This is absolutely magnificent: Toby Manhire puts together an album of National's Greatest Hits. There have been so many it's hard to keep up, so here's a reminder …
Bridges made a comment about 'folk wisdom on conceiving girls or boys', depending on how the act of copulation is undertaken, as I understand. This was taken offence at. Can I ask why? I have read the msm to try and understand why but have come up short. I am genuinely curious how the offence arose – it seems everyone is offended today and the curiousity stems from this wider point. I suspect some simple facts are simply missing…
On a related point I read somewhere in an opinion about males in the National Party (good grief, what a horrid thought, having to spend time with them, bleeaaargh…) that jokes about women should all stop..
.. which led to one of the obvious follow-on questions – that jokes about all people should stop… which is … well … isn't that nonsensical given the human reality of laughing at each other?? No more comedy? Do we laugh at flora and fauna instead? What can we laugh at?
Note, I am not coming down on any particular side of these issues – I am simply genuinely curious to understand what others are thinking in this very sober arena
No more comedy? Well, every day I watch shows and clips on YouTube that make me laugh, a tonic in these troubled times. Anything from Taskmaster to Mock The Week to Would I Lie To You to Cats Does Countdown and dozens more. Of course everyone has different tastes, so I'm not suggesting everyone else should laugh at the same things. But for me, there's not enough time in the day to watch it all.
Simon Bridges being an overgrown adolescent has nothing to do with comedy, really. (And Collins using it as an obvious pretext had nothing to with it either).
Bridges has seemed to show a profound lack of self awareness. Although the "old wives tale' has been replaced with 'folk wisdom'.
In a related vein, I read this article about a long serving female teacher resigning from PNBHS.
"When she started there were only 10 women on staff out of 68 and she said there were some disparaging views towards women, but the atmosphere has changed.
“You learnt how to deal with it … you just need to say pull your head in and there’s no problem.”
Also, once I thought I would chip a buddy who was good at golf, with a line I had heard from Billy Connolly. Something along the lines of golfers being wankers.
His reply has stayed with me. He replied with the question; "Asking that, how did you want me to feel?"
I guess there are no hard and fast rules. Context is everything and if it can't pass the Nana test (would you say that to your Nana?) don't say it.
Being genuinely funny has little to do with the whether or not the race, sex, religion or politics is the theme – some of the greatest comedians of all time relied on these all the time.
Humans may have evolved humour and laughter for a number of reasons I can imagine. It is also the adult manifestation of the 'playfulness' we find in children – a critical stage of development where they discover the boundaries between reality and fantasy, and that of successful risk taking and danger. Rough and tumble play teaches them how to invoke a reaction from others without provoking them to anger or resentment. In children its a critical development phase – and if they miss it for some reason they remain socially on the back foot the rest of their lives.
As we become teenagers our adult sense of humour starts to manifest. But doing it well is not easy, and those who are good at it are signaling high intelligence and social aptitude. Nor is it surprise to anyone that high on the female sexual selection shopping list is always 'good sense of humour'.
The reason for this is that life is never easy, there always will be challenges, failures and suffering – but people who can respond to these with humour, and succeed in lifting the mood of those around them, keeping the group morale afloat in the face of loss and disaster, will always be more likely to survive biologically and thrive socially.
Our unique human capacity to successfully operate in large social groups – beyond that of our immediate genetic relatives – while retaining individual agency, is fundamental to our ability to build large complex adaptive societies. That humans are also virtually unique in our enormous capacity for laughter is no accidental correlation. (Yes I realise cats laugh at us all the time )
All maladaptive social systems, political ideologies and their tyrannies, insist on crushing the fun out of life as a matter of instinctive priority. There is an implicit understanding that allowing people to poke fun at their obvious moral nakedness – is their Achilles Heel.
Seems he was very specific in the techniques to be applied.
Not exactly workplace conversation – you have to pick your audience.
There's also the separation factor – some jokes work better if they are about third parties but are a bit icky if told from the first person. And vice versa.
So worthy of complaint, but I'd be interested to see what processes JC went through before throwing Bridges to the back bench and publicly disgracing him.
I waiting on some new comedic genius in the mould of Douglas Adams (Hitchikers guides) or the beloved Terry Pratchet to take the proverbial our of the modern world and cause outrage VTO.
Just imagine the opening lines.
"Transmissions from Planet WokeLBGTXYZ are fading. Let’s see what Dr Carl Sourgum can bring up on his Encyclopedia Galatica.
‘So, there it is; whoman civilisation has annihilated itself in a paroxysm of hysteria, self-flagellation, anti-scientific gender politics and simply no longer breeding. because they were taught sex no longer exists, if it does it’s rape and there’s no point raising children if the earth warms up by 1 degree. No nuclear power, just broken windmills turning over to dribble a few kilowatts here and there to an infrastructure in tatters. I’m glad I died in 1996.’
That colleague was Dean, who told the Otago Daily Times she mentioned the incident to Collins during a conversation which followed meetings she had attended as assistant Speaker regarding recommendations from the Francis review of Parliament's workplace culture.
"I approached Judith several weeks ago about my concerns and the conversation was in the context of the work I have been doing with the Francis review, and I found myself disclosing my experience," Dean said.
She could have said any of this publicly, before Collins got rolled. But just like Goodfellow, she waited until after the vote of confidence before "clarifying". Like a courtier, now she knows Collins is gone, it's "the Queen is dead, long live the next King".
And this may be the closest to the truth assessment yet
“Events, dear boy, events.” Something you didn’t expect, and can’t fix, happens, and it all just gets too much. All the plotting and scheming. All the arm-twisting and political assassinating. Suddenly, the whole shitty business no longer seems worth the effort, and the all people around you start looking too hopelessly fucked-up to bother with.
I believe I saw some of that on Tuesday when she was questioning the PM at Question Time- testy, tired, getting her serves returned with ease, slow at the net and once fouled out for serving over the line.
True to form, Judith kept that "Pearl" of knowledge about Bridges behaviour as a lever. She did not "leak' it to journalists as she had made that an issue for her Leadership. "No Leaks" She liked having ammunition at the ready, especially gossip and bad behaviour, and this was a gem.
Interesting that MP Dean is seen as a "whining woman", conniving more like it, when she discussed that incident with Judith as an example of the behaviour a committee was tasked with reviewing outside the committee room. If you can not trust a Leader to keep a confidence, who can you trust? Or was it "here is an item about Bridges" A conundrum of their own creation?
I am more inclined to think Jacquie Dean did not think it through, was used by Judith Collins as a weapon later to try to damage Bridges without any consideration, as otherwise why wait “several weeks”?
Remember her motto "Give back double" with a silent "Take no prisoners".
Both women have behaved badly, but let us not forget how it began, with loose talk, by someone who wanted to be PM, who does not really seem to respect women or have a sense of propriety.
Dean did not think it through? If the environment is such that a mere verbal detail could be used as a nuclear weapon, nothing can be said and written by anyone without doubt and risk.
Let investigations begin of which MPs did what behind the shelter shed when they were at school, what they did on a sports trip when they were university students, the jokes they told at a party in 1999.
Collins knew she was done and wanted to undermine any chance of Bridges returning to leadership (speaks to National Party needing to win back woman voters from Labour).
Her support for Luxon is to seek protective patronage of her continuance as an MP (a spokesperson role improves her chances of staying as an electorate spokesperson MP and or having a placement on the list).
Despite being prepared to have the second shot and going with husband Paul, who received his second vaccination on October 9, the clinic refused to administer it due to her on-going reaction to the first vaccine.
