As usual, the media fail to mention climate change.
“Dry spring weather sparks water warnings
Dry spring weather has prompted warnings to conserve water in some parts of the country.
Many farmers fear they are heading for a second dry year in a row.
Most of New Zealand has had less rainfall than usual over the past three months, causing soil moisture levels to dry up, said the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA).
In Wairarapa, Masterton residents are not allowed to use hand held hoses, because the water supply from the Waingawa River is running low.
The river’s flow rate has fallen below 1300 litres per second, well below the council’s conservation threshold of 1900 litres.
Masterton District Council assets and operations manager David Hopman said only 31mm of rain had fallen in the region over the past month, well below the average.”
one thing would be good, don’t rip out every shrub, every tree, every single thing with roots n all to grow ‘pasture’ for cows.
roots are needed to store water in the dirt. The drying out of the soil is the biggest issue we have currently. If we cant’ store moisture we are gonna loose the land to erosion.
second, water tanks. lots of them. literally.
maybe less cows, so you would not need all that ‘pasture’. so you don’t need to drain every source of water to water your ‘pasture’.
maybe maybe there are things to do, but hey, surely the government will help?
Drainage systems converted to storage and drainage.
Swales.
Sub surface ripping and deep rooted perennials.
Increasing soil carbon (thus soil water holding capacity).
The trick is to recharge the aquifers from rain. Hardpan from tilling causes rain to run off to the ocean instead of being slowed by the land. It takes expensive ferts via the rivers with it, causes all manner of PR problems.
Subsurface ripping and perennials deal with hardpan over a few years. Ponds are holes in the ground. Swales feed ponds but also slow water down to infiltrate land and replenish aquifers. Trees provide shade and shelter from wind to slow down evaporation. Shelter will also increase animal production.
You would think their ‘representatives’ or even government would have some basic check lists for farmers to avoid droughts, aka put in extra tanks, Swales etc… but no, in spite of all the money in that industry they don’t do the basics, that cost little… consumers on the other hand are constantly being advised on what they should be doing to save water/power what have you…
my point is, they don’t even seem to try to give basic help to farmers and some of them are so old school, they would never think of changing their ways…
I do.
However when they know tax payers will cover their business risk, whenever there is flooding or droughts, there is no incentive to farm sustainably or store water for the future.
Farmers are very keen on socialism, when they benefit.
Not so keen when it comes to paying the taxes for it.
@KJT – yep that thought occurred to me too… why bother with small stuff, when you can dish out million dollars cheques… Fonterra make the farmers pay into a fund for innovation though, but one disgruntled ex employee said it has just become a fat cat fund and they are unwilling to use the money for real projects that will deliver real change and future proof..
I’ve just farmed through the to best seasons the central north island has seen I years . Regular rain right through the last two summers and mild winters . If it wasn’t for that pesky cc thing I’d be loving every bit
True, bwaghorn. But.. the lack of droughts may not be a good sign. The big El Nino in 1998 gave us what it should: Westerly winds and dry.. Now we don’t get that: the last big El Nino gave us Easterly as much as West, and rain from tropics from either direction. (I am a sailor, and have come to study weather patterns..)
We have been lucky in not having droughts in our region over the last 2 years, but I fear that big changes are happening, and it will not be long before we will be less lucky and get some nasty stuff we never expected.
Teen loses sight waiting for help. She’s been left with itching red eyes every day…I can’t begin to imagine how bad that would be, one eye totally blind, the other requiring a strong contact.
What a shocking story. DHB’s need to stop building conferences or what ever the fuck they were doing with money there, and instead spend the money on seeing and fixing patients.
That is so sad for that poor woman. Yep they knew from 11, something was wrong and they do nothing for 6 years! Disgusting.
“New Zealanders fear rising influence of Chinese wealth
For a country whose tourism board sells it to the world as “100 per cent pure”, New Zealand is in danger of looking compromised.
Chinese money, courted by the government in Wellington, has certainly turbo-charged the New Zealand economy, but it comes at a price and is raising questions about the country’s reliability as a western intelligence-sharing ally…..”
Hosking: “here’s the good news, one year in and this current arrangement surely has the right to a glass of something celebratory. It is, as they’ve reminded us many times, our first truly MMP government, and with it came the inherent risks of carnage, none of which has happened. The three-headed monster the previous government warned us of, has been nowhere to be seen.” https://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=12147863
” This has been a coalition that has set the standard. The gaps in philosophy especially among Labour and New Zealand First are wide in places, but they have not allowed it to be an issue.”
“It might have helped that the Greens are a minor, almost outside sort of group within the deal, but if you were looking to mark this lot on their performance in terms of cohesiveness and professionalism, and staying on message, and out of coalition-type trouble, you’d be being churlish to mark them any less than an eight or maybe even a nine out of 10.”
There must be a tear in the fabric of space and the hoskings from an alternate universe has slipped in . Although it could be the hosk has realised it’s time to change troughs to sup from .
Nah he left heaps of ‘qualifiers’ first in the article. how the inexperienced hapless lot who are hapless and inexperienced surprised him by not imploding yet.
Isn’t there a proverb “A wise man feels the wind and sets his sails accordingly ‘”, although the one about rats and sinking ships is probably more appropriate.
But Hoskings, bugger me !.
You know National is in big trouble when one of National’s biggest fanboy’s in the MSM starts to heap praise on a coalition he has previously tried to say was bad news for New Zealand. He tried to find something bad to write about them but failed.
Meanwhile, Simon has tripped and stumbled and pulled down part of the curtain of illusion that National is one united party. We got a peek through the gap at some of the disharmony and willingness to try and go around the law when it suits them.
A man who National hid deep behind that curtain and tried to claim they had no more contact with has again stepped into the limelight through that hole in the curtain of illusion as a power player in the Bridges vs JLR saga in the media. He will fight tooth and nail not to be shoved back behind that curtain again.
A Captain’s call you mean? Nah, if Simon hadn’t gone like a bull through a China Shop [pun intentional] with his witch hunt to find the Narking Nat this wouldn’t have happened.
The sole reason, IMO, was that the myth of party discipline and unity was threatened, in a very minor way, and Simon’s leadership was questioned. Simon felt so sure about the support of his Caucus and so cock-sure of his own abilities to steer National to a brighter future that he felt compelled to run this investigation. The rest is History as they say …
Could it be that this crisis is mental health care, or the apparent failure of democratic politics to mount an effective policy response is actually related to a far deeper and entrenched element of how we actually ‘do’ politics?
And does the following remind you of a recent debacle in NZ politics?
Occupational psychology research suggests that working within aggressive, low-trust, high-blame, secretive and highly partisan political cultures is unlikely to be good for anyone’s mental health.
An excellent and though-provoking article, which is a must-read for Standardistas IMO.
Here’s the section from yours that identifies why it is flawed thinking to treat JLR’s incarceration as similar to that of a private citizen (a handful of respondents on this site have been staunchly denying that their thinking is flawed):
“Recently, an 18-month project exploring the politics of mental health through a focus on the mental health of politicians in four countries (New Zealand, the UK, Canada and Australia) has revealed how the nature of modern politics – where the dominant mode is competitive representative politics with an increasingly aggressive 24/7 media environment, augmented by a social media backdrop with covert actors seeking to influence agendas – ensures not only that the psychological stressors and strains on politicians are intense, but that the stigma associated with such mental health concerns prevent politicians from acknowledging the existence of these stressors and asking for support. Occupational psychology research suggests that working within aggressive, low-trust, high-blame, secretive and highly partisan political cultures is unlikely to be good for anyone’s mental health.”
The only flaw I could see was that a bunch of commenters here were arguing from a PoV and another lot from theirs and somehow they were completely missing each other’s point and largely talking past each other. That, and a whole lot of irksome ignorance, wild speculation, paranoia, and just simply not giving an inch made for a sorry ‘discussion’ of one of the most important problems of our society, which is mental health.
Well put!
It’s a touchy subject especially for those who’ve had to avail themselves of various services. Some have had good experiences, others bad. It’s an area (like so many others after the past ten years of the junta) that’s been under-resourced and full of workers who are burnt out and with case loads that are unrealistic.
Not surprising then that you get some concerned with how things are supposed to work – the theoretical and the speculative, with others who’ve had their own experiences acting as though the were the only gay in the village because their situation is deeply personal and often overwhelming.
I’ve not yet met a worker in mental health who isn’t dedicated and committed, (maybe I’ve led a sheltered life -[not]), but I have experienced the emotional drain on people working in the area and seen/experienced the extent to which it can affect their own families.
You’re correct @incognito: “……..the most important problems of our society, which is mental health.”
And this: “the complexity of public problems usually gets lost in dramatic micro-facts and disconnected commentaries resulting in the public’s impression that there are in fact simple solutions to complex problems in modern society, and that politicians are ‘failing’ to implement these.”
The problem individuals onsite here are driven by a redundant philosophy that was prevalent in science until the seventies: reductionism. Holism is the only way to make sense of complex systems and situations. Their congenital denial of crucial factors in the situations they comment on reduces their contribution to nonsense.
It’s actually the downside of using Occam’s razor as the only tool in your mental kit. Reality nowadays is usually so complicated that over-simplification causes users to lose the plot.
I am 72. In my experience people waddle (or wade?) into complexity according to their emotional involvement and ability. Reductionism and holism are largely irrelevant. The talented are good at it. Occam’s razor works on few occasions, a bit of a diversion on others.
But I am interested to know more about ‘congenital denial’.
I would hate to think that I have been in congenital denial without being aware of what it is..
Cheating. In sport, business, and politics has become acceptable in New Zealand.
A mind set where lying, stealing and destroying others, is fine, so long as you win.
Ross is both a perpetrator and a victim.
Why these people even get votes is a puzzle. Too many who don’t care that our politics has descended into lies, bribery and personal attacks.
The most pernicious part is that dirty politics tars all politicians with the same brush. Turning people off politics.
The Greens have been an exampler of how politics should be.
Open, Democratic and honest.
Maybe we have been a bit naive in believing the essential goodness of people will win out. The sheer bad faith, hypocrisy and misogyny over Metiria, was an eye opener for us.
However we do not intend to win by becoming, the enemy!
There would be no point in winning on their terms.
@ KJT
The important thing for Greens to think on, as they try to improve NZ action on issues in NZ, is to have concern and kindly respect for people as well as the environment. There is a possibility that some within the movement will abandon transparency and community respect if they put their own culture, concerns and issues as paramount. This can happen when certain cults start or established ones try to integrate into the progressive movement to gain some advantage for themselves. Like a parallel with the French insinuating themselves into Greenpeace to get information and intelligence for their purposes, on the anti-earth, anti-destruction movement.
unless you vote a third party that has no chance of winning anything but is a single issue party like Legalize Aotearoa i suggest that next time you might read up on your Party candidate and the other party candidates and then vote for the one that is best for the little bit of NZ where you live. Who knows, maybe then we have better politicians.
but at least your attitude explains why Nick Smith, Paula Bennett and Judith Collins, John Key, Simon Bridges and the rest of hte posse got to play monopoly with the country.
I will also add. The second, the Greens become just another party run by self appointing careerists, like Labour and National, will be the time I resign my membership.
I personally love having the Greens in government to keep the others honest. And to push environment. The economy will disappear without it the business class are fools to think they can continue to defer costs…
I will critique you folk harshly because I know you can do better.
There’s so many reasons we want Green representation. There are not so many we want you in charge. I don’t want any party in charge. Yay MMP.
The #1; the biggest contributor to the environment suffering so much: Engineers and chemists run our biological systems (agriculture). And they’re rubbish at it.
Concentrating there might produce results for the planet, but removing these charlatans will not be easy. They are besties with big oil.
and that is why you end up with a party full of people whom you don’t know doing what they want without ever giving a thought about those that put them into office.
Thats just lazy BM, you should show interest into whom your local MP is, lest you end up with someone who does not care…..oh i forgot you don’t care.
The most pernicious part is that those who have encouraged lying and cheating by political leaders are parents.
I can remember several events over a couple of years, leaders in our living rooms via tv bullshitting beyond belief. The cheerleaders for them surely could not, would not, expect their offspring to ‘tell the truth.’ You say and do what is best for you at the time.
Our list of values, discussed recently, would not reflect reality if it did not reflect that. Mores change and the easy story telling of, say Judith Collins, and the way it was accepted had me seeing the tide go out and realising that the speed of evolution can be quick. But then that tide was just part of the GCSB John moon.
It was good to read the Transport Minister’s Herald piece this morning arguing the benefits of the Southwestern LRT and rebutting some of the rubbish that’s been shopped around by lobby groups like PTUA and Transport 2050. It was about time either local or central government or the Transport Agencies involved fronted up on the project. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12147767
On the other hand it wasn’t so good having to listen to the same minister on Morning Report trying to rationalise the PM’s off-the-cuff decision to rule out any more regional fuel taxes yesterday. Clearly the government has been caught out by the backlash to Auckland’s fuel tax.
Not surprised about the fuel tax. It remains a rather ham fisted,and regressive way of funding Auckland’s public transport needs. It was never going to be popular with the poorer households, who have the longest commutes.
And still avoids charging the, housing developers, employers of cheap immigrants and the trucking industry, for their share of the extra roading costs.
The oil companies raising prices at the same time was unfortunate. May have been a calculated political move on their part. Don’t think Labour has many friends in the oil industry, after accelerating their inevitable, and necessary, demise.
I agree. The Regional Fuel Tax in Auckland is directly penalising the same people that Labour said they were elected to office to help. That’s the people who live in the outer ring of post war suburbs that were expressly designed around the private motor vehicle.
Of course if the incoming government hadn’t saddled themselves with their fiscal responsibility rules they might not have had to impose any additional fuel taxes. Or at least they could have borrowed first to invest in the public transport network across the Isthmus and then applied any extra taxes to pay for that investment once there was real transport choice available.
The fiscal responsibility rules, were, to my mind, a capitulation to a demographic, that were not going to vote Labour/Greens anyway.
