I don't know what Chris Finlayson's been up to since he left Parliament but it hasn't killed his smarminess or his view that people other than he and his mates are stupid.
It was said on RNZ this morning that he was going back to contribute to getting the rules around the use of video from Parliament changed .
According to him the world has moved on and the rules need to be updated for the social media of today. We all know times move quickly and things move quickly.
We also know that the world didn't move that quickly in less than two years from when certain restrictions were included in the rules, to where they are no longer necessary.
Finlayson and his worthy leader no doubt had a part in formulating those rules. He is saying this brief time later that after the intellectual rigour they applied to constructing them the essence of part of them no longer applies?
What changed, what moved quickly is that they were no longer in power. What would have been argued on grounds of principle from high and mighty positions of power suddenly are being argued in a diametrically opposite way, ostensibly on grounds of principle.
The high and mighty are well suited to the worm holes. Finlayson should crawl back there.
Prior to becoming a politician Finlayson had a law practice which, as far as I know, continues to exist. I recall him saying on leaving politics that he was planning to resume his legal career.
That being the case then it is likely National hired him to represent them at the select committee hearing. That being the case then he would be representing his client (the Nats) and not himself.
As someone who seems to have specialised in copyright, contractural interpretation and other similar legal matters prior to entering parliament, then it seems probable Finlayson was hired in his capacity as a high flying barrister to represent them.
After all, they have lots of Chinese money at their disposal. You know… this "quid pro quo" thing which appears fashionable among some of the world's political elite these days.
I studied Latin for some years and while I came across many fine phrases (and use them occasionally,) sometimes English is great for being succinct and accurate.
Nice enough guy overtly @Anne…….shame about the sense of Tory entitlement and bitchiness he's adopted. Kind of a 'Dontcha know who I am?" – in an "I've paid my dues", sophisticated sort of way .
Better to just give him a knighthood and wish him a happy life in retirement. Maybe even a brass plaque on a front row seat in some remote venue where the NZSO plays.
Give him a bloody subscription for life even, or the keys to Miramar Penninsula, or even a guest column on Granny Herald
An interesting question for our times: why are so few Repugs willing to lift even their smallest finger to try to tame the turd tornado spattering up the walls of the Oval Office? After all, Pence would sign off on any judges the Heritage Foundation puts in front of him, and any tax cuts or other reactionary legislation, so it's not as if they would lose any ability to actually do anything.
I do hope that people in the USA are reading your comments Andre and that of other wise heads here. One can only hope that all the close attention we give to the USA here actually penetrates the outer stratosphere of the USA consciousness.
As for Brexit, it is also very interesting in all its manifestations as Halloween draws close.
One columnist spreads her interest wide to take in the Remainers.
Clever incompetents in Parliament have catastrophically overplayed their hand
The trouble with the Remainers is not their arrogant inability to grasp when they have lost, but their blindness to when they have won. So when Boris Johnson triumphantly returned from Brussels clutching the best bad deal possible, the eyes of MPs gunged up so quickly with spiteful, green anger that they failed to spot their finest chance to wreck Brexit.
Fatuous Remainer MPs have just become the useful idiots of the Leave cause – Sherelle Jacobs Daily Telegraph Columnist
Her image shows a 20-30 year old looking pleased with herself for getting a piece into the paper which comes from a different viewpoint – though a doubtfully valid one.
What a blast hearing Dogal Stevenson talking to John Campbell at this morning on TVNZ one ‘Breakfast’ show at 7.40am today when John asked Dogal; “what would you advise todays newreaders to do”?
Dogal said very carefully after deep reflection “well I would say to him; (from memory- my words)
“just loosen up, – you don’t want to be a slave to a BBC as an adjunct; – talk to your listeners audience as they are your own people, and you will receive far more empathy and respect for speaking the truth.”
Then from memory I recall Dogal said, he still searches for the truth as a newsreader, and mostly listens to RNZ as our public broadcaster, in the hope that that he is hearing the truth, and others are to biased today.
Yes we need to get that free to air public TV channel we were promised by Labour started soon as the election process is now in full swing putting out so much fake media hype now that is is often difficult to know what is the truth any more.
Yes public TV on a reasonable budget and no highly priced front people. Let's get able people who earn a reasonable screw and go for ugly ones – it's time we had our day in the sun.
"Yes we need to get that free to air public TV channel we were promised by Labour started soon as the election process is now in full swing "
As I replied to you @ Cleangreen once before (not sure if it was here or on TDB.)
Please don't hold your breath. You are probably already down as some disgruntled old coot whose vote won't make a difference in your twilight years anyway
Ideologically, the foxes are in charge of the chicken coup and the chickens are busy convincing their partners how dainty the taste of a Chardonnay is. So its better to just smile and watch them all jump off a cliff, and watch the onlookers clutch their pearls afterwards
chanting “Oooh! I say!”
Yes we are petty much stuffed now, like the movies always portray the masses as idiots when a huge disaster comes our way such as in the movie "The day after tomorrow
It correctly makes us all look quite stupid like chickens for sure. .
The hearing was mostly cordial, barring a stern rebuke from Mr Mallard to Massey University Professor Claire Robinson after her criticism of Labour's position.
The review was initiated after Labour complained that the Opposition had used official footage of Labour backbencher Deborah Russell without her permission in breach of one of Parliament's rarely enforced rules.
"But to be a vote for change Labour would have had to get more votes than National. In fact National got 20,574 more votes in 2017 than it did in 2014."
hello MMP is calling Claire…the left has multiple choice of parties.
And she lies by omission as National got less votes as a % of the total vote a whopping -2.59%. Saying they 'won' by getting more votes by number and by party was the National partys constant claim.
I keep getting good, hopeful feelings that problems are being dealt with in a timely, not time-wasting fashion, now that the Labour Coalition is in. Please God let this political do-wonders group stay in and we can have hope for the future. It can't please us all, all the time, but it is trying for most of the time. The others are gungy ghastly greedy and bottom-feeders.
They're trying @grey. But there's a lot of shit to push uphill and they've been slow to start, and slow to even recognise where many of the roadblocks are/have been.
Their worst enema comes from quite a few in the senior ranks of the public service. Now that I've come of age, I'm privy to the conversations and opinions of a bunch of retired senior public servants. I hadn't quite realised how much they're in agreement with what I've noticed quite independently of what they'd seen and experieinced. Kind of like a blatent display of a Master of the Universe culture, previously limited to the private sector.
Whereas once it was all a matter of self preservation through obfuscation, spin et al (as in "Yes Minister" fashion), NOW those same traits come with outright political partisanship in so many cases.
Not sure if it was in here or TDB that I was reminded of the word 'spiv' which reminded me of grifters, but its become a bit sad that many of the coalition MPs have taken this long (2 years in) to appreciate the level of 'pushback' that's occurred, and many still don't appear to have noticed how many of their 'officials' have the skills of the best used car salesman.
Some Ministers and MPs in the coalition are/have been simply too 'nice', and the used car salesmen are, and have taken advantage of it.
Pushing back, to the extent they're trying to show just who is boss; 'working to rule' on policies they dislike or don't agree with, slowing it all down; and crying victim if and when anyone even attempts to call them to account.
I'm glad you have confidence because what worries me most is that this government COULD be teetering on a loss come 2020, given a senior public service that's by and large its enemy and almost completely unaccountable for its many failures (a matter of record that could rival a bLip list, an almost non-existent 4th Estate, and an electorate that's becoming increasingly disinterested and feeling alienated.
If you’ve got one or two crystals I could clutch, I could return the favour, maybe as a tour guide to the new home of the Dalai Lama
The government is under fire for not going far enough with its Emissions Trading Scheme. Farmers won't have to start paying for their emissions until 2025, as long as they make progress in finding ways to measure and price emissions at the farm level. Greenpeace says the government's Emissions Trading Scheme shows pleas from tens-of-thousands of students for climate action have fallen on deaf ears. Corin speaks to the Climate Change Minister James Shaw in our Wellington studio.
and – Good work that engineer
8:15 am today
Engineer reveals dozens of building mistakes
From Morning Report, 8:15 am today 3.24m A structural engineer who helped trigger investigations into seismically-flawed building designs has revealed dozens of common but serious mistakes he is finding during reviews. The consequences of design faults include a 60-metre high transmission tower that snapped in half. Phil Pennington reports.
The way that builders go broke and don't pay their subbies is a shock to me, filled with the belief of building being one of our strong industries that was flourishing, blah blah. My relations just had a very nice house built and watched over it all the time, I think similar to a civil engineer as he is a retired builder. The supposed builder confessed that it was beyond him before the job was done, he was running a ponzi, paying off past debts from the current job, and it caught up with him. And he and his family were known to my relation, not fly-by-nights. In the end he was paid for the job, but didn't pay all his subbies, and my relation had to bargain with them to get them to sign off their work so the Council would issue a 'pass-notice' or whatever it's called. He had to pay some in full, so double for that part. Shocking! The house is pretty good but he had to finish off some parts himself. His knees are a bit shot, but he managed.
