@lprent: The latest comment editor won’t let me reply to someone else’s comment. If I hit the reply button, the comment reply box appears with my name and email autofilled and the cursor at the end of my name. However, the comment text box is only one row high and clicking in the text box doesn’t get the cursor to appear there (it just disappears from the name box). Doing a top-level comment like this one works fine though. Hitting the tab key moves it to email then website then disappears and doesn’t ever make it to the comment text box.
The previous comment editors tested over the last few days all worked fine for me.
Chrome Version 74.0.3729.108 (Official Build) (64-bit) Windows 10 Pro Version 1803 OS build 17134.648
Replies on my android phone go through ok. But I couldn’t do an edit, maybe because I turned the phone wifi off then back on between posting the comment and trying to edit it.
I had a similar problem this morning. No space for comment text in Editor and no cursor when using reply function but a single stand-alone comment did show that space + cursor. When cancelling a reply the space also disappeared in stand-alone comments unless I refreshed the whole page!?
I pressed something last night and the comment space disappeared so that nothing could be entered. My son looked at source? code and restored function but it returned to that same condition – something was 'hidden'. Hitting enter automatically creates a double space, I would prefer to make my own. But can put comment today, so far so good. It is interesting how there are format icons at the top now. But if I edit, the edit box uses the same functions as usual eg the <i> for italics.
Zelda D'Aprano in the 70's, a feminist protester for equality, spent a day trying to travel on buses, buy something, paying a smaller fare price than the official one, the discount being the percentage lower of women's wages than those of men. IThat was in Melbourne too.
I Was looking at some ‘not chicken’ meat choices at the supermarket. Expensive. They use oil salts and cides to grow the vegetable protein then this is shipped to a lab using copious amounts of energy then to be pounded prodded poked altered abridged extracted and exhumed into burger.
Then to be packaged, re-shipped primped and pimped, postered and posted to places placed precariously in piled presentations for punters perusal…
It doesn’t really matter if it tastes like meat.
They’ve added a laboratory, more shipping and more processing to pea farming. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-crops-protein/big-ag-turns-to-peas-to-meet-soaring-global-protein-demand-idUSKCN1IJ1B3
Test tube meat is another story. I’ve not enough information to make a call I do understand the move to produce it. The profit motive, but also, whole protein for the masses without factory farms.
Dietary trends drive consumers to all sorts of ridiculous food choices (and some healthy). Growing a garden (and eating the produce) will improve your health better than Atkins, keto, low-carb, bla de bla, et al, etc.
<i>It doesn’t really matter if it tastes like meat.</i>
The people buying these triumphs of industrial food processing should stop calling themselves vegeterians and just eat chicken if they want to eat something that tastes like chicken.
<i>Growing a garden (and eating the produce) will improve your health better than Atkins, keto, low-carb, bla de bla, et al, etc.</i>
To be fair, any diet that minimises your refined carb intake will improve your health more than one that doesn’t. Both growing your own food and Atkins etc fit that bill, although it sounds plausible that growing your own food would give the most improvement.
Depends on your reasons for becoming a vegetarian – I reached 25 years as a vegetarian yesterday and my reasons were and are that I didn’t like the taste, animal welfare, and environmental impact of over-farming, so for me, fake meat is pointless because I don’t like the taste of it. For others, products like Quorn are just the ticket to become vegetarian without having to completely give up their favorite dishes or to allow families with mixed diets to share meals more easily.
You do know, I suppose, that the New Zealand Communist Party, like the equivalent in Britain, were strongly against opposing the Nazi's until June 1941?
"Early in the war, communists' allegiance to the Soviet Union aligned them with Germany. In 1940 their newspaper, People's Voice, was banned by the government, and books on communism were among those outlawed under New Zealand censorship controls. But when Germany invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941, the New Zealand Communist Party, along with others in the west, shifted its allegiance and swung in behind the war effort."
Looking at Bernie’s actual record suggests if he gets to be prez he’ll actually end up being moderate, even centrist. That’s without even considering the fact that to get any actual legislation through he would need the vote of the 50th senator, at best likely to be someone like Joe Manchin or Krysten Sinema. Which all means the anti-Bernie sentiment from moderate Dems is probably misplaced, but also those currently “feeling the Bern” would likely end up bitterly disappointed.
“Bolt in with Moulton”
“Burstin’ Kirstin”
“SuperLooper”
“Pretty Samey with Amy”
Tim Ryan: Working Class Man
“Warrior Worrying Warren”
and of course:
“Made America Great Again”
I think the 2020 election is the Democrat's to lose. I reckon there's around a 1 in 3 chance the Dems will indeed lose it.
Looks to me like the electorate is around 20% those who will vote for whatever has an (R) next to its name, even if it's a three-weeks gone mouldering corpse. There's another 20% that are middle-finger voters. The mandarin master baiter has those segments locked down hard. At this stage I find it hard to see he'll pull back much if any support from the remaining 60% of the electorate.
So the Dem candidate needs to be able to pull in a bit more than 2/3 of the remaining electorate. Against what's bound to be unprecedented levels of attempted smears over social media (having seen how successful that was against Hillary). That social media will target the far left, to try to push them to third party candidates or just not vote. They will also try to get centrists to not vote, by smears and by painting the vote as making no difference anyway.
There will also be unprecedented attempts at voter suppression (since that worked against Stacey Abrams in Georgia 2018). Because by then the courts will have been stacked enough there's a good chance of getting away with it.
I reckon Bernie and Biden are both particularly vulnerable to smear campaigns, because their long histories in Washington will have all kinds of little nuggets that can be twisted and blown up into major smears. For instance, Biden's treatment of Anita Hill would be quite a starting point for a campaign to turn woke lefties onto third parties or to just not vote. Then there's their age, which makes them both vulnerable to "hillary's health" type smears (never mind the 6'3 239lb incumbent's best physical condition for any president ever).
So I think a tough primary is going to be important for sorting out which candidates have the skilz for dealing with the coming smears, as well as finding most of the background weak points that can become the little grain of truth needed for a successful smear.
The numbers weren’t too bad at Waikumete Cemetery this morning for the dawn parade.
Couple of unwelcome changes however.
Police presence shutting off a large surrounding road, and constricting the whole of Great North Road with patrols.
And they used to have little candles lit under each of the hundreds of serried war graves, which were such a hopeful glimmer.
I want to see every neighborhood go back to their own commemoration, as well as the large regional ones. I thought this was supposed to be celebrating a free society? And bring back the candles.
Police have been clear the security requirements are for this year only, because of the well-known issue of increased threat levels for public gatherings after big terrorist events. I am confident that most attendees would happily trade temporarily-blocked nearby roads for a better chance of survival.
With Kushner in his pocket MBS can do whatever TF he likes.
https://twitter.com/amnesty/status/1120730249220718592 Just as Jared Kushner answered questions about the close ties between the White House and Saudi Arabia in New York on Tuesday, the Middle Eastern kingdom beheaded 37 people in its largest mass execution in at last three years. The executions, of mostly Shiite men accused of terrorism related crimes, were part of what Washington’s Gulf Institute director Ali Al-Ahmed called “the largest mass execution of Shiites in the kingdom’s history.” Al-Ahmed identified 34 of the 37 victims as Shiite. According to reports, Saudi Arabian security services nailed one of the heads to a poll as a warning and one victim was crucified after his execution. https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/04/23/kushner-talks-accountability-crown-prince-just-saudis-offer-egregious-display
Kushner+Bolton have been reasonably successful bringing Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United States together in the form of their common sworn enemy in the form of Iran. Iran threatens Israel’s regional nuclear monopoly and decreases is security dominance around israel. Iran threatens Saudi Arabia on security and religious grounds. How Iran threatens the US is completely beyond me.
With the U.S. President officially turning a blind eye to the Saudi murder of Khashoggi, and Netanyahu re-elected, this untied force against iran will re-bind and strengthen. The result will be Saudi leadership to induce other Arab states to open their economies to Israeli investment and technical expertise (particularly in fresh water, and security technology), brining Israel substantial economic benefits.
The bigger goal between Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the US, is for money to talk louder than religion.
Which is not an unusual way to achieve lasting peace.
Fucking with other nation’s economies with oil sanctions has always worked out so well.
But if you want a war, why not.
“With the announcement today, we’ve made clear our seriousness of purpose,” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said during a press conference on Monday. “We are going to zero. How long we remain there, at zero, depends solely on the Islamic Republic of Iran’s senior leaders. We’ve made our demands very clear to the ayatollah and his cronies.” The decision to stop issuing sanctions waivers threatens to wipe roughly 1 million barrels per day off the market at a time when analyst say oil supply is already tightening. Crude futures spiked to nearly six-month highs on news of the policy, which was first reported Sunday by The Washington Post. […] Companies in those countries now face the threat of being locked out of the U.S. financial system if they continue to import crude from Iran. The question is whether some of those countries will seek to skirt the sanctions, including by facilitating or encouraging purchases of Iranian crude through companies not tied to the U.S. financial system. China’s Foreign Ministry on Monday denounced Washington’s Iran policy. “China opposes the unilateral sanctions and so-called ‘long-arm jurisdictions’ imposed by the US. Our cooperation with Iran is open, transparent, lawful and legitimate, thus it should be respected,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang told reporters. “Our government is committed to upholding the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies and will play a positive and constructive role in upholding the stability of global energy market.” Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlut Cavusoglu also rejected the sanctions, saying they “will not serve regional peace and stability” and would hurt the Iranian people.
Agree with most of that, except: “Which is not an unusual way to achieve lasting peace”
There is the war with Iran bit that will come before any peace, with the way these governments are behaving.
The way you’ve written that last line suggests we should accept the alignment of interests that’s going on with a shrug.
Pricks are worried about the optics rather than the ethics of detaining children in a military prison.
The United States is considering housing migrant children at the US military prison at Guantanamo Bay to help handle an up-tick in the number of immigrants crossing the US southern border, according to a new report. The idea was first proposed earlier this year as the Department of Homeland Security looked for military facilities where migrants could be held as they wait for their cases to be processed. But, the proposal has not gained much traction so far, with officials telling the New York Times that the idea has been less ideal because of the optics involved with housing children right next to terrorism suspects in the notorious American prison.
The Tax Working Group policy came from a regional conference as a policy remit to work through options (the regional conference had large numbers of tax remits to replace CGT as Labour Party policy as CGT had failed at the 2011 and 2014 elections and the mood from LECs was to dump CGT), so it was actually supported by Labour Party members, not just the MPs.
I also found it ironic that France and New Zealand are planning to lead an International Terrorism Summit next month given that France committed such an act on our soil in 1985. Its quite funny really, although the grand-master of wit and humour, David Lange probably wouldn’t think so.
Edit: lprent, the font size is very small in comment box – about 8 by the looks if it. A bit of struggle for us oldies.
We had a young French family holidaying here at the time back in 1985 and they were mortified and genuinely shocked that their govt had blown up the Rainbow Warrior and killed someone on NZ soil. We have French mayors here this ANZAC day that have come to remember the Kiwis who never made it home from WW1/WW2. There are places in France that celebrate and honour our soldiers efforts to free them from the Germans. The French will always have cap in hand when it comes to NZ and the irony of past events.
Good on our PM for seizing the moment, joining with France and “trying to right the wrongs on the cyber highway”.
So there is talk of Labour introducing a land tax, however the suggestion is it is to be applied and collected by local councils. Helping them with their shortfalls while robbing Labour of any revenue, thus funding to do more.
Therefore, it isn’t going to be much compensation for Labour abandoning a CGT. Which (going off their surprise re the public reaction to the dropping of a CGT) may come as another surprise to them.
“… robbing Labour of any revenue, thus funding to do more. Therefore, it isn’t going to be much compensation for Labour abandoning a CGT…”
Labour (and the working group) had talked about a revenue-neutral CGT/personal income tax programme – so it was never going to be a way to fund other initiatives.
It was going to restore some fairness to our tax system while helping to address inequality by redistributing the new tax take.
However, Jacinda unnecessarily put an end to that ever happening under her watch. An achievement the opposition never succeeded in and would be proud of.
As for being a way to fund other initiatives, it was only projected to be tax neutral for the fist 5 years, then the tax return vastly exceeds the proposed tax cuts. Thus, giving them scope (by providing the funding) to do far more.
It was going to restore some fairness to our tax system while helping to address inequality by redistributing the new tax take.
Improving the fairness of the tax system, while laudable, isn't about increasing revenue. Redistributing tax-based spending to address inequality can be done regardless of whether a CGT is implemented or not – the effects will be the same, because the tax take will be the same – CGT wasn't about increasing revenue.
Of course it was. That's how they were going to cover the accompanying tax cuts, thereby making it tax neutral (in the first 5 years). After which, the tax revenue vastly increases.
Moreover, it was about fairness via taxing currently tax free gains.
Yes, redistributing tax-based spending to address inequality can be done via other means, but those don't also address the unfairness of tax free gains.
In addition, the tax-free capital gains distort the economy by diverting investment from production to renting activity. Great for capital owners, not so great for anybody else. In the end, we all miss out. But the shortsightedness of some (many?) prevented a mature debate and the rest is history.
Some ‘critics’ only want to focus on what might have happened in 5 years’ time. These same ‘critics’ jump up & down when presented with projected figures. Go figure.
Labour built up the hype, talked a big game but are struggling to fund it. Now they are surprised they are being criticized for dropping a means that would have helped them fund it. Go figure indeed.
Chairman, you'll be happy with Patrick Smellie's prediction that the government is temporarily sticking to the course of their own budget responsibility rules for this term in order to earn the trust of the international money hawks (didn't realise they were so powerful).
Then, Patrick surmises, the government will loosen the rules and increase debt to international norms. He also points out that you can't just throw plans and money at infrastructure when building capacity is already stretched. If only we had a competent government over the last 10 years!
That's how they were going to cover the accompanying tax cuts, thereby making it tax neutral
If you increase one source of revenue so you can reduce another source of revenue by the same amount, you don't increase your revenue. That was the whole point of trading it off against tax cuts, being able to promise it wasn't a tax grab.
The view that it would eventually lead to dramatically increased revenue is "jam tomorrow" and, even if it were a realistic prospect, wouldn't give the government increased revenue in a timeframe useful to it – NZ governments don't get more than nine years and this one's nearly had two. If it had introduced a CGT it couldn't expect this alleged increase in revenue to turn up while it was still in power.
While you don't increase your net revenue, you still have to increase your revenue to provide redistribution via the proposed tax cuts to keep it tax neutral.
Moreover, Government accounting methods are largely based on forecasting. Thus, the added revenue stream from a CGT would improve the projected tax take beyond the 5 years, meaning the Government would be able to start increasing the capital and operating allowances in the Budget following it's implementation.
Jacinda's plan to reduce child poverty is a 10 year plan.
Workers pay tax on their wages; landlords pay tax on their rental incomes; businessmen pay tax on their profits; the only ones not paying tax on their earnings are those who are not taxed on their return on their investment in family homes, this return taking the form of free rental accommodation.
Untaxed capital gain from a transaction between a buyer and seller, which produces no income, and which affects nobody else but them, is hardly unfair.
Untaxed capital gain from a transaction between a buyer and seller, which produces no income, and which affects nobody else but them, is hardly unfair.
I see that you are still sticking to your capital gain is not income. The other mistake is that it does not affect anybody else but the vendor and the buyer. You will have a very hard time arguing that. For starters, lenders, real estate agents, and insurance companies. Then, the other houses in the same street and area. I’ll make a big pot of tea …
That's interesting. This is the first time I've heard the effects of capital gain on "lenders, real estate agents, and insurance companies" and on "other houses in the same street and area" raised in this particular debate. However, if a property rises in value, and then is sold, these side effects are going to occur, but that's the result of the capital increase itself, not of the transaction. The sale of family homes no doubt involve the same effects.
And, as you say I'm sticking to my assertion that capital gain is not income. And I'm not making a mistake in saying so.
It doesn't actually. In Vino, apparently incapab!e of presenting an intelligent rebuttal, has merely resorted to insults. Despite his pseudonym there really is no truth in him.
Your premise was wrong. A sale of an asset that realises capital gain cannot be viewed as a transaction strictly between two parties (buyer and vendor). It obviously involves other parties, often dictated by Law, and always has an impact on a third party or parties. If you fail to see this then any further engagement with you on this topic is utterly futile.
Please note that I don’t even have to bring CGT into the conversation up to this point.
Land tax makes complete sense to me as a means to lower the value of land and increase revenue, but the local government option in the TWG report recommends the Productivity Commission investigates local government levying tax on vacant land in addition to rates.
Personally, I would happily see a land tax on all land, even if it is at 0.5% above $500K or something like that.
Require far more detail to know how it will exactly impact. But we may see a land tax may only result in land becoming more productive and not less valuable.
Most are over local government continuously increasing rates above the rate of inflation, so giving them this revenue stream on top of their rate take will most likely go down like a cup of cold sick. Unless the majority are going to get rate cuts.
Nevertheless, it robs central government of any funding revenue, thus their ability to do more.
