In a tsunami concrete buildings seem more durable than wooden ones.
If the shake goes on for a minute, and if you are knocked off your feet then it is an indication that it is strong enough to be followed by a tsunami. And that could follow within 10 minutes, so evacuation should be asap.
I would 100 times rather be in a wooden building in an earthquake and we’ve been stupid to keep putting up concrete crap in modern building. A concrete building may stand up to a tsunami but it won’t save your life in one either.
Yes I noticed that the mention of concrete just related to tsunami. But it would be interesting to get the opinion of a professional engineerwith pragmatic approach who could tell us whether a badly built concrete building with inadequate reinforcing and possibly slab-built would be better than a badly built wooden building with no dwangs and under-spec studs. Because that is possibly the choice in NZ with anything built in the last 30 years.
I come from Napier so our family have lived in a city with the reminants of buildings from the 1931 earthquakes so we have seen how woden vs concrete buildings do stand up to a large earthquake.
I do take Maui seriously here and he/she could be correct here in some cases.
Most concrete buildings in Napier during the 1931 quake were levelled, but some stood then, and do still today.
So we know the solid reinforced designed buildings are the ones that are still here today.
When the building code here was upgraded from that earthquake we were told that Napier had ‘advanced building codes’ before other regions during the last half of the last century.
So when a building was planned around our area, we saw that heavy reinforced caged steel “lential beams” were placed around the first floor level and at the top of the second floor through the concrete blocks.
We do recall that they only had single 12mm reinfocing rods placed in every second hole of the blocks and then concrete was poured into the holes to set the rods in place.
We always wondered why every hole didnt get a reinforced rod.
We used reinforced rods in every hole of a retaining wall when we built one later in the 1980’s.
So it may be that one should think of “beefing up” the amount of reinforced steel that is used in building a concete block building now.
I hope this sheds some light on the subject.
By the way I lived in the house for several years during the 1950s that was a reconstructed home from a house that (slid) off Napier’s ‘Bluff Hill’ during the 1931 earthquake, so yes a wooden structure can survive if it doesn’t fall over a cliff, opposed to just “sliding” off.
The sod-turning ceremony at 5 King Street in Brisbane will be a groundbreaking event in more than just in the literal sense. When complete in 2018, 45 metres of the 52-metre office tower will qualify as the world’s highest to be held aloft not by steel and concrete, but timber and glue.
Right over the road from where I am right now. Foundations well progressed, and I’d imagine the first structural elements might arrive within weeks. Oh and it doesn’t burn like the concrete dude at the bottom of the article implies … the outer layer chars and that’s it.
In many respects engineered timber is a better bet in disasters than any other material.
“After the previous earthquakes, she took a big hammering on February 22. She shook like you wouldn’t believe. It always amazed me how she still stood.
I am familiar with Shand’s Emporium, also CHCH …. Know the building and city well, pre, and POST quake. Having experienced quite a few jolts there, and in Wellys etc …..
Moreover I live in a dilapidated wooden cottage on the South Coast, and have experienced many a jolt from the Solander Trench over the years!
And dwangs, or noggins… give me timber anytime over concrete!, i.e. CTV Building, Ex Drainage board building, ChCh, or Stats house in Wellington.
The Shand’s 2 story timber construction from the 1800’s has stood the best of time!
JC
I was just throwing some stuff in for consideration not trying to offer any definitive info. I actually wanted to find the engineer who started the ball rolling on the safety of much of the construction but couldn’t find him, too late too tired and I think keeping in mind stuff that was being discussed, keeping questions fresh, is something needed.
have a look at Papamoa and find the evacuation road in case of a Tsunami. Ideally you evacuate with a bicycle cause when all the geezers jump in their car to find the one road out – ooops finished. Well at least the recovery of bodies will be easy as they will be found in their cars.
There is literally no way to evacuate for many who live coastal simply because a. where too? b. one road in one road out,. and c. shall i save my effn boat?
So frankly to evacuate quickly……that is literally not gonna happen.
If they’re corporate execs or sportspeople they’re free agents, free to choose. If they’re politicians they are there on the grace of the people they represent, those that boosted them into the role.
Politicians changing horses mid-stream is misrepresentation, cheating their backers. It’s peeling the labels off Marmite jars and replacing them with Vegemite ones, well wrong.
There have been a whopping 6254 written questions submitted to Govt ministers by the Nats in the last month; for comparison, there were 964 during the equivalent period after the 2014 election.
no surprises that the infant minds of your average nat mp can only see playing childish games as their role now, as we witnessed on day one around the lie to back the speakers appointment.
maybe list mps in the opposition parties should be made redundant on election day
National tactics of stalling labour coalition to make changes is adding a mockery to PM Jacinda Ardern ‘s seeking to obtain a “National Party concensus on child poverty” eh!!!!!!!
The hard lesson learned in the first month of the Labour lead government = do not rely on or trust the National Party at any time.
The Opposition asking questions of the government is “in the interests of New Zealand.” An energised Opposition is to be expected when they are the largest party.
In contrast Labour after 2014 had only got 25% of the vote and were no doubt sufficiently demotivated not too ask very many questions. The next three years will not be the same as when the the largest party is the government.
Jeez Wayne disingenuous to the max. An opposition asking questions of a government “is in the interests of New Zealand” when those questions are relevant and seek to draw out more detail of what a government is doing and why, and perhaps highlighting ineptitude and dishonesty and so on.
An energised Opposition should also be intelligent and genuinely working in the interest of all of us, not simply clogging up the machinery of government for their own selfish ends and to show themselves to be ignorant and anti-democratic which National seem determined to do.
An energised opposition asking questions of the government is in the interest of NZders full stop. It’s an important element of our democratic process.
Its not for you or I as individuals to judge whether or not they are relevant – thats the function of society in general. If the questions don’t generate new and/or relevant insights, then society will in turn judge the oppositions questions as a waste of time, and the particular line of questioning will cease.
In and of itself having to answer lots of questions will not slow down the machinery of government.
Apparently the large number of questions has been generated because the government won’t disclose who their Ministers are meeting with. They said they needed specific questions of Ministers. Well, they are now getting them.
Even if they are declined meetings (to be fair that could be a bit excessive). It is who they are meeting with that is important. But with GCSB, quite a lot will not be disclosable.
Presumably, in line with past practise, the government will disclose the diaries of Ministers so it is all transparent as to what they are doing, including all their meetings.
We all along with the public and all the press too asked national Minsters for the last nine years and got gilich/nothing back from them National pm’s so why do you dumb National pollies now expect any answers to over ‘6000’ thousands of questions in a month now? – it doesn’t work like that!!!!!
Are you stupid or something.
Just wait untill they uncover all the financial scandals they will find as they audit the nine years of governments books lad, are you shaking?
On the seventh december we wil be watching the court proceedure as Winston presents his eveidence in discovery of the national ministers who caused the scandal leaking his private personal information or have you forgotten that???
LOL. Classic! I stand chastened. Not. Aren’t “you and I” members of society in general? I know I am. Therefore by your ” logic” I am totally qualified to judge whether these questions are relevant or not.
“Its not for you or I as individuals to judge whether or not they are relevant – thats the function of society in general.”
Actually, Grantoc, everyone who comments here is part of society in general and has every right to make their own judgement about the behaviour of our politicians. Having the same inane question (“What meetings did the minister attend on…(date)”) repeated for every day, for every Minister isn’t “holding the government to account” – it’s deliberately hovering up public servants’ time in an attempt to hold up progress in researching, developing and implementing policy. If Labour had been doing this during the last government’s time, they would have been mocked and denounced. There’s definitely a role for a focused opposition in parliament, but this isn’t it. This is just being petty and pathetic.
13377 (2017). Hon Christopher Finlayson to the Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs
What meetings did the Minister decline on 6 November?
Question 24 November 2017
13376 (2017). Hon Christopher Finlayson to the Minister responsible for the GCSB
What meetings did the Minister decline on 5 November?
Question 24 November 2017
13375 (2017). Hon Christopher Finlayson to the Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs
What meetings did the Minister decline on 7 November?
Question 24 November 2017
13374 (2017). Hon Christopher Finlayson to the Minister responsible for the NZ Security Intelligence Service
What meetings did the Minister decline on 4 November?
Question 24 November 2017
13373 (2017). Hon Christopher Finlayson to the Minister responsible for the GCSB
What meetings did the Minister decline on 6 November?
Question 24 November 2017
13372 (2017). Hon Christopher Finlayson to the Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs
What meetings did the Minister decline on 8 November?
Question 24 November 2017
13371 (2017). Hon Steven Joyce to the Minister of Finance
What will be the remuneration rate for ordinary members of the newly announced Tax Working Group?
Question 24 November 2017
13370 (2017). Hon Christopher Finlayson to the Minister responsible for the NZ Security Intelligence Service
What meetings did the Minister decline on 5 November?
Question 24 November 2017
13369 (2017). Hon Christopher Finlayson to the Minister responsible for the GCSB
What meetings did the Minister decline on 7 November?
Question 24 November 2017
13368 (2017). Hon Christopher Finlayson to the Minister responsible for the NZ Security Intelligence Service
What meetings did the Minister decline on 6 November?
Question 24 November 2017
13367 (2017). Hon Christopher Finlayson to the Minister responsible for the GCSB
What meetings did the Minister decline on 8 November?
Question 24 November 2017
13366 (2017). Hon Christopher Finlayson to the Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs
What meetings did the Minister decline on 9 November?
Question 24 November 2017
13365 (2017). Hon Steven Joyce to the Minister of Finance
What is the remuneration rate for the chair of the newly announced Tax Working Group?
Question 24 November 2017
13364 (2017). Hon Christopher Finlayson to the Minister responsible for the NZ Security Intelligence Service
What meetings did the Minister decline on 7 November?
Question 24 November 2017
13363 (2017). Hon Christopher Finlayson to the Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs
What meetings did the Minister decline on 10 November?
Question 24 November 2017
13362 (2017). Hon Christopher Finlayson to the Minister responsible for the NZ Security Intelligence Service
What meetings did the Minister decline on 8 November?
Question 24 November 2017
13361 (2017). Hon Christopher Finlayson to the Minister responsible for the GCSB
What meetings did the Minister decline on 9 November?
Question 24 November 2017
13360 (2017). Hon Christopher Finlayson to the Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs
What meetings did the Minister decline on 11 November?
Question 24 November 2017
13359 (2017). Hon Christopher Finlayson to the Minister responsible for the GCSB
What meetings did the Minister decline on 10 November?
Question 24 November 2017
13358 (2017). Hon Christopher Finlayson to the Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs
What meetings did the Minister decline on 13 November?
Question 24 November 2017
I don’t see anything wrong with a couple of thousand people emailing the Hon Christopher Finlayson quite a number of times every day. For the sake of transparency and accountability which he is very interested in he could tell us what he’s up to. As a list MP I’m sure he’d like to share.
For years the left have had to cop the flak that comes with being in opposition.
A national sentiment that ponders: ‘How on earth is that line of attack/questioning actually going to help our nation Labour/Greens? You do nothing but moan.’
