If politicians actually listened to teachers instead of inflicting their half baked ideas on them, then they would have to make these types of admissions.
“The Obama administration on Saturday acknowledged what many parents and educators have seen as a problem for years—the excessive use of high-stakes testing in the nation’s public schools.
“I believe that in moderation, smart, strategic tests can help us measure our kids’ progress in school,” President Obama said in a video posted to Facebook.
I am firmly of the belief that right wing governments deliberately impose these testing regimes on populations because they are aware of the second-rate, non-reflective educational results. It was almost certainly the case here when the Nats brought in National Standards over the top of a new, very promising curriculum, which they have made sure cannot fly.
If you were a right wing politician, you would not want a population of independent critical thinkers, would you now!
Exactly right JanM…….followed up with cheap booze, mind numbing broadcasting on Rv and low wage economy,fearful of losing their jobs……and their homes.
I think we are already there when I hear polls, unless there is something dodgy about them?
The best educational results come from Finland, children have only one test in their lives.
Testing sucks the life out of the joy of knowledge and education.
Imagine if every week/month/year at work a person had to sit a test and that was what their job hinged on? Would that be a reasonable way to conduct a business or would it make most employees just work at passing the test and beating their colleagues who they were ranked against rather than collaborating, innovating and creating new knowledge?
Testing is known to ‘dumb’ down education. It does not work at all and in particular the way the government is implementing it without having a clue – apart from making it a way to privatise education by making it broken (so they have to get in Charter schools and business to ‘fix it’).
In the 1970’s NZ had one of the best educations systems in the world, it is still very good but the government wants to follow an agenda to destroy teachers and put business administrators into schools.
+100…testing also serves to promote private schools for the wealthy…who ‘hot house’ teach to tests…but whose products/fee paying clients/children do not necessarily do well at university because they have been ‘hot housed’ and can not think for themselves …nor do they have the intrinsic motivation and inquiring minds…
the bright/brilliant kids from State schools are often barred from even getting to university …because they are turned off test driven boring education…the ones that do get through are often ‘A’ students because they are intrinsically motivated and can think critically
( but of course jonkey Nactional is stopping these brilliant postgrad students from state schools in their tracks because they can not afford more university education …again the tertiary field is left open for mediocre students of the private schooled rich and foreign paying students…again working class and middle class New Zealand young people have been betrayed and barred from university education to the highest levels)
One “Reddelusion” has failed to respond to some points I made after he had gallantly (if that’s the right word for it) written in defence of the late “Sir” Paul Holmes….
“Reddelusion” claimed that there was some “context” I had missed that magically justified Holmes’s racist outbursts. Carelessly, “Reddelusion” forgot to show us exactly what that context was.
If he could do that as soon as possible, it would be appreciated.
You choose to be offended daily Morrisey even on behalf of others, what ever floats your boat I guesse. you can’t even watch a footy match without been offended, I am not sure how you get through the day Paul Holmes died a few years back as was the 2011 World Cup, build a bridge or in your case look for new outrages you can jump into to externalise your obvious challenges
Football to the British and most other countries generally means soccer, and they regard rugby as something different.
Football to the Americans means grid iron. They regard soccer and rugby as something different.
To the Australians it can mean australian rules (AFL), rugby league (footy) or rugby union (union), and I think they too generally call the round ball game soccer.
Maybe only in NZ do most of us think of football or footy as meaning rugby.
Fair comment. My objection is to people who are too scared to say the word “football.” It’s because they’ve been bullied and browbeaten by soccer tragics.
With a straight face, Steve Hansen says: “You just want consistency.”
Brass-plated audacity doesn’t come any more shameless than this.
Four years ago Steve Hansen sat alongside “Sir” Graham Henry as his All Black forwards—primarily but by no means only McCaw, Kaino, Hore and Reid—systematically destroyed the RWC final with a display of cynical, offside, illegal killing of the French ball. Such willful violation of the spirit as well as the laws of the game was only possible because of the apparent blindness of the “referee”, one Craig Joubert, in front of whom every one of the flagrant offences was perpetrated. Joubert, to the astonishment and increasing despair of the French players, did nothing about it. Sensing that Joubert was for some reason—timidity? stage fright? Southern Hemisphere solidarity?—not going to do a thing to control them, the emboldened All Blacks’ forwards continued to cheat with impunity, thus preventing France from unleashing its backs as it had against England in the quarter-final.
The outraged reaction in France in the following days was carefully screened from New Zealanders by media gatekeepers like the Herald‘s Gregor Paul and partisan and dishonest radio and television “reporters” such as Jim Kayes and Andrew “Sav” Saveloy. But any New Zealander who watched the match knows perfectly well that France would probably have won if there had been a referee.
One would have thought that straightforward decency, as well as a sense of shame, would have meant that no one from the All Blacks who was involved in that débâcle would ever again have said anything at all about any referee’s performance or, in Joubert’s case, non-performance.
Sadly, though, that is not the case….
Hansen to talk to world referees’ boss as ABs look to get fair hearing in final
by TOBY ROBSON, October 26, 2015
Steve Hansen plans to talk to World Rugby’s referees boss Joel Jutge in a bid to ensure the All Blacks get a fair hearing in the Rugby World Cup final.
A day after the All Blacks were on the wrong side of a 14-6 penalty count during their 20-18 semifinal win over South Africa, Hansen said he had no major issues with the majority of French referee Jerome Garce’s calls at Twickenham.
However, the All Blacks coach did feel as though South Africa got away with similar offences and will be keen to ensure Welsh whistler Nigel Owens applies the same at both teams in the final.
“I have watched it again and yeah, a lot of the penalties were justified,” Hansen said on Monday. “The only concern I have got was that whilst we are getting penalised for things, the same things were happening on the opposition and they weren’t, so that’s another thing I’ll have to talk to him [Jutge] about. You just want consistency.”
Honestly is this level of hypocrisy unexpected. As far as I can see the upper echelons of the NZRFU have long since parted company with the average punter and are living in a subsidiary of Nactland. i’m just ignoring the lot
I suggest you keep to your main past time of chicken fancying.
