And in this morning’s news John Key has single handedly shown what an utterly brilliant negotiator he is by persuading European leaders to have a think about a free trade agreement. Want to have a bet they have been thinking of this for a while? And the “insurmountable difficulties” surrounding agriculture will mean that any free trade agreement, which will be years in the future, will have little if any benefit.
And to show that the Government is in trouble they have wheeled out Paula Bennett who in her latest piece of bash them legislation is proposing that further heinous offences are added to the list of offences which would limit people from working with children. They should have asked her about why numbers of emergency grants for beneficiaries facing having their power cut off have been declining at the same time that cut offs have been soaring.
Yup they sure know how to treat our Prime Minister with all deserved respect over in Europe, in the middle of Slippery’s briefing to the press a Dutch official barged into the room and gave them all the kick,
”See ya later Slippery” seems to have been the message to our PM obviously a waste of space in their opinion when they had ‘more important’ people wanting to use the room…
One of Ha-Joon Chang’s recommendations for rebuilding the economy is to either get rid of the FTAs (my preferred option) or reform them so that they’re far more flexible. He points out that free-trade has resulted in the exact opposite of what the free-marketers, in their belief, said they would. That the most growth in all nations has been when the government with, adequate social welfare, drove the economy. In this state there was more innovation, more industrialisation and greater stability.
And all this when he is supposed to be at a nuclear disarmament discussion.
I have no problem with this having been ongoing BUT to be fair, Grosser and the diplomats and the MFAT officials will have been at this for some time I am sure, in one fell swoop he claims it all for himself. Not a team player our Mr Key…
Keep seeing a billboard for Paula Bennet out west BUT the picture is way different to any others of her I have seen. I went to her website and can’t find the picture they have used. I also note that onher website the latest news is from October 2013.
I’m sure that he sees himself as a Randian Super-hero and everyone else is just there to do as he tells them. Because of this he probably believes he did it all himself.
Meanwhile, the Greens on Campus in Auckland are getting it together for a big day on Saturday’s (29th March) Day of Action. Their Facebook page – Crafta-Brunch:
Come along to this incredible event – the crafta-brunch. Not sure what a crafta-brunch is? Well…. the crafta-brunch is an event which combines the magic of crafts with the tastiness of brunch. Pretty self-explanatory really!
We will be meeting at 10am at the Auckland Greens Office to create signs and banners for the NO TPPA march later in the day. At 11.30am (approx.) we will be serving brunch – this will be conveniently easy to transport, so we can all walk down together to Aotea square, where the march will be starting at 1pm.
Preferably wear Green clothes if you have them! Although we will hopefully be supplying some Green ‘capes’ for those without. $5.00 for entry (to cover brunch). Please note RSVPs will be relied on, by our chefs!
To(o) mch txting.
A lot of people don’t seem to know the difference between to and too.
And between lose and loose.
And the meanings of reticence, reluctance and resile – seem to crop up a lot these days.
resile –
I think current usage is along what Google says – abandon a position or a course of action.
“can he resile from the agreement?”
But surely the word there would be withdraw if abandoning something. To resile would indicate more than just abandon a position but to actually return to a former one.
free dictionary says –
(intr) to spring or shrink back; recoil or resume original shape
and
1. To spring back, especially to resume a former position or structure after being stretched or compressed.
2. To draw back; recoil.
reticent
Google says
not revealing one’s thoughts or feelings readily.
free dictionary –
not open or communicative; not saying all that one knows; taciturn; reserved
1. Inclined to keep one’s thoughts, feelings, and personal affairs to oneself. See Synonyms at silent.
2. Restrained or reserved in style.
3. Reluctant; unwilling.(American Heritage Dictionary)
But reticence is being used more to indicate reluctance to do something as in the No.3 American form which extends its original meaning unnecessarily where reluctance fits.
Reluctant
Google says
unwilling and hesitant; disinclined.
free dictionary –
1. not eager; unwilling; disinclined
2. offering resistance or opposition
and
1. Unwilling; disinclined: reluctant to help.
2. Exhibiting or marked by unwillingness: a reluctant smile.
3. Offering resistance; opposing.
That’s a good link Hayden. The charter schools initiative (now that’s a word I have trouble typing) is one to keep our eyes on. With a genuine critical faculty.
@Th Allen
That little red line. Do you find it really helpful. I curse it often. It seems to want me to put z wherever I have s and other bissare Americanisms.
I don’t know what the reasons are for such poor use of the language, but good to see someone over there in Leeds has started to address it.
I’m shockingly poor with grammar and punctuation and syntax, however, my spelling, thanks to the little red line that appears under mistakes and google isn’t too bad.
Evolving language is one thing, but destroying the old can’t be a good thing, going by what’s passing for the replacement.
‘All Means All’ would seem to be criminal as a name in itself, published in Stuff on 24/03/2014, it appears All Means All has a bit of a problem with Slippery the Prime Minister,(don’t we all),pun unintended,
Convicted after a trial in the Christchurch District Court of 6 charges of threatening to kill the PM, All Means All has also said He will go on hunger strike if He is jailed for the offences…
Anybody that threatens to kill anyone multiple times regardless of how “slippery” they are deserves jail, there is no place for that sick sort of behavior in our society
Noticed on TV News reports last night was an item on a number of severe cases of the H1N1 flu which had hospitalized a number of people and one person was reported to have died from complications surrounding this flu virus,
H1N1 was the ‘flu’ at the center of the ‘pandemic killer flu’ scare,fear,scare a few years back where the Government bought in millions of doses of ‘Tamiflu’ to combat what was touted to be a virulent killer like no other recent flu which never actually eventuated,
Recently these stocks of ‘Tamiflu’ having reached their use by date had to be destroyed costing the government 10’s of millions of dollars,
The ’cause’ of the recent unseasonal outbreak of H1N1 in different parts of this country is being pointed at as ‘across the ditch’ as Australia has also reported a spike in cases of unseasonal H1N1,
i am tho ‘suspicious’ of this claim, having had a blood test returned a year ago with what the Doctor at the time described ‘an unusual flu virus’ from which He later back-peddled at 90K an hour when i asked Him to identify the particular flu,
My suspicion goes further to suggest that this particular flu is ‘piggy backed’ on the back of the Chicken Pox virus, which becomes important to anyone who was inflicted with this flu in prior years as this suspicion would mean that they are likely to be carriers of H1N1 via its piggy backing on the Chicken Pox virus,
What then is likely to occur is that ‘the carrier’ is likely to be struck down with an unseasonal bout of H1N1 which will later morph into something more serious, a case of severely painful Shingles being one serious complication that readily springs to mind…
Yes, saw that on Te News last night re the possible swine flu re run. Had it in 2009 and really thought I was a goner. I was severely ill for six weeks. The Dr later informed me that he suspected the virus did some damage to my nervous system, (when I went to him a few months later with a nervous system meltdown/breakdown) although he couldn’t elaborate on this theory……….
Would a socially engaged public health service actively promote better individual hygiene practices during cold and flu season or do we leave it up to drug companies to promote their over the counter remedies that merely alleviate symptoms while folks continue to go about sneezing all over their workmates, wiping their hand on their runny noses and then place their hands on the bus bell and hand holds of public transport, ready for someone else to come along to grasp that virus laden surface? (these yucky things one does witness).
Would a government who wanted to promote good health in the population introduce say a 10 day minimum sick leave provision in it’s Employment Act (eg, our E.R.A) instead of the current miserable 5 days, which would give workers a chance to go home at the first sign of infectious illness and stay there until the virus is no longer contagious, therefore not jeopardising the health or their workmates and the productivity of the workplace because everyone got sick?
Just thinking of a viral illness alone wouldn’t we be better off and healthier if we had a government that was committed to the well being of it’s people?
Agreed on promoting healthier habits. With swine flu on the agenda, I’l be reluctant to use public transport over the winter. Most people are fine, but there’s always one or two snuffling and coughing next to me on the trains and buses.
And I’ve experienced very ill people at work because they’ve already used up their sick leave entitlement.
“And I’ve experienced very ill people at work because they’ve already used up their sick leave entitlement.”
Yes, I’ve seen it too karol, and workers using up annual leave to cover illness.
In lieu of better sick leave provisions in law, progressively minded workplaces should be open to negotiation to providing extra paid sick days to a very ill worker, that is, if they aren’t covered by a collective agreement that may already contain more than the standard and minimum 5 days.
i have a novel theory about ‘the flu’ which i am not suggesting anyone else adopt,but,except for the year of H1N1 and a rematch with what i believe to be the same virus in late December just past, i cannot put a year on when i suffered the flu in a previous year,
If you transport flu virus into a warm home it is an open invitation for that virus to replicate itself the ideal temperature for such replication being somewhere around 20 degrees,
i do not use home heating whatsoever, except that given off by the stove while cooking, preferring instead the ‘layered clothing’ method of maintaining core body temperature,
During Winter i still spend my hour in the garden most days if it is not raining,(or snowing as it did here a couple of days a couple of years ago), and while i ‘catch’ a definite cold/flu in my nose a couple of times during winter they never seem to get past occupation of my nose and are usually gone by the next day having failed to replicate,
The difference???, i am breathing in cold air to an already warm core body temperature, coming into a heated house tho from outside in Winter temperatures would mean breathing in warmed air to a cooled body core temperature, ideal conditions if the flu virus is also present for reproduction,
Colin James I note that he calls himself a journalist and Political Analyst.
I wonder what qualifications one needs to be a Political Analyst. Whatever they are he doesn’t seem to have them. Maybe it was a type and he means Political Anallyst
Colin James I note that he calls himself a journalist and Political Analyst.
He is both. And he is also one of the very few public political analysts around who I actually respect. I have some particularly high standards 🙂
I’ve been reading him since the early 80’s and he is generally one of the few political journalists who both thinks about what he is writing. I’ve also seen him look backwards to see when he screwed up in the past and why – a rarity amongst political analysts in any era.
These days what you see is pretty much his own thoughts rather than the “spin from the last spinner” approach that seems far more common in what passes for political analysis in the media.
What I found interesting about that piece was that Colin James recognised there is no one else suitable to lead Labour yet he was adamant that if Labour loses the election that Cunliffe would be replaced.
Vision is important but you also need to be able to say how you’re going to get us there.
He understands that Labour must be near-centrist to win.
This is the fallacy that every party keeps buying into. john Key was right when he said that NZ was more socialist than the US and because of that Labour actually has to go further left to win. They won’t get those lefty non-voters back if they keep being Nat-lite. Here’s the thing: After the GFC it’s actually really easy to go left. The financial collapse and the increasing poverty that we’ve seen over the last three decades is ample proof that we’re following the wrong path.
Key does connect with ordinary folk because for all his dosh he has an easy camaraderie that frustrates the elite but is real newzild.
It could just be me but I’ve never seen any such camaraderie out of Key. He’s always come across to me as slimy, untrustworthy scum who wouldn’t be seen dead at most peoples BBQs if he could help it.
Reading about the flu cases, just reminds me that I have heard of some cases of pneumonia lately. Which seemed strange – I wouldn’t have thought it likely for the people affected.
greywarbler, i havn’t got the link sorry, but, on my travels through the flu ridden world on the internet i come across a small piece of info that said that the flu H3N2 had quite a high incidence of a later bout of Pneumonia as a complication,
As far as H1N1 goes i would suggest that people indulge in foods with high immune system boosting qualities and be careful not to indulge in stuff that may seriously compromise that immune system,
Prolonged use of some over the counter pain relief while not advertised so can lead to the immune system being compromised, i wont for obvious reasons name the products, but, Google is your friend when it comes to directly asking if the product ‘might’ have a negative effect on your immune system,
My suspicions concerning H1N1,(and for me to broaden those suspicions would require us all to have plenty of tinfoil in the cupboards),as outlined in the comment above would i would suggest require a ‘carrier’ of the H1N1 virus to have seriously lowered the effectiveness of their immune system in some way for this flu to change from being ‘dormant’ to provoking symptoms of a full on flu,
Of course an elongated bout of warm weather at the end of Summer might also contribute to the bodies immune system being in a more ‘rested’ state of activity…
There are significant suspicions that fever lowering pain killers like panadol detract from the immune response in children, which would be expected since fever plays an integral part in the body’s defensive response to acute infection.
Lolz CV, i see you are far less circumspect about putting a name to suspect products, i will add that such detraction from the immune response is not confined to children’s remedies alone,
Pain relief that targets and ‘knocks out’ the bodies ‘pain transmitters’ are also suspect when their usage has passed that of a week or two,(the manufacturer does advise consulting your GP about long term use of the product but doesn’t mention questions surrounding the disablement of the immune system as a side effect)…
Over on Daily Blog, Martyn Bradbury makes mention of Labour springing a surprise and bringing Charles Chauvel back from N. York to contest Ohariu against Dunne:
‘Peter Dunne beat Charles Chauvel by 1500 odd votes last time. With Katrina Shanks bowing out the race is wide open and with Gareth Hughes stepping away to stop the candidate wasted vote, Labour could surprise the electorate with a shock return of Chauvel from the UN to run again. Expect some surprises. If Labour can win this seat, they rob Key of another possible ally.’
Anyone else heard about Charles returning ? Good news if he does, I reckon.
Darren Hughes was an effective MP, but I’m sure you and Slater just want to share schoolboy laughs some more over a (probably) bi-curious guest having second thoughts.
Mac, how dare you suggest that ‘wing-nuts’ need ‘facts’ to make a judgement about anything, if it jerks their knee its gotta be true is their modus operendi…
I did a piece on Ohariu the other day and noticed how well Charles had done. It would be worth Labour running him again, with him high on the list so he gets a sure place if he does return. He would be doing both Labour and NZ a big boost. I think also his background which I think was part Tahitian would give Labour another boost in the eyes of South Aucland people. I hope the rumour is true. Make it so!
Perhaps Charles could be persuaded to come back after the election. He would make a good Labour leader – well the best around probably. There does not appear to be much competition.
Why would you give up a new international career for an even odds chance (at best) of returning to the lovely supportive work environment known as the Labour caucus?
There is still hope for a better Labour. Chauvel would have to have a bit of mongrel as well as being astute. Jones has the mongrel and thinks he’s cute. It just sounds rather the same as the prescription but really a wide distance from what is needed.
What is Chauvel’s nature and has he any fellow feelings with all his fellows, or is he a fellow whose mind is too far away from the grassroots to see the little people. I know he has a brown shade, but some of those brown politicians are as addicted as any pakeha on the rise who likes to bathe in champagne, or still on the ladder, in chardonnay or sauv blanc.
I hope so too Stephanie. Lol, just to let you know, I’m one of the people behind these placards that you may see from time to time around the northern burbs, if you’re living in this area:
Thats interesting wyndham. If they do bring him back they had better inform the Labour candidate for Ohariu, Virginia Anderson.
Oh, and folks, don’t forget tonight’s talk “How not to be Dunne over again this election” hosted by WEA at St John’s Conference centre, corner of Willis and Dixon, Wellington. Speaker John Maynard of People’s Power Ohariu. 5.30 – 6.30 pm
I have been following the MH370 plane disappearance case. And yesterday put the case for one scenario, about a fire and perhaps loss of consciousness. Then I remembered about a plane in Australia flying across the continent on auto pilot.
This was well covered by The Peoples Daily http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/english/200009/05/eng20000905_49748.html
Police believe the plane depressurized, leaving the pilot and passengers without oxygen….