It’s time for National to slip into that coat and NZ can listen to the 6254 whines from those that lost.
I think our government need only stick to their knitting and spin the noise from the other side of the house in a way that appeals to the broader population. Perpetually moaning negative Nellies are rarely popular.
It’ll be interesting once Winston’s fishing expedition starts to bear fruit and some gaps appear in the mask. And they will, someone will see a personal advantage in saying, or leaking something to further their own ambitions at the old guard’s expense.
I suspect this hyper question tactic to keep everyone too busy to think about how and why they are in opposition, not government. Once the frustration of opposition starts to be felt there’s going to be a lot of mid-level nat MPs looking for someone to take responsibility. I doubt it will be pretty, or swift.
Is there an opportunity to classify questions as harrassment and refuse to play the game? If it is to be asked in Parliament, can they be answered en bloc and a protest made to the Speaker so it goes on record? This should be revealed to the public somehow, can the questioner be brought to a head of steam that won’t be turned off, and then the Speaker can order them from the House etc?
I think the right approach and attitude with regard the questions or their volume is nearly always: ‘Ask whatever you want, we like sharing the details of our progress.’
Apparently a national mp has confirmed it was because labour ministers won’t answer “general questions” like who didn’t they meet this month.? Thus the same question for every date.
Both of you are always suggesting everyone you don’t agree with is lying. But if you go to Kiwiblog, you will see that Mallard did ask 7,000 questions in 2010.
I know enough of this to know these things happen in fits and starts. Sometimes i would get hundreds of questions all at once, then nothing for a bit. It basically took two people in my office to answer them as their main job. I simply saw it as part of a functioning open democracy.
The volume of questions is purely being driven by Ministers and their offices refusing to answer more generalised questions, such as something along the lines of ‘Who has the Minister met with with since being sworn in?’
A very reasonable question. It not only helps to identify who might be influencing government, it also helps to target further information requests.
Ministers’ offices have been responding along the lines of ‘The minister meets with many people on many topics. We can respond to more specific questions.’
No wonder they then face the same question repeated in separate questions for each individual day.
I can’t give a definitive reason as to why others are seeking information by way of written questions vs. OIA request, but (as I understand it) the timeframe for an OIA response is 20 working days whereas the response for written questions to ministers is 6 working days. That would seem amply good reason to me.
Ultimately the volume of questions is being driven by ministers not responding to more general, yet reasonable questions.
Looks to me like this government is backing away from their supposed commitment to transparency and open government. Yet another u-turn from them.
[Anne Tolley recalls around 28,000 written questions from Trev when she was Minister of Education – on more than one occasion deriving from a common question asked separately for each of the 2500-odd public schools.]
Could it be that Anne Tolley needed to be asked the same question 28,000 times before she understood it?
Or 28,000 times before she showed a willingness to answer?
they have been the Tea Party for at least the last nine years.
they are just not hiding it anymore. National Party, the ownership Party – you are on your own – especially in sickness, old age, unemployment, child hood, if one is a person of colour or the female gender or any other gender then heterosexual male. Also don’t apply if you don’t adhere to the right religious cult. Its got at least be a patriarchy and biblical.
As medical examiner for Ansett New Zealand, he had ready access to easy targets – not just because he could control the acceptance process for young women determined to become flight attendants, but because, as he said himself, if an accusation was made, who would believe it?
Unlike his behaviour with other patients, he limited his sexual activity with the Ansett trainees – far enough to afford him some gratification, not so far that it could not be explained away as part of a normal medical examination. ….
“GROPERS” is presented by GroperWatch, a division of Daisycutter Sports Inc.
No.1 George Herbert Walker Bush; No. 2 Bill O’Reilly; No. 3 Al Franken; No. 4 Robin Brooke; No. 5 Lester Beck; No. 6 Arnold Schwarzenegger; No. 7 Joe Biden; No. 8 Rolf Harris; No. 9 Harold Bloom; No. 10 Sir Jimmy Savile
Let’s build houseboats, that will rise up when there is flooding and can be steered into a safe harbour to ride out the storm. Now that would be a useful design and skill for us in NZ
1. An unsupported assertion that there’s a “growing disconnect” between the Merkel and the electorate.
2. The implication that Germany’s refugee policy is in some sense “controversial.”
3. The ludicrous claim that one poll showing 51% of Germans would favour a new election and 49% opposed or not giving a shit means “most Germans” want another election and Merkel has no mandate.
4. some “rise-of-the-right” scaremongering,
All of which is propaganda in service of:
1. Presenting liberal democracies as unstable and poor forms of governance compared with the stability of Russian governance.
2. Attempting to encourage the development of actual instability and poor governance in liberal democracies.
There is of course a ready market of suckers in the West for this propaganda, which is why RT exists.
PM doesn’t understand how Putin can do 3-4 hour live press conferences, off the cuff no teleprompters, no questions barred, in front of the international media, while the leaders of the no-propaganda west hide away as fast as possible in between little bits of sound bite spin.
I have to agree CV. In the year or so after I came back from my time working in Russia I read quite a number of Putin’s speeches (translated of course) and found him quite interesting. I’ve no doubt he’s capable of being ruthless when required, but that’s only one aspect of a complex and intelligent individual. Critics in the west who reflexively write him off as an ex-KGB thug almost certainly haven’t read or listened to the man at any length.
One certainly doesn’t have to be any kind Putin fanboi to recognise that in many ways his stature as an enduring statesman is far beyond almost all comparable figures in the west.
And within the context of Russian leaders over the past two centuries or more, he is by far the most outstanding since probably Catherine the Great.
As I understand it, the Russian people almost universally frown upon Yeltsin as the drunkard who almost let the west destroy Russia.
They do give him credit for one major decision though – finding the relatively obscure Putin and handing power over to him.
This is a clip of Putin addressing his commanders in the Chechen campaign in 1999, when he was a newbie I think just shortly after he took over. ‘Put your glasses down, we’ll have a drink only after we win the war.’
Mugabe took a functioning country and ran it into the ground; Putin took a country that had been through a massive crisis and has restored it. I was there in 2001 and saw for myself the poverty and hardship they Russian people were going through with my own eyes.
Now when I look on google earth at the same streets in the same city, I barely recognise the place; large new buildings, massive public redevelopment and far fewer visible signs of the lack of maintenance and run down grimness that was so confronting when I was there.
That’s just my personal experience and is proof of nothing, but it’s consistent with everything I can read. Putin has proven to be a Russian nationalist before all else, he’s put the interests of Russia first and the people can see the difference in their daily lives.
This is why he remains so very popular in a way all western leaders must envy. Note carefully; I’m not arguing that by liberal western standards he’s any kind of angel or human rights paragon. But for the average person, Putin’s delivered for them.
Comparisons with Mugabe are facile. And I must add that the west really owes Putin a huge debt for stabilising an otherwise dangerously disintegrating nuclear power nation.
Authoritarianism’s good like that. Massive public works, rearmament, Kraft durch Freude, the whole shebang. Just not so good in various other ways, that you’d think would be important to people who don’t live under authoritarian rule.
Sighs. I’m not trying to defend the clearly authoritarian aspects of any regime, be it Russian, Chinese or Fijian. They’re all unattractive and ultimately their own flaws are limiting and inevitably unravel one way or another in the long run.
But the west’s record of imposing regime change is no prettier either. I’ve personal reason to know (and in fuck awful detail) exactly how brutal Saddam Hussein’s political suppression machine was; yet I can also accept that your average Iraqi might well fondly look back on his rule as a period of peace, stability and relative prosperity.
I believe the best path forward is to promote an environment where nations come to believe that it is their best interests to gradually dial back the oppression, increase democratic accountability and sign up to global norms such as the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights.
It’s a process of intelligent engagement, cautious and principled that will improve matters. Assumptions of cultural superiority and arrogant interventions will not.
Putin is more open about Russia’s intentions and actions than most western leaders are about their own countries, and is more ready to front up to the news media about such.
In contrast “propaganda” (which might be described variously as PR spin by narrative or ommission) which you are so concerned about is a western speciality.
Oh, I’m pretty sure most western leaders could hold forth for several hours if fact-checking what they said was literally impossible.
As to what constitutes propaganda, I pointed out several features of that RT article as evidence for it being propaganda. The Reuters article maui referred to in response doesn’t have those features. Your assertions to the contrary are worth nothing to anyone other than you.
There’s also a Reuters article saying that half of Germans want a new election. Something tells me you would have no problem with that story.
Merkel lost 9% in the last election and there isn’t a growing disconnect? Ok..
If you hadn’t read the RT article, all you would know is that Merkel won the election and everything is hunky dory. Sure RT may be spinning it a bit, but they none the less give some decent information.
“Well, maybe I do have a personality disorder,” Tolokonnikova laughs.
“This practice is very typical in Russia today. Mental health diagnoses can be attributed to anyone who doesn’t agree with the current state of affairs.”
There’s also a Reuters article saying that half of Germans want a new election. Something tells me you would have no problem with that story.
Correct. For one thing, the Reuters article just reports the poll results without much editorialising, but more importantly, Reuters isn’t the propaganda arm of an authoritarian nationalist regime.
If you hadn’t read the RT article, all you would know is that Merkel won the election and everything is hunky dory.
I already knew that coalition talks had collapsed and Merkel’s got a problem, from following actual news media. The only thing the RT article gave me was an additional serving of Russian government propaganda, which is interesting in terms of spotting the grift, but of little use otherwise.
Correct. For one thing, the Reuters article just reports the poll results without much editorialising, but more importantly, Reuters isn’t the propaganda arm of an authoritarian nationalist regime.
Reuters is not as obviously pro US-Anglo Imperial status quo as say CNN but it’s still up there.
an authoritarian nationalist regime.
Russia? Yes Russia believes in economic and political sovereignty, and not trans-national neoliberal globalism. I guess that’s “nationalist.”
Authoritarian? Russia holds moderately free and fair elections. United Russia is very popular, and if they were less so, the Communist Party would win.
“Regime”? Good on you, you just earnt your little gold star as a propagandist yourself.
It is of course within the bounds of possibility that the assassination, intimidation and imprisonment of journalists, activists and opposition politicians that have made life so difficult for anyone who’d like to see someone other than Putin running Russia are a matter of sheer coincidence – just like it’s within the bounds of possibility that OJ will find the real killer.
Russian literally has no history of liberal democratic government. None at any time since the Russ tribes were first ruled by Peter the Great in the 10th century. There is deep absence of the cultural norms and habits that enable the delicate mechanism we take for granted and on which our system is built.
I would argue Putin has put Russia on a path where such a thing may become possible; but not for a generation or two yet.
Also consider the authoritarian security state one party Chinese Government. Which is returning China back to its status quo position as a leading civilisation (50% of the job done but still needs another generation or so).
After the catastrophic Cultural Revolution and so-called Great Leap Forward
And in the process, lifting half a billion or so people out of agrarian hand to mouth poverty.
Russian literally has no history of liberal democratic government. None at any time since the Russ tribes were first ruled by Peter the Great in the 10th century. There is deep absence of the cultural norms and habits that enable the delicate mechanism we take for granted and on which our system is built.
