Passfire is a term pyros use for moving flame. From the fuse to the lift charge on the ground, to the shell containing effects in the sky. Passfire is also the name of a movie celebrating firework culture around the globe. Worth a look to see some of the joy that pyrotechnics brings.
Covid19s effects aren't smoothing class structures here.
They are making them much stronger.
There are thousands of women who are now unemployed or underemployed. The 1% should employ more New Zealanders, and these look like good roles to get compared to the pay of most car workers.
childcare and cleaning rich peoples houses obviously is something for unemployed women to do, right? No man need apply, they get shovel ready jobs, women get to clean other peoples toilets.
i was an au pair and boys also can be au pair. That has long been changed. I am not coarse thinker, i just say the parts that you are uncomfortable with out loud. And sometimes you know, reality is coarse 🙂
Btw, i was an au pair, i got that way to France and ended up living there for about 10 years. Two boys, fairly well of to do family from Germany. Living in Super Cannes right above Vallauris. In fact that is what got me as a stray teenager of the road, work with accommodation attached. I was just lucky that it took me to the South of France, i was paid 1000$ a month, worked 6 days a week at Nannying, cooking, ironing, cleaning the toilets and had sunday off. So very last century and the only reason most Au pair do this is because it takes them to a different country, one where they might never go to on their own. Just saying, before you explain Au Pair to me in detail.
And yes, housekeeping – involves cleaning toilets. But hey, they will get paid minimum wage right 🙂 all these poor dear unemployed female that so far no one gives a flying fudge about. https://www.aupair.com/en/p-male-au-pair.php
” Au Pair is not a gender restricted job, so it is possible for boys to find a place in a Host Family. The truth is that it can take much longer for a male Au Pair to be placed, but some families are looking exactly for an elder brother for the kids.
House slaves and field slaves. I'm a house slave myself. I hope, come the revolution, I'll put aside my social culture and fight for the field slaves, despite their social culture.
I'm pretty sure I said "unemployed NZer's" not women so I'm not sure why you would suggest something different to what I said.
If you have an issue with only/mainly women doing that work take that up with the people who employ them. Besides that wasn't the point of my post – the point was about the fact they are lamenting the loss of their "cheap" overseas labour and want them deemed essential.
tion cheep the women, the men more about cheep. Sex our humanity human should not be allowed the exploitation that is here on our place our human world.
I wondered about that Muttonbird. There is the barrier of the bad publicity heard for decades. If there was an Academy for Maori Nannies and Au Pairs which had good standards, the Certification would give certainty.
We should be looking to ways to onshore some more of the customer call centre (Spark! and the other Telco's, insurance companiies and power companies) and other processing tha has gone offshore. If we pay the bills here we should have the jobs here!
We should shift them out of Auckland even now, Dunedin could benefit from something like that ( as well as provincial towns) good mix of students and older people.
I have to agree with you here Sabine. Rotorua used to have the branch or main offices of Doc, Tax, Maori Land Court…..slowly removed by BEnglish/Key's minions.
Business won't move into a town unless the infrastructure is there to support them. Most of the towns you listed simply don't have that infrastructure and so, if the government wants business to move there, they're going to have to build the infrastructure – and I'm not talking about roads.
That was shocking journalism from Stuff. No mention of the terms and conditions which are massively exploitive- third world in fact. They should enquire further not just regurgitate what they are told by the owner of the business.
Looking at the site NZ has one of the highest allowable working hours a week at 40 hours for suggested pocket money of $150 to $200 per week. so $3-$5 per hour for a full time job plus the board and lodging. I assume that no tax is paid on the pocket money or the assessed value of the lodgings although other taxpayers fork out.
Most of the other countries have very part time hours and better pay rates- so at least au pairs have some spare time for the the local culture.
Time the over entitled paid a proper wage – even if only part time.
most Au pair if done correctly work about 20 – 25 hours a week.
I was one in 1992 – and i got a 1000$ per month, plus accom, etc. It was a good deal then, considering that they paid the flights to and home, etc. w
40 hours per week is indeed exploitation, but again if you are 18 and want to come here it is a worthwhile deal. They pay the flight to and from which is several thousands of dollars depending on where you come from, and you get a visa that the host family will also pay. That is to keep in mind. Au pair is not really a job that one does as a career option, it is an opportunity to see the world while literally having no skills.
Yes maximum exploitation. Or the conditions that the visa is issued under need to limit hours to say 10 a week so it genuinely is just a cross cultural largely holiday thing.
Either way I would not consider them a priority class of inwards migrant. Would also be very interested in knowing what the fees being charged by the arranging organisations are – .
But having known people who have done childcare some employers do take advantage
If young people can travel the world before they settle down and know that they can get part paid for even on low wages then it's good for both.
Hours not too long, bed board okay, then it's a working holiday. The Woofers accept that too, and young people from all over the world get to meet and see other countries.
Honestly we need more then free consultancy. I consulted the crystal bowl, and i see lots of empty town ships devoid of people because unemployment, starvation rates in our benefits system and no stability in which to run your business.
We need a better definition of who is essential and can work through which levels.
Case: two days ago all the banks in AKL closed.
Why? Because suddenly they were told they are not essential and thus need to close during level 3, however they were open and classified as essential last time during Level 4. But maybe current Level 3 is just Level 4 hiding. Who knows.
But the banks are closed now until at least Sunday. For those that want to say INTERNET and we don't need no open banks, not everyone has internet, some only have internet via a Library which are also closed.
It is a small thing, but who can be open and who can not. How to open. Etc.
The hairdresser next to me took three month to work of the debt accumulated during the last lockdown until she could open up. She was busy – as expected – right after opening but now it has dropped off and with every closed business she and others like her in town are loosing business, one persona a time.
But unless she experiences a 40% drop in business she ain't getting no help other then a loan that she will have to pay back after a year. Generally i have no issues with that either, but she literally got herself a loan so that next time she needs to close for 8 – 12 weeks she can pay the bills for the shop cause the wage subsidy (if it still exists then) was not enough to pay the bills at home for her and her boy. Yes, she is a single mum.
Disclaimer: This is not to slag the PM, but it is to point out that we need governance now as this is going to stay with us for a few years, and businesses need to be able to plan ahead. And one of the big question is: Will i be open. or better, under what lock down restrictions can i open safely.
And frankly the wage subsidy set at 40% loss of revenue, lol, at that stage businesses start talking about closing shop and joining the unemployment queue.
My partner fixes ATMs and such, Banks were considered essential service under the last lockdown and worked under Level 4 for exactly the reasons i mentioned above, not everyone has access to internet and/or is set up for internet banking, and the few businesses that do work will also still need banking services.
However, and this was very surprising to us on Monday a directive came from the government that they are NOT essential and must close. Banks now in Auckland closed since Monday and will open again with drop to level two. And i know about this, because it reduced the work load for the engineers in Auckland that look after these machines.
Seriously people, stop pretending that it is the businesses that are screwing up, we are trying to function with the information form the government that we get and not with the information that we need.
This is government. Not the banks, nor the businesses. If the government changes its mind and tells you to close shop, you close shop. How hard is this to understand, considering that shops are closed in AKl, and are closing down for good up and down the country side?
Banks being told to close down and all emphasis being put on on-line transactions! This comes out of the tiny mind of some half-man of O who knows nothing about life, and everything about facilitating machine control of society including his/her own job. That seems all people are taught these days.
We have to close them down because they are not providing essential services! That is how to live our lives at a basic level and being able to access all that we need wherever possible.
HalfMen of O – Two youngsters are sent to help people being over-run by these dangerous characters. They are summoned to the beautiful land of O in a last-ditch attempt to save the planet from cruel Otis Claw and his followers, the evil Halfmen, who have lost every trace of human goodness and kindness. https://www.penguin.com.au/books/halfmen-of-o-9780143318347
Are we in a nation-wide filmset and don't even know it? I hope someone is documenting all this – it's better than Game of Thrones except not much nudity and the clothing is more mundane.
I may have heard tell of it, from a mysterious traveller who appeared in our midst and partook of our victuals, sharing a tale of dark market forces at large beyond the Shire before vanishing whence he came. Or it might have been on the radio.
Jacinda Ardern's office had to step in to help resolve an apparent botch-up over whether bank branches could open under the current alert level 3 in Auckland. On Sunday Dr Ashley Bloomfield, director general of Health, rejected an application for banks to be granted an exemption under the Covid-19 Public Health Response Order, which would have explicitly permitted bank branches to open with limited face-to-face contact with customers.
Throughout last week, banks had been nervous that they were operating outside the Ministry of Health's order, with the sector not included in a group of businesses which could operate face to face with customers under alert level 3.
The Ministry of Health order appeared to contradict information on the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) website which suggested branches could open with social distancing.
snip
We were made aware by banks that they had closed their Auckland branches due to not being granted an exemption from the Ministry of Health to trade under level 3," a spokeswoman for the Prime Minister said. "We need New Zealanders to be able to access money and bank services and we are aware that for many people this is done via a bank branch. So officials discussed the matter and the director general of health signed an exemption yesterday afternoon."
Why banks were not included in the original order was unclear last night. MBIE, the Reserve Bank and the Ministry of Health variously referred questions to each other about the issue on Tuesday.
Seriously they need to get their stories straight, then they need to set binding rules, no of this weasely no accountabilty schmuck of 'can do, should do, bullshit' but rules. Proper rules.
It may be that Dr Bloomfield needs a short break (a day!) as while he has kept up the pressure on medical matters and society but he has kept it on himself for so long. Possibly the micro-management is getting to him and his staff, and their needs to be someone to step in and point out that banks aren't just any business, they are at the root of business and vital to us all in our present financial system.
It's high time a banking licence came with some service requirements rather that tellers pointing at bug ridden machines. Banking is a nightmare even every day transactions are now very difficult to complete.
3.1.1.1 commented on bank service levels. Not directly related to the essential bit as such – but outside the larger centre's and even within them – on the ground banking services whether teller or automated have diminished sharply. Not every one has the internet / skills but the banks are disenfranchising or privileging some groups over others with the dash to internet and automation only. But that is another day. BTW the machines certainly don't do every thing – I've had an interesting time completing some transactions.
It's off topic but it needed a bank cheque from a teller (otherwise I'd have had to track cash around.) And there are ATM's that only give out $50 notes – no 20's so if you don't have a lot of money you might be stuffed. And like it or not transaction timings and transferability between banks has diminished for a number of transactions and locations. No the government didn't need to create the confusion over the banks but please don't take it out on me with sarcasm when there are other people with different experiences of the use and availability of banking services.
The security or otherwise can also be questioned. Banks get hacked.
Why? Because suddenly they were told they are not essential and thus need to close during level 3, however they were open and classified as essential last time during Level 4.
Bank premises aren't essential as everything that anybody needs to do with the bank can be done online. I haven't been inside a bank in more than ten years.
But the banks are closed now until at least Sunday. For those that want to say INTERNET and we don't need no open banks, not everyone has internet, some only have internet via a Library which are also closed.
Those people need to join the 21st century and they've just received a lesson as to why.
Generally i have no issues with that either, but she literally got herself a loan so that next time she needs to close for 8 – 12 weeks she can pay the bills for the shop cause the wage subsidy (if it still exists then) was not enough to pay the bills at home for her and her boy.
And now you know the problem of ownership. After all, the capitalist needs to have their income from their assets even though they're not being used right?
Most people are already doing business online and so keeping shops open for the few who refuse to move out of the past is just getting more and more expensive per use as economies of scale keep dropping and it doesn't provide any societal value.
I shifted my mortgage from ANZ to BNZ using phone and internet while I was working out of a hotel in Singapore in 2018. Did the same for getting a car loan during the lockdown in April.
I could have done both using phone and mail. It was an option offered. It just takes longer.
I myself have not been to a bank in some years, and do all my banking online as well, but that does not mean that banking is not an essential service. Consider the essential services such as dairies, supermarkets, and petrol stations. Cash is still a valid form of currency, as far as I recall. Those places might have a decent amount of cash on hand at anyone time, and will need to deposit or exchange notes and coin. It is for this reason more than any other that banks need to remain open as businesses carrying large amounts of cash can become targets for robbery.
And I can recall the half hour or so of lost time taking the cash to the bank at the end of the day. Cash is expensive in so many ways never mind the increased threat of theft..
Those places might have a decent amount of cash on hand at anyone time, and will need to deposit or exchange notes and coin. It is for this reason more than any other that banks need to remain open as businesses carrying large amounts of cash can become targets for robbery.
Their's probably some way that the bank could take the cash while keeping their stores closed. Armourguard or similar.
The demise of legal tender is not something which I anticipate fondly, either as a customer or as someone who is occasionally involved in customer service.
Many's the time my arse has gotten home thanks to a sneaky $20 folded into the battery compartment of my cellphone. shit happens.
A couple of decades ago I would have agreed with you but I haven't carried cash in 15+ years. A time or two I've had to pull out my phone and transfer money across from my savings account into my on-call account so I could use EFT-POS.
I also have my HOP card so I can move around (don't own a car) which will work if it has some money on it when I get on the bus.
Cash is tactile, solid. Not abstract, not dependant on a fibre cable or the stores power supply, but portable and with no fees for use. Even the cash run can be done during quiet times when you'd be paying someone to stand around, anyway.
Beggars in the street don't usually carry eftpos machines, so if they want to eat, they need cash from strangers.
Someone who is blind can easily count well-designed cash. Not sure how they know that the cashier has accidentally overcharged them on the eftpos terminal.
I'm sure your utopia will be wonderful for everyone, but cash is disappearing by itself, not as part of a broader scheme to improve society.
