What a couple of months! What a party it has been! What great hosts New Zealanders have been!
But there is a part of the New Zealand sporting psyche that leaves me absolutely cold: we are lousy losers. Friends in the grandstand on Sunday night, when things were getting a little doubtful half way through the second half, were looking for the nearest exit in case there was a loss. The alcohol fuelled muttonheads around them were losing the plot. A large group of policemen were moved forward.
The insane booing of Quade Cooper, the gormless put downs of Australians; the Pom bashing; the regular reference to the underarm bowling incident a million years ago are all examples of NZ insecurity and little man/poor cousin syndrome.
Can we not learn some grace and character, and celebrate all that is great on the sportsfield. Cheerfulness, passion, in your face enthusiasm is wonderful. Mindless boorishness is one memory that I don’t want people to remember New Zealand by. We are lousy loosers, and should endeavour, on the back of all the well deserved celebrations this time, to remember that next time we come up short.
A loss might have lead to some introspection on the attitudes you outline, similar to the moral crisis China has been facing in light of the girl runover by a van that multiple passersby ignored.
Now instead this will simmer away in the background without the proper attention it deserves.
Auckland delivered, true to form, started with a transport snarl and
ended with power outages and the spectre of gas leaks shutting
down business. Muddle city.
Disagreements about onsite policies, serious online abuse, physical threats in an assembly. And still no idea of what they propose to actually do. Except issue PR pieces:
Are you going to provide some links to support your contention Pete. Or are we supposed to take your word for it?
The link you provide (twice) makes no mention of what you allege.
That’s going to be hard for Pete to do, given that he’s making it up. Funny how he can spend hours moaning about the minor issue of the accuracy of a date used on a John Banks pamphlet yesterday, but has no problem smearing the Occupy Dunedin movement this morning.
I can back up everything I have said. I have had extensive contact with what’s happening in Dunedin. So you should retract your accusation that I’m making it up or you wil be the one seen to be smearing.
I’m not smearing the movement, I’m highlighting real concerns that the public and some people within the movement have.
But you do make yourself such an attractive target.
When you write, especially the first thing in the morning comments that I read over coffee. I keep trying to remember when I last saw so much vacuous lack of content wrapped up in high sounding verbiage… I have come to the conclusion it was when I last watched the pre-game TV waffle at any sporting event with the sound on spewing its mindless drivel. Mind you The Panel comes close pretty frequently.
Of course commentators try to prick the balloon – only realistic way to find out if there is any substance in there.
Following Abe’s post on the Occupy’s fb page, I posted suggesting that facilitation of meetings be made a priority and included a link to some basic info on facilitation. (My experience whenever I have popped in is that there is no facilitation of meetings). On that post, someone commented that there was a person who had facilitated at least one meeting quite well, which I took as a positive sign that things could be moving in a good direction.
However, on checking back this morning it appears that post has been deleted. I know that fb can be a bit random on how it displays stuff and that it might ‘pop’ back into existence.
I’ve posted again asking whether that post, as well as a similarily viened comment under Abe’s post, was deleted as trolling. (The people ‘in charge’ of the Occupy page have stated they are now deleting posts they consider to be trolling.)
In the meantime, and this is only an impression from the fb comments under Abe’s original post, it appears that Occupy simply does not know how to deal with the situation and are simply waiting for the antagonist to leave. More than not knowing how to deal with the situation, there is an element of denial, with comments coming from fairly prominent people to the effect that it was just a glitch in a peaceful Occupation and that it won’t happen again. But (and again I’m stressing this impression is based only on the fb comments etc) there appears to be a lack of willingness to treat the situation seriously and attempt to put systems in place that might prevent a repeat occurance. Go figure.
Occupy Dunedin they’ve obviously got more support in north dunedin than
Pernacios Guile
Jealousy I am certain That a group of young people can get involved in politics in their own way
Something PG thinks is ok for him but anyone else is wrong
After being threatened with assault by one of your ‘security’ people I will not be coming back to or supporting the occupation any more. If the occupation in it’s current state is even driving away the most committed activists how will it ever break through to the masses?
@PeteG, Suggest you follow @RDevro & @allisonkilkenny on twitter for love tweeting from GA’s in NYC to see how they are resolving issues between residents and # OWS. Happening now!
There is bound to be confrontation and anger when people from differing beliefs come together. Each believes that they are So Right – one says Peace, Love and Life and to hell with you if you disagree with something and express that differing opinion. The other comes at things from a Randian approach and discounts everything as Wrong if it is opposed to an individual shining path to success of grand personal concepts.
I noticed on the Dunedin Occupy facebook page that someone was playing with the slogan of 99% (ordinary people) – 1% (fabulously wealthy) to the 1% being the state, and bad-mouthing what it does for us all. I think this is a dangerous attitude, that opens the way to worse governance from what I call the mechanicals, the machine-like thinkers that don’t want to meet the human needs of others.
I have been looking at a book I bought from curiosity. It is called grandly The Book and has someone’s considered approach which sounds like Tea Party stuff, divided into three sections God-Man, Neo-Tech, Illusions. There is similar to creationist thinking with personal belief co-opting a pseudo scientific approach and a strong dollop of how to be a self-made man. A shining example is James J Hill who sounds like a clever man who built a railroad with no borrowed money and made a profit, the writer Mark Hamilton says, from day one. In contrast, he says, the state made a mess of its interests in railroads because of “the incompetence and greed of career politicians…But one market entrepreneur could raise the standard of living of a nation”. This leads to the worship of the individual, money, single-mindedness, individuality and to hell with everybody else. A step back to Dickens’ time with a shrug from the haves – as Deborah Crone Something said yesterday? – life can’t be perfect.
I don’t buy that there will necessarily be ‘confrontation and anger’ when people with differing beliefs come together.
There are mechanisms and practices that can be adopted/developed to stop that happening. Good facilitation is one. Getting rid of all the ‘red rag to a bull’ banners that proclaim adherence to this, that or the other political tradition…y’know, this embodies the one truth and the true path, not that one over there the ‘infidels’ are touting ….
This is afterall (in theoretically at least) a movement, not a coalition. Therefore no one stated position has any right to primacy. And as there is (or should be) no competition between opposing views seeking dominance, then all those characteristics that mark a coalition have no place. Pretty simple, I would have thought.