In the ‘good old days’ people could claim depreciation on rental’s buildings and if you sold the rental for more than its depreciated value you were taxed on that income.
Because land is not depreciated, this won’t work but in essence, a CGT would be a tax on a fixed asset, including land that has risen in real value over time.
That's such a pathetic meme – rates only going up by inflation. That means that the Council could do very little to build infrastructure, cope with changing needs. Going up by inflation merely means keeping the spending value of the money at the same level, virtually a nil rise. It is the sort of bleat that comes from the older age group who want to be kept in the style they are used to.
It's the sort of noise you hear when you talk to just about anyone about their local council. Wasteful spending, budget blowouts and over taxing/rating are the most common gripes.
Many households are struggling, thus want councils to live more within their means.
Increasing council rates adds to the cost of home ownership while driving up rents.
Rates here in Orclund are based on capital value, which is land plus improvements. If it were just land value, the distribution of rates paid would be quite different than what it is now.
Rates pay for services and usage of infrastructure associated with the land. A CGT or land tax is a tax on income from the sale of that land. One is local, the other is national.
We pay GST on rates as well, so government gets some of it already, but I think a separate land tax on all sections > $500K would make sense even if it feels like taxing more tax again, not least because it would be administratively very simple to collect – gets added to rates and passed on quarterly.
@ Anne
Anzac Day
Very Ironic that many NZ TRoops have been Honoured by French Personnel – Mayors of Towns – and individuals.
Several Mayors are in New Zealand today, honouring the Grit and Purpose of our Troops. Also Bringing their thanks from the populations.
But you and and your friend soper would not know one iota of what our men and women achieved in France. Nor the extent of the gratitiude shown to this day by France.
You and Soper – should really aplogise to the families of the dead. Instead of having a fit of the funnies.
My comment was not a cynical overview of the spirit of ANZAC. It was merely a heads up concerning a somewhat wry point made by a journalist and did not include the body of his article. If you can't tell the difference, then you need your head read.
My father saw active service in 1918 during WW1 and lost a number of his mates. He was an army officer in WW2 who was responsible for the welfare of several Pacific Island nations and also spent periods of time fighting the Japanese in extremely precarious conditions.
OT, you obviously don't do irony. You appear to have completely misunderstood Anne's comments. I get her reference to the cynical element of Sopers article, why can't you. I couldn't imagine Anne being a "love dove" with Barry Soper, if she is then I have disembarked at the wrong planet.
I am aware that a female scorned is mayhem. Not in the least bit amusing.
Also when you see all the white Crosses pegged in the ground – each representing a motherless dead soldier, name imprinted – You are inclined to lose interest in the weak comedy of Soper.
So, via you Kat, I promise to giggle at Soper. He is a child. And hopefully I will leave Anne without any cross now or in the future.
Can't stand the Soper. I don't read him or the other ne'er do well tighty righties who frequent the pages of the Herald and other MSM outlets. Eg. the Hosk, and the Hosk's spouse (whose name escapes me), the Soper spouse, HDP and the Hooton. Oh and rwnj Leighton Smith. There’s a few more who are so low in my estimation I don’t know their names.
But I concede I was attracted to the Soper headline because the irony had not escaped either.
Although noted by Bryan Bruce, not hearing much outrage from many of the left on this. If it were National pulling this one, I'm sure there would be far more noise.
Not necessarily bullshit but certainly a convenient lack of rigour….and not a good look.
I would be very surprised if anything approaching the number of jobs claimed in application is ever achieved….but it seems to me that is unimportant in NZ Firsts grand scheme of things and that is quietly accepted by the coalition (the alternative being what it is)
Labour have limited ability to control Jones and it is possible that some initiatives could exceed job projections though I concede that is the lesser likelyhood
They better get on top of it/Jones otherwise they are just giving National more ammo to shoot them down.
These kind of issues pisses off voters from both the left and right. Even many NZF supporters will be pissed.
And while Labour are at it sorting this out, they should also look at the practice of giving offshore owned forestry companies money to plant trees.
Planting trees is what they already do. We have enough money heading offshore, we don't need a government assisting in more of this. Keep it local and keep it real.
I wondered what negative line you would be taking The Chairman. It appears that you have surfaced from the pond after having a whiff of the latest target, Shane Jones, as he goes round disrupting the comfortable patterns of patronage that Gnashional had set up.
I'd like to know how exactly this lighter-heavier-lighter thing works.
An innovative aircraft that turns into a “lighter-than-air” balloon to propel itself forward has been flown for the first time.
The Phoenix is designed to repeatedly switch between being lighter and heavier than air to generate thrust and allow it to stay in the skies indefinitely.
The article says "The vehicle’s fuselage contains helium, allowing to to ascend, as well as an air bag that inhales and compresses air, enabling it to descend."
So I'm picturing an outer bag that can take pressure, and an inner bag filled with helium. When you want maximum lift, vent the space between the two bags so the helium inner bag pushes out all the air between the two bags. When you want to descend, pump air between the two bags so the inner helium bag gets compressed down and you're adding all the weight of the air you're pumping in at higher than atmospheric pressure and density.
So to operate it, you have it rise in it's maximum lift to the desired altitude, with the little wings being used to push it in the desired horizontal direction. Then at the max altitude, pump air in so it wants to drop, and adjust the wings to keep going in the desired horizontal direction. Rinse and repeat.
A wee bit like tacking upwind in a sailboat, using the vertical dimension.
That outer shell is going to have to be incredibly strong.
At a guess, based on the photo I would think the volume would be about 40 cubic metres. Helium has a mass of about 0.18 kg/cubic metre at STP. Air is about 1.20 kg/cubic metre under the same conditions Thus the total lift would be around 40kg when there was only helium in the outer shell, at STP, and that would mean the maximum weight of the plane would have to be less than 40kg. That would seem to be an incredibly thin shell to have the total weight of a thing that size below 40 kg, when you consider the solar cells that are on the wings, particularly when you consider that it would have to be able to handle pressures that were significantly greater than the atmospheric pressure outside when air was pumped in and compressed.
Great idea though isn't it, and much cheaper than satellites for communication..
It might not have any structure to it at all, it may just be a flexible bag. The wings appear held in place with guy wires, and there's wrinkles visible at the tail. As far as weight goes, they look like thin-film solar cells, and for the wings you can make surprisingly rigid skins lighter than 300g/sqm.
As far as pressure goes, if I remember right a whitewater raft needs around 0.15ish bar. Something that much bigger won't need anywhere near as much pressure to hold its shape.
My use of STP was based on the fact that I assumed that the pressure inside the bag should be at least equal to the outside air pressure.
Your number if 0.15 bar is the pressure above the pressure outside. Thus the actual pressure, used to determine the mass of the gas inside would have to be taken as 1.15 bar assuming that the plane is at an elevation where the outside pressure is about 1 bar (ie fairly near the ground).
Looking at the photo again, and the other article you link to I agree that I have probably greatly underestimated the volume. Ah for the days of the 200,000 m3 Hindenberg though for a real airship.
BTW, that 40m^3 looks awfully stingy to me. The wings look quite a lot higher than the tops of the dudes' heads, so call it at least 2m radius/4m diameter. It's 15m long, but the tail is kinda skinny. so call it an ellipsoid 2m x 2m x 10m, for a volume of 170ish m^3. Other reports say it's 120kg, so that kinda ties in with a volume up over 150 m^3.
Counting the number of jobs created by Shane's fund by toting up the projected positions claimed in fund applicants' applications is outrageous. It smacks of deception.
Can someone count the pay packets please.
Shane's fund is in dire need of a credibility injection.
Always willing to put the boot in David Mac. I hope Shane's fund receives a lot of eyeballing from you. We will be interested to find out the good and the bad that you find from your cynical eye.
The interweb would be a boring place, bereft of credible commentary were it not for the contributions of Bryan Bruce.
A slightly different tone to this morning's offering. BB doesn't need to defend himself from such a numpty, but it was a pleasure to read. Each shot right on the mark.
Made all the sweeter as Bryan Bruce really does believe what he writes.
Hmmm, it looks like Mr Bruce is quoting verbatim Dr Eric Crampton of The New Zealand Initiative without proper citation or acknowledgement. Oh dear.
So, the promised 10,000 jobs – actually, it is 13,085 according to the latest available info from MBIE – is BS because they are based on promises and assumptions and may never eventuate? Future projections based on available information are verboten. Is that the crux of it?
Rob Stock doesn’t like to own stuff and gives his reasons. Interestingly, he omits two important considerations: 1) depreciation (most stuff becomes next to worthless over time and becomes literally junk) and 2) opportunity cost (money could be better invested in something that increases in value over time).
I think the Regional Growth Fund should have a career focus. Then it becomes an investment.
Clambering around a mountain planting seedlings is not a career.
Shane has left himself open to flying mud that will stick.
"It would of been cheaper for us to pay these people $100k a year to watch TV hey Shane."
When the positions come with the potential for a flourishing future, dividing a billion dollars by the actual jobs created becomes the price of promoting quality futures. Creating future top tax bracket workers.
You reckon. It's a big task. If you have nothing better to do than pontificate on what jobs are worthy of your consideration, perhaps you could do something useful and help in the planting.
Your song 'Don't do anything till you hear from me!'
I think the fund bankrolling a cultural facility beside the Hokianga is a superb idea. Everyone has nice scenery, it is Maori that make NZ unique.
I can think of 20 small business ideas that could spin off such an enterprise. Individual Hapu could put down the hangi, provide the Kapa Haka show, take visitors for a paddle in a Waka.
Too often we read of fraud associated with this type of initiative. It would be good to see some iron-clad protection. When he's back on his feet, make The Mad Butcher treasurer.
The Provincial Growth Fund is there to buy NZ First an electoral seat, that is all
Fuck Labour for agreeing to this, 3 billion fucking taxpayer dollars given to that fat prick jones to spend as he pleases with no strings attached for whoever he decides to play Santa Claus for.
It's bullshit and shouldn't be allowed to happen, politicians need to be held legally accountable for this sort of pork-barrel politics.
As per 31 March 2019, up to $735,962,077 has been announced in funding that will do sweet FA for growth in the regions? Each and every project is just a cover to “buy NZ First an electoral seat”? Your argument has the strength of a fart in a stormy night: pfffff – WOOSH.
BM, I think you're a closet leftie searching for enough reason to subscribe.
We all are. When we consider what matters the most to us, for nearly all of us it's our loved ones. If we accept that your loved ones are on an equal footing with my loved ones. We're Social Democrats BM.
It's time you came out, I'm sure your folks will be fine with it.
It’s a big reason why so many trade guys vote National now.
Tradies vote National "now?" That's "now" defined as "Psycho Milt's entire adult life and presumably longer," is it? I know we live in the eternal now, but that's ridiculous.
How many? So many. That many? Yup, that many and maybe even more. Wow, that’s a lot. Yup, it’s heaps and there are heaps more to come. I lost count at one …
The Far North is nature's Disneyland. When Nga Puhi eventually settle for their 2 cents on the dollar I think they will evolve into an International tourism powerhouse.
Up here, the ocean is still our back-up pantry. Peat lakes as black as Coke, packed with minerals that have made skin feel like it's 10 years old for 700 years. Up here where we're real skinny, from the car, you can say "Yep, that's the eastcoast and over there, that's the westcoast."
On the way to where our spirits depart, where we're skinny, you'll see a pristine sandy harbour with no road access. It is packed with silica and in the sun glistens like a mass of white diamonds. Glass manufacturers the world over covet the dunes at Parengarenga.
I think dressing up as an 1830 warrior and faking the take-over of a tourist bus on Ninety Mile Beach and leaving gifts rather than looting would be a cool school holiday job. Great confidence booster for the kid.
I think the factions of Nga Puhi that aren't building bridges towards a settlement need to look into the eyes of their grandchildren. They're in a position to make a worthwhile difference.
Yes, it's a melting pot of drama that needs to be sorted out before sitting across the table from Little.
There were a lot of muskets in Northland before a sheriff arrived.
The logical way would appear to be to include a representative from each of the conflicting factions. A united front presenting their individual concerns.
There have been a lot of tables sat round over years with lots of voices from all factions. There is unlikely to be a united front before Little has long gone.
Perhaps sequestering carbon is quite important as well? Some folk should "Keep their breath to cool their porridge". But then some enjoy poking the borax!!
The FDA has built and expanded a vast and hidden repository of reports on device-related injuries and malfunctions
Since 2016, at least 1.1 million incidents have flowed into the internal “alternative summary reporting” repository, instead of being described individually in the widely scrutinized public database known as MAUDE, which medical experts trust to identify problems that could put patients in jeopardy.
Yet the program, in all its iterations, has been so obscure that it is unknown to many of the doctors and engineers dedicated to improving device safety. Even a former FDA commissioner said he knew nothing of the program.
“The public has a right to know about this,” said Dr. S. Lori Brown, a former FDA official who accessed the data for her research. She said doctors relying just on the public reports — and unaware that many incidents may be omitted — can easily reach the wrong conclusion about the safety record of a particular device.
Just FYI; here at The Standard by convention the use of bolding is generally reserved for moderators in order to make their edits or actions more visible.
Someone ought to put that dozy bimbo right about where the shooter came from. Oz. And according to him it was a perfectly normal family.
[Deleted – A little too much information about the accused and naming him is definitely not ok. I thought that had been made clear previously – Incognito]
However Jenny Davies, who thinks that the idea is un-Australian could take PM Ardern’s place in the mural, hugging and comforting the Muslim woman, and showing how Australians have been upset and deeply moved by their fellow citizen’s deathly action.
I thought that copying from published info was right. And I don't see why some info now can't be released for public info. Sorry if the authorities have denied us this info, and thought that was the way to go. At this time I had thought that background should be provided. Otherwise how can some Oz bird say it is nothing to do with them. Time for some free information.
By way of my personal explanation, it was decided shortly after the massacre that the accused would not be named here on TS. As you know, moderation is not open to litigation.
A link with a short explanation or quote is usually more than sufficient; less is more and no need to copy & paste too much text with too many links (which will also automatically trigger a comment going into moderation). However, this is a special case, highly sensitive, and it is before the courts now. For lawyers and academics the name and personal history are important; for political debate here on TS they are largely irrelevant.
TS is not a conduit for public info on people accused of hideous crimes. If people want to know they can seek out the information for themselves, e.g. by using search engines.
Far too late to worry about aliens being here, but fear not, these guys aren't invading, they're just on a scheduled toilet stop on the way through to Proxima Centauri.
The prime directive prevents me from further explaining why the tour brochures definitely describe the Earth as the Huntly of our trip to somewhere nice.
Can we blame climate change on exhaust from intergalactic touring buses and waste from cosmic freedom campers? Do you ETs post your holiday pics on FB and Instagram too?
Since the forced landing I don't fly any more, you'll never get me up in one of those things again (why I’m stuck here), but no pollution from us, there's just you apes and a few other primitive species still doing that – We worked out cold fusion aeons ago.
No facebook for us but we do have alien news desk.
Oh, that’s disappointing because we really need somebody else to share the burden of blame with for climate change. Otherwise, the guilt would destroy us.
That musing is a doozy. I think it should be on How to Get There so am copying it for inclusion. Thanks.
in the 21st century there has been a recoupling: rising resource consumption has so far matched or exceeded the rate of economic growth. The absolute decoupling needed to avert environmental catastrophe (a reduction in material resource use) has never been achieved, and appears impossible while economic growth continues. Green growth is an illusion.
A piece from Chris Trotter on similarities between David Lange's government and that of Jacinda Ardern. It might shed light onto present directions
In one respect, at least, there is a very substantial difference between the governments of Lange and Ardern. In the case of the former, the shape and direction of economic reform (thoughtfully prepared by Treasury in advance) was condensed into a single, revolutionary manifesto – “Economic Management”. In the latter case, the task of mapping the progress of government reforms has been farmed-out to a multitude of working-groups. Their combined reports will, presumably, constitute the Labour Party’s 2020 manifesto.
Is this the explanation for Ardern’s willingness to content herself with the role of Coalition figurehead? Because she knows that her key political strength has always been to present the ideas of others in a lively and compelling fashion? How to identify the emotional potential within any given set of policies and communicate it directly to the voters? Her skill in delivering the party’s messages is very different from the old-fashioned oratorical skill of Lange. His was a twentieth century talent, hers belong to the twenty-first.
National have caused all the messs in the health bill housing shonky farming micro bovine virus many other problems when they ran the country to serve the wealthy first and formost . It does not work very well when everything is structured to suit the 00.1 % over the 99.9 % of Tangata .
I know that rheumatic fever hits the poor common tangata hardest Maori and our Pacific cousin make the majority of those people who are affected by this disease .
Insight – Every year, up to 200 New Zealanders die from heart damage caused by rheumatic fever – an illness wiped out in many other wealthy countries. And despite a five-year campaign to tackle the disease here, rates are once again
There’s no record of the total number of New Zealanders affected by the rheumatic heart disease, but last year the number of new rheumatic cases was 188 – most of them children.
