I see the Herald’s editorial writers are now spluttering about politicians actually running the country rather than leaving it to faceless technocrats in the reserve bank. There is a consistant anti-democratic theme in the Herald’s editorials – democracy can only be allowed if it doesn’t change the existing elite structures in NZ.
Finding it difficult to access this site. It states Reason: Exceeded the maximum global requests per minute for crawlers or humans. This is untrue – could it be Matthew Hooton or some other reason!!
[lprent: Thanks I’d left that at 3 per minute froma single source while I was diagnosing the outages yesterday. Reset back to 15 per minute. ]
Some nameless person at the New Zealand Herald thinks either Labour or the Greens are going to have to support National after the 2014 election. And that person gets a salary to write this sort of stuff!
I don’t normally read anonymous postings on the internet, but yesterday’s NZ Herald editorial about the prospect of a “coalition of the losers” government forming post 2014 has been brought to my attention. It’s a topic that both Tim Watkin and I have posted on before, but the Herald’s treatment of it is so annoying that I’m revisiting it in a cut-paste-and-comment format.
There is discussion about investing in NZ enterprise and the Americas Cup great effort is an example of what we can do. We didn’t win but we were only about 50 seconds behind and the boat didn’t split in half.
We should be doing more ground breaking innovative stuff. We might even get a winning boat – or better make one that is sea-breaking for transporting our produce and carrying passengers when the price goes up on present transport.
What about encouraging investors to put 10% of their investments into new development and rising stars. Fun, excitement, being close to the action with regular updates on what may be happening in their portfolios. Investors made to feel important, and knowing there are risks but that they are up there with the smart ones who actually are exploring new products and ideas with a commercial promise. Get togethers with nibbles and large screens about ground-breaking stuff that we are attempting, doing, and what is being done internationally. Know more than your average NZr.
Get that excitement that people have felt about yachting and insert it into the country’s development, draw up rational scenarios and pilot plans, and light the touchpaper.
Ten thoughts….
i.) Put an Australia, a Brit, some US and NZer’s up against Team NZ and they win, sure isn’t that always the way? The wider the pool of talent and money wins.
ii.) 8 straight wins with two highly competitive boats, okay no that can happen, sure, its not like team NZ almost capsized, money has been know to buy…
iii.) Relief, America’s cup not going to Littleton.
iv.) The history of the America Cup is the history of rich rule twisting,
v.) WTF, a two point advantage, what were they trying to do, scruple team NZ by given Team USA a man down, its well known in football that a man down spurs the team to victory.
vi.) Ooops, sorry Key no 3% bounce.
vii.) Wow, those boats were mostly built in NZ,
viii.) As an expat living in NZ, I’m proud of my country men, and NZ for building boats to win in.
ix.) What no women on board?
x.) Why are these boats so expensive, had they been cheaper, there could be catamaran races all over the world? Those boats rock, and the rules would be able to be altered to maximize their coolness.
+1 Greywarbler….Great racing and great sport.!…seems like American aeronautics stablising technology won in the end though
….and all the more important why we should putting more investment into R&D, ICT and protecting intellectual copyright…… and not allowing it to be traded away with the TTPA.
Here i was thinking that TeamNZ was slowed down by the weight of all that filthy lucre, i could of sworn i heard the sound of screeching brakes in one of the races as Dean and the crew overtook the opposition boat,
Looking at the specs tho shows that Aotearoa aint fitted with brakes so we will just have to take it as Dean said, that it was a ‘mistake’ to not continue with the overtaking instead tacking off into bad air…
@bad12….yes it was a weird mistake…but I guess hindsight is not foresight?….but it still seemed a weird tack when one is speeding ahead at terrific rate of knots and seems to be winning (to amateurs at least)
….the one good thing about all this is that John key and Joyce don’t get their mugshots taken with the cup!….smile
Considering all the other ‘mistakes’ and trying not to be too critical, it would appear that either Dean aint the sailor everyone thinks He is, or…
Was interesting to listen to the bloke that built the American boat, He said on TV3 News tonight that the aero-nautical foiling gear was on the boat from the time it was built, makes me wonder how after all those months of testing that boat suddenly grew wings for the 2nd half of the regatta,
i have to ask myself if i was paid a million to win that cup how much would it take to make me lose it…
@bad 12…now you are getting confusing……It was fun in the first half ….and ‘all at sea’ and lots of ‘silly mistakes’ in the second half …..plus a big aeroplane booster gidget came into play…the hidden technological wizardry brought out by the Oracle multi billionaire…..
…although I prefer yachting races to rugby…. I certainly wouldn’t gamble on this one ….however I know one mad coot who is kicking himself he didnt….but hindsight is all (unless of course one has foresight)
i blame myself, ,my guilt therefore knows no bounds,(snigger), i commented the other week that their boat was a lemon and they couldn’t sail it for s**t,
Auckland council is talking about ways to honour team nz. As a ratepayer can I just say NOOOOOOOOOOOOO
they lost. They gave it their best shot… or is the idea for ratepayers to fork out for it so crowds will spend money in queen st? If thats the reason alex swny can pay.
Just watched ‘the Hairdo’ speaking in the Parliament with a motion of praise for ‘TeamNZ$’, time to regroup and get together an even better team says wee Petey,
i take that as code for lets toss even more of the taxpayers cash into the abyss, meanwhile in South Auckland another family moved into the garage out the back of a cousins place because of the dire shortage of State Houses…
…..said that the event had not only brought New Zealanders closer together but also MPs: “Somewhere in a bar in San Francisco it’s even brought Steven Joyce and Trevor Mallard together singing Dave Dobbyn songs like ‘Loyal’.”
Maryan Street has withdrawn her voluntary Euthanasia bill. Understandable, because in the election year the Right would jump on it like rabid dogs, and we’d be hearing of Labour’s termination camps for the elderly and similar rubbish to no end.
Yes extremely divisive, Slippery the PM is actually a supporter of euthanasia, one ex Australian Head of State actually went so far as to state He supports it as those wanting to euthanize were at the end of their useful economic life…
Just saw a great comment on stuff about Climate Change and thought I would share it here: “Why do so many who believe the Science on Global Warming deny the Science on Nuclear power, Fracking and Genetic Engineering? All the arguments on Scientific consensus, peer review, weight of evidence and data cherry picking work both ways. Either show consistency or accept others rights to the freedom of enquiry.”
Well hardly anyone died in those accidents, while millions of people die of cold because we don’t have enough global warming and they can’t afford the increased power prices due to the carbon taxes! 🙂
NZ butter went funny about the time of the 3 Mile Island….i think the Yanks exported it here and we called it ‘2 Flags’….housewives were complaining all over the country that their cakes were turning out funny….even although they had been using the same recipes for years….meanwhile back at 3 Mile Island cows were lying down with their legs in the air….and a lot of people felt a wee bit sick and were queuing up at the hospitals
….the Russians refused the butter and said the Americans should eat their own butter
….there was a film festival doco on it at the time….and that was around about the time we switched to margarine….
There is overwhelming consistency on scientific review on Climate Change – the main discrepancy is in the reporting and media space…. and the constant repetition of that 3% by comments such as yours.
By “Science on Nuclear power, fracking and genetic engineering” I guess you mean scientific studies on the safety of those three. Given the lack of impartiality of most of those studies, and their limited scope it is of no surprise to me that independent scientists think their conclusions are misguided.
Your call for consistency is admirable, you need to apply it to your examples.
One of the people in that photo looks very, very happy to be seen with the other.
Only one, mind.
And the newspaper was merciless in its description of New Zealand’s 38th Prime Minister.
“He is totally chuffed to bits, glowing nuclear pink with pleasure, at being snapped with the Queen in her private sitting room.
“She, on the other hand, has her head bowed, deep in thought. Perhaps she is having second thoughts about letting this galloping colonial clot through the front door?” the Daily Mail reported.
…
The Daily Mail said Key sounded like he was filing a report for TripAdvisor when he wrote “They were extremely generous hosts and we had a fantastic weekend.”
Didn’t take long for the British press to get the measure of him. What’s taking our lot so long?
They stuff the corgis after they have finished with them???? Made my day.. Is this the fate of all their visitors when they reach the end of the line..
JAYMAN
>>Well hardly anyone died in those accidents
FUKISHIMA
news.discovery.com/…/fukushima-radioactive-plume-reach-us-130901.h…
Sep 1, 2013 – The known death toll came to 15,848 with 3,305 missing
They just don’t know how to decommission, how much it costs to decommission, how to fund decommission or how to safely store contaminants that remain deadly toxic for many thousands of years.