Which is what makes me wonder why some people post RT links here as though RT wasn’t a creation of the system you describe
At the risk of highlighting your assumed cultural superiority, other civilisational systems are quite capable of produce outstanding creativity and production.
I haven’t published any RT links at all, but there really isn’t any such thing as a gold-standard, objective, spin-free media anywhere in the world. RT is probably not a lot worse than say the NZ Herald. It’s all propaganda really, just a question of degree.
Neither is any source complete bullshit either; like most people I just try to correlate as many bits of info as I can and try to make some sense of it as best I can. And always if I try and set aside my assumptions, there are interesting stories everywhere I look.
It’s more the downsides of a lease arrangement that was made in a time when asset inflation was insignificant and review periods much longer than now. So reviews of this type of lease are pretty painful. Cornwall Park Trust was a similar situation.
Add to that, in 70’s and early 80’s Arrowtown was struggling to survive, lots of rundown 1800’s houses and cribs, so quite low CVs compared to nearby areas. Now the very bottom is $800K. And onwards and upwards from there. There’s also been a major social turnover, with wealthy, or think they are wealthy, people moving into the town displacing the previous residents. Those with freehold properties were able to exit with a good wad of cash, but with a leasehold title you haven’t got much to sell. The social turnover is hard on longer term residents as their social circle shrinks and they are unable to compete or fit in with the new, seemingly more affluent, arrivals.
The problem of old people having to leave the district in their final years isn’t new, it’s been a major problem for 40+ years and is still happening, but usually on medical grounds.
The Wakatipu has always been a difficult place to live. Rewarding in it’s own ways, but difficult. If you can’t insulate yourself from the economic and social cycles, and asset inflation, it can get impossible.
The elderly couple should have taken the 5 year lease extension at just $5,000 per annum. Ridiculous to not go for that option and worry about the rest later.
In fact, given that the Council offered that, they might even have negotiated for a 6 year lease extension at $6,000 p.a., which would have been enough to sell their house on the basis of for a very solid price.
It’s not really all that different to a licence to occupy in a rest home in that regard. There’s the assumption that the occupier isn’t going to live forever.
Reading over one of those contracts was made all the more macabre when it was my folks doing the dying. But yep, they go into details like: This is what happens if the occupiers die between paying the deposit and occupying.
My Dad countered my “Geez, all this talk about you not being here Ma and Pa’ with “You start to die the second you’re born son.’ ….I think he loves me.
A lot of quite long term residents of Arrowtown (since late 70’s) have moved on lately. They’ve found the town wasn’t their cup of tea anymore. Often with deep regret. Socially it’s another town now, even from what it was 10 years ago, but it was really changing then. We used to have a business in Buckingham St, it had an “interesting” social politics then, but I’m really glad we’re in Queenstown now.
It’s a lifestyle trend I’m seeing much more of. Couples retiring to their Huckleberry locale (I’m on the Far North coast) and then late 70’s early 80’s the more frequent 4 hour drives to see medical specialists grind, seeing more of the urban based Grandchildren appeals.
Many of the houses around me are being sold by retiree twilighters. Fab mint 70’s décor.
Another probable aspect to this situation is that the lease negotiations were handled by a council employee who’s in their 30’s or early 40’s, been in the Wakatipu a couple of years, renting at $700 + / week or huge mortgage, grossly over-qualified for the job they are doing, so earning sod all, and not making ends meet at all, and then being tasked to negotiate a sweetheart deal to keep the ex borough overseer in his leasehold home until he and his partner pass away. Really can’t see that progressing with the empathy, compassion and respect needed to get an outcome satisfactory to all parties.
Could be scenario. Then also there is the entitlement issue of many older people who feel that life should be made easy for them all the way.
They don’t pay attention to the problems that all on lower income are having. And the old men who think they know it all and just make assertions about everything, very difficult to tell them anything and get them to think around a problem, especially if they are conversing with a female.
Labour hasn’t realised what the quid pro quo is in the dark marketplace from pollies to journalists, to ensure that the right sort of verbiage is written up about government.
Back in the day when I went into Taits radio Gisborne shop to get one of my radios there were other customers being severed and I felt a chill and got goose bumps there was a elderly man dressed in black shorts and a t-shirt. I observed this man and his manner did not suit his dress code I.E it was warm but not roasting hot. A few weeks later I seen this man following me around in his blue ford falcon . because of there attention I decided to sell my lawn business and go dairy farming in the Waikatato they follow me there later On I lived in a house next to a school in Rotorua that educate Alot of the people that are oppressing me and they gave me a lot of attention.!!!!! There have been many occasions when he has interfered in me and my family life I no all the people that you have used to tried and prove your bullshit ideological theory of me but to no one can not prove what is not fact. Well last year I seen this elderly man he said that he was off course and had to land his glider on the farm I recognise him straight away as the same man from gisborne as well as goosebumps to I no what he was looking for in the forestry next to the farm they had bussed it with a helicopter a month before and they did it again 2 weeks ago after the got Frank Gallagher to sing them some bullshit lol. Now this man is high up in the state service OUR government provides and this man has been persecutioing me for 17 years and this has trained me to spot these people
A mile Away I no who you are and I no that you treat Maori as un human savage how by the way you are treating me You have given me Mana of Eco Maori and you are using OUR courts to try and cancel this out but No I will be using my Mana to fight for equality for our Lady’s and to get Maori Mana back and Mother Earth equally for all humans many thanks to you and your people PS I no that you have oppressed Alot of people of Maori culture in gisborne and this is why Gisborne is like it is today Kia Kaha
Just in case anyone needs a reminder of what a nasty sack’o’shit the Grab’em’fuhrer really is, here’s a handy summary of some of the steps he’s taken to try to push women back into a second-class subservient status.
That, and a tilt at cleansing the big government theocracy.
But even this plan — to fill approximately 150 judicial vacancies before the 2018 elections — is not enough for conservatives.
Enter the next element of the court-packing turducken: a new plan written by the crafty co-founder of the Federalist Society, Steven Calabresi. In a paper that deserves credit for its transparency (it features a section titled “Undoing President Barack Obama’s Judicial Legacy”), Calabresi proposes to pack the federal courts with a “minimum” of 260 — and possibly as many as 447 — newly created judicial positions. Under this plan, the 228-year-old federal judiciary would increase — in a single year — by 30 to 50 percent.
Sessions has implemented a new charging and sentencing policy that calls for prosecutors to pursue the most serious charges possible, even if that might mean minority defendants face stiff, mandatory minimum penalties. He has defended the president’s travel ban and tried to strip funding from cities with policies he considers too friendly toward undocumented immigrants.
Sessions has even adjusted the department’s legal stances in cases involving voting rights and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues in a way that advocates warn might disenfranchise poor minorities and give certain religious people a license to discriminate.
As I keep saying to the libertarians that supported the republicans – “It’s the republicans for all their bluster about small government, who habitually increase the state’s scope, and power – term after term”
Many thanks to some media for showing the positive side to our farming culture and community it is not the people falt for the way we farm the government sets the rules it is also good to see a lot of positive story’s on Maori but you are showing to many bad stories that OUR moko don’t need to see Ka pai
In a Saturday night tweet, Trump attacked CNN, saying the network’s international division “represent our Nation to the WORLD very poorly.” A few minutes later, Trump tweeted an alternative: MagaPill.com.
[…]
But while Trump presents MagaPill as the antidote to “fake news,” the site regularly traffics in unhinged conspiracy theories. Just a few hours before being endorsed by Trump, MagaPill posted a video from Liz Cronkin, a fringe figure best known for pushing the Pizzagate conspiracy. In the video, Cronkin claims there is a sex tape of Hillary Clinton with an underage girl on Anthony Weiner’s laptop.
[…]
Another recent MagaPill post features an “interesting flow chart” which combines nearly every conspiracy theory imaginable: “false flag terrorism,” “organ harvesting,” “child/human sacrifice,” “weaponize forced vaccination,” “earthquake machines.”
[…]
Another post refers to Lady Gaga as a “spirit cooker,” a conspiracy theory associated with Pizzagate that alleges Gaga participates in satanic rituals.
Just been to the local supermarket to get a bottle of wine for tonight’s dinner ( I’m the cook AGAIN”)
I noticed on the checkout there was a large stack of shithouse paper, correction excuse for shithouse paper and I noticed on the front page Heather De Plastic was writing something about Labour being out of their depth.
As I fear for my health I will not read or handle that shit,
Has any brave soul read this article and what is this bit of crap on about?
Nah that’s not it BM, boys behaviour is often excused by many as ‘boys will be boys’ like when boys play a bit rough etc ‘boys will be boys’.
I’ve said it, have you ever said it BM?
I now know better, but it wasn’t until this year when I realised that saying ‘boys will be boys’ is an excuse instead of dealing with behaviour and when we excuse their behaviour they think it’s ok to carrying behaving rough or what ever because ‘boys will be boys’
My point was simple, we had a PM who discounted the actions of a group of males from lynfield college with the comment – ‘boys will be boys’.
It seems odd that you think I was making a more sweeping statement than that. Stop being so precious.
Sexual assaults and rape happen, and most of the time it gets ignored or as donkey said “boys will be boys”. Me, I sick of having to live in a world full of rapist, and I’m over having to engage with women who are fearful of me because I’m a male.
It’s time for men to stand up and do something about this. Or you can deflect, troll, or generally be a prat – the choice is yours BM.
Many thanks to all you Lady’s around OUR WORLD for making a stand for your rights as a equal partner to men in OUR WORLD SOCIETY. As I see this paradigm shift is the only way to fix all the wrongs of OUR world society. Kai Kaha
How do I no that they are using a real life Frank Gallagher is because they were parading him around so I could see him using there dum ass intimidation tactics Ka pai
They didn’t meet me, then again I didn’t
ask, so who else didn’t they meet.
‘Last night upon the stair I met a man wo wasn’t there, he wasn’t there again tonight’.
They had a real life Frank Gallagher like the one from the TV show shamless he is whano to me he has been a alcoholic and drug addict for 25 years he will sing to any tune just to get a fix. They had him walk the street 2x so I could see him to try and intimidat and this person is there next contracted liar this is how they work Ka Pai
Do you remember when Melania Trump got caught out using a speech that sounded awfully like one Michelle Obama had given? Uncannily so.Well it turns out that Abraham Lincoln is to Winston Peters as Michelle was to Melania. With the ANZAC speech Uncle Winston gave at Gallipoli having much in ...
She was born 25 years ago today in North Shore hospital. Her eyes were closed tightly shut, her mouth was silently moving. The whole theatre was all quiet intensity as they marked her a 2 on the APGAR test. A one-minute eternity later, she was an 8. The universe was ...
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park in collaboration with members from our Skeptical Science team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is Antarctica gaining land ice? ...
Images of US students (and others) protesting and setting up tent cities on US university campuses have been broadcast world wide and clearly demonstrate the growing rifts in US society caused by US policy toward Israel and Israel’s prosecution of … Continue reading → ...
