reading the comments on the daily review about the guy who 'only left his room to take the elevator to go to the smoking box' but he did as he told?
Question: how can one keep 2 meters distance in an elevator and in a smokers box?
And how can leaving your room be considered 'doing as i was told' or are we to believe that they were told that mingling in elevators and tiny rooms is akin to 'keeping two meters distance at all times'? (and as an ex smoker myself i spend my fair share in 'smokes cubicles' there is no way he could have maintained safe distance)
Maybe you know, its not the government so much as really it is entitled kiwis coming back not giving a shit?
Seriously, i am happy to complain about the government (irrespective of the party who runs it), but this to me is more an issue of people blatantly ingnoring the rules, behaving irresponsibly, and heck i am at this point where really can the government hand the handling and managing of returning kiwis and quarantine requirement over to the Military? They have the resources to build temporary housing (tent stylez i don't care), have cooks and mobile kitchens, have doctors and nurses at hand and so on and so forth and surely no one would manage to leave the premises, not even for a smoke. Granted it ain't the Ibis but it seems that so far they don't seem to be happy with that either?
I'm just amazed at this, during lockdown while shopping people were avoiding each other as best we could, there was no police or army telling us what to do, yet these new arrivals need their hands held. Maybe education needs to be ramped up?
Surely they were given advise on how to behave, they were told to 'self manage' as responsible adults / parents should/ would and they gave no shits, and now are complaining that the government did not lock them into their rooms with a guard on the outside.
Fuck, build the quarantine tents, put them up, and let the Military take care of them. Then they will have something to complain about.
But they actually endangered others to get a smoke, a drink or some outside action. Fuck em.
The way I see it, there are basically three categories of people of unequal size:
People who don’t like to be told asked what to do, who often feel patronised, e.g. by a young(er) woman person, and who will often do the opposite of the request even if it is to their own detriment and/or that of others.
People who need to be given clear guidance what to do and who will do their best to follow that guidance, especially when it comes from an authoritative source.
People who don’t need to be asked and who will use sound judgement and do the appropriate thing under the circumstances with proper consideration of others too.
People who have got their heads stuck somewhere in a deep and dark bubble with weird echoing sounds and a cone of silence and denial to keep out facts and inconvenient information.
I recall being taught in primary school that "four into three doesn't go". 😉 However your fourth category does seem remarkably like National supporters!
I like the notion that the public can be subdivided into behavioural categories for the purpose of policy implementation. It would make govt operations more sophisticated than the `one plan fits all approach' – if it works in practice.
Your forgetting absentminded fools who want to do the right thing but are capable of getting to fridge and have know idea why! So need nice big signs and lots of reminders on what behaviors are needed.
Too true bwaghorn about reverting to default. Ever meant to go somewhere and pick up/drop off something away from the usual route, and go right by the turnoff? What a turn-off. So allowing for reminders to be up and about all the time will be necessary. There is an aspect to my mind which will 'remember' things in a faulty fashion, that suits my preference – the appointment was at 9am not 9.30 etc.
No. 3 of ianmac needs to include good information and explanation provided then —people use their sound judgment (that is necessary as explained), and do the appropriate thing.
I like to know why myself, not just to be herded, in the normal way. Thinking about returning kiwis, they probably left with the belief that NZ was backward and they being bright, were leaving for better opportunities. They might want to kick up now they are back, and not at first realise that we have lots of good practices for which they need to be thankful. And then conform to requirements of the country and community where they have returned to seek sanctuary.
Theyactually need to humble themselves and be grateful and willing to fit into the community, these smart alises/aleks (the letter changed to avoid personal identification). And realise that the cutthroat economic system that they have been operating under overse they will experience here. Most of us will have lost part of our heritage of a decent life in a pleasant country with opportunities for social mobility for all, through the workings of the neolib/freemarket economy that has churned out wealth from its machine-minds at great cost to many.
It was never touted as a cure but as a preventative. I would stick to your daily dose of 300 G & Ts because you’re almost guaranteed to not catch the virus through encounters with others.
There are also the people who will mingle with other smokers for two weeks, knowing thatisolation cohorts are mixing in the smokers room even though the lifts are controlled, but not raise it with anyone that there's a hole in the system.
Stupidity needs to be accounted for – double-fence accessible exercise areas, with the separation distance between the fences.
Have a small smoking area for each cohort. Make it a room on each floor if you have to – covid is a far bigger hazard than passive smoking at this stage. No lifts, no excuse to leave the floor without a scheduled appointment or exercise session.
Smoking is known to affect brain function and is thought to play a role in cerebral atherosclerosis. There are also studies that have shown an inverse correlation between smoking and IQ although it is unclear whether this points to a causative relationship and, if so, in what direction.
lol if only "notice, and bitch about, obvious hazard, but never report it to anyone in a position to deal with that hazard" was restricted to smokers.
Had that in a security job – folks had to provide their own footwear (we were arguing this with bosses), chap stepped on a board and a nail went through his shoe (just missed his toes). Bitched about it a few days later, I asked "did you file a hazard?" Nope. Guy almost had a nail through his foot, but never told anyone in management or OSH or HR even though he bitched about it in the tearoom.
They got a bit better after a few months – someone slipped on ice, filed a report, everyone had company-bought yaktraks the next day.
But they actually endangered others to get a smoke, a drink or some outside action. Fuck em.
Absolutely.
Let's not lose perspective though. Thousands have gone through this process without crying to the National Party, the Media, or anyone else that would listen. So we are left with a relatively small number of complete plonkers who fall into the first and fourth category in Incognito's concise summary at 1.1.1.1
Some in the media are using the term 'hostility' when writing about kiwi's attitude to returning nationals. No, it's not that. It's "Kia ora and welcome home. Please do as you are told and follow instructions to the letter. Don't sweat the small stuff. Do your time and enjoy it. See you on the other side"
Shaw said it was ironic that a party that supposedly cared so much about contract law – a reference to NZ First pulling its support for a bill on corporate rent – was so happy to breach its agreement with Labour. "I do find it ironic that a party that has been using the cover of the sanctity of contract law to protect property investors from small businesses can't even uphold its coalition agreement."
Light rail is not included in the arrangement between Labour and NZ First, but there is a reference to NZ First working in good faith to honour the other agreement making up the Government – the confidence and supply agreement with the Greens. "New Zealand First and Labour agree that they will each act in good faith to allow any other agreements to be complied with," the coalition agreement between NZ First and Labour reads.
Light rail is mentioned in the agreement between the Greens and Labour, specifically a line stating that: "Work will begin on light rail from the city to the airport in Auckland."
NZ First leader Winston Peterssaid it was his reading of the clause that his party would act in good faith with the Greens, but did not actually bind his agreement to theirs. "It asks us to act in good faith using our best information to make judgements on matters," Peters said. Pushed on this point Peters asked that the reporter go to the Human Rights Commission to get an interpretation of the clause.
Weasel words, Winston! Claiming that a contract commitment says something different to what it actually says may be standard practice for a lawyer, but is unlikely to impress the average kiwi.
Shaw said he was pleased that light rail would be able to progress following the election, as the decision announced on Wednesday didn't change the fact that money had been allocated for light rail through the National Land Transport Fund – something NZ First had voted for. "NZ First themselves voted for the Auckland light rail – it's part of the Government Policy Statement 2018 that they voted for," Shaw said. "They might have forgotten that they voted for it, but they did."
This week Peters, who is also NZ First leader, seemed to cast the project's future into further doubt just hours after Transport Minister Phil Twyford said the Government was "highly motivated" to progress.
But asked about the project, Peters said there had been massive cost blowouts.
"It's not going to happen in the immediate term," he said.
"We've always been for heavy rail around this country. Our programme is on target, as you know, and light rail has been suspended in terms of planning for the immediate future."
But NZ Infra director Will Goodwin dismissed a costs blowout – though he wouldn't be drawn on specifics.
"We've seen speculation of costings blowing out to as much as $10b. While we cannot get into specifics about what the cost of our proposal will be, we've previously said this speculation is substantially wide of the mark.
"Costs incurred to date are commercially sensitive and confidential."
He would not say how much money NZ Infra had sunk into it so far, but he remained committed to the project and supported Twyford's view that Cabinet would look at the issue soon.
i mean, heck , a billion here a billion there and sure you are talking about shitloads of petty cash that the taxpayer has to come up with.
to boot a slow effn train to the airport? there are already trains going to Mangere so essentially we only needed to build an extention to the Airport from Mangere. Or is that too easy and not sexy enough.
Maybe the issue is not so much Winston Peters and the points that he raised for a while now, but rather that the government over promised on something not too many are keen other then the people who most likely will never use the 'slow train' aka the polititians.
Also in this current climate where tourists might not be coming anytime soon, and we have different more pressing needs for the money taxpayers can actually raise this is a pure vanity project that serves no one.
As for the greens, sorry dudes – lets hold a referendum about this – let the people of NZ vote if they want to provide the funds to build a Tram to the Airport at a cost of somewhere 6 – 10 billion plus. Without any added Gummibears.
added, if a heavy train station / stop at the airport were to be build that could then also service trains coming from Hamilton etc, or are we next gonna build a Tram to the airport from Hamilton? Or is that future thinking and that is also not something we want to discuss right now?
The issue is: No plan only vested interests. Clear to see if anyone wants to look.
I actually will vote for Winston this election if he stands as he is at the moment – very surprisingly – the only sane voice I hear.
Otherwise, a lot of molly cotton political correct BS, or stirring the proverbial is all that is on offer right now.
No plan, no idea how to get a frame work in place that gets businesses attracted and bound to rules, environmental issues considered, future proof (science, facts) for production, farming implemented and for once haunt this in the same way as remiss beneficiaries. Instead we have major issues such as Auckland running out of water – I am curious, is someone pumping the aquifer for exporting water? This would lower the table and in the end may rise salinity. Now there is a thought.
As for rail, get all the trucks off the road and onto rail, you will be surprised at the cost factor and environmental positive impact. This is a proven concept, but hay – did I mention vested interests?
the principle of ministerial responsibility does not magically exclude “operational matters”. A 2013 Labour Party press release from then shadow leader of the house and now speaker Trevor Mallard welcomed a speaker’s ruling on parliamentary questions with the headline, “Ministers are responsible for operational matters”.
Jeez, who knew?? We've had years of National/Labour ministers claiming the opposite. Okay, they'd all dismiss Mallard as just being Mallard, but what if he's right??