It apparently ran out of fuel after flying in a virtually straight line about 2,840 kilometers (1,760 miles) from Perth in western Australia. [To near Mt Isa in Queensland.]
Dramatically and traumatically “The plane was shadowed for part of its journey by a plane belonging to the Royal Flying Doctor Service and another small commercial plane. Both tried unsuccessfully to make radio contact with the plane’s pilot.”
And the item refers to another similar happening, “The tragedy had eerie similarities to a crash last October in which two-time U.S. Open golf champion Payne Stewart and five others died when Stewart’s Learjet drifted on autopilot for hours before running out of fuel and crashing in South Dakota.”
On that crash there is another report – “Government officials said the plane may have suffered a rare pressurization failure. When that occurs at high altitudes such as above 30,000 feet, pilots have a short period of time to don an oxygen mask before slipping into unconsciousness….
ABCNEWS aviation analyst John Nance.
He said that at altitudes above 30,000 feet, a pilot would have to strap on an oxygen mask quickly or his mind would become so muddled from lack of oxygen — a condition called hypoxia — that he could no longer help himself.
“The time of useful consciousness at 25,000 feet is a fairly sedate 20 to 25 minutes. But the time of useful consciousness at 39,000 feet is six to 12 seconds, ” said Nance.
“The fact that this aircraft continued climbing right through their assigned altitude on up to almost 45,000 feet, without any call from the pilots, indicated to me that this crisis occurred some place before 39,000 but most probably above 30,000.”
The Air Force reported the plane had been “porpoising,” its altitude fluctuating between 22,000 and 51,000 feet.”
A poignant feature was that the doomed flight became television news, and the wife of the plane owner was watching and trying to rouse him by calling him on her cellphone, but to no avail. http://emperors-clothes.com/9-11backups/abclearjet.htm
I wondered about depressurisation as well. Though the erratic progress of the plane doesn’t quite fit. I understand that most planes switch to Auto pilot once in the air and the flight is programmed and followed by auto unless there is an event which causes the pilots to regain control. (I think there is now a system which takes the plane on auto from takeoff to completed landing. Wow!)
I suppose that had there been a catostrophic failure the pilot could have taken back control of the plane, and turned West and all aboard suffered the same fate as those Australian ones.
Just another conjecture I guess.
You can be in a hypoxic state, still be conscious, and for a while continue to believe that you are making good decisions and judgements, keying in accurate information, having useful conversation and doing good mental arithmetic, while in fact being completely out of it mentally and outputting gibberish.
There’s a joke in aviation circles that in the future, planes will be crewed by a pilot and a dog. The pilot’s job will be to feed the dog and the dog’s job will be to bite the pilot if they try to fly the plane.
That said, there would be tremendous resistance to purely AI or remote control of a plane by the current generation. Quite reasonably, they/we/I know that such things can have bugs or be hacked.
Maybe the next generation, which will view planes as appliances more than piloted vehicles will be willing to buy tickets on drones… but yes, we need better autopilots and communication systems that remain in constant communication rather than black boxes that are only useful after the crash if they’re found at all. Surely modern communications and information processing can manage that.
That said, there would be tremendous resistance to purely AI or remote control of a plane by the current generation. Quite reasonably, they/we/I know that such things can have bugs or be hacked.
Actually, it’s not reasonable at all. It is possible to make software with no bugs. Sure, it takes a long time and a lot of testing but it can be done and once it was done it would be used for years. Hacking is a little different but even that can be minimised.
The reality is that the machine can, and will, fly the plane better than a human pilot. Same as the Google self-drive system presently drives a car better than any human can.
“Actually, it’s not reasonable at all. It is possible to make software with no bugs. Sure, it takes a long time and a lot of testing but it can be done and once it was done it would be used for years. Hacking is a little different but even that can be minimised.”
Yes, it’s possible to make software without bugs, just very expensive. But in mission-critical applications such as aviation where human lives are at stake, I’m pretty sure they already use those expensive methods.
The difficult part, though, is designing software that can take into account all possible scenarios, and have it react in a sane manner in each and every single scenario, 100% of the time without failure, ever. Computers can only do what they’ve been told to do, if the committee designing the computer never imagined situation XYZ could ever happen, the computer may have no way to react to that situation. But a sufficiently skilled human in might be able to rely on their experience and skills to produce a correct, or near-correct, response.
The reason we have pilots is because they’re as close as we can currently get to being able to take into account all possible scenarios.
The reason we have pilots is because they’re as close as we can currently get to being able to take into account all possible scenarios.
The only time I’ve heard of that that may have had any bearing was when a BA 747 flew threw a volcano plume that shut down all four engines and induced a spin. The pilot managed to correct the spin and restart the engines and this was put down to his test pilot training. Pretty sure that today’s autopilots can correct for both of those.
After 100 years of flight we pretty much know all that can happen to a plane in flight and design software to work with all those situations. In fact, it’s that capability that makes drones viable.
Which comes back to Rhino’s point, that even if the a computer can do it, the public perception is that the pilot may be able to solve problems a computer couldn’t.
But just because you’ve got one example of it, doesn’t mean there aren’t many dozens of others you’ve simply never heard of, precisely because a pilot was there and averted the disaster.
On the other hand, there are many disasters that have been caused by pilot’s who didn’t believe or properly comprehend their instruments.
Which comes back to Rhino’s point, that even if the a computer can do it, the public perception is that the pilot may be able to solve problems a computer couldn’t.
Which isn’t a reasonable position.
But just because you’ve got one example of it, doesn’t mean there aren’t many dozens of others you’ve simply never heard of, precisely because a pilot was there and averted the disaster.
Actually, I think you’ll find that it’s the other way around. We would hear when the pilot saved an aircraft because it happens so rarely. All other times it would be pilot error.
There are crashes caused by operator error. There are also many caused by computer error either in the plane or on the ground which are saved by skilled pilots (and some which aren’t, because the pilots assume the computer knows what it’s doing). And more than a few where engine failure or lines being cut results in no power at all to the computer systems, where pilots have had to save the day by treating commuter aircraft like they’re gliders.
The incident you refer to (I assume http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Airways_Flight_9) was a bit more complicated than just ‘correcting a spin and restarting the engines’. I don’t think anyone could say for certain that a computer-flown plane would have had any better outcome.
Based on an excessive amount of watching Air Crash Investigation, I have to disagree,
Did you notice that most of those are really old? You really can’t look at an air accident from 1975 and use it to determine what computers are capable of today. Also, quite a lot of them seem to be due to human error on the ground most of which just wouldn’t happen today and nobody would be able to correct for.
Yes, that’s the one. I was operating on pure memory and it was actually far simpler than I thought. Going into a spin is the most dangerous thing that can happen to an aircraft that doesn’t involve loss of flight control surfaces and that didn’t happen. My mistake.
I don’t think anyone could say for certain that a computer-flown plane would have had any better outcome.
I think modern computers could have done a better job.
Modern satellite, radar and communications have probably also told the aircraft of the volcano so it can avoid it. If it hasn’t avoided it then it’s going to know where they are and it’s glide path and so determine best place to crash land given the state of the aircraft and start heading towards it. Once it gets down to a predetermined level it tries to restart the engines exactly as the pilots did. If the engines restart then it recomputes and heads towards the nearest airport else it continues to crash landing.
Also note the rather large Icelandic volcano that closed airports across Europe a couple of years back. When that erupted a number of aircraft flew through worse conditions than what that 747 in 1982 faced and didn’t have any problems. Reason? Aircraft today are built better.
The more recent a crash is, the more likely automation is the problem.
Here’s a very recent one where sure, poor maintenance started the issue – so yes, mistakes on the ground still happen! – but the computer – on a modern, ‘built better’ aircraft! simply could not handle receiving conflicting data: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XL_Airways_Germany_Flight_888T
Given those facts, I find your statement that I’m ‘looking at an air accident from 1975 and using it to determine what computers are capable of today’ very condescending – especially when you’re the person whose argument is based simply on ‘I reckon computers today could totally handle this.’
Computer technology is moving steadily towards computers being able to carry out actions that have not been programed ie fuzzy logic. I guess when that happens computers will have self determination and people will become redundant.
For aircraft then fuzzy logic would allow the computer to make decisions as well as a pilot for dealing with unforseen problems. Maybe better as without emotional responses. Mmmm? Brave new world?
ianmac
The computer is set to the decision to stay on course as keyed in to the system. So it is already running the show.
So what about programming in a command to ask for confirmation every half hour, no notification wait 15 minutes, then wait for 5, then start on safety procedures like bringing down height level, sending out messages to nearest base, send out messages to nearest wavelengths, keep moving down to breathable air, sending out constant messages of warning to any receiving aircraft around etc.
And ask for instructions – it would still be proceeding on course, but if there was a way that the plane’s system could be contacted and set into some suitable manoeuvres it would give a chance for all. The air might be breathable, the pilot and the passengers might be able to recover, it might be able to achieve landing somewhere suitable or ditch where retrievable.
The new plane designs are big enough to take a small village now, the companies owe a change in design to the travelling public. But we should also be having the opportunity if we have time to go by ship. I was just looking at some mementoes of my Britanis trip back in the 70’s. Good experience.
I wouldn’t trust the software producers to have perfect systems. Becuase it can be done, it doesn’t mean that it will be done. And if a rare thing happens that it is not programmed for, what is it going to do. Drones being used now are more machines to do things than carry people.
I don’t want people excluded from our activities, I want human interaction with trained skilled people who have superior tools. Pike River now, that should have been machines, I don’t want people to be sacrificed for commercial gain.
So what about programming in a command to ask for confirmation every half hour, no notification wait 15 minutes, then wait for 5,
Far faster to have cabin pressure, altitude, and attitude gauges.
And if a rare thing happens that it is not programmed for, what is it going to do.
As ianmac said, fuzzy logic. Essentially, the software will be able to analyse what state the aircraft is in and make the correct choices to correct. And, yes, the computer will also be able to take into account damage and how that’s affecting the aircraft.
Novapay wasn’t written to that sort of standard because it’s dammed expensive. Of course, it should have been written to far higher standards than what it was as well but that’s the result of free-market capitalism and the delusional belief that the private sector can always do better.
Yes well we’ve had pilot suicide, we have had terrorism, we have had sudden mental deterioraton, hijacking, stealing the plane and passengers with stealth flying under radar cover.
An experienced woman expert talked about examining the maintenance manuals for the recent to sometime past for ideas on possible problems from inadequate fixing. She said these should have been immediately available but there was so much secrecy so we haven’t had much of that.
But blame the pilot doesn’t seem to be likely. Now some hard thinking needs to be done away from the paranoia about attacks. And those with expertise can be listened to – they have some offerings that are possibilities.
every time I watch the news on the teavy there is shifty telling another fib about the glorious plate of toast and jam and pie in the sky next week.
its always next week with him.
Shame on General Mataparae.
The former gallant soldier is now sending letters to MPs telling them how to condict themselves when meeting the English monarch’s son.
I hope the MPs have the self respect to write back to Gerry and to tell him that they do not need lessons from him or anyone on how to conduct themselves. They are elected by the public of NZ to stand up strong: not tody to celebs.
Gerry Mataparae was not elected and, with an attitude like this, would never be elected.
The sooner we get to have direct election of a Head of State the better.
We would certainly know less about anything dodgy our soldiers might do overseas with more like Jerry in responsible positions. I’m not sure that would make NZ a better place.
What a dreamer you are. An elected Head of State. Who campaigns sucking up all the money he/she can get. So they can live it up. Do you think that some egoist who wants to strut like a rock star is going to be good for us? a
He/she will look serious and noble or smiley and wavy and crack jokes and know the right way to treat all leaders and which fork to use at dinner etc and be better than what we have, will fill a gap that we don’t have, and will cost us more and more. Soon they will have a building up of resources, their own small jet, their own this, that whatever is suitable for our leading Sir or Madam.
The Cambriudge Branch will hold its AGM this Sunday 10-30am Red Cross Hall Cambridge .Come and meet the members of the branch that has flown the Red Flag for years in Tory Cambridge .Also meet Jamie Strange candidate for Taupo and Cliff Allen candidate for Ham East.
You are all welcome.
The more funds we can confirm by our end of financial year deadline of April 1st, the bigger our campaign to win more Greens in government will be this year.
Last week our inspiring former Co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons sent you an email to ask you to donate to our 2014 election campaign. She said this year’s election is critical to the future of our country.
I couldn’t agree with her more. Only the Green Party has the ideas and leadership needed to drive our country in a new direction.
With your support we can be the first green government in New Zealand’s history. You and I working together can green our economy, clean up our environment and build a fairer society for all New Zealanders.
So the Treasury says that the state owning social assets like schools and hospitals shouldn’t be the default position.
Then they say they are not for any “ideology”, just wanting best value.
🙄
Treasury is questioning the way the Crown manages its assets, suggesting the default setting of state ownership of social assets such as schools and hospitals may not be the most efficient use of government money.
Treasury this afternoon released its investment statement, a snapshot of the Crown’s assets and liabilities.
[..]
“Public ownership needs to be assessed against its ability to deliver on outcomes and value for money, and should not be seen as the default setting”, it stated.
“Alternative methods of delivery can have benefits over ownership for attaining optimal value for money.
“An area of focus for Crown agencies to consider was to explore how capital could be recycled to meet changing demands and priorities without incurring unnecessary costs.”
The statement discusses divestment of assets to fund new investments and also New Zealand’s approach to public private partnerships (PPPs).
But that’s just it isn’t it? All of these institutions that you’d have to rely on to at least some extent as a reforming government, eg the government, the media, basically everything, has been thoroughly infested with the free market dreck.
So you’d have to be sneaky about it, like Douglas, and spring it out of nowhere. There’s no way the Lange Labour government would have been elected if the populace had known what was about to happen. They would have been ridiculed and marginalised by the power of the status quo within all the public institutions and never would have been elected.
So how could the Left campaign on corresponding grounds when they would equally be ridiculed and marginalised by the power of the status quo within all the now privatised institutions??
So the only way I can see this happening is either, by being sneaky as fuck, ie trojan horsing your way into power as a centrist, and then springing the new overarching, progressive regime on an unsuspecting population OR wait for the inevitable crisis that will happen if we keep following this market crap and then campaigning upfront with the nationalising policy.
There’s only two legitimate ways I can think of. One is to keep telling people that the present system is wrong, what’s wrong about it and then to tell them what needs to be done to fix it all. Then, when the crash inevitably happens and we get in power we do it all fully and openly. The second would be the same as the first but when we getting into power we put in place a participatory democracy and let the people decide.
Then they say they are not for any “ideology”, just wanting best value.
Which is of course an ideological position, long used by the far right. Any opposition is “political” because “politics” is bad and boring while what they do is “good sense” or “good value”. It is indeed good sense and good value – for the one percent.
+100
If the left wing parties don’t indicate this, then each time there is a change of Party in government, they just pick the scab off any wounds that have healed from the latest round of slashing and carry on the work of bringing a once proud country to its knees.
We can’t have this business of a parasitical National Party stealing or mismanaging the people’s assets. We want good business ethics from Labour, and we want things run well, but when it’s clear that there is no golden goose laying a golden egg, the enthusiasm of private investors will fall.
‘Open Letter’ reply to Auckland Mayor Len Brown, Chair of the Auckland Council Governing Body – re: the following response I received yesterday to my request for speaking rights at tomorrow’s meeting:
Thank you for for accepting my request for ‘speaking rights’ at tomorrow’s Governing Body meeting.