The following weeks were filled with suffering relapses, brain fog, extreme head pain, fatigue and an uncontrollable severe body twitch.
Unable to work, and initially refused an ACC claim, Rozanne found herself in what she says was “a very scary place having just been given a life-altering diagnosis”.
She didn’t know if she would recover or get worse and reached out to others who like her were suffering severe symptoms.
Rozanne found herself having to make it clear to people that she is not an anti-vaxer but a realist, recognising that a vaccine is essential to dealing with the Covid-19 virus.
This is the first MSM article I have read about a person's adverse reaction to the Covid vaccine. May this be the first of many. Way past time that these severe side effects were hauled into the light.
Aye, that's my sense as well – a WHOLE "lot more disruption" coming society's way. Never mind – there's still time to score a few more deals in the BLACK Friday sales.
Have you come across the term Affluenza? It's reached pandemic proportions among the golden billion – maybe the aforementioned disruption will offer a cure of sorts.
Clive Hamilton and Richard Denniss’s book, Affluenza: When Too Much is Never Enough, poses the question: “If the economy has been doing so well, why are we not becoming happier?” They argue that affluenza causes overconsumption, “luxury fever“, consumer debt, overwork, waste, and harm to the environment. These pressures lead to “psychological disorders, alienation and distress“, causing people to “self-medicate with mood-altering drugs and excessive alcohol consumption“.
They note that a number of Australians have reacted by “downshifting” — they decided to “reduce their incomes and place family, friends and contentment above money in determining their life goals“. Their critique leads them to identify the need for an “alternative political philosophy“, and the book concludes with a “political manifesto for wellbeing“.
Not for everyone, of course – at least not voluntarily.
While it's possible that societal disruption will deprive “the poor” of "their hope of a better life", my sense is that the effects of disruption will not be confined to the poor, and that within two or three decades almost everyone is "in for a LOT more disruption than most people are imagining."
What practical steps might be taken this decade to best prepare societies for the inevitable “LOT more disruption” that you alluded to @12.2?
This last comment of yours speaks to your usual agenda – it's painfully obvious that you're more consumed with resentment at those who are better off than you, than a useful concern to improve the life of those less fortunate than you.
it's painfully obvious that you're more consumed with resentment at those who are better off than you
It's painfully obvious that you would trot out that stale jibe. Fwiw I'm content with my lot and (hand on heart) hold no resentment towards those who have convinced themselves they’re "better off" than me – seems so shallow
Back to your perceptive comment @12.2
It's my sense we're in for a LOT more disruption than most people are imagining.
That's my sense too (spaceship Earth has limits) – but what to do about it?
1.5-Degree Lifestyles:Towards A Fair Consumption Space for All[PDF; 2021] This report introduces the concept of a fair consumption space — an ecologically healthy perimeter that supports within it an equitable distribution of resources and opportunities for individuals and societies to fulfil their needs and achieve wellbeing. Within this space, there are a range of regenerative options (which this report details), but there are also clear demarcating limits to over- and under-consumption: with a cap in emissions, overconsumption by one person affects the prospects of another, and encroaches into another’s consumption space, requiring collectively working toward a more equitable distribution of limited carbon budgets.
That is where I am now ,equipping a bus well and hitting the road early next year.As I reach my late 60s I want to set off and a wake up to a new beach panorama often.No more rates ,insurance ,maintenence upkeep etc etc ,just a reliable Isuzu and an open road,devil take the hindmost.If you see my beauty ,Starship Enterprise ,and Captain Max Viagra,co captain Hot Lips Houlihan ,wave us down,have a chat there will always be a cold stubby and glass of chardy in the fridge.
“Defence lawyer Mike Antunovic said Soper was remorseful and ashamed of kicking the victim to the head. Soper had never had the opportunity of telling them how he feels or saying he is sorry, he said. “He extends his apologies through me.””
G: Smells like BS.
“Judge Davidson sentenced Soper, who is the son of Newstalk ZB political journalist Barry Soper, to seven months’ home detention, ordered him to stay away from alcohol, and to pay $4000 emotional harm reparation.
He said reparation could never be seen to adequately compensate the victims for what happened.
The judge said the attack was very much spur of the moment, impulsive and a significant overreaction on his part.”
G: Does seem rather light a fine; dunno what other sentence you would think more appropriate, B? Care to enlighten us?
“Davidson said Soper suffered from anxiety, which left him prone to erupting spontaneously in certain circumstances.”
G: More BS. I’ve suffered from anxiety all my fracking life. The last thing anxiety makes you want to do is beat someone up. You’re too fearful of the likely adverse consequences. That claim’s a total crock of shit.
In a statement, Barry Soper said the family was “deeply upset and disappointed”. “We support Hugh as he takes responsibility for his actions and sets about rebuilding his life. “The family is devastated for the victims and we wholeheartedly apologise for the effect this has had on their lives.”
G: It’s not the offender’s family that should be issuing a grovelling apology, Baz. It’s your PoS son, mate. 😠
Especially in comparison to a first offence for, say, one of our browner-skinned brothers? Yes. Might be interesting. Altho I seem to recall some rather light sentences for violent first offences for some of those offenders have attracted criticism on blogs in the past too.
One wonders if having well-known celebrity journo parents may have played a part.
I’m more puzzled with why the young prick hasn’t had the either the gonads or sufficient remorse to have apologised to them directly. He’s certainly had a cery long time to write them a decent aoology before he came up for sentencing
I'm not very impressed either. In my book once you kick or stomp on someone's head when they're on the ground – you are trying to kill them. In our grandparents generation, kicking a man when he was on the ground was considered the lowest most cowardly act.
If they live it was only a matter of good luck or good emergency medical treatment. And even then there is a high chance of permanent brain injury that will stay with the victim all their life. (Another stat that I read years ago, was that around 90% of male prison inmates in NZ have a brain injury of some kind.)
Still regardless of the outcome I maintain your intent was to kill or seriously maim- and the law around assault should be changed to reflect this.
Open access notables A survey of interventions to actively conserve the frozen North, van Wijngaarden et al., Climatic Change:The frozen elements of the high North are thawing as the region warms much faster than the global mean. The dangers of sea level rise due to melting glacier ice, increased ...
Bryce Edwards writes – New Zealand’s biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure. The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On ...
In 2015, then-Prime Minister John Key announced plans for a huge ocean sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands, banning fishing and mining from 15% of Aotearoa's EEZ. It was bold, it was ambitious, and it suggested that National might actually care about the environment. Except they fucked it up: Key failed ...
1. Who has just been given the accolade New Zealander of the Year?a. The Kokakob. The Cook Strait Ferryc. Fair God. Dr Jim Salinger 2. Which of these is an affront to decent society?a. Dame Edna Everageb. Mrs Doubtfire c. Dr. Frank-N-Furterd. Brian 3. Who is Penny Simmonds?a. The aspiring actress in Big ...
New Zealand’s biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure.The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On the face of it, the court found ...
Buzz from the Beehive Waves of rain are set to lash much of the North Island during Easter Weekend as a low-pressure system forms east of New Zealand, according to a weather forecast published in the past day or so. Niwa was warning of a “moisture-laden” long weekend, with rain expected ...
Look around us…Nicola Willis’ promises of balancing the books, of cutting spending without reducing services, and of delivering game changing tax cuts are disappearing before her eyes.Everyday we see stories of violent crime ending in horrific injuries, or worse. The cost of living worsens, whereas the PM claimed renters would ...