It should be a steady job and with good tradesmen getting good pay. But SNAFU is our codesign in NZ since neoliberalbloodyeconomics and the bloody Labourtroika/Treasury takeover. Can we pull ourselves out of the smelly bog – I hope.
Well I have heard queries about whether they are reliable but don't know. Why is the Master Builder crowd not being used more – don't know. My builder relation would have thought that knowing the person and his family, he would be okay.
People can look into the eyes of an assured bloke and form an opinion that their job knowledge and outcome will be okay. Silly but in law when you hold yourself out to be something then you should stand behind it and I guess that prompts people to accept others who seem to know what they are doing.
And on my 'namesake' day we received the word that an Iwi is challenging OMV CEO in an international court .
A good move there, – we all need to support them not leave them in solitude;.
We we wrote this in support today too.
CEAC support Iwi Leaders Group lawsuit against OMV CEO
25th October 2019.
Press Release: Citizens Environmental Advocacy Centre.
CEAC support Climate change Iwi Leaders Group lawsuit against OMV CEO
On this ‘St Crispin’s day 25th October’, (a day that the English celebrate annually their victory against the French during the Agincourt 100yr war.)
We fully support the Iwi legal challenge against another polluter and ‘climate spoiler’ such as OMV is.
QUOTE;
“ An iwi leader has announced the initiation of a lawsuit to be filed at the International Criminal Court against Rainer Seele, the CEO of Austrian oil giant OMV”.
This was another very good Iwi policy that has considered the health ,safety and wellbeing of all citizens, and we commend the Iwi for making a bold stand against those corporate interests who wish harm upon our NZ citizens and we stand together with them in support and solitude.
No Right Turn nails it – shaw knows this stuff better than most and this is what he managed to sort – pathetic and disgraceful – if this is the big moment it fizzed worse than Dot-idiot and the big nothing.
Against this background, saying that agriculture, our biggest polluter, doesn't have to do anything until 2025 is committing to failure. And if we are to meet the emissions reduction targets necessary for human survival, it forces us towards policy paths that are extreme, like an actual cow-cull, rather than being able to reduce cow numbers by efficiency gains through the business cycle. We could afford to piss around like that in 2000, and maybe in 2008 (if we'd actually followed-through, rather than giving them a free ride). But now, we are out of time. You cannot compromise with physics, and anyone who thinks you can is trying to kill us. http://norightturn.blogspot.com/2019/10/climate-change-you-cannot-compromise.html
Well, I think take a tender for the jobs of running the country – and have each person with watchers who answer to the people for the performance of their lad or lass. . All coming from the citizens and having first done a public, civic management diploma and social anthropology one also, and also a farming and horticulture course – those being our main positive products. (Less emphasis on rockets and space, and more on food and maintaining the planet in a livable condition.)
They will be responsible for ensuring that the administration does what has been agreed upon in an appropriately professional way, getting the best out of staff while treating them with respect. We will save on paying wannabe celebrities with good hair and good teeth, who put in an appearance and say the things that suit their Party, performing when the key at their back is turned – for older; or the touch button is pressed – that's the younger ones.
I agree – imo disrespecting all of the climate action marchers, the school strikers, the people that WANT real change, disrespecting Greta and our children will only lead to misery for everyone
Picture this. Jacinda Ardern standing in the middle of Queen St on the bonnet of a tractor with her middle finger raised as ten of thousands of climate strikers stream by.
The Waitangi Tribunal has decided to hold an urgent inquiry into Oranga Tamariki's practices in taking Māori children from their mothers.
Chief Judge Wilson Isaac rejected Crown arguments that the issues should be examined in the current internal Oranga Tamariki inquiry or two others by the Children's Commissioner and Chief Ombudsman.
He said: "I conclude there are sufficient grounds for an urgent inquiry into a specific contemporary issue concerning a risk of significant and irreversible prejudice to Māori arising from current Oranga Tamariki policy and practice."
…Judge Isaac said the Tribunal would focus on two things:
"Having regard to the rising and disproportionately high number of tamariki Māori taken into state care under the auspices of Oranga Tamariki, is Crown legislation, policy and practice inconsistent with the principles of the Treaty and the Crown's Treaty duties to Māori? "
And:
"If so, what changes to Crown legislation, policy and practice are required to ensure Treaty compliance."
Revealed: how the FBI targeted environmental activists in domestic terror investigations
This article is more than 1 month old
Protesters were characterized as a threat to national security in what one calls an attempt to criminalize their actions.
Helen Yost, a 62-year-old environmental educator, has been a committed activist for nearly a decade. She says she spends 60 to 80 hours a week as a community organizer for Wild Idaho Rising Tide. She’s been arrested twice for engaging in non-violent civil disobedience.
Yost may not fit the profile of a domestic terrorist, but in 2014 the FBI classified her as a potential threat to national security. According to hundreds of pages of FBI files obtained by the Guardian through a Freedom of Information Act (Foia) lawsuit, and interviews with activists, Yost and more than a dozen other people campaigning against fossil fuel extraction in North America have been identified indomestic terrorism-related investigations.
The investigations, which targeted individual activists and some environmental organizations, were opened in 2013-2014, at the height of opposition to the Keystone XL Pipeline and the expansion of fossil fuel production in North America.
The new Foia documents reveal the bureau’s motivation for investigating a broad cross-section of the environmental movement and its characterization of non-violent protesters as a potential threat to national security.
The new Foia documents reveal the bureau’s motivation for investigating a broad cross-section of the environmental movement and its characterization of non-violent protesters as a potential threat to national security.
However, in the file closing the case, it appears that Yost has been watchlisted, which is standard for named subjects of FBI domestic terrorism investigations, according to Mike German, a former FBI agent who is now a fellow with the Brennan Center for Justice. Being watchlisted can lead to heightened scrutiny from law enforcement and delays or additional screenings when traveling. Yost said she had not traveled overseas since the FBI investigation.
Yost, who was contacted by an FBI agent when the case was still active, said she was not surprised by the agency’s actions. Surveillance was a form of suppression, she said, and this was another attempt to criminalize the actions of “normal people” working to protect natural resources. But she remains undeterred.
The Wealthier countries need to step up and donate putea to help the poor country's of Te Papatuanuku. They have the lowest carbon footprint and will be suffering the most from Global warming that's a fact.
Almost $US10 billion pledged to help tackle climate change
Wealthier countries on Friday have promised nearly $US9.8 billion over the next four years to an international fund to help poorer nations develop cleanly and adapt to climate stresses.
Most of the donors making fresh contributions came from Europe, though New Zealand, South Korea, Japan and Canada also committed funds, with New Zealand and South Korea pledging to double previous donations.
However, the United States will not contribute, because president Donald Trump decided to stop paying into the fund.
The funding is still a drop in the ocean compared with the estimated $3 trillion to $7 trillion a year needed to shift the world's economy onto a more sustainable and climate-friendly path, Mr Glemarec said
The fund so far has allocated about $5.2 billion to 111 projects in 99 countries.
They range from green, low-cost housing in Mongolia's polluted capital and a methane-fuelled rapid-transit bus system in Karachi to restoring climate-threatened ecosystems in Namibia
Time are changing fast our realities opinions can change just as fast now is the time to make sure that the information we are receiving is not being distorted by Wealthier people $$$$$$$$$$. In reality the best phenomenon for all is the best for Te Papatuanuku= equality for all equal income distribution and being caretaker of Papatuanuku and her creations for the next generations our mokopuna. Our society needs to learn respect our Tipuna and our mokopuna future respect for the past and future over our greed.
Why can’t we agree on what’s true any more?
It’s not about foreign trolls, filter bubbles or fake news. Technology encourages us to believe we can all have first-hand access to the ‘real’ facts – and now we can’t stop fighting about it.
We live in a time of political fury and hardening cultural divides. But if there is one thing on which virtually everyone is agreed, it is that the news and information we receive is biased. Every second of every day, someone is complaining about bias, in everything from the latest movie reviews to sports commentary to the BBC’s coverage of Brexit. These complaints and controversies take up a growing share of public discussion.
Much of the outrage that floods social media, occasionally leaking into opinion columns and broadcast interviews, is not simply a reaction to events themselves, but to the way in which they are reported and framed. The “mainstream media” is the principal focal point for this anger. Journalists and broadcasters who purport to be neutral are a constant object of scrutiny and derision, whenever they appear to let their personal views slip. The work of journalists involves an increasing amount of unscripted, real-time discussion, which provides an occasionally troubling window into their.
.
Why can’t we agree on what’s true any more? – podcast
This mentality now spans the entire political spectrum and pervades societies around the world. A recent survey found that the majority of people globally believe their society is broken and their economy is rigged. Both the left and the right feel misrepresented and misunderstood by political institutions and the media, but the anger is shared by many in the liberal centre, who believe that populists have gamed the system to harvest more attention than they deserve. Outrage with “mainstream” institutions has become a mass.