Individual ministerial responsibility is a constitutional convention. Members of cabinet are individually responsible in three main ways:
they are accountable for decisions that they take in relation to their portfolio responsibilities
they are responsible for their own professional and personal conduct
they are responsible for decisions and actions (and the consequences that follow) of individuals and organisations for which they have ministerial responsibility, whether or not they were party to or knew of those actions. This is known as vicarious ministerial responsibility. https://teara.govt.nz/en/cabinet-government/page-6
I suspect that, when he was supposed to attend the training session in which he was to be taught how to be vicarious, he was off mountain-biking.
So why has only one PM resigned (Lange) because they have lost confidence in their Ministers ability to do the right thing.
After all resigning because of vicarious responsibility is really because of loss of trust in those in the ministry to provide operational delivery.
In this instance Clark had confidence in Bloomfield to sort it (albeit it involving transfer of facility oversight to the Housing Minister – as in procurement of accommodation)
Perhaps Lange was honourable & the others not? But what the govt web-page neglects is an explanation how those responsibilities are enacted. Elsewhere? Or left to the discretion of the ministers themselves? I suspect the latter.
So it's just another left/right sham, probably. Traditional establishment collusion to hoodwink the public. Pretend to do the right thing, then evade the necessity…
I looked at Clark being interviewed and I think he didn't look to be in a good place. Yes he should have taken responsibility but his credit is very low at the moment and he probably fears calls for his head.
I was the first to denonce his actions when he breached lockdown. But I posted earlier that he has got a lot of gains for health. Cancer agency and new radiology machines, hospital site for Dunedin and project office (after god knows how many years of nothing). increasing budget for Pharmac. And billions of dollars for mental health. Also if he should be taking responsibility for the operational failing, then he must be due some credit for the success of our Covid response………it must work both ways. After I posted the above gains on an earlier postt Ad provided me with some links about health outcomes. Maybe its me but it didn't quite seem relevant. I then looked on the Dept of stats website and I couldnt't see health outcome material that would relate to the vast number of improvements this govt has made. The reality is improving health outcomes has a very, very long tail and things like mental health may not show much improvement at all in the context of Covid and mass unemployment.
I am sick of the beat up on Clark. He paid his penalty for the lockdown breach. I agree he should have taken responsibility for the stuff up at the border. But he looks to be a man under extraordinary pressure. And if he should take responsibility for the stuff up then he also deserves credit and high praise for how the Covid response has gone.
I think this govt is carrying a massive burden at the moment and the hysterical attempt by the National Party to wins votes only adds to the pressure. I hope NZders see through them
Yes. It is a part of the overall strategy of attack, attack, attack and no matter the consequences or even whether the claims are true. We're seeing it on a daily basis now and its hard to see them being able to keep it up for the next 90 days.
I watched live the segment of the inquiry where Clark responded to a question from Woodhouse, and I was not left with the impression he was… passing the buck to Bloomfield.
It could have been better expressed, but all he did was briefly reiterate what happened and pointed out Bloomfield had apologised. Which is true.
Newshub and O'Brien are doing their usual… playing gotcha politics.
You can't be responsible for things you can't control, otherwise any bloodyminded pisswit underling could force a resignation by acting like a perverse fukcknuckle.
I have never seen a politician appear on my twitter feed more than what I saw David Clark last night. The right were ripping into him, but the left were almost as equally outraged with his approach.
Regardless of the rights or wrongs about what he was saying regarding responsibility, the guy is fucking clueless with how his words were going to play out politically.
Clark has only been in the headlines during the covid crisis for the wrong reasons. Ashley has been the face that all kiwis tuned into on a daily basis because we all trusted him and his professional, non political, way of dealing with things. Clark humiliating Ashley was a disgrace
Clark is a political liability and Jacinda needs to remove him.
He was set up to answer those questions with Bloomfield alongside him.
Total set up.
Then the media use Twitter response to this set up to have another go.
It’s a lynch mob demonstrating their power to manipulate the public.
It's revenge for being unpopular when Ardern and Bloomfield were the go to people. Now they are leveraging support for Bloomfield to get people angry at Clark – a National target. To take the PM down a peg or two, and glorify themsleves as the new heroes of the peoples safety. Just as National is doing. Talk about a corrupt alliance of glee club with dirty tricks reboot.
It's going to be hard to mistake MSM pretentiousness for responsibility after this. Maybe the future of the media estate should be with new start ups.
PS The whole scandal/operational failure issue is that officials did not apply it to those arriving before June 9. So the whole story is about how the media and government became aware of this – and so it was ultimately applied from June 16th, rather than the June 23rd track officials were on.
The "scandal" is the despicable attempt by the Opposition to use the pandemic as a political football without a jot of consideration for the people caught in the middle. I refer to the health workers and all the other sectors in society doing their best to keep Covid 19 out of the community, as well as the vast bulk of citizens doing their best to follow the rules and keep themselves safe.
Those in the media who are aiding and abetting the Nats are equally as obnoxious.
Personally, I would like to see Jacinda Ardern and co. deliver blistering attacks on their modus operandi and expose them for the self seeking irresponsible assholes they are proving to be.
I saw it this morning: Trotter & Sherson in accord all the way through. So refreshing when politicos cut the crap & tell it like it is. Viewers will be seriously impressed I bet (partisans will go straight into denial).
Will the PM tolerate her dead albatross health minister much longer? Not if she knows what's good for her. The stink has probably reached critical threshold. He's now making the Minister of Non-Delivery (Twyford) look good by comparison.
The PM, and a handful of very competent senior Ministers (Robertson, Woods) is carrying the others (Clark, Twyford, Lees-Galloway). Something has to give.
The Herald's early story is about 1000 people leaving managed isolation after their 14 days without being tested. This between June 9 and June 16.
And they add from yestersays Radio with Mike the agreement of Gorman with the Husk's own agreement with Muller their might be community transmission.
Be afraid is the mantra, feel threatened because the officials on the ground essentially at first interpreted the change from June 9, to only to apply to those who arrived after June 9.
However around 1000 people also left isolation between June 1 and June9 – when no testing was required and in those days Muller was saying go to Level 1 now there is no community spread.
"She said the country was ready, now 40 days since the last recorded case of community transmission, 26 days after entering alert level 2, 17 days since a new case, and less than 24 hours since having zero active cases recorded.
Ardern said New Zealanders did something "remarkable" by uniting in the fight against Covid-19, and had achieved one of the lowest rates per capita in the world.
"Now under level 1 you can if you want go back to your place of work." "
On that basis, the last recorded case of community transmission was on 29 April, now 57 days ago.
Now as I understand it, the aim of our border controls is to ensure that we do not get any further cases of community transmission.
Given that, do I care if over-worked and stressed employees of the Ministry of Health cannot tell me within an hour the number of visa holders in different categories who have entered New Zealand in the last 10 days, do I care if the taxpayer Onion have published Mullers master plan for the National Party under the heading of a Covid plan?
57 days of success? Yes I do care about that, but it would be nice to know that is is a valid number.
Are there any other key measures of success we have forgotten to tell people about?
Ed 1 key measures of success. I think the real evidence re community transmission is no one popping up in hospital/ICU. Even more than testing in the community this is where Covid in the community would appear……..I did a bit of research and the figure given was 20% of people with Covid need hospital care. Of course this can't be a definitive figure, but a useful guide. If NZ has community transmission we should have seen or will be seeing very soon hospital admissions
anker, I see community infection as not being the same as someone arriving with an infection, or catching the infection from their "bubble" while in quarantine. Yes some will need to be hospitalised, but I believe a key goal is to make sure that no-one catches covid19 from a person out in the community. There is a clear danger for staff and guards at quarantine properties – Victoria in Australia has apparently suffered from that, but if we get community transmission we may well have to go back to Level 2 (as Melbourne has done). So no, someone being admitted to hospital is almost expected from the thousands arriving in New Zealand from countries with infections at a higher level that here.
My question is whether we can celebrate 57 days without community infection?
There is no community spread, we are two weeks into Level 1 if it was going to happen considering half the country went to the pub and a million went to sporting events and farmers markets and the movies victims would have presented by now.
I liked your comment last night Adrian, you are so right, NZ has (so far) successfully fought the spread of covid, people are scrambling to get back here because of this, the rest of us sucked it up for weeks, these newcomers should too.
Thanks IFL, but its just me reflecting the opinions of others I have spoken to recently from surprisingly, both sides of the political spectrum and as a long time arsehole it doesn't take much to arc me up when others arseholery becomes evident. I think it is going to quieten down pretty soon when the media realises they are on the wrong side of the Oh Woe Is Me faction.
The poll out tonight on TV1 will probably show a swing downwards for the Government but the Nat/media must take "credit" for any loss of confidence. Arseholery indeed.
I was just getting used to not dreading the next poll after about 11 years of depressing polls. I wonder how many people have forgotten over the last week what has been achieved and who by.
eg a friend, Southland farmer, retired, union-hating blue-blue-blue through and through, full of praise for govt response and will probably vote for Jacinda this time round. Scathing of the behaviour of some returnees and constant bagging of Bloomfield et al
What is interesting at present (from the people I've been talking to) is that it feels like voters are making their minds up a whole lot earlier this election cycle.
Lots of time to reflect during the lockdowns? More interest in what is going on. The example of Trump, Johnson and other leaders dithering and blundering badly when under load.
I suspect that the reality that covid-19 brought is going to do nasty things to some kinds of populists. Those poll figures in the US are brutal (looks them up)
Trump prophecy and statues to dead white people – and the reckons of white men who did not go to college. Too many of one and not enough of the other to save the Donald
Lots of time to reflect during the lockdowns? More interest in what is going on.
I've been saying for years that the biggest problem with our democracy is that most people just don't have enough time to engage in it as they're too busy/tired from going to work. So, perhaps you're right. The lockdown has given more people the time to engage, time to think.
With some people, no matter how much time they’re given, it never lifts the quality of their thinking, as Chris Penk demonstrated with exquisite clarity.
I agree regarding opinions of others, just listening in to others in the staffroom people are pissed off with the people breaking the rules and whining, not the Govt.
people are pissed off with the people breaking the rules and whining, not the Govt.
That's the feeling around these parts too, some tory work colleagues share the same sentiment.