TL;DR: My top six news of note on the morning of Thursday, March 28 include:The Government will have to borrow between $10 billion to $15 billion more than previously expected in order to make up for a slowing economy and to pay for $14.9 billion of tax cuts, according to ...
This story by Naveena Sadasivam and Kate Yoder was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. The long-awaited jobs board for the American Climate Corps, promised early in the Biden administration, will open next month, according to details shared exclusively ...
Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don’t think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of ...
Treasury’s first report on the economy since the change of government presents a damning indictment of Labour’s economic management. The problem for National is that it is so damning that logically, coupled with a rapidly slowing economy, Finance Minister Nicola Willis should respond to it by postponing or even cancelling ...
Budget tensions are becoming evident within the Coalition Government. Winston Peters made numerous political points in his speech to the NZF annual conference. But the attack on his own government’s fiscal policies raised issues of substance. ‘Today in the Sunday Star Times, journalist and former advisor to the Labour ...
Buzz from the Beehive The media – sure enough – have been binging on Finance Minister Nicola Willis’ release of the Budget Policy Statement and a statement headed Government announces Budget priorities This assures us – or rather, this parrots the Luxon team mantra – that the Budget “will deliver ...
The Ides of March brought me COVID followed by a bereavement. No wonder they tell you to be careful of them.I’m home now and have resumed the interrupted recuperation. Very much looking forward to getting back to regular things. Meanwhile, some thoughts…OneThis new Prime Minister guy just keeps getting more dire. ...
News that the Chinese ATP 40 cyber-hacking unit penetrated parliamentary internet networks in 2021 has renewed concerns about the PRC’s malign intentions in Aotearoa. But is the hack that significant given the length of time that has passed since its … Continue reading → ...
When Parliament passed the Intelligence and security Act in 2017, they assured us all that it was full of safeguards. Any intrusive surveillance of New Zealanders would be subject to a "triple lock", requiring the approval of the Minister and (supposedly independent) Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants, as well as post-facto ...
Eric Crampton writes – Richard Harman’s Politik newsletter provides a bit of the context that ought to have been showing up in other media reports on potential reductions in public service staffing. Media has been reporting on staffing cuts on the order of about 7%. Is that ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – It’s becoming increasingly apparent that many perceive free speech to have become the preserve of the politically right wing, the religiously conservative, the libertarian fringe, the anti-trans, the anti-Māori and…. well, just fill in with whatever groups or individuals you don’t like and don’t ...
Don Brash writes – As everybody who is not blind and deaf is aware, there is a huge political preoccupation with climate change at the moment, a widespread (though by no means unanimous) belief that global temperatures are rising mainly as a result of the greenhouse gases created ...
TL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy on Wednesday, March 27 include:Chris Bishop laid out his vision for filling Aotearoa-NZ’s $100 billion infrastructure deficit in a speech yesterday, emphasising user pays and private funding, but failed to say how to achieve bipartisanship on population, public borrowing and ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Former Finance Minister Grant Robertson and former Prime Minister Chris Hipkins have been conveying how unhappy they are with the tax system. Last week in his valedictory speech, Robertson called for the introduction of a wealth or capital gains tax. And this week Hipkins ...
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 ...
Buzz from the Beehive China has loomed large in Beehive considerations over the past 24 hours, largely because of that country’s mischief-making in the cyber espionage department. Two media statements emerged on that subject hard on the heels of the PM baulking at questions put to him on RNZ’s Morning ...
Chris Trotter writes – WHY IS THE NATIONAL PARTY doing so much for landlords, property developers, trucking, and construction companies, and so little for everybody who isn’t already pretty well-off? It’s as if protecting landlords’ investments and building apartments and roads now constitute the whole of National’s ...
Bryce Edwards writes – When she was campaigning to be Minister of Finance last year, Nicola Willis pledged that she would resign from the job if she failed to deliver tax cuts in her first Budget. Now, it’s that pledge, along with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s ...
Robert MacCulloch writes – The Reserve Bank has doubled staff numbers in five years to 510, with personnel costs rising to $80 million in 2023 from $32 million in 2018 – up by a whopping 150%. I guess when you print $50 billion and flood markets with liquidity, ...
The furore. In case you didn’t notice there was a controversy in the weekend involving dolphins in a little town off the South Island. Don’t panic, they haven’t declared independence and resumed whaling, this was simply a sailing event.The problem began when racing was cancelled on the opening day of ...
For 20 years or more, the case for a meaningful capital tax gains has been mulled over and analysed to death, including by the tax working group chaired by Sir Michael Cullen. More than once, the International Monetary Fund has said a CGT would be a good idea for New ...
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This story was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. This story is part of a collaboration with Grist and WABE to demystify the Georgia Public Service Commission, the small but powerful state-elected board that makes critical decisions about everything from raising ...
This is a guest post from Robert McLachlan Global warming is accelerating; 2023 was off the charts. We need to stop burning fossil fuels. In New Zealand, transport accounts for half of all fossil fuels burnt. In the Emissions Reduction Plan, transport emissions fall 41% by 2035. As the ...
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Faced with a barrage of criticism over the promised tax cuts from usually supportive commentators, Finance Minister Nicola Willis yesterday reaffirmed her intention to include them in this year’s Budget. The Government is up against it over the cuts just about every way it turns. Commentators like Fran O’Sullivan, Matthew ...
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There are two major public consultations closing in the next week, Auckland Council’s Long Term Plan (LTP), and the draft Government Policy Statement on Land Transport (GPS). Closing dates and times: LTP closes Thursday 28 February, at 11.59pm – a minute to midnight! GPS closes Tuesday 2 April, at 12pm noon – note that’s ...
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Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition? Brian Easton writes – The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could ...
Dear Nicola Willis,Right now you’ve probably got lots of competing demands coming at you. Ministers who’ve inherited quite a mess, or so you’ve told us, looking for money in the budget to improve things. I imagine that’s why they came to parliament - to make things better.You’ll have to make ...
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This morning the Q&A programme had Simeon Brown on to talk about National’s replacement for Three Waters. In case anyone’s forgotten the three are - drinking water, waste water, and sewerage. It’s quite important not to get them mixed up. In much the same way that you wouldn’t want to ...
Today’s newsletter comes with a mini-podcast conversation between me and my buddy Liv Tennet, talking about her time as a child actor in Lord of the Rings. It’s a conversation with a lot of giggles as she talks about falling off a horse, and becoming a meme. Read ...
The Desmog Climate Disinformation Database documents, "individuals and organisations that have helped to delay and distract the public and our elected leaders from taking needed action to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and fight global warming." It's a who's who of the organised climate change denial movement, in other words. In ...
Bob Edlin writes – A High Court judge has decided miscreants who have mana – or who claim to have mana – should be treated differently from miscreants who have none. It’s a ruling that suggests indigenous law-breakers have a better chance of securing a discharge without conviction ...
Welcome to the first, and possibly last, edition of Brickbats, Bouquets and Bull’s Wool. In which I’ll take a look at the events of the last week or so, and rate them.In such ratings the numbers usually have more to do with the opinions of the reviewer, than the actual ...
Roger Partridge writes – My earlier column this month, New Zealand’s highest court could be facing a turning point, prompted a flood of feedback from business readers and lawyers alike. A common query was what Parliament can do to restrain an overreaching judiciary. This week I discuss two steps Parliament ...
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Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition?The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could deliver her promised income tax cuts. Appointed minister, she ...
