention whichever insidious structure sits behind them…
Incel…might as well be ISIS…although I suspect the ‘ISIS’ cover has run it’s course…’alt right’ will be the go to…
Well, yes, they could have mental health issues, but like ISIS, they have a political agenda. Most people with mental health issues don’t advocate violence against those they hate.
Apparently Incel stands for “involuntarily celibate”
A guy who claims to have been researching Toronto’s relationship to the alt-right has been tweeting about it: Arshy Mann twitter profile says he’s a journalist reporting on LGBT issues.
More tweets in this thread, and replies, in the link above.
Incels…Manosphere…
The path to radicalization for incels often starts with the Red Pill/Pick-Up Artist communities. They try to utilize the pseudo-scientific/dehumanizing seduction techniques, still can’t get laid & become infuriated. That’s the path Elliot Rodger went down…
Arshy Mann (man)
Edit: 6.1.2 your second pararaph…preyed on and used as dupes…yes…the agenda has now changed…to incel…
“Well, yes, they could have mental health issues”
could??
Are you suggesting by saying ‘could’ that they might not have mental health issues or in other words that they might be completely normal, rational and sane?
FFS! I would absolutely guarantee that someone who murders 10 people in cold blood and then begs the police to shoot him in the head has mental health issues. No sane person, regardless of their political leanings, would do this.
The statement of yours quoted above should read “Well, yes, they obviously have mental health issues”
I disagree. I did not know a lot about the alleged perp when I made the comment you refer to, other than that he was linked to Incel.
I feel it’s important to be cautious about attributing mental illness to all people who commit mass murder, because the evidence so far seems to say otherwise. Most of the research on this is with respect to mass shootings. And psychologists conclude that most mass shooters are not mentally ill.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/minding-the-mind/201802/mass-shooting-and-the-myth-the-violent-mentally-ill
The linked article says that people tend to attribute mental illness to violent acts that most people find incomprehensible. They also say most mentally ill people are not violent – psychologists tend to want to break that connection.
They argue that it is dangerous to jump to such conclusions, even though it is understandable why many people do make that jump.
So, I was being cautious in my earlier comment.
RNZ hs reported much the same stuff about the alleged perp re-Incel. But it also says he had attended a school for special needs students. It seems he was not good at forming social relationships.
So, like ISIS, this Incel mob seems to recruit some vulnerable people who have been let down by the system, and feeds them a political line of hate.
Perhaps he was using his freedom of speech to express himself.
/
In an assortment of threads that popped up after the news media began to report on a supposed Facebook post from Minassian announcing that “the Incel Rebellion has … begun,” some of the Incels.me regulars are celebrating the killings and the alleged killer as “life fuel” for them and their nihilistic, misogynistic, misanthropic “movement.” (Click on the pics below to see the comments in context on Incels.me.)
http://www.wehuntedthemammoth.com/2018/04/24/incels-hail-toronto-van-driver-who-killed-10-as-a-new-elliot-rodger-talk-of-future-acid-attacks-and-mass-rapes/#more-29754
Silly girl Carolyn, advocating and committing violence against women isn’t terrorist activity. If it were, we would have alot less of it 😉
Stop the obsession with winning: Sport NZ
https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/2018642007/stop-the-obsession-with-winning-sport-nz
I will be interested to see how much uptake this gets in the media and if it will then be taken over by the ” everyone wins” sarcastic, PC screaming element (Hosking, Richardson, Garner come to mind )
Hopefully none because it’s a non issue. It’s just someone’s opinion.
As far as I know there isn’t a sport in existence where the aim of the game isn’t to win or get the highest score. That’s what sport is about. Obviously, not winning is not the end of the world and there’s no place for winning at all costs, but you still play to win, even if playing for fun.
Yes, heaps of people play sport for fun, but the aim when playing for fun is still to win. You can’t not play to win in sport because all sports include some form of winning as the entire purpose of the sport. You can’t play football for fun and not have goals, because scoring goals is the entire purpose of football.
That’s what sport is, a competition. Either against an opponent or trying to beat your own personal best. training is done to play sport better and so incorporates sport. Everything else, including exercising for health or vanity, is not a sport.
If anyone can’t understand that, then they’ve never played and enjoyed sports and will never get it.
It is interesting that comes up. Seems to be a round about.
Growing up all sport was win or lose, a game of bull rush would happening on the school fields during break time, playing tiggy, hide and seek all forms of winning and losing.
From memory almost all kids played some form of school sport or club sport it was the done thing.
But we didn’t have playstations, xboxes we had a say 3 TV channels ollie olson (excuse me if I spelt his name wrong) was presenting the afternoon kids show.
All the neighbourhood kids you used to get out and play together in the park or a cul-de-sac nearby. There was generally a winning side and losing side.
A few years back when soccer/football NZ came up with the no score rule for kid’s games. I went with my niece and nephew to a couple of their games toed the party line and said its about getting out and having fun not the score. After the game, the kids were asking what the score was and wanted to know who won.
I did have to admit chuckling when the coach said ok is ABC’s turn to be player of the day. Which was my niece who made a lovely daisy chain while playing right back.
Perhaps participation is dropping due to other factors cost or other forms of entertainment and not that kids feel pressured by winning or losing.
Looks like CADS is underfunded in Tauranga.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12038447
Which is odd when you may recall our former PM said the reason for poverty is drugs and yet his government didn’t really lift investment in drug and alcohol programmes.
https://www.nbr.co.nz/opinion/four-mistakes-prove-key-clueless-about-poverty
A gifted song writer and someone who was ahead of his time. There were some great things from the 70’s.
Reasons to be Cheerful 1,2 3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIMNXogXnvE
And
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ypsltm5zNCU
Bit not for everyone !!