One of mum's tory friends even told her they are with-holding their annual generous donation this election because of the lack of leadership in the national party. Mum almost fell off her seat, because her friend is blue to the core.
The Herald and Newshub are gunning for the Health Minister Clark for stating a fact they do not like.
He said that the head of the Health Ministry Bloomfield had accepted responsibility for the release of people from managed isolation without testing post June 9 (as he has as head of the ministry). Apparently saying this in front of Bloomfield was supposed to be brutal – Tova O’B and spineless according to some anonymous Herald headline writer (now that is cowardly).
Then the intellectual affront to the left Chris Trotter says the PM has 24 hours to rid herself of the Minister – why because we are in a post truth age?
It seems Trotter is the go to guy for backing up every media beat-up going round, Hooton will be loving his stooge brother in arms.
Instead, he’s shifted blame to director-general of health Ashley Bloomfield. On Wednesday, Clark continued to blame Bloomfield, even while Bloomfield was in the room.
How exactly, the head of the ministry had already taken repsonsibility for it himself (the accusation in the quote is unattributed – no name to the story).
Do we have a MSM or just National attack blogs?
Was any National Minister asked to resign for the P homes lying empty and the cost of mitigation that was totally unneccesary?
Instead, he’s shifted blame to director-general of health Ashley Bloomfield. On Wednesday, Clark continued to blame Bloomfield, even while Bloomfield was in the room.
This is what Trotter says. He is not into being kind to Labour Ministers who can help to lose the election. We do want Labour to get in don't we or are some of us not up to facing truthand hard political reality (how many days till the election?)?.
Left-wing leaning political commentator Chris Trotter told The AM Show that the border bungle had hurt the Government.
"The one thing they had, the one shining moment in three years, was their handling of the COVID crisis and the last week, I cannot see how that hasn't put a massive dent in their public standing," he said.
Trotter then hit out at Clark and said Ardern shouldn't simply stand by.
"I thought the behaviour of David Clark in relation to Ashley Bloomfield was just shameful, absolutely shameful. I am sorry Jacinda, but if you let that stand for the next 24 hours, then it's going to come back on you, because a person like that should not be in his job."
Chris is given the opportunity to appear on these shows because he will bag the left. Sure, he will try to nuance it in a way that suggests he wants Labour to do more and be more radical – but the the only thing that survives his flowery over-elaborations is the initial bagging. A truly left commentator with an uncompromising analysis of how money power actually works, won't get near these shows.
If you don’t get the whole of NZ is laughing and Clark and his gutless incompetence you and others here never will. Trotter is a realist not a blinkered fool. His political honesty is welcome after the politically blind comments as seen here.
Some of us are more easily manipulated than others.
Personally I regard Muller as auditioning for a role as a commentator on the Muppets – 4 weeks of people leaving their managed isolation without being tested under Level 2. His opinion then – there was no evidence of communty transmission so why are we not at Level 1 already.
One further week of people leaving without beign tested, and his belief is that there is community transmission.
He is no longer credible.
Pretending to believe there is suddently some sort of risk, to pander to crisis climate is not the service to the public but to himself and his party.
If he was a decent man, he is now Hooton's creature.
During the covid lockdown or other health emergency the Director of Health outranks even the Minister as he has more power at the behest of Government/Parliament not the minister directly. That is the understanding that I heard when he was elevated.
Dr Bloomfield and his team did a brilliant job.
As an aside, if you want to know who the arsehole is leaking bullshit and innuendo to the Opposition look no further than whoever it was who thought he/she was entitled to the job when Ashley was appointed DoH. Unfortunate acronym that.
In the 15th it looks like Ritchie Torres is going to take it, with Ruben Diaz Sr coming 3rd(who would fit better in the troglodyte faction of the Repugs). Sadly, this race yet again illustrates the far left's ability to abandon reason and attempt self-sabotage, but fortunately didn't succeed this time.
In Kentucky, Amy McGrath looks comfortably ahead of Charlie Booker in the race to take on Bitch the Mean-age Mutant MAGA Turtle. Sure Booker is definitely left and McGrath is moderate, but c'mon far lefties, this is Kentucky we're talking about here. McGrath is a long shot as it is, d'ya really think someone like Booker has even a fart's chance in a thunderstorm?
40 000 tested No community transmission. All those resources used and overloaded roads parking and laboratories. Thanks Muller and Woodhouse, yelling "Wolf" did that.
I wonder what the next "Urban Myth" from Woodhouse will be? "Baited breath!!" NOT!!
Someone could draw Muller’s attention to “We don’t know how lucky we are” by John Clarke.
Yes Patricia, and not a single word from the 2 main media outlets, stuff and The Herald who made the loudest noise over the homeless person, $100k spent on the investigation by the tax payer with no evidence of any homeless person being in the hotel, Woodhouse looked embarrassed on the TV when asked for some evidence to support the allegation and then Muller says he stands behind his minister, Woodhouse, so Muller disagrees with the outcome of the $100K investigation yet has zero evidence to discredit it.
This is a much bigger story than anything else circulating in the media today, yet, crickets.
With the TVNZ poll out tonight, let's look back at the last one, from May. Just for fun, here's a Quick Quiz:
10 people got 0.1% support (the lowest possible to be recorded in the poll) as preferred PM. Can you name any of these people (without looking them up)?
Clues: 4 of them are not in Parliament. 3 women, 7 men. Any guesses?
The Justice Department announced on Wednesday that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been charged in a superseding indictment for recruiting and conspiring with computer hackers, including those affiliated with the hacking groups LulzSec and "Anonymous."
Why it matters: The new indictment does not add new counts to the 18-count indictment filed against Assange under the Espionage Act last year, but it does "broaden the scope of the conspiracy surrounding alleged computer intrusions with which Assange was previously charged," according to the DOJ.
(Sounds as if they are trying to treat Assange as a nuisance, commercially motivated, hostile hacker against nation/s, rather than for revealing wrongs done – important difference.)
.
Assange didn’t appear via video link for his most recent court matter in London’s Westminster Magistrates’ Court in early June.
His defence team had emailed court that their client had “had respiratory problems for some time”, the court heard.
WikiLeaks confirmed Assange had been advised against going to the video conferencing room in Belmarsh prison by his doctors and was at high risk of contracting COVID-19 due to an underlying lung condition.
Assange is next scheduled to appear in court on June 29 for a routine call over.
“He’s very unwell and I’m very concerned about his ability to survive this,” Ms Moris said.
He’s not a criminal. He’s not a dangerous person. He’s a gentle intellectual, a thinker.”
Ms Moris, 37, said Assange was being kept alone in a tiny room and was “very depressed.
I was hoping that those who have daily connections with a cross-section of people might be able to tell me what the feeling for Government's handling of the crisis is. I have read all the comments above thanks everyone. Any others?
My staffroom is always interesting, broad cross section of ages and backgrounds, I mentioned above, but I had a giggle listening in they were livid about Woodhouse (I'm in Dunedin) & someone mentioned how Hosking is all over the place, "he just says any old crap".
These clowns are prepared to exploit one of the very few concessions an able world grants to those with disabilities.
Says it all, really.
The SLO County Public Health Department is warning residents that various cards claiming to exempt the holder from California’s face covering ordinance are fraudulent and not endorsed by the U.S. Department of Justice.
In a “rumor alert” posted to the department’s Facebook page on June 22, county staff linked to a recent press release posted by the U.S. Department of Justice, which says that various printouts of face covering exemption cards, many of which include the U.S. Department of Justice seal, are floating around the internet.
click to enlarge
SCREENSHOT FROM FACEBOOK
EXEMPT? Fraudulent cards claiming to exempt the holder from California’s face covering ordinance are floating around SLO County Facebook groups.
“These postings were not issued by the department and are not endorsed by the department,” the press release reads. “The department urges the public not to rely on the information contained in these postings and to visit ada.gov for ADA [Americans with Disabilities Act] information issued by the Department.”
I support your emphasis on this important point because Nats & media aren't acknowledging it sufficiently. They need to get real asap. Valid to expose the quarantine shambles, but we're moving on from that. If they keep banging the drum regardless, it will piss everyone else off big-time.
Incidentally I am thinking we need a change in honorific/title treatment – and Doctor should be followed by two letter code ie MD. Well they do it elsewhere I think. I think of doctor as being medical doctor, so I would like to know what sort of professional I am listening to. Could have a Dr PR and that would be very useful to know.
Yeah I saw on the breakfast news a report that 26 US states are showing a sudden surge, and that up-swing is evident in your daily figures. Brazil's supreme court has ordered Balsonaro to wear a mask. Trump will be wondering how much longer he can do his King Canute act…
Dr custard aka nick smith was kicked out, for his usual problem… out of line interjecting.
Unfortunately for him he had a question to ask later on.
" Hon Dr NICK SMITH to the Minister of Justice: Is his Electoral (Registration of Sentenced Prisoners) Amendment Bill, as passed through its third reading under urgency last night, good law? "
Then ole entitled gerry wanted Dr custard's question to be reinstated and asked by another MP. A bit of argey bargey later with Trevor; because, let's face it, ole entitled gerry won't back down even if he is wrong. Nek minute, ole entitled gerry was kicked out too.
The results of the Colmar Brunton Poll tonight will be a very good indicator of just how influential the media is.
With relentless attacks on the Coalition, everything from bungling incompetence to conflicts within the Coalition, none of which are supported by any substantiating evidence apart from media releases of which are headed with 'Opinion'.
A very large swing against the Govt will give everyone something to be concerned about.
Correct, but there's always an extent of influence, something that can be guaged, which is a good indicator of wether the public agree with the media sentiment or have personally chosen to disagree.
In the end the only poll that matters is in 88 days, a lot water to go under the bridge yet though.
The Poll result doesn't appear to have been influenced by the last few days of hyperbole, Muller was expected to get high support after his predecessor and the rusted on supporters, Nat voters showing their support, NZF though, are probably the biggest losers but we know that at election day they usually do much better.
Labour could govern alone on 50%, the Greens back at 5%, NZF on 2%
National on 36%, Act on 4%
Pretty much the result you would expect after the removal of Bridges, restoration of support from the party faithfull.
Just Is, A great deal depends on how people react to Woodhouse's "story".
I think everyone found that a "Stretch'
Muller will appeal to old time National more than Bridges did, but people won't thank him for playing on their fears. We live in interesting times.
As you say, the media have played this like a violin chorus, wailing in the pits, becoming a little too shrill…… waiting….. Just hope people recognise genuine mahi.