Okay, that’s me dealt with. Now, would you like to address the question at hand, viz., how can Steve Hansen have the hide to talk publicly about the need for referees to be consistent?
speaking of “pastime”, I wonder that you spend so much of your time trying to aggravate people? or are you genuinely interested in seeking an understanding of broader politics?
Politics interests me very little indeed – especially in NZ.
The vast majority of my comments on this site are dispelling vaccination myths and recently providing some facts in relation the PHARMAC issues regarding the potential TPPA.
Aggravating people at this site is just a bit of fun on the side on occasion.
Rugby is a sport and in sport winning the head games is as important a part of the game as the on field action. Hansen wouldn’t be doing his job if he wasn’t sowing a little doubt in the refs mind just like they will be messing with Aussie head in the next week or so.
Surely you can find more important causes to champion.
Its only a game.
Hansen wouldn’t be doing his job if he wasn’t sowing a little doubt in the refs [sic] mind
Hansen (perhaps understandably) said not a word about Craig Joubert’s complicity in the All Blacks’ outrageous destruction of the 2011 RWC final. He, and every other person in the New Zealand camp, should never say a word about refereeing again. The fact that he has, and that he can talk about “wanting consistency” with a straight face, shows that he has little or no sense of sportsmanship or honour, let alone a sense of irony.
Surely you can find more important causes to champion.
I can and I do. Perhaps you missed my campaign against Television’s Good Morning show.
Its only a game.
True. Which is why I hate people cheating, referees—just one referee, in fact—who collude in that cheating, and sports journalists who think that to state plainly what happened is an act of treason.
What do YOU think about the performance, or non-performance of the likes of Andrew “Sav” Saveloy and Jim Kayes, ropata? Do you really think we ever get anything interesting or insightful from them, ever?
Even worse is the presence of Ian “Smithy” Smith in that terrible television commentary team that is inflicted on New Zealand viewers only. Do you think that Justin Marshall, who perhaps out of a misguided sense of compassion keeps asking “Smithy” what he thinks, is a reliable, even slightly fair-minded commentator?
Fair question, Pat. I could excuse the extreme partisanship of Marshall because he has, after all, been there and done that—and has paid the price for it. [1]
There is no excuse of any kind for Ian Smith, however. He knows nothing, his comments are painfully empty of any sort of content, and the others clearly treat him as some sort of charity case. Notwithstanding all of that, he should have been summarily sacked immediately after his bumbling, crass and offensive interview with Thierry Dusautoir at the end of that farcical 2011 final.
I expect sports journos to be a bit provocative and fun, remember this beautiful moment or were you too busy arguing semantics with Pete George?
TBH I don’t pay much attention to the journos and commentators I am more interested in the game itself. Pundits come and go and say all sorts of dumb shit.
Ropata, I was so disgusted by the cynical tactics of the All Blacks, and by the even worse display by the non-referee in that farcical match, I found such displays, which would normally move me, to be nothing more than a distraction.
As bad as Joubert was, the failure by the New Zealand media was even worse. Campbell is supposed to be a journalist; he could see as clearly as anyone else in the stadium what an insult to the game had just been perpetrated. Instead of hugging players, weeping ecstatically and bawling above the crowd noise how much he loved them, he should have been asking hard questions of the match officials, and of the All Blacks’s management team, which had obviously concocted that cynical strategy. The All Blacks have millions of cheerleaders, and didn’t need him gushing over them instead of doing the job he was supposed to do.
Not everybody was too afraid to speak out however….
That’s the problem: he was not in charge. He abdicated responsibility, and the game was turned into a farce.
….so all your grizzling is obviated.
I think my criticism of Joubert’s failure to do his job are a lot more serious and well documented than simply “grizzling”. If you want to see or hear what grizzling sounds like, I recommend you tune into Radio Sport some time.
The infallibility of the All Blacks is one myth that New Zealanders hold sacred. Personally I enjoy it but I know some people lose perspective on the matter.
“…hear what grizzling sounds like, I recommend you tune into Radio Sport some time.”
I enjoy your postings and critique of the media Morrissey….but steady on there old chap…go easy…Suggesting a live person tune into Radio Sport is like telling them to chew razor blades, or listen to an oompah band sober….
So China confirms that it wants to buy up land in New Zealand- colonisation by another word? ( and I don’t agree with the lareg purchases by other countriwes either).
They don’t have it so they are entitled to ours??? How would they feel if it was the other way around. And they want to renegotiate the free trade agreement – which bits – the ability to buy more of our economy and migrate a pile of workers here – how did the last free trade agreement improve the lot of the average person in the street as opposed to making a few richer???
Labour leader Andrew Little says China’s Vice-President Li Yuanchao put the case why Chinese wanted land in New Zealand, but was “respectful and understanding” of Mr Little’s position on it. …
“He (Li Yuanchao) talked a lot about it, the shortage of arable land in China and why arable land in other parts of the world are important to China and they are looking around for it.”
Mr Little told Li Labour supported an upgrade to the China-NZ free trade agreement and believed that agreement had been beneficial to both. The Government is expected to start negotiating on that upgrade in 2016.
It should be but parties opposed will have to make it very clear they are talking about rejecting foreign ownership by all foreigners with no room for accusations they are targeting any particular groups. I can’t understand why we sell land instead of leasing it.
Here’s an example of why I think Labour urgently need to develop an effective strategy to deal with the media if they want to win another election…. at least one they can win on their own terms.
“Claire Trevett: Little’s a jinx and Key’s a curse – just don’t tell ABs”
That was printed on Thursday, the Herald have only now printed the comments which rather graphically tell the story of why they withheld comments until readers had moved on.
I can appreciate politicians fear taking on the media, for good reasons, but there are times when it is necessary and this is one of those times. Labour isn’t even in power yet they receive more criticism from the Herald, and other mainstream media, than the Government of the day does. The situation really is untenable IMO.
Those articles are gold! No wonder they didn’t print them earlier.