I agree. Efaristo ..
http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2018/04/government-did-no-cost-benefit-analysis-on-oil-and-gas-ban.html
“Government did no cost-benefit analysis on oil and gas ban”
Perhaps its because of the drop in emissions – ahhh nope:
“There’s also been no estimates on whether global greenhouse gas emissions will fall as a result of the decision.
“No specific estimate has been provided to me. I have been advised by officials that the effect on global emissions depends on the response of New Zealand’s large gas users.”
Perhaps we will all save $ at the pump? – not looking good either:
“”No specific estimate has been provided to me on the price impact on gas of the decision to grant no further offshore oil and gas exploration permits. Officials have advised that gas prices have risen in the past when the supply of gas has been constrained,” Dr Woods said.”
Consultation with industry? Also – nope.
“No formal consultation was undertaken with PEPANZ in relation to the decision to grant no further offshore oil and gas exploration permits.”
Brilliant decision making:
No idea of the cost
No idea if it will actually achieve what they want
No idea of impact
No consultation.
They didn’t do a cost benefit on TPPA either, but don’t recall you complaining then.
Oil and gas are scum as per the 29 dead Pike river miners whose families did not even get an attempt at a rescue, nor a recovery of bodies or even the compensation for the families. And Mobil weaselled out of paying to clean up after itself in the Tank Farm in Auckland.
“They didn’t do a cost benefit on TPPA either, but don’t recall you complaining then.”
Citation – I believe a lot of financial analysis was done. Link to back up your claim?
“Oil and gas are scum”
A nice constructive, insightful analysis backing up your argument.
I actually believe thats about the level of thought Jacinda and co gave as well.
All slogans and nothing to back it up.
It was cherry picked and explicitly stated in was not a cba – to avoid discussion of the glaring holes in it. The CPTPP is just a fancied up version of the same glaring errors https://www.mfat.govt.nz/assets/CPTPP/Comprehensive-and-Progressive-Agreement-for-Trans-Pacific-Partnership-CPTPP-National-Interest-Analysis.pdf
Notably the treatment of tariff elimination as a true positive at its face value, when in reality these gains are unlikely to be assigned to NZ exporters. So why the magic maths? Because without it a positive case cannot be made.
The families split Whittall’s blood money, $3.41 million, between them, the ACC compensation is expected to be anything between $10 million and $20 million in total, and PRC has been ordered by the courts to pay a substantial amount.
World 1 Gas Guzzlers 0 James.
Solar power is halving in cost every 2-3 years.
And your comment is based on the same lack of any information as was the governments.
No estimate on reduction of global emissions was done.
Because – feelings and slogans !
https://cleantechnica.com/2018/02/11/solar-panel-prices-continue-falling-quicker-expected-cleantechnica-exclusive/
https://futurism.com/the-cost-of-solar-will-drop-another-25-by-2022/
https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/solar-costs-are-hitting-jaw-dropping-lows-in-every-region-of-the-world
https://inhabitat.com/the-cost-of-solar-power-drops-more-than-25-in-one-year/
It is you that is spouting BS based upon ignorance and ideology.
I tried the solar calculator here:
https://www.energywise.govt.nz/tools/solar-calculator/
Unfortunately for me, under current conditions, after 25years of solar use I would have lost 200bucks.
Doesn’t matter anyway because I don’t own a house and probably never will so don’t have any choice about solar or not (currently).
One thing I don’t get is why would you pay thousands and thousands of dollars to install a solar power solution and then remain connected to the grid? Surely the whole idea is to get off the grid and generate your own power (or a group of neighbours together) so you no longer need to have anything to do with any power company? (Especially since they only pay around 25% of what they charge you per unit you sell them currently) (I think)
To me staying connected to the grid brings the benefits of distributed generation. Not sunny over Westport? Not a problem. The sun over Christchurch will keep the refrigerator going. Or the wind generators over by Stewart Island. Or the solar panels in Auckland. Or the geothermal in Rotorua.
That’s actually the expensive way. It’s what we’ve been told over the last thirty years as we’ve been instructed to become super-independent individuals but it’s actually a bad idea. Doing that brings more bureaucracy, more costs in advertising and dead-weight loss in profit.
Much better to have a state monopoly installing and maintaining the power infrastructure across the country including the solar panels on your roof.
Sounds about right.
Actually irrelevant.
We know that we have to stop burning oil and the best way to do that is to leave it in the ground. The industry, having known about global warming for decades, knew that this decision was coming and should have planned for it rather than now whinging about it.
It’s the only economic decision we could make.
No specific estimate has been provided to me on the price impact on gas of the decision to grant no further offshore oil and gas exploration permits. Officials have advised that gas prices have risen in the past when the supply of gas has been constrained,” Dr Woods said.
The pricing system is there to, get this, restrict the use of scarce resources. So, if the price goes up then it’s actually doing its job.
“We know that we have to stop burning oil and the best way to do that is to leave it in the ground”
Of course – you miss the big point that we arnt leaving it in the ground we are just shipping it from the other side of the world.
“It’s the only economic decision we could make.”
– citation (as you are fond of asking for) – as there is nothing to back that up at all – its all ideological.
Actually, I’m not. We can, and will, stop shipping it from the other side of the world in time as well as well as stopping extraction from NZ.
No, climate change isn’t ideological you fool. It’s simple reality and not the delusion that you subscribe to.
It goes like this:
We have a set amount of fossil fuels that we can burn. Depending upon which research you mention we’ve either already passed that point or we’re very near to it. Either way, we can’t afford to continue extracting and burning fossil fuels thus we need to decrease the amount being extracted so as to decrease the amount being burned.
NZ is only a small country and we can only do our part but it is a part that must be done.