Eric Crampton writes – Grudges are bad. Better to move on. But it can be fun to keep a couple of really trivial ones, so you’re not tempted to have other ones. For example, because of the rootkit fiasco of 2005, no Sony products in our household. ...
A new report warns an estimated third of the adult population have unmet need for health care.Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāHere’s the six key things I learned about Aotaroa’s political economy this week around housing, climate and poverty:Politics - Three opinion polls confirmed support for PM Christopher Luxon ...
Today is May the fourth. Which was just a regular day when my mother took me to see the newly released Star Wars at the Odeon in Rotorua. The queue was right around the corner. Some years later this day became known as Star Wars Day, the date being a ...
Buzz from the Beehive Much more media attention is being paid to something Winston Peters said about former Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr than to a speech he delivered to the New Zealand China Council. One word is missing from the speech: AUKUS. But AUKUS loomed large in his considerations ...
Is the economy in another long stagnation? If so, why?This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be ...
The annual list of who's been bribing our politicians is out, and journalists will no doubt be poring over it to find the juiciest and dirtiest bribes. The government's fast-track invite list is likely to be a particular focus, and we already know of one company on the list which ...
In the weeks after the October 7 Hamas attacks on Southern Israel I wrote about the possible 2nd, 3rd and even 4th order effects of the conflict. These included new fronts being opened in the West Bank (with Hamas), Golan … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – It is one of the oldest truisms that there is never a good time for MPs to get a pay rise. This week’s announcement of pay raises of around 2.8% backdated to last October could hardly have come at a worse time, with the ...
David Farrar writes – Newshub reports: Newshub can reveal a fresh allegation of intimidation against Green MP Julie-Anne Genter. Genter is subject to a disciplinary process for aggressively waving a book in the face of National Minister Matt Doocey in the House – but it’s not the first time ...
The Treasury has published a paper today on the global productivity slowdown and how it is playing out in New Zealand: The productivity slowdown: implications for the Treasury’s forecasts and projections. The Treasury Paper examines recent trends in productivity and the potential drivers of the slowdown. Productivity for the whole economy ...
Winston Peters’ comments about former Australian foreign minister look set to be an ongoing headache for both him and Luxon. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for subscribers features co-hosts and , along with regular guests on Gaza and ...
These puppet strings don't pull themselvesYou're thinking thoughts from someone elseHow much time do you think you have?Are you prepared for what comes next?The debating chamber can be a trying place for an opposition MP. What with the person in charge, the speaker, typically being an MP from the governing ...
The land around Lyme Regis, where Meryl Streep once stood, in a hood, on the Cobb, is falling into the sea.MerylThe land around Lyme Regis, around the Cobb that made it rich, has always been falling slowly but surely into the sea. Read more ...
Buzz from the Beehive Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters was bound to win headlines when he set out his thinking about AUKUS in his speech to the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. The headlines became bigger when – during an interview on RNZ’s Morning Report today – he criticised ...
The Post reports on how the government is refusing to release its advice on its corrupt Muldoonist fast-track law, instead using the "soon to be publicly available" refusal ground to hide it until after select committee submissions on the bill have closed. Fast-track Minister Chris Bishop's excuse? “It's not ...
As pressure on it grows, the livestock industry’s approach to the transition to Net Zero is increasingly being compared to that of fossil fuel interests. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / Getty ImagesTL;DR: Here’s the top five news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above ...
The New Zealand Herald reports – Stats NZ has offered a voluntary redundancy scheme to all of its workers as a way to give staff some control over their “future” amidst widespread job losses in the public sector. In an update to staff this morning, seen by the Herald, Statistics New Zealand ...
On Werewolf/Scoop, I usually do two long form political columns a week. From now on, there will be an extra column each week about music and movies. But first, some late-breaking political events:The rise in unemployment numbers for the March quarter was bigger than expected – and especially sharp ...
David Farrar writes – The Herald reports: TVNZ says it is dealing with about 50 formal complaints over its coverage of the latest 1News-Verian political poll, with some viewers – as well as the Prime Minister and a former senior Labour MP – critical of the tone of the 6pm report. ...
Muriel Newman writes – When Meridian Energy was seeking resource consents for a West Coast hydro dam proposal in 2010, local Maori “strenuously” objected, claiming their mana was inextricably linked to ‘their’ river and could be damaged. After receiving a financial payment from the company, however, the Ngai Tahu ...
Alwyn Poole writes – “An SEP,’ he said, ‘is something that we can’t see, or don’t see, or our brain doesn’t let us see, because we think that it’s somebody else’s problem. That’s what SEP means. Somebody Else’s Problem. The brain just edits it out, it’s like a ...
Our trust in our political institutions is fast eroding, according to a Maxim Institute discussion paper, Shaky Foundations: Why our democracy needs trust. The paper – released today – raises concerns about declining trust in New Zealand’s political institutions and democratic processes, and the role that the overuse of Parliamentary urgency ...
This article was prepared for publication yesterday. More ministerial announcements have been posted on the government’s official website since it was written. We will report on these later today …. Buzz from the BeehiveThere we were, thinking the environment is in trouble, when along came Jones. Shane Jones. ...
New Zealand now has the fourth most depressed construction sector in the world behind China, Qatar and Hong Kong. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 8:46am on Thursday, May 2:The Lead: ...
Hi,I am just going to state something very obvious: American police are fucking crazy.That was a photo gracing the New York Times this morning, showing New York City police “entering Columbia University last night after receiving a request from the school.”Apparently in America, protesting the deaths of tens of thousands ...
Winston Peters’ much anticipated foreign policy speech last night was a work of two halves. Much of it was a standard “boilerplate” Foreign Ministry overview of the state of the world. There was some hardening up of rhetoric with talk of “benign” becoming “malign” and old truths giving way to ...
Graham Adams assesses the fallout of the Cass Review — The press release last Thursday from the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls didn’t make the mainstream news in New Zealand but it really should have. The startling title of Reem Alsalem’s statement — “Implementation of ‘Cass ...
This open-for-business, under-new-management cliché-pockmarked government of Christopher Luxon is not the thing of beauty he imagines it to be. It is not the powerful expression of the will of the people that he asserts it to be. It is not a soaring eagle, it is a malodorous vulture. This newest poll should make ...
The latest labour market statistics, showing a rise in unemployment. There are now 134,000 unemployed - 14,000 more than when the National government took office. Which is I guess what happens when the Reserve Bank causes a recession in an effort to Keep Wages Low. The previous government saw a ...
Three opinion polls have been released in the last two days, all showing that the new government is failing to hold their popular support. The usual honeymoon experienced during the first year of a first term government is entirely absent. The political mood is still gloomy and discontented, mainly due ...
National's Finance Minister once met a poor person.A scornful interview with National's finance guru who knows next to nothing about economics or people.There might have been something a bit familiar if that was the headline I’d gone with today. It would of course have been in tribute to the article ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – Throughout the pandemic, the new Vice-Chancellor-of-Otago-University-on-$629,000 per annum-Can-you-believe-it-and-Former-Finance-Minister Grant Robertson repeated the mantra over and over that he saved “lives and livelihoods”.As we update how this claim is faring over the course of time, the facts are increasingly speaking differently. NZ ...
Chris Trotter writes – IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in acknowledgement of electoral victory: “We’ll govern for all New Zealanders.” On the face of it, the pledge is a strange one. Why would any political leader govern in ways that advantaged the huge ...
Bryce Edwards writes – The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill ...
TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 10:06am on Wednesday, May 1:The Lead: Business confidence fell across the board in April, falling in some areas to levels last seen during the lockdowns because of a collapse in ...
Over the past 36 hours, Christopher Luxon has been dong his best to portray the centre-right’s plummeting poll numbers as a mark of virtue. Allegedly, the negative verdicts are the result of hard economic times, and of a government bravely set out on a perilous rescue mission from which not ...
Auckland Transport have started rolling out new HOP card readers around the network and over the next three months, all of them on buses, at train stations and ferry wharves will be replaced. The change itself is not that remarkable, with the new readers looking similar to what is already ...
Completed reads for April: The Difference Engine, by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling Carnival of Saints, by George Herman The Snow Spider, by Jenny Nimmo Emlyn’s Moon, by Jenny Nimmo The Chestnut Soldier, by Jenny Nimmo Death Comes As the End, by Agatha Christie Lord of the Flies, by ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Have a story to share about St Paul’s, but today just picturesPopular novels written at this desk by a young man who managed to bootstrap himself out of father’s imprisonment and his own young life in a workhouse Read more ...
The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill English, Simon Bridges, Steven Joyce, Roger Sowry, ...
Newsroom has a story today about National's (fortunately failed) effort to disestablish the newly-created Inspector-General of Defence. The creation of this agency was the key recommendation of the Inquiry into Operation Burnham, and a vital means of restoring credibility and social licence to an agency which had been caught lying ...
Holding On To The Present:The moment a political movement arises that attacks the whole idea of social progress, and announces its intention to wind back the hands of History’s clock, then democracy, along with its unwritten rules, is in mortal danger.IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in ...
Stuck In The Middle With You:As Christopher Luxon feels the hot breath of Act’s and NZ First’s extremists on the back of his neck and, as he reckons with the damage their policies are already inflicting upon a country he’s described as “fragile”, is there not some merit in reaching out ...
The unpopular coalition government is currently rushing to repeal section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act. The clause is Oranga Tamariki's Treaty clause, and was inserted after its systematic stealing of Māori children became a public scandal and resulted in physical resistance to further abductions. The clause created clear obligations ...
Buzz from the Beehive The government’s official website – which Point of Order monitors daily – not for the first time has nothing much to say today about political happenings that are grabbing media headlines. It makes no mention of the latest 1News-Verian poll, for example. This shows National down ...
It Takes A Train To Cry:Surely, there is nothing lonelier in all this world than the long wail of a distant steam locomotive on a cold Winter’s night.AS A CHILD, I would lie awake in my grandfather’s house and listen to the traffic. The big wooden house was only a ...
Packing A Punch: The election of the present government, including in its ranks politicians dedicated to reasserting the rights of the legislature in shaping and determining the future of Māori and Pakeha in New Zealand, should have alerted the judiciary – including its anomalous appendage, the Waitangi Tribunal – that its ...