However, I note that some person / persons from Auckland Council are attempting to restrict what I can say, about the four complaints which I filed with Auckland Central Police:
“Your request for speaking rights at the 27 March Governing Body meeting has been accepted but only to talk about issues 2) and 3).
It has been decided that it is not appropriate for you to talk about any complaints being handled by the Police at the Governing Body meeting.”
I do not accept that ANY person at Auckland Council has the lawful right to attempt to censor or restrict my LAWFUL right to freedom of expression, as guaranteed under s.14 of the NZ Bill of Rights Act 1990:
14Freedom of expression
Everyone has the right to freedom of expression, including the freedom to seek, receive, and impart information and opinions of any kind in any form.
FYI – Police have made determinations in the first three out of four of the above-mentioned complaints, and I am still awaiting their decision on the fourth.
None of these matters are before the Court.
I am unsure as to whom has made the decision that “…it is not appropriate for you to talk about any complaints being handled by the Police at the Governing Body meeting ..”
however, I do not accept this decision as being LAWFUL, so please be advised that I WILL briefly covering these matters:
1) An update on four complaints that I filed with Police:
a) Alleged money-laundering against Mayor Len Brown.
b) Alleged bribery and corruption against Mayor Len Brown (a joint complaint with fellow community Public Watchdog Lisa Prager).
c) Alleged contravention of statute by former Auckland Council CEO, Doug McKay.
d) Alleged assault against Auckland Council Officers who forcibly removed me from the CEO Review Committee meeting after I was denied speaking rights by Chair Chris Fletcher, when I was attempting to expose, (in my considered opinion), a corrupt ‘conflict of interest’ involving current CEO Stephen Town.
FYI – please be reminded of the following declaration that ALL Auckland Council elected representatives swore (affirmed) at the public ‘swearing in ceremony’ on 29 October 2013:
Conduct of members
14Declaration by member
(1)A person may not act as a member of a local authority until—
(a)that person has, at a meeting of the local authority following the election of that person, made an oral declaration in the form set out in subclause (3); and
(b)a written version of the declaration has been attested as provided under subclause (2).
………………..
(3)The form of the declaration must consist of the following elements:
Declaration by mayor or chairperson or member
“I, AB, declare that I will faithfully and impartially, and according to the best of my skill
and judgment, execute and perform, in the best interests of [region or district], the powers,
authorities, and duties vested in, or imposed upon, me as [mayor or chairperson or
member] of the [local authority] by virtue of the Local Government Act 2002, the
Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987, or any other Act
Dated at: [place, date]
Signature:
Signed in the presence of:
CD, [mayor or chairperson or member or chief executive of local authority]”.
(My underlining).
Kind regards,
Penny Bright
‘Anti-corruption / anti-privatisation Public Watchdog’
Attendee: 2009 Australian Public Sector Anti-Corruption Conference
Attendee: 2010 Transparency International Anti-Corruption Conference
Attendee: 2013 Australian Public Sector Anti-Corruption Conference
‘Open Letter’ reply to Auckland Mayor Len Brown, Chair of the Auckland Council Governing Body – re: the following response I received yesterday to my request for speaking rights at tomorrow’s meeting:
Thank you for for accepting my request for ‘speaking rights’ at tomorrow’s Governing Body meeting.
However, I note that some person / persons from Auckland Council are attempting to restrict what I can say, about the four complaints which I filed with Auckland Central Police:
“Your request for speaking rights at the 27 March Governing Body meeting has been accepted but only to talk about issues 2) and 3).
It has been decided that it is not appropriate for you to talk about any complaints being handled by the Police at the Governing Body meeting.”
I do not accept that ANY person at Auckland Council has the lawful right to attempt to censor or restrict my LAWFUL right to freedom of expression, as guaranteed under s.14 of the NZ Bill of Rights Act 1990:
14Freedom of expression
Everyone has the right to freedom of expression, including the freedom to seek, receive, and impart information and opinions of any kind in any form.
FYI – Police have made determinations in the first three out of four of the above-mentioned complaints, and I am still awaiting their decision on the fourth.
None of these matters are before the Court.
I am unsure as to whom has made the decision that “…it is not appropriate for you to talk about any complaints being handled by the Police at the Governing Body meeting ..”
however, I do not accept this decision as being LAWFUL, so please be advised that I WILL briefly covering these matters:
1) An update on four complaints that I filed with Police:
a) Alleged money-laundering against Mayor Len Brown.
b) Alleged bribery and corruption against Mayor Len Brown (a joint complaint with fellow community Public Watchdog Lisa Prager).
c) Alleged contravention of statute by former Auckland Council CEO, Doug McKay.
d) Alleged assault against Auckland Council Officers who forcibly removed me from the CEO Review Committee meeting after I was denied speaking rights by Chair Chris Fletcher, when I was attempting to expose, (in my considered opinion), a corrupt ‘conflict of interest’ involving current CEO Stephen Town.
FYI – please be reminded of the following declaration that ALL Auckland Council elected representatives swore (affirmed) at the public ‘swearing in ceremony’ on 29 October 2013:
Conduct of members
14Declaration by member
(1)A person may not act as a member of a local authority until—
(a)that person has, at a meeting of the local authority following the election of that person, made an oral declaration in the form set out in subclause (3); and
(b)a written version of the declaration has been attested as provided under subclause (2).
………………..
(3)The form of the declaration must consist of the following elements:
Declaration by mayor or chairperson or member
“I, AB, declare that I will faithfully and impartially, and according to the best of my skill
and judgment, execute and perform, in the best interests of [region or district], the powers,
authorities, and duties vested in, or imposed upon, me as [mayor or chairperson or
member] of the [local authority] by virtue of the Local Government Act 2002, the
Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987, or any other Act
Dated at: [place, date]
Signature:
Signed in the presence of:
CD, [mayor or chairperson or member or chief executive of local authority]”.
(My underlining).
Kind regards,
Penny Bright
‘Anti-corruption / anti-privatisation Public Watchdog’
Attendee: 2009 Australian Public Sector Anti-Corruption Conference
Attendee: 2010 Transparency International Anti-Corruption Conference
Attendee: 2013 Australian Public Sector Anti-Corruption Conference
John Keys election PR
I am greater than the sum of all the other parties
My advice :Stay overseas John we are sick of you and your selling off our country
Pula Benifits latest piece of fascist legislation should be turned back into wood and used as her coffin after the election, thanks John FOR THE EARLY ELECTION
Maybe she should have had more children instead of stealing ours
National Party leader Christopher Luxon may be feeling glum about his poll ratings, but he could be tapping into a rich political vein in describing the current state of education as “alarming”. Luxon said educational achievement has been declining, with a recent NCEA pilot exposing just how far it has ...
Way Beyond Reform: Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer have no more interest in remaining permanent members of “New Zealand’s” House of Representatives than did Lenin and Trotsky in remaining permanent members of Tsar Nicolas II’s “democratically-elected” Duma. Like the Bolsheviks, Te Pāti Māori is a party of revolutionaries – not reformists.THE CROWN ...
Buzz from the Beehive Auckland was wiped off the map, when Education Minister Jan Tinetti delivered her speech of welcome as host of the inaugural Conference of Pacific Education Ministers “here in Tāmaki Makaurau”. But – fair to say – a reference was made later in the speech to a ...
Morning mate, how you going?Well, I was watching the news last night and they announced this scientific report on Climate Change. But before they got to it they had a story about the new All Blacks coach.Sounds like important news. It’s a bit of a worry really.Yeah, they were talking ...
Always a bailout: US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the Government would fully guarantee all savers in all smaller US banks if needed. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: No wonder an entire generation of investors are used to ‘buying the dip’ and ‘holding on for dear life’. US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen ...
Wealthy vested interests have an oversized influence on political decisions in New Zealand. Partly that’s due to their use of corporate lobbyists. Fortunately, the influence lobbyists can have on decisions made by politicians is currently under scrutiny in Guyon Espiner’s in-depth series published by RNZ. Two of Espiner’s research exposés ...
Yesterday afternoon it rained and traffic around the region ground to a halt, once again highlighting why it is so important that our city gets on with improving the alternatives to driving. For additional irony, this happened on the same day the IPCC synthesis report landed, putting the focus on ...
The Beginning: Anti-Co-Governance agitator, Julian Batchelor, addresses the Dargaville stop of his travelling roadshow across New Zealand . Fascism almost always starts small. Sadly, it doesn’t always stay that way. Especially when the Left helps it to grow.THERE IS A DREADFUL LOGIC to the growth of fascism. To begin with, it ...
Hi,From an incredibly rainy day in Los Angeles, I just wanted to check in. I guess this is the day Trump may or may not end up in cuffs? I’m attempting a somewhat slower, less frenzied week. I’ve had Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s new record on non-stop, and it’s been a ...
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 ...
RNZ has been shining their torch into corners where lobbyists lurk and asking such questions as: Do we like the look of this?and Is this as democratic as it could be?These are most certainly questions worth asking, and every bit as valid as, say:Are weshortchanged democratically by the way ...
RNZ has continued its look at the role of lobbyists by taking a closer look at the Prime Minister's Chief of Staff Andrew Kirton. He used to work for liquor companies, opposing (among other things) a container refund scheme which would have required them to take responsibility for their own ...
Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta has left for Beijing for the first ministerial visit to China since 2019. Mahuta is to meet China’s new foreign minister Qin Gang where she might have to call on all the diplomatic skills at her command. Almost certainly she will face questions on what role ...
TL;DR:The Opportunities Party’s Leader Raf Manji is hopeful the party’s new Teal Card, a type of Gold card for under 30s, will be popular with students, and not just in his Ilam electorate where students make up more than a quarter of the voters and where Manji is confident ...
When I was a kid New Zealand was actually pretty green. We didn’t really have plastic. The fruit and veges came in a cardboard box, the meat was wrapped in paper, milk came in a glass bottle, and even rubbish sacks were made of paper. Today if you sit down ...
Looking back through the names of our Police Ministers down the years, the job has either been done by once or future party Bigfoots – Syd Holland, Richard Prebble, Juduth Collins, Chris Hipkins – or by far lesser lights like Keith Allen, Frank Gill, Ben Couch, Allen McCready, Clem Simich, ...
Chris Trotter writes – The Crown is a fickle friend. Any political movement deemed to be colourful but inconsequential is generally permitted to go about its business unmolested. The Crown’s media, RNZ and TVNZ, may even “celebrate” its existence (presumably as proof of Democracy’s broad-minded acceptance of diversity). ...
Four out of the five people who have held the top role of Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff since 2017 have been lobbyists. That’s a fact that should worry anyone who believes vested interests shouldn’t have a place at the centre of decision making. Chris Hipkins’ newly appointed Chief of ...
Feedback on Auckland Council’s draft 2023/24 budget closes on March 28th. You can read the consultation document here, and provide feedback here. Auckland Council is currently consulting on what is one of its most important ever Annual Plans – the ‘budget’ of what it will spend money on between July ...
by Molten Moira from Motueka If you want to be a woman let me tell you what to do Get a piece of paper and a biro tooWrite down your new identification And boom! You’re now a woman of this nationSpelled W O M A Na real trans woman that isAs opposed ...
Buzz from the Beehive New Zealand Education Minister Jan Tinetti is hosting the inaugural Conference of Pacific Education Ministers for three days from today, welcoming Education Ministers and senior officials from 18 Pacific Island countries and territories, and from Australia. Here’s hoping they have brought translators with them – or ...
Let’s say you’ve come all the way from His Majesty’s United Kingdom to share with the folk of Australia and New Zealand your antipathy towards certain other human beings. And let’s say you call yourself a women’s rights activist.And let’s say 99 out of 100 people who listen to you ...
James Shaw gave the Green party's annual "state of the planet" address over the weekend, in which he expressed frustration with Labour for not doing enough on climate change. His solution is to elect more Green MPs, so they have more power within any government arrangement, and can hold Labour ...
RNZ this morning has the first story another investigative series by Guyon Espiner, this time into political lobbying. The first story focuses on lobbying by government agencies, specifically transpower, Pharmac, and assorted universities, and how they use lobbyists to manipulate public opinion and gather intelligence on the Ministers who oversee ...
Nick Matzke writes – Dear NZ Herald, I am a Senior Lecturer in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Auckland. I teach evolutionary biology, but I also have long experience in science education and (especially) political attempts to insert pseudoscience into science curricula in ...
James Shaw has again said the Greens would be better ‘in the tent’ with Labour than out, despite Labour’s policy bonfire last week torching much of what the Government was doing to reduce emissions. File Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The Green Party has never been more popular than in some ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Sarah Wesseler Poor air quality is a long-standing problem in Los Angeles, where the first major outbreak of smog during World War II was so intense that some residents thought the city had been attacked by chemical weapons. Cars were eventually discovered ...
Yesterday I was reading an excellent newsletter from David Slack, and I started writing a comment “Sounds like some excellent genetic heritage…” and then I stopped.There was something about the phrase genetic heritage that stopped me in tracks. Is that a phrase I want to be saying? It’s kind of ...
Brian Easton writes – Two senior economists challenge some of the foundations of current economics. It is easy to criticise economic science by misrepresenting it, by selective quotations, and by ignoring that it progresses, like all sciences, by improving and abandoning old theories. The critics may go ...
This week marks the twentieth anniversary of the Iraq War. While it strongly opposed the US-led invasion, New Zealand’s then Labour-led government led by Prime Minister Helen Clark did deploy military engineers to try to help rebuild Iraq in mid-2003. With violence soaring, their 12-month deployment ended without being renewed ...
After seventy years, Auckland’s motorway network is finally finished. In July 1953 the first section of motorway in Auckland was opened between Ellerslie-Panmure Highway and Mt Wellington Highway. The final stage opens to traffic this week with the completion of the motorway part of the Northern Corridor Improvements project. Aucklanders ...
National’s appointment of Todd McClay as Agriculture spokesperson clearly signals that the party is in trouble with the farming vote. McClay was not an obvious choice, but he does have a record as a political scrapper. The party needs that because sources say it has been shedding farming votes ...
Rays of white light come flooding into my lounge, into my face from over the top of my neighbour’s hedge. I have to look away as the window of the conservatory is awash in light, as if you were driving towards the sun after a rain shower and suddenly blinded. ...
The columnists in Private Eye take pen names, so I have not the least idea who any of them are. But I greatly appreciate their expert insight, especially MD, who writes the medical column, offering informed and often damning critique of the UK health system and the politicians who keep ...
A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Mar 12, 2023 thru Sat, Mar 18, 2023. Story of the Week Guest post: What 13,500 citations reveal about the IPCC’s climate science report IPCC WG1 AR6 SPM Report Cover - Changing ...
Buzz from the Beehive The building of financial capability was brought into our considerations when Social Development and Employment Minister Carmel Sepuloni announced she had dipped into the government’s coffers for $3 million for “providers” to help people and families access community-based Building Financial Capability services. That wording suggests some ...
Do you ever come across something that makes you go Hmmmm?You mean like the song?No, I wasn’t thinking of the song, but I am now - thanks for that. I was thinking of things you read or hear that make you stop and go Hmmmm.Yeah, I know what you mean, ...
By the end of the week, the dramas over Stuart Nash overshadowed Hipkins’ policy bonfire. File photo: Lynn GrieveasonTLDR: This week’s news in geopolitics and the political economy covered on The Kākā included:PM Chris Hipkins’ announcement of the rest of a policy bonfire to save a combined $1.7 billion, but ...