While waiting for ultra efficient green energy sources, the smartest money is on building shit loads of wind turbines in the meantime, which to some may look unsightly, but as nimby arguments go, much less tumour inducing and easily removed.
And they’re struggling with how to warn the future.
The panel roughly defined the intended message with the following:
This place is a message… and part of a system of messages… pay attention to it!Sending this message was important to us. We considered ourselves to be a powerful culture.
This place is not a place of honor…no highly esteemed deed is commemorated here… nothing valued is here.
What is here is dangerous and repulsive to us. This message is a warning about danger.
The danger is in a particular location… it increases toward a center… the center of danger is here… of a particular size and shape, and below us.
The danger is still present, in your time, as it was in ours.
The danger is to the body, and it can kill.
The form of the danger is an emanation of energy.
The danger is unleashed only if you substantially disturb this place physically. This place is best shunned and left uninhabited.
You’d better find someone else to argue with. While I am trained in nuclear physics, I don’t like any of the current reactor designs. And nuclear is probably never an option for NZ. I like tidal and hydro and geothermal power. I’d like to go off the grid one day.
Because you can’t back up comments like “hardly anyone died in those accidents, while millions of people die of cold because we don’t have enough global warming”
“I am trained in nuclear physics”
And you can’t spell I’m a qualified fu*ktard and retarded climate change denier
You fool – you mised the 🙂 in message 12.1.1, where I was pretending to be a nuke proponent.
I did do nuclear physics for my science degree, and I have worked on a couple of nuclear accelerators and much engineering. I know how things can go wrong.
P.S. there are no climate change deniers. Nobody denies climate change.
If you say you were pretending to be a nuke proponent, and the 🙂 is an indicator of this, then I guess I have to take you at your word.
Next time I use the climate change denier tag I’ll be sure to preface it with ‘man made’ to avoid any misunderstanding, because we all know they exist.
What was that about the Yanks building them properly?
These designs date back to the start of the Vietnam War. And the Japanese operator has been cutting corners on operation and maintenance. Well, not so much cutting corners as simply lopping off whole limbs.
They all cut corners – the French have been caught falsifying fuel rod mesurements, the Brits shoot bits of plutonium on to their beaches and change the name of their nuke generator when it has an embarrassing accident.
I think a safe enough nuclear design will be invented in a few hundred years – around about the time fossil fuel starts getting expensive.
Probably because he agrees with what he chose to hear, or the spin the cetacean put on it. Just a guess, because I didn’t listen to it – I might have done were it not on the cetacean’s site.
I’m considering it possible that WJ would be intrigued by the supposed wider freedom that charter schools have, from a context of self determination (similar to Whanau Ora), rather than focusing strictly on how shit most of them are in practise.
Did they manage to address the issues around quality of education, I wonder.
nah mate, I prefer to minimise the tory crabs left in my cache. Saves them tracking me down via ip etc (no, I wouldn’t put that past the odious windbag).
If you have a non-propogandist link to the interview, I’d be intrigued to see how far off I am.
he’s claimed that he’s used his vast technical knowledge to access confidential information (the labour website, remember?). If he likes doing that, what more does he do – tracking cookies, maybe?
John Banks a mere scab on the rump of humanity, whats the betting like on the chances of Banks getting His second conviction in the district Court while a serving Minister of a Government, 50/50?, 75/25?…
Bolivia to sue United States for war crimes
Morales calls on Latin American nations to withdraw ambassadors
by ETHAN JURY, September 24, 2013
As the drive for “humanitarian” intervention in Syria has turned international attention towards the hypocrisy and violence of U.S. foreign policy, Bolivian president Evo Morales has announced his intent to file a lawsuit against the United States government for crimes against humanity.
The announcement came as a direct response to the denial of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro’s jet from entering U.S. airspace on his way to bi-lateral talks in China this week, and only two months after Morales’ own plane was forced to land in Vienna on suspicion that whistleblower Edward Snowden was on board.
“The U.S. cannot be allowed to continue with its policy of intimidation and blockading of presidential flights,” stressed Morales during a press conference in the Bolivian city of Santa Cruz.
These latest transgressions come following the revelation of widespread spying on several Latin American countries by the National Security Association. Morales has called an emergency meeting of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) to address the issue of neo-colonial intimidation in the region, but his impending lawsuit is a wider condemnation of the impunity and violence of North American imperialism around the world.
“We are preparing a lawsuit against Barack Obama to condemn him for crimes against humanity,” said Morales. He has called for CELAC members to withdraw their ambassadors from the United States and for members of the Bolivarian Alliance of the Americas (ALBA) to boycott the next United Nations meeting.
The Obama administration has sent predator drones to kill hundreds of innocent civilians in Yemen and Pakistan, has defended the use of torture tactics on prisoners of war, and has continued to financially support the colonial state of Israel and other oppressive regimes. The administration’s recent drive for unilateral war on Syria highlights U.S. violations of international law in the interest of empire.
As the U.S. government continue to spread death and violence around the world, it will be crucially important for members of the world community to follow Bolivia’s example and stand in solidarity against the beast of imperialism.
Just got polled by Roy Morgan. Usual stuff – voting intentions for next year, NZ right track/wrong track. Most pressing issue facing the world. Where do I listen to the radio, etc. Took forever. One of us was doing the interview with english as a second language.
Colmar Brunton phoned me last week and asked for me by name. I was having dinner so I declined to answer their poll. I’m regretting that ever since. Damn damn damn. I usually decline only Curia. What was I thinking?
Team NZ Challenge cost- 110M Euro
Oracle US cost – that + 10%
-Source, Russel Coutts, RNZ Checkpoint.
was a learning experience; the crew that learnt the most, won. (limits on exchange parts etc), although it appears the parts sourced from NZ late in the piece contributed to the overall superiority of Oracle. Oh well… 😀
POS Tau Henare, your a real POS, Henare on 3 news tonight asked if He had any sympathy for the Parliaments cleaners who made submissions befor the select committee today on proposed labour law changes,
”If She doesn’t want the job She should give it to someone else”, hope your down the bottom of National’s list for the 2014 election Tau, that comment shows you for what you are, simply Scum…
Tua Henare is a sociopath who really has no place in NZ society – let alone Parliament.
He believes a toilet cleaner who broke down while giving evidence to a select committee because she’s fearful that a law change will put her job in jeopardy should “get another job”.
Angry, mean fwit. This man? is a disgrace.
P.S. This interview was in TV3 news but no link online as yet – will post if they put it up.
Promising free public transport has not been enough to win Auckland mayoral candidate John Minto a top score from youth organisation Generation Zero on that and issues such as climate change.
Mr Minto got a B grade, putting him above candidates John Palino (C+), Uesifili UNasa (C) and Penny Bright (E), but below Mayor Len Brown’s A-.
The group, which interviewed mayoral and council candidates focusing heavily on an alternative plan for a “congestion-free” network of public transport ahead of new roads, rated Mr Brown “a competent champion for getting Auckland’s transport moving in the right direction”.
But it found Mr Minto “overly focused on creating free public transport without showing a convincing understanding of implications.”
It marked Mr Palino down for weak support of its network plan, despite his showing enthusiasm for less reliance on more motorways.
Ms Bright’s E grade followed an alleged failure to answer most of the group’s 14 questions.”
____________________________________________________________________________
errrr….. I DID answer the Generation Zero questions, but I don’t think they liked my opposition to the corporate GREENWASH UN Agenda 21, which they apparently support?
How many people, and those in Generation Zero, in particular, actually understand that UN Agenda 21 is a massive corporate ‘GREENWASH’?
Sustainable Development in the 21st century (SD21)
Review of implementation of Agenda 21 and the Rio Principles
Agenda 21 did not address the interconnectedness of the various goals, because it was not “allowed” to examine the economic system itself.
Nor did it explore the fundamental drivers of sectoral and inter-country outcomes, which include:
• the role of corporations, and multi-national corporations (MNCs) in particular;
• the role and impacts of trade and globalisation;
• the role of international economic governance in helping steer the whole system;
_________________________________________________________
I may be many things but a ‘SHEEP’ is not one of them.
Like the global capitalist economic system is not controlled by multi-national companies?
DUH?
Like multi-national companies are not the main ones responsible for polluting and destroying the planet?
Through this corporate UN Agenda 21 ‘GREENWASH’ they try to spin it that the planet is a mess – that it’s we the peoples’ fault and it’s OUR job to clean up it up?
Wakey wakey folks!
Generation Zero supporters may like to ‘SEEK TRUTH FROM FACTS’ and check this out?
____________________________________________________________________________
If Generation Zero support UN Agenda 21 (which is my understanding) – then I am VERY proud of my ‘score’.
Also – how many Generation Zero supporters are aware that the root cause of corruption is privatisation?