Buzz from the Beehive Ministers of the Crown have drawn attention to one sector of the science sector which is unlikely to be subjected to heavy spending cuts, a state-funded broadcaster which is doing nicely, thank you, and a sporting event that had $5.4 million from the public purse puffed ...
Abbott’s Freestyle Libre sensors allow continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). The sensor is applied to the back of the patient’s arm, with a thin filament under the skin measuring glucose levels constantly. But it costs around $100 per sensor and must be replaced once every 14 days. Photo by BSIP/Universal Images ...
The Inspector General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) recently released a report in which he exposes the existence of a foreign intelligence partner-controlled technological “capability” inside the headquarters of the GCSB, NZ’s 5 Eyes-affiliated signals intelligence collection and analysis agency. … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – Nearly three decades after the introduction of MMP and multiparty governments there should be a greater level of understanding about their finer points than often appears to be the case. The reaction to the despicable outburst from the Deputy Prime Minister at the weekend highlights ...
The sweet kisses from fruit of summerHave slowly been turning dullerYou say, "those times"And "remember the daysWhen we went outside and there still was the shade?"Taking no reason into play…Autumn. Clear, blue days shortening to longer nights, growing colder. Aotearoa.That’s us. The temperature dropping, the looming car crash - so ...
Bryce Edwards writes – “It is often said that behind every great man is a great woman”. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their “Ladies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxon”. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April ...
David Farrar writes – The Electoral Commission has published the expense returns for political parties for the 2023 election. I’ve put them in a table with how many votes a party got so we can see the spend per vote. National only spent $3.34 for every vote they got, almost ...
Winston Peters’ headline-making actions over the past week may have been a show of political power intended to strengthen his hand in Budget negotiations. It was no accident that his State of the Nation speech was as it was. He made it as New Zealand First Leader, not as Deputy ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:Former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson bowed out of politics this week, giving a series of exit ...
Graham Adams writes — If you love the law or sausages, as the saying goes, best not to look too closely at how they are made. And after watching the orgy of self-pity when Newshub’s closure was announced on February 28, television journalism should definitely be added to the list of those ...
Venerable New Zealand political commentator, Chris Trotter (https://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/), is a sad creature these days. Once one of the most reliable Leftist writers out there – Economic Left at that – Trotter seems to have absorbed the worldview of Auckland culture-war obsessives. It is not for me to categorise what he ...
The cruelty of short-term memory loss is that each time you ask where she is, you get the fresh shock and grief of the news. That was Dad's day yesterday.Comfortingly, it seems to be less so today. Last night he looked crumpled, today he seems more settled. There's a card ...
Photo by Alvan Nee on UnsplashIt’s that new day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when and I co-host our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm. Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news ...
Buzz from the Beehive One minister is talking tough while a colleague – whose ministry had acted tough and drawn a barrage of flak – has shown an official softening. Some ministers are doing what Labour was good at, which is distributing public funds to causes regarded as worthy or ...
A ballot for 4 Member's Bills was held today, and the following bills were drawn: Insurance Contracts Bill (Duncan Webb) Income Tax (Clean Transport FBT Exclusion) Amendment Bill (Julie Anne Genter) Crimes (Increased Penalties for Slavery Offences) Amendment Bill (Greg Fleming) Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) ...
One of the strongest narratives about "our" spy agencies is that they are basically institutional traitors, working for foreign powers (or just themselves), without any control or oversight by the elected government. And today, we have yet another report from the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security which explicitly confirms this. ...
“It is often said that behind every great man is a great woman”. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their “Ladies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxon”. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April to meet the Prime Minister’s ...
The Coalition Government’s plan to ‘get Auckland moving’ is a cuts cover-up that will ultimately cost Aucklanders more to move around the city, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Slashing the Ministry of Pacific Peoples by 40% will have a devastating impact on pacific communities and further highlights how little this government cares about anything other than cutting taxes for the wealthiest few. ...
Labour has proposed an urgent inquiry to investigate the ever-increasing profits of supermarkets, aiming to lower costs for shoppers and food producers alike, says Labour Spokesperson for Commerce and Consumer Affairs Arena Williams and Primary Production Spokesperson Cushla Tangaere-Manuel. ...
With 14% of jobs on the line at the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, the responsible Minister Melissa Lee is failing to stand up for the very communities she’s meant to be representing. ...
COURT OF APPEAL: TRIFECTA OF VICTORY FOR NZ FIRST, TRIFECTA OF FAILURE FOR OPPONENTS For the third time since April 2020, New Zealand First has defeated the Serious Fraud Office and all those complicit in a malicious attack against a political party going about its lawful business in a lawful ...
The Green Party stands with people who live in public housing, people in dire housing need, experts and advocates in demanding better than the Government’s archaic approach to housing those who need our support the most. ...
New Zealand has recently lost the hosting rights of some major international sporting events including the America’s Cup, the Rugby Championship, Netball World Cup, and the Wellington Sevens. We are now at a huge risk of losing SailGP as well. And it won’t stop there. The recent issues with SailGP ...
A Member’s Bill drawn this week would modernise insurance law and make things fairer and more transparent for consumers, Christchurch Central MP Duncan Webb said. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues has confirmed she was aware of funding issues in mid-December and did nothing to stop it. On 14 March, she signed off on changes that were announced and implemented on 18 March without any consultation with disability communities. ...
Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter says her members' bill is an opportunity for the coalition government to plug the gap in electric vehicle incentives. ...
The National Government continues to talk about irresponsible tax cuts that will only drive up inflation, despite the country entering a technical recession. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues must act urgently to reinstate flexibility around the funding for disability support and apologise to disabled carers. ...
This story has been initiated by a leftie shill reporter who proactively sought to call a member of a former band, which disbanded twelve years ago, give their biased appraisal of what was said in my speech, and concocted a ham-fisted attempt at a story that does nothing but show ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Many in the mainstream media have taken what was said in New Zealand First’s State of the Nation Speech in Palmerston North on Sunday and deliberately, deceitfully, and ignorantly misrepresented what I said and why I said it. The headlines and commentary on the news stated that I compared ‘co-governance ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
Good afternoon. Thank you for, in your very busy lives, turning up to this meeting today. On October 14th last year New Zealanders overwhelmingly voted for change. That is exactly what this new government is bringing. New Zealand First campaigned to ‘take back our country’ and stop the disastrous economic ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April. “It was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates. Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend. “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” Mr Peters says. Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. “Road safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track. “Dam safety regulations ...
The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the government’s finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Government’s Budget objectives. “The coalition Government intends ...
The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says. “The Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says. “These changes are long overdue – the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009. ...
The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Education’s School Property Function. The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There is a clear need ...
State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Today I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” Minister Responsible for ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. “We’re sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union. “I am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says. “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “Comprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. “I would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
Good morning, it’s great to be here. First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning. I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
Before moving onto the substance of today’s address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and I’m sorry I can’t be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the Whangārei site where the facility will be constructed. “Northland has faced a number ...
New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata Māori 20 years ago, says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisation’s 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
By Anneke Smith, RNZ News political reporter A petition urging the New Zealand government to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people has been tabled in the House. More than 200 people gathered on Parliament’s forecourt today and they were met by MPs from Labour, the Greens and Te ...
Pacific Media Watch The Paris-based global media freedom watchdog RSF (Reporters Without Borders) has appealed for information about the “disappearance” of Palestinian journalist Bayan Abusultan. She was reportedly last seen on March 19 among people “sequestered” in this week’s raid and siege of Al Shifa hospital by Israeli troops in ...