The only place I carry cash is when I’m outside of NZ. I just had to get a new wallet because the old one fell apart after 20 years. The old one was a leather wallet for holding business cards. It was perfect for holding eftpos cards, credit cards, access cards for buildings and no cash. Turns out that leather rots if you’re working outside in Singapore for 5 months and have it in your sweaty pocket.
I’ve just replaced it with a Bellroy card holder. That is exactly the right size for what I usually carry.
I'm working on making my own – two external card slots for bus and staff card, internal compartments for various debit and business cards. Made a prototype, just finished a revised design.
And they have absolutely no excuse for that. The inevitable demise of shops has been obvious for decades. As long as the internet's been around in fact.
The fact that nearly all business can now be done online should have been a clue for them.
Society isn't going to hold still just because a few people want to stay in the 19th century.
In my world no-one has to choose between food and a smart phone+plan, but I can't help wondering – as neat as they are, just how tasty is a smart phone?
Businesses that are prepared to humour this luddite will continue to receive my custom until such time as they decide it's not a sufficiently profitable way to operate. Btw, if it's inconvenient that your immensely profitable bank is phasing out cheques, then switch to a bank that still supports them – easy as.
I don’t like change, but have switched or been morphed a few times without special assistance (Post Office Savings Bank –> PostBank –> Lloyds –> Trust Bank Central –> Westpac –> TSB –> TSB/Kiwibank/[PSIS –> Cooperative]) – admittedly my banking needs are simple.
No problem – and those two online help sites were easy to find too.
Most of my bank switching was done in person (by walking into a bank and filling in forms), sometimes aided by phonecalls (on a landline!) I enabled internet banking (with one bank only) about six months ago (when I finally got an internet connection at home), and it's OK. Larger online one-off payments were initially a bit of a pain (can't do text verification), but my bank provided a workaround.
And yes, it won't be ‘easy as’ for everyone (particularly if you can’t walk to or phone your old and new banks), but in my experience banks do try to assist even ordinary customers, especially the bank(s) you’re opening an account with.
Otoh, the way interest rates are trending a switch to the Bank of Mattress might be in order sooner rather than later! Just hope a cashless NZ is still some way off.
I did get your point and added to it that banks are aware of these and other issues with accessibility and offer a wide range of assistance. I would also add that the degree of inconvenience for customers who are not on-line is likely to increase over time. I do have personal experience with people being ‘off-line’, for all intents and purposes, and there no easy answers. I also know what it is like not using a mobile phone 🙂
I know how to fix the reply button now. There is however some annoying testing I have to do to make sure that fix isn’t worse isn’t worse than the original problem on a range of devices. It is a javascript issue, in this case the plugin using an older JQuery system that has been obsoleted.
Thing is, there's a law of decreasing returns that banks and online businesses (and covid app designers) will do the easy thing that hits almost everyone, and those outside the "almost" are buggered unless they make a big song and dance about having a need that the media can paint as "deserving".
Cash is just one of the things. It's cheaper to close stores and branches, so if someone wants to touch something before buying it, they're fucked. My local uni decided nowhere on campus will accept cash, none of their cafes, stores or whathaveyou. Fuck those guys.
Getting my mail is a bugger, because they closed the branch so if a parcel needs to be signed for then the box lobby is staffed half a day and forget about weekends. Get it delivered to my home? If the courier doesn't leave it to get nicked, they tap on the door then run like buggery so I have to find the depot.
Oh, I'm sure it's all fine for almost everyone else, but I'm noting quite a lot of "my way or the highway" bullshit from enterprises that theoretically want me to pay for their shit. It's almost like some of these industries are cabals or monopolies…
sorry, didn't quite follow that. The shops that have cash on premises this week, what are they supposed to do with it?
If you think everyone in NZ can afford a phone and internet, you *really haven't been paying attention.
My elderly parents don't do online banking. They use a branch. You can want everyone on e-money all you like, but the reality is that this week there are people still dependent on being able to visit a branch, and until the government signals well ahead of time that that will be ending, then it needs to be factored into covid response as an essential service.
The shops that have cash on premises this week, what are they supposed to do with it?
For this week they need to get to the bank. But considering that we had a level 4/3 a couple of months ago and knowing that it was going to happen again both the banks and the businesses should have got off their arse and planned for it.
The fact that they didn't just goes to show how terrible our business people are at basic business and accounting for risks. The idiots are still trying to go back to how things were when that simply isn't going to happen.
If you think everyone in NZ can afford a phone and internet, you *really haven't been paying attention.
If they're that poor then they should be signed up with WINZ and WINZ requires people to have a phone up to and including helping people get one. WINZ even provides the necessary bandwidth if you need it.
My elderly parents don't do online banking.
For which they have no excuse. Internet banking became available 20+ years ago in NZ and its never been hard to use.
As I said, it's been obvious for ages that shops were a thing of the past and that they would be going the way of the dodo in the near future. People should have been preparing for it. And, yes, that includes the government.
but the reality is that this week there are people still dependent on being able to visit a branch
Yes, this week shows just how stupid people are thinking that things were going to continue as is when there's a global pandemic and a possibility of a lock down happening with little to no warning.
Get with the program already and stop making excuses.
In the 60+ age bracket, the main way to bank is online (38%), followed by "in-person" (29%). If my everyday bank discontinued services such as in-branch banking and cheque accounts, then I'd switch to a bank that (still) offered them. The customer is always right, right? No-one’s going to force me to buy a cell phone, let alone a smart phone, until I'm good and ready.
Such a bizarre and bossy response – like customers need an excuse.
Things have changed. Thought I got that through in my last comment. The shops are closing so as to protect people from the pandemic. The services that some are saying are essential aren't because they can be done online.
The customer is always right, right?
You do realise that that's a marketing strategy right?
Its purpose is to stop the customer from being combative in something that's gone wrong. Then, after the salesperson has got the customer calmed down, to carefully explain to the customer why they're wrong and come to an equitable settlement that, hopefully, doesn't involve giving the customer any money. Getting the customer to spend more is a bonus.
No-one’s going to force me to buy a cell phone, let alone a smart phone, until I'm good and ready.
Its nice to know that you care so much about the health and well-being of your neighbours in these trying times of a global pandemic.
Banks are now again classified as essential services (as they were in the previous lockdown). It was a case of some official not being properly informed of all the circumstances. Ashley went over the matter, and explained how the mistake occurred, and how it was quickly rectified on this afternoons briefing.
…but Collins has a unique, theatrical way of asking questions that really gets under the Government's skin.
By her fifth supplementary question, Collins discovered the crack team of Heather Simpson and Brian Roche, drafted in to sort out the border-testing fiasco, didn't yet have any terms of reference, despite the pair being appointed a little less than a week ago.
That effectively means Simpson and Roche are flying blind, each knowing roughly what their job is, but with few specifics.
Ardern said those terms of reference were still in the process of being drafted. The questions appeared to get under Ardern’s skin – she eventually shot back at Collins that she was so proud of her Labour team that she’d happily have a reference to them on an election billboard – a dig at National’s hoardings which proclaim the party’s “strong team” despite months of brutal infighting.
I was watching also and feel Coughlan did capture the atmosphere accurately. Collins' supercilious laugh that greets Ardern's answers and precedes Collin's every question, is wearying to the soul and is, I believe, irritating Jacinda as evidenced by her slip into "snipping" at Collins over the "strong team" billboards. It's a trifling issue, and the PM will have given herself a stern talking-to for having let her guard down and allowing Collins to "slip one in" – Mallard was quick to rein it in – a slap-fest would be won by Collins hands-down, even if Jacinda made the cleverest jibes, as the fight itself would be seen, quite rightly, as a fail by the PM. But she'll have learned and it won't happen again, though Collins will try that door repeatedly and slyly. I'm always interested to read how others interpret scenes such as this one; the Kiwiblog crowd will have seen a thrashing of the PM by the hero, Judith, while here, as with your fair comment, aj, we'll have seen it differently and in favour of our "champion" – it's a genuinely interesting phenomenon – both sides fully confident that they saw things as they were. Of course, this is only my opinion and describes the way I saw it – there's no reason to believe that my interpretation isn't as coloured as anyone else; such it the mystery of perception.
Collins' supercilious laugh that greets Ardern's answers and precedes Collin's every question,
Bishop does this as well but I'm not sure it irritates the opposition. My take is it's childish. But I take your points, perceptions are always coloured. And I confess I was listening more than watching, while preparing vegetables for tonight's meal and may have missed nuance of body language. I do agree Collins quieter persona is more effective, but on the substance I gave it either a draw, or a points decision to Adern.
On the matter of essential international workers getting into the country and by-passing quarantine requirements, not news, win to Adern
On the testing at the border, this will always be a slight loss to labour but this is like flogging an almost dead horse now
On terms of reference for Simpson and Roche, a slight win for Adern. So what if they have been appointed but the terms of reference is still being written up?
Billboards – I thought it was a good dig, are you sure Collins would win a 'slap-fest' only on the optics I'd suggest, as Adern has positioned herself above that but I agree optics alone means she shouldn't dip into the muck too much.
I was watching also and feel Coughlan did capture the atmosphere accurately.
I was watching too and indeed he 's correct. Momentarily, Jacinda was irritated and Judith knew so she will try it again – no question. But Jacinda is a quick and smart thinker and I doubt she'll let it happen again.
What has happened to the video that had Jacinda Ardern visiting ESR? Last I heard about it was that it was taken down for editing. Does anybody know if it is back up?
"What has happened to the video that had Jacinda Ardern visiting ESR? Last I heard about it was that it was taken down for editing. Does anybody know if it is back up?" "Was it edited out then?"
So many questions Gossie – do let us know when you have some answers.
"That one doesn't have a lingering shot of Ashley Bloomfield."
Don't worry, there should be more than enough lingering shots of senior public servant Dr Bloomfield to satisfy you in the lead up to the general election.
All part of the pandemic response service don't you know
I know where collins has been these last few days . They've had her in the shop for full rebuild a much less severe looking and less snarky one was on display on tv this am . No less sneaky though .
It’s a topsy turvy world. On Morning Report this morning we had a Labour Finance Minister preaching fiscal discipline and defending the lack of the wage subsidy for the extra four days of Level 3 lockdown in Auckland while the National Party leader demanded the subsidy get paid, even if it means more borrowing and went so far as to suggest the government should just pay extra if it was too hard to part pay the four days out of a week. Collins incidentally was as nice as pie too, a noticeable shift in tone.
Strange times.
There sems to be a tidal wave of right wing nut jobs critisising Ardern and the Govt for protecting the lives of NZers, even Peters has joined the march
None of the criticism has any basis on Fact and is little more than Hyperbole, electioneering for the right who have no credibility and seem to have conveniently forgotten all the mishandling of a few weeks ago with Boag, all the resignations, 3 leadership spills and no new policies except to privatise the Covid Response so their friends so they can profit from the pandemic.
Fake News is at all time High in the NZ Media, surprise, surprise.
Just Is. 100%. Media unrelentingly negative at the moment. Their bosses must have set them an assignment to go out and find any angle on our current situation that makes the govt look bad. They are trying to win National the election. It’s unrelentingly
Pataua4life, I guess you are referring to the roll out of testing staff at the border. The Govt had understood it was happening. Even although it wasn't we have one outbreak. one cluster and despite the exhaustive testing it hasn't come from the border.
Everyone morning I checked the Covid numbers worldwide. Today NZ has gone from 140 to 142 in terms of case numbers. We continue to be surpassed by other countries and have for months. We need perspective here. We have had none by the media. I believe they are undermining and therefore endangering our Covid response
"If you game enough to read blogs from the other side you would see the exact same statements going the other way."
I have been there and read the comments, what is clear is that most who comment their are are completely illiterate and live in a parallel universe.
"Plus the fact that the NZ media has been brought by the current Govt for 50 million pieces of silver."
Proof to support that unsubstantiated claim.
Just a quick reminder, NZ has the very best response to this Pandemic of any country in the world today, there have no stuff ups as suggested by some, ie testing, as there simply is no evidence to support it, there have only been reports of stuff ups from those who wish there were some, yet there is not a single shred of evidence to support that claim, no matter how many times it's repeated by Collins or the media, it doesn't make true, basically FAKE NEWS
anyone in the media that people like to complain about are in the highest available income section in NZ that is available after Minister or plastic surgery doctor.
So they are as partisan as they can be as they want their low taxes, their loopholes, and they want people to come back in to rent all the fancy Air BnB owned by these people.
so why would you expect these guys to be fair and objective? Because that is what you were told? They are stenographers nor journalists.
No, they're peddlers of Fake News, the strategy used by the right as they have nothing else, confuse and disrupt.
Opposition Policies are non existent, the media don't care, they just want their mates to win at any cost, anybody claiming the media are not bias must be a Nat supporter.
there is no such thing as fake news no matter how many times the orange shitshow utters these two words. There are news you support and stand behind and then there are those that you don't support and don't stand behind. Simple as. Hoskins and his ilk however will stand behind those that give them tax cuts, and investment loopholes, and privilege and access. Non of that is fake, its currency and they want it. So they will never support anyone who will not give them these baubles.
Once you understand and accept that type of relationship between a political party and its bullhorn its paid of and fully owned stenographers you can get on with life and stop listening to them. Most of us already do.
The system is no longer binary – left vs right or whatever – there is now a significant fraction of news chatter devoted to bringing the whole system down. Fake news is not a matter of different interpretations of the same facts, but a deliberate attempt to detach fact from civic discourse. Once it’s gone, anything goes.
Even homo profugo Woodhouseiensis – homeless man – was not fake news. The story was rebuttable, and its truth or untruth mattered. Fake news is more the crap Billy TK is channeling – an outgrowth of active measures.