When word went out that Prime Minister Chris Hipkins would be making an announcement about Stuart Nash on the tiles at parliament at 2:45pm yesterday, the assumption was that it was over. That we had reached tipping point for Nash’s time as minister. But by 3pm - when, coincidentally, the ...
Two senior economists challenge some of the foundations of current economics. It is easy to criticise economic science by misrepresenting it, by selective quotations, and by ignoring that it progresses, like all sciences, by improving and abandoning old theories. The critics may go on to attack physics by citing Newton.So ...
Photo by Walker Fenton on UnsplashIt’s that time of the week again when and I co-host our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kaka for an hour at 5 pm. Jump on this link on Riverside (we’ve moved from Zoom) for our chat about the week’s news with ...
In a nice bit of news, my 2550-word deindustrial science-fiction piece, The Dream of Florian Neame, has been accepted for publication at New Maps Magazine (https://www.new-maps.com/). I have published there before, of course, with Of Tin and Tintagel coming out last year. While I still await the ...
And so this is Friday, and what have we learned?It was a week with all the usual luggage: minister brags and then he quits, Hollywood red carpet is full of twits. And all the while, hanging over the trivial stuff: existential dread, and portents of doom.Depending on who you read ...
When I changed the name of this newsletter from The Daily Read to Nick’s Kōrero I was a bit worried whether people would know what Kōrero meant or not. I added a definition when I announced the change and kind of assumed people who weren’t familiar with it would get ...
There was a time when a political party’s publicity people would counsel against promoting a candidate as queer. No matter which of two dictionary meanings the voting public might choose to apply – the old meaning of odd, strange, weird, or aberrant, or the more recent meaning of gay, homosexual ...
Photo by Joakim Honkasalo on UnsplashIt’s that time of the week for an ‘Ask Me Anything’ session for paying subscribers about the week that was for the next hour, including:PM Chris Hipkins announcement of the rest of a policy bonfire to save a combined $1.7 billion, but which blew up ...
Even though concern over the climate change threat is becoming more mainstream, our governments continue to opt out of the difficult decisions at the expense of time, and cost for future generations. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTLDR: Now we have a climate liability number to measure the potential failure of the ...
Thomas Cranmer writesLike it or not, the culture wars have entered New Zealand politics and look set to broaden and intensify. The culture wars are often viewed as an exclusively American phenomenon, but the reality is that they are becoming increasingly prominent in countries around the world, ...
Here’s an analogy for the Stuart Nash saga. If people are to be forgiven for their sins,Catholic dogma requires two factors to be present. There has to be a sincere act of confession about what has been done, but also a sincere act of contrition, which signals a painful ...
Here’s an analogy for the Stuart Nash saga. If people are to be forgiven for their sins,Catholic dogma requires two factors to be present. There has to be a sincere act of confession about what has been done, but also a sincere act of contrition, which signals a painful ...
Human Destabilisers: Russia now has a new strategic weapon – migratory waves of unwelcome human-beings. Desperate people with different coloured skins and different religious beliefs arriving at, or actually breaching, the national borders of Russia’s enemies can wreak as much havoc, culturally and politically, as a hypersonic missile exploding in the ...
Hi,After Webworm contributor Hayden Donnell wrote his latest piece, ‘RIP to Millennials Killing Everything’, he delivered this exciting and important bonus content.It will make more sense if you’ve read his piece.David. Read more ...
Hi,Before we get to Hayden’s column — RIP to Millennials Killing Everything — a quick observation.There was a day last week where it had suddenly reached 10pm and I hadn’t eaten all day. Hunger had suddenly gripped me with a panicky all-consuming force, so I jumped onto Uber Eats and ...
We add some of the CMIP6 models to the updateable MSU comparisons. After my annual update, I was pointed to some MSU-related diagnostics for many of the CMIP6 models (24 of them at least) from Po-Chedley et al. (2022) courtesy of Ben Santer. These are slightly different to what ...
In a memorable Pulp Fiction scene, Vincent inadvertently shoots their backseat passenger in the head. This leads our heroes Jules and Vincent to express alarm about their predicament.We're on a city street in broad daylight here!says Vincent. We gotta get this car off the roads. You know cops tend to ...
Primary, secondary and kindergarten teachers are all on strike today, demanding higher pay and an end to systematic understaffing. While the former is important - wages should at least keep up with inflation - its the latter which is the real issue. As with the health system, teachers have been ...
So the teachers are on strike, marching across Aotearoa today to press their demands for better pay and working conditions.Children remained in bed this brisk morning, many no doubt quite pleased about a day off school. Parents perhaps taking the day off to look after the kids, or working from ...
After the Cold War the consensus among Western military strategists was that the era of Big Wars, defined as peer conflict between large states with full spectrum military technologies, was at an end, at least for the foreseeable future. The … Continue reading → ...
Dairy giant Fonterra has posted a 50% lift in net profit to $546m, doubled its interim dividend, and is proposing a return of capital of 50c a share, injecting a note of optimism into the nation’s dairy industry. Fonterra’s strong performance is against a backdrop of market volatility. It ...
Buzz from the Beehive The bothersome economic news today is that New Zealand’s GDP fell by 0.6% in the December quarter, weaker than market forecasts of a fall of around 0.2% and much weaker than the Reserve Bank’s assumption of a 0.7% rise. This followed the even-more-bothersome news yesterday that ...
Ouch: Hipkins’ policy bonfire has resulted in an expensive self-administered removal of a Budgetary foot with an explosive device. File Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTLDR: Bonfires can be dangerous things when they get out of control. They also create a lot of smoke and heat and burn the grass. ...
* Dr Bryce Edwards writes – I teach a first-year course at Victoria University of Wellington about government and the political process in New Zealand. In “Introduction to Government and Law”, students learn there are rules preventing senior public servants from getting involved in big political debates – as we ...
I teach a first year course at Victoria University of Wellington about government and the political process in New Zealand. In “Introduction to Government and Law”, students learn there are rules preventing senior public servants from getting involved in big political debates – as we have recently witnessed with Rob ...
An issue of integrity has claimed the first ministerial scalp in Prime Minister Chris Hipkins’ premiership. Police Minister Stuart Nash lasted mere weeks in the role after admitting in a radio interview this morning that he had called Police Commissioner Andrew Coster to ask him if police were going to ...
For some time now we’ve known that the cost and completion timeframe for the City Rail Link would increase. Yesterday we finally learned by just how much. Costs City Rail Link Ltd (CRL Ltd) today confirms it has submitted a formal funding request to its Sponsors – the Crown and ...
The Government’s decision to back peddle on lowering speed limits is hitting potholes. At this stage, although it is part of the Government’s reprioritisation efforts to free up money to alleviate cost of living increases, the speed limit change looks unlikely to do that. And it appears that it ...
The University of Otago – the oldest university in New Zealand – towers over my home city of Dunedin. When classes are on, something like a fifth of Dunedin’s population are university students. It is also the largest employer in the South Island. To say that this is a ...
Last weekend brought the latest instalment in Stuff’s bravura satirical series Of course you can afford a house! Just dig deeper!I love how much their appreciation of humour has evolved in just a few short years since the days when I would get to produce, for a few meagre dollars, ...
Australia’s move to strengthen its defence capability with five nuclear-powered attack submarines underlines how relatively defenceless New Zealand is in the Pacific. Kiwis may gasp that the Labor government in Australia recognises it must outlay $400bn on the nuclear subs, but this ensures that Australia is not exposed ...
Ironically, a repurposed Auckland Ratepayers Alliance placard (with a demand for climate action on the front) featured at the recent climate march. Voting ratepayers don’t want ‘bureaucrats in cushy council jobs’ borrowing or increasing rates, even when the need for investment is becoming increasingly obvious. So is council cost-cutting a ...
The quarterly ETS auction was held today. In the past, these have seen collusion by big players to game the price and force a dump of extra credits from the cost-containment reserve (essentially, trying to pick stuff up cheap now in the belief that it will be more valuable later). ...
Political parties that want to negotiate with the Green Party must come to the table with much faster, bolder climate action, co-leaders James Shaw and Marama Davidson emphasised in their State of the Planet speech today. ...
Political parties that want to negotiate with the Green Party after the election must come to the table with much faster, bolder climate action, co-leaders James Shaw and Marama Davidson emphasised today. ...
You will never truly understand, from the pictures you’ve seen in the newspapers or on the six o-clock news, the sheer scale of the devastation wrought by Cyclone Gabrielle. ...
We’re boosting incomes and helping ease cost of living pressures on Kiwis through a range of bread and butter support measures that will see pensioners, students, families, and those on main benefits better off from the start of next month. ...
The error Labour Ministers made by stopping work on a beverage container return scheme will be reversed by the Greens at the earliest opportunity as part of the next Government. ...
“Cabinet needs to do better - and today has shown exactly why we need Green Ministers in cabinet, so we can prioritise action to cut climate pollution and support people to make ends meet,” says Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson. ...
Biggest increase in food prices for over three decades shows the need for an excess profit tax on corporations to help people put food on the table. ...
The Green Party has today launched a submission guide to help Aucklanders give crucial input and prevent potentially disastrous Auckland Council budget proposals. ...
With calls growing for inquiries and action on bank profits, the Greens say the Government has all the information it needs to act now and put a levy on banks. ...
As large parts of Aotearoa recover from two of the worst climate disasters we have ever experienced, it would be a huge mistake for the Government to deprioritise climate action from future transport investments, the Green Party says. ...
The Green Party is celebrating the signing of a historic United Nations Ocean Treaty, and calls on the new Oceans and Fisheries Minister to urgently step up protection for Aotearoa’s oceans. ...
This year has seen a series of extreme weather events, unparalleled in New Zealand’s recent history. From Cape Reinga in the far north down to the Tararua Ranges, families and businesses across the country have suffered enormous loss and hardship. While the severe weather hasn’t directly affected every part of ...
Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment Priyanca Radhakrishnan has today launched the Love Better campaign in a world-leading approach to family harm prevention. Love Better will initially support young people through their experience of break-ups, developing positive and life-long attitudes to dealing with hurt. “Over 1,200 young kiwis told ...
Hon Rino Tirikatene, Minister for Courts, welcomes the Ministry of Justice’s appointment of Dr Garry Clearwater as New Zealand’s first Chief Clinical Advisor working with the Coroners Court. “This appointment is significant for the Coroners Court and New Zealand’s wider coronial system.” Minister Tirikatene said. Through Budget 2022, the Government ...
The Government via the Cyclone Taskforce is working with local government and insurance companies to build a picture of high-risk areas following Cyclone Gabrielle and January floods. “The Taskforce, led by Sir Brian Roche, has been working with insurance companies to undertake an assessment of high-risk areas so we can ...
E te huia kaimanawa, ko Ngāpuhi e whakahari ana i tau aupikinga ki te tihi o te maunga. Ko te Ao Māori hoki e whakanui ana i a koe te whakaihu waka o te reo Māori i roto i te Ao Ture. (To the prized treasure, it is Ngāpuhi who ...
113,400 exits into work in the year to June 2022 Young people are moving off Benefit faster than after the Global Financial Crisis Two reports released today by the Ministry of Social Development show the Government’s investment in the COVID-19 response helped drive record numbers of people off Benefits and ...
The Government’s priority to keep New Zealand at the cutting edge of food production and lift our sustainability credentials continues by backing the next steps of a hi-tech vertical farming venture that uses up to 95 per cent less water, is climate resilient, and pesticide-free. Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor visited ...
E nga mana, e nga iwi, e nga reo, e nga hau e wha, tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou kātoa. Warm Pacific greetings to all. It is an honour to host the inaugural Conference of Pacific Education Ministers here in Tāmaki Makaurau. Aotearoa is delighted to be hosting you ...
The new renal unit at Taranaki Base Hospital has been officially opened by the Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall this afternoon. Te Huhi Raupō received around $13 million in government funding as part of Project Maunga Stage 2, the redevelopment of the Taranaki Base Hospital campus. “It’s an honour ...
Defence Minister Andrew Little has marked the arrival of the country’s second P-8A Poseidon aircraft alongside personnel at the Royal New Zealand Air Force’s Base at Ohakea today. “With two of the four P-8A Poseidons now on home soil this marks another significant milestone in the Government’s historic investment in ...
Aotearoa New Zealand will provide further humanitarian support to those seriously affected by last month’s deadly earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria, says Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta. “The 6 February earthquakes have had devastating consequences, with almost 18 million people affected. More than 53,000 people have died and tens of thousands more ...
Migrant communities across New Zealand are represented in the new Migrant Community Reference Group that will help shape immigration policy going forward, Immigration Minister Michael Wood announced today. “Since becoming Minister, a reoccurring message I have heard from migrants is the feeling their voice has often been missing around policy ...
Construction has begun on major works that will deliver significant safety improvements on State Highway 3 from Waitara to Bell Block, Associate Minister of Transport Kiri Allan announced today. “This is an important route for communities, freight and visitors to Taranaki but too many people have lost their lives or ...
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has today appointed Ginny Andersen as Minister of Police. “Ginny Andersen has a strong and relevant background in this important portfolio,” Chris Hipkins said. “Ginny Andersen worked for the Police as a non-sworn staff member for around 10 years and has more recently been chair of ...
Six further bailey bridge sites confirmed Four additional bridge sites under consideration 91 per cent of damaged state highways reopened Recovery Dashboards for impacted regions released The Government has responded quickly to restore lifeline routes after Cyclone Gabrielle and can today confirm that an additional six bailey bridges will ...
Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta departs for China tomorrow, where she will meet with her counterpart, State Councillor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang, in Beijing. This will be the first visit by a New Zealand Minister to China since 2019, and follows the easing of COVID-19 travel restrictions between New Zealand and China. ...
Education Ministers from across the Pacific will gather in Tāmaki Makaurau this week to share their collective knowledge and strategic vision, for the benefit of ākonga across the region. New Zealand Education Minister Jan Tinetti will host the inaugural Conference of Pacific Education Ministers (CPEM) for three days from today, ...
A vital transport link for communities and local businesses has been restored following Cyclone Gabrielle with the reopening of State Highway 5 (SH5) between Napier and Taupō, Associate Minister of Transport Kiri Allan says. SH5 reopened to all traffic between 7am and 7pm from today, with closure points at SH2 (Kaimata ...
Internal Affairs Minister Barbara Edmonds has thanked generous New Zealanders who took part in the special Lotto draw for communities affected by Cyclone Gabrielle. Held on Saturday night, the draw raised $11.7 million with half of all ticket sales going towards recovery efforts. “In a time of need, New Zealanders ...
The Government has announced funding of $3 million for providers to help people, and whānau access community-based Building Financial Capability services. “Demand for Financial Capability Services is growing as people face cost of living pressures. Those pressures are increasing further in areas affected by flooding and Cyclone Gabrielle,” Minister for ...
Minister of Education, Hon Jan Tinetti, has announced appointments to the Board of Education New Zealand | Manapou ki te Ao. Tracey Bridges is joining the Board as the new Chair and Dr Therese Arseneau will be a new member. Current members Dr Linda Sissons CNZM and Daniel Wilson have ...
Fifteen ākonga Māori from across Aotearoa have been awarded the prestigious Ngarimu VC and 28th (Māori) Battalion Memorial Scholarships and Awards for 2023, Associate Education Minister and Ngarimu Board Chair, Kelvin Davis announced today. The recipients include doctoral, masters’ and undergraduate students. Three vocational training students and five wharekura students, ...