It’s almost the highest figure in a decade, while in other wealthy countries like the US and the UK, the disease has been all but stamped out. What's disappointed those in public health the most is that the numbers have risen despite a five-year push to reduce the rates on the rise. Philippa Tolley reports. The DHB’s public health physician, Pip Anderson, says rheumatic fever rates have risen in the area for the last two years, despite efforts to eradicate it. She says there are questions over whether a change in the prevention programme has reduced its impact, or whether other factors such as the housing crisis had overwhelmed the ability of the health system to reduce rates. The DHB says it is in the process of reviewing its approach
How this rheumatic fever problem isn't having everything thrown at it, like say the measles epidemic, is a matter that needs a serious study and response. I know some are working so hard and getting so discouraged and saddened that they are not able to get on top of it. I thought I would have a little look at what is happening Eco Maori. You may know more.
I think one thing that should be introduced all over the country, like as from yesterday, is a group of roving medical vans that take to the people the testing equipment and personnel to check on health and dispense minor everyday aids and medicine. It is hard to get children to the doctor, getting transport, coping with care of others at the same time – who babysits?
What's available – I can see a surgery bus. It seems a private-public partnership. With the breakdown of active, citizen-oriented government, perhaps this needs to be the new way of delivering health.
(The denizens in administration in the departments fill their time with designing computer projections and finding expensive managers overseas, or organising funds for new buildings for which they choose the lowest tender and enable charlatans; result a building that requires repairs ten years in, and replacement within thirty.)
…In early 2002, private company Mobile Health Solutions spent $5.2 million to build a specially designed 20-metre long, 39-tonne truck to show there was another way to provide day surgery to people living in rural areas.
The country's only surgical bus has since treated thousands of people by giving them access to hundreds of specialist surgical procedures not otherwise available in their towns….
The bus, which was funded by the Ministry of Health, now delivered about 1 per cent of the country's annual surgical workload – the same as an average operating theatre.
Trying to find info on helping access to health care seems hard to find looking on google. I found something on rural nursing done in 1994 so I'll put the link in case it is useful.
Every area of low income, especially where there is distance from services, should have it's own buses and teams of nurses, and advanced nurses-to-doctors and good equipment, and regular routes, with some diversions to the remote, when prior appointments are sought. Is this being done now? How widely? How frequently? Embedded into the system or innovative for effect to be abandoned when the set-term funding runs out? Has there been a national govt/local iwi connection made in areas, and is it being monitored and improved, cost-wise and effectiveness-wise? Have the staff done their proper cultural training and using that basis as much as possible?
Maori are keen to do good stuff, are there trained personnel able to bring it to the people and make a difference? Are those people then assisted to carry out schemes and feel part of a team for health, not just needy recipients? The Biggie – nice small warm cottages with all the requirements, and a cleaner/aid to do the windows and the extras as needed when difficult times have to be coped with. If there were more physical comforts, and mental rest through talking through difficulties with friendly advisors, there would likely be a huge change away from negative statistics.
Eco Maori backs the non violence protest to get the truth to the TANGATA ABOUT how badly climate change is affecting our poorer cosin NOW no tomorrow but NOW we can see the negative effects with our own EYEZ
British police said 1088 arrests have been made since the main protests began. The final day of protests is focusing on the international financial sector, which has made London its home.
"Extinction Rebellion to focus on the financial industry today," the group said in a statement. The "aim is to demand the finance industry tells the truth about the climate industry and the devastating impact the industry has on our planet."
The group advocates non-violent civil disobedience to force governments to reduce carbon emissions and avert what it says is a global climate crisis that will bring starvation, floods, wildfires and social collapse.
They are demanding the government declare a climate and ecological emergency, reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2025 and create a citizen's assembly of members of the public to lead on decisions to address climate change.
In 2017, total United Kingdom greenhouse gas emissions were 43 percent lower than in 1990 and 2.6 per cent lower than 2016, according to government statistics.
The group said they will end their protests in London on Thursday and will end their blockades at Parliament Square and Marble Arch.
However, they promised more protests in the future, saying direct action was the only way to bring the issue to public attention Ka kite ano links below P.S I had to use my phone to get this out there .????????????????????????????????
Bottom Trawling for fish and dredging for shell fish is like driving a BULLDOZER to round up the sheep and cows if this was seen the real damage that these technology's do to our fish's habitats there would be a huge OUT CRY but because its out of SIGHT the money people can keep wreaking Tangaroa for short term gain of $$$£$$$££££$$$$£$$$$$$$
The fish need a whare to and those 2 techniques are ruining there whare the out come will BE our fish stocks collapseing. No fish for the Mokopuna grandchildren NO fish for our FUTURE .
According to the report, commercial fishing had reduced in the last decade, and 97 percent of commercially-caught fish came from stocks considered to be sustainably managed.
However, it also said 16 percent of routinely assessed stocks were overfished in 2017 and 10 stocks were considered collapsed. The report said bycatch of protected species such as seabirds had reduced, but this was based on data from before 2016.
Mrs Goddard said those statistics said nothing meaningful about the health of the ecosystem.
She said this was not the latest data, with seabird capture having increased 85 percent in some fisheries in the 2017/18 fishing year compared to the previous year, including hoki, hake, ling and warehou, according to data from the Department of Conservation.
"I think what's disappointing is it makes a bold statement in the report that bycatch is being reduced and that the number of threatened, endangered and protected marine species caught has been reduced."
Mrs Goddard said what she had gleaned from the most recent data was that is not the case.
Independent marine scientist Roger Grace said there were serious habitat-damaging issues such as trawling and dredging, which the report touches on, but not in great detail, so they aren't addressed effectively.
"For the last 30 to 50 years we've been hammering the shallow and inshore habitats and smashing the natural life there to bits, and it's no longer as good for juvenile fish habitat," he said Ka kite ano links below. P.S Whanau I told you that the civil servants run the countrys they are trying to paint a rosey picture about our fisheries if we let them fool US no fish for the Mokopuna look over sea the evedince is there fisheries collapseing all over the place .
There are a few people who are waving the alt right white supremacist flag in NZ.
The Australian man who was part of the Sri Lanka attacks show ECO MAORI that the Australian are targeting the wrong people sending Kiwis to their crap camps and deporting the to A country they don't NO. NZ
Hallys emperor penguins colony collapse show how finally balanced life is a little change can make or break LIFE. We need to take human caused climate change very seriously.
Cortez is Eco Maori pick I have exzamed the others they have strings attached to the people who are making a mess.
Our sports Stars help Aotearoa shine bright condolences to Collettes Whanau
Rammi is a cool actor.
Yes people get wild creatures without being prepared to care for them correctly. I found a crook Hawk when I was young it stayed around for a few days I just gave it food and water and let it FREE .
Eco Maori will have to stop the sandflys distracting ME from the Real threat to US. I say that is there tactics now trying there best to PISS me off they are merely little bugs in my journey in life they are trying there best to sap my MANA but in reality every move they make against me adds to my MANA I see it all over Te Papatuanukue Ka pai.
The main threat to US human kind is Global warming
. Some countries have profited from climate change while the same rise in average planetary temperatures has dragged down economic growth in the warmer countries.
The gap between those groups of nations with the highest and lowest economic output per person is now around 25% larger than it would have been had there been no climate change link below
Next is Artifical Intelligents this threat is being down play by some people but this technology will give the holders of Artifical Intelligents the POWER OF God's they will be able to do what ever they want and not be held accountable for there ACTIONS . Link below P.S I know it looks like that is the case now but they will be held accountable.
Waste and Consumerism is a big threat plastic can take a 1000 year to degrade need need to use biodegradable things like paper bags and cardboard make laws so stuff last 20 to 50 years not 2 to 3 years as some stuff only last that long everything has to recycled no if or buts everything has to be recycled. Ka kite ano video below.
Equality is up there to Equality for all life to be respected equality for Wahine we have to learn to treat all our Wahine like a Queens and LISTEN to them given equal saying in the way our society are RULED .
We must let the ruling class NO that the Way we are abuseing OUR decendints FUTURE is unlogical and unacceptable to US the 99.9 % of tangata /people Kia kaha
The power of grassroots, widespread climate action cannot be underestimated. When ordinary people start to organise among themselves and create communities of resistance in our schools, colleges, universities and neighbourhoods, those in positions of power begin to notice. The emergent climate movements are organising people of all ages to fight for a better world and to take the necessary steps to pressure political leaders to act.
The UK youth strikers Holly Gillibrand, George Bond and myself sat down with Greta, Jeremy Corbyn, Caroline Lucas, Vince Cable, Liz Saville-Roberts and Ian Blackford for the first climate talks of their kind in more a decade. Theresa May’s chair remained empty.
'Outrage is justified': David Attenborough backs school climate strikers
We pushed political leaders to commit to and agree upon some positive first steps to start addressing the climate crisis. Tens of thousands of young climate activists forced party leaders to acknowledge the gravity of the climate crisis, driving home the need to act urgently and collaboratively Ka kite ano links below.
We don't put down other people because they are different humans have bigger problems than that we will have a problem serviving on Papatuanukue if we don't change OUR Ways we treat Papatuanukue and her creations we will all go EXTINCT
But Darryl Ward, an Anglican lay preacher from Paraparaumu, urged Christians to instead show love and care "for our Muslim brothers and sisters".
Ward said Christianity had never been the "sole faith tradition" in New Zealand.
"Māori spiritual beliefs preceded the arrival of Europeans and Christianity, and other faith traditions from overseas soon
our Muslim brothers and sisters, or for that matter, anyone else because they worship God differently from us," Ward said he gave us two simple commandments; to love God and to love others. He also made it quite clear that it is through helping those in need that one gains eternal LIFE Ka kite ano P.S EQUALITY for all.
I see Mark Z is sueing someone from upper hut for minupulating there likes and dislike for monetary gain I planned to do a post on the new computer currency Ka kite ano P.S Artifical Intelligents is a topic we all need to be talking about the positive and negative about the technology
That's a huge fire on the highway in USA condolences to the people who lost there love ones in that crash.
Measles is still out of control in NZ those anti vaxers and the poor people who are to stressed trying to put food on the table to get there tamariki vacancied is part of the cause.
I have already commented on the USA politics Seen Don has helped Eco Maori Mana Wairua Ka pai But he is still a carbon man .oo.
It logical to move more imports out side of Auckland cannot have goods stuck in a Auckland traffic jam.
Roman? looks like a qute boy it's sad he has that illness we are fortunate not to have major sickness with OUR Mokopuna my eldest seems OK for now.
Ka pai to the Salvation Army campaign against the people selling expensive good off the back of a truck I say the laws should be changed to stop the loan Sharks ripping the poor common person off to. I new when I backed The Salvation Army last year as being Eco Maori number 1 charity I was correct.
I seen that they plan to use Cherynoble Russian nuclear accident sites as a green ENERGY site Ka kite ano P.S the sandflys tried their best to stuff up my video feed
This is going to be the new currency with a conscience that will make people and country's behave HUMANLY if they don't the dislike mount up and your networth goes down do good things and you get heaps of likes then your networth goes up. This can be the same for country's to. At the minute the monetary SYSTEM punishes POOR COUNTRY and PEOPLE by giving us a bad credit rating and charging the people who can least afford it huge unstainable INTREST Rates that need to reverse to change the wealthy higher interest rate and the poor common people lower interest rates .
I know that the security for a currency system like this will have to have the best protection that can be made by people but ha from what I SEE the uneqality that is happening around Papatuanukue the Systems definitely need to change.
Facebook alleges 'likes' were sold for commercial advantage.
The company operated the website Likesocial.co, currently undergoing "maintenance", and IGFamous.net.
Another of their companies, Social Envy, operates the SocialEnvy.co website.
Facebook cited the posting of a photograph from a user with no previous Instagram followers which immediately attracted 500 likes within seconds on Likesocial.co.
More photos from the same user achieved similar "likes" in March of this year, Facebook claimed.
The defendants allegedly "enriched themselves at the expense of Facebook and Instagram by US$9.3m", and the media company was seeking damages of the same amount.
Facebook claimed the behaviour was "fraudulent", and also damaged Facebook and Instagram computer systems
Many thanks to the British Labour Party for finally making a stand on the Papatuanukue issues with human caused climate change Ka pai. We have to respect our Decendints rights to a happy healthy equal FUTURE LIFE.
Labour will this week force a vote in parliament to declare a national environmental and climate change emergency as confidential documents show the government has spent only a fraction of a £100m fund allocated in 2015 to support clean air projects.
Jeremy Corbyn’s party will demand on Wednesday that the country wakes up to the threat and acts with urgency to avoid more than 1.5°C of warming, which will require global emissions to fall by about 45% from 2010 levels by 2030, reaching “net zero” before 2050
Whanau the climate change deniers suffer from this effect they don't even understand WTF they are taking about cannot even truthfully self examination there past ACTIONS to find the negative things that they have done. They will allways only find their actions to be positive everyone else is at fault not THEE I thee I is perfect. YEA RIGHT .
Wheeler didn’t know what he didn’t know, and that’s the cognitive engine of what’s today rued and ridiculed as the Dunning-Kruger effect. It describes what Dunning later called “the anosognosia of everyday life”; a cognitive foible in which people lack the self-awareness—and yes, in some cases, the intelligence—to objectively estimate their own ability. Or, to paraphrase John Cleese: some people are too stupid to understand how stupid they are.
In studies of university students, Dunning and Kruger found a strong inverse relationship between actual and self-ascribed ability. Those who considered themselves competent consistently proved that they weren’t. In a test, many who ranked themselves near the 70th percentile actually scored in the 10th (intriguingly, the opposite effect expressed in smart students).
Now, commentators and researchers are invoking Dunning and Kruger again, as they try to make sense of a raft of recent studies that have found people of strong anti-science disposition almost always understand the least about that same science
Ka kite ano links below P.S I no a – – – – – – that suffer from this .
The person who did that in America Defend his race from what a imagined threat come on people we are all HUMANS.
I seen that story on simons slush fund complaint lol.
The Free Press is a must that includes social media as well free speach is a right for all people
The flat Earthers are foolish most living things have curves there are many things that I could put out to counter their beliefs but I m not even going to waste my time .
Kia kaha Rewa keep up the good Mahi with your strong Wahine goals hope you can beat your cancer problems
Good on him for helping the sick Hedgehog serviving losing his quills looks like it has a Whare for life its cool showing stories like that it will teach te Mokopuna to love OUR wild life have to be careful of it quills. Ka kite ano
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 27 were:1. The Minister for Ford Rangers strikes againTransport Minister Simeon Brown was again the busiest of the Cabinet ministers this week, announcing an ...
You got a fast carAnd I want a ticket to anywhereMaybe we make a dealMaybe together we can get somewhereAny place is betterYesterday’s newsletter, Trust In Me, on the report of abuse in state care, and by religious organisations, between 1950 and 2019, coupled with the hypocrisy of Christopher Luxon ...
New Zealand is again having to reconcile conflicting pressures from its military and its trade interests. Should we join Pillar Two of AUKUS and risk compromising our markets in China? For a century after New Zealand was founded in 1840, its external security arrangements and external economics arrangements were aligned. ...
The ‘50 Shades of Green’ farmers’ protest in 2019 was heavy on climate change denial, but five years on, scepticism and criticism about the idea that pine forests can save us is growing across the board. File photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s the top six news items of note in climate ...
This morning the sky was bright.The birds, in their usual joyous bliss. Nature doesn’t seem to feel the heat of what might angst humans.Their calls are clear and beautiful.Just some random thoughts:MāoriPaul Goldsmith has announced his government will roll back the judiciary’s rulings on Māori Customary Marine Title, which recognises ...
In 2003, the Court of Appeal delivered its decision in Ngati Apa v Attorney-General, ruling that Māori customary title over the foreshore and seabed had not been universally extinguished, and that the Māori Land Court could determine claims and confirm title if the facts supported it. This kicked off the ...
Earlier this week at Parliament, Labour leader Chris Hipkins was applauded for saying that the response to the final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care had to be “bigger than politics.” True, but the fine words, apologies and “we hear you” messages will soon ring ...
TL;DR: In news breaking this morning:The Ministry of Education is cutting $2 billion from its school building programme so the National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government has enough money to deliver tax cuts; The Government has quietly lowered its child poverty reduction targets to make them easier to achieve;Te Whatu Ora-Health NZ’s ...
Kia ora. These are some stories that caught our eye this week – as always, feel free to share yours in the comments. Our header image this week (via Eke Panuku) shows the planned upgrade for the Karanga Plaza Tidal Swimming Steps. The week in Greater Auckland On ...
1. What's not to love about the way the Harris campaign is turning things around?a. Nothingb. Love all of itc. God what a reliefd. Not that it will be by any means easye. All of the above 2. Documents released by the Ministry of Health show Associate Health Minister Casey ...
Trust in me in all you doHave the faith I have in youLove will see us through, if only you trust in meWhy don't you, you trust me?In a week that saw the release of the 3,000 page Abuse in Care report Christopher Luxon was being asked about Boot Camps. ...
TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking about the Royal Commission Inquiry into Abuse in Carereport released this week, and with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on a UN push to not recognise carbon offset markets and ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 26, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Transport: Simeon Brown announced$802.9 million in funding for 18 new trains on the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines, which ...