Given that successful economies all have a State share of the economy over 40%. Including ours in the past. Limiting the size of the State to 30% is fiscally “irresponsible”!
We have all paid the price in decaying infrastructure, housing and health. Along with steep bills, to pay for private sector inefficiencies in power supplies, ports and other areas.
We have all paid the price in decaying infrastructure, housing and health. Along with steep bills, to pay for private sector inefficiencies in power supplies, ports and other areas.
QFT
Private sector provision of natural monopolies is highly inefficient providing less for more and has only one thing going for it – it increases the bludging of the rich.
Well at least the foul murder of Jamal Khashoggi has proved one thing beyond reasonable doubt, that the outrage and reaction, leading to sanctions over the skripal poisoning by western leaders was purely and utterly political and had absolutely nothing to do with the supposed moral outrage.
This case is proving right out in the open ( it is of course already apparent to anyone with eyes and ears) to all, that trade, profit, growth are the only words that have any real meaning with our leaders, morality and ethics are only used when convenient and do not obstruct in any way whatsoever the previous three golden commandments of liberal ideology.
Yes you can be sure that we will all continue trading with Saudi Arabia as normal going forward, but then why wouldn’t we, I have yet to hear anyone propose limiting trade with the brutal totalitarian regime in China.
A brutal and repressive regime that we have all been fully aware of since our Helen opened those flood gates….so why not trade with the Saudi’s?, what’s the difference morally?
Looks like you me an cinny adrian are about the only ones who give a fuck in this place its jamie lee ross jlr jlr jlr jlr a hundred years after the fucking proverbial cows have come home .And just saying over and over what about iraq what about all the other injustices etc etc etc is meaningless unless youve never heard of them .This is a particular case and it demands a particular response which isnt wallowing in cynisism like you invented it but rather showing some solidarity and at the very least condemning the killers of jamal khashoggi which is THE HOUSE OF SAUD and not merely the hit team they are just pawns .
What is St. Crispin’s Day, you ask? Technically speaking, the Feast Day of St. Crispin, October 25, venerates the martyrdom of Christian saints Crispinus and Crispianus, who were twins (rude, Mom). But let’s be real, no one cares about that. Instead, today we honor the most prolific playwright of all time, William Shakespeare, and the greatest speech from one of his greatest plays, Henry V. If you haven’t read Henry V, well, you’ve been done wrong. For some reason public schools rarely teach the histories, but the Henriad and the War of the Roses cycle should be required reading. Fuck Romeo and Juliet. You heard me. [Ed. note: This is an official editorial position.]
Greatly outnumbered by the French on St. Crispin’s Eve, King Henry V rallies his demoralized army with a rousing soliloquy promising brotherhood, greatness and legacy:
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne’er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition:
And gentlemen in England now a-bed
Shall think themselves accursed they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin’s day.
SNIFFFFFFF. Anyway, his soldiers, aroused with visions of glory, win a staggering victory at the Battle of Agincourt on St. Crispin’s Day. In summary, this kick-ass soliloquy will make you feel like you can do ANYTHING! Conquer that biochemistry exam! Vanquish that evil pigeon that pooped on your head! Win over your prospective mother-in-law who hates your guts because you’re a freelance writer with no steady income! Okay, maybe not that last bit.
Watch these three classic interpretations and cry God for Harry, England, and St. George:
Now that you feel the burning fire of patriotism in your veins, we suggest invading France. Or at the very least, plant a miniature American flag in front of the Eiffel Tower.
Nice one clean. If you have not already read them I can highly recommend Conn Iggulden’s series of historical novels (4) on the War of the Roses, I don’t normally recommend books as we all have our different tastes, But I thought these were excellent and on par with his series on Genghis Khan’s Dynasty
A bit of useless pointless info and I love snippets of useless pointless info, Genghis Khan’s grandson Kublai Khan started the Yuan Dynasty. The name of Yaun is used today as a unit of Chinese currency.
Ha. Bit like Waterloo day, every year I forget St Crispin’s Day. To put it theatrically, several years ago my Pistol was well received (giggle).
It’s a fascinating play and can be done to support polar opposite attitudes, a bit like the Merchant of Venice. Olivier did a rah rah noble heritage of victory version during WW2. Others have dwelt more on the cost of war for ordinary people (especially if you consider the fact that Henry V kills off the comic characters from the Henry IVs, which would have been like killing Dobby for the original audiences).
Just read you comment now cleangreen. I agree, King Hal’s speech is a spine tingler. But is it any better than –
‘The quality of mercy is not strained . . .’ or
‘To be or not to be . . .’ or
‘Is this a dagger which I see before me . . .’
Just goes to show the absolutely glorious talent of William Shakespeare.
Hydrogen is emerging as a serious contender to fuel the heavy transport fleet of the future – especially trucks and shipping and perhaps, some day, even aviation.
Among the blizzard of press statement that emanate from any government covering every little thing, it would be easy to overlook Energy Minister Megan Woods’ announcement this week of a memorandum of cooperation with Japan on hydrogen fuel development.
So as well converting our cars and trucks to electric, we’re also going to produce Hydrogen from electricity?
Where’s all this extra electrical generation going to come from? the distribution network? or the fact there’s not even a market for Hydrogen? utterly ridiculous but unfortunately typical of this stupid government.
Shipping companies, in particular, have been very aware of hydrogens potential
Or have a clue about New Zealands sustainable power generation capacity.
The problem with electric power for transport has always been the practical limitations of batteries. Even if they become hugely more efficient they will not approach the energy density of a tank of petrol. A tankful of hydrogen, when we learn how to store it, however!
Not too sure about that – the containment issue may require heavy tanks – and weight is a major transport efficiency issue.
But the point BM is partly trying to make in his negative way, is that the greater part of our energy budget is presently provided by petrochemicals. Hydrogen is not a solution to that and hydrogen + solar requires two sets of infrastructure we don’t have and aren’t yet adopting at anything like credible speed.
I wouldn’t bet the farm on hydrogen tech having a meaningful impact on either our petroleum demand or our carbon footprint in my lifetime. Not to say the research shouldn’t be done, just that we need to be doing rather more than that.
Pesky little atoms wriggling their way out of storage? I once got landed with scoping out making composite tanks for hydrogen. Containing the hydrogen is a problem quite different to other material storage problems.
I’m going a bit outside my expertise here, but I’ll speculate that it’s due to the way that a hydrogen atom becomes a naked proton when it’s electron wanders off for a while. That naked proton is extremely small, and very reactive. Whereas any other atom will always haven at least two electrons orbiting the nucleus in the extremely tightly bound filled K shell. This makes the atom physically much larger and less able to move between other atoms in a solid.
Then there’s the hydrogen embrittlement caused when those pesky little atoms choose to fuck with the chemistry and microstructure of the material they’re passing through.
With a potential hydrogen economy, there’s also the problem of the round-trip efficiency of the energy going in to separate out the hydrogen, compared to how much you get back out when you use the hydrogen. The best numbers I’ve seen are still well below 50%, compared to over 90% for some batteries. So unless and until someone comes up with a viable photocatalytic process, where the energy to split off the hydrogen comes directly from sunlight, it looks to me like generating the hydrogen will be just too wasteful of the input electrical energy.
“America, that old problem of yours? Racism? I have a cure for it: Get cancer. Come into these waiting rooms and clinics, the cold radiology units and the ICU cubicles. Take a walk down Leukemia Lane with a strange pain in your lower back and an uneasy sense of foreboding. Make an appointment for your CAT scan. Wonder what you are doing here among all these sick people: the retired telephone lineman, the grandmother, the junior-high-school soccer coach, the mother of three.”
… “In the country of cancer everyone is simultaneously a have and a have-not. In this land no citizens are protected by property, job description, prestige, and pretensions; they are not even protected by their prejudices. Neither money nor education, greed nor ambition, can alter the facts. You are all simply cancer citizens, bargaining for more life.”
“Pipe bombs have been sent to prominent critics of Donald Trump, authorities said on Wednesday, spreading terror in the US less than two weeks before the midterm elections.”
Oh, don’t worry, by 8.35 this morning Leighton Smith had announced that it was actually a lefty liberal false flag plot to discredit El Presidente and his loyal base.
Obama, Clinton, Harris, Wasserman-Schultz, Waters, Soros and CNN.
maybe they are a bit more then just prominent ciritcs of Donald Trump. But then is not everyone who does not kiss the fat orange arse a prominent critic?
In the meantime the Dow Jones dropped like a stone, shaved off another 600 points and is now the lowest it has been since January 2nd 2018. But they the economy is doing great, 500.000 jobs created with that 110 billion dollar sales of weapons to Saudi Arabia and now watch this drive.
1 the public demonization of a person or group resulting in the incitement of a violent act, which is statistically probable but whose specifics cannot be predicted: The lone-wolf attack was apparently influenced by the rhetoric of stochastic terrorism.
“Acts or threats of political violence have no place in the United States,” Trump said. “This egregious conduct is abhorrent. “That’s a very bipartisan statement,” he said.”
The architect of Oz superanuation, Paul Keating, is making a case that post 80 should be covered by a federal insurance scheme as super was designed to only last till 80.
PK’s an icon IMO always up front and fearless. Him and Hawke were quite the duo.
THE WTO being played around by the USA usurping other countries’ powe and rights, and wanting to skew the world body like its skewed its own Supreme Court.
Who cares about agreements? The USA were prepared to deal with Hitler until they realised his agreement and commitments couldn’t be relied on. So is this fascism in play with the leading nation’s graffiti being ‘Atavistic Commercial Fetish Rules Okay!’
David Parker warns over US, World Trade Organisation dispute
From Morning Report, 8:11 am today
Listen duration 5′ :24″
The World Trade Organisation is in danger of falling apart, leaving New Zealand with no remedy in the event of a major trade dispute. That is the stark warning from Trade Minister David Parker who has just finished top level trade meetings in the US, which is the country making direct challenges to the world trade referee. He speaks to Guyon Espiner about his meetings with US govt officials.
Thanks joe90 at 16.1 – read the quote there. True? I think hesitantly, yes.
I hadn’t heard of this USA’r but good to remember there are 325 million there and many are outside the Trump maelstrom!
“Tony Hoagland gave us a fierce, sometimes ugly, but ultimately redeemable portrait of America in his poetry and essays,” Shotts reflected. “I believe he wanted to give us many voices as a way into social and political critique, and he pointed his acerbic wit most directly at himself as a blunt instrument of self-scrutiny and satire.
Too often the good die relatively young – he was 64.
No wonder Jared and ‘the Don’ love him. So full of hubris, arrogance and narcissism he wouldn’t give a flying fuck if the 15 or 18 become expendable in order to save his ugly mug
“Colin Craig was a workplace bully of a woman, who stuck up for herself.”
?
I know Slater (and others, not looking at you Jordan) seeks out anyone he thinks he can make ‘his bitch’ but when did Colin have the op? I must have missed something.
Ambiguity aside, then yes.
Btw @ Ad, I’m with a bunch of people at the mo who have English as their second language (at the time I made the post).
They were worrying about having to up themselves from IELTS 5 or 6 to 6.5 or 7.
Worse still, they’re not as valuable as their Chinese counterparts
For awhile I thought the reason Labour had been so quiet on the National implosion was cos Jacindas a class act, and while she may be let’s be honest the real reason Labour can’t comment on National selling list seats to foreign powers is because the Labour party is also under the influence of China as well and to criticize China means both parties would lose election campaign money.
I used to say that national and labour would join up into a purple party due to their shared neoliberalism but now I think they will combine to create the National Communist Labour party of China in New Zealand.
I have no problem with Chinese people but their govts influence on NZ politics needs to end immediately. Both Labour and National are selling our democracy to the highest bidder.
Our allies are questioning our loyalty and in future will be hesitant to share information with us because we are becoming a puppet state of a genocidal,workers rights abusing authoritarian.
I’m in a cynical mood at the mo’ @ CJ. So it’s just as well we don’t yet have a one-child policy or Neve would be left to her own devices on the Great Wall of Auckland somewhere around the Bombay Hills.
[What the hell has the out of office Harper government got to do with studies on insect numbers greywarshark? Did you even read the damned post, or did you think you’d just jump straight in with a spin on “knowledge and power”? Bumping this off down the bottom of the thread because its connection to the post is, at best, incredibly tenuous. Actually. Second thoughts. There’s bugger all connection to the substance of the post. Open mike. And in future, read posts and don’t just go off on long irrelevant rants] – B
How good they have records in Puerto Rico. And probably accessible easily because they are likely to be on paper. And that is important so you know which ones to grab and hide when some populist buffoon gets elected by unthinking, careless, irresponsible voters, making some point or other about not getting, too much of, something.
The trick is to help people get their something and hold onto what is valuable to the nation, despite poverty and bad weather.
Example I’m talking about is Canada :
2013 News
What’s Driving Chaotic Dismantling of Canada’s Science Libraries?
Scientists reject Harper gov’t claims vital material is being saved digitally. https://thetyee.ca/News/2013/12/23/Canadian-Science-Libraries/ Scientists say the closure of some of the world’s finest fishery, ocean and environmental libraries by the Harper government has been so chaotic that irreplaceable collections of intellectual capital built by Canadian taxpayers for future generations has been lost forever.
The Harper Government Has Trashed and Destroyed Environmental … https://www.vice.com/…/the-harper-government-has-trashed-and-burned-environment…
Jan 15, 2014 – … polar research, with some documents reportedly dumped in landfills or burned, … The government denies political objectives have anything to do with the … “The government of Canada—led by Stephen Harper—has made it harder … minutes and other records to hide politically unpalatable science and …
Michael Deane “Mike” Harris (born January 23, 1945) is a Canadian politician who served as ….. Provincial water testing had been privatized in October 1996 by Harris’s first government. …. politicians suggested that the attack may have been ordered by the Premier’s office, and called for an independent judicial inquiry.