High Court Judge Jillian Maree Mallon has been appointed a Judge of the Court of Appeal, and District Court Judge Andrew John Becroft QSO has been appointed a Judge of the High Court, Attorney‑General David Parker announced today. Justice Mallon graduated from Otago University in 1988 with an LLB (Hons), and with ...
The economy has continued to show its resilience despite today’s GDP figures showing a modest decline in the December quarter, leaving the Government well positioned to help New Zealanders face cost of living pressures in a challenging global environment. “The economy had grown strongly in the two quarters before this ...
Aucklanders now have more ways to get around as Transport Minister Michael Wood opened the direct State Highway 1 (SH1) to State Highway 18 (SH18) underpass today, marking the completion of the 48-kilometre Western Ring Route (WRR). “The Government is upgrading New Zealand’s transport system to make it safer, more ...
This section contains briefings received by incoming ministers following changes to Cabinet in January. Some information may have been withheld in accordance with the Official Information Act 1982. Where information has been withheld that is indicated within the document. ...
Aotearoa New Zealand Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta reaffirmed her commitment to working together with the new Government of Fiji on issues of shared importance, including on the prioritisation of climate change and sustainability, at a meeting today, in Nadi. Fiji and Aotearoa New Zealand’s close relationship is underpinned by the Duavata ...
The Government is delivering a coastal shipping lifeline for businesses, residents and the primary sector in the cyclone-stricken regions of Hawkes Bay and Tairāwhiti, Regional Development Minister Kiri Allan announced today. The Rangitata vessel has been chartered for an emergency coastal shipping route between Gisborne and Napier, with potential for ...
The Government will progress to the next stage of the NZ Battery Project, looking at the viability of pumped hydro as well as an alternative, multi-technology approach as part of the Government’s long term-plan to build a resilient, affordable, secure and decarbonised energy system in New Zealand, Energy and Resources ...
This morning I was made aware of a media interview in which Minister Stuart Nash criticised a decision of the Court and said he had contacted the Police Commissioner to suggest the Police appeal the decision. The phone call took place in 2021 when he was not the Police Minister. ...
The Government’s sharp focus on trade continues with Aotearoa New Zealand set to host Trade Ministers and delegations from 10 Asia Pacific economies at a meeting of Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) Commission members in July, Minister for Trade and Export Growth Damien O’Connor announced today. “New Zealand ...
$25 million boost to support more businesses with clean-up in cyclone affected regions, taking total business support to more than $50 million Demand for grants has been strong, with estimates showing applications will exceed the initial $25 million business support package Grants of up to a maximum of $40,000 per ...
80 per cent of 2021 Resident Visas applications have been processed – three months ahead of schedule Residence granted to 160,000 people 84,000 of 85,000 applications have been approved Over 160,000 people have become New Zealand residents now that 80 per cent of 2021 Resident Visa (2021RV) applications have been ...
The Government continues to invest in New Zealand’s burgeoning space industry, today announcing five scholarships for Kiwi Students to undertake internships at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in California. Economic Development Minister Stuart Nash congratulated Michaela Dobson (University of Auckland), Leah Albrow (University of Canterbury) and Jack Naish, Celine Jane ...
The Lead Coordination Minister for the Government’s Response to the Royal Commission’s Report into the Terrorist Attack on the Christchurch Mosques travels to Melbourne, Australia today to represent New Zealand at the fourth Sub-Regional Meeting on Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Security. “The Government is committed to reducing the threat of terrorism ...
The health and safety practices at our nation’s ports will be improved as part of a new industry-wide action plan, Workplace Relations and Safety, and Transport Minister Michael Wood has announced. “Following the tragic death of two port workers in Auckland and Lyttelton last year, I asked the Port Health ...
Bikes, electric bikes and scooters will be added to the types of transport exempted from fringe benefit tax under changes proposed today. Revenue Minister David Parker said the change would allow bicycles, electric bicycles, scooters, electric scooters, and micro-mobility share services to be exempt from fringe benefit tax where they ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta will hold bilateral meetings with Fiji this week. The visit will be her first to the country since the election of the new coalition Government led by Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sitiveni Rabuka. The visit will be an opportunity to meet kanohi ki ...
The Government is introducing the Severe Weather Emergency Legislation Bill to ensure the recovery and rebuild from Cyclone Gabrielle is streamlined and efficient with unnecessary red tape removed. The legislation is similar to legislation passed following the Christchurch and Kaikōura earthquakes that modifies existing legislation in order to remove constraints ...
Approximately 1.4 million people will benefit from increases to rates and thresholds for social assistance to help with the cost of living Superannuation to increase by over $100 a pay for a couple Main benefits to increase by the rate of inflation, meaning a family on a benefit with children ...
$1 billion in savings which will be reallocated to support New Zealanders with the cost of living A range of transport programmes deferred so Waka Kotahi can focus on post Cyclone road recovery Speed limit reduction programme significantly narrowed to focus on the most dangerous one per cent of state ...
A Pacific elder and former secretary-general of the Pacific Islands Forum says Pacific leaders need to sit up and pay closer attention to AUKUS and the Indo-Pacific strategy and China’s response to them. Speaking from Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea, Dame Meg Taylor said Pacific leaders were being sidelined ...
The government says it should have details on which weather-hit areas are high risk within three weeks, and can then make decisions about rebuilding. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Carly Tozer, Senior Research Scientist, CSIRO Dean Lewins/AAPLa Niña and El Niño are well-known terms in Australia these days. Linked to them are certain expectations: we expect wet conditions in La Niña and dry conditions in El Niño. These ...
Counter-protests are planned for this weekend as a controversial anti-trans campaigner speaks in two New Zealand cities. Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull will be allowed into the country after Immigration NZ said the threshold to stop her had not been reached. In a tweet, Rainbow Greens, the group that released an open letter ...
We asked workers at some of our favourite food establishments to show us what they eat when the rush is over.This is an excerpt from our weekly food newsletter The Boil Up. Last week was Work Week on The Spinoff, dedicated to unpacking our relationship with the world ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards. Political Roundup: Who will drain Wellington’s lobbying swamp? Wealthy vested interests have an oversized influence on political decisions in New Zealand. Partly that’s due to their use of corporate lobbyists. Fortunately, the influence lobbyists can have on decisions made by politicians is currently under scrutiny in ...
65 percent of Kiwis surveyed admit they would have no idea what to do if their identity was stolen Norton, a leading consumer Cyber Safety brand of Gen, today announced the New Zealand launch of Norton™ 360 Platinum, which leverages the company's ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Claire Breen, Professor of Law, University of Waikato Getty Images There might have been pragmatic political reasons behind the government throwing voting-age legislation onto its recent policy bonfire, but it remains a sadly wasted opportunity. The announcement reversed former ...
ANALYSIS:By Bevin Veale, Massey University The impending arrival of Kelly-Jean Keen-Minshull — aka Posie Parker — has put the spotlight on the tension between free speech and protecting vulnerable communities in Aotearoa New Zealand. In particular, it raises questions about Immigration New Zealand’s role in limiting who can visit ...
Wairoa has ready-to-go projects that could be accelerated to quickly get people back into homes following Cyclone Gabrielle, Minister Willie Jackson was told on a visit to Wairoa today. Tātau Tātau o Te Wairoa is seeking a Government commitment ...
A new report published by the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union exposes the bad decision-making that led to a 61% cost blowout in Auckland’s City Rail Link and shows that the costs of the project now significantly outweigh any benefits. ‘The City Rail Link: ...
Immigration NZ has today confirmed that the controversial anti-trans campaigner Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull will be allowed into New Zealand for her speaking events this week. You can read our report here – and the full statement from Immigration NZ’s Richard Owen to the media is below: “I can confirm that ...
Immigration NZ says it knows some people will be unhappy, but ultimately the threshold to bar Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull from New Zealand hasn’t been reached.The British anti-transgender campaigner Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull, also known as Posie Parker, will be allowed into New Zealand this weekend, Immigration NZ has confirmed.Keen-Minshull’s ability to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Stevens, Adjunct Associate Professor, University of Adelaide Antarctica is an icy place today, but the ice extended even further during past ice ages. The question of how and where life survived on land in the icy continent, through the ages, has ...
Like a Tongan Cool Runnings, with trumpets instead of bobsleds, Red, White & Brass is a feel-good movie based on an incredible true story. First-time film producer Halaifonua Finau tells Sela Jane Hopgood how he got it made.In 2016, promising new Tongan producer Halaifonua Finau was sitting in the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ben Thomas Gleeson, Doctoral Candidate, Australian National University Luz Rovira / Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND In the 19th century, Charles Darwin was one of the first to notice something interesting about domesticated animals: different species often developed similar changes when compared ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katharine Kemp, Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Law & Justice, UNSW Sydney New research reveals serious privacy flaws in fertility apps used by Australian consumers – emphasising the need for urgent reform of the Privacy Act. Fertility apps provide a number ...
The Fiji Times “The University of the South Pacific (USP) has been and continues to be a bedrock for regionalism. A resource owned by the region; for the region and a precious institution that needs to be protected in line with the vision of our forebearers.” This was the message ...
By Claudia Tally in Port Moresby A Papua New Guinean family who have been renting a property from the National Housing Corporation for the past 46 years have been served with a 24-hour eviction notice by a different owner who had obtained an eviction notice from the Port Moresby District ...
Auckland mayor Wayne Brown’s plans to cut back on spending could see the council quit Local Government NZ, the group that represents councils across the country. Stuff’s Todd Niall has reported that $400,000 would be saved by the move, with mayor Brown reportedly wanting to direct that money into other ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Frederic Gachon, Associate Professor, Physiology of Circadian Rhythms, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland Gregory Pappas/Unsplash Some of us love to be tucked up in bed by a particular time every night, ensuring a certain number of hours ...
The government has launched campaign to help young people navigate break-ups with the long-term aim of preventing family violence, believed to be the first of its kind. ...
Sports can be hugely beneficial for children but there are still many barriers for trans kids wanting to play, writes researcher Julia de Bres.There’s been a lot of talk recently about trans athletes in high performance sport, much of which derives from a broader anti-trans project rather than a ...
A new documentary follows Amber Clyde, skateboarder and founder of Girls Skate NZ, as she works to rebuild her confidence in the sport while juggling solo motherhood.Amber Clyde remembers being bullied as the only girl at the skate park in Birkenhead – but these days all the same bullies ...
After dedicating years to helping young women find their confidence in skateboarding, Amber Clyde must teach herself how to get back on the board after the birth of her second child. But balancing the realities of being a solo Mum with running her own business means that her time is ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Arthur Immanuel Crichton, PhD candidate, Flinders University Relative of _Chunia pledgei_ named _Ektopodon serratus_ (top left), with _Wakaleo oldfieldi_.Reconstruction of the early Miocene Kutjumarpu faunal assemblage by Peter Schouten, CC BY-SA Imagine a vast, lush forest dominated by giant flightless birds ...
The Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance is urging its 27,000 members and subscribers to have a say on Auckland Council’s proposed 2022/23 annual budget. Last week, the Ratepayers’ Alliance launched a new website to encourage public feedback. Backtobasics.co.nz ...
New Zealand distance runner Zane Robertson has been banned from all sport for eight years due to doping. Robertson, who is the holder of six national distance running records and a Commonwealth Games bronze medal, was tested at the UK’s Great Manchester Run in May last year. His sample returned ...
Alex Casey asks a psychologist why she was too chicken shit to wear a mask during the flight that probably gave her Covid-19. In the live action replay in my head, I can basically see, frame by frame, the moment that one of those puny little Covid-19 Koosh balls did ...
Social services and health & disability provider Presbyterian Support Northern (PSN) has appointed Joe Waru as its new Kaitohu Matua (General Manager Māori). The appointment will provide PSN with strategic leadership and advice as it seeks to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kevin Veale, Lecturer in Media Studies, part of the Digital Cultures Laboratory in the School of Humanities, Media, and Creative Communication, Massey University Getty Images The impending arrival of Kelly-Jean Keen-Minshull – aka Posie Parker – has put the spotlight ...
Deputy Public Service Commissioner Ms Heather Baggott has today announced the appointment of Mr Andrew Hampton to the position of Director-General of Security and Chief Executive, New Zealand Security Intelligence Service (NZSIS). The role of the NZSIS is to understand ...
Money isn’t everything. But for most of us, it’s easier to deal with anything else in our lives if we know the bills are getting paid. So when household budgets come under pressure from cost of living increases – especially when that includes the mortgage that keeps a roof over ...
The National Party will announce the first part of its new education policy tomorrow in the prime minister’s own stomping ground of the Hutt. Leader Christopher Luxon said the “Teaching the Basics Brilliantly” policy will see the curriculum totally overhauled, with a direct focus on reading, writing, maths and science. ...
In conjunction with Curia Market Research, the Free Speech Union has distributed a survey on academic freedom to academics across each of the eight universities in New Zealand. Respect for academic freedom is a statutory responsibility for universities, ...
Thirty years ago, after a marathon Parliamentary sitting, the Bolger National government passed the Maritime Transport Act which deregulated coastal shipping by abolishing cabotage. Cabotage was the practice which restricted the operation of sea, air, or ...
New reports out from the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) this morning show that in the year to June 2022, 113,400 people came off a benefit, the highest number since electronic records began in 1996. From early 2020, at the start of the pandemic, there was a large increase in the ...
A recent court action by Australia’s financial regulator suggests ‘greenwashing’ claims can expect far greater scrutiny – a situation likely to happen here soon enough, writes Steven Moe.Coal mining can seem like yesterday’s fuel – a relic of the last century, in the coming age of wind farms and ...
Grammy-winning pop star Lizzo will return to New Zealand in July for her first solo show on our shores. The singer, rapper and flautist (yes) will play Spark Arena on July 26 as part of her Special Tour. The last time she was in New Zealand, Lizzo was a festival ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Trevor Ireland, Professor, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland MASCOT / DLR / JAXA How did life come about? The answer to this question goes to the very heart of our existence on planet Earth. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christopher Rudge, Law lecturer, University of Sydney Unsplash/Olga Guryanova, CC BY Disturbing reports about botched cosmetic surgeries and injuries in Australia – from breast augmentations causing chronic pain to liposuction leaving patients with lifelong injuries – have sparked concerns in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Philip Zylstra, Adjunct Associate Professor at Curtin University, Research Associate at University of New South Wales, Curtin University Shutterstock Fire management in Australia is approaching crisis point. Seasons such as the Black Summer three years ago showed how our best ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By William Geary, PhD Student, Deakin University Once abundant, woylies – or brush-tailed bettongs – are now critically endangered. John Gould, CC BY-SA Conserving native wildlife is a challenging task and Australia’s unenviable extinction record shows us we urgently need more sophisticated ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Pi-Shen Seet, Professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Edith Cowan University ThisIsEngineering/Pexels , CC BY-NC Australia continues to grapple with acute skills shortages. Businesses are struggling to find workers with the skills they need. Meanwhile, workers struggle to get jobs because ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robin Eames, History PhD candidate, University of Sydney Portrait of De Lacy Evans and his wife (1870)State Library VictoriaThis article contains references to anti-trans, colonial and institutional violence, and includes information about an Aboriginal person who died in the early ...
The new police minister has defended the government’s approach to dealing with crime, as new figures show just 32% of charges laid against young people last year actually resulted in a sentence. Ginny Andersen was promoted into the police portfolio on Monday after Stuart Nash was sent falling to the ...
