All good in defending Ardern, but are those commentators actually wrong?
[lprent: Of course they’re wrong. While there are a lot of dimwits who subscribe to the great all-seeing dictator theory of management, I’ve never ever seen anyone ever managing it. You’d have to be a complete and utter fool to even think that.. This is probably about as close as you’re going to get to it.
Now lets go back and actually hear your ‘opinion’ perhaps you could explain your theory on it so I can explain why I think that you’re wrong, query the source you parroted it from and spit on your intellect in robust debate.
However that will be a week away. Banned for a week so you can figure out the following.
I see you try this standard troll tactic again, I will boot you off the site permanently. This site is here for your opinions, not for you to play dumbarse debating team / trolling tactical games on it.
this whole Inquiry is like the shit they are investigating – so sad they are getting it wrong on such an important area. Time to walk the walk minister
Internal Affairs Minister Tracey Martin has refused to express confidence in the leadership of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care, after it was revealed a convicted child sex offender was involved.
The gang member chosen is I understand someone who has faced up to his own misdeeds and understands the dynamic so is good value. Pity that many politicians who are guilty of bad actions of all sorts don't own up to them, and turn round and try to improve the situation for the people ane the country. People who declare themselves pure of all stain, have never moved from their easy chair.
The problem here is the connection between gangs and sexual assault. It's not simply about whether the gang member has made amends, it's about whether the survivors feel safe. This should be the priority.
In this case, complaints have been made about his current behaviour, so his 'good value' is undermined by that.
Edit:
Uh-huh. Sounds as if his presence may be disturbing at present, and if a young woman has been attacked she isn't going to feel comfortable seeing a similar guy to the attacker in the panel or even in the room.
However he would be useful in later discussions after the victims have given evidence and got some comfort from that. He would be invaluable to give background about the sexual behaviour that he has observed, and why and how it happens that way, and his opinions on improving the situation.
I think NZ is embarrassed about sex and there should be discussions about it on a medical and social discussion level to try and get a balanced view about sexual matters. We need to think about it and progress, it is a public health thing, and we owe it to each other and our children to have clear guidelines that fit our modern world which seems to have past rigid attitudes and prudishness lingering. We need to respectfully treat the matter, as important to all for relationship health, and to mental health and understanding of our drives as humans.
Do people generally know about the way that young people go about their first sexual experience? Is there open discussion about sexual matters, so basic to us all? What do girls think about it, what do boys? There should be discussions as part of sexual education at school, or run by Primary Health nurses, and should be in a mixed group with appropriate professionals or community leaders leading the discussion. There might be a model discussion videoed that parents could watch to see and understand the value of this.
Guidelines for behaviour formed by agreement between the participants after discussion, would go a long way to preventing feelings of being pushed to participate and talking about the misunderstandings that could lead either gender to believe that it was okay to push ahead because it would be enjoyable in the end, or some such reason.
I apologise to anyone who thinks that the whole matter should be screened off and the less said the better. I think that has led us to where we are now, just as I think that being obsessed with sex and talking about it a lot, casually, is also in appropriate. It should be a special personal thing, 'Not Given Lightly'. Balance is all.
Don't know what you are trying to say there, but the inquiry is about the state's responsibility for children in its care who were abused (sexually, physically, emotionally). This isn't about sex and sexuality, it's about abuse. That you conflate the two renders your opinion on what is appropriate in the inquiry irrelevant.
There is a concept of trauma-informed or clinically-informed process. It exists because when put into practice it gives the best wellbeing outcomes for people who have been harmed. The inquiry has failed on that in a number of ways. The complaints against the gang member are about his behaviour and how that has affected the inquiry in a number of roles. His expertise can't trump that.
With regard to the issue of women not trusting a gang member, the inquiry should have managed that so he wasn't in a role where that would be an issue. Again, trauma-informed process matters and creates better outcomes.
I saw your comment and have thought about since it was made.
Try and listen to Insight this Sunday just after 8am on RNZ. Part of the reason is cyber abuse and predatory tourists.
Parents /grandparents needs to be educated on how to keep a child safe and a child needs to known what is grooming and what is unsafe contact from an adult.
Governments need to take sexual exploitation seriously both online and tourism.
I think you need to have a think about why this Inquiry is being set up in the first place – it is about the innocent victims abused and treated like shit – which apparently continues, in the form of the way this Inquiry is going, to date imo
Sorry marty mars – I do understand that I had suggested something inappropriate at the first. It seems the heariang should be divided into two – first the victims and then better approaches to ensure respect of both genders for each other's emotional nature. I have tried to explain how I feel that things could be done afterwards to lead to less of this sort of trauma happening in the future.
I'm sorry too – I know you are engaging with comments and working hard to put stuff up and debate it – I can be a bit 'shoot first ask questions later' type which is irritating I know.
The purpose of the Royal Commission is to give a voice to the now adults who were children in social welfare care and in faith based care. To exclude anyone who is entitled to be there is to do them a disservice, example a convicted pedophile who was sexually assaulted while in social welfare care.
The Royal Commission needs to establish what the outcome/impact is from an individual's experience of being mistreated and harmed.
Everyone appearing before the Royal Commission need to feel secure about the process.
There are some gaps in the Royal Commission which require immediate action.
"The hope is that Labour will adopt it as official party policy and add the Green New Deal proposal to its next manifesto"
The problem is however as Greta said
“….saying that you’re doing enough when the politics and solutions needed are still nowhere in sight…”
hmmmm ..solutions are nowhere is sight.
Hey, just a repeat post from last night…if anyone else knows of a group of people pushing for the WEAG recommendations to be implemented can you pls let us know.
What we would all like to know is what WEAG and AAAP mean. Some of us do, and many don't. Will people stop talking in acronyms because you are not going to reach your potential audience to make your point if they don't know what you are talking about?
Horeskin and Garner are Natzi paid shrills trying to destroy Jacinda's reputation by making these types of comparisons, the problem is the RWNJ's will start believing these guys as most New Zealanders are sheep who can not think for themselves and believe MSM ?
What deadbeats – beating up on a kid! No doubt they are put out because all their ranting and raving hasn't had a scratch of the influence of a 15 year old who quietly and respectfully sat outside the Swedish Parliament with a placard on Fridays.
What's new? Not worth the effort to write criticising the 'boys'.
I suggest any outrage you feel uses energy that is precious that could be applied elsewhere. Wallowing in outrage is so satisfying but getting into the support works and the promotion of new ways and the thinking of who and what is being hurt by climate change and political maltreatment is ongoing hard labour.
RNZ are reporting the US Congress leader Nancy Pelosis have announced a formal investigation with a view to impeach the president.
Apparently it is based on an anonymous whistleblower allegations, that link Trump personally gaining political favour, by having investigations in the Ukraine linking Biden to the baddies.
My very amateur hunch is that if this goes ahead, rather than sink trump, it will embolden him and strengthen his voter support. The Dems will think they have their trump card (boom boom!) and Trump can continue to Fake News!, obfuscate and fib.
On one hand, Don of the Deadbrains has been in impeachable violation of his constitutional obligations from the moment of of his inauguration, and has been vigorously adding to his rap sheet ever since. He has made it abundantly clear he's quite happy to betray his country if he thinks there's personal benefit to be had. So if the Dems don't impeach him, they're basically surrendering their oversight and accountability obligations and the power of impeachment becomes meaningless. Also, there may be political benefit in publicising the wrongdoing that's been done and forcing Repugs into a yes or no vote.
On the other hand, removing the Mango Mugabe from office via impeachment simply ain't gonna happen. There's an absolute minimum of 20 Repug senators that would have to vote for conviction. But watching what happened to Mark Sanford, Jeff Flake and the very few other elected Repugs that spoke against the mandarin manutang has dissolved whatever vestigial spines and principles they may have once possessed.
Hell, even after a successful impeachment in the House, Moscow Mitch might just Garland the trial in the Senate and thereby spare Repug senators from having to even cast an uncomfortable vote. I certainly haven't yet seen any language in the constitution compelling the Senate to hold the trial, whereas the language requiring the Senate to consider Merrick Garland's nomination was quite clear, yet Moscow Mitch got away with just blowing off that constitutional obligation.
So yeah, there's the risk that impeaching Hair Furor in the House without a conviction and removal from office by the Senate might be viewed by enough of the electorate as stupid partisan political games and backfire on the Dems.
Great analysis, Adrian. My reckons have a small % following this with enthusiasm, some thinking this will sink the Hysterical Hairdo and for the majority, it will barely register.
BTW do you have a Trump name generator app? The Mango Mugabe caused an involuntary snort.
It looks like the Dems may have evidence yet to be released:
It appears that a lot of additional information about the Ukraine affair is about to come to light. The House intelligence committee has announced that the whistleblower wishes to testify, and could do so as early as this week, meaning that the public could soon learn the details of the allegations against Trump – and see what evidence there is.
Oops: I can’t find the link address. It was a Guardian news item which appears to have disappeared or been incorporated into another story. Sorry.
yep – I can't imagine they have gone this way without some big gotchas – I don't think the teflon turnipturd will be bothered though – he just turns it around by lying
Hi Marty, Anne, things like modern politics have less and less to do with evidence and truth. Witness the British Prime Minister illegally and unlawfully dissolving parliament.
I don't doubt that there is damning evidence but that doesn't matter if the perception of the great unwashed differs from the narrative.
eg CC is no problem because we have 'clean coal', I heard the president say so a few times.
Equally, I have little faith in the Dems making hay from this.
Akin to Hilary being a sure bet, she will win because she is experienced, it's her turn, she is a woman….
Within 24 hrs of the "wonderful" (Trump's words) meeting with Ardern he has:
1) Ruled out any tightening of gun laws in the US.
2) Refused to sign the US up to the Christchurch Call and has made a speech at the UN denouncing the attempt by technological companies to curtail free speech.
Worst case: the terms of the investigation are too narrow, charges go to Senate, and the repugs exonerate him. Re-election 2020.
Best case: he gets investigated, it takes until november 2020 but the dirt getting exposed is so overwhelming that it scuppers his re-election bid. And then federal and state charges are laid January 2021. He spends the last years of his life shafting his lawyers' attempts to have him ruled incompetent to stand trial.
Middle-worst case: senate convicts him, president pence gets elected as a spiritual cleanser.
Middle case: whether or not he gets convicted or re-elected, New York State does him for tax fraud.
So after flailing round for 3 years the Dems think they've finally got their man by saying he's obstructing aid. Oh the irony! Let's see if this has opened the door for Iran, Venuezuela and N Korea to launch their own impeachment proceedings too lol.
A touch cynical, but often correct. The operative word there is "us", though. The national interest, not the personal interest of the officials making the decisions.
The essential difference between realpolitik and personal corruption.
The call is only one red flag. A whistle blower went to the IG with evidence of other wrongdoing, too.
btw, the Senate has unanimously agreed to Schumer's resolution calling for the whistle blower complaint to be turned over to the intelligence committees
Mate is pretending to be too stupid to understand the obvious threat being made. So he can pivot to his one true love, perpetual whining about Dems.
edit: Also interesting is how closely Mate is parroting Repug talking points:
“McConnell also indicated that he hasn’t backed off even an inch from his cover-up for Trump’s criminal behavior, releasing a statement claiming that Democrats have held “a two-and-a-half-year impeachment parade in search of a rationale.” ”
wonderful stuff thank you maui – must be time for a guestpost from you – be great to read all your ideas on this in one post – that will create a forum for debate no doubt
You have a view, shared by many, that tbh I don't agree with AND it would be good to have that difference outlined to see the logic and arguments – I want to really understand why people think the way they think.
A lot of Maori men are in prison, but while a lot is made of the percentage to population, they are still a minority to pakeha and tauiwi extremely unpleasant criminals. Have a look at the s.itheads in this nasty murder case. Should these men when babies have been taken from their parents? What sort of parental methods result in adult outcomes who will never realise their potential to be a great, happy, admirable person? Would parental classes for both young people which would come connected to a fortnightly child assistance payment to them, get them on a positive line of child rearing and understanding how to cope and manage through stresses, and be co-operative.
Those who have worked in the criminal justice system are well aware that there is a massively high probability that the sorts of people you refer to were taken from their parents.
From the "I am not a believer in conspiracy" files.
On Sunday I visited another town in my EV. While having it recharged at a public facility. I went for a walk with my wife for a block a way and went through a car yard I had visited two years ago while searching for an EV to buy. There were no staff as the yard was closed.
Today on Facebook there is a specific ad on my Facebook Home page from the very car yard that I visited.
Coincidence? It's a startling thing.
Is there a possibility that facial recognition technology from a security camera is at play here? That my very basic cell phone is being tracked? That my car rego was noted when I drove past twenty minutes later? That my EV's electronic key in my pocket was somehow 'discovered'?
Or is it just coincidence and some very targeted advertising based on my facebook activity and previous purchase? As the saying goes, coincidence occurs only when we can't see the levers and pulleys.
I guess I am really asking for comment from wiser technology-savvy heads about how deep intrusion in our lives is based on tracking our personal information?
assuming you are in NZ I would guess it's either a semi-coincidence (based on targeted advertising from other activity), or it's your phone or credit card usage.
If your phone is a smart phone you can turn location services off.
FB will be using your IP address to target advertising, so if you have FB on your phone it will know your general area by how you connect to the internet.
I don't know what happens with EVs, but it's worth checking if it's the EV's GPS. You could ask the manufacturer for details on what the tech is in your car and if it's connected to online services.
I would be very surprised if this was facial recognition, we're not there yet in NZ afaik.
According to David Spiegelhalter in The Art Of Statistics there is no such thing as coincidence, its just a matter of mathematics. "Connected "people, the sort who talk to others a lot, and I know you are one mate, find more coincidences simply because they have a lot more information and contacts. Yes, it looks suspicious but as you say you have been online looking at EV sites, also you were in this specific town using cards etc which ramps up the coincidence possibilities. If you had not gone there would the pop up have happened the next day. Who knows ? . It may simply be the act of paying for the charge up in the vicinity and the webby thing did the rest.
Its disturbing this bullshit which is why I have stared paying for everything with pebbles.
So Mac1 if I don''t come back from the bar with my round on Friday night its because I've been thrown out on my arse.
Thanks, Weka and Adrian. The EV's GPS still thinks it's in Japan. I’m in NZ as Adrian knows.
My cell has a FB icon but I've never used it or set it up.
I did get e-mail acknowledgements immediately of my use of public chargers but would FB know that? That charger also accessed my bank account and was my only credit card use on that trip.
So as you say, Adrian, it might be a webby thing……. perhaps I should adopt your payment method using the asparagus coming out of my ears at the moment.
When I return to work after 3 days off, I am often prompted to offer a review of my hospitality place of work. I have put it down to the location tracker jobbie in my Whoarewe phone.
This in no way makes me think we are under-survielled and spied upon excessively.
Location services and the apple equivalent is a generic facility on your cell phone. I haven't looked at it too recently, but it uses GPS, wifi, cell towers, and even near field or blue tooth to try to increase the accuracy of its fix – especially when you are indoors and the GPS signal sucks.