Power and Knowledge. What is the difference between a mad King or Queen and a mad Premier or leader who has extreme authority of rendition of the nationh’s precious statistics and information. It’s just a modern version of the sacking of the library of Alexandria. Destruction of the Library of Alexandria
The ancient accounts by Plutarch, Aulus Gellius, Ammianus Marcellinus, and Orosius indicate that troops of Julius Caesar accidentally burned the library during or after the Siege of Alexandria in 48 BC. … A part of the library was burned under Aurelian, in 272, and the destruction seems to have been completed in 391.”
We need to have better informed citizens who are paid to go and study stuff, and have constant talks and debates to keep citizens informed. Much of this should be on television which is still widely followed. So let’s get public television back again and run it so that there is learning and lots of quiz games about important stuff with good prizes, and regions competing for accolades as well as good infrastructure. So it is fun, informative and gets advantages for the local area, with a celebratory dinner for the contestants and organisers. Give it some cred so that people aspire to be involved. Perhaps some overseas visits, maybe to our friends in the Pacific.
Let’s be innovative and keep the barbarian populist pollies with their destructive ways and hordes, at bay.
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
Okay Bill
I thought it added something important to what you were writing about and also something about Puerto Rico but you have your rant in your own post. Be happy.
There are no politicians or administrations suppressing the research or the research findings linked to in the post.
The basic problem is that both scientists and those writing on population crashes seem to be unaware of the work done by Ziska and his colleagues. You read most articles and there is a lot of wild guessing going on about why populations are crashing (“It’s insecticides!” “It’s habitat loss!”).
Meanwhile, the solid research is sitting there, and as far as I’m aware, no-one has found fault with the methodology or the conclusions.
Insecticides and habitat loss absolutely contribute to decline, but they aren’t the principle reason and ‘rectifying’ those things will not halt species collapse.
You also did the same huge link filled distraction the other day by the way. In a post that pointed out that the scale of necessary CO2 removal was way beyond all production or harvesting processes we engage in, you just kept banging up irrelevant stuff about tree planting.
At least those screeds of smash weren’t sitting at the very top of a comment thread – thanks for small mercies.
I am actually interested in talking to people who are interested in seeing what we can do to alleviate our problems Bill. I like the good information I see here and then think about what can be done, or even started. I don’t want to be eternally at a wailing wall, just finding fault with what is being done or presenting horrific scenarios. I am looking for ways that we can do small things to try and help save our world and alleviate suffering.
I don’t like the mechanical attitudes that a good number of you are displaying. You don’t seem to care about people, it is almost a military efficiency response. This isn’t a place I want to be any longer and I don’t like that furious response from you. I think you are OTT and losing your humanity.
Forget it at present unfortunately – and it is an old perennial that pops up from time to time. Not saying forget it altogether, but perhaps next year – or an election bribe?
But, but, but – how did the interview go? Can I uncross my fingers, arms, hands, legs, ankles, toes yet? Its getting damn hard to do anything including eat …
It’ll be either:
Passed the interview stage and continue with the process (police checks, drug tests, medical checks etc),
Not at this time but apply again in the future and this is what you need to work on
or (my translation) hell no you freak and don’t even think of applying in this or any other timeline
You don’t mess with the mana. Not good by the winery or council
“A segment of the stalled Te Mata Peak track could kill someone using it, a report has found.
Hastings District Council said an independent report had prompted it to take “urgent action” to remove the dangerous section of the track, located on the top 500 metres.
The report said that in its current state, the track, which Craggy Range Winery carved last year, could result in serious injury, or loss of life as a result of retaining wall collapse, falling rocks and slips…
… The winery built the track after resource consent was granted by the council last year, without informing local iwi…
… The Environmental Defence Society has since announced it would take the council and the winery to the High Court over the decision-making process which led to the track being cut.”
I am just about to renew my prescription for hypertension control. And she probably has had very little medical care. She would like that saying about dying young – while you are a good-looking corpse. Also that living long when you’re wealthy, at least you can be miserable in comfort. I sure as hell don’t want to live long as she has. She is marvellous and I wonder how many children she had, she is one of the salt-of-the-earth people who plod along hard working and dutiful. It would be good if she could have a few of her favourite things before she goes.
The Nepalese woman who has lived to her 90’s and had five sons, her dream is the last one I heard of like this one.
Five Sons and a 100 Muri of Rice: The story of a five year old bride in …
Rating: 4.7 – 81 reviews
A five year old bride in rural Nepal struggles with poverty, male domination and illiteracy to become a successful landowner, micro lender and great grandmother. Based on the true story of Kharika Devkota, this book provides a rare insight into the inspiring and determining life …
Whaleoil comment: “The leaker asked the police to call off the investigation because they DID have mental health issues but assuming the person is not JLR, others can have mental health issues.”
Response from Slater: “That isn’t correct, there was no police investigation to call off. It was the inquiry. And it wasn’t JLR who sent that text because it arrived when he was in a meeting with PB and SB so it wasn’t him.”
Kia ora The Am Show the pipe is a stunt.The no more tax on fuel takes away something
that simon uses to attack the government.
Thats correct judy you starved the state department’s and had private eye clark and there m8 harassing them from shonky orders most people are scared sheep .
The French have some better system for there children than we do one is teaching mokopunans how to eat healthy at school I say we need to copy them.
I look for positive things in every situation and Eco know’s the big picture that’s a better future for the grandchildren that keep my fire burning.
Chelsea opening there doors A are there sales declining sugar in all prosessed food should be legislated to %15 percent of what we currently have in the food now .
Mark you will already know my view on your poll today we have more police than other country’s have in there Army’s so why do we still have PEE and other man made drugs problem.
I agree with Michell the French man and his child needed help now the child will be in state care while the dad is in jail the child could be better off but not if one looks at the children in our state child care system.
Amanda I seen half a dozen hinds on the side of the road at 2pm in Matawai a couple of times.
Ka kite ano
We have to Preserve Papatuanuku and all her beautiful creations for the benefit of all human kind . Work with Mother Earth not against her quite a logical way of thinking Eco says.
This moss like plant has the same properties as weed there has been huge amounts of knowledge from ancient times we have lost on many subjects the health benefits of plants is one big phenomenon that has been suppressed big big Pharma company’s
It may already have been relevant to the people who live where these species of Radula occur naturally, which are as far afield as Japan, New Zealand and Costa Rica. There are hints that the Maori people of New Zealand use it as an herbal medicine, although not necessarily for its THC-like properties. Gertsch adds, however, that no serious ethnobotanical or ethnopharmacological research confirms such uses.
Ka kite ano link is below
This is one reason I back our farmers they work harder then most and have a lot of challenges on the farming communitys they are the back bone of Aotearoa .
The other is I can smell a lie a mile away to and I don’t like these lies affecting people in negative ways .link is below ka kite ano.
Here you go 10 reasons why sugar is bad for your health this is the one food one needs to be excluded from your diet .
The big company’s don’t want you to know the truth about sugar . Sugar is in just about every processed food bread yogurt alcohol fizzy drinks .They put to much sugar in food to get you hooked on there food & Drinks to boost there profits who cares who get there lives drastically shortened and all the bad health side effects that sugar does to peoples bodys. Ka kite ano link is below
Kia ora Newshub I stick to my words earlier on the strikes Alex .
If someone was serious about blowing something up they would not send it in the post. Sending a it in the post is just a publicity stunt.
Thats the way Google make a stand against sexual harassment support Equality .
Skin cancer need to be advertised more and the sunblock products need to be verified to see if they do block the sun cancer effects.
Voda Phone Kiri is a cool way to use AI that is the future ka pai
Jackes a cool bloke 50 years working in that factory for the disabled Ka pai. P.S Niki Eco say the Japan Rugby World Cup will be a great event
Ka kite ano
Kia ora The Crowd Goes Wild Wairangi & Storm
Wai I will have a my finger’s crossed for the Kiwis in there next test.
E game is a cool new sport storm is Panasonic one of the main sponsor’s I have a distraction .
Shawn Long looks like a awesome import player for the Breakers Anna.
Kia Kaha to Steven Adams and the Oakland City Thunder Basket ball team.
Ka kite ano
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I came across this song quite by accident. If it isn't one of Greta Thunberg's favourites - it should be.Video courtesy of YouTube.This post is exclusive to Bowalley Road. ...
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Rt Hon Winston Peters Leader of New Zealand First The Benefits of having New Zealand First in the Centre: Security, Experience & Balance 2.00pm, 20th October 2019 Ladies and Gentlemen Thank you all for your warm welcome to this, the party’s 26thConvention. Speaking on behalf of caucus colleagues, it’s great to ...
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We want every New Zealander to be happy, safe, and healthy. To do this, we need to support strong, safe communities, and a robust and efficient health system. ...
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New Zealand First leader Winston Peters has opened fire against "unreconstructed morons" after NZ First MP Shane Jones was photographed on holiday holding an AR-15 rifle. Mr Peters is defending Mr Jones, telling Magic Talk host Peter Williams that his MP was just having fun "like most people do". "The ...
New Zealand First Deputy Leader and Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher Tabuteau was in attendance during the morning blessing of the Rotorua Lakefront development project. Around 60 people gathered on the shores of Lake Rotorua, including city mayor Steve Chadwick and deputy Dave Donaldson. The Lakefront development is a ...
Forestry Minister Shane Jones is considering reining in on conversions of farmland to forestry, and also issued a warning to foreign-owned forestry companies that make up nearly 75 per cent of the industry. He said too many foreign companies had not provided enough access for domestic processors to get timber. ...
Speaking to Radio NZ, New Zealand First leader Winston Peters said the tightening of the parental category visa is a direct result of the Party’s coalition negotiations with the Labour Party. He said the new changes switch the financial onus from the parent moving to New Zealand to the child ...
The Coalition Government is set to cut red tape in the building and construction sector in an effort to allow more houses to be built, including prefabricated houses. The changes will enable the mass factory production of "high quality" buildings, slash the likely number of building inspections for factory produced ...
Since coming into Government, we’ve worked hard to tackle homelessness and make sure everyone has a warm, dry home. And today, on World Homeless Day, we want to report back and update you on our progress so far. ...
New Zealand First leader Winston Peters has hit back at National Party leader Simon Bridges who criticized the Coalition Government’s approach to crime, and said that the latter isn't credible in his attack on the Government over gang recruitment. "We've got as massive drug problem in this country. It is ...
New Zealand Mānuka honey exporters have welcomed an initiative by the Coalition Government to help secure the term “mānuka honey” to be used exclusively by Kiwi exporters, ensuring that our multimillion-dollar industry is protected. Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones had recently announced that a Provincial Growth Funding of $5.7 ...
Political commentator Mike Hosking has labelled New Zealand First leader Winston Peters as “the voice of reason in a government soft on drugs”, for the Party’s stance on drug testing at music festivals. “If common sense is worth a vote, Winston Peters is quids in,” Mr Hosking said. The Labour ...
Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher Tabuteau has announced Provincial Growth Funding to ensure work opportunities in Turangi and Whanganui, through its skills and employment programme, Te Ara Mahi. A fund of $500,000 will go to Rafting NZ in Turangi for a 16-week river guide training course to train ...
Treasury has shown that the Coalition Government has a $7.5 billion surplus, which is $4 billion higher than what was expected in the 2019 Budget unveiled last May. It is also $2 billion higher than the actual surplus unveiled this time last year, and at a size that has not ...
Official Information Act figures released to NZME show there were 350 assaults on officers in the year to the end of June, 79 more than the year before. The increase in attacks have sparked calls for more legal protection for first responders to be enacted. The assaults included officers being ...
“Nobody wants to see babies uplifted”, this was the pronouncement of Minister for Children Hon. Tracey Martin as her department, Oranga Tamariki, faces multiple inquiries into the number of babies being taken from their families. “But a baby can die with a single punch, “the Minister continued. “So sometimes, Oranga ...
We're making progress on tackling the long-term challenges: from homelessness, to strengthening border security, to bringing banking back New Zealand's small towns. ...
Associate Transport Minister Shane Jones has backed the ambitious plan to move Auckland’s port to Northport, at Whangarei harbour, which he says will be the “King Kong of infrastructure”. The plan is part of the recommendations of a six-person independent working group, which has recommended the Ports of Auckland be ...
The Government’s Housing Dashboard released today confirms record numbers of state houses are under construction and shows the Government build programme is gaining momentum. “After nine years of inaction, and a hands-off attitude from the previous government we’re starting to see things move in the right direction for housing,” says ...
Mr Speaker, I wish to make a ministerial statement relating to the Auckland fire. The Government is closely monitoring the situation with the fire at the NZ International Convention Centre and is thankful that everyone is now safe. Firefighters are doing an incredible job managing the fire and bringing it ...
The Government is investing in ambitious research that will digitise Te Reo, grow the low-carbon protein efficient aquaculture industry, help interpret environmental trends, and large data sets says Research, Science and Innovation Minister Megan Woods. The four projects range from teaching Siri to speak Te Reo to crunching large environmental ...
A new education-to-employment brokerage service to strengthen connections between local employers and schools. Funding for more trades focused ‘speed-dating’ events to connect schools with employers. Promotional campaign to raise profile of vocational education. The Government is taking action to increase the number of young people taking up vocational education and ...
A Bill to improve prison security and ensure the fair, safe, and humane treatment of people in prison while upholding public safety has passed its third reading. Corrections Minister Kelvin Davis says the Corrections Amendment Bill makes a number of changes to ensure the Corrections Act 2004 is fit for ...
Minister for Māori Development, Nanaia Mahuta, has selected Arihia Bennett MNZM, Chief Executive Officer of Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu, as the Te Puni Kōkiri appointed representative on the New Zealand-China Council. The New Zealand-China Council (the Council) was established in 2012 as a New Zealand led and funded organisation ...
Responsibility for processing the small number of Southern Response claims still to be settled will be transferred to EQC by the end of the year. “As claim numbers reduce, it no longer makes sense for the Crown to have two organisations processing the remaining Canterbury claims,” Grant Robertson says. “Since ...