The northern expressway extension from Warkworth to Whangarei is likely to require radical changes to legislation if it is going to be built within the foreseeable future. The Government’s powers to purchase land, the planning process and current restrictions on road tolling are all going to need to be changed ...
Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedFirst they came for the doctors But I was confused by the numbers and costs So I didn't speak up Then they came for our police and nurses And I didn't think we could afford those costs anyway So I ...
Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on UnsplashWe’re back again after our mid-winter break. We’re still with the ‘new’ day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when we have our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream ...
Notes: This is a free article. Abuse in Care themes are mentioned. Video is at the bottom.BackgroundYesterday’s report into Abuse in Care revealed that at least 1 in 3 of all who went through state and faith based care were abused - often horrifically. At least, because not all survivors ...
Luxon speaks in Parliament yesterday about the Abuse in Care report. Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:PM Christopher Luxon said yesterday in tabling the Abuse in Carereport in Parliament he wanted to ‘do the ...
About a decade ago I worked with a bloke called Steve. He was the grizzled veteran coder, a few years older than me, who knew where the bodies were buried - code wise. Despite his best efforts to be approachable and friendly he could be kind of gruff, through to ...
Some of the recent announcements from the government have reminded us of posts we’ve written in the past. Here’s one from early 2020. There were plenty of reactions to the government’s infrastructure announcement a few weeks ago which saw them fund a bunch of big roading projects. One of ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Thursday, July 25 are:News: Why Electric Kiwi is closing to new customers - and why it matters RNZ’s Susan EdmundsScoop: Government drops ...
Hi,I felt a small wet tongue snaking through one of the holes in my Crocs. It explored my big toe, darting down one side, then the other. “He’s looking for some toe cheese,” said the woman next to me, words that still haunt me to this day.Growing up in New ...
Yesterday I happily quoted the Prime Minister without fact-checking him and sure enough, it turns out his numbers were all to hell. It’s not four kg of Royal Commission report, it’s fourteen.My friend and one-time colleague-in-comms Hazel Phillips gently alerted me to my error almost as soon as I’d hit ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Thursday, July 25, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day were:The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquirypublished its final report yesterday.PM Christopher Luxon and The Minister responsible for ...
The Official Information Act has always been a battle between requesters seeking information, and governments seeking to control it. Information is power, so Ministers and government agencies want to manage what is released and when, for their own convenience, and legality and democracy be damned. Their most recent tactic for ...
TL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:Transport and Energy Minister Simeon Brown is accelerating plans to spend at least $10 billion through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to extend State Highway One as a four-lane ‘Expressway’ from Warkworth to Whangarei ...
I live my life (woo-ooh-ooh)With no control in my destinyYea-yeah, yea-yeah (woo-ooh-ooh)I can bleed when I want to bleedSo come on, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)You can bleed when you want to bleedYea-yeah, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)Everybody bleed when they want to bleedCome on and bleedGovernments face tough challenges. Selling unpopular decisions to ...
Please note:To skip directly to the- parliamentary footage in the video, scroll to 1:21 To skip to audio please click on the headphone iconon the left hand side of the screenThis video / audio section is under development. ...
Given the crackdown on wasteful government spending, it behooves me to point to a high profile example of spending by the Luxon government that looks like a big, fat waste of time and money. I’m talking about the deployment of NZDF personnel to support the US-led coalition in the Red ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:40 am on Wednesday, July 24 are:Deep Dive: Chipping away at the housing crisis, including my comments RNZ/Newsroom’s The DetailNews: Government softens on asset sales, ...
As I reported about the city centre, Auckland’s rail network is also going through a difficult and disruptive period which is rapidly approaching a culmination, this will result in a significant upgrade to the whole network. Hallelujah. Also like the city centre this is an upgrade predicated on the City ...
Today, a 4 kilogram report will be delivered to Parliament. We know this is what the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care weighs, because our Prime Minister told us so.Some reporter had blindsided him by asking a question about something done by ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Wednesday, July 24, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Beehive:Transport Minister Simeon Brownannounced plans to use PPPs to fund, build and run a four-lane expressway between Auckland ...
NewstalkZB host Mike Hosking, who can usually be relied on to give Prime Minister Christopher Luxon an easy run, did not do so yesterday when he interviewed him about the HealthNZ deficit. Luxon is trying to use a deficit reported last year by HealthNZ as yet another example of the ...
Back in January a StatsNZ employee gave a speech at Rātana on behalf of tangata whenua in which he insulted and criticised the government. The speech clearly violated the principle of a neutral public service, and StatsNZ started an investigation. Part of that was getting an external consultant to examine ...
Renting for life: Shared ownership initiatives are unlikely to slow the slide in home ownership by much. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:A Deloittereport for Westpac has projected Aotearoa’s home-ownership rate will ...
You're broken down and tiredOf living life on a merry go roundAnd you can't find the fighterBut I see it in you so we gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsWe gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsAnd I'll rise upI'll rise like the dayI'll rise upI'll rise unafraidI'll rise upAnd I'll ...
There’s been a change in Myers Park. Down the steps from St. Kevin’s Arcade, past the grassy slopes, the children’s playground, the benches and that goat statue, there has been a transformation. The underpass for Mayoral Drive has gone from a barren, grey, concrete tunnel, to a place that thrums ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global society may have finally slammed on the brakes for climate-warming pollution released by human fossil fuel combustion. According to the Carbon Monitor Project, the total global climate pollution released between February and May 2024 declined slightly from the amount released during the same ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Tuesday, July 23 are:Deep Dive: Penlink: where tolling rhetoric meets reality BusinessDesk-$$$’sOliver LewisScoop:Te Pūkenga plans for regional polytechs leak out ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announcedthe Board of Te Whatu Ora-Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
A homeless person’s camp beside a blocked-off slipped damage walkway in Freeman’s Bay: we are chasing our tail on our worsening and inter-related housing, poverty and climate crises. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Orderimage, ...
Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
Waiting In The Wings:For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSAannounced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
Te Rangi e tu nei (The sky above us) Te Papa e takoto nei (The land beneath us) Tatou katoa te hunga ora (To us all the living) Tena koutou katoa (Greetings) ...
A late change to charter school legislation will cheat educators out of fair pay and negotiating power proving charter schools are just a vehicle to make profit out of our education system. ...
In 2004 te iwi Māori rallied against the Crown’s attempt to confiscate our coastlines and moana with the Foreshore and Seabed Act. This led to the largest hīkoi of a generation and the birth of Te Pāti Māori. 20 years later, history is repeating itself. Today the government has announced ...
It has been five and a half years since the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care was established to investigate the abuse of children, young people, and vulnerable adults within state and faith-based institutions. Yesterday, the final report - Whanaketia through pain and trauma, from darkness to light ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to take action off the back of the International Court of Justice ruling on Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine. ...
On Friday the International Court of Justice reaffirmed what Palestinian’s have been telling us for decades: that the occupation and colonisation of Palestinian lands by Israel is illegal and must end immediately. They also called for reparations for Palestinian’s who have lived under Israeli occupation since it began in 1967. ...
Labour calls on the Government to act after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian Territories is illegal. ...
The 53.7 percent rise in benefit sanctions over the last year is more proof of this Government’s disdain for our communities most in need of support. ...
Aotearoa could be a country where every child grows up feeling safe, loved and with a sense of belonging in their whānau and community. But for some of our children, this is far from reality. Instead, they are trapped in a maze of intergenerational harm that they can’t escape on ...
Te Pāti Māori are calling for David Seymour to resign as Associate Health Minister in response to his call for Pharmac to ignore the Treaty of Waitangi. “This announcement is just another example of the government’s anti-Tiriti, anti-Māori agenda.” Said Co-leader and spokesperson for health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. “Seymour thinks it ...
The soaring price of renting is driving the rise of inflation in this country - with latest figures from Stats NZ showing rents are up 4.8 per cent on average while annual inflation is at 3.3 per cent. ...
National’s Emissions Reduction Plan will take New Zealand further from the economy we need to ensure the next generation has a stable climate and secure livelihoods. ...
Following consultation with named parties and thorough consideration of privacy interests, the Green Party is in a position to release the Executive Summary of the final report from the independent investigation into Darleen Tana. ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon should be asking serious questions of his Minister for Resources Shane Jones now it’s been revealed he misled the public about a dinner with mining companies that he didn’t declare and said wasn’t pre-arranged. ...
Te Pāti Māori have submitted to the Justice Select Committee against the Sentencing (Reinstating Three Strikes) Amendment Bill. The bill will further entrench racism in our justice system and fails to focus on rehabilitation. “Reinstating Three Strikes will empower a systematically racist system and exacerbate the overrepresentation of Māori in ...
The Transport and Infrastructure Committee is set to make a determination on the Residential Tenancies Amendment (RTA) Bill in the coming weeks. “This legislation will give landlords the power to kick our whānau out onto the street for no reason” said Housing spokesperson, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “Their solution to the housing ...
“National’s campaign was about tackling crime and the best they can do is a two-year long Ministerial Advisory Group,” Labour justice spokesperson Duncan Webb said. ...
“There are more examples of charter schools failing their students than there are success stories. The coalition Government is driving to dismantle our public school system and instead promote a privatised, competitive structure that puts profits before kids,” Jan Tinetti said. ...
“This government is choosing to deliberately mislead and withhold information, keeping our people in the dark about this government’s agenda and the future of our mokopuna,” said co-leader and spokesperson for Health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. The call comes after the demand from the Chief Ombudsman that Associate Minister of Health, Casey ...
“Today’s climate announcement by Simon Watts makes clear the National Government is simply paying lip service to meeting its climate change targets,” Megan Woods said. ...
National is choosing to make life harder for workers by taking away the rights our communities have fought hard for. Here's how they’re taking workers backwards. ...
Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue. We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views. “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
Tēnā tātou katoa, Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts. “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet. “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks. “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care. At the heart of this report are the ...
For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...
The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...
With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...
Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says a bill that has passed its first reading will improve parental leave settings and give non-biological parents more flexibility as primary carer for their child. The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No3), passed its first reading this morning. “It includes a change ...
Two Bills designed to improve regulation and make it easier to do business have passed their first reading in Parliament, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. The Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Bill and Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill make key changes to legislation administered by the Ministry ...
New legislation paves the way for greater competition in sectors such as banking and electricity, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Competitive markets boost productivity, create employment opportunities and lift living standards. To support competition, we need good quality regulation but, unfortunately, a recent OECD report ranked New ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says lotteries for charitable purposes, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, and local hospices, will soon be allowed to operate online permanently. “Under current laws, these fundraising lotteries are only allowed to operate online until October 2024, after which ...
The Coalition Government is accelerating work on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of its Roads of National Significance programme, with an accelerated delivery model to deliver this project faster and more efficiently, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “For too long, the lack of resilient transport connections ...
Sir Don McKinnon will travel to Viet Nam this week as a Special Envoy of the Government, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “It is important that the Government give due recognition to the significant contributions that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made to New Zealand-Viet Nam relations,” Mr ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says newly appointed Commissioner, Grant Illingworth KC, will help deliver the report for the first phase of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons, due on 28 November 2024. “I am pleased to announce that Mr Illingworth will commence his appointment as ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters travels to Laos this week to participate in a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-led Ministerial meetings in Vientiane. “ASEAN plays an important role in supporting a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Mr Peters says. “This will be our third visit to ...
Construction of a new mental health facility at Te Nikau Grey Hospital in Greymouth is today one step closer, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “This $27 million facility shows this Government is delivering on its promise to boost mental health care and improve front line services,” Mr Doocey says. ...
New Zealand is committing nearly $50 million to a package supporting sustainable Pacific fisheries development over the next four years, Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This support consisting of a range of initiatives demonstrates New Zealand’s commitment to assisting our Pacific partners ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour says proposed changes to the Education and Training Amendment Bill will ensure charter schools have more flexibility to negotiate employment agreements and are equipped with the right teaching resources. “Cabinet has agreed to progress an amendment which means unions will not be able to initiate ...
In response to serious concerns around oversight, overspend and a significant deterioration in financial outlook, the Board of Health New Zealand will be replaced with a Commissioner, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti announced today. “The previous government’s botched health reforms have created significant financial challenges at Health NZ that, without ...
Minister for Space and Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins will travel to Adelaide tomorrow for space and science engagements, including speaking at the Australian Space Forum. While there she will also have meetings and visits with a focus on space, biotechnology and innovation. “New Zealand has a thriving space ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will travel to China on Saturday to attend the Ministerial on Climate Action meeting held in Wuhan. “Attending the Ministerial on Climate Action is an opportunity to advocate for New Zealand climate priorities and engage with our key partners on climate action,” Mr Watts says. ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is travelling to the Solomon Islands tomorrow for meetings with his counterparts from around the Pacific supporting collective management of the region’s fisheries. The 23rd Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Committee and the 5th Regional Fisheries Ministers’ Meeting in Honiara from 23 to 26 July ...
The Government today launched the Military Style Academy Pilot at Te Au rere a te Tonga Youth Justice residence in Palmerston North, an important part of the Government’s plan to crackdown on youth crime and getting youth offenders back on track, Minister for Children, Karen Chhour said today. “On the ...
The Government has welcomed news the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has begun work to replace nine priority bridges across the country to ensure our state highway network remains resilient, reliable, and efficient for road users, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“Increasing productivity and economic growth is a key priority for the ...
Acting Prime Minister David Seymour has been in contact throughout the evening with senior officials who have coordinated a whole of government response to the global IT outage and can provide an update. The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet has designated the National Emergency Management Agency as the ...
New Zealand and Japan will continue to step up their shared engagement with the Pacific, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “New Zealand and Japan have a strong, shared interest in a free, open and stable Pacific Islands region,” Mr Peters says. “We are pleased to be finding more ways ...
New developments in the heart of North Island forestry country will reinvigorate their communities and boost economic development, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones visited Kaingaroa and Kawerau in Bay of Plenty today to open a landmark community centre in the former and a new connecting road in ...
President Adeang, fellow Ministers, honourable Diet Member Horii, Ambassadors, distinguished guests. Minasama, konnichiwa, and good afternoon, everyone. Distinguished guests, it’s a pleasure to be here with you today to talk about New Zealand’s foreign policy reset, the reasons for it, the values that underpin it, and how it ...
Last summer when Matairangi burned, Ginny and Tom stood at the window of their lounge, watching kākā shoot skyward from the burning trees. From the distance, they looked to Ginny like pages torn from books and thrown into a bonfire. It was Tom, voice tight, who told her it was ...
Opinion: The Canadian short story writer Alice Munro – winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2013 – died in May at the age of 92. Her work was about “the damage people inflict on one another in the name of love”, Deborah Treisman wrote in the New Yorker. ...
This month marks two years since the most powerful telescope ever built sent its first pictures back to earth. From its lofty vantage point, beyond the moon in orbit around the sun, the James Webb Space Telescope was tuned to observe the first stars and galaxies being born soon after ...
Comment: After Climate Change Minister Simon Watts’ preview several weeks ago, I had some optimism about the Government’s emissions reduction plan. Now I’ve read the discussion document, that hope has been dashed. How can the Government propose a plan that wants to take New Zealand taxpayers’ hard-earned money, and spend ...
Christopher Luxon: hurdles The little man from National jumps hurdles in his sleep. He’s quite good at it in his dreams and even though the reality doesn’t quite match up you have to give him credit for getting up every morning and crashing into the very first hurdle of the ...
Comment: It was a good two hours into the conversation when Tyrone Marks raised the most basic of questions when I first spoke to him in 2017. “They didn’t explain the things they did to me. They never told me why. And they still haven’t. There’s no explanation for it. ...
Madeleine Chapman rounds out Death Week on The Spinoff with a final recommendation. You can read all of our Death Week coverage here. Nothing forces you to reflect on your life and relationships quite like proximity to death. For those whose nearest and dearest have died, there are reasonably obvious ...
Whitney Greene takes us through her life in television, including the TV character she’d like to plan a funeral for and her cow lung catastrophe on The Traitors NZ. “If the phone rings, I have to answer it,” Whitney Greene from The Traitors NZ warns as we begin our My ...
Maddie Ballard reviews the debut essay collection of Pōneke writer Flora Feltham.In ‘The Raw Material’, the longest essay in Flora Feltham’s dazzling debut collection, the author heads out for a run after hours of weaving and sees the world turn to textile. “Pounding along the Parade, I saw the ...
Andy Christiansen, one half of the experimental rock-pop duo TRiPS, shares the tunes inspiring the band’s perfect weekend and new release. “Good speakers, good food, good music, no distractions”: that’s all you need to enjoy the psychedelic stylings of TRiPS, a new band formed by Fly My Pretties’ Barnaby Weir ...
Celebrating our quadrennial opportunity to become experts in a bunch of sports we never normally watch.The games of the XXXIII Olympiad are upon us. Paris will host this year’s showcase of sporting and athletic prowess, which means some late-night and early-morning viewing for us in Aotearoa.But what sports ...