“Actually, I’m not. We can, and will, stop shipping it from the other side of the world in time as well as well as stopping extraction from NZ.”
Wrong – just wrong.
Anyway – as per the original point – Labour have done ZERO research on this (as per the oia request). Its not thought out either in impact or even if it will achieve what they want it to
Its armature hour at the beehive and thank goodness National will overturn this as soon as getting back into power.
It’s inevitable. Climate change dictate that we shift to renewables.
And it remains irrelevant.
We do not actually have a choice. We must stop burning fossil fuels.
Have you noticed all the reports of damage that National did that are now coming to light?
Yeah, that the result of a bunch of ideological amateurs known as National.
Can someone tell me why the government hasn’t treated the coal industry in the same way that it’s treated the oil and gas industry?
After all the coal industry is a greater contributor to climate warming than oil and gas.
Laziness?
Energy Minister, No work on Coal has been done
“We haven’t done anything” ?!?
What the Hell?
Are we to understand that Megan Woods hasn’t done anything on coal, despite receiving a petition from climate change groups calling on the Energy Minister to take a stand on this issue?
“SIGN THE PETITION: STOP TE KUHA COALMINE”
*[My annotation], – J.
Thanks Jenny
So; so much for Ardern’s ‘nuclear moment’; more like expediency and hollow words wins the day – again.
I don’t recall Lange equivocating in this way when he announced a true ‘nuclear moment’. Then, there was no equivocation – it was sticking to beliefs, principles and values come what may.
Ardern and her government diminish the ‘nuclear moment’ concept.
And you’d be complaining even more if they simply shutdown all of the present operating wells and search grids while having a ‘nuclear moment’.
Not complaining Draco
Just observing.
And just wondering if Ardern and company are avoiding addressing the issue of coal production and use in their climate change policy ‘nuclear moment’ because of their historical and sentimental links to that industry. Hence their political expediency and selectivity on climate change policy.
Alt Fact: If we stop producing oil here we’ll just have to import more oil from overseas.
Truth: New Zealand’s vehicles already run almost entirely on imported oil.
Alt Fact: Stopping oil and gas exploration will lead to more climate emissions.
Truth: Any oil and gas we keep in the ground is oil and gas that can’t be burnt and can’t increase global emissions.
Alt Fact: Exporting New Zealand gas to developing countries will lower global emissions.
Truth: We’re far better off investing in clean energy and exporting our expertise in renewables.
Alt Fact: Oil and gas is one of the backbones of our economy and employs 11,000 people, whose jobs are destroyed by the move to stop new offshore exploration.
Truth: Economies thrive with long term stability. Starting the clean energy transition now means no 80s-style economic shock, and long-term security for the clean energy industry.
Oil and gas employs around 4,300 people directly and it’s really important that these workers and the communities that depend on this industry are supported to find sustainable livelihoods in other industries. The people with the best gauge of whether a decision is good or bad for workers are the trade unions that represent them. Importantly, the NZ Council of Trade Unions has welcomed the Government’s decision, which provides a long-term signal to the oil industry that they must now wind down and prioritise a transition plan for their workers. They say:
“The whole point of a just transition is that actually, we know change is coming, it’s inevitable, and we are going to create high-paying sustainable jobs that match people’s skills. You’d almost think from the reaction from the oil and gas industry that the rug was being pulled out from under working people overnight. The Government and the union movement have been very clear that a transition plan, particularly for affected regions is the right way to go.”
Let’s not forget that the energy transition is also an enormous economic and job opportunity. Clean energy produces four times more jobs than the oil industry. In the US, solar jobs are growing as much as 12 times faster than the rest of the economy. In New Zealand, clean energy could provide 25,000 new jobs. A recent Westpac report found that taking steps to address climate change now will save the New Zealand economy $30 billion dollars, compared to delaying our response.
Alt Fact: The lights will go out and energy will cost more.
Truth: Oil and gas cost money – but sunshine and wind are free! Renewable energy is already cheap and has the potential to be much much cheaper.
Alt Fact: We shouldn’t wind down oil and gas until we have clean energy to replace it.
Truth: Saying no to future gas is vital to getting more clean energy into the system.
Alt Fact: Restricting oil and gas supply is a waste of time – we need to tackle at the demand side.
Truth: We need to address both supply and demand if we’re going to achieve the necessary cut in carbon emissions.
Simon Says … James …
https://pro.newsroom.co.nz/articles/2686-all-gassed-up-shedding-light-on-the-gas-sector-s-claims
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/2018/04/07/103276/earlier-is-better-for-climate-change-action
When James asks for links he means that prove what he is saying. Anything else is not acceptable
I wonder if Phil Twyford and his acolyte Genter will reconsider their mad approach of to building cycle tracks and putting trams into Auckland instead of continuing National’s policy of putting safer roads into Northland?
Another serious crash on SH1 north of Auckland.
Does the current Government really not give a damn about the people of the North?
https://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/northland/103375110/state-highway-1-blocked-three-people-injured-after-crash-near-whangarei
That was the second serious crash in Northland within 12 hours I understand.
That crash happened north of Whangarei. So even if National’s fantasies about holiday highways and bridges had been completely fulfilled, that particular bit of road would not have been improved. As far as I can tell, anyway.
I suppose you are going to applaud this little fiasco in Auckland itself?
Never let it be said that this Government and its mates on the Auckland Council aren’t equal opportunity idiots.
Do you really approve of this cycleway at Browns Bay?
https://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/103172374/auckland-transport-installs-cycle-lane-worsening-black-spot-north-shore-road-locals-say
That … is a truly awesome non-sequitur you’ve come up with there, alwyn.