Health Minister David Clark is encouraging Whanganui residents to take up the opportunity for free bowel screening, which can detect cancer early when it’s easier to treat. Over the next two years 12,000 Whanganui locals, aged 60 to 74 will be invited to participate in the National Bowel Screening ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Aupito William Sio, heads to Oslo today to represent New Zealand at the sixth Our Ocean Conference, which is being hosted by the Norwegian Government from the 23-24 October. “The Our Ocean Conference mobilises real action on issues like marine plastic pollution and the impacts of ...
Two secondary-school initiatives are being expanded as part of the Government’s plan to see more young New Zealanders take up a trade to help close the skills gap. This includes the largest single increase in Trades Academy places in recent years. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Education Minister Chris ...
Session 4: Pacific Connectivity – Youth, Media and New Opportunities Kia ora tatou katoa and Warm Pacific greetings to one and all. Representatives of Tainui, the local people of the land, or manawhenua – the indigenous peoples of this area – have welcomed you this morning in accordance with ...
The Government today announced its support for a project that could substantially reduce agricultural greenhouse gas emissions from cattle. The announcement was made as part of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s and Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor’s visit to Nelson’s Cawthron Aquaculture Park. The Cawthron Institute will receive $100,000 from the Government’s ...
Social Development Minister Carmel Sepuloni has welcomed the first reading of the New Zealand Superannuation and Veteran’s Pension Legislation Amendment Bill. “Every New Zealander has a stake in New Zealand Superannuation and Veteran’s Pension,” says Carmel Sepuloni. “They are our most common form of social assistance – nearly 800,000 New ...
Babies in Auckland aged six months and over can receive a free vaccination and children will all have access to vaccines, Associate Minister of Health Julie Anne Genter announced today at Papatoetoe High School. The move comes as part of Government efforts to step up the fight against measles. ...
***Check against delivery*** Good morning. It is a pleasure to be here, and to have the honour of opening this important conference on behalf of the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. Let us take the opportunity to acknowledge all the people who have helped make today possible, including our special ...
Police Minister Stuart Nash says the safety of frontline officers and members of the public will be the focus of a new trial of specialist Police response teams in three of our largest urban centres. Police have this morning released details of an initiative to be trialled in Counties Manukau, ...
The Minister of Fisheries is calling for entries for a new public award to celebrate innovation in our seafood sector. “I have established the Seafood Sustainability Awards to recognise and celebrate those throughout industry, tangata whenua and communities who demonstrate outstanding dedication and innovation towards the sustainability of New Zealand’s ...
Minister for Women Julie Anne Genter welcomes leaders in the private sector taking action on closing their gender pay gaps to ensure a fairer workplace for all New Zealanders. Ms Genter today launched a new report, Addressing the gender pay gap and driving women’s representation in senior leadership, from the Champions for ...
Government Ministers today welcomed the release of a marine environment report highlighting the four key issues affecting our oceans, estuaries and coastlines. The release underlines the importance of government proposals to combat climate pollution, ensure clean freshwater, protect biodiversity, make land use more sustainable, and reduce waste and plastic. Environment ...
The Government has approved funding for a new acute mental health facility for Waikato which will provide better care and support to people with mental health and addiction issues. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Health Minister Dr David Clark announced the $100 million project to replace the aging Henry Rongomau ...
The Government is making progress on its goal to integrate te reo Māori into education by 2025, with over 500 teachers and support staff already graduating from Te Ahu o te Reo Māori, Associate Education Minister Kelvin Davis announced today. Kelvin Davis made the announcement at an awards ceremony in Waikanae today, for ...
Statistics Minister James Shaw has welcomed the first release of 2018 Census data. The first release of data today, 23 September, includes key data on population, regional growth, the number of homes and the size of different ethnic groups in New Zealand. Data from the 2018 Census will support the ...
Minister for Statistics James Shaw today announced a public consultation on a proposed algorithm charter for government agencies. The charter has been developed by the Government Chief Data Steward in response to growing calls for more transparency in government use of data. Computer algorithms – procedures or formulas for solving ...
Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor, Climate Change Minister James Shaw and visiting Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte co-hosted a business roundtable in Auckland this morning focused on working together to address climate change. “The Netherlands is an important partner for New Zealand. We share a strong agricultural history. Sustainable agribusiness and ...
The Government is taking action to build an inclusive economy where more of us receive our fair share at work and businesses can compete on great products and services, not undercutting wages and conditions, Immigration and Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Iain Lees-Galloway says. Two consultations launched today seek feedback ...
The future for New Zealand’s threatened indigenous freshwater fish looks brighter with the passing of the Conservation (Indigenous Freshwater Fish) Amendment Bill in Parliament today said Minister of Conservation, Eugenie Sage. “Until now, our freshwater fish legislation has been 20 years out of date. We have lacked effective tools to ...
At 1.30pm tomorrow, hundreds of thousands of Kiwis will join about 65 million people around the globe in ShakeOut, the world’s biggest earthquake drill. The annual drill is to remind people of the right action to take during an earthquake which is to Drop, Cover, Hold, and to practise their ...
Kiwis are benefiting from higher wage growth and low inflation under the Coalition Government. Stats NZ data out today shows the rise in the cost of living remains low, as annual Consumers Price Index (CPI) inflation fell to 1.5% in September from 1.7% in June. “The low inflation comes as ...
New Zealand’s economic strength and resilience has been recognised in a major update on the state of the global economy. The IMF’s latest World Economic Outlook released overnight shows a reduced global growth forecast over the next two years as issues like the US-China trade war and Brexit take hold. ...
Justice Minister Andrew Little has today introduced a new Bill to prevent terrorism and support the de-radicalisation of New Zealanders returning from overseas. The Terrorism Suppression (Control Orders) Bill gives the New Zealand Police the ability to apply to the High Court to impose control orders on New Zealanders who ...
A Bill that proposes targeted changes to simplify the processes for Māori land owners when engaging with the Māori Land Court has had its First Reading today. “The approach taken by the Government is to ensure that the protection of Māori land remains a priority as we seek to improve ...
Let me first thank all the new unionists and members in the room. There is nothing more important to improving people’s working lives than people making the decision to care, to get on board and help, to take up the reins and get involved. Congratulations to you. You bring the ...
Minister of Defence Ron Mark has signed a certificate exempting the activity of engine testing at Whenuapai Airbase from the Resource Management Act 1991. The Act gives the Minister of Defence the power to exempt activities for the purposes of national security. The certificate will mean the recent Environment Court ...
Finance Minister Grant Robertson has announced New Zealand will join the Coalition of Finance Ministers for Climate Action while attending APEC meetings in Chile. The objective of the 39 member Coalition is to share information and promote action to tackle climate change. It was formed in April this year, in ...
Feedback sought– Lyttelton commercial zone parking The Associate Minister for Greater Christchurch Regeneration, Poto Williams, is seeking feedback on a proposal to remove on-site car parking requirements for new developments in the Lyttelton commercial zone. The proposal, by Christchurch City Council, asks that powers under section 71 of the Greater ...
Hon Minister Poto Williams Associate Minister for Greater Christchurch Regeneration MEDIA STATEMENT Tuesday 15 October 2019 Feedback sought – Hagley Oval The Associate Minister for Greater Christchurch Regeneration, Poto Williams, is seeking feedback on a proposal about Hagley Oval. The proposal was developed by Regenerate Christchurch ...
Ladies and gentlemen, NZCTU President Richard Wagstaff, members of respective unions – thank you for the invitation to speak to you today. This might be preaching to the choir, but the importance of trade unions in New Zealand’s historical arch is difficult to understate. And it is my belief that ...
"Let’s start by acknowledging that it has been a huge year. " Police Association Annual Conference James Cook Grand Chancellor Hotel Wellington Nau mai, haere mai. Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, ka nui te mihi, ki a koutou katoa. President of the Police Association, Chris Cahill; Members of the Association and ...
Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters and Minister of Defence Ron Mark have announced the New Zealand Government’s decision to again deploy a Royal New Zealand Air Force P-3K2 (P-3) maritime patrol aircraft to support the implementation of United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions imposing sanctions against North Korea. New ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters says New Zealand continues to have serious concerns for peace and stability in north-east Syria. “Recent reports that hundreds of ISIS-affiliated families have fled from a camp are deeply concerning from a humanitarian and security perspective”, Mr Peters says. “While we acknowledge Turkey’s domestic security ...
In response to Meghan Markle’s admission that she’s finding it a struggle to be a new mother in the media spotlight, columnists across the globe have banded together to launch a charity to support all those women who ‘have it worse’, Emily Writes can exclusively reveal.Meghan Markle – duchess, new ...
Will New Zealand’s largest construction firm have to write off yet more money over the troubled International Convention Centre project?Both Fletcher Building and SkyCity’s share prices have felt the impact of the devastating fire that has raged at Auckland’s half completed convention centre for over a day now. More than ...
The new and spectacular atlas We Are Here is page after page of haunting, hella beautiful visual data, each chapter introduced with an essay. This one, Lost in the Forest, opens the section on people. At some point in the 1990s, one of the creators of this book tried to impress ...
Kassie Hartendorp (Ngāti Raukawa) has been looking to Māori stories and storytellers to learn more about our gender identities before colonisation. There’s a lot to be read between the lines, she writes.Te ao Māori can be a very gendered place to be. In some settings, your gender can tell you ...
The Shouting Valley is a powerful group exhibition at the Gus Fisher Gallery in Auckland that interrogates and gives voice to the people caught between borders. But is the real paradox of this politically charged show the limit of what art can do? Lana Lopesi reviews. “What’s bad about borders?” asked ...
The future of the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter is under question again as majority owner, mining giant Rio Tinto, is reviewing the plant's future. ...
There will be another crucial vote for the voluntary euthanasia bill later today - whether or not a referendum will be held at the 2020 general election. ...
It was never intended that state owned enterprises should use their monopoly commercial or regulatory power to stifle competition, yet it is at least arguable that is what has happened says Peter Dunne. ...
Go Bus drivers in South Auckland will continue refusing to collect fares tomorrow as their protest continues with the intent of avoiding disruption to passengers while highlighting the need for fair wage negotiations with their employer, FIRST Union ...
Smoke continues to billow in downtown Auckland 24 hours after fire broke out in the incomplete complex.Shortly after 1pm yesterday came the first reports of a fire on the site of the SkyCity New Zealand International Convention Centre in central Auckland. That brought a massive mobilisation of emergency services, evacuations ...
He Kākano Ahau is a podcast by writer and activist Kahu Kutia (Ngāi Tūhoe) that explores stories of Māori in the city, and weaves together strands of connection. In episode one: the legacy of urban marae Tapu te Ranga.I grew up where the tarseal on the road crumbles away into ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Australians are divided over whether the nation’s universities have too many foreign students, according to the Australian National University’s ANUpoll, released Wednesday. In the polling, 52.8% said the mix between foreign and domestic students was ...
National's leader Simon Bridges says a bill imposing restrictions on people returning after fighting for extremist groups would only keep New Zealanders "half safe". ...
Alex Casey talks to Leigh Hart about the return of Late Night Big Breakfast, the finest morning TV parody show New Zealand has ever made. Late Night Big Breakfast is set to return to TVNZ in 2020 after a five year hiatus, creator and comedian Leigh Hart has confirmed. Filmed in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tom Gordon, PhD candidate. Sydney University Physics Education Research (SUPER) group, University of Sydney If you want to get good marks in your exams, there’s no substitute for study. So do past exams, go over your notes, read what you need to ...
Otago University academic Chris Brickell wonders whether his new book on LGBT objects ought to be the sort of thing bookshops would want to have on their shelves. ...
South Aucklanders from Mangere to East Tamaki will be riding their Go Bus services to work for free tomorrow morning, as FIRST Union bus drivers opt out of collecting fares for their employer in an industrial action designed to show the wider public ...
What do we make of the Air New Zealand decision to quit the Auckland-Los Angeles-London route? Nothing much as it simply reflects the changing dynamics of the airline industry. Gone are the days when Air NZ took the McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 into the fleet and began flying Los Angeles, then ...
Was the SkyCity Convention Centre construction site at higher risk of fire than any other construction site or building? Alex Braae asks the experts.A fire at the SkyCity Convention Centre construction site has continued to burn this morning, after a night of lighting up the Auckland CBD sky.The fire, which ...
Sky City and Fletcher Building see another "material delay" to opening of International Convention Centre as fire still rages. Plan B needed for APEC in November 2021, says Goff ...
First it was KiwiBuild, now it’s Auckland’s light rail that’s looking increasingly shambolic. Jenée Tibshraeny from Interest asks what’s going on, and how thin is that ice that transport minister Phil Twyford is skating on.The Opposition’s latest attack phrase aimed at the government is set to be one of its ...
At last, a break in the clouds for NZ’s dairy farmers : Fonterra suppliers could be looking at a sharp lift in income, as the co-op revises its forecast range for the milk price to $6.55-$7.55 kg/MS.And the signals are strong enough to underpin projections the milk price will rise ...
Members of the Indian community are angry at an immigration policy change making it harder for to bring spouses to NZ - but Shane Jones says anyone not happy should "catch the next flight home." ...
On October 7, New Zealand’s Labour Party-led coalition government announced draconian class-based restrictions on immigration. From February 2020, the government will reopen the Parent Category visa nearly four years after the previous National Party ...