EDITORIAL:The Jakarta Post It happens again and again; indigenous Papuans fall victim to Indonesian soldiers. This time, we have photographic evidence for the brutality, with videos on social media showing a Papuan man being tortured by a group of plainclothes men alleged to be the Indonesian Military (TNI) members. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robyn J. Whitaker, Director of the Wesley Centre for Theology, Ethics, and Public Policy & Associate Professor, New Testament, Pilgrim Theological College, University of Divinity A strange and eclectic range of activities takes place across these few weeks of the year. Some ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University It’s Easter weekend, which means many of us will be kicking back with the greatest hits on repeat. But whether you’re a boomer, or an ‘80s or ’90s kid, you might be ...
RNZ Pacific Fiji’s Acting Public Prosecutor has filed an appeal against the sentences of former prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama and suspended police chief Sitiveni Qiliho in their corruption case. Bainimarama was granted an absolute discharge for attempting to pervert the course of justice while Qiliho received a conditional discharge with ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Arosha Weerakoon, Senior Lecturer and General Dentist, School of Dentistry, The University of Queensland Casezy idea/Shutterstock How does toothpaste work? What did people use before toothpaste was invented? – Amelia, age 7, Meanjin (Brisbane) Thanks for your ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brett Hallam, Associate professor, UNSW Sydney IM Imagery/Shutterstock Solar SunShot is well named. The Australian government announced today it would plough A$1 billion into bringing back solar manufacturing to Australia, boosting energy security, swapping coal and gas jobs for those ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Dix, Research Fellow in Nutrition & Dietetics, The University of Queensland Easter is the time for chocolate. The shops are full of fantastically packaged and shiny chocolates in all shapes and sizes, making trips to the supermarket with children more challenging ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Felton, Adjunct Senior Researcher, University of South Australia Even in a stubborn cost-of-living crisis, it seems there’s one luxury most Australians won’t sacrifice – their daily cup of coffee. Coffee sales have largely remained stable, even as financial pressures have ...
Mining company Trans-Tasman Resources has unexpectedly withdrawn its application for a consent to suck the valuable metals vanadium and titanium from the Taranaki seafloor, as it apparently wagers on the Government’s new fast-track process. It had spent two-and-a-half days putting its case to the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision-making committee, at ...
Contrary to the Associate Minister of Education’s claims, analysis of Healthy School Lunches Programme - Ka Ora, Ka Ako assessments has revealed it provides excellent value for the taxpayer dollar, as a groundswell of public opposition to Government ...
Greenpeace says wannabe Taranaki seabed miner Trans-Tasman Resources is likely banking on Christopher Luxon’s fast-track process to side-step proper scrutiny of its Taranaki seabed mining proposal by bailing out of the Environmental Protection Agency hearing ...
Kiwis Against Seabed mining today slammed Australian owned would-be seabed miner Trans Tasman Resources (TTR) for abandoning its application to the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) to mine the seabed of the South Taranaki Bight. The company ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katie Attwell, Associate Professor, School of Social Sciences, The University of Western Australia Ground Picture/Shutterstock Months after COVID vaccines were introduced in 2021, governments and private organisations mandated them for various groups. Health and aged care workers were among the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Dzurak, Scientia Professor Andrew Dzurak, CEO and Founder of Diraq, UNSW Sydney Diraq For decades, the pursuit of quantum computing has struggled with the need for extremely low temperatures, mere fractions of a degree above absolute zero (0 Kelvin or ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne A national Essential poll, conducted March 20–24 from a sample of 1,150, gave the Coalition a 50–44 lead including undecided, a reversal ...
The Taxpayers’ Union has today made a formal request under the Regulations of the People’s Republic of China on Open Government Information () for information held about how New Zealand Members of Parliament are spending taxpayer ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert Nelson, Honorary Principal Fellow, The University of Melbourne A Byzantine depiction of the Eucharist in Saint Sophia Cathedral, Kyiv.Jacek555/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA A nasty quarrel arose in the 11th century over what kind of bread should be used in holy ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Patrick Hesp, Professor, Flinders University Patrick Hesp In some parts of Australia, coastal dunes are retreating from the ocean at an alarming rate, as waves carve up the beach and wind blows the sand inland. But coastal communities are largely ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Luke Heemsbergen, Senior Lecturer, Digital, Political, Media, Deakin University With an impressive 60% of the US smartphone market, Apple is undeniably big, but not a clear monopoly. Yet, years of innovation by Apple have effectively given the company its own exclusive ...
Whether you’re facing layoffs or are just an emotional junior staffer, it’s always a good idea to scout out a good crying place before you need it. It’s an incredibly hard time for Wellington. Across the city, thousands of public servants are hearing tough news about redundancies and layoffs. Government ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Miller-Jones, Professor, Curtin University Nuclear explosions on a neutron star feed its jets. Danielle Futselaar and Nathalie Degenaar, Anton Pannekoek Institute, University of Amsterdam, CC BY-SA How fast can a neutron star drive powerful jets into space? The answer, it ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Daryl Adair, Associate Professor of Sport Management, University of Technology Sydney Earlier this week, independent MP Andrew Wilkie accused the AFL of conducting “off the books” illicit drug testing to identify players using substances of abuse, then inappropriately withdrawing them from matches ...
The Government’s announcement that it will scrap plans for a vast marine sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands is ‘shameful’ and will make it impossible for Aotearoa New Zealand to meet its international commitments, says the World Wide Fund for Nature ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Quiggin, Professor, School of Economics, The University of Queensland Shutterstock The federal government has bowed to pressure from the car industry, announcing it will relax proposed emissions rules for utes and vans and delay enforcement of the new standards ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Suzanne Rutland, Professor Emerita, University of Sydney In his latest book, Jewish Life in Medieval Spain, Jonathan Ray focuses on the tumult of the 14th century in Spain – a time of the plague, civil strife and war between the two largest ...
While creating a slate of world-class shows, Whakaata Māori also developed a generation of world-class creatives. Television is an odd word. It mixes the Ancient Greek and Latin languages, and its most literal meaning is “far-off sight”. In the contemporary and living language of te reo Māori, “whakaata” as a ...
Yesterday the UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Israel’s war on Gaza. This significant step and the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza prompted an urgent debate in the New Zealand Parliament. Leader ...
The Government’s decision to reduce access to continuous glucose monitors (CGM) not only threatens the lives of children with type 1 diabetes and increases the potential for ‘Dead in Bed’ syndrome, but also threatens the health of their parents an ...
Apples are available year-round, but the wide variety on offer involves intensive scientific research – and large-scale commercialisation. What’s beautiful, red, sweet and crunchy? Tony Martin’s favourite kind of apple: Sassy. The CEO of apple and pear breeding organisation Prevar, Martin’s fondness for Sassy represents professional success as well as ...
Family violence specialist service Shine is calling on employers to stop asking for proof of domestic violence in order for employees to access domestic violence leave. The call comes five years after the introduction of the Domestic Violence ...
The Deputy Chairperson of the Finance and Expenditure Committee is calling for public submissions on the Budget Policy Statement 2024. The Budget Policy Statement 2024 (BPS) sets out the Government's priorities for the 2024 Budget. It explains the approach ...
Brutal government spending cuts that will see the size of the Ministry for Pacific Peoples slashed by 40% will hit Pasifika communities hard, the PSA says. The Ministry has told staff that it is seeking voluntary redundancies, and to redeploy and reassign ...