The cycle way boobs have been happening over the last 2 years alwyn
https://www.noted.co.nz/life/urbanism/on-yer-bike-how-the-island-bay-cycleway-split-a-community/
This government was ‘your government’ back then
I’m not really sure you can put the blame for the Island Bay fiasco on the National led Government. They certainly put up some money for cycling in urban areas but al least in Wellington the choice of where to put them was done by the Council. This one goes right to the door of the then Mayor, Green Party member (and one time Green List Candidate for Parliament) Celia Wade-Brown and her self chosen Deputy-Mayor and now Mayor, Labour’s Justin Lester.
However the whole thing has been a disaster. The Council has been encouraging cyclists on hilly, narrow, winding roads that are simply not suitable for them. The Island Bay exercise was merely the most public one.
There are places in Wellington City that are suitable for cycling. Miramar and Kilbirnie are fine. The CDB and the hill suburbs are not.
As a pedestrian I have twice been run into on the footpath at Oriental Bay where cyclists travelling at high speed are allowed to share the footpath. They ride up from behind pedestrians at speed and you get no warning. Then they pass very close to people walking. On one occasion I was run into when I was on crutches. Even seeing that the person tried to pass me at a minimum clearance and bowled me.
Bloody idiots are most of Wellington’s cyclists. Why can’t they treat it as recreation and ride at the weekends on the cycleways along the Hutt River?
Improving safety does not require building a 4-lane motorway from Whangarei as the Nats proposed (but did not plan or set aside any budget for).
For instance, there was a well-crafted proposal earlier to improve the Puhoi to Wellsford corridor far faster and cheaper than by building the holiday highway: https://www.greaterauckland.org.nz/2010/08/11/operation-lifesaver-a-better-solution-for-puhoi-wellsford/
The gold-plated RONS boondoggles have starved the regions of funding for simpler road safety improvements. If you want to blame someone, start with Nat voters.
Sacha. Having just driven from Cable Bay to Whangarei I can verify your claim that 4 laning doth not necessarily equate to safety on our roads.
What is needed is a fuckwit test that eliminates such from the driver population. I hazard this could be a simple blood test. Perhaps fuckwittedness is genetic and upon detection of said DNA the same needle could deliver instant and painless demise.
Serious smash at Kauri just north of Whangarei earlier…do you think it inspired the fwit towing the boat to slow down after he nearly plowed into the traffic management truck controlling traffic around the crash site????
Imagine if every ten years we all had to re-sit our driving license including proof of defensive driving skills ..
Imagine if there was a decent and affordable rail passenger service from Auckland to the north.
I did 2 road trips to Wellsford in a week, a couple of weeks’ back, to work events. The 2nd one was done at late notice to cover for a staff member who had an unexpected bereavement.
That drive is wearying in a work day. During the second trip I was musing on how much easier it would have been if there was a passenger rail service between Auckland and Wellsford – and there would be a couple of hours when I could have been working, while sitting on the train.
The road option is fine for able bodied adults, before they get into old age, but not so great for others, young and old and differently abled.
The Intercity bus followed me down the Dome Valley to Warkworth on the second return journey – a very big rig to be travelling the Dome Valley: not very frequent, and mostly expensive.
Priorities?
When you first said Auckland to the North I thought you meant the North North. Isn’t Wellsford just an outlying part of Auckland..hehe
That said, I agree there should be passenger rail available from the top of the north to the bottom of the south. Not sure who pays for it but it should be there.. lol
That is a bloody good idea.
However I would be very unhappy if they took my driver’s license away because the fuel warning light in my car came on while I was doing the test.
Only about 90 km left before the car runs out.
A simple breath test…like the alcohol limit thingy that locks the vehicle if the driver is over the limit…only this one would measure ‘hippocampus clearly functioning’ markers.
Some roads are not great…but most of SH1 is fine…main problem is folks are simply too impatient.
The fact that an accident, even if survived, is going to cost more time than just following along is a concept that escapes the gotta pass mob.
You know of such a test do you Rosemary?
A nice simple breath test?
Pray tell us where it is available. Personally I think that level 4 and level 5 autonomous vehicles will be everywhere long before your proposed test is available.
By then of course we won’t need your test. Nobody will be driving cars.
https://www.techrepublic.com/article/autonomous-driving-levels-0-to-5-understanding-the-differences/
And when no one is driving cars, everyone will do the speed limit and drive tot he conditions. Shame we have to wait til then for some to understand the roads are not the problem, it’s how people drive on them that is fatal.
According to most traffic engineers New Zealand roads ARE the problem.
If the current CoL take your opinion as being fact the will probably not make any attempt to fix the roads. This will leave them responsible for many deaths.
On the other hand they will have no reason to adopt the recommendation I saw recently that claimed that all undivided roads should have their speed limit reduced to 70 kph. I’m sure the Green Associate Minister is simply itching to bring that in but she won’t have any excuse to do it. Why reduce the speed limit on inferior roads if it isn’t the road that helps cause accidents?
Which way do you think they will go?
The NZTA certainly seems to think that improving the roads makes them safer. They say
“NZ Transport Agency Director of Safety and Environment Harry Wilson says these two roads have been selected for the new limit because they are two of the safest roads in New Zealand, with safety features such as median-barriers, no crossing roads, no tight curves and two lanes in each direction, which significantly reduces the risk of serious collisions occurring.”
Does he know less about it than you do?
https://nzta.govt.nz/media-releases/new-speed-limits-for-tauranga-eastern-link-and-cambridge-section-of-waikato-expressway/
Most traffic engineers, etc obviously have some agenda when they say roads are the problem. Any good driver can drive a (modern, mechanically sound) car on rural rds in NZ at 100kph with no issues and no danger at all.