Organise Aotearoa joined a rally held by the Chilean expatriate community on Tuesday outside the Chilean Embassy in Wellington, following widespread repression and brutality against protesters by President Sebastián Piñera’s armed forces. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Shine, Robinson Fellow, University of Sydney Have you ever sat down to complete your morning crossword or Sudoku and wondered about what’s happening in your brain? Somewhere in the activity of the billions of neurons in your brain lies the code ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mehmet Ozalp, Associate Professor in Islamic Studies, Director of The Centre for Islamic Studies and Civilisation and Executive Member of Public and Contextual Theology, Charles Sturt University The five-day ceasefire negotiated by US Vice President Mike Pence and Turkish President Recep Tayyib ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Denis Muller, Senior Research Fellow in the Centre for Advancing Journalism, University of Melbourne The unprecedented blackout of front pages by Australia’s newspaper publishers this week is a highly significant event in Australian political and media history. It represents the completion of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexandra Hansen, Chief of Staff, The Conversation In recent years coconut water has left the palm-treed shores of tropical islands where tourists on lounge chairs stick straws straight into the fruit, and exploded onto supermarket shelves – helped along by beverage giants ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Petterson, Professor of Geology, Auckland University of Technology CC BY-NDClimate Explained is a collaboration between The Conversation, Stuff and the New Zealand Science Media Centre to answer your questions about climate change.If you have a question you’d like an expert ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Newman, Professor of Sustainability, Curtin University A Greenpeace video of me plugging a trackless tram that went viral with 4 million hits has caused a few eyebrows to be raised over whether I think light rail is dead. So let me ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anthony Asher, Associate Professor, UNSW Here’s the boldest idea the government’s inquiry into retirement incomes should consider but might not: no longer exempting all of the value of each retiree’s home from the pension assets test. The test would merely exempt part ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tracey Sernack-Chee Quee, PhD Candidate, Faculty of Design, Architecture & Building, University of Technology Sydney 1973 was a remarkable year for Sydney, with the opening of two major cultural icons. The first was the Sydney Opera House. The second, possibly more important ...
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: In today’s edition: Serious ramifications likely from SkyCity fire, dozens of partnership visas being denied, and yet another police pursuit death.The fire at the SkyCity Convention Centre construction site has continued to burn overnight. Fire crews were forced to abandon the roof, ...
Orange-fronted parakeets will still get protection but some mohua populations miss out as DoC reduces the area of forest being covered by 1080 poison. ...
The main way small countries like New Zealand can lead on climate change is through our ideas. Policies developed here may help other countries with similar issues, writes David Frame. ...
By Rebecca Ananian-Welsh Australians picked up their morning papers yesterday to find heavily blacked-out text instead of front-page headlines. This bold statement was instigated by the “Your Right to Know” campaign, an unlikely coalition of Australian media organisations fighting for press freedom and source protection. A key reform advocated by a ...
Surrounding sites evacuated and one reported hospitalised in serious condition as blaze rips through two floors of the under-construction building in the Auckland CBDLast updated: 6.30pmParts of central Auckland have been brought to a standstill this afternoon after a major fire broke out shortly after 1pm at the Sky City ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Phil McManus, Professor of Urban and Environmental Geography: Head of School of Geosciences, University of Sydney In the wake of a shocking ABC report on the dismal end of many racehorses’ lives in slaughterhouses, many Australians are questioning whether the horse racing ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mohiuddin Ahmed, Lecturer of Computing & Security, Edith Cowan University Machines and the internet are woven into the fabric of our society. A growing number of users, devices and applications work together to produce what we now call “big data”. And this ...
After an unusually nasty campaign for their country, Canada has gone to the polls. They’ve decided that Justin Trudeau will continue as prime minister, but just like in New Zealand, he’ll have to work with coalition politics. What’s happened?After a brutal and at times humiliating campaign, Canadian PM Justin Trudeau has ...
“The Prime Minister must publicly support an immediate ban on Gay Conversion Therapy . If I was Jacinda I would feel morally obligated to give more confidence on where I stand, when I have asked for, and received, support from that community.” ...
New abortion law marks significant and needed progress for reproductive rights in New Zealand Amnesty International has today made its submission to the Abortion Legislation Committee in Wellington. The rights at stake in the legislation include the rights ...
Editor’s Note: Here below is a list of the main issues currently under discussion in New Zealand and links to media coverage.New Zealand Parliament Buildings, Wellington, New Zealand.Today’s content by Dr Bryce Edwards.Transport Thomas Coughlan (Stuff): NZ Transport Agency to Phil Twyford: We should have done better ...
Crisis of Safety and Confidence in our Engineering, Building and Construction Industries Please find attached a copy of an Open Letter from Professor Maan Alkaisi, Spokesperson CTV Families Group. This was sent a short time ago to the Rt Hon Jacinda Ardern, ...
Safe speed limits are survivable speed limits and this is what AT has endorsed in its step change decision today. This decision is a landmark that sets the scene for a new focus on road safety in New Zealand. ...
The Association of Salaried Medical Specialists (ASMS) says the inadequate treatment of urology patients in Southern District Health Board is distressing and should serve as a broad reminder to DHB management to listen when specialists raise concerns. ...
Informed via telegram that Netflix has released a full trailer for the new season of The Crown, Tara Ward puts on her best boxhat and white gloves to find out what round three will bring. The good Lorde told us we’ll never be royals, so the first full trailer for the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sara Dehm, Lecturer, University of Technology Sydney Tasmanian Senator Jacqui Lambie has some sobering reading to do over the coming weeks: an 88-page Senate report into the government-sponsored bill to repeal the medevac law that allow refugees and asylum seekers in Papua ...
Eric Crampton has fun imagining a version of MBIE that worried it could be subject to cartel criminalisation provisions for the anticompetitive regimes it has established. ...
Criminologist Antje Deckert has just completed a two-year study of how women offenders are portrayed in New Zealand newspapers. The results show that journalists are telling very different stories abut Māori and Pākehā. That our criminal justice system is in desperate need of reform and that we need to reduce the ...
China continues its march into the Pacific with a China-Pacific Island Countries Economic Development and Cooperation Forum in Samoa this week. Ahead of the forum, Beijing has signed seven new agreements with Samoa covering education, trade, e-commerce, investment, infrastructure and agriculture. China’s Vice-Premier Hu Chunhua heads his delegation in Apia ...
It might be tempting to yell, but there are more effective ways to talk to doubters about the value of vaccines, write Julie Leask and Maryke Steffens.Your neighbour is telling you about his new baby. He feels nervous about vaccinating, and says he’s considering delaying Lucy’s vaccines.Your mother’s group is ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Debra Wain, Academic in Professional and Creaive Writing, Deakin University Why do we tell stories, and how are they crafted? In this series, we unpick the work of the writer on both page and screen. Anna Spargo-Ryan’s debut novel, The Paper House ...
The Movies, a documentary series that celebrates movies and their impact on culture, is available on TVNZ OnDemand today. Sam Brooks pulls some of the best quotes from its galaxy of stars.Ever wanted to get a snapshot of cinematic history without leaving the comfort of your couch, or even your ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ronald F Pol, Senior researcher NZ, La Trobe University Money laundering rarely gets as literal as the case in Thailand last week, where police raided homes of a ring suspected of laundering a billion baht (about A$48 million) of drug proceeds and ...
The NZTA chair has acknowledged the agency dropped the ball in its early handling of Auckland's light rail project, as the NZ Infra proposal grips ministers. ...
On Friday it was announced that Armed Offenders Squad patrols will be trialled in Counties Manukau, Waikato and Canterbury over the next six months. The data suggests this will increase police violence and unfairly target Māori, writes Emilie Rākete.Police Commissioner Mike Bush announced on Friday that cars of Armed Offender ...
This summary is provided to assist in the understanding of the Court’s judgment. It does not comprise part of the reasons for that judgment. The full judgment with reasons is the only authoritative document. The full text of the judgment and reasons ...
There’s something about the feeling of wind whipping my face that brings me out of my head and into the moment. Once a month we pedal as a group: recreating the feeling of childlike glee riding our bikes together, writes Helen King.The first bike I learned to ride belonged to ...
Open Mike 25/10/2018 
Over the past month we've heard some horrific stories about bullying in the police. The police's response? Try to bully people into silence:The police have told a whistleblower to retract his statements to RNZ about being bullied or face legal action. The demand came just hours after Police Commissioner Mike ...4 hours ago
One of the key arguments used by trans ideologists is that some male-bodied people (ie men) are women because they ‘feel’ they are women. To make this hocus-pocus sound a bit more credible, some will argue that such men have a ‘female brain’. But this is thoroughly anti-scientific too. . ...5 hours ago
A few days ago, a friend sent me a link to a health-related FB page that had published a post from a homeopathist, offering homeopathic “vaccination”¹ against measles (using something called a “Morbillinum nosode” at a “potency” of 200C, which I’ll explain shortly). I followed the link, left a comment ...21 hours ago
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by the Council of Disobedient Women We call on the Council of Trade Unions to show some fortitude and take a stand with your sisters. Unionists know that there is a material world, otherwise workers could simply identify out of poverty. They could declare themselves Well Paid. Why stop ...2 days ago
Keir Starmer has hinted that Labour might vote in favour of the Johnson government's shoddy deal, with the proviso that a second referendum is attached:Speaking to BBC One’s The Andrew Marr Show, he said: “We will see what that looks like but it makes sense to say that by whatever ...2 days ago
In 1994, I was the editor for an issue of Planet magazine focused on cannabis, its culture and the prospects for the end of its prohibition. Part of that issue was an interview with 'Ringo', an experienced cannabis dealer.I recently posted my essay from that issue, and I figured it ...4 days ago
Media Statement for Immediate Release 16th October 2019 “Fake News” from Auckland City Council CCOs Board Chairs re pay and performance bonuses for top managers Despite comments from Auckland City Council CCOs Board Chairs re pay and performance bonuses for top managers—Herald Newspaper Tuesday Oct 15th–there is very little evidence ...6 days ago
Climate Explained is a collaboration between The Conversation, Stuff and the New Zealand Science Media Centre to answer your questions about climate change. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, please send it to climate.change@stuff.co.nz There is a lot of discussion on the benefits of ...1 week ago
Thanks to a report from the Acting Inspector General of Intelligence and Security following a complaint by Nicky Hager, we have come to find out that the SIS illegally spied on Mr. Hager on behalf of the NZDF after publication of Hager’s 2011 book, Other People’s Wars. The NZDF justified ...1 week ago
COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT GLOBAL WARMING MYTH 1: Global temperatures are rising at a rapid, unprecedented rate. FACT: The HadCRUT3 surface temperature index, produced by the Hadley Centre of the UK Met Office and the Climate Research Unit of the University of East Anglia, shows warming to 1878, cooling to 1911, ...1 week ago
A list of indicators of bad science – many of these are found in articles promoted by anti-fluoride activists. Anti-fluoride activists have been pouring money into a scaremongering campaign warning pregnant women not to drink fluoridated water. They claim fluoride will lower the IQ of their future child. Fluoride ...1 week ago
More than double the number of people who will vote in this year’s local body elections have tried marijuana or urinated somewhere they shouldn’t have. As local elections look set for the lowest turnout in decades, with many regions falling well short of 40%, the Government is exploring a number ...2 weeks ago
Musings continue apace about “the experienced businessman!” soon to be taking up a National Party MP position. Or to be more accurate, being parachuted into a seat to shut down their former MP Jamie-Lee Ross, who despite his own shortcomings shed at least some more light on the inner workings ...2 weeks ago
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As usual, the media fail to mention climate change.
“Dry spring weather sparks water warnings
Dry spring weather has prompted warnings to conserve water in some parts of the country.
Many farmers fear they are heading for a second dry year in a row.
Most of New Zealand has had less rainfall than usual over the past three months, causing soil moisture levels to dry up, said the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA).
In Wairarapa, Masterton residents are not allowed to use hand held hoses, because the water supply from the Waingawa River is running low.
The river’s flow rate has fallen below 1300 litres per second, well below the council’s conservation threshold of 1900 litres.
Masterton District Council assets and operations manager David Hopman said only 31mm of rain had fallen in the region over the past month, well below the average.”
All here.
But no mention of climate change.
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/369374/dry-spring-weather-sparks-water-warnings
Media and climate change: Why we need a total overhaul
https://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/listeningpost/2018/10/media-climate-change-total-overhaul-181020072147408.html
Two drought years stacked together is pretty bad for anyone on the land. Note how few of these farms store rain when it comes.
News reporters wont make Farmers smarter. Hardship might.
You gotta feel for them, but then, nah.
So how much water do they need to store?
What is the best way for a farm to store water in your opinion Bleeple?
one thing would be good, don’t rip out every shrub, every tree, every single thing with roots n all to grow ‘pasture’ for cows.
roots are needed to store water in the dirt. The drying out of the soil is the biggest issue we have currently. If we cant’ store moisture we are gonna loose the land to erosion.
second, water tanks. lots of them. literally.
maybe less cows, so you would not need all that ‘pasture’. so you don’t need to drain every source of water to water your ‘pasture’.
maybe maybe there are things to do, but hey, surely the government will help?
Ponds.
Drainage systems converted to storage and drainage.
Swales.
Sub surface ripping and deep rooted perennials.
Increasing soil carbon (thus soil water holding capacity).
The trick is to recharge the aquifers from rain. Hardpan from tilling causes rain to run off to the ocean instead of being slowed by the land. It takes expensive ferts via the rivers with it, causes all manner of PR problems.
Subsurface ripping and perennials deal with hardpan over a few years. Ponds are holes in the ground. Swales feed ponds but also slow water down to infiltrate land and replenish aquifers. Trees provide shade and shelter from wind to slow down evaporation. Shelter will also increase animal production.
No rocket science required.
You would think their ‘representatives’ or even government would have some basic check lists for farmers to avoid droughts, aka put in extra tanks, Swales etc… but no, in spite of all the money in that industry they don’t do the basics, that cost little… consumers on the other hand are constantly being advised on what they should be doing to save water/power what have you…
my point is, they don’t even seem to try to give basic help to farmers and some of them are so old school, they would never think of changing their ways…
I do.
However when they know tax payers will cover their business risk, whenever there is flooding or droughts, there is no incentive to farm sustainably or store water for the future.
Farmers are very keen on socialism, when they benefit.
Not so keen when it comes to paying the taxes for it.
@KJT – yep that thought occurred to me too… why bother with small stuff, when you can dish out million dollars cheques… Fonterra make the farmers pay into a fund for innovation though, but one disgruntled ex employee said it has just become a fat cat fund and they are unwilling to use the money for real projects that will deliver real change and future proof..