“Claires right – Criticism of John Keys’ National government shouldn’t be left to Labour .
Unfortunately with no objective political journalists prepared to critique our current government through fear of losing their favoured media status –
Its left up to Labour to do Claires’ job for her .
Claires resentment is understandable, as most issues Labour drags into the media spotlight – is an issue she has chosen to ignore.
I cannot remember one story broken by Claire Trevett critical of this government. not one !
its time to lift your own game Claire – the standard of coverage of politics in NZ under your watch is appalling .
Excellent! We have some very talented people in NZ.
For glaring examples of the effects of farming on waterways, take a drive either through the Waioeka Gorge from Gisborne to Opotiki, or drive north of Te Paki on the way to Cape Reinga.
The water in the Waioeka going through the gorge is crystal clear. The very first tributary on the last 10 kms before Opotiki is sludge. The River is brown by the time it reaches the confluence with the Otara River.
There is no farming north of Te Paki station. Former farmland is being regenerated into native forest. The streams are pure. Heavy rain will sludge up the few creeks…but as the vegetation regrows…
Perhaps, with the lower $ for the white gold…there will be less palm kernel used.
The grass is growing GOOD here in the Waikato at the moment….they shouldn’t need to import feed….to feed fewer stock.
Fizzy drink manufacturer Coca-Cola rushed out a statement headed “Coke NZ welcomes obesity strategy”, and the NZ Food and Grocery Council, relieved no doubt that the Government had rejected calls for a tax on unhealthy foods, praised Dr Coleman’s “pragmatic approach”.
The people who are the main cause of the issue think it’s great.
Buzz from the Beehive Transport Minister Simeon Brown dutifully issued advice to all road users to keep safe on our roads during the Easter weekend. He encouraged them to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. ...
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The sweet kisses from fruit of summerHave slowly been turning dullerYou say, "those times"And "remember the daysWhen we went outside and there still was the shade?"Taking no reason into play…Autumn. Clear, blue days shortening to longer nights, growing colder. Aotearoa.That’s us. The temperature dropping, the looming car crash - so ...
Bryce Edwards writes – “It is often said that behind every great man is a great woman”. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their “Ladies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxon”. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April ...
David Farrar writes – The Electoral Commission has published the expense returns for political parties for the 2023 election. I’ve put them in a table with how many votes a party got so we can see the spend per vote. National only spent $3.34 for every vote they got, almost ...
Winston Peters’ headline-making actions over the past week may have been a show of political power intended to strengthen his hand in Budget negotiations. It was no accident that his State of the Nation speech was as it was. He made it as New Zealand First Leader, not as Deputy ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:Former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson bowed out of politics this week, giving a series of exit ...
Graham Adams writes — If you love the law or sausages, as the saying goes, best not to look too closely at how they are made. And after watching the orgy of self-pity when Newshub’s closure was announced on February 28, television journalism should definitely be added to the list of those ...
Venerable New Zealand political commentator, Chris Trotter (https://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/), is a sad creature these days. Once one of the most reliable Leftist writers out there – Economic Left at that – Trotter seems to have absorbed the worldview of Auckland culture-war obsessives. It is not for me to categorise what he ...
The cruelty of short-term memory loss is that each time you ask where she is, you get the fresh shock and grief of the news. That was Dad's day yesterday.Comfortingly, it seems to be less so today. Last night he looked crumpled, today he seems more settled. There's a card ...
The Coalition Government’s plan to ‘get Auckland moving’ is a cuts cover-up that will ultimately cost Aucklanders more to move around the city, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Slashing the Ministry of Pacific Peoples by 40% will have a devastating impact on pacific communities and further highlights how little this government cares about anything other than cutting taxes for the wealthiest few. ...
Labour has proposed an urgent inquiry to investigate the ever-increasing profits of supermarkets, aiming to lower costs for shoppers and food producers alike, says Labour Spokesperson for Commerce and Consumer Affairs Arena Williams and Primary Production Spokesperson Cushla Tangaere-Manuel. ...
With 14% of jobs on the line at the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, the responsible Minister Melissa Lee is failing to stand up for the very communities she’s meant to be representing. ...
COURT OF APPEAL: TRIFECTA OF VICTORY FOR NZ FIRST, TRIFECTA OF FAILURE FOR OPPONENTS For the third time since April 2020, New Zealand First has defeated the Serious Fraud Office and all those complicit in a malicious attack against a political party going about its lawful business in a lawful ...
The Green Party stands with people who live in public housing, people in dire housing need, experts and advocates in demanding better than the Government’s archaic approach to housing those who need our support the most. ...
New Zealand has recently lost the hosting rights of some major international sporting events including the America’s Cup, the Rugby Championship, Netball World Cup, and the Wellington Sevens. We are now at a huge risk of losing SailGP as well. And it won’t stop there. The recent issues with SailGP ...
A Member’s Bill drawn this week would modernise insurance law and make things fairer and more transparent for consumers, Christchurch Central MP Duncan Webb said. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues has confirmed she was aware of funding issues in mid-December and did nothing to stop it. On 14 March, she signed off on changes that were announced and implemented on 18 March without any consultation with disability communities. ...
Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter says her members' bill is an opportunity for the coalition government to plug the gap in electric vehicle incentives. ...
The National Government continues to talk about irresponsible tax cuts that will only drive up inflation, despite the country entering a technical recession. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues must act urgently to reinstate flexibility around the funding for disability support and apologise to disabled carers. ...
This story has been initiated by a leftie shill reporter who proactively sought to call a member of a former band, which disbanded twelve years ago, give their biased appraisal of what was said in my speech, and concocted a ham-fisted attempt at a story that does nothing but show ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Many in the mainstream media have taken what was said in New Zealand First’s State of the Nation Speech in Palmerston North on Sunday and deliberately, deceitfully, and ignorantly misrepresented what I said and why I said it. The headlines and commentary on the news stated that I compared ‘co-governance ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
Good afternoon. Thank you for, in your very busy lives, turning up to this meeting today. On October 14th last year New Zealanders overwhelmingly voted for change. That is exactly what this new government is bringing. New Zealand First campaigned to ‘take back our country’ and stop the disastrous economic ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April. “It was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates. Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend. “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” Mr Peters says. Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. “Road safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track. “Dam safety regulations ...