Barrie Saunders writes – Dear Paul As the new Minister of Media and Communications, you will be inundated with heaps of free advice and special pleading, all in the national interest of course. For what it’s worth here is my assessment: Traditional broadcasting free to air content through ...
Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its arguments for such a bold reform. ...
Peter Dunne writes – The great nineteenth British Prime Minister, William Gladstone, once observed that “the first essential for a Prime Minister is to be a good butcher.” When a later British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, sacked a third of his Cabinet in July 1962, in what became ...
Ele Ludemann writes – New Zealanders had the OECD’s second highest tax increase last year: New Zealanders faced the second-biggest tax raises in the developed world last year, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) says. The intergovernmental agency said the average change in personal income tax ...
We all know something’s not right with our elections. The spread of misinformation, people being targeted with soundbites and emotional triggers that ignore the facts, even the truth, and influence their votes.The use of technology to produce deep fakes. How can you tell if something is real or not? Can ...
This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Simon Clark. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). This year you will be lied to! Simon Clark helps prebunk some misleading statements you'll hear about climate. The video includes ...
It is all very well cutting the backrooms of public agencies but it may compromise the frontlines. One of the frustrations of the Productivity Commission’s 2017 review of universities is that while it observed that their non-academic staff were increasing faster than their academic staff, it did not bother to ...
Buzz from the Beehive Two speeches delivered by Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters at Anzac Day ceremonies in Turkey are the only new posts on the government’s official website since the PM announced his Cabinet shake-up. In one of the speeches, Peters stated the obvious: we live in a troubled ...
1. Which of these would you not expect to read in The Waikato Invader?a. Luxon is here to do business, don’t you worry about thatb. Mr KPI expects results, and you better believe itc. This decisive man of action is getting me all hot and excitedd. Melissa Lee is how ...
…it has a restricted jurisdiction which must not be abused: it is not an inquisitionNOTE – this article was published before the High Court ruled that Karen Chhour does not have to appear before the Waitangi Tribunal Gary Judd writes – The High Court ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – One of reasons Oranga Tamariki exists is to prevent child neglect. But could the organisation itself be guilty of the same?Oranga Tamariki’s statistics show a decrease in the number and age of children in care. “There are less children ...
David Farrar writes: Graeme Edgeler wrote in 2017: In the first five years after three strikes came into effect 5248 offenders received a ‘first strike’ (that is, a “stage-1 conviction” under the three strikes sentencing regime), and 68 offenders received a ‘second strike’. In the five years prior to ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in politics. That’s refreshing and will be extremely ...
TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the two days to 6:06am on Thursday, April 25:Politics: PM Christopher Luxon has set up a dual standard for ministerial competence by demoting two National Cabinet ministers while leaving also-struggling ...
Hi,Today I mainly want to share some of your thoughts about the recent piece I wrote about success and failure, and the forces that seemingly guide our lives. But first, a quick bit of housekeeping: I am doing a Webworm popup in Los Angeles on Saturday May 11 at 2pm. ...
It is hard to see what Melissa Lee might have done to “save” the media. National went into the election with no public media policy and appears not to have developed one subsequently. Lee claimed that she had prepared a policy paper before the election but it had been decided ...
Open access notablesIce acceleration and rotation in the Greenland Ice Sheet interior in recent decades, Løkkegaard et al., Communications Earth & Environment:In the past two decades, mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet has accelerated, partly due to the speedup of glaciers. However, uncertainty in speed derived from satellite products ...
Buzz from the Beehive A statement from Children’s Minister Karen Chhour – yet to be posted on the Government’s official website – arrived in Point of Order’s email in-tray last night. It welcomes the High Court ruling on whether the Waitangi Tribunal can demand she appear before it. It does ...
Mr Bombastic:Ironically, the media the academic experts wanted is, in many ways, the media they got. In place of the tyrannical editors of yesteryear, advancing without fear or favour the interests of the ruling class; the New Zealand news media of today boasts a troop of enlightened journalists dedicated to ...
It's hard times try to make a livingYou wake up every morning in the unforgivingOut there somewhere in the cityThere's people living lives without mercy or pityI feel good, yeah I'm feeling fineI feel better then I have for the longest timeI think these pills have been good for meI ...
In 1974, the US Supreme Court issued its decision in United States v. Nixon, finding that the President was not a King, but was subject to the law and was required to turn over the evidence of his wrongdoing to the courts. It was a landmark decision for the rule ...
Every day now just seems to bring in more fresh meat for the grinder.In their relentlessly ideological drive to cut back on the “excessive bloat” (as they see it) of the previous Labour-led government, on the mountains of evidence accumulated in such a short period of time do not ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Megan Valére SosouMarket gardening site of the Itchèléré de Itagui agricultural cooperative in Dassa-Zoumè (Image credit: Megan Valère Sossou) For the residents of Dassa-Zoumè, a city in the West African country of Benin, choosing between drinking water and having enough ...
Buzz from the Beehive Melissa Lee – as may be discerned from the screenshot above – has not been demoted for doing something seriously wrong as Minister of ...
Morning in London Mother hugs beloved daughter outside the converted shoe factory in which she is living.Afternoon in London Travelling writer takes himself and his wrist down to A&E, just to be sure. Read more ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – The recent announcement of the University Advisory Group, chaired by Sir Peter Gluckman, makes very clear where the Government’s focus and priorities lie. The remit of the Advisory Group is that Group members will consider challenges and opportunities for improvement in the university sector including: ...
Eric Crampton writes – The Reserve Bank of New Zealand desperately wants to find reasons to have workstreams in climate change. It makes little sense. They’ve run another stress test on the banks looking to see if they could find a prudential regulation case. They couldn’t. They ...
Rob MacCullough writes – Pundits from the left and the right are arguing that National’s Fast Track Bill that is designed to speed up infrastructure decisions could end up becoming mired in a cesspool of corruption. Political commentator ...
Looking at the headlines this morning it’s hard to feel anything other than pessimistic about the future of humanity.Note that I’m not speaking about the future of mankind, but the survival of our humanity. The values that we believe in seem to be ebbing away, by the day.Perhaps every generation ...
Swabbing mixed breed baby chicks to test for avian influenzaUh oh. Bird flu – often deadly to humans – is not only being transmitted from infected birds to dairy cows, but is now travelling between dairy cows. As of last Friday, Bloomberg News reports, there were 32 American dairy herds ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
What is it with the mining industry? Its not enough for them to pillage the earth - they apparently can't even be bothered getting resource consent to do so: The proponent behind a major mine near the Clutha River had already been undertaking activity in the area without a ...
Photo # 1 I am a huge fan of Singapore’s approach to housing, as described here two years ago by copying and pasting from The ConversationWhat Singapore has that Australia does not is a public housing developer, the Housing Development Board, which puts new dwellings on public and reclaimed land, ...
Buzz from the Beehive Reactions to news of the government’s readiness to make urgent changes to “the resource management system” through a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) suggest a balanced approach is being taken. The Taxpayers’ Union says the proposed changes don’t go far enough. Greenpeace says ...
I’m starting to wonder if Anna Burns-Francis might be the best political interviewer we’ve got. That might sound unlikely to you, it came as a bit of a surprise to me.Jack Tame can be excellent, but has some pretty average days. I like Rebecca Wright on Newshub, she asks good ...
Chris Trotter writes – Willie Jackson is said to be planning a “media summit” to discuss “the state of the media and how to protect Fourth Estate Journalism”. Not only does the Editor of The Daily Blog, Martyn Bradbury, think this is a good idea, but he has also ...
Graeme Edgeler writes – This morning [April 21], the Wellington High Court is hearing a judicial review brought by Hon. Karen Chhour, the Minister for Children, against a decision of the Waitangi Tribunal. This is unusual, judicial reviews are much more likely to brought against ministers, rather than ...
Both of Parliament’s watchdogs have now ripped into the Government’s Fast-track Approvals Bill. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s political economy and beyond on the morning of Tuesday, April 23 are:The Lead: The Auditor General,John Ryan, has joined the ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Sarah SpengemanPeople wait to board an electric bus in Pune, India. (Image credit: courtesy of ITDP) Public transportation riders in Pune, India, love the city’s new electric buses so much they will actually skip an older diesel bus that ...
The infrastructure industry yesterday issued a “hurry up” message to the Government, telling it to get cracking on developing a pipeline of infrastructure projects.The hiatus around the change of Government has seen some major projects cancelled and others delayed, and there is uncertainty about what will happen with the new ...
Hi,Over the weekend I revisited a podcast I really adore, Dead Eyes. It’s about a guy who got fired from Band of Brothers over two decades ago because Tom Hanks said he had “dead eyes”.If you don’t recall — 2001’s Band of Brothers was part of the emerging trend of ...
Buzz from the Beehive The 180 or so recipients of letters from the Government telling them how to submit infrastructure projects for “fast track” consideration includes some whose project applications previously have been rejected by the courts. News media were quick to feature these in their reports after RMA Reform Minister Chris ...
It would not be a desirable way to start your holiday by breaking your back, your head, or your wrist, but on our first hour in Singapore I gave it a try.We were chatting, last week, before we started a meeting of Hazel’s Enviro Trust, about the things that can ...
Calling all journalists, academics, planners, lawyers, political activists, environmentalists, and other members of the public who believe that the relationships between vested interests and politicians need to be scrutinised. We need to work together to make sure that the new Fast-Track Approvals Bill – currently being pushed through by the ...
Feel worried. Shane Jones and a couple of his Cabinet colleagues are about to be granted the power to override any and all objections to projects like dams, mines, roads etc even if: said projects will harm biodiversity, increase global warming and cause other environmental harms, and even if ...
Bryce Edwards writes- The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. ...
Michael Bassett writes – If you think there is a move afoot by the radical Maori fringe of New Zealand society to create a parallel system of government to the one that we elect at our triennial elections, you aren’t wrong. Over the last few days we have ...
Without a corresponding drop in interest rates, it’s doubtful any changes to the CCCFA will unleash a massive rush of home buyers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: The six things that stood out to me in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate on Monday, April 22 included:The Government making a ...
Sunday was a lazy day. I started watching Jack Tame on Q&A, the interviews are usually good for something to write about. Saying the things that the politicians won’t, but are quite possibly thinking. Things that are true and need to be extracted from between the lines.As you might know ...
In our Weekly Roundup last week we covered news from Auckland Transport that the WX1 Western Express is going to get an upgrade next year with double decker electric buses. As part of the announcement, AT also said “Since we introduced the WX1 Western Express last November we have seen ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 29 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Stats NZ releases its statutory report on Census 2023 tomorrow.Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivers a pre-Budget speech at ...
A listing of 29 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 14, 2024 thru Sat, April 20, 2024. Story of the week Our story of the week hinges on these words from the abstract of a fresh academic ...
The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. The Government says this will ...
This is a column to say thank you. So many of have been in touch since Mum died to say so many kind and thoughtful things. You’re wonderful, all of you. You’ve asked how we’re doing, how Dad’s doing. A little more realisation each day, of the irretrievable finality of ...
Identifying the engine type in your car is crucial for various reasons, including maintenance, repairs, and performance upgrades. Knowing the specific engine model allows you to access detailed technical information, locate compatible parts, and make informed decisions about modifications. This comprehensive guide will provide you with a step-by-step approach to ...