It is also something that quite a lot of apps access, everything from google maps to various other systems that read location information and sell it directly or indirectly to advertisers.
If it's capable a 3g net connection google will be following you around. Need to turn that off, also downloaded any apps? Plenty of them capture location data and sell it back for advertising purposes.
Yep they use all of the things you mentioned. Sometimes car yards/shops use beacons which push messages to your phone (if you have this enabled and didn't realise you could turn it off it would freak you out).
I'll be watching you
Every move you make
Every step you take
I'll be watching you
Bluetooth beacons, however, can track your location accurately from a range of inches to about 50 meters. They use little energy, and they work well indoors. That has made them popular among companies that want precise tracking inside a store.
The beacons connect with your phone to gather data.
The Guardian Firewall team has discovered that a growing number of iOS apps have been used to covertly collect precise location histories from tens of millions of mobile devices, using packaged code provided by data monetization firms. In many cases, the packaged tracking code may run at all times, constantly sending user GPS coordinates and other information.
In order to gain initial access to precise data from the mobile device’s GPS sensors, the apps usually present a plausible justification relevant to the app in the Location Services permission dialog, often with little or no mention of the fact that location data will be shared with third-party entities for purposes unrelated to app operation.
All location data monetization firms listed on this page collect one or more of the following data points:
Bluetooth LE Beacon Data
GPS Longitude and Latitude
Wi-Fi SSID (Network Name) and BSSID (Network MAC Address)
In addition, some firms also collect the following types of less sensitive device information:
Accelerometer Information (X-axis, Y-axis, Z-axis)
Advertising Identifier (IDFA)
Battery Charge Percentage and Status (Battery or USB Charger)
It's used by one of the biggest retailers in the country.
When customers use mobile applications developed by Scentre, or logon to Wi-Fi provided in Westfield shopping centres or third party applications utilising Scentre’s infrastructure (including Bluetooth beacon networks), customers provide Scentre with certain information including their contact details.
The protest took place in the township of Ruawai, at the northern end of Kaipara Harbour.
Between 120 and 150 farmers turned up, most of them by tractor.
They said a suite of measures, zero carbon legislation, the latest water plan and the Billion Trees Programme could force some of them off their land.
The Mayor of Kaipara, Jason Smith, said it was a quiet protest but with a strong message.
"They weren't tooting horns, there was no loud noise, people were standing around in solidarity, just being concerned (about the future)," Dr Smith said.
The Kaipara Harbour is NZ's largest by area. There are many acres of farmland surrounding it and it's tributaries. As more pressure comes to bear against farmers adjacent to waterways, I think the Kaipara region will become a hotbed of discontent.
I think the strongest protest they could mount would revolve around showcasing farmers that are going the extra enviro mile. We all support those guys.
Edit
We do indeed, and should be helping others up by their bootstraps. All is not won though as i have heard of farmers watching their stock eat down the greenery, flaxes, and then stepping past it to get to the stream. So vigilance is required for effectiveness even once measures to remediate pollution are taken.
I understand that Kaipara has had a lot of run off into the estuary? So it is in farmers interest to keep their top soil, and also to keep the estuary water in good health, because I think it is a place for growing spat as a business? Isn't that also where they had the great sewerage fixing bill? It seems there is a lot to do, so just getting together to protest would be not being real men. Getting together to form working groups helping each other for the good of the whole, as well as to meet the government requirements that have been needed for probably two decades or longer. The problems have not shown up suddenly, out of the blue.
And not to be overlooked is the effect of sea rise. I think that it is flat around Kaipara, so the farmers can huddle around a map showing projections of where the sea will rise and how it will affect them. Perhaps dredging and building up sand and mud dunes on which they could plant mangrove or such that would be good fish spawning cover for young fish. That would help to take some of the brunt of waves in storms.
They might get help on their streams from the Environment River Patrol Aotearoa NZ which Milan Ruka has been behind. He has been doing more stuff than the farmers about water and environment health and might have some tips.
I've thought of a word to describe some of the regular commenters here – CAN'T (Carpers and Negative Controllers) and they attempt to shut down discussion, either deliberately or in the nit-picking way they treat others comments.
While it may not be ad hominem comment, it is slanted to give the commenter the feeling that their comment from their mind has nothing to say of relevance and therefore the person is mindless, ignorant, and for many people this is the same as an ad hominem in its effect. Obsessed people may continue to arise despite, but for those concerned for a wider discussion covering all topics it is greatly disheartening.
The reply to the comment will not build on it adding more background, it will not simply correct a mistake. The comment will be dumped on as wrongly quoted, the syntax is wrong, some figures wrong and so the whole comment is useless to consider, and it shows a mind uninformed and with nothing to add to the superior understanding of the person who responds. Wrong, wrong, wrong, so buzz off you inferior person. That's the message and the end result to many, while the lords, mainly I think, of the internet roll on flattening the poppies who might otherwise have got tall before they were attacked.
In other words the message is 'You 'Can't' say anything of importance or helpful – why bother.'
I try to put my comments to the table test before clicking Submit Comment.
'Would I use the same words if I was sitting across the table from the person I'm responding to?'
I wonder if people that feel the need to dominate and seed confrontation in a discussion on an anon message board lead somewhat different lives in the real world.
I wonder. But I get concerned at the lack of participation in this blog from lefties. I wonder if they lose heart. Times are tough and work hours or making do is demanding. But learning while you are going is not wasted time and just raising a query and some ideas and getting response is heartening. If the response is a sneer not. If it is a little query about meaning or the need to put source, or show opinion one way and quote okay. But encouragement is primary rather than scholastic lessons or entrenched opinion coming down on you.
There are some great people out there so those who seem to want to dominate, go schtum. Let it pass, ask for more info. Try to love other people's reaching up for understanding, communication, togetherness. There are some people who I am very wary of, anyone who tries to love and trust all others is unwise, but let's try to find How to get There…?
Since i read about the Exclusive Brethren leader who commented that a young man who was suicidal over the split between the cult and his family, would be better off dead, should take rat poison, I thought that I can't trust these people. And there were other features of their behaviour which when understood showed they can never be trusted and that applies to a number of cults.
Going round being kind to all without wariness, is being naive sorry gsays – and over time you will find they often understand you very well and prefer to remain obscure themselves.
You are starting to sound like a flower child from hippy times. I think loving all is OTT, trying to have goodwill to all with wariness is good, and helping where you can be kind and being friendly. When you find who to trust, and know the small number that you will ever understand the heart of, then love them. Just don't throw it away like tissues or easy tears, it is precious, there isn't a lot of the real thing around.
Love for those who deserve it, good will for those who deserve it, patient tolerance, disdain or disgust for those gone off track or beyond redemption. That says it I think. No need to hang social dictionary tags on it.
I wonder if people that feel the need to dominate and seed confrontation in a discussion on an anon message board lead somewhat different lives in the real world.
Not usually, however that is mostly because I tend to avoid arguing with people outside of online. It is obvious when you look at what happens on these kinds of forums.
Arguing or even discussing things with other people often means that you need to be somewhat on a level playing field to get anything out of it. But conversations are usually one to few in real-life.
Now I’m an extreme case. I have always had a really capacious memory, lots of CPU cycles, and a habit of thinking a lot about everything. Plus I have been continuously on the ‘social’ nets in some form or another since the mid-1980s BBSes and 90s usenet and have no interest in TV, sport, gossip and anything else that is essentially repetitive. And I never bother to compete or dominate with anyone – it is too easy to just leave them holding a some sinking island while I move on to something that is of interest to me. Plus I’m too damn arrogant to be concerned about what anyone else thinks of me.
Which makes it rare for me to find someone who has anything that interesting or new to me. Which also means that there isn’t that much to argue about except work.
But social networks and especially ones like this, you’re effectively talking to thousands of people at once with a bit of a lag. Yesterday on this site with a quiet day there were 2,784 distinct humans visited and read various posts and comments. 9,978 over the last 7 days**.
That gives a much larger selection of people who can provide the grist for interesting disagreements. It is also self-selecting for people who can argue.
So on here, even if I wasn’t having to moderate, my behaviour would change compared to IRL and has ever since I joined argument forums. I learn a hell of a lot just reading these forums. It is also why I’m also willing to expend time stomping on people who try to dilute the good arguments of a robust debate. The returns make it worthwhile.
//————
** there will be some inaccuracy in that due to people not using cookies or having different ‘identities’ on different systems. However when I analysed it a while ago, the maximum inaccuracy on users was less than 10%. Some of them are single reads from search engines. However that is well less than 30% of all of the users. Something like 40% of users read the site multiple times per week.
humans == Unique Users (at least as far as google can see).
You can see this in the analytics summary in the dashboard. But reminds me that I'm on holiday for 5 days starting tonight. Google analytics coming your way.
Yep. You have to look at how google collects the information about users.
If you look in the cookies on your system, you'll find tracking cookies from google and others. These come in if you're on gmail or logged in on chrome or any number of other things.
What they also do is to allow google analytics to track user patterns. They do this by allocating a analytics number to everyone.
You should have access to analytics now. If you look under Audience / User Explorer you can see the anonymised data looking at individual user stats. That gives a better idea of how it is done.
I’m having a 5 day weekend to do some outstanding work at home. Procrastinating on working on web code rather than my favoured hard-core code inevitably results in me becoming more blog-active…
Oh well the weekend boss is dragging me off to lunch, so I’d expect that there will be an expectation of less blog and more work on her site.
Hope you're well. I just aren't for the Labour Party. Since you know when. When they combined with the strong. When I logically knew them to be in the wrong. In my young age.
I fleetingly heard it and it sounded like the guy was saying that gandhi didn't like a group of people because of the colour of their skin – in other words he said and acted like black people were inferior because they were black. If so then that is racism in my book.
The British Supreme Court has ruled that the decision by the British prime minister Boris Johnson to prorogue or suspend parliament for five-weeks was unlawful. Dr Dean Knight is the co-director of the New Zealand Centre of Public Law at Victoria University and spoke to Corin Dann about the case from London.
Trudeau is no monster; he has spent the past few years upholding refugee rights in Canada and should be commended for it. But he has also spent years basking in a progressive image he doesn’t deserve. For too long, too many people have given him too many passes, preferring to focus on his feelgood soundbites rather than interrogate his less-than-feelgood actions. But the current controversy has made the poster boy of progressivism’s ugly side impossible to ignore.
This comment on Mahdawi's opinion article offers an interesting point of view. As I read it I found myself thinking about the political and public reaction to Metiria Turei's 2017 admission of benefit fraud some 25 years earlier at ~22 years of age – NZ lost an excellent MP over that.
I'm not comparing Trudeau to Turei (there are so many differences), but the effects of self-destructive tendencies in the progressive left are worth reflecting on before going full tilt, IMHO.
"At times, it really surprises me how we have any progressive governments at all. The right cheerfully conducts itself with a lack of shame, self awareness and responsibility. The left subjects itself to a neurotic level of self scrutiny and as each historical mistake or social faux pas comes to light, the evil perpetrator is fed to the howling wolves of Twitter. In other words, rightwingers have no need to undermine the left when the left is quite capable of kicking itself in the balls.
Does this mean we stop holding people to account? No – its only through being aware of our flaws that we improve as people. What is *desperately* needed is proportionality and the capacity to forgive. If we keep nailing leftwing politicians up every time they make a mistake then the right will continue to get louder and stronger because they have something the left doesn't – unity. And unity wins votes."
I found this paragraph in the article to be telling
The right gets incredibly worked up about social justice issues when there is an opportunity to use them for political gain. Just look at the bad-faith way in which US Republicans have weaponised antisemitism to attack Ilhan Omar and curtail criticism of the Israeli government, while ignoring or even stoking antisemitism in their own ranks. Look at how outraged about sexual harassment Donald Trump got when the person accused of it was the Democratic senator Al Franken. You almost have to admire the right for being so shamelessly hypocritical.
For me the left reflexive defensive cos someone is a 'good' person or done 'good things' is the real problem. Own it, accept it, try to change it and then get on with it. Defend it or blame the others for being worse and other tactics really do feed the right. They don't need feeding – they need starving and you do that by sorting shit out fast and you do that imo by owning it, being a grown up and doing something about it and then moving on.
"Own it, accept it, try to change it and then get on with it." – good advice, and I wonder what more Trudeau could do now to address the hurt and allay concerns about the choices he made some years before becoming a politician.
Could Canada do better than Trudeau as PM – yes (IMHO). But will they?
Hats off to Simon Bridges. I admire the consistency with which he depicts himself as the village idiot and the certainty he has that the rest of us are too.
The news just had him as saying Tracey Martin should have been more hands on in the Royal Commission into historical abuse in state care.
I must admit my disappointment that he hasn't called for the resignation of Jacinda Ardern over the situation which has arisen with the Commission. Oh well, maybe tomorrow or when she gets back in the country he'll be singing that tune.
The whipping Bridges has been receiving from all quarters must be taking a toll. The most confident of battlers eventually gets driven to stepping aside.
Bridges' repeated deadpan delivery of the same answered question in the house yesterday was the work of a broken man.
Martin answered his 'What are you doing about a pedo on the board?' question straight out of the gate.
"You're a lawyer, you know it's illegal for an MP to have any influence over a Royal Commission."
On and on Bridges went with his prepared supps. I thought Martin was masterful…mistressful?? The temptation to say "I've already answered that." must of been strong. She went into the rare circumstances under which an MP could influence the Royal Enquiry. She had obviously studied the situation closely.
Still Bridges ground on with questions she had answered in finite detail.
I guess they're stuck with him for the 2020 election but crikey.
One of his Bridges' bridge promises has come true. The new Taipa bridge will be open in the next month or so and it's looking great. They have also hopefully solved issues with the largest school in the district flooding. The guys that built it will move onto the Kaeo bridge, that was always their intention. I see Robertson has begun calling the Kaeo job a Labour party win. Gosh they're amusing the way they all try to pin their brand on the wins, anyone's win.
Gosh they're amusing the way they all try to pin their brand on the wins, anyone's win.
So true. I remember the Nats making a big deal out of the completion of the Waterview tunnel when it was the previous Labour govt, who did all the hard yards.
Canadian feminist Meghan Murphy is coming to New Zealand and will be speaking at the Feminism2020 event in Wellington on November 13th along with Dr Holly Lawford-Smith, Dr Melissa Derby, and SUFW spokeswoman Ani O’Brien. These are the feminists they don’t want you to hear. Banned, deplatformed, censored, and harassed, nonetheless these are women on the frontline of feminism.
Ta. She really understood the role of the UN well, compared with the buffoon who spoke earlier.
Ms Ardern spoke of the need for countries to work together to combat crises like the 15 March terror attack. "Experiences in recent years should lead us to all question whether any of us ever truly operate in isolation anymore."
…
In contrast, Mr Trump's speech was a celebration of unbridled nationalism.