The photograph is striking and beautiful, but also disturbing – a reminder that my love for John was often entangled in shame.The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.In the spring of 1980, in Dunedin, shortly before his death, someone took a photograph ...
Get to know Babushka, our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Babu’s humans, Jo and Isabel, for their support. Dog name: Babushka (Babu for short) Age: 2Breed: Border Collie X poodleIf rescued, ...
Pacific Media Watch A Lebanese photojournalist who was severely wounded during an Israeli air strike in south Lebanon carried the Olympic torch in Paris this week in honour of her peers who have been wounded and killed in the field — especially in Gaza and Lebanon. Christina Assi of Agence ...
The first report in a five-part web series focused on the 15th Triennial Conference of Pacific Women taking place in the Marshall Islands this week.SPECIAL REPORT:By Netani Rika in Majuro Women continue to fight for justice 70 years after the first nuclear tests by the United States caused ...
Christopher Luxon has joined with Australia and Canada's leaders in voicing support for US President Joe Biden's ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The 2022 election brought the “teal wave” into parliament. The next election will test whether teals, who occupy what were Liberal seats, and other independents can maintain their momentum. Joining us on the Podcast ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Musgrave, Senior lecturer in Pharmacology, University of Adelaide Pixavri/Shutterstock A major Federal Court class action has been dismissed this week after Justice Michael Lee ruled there was not enough evidence to prove the weedkiller Roundup causes cancer. Plaintiff Kelvin ...
In The Week in Politics: politicians have to decide what to do about child abuse, Health NZ is booked in for major surgery and Darleen Tana returns. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Corbould, Associate Professor, Contemporary Histories Research Group, Deakin University Mainstream media are surprisingly muted at the prospect of the world’s most powerful nation being led for the first time by a woman – specifically a woman of colour, Vice President Kamala ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rebecca Bennett, PhD Student, Associate Research Fellow, Deakin University Last week, a drone delivery company called Wing (owned by Google’s parent company, Alphabet) started operating in Melbourne. Some 250,000 residents in parts of the city’s eastern suburbs can now order food from ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonathan Foo, Lecturer, Physiotherapy, Monash University pikselstock/Shutterstock In the next 40 years in Australia, it’s predicted the number of Australians aged 65 and over will more than double, while the number of people aged 85 and over will more than triple. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katrina Grant, Research Associate, Power Institute for Arts and Visual Culture, University of Sydney Jonas Åkerström’s 1790 work, Session of the Accademia dell’Arcadia on August 17 1788.Nationalmuseum/Cecilia Heisser Ever wondered whether you’d have a better chance at winning an Olympic gold ...
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The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Lioness by Emily Perkins (Bloomsbury, $25) Roarrrr! Perkins’ brilliant, award-winning, Marian-Keyes anointed, darkly funny, long ...
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Antje Deckert, Associate Professor (Criminology), Auckland University of Technology Getty Images Despite the connection between institutional harm and gang membership made clear in this week’s mammoth royal commission abuse-in care report, the government seems unlikely to soften its “get tough on ...
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@lprent: The latest comment editor won’t let me reply to someone else’s comment. If I hit the reply button, the comment reply box appears with my name and email autofilled and the cursor at the end of my name. However, the comment text box is only one row high and clicking in the text box doesn’t get the cursor to appear there (it just disappears from the name box). Doing a top-level comment like this one works fine though. Hitting the tab key moves it to email then website then disappears and doesn’t ever make it to the comment text box.
The previous comment editors tested over the last few days all worked fine for me.
Chrome Version 74.0.3729.108 (Official Build) (64-bit) Windows 10 Pro Version 1803 OS build 17134.648
Replies on my android phone go through ok. But I couldn’t do an edit, maybe because I turned the phone wifi off then back on between posting the comment and trying to edit it.
Now that is weird. That is almost the exact version that I tested with.
I’ll revert back and retest later.
If you haven't already seen it, Sacha at comment 10 is having the same problem on a Mac OS.
This reply done on my laptop, so something has just fixed the problem for me.
eidt: Anne at 12 should be happier too, it appears to also have reverted back to a larger font.
FWIW, firefox quantum 66.0.3 on win10 replies ok, but the "cancel reply" button doesn't do anything (reads as a link to [thispage]/#respond )
edit… reads down page: sacha already reported it. #readWholeThreadBeforeResponding
Indeed, Cancel reply is dead.
f5 always worked better anyway.
Still works, but a little blunt to cancel a reply. I often have something active in the Find box (Ctrl-f) and that disappears too when using F5.
Try it now.. This one (CkEditor) works ok.
The TinyMce is the one you had a problem with. It is a bit surprising as it uses the underlying javascript editor.
Working for me now, thanks. Was the content field’s tabindex = -1 setting standard for that tinymce editor?
I had a similar problem this morning. No space for comment text in Editor and no cursor when using reply function but a single stand-alone comment did show that space + cursor. When cancelling a reply the space also disappeared in stand-alone comments unless I refreshed the whole page!?
I had the latter behaviour as well.
I pressed something last night and the comment space disappeared so that nothing could be entered. My son looked at source? code and restored function but it returned to that same condition – something was 'hidden'. Hitting enter automatically creates a double space, I would prefer to make my own. But can put comment today, so far so good. It is interesting how there are format icons at the top now. But if I edit, the edit box uses the same functions as usual eg the <i> for italics.
Yep. The re-edit box just shows raw.
Once I get the 'right' editor, I'll edd that to re-edit as well.
Editor controls look nice.
Cancel Reply button does nothing.
Ummm. Testing.
Yep – sure doesn't. Adding to Jira list.
Ummm. Testing.
Yep – sure doesn't make the reply go away. However it does seem to stop the save ??
Adding to Jira list.
”get woke, go broke”
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/lifestyle/2019/04/melbourne-vegan-caf-that-charged-men-18-percent-surcharge-to-reflect-the-pay-gap-closes-down.html
Cafe that charges men 18% more goes broke – who would have guessed.
Clearly, 18% more wasn’t enough.
Ok – that was funny.
Zelda D'Aprano in the 70's, a feminist protester for equality, spent a day trying to travel on buses, buy something, paying a smaller fare price than the official one, the discount being the percentage lower of women's wages than those of men. IThat was in Melbourne too.
I Was looking at some ‘not chicken’ meat choices at the supermarket. Expensive. They use oil salts and cides to grow the vegetable protein then this is shipped to a lab using copious amounts of energy then to be pounded prodded poked altered abridged extracted and exhumed into burger.
Then to be packaged, re-shipped primped and pimped, postered and posted to places placed precariously in piled presentations for punters perusal…
It doesn’t really matter if it tastes like meat.
They’ve added a laboratory, more shipping and more processing to pea farming.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-crops-protein/big-ag-turns-to-peas-to-meet-soaring-global-protein-demand-idUSKCN1IJ1B3
Test tube meat is another story. I’ve not enough information to make a call I do understand the move to produce it. The profit motive, but also, whole protein for the masses without factory farms.
Dietary trends drive consumers to all sorts of ridiculous food choices (and some healthy). Growing a garden (and eating the produce) will improve your health better than Atkins, keto, low-carb, bla de bla, et al, etc.
<i>It doesn’t really matter if it tastes like meat.</i>
The people buying these triumphs of industrial food processing should stop calling themselves vegeterians and just eat chicken if they want to eat something that tastes like chicken.
<i>Growing a garden (and eating the produce) will improve your health better than Atkins, keto, low-carb, bla de bla, et al, etc.</i>
To be fair, any diet that minimises your refined carb intake will improve your health more than one that doesn’t. Both growing your own food and Atkins etc fit that bill, although it sounds plausible that growing your own food would give the most improvement.
Depends on your reasons for becoming a vegetarian – I reached 25 years as a vegetarian yesterday and my reasons were and are that I didn’t like the taste, animal welfare, and environmental impact of over-farming, so for me, fake meat is pointless because I don’t like the taste of it. For others, products like Quorn are just the ticket to become vegetarian without having to completely give up their favorite dishes or to allow families with mixed diets to share meals more easily.
WtB
A massive missile aimed at masticating mankind in metamorphosis.
Like you – as an omnivore, there isn't a fruit or vegetable that I don't enjoy.
But also, we omnivores also enjoy beef, mutton, pork, chicken etc as well.
Just as homo sapiens [as omnivores] have ALWAYS done.
You woke early today, James. Been to the parade?
im up early every morning.
C’mon. You know James doesn’t believe in a “socialist” endeavor, such as collectively opposing the Nazi’s.
You do know, I suppose, that the New Zealand Communist Party, like the equivalent in Britain, were strongly against opposing the Nazi's until June 1941?
"Early in the war, communists' allegiance to the Soviet Union aligned them with Germany. In 1940 their newspaper, People's Voice, was banned by the government, and books on communism were among those outlawed under New Zealand censorship controls. But when Germany invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941, the New Zealand Communist Party, along with others in the west, shifted its allegiance and swung in behind the war effort."
https://nzhistory.govt.nz/war/second-world-war-at-home/in-dissent
Would you call that "collectively opposing the Nazi's" in a socialist endeavour?
WTF has that to do with my comment.
Pete George promotes white poppies over red in his Anzac Day post
https://yournz.org/2019/04/25/anzac-day-2019/
Rooster in the neighbourhood, James?
Shane Jones 🙂
Or a peacock![wink wink](https://cdn.ckeditor.com/4.11.3/full-all/plugins/smiley/images/wink_smile.png)
Over stuffed turkey
Gobble gobble
Looking at Bernie’s actual record suggests if he gets to be prez he’ll actually end up being moderate, even centrist. That’s without even considering the fact that to get any actual legislation through he would need the vote of the 50th senator, at best likely to be someone like Joe Manchin or Krysten Sinema. Which all means the anti-Bernie sentiment from moderate Dems is probably misplaced, but also those currently “feeling the Bern” would likely end up bitterly disappointed.
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/4/24/18510756/bernie-sanders-2020-democrats-neoliberals-chill
Bernie’s campaign slogan should be
“Prepare for the disappointment.”
“Downer is coming”
“OBummer”
“Despair and stasis”
“Just Biden my time.”
“Better with Beto”
“Bolt in with Moulton”
“Burstin’ Kirstin”
“SuperLooper”
“Pretty Samey with Amy”
Tim Ryan: Working Class Man
“Warrior Worrying Warren”
and of course:
“Made America Great Again”
"Kool Kids for Kamala"
Do you see Trump's chances of a second term as greater, or lesser than, 45% chance of success?
I think the 2020 election is the Democrat's to lose. I reckon there's around a 1 in 3 chance the Dems will indeed lose it.
Looks to me like the electorate is around 20% those who will vote for whatever has an (R) next to its name, even if it's a three-weeks gone mouldering corpse. There's another 20% that are middle-finger voters. The mandarin master baiter has those segments locked down hard. At this stage I find it hard to see he'll pull back much if any support from the remaining 60% of the electorate.
So the Dem candidate needs to be able to pull in a bit more than 2/3 of the remaining electorate. Against what's bound to be unprecedented levels of attempted smears over social media (having seen how successful that was against Hillary). That social media will target the far left, to try to push them to third party candidates or just not vote. They will also try to get centrists to not vote, by smears and by painting the vote as making no difference anyway.
There will also be unprecedented attempts at voter suppression (since that worked against Stacey Abrams in Georgia 2018). Because by then the courts will have been stacked enough there's a good chance of getting away with it.
I reckon Bernie and Biden are both particularly vulnerable to smear campaigns, because their long histories in Washington will have all kinds of little nuggets that can be twisted and blown up into major smears. For instance, Biden's treatment of Anita Hill would be quite a starting point for a campaign to turn woke lefties onto third parties or to just not vote. Then there's their age, which makes them both vulnerable to "hillary's health" type smears (never mind the 6'3 239lb incumbent's best physical condition for any president ever).
So I think a tough primary is going to be important for sorting out which candidates have the skilz for dealing with the coming smears, as well as finding most of the background weak points that can become the little grain of truth needed for a successful smear.
Bern’ere Before!
Bernie bascially just wants a return to the US of 1933-1980, without the wife beatings and cross burnings.
In other words, more or less a Keynesian welfare state, with strong trade unions.
That seems to be what passes for socialism in the USA.
The numbers weren’t too bad at Waikumete Cemetery this morning for the dawn parade.
Couple of unwelcome changes however.
Police presence shutting off a large surrounding road, and constricting the whole of Great North Road with patrols.
And they used to have little candles lit under each of the hundreds of serried war graves, which were such a hopeful glimmer.
I want to see every neighborhood go back to their own commemoration, as well as the large regional ones. I thought this was supposed to be celebrating a free society? And bring back the candles.
Police have been clear the security requirements are for this year only, because of the well-known issue of increased threat levels for public gatherings after big terrorist events. I am confident that most attendees would happily trade temporarily-blocked nearby roads for a better chance of survival.
With Kushner in his pocket MBS can do whatever TF he likes.
https://twitter.com/amnesty/status/1120730249220718592
Just as Jared Kushner answered questions about the close ties between the White House and Saudi Arabia in New York on Tuesday, the Middle Eastern kingdom beheaded 37 people in its largest mass execution in at last three years.
The executions, of mostly Shiite men accused of terrorism related crimes, were part of what Washington’s Gulf Institute director Ali Al-Ahmed called “the largest mass execution of Shiites in the kingdom’s history.”
Al-Ahmed identified 34 of the 37 victims as Shiite.
According to reports, Saudi Arabian security services nailed one of the heads to a poll as a warning and one victim was crucified after his execution.
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/04/23/kushner-talks-accountability-crown-prince-just-saudis-offer-egregious-display
Kushner+Bolton have been reasonably successful bringing Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United States together in the form of their common sworn enemy in the form of Iran. Iran threatens Israel’s regional nuclear monopoly and decreases is security dominance around israel. Iran threatens Saudi Arabia on security and religious grounds. How Iran threatens the US is completely beyond me.
With the U.S. President officially turning a blind eye to the Saudi murder of Khashoggi, and Netanyahu re-elected, this untied force against iran will re-bind and strengthen. The result will be Saudi leadership to induce other Arab states to open their economies to Israeli investment and technical expertise (particularly in fresh water, and security technology), brining Israel substantial economic benefits.
The bigger goal between Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the US, is for money to talk louder than religion.
Which is not an unusual way to achieve lasting peace.
The end game is the Aramco IPO (the worlds most profitable company)
https://www.forbes.com/sites/ellenrwald/2019/04/01/saudi-aramco-is-the-most-profitable-company-in-the-world-but-where-is-all-the-money-going/#47a07a4857d8
Destabalise other global exporters ie Iran, Venezuela,Libya value goes up.
Fucking with other nation’s economies with oil sanctions has always worked out so well.
But if you want a war, why not.
“With the announcement today, we’ve made clear our seriousness of purpose,” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said during a press conference on Monday. “We are going to zero. How long we remain there, at zero, depends solely on the Islamic Republic of Iran’s senior leaders. We’ve made our demands very clear to the ayatollah and his cronies.”
The decision to stop issuing sanctions waivers threatens to wipe roughly 1 million barrels per day off the market at a time when analyst say oil supply is already tightening. Crude futures spiked to nearly six-month highs on news of the policy, which was first reported Sunday by The Washington Post.
[…]
Companies in those countries now face the threat of being locked out of the U.S. financial system if they continue to import crude from Iran. The question is whether some of those countries will seek to skirt the sanctions, including by facilitating or encouraging purchases of Iranian crude through companies not tied to the U.S. financial system.
China’s Foreign Ministry on Monday denounced Washington’s Iran policy.
“China opposes the unilateral sanctions and so-called ‘long-arm jurisdictions’ imposed by the US. Our cooperation with Iran is open, transparent, lawful and legitimate, thus it should be respected,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang told reporters.
“Our government is committed to upholding the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies and will play a positive and constructive role in upholding the stability of global energy market.”
Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlut Cavusoglu also rejected the sanctions, saying they “will not serve regional peace and stability” and would hurt the Iranian people.
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/04/22/trump-expected-to-end-iran-oil-waivers-try-to-drive-exports-to-zero.html
great way to hasten the abandonment of the US dollar in oil deals, and the expanded use of alternative arrangements to SWIFT
Yeah, sanctions have always encouraged nations to make good decisions.
/.
Not sure Aramco is a solid buy – there's some softness in the Ghawar field at least.
The other big winner you haven’t mentioned from the Iran shenanigans is Russia.
That’s no lie
Agree with most of that, except:
“Which is not an unusual way to achieve lasting peace”
There is the war with Iran bit that will come before any peace, with the way these governments are behaving.
The way you’ve written that last line suggests we should accept the alignment of interests that’s going on with a shrug.
Pricks are worried about the optics rather than the ethics of detaining children in a military prison.
The United States is considering housing migrant children at the US military prison at Guantanamo Bay to help handle an up-tick in the number of immigrants crossing the US southern border, according to a new report.
The idea was first proposed earlier this year as the Department of Homeland Security looked for military facilities where migrants could be held as they wait for their cases to be processed.