Public life has become like a play whose audience is unwilling to suspend disbelief. Any utterance by a public figure can be unpicked in search of its ulterior motive. As cynicism grows, even judges, the supposedly neutral upholders of the law, are publicly accused of personal bias. Once doubt descends on public life, people become increasingly dependent on their own experiences and their own beliefs about how the world really works. One effect of this is that facts no longer seem to matter (the phenomenon misleadingly dubbed “post-truth”). But the crisis of democracy and of truth are one and the same: individuals are increasingly suspicious of the “official” stories they are being told, and expect to witness things for themselves.
Reasons we cannot agree on what’s true |
On one level, heightened scepticism towards the establishment is a welcome development. A more media-literate and critical citizenry ought to be less easy for the
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A chronological listing of news articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Sep 6, 2020 through Sat, Sep 12, 2020Editor's ChoiceWith California ablaze, Newsom blasts Trump administration for failing to fight climate change Trinity River Conservation Camp crew members drown ...
Dear Sir, As we head into the run up to the upcoming election I feel it is my duty to draw your attention to the lack of fun we are currently forced to ensure by the Adern regime. In their efforts to keep the nation’s essential workers, health compromised people, ...
It finally happened: about 13 years after first watching Al Gore’s documentary “An Inconvenient Truth” (AIT) in 2007 when it became available in Germany, I recently completed the Climate Reality Leadership Corps Training! Participating in this particular training had been on my to-do list for quite some time but it ...
Windows 95 is famous for requiring the shutting down the system by clicking ‘start, like stopping your car by turning the ignition key on. Why are so many interfaces so user-unfriendly? The Covid app to register your entering premises can be so clumsy. Sometimes I have signed in, sat down ...
Is the 2020 election result really the foregone conclusion that the polls and commentators are suggesting? Josh Van Veen suggests otherwise, pointing to some of the shortcomings of opinion polling, which could ready some politicians to say “bugger the pollsters” on election night. In November 1993, opinion polls foretold ...
Back in 2019, six select committees of the UK Parliament established a Citizen's Assembly to investigate how to respond to climate change. The Assembly's deliberations were forced online by the pandemic, but it has finally reported back, and overwhelmingly supports strong action: Taxes that increase as people fly further ...
I am feeling a bit impish today and so for no particular reason I thought I would share this thought, which I first posted over on twitter: “Hurricanes, wildfires, floods, heatwaves, street protests, armed vigilante militias, a lethal pandemic and a corrupt authoritarian using the federal government for partisan and ...
Wayne Mapp (Photo: Tsmith.nz via Wikimedia) A former Minister of Defence says the government was too slow to involve the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) in New Zealand’s response to Covid-19. But Wayne Mapp, a National MP from 1996-2011 who served as Minister of Defence for three ...
Transport is our second biggest polluter after agriculture, making up 17% of our national emissions. Cars and trucks emit 15 million tons of CO2 every year. So, if we're serious about tackling climate change, we need to eliminate this entirely. Public transport and better urban design will be a key ...
Five things we’ve learnt 1. We know where the virus ultimately came from We know that the virus originally came from bats, and most probably a species of horseshoe bat in South East Asia. However, the spike protein in SARS-CoV-2, which allows the virus to attach to cells and infect ...
The Greens' greatest disappointment while in government this term has been the failure to implement a ban on mining on conservation land. Promised by Jacinda Ardern immediately after gaining power, it had long been assumed that the problem was NZ First (who have a long history of environmental vandalism). But ...
If they get into Parliament, everyone expects the Greens to form a coalition with Labour. But James Shaw has said that that might not be the case, and that they might instead choose to sit on the cross-benches: The Greens are prepared to forego a coalition or confidence and ...
Chantal Denise Pagel, Auckland University of Technology; Mark Orams, Auckland University of Technology, and Michael Lueck, Auckland University of TechnologyThree people were injured last month in separate humpback whale encounters off the Western Australia coast. The incidents happened during snorkelling tours on Ningaloo Reef when swimmers came too close ...
Den Of Thieves: They describe themselves, and the money-making rackets they dignify with the name of church, “Christian”, but these ravening wolves are no such thing. The essence of the Christian faith is the giving of love – not the taking of money. It is about opening oneself to the ...
David Pomeroy, University of Canterbury; Kay-Lee Jones, University of Canterbury; Mahdis Azarmandi, University of Canterbury, and Sara Tolbert, University of CanterburyAcademic streaming in New Zealand schools is still common, but according to recent reports it is also discriminatory and racist. Also known as tracking, setting and ability grouping, streaming ...
A New Holy-Day: Perhaps, by accepting this gift of Matariki from the first arrivals in Aotearoa, we late arrivals, shorn of our ancestors’ outlandish fleeces, can draw strength from the accumulated human wisdom of our adopted home. Perhaps, by celebrating Matariki, we can learn to take ownership of our colonial ...
If there was any doubt left, we can surely call it now. Time and date. End of. Finito. Perhaps you thought you saw a flickering eyelid or a finger move? You were wrong. Labour has given up on tax reform for the foreseeable future. One of the key remaining left/right ...
Will the rich get richer under Labour’s latest tax policy? Based on the analysis in reaction to yesterday’s announcement, the answer would seem to be yes. The consensus from commentators is that inequality and severe economic problems will remain unchanged or even be made worse by Labour’s new policy. Although ...
Labour has released its energy policy, and its basicly business as usual: bring forward the 100% renewable target to 2030, build pumped storage if the business case stacks up, restore the thermal ban and clean car standard (but not the feebate scheme), and spread a bit of money around to ...
What's wrong with Labour? The end of yesterday's RNZ health debate says it all: Do you have private health insurance? Reti: "I do." Hipkins: "Yes, I do." Hipkins is Minister of Health. But it turns out that he won't be waiting in the queue with the rest ...
McKayla HollowayThe helicopter carries a team of four Lakes380 scientists and me; we hug the Gneiss rock walls that tower over Lake Manapouri. It’s arguably one of New Zealand’s most well-known lakes – made famous by the ‘Save Manapouri’ campaign of the 1970s. My chest is drawn back into ...
Rainy-Day Man: Is Labour’s tax policy a disappointment? Of course it is! But it’s the best the Traditional Left is going to get. Why? because Labour’s pollsters are telling them that upwards of 200,000 women over the age of 45 years have shifted their allegiance from National to Labour. (Where else, ...
When we last left our intrepid Drow Rogue, he was sitting in a tavern with his companions, only for a crazy Paladin to burst in, and start screaming about the Naga. It soon turned out that ...
Slight tweak to New Research Articles in NR are categorized by domain, roughly. This introduces the problem of items that don't neatly fit in one slot, or that have significance in more than one discipline (happily becoming more frequent as the powerful multiplier of interdisciplinary cooperation is tapped more frequently). ...
Today AstraZeneca pushed the pause button on its late-stage trials of a COVID-19 vaccine. A clinical trial participant has experienced a serious health event and an investigation is underway to determine the cause. What does it mean? A cautious approach – trials can halt to assess safety data With over ...
Kaya Klop-Toker, University of Newcastle; Alex Callen, University of Newcastle; Andrea Griffin, University of Newcastle; Matt Hayward, University of Newcastle, and Robert Scanlon, University of NewcastleOn an island off the Queensland coast, a battle is brewing over the fate of a small population of goats. The battle positions the ...
Dr Ben Gray* This blog discusses what will be needed to operationalise the End of Life Choice Act in the event that it is approved at referendum. It argues that this will take significant resources. Judging by the experience in Oregon it is likely that this may only benefit ...
The Green Party has released its Thriving Oceans Plan, which would dramatically increase marine protected areas and ban bottom trawling on seamounts. ...
It was another busy week out on the campaign trail, with Labour focused on jobs, training, and supporting Kiwi workers. As we continue to roll out our five-point plan for recovery, we’re investing in our people, businesses, communities and vital services, so we can keep our economy moving as we ...
Our regions are a vital part of our economic recovery plan. They’re home to innovative and creative businesses, and the backbone of our export economy - which is why Labour will continue to support our regions to grow as together, we rebuild better. ...
National’s ‘alternative budget’ that includes huge cuts to the government’s operating allowance would risk gutting critical public services, and put health, education and nature at dire risk. ...
Data released this week shows that, while New Zealand is not immune to the economic impacts of the global pandemic, our strong health response has meant we’ve been able to get our economy going faster than many other countries. ...
This year’s election is on 17 October - and it’s coming up fast! With one month to go until Election Day, we’ve come up with 17 ways you, your friends and family can get involved in our campaign and help Labour keep New Zealand moving. ...
PREFU has given a good insight into what was required to ensure New Zealanders were largely supported to continue work and remain healthy during COVID-19, but it is clear we need additional revenue raising measures ongoing, Green Party Co-leader James Shaw said today. ...