And yes, there are some right wing libertrians popping up. But hey. Their positions are so porous and if treated properly, a good way to bring people to a contrary position. So I don’t actually mind them so much. One guy put up a photo of a poster banging on about freedom. (Could be the same guy you mention) On first glance, it might have appealed to some people. It was Ayn Rand through and through. Anyway. Many comments back and forth later, and yes, I’ve finally and politely given up. But in the meantime, anyone reading the comments will at least have some info to base their opinions or position on now and won’t just unwittingly buy into the message at face value.
I’m inclined to agree with Prism on this one.
And there need to be mechanisms to stop such conflict from being destructive, but they won’t stop it.
This is the challenge for the left – managing how we deal with our diversity, and the occupy movement is bound to be a bit of a microcosm of it. I hope the guy who left will eventually feel able to return.
Have you lived closely with diverse others for any length of time, without any significant anger, arguments, confrontation…?
Genuine question Bill. I’ve never seen that, and in a way I wonder if it wouldn’t even be a bit unhealthy.
It’s not so much that ‘significant anger, arguments, confrontation’ are the problem. It’s how that stuff is dealt with within a group and by the group. And it’s also putting mechanisms in place so that emerging stuff is dealt with early on, before it becomes writ large and assumes a dynamic all of it’s own that consumes everything and every one in a whirlwind of destructive b/s.
And I wouldn’t say the Occupiers are living that closely with one another. People come and go throughout the day or week for a variety of reasons. Which is fine and fair enough. People aren’t intertwined and relying on the group remaining coherent for all, or even anywhere near most, of their ongoing daily needs. They have utterly separate lives to one another outside of the Occupation that they pursue to satisfy most of those.
Oh. And in answer to your question, yes I have (God, what a messy comment!) And if you cycle back to the top of the comment, you’ll get the answer to the second part of your question 🙂
If Occupy is for the 99% then it can’t be “the left”.
The guy who left was offering real solutions to what is otherwise a growing problem, if dealing with things is addressed rather than staunch intransigence then it’s possible he could return. Occupy Dunedin is at a crossroads – find ways to move forward or all that will be left is the staunch going nowhere, until forced to move on.
“If Occupy is for the 99% then it can’t be “the left”.”
Well not in the sense you imply, no.
But broadly speaking, the issue is inequality. And politicians of the right are working hard to further entrench that inequality at every step.
Politicians on the right vote for policies that benefit the 1% (or 5% or 10% or however you break it down) at the expense of everybody else.
Unless you think the problem is that the rich don’t have enough money and power, the solutions are never going to come from the right of the political spectrum.
I find it interesting that your attacks on Occupy started off as against some ‘left’ organisations coopting the movement under cover of darkness and using the movement to push their own barrow – now you say the left aren’t 99%. It is funny watching your lines change and gradually align with – shock! horror! your own position of affected neutrality, the godlike middle, and having sensible haircuts. That says lack of integrity to me and egocentric self interest masquerading as concern for a movement that saw through and spurned your trojan horse approach.
…fallen into the Myth of the Middle. These people who have so fallen take two positions, label them extremes and then say that the answer to all our woes is in the middle. These are the people who have taking the truism Everything in moderation – even moderation to heart (although they seem to have missed the warning at the end) and will oppose doing anything that they see as radical.
big ups for commenting on one of my favorite sites – man that dude is so on the money and i love his serialised science fiction novella being written as we speak.
Pity it has not been published yet, but I have seen a Uni study that basically says that over 80% of New Zealanders, given a choice of policies without being told which party they originated from, favour Green party policies.
Not too far from 99%.
Shows why NACT/UF/MP are wise, to avoid mentioning their policies, when they are campaigning.
Bill I think your point about ‘reading the comments’ is important. The talk swirling round that doesn’t get pinned down and considered can become a confusing waste of time where there are many partly formed views or just a sense of huge unease. There must be a way of distilling the concerns so they can be considered, and everyone know what is being discussed and that everyone’s points are noted. I think this would help everyone to be heard or to find a point that would agree with their opinions.
This is afterall (in theoretically at least) a movement, not a coalition. Therefore no one stated position has any right to primacy. And as there is (or should be) no competition between opposing views seeking dominance, then all those characteristics that mark a coalition have no place. Pretty simple, I would have thought.
Without a written record things can get really unclear as each person will have a slightly different opinion of what has been heard and their perception of it, and their memories, can twist it further. Preparing for this with the means would be important as a basis for full democratic discussion. Power points and electronic devices could be used to record and display but something that people can access without a machine would be good.
I think people need a whiteboard or large paper sheets with crayons if not markers and then keywords get noted with bullet points and someone then getting a copy, if necessary using a device such as getting a picture on a cellphone, so it’s not lost when the whiteboard gets cleaned. This means that valuable thinking time is captured and the content can be recovered for further consideration later. And writing down the names of people proposing things would be good so that they can be referred back to and can background the issue and points they made.
A lot of what you refer to there is a part of what a good facilitator does. (ie takes all the various angles, merges or assimilates them and feeds that sum total back to the group so that everyone is clear and in agreement on what’s what and also identifies the areas of disagreement that need further exploration.)
And yes, notes. But not that are presented back at some future date (although that happens too) but that are verified as they are written. Note takers usually distil and interprate points being made. And it’s important that the person making the point agrees with the note takers interpretation/summation.
I have not been to Dunedin Occupy and not to Auck in a few days, but I’m interested predominantly in the international movement, which seems to have this horizontal decision making more sorted and has an absence of the vested interests we seem to be dominating here. They are in support but are not driving it.
Until the youth are feeling a bit more pain this is unlikely to change.
But in the meantime, those here should perhaps engage more carefully in the way things are being managed around the world. Spain, US and London seem to be working well.
Some problem with Anarchust faction in Zucotti park seems to have been dealt with.
Further to my thoughts on not dissing ‘the state’ as an automatic response, there was a talk on China on RAdionz this morning giving a statistic (approximate) of 45 million Chinese people who died mainly of starvation caused by state control taking over private food production in China in the 50s and 60s as a result of the failure of collectivisation forced by the Chinese Communist government. However this figure needs to be compared to earlier famines, I don’t know what the death total then has been.
So the state is only good as long it is consulting and acting on what the people advise, including the learned academics and scientists, and the advisors and professionals scheme and plan good practical policies.