That in 2010 – the global procurement market was $14 TRILLION – of which $2.5 TRILLION was estimated to be lost to bribery and corruption?
Don’t you think that $2,500 BILLION might help to feed, clothe, shelter and water a few poor people? (I got these figures from the 2010 Transparency International Anti-Corruption Conference, which I attended, as an independent, anti-corruption ‘whistle-blower’ from New Zealand) .
It’s the wording that gets me – I shouldn’t have to figure out what they really mean…
Health Minister Tony Ryall said the Funded Family Care notice published today sets out the eligibility criteria and conditions for how disabled adults were to be allocated their share of $92 million in Government funding to employ family carers, who will be paid $13.75 an hour to look after them.
“The notice clearly outlines the roles and responsibilities of the disabled person, the family member providing care, Needs Assessment and Service Coordination (NASC) organisations and the Ministry of Health,” Ryall said.
He said the Government had worked with representatives of the disability and carers’ community to develop the notice.
“If disabled people would like a family member to be their paid carer, they should read the notice and accompanying operational policy on the ministry website, and then contact their local NASC to be assessed.’’
If disabled people would ‘like’ to be cared for by a family member? (Actually, I reckon there are a whole heap of them who would ‘like’ to be able to care for themselves. I know I did when I had a long-term bout of disability).
All disabled people are fully aware of their responsibilities?
All disabled people can read a notice and operational policy?
All disabled people can contact pick up a phone / log on to the internet / get down the road to contact their local NASC?
So if disabled people can’t do one or more of these things they cannot be assessed. Why does Mr Ryall think they’re being cared for? Lifestyle choice?
Carers, who can help disabled people do some of these things, and do other of these things for them, are once again invisible to NAct in this press release.
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I don't knowHow to say what's got to be saidI don't know if it's black or whiteThere's others see it redI don't get the answers rightI'll leave that to youIs this love out of fashionOr is it the time of yearAre these words distraction?To the words you want to hearSongwriters: ...
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Today the Auckland Transport board meet for the last time this year. For those interested (and with time to spare), you can follow along via this MS Teams link from 10am. I’ve taken a quick look through the agenda items to see what I think the most interesting aspects are. ...
Hi,If you’re a New Zealander — you know who Mike King is. He is the face of New Zealand’s battle against mental health problems. He can be loud and brash. He raises, and is entrusted with, a lot of cash. Last year his “I Am Hope” charity reported a revenue ...
Probably about the only consolation available from yesterday’s unveiling of the Half-Yearly Economic and Fiscal Update (HYEFU) is that it could have been worse. Though Finance Minister Nicola Willis has tightened the screws on future government spending, she has resisted the calls from hard-line academics, fiscal purists and fiscal hawks ...
The right have a stupid saying that is only occasionally true:When is democracy not democracy? When it hasn’t been voted on.While not true in regards to branches of government such as the judiciary, it’s a philosophy that probably should apply to recently-elected local government councillors. Nevertheless, this concept seemed to ...
Long story short: the Government’s austerity policy has driven the economy into a deeper and longer recession that means it will have to borrow $20 billion more over the next four years than it expected just six months ago. Treasury’s latest forecasts show the National-ACT-NZ First Government’s fiscal strategy of ...
Come and join myself and CTU Chief Economist for a pop-up ‘Hoon’ webinar on the Government’s Half Yearly Economic and Fiscal Update (HYEFU) with paying subscribers to The Kākā for 30 minutes at 5 pm today.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream to watch our chat. Don’t worry if ...
In 1998, in the wake of the Paremoremo Prison riot, the Department of Corrections established the "Behaviour Management Regime". Prisoners were locked in their cells for 22 or 23 hours a day, with no fresh air, no exercise, no social contact, no entertainment, and in some cases no clothes and ...
New data released by the Treasury shows that the economic policies of this Government have made things worse in the year since they took office, said NZCTU Economist Craig Renney. “Our fiscal indicators are all heading in the wrong direction – with higher levels of debt, a higher deficit, and ...
At the 2023 election, National basically ran on a platform of being better economic managers. So how'd that turn out for us? In just one year, they've fucked us for two full political terms: The government's books are set to remain deeply in the red for the near term ...
AUSTERITYText within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedMy spreadsheet insists This pain leads straight to glory (File not found) Read more ...
The NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi are saying that the Government should do the right thing and deliver minimum wage increases that don’t see workers fall further behind, in response to today’s announcement that the minimum wage will only be increased by 1.5%, well short of forecast inflation. “With inflation forecast ...
Oh, I weptFor daysFilled my eyesWith silly tearsOh, yeaBut I don'tCare no moreI don't care ifMy eyes get soreSongwriters: Paul Rodgers / Paul Kossoff. Read more ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Bob HensonIn this aerial view, fingers of meltwater flow from the melting Isunnguata Sermia glacier descending from the Greenland Ice Sheet on July 11, 2024, near Kangerlussuaq, Greenland. According to the Programme for Monitoring of the Greenland Ice Sheet (PROMICE), the ...
In August, I wrote an article about David Seymour1 with a video of his testimony, to warn that there were grave dangers to his Ministry of Regulation:David Seymour's Ministry of Slush Hides Far Greater RisksWhy Seymour's exorbitant waste of taxpayers' money could be the least of concernThe money for Seymour ...
Willis is expected to have to reveal the bitter fiscal fruits of her austerity strategy in the HYEFU later today. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/TheKakaMōrena. Long stories short, the six things that matter in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Tuesday, December 17 in The Kākā’s Dawn Chorus podcast ...
On Friday the government announced it would double the number of toll roads in New Zealand as well as make a few other changes to how toll roads are used in the country. The real issue though is not that tolling is being used but the suggestion it will make ...
The Prime Minister yesterday engaged in what looked like a pre-emptive strike designed to counter what is likely to be a series of depressing economic statistics expected before the end of the week. He opened his weekly post-Cabinet press conference with a recitation of the Government’s achievements. “It certainly has ...
This whooping cough story from south Auckland is a good example of the coalition government’s approach to social need – spend money on urging people to get vaccinated but only after you’ve cut the funding to where they could get vaccinated. This has been the case all year with public ...
And if there is a GodI know he likes to rockHe likes his loud guitarsHis spiders from MarsAnd if there is a GodI know he's watching meHe likes what he seesBut there's trouble on the breezeSongwriter: William Patrick Corgan Read more ...
Here’s a quick round up of today’s political news:1. MORE FOOD BANKS, CHARITIES, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SHELTERS AND YOUTH SOCIAL SERVICES SET TO CLOSE OR SCALE BACK AROUND THE COUNTRY AS GOVT CUTS FUNDINGSome of Auckland's largest foodbanks are warning they may need to close or significantly reduce food parcels after ...
Iain Rennie, CNZMSecretary and Chief Executive to the TreasuryDear Secretary, Undue restrictions on restricted briefings This week, the Treasury barred representatives from four organisations, including the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions Te Kauae Kaimahi, from attending the restricted briefing for the Half-Year Economic and Fiscal Update. We had been ...
This is a guest post by Tim Adriaansen, a community, climate, and accessibility advocate.I won’t shut up about climate breakdown, and whenever possible I try to shift the focus of a climate conversation towards solutions. But you’ll almost never hear me give more than a passing nod to ...
A grassroots backlash has forced a backdown from Brown, but he is still eyeing up plenty of tolls for other new roads. And the pressure is on Willis to ramp up the Government’s austerity strategy. Photo: Getty ImagesMōrena. Long stories short, the six things that matter in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
Hi all,I'm pretty overwhelmed by all your messages and emails today; thank you so very much.As much as my newsletter this morning was about money, and we all need to earn money, it was mostly about world domination if I'm honest. 😉I really hate what’s happening to our country, and ...
A listing of 23 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, December 8, 2024 thru Sat, December 14, 2024. Listing by Category Like last week's summary this one contains the list of articles twice: based on categories and based on ...
I started writing this morning about Hobson’s Pledge, examining the claims they and their supporters make, basically ripping into them. But I kept getting notifications coming through, and not good ones.Each time I looked up, there was another un-subscription message, and I felt a bit sicker at the thought of ...
Once, long before there was Harry and Meghan and Dodi and all those episodes of The Crown, they came to spend some time with us, Charles and Diana. Was there anyone in the world more glamorous than the Princess of Wales?Dazzled as everyone was by their company, the leader of ...
The collective right have a problem.The entire foundation for their world view is antiscientific. Their preferred economic strategies have been disproven. Their whole neoliberal model faces accusations of corporate corruption and worsening inequality. Climate change not only definitely exists, its rapid progression demands an immediate and expensive response in order ...