I live with five people I mostly love, but our different ideas about generosity are starting to really irk me.Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nzDear Hera,This is a bit of a random one but here goes. I’m 22 and work an OK job (OK meaning I get paid ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Maria Nicholas, Senior Lecturer in Language and Literacy Education, Deakin University Earlier this month, the New South Wales government announced it would roll out programs for gifted students in every public school in the state. This comes amid concerns gifted school ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christopher Rudge, Law lecturer, University of Sydney Massachusetts General Hospital In a world first, we heard last week that US surgeons had transplanted a kidney from a gene-edited pig into a living human. News reports said the procedure was a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Tombs, Howard Paterson Chair of Theology and Public Issues, University of Otago The 5th-century Maskell panel showing Jesus in a loincloth.British Museum, CC BY-NC-SA When Jesus is shown on the cross, he is almost always depicted wearing a loincloth around ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University Shutterstock When you think about a red object, you might picture a red carpet, or the massive ruby in the Queen’s crown. Indeed, Western monarchies and marketing from brands such ...
COMMENTARY:Jewish Voice for Peace The UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza on Monday — and for the first time since the beginning of the Israeli military’s genocide of Palestinians, the United States abstained rather than vetoing it. Security Council resolutions are legally binding, ...
Asia Pacific Report A New Zealand investigative journalist and author says the US spy system hosted by the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) appears to be a controversial intelligence system used in global capture-kill operations. Writing a commentary for RNZ News today, Nicky Hager, author of Secret Power, a 1996 ...
While Nicola Willis wouldn’t give any details on its size, she said a package of tax cuts is definitely still coming in this year’s budget, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is welcoming the investigation into the Department of Internal Affairs after it was revealed that the Department’s Chief Executive personally reached out to expedite a DJs passport application. Taxpayers’ Union Campaigns ...
Finance minister Nicola Willis delivers her first budget statement, and unwittingly helps Joel MacManus save his relationship. Nicola Willis strode into the Beehive Theatrette. Around me, on the green foldout seats, were the country’s top business and political journalists. They were all here to see her announce the Budget Policy ...
Twenty years ago today, Māori Television launched after much controversy. Jamie Tahana looks back on its survival and impact across two decades. Chad Chambers stepped onto the stage, the brim of his cap casting a shadow across his face. His smile beamed as bright as his white freezing works gumboots, ...
The unidentified foreign intelligence operation discussed in a scathing report by New Zealand’s Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) last week appears to be a controversial United States intelligence system. The IGIS report said the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) decision to host a foreign system from 2012-2020 was “improper” ...
Tauranga, Rotorua, Wellsford, Onehunga, Westhaven marina – Gavin Strawhan walks the meanish streets of New Zealand in his entertaining debut novel The Call, almost sure to roar into the number 1 position on the Nielsen bestseller chart, its front cover bearing a rave from somebody: “A really good and genuinely ...
On a Thursday in February, at Wellington’s Conservation House, the Conservation Authority, a statutory body advising the eponymous department and minister, Tama Potaka, opened its 195th meeting. Under consideration that afternoon was an agenda item written by Tim Bamford, chief advisor in the Department of Conservation’s biodiversity, heritage and visitors ...
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A lengthy response to the recently released draft Government policy statement on transport will soon be delivered from Auckland Council to Minister of Transport Simeon Brown. A submission raising concerns about funding distribution and the plan’s treatment of Auckland passed through the council’s transport committee on Wednesday, despite some councillors ...
As a young gymnast, Aimee Didierjean was always conscious of making sure her underwear wasn’t showing on the competition floor. A peek of a bra strap, or briefs if a leotard rode up, would cost a gymnast points in her routines. “When I was growing and going through puberty, it ...
Jubi/West Papua Daily Repeated cases of Indonesian military (TNI) soldiers torturing civilians in Papua have been evident, as seen in the viral video depicting the torture of civilians in the Puncak Regency allegedly done by soldiers of Raider 300/Brajawijaya Infantry Battalion. There is a pressing need for stringent law enforcement ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra In 2023, Anthony Albanese was shooting for the moon, his eyes on the Voice referendum. On one view, he looked like the idealist reflecting his left-wing roots. In 2024, we’re seeing a pragmatic, determined, ...
The House - The principle that all MPs are honourable and that they should be taken at their word has been tested multiple times this week in Parliament. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Helen Dickinson, Professor, Public Service Research, UNSW Sydney Drazen Zigic/Shutterstock Since the review of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) released its recommendations in December, there has been a series of Town Hall events to discuss them around the country ...
This is absolutely magnificent: Toby Manhire puts together an album of National's Greatest Hits. There have been so many it's hard to keep up, so here's a reminder …
https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/26-11-2021/the-five-most-terrible-horrible-no-good-very-bad-days-in-recent-national-party-history
Curious, very curious….
Bridges made a comment about 'folk wisdom on conceiving girls or boys', depending on how the act of copulation is undertaken, as I understand. This was taken offence at. Can I ask why? I have read the msm to try and understand why but have come up short. I am genuinely curious how the offence arose – it seems everyone is offended today and the curiousity stems from this wider point. I suspect some simple facts are simply missing…
On a related point I read somewhere in an opinion about males in the National Party (good grief, what a horrid thought, having to spend time with them, bleeaaargh…) that jokes about women should all stop..
.. which led to one of the obvious follow-on questions – that jokes about all people should stop… which is … well … isn't that nonsensical given the human reality of laughing at each other?? No more comedy? Do we laugh at flora and fauna instead? What can we laugh at?
Note, I am not coming down on any particular side of these issues – I am simply genuinely curious to understand what others are thinking in this very sober arena
No more comedy? Well, every day I watch shows and clips on YouTube that make me laugh, a tonic in these troubled times. Anything from Taskmaster to Mock The Week to Would I Lie To You to Cats Does Countdown and dozens more. Of course everyone has different tastes, so I'm not suggesting everyone else should laugh at the same things. But for me, there's not enough time in the day to watch it all.
Simon Bridges being an overgrown adolescent has nothing to do with comedy, really. (And Collins using it as an obvious pretext had nothing to with it either).
Stuff published an article several years ago about trying to “select” the sex of a baby. It was informative.
https://i.stuff.co.nz/life-style/parenting/pregnancy/conception/trying-to-conceive/10939837/The-myths-and-truths-of-gender-swaying
Bridges has seemed to show a profound lack of self awareness. Although the "old wives tale' has been replaced with 'folk wisdom'.
In a related vein, I read this article about a long serving female teacher resigning from PNBHS.
"When she started there were only 10 women on staff out of 68 and she said there were some disparaging views towards women, but the atmosphere has changed.
“You learnt how to deal with it … you just need to say pull your head in and there’s no problem.”
Now there are 30 female staff out of 113 and she tells the boys “manners maketh the man”."
https://www.stuff.co.nz/manawatu-standard/news/300463144/longserving-boys-high-languages-teacher-retiring
Also, once I thought I would chip a buddy who was good at golf, with a line I had heard from Billy Connolly. Something along the lines of golfers being wankers.
His reply has stayed with me. He replied with the question; "Asking that, how did you want me to feel?"
I guess there are no hard and fast rules. Context is everything and if it can't pass the Nana test (would you say that to your Nana?) don't say it.
Some 'nana's' have offensive senses of humour…..what happened to encouraging diversity?
Being genuinely funny has little to do with the whether or not the race, sex, religion or politics is the theme – some of the greatest comedians of all time relied on these all the time.