Our rural (or urban for that matter) are not perfect by any stretch but they’re sealed and signposted. If someone crosses the centreline and crashes into an oncoming vehicle then it will always be the driver’s fault (other than mechanical failure) not the roads. I can’t see how it could be the roads fault unless maybe a yet to be repaired pothole has opened up but even then, the driver should see that sort of thing and adjust accordingly.
Are there any stats which tell us what percentage of crashes have the road condition as the primary cause ?
alwyn
You know people can do more than one thing at the same time ey?
So there are no accident on good roads then alwyn?
Of course there are accidents on all roads Tracey. That statement of yours is rather like Genter claiming that her aim is zero road accident deaths. It isn’t going to happen.
On the good roads there are generally less of them and they are less serious. That is the difference.
Note that in particular circumstances you can improve the road and cause more accidents. They are generally much less serious though. For example on Centennial Highway north of Wellington they put in barriers between the lanes. It increased the number of accidents but reduced the serious injury and fatal ones as it pretty much cut out the head on ones.
Or you could just pull over and let people pass?
Whenever some one calls other drivers too impatient, it usually means that they themselves are the problem, they just can’t see it. (too busy toddling along at 70kph in the fast lane admiring the scenery no doubt)
I ride a 50cc scooter, and still end up tailgating people on main roads that have a speed limit higher than what my wee machine is capable of, lol
As per normal with National voters alwyn’s been trying very hard to make all the fuckups by National not his responsibility despite the fact that he voted for them and supported those fuckups.
Alwyn your government had around 100 road safety police vacancies as safety wasnt a priority.
breath testing was no longer a safety priority and the numbers were cut by 40%.
While ministers cant direct police operations, the Road Transport budget funded $100s of millions of police duty on roads under contract. ( ie specific numbers of breath tests etc)
Guess who was Transport Minister when the cut to the police road safety budget was done. Simon Bridges.
*
And apparently rural cycleways are great cos the wealthy Auckland and Wellington peepes get to go on glamping style cycle tours… but cycle ways in our cities, god forbid
Alwyn, you need to look at the statistics.
A quick look even by a non-statistician like me shows that in 2016 NZ north of Auckland, including the Far North, Whangarei and Kaipara in MoT stats, then there were 199 accidents in the Far North, 185 in Whangarei, and 57 in Kaipara causing injury.
441 accidents causing injury north of Auckland in 365 days. On average, one accident every 20 hours.
Two accidents in twelve hours is statistically not unusual.
How many of these accidents were due to the state of the road?
How many to excessive speed, alcohol and drugs, carelessness, risk-taking, tiredness, etc?
I don’t think my comment implied in any way that 2 accidents was “unusual”.
However did you notice that, from the statistics you quoted, the ratio for accidents/thousand population is 2.6 for the area north of Auckland but only 2.06 for the country as a whole?
What causes it is beyond my knowledge but I suspect that poor roads is a major contributor. National was at least planning to help improve that, even if only for SH1. This Government seems far more interested in other things, like trams and cycle tracks in Auckland.
Alwyn, you wrote “That was the second serious crash in Northland within 12 hours I understand.”
Why did you write that, if not for the purpose of flagging some extraordinary event?
I cannot explain why north of Auckland is more dangerous. We need more than suspicion, though.
Which is why I called you on your poor use of stats to try and make a political point.
“I cannot understand why north of Auckland is more dangerous.” – No Bridges?
@mac1 Do not expect alwyn to argue fairly. He dallies but fails to reply when really taxed. If you are winning, he will not reply. He is a troll. He will pop up later with the usual dross.
I confess I am horrified to find that 2 serious accidents in the area north of Auckland within 12 hours is considered to be normal.
I wasn’t meaning to highlight it as being unusual though. You are always going to get a lot of accidents on second-rate, narrow, busy, undivided roads.
That was something National was planning to fix up on at least the busiest bit of SH1 in the north. The CoL prefers trams though, even though they will be white elephants before they are even finished.
Alwyn, since you continue to push the line that National is safer, here is what Minister Twyford intends.
http://www.radiolive.co.nz/home/articles/the-am-show/2018/04/new-zealand-roads–twyford-and-collins-go-head-to-head-.html
“Mr Twyford said safety is the Government’s priority, saying that can be achieved through features like passing lands, pull-over bays and median barriers.
“NZTA [New Zealand Transport Association] advised me if we spend $800m on highly targeted safety improvements (we) save 160 lives every year,” he said.
“We are spending about the same on roads generally, but we are spending it right across the country. We are not pork barrelling billions of dollars on a few hand-picked projects.”
Alwyn, “I confess I am horrified to find that 2 serious accidents in the area north of Auckland within 12 hours is considered to be normal.”
I didn’t say that.
It is statistically possible.
What i said was that in 2016, the last year for data I found, there was one injury accident every twenty hours on average north of Auckland.
As you correctly note, Northland, along with other regional roads, has a higher injury accident rate than the big cities with their separated motorways and urban speed restrictions.
How would you feel about speed restrictions back to 80km/h on two-lane unseparated country roads such as the French secondary road system will go to on July 1, down from 90km/h?
“Several previous (French) governments had toyed with the idea as a means of reducing highway deaths, which reached nearly 3,500 in 2016, but backed off in the face of widespread public opposition.
About 55% of those deaths – 1,911 victims – occurred on the 400,000km of so-called secondary roads across France, two-lane routes with no separating guardrail.”
and poverty, and teachers and health… the bastards
Brave protest and decisions from young women around the world on this issue. Could there be parallels between sports boycotting that eventually led to the end of apartheid in South Africa?