Marc Daalder writes a well informed column about the unlikelihood of Lockdowns 3 or 4. Pretty refreshing and optimistic
There's a widespread conception that New Zealand's elimination strategy requires the country to enter a Level 3 or Level 4 lockdown every time a single case makes it past the border.
This idea that New Zealand is committed to "rolling lockdowns" has been promulgated by political columnists, misguided academics and electoral hopefuls. It is, however, false – the elimination strategy doesn't depend only on lockdowns and it never has.
The ‘reply’ function is not working on any of my devices. It hasn’t worked for over six months on the iPad I use but up until a couple of days ago I could reply using my iPhone (an 11). Now that’s not working either. I always have to generate a primary comment which is very frustrating. Is there something I can do to correct this? I can’t be the only commenter in here that has this problem?
…. unlikelihood of Lockdowns 3 or 4. Pretty refreshing and optimistic
New Zealand will be relying on a small number of people working their butts off for this to succeed, and I hope the public realise this. When I say 'small' it's still thousands of people: border workers, health workers, testing staff, scientists, transport, police and military . I'm mindful of what people coming through quarantine have been saying, "its a different world" and while we go down to level 1, it's never level 1for the frontline staff in this long battle against Covid which will be relentless. They have a huge responsibility and all the stress that goes with it. A big thumbs up for their work so far and into the future.
An unrealistic expectation mpledger, it's been shown by academics the media have a bias to national.
Both in the lack of an objective approach and the sheer number of pieces that are effectively shilling a national led gov't as the solution. This was a reply to 10.1 that’s ended up on it’s own sorry.
Sabine what you raise is the conversation which must be had. It is crunch time and finding ways to lessen the pain without losing the fight with Covid is what needs to occur.
any time now they can start conversing about it, because we are getting tired, council fees just gone up, supplies are going up, rents will go up and there is no NO guidance to us and no help other then a loan and a wage subsidy that is too little too late and that the dear neo liberal Grant Robertson rather not pay out, mind his lifelyhood is secured, he gets paid every week without fault. he ain't worried about his family eating and paying mortgage.
Scientists are now warning that this may explain outbreaks in countries which have not had any coronavirus cases for long periods – and could potentially lead to future spikes.
I like to know on what basis MBIE "ruled out" Americold as the source of the Auckland outbreak. It looks like there's not sufficient scientific consensus to say it couldn't happen.
This of course wouldn't support the narrative the opposition is running that it was definitely a failure of testing at the border.
"This of course wouldn't support the narrative the opposition is running that it was definitely a failure of testing at the border."
The media have gone along for the ride as well and as expected.
Facts don't seem to matter when there's an election around the corner and the medias "team" are on the back foot, replacing the Leader 3 times, embarrassed at being caught out trying to release information about the names of people in quarantine, having 15 Nat members resign from parliament prior to the election and having Collins as the Leader and hopeful PM, what an embarrassment.
Can anyone realistically see Collins as PM, it would be the end of civilisation as we know it today in NZ.
In the absence of any evidence to the contrary, surely you have to go with the strongest lead which is the first case at Americold. No matter how unlikely, it is still the most likely, with the evidence available.
After all, how many border workers have tested positive?
One. That’s it!
And that was because some cow from America didn’t wash her hands and wasn’t wearing a mask when she left her room.
because some cow from America didn’t wash her hands and wasn’t wearing a mask when she left her room.
You don't understand Mb. It contravenes their constitutional rights of FREEDOM.
I am reminded of an incident prior to the anti nuclear legislation passed in 1986, when we used to have naval and air exercises with the Americans out in the Auckland Gulf. A former colleague of mine was giving a flying crew a weather briefing prior to departure when in walked the Yanks. Some fool among them yelled out :
"MAKE WAY FOR THE FREEDOM FIGHTERS".
It was quietly greeted with laughter and derision. Idiots.
After their environmental policy release today, I'd say it fits
Judith saying (stupidly) that we should only keep the "swimming parts of the rivers clean and not worry too much about the rest", we need to look after the farming sector.
How do you isolate sections of rivers where people swim in them from the rest of the flowing river???
She might be right, she has gone to the top of a major Party. How's that for a little girl from the Styx. (Don't know about her background but couldn't resist.)
This one should be interesting …. it's now long enough to get a firm steer on Collin's leadership, plus no-one can complain that CB does any favours to the left.
.
With notable exceptions, Lab/Govt partisans tend to feel there'll be either zero swing to the Nats or, in fact, a consolidation of Labour's huge advantage in the wake of this latest outbreak … while for Nat/Oppo partisans it's, of course, vice versa.
I suspect (pure speculation) that we'll see a mild flow back to the Nats in the next poll … but one that won't even remotely compensate for the huge Nat-to-Lab Realignment during the Level 4 lockdown earlier in the year. Perhaps up to a third of the 400k plus former Nats returning to the Blue fold (albeit tentatively, possibly with some ready to head back in the Govt's direction if all goes well) .. two-thirds remaining with Labour. So perhaps Lab down to late 40s in CB (but a little higher than that in the next TV3 Poll).
Could be wrong … but that's my guess.
I'm assuming Colmar Brunton will still go ahead with their polling schedule despite the Auckland lockdown & Election delay.
[* 100k + swinging back from Lab to Nat wouldn’t normally be considered “mild” exactly … but relative to that massive Realignment … it esentially is]
i am interested in the % for the gods squad parties, the new conservatives and vision. That could be interesting. A good amount of signs here in middle country. N/God Party signs outweigh labour signs.
Mind it is rotorua, and the town has been hit hard. Very hard.
.
Thanks so much for asking, Patricia. Really appreciated.
After a particularly bloody horrendous 6 months from Nov 2019 to April 2020 – an intensification of the situation they'd had to endure over the previous 2 years – (major explosions of violent intimidation from their neighbour for hours throughout night & early morning, vandalising their property, running onto their front yard & threatening at 1, 2, 3 in the morning, & frequent all-night swearing-aggressive drinking / parties … with all the extreme stress & sleep deprivation that that entails) … they got a much needed 6 week break from mid-May through to early-July. The neighbour suddenly disappeared for just over 3 weeks & then was back only very sporadically over the following 3.
So, for the first time in ages, they were allowed to go to sleep at night & have 8 hours sleep … and enjoy relative peace & quiet during the day … a 90 yo & an 89 yo permitted basic human rights that most people enjoy.
Unfortunately (but entirely predictably) things have started to deteriorate since he properly moved back mid-July. Nowhere near as bad as before … but I can see it's slowly but surely moving back in that direction.
Carrying out one or two plans to try to get something done … but not very optimistic … and getting to the point where I may take the law into my own hands … draw a red line in the sand … make it clear to certain authorities that this is outrageous & has gone on for far too long.
We all had real hopes back in Jan / Feb that he'd be out … a number of Policewomen & a Social Worker who aids the elderly forcefully going in to bat for them … but HNZ response shaped by Govt's tacit No Eviction policy … that'd be the Labour Party that my parents & grandparents have been longtime activists for.
Anyway, sorry for ranting … I'm aware that people who go on about personal issues on social media quickly become a boring scratched record … but, again, it was very nice of you to ask … and I passed your implicit moral support on to my Parents (as I've done in the past with Redlogix & a number of others). Both asked me to thank you & let you know how much they appreciate it. Cheers.
There's always a concerted drive by the media and opposition during the "polling period", it was always very noticeable when Simple Simon was Leader, he was hard out drumming up support, barking at every passing car.
This time Collins and Co have got their wealthy friends to do the complaining for them.
With respect to the testing at the border regardless of what was actually happening it would have been prudent for the government to have managed expectations better than they did. Had they said all the way through that while things weren’t perfect at the border they were getting it sorted, I think most of the public would have cut them some slack. Instead we were treated to blithe assurances that everything was hunky dory. And then it turned out it really wasn’t.
They gave the Opposition and the media a stick to beat them with. You can’t really blame them for using it.
I could link to The Telegraph which carried the same article if that is more your thing? I didn't because it is paywalled and I wanted people to be able to read it.
A quick read of Newshub. Collins said it was "silly" of the Government not to pay the wage subsidy for the extra days. BUT then backed down and said she would not have done so, under questioning from Garner. Maybe Garner thought a little bit of balance was due and caught her out.
I don’t have a laptop or desktop. Haven’t really needed one since my ancient MacBook crapped out a couple of years ago. Hopefully mods can get it sorted if possible.
"This has become the Covid-K recovery: fantastic for the rich and an awful repeat of the much-talked-about 1990-92 recession that Finance Minister Grant Robertson and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern have said they want to avoid repeating."
While theres much in this article that overlooks the nuance it is true that a property bubble fuelled by migration is the only strategy our leaders (?) have…..and it will be even more so under National
The already rich are on the line heading upwards – getting richer because of a range of Government policies aimed at responding to Covid-19. Meanwhile, renters, beneficiaries and the working poor are getting poorer because their rents are rising, their incomes are falling and they have received no more direct help than they got before the pandemic.
and looking at the 'offerings' by labour to the working poor and non working poor , there will be nothing forthcoming.
"Meanwhile, renters, beneficiaries and the working poor are getting poorer because their rents are rising, their incomes are falling and they have received no more direct help than they got before the pandemic."
And that is the nuance overlooked….the response HAS provided direct assistance to those groups but the fact is that ultimately the support of asset prices undermines that assistance.
As part of the relief package, beneficiaries are receiving a permanent, $25 weekly increase to their benefit. This comes at a total cost of $2.8 billion, which also includes the doubling of the Winter Energy Payment – $1400 for couples and people with dependent children and $900 for singles.
the winter payment is over as per my friend who recieved it. It came to about 40$ per week which will stop next week as she said. However her rent just increased by 40.
The 25 $ increase is on the base benefit, which in many cases can and will a reduction in fringe benefits. So you could argue that while on paper these people got a trickle down, it cost them more then it was worth.
The government here failed. And if we safe the system on the backs of the poor, why on earth would they vote for the government?
There are those…AND the wage subsidy, the income relief payment, the apprenticeship subsidy, the housing of the homeless (despite the incompetence) , IRD business loans, rent freeze, leave support, migrant support and foodbank support.
What would National have done do you think?
The system is designed for the investor class so why wouldnt it be saved on the backs of the poor?…..its what we voted for for the past 40 years
I don't care what National would do as i don't vote for them.
Rent freeze is over, rents are going up everywhere and by quite a bit to make up for the 'only once a year' rule.
The homeless are no longer housed they were kicked out a few weeks ago and are now roaming the streets again. Well a few are back in emergency housing but never mind. (well 1200 rooms have been retained 🙂 )
IRD business loans, payable back in a year time. Hope you still have a business then.
Foodbanks, cause yeah, Foodbanks are a sign of the times and government is doing good if everyone gets a food voucher for a food bank courtesy of WINZ if they get someone to answer the phone there.
Nah, sorry, not good enough. Not at all good enough, and if this would have been done by National all you guys would be jumping up and down yelling not good enough.
The Government has spent $13 billion on wage subsidy payments to large and small businesses alike, but not a cent extra to the already jobless, those on a benefit, or to the working poor, other than through a legislated increase in the minimum wage. Many of those with multiple gig economy jobs or part time jobs have seen their incomes fall as the hospitality, retail and office servicing jobs dried up.
Those businesses with the best connections to Government have received the biggest amounts and the most support. Fletcher Building, The Warehouse and Sky City received over $170 million worth of wage subsidies between them, but decided to sack 2,700 workers anyway after pocketing the money.
Banks saw their capital requirements relaxed, their lending restrictions relaxed and were offered guarantees funded by the Government to encourage lending to businesses. Barely any new business lending has been done, but banks are back lending at ever-lower mortgage rates to property investors, renovators, downsizers, upsizers and first home buyers.
IRD loans are not repayable in one year, they are interest free if paid in a year but run for 5 years at 3% after one year
Foodbanks exist…they would be less capable without the gov support
'IF' this had been done by National….I doubt much of it would, it certainly wasnt in the 90s
The Gov to date has been restrained (in the face of massive pressure) in direct support of big business and the (private) banks lack of support of business despite Gov underwrites should be indicative to you (and everyone) of the need to revisit the current business model despite the liquidity being made available.
The asset inflation has destroyed disposable income and the answer isnt more asset inflation…..and that requires the system to fail (reset) and that aint going to be a picnic either.
There is no painless way out, but what is being done is simply delaying the inevitable and wasting resources in the process…Labour if they were true to their history could provide a path out….National not so.
We will discover in 52 days whether theres a slim chance or none.
The Winter Energy Allowance finishes from the end of September. It is $40 weekly per single person and $63 weekly for couples and families.
For nearly 6 months benefits have continued on with no need to review or verify tenancy /disability costs ; I believe this will start to change in another month.
Homeless have not been evicted from emergency housing ; the odd person who felt constricted “living indoors” might have gone back to the streets but the choice was theirs. Some homeless have now been housed in permanent accommodation. Many new Kainga Ora flats and houses becoming available in Auckland.
I'm disappointed – you are doing a Nat of just reporting part of a comment which gives the wrong impression of what was written.
Swordfish said this amongst other things:
I suspect (pure speculation) that we'll see a mild flow back to the Nats in the next poll … but one that won't even remotely compensate for the huge Nat-to-Lab Realignment during the Level 4 lockdown earlier in the year.
So you accuse me of cherry-picking some of swordfish’s comments by, ahem, cherry-picking some of swordfish’s comment? Nice one.
As it happens I tend agree with everything swordfish has said. Lab/Govt partisans will be hoping for no change, Nat/Oppo partisans will be hoping for a decent shift back to their party. And the most likely outcome will be a ‘mild flow back to the Nats’ (swordfish’s own words). Sorry if I didn’t spell that out more clearly in my original comment but there is life to be getting on with eh? As for disappointing you – believe it or not that’s probably the least of my worries. Your response to my comment was bloody condescending.