The Green Party is disappointed with the Labour Party’s decision to reverse their three free years education policy and back down on their commitment to postgraduate student allowances. ...
In the first two years of our term in Government, we gave teachers record pay rises as a way of recognising the lack of adequate adjustments over the previous decade and the significant role they play in the lives of children and young people. We also increased the number of ...
Labour has a proud history of supporting working New Zealanders, whether through the implementation of the 40hr work week or the introduction of the Working for Families package. ...
The Green Party welcome Labour’s commitment to extend the living wage to Government contractors, but will push for Fair Pay Agreements across industries in the next Government so more New Zealanders can earn a dignified income. ...
The Green Party is urging the Government to act on its commitment to te reo Māori, by making it a core subject up to year 10, and including te reo courses in the Targeted Training and Apprenticeships scheme. ...
We're officially back to the campaign for the 2020 General Election. The campaign may look a little different this year, but our candidates are still getting out and about in their communities and spreading the word about how another term of Labour will keep New Zealand moving in the right ...
You might have heard a bit of discussion about Government debt lately, as experts weigh in on the COVID-19 economic recovery. If you’re wondering why it’s such a contested topic, or even if you’re unsure of what Government debt actually is, then read on - we’ve got you covered! ...
The Green Party has released its Farming for the Future Plan, including a $297m fund to support farmers and growers to transition to climate-friendly practices. ...
We believe every New Zealander deserves the chance to make an informed decision on Election Day. We’ve answered some of the most common questions on our 2020 tax policy, including how much money will be raised from our new top tax rate, and how this will be used to control ...
The Green Party says Labour’s energy policy is a step in the right direction, but the Greens would go further and faster to meaningfully tackle the climate crisis. ...
All this tax talk leaving you a bit dazed and confused? Read below to find out more about our progressive tax system and what Labour's policy means for you. ...
We’re committed to managing the Government’s books responsibly and keeping debt under control while supporting our people and our economy through the 1-in-100 year shock caused by COVID-19. ...
The Labour Party has moved towards more progressive income tax, but is not addressing the growing wealth gap and inequality in Aotearoa. Labour’s new revenue policy also doesn’t help pay for the necessary response to the COVID-19 crisis, Green Party Co-leader James Shaw said today. ...
As New Zealanders we are proud of who we are, what we stand for, and the way we weave together different worlds and cultures to create our unique national identity. ...
It is appalling and negligent that landlords are being encouraged to keep their properties cold and damp until after the election, as advised by the NZ Property Investors Federation, Green Party Co-leader Marama Davidson said today. ...
The Government will provide up to $1.69 million through the One Billion Trees programme to Māori landowners to make their whenua more productive through the planting of forests, both native and exotic, and improve economic and environmental outcomes, Forestry Minister Shane Jones has announced. “Around 1.5 million ha of land ...
People planning to head outdoors now have a resource that lets them know how accessible an area is for people with varying levels of mobility, Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage announced today. The Halberg Foundation, Sensibel, and the Department of Conservation (DOC) have launched Accessibel, a new tool which helps ...
One of the most significant battle sites of the 1860s Land Wars will receive $2.96 million from the Provincial Growth Fund to improve the site and help tell the New Zealand story to visitors, Māori Development Minister Nanaia Mahuta and Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones have announced. Nanaia Mahuta ...
The journey towards recognising Māori as an official language and taonga has been captured as a web series and launched today during Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, announced Associate Arts, Culture and Heritage Minister Carmel Sepuloni. “Te reo Māori is a living language, and understanding its significance, and pathways to ...
Today’s better-than-forecast GDP figures show the expected impact of the decision to act quickly to protect New Zealanders from the global COVID-19 pandemic. GDP fell 12.2% in the June quarter from March, reflecting decisions to close New Zealand’s borders and enter Alert Level 4. “This result was better than the ...
The Government is investing $39.7 Million over four years to support the educational needs of Pacific learners and families in the regions hardest hit by COVID-19, with Auckland getting an immediate boost, Associate Minister of Education Jenny Salesa says. “Like all New Zealanders Pacific families want learners to do well ...
New Zealand’s goal of 100,000 kiwi by 2030 is being helped by an extra $19.7 million in funding to accelerate iwi and community efforts to protect kiwi, Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage announced. “$19.7 million of Jobs for Nature funding is being invested in kiwi conservation activities including increased predator ...
Ensuring New Zealanders can get the best deal on their electricity takes a step in the right direction today with the South Island launch of the EnergyMate pilot run by the Electricity Retailers’ Association, says Minister of Energy and Resources, Dr Megan Woods. EnergyMate is an industry-led programme providing coaching ...
Minister for Women Julie Anne Genter announced today that the Government has reached its target of 50 percent on women on state sector board and committees – setting a new record level of women on state sector boards. “This Government is committed to having more women in leadership roles - ...
Transport Minister Phil Twyford released today the final Government Policy Statement on land transport (GPS) 2021 which outlines the planned $48 billion investment in services and infrastructure over the next decade. “The final GPS supports our Government’s five-point plan for economic recovery by confirming our record investments in transport infrastructure ...
Three ambitious and cutting-edge research programmes that will lift New Zealand’s advanced energy technology research capability over seven years, have been supported by Government today, says Research, Science and Innovation Minister Megan Woods. The projects will each receive a share of $40.7 million investment from the Strategic Science Investment Fund. ...
The critical area for forensic examination known as Pit Bottom in Stone has been reached in what is a major milestone for the Pike River re-entry project, Minister Responsible for Pike River Re-entry Andrew Little announced. “The infrastructure located in Pit Bottom in Stone is of very significant interest in ...
The Government is working on how New Zealand’s retirement income policies and settings can best support Kiwis in light of the COVID-19 economic recovery, with the help of the Retirement Commissioner’s latest review, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Kris Faafoi said. “The Retirement Commissioner’s three-yearly review into New Zealand’s retirement ...
A new digital hub and development centre in Murupara will be instrumental in growing the region’s productivity, said Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher Tabuteau at the official opening of two community initiatives today. “I’m pleased to be here celebrating a significant milestone for two projects set to make a ...
PREFU shows economy doing better than forecast Unemployment to peak at 7.8%, down from 9.8% forecast in the Budget Year-to-June accounts show tax revenue, debt and OBEGAL better than forecast Global forecast downgraded as COVID-19 second waves and uncertainty grows Balanced plan to support critical public services, manage debt and ...
The Kāpiti Coast town of Ōtaki will receive $1.4 million in Government funding for two projects providing scores of jobs for locals while improving community facilities, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones has announced. The Māoriland Charitable Trust will receive a $900,000 Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) grant to upgrade the ...
The Provincial Growth Fund will provide $11.88 million to fund fencing and waterway projects nationwide that will improve the environment and create jobs in their communities, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones has announced. “These projects will create more than 100 jobs nationwide with work starting within the next couple ...
As part of the COVID-19 recovery, the Government has strengthened its procurement rules to ensure its annual $42 billion spend creates more jobs, uses more sustainable construction practices and results in better outcomes for Māori and Pasifika, Government Ministers announced today. Economic Development Minister Phil Twyford says the $42 ...
The Government is supporting a major upgrade of Timaru’s iconic Theatre Royal and the construction of a new connected Heritage Facility museum and exhibition space with $11.6 million from the Government’s Infrastructure Fund, Jacinda Ardern announced today. “We heard the call from the community and the council. The Theatre Royal ...
Chrissy Montague (formerly Armstrong), barrister of Auckland has been appointed as a District Court Judge with Family Court jurisdiction to be based in Wellington, Attorney-General David Parker announced today. Ms Montague commenced practice in Auckland in 1987 and went into general practice dealing with Wills, Estates, Trusts, Conveyancing, Relationship Property ...
A Proposal to provide for the development and operation of commercial film and video production facilities in areas of Christchurch has been given the go ahead. Hon Poto Williams, Associate Minister for Greater Christchurch Regeneration, has approved the Proposal, which was prepared and submitted by Regenerate Christchurch. Minister Williams ...
As part of the Government’s focus on building closer partnerships with Māori and enhancing the quality of, and access to, Māori medium education, a payment of $8 million will be made to Te Wānanga o Raukawa in partial recognition of its Waitangi Tribunal claim (WAI 2698), Associate Education Minister Kelvin ...
The Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage has announced a $19 million investment over four years in an important forest restoration project involving a partnership between the Department of Conservation, iwi/hapū, the Bay of Plenty and Waikato Regional Councils, community conservation groups and organisations such as Forest and Bird across the ...
New Zealand will be the first country in the world to require the financial sector to report on climate risks, the Minister for Climate Change James Shaw announced today. The changes build on the huge progress this Government has made to tackle the climate crisis. “Today is another step on ...
Economic activity across the Auckland region and the country bounced back to levels experienced under Alert Level 1 following Auckland’s move out of Alert Level 3, analysis in the Treasury’s latest Weekly Economic Update shows. The analysis of economic data since Auckland’s move out of Level 3 shows: Auckland card ...