"Wise leaders always put the good of their own people and their own country first," he said. "The future does not belong to globalists. It belongs to patriots."
…
"If you want democracy, hold on to your sovereignty. And if you want peace, love your nation."
Ardern’s liberal supporters see her as the polar opposite of the US president, and she has even been labelled the “anti-Trump”. They expected her in some way to speak truth to power when meeting the man who has become synonymous with the most reactionary problems in politics today. More than anything, Ardern might have been expected to use the opportunity to push Trump hard on the issue of climate change.
Does Edwards really expect the PM to trade in her dignity, authority, diplomacy skills and self-respect by having a slanging match with a Trump, who lacks all three of those qualities. The Guardian should engage better commentators.
Mike Hosking's latest effort "Hyperbole and hot air – Greta Thunberg's the new Jacinda" was a bit much, even for him. It read as though he was trying to comfort himself with nonsense instead of fact – exactly what he's accusing Greta of doing, ironically enough.
…
I won't mince words; you are on the wrong side of history and you are wrong.
"Twyford says the claim the Government was missing $3.8 billion of new transport projects had "no factual basis"
It seems that Treasury was writing reports based on wishful thinking from NZ National
"Treasury has been left with egg on its face for the second time this year after Transport Minister Phil Twyford slammed the ministry for missing out billions of dollars from its calculations.
Based on wishful thinking from the Infrastructure Council, I read somewhere. Can just imagine the neolibs in Treasury giving it a free pass cos not govt.
In part it's Twyford's own fault. He failed to clear out NZTA's Board or refresh its objectives as a Board. Instead he presumed that tilting the NLTP would be sufficient.
Also he forgot to clean out Ministry of Transport, who have guided him about as poorly as it's possible for a Ministry to do so. This is one of the results. Another is the entire regulatory debacle. Another is the light rail strategy disaster and light rail procurement mess.
But the suspicion I have is that Robertson decided to kick Twyford while he was down – ready to be reshuffled – and get another of Robertson's wieners replacing him in Cabinet.
Maybe the entire transport portfolio needs clear felling. OIA suggests that there are problems in Wellington with the LGWM ,the mayors recollection of what he told councillors,and did JAG threaten to hold her breath.
"Justin's advice to us was that this was the best he could do. There was also talk about the Green's/JAG [Associate Transport Minister Julie Anne Genter] influence on the package," the documents say.
ACC chair Dame Paula Rebstock said the record deficit was an accounting measure, and in its day to day dealings the corporation had a cash surplus of $570 million.
"The cash operating surplus demonstrates ACC's robust funding structure that enables the scheme to withstand volatility, including falling interest rates."
She said the deficit would not affect ACC's ability to pay claims and it's too early to say what effect it might have on levies, which would be set by the middle of next year….
However, Dame Paula said in the medium term levies would have to rise to cover increasing costs such as medical treatments and rehabilitation.
ACC had a record 2 million claims in the past year, which adds to the financial demands on its funds.
The value of its outstanding claims liability (OCL) rose by $10.8b because of the fall in interest rates to $53b. ACC operates on the basis of having to cover the lifetime cost of all claims already made, and extends that out 100 years to 2119. (Should that be 3119? And why ahead so long, pay as we go plus have some reserves, would be practical but not pure enough for Treasury no doubt.)
ACC operates on the basis of having to cover the lifetime cost of all claims already made, and extends that out 100 years to 2119. (Should that be 3119?
Next year is 2020, so 100 yrs later is 2119. No need add another 1000 yrs.
Seems to me to be silly to go out 100 yrs , 50 yrs should be fine for almost all claimants and the few after that are inconsequential in terms of their reserves of $43.8 bill.
An increase of $5 bill this year alone- not sure why thay should highlight the 'balance sheet future costs'
Labour kept ACC on its full pre-funding trajectory after 1999 partly to build a handy nest egg they could plunder just like the Nats have, but the main reason Shipley et al made the shift in the first place was to prepare for privatisation. Sadly for English, Joyce and chums the Aussie insurance industry were not keen enough in 2009.
Returning the scheme to annual pay-as-you-go instead would remove the prospect.
I'm looking forward to Air New Zealand being regulated by the Commerce Commission as a monopoly on most New Zealand domestic routes, now that Jetstar is pulling out.
It needs a lot more that Shane Jones to actually regulate price from a company that totally dominates one entire sector of the country. It's akin to every New Zealand motorway being tolled with no alternative route, and no one to hold them to legally hold them to account for the price they charge or how often you're allowed to drive on it.
Or maybe the government can provide stronger scrutiny as the major shareholder.
Government as usual hasn't the guts to run it's commercial businesses for the advantage of the whole country. There will be an opportunity to charge more for the main flights and subsidise to some extent the regions. And Jetstar shouldn't get the red carpet if they want to come here and get some of the cream.
Finance Minister Grant Robertson said it was a shame to lose airline competition in the regions, but the government won't be telling Air New Zealand not to raise its prices.
Mr Robertson was hopeful another airline would emerge.
"We've had times in the past in New Zealand where we haven't had other operators on those regional routes and we'll have to see whether another one emerges but those decisions are entirely for Air New Zealand to make," he said.
"Clearly there's an expectation from New Zealanders that there are fair prices paid, and we'll keep an eye on that."
62 year old man abducts and sexually violates a 16 year old girl. There is a frame around his face from a CCTV picturte. Would that be for facial recognition tech?
I haven't heard lately of any 62 year old woman abducting a teenage boy and sexually violating him. Seems that it is time we had a better approach to enable people to sort out their sex urges without invading someone else's self and respect. There have been some teachers however, so it's not quite black and white.
Thought you might have some ideas seeing as you were the one who bought it up like you knew what you were talking about, so apart from precogs and precrime units like in Minority report, or chemical castration for all men and mandatory bromide in our tea just in case, unless you're on a sex offender list where you can be monitored and directed accordingly, there's not really much else you can do for individuals apart from keep pushing the message not to do it and punish those who do, is there?
there's not really much else you can do for individuals apart from keep pushing the message not to do it and punish those who do, is there?
and in the 'punish those who do' is where we fail utterly . We do not treat this particular crime as the crime it is. 'their sex urges' – heck of an urge there.
is that when i steal a car i have uncontrolled 'drive urges'?
I agree, Sabine. When I saw Al1en's comment, I thought it askew with that standard punishment bit. Punishment (known as negative reinforcement in the 60s when I was training to be a teacher) works (in my experience) only in the shallowest way for activities to which people are NOT emotionally inclined at a deep level, in which case punishment does next to nothing.
I always liked the film 'A Clockwork Orange' because it deals with this issue.. but gives no solution.
throw the darn law book at them, lock em up – no matter how bright their future – and keep them locked up until time served.
or else lets stop with the pretense that we are a nation of laws and simply abolish all laws as there will always be offenders and really what can be done?
Isocrates in Areopagiticus, (some 25 centuries ago) suggested that excess laws was a sign of poor government.
Written laws do not increase virtue, but quotidian customs. Most men tend to take up the customs as moral of the place in which they were brought up. More so, it is evident that where there is a large number of defined laws, it is a signal that the state is badly governed. There are cases in which men try to build barriers against delinquency decreeing large numbers of norms. But well-governed men do not need to fill the porticos with written laws, but simply fix justice in the spirits, and those poorly educated will try to break the laws accurately produced. By contrast, well-educated men will be in good disposition to respect even the simplest codes.
You are so wet Allen always spoiling for an argument. I show example, express concern and say something should be done. And that starts you off with a demand that I delineate a policy to deal with it. Are you becoming an ambush troll I hope not? Well I have given you something to bother about – I have spelt your pseudo wrongly. What's your cunning plan?
To be honest, the way you write leaves me bemused, and often I'm left thinking wtf is that all about, not to mention thoughts about quality over quantity. Tell you what, if you're responding to me in future, I'd consider it a courtesy if you'd make your arguments and points in plain English and help me out a bit. Though it has to be said, to completely shoot it down, in the exchange here you haven’t once given examples of how to deal with the issue you yourself raised, in fact you answered “Don’t know at present”. If you’re going to lie, at least look at the previous posts first.
As for not using my chosen login name correctly, well, that's just a failing on your part you wilfully advertise to the membership here. I don't mind that at all. 😉
Check We are stuffing there future so Our Rangatahi deserve to vote to protect their future but I say move the goal post a bit closer and go for 17 years old to vote.
That is a great discription of Aotearoa Prime Minister she is genuine and is using her Mana to make other tangata lives better.
More putea being invested into our Rangatahi sports programme is great I hope some of that putea get to the Regions.
Tutai shonkys only minute on the Papatuanuku stage was the golf game.
Our change to a green future will boost our Papatuanuku economy and leave Our futures A Clean and Green environment we all know that's a bit had for unintelligent people to Grasp?????????.
Great interview Rangatahi don't worry about the neanderthal they will be rolled into our history books.
The idea of Rangatahi being able to vote has just started. Opinions will change I have seen polls change quite rapidly on some subjects
Yes our farmers are putting them selves under a lot pressure they are isolated with no one to talk to. I tau toko this big barbecue initiative to help farmers who are on a low at the minute Ma Te Wa thing will get better that's the way of life ups and downs tangata just have to stay look for the positive side of every situation Ka kaha.
That's is a huge Strike for Our Climate in Aotearoa Ka pai Ka kaha keep up the good mahi
Shaun Eco Maori won't be flying any time soon not until air travel has cleaned up there act.
Wow that's a big drop for NZ post yes online shopping is takeing off for them it's replaceing posted letters.
The Takia promise of our Aotearoa quest leaving behind only foot prints and not rubbish is great everyone knows they have to get on the Clean and Green WAKA or they will sink.
Our Strikes for Our Climate makes Eco Maori so proud. It is a emergency Our way of living has to change we are only on Papatuanuku for a very small finite time it's not on that our generation is making such a big mess that it will make living in the future extremely hard for the common poor tangata to live a healthy life. The climate change deniers are making out that mitergateing Global warming will make Tawhirimate fall on Our heads YEA RIGHT mitergateing global warming will be the best thing for us all.
I….Eco Maori tipuna new this Phenomenon people power is stronger than people in power he made a Haka
Te tangata Te tangata its the people that count in Te Papatuanuku
Climate crisis: 6 million people join latest wave of global protests
Week of strikes and demonstrations is ‘only the beginning’, say organisers
Six million people have taken to the streets over the past week, uniting across timezones, cultures and generations to demand urgent action on the escalating ecological emergency
“This week was a demonstration of the power of our movement,” said a spokesperson for the FridaysForFuture group which has helped coordinate the demonstrations. “People power is more powerful than the people in power. It was the biggest ever climate mobilisation, and it’s only the beginning. The momentum is on our side and we are not going anywhere
The day of protests began in New Zealand, where an open letter was delivered to parliament on Friday morning calling on the government to declare a climate emergency – following the lead of numerous councils around the country
On Friday there were huge protests in Italy – where more than 1 million people were reported to have taken part – Spain, the Netherlands and New Zealand, where more than 3.5% of the country’s population joined the demonstrations.
Organisers said they were expecting more people to join as the day progressed. High turnouts were expected in Canada, where Greta Thunberg – who kickstarted the school strike movement with a solo protest in Sweden 12 months ago – was due to join demonstrators in Montreal.
May Boeve from 350.org, which has helped organise the demonstrations, said: “We will keep fighting until the politicians stop ignoring the science, and the fossil fuel companies are held responsible for their crimes against our future, as they should have been decades ago.”
Condolences to Careys whanau for their loss of their mother.
There you go people not respecting Tangaroa mokopuna by driving heavy machinery over them to gather mussels spat
FOMA is a awesome initiative way to encourage Maori tangata to get into business It takes a lot of courage to make the leap into business in Aotearoa for tangata whenua as some will try and put us off our mission of building a moanga for Te mokopuna.
Ngāti pikiao culture is looking strong that is great for mokopuna to carry on with their culturel identity kia kaha.
Ka pai to the Papatuanuku waka free day that is what everyone can do to easily drop our Carbon footprint walk and ride a bike for smaller journeys. I don't burn nowhere as much carbon as I use to. I have plans to lower my carbon footprint even more Ma Te Wa.
Pollutionwatch: how does World Car-free Day affect emissions?
Though air quality appeared to improve, measuring the precise impact of car-less days is difficult
Last Sunday peace and tranquillity descended on city centres across the world as many went car-free for the day.
This annual event started in the UK, in Bath, in 1994 with a road closure and street party for the Environmental Transport Association’s Green Transport Week. In 1997 it spread to France with En Ville Sans Ma Voiture (In Town Without My Car) in La Rochelle, and by 2007 it spanned 2,000 cities in 35 countries Ka kite Ano link below.
Ka pai to the people who are backing Wahine and giving them opportunity to have clean and green energy in their own whare. Mana Wahine. I have also read that whaine are making sure that there retirement savings is invest in companies that care for our future generations environment Wahine toa
Jaipur, India (CNN Business)India is trying to bring electricity to hundreds of millions of its citizens who live off the grid. And it's trying to ensure that the power comes from clean and renewable sources.
Frontier Markets is helping to achieve both those goals in the Western desert state of Rajasthan, selling solar-powered products to hundreds of villages. The company is thriving by turning its customers into salespeople.
The company employs women to sell products like lamps, stoves, and even TVs that run on solar power through a program called Solar Sahelis (Solar Friends). Each woman is in charge of selling products to hundreds of rural households
We learned that while the customer — the person paying for the product — was a man, the person using the product was a woman," Frontier Markets CEO Ajaita Shah said in an interview with CNN Business. "In fact, 70% of our users were women and that is when we realized that in order to properly serve the right households needs, women had to be at the center of that value chain," she added.
Shah founded Frontier Markets in 2011, with the goal of providing clean energy to millions of rural Indians while also giving women a source of employment and income. The goals encapsulate some of India's most urgent issues.
The government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made rural electrification a big priority, announcing last year that 100% of the country's villages now have access to power. But the government considers a village electrified if just 10% of its houses are on the grid, meaning over 200 million people still don't have access to electricity.
The Modi government has also set aggressive targets to increase solar energy capacity, and it has succeeded in going from less than four gigawatts in 2015 to nearly 30 gigawatts — about 8% of India's total energy capability. The government wants to increase that to 100 gigawatts by 2022.
The 3,000 women that Shah employs have helped to provide energy to more than half a million village houses in Rajasthan, she said. The women communicate the benefits of clean energy to rural households, but also help Frontier Markets understand the kind of innovations that those households need most, she added.
Another pressing need that Frontier Markets is helping to solve is getting more women into work. Only 22% of India's workforce is female, according to the latest data from the World Bank, one of the lowest rates in the world. India lags behind countries such as Sudan, El Salvador and Afghanistan.
"As India starts growing and moving and changing and evolving, especially with the digital revolution, women are still being left behind," Shah said. "It's really important for us to continuously invest in our women's skills and their education to be able to catch up."