So is yours you twit. I read your comment and it sounded as if swordfish was saying that the swing to Labour was over. Seeing that is the last thing we want I protested. Sorry to hurt your delicate feelings.
Shane Reti in question time in the House, comes across as a nit-picking fuckwit who asks the same question in various wordings and doesn't listen to the answers.
Trying to make a case for Day 3 testing being compulsory. Hipkins told him several times that day 12 testing was more relevant but . . . ??
The answer is almost irrelevant. The point is to seed doubt that there is something fundamentally wrong at the borders and that this is the Government’s doing.
If you're manually typing in the "href" stuff, you need to be in "Source" mode on the gui. Otherwise write "borders" then select it and press the chainlink icon (to the right of the "A" buttons) to fill in the hyperlink fields
If you are using a laptop all I do is have the story open on another tab in the browser. I click on the website link – so that it is highlighted in blue. Then I go "ctrl C" and then click on the 'leave a Comments panel" that I am using and go "ctrl V" and that's all that is needed. it's copy and paste. Just leave some spaces around it. Using firefox
The investment wanks love to say how crap BB are to other savings schemes, but that's through their lens of the moneyed gentry. Fuck those guys.
For me, BB were a fees-free way to save up a couple of hundred over a few months, and I'd get all my money back to make a big purchase. It was like a lottery ticket where you got your money back even if you didn't win.
waa waa you didn't get inflation adjustments. Fucksake, anyone on a low income gets shafted by banks for much more than the cost of inflation. Was it my retirement plan? No. Was it useful and moderately interesting? Yes.
Any winnings were also tax free and certainly those in the early days also saw it as a way of supporting government – the trade off was no interest while the government used your money but you had a chance of winning something. It was’t all about what you could get – it was about helping out – part of socialist thinking.
One of my relatives won $60,000 the second draw she was eligible. Made an enormous difference to her life. I know lots of old people who would bring in half a dozen or more $20-00 cheques each month into the bank my cousin managed. It was regular non-taxed income for them.
Two people I know have said he’d make a good PM (Hipkins). I agree and then I hear Jacinda and it’s very clear how exceptional she is. Good though yet another competent team member
A conflict of interests exists ‘where a reasonable and informed person would perceive that you could be influenced by a private interest when carrying out your public duty.’ A ‘private interest’ may be either ‘pecuniary’ or ‘non-pecuniary’.
What would the Auditor General deem in consideration of whether a non-pecuniary or pecuniary conflict of interest arises when MP's with vested monetary interests in farms then vote on bills surrounding ' farm practice' ?
David Bennet as opposition Spokesperson on Agriculture (like other MPs) has direct gain when involved in the repealing of freshwater farm practices. Others also have substance of an association or relationship involved.
The number of properties owned by New Zealand MPs .
But what is in Bentit's interests is by definition in the National interest, so no possible conflict. It's just like smuggling swamp kauri (depending on who the smuggler is).
Cost of Divert our SUBURBS TREES DEVISE AS WE EXPAND. Planing, cost our payers comp ,laining about traffic and hold ups so tree cutting is progress why, build a billion billion road to where, motor bike boy, time to stop pushing get lost in your homestead lot.
Oh I forgot, with his three farms on the Parliamentary declared interests list , DBennet is now one of the doctorly experts on the Strong Team. So of course doctor of farming ! 🙃
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My sister Belinda asked Dad yesterday what one word would describe Mum best. He said: vivacious.If you only knew her from the photos on the slideshow we've made for today,you might wonder about that, because the camera tended to lie with Mum.If ever she saw a camera pointed at her, she ...
There are two major public consultations closing in the next week, Auckland Council’s Long Term Plan (LTP), and the draft Government Policy Statement on Land Transport (GPS). Closing dates and times: LTP closes Thursday 28 February, at 11.59pm – a minute to midnight! GPS closes Tuesday 2 April, at 12pm noon – note that’s ...
From Kiwiblog’s David Farrar – Bryce Wilkinson writes: Senior Fellow Bryce Wilkinson’s analysis reveals that since March 2009, New Zealand has spent $158 billion more overseas than it has earned, but its NIIP has only fallen by $32 billion.Statistics New Zealand shows that receipts from overseas reinsurers have ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition? Brian Easton writes – The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could ...
Dear Nicola Willis,Right now you’ve probably got lots of competing demands coming at you. Ministers who’ve inherited quite a mess, or so you’ve told us, looking for money in the budget to improve things. I imagine that’s why they came to parliament - to make things better.You’ll have to make ...
The Local Government, Transport and Auckland Minister hasthreatened councils with intervention if they don’t merge water assets to take them off balance sheet, just as the now-repealed Three Waters plan directed. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things of note this morning for Monday, March 25 include:Simeon ...
A listing of 36 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 17, 2024 thru Sat, March 23, 2024. Story of the week Thanks to John Mason having the stamina to sit down to watch "Climate - the Movie" ...
This morning the Q&A programme had Simeon Brown on to talk about National’s replacement for Three Waters. In case anyone’s forgotten the three are - drinking water, waste water, and sewerage. It’s quite important not to get them mixed up. In much the same way that you wouldn’t want to ...
Today’s newsletter comes with a mini-podcast conversation between me and my buddy Liv Tennet, talking about her time as a child actor in Lord of the Rings. It’s a conversation with a lot of giggles as she talks about falling off a horse, and becoming a meme. Read ...
The Desmog Climate Disinformation Database documents, "individuals and organisations that have helped to delay and distract the public and our elected leaders from taking needed action to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and fight global warming." It's a who's who of the organised climate change denial movement, in other words. In ...
Bob Edlin writes – A High Court judge has decided miscreants who have mana – or who claim to have mana – should be treated differently from miscreants who have none. It’s a ruling that suggests indigenous law-breakers have a better chance of securing a discharge without conviction ...
Welcome to the first, and possibly last, edition of Brickbats, Bouquets and Bull’s Wool. In which I’ll take a look at the events of the last week or so, and rate them.In such ratings the numbers usually have more to do with the opinions of the reviewer, than the actual ...
Roger Partridge writes – My earlier column this month, New Zealand’s highest court could be facing a turning point, prompted a flood of feedback from business readers and lawyers alike. A common query was what Parliament can do to restrain an overreaching judiciary. This week I discuss two steps Parliament ...
TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.16pm on Friday, March 22: writes about New Zealand's Building Boom—And What the World Must Learn From It over at his substack. challenges the Auckland Council’s use of a 3.8 degrees of warming forecast to oppose a wave-park and data centre project ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition?The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could deliver her promised income tax cuts. Appointed minister, she ...
Buzz from the Beehive Ministers of the Crown have drawn attention to one sector of the science sector which is unlikely to be subjected to heavy spending cuts, a state-funded broadcaster which is doing nicely, thank you, and a sporting event that had $5.4 million from the public purse puffed ...
Abbott’s Freestyle Libre sensors allow continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). The sensor is applied to the back of the patient’s arm, with a thin filament under the skin measuring glucose levels constantly. But it costs around $100 per sensor and must be replaced once every 14 days. Photo by BSIP/Universal Images ...
The Inspector General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) recently released a report in which he exposes the existence of a foreign intelligence partner-controlled technological “capability” inside the headquarters of the GCSB, NZ’s 5 Eyes-affiliated signals intelligence collection and analysis agency. … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – Nearly three decades after the introduction of MMP and multiparty governments there should be a greater level of understanding about their finer points than often appears to be the case. The reaction to the despicable outburst from the Deputy Prime Minister at the weekend highlights ...
The sweet kisses from fruit of summerHave slowly been turning dullerYou say, "those times"And "remember the daysWhen we went outside and there still was the shade?"Taking no reason into play…Autumn. Clear, blue days shortening to longer nights, growing colder. Aotearoa.That’s us. The temperature dropping, the looming car crash - so ...
Bryce Edwards writes – “It is often said that behind every great man is a great woman”. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their “Ladies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxon”. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April ...
David Farrar writes – The Electoral Commission has published the expense returns for political parties for the 2023 election. I’ve put them in a table with how many votes a party got so we can see the spend per vote. National only spent $3.34 for every vote they got, almost ...
Winston Peters’ headline-making actions over the past week may have been a show of political power intended to strengthen his hand in Budget negotiations. It was no accident that his State of the Nation speech was as it was. He made it as New Zealand First Leader, not as Deputy ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:Former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson bowed out of politics this week, giving a series of exit ...
Graham Adams writes — If you love the law or sausages, as the saying goes, best not to look too closely at how they are made. And after watching the orgy of self-pity when Newshub’s closure was announced on February 28, television journalism should definitely be added to the list of those ...
Venerable New Zealand political commentator, Chris Trotter (https://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/), is a sad creature these days. Once one of the most reliable Leftist writers out there – Economic Left at that – Trotter seems to have absorbed the worldview of Auckland culture-war obsessives. It is not for me to categorise what he ...
The Coalition Government’s plan to ‘get Auckland moving’ is a cuts cover-up that will ultimately cost Aucklanders more to move around the city, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Slashing the Ministry of Pacific Peoples by 40% will have a devastating impact on pacific communities and further highlights how little this government cares about anything other than cutting taxes for the wealthiest few. ...
Labour has proposed an urgent inquiry to investigate the ever-increasing profits of supermarkets, aiming to lower costs for shoppers and food producers alike, says Labour Spokesperson for Commerce and Consumer Affairs Arena Williams and Primary Production Spokesperson Cushla Tangaere-Manuel. ...
With 14% of jobs on the line at the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, the responsible Minister Melissa Lee is failing to stand up for the very communities she’s meant to be representing. ...
COURT OF APPEAL: TRIFECTA OF VICTORY FOR NZ FIRST, TRIFECTA OF FAILURE FOR OPPONENTS For the third time since April 2020, New Zealand First has defeated the Serious Fraud Office and all those complicit in a malicious attack against a political party going about its lawful business in a lawful ...
The Green Party stands with people who live in public housing, people in dire housing need, experts and advocates in demanding better than the Government’s archaic approach to housing those who need our support the most. ...
New Zealand has recently lost the hosting rights of some major international sporting events including the America’s Cup, the Rugby Championship, Netball World Cup, and the Wellington Sevens. We are now at a huge risk of losing SailGP as well. And it won’t stop there. The recent issues with SailGP ...
A Member’s Bill drawn this week would modernise insurance law and make things fairer and more transparent for consumers, Christchurch Central MP Duncan Webb said. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues has confirmed she was aware of funding issues in mid-December and did nothing to stop it. On 14 March, she signed off on changes that were announced and implemented on 18 March without any consultation with disability communities. ...
Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter says her members' bill is an opportunity for the coalition government to plug the gap in electric vehicle incentives. ...
The National Government continues to talk about irresponsible tax cuts that will only drive up inflation, despite the country entering a technical recession. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues must act urgently to reinstate flexibility around the funding for disability support and apologise to disabled carers. ...
This story has been initiated by a leftie shill reporter who proactively sought to call a member of a former band, which disbanded twelve years ago, give their biased appraisal of what was said in my speech, and concocted a ham-fisted attempt at a story that does nothing but show ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Many in the mainstream media have taken what was said in New Zealand First’s State of the Nation Speech in Palmerston North on Sunday and deliberately, deceitfully, and ignorantly misrepresented what I said and why I said it. The headlines and commentary on the news stated that I compared ‘co-governance ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
Good afternoon. Thank you for, in your very busy lives, turning up to this meeting today. On October 14th last year New Zealanders overwhelmingly voted for change. That is exactly what this new government is bringing. New Zealand First campaigned to ‘take back our country’ and stop the disastrous economic ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April. “It was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates. Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend. “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” Mr Peters says. Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. “Road safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track. “Dam safety regulations ...
The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the government’s finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Government’s Budget objectives. “The coalition Government intends ...
The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says. “The Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says. “These changes are long overdue – the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009. ...
The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Education’s School Property Function. The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There is a clear need ...
State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Today I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” Minister Responsible for ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. “We’re sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union. “I am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says. “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “Comprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. “I would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
Good morning, it’s great to be here. First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning. I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
Before moving onto the substance of today’s address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and I’m sorry I can’t be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the Whangārei site where the facility will be constructed. “Northland has faced a number ...
New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata Māori 20 years ago, says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisation’s 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
COMMENTARY:By Ronny Kareni Since the atrocious footage of the suffering of an indigenous Papuan man reverberates in the heart of Puncak by the brute force of Indonesia’s army in early February, shocking tactics deployed by those in power to silence critics has been unfolding. Nowhere is this more evident ...
Analysis - Nicola Willis is holding firm on tax cuts despite the economic outlook being worse than forecast and critics urging her to wait, writes Peter Wilson for The Week In Politics. ...
Opposition MPs and unions are criticising a proposal by New Zealand’s Ministry of Pacific Peoples to cut staff by 40 percent. The country’s largest trade union — The Public Service Association — says the ministry has informed staff that it is looking to shed 63 of 156 positions. Opposition MPs ...
A poem by Poetry Aotearoa Yearbook 2024 featured poet Carin Smeaton. Daughtr of the 90s when she gets promoted to usherette a baby blu eel carries her all the way up to mothership she’s hovering high she lets the underaged in to see keanu reeves she lets the only lonely ...
Analysis by Keith Rankin. Keith Rankin, trained as an economic historian, is a retired lecturer in Economics and Statistics. He lives in Auckland, New Zealand. My earlier article – Can ‘Good’ be the Greater Evil? – looked at the issue of how wars should end, and how Good versus Evil ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 AMMA by Saraid de Silva (Moa Press, $38)A stunning debut novel reviewed by Brannavan ...