The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the government’s finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Government’s Budget objectives. “The coalition Government intends ...
The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says. “The Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says. “These changes are long overdue – the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009. ...
The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Education’s School Property Function. The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There is a clear need ...
State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Today I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” Minister Responsible for ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. “We’re sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union. “I am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says. “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “Comprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. “I would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
Good morning, it’s great to be here. First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning. I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
Before moving onto the substance of today’s address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and I’m sorry I can’t be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the Whangārei site where the facility will be constructed. “Northland has faced a number ...
New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata Māori 20 years ago, says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisation’s 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
Analysis - Nicola Willis is holding firm on tax cuts despite the economic outlook being worse than forecast and critics urging her to wait, writes Peter Wilson for The Week In Politics. ...
Opposition MPs and unions are criticising a proposal by New Zealand’s Ministry of Pacific Peoples to cut staff by 40 percent. The country’s largest trade union — The Public Service Association — says the ministry has informed staff that it is looking to shed 63 of 156 positions. Opposition MPs ...
A poem by Poetry Aotearoa Yearbook 2024 featured poet Carin Smeaton. Daughtr of the 90s when she gets promoted to usherette a baby blu eel carries her all the way up to mothership she’s hovering high she lets the underaged in to see keanu reeves she lets the only lonely ...
Analysis by Keith Rankin. Keith Rankin, trained as an economic historian, is a retired lecturer in Economics and Statistics. He lives in Auckland, New Zealand. My earlier article – Can ‘Good’ be the Greater Evil? – looked at the issue of how wars should end, and how Good versus Evil ...
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 AMMA by Saraid de Silva (Moa Press, $38)A stunning debut novel reviewed by Brannavan ...
From Steve Martin to Ricky Stanicky, a pick’n’mix of things worth watching and listening to this long weekend. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. If you’re at a loss for something to occupy yourself with this Easter, don’t panic: The Spinoff’s got ...
Jesus had dinner with his 12 disciples right before he died. Noted historian Madeleine Chapman finds out who really deserved to be there.First published in 2018 but let’s be honest, the subject is timeless. As you sit on your couch this Easter Sunday, eating a chocolate egg you know ...
The newly-promoted Northern League club is on a mission to return to the National League for the first time in two decades. Plenty about domestic football in New Zealand has changed in that time – but the sense that this amateur competition is not an entirely level playing field remains. ...
Comment: Every year on February 2, a dozen men in tuxedos and top hats approach the burrow of a groundhog in Gobbler’s Knob, Pennsylvania and entice the beaver-like rodent to emerge and predict the weather. If the groundhog, named Punxsutawney Phil, sees its own shadow when it is summoned, legend ...
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Auckland Council has put a deadline on new weather-impacted property owners applying for categorisation as government funding looks set to run out. Councillors have voted to support a deadline of September 30 for property owners who haven’t accessed support to come forward and engage with the council’s recovery office. It ...
NONFICTION 1 BBQ Economics by Liam Dann (Penguin Random House, $40) “It’s official,” wrote Dann nine days ago in the Herald, where he works as business editor at large, “we’re in recession.” Yeah, great. He delivered the bad stats: “GDP fell 0.1 percent in the December 2023 quarter, compared with ...
By Anneke Smith, RNZ News political reporter A petition urging the New Zealand government to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people has been tabled in the House. More than 200 people gathered on Parliament’s forecourt today and they were met by MPs from Labour, the Greens and Te ...
Pacific Media Watch The Paris-based global media freedom watchdog RSF (Reporters Without Borders) has appealed for information about the “disappearance” of Palestinian journalist Bayan Abusultan. She was reportedly last seen on March 19 among people “sequestered” in this week’s raid and siege of Al Shifa hospital by Israeli troops in ...
EDITORIAL:The Jakarta Post It happens again and again; indigenous Papuans fall victim to Indonesian soldiers. This time, we have photographic evidence for the brutality, with videos on social media showing a Papuan man being tortured by a group of plainclothes men alleged to be the Indonesian Military (TNI) members. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robyn J. Whitaker, Director of the Wesley Centre for Theology, Ethics, and Public Policy & Associate Professor, New Testament, Pilgrim Theological College, University of Divinity A strange and eclectic range of activities takes place across these few weeks of the year. Some ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University It’s Easter weekend, which means many of us will be kicking back with the greatest hits on repeat. But whether you’re a boomer, or an ‘80s or ’90s kid, you might be ...
RNZ Pacific Fiji’s Acting Public Prosecutor has filed an appeal against the sentences of former prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama and suspended police chief Sitiveni Qiliho in their corruption case. Bainimarama was granted an absolute discharge for attempting to pervert the course of justice while Qiliho received a conditional discharge with ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Arosha Weerakoon, Senior Lecturer and General Dentist, School of Dentistry, The University of Queensland Casezy idea/Shutterstock How does toothpaste work? What did people use before toothpaste was invented? – Amelia, age 7, Meanjin (Brisbane) Thanks for your ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brett Hallam, Associate professor, UNSW Sydney IM Imagery/Shutterstock Solar SunShot is well named. The Australian government announced today it would plough A$1 billion into bringing back solar manufacturing to Australia, boosting energy security, swapping coal and gas jobs for those ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Dix, Research Fellow in Nutrition & Dietetics, The University of Queensland Easter is the time for chocolate. The shops are full of fantastically packaged and shiny chocolates in all shapes and sizes, making trips to the supermarket with children more challenging ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Felton, Adjunct Senior Researcher, University of South Australia Even in a stubborn cost-of-living crisis, it seems there’s one luxury most Australians won’t sacrifice – their daily cup of coffee. Coffee sales have largely remained stable, even as financial pressures have ...