Takiri mai te ata, ka ao, ka ao, ka awatea, tihei mauriora! Tātou katoa ngā iwi o Aotearoa, tēnā koutou! Tēnā tātou e whakanuia ana i te wiki nei, te wiki o te reo Māori Greeting to you all from Otepoti, Dunedin. This week is the Māori Language week and ...
More mental health and addiction services are available for young New Zealanders in Rotorua and Taupō, Wairarapa, South Canterbury, Dunedin and Southland from next month, Health Minister Chris Hipkins and Associate Health Minister Julie Anne Genter say. “The Government is serious about making sure New Zealanders struggling with mental health ...
The Manuherekia catchment in Central Otago is the third exemplar catchment to be targeted as part of the Government’s plan to clean up waterways by supporting community-led programmes. Environment Minister David Parker said the Manuherekia catchment is vitally important to the people of Central Otago. “The Manuherekia rises in the ...
The Government has agreed on a preferred design for the new Dunedin Hospital featuring two separate buildings, and has provided funding for the next stages of work. Minister of Health Chris Hipkins says Cabinet has approved in principle the detailed business case for the new hospital, giving people in ...
New Zealanders across the country are set to mark history as part of the Māori Language Week commemorations led by Te Taura Whiri i te reo Māori this year. Māori Development Minister, Nanaia Mahuta says the initiative will mark history for all the right reasons including making te reo Māori ...
More than 1000 teachers, support staff and school leaders have graduated from a programme designed to grow their capability to use te reo Māori in their teaching practice, as part of the Government’s plan to integrate te reo Māori into education, Associate Education Minister Kelvin Davis announced today. Being trialled ...
The Minister for Pacific Peoples, Aupito William Sio, says the Toloa Tertiary Scholarships which aims to encourage more Pacific student numbers participating and pursuing STEM-related studies in 2021, are now open. “These tertiary scholarships are administrated by the Ministry for Pacific Peoples (MPP), and are part of MPP’s overall Toloa ...
Four Bay of Plenty timber businesses will receive investments totalling nearly $22 million through the Provincial Growth Fund to boost the local economy and create jobs, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones has announced. Rotorua-based sawmill Red Stag Wood Solutions will receive a $15 million loan to develop an engineered ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has announced that New Zealand is exploring the viability of working with partners to conduct a search for the black box on the Gulf Livestock 1. “We know how much it would mean to the families of those on the ship to understand more about ...
Infrastructure Minister Shane Jones has today announced the Government is supporting the creation of new marine infrastructure in northern Te Tairāwhiti on the North Island’s East Coast. The Government has approved in principle an allocation of up to $45 million to support the construction of a marine transport facility at ...
E Epineha. Ka tangi te iwi, ki a koe e ngaro nei i te kitenga kanohi. Kua mokemoke to whānau, to iwi, te motu whanui. Haere ki o matua, tipuna. Haere ki te okiokinga tuturu mo te tangata. Haere i runga i te aroha o ngā reanga kei muri i ...
Catch limits will be increased for 26 fisheries and reduced for three fisheries as part of a regular round of reviews designed to ensure ongoing sustainability of fisheries resources. Fisheries Minister Stuart Nash has announced decisions following a review of catch limits and management controls for 29 fish stocks. The ...
The Sport and Recreation Minister Grant Robertson says while it is disappointing the Rugby Championship will not be held in New Zealand, the country will host two Bledisloe Cup games in October and has the capacity in managed isolation facilities to host other international sporting events. “We offered flexible quarantine ...
Up to 350 more people in regional New Zealand will gain a pathway to trades training through a $14 million government investment in apprenticeships, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones announced today. The apprenticeships are part of the $40 million Regional Apprenticeship Initiative (RAI) announced in June. The funding comes ...
A Government brokered solution to the parking woes at Christchurch Hospital will deliver more than 1000 new car parks near the Hospital for staff and visitors while also ensuring the completion of the Metro Sports Facility, say Minister for Christchurch Regeneration, Dr Megan Woods. The new parking package is made ...
The lockdowns have required significant sacrifice, but Covid-19 has served us with a timely reminder of how interconnected we all are, writes Chris Farrelly of the Auckland City Mission.Amid this global pandemic, we witness the power and importance of community. Put simply, we have seen that our own efforts are ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bruce Bradbury, Associate Professor, Social Policy Research Centre, UNSW This week, support to unemployed Australians will be dramatically reduced. In April, the new Coronavirus Supplement roughly doubled the level of benefits for unemployed people on the JobSeeker payment and a range of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexandra Wake, Program Manager, Journalism, RMIT University From today, ABC local radio listeners will no longer hear the majestic fanfare theme on local radio at 7:45am, signalling the 15-minute morning news. Although it might seem a smart managerial decision to reduce reporting ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Annette Cowie, Adjunct Professor, University of New England Federal Energy Minister Angus Taylor is on Tuesday expected tooutline the Morrison government’s first Low Emissions Technology Statement, plotting Australia’s way forward on climate action. It’s likely to include “negative emissions” technologies, which ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alberto Posso, Professor of Economics, RMIT University Closing schools has been one response around the world to try to stop the spread of COVID-19. In Australia, states mandated an end to face-to-face learning for some time during the so-called first wave of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tebeje Molla, Research Fellow, Deakin University For disadvantaged people with disrupted educational trajectories, such as refugees, vocational qualifications can widen access to paid jobs and enhance economic independence. But many still consider vocational education and training (VET) qualifications not as prestigious as ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jessica Vredenburg, Senior Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in Marketing, Auckland University of Technology So-called brand activism is evolving fast. When Colin Kaepernick first knelt during the US national anthem in 2016, professional football turned its back on him. Now, consumer and sports fan ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tony Makin, Professor of Economics, Griffith University The financial response of Western governments to the COVID-19 crisis has been gargantuan, with boosts to health expenditure, enhanced JobSeeker-like payments, and JobKeeper-like wage subsidies to keep workers attached to jobs. While a strong response ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nick Richardson, Adjunct Professor of Journalism, La Trobe University Of all the words written about Rupert Murdoch, “boring” is not one of them. The media mogul has been the object of fascination for six decades, after he followed his father Sir Keith ...
Welcome to The Spinoff’s Election Live for September 21, bringing you the latest on election 2020 and other NZ news. The essential campaign dates are here. For all you need to know about the cannabis referendum click here. For the assisted dying referendum click here. Explore the parties’ pledges at Policy. I’m ...
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Fonterra gets back into the black, National’s economic plan derailed by accounting blunder, and Air NZ boss questions continuing with elimination strategy.To lead off today, one of the most important single numbers for the rural economy. Fonterra has announced a payout ...
All week this week we focus on an extraordinary book of essays by Iranian-born Auckland film-maker Ghazaleh Golbakhsh. Today: her tale of a wandering Persian exile The Shah of Grey Lynn walks in front of me, his body long and lean, his head hung low. A shah is similar ...
Some of the safest parliamentary seats in the country are about to be taken over by newbies. They're sure things, anointed by their parties, waiting for the public's stamp of approval. In the latest in an occasional series, Marc Daalder speaks to public health expert Ayesha Verrall who, fresh off a ...
It was trash talk of a constructive nature during a political debate about the country's waste problem, including a hike in landfill levies hoped to fund better waste infrastructure Politicians put forward their policies for dealing with New Zealand’s growing waste problem in an online debate. Per capita we have ...
Fresh-faced and 14, our new national surfing champion initially struggled under the weight of the title. But with a new mindset, Ava Henderson is looking forward to claiming more crowns, she tells Anna Willcox. In the months after being crowned the New Zealand women’s surf champion, Ava Henderson didn’t like it. ...
National tried to go high-tech in its virtual campaign launch - but it was a far less sophisticated mathematical error which overshadowed Judith Collins, Sam Sachdeva writes As far as political humiliations at Avalon Studios go, Paul Goldsmith didn't quite match the time Rodney Hide dropped his Dancing with the Stars ...
Protecting 30 percent of our oceans by 2030 was one of a raft of marine plans announced by the Green Party Bans of bottom trawling in the Hauraki Gulf and a dramatic increase in the amount of protected marine areas are part of the Green Party's vision for oceans. Green ...
In this second of a series on the party leaders on the campaign trail, Tim Murphy joins the Greens' Marama Davison on a Sunday street corner in Glen Innes Marama Davidson and her offsider doubled the numbers when they arrived at the third of her four street corner campaign stops in ...
Covid-19 has put sign language in the public eye this year, but the fight to have it recognised as a 'real 'l language continues This week is New Zealand Sign Language Week, to coincide with the International Week of the Deaf and the United Nations International Day of Sign Languages ...
It was trash talk of a constructive nature during a political debate about the country's waste problem, including a hike in landfill levies hoped to fund better waste infrastructure Politicians put forward their policies for dealing with New Zealand’s growing waste problem in an online debate. Per capita we have ...