From Steve Martin to Ricky Stanicky, a pick’n’mix of things worth watching and listening to this long weekend. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. If you’re at a loss for something to occupy yourself with this Easter, don’t panic: The Spinoff’s got ...
Jesus had dinner with his 12 disciples right before he died. Noted historian Madeleine Chapman finds out who really deserved to be there.First published in 2018 but let’s be honest, the subject is timeless. As you sit on your couch this Easter Sunday, eating a chocolate egg you know ...
The newly-promoted Northern League club is on a mission to return to the National League for the first time in two decades. Plenty about domestic football in New Zealand has changed in that time – but the sense that this amateur competition is not an entirely level playing field remains. ...
Comment: Every year on February 2, a dozen men in tuxedos and top hats approach the burrow of a groundhog in Gobbler’s Knob, Pennsylvania and entice the beaver-like rodent to emerge and predict the weather. If the groundhog, named Punxsutawney Phil, sees its own shadow when it is summoned, legend ...
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Auckland Council has put a deadline on new weather-impacted property owners applying for categorisation as government funding looks set to run out. Councillors have voted to support a deadline of September 30 for property owners who haven’t accessed support to come forward and engage with the council’s recovery office. It ...
NONFICTION 1 BBQ Economics by Liam Dann (Penguin Random House, $40) “It’s official,” wrote Dann nine days ago in the Herald, where he works as business editor at large, “we’re in recession.” Yeah, great. He delivered the bad stats: “GDP fell 0.1 percent in the December 2023 quarter, compared with ...
By Anneke Smith, RNZ News political reporter A petition urging the New Zealand government to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people has been tabled in the House. More than 200 people gathered on Parliament’s forecourt today and they were met by MPs from Labour, the Greens and Te ...
Pacific Media Watch The Paris-based global media freedom watchdog RSF (Reporters Without Borders) has appealed for information about the “disappearance” of Palestinian journalist Bayan Abusultan. She was reportedly last seen on March 19 among people “sequestered” in this week’s raid and siege of Al Shifa hospital by Israeli troops in ...
EDITORIAL:The Jakarta Post It happens again and again; indigenous Papuans fall victim to Indonesian soldiers. This time, we have photographic evidence for the brutality, with videos on social media showing a Papuan man being tortured by a group of plainclothes men alleged to be the Indonesian Military (TNI) members. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robyn J. Whitaker, Director of the Wesley Centre for Theology, Ethics, and Public Policy & Associate Professor, New Testament, Pilgrim Theological College, University of Divinity A strange and eclectic range of activities takes place across these few weeks of the year. Some ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University It’s Easter weekend, which means many of us will be kicking back with the greatest hits on repeat. But whether you’re a boomer, or an ‘80s or ’90s kid, you might be ...
RNZ Pacific Fiji’s Acting Public Prosecutor has filed an appeal against the sentences of former prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama and suspended police chief Sitiveni Qiliho in their corruption case. Bainimarama was granted an absolute discharge for attempting to pervert the course of justice while Qiliho received a conditional discharge with ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Arosha Weerakoon, Senior Lecturer and General Dentist, School of Dentistry, The University of Queensland Casezy idea/Shutterstock How does toothpaste work? What did people use before toothpaste was invented? – Amelia, age 7, Meanjin (Brisbane) Thanks for your ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brett Hallam, Associate professor, UNSW Sydney IM Imagery/Shutterstock Solar SunShot is well named. The Australian government announced today it would plough A$1 billion into bringing back solar manufacturing to Australia, boosting energy security, swapping coal and gas jobs for those ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Dix, Research Fellow in Nutrition & Dietetics, The University of Queensland Easter is the time for chocolate. The shops are full of fantastically packaged and shiny chocolates in all shapes and sizes, making trips to the supermarket with children more challenging ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Felton, Adjunct Senior Researcher, University of South Australia Even in a stubborn cost-of-living crisis, it seems there’s one luxury most Australians won’t sacrifice – their daily cup of coffee. Coffee sales have largely remained stable, even as financial pressures have ...
Mining company Trans-Tasman Resources has unexpectedly withdrawn its application for a consent to suck the valuable metals vanadium and titanium from the Taranaki seafloor, as it apparently wagers on the Government’s new fast-track process. It had spent two-and-a-half days putting its case to the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision-making committee, at ...
Contrary to the Associate Minister of Education’s claims, analysis of Healthy School Lunches Programme - Ka Ora, Ka Ako assessments has revealed it provides excellent value for the taxpayer dollar, as a groundswell of public opposition to Government ...
Greenpeace says wannabe Taranaki seabed miner Trans-Tasman Resources is likely banking on Christopher Luxon’s fast-track process to side-step proper scrutiny of its Taranaki seabed mining proposal by bailing out of the Environmental Protection Agency hearing ...
Kiwis Against Seabed mining today slammed Australian owned would-be seabed miner Trans Tasman Resources (TTR) for abandoning its application to the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) to mine the seabed of the South Taranaki Bight. The company ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katie Attwell, Associate Professor, School of Social Sciences, The University of Western Australia Ground Picture/Shutterstock Months after COVID vaccines were introduced in 2021, governments and private organisations mandated them for various groups. Health and aged care workers were among the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Dzurak, Scientia Professor Andrew Dzurak, CEO and Founder of Diraq, UNSW Sydney Diraq For decades, the pursuit of quantum computing has struggled with the need for extremely low temperatures, mere fractions of a degree above absolute zero (0 Kelvin or ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne A national Essential poll, conducted March 20–24 from a sample of 1,150, gave the Coalition a 50–44 lead including undecided, a reversal ...
The Taxpayers’ Union has today made a formal request under the Regulations of the People’s Republic of China on Open Government Information () for information held about how New Zealand Members of Parliament are spending taxpayer ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert Nelson, Honorary Principal Fellow, The University of Melbourne A Byzantine depiction of the Eucharist in Saint Sophia Cathedral, Kyiv.Jacek555/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA A nasty quarrel arose in the 11th century over what kind of bread should be used in holy ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Patrick Hesp, Professor, Flinders University Patrick Hesp In some parts of Australia, coastal dunes are retreating from the ocean at an alarming rate, as waves carve up the beach and wind blows the sand inland. But coastal communities are largely ...
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I didn't realise this was being considered, but I am relieved to find out the private sale of fireworks hasn't been outlawed.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/122492350/private-sale-of-fireworks-wont-be-banned-after-proposal-rejected-by-mps
Passfire is a term pyros use for moving flame. From the fuse to the lift charge on the ground, to the shell containing effects in the sky. Passfire is also the name of a movie celebrating firework culture around the globe. Worth a look to see some of the joy that pyrotechnics brings.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igVxI24F9yA
This is a trailer for an up coming series; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LOLYq1HW-w
I think freedom should include fireworks and seatbelts. While believing in strong democratic government.
Oh no the well off have lost their cheap child-care labour and now have to pay New Zealanders proper wages.
"Dream Au Pair usually manages 600 au pairs around the country, but now only has 15 – all of which are expected to leave in the next few months."
They want au pairs to be classed as "essential workers".
https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/parenting/122539891/coronavirus-parents-struggle-as-hundreds-of-au-pairs-leave-nz
and in case you are wondering what the difference between a nanny and an au pair is:
https://www.aupair.com/en/p-au-pair-nanny.php
Covid19s effects aren't smoothing class structures here.
They are making them much stronger.
There are thousands of women who are now unemployed or underemployed. The 1% should employ more New Zealanders, and these look like good roles to get compared to the pay of most car workers.
Aye. There's plenty of opportunity to employ laid off and unemployed NZer's but of course they aren't as cheap.
childcare and cleaning rich peoples houses obviously is something for unemployed women to do, right? No man need apply, they get shovel ready jobs, women get to clean other peoples toilets.
Oh my, the generosity.
You are such a coarse thinker.
Au Pairs are almost 100% female. Just the way it is.
Any time you want to come and do some heavy infrastructure work Sabine, let us know.
i was an au pair and boys also can be au pair. That has long been changed. I am not coarse thinker, i just say the parts that you are uncomfortable with out loud. And sometimes you know, reality is coarse 🙂
Btw, i was an au pair, i got that way to France and ended up living there for about 10 years. Two boys, fairly well of to do family from Germany. Living in Super Cannes right above Vallauris. In fact that is what got me as a stray teenager of the road, work with accommodation attached. I was just lucky that it took me to the South of France, i was paid 1000$ a month, worked 6 days a week at Nannying, cooking, ironing, cleaning the toilets and had sunday off. So very last century and the only reason most Au pair do this is because it takes them to a different country, one where they might never go to on their own. Just saying, before you explain Au Pair to me in detail.
And yes, housekeeping – involves cleaning toilets. But hey, they will get paid minimum wage right 🙂 all these poor dear unemployed female that so far no one gives a flying fudge about.
https://www.aupair.com/en/p-male-au-pair.php
” Au Pair is not a gender restricted job, so it is possible for boys to find a place in a Host Family. The truth is that it can take much longer for a male Au Pair to be placed, but some families are looking exactly for an elder brother for the kids.
Boys generally don't get hired as au pairs, so the reverse sexism you propose is trite.
No, they get a bunch more than minimum wage – and clearly you know the difference yourself.
Did you read the article that i just posted. Boys don't get hired easily, but are hired by family who want to hire boys. Boys can be Au Pair Boys.
Seriously, dude, It ain't reverse sexism, it literally is something that happens. I have met boy Au pairs. The only sexist that i see here is you.
You were wrong. bye now.
House slaves and field slaves. I'm a house slave myself. I hope, come the revolution, I'll put aside my social culture and fight for the field slaves, despite their social culture.
It's gone all "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" in here.
Back on track, people.
I'm pretty sure I said "unemployed NZer's" not women so I'm not sure why you would suggest something different to what I said.
If you have an issue with only/mainly women doing that work take that up with the people who employ them. Besides that wasn't the point of my post – the point was about the fact they are lamenting the loss of their "cheap" overseas labour and want them deemed essential.
tion cheep the women, the men more about cheep. Sex our humanity human should not be allowed the exploitation that is here on our place our human world.
There's no way the 1% are going to let Maori women into their homes, much less near their offspring.
I know some who do. It's a skilled job.
White women need not apply to clean the shitters of the rich? Oh dear…….
I wondered about that Muttonbird. There is the barrier of the bad publicity heard for decades. If there was an Academy for Maori Nannies and Au Pairs which had good standards, the Certification would give certainty.
We should be looking to ways to onshore some more of the customer call centre (Spark! and the other Telco's, insurance companiies and power companies) and other processing tha has gone offshore. If we pay the bills here we should have the jobs here!
It would give a better variety of jobs.
And put them elsewhere then Auckland. There is no reason why Morrinsville, or Tokoroa could not house a call centre.
We should shift them out of Auckland even now, Dunedin could benefit from something like that ( as well as provincial towns) good mix of students and older people.
Should have done this when the housing crisis started to become the new normal in Auckland at the latest.
Gisborne, Dunedin, Invercargill, Toks, Taupo, Rotorua etc all are good places for some call centres or even gasp Government offices.
And it would take the pressure of Auckland re infrastructure, housing, schools etc.
Not gonna happen tho, not unless there is a will to legislate.
I have to agree with you here Sabine. Rotorua used to have the branch or main offices of Doc, Tax, Maori Land Court…..slowly removed by BEnglish/Key's minions.
Business won't move into a town unless the infrastructure is there to support them. Most of the towns you listed simply don't have that infrastructure and so, if the government wants business to move there, they're going to have to build the infrastructure – and I'm not talking about roads.
DTB Got it in one. Build infrastructure and let roads wait.
That was shocking journalism from Stuff. No mention of the terms and conditions which are massively exploitive- third world in fact. They should enquire further not just regurgitate what they are told by the owner of the business.
Looking at the site NZ has one of the highest allowable working hours a week at 40 hours for suggested pocket money of $150 to $200 per week. so $3-$5 per hour for a full time job plus the board and lodging. I assume that no tax is paid on the pocket money or the assessed value of the lodgings although other taxpayers fork out.
Most of the other countries have very part time hours and better pay rates- so at least au pairs have some spare time for the the local culture.
Time the over entitled paid a proper wage – even if only part time.
+1
most Au pair if done correctly work about 20 – 25 hours a week.
I was one in 1992 – and i got a 1000$ per month, plus accom, etc. It was a good deal then, considering that they paid the flights to and home, etc. w
40 hours per week is indeed exploitation, but again if you are 18 and want to come here it is a worthwhile deal. They pay the flight to and from which is several thousands of dollars depending on where you come from, and you get a visa that the host family will also pay. That is to keep in mind. Au pair is not really a job that one does as a career option, it is an opportunity to see the world while literally having no skills.
Ah, so the au-pair is, essentially, slave labour.
Obviously needs to be made illegal.
Yes maximum exploitation. Or the conditions that the visa is issued under need to limit hours to say 10 a week so it genuinely is just a cross cultural largely holiday thing.
Either way I would not consider them a priority class of inwards migrant. Would also be very interested in knowing what the fees being charged by the arranging organisations are – .
But having known people who have done childcare some employers do take advantage
If young people can travel the world before they settle down and know that they can get part paid for even on low wages then it's good for both.
Hours not too long, bed board okay, then it's a working holiday. The Woofers accept that too, and young people from all over the world get to meet and see other countries.
https://wwoof.nz/how-it-works/
I would like business owners to be able to get free consultancy as it has got to the stage where a business may no longer be able to stay afloat.
Covid brings uncertainty and it is disruptive and for some a decision to fold the business is a hard reality.
Honestly we need more then free consultancy. I consulted the crystal bowl, and i see lots of empty town ships devoid of people because unemployment, starvation rates in our benefits system and no stability in which to run your business.