Dead Woman Walking: New Zealand’s media industry had been moving steadily towards disaster for all the years Melissa Lee had been National’s media and communications policy spokesperson, and yet, when the crisis finally broke, on her watch, she had nothing intelligent to offer. Christopher Luxon is a patient man - but he’s not ...
Chris Trotter writes – New Zealand politics is remarkably easy-going: dangerously so, one might even say. With the notable exception of John Key’s flat ruling-out of the NZ First Party in 2008, all parties capable of clearing MMP’s five-percent threshold, or winning one or more electorate seats, tend ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is ...
Luxon will no doubt put a brave face on it, but there is no escaping the pressure this latest poll will put on him and the government. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political ...
This is a re-post from The Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler In the wake of any unusual weather event, someone inevitably asks, “Did climate change cause this?” In the most literal sense, that answer is almost always no. Climate change is never the sole cause of hurricanes, heat waves, droughts, or ...
Something odd happened yesterday, and I’d love to know if there’s more to it. If there was something which preempted what happened, or if it was simply a throwaway line in response to a journalist.Yesterday David Seymour was asked at a press conference what the process would be if the ...
Hi,From time to time, I want to bring Webworm into the real world. We did it last year with the Jurassic Park event in New Zealand — which was a lot of fun!And so on Saturday May 11th, in Los Angeles, I am hosting a lil’ Webworm pop-up! I’ve been ...
Education Minister Erica Standford yesterday unveiled a fundamental reform of the way our school pupils are taught. She would not exactly say so, but she is all but dismantling the so-called “inquiry” “feel good” method of teaching, which has ruled in our classrooms since a major review of the New ...
Exactly where are we seriously going with this government and its policies? That is, apart from following what may as well be a Truss-Lite approach on the purported economic “plan“, and Victorian-era regression when it comes to social policy.Oh it’ll work this time of course, we’re basically assured, “the ...
Hey Uncle Dave, When the Poms joined the EEC, I wasn't one of those defeatists who said, Well, that’s it for the dairy job. And I was right, eh? The Chinese can’t get enough of our milk powder and eventually, the Poms came to their senses and backed up the ute ...
Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is higher than for any other mayor ...
Buzz from the Beehive Pharmac has been given a financial transfusion and a new chair to oversee its spending in the pharmaceutical business. Associate Health Minister David Seymour described the funding for Pharmac as “its largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff”. ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its ...
TL;DR: Here’s my top 10 ‘pick ‘n’ mix of links to news, analysis and opinion articles as of 10:10am on Monday, April 29:Scoop: The children's ward at Rotorua Hospital will be missing a third of its beds as winter hits because Te Whatu Ora halted an upgrade partway through to ...
span class=”dropcap”>As hideous as David Seymour can be, it is worth keeping in mind occasionally that there are even worse political figures (and regimes) out there. Iran for instance, is about to execute the country’s leading hip hop musician Toomaj Salehi, for writing and performing raps that “corrupt” the nation’s ...
Yesterday marked 10 years since the first electric train carried passengers in Auckland so it’s a good time to look back at it and the impact it has had. A brief history The first proposals for rail electrification in Auckland came in the 1920’s alongside the plans for earlier ...
Right now, in Aotearoa-NZ, our ‘animal spirits’ are darkening towards a winter of discontent, thanks at least partly to a chorus of negative comments and actions from the Government Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on ...
You make people evil to punish the paststuck inside a sequel with a rotating castThe following photos haven’t been generated with AI, or modified in any way. They are flesh and blood, human beings. On the left is Galatea Young, a young mum, and her daughter Fiadh who has Angelman ...
April has been a quiet month at A Phuulish Fellow. I have had an exceptionally good reading month, and a decently productive writing month – for original fiction, anyway – but not much has caught my eye that suggested a blog article. It has been vaguely frustrating, to be honest. ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop today released his decision on four recommendations referred to him by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, opening the door to housing growth in the area. The Council’s Plan Change 92 allows more homes to be built in existing and new ...
Thank you, John McKinnon and the New Zealand China Council for the invitation to speak to you today. Thank you too, all members of the China Council. Your effort has played an essential role in helping to build, shape, and grow a balanced and resilient relationship between our two ...
The Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...
The coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says. “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...
Structured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...
The rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...
The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure. The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
The Government and Rotorua Lakes Council are committed to working closely together to end the use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua. Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) Tama Potaka says the Government remains committed to ending the long-term use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua by the ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
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Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
We might be in Invercargill but all anyone can talk about is Gore. Specifically, Salford Street. That’s where three-year-old Lachlan Jones lived, south of the centre of town, between the A&P Showgrounds and the Mataura River. Roughly 1.2 km away from the single level home he lived in with his ...
MONDAY I lined up the latest round of civil servants from city hall against the wall, and signalled for the firing squad to drop their rifles. I stepped up onto a wooden crate to look at the office workers in the eye. But that didn’t feel right, so I found ...
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reading the comments on the daily review about the guy who 'only left his room to take the elevator to go to the smoking box' but he did as he told?
Question: how can one keep 2 meters distance in an elevator and in a smokers box?
And how can leaving your room be considered 'doing as i was told' or are we to believe that they were told that mingling in elevators and tiny rooms is akin to 'keeping two meters distance at all times'? (and as an ex smoker myself i spend my fair share in 'smokes cubicles' there is no way he could have maintained safe distance)
Maybe you know, its not the government so much as really it is entitled kiwis coming back not giving a shit?
Seriously, i am happy to complain about the government (irrespective of the party who runs it), but this to me is more an issue of people blatantly ingnoring the rules, behaving irresponsibly, and heck i am at this point where really can the government hand the handling and managing of returning kiwis and quarantine requirement over to the Military? They have the resources to build temporary housing (tent stylez i don't care), have cooks and mobile kitchens, have doctors and nurses at hand and so on and so forth and surely no one would manage to leave the premises, not even for a smoke. Granted it ain't the Ibis but it seems that so far they don't seem to be happy with that either?
Time for some tough love?
I'm just amazed at this, during lockdown while shopping people were avoiding each other as best we could, there was no police or army telling us what to do, yet these new arrivals need their hands held. Maybe education needs to be ramped up?
yes, that is my issue i have.
Surely they were given advise on how to behave, they were told to 'self manage' as responsible adults / parents should/ would and they gave no shits, and now are complaining that the government did not lock them into their rooms with a guard on the outside.
Fuck, build the quarantine tents, put them up, and let the Military take care of them. Then they will have something to complain about.
But they actually endangered others to get a smoke, a drink or some outside action. Fuck em.
The way I see it, there are basically three categories of people of unequal size:
toldasked what to do, who often feel patronised, e.g. by a young(er)womanperson, and who will often do the opposite of the request even if it is to their own detriment and/or that of others.I recall being taught in primary school that "four into three doesn't go". 😉 However your fourth category does seem remarkably like National supporters!
I like the notion that the public can be subdivided into behavioural categories for the purpose of policy implementation. It would make govt operations more sophisticated than the `one plan fits all approach' – if it works in practice.
Your forgetting absentminded fools who want to do the right thing but are capable of getting to fridge and have know idea why! So need nice big signs and lots of reminders on what behaviors are needed.
Too true bwaghorn about reverting to default. Ever meant to go somewhere and pick up/drop off something away from the usual route, and go right by the turnoff? What a turn-off. So allowing for reminders to be up and about all the time will be necessary. There is an aspect to my mind which will 'remember' things in a faulty fashion, that suits my preference – the appointment was at 9am not 9.30 etc.
No. 3 of ianmac needs to include good information and explanation provided then —people use their sound judgment (that is necessary as explained), and do the appropriate thing.
I like to know why myself, not just to be herded, in the normal way. Thinking about returning kiwis, they probably left with the belief that NZ was backward and they being bright, were leaving for better opportunities. They might want to kick up now they are back, and not at first realise that we have lots of good practices for which they need to be thankful. And then conform to requirements of the country and community where they have returned to seek sanctuary.
Theyactually need to humble themselves and be grateful and willing to fit into the community, these smart alises/aleks (the letter changed to avoid personal identification). And realise that the cutthroat economic system that they have been operating under overse they will experience here. Most of us will have lost part of our heritage of a decent life in a pleasant country with opportunities for social mobility for all, through the workings of the neolib/freemarket economy that has churned out wealth from its machine-minds at great cost to many.
That’s why I highly recommend a separate beer & wine fridge with a big sign: Take Three Times Daily. I usually lose count at three.
I forgot to ask: now that hydroxychloroquine isn't the miracle cure anymore, can I ease back my G&Ts from 300 a day?
It was never touted as a cure but as a preventative. I would stick to your daily dose of 300 G & Ts because you’re almost guaranteed to not catch the virus through encounters with others.
Good thinking.
Cheers
Incognito, Mine is a wine. Usually two, but if the poll is good for Labour and the Greens I may indulge
There are also the people who will mingle with other smokers for two weeks, knowing thatisolation cohorts are mixing in the smokers room even though the lifts are controlled, but not raise it with anyone that there's a hole in the system.
Stupidity needs to be accounted for – double-fence accessible exercise areas, with the separation distance between the fences.
Have a small smoking area for each cohort. Make it a room on each floor if you have to – covid is a far bigger hazard than passive smoking at this stage. No lifts, no excuse to leave the floor without a scheduled appointment or exercise session.
Smoking is known to affect brain function and is thought to play a role in cerebral atherosclerosis. There are also studies that have shown an inverse correlation between smoking and IQ although it is unclear whether this points to a causative relationship and, if so, in what direction.
lol if only "notice, and bitch about, obvious hazard, but never report it to anyone in a position to deal with that hazard" was restricted to smokers.
Had that in a security job – folks had to provide their own footwear (we were arguing this with bosses), chap stepped on a board and a nail went through his shoe (just missed his toes). Bitched about it a few days later, I asked "did you file a hazard?" Nope. Guy almost had a nail through his foot, but never told anyone in management or OSH or HR even though he bitched about it in the tearoom.
They got a bit better after a few months – someone slipped on ice, filed a report, everyone had company-bought yaktraks the next day.
Absolutely.