“The reaction to Lorde’s issues over her decision not to perform in Israel pales in comparison to the firestorm of fury that has erupted over Natalie Portman’s refusal to accept the $US1 million Genesis Prize aka “the Jewish Nobel” if Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu was to be present at the award ceremony. Her problem? The treatment of Palestinians in Gaza, up to and including the recent shootings of Gaza protesters.”
from http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL1804/S00088/on-why-france-could-become-our-closest-ally-in-europe.htm
The Tories and their pals get so caught up in their own lying (re; Salisbury) that they turn their own propaganda into farce and humiliation….
BBC – Skripal poisoning: Salisbury clean-up begins in bench area
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-43876669
What really went down with the Health Minister.
Lots more of this to come I would guess – esp given that claims made are proving to be false.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/103249836/middlemore-hospital-what-really-went-down-between-health-minister-and-counties-manukau-dhb
My reply yesterday to Tuppence, who posted the same link.
https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-24-04-2018/
How about a link verifying the “shit all over the shop” as you claim – you know since it has proven to be a lie and all.
The pissing and moaning of former employee, arsed for what can be assumed to be his piss poor performance, ain’t proof, Jimmy.
+ 100%
So – you have nothing to backup the claim of ““shit all over the shop” – not one photo – not one report to back it up.
I don’t need to do zip, because arguing that your mob isn’t responsible for the spread of vancomycin-resistant enterococcus is a such good look, eh.
The National Party, the party of shit leaks and deadly infections has quite the ring to it, don’t ya reckon, Jimmy.
.
Up to 50 people to one toilet, a leaking sewer pipe and an insufficient number of handwash basins – a damning report has outlined Middlemore Hospital’s failures during an outbreak of a contagious and potentially fatal bacteria.
Documents released to the Herald on Sunday under the Official Information Act identify several “risk factors” that could have spread vancomycin-resistant enterococcus (VRE) through the hospital’s dialysis unit between October 2012 and May last year.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11351817
“I don’t need to do zip, because arguing that your mob isn’t responsible for the spread of vancomycin-resistant enterococcus is a such good look, eh.”
I was simply asking you to back up your statement – but, yeah you cant – because its not true.
Of course not. A hospital isn’t a shop.
James what about the report Coleman signed off which referred to 2 buildings needing business case for recladding? That seems to suggest he knew something was wrong. A prudent Minister would have demanded follow up information, and given the leaky home debacle he ought to have asked “are there any other buildings? ” “Had we checked all buildings thoroughly”?
You are not suggesting that document is a lie too are you? Even if there is not sewerage seeping through a wall, that doesn’t make Coleman squeaky clean and innocent on this.
As I said – I would think there is a lot more to come of this.
May the chips fall where they may – but I think Clark is going to be found out as telling mistruths
LOL you say that like you think it is a bad thing?
It will be interesting, if he is, to see how his mistruths are treated as compared to the legend of mistruths from 2008 to 2017
I note you avoided comment on Coleman’s mistruth.
The last government were absolutely useless, running close to criminal neglect on this issue. All so they could have a surplus.
Mind you from ideological hacks, and their supporters you just can’t expect much else.
Yes what did really happen at Middlemore?
I see board members being sacked, then when I do a bit of research on them, I see that they proudly boast to be on MANY boards? What’s up with that?
Mark Darrow
Rabin Rabindran
Lester Levy
One would think that being on a DHB would keep a person busy enough? Especially being on the board of the largest DHB in NZ.
Did personal greed get in the way of them doing a good job?
Some are busy attempting to clear their names in the wake of what I see as incompetence. Too many incidents and coleman did a runner.
Darrow presided over the Veritas Nosh/Mad Butcher disasters.
Im guessing from your comment you have very little idea how boards work.
Not necessarily. Darrow is painting himself as a very interested, active Board member. I am sure with your knowledge of Boards you will know there are oftentimes the diligent and the free loaders and the patsy appointment etc etc
darrow….jami-lee ross’s buddy… lolz.
hmmmm, it is his complete silence on Coleman’s half truths that is fascinating to me if not to james.
Cinny non executive board members are there for governance, they are not running the show or involved in management therefore it is not unusual for professional directors to be on more than one board, to the contrary it is the norm
For real? Even multiple boards of large organisations? Crikey.
Lester Levy the ‘one man band’
“CONSIDER THIS: one man will be nominally responsible for the healthcare of everyone from Wellsford to Otahuhu (“Waitemata” is misleading: the DHB extends from Te Arai Point to the Harbour Bridge, and across both coasts); buses and trains and ferries and roads and bridges and even cutting the grass on the berm outside homes from Wellsford to south of the Bombays (Auckland Transport, it has been estimated, controls 77 per cent of the Auckland Council’s assets and spends half of your rates.) He will be boss to something in the order of 17,500 public sector employees – as well as his private sector responsibilities”
They’re really just there for the free money aren’t they bewey.
Some are, some are doing a great job. It is a mixed bag as with all things
That’s true and some get to be CEO of Brierley and oversee the diminishment of its share price until the shares are simply wiped from the booked, get a 4.5m handshake and go on to be on Boards to tell them how to run their companies.
We have certainly started to see some Board members take a much keener interest in operations since they found out they can be personally liable for things like Health and safety shortfalls.
There are some great Directors out there but there are some negligent ones too, some lazy ones just picking up their cheques and others interfering in operations. To think otherwise suggests a rose coloured view of Boards in NZ. We see some, of political persuasion there for their networks and links rather than proven ability to be on a Board
Lester by his own admission is a super modest fellow and would never brag of his skill in facilitating public-private sector weath transfer.
Gabby 🙂
It’s not fair I’m sure James but Minister Clark is going to pull National’s health reputation round the farmyard tied behind a tractor for at least the first three years until no National MP is dumb enough to ever, ever claim they ever did anything good in the history of NZ health, to the point that any old duffer with a twinge recoils while holding the voting pen.