Introduction: The allure of racing is undeniable. The thrill of speed, the roar of engines, and the exhilaration of competition all contribute to the allure of this adrenaline-driven sport. For those who yearn to experience the pinnacle of racing, becoming a race car driver is the ultimate dream. However, the ...
Introduction Automobiles have become ubiquitous in modern society, serving as a primary mode of transportation and a symbol of economic growth and personal mobility. With countless vehicles traversing roads and highways worldwide, it begs the question: how many cars are there in the world? Determining the precise number is a ...
Maintaining a safe and reliable vehicle requires regular inspections. Whether it’s a routine maintenance checkup or a safety inspection, knowing how long the process will take can help you plan your day accordingly. This article delves into the factors that influence the duration of a car inspection and provides an ...
Mazda Motor Corporation, commonly known as Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automaker headquartered in Fuchu, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The company was founded in 1920 as the Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd., and began producing vehicles in 1931. Mazda is primarily known for its production of passenger cars, but ...
Your car battery is an essential component that provides power to start your engine, operate your electrical systems, and store energy. Over time, batteries can weaken and lose their ability to hold a charge, which can lead to starting problems, power failures, and other issues. Replacing your battery before it ...
In most states, you cannot register a car without a valid driver’s license. However, there are a few exceptions to this rule. Exceptions to the RuleIf you are under 18 years old: In some states, you can register a car in your name even if you do not ...
Mazda, a Japanese automotive manufacturer with a rich history of innovation and engineering excellence, has emerged as a formidable player in the global car market. Known for its reputation of producing high-quality, fuel-efficient, and driver-oriented vehicles, Mazda has consistently garnered praise from industry experts and consumers alike. In this article, ...
Struts are an essential part of a car’s suspension system. They are responsible for supporting the weight of the car and damping the oscillations of the springs. Struts are typically made of steel or aluminum and are filled with hydraulic fluid. How Do Struts Work? Struts work by transferring the ...
Car registration is a mandatory process that all vehicle owners must complete annually. This process involves registering your car with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and paying an associated fee. The registration process ensures that your vehicle is properly licensed and insured, and helps law enforcement and other authorities ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
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The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Ngaio Marsh House is one of Christchurch’s best kept secrets – and contains more than a few mysteries of its own.Trust Ngaio Marsh to leave more than a few mysteries scattered through her house long after her departure. For a start, there’s the curious concrete portal in the garden, ...
Appointment viewing has been lost to the mists of time, but memories of Montana Sunday Theatre can still be conjured by hitting play on a particular piece of classical music. “You’re not going to be able to sell it.” Over 30 years on, Karen Bieleski still recalls how the task ...
Performance Review King Luxon sat behind His massive polished oak desk. It is Performance Review time. There is a knock on the door. “Enter!” says the King. In steps Minister of Disabilities and Carer Pedicures, Penny Simmonds. “I can explain everything …” she begins. “Fine,” says King Luxon, pressing the ...
The pair opened their first fully collaborative exhibition, Nina for Flowers, last Saturday. Gabi Lardies visited their studio to find out who Nina is and what working together was like.‘It didn’t start out like, ‘This is a show about Nina,’” says Josephine Jelicich, gripping a thermos of peppermint tea. ...
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Asia Pacific Report From France to Australia, university pro-Palestine protests in the United States have now spread to several countries with students pitching on-campus camps. And students at Columbia and other US universities remain defiant as campuses have witnessed the biggest protests since the anti-Vietnam war and anti-apartheid eras in ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards, Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)New Zealand Government’s Fast Track legislation. Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government ...
Tara Ward talks to presenter Naomi Toilalo about the new TV show that turns food waste into a three course feast. Naomi Toilalo is standing in the warehouse at Good Neighbour Tauranga, helping unpack the two-and-a-half tonnes of rejected food that will arrive at the community support hub that day. ...
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Megan Alatini takes us through her life in TV, including ‘terrible’ daytime TV, the class of Carol Hirschfeld and her most embarrassing TrueBliss moment. When she responded to a vague newspaper ad asking “do you have what it takes to be a popstar?” 25 years ago, Megan Alatini never guessed ...
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Toomaj and his resistance to tyranny through his songs have become an icon for the youth of Iran, so his sentence has hit the nation hard. Toomaj Salehi is not the first artist to pay the price for standing with the people. ...
My cousin Dylan and I spotted these big eels under the bridge that summer. We watched them lounging under the dark weed, facing into the flow of water, their mouths frozen open. Dylan and I couldn’t stop thinking about those eels. The night we went down to the creek, we ...
Newsroom, home of satire. My long-running weekly satirical series The Secret Diary has moved to Newsroom and will appear every Saturday, with Victor Billot’s wildly popular satirical Odes continuing to appear every Sunday. Diaries, Odes – while serious political columnists toil at meaningful opinions and stroke their chins to an ...
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Working as a doctor in developing countries to help communities achieve better health outcomes is nothing short of a life goal for Jessica Tater. The University of Otago medical student has her sights firmly set on joining the international humanitarian organisation Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) when she qualifies ...
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Pacific Media Watch Palestine solidarity protesters today demonstrated at the Auckland headquarters of Television New Zealand, accusing the country’s major TV network of broadcasting “propaganda” backing Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. About 50 protesters targeted the main entrance to the TVNZ building near Sky Tower and also picketed a side ...
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A brief round-up of submissions on the controversial proposed law. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week, submissions on the controversial Fast-track Approvals Bill closed just hours after the government released a list of stakeholder organisations who were sent letters advising how they could ...
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It’s not that long ago Eliza McCartney was seriously wondering if the Paris Olympics would be her pole vaulting swansong. After years of being hounded by injury after injury, the Rio Olympics bronze medallist was still confident she would compete at her second Olympics in Paris in July, unless something ...
Scotland Rugby says receive that Australia:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npFBHdMc5NM
Please, no ABs’ spoilers! Waiting for the replay on Prime – set to record.
i Was just going to post on it when i saw this.
Thanks. There are limited places to go online while waiting for the replay.
Thanks. Watching this arvo.
Seen it now. thanks for not spoiling. Anyone else still waiting to watch it?
Gulp!@#$%^&*()
Not again!!!!!!!!
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11930695
“Scientists are discussing the risks it poses at a summit in Napier this week.
They say it could trigger a massive 8.4 magnitude quake, that would cripple the lower North Island.”
In a tsunami concrete buildings seem more durable than wooden ones.
If the shake goes on for a minute, and if you are knocked off your feet then it is an indication that it is strong enough to be followed by a tsunami. And that could follow within 10 minutes, so evacuation should be asap.
I would 100 times rather be in a wooden building in an earthquake and we’ve been stupid to keep putting up concrete crap in modern building. A concrete building may stand up to a tsunami but it won’t save your life in one either.
Yes I noticed that the mention of concrete just related to tsunami. But it would be interesting to get the opinion of a professional engineerwith pragmatic approach who could tell us whether a badly built concrete building with inadequate reinforcing and possibly slab-built would be better than a badly built wooden building with no dwangs and under-spec studs. Because that is possibly the choice in NZ with anything built in the last 30 years.
Yes greywarshark; good point there.
I come from Napier so our family have lived in a city with the reminants of buildings from the 1931 earthquakes so we have seen how woden vs concrete buildings do stand up to a large earthquake.
I do take Maui seriously here and he/she could be correct here in some cases.
Most concrete buildings in Napier during the 1931 quake were levelled, but some stood then, and do still today.
So we know the solid reinforced designed buildings are the ones that are still here today.
When the building code here was upgraded from that earthquake we were told that Napier had ‘advanced building codes’ before other regions during the last half of the last century.
So when a building was planned around our area, we saw that heavy reinforced caged steel “lential beams” were placed around the first floor level and at the top of the second floor through the concrete blocks.
We do recall that they only had single 12mm reinfocing rods placed in every second hole of the blocks and then concrete was poured into the holes to set the rods in place.
We always wondered why every hole didnt get a reinforced rod.
We used reinforced rods in every hole of a retaining wall when we built one later in the 1980’s.
So it may be that one should think of “beefing up” the amount of reinforced steel that is used in building a concete block building now.
I hope this sheds some light on the subject.
By the way I lived in the house for several years during the 1950s that was a reconstructed home from a house that (slid) off Napier’s ‘Bluff Hill’ during the 1931 earthquake, so yes a wooden structure can survive if it doesn’t fall over a cliff, opposed to just “sliding” off.
The Bluff Hill isn’t a bluff either.
https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2017/jun/21/tall-timber-the-worlds-tallest-wooden-office-building-to-open-in-brisbane
Right over the road from where I am right now. Foundations well progressed, and I’d imagine the first structural elements might arrive within weeks. Oh and it doesn’t burn like the concrete dude at the bottom of the article implies … the outer layer chars and that’s it.
In many respects engineered timber is a better bet in disasters than any other material.
“After the previous earthquakes, she took a big hammering on February 22. She shook like you wouldn’t believe. It always amazed me how she still stood.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/christchurch-life/94130193/saving-christchurchs-landmark-shands-emporium
Godd search for google
earthquake and slab buildings and engineering doubts
and
http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/christchurch-earthquake-2011/10337742/Learning-to-play-game-of-claims
Keh?
I am familiar with Shand’s Emporium, also CHCH …. Know the building and city well, pre, and POST quake. Having experienced quite a few jolts there, and in Wellys etc …..
Moreover I live in a dilapidated wooden cottage on the South Coast, and have experienced many a jolt from the Solander Trench over the years!
And dwangs, or noggins… give me timber anytime over concrete!, i.e. CTV Building, Ex Drainage board building, ChCh, or Stats house in Wellington.
The Shand’s 2 story timber construction from the 1800’s has stood the best of time!
Please correct me if I have misunderstood you!
JC
I was just throwing some stuff in for consideration not trying to offer any definitive info. I actually wanted to find the engineer who started the ball rolling on the safety of much of the construction but couldn’t find him, too late too tired and I think keeping in mind stuff that was being discussed, keeping questions fresh, is something needed.
have a look at Papamoa and find the evacuation road in case of a Tsunami. Ideally you evacuate with a bicycle cause when all the geezers jump in their car to find the one road out – ooops finished. Well at least the recovery of bodies will be easy as they will be found in their cars.
There is literally no way to evacuate for many who live coastal simply because a. where too? b. one road in one road out,. and c. shall i save my effn boat?
So frankly to evacuate quickly……that is literally not gonna happen.
I doubt there would be much of Papamoa left.
http://ptdb.niwa.co.nz/#!/db/275?out=map&map=control&colorby=validity&view=-37.7376|176.4583|10||1420|799
yep, and they are building like there is no tomorrow. I really don’t understand anyone who buys a house there.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/opinion/99190830/damien-grant-waka-jumpers-should-be-free-to-take-the-leap
waka jumping ?
list mps should get the boot , electorate mps should be allowed , imho
If they’re corporate execs or sportspeople they’re free agents, free to choose. If they’re politicians they are there on the grace of the people they represent, those that boosted them into the role.