The final IPCC report was unequivocal in its call to reduce emissions immediately but the government has no further news on how agricultural emissions charging will work, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell 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 Greens say climate change will be integral to the big decision this year. Toby Manhire explores the data. Devastating, global-warming-exacerbatedstorms. A new IPCC report laying outthe calamitous fireball hurtling our way. And a prime minister jettisoninga host of climate-aligned policies. There is plenty of material for James ...
Medsafe has approved applications for Ozempic to be used in New Zealand. How does this new drug work and why is everyone talking about it? What just happened? Last Thursday, New Zealand’s medical regulatory body Medsafe gave consent for Ozempic to be prescribed in New Zealand. The approval is for ...
An author on the death of a baby and "a calm respectful grace" The normal world was out there. The clocks and the jobs and the traffic and the mortgages and the death. Especially the death. Death in suburbia means funerals with piped fake Celtic music despite the fact ...
One of New Zealand’s brightest young netball talents, Paris Lokotui has returned to the court 10 months after a knee reconstruction. Now she hopes her tough journey back paves a better way for other Māori and Pasifika players. Paris Lokotui remembers the moment time stood still. The 21-year-old was playing ...
A month on from Cyclone Gabrielle, many residents in Muriwai are still living in limbo, unable to return to their homes "I can't look back because it's too sad. I can't look forward because it is too daunting." Kat Corbett's Muriwai home remains out-of-bounds more than a month after ...
The Climate Change Commission's chair says the Government's decisions to ignore its advice could weaken the country's most important climate policy. ...
Coconut plantations are far from being ‘natural’ environments, coconut oil is high in saturated fats, and, despite the advertising, most of the global supply of coconut oil doesn’t come from the Pacific Islands eitherOpinion: Coconut oil has gained a halo as a natural health product, with claims it can ...
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By Hamish Cardwell, RNZ News senior journalist There is “is much to win by trying” to take action on climate change — that is a key finding in a major new international climate report the UN chief is calling a “survival guide for humanity”. It is something of a mic ...
A pōwhiri, a pie, and a grilling from primary school kids: Today was the day the boy from the Hutt who grew up to be prime minister went home for a visit. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Australia’s decision to buy three nuclear-powered submarines and build another eight is so expensive that, for the A$268 billion to $368 billion price tag, we could give a million dollars ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard Denniss, Adjunct Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Australia has 116 new coal, oil and gas projects in the pipeline. If they all proceed as planned, an extra 1.4 billion tonnes of greenhouse gases would be released into ...
Figures unearthed by the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union reveal that the growth in public sector managers is almost twice that of frontline social, health and education workers. Since 2017, the frontline workforce for social services, health and education ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dominic O’Sullivan, Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences, Auckland University of Technology, and Professor of Political Science, Charles Sturt University A referendum will be held later this year to enshrine a First Nations’ Voice to Parliament into the Australian constitution. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Haoyang Zhai, PhD Candidate, The University of Melbourne Alexander Schimmeck/Unsplash Since its inception in 1921, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has officially promoted an atheist and materialist ideology. But belief systems in China are making a comeback – and ...
Scott Robertson has been announced successor to Ian Foster as head coach of the All Blacks, completing a controversial and highly idiosyncratic appointment process. He will assume the role in 2024, following the world cup at the end of this year. The contract for the breakdancing current coach of the ...
Multicultural New Zealand (MNZ) has expressed concern about events scheduled to take place in Auckland and Wellington on March 25th and 26th, respectively. The events will feature British anti-transgender activist, Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull. MNZ is ...
And in this morning’s news John Key has single handedly shown what an utterly brilliant negotiator he is by persuading European leaders to have a think about a free trade agreement. Want to have a bet they have been thinking of this for a while? And the “insurmountable difficulties” surrounding agriculture will mean that any free trade agreement, which will be years in the future, will have little if any benefit.
And to show that the Government is in trouble they have wheeled out Paula Bennett who in her latest piece of bash them legislation is proposing that further heinous offences are added to the list of offences which would limit people from working with children. They should have asked her about why numbers of emergency grants for beneficiaries facing having their power cut off have been declining at the same time that cut offs have been soaring.
Just another day …
Yep heard both of those stories on RNZ and thought exactly the same.
Johnny is clearing trying to show us all what a super trader he is and how he bargain for ‘great deals’ for NZ. Aren’t we lucky…
Edit: things didn’t go perfectly for little johnny though:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/9869154/NZ-left-off-map-at-nuke-summit
Yup they sure know how to treat our Prime Minister with all deserved respect over in Europe, in the middle of Slippery’s briefing to the press a Dutch official barged into the room and gave them all the kick,
”See ya later Slippery” seems to have been the message to our PM obviously a waste of space in their opinion when they had ‘more important’ people wanting to use the room…
Just like his “plan” to end whaling.
And to get a couple of Pandas.
“Johnny is clearing trying to show us all what a super trader he is and how he bargain for ‘great deals’ for NZ. Aren’t we lucky…”
So, how many deals has he actually done? Apart from the selling of Aotearoa film workers, electricity and gambling, that is.
And 2015 for the next step.
Or people could look at the possibility of a more open door for Kiwis to an independent Scotland.
I heard those stories too, and the scary thing about them is that not so long ago you could have mistaken them for satire.
One of Ha-Joon Chang’s recommendations for rebuilding the economy is to either get rid of the FTAs (my preferred option) or reform them so that they’re far more flexible. He points out that free-trade has resulted in the exact opposite of what the free-marketers, in their belief, said they would. That the most growth in all nations has been when the government with, adequate social welfare, drove the economy. In this state there was more innovation, more industrialisation and greater stability.
And all this when he is supposed to be at a nuclear disarmament discussion.
I have no problem with this having been ongoing BUT to be fair, Grosser and the diplomats and the MFAT officials will have been at this for some time I am sure, in one fell swoop he claims it all for himself. Not a team player our Mr Key…
Keep seeing a billboard for Paula Bennet out west BUT the picture is way different to any others of her I have seen. I went to her website and can’t find the picture they have used. I also note that onher website the latest news is from October 2013.
I’m sure that he sees himself as a Randian Super-hero and everyone else is just there to do as he tells them. Because of this he probably believes he did it all himself.
Probably all leaders do it.
I cant recall us getting the roll call of “pull aside” meetings with Clark, but perhaps we did.
Meanwhile, the Greens on Campus in Auckland are getting it together for a big day on Saturday’s (29th March) Day of Action. Their Facebook page – Crafta-Brunch:
More at the link
Me fail English, that’s unpossible
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-leeds-26731999
To(o) mch txting.
A lot of people don’t seem to know the difference between to and too.
And between lose and loose.
And the meanings of reticence, reluctance and resile – seem to crop up a lot these days.
resile –
I think current usage is along what Google says – abandon a position or a course of action.
“can he resile from the agreement?”
But surely the word there would be withdraw if abandoning something. To resile would indicate more than just abandon a position but to actually return to a former one.
free dictionary says –
(intr) to spring or shrink back; recoil or resume original shape
and
1. To spring back, especially to resume a former position or structure after being stretched or compressed.
2. To draw back; recoil.
reticent
Google says
not revealing one’s thoughts or feelings readily.
free dictionary –
not open or communicative; not saying all that one knows; taciturn; reserved
1. Inclined to keep one’s thoughts, feelings, and personal affairs to oneself. See Synonyms at silent.
2. Restrained or reserved in style.
3. Reluctant; unwilling.(American Heritage Dictionary)
But reticence is being used more to indicate reluctance to do something as in the No.3 American form which extends its original meaning unnecessarily where reluctance fits.
Reluctant
Google says
unwilling and hesitant; disinclined.
free dictionary –
1. not eager; unwilling; disinclined
2. offering resistance or opposition
and
1. Unwilling; disinclined: reluctant to help.
2. Exhibiting or marked by unwillingness: a reluctant smile.
3. Offering resistance; opposing.
Many people don’t even know how to use “disingenuine” correctly:
That’s a good link Hayden. The charter schools initiative (now that’s a word I have trouble typing) is one to keep our eyes on. With a genuine critical faculty.
@Th Allen
That little red line. Do you find it really helpful. I curse it often. It seems to want me to put z wherever I have s and other bissare Americanisms.
Yes, the little red line is my friend. I have UK English as the input language on my pc and not u.s English, so no color issues to labor over 🙂
I don’t know what the reasons are for such poor use of the language, but good to see someone over there in Leeds has started to address it.
I’m shockingly poor with grammar and punctuation and syntax, however, my spelling, thanks to the little red line that appears under mistakes and google isn’t too bad.
Evolving language is one thing, but destroying the old can’t be a good thing, going by what’s passing for the replacement.
They don’t know the meaning of the word capitalist either:
Most people seem to assume that it includes entrepreneur as well. In fact, I had an economics professor who told the class that it did.
We could do with a similar project in new Zealand. The standard of English here is pretty abysmal.
Pronunciation and Grammar leave much to be desired
Using the standard set by our pm as an example, I’d be inclined to agree.
Already do, for some university courses.
One problem NZers face is our monovowel – I’ve encountered more than a few individuals who type “could of” instead of “could have”.
my fave is guttered instead of gutted,
I wuz totaly guttered!
Just like ‘armed defenders squad’, ‘guttered’ is always a pretty good way to troll message boards and blogs. 😀
‘All Means All’ would seem to be criminal as a name in itself, published in Stuff on 24/03/2014, it appears All Means All has a bit of a problem with Slippery the Prime Minister,(don’t we all),pun unintended,
Convicted after a trial in the Christchurch District Court of 6 charges of threatening to kill the PM, All Means All has also said He will go on hunger strike if He is jailed for the offences…
Anybody that threatens to kill anyone multiple times regardless of how “slippery” they are deserves jail, there is no place for that sick sort of behavior in our society
You may be right Mainlander, i have made no such judgment call either way…
Noticed on TV News reports last night was an item on a number of severe cases of the H1N1 flu which had hospitalized a number of people and one person was reported to have died from complications surrounding this flu virus,
H1N1 was the ‘flu’ at the center of the ‘pandemic killer flu’ scare,fear,scare a few years back where the Government bought in millions of doses of ‘Tamiflu’ to combat what was touted to be a virulent killer like no other recent flu which never actually eventuated,
Recently these stocks of ‘Tamiflu’ having reached their use by date had to be destroyed costing the government 10’s of millions of dollars,
The ’cause’ of the recent unseasonal outbreak of H1N1 in different parts of this country is being pointed at as ‘across the ditch’ as Australia has also reported a spike in cases of unseasonal H1N1,
i am tho ‘suspicious’ of this claim, having had a blood test returned a year ago with what the Doctor at the time described ‘an unusual flu virus’ from which He later back-peddled at 90K an hour when i asked Him to identify the particular flu,
My suspicion goes further to suggest that this particular flu is ‘piggy backed’ on the back of the Chicken Pox virus, which becomes important to anyone who was inflicted with this flu in prior years as this suspicion would mean that they are likely to be carriers of H1N1 via its piggy backing on the Chicken Pox virus,
What then is likely to occur is that ‘the carrier’ is likely to be struck down with an unseasonal bout of H1N1 which will later morph into something more serious, a case of severely painful Shingles being one serious complication that readily springs to mind…
Yes, saw that on Te News last night re the possible swine flu re run. Had it in 2009 and really thought I was a goner. I was severely ill for six weeks. The Dr later informed me that he suspected the virus did some damage to my nervous system, (when I went to him a few months later with a nervous system meltdown/breakdown) although he couldn’t elaborate on this theory……….
Would a socially engaged public health service actively promote better individual hygiene practices during cold and flu season or do we leave it up to drug companies to promote their over the counter remedies that merely alleviate symptoms while folks continue to go about sneezing all over their workmates, wiping their hand on their runny noses and then place their hands on the bus bell and hand holds of public transport, ready for someone else to come along to grasp that virus laden surface? (these yucky things one does witness).
Would a government who wanted to promote good health in the population introduce say a 10 day minimum sick leave provision in it’s Employment Act (eg, our E.R.A) instead of the current miserable 5 days, which would give workers a chance to go home at the first sign of infectious illness and stay there until the virus is no longer contagious, therefore not jeopardising the health or their workmates and the productivity of the workplace because everyone got sick?
Just thinking of a viral illness alone wouldn’t we be better off and healthier if we had a government that was committed to the well being of it’s people?
Agreed on promoting healthier habits. With swine flu on the agenda, I’l be reluctant to use public transport over the winter. Most people are fine, but there’s always one or two snuffling and coughing next to me on the trains and buses.
And I’ve experienced very ill people at work because they’ve already used up their sick leave entitlement.
“And I’ve experienced very ill people at work because they’ve already used up their sick leave entitlement.”
Yes, I’ve seen it too karol, and workers using up annual leave to cover illness.
In lieu of better sick leave provisions in law, progressively minded workplaces should be open to negotiation to providing extra paid sick days to a very ill worker, that is, if they aren’t covered by a collective agreement that may already contain more than the standard and minimum 5 days.
i have a novel theory about ‘the flu’ which i am not suggesting anyone else adopt,but,except for the year of H1N1 and a rematch with what i believe to be the same virus in late December just past, i cannot put a year on when i suffered the flu in a previous year,
If you transport flu virus into a warm home it is an open invitation for that virus to replicate itself the ideal temperature for such replication being somewhere around 20 degrees,
i do not use home heating whatsoever, except that given off by the stove while cooking, preferring instead the ‘layered clothing’ method of maintaining core body temperature,
During Winter i still spend my hour in the garden most days if it is not raining,(or snowing as it did here a couple of days a couple of years ago), and while i ‘catch’ a definite cold/flu in my nose a couple of times during winter they never seem to get past occupation of my nose and are usually gone by the next day having failed to replicate,
The difference???, i am breathing in cold air to an already warm core body temperature, coming into a heated house tho from outside in Winter temperatures would mean breathing in warmed air to a cooled body core temperature, ideal conditions if the flu virus is also present for reproduction,
http://www.colinjames.co.nz/david-cunliffes-long-hard-leadership-challenge/
Damn righties 🙂
Colin James I note that he calls himself a journalist and Political Analyst.
I wonder what qualifications one needs to be a Political Analyst. Whatever they are he doesn’t seem to have them. Maybe it was a type and he means Political Anallyst
Slater is claiming to be a journalist, so that might help answer your question.
He is both. And he is also one of the very few public political analysts around who I actually respect. I have some particularly high standards 🙂
I’ve been reading him since the early 80’s and he is generally one of the few political journalists who both thinks about what he is writing. I’ve also seen him look backwards to see when he screwed up in the past and why – a rarity amongst political analysts in any era.
These days what you see is pretty much his own thoughts rather than the “spin from the last spinner” approach that seems far more common in what passes for political analysis in the media.
What I found interesting about that piece was that Colin James recognised there is no one else suitable to lead Labour yet he was adamant that if Labour loses the election that Cunliffe would be replaced.
I guess one of his screw-ups was portraying Don Brash to the public in 2005 as an old-school principled conservative.
Vision is important but you also need to be able to say how you’re going to get us there.
This is the fallacy that every party keeps buying into. john Key was right when he said that NZ was more socialist than the US and because of that Labour actually has to go further left to win. They won’t get those lefty non-voters back if they keep being Nat-lite. Here’s the thing: After the GFC it’s actually really easy to go left. The financial collapse and the increasing poverty that we’ve seen over the last three decades is ample proof that we’re following the wrong path.
It could just be me but I’ve never seen any such camaraderie out of Key. He’s always come across to me as slimy, untrustworthy scum who wouldn’t be seen dead at most peoples BBQs if he could help it.