Mining company Trans-Tasman Resources has unexpectedly withdrawn its application for a consent to suck the valuable metals vanadium and titanium from the Taranaki seafloor, as it apparently wagers on the Government’s new fast-track process. It had spent two-and-a-half days putting its case to the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision-making committee, at ...
Contrary to the Associate Minister of Education’s claims, analysis of Healthy School Lunches Programme - Ka Ora, Ka Ako assessments has revealed it provides excellent value for the taxpayer dollar, as a groundswell of public opposition to Government ...
Greenpeace says wannabe Taranaki seabed miner Trans-Tasman Resources is likely banking on Christopher Luxon’s fast-track process to side-step proper scrutiny of its Taranaki seabed mining proposal by bailing out of the Environmental Protection Agency hearing ...
Kiwis Against Seabed mining today slammed Australian owned would-be seabed miner Trans Tasman Resources (TTR) for abandoning its application to the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) to mine the seabed of the South Taranaki Bight. The company ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katie Attwell, Associate Professor, School of Social Sciences, The University of Western Australia Ground Picture/Shutterstock Months after COVID vaccines were introduced in 2021, governments and private organisations mandated them for various groups. Health and aged care workers were among the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Dzurak, Scientia Professor Andrew Dzurak, CEO and Founder of Diraq, UNSW Sydney Diraq For decades, the pursuit of quantum computing has struggled with the need for extremely low temperatures, mere fractions of a degree above absolute zero (0 Kelvin or ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne A national Essential poll, conducted March 20–24 from a sample of 1,150, gave the Coalition a 50–44 lead including undecided, a reversal ...
The Taxpayers’ Union has today made a formal request under the Regulations of the People’s Republic of China on Open Government Information () for information held about how New Zealand Members of Parliament are spending taxpayer ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert Nelson, Honorary Principal Fellow, The University of Melbourne A Byzantine depiction of the Eucharist in Saint Sophia Cathedral, Kyiv.Jacek555/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA A nasty quarrel arose in the 11th century over what kind of bread should be used in holy ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Patrick Hesp, Professor, Flinders University Patrick Hesp In some parts of Australia, coastal dunes are retreating from the ocean at an alarming rate, as waves carve up the beach and wind blows the sand inland. But coastal communities are largely ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Luke Heemsbergen, Senior Lecturer, Digital, Political, Media, Deakin University With an impressive 60% of the US smartphone market, Apple is undeniably big, but not a clear monopoly. Yet, years of innovation by Apple have effectively given the company its own exclusive ...
Whether you’re facing layoffs or are just an emotional junior staffer, it’s always a good idea to scout out a good crying place before you need it. It’s an incredibly hard time for Wellington. Across the city, thousands of public servants are hearing tough news about redundancies and layoffs. Government ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Miller-Jones, Professor, Curtin University Nuclear explosions on a neutron star feed its jets. Danielle Futselaar and Nathalie Degenaar, Anton Pannekoek Institute, University of Amsterdam, CC BY-SA How fast can a neutron star drive powerful jets into space? The answer, it ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Daryl Adair, Associate Professor of Sport Management, University of Technology Sydney Earlier this week, independent MP Andrew Wilkie accused the AFL of conducting “off the books” illicit drug testing to identify players using substances of abuse, then inappropriately withdrawing them from matches ...
The Government’s announcement that it will scrap plans for a vast marine sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands is ‘shameful’ and will make it impossible for Aotearoa New Zealand to meet its international commitments, says the World Wide Fund for Nature ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Quiggin, Professor, School of Economics, The University of Queensland Shutterstock The federal government has bowed to pressure from the car industry, announcing it will relax proposed emissions rules for utes and vans and delay enforcement of the new standards ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Suzanne Rutland, Professor Emerita, University of Sydney In his latest book, Jewish Life in Medieval Spain, Jonathan Ray focuses on the tumult of the 14th century in Spain – a time of the plague, civil strife and war between the two largest ...
While creating a slate of world-class shows, Whakaata Māori also developed a generation of world-class creatives. Television is an odd word. It mixes the Ancient Greek and Latin languages, and its most literal meaning is “far-off sight”. In the contemporary and living language of te reo Māori, “whakaata” as a ...
Yesterday the UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Israel’s war on Gaza. This significant step and the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza prompted an urgent debate in the New Zealand Parliament. Leader ...
The Government’s decision to reduce access to continuous glucose monitors (CGM) not only threatens the lives of children with type 1 diabetes and increases the potential for ‘Dead in Bed’ syndrome, but also threatens the health of their parents an ...
Apples are available year-round, but the wide variety on offer involves intensive scientific research – and large-scale commercialisation. What’s beautiful, red, sweet and crunchy? Tony Martin’s favourite kind of apple: Sassy. The CEO of apple and pear breeding organisation Prevar, Martin’s fondness for Sassy represents professional success as well as ...
Family violence specialist service Shine is calling on employers to stop asking for proof of domestic violence in order for employees to access domestic violence leave. The call comes five years after the introduction of the Domestic Violence ...
The Deputy Chairperson of the Finance and Expenditure Committee is calling for public submissions on the Budget Policy Statement 2024. The Budget Policy Statement 2024 (BPS) sets out the Government's priorities for the 2024 Budget. It explains the approach ...
Brutal government spending cuts that will see the size of the Ministry for Pacific Peoples slashed by 40% will hit Pasifika communities hard, the PSA says. The Ministry has told staff that it is seeking voluntary redundancies, and to redeploy and reassign ...
I live with five people I mostly love, but our different ideas about generosity are starting to really irk me.Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nzDear Hera,This is a bit of a random one but here goes. I’m 22 and work an OK job (OK meaning I get paid ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Maria Nicholas, Senior Lecturer in Language and Literacy Education, Deakin University Earlier this month, the New South Wales government announced it would roll out programs for gifted students in every public school in the state. This comes amid concerns gifted school ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christopher Rudge, Law lecturer, University of Sydney Massachusetts General Hospital In a world first, we heard last week that US surgeons had transplanted a kidney from a gene-edited pig into a living human. News reports said the procedure was a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Tombs, Howard Paterson Chair of Theology and Public Issues, University of Otago The 5th-century Maskell panel showing Jesus in a loincloth.British Museum, CC BY-NC-SA When Jesus is shown on the cross, he is almost always depicted wearing a loincloth around ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University Shutterstock When you think about a red object, you might picture a red carpet, or the massive ruby in the Queen’s crown. Indeed, Western monarchies and marketing from brands such ...