Let's not lose perspective though. Thousands have gone through this process without crying to the National Party, the Media, or anyone else that would listen. So we are left with a relatively small number of complete plonkers who fall into the first and fourth category in Incognito's concise summary at 1.1.1.1
(which is 1st class in every sense)
Some in the media are using the term 'hostility' when writing about kiwi's attitude to returning nationals. No, it's not that. It's "Kia ora and welcome home. Please do as you are told and follow instructions to the letter. Don't sweat the small stuff. Do your time and enjoy it. See you on the other side"
James challenges Winston's credibility (rather well): https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/300041542/james-shaw-says-nz-first-are-breaching-their-coalition-agreement-by-axing-light-rail-plan
Weasel words, Winston! Claiming that a contract commitment says something different to what it actually says may be standard practice for a lawyer, but is unlikely to impress the average kiwi.
diclaimer: i have never voted NZFirst and don't plan on it.
but from March this year:
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12336167
Last year Peters also raised concerns about cost blowouts for the project, which has been estimated to cost $6 billion.
i mean, heck , a billion here a billion there and sure you are talking about shitloads of petty cash that the taxpayer has to come up with.
to boot a slow effn train to the airport? there are already trains going to Mangere so essentially we only needed to build an extention to the Airport from Mangere. Or is that too easy and not sexy enough.
Maybe the issue is not so much Winston Peters and the points that he raised for a while now, but rather that the government over promised on something not too many are keen other then the people who most likely will never use the 'slow train' aka the polititians.
Also in this current climate where tourists might not be coming anytime soon, and we have different more pressing needs for the money taxpayers can actually raise this is a pure vanity project that serves no one.
As for the greens, sorry dudes – lets hold a referendum about this – let the people of NZ vote if they want to provide the funds to build a Tram to the Airport at a cost of somewhere 6 – 10 billion plus. Without any added Gummibears.
added, if a heavy train station / stop at the airport were to be build that could then also service trains coming from Hamilton etc, or are we next gonna build a Tram to the airport from Hamilton? Or is that future thinking and that is also not something we want to discuss right now?
I prefer the rail extension to the airport and light rail for Dominion Road where it is needed.
That would make sense.
The ariport needs heavy rail to actually allow others to travel there by train rather then car.
So maybe Winston has a point, and that is what upsets the others suits so.
The issue is: No plan only vested interests. Clear to see if anyone wants to look.
I actually will vote for Winston this election if he stands as he is at the moment – very surprisingly – the only sane voice I hear.
Otherwise, a lot of molly cotton political correct BS, or stirring the proverbial is all that is on offer right now.
No plan, no idea how to get a frame work in place that gets businesses attracted and bound to rules, environmental issues considered, future proof (science, facts) for production, farming implemented and for once haunt this in the same way as remiss beneficiaries. Instead we have major issues such as Auckland running out of water – I am curious, is someone pumping the aquifer for exporting water? This would lower the table and in the end may rise salinity. Now there is a thought.
As for rail, get all the trucks off the road and onto rail, you will be surprised at the cost factor and environmental positive impact. This is a proven concept, but hay – did I mention vested interests?
Toby Manhire's editorial view of David Clark: https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/25-06-2020/david-clark-is-not-responsible/
Jeez, who knew?? We've had years of National/Labour ministers claiming the opposite. Okay, they'd all dismiss Mallard as just being Mallard, but what if he's right??
I suspect that, when he was supposed to attend the training session in which he was to be taught how to be vicarious, he was off mountain-biking.
So why has only one PM resigned (Lange) because they have lost confidence in their Ministers ability to do the right thing.
After all resigning because of vicarious responsibility is really because of loss of trust in those in the ministry to provide operational delivery.
In this instance Clark had confidence in Bloomfield to sort it (albeit it involving transfer of facility oversight to the Housing Minister – as in procurement of accommodation)
Perhaps Lange was honourable & the others not? But what the govt web-page neglects is an explanation how those responsibilities are enacted. Elsewhere? Or left to the discretion of the ministers themselves? I suspect the latter.
So it's just another left/right sham, probably. Traditional establishment collusion to hoodwink the public. Pretend to do the right thing, then evade the necessity…
I looked at Clark being interviewed and I think he didn't look to be in a good place. Yes he should have taken responsibility but his credit is very low at the moment and he probably fears calls for his head.
I was the first to denonce his actions when he breached lockdown. But I posted earlier that he has got a lot of gains for health. Cancer agency and new radiology machines, hospital site for Dunedin and project office (after god knows how many years of nothing). increasing budget for Pharmac. And billions of dollars for mental health. Also if he should be taking responsibility for the operational failing, then he must be due some credit for the success of our Covid response………it must work both ways. After I posted the above gains on an earlier postt Ad provided me with some links about health outcomes. Maybe its me but it didn't quite seem relevant. I then looked on the Dept of stats website and I couldnt't see health outcome material that would relate to the vast number of improvements this govt has made. The reality is improving health outcomes has a very, very long tail and things like mental health may not show much improvement at all in the context of Covid and mass unemployment.
I am sick of the beat up on Clark. He paid his penalty for the lockdown breach. I agree he should have taken responsibility for the stuff up at the border. But he looks to be a man under extraordinary pressure. And if he should take responsibility for the stuff up then he also deserves credit and high praise for how the Covid response has gone.
I think this govt is carrying a massive burden at the moment and the hysterical attempt by the National Party to wins votes only adds to the pressure. I hope NZders see through them
Yes. It is a part of the overall strategy of attack, attack, attack and no matter the consequences or even whether the claims are true. We're seeing it on a daily basis now and its hard to see them being able to keep it up for the next 90 days.
I watched live the segment of the inquiry where Clark responded to a question from Woodhouse, and I was not left with the impression he was… passing the buck to Bloomfield.
It could have been better expressed, but all he did was briefly reiterate what happened and pointed out Bloomfield had apologised. Which is true.
Newshub and O'Brien are doing their usual… playing gotcha politics.
You can't be responsible for things you can't control, otherwise any bloodyminded pisswit underling could force a resignation by acting like a perverse fukcknuckle.
You put it remarkably succinctly. 😉
100% Gabby "you can't be responsible for something you have no control"
If only Clark would show a bit of gumption and say that, but less diplomatically.
+1 esp. "And if he should take responsibility for the stuff up then he also deserves credit and high praise for how the Covid response has gone"
I have never seen a politician appear on my twitter feed more than what I saw David Clark last night. The right were ripping into him, but the left were almost as equally outraged with his approach.
Regardless of the rights or wrongs about what he was saying regarding responsibility, the guy is fucking clueless with how his words were going to play out politically.
Clark has only been in the headlines during the covid crisis for the wrong reasons. Ashley has been the face that all kiwis tuned into on a daily basis because we all trusted him and his professional, non political, way of dealing with things. Clark humiliating Ashley was a disgrace
Clark is a political liability and Jacinda needs to remove him.
Meh.
He was set up to answer those questions with Bloomfield alongside him.
Total set up.
Then the media use Twitter response to this set up to have another go.
It’s a lynch mob demonstrating their power to manipulate the public.
It's revenge for being unpopular when Ardern and Bloomfield were the go to people. Now they are leveraging support for Bloomfield to get people angry at Clark – a National target. To take the PM down a peg or two, and glorify themsleves as the new heroes of the peoples safety. Just as National is doing. Talk about a corrupt alliance of glee club with dirty tricks reboot.
It's going to be hard to mistake MSM pretentiousness for responsibility after this. Maybe the future of the media estate should be with new start ups.
PS The whole scandal/operational failure issue is that officials did not apply it to those arriving before June 9. So the whole story is about how the media and government became aware of this – and so it was ultimately applied from June 16th, rather than the June 23rd track officials were on.
The old vast right wing conspiracy – riiiight got ya.
Vast? No, just the right ppl in the right places.
Well explained. Thanks SPC.
The "scandal" is the despicable attempt by the Opposition to use the pandemic as a political football without a jot of consideration for the people caught in the middle. I refer to the health workers and all the other sectors in society doing their best to keep Covid 19 out of the community, as well as the vast bulk of citizens doing their best to follow the rules and keep themselves safe.
Those in the media who are aiding and abetting the Nats are equally as obnoxious.
Personally, I would like to see Jacinda Ardern and co. deliver blistering attacks on their modus operandi and expose them for the self seeking irresponsible assholes they are proving to be.
The bloke is completely clueless and it makes the govt look weak he still has portfolios.
You just have to look at his interviews.
It is like Twyford on steroids.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2020/06/health-minister-david-clark-definition-of-non-essential-worker-humiliated-ashley-bloomfield-todd-muller.html
Watch Chris Trotters comments from around 4:30. It's brutal.
I saw it this morning: Trotter & Sherson in accord all the way through. So refreshing when politicos cut the crap & tell it like it is. Viewers will be seriously impressed I bet (partisans will go straight into denial).
Will the PM tolerate her dead albatross health minister much longer? Not if she knows what's good for her. The stink has probably reached critical threshold. He's now making the Minister of Non-Delivery (Twyford) look good by comparison.
The PM, and a handful of very competent senior Ministers (Robertson, Woods) is carrying the others (Clark, Twyford, Lees-Galloway). Something has to give.
Interesting to hear the odious Gyles Beckford on RNZ this morning…
About what exactly – for being alive? Give us a hint please.
The Herald's early story is about 1000 people leaving managed isolation after their 14 days without being tested. This between June 9 and June 16.
And they add from yestersays Radio with Mike the agreement of Gorman with the Husk's own agreement with Muller their might be community transmission.
Be afraid is the mantra, feel threatened because the officials on the ground essentially at first interpreted the change from June 9, to only to apply to those who arrived after June 9.
However around 1000 people also left isolation between June 1 and June9 – when no testing was required and in those days Muller was saying go to Level 1 now there is no community spread.
On 8 June, the Prime Minister announced we were going to level 1:
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/418524/prime-minister-jacinda-ardern-reveals-move-to-level-1-from-midnight
"She said the country was ready, now 40 days since the last recorded case of community transmission, 26 days after entering alert level 2, 17 days since a new case, and less than 24 hours since having zero active cases recorded.
Ardern said New Zealanders did something "remarkable" by uniting in the fight against Covid-19, and had achieved one of the lowest rates per capita in the world.
"Now under level 1 you can if you want go back to your place of work." "
On that basis, the last recorded case of community transmission was on 29 April, now 57 days ago.
Now as I understand it, the aim of our border controls is to ensure that we do not get any further cases of community transmission.
Given that, do I care if over-worked and stressed employees of the Ministry of Health cannot tell me within an hour the number of visa holders in different categories who have entered New Zealand in the last 10 days, do I care if the taxpayer Onion have published Mullers master plan for the National Party under the heading of a Covid plan?