We need a better definition of who is essential and can work through which levels.
Case: two days ago all the banks in AKL closed.
Why? Because suddenly they were told they are not essential and thus need to close during level 3, however they were open and classified as essential last time during Level 4. But maybe current Level 3 is just Level 4 hiding. Who knows.
But the banks are closed now until at least Sunday. For those that want to say INTERNET and we don't need no open banks, not everyone has internet, some only have internet via a Library which are also closed.
It is a small thing, but who can be open and who can not. How to open. Etc.
The hairdresser next to me took three month to work of the debt accumulated during the last lockdown until she could open up. She was busy – as expected – right after opening but now it has dropped off and with every closed business she and others like her in town are loosing business, one persona a time.
But unless she experiences a 40% drop in business she ain't getting no help other then a loan that she will have to pay back after a year. Generally i have no issues with that either, but she literally got herself a loan so that next time she needs to close for 8 – 12 weeks she can pay the bills for the shop cause the wage subsidy (if it still exists then) was not enough to pay the bills at home for her and her boy. Yes, she is a single mum.
Disclaimer: This is not to slag the PM, but it is to point out that we need governance now as this is going to stay with us for a few years, and businesses need to be able to plan ahead. And one of the big question is: Will i be open. or better, under what lock down restrictions can i open safely.
And frankly the wage subsidy set at 40% loss of revenue, lol, at that stage businesses start talking about closing shop and joining the unemployment queue.
Were the banks told they weren't essential, or did they grab the opportunity to continue with their march towards tellerless service?
Nope they did NOT GRAB anything.
My partner fixes ATMs and such, Banks were considered essential service under the last lockdown and worked under Level 4 for exactly the reasons i mentioned above, not everyone has access to internet and/or is set up for internet banking, and the few businesses that do work will also still need banking services.
However, and this was very surprising to us on Monday a directive came from the government that they are NOT essential and must close. Banks now in Auckland closed since Monday and will open again with drop to level two. And i know about this, because it reduced the work load for the engineers in Auckland that look after these machines.
Seriously people, stop pretending that it is the businesses that are screwing up, we are trying to function with the information form the government that we get and not with the information that we need.
This is government. Not the banks, nor the businesses. If the government changes its mind and tells you to close shop, you close shop. How hard is this to understand, considering that shops are closed in AKl, and are closing down for good up and down the country side?
Banks being told to close down and all emphasis being put on on-line transactions! This comes out of the tiny mind of some half-man of O who knows nothing about life, and everything about facilitating machine control of society including his/her own job. That seems all people are taught these days.
We have to close them down because they are not providing essential services! That is how to live our lives at a basic level and being able to access all that we need wherever possible.
HalfMen of O – Two youngsters are sent to help people being over-run by these dangerous characters.
They are summoned to the beautiful land of O in a last-ditch attempt to save the planet from cruel Otis Claw and his followers, the evil Halfmen, who have lost every trace of human goodness and kindness.
https://www.penguin.com.au/books/halfmen-of-o-9780143318347
Are we in a nation-wide filmset and don't even know it? I hope someone is documenting all this – it's better than Game of Thrones except not much nudity and the clothing is more mundane.
Also the march to tellerless service – aka automation – is pretty much the future now specially with covid.
And again this too is not only banks, but supermarkets, gas stations, and so on and so forth. Have you heard of online shopping?
I may have heard tell of it, from a mysterious traveller who appeared in our midst and partook of our victuals, sharing a tale of dark market forces at large beyond the Shire before vanishing whence he came. Or it might have been on the radio.
ah, obviuosly the Government re-thougth and re-decided that banks are an essential service.
Can't make that shit up.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12359535
of course its behind the pay wall.
snip
Seriously they need to get their stories straight, then they need to set binding rules, no of this weasely no accountabilty schmuck of 'can do, should do, bullshit' but rules. Proper rules.
It may be that Dr Bloomfield needs a short break (a day!) as while he has kept up the pressure on medical matters and society but he has kept it on himself for so long. Possibly the micro-management is getting to him and his staff, and their needs to be someone to step in and point out that banks aren't just any business, they are at the root of business and vital to us all in our present financial system.
It's high time a banking licence came with some service requirements rather that tellers pointing at bug ridden machines. Banking is a nightmare even every day transactions are now very difficult to complete.
what has that got to do with the blunder at hand of declaring them essential then not essential then essential again?
And funny, there is a lot of people out there that like the bug ridden machine rather then a human cause 'its faster'. 🙂
3.1.1.1 commented on bank service levels. Not directly related to the essential bit as such – but outside the larger centre's and even within them – on the ground banking services whether teller or automated have diminished sharply. Not every one has the internet / skills but the banks are disenfranchising or privileging some groups over others with the dash to internet and automation only. But that is another day. BTW the machines certainly don't do every thing – I've had an interesting time completing some transactions.
oh what was it, tell me all about it. 🙂 My partner fixes these darn machines and i am sure could tell you exactly what went wrong.
Calm down Sabine. You are right that it's damn hard to cope with, daft moves from government on top of the controls that are needed.
It's off topic but it needed a bank cheque from a teller (otherwise I'd have had to track cash around.) And there are ATM's that only give out $50 notes – no 20's so if you don't have a lot of money you might be stuffed. And like it or not transaction timings and transferability between banks has diminished for a number of transactions and locations. No the government didn't need to create the confusion over the banks but please don't take it out on me with sarcasm when there are other people with different experiences of the use and availability of banking services.
The security or otherwise can also be questioned. Banks get hacked.
Bank premises aren't essential as everything that anybody needs to do with the bank can be done online. I haven't been inside a bank in more than ten years.
Those people need to join the 21st century and they've just received a lesson as to why.
And now you know the problem of ownership. After all, the capitalist needs to have their income from their assets even though they're not being used right?
Yes DTB you are so logical, from your own POV which isn't one that reflects what is good for most people in the short and long run in my opinion.
Most people are already doing business online and so keeping shops open for the few who refuse to move out of the past is just getting more and more expensive per use as economies of scale keep dropping and it doesn't provide any societal value.
I vaguely remember going into a bank in 2012.
I shifted my mortgage from ANZ to BNZ using phone and internet while I was working out of a hotel in Singapore in 2018. Did the same for getting a car loan during the lockdown in April.
I could have done both using phone and mail. It was an option offered. It just takes longer.
I myself have not been to a bank in some years, and do all my banking online as well, but that does not mean that banking is not an essential service. Consider the essential services such as dairies, supermarkets, and petrol stations. Cash is still a valid form of currency, as far as I recall. Those places might have a decent amount of cash on hand at anyone time, and will need to deposit or exchange notes and coin. It is for this reason more than any other that banks need to remain open as businesses carrying large amounts of cash can become targets for robbery.
For now but for how much longer?
Store refuses to take cash payment
And I can recall the half hour or so of lost time taking the cash to the bank at the end of the day. Cash is expensive in so many ways never mind the increased threat of theft..
Their's probably some way that the bank could take the cash while keeping their stores closed. Armourguard or similar.
The demise of legal tender is not something which I anticipate fondly, either as a customer or as someone who is occasionally involved in customer service.
Many's the time my arse has gotten home thanks to a sneaky $20 folded into the battery compartment of my cellphone. shit happens.
A couple of decades ago I would have agreed with you but I haven't carried cash in 15+ years. A time or two I've had to pull out my phone and transfer money across from my savings account into my on-call account so I could use EFT-POS.
I also have my HOP card so I can move around (don't own a car) which will work if it has some money on it when I get on the bus.
So you don't need it, therefore no worries, huh.
Cash is tactile, solid. Not abstract, not dependant on a fibre cable or the stores power supply, but portable and with no fees for use. Even the cash run can be done during quiet times when you'd be paying someone to stand around, anyway.
I'll miss it.
No, nobody needs it.
The problem is that some people want it but in a global pandemic those people become dangerous to others.
The fees are an issue but the solution to that is the government going full cashless, as I've mentioned before.
I won't – horrible stuff.
Beggars in the street don't usually carry eftpos machines, so if they want to eat, they need cash from strangers.
Someone who is blind can easily count well-designed cash. Not sure how they know that the cashier has accidentally overcharged them on the eftpos terminal.
I'm sure your utopia will be wonderful for everyone, but cash is disappearing by itself, not as part of a broader scheme to improve society.
As for the dangers of cash, get a grip.
The only place I carry cash is when I’m outside of NZ. I just had to get a new wallet because the old one fell apart after 20 years. The old one was a leather wallet for holding business cards. It was perfect for holding eftpos cards, credit cards, access cards for buildings and no cash. Turns out that leather rots if you’re working outside in Singapore for 5 months and have it in your sweaty pocket.
I’ve just replaced it with a Bellroy card holder. That is exactly the right size for what I usually carry.
I'm working on making my own – two external card slots for bus and staff card, internal compartments for various debit and business cards. Made a prototype, just finished a revised design.
Fun wee project for these times.
Not everyone has a phone or internet.
Shops need to bank the cash they take in through their till.
And they have absolutely no excuse for that. The inevitable demise of shops has been obvious for decades. As long as the internet's been around in fact.
The fact that nearly all business can now be done online should have been a clue for them.
Society isn't going to hold still just because a few people want to stay in the 19th century.
In my world no-one has to choose between food and a smart phone+plan, but I can't help wondering – as neat as they are, just how tasty is a smart phone?
Businesses that are prepared to humour this luddite will continue to receive my custom until such time as they decide it's not a sufficiently profitable way to operate. Btw, if it's inconvenient that your immensely profitable bank is phasing out cheques, then switch to a bank that still supports them – easy as.
easy as…IF you have someone to assist you.
Not everyone does
I don’t like change, but have switched or been morphed a few times without special assistance (Post Office Savings Bank –> PostBank –> Lloyds –> Trust Bank Central –> Westpac –> TSB –> TSB/Kiwibank/[PSIS –> Cooperative]) – admittedly my banking needs are simple.
https://www.nzba.org.nz/consumer-information/smarter-banking/switching-banks/
https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/banking/savings/how-to-switch-banks
and you have usefully provided two online help sites…for those computer literate and connected
https://www.nzba.org.nz/consumer-information/code-banking-practice/older-and-disabled-customer-guidelines/
No problem – and those two online help sites were easy to find too.
Most of my bank switching was done in person (by walking into a bank and filling in forms), sometimes aided by phonecalls (on a landline!) I enabled internet banking (with one bank only) about six months ago (when I finally got an internet connection at home), and it's OK. Larger online one-off payments were initially a bit of a pain (can't do text verification), but my bank provided a workaround.
And yes, it won't be ‘easy as’ for everyone (particularly if you can’t walk to or phone your old and new banks), but in my experience banks do try to assist even ordinary customers, especially the bank(s) you’re opening an account with.
Otoh, the way interest rates are trending a switch to the Bank of Mattress might be in order sooner rather than later! Just hope a cashless NZ is still some way off.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-06-09/australia-can-learn-from-swedens-move-to-a-cashless-society/12282764
Its contagious
Some are vulnerable to infection, some aren’t 😉
Methinks you miss the point….there is all sorts of advice, govt services and help. medical assistance etc….ONLINE.
Indeed increasingly almost exclusively online.
I did get your point and added to it that banks are aware of these and other issues with accessibility and offer a wide range of assistance. I would also add that the degree of inconvenience for customers who are not on-line is likely to increase over time. I do have personal experience with people being ‘off-line’, for all intents and purposes, and there no easy answers. I also know what it is like not using a mobile phone 🙂
I know how to fix the reply button now. There is however some annoying testing I have to do to make sure that fix isn’t worse isn’t worse than the original problem on a range of devices. It is a javascript issue, in this case the plugin using an older JQuery system that has been obsoleted.
It will be the weekend before I can get to it.
Thing is, there's a law of decreasing returns that banks and online businesses (and covid app designers) will do the easy thing that hits almost everyone, and those outside the "almost" are buggered unless they make a big song and dance about having a need that the media can paint as "deserving".
Cash is just one of the things. It's cheaper to close stores and branches, so if someone wants to touch something before buying it, they're fucked. My local uni decided nowhere on campus will accept cash, none of their cafes, stores or whathaveyou. Fuck those guys.
Getting my mail is a bugger, because they closed the branch so if a parcel needs to be signed for then the box lobby is staffed half a day and forget about weekends. Get it delivered to my home? If the courier doesn't leave it to get nicked, they tap on the door then run like buggery so I have to find the depot.
Oh, I'm sure it's all fine for almost everyone else, but I'm noting quite a lot of "my way or the highway" bullshit from enterprises that theoretically want me to pay for their shit. It's almost like some of these industries are cabals or monopolies…
sorry, didn't quite follow that. The shops that have cash on premises this week, what are they supposed to do with it?
If you think everyone in NZ can afford a phone and internet, you *really haven't been paying attention.
My elderly parents don't do online banking. They use a branch. You can want everyone on e-money all you like, but the reality is that this week there are people still dependent on being able to visit a branch, and until the government signals well ahead of time that that will be ending, then it needs to be factored into covid response as an essential service.
For this week they need to get to the bank. But considering that we had a level 4/3 a couple of months ago and knowing that it was going to happen again both the banks and the businesses should have got off their arse and planned for it.
The fact that they didn't just goes to show how terrible our business people are at basic business and accounting for risks. The idiots are still trying to go back to how things were when that simply isn't going to happen.
If they're that poor then they should be signed up with WINZ and WINZ requires people to have a phone up to and including helping people get one. WINZ even provides the necessary bandwidth if you need it.
For which they have no excuse. Internet banking became available 20+ years ago in NZ and its never been hard to use.
As I said, it's been obvious for ages that shops were a thing of the past and that they would be going the way of the dodo in the near future. People should have been preparing for it. And, yes, that includes the government.