I’m not a statist. But the starvation in China wasn’t a simple failure of state planning. It involved dynamics whereby minor party officials wanted to look good and so lied about the amount of rice grown. If a higher up official was coming for a ‘look see’, paddies were ripped up and ‘replanted’ to make it appear that yields would be higher than they actually would be. That new info, then informed the commands coming back down from the top. You might say they never saw it (the famine) coming.
Anyway, in any command economy, that problem whereby ‘the party’ gathers info and is in sole charge of making decisions on that info, is going to exist. And people will lie. Either because they want to curry favour or because they want to avoid negative repercussions for not achieving party goals.
Good thinking alert – Professor Paul Dalziel: Recreating Full Employment
The 2011 Bruce Jesson Memorial Lecture will be held at the Maidment Theatre at Auckland University at 6:30pm on Wednesday 26 October
I was there, but didn’t take notes, if no one else offers a more specific summary I will put one forward tomorrow. Very much enjoyed it – there is a second lecture as part of the series in mid November well worth making time to attend.
@CV @prism @seeker – I contacted the secretary of the foundation and he advised me that the lecture will be available on the website end of today, or tomorrow now by the looks of it.
I thought it better to provide the source material. When it goes live I will post the address on open mike but it will most probably be here: http://www.brucejesson.com/lectures
Has Fonterra been hoist on its own petard? If they could use the methane from the effluent from the dairy cows, which they haven’t, they would not be dependent on the reticulated gas sector.
Isn’t that putting all your eggs in the one basket, or your cheeses anyway.
“Revealed – the capitalist network that runs the world”
“The work, to be published in PLoS One, revealed a core of 1318 companies with interlocking ownerships. Each of the 1318 had ties to two or more other companies, and on average they were connected to 20. What’s more, although they represented 20 per cent of global operating revenues, the 1318 appeared to collectively own through their shares the majority of the world’s large blue chip and manufacturing firms – the “real” economy – representing a further 60 per cent of global revenues.
When the team further untangled the web of ownership, it found much of it tracked back to a “super-entity” of 147 even more tightly knit companies – all of their ownership was held by other members of the super-entity – that controlled 40 per cent of the total wealth in the network. “In effect, less than 1 per cent of the companies were able to control 40 per cent of the entire network,” says Glattfelder.”
I support the Occupy movements and even though they are still learning they have got a lot right such as the focus on capitalism. I don’t see any redeemable features of that system and therefore i support replacing it before it kills everything.
This link is a video from tangata whenua at Occupy Auckland and the work they are doing to make the movement more inclusive.
That is the only great news in the report. No more importing economic growth
Perhaps now we can see how NZ travels on our on energy. And perhaps value our own people that we train, only to lose offshore and then having to make up for this then “buy” immigrates from other countries with the same skill set. Does anyone ever think of the damage we are causing to the likes of India, SA etc with the e.g. medical staff we are pouching? Sure we benefit greatly from their skills, but at what cost.
Also how can NZ be a great place to live when the average shoe box cost is so prohibitive and rents so high?
househttp://www.interest.co.nz/property/house-price-income-multiples
Just listened to Dame Susan Devoy on the panel talking about the Honours system.
“Oh Lord it is hard to be humble when you’re perfect in …
She commented that she was delighted that the Queen’s honours had been restored by the current government and in particular for those who received the, then new, New Zealand awards and were able to commute them to the traditional Queen’s honours.
I guess it never occurred to her that she could have lifted the profile of the New Zealand awards and approached the Governor General to have her “Damehood” commuted to the New Zealand awards – nah. No more likely than her other mates in ACT, like Sir Roger Douglas. They love the baubles.
Radio Live (Karyn & Andrew) discussing the bias of the media especially Duncan Garner.
Nice to actually have it acknowledged. ( On now – finishes at 10pm)
John Key saying he expected another downgrade made me assume that he assumed we weren’t getting one.
Make a story out of your comment that we’ll get a third downgrade then, voila, the relief when we don’t.
And claim the credit for being ‘realistic’ or ‘modest’ in the interim.
Timed to arrive just after the PREFU, too. See, it’s not so bad after all.
Just as well we know from John Key’s secret emailer that the ratings agencies are extremely politically active and aware in their operations and interpretations.
TV3 news tonight- -Ashcroft flies in to meet Key -just before an election again. This time Key’s not so reticent about it and tries to make it sound good by telling us that Ashcroft is the deputy chair of the British Conservative party -but he is not. Key misinforms us yet again. Surely he should have known?
Ashcroft lost the job last year as he was considered a liability! Not surprising considering some of the really questionable things he has got up to. He was especially good at misleading Blair’s government about his domicile tax status to get his lordship title, and was even known as “Blofeld” by senior friends of Cameron. Yipes and yuck.
Why does Mr, Key keep such questionable company???? Why does he keep meeting this “Blofeld”
just before elections. Surely it has nothing to do with……….sales and sell outs?
Come in 007………. and smell the coffee again…. over and out
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The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. The Government says this will ...
This is a column to say thank you. So many of have been in touch since Mum died to say so many kind and thoughtful things. You’re wonderful, all of you. You’ve asked how we’re doing, how Dad’s doing. A little more realisation each day, of the irretrievable finality of ...
Identifying the engine type in your car is crucial for various reasons, including maintenance, repairs, and performance upgrades. Knowing the specific engine model allows you to access detailed technical information, locate compatible parts, and make informed decisions about modifications. This comprehensive guide will provide you with a step-by-step approach to ...
Introduction: The allure of racing is undeniable. The thrill of speed, the roar of engines, and the exhilaration of competition all contribute to the allure of this adrenaline-driven sport. For those who yearn to experience the pinnacle of racing, becoming a race car driver is the ultimate dream. However, the ...
Introduction Automobiles have become ubiquitous in modern society, serving as a primary mode of transportation and a symbol of economic growth and personal mobility. With countless vehicles traversing roads and highways worldwide, it begs the question: how many cars are there in the world? Determining the precise number is a ...
Maintaining a safe and reliable vehicle requires regular inspections. Whether it’s a routine maintenance checkup or a safety inspection, knowing how long the process will take can help you plan your day accordingly. This article delves into the factors that influence the duration of a car inspection and provides an ...
Mazda Motor Corporation, commonly known as Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automaker headquartered in Fuchu, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The company was founded in 1920 as the Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd., and began producing vehicles in 1931. Mazda is primarily known for its production of passenger cars, but ...