But, the proposal has not gained much traction so far, with officials telling the New York Times that the idea has been less ideal because of the optics involved with housing children right next to terrorism suspects in the notorious American prison.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/guantanamo-bay-migrant-children-us-immigration-trump-border-a8883511.html
@lprent – same problem as Andre at 1, different platform: MacOS 10.14.4, FF 66.0.3
Was working for me yesterday, whatever has changed since.
While Jacinda has put an end to a comprehensive CGT, it hasn’t stopped National from attacking them on tax.
Conveniently, National already gave us the bright line test which functions like a mild version of CGT.
Yes.
Meanwhile, it seems Labour were surprised from supporters CGT reaction.
It will be interesting to see (in the next round of polls) if Jacinda did expend some of that political capital after all.
The Tax Working Group policy came from a regional conference as a policy remit to work through options (the regional conference had large numbers of tax remits to replace CGT as Labour Party policy as CGT had failed at the 2011 and 2014 elections and the mood from LECs was to dump CGT), so it was actually supported by Labour Party members, not just the MPs.
Cynical though it may be, Soper’s latest Herald contribution does have a point:
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12225063
I also found it ironic that France and New Zealand are planning to lead an International Terrorism Summit next month given that France committed such an act on our soil in 1985. Its quite funny really, although the grand-master of wit and humour, David Lange probably wouldn’t think so.
Edit: lprent, the font size is very small in comment box – about 8 by the looks if it. A bit of struggle for us oldies.
We had a young French family holidaying here at the time back in 1985 and they were mortified and genuinely shocked that their govt had blown up the Rainbow Warrior and killed someone on NZ soil. We have French mayors here this ANZAC day that have come to remember the Kiwis who never made it home from WW1/WW2. There are places in France that celebrate and honour our soldiers efforts to free them from the Germans. The French will always have cap in hand when it comes to NZ and the irony of past events.
Good on our PM for seizing the moment, joining with France and “trying to right the wrongs on the cyber highway”.
So there is talk of Labour introducing a land tax, however the suggestion is it is to be applied and collected by local councils. Helping them with their shortfalls while robbing Labour of any revenue, thus funding to do more.
Therefore, it isn’t going to be much compensation for Labour abandoning a CGT. Which (going off their surprise re the public reaction to the dropping of a CGT) may come as another surprise to them.
There is talk of National introducing a new PNT (pay no tax) round of tax cuts followed by a GNS (get no services) when becoming govt next.
Insurance companies are understandably excited and already working on a suite of policies with competitive premiums for those that can pay.
Hardly surprising.
With the abandoning of a CGT and the suggestion of gifting councils any land tax revenue, looks as if Labour are trying to beat them to it.
“… robbing Labour of any revenue, thus funding to do more. Therefore, it isn’t going to be much compensation for Labour abandoning a CGT…”
Labour (and the working group) had talked about a revenue-neutral CGT/personal income tax programme – so it was never going to be a way to fund other initiatives.
It was going to restore some fairness to our tax system while helping to address inequality by redistributing the new tax take.
However, Jacinda unnecessarily put an end to that ever happening under her watch. An achievement the opposition never succeeded in and would be proud of.
As for being a way to fund other initiatives, it was only projected to be tax neutral for the fist 5 years, then the tax return vastly exceeds the proposed tax cuts. Thus, giving them scope (by providing the funding) to do far more.
It was going to restore some fairness to our tax system while helping to address inequality by redistributing the new tax take.
Improving the fairness of the tax system, while laudable, isn't about increasing revenue. Redistributing tax-based spending to address inequality can be done regardless of whether a CGT is implemented or not – the effects will be the same, because the tax take will be the same – CGT wasn't about increasing revenue.
Of course it was. That's how they were going to cover the accompanying tax cuts, thereby making it tax neutral (in the first 5 years). After which, the tax revenue vastly increases.
Moreover, it was about fairness via taxing currently tax free gains.
Yes, redistributing tax-based spending to address inequality can be done via other means, but those don't also address the unfairness of tax free gains.
In addition, the tax-free capital gains distort the economy by diverting investment from production to renting activity. Great for capital owners, not so great for anybody else. In the end, we all miss out. But the shortsightedness of some (many?) prevented a mature debate and the rest is history.
I agree. My dispute is with the idea that by killing it the government's foregone a lucrative income stream it could use on welfare programmes.
Some ‘critics’ only want to focus on what might have happened in 5 years’ time. These same ‘critics’ jump up & down when presented with projected figures. Go figure.
Labour built up the hype, talked a big game but are struggling to fund it. Now they are surprised they are being criticized for dropping a means that would have helped them fund it. Go figure indeed.
Chairman, you'll be happy with Patrick Smellie's prediction that the government is temporarily sticking to the course of their own budget responsibility rules for this term in order to earn the trust of the international money hawks (didn't realise they were so powerful).
Then, Patrick surmises, the government will loosen the rules and increase debt to international norms. He also points out that you can't just throw plans and money at infrastructure when building capacity is already stretched. If only we had a competent government over the last 10 years!
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/opinion-analysis/112231423/you-want-transformational-government-try-this
What is “it”?
That's how they were going to cover the accompanying tax cuts, thereby making it tax neutral
If you increase one source of revenue so you can reduce another source of revenue by the same amount, you don't increase your revenue. That was the whole point of trading it off against tax cuts, being able to promise it wasn't a tax grab.
The view that it would eventually lead to dramatically increased revenue is "jam tomorrow" and, even if it were a realistic prospect, wouldn't give the government increased revenue in a timeframe useful to it – NZ governments don't get more than nine years and this one's nearly had two. If it had introduced a CGT it couldn't expect this alleged increase in revenue to turn up while it was still in power.
While you don't increase your net revenue, you still have to increase your revenue to provide redistribution via the proposed tax cuts to keep it tax neutral.
Moreover, Government accounting methods are largely based on forecasting. Thus, the added revenue stream from a CGT would improve the projected tax take beyond the 5 years, meaning the Government would be able to start increasing the capital and operating allowances in the Budget following it's implementation.
Jacinda's plan to reduce child poverty is a 10 year plan.
Workers pay tax on their wages; landlords pay tax on their rental incomes; businessmen pay tax on their profits; the only ones not paying tax on their earnings are those who are not taxed on their return on their investment in family homes, this return taking the form of free rental accommodation.
Untaxed capital gain from a transaction between a buyer and seller, which produces no income, and which affects nobody else but them, is hardly unfair.
I see that you are still sticking to your capital gain is not income. The other mistake is that it does not affect anybody else but the vendor and the buyer. You will have a very hard time arguing that. For starters, lenders, real estate agents, and insurance companies. Then, the other houses in the same street and area. I’ll make a big pot of tea …
That's interesting. This is the first time I've heard the effects of capital gain on "lenders, real estate agents, and insurance companies" and on "other houses in the same street and area" raised in this particular debate. However, if a property rises in value, and then is sold, these side effects are going to occur, but that's the result of the capital increase itself, not of the transaction. The sale of family homes no doubt involve the same effects.
And, as you say I'm sticking to my assertion that capital gain is not income. And I'm not making a mistake in saying so.
Well, I suppose that deliberate lying is not in the nature of a mistake…
Your obfuscatory manoeuvres are risible.
Thanks, In Vino, that saves me from having to reply.
It doesn't actually. In Vino, apparently incapab!e of presenting an intelligent rebuttal, has merely resorted to insults. Despite his pseudonym there really is no truth in him.
"Obfuscatory maneuvres"? Really ? Or is it just that your powers of comprehension are somewhat weak ?
Your premise was wrong. A sale of an asset that realises capital gain cannot be viewed as a transaction strictly between two parties (buyer and vendor). It obviously involves other parties, often dictated by Law, and always has an impact on a third party or parties. If you fail to see this then any further engagement with you on this topic is utterly futile.
Please note that I don’t even have to bring CGT into the conversation up to this point.
Land tax makes complete sense to me as a means to lower the value of land and increase revenue, but the local government option in the TWG report recommends the Productivity Commission investigates local government levying tax on vacant land in addition to rates.
Personally, I would happily see a land tax on all land, even if it is at 0.5% above $500K or something like that.
Require far more detail to know how it will exactly impact. But we may see a land tax may only result in land becoming more productive and not less valuable.
Most are over local government continuously increasing rates above the rate of inflation, so giving them this revenue stream on top of their rate take will most likely go down like a cup of cold sick. Unless the majority are going to get rate cuts.
Nevertheless, it robs central government of any funding revenue, thus their ability to do more.
In the ‘good old days’ people could claim depreciation on rental’s buildings and if you sold the rental for more than its depreciated value you were taxed on that income.
Because land is not depreciated, this won’t work but in essence, a CGT would be a tax on a fixed asset, including land that has risen in real value over time.
That's such a pathetic meme – rates only going up by inflation. That means that the Council could do very little to build infrastructure, cope with changing needs. Going up by inflation merely means keeping the spending value of the money at the same level, virtually a nil rise. It is the sort of bleat that comes from the older age group who want to be kept in the style they are used to.
It's the sort of noise you hear when you talk to just about anyone about their local council. Wasteful spending, budget blowouts and over taxing/rating are the most common gripes.
Many households are struggling, thus want councils to live more within their means.
Increasing council rates adds to the cost of home ownership while driving up rents.
"Councils living within their means" almost all the time leads to libraries closing, parks being sold off, pools closing, halls being demolished etc."
Every time.
Extremist rubbish, millsy.
Councils living within their means simply means expenditure on such infrastructure will better reflect what a community can afford.
Already paying Land Tax in the form of rates.
Rates are not a Land Tax as such.
Of course they are . They are based on the value of your land.
Rates here in Orclund are based on capital value, which is land plus improvements. If it were just land value, the distribution of rates paid would be quite different than what it is now.
Rates pay for services and usage of infrastructure associated with the land. A CGT or land tax is a tax on income from the sale of that land. One is local, the other is national.
We pay GST on rates as well, so government gets some of it already, but I think a separate land tax on all sections > $500K would make sense even if it feels like taxing more tax again, not least because it would be administratively very simple to collect – gets added to rates and passed on quarterly.
We are discussing sources of revenue for central government. Rates are local government revenue.
@ Anne
Anzac Day
Very Ironic that many NZ TRoops have been Honoured by French Personnel – Mayors of Towns – and individuals.
Several Mayors are in New Zealand today, honouring the Grit and Purpose of our Troops. Also Bringing their thanks from the populations.
But you and and your friend soper would not know one iota of what our men and women achieved in France. Nor the extent of the gratitiude shown to this day by France.
You and Soper – should really aplogise to the families of the dead. Instead of having a fit of the funnies.
Soper,
You stupid ass.
My comment was not a cynical overview of the spirit of ANZAC. It was merely a heads up concerning a somewhat wry point made by a journalist and did not include the body of his article. If you can't tell the difference, then you need your head read.
My father saw active service in 1918 during WW1 and lost a number of his mates. He was an army officer in WW2 who was responsible for the welfare of several Pacific Island nations and also spent periods of time fighting the Japanese in extremely precarious conditions.
You apologise to me.
@Anne
Anazac Day 2019
I didn't for a moment think you would apologise. Certainly your little friend Soper won't.
Enjoy your funnies. You two little dove loves can keep on abusing the French, but neither of you will ever mature.
OT, you obviously don't do irony. You appear to have completely misunderstood Anne's comments. I get her reference to the cynical element of Sopers article, why can't you. I couldn't imagine Anne being a "love dove" with Barry Soper, if she is then I have disembarked at the wrong planet.
Hi Kat
I am aware that a female scorned is mayhem. Not in the least bit amusing.
Also when you see all the white Crosses pegged in the ground – each representing a motherless dead soldier, name imprinted – You are inclined to lose interest in the weak comedy of Soper.
So, via you Kat, I promise to giggle at Soper. He is a child. And hopefully I will leave Anne without any cross now or in the future.
Thank You Kat
Yes, you're on the right planet Kat. 😉
Can't stand the Soper. I don't read him or the other ne'er do well tighty righties who frequent the pages of the Herald and other MSM outlets. Eg. the Hosk, and the Hosk's spouse (whose name escapes me), the Soper spouse, HDP and the Hooton. Oh and rwnj Leighton Smith. There’s a few more who are so low in my estimation I don’t know their names.
But I concede I was attracted to the Soper headline because the irony had not escaped either.
George was a thoroughly likeable character when I worked with him many years ago.
Condolences to Dame Tariana and whānau.
https://www.waateanews.com/waateanews/x_news/MjE1ODc/Rock-of-M%C4%81ori-party-George-Turia-dies
The bullshit 10,000 jobs claim?
Although noted by Bryan Bruce, not hearing much outrage from many of the left on this. If it were National pulling this one, I'm sure there would be far more noise.
If you wish to include others into the conversation with yourself, it pays to explain what you’re talking about.
The Provincial growth fund and the incredibly dubious way new jobs are calculated.
What’s the reference to Bryan Bruce?
He notes it in his latest blog.
https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2019/04/25/guest-blog-bryan-bruce-the-complete-take-down-of-nz-labour-no-matthew-i-have-not-been-sleeping-or-deliberately-misleading/
He's bringing Kiwiblog's talking points over here: The bullshit 10,000 jobs claim. Hold your nose if you follow the link.
No. You linked to kiwiblog. My reference was to the daily blog.
Nevertheless, the talking point is totally valid as many on the left aren't going to be happy with this dubious carry on either.
Trouble is that at the moment the Government is making itself an easy target.
Copping it quite rightly from all sides.
An understandable error from PM.
Not necessarily bullshit but certainly a convenient lack of rigour….and not a good look.
I would be very surprised if anything approaching the number of jobs claimed in application is ever achieved….but it seems to me that is unimportant in NZ Firsts grand scheme of things and that is quietly accepted by the coalition (the alternative being what it is)
A promised job is not a job created, thus bullshit indeed.
While it may be NZF's baby, people will be questioning Labour's oversight.
It's a real shame this fund has been managed so poorly as it had real potential to do so much more.
Labour needs to get on top of this before all the money is gone and been largely wasted.
Labour have limited ability to control Jones and it is possible that some initiatives could exceed job projections though I concede that is the lesser likelyhood
They better get on top of it/Jones otherwise they are just giving National more ammo to shoot them down.
These kind of issues pisses off voters from both the left and right. Even many NZF supporters will be pissed.
And while Labour are at it sorting this out, they should also look at the practice of giving offshore owned forestry companies money to plant trees.
Planting trees is what they already do. We have enough money heading offshore, we don't need a government assisting in more of this. Keep it local and keep it real.
The answer(s) might be hiding in here: https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/110212861/400-a-day-forestry-industry-told-to-improve-pay-to-meet-one-billion-tree-planting-target
Jones let the cat out of the bag from the get go. Work for the dole was what he first touted.
Evidently, the living wage wasn't a priority when it should have been a condition of receiving the taxpayer funding.
You are criticising Jones for being simplistic in a simplistic way. That’s not very constructive, is it now?
I wondered what negative line you would be taking The Chairman. It appears that you have surfaced from the pond after having a whiff of the latest target, Shane Jones, as he goes round disrupting the comfortable patterns of patronage that Gnashional had set up.
Really, greywarshark? Are you backing the dubious way new jobs are being calculated while having a go at me for highlighting it?
"Planting trees is what they already do"
Nah.
Not so much
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/incompetence-laid-bare-national-lambastes-destruction-400-000-pine-tree-seedlings
I'd like to know how exactly this lighter-heavier-lighter thing works.
An innovative aircraft that turns into a “lighter-than-air” balloon to propel itself forward has been flown for the first time.
The Phoenix is designed to repeatedly switch between being lighter and heavier than air to generate thrust and allow it to stay in the skies indefinitely.
https://wtop.com/tech/2019/04/lighter-than-air-aircraft-has-first-test-flight/
The article says "The vehicle’s fuselage contains helium, allowing to to ascend, as well as an air bag that inhales and compresses air, enabling it to descend."
So I'm picturing an outer bag that can take pressure, and an inner bag filled with helium. When you want maximum lift, vent the space between the two bags so the helium inner bag pushes out all the air between the two bags. When you want to descend, pump air between the two bags so the inner helium bag gets compressed down and you're adding all the weight of the air you're pumping in at higher than atmospheric pressure and density.
So to operate it, you have it rise in it's maximum lift to the desired altitude, with the little wings being used to push it in the desired horizontal direction. Then at the max altitude, pump air in so it wants to drop, and adjust the wings to keep going in the desired horizontal direction. Rinse and repeat.
A wee bit like tacking upwind in a sailboat, using the vertical dimension.
Ingenious as Scottish inventions have often been.
That outer shell is going to have to be incredibly strong.
At a guess, based on the photo I would think the volume would be about 40 cubic metres. Helium has a mass of about 0.18 kg/cubic metre at STP. Air is about 1.20 kg/cubic metre under the same conditions Thus the total lift would be around 40kg when there was only helium in the outer shell, at STP, and that would mean the maximum weight of the plane would have to be less than 40kg. That would seem to be an incredibly thin shell to have the total weight of a thing that size below 40 kg, when you consider the solar cells that are on the wings, particularly when you consider that it would have to be able to handle pressures that were significantly greater than the atmospheric pressure outside when air was pumped in and compressed.