COMMENTARY:Jewish Voice for Peace The UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza on Monday — and for the first time since the beginning of the Israeli military’s genocide of Palestinians, the United States abstained rather than vetoing it. Security Council resolutions are legally binding, ...
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If politicians actually listened to teachers instead of inflicting their half baked ideas on them, then they would have to make these types of admissions.
“The Obama administration on Saturday acknowledged what many parents and educators have seen as a problem for years—the excessive use of high-stakes testing in the nation’s public schools.
“I believe that in moderation, smart, strategic tests can help us measure our kids’ progress in school,” President Obama said in a video posted to Facebook.
“But I also hear from parents who rightly worry about too much testing, and from teachers who feel so much pressure to teach to a test that it takes the joy out of teaching and learning, both for them and for the students. I want to fix that,” adding, “Learning is about so much more than just filling in the right bubble.”
http://www.commondreams.org/news/2015/10/25/will-new-plan-testing-caps-bring-end-disastrous-bush-obama-education-policies
I am firmly of the belief that right wing governments deliberately impose these testing regimes on populations because they are aware of the second-rate, non-reflective educational results. It was almost certainly the case here when the Nats brought in National Standards over the top of a new, very promising curriculum, which they have made sure cannot fly.
If you were a right wing politician, you would not want a population of independent critical thinkers, would you now!
+1
A population capable of critical thought and doing research would never vote in National.
+1
Exactly right JanM…….followed up with cheap booze, mind numbing broadcasting on Rv and low wage economy,fearful of losing their jobs……and their homes.
I think we are already there when I hear polls, unless there is something dodgy about them?
+1
The best educational results come from Finland, children have only one test in their lives.
Testing sucks the life out of the joy of knowledge and education.
Imagine if every week/month/year at work a person had to sit a test and that was what their job hinged on? Would that be a reasonable way to conduct a business or would it make most employees just work at passing the test and beating their colleagues who they were ranked against rather than collaborating, innovating and creating new knowledge?
Testing is known to ‘dumb’ down education. It does not work at all and in particular the way the government is implementing it without having a clue – apart from making it a way to privatise education by making it broken (so they have to get in Charter schools and business to ‘fix it’).
In the 1970’s NZ had one of the best educations systems in the world, it is still very good but the government wants to follow an agenda to destroy teachers and put business administrators into schools.
+100…testing also serves to promote private schools for the wealthy…who ‘hot house’ teach to tests…but whose products/fee paying clients/children do not necessarily do well at university because they have been ‘hot housed’ and can not think for themselves …nor do they have the intrinsic motivation and inquiring minds…
the bright/brilliant kids from State schools are often barred from even getting to university …because they are turned off test driven boring education…the ones that do get through are often ‘A’ students because they are intrinsically motivated and can think critically
( but of course jonkey Nactional is stopping these brilliant postgrad students from state schools in their tracks because they can not afford more university education …again the tertiary field is left open for mediocre students of the private schooled rich and foreign paying students…again working class and middle class New Zealand young people have been betrayed and barred from university education to the highest levels)
look theres the AB’s,…..all better. sarc 🙂
and the flag over here, oh mercy me, my head is spinning with wonderment
Calling “Reddelusion”…Calling “Reddelusion”…Calling “Reddelusion”…
One “Reddelusion” has failed to respond to some points I made after he had gallantly (if that’s the right word for it) written in defence of the late “Sir” Paul Holmes….
http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-24102015/#comment-1086516
“Reddelusion” claimed that there was some “context” I had missed that magically justified Holmes’s racist outbursts. Carelessly, “Reddelusion” forgot to show us exactly what that context was.
If he could do that as soon as possible, it would be appreciated.
Calling “Reddelusion”…Calling “Reddelusion”…
You choose to be offended daily Morrisey even on behalf of others, what ever floats your boat I guesse. you can’t even watch a footy match without been offended, I am not sure how you get through the day Paul Holmes died a few years back as was the 2011 World Cup, build a bridge or in your case look for new outrages you can jump into to externalise your obvious challenges
1.) …you can’t even watch a footy [sic] match without been offended….
“Footy”? Are you afraid of saying or writing the word “football”? What are you—three years old?
Practise saying it daily: “Football.” It’s not that hard if you try.
Football’s quite a vague term really.
Football to the British and most other countries generally means soccer, and they regard rugby as something different.
Football to the Americans means grid iron. They regard soccer and rugby as something different.
To the Australians it can mean australian rules (AFL), rugby league (footy) or rugby union (union), and I think they too generally call the round ball game soccer.
Maybe only in NZ do most of us think of football or footy as meaning rugby.
Fair comment. My objection is to people who are too scared to say the word “football.” It’s because they’ve been bullied and browbeaten by soccer tragics.
I’ve got a personal fondness for “rugger” but it does get me strange looks.
Ha! Good luck with that, my friend.
Mind you, it is used in Japan—“rugger” shirts are a perennial fashion item there.
Your one strange character Morrissey, one hell of a party going on in that head of yours 😀
With a straight face, Steve Hansen says: “You just want consistency.”
Brass-plated audacity doesn’t come any more shameless than this.
Four years ago Steve Hansen sat alongside “Sir” Graham Henry as his All Black forwards—primarily but by no means only McCaw, Kaino, Hore and Reid—systematically destroyed the RWC final with a display of cynical, offside, illegal killing of the French ball. Such willful violation of the spirit as well as the laws of the game was only possible because of the apparent blindness of the “referee”, one Craig Joubert, in front of whom every one of the flagrant offences was perpetrated. Joubert, to the astonishment and increasing despair of the French players, did nothing about it. Sensing that Joubert was for some reason—timidity? stage fright? Southern Hemisphere solidarity?—not going to do a thing to control them, the emboldened All Blacks’ forwards continued to cheat with impunity, thus preventing France from unleashing its backs as it had against England in the quarter-final.