So expect more shock horror, more amplified outrage, a few more laps around the farm behind the tractor. 😁
Indeed, and maybe some nat voters will start to see that if we keep voting in lying politicians (for labour and national or whoever) they keep lying to us.
We have to stop thinking lying is only bad when the other team does it.
“The real question is why the ministry or the Capital Investment Committee did not advise the Minister on the issues that were raised with them in detail on multiple occasions. The briefings and meeting minutes from the DHB are all on file.””
It appears Darrow thinks Clark is lying. Yet when Coleman claimed no knowledge of a few things, Darrow stayed quiet.
I imagine there is way more to this than we have been told, but to think it is all at the door of Labour is disingenuous
I am waiting for journalists to delve into the CIC and its reporting lines to Ministers.
This is ALL fascinating given the no surprises policy that stretched way beyond its envisaged remit under national, and presumably that wide remit will continue under this Government.Such a diligent fellow as Darrow seems to have made sure Clark knows, but not when Coleman was Minister. How odd.
Oh God, I can’t take any more, I think I’m gonna puke. The hostility and utter bafflement of those who try to sell me poppies. Everyone falling over each other to perpetuate the bullshit myth of “brave young men who fought for our freedom.” The inability to voice my views elsewhere due to political correctness and the shouting down of free speech. (See what I did there.)
It’s Groundhog Day!
I guess I’m really disappointed that we are so immature as a nation that we continue to define ourselves by reverence to an old myth which probably originated as British Empire military recruitment propaganda. I also find the degree of conformity we exhibit quite concerning. My own view, obviously an unpopular one, is that it’s time we moved on and pretty much left all this cruelty and slaughter in the past: basically let’s allow ourselves to forget.
Rant over, I appreciate that I am able to say this here; ahhh I feel better already…
Maybe we should listen to what veterans say.
In November 2013, 91-year-old Yorkshireman, RAF veteran and ex-carpet salesman Harry Leslie Smith’s wrote an article — ‘This year, I will wear a poppy for the last time’
Harry Leslie Smith closes the case for the proposition ‘This House Would Not Wear The Red Poppy’
1st link not working so heres a cpl of new ones
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/nov/08/poppy-last-time-remembrance-harry-leslie-smith
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/aug/14/1939-second-world-war-fascist-thundering-approach-hitler
Thank you
I listened to Harry. I wish others would, instead of paying lip service to our veterans for being brave and what they died for, let’s honour them by making sure what they fought and died for happens.
Some veterans wear the poppy with pride.
I choose to listen to them
That shows you up then James. You ought to listen to as many views as there are, to get a rounded perspective. Am pretty sure they didnt die so we would all be shoe horned into a single narrow view of the world.
I had the exact conversation with my partner this morning and expressed ambivalence toward what seems to me to have bceome, over my lifetime, a popular trend or fixation, like a dated reality TV show.
I wonder how many “celebrating” our military know that many who fought in WWI and II came back avowed pacifists?
So, I share your hesitation to speak against the current trend. For those wars where our men volunteered for the adventure or the opportunity to shoot people with guns I wonder why I am supposed to regard them as heroes? We are currently seeing huge atrocities in a war today, and ignoring myriad of atrocities on other continents.
We are in danger of glorifying something that most who served in WW I and II would have us NOT.
Thanks, my social world contains precisely no one who supports my stance. We find ourselves currently and recently supporting “other peoples’ wars.” There is a climate in which, for many, our military can do no wrong (in Afghanistan) and have until now seemingly avoided any accountability or governmental oversight. We have some of the characteristics of a military dictatorship. I can’t help wondering if this situation would have been avoided had we not brainwashed ourselves for so long regarding the Gallipoli Campaign.
I can’t imagine what those young men went through. My father never talks about what he saw or did in WW2. We know he was in some of the biggest European battles. My mom says he lost a wonderful part of him and that something never came back.
I asked him once if would knowing what he knows now would he have fought. His only answer was yes.
I have pondered that answer many times.
All I can come up with is he knew he had to volunteer and fight as they were facing invasion, losing their way of life, losing their freedom.
Germany was expanding though Europe, Japan through the pacific. Surely they had to be stopped.
They didn’t want to fight but they did and we live in a world were Japan and Germany are our friends now.
If they hadn’t fought would we be speaking Japanese or German. What would the world look like. Given the brutal nature of those two countries at that time, what would the world be like now.
We don’t have glorify war but we should remember those who gave so much even if they didn’t want to.
I have no problem with remembering but it seems in recent times it has become a, trying to find the right words, trendy thing to do and be seen, wearing a poppy, going to a parade and going to Turkey for dawn services, like an experience to be had rather than a moment to reflect. It is like war is something to be celebrated now rather than commemorated. I tip my hat to the veterans and their right to remember and be remembered but I am left with an uneasy feeling that some who know fuck all about being in a war are wearing it as social badge of honour
I had 2 great uncles who died in WWI and parents who were children in WWII and fully remember the fear of potential invasion etc.
I am not trying to belittle it, but I wonder at our fixation with Gallipoli, given we learned little from it in terms of our subservience to the brits and need to do it all again in WWII.
A few weeks ago we discovered that our Defence Force Commander lied to us, as did our former PM when they said Hit and Run got the name of the village wrong. They were wrong about its position but not its name. After some delay there is now a narrow inquiry and so many think it is supporting our military to say “leave them alone, what do you expect?; I expect that people who died in WWI and II died for many reasons including deception and incompetence of military leaders, so we could be free and live in a democracy should be listened to in modern times. And yet, we are supposed to bow down to our MIlitary, to our Secret Services and let them behave as they please (as clearly has happened under the last Government and former govts too). To me, that contradicts what the brave men and women fought for.