Misinformation about the effectiveness of the test is swirling, but in fact the PCR is both reliable and critical in taking on the virus, explains Siouxsie Wiles.I’ve been asked by several people in recent days whether there is any truth to a video about the Covid-19 PCR test that is ...
Let’s put tax at the core of this election. Sharing wealth is how we share care and responsibility for this land and all of the people in it, writes Laura O’Connell Rapira.It’s election season in the middle of a pandemic and global economic crisis. These are strange times we find ...
A look at the three elements that make up the TV election debate - the broadcaster, the moderator, and the politician. They come around every three years. Everything from the studio sets and the position of the podiums, to the colour of the ties, is carefully thought out; and then ...
By Keith Jackson The trend is your friend, it is said, and the trend in counting votes for the next president of Bougainville remains firmly with former Bougaiville Revolutionary Army commander Ishmael Toroama, who continues to move ahead of the field. With the elimination of the 14th presidential candidate late ...
A Government plan to charge people for emergency housing like motels was derailed by Covid-19, but will now come into effect two days after the election. ...
Thank you for your kind welcome. I am so proud to lead this great National Party in our first-ever virtual campaign launch. It is a bittersweet day. We should all be here together. But we all know why we aren’t. The rhetoric never matches the ...
Judith Collins’ hopes of kicking the National 2020 campaign into gear were stalled by an embarrassing accounting error, writes Justin Giovannetti from the Hutt Valley.Today was the day the National Party’s election campaign was finally going to start rolling with momentum after a belated campaign launch. Instead, festivities were overshadowed ...
It’s been revealed that an upcoming novel by the Harry Potter author features a crossdressing serial killer. In the last several years Joanne “JK” Rowling has doubled, tripled, and as of last week, quadrupled down on her bigotry towards transgender people, both in her public statements and in her popular fiction. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kcasey McLoughlin, Senior Lecturer in Law, University of Newcastle Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death has generated an outpouring of grief around the globe. Part of this grief reflects her unparalleled status as a feminist icon and pioneer for women in the legal ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jared Mondschein, Senior Fellow & Senior Advisor, US Studies Centre, University of Sydney As the two sides in US politics begin jockeying for position following the passing of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the similarities to the 2016 presidential election are ...
The National Party has acknowledged it made a $4 billion error in its fiscal plan promising tax cuts to kick start the economy, after the anomaly was highlighted by Labour. ...
RNZ article today featured 'Truck crashes leave Auckland Harbour Bridge hobbled' clearly shows the massive cost of damages many of our highways drains, bridges and road surfaces by overuse of freight trucks all over NZ as the National Party recklessly ...
Kiwi politicians will face their toughest audience yet when they enter ‘a virtual hotseat’ hosted by a panel of the nation’s young people. Presented by Save the Children New Zealand and GirlGuiding New Zealand, the ‘Virtual Hotseat’ will ...
Today the Green Party announced their “Thriving Oceans Plan” to highlight their Ocean policies to build a thriving ocean. Every single life on our planet is dependent on the ocean. It’s one of the world’s greatest resources. It produces food and ...
The Taxpayers’ Union says that if Labour had done what it had promised and introduce an independent election policy costing office, the current confusion over National’s numbers would never have happened. Union Spokesman, Jordan Williams, says: “The ...
Child abuse advocacy group, Child Matters, is frustrated that calls to make Police vetting and child protection training mandatory for everyone who works with children have gone unheard Child Matters Chief Executive, Jane Searle, says while changes ...
Greenpeace is applauding the Greens marine policy, released today, saying it sets a strong vision for healthy and thriving oceans. Jessica Desmond, oceans campaigner at Greenpeace Aotearoa, says she’s pleased to see the Greens take a big picture ...
Ko au te moana, ko te moana ko au. I am the sea. The sea is me. Kia ora koutou katoa. Our moana is a taonga. Take care of our oceans and the oceans will take care of us. They are the lifeblood of our planet. A home to thousands ...
Greens to protect Aotearoa’s oceans with marine sanctuaries, bottom trawling and set-netting restrictions, and action against plastic The Green Party has released its Thriving Oceans Plan, which would dramatically increase marine protected areas ...
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Winston Peters must have been confused this morning when he made the bizarre claim that tax cuts are a ‘bribe’ and, ironically, criticised another party for promising to scrap his provincial vote fund in the next breath. Taxpayers’ Union spokesman ...
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Open mike 25/10/2019 
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Sneeky
I don't know what Chris Finlayson's been up to since he left Parliament but it hasn't killed his smarminess or his view that people other than he and his mates are stupid.
It was said on RNZ this morning that he was going back to contribute to getting the rules around the use of video from Parliament changed .
According to him the world has moved on and the rules need to be updated for the social media of today. We all know times move quickly and things move quickly.
We also know that the world didn't move that quickly in less than two years from when certain restrictions were included in the rules, to where they are no longer necessary.
Finlayson and his worthy leader no doubt had a part in formulating those rules. He is saying this brief time later that after the intellectual rigour they applied to constructing them the essence of part of them no longer applies?
What changed, what moved quickly is that they were no longer in power. What would have been argued on grounds of principle from high and mighty positions of power suddenly are being argued in a diametrically opposite way, ostensibly on grounds of principle.
The high and mighty are well suited to the worm holes. Finlayson should crawl back there.
Prior to becoming a politician Finlayson had a law practice which, as far as I know, continues to exist. I recall him saying on leaving politics that he was planning to resume his legal career.
That being the case then it is likely National hired him to represent them at the select committee hearing. That being the case then he would be representing his client (the Nats) and not himself.
No . he hasnt 'resumed his' previous legal practice. He has moved to Auckland ( where the money is) to work as an high end arbitrator and barrister
https://www.bankside.co.nz/barrister/hon-christopher-finlayson-qc/
That's interesting. Thanks Dukeofurl.
As someone who seems to have specialised in copyright, contractural interpretation and other similar legal matters prior to entering parliament, then it seems probable Finlayson was hired in his capacity as a high flying barrister to represent them.
After all, they have lots of Chinese money at their disposal. You know… this "quid pro quo" thing which appears fashionable among some of the world's political elite these days.
The legal fraternity love their Latin phrases so here’s one that’s quite fitting IMO: cui bono?
I studied Latin for some years and while I came across many fine phrases (and use them occasionally,) sometimes English is great for being succinct and accurate.
Like "the man is an arsehole."
Nice enough guy overtly @Anne…….shame about the sense of Tory entitlement and bitchiness he's adopted. Kind of a 'Dontcha know who I am?" – in an "I've paid my dues", sophisticated sort of way .
Better to just give him a knighthood and wish him a happy life in retirement. Maybe even a brass plaque on a front row seat in some remote venue where the NZSO plays.
Give him a bloody subscription for life even, or the keys to Miramar Penninsula, or even a guest column on Granny Herald
Well said peter.; – "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder"
but we must not allow our own photo images to be used for political gain without our consent.
An interesting question for our times: why are so few Repugs willing to lift even their smallest finger to try to tame the turd tornado spattering up the walls of the Oval Office? After all, Pence would sign off on any judges the Heritage Foundation puts in front of him, and any tax cuts or other reactionary legislation, so it's not as if they would lose any ability to actually do anything.
Is it simple partisan loyalty?
https://fortune.com/2019/10/21/republican-senators-impeachment/
Are modern day Repugs entirely driven by 'triggering the libs' and Pence just won't do that as effectively as the flambee'd freakshow?
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/10/8/20903433/pence-trump-impeachment-conservatives
Personally, I'm still going with they're too busy quivering in fear that Darth Hater would open a can of Whoopass on their spineless husks.
https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2019/10/24/the-fantasy-of-republicans-ditching-trump-229879
I do hope that people in the USA are reading your comments Andre and that of other wise heads here. One can only hope that all the close attention we give to the USA here actually penetrates the outer stratosphere of the USA consciousness.
As for Brexit, it is also very interesting in all its manifestations as Halloween draws close.
One columnist spreads her interest wide to take in the Remainers.
The trouble with the Remainers is not their arrogant inability to grasp when they have lost, but their blindness to when they have won. So when Boris Johnson triumphantly returned from Brussels clutching the best bad deal possible, the eyes of MPs gunged up so quickly with spiteful, green anger that they failed to spot their finest chance to wreck Brexit.
Fatuous Remainer MPs have just become the useful idiots of the Leave cause – Sherelle Jacobs Daily Telegraph Columnist
Her image shows a 20-30 year old looking pleased with herself for getting a piece into the paper which comes from a different viewpoint – though a doubtfully valid one.
" One can only hope that all the close attention we give to the USA here actually penetrates.."
Do really believe that ? the Guardian especially has far better writers and columnists, a world wide syndication and yet no one takes any notice
Did anyone watch the interview between John Campbell with Dogal Stevenson (the famous 1960’s news reporter)on TVNZ one Breakfast show today?
What a gem, here's my memory of it.
https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2019/10/25/special-report-to-save-democracy-we-must-make-the-media-our-own/#comment-479698
Todays blog.