The outraged reaction in France in the following days was carefully screened from New Zealanders by media gatekeepers like the Herald‘s Gregor Paul and partisan and dishonest radio and television “reporters” such as Jim Kayes and Andrew “Sav” Saveloy. But any New Zealander who watched the match knows perfectly well that France would probably have won if there had been a referee.
One would have thought that straightforward decency, as well as a sense of shame, would have meant that no one from the All Blacks who was involved in that débâcle would ever again have said anything at all about any referee’s performance or, in Joubert’s case, non-performance.
Sadly, though, that is not the case….
Hansen to talk to world referees’ boss as ABs look to get fair hearing in final
by TOBY ROBSON, October 26, 2015
Steve Hansen plans to talk to World Rugby’s referees boss Joel Jutge in a bid to ensure the All Blacks get a fair hearing in the Rugby World Cup final.
A day after the All Blacks were on the wrong side of a 14-6 penalty count during their 20-18 semifinal win over South Africa, Hansen said he had no major issues with the majority of French referee Jerome Garce’s calls at Twickenham.
However, the All Blacks coach did feel as though South Africa got away with similar offences and will be keen to ensure Welsh whistler Nigel Owens applies the same at both teams in the final.
“I have watched it again and yeah, a lot of the penalties were justified,” Hansen said on Monday. “The only concern I have got was that whilst we are getting penalised for things, the same things were happening on the opposition and they weren’t, so that’s another thing I’ll have to talk to him [Jutge] about. You just want consistency.”
Read more, if you can bear steaming hypocrisy….
http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/all-blacks/73372474/Hansen-to-talk-to-world-referees-boss-as-ABs-look-to-get-fair-hearing-in-final
Honestly is this level of hypocrisy unexpected. As far as I can see the upper echelons of the NZRFU have long since parted company with the average punter and are living in a subsidiary of Nactland. i’m just ignoring the lot
I must apologise for calling you a third rate sports pundit last week Morrissey.
You are clearly a fourth rate sports bore, I suggest you keep to your main past time of chicken fancying.
*pastime (a compound of pass time)
Thanks grant – the vagaries of auto spell check on mobile while at work.
At least he has more interesting things to say than you nsd.
Personally, I am a fan Morrisey, keep up the good work.
You are clearly a fourth rate sports bore,
Ouch! Nice one, Doc.
I suggest you keep to your main past time of chicken fancying.
Okay, that’s me dealt with. Now, would you like to address the question at hand, viz., how can Steve Hansen have the hide to talk publicly about the need for referees to be consistent?
speaking of “pastime”, I wonder that you spend so much of your time trying to aggravate people? or are you genuinely interested in seeking an understanding of broader politics?
Politics interests me very little indeed – especially in NZ.
The vast majority of my comments on this site are dispelling vaccination myths and recently providing some facts in relation the PHARMAC issues regarding the potential TPPA.
Aggravating people at this site is just a bit of fun on the side on occasion.
“Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn’t mean politics won’t take an interest in you. ”
― Pericles
I wonder what you think politics is? or don’t you think?
Politics in NZ doesn’t interest you much? So what country’s politics DO you take an interest in?
Rugby is a sport and in sport winning the head games is as important a part of the game as the on field action. Hansen wouldn’t be doing his job if he wasn’t sowing a little doubt in the refs mind just like they will be messing with Aussie head in the next week or so.
Surely you can find more important causes to champion.
Its only a game.
Hansen wouldn’t be doing his job if he wasn’t sowing a little doubt in the refs [sic] mind
Hansen (perhaps understandably) said not a word about Craig Joubert’s complicity in the All Blacks’ outrageous destruction of the 2011 RWC final. He, and every other person in the New Zealand camp, should never say a word about refereeing again. The fact that he has, and that he can talk about “wanting consistency” with a straight face, shows that he has little or no sense of sportsmanship or honour, let alone a sense of irony.
Surely you can find more important causes to champion.
I can and I do. Perhaps you missed my campaign against Television’s Good Morning show.
Its only a game.
True. Which is why I hate people cheating, referees—just one referee, in fact—who collude in that cheating, and sports journalists who think that to state plainly what happened is an act of treason.
“sports journalists who think that to state plainly what happened is an act of treason”
Well now you’re showing how fair and reasonable you are *cough cough*
What do YOU think about the performance, or non-performance of the likes of Andrew “Sav” Saveloy and Jim Kayes, ropata? Do you really think we ever get anything interesting or insightful from them, ever?
Even worse is the presence of Ian “Smithy” Smith in that terrible television commentary team that is inflicted on New Zealand viewers only. Do you think that Justin Marshall, who perhaps out of a misguided sense of compassion keeps asking “Smithy” what he thinks, is a reliable, even slightly fair-minded commentator?
if sports (at this level) is entertainment do we seek fair minded commentary?
Fair question, Pat. I could excuse the extreme partisanship of Marshall because he has, after all, been there and done that—and has paid the price for it. [1]
There is no excuse of any kind for Ian Smith, however. He knows nothing, his comments are painfully empty of any sort of content, and the others clearly treat him as some sort of charity case. Notwithstanding all of that, he should have been summarily sacked immediately after his bumbling, crass and offensive interview with Thierry Dusautoir at the end of that farcical 2011 final.
[1] https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/nz.general/Ern1_QrFIw8
I expect sports journos to be a bit provocative and fun, remember this beautiful moment or were you too busy arguing semantics with Pete George?
TBH I don’t pay much attention to the journos and commentators I am more interested in the game itself. Pundits come and go and say all sorts of dumb shit.
https://youtu.be/UhEpas8hxYI
Ropata, I was so disgusted by the cynical tactics of the All Blacks, and by the even worse display by the non-referee in that farcical match, I found such displays, which would normally move me, to be nothing more than a distraction.