Listening to Jamie Whyte on RNZ was like listening to a far-right version of Shearer when he was a mumbling “leader”.
Not much info there except the removal of the RMA, “liberalising” education, and how he obviously idolises Roger Douglas. What a dickhead…
Break out the lamingtons!
LOL
And bring-on the three-strikes for community hating nation-wreckers..
Reading about the flu cases, just reminds me that I have heard of some cases of pneumonia lately. Which seemed strange – I wouldn’t have thought it likely for the people affected.
greywarbler, i havn’t got the link sorry, but, on my travels through the flu ridden world on the internet i come across a small piece of info that said that the flu H3N2 had quite a high incidence of a later bout of Pneumonia as a complication,
As far as H1N1 goes i would suggest that people indulge in foods with high immune system boosting qualities and be careful not to indulge in stuff that may seriously compromise that immune system,
Prolonged use of some over the counter pain relief while not advertised so can lead to the immune system being compromised, i wont for obvious reasons name the products, but, Google is your friend when it comes to directly asking if the product ‘might’ have a negative effect on your immune system,
My suspicions concerning H1N1,(and for me to broaden those suspicions would require us all to have plenty of tinfoil in the cupboards),as outlined in the comment above would i would suggest require a ‘carrier’ of the H1N1 virus to have seriously lowered the effectiveness of their immune system in some way for this flu to change from being ‘dormant’ to provoking symptoms of a full on flu,
Of course an elongated bout of warm weather at the end of Summer might also contribute to the bodies immune system being in a more ‘rested’ state of activity…
There are significant suspicions that fever lowering pain killers like panadol detract from the immune response in children, which would be expected since fever plays an integral part in the body’s defensive response to acute infection.
Lolz CV, i see you are far less circumspect about putting a name to suspect products, i will add that such detraction from the immune response is not confined to children’s remedies alone,
Pain relief that targets and ‘knocks out’ the bodies ‘pain transmitters’ are also suspect when their usage has passed that of a week or two,(the manufacturer does advise consulting your GP about long term use of the product but doesn’t mention questions surrounding the disablement of the immune system as a side effect)…
New caption contest.
https://twitter.com/johnkeypm/status/448183132554919936/photo/1
“Don’t worry, I have the electorate by the short and curlies”
LOL
“It’s John…. John Key, we’ve met before remember? Tony Abbott is PM of Australia. I’m from NZ.”
Over on Daily Blog, Martyn Bradbury makes mention of Labour springing a surprise and bringing Charles Chauvel back from N. York to contest Ohariu against Dunne:
‘Peter Dunne beat Charles Chauvel by 1500 odd votes last time. With Katrina Shanks bowing out the race is wide open and with Gareth Hughes stepping away to stop the candidate wasted vote, Labour could surprise the electorate with a shock return of Chauvel from the UN to run again. Expect some surprises. If Labour can win this seat, they rob Key of another possible ally.’
Anyone else heard about Charles returning ? Good news if he does, I reckon.
NOpe, Darren Hughes is one I would love to see back though.
Yes indeed, bring back Darren Hughes
Darren Hughes was an effective MP, but I’m sure you and Slater just want to share schoolboy laughs some more over a (probably) bi-curious guest having second thoughts.
Remind me: why did he resign?
“having second thoughts”
Well thats one way of looking at it I guess
especially as noone here knows what happened. Including you.
Mac, how dare you suggest that ‘wing-nuts’ need ‘facts’ to make a judgement about anything, if it jerks their knee its gotta be true is their modus operendi…
I did a piece on Ohariu the other day and noticed how well Charles had done. It would be worth Labour running him again, with him high on the list so he gets a sure place if he does return. He would be doing both Labour and NZ a big boost. I think also his background which I think was part Tahitian would give Labour another boost in the eyes of South Aucland people. I hope the rumour is true. Make it so!
Perhaps Charles could be persuaded to come back after the election. He would make a good Labour leader – well the best around probably. There does not appear to be much competition.
” I think also his background which I think was part Tahitian would give Labour another boost in the eyes of South Aucland people.”
Hi Warbly! Just bear in mind the electorate of Ohariu is in Wellington, not South Auckland………
😀
Ok smarty pants 😉 , where’s “Aucland” ?
Why would you give up a new international career for an even odds chance (at best) of returning to the lovely supportive work environment known as the Labour caucus?
Good question. I can’t see it happening.
There is still hope for a better Labour. Chauvel would have to have a bit of mongrel as well as being astute. Jones has the mongrel and thinks he’s cute. It just sounds rather the same as the prescription but really a wide distance from what is needed.
What is Chauvel’s nature and has he any fellow feelings with all his fellows, or is he a fellow whose mind is too far away from the grassroots to see the little people. I know he has a brown shade, but some of those brown politicians are as addicted as any pakeha on the rise who likes to bathe in champagne, or still on the ladder, in chardonnay or sauv blanc.
thanks cv, that made my day.
Martyn is incorrect. The candidate selection has already been held for Ohariu, and Virginia Andersen was selected.
(Disclaimer: I’m on the Ohariu campaign team.)
People who are interested in the Ohariu race can follow Ginny on Facebook or Twitter:
https://www.facebook.com/virginia.andersen.ohariu
Tweets by ginnyandersen
Oh Hi Stephanie. Sorry, I didn’t see you up there! Will you be at the meeting tonight, the one I mention at 10.5?
Unfortunately I’m not able to be there! Hope you get a great turnout 🙂
I hope so too Stephanie. Lol, just to let you know, I’m one of the people behind these placards that you may see from time to time around the northern burbs, if you’re living in this area:
http://wellington.scoop.co.nz/?p=61648
Our paths may cross at some stage during the campaign 🙂
Hey, btw, I really think we can win, but it will take some work. All the best with your campaigning.
Thats interesting wyndham. If they do bring him back they had better inform the Labour candidate for Ohariu, Virginia Anderson.
Oh, and folks, don’t forget tonight’s talk “How not to be Dunne over again this election” hosted by WEA at St John’s Conference centre, corner of Willis and Dixon, Wellington. Speaker John Maynard of People’s Power Ohariu. 5.30 – 6.30 pm
I have been following the MH370 plane disappearance case. And yesterday put the case for one scenario, about a fire and perhaps loss of consciousness. Then I remembered about a plane in Australia flying across the continent on auto pilot.
This was well covered by The Peoples Daily http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/english/200009/05/eng20000905_49748.html
Police believe the plane depressurized, leaving the pilot and passengers without oxygen….
It apparently ran out of fuel after flying in a virtually straight line about 2,840 kilometers (1,760 miles) from Perth in western Australia. [To near Mt Isa in Queensland.]
Dramatically and traumatically “The plane was shadowed for part of its journey by a plane belonging to the Royal Flying Doctor Service and another small commercial plane. Both tried unsuccessfully to make radio contact with the plane’s pilot.”
And the item refers to another similar happening, “The tragedy had eerie similarities to a crash last October in which two-time U.S. Open golf champion Payne Stewart and five others died when Stewart’s Learjet drifted on autopilot for hours before running out of fuel and crashing in South Dakota.”
On that crash there is another report – “Government officials said the plane may have suffered a rare pressurization failure. When that occurs at high altitudes such as above 30,000 feet, pilots have a short period of time to don an oxygen mask before slipping into unconsciousness….
ABCNEWS aviation analyst John Nance.
He said that at altitudes above 30,000 feet, a pilot would have to strap on an oxygen mask quickly or his mind would become so muddled from lack of oxygen — a condition called hypoxia — that he could no longer help himself.
“The time of useful consciousness at 25,000 feet is a fairly sedate 20 to 25 minutes. But the time of useful consciousness at 39,000 feet is six to 12 seconds, ” said Nance.
“The fact that this aircraft continued climbing right through their assigned altitude on up to almost 45,000 feet, without any call from the pilots, indicated to me that this crisis occurred some place before 39,000 but most probably above 30,000.”
The Air Force reported the plane had been “porpoising,” its altitude fluctuating between 22,000 and 51,000 feet.”
A poignant feature was that the doomed flight became television news, and the wife of the plane owner was watching and trying to rouse him by calling him on her cellphone, but to no avail.
http://emperors-clothes.com/9-11backups/abclearjet.htm
This hypoxia line has been followed by the Brisbane Times paper of 25v March citing a number of examples I have given. http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/world/malaysia-airlines-mystery-was-it-another-ghost-flight-20140325-hvmn3.html
Yep I think that there is a fairly good chance the Captain and FO will turn out to be the heroes, not the bad actors, of this tragic piece.
I wondered about depressurisation as well. Though the erratic progress of the plane doesn’t quite fit. I understand that most planes switch to Auto pilot once in the air and the flight is programmed and followed by auto unless there is an event which causes the pilots to regain control. (I think there is now a system which takes the plane on auto from takeoff to completed landing. Wow!)
I suppose that had there been a catostrophic failure the pilot could have taken back control of the plane, and turned West and all aboard suffered the same fate as those Australian ones.
Just another conjecture I guess.
You can be in a hypoxic state, still be conscious, and for a while continue to believe that you are making good decisions and judgements, keying in accurate information, having useful conversation and doing good mental arithmetic, while in fact being completely out of it mentally and outputting gibberish.
Obviously need a better auto pilot. One that can detect cabin depressurisation and act accordingly.
Hang on, why are we still using pilots?
There’s a joke in aviation circles that in the future, planes will be crewed by a pilot and a dog. The pilot’s job will be to feed the dog and the dog’s job will be to bite the pilot if they try to fly the plane.
That said, there would be tremendous resistance to purely AI or remote control of a plane by the current generation. Quite reasonably, they/we/I know that such things can have bugs or be hacked.
Maybe the next generation, which will view planes as appliances more than piloted vehicles will be willing to buy tickets on drones… but yes, we need better autopilots and communication systems that remain in constant communication rather than black boxes that are only useful after the crash if they’re found at all. Surely modern communications and information processing can manage that.
Actually, it’s not reasonable at all. It is possible to make software with no bugs. Sure, it takes a long time and a lot of testing but it can be done and once it was done it would be used for years. Hacking is a little different but even that can be minimised.
The reality is that the machine can, and will, fly the plane better than a human pilot. Same as the Google self-drive system presently drives a car better than any human can.
“Actually, it’s not reasonable at all. It is possible to make software with no bugs. Sure, it takes a long time and a lot of testing but it can be done and once it was done it would be used for years. Hacking is a little different but even that can be minimised.”
Yes, it’s possible to make software without bugs, just very expensive. But in mission-critical applications such as aviation where human lives are at stake, I’m pretty sure they already use those expensive methods.
The difficult part, though, is designing software that can take into account all possible scenarios, and have it react in a sane manner in each and every single scenario, 100% of the time without failure, ever. Computers can only do what they’ve been told to do, if the committee designing the computer never imagined situation XYZ could ever happen, the computer may have no way to react to that situation. But a sufficiently skilled human in might be able to rely on their experience and skills to produce a correct, or near-correct, response.
The reason we have pilots is because they’re as close as we can currently get to being able to take into account all possible scenarios.
The only time I’ve heard of that that may have had any bearing was when a BA 747 flew threw a volcano plume that shut down all four engines and induced a spin. The pilot managed to correct the spin and restart the engines and this was put down to his test pilot training. Pretty sure that today’s autopilots can correct for both of those.
After 100 years of flight we pretty much know all that can happen to a plane in flight and design software to work with all those situations. In fact, it’s that capability that makes drones viable.
Which comes back to Rhino’s point, that even if the a computer can do it, the public perception is that the pilot may be able to solve problems a computer couldn’t.
But just because you’ve got one example of it, doesn’t mean there aren’t many dozens of others you’ve simply never heard of, precisely because a pilot was there and averted the disaster.
On the other hand, there are many disasters that have been caused by pilot’s who didn’t believe or properly comprehend their instruments.
Which isn’t a reasonable position.
Actually, I think you’ll find that it’s the other way around. We would hear when the pilot saved an aircraft because it happens so rarely. All other times it would be pilot error.
Based on an excessive amount of watching Air Crash Investigation, I have to disagree, Draco.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Mayday_episodes)
There are crashes caused by operator error. There are also many caused by computer error either in the plane or on the ground which are saved by skilled pilots (and some which aren’t, because the pilots assume the computer knows what it’s doing). And more than a few where engine failure or lines being cut results in no power at all to the computer systems, where pilots have had to save the day by treating commuter aircraft like they’re gliders.
The incident you refer to (I assume http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Airways_Flight_9) was a bit more complicated than just ‘correcting a spin and restarting the engines’. I don’t think anyone could say for certain that a computer-flown plane would have had any better outcome.
Did you notice that most of those are really old? You really can’t look at an air accident from 1975 and use it to determine what computers are capable of today. Also, quite a lot of them seem to be due to human error on the ground most of which just wouldn’t happen today and nobody would be able to correct for.
Yes, that’s the one. I was operating on pure memory and it was actually far simpler than I thought. Going into a spin is the most dangerous thing that can happen to an aircraft that doesn’t involve loss of flight control surfaces and that didn’t happen. My mistake.
I think modern computers could have done a better job.
Modern satellite, radar and communications have probably also told the aircraft of the volcano so it can avoid it. If it hasn’t avoided it then it’s going to know where they are and it’s glide path and so determine best place to crash land given the state of the aircraft and start heading towards it. Once it gets down to a predetermined level it tries to restart the engines exactly as the pilots did. If the engines restart then it recomputes and heads towards the nearest airport else it continues to crash landing.
Also note the rather large Icelandic volcano that closed airports across Europe a couple of years back. When that erupted a number of aircraft flew through worse conditions than what that 747 in 1982 faced and didn’t have any problems. Reason? Aircraft today are built better.
And a lot of them are very recent, Draco. Here’s a handy Wiki list of more recent ones: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:21st-century_aviation_accidents_and_incidents
The more recent a crash is, the more likely automation is the problem.
Here’s a very recent one where sure, poor maintenance started the issue – so yes, mistakes on the ground still happen! – but the computer – on a modern, ‘built better’ aircraft! simply could not handle receiving conflicting data:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XL_Airways_Germany_Flight_888T
Given those facts, I find your statement that I’m ‘looking at an air accident from 1975 and using it to determine what computers are capable of today’ very condescending – especially when you’re the person whose argument is based simply on ‘I reckon computers today could totally handle this.’
Actually, it’s based upon the fact that almost the entire landing procedure of the space shuttle is automated and that drones fly autonomously. And this:
And, yes, if the computer is getting incorrect information then it’s not going to fly correctly. The same would be true of pilots.
Computer technology is moving steadily towards computers being able to carry out actions that have not been programed ie fuzzy logic. I guess when that happens computers will have self determination and people will become redundant.
For aircraft then fuzzy logic would allow the computer to make decisions as well as a pilot for dealing with unforseen problems. Maybe better as without emotional responses. Mmmm? Brave new world?
ianmac
The computer is set to the decision to stay on course as keyed in to the system. So it is already running the show.
So what about programming in a command to ask for confirmation every half hour, no notification wait 15 minutes, then wait for 5, then start on safety procedures like bringing down height level, sending out messages to nearest base, send out messages to nearest wavelengths, keep moving down to breathable air, sending out constant messages of warning to any receiving aircraft around etc.
And ask for instructions – it would still be proceeding on course, but if there was a way that the plane’s system could be contacted and set into some suitable manoeuvres it would give a chance for all. The air might be breathable, the pilot and the passengers might be able to recover, it might be able to achieve landing somewhere suitable or ditch where retrievable.