Just ten days ago, South Korea's president attempted a self-coup, declaring martial law and attempting to have opposition MPs murdered or arrested in an effort to seize unconstrained power. The attempt was rapidly defeated by the national assembly voting it down and the people flooding the streets to defend democracy. ...
Hi,“What I love about New Zealanders is that sometimes you use these expressions that as Americans we have no idea what those things mean!"I am watching a 30-something year old American ramble on about how different New Zealanders are to Americans. It’s his podcast, and this man is doing a ...
What Chris Penk has granted holocaust-denier and equal-opportunity-bigot Candace Owens is not “freedom of speech”. It’s not even really freedom of movement, though that technically is the right she has been granted. What he has given her is permission to perform. Freedom of SpeechIn New Zealand, the right to freedom ...
All those tears on your cheeksJust like deja vu flow nowWhen grandmother speaksSo tell me a story (I'll tell you a story)Spell it out, I can't hear (What do you want to hear?)Why you wear black in the morning?Why there's smoke in the air? Songwriter: Greg Johnson.Mōrena all ☀️Something a ...
National has only been in power for a year, but everywhere you look, its choices are taking New Zealand a long way backwards. In no particular order, here are the National Government's Top 50 Greatest Misses of its first year in power. ...
The Government is quietly undertaking consultation on the dangerous Regulatory Standards Bill over the Christmas period to avoid too much attention. ...
The Government’s planned changes to the freedom of speech obligations of universities is little more than a front for stoking the political fires of disinformation and fear, placing teachers and students in the crosshairs. ...
The Ministry of Regulation’s report into Early Childhood Education (ECE) in Aotearoa raises serious concerns about the possibility of lowering qualification requirements, undermining quality and risking worse outcomes for tamariki, whānau, and kaiako. ...
A Bill to modernise the role of Justices of the Peace (JP), ensuring they remain active in their communities and connected with other JPs, has been put into the ballot. ...
Labour will continue to fight unsustainable and destructive projects that are able to leap-frog environment protection under National’s Fast-track Approvals Bill. ...
The Green Party has warned that a Green Government will revoke the consents of companies who override environmental protections as part of Fast-Track legislation being passed today. ...
The Green Party says the Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update shows how the Government is failing to address the massive social and infrastructure deficits our country faces. ...
The Government’s latest move to reduce the earnings of migrant workers will not only hurt migrants but it will drive down the wages of Kiwi workers. ...
Te Pāti Māori has this morning issued a stern warning to Fast-Track applicants with interests in mining, pledging to hold them accountable through retrospective liability and to immediately revoke Fast-Track consents under a future Te Pāti Māori government. This warning comes ahead of today’s third reading of the Fast-Track Approvals ...
The Government’s announcement today of a 1.5 per cent increase to minimum wage is another blow for workers, with inflation projected to exceed the increase, meaning it’s a real terms pay reduction for many. ...
All the Government has achieved from its announcement today is to continue to push responsibility back on councils for its own lack of action to help bring down skyrocketing rates. ...
The Government has used its final post-Cabinet press conference of the year to punch down on local government without offering any credible solutions to the issues our councils are facing. ...
The Government has failed to keep its promise to ‘super charge’ the EV network, delivering just 292 chargers - less than half of the 670 chargers needed to meet its target. ...
The Green Party is calling for the Government to stop subsidising the largest user of the country’s gas supplies, Methanex, following a report highlighting the multi-national’s disproportionate influence on energy prices in Aotearoa. ...
The Green Party is appalled with the Government’s new child poverty targets that are based on a new ‘persistent poverty’ measure that could be met even with an increase in child poverty. ...
New independent analysis has revealed that the Government’s Emissions Reduction Plan (ERP) will reduce emissions by a measly 1 per cent by 2030, failing to set us up for the future and meeting upcoming targets. ...
The loss of 27 kaimahi at Whakaata Māori and the end of its daily news bulletin is a sad day for Māori media and another step backwards for Te Tiriti o Waitangi justice. ...
Yesterday the Government passed cruel legislation through first reading to establish a new beneficiary sanction regime that will ultimately mean more households cannot afford the basic essentials. ...
Today's passing of the Government's Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill–which allows landlords to end tenancies with no reason–ignores the voice of the people and leaves renters in limbo ahead of the festive season. ...
After wasting a year, Nicola Willis has delivered a worse deal for the Cook Strait ferries that will end up being more expensive and take longer to arrive. ...
Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick has today launched a Member’s Bill to sanction Israel for its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, as the All Out For Gaza rally reaches Parliament. ...
After years of advocacy, the Green Party is very happy to hear the Government has listened to our collective voices and announced the closure of the greyhound racing industry, by 1 August 2026. ...
In response to a new report from ERO, the Government has acknowledged the urgent need for consistency across the curriculum for Relationship and Sexuality Education (RSE) in schools. ...
The Green Party is appalled at the Government introducing legislation that will make it easier to penalise workers fighting for better pay and conditions. ...
Thank you for the invitation to speak with you tonight on behalf of the political party I belong to - which is New Zealand First. As we have heard before this evening the Kinleith Mill is proposing to reduce operations by focusing on pulp and discontinuing “lossmaking paper production”. They say that they are currently consulting on the plan to permanently shut ...
Auckland Central MP, Chlöe Swarbrick, has written to Mayor Wayne Brown requesting he stop the unnecessary delays on St James Theatre’s restoration. ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says Health New Zealand will move swiftly to support dozens of internationally-trained doctors already in New Zealand on their journey to employment here, after a tripling of sought-after examination places. “The Medical Council has delivered great news for hardworking overseas doctors who want to contribute ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has appointed Sarah Ottrey to the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC). “At my first APEC Summit in Lima, I experienced firsthand the role that ABAC plays in guaranteeing political leaders hear the voice of business,” Mr Luxon says. “New Zealand’s ABAC representatives are very well respected and ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced four appointments to New Zealand’s intelligence oversight functions. The Honourable Robert Dobson KC has been appointed Chief Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants, and the Honourable Brendan Brown KC has been appointed as a Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants. The appointments of Hon Robert Dobson and Hon ...
Improvements in the average time it takes to process survey and title applications means housing developments can progress more quickly, Minister for Land Information Chris Penk says. “The government is resolutely focused on improving the building and construction pipeline,” Mr Penk says. “Applications to issue titles and subdivide land are ...
The Government’s measures to reduce airport wait times, and better transparency around flight disruptions is delivering encouraging early results for passengers ahead of the busy summer period, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Improving the efficiency of air travel is a priority for the Government to give passengers a smoother, more reliable ...
The Government today announced the intended closure of the Apollo Hotel as Contracted Emergency Housing (CEH) in Rotorua, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. This follows a 30 per cent reduction in the number of households in CEH in Rotorua since National came into Government. “Our focus is on ending CEH in the Whakarewarewa area starting ...
The Government will reshape vocational education and training to return decision making to regions and enable greater industry input into work-based learning Tertiary Education and Skills Minister, Penny Simmonds says. “The redesigned system will better meet the needs of learners, industry, and the economy. It includes re-establishing regional polytechnics that ...
The Government is taking action to better manage synthetic refrigerants and reduce emissions caused by greenhouse gases found in heating and cooling products, Environment Minister Penny Simmonds says. “Regulations will be drafted to support a product stewardship scheme for synthetic refrigerants, Ms. Simmonds says. “Synthetic refrigerants are found in a ...
People travelling on State Highway 1 north of Hamilton will be relieved that remedial works and safety improvements on the Ngāruawāhia section of the Waikato Expressway were finished today, with all lanes now open to traffic, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“I would like to acknowledge the patience of road users ...
Tertiary Education and Skills Minister, Penny Simmonds, has announced a new appointment to the board of Education New Zealand (ENZ). Dr Erik Lithander has been appointed as a new member of the ENZ board for a three-year term until 30 January 2028. “I would like to welcome Dr Erik Lithander to the ...
The Government will have senior representatives at Waitangi Day events around the country, including at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, but next year Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has chosen to take part in celebrations elsewhere. “It has always been my intention to celebrate Waitangi Day around the country with different ...
Two more criminal gangs will be subject to the raft of laws passed by the Coalition Government that give Police more powers to disrupt gang activity, and the intimidation they impose in our communities, Police Minister Mark Mitchell says. Following an Order passed by Cabinet, from 3 February 2025 the ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Justice Christian Whata as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Whata’s appointment as a Judge of the Court of Appeal will take effect on 1 August 2025 and fill a vacancy created by the retirement of Hon Justice David Goddard on ...