Politicians changing horses mid-stream is misrepresentation, cheating their backers. It’s peeling the labels off Marmite jars and replacing them with Vegemite ones, well wrong.
David Mac
+1
Nats, becoming the NZ Tea Party – cynically trying to impede current government through under arm bowling – or is there a worse/more apt metaphor?
Sam Sachdeva on Twitter
Plus, the discussion that follows is important.
no surprises that the infant minds of your average nat mp can only see playing childish games as their role now, as we witnessed on day one around the lie to back the speakers appointment.
maybe list mps in the opposition parties should be made redundant on election day
National tactics of stalling labour coalition to make changes is adding a mockery to PM Jacinda Ardern ‘s seeking to obtain a “National Party concensus on child poverty” eh!!!!!!!
The hard lesson learned in the first month of the Labour lead government = do not rely on or trust the National Party at any time.
You think National should be assisting Labour? huh?
What they shouldn’t be doing is wasting the government’s time with an excess flood of questions most of which are probably bollocks.
Draco.
So, for instance, asking what the Govt is going about child suicide is in your mind ” bollocks”?
That’s one question. Not > 6000.
And according to James they’re just asking who the minister hasn’t met. It’ll be a long list about 7.6 billion names long.
So, yeah, wasting time. It’s about the only thing that the National Party and RWNJs are good at.
So which group does Trevor Mallard belong to? He has been known to lodge 300 + questions a day on occasion….
[citation needed]
And not Kiwiblog.
just because you dont like the source doesnt mean its not true.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/99254200/labour-promised-transparency-in-government-but-they-seem-to-be-buckling-on-that-early
They should be acting in the interests of NZ.
The Opposition asking questions of the government is “in the interests of New Zealand.” An energised Opposition is to be expected when they are the largest party.
In contrast Labour after 2014 had only got 25% of the vote and were no doubt sufficiently demotivated not too ask very many questions. The next three years will not be the same as when the the largest party is the government.
Jeez Wayne disingenuous to the max. An opposition asking questions of a government “is in the interests of New Zealand” when those questions are relevant and seek to draw out more detail of what a government is doing and why, and perhaps highlighting ineptitude and dishonesty and so on.
An energised Opposition should also be intelligent and genuinely working in the interest of all of us, not simply clogging up the machinery of government for their own selfish ends and to show themselves to be ignorant and anti-democratic which National seem determined to do.
Grey Area
An energised opposition asking questions of the government is in the interest of NZders full stop. It’s an important element of our democratic process.
Its not for you or I as individuals to judge whether or not they are relevant – thats the function of society in general. If the questions don’t generate new and/or relevant insights, then society will in turn judge the oppositions questions as a waste of time, and the particular line of questioning will cease.
In and of itself having to answer lots of questions will not slow down the machinery of government.
Why would the malicious, dishonest National Party stop trying to waste the government’s time?
Apparently the large number of questions has been generated because the government won’t disclose who their Ministers are meeting with. They said they needed specific questions of Ministers. Well, they are now getting them.
Even if they are declined meetings (to be fair that could be a bit excessive). It is who they are meeting with that is important. But with GCSB, quite a lot will not be disclosable.
Presumably, in line with past practise, the government will disclose the diaries of Ministers so it is all transparent as to what they are doing, including all their meetings.
Wayne;
We all along with the public and all the press too asked national Minsters for the last nine years and got gilich/nothing back from them National pm’s so why do you dumb National pollies now expect any answers to over ‘6000’ thousands of questions in a month now? – it doesn’t work like that!!!!!
Are you stupid or something.
Just wait untill they uncover all the financial scandals they will find as they audit the nine years of governments books lad, are you shaking?
On the seventh december we wil be watching the court proceedure as Winston presents his eveidence in discovery of the national ministers who caused the scandal leaking his private personal information or have you forgotten that???
LOL. Classic! I stand chastened. Not. Aren’t “you and I” members of society in general? I know I am. Therefore by your ” logic” I am totally qualified to judge whether these questions are relevant or not.
“Its not for you or I as individuals to judge whether or not they are relevant – thats the function of society in general.”
Actually, Grantoc, everyone who comments here is part of society in general and has every right to make their own judgement about the behaviour of our politicians. Having the same inane question (“What meetings did the minister attend on…(date)”) repeated for every day, for every Minister isn’t “holding the government to account” – it’s deliberately hovering up public servants’ time in an attempt to hold up progress in researching, developing and implementing policy. If Labour had been doing this during the last government’s time, they would have been mocked and denounced. There’s definitely a role for a focused opposition in parliament, but this isn’t it. This is just being petty and pathetic.
“Energised”. Yeah sure.
Energised with malice and cry-baby rage.
Stacey Kirk, as ever, quick to the defense of National on this.
Cos, you know, Labour led government not being transparent as they promised.
I don’t see anything wrong with a couple of thousand people emailing the Hon Christopher Finlayson quite a number of times every day. For the sake of transparency and accountability which he is very interested in he could tell us what he’s up to. As a list MP I’m sure he’d like to share.
And there must be heaps of things he needs to know, little tidbits of plausible-sounding issues for him to investigate.
Wayne, over 4000 written questions – this looks more like National has too much time and not much to do – and you know what they say about idle hands…
Not necessarily and certainly doesn’t appear to be what National are doing ATM.
For years the left have had to cop the flak that comes with being in opposition.
A national sentiment that ponders: ‘How on earth is that line of attack/questioning actually going to help our nation Labour/Greens? You do nothing but moan.’
It’s time for National to slip into that coat and NZ can listen to the 6254 whines from those that lost.
I think our government need only stick to their knitting and spin the noise from the other side of the house in a way that appeals to the broader population. Perpetually moaning negative Nellies are rarely popular.
It’ll be interesting once Winston’s fishing expedition starts to bear fruit and some gaps appear in the mask. And they will, someone will see a personal advantage in saying, or leaking something to further their own ambitions at the old guard’s expense.
I suspect this hyper question tactic to keep everyone too busy to think about how and why they are in opposition, not government. Once the frustration of opposition starts to be felt there’s going to be a lot of mid-level nat MPs looking for someone to take responsibility. I doubt it will be pretty, or swift.
Is there an opportunity to classify questions as harrassment and refuse to play the game? If it is to be asked in Parliament, can they be answered en bloc and a protest made to the Speaker so it goes on record? This should be revealed to the public somehow, can the questioner be brought to a head of steam that won’t be turned off, and then the Speaker can order them from the House etc?
I think the right approach and attitude with regard the questions or their volume is nearly always: ‘Ask whatever you want, we like sharing the details of our progress.’
DavidMac
Smoooth.
I see that Trevor Mallard once asked 7000 questions in a month by himself – so this is not that bad after all.
James that sounds like a giveaway of your anonymity.
[citation needed]
How many questions do they actually have available to ask?
How many will the Speaker allow through?
And this really does look like the National Party simply trying to waste the government’s time.
Apparently a national mp has confirmed it was because labour ministers won’t answer “general questions” like who didn’t they meet this month.? Thus the same question for every date.
It’s their own fault.
So much for labour being open and transparent.
confirmed
Translation: lied.
[citation needed]
You keep coming out with all this BS so I suspect that you’re just lying.
Draco and OAB,
Both of you are always suggesting everyone you don’t agree with is lying. But if you go to Kiwiblog, you will see that Mallard did ask 7,000 questions in 2010.
I know enough of this to know these things happen in fits and starts. Sometimes i would get hundreds of questions all at once, then nothing for a bit. It basically took two people in my office to answer them as their main job. I simply saw it as part of a functioning open democracy.
Stop moaning about it.
Kiwiblog is not a viable source as it’s known propaganda device of the National Party.
Depends upon the questions doesn’t it. If they’re simply asking who he hasn’t seen then it’s wasting time.
everyone you don’t agree with is lying.
I assume National Party MPs and their enablers are lying, because as a group:
1. You tell so many lies and,
2. You believe so many lies.
Boy, meet wolf.
Nope not telling lies – here is the backup
From National mp
Brett Hudson
The volume of questions is purely being driven by Ministers and their offices refusing to answer more generalised questions, such as something along the lines of ‘Who has the Minister met with with since being sworn in?’
A very reasonable question. It not only helps to identify who might be influencing government, it also helps to target further information requests.
Ministers’ offices have been responding along the lines of ‘The minister meets with many people on many topics. We can respond to more specific questions.’
No wonder they then face the same question repeated in separate questions for each individual day.
I can’t give a definitive reason as to why others are seeking information by way of written questions vs. OIA request, but (as I understand it) the timeframe for an OIA response is 20 working days whereas the response for written questions to ministers is 6 working days. That would seem amply good reason to me.
Ultimately the volume of questions is being driven by ministers not responding to more general, yet reasonable questions.
Looks to me like this government is backing away from their supposed commitment to transparency and open government. Yet another u-turn from them.
[Anne Tolley recalls around 28,000 written questions from Trev when she was Minister of Education – on more than one occasion deriving from a common question asked separately for each of the 2500-odd public schools.]
Could it be that Anne Tolley needed to be asked the same question 28,000 times before she understood it?
Or 28,000 times before she showed a willingness to answer?
That’s a nonsense question that can’t actually be answered in meaningful way as it’s simply too broad.
No it doesn’t as it’s missing any context. In the month since being sworn the minister has probably met hundreds, if not thousands of people.
That’s not how transparent government works. Transparent government would have the information already publicly available.
And I can recall having climbed Mount Everest in 1901 despite not having been born or having left the country.
Actual data please.
The assertions of a National Party MP aren’t evidence of anything. They tell so many lies. This one, for example, pretends to “understand” things.
It may be that Bishop is breaking with National Party values and telling the truth. His word ain’t worth shit though.
they have been the Tea Party for at least the last nine years.
they are just not hiding it anymore. National Party, the ownership Party – you are on your own – especially in sickness, old age, unemployment, child hood, if one is a person of colour or the female gender or any other gender then heterosexual male. Also don’t apply if you don’t adhere to the right religious cult. Its got at least be a patriarchy and biblical.
GROPERS
No. 11: Dr. Morgan Fahey
https://www.mcnz.org.nz/assets/News-and-Publications/Booklets/History-of-the-Medical-Council/files/basic-html/page135.html
“GROPERS” is presented by GroperWatch, a division of Daisycutter Sports Inc.
No.1 George Herbert Walker Bush; No. 2 Bill O’Reilly; No. 3 Al Franken; No. 4 Robin Brooke; No. 5 Lester Beck; No. 6 Arnold Schwarzenegger; No. 7 Joe Biden; No. 8 Rolf Harris; No. 9 Harold Bloom; No. 10 Sir Jimmy Savile
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=11947935
team nz should take the money offered by the uae and run , yacht races are a tv thing for most kiwis so were it is doesn’t matter
I believe the hosts set the rules of engagement. Lets go for a radical America’s Cup rule change and turn it into a race to build houses.
Let’s build houseboats, that will rise up when there is flooding and can be steered into a safe harbour to ride out the storm. Now that would be a useful design and skill for us in NZ
A lesson for any MMP govt that thinks it can ignore public sentiment:
https://www.rt.com/news/410943-merkel-out-of-step-with-germans/
More like a lesson in how the Russian government runs a TV version of the Nats’ “fomenting happy mischief” blog.