Your car battery is an essential component that provides power to start your engine, operate your electrical systems, and store energy. Over time, batteries can weaken and lose their ability to hold a charge, which can lead to starting problems, power failures, and other issues. Replacing your battery before it ...
In most states, you cannot register a car without a valid driver’s license. However, there are a few exceptions to this rule. Exceptions to the RuleIf you are under 18 years old: In some states, you can register a car in your name even if you do not ...
Mazda, a Japanese automotive manufacturer with a rich history of innovation and engineering excellence, has emerged as a formidable player in the global car market. Known for its reputation of producing high-quality, fuel-efficient, and driver-oriented vehicles, Mazda has consistently garnered praise from industry experts and consumers alike. In this article, ...
Struts are an essential part of a car’s suspension system. They are responsible for supporting the weight of the car and damping the oscillations of the springs. Struts are typically made of steel or aluminum and are filled with hydraulic fluid. How Do Struts Work? Struts work by transferring the ...
Car registration is a mandatory process that all vehicle owners must complete annually. This process involves registering your car with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and paying an associated fee. The registration process ensures that your vehicle is properly licensed and insured, and helps law enforcement and other authorities ...
Zoom is a video conferencing service that allows you to share your screen, webcam, and audio with other participants. In addition to sharing your own audio, you can also share the audio from your computer with other participants. This can be useful for playing music, sharing presentations with audio, or ...
Building your own computer can be a rewarding and cost-effective way to get a high-performance machine tailored to your specific needs. However, it also requires careful planning and execution, and one of the most important factors to consider is the time it will take. The exact time it takes to ...
Sleep mode is a power-saving state that allows your computer to quickly resume operation without having to boot up from scratch. This can be useful if you need to step away from your computer for a short period of time but don’t want to shut it down completely. There are ...
Introduction Computer-Assisted Translation (CAT) has revolutionized the field of translation by harnessing the power of technology to assist human translators in their work. This innovative approach combines specialized software with human expertise to improve the efficiency, accuracy, and consistency of translations. In this comprehensive article, we will delve into the ...
In today’s digital age, mobile devices have become an indispensable part of our daily lives. Among the vast array of portable computing options available, iPads and tablet computers stand out as two prominent contenders. While both offer similar functionalities, there are subtle yet significant differences between these two devices. This ...
A computer is an electronic device that can be programmed to carry out a set of instructions. The basic components of a computer are the processor, memory, storage, input devices, and output devices. The Processor The processor, also known as the central processing unit (CPU), is the brain of the ...
Voice Memos is a convenient app on your iPhone that allows you to quickly record and store audio snippets. These recordings can be useful for a variety of purposes, such as taking notes, capturing ideas, or recording interviews. While you can listen to your voice memos on your iPhone, you ...
Laptop screens are essential for interacting with our devices and accessing information. However, when lines appear on the screen, it can be frustrating and disrupt productivity. Understanding the underlying causes of these lines is crucial for finding effective solutions. Types of Screen Lines Horizontal lines: Also known as scan ...
Right-clicking is a common and essential computer operation that allows users to access additional options and settings. While most desktop computers have dedicated right-click buttons on their mice, laptops often do not have these buttons due to space limitations. This article will provide a comprehensive guide on how to right-click ...
Powering up and shutting down your ASUS laptop is an essential task for any laptop user. Locating the power button can sometimes be a hassle, especially if you’re new to ASUS laptops. This article will provide a comprehensive guide on where to find the power button on different ASUS laptop ...
Dell laptops are renowned for their reliability, performance, and versatility. Whether you’re a student, a professional, or just someone who needs a reliable computing device, a Dell laptop can meet your needs. However, if you’re new to Dell laptops, you may be wondering how to get started. In this comprehensive ...
Two-thirds of the country think that “New Zealand’s economy is rigged to advantage the rich and powerful”. They also believe that “New Zealand needs a strong leader to take the country back from the rich and powerful”. These are just two of a handful of stunning new survey results released ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
I was initially resistant to the idea often suggested to me that the Government should deliver an arts strategy. The whole point of the arts and creativity is that people should do whatever the hell they want, unbound by the dictates of politicians in Wellington. Peter Jackson, Kiri Te Kanawa, Eleanor ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne The Queensland state election will be held in October. A YouGov poll for The Courier Mail, conducted April 9–17 from a sample ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Naeni, PhD candidate at Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University There’s been much talk in recent months about what a possible second Donald Trump presidency in the United States could mean for Europe, Russia’s war in Ukraine, the ...
A brief round-up of submissions on the controversial proposed law. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week, submissions on the controversial Fast-track Approvals Bill closed just hours after the government released a list of stakeholder organisations who were sent letters advising how they could ...
A poem from Robin Peace’s new collection Detritus of Empire: feather / grass / rock. Cereal giving I see a woman’s hands, see her curious hands break a stalk as she walks through the tall prairie, the savannah, the steppe, wherever it was. See her idly bite the grass that ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)A handsomely produced (debossed cover, lovely ...
The Commissioner's decision validates the longstanding efforts of the local community and ensures that Awataha Marae will be managed to serve the needs of the local community, particularly for hosting tangihanga. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tristan Salles, Associate professor, University of Sydney Examples of Australian landscapes.Unsplash Seventy thousand years ago, the sea level was much lower than today. Australia, along with New Guinea and Tasmania, formed a connected landmass known as Sahul. Around this time – ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Felicity Castagna, Lecturer, Creative Writing, Western Sydney University Day Day Market, ParramattaPhoto: Garry Trinh I live on the edge of Parramatta, Australia’s fastest-growing city, on the kind of old-fashioned suburban street that has 1950s fibros constructed in the post-war housing boom, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Ryan, Teaching Fellow in Economics, University of Waikato GettyImagesfatido/Getty Images There is an ongoing global debate over whether the high inflation seen in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic can be lowered without a recession. New Zealand is not ...
The ‘Wicked Game’ heartthrob is in his late 60s now. That didn’t stop him putting on a lively, goofy and very sparkly show. Apart from ‘Wicked Game’, which graces a sultry playlist of mine simply called 💋, my last sustained Chris Isaak listening session took place when I was about ...
Analysis - Two ministers were stripped of portfolios in a warning to Cabinet, drama broke out at the Waitangi Tribunal, and the gang patch ban bill ran into opposition. ...