The latest economic figures highlight the importance of the steps the Government has taken to restore respect for taxpayers’ money and drive economic growth, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Data released today by Stats NZ shows Gross Domestic Product fell 1 per cent in the September quarter. “Treasury and most ...
Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds and Associate Minister of Education David Seymour today announced legislation changes to strengthen freedom of speech obligations on universities. “Freedom of speech is fundamental to the concept of academic freedom and there is concern that universities seem to be taking a more risk-averse ...
Police Minister, Mark Mitchell, and Internal Affairs Minister, Brooke van Velden, today launched a further Public Safety Network cellular service that alongside last year’s Cellular Roaming roll-out, puts globally-leading cellular communications capability into the hands of our emergency responders. The Public Safety Network’s new Cellular Priority service means Police, Wellington ...
State Highway 1 through the Mangamuka Gorge has officially reopened today, providing a critical link for Northlanders and offering much-needed relief ahead of the busy summer period, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“The Mangamuka Gorge is a vital route for Northland, carrying around 1,300 vehicles per day and connecting the Far ...
The Government has welcomed decisions by the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) and Ashburton District Council confirming funding to boost resilience in the Canterbury region, with construction on a second Ashburton Bridge expected to begin in 2026, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Delivering a second Ashburton Bridge to improve resilience and ...
The Government is backing the response into high pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in Otago, Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard says. “Cabinet has approved new funding of $20 million to enable MPI to meet unbudgeted ongoing expenses associated with the H7N6 response including rigorous scientific testing of samples at the enhanced PC3 ...
Legislation that will repeal all advertising restrictions for broadcasters on Sundays and public holidays has passed through first reading in Parliament today, Media Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “As a growing share of audiences get their news and entertainment from streaming services, these restrictions have become increasingly redundant. New Zealand on ...
Today the House agreed to Brendan Horsley being appointed Inspector-General of Defence, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “Mr Horsley’s experience will be invaluable in overseeing the establishment of the new office and its support networks. “He is currently Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security, having held that role since June 2020. ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government has agreed to the final regulations for the levy on insurance contracts that will fund Fire and Emergency New Zealand from July 2026. “Earlier this year the Government agreed to a 2.2 percent increase to the rate of levy. Fire ...
The Government is delivering regulatory relief for New Zealand businesses through changes to the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Act. “The Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Amendment Bill, which was introduced today, is the second Bill – the other being the Statutes Amendment Bill - that ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed further progress on the Hawke’s Bay Expressway Road of National Significance (RoNS), with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) Board approving funding for the detailed design of Stage 1, paving the way for main works construction to begin in late 2025.“The Government is moving at ...
The Government today released a request for information (RFI) to seeking interest in partnerships to plant trees on Crown-owned land with low farming and conservation value (excluding National Parks) Forestry Minister Todd McClay announced. “Planting trees on Crown-owned land will drive economic growth by creating more forestry jobs in our regions, providing more wood ...
Court timeliness, access to justice, and improving the quality of existing regulation are the focus of a series of law changes introduced to Parliament today by Associate Minister of Justice Nicole McKee. The three Bills in the Regulatory Systems (Justice) Amendment Bill package each improve a different part of the ...
A total of 41 appointments and reappointments have been made to the 12 community trusts around New Zealand that serve their regions, Associate Finance Minister Shane Jones says. “These trusts, and the communities they serve from the Far North to the deep south, will benefit from the rich experience, knowledge, ...
The Government has confirmed how it will provide redress to survivors who were tortured at the Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital Child and Adolescent Unit (the Lake Alice Unit). “The Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care found that many of the 362 children who went through the Lake Alice Unit between 1972 and ...
It has been a busy, productive year in the House as the coalition Government works hard to get New Zealand back on track, Leader of the House Chris Bishop says. “This Government promised to rebuild the economy, restore law and order and reduce the cost of living. Our record this ...
“Accelerated silicosis is an emerging occupational disease caused by unsafe work such as engineered stone benchtops. I am running a standalone consultation on engineered stone to understand what the industry is currently doing to manage the risks, and whether further regulatory intervention is needed,” says Workplace Relations and Safety Minister ...
Mehemea he pai mō te tangata, mahia – if it’s good for the people, get on with it. Enhanced reporting on the public sector’s delivery of Treaty settlement commitments will help improve outcomes for Māori and all New Zealanders, Māori Crown Relations Minister Tama Potaka says. Compiled together for the ...
Mr Roger Holmes Miller and Ms Tarita Hutchinson have been appointed to the Charities Registration Board, Community and Voluntary Sector Minister Louise Upston says. “I would like to welcome the new members joining the Charities Registration Board. “The appointment of Ms Hutchinson and Mr Miller will strengthen the Board’s capacity ...
More building consent and code compliance applications are being processed within the statutory timeframe since the Government required councils to submit quarterly data, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “In the midst of a housing shortage we need to look at every step of the build process for efficiencies ...
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey is proud to announce the first three recipients of the Government’s $10 million Mental Health and Addiction Community Sector Innovation Fund which will enable more Kiwis faster access to mental health and addiction support. “This fund is part of the Government’s commitment to investing in ...
New Zealand is providing Vanuatu assistance following yesterday's devastating earthquake, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. "Vanuatu is a member of our Pacific family and we are supporting it in this time of acute need," Mr Peters says. "Our thoughts are with the people of Vanuatu, and we will be ...
The Government welcomes the Commerce Commission’s plan to reduce card fees for Kiwis by an estimated $260 million a year, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says.“The Government is relentlessly focused on reducing the cost of living, so Kiwis can keep more of their hard-earned income and live a ...
Regulation Minister David Seymour has welcomed the Early Childhood Education (ECE) regulatory review report, the first major report from the Ministry for Regulation. The report makes 15 recommendations to modernise and simplify regulations across ECE so services can get on with what they do best – providing safe, high-quality care ...
The Government‘s Offshore Renewable Energy Bill to create a new regulatory regime that will enable firms to construct offshore wind generation has passed its first reading in Parliament, Energy Minister Simeon Brown says.“New Zealand currently does not have a regulatory regime for offshore renewable energy as the previous government failed ...
Legislation to enable new water service delivery models that will drive critical investment in infrastructure has passed its first reading in Parliament, marking a significant step towards the delivery of Local Water Done Well, Local Government Minister Simeon Brown and Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly say.“Councils and voters ...
New Zealand is one step closer to reaping the benefits of gene technology with the passing of the first reading of the Gene Technology Bill, Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins says. "This legislation will end New Zealand's near 30-year ban on gene technology outside the lab and is ...
ByKoroi Hawkins, RNZ Pacific editor New Zealand’s Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) says impending bad weather for Port Vila is now the most significant post-quake hazard. A tropical low in the Coral Sea is expected to move into Vanuatu waters, bringing heavy rainfall. Authorities have issued warnings to people ...
Cosmic CatastropheThe year draws to a close.King Luxon has grown tired of the long eveningsListening to the dreary squabbling of his Triumvirate.He strolls up to the top floor of the PalaceTo consult with his Astronomer Royal.The Royal Telescope scans the skies,And King Luxon stares up into the heavensFrom the terrestrial ...
Spinoff editor Mad Chapman and books editor Claire Mabey debate Carl Shuker’s new novel about… an editor. Claire: Hello Mad, you just finished The Royal Free – overall impressions? Mad: Hi Claire, I literally just put the book down and I would have to say my immediate impression is ...
Christmas and its buildup are often lonely, hard and full of unreasonable expectations. Here’s how to make it to Jesus’s birthday and find the little bit of joy we all deserve. Have you found this year relentless? Has the latest Apple update “fucked up your life”? Have you lost two ...
Despite overwhelming public and corporate support, the government has stalled progress on a modern day slavery law. That puts us behind other countries – and makes Christmas a time of tragedy rather than joy, argues Shanti Mathias. Picture the scene on Christmas Day. Everyone replete with nice things to eat, ...
Asia Pacific Report “It looks like Hiroshima. It looks like Germany at the end of World War Two,” says an Israeli-American historian and professor of holocaust and genocide studies at Brown University about the horrifying reality of Gaza. Professor Omer Bartov, has described Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza as an ...
The New Zealand government coalition is tweaking university regulations to curb what it says is an increasingly “risk-averse approach” to free speech. The proposed changes will set clear expectations on how universities should approach freedom of speech issues. Each university will then have to adopt a “freedom of speech statement” ...
Report by Dr David Robie – Café Pacific. – COMMENTARY: By Caitlin Johnstone New York prosecutors have charged Luigi Mangione with “murder as an act of terrorism” in his alleged shooting of health insurance CEO Brian Thompson earlier this month. This news comes out at the same time as ...