57 days of success? Yes I do care about that, but it would be nice to know that is is a valid number.
Are there any other key measures of success we have forgotten to tell people about?
Ed 1 key measures of success. I think the real evidence re community transmission is no one popping up in hospital/ICU. Even more than testing in the community this is where Covid in the community would appear……..I did a bit of research and the figure given was 20% of people with Covid need hospital care. Of course this can't be a definitive figure, but a useful guide. If NZ has community transmission we should have seen or will be seeing very soon hospital admissions
anker, I see community infection as not being the same as someone arriving with an infection, or catching the infection from their "bubble" while in quarantine. Yes some will need to be hospitalised, but I believe a key goal is to make sure that no-one catches covid19 from a person out in the community. There is a clear danger for staff and guards at quarantine properties – Victoria in Australia has apparently suffered from that, but if we get community transmission we may well have to go back to Level 2 (as Melbourne has done). So no, someone being admitted to hospital is almost expected from the thousands arriving in New Zealand from countries with infections at a higher level that here.
My question is whether we can celebrate 57 days without community infection?
Hi Ed 1 …..I meant no one in the hospital from the community. Eventually some of the border cases will need hospitalization
There is no community spread, we are two weeks into Level 1 if it was going to happen considering half the country went to the pub and a million went to sporting events and farmers markets and the movies victims would have presented by now.
I liked your comment last night Adrian, you are so right, NZ has (so far) successfully fought the spread of covid, people are scrambling to get back here because of this, the rest of us sucked it up for weeks, these newcomers should too.
Thanks IFL, but its just me reflecting the opinions of others I have spoken to recently from surprisingly, both sides of the political spectrum and as a long time arsehole it doesn't take much to arc me up when others arseholery becomes evident. I think it is going to quieten down pretty soon when the media realises they are on the wrong side of the Oh Woe Is Me faction.
The poll out tonight on TV1 will probably show a swing downwards for the Government but the Nat/media must take "credit" for any loss of confidence. Arseholery indeed.
I was just getting used to not dreading the next poll after about 11 years of depressing polls. I wonder how many people have forgotten over the last week what has been achieved and who by.
Yes achieved by THE Team of 5m. I hope you were not referring to a smaller sub team ?👍
For the Nats, any way that isn't straight down is a win right now.
I'd expect a few points up, below 35%, and Labour close to and probably no longer over 50%.
I'm mostly interested in what it does for the other party support.
What utter pants.
Any down swing with the Labour coalition will be through incompetence.
The whole country made a huge sacrifice for where we are only for the officials to cock-up their end.
And no amount of throwing workers under the bus with blame, changes the fact ultimately it is the coalitions responsibility.
eg a friend, Southland farmer, retired, union-hating blue-blue-blue through and through, full of praise for govt response and will probably vote for Jacinda this time round. Scathing of the behaviour of some returnees and constant bagging of Bloomfield et al
What is interesting at present (from the people I've been talking to) is that it feels like voters are making their minds up a whole lot earlier this election cycle.
Lots of time to reflect during the lockdowns? More interest in what is going on. The example of Trump, Johnson and other leaders dithering and blundering badly when under load.
I suspect that the reality that covid-19 brought is going to do nasty things to some kinds of populists. Those poll figures in the US are brutal (looks them up)
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/24/us/politics/trump-biden-poll-nyt-upshot-siena-college.html
Drat the numbers didn’t show
Biden 50%, Trump 36%, Other 14%
Dang, that's a helluva lead at this stage in their cycle.
Dukakis led the Elder Bush by 17 points in July 88.
Trump prophecy and statues to dead white people – and the reckons of white men who did not go to college. Too many of one and not enough of the other to save the Donald
The Economist has done some work on this too:
I think that it is 4-5 months out from the election there (November 3rd). Ummm here. 131 days.
I'm pretty sure that the probability of Clinton winning was pretty damn high then as well.
Look at the interactive chart from 538 down a bit on this page.
Not even going to mention the US Senate. The US system is seriously broken, ineffective, and just damn archaic.
"pretty sure that the probability of Clinton winning was pretty damn high"
True.
Much depends on whether much of Trump's support, which was previously off conventional radar, has since been identified.
I've been saying for years that the biggest problem with our democracy is that most people just don't have enough time to engage in it as they're too busy/tired from going to work. So, perhaps you're right. The lockdown has given more people the time to engage, time to think.
With some people, no matter how much time they’re given, it never lifts the quality of their thinking, as Chris Penk demonstrated with exquisite clarity.
I agree regarding opinions of others, just listening in to others in the staffroom people are pissed off with the people breaking the rules and whining, not the Govt.
That's the feeling around these parts too, some tory work colleagues share the same sentiment.
One of mum's tory friends even told her they are with-holding their annual generous donation this election because of the lack of leadership in the national party. Mum almost fell off her seat, because her friend is blue to the core.
The Herald and Newshub are gunning for the Health Minister Clark for stating a fact they do not like.
He said that the head of the Health Ministry Bloomfield had accepted responsibility for the release of people from managed isolation without testing post June 9 (as he has as head of the ministry). Apparently saying this in front of Bloomfield was supposed to be brutal – Tova O’B and spineless according to some anonymous Herald headline writer (now that is cowardly).
Then the intellectual affront to the left Chris Trotter says the PM has 24 hours to rid herself of the Minister – why because we are in a post truth age?
It seems Trotter is the go to guy for backing up every media beat-up going round, Hooton will be loving his stooge brother in arms.
Stuff is no better
Instead, he’s shifted blame to director-general of health Ashley Bloomfield. On Wednesday, Clark continued to blame Bloomfield, even while Bloomfield was in the room.
How exactly, the head of the ministry had already taken repsonsibility for it himself (the accusation in the quote is unattributed – no name to the story).
Do we have a MSM or just National attack blogs?
Was any National Minister asked to resign for the P homes lying empty and the cost of mitigation that was totally unneccesary?
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/coronavirus/300041875/david-clark-throws-ashley-bloomfield-under-the-bus-while-bloomfield-looks-on#comments
FFS, the MSM have yet to work out the reason why the officials were not testing those who arrived before June 9.
This
should have been quote form.
I think Bloomfield has explained this in recent pressers but it's too complicated for the reporters to understand and/or doesn't fit their narrative.
This is what Trotter says. He is not into being kind to Labour Ministers who can help to lose the election. We do want Labour to get in don't we or are some of us not up to facing truth and hard political reality (how many days till the election?)?.
Left-wing leaning political commentator Chris Trotter told The AM Show that the border bungle had hurt the Government.
"The one thing they had, the one shining moment in three years, was their handling of the COVID crisis and the last week, I cannot see how that hasn't put a massive dent in their public standing," he said.
Trotter then hit out at Clark and said Ardern shouldn't simply stand by.
"I thought the behaviour of David Clark in relation to Ashley Bloomfield was just shameful, absolutely shameful. I am sorry Jacinda, but if you let that stand for the next 24 hours, then it's going to come back on you, because a person like that should not be in his job."
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2020/06/health-minister-david-clark-s-behaviour-shameful-jacinda-ardern-needs-to-act-commentators.html
Trotter's judgement is unreliable.
Anyone who is so easily manipulated like an ordinary joe by that sort of media set up is way out of their depth on matters of political advice.
Chris is given the opportunity to appear on these shows because he will bag the left. Sure, he will try to nuance it in a way that suggests he wants Labour to do more and be more radical – but the the only thing that survives his flowery over-elaborations is the initial bagging. A truly left commentator with an uncompromising analysis of how money power actually works, won't get near these shows.
AB + 100. & the media really do take themselves quite seriously.
SPC
If you don’t get the whole of NZ is laughing and Clark and his gutless incompetence you and others here never will. Trotter is a realist not a blinkered fool. His political honesty is welcome after the politically blind comments as seen here.
Some of us are more easily manipulated than others.
Personally I regard Muller as auditioning for a role as a commentator on the Muppets – 4 weeks of people leaving their managed isolation without being tested under Level 2. His opinion then – there was no evidence of communty transmission so why are we not at Level 1 already.
One further week of people leaving without beign tested, and his belief is that there is community transmission.
He is no longer credible.
Pretending to believe there is suddently some sort of risk, to pander to crisis climate is not the service to the public but to himself and his party.
If he was a decent man, he is now Hooton's creature.
If Clark gets moved it gives the repeaters a win. Coming in after 3 terms of national was always the proverbial hospital pass even before covid.
Geez it's gonna be a fugly campaign based on the bs people are swallowing out there in godzone.
Granny has an uncredited piece which refers to Tova, Twitter and is clickbaited with 'stabbed in the back'.
Grans new role in the social media spectrum.
During the covid lockdown or other health emergency the Director of Health outranks even the Minister as he has more power at the behest of Government/Parliament not the minister directly. That is the understanding that I heard when he was elevated.
Dr Bloomfield and his team did a brilliant job.
As an aside, if you want to know who the arsehole is leaking bullshit and innuendo to the Opposition look no further than whoever it was who thought he/she was entitled to the job when Ashley was appointed DoH. Unfortunate acronym that.
Director-General of Health.
D-Gof H, Of course, writing while drinking tea not a good idea.
Add more sugar.
Too much sugar!
Yes Adrian, a case of "Shoulda been me" by Gorm less. "Nuff said!!"
Great to see Caruso-Cabrera get smashed by AOC for the 14th Congressional district.
All that big Wall Street money got glug-glugged by massive popular support.
Wake up and liberalise, Democrats!
Hang tough AOC.
That seat is now hers for as long as she wants it.
Jamaal Bowman is well ahead of 30 year incumbent Eliot "if I didn't have a primary, I wouldn't care" Engel.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jamaal-bowman-eliot-engel-new-york-16th-district-democratic-primary-election/
Good.
In the 15th it looks like Ritchie Torres is going to take it, with Ruben Diaz Sr coming 3rd(who would fit better in the troglodyte faction of the Repugs). Sadly, this race yet again illustrates the far left's ability to abandon reason and attempt self-sabotage, but fortunately didn't succeed this time.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/ritchie-torres-wins-new-york-democratic-primary-15th-congressional-district_n_5ef2713bc5b609fdb728b767
In Kentucky, Amy McGrath looks comfortably ahead of Charlie Booker in the race to take on Bitch the Mean-age Mutant MAGA Turtle. Sure Booker is definitely left and McGrath is moderate, but c'mon far lefties, this is Kentucky we're talking about here. McGrath is a long shot as it is, d'ya really think someone like Booker has even a fart's chance in a thunderstorm?