Humans may have evolved humour and laughter for a number of reasons I can imagine. It is also the adult manifestation of the 'playfulness' we find in children – a critical stage of development where they discover the boundaries between reality and fantasy, and that of successful risk taking and danger. Rough and tumble play teaches them how to invoke a reaction from others without provoking them to anger or resentment. In children its a critical development phase – and if they miss it for some reason they remain socially on the back foot the rest of their lives.
As we become teenagers our adult sense of humour starts to manifest. But doing it well is not easy, and those who are good at it are signaling high intelligence and social aptitude. Nor is it surprise to anyone that high on the female sexual selection shopping list is always 'good sense of humour'.
The reason for this is that life is never easy, there always will be challenges, failures and suffering – but people who can respond to these with humour, and succeed in lifting the mood of those around them, keeping the group morale afloat in the face of loss and disaster, will always be more likely to survive biologically and thrive socially.
Our unique human capacity to successfully operate in large social groups – beyond that of our immediate genetic relatives – while retaining individual agency, is fundamental to our ability to build large complex adaptive societies. That humans are also virtually unique in our enormous capacity for laughter is no accidental correlation. (Yes I realise cats laugh at us all the time )
All maladaptive social systems, political ideologies and their tyrannies, insist on crushing the fun out of life as a matter of instinctive priority. There is an implicit understanding that allowing people to poke fun at their obvious moral nakedness – is their Achilles Heel.
Seems he was very specific in the techniques to be applied.
Not exactly workplace conversation – you have to pick your audience.
There's also the separation factor – some jokes work better if they are about third parties but are a bit icky if told from the first person. And vice versa.
So worthy of complaint, but I'd be interested to see what processes JC went through before throwing Bridges to the back bench and publicly disgracing him.
I waiting on some new comedic genius in the mould of Douglas Adams (Hitchikers guides) or the beloved Terry Pratchet to take the proverbial our of the modern world and cause outrage VTO.
Just imagine the opening lines.
"Transmissions from Planet WokeLBGTXYZ are fading. Let’s see what Dr Carl Sourgum can bring up on his Encyclopedia Galatica.
‘So, there it is; whoman civilisation has annihilated itself in a paroxysm of hysteria, self-flagellation, anti-scientific gender politics and simply no longer breeding. because they were taught sex no longer exists, if it does it’s rape and there’s no point raising children if the earth warms up by 1 degree. No nuclear power, just broken windmills turning over to dribble a few kilowatts here and there to an infrastructure in tatters. I’m glad I died in 1996.’
Some context for the issue!!
That colleague was Dean, who told the Otago Daily Times she mentioned the incident to Collins during a conversation which followed meetings she had attended as assistant Speaker regarding recommendations from the Francis review of Parliament's workplace culture.
"I approached Judith several weeks ago about my concerns and the conversation was in the context of the work I have been doing with the Francis review, and I found myself disclosing my experience," Dean said.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/jacqui-dean-says-she-was-surprised-judith-collins-raised-the-simon-bridges-incident/YSSOPO5TYAKIWKZSTKOLBERQPQ/
Above all the ODT thing suggests the manic desperation of Collins.
She could have said any of this publicly, before Collins got rolled. But just like Goodfellow, she waited until after the vote of confidence before "clarifying". Like a courtier, now she knows Collins is gone, it's "the Queen is dead, long live the next King".
Pathetic.
"Pathetic"
Thats generous!!! Ob
Imagine how we feel down here with Dean as our MP year after year after year after….
She was the one who asked the Minister of Health to investigate the toxicity of dihydrogen monoxide … H2O
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/38005/National-MP-falls-victim-to-water-hoax
Thats water under(mining) the bridge
Context
1.Bridges was talking to Jaime Lee Ross who was having an affair with another blonde MP at the time.
2. Simon Bridges (who has a blonde wife) had two sons and wanted to become father of a daughter in the year ahead.
Footnote – in 2017 Simon Bridges wife gave birth to a biological female.
And this may be the closest to the truth assessment yet
“Events, dear boy, events.” Something you didn’t expect, and can’t fix, happens, and it all just gets too much. All the plotting and scheming. All the arm-twisting and political assassinating. Suddenly, the whole shitty business no longer seems worth the effort, and the all people around you start looking too hopelessly fucked-up to bother with.
And. You. Snap."
http://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/2021/11/judiths-last-stand.html
And aligns with Collins cryptic remark as she got into the taxi afterward "It's a relief".
The other observation is a fish rots from the head first. By that I mean the culture, standard of behaviour etc is a reflection of the board.
A bit like Foster is coping criticism for the ABs last two performances.
Goodfellow and his crew seem untouchable.
The PM called her the other leader of the Opposition
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/covid-19-delta-outbreak-jacinda-ardern-told-to-apologise-over-judith-collins-jibe/ZW6XGUDEZRSDFAPK45KCQ54IJQ/
One answer for Collins is that she is unwell. Her ability to think clearly looks tired and shambolic. Maybe she needs a long long rest.
I believe I saw some of that on Tuesday when she was questioning the PM at Question Time- testy, tired, getting her serves returned with ease, slow at the net and once fouled out for serving over the line.
True to form, Judith kept that "Pearl" of knowledge about Bridges behaviour as a lever. She did not "leak' it to journalists as she had made that an issue for her Leadership. "No Leaks" She liked having ammunition at the ready, especially gossip and bad behaviour, and this was a gem.
Interesting that MP Dean is seen as a "whining woman", conniving more like it, when she discussed that incident with Judith as an example of the behaviour a committee was tasked with reviewing outside the committee room. If you can not trust a Leader to keep a confidence, who can you trust? Or was it "here is an item about Bridges" A conundrum of their own creation?
I am more inclined to think Jacquie Dean did not think it through, was used by Judith Collins as a weapon later to try to damage Bridges without any consideration, as otherwise why wait “several weeks”?
Remember her motto "Give back double" with a silent "Take no prisoners".
Both women have behaved badly, but let us not forget how it began, with loose talk, by someone who wanted to be PM, who does not really seem to respect women or have a sense of propriety.
Dean did not think it through? If the environment is such that a mere verbal detail could be used as a nuclear weapon, nothing can be said and written by anyone without doubt and risk.
Let investigations begin of which MPs did what behind the shelter shed when they were at school, what they did on a sports trip when they were university students, the jokes they told at a party in 1999.
Collins knew she was done and wanted to undermine any chance of Bridges returning to leadership (speaks to National Party needing to win back woman voters from Labour).
Her support for Luxon is to seek protective patronage of her continuance as an MP (a spokesperson role improves her chances of staying as an electorate spokesperson MP and or having a placement on the list).
"Five people in court following murder of Christchurch teen
… All five facing charges relating to the murder will appear in the High Court for a case review hearing on February 18.
The agreed date for the start of the defendants’ trial is May 8, 2023."
May 2023!
link please.
On RNZ this morning.
if people quote here, they have to also link.
I should not have quoted. Should simply have said some people in a murder case were in court in November 2021 and would next be in court in May 2023.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/127106250/five-people-in-court-following-murder-of-christchurch-teen
Well – you have to allow for the snail's pace legal system to crawl along – so lawyers etc can screw the max out of legal aid funds.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/127106250/five-people-in-court-following-murder-of-christchurch-teen
Hard Brexit, with fish.
French fishers to block Channel tunnel in Brexit licences row | Brexit | The Guardian
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/127108563/schools-locked-down-as-police-hunt-man-who-stole-cars-and-fled-after-crash
Real life GTA, for the win!