Tara Ward makes an impassioned plea for some vital pop culture merch. In April 1999, I became obsessed with a new reality television show called Popstars. Every Tuesday night, five strangers transformed into music royalty before my very eyes as Joe, Keri, Carly, Erika and Megan were chosen to form ...
PNG Post-Courier In the early hours of ANZAC Day, aerial photographs captured an impressive gathering of Australians and Papua New Guineans at Isurava in the Northern (Oro) Province. The solemn dawn service yesterday was held at a site steeped in history, where some of the fiercest battles of World War ...
The PSA is shocked that Oranga Tamariki has used the cost cutting drive to downgrade its commitment to Te Ao Māori and remove many specialist Māori roles. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Kemish, Adjunct Professor, School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry, The University of Queensland There can be no more powerful symbol of the relationship between Australia and Papua New Guinea than the prime ministers of these neighbouring countries walking together on the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sharon Robinson, Distinguished Professor and Deputy Director of ARC Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future (SAEF), University of Wollongong, University of Wollongong Andrew Netherwood Over the last 25 years, the ozone hole which forming over Antarctica each spring has started to shrink. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Viktoria Kahui, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Economics, University of Otago Getty Images/Amy Toensing Biodiversity is declining at rates unprecedented in human history. This suggests the ways we currently use to manage our natural environment are failing. One emerging concept focuses on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy Colin Bednall, Associate Professor in Management, Swinburne University of Technology marvent/Shutterstock Finding the best person to fill a position can be tough, from drafting a job ad to producing a shortlist of top interview candidates. Employers typically consider information from ...
Wondering where to host your next BYO? Whether its a small gathering or a massive party, we’ve got some recommendations. I was first introduced to the concept of BYOs at Dunedin’s India Gardens, a legendary but sadly defunct establishment, which purveyed enormous quantities of mango chicken to Aotearoa’s drunkest future ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julien Cooper, Honorary Lecturer, Department of History and Archaeology, Macquarie University Julien Cooper The hyper-arid desert of Eastern Sudan, the Atbai Desert, seems like an unlikely place to find evidence of ancient cattle herders. But in this dry environment, my new ...
The sector says it’s hopeful her replacement Paul Goldsmith will be able to throw it a lifeline, after six months with a minister deemed missing in action, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign ...
The government can't just rely on axing public sector jobs and has to do more to cut spending, says the chief economist at a free market think tank. ...
Rock The Vote NZ, known for its advocacy for minor party unity and its role within the Freedoms NZ Coalition during the 2023 General Election, celebrates this merger as a strategic enhancement of its operational strength and outreach. ...
Nearly everyone has experienced the frustration of something you use breaking and being difficult or expensive to fix. Proposed legislation could change that. It’s been raining on and off all Sunday afternoon but people are lining up outside a building in a corner of Gribblehirst Park in Sandringham, Auckland. In ...
What does a forever relationship look like when you don’t believe in marriage? And how do you celebrate it? This essay is part of our Sunday Essay series, made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.I’m going to do it, right now. I’m going to say ...
The Prime Minister has committed to resuming direct flights to Thailand. But it’s not a promise he will be able to deliver on anytime soon. The post Prime Minister jumps the gun in Thailand appeared first on Newsroom. ...
It’s not that long ago Eliza McCartney was seriously wondering if the Paris Olympics would be her pole vaulting swansong. After years of being hounded by injury after injury, the Rio Olympics bronze medallist was still confident she would compete at her second Olympics in Paris in July, unless something ...
FICTION 1 Take Two by Danielle Hawkins (Allen & Unwin, $36.99) There’s commercial fiction, like this book, and then there’s quality fiction, quality writers, quality literature; the forthcoming Auckland Writers Festival is full of quality, and ReadingRoom has two tickets to give away to the following events: Paul Lynch (Dublin ...
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You can’t have missed the Gallipoli story as the movies, documentaries, essays and books capture what it was like for New Zealand troops in their eight-month campaign on the Peninsula. But this Anzac Day the Auckland War Memorial Museum has published a book that sheds light on a little-known aspect of the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra In the free-for-all between the Australian government and Big Tech boss Elon Musk this week, the government had to be on a winner. Most people would have little sympathy with Musk’s vociferous opposition to ...
Asia Pacific Report Chief Mandla Mandela, a member of the National Assembly of South Africa and Nelson Mandela’s grandson, has joined the Freedom Flotilla in istanbul as the ships prepare to sail for Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. Mandela is also the ambassador for the Global Campaign to Return to ...
Pacific Media Watch Journalists who report on environmental issues are encountering growing difficulties in many parts of the world, reports Reporters Without Borders. According to the tally kept by RSF, 200 journalists have been subjected to threats and physical violence, including murder, in the past 10 years because they were ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards, Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in ...
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What a couple of months! What a party it has been! What great hosts New Zealanders have been!
But there is a part of the New Zealand sporting psyche that leaves me absolutely cold: we are lousy losers. Friends in the grandstand on Sunday night, when things were getting a little doubtful half way through the second half, were looking for the nearest exit in case there was a loss. The alcohol fuelled muttonheads around them were losing the plot. A large group of policemen were moved forward.
The insane booing of Quade Cooper, the gormless put downs of Australians; the Pom bashing; the regular reference to the underarm bowling incident a million years ago are all examples of NZ insecurity and little man/poor cousin syndrome.
Can we not learn some grace and character, and celebrate all that is great on the sportsfield. Cheerfulness, passion, in your face enthusiasm is wonderful. Mindless boorishness is one memory that I don’t want people to remember New Zealand by. We are lousy loosers, and should endeavour, on the back of all the well deserved celebrations this time, to remember that next time we come up short.
And on the Haka incident, the Guardian puts it into perspective…
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/2011/oct/25/france-haka-fining-world-cup-final
A loss might have lead to some introspection on the attitudes you outline, similar to the moral crisis China has been facing in light of the girl runover by a van that multiple passersby ignored.
Now instead this will simmer away in the background without the proper attention it deserves.
Auckland delivered, true to form, started with a transport snarl and
ended with power outages and the spectre of gas leaks shutting
down business. Muddle city.
Mana to release it’s economic policy this Thursday in Auckland
MANA – movement of the people – press release
Tension starting to show in the ranks of Occupy Dunedin.
Disagreements about onsite policies, serious online abuse, physical threats in an assembly. And still no idea of what they propose to actually do. Except issue PR pieces:
“Call for people before profit”
Are you going to provide some links to support your contention Pete. Or are we supposed to take your word for it?