Yes, this week shows just how stupid people are thinking that things were going to continue as is when there's a global pandemic and a possibility of a lock down happening with little to no warning.
Get with the program already and stop making excuses.
Such a bizarre and bossy response – like customers need an excuse.
In the 60+ age bracket, the main way to bank is online (38%), followed by "in-person" (29%). If my everyday bank discontinued services such as in-branch banking and cheque accounts, then I'd switch to a bank that (still) offered them. The customer is always right, right? No-one’s going to force me to buy a cell phone, let alone a smart phone, until I'm good and ready.
Things have changed. Thought I got that through in my last comment. The shops are closing so as to protect people from the pandemic. The services that some are saying are essential aren't because they can be done online.
You do realise that that's a marketing strategy right?
Its purpose is to stop the customer from being combative in something that's gone wrong. Then, after the salesperson has got the customer calmed down, to carefully explain to the customer why they're wrong and come to an equitable settlement that, hopefully, doesn't involve giving the customer any money. Getting the customer to spend more is a bonus.
Its nice to know that you care so much about the health and well-being of your neighbours in these trying times of a global pandemic.
/sarc
Things have always changed, and that won’t change. You’re free to roll with changes as you see fit, and so am I.
Thank you DtB, I do try to keep an eye on the neighbours (although I could always do more), and they look out for me – bless 'em.
Banks are now again classified as essential services (as they were in the previous lockdown). It was a case of some official not being properly informed of all the circumstances. Ashley went over the matter, and explained how the mistake occurred, and how it was quickly rectified on this afternoons briefing.
They have been reading Sabine. A genuine complaint that got acted on. Wouldn't that be great if that was what happened.
Thomas Coughlan might have been watching something different than I did. This article doesn't reflect the atmosphere in QT yesterday at all.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/300091230/election-2020-judith-collins-tries-new-tactic-in-the-extratime-parliament
I was watching also and feel Coughlan did capture the atmosphere accurately. Collins' supercilious laugh that greets Ardern's answers and precedes Collin's every question, is wearying to the soul and is, I believe, irritating Jacinda as evidenced by her slip into "snipping" at Collins over the "strong team" billboards. It's a trifling issue, and the PM will have given herself a stern talking-to for having let her guard down and allowing Collins to "slip one in" – Mallard was quick to rein it in – a slap-fest would be won by Collins hands-down, even if Jacinda made the cleverest jibes, as the fight itself would be seen, quite rightly, as a fail by the PM. But she'll have learned and it won't happen again, though Collins will try that door repeatedly and slyly. I'm always interested to read how others interpret scenes such as this one; the Kiwiblog crowd will have seen a thrashing of the PM by the hero, Judith, while here, as with your fair comment, aj, we'll have seen it differently and in favour of our "champion" – it's a genuinely interesting phenomenon – both sides fully confident that they saw things as they were. Of course, this is only my opinion and describes the way I saw it – there's no reason to believe that my interpretation isn't as coloured as anyone else; such it the mystery of perception.
Bishop does this as well but I'm not sure it irritates the opposition. My take is it's childish. But I take your points, perceptions are always coloured. And I confess I was listening more than watching, while preparing vegetables for tonight's meal and may have missed nuance of body language. I do agree Collins quieter persona is more effective, but on the substance I gave it either a draw, or a points decision to Adern.
Billboards – I thought it was a good dig, are you sure Collins would win a 'slap-fest' only on the optics I'd suggest, as Adern has positioned herself above that but I agree optics alone means she shouldn't dip into the muck too much.
I was watching too and indeed he 's correct. Momentarily, Jacinda was irritated and Judith knew so she will try it again – no question. But Jacinda is a quick and smart thinker and I doubt she'll let it happen again.
What has happened to the video that had Jacinda Ardern visiting ESR? Last I heard about it was that it was taken down for editing. Does anybody know if it is back up?
This?
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12358336
That one doesn't have a lingering shot of Ashley Bloomfield. Was it edited out then?
Yawn
So many questions Gossie – do let us know when you have some answers.
Don't worry, there should be more than enough lingering shots of senior public servant Dr Bloomfield to satisfy you in the lead up to the general election.
All part of the pandemic response service don't you know
I know where collins has been these last few days . They've had her in the shop for full rebuild a much less severe looking and less snarky one was on display on tv this am . No less sneaky though .
It’s a topsy turvy world. On Morning Report this morning we had a Labour Finance Minister preaching fiscal discipline and defending the lack of the wage subsidy for the extra four days of Level 3 lockdown in Auckland while the National Party leader demanded the subsidy get paid, even if it means more borrowing and went so far as to suggest the government should just pay extra if it was too hard to part pay the four days out of a week. Collins incidentally was as nice as pie too, a noticeable shift in tone.
Strange times.
There sems to be a tidal wave of right wing nut jobs critisising Ardern and the Govt for protecting the lives of NZers, even Peters has joined the march
None of the criticism has any basis on Fact and is little more than Hyperbole, electioneering for the right who have no credibility and seem to have conveniently forgotten all the mishandling of a few weeks ago with Boag, all the resignations, 3 leadership spills and no new policies except to privatise the Covid Response so their friends so they can profit from the pandemic.
Fake News is at all time High in the NZ Media, surprise, surprise.
What should they report on, Politicians telling us one thing and yet something quite different was happening?
If you game enough to read blogs from the other side you would see the exact same statements going the other way.
Plus the fact that the NZ media has been brought by the current Govt for 50 million pieces of silver.
Pataua4life, I guess you are referring to the roll out of testing staff at the border. The Govt had understood it was happening. Even although it wasn't we have one outbreak. one cluster and despite the exhaustive testing it hasn't come from the border.
Everyone morning I checked the Covid numbers worldwide. Today NZ has gone from 140 to 142 in terms of case numbers. We continue to be surpassed by other countries and have for months. We need perspective here. We have had none by the media. I believe they are undermining and therefore endangering our Covid response
"If you game enough to read blogs from the other side you would see the exact same statements going the other way."
I have been there and read the comments, what is clear is that most who comment their are are completely illiterate and live in a parallel universe.
"Plus the fact that the NZ media has been brought by the current Govt for 50 million pieces of silver."
Proof to support that unsubstantiated claim.
Just a quick reminder, NZ has the very best response to this Pandemic of any country in the world today, there have no stuff ups as suggested by some, ie testing, as there simply is no evidence to support it, there have only been reports of stuff ups from those who wish there were some, yet there is not a single shred of evidence to support that claim, no matter how many times it's repeated by Collins or the media, it doesn't make true, basically FAKE NEWS
What did you expect? That everyone would play nice in the lead up to the election? What a quaint notion.
There is an expectation that the media would be objective and fair.
no there is not
anyone in the media that people like to complain about are in the highest available income section in NZ that is available after Minister or plastic surgery doctor.
So they are as partisan as they can be as they want their low taxes, their loopholes, and they want people to come back in to rent all the fancy Air BnB owned by these people.
so why would you expect these guys to be fair and objective? Because that is what you were told? They are stenographers nor journalists.
No, they're peddlers of Fake News, the strategy used by the right as they have nothing else, confuse and disrupt.
Opposition Policies are non existent, the media don't care, they just want their mates to win at any cost, anybody claiming the media are not bias must be a Nat supporter.
there is no such thing as fake news no matter how many times the orange shitshow utters these two words. There are news you support and stand behind and then there are those that you don't support and don't stand behind. Simple as. Hoskins and his ilk however will stand behind those that give them tax cuts, and investment loopholes, and privilege and access. Non of that is fake, its currency and they want it. So they will never support anyone who will not give them these baubles.
Once you understand and accept that type of relationship between a political party and its bullhorn its paid of and fully owned stenographers you can get on with life and stop listening to them. Most of us already do.
There is fake news, unfortunately.
The system is no longer binary – left vs right or whatever – there is now a significant fraction of news chatter devoted to bringing the whole system down. Fake news is not a matter of different interpretations of the same facts, but a deliberate attempt to detach fact from civic discourse. Once it’s gone, anything goes.
Even homo profugo Woodhouseiensis – homeless man – was not fake news. The story was rebuttable, and its truth or untruth mattered. Fake news is more the crap Billy TK is channeling – an outgrowth of active measures.
Marc Daalder writes a well informed column about the unlikelihood of Lockdowns 3 or 4. Pretty refreshing and optimistic
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/eliminating-covid-19-without-lockdowns
[Shortened link]
“There is an expectation that the media would be objective and fair.”
Good luck with that.
Question for mods.
The ‘reply’ function is not working on any of my devices. It hasn’t worked for over six months on the iPad I use but up until a couple of days ago I could reply using my iPhone (an 11). Now that’s not working either. I always have to generate a primary comment which is very frustrating. Is there something I can do to correct this? I can’t be the only commenter in here that has this problem?
Scott, Ive had that same problem on my S7, can't reply, the best way around it is to use a computer or lap top which is what I've had to revert to.
No dam spell checker though, which always takes longer to respond.
it's the system. You can try switching to desktop from mobile on your phone (or vice versa, can't remember which way round).
The issue in the past few days is being worked on.
Use to happen to me. I found making a new post, then deleting it, brings the reply option back again.
Thanks I might try that next time
New Zealand will be relying on a small number of people working their butts off for this to succeed, and I hope the public realise this. When I say 'small' it's still thousands of people: border workers, health workers, testing staff, scientists, transport, police and military . I'm mindful of what people coming through quarantine have been saying, "its a different world" and while we go down to level 1, it's never level 1for the frontline staff in this long battle against Covid which will be relentless. They have a huge responsibility and all the stress that goes with it. A big thumbs up for their work so far and into the future.
An unrealistic expectation mpledger, it's been shown by academics the media have a bias to national.
Both in the lack of an objective approach and the sheer number of pieces that are effectively shilling a national led gov't as the solution. This was a reply to 10.1 that’s ended up on it’s own sorry.
For Sabine @3.1 reply not working.
Sabine what you raise is the conversation which must be had. It is crunch time and finding ways to lessen the pain without losing the fight with Covid is what needs to occur.
any time now they can start conversing about it, because we are getting tired, council fees just gone up, supplies are going up, rents will go up and there is no NO guidance to us and no help other then a loan and a wage subsidy that is too little too late and that the dear neo liberal Grant Robertson rather not pay out, mind his lifelyhood is secured, he gets paid every week without fault. he ain't worried about his family eating and paying mortgage.
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/12472456/coronavirus-frozen-meat-fish-three-weeks/
I like to know on what basis MBIE "ruled out" Americold as the source of the Auckland outbreak. It looks like there's not sufficient scientific consensus to say it couldn't happen.
This of course wouldn't support the narrative the opposition is running that it was definitely a failure of testing at the border.
"This of course wouldn't support the narrative the opposition is running that it was definitely a failure of testing at the border."
The media have gone along for the ride as well and as expected.
Facts don't seem to matter when there's an election around the corner and the medias "team" are on the back foot, replacing the Leader 3 times, embarrassed at being caught out trying to release information about the names of people in quarantine, having 15 Nat members resign from parliament prior to the election and having Collins as the Leader and hopeful PM, what an embarrassment.
Can anyone realistically see Collins as PM, it would be the end of civilisation as we know it today in NZ.
In the absence of any evidence to the contrary, surely you have to go with the strongest lead which is the first case at Americold. No matter how unlikely, it is still the most likely, with the evidence available.
After all, how many border workers have tested positive?
One. That’s it!
And that was because some cow from America didn’t wash her hands and wasn’t wearing a mask when she left her room.
You don't understand Mb. It contravenes their constitutional rights of FREEDOM.
I am reminded of an incident prior to the anti nuclear legislation passed in 1986, when we used to have naval and air exercises with the Americans out in the Auckland Gulf. A former colleague of mine was giving a flying crew a weather briefing prior to departure when in walked the Yanks. Some fool among them yelled out :
It was quietly greeted with laughter and derision. Idiots.
Muttonbird
Agreed, the borders being protected, were protected, the evidence proves that no matter how you twist it.
This virus is Highly contagious, if it wasn't we wouldn't be Locking Down.
Just Is That's what I reckon. I see someone being creative in naming Judeath.
greywarshark
After their environmental policy release today, I'd say it fits
Judith saying (stupidly) that we should only keep the "swimming parts of the rivers clean and not worry too much about the rest", we need to look after the farming sector.
How do you isolate sections of rivers where people swim in them from the rest of the flowing river???
She obviously thinks Kiwis are not to bright.
She might be right, she has gone to the top of a major Party. How's that for a little girl from the Styx. (Don't know about her background but couldn't resist.)
Colmar Brunton tomorrow ?
Haven't heard owt … but they almost always poll Saturday to Wednesday … then release on Thurs. (often final week of month)..
This one should be interesting …. it's now long enough to get a firm steer on Collin's leadership, plus no-one can complain that CB does any favours to the left.
.
With notable exceptions, Lab/Govt partisans tend to feel there'll be either zero swing to the Nats or, in fact, a consolidation of Labour's huge advantage in the wake of this latest outbreak … while for Nat/Oppo partisans it's, of course, vice versa.
I suspect (pure speculation) that we'll see a mild flow back to the Nats in the next poll … but one that won't even remotely compensate for the huge Nat-to-Lab Realignment during the Level 4 lockdown earlier in the year. Perhaps up to a third of the 400k plus former Nats returning to the Blue fold (albeit tentatively, possibly with some ready to head back in the Govt's direction if all goes well) .. two-thirds remaining with Labour. So perhaps Lab down to late 40s in CB (but a little higher than that in the next TV3 Poll).
Could be wrong … but that's my guess.
I'm assuming Colmar Brunton will still go ahead with their polling schedule despite the Auckland lockdown & Election delay.