*The man was not armed with a firearm, and police arrested him “without incident” on Weedons Ross Rd shortly before midday, the spokeswoman said.
He was hurt in the incident, and was taken to Christchurch Hospital and treated for moderate injuries.*
I imagine the hurt was likely a dog bite? So … if he was hurt … how exactly is that “without incident”? 🤔
The Police must have a different concept of “incident” than I do. 😳
Good dog
.
🐶 Ruff❗️
Sunlive publishes an article detailing a local woman's battle with a severe adverse reaction the the Pfizer product.
https://www.sunlive.co.nz/news/281866-rozannes-fight-after-vaccine-anguish.html
Despite being prepared to have the second shot and going with husband Paul, who received his second vaccination on October 9, the clinic refused to administer it due to her on-going reaction to the first vaccine.
The following weeks were filled with suffering relapses, brain fog, extreme head pain, fatigue and an uncontrollable severe body twitch.
Unable to work, and initially refused an ACC claim, Rozanne found herself in what she says was “a very scary place having just been given a life-altering diagnosis”.
She didn’t know if she would recover or get worse and reached out to others who like her were suffering severe symptoms.
Rozanne found herself having to make it clear to people that she is not an anti-vaxer but a realist, recognising that a vaccine is essential to dealing with the Covid-19 virus.
This is the first MSM article I have read about a person's adverse reaction to the Covid vaccine. May this be the first of many. Way past time that these severe side effects were hauled into the light.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/127108563/school-lockdowns-lifted-as-police-arrest-man-who-stole-cars-and-fled-after-crash
Well that ended quietly
A question for the economists.
With rising inflation, and fair pay awards on their way, how are we going to avoid the ole wage price spiral?
Supply problems and fuel costs are areas that are not going to be fixed quickly.
The only option reduced liquidity interest rate hikes.
International shipping is going to be much more expensive for many years.
The economies of the world will suffer.
And with the hated Boomers all busy retiring across much of the world, skilled labour supply will shrink as well.
It's my sense we're in for a LOT more disruption than most people are imagining.
Aye, that's my sense as well – a WHOLE "lot more disruption" coming society's way. Never mind – there's still time to score a few more deals in the BLACK Friday sales.
Have you come across the term Affluenza? It's reached pandemic proportions among the golden billion – maybe the aforementioned disruption will offer a cure of sorts.
Not for everyone, of course – at least not voluntarily.
No. The people that will be hurt the most will be the poor in the world who will have their hope of better life taken from them.
While it's possible that societal disruption will deprive “the poor” of "their hope of a better life", my sense is that the effects of disruption will not be confined to the poor, and that within two or three decades almost everyone is "in for a LOT more disruption than most people are imagining."
What practical steps might be taken this decade to best prepare societies for the inevitable “LOT more disruption” that you alluded to @12.2?
https://grantcraft.org/content/blog/learning-from-disruption-two-case-examples-of-resilience/
This last comment of yours speaks to your usual agenda – it's painfully obvious that you're more consumed with resentment at those who are better off than you, than a useful concern to improve the life of those less fortunate than you.
It's painfully obvious that you would trot out that stale jibe. Fwiw I'm content with my lot and (hand on heart) hold no resentment towards those who have convinced themselves they’re "better off" than me – seems so shallow
Back to your perceptive comment @12.2
That's my sense too (spaceship Earth has limits) – but what to do about it?
That is where I am now ,equipping a bus well and hitting the road early next year.As I reach my late 60s I want to set off and a wake up to a new beach panorama often.No more rates ,insurance ,maintenence upkeep etc etc ,just a reliable Isuzu and an open road,devil take the hindmost.If you see my beauty ,Starship Enterprise ,and Captain Max Viagra,co captain Hot Lips Houlihan ,wave us down,have a chat there will always be a cold stubby and glass of chardy in the fridge.
Well we have coped with house prices/rents exploding and no one gives a shit..so ..who cares!
HD seems like a very light sentence to me.
Unprovoked attack leaves Wellington bar owners with permanent injuries | Stuff.co.nz
“Defence lawyer Mike Antunovic said Soper was remorseful and ashamed of kicking the victim to the head. Soper had never had the opportunity of telling them how he feels or saying he is sorry, he said. “He extends his apologies through me.””
G: Smells like BS.
“Judge Davidson sentenced Soper, who is the son of Newstalk ZB political journalist Barry Soper, to seven months’ home detention, ordered him to stay away from alcohol, and to pay $4000 emotional harm reparation.
He said reparation could never be seen to adequately compensate the victims for what happened.
The judge said the attack was very much spur of the moment, impulsive and a significant overreaction on his part.”
G: Does seem rather light a fine; dunno what other sentence you would think more appropriate, B? Care to enlighten us?
“Davidson said Soper suffered from anxiety, which left him prone to erupting spontaneously in certain circumstances.”
G: More BS. I’ve suffered from anxiety all my fracking life. The last thing anxiety makes you want to do is beat someone up. You’re too fearful of the likely adverse consequences. That claim’s a total crock of shit.
In a statement, Barry Soper said the family was “deeply upset and disappointed”. “We support Hugh as he takes responsibility for his actions and sets about rebuilding his life. “The family is devastated for the victims and we wholeheartedly apologise for the effect this has had on their lives.”
G: It’s not the offender’s family that should be issuing a grovelling apology, Baz. It’s your PoS son, mate. 😠
Imo a jail term of at least 12 months minimum would be appropriate.
Be interesting to see a comparative re the sentencing.
Especially in comparison to a first offence for, say, one of our browner-skinned brothers? Yes. Might be interesting. Altho I seem to recall some rather light sentences for violent first offences for some of those offenders have attracted criticism on blogs in the past too.
One wonders if having well-known celebrity journo parents may have played a part.
I’m more puzzled with why the young prick hasn’t had the either the gonads or sufficient remorse to have apologised to them directly. He’s certainly had a cery long time to write them a decent aoology before he came up for sentencing
🙄 * cery = very
This is one of the problems with this government:
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/andrew-little-says-he-will-reduce-the-prison-population/6NXHANBTJF3FVVSGZVBZT5QQUQ/
Reducing the prison population is easy. Hugh Soper should be going to prison but isn't.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/auckland-motorway-road-rage-shooters-jail-term-thrown-out-gets-home-detention-instead/YGIOSDMJMCVV3WQTFV2HGXBIYI/
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/126651020/you-wont-survive-jail-judge-takes-pity-on-young-sex-offender
Lowering the prison population doesn't mean that people aren't committing crimes, it just means more criminals are walking the streets but hey on the bright side:
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/300163523/prisoner-numbers-fall-1089-over-last-12-months-largest-drop-in-over-20-years
They need to increase the prison population with a few of the people out in New Lynn and Glen Eden.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/glen-eden-gang-stoush-handguns-machetes-in-head-hunter-comancheros-confrontation/4UHQCTODLIMSIEK6YUNWJVW35Y/
Also consider that if less people are being sent to prison then the ones who are sent are worse than usual
I'm not very impressed either. In my book once you kick or stomp on someone's head when they're on the ground – you are trying to kill them. In our grandparents generation, kicking a man when he was on the ground was considered the lowest most cowardly act.
If they live it was only a matter of good luck or good emergency medical treatment. And even then there is a high chance of permanent brain injury that will stay with the victim all their life. (Another stat that I read years ago, was that around 90% of male prison inmates in NZ have a brain injury of some kind.)
Still regardless of the outcome I maintain your intent was to kill or seriously maim- and the law around assault should be changed to reflect this.