It was a solid piece of journalism on the aftermath of the German elections.
A 60 second read and I know exactly what the state of the play in Germany is better than any stuff or NZ Herald piece.
A 60-second read and you’ve picked up:
1. An unsupported assertion that there’s a “growing disconnect” between the Merkel and the electorate.
2. The implication that Germany’s refugee policy is in some sense “controversial.”
3. The ludicrous claim that one poll showing 51% of Germans would favour a new election and 49% opposed or not giving a shit means “most Germans” want another election and Merkel has no mandate.
4. some “rise-of-the-right” scaremongering,
All of which is propaganda in service of:
1. Presenting liberal democracies as unstable and poor forms of governance compared with the stability of Russian governance.
2. Attempting to encourage the development of actual instability and poor governance in liberal democracies.
There is of course a ready market of suckers in the West for this propaganda, which is why RT exists.
Are you an arbitrator of propaganda, Milt?
PM doesn’t understand how Putin can do 3-4 hour live press conferences, off the cuff no teleprompters, no questions barred, in front of the international media, while the leaders of the no-propaganda west hide away as fast as possible in between little bits of sound bite spin.
I have to agree CV. In the year or so after I came back from my time working in Russia I read quite a number of Putin’s speeches (translated of course) and found him quite interesting. I’ve no doubt he’s capable of being ruthless when required, but that’s only one aspect of a complex and intelligent individual. Critics in the west who reflexively write him off as an ex-KGB thug almost certainly haven’t read or listened to the man at any length.
One certainly doesn’t have to be any kind Putin fanboi to recognise that in many ways his stature as an enduring statesman is far beyond almost all comparable figures in the west.
And within the context of Russian leaders over the past two centuries or more, he is by far the most outstanding since probably Catherine the Great.
As I understand it, the Russian people almost universally frown upon Yeltsin as the drunkard who almost let the west destroy Russia.
They do give him credit for one major decision though – finding the relatively obscure Putin and handing power over to him.
This is a clip of Putin addressing his commanders in the Chechen campaign in 1999, when he was a newbie I think just shortly after he took over. ‘Put your glasses down, we’ll have a drink only after we win the war.’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdJmdSwX8Qs
“Since your Here …”
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/mar/25/putin-new-russian-empire-ukraine
his stature as an enduring statesman is far beyond almost all comparable figures in the west.
If what Putin has amounts to stature and statesmanship, so was Robert Mugabe’s.
Mugabe took a functioning country and ran it into the ground; Putin took a country that had been through a massive crisis and has restored it. I was there in 2001 and saw for myself the poverty and hardship they Russian people were going through with my own eyes.
Now when I look on google earth at the same streets in the same city, I barely recognise the place; large new buildings, massive public redevelopment and far fewer visible signs of the lack of maintenance and run down grimness that was so confronting when I was there.
That’s just my personal experience and is proof of nothing, but it’s consistent with everything I can read. Putin has proven to be a Russian nationalist before all else, he’s put the interests of Russia first and the people can see the difference in their daily lives.
This is why he remains so very popular in a way all western leaders must envy. Note carefully; I’m not arguing that by liberal western standards he’s any kind of angel or human rights paragon. But for the average person, Putin’s delivered for them.
Comparisons with Mugabe are facile. And I must add that the west really owes Putin a huge debt for stabilising an otherwise dangerously disintegrating nuclear power nation.
Authoritarianism’s good like that. Massive public works, rearmament, Kraft durch Freude, the whole shebang. Just not so good in various other ways, that you’d think would be important to people who don’t live under authoritarian rule.
Sighs. I’m not trying to defend the clearly authoritarian aspects of any regime, be it Russian, Chinese or Fijian. They’re all unattractive and ultimately their own flaws are limiting and inevitably unravel one way or another in the long run.
But the west’s record of imposing regime change is no prettier either. I’ve personal reason to know (and in fuck awful detail) exactly how brutal Saddam Hussein’s political suppression machine was; yet I can also accept that your average Iraqi might well fondly look back on his rule as a period of peace, stability and relative prosperity.
I believe the best path forward is to promote an environment where nations come to believe that it is their best interests to gradually dial back the oppression, increase democratic accountability and sign up to global norms such as the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights.
It’s a process of intelligent engagement, cautious and principled that will improve matters. Assumptions of cultural superiority and arrogant interventions will not.
Authoritarian governments, authoritarian regime change, both practised by authoritarian trash.
No stature or statesmanship attaches to either.
PM understands very well how Putin can do that. What he doesn’t understand is what convinces you it’s in some way relevant to the discussion.
Allow me to do you a favour and explain.
Putin is more open about Russia’s intentions and actions than most western leaders are about their own countries, and is more ready to front up to the news media about such.
In contrast “propaganda” (which might be described variously as PR spin by narrative or ommission) which you are so concerned about is a western speciality.
Oh, I’m pretty sure most western leaders could hold forth for several hours if fact-checking what they said was literally impossible.
As to what constitutes propaganda, I pointed out several features of that RT article as evidence for it being propaganda. The Reuters article maui referred to in response doesn’t have those features. Your assertions to the contrary are worth nothing to anyone other than you.
While you, and the rest of us in the west, are the most propagandised of all. It’s hilarious.
So, it’s hilarious, but beyond that, not something you can describe in any way other than bald assertions that won’t persuade anybody.
There’s also a Reuters article saying that half of Germans want a new election. Something tells me you would have no problem with that story.
Merkel lost 9% in the last election and there isn’t a growing disconnect? Ok..
If you hadn’t read the RT article, all you would know is that Merkel won the election and everything is hunky dory. Sure RT may be spinning it a bit, but they none the less give some decent information.
They’ve done nothing more than cite a poll.
https://www.zdf.de/politik/politbarometer/politbarometer-extra-jamaika-100.html
Strange comment, Joe
What point is it that statement of yours is attempting to ‘disprove’?
Or was your comment in support?
Thanks J 9.
“Well, maybe I do have a personality disorder,” Tolokonnikova laughs.
“This practice is very typical in Russia today. Mental health diagnoses can be attributed to anyone who doesn’t agree with the current state of affairs.”
http://www.newsweek.com/pussy-riot-takes-you-inside-putins-prison-where-justice-system-721362
There’s also a Reuters article saying that half of Germans want a new election. Something tells me you would have no problem with that story.
Correct. For one thing, the Reuters article just reports the poll results without much editorialising, but more importantly, Reuters isn’t the propaganda arm of an authoritarian nationalist regime.
If you hadn’t read the RT article, all you would know is that Merkel won the election and everything is hunky dory.
I already knew that coalition talks had collapsed and Merkel’s got a problem, from following actual news media. The only thing the RT article gave me was an additional serving of Russian government propaganda, which is interesting in terms of spotting the grift, but of little use otherwise.
Reuters is not as obviously pro US-Anglo Imperial status quo as say CNN but it’s still up there.
Russia? Yes Russia believes in economic and political sovereignty, and not trans-national neoliberal globalism. I guess that’s “nationalist.”
Authoritarian? Russia holds moderately free and fair elections. United Russia is very popular, and if they were less so, the Communist Party would win.
“Regime”? Good on you, you just earnt your little gold star as a propagandist yourself.
It is of course within the bounds of possibility that the assassination, intimidation and imprisonment of journalists, activists and opposition politicians that have made life so difficult for anyone who’d like to see someone other than Putin running Russia are a matter of sheer coincidence – just like it’s within the bounds of possibility that OJ will find the real killer.
About 20% of Russians want to see someone other than Putin running Russia (although they don’t know who).
Oh and of course, you, Westminster, the Pentagon, Congress, the CIA, etc. etc.
Is this the 20 % you refer to…
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/mar/09/russia-siberian-cell-death-pussy-riot
Or is that just in the Ukraine …
http://www.pewglobal.org/2014/05/08/despite-concerns-about-governance-ukrainians-want-to-remain-one-country/
Pussy riot don’t even have 20% support in Russia. More like 2%.
@PM
Russian literally has no history of liberal democratic government. None at any time since the Russ tribes were first ruled by Peter the Great in the 10th century. There is deep absence of the cultural norms and habits that enable the delicate mechanism we take for granted and on which our system is built.
I would argue Putin has put Russia on a path where such a thing may become possible; but not for a generation or two yet.
Also consider the authoritarian security state one party Chinese Government. Which is returning China back to its status quo position as a leading civilisation (50% of the job done but still needs another generation or so).
After the catastrophic Cultural Revolution and so-called Great Leap Forward
And in the process, lifting half a billion or so people out of agrarian hand to mouth poverty.
Russian literally has no history of liberal democratic government. None at any time since the Russ tribes were first ruled by Peter the Great in the 10th century. There is deep absence of the cultural norms and habits that enable the delicate mechanism we take for granted and on which our system is built.
Which is what makes me wonder why some people post RT links here as though RT wasn’t a creation of the system you describe
At the risk of highlighting your assumed cultural superiority, other civilisational systems are quite capable of produce outstanding creativity and production.
I haven’t published any RT links at all, but there really isn’t any such thing as a gold-standard, objective, spin-free media anywhere in the world. RT is probably not a lot worse than say the NZ Herald. It’s all propaganda really, just a question of degree.
Neither is any source complete bullshit either; like most people I just try to correlate as many bits of info as I can and try to make some sense of it as best I can. And always if I try and set aside my assumptions, there are interesting stories everywhere I look.
Has Doctorow got the wrong end of the stick with his assertion?.
https://twitter.com/doctorow/status/934076133112287232
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11947871
the market says old people should fuck off if they are poor
It’s more the downsides of a lease arrangement that was made in a time when asset inflation was insignificant and review periods much longer than now. So reviews of this type of lease are pretty painful. Cornwall Park Trust was a similar situation.
Add to that, in 70’s and early 80’s Arrowtown was struggling to survive, lots of rundown 1800’s houses and cribs, so quite low CVs compared to nearby areas. Now the very bottom is $800K. And onwards and upwards from there. There’s also been a major social turnover, with wealthy, or think they are wealthy, people moving into the town displacing the previous residents. Those with freehold properties were able to exit with a good wad of cash, but with a leasehold title you haven’t got much to sell. The social turnover is hard on longer term residents as their social circle shrinks and they are unable to compete or fit in with the new, seemingly more affluent, arrivals.
The problem of old people having to leave the district in their final years isn’t new, it’s been a major problem for 40+ years and is still happening, but usually on medical grounds.
The Wakatipu has always been a difficult place to live. Rewarding in it’s own ways, but difficult. If you can’t insulate yourself from the economic and social cycles, and asset inflation, it can get impossible.
The elderly couple should have taken the 5 year lease extension at just $5,000 per annum. Ridiculous to not go for that option and worry about the rest later.
In fact, given that the Council offered that, they might even have negotiated for a 6 year lease extension at $6,000 p.a., which would have been enough to sell their house on the basis of for a very solid price.
it screamed to me an offer from the council that says ”you’ll be dead in 5 years any way ”
It’s not really all that different to a licence to occupy in a rest home in that regard. There’s the assumption that the occupier isn’t going to live forever.