The link you provide (twice) makes no mention of what you allege.
That’s going to be hard for Pete to do, given that he’s making it up. Funny how he can spend hours moaning about the minor issue of the accuracy of a date used on a John Banks pamphlet yesterday, but has no problem smearing the Occupy Dunedin movement this morning.
I can back up everything I have said. I have had extensive contact with what’s happening in Dunedin. So you should retract your accusation that I’m making it up or you wil be the one seen to be smearing.
I’m not smearing the movement, I’m highlighting real concerns that the public and some people within the movement have.
Concern troll. Provide no solutions, give it a helping hand to fall apart faster.
Haha, and other concern trolls diss me when I offer solutions.
The standard approach here as usual, attack the messenger.
But you do make yourself such an attractive target.
When you write, especially the first thing in the morning comments that I read over coffee. I keep trying to remember when I last saw so much vacuous lack of content wrapped up in high sounding verbiage… I have come to the conclusion it was when I last watched the pre-game TV waffle at any sporting event with the sound on spewing its mindless drivel. Mind you The Panel comes close pretty frequently.
Of course commentators try to prick the balloon – only realistic way to find out if there is any substance in there.
Following Abe’s post on the Occupy’s fb page, I posted suggesting that facilitation of meetings be made a priority and included a link to some basic info on facilitation. (My experience whenever I have popped in is that there is no facilitation of meetings). On that post, someone commented that there was a person who had facilitated at least one meeting quite well, which I took as a positive sign that things could be moving in a good direction.
However, on checking back this morning it appears that post has been deleted. I know that fb can be a bit random on how it displays stuff and that it might ‘pop’ back into existence.
I’ve posted again asking whether that post, as well as a similarily viened comment under Abe’s post, was deleted as trolling. (The people ‘in charge’ of the Occupy page have stated they are now deleting posts they consider to be trolling.)
In the meantime, and this is only an impression from the fb comments under Abe’s original post, it appears that Occupy simply does not know how to deal with the situation and are simply waiting for the antagonist to leave. More than not knowing how to deal with the situation, there is an element of denial, with comments coming from fairly prominent people to the effect that it was just a glitch in a peaceful Occupation and that it won’t happen again. But (and again I’m stressing this impression is based only on the fb comments etc) there appears to be a lack of willingness to treat the situation seriously and attempt to put systems in place that might prevent a repeat occurance. Go figure.
Sorry, here is the second link (easy to find from the first anyway):
http://yourdunedin.org/2011/10/26/occupy-dunedin-update/
Occupy Dunedin they’ve obviously got more support in north dunedin than
Pernacios Guile
Jealousy I am certain That a group of young people can get involved in politics in their own way
Something PG thinks is ok for him but anyone else is wrong
Sadly. There has been someone who was fairly prominent and active leave after being threatened with assault.
From their facebook page. http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=174019599347247
@PeteG, Suggest you follow @RDevro & @allisonkilkenny on twitter for love tweeting from GA’s in NYC to see how they are resolving issues between residents and # OWS. Happening now!
Great lecture on the Markets and Morality.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00kt7sh
Welcome to the Police State as they evict #occupyoakland
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSMyY3_dmrM&feature=player_embedded#!
Occupy Protests too inexperienced to fade away late one night on their own terms and in their own control while their message was still strong.
Signs of US economic collapse: Cattle rustling now at an all time high
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10761647
Just like its the 1800s.
There is bound to be confrontation and anger when people from differing beliefs come together. Each believes that they are So Right – one says Peace, Love and Life and to hell with you if you disagree with something and express that differing opinion. The other comes at things from a Randian approach and discounts everything as Wrong if it is opposed to an individual shining path to success of grand personal concepts.
I noticed on the Dunedin Occupy facebook page that someone was playing with the slogan of 99% (ordinary people) – 1% (fabulously wealthy) to the 1% being the state, and bad-mouthing what it does for us all. I think this is a dangerous attitude, that opens the way to worse governance from what I call the mechanicals, the machine-like thinkers that don’t want to meet the human needs of others.
I have been looking at a book I bought from curiosity. It is called grandly The Book and has someone’s considered approach which sounds like Tea Party stuff, divided into three sections God-Man, Neo-Tech, Illusions. There is similar to creationist thinking with personal belief co-opting a pseudo scientific approach and a strong dollop of how to be a self-made man. A shining example is James J Hill who sounds like a clever man who built a railroad with no borrowed money and made a profit, the writer Mark Hamilton says, from day one. In contrast, he says, the state made a mess of its interests in railroads because of “the incompetence and greed of career politicians…But one market entrepreneur could raise the standard of living of a nation”. This leads to the worship of the individual, money, single-mindedness, individuality and to hell with everybody else. A step back to Dickens’ time with a shrug from the haves – as Deborah Crone Something said yesterday? – life can’t be perfect.
I don’t buy that there will necessarily be ‘confrontation and anger’ when people with differing beliefs come together.
There are mechanisms and practices that can be adopted/developed to stop that happening. Good facilitation is one. Getting rid of all the ‘red rag to a bull’ banners that proclaim adherence to this, that or the other political tradition…y’know, this embodies the one truth and the true path, not that one over there the ‘infidels’ are touting ….
This is afterall (in theoretically at least) a movement, not a coalition. Therefore no one stated position has any right to primacy. And as there is (or should be) no competition between opposing views seeking dominance, then all those characteristics that mark a coalition have no place. Pretty simple, I would have thought.
And yes, there are some right wing libertrians popping up. But hey. Their positions are so porous and if treated properly, a good way to bring people to a contrary position. So I don’t actually mind them so much. One guy put up a photo of a poster banging on about freedom. (Could be the same guy you mention) On first glance, it might have appealed to some people. It was Ayn Rand through and through. Anyway. Many comments back and forth later, and yes, I’ve finally and politely given up. But in the meantime, anyone reading the comments will at least have some info to base their opinions or position on now and won’t just unwittingly buy into the message at face value.
I’m inclined to agree with Prism on this one.
And there need to be mechanisms to stop such conflict from being destructive, but they won’t stop it.
This is the challenge for the left – managing how we deal with our diversity, and the occupy movement is bound to be a bit of a microcosm of it. I hope the guy who left will eventually feel able to return.