Te atea college is a great organisation that has helped tangata whenua get greater education its sad that they are facing problems I hope they can sort it out and keep the school open.
Kamo school is having problems to we need to taonga all our Maori based education centres.
Te tangata whenua of Alask are going to get a ap to help keep their culture going strong its a great way to use social media to help keep their historical culture Mana Ka kaha.
Yes there was a big celebration in Japan this Rugby World Cup is quite exciting
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 ...
TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Tuesday, March 19:Kāinga Ora’s dry rot The Spinoff DailyBill McKibben on ‘Climate Superfunds’ making Big Oil pay for climate damage The Crucial YearsPreston Mui on returning to 1980s-style productivity growth NoahpinionAndy Boenau on NIMBYs needing unusual bedfellows Urbanism SpeakeasyNed Resnikoff's case ...
Negative yesterday, negative today. Negative all year, according to one departing reader telling me I’ve grown strident and predictable. Fair enough. If it’s any help, every time I go to write about a certain topic that begins with C and ends with arrrrs, I do brace myself and ask: Again? Are ...
Bryce Edwards writes – It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just show a minimal amount of flux in public support ...
Inspirational: The Family of Man is a glorious hymn to human equality, but, more than that, it is a clarion call to human freedom. Because equality, unleavened by liberty, is a broken piano, an unstrung harp; upon which the songs of fraternity will never be played.“Somebody must have been telling lies about ...
Tax Lawyer Barbara Edmonds vs Emperor Justinian I- Nolo Contendere: False historical explanations of pivotal events are very far from being inconsequential.WHEN BARBARA EDMONDS made reference to the Roman Empire, my ears pricked up. It is, lamentably, very rare to hear a politician admit to any kind of familiarity ...
It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just show a minimal amount of flux in public support for the various parties in ...
Buzz from the Beehive Housing Minister Chris Bishop delivered news – packed with the ingredients to enflame political passions – worthy of supplanting Winston Peters in headline writers’ priorities. He popped up at the post-Cabinet press conference to promise a crackdown on unruly and antisocial state housing tenants. His ...
Ele Ludemann writes – The Reserve Bank is advertising for a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion advisor. The Bank has one mandate – to keep inflation between one and three percent. It has failed in that and is only slowly getting inflation back down to the upper limit. Will it ...
Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency Waka KotahiThe fact that a ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Gavin Jacobson talks to Thomas Piketty 10 years on from Capital in the 21st CenturyThe SalvoLocal scoop: Green MP’s business being investigated over migrant exploitation claims StuffSteve KilgallonLocal deep-dive: The commercial contractors making money from School ...
It’s a home - but Kāinga Ora tenants accused of “abusing the privilege” may lose it. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Government announced a crackdown on Kāinga Ora tenants who were unruly and/or behind on their rent, with Housing Minister Chris Bishop saying a place in a state ...
This is a guest post by Connor Sharp of Surface Light Rail Light rail in Auckland: A way forward sooner than you think With the coup de grâce of Auckland Light Rail (ALR) earlier this year, and the shift of the government’s priorities to roads, roads, and more roads, it ...
Note: As a paid-up Webworm member, I’ve recorded this Webworm as a mini-podcast for you as well. Some of you said you liked this option - so I aim to provide it when I get a chance to record! Read more ...
TL;DR: In my ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Monday, March 18:IKEA is accused of planting big forests in New Zealand to green-wash; REDD-MonitorA City for People takes a well-deserved victory lap over Wellington’s pro-YIMBY District Plan votes; A City for PeopleSteven Anastasiou takes a close look at the sticky ...
Buzz from the Beehive Here’s hoping for a lively post-cabinet press conference when the PM and – perhaps – some of his ministers tell us what was discussed at their meeting today. Until then, Point of Order has precious little Beehive news to report after its latest monitoring of the ...
David Farrar writes – We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how labour went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promiseThe result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
I’m a bit worried that I’ve started a previous newsletter with the words “just when you think they couldn’t get any worse…” Seems lately that I could begin pretty much every issue with that opening. Such is the nature of our coalition government that they seem to be outdoing each ...
Geoffrey Miller writes – Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. ...
Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
“I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
.“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
“It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet – is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
Bob Edlin writes – And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ HeraldThomas CoughlanSimeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
TL;DR:Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it: We want our country to be a ...
The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading → ...
Ele Ludemann writes – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
What was that judge thinking?Peter Williams writes – That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read:Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop:Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
Buzz from the BeehiveThe text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary. It can be quickly analysed ...
For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
Questions need to be asked on both sides of the worldPeter Williams writes – The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read:Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop:The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
TL;DR:Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
Bob Edlin writes – The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
The New Zealand public voted for a change in direction at the 2023 general election and that is exactly what this coalition government has been delivering in its first 100 days. There was an immediate focus on the economy, easing the cost of living, cracking down on law and order ...
The Government has left the health system as an afterthought, announcing half-baked targets at the last minute of their 100-day plan, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
Kiwis are still waiting for their promised cost of living support after 100 days of a National Government that is taking us backwards, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The National Government has spent its first 100 days stopping, cutting and reversing. They have scrapped stuff for stuff for the sake of it, without putting up any solutions of their own – and it’s hardworking New Zealanders who will pay for it. ...
100 days of National taking NZ backwardsThe National Government has spent its first 100 days stopping, cutting and reversing. They have scrapped stuff for stuff for the sake of it, without putting up any solutions of their own – and it’s hardworking New Zealanders who will pay for it. ...
The Government must commit to funding free and healthy school lunches, as thousands of people sign the petition to keep them, education spokesperson Jan Tinetti says. ...
If the Government was serious about moving families into public housing, they would build more houses so there is actually somewhere for people to go. ...
The free and healthy school lunches programme feeds our kids, helps them to learn, and saves families money – but it is at risk under this Government, education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
The Government’s proposed changes to Firearms Prohibition Orders (FPO) add almost nothing new and are merely an attempt to distract from its plans to loosen gun laws, police spokesperson Ginny Andersen and justice spokesperson Dr Duncan Webb said. ...
The great Victorian era English politician Lord Macauley stood in the British House of Parliament and said, "The gallery in which the reporters sit has become a fourth estate of the realm".He understood and outlined even way back then, the significant role and influence media have in a democracy. ...
The government’s attack on Māori health this week is committing tangata-whenua to a premature death, says Te Pāti Māori. “The government have begun their onslaught on Māori health with the abolishment of the Māori Health Authority and smokefree laws in the same day” said health spokesperson and co-leader, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. ...
"The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April. ...
Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand. Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships. “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland Acknowledgements and opening Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says. “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024 Acknowledgements and opening Morena, Nga Mihi Nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country. “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week. “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee. “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today. “The Amendment Paper represents ...
Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level. “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024. “Lower fruit and vege ...
Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all. Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all. Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction. Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness. It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
Former Transport Minister and CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber Hon Simon Bridges has been appointed as the new Board Chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for a three-year term, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced today. “Simon brings extensive experience and knowledge in transport policy and governance to the role. He will ...
Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology. It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says he is looking forward to the day when three key water projects in Northland are up and running, unlocking the full potential of land in the region. Mr Jones attended a community event at the site of the Otawere reservoir near Kerikeri on Friday. ...
Associate Finance Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government has agreed to restore deductibility for mortgage interest on residential investment properties. “Help is on the way for landlords and renters alike. The Government’s restoration of interest deductibility will ease pressure on rents and simplify the tax code,” says ...
Sport and Recreation Minister Chris Bishop will travel to Switzerland today to attend an Executive Committee meeting and Symposium of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Mr Bishop will then travel on to London where he will attend a series of meetings in his capacity as Infrastructure Minister. “New Zealanders believe ...
Chumbawamba have reportedly issued the deputy PM a cease-and-desist notice after he used their song 'Tubthumping' before his state of the nation speech. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Deborah Lupton, SHARP Professor, Vitalities Lab, Centre for Social Research in Health and Social Policy Centre, and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society, UNSW Sydney kitzcorner/Shutterstock The assertion from Queensland’s chief health officer John Gerrard that ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Shutterstock Why are musicians so keen to get played on the radio? It can’t be because of the money. In Australia they are paid at rates so low they ...
"Farmers make a point not to tell our urban cousins how to live, yet Chlöe from central Auckland is hell-bent on having her say about farmers," says ACT Rural Communities spokesman Mark Cameron. “On her first day in the House as Green ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards – Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Curran, Associate Professor of Ecology, Lincoln University, New Zealand Getty Images/Gerald Corsi In the latest move to reform environmental laws in New Zealand, the coalition government has introduced a bill to fast-track consenting processes for projects deemed to ...
Uber has argued it does not have as much control over drivers as the unions suggest, and wants a judgment ruling that drivers are employees and not contractors set aside and sent back to the Employment Court. The 2022 ruling followed a three-week hearing in which four drivers sought to ...
What can and can’t be purchased by disabled people or their carers has been slashed in an effort by the Ministry of Disabled People Whaikaha to save money. The purchasing guidelines, a set of rules that sets out what can be purchased using the various streams of Government disability funding, ...
The Treasury has published today a new Analytical Note by Tod Wright and Hien Nguyen, Fiscal incidence in New Zealand: The effects of taxes and benefits on household incomes in tax year 2018/19 . Analyses of the distributional impact of taxation and government ...
The Treasury has published today a new Analytical Note by Cory Davis, Boston Hart and Benjamin Stubbing, Household cost-of-living impacts from the Emissions Trading Scheme and using transfers to mitigate regressive outcomes . This Analytical Note ...
A coalition of public transport and climate organisations, united as ‘Transport for All’, is actively opposing the government’s transport proposals. The draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) includes plans for higher fares for public transport, ...
Greater Wellington is inviting feedback on proposed changes to its Revenue and Financing Policy. The Revenue and Financing Policy covers the Council’s various sources of funding, and how the cost of services is shared across the region. This includes ...
Labour has conceded it could have done more to deal with disruptive state housing tenants while in government but says the current coalition is going too far. ...
The band has asked their record label to issue a cease and desist to stop the NZ First leader using their 1997 hit to support his ‘misguided political views’. “I get knocked down, but I get up again,” blared through the speakers on Sunday as Winston Peters took the stage ...
By Lydia Lewis, RNZ Pacific journalist Food rationing is underway in remote areas in Papua New Guinea’s Highlands following torrential rain and flash flooding. More than 20 people have been reported dead in Chimbu Province. In nearby Enga Province, the centre of last month’s massacre, a 15-year-old boy has been ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Hughes, Lecturer, Research School of Management, Australian National University After months of debate and intrigue, the AFL’s 19th and newest team, the Tasmania Devils, finally launched its jumper, logo and colours in Devonport this week. The Devils will wear green, ...
Brannavan Gnanalingam reviews the debut novel by Saraid de Silva.One of the most baffling things for children who move to a new country is what their parents’ (or grandparents’) lives were like prior to moving – for kids in particular, they’re too busy trying to fit in in their ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Gaunson, Associate Professor in Cinema Studies, RMIT University Narelle Portanier/Binge “If you don’t know who your mob are, you don’t know who you are,” Detective Andrea “Andie” Whitford (played by Leah Purcell) is told early into the new crime ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elise Klein, Associate professor, Australian National University It’s commonly accepted that women do the vast majority of caregiving in Australian society. But less appreciated is that Indigenous women do larger amounts of unpaid care than any other group. Working with the Aboriginal ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne Joe Biden and Donald Trump have both secured their parties’ nominations for the November 5 United States general election by winning a ...
Comment: There has been a striking contrast in trans-Tasman interest about Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi’s visit to New Zealand and Australia. While the Australian press has been full of articles about the visit – including his curious decision to meet with former prime minister and China booster Paul Keating ...
After years of pressuring banks and other institutions to stop investing in fossil fuels, climate campaigners are making some progress. So how does divestment work?For years, climate activists have been pushing banks and other big institutions to divest from fossil fuels. New research from climate advocacy group 350 Aotearoa ...
For Boba, Ethan and Ashley, K-pop is a place to belong, a way to express themselves, and a bridge to connect with others. The three young Polynesians are part of a K-pop fan community in Tāmaki Makaurau. It’s one of many that have sprung up worldwide as K-pop has gone ...
For Boba, Ethan and Ashley, K-pop is a place to belong, a way to express themselves, and a bridge to connect with others. This one-off documentary presents three intimate portraits of young Polynesians who are pulled into a Korean cultural phenomenon. K-POLYS is directed by Litia Tuiburelevu, Produced by Hex ...
There’s ample evidence demonstrating free school lunch programmes provide wide benefits across schools, households and communities according to public health researchers. ACT Minister David Seymour wants to reduce the spending on Aotearoa New Zealand’s ...
By Wata Shaw in Suva Fiji is facing an exodus of Fijians as many are leaving for overseas seeking employment and education and others are migrating, says Opposition MP Viliame Naupoto. Speaking in Parliament, he said: “His Excellency’s speech (Ratu Wiliame Katonivere) comes after a little over one year of ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is welcoming comments from Christopher Luxon this morning recommitting to ‘no new taxes’ as part of Budget 2024. “Mr Luxon’s refusal at the Post-Cabinet press conference yesterday to repeat the ‘no new taxes’ promise ...
SAFE is urgently calling on the Environment Committee to reject the Government’s Fast-Track Approvals Bill, and is urging New Zealanders to rally behind the call. The proposed Bill, currently under consideration with the Environment select committee, ...
Teammates who spend all their time picking fights with spectators are only helpful for the other team, writes Madeleine Chapman. Anyone who has ever played a team sport competitively, particularly as a child and particularly, for some reason, basketball, will know that there’s a lot of politics involved. While there ...
The long-running Wellington music festival is too focused on the Jim Beam-ness and not enough on the Homegrown-ness.There is something about Homegrown that’s difficult to place. A barely perceptible-ness. Like feeling a ghost is watching you from the corner of the room but when you look, there’s nothing there. ...
The latest Ipsos New Zealand Issues Monitor reveals that fewer New Zealanders believe crime / law and order is one of the top issues facing our country. In 2018, Ipsos New Zealand started tracking the key issues facing New Zealand. In this wave ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Griffiths, Deputy Program Director, Budgets and Government, Grattan Institute Australia’s political donations rules are woefully inadequate, but donations reform is finally on the agenda. The federal government has signalled its interest in reform and will soon begin briefing MPs on its ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Patrick Taylor, Chief Environmental Scientist, EPA Victoria; Honorary Professor, School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University Naiyana Somchitkaeo/Shutterstock A recent study published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine has linked microplastics with risk to human health. The study ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Albert Van Dijk, Professor, Water and Landscape Dynamics, Fenner School of Environment & Society, Australian National University Global climate records were shattered in 2023, from air and sea temperatures to sea-level rise and sea-ice extent. Scores of countries recorded their hottest year ...