Pacific Media Watch The union for Australian journalists has welcomed the delivery by the federal government of more than $150 million to support the sustainability of public interest journalism over the next four years. Combined with the announcement of the revamped News Bargaining Initiative, this could result in up to ...
MONDAY“Merry Xmas, and praise the Lord,” said Sheriff Luxon, and smiled for the camera. There was a flash of smoke when the shutter pressed down on the magnesium powder. The sheriff had arranged for a photographer from the Dodge Gazette to attend a ceremony where he handed out food parcels to ...
It’s a little under two months since the White Ferns shocked the cricketing world, deservedly taking home the T20 World Cup. Since then the trophy has had a tour around the country, five of the squad have played in the WBBL in Australia while most others have returned to domestic ...
Comment: If we say the word ‘dementia’, many will picture an older person struggling to remember the names of their loved ones, maybe a grandparent living out their final years in an aged care facility. Dementia can also occur in people younger than 65, but it can take time before ...
Piracy is a reality of modern life – but copyright law has struggled to play catch-up for as long as the entertainment industry has existed. As far back as 1988, the House of Lords criticised copyright law’s conflict with the reality of human behaviour in the context of burning cassette ...
As he makes a surprise return to Shortland Street, actor Craig Parker takes us through his life in television. Craig Parker has been a fixture on television in Aotearoa for nearly four decades. He had starring roles in iconic local series like Gloss, Mercy Peak and Diplomatic Immunity, featured in ...
The Ōtautahi musician shares the 10 tracks he loves to spin, including the folk classic that cured him of a ‘case of the give-ups’. When singer-songwriter Adam McGrath returns to Kumeu’s Auckland Folk Festival from January 24-27, he’s not planning on simply idling his way through – he wants the late ...
Alex Casey spends an afternoon on the job with River, the rescue dog on a mission to spread joy to Ōtautahi rest homes.Almost everyone says it is never enough time. But River the rescue dog, a jet black huntaway border collie cross, has to keep a tight pace to ...
Asia Pacific Report Fiji activists have recreated the nativity scene at a solidarity for Palestine gathering in Fiji’s capital Suva just days before Christmas. The Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre and Fijians for Palestine Solidarity Network recreated the scene at the FWCC compound — a baby Jesus figurine lies amidst the ...
By 1News Pacific correspondent Barbara Dreaver and 1News reporters A number of Kiwis have been successfully evacuated from Vanuatu after a devastating earthquake shook the Pacific island nation earlier this week. The death toll was still unclear, though at least 14 people were killed according to an earlier statement from ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard Scully, Professor in Modern History, University of New England Bunker.Image courtesy of Michael Leunig, CC BY-NC-SA Michael Leunig – who died in the early hours of Thursday December 19, surrounded by “his children, loved ones, and sunflowers” – was the ...
The House - On Parliament's last day of the year, there was the rare occurrence of a personal (conscience) vote on selling booze over the Easter weekend. While it didn't have the numbers to pass, it was a chance to get a rare glimpse of the fact ...
A new poem by Holly Fletcher. bejeweled log i was dreaming about wasps / wee darlings that followed me / ducking under objects / that i was fated to pickup / my fingers seeking / and meeting with tiny proboscis’s / but instead / i wake up / roll sideways ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Flora Hui, Research Fellow, Centre for Eye Research Australia and Honorary Fellow, Department of Surgery (Ophthalmology), The University of Melbourne Versta/Shutterstock Australians are exposed to some of the highest levels of solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation in the world. While we ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Terry, Professor of Business Regulation, University of Sydney Michael von Aichberger/Shutterstock Even if you’ve no idea how the business model underpinning franchises works, there’s a good chance you’ve spent money at one. Franchising is essentially a strategy for cloning ...
If something big is going to happen in Ferndale, it’s going to happen at Christmas. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. If there’s one episode of Shortland Street you should watch each year, it’s the annual Christmas cliffhanger. The final episode of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By William A. Stoltz, Lecturer and expert Associate, National Security College, Australian National University US President-elect Donald Trump has named most of the members of his proposed cabinet. However, he’s yet to reveal key appointees to America’s powerful cyber warfare and intelligence institutions. ...
Announcing the top 10 books of the the year at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Intermezzo by Sally Rooney (Faber & Faber, $37) The phenomenal Irish writer is the unsurprising chart topper for 2024 with her fourth novel that, much like her first ...
I see the Herald’s editorial writers are now spluttering about politicians actually running the country rather than leaving it to faceless technocrats in the reserve bank. There is a consistant anti-democratic theme in the Herald’s editorials – democracy can only be allowed if it doesn’t change the existing elite structures in NZ.
Today’s Open Mike popped up while I was busy below:
http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-25092013/#comment-701714
Finding it difficult to access this site. It states Reason: Exceeded the maximum global requests per minute for crawlers or humans. This is untrue – could it be Matthew Hooton or some other reason!!
[lprent: Thanks I’d left that at 3 per minute froma single source while I was diagnosing the outages yesterday. Reset back to 15 per minute. ]
Thanks Lyn. Fixed now.
America’s Cup is half empty.
http://redrave.blogspot.co.nz/2013/09/americas-cup-is-half-empty.html
Hahahahah!
Very good post by Andrew Geddis on yesterday’s NZ Herald anonymous editorial. It begins:
some nameless person with a name starts with ‘John’ and ends up with an ‘an’ and has a ‘Rough’ in the middle would be my guess
Or Tim Murphy
There is discussion about investing in NZ enterprise and the Americas Cup great effort is an example of what we can do. We didn’t win but we were only about 50 seconds behind and the boat didn’t split in half.
We should be doing more ground breaking innovative stuff. We might even get a winning boat – or better make one that is sea-breaking for transporting our produce and carrying passengers when the price goes up on present transport.
What about encouraging investors to put 10% of their investments into new development and rising stars. Fun, excitement, being close to the action with regular updates on what may be happening in their portfolios. Investors made to feel important, and knowing there are risks but that they are up there with the smart ones who actually are exploring new products and ideas with a commercial promise. Get togethers with nibbles and large screens about ground-breaking stuff that we are attempting, doing, and what is being done internationally. Know more than your average NZr.
Get that excitement that people have felt about yachting and insert it into the country’s development, draw up rational scenarios and pilot plans, and light the touchpaper.
Ten thoughts….
i.) Put an Australia, a Brit, some US and NZer’s up against Team NZ and they win, sure isn’t that always the way? The wider the pool of talent and money wins.
ii.) 8 straight wins with two highly competitive boats, okay no that can happen, sure, its not like team NZ almost capsized, money has been know to buy…
iii.) Relief, America’s cup not going to Littleton.
iv.) The history of the America Cup is the history of rich rule twisting,
v.) WTF, a two point advantage, what were they trying to do, scruple team NZ by given Team USA a man down, its well known in football that a man down spurs the team to victory.
vi.) Ooops, sorry Key no 3% bounce.
vii.) Wow, those boats were mostly built in NZ,
viii.) As an expat living in NZ, I’m proud of my country men, and NZ for building boats to win in.
ix.) What no women on board?
x.) Why are these boats so expensive, had they been cheaper, there could be catamaran races all over the world? Those boats rock, and the rules would be able to be altered to maximize their coolness.
+1 Greywarbler….Great racing and great sport.!…seems like American aeronautics stablising technology won in the end though
….and all the more important why we should putting more investment into R&D, ICT and protecting intellectual copyright…… and not allowing it to be traded away with the TTPA.
Here i was thinking that TeamNZ was slowed down by the weight of all that filthy lucre, i could of sworn i heard the sound of screeching brakes in one of the races as Dean and the crew overtook the opposition boat,
Looking at the specs tho shows that Aotearoa aint fitted with brakes so we will just have to take it as Dean said, that it was a ‘mistake’ to not continue with the overtaking instead tacking off into bad air…
@bad12….yes it was a weird mistake…but I guess hindsight is not foresight?….but it still seemed a weird tack when one is speeding ahead at terrific rate of knots and seems to be winning (to amateurs at least)
….the one good thing about all this is that John key and Joyce don’t get their mugshots taken with the cup!….smile
Considering all the other ‘mistakes’ and trying not to be too critical, it would appear that either Dean aint the sailor everyone thinks He is, or…
Was interesting to listen to the bloke that built the American boat, He said on TV3 News tonight that the aero-nautical foiling gear was on the boat from the time it was built, makes me wonder how after all those months of testing that boat suddenly grew wings for the 2nd half of the regatta,
i have to ask myself if i was paid a million to win that cup how much would it take to make me lose it…
@bad 12…now you are getting confusing……It was fun in the first half ….and ‘all at sea’ and lots of ‘silly mistakes’ in the second half …..plus a big aeroplane booster gidget came into play…the hidden technological wizardry brought out by the Oracle multi billionaire…..