Have you lived closely with diverse others for any length of time, without any significant anger, arguments, confrontation…?
Genuine question Bill. I’ve never seen that, and in a way I wonder if it wouldn’t even be a bit unhealthy.
It’s not so much that ‘significant anger, arguments, confrontation’ are the problem. It’s how that stuff is dealt with within a group and by the group. And it’s also putting mechanisms in place so that emerging stuff is dealt with early on, before it becomes writ large and assumes a dynamic all of it’s own that consumes everything and every one in a whirlwind of destructive b/s.
And I wouldn’t say the Occupiers are living that closely with one another. People come and go throughout the day or week for a variety of reasons. Which is fine and fair enough. People aren’t intertwined and relying on the group remaining coherent for all, or even anywhere near most, of their ongoing daily needs. They have utterly separate lives to one another outside of the Occupation that they pursue to satisfy most of those.
Oh. And in answer to your question, yes I have (God, what a messy comment!) And if you cycle back to the top of the comment, you’ll get the answer to the second part of your question 🙂
Agro, confrontation and passionate responses are often seen at meetings where people care deeply about something.
That in itself is to be expected. It is a positive that they care so much.
Some sort of management/debating rules are required so everyone feels their view has been, at least, heard.
If Occupy is for the 99% then it can’t be “the left”.
The guy who left was offering real solutions to what is otherwise a growing problem, if dealing with things is addressed rather than staunch intransigence then it’s possible he could return. Occupy Dunedin is at a crossroads – find ways to move forward or all that will be left is the staunch going nowhere, until forced to move on.
Pete how does it feel to be part of the 0.1% that support United Follicles (I rounded up)?
“If Occupy is for the 99% then it can’t be “the left”.”
Well not in the sense you imply, no.
But broadly speaking, the issue is inequality. And politicians of the right are working hard to further entrench that inequality at every step.
Politicians on the right vote for policies that benefit the 1% (or 5% or 10% or however you break it down) at the expense of everybody else.
Unless you think the problem is that the rich don’t have enough money and power, the solutions are never going to come from the right of the political spectrum.
If it’s framed as a “left” crusade it won’t get 44.5% support.
and you’re an expert on getting more than 44% support, are you?
UF governing alone in 2012?
I’m not claiming I can change the world, my target is just an electorate.
yeah pete it’s all about you
btw has Mana got a Dunedin North candidate yet?
I find it interesting that your attacks on Occupy started off as against some ‘left’ organisations coopting the movement under cover of darkness and using the movement to push their own barrow – now you say the left aren’t 99%. It is funny watching your lines change and gradually align with – shock! horror! your own position of affected neutrality, the godlike middle, and having sensible haircuts. That says lack of integrity to me and egocentric self interest masquerading as concern for a movement that saw through and spurned your trojan horse approach.
I wrote this over on the Archdruid site:
And it appears to apply to PeteG quite well.
big ups for commenting on one of my favorite sites – man that dude is so on the money and i love his serialised science fiction novella being written as we speak.
Star’s Reach, FTW!
have you tried the short story challenge? – I’ve tried to but struggling – great to think about post situations as we plunge headlong into it.
I agree Pete, it’s a much bigger issue than a left/right analysis can accommodate.
But the fact is that the policies of the left will play a part in the solution and the policies of the right will not.
Pity it has not been published yet, but I have seen a Uni study that basically says that over 80% of New Zealanders, given a choice of policies without being told which party they originated from, favour Green party policies.
Not too far from 99%.
Shows why NACT/UF/MP are wise, to avoid mentioning their policies, when they are campaigning.
Bill I think your point about ‘reading the comments’ is important. The talk swirling round that doesn’t get pinned down and considered can become a confusing waste of time where there are many partly formed views or just a sense of huge unease. There must be a way of distilling the concerns so they can be considered, and everyone know what is being discussed and that everyone’s points are noted. I think this would help everyone to be heard or to find a point that would agree with their opinions.
Without a written record things can get really unclear as each person will have a slightly different opinion of what has been heard and their perception of it, and their memories, can twist it further. Preparing for this with the means would be important as a basis for full democratic discussion. Power points and electronic devices could be used to record and display but something that people can access without a machine would be good.
I think people need a whiteboard or large paper sheets with crayons if not markers and then keywords get noted with bullet points and someone then getting a copy, if necessary using a device such as getting a picture on a cellphone, so it’s not lost when the whiteboard gets cleaned. This means that valuable thinking time is captured and the content can be recovered for further consideration later. And writing down the names of people proposing things would be good so that they can be referred back to and can background the issue and points they made.
A lot of what you refer to there is a part of what a good facilitator does. (ie takes all the various angles, merges or assimilates them and feeds that sum total back to the group so that everyone is clear and in agreement on what’s what and also identifies the areas of disagreement that need further exploration.)
And yes, notes. But not that are presented back at some future date (although that happens too) but that are verified as they are written. Note takers usually distil and interprate points being made. And it’s important that the person making the point agrees with the note takers interpretation/summation.
Bill Yes I agree with that especially that the notes state the points correctly.
I have not been to Dunedin Occupy and not to Auck in a few days, but I’m interested predominantly in the international movement, which seems to have this horizontal decision making more sorted and has an absence of the vested interests we seem to be dominating here. They are in support but are not driving it.
Until the youth are feeling a bit more pain this is unlikely to change.
But in the meantime, those here should perhaps engage more carefully in the way things are being managed around the world. Spain, US and London seem to be working well.
Some problem with Anarchust faction in Zucotti park seems to have been dealt with.
Further to my thoughts on not dissing ‘the state’ as an automatic response, there was a talk on China on RAdionz this morning giving a statistic (approximate) of 45 million Chinese people who died mainly of starvation caused by state control taking over private food production in China in the 50s and 60s as a result of the failure of collectivisation forced by the Chinese Communist government. However this figure needs to be compared to earlier famines, I don’t know what the death total then has been.
So the state is only good as long it is consulting and acting on what the people advise, including the learned academics and scientists, and the advisors and professionals scheme and plan good practical policies.
I’m not a statist. But the starvation in China wasn’t a simple failure of state planning. It involved dynamics whereby minor party officials wanted to look good and so lied about the amount of rice grown. If a higher up official was coming for a ‘look see’, paddies were ripped up and ‘replanted’ to make it appear that yields would be higher than they actually would be. That new info, then informed the commands coming back down from the top. You might say they never saw it (the famine) coming.