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a teacher explains why he and his partner are in frugal mode – and how they’re making it work. Gender: Male Age: 35Ethnicity: Pākehā Role: I am an intermediate school teacher and my partner is ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Bendall, Senior Lecturer, Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences, Australian Catholic University Binge Mary & George, the new British television drama series, depicts the real-life story of Mary Villiers and her son George, and their social climbing at the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jason Nassios, Associate Professor, Centre of Policy Studies, Victoria University This article is part of The Conversation’s series examining the housing crisis. Read the other articles in the series here. Australian state and federal governments spend money in many ways to ...
The finance minister is denying that there’s a $5.6b shortfall in paying for the government’s campaign promises, including tax cuts. At his post-cabinet press conference yesterday, the PM refused to rule out new taxes to pay for the cuts, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s ...
Kāinga Ora tenants abused by their neighbours are doubting the government's crackdown on disruptive tenants will make a difference on their behaviour. ...
Kāinga Ora is New Zealand’s biggest residential landlord, housing more than 180,000 vulnerable people in more than 67,000 properties. Yesterday the government announced a crackdown on its tenants who fall behind on rent. One longtime Kāinga Ora tenant shares her experience.For 18 years I lived in a 1960s standalone ...
Why does this myth persist, and what’s the real reason our skin is suffering?It’s one of the biggest international grievances New Zealanders hold, up there with the sinking of the Rainbow Warrior and 1981’s underarm incident. We’re quick to tell international travellers that the world’s pollution led to the ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[quiz],DIV[quiz],A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions. The post Newsroom daily quiz, Tuesday 19 March appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Bob’s relationship with certain members of Lincoln’s academic staff continued to deteriorate in the 1990s. Others supported him publicly, though articles such as Roland Clark’s 1993 piece in Growing Today cannot have pleased the university management. Clark wrote that Bob was selling onions from the Biological Husbandry Unit to a ...
SailGP’s races feature in-your-face action, with agile, hydro-foiling catamarans tacking and jibing for the title over several days. However, public comments ahead of the global series’ return to New Zealand have left this past year’s controversy in the shadows, as a key appointment attracts criticism from dolphin advocates. A year ...
Opinion: We are fast approaching a fundamental change in prisons. As the number of people on custodial remand looks set to overtake the number of sentenced prisoners, the main function of prisons in New Zealand may become incarcerating un-sentenced people who may not be guilty of offending. We have already ...
A huge seven months lies in store for the White Ferns, beginning this week with the visit of England and culminating with the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh in September and October. Starting on Tuesday in Dunedin, the world ranked No. 2 visitors will play five T20s and three ODIs, ...
Opinion: In a move that has shocked road safety advocates across the country, the new Minister of Transport, Simeon Brown, is poised to abandon the previous government’s speed limit reduction policy, particularly around schools. Even more alarmingly, he wants school speed limits to be variable rather than full-time, arguing ...
Auckland Council is opposing a fast-track development backed by Sir John Kirwan and Spark NZ, because it doesn’t meet stringent new climate adaptation requirements The post Surf-data centre faces new 3.8C climate warming rules appeared first on Newsroom. ...
When the Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act was introduced in 2009 it was firmly targeted at gangs and drugs. The legislation means police no longer need a conviction to seize assets that criminals can’t prove were paid for legitimately, as long as their alleged offences are punishable by more than a ...
The letters, which were published last week, were addressed to Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) Chairperson Megawati Sukarnoputri, National Democrat Party (NasDem) Chairperson Surya Paloh, National Awakening Party (PKB) Chairperson Muhaimin Iskandar, Justice and Prosperity Party (PKS) President Ahmad Syaikhu and United Development Party (PPP) Chairperson Muhammad Mardiono. In ...
Evicting more people from state housing is ignorant to the consequences of poverty, the Greens say, but the Housing Minister says it's a privilege that can be taken away if abused. ...
Evicting more people from state housing is ignorant to the consequences of poverty, the Greens say, but the Housing Minister says it's a privilege that can be taken away if abused. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emerald L King, Lecturer in Humanities, University of Tasmania IMDB Between Netflix’s 2023 live-action version of One Piece, and its latest take on Avatar: The Last Airbender, fans are once again asking: why are live-action anime adaptations so tricky to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emerald L King, Lecturer in Humanities, University of Tasmania IMDB Between Netflix’s 2023 live-action version of One Piece, and its latest take on Avatar: The Last Airbender, fans are once again asking: why are live-action anime adaptations so tricky to ...
The government says it still intends to deliver tax cuts by July, but will not lock them in until they have got them past their coalition partners. ...
Kiingi Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII has hosted members of the Green Party Caucus at Tuurangawaewae Marae in Ngaaruawahia. The audience follows the King’s Hui-aa-Motu on 20 January, where more than 10,000 people gathered to discuss national ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dr Rachael Potter, Research Associate and Lecturer in Work and Organisational Psychology, University of South Australia Ground Picture/Shutterstock Pregnant women and workers with children are often unfairly treated by their bosses and colleagues, despite laws to protect against workplace discrimination ...
Reacting to Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s refusal to rule out introducing new taxes at the budget, Taxpayers’ Union Campaigns Manager, Connor Molloy, said: “Today’s refusal to rule out new taxes suggests the Government is nothing more ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Duckett, Honorary Enterprise Professor, School of Population and Global Health, and Department of General Practice and Primary Care, The University of Melbourne Aila Images/Shutterstock Aged-care workers will receive a significant pay increase after the Fair Work Commission ruled they ...
Here we go again: https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/116055224/jacinda-ardern-feted-abroad-but-emissions-trading-scheme-extension-in-trouble-at-home. The PM is trying to sell NZ agricultural products to the world by praising the progressive element of the farming sector who are working to reduce GH gasses in the production chain. Meanwhile, she is being stymied by naysayers, intransigents, vote grabbers and a media and opposition that depict her as a proxy sexual abuser.
All good in defending Ardern, but are those commentators actually wrong?
[lprent: Of course they’re wrong. While there are a lot of dimwits who subscribe to the great all-seeing dictator theory of management, I’ve never ever seen anyone ever managing it. You’d have to be a complete and utter fool to even think that.. This is probably about as close as you’re going to get to it.
Now lets go back and actually hear your ‘opinion’ perhaps you could explain your theory on it so I can explain why I think that you’re wrong, query the source you parroted it from and spit on your intellect in robust debate.
However that will be a week away. Banned for a week so you can figure out the following.
I see you try this standard troll tactic again, I will boot you off the site permanently. This site is here for your opinions, not for you to play dumbarse debating team / trolling tactical games on it.
I don’t like trolls ]
this whole Inquiry is like the shit they are investigating – so sad they are getting it wrong on such an important area. Time to walk the walk minister
The gang member chosen is I understand someone who has faced up to his own misdeeds and understands the dynamic so is good value. Pity that many politicians who are guilty of bad actions of all sorts don't own up to them, and turn round and try to improve the situation for the people ane the country. People who declare themselves pure of all stain, have never moved from their easy chair.
It's pretty basic stuff imo – you don't get it.
I am not sure that you do either. You are just so sure that you know it all there is no room for any other thought to circulate.
The problem here is the connection between gangs and sexual assault. It's not simply about whether the gang member has made amends, it's about whether the survivors feel safe. This should be the priority.
In this case, complaints have been made about his current behaviour, so his 'good value' is undermined by that.
Edit:
Uh-huh. Sounds as if his presence may be disturbing at present, and if a young woman has been attacked she isn't going to feel comfortable seeing a similar guy to the attacker in the panel or even in the room.
However he would be useful in later discussions after the victims have given evidence and got some comfort from that. He would be invaluable to give background about the sexual behaviour that he has observed, and why and how it happens that way, and his opinions on improving the situation.
I think NZ is embarrassed about sex and there should be discussions about it on a medical and social discussion level to try and get a balanced view about sexual matters. We need to think about it and progress, it is a public health thing, and we owe it to each other and our children to have clear guidelines that fit our modern world which seems to have past rigid attitudes and prudishness lingering. We need to respectfully treat the matter, as important to all for relationship health, and to mental health and understanding of our drives as humans.
Do people generally know about the way that young people go about their first sexual experience? Is there open discussion about sexual matters, so basic to us all? What do girls think about it, what do boys? There should be discussions as part of sexual education at school, or run by Primary Health nurses, and should be in a mixed group with appropriate professionals or community leaders leading the discussion. There might be a model discussion videoed that parents could watch to see and understand the value of this.
Guidelines for behaviour formed by agreement between the participants after discussion, would go a long way to preventing feelings of being pushed to participate and talking about the misunderstandings that could lead either gender to believe that it was okay to push ahead because it would be enjoyable in the end, or some such reason.
I apologise to anyone who thinks that the whole matter should be screened off and the less said the better. I think that has led us to where we are now, just as I think that being obsessed with sex and talking about it a lot, casually, is also in appropriate. It should be a special personal thing, 'Not Given Lightly'. Balance is all.
Don't know what you are trying to say there, but the inquiry is about the state's responsibility for children in its care who were abused (sexually, physically, emotionally). This isn't about sex and sexuality, it's about abuse. That you conflate the two renders your opinion on what is appropriate in the inquiry irrelevant.
There is a concept of trauma-informed or clinically-informed process. It exists because when put into practice it gives the best wellbeing outcomes for people who have been harmed. The inquiry has failed on that in a number of ways. The complaints against the gang member are about his behaviour and how that has affected the inquiry in a number of roles. His expertise can't trump that.
With regard to the issue of women not trusting a gang member, the inquiry should have managed that so he wasn't in a role where that would be an issue. Again, trauma-informed process matters and creates better outcomes.
I saw your comment and have thought about since it was made.
Try and listen to Insight this Sunday just after 8am on RNZ. Part of the reason is cyber abuse and predatory tourists.
Parents /grandparents needs to be educated on how to keep a child safe and a child needs to known what is grooming and what is unsafe contact from an adult.
Governments need to take sexual exploitation seriously both online and tourism.
I have not commented on the safety of adults.
A complex subject.
Could not save changes.
I think you need to have a think about why this Inquiry is being set up in the first place – it is about the innocent victims abused and treated like shit – which apparently continues, in the form of the way this Inquiry is going, to date imo
Sorry marty mars – I do understand that I had suggested something inappropriate at the first. It seems the heariang should be divided into two – first the victims and then better approaches to ensure respect of both genders for each other's emotional nature. I have tried to explain how I feel that things could be done afterwards to lead to less of this sort of trauma happening in the future.
I'm sorry too – I know you are engaging with comments and working hard to put stuff up and debate it – I can be a bit 'shoot first ask questions later' type which is irritating I know.
The purpose of the Royal Commission is to give a voice to the now adults who were children in social welfare care and in faith based care. To exclude anyone who is entitled to be there is to do them a disservice, example a convicted pedophile who was sexually assaulted while in social welfare care.
The Royal Commission needs to establish what the outcome/impact is from an individual's experience of being mistreated and harmed.
Everyone appearing before the Royal Commission need to feel secure about the process.
There are some gaps in the Royal Commission which require immediate action.
From the link above
I was not being specific.
Did your hear what Sonja Cooper said on Morning Report?
Read my last paragraph 2.2
no I haven't
I just wish the focus was REALLY on the victims and their trauma and not some process which may or may not be – but certainly will be traumatic.
This abuse and terror is happening today in this country – it has to fucken stop.
Many many people are going to feel the affects of the Royal Commission.
Being accountable to a person (especially a child) for behaviour which was condoned and should never have been, is a starting point.
british labour party conference has just pledged to 'de-carbonise' britain by 2030..
which makes that local carbon neutral by 2050 ambition – look kinda underwhelming..eh..?
Too soon
"The hope is that Labour will adopt it as official party policy and add the Green New Deal proposal to its next manifesto"
The problem is however as Greta said
“….saying that you’re doing enough when the politics and solutions needed are still nowhere in sight…”
hmmmm ..solutions are nowhere is sight.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/sep/24/labour-set-to-commit-to-net-zero-
https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2019/09/23/greta-thunberg-vows-that-if-un-doesnt-tackle-climate-change-we-will-never-forgive-you/emissions-by-2030
Hey, just a repeat post from last night…if anyone else knows of a group of people pushing for the WEAG recommendations to be implemented can you pls let us know.
I think for now we have given up on AAAP
What we would all like to know is what WEAG and AAAP mean. Some of us do, and many don't. Will people stop talking in acronyms because you are not going to reach your potential audience to make your point if they don't know what you are talking about?
WEAG = welfare working group
AAAP = Auckland action against poverty
ta – the outer world needs to know, and join in with you to help so need to know these things.
Who is 'we'?
A has been trying to contact them I think.
Ah, we as in I.
a small group https://thestandard.org.nz/daily-review-24-09-2019/#comment-1657157
You know even one person can make a difference 🙂
But yes, more than one of us and we recognised we need bigger national networks to push for change.
I do 🙂
Thanks. How come your gravatar is different?
My gravitar? Idk.
Weka's.
different IP does it I think. Or different email address.
So Hoskins and Garner think Greta is “hot air and the new Jacinda" and "over played her hand at the un" well that's all okay then 🙄
Garner says if climate change is so bad, why aren't adults doing anything about it? Well wasn't that the point the kid was making?
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12270668
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2019/09/duncan-garner-dramatic-greta-thunberg-sends-counterproductive-message.html
What arseharts, the pair of them.
Horeskin and Garner are Natzi paid shrills trying to destroy Jacinda's reputation by making these types of comparisons, the problem is the RWNJ's will start believing these guys as most New Zealanders are sheep who can not think for themselves and believe MSM ?
Horeskin and Garner are not adults IMHO ?
You can add Sean Plunkett to your list of backside bowler-hats.
Greta says she is a very happy young girl,looking forward to a bright and wonderful future.
She will be when climate change deniers don't run the White house
She updated her profile to say she was now.
https://twitter.com/GretaThunberg
I know, I read the papers. Turned Trump's dig into a quality reverse troll.
What deadbeats – beating up on a kid! No doubt they are put out because all their ranting and raving hasn't had a scratch of the influence of a 15 year old who quietly and respectfully sat outside the Swedish Parliament with a placard on Fridays.
yep they disgrace themselves so effortlessly – their behaviour shows why they need to go – bullythickshakes with the emphasis on thick
What's new? Not worth the effort to write criticising the 'boys'.
I suggest any outrage you feel uses energy that is precious that could be applied elsewhere. Wallowing in outrage is so satisfying but getting into the support works and the promotion of new ways and the thinking of who and what is being hurt by climate change and political maltreatment is ongoing hard labour.
Thanks for your concern, but no thanks.
RNZ are reporting the US Congress leader Nancy Pelosis have announced a formal investigation with a view to impeach the president.
Apparently it is based on an anonymous whistleblower allegations, that link Trump personally gaining political favour, by having investigations in the Ukraine linking Biden to the baddies.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/399542/trump-ukraine-row-democrats-launch-trump-impeachment-inquiry
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4kTnP5VJ1k
My very amateur hunch is that if this goes ahead, rather than sink trump, it will embolden him and strengthen his voter support. The Dems will think they have their trump card (boom boom!) and Trump can continue to Fake News!, obfuscate and fib.