…although I prefer yachting races to rugby…. I certainly wouldn’t gamble on this one ….however I know one mad coot who is kicking himself he didnt….but hindsight is all (unless of course one has foresight)
i blame myself, ,my guilt therefore knows no bounds,(snigger), i commented the other week that their boat was a lemon and they couldn’t sail it for s**t,
After that they won all the races…
I wonder if John Key also goes by the name Darrell Read
Homegrown Fraudsters; we learn them well, and then they become bankers or Tory politicians.
Auckland council is talking about ways to honour team nz. As a ratepayer can I just say NOOOOOOOOOOOOO
they lost. They gave it their best shot… or is the idea for ratepayers to fork out for it so crowds will spend money in queen st? If thats the reason alex swny can pay.
+1 I mean, what the fuck? They lost, that’s it, go away.
Just watched ‘the Hairdo’ speaking in the Parliament with a motion of praise for ‘TeamNZ$’, time to regroup and get together an even better team says wee Petey,
i take that as code for lets toss even more of the taxpayers cash into the abyss, meanwhile in South Auckland another family moved into the garage out the back of a cousins place because of the dire shortage of State Houses…
…..said that the event had not only brought New Zealanders closer together but also MPs: “Somewhere in a bar in San Francisco it’s even brought Steven Joyce and Trevor Mallard together singing Dave Dobbyn songs like ‘Loyal’.”
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=11130542
Give me strength …….
Time for Messiah-boy to rule out any contribution to ETNZ for another challenge.
Maryan Street has withdrawn her voluntary Euthanasia bill. Understandable, because in the election year the Right would jump on it like rabid dogs, and we’d be hearing of Labour’s termination camps for the elderly and similar rubbish to no end.
Yes extremely divisive, Slippery the PM is actually a supporter of euthanasia, one ex Australian Head of State actually went so far as to state He supports it as those wanting to euthanize were at the end of their useful economic life…
Just saw a great comment on stuff about Climate Change and thought I would share it here: “Why do so many who believe the Science on Global Warming deny the Science on Nuclear power, Fracking and Genetic Engineering? All the arguments on Scientific consensus, peer review, weight of evidence and data cherry picking work both ways. Either show consistency or accept others rights to the freedom of enquiry.”
Fukishima, Chernyobel, 3 Mile Island, safe as houses…
Well hardly anyone died in those accidents, while millions of people die of cold because we don’t have enough global warming and they can’t afford the increased power prices due to the carbon taxes! 🙂
@jayman….what about the cows?
@bad 12….re “safe as houses”
NZ butter went funny about the time of the 3 Mile Island….i think the Yanks exported it here and we called it ‘2 Flags’….housewives were complaining all over the country that their cakes were turning out funny….even although they had been using the same recipes for years….meanwhile back at 3 Mile Island cows were lying down with their legs in the air….and a lot of people felt a wee bit sick and were queuing up at the hospitals
….the Russians refused the butter and said the Americans should eat their own butter
….there was a film festival doco on it at the time….and that was around about the time we switched to margarine….
There is overwhelming consistency on scientific review on Climate Change – the main discrepancy is in the reporting and media space…. and the constant repetition of that 3% by comments such as yours.
By “Science on Nuclear power, fracking and genetic engineering” I guess you mean scientific studies on the safety of those three. Given the lack of impartiality of most of those studies, and their limited scope it is of no surprise to me that independent scientists think their conclusions are misguided.
Your call for consistency is admirable, you need to apply it to your examples.
Truly awful.
http://paulocanning.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/the-horrific-truth-of-kenya-terrorist.html?
Yes, they are.
http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2013/09/muslims-denounce-nairobi-mall-terrorist-attack-fox-news
John Key has been ridiculed as a “galloping colonial clot” for his photo shoot with the royal family in Balmoral:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/9213754/Keys-royal-snaps-ruffle-feathers
One of the people in that photo looks very, very happy to be seen with the other.
Only one, mind.
Didn’t take long for the British press to get the measure of him. What’s taking our lot so long?
Lolz, Parliaments question time will be a treat of questions about Galloping Colonial Clots when Slippery gets back from the gallivant,
Pity there’s a 2 week recess coming up…
Yeah well he’s going to need a bit of a rest after his holiday I suppose
They stuff the corgis after they have finished with them???? Made my day.. Is this the fate of all their visitors when they reach the end of the line..
JAYMAN
>>Well hardly anyone died in those accidents
FUKISHIMA
news.discovery.com/…/fukushima-radioactive-plume-reach-us-130901.h…
Sep 1, 2013 – The known death toll came to 15,848 with 3,305 missing
15,848 with 3,305 missing
CHERNOBYL
http://www.globalresearch.ca/new-book-concludes-chernobyl-death-toll-985-000-mostly-from-cancer/20908
985,000
Glad it was only a few Jayman
Well that’s the Russians for you. The Yanks and Brits know how to build them properly.
Any other strawmen you’d like me to put up for you?
They just don’t know how to decommission, how much it costs to decommission, how to fund decommission or how to safely store contaminants that remain deadly toxic for many thousands of years.
While waiting for ultra efficient green energy sources, the smartest money is on building shit loads of wind turbines in the meantime, which to some may look unsightly, but as nimby arguments go, much less tumour inducing and easily removed.
And they’re struggling with how to warn the future.
The panel roughly defined the intended message with the following:
http://www.damninteresting.com/this-place-is-not-a-place-of-honor/
Very Interesting joe
The makings of a nightmare, and that’s the stuff they know about.
http://www.theverge.com/2012/6/14/3038814/yucca-mountain-wipp-wasteland-battle-entomb-nuclear-waste
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/a-nuclear-needle-in-a-haystack-the-cold-war-s-missing-atom-bombs-a-590513.html
http://www.bellona.org/articles/articles_2012/Russia_reveals_dumps
Um – Fukushima reactors number 1,2 and 6 were supplied by General Electric.
What was that about the Yanks building them properly?
You’d better find someone else to argue with. While I am trained in nuclear physics, I don’t like any of the current reactor designs. And nuclear is probably never an option for NZ. I like tidal and hydro and geothermal power. I’d like to go off the grid one day.
just how “trained” exactly.
“You’d better find someone else to argue with”
Because you can’t back up comments like “hardly anyone died in those accidents, while millions of people die of cold because we don’t have enough global warming”
“I am trained in nuclear physics”
And you can’t spell I’m a qualified fu*ktard and retarded climate change denier
You fool – you mised the 🙂 in message 12.1.1, where I was pretending to be a nuke proponent.
I did do nuclear physics for my science degree, and I have worked on a couple of nuclear accelerators and much engineering. I know how things can go wrong.
P.S. there are no climate change deniers. Nobody denies climate change.
If you say you were pretending to be a nuke proponent, and the 🙂 is an indicator of this, then I guess I have to take you at your word.
Next time I use the climate change denier tag I’ll be sure to preface it with ‘man made’ to avoid any misunderstanding, because we all know they exist.
These designs date back to the start of the Vietnam War. And the Japanese operator has been cutting corners on operation and maintenance. Well, not so much cutting corners as simply lopping off whole limbs.
They all cut corners – the French have been caught falsifying fuel rod mesurements, the Brits shoot bits of plutonium on to their beaches and change the name of their nuke generator when it has an embarrassing accident.
I think a safe enough nuclear design will be invented in a few hundred years – around about the time fossil fuel starts getting expensive.
“and they can’t afford the increased power prices due to the carbon taxes!”
” in a few hundred years – around about the time fossil fuel starts getting expensive.”
Make your mind up 🙂
Affordable oil and gas disappears in 20-25 years, is my pick.
http://www.whaleoil.co.nz/2013/09/john-banks-talks-willie-jackon-partnership-schools/#axzz2fePyI63t
Willie Jackson (that well-known mouth piece of the right) interviews John Banks, you’ll should listen
Why?
Probably because he agrees with what he chose to hear, or the spin the cetacean put on it. Just a guess, because I didn’t listen to it – I might have done were it not on the cetacean’s site.
I’m considering it possible that WJ would be intrigued by the supposed wider freedom that charter schools have, from a context of self determination (similar to Whanau Ora), rather than focusing strictly on how shit most of them are in practise.
Did they manage to address the issues around quality of education, I wonder.
“Just a guess, because I didn’t listen to it”
– Of course I understand, you have your opinions and you don’t want to hear anything that might ackshully change your mind…well done
nah mate, I prefer to minimise the tory crabs left in my cache. Saves them tracking me down via ip etc (no, I wouldn’t put that past the odious windbag).