The new plane designs are big enough to take a small village now, the companies owe a change in design to the travelling public. But we should also be having the opportunity if we have time to go by ship. I was just looking at some mementoes of my Britanis trip back in the 70’s. Good experience.
I wouldn’t trust the software producers to have perfect systems. Becuase it can be done, it doesn’t mean that it will be done. And if a rare thing happens that it is not programmed for, what is it going to do. Drones being used now are more machines to do things than carry people.
I don’t want people excluded from our activities, I want human interaction with trained skilled people who have superior tools. Pike River now, that should have been machines, I don’t want people to be sacrificed for commercial gain.
Far faster to have cabin pressure, altitude, and attitude gauges.
As ianmac said, fuzzy logic. Essentially, the software will be able to analyse what state the aircraft is in and make the correct choices to correct. And, yes, the computer will also be able to take into account damage and how that’s affecting the aircraft.
does novopay know this?
Novapay wasn’t written to that sort of standard because it’s dammed expensive. Of course, it should have been written to far higher standards than what it was as well but that’s the result of free-market capitalism and the delusional belief that the private sector can always do better.
Hypoxia.
http://www.airlinepilotforums.com/hangar-talk/37850-serious-case-hypoxia.html
conjecture, but it’s beginning to look that way.
Yes well we’ve had pilot suicide, we have had terrorism, we have had sudden mental deterioraton, hijacking, stealing the plane and passengers with stealth flying under radar cover.
An experienced woman expert talked about examining the maintenance manuals for the recent to sometime past for ideas on possible problems from inadequate fixing. She said these should have been immediately available but there was so much secrecy so we haven’t had much of that.
But blame the pilot doesn’t seem to be likely. Now some hard thinking needs to be done away from the paranoia about attacks. And those with expertise can be listened to – they have some offerings that are possibilities.
Brownlee rules out support for Napier-Gisborne railway:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/hawkes-bay-today/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503462&objectid=11226550
Some easy votes for Labour from the East Coast electorate?
It doesn’t matter how good the plan is Brownlee won’t support it as it goes against what the roading lobby want.
every time I watch the news on the teavy there is shifty telling another fib about the glorious plate of toast and jam and pie in the sky next week.
its always next week with him.
All sorts of lessons here: how not to combine averages, how not trust the press, why not to succumb to the “outsource everything” mantra…
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/mar/25/nhs-fraud-story-terrible-if-true
Shame on General Mataparae.
The former gallant soldier is now sending letters to MPs telling them how to condict themselves when meeting the English monarch’s son.
I hope the MPs have the self respect to write back to Gerry and to tell him that they do not need lessons from him or anyone on how to conduct themselves. They are elected by the public of NZ to stand up strong: not tody to celebs.
Gerry Mataparae was not elected and, with an attitude like this, would never be elected.
The sooner we get to have direct election of a Head of State the better.
If there were more like Jerry (not Gerry) in parliament then parliament and NZ would be a better place
We would certainly know less about anything dodgy our soldiers might do overseas with more like Jerry in responsible positions. I’m not sure that would make NZ a better place.
What a dreamer you are. An elected Head of State. Who campaigns sucking up all the money he/she can get. So they can live it up. Do you think that some egoist who wants to strut like a rock star is going to be good for us? a
He/she will look serious and noble or smiley and wavy and crack jokes and know the right way to treat all leaders and which fork to use at dinner etc and be better than what we have, will fill a gap that we don’t have, and will cost us more and more. Soon they will have a building up of resources, their own small jet, their own this, that whatever is suitable for our leading Sir or Madam.
The Cambriudge Branch will hold its AGM this Sunday 10-30am Red Cross Hall Cambridge .Come and meet the members of the branch that has flown the Red Flag for years in Tory Cambridge .Also meet Jamie Strange candidate for Taupo and Cliff Allen candidate for Ham East.
You are all welcome.
a homeless man has been bashed to death on dominion rd..balmoral..
..he had been sleeping-rough behind a disused shop..for a year..
..i think it was ‘the year’ that made me go kinda ballistic..
http://whoar.co.nz/2014/police-are-treating-the-death-of-a-man-who-was-sleeping-rough-on-aucklands-dominion-rd-as-a-homicide-comment-a-pox-on-many-many-people/
phillip ure..
Green Party gearing up for the election and asking for support –
In 5 days time we make important financial decisions about the Green Party’s budget for this year’s election.
We need a strong indication from supporters like you about how much funds we will have to run our campaign.
That is why I am asking you click here to donate today:
https://my.greens.org.nz/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&id=19
The more funds we can confirm by our end of financial year deadline of April 1st, the bigger our campaign to win more Greens in government will be this year.
Last week our inspiring former Co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons sent you an email to ask you to donate to our 2014 election campaign. She said this year’s election is critical to the future of our country.
I couldn’t agree with her more. Only the Green Party has the ideas and leadership needed to drive our country in a new direction.
With your support we can be the first green government in New Zealand’s history. You and I working together can green our economy, clean up our environment and build a fairer society for all New Zealanders.
Help us make history in this election. Click here to donate for good green change: https://my.greens.org.nz/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&id=19
A strong financial position now means we can commit to a big campaign to get our message out to more voters.
On April 1st we will be weighing up how many billboards we can print, how many advertisements we can place and how many leaflets we can deliver.
Your gift today means the Green Party will be able to run our strongest campaign ever. Donate now to be part of our biggest campaign ever.
Together we can win more Greens in government on 20th September.
Thank you for your generous support
Dr Russel Norman
Green Party Co-leader
So the Treasury says that the state owning social assets like schools and hospitals shouldn’t be the default position.
Then they say they are not for any “ideology”, just wanting best value.
🙄
Just looks like aset sales by another name to me.
Schools and hospitals.
I think I predicted this some years ago. There is only one sane response – for all the left-wing parties to announce a nationalisation policy.
Anything sold from here on in will be reacquired back into state ownership with no compensation.
I’m pro-state owned and run public services but after 30 years of attack from neoliberalism, what is the best way to get from here to there?
sack treasury for a start…..
+1111
They’re actually getting worse as their faith comes crashing down under the weight of reality.
But that’s just it isn’t it? All of these institutions that you’d have to rely on to at least some extent as a reforming government, eg the government, the media, basically everything, has been thoroughly infested with the free market dreck.
So you’d have to be sneaky about it, like Douglas, and spring it out of nowhere. There’s no way the Lange Labour government would have been elected if the populace had known what was about to happen. They would have been ridiculed and marginalised by the power of the status quo within all the public institutions and never would have been elected.
So how could the Left campaign on corresponding grounds when they would equally be ridiculed and marginalised by the power of the status quo within all the now privatised institutions??
So the only way I can see this happening is either, by being sneaky as fuck, ie trojan horsing your way into power as a centrist, and then springing the new overarching, progressive regime on an unsuspecting population OR wait for the inevitable crisis that will happen if we keep following this market crap and then campaigning upfront with the nationalising policy.
There’s only two legitimate ways I can think of. One is to keep telling people that the present system is wrong, what’s wrong about it and then to tell them what needs to be done to fix it all. Then, when the crash inevitably happens and we get in power we do it all fully and openly. The second would be the same as the first but when we getting into power we put in place a participatory democracy and let the people decide.
Then they say they are not for any “ideology”, just wanting best value.
Which is of course an ideological position, long used by the far right. Any opposition is “political” because “politics” is bad and boring while what they do is “good sense” or “good value”. It is indeed good sense and good value – for the one percent.
And what can be more political than that?
+100
If the left wing parties don’t indicate this, then each time there is a change of Party in government, they just pick the scab off any wounds that have healed from the latest round of slashing and carry on the work of bringing a once proud country to its knees.
We can’t have this business of a parasitical National Party stealing or mismanaging the people’s assets. We want good business ethics from Labour, and we want things run well, but when it’s clear that there is no golden goose laying a golden egg, the enthusiasm of private investors will fall.
All sorted for the nationa-wide rallies against the signing of the TPPA this Saturday 29 March 2014 at 1pm?
(I’ll be in Hamilton, but have been helping to organise the Auckland event 🙂
More details here:
http://www.itsourfuture.org.nz/why-our-sponsors-are-supporting-the-nationwide-day-of-action/
Cheers!
Penny Bright
FYI:
26 March 2014
‘Open Letter’ reply to Auckland Mayor Len Brown, Chair of the Auckland Council Governing Body – re: the following response I received yesterday to my request for speaking rights at tomorrow’s meeting:
Thank you for for accepting my request for ‘speaking rights’ at tomorrow’s Governing Body meeting.
However, I note that some person / persons from Auckland Council are attempting to restrict what I can say, about the four complaints which I filed with Auckland Central Police:
“Your request for speaking rights at the 27 March Governing Body meeting has been accepted but only to talk about issues 2) and 3).
It has been decided that it is not appropriate for you to talk about any complaints being handled by the Police at the Governing Body meeting.”
I do not accept that ANY person at Auckland Council has the lawful right to attempt to censor or restrict my LAWFUL right to freedom of expression, as guaranteed under s.14 of the NZ Bill of Rights Act 1990:
http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1990/0109/latest/DLM225513.html
14Freedom of expression
Everyone has the right to freedom of expression, including the freedom to seek, receive, and impart information and opinions of any kind in any form.
FYI – Police have made determinations in the first three out of four of the above-mentioned complaints, and I am still awaiting their decision on the fourth.
None of these matters are before the Court.
I am unsure as to whom has made the decision that “…it is not appropriate for you to talk about any complaints being handled by the Police at the Governing Body meeting ..”
however, I do not accept this decision as being LAWFUL, so please be advised that I WILL briefly covering these matters:
1) An update on four complaints that I filed with Police:
a) Alleged money-laundering against Mayor Len Brown.
b) Alleged bribery and corruption against Mayor Len Brown (a joint complaint with fellow community Public Watchdog Lisa Prager).
c) Alleged contravention of statute by former Auckland Council CEO, Doug McKay.
d) Alleged assault against Auckland Council Officers who forcibly removed me from the CEO Review Committee meeting after I was denied speaking rights by Chair Chris Fletcher, when I was attempting to expose, (in my considered opinion), a corrupt ‘conflict of interest’ involving current CEO Stephen Town.
FYI – please be reminded of the following declaration that ALL Auckland Council elected representatives swore (affirmed) at the public ‘swearing in ceremony’ on 29 October 2013:
http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2002/0084/latest/DLM175643.html
Conduct of members
14Declaration by member
(1)A person may not act as a member of a local authority until—
(a)that person has, at a meeting of the local authority following the election of that person, made an oral declaration in the form set out in subclause (3); and
(b)a written version of the declaration has been attested as provided under subclause (2).
………………..
(3)The form of the declaration must consist of the following elements:
Declaration by mayor or chairperson or member
“I, AB, declare that I will faithfully and impartially, and according to the best of my skill
and judgment, execute and perform, in the best interests of [region or district], the powers,
authorities, and duties vested in, or imposed upon, me as [mayor or chairperson or
member] of the [local authority] by virtue of the Local Government Act 2002, the
Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987, or any other Act
Dated at: [place, date]
Signature:
Signed in the presence of:
CD, [mayor or chairperson or member or chief executive of local authority]”.
(My underlining).
Kind regards,
Penny Bright
‘Anti-corruption / anti-privatisation Public Watchdog’
Attendee: 2009 Australian Public Sector Anti-Corruption Conference
Attendee: 2010 Transparency International Anti-Corruption Conference
Attendee: 2013 Australian Public Sector Anti-Corruption Conference
2013 Auckland Mayoral candidate
http://www.pennybright4mayor.org.nz
http://www.occupyaucklandvsaucklandcouncilappeal.org.nz
FYI:
26 March 2014
‘Open Letter’ reply to Auckland Mayor Len Brown, Chair of the Auckland Council Governing Body – re: the following response I received yesterday to my request for speaking rights at tomorrow’s meeting:
Thank you for for accepting my request for ‘speaking rights’ at tomorrow’s Governing Body meeting.
However, I note that some person / persons from Auckland Council are attempting to restrict what I can say, about the four complaints which I filed with Auckland Central Police:
“Your request for speaking rights at the 27 March Governing Body meeting has been accepted but only to talk about issues 2) and 3).
It has been decided that it is not appropriate for you to talk about any complaints being handled by the Police at the Governing Body meeting.”
I do not accept that ANY person at Auckland Council has the lawful right to attempt to censor or restrict my LAWFUL right to freedom of expression, as guaranteed under s.14 of the NZ Bill of Rights Act 1990:
http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1990/0109/latest/DLM225513.html
14Freedom of expression
Everyone has the right to freedom of expression, including the freedom to seek, receive, and impart information and opinions of any kind in any form.
FYI – Police have made determinations in the first three out of four of the above-mentioned complaints, and I am still awaiting their decision on the fourth.
None of these matters are before the Court.
I am unsure as to whom has made the decision that “…it is not appropriate for you to talk about any complaints being handled by the Police at the Governing Body meeting ..”
however, I do not accept this decision as being LAWFUL, so please be advised that I WILL briefly covering these matters:
1) An update on four complaints that I filed with Police:
a) Alleged money-laundering against Mayor Len Brown.
b) Alleged bribery and corruption against Mayor Len Brown (a joint complaint with fellow community Public Watchdog Lisa Prager).
c) Alleged contravention of statute by former Auckland Council CEO, Doug McKay.
d) Alleged assault against Auckland Council Officers who forcibly removed me from the CEO Review Committee meeting after I was denied speaking rights by Chair Chris Fletcher, when I was attempting to expose, (in my considered opinion), a corrupt ‘conflict of interest’ involving current CEO Stephen Town.
FYI – please be reminded of the following declaration that ALL Auckland Council elected representatives swore (affirmed) at the public ‘swearing in ceremony’ on 29 October 2013:
http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2002/0084/latest/DLM175643.html
Conduct of members
14Declaration by member
(1)A person may not act as a member of a local authority until—
(a)that person has, at a meeting of the local authority following the election of that person, made an oral declaration in the form set out in subclause (3); and
(b)a written version of the declaration has been attested as provided under subclause (2).
………………..
(3)The form of the declaration must consist of the following elements:
Declaration by mayor or chairperson or member
“I, AB, declare that I will faithfully and impartially, and according to the best of my skill
and judgment, execute and perform, in the best interests of [region or district], the powers,
authorities, and duties vested in, or imposed upon, me as [mayor or chairperson or
member] of the [local authority] by virtue of the Local Government Act 2002, the
Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987, or any other Act
Dated at: [place, date]
Signature:
Signed in the presence of:
CD, [mayor or chairperson or member or chief executive of local authority]”.
(My underlining).
Kind regards,
Penny Bright
‘Anti-corruption / anti-privatisation Public Watchdog’
Attendee: 2009 Australian Public Sector Anti-Corruption Conference
Attendee: 2010 Transparency International Anti-Corruption Conference
Attendee: 2013 Australian Public Sector Anti-Corruption Conference
2013 Auckland Mayoral candidate
http://www.pennybright4mayor.org.nz
http://www.occupyaucklandvsaucklandcouncilappeal.org.nz
John Keys election PR
I am greater than the sum of all the other parties
My advice :Stay overseas John we are sick of you and your selling off our country
Pula Benifits latest piece of fascist legislation should be turned back into wood and used as her coffin after the election, thanks John FOR THE EARLY ELECTION
Maybe she should have had more children instead of stealing ours