What a blast hearing Dogal Stevenson talking to John Campbell at this morning on TVNZ one ‘Breakfast’ show at 7.40am today when John asked Dogal; “what would you advise todays newreaders to do”?
Dogal said very carefully after deep reflection “well I would say to him; (from memory- my words)
“just loosen up, – you don’t want to be a slave to a BBC as an adjunct; – talk to your listeners audience as they are your own people, and you will receive far more empathy and respect for speaking the truth.”
Then from memory I recall Dogal said, he still searches for the truth as a newsreader, and mostly listens to RNZ as our public broadcaster, in the hope that that he is hearing the truth, and others are to biased today.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/96745495/labour-promises-freetoair-rnz-tv-channel
Yes we need to get that free to air public TV channel we were promised by Labour started soon as the election process is now in full swing putting out so much fake media hype now that is is often difficult to know what is the truth any more.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/96745495/labour-promises-freetoair-rnz-tv-channel?rm=a
.
Yes public TV on a reasonable budget and no highly priced front people. Let's get able people who earn a reasonable screw and go for ugly ones – it's time we had our day in the sun.
"Yes we need to get that free to air public TV channel we were promised by Labour started soon as the election process is now in full swing "
As I replied to you @ Cleangreen once before (not sure if it was here or on TDB.)
Please don't hold your breath. You are probably already down as some disgruntled old coot whose vote won't make a difference in your twilight years anyway
Ideologically, the foxes are in charge of the chicken coup and the chickens are busy convincing their partners how dainty the taste of a Chardonnay is. So its better to just smile and watch them all jump off a cliff, and watch the onlookers clutch their pearls afterwards
chanting “Oooh! I say!”
OncewasTim.
Yes we are petty much stuffed now, like the movies always portray the masses as idiots when a huge disaster comes our way such as in the movie "The day after tomorrow
It correctly makes us all look quite stupid like chickens for sure. .
Can I sing 'Rule Britannia" one last time ?
Bond, James Bond .. no relation to Boris.
I wondered about this. What is the reasonable position on it?
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/401733/parliament-tv-attack-ads-speaker-reprimands-academic-over-comments
The hearing was mostly cordial, barring a stern rebuke from Mr Mallard to Massey University Professor Claire Robinson after her criticism of Labour's position.
The review was initiated after Labour complained that the Opposition had used official footage of Labour backbencher Deborah Russell without her permission in breach of one of Parliament's rarely enforced rules.
This is the only audio I can find. https://www.rnz.co.nz/audio/player?audio_id=2018719271
Claire Robinson…. always finds way to twist the narrative to favour national
https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/08-10-2017/election-2017-a-vote-for-the-status-quo/
"But to be a vote for change Labour would have had to get more votes than National. In fact National got 20,574 more votes in 2017 than it did in 2014."
hello MMP is calling Claire…the left has multiple choice of parties.
And she lies by omission as National got less votes as a % of the total vote a whopping -2.59%. Saying they 'won' by getting more votes by number and by party was the National partys constant claim.
I keep getting good, hopeful feelings that problems are being dealt with in a timely, not time-wasting fashion, now that the Labour Coalition is in. Please God let this political do-wonders group stay in and we can have hope for the future. It can't please us all, all the time, but it is trying for most of the time. The others are gungy ghastly greedy and bottom-feeders.
They're trying @grey. But there's a lot of shit to push uphill and they've been slow to start, and slow to even recognise where many of the roadblocks are/have been.
Their worst enema comes from quite a few in the senior ranks of the public service. Now that I've come of age, I'm privy to the conversations and opinions of a bunch of retired senior public servants. I hadn't quite realised how much they're in agreement with what I've noticed quite independently of what they'd seen and experieinced. Kind of like a blatent display of a Master of the Universe culture, previously limited to the private sector.
Whereas once it was all a matter of self preservation through obfuscation, spin et al (as in "Yes Minister" fashion), NOW those same traits come with outright political partisanship in so many cases.
Not sure if it was in here or TDB that I was reminded of the word 'spiv' which reminded me of grifters, but its become a bit sad that many of the coalition MPs have taken this long (2 years in) to appreciate the level of 'pushback' that's occurred, and many still don't appear to have noticed how many of their 'officials' have the skills of the best used car salesman.
Some Ministers and MPs in the coalition are/have been simply too 'nice', and the used car salesmen are, and have taken advantage of it.
Pushing back, to the extent they're trying to show just who is boss; 'working to rule' on policies they dislike or don't agree with, slowing it all down; and crying victim if and when anyone even attempts to call them to account.
I'm glad you have confidence because what worries me most is that this government COULD be teetering on a loss come 2020, given a senior public service that's by and large its enemy and almost completely unaccountable for its many failures (a matter of record that could rival a bLip list, an almost non-existent 4th Estate, and an electorate that's becoming increasingly disinterested and feeling alienated.
If you’ve got one or two crystals I could clutch, I could return the favour, maybe as a tour guide to the new home of the Dalai Lama
Edit
James Shaw gave an excellent interview.
environment Emissions trading scheme under fire
From Morning Report, 8:24 am today Listen duration 5′ :50″
The government is under fire for not going far enough with its Emissions Trading Scheme. Farmers won't have to start paying for their emissions until 2025, as long as they make progress in finding ways to measure and price emissions at the farm level. Greenpeace says the government's Emissions Trading Scheme shows pleas from tens-of-thousands of students for climate action have fallen on deaf ears. Corin speaks to the Climate Change Minister James Shaw in our Wellington studio.
and – Good work that engineer
8:15 am today
Engineer reveals dozens of building mistakes
From Morning Report, 8:15 am today 3.24m
A structural engineer who helped trigger investigations into seismically-flawed building designs has revealed dozens of common but serious mistakes he is finding during reviews. The consequences of design faults include a 60-metre high transmission tower that snapped in half. Phil Pennington reports.
I have relatives in the building industry. 'Cowboys' would be a polite description.
The way that builders go broke and don't pay their subbies is a shock to me, filled with the belief of building being one of our strong industries that was flourishing, blah blah. My relations just had a very nice house built and watched over it all the time, I think similar to a civil engineer as he is a retired builder. The supposed builder confessed that it was beyond him before the job was done, he was running a ponzi, paying off past debts from the current job, and it caught up with him. And he and his family were known to my relation, not fly-by-nights. In the end he was paid for the job, but didn't pay all his subbies, and my relation had to bargain with them to get them to sign off their work so the Council would issue a 'pass-notice' or whatever it's called. He had to pay some in full, so double for that part. Shocking! The house is pretty good but he had to finish off some parts himself. His knees are a bit shot, but he managed.
It should be a steady job and with good tradesmen getting good pay. But SNAFU is our codesign in NZ since neoliberalbloodyeconomics and the bloody Labourtroika/Treasury takeover. Can we pull ourselves out of the smelly bog – I hope.
The Master Builders still exist and they guarantee their work, do they not?
https://www.masterbuilder.org.nz/RMBA/Master_Build_Guarantee/RMBA/MB_Guarantee/GuaranteeHome.aspx
Well I have heard queries about whether they are reliable but don't know. Why is the Master Builder crowd not being used more – don't know. My builder relation would have thought that knowing the person and his family, he would be okay.
People can look into the eyes of an assured bloke and form an opinion that their job knowledge and outcome will be okay. Silly but in law when you hold yourself out to be something then you should stand behind it and I guess that prompts people to accept others who seem to know what they are doing.
One of the characteristics of the criminally inclined is that they can appear honest.
Another human chararacteristic is that family members will kill other family members on contract, as we learn today from a trial in Nelson.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/116818971/pair-sentenced-for-murder-of-nelson-woman
Spammers, ponzi schemes, crooked employers, employees, companies evading reponsibilities, cowboys, fly by nighters, human traffickers, exploiters everywhere.
And that's on a good day……………….
@ mac1. Why not find out yourself then tell us all if you are right.
And on my 'namesake' day we received the word that an Iwi is challenging OMV CEO in an international court .
A good move there, – we all need to support them not leave them in solitude;.
We we wrote this in support today too.
CEAC support Iwi Leaders Group lawsuit against OMV CEO
25th October 2019.
Press Release: Citizens Environmental Advocacy Centre.
CEAC support Climate change Iwi Leaders Group lawsuit against OMV CEO
On this ‘St Crispin’s day 25th October’, (a day that the English celebrate annually their victory against the French during the Agincourt 100yr war.)
• It was fitting that we were sent this important press release on this day.
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1910/S00504/iwi-leader-launches-criminal-lawsuit-against-omv-ceo.htm
We fully support the Iwi legal challenge against another polluter and ‘climate spoiler’ such as OMV is.
QUOTE;
“ An iwi leader has announced the initiation of a lawsuit to be filed at the International Criminal Court against Rainer Seele, the CEO of Austrian oil giant OMV”.