Great idea though isn't it, and much cheaper than satellites for communication..
It might not have any structure to it at all, it may just be a flexible bag. The wings appear held in place with guy wires, and there's wrinkles visible at the tail. As far as weight goes, they look like thin-film solar cells, and for the wings you can make surprisingly rigid skins lighter than 300g/sqm.
As far as pressure goes, if I remember right a whitewater raft needs around 0.15ish bar. Something that much bigger won't need anywhere near as much pressure to hold its shape.
My use of STP was based on the fact that I assumed that the pressure inside the bag should be at least equal to the outside air pressure.
Your number if 0.15 bar is the pressure above the pressure outside. Thus the actual pressure, used to determine the mass of the gas inside would have to be taken as 1.15 bar assuming that the plane is at an elevation where the outside pressure is about 1 bar (ie fairly near the ground).
Looking at the photo again, and the other article you link to I agree that I have probably greatly underestimated the volume. Ah for the days of the 200,000 m3 Hindenberg though for a real airship.
BTW, that 40m^3 looks awfully stingy to me. The wings look quite a lot higher than the tops of the dudes' heads, so call it at least 2m radius/4m diameter. It's 15m long, but the tail is kinda skinny. so call it an ellipsoid 2m x 2m x 10m, for a volume of 170ish m^3. Other reports say it's 120kg, so that kinda ties in with a volume up over 150 m^3.
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-48013519
Bryan Bruce exposes Labour's spin
https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2019/04/25/guest-blog-bryan-bruce-the-complete-take-down-of-nz-labour-no-matthew-i-have-not-been-sleeping-or-deliberately-misleading/
Counting the number of jobs created by Shane's fund by toting up the projected positions claimed in fund applicants' applications is outrageous. It smacks of deception.
Can someone count the pay packets please.
Shane's fund is in dire need of a credibility injection.
Indeed, David.
Always willing to put the boot in David Mac. I hope Shane's fund receives a lot of eyeballing from you. We will be interested to find out the good and the bad that you find from your cynical eye.
As usual Bryan Bruce nails it.
As usual Bryan Bruce nails it.
The interweb would be a boring place, bereft of credible commentary were it not for the contributions of Bryan Bruce.
A slightly different tone to this morning's offering. BB doesn't need to defend himself from such a numpty, but it was a pleasure to read. Each shot right on the mark.
Made all the sweeter as Bryan Bruce really does believe what he writes.
Eloquently done
That's two goes at the same thing on the same post The Chairman.
Please make your point and not repeat yourself, it makes you sound aged.
I don't know who Matthew Craig is but I think he just got his arse handed to him on a plate.
Yeah…I did actually try to look him up, nada…and I'm handicapped by not being on Faceache…
Hmmm, it looks like Mr Bruce is quoting verbatim Dr Eric Crampton of The New Zealand Initiative without proper citation or acknowledgement. Oh dear.
So, the promised 10,000 jobs – actually, it is 13,085 according to the latest available info from MBIE – is BS because they are based on promises and assumptions and may never eventuate? Future projections based on available information are verboten. Is that the crux of it?
Rob Stock doesn’t like to own stuff and gives his reasons. Interestingly, he omits two important considerations: 1) depreciation (most stuff becomes next to worthless over time and becomes literally junk) and 2) opportunity cost (money could be better invested in something that increases in value over time).
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/money/112223434/the-battle-between-your-possessions-and-your-savings
I find Rob Stock to be one of the better financial writers, with a lot of common sense and written so it's easy to understand.
Yes, lucid writing.
I think the Regional Growth Fund should have a career focus. Then it becomes an investment.
Clambering around a mountain planting seedlings is not a career.
Shane has left himself open to flying mud that will stick.
"It would of been cheaper for us to pay these people $100k a year to watch TV hey Shane."
When the positions come with the potential for a flourishing future, dividing a billion dollars by the actual jobs created becomes the price of promoting quality futures. Creating future top tax bracket workers.
David Mac
You reckon. It's a big task. If you have nothing better to do than pontificate on what jobs are worthy of your consideration, perhaps you could do something useful and help in the planting.
Your song 'Don't do anything till you hear from me!'
You've misread me grey, I don't want to choose the vocations.
Nobody wants to spend their life planting baby trees. I'd rather watch TV.
Lets plant for a week and spend alternate weeks studying the field or working with a tree harvesting gang, create paths to follow. A chance.
This seems like a promising angle – raising the seedlings rather than planting them involves perhaps more valuable skills: https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/checkpoint/audio/2018692048/minginui-the-town-time-forgot-is-growing
I think the fund bankrolling a cultural facility beside the Hokianga is a superb idea. Everyone has nice scenery, it is Maori that make NZ unique.
I can think of 20 small business ideas that could spin off such an enterprise. Individual Hapu could put down the hangi, provide the Kapa Haka show, take visitors for a paddle in a Waka.
Too often we read of fraud associated with this type of initiative. It would be good to see some iron-clad protection. When he's back on his feet, make The Mad Butcher treasurer.
Iwi can fund those ventures, not the taxpayer.
That fact that they haven’t speaks volumes about the viability of such projects.
Far easier to put your hand out than risk your own money.
Yeah, not so much up here BM. NZ's largest tribe are yet to see any compensation for being royally shafted.
It’s gonna be difficult to run a Provincial Growth Fund without assisting Māori enterprises, don’t you think?
The Provincial Growth Fund is there to buy NZ First an electoral seat, that is all
Fuck Labour for agreeing to this, 3 billion fucking taxpayer dollars given to that fat prick jones to spend as he pleases with no strings attached for whoever he decides to play Santa Claus for.
It's bullshit and shouldn't be allowed to happen, politicians need to be held legally accountable for this sort of pork-barrel politics.
Your argument is idiotic. You are saying that Jones is giving money to his Maori mates to buy a Pakeha seat. Drugs i think you must be on.
It's enough dosh to make a valuable difference.
I believe Jones wants to see it used to make NZ a better place for all of us.
Rather than shrieking about it being pissed up against a wall…be useful.
What do you think Jones should be chucking a fire under?
How about $500 million to build a Colossus of Jones statue at the mouth of the Hokianga?
I reckon I'd be a shoe in.
Thanks for answering my question so pointedly.
As per 31 March 2019, up to $735,962,077 has been announced in funding that will do sweet FA for growth in the regions? Each and every project is just a cover to “buy NZ First an electoral seat”? Your argument has the strength of a fart in a stormy night: pfffff – WOOSH.
BM, I think you're a closet leftie searching for enough reason to subscribe.
We all are. When we consider what matters the most to us, for nearly all of us it's our loved ones. If we accept that your loved ones are on an equal footing with my loved ones. We're Social Democrats BM.
It's time you came out, I'm sure your folks will be fine with it.
Welcome comrade, your shout.
With my background, I should be
I just struggle with the snivelling pretentious liberal wankers that seem to be steering the left wing boat at the moment.
Fuck me, they're just so dislikable, I just can't relate to that.
It's a big reason why so many trade guys vote National now.
Too many women in charge now, eh?
Do you like getting dominated by females Mutton bird?
[Deleted – no need for this kind of language – Incognito]
I can see why you vote Labour.
Please watch your language, BM.
Those people are hard-work for virtually everyone BM, regardless of political colour.
Utube etc is chokka with it because it gets clicked. Click = $.
The vast majority of us think it should be fine to say that a woman looks great and not attract a law suit.
It’s a big reason why so many trade guys vote National now.
Tradies vote National "now?" That's "now" defined as "Psycho Milt's entire adult life and presumably longer," is it? I know we live in the eternal now, but that's ridiculous.
How many? So many. That many? Yup, that many and maybe even more. Wow, that’s a lot. Yup, it’s heaps and there are heaps more to come. I lost count at one …
Some do. Particularly those who do not have a functioning business. That rely on capital gains, and WFF to subsidise their paying low wages.
Actual tradies, however. Are intelligent enough to know that National making their customers poorer, is not good for their job prospects.
The Far North is nature's Disneyland. When Nga Puhi eventually settle for their 2 cents on the dollar I think they will evolve into an International tourism powerhouse.
Up here, the ocean is still our back-up pantry. Peat lakes as black as Coke, packed with minerals that have made skin feel like it's 10 years old for 700 years. Up here where we're real skinny, from the car, you can say "Yep, that's the eastcoast and over there, that's the westcoast."
On the way to where our spirits depart, where we're skinny, you'll see a pristine sandy harbour with no road access. It is packed with silica and in the sun glistens like a mass of white diamonds. Glass manufacturers the world over covet the dunes at Parengarenga.
I think dressing up as an 1830 warrior and faking the take-over of a tourist bus on Ninety Mile Beach and leaving gifts rather than looting would be a cool school holiday job. Great confidence booster for the kid.
I think the factions of Nga Puhi that aren't building bridges towards a settlement need to look into the eyes of their grandchildren. They're in a position to make a worthwhile difference.
The only thing that can stop Ngā Puhi thriving as you say are the fools who can't agree how to work together.
Yes, it's a melting pot of drama that needs to be sorted out before sitting across the table from Little.
There were a lot of muskets in Northland before a sheriff arrived.
The logical way would appear to be to include a representative from each of the conflicting factions. A united front presenting their individual concerns.
There have been a lot of tables sat round over years with lots of voices from all factions. There is unlikely to be a united front before Little has long gone.
Too many chiefs in the North ?
Oh dear, David Mac….wheesht! They'll all be heading to the FFN and it won't be pristine for long.![crying crying](https://cdn.ckeditor.com/4.11.3/full-all/plugins/smiley/images/cry_smile.png)
Yeah, I came for a holiday, 10 years ago. Monaco for paupers.
Perhaps sequestering carbon is quite important as well? Some folk should "Keep their breath to cool their porridge". But then some enjoy poking the borax!!
https://khn.org/news/hidden-fda-database-medical-device-injuries-malfunctions
FDA Hiding Adverse Reaction Data
The FDA has built and expanded a vast and hidden repository of reports on device-related injuries and malfunctions
Since 2016, at least 1.1 million incidents have flowed into the internal “alternative summary reporting” repository, instead of being described individually in the widely scrutinized public database known as MAUDE, which medical experts trust to identify problems that could put patients in jeopardy.
Yet the program, in all its iterations, has been so obscure that it is unknown to many of the doctors and engineers dedicated to improving device safety. Even a former FDA commissioner said he knew nothing of the program.
“The public has a right to know about this,” said Dr. S. Lori Brown, a former FDA official who accessed the data for her research. She said doctors relying just on the public reports — and unaware that many incidents may be omitted — can easily reach the wrong conclusion about the safety record of a particular device.
Who knew someone would display the downside of a new Bold button so early?
Asinine comment, Sacha…
Do you have anything productive to add about the FDA hiding adverse reaction data?
Or did the link and information demoralize you down to the level of lashing out at use of a highlighting tool?
If you stop doing the equivalent of shouting, more people might listen.
Good grief…read or don't read…same thing to me, Sacha…
Making excuses for yourself by projecting nonsense about a highlighting tool used sporadically as being the equivalent of shouting…is rather pathetic!
@ One Two
Just FYI; here at The Standard by convention the use of bolding is generally reserved for moderators in order to make their edits or actions more visible.
So the bold tool can't be used in any other way ?
If not…so be it…the various highlight options are all useful…
God Bless Mike Gravel
There's a petition to stop the mural of JA hugging a Muslim woman to be painted on a Melbourne silo! A bona fide picture for the ages.
Jenny Davies signed and said, "Its not wanted in Australia. Nothing to do with Australia."
I'd have agree with Jenny. Tolerance and compassion are not wanted in Australia and are nothing to do with Australia.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=12225277
I’d always thought that it was pretty standard for Oz to claim our successes as theirs!? Maybe this exception proves the rule …
Someone ought to put that dozy bimbo right about where the shooter came from. Oz. And according to him it was a perfectly normal family.
[Deleted – A little too much information about the accused and naming him is definitely not ok. I thought that had been made clear previously – Incognito]
However Jenny Davies, who thinks that the idea is un-Australian could take PM Ardern’s place in the mural, hugging and comforting the Muslim woman, and showing how Australians have been upset and deeply moved by their fellow citizen’s deathly action.
A gentle reminder to not name the accused. Any comment will go straight into moderation.
I thought that copying from published info was right. And I don't see why some info now can't be released for public info. Sorry if the authorities have denied us this info, and thought that was the way to go. At this time I had thought that background should be provided. Otherwise how can some Oz bird say it is nothing to do with them. Time for some free information.
By way of my personal explanation, it was decided shortly after the massacre that the accused would not be named here on TS. As you know, moderation is not open to litigation.
A link with a short explanation or quote is usually more than sufficient; less is more and no need to copy & paste too much text with too many links (which will also automatically trigger a comment going into moderation). However, this is a special case, highly sensitive, and it is before the courts now. For lawyers and academics the name and personal history are important; for political debate here on TS they are largely irrelevant.
TS is not a conduit for public info on people accused of hideous crimes. If people want to know they can seek out the information for themselves, e.g. by using search engines.
Oh crap, it's started. Planet of the Apes…
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=12225299
Oh crap, monkey business.
Not if the Aliens get us first.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=12225228
This item amazes me. Why is it not the biggest headline everywhere.
UFO's!
Because the Aliens are suppressing it. Duh!
Same article is also on Stuff, of course …
Far too late to worry about aliens being here, but fear not, these guys aren't invading, they're just on a scheduled toilet stop on the way through to Proxima Centauri.
You would say that, wouldn’t you?
The prime directive prevents me from further explaining why the tour brochures definitely describe the Earth as the Huntly of our trip to somewhere nice.
Can we blame climate change on exhaust from intergalactic touring buses and waste from cosmic freedom campers? Do you ETs post your holiday pics on FB and Instagram too?
Since the forced landing I don't fly any more, you'll never get me up in one of those things again (why I’m stuck here), but no pollution from us, there's just you apes and a few other primitive species still doing that – We worked out cold fusion aeons ago.
No facebook for us but we do have alien news desk.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9287050/
Oh, that’s disappointing because we really need somebody else to share the burden of blame with for climate change. Otherwise, the guilt would destroy us.
If we had AND I would still be watching TV. Instead, I roam the internet, which is where I found this: https://www.npr.org/series/tiny-desk-concerts/
I do have a soft spot for you monkey brain two legs, but you're arrogance and ignorance is often infuriating. You burn it, you own it.
My time travelling mate says it gets a lot worse before it gets really bad.
One thing we are very good at is fooling ourselves and denial. I forgot what the other thing was![frown frown](https://cdn.ckeditor.com/4.11.3/full-all/plugins/smiley/images/confused_smile.png)
"Our choice comes down to this. Do we stop life to allow capitalism to continue, or stop capitalism to allow life to continue?"
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/apr/25/capitalism-economic-system-survival-earth
One of Monbiot's better musings
That musing is a doozy. I think it should be on How to Get There so am copying it for inclusion. Thanks.
in the 21st century there has been a recoupling: rising resource consumption has so far matched or exceeded the rate of economic growth. The absolute decoupling needed to avert environmental catastrophe (a reduction in material resource use) has never been achieved, and appears impossible while economic growth continues. Green growth is an illusion.
Green growth is an illusion? Now we are f…..ed.
A piece from Chris Trotter on similarities between David Lange's government and that of Jacinda Ardern. It might shed light onto present directions
In one respect, at least, there is a very substantial difference between the governments of Lange and Ardern. In the case of the former, the shape and direction of economic reform (thoughtfully prepared by Treasury in advance) was condensed into a single, revolutionary manifesto – “Economic Management”. In the latter case, the task of mapping the progress of government reforms has been farmed-out to a multitude of working-groups. Their combined reports will, presumably, constitute the Labour Party’s 2020 manifesto.
Is this the explanation for Ardern’s willingness to content herself with the role of Coalition figurehead? Because she knows that her key political strength has always been to present the ideas of others in a lively and compelling fashion? How to identify the emotional potential within any given set of policies and communicate it directly to the voters? Her skill in delivering the party’s messages is very different from the old-fashioned oratorical skill of Lange. His was a twentieth century talent, hers belong to the twenty-first.
https://www.interest.co.nz/opinion/97407/chris-trotter-questions-whether-pm-jacinda-ardern-really-running-government-or-merely
National have caused all the messs in the health bill housing shonky farming micro bovine virus many other problems when they ran the country to serve the wealthy first and formost . It does not work very well when everything is structured to suit the 00.1 % over the 99.9 % of Tangata .
I know that rheumatic fever hits the poor common tangata hardest Maori and our Pacific cousin make the majority of those people who are affected by this disease .
Insight – Every year, up to 200 New Zealanders die from heart damage caused by rheumatic fever – an illness wiped out in many other wealthy countries. And despite a five-year campaign to tackle the disease here, rates are once again
There’s no record of the total number of New Zealanders affected by the rheumatic heart disease, but last year the number of new rheumatic cases was 188 – most of them children.