As an aside a day of rememberance and reflection is great unless people learn nothing from that reflection, and frnakly given the state of so many NZ services, I wonder how many really do see the lessons?
My thoughts too. I'm sure its not a sentiment shared by the actual veterans and their immediate families, but for many others its the 'in thing to do' without them having any real clue as to what the wars were all about.
Tracey, this comment is bang on IMO…as are the others who express similar sentiments…
IMO the theme of commemorations have been turned into a vacuous and dangerous form of worship…
To your question…Too few are paying attention to contemplate and appreciate the lessons that needed to be learned…
In an instant gratification world ANZAC day provides a box to tick…and a show of power in case some were unclear on who is actually ‘in charge’…
I see the events as a twisted form of coersion whereby ‘lessons’ are deliberately ignored…and counter opinions diminished or attacked…textbook…
Yeah we don’t know what would have happened, but the way I see it kiwis were fighting as part of the British Empire, they weren’t fighting for their homeland NZ. I find it a stretch to think they sacrificed their lives for us, that’s myth making. Sure if NZ was being invaded you could make that case.
I had two family members in the wars and they barely mentioned it with their own family members once they returned. If they wanted war to be associated with sacrifice, national identity or national pride or whatever I’m sure they would have made that clear to us. But they didn’t. All the same I’m sure Anzac Day was special for them and a chance to remember and see old friends. The day should be for them, not for the following generations.
Not disagreeing. But let’s look at the time.
Back then things were a lot different and NZ was a lot closer and proud of being part of the British empire the empire offered mutual support in times of conflict. You have to look at things in the context of he times and beliefs.
Plus we were at threat of invasion. Japan has designs on both Australia and NZ to secure resource and regional control.
My father was in the Air Force in the South Pacific and would never talk about his 5 years in service. Came back emotionally damaged, self medicated on alcohol and died at 56 years of age.
It;s not about celebrating our military or glorifying war. It’s about remembering those who died. They believed they were fighting for freedom and were willing to sacrifice themselves for it or suffer horrendous physical and mental trauma for it.
Even my parents generation believed what they were told by governments and what they heard on the radio news. It was an entirely different world 100 years ago. It was only really once we started to get televised warfare and massive amounts of information getting to the public during the Vietnam war that the younger generations started to understand that wars are not noble causes.
If we forget those who died then we might in the future make the same mistakes.
Yes we know that pretty much all wars are not about defending freedom, etc. But the brave young men who died at Gallipoli for example, almost certainly believed they were fighting for our freedom and for our country.
That’s good enough for me. Anzac day is about remembering all those who have sacrificed themselves in the belief it was for our freedom.
I doubt you’d get many young volunteers willing to die if they knew all wars are bankers wars and are usually nothing to do with freedom from evil, so they were obviously fighting for what they believed was a just cause.
Same, I actually find it odd that this is the one day the veterans are afforded, I have a picture of my Pop in his WW2 navy uniform and spare him a thought most days.
I investigated by Great Uncles and got their war documents and gave them to my dad, he remembers them most days too.
It isn’t about what we remember about them, per se, but what we learned from them.
Big up’s to Frank for this.
https://fmacskasy.wordpress.com/2018/04/24/is-this-the-political-cartoon-of-the-year/
I agree, it probably is the political cartoon of the year.
Good morning The Am Show Duncan everyone is forgetting one fact with Eco Maoris you will work it out .
Emmanuel Macron has hit the nail on the head as the saying goes that anger is not acceptable in World politics Eco Maori admires Macron for his speech to the American congress and people .
Duncan do you want some more tissues would you prefer that national carried on running the country into the ground alot of people have had there feathers ruffled by the new government who is making changes for the mokopunas future to be fair happy and healthy .
At least you have Amanda who can see past her check book and think logically about the future and not just the NOW.
With the traffic jams you always have two have 2 heavy traffic lanes merging and this slows the traffic to a stop they just have to come up with innovative ideas to clear these points of heavy traffic merging under passes over passes at these points simple higher fuel prices will help to.
Ka kite ano P.S Some media hammer the Government on any issue they can
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48 hours to Save the Bees
Totally ban bee killing pesticides
France UK GERMANY & 9 other countries are in favour but we need to get four more on board to win the vote This is down to the wire Every signature counts the link is above Kia kaha we need to protect OUR insects & Bees I have already signed Ka kite ano
Here is the link to support the ban on killer bee chemicals
https://secure.avaaz.org/campaign/en/save_the_bees_neonics_loc_ns/?bqjTzmb&signup=1&cl=14335536630&v=105605&_checksum=0c55efe7bf34cd189a968f98ca018b2a98d7bff8bbb1bb6883af0a3044015580 ka kite ano
Newshub Nagti Tama is the only entity that will care for the fresh water springs in Nelson like water should be treated like a treasure a gift from Papatuanuku and Eco Maori says all water should be treated like this now and not just if we run out of water and start to value water then.
Many thanks to our new coalition government for help our most vulnerable people the disabled with more funding for there extra cost to participate in our society Ka pai
I see we have a bit of bad weather coming Ingrid Ka kite ano P.S I have figured out more about my advisories Ana to kai
The Crowd Goes Wild Mulls and James the League has still a long way to go for the
Grand final.
Russel Westbrook is pumping OUR Big Man will find his form I’m backing him.
They will feel his Thunder.
Mulls I made sure not to get hooked on Donkey Kong back in the day lol.
I Tautoko The Crowd Goes Wild to tautoko OUR sports Stars Ka pai Niko Kirwan I still remember your old man cutting everyone up at the first Rugby World Cup
Ka kite ano