Reading over one of those contracts was made all the more macabre when it was my folks doing the dying. But yep, they go into details like: This is what happens if the occupiers die between paying the deposit and occupying.
My Dad countered my “Geez, all this talk about you not being here Ma and Pa’ with “You start to die the second you’re born son.’ ….I think he loves me.
They don’t own the land and the house is more than fifty years old, so at best they might be able to sell the lease.
House probably has negative value, ie it’s a cost to remove.
A lot of quite long term residents of Arrowtown (since late 70’s) have moved on lately. They’ve found the town wasn’t their cup of tea anymore. Often with deep regret. Socially it’s another town now, even from what it was 10 years ago, but it was really changing then. We used to have a business in Buckingham St, it had an “interesting” social politics then, but I’m really glad we’re in Queenstown now.
It’s a lifestyle trend I’m seeing much more of. Couples retiring to their Huckleberry locale (I’m on the Far North coast) and then late 70’s early 80’s the more frequent 4 hour drives to see medical specialists grind, seeing more of the urban based Grandchildren appeals.
Many of the houses around me are being sold by retiree twilighters. Fab mint 70’s décor.
Another probable aspect to this situation is that the lease negotiations were handled by a council employee who’s in their 30’s or early 40’s, been in the Wakatipu a couple of years, renting at $700 + / week or huge mortgage, grossly over-qualified for the job they are doing, so earning sod all, and not making ends meet at all, and then being tasked to negotiate a sweetheart deal to keep the ex borough overseer in his leasehold home until he and his partner pass away. Really can’t see that progressing with the empathy, compassion and respect needed to get an outcome satisfactory to all parties.
Could be scenario. Then also there is the entitlement issue of many older people who feel that life should be made easy for them all the way.
They don’t pay attention to the problems that all on lower income are having. And the old men who think they know it all and just make assertions about everything, very difficult to tell them anything and get them to think around a problem, especially if they are conversing with a female.
Heather du Plessis-Allan says, “So far, the pattern is that Labour is out of its depth.”
If being out of one’s depth was serious she wouldn’t have a keyboard, someone would have taken it off her.
Du Plessis out of her depth as a journalist
Labour hasn’t realised what the quid pro quo is in the dark marketplace from pollies to journalists, to ensure that the right sort of verbiage is written up about government.
Out of her depth was my response as well. What credentials does she have to comment on anything?
Back in the day when I went into Taits radio Gisborne shop to get one of my radios there were other customers being severed and I felt a chill and got goose bumps there was a elderly man dressed in black shorts and a t-shirt. I observed this man and his manner did not suit his dress code I.E it was warm but not roasting hot. A few weeks later I seen this man following me around in his blue ford falcon . because of there attention I decided to sell my lawn business and go dairy farming in the Waikatato they follow me there later On I lived in a house next to a school in Rotorua that educate Alot of the people that are oppressing me and they gave me a lot of attention.!!!!! There have been many occasions when he has interfered in me and my family life I no all the people that you have used to tried and prove your bullshit ideological theory of me but to no one can not prove what is not fact. Well last year I seen this elderly man he said that he was off course and had to land his glider on the farm I recognise him straight away as the same man from gisborne as well as goosebumps to I no what he was looking for in the forestry next to the farm they had bussed it with a helicopter a month before and they did it again 2 weeks ago after the got Frank Gallagher to sing them some bullshit lol. Now this man is high up in the state service OUR government provides and this man has been persecutioing me for 17 years and this has trained me to spot these people
A mile Away I no who you are and I no that you treat Maori as un human savage how by the way you are treating me You have given me Mana of Eco Maori and you are using OUR courts to try and cancel this out but No I will be using my Mana to fight for equality for our Lady’s and to get Maori Mana back and Mother Earth equally for all humans many thanks to you and your people PS I no that you have oppressed Alot of people of Maori culture in gisborne and this is why Gisborne is like it is today Kia Kaha
You must be m8 with Rickards A with the same ideological bullshit views on humans and religion Ka Kaha
Just in case anyone needs a reminder of what a nasty sack’o’shit the Grab’em’fuhrer really is, here’s a handy summary of some of the steps he’s taken to try to push women back into a second-class subservient status.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-sexual-harassment-discrimination_us_5a15b385e4b03dec8249b7e5?ncid=inblnkushpmg00000009
That, and a tilt at cleansing the big government theocracy.
But even this plan — to fill approximately 150 judicial vacancies before the 2018 elections — is not enough for conservatives.
Enter the next element of the court-packing turducken: a new plan written by the crafty co-founder of the Federalist Society, Steven Calabresi. In a paper that deserves credit for its transparency (it features a section titled “Undoing President Barack Obama’s Judicial Legacy”), Calabresi proposes to pack the federal courts with a “minimum” of 260 — and possibly as many as 447 — newly created judicial positions. Under this plan, the 228-year-old federal judiciary would increase — in a single year — by 30 to 50 percent.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/conservatives-have-a-breathtaking-plan-for-trump-to-pack-the-courts/2017/11/21/b7ce90d4-ce43-11e7-9d3a-bcbe2af58c3a_story.html?utm_term=.024763e24cae
Sessions has implemented a new charging and sentencing policy that calls for prosecutors to pursue the most serious charges possible, even if that might mean minority defendants face stiff, mandatory minimum penalties. He has defended the president’s travel ban and tried to strip funding from cities with policies he considers too friendly toward undocumented immigrants.
Sessions has even adjusted the department’s legal stances in cases involving voting rights and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues in a way that advocates warn might disenfranchise poor minorities and give certain religious people a license to discriminate.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/while-eyes-are-on-russia-sessions-dramatically-reshapes-the-justice-department/2017/11/24/dd52d66a-b8dd-11e7-9e58-e6288544af98_story.html
As I keep saying to the libertarians that supported the republicans – “It’s the republicans for all their bluster about small government, who habitually increase the state’s scope, and power – term after term”
Yep idiot bigot Joe I was trying to get some one to see OUR WORLD and society future reality
Many thanks to some media for showing the positive side to our farming culture and community it is not the people falt for the way we farm the government sets the rules it is also good to see a lot of positive story’s on Maori but you are showing to many bad stories that OUR moko don’t need to see Ka pai
Not satisfied with his Spacey comments, Morrissey says more stupid shit.
https://consequenceofsound.net/2017/11/morrissey-says-hed-kill-donald-trump-for-the-safety-of-humanity/
Addled dotard is addled.
In a Saturday night tweet, Trump attacked CNN, saying the network’s international division “represent our Nation to the WORLD very poorly.” A few minutes later, Trump tweeted an alternative: MagaPill.com.
[…]
But while Trump presents MagaPill as the antidote to “fake news,” the site regularly traffics in unhinged conspiracy theories. Just a few hours before being endorsed by Trump, MagaPill posted a video from Liz Cronkin, a fringe figure best known for pushing the Pizzagate conspiracy. In the video, Cronkin claims there is a sex tape of Hillary Clinton with an underage girl on Anthony Weiner’s laptop.
[…]
Another recent MagaPill post features an “interesting flow chart” which combines nearly every conspiracy theory imaginable: “false flag terrorism,” “organ harvesting,” “child/human sacrifice,” “weaponize forced vaccination,” “earthquake machines.”
[…]
Another post refers to Lady Gaga as a “spirit cooker,” a conspiracy theory associated with Pizzagate that alleges Gaga participates in satanic rituals.
https://thinkprogress.org/what-is-magapill-1fb18b6f2ed0/
Just been to the local supermarket to get a bottle of wine for tonight’s dinner ( I’m the cook AGAIN”)
I noticed on the checkout there was a large stack of shithouse paper, correction excuse for shithouse paper and I noticed on the front page Heather De Plastic was writing something about Labour being out of their depth.
As I fear for my health I will not read or handle that shit,
Has any brave soul read this article and what is this bit of crap on about?
No
Don’t read the Herald. Someone commented about it earlier though.
Du Plessis is a tragic excuse for a journalist.
Her bias is so obvious.
This song has the same title as a comment by our for pm john key – “Boy’s will be boys”.
How about you have a listen, and we work together to stop boys being boys when it comes to sexually assaulting women and girls.
Big Ups to Stella Donnelly for this track and the video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQLd-p5lvZU&ab_channel=StellaDonnellyVEVO
Why does the left wing think it’s acceptable to make sweeping comments about men? and especially Caucasian men
It’s a shame this woman has been sexually assaulted but it’s not acceptable to tar and feather all men because of what happened to her.
It’s a good thing no-one has been tarred and feathered then, eh.
Why does BM think it’s acceptable to make sweeping comments about the left wing? Is he a total hypocrite or just a little bit thick?
#notalllefties lol
I’ll bring the feathers.
Stockholm syndrome.
Nah that’s not it BM, boys behaviour is often excused by many as ‘boys will be boys’ like when boys play a bit rough etc ‘boys will be boys’.
I’ve said it, have you ever said it BM?
I now know better, but it wasn’t until this year when I realised that saying ‘boys will be boys’ is an excuse instead of dealing with behaviour and when we excuse their behaviour they think it’s ok to carrying behaving rough or what ever because ‘boys will be boys’
“As a mother of two boys, I have heard the phrase “boys will be boys” approximately 4,000 times. At first I shrugged it off as an innocuous cliche that other parents of sons used to bond with each other, the kind of knee-jerk reaction people have when they see a little girl and say “Isn’t she cute?” It wasn’t until my own son started acting out aggressively that I realized how dismissive and dangerous a phrase it really was.“
Geeze BM, touchy much??!?
My point was simple, we had a PM who discounted the actions of a group of males from lynfield college with the comment – ‘boys will be boys’.
It seems odd that you think I was making a more sweeping statement than that. Stop being so precious.
Sexual assaults and rape happen, and most of the time it gets ignored or as donkey said “boys will be boys”. Me, I sick of having to live in a world full of rapist, and I’m over having to engage with women who are fearful of me because I’m a male.
It’s time for men to stand up and do something about this. Or you can deflect, troll, or generally be a prat – the choice is yours BM.
Many thanks to all you Lady’s around OUR WORLD for making a stand for your rights as a equal partner to men in OUR WORLD SOCIETY. As I see this paradigm shift is the only way to fix all the wrongs of OUR world society. Kai Kaha
How do I no that they are using a real life Frank Gallagher is because they were parading him around so I could see him using there dum ass intimidation tactics Ka pai
What?
They didn’t meet me, then again I didn’t
ask, so who else didn’t they meet.
‘Last night upon the stair I met a man wo wasn’t there, he wasn’t there again tonight’.
Eco maori,
William (not Frank) Gallagher made a disgusting speech regarding the treaty and other issues. Not pleasant.
They had a real life Frank Gallagher like the one from the TV show shamless he is whano to me he has been a alcoholic and drug addict for 25 years he will sing to any tune just to get a fix. They had him walk the street 2x so I could see him to try and intimidat and this person is there next contracted liar this is how they work Ka Pai