I’ve seen concern, from the family type farmers, about the future of farming.
Unfortunately, with the price of farms, corporate farmers, who have no feeling for the land or the future, predominate.
Yes. And/or have a past Govt with a $480 million dollar irrigation fund.
I’ve just farmed through the to best seasons the central north island has seen I years . Regular rain right through the last two summers and mild winters . If it wasn’t for that pesky cc thing I’d be loving every bit
Yeah and if it goes wrong you just get a big fat cheque from the tax payers eh Wags.
Best job ever!
True, bwaghorn. But.. the lack of droughts may not be a good sign. The big El Nino in 1998 gave us what it should: Westerly winds and dry.. Now we don’t get that: the last big El Nino gave us Easterly as much as West, and rain from tropics from either direction. (I am a sailor, and have come to study weather patterns..)
We have been lucky in not having droughts in our region over the last 2 years, but I fear that big changes are happening, and it will not be long before we will be less lucky and get some nasty stuff we never expected.
Deadline for Welfare Working group submissions coming up soon – Nov 9
Weag.govt.nz
Teen loses sight waiting for help. She’s been left with itching red eyes every day…I can’t begin to imagine how bad that would be, one eye totally blind, the other requiring a strong contact.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12147783
Total negligence by the DHB.
child, her eye loss started at 11.
this should be criminal.
What a shocking story. DHB’s need to stop building conferences or what ever the fuck they were doing with money there, and instead spend the money on seeing and fixing patients.
That is so sad for that poor woman. Yep they knew from 11, something was wrong and they do nothing for 6 years! Disgusting.
This is what happens when funding is cut and cut and cut so as to give rich people tax cuts.
The British now know it
“New Zealanders fear rising influence of Chinese wealth
For a country whose tourism board sells it to the world as “100 per cent pure”, New Zealand is in danger of looking compromised.
Chinese money, courted by the government in Wellington, has certainly turbo-charged the New Zealand economy, but it comes at a price and is raising questions about the country’s reliability as a western intelligence-sharing ally…..”
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/42116012-d6ce-11e8-926d-96790161a92a
Hey, we just share it a bit more widely eddy.
Excellent work from Toby Manhire: https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/24-10-2018/senior-national-mp-sets-ultimatum-for-simon-bridges/
A senior National MP issued an ultimatum yesterday, and repeated it across three media – clearly they have a pre-determined agenda. Guess who!
Hosking: “here’s the good news, one year in and this current arrangement surely has the right to a glass of something celebratory. It is, as they’ve reminded us many times, our first truly MMP government, and with it came the inherent risks of carnage, none of which has happened. The three-headed monster the previous government warned us of, has been nowhere to be seen.” https://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=12147863
” This has been a coalition that has set the standard. The gaps in philosophy especially among Labour and New Zealand First are wide in places, but they have not allowed it to be an issue.”
“It might have helped that the Greens are a minor, almost outside sort of group within the deal, but if you were looking to mark this lot on their performance in terms of cohesiveness and professionalism, and staying on message, and out of coalition-type trouble, you’d be being churlish to mark them any less than an eight or maybe even a nine out of 10.”
Hosking?! Wow.
There must be a tear in the fabric of space and the hoskings from an alternate universe has slipped in . Although it could be the hosk has realised it’s time to change troughs to sup from .
Nah he left heaps of ‘qualifiers’ first in the article. how the inexperienced hapless lot who are hapless and inexperienced surprised him by not imploding yet.
Truly an awe inspiring admission.
A broken clock is correct twice in a day. It’s a good time for ‘balance’ when the focus is on national, better that than critique his mates in blue.
Normal shill service will resume shortly from the hosk.
tc
Lol
Isn’t there a proverb “A wise man feels the wind and sets his sails accordingly ‘”, although the one about rats and sinking ships is probably more appropriate.
But Hoskings, bugger me !.
You know National is in big trouble when one of National’s biggest fanboy’s in the MSM starts to heap praise on a coalition he has previously tried to say was bad news for New Zealand. He tried to find something bad to write about them but failed.
Meanwhile, Simon has tripped and stumbled and pulled down part of the curtain of illusion that National is one united party. We got a peek through the gap at some of the disharmony and willingness to try and go around the law when it suits them.
A man who National hid deep behind that curtain and tried to claim they had no more contact with has again stepped into the limelight through that hole in the curtain of illusion as a power player in the Bridges vs JLR saga in the media. He will fight tooth and nail not to be shoved back behind that curtain again.
So Simon has come through the FIRESTORM stronger than ever. Wasnt it him/ he that lit the match? Could have avoided everything if he had just stfu.
A Captain’s call you mean? Nah, if Simon hadn’t gone like a bull through a China Shop [pun intentional] with his witch hunt to find the Narking Nat this wouldn’t have happened.
The sole reason, IMO, was that the myth of party discipline and unity was threatened, in a very minor way, and Simon’s leadership was questioned. Simon felt so sure about the support of his Caucus and so cock-sure of his own abilities to steer National to a brighter future that he felt compelled to run this investigation. The rest is History as they say …
I posted a comment on “Daily Review 04/09/2018” /daily-review-04-09-2018/#comment-1520872 but it is worth repeating again verbatim:
And does the following remind you of a recent debacle in NZ politics?
An excellent and though-provoking article, which is a must-read for Standardistas IMO.
https://sciblogs.co.nz/psychology-report/2018/09/03/mental-health-in-public-life-is-the-experience-of-politicians-and-how-we-make-policy-intertwined/
Written by Dr Sarb Johal who was a General Election List Candidate (ranked @ no. 49) for the NZ Labour Party in 2017.
Yes, in feedback to that mental health essay of Matthew’s, I earlier posted a link to Stuff’s piece on this: https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/108053245/how-parliament-can-put-pressure-on-mps-mental-health
Here’s the section from yours that identifies why it is flawed thinking to treat JLR’s incarceration as similar to that of a private citizen (a handful of respondents on this site have been staunchly denying that their thinking is flawed):
“Recently, an 18-month project exploring the politics of mental health through a focus on the mental health of politicians in four countries (New Zealand, the UK, Canada and Australia) has revealed how the nature of modern politics – where the dominant mode is competitive representative politics with an increasingly aggressive 24/7 media environment, augmented by a social media backdrop with covert actors seeking to influence agendas – ensures not only that the psychological stressors and strains on politicians are intense, but that the stigma associated with such mental health concerns prevent politicians from acknowledging the existence of these stressors and asking for support. Occupational psychology research suggests that working within aggressive, low-trust, high-blame, secretive and highly partisan political cultures is unlikely to be good for anyone’s mental health.”
The only flaw I could see was that a bunch of commenters here were arguing from a PoV and another lot from theirs and somehow they were completely missing each other’s point and largely talking past each other. That, and a whole lot of irksome ignorance, wild speculation, paranoia, and just simply not giving an inch made for a sorry ‘discussion’ of one of the most important problems of our society, which is mental health.
Here’s a link to the Act – Section 11 is pertinent to some of the questions you posed here on TS: http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1992/0046/43.0/DLM262176.html
Well put!
It’s a touchy subject especially for those who’ve had to avail themselves of various services. Some have had good experiences, others bad. It’s an area (like so many others after the past ten years of the junta) that’s been under-resourced and full of workers who are burnt out and with case loads that are unrealistic.
Not surprising then that you get some concerned with how things are supposed to work – the theoretical and the speculative, with others who’ve had their own experiences acting as though the were the only gay in the village because their situation is deeply personal and often overwhelming.
I’ve not yet met a worker in mental health who isn’t dedicated and committed, (maybe I’ve led a sheltered life -[not]), but I have experienced the emotional drain on people working in the area and seen/experienced the extent to which it can affect their own families.
You’re correct @incognito: “……..the most important problems of our society, which is mental health.”
And this: “the complexity of public problems usually gets lost in dramatic micro-facts and disconnected commentaries resulting in the public’s impression that there are in fact simple solutions to complex problems in modern society, and that politicians are ‘failing’ to implement these.”
The problem individuals onsite here are driven by a redundant philosophy that was prevalent in science until the seventies: reductionism. Holism is the only way to make sense of complex systems and situations. Their congenital denial of crucial factors in the situations they comment on reduces their contribution to nonsense.
It’s actually the downside of using Occam’s razor as the only tool in your mental kit. Reality nowadays is usually so complicated that over-simplification causes users to lose the plot.
I am 72. In my experience people waddle (or wade?) into complexity according to their emotional involvement and ability. Reductionism and holism are largely irrelevant. The talented are good at it. Occam’s razor works on few occasions, a bit of a diversion on others.
But I am interested to know more about ‘congenital denial’.
I would hate to think that I have been in congenital denial without being aware of what it is..
Dirty Politics 2018 – Nicky Hager assesses the Jami Lee Ross saga https://thespinoff.co.nz/unsponsored/25-10-2018/dirty-politics-2018-nicky-hager-assesses-the-jami-lee-ross-saga/
Thanks for the link Amirite, have been wondering what Nickys thoughts are on the whole situation.
Cheating. In sport, business, and politics has become acceptable in New Zealand.
A mind set where lying, stealing and destroying others, is fine, so long as you win.
Ross is both a perpetrator and a victim.
Why these people even get votes is a puzzle. Too many who don’t care that our politics has descended into lies, bribery and personal attacks.
The most pernicious part is that dirty politics tars all politicians with the same brush. Turning people off politics.
Allowing the cheaters free rein.
Why these people even get votes is a puzzle
Because you’re voting for the party, not the person.
I have little interest in who my local MP is.
The problem with that attitude BM is that you ignore the fact that all our local MPs are the party
What about the Greens?
The Greens have been an exampler of how politics should be.
Open, Democratic and honest.
Maybe we have been a bit naive in believing the essential goodness of people will win out. The sheer bad faith, hypocrisy and misogyny over Metiria, was an eye opener for us.
However we do not intend to win by becoming, the enemy!
There would be no point in winning on their terms.
The Greens have been an example of how politics should be
In what way?, Greens have gagged on so many rats it’s not funny.
They’re no better than anyone else.
Btw Ardern will throw the Greens under the bus in a heartbeat if it looks like any of their policy ideas might cost Labour the next election.
I take the disapproval as a compliment.
You have already made it obvious what standards you accept.
That is actually a lie.
The Greens have done solid, small work, biding their time for James’ carbon bill which is where they cash all their chips.
They’ve figured their coalition role well and easily set up a Labour-Green coalition 2020 as not scary.
Greens are to the NZ electorate what black people are to US electorate:
Stay calmer than Obama
And you make it.
There’s so much misunderstanding in that sentence that I don’t know how to unpack it.
@ KJT
The important thing for Greens to think on, as they try to improve NZ action on issues in NZ, is to have concern and kindly respect for people as well as the environment. There is a possibility that some within the movement will abandon transparency and community respect if they put their own culture, concerns and issues as paramount. This can happen when certain cults start or established ones try to integrate into the progressive movement to gain some advantage for themselves. Like a parallel with the French insinuating themselves into Greenpeace to get information and intelligence for their purposes, on the anti-earth, anti-destruction movement.
ditto.
unless you vote a third party that has no chance of winning anything but is a single issue party like Legalize Aotearoa i suggest that next time you might read up on your Party candidate and the other party candidates and then vote for the one that is best for the little bit of NZ where you live. Who knows, maybe then we have better politicians.
but at least your attitude explains why Nick Smith, Paula Bennett and Judith Collins, John Key, Simon Bridges and the rest of hte posse got to play monopoly with the country.
I will also add. The second, the Greens become just another party run by self appointing careerists, like Labour and National, will be the time I resign my membership.
The party is the people in it.
You have already shown that the honesty and verity, of the people in your party, do not matter to you.
I personally love having the Greens in government to keep the others honest. And to push environment. The economy will disappear without it the business class are fools to think they can continue to defer costs…
I will critique you folk harshly because I know you can do better.
There’s so many reasons we want Green representation. There are not so many we want you in charge. I don’t want any party in charge. Yay MMP.
The #1; the biggest contributor to the environment suffering so much: Engineers and chemists run our biological systems (agriculture). And they’re rubbish at it.
Concentrating there might produce results for the planet, but removing these charlatans will not be easy. They are besties with big oil.
and that is why you end up with a party full of people whom you don’t know doing what they want without ever giving a thought about those that put them into office.
Thats just lazy BM, you should show interest into whom your local MP is, lest you end up with someone who does not care…..oh i forgot you don’t care.
For real BM; you don’t have much interest in who your local MP is?
Out of interest who is your local MP?
Out of curiosity, do you place one or two ticks on your ballot form when you vote?
The most pernicious part is that those who have encouraged lying and cheating by political leaders are parents.
I can remember several events over a couple of years, leaders in our living rooms via tv bullshitting beyond belief. The cheerleaders for them surely could not, would not, expect their offspring to ‘tell the truth.’ You say and do what is best for you at the time.
Our list of values, discussed recently, would not reflect reality if it did not reflect that. Mores change and the easy story telling of, say Judith Collins, and the way it was accepted had me seeing the tide go out and realising that the speed of evolution can be quick. But then that tide was just part of the GCSB John moon.
It was good to read the Transport Minister’s Herald piece this morning arguing the benefits of the Southwestern LRT and rebutting some of the rubbish that’s been shopped around by lobby groups like PTUA and Transport 2050. It was about time either local or central government or the Transport Agencies involved fronted up on the project.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12147767
On the other hand it wasn’t so good having to listen to the same minister on Morning Report trying to rationalise the PM’s off-the-cuff decision to rule out any more regional fuel taxes yesterday. Clearly the government has been caught out by the backlash to Auckland’s fuel tax.
Not surprised about the fuel tax. It remains a rather ham fisted,and regressive way of funding Auckland’s public transport needs. It was never going to be popular with the poorer households, who have the longest commutes.