If you have a non-propogandist link to the interview, I’d be intrigued to see how far off I am.
Yeah I’m sure he does that….
And you’d know that because…
he’s claimed that he’s used his vast technical knowledge to access confidential information (the labour website, remember?). If he likes doing that, what more does he do – tracking cookies, maybe?
You miight learn something about John Banks motivations
John Banks a mere scab on the rump of humanity, whats the betting like on the chances of Banks getting His second conviction in the district Court while a serving Minister of a Government, 50/50?, 75/25?…
Banks should be in prison.
Indeed.
/
http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2013/9/25/56-years-after-littlerockusschoolssegregatedbyraceandclass.html
How on earth would you learn anything about what John Banks thinks by listening to him speak?
It all seems to be about privatising education provision.
Bolivia to sue United States for war crimes
Morales calls on Latin American nations to withdraw ambassadors
by ETHAN JURY, September 24, 2013
As the drive for “humanitarian” intervention in Syria has turned international attention towards the hypocrisy and violence of U.S. foreign policy, Bolivian president Evo Morales has announced his intent to file a lawsuit against the United States government for crimes against humanity.
The announcement came as a direct response to the denial of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro’s jet from entering U.S. airspace on his way to bi-lateral talks in China this week, and only two months after Morales’ own plane was forced to land in Vienna on suspicion that whistleblower Edward Snowden was on board.
“The U.S. cannot be allowed to continue with its policy of intimidation and blockading of presidential flights,” stressed Morales during a press conference in the Bolivian city of Santa Cruz.
These latest transgressions come following the revelation of widespread spying on several Latin American countries by the National Security Association. Morales has called an emergency meeting of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) to address the issue of neo-colonial intimidation in the region, but his impending lawsuit is a wider condemnation of the impunity and violence of North American imperialism around the world.
“We are preparing a lawsuit against Barack Obama to condemn him for crimes against humanity,” said Morales. He has called for CELAC members to withdraw their ambassadors from the United States and for members of the Bolivarian Alliance of the Americas (ALBA) to boycott the next United Nations meeting.
The Obama administration has sent predator drones to kill hundreds of innocent civilians in Yemen and Pakistan, has defended the use of torture tactics on prisoners of war, and has continued to financially support the colonial state of Israel and other oppressive regimes. The administration’s recent drive for unilateral war on Syria highlights U.S. violations of international law in the interest of empire.
As the U.S. government continue to spread death and violence around the world, it will be crucially important for members of the world community to follow Bolivia’s example and stand in solidarity against the beast of imperialism.
http://www.pslweb.org/liberationnews/news/bolivia-to-sue-united-states.html
Just got polled by Roy Morgan. Usual stuff – voting intentions for next year, NZ right track/wrong track. Most pressing issue facing the world. Where do I listen to the radio, etc. Took forever. One of us was doing the interview with english as a second language.
tell us, do please.
Colmar Brunton phoned me last week and asked for me by name. I was having dinner so I declined to answer their poll. I’m regretting that ever since. Damn damn damn. I usually decline only Curia. What was I thinking?
You were hungry.
😀
Team NZ Challenge cost- 110M Euro
Oracle US cost – that + 10%
-Source, Russel Coutts, RNZ Checkpoint.
was a learning experience; the crew that learnt the most, won. (limits on exchange parts etc), although it appears the parts sourced from NZ late in the piece contributed to the overall superiority of Oracle. Oh well… 😀
POS Tau Henare, your a real POS, Henare on 3 news tonight asked if He had any sympathy for the Parliaments cleaners who made submissions befor the select committee today on proposed labour law changes,
”If She doesn’t want the job She should give it to someone else”, hope your down the bottom of National’s list for the 2014 election Tau, that comment shows you for what you are, simply Scum…
always a shocker that Tau.
Classy. At least he phrased it nicer than “The dole queue’s that way b*tch.” I guess.
[deleted]
[lprent: see http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-26092013/#comment-702006 ]
http://memecrunch.com/meme/2LQU/oh-no-we-have-a-badass-over-here/image.png
Tua Henare is a sociopath who really has no place in NZ society – let alone Parliament.
He believes a toilet cleaner who broke down while giving evidence to a select committee because she’s fearful that a law change will put her job in jeopardy should “get another job”.
Angry, mean fwit. This man? is a disgrace.
P.S. This interview was in TV3 news but no link online as yet – will post if they put it up.
Story up now. Here’s the link
[deleted]
[lprent: Ban for 2 weeks for advocating violence (again) ]
was “friends’ with Mr Machete when some white-trash child abusers lived next door. Now I get frisked for ‘knives on record’ sigh. Husker Du. 😉
lol
one Jack is Master
What is the considered opinions of ‘The Standard’ folk, on UN Agenda 21?
Time for a bit more debate?
___________________________________________________________________________
Do ‘Generation Zero’ deserve an “E” (S) for “Environmental (Sheepishness)”?
For apparently supporting the corporate GREENWASH UN Agenda 21 – which I vigorously oppose?
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11130105
Promising free public transport has not been enough to win Auckland mayoral candidate John Minto a top score from youth organisation Generation Zero on that and issues such as climate change.
Mr Minto got a B grade, putting him above candidates John Palino (C+), Uesifili UNasa (C) and Penny Bright (E), but below Mayor Len Brown’s A-.
The group, which interviewed mayoral and council candidates focusing heavily on an alternative plan for a “congestion-free” network of public transport ahead of new roads, rated Mr Brown “a competent champion for getting Auckland’s transport moving in the right direction”.
But it found Mr Minto “overly focused on creating free public transport without showing a convincing understanding of implications.”
It marked Mr Palino down for weak support of its network plan, despite his showing enthusiasm for less reliance on more motorways.
Ms Bright’s E grade followed an alleged failure to answer most of the group’s 14 questions.”
____________________________________________________________________________
http://localelections.generationzero.org.nz/…/penny-bright
errrr….. I DID answer the Generation Zero questions, but I don’t think they liked my opposition to the corporate GREENWASH UN Agenda 21, which they apparently support?
How many people, and those in Generation Zero, in particular, actually understand that UN Agenda 21 is a massive corporate ‘GREENWASH’?
http://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/…
Sustainable Development in the 21st century (SD21)
Review of implementation of Agenda 21 and the Rio Principles
Agenda 21 did not address the interconnectedness of the various goals, because it was not “allowed” to examine the economic system itself.
Nor did it explore the fundamental drivers of sectoral and inter-country outcomes, which include:
• the role of corporations, and multi-national corporations (MNCs) in particular;
• the role and impacts of trade and globalisation;
• the role of international economic governance in helping steer the whole system;
_________________________________________________________
I may be many things but a ‘SHEEP’ is not one of them.
Like the global capitalist economic system is not controlled by multi-national companies?
DUH?
Like multi-national companies are not the main ones responsible for polluting and destroying the planet?
Through this corporate UN Agenda 21 ‘GREENWASH’ they try to spin it that the planet is a mess – that it’s we the peoples’ fault and it’s OUR job to clean up it up?
Wakey wakey folks!
Generation Zero supporters may like to ‘SEEK TRUTH FROM FACTS’ and check this out?
____________________________________________________________________________
If Generation Zero support UN Agenda 21 (which is my understanding) – then I am VERY proud of my ‘score’.
Also – how many Generation Zero supporters are aware that the root cause of corruption is privatisation?
That in 2010 – the global procurement market was $14 TRILLION – of which $2.5 TRILLION was estimated to be lost to bribery and corruption?
Don’t you think that $2,500 BILLION might help to feed, clothe, shelter and water a few poor people? (I got these figures from the 2010 Transparency International Anti-Corruption Conference, which I attended, as an independent, anti-corruption ‘whistle-blower’ from New Zealand) .
‘Her Warship’
Penny Bright
‘Anti-corruption/ anti-privatisation campaigner’
2013 Auckland Mayoral candidate
http://www.pennybright4mayor.org.nz
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/9214236/Wankerish_Ryall doesn’t get what disabled means
It’s the wording that gets me – I shouldn’t have to figure out what they really mean…
If disabled people would ‘like’ to be cared for by a family member? (Actually, I reckon there are a whole heap of them who would ‘like’ to be able to care for themselves. I know I did when I had a long-term bout of disability).
All disabled people are fully aware of their responsibilities?
All disabled people can read a notice and operational policy?
All disabled people can contact pick up a phone / log on to the internet / get down the road to contact their local NASC?
So if disabled people can’t do one or more of these things they cannot be assessed. Why does Mr Ryall think they’re being cared for? Lifestyle choice?
Carers, who can help disabled people do some of these things, and do other of these things for them, are once again invisible to NAct in this press release.
Crass.