Yeah, it's quite the conundrum for the Dems.
On one hand, Don of the Deadbrains has been in impeachable violation of his constitutional obligations from the moment of of his inauguration, and has been vigorously adding to his rap sheet ever since. He has made it abundantly clear he's quite happy to betray his country if he thinks there's personal benefit to be had. So if the Dems don't impeach him, they're basically surrendering their oversight and accountability obligations and the power of impeachment becomes meaningless. Also, there may be political benefit in publicising the wrongdoing that's been done and forcing Repugs into a yes or no vote.
On the other hand, removing the Mango Mugabe from office via impeachment simply ain't gonna happen. There's an absolute minimum of 20 Repug senators that would have to vote for conviction. But watching what happened to Mark Sanford, Jeff Flake and the very few other elected Repugs that spoke against the mandarin manutang has dissolved whatever vestigial spines and principles they may have once possessed.
Hell, even after a successful impeachment in the House, Moscow Mitch might just Garland the trial in the Senate and thereby spare Repug senators from having to even cast an uncomfortable vote. I certainly haven't yet seen any language in the constitution compelling the Senate to hold the trial, whereas the language requiring the Senate to consider Merrick Garland's nomination was quite clear, yet Moscow Mitch got away with just blowing off that constitutional obligation.
So yeah, there's the risk that impeaching Hair Furor in the House without a conviction and removal from office by the Senate might be viewed by enough of the electorate as stupid partisan political games and backfire on the Dems.
Andre
That was beautifully written – a triumph of good political analysis in popular slang and malapropisms?
Great analysis, Adrian. My reckons have a small % following this with enthusiasm, some thinking this will sink the Hysterical Hairdo and for the majority, it will barely register.
BTW do you have a Trump name generator app? The Mango Mugabe caused an involuntary snort.
Sorry Andre, got yr name wrong…
Great comment; informative and entertaining – particularly liked this, which might be more widely applicable:
It looks like the Dems may have evidence yet to be released:
Oops: I can’t find the link address. It was a Guardian news item which appears to have disappeared or been incorporated into another story. Sorry.
yep – I can't imagine they have gone this way without some big gotchas – I don't think the teflon turnipturd will be bothered though – he just turns it around by lying
Hi Marty, Anne, things like modern politics have less and less to do with evidence and truth. Witness the British Prime Minister illegally and unlawfully dissolving parliament.
I don't doubt that there is damning evidence but that doesn't matter if the perception of the great unwashed differs from the narrative.
eg CC is no problem because we have 'clean coal', I heard the president say so a few times.
Equally, I have little faith in the Dems making hay from this.
Akin to Hilary being a sure bet, she will win because she is experienced, it's her turn, she is a woman….
Yes.
Within 24 hrs of the "wonderful" (Trump's words) meeting with Ardern he has:
1) Ruled out any tightening of gun laws in the US.
2) Refused to sign the US up to the Christchurch Call and has made a speech at the UN denouncing the attempt by technological companies to curtail free speech.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/399543/donald-trump-warns-about-social-media-platforms-acquiring-immense-power
Maybe not, a yougov poll has 55% in favour of impeachment over this, if true.
Even among republicans it's 38%. The tide could well be changing.
https://mobile.twitter.com/YouGovUS/status/1176597972659970048?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1176602161750450177&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bbc.co.uk%2Fnews%2Flive%2Fworld-us-canada-49819346
Worst case: the terms of the investigation are too narrow, charges go to Senate, and the repugs exonerate him. Re-election 2020.
Best case: he gets investigated, it takes until november 2020 but the dirt getting exposed is so overwhelming that it scuppers his re-election bid. And then federal and state charges are laid January 2021. He spends the last years of his life shafting his lawyers' attempts to have him ruled incompetent to stand trial.
Middle-worst case: senate convicts him, president pence gets elected as a spiritual cleanser.
Middle case: whether or not he gets convicted or re-elected, New York State does him for tax fraud.
I cant figure out what the dems think will happen here
They cant seriously think impeachment will fly so it must be a set up for the next election. its just crazy,, this will solidify Trumps support
The only rational explanation is that they are completely irrational
It still hasn't occurred to them that they could use a democratic process to get the best candidate and then actually win on merit!…
or is that idea just too radical
So after flailing round for 3 years the Dems think they've finally got their man by saying he's obstructing aid. Oh the irony! Let's see if this has opened the door for Iran, Venuezuela and N Korea to launch their own impeachment proceedings too lol.
Giuliani seems to know what this is all about…
No. It's about tRump allegedly using public money in an attempt to coerce a foreign power into investigating a political opponent.
That is diplomacy – we will withhold money until you do this for us in return.
A touch cynical, but often correct. The operative word there is "us", though. The national interest, not the personal interest of the officials making the decisions.
The essential difference between realpolitik and personal corruption.
Using public money to stitch up a a political rival isn't diplomacy.
edit:
https://twitter.com/tomwatson/status/1176578447134613506
Political rival.. hehe.. "tui". Man, that letter is a barrel of lol's.
There's just so much irony in the Dems carry on. Years have been spent on investigating Trump, and when he recipricates they completely lose it.
The call is only one red flag. A whistle blower went to the IG with evidence of other wrongdoing, too.
btw, the Senate has unanimously agreed to Schumer's resolution calling for the whistle blower complaint to be turned over to the intelligence committees
Essentially more innuendo…
https://twitter.com/aaronjmate/status/1176930298124107776
Aaron should stick to what he's good at; defending war criminals.
You'll like this one then Joe… from another one you called a "war criminal defender"…
https://twitter.com/henryrodgersdc/status/1176957062959521795
It’s not about the transcript of a call. It’s about his ongoing abuse of the powers of the presidency.
And Gabbard? She's a Republican so of course she's going to defend the yam.
Mate is pretending to be too stupid to understand the obvious threat being made. So he can pivot to his one true love, perpetual whining about Dems.
edit: Also interesting is how closely Mate is parroting Repug talking points:
“McConnell also indicated that he hasn’t backed off even an inch from his cover-up for Trump’s criminal behavior, releasing a statement claiming that Democrats have held “a two-and-a-half-year impeachment parade in search of a rationale.” ”
https://www.salon.com/2019/09/25/will-republicans-dump-trump-nope-theyll-cover-up-for-him-until-the-bitter-end/
wonderful stuff thank you maui – must be time for a guestpost from you – be great to read all your ideas on this in one post – that will create a forum for debate no doubt
Thank you marty. I have been sort of waiting for someone like Bill to step in though, he's much better at analysing and writing than moi.
You have a view, shared by many, that tbh I don't agree with AND it would be good to have that difference outlined to see the logic and arguments – I want to really understand why people think the way they think.
Horeskin and Garner are not adults IMHO ?
A lot of Maori men are in prison, but while a lot is made of the percentage to population, they are still a minority to pakeha and tauiwi extremely unpleasant criminals. Have a look at the s.itheads in this nasty murder case. Should these men when babies have been taken from their parents? What sort of parental methods result in adult outcomes who will never realise their potential to be a great, happy, admirable person? Would parental classes for both young people which would come connected to a fortnightly child assistance payment to them, get them on a positive line of child rearing and understanding how to cope and manage through stresses, and be co-operative.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/399497/murderers-told-victim-to-dig-his-own-grave
Those who have worked in the criminal justice system are well aware that there is a massively high probability that the sorts of people you refer to were taken from their parents.
Are you thinking of pakeha who I was referring to?
Yes.
Well lets hope neither of these two ever get out of jail as it's hard to imagine them reforming and becoming valuable members of society.
From the "I am not a believer in conspiracy" files.
On Sunday I visited another town in my EV. While having it recharged at a public facility. I went for a walk with my wife for a block a way and went through a car yard I had visited two years ago while searching for an EV to buy. There were no staff as the yard was closed.
Today on Facebook there is a specific ad on my Facebook Home page from the very car yard that I visited.
Coincidence? It's a startling thing.
Is there a possibility that facial recognition technology from a security camera is at play here? That my very basic cell phone is being tracked? That my car rego was noted when I drove past twenty minutes later? That my EV's electronic key in my pocket was somehow 'discovered'?
Or is it just coincidence and some very targeted advertising based on my facebook activity and previous purchase? As the saying goes, coincidence occurs only when we can't see the levers and pulleys.
I guess I am really asking for comment from wiser technology-savvy heads about how deep intrusion in our lives is based on tracking our personal information?
assuming you are in NZ I would guess it's either a semi-coincidence (based on targeted advertising from other activity), or it's your phone or credit card usage.
If your phone is a smart phone you can turn location services off.
FB will be using your IP address to target advertising, so if you have FB on your phone it will know your general area by how you connect to the internet.
I don't know what happens with EVs, but it's worth checking if it's the EV's GPS. You could ask the manufacturer for details on what the tech is in your car and if it's connected to online services.
I would be very surprised if this was facial recognition, we're not there yet in NZ afaik.
According to David Spiegelhalter in The Art Of Statistics there is no such thing as coincidence, its just a matter of mathematics. "Connected "people, the sort who talk to others a lot, and I know you are one mate, find more coincidences simply because they have a lot more information and contacts. Yes, it looks suspicious but as you say you have been online looking at EV sites, also you were in this specific town using cards etc which ramps up the coincidence possibilities. If you had not gone there would the pop up have happened the next day. Who knows ? . It may simply be the act of paying for the charge up in the vicinity and the webby thing did the rest.
Its disturbing this bullshit which is why I have stared paying for everything with pebbles.
So Mac1 if I don''t come back from the bar with my round on Friday night its because I've been thrown out on my arse.
Thanks, Weka and Adrian. The EV's GPS still thinks it's in Japan. I’m in NZ as Adrian knows.
My cell has a FB icon but I've never used it or set it up.
I did get e-mail acknowledgements immediately of my use of public chargers but would FB know that? That charger also accessed my bank account and was my only credit card use on that trip.
So as you say, Adrian, it might be a webby thing……. perhaps I should adopt your payment method using the asparagus coming out of my ears at the moment.
When I return to work after 3 days off, I am often prompted to offer a review of my hospitality place of work. I have put it down to the location tracker jobbie in my Whoarewe phone.
This in no way makes me think we are under-survielled and spied upon excessively.
you dont use google maps?
you can delete FB off your phone.
"I did get e-mail acknowledgements immediately of my use of public chargers but would FB know that?"
Was that a gmail account?
Might want to check the TOS for the charger.
Location services and the apple equivalent is a generic facility on your cell phone. I haven't looked at it too recently, but it uses GPS, wifi, cell towers, and even near field or blue tooth to try to increase the accuracy of its fix – especially when you are indoors and the GPS signal sucks.
It is also something that quite a lot of apps access, everything from google maps to various other systems that read location information and sell it directly or indirectly to advertisers.
If it's capable a 3g net connection google will be following you around. Need to turn that off, also downloaded any apps? Plenty of them capture location data and sell it back for advertising purposes.
Hi there,
Yep they use all of the things you mentioned. Sometimes car yards/shops use beacons which push messages to your phone (if you have this enabled and didn't realise you could turn it off it would freak you out).
who is using face recognition that they sell to FB?
I'll be watching you
Every move you make
Every step you take
I'll be watching you
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/06/14/opinion/bluetooth-wireless-tracking-privacy.html
paywalled out for this month. Are the beacons the bluetooth tracking or something separate?
Alternative link to the article.
http://archive.li/6sbMl
The beacons connect with your phone to gather data.
The Guardian Firewall team has discovered that a growing number of iOS apps have been used to covertly collect precise location histories from tens of millions of mobile devices, using packaged code provided by data monetization firms. In many cases, the packaged tracking code may run at all times, constantly sending user GPS coordinates and other information.
In order to gain initial access to precise data from the mobile device’s GPS sensors, the apps usually present a plausible justification relevant to the app in the Location Services permission dialog, often with little or no mention of the fact that location data will be shared with third-party entities for purposes unrelated to app operation.
All location data monetization firms listed on this page collect one or more of the following data points:
In addition, some firms also collect the following types of less sensitive device information:
https://guardianapp.com/research/ios-app-location-report-sep2018/
"The beacons connect with your phone to gather data."
Wasn't sure the beacon was bluetooth only, or using a range of tech (bluetooth, wifi, mobile network).
I have location services turned off, usually bluetooth is off, but wifi is often on when I am in town.
not sure how relevant the beacons are to NZ. Yet.
Those free apps you install on your phone?
Well, if its free, you're the product.
edit: they’re here alright
https://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/gadgets/87241219/beacons-making-a-comeback
that's about the US?
If I have bluetooth turned off, how do the apps send data?
It's used by one of the biggest retailers in the country.
When customers use mobile applications developed by Scentre, or logon to Wi-Fi provided in Westfield shopping centres or third party applications utilising Scentre’s infrastructure (including Bluetooth beacon networks), customers provide Scentre with certain information including their contact details.
https://www.westfield.co.nz/privacy-policy
I saw a tweet recently about how Uber and others can use that information to jack up their prices when you're desperate. Joy.
as in the car driver has a device that reads the customer's phone data?
The phone app communicates it to Uber's platform directly. Driver not involved.
Uber determines price rather than teh driver?
Correct. Drivers basically underpaid slaves.
Most likely to be location services on your cellphone is turned on.
The Australian government, along with the RW of Australians, will steal the gold fillings from our teeth if they find they need them.
At present we are defending the manuka honey business that we have been working to build.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/399537/millions-poured-to-ensure-manuka-honey-is-a-nz-only-product
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/country/399398/tractor-protest-farmers-concerned-by-rush-of-reforms
The protest took place in the township of Ruawai, at the northern end of Kaipara Harbour.
Between 120 and 150 farmers turned up, most of them by tractor.
They said a suite of measures, zero carbon legislation, the latest water plan and the Billion Trees Programme could force some of them off their land.
The Mayor of Kaipara, Jason Smith, said it was a quiet protest but with a strong message.
"They weren't tooting horns, there was no loud noise, people were standing around in solidarity, just being concerned (about the future)," Dr Smith said.
Another Dr Smith!
The Kaipara Harbour is NZ's largest by area. There are many acres of farmland surrounding it and it's tributaries. As more pressure comes to bear against farmers adjacent to waterways, I think the Kaipara region will become a hotbed of discontent.
I think the strongest protest they could mount would revolve around showcasing farmers that are going the extra enviro mile. We all support those guys.
Edit
We do indeed, and should be helping others up by their bootstraps. All is not won though as i have heard of farmers watching their stock eat down the greenery, flaxes, and then stepping past it to get to the stream. So vigilance is required for effectiveness even once measures to remediate pollution are taken.
I understand that Kaipara has had a lot of run off into the estuary? So it is in farmers interest to keep their top soil, and also to keep the estuary water in good health, because I think it is a place for growing spat as a business? Isn't that also where they had the great sewerage fixing bill? It seems there is a lot to do, so just getting together to protest would be not being real men. Getting together to form working groups helping each other for the good of the whole, as well as to meet the government requirements that have been needed for probably two decades or longer. The problems have not shown up suddenly, out of the blue.