And still avoids charging the, housing developers, employers of cheap immigrants and the trucking industry, for their share of the extra roading costs.
The oil companies raising prices at the same time was unfortunate. May have been a calculated political move on their part. Don’t think Labour has many friends in the oil industry, after accelerating their inevitable, and necessary, demise.
I agree. The Regional Fuel Tax in Auckland is directly penalising the same people that Labour said they were elected to office to help. That’s the people who live in the outer ring of post war suburbs that were expressly designed around the private motor vehicle.
Of course if the incoming government hadn’t saddled themselves with their fiscal responsibility rules they might not have had to impose any additional fuel taxes. Or at least they could have borrowed first to invest in the public transport network across the Isthmus and then applied any extra taxes to pay for that investment once there was real transport choice available.
The fiscal responsibility rules, were, to my mind, a capitulation to a demographic, that were not going to vote Labour/Greens anyway.
Given that successful economies all have a State share of the economy over 40%. Including ours in the past. Limiting the size of the State to 30% is fiscally “irresponsible”!
We have all paid the price in decaying infrastructure, housing and health. Along with steep bills, to pay for private sector inefficiencies in power supplies, ports and other areas.
QFT
Private sector provision of natural monopolies is highly inefficient providing less for more and has only one thing going for it – it increases the bludging of the rich.
Well at least the foul murder of Jamal Khashoggi has proved one thing beyond reasonable doubt, that the outrage and reaction, leading to sanctions over the skripal poisoning by western leaders was purely and utterly political and had absolutely nothing to do with the supposed moral outrage.
This case is proving right out in the open ( it is of course already apparent to anyone with eyes and ears) to all, that trade, profit, growth are the only words that have any real meaning with our leaders, morality and ethics are only used when convenient and do not obstruct in any way whatsoever the previous three golden commandments of liberal ideology.
Yes you can be sure that we will all continue trading with Saudi Arabia as normal going forward, but then why wouldn’t we, I have yet to hear anyone propose limiting trade with the brutal totalitarian regime in China.
A brutal and repressive regime that we have all been fully aware of since our Helen opened those flood gates….so why not trade with the Saudi’s?, what’s the difference morally?
No one gave a bugger about thousands of Yemeni’s. Why start now?
All the posturing and meanwhile the states and I think the UK, continue to sell weapons to the saudi’s so they can carry on the genocide in Yemen.
It’s freakin vile.
Would like to see our government do zero trade with the saudis, add israel to that list.
I remember a feeling of pride when we choose not to trade with SA due to apartheid.
Why can’t we be like that again, when it comes to these sorts of regimes.
Morals over money please, some things aren’t for sale.
/agreed
Our governments are more about ensuring rich people get richer than anything else.
Looks like you me an cinny adrian are about the only ones who give a fuck in this place its jamie lee ross jlr jlr jlr jlr a hundred years after the fucking proverbial cows have come home .And just saying over and over what about iraq what about all the other injustices etc etc etc is meaningless unless youve never heard of them .This is a particular case and it demands a particular response which isnt wallowing in cynisism like you invented it but rather showing some solidarity and at the very least condemning the killers of jamal khashoggi which is THE HOUSE OF SAUD and not merely the hit team they are just pawns .
How, and Why, You Should Celebrate St. Crispin’s Day Today
Get pumped up to invade France!
https://electricliterature.com/how-and-why-you-should-celebrate-st-crispins-day-today-77d1d7ffe984
What is St. Crispin’s Day, you ask? Technically speaking, the Feast Day of St. Crispin, October 25, venerates the martyrdom of Christian saints Crispinus and Crispianus, who were twins (rude, Mom). But let’s be real, no one cares about that. Instead, today we honor the most prolific playwright of all time, William Shakespeare, and the greatest speech from one of his greatest plays, Henry V. If you haven’t read Henry V, well, you’ve been done wrong. For some reason public schools rarely teach the histories, but the Henriad and the War of the Roses cycle should be required reading. Fuck Romeo and Juliet. You heard me. [Ed. note: This is an official editorial position.]
Greatly outnumbered by the French on St. Crispin’s Eve, King Henry V rallies his demoralized army with a rousing soliloquy promising brotherhood, greatness and legacy:
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne’er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition:
And gentlemen in England now a-bed
Shall think themselves accursed they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin’s day.
SNIFFFFFFF. Anyway, his soldiers, aroused with visions of glory, win a staggering victory at the Battle of Agincourt on St. Crispin’s Day. In summary, this kick-ass soliloquy will make you feel like you can do ANYTHING! Conquer that biochemistry exam! Vanquish that evil pigeon that pooped on your head! Win over your prospective mother-in-law who hates your guts because you’re a freelance writer with no steady income! Okay, maybe not that last bit.
Watch these three classic interpretations and cry God for Harry, England, and St. George:
Now that you feel the burning fire of patriotism in your veins, we suggest invading France. Or at the very least, plant a miniature American flag in front of the Eiffel Tower.
Nice one clean. If you have not already read them I can highly recommend Conn Iggulden’s series of historical novels (4) on the War of the Roses, I don’t normally recommend books as we all have our different tastes, But I thought these were excellent and on par with his series on Genghis Khan’s Dynasty
A bit of useless pointless info and I love snippets of useless pointless info, Genghis Khan’s grandson Kublai Khan started the Yuan Dynasty. The name of Yaun is used today as a unit of Chinese currency.
Ha. Bit like Waterloo day, every year I forget St Crispin’s Day. To put it theatrically, several years ago my Pistol was well received (giggle).
It’s a fascinating play and can be done to support polar opposite attitudes, a bit like the Merchant of Venice. Olivier did a rah rah noble heritage of victory version during WW2. Others have dwelt more on the cost of war for ordinary people (especially if you consider the fact that Henry V kills off the comic characters from the Henry IVs, which would have been like killing Dobby for the original audiences).
Just read you comment now cleangreen. I agree, King Hal’s speech is a spine tingler. But is it any better than –
‘The quality of mercy is not strained . . .’ or
‘To be or not to be . . .’ or
‘Is this a dagger which I see before me . . .’
Just goes to show the absolutely glorious talent of William Shakespeare.
Interesting item sorta hidden away, ironic considering the 2nd para
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/108075481/giving-oxygen-to-hydrogen
What a load of bollocks.
So as well converting our cars and trucks to electric, we’re also going to produce Hydrogen from electricity?
Where’s all this extra electrical generation going to come from? the distribution network? or the fact there’s not even a market for Hydrogen? utterly ridiculous but unfortunately typical of this stupid government.
Heard of sunlight?
Yep had same problem when cars were introduced.
Some what is your solution to the fuel issues.
AND did you note that they are cooperating with Japan?
Obviously you havn’t been following the science.
Shipping companies, in particular, have been very aware of hydrogens potential
Or have a clue about New Zealands sustainable power generation capacity.
The problem with electric power for transport has always been the practical limitations of batteries. Even if they become hugely more efficient they will not approach the energy density of a tank of petrol. A tankful of hydrogen, when we learn how to store it, however!
Best potential transport fuel of them all.
Just have to solve the problem of pesky little atoms wriggling their way out of storage.
And the highly dangerous by product. dihydrogen monoxide.
Not too sure about that – the containment issue may require heavy tanks – and weight is a major transport efficiency issue.
But the point BM is partly trying to make in his negative way, is that the greater part of our energy budget is presently provided by petrochemicals. Hydrogen is not a solution to that and hydrogen + solar requires two sets of infrastructure we don’t have and aren’t yet adopting at anything like credible speed.
I wouldn’t bet the farm on hydrogen tech having a meaningful impact on either our petroleum demand or our carbon footprint in my lifetime. Not to say the research shouldn’t be done, just that we need to be doing rather more than that.
Pesky little atoms wriggling their way out of storage? I once got landed with scoping out making composite tanks for hydrogen. Containing the hydrogen is a problem quite different to other material storage problems.
I’m going a bit outside my expertise here, but I’ll speculate that it’s due to the way that a hydrogen atom becomes a naked proton when it’s electron wanders off for a while. That naked proton is extremely small, and very reactive. Whereas any other atom will always haven at least two electrons orbiting the nucleus in the extremely tightly bound filled K shell. This makes the atom physically much larger and less able to move between other atoms in a solid.
Then there’s the hydrogen embrittlement caused when those pesky little atoms choose to fuck with the chemistry and microstructure of the material they’re passing through.
With a potential hydrogen economy, there’s also the problem of the round-trip efficiency of the energy going in to separate out the hydrogen, compared to how much you get back out when you use the hydrogen. The best numbers I’ve seen are still well below 50%, compared to over 90% for some batteries. So unless and until someone comes up with a viable photocatalytic process, where the energy to split off the hydrogen comes directly from sunlight, it looks to me like generating the hydrogen will be just too wasteful of the input electrical energy.
Good article
“America, that old problem of yours? Racism? I have a cure for it: Get cancer. Come into these waiting rooms and clinics, the cold radiology units and the ICU cubicles. Take a walk down Leukemia Lane with a strange pain in your lower back and an uneasy sense of foreboding. Make an appointment for your CAT scan. Wonder what you are doing here among all these sick people: the retired telephone lineman, the grandmother, the junior-high-school soccer coach, the mother of three.”
… “In the country of cancer everyone is simultaneously a have and a have-not. In this land no citizens are protected by property, job description, prestige, and pretensions; they are not even protected by their prejudices. Neither money nor education, greed nor ambition, can alter the facts. You are all simply cancer citizens, bargaining for more life.”
https://www.thesunmagazine.org/issues/513/the-cure-for-racism-is-cancer
This –
Tragically, the author passed away yesterday.
https://www.mprnews.org/story/2018/10/24/tony-hoagland-poet-dies
Trumping terror!
“Pipe bombs have been sent to prominent critics of Donald Trump, authorities said on Wednesday, spreading terror in the US less than two weeks before the midterm elections.”
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/oct/24/clinton-bomb-reports-delivery-home-new-york-hillary-bill-latest
Oh, don’t worry, by 8.35 this morning Leighton Smith had announced that it was actually a lefty liberal false flag plot to discredit El Presidente and his loyal base.
Come on mate better add something about child poverty in there lol
joe90 is doing better, thank you very much.
I’m impressed you picked it up mate. Nice.
pipe bombs being send to
Obama, Clinton, Harris, Wasserman-Schultz, Waters, Soros and CNN.
maybe they are a bit more then just prominent ciritcs of Donald Trump. But then is not everyone who does not kiss the fat orange arse a prominent critic?
In the meantime the Dow Jones dropped like a stone, shaved off another 600 points and is now the lowest it has been since January 2nd 2018. But they the economy is doing great, 500.000 jobs created with that 110 billion dollar sales of weapons to Saudi Arabia and now watch this drive.
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/10/10/us-markets-bond-yields-and-data-in-focus.html
The boot fits.
stochastic terrorism
[stuh-kas-tik ter-uh-riz-uh m]
noun
1 the public demonization of a person or group resulting in the incitement of a violent act, which is statistically probable but whose specifics cannot be predicted: The lone-wolf attack was apparently influenced by the rhetoric of stochastic terrorism.
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/stochastic-terrorism
https://verysmartbrothas.theroot.com/intimidating-and-terrorizing-and-bombing-is-what-they-d-1829968917
what this guy says, bombing its what they do.
T.trump toiletroll
“Acts or threats of political violence have no place in the United States,” Trump said. “This egregious conduct is abhorrent. “That’s a very bipartisan statement,” he said.”
https://i.stuff.co.nz/world/americas/108092437/pipe-bombs-sent-to-barack-obama-hillary-clinton-cnn
The architect of Oz superanuation, Paul Keating, is making a case that post 80 should be covered by a federal insurance scheme as super was designed to only last till 80.
PK’s an icon IMO always up front and fearless. Him and Hawke were quite the duo.
And master of the parliamentary put-down.
THE WTO being played around by the USA usurping other countries’ powe and rights, and wanting to skew the world body like its skewed its own Supreme Court.
Who cares about agreements? The USA were prepared to deal with Hitler until they realised his agreement and commitments couldn’t be relied on. So is this fascism in play with the leading nation’s graffiti being ‘Atavistic Commercial Fetish Rules Okay!’
https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2018668255/david-parker-warns-over-us-world-trade-organisation-dispute
David Parker warns over US, World Trade Organisation dispute
From Morning Report, 8:11 am today
Listen duration 5′ :24″
The World Trade Organisation is in danger of falling apart, leaving New Zealand with no remedy in the event of a major trade dispute. That is the stark warning from Trade Minister David Parker who has just finished top level trade meetings in the US, which is the country making direct challenges to the world trade referee. He speaks to Guyon Espiner about his meetings with US govt officials.
Thanks joe90 at 16.1 – read the quote there. True? I think hesitantly, yes.
I hadn’t heard of this USA’r but good to remember there are 325 million there and many are outside the Trump maelstrom!
“Tony Hoagland gave us a fierce, sometimes ugly, but ultimately redeemable portrait of America in his poetry and essays,” Shotts reflected. “I believe he wanted to give us many voices as a way into social and political critique, and he pointed his acerbic wit most directly at himself as a blunt instrument of self-scrutiny and satire.
Too often the good die relatively young – he was 64.
“The Saudi crown prince has vowed to punish all the “culprits” responsible for the murder of writer Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey.”
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-45968185
Lol punish yourself? Such a lying bastard.
No wonder Jared and ‘the Don’ love him. So full of hubris, arrogance and narcissism he wouldn’t give a flying fuck if the 15 or 18 become expendable in order to save his ugly mug
Cyclone Yutu, the strongest in living memory. Winds 290 kms 185 kms in the eye!!
Rachel McGregor was sexually harassed by Colin Craig.
And although Cameron Slater did defame Colin Craig with untrue statements, no damages were awarded.
That’s the judgement of the High Court just now.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12148439
Colin Craig was a workplace bully of a woman, who stuck up for herself. And Craig had the gall to represent himself to her face.
Really good news and a gutsy follow-through from Rachel.