As bad as Joubert was, the failure by the New Zealand media was even worse. Campbell is supposed to be a journalist; he could see as clearly as anyone else in the stadium what an insult to the game had just been perpetrated. Instead of hugging players, weeping ecstatically and bawling above the crowd noise how much he loved them, he should have been asking hard questions of the match officials, and of the All Blacks’s management team, which had obviously concocted that cynical strategy. The All Blacks have millions of cheerleaders, and didn’t need him gushing over them instead of doing the job he was supposed to do.
Not everybody was too afraid to speak out however….
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7C6bTHyC0U
Laws of Rugby Union
Basically, the ref was in charge so all your grizzling is obviated.
Basically, the ref was in charge…
That’s the problem: he was not in charge. He abdicated responsibility, and the game was turned into a farce.
….so all your grizzling is obviated.
I think my criticism of Joubert’s failure to do his job are a lot more serious and well documented than simply “grizzling”. If you want to see or hear what grizzling sounds like, I recommend you tune into Radio Sport some time.
The infallibility of the All Blacks is one myth that New Zealanders hold sacred. Personally I enjoy it but I know some people lose perspective on the matter.
“…hear what grizzling sounds like, I recommend you tune into Radio Sport some time.”
I enjoy your postings and critique of the media Morrissey….but steady on there old chap…go easy…Suggesting a live person tune into Radio Sport is like telling them to chew razor blades, or listen to an oompah band sober….
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9UqZOv8-OY
If there are articles on NBR that you wanted to read but couldn’t because they were behind the paywall, today is the day apparently.*
They have opened up the site for free today.
http://www.nbr.co.nz/
* Apparently because one article I attempted was still locked.
Some real substance there. I’m glad Hoots isn’t just following the Dirty Politics script.
Matthew Hooton: http://www.nbr.co.nz/opinion/why-key-talked-masturbation-jeremy-wells
Bryce Edwards: http://www.nbr.co.nz/opinion/nz-politics-daily-new-zealand%E2%80%99s-closed-government
http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/key-shows-disregard-law-over-oia-chief-ombudsman-says-180308
So China confirms that it wants to buy up land in New Zealand- colonisation by another word? ( and I don’t agree with the lareg purchases by other countriwes either).
They don’t have it so they are entitled to ours??? How would they feel if it was the other way around. And they want to renegotiate the free trade agreement – which bits – the ability to buy more of our economy and migrate a pile of workers here – how did the last free trade agreement improve the lot of the average person in the street as opposed to making a few richer???
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11534966
Labour leader Andrew Little says China’s Vice-President Li Yuanchao put the case why Chinese wanted land in New Zealand, but was “respectful and understanding” of Mr Little’s position on it. …
“He (Li Yuanchao) talked a lot about it, the shortage of arable land in China and why arable land in other parts of the world are important to China and they are looking around for it.”
Mr Little told Li Labour supported an upgrade to the China-NZ free trade agreement and believed that agreement had been beneficial to both. The Government is expected to start negotiating on that upgrade in 2016.
+100…China has overpopulated and trashed its own country plus Tibet
…and neither does it allow foreign ownership of its own land!
…foreign ownership of NZ land will be a huge vote issue next Election
Agreed Chooky!!
It should be but parties opposed will have to make it very clear they are talking about rejecting foreign ownership by all foreigners with no room for accusations they are targeting any particular groups. I can’t understand why we sell land instead of leasing it.
Here’s an example of why I think Labour urgently need to develop an effective strategy to deal with the media if they want to win another election…. at least one they can win on their own terms.
“Claire Trevett: Little’s a jinx and Key’s a curse – just don’t tell ABs”
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=11532921
That was printed on Thursday, the Herald have only now printed the comments which rather graphically tell the story of why they withheld comments until readers had moved on.
I can appreciate politicians fear taking on the media, for good reasons, but there are times when it is necessary and this is one of those times. Labour isn’t even in power yet they receive more criticism from the Herald, and other mainstream media, than the Government of the day does. The situation really is untenable IMO.
Those articles are gold! No wonder they didn’t print them earlier.
“Claires right – Criticism of John Keys’ National government shouldn’t be left to Labour .
Unfortunately with no objective political journalists prepared to critique our current government through fear of losing their favoured media status –
Its left up to Labour to do Claires’ job for her .
Claires resentment is understandable, as most issues Labour drags into the media spotlight – is an issue she has chosen to ignore.
I cannot remember one story broken by Claire Trevett critical of this government. not one !
its time to lift your own game Claire – the standard of coverage of politics in NZ under your watch is appalling .
how much time and effort did Trevett put in to research her thesis? was it supposed to be funny? why was this dreck even published in the Herald?
“why was this dreck even published in the Herald?”
Because the Herald is actively working to prevent Labour re-emerging as a strong political force?
yup. it’s dumbing down and helping keep the sleepy hobbits complacent while the one-percenters sell out the country
trolling in print……a new hybrid form?
A new video about the true cost of milk.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoQ-18gkF_Y
Excellent! We have some very talented people in NZ.
For glaring examples of the effects of farming on waterways, take a drive either through the Waioeka Gorge from Gisborne to Opotiki, or drive north of Te Paki on the way to Cape Reinga.
The water in the Waioeka going through the gorge is crystal clear. The very first tributary on the last 10 kms before Opotiki is sludge. The River is brown by the time it reaches the confluence with the Otara River.
There is no farming north of Te Paki station. Former farmland is being regenerated into native forest. The streams are pure. Heavy rain will sludge up the few creeks…but as the vegetation regrows…
Perhaps, with the lower $ for the white gold…there will be less palm kernel used.
The grass is growing GOOD here in the Waikato at the moment….they shouldn’t need to import feed….to feed fewer stock.
How do you tell if the legislation that the government just passed to address an issue doesn’t actually do that?
The people who are the main cause of the issue think it’s great.