And not to be overlooked is the effect of sea rise. I think that it is flat around Kaipara, so the farmers can huddle around a map showing projections of where the sea will rise and how it will affect them. Perhaps dredging and building up sand and mud dunes on which they could plant mangrove or such that would be good fish spawning cover for young fish. That would help to take some of the brunt of waves in storms.
They might get help on their streams from the Environment River Patrol Aotearoa NZ which Milan Ruka has been behind. He has been doing more stuff than the farmers about water and environment health and might have some tips.
I've thought of a word to describe some of the regular commenters here – CAN'T (Carpers and Negative Controllers) and they attempt to shut down discussion, either deliberately or in the nit-picking way they treat others comments.
While it may not be ad hominem comment, it is slanted to give the commenter the feeling that their comment from their mind has nothing to say of relevance and therefore the person is mindless, ignorant, and for many people this is the same as an ad hominem in its effect. Obsessed people may continue to arise despite, but for those concerned for a wider discussion covering all topics it is greatly disheartening.
The reply to the comment will not build on it adding more background, it will not simply correct a mistake. The comment will be dumped on as wrongly quoted, the syntax is wrong, some figures wrong and so the whole comment is useless to consider, and it shows a mind uninformed and with nothing to add to the superior understanding of the person who responds. Wrong, wrong, wrong, so buzz off you inferior person. That's the message and the end result to many, while the lords, mainly I think, of the internet roll on flattening the poppies who might otherwise have got tall before they were attacked.
In other words the message is 'You 'Can't' say anything of importance or helpful – why bother.'
I try to put my comments to the table test before clicking Submit Comment.
'Would I use the same words if I was sitting across the table from the person I'm responding to?'
I wonder if people that feel the need to dominate and seed confrontation in a discussion on an anon message board lead somewhat different lives in the real world.
I wonder. But I get concerned at the lack of participation in this blog from lefties. I wonder if they lose heart. Times are tough and work hours or making do is demanding. But learning while you are going is not wasted time and just raising a query and some ideas and getting response is heartening. If the response is a sneer not. If it is a little query about meaning or the need to put source, or show opinion one way and quote okay. But encouragement is primary rather than scholastic lessons or entrenched opinion coming down on you.
There are some great people out there so those who seem to want to dominate, go schtum. Let it pass, ask for more info. Try to love other people's reaching up for understanding, communication, togetherness. There are some people who I am very wary of, anyone who tries to love and trust all others is unwise, but let's try to find How to get There…?
I replied to your question about comment formatting here https://thestandard.org.nz/the-climate-action-momentum/#comment-1656997
Thanks weka I have copied that and rushed off with it to my lair to study.
"There are some people who I am very wary of, anyone who tries to love and trust all others is unwise,…"
I am curious, why do you think it is unwise to try and love all?
So often I find, first needing to understand the other before I can hope to be understood by them.
Since i read about the Exclusive Brethren leader who commented that a young man who was suicidal over the split between the cult and his family, would be better off dead, should take rat poison, I thought that I can't trust these people. And there were other features of their behaviour which when understood showed they can never be trusted and that applies to a number of cults.
Going round being kind to all without wariness, is being naive sorry gsays – and over time you will find they often understand you very well and prefer to remain obscure themselves.
You are starting to sound like a flower child from hippy times. I think loving all is OTT, trying to have goodwill to all with wariness is good, and helping where you can be kind and being friendly. When you find who to trust, and know the small number that you will ever understand the heart of, then love them. Just don't throw it away like tissues or easy tears, it is precious, there isn't a lot of the real thing around.
ahh.. conditional love.
Love for those who deserve it, good will for those who deserve it, patient tolerance, disdain or disgust for those gone off track or beyond redemption. That says it I think. No need to hang social dictionary tags on it.
That's some pretty pecksniffian stuff there grayzy.
Not usually, however that is mostly because I tend to avoid arguing with people outside of online. It is obvious when you look at what happens on these kinds of forums.
Arguing or even discussing things with other people often means that you need to be somewhat on a level playing field to get anything out of it. But conversations are usually one to few in real-life.
Now I’m an extreme case. I have always had a really capacious memory, lots of CPU cycles, and a habit of thinking a lot about everything. Plus I have been continuously on the ‘social’ nets in some form or another since the mid-1980s BBSes and 90s usenet and have no interest in TV, sport, gossip and anything else that is essentially repetitive. And I never bother to compete or dominate with anyone – it is too easy to just leave them holding a some sinking island while I move on to something that is of interest to me. Plus I’m too damn arrogant to be concerned about what anyone else thinks of me.
Which makes it rare for me to find someone who has anything that interesting or new to me. Which also means that there isn’t that much to argue about except work.
But social networks and especially ones like this, you’re effectively talking to thousands of people at once with a bit of a lag. Yesterday on this site with a quiet day there were 2,784 distinct humans visited and read various posts and comments. 9,978 over the last 7 days**.
That gives a much larger selection of people who can provide the grist for interesting disagreements. It is also self-selecting for people who can argue.
So on here, even if I wasn’t having to moderate, my behaviour would change compared to IRL and has ever since I joined argument forums. I learn a hell of a lot just reading these forums. It is also why I’m also willing to expend time stomping on people who try to dilute the good arguments of a robust debate. The returns make it worthwhile.
//————
** there will be some inaccuracy in that due to people not using cookies or having different ‘identities’ on different systems. However when I analysed it a while ago, the maximum inaccuracy on users was less than 10%. Some of them are single reads from search engines. However that is well less than 30% of all of the users. Something like 40% of users read the site multiple times per week.
Is the 40% return users over the long term, or just the period you are looking at (eg a week)?
"2,784 distinct humans visited and read various posts"
Is the Unique Views, Users, Page Views, or something else?
That is the long-term average for a week.
humans == Unique Users (at least as far as google can see).
You can see this in the analytics summary in the dashboard. But reminds me that I'm on holiday for 5 days starting tonight. Google analytics coming your way.
Sweet!
The graph I'm looking at has Unique Views or Users (not Unique Users). Which one are you looking at?
hmm, ok, it's the Users then I think. Unique views might be some Users looking more than once.
Yep. You have to look at how google collects the information about users.
If you look in the cookies on your system, you'll find tracking cookies from google and others. These come in if you're on gmail or logged in on chrome or any number of other things.
What they also do is to allow google analytics to track user patterns. They do this by allocating a analytics number to everyone.
You should have access to analytics now. If you look under Audience / User Explorer you can see the anonymised data looking at individual user stats. That gives a better idea of how it is done.
😎 That should keep me busy.
That is just play… 🙂
Just don't let it interfere with the serious business of writing posts. 🙁
lol, ok.
So many posts up today!
Yep. That happens.
I’m having a 5 day weekend to do some outstanding work at home. Procrastinating on working on web code rather than my favoured hard-core code inevitably results in me becoming more blog-active…
Oh well the weekend boss is dragging me off to lunch, so I’d expect that there will be an expectation of less blog and more work on her site.
You're a strange man, lprent. Though magisterial about computer shit. For which I thank you.
I'd agree and I have known this for many years.
Hope you're well. I just aren't for the Labour Party. Since you know when. When they combined with the strong. When I logically knew them to be in the wrong. In my young age.
Ghandi a racist? Wouldn't he actually be a nationalist or a patriot/
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2018714782/racist-gandhi-should-not-be-honoured-at-un-event-researcher
I fleetingly heard it and it sounded like the guy was saying that gandhi didn't like a group of people because of the colour of their skin – in other words he said and acted like black people were inferior because they were black. If so then that is racism in my book.
His own words condemn him.
https://atlantablackstar.com/2015/03/31/not-all-peaceful-13-racist-quotes-gandhi-said-about-black-people/
This academic gets his points across well and is interesting on Brit and the unlawful decision against Boorish's pro-rogueing.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2018714767/supreme-court-biggest-constitutional-mic-drop-in-50-yrs
The British Supreme Court has ruled that the decision by the British prime minister Boris Johnson to prorogue or suspend parliament for five-weeks was unlawful. Dr Dean Knight is the co-director of the New Zealand Centre of Public Law at Victoria University and spoke to Corin Dann about the case from London.
A good read and nuance regarding trudeau. Worth noting for our progressives here I'd say
This comment on Mahdawi's opinion article offers an interesting point of view. As I read it I found myself thinking about the political and public reaction to Metiria Turei's 2017 admission of benefit fraud some 25 years earlier at ~22 years of age – NZ lost an excellent MP over that.
I'm not comparing Trudeau to Turei (there are so many differences), but the effects of self-destructive tendencies in the progressive left are worth reflecting on before going full tilt, IMHO.
I found this paragraph in the article to be telling
For me the left reflexive defensive cos someone is a 'good' person or done 'good things' is the real problem. Own it, accept it, try to change it and then get on with it. Defend it or blame the others for being worse and other tactics really do feed the right. They don't need feeding – they need starving and you do that by sorting shit out fast and you do that imo by owning it, being a grown up and doing something about it and then moving on.
"Own it, accept it, try to change it and then get on with it." – good advice, and I wonder what more Trudeau could do now to address the hurt and allay concerns about the choices he made some years before becoming a politician.
Could Canada do better than Trudeau as PM – yes (IMHO). But will they?
Hats off to Simon Bridges. I admire the consistency with which he depicts himself as the village idiot and the certainty he has that the rest of us are too.
The news just had him as saying Tracey Martin should have been more hands on in the Royal Commission into historical abuse in state care.
I must admit my disappointment that he hasn't called for the resignation of Jacinda Ardern over the situation which has arisen with the Commission. Oh well, maybe tomorrow or when she gets back in the country he'll be singing that tune.
The whipping Bridges has been receiving from all quarters must be taking a toll. The most confident of battlers eventually gets driven to stepping aside.
Bridges' repeated deadpan delivery of the same answered question in the house yesterday was the work of a broken man.
Martin answered his 'What are you doing about a pedo on the board?' question straight out of the gate.
"You're a lawyer, you know it's illegal for an MP to have any influence over a Royal Commission."
On and on Bridges went with his prepared supps. I thought Martin was masterful…mistressful?? The temptation to say "I've already answered that." must of been strong. She went into the rare circumstances under which an MP could influence the Royal Enquiry. She had obviously studied the situation closely.
Still Bridges ground on with questions she had answered in finite detail.
I guess they're stuck with him for the 2020 election but crikey.
One of his Bridges' bridge promises has come true. The new Taipa bridge will be open in the next month or so and it's looking great. They have also hopefully solved issues with the largest school in the district flooding. The guys that built it will move onto the Kaeo bridge, that was always their intention. I see Robertson has begun calling the Kaeo job a Labour party win. Gosh they're amusing the way they all try to pin their brand on the wins, anyone's win.
https://www.dealsonwheels.co.nz/trucks/news/1908/new-bridge-brings-benefits-to-taipa
So true. I remember the Nats making a big deal out of the completion of the Waterview tunnel when it was the previous Labour govt, who did all the hard yards.
At least one of Bridges promised bridges has come to fruition.
Yet the troubled waters remain?
Bugger – Simon 'No' Bridges has a ring to it. Simon 'One' Bridges won't work.
Roll on Simon 'Two' Bridges, right up there with Arthur 'Two Sheds' Jackson I reckon. https://vimeo.com/338144148
https://rdln.wordpress.com/2019/09/24/iconic-feminists-to-speak-at-new-zealand-event/
Canadian feminist Meghan Murphy is coming to New Zealand and will be speaking at the Feminism2020 event in Wellington on November 13th along with Dr Holly Lawford-Smith, Dr Melissa Derby, and SUFW spokeswoman Ani O’Brien. These are the feminists they don’t want you to hear. Banned, deplatformed, censored, and harassed, nonetheless these are women on the frontline of feminism.
Sanders won New Hampshire in 2016.
https://twitter.com/sahilkapur/status/1176526908235878400
Seems like she's building that movement she was on about at her 20,000 attended rally.
PM Jacinda Ardern speaking at the UN.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/399573/jacinda-arden-tells-un-words-and-actions-have-immeasurable-consequences
Ta. She really understood the role of the UN well, compared with the buffoon who spoke earlier.
We have always been at war with Eurasia..
Naturally his Bryceness cannot resist fluffing a strawman based on his superior knowing of the NZ public's wishes:
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/sep/25/ardern-was-supposed-to-be-the-anti-trump-but-she-failed-to-speak-truth-to-power
Does Edwards really expect the PM to trade in her dignity, authority, diplomacy skills and self-respect by having a slanging match with a Trump, who lacks all three of those qualities. The Guardian should engage better commentators.
And Victoria University should employ smarter lecturers.
Talking of "the buffoon"… he's reached out to Nancy Pelosi wanting to… wait for it… negotiate a settlement with her over the impeachment:
https://i.stuff.co.nz/world/americas/116088298/donald-trump-tried-to-negotiate-his-way-out-when-he-heard-of-impeachment-inquiry
Unbelievable.
To head off a flood of Press Council complaints about bias, The Harold rushes out a response by one of its travel writers to another's most recent silly rantings: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12270749
Media Council doesnt review bias in Opinion columns. They are .. well opinions but rely on a 'foundation of fact' which means no easily provable lies.
Neither are they expected to provide balance for opinions
Twyford has torn strips off the bumblers in Treasury who botched the financial numbers in a report on Road infrastructure spending
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/116076628/phil-twyford-hits-back-at-treasury-for-misleading-wrong-briefings-that-leave-out-billions-of-spending
"Twyford says the claim the Government was missing $3.8 billion of new transport projects had "no factual basis"
It seems that Treasury was writing reports based on wishful thinking from NZ National
"Treasury has been left with egg on its face for the second time this year after Transport Minister Phil Twyford slammed the ministry for missing out billions of dollars from its calculations.
Based on wishful thinking from the Infrastructure Council, I read somewhere. Can just imagine the neolibs in Treasury giving it a free pass cos not govt.
In part it's Twyford's own fault. He failed to clear out NZTA's Board or refresh its objectives as a Board. Instead he presumed that tilting the NLTP would be sufficient.
Also he forgot to clean out Ministry of Transport, who have guided him about as poorly as it's possible for a Ministry to do so. This is one of the results. Another is the entire regulatory debacle. Another is the light rail strategy disaster and light rail procurement mess.
But the suspicion I have is that Robertson decided to kick Twyford while he was down – ready to be reshuffled – and get another of Robertson's wieners replacing him in Cabinet.
Maybe the entire transport portfolio needs clear felling. OIA suggests that there are problems in Wellington with the LGWM ,the mayors recollection of what he told councillors,and did JAG threaten to hold her breath.
"Justin's advice to us was that this was the best he could do. There was also talk about the Green's/JAG [Associate Transport Minister Julie Anne Genter] influence on the package," the documents say.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/116084129/documents-reveal-claims-green-party-agreement-used-by-mayor-as-leverage-for-transport-deal-in-wellington
ACC posts 8.7$ billion deficit.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/business/399579/acc-posts-8-point-7-billion-deficit
ACC chair Dame Paula Rebstock said the record deficit was an accounting measure, and in its day to day dealings the corporation had a cash surplus of $570 million.