It’s almost the highest figure in a decade, while in other wealthy countries like the US and the UK, the disease has been all but stamped out. What's disappointed those in public health the most is that the numbers have risen despite a five-year push to reduce the rates on the rise. Philippa Tolley reports. The DHB’s public health physician, Pip Anderson, says rheumatic fever rates have risen in the area for the last two years, despite efforts to eradicate it. She says there are questions over whether a change in the prevention programme has reduced its impact, or whether other factors such as the housing crisis had overwhelmed the ability of the health system to reduce rates. The DHB says it is in the process of reviewing its approach
Ka kite ano P.S EQUALITY IS NEEDED. Links below.
https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/insight/audio/2018686731/nz-s-heart-breaker-rheumatic-fever-rates-on-the-rise
https://youtu.be/Grlt8DnVrr0
Treasure Our tamariki
How this rheumatic fever problem isn't having everything thrown at it, like say the measles epidemic, is a matter that needs a serious study and response. I know some are working so hard and getting so discouraged and saddened that they are not able to get on top of it. I thought I would have a little look at what is happening Eco Maori. You may know more.
I think one thing that should be introduced all over the country, like as from yesterday, is a group of roving medical vans that take to the people the testing equipment and personnel to check on health and dispense minor everyday aids and medicine. It is hard to get children to the doctor, getting transport, coping with care of others at the same time – who babysits?
What's available – I can see a surgery bus. It seems a private-public partnership. With the breakdown of active, citizen-oriented government, perhaps this needs to be the new way of delivering health.
(The denizens in administration in the departments fill their time with designing computer projections and finding expensive managers overseas, or organising funds for new buildings for which they choose the lowest tender and enable charlatans; result a building that requires repairs ten years in, and replacement within thirty.)
So – http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/8467237/Mobile-surgery-brings-health-to-rural-New-Zealand
…In early 2002, private company Mobile Health Solutions spent $5.2 million to build a specially designed 20-metre long, 39-tonne truck to show there was another way to provide day surgery to people living in rural areas.
The country's only surgical bus has since treated thousands of people by giving them access to hundreds of specialist surgical procedures not otherwise available in their towns….
The bus, which was funded by the Ministry of Health, now delivered about 1 per cent of the country's annual surgical workload – the same as an average operating theatre.
https://www.nzdoctor.co.nz/hosted-content/mobile-health-delivering-more-surgery-rural-new-zealand
Trying to find info on helping access to health care seems hard to find looking on google. I found something on rural nursing done in 1994 so I'll put the link in case it is useful.
http://www.moh.govt.nz/NoteBook/nbbooks.nsf/0/84F52F035006C70CCC2574A2000A5468/$file/rural-nursing-aspects-of-practice-mar08.pdf
Every area of low income, especially where there is distance from services, should have it's own buses and teams of nurses, and advanced nurses-to-doctors and good equipment, and regular routes, with some diversions to the remote, when prior appointments are sought. Is this being done now? How widely? How frequently? Embedded into the system or innovative for effect to be abandoned when the set-term funding runs out? Has there been a national govt/local iwi connection made in areas, and is it being monitored and improved, cost-wise and effectiveness-wise? Have the staff done their proper cultural training and using that basis as much as possible?
Maori are keen to do good stuff, are there trained personnel able to bring it to the people and make a difference? Are those people then assisted to carry out schemes and feel part of a team for health, not just needy recipients? The Biggie – nice small warm cottages with all the requirements, and a cleaner/aid to do the windows and the extras as needed when difficult times have to be coped with. If there were more physical comforts, and mental rest through talking through difficulties with friendly advisors, there would likely be a huge change away from negative statistics.
Eco Maori backs the non violence protest to get the truth to the TANGATA ABOUT how badly climate change is affecting our poorer cosin NOW no tomorrow but NOW we can see the negative effects with our own EYEZ
British police said 1088 arrests have been made since the main protests began. The final day of protests is focusing on the international financial sector, which has made London its home.
"Extinction Rebellion to focus on the financial industry today," the group said in a statement. The "aim is to demand the finance industry tells the truth about the climate industry and the devastating impact the industry has on our planet."
The group advocates non-violent civil disobedience to force governments to reduce carbon emissions and avert what it says is a global climate crisis that will bring starvation, floods, wildfires and social collapse.
They are demanding the government declare a climate and ecological emergency, reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2025 and create a citizen's assembly of members of the public to lead on decisions to address climate change.
In 2017, total United Kingdom greenhouse gas emissions were 43 percent lower than in 1990 and 2.6 per cent lower than 2016, according to government statistics.
The group said they will end their protests in London on Thursday and will end their blockades at Parliament Square and Marble Arch.
However, they promised more protests in the future, saying direct action was the only way to bring the issue to public attention Ka kite ano links below P.S I had to use my phone to get this out there .????????????????????????????????
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.rnz.co.nz/article/3b688365-80d7-4c42-af02-3e338715ce64
https://youtu.be/RwkGbuww3jE
Bottom Trawling for fish and dredging for shell fish is like driving a BULLDOZER to round up the sheep and cows if this was seen the real damage that these technology's do to our fish's habitats there would be a huge OUT CRY but because its out of SIGHT the money people can keep wreaking Tangaroa for short term gain of $$$£$$$££££$$$$£$$$$$$$
The fish need a whare to and those 2 techniques are ruining there whare the out come will BE our fish stocks collapseing. No fish for the Mokopuna grandchildren NO fish for our FUTURE .
According to the report, commercial fishing had reduced in the last decade, and 97 percent of commercially-caught fish came from stocks considered to be sustainably managed.
However, it also said 16 percent of routinely assessed stocks were overfished in 2017 and 10 stocks were considered collapsed. The report said bycatch of protected species such as seabirds had reduced, but this was based on data from before 2016.
Mrs Goddard said those statistics said nothing meaningful about the health of the ecosystem.
She said this was not the latest data, with seabird capture having increased 85 percent in some fisheries in the 2017/18 fishing year compared to the previous year, including hoki, hake, ling and warehou, according to data from the Department of Conservation.
"I think what's disappointing is it makes a bold statement in the report that bycatch is being reduced and that the number of threatened, endangered and protected marine species caught has been reduced."
Mrs Goddard said what she had gleaned from the most recent data was that is not the case.
Independent marine scientist Roger Grace said there were serious habitat-damaging issues such as trawling and dredging, which the report touches on, but not in great detail, so they aren't addressed effectively.
"For the last 30 to 50 years we've been hammering the shallow and inshore habitats and smashing the natural life there to bits, and it's no longer as good for juvenile fish habitat," he said Ka kite ano links below. P.S Whanau I told you that the civil servants run the countrys they are trying to paint a rosey picture about our fisheries if we let them fool US no fish for the Mokopuna look over sea the evedince is there fisheries collapseing all over the place .
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/387817/rosy-environment-report-card-for-nz-a-greenwash-say-marine-experts
https://youtu.be/yfk07yhH9Mg
Some Eco Maori Music for the minute .
https://youtu.be/5Yj4j_lZMBo
Love is a underrated VALUE that the Papatuanukue needs
Some Eco Maori Music for the minute
https://youtu.be/DQLUygS0IAQ
Kia ora Newshub.
Love is all we need
There are a few people who are waving the alt right white supremacist flag in NZ.
The Australian man who was part of the Sri Lanka attacks show ECO MAORI that the Australian are targeting the wrong people sending Kiwis to their crap camps and deporting the to A country they don't NO. NZ
Hallys emperor penguins colony collapse show how finally balanced life is a little change can make or break LIFE. We need to take human caused climate change very seriously.
Cortez is Eco Maori pick I have exzamed the others they have strings attached to the people who are making a mess.
Our sports Stars help Aotearoa shine bright condolences to Collettes Whanau
Rammi is a cool actor.
Yes people get wild creatures without being prepared to care for them correctly. I found a crook Hawk when I was young it stayed around for a few days I just gave it food and water and let it FREE .
Ka kite ano P.S we are there Guardians
Some Eco Maori Music for the minute.
https://youtu.be/2fOFWRqy98k
Eco Maori will have to stop the sandflys distracting ME from the Real threat to US. I say that is there tactics now trying there best to PISS me off they are merely little bugs in my journey in life they are trying there best to sap my MANA but in reality every move they make against me adds to my MANA I see it all over Te Papatuanukue Ka pai.
The main threat to US human kind is Global warming
. Some countries have profited from climate change while the same rise in average planetary temperatures has dragged down economic growth in the warmer countries.
The gap between those groups of nations with the highest and lowest economic output per person is now around 25% larger than it would have been had there been no climate change link below
https://physicsworld.com/a/global-warming-tips-scales-against-the-poor/
Next is Artifical Intelligents this threat is being down play by some people but this technology will give the holders of Artifical Intelligents the POWER OF God's they will be able to do what ever they want and not be held accountable for there ACTIONS . Link below P.S I know it looks like that is the case now but they will be held accountable.
https://youtu.be/TRzBk_KuIaM
Waste and Consumerism is a big threat plastic can take a 1000 year to degrade need need to use biodegradable things like paper bags and cardboard make laws so stuff last 20 to 50 years not 2 to 3 years as some stuff only last that long everything has to recycled no if or buts everything has to be recycled. Ka kite ano video below.
Equality is up there to Equality for all life to be respected equality for Wahine we have to learn to treat all our Wahine like a Queens and LISTEN to them given equal saying in the way our society are RULED .
KA KITE ANO LINKS BELOW
https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/04/25/the-white-house-wont-empower-women-sudans-protests-will-womens-rights-ivanka-trump-poland-argentina/
Eco Maori video.
https://youtu.be/v-7v2WGiTe8
We must let the ruling class NO that the Way we are abuseing OUR decendints FUTURE is unlogical and unacceptable to US the 99.9 % of tangata /people Kia kaha
The power of grassroots, widespread climate action cannot be underestimated. When ordinary people start to organise among themselves and create communities of resistance in our schools, colleges, universities and neighbourhoods, those in positions of power begin to notice. The emergent climate movements are organising people of all ages to fight for a better world and to take the necessary steps to pressure political leaders to act.
The UK youth strikers Holly Gillibrand, George Bond and myself sat down with Greta, Jeremy Corbyn, Caroline Lucas, Vince Cable, Liz Saville-Roberts and Ian Blackford for the first climate talks of their kind in more a decade. Theresa May’s chair remained empty.
'Outrage is justified': David Attenborough backs school climate strikers
We pushed political leaders to commit to and agree upon some positive first steps to start addressing the climate crisis. Tens of thousands of young climate activists forced party leaders to acknowledge the gravity of the climate crisis, driving home the need to act urgently and collaboratively Ka kite ano links below.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/apr/26/school-climate-strikes-success-forced-uk-politicians-healthy-planet
https://youtu.be/QYUTM99UDc0
Emma all governments are playing lip service to the people on the issue facing our grandchildrens FUTURES
We don't put down other people because they are different humans have bigger problems than that we will have a problem serviving on Papatuanukue if we don't change OUR Ways we treat Papatuanukue and her creations we will all go EXTINCT
But Darryl Ward, an Anglican lay preacher from Paraparaumu, urged Christians to instead show love and care "for our Muslim brothers and sisters".
Ward said Christianity had never been the "sole faith tradition" in New Zealand.
"Māori spiritual beliefs preceded the arrival of Europeans and Christianity, and other faith traditions from overseas soon
our Muslim brothers and sisters, or for that matter, anyone else because they worship God differently from us," Ward said he gave us two simple commandments; to love God and to love others. He also made it quite clear that it is through helping those in need that one gains eternal LIFE Ka kite ano P.S EQUALITY for all.
https://youtu.be/LHCob76kigA
Kia ora R&R.
I see Mark Z is sueing someone from upper hut for minupulating there likes and dislike for monetary gain I planned to do a post on the new computer currency Ka kite ano P.S Artifical Intelligents is a topic we all need to be talking about the positive and negative about the technology
Kia ora Newshub .
That's a huge fire on the highway in USA condolences to the people who lost there love ones in that crash.
Measles is still out of control in NZ those anti vaxers and the poor people who are to stressed trying to put food on the table to get there tamariki vacancied is part of the cause.
I have already commented on the USA politics Seen Don has helped Eco Maori Mana Wairua Ka pai But he is still a carbon man .oo.
It logical to move more imports out side of Auckland cannot have goods stuck in a Auckland traffic jam.
Roman? looks like a qute boy it's sad he has that illness we are fortunate not to have major sickness with OUR Mokopuna my eldest seems OK for now.
Ka pai to the Salvation Army campaign against the people selling expensive good off the back of a truck I say the laws should be changed to stop the loan Sharks ripping the poor common person off to. I new when I backed The Salvation Army last year as being Eco Maori number 1 charity I was correct.
I seen that they plan to use Cherynoble Russian nuclear accident sites as a green ENERGY site Ka kite ano P.S the sandflys tried their best to stuff up my video feed
This is going to be the new currency with a conscience that will make people and country's behave HUMANLY if they don't the dislike mount up and your networth goes down do good things and you get heaps of likes then your networth goes up. This can be the same for country's to. At the minute the monetary SYSTEM punishes POOR COUNTRY and PEOPLE by giving us a bad credit rating and charging the people who can least afford it huge unstainable INTREST Rates that need to reverse to change the wealthy higher interest rate and the poor common people lower interest rates .
I know that the security for a currency system like this will have to have the best protection that can be made by people but ha from what I SEE the uneqality that is happening around Papatuanukue the Systems definitely need to change.
Facebook alleges 'likes' were sold for commercial advantage.
The company operated the website Likesocial.co, currently undergoing "maintenance", and IGFamous.net.
Another of their companies, Social Envy, operates the SocialEnvy.co website.
Facebook cited the posting of a photograph from a user with no previous Instagram followers which immediately attracted 500 likes within seconds on Likesocial.co.
More photos from the same user achieved similar "likes" in March of this year, Facebook claimed.
The defendants allegedly "enriched themselves at the expense of Facebook and Instagram by US$9.3m", and the media company was seeking damages of the same amount.
Facebook claimed the behaviour was "fraudulent", and also damaged Facebook and Instagram computer systems
Ka kite ano link below.
https://i.stuff.co.nz/business/112295050/facebook-seeks-us10m-damages-and-jury-trial-against-upper-hutt-trio
https://youtu.be/Y3v7YpATsuA
Some Eco Maori Music for the minute.
https://youtu.be/hT_nvWreIhg
I'm quite good a seeing – – – – – – people
Many thanks to the British Labour Party for finally making a stand on the Papatuanukue issues with human caused climate change Ka pai. We have to respect our Decendints rights to a happy healthy equal FUTURE LIFE.
Labour will this week force a vote in parliament to declare a national environmental and climate change emergency as confidential documents show the government has spent only a fraction of a £100m fund allocated in 2015 to support clean air projects.
Jeremy Corbyn’s party will demand on Wednesday that the country wakes up to the threat and acts with urgency to avoid more than 1.5°C of warming, which will require global emissions to fall by about 45% from 2010 levels by 2030, reaching “net zero” before 2050
Ka kite ano P.S I see te links links below
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/apr/27/corbyn-declares-national-climate-emergency
https://youtu.be/nME3LLCEBb4
Some Eco Maori Music for the minute.
https://youtu.be/u9Dg-g7t2l4
Whanau the climate change deniers suffer from this effect they don't even understand WTF they are taking about cannot even truthfully self examination there past ACTIONS to find the negative things that they have done. They will allways only find their actions to be positive everyone else is at fault not THEE I thee I is perfect. YEA RIGHT .
Wheeler didn’t know what he didn’t know, and that’s the cognitive engine of what’s today rued and ridiculed as the Dunning-Kruger effect. It describes what Dunning later called “the anosognosia of everyday life”; a cognitive foible in which people lack the self-awareness—and yes, in some cases, the intelligence—to objectively estimate their own ability. Or, to paraphrase John Cleese: some people are too stupid to understand how stupid they are.
In studies of university students, Dunning and Kruger found a strong inverse relationship between actual and self-ascribed ability. Those who considered themselves competent consistently proved that they weren’t. In a test, many who ranked themselves near the 70th percentile actually scored in the 10th (intriguingly, the opposite effect expressed in smart students).
Now, commentators and researchers are invoking Dunning and Kruger again, as they try to make sense of a raft of recent studies that have found people of strong anti-science disposition almost always understand the least about that same science
Ka kite ano links below P.S I no a – – – – – – that suffer from this .
https://www.nzgeo.com/stories/ignorance-is-arrogance/?source=footer
https://youtu.be/ffjIyms1BX4
Kia ora Newshub .
The person who did that in America Defend his race from what a imagined threat come on people we are all HUMANS.
I seen that story on simons slush fund complaint lol.
The Free Press is a must that includes social media as well free speach is a right for all people
The flat Earthers are foolish most living things have curves there are many things that I could put out to counter their beliefs but I m not even going to waste my time .
Kia kaha Rewa keep up the good Mahi with your strong Wahine goals hope you can beat your cancer problems
Good on him for helping the sick Hedgehog serviving losing his quills looks like it has a Whare for life its cool showing stories like that it will teach te Mokopuna to love OUR wild life have to be careful of it quills. Ka kite ano