I hope this is as big a lesson to political workplaces as all the other workplace sexual harassment cases we have seen recently.
Craig has been shown for what he is. I hope McGregor can get on with her life now.
“Colin Craig was a workplace bully of a woman, who stuck up for herself.”
?
I know Slater (and others, not looking at you Jordan) seeks out anyone he thinks he can make ‘his bitch’ but when did Colin have the op? I must have missed something.
No the grammar is fine.
Ambiguity aside, then yes.
Btw @ Ad, I’m with a bunch of people at the mo who have English as their second language (at the time I made the post).
They were worrying about having to up themselves from IELTS 5 or 6 to 6.5 or 7.
Worse still, they’re not as valuable as their Chinese counterparts
For awhile I thought the reason Labour had been so quiet on the National implosion was cos Jacindas a class act, and while she may be let’s be honest the real reason Labour can’t comment on National selling list seats to foreign powers is because the Labour party is also under the influence of China as well and to criticize China means both parties would lose election campaign money.
I used to say that national and labour would join up into a purple party due to their shared neoliberalism but now I think they will combine to create the National Communist Labour party of China in New Zealand.
I have no problem with Chinese people but their govts influence on NZ politics needs to end immediately. Both Labour and National are selling our democracy to the highest bidder.
Our allies are questioning our loyalty and in future will be hesitant to share information with us because we are becoming a puppet state of a genocidal,workers rights abusing authoritarian.
Go NZ! Human rights are so 20th century
I’m in a cynical mood at the mo’ @ CJ. So it’s just as well we don’t yet have a one-child policy or Neve would be left to her own devices on the Great Wall of Auckland somewhere around the Bombay Hills.
They gather more votes separately cynny.
[What the hell has the out of office Harper government got to do with studies on insect numbers greywarshark? Did you even read the damned post, or did you think you’d just jump straight in with a spin on “knowledge and power”? Bumping this off down the bottom of the thread because its connection to the post is, at best, incredibly tenuous. Actually. Second thoughts. There’s bugger all connection to the substance of the post. Open mike. And in future, read posts and don’t just go off on long irrelevant rants] – B
How good they have records in Puerto Rico. And probably accessible easily because they are likely to be on paper. And that is important so you know which ones to grab and hide when some populist buffoon gets elected by unthinking, careless, irresponsible voters, making some point or other about not getting, too much of, something.
The trick is to help people get their something and hold onto what is valuable to the nation, despite poverty and bad weather.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnD3ZEw9sos
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qENyT6y0WmA
Example I’m talking about is Canada :
2013 News
What’s Driving Chaotic Dismantling of Canada’s Science Libraries?
Scientists reject Harper gov’t claims vital material is being saved digitally.
https://thetyee.ca/News/2013/12/23/Canadian-Science-Libraries/
Scientists say the closure of some of the world’s finest fishery, ocean and environmental libraries by the Harper government has been so chaotic that irreplaceable collections of intellectual capital built by Canadian taxpayers for future generations has been lost forever.
The Harper Government Has Trashed and Destroyed Environmental …
https://www.vice.com/…/the-harper-government-has-trashed-and-burned-environment…
Jan 15, 2014 – … polar research, with some documents reportedly dumped in landfills or burned, … The government denies political objectives have anything to do with the … “The government of Canada—led by Stephen Harper—has made it harder … minutes and other records to hide politically unpalatable science and …
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/14/opinion/when-canadian-scientists-were-muzzled-by-their-government.html
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/canadian-scientists-open-about-how-their-government-silenced-science-180961942/
Mike Harris – Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Harris
Michael Deane “Mike” Harris (born January 23, 1945) is a Canadian politician who served as ….. Provincial water testing had been privatized in October 1996 by Harris’s first government. …. politicians suggested that the attack may have been ordered by the Premier’s office, and called for an independent judicial inquiry.
Power and Knowledge. What is the difference between a mad King or Queen and a mad Premier or leader who has extreme authority of rendition of the nationh’s precious statistics and information. It’s just a modern version of the sacking of the library of Alexandria.
Destruction of the Library of Alexandria
The ancient accounts by Plutarch, Aulus Gellius, Ammianus Marcellinus, and Orosius indicate that troops of Julius Caesar accidentally burned the library during or after the Siege of Alexandria in 48 BC. … A part of the library was burned under Aurelian, in 272, and the destruction seems to have been completed in 391.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Library_of_Alexandria
We need to have better informed citizens who are paid to go and study stuff, and have constant talks and debates to keep citizens informed. Much of this should be on television which is still widely followed. So let’s get public television back again and run it so that there is learning and lots of quiz games about important stuff with good prizes, and regions competing for accolades as well as good infrastructure. So it is fun, informative and gets advantages for the local area, with a celebratory dinner for the contestants and organisers. Give it some cred so that people aspire to be involved. Perhaps some overseas visits, maybe to our friends in the Pacific.
Let’s be innovative and keep the barbarian populist pollies with their destructive ways and hordes, at bay.
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
Okay Bill
I thought it added something important to what you were writing about and also something about Puerto Rico but you have your rant in your own post. Be happy.
There are no politicians or administrations suppressing the research or the research findings linked to in the post.
The basic problem is that both scientists and those writing on population crashes seem to be unaware of the work done by Ziska and his colleagues. You read most articles and there is a lot of wild guessing going on about why populations are crashing (“It’s insecticides!” “It’s habitat loss!”).
Meanwhile, the solid research is sitting there, and as far as I’m aware, no-one has found fault with the methodology or the conclusions.
Insecticides and habitat loss absolutely contribute to decline, but they aren’t the principle reason and ‘rectifying’ those things will not halt species collapse.
You also did the same huge link filled distraction the other day by the way. In a post that pointed out that the scale of necessary CO2 removal was way beyond all production or harvesting processes we engage in, you just kept banging up irrelevant stuff about tree planting.
At least those screeds of smash weren’t sitting at the very top of a comment thread – thanks for small mercies.
I am actually interested in talking to people who are interested in seeing what we can do to alleviate our problems Bill. I like the good information I see here and then think about what can be done, or even started. I don’t want to be eternally at a wailing wall, just finding fault with what is being done or presenting horrific scenarios. I am looking for ways that we can do small things to try and help save our world and alleviate suffering.
I don’t like the mechanical attitudes that a good number of you are displaying. You don’t seem to care about people, it is almost a military efficiency response. This isn’t a place I want to be any longer and I don’t like that furious response from you. I think you are OTT and losing your humanity.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/108098946/former-mps-partners-travel-cost-11m-in-past-year
Well heres an idea that any party could pick up and champion for no downside
Forget it at present unfortunately – and it is an old perennial that pops up from time to time. Not saying forget it altogether, but perhaps next year – or an election bribe?
But, but, but – how did the interview go? Can I uncross my fingers, arms, hands, legs, ankles, toes yet? Its getting damn hard to do anything including eat …
It’ll be either:
Passed the interview stage and continue with the process (police checks, drug tests, medical checks etc),
Not at this time but apply again in the future and this is what you need to work on
or (my translation) hell no you freak and don’t even think of applying in this or any other timeline
I’ll find out tomorrow or Monday 🙂
I will keep some things still crossed then! Good Luck!
You don’t mess with the mana. Not good by the winery or council
“A segment of the stalled Te Mata Peak track could kill someone using it, a report has found.
Hastings District Council said an independent report had prompted it to take “urgent action” to remove the dangerous section of the track, located on the top 500 metres.
The report said that in its current state, the track, which Craggy Range Winery carved last year, could result in serious injury, or loss of life as a result of retaining wall collapse, falling rocks and slips…
… The winery built the track after resource consent was granted by the council last year, without informing local iwi…
… The Environmental Defence Society has since announced it would take the council and the winery to the High Court over the decision-making process which led to the track being cut.”
https://i.stuff.co.nz/environment/108095040/part-of-controversial-te-mata-peak-track-to-be-removed-urgently-as-trespassers-at-risk-of-death
The Queen at 92 still speaks firmly and said diplomatic things to the Dutch royals when they recently visited expressing concern over disruption of relationships because of Brexit which this report says could result in a hard crash without agreements next March.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz//lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=12148297&ref=clavis
It amazes me how well she does at 92. I saw a woman who was 128 and they asked her about her long life – she said it was a punishment from God.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/punchng.com/my-long-life-a-punishment-from-god-says-128-year-old-woman/amp/
0/part-of-controversial-te-mata-peak-track-to-be-removed-urgently-as-trespassers-at-risk-of-death
Reply
greywarshark 27
25 October 2018 at 1:49 pm
The Queen at 92 still speaks firmly and said diplomatic things to the Dutch royals when they recently visited expressing concern over disruption of relationships because of Brexit which this report says could result in a hard crash without agreements next March.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz//lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=12148297&ref=clavis
Reply
marty mars 27.1
25 October 2018 at 2:25 pm
It amazes me how well she does at 92. I saw a woman who was 128 and they asked her about her long life – she said it was a punishment from God.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/punchng.com/my-long-life-a-punishment-from-god-says-128-year-old-woman/amp/
Reply
greywarshark 28
25 October 2018 at 3:33 pm
I am just about to renew my prescription for hypertension control. And she probably has had very little medical care. She would like that saying about dying young – while you are a good-looking corpse. Also that living long when you’re wealthy, at least you can be miserable in comfort. I sure as hell don’t want to live long as she has. She is marvellous and I wonder how many children she had, she is one of the salt-of-the-earth people who plod along hard working and dutiful. It would be good if she could have a few of her favourite things before she goes.
The Nepalese woman who has lived to her 90’s and had five sons, her dream is the last one I heard of like this one.
Five Sons and a 100 Muri of Rice: The story of a five year old bride in …
Rating: 4.7 – 81 reviews
A five year old bride in rural Nepal struggles with poverty, male domination and illiteracy to become a successful landowner, micro lender and great grandmother. Based on the true story of Kharika Devkota, this book provides a rare insight into the inspiring and determining life …
But her emails!
Apparently Dolt45 is still using an unsecured iPhone for calls. With China and Russia probably listening in.
https://edition.cnn.com/2018/10/24/politics/trump-phone-china-russia/index.html
Whaleoil comment: “The leaker asked the police to call off the investigation because they DID have mental health issues but assuming the person is not JLR, others can have mental health issues.”
Response from Slater: “That isn’t correct, there was no police investigation to call off. It was the inquiry. And it wasn’t JLR who sent that text because it arrived when he was in a meeting with PB and SB so it wasn’t him.”
I see people texting at meetings all the time 😉
Kia ora The Am Show the pipe is a stunt.The no more tax on fuel takes away something
that simon uses to attack the government.
Thats correct judy you starved the state department’s and had private eye clark and there m8 harassing them from shonky orders most people are scared sheep .
The French have some better system for there children than we do one is teaching mokopunans how to eat healthy at school I say we need to copy them.
I look for positive things in every situation and Eco know’s the big picture that’s a better future for the grandchildren that keep my fire burning.
Chelsea opening there doors A are there sales declining sugar in all prosessed food should be legislated to %15 percent of what we currently have in the food now .
Mark you will already know my view on your poll today we have more police than other country’s have in there Army’s so why do we still have PEE and other man made drugs problem.
I agree with Michell the French man and his child needed help now the child will be in state care while the dad is in jail the child could be better off but not if one looks at the children in our state child care system.
Amanda I seen half a dozen hinds on the side of the road at 2pm in Matawai a couple of times.
Ka kite ano
We have to Preserve Papatuanuku and all her beautiful creations for the benefit of all human kind . Work with Mother Earth not against her quite a logical way of thinking Eco says.
This moss like plant has the same properties as weed there has been huge amounts of knowledge from ancient times we have lost on many subjects the health benefits of plants is one big phenomenon that has been suppressed big big Pharma company’s
It may already have been relevant to the people who live where these species of Radula occur naturally, which are as far afield as Japan, New Zealand and Costa Rica. There are hints that the Maori people of New Zealand use it as an herbal medicine, although not necessarily for its THC-like properties. Gertsch adds, however, that no serious ethnobotanical or ethnopharmacological research confirms such uses.
Ka kite ano link is below
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/lowly-moss-like-plant-seems-to-copy-cannabis/
Some Eco Maori music
This is one reason I back our farmers they work harder then most and have a lot of challenges on the farming communitys they are the back bone of Aotearoa .
The other is I can smell a lie a mile away to and I don’t like these lies affecting people in negative ways .link is below ka kite ano.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/108111654/hawkes-bay-farmer-worked-18hour-days-in-leadup-to-suicide-coroner-finds
Here you go 10 reasons why sugar is bad for your health this is the one food one needs to be excluded from your diet .
The big company’s don’t want you to know the truth about sugar . Sugar is in just about every processed food bread yogurt alcohol fizzy drinks .They put to much sugar in food to get you hooked on there food & Drinks to boost there profits who cares who get there lives drastically shortened and all the bad health side effects that sugar does to peoples bodys. Ka kite ano link is below
https://www.atkins.com/how-it-works/library/articles/10-ways-sugar-harms-your-health
Kia ora Newshub I stick to my words earlier on the strikes Alex .
If someone was serious about blowing something up they would not send it in the post. Sending a it in the post is just a publicity stunt.
Thats the way Google make a stand against sexual harassment support Equality .
Skin cancer need to be advertised more and the sunblock products need to be verified to see if they do block the sun cancer effects.
Voda Phone Kiri is a cool way to use AI that is the future ka pai
Jackes a cool bloke 50 years working in that factory for the disabled Ka pai. P.S Niki Eco say the Japan Rugby World Cup will be a great event
Ka kite ano
Kia ora The Crowd Goes Wild Wairangi & Storm
Wai I will have a my finger’s crossed for the Kiwis in there next test.
E game is a cool new sport storm is Panasonic one of the main sponsor’s I have a distraction .
Shawn Long looks like a awesome import player for the Breakers Anna.
Kia Kaha to Steven Adams and the Oakland City Thunder Basket ball team.
Ka kite ano