"The cash operating surplus demonstrates ACC's robust funding structure that enables the scheme to withstand volatility, including falling interest rates."
She said the deficit would not affect ACC's ability to pay claims and it's too early to say what effect it might have on levies, which would be set by the middle of next year….
However, Dame Paula said in the medium term levies would have to rise to cover increasing costs such as medical treatments and rehabilitation.
ACC had a record 2 million claims in the past year, which adds to the financial demands on its funds.
The value of its outstanding claims liability (OCL) rose by $10.8b because of the fall in interest rates to $53b. ACC operates on the basis of having to cover the lifetime cost of all claims already made, and extends that out 100 years to 2119. (Should that be 3119? And why ahead so long, pay as we go plus have some reserves, would be practical but not pure enough for Treasury no doubt.)
No
Next year is 2020, so 100 yrs later is 2119. No need add another 1000 yrs.
Seems to me to be silly to go out 100 yrs , 50 yrs should be fine for almost all claimants and the few after that are inconsequential in terms of their reserves of $43.8 bill.
An increase of $5 bill this year alone- not sure why thay should highlight the 'balance sheet future costs'
Crikey, 100 years?
Labour kept ACC on its full pre-funding trajectory after 1999 partly to build a handy nest egg they could plunder just like the Nats have, but the main reason Shipley et al made the shift in the first place was to prepare for privatisation. Sadly for English, Joyce and chums the Aussie insurance industry were not keen enough in 2009.
Returning the scheme to annual pay-as-you-go instead would remove the prospect.
I'm looking forward to Air New Zealand being regulated by the Commerce Commission as a monopoly on most New Zealand domestic routes, now that Jetstar is pulling out.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12270903
It needs a lot more that Shane Jones to actually regulate price from a company that totally dominates one entire sector of the country. It's akin to every New Zealand motorway being tolled with no alternative route, and no one to hold them to legally hold them to account for the price they charge or how often you're allowed to drive on it.
Or maybe the government can provide stronger scrutiny as the major shareholder.
Or something.
+100
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/business/399566/jetstar-to-pull-out-of-regional-flying-in-nz-at-end-of-november
Government as usual hasn't the guts to run it's commercial businesses for the advantage of the whole country. There will be an opportunity to charge more for the main flights and subsidise to some extent the regions. And Jetstar shouldn't get the red carpet if they want to come here and get some of the cream.
Finance Minister Grant Robertson said it was a shame to lose airline competition in the regions, but the government won't be telling Air New Zealand not to raise its prices.
Mr Robertson was hopeful another airline would emerge.
"We've had times in the past in New Zealand where we haven't had other operators on those regional routes and we'll have to see whether another one emerges but those decisions are entirely for Air New Zealand to make," he said.
"Clearly there's an expectation from New Zealanders that there are fair prices paid, and we'll keep an eye on that."
62 year old man abducts and sexually violates a 16 year old girl. There is a frame around his face from a CCTV picturte. Would that be for facial recognition tech?
I haven't heard lately of any 62 year old woman abducting a teenage boy and sexually violating him. Seems that it is time we had a better approach to enable people to sort out their sex urges without invading someone else's self and respect. There have been some teachers however, so it's not quite black and white.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/399589/police-hunt-man-after-teenager-abducted-and-sexually-violated
” Seems that it is time we had a better approach to enable people to sort out their sex urges without invading someone else’s self and respect.”
What do you suggest?
Don't know at present what do you suggest.
Thought you might have some ideas seeing as you were the one who bought it up like you knew what you were talking about, so apart from precogs and precrime units like in Minority report, or chemical castration for all men and mandatory bromide in our tea just in case, unless you're on a sex offender list where you can be monitored and directed accordingly, there's not really much else you can do for individuals apart from keep pushing the message not to do it and punish those who do, is there?
and in the 'punish those who do' is where we fail utterly . We do not treat this particular crime as the crime it is. 'their sex urges' – heck of an urge there.
is that when i steal a car i have uncontrolled 'drive urges'?
I agree, Sabine. When I saw Al1en's comment, I thought it askew with that standard punishment bit. Punishment (known as negative reinforcement in the 60s when I was training to be a teacher) works (in my experience) only in the shallowest way for activities to which people are NOT emotionally inclined at a deep level, in which case punishment does next to nothing.
I always liked the film 'A Clockwork Orange' because it deals with this issue.. but gives no solution.
So what are the options if punishment fails?
a truly novel approach.
throw the darn law book at them, lock em up – no matter how bright their future – and keep them locked up until time served.
or else lets stop with the pretense that we are a nation of laws and simply abolish all laws as there will always be offenders and really what can be done?
Isocrates in Areopagiticus, (some 25 centuries ago) suggested that excess laws was a sign of poor government.
Written laws do not increase virtue, but quotidian customs. Most men tend to take up the customs as moral of the place in which they were brought up. More so, it is evident that where there is a large number of defined laws, it is a signal that the state is badly governed. There are cases in which men try to build barriers against delinquency decreeing large numbers of norms. But well-governed men do not need to fill the porticos with written laws, but simply fix justice in the spirits, and those poorly educated will try to break the laws accurately produced. By contrast, well-educated men will be in good disposition to respect even the simplest codes.
yes dear.
and thus we get raped.
He didn't have 2500 years of documented government to put paid to that wishful thinking. Doesn't stop business cabals demanding deregulation, though.
You are so wet Allen always spoiling for an argument. I show example, express concern and say something should be done. And that starts you off with a demand that I delineate a policy to deal with it. Are you becoming an ambush troll I hope not? Well I have given you something to bother about – I have spelt your pseudo wrongly. What's your cunning plan?
To be honest, the way you write leaves me bemused, and often I'm left thinking wtf is that all about, not to mention thoughts about quality over quantity. Tell you what, if you're responding to me in future, I'd consider it a courtesy if you'd make your arguments and points in plain English and help me out a bit. Though it has to be said, to completely shoot it down, in the exchange here you haven’t once given examples of how to deal with the issue you yourself raised, in fact you answered “Don’t know at present”. If you’re going to lie, at least look at the previous posts first.
As for not using my chosen login name correctly, well, that's just a failing on your part you wilfully advertise to the membership here. I don't mind that at all. 😉
The UK bookies on Johnson and Brexit.
Read more: https://metro.co.uk/2019/09/24/bookies-slash-odds-boris-johnson-leaving-office-year-10799358/?ito=cbshare
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MetroUK | Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MetroUK/
Kia Ora The Am Show.
Check We are stuffing there future so Our Rangatahi deserve to vote to protect their future but I say move the goal post a bit closer and go for 17 years old to vote.
That is a great discription of Aotearoa Prime Minister she is genuine and is using her Mana to make other tangata lives better.
More putea being invested into our Rangatahi sports programme is great I hope some of that putea get to the Regions.
Tutai shonkys only minute on the Papatuanuku stage was the golf game.
Our change to a green future will boost our Papatuanuku economy and leave Our futures A Clean and Green environment we all know that's a bit had for unintelligent people to Grasp?????????.
Great interview Rangatahi don't worry about the neanderthal they will be rolled into our history books.
The idea of Rangatahi being able to vote has just started. Opinions will change I have seen polls change quite rapidly on some subjects
Yes our farmers are putting them selves under a lot pressure they are isolated with no one to talk to. I tau toko this big barbecue initiative to help farmers who are on a low at the minute Ma Te Wa thing will get better that's the way of life ups and downs tangata just have to stay look for the positive side of every situation Ka kaha.
Ka kite Ano
Some Eco Maori Music For The Minute.
https://youtu.be/Z0lufcRgZlA
Kia Ora Newshub.
That's is a huge Strike for Our Climate in Aotearoa Ka pai Ka kaha keep up the good mahi
Shaun Eco Maori won't be flying any time soon not until air travel has cleaned up there act.
Wow that's a big drop for NZ post yes online shopping is takeing off for them it's replaceing posted letters.
The Takia promise of our Aotearoa quest leaving behind only foot prints and not rubbish is great everyone knows they have to get on the Clean and Green WAKA or they will sink.
Ka kite Ano
Kia Ora Te Ao Maori News.
Our Strikes for Our Climate makes Eco Maori so proud. It is a emergency Our way of living has to change we are only on Papatuanuku for a very small finite time it's not on that our generation is making such a big mess that it will make living in the future extremely hard for the common poor tangata to live a healthy life. The climate change deniers are making out that mitergateing Global warming will make Tawhirimate fall on Our heads YEA RIGHT mitergateing global warming will be the best thing for us all.
Ka kite Ano
https://youtu.be/QAB6aXOfUmU
Ma Te Wa
I….Eco Maori tipuna new this Phenomenon people power is stronger than people in power he made a Haka
Te tangata Te tangata its the people that count in Te Papatuanuku
Climate crisis: 6 million people join latest wave of global protests
Week of strikes and demonstrations is ‘only the beginning’, say organisers
Six million people have taken to the streets over the past week, uniting across timezones, cultures and generations to demand urgent action on the escalating ecological emergency
“This week was a demonstration of the power of our movement,” said a spokesperson for the FridaysForFuture group which has helped coordinate the demonstrations. “People power is more powerful than the people in power. It was the biggest ever climate mobilisation, and it’s only the beginning. The momentum is on our side and we are not going anywhere
The day of protests began in New Zealand, where an open letter was delivered to parliament on Friday morning calling on the government to declare a climate emergency – following the lead of numerous councils around the country
On Friday there were huge protests in Italy – where more than 1 million people were reported to have taken part – Spain, the Netherlands and New Zealand, where more than 3.5% of the country’s population joined the demonstrations.
Organisers said they were expecting more people to join as the day progressed. High turnouts were expected in Canada, where Greta Thunberg – who kickstarted the school strike movement with a solo protest in Sweden 12 months ago – was due to join demonstrators in Montreal.
May Boeve from 350.org, which has helped organise the demonstrations, said: “We will keep fighting until the politicians stop ignoring the science, and the fossil fuel companies are held responsible for their crimes against our future, as they should have been decades ago.”
Ka kite Ano link below.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/sep/27/climate-crisis-6-million-people-join-latest-wave-of-worldwide-protests
Kia Ora Newshub
Condolences to the whanau who lost their pepi to a idiot on a dirt bike in Palmerston North. Dirt bike should be only riden on farms or tracks.
A big scrub fire near Queens Town let's hope they can get it under control before to much damage is caused.
That's good that the girl has been found whom got swept out to Tangaroa while white baiting.
Cool Aotearoa first Tamariki building academy that's innovation at its best from Our Government Ka pai.
War is for idiots.
Ka kite Ano
Kia Ora Te Ao Maori News.
Condolences to Careys whanau for their loss of their mother.
There you go people not respecting Tangaroa mokopuna by driving heavy machinery over them to gather mussels spat
FOMA is a awesome initiative way to encourage Maori tangata to get into business It takes a lot of courage to make the leap into business in Aotearoa for tangata whenua as some will try and put us off our mission of building a moanga for Te mokopuna.
Ngāti pikiao culture is looking strong that is great for mokopuna to carry on with their culturel identity kia kaha.
Ka kite Ano
https://youtu.be/qQfetkoGrpU
Ka pai to the Papatuanuku waka free day that is what everyone can do to easily drop our Carbon footprint walk and ride a bike for smaller journeys. I don't burn nowhere as much carbon as I use to. I have plans to lower my carbon footprint even more Ma Te Wa.
Pollutionwatch: how does World Car-free Day affect emissions?
Though air quality appeared to improve, measuring the precise impact of car-less days is difficult
Last Sunday peace and tranquillity descended on city centres across the world as many went car-free for the day.
This annual event started in the UK, in Bath, in 1994 with a road closure and street party for the Environmental Transport Association’s Green Transport Week. In 1997 it spread to France with En Ville Sans Ma Voiture (In Town Without My Car) in La Rochelle, and by 2007 it spanned 2,000 cities in 35 countries Ka kite Ano link below.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/sep/26/pollutionwatch-how-does-world-car-free-day-affect-emissions
Ka pai to the people who are backing Wahine and giving them opportunity to have clean and green energy in their own whare. Mana Wahine. I have also read that whaine are making sure that there retirement savings is invest in companies that care for our future generations environment Wahine toa
Jaipur, India (CNN Business)India is trying to bring electricity to hundreds of millions of its citizens who live off the grid. And it's trying to ensure that the power comes from clean and renewable sources.
Frontier Markets is helping to achieve both those goals in the Western desert state of Rajasthan, selling solar-powered products to hundreds of villages. The company is thriving by turning its customers into salespeople.
The company employs women to sell products like lamps, stoves, and even TVs that run on solar power through a program called Solar Sahelis (Solar Friends). Each woman is in charge of selling products to hundreds of rural households
We learned that while the customer — the person paying for the product — was a man, the person using the product was a woman," Frontier Markets CEO Ajaita Shah said in an interview with CNN Business. "In fact, 70% of our users were women and that is when we realized that in order to properly serve the right households needs, women had to be at the center of that value chain," she added.
Shah founded Frontier Markets in 2011, with the goal of providing clean energy to millions of rural Indians while also giving women a source of employment and income. The goals encapsulate some of India's most urgent issues.
The government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made rural electrification a big priority, announcing last year that 100% of the country's villages now have access to power. But the government considers a village electrified if just 10% of its houses are on the grid, meaning over 200 million people still don't have access to electricity.
The Modi government has also set aggressive targets to increase solar energy capacity, and it has succeeded in going from less than four gigawatts in 2015 to nearly 30 gigawatts — about 8% of India's total energy capability. The government wants to increase that to 100 gigawatts by 2022.
The 3,000 women that Shah employs have helped to provide energy to more than half a million village houses in Rajasthan, she said. The women communicate the benefits of clean energy to rural households, but also help Frontier Markets understand the kind of innovations that those households need most, she added.
Another pressing need that Frontier Markets is helping to solve is getting more women into work. Only 22% of India's workforce is female, according to the latest data from the World Bank, one of the lowest rates in the world. India lags behind countries such as Sudan, El Salvador and Afghanistan.
"As India starts growing and moving and changing and evolving, especially with the digital revolution, women are still being left behind," Shah said. "It's really important for us to continuously invest in our women's skills and their education to be able to catch up."
ka kite Ano link below.
https://edition.cnn.com/2019/07/01/business/india-solar-frontier-markets/index.html
Kia Ora Te Ao Maori News.
Te atea college is a great organisation that has helped tangata whenua get greater education its sad that they are facing problems I hope they can sort it out and keep the school open.
Kamo school is having problems to we need to taonga all our Maori based education centres.
Te tangata whenua of Alask are going to get a ap to help keep their culture going strong its a great way to use social media to help keep their historical culture Mana Ka kaha.
Yes there was a big celebration in Japan this Rugby World Cup is quite exciting
Ka kite Ano