Anyway, in any command economy, that problem whereby ‘the party’ gathers info and is in sole charge of making decisions on that info, is going to exist. And people will lie. Either because they want to curry favour or because they want to avoid negative repercussions for not achieving party goals.
On the radio this morning they were saying that NZ is looking to secure a trade agreement with Taiwan.
We’ll be the first country in the world to have trade agreements with Taiwan, Hong Kong and China at the same time.
Good thinking alert – Professor Paul Dalziel: Recreating Full Employment
The 2011 Bruce Jesson Memorial Lecture will be held at the Maidment Theatre at Auckland University at 6:30pm on Wednesday 26 October
More info on these lecture opportunities – http://www.brucejesson.com/lectures
Would appreciate a synopsis from any one who went, if poss 🙂
I was there, but didn’t take notes, if no one else offers a more specific summary I will put one forward tomorrow. Very much enjoyed it – there is a second lecture as part of the series in mid November well worth making time to attend.
Thanks Campbell.
CV I would probably have the opportunity to get a printout.
@CV @prism @seeker – I contacted the secretary of the foundation and he advised me that the lecture will be available on the website end of today, or tomorrow now by the looks of it.
I thought it better to provide the source material. When it goes live I will post the address on open mike but it will most probably be here:
http://www.brucejesson.com/lectures
Campbell L Good to know that thanks
Has Fonterra been hoist on its own petard? If they could use the methane from the effluent from the dairy cows, which they haven’t, they would not be dependent on the reticulated gas sector.
Isn’t that putting all your eggs in the one basket, or your cheeses anyway.
not sure if this has been linked to yet –
“Revealed – the capitalist network that runs the world”
“The work, to be published in PLoS One, revealed a core of 1318 companies with interlocking ownerships. Each of the 1318 had ties to two or more other companies, and on average they were connected to 20. What’s more, although they represented 20 per cent of global operating revenues, the 1318 appeared to collectively own through their shares the majority of the world’s large blue chip and manufacturing firms – the “real” economy – representing a further 60 per cent of global revenues.
When the team further untangled the web of ownership, it found much of it tracked back to a “super-entity” of 147 even more tightly knit companies – all of their ownership was held by other members of the super-entity – that controlled 40 per cent of the total wealth in the network. “In effect, less than 1 per cent of the companies were able to control 40 per cent of the entire network,” says Glattfelder.”
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21228354.500-revealed–the-capitalist-network-that-runs-the-world.html?DCMP=OTC-rss&nsref=online-news
I support the Occupy movements and even though they are still learning they have got a lot right such as the focus on capitalism. I don’t see any redeemable features of that system and therefore i support replacing it before it kills everything.
This link is a video from tangata whenua at Occupy Auckland and the work they are doing to make the movement more inclusive.
http://uriohau.blogspot.com/2011/10/decolonise-occupy-auckland-marama.html
A ‘C Pass’ – New Zealand, (still) only an ‘aspiring’ mediocrity.
Downgraded on immigration!! LMAO – another Key “Building a brighter future’ moment!!
That is the only great news in the report. No more importing economic growth
Perhaps now we can see how NZ travels on our on energy. And perhaps value our own people that we train, only to lose offshore and then having to make up for this then “buy” immigrates from other countries with the same skill set. Does anyone ever think of the damage we are causing to the likes of India, SA etc with the e.g. medical staff we are pouching? Sure we benefit greatly from their skills, but at what cost.
Also how can NZ be a great place to live when the average shoe box cost is so prohibitive and rents so high?
househttp://www.interest.co.nz/property/house-price-income-multiples
Is David Parker going back to the future in Epsom?
http://readingthemaps.blogspot.com/2011/10/labours-janus-face.html
Just listened to Dame Susan Devoy on the panel talking about the Honours system.
“Oh Lord it is hard to be humble when you’re perfect in …
She commented that she was delighted that the Queen’s honours had been restored by the current government and in particular for those who received the, then new, New Zealand awards and were able to commute them to the traditional Queen’s honours.
I guess it never occurred to her that she could have lifted the profile of the New Zealand awards and approached the Governor General to have her “Damehood” commuted to the New Zealand awards – nah. No more likely than her other mates in ACT, like Sir Roger Douglas. They love the baubles.
Want to place bets on how soon there is the Sir John Right Honorable Prime Minister John Key? Quick before it is too late!
Radio Live (Karyn & Andrew) discussing the bias of the media especially Duncan Garner.
Nice to actually have it acknowledged. ( On now – finishes at 10pm)
Moody’s keep NZ at AAA – as I thought.
John Key saying he expected another downgrade made me assume that he assumed we weren’t getting one.
Make a story out of your comment that we’ll get a third downgrade then, voila, the relief when we don’t.
And claim the credit for being ‘realistic’ or ‘modest’ in the interim.
Timed to arrive just after the PREFU, too. See, it’s not so bad after all.
Just as well we know from John Key’s secret emailer that the ratings agencies are extremely politically active and aware in their operations and interpretations.
Does NZ remain on negative watch?
US Police fuck Occupy Oakland
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QngE6kKk8Lg&feature=channel_video_title
Thanks Russia TV. No one else is showing this.
TV3 news tonight- -Ashcroft flies in to meet Key -just before an election again. This time Key’s not so reticent about it and tries to make it sound good by telling us that Ashcroft is the deputy chair of the British Conservative party -but he is not. Key misinforms us yet again. Surely he should have known?
Ashcroft lost the job last year as he was considered a liability! Not surprising considering some of the really questionable things he has got up to. He was especially good at misleading Blair’s government about his domicile tax status to get his lordship title, and was even known as “Blofeld” by senior friends of Cameron. Yipes and yuck.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/columnists/rachelsylvester/3644472/Is-Lord-Ashcroft-ashamed-to-live-here.html
Why does Mr, Key keep such questionable company???? Why does he keep meeting this “Blofeld”
just before elections. Surely it has nothing to do with……….sales and sell outs?
Come in 007………. and smell the coffee again…. over and out
And just for the skiting rights…. I’m posting this from a tent at Occupy Wellington. All tucked up on a very wet night.
LEGEND!
Keep warm!
You beauty!
Thank you.
Good on you. Give them some publicity….. (hint)
Piece of trivia for you folks.
If you Google John Key is an idiot, You get 3,800,000 results.
Thats what you call popularity eh.