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020-election/kentucky-senate-primary-race-decide-who-challenges-mitch-mcconnell-too-n1231961
40 000 tested No community transmission. All those resources used and overloaded roads parking and laboratories. Thanks Muller and Woodhouse, yelling "Wolf" did that.
I wonder what the next "Urban Myth" from Woodhouse will be? "Baited breath!!" NOT!!
Someone could draw Muller’s attention to “We don’t know how lucky we are” by John Clarke.
Let's hope labour grows a pair and takes woodhouse and the nats games apart here…nice and methodically.
Show the NZ public the value they're creating in these challenging times. Fit for govt material ?
If only we had some journalists to do some reporting.
Yes Patricia, and not a single word from the 2 main media outlets, stuff and The Herald who made the loudest noise over the homeless person, $100k spent on the investigation by the tax payer with no evidence of any homeless person being in the hotel, Woodhouse looked embarrassed on the TV when asked for some evidence to support the allegation and then Muller says he stands behind his minister, Woodhouse, so Muller disagrees with the outcome of the $100K investigation yet has zero evidence to discredit it.
This is a much bigger story than anything else circulating in the media today, yet, crickets.
On a lighter note …
With the TVNZ poll out tonight, let's look back at the last one, from May. Just for fun, here's a Quick Quiz:
10 people got 0.1% support (the lowest possible to be recorded in the poll) as preferred PM. Can you name any of these people (without looking them up)?
Clues: 4 of them are not in Parliament. 3 women, 7 men. Any guesses?
How's Julian Assange getting on I wondered?
https://www.axios.com/julian-assange-wikileaks-anonymous-fdf2f45a-06e3-4743-b685-97d9984ba2da.html
The Justice Department announced on Wednesday that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been charged in a superseding indictment for recruiting and conspiring with computer hackers, including those affiliated with the hacking groups LulzSec and "Anonymous."
Why it matters: The new indictment does not add new counts to the 18-count indictment filed against Assange under the Espionage Act last year, but it does "broaden the scope of the conspiracy surrounding alleged computer intrusions with which Assange was previously charged," according to the DOJ.
(Sounds as if they are trying to treat Assange as a nuisance, commercially motivated, hostile hacker against nation/s, rather than for revealing wrongs done – important difference.)
.
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/us-issues-new-indictment-against-wikileaks-founder-julian-assange-2020-06-24
https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/2020/06/21/julian-assange-fiancee-plea/
Assange didn’t appear via video link for his most recent court matter in London’s Westminster Magistrates’ Court in early June.
His defence team had emailed court that their client had “had respiratory problems for some time”, the court heard.
WikiLeaks confirmed Assange had been advised against going to the video conferencing room in Belmarsh prison by his doctors and was at high risk of contracting COVID-19 due to an underlying lung condition.
Assange is next scheduled to appear in court on June 29 for a routine call over.
“He’s very unwell and I’m very concerned about his ability to survive this,” Ms Moris said.
He’s not a criminal. He’s not a dangerous person. He’s a gentle intellectual, a thinker.”
Ms Moris, 37, said Assange was being kept alone in a tiny room and was “very depressed.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/419793/hawke-s-bay-water-rules-watered-down-despite-disagreement
Shades of Flint and money before public service. Decisions influenced by advancement for whom?
On Flint's fight for decent government provision and the dire response to obvious problems and health damage because of bad water policies.
See my earlier – https://thestandard.org.nz/daily-review-23-06-2020/#comment-1722123 from 23 June.
.
Recent 4 June 2020 developments from adam, thanks. https://statuscoup.com/category/people-planet/flint-water-crisis/
I was hoping that those who have daily connections with a cross-section of people might be able to tell me what the feeling for Government's handling of the crisis is. I have read all the comments above thanks everyone. Any others?
My staffroom is always interesting, broad cross section of ages and backgrounds, I mentioned above, but I had a giggle listening in they were livid about Woodhouse (I'm in Dunedin) & someone mentioned how Hosking is all over the place, "he just says any old crap".
FB lunacy is winning.
https://twitter.com/majorityfm/status/1275867327825920005
https://twitter.com/RexChapman/status/1275912010555932672
Terrifying Joe!
These clowns are prepared to exploit one of the very few concessions an able world grants to those with disabilities.
Says it all, really.
The SLO County Public Health Department is warning residents that various cards claiming to exempt the holder from California’s face covering ordinance are fraudulent and not endorsed by the U.S. Department of Justice.
In a “rumor alert” posted to the department’s Facebook page on June 22, county staff linked to a recent press release posted by the U.S. Department of Justice, which says that various printouts of face covering exemption cards, many of which include the U.S. Department of Justice seal, are floating around the internet.
click to enlarge
“These postings were not issued by the department and are not endorsed by the department,” the press release reads. “The department urges the public not to rely on the information contained in these postings and to visit ada.gov for ADA [Americans with Disabilities Act] information issued by the Department.”
https://www.newtimesslo.com/SLOthevirus/archives/2020/06/23/slo-county-public-health-department-warns-of-fake-face-covering-exemption-cards
Covid Update:
Over 10,000 tests conducted yesterday. Community transfer: zero. Not one case. After 16 days at level 4.
Dr Todd Muller was not available for comment.
Community transfer: zero
I support your emphasis on this important point because Nats & media aren't acknowledging it sufficiently. They need to get real asap. Valid to expose the quarantine shambles, but we're moving on from that. If they keep banging the drum regardless, it will piss everyone else off big-time.
That's how I see it DF, let the media bleat on, eventually they'll be ignored because they're plain wrong and delusional.
Dr Todd Mull er – is he doc of anything?
Incidentally I am thinking we need a change in honorific/title treatment – and Doctor should be followed by two letter code ie MD. Well they do it elsewhere I think. I think of doctor as being medical doctor, so I would like to know what sort of professional I am listening to. Could have a Dr PR and that would be very useful to know.
You mean level 1?
US covid new cases 39k yesterday Thats a record i think
31k and 36k in the 2 days before that.
Yeah I saw on the breakfast news a report that 26 US states are showing a sudden surge, and that up-swing is evident in your daily figures. Brazil's supreme court has ordered Balsonaro to wear a mask. Trump will be wondering how much longer he can do his King Canute act…
Predicting that the whole health system will be overwhelmed in 2 weeks, I read today. I have friends in Washington and Arizona, at their wits end.
ditto friends in Arkansas, New Mexico, Tennesee and family in Georgia.
All staying home, wearing masks when leaving the house and putting up with abuse because they do it.
One day someone is gonna shoot a whole bunch o people simply because they wear a mask, gloves and use hand sanitizer.
I saw a photo someone posted with signs on restaurant condiments "this is not hand sanitizer".
Little wonder.
https://twitter.com/lolonghi/status/1275849452486615040
https://twitter.com/Sessal4/status/1275915376870580225
Only becasue Brazil numbers are be massaged beyond belief. Brazil is bad, very bad and we have no real idea how bad.
33 new cases in the Australian state of Victoria today.
https://www.twitter.com/covidliveau/status/1275954575397154817
https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/25-06-2020/david-clark-is-not-responsible/
This is one very good summation of the clark stumble
It’s by Toby Manhire and is correctly labeled “opinion”
altho as usual the sub heading is false (toby makes no reference to creating “a problem for Jacinda Ardern”)
Surprised that Tuesday 30 July is the last day of the House sitting.
Crikey, Qtime is a bit meows today.
Dr custard aka nick smith was kicked out, for his usual problem… out of line interjecting.
Unfortunately for him he had a question to ask later on.
" Hon Dr NICK SMITH to the Minister of Justice: Is his Electoral (Registration of Sentenced Prisoners) Amendment Bill, as passed through its third reading under urgency last night, good law? "
Then ole entitled gerry wanted Dr custard's question to be reinstated and asked by another MP. A bit of argey bargey later with Trevor; because, let's face it, ole entitled gerry won't back down even if he is wrong. Nek minute, ole entitled gerry was kicked out too.
Good job Mr Speaker
It's around 3.22 on this clip
https://ondemand.parliament.nz/parliament-tv-on-demand/?itemId=213438
Thanks for the heads up Cinny.
Q2. The start of the barney is worth a listen. Winston Peters is doing what he does so well – tosses the ball back in the Oppo's court.
https://ondemand.parliament.nz/parliament-tv-on-demand/?itemId=213431
I think the Speakaer has had a gutsful of the current Oppo tactics.
Winston did very well
The results of the Colmar Brunton Poll tonight will be a very good indicator of just how influential the media is.
With relentless attacks on the Coalition, everything from bungling incompetence to conflicts within the Coalition, none of which are supported by any substantiating evidence apart from media releases of which are headed with 'Opinion'.
A very large swing against the Govt will give everyone something to be concerned about.
No point of opinion polls if no media megaphone to opine on public opinion.
Correct, but there's always an extent of influence, something that can be guaged, which is a good indicator of wether the public agree with the media sentiment or have personally chosen to disagree.
In the end the only poll that matters is in 88 days, a lot water to go under the bridge yet though.
The Poll result doesn't appear to have been influenced by the last few days of hyperbole, Muller was expected to get high support after his predecessor and the rusted on supporters, Nat voters showing their support, NZF though, are probably the biggest losers but we know that at election day they usually do much better.
Labour could govern alone on 50%, the Greens back at 5%, NZF on 2%
National on 36%, Act on 4%
Pretty much the result you would expect after the removal of Bridges, restoration of support from the party faithfull.
Just Is, A great deal depends on how people react to Woodhouse's "story".
I think everyone found that a "Stretch'
Muller will appeal to old time National more than Bridges did, but people won't thank him for playing on their fears. We live in interesting times.
As you say, the media have played this like a violin chorus, wailing in the pits, becoming a little too shrill…… waiting….. Just hope people recognise genuine mahi.
"We live in interesting times"
Yes, the era of Fake News, sadly, people believe the News, corporate owned media outlets manipuate opportunities that suit there narrative.
Why sadly? Truth is truth N'est-ce pas?
Sadly, there are too many people that believe the Fake news due to number of reasons
Lisa Owen has a bit of an apology fetish apparently. She seems to feel obliged to reorganise the Cabinet as well.