This was another very good Iwi policy that has considered the health ,safety and wellbeing of all citizens, and we commend the Iwi for making a bold stand against those corporate interests who wish harm upon our NZ citizens and we stand together with them in support and solitude.
END
No Right Turn nails it – shaw knows this stuff better than most and this is what he managed to sort – pathetic and disgraceful – if this is the big moment it fizzed worse than Dot-idiot and the big nothing.
Would it be possible to replace Westminster with with an algorithm run by .. oh, Zuckerberg ?
Think of the cost savings, efficiencies, and 'improvements' in democratic process.
Well, I think take a tender for the jobs of running the country – and have each person with watchers who answer to the people for the performance of their lad or lass. . All coming from the citizens and having first done a public, civic management diploma and social anthropology one also, and also a farming and horticulture course – those being our main positive products. (Less emphasis on rockets and space, and more on food and maintaining the planet in a livable condition.)
They will be responsible for ensuring that the administration does what has been agreed upon in an appropriately professional way, getting the best out of staff while treating them with respect. We will save on paying wannabe celebrities with good hair and good teeth, who put in an appearance and say the things that suit their Party, performing when the key at their back is turned – for older; or the touch button is pressed – that's the younger ones.
I agree – imo disrespecting all of the climate action marchers, the school strikers, the people that WANT real change, disrespecting Greta and our children will only lead to misery for everyone
Ethnic cleansing seems to be all good with the No 2 Repug in the Senate:
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/john-cornyn-defends-trump-kurds_n_5db1a0f3e4b0131fa99a9fba
well as the orange hostage taker once said
"He (they) knew what he (they) signed up for.
and besides He – the orange hostage taker – is also known for stiffing his contractors. so really they knew what they signed up for, right?
https://www.snopes.com/ap/2017/10/18/trump-says-fallen-soldier-knew-signed/
Here is the UK House of Commons with Q&A. How do we compare – I know I should listen and watch our Parliament but I am remiss about this.
Our QA starts with a Question. Theirs starts with background then the question.
And the initial question is a single question then next one on a different topic.
I can't keep track of UK Q&A!
This is brave, comedian Kelly Bachman telling Harvey Weinstein 'Fuck you' when he's in the audience at an event for young actors,
(cheers from the women, boos from the men).
Good job, those women!
Good on her.
and fuck him for having the gall to attend.
Good this is happening.
Revealed: how the FBI targeted environmental activists in domestic terror investigations
This article is more than 1 month old
Protesters were characterized as a threat to national security in what one calls an attempt to criminalize their actions.
Helen Yost, a 62-year-old environmental educator, has been a committed activist for nearly a decade. She says she spends 60 to 80 hours a week as a community organizer for Wild Idaho Rising Tide. She’s been arrested twice for engaging in non-violent civil disobedience.
Yost may not fit the profile of a domestic terrorist, but in 2014 the FBI classified her as a potential threat to national security. According to hundreds of pages of FBI files obtained by the Guardian through a Freedom of Information Act (Foia) lawsuit, and interviews with activists, Yost and more than a dozen other people campaigning against fossil fuel extraction in North America have been identified in domestic terrorism-related investigations.
The investigations, which targeted individual activists and some environmental organizations, were opened in 2013-2014, at the height of opposition to the Keystone XL Pipeline and the expansion of fossil fuel production in North America.
The new Foia documents reveal the bureau’s motivation for investigating a broad cross-section of the environmental movement and its characterization of non-violent protesters as a potential threat to national security.
The new Foia documents reveal the bureau’s motivation for investigating a broad cross-section of the environmental movement and its characterization of non-violent protesters as a potential threat to national security.
However, in the file closing the case, it appears that Yost has been watchlisted, which is standard for named subjects of FBI domestic terrorism investigations, according to Mike German, a former FBI agent who is now a fellow with the Brennan Center for Justice. Being watchlisted can lead to heightened scrutiny from law enforcement and delays or additional screenings when traveling. Yost said she had not traveled overseas since the FBI investigation.
Yost, who was contacted by an FBI agent when the case was still active, said she was not surprised by the agency’s actions. Surveillance was a form of suppression, she said, and this was another attempt to criminalize the actions of “normal people” working to protect natural resources. But she remains undeterred.
Ka kite Ano link below.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/sep/23/revealed-how-the-fbi-targeted-environmental-activists-in-domestic-terror-investigations
Kia Ora 1 News.
That's is cool the school still having a calf day.
Te Uluru is a Tangata Whenua of Australia taonga all Australians need to learn some of the Tangata whenua great culture.
Ka kite Ano
Kia Ora Te Ao Maori News.
Yes I will be a great game of Rugby tonight.
Ma Te Wa for the League.
Armogedon will be great this year. The is heaps of potential for our Rangatahi to make plenty of putea from playing and developing video games.
Ka kite Ano
The Wealthier countries need to step up and donate putea to help the poor country's of Te Papatuanuku. They have the lowest carbon footprint and will be suffering the most from Global warming that's a fact.
Almost $US10 billion pledged to help tackle climate change
Wealthier countries on Friday have promised nearly $US9.8 billion over the next four years to an international fund to help poorer nations develop cleanly and adapt to climate stresses.
Most of the donors making fresh contributions came from Europe, though New Zealand, South Korea, Japan and Canada also committed funds, with New Zealand and South Korea pledging to double previous donations.
However, the United States will not contribute, because president Donald Trump decided to stop paying into the fund.
The funding is still a drop in the ocean compared with the estimated $3 trillion to $7 trillion a year needed to shift the world's economy onto a more sustainable and climate-friendly path, Mr Glemarec said
The fund so far has allocated about $5.2 billion to 111 projects in 99 countries.
They range from green, low-cost housing in Mongolia's polluted capital and a methane-fuelled rapid-transit bus system in Karachi to restoring climate-threatened ecosystems in Namibia
Ka kite Ano link below.
Some Eco Maori Music For The Minute.
Time are changing fast our realities opinions can change just as fast now is the time to make sure that the information we are receiving is not being distorted by Wealthier people $$$$$$$$$$. In reality the best phenomenon for all is the best for Te Papatuanuku= equality for all equal income distribution and being caretaker of Papatuanuku and her creations for the next generations our mokopuna. Our society needs to learn respect our Tipuna and our mokopuna future respect for the past and future over our greed.
Why can’t we agree on what’s true any more?
It’s not about foreign trolls, filter bubbles or fake news. Technology encourages us to believe we can all have first-hand access to the ‘real’ facts – and now we can’t stop fighting about it.
We live in a time of political fury and hardening cultural divides. But if there is one thing on which virtually everyone is agreed, it is that the news and information we receive is biased. Every second of every day, someone is complaining about bias, in everything from the latest movie reviews to sports commentary to the BBC’s coverage of Brexit. These complaints and controversies take up a growing share of public discussion.
Much of the outrage that floods social media, occasionally leaking into opinion columns and broadcast interviews, is not simply a reaction to events themselves, but to the way in which they are reported and framed. The “mainstream media” is the principal focal point for this anger. Journalists and broadcasters who purport to be neutral are a constant object of scrutiny and derision, whenever they appear to let their personal views slip. The work of journalists involves an increasing amount of unscripted, real-time discussion, which provides an occasionally troubling window into their.
.
Why can’t we agree on what’s true any more? – podcast
This mentality now spans the entire political spectrum and pervades societies around the world. A recent survey found that the majority of people globally believe their society is broken and their economy is rigged. Both the left and the right feel misrepresented and misunderstood by political institutions and the media, but the anger is shared by many in the liberal centre, who believe that populists have gamed the system to harvest more attention than they deserve. Outrage with “mainstream” institutions has become a mass.
Public life has become like a play whose audience is unwilling to suspend disbelief. Any utterance by a public figure can be unpicked in search of its ulterior motive. As cynicism grows, even judges, the supposedly neutral upholders of the law, are publicly accused of personal bias. Once doubt descends on public life, people become increasingly dependent on their own experiences and their own beliefs about how the world really works. One effect of this is that facts no longer seem to matter (the phenomenon misleadingly dubbed “post-truth”). But the crisis of democracy and of truth are one and the same: individuals are increasingly suspicious of the “official” stories they are being told, and expect to witness things for themselves.
Reasons we cannot agree on what’s true |
On one level, heightened scepticism towards the establishment is a welcome development. A more media-literate and critical citizenry ought to be less easy for the
Ka kite Ano link below.
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2019/sep/19/why-cant-we-agree-on-whats-true-anymore
Kia Ora 1 News.
The Korowai Trust is doing a good job housing the homeless.
I'm trying to get A lawyer to.
That's awesome a commeration of the New Zealand land wars.
I agree we should not let go of the pass.
Ka kite Ano
Kia Ora Te Ao Maori News.
That's a good Haka and waiata at Waitara Marae for the commeration of the New Zealand Wars.
It was good luck that Hine won the draw.
Its awesome to see tangata whenua getting council seats.
Ka kite Ano