[* 100k + swinging back from Lab to Nat wouldn’t normally be considered “mild” exactly … but relative to that massive Realignment … it esentially is]
i am interested in the % for the gods squad parties, the new conservatives and vision. That could be interesting. A good amount of signs here in middle country. N/God Party signs outweigh labour signs.
Mind it is rotorua, and the town has been hit hard. Very hard.
Swordfish how are your parents faring?
.
Thanks so much for asking, Patricia. Really appreciated.
After a particularly bloody horrendous 6 months from Nov 2019 to April 2020 – an intensification of the situation they'd had to endure over the previous 2 years – (major explosions of violent intimidation from their neighbour for hours throughout night & early morning, vandalising their property, running onto their front yard & threatening at 1, 2, 3 in the morning, & frequent all-night swearing-aggressive drinking / parties … with all the extreme stress & sleep deprivation that that entails) … they got a much needed 6 week break from mid-May through to early-July. The neighbour suddenly disappeared for just over 3 weeks & then was back only very sporadically over the following 3.
So, for the first time in ages, they were allowed to go to sleep at night & have 8 hours sleep … and enjoy relative peace & quiet during the day … a 90 yo & an 89 yo permitted basic human rights that most people enjoy.
Unfortunately (but entirely predictably) things have started to deteriorate since he properly moved back mid-July. Nowhere near as bad as before … but I can see it's slowly but surely moving back in that direction.
Carrying out one or two plans to try to get something done … but not very optimistic … and getting to the point where I may take the law into my own hands … draw a red line in the sand … make it clear to certain authorities that this is outrageous & has gone on for far too long.
We all had real hopes back in Jan / Feb that he'd be out … a number of Policewomen & a Social Worker who aids the elderly forcefully going in to bat for them … but HNZ response shaped by Govt's tacit No Eviction policy … that'd be the Labour Party that my parents & grandparents have been longtime activists for.
Anyway, sorry for ranting … I'm aware that people who go on about personal issues on social media quickly become a boring scratched record … but, again, it was very nice of you to ask … and I passed your implicit moral support on to my Parents (as I've done in the past with Redlogix & a number of others). Both asked me to thank you & let you know how much they appreciate it. Cheers.
swordfish
There's always a concerted drive by the media and opposition during the "polling period", it was always very noticeable when Simple Simon was Leader, he was hard out drumming up support, barking at every passing car.
This time Collins and Co have got their wealthy friends to do the complaining for them.
Reply to anker at 9.1.1
With respect to the testing at the border regardless of what was actually happening it would have been prudent for the government to have managed expectations better than they did. Had they said all the way through that while things weren’t perfect at the border they were getting it sorted, I think most of the public would have cut them some slack. Instead we were treated to blithe assurances that everything was hunky dory. And then it turned out it really wasn’t.
They gave the Opposition and the media a stick to beat them with. You can’t really blame them for using it.
Reply to Muttonbird @17
Things have come to a pretty pass when The Sun is the go-to for evidence based scientific info in here?
There’s no citation of the study the article is referring to and the only named comment comes from a Veterinarian.
I could link to The Telegraph which carried the same article if that is more your thing? I didn't because it is paywalled and I wanted people to be able to read it.
A quick read of Newshub. Collins said it was "silly" of the Government not to pay the wage subsidy for the extra days. BUT then backed down and said she would not have done so, under questioning from Garner. Maybe Garner thought a little bit of balance was due and caught her out.
Reply to Just Is @13.1
I don’t have a laptop or desktop. Haven’t really needed one since my ancient MacBook crapped out a couple of years ago. Hopefully mods can get it sorted if possible.
Sorry, only Lprent can, when he has time.
Shit 24 deaths overnight in Victoria. And 149 new cases.
Hasn't our government done well!
University of Queensland has released corona vaccine pre-clinical trial data claiming a ‘good level of protection’.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-08-26/uq-covid-19-vaccine-candidate-safe-and-working-on-hamsters/12594726
[Shortened link]
Good news from the University of Queensland team who are reporting solid progress with their COVID vaccine development.
Maybe I'm biased because I live in Brisbane, but this looks promising.
"This has become the Covid-K recovery: fantastic for the rich and an awful repeat of the much-talked-about 1990-92 recession that Finance Minister Grant Robertson and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern have said they want to avoid repeating."
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/nzs-k-shaped-covid-19-recovery
While theres much in this article that overlooks the nuance it is true that a property bubble fuelled by migration is the only strategy our leaders (?) have…..and it will be even more so under National
this is it tho,…
from your link
and looking at the 'offerings' by labour to the working poor and non working poor , there will be nothing forthcoming.
"Meanwhile, renters, beneficiaries and the working poor are getting poorer because their rents are rising, their incomes are falling and they have received no more direct help than they got before the pandemic."
And that is the nuance overlooked….the response HAS provided direct assistance to those groups but the fact is that ultimately the support of asset prices undermines that assistance.
The priority is to save the system.
this? Is this what you are talking about?
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2020/04/25-benefit-increase-making-a-difference-for-beneficiaries-during-lockdown-carmel-sepuloni.html
the winter payment is over as per my friend who recieved it. It came to about 40$ per week which will stop next week as she said. However her rent just increased by 40.
The 25 $ increase is on the base benefit, which in many cases can and will a reduction in fringe benefits. So you could argue that while on paper these people got a trickle down, it cost them more then it was worth.
The government here failed. And if we safe the system on the backs of the poor, why on earth would they vote for the government?
There are those…AND the wage subsidy, the income relief payment, the apprenticeship subsidy, the housing of the homeless (despite the incompetence) , IRD business loans, rent freeze, leave support, migrant support and foodbank support.
What would National have done do you think?
The system is designed for the investor class so why wouldnt it be saved on the backs of the poor?…..its what we voted for for the past 40 years
You get the Government you deserve
I don't care what National would do as i don't vote for them.
Rent freeze is over, rents are going up everywhere and by quite a bit to make up for the 'only once a year' rule.
The homeless are no longer housed they were kicked out a few weeks ago and are now roaming the streets again. Well a few are back in emergency housing but never mind. (well 1200 rooms have been retained 🙂 )
IRD business loans, payable back in a year time. Hope you still have a business then.
Foodbanks, cause yeah, Foodbanks are a sign of the times and government is doing good if everyone gets a food voucher for a food bank courtesy of WINZ if they get someone to answer the phone there.
Nah, sorry, not good enough. Not at all good enough, and if this would have been done by National all you guys would be jumping up and down yelling not good enough.
from the above link.
Again…the nuance is ignored.
Rent freeze is not over yet
IRD loans are not repayable in one year, they are interest free if paid in a year but run for 5 years at 3% after one year
Foodbanks exist…they would be less capable without the gov support
'IF' this had been done by National….I doubt much of it would, it certainly wasnt in the 90s
The Gov to date has been restrained (in the face of massive pressure) in direct support of big business and the (private) banks lack of support of business despite Gov underwrites should be indicative to you (and everyone) of the need to revisit the current business model despite the liquidity being made available.
The asset inflation has destroyed disposable income and the answer isnt more asset inflation…..and that requires the system to fail (reset) and that aint going to be a picnic either.
There is no painless way out, but what is being done is simply delaying the inevitable and wasting resources in the process…Labour if they were true to their history could provide a path out….National not so.
We will discover in 52 days whether theres a slim chance or none.
The Winter Energy Allowance finishes from the end of September. It is $40 weekly per single person and $63 weekly for couples and families.
For nearly 6 months benefits have continued on with no need to review or verify tenancy /disability costs ; I believe this will start to change in another month.
Homeless have not been evicted from emergency housing ; the odd person who felt constricted “living indoors” might have gone back to the streets but the choice was theirs. Some homeless have now been housed in permanent accommodation. Many new Kainga Ora flats and houses becoming available in Auckland.
@swordfish 18.1.1
I’m a Lab/Govt partisan and I’m expecting a realignment back to National. I hope I’m wrong.
ScittGN @ 27
I'm disappointed – you are doing a Nat of just reporting part of a comment which gives the wrong impression of what was written.
Swordfish said this amongst other things:
I suspect (pure speculation) that we'll see a mild flow back to the Nats in the next poll … but one that won't even remotely compensate for the huge Nat-to-Lab Realignment during the Level 4 lockdown earlier in the year.
You were absolutely one of the notable exceptions I was thinking of, Scott
A parable for our times.
https://twitter.com/leunigcartoons/status/1298395238801735682
@greywarshark 27.1
So you accuse me of cherry-picking some of swordfish’s comments by, ahem, cherry-picking some of swordfish’s comment? Nice one.
As it happens I tend agree with everything swordfish has said. Lab/Govt partisans will be hoping for no change, Nat/Oppo partisans will be hoping for a decent shift back to their party. And the most likely outcome will be a ‘mild flow back to the Nats’ (swordfish’s own words). Sorry if I didn’t spell that out more clearly in my original comment but there is life to be getting on with eh? As for disappointing you – believe it or not that’s probably the least of my worries. Your response to my comment was bloody condescending.
So is yours you twit. I read your comment and it sounded as if swordfish was saying that the swing to Labour was over. Seeing that is the last thing we want I protested. Sorry to hurt your delicate feelings.
@Muttonbird 23.1
Yes they have! That’s why I’m annoyed they’ve got sidetracked by the Opposition’s politicking around border testing.
Shane Reti in question time in the House, comes across as a nit-picking fuckwit who asks the same question in various wordings and doesn't listen to the answers.
Trying to make a case for Day 3 testing being compulsory. Hipkins told him several times that day 12 testing was more relevant but . . . ??
The answer is almost irrelevant. The point is to seed doubt that there is something fundamentally wrong at the borders and that this is the Government’s doing.
But the bright sparks don't see any evidence that there is anything fundamentally wrong with our borders, so and simply dismiss it
The tyrant speaks.
Judith's more shit for everyone election promise.
"National leader Judith Collins has told voters the Government’s freshwater regulations would be “gone by lunchtime” if she is elected in September."
" I'm so over people bossing everyone else around, so I think we should just 'boss out' those regulations,” Collins said.
"Most rivers in urban and rural areas are polluted, according to a recent report from the Ministry for the Environment.",
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/300091736/election-2020-judith-collins-says-freshwater-regulations-will-be-gone-by-lunchtime-and-government-is-destroying-this-country?cid=app-android
I was told a year ago that it was a cross-party plan. Clearly not.
<a href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12359312"> borders</a>
Trying to get the right linkage. What did I do wrongly?
If you're manually typing in the "href" stuff, you need to be in "Source" mode on the gui. Otherwise write "borders" then select it and press the chainlink icon (to the right of the "A" buttons) to fill in the hyperlink fields
If you are using a laptop all I do is have the story open on another tab in the browser. I click on the website link – so that it is highlighted in blue. Then I go "ctrl C" and then click on the 'leave a Comments panel" that I am using and go "ctrl V" and that's all that is needed. it's copy and paste. Just leave some spaces around it. Using firefox
So ANZ is winding up Bonus Bonds.
Personally, I am sorry to see it go.
The investment wanks love to say how crap BB are to other savings schemes, but that's through their lens of the moneyed gentry. Fuck those guys.
For me, BB were a fees-free way to save up a couple of hundred over a few months, and I'd get all my money back to make a big purchase. It was like a lottery ticket where you got your money back even if you didn't win.
waa waa you didn't get inflation adjustments. Fucksake, anyone on a low income gets shafted by banks for much more than the cost of inflation. Was it my retirement plan? No. Was it useful and moderately interesting? Yes.
Any winnings were also tax free and certainly those in the early days also saw it as a way of supporting government – the trade off was no interest while the government used your money but you had a chance of winning something. It was’t all about what you could get – it was about helping out – part of socialist thinking.
One of my relatives won $60,000 the second draw she was eligible. Made an enormous difference to her life. I know lots of old people who would bring in half a dozen or more $20-00 cheques each month into the bank my cousin managed. It was regular non-taxed income for them.
Just listening to an interview with Hipkins and Ryan Bridges on Magic.
Pretty impressive bloke really, especially given how much shit he has to now deal with.
Of course he is. We're lucky to have him. The pile on up-thread is misguided and mean.
Chris Hipkins will probably be the next Prime Minister. And a good one too.
Deputy PM, sorry Kelvin, you're a good bloke and have done a great job but communication is not your thing
A conflict of interests exists ‘where a reasonable and informed person would perceive that you could be influenced by a private interest when carrying out your public duty.’ A ‘private interest’ may be either ‘pecuniary’ or ‘non-pecuniary’.
What would the Auditor General deem in consideration of whether a non-pecuniary or pecuniary conflict of interest arises when MP's with vested monetary interests in farms then vote on bills surrounding ' farm practice' ?
David Bennet as opposition Spokesperson on Agriculture (like other MPs) has direct gain when involved in the repealing of freshwater farm practices. Others also have substance of an association or relationship involved.
The number of properties owned by New Zealand MPs .
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2020/08/the-number-of-properties-owned-by-new-zealand-mps-revealed.html
https://dpmc.govt.nz/our-business-units/cabinet-office/supporting-work-cabinet/cabinet-manual/2-ministers-crown-6
But what is in Bentit's interests is by definition in the National interest, so no possible conflict. It's just like smuggling swamp kauri (depending on who the smuggler is).
Cost of Divert our SUBURBS TREES DEVISE AS WE EXPAND. Planing, cost our payers comp ,laining about traffic and hold ups so tree cutting is progress why, build a billion billion road to where, motor bike boy, time to stop pushing get lost in your homestead lot.
@ Gabby ( reply not working)
Oh I forgot, with his three farms on the Parliamentary declared interests list , DBennet is now one of the doctorly experts on the Strong Team. So of course